By ANDREW KIPPIS, D.D. F. R. S. and S. 4. Παλια τα αποςολικά πίνονίες, το οσον εφ' ημιν καθεςηκα ύδως, αυτα τήρησαν LONDON: Printed for T. LONGMAN; B. LAW and SoN; G. G. J. and J. ROBINSON; ADVERTISEMENT то THE READER, BY THE EDITOR. THE ་ HE author of this Work had written upon, the title of that manufcript-volume, which contained the Epistle to the Romans, the following direction" N. B. If I die before this "Work is finished, as it is moft probable I fhall, "I defire that it may be transcribed, as far as it goes, by Mr. Orton; and that he would add "such notes as he shall judge most proper, from my written critical notes on the Epiftles; and "that it may be printed, by fubfcription, in one, "two, or three volumes, as fhall be judged most "convenient, and according to the progrefs "which Providence may permit me to make in "it. Jan. 1, 1746-7."I think it therefore incumbent upon me to inform the fubfcribers what progrefs the author had made in this work, and what has been done to it fince his death, in order to remove those fufpicions which often arise concerning the authenticity of pofthumous works. When it pleafed God to put a period to the author's life and labours, he had finished his Paraphrafe and Improvement of the epiftolary part of the New Testament, and of the book of the Revelation, and fairly wrote it out in fhort-hand; and (RIPPE) 5267 303 A 2 had 78481 iv ADVERTISEMENT had added the principal notes which he intended to publish. At the end of the manufcript-volume containing the Revelation, he had wrote, 66 Through the good hand of God upon me, "which I defire moft thankfully to acknowledge, "I ended the first copy of the Family Expofitor, "Dec. 31, 1748, exactly two years after I began "to write upon the Romans; having purfued it, "during that time, without the interruption of "one fingle day; fuch health and fuch refolution "did it please God to give me, amidst the vari"ous fcenes of bufinefs, danger, and amusement, through which I paffed! May his grace raise "to himself a monument of praife from this fee"ble effort to explain, illuftrate, and enforce his "word!"-And under-" I ended my Notes on "the books I had thus paraphrased and impro 66 ved, Aug. 21, 1749, having daily pursued the "work in like manner, whether at home or "abroad."-He had tranfcribed for the Prefs, the Paraphrafe, Improvements, and Notes, of the two first volumes, as now publifhed; the Paraphrafe and Improvements of the epiftle to the Hebrews, and the two first epiftles of John.-The Notes on thefe three epiftles, together with the Paraphrafe, Improvements, and Notes, on the remaining epiftles, and the Revelation, were transcribed from his fhort-hand copy, by my own hand, or under my infpection, by fome of his pupils; and I carefully revifed the tranfcript feveral times, and compared it with his fhort-hand copy.-I can affure the fubfcribers, that the utmost caution has been used, that no one fentiment of the author should be fupprefsed or changed, and only fuch expreffions varied, as to avoid tautology, and for the fake of perfpicuity and accuracy, it might be prefumed the author by the EDITOR. author would have varied, had he transcribed this part of the Work, and given it his finishing hand. In the margin of the fhort-hand copy, he had wrote hints of fome alterations to be made in the phrafeology and length of fome fentences, as well as of Notes he intended to add when he tranffcribed it for the Prefs. I have endeavoured to follow these hints in the best manner I could; and accordingly a few Notes have been added to vindicate or illuftrate his Verfion or Paraphrafe, and references inferted to other criticks; most of which were taken from his Notes, according to the directions mentioned above. On the whole, I hope the attentive reader, who is acquainted with his ftyle and fpirit, will discover nothing in the latter part of the Work unfuitable to either; and will join with me in thankfulness to God, who fpared his life till he had completed this important and useful undertaking. There is one occurrence relating to it, which my own judgment, and that of many of the author's friends, forbid me to conceal, and the rather, because it has been greatly misrepresented. During the author's life (in June 1750) a fire, occafioned by a wax-candle being left on his writing-defk, broke out in his study, and confumed many of his papers, and part of one volume of the fhort-hand copy of this Work; but the light of the fire being providentially difcovered by an oppofite neighbour, who gave an immediate alarm, it was fpeedily extinguished. When the author was informed of this accident, he feemed most anxious about the prefervation of this manufcript; and when the flames were extinguished, to his great joy and furprife, it appeared that the part of this volume, and that only which was A 3 deftroyed, |