A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE PARAPHRASE and NOTES C On the EPISTLE to the COLO OSSIAN S. OLOSSE was a large populous City of Phrygia, in Afia Minor, and ftood not far from Laodicea: But though it appears from this Epiftle, that a Chriftian. Church was established in it, we have no Account, by whom, or what Time it was founded. Some have concluded from Chap. ii. 1. that St. Paul had never been there himself; but though perhaps nothing can be certainly inferred from that Paffage in Relation to it, yet there is great Reafon to believe, that if the Apostle had been perfonally concerned in the firft preaching of the Gospel there, fo important a Fact would not have been entirely omitted in the Hiftory of the Acts. It is not however at all improbable, but they might be converted while Paul refided at Ephefus, efpecially confidering that he spent no lefs than three Years in that City, and preached with fo much Succefs, that St. Luke tells us, (Act. xix. 20.) that all they who dwelt in Afia heard the Word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. As to the Date of this Epiftle, little need be added here, after what has been already obferved in the Introduction to the Ephefians, (pag. 114.) It appears highly probable, for Reafons there given, that it was wrote at the fame Time with that to the Ephefians, and they were both fent together by Tychicus and Onefimus, towards the Clofe of Paul's firft Imprisonment at Rome, which was about the 002 Year 292 A General Introduction The Coloffians appear, from feveral Paffages in this Epiftle, to In Pursuance of this general Plan, the Apoftle having joined Ti- them in the moft fuccessful Having given thefe general Exhortations, the Apoftle proceeds to caution the Coloffians against fuffering their Minds to be corrupted from |