i iii:l-V 11 i 1 llli i iiill; lite,: > ' ; I , ■' ( > ' iSjIii':;': mt 11 ill IV*^ iiii" l||ilii!M:. I li^'.i, !.;':-', ;i i ' :■ ' ■ i:? II iiiliiiliijiiliilii i tihvavy of Che t:h^ological ^tminavy PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY BSZ6Z5 .D547 184-4- The John M. Krebs Donnation. LECTURES ON THE FEB 1987 ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. BY THE LATE JOHN DICK, D. D. PROFESSOR OP THEOLOGY OP THE UNITED SECESSION CHURCH, GLASGOW. AUTHOR OP "lectures ON THEOLOGY," ETC. FIRST AMERICAN FROM THE SECOND GLASGOW EDITION. NEW YORK: ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, PITTSBURG:— THOMAS CARTER. 1844. PREFACE. The following Lectures were first published in two volumes, which appeared at different times. The original design of the Author, was to illustrate the principal events in the history of the Church, from the ascension of Christ to the meeting of the Council of Jerusalem. He was afterwards induced to extend the selection of passages to the end of the Book ; and of these the chief subject is Paul, to whose labours and sufferings the narrative confines our attention. The Lectures have been revised, and are now presented to the Public in one volume. CONTENTS. LECTURE I. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, HIS LAST INTERVIEW WITH HIS DISCI- Page PLES, AND HIS ASCENSION TO HEAVEN 7 LECTURE IL THE DAY OF PENTECOST. 20 LECTURE in. THE FORMATION AND ORDER OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH. ... 31 LECTURE IV. THE LAME MAN CURED BT PETER AND JOHN. 46 LECTURE V. PETER AND JOHN EXAMINED BY THE COUNCIL 58 LECTURE VI. ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. 72 LECTURE VII. THE COUNSEL OF GAMALIEL. 85 LECTURE VIIL THE INSTITUTION OF DEACONS, AND THE HISTORY OF STEPHEN. . . 98 LECTURE IX. THE MARTYRDOM OF STEPHEN Ill LECTURE X. THE HISTORY OF SIMON MAGUS 123 LECTURE XI. THE CONVERSION OF THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH 136 LECTURE XII. THE CONVERSION OF PAUL 149 LECTURE XIII. THE CONVERSION OF CORNELIUS. 163 VI CONTENTS. LECTURE XIV. Page. HEROD AND PETER. • . . 176 LECTURE XV. PAUL AND BARNABAS IN LYSTRA 190 LECTURE XVL THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM 202 LECTURE XVII. THE MISSION OF PAUL AND SILAS TO MACEDONIA 220 LECTURE XVIII. THE CONVERSION OF THE JAILOR OF PHaiPPI 234 LECTURE XIX. PAUL AND SILAS IN THESSALONICA AND BEREA 248 LECTURE XX. PAUL IN ATHENS 261 LECTURE XXL PAUL IN CORINTH 276 LECTURE XXII. PAUL IN EPHESUS 290 LECTURE XXIII. THE UPROAR IN EPHESUS 304 LECTURE XXIV, THE LAST INTERVIEW OF PAUL AVITH THE ELDERS OF EPHESUS. . . 319 LECTURE XXV. PAUL IN JERUSALEM • 335 LECTURE XXVI. PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL 349 LECTURE XXVII. PAUL BEFORE FELIX 363 LECTURE XXVIU. PAUL BEFORE FESTUS AND AGRIPPA 377 LECTURE XXIX. PAUL IN MALTA AND ROME 393 LECTURES, &c. LECTURE I. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST; HIS LAST INTERVIEW WITH HIS DISCIPLES; AND HIS ASCENSION TO HEAVEN. Acts i. 1 — 11. We are prompted by curiosity to inquire into the origin of nations, to trace their progress from rudeness to refinement, and to mark the steps by which they rose to eminence in power, in wealth, and in knowledge. To these subjects the researches of profane history are directed ; and while its pages communicate instruction and enter- tainment to every reader, they particularly engage the attention of the statesman, who derives from them a more extensive acquain- tance with mankind, and is enabled to add to his experience the ac- cumulated wisdom of ages. To a Christian the history of the Church must appear more worthy of notice than the revolutions of empire. A society, towards which Providence has, in all ages, exercised a particular care, pre- sents an interesting object of inquiry ; and must exhibit, in the de- tail of events, admirable proofs of the power, and wisdom, and goodness of God; Its history is the history of religion ; of the ac- complishment of a long series of prophecies ; of the execution of a scheme, to which all the other parts of the divine administration are subservient. The early periods of the history of nations are generally en- veloped in fable; and although the truth could be discovered through the veil which conceals it, would, for the most part, present little that is worthy to be known. The human race may be con- sidered as then in a state of infancy. Their ideas are few and gross, their manners are barbarous, and their knowledge of arts is 8 LECTURE I.— CHAPTER I. 1 — 11. confined to some simple operations performed without elegance or skill. The history of the first age of the Christian Church is more instructive and engaging than that of any subsequent period. It is splendid, because it is miraculous ; it is edifying, as it records many noble examples of faith, charity, patience, and zeal ; it arrests the attention and touches the heart, by displaying the triumph of the gospel over the combined mahce and wisdom of the world. As a record of the Acts, or proceedings of the Apostles, in col- lecting and modelling the Church, this book forms a valuable por- tion of Scripture. It contains information upon subjects of great importance ; the miraculous manner in which those simple and un- lettered men were qualified for their arduous work ; the means by which the Church was founded, and rose to a holy temple in the Lord : the rapidity with which the gospel was propagated ; the op- position which was made to it by Jews and Gentiles; and the causes to which its unexampled success should be ascribed. The narrative is written in a plain and artless manner ; and our pleasure in perusing it suffers no abatement from the suspicion of misinfor- mation, or partiahty in the wTiter. The historian, as we learn from the introductory verses, was the same person who published the Gospel, which, fiom the earliest ages, has been uniformly attributed to Luke. He was alive during the events which he records, was an eye-witness of many of them, and inquired, Ave may believe, into the rest, with the same diligence which he used in compiling his Gospel. Although he was not one of the Apostles, yet he Mved in habits of intimate correspondence with them ; and the Church has, from the beginning, received his writings as of equal authority with theirs. I propose to deliver a course of Lectures on some passages of this book, selecting such as relate the more remarkable events in the history of the primitive Church. Of those passages it is not my in- tention to give a minute explanation, but to illustrate the principal topics, and to deduce such instructions as they seem to suggest. Conformably to this plan, I shall at this time confine your attention to three points, to which the verses now read have a reference ; the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead ; his last inter- view with his disciples ; and his ascension to heaven. I. The first point which claims our notice in this passage, is the resurrection of our Saviour, of which Luke makes mention in the LECTURE I. CHAPTER I. 1 11. 9 third verse. " To whom also," that is, to the Apostles whom he had chosen, " he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days." The resurrection of Christ is an article of great importance in our religion, the foun- dation upon which its other doctrines rest, and by which the faith and hope of his followers are sustained. " If Christ be not risen," says Paul, " then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God ; because we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ ; whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which have fallen asleep in Christ are perished." Such evidence, as should leave no doubt in the cautious and inquisitive mind, was necessary to establish a fact upon which so much depended. Luke aflEirms, that Jesus showed himself alive to his disciples, " after his passion," that is, after his sufferings and death, by many " infallible proofs." The word signifies signs, tokens, or evidences, which were so numerous and decisive, that it was impossible for those who saw them to be mistaken. He refers to the frequent appearance of Christ, of which not less than eight are recorded by the Evangelists, besides many more which may have taken place during the forty days betAveen his resurrection and ascension ; and to the methods which he used to convince the disciples, by calling upon them " to handle him and see, that a spirit had not flesh and bones as he had," and by eating, drinking, and conversing with them in a familiar manner. It is vain to insinuate, that the Apostles might be imposed upon by the power of imagination, which the eagerness of their wishes and expectations had excited, and might thus fancy that they saw what had no real existence. It does not appear that they actually expected the resurrection of their Master ; but, on the contrary, there is reason to think, that they had almost given over all hope of that event. When the women, who had been at the sepulchre, told them of it, their words seemed as " idle tales ;" and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus may be supposed to have expressed the sentiments and feelings of their brethren, when they said, "We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel ;" manifestly using the language of disappointment and despondency. In such a state of mind, there was no room for imagination to operate. It will be still more evident, that they were not under its 2 10 LECTURE I. CHAPTER I. 1 11. influence, if we consider, that some of the appearances were made, not to a sohtary individual, but to several of the disciples at once, in one instance to five hundred brethren, who could not all have been deluded at the same moment by a phantom of their own brain ; that the appearances were not transieiU, but lasted for a considerable time, so that the spectators had full leisure to examine them ; that some of them were sudden, or without warning, and others were the consequence of previous appointment ; that they frequently took place, not in the night when the mind is more subject to illusion, but in the day when the disciples were composed, and all their senses were awake ; and that the interviews were not distant and silent, but Jesus familiarly associated with the Apostles, and gave all the satisfaction which the most incredulous among them could demand. From these circumstances, there does not remain the sUghtest ground to suspect that the Apostles themselves were de- ceived ; and the only question now to be determined is, whether they have deceived us. Infidels object, that the Apostles, who were interested persons were the only witnesses of the resurrection, and that Jesus did not show himself to the Sanhedrim and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as he ought to have done, that the reahty of the event might be placed be- yond dispute. They aflSrm, that on this account the whole narra- tive is suspicious. There is one important ckcumstance, which, per- haps, they willingly forget, that the enemies of Jesus were the first and immediate witnesses of the resurrection, that event having taken place, according to Matthew, in the presence of the Roman soldiers, not before the eyes of the disciples. Sufficient reasons have been assigned why he did not appear to the rulers and people of the Jews, which your time will not permit me fully to state. It may be re- marked, that although this demand had been compUed with, and our Lord had resorted after his resurrection to the temple, and walked in the streets of Jerusalem, it is by no means certain that the pur- pose which is pretended would have been gained. We have no ground to think, that the Jews, who would not beheve the testimony of Moses and the Prophets, nor the evidence of our Saviour's niiia- cles, would have believed, although they had seen hun risen from tlie dead. But upon the supposition, that they had been convinced by this last and seemingly irresistible proof, the truth of his resurrec- tion would have been as much perplexed as ever by the cavils of free-thinkers. We should have been told of the superstition and LECTURE I. CHAPTER I. 1 11. 11 credulity of the Jews, and of their national pride, which disposed them fondly to embrace any story that seemed to realise their boasted hopes of the Messiah ; and whereas now the testimony of the Apostles is corroborated by the trying and perilous circumstances in which they were placed, the whole would then have been repre- sented as an imposture, concerted between them and their country- men, and first promulgated where it was sure to be received, and no person had either inclination or power to detect it. I shall only farther observe, that if there be satisfactory proof that Christ did ap- pear to the Apostles, we are bound to acquiesce in their solemn testi- mony ; and that nothing can be more unreasonable than to demand more evidence than is sufficient, or to reject sufficient evidence, be- cause it is not presented in that form which we prefer. After this general observation, I may appeal to every unprejudiced person, whether there is any thing in the narrative of this transac- tion, in its general complexion, or its particular parts, which gives countenance to the suspicion of imposture ; or rather, whether it does not bear unequivocal marks of simplicity, candour, and the sacred love of truth. Let it be farther considered, that the testimony of the Apostles was given in public, and before the persons who were above all concerned to detect a falsehood, and possessed the means of detecting it ; that it was consistent and uniform, there not being a single instance of retractation or variation among the wit- nesses ; that no motive can be assigned for their conduct if it was false, as in that case they could not expect to be believed, and the only prospect before them was that of persecution and death in this world, without the hope of a recompense in the next ; that they did not require men to give credit to their simple testimony, but appealed, in confirmation of it, to miracles wrought, as they affirmed, by the power of him who had been raised from the dead ; and, finally, that this testimony was beheved by thousands of Jews and Gentiles, al- though their prejudices against it were the strongest imaginable. I challenge all the infidels in the world to produce a single fact, in the whole compass of history, supported by more decisive evidence. I shall subjoin a remark upon the qualifications of the Apostles. What made those babblers so eloquent ; those ignorant and illiterate men so profoundly skilled in the mysteries of redemption ; those cowards so courageous, as to despise every danger, and maintain the truth amidst the most terrible sufferings ? This change could not have been effected by tlieir Master, if he was still lying in the grave ; 12 LECTURE I. CPAPTER I. 1 11. and it is, therefore, a proof that he had risen from it, and performed the promise whicli we shall immediately proceed to consider. II. Our attention is next called to the interview, which took place between our Lord and his disciples prior to his ascension. It is mentioned in the sixth verse : " When they therefore were come to- gether, they asked of him, saying-. Lord, wilt thou at this time re- store again the kingdom to Israel." It seems to be the same meet- ing to which the historian refers in the fourth verse. " And being assembled together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me." We are informed, tliat during the forty days w^hich he spent upon earth after his re- surrection, he spoke to his disciples of " the things pertaining to the kingdom of God ;" explaining to them, as far as they were able to bear it, the nature of that dispensation which he was about to intro- duce. But still tlie old leaven of Jewish prejudices, and carnal ideas of the Messiah's reign, fermented in their minds. Although they had beheld his poverty and himiility, and had seen him put to death in the most ignominious manner, they had not abandoned the fond and flattering thought, that he would assume the character of a temporal monarch, and estabhsh the dominion of the chosen people over the tributary nations. Such were the notions with respect to the purpose of his mission and the nature of his kingdom, which their countrymen had adopted from the magnificent language of prophecy, describing his spiritual power and glory by metaphors and smiilitudes borrowed from the wealth and grandeur of earthly po- tentates. To the remainmg influence of these notions upon their minds, after all his instructions, w^e must attribute the question which the disciples put to him, " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ?" " Is the time now come, when thou wilt deliver thy people from the oppression of a foreign yoke, and give them the empire of the world ?" ' To this question Jesus did not return a direct answer, but one which implied a reproof of that vain curiosity which had led them to propose it. " It is not for you to know the times, and the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." These words im- port, that the revolutions in the civil and religious state of the world were predetermined by God, as they are all brought to pass by his providence ; that he only knows the order and series of events ; and LECTtmE I. — CHAPTER I. 1 — 11. 13 that, except in those instances in which he has revealed them to us in the word of prophecy, we should beware of attempting to discover his secrets, and to draw aside the veil which hangs over futurity. Let man remember the hmited nature of his faculties, and the de- pendent condition of his mind. Let him be thankful for what he does know, and content to remain ignorant of what his Maker has been pleased to conceal. This answer, being a rebuke to their unhallowed curiosity, was calculated to discourage the Apostles. That they might not be de- jected, and no disagreeable impression might be left upon their minds, our Lord subjoined a promise, well fitted to comfort them. " But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." In the fourth verse, " he commanded them that they should not de- part fiom Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father." What he teaches them, in both verses, to expect, is the Holy Ghost, in a more abundant measure of his influences than they had yet re- ceived, to qualify them for the duties of the Apostleship. They were appointed to be "witnesses" of Christ to the world; to bear public testimony to Jews and Gentiles, concerning his doctrine, his miracles, his death, and his resurrection. With this view, they had been admitted to attend him from the commencement of his minis- try to the present moment ; and had enjoyed frequent meetings, and intimate conversation with him, since his return from the grave. But now it was farther necessary, that they should be furnished with more profound knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom than they yet possessed, with higher capacity for reasoning, with a talent for public speaking, with the gift of tongues, with a power to work miracles for the confirmation of their testimony, with zeal, courage, meekness, prudence, and unwearied perseverance. With- out these qualifications, they would have been unfit for the office which their Master had conferred upon them. This, then, is a pro- mise of " power," of such vigour of mind, of such intellectual and spiritual endowments, as should fully prepare them for their various and difficult duties. The promise, for which they were commanded to wait, our Sa- viour called " the promise of the Father," to inform his disciples, that it is the Father who sends the Holy Ghost, to give effect to the death of his Son in the conversion and sanctification of sinners ; 14 LFXTLRE I. — CPAPTEK I. 1 — 11. but chiefly, because his faithfuhicss was pledged for the mission of the Spirit in many passages of the Old Testament, particularly in he following words, which were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost : " And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see vis- ions ; and also upon the servants and upon tlie handmaids, in those days, will I pour out my Spirit." From the mention of the promise of the Spirit, Jesus takes oc- casion to point out to the di,sciples the difference between his own administration and that of his forerunner. "For John truly baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." The Baptist, although greater than the Prophets, could only sprinkle his disciples with water, to signify their purification from the guilt and defilement of sin ; but Jesus was able to communicate the Spirit himself in his regenerating in- fluences, and miraculous gifts. To apply the means of salvation is the province of the ministers of reUgion ; but the wisest and holiest of them can contribute nothing to their efficacy. The source of spiritual life and power is the invisible Head of the Church, " from whom all the body, by joints and hands, having nourish- ment ministered, and knit together, increaseth Avith the increase of God." The blessings of grace are entrusted to his disposal ; and he gives or withholds them at his pleasure. That our Saviour when he made this promise, claimed no power of which he was not possessed, the disciples were soon to be con- \dnced by experience. They were commanded to wait at Jerusalem till the promise should be performed. Accordingly, we know that more than ten days did not elapse between this meeting and the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost descended upon them. The interview now described took place immediately before Iiis ascension ; and the historian proceeds to relate the event. ni. " And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight." Jesus had now fulfilled all the designs of his mission. He had de- clared the counsels of God to mankind ; he had offered himself upon the cross as a sacrifice for sin ; and having triumphed over death, he had given his disciples sufficient opportunity to assure themselves of the truth of the fact. " I have glorified thee on the earth ; I LECTURE 1. CHAPTER I. 1 11, 15 have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." There was no reason therefore, why he should prolong his stay. It was neces- sary that the great High Priest of our profession, having made atonement for his people, should go into the most holy place, to pre- sent his blood and make intercession for them. It was necessary, that the Lord and King of the Church, having vanquished his enemies, after a hard and bloody conflict, should ascend his throne and receive the sceptre of universal dominion. He had fore- warned the disciples of his departure, both before and after his death ; and lest they should suppose, when they heard of his resur- rection, that he meant to associate with them as formerly, he sent his message to them by Mary Magdalene : " I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. " Accord- ingly, " when he had spoken these things," given them all the in- structions which they needed, or were able to bear, " he was taken up while they beheld, and a cloud received him out of their sight." It appears from these words, which represent him as passive in his ascension, that it was effected by the power of his Father, who had engaged to reward his humiliation, by exalting him to glory ; that it was not sudden, but gradual, the disciples having full leisure to observe his ascent from the earth ; and, lastly, that when he had risen to a certain height in the air, a cloud intervened, and concealed him from their sight. They had seen enough to qualify them to be wit- nesses of the fact. This event, however honourable to their Lord, and joyful to them- selves, had they understood its design, could not fail to affect the disciples in a disagreeable manner, in the fii'st moments of surprise, and while they were not acquainted with the important purposes to be served by the ascension. To his personal presence they had con- ceived a Avarm attachment, founded in esteem of his excellencies, and experience of his friendship. From his lips they had heard discourses replenished with wisdom and grace ; and by his hand they had seen works of the most wonderful and beneficent nature performed. He had been their counsellor in difficulties, and their comforter in sorrow. To be deprived in a moment of his company ; to be left alone in the midst of numerous and implacable enemies ; to have the prospect of labours, and sufferings, and death, without their Master at their head, without their condescending and affec- tionate Saviour to advise and encourage them ; these were circum- 16 LECTURE I. — CHAPTER I. 1 — 11. Stances sufficient to have discomposed the firmest mind, and which would have almost excused the Apostles, had they given way to lamentation and dejection. We are informed that they " looked steadfastly towards heaven, as he went up," continuing to gaze long after the cloud had concealed him. It was a look of astonish- ment and grief for the sudden loss of all that was dear to them ; it was a look of eager desire to be again gratified with a sight of their Master. They did not, however, remain long in this uncomfortable state. " Behold two men stood by them in white apparel ; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." There is no doubt that these men in appearance were angels ; and the splen- dour of their dress was a sign by which they must have been im- mediately known to be heavenly messengers. They were a part of that illustrious retinue, which came from the celestial regions to attend oiur Lord in his ascension, and to heighten the glory of his triumph. Thousands, and ten thousands of angels accompanied him as he passed from earth to heaven, celebrating his praises. " The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of an- gels : the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive." To the sorrowful disciples, the words of the angels were full of com- fort. They seem to suggest a resemblance between the ascension of Jesus and his second appearance, and in this way have been frequently explained. But I rather think, that nothing more is in- tended than to assert, that as certainly as he had ascended to heaven, he would descend from it, at the time appointed by his Father ; and that the Apostles should entertain no more doubt of the one event than of the other. Between the ascension and his coming at the end of the world, there is no great similarity of cir- cumstances, unless we should choose to say, that as he departed in a cloud, so with clouds he will return, and that as he was now ac- companied by angels, so the same glorious spirits will be his at- tendants and ministers, when he appears in the character of univer- sal Judge. But the chief thing to which the angels called the attention of the disciples, and ours should be directed, is the certainty of his second* LECTURE I. CHAPTER I. 1 11. 17 coming ; for this is an event, which, although an object of dreadful expectation to the unbelieving and impenitent, is fraught with hope and joy to those who love and obey the truth. The person who shall appear, will be " that same Jesus who was taken up into heaven," clothed with the same nature, sustaining the same rela- tions to us, animated with the same love, and carrying on the same gracious design. Ten thousand tongues will hail him with accents of exultation and triumph. " Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation." Then shall the disciples be again gathered to their Master, and the sheep to their Shepherd. Oh ! how joyful the meeting, so long promised, so eagerly expected ? It will be the day of the gladness of his heart, to behold around him those for whom he died upon the cross, and has ever since ministered in heaven : it will be a source of ineffable felicity to them, to see him whose glory was the subject of their con- templations in this world, to be taken under his immediate care, to be admitted to the most intimate fellowship with him, and to know that no event shall ever separate them again. Such was the comfortable prospect which the words of the angels gave to the disciples ; and we need not wonder, that their fears and sorrows were dispelled, and that, as we are informed in another place, "they returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were con- tinually in the temple, praising and blessing God." I conclude with the following reflections upon the passage. First, We follow no cunningly devised fable, when we receive the gospel as an authentic record of the character and doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is confirmed by " infallible proofs," by ample and luminous evidence, which is sufficient to convince every ingenuous mind, every man who examines it with a candid, dispassionate temper. You may be assured, my brethren, that it is not for want of evidence that the gospel is in any instance rejected. Difficulties, indeed, there may be, which are apt to perplex ill-informed and su- perficial observers ; but the chief objection to it, an objection level to the comprehension of every depraved heart, is its holiness. " Men hate the light, because their deeds are evil." This will ap- pear to be no false charge, if you consider, that there is scarcely any thing that infidels believe, for which they have half the evidence 3 18 LECTU15E I. ClfAPTER I. 1 11. ihat can be produced in favour of the truth of Christianit3^ It is not, therefore, to reason that their unUehef should be attributed, but to some other cause ; a corrupt taste, an impatience of restraint, a wisli to hve without any h\w to control them, or any fear to disturb them in their pleasure. In the second place. Christians may place unbounded confidence in their Redeemer, who having conquered their enemies, and tri umphed over death and the grave, has ascended, in the most glo rious manner, to heaven, where he sways the sceptre of universal government, and bearing his people, and all their interests upon his heart, makes continual intercession for them in the presence of his Father. Why should you be afraid to draw near to the throne of God, and to present your supplications ? Is not the merit of oui great High Priest sufficient to counterbalance your demerit ? And shall not the efficacy of his prayers ensure the acceptance and suc- cess of yours, notwithstanding the imperfection which adheres to your best duties ? Why should you be discouraged by adverse dis- pensations of providence, by the power and threatenings of your adversaries, by the afflictions of the Church, by the uproar and con- fusion of the nations ? Is not he who reigns the friend and patron of the righteous, under whose protection they are safe, and by whose almighty agency, and unerring wisdom, the perplexities and tur- moils of the present scene shall issue in perfect order and eternal fe- licity ? Lastl}', The attention and the hope of Christians are now directed to the second appearance of their Saviour. The ancient Church looked for his coming in the flesh ; we, according to his promise, look for his coming in glory. " Lift up your heads with joy, be- lievers ; for the day of your redemption draweth nigh." To them alone who are waiting for him, will he appear for salvation ; but there is not an eye which shall not see him in the clouds, nor a knee which shall not bow before him. How alarming will be the sight, how mortifying the homage, to infidels and blasphemers of his gospel, to the enemies of his grace, to the despisers of his insti- tutions, to the transgressors of his laws ? Professed disciples of the Son of Man, are you prepared to go forth and meet him ? To what class of mankind do you belong ? to that which, standing on his right hand, shall be invited to enter into his kingdom ? or to that which, being ranged on the left, shall be condemned to darkness LECTUKE I. — CHAPTER I. 1 11. 19 and everlasting woe ? Ask your consciences the important ques- tion ; and that it may be satisfactorily answered, call in the a'ssist- ance of the infaUible word, by which we shall be finally judged. " Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him." Happy are they who can say, with holy and earnest desire, " Even so, come Lord Jesus." LECTURE II. THE DAY OF PENTKCOST. Chap. ii. 1—13. The promise of the Holy Ghost, which our Saviour made to the disciples at his last interview with them, was well fitted to recon- cile their minds to his departure, and to encourage them in the view of the various and difficult duties of the Apostolical office. There was but a short interval between his ascension and the performance of the promise ; an event of great importance in the history of the Church, and of which the passage now read gives an account. The first point which requires our notice, is the time when " the promise of the Father," as it is termed, was performed. We are told in the first verse, that it was when " the day of Pentecost was fully come." — Pentecost is a Greek? word signifying the fiftieth day, and is the name of that grand festival which the Israelites were commanded to celebrate fifty days after the passover, in commemo- ration of the giving of the law. God having delivered his people from Egypt, led them through the Red Sea into the wilderness, where they were conducted, by easy marches, to the spot which he had chosen for displaying the tokens of his Majesty. There he des- cended on the top of Sinai, a rugged and barren mountain ; and from the midst of darkness and devouring fire, proclaimed his law with a voice which filled with terror the immense multitude as- sembled at its base. At the same time, he enjoined, by the minis- try of Moses, that system of ordinances and statutes, which was the foundation of the civil and ecclesiastical polity of the Jews. That a law, published with such solemnity by God himself, should not pass away like the transient institutions of men, but should remain through all ages as a monument of the divine goodness to their na- tion, and as the rule of their worship anci obedience, was an idea LECTURE II. CHAPTER. II. 1 13. 21 natural enough to men, who could not, as an Apostle observes, " steadfastly look to the end of it ;" or were ignorant of its typical design. But it was destined to give place to a new and better dis- pensation. Aaron and his sons were to retire from the altar, when a priest of another order should appear, and by a more excellent sacrifice than that of rams and bullocks, make a true atonement for the sins of the people. That priest had now come, and by the ob- lation of himself, " had perfected for ever them that are sanctified." The veil had been rent firom the top to the bottom ; and the glory had departed from the temple of Jerusalem. A law was to go forth from Zion, by which the law from Sinai should be superseded ; the pompous ritual of Moses was to be succeeded by a system of wor- ship, simple and spiritual. It was with a design to signify this change, that Pentecost was chosen for the effusion of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles of Christ. On the anniversary of the promulga- tion of the ancient law, they were enabled to pubhsh the good news of the reign of the Messiah, not to the inhabitants of Jerusalem alone, but, in their own language, " to men of every nation under heaven." And, surely, to every reflecting mind it is evident, that the interpo- sition of God himself, in a miraculous manner, to quahfy the Apos- tles, at this particular time, to preach a new rehgion, was an unequi- vocal declaration, that the old religion^ having served its purpose, was to be no longer obhgatory. Thus Pentecost was again rendered illustrious as the commencement of a new era. Besides the reason now given for the choice of this day, w^e may conceive Divine Wis- dom to have pitched upon it, with a view to the opportunity whicli it afforded, of speedily conveying tidings of salvation to many distant parts of the earth, by means of the strangers who were assembled at the feast. Our attention is next called to the subjects of this miracle, or the persons upon whom the Holy Ghost descended. " They were all with one accord in one place." Some suppose, that the historian re- fers to the hundred and twenty disciples mentioned in the fifteenth verse of the preceding chapter, among whom there were several wo- men ; and they add, that if the women be included, the prophecy of Joel, afterwards quoted, was literally fidfilled. " Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy : — and on my servants, and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit." Others maintain, that the reference goes no farther back than the last verse of the first chapter, in which mention is made of Matthias and the 22 LECTURE II. — CHAPTER II. 1 — 13. eleven Apostles ; and they consider the fourteenth verse of this chapter, which informs us that Peter stood up with the eleven, as supporting this opinion. It seems, indeed, to be more probable than the other, because it was not to all the disciples, but to the Apostles, that Christ made the promise which was now performed : and because the gift of tongues, being intended as a qualification for preaching the gospel, there is no ground to imagine that it was be- stowed upon women, to whom that office was never assigned by any but some wild enthusiast. Let us now consider the account of the miracle. In the first place, we must take notice of the symbols, or external signs of it, which Avere two ; the one addressed to the eye, and the other to the ear. We read, in the second verse, that " suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they w^ere sitting." It is remarkable, that in the two languages in which the Scriptures are written, as well as in some others, the word which signifies spirit, signifies also breath or wind. For the use of the same term to denote two ideas so distinct, different reasons may be assigned. Perhaps the men who spoke those languages in remote ages, were so gross and ignorant as to form no conception of an immaterial soul, or of any living principle in man besides the air which he breathes ; or from the penury of language which compels us to apply words expressive of sensible objects to intellectual and spiritual things, they gave the same name to the soul, and to the breath or air, because it is by the air that hu- man life is sustained. Be this as it may, we are authorised to con- sider air in motion as a sort of emblem of the Holy Spirit and his operations. When speaking on this subject to Nicodemus, our Lord used the following comparison. " The wind bloweth where it lis- teth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it Cometh, and whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." At a meeting with his disciples after his resurrection, " he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Giiost." To the Apostles therefore, a wind from heaven was a significant sign ; a sign which must have immediately suggested the idea of the spirit and his influences, and have led them to expect that now the promise of their Saviour should be performed. It may be thought, that a gentle breeze would have been a more proper emblem of (he Holy Ghosl than a loud and violent wind ; that it would have accorded better with the purpose of his descent. LECTURE II. CHAPTER II. 1 — 13. 23 and with the mild and gracious nature of the new dispensation. But this fancy will be dismissed as soon as we reflect, that his com- ing was to be productive of the most astonishing effects, in endow- ing the minds of the Apostles with extraordinary powers, and in bearing down the opposition made to the truth, by ignorance and prejudice, by the wisdom of philosophers, and the policy of states- men ; and that nothing could more aptly represent the energy by which these effects should be produced, than " a rushing mightj'^ wind." At the same time, the noise served to collect together the people to witness the miracle. It was confined to a particular spot, and filled the house in which the Apostles were assembled. The other sign which accompanied this miracle is described in the third verse. " And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. When John an- nounced the approach of the Messiah, he said to the people, " He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire ;" by which we are not to understand some thing distinct from the Holy Ghost, but his influences, which are represented under the metaphor of fire, on account of the resemblance between the properties of the one and of the other. Fire, then, was an emblem equally significant as wind, which must have likewise recalled to the minds of the Apos- tles the promise of their Lord. The fire appeared in the form of tongues, cloven, or divided at top ; and a flame of this figure rested upon the head of each of the Apostles. The shape of the flame was emblematical of the nature of the miracle, which consisted in enabling them to speak " with other tongues," or to speak lan- guages which they had never learned ; and the division of the flame pointed out the variety of those languages. But why, it may be asked, were the tongues of fire ? To intimate, I answer, that in the languages which the Apostles were now enabled to speak, they should communicate to the world that heavenly doctrine, which, Uke fire, both illuminates and purifies ; or rather to signify, that their tongues, touched as with a live-coal from the altar, should ut- ter strains of glowing eloquence, not fashioned, it might be, accord- ing to the rules observed by the orators of Greece and Rome, but ca- pable of producing far nobler effects ; eloquence, which would ter- rify the boldest, and alarm the most careless sinner ; which would humble the proud, comfort the dejected, inspire the timid with in- vincible, courage, and, with an energy unknown to philosophy, kin- 24 ^ LECTURE II. CHAPTER II. 1 13. die the living fire of devotion in the coldest and most unfeeling heart. After this account of the signs, we proceed to inquire into the na- ture, of the miracle. " And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." The general effect is manifest, namely, the com munication of the knowledge of languages, with which the Apos ties were formerly unaccjuainted ; but it does not appear, whethei the same languages were imparted to them all, or to one was given the knowledge of some, and to another, the knowledge of others. The Holy Ghost could " divide to every one of them severally as he pleased ;" but as they were all destined to preach to different na- tions, there can be no doubt that they were all furnished with a di- versity of tongues. Language is composed of articulate sounds, which, when uttered by the mouth, or represented by characters or letters, signify certain ideas. The connexion between the sounds and the things which they signify is arbitrary, not founded in nature, but in convention ; and, consequently, a sound can convey no information to the hearer till he have learned its meaning. Hence the acquisition of a foreign language requires close application and frequent practice. Much time must be spent, before a person can be acquainted with the signification of the great variety of sounds which are used in any country, and be able to understand them as soon as they are pro- nounced. It is still more difficult to attain the power of speaking a foreign language fluently and accurately ; or to become so familiar with its words, as instantly to call them up, to express the ideas, which arise in the mind. What increases the difficulty is, that, in all languages, the same word has sometimes a variety of meanings, so that, if it be not skilfully used, it may suggest a sense very dif- ferent from that which it was our intention to express ; and that there is a mode peculiar to every language of combining and ar- ranging its words, without observing which, a stranger shall speak unintelligibly to the natives. Those who have engaged in the study of languages can attest, that it is an arduous task, when one aims at a thorough acquaintance with them ; and although, after much labour, some may be able to understand, with considerable ease, a book written in a foreign tongue, yet there is not one in twenty who is capable of carrying on conversation in it with facility. It may be added, that the sounds of a foreign language arc, in some LECTURE II. CHAPTER II. 1 13. 25 instances, so different from those to which we have been accustomed, that we feel ourselves at a loss to pronounce them ; and that, un- less we begin to learn in an early period of life, when our organs are flexible, we can hardly ever speak in such a manner as to please the ear of a native. These remarks are intended to show you the astonishing nature of the miracle which was performed on the day of Pentecost. The Apostles were illiterate men, who understood no language but that of their own country, and could speak it only according to the rude dialect of Galilee. They had never thought of learning the lan- guages of foreigners ; and it is probable, that even the names of some of the nations, mentioned in the following verses, had not reached their ears. Yet, in a moment were those men inspired with the knowledge of an immense number of words, which they had never heard before, and with the knowledge not only of the words, but of the connected ideas, and of the structure, the arrange- ment, and the peculiar phrases of the languages to which they be- longed. At the same time, their organs were rendered capable of adapting themselves to sounds different from each other, as well as from those to which they had been familiarized from their infancy. Notwithstanding this diversity, there was not the smallest confusion in their minds, nor were they in danger of mixing the words of dif- ferent languages together ; but they spoke each as distinctly, as if they had been acquainted with it alone. It may be safely affirmed, that there is not a more remarkable miracle recorded in the New Testament. It will not, however, ap- pear incredible to any person, who considers, on the one hand, that the cause was adequate to the effect, for it was produced by that Being who made the tongue of man, and was the original Author of language ; and, on the other, that it was necessary to qualify the Apostles for executing their commission to preach the gospel to every creature. Without the gflt of tongues their ministrations must have been confined to their own countrymen ; for it is not probable, that at their time of life, and with their habits, they could have acquired, by ordinary means, a single foreign language so perfectly, as to be able to deliver a discourse in it upon the subject of religion. We have been informed, by the missionaries in Otaheite, that after a residence of several years among the natives, in a situation the most advantageous of all for learning a language, they have not yet ven- tured to preach or pray publicly in the language of the country. 4 26 LECTURE II. CIIAPTKR H. 1 13. Ill ihe following' verses, the historian relates the impression which the miracle made upon the multitude. " And there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout iikmi. out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born ? Parthians, and Medes, and Elaraites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." It is probable, that the sound of the '• rushing mighty wind" alarmed the persons in the neighbourhood, and drew them to the place from which it proceeded ; and the report having spread through the city, a great number of spectators was speedily assembled. The Apostles immediately began to exercise the gift of tongues, as they observed in the crowd strangers from very different parts of the earth. These had now come to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, or, as the original term may import, had taken up their residence there, in the expectation, as some think, of the appearance of the Messiah. After the Babylonian captifity, many of the Jews remained in the countries in which they had sojourned during its continuance ; and by sub.-^cquent revolutions they were dispersed over all the East, and through almost every province of the Roman empire. Hence, although they retained their religion and their peculiar manners, they unavoidably adopted the language of the natives. Together ^\'ith the Jews of the dispersion, there were present also, on this occasion, several persons of heathen ex- traction, who, being convinced of the unitv of God. and of the divine authority of the law of Moses, had received the seal of circumcision, and were incorporated with the peculiar people. These were the proselytes mentioned in the end of the tenth verse. How great must have been the astonishment of this mixed multi- tude, to hear themselves unexpectedly addressed in the languages of the countries from which they respectivelj^ came : The assembly was composed of strangers from at least fourteen diderent nations ; and every man heard the Apostles speak in his own tongue. The speakers, they perceived, were Galileans, common men, from a part LECTURE II. CHAPTER II. 1 13. 27 of the country reputed the iiwst unpohshed and illiterate. The sacred historian uses three words to describe the state of their minds. They were " confounded ;" they were " amazed ;" and,they " mar- velled." At first they were so alfected by the extraordinary nature of the event, that they could only gaze with silent wonder ; but afterwards they gave vent to their feelings in words ; and they be- gan to inquire into the meaning of the miracle. " They were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this ?" It was manifest that the hand of God was in the event, and that there must be some end worthy of so unusual an interpo- sition. What that end was, they were at a loss to conceive ; but perhaps some suspicion, some confused apprehension of it arose in their minds. They heard the Apostles speaking " the wonderful works of God ;" proclaiming the incarnation, the doctrine, the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of the Lord Jesus. Comparing this account with the miracle, of which they were now witnesses, they began to doubt, whether he might not be the Messiah, and this extraordinary scene might not be a prehminary step to the estab- lishment of his kingdom. In this perplexity they were desirous to know the real design of the miracle. But a part of the audience did not discover so favourable a dis- position. They attempted to turn the affair into ridicule, and im- puted to intoxication what was manifestly the effect of supernatural influence. " Others mocking, said. These men are, full of new wine." Some commentators suppose these mockers to have been inhabitants of Jerusalem, who understood no foreign language, and represent them as acting from ignorance rather than from malice. But the testimony of the strangers was sufficient to have convinced such persons, that there was a real miracle in the case ; and it might have been easily known, that the Apostles were sober, from the gravity of their appearance and gestures. The true reason of this calumnious charge is to be found in their opposition to Christ and his religion, which they heard his ministers proclaiming ; for it appears from the ninth verse, that besides the languages of foreigners they spoke likewise that of Judea. As the Pharisees, when they saw the miracles of Jesus, maUgnantly ascribed them to the assis- tance of Satan ; so these men sought to evade this proof of his resurrection and ascension, by pronouncing all that passed to be the effect of intemperance. The evidence in favour of the gospel may be sufficient to convince the understandings of some men, whose 28 LECTURE U. CHAPTER II. 1 — 13. hatred to it is so great, that they will neither acknowledge its divine authority, nor abstain from impertinent cavils against it. Infidels sometimes tell us, that it is vain to appeal to the miracles of the New Testament, of which we have no knowledge but by questionable testimony ; and that miracles should be wrought in every age, to give men an opportunity of seeing and examining them. But there is no reason to expect, that if this demand should be complied with, their hostility to our religion would cease. The infidels in the first ages of Christianity, are a specimen of the unbelievers of our times. With the most splendid proofs of divine interposition before their eyes, the former continued to contradict and blaspheme ; and what ground liave we to think that the latter would be more ready to yield ? Their opposition proceeds, not from want of evidence, but from want of candour ; a temper of mind upon which arguments and demonstration are thrown away. A mind full of prejudice, a heart attached to the world and its pleasures, will always find something to object to a religion which teaches the purest morality, and requires, from those who embrace it, the sacrifice of their cor- rupt propensities, and unhallowed gratifications. I shall close this discourse with the following reflections. Let us, sinners of the Gentiles, consider our interest in this mirac- ulous dispensation, and the obligations which we are under to be thankful for it. It was preparatory to the accomplishment of the gracious designs of heaven towards the nations of the world, who were perishing without a vision, but to whom the salvation of God was now to be revealed. When the law was published from Sinai, it was delivered to the Israelites in their own language, because they were alone to enjoy the benefit of it ; but the new law from Sion was promulgated in a diversity of languages, to signify that it was intended to be universal. " Every man was now to hear in his own tongue, the wonderful works of God." " Let us sing a new song to the Lord, because he hath done marvellous things. The Lord hath made known his salvation : his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen." The event, recorded in this passage, leads us to reflect upon the means by which the Christian religion was established in the earth. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." The first missionaries were destitute of all natural qualifications for their arduous work ; and the world was adverse to the reception of the feith. But the same Spirit, who endowed them with super- LECTURE II. CHAPTER II. 1 13. 29 natural s^fts, subdued, by his secret influence, the prejudices, and purified the hearts, of their hearers. The obstacle to the propaga- tion of the gospel, arising from a diversity of languages, was re- moved when there rested upon each of the Apostles " cloven tongues, like as of fire ;" but there remained other obstacles, of a moral nature, more formidable, which it was still less in the power of human means to surmount. Had the Holy Ghost operated only in a supernatural manner upon the minds of the Apostles, and by miraculous works, the new religion wouM not have made its way in the earth, opposed as it was by superstition, by philosophy, by the power of the state, and by all the corrupt passions of the soul. But the gospel was the ministration of the Spirit, in his graces as well as in his gifts, in his regeneration as well as in his miraculous virtue. Hence it was " mighty through God to pull down strong holds, and to bring every thought into captivity to Christ." Lastly, " If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward ; how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him ; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and \j^onders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will ?" These words are full of alarm to open infidels and to secret unbelievers. To the former they announce the certainty, and the dreadful nature of the punishment which awaits them, if they persist in rejecting and vilifying a reli- gion, stamped with such characters of truth. Your sneers and cavils cannot make that false which is true ; and if the gospel is true, as we know it to be, and the best and most enlightened men, in all ages, have believed, think for a moment what will be your doom ! If the gospel is true, so are its threatenings ; and they are awful beyond conception. To the other class of persons, who are secret unbelievers, but call themselves disciples of Jesus, the words of the Apostle suggest matter of serious consideration. You pro- fess to give credit to the gospel, but you do not cordially assent to its doctrines, nor embrace its promises, nor submit to its authority, nor cultivate that holiness of heart and life which it enjoins. Shall a salvation, in its nature so desirable, in the means of its accom- plishment so wonderful, be safely despised ? Shall the Son of God be rejected with impunity ? Shall men trample upon his blood, and refuse the testimony of his Spirit, and yet run no hazard ? Is 30 LECTURE II. CHAPTER H. 1 13. it nothing to call the God of truth a liar ? nothing to disc known, in order to understand several passages of Scripture. They afforded a convenient place for prayer, being re- moved from the noise and interruption of the family. At the sixth hour, or noon, which was one of the hours of prayer among the Jews, Peter having retired to the house top, and being hungry, while they made ready some food for him, fell into a trance. A trance, or ccstacy, signifies a state of mind, in which a person is so much engag-ed Avith a particular subject, that the exercise of his senses is suspended, and he is insensible to every thing which is passing around him. Whether the objects which Peter saw had any real existence, or were merely represented to his mind, it is im- possible to determine. We are certain, that the vision was not the offspring of imagination, but an effect of the povrer of God, and an authentic revelation of his will. He beheld " heaven opened," or an appearance as if the heavens had parted asunder, and a vessel, " like a g-reat sheet," let down, which contained all sorts of quad- rupeds, tame and wild, and reptiles and birds. At the same time, he heard a voice saying, " Rise, Peter ; kill, and eat." As many of the animals were such as were forbidden by the law of Moses, he objected to the command, saying, Not so. Lord ; for I have never eaten any thing that is comiTion or unclean." He probably considered it, not as authorising him to transgress the ceremonial law, but as a trial of his respect for it ; for it does not appear, that at this time, either he, or any of the Apostles, expected a change of that law. " But the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." The pro- hibited animals were not unclean from any natural impurity, but in virtue of a positive institution, in consequence of which an Israel- ite could not use them for food without contracting defilement. They were cleansed when the institution was revoked ; and might henceforth be eaten without any other scruple than what arose from a regard to health, or to taste. " This was done thrice," for the same reason that the dream of Pharaoh was doubled, " because the thing was established by God, and God would shortly bring it to pass." That we may understand the import of this vision, it is necessary LECTXniE Xin. CHAPTER X, 169 to reflect, that the Jews were a holy people, separated from the na- tions of the world, and consecrated to the service of God. The se- paration was in part effected by circumcision, which was a token of the covenant of God with the seed of Abraham ; but the same rite was practised by the Arabians, the descendants of Ishmael, and adopted from them, or from the Jews, by some other tribes. A more complete distinction was made by the laws respecting meats, and is, in fact, assigned as the intention of those laws. " I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and be- tween unclean fowls and clean ; and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the groinid, which I have separated from you as unclean. And ye shall be holy unto me : for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." In consequence of this injunction, it was impossible for a Jew to mingle on familiar terms with the Gentiles, without contracting pollution, because at their tables he would meet with some kinds of food, which his rehgion taught him to hold in abhorrence. While Jews and Gentiles retained their peculiar usages, they were objects of mutual aversion and contempt. The voice from heaven declared, that the distinction of meats into clean and unclean was abolished ; that every animal proper for food might be used with a good conscience ; and, consequently, that the principal ground of separation between Jews and Gentiles was removed. For it is evi- dent, that the intention of the vision was not merely to declare, that under the new dispensation the precepts concerning meats had ceased to be obligatory, but to show, that these being repealed, the separation, which was the ultimate end of them, was also repealed, and the Jews might now freely associate with the Gentiles. Hence Peter says in the twenty-eighth verse, " Ye know, how that it is unlawful for a man that is a Jew, to keep company, or to come unto one of another nation : but God hath showed me, that I should not call any man common or unclean." The vision was admirably contrived, in all its circumstances, by divine wisdom. Occasion was taken from the hunger of Peter to represent to him an assem- blage of all sorts of animals which might be used for food ; and the command to eat any of them at pleasure implied such a change of system, as allowed the Jews to keep company with the Gentiles, of 22 170 LECTIKE XIII. CHAPTER X. whose entertainments they might now partake without any danger of impurity. The hteral meaning of the vision was obvious. How much so- ever Peter was surprised, he must have understood it to be the will of God, that llie precepts with regard to things, clean and unclean, should be abrogated ; and that the disciples of Jesus should not be burdened with a yoke, which had been so uneasy to the disciples of Moses. But the ultimate design of it would not so readily occur to his mind. To a Jew it was not a natural thought, that the Gen- tiles should no more be considered and treated as impure. It was therefore necessary, that the Apostle should be farther enlightened on this new and important subject ; and this was done by the arri- val of the messengers of Cornelius, and by a suggestion of the Spirit. " While Peter doubted in himself, what this vision which he had seen should mean," messengers came to invite him to visit a Gentile, and instruct him in religion, and '' while he thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him. Behold, three men seek ihee. Arise, therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing : for I have sent thee." Thus he learned, that what God had cleansed, no man should call common, whether the subject were an animal or a man. The Gentiles were cleansed by the re- peal of those laws, which distinguished them from the people of God, and excluded them from the communion of the Church. The scruples of the Apostles being in this manner removed, he descended from the roof of the house, and welcomed the messengers of Cornelius, although it is probable, that they also were uncircum- cised. On the morrow, he set out with them for Cesarea, where the centurion waited for him, having assembled his kinsmen and friends, to hear the good news of salvation. " And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and wor- shipped him. But Peter took him up, saying. Stand up ; I myself also am a man." From the simple relation of this fact, it cannot be determined, w'hether Cornelius intended to offer religious wor- ship, or civil homage, to Peter, because among some nations, both were expressed by kneeling, or by prostrating one's self upon the ground. He seems to have been overpowered by a strong senti- ment of veneration for the Apostle ; and was unable, in this state of mind, to fix with precision the boundaries of respect. It is evi- dent that he was guilty of some excess ; and, although we can hardly conceive him to have honoured Peter as a God, because this LECTURE Xm. CHAPTER X. 171 Gentile was not a polytheist, but a worshipper of Jehovah, yet the reverence which he felt for him was greater than was due to a mere man. There is one feature in the character of all the Apostles, which must attract the notice of every attentive reader of their history, namely, their disinterestedness. We discover, on no occasion, any symptoms of selfishness. Advantages they undoubtedly enjoyed, in the ad- miration and zealous attachment of their followers, for personal ag- grandi^ment ; but they never yielded to the solicitations of ambition. The glory of their Master, and the salvation of souls, were the great objects which they steadily pursued. They were content to be overlooked and forgotten ; and if they sometimes magnified their office, their sole purpose was to promote the ends of their ministry. Instead of encouraging, they immediately checked, a disposition in others, to fix upon them that admiration which was due to Jesus Christ, from whom their miraculous powers, and all their talents, were derived. How marked is the diflference between them and their pretended successors at Rome, who, by a long train of artifice and hyprocrisy, rose to a proud domination over the Christian world ; or Mahomet, whose imposture rewarded him with an em- pire ? Their disinterestedness is an evidence that they were sin- cerely persuaded of the truth of the gospel, and the gospel must therefore be true ; for as the circumstances in which they are placed, rendered it impossible that they should themselves have been de- ceived, so it is manifest, that they could have no intention to deceive others. After this seasonable admonition to Cornelius, Peter conversed with him in a friendly manner, and went into the house, where he found a large company assembled. He was aware that the Gen- tiles would be surprised at his conduct, which was so diflferent from that of his countrymen, and was forbidden by the Jewish religion. He informed them, therefore, that God himself had abolished the distinction between the Jews and other nations. " Therefore," he says, " came I unto you, without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for : I ask, therefore, for what intent ye have sent for me." In re- turn to this question, Cornelius related his vision ; and concluded by declaring to the Apostle, that they were met to receive, with en- entire submission, the word of God from his lips. " Tlien Peter opened his mouth, and said. Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons ; but in every nation, he that 172 LECTDRE XIII.-^CIIAPTER X. fearcth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." These words have been grossly perverted. They have been repre- sented as a declaration, by the highest authority, that men may be saved without revelation, if they worship the true God, the Maker of heaven and earth, and practise virtue according to the dictates of conscience. It is manifestly supposed, we are told, that persons fearing God, and working righteousness, may be found in every na- tion. For the refutation of this pernicious conunent, we need go no farther in quest of arguments, than the passage itself, viewed in connexion with the preceeding verses. Cornelius, we have seen, was directed by a vision to send for Peter, who would tell him " what he ought to do." Can we believe, that the first words that the Apostle speaks, are, in fact, a declaration, that the gospel, which God had interposed in a miraculous manner to make known to the centurion, was not necessary to him because there were other means, by which the divine favour might be obtained ? Surely, there never was so imprudent a missionary as this man, who, with his first breath, disappoints ' the expectation of his audience, by inform- ing them, that the great end of religion may be accomplished with- out his instructions. Besides, Peter evidently refers to the case of Cornelius, who was not a heathen, left to the conduct of the light of nature, but one, who living in Judea, and having access to the Scriptures, had learned from them " to fear God, and work right- eousness." Before the words can be applied to mere heathens, it must be proved, that a person, by unassisted reason, may acquire the knowledge of the true God, and, without the aid of super- natural grace, may perform such works as the unerring Judge, " by whom actions are weighed," will accept. He who should prove this, would overturn the whole scheme of Christianity. The true meaning of the passage is so obvious, that it is not easy to conceive how any person could have missed it. To respect per- sons, is to be influenced in our treatment of them, by partial con- siderations, and not by a fair and equitable view of their case ; showing favour to one on account of his nation, his parentage, his rank, or his relation to us, and rejecting another equally worthy, because his circumstances are different. " I perceive," says Peter, " that in this sense God is not a respecter of persons ; for although he chose the Jews to be his peculiar people, yet if any man be found among the Gentiles, who fears him, and works righteousness, he is accepted. Piety and holiness are equally pleasing to Cod in the LECTUUE XIII. CHAPTER X. 173 unciicumcised as in the circumcised." Of this impartiahty the case of Cornehus was a proof. He was not one of the seed of Abraham ; but his prayers and his ahus went up as a memorial before God. The IMost High did not reject his offerings, because he could not boast of a descent from tlie patriarchs. His Gentile extraction was no obstacle to the success of his religious services, since they pro- ceeded from a pure heart, which alone God regards. There is not a single word spoken with respect to the acceptance of virtuous Gentiles, \a ho have not enjoyed the advantages of revelation. This question was not at present before the Apostle. The only subject of inquiry was, whether the gospel might be preached to the Gentiles, and they might be received, without circumcision, into the fellow- ship of the Church. God himself had given a decision, by approv- ing of Cornelius in an uncircumcised state, and sending Peter to instruct him in the way of salvation. After this introduction, the Apostle proceeds to give a summary of the gospel, which it does not fall within the design of this Lec- ture to consider. I shall therefore pass on to the last part of the chapter, which records another miraculous interposition, the mani- fest intention of which was to obviate all objections to the admission of the Gentiles to a full participation of the privileges of the new covenant. In the first age of Christianity, the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were frequently bestowed upon the disciples of Jesus ; and they were usually imparted, after baptism, by the ministry of the Apostles. In the present case, the order and the mode were changed ; for the Holy Ghost fell upon Cornelius and his company before they were baptized, and without the imposition of hands. '• While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.'" We cannot tell, whether this new event was necessary to remove some remaining doubts in the mind of Peter himself ; but we may presume, that if he had proceeded, without this inter- position, to baptize and lay his hands upon the Gentiles, the Jews who accompanied him would have remonstrated ; and their brethren in Jerusalem, who afterwards called him to an account, would not have been so easily satisfied. So unexpected was the event, and so contrary to their narrow notions, that " they of the circumcision which believed, were astonished, as many as came with Peter, be- cause that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify 174 LECTURE XIII. CHAPTER X. God." As the case now stood, all objections were precluded. God himself had baptized the Gentiles with the Holy Ghost ; and who, then, could hesitate to admit them to the baptism of water ? The (juestion of Peter must have carried conviction to the most preju- diced Jew who was present. " Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ?" " Shall the sign be denied to those, to whom the thing signified has been already granted ? Shall any of us dare to exclude from our communion, persons between whom and us God has made no difference, by imparting to us all the same spirit- ual gifts ?" The acquiescence of the Jews was testified by their silence ; and Peter commanded Cornelius and his company to be baptized in the name of the Lord. " And thus by revelation God made known the mystery, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it was now revealed unto his holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit ; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ, by the gospel." How happy was the change which now took place in the condi- tion of the Gentiles ! Their own writings contain many melan- choly proofs of the ignorance and profligacy into which they had fallen. In genius and taste they may be allowed to have excelled ; but a peasant, in a Christian country, is more enlightened, upon the subject of religion, than the wisest of their philosophers, and any illiterate man who sincerely believes the gospel, surpasses them all in the knowledge and practice of virtue. Nothing can be conceived more childish and corrupt than their superstitions ; nothing more abandoned than their manners ; nothing more cold and unprofit- able than their most refined speculations. In this situation, " the day spring from on high visited the heathen world, to give light to them that sat in darkness, and in the shadow of death." The al- tars of idolatry were overthrown ; the hopes of the guilty were re- vived by the revelation of a Saviour ; the prospect of innnortal happiness beyond the grave was opened ; the soul was purified by faith ; and, in the beautiful language of the prophecy, " the wilder- ness and the solitary place was made glad, and the desert rejoiced, and blossomed as the rose." We should never think of the call of the Gentiles, without the most lively gratitude. God hath remem- bered us in our low estate : for his mercy endureth for ever." LECTURE Xni. CHAPTER X. 175 Let US Gentiles be careful to improve the privileges which have been transferred to us from the Jews. " The kingdom of God was taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." In these words it is intimated, that God intended to form a people, whp should make a better return for his favours than the Jews ; and we know with what faith and joy the gospel was re- ceived by the Gentiles. But, if they shall prove as perverse as the Jews, is there any reason to expect that they shall be treated with greater lenity than the seed of the patriarchs ? We are certain, indeed, that they shall never be cast off in a body ; but there is no promise ensuring the continuance of the gospel in any particular nation. Remember the once flourishing Churches of Asia and Africa, which are now extinct, or retain a faint existence amidst ig- norance and superstition, under the dominion of their Mahometan oppressors. Our privileges infer an awful responsibility. An ac- count will be demanded by him, who is " no respecter of persons, " and will not suffer his grace to be despised with impunity. Let these words sink down into your ears. " Thou wilt say, then. The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well ; be- cause of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear ; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God : on them which fell, severity ; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness ; other- wise thou shalt be cut off." LECTURE XIV. HEROD AND PETER. Chap. xii. After the persecution, which arose upon the death of Steplien, the disciples enjoyed an interval of repose. The rage of tlieir enemies was exhausted, or suspended hy some cause, of which this history does not inform us.* Perhaps, the conversion of Saul had some influence, by disarming a furious adversary, who stinuilated the zeal and activity of others. But the Church was destined, in the early stages of its existence, to pass through scenes of sorrow and blood, with a design to illustrate, by its effects in sustaining the sufferers, and ultimately prevailing against the most formidable opposition, the divine origin of our religion, and the almighty power of its Author. It was impossible that the Christians, living among the men who had crucified their Master, and professing a system of doctrine which was abhorred as an impious attempt to set aside the institutions of Moses, should long remain unmolested. During the restraint which Providence sometimes imposes upon the wicked, they may seem to be favourably disposed towards religion, and may treat good men with apparent respect and kindness ; but the enmity of their hearts to truth and hohness is not diminished, and waits only for a favourable opportunity to discover itself. For a short time, the sun may shine, and the sky may wear the aspect of serenity, but the clouds will return, and the storm will again beat upon the heads of the righteous. The Chapter now read records a second persecution to which the rising Church was exposed. " Now about that time, Herod the ♦ According to Dr. Lardner, it was at this time that the Emperor Caligula proposed to erect his statue in the temple ; and it was owing to the consternation into which the Jews were thrown, that the persecution was suspended.. Vol. I. 121 — r-5, 2d edition. LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. 177 king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the Church." The persecutor was grandson of Herod the Great, who attempted to destroy our Saviour in his infancy, and nephew of that Herod, by whose command the Baptist was beheaded. Notwitiistanding the praises lavished on him by Josephus, for his munificence and the mildness of his dispositions, he appears, from this account, to have inherited a portion of the cruelty, as well as the honours and dominions, of his grandfather and uncle ; and he has transmitted his name to posterity, as one of those bloody tyrants, who have abused their power for the oppression of innocence and truth. After the death of the first Herod, the royal title of the family expired ; but it was restored in the person of this man, whom the Roman empe- ror appointed king of Judea. Having been educated in the reli- gion of Moses, he is represented by the Jewish historian as so zeal- ous for the law, that hardly a day passed in which he did not offer sacrifices. He might be prompted, therefore, by his own big- otry, to persecute the disciples of Jesus ; and in his court, which would be frequented by the priests and rulers, there were not want- ing enemies to the Christians, who improved the royal favour, to gratify their private resentment, or their religious intolerance. " He stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the Church." The first sufferers were persons of less note than the Apostles, probably some of the private members of the Church, who were distinguished by their station in society, or their activity ; and as Herod is said only to have vexed them, it would seem that they were not put to death, but subjected to some lighter punishment. A nobler sacrifice was necessary to appease the rage of the king, and to satisfy the demands of his sanguinary counsellors. " He therefore killed James, the brother of John, with the sword." James is called the brother of John, to distinguish him from another James, the son of Cleophas, who is styled the brother of our Lord, because his mother was sister to the Virgin. When the two sons of Zebe- dee came to our Saviour, soliciting seats in his kingdom, on his right and left hand, he refused their request, but told them that " they should drink of his cup, and be baptized with his baptism." We see the prediction fulfilled with respect to the elder brother, wha tasted the bitter cup of affliction, and was baptized with a baptism of blood, when he suffered a violent death. The Apostohcal office was the highest and most honourable in the Church ; but it held out no prize to tempt the ambition of 23 178 LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER Xll. worldly men. In their eyes, it was the pre-eminence of shame ; and in consequence of the situation of the Church, it was the post of danger. The Apostles were hated above the other Christians as the ringleaders of the apostasy, the men who had kept aUve the memory of Jesus, and had prevailed upon many thousands to be- come his disciples. What courage, what resolution, what disregard of life, what superiority to those terrors, which operate with so much force upon common minds, were requisite as qualifications for so dangerous a station ! Those who actually filled it, were men of low birth and no education, and, as some parts of their conduct in- dicate, of a timid and cowardly temper. Yet, they displayed a spirit of heroism, which was never surpassed. " They jeoparded their hves unto the death, in the high places of the field." We venerate their memory ; but let us not forget to admire the grace of God, which " gave power to the faint, and to them who had no might, increased strength." The death of this righteous man involved the Church in deep affliction ; but it was highly gratifying to the blood-thirsty Jews. " Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice." They exulted in the just punishment of an irreclaimable heretic ; they flattered themselves, that the example would terrify others into a recantation of their error ; and they hoped, that the sword would not be returned to its scabbard, till it had executed justice upon all the leading men in the Church. The.-:e sentiments were openly expressed ; and Herod, eager to ingratiate himself still more with the people, readily complied with their wishes. " And, because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded finther, to take Peter also." From whatever motive the persecution was begun, it was continued from policy. This indeed is the principle, which has commonly directed the exercise of that power, which civil governments claim, to interfere in matters of religion. It is not truth, but expediency, which, in most cases, has regulated its operations. Hence forms of religion, not merely differing in some particulars of inferior im- portance, but directly opposed to each other, have been successively patronised by the same legislature, and even established, at the same time, in different provinces ; plainly because nothing was thought of but to secure the authority and influence of government, by gratifying the \vishes and prejudices of the people. The alliance between Church and State is conceived to be so close, that if the one fall, the other cannot long be supported. The Church, there- LECTURE XIV. — CHAPTER XH. 179 fore, is upheld for the sake of the State ; and in defence of the for- mer, some men display the most furious zeal, who give evidence, by their general profaneness and profligacy, that they hold religion, considered in itself, in absolute contempt. Non-conformity is ac- cdimted a certain indication of disaffection, as if no man could be a good subject, who presumed to exercise his own judgment, and re- fused to be controlled by the opinion of others neither wiser nor bet- ter than himself, in a matter infinitely more important than all temporal concerns, and the design of which is utterly lost, if it do not proceed upon examination and choice. Every loyal man should embrace that faith, to which the state has given its sanc- tion ; and the state has preferred it to any other, because it serves better as an engine of political influence. The appeal is never made to the Scriptures, by which alone all questions of this nature iihould be decided. Force is an easier and more compendious method of silencing the objections of dissenters. It is acknow- ledged, that persecution has often originated in sincere but mistaken zeal for what was conceived to be the truth ; but in many cases, and especially with persons in power, religion is merely a pretext, and the real causes are to be found in the jealousy of governments, the avarice, ambition, and resentment of ministers, or the machina- tions of a corrupt, interested priesthood, exerting themselves to main- tain that craft by which they have their gain. Such is the history of a power, which has been represented as the gift of God to the rulers of nations, and contended for with as great vehemence of ar- gument/ and bitterness of zeal, as if Christianity itself, deprived of its protection, would speedily perish from the earth ! " Then were the days of unleavened bread." The Israelites were commanded to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the time of the passover. The season is mentioned, to assign the reason why the king did not immediately put Peter to death. He was more scrupulous than the priests, at the time of our Saviour's crucifixion, and would not profane the feast by a public execution ; or he was afraid, lest the friends of Peter should excite the people, to make use of their right to demand the release of a prisoner, for obtaining his pardon. "When he had apprehended Peter, therefore, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quarternions of soldiers," that is, to sixteen soldiers, four of whom guarded him by turns ; " intend- ing after Easter to bring him forth to the people." The term, 180 LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. Easter, denotes, in this country, the day observed by many Churches^ in memory of our Saviour's resurrection, But the Greek word signifies the passover, and should liave been exactly trans- lated, because the historian is ?;pcaking not of a Christian, but of a Jewish festival. With the execution of Peter, Herod purposed to close the solemnity. The time was come, when they who killed the disciples of Jesus, thought " tliat they did God service." By the infatuated Jews, the murder of this righteous man would be deemed a sacrifice not less acceptable to him than that of the pas- chal lamb. " Peter, therefore, was kept in prison ;" and while he was so strictly watched, there was no prospect of his escape. " But prayer was made, without ceasing, of the Chinch unto God for him.'' The danger of Peter must have excited particular interest, as his services had been so valuable, and his loss would be severely felt. But hope is the life of prayer, for who would ask what he knew to be unattainable ? and, in the present case, hope seemed to have no rational foundation. The death of the Apostle was fixed for the next day ; and, during the short interval, what could occur to pre- vent it ? The first Christians were persuaded that nothing is im- possible to him who believes, because nothing is impossible to God. Daniel was preserved in a den of lions, and the three Jewish con- fessors, in the midst of a fiery furnace. God could bend the heart of the tyrant to mercy, or defeat his purpose by his sudden death, or incline the people to intercede for the life of his servant, or deliver him by a miracle. They did not limit the Holy One of Israel, and say, " How can this thing be !" Reflecting on his power, they over- looked the obstacles to the answer of their prayers, and " being strong in faith gave glory to God." The event showed, that the prayer of faith is efiectual, and en- courages us to trust in God, in seasons of the greatest perplexity. " And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains ; and the keepers before the door kept the prison." How happy is the man who is at peace with God ! Assured of his favour, and resigning himself to the disposal of infinite wisdom and goodness, he enjoys an inward calm amidst the fiercest storms of adversity. It was the last night of Peter's imprisonment, and on the morrow he was to suffer a violent death ; yet he sleeps more soundly, per- haps, than Herod in his palace, not because nature was exhausted LECTURE XIV. — CHAPTER Xn. 181 by anxiety and long watching, but because he felt no fear. To him death, although styled the king of terrors, was not terrible. He had learned from his Savioifr " not to be afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." Death is but a sharp pain, past in a moment ; and why then should it alarm a Christian ? It is probable, that he has suffered more in some acute disease ; and if the conflict were more dreadful, it will instantly be forgotten amidst the joys of heaven. Give a man the testimony of a good conscience, and the lively hope of immortality, and you transform him into a hero, who will smile on the rack, and triumph in the flames. Peter was sleeping between two sol- diers, bound v/ith two chains, which were fastened to his hands, and to the right and left hand of the soldiers, according to the manner in which prisoners were secured. The keepers stood before the door, so that his escape was impossible, by any human means. In the accovmt of his deliverance, there is little which requires illustration. The minister of providence was an angel, to whom the gates and guards presented no obstruction. As soon as he en- tered, a light shone in the prison, which showed him to be a hea- venly messenger, and assisted Peter to find his way without diffi- culty. When he awoke the Apostle, and commanded him to rise, the chains fell from his hands, and the words of the Psalmist were literally fulfilled, " The Lord looseth the prisoners." He then or- dered him to gird himself, and bind on his sandals, and cast his garment about him. These things would be wanted, when he had left the prison. There were two wards to be passed, at which guards were stationed ; but there they met with no opposition. All the soldiers were cast into a deep sleep. It is evident from the stir among them in the morning, that they were ignorant of the trans- actions of the night. The iron-gate, which led into the city, was opened by an invisible hand. The angel and Peter went out, and both walked together through one street, when the angel departed. The miraculous interposition terminated, where ©rdinary means were sufficient. The presence of the angel was no farther neces- sary to Peter, who could easily find a place of safety from the pur- suit of his enemies. The age of miracles is past. Angels do not now come, in a vi- sible manner, to perform services to the saints ; but their agency is as real and beneficient as ever. " They are all ministering spirits, 182 LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. sent forth to minister for them, who sliall be heirs of salvation." They defend the people of God against the incursions of their spi- ritual adversaries, and preserve them from dangers which are often unperceived. " The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." These glorious crea- tures do not disdain to minister to man, who was made a little lower than they. His nature, united to the Son of God, reigns above all principalities and powers on the throne of the univcree ; and every believer can call the Lord of angels his friend and brother. Perhaps, those remarkable events, which sometimes occur in the history of the saints, and for which it is difficult to assign any satis- factory cause ; those wonderful escapes, those inexplicable impres- sions on the mind, those unexpected revolutions in their favour, the sudden and unlocked for patronage of the wicked, the unaccount- able failure of the designs of their enemies, the surprising ac- complishment of their hopes, when the ordinary means had been tried in vain, and every appearance seemed to justify despair, may be referred to the secret operations of their poA\ erful and vigilant guardians. Peter was suddenly awaked out of a soimd sleep ; his eyes were dazzled with the light which shone in the prison ; the deliverance was altogether unexpected ; and the mode of effecting it was mi- raculous. These circumstances conspired to agitate his mind, and to render him incapable of calm and regular thought. Hence, " he wist not that it was true which was done by the angel : but thought he saw a vision." But when he was left alone, '• he came to him- self," or recovered from his surprise ; and finding himself freed from his chains, and in one of the streets of the city, he said, " Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews." His grateful heart would send up ejaculations of praise to the Saviour, and be inspired with new ardour to serve so gracious a Master. He then reflected upon the course which it would be proper to pursue, both for his own safety, as a strict search would be made for him, and for the relief of the anxiety of his friends ; " and when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, M^here many were gathered together praying." In those days there were no Churches, or buildings appropriated to religious worship. The disciples met LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. 183 in private houses, and frequently, in times of persecution, in less convenient places. This assembly was convened in the night, principally because the next day was fixed for the execution of Peter, but partly from fear of the Jews. In the first ages, the Chris- tians often held their meetings in the night ; and from this precau- tion, which was necessary to avoid the danger of discovery, their enemies ungenerously stigmatized them as persons who fled from the light, and chose the veil of darkness to cover the abominable crimes, which were committed in their conventicles.* If they ap- peared in open day, they were assaulted, and dragged to prison and to death ; if they sought concealment, they were loaded with the foulest imputations. In the house of Mary, prayers were offered up for the deliverance of Peter. Even at this late hour, his friends did not despair. God was able to disappoint the designs of Herod, and the hopes of the Jews, on the eve of accomplishment. At this moment, " Peter knocked at the gate ; and a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate." The description of this young woman, forgetting, in a tumult of joy, to open the gate to admit him, although this was the first step which cool reflection would have dictated for his safety, is perfectly natural, and would be in- jured, instead of being improved, by a commentary. " They said unto her. Thou art mad." So much did the answer of their prayers exceed their hopes, that they could not believe it ; and the person who told them of their success, appeared to be out of her senses. '■ But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel." As the word, translated angel, is used also for an ordinary messenger, some have thought, that they supposed the person at the gate to be a messenger come with intelligence from Peter. But Rhoda knew him by his voice ; and from this circum- stance they must have concluded that it was either Peter himself, or some being who could personate him. The Jews believed, that every good man was attended by a particular angel, to whose care he was entrusted. Judging it impossible that it was Peter himself, the disciples assembled in the house of Mary said, " It is his angel ;" imagining that the angel, who constantly waited upon the Apostle, was come to give notice of him to his friends. But, although the * Minucius Felix, ix. 18-t LECTURE XIV. — CIIArXER XH. notion of g-uardian angels seems to have been adopted, at least by some persons in the primitive Church, it does not follow that it is true ; for their private opinions are not the standard of our faith, any more than the private opinions of good men in the present times. It is not confirmed by the authority of our Saviour, or of the Apostles. " But Peter continued knocking : and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of prison." The joy of the dis- ciples must have been great, to see their beloved brother snatched by divine power from impending death, and their prayers answered in so surprising and seasonable a manner. '• And he said. Go show these things unto James, and to the brethren," that they also might admire the goodness of the Saviour, and turn their prayers into praises. " And he departed, and went into another place " of greater security. Having been delivered by a miracle, he was to save himself from the pursuit of his enemies by the exercise of his prudence. The two following verses give an account of the consternation and bustle of the soldiers, when they found, the next day, that the prisoner was gone. Neither their search, nor the diligence of Herod, could find him. Disappointed in his design against the life of the Apostles, and mortified at not being able to gratify the expectation of the people, he wreaked his vengeance upon the soldiers, who were guilty, in his eyes, of an unpardonable oflfence. And, indeed, as they could give no account of the matter, he would naturally suspect, either that they had slept upon guard, a crime not to be forgiven, or that they had connived at the escape of the prisoner. After these events, Herod went to Cesarea, to celebrate games in honour of Cesar. The death of James was forgotten ; or if he re- membered it, it was with regret, tbat he had been prevented from sacrificing this other victim to his bigotry or his policy. He was supported by the approbation of the people ; and there was no earthly tribunal to which he was amenable. But there was a God in heaven, who makes inquiry after blood, and whom the death of a righteous man, how much soever undervalued by the world, in- terests more than the fall of a mighty monarch. His justice some- times pursues the»guilty with a quick pace ; and forces to their lips LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. 185 the cup which they have given to others, mixed up with the bitter ingredients of his wrath. Tyre and Sidon were maritime cities, in the vicinity of the do- minions of Herod. The inhabitants, being employed in trade, had perhaps neglected agriculture ; and their territories were too small to yield what was sufficient for the annual consumption. With the profits of trade, or with the wares which they manufactured and imported, they purchased corn and cattle in Judea, or in some of the provinces belonging to the king. Hence, when by some cause not mentioned, they had incurred the displeasure of Herod, they were anxious to pacify him. They dreaded his resentment, which they were unable to resist, and by which they might be deprived of the necessary supphes. To ensure the success of their embassy, they had made Blastus, the chamberlain, their friend. Kings, who are regarded as independent sovereigns, the arbiters of nations, are often mere pageants, moved by persons of inferior rank behind the curtain. When war and peace are traced to their sources, they are found, in many cases, to proceed, not so much from the ambition and caprice of the ostensible lords of the world, as from the passions of their ministers, and the secret influence of women and favourites. The springs and wheels, which move the mighty machine, are not seldom constructed of the vilest and most contemptible materials. The favour of the king being gained by the mediation of his chamberlain, Herod, on the second day of the games, as Josephus informs us, sat upon his throne, arrayed in royal apparel, curiously wrought with silver, which being struck by the beams of the rising sun, emitted a dazzling lustre, that filled the spectators with awe. The oration, which he delivered to the ambassadors of Tyre and Sidon, might be worthy of admiration for its eloquence and wisdom ; but the applause of the people is an equivocal proof. Truth seldom reaches the ears of kings. They are addressed in the smooth lan- guage of flattery, which exaggerates, with unrestrained license, any good qualities of which they are possessed, and blushes not to adorn the most stupid and worthless, with the highest endowments of in- tellect, and the noblest attributes of virtue. The grossest adulation is eagerly received by men, whom power and splendour have in- toxicated. " The people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a God, and not of a man." Such extravagant flattery, to which the heathens were accustomed, was altogether unprecedented among the Jews. Perhaps, they were heathens who joined in this idola- 24 18G LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. trous exclamation. It luiglit sceiu incredible, that beings possessed of common sense should ever have been so completely blinded and degraded, as to exalt into a God a man like themselves ; but this folly ^vas not greater than the Gentiles had already committed, in woishijiping stocks and stones, the works of their own liands, or in taking a tree, as the Prophet says, in a style of bitter irony, and making a fire of the one part of it, and a God of the other. We, at this late period of the world, have our belief in the wildest excesses of polytheism confirmed by facts, which have passed before our eyes, and have fixed an indelible stain upon the age, and upon human nature. Amidst the light of revelation, and the improvements of philosophy, have we not heard one of the most unprincipled and sanguinary adventurers, who was ever raised up by Providence to be a scourge of the human race, addressed by his detested slaves, in language sacred to the Divinity, and hailed as another Messiah, sent by Heaven to emancipate mankind ? It is still more unaccount- able, that any man in his senses, and conscious of his infirmities, should have quietly suffered a comphment so manifestly excessive and ridiculous, that it might have been justly resented as an insult. Did not Herod feel that. he was a man, and nothing more? He needed food and rest as well as other men ; his head ached ; his pulse beat with feverish quickness ; his heart (luakcd at the thought of death, which would lay his honours in the dust. How then could he fancy himself a God ! In the fulness of his pride, he overlooked these monuments of his frailty. No reprimand, or frown, checked the madness of the people. Elevated upon his throne, the puny wretch snuffed up, with self-complacency, the incense offered by his wor.shippcrs. " But he was a man, and no God in the hand of him that slew him." " Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory : and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." The angels are always ready to execute the orders of their Lord, and fly with equal speed to confer benefits upon the righteous, and to inflict punishment upon the wicked. Herod did not give glory to God, by checking the idolatrous flattery of his subjects, and referring to him all his power and greatness. The measure of his iniquity was full. To injustice and cruelty he now added blasphemous pride. The divine honour, thus openly in- sulted, demanded his destruction. In the midst of the acclamations of the multitude, and the impious triumph of tlie king, he was LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. 187 seized with a loathsome and mortal distemper, and expired in a few days, a signal monument of the righteous judgment of God, and a solemn lesson of humility to the great men of the earth, whom the Almighty can dash in pieces as a potter's vessel. Josephus, whose account exactly agrees with that of the inspired historian, represents him as acknowledging amidst his torments, the justice of his doom, and exclaiming to his friends who surrounded him, " Be- hold, I, your God, am commanded to surrender my life. My fate convicts you of falsehood. I, whom you styled immortal, am hur- ried to death. I must submit to the sentence of God." Thus perished this impious persecutor ; and the hand of God has since been visibly displayed in the destruction of others, who had distinguished themselves as the enemies of his Church. " No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper ; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteous- ness is of me, saith the Lord." I conclude with a few reflections suggested by this passage. First, Self-denial and courage are qualities, which enter into the composition of the Christian character. Self-denial is necessary, because there are many privations to which the follower of Jesus must submit, many acts of mortification which he must perform, many hardships, unpleasant to human nature, which he must un- dergo. Without courage, he could not face the formidable obstacles which lie before him in the path of obedience, nor endure the trials of liis faith and patience. Neither a selfish nor a timid man is fit to be a Christian. He alone is worthy of this character, who, en- tirely devoted to his Saviour, is willing to sacrifice every personal consideration for his glory, and is resolved that nothing shall stop him in the course of his duty. Such were the Christians of the Apostolic age. Such was James, who laid down his life for the gospel ; and such was Peter, who cheerfully consented to follow his Lord to prison and to death. Our circumstances, indeed, through the goodness of Providence, are different from theirs ; we enjoy peace and security in the profession of rehgion. But in the most tranquil season, we must bear the world's scorn, and resist the w^orld's solicitations ; and the hour of temptation may come suddenly upon the Church, that they who are approved, may be made manifest. The following words of Christ are applicable to every period. " If loo LECTtniE XIV. — CHAPTER XII. any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." In the second place. When we reflect upon the terrible sufferings of the primitive Christians, and of the faithful in succeeding ages, let us submit, without repining, to the comparatively slight incon- veniences, which we may incur in the cause of religion. Perhaps, we have been compelled by conscience to adopt a form of religion which is not fashionable, and, on this account, are deprived of some advantages which we should enjoy by conforming to the established faith. We may be a proverb of reproach among fools, and among pretenders to wisdom. It may occasionally be our lot to encounter the sneer of contempt, and to be the butt of ridicule, and wit em- bittered by malignity. Our familiar friends forsake us ; and by the companions of our former folly, we may be branded as hypo- crites or madmen, because we will no longer run to the same excess of riot. These, it must be owned, are trials which will be keenly felt by every honest and delicate mind. But Ave have not yet " re- sisted unto blood, striving against sin." Our lives have not been endangered ; our property has not been confiscated ; nor have we been compelled to exchange the sweets of liberty for the gloom of a prison. With the history of the martyrs before our eyes, shall we not be ashamed to complain ? Surely, if we escape thus, let us be thankful that our passage to heaven is so easy, while to others it has been difficult and boisterous. In the third place. Let us proceed with confidence in the per- formance of our duty, since we are assured, " that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation," The case of Peter shows, that no earthly power can prevent their deliverance. God can restrain the fury of their enemies, or, permitting it to operate, can afford protection to its intended victims. " Why art thou afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man, that shall l^e made as grass?" Is he not in the hands of the Lord? And if the breath of the Almighty blow upon him, shall not his goodness wither, and his power and glory be laid in the dust ? Know, Chris- tian, that thou art safe in the path of duty ; but that, when thou hast left it, thou hast no promise of divine protection. The wisest and most comfortable plan, is to commit ourselves to God, to resign the management of our affairs to his unerring wisdom, to confide in his jjower, and to believe, that, in obeying the dictates of reason and religion, it shall ultimately be well with us. LECTURE XIV. CHAPTER XII. 189 In the last place, All the mipenitent enemies of the Church shall perish. Defended by omnipotence, she is invincible. Assaulted by the mightiest potentates of the earth, she remains, while they have fallen and not a vestige can be traced of their kingdoms and em- pires. " In that day wUl I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people ; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." An eloquent Father of the Church has left a treatise on the deaths of persecutors, which records many instances of the miserable end of those who had distinguished themselves by their opposition to the gospel.* Since his time, other examples of divine vengeance have appeared, from which we are led to say, " Verily, there is a reward for the righteous : verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth." " Upon this rock, I will build my Church : and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." In this attempt even the power and policy of the spirits of darkness shall be baffled. Let not the hearts of Christians despond, when the ungodly prosper, and the earth is filled with violence. While God permits them to pursue their career, they are fulfilling his designs, and shall not be able to accomplish their own. The Assyrian may be the rod of his anger for the correction of his people ; but when this purpose is effected, the rod shall be broken, and thrown into the fire. " God is in the midst of her ; she shall not be moved : God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved ; he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." * Lactan. de mortibus persecutoium. LECTURE XV. PAUL AND BARNABAS IN LTSTRA- Chap. xiv. 8—18. Antioch of Syria was the first city, in which the gospel was piib- Hcly preached to the Gentiles. " The hand of the Lord was with his ministers : and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord." In the same city, the disciples received the appellation of Christians, by which they have ever since been distinguished. By these remarkable events, Antioch has acquired celebrity in the an- nals of the Church ; and it appears to have been chosen by Provi- dence as a central spot, from which the rays of divine truth should be diffused throughout the heathen world. In the beginning of the thirteenth chapter, there is an account of the separation of Bar- nabas and Paul, to the work of preaching to the Gentiles, in con- sequence of a command of the Spirit, addressed to the Prophets and Teachers in Antioch. The opposition which they encountered in the course of their mission was not strange, as their doctrine was new, and adverse to the opinions and corrupt passions of mankind ; but it seems to have chiefly proceeded from the Jews. That incor- rigible race discovered in every country the same hostile spirit to Christianity and its Author. Justin Martyr affirms, that they not only did not repent of their wickedness in crucifying the Messiah, but sent chosen messengers from Jerusalem to all nations, to inflame the minds of men against his religion.* It is related, in the pre- ceding chapter, that the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, not content with contradicting and blaspheming the things which were spoken by Paul, " stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of that city, and raised persecution against him and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts." The same part Dialog, cum Tryph. LECTURE XV. CHAPTER XIV. 8 — 18. 191 was acted by the Jews of Iconium, who " stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil-affected against the brethren. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and of the Jews, with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, they were aware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lyca- onia, and unto the region that lieth round about : and there they preached the gospel." The passage which I have read, begins with the account of a miracle, performed in the first of those cities. " And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked." His case resembles that of the man who was cured by Peter and John at the gate of the temple ; and a particular statement of it is given, to show the real- ity, and the greatness of the miracle. It was not an incidental, but a radical infirmity, which was removed. He was impotent in his feet ; he had been lame from his birth ; and the disorder was such, tliat at no period of his life had he been able to walk. His situation rendered him the proper object of a miracle. No person of humanity could look upon him without pity ; and his cure would appear to all to be the effect, not of superior skill, but of su- pernatural power. Thus, the design of the miracle would be gained, which was not only to relieve the patient, but to demon- strate to the inhabitants of Lystra, that God was present with Paul and Barnabas, and consequently that their doctrine was true. Miracles are a sign to "them that believe not." They are not merely prodigies, or strange sights, intended to raise the wonder of the spectators, and to draw their attention to the person who performs them, l)ut tokens, or proofs, of the divine approbation of him, and of the religion which he teaches. To the Jews, the argument from prophecy was sufficient to prove that Jesus was the Christ ; and ac- cordingly, we find the Apostles insisting much upon it, in their dis- courses to that people. But to the Gentiles, it would not have been addressed with propriety, or any hope of success, because they were not acquainted with the prophecies, and had no evidence, that the books containing them, were written prior to the event. Miracles were an obvious and easy species of evidence. It required no inves- tigation or discussion ; it pressed upon the senses ; and the right in- ference could be drawn by the plainest understanding. "Rabbi, we know, that thou art a teacher come from God ; for no man can 102 LECTURE XV. CHAPTER XIV. 8 13. do these miracles; that thou dost, except God be with him." The purpose for which the Apostles were furnished with the power of working- miracles, was to prove to the ignorant, the illiterate, and the unthinking-, who are the great majority of mankintH, the divine authority of the gospel. Paul perceived that the lame man had "faith to be healed." This faith seems to signify either a general belief of the power of Barnabas and Paul, or rather of Jesus Christ, whose ministers they were, to heal infirmities and diseases ; or a persuasion, that a cure would be performed upon himself in particular. In the former case, liis faith was founded on the account which he had heard of the character and miracles of Christ, and of the extraordinary gifts which he had bestowed upon his followers ; in the latter, it was the effect of a supernatural mipression upon his mind. This faith Paul perceived by the power of discerning spirits, or the power with wliich the Apostles were occasionally endowed, of discovering the thoughts and dispositions of men. "If thou canst believe," said our Lord to a father deeply afflicted by the sufferings of his son ; " if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." The expectation which the promises of God, or the suggestions of his Spirit have excited, shall not make him ashamed. " Paul there- fore, steadfastly beholding this man, said with a loud voice. Stand up right on thy feet. And he leaped and walked." The cure im- mediately followed the command. The disorder in his joints was removed ; liis limbs recovered strength, and with the fondness so natural to a man who has recently acquired a new power, which he had long and earnestly desired, but despaired of ever possessing, he tried it in every way, leaping and walking. Paul said, " with a loud voice," Stand up right on thy feet. The miracle was wrought for the sake of the inhabitants of Lystra, as well as of the impotent man ; and for this reason it was publicly announced. The circumstances in which the miracles of the gos- pel were performed, leave no room for suspecting, that they were dexterous impositions upon the credulity of mankind. That they were real miracles is evident from this important fact, that they were not done in a corner, but in the chief places of concourse ; in the streets of cities, in the midst of assembled multitudes, in the presence of enemies as well as of friends. The miracles of false religions were performed, or are said to have been performed, in distant ages, of which we have only fabulous accounts ; in re- LECTVRE XV. CHAPTER XIV, 8 18. 193 mote countries, where any thing may be feigned to have taken place, without the risk of detection ; in temples under the command of priests, who could securely practise there the arts of deceit ; or in some obscure retreat, sheltered from every inquisitive eye, before witnesses, select, and favourably disposed. " If they shall say unto you. Behold he is in the desert, go not forth : behold, he is in the se- cret chambers, believe it not." Truth courts the light, that it may be made manifest. The juggling tricks of heathenism and popery require only a strict examination, to be rejected with contempt ; whereas, the miracles of Christianity are displays of omnipotent power, which will be the more admired, the more closely they are considered. The evidence of miracles is not irresistible, but may be counter- acted by the power of prejudice. The Jews attributed the miracles of our Saviour to Satanical influence ; the Gentiles believed, that those of the Apostles were operations of magic ; and the inhabitants of Lystra were disposed to turn this miracle into an argument in favour of their own idolatrous religion. " And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lift up their voices, saying, in the speech of Lycaonia, The Gods are come down to us in the likeness of men." The Gentiles had corrupted the fundamental doctrine of the unity of God ; and their various systems of religion were found- ed on the supposition of a plurality of Deities, male and female, differing in their rank, their attributes, and the provinces or func- tions assigned to them. These imaginary beings were conceived to superintend the affairs of the earth. There was, indeed, one sect of philosophers, the disciples of Epicurus, who, while they admitted their existence, denied that they governed the world ; but they were justly suspected of atheism.* Other sects of philosophers, and the common people, believed, that men were objects of the attention and care of the Gods, who observed their conduct, and interfered in their transactions, and, for this purpose, descended, on some occa- sions, to the earth in a visible form. Their histories and poems are full of such appearances. When the inhabitants of Lystra, there- fore, cried out, " The Gods are come down to us in the likeness of men ;" they did not express surprise at the event as unusual, but rather joy because the Gods had deigned to honour their city with a visit. They have come down to us, " in the hkeness of men." * Cier. de natura Deor. i 43. 25 101 LECTUHE XV. CHAPTER XIV. 8 — 18. They were supposed to appear in the human form, which was l)elievc(l to be their real shape ; for the lieathen Deities were clothed with bodies Uke ours, and differed from men only in the ex- tent of their power, and the attribute of immortality. As soon as the idea was adopted, that Paul and Barnabas were Gods, the people assigned to them their respective names. " They called Barnabas Jupiter, and Paul Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker." Jupiter was the Supreme Divinity of the heathens, whom they called the Father of Gods and men, and represented as swaying his sceptre over heaven and earth. Sometimes they speak of him in a style not unworthy of the true God, describing liiin as shaking heaven with his nod, and terrifying the world by his thun- der ; but, at other times, they degrade him below the dignity of a man, by portraying him with the basest passions, and foulest crimes, of a profligate. There is something mysterious and inexplicable in the creed of the Gentiles, affording a lamental^le proof of the aston- ishing, and ahnost incredible, blindness and stupidity of the human mind. This Jupiter, whom they placed at the head of the universe, they believed to have been a man, who was born, reigned, and died, in the island of Crete. An inextricable confusipn pervades the Pa- gan mythology ; it is full of inconsistencies and absurdities, which, one should think, could not have been digested by the most barbar- ous nation, and still less by the learned Greeks and Romans ; and there is no way of accounting for the fact, that they did give credit to the tales of their priests and poets, but by the information of Paul, " that because they did not like to retain God in tlieir know- ledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind." Mercury was one of the sons of Jupiter. Among the various offices with which he was invested, it is necessary to mention only, that he w^as repu- ted the messenger of the Gods, and the interpreter of their will. Paul was called Mercury, because he most frequently addressed the people. If he was a God, there was none whose character so ex- actly suited him, as that of the Deity who conveyed the messages of Jupiter to mankind. Barnabas was supposed to be Jupiter, because he was older than Paul, or of a more dignified appear- ance. If the Gods had condescended to visit the city of Lystra, religion required that they should be received with appropriate honours. " The priest of Jupiter, therefore, which was before their city," or had a temple without the walls, or in the suburbs, " brought oxen LECTURE XV. CHAPTER XIV. 8 18. 195 and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people." Sacrifices were a distinguished part of the worship of the heathens ; and in this general feature, their religion resembled that of the Jews. The practice was undoubtedly derived from tra- ditionary accounts of the original institution of sacrifices ; for the death of irrational animals would not have occurred to the unin- structed human mind, as a proper expedient for propitiating the Deity. The victims were generally crowned with garlands of flow- ers. The religion of the Gentiles was of a cheerful nature. The eye was captivated with magnificent spectacles ; the ear was charmed with the sound of musical instruments, and the melody of songs ; and, at some festivals, the grossest debauchery was permit- ted in honour of their licentious Divinities. The intended sacrifice was prevented by the zeal of Barnabas and Paul. " Which, when the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, cry- ing out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things ?" In the usual sense of the term, Barnabas was not an Apostle ; but it literally signifies a person sent, a messenger, or missionary, and the title is probably given to him in reference to his mission from Antioch, to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul, in one of his Epistles, speaks of certain brethren, who were " the messengers or Apostles of the Churches, and the glory of Christ." When Paul and Bar- nabas were informed of the intention of the people, they " rent their clothes." This was a custom of the Jews, at the death of their friends, in times of public calamity, and when they heard blasphe- my, or witnessed any great transgression of the law. The Apostles therefore expressed, after the manner of their country, grief at the conduct of the people, and abhorrence of their idolatry. " They ran in among them, saying. Sirs, why do ye these things ? We also are men of hke passions with you." It has been remarked, that the word translated, " of like passions," properly signifies, sub- ject to the same infirmities and sufferings, or fellow mortals. Their being of " like passions" with them would not have appeared to the Gentiles a good reason why Paul and Barnabas should not be wor- shipped ; for Jupiter and Mercury, and all the Gods and Goddesses of Paganism, were supposed to be actuated by the same passions with men, and, if history might be credited, had given many shock- ing displays of wrath, revenge, envy, and lust. But, if they were fellow-mortals, beings subject, like others, to disease and death, it 196 Ll'CTl'RE XV. CHAPTER XIV. 8 — 18. was evident that thc)^ were not Gods ; for ilie lieathcn Deities were accounted immortal, and were chiefly dis:tinguished by thid privilege from their worshippers. IMortals, indeed, there have been, who de- manded rehgious honours ; and base flatterers have not been want- ing to comply with the extravagant request. Some of tlie Roman emperors were deified during their hves. But, surely, the worship- pers and the worshipped must have secretly regarded each other with mutual contempt ; the former scorning the inflated worm, who dreamed of divinity, because accident had raised him to a throne ; and the latter despising the abject slaves who courted his favour by such degrading homage. The remains of his reason must have nauseated their incense, while it gratified his vanity. " Sirs, why do ye these things." Jealous of the glory of the true God, the Apostles rejected, with abhorrence, any honour offered to them, which intrenched on his prerogative. " We are mere mortals like yourselves, and wish for no other token of respect, than that you should listen to us, while we call upon you to renounce your idol- atry. We preach unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God." In the Old Testament, the heathen Gods are frequently styled vanities. It is a contemptuous title, which at the same time, is ex- pressive of their nature. Of the Deities, whom the blinded nations adored, some had no existence, except in the imagination of their worshippers ; and the rest were dead men and women, whom the gratitude and admiration of posterity had consecrated. Their images, in which a divine virtue was supposed to reside, were con- structed of stone, and wood, and the precious metals ; and were alike unworthy of religious honours, and incapable of doing either good or evil, as inanimate matter in any other shape. " They had eyes, but they saw not ; and ears, but they heard not. They that made them were like unto them ; so was every one that trusted in them." All was vanity. These pretended Gods, and their unpro- fitable service, the apostles called uj)oa the men of Lystra to for- sake, and henceforward to worship " the living God." The hving God is Jehovah the self-existent being, who comprehends in himself the past, the present, and the future, and is the source of life to all who breathe and think. His existence alone is necessary and im- mutable ; that of all other beings is contingent and fluctuating. He is here opposed to the Gods of the Gentiles, who were dead men, or imaginary beings, and whose Ufeless images, enveloped in LECTURE XV. — CHAPTER XIV. 8 — 18. 197 clouds of smoke, and adored with profound reverence, were as in- sensible of their unmerited honours, as the walls of their temples. " Choose now," said the Apostles, " whether you will serve the liv- ing or the dead." " None of the vanities of the Gentiles could give rain ;" they had less power even than the men who implored their protection. " But the living God made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein." The universe arose out of nothing at his command, was arranged by his wisdom, and is sus- tained by his power. It demonstrates his existence and attributes ; and, in language understood in every nation, calls upon the specta- tors of his glory to adore and serve him. But if the God, whom Paul and Barnabas preached, was the true God, the Creator of the world and its inhabitants, why was he so late in asserting his claim to their homage ? Whence had he remained unknown for many ages, while other beings were suffered to usurp his place and his honours ? To obviate this objection against the Christian doctrine as a novel system, which laboured under the great disadvantage of being opposed to the ancient esta}> lished opinions of mankind, the Apostles subjoin the following re- mark. " Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways." The cause of the recent introduction of his worship, was, not that he was an upstart God, a Divinity of yesterday, but that, for wise and holy reasons, he had permitted the nations, dur- ing a long succession of ages, to apostatize from himself, and follow the suggestions of their vain imaginations. Although, as we shall afterwards see, he did not leave himself altogether without a wit- ness, yet he laid no restraint upon them in their deviations from truth ; and employed no extraordinary means to stem the torrent of apostasy. No Prophet arose among them to reprove their errors, and restore the knowledge and service of the Creator. " The times of this ignorance he winked at," seeming to take no notice of it, as a man closes his eyes, that he may not observe what is passing around him. Every nation was suffered to adopt whatever form of religion was most agreeable to its taste. Gods were multi- plied by the creative power of superstition ; temples rose in every city, and altars in every grove ; so that the true God was banished from the greater part of his own world. The duration of this period of darkness and impiety is expressed by the indefinite phrase, " times past." Idolatry seems to have begun early after the flood. It was practised in the family of Abraham prior to his call. IDS LECTURE XV. — CHAPTER XIV. 8 — 18. But the true God contiuued to be known and worshipped long after, by mdividuals and fainihes, amidst the general corruption. The covenant with Al)rahani and his posterity, by which they were constituted the peculiar people of God, did not operate to the exclu- aion of other nations, till about the time of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. The oracles of heaven were then committed to his descendants, and the rest of mankind were abandoned to their own conduct. Notwitlistanding the rejection of the Gentiles, their idolatry was inexcusable, because '• God did not leave himself without a witness, in that he did good, and gave them rain from heaven, and fruitful beasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness." Canaan was a land " flowing with milk and honey," and it is called "the glory* of all the lands." But notwithstanding the high character be- stowed upon it, in consequence of the divine blessing, which ren- dered it uncommonly fertile, the other regions of the earth Avere not deserts, yielding only briers and thorns. Some of the countries, which the Gentiles inhabited, abounded in tlie choicest productions of the vegetable kingdom. The rain fell upon their fields, and the year was crowned with the goodness of the Lord. There is not a more agreeable prospect than a country smiling under the influ- ences of heaven, presenting to the eye vallies covered with corn,, and mountains clothed with pasture, or shaded with forests. As such a scene charms us with its beauties and cheers our hearts with the hope of plenty, so it is fitted to raise our thoughts to the source of all good, the almight}", and beneficent Parent of the uni- verse. A reflecting mind learns wisdom from trees, and flowers, and every thing. No man, who consults his reason, can consider the productions of the earth as the result of chance, because chance signifies no cause of any kind, but merely expresses our ignorance. It is not less irrational to imagine, that vegetation is the effect of certain independent qualities, or powers of matter. Men may impose upon themselves jjy words and theories ; but it is impossible to conceive what is lifeless and inert to act, without being first acted upon by some external cause, or an imconscious substance to work accord- ing to a regular and uniform plan. Wherever we observe design, • Avherever we see an end aimed at, and a series of means employed to accomplish it, reason and experience point to an intelligent agent. It was never supposed by any man in his senses, that a watch was LECTURE XV. — CHAPTER XIV. 8 — 18. 199 made by itself, or thai a house was reared by the accidental meet ing of wood, and stones, and mortar. The process, by which '• oui hearts are filled with food and gladness," consists of so many steps, all conducting to a specific termination, that no person can survey them, without an immediate conviction of the existence and provi- dence of God. From the surface of the ocean, of rivers, and of lakes, and from every part of the earth, water is raised, in the form of vapour, to the sky. There it is condensed by cold, and falls down by the law of gravitation. The rain penetrating the soil, cherishes the seeds deposited in it, and entering the roots of vege- tables, ascends by the stem or trunk, and is circulated through the branches and leaves. At the same time, plants imbibe nourish- ment from the air and the sun ; and arriving at maturity, by slower or more rapid progress, according to their nature, present their fruits to man, as a gift of the bounty of his Creator. This process is so often repeated, that it attracts little notice. Many a careless spectator of the varied scenes of spring, summer, and autumn, never extends his thoughts beyond the objects before his eyes. But the changes produced upon the face of the earth, by the vicissitudes of the seasons, are unquestionable proofs of divine wisdom and beneficence. The heathens, amidst their ignorance, were not so atheistical as some modern philosophers, who would confine the attention of others, as well as their own, to the opera- tion of natural causes. They erred only in overlooking the true Author of their enjoyments, and returning thanks for their fruitful seasons to Jupiter, and Ceres, and Pomona, instead of acknowledg- ing the various productions of the earth to be the work of one God, "from whom cometh down eveiy good and perfect gift." The uniformity amidst variety, which is observable in the system of na- ture, the regularity of the seasons, the connexion and combination of the causes which contribute to the fertility of the earth, and the sameness of the result, afford evidence upon which we may safely rest this conclusion, that there is one First Cause, " who worketh all in all." Thus in the darkest times of heathenism, there were not wanting testimonies to the existence and perfections of God. " The invisible things of him were clearly seen from the creation and government of the world, even liis eternal power and god- head ; so that the Gentiles were without excuse." This is the im- portant truth, which it was the intention of Paul and Barnabas to estabhsh. 200 LECTXmE XV. CHAPTER XIV. 8 18. It was, however, with difficulty, that they ^prevailed upon the people to abstain from offering sacrifice to them. The men of Lystra were addicted to idolatry, in which they had been trained from their earliest years ; and so fully were they persuaded of the divinity of the two Apostles, that their own testimony hardly suf- ficed to convince them of their error. It was with reluctance that they renounced the flattering idea, that their city had been hon- oured with a visit of the Gods. We learn from this passage, that the contemplation of nature should be rendered subservient to the purposes of piety. God did not place so many glorious luminaries in the heavens, nor diversify the surface of the earth with mountains and vallies, nor collect the immense mass of water in the ocean, merely to furnish us with the pleasures of imagination. Man is delighted with the view of what is sublime and beautiful, and with the instances of curious contriv- ance, and exquisite workmanship ; but the ultimate design of this delight, is to conduct him to the knowledge and love of its Author. All the objects around us bear witness to the existence of God. Philosophy will afford us much entertainment, by unfolding the secret operations of nature ; but the pleasure of the unlettered Christian, who knows scarcely any thing about the laws of the material system, the structure of plants, and the mechanism of animals, is incomparably greater, when he traces, in the grand outlines of creation, the footsteps of his Father, and sees in its varying scenes, the wonders of his power, and the smiles of his goodness. Let us give thanks to God for our deliverance from that gross idolatry, which once prevailed among all nations except the Jews. It is not to reason that we are indebted for this deliverance. We indeed find no difficulty in proving, that there is only one God, the exclusive object of religious worship ; but to demonstrate a truth already known, is a much easier task than to discover a truth buried under the rubbish of prejudice and superstition. The wisest and greatest men of anticjuity were polytheists. They adored, with the vulgar, the Gods of their country. The doctrine of the unity of God has never been publicly professed by any peo- ple, who had not been previously enlightened by revelation. The Mahometans have learned this fundamental truth from our Scrip- tures. Notwithstanding the ignorant declamations of infidels con- LECTURE XV. — CHAPTER XIV. 8 18. 201 cerning" the powers of reason, and discoveries which may be made , by its assistance, experience will justify us in affirming, that, with- out the gospel, we should have been as gross idolaters as our fore- fathers. Were Christianity banished from the earth, as some men earnestly wish, the absurd and exploded systems of Paganism would be restored ; or some modification of folly not less extrava- gant would be substituted in their room. No sooner had the French nation, a few years ago, renounced the religion of Christ, than they began to revive the antiquated rites of Greece and Rome, and publicly adored a prostitute, under the title of the Goddess of Reason. It is the gospel which has turned us " from vanities, to serve the living God." In a word, As we profess to be the servants of the living God, let us remember, that it is a pure and spiritual worship which he re- quires. He must not be treated as one of the idols of the Gentiles, to whom their votaries presented the empty homage of ceremonies and oblations. Then only do we serve him, in a manner worthy of his character and attributes, when we present to him the offer- ing of our hearts ; when we love him above all things, confide in his power and faithfulness, commit ourselves to the direction of his wisdom, submit to his authority, and regulate our thoughts and actions by his law. Then only do we acceptably serve him, when we offer up praises from a grateful heart, and prayers expressive of holy desires ; and when we perform all our religious duties in the name of the great Mediator, the High-Priest of our profession. " For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." 26 LECTURE XVI. THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM. Chap. xv. 1 — 31. The important nature of the transaction, related in this passage, and the discussion into which we shall be unavoidably led, in conse- quence of the different systems which it has been brought forward to support, might draw out this discourse to an inconvenient length. I shall therefore consume no part of our time with any introductory remarks, and shall study the greatest possible brevity, while I en- deavour to explain, as distinctly as I can, the three parts into which the chapter naturally divides itself ; the dispute in Antioch, which was the occasion of a reference to the Apostles and elders at Jeru- salem ; their deliberations and decision upon the question ; and the letter containing their decree, which was sent to the Churches of Syria and Cilicia. The origin of the dispute is stated in the first verse. " And cer- tain men. which came down from Judea, taught the brethren, and said. Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye can- not be saved." It appears from the fifth verse, which I consider as referring to those teachers, and not to any abettors of their doctrine in Jerusalem, that, prior to their conversion, they were Pharisees ; and they seem to have retained the peculiar opinions of their sect, with regard to the justification of a sinner. The law of Moses was virtually abolished by the death of Christ, in which its design was accomplished ; but few among the Jewish believers were apprized of the expiration of its authority. The simple observance of its rites, however, was not yet unlawful, if it proceeded from a prin- ciple of conscience, mistaken, indeed, but revering what was still supposed to be obligatory ; or from a charitable intention to avoid giving offence to the weak. But those men taught, that obedience to the law of Moses was indispensably necessary to salvation ; or that circumcision, and the other duties, ceremonial and moral, which LECTtRE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 31, 20b it enjoined, were the express condition of our acceptance with God. Hence, they urge it with the utmost rigour upon the Gentiles. As they professed Christianity, they must have assigned some efficacy to faith ; and their system probably resembled that absurd and per- nicious doctrine, which is still Current in the Church, that our own good Avorks, and the righteousness of Christ supplying their defects, are conjunct causes of justification ; a doctrine which robs divine grace of its due honour, impeaches the merit of the Saviour as im- perfect, and subverts the foundation of the gospel. We perceive, then, the reason that Paul, although he circumcised Timothy out of respect to the prejudices of the Jews, wrote to the Galatians in the following terms. " Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be cir- cumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of none effect, unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law ; ye are fallen from grace." We discover, at the same time, the cause of the zeal, with which the men from Judea were opposed by Paul and Barnabas, whose regard to the trutli of the gospel, and concern for the souls of the disciples, would not suffer a doctrine so dangerous to be quietly disseminated. " They had no small dissension and disputation with them." That their arguments were more powerful than those of their opponents, it is impossible to doubt ; but controversies, both in religion and in poli- tics, are not always determined by superior evidence, but are often prolonged by pride and obstinacy, by ignorance and prejudice. Some, perhaps, are surprised that the men from Judea should have dared to contend with Paul and Barnabas, of whom the one was an Apostle, and the other a Prophet. Were any person now alive invested with the same authority, and endowed with the same extraordinary gifts, we are apt to think that we should willingly sub- mit to the decision of this infallible judge. But we impose upon ourselves, by not attending to the difference of our circumstances. We look back to Barnabas and Paul with veneration, unabated by any personal quarrel, or by a near inspection of their frailties. We view them only at a distance, and in the august character of am- bassadors of Christ. But were they living, and associating with us, we should be familiarized to their presence, and, amidst a conflict of opinions and interests, should be ready enough to forget the re- spect, to which, in our calm moments, we deemed them entitled. The gppo^ion made to them on this occasion, is not a proof that 204 LECTURE XVI. — CHAPTER XV. 1 — 31. their inspiration was not generally acknowledged by the Cliristians of their own age. The Israelites rebelled against Moses, whom they believed to be the minister of God. Under the influence of temp- tation, men often transgress the precepts of our religion, the divine authority of which they will not venture to dispute. The controversy might have been determined in Antioch. The authority of Paul was as great as that of any other Apostle ; Bar- nabas was a Prophet ; and there were other inspired men in the city, as we are informed in the thirteenth chapter, as well as ordi- nary teachers, who had power to rel^uke and exhort, and to reject heretics, after a first and a second admonition. But such was the violence of party, that a decision on the spot was not likely to ter- minate the difference ; and it was expedient to refer the question to a higher assembly, in whose authority all would acquiesce. Besides, it was not a local, but a gerreral question,which might be agitated in any other part of the world ; so that it was necessary to obtain a final sentence, which should be alike respected in Antioch, and in all the cities of the Gentiles, " They determined, therefore, that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and elders about this question." Different opinions have been entertained with respect to the per- sons by whom this resolution was adopted. The supposition that Paul and Barnabas were commissioned by the false teacher.'^, is, on many accounts, highly improbable. There is as little ground to think that the determination was made by the brethren, or private members of the Church, mentioned in the first verse. The struc- ture of the passage does not give countenance to this idea. Zeal for the pretended authority of the Church in its collective capacity, is carried to excess, when an Apostle and a Prophet are represented as receiving and executing its commands. We know that there were in Antioch Prophets and Teachers, with whom Paul and Bar- nabas associated in their ordinary ministrations ; and it is consonant to all our ideias of propriety and order, to conceive the determina- tion to have been their deed. They alone were concerned, by the express command of the Spirit, in the separation of Paul and Bar- nabas to the work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles ; and no satisfactory reason can be given for supposing, that their authority was inadequate to the present purpose, or that it was suspended to make way for the interference of the people. The history of this transaction is very short, and several particu- LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 31. 205 lars are undoubtedly omitted. It is by no means an improbable opinion, that as this controversy was not confined to Antioch, but had caused disturbance in the Churches of Syria and Cilicia, they concurred in this determination ; and that their delegates were among the persons who accompanied Barnabas and Paul. This is not a mere assumption to serve the purpose of a party, by providing a sufficient number of members to render the assembly at Jerusalem a Council. It is supported by the following argument, that if they had no immediate concern in that assembly, if they made no refer- ence to it, and had no delegates present in it, it is not easy to con- ceive on what principles they were bound by its decree, unless it should be affirmed, that the Apostles were representatives of the Catholic Church, and consequently of the Syrian and Cilician Churches. This answer, I acknowledge, would be satisfactory ; but it should be observed, that upon this supposition we have here an example of a representative assembly of the Church, which au- thorises the holding of similar assemblies for deciding controversies, and deliberating on affairs of general concern. If to evade the consequence, this solution be rejected, I know not how we shall get rid of the difficulty, without admitting that the representatives of those Churches were present, and acted in their name. A decree of the Apostles, it must be allowed, would have been obligatory upon all Christians throughout the world ; but the decree was also enacted by the elders ; and what right the elders of Jerusalem had to make laws for other Churches, no man is able to tell. The abet- tors of Independency must be above all others perplexed to account for the fact ; for they surely will reject the idea, that one Church may impose its decisions upon another, its equal in privileges and power. If any man should think that the sentence of the elders was obligatory upon other Churches, because it was conformable to the mind of the Spirit, he is requested to observe, that, upon this hypo- thesis, it was not at all binding as their decree ; and that the Scrip- tural sentence of any man, or of a child, would have had the same obligation. But the transaction cannot be thus explained away, without manifest absurdity. Whatever opinion is formed upon the subject, it is evident that the reference was made to the Apostles and elders. When the Apostles are considered as the immediate ambassadors of Christ, the highest office-bearers in his Church, they appear in a character peculiar to themselves, and exercise functions, in which no person 206 LECTIRE XVI. — CHAPTER XV. 1 — 31. could co-operaic with iheni. But, on some occasions, we see them acting in a suliordinate character, placing themselves on a level with the ordinary pastors and governors of the Church, assuming the designation of presbyters or elders, joining with them in setting persons apart to the ministry, and receiving from them commissions for particular services. That the reference was not made to them as inspired men, the infallible judges of controversies, is evident, because it was made at the same time to the elders ; for the wis- dom of the elders could not improve the dictates of inspiration, and there was no defect in the Apostolic power, which their concurrence could supply. But their public character remained ; and as they stood in no pecular relation to any particular Church, we must con- ceive them to have acted, not in a private capacity, but in the name of all the Churches upon earth. Although it is commonly pre- sumed, yet it would be difficult to prove, that the elders, to whom the reference was made, were those alone who constantly resided in Jerusalem. That city is perhaps mentioned only as the place of meeting. Without, however, contesting this point, let us suppose that none but the elders of Jerusalem are meant. Had the Church of Antioch intended that the controversy should be decided l)y im- mediate revelation, or by Apostolical authority, there was no cause for sending so far, as Paul, who was not behind the chief of the Apostles, was among them ; or if expediency required a deputation to Jerusalem, it would have been an affront to the Apostles, to con- sult, at the same time, the elders, who were not inspired. The purpose, therefore, of the Church of Antioch, seems to have been to submit the question to a larger assembly than could be collected in their own city ; and we cannot imagine any reason why the Apostles admitted the elders to delilierate along with them, b';t to establish a precedent for calling Councils in cases of emergency. Let it be observed, that no reference was made to the Church of Jerusalem, or the brethren at large. Accordingly, they took no part in the discussion ; and we shall afterwards see, that from them the decree derived no portion of its authority. Some, with a view to prove that the present case does not fur- nish an example of a reference from an inferior to a superior court, assign as the sole cause of submitting the question to the elders, as \vell as the Apostles, that as the men from Jiidea pretended to have received authority from the elders, it was necessary to apply to them for the knowledge of the fact. But the truth could have been LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 31. 207 ascertained with much less trouble by a single messenger, and without a solemn and public consultation. Besides, when the Apostles and elders assembled, the subject of inquiry was not a question of fact, but of doctrine ; not whether the men from Judea had authority to teach, but whether the observance of the law of Moses should be enjoined upon the Gentiles. There are no remarks, connected with the main design of this Lecture, suggested by the two next verses, which indeed are so plain, as to require no illustration. In the fifth verse, we are informed, that " there arose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying. That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." I am inclined to consider these words as a part of the speech of Paul and Barna- bas, in which they relate the cause of their coming to Jerusalem, rather than as the statement of a new fact, that the doctrine, which had caused so much disturbance in Antioch, was espoused by some persons in the former city. Let us now attend to the proceedings of the assembly which met to discuss the important question, upon Avhich the peace and en- largement of the Gentile Churches depended. " And the Apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter," to canvass the arguments on both sides, and to pass a final sentence. In the form of procedure, there was nothing different from what may be practised, and often is practised, in other assembles. No person rose and pronounced the dictates of inspiration, by which the rest were overawed ; but Apostles and elders consulted together on equal terms, and the decree was the result of their united delibera- tions. It was founded upon a well-known fact, corroborated by other facts, which were brought forward in the course of the in- quiry ; and upon an argument drawn from the Scriptures. It appears from the following verses, that there were other per- sons present, besides the Apostles and elders, and the commissioners from Antioch, who are called " the multitude," and " the whole Church." Nothing, however, ran be plainer, than that they were present to hear, not to deliberate and judge ; for, besides that the reference was not made to them, Luke expressly afiirms, that none came together to consider this matter but " the Apostles and elders." As the question, however, was of the greatest importance, affecting the interests of the Gentile believers, and prescribing the terms of their admission to the privileges of the gospel, it could not but ex 208 LECTURE XVI. CHAriER. XV. 1 — 31. cite general attention. " The whole Church" can mean only the whole assembly present, not all the members of the Churcli in Je- rusalem ; for as we are certain that there were in that city many thousands who believed, it is utterly improbable that so great a multitude should have been permitted to meet in public, by a government ill-afTected to them and their cause. Besides, as what would be impossible now, was equally impossible then, although some men seem to forget this very obvious truth, and to believe any thing to have been practicable, if it is said to have taken place at the distance of a sufficient number of centuries, all the disciples could not have met in one place, except the temple from which such a concourse of suspected persons would have been excluded, especially when their design was to set aside the institutions of Moses ; or some square or market-place, in which it is absurd to suppose them to have assembled. To evade this objection to the idea, that this was a Church-meeting, some enter into calculations, by which the lielievers in Jerusalem are reduced to the smallest possible number. In the same spirit, we see an eagerness to show, that, in the Apostolical times there were not so many disciples in any city, as could not have conveniently met in one place of wor- ship, from an apprehension, lest, if there should be found to have been several congregations in the same city, and these were all ac- counted one Church, it should follow, that Churches were not then independent, but were united, according to the Presbyterian or Episcopalian plan, under one general government. While every imprejudiced reader of the New Testament must be convinced, that this hypothesis is not true with respect to Jerusalem, and ap- pears to be equally erroneous with regard to some other cities, there is one thing, of which these inconsiderate reasoners have need to be reminded, that the tendency of their calculations is to prove, that the success of Christianity, in the first ages, was b}^ no means so great as we have been always taught to believe ; and that, if the gospel, as they pretend, collected only scanty handfuls here and there among Jews and Gentiles, the argument for its divinity, founded on its rapid and extensive progress, is divested of its splendour, and loses much of its force. If, by the same means which support a party, the cause of religion is injured, the advan- tage is dearly purchased. When the Apostles and elders came together to consider this matter, there was " much disputing ;" not, we may presume, among LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 31. 209 the Apostles themselves, but among the other members of the Council, some of whom retained a strong predilection for their an- cient institutions. I should not, however, willingly believe, that any of them went so far as to maintaitj the observance of the law of Moses to be necessary to justification ; but, imagining it still to be in force, they contended, that obedience to its precepts should be required from the Gentiles as well as from the Jews. To ter- minate this dispute, which betrayed ignorance, and might generate strife, Peter rose, and addressed the assembly to the following pur- port : That, as they all knew, God had employed him, a consider- able time before, to preach the gospel to the Gentiles ; that He, to whom the state and dispositions of the heart are manifest, gave testimony to their sincerity in believing it, and his acceptance of them, by the descent of the Holy Ghost ; and that, to those who were originally uncircumcised and unclean, he had imparted, by means of faith, that holiness of heart, of which circumcision and the legal purifications were typical. " Now, therefore," he adds, " why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear ?" To impose the law of Moses upon the Gentiles was to go contrary to the will of God, who, by receiving them, when uncircumcised, into his fa- vour, had plainly declared, tliat they ought not to be subjected to it. Peter calls it, '' a yoke, which neither their fathers nor they were able to bear," to admonish his brethren, not to lay a burden upon others, which they had experienced to be intolerable. The multi- plied, expensive, and troublesome services of the law would justify this description of it ; but its propriety will farther appear, if we consider, that the law " could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience," by delivering him from a sense of guilt ; that the repetition of its sacrifices reminded the worshippers of sin, and showed that they were insufficient to ex- piate it ; and that its whole contexture was calculated to create and cherish a spirit of bondage and fear. There could be no good rea- son for wishing to retain, and to enforce upon others, so imperfect a system of religion. In the following words, the Apostle suggests another argument against imposing the law of Moses upon the Gentiles, namely, that it would be inconsistent to urge upon them as necessary to salvation, what was not the foundation of their own hope. " The Gentiles expect salvation without observing the law ; we, who do observe it, trust not in our own works, but in the merit 27 210 LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. I 31. of the Saviour ; and why should any man require that frorr another, upon which himself places no dependence ?" " We be lieve that, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they." When Peter had finished his speech, Barnabas and Paul succes- sively rose to support it, by the relation of many similar facts ; and they were heard with that profound attention which the novelty and importance of the detail naturally excited. " Then all the multi- tude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declar- ing what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gen- tiles by them." The last person who delivered his sentiments upon the subject was James. Having recapitulated the speech of Peter, he adds, " And to this agree the words of the Prophet, as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down ; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up : that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doth all these things." I shall lay before you the original pas- sage in the prophecies of Amos. " In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches there- of, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old : that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen which are called by my name, saith the Lord, that doth this." There is a considerable difference between the two passages ; and to reconcile them has caused no small perplexity and labour to commentators. The translation of the seventy comes very near the words of James ; but it is evident that it could not be cited at this time, when the Apostle was addressing an assembly of Jews in their own language. Some have recourse to the supposition, that the passage in Amos has been since corrupted by the Jews, who are accused, by the Fathers, of having vitiated other parts of Scripture, which most expressly inilitated against them. This, however, is an idea which should not be hastily admitted. Perhaps, we may ac- count for the difference, by saying that James intended to give the sense, not the exact words, of the prophecy ; and in respect of the sense, the two passages perfectly harmonize. In both, God pron>- ises '• to raise up the fallen tabernacle of David ;" or to raise his family, when sunk into obscurity, to greater glory than ever, by the birth of Jesus Christ, who should ascend the throne of that mon- LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 — 31. 211 aicli, and enjoy everlasting dominion. What would be the conse- quence, or rather, what was the design of this dispensation ? It is thus expressed by James ; " That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called , in which words, the conversion of the Gentiles is plainly foretold. It is thus expressed by the Prophet : " That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen which are called by my name ;" that is, in consequence of its exaltation, the family of Da- vid shall '• possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen ;" an event, which was accomplished, when, in the words of the Psalmist, " the heathen were given to Christ for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," and being con- verted to the faith, they were called by the name of the Lord. The passages differ only in sound, and may be reconciled without the dangerous charge of corruption, and the desperate expedient of conjectural emendation. " Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." The divine prescience accounts for the prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles so long before it took place. God acts according to a plan settled from eternity, and exe- cuted in the revolutions of time. In calling the Gentiles, he was doing only what his counsel had determined before to be done. The argument from the prophecy is plainly this, that since it apt peared to have been the will of God, from the earliest ages, to admi- the Gentiles into his Church, the believing Jews should beware of opposing it, by requiring their subjections to the law of Moses, to which they would not willingly submit. " Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God ; but that we write unto them, that they abstain from all pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood." "Pollu- tions of idols," are explained, in the twenty-ninth verse, to be '• meats offered to idols." The Gentiles believed, that, in partaking of sacrifices and other consecrated meats, they had fellowship with the Gods. On this account, meats offered to idols were an abomi- nation to the Jews. With a view, therefore, not to shock the feel- ings of the Jews, and that the believing Gentiles might not symbo- lize with idolaters, and lay a stumbhng block before their weak brethren, the use of such meats was forbidden, although it appears, from the reasonings of Paul on the subject, that in all cases it was not unlawful. " Fornication" was a crime, not only much practised 21? LECTUIU. XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 — 31. among the Gentiles, but generally reputed to be harmless. It was connected, too, with their idolatrous worship ; and prostitution in their tcnn)les and sacred groves, was a part of the homage which ^ey paid to some of their execrable Deities. In writing to the Gentiles, it was necessary to take particular notice of a crime, to which the temptation was strong, from its frequency, and the opinion of its innocence. " Things strangled and blood" may be con- joined ; the former signifying the bodies of animals, which have been put to death by suffocation, and in which the blood is retained ; and the latter, blood taken from an animal, and separately used. Whether this was a temporary prohibition, or was intended to be binding upon the Church in every age, is not a question connected with the religious principles of any party. Christians, in diflerent communions, have been divided in their sentiments. It is affirmed by some, that " things strangled, and blood," were prohibited, be- cause they were used by the Gentiles in their idolatrous sacrifices. The Psalmist speaks of their '■ drink-offerings of blood." Accord- ing to this opinion, the prohibition must be considered as occasional and local. In a Christian country, where such idolatrous rites are not practised, the reason of it does not exist, because the use of blood gives no countenance to the worship of idols, and, conse- quently, cannot be a cause of offence. It is maintained by others, that the prohibition was not founded in any temporary cause, but has the same authority under the gospel whicli it had under the law, and even from the time of the deluge, when the comujand to abstain from the use of blood was given to Noah and his sons. No argument can be drawn in favour of this opinion, from its being introduced in the same decree with fornication, which is always unlawful, because duties ceremonial and moral are often mingled in the same general precept, without any distinction of their nature. It is not a proof of the perpetuity of the prohibition, that it was not peculiar to the Mosaic covenant, but was in force from the period of the flood. That there were ceremonial ordinances before the law was given from Sinai, is evident from the institution of sacri- fices and circumcision, and from the distinction of animals into clean and unclean, which already existed when Noah went into the ark. As these rites, some of which were of a still more ancient date, are confessedly abolished, the antiquity of the precept con- cerning blood can throw no light upon the question respecting its duration. It is a groundless fancy, that there is a moral reason for LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 31. 213 abstinence from blood, or that it was originally enjoined in order to restrain men from shedding the blood of their brethren. Be- tween these two things, there is no conceivable connexion. It is not from literal thirst for blood that murder is committed ; and they who most plentifully use the blood of animals, are conscious of no greater propensity to kill their neighbours, than those who abhor it. Had men been forbidden to take away the hfe of the inferior ani- mals, it might have been asserted with more plausibility, that the design of the Creator was to guard human life against violence. Under the law, blood was forbidden, because it made atonement for sin. It was then sacred ; it was appropriated to the service of God. But now, when the consecration is at an end, and the legal sacri- fices have ceased, blood is not more sacred than water, and may be used with as little risk of profanation. It is surprising, if this precept was intended to continue in force to the end of the world, that there is no mention of it in any of the Epistles, nor so much as a distant allusion to it. Paul seems to teach a different doctrine, when he condemns those who command to abstain from meats, which " God hath created to be received with thanksgiving, of them which believe and know the truth." " For every creature of God ;" that is, unquestionably, every crea- ture fit for food, for of others he cannot be supposed to speak ; " every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving." If blood is excepted, why does the Apostle say " every creature ?" Why does he not, to prevent mis- take, rather say, every creature, " except such as God has reserved out of the general grant ?" As he was warning Christians against the doctrine of those who should afterwards introduce a superstitious distinction of meats, we cannot but wonder that he has taken no notice of a distinction, which^ if it exist at all, is an important part of religion. No accurate writer would lay down a general rule without stating the exceptions, especially when he was bringing forward the rule, in opposition to those who had subjected it to arbi- trary limitations. Let it not be o])jected, that, in the twenty-eighth verse, abstinence from blood is called " a necessary thing," as well as abstinence from fornication and pollutions of idols. Things are necessary on dif- ferent accounts ; some, because they are of moral obligation, and others, because they are enjoined by positive command ; some, because they are always useful, and others, because they are 214 LECTURE XVI. — CIIArTEK. XV. 1 — 31. useful for a season. If any thing is connected with a particular end, as an indispensable mean of accomplishing it, it is necessary to that end. The end which James proposed, in requiring the Gentiles to refrain from things strangled, and from blood, was to promote concord and peace between them and the Jews, who, when they saw the Gentiles, from respect to them, who held blood in abhorrence, denying themselves the use of it, would be the more easily reconciled to their exemption from the other precepts of the ceremonial law. This, I think, may be collected from the words which he immediately subjoins. " For Moses of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." They may be thus paraphrased. " The writings of Moses are read in the religious assemblies of the Jews, who are dispersed among the cities of the Gentiles. In this manner, they are well acquainted with the precepts of his law. Having been accnstomed, from their earliest years, to regard those precepts as divine, they cannot at once be persuaded to renounce them. It is necessary, therefore, that the Gentiles, who are now united with them in the same society, should be required to concede a little to their prejudices ; and that, while they abstain from fornication as a crime, and from pollutions of idols, as criminal in their nature or their consequences, they should likewise abstain from things strangled, and from blood, which are abominable to the disciples of Moses." On these grounds, I consider the precept as a temporary expe- dient, ada])ted to a particular state of the Church. Its obligation has long since ceased ; and " to him that esteemeth any kind of meat to be clean, to him it is clean." But let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. " Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not ; and let not him that eateth not, judge him that eateth." It was the judgment of James, that the yoke of the ceremonial law shoidd not be imposed upon the Gentiles ; and that, with the exceptions already considered, they should enjoy perfect liberty. In this judgment the whole council acquiesced. '• Then pleased it the Apostles and elders, with the whole Church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antiocli, with Paul and Barnabas ; namely Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Sila^, cliief men among the bre- thren : and wrote letters by them after this manner, The Apostles, and elders, and brethren, send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and CiUcia." It is LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 — 31. 215 observable, that the brethren are mentioned m the superscription of the letter ; and that the whole Church or assembly concurred in the mission of Judas and Silas. From these facts it has been con- cluded, that the decree was enacted by the authority of the brethren, as well as by the Apostles and elders ; and, therefore, that to ex- clude the brethren from all concern in the government of the Church, is a violation of their original and inalienable privileges. But let us not judge according to appearances. Let us remember, that the reference of the controversy was not made to the Church, but to the Apostles and elders ; that the Apostles and elders alone came together to consider it ; that we do not find a single member of the Church rising, in the course of the discussion, to deliver his sentiments ; and that the sentence is called, in the next chapter, the decree that was ordained of the Apostles and elders, without any mention of the Church, or rather to the express exclusion of the brethren. These facts, I presume, are sufficient to convince a cool and dispassionate inquirer, that there is some other way of accounting for their interference, than the supposition that they exercised judicial authority ; a supposition particularly perplexing to those who are most disposed to adopt it, the friends of Inde- pendency, because, while they maintain the equality of Churches, and their entire exemption from all subjection to any society or court upon earth, this would be an example of the members of one Church exercising jurisdiction over those of another. Upon their principles, therefore, as well as ours, nothing more can be implied in the concurrence of the brethren, than that they approved of the deed of the Apostles and elders ; in the same manner as in the succeeding ages, the laity, although they had no concern in enact- ing the decrees of Councils and Synods, sometimes expressed their consent by subscribing them.* If, as we have already shown, this was only a partial assembly of the believers in Jerusalem, whatever was the power of the Church, a part had no right to exercise it ; and the interference of the individuals who happened to be present, could not therefore be an act of authority, but was a simple testi- mony of approbation. The Apostles and elders might the more readily allow them this privilege, and perhaps request their concur- rence, because, although their sentence stood in no need of confir- mation by the sufTrage of the people, it would, when accompanied * Grotii Anotat. ad Acta Apostol. xv. 23. 216 LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV, 1 — 31. with it, be more cordially received. The Gentiles would rejoice to learn, that the Jewish believers in Jerusalem were willing, that they should not be encumbered with the yoke of the ceremonial law ; and the converted Jews of the dispersion would acquiesce with less reluctance when they found, that the exemption of the Gen- tiles was agreeable to their brethren in Judea. This explanation is satisfactory, because it is consistent ; whereas the opposite opinion represents Luke as guilty of great inaccuracy and confusion, in first repeatedly defining the memljers of the Council, and then, at the close, abruptly introducing a new party, which he had before studi- ously excluded. In the letter of the Council, there is scarcely any thing which has not been already considered ; and I shall therefore pass it over with a few remarks. It contains a censure of the doctrine of the false teachers, who " troubled the Churches with words, subverting their souls." It denies that they had received authority from the Apostles and elders, as they appear to have pretended. " To whom we gave no such commandment." It mentions the names of the messengers sent by the Council, to deliver their decree, and more fully explain it. " It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you, with our beloved Barna- bas and Paul ; men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth." It declares the exemption of the Gentiles from the law of Moses, and points out the limitation, to which they were required to submit, in the exer- cise of their liberty. " For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things ; that ye abstain from meals offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication." It recommends obedience to the decree as conducive to their personal holiness, and to the peace of the Church. " From which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well." Lastly, it concludes with a wish or prayer, for the welfare of the Churches. " Fare ye well." The decree is announced with great solemnity. " It seemed good to us, and to the Holy Ghost ;" that is, it seemed good to the Council, because it seemed good to the Holy Ghost. This ought not to be considered as a claim of inspiration, but as a simple as- sertion, that the sentence was not expressive of their private opinion, but of the mind of the Spirit, which they had collected from Scrip- LECTURE XVI. CHAPTER XV. 1 31. 217 ture, and from his recent dispensations to the Gentiles. On this account they are warranted to assume the style of authority, and to demand obedience from the Churches. The sentence was not, as some wish to represent it, a mere advice', such as one Independent Church may give to another. That it was an act of jurisdiction, an authoritative deed, is evident from its being called in the next chapter a decree. The word is used, in other places of the Ne*w Testament, to signify the commands of princes, and the ordinances of the ceremonial law, and in its present application must bear a similar sense. Language so solemn ought to be cautiously adopted by other Councils ; but I see no reason for asserting, that it would be arrogant to speak in the same style, unless they could refer to some miraculous operations by which their sentences were con- firmed. If the Scriptures have not been given in vain, miracles are not now necessary to assure us of the truth. They are Avritten with such plainness and perspicuity, as all Protestants acknowledge, that in matters relating to faith and practice, their meaning may be certainly known. The decree of a Council, which is clearly founded upon Scripture, undoubtedly seems good to the Holy Ghost ; and what should hinder it from saying so, I confess myself unable to comprehend. In.the two following verses we are informed, that the messengers of the Apostles and elders repaired to Antioch, and delivered the Epistle to the multitude, who " rejoiced for the consolation." The controversy was satisfactorily terminated ; and their privileges were established by such authority, as would preclude the danger of fu- ture disturbance. From the preceding illustration it appears, that the Church in the Apostolic age, was not broken down into small parts, detached and independent, but was united, not only by love and a common profession, but by the external bond of a general government. The assembly which was held in Jerusalem, may, with propriety, be called a Council or Synod, between which words there is only this difference, that the one was used by the Latins, and the other by the Greeks. It was an assembly summoned to decide upon a cause, which af- fected itself not alone, but the whole Christian world. The mem- bers of whom it was composed, were the Apostles, the representa- tives of the Catholic Church, the elders, and the delegates from An- tioch, among whom there probably were deputies from the Churches of Syria and Cilicia. A controversy, which could not be deter- 28 21S LKCTUUE XVI. — CHAPTER XV. 1 31. liiiued in the place where it originated,' was submitted to their judg- ment ; tlicy proceeded in the ordinary way, by reasoning upon it ; and finally pronounced a sentence, by which all parties were bound. This is the model of Presbyterian Synods, and the Scriptural warrant which we produce for holding such assem- blies. * In all past ages, the meeting at Jerusalem has been considered as a Council. Modern Independents, indeed, generally object to this opinion, for obvious reasons ; but it was adopted and main- tained by some of their wiser and more enhghtened predecessors. In this number was the celebrated Dr. Owen, whose distinguished piety, extensive learning, and profound knowledge of the Scriptures, have placed him in the first rank among Christian divines. I shall conclude their argument with the following quotation, which is wor- thy of particular attention. " No Church is so independent, as that it can always, and in all cases, observe the duties it owes unto the Lord Christ, and the Church Catholic, by all those powers which it is able to act in itself distinctly, without conjunction with others. And the Church that confines its duty unto tlie acts of its 01071 assc?Jiblies, cuts itself off from the external coninmnion of the Church Catholic ; nor will it be safe for any man to commit the conduct of his soul to such a Church."* We have arrived at a remarkable period in the history of the primitive Church. Its constitution, as arranged by the Council of Jerusalem, was to continue unaltered to the end of the world. From that time, Jews and Gentiles were to compose one holy people in the Lord. The law of Moses, w^hich was abrogated by the death of Christ, was gradually forsaken by the believing Jews ; and, after the destruction of Jerusalem, the obseiTance of its rites was abandoned by all who professed Christianity, except a few obscure heretics, who were excluded from the communion of the Catholic Church. Let us rejoice, that God has established a Church upon earth, enlightened by heavenly truth, governed by divine laws and insti- tutions, invested with high privileges, and protected by his gracious providence ; and that in consequence of the free access into it whicli Las been conceded to the Gentiles, the prophecy is fulfilled, " Mine ♦ Owen's True Nature of a Gospel Church, chap. xi. LECTURE XVI. — CHAPTER XV. 1 — 31. 219 house shall he called an house of prayer for all people." While we are thankful, that we have been admitted into its external commu- nion by baptism, let us remember, that the saints alone are its genuine members ; and le^ it be our care to possess the spiritual qualifications, without which the Head of the Church will not ac- knowledge us. As the ceremonial law is repealed, and circum- cision is not now necessary to constitute us the people of God, let us stand fast in the liberty, with which Christ has made us free ; and beware of entangling ourselves with a new yoke of bondage, by subjecting our consciences to human authority in religion. Our Saviour redeemed us with his blood, that we should no longer be the servants of men ; and all who profess to be his disci- ples, should recognise him as their only Teacher and Lawgiver. " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased : hear ye him." LECTURE XVII. THE MISSION OF PAUL AND SILAS TO MACEDONIA. Chap. xvi. 1 — 18. In the fifteenth chapter, we have an account of the proceedings of the first Christian Council, which was assembled to maintain the purity of the gospel against the attempts of some men to corrupt it, and to settle the terms on which Jews and Gentiles should unite in one holy society. It was unanimously determined, that obedience to the law of Moses was not necessary to justification ; and that the Gentile converts should not be required to observe its rites, which were no longer obligatory, as the design of their institution had been accomplished by the sufferings and death of the Messiah. In accommodation to the present circumstances of the Church, two ex- ceptions were made, of meats offered to idols, and of blood ; partly to guard the believing Gentiles against a relapse into idolatry, but chiefly to concede a little to the prejudices of the Jews, that they might the more readily consent to the exemption of the Gentiles from the general system of ceremonies. We see, in the conduct of the Council, an example worthy to be miitated by the rulers of the Church, who should unite with their zeal for reform, attention to the most prudent measures for the preservation of peace and unity among the disciples of Christ. This chapter begins with the relation of a fact, concerning the propriety of which doubts may be entertained, after the solenm de- cision of the Council, and the part which Paul had acted in procu- ring it. " Then came he to Derbe and Lystra ^and behold a cer- tain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain wo- man, which was a Jewess, and believed ; but his father was a Greek : which was well reported of by the brethren which were at Lystra and Iconium : him would Paul have to go forth with him, and took and circumcised him, because of the Jews which were in those quarters : for they all knew that his father was a Greek." LECTURE XVn. CHAPTER XVI. 1 — 18. 221 The same Apostle, who had no small dissension and disputation with those who asserted the necessity of circumcision, himself cir- cumcised Timothy. It should be remembered, that as it was the circumcision of the Gentiles, which Paul so strenuously resisted, there is no direct inconsistency in his present conduct, as Timothy was of Jewish descent by his mother. It was the unhappy conse- quence of her marriage with a Gentile, that her son had not re- ceived the seal of God's covenant in his infancy ; and this, as well as many other instances of the unfavourable influence of such ill- assorted connexions upon the religion of a family, should excite the attention of Christians to the exhortation, "not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers." But the principal argument in vindication of the conduct of Paul is derived from the different lights in which circumcision might be viewed. The men of the sect of the Pharisees, who troubled the Church of Antioch, affirmed that it was absolutely necessary to salvation. Believing that a sin- ner is justified at least in part by his works, they considered circum- cision and the other observances of the Mosaic law as duties, with- out which no person could obtain the divine approbation. Had Paul circumcised Timothy upon this principle, he would have been chargeable with renouncing the truth of the gospel. But circum- cision might be practised, without any idea of its necessity or merit, out of respect to the Jews, who looked upon the uncircumcised as unclean persons, and avoided intercourse with them. If any man was willing to submit to it, with a view to conciliate tlieir favour, and to gain opportunities of promoting their conversion, there was no law, which forbade him. It was precisely on this ground that Paul proceeded in the case before us. He took Timothy and cir- cumcised him, " because of the Jews which were in those quarters." As he purposed to employ him in the ministry of the w^ord, he was careful, in the first place, to remove an obstacle, which would have hindered his success among the Jews. In consequence of his cir- cumcision, they would not refuse to associate with Timothy ; and having no objection to his person, they would listen, with less preju- dice, to his doctrine. When the conduct of the Apostle is examined with candour, we perceive nothing blame- worthy, or inconsistent with the spirit of the decree of the Council, but a prudent accommo- dation to circumstances, in order to accomplish an important end. This is one of the instances, in which " io the Jews Paul became a Jew, that he might gain the Jews" 222 LECTURE XVn. — CHAPTER XVI. 1 — 18. It would be an abuse of this example, to infer from it. that we may comply with all the prejudices of others, and conforjn to all their customs, for their good. The limits, within which this liberty is permitted, are very circumscribed ; and prudence, conscience, and the word of God, must determine them. In general, it should be regarded as a sacred and inviolable maxim, that we never should " do evil, that good may come." To adopt this licentious principle, would be to destroy the distinction between virtue and vice, and to pretend to serve God by trampling upon his laws. Tiniothy being now associated with Paul and Silas, " they went through the cities, and delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the Apostles and elders, which were at Jerusalem." The sentence of the Council is called a decree, to signify, that it was not merely an advice, or a simple declaration of their judgment, but an authoritative decision, to which the disciples were lx)und to submit, if they would remain in the fellowship of the Church. Al- though there was only one general decree embracing the several subjects of discussion, yet the historian speaks of it in the plural number, because it related to more points than one, declaring that circumcision and obedience to the law of Moses were not necessary to salvation, exempting the Gentiles from any obhgation to observe it, and at the same time, prescribing some limitations to the exercise of their liberty. As the decree was delivered to the Churches in other coimtries as well as to those of Syria and Cilicia, who had sent deputies to Jerusalem, the Council which met there, must be con- sidered as a general one, exercising jurisdiction over the Catholic Church.* Of the happy consequences which resulted from the publication of the decree, we are informed in the fifth verse. " And so were the Churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." They were confirmed in the belief of the truth, which the corrupt opinions lately disseminated had a tendency to overthrow. The doctrine of justification was placed upon its proper foundation ; and Christians were taught to rest their hope of eternal life upon the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, without the works of the law. The increase of the Church must be ultimately accounted for by that divine power, which accompanied the ministrations of the Apostles ; but the decree of the Council was obviously calculated, * Lect xvi. LECTURE XVn. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. 223 as an external mean, to promote it. Circumcision, and the long train of rites enjoined by the law of Moses, were impediments to the conversion of the Gentiles, which it removed. Without sub- jecting themselves to that burdensome ceremonial, they were required only to embrace the gracious doctrines, and to submit to the gentle law, of Jesus Christ. The middle wall of partition was broken down ; and they were admitted, upon the same terms with the Jews, to the favour of God and the privileges of the new dispensation. It is thus that God brings good out of evil. Although heresies and dissensions are immediately prejudicial to the Church, by disquieting the minds of men, and producing an alienation of affection, which is the usual effect of a difference of sentiment, yet they ultimately contribute to its purification and establishment. When controver- sies about doctrines arise, individuals maybe seduced into error and apostacy by the plausible reasonings of false teachers ; but in con- sequence of the closer attention which is given to the subject of discussion, it comes to te better understood than before, is expressed with greater accuracy of language, and is supported by arguments more judiciously selected, and more skilfully arranged. Those who are conversant with ecclesiastical history, will recollect more than one instance in proof of this observation. If it is of importance to know the will of our Maker, who certainly has not obtruded upon us useless speculations, the discussion which stimulates our inquiries, and increases our caution, which leads us to examine the evidence of doctrines with care, and to adopt them only in consequence of conviction, is an eventual benefit ; and we should admire the wis- dom of God, who renders the opposition of ignorance and prejudice subservient to the display and confirmation of the truth. In the verses which are next in order, there is a concise account of the progress of Paul and Silas. " Now when they had gone t roughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, . after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia : but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia, came down to Troas." Asia does not signify, in this passage, the whole of Asia Minor, which comprehended Galatia, and Bithynia, and many other provinces ; but that part of it which was distinguished by the name of proconsular Asia. In this region they were forbidden to preach by the Holy Ghost, who also hindered th(?m from going iijlo Bithynia. The reasons of these restrictions we cannot as- 224 LECTCRE XVII. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. ^i^n. nor are we informed of the manner in which they were com- municated ; but it left no doubt in the mindrf of Paul and Silas with respect to their duty. The Apostolic age was an age of miracles. God inter|)osed by a series of supernatural operations, to introduce and establish the new dispensation. Although, however, liis interference in succeeding ages, has not been so manifest, yet we know, that the course which the gospel has followed, coming to one nation, and departing from another, has been regulated by his Providence. The possession of the advantages of revelation, and tlie want of them, do not fall out by chance, nor proceed from the arbitrary determinations of men. The dispensation of the gospel affords a signal display of the divine sovereignty. By the com- mand of Jesus Christ, it is to be preached to "every creature ;" but he disposes the order, and appoints the seasons, of its propagation. To some nations, it has not yet been pubhshed ; others, by whom it was once enjoyed, have lost it ; and in our own days, we have seen it communicated to tribes, who had for many ages been in- volved in the thick darkness of ignorance and idolatry. Before the end of the world, the doctrine of salvation shall illuminate every region of the earth ; the rays of the Sun of Righteousness shall be as widely diffused as those of the natural sun. In the mean time, it is obvious, that in granting the gospel to one nation, and withliolding it from another, God is not chargeable with par- tiality and injustice. The objections which have been repeatedly urged upon this subject, and the difficulty which some have expe- rienced in finding a satisfactory answer to them, proceed from inat- tention to these two facts ; that man is a guilty creature, whom his Maker might have justly left to perish in his sins, and that the gospel is a pure effect of his grace. Surely, he is at liberty to select the objects of his favour ; and he does no injury to one person who deserves nothing, when he bestows an unmerited bless- ing upon another. " Even so. Father, for it seemed good in thy sight." It is proper to remark, that although the Holy Ghost now forbade Paul and Silas to preach the word in Asia and Bithynia, it was not his intention to exclude them for ever from the enjoyment of the gospel. It was afterwards puljlished in those countries with success ; and in Nice, the capital of Bithynia, a general Council was assembled, in the reign of Constantine, the first Christian em- peror, to oppose the progress of the Arian heresy. But the time of LECTURE XVII. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. 225 visitation was not yet come. The Holy Ghost had other purposes (0 accomphsh ; and he hastened Paul and Silas to the place. While they were in Troas, " a vision appeared to Paid in the night : There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us." Among the various methods, by which God, in ancient times, revealed his will to the Prophets, one was by visions, which were representations of certain objects and transactions to the senses of a person when awake. In sleep, they were instructed by dreams, which among the hea- thens also, were considered as a medium of communication with the Gods. "If there be a Prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream." In the vision of Paul, " there stood a man of Mace- donia," or the appearance of a man, whose country was known by his dress, as well as by his words ; for " he prayed Paul, saying, Come over to Macedonia, and help us." The request was concise, but pressing. It represented the inhabitants of Macedonia as in circumstances of want or danger, from which they were unable to extricate themselves, and the gospel which Paul preached as the only mean of relief. Some of the heathen nations were celebrated for their skill in civil and militar}^ affairs, and had cultivated with great success, the fine arts of painting, poetry, music, architecture, and statuary. These attainments, however, related merely to the accommodation and embellishment of this transitory life. They had applied, like- wise, to the study of philosophy, and had displayed great ingenuity and su])tilty in the various branches of geometry, logic, and ethics. But their researches into the nature of God, the sources and ex- tent of virtue, and final destination of man, being conducted by the uncertain hght of reason, had served only to bewilder them. "Pro- fessing themselves to be \vise they became fools." Of the true method of propitiating the Deity they were utterly ignorant ; and the plans which fancy had suggested, had multiplied crimes, and augmented the load of guilt, with which their consciences were already oppressed. The lapse of ages beheld them departing far- ther and farther from the truth. The corruption of morSIs kepi pace with their errors in speculation. Their philosophers could give them no information respecting the true religion, which was unknown to themselves. They were idle theorists, and often im- pudent profligates, who extolled virtue, and practised the most 29 226 LECTURE XVII. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. odious vices.* The spiritual condition of the Gentiles was deplor- a1.)le. and seemed to be hopeless. No human means could retrieve it ; reason, which, iti its best state, is an insufficient guide, was overwhelmed by an accumulated mass of superstition and licentious- ness. It was the gospel only which could help them ; that blessed revelation, which has dispelled the darkness of the human mind, pointed out an atonement in which the guilty may confide, dis- closed the prospects of futurit^^ and brought down to earth those heavenl}'^ influences, by which our nature is restored to its original pmity, and fitted to attain its supreme good in the enjoyment of its Creator. Paul having inferred from the vision, that he was called to preach the gospel in Macedonia, set out, without delay, for that cormtry, and, after a prosperous voyage, arrived at Philippi. " And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Ma- cedonia, assuredl}'^ gathering that the liord had called us for to preacii the gospel unto them. Therefore, loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Xoapolis ; and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia," or the first city, to which a person came, who was travelling from Neapolis ; " and a colony," being inhabited by Roman settlers, and governed by the Roman laws. After an interval of some days, Paul and his commpanions went " on the Sabbath out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made." It is probable that this place of prayer was one of those oratories, which the Jews erected for the purposes of devotion ; for we can hardly think, that prayer was wont to be made on the naked bank of the river, where the persons assembled would have been liable to be disturbed and insulted. These oratories were dif- ferent from synagogues. The latter were houses, constructed like our Churches, for the reception of a congregation, in which all those parts of divine worship that were not peculiar to the temple, were performed ; whereas the former were open above, commonly shaded with trees, and intended solely for prayer and meditation. They were usually built in retired places, on mountains, on the banks W rivers, and on the shore of the sea. It has been supposed, that it was to one of those sacred places to which our Saviour re- paired, when " he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued Cic. Tuscul. Disput. Lib. ii. 4. LECTURE XVII. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. 227 all night in prayer to God," or, as the passage might be rendered, " spent the night in an oratory."* Paul addressed " the women, which resorted thither," declaring to them first the doctrine of salvation. Had any men been present, the historian, we presume, would have mentioned them, and the Apostle would not have confined his discourse to the women. There were undoubtedly men in Philippi, who professed the Jewish rehgion ; but it has been remarked, to the honour of the female sex, that they often excel us in the punctuality with which they perform the duties of religious worship, and in the ardour of their devotion, in consequence, perhaps, of their being less distracted by the business and commerce of the world, or of the greater warmth of their afl'ections. Women ministered to our 'Saviour during his humihation upon earth ; women first visited his sepulchre in the morning of his resurrection ; women performed good offices to the Apostles, and assisted them in their labours ; and a woman was the first in Philippi who embraced the Christian faith. " And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us : whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." The opening of the heart is expressive of that operation of divine grace upon the soul of Lydia, which disposed her to give serious attention to the doctrine which Paul preached. The human heart is naturally shut against the truth by spiritual blindness, and the influence of sinful affections. The unregene- rated man is incapable of perceiving its excellence, and dislikes it, because it aims at humbling his pride, and detaching him from the unhallowed objects of his love. External means are not sufficient to remove those obstacles to a cordial reception of the gospel. You may describe colours, in appropriate terms, and with glowing elo- quence, to a blind man ; but no distinct idea of them will be excited in his mind, while he is without the organ, by which only they are perceived. In what manner God acts upon the soul when he renews it, it is impossible to explain. The Scriptures inform us, that " he opens our eyes, enlightens our understandings, changes our hearts, makes us wiUing, and fulfils in us all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." With these and similar declarations we should be satisfied. In the economy * Mede's discourse on Josh. xxiv. 26. 2iS LrcTTnE xvii. — chapter xvi. 1 — 18. of grace and of nature, we must be content with the knowledge of facts. Tliere is a veil upon the mode of the divine operations, which presumption may attempt to remove, while huml)le piety will be employed in observing and admiring the eUccts. Happy is he who can say with the man, whom our Saviour cured, " One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." There is not a principle of our religion more clearly taught in the Scriptures, and which should be more steadfastly maintained, than that the con- version of a sinner is the effect of supernatural influence. It is a principle M'hich is in unison with all the other parts of the system, and contributes, in concert with them, to promote its ultimate design, the glory of almighty and sovereign grace. To God is reserved the exclusive honour of our salvation ; and the proper sentiments of man are humility and gratitude. " The Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." The sincerity of her faith was demonstrated by her immediate submission to the institutions of Christ, and by her kindness to Paul and his brethren. Nature teaches us to love our benefactors, and the grace of God will inspire a particular affection to those who have been the instruments of our spiritual good. Indifference to the persons and interests of the ministers of religion proceeds from indifference to religion itself, and may be justl}^ considered as a proof, that those, in whom this temper prevails, have not experi- enced the peace and comfort, which the instructions and exhor- tations of the faithful servants of Jesus Christ communicate to believers. " And Avhen she was baptized and her household, she besought us, saying. If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrain- ed us." The gospel which Avas now preached for the first time in Philippi, was confirmed by a display of that miraculous power, which Jesus Christ had conferred upon the Apostles. " And it came to pass, as we went to pra)'er, a certain damsel, possessed with a spirit of divination, met us, which brought her masters much gain by sooth- saying." Those who can consvilt the original, will find, that the spirit, who possessed this young woman, was the same, Avho was supposed to inspire the priestess of Apollo at Delphi, and to deliver oracles in the name of that pretended Deity. That^this was a real possession might be proved by all the arguments, which applv to LECTURE XVn. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. 229 the cases of the same kind, that occur in the Gospels. The opinion, that the Evangehsts, when relating possessions, do not express their own conviction, but accommodate their language to the vulgar be- lief of their age, is inconsistent with their acknowledged integrity and veracity, represents them as ascribing miracles to our Saviour which he did not perform, and is contradicted by a variety of cir- cumstances, which clearly show the unhappy persons to have been under demoniacal influence. By representing this spirit as the same individual, or of the same character, with the spirit who actuated the Delphian priestess, Luke seems to favour the idea, that impure spirits were concerned in the heathen oracles, and that the prophets of paganism spoke by their inspiration. This opinion was commonly held by the Fatliers ; but by the more sceptical moderns, those prophets are generally believed to have been impostors, and the oracles to have been contrivances of the priests to impose upon the credulity of mankind. The truth, perhaps, lies between these extremes ; and while much may be ascribed to the artifice of men, something should be allotted to .the interference of the demons of darkness. Satan was the God of this world ; he reigned among the Gentiles, during the ages of idolatry, without a rival ; and he may have been permitted to exercise a power over his deluded votaries, which ceased when Christianity was fully introduced. '• I beheld Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven." Our Lord refers to the overthrow of heathenism, which, in its frame and constitution, in its impious dogmas, its idolatry, its profane rites, and its oracles, as well as in the crimes which it tolerated and encouraged, was the work of the grand adversary of God and man. The demon who resided in this woman, is called '•' a spirit of divination," agreeably to the import, although not to the literal sense, of the original term. To divine, is to disclose secrets, and foretel future events. It is easy to conceive Satan, if his preterna- tural agency upon the mind be admitted, to have enabled the sub- jects of his inspiration to reveal secrets, because deeds committed in darkness, and in the closest retirement, are open to the inspection of a spirit. He could farther have made them acquainted w^th distant transactions, the immediate knowledge of which it was im- possible to have obtained by natural means. He might have given them some notices of futurity, by informing them of such things as he intended to do, or as were already in a certain train to be accom- plished. He undoubtedly can conjecture with much greater saga- 230 LECTURE XVII. CHArTER, XVI. 1 — 18. city than we, what will be the result iti a variety of cases, from the superior powers of his mind, his longer and more extensive expe- rience, and is more perfect acquaintance with human nature in general, and the dispositions and circumstances of individuals. In every other respect, futurity is hidden fiom him as well as from us, by an impenetrable veil. A real prophecy, or the prediction of an event, which shall be produced by causes not yet in existence, or depends upon the free agency of men, we may safely pronounce him to be as incapable of delivering, as the most shoit-sighted of mortals. Prophecy would not constitute a proof of a di\ine reve- lation, or of a divine mission, unless it were a supernatural gift. It is the prerogative of God " to declare the end from the beginning." Yet with such scanty knowledge, Satan aped the oracles of Jeho- vah. As he had his temples, and altars, and priests, so he had likewise his prophets. The possessed woman " brought her masters much gain by soothsaying," or prophesying. She acted the same part, we may presume, with our own fortune tellers, and amused the credulous multitude Avith liberal promises of future felicity. If her predic- tions happened to be fulfilled in one or two instances, her credit would be maintained, notwithstanding their failure in many. The eager desire of mankind to anticipate their future fortunes, prepares them to listen, with fond credulity, to the pretensions of impostors, and long maintains the delusion, in spite of the plainest admoni- tions of reason and experience. It is with inexpressible mortifica- tion, that they, at last, see the book of fate snatched from them, at the moment when they expected to break its seals, and peruse its mysterious contents. The conduct of the damsel in reference to Paul and his brethren, is not so easily explained. *' The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying. These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation." This account of Paul and Silas was certainly just They Avere indeed the servants of God, who had come to Macedonia to declare to the inhabitants of that country the way of salvation from sin and death. But why did the unclean spirit bear so honourable a testimony to men, in whose success his destruction was involved ? Shall we say, that he was compelled by the superior power of Jesus Christ, to publish., to his own confusion, what he would have willingly suppressed ? or were the words spoken in derision of their character and preten- LECTURE XVII. CHAPTER XVI. 1 18. 231 sions ? Was it the design of the cunning spirit to concihate their favour by flattering compHnients ? or did he hope by the promptitude, with whicli he commended them, to make the Phihppians beheve, that he and they were acting in concert ? AVhatever was the motive of this unexpected eulogium, " Paul was grieved." Rehgion stands in no need of commendation from the father of has. He therefore " turned and said to the spirit, I connnand thee, in the name of Jesus Clirist, to come out of her." In these words there was a virtue, which the demon, with all his pride and malignity, was unable to resist. " And he came out the same hour." The name of Jesus, whose voice made the spirits of darkness tremble, when he sojourned on the earth, was still terrible to them. The authority, which accompanied it, drove them from their strongholds, and wrested from their hands the unhappy cap- tives, whose minds and bodies they had cruelly abused. This was a triumph gained over Satan in his own territories, and in the presence of his devoted subjects. By the dispossession of the demon, the superiority of Jesus whom Paul preached, was demon- strated. The tendency of the miracle was to persuade the Philip- plans to abandon their idols, of whose disgrace and defeat they had been witnesses ; and we know, that to some of thent, this evidence of the truth of Christianity was not presented in vain. Lydia was not the only convert in the city. There were some brethren, as we learn, from the last verse of the chapter ; and a Church was formed in Philippi, to which Paul afterwards addressed one of his Epistles. Of the tumult which ensued, and the sufferings which Paul and Silas endured, an account will be given in the next Lecture. The passage which has now been explained, suggests the follow- ing remarks. First, The sovereignty of God, displayed in sending the gospel to one nation in preference to another, lays those to whom it is granted, under a strong obligation to thankfulness. The value of the gift is enhanced by the discrimination which is exercised in conferring it. I would not be understood to insinuate, that com- mon blessings should be lightly esteemed. Selfishness may wish to monopolize the goodness of heaven ; but a generous heart feels its own happiness augmented by the happiness of others. This, at least, all must acknowledge, that our individual share of enjoy- ment is not impaired by the admission of our brethren to partake 232 LECTURE XVII. — CHAPTER XVI. 1 — 1 ?. of the beneficence of our Creator. The light of the sun gives equal pleasure to the eye which beholds it, as if it were the only eye in the universe ; the atmosphere furnishes the constant means of sustaining our life, although it is breathed by millions of our fellow-creatures. But when it pleases God, instead of extending his favour to all, to confine it to a few select objects, to bestow upon a part of his offspring the portion which all the members of the family equally need, Avhat gratitude should they feel, who are dis- tinguished from their brethren ! We see how the pious Israelites were affected by the divine favour to their nation ; and let us, in similar circumstances, beware of insensibility, the sure sign of a hard and reprobate heart. " He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation : and as for his judgments they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord." Many of the human race are perishing for lack of knowledge, while to you, without any merit on your part, the instructions and consolations of religion are abundantly afforded. This is not an accidental distinction, but the result of the will of God ; it is not a trifling benefit, but a blessing of greater magnitude than all the advantages of soil and climate, of civilization and good government ; a blessing, of which the consequences will extend into eternity. This blessing God has granted to you, and withheld from others. " What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits to- wards me ? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord." Secondly, The consideration of divine grace as the sole cause of the success of the gospel, is not a speculative point, but a principle calculated to produce the best effects upon the heart. It has a direct tendency to encourage the spirit of devotion. It makes us look up to God as the source of all good, depend upon him for the salvation of our souls, and hope in his fiivour and assistance for all our advances in goodness and happiness. This is certainly the most becoming and pious state of mind ; and that doctrine may be presumed to be from God, which promotes it. It gives no coun- tenance to pride and self-conceit, which are fostered by the opinion, that the success of the gospel depends upon the sincerity and other good dispositions of the hearers. To teach sinful men, that their own will must finally decide, whether tiie grace of God shall be received or rejected, turns their attention to themselves, and cherishes a sentiment of self-estimation and self-confidence, which is incon- LECTURE XVII. CHAPTER XVI. I 18. 233 sistent with the duty of " glorying only in the Lord." The Scrip- tural doctrine of grace as the efficient cause of conversion, takes away from every man every pretext for alienating himself from his Maker, who sliould be the constant and supreme object of his love, and trust, and gratitude. It annihilates his boasted dignity and excellence, and leaves nothing to be seen and admired but the divine goodness. This is true religion, for, in harmony with all the works of God, it terminates in the manifestation of his glory. Thirdly, When the gospel comes to any nation, or to any indivi- dual, in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost, it destroys the works of the devil. We know no instance of possession in the present times ; but the apostate spirit " still works in the children of disobedience." He has established his dominion in their hearts ; and he maintains it by ignorance, unbelief, the love of the world, and the complicated system of corrupt affections. By the word of God, his authority is subverted, and his strongholds are overthrown. He is expelled from the souls, as, in former times, he was driven from the bodies, of men. The spiritual darkness, amidst which he reigned, vanishes when the light of truth enters the mind ; the lofty imaginations, the proud self-sufficient thoughts, which he encouraged as the bulwarks of his kingdom, are laid low in the dust ; the fascinating influence of sin is dissolved ; and the soul now possessed of other views and principles of conduct, gladly re- turns to the service of its rightful sovereign. Although we have now no opportunity to,pbserve the miraculous effects of our Saviour's name upon demons, yet his power in destroying their spiritual domination, strengthened as it is by the consent of their subjects, is daily exerted. Every convert feels it ; every believer can bear testimony to it from his own success in resisting temptation. It is visible in the change which it produces upon those who are brought to the knowledge of the truth : for when he who was the slave of vice becomes the servant of God ; when the pursuits of sensuality are abandoned for the duties of piety and holiness ; it is manifest, that the person, who is thus transformed, has been delivered out of the snare of the devil. 30 LECTURE XVTII. THE CONVERSION OF THE JAILOR OF PHILIPPI. Chap, xvi, 19 — 10. I ENTERED, ill the last Lecture, upon a review of the transac- tions of Paul and Silas in Fhilippi. Soon after his arrival, the Apostle repaired to a place without the city, where prayer was wont to be made, and addressed the women who were assembled there on the sabbath. We have seen him performing a miracle upon a young woman, who was possessed by a spirit of divination, which demonstrated, that Silas and he were truly "the servants of the most high God, which showed unto men the way of salvation." It might have been expected, that the sudden and wonderful effect of a few words spoken in the name of Jesus, would have made a strong impression upon the witnesses, and that, if they were not persuaded to embrace Christianity, they would, at least, have been afraid openly to oppose it. Whatever were the senti- ments and feelings of others, the masters of the young woman thought of nothing but revenge. " They saw, tliat the hope of their gains was gone." Delivered from the power of the demon, who had been permitted to use her as his instrument for deluding the people, she could no longer reveal secrets, and tell fortunes. The revenue which had flowed from the credulity of the multitude, was irrecoverably lost. Idle and profligate, as persons concerned in such affairs usually are, they foresaw, that instead of living at their ease upon the profits of imposture, they should be compelled to be- take themselves to honest industry in order to procure a subsistence. With this prospect in their eye, they were not disposed to consider the miraculous nature of the event, to inquire into the power by which it was effected, and to examine the character of the religion, which it was intended to attest. About these subjects, persons of LFCTURE XVIII. CHAPTER XVI. 19 40. 23-3 tliis dc^rciiption would have given themselves little trouble at any time. In the present state of their minds, they were impatient to avenge themselves upon the men who had wrested benefits from them, which they accounted far more valuable than truth. They, therefore, " caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the market-place, unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying. These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city." The masters of the young woman had probably little knowledge of the character of Paul and Silas. ^Christianity was new in Phi- lippi, and such persons would be among the last who turned their attention to it. By calling the two preachers Jews, they seem to have supposed that they were propagating Judaism, or the peculiar tenets of some of its sects. Christianity was for some time, con- founded with the Jewisli religion, by the heathens, who viewed it at a distance, and with such contempt, as prevented a particular inquiry into its nature. Hence, Christ is carelessly represented by an ancient historian, as one of those seditious leaders, who fre- quently appeared among the Jews, and excited them to rebel against the Roman government.* Paul and Silas were charged by the accusers " with troubling the city, and teaching customs, which were not lawful for them to receive, neither to observe, being Ro- mans." Philippi, I have already remarked, was a Roman colony. Now, there was a law of the Romans, which prohibited the worship of new Gods, or of the Gods of other nations, and commanded the people to adore those alone, who were acknowledged by the state. This law Paul and Silas had transgressed, by introducing the wor- ship of Jehovah, the God of Israel, and exhorting the Philippians to renounce the service of their idols. In ancient, as well as in modern times, there was an established religion, to which the people were required to conform. Heathenism, indeed, exercised, on some ' occasions, a spirit of toleration. One country did not condemn the religion of another as false, but allowed its Gods to be true Divini- ties, and to be entitled to respect and homage, within the boundaries of the province or nation, over which they presided. Sometimes one nation adopted the Gods of another, and permitted the erection of temples and altars to them, and the public celebration of their rites. But it is unfair to represent this liberality as the constant character of heathenism, with an insidious design to throw a reflec- ♦ Suet. Claud, cap. 25. 236 LECTURE XVm. CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. tion upon Christianity, as having disturbed the peace of tlic world, by introducing l)igotry and intolerance. Among the heathens, there were religious wars, carried on with as much rancour and fury as any one of those which have been waged, under the same pretext, among Christians. There were religious persecutions ; and ancient history furnishes examples of the proscription of par- ticular modes of superstition, and the infliction of punishment upon those who practised rites forbidden by the lavvs. The greatest phi- losopher of antiquity was a victim to religious fanaticism. The records of the Church for almost three hundred years, exhibit paganism in the shape of a ferocious and sanguinary monster, making havock of the harmless disciples of Jesus, because they refused to join in the idolatrous worship of their countrymen. The masters of the young woman accused Paul and Silas of '^ troubling the city ;" of introducing innovations, and exciting dis- putes, from which, unless they were speedily checked, no person could tell what serious consequences might ensue. We see that the charges commonly brought against those who promulgate opinions contrary to tlie established faith, are not of modern date. The same unmeaning outcry was raised in Philippi, Avhich has been a thousand times repeated by the ignorant or the interested, against dissenters from the national creed. " These men are dis- contented and dislo)"al : they wish to become leaders of a faction ; religious reform is merely a pretext ; and so close is the alliance of Church and State, that the fall of the one, will involve the other in its ruin." It is thus, that the majority in Heathen and Christian countries, and among all denominations of Christians, Roman Ca- tholics and Protestants, Episcopalians and Presbyterians, usually represent the few, who venture to exercise the right of private judg- ment in the choice of their religion. Who are foremost and loudest in advancing these accusations? Are they persons, who, after a dehberate and impartial investigation, are fully convinced of the truth of tlieir own system ? Are they in earnest about religion, and do they " tremble for the ark of God," lest, by controversies and novel opinions, the minds of men should be misled and unsettled .^ No : in their principles and motives, they, for the most part resemble the masters of the woman, from whom Paul expelled a spirit of divination, and like them are alarmed for their gain, or are influ- enced by some consideration not more honourable. They enjoy emoluments which might be lost, should the established system be LECTURE XVIII. CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. 237 changed ; they suspect that, if the thoughts of men are once turned out of the beaten tract, they will begin to inquire into other sub- jects, and may discover abuses, which they are personally concerned to retain ; or, if no immediate danger to their interests is appre- hended, they must show their superiority, by a contemptuous treat- ment of those who differ from them, and recommend themselves to the higher powers, by a furious zeal against innovation. In ninety- nine cases in a hundred, a sincere regard for religion is as little connected with the declamations against dissenters, as it was in the case before us, when a clamour was raised about the dangerous consequences of permitting the gospel to be preached, by some men who gained their livelihood by supporting a fortune-teller. Let us now observe what was the effect of the accusation upon the people and the magistrates. " And the multitude rose up to- gether against them." The passions of the people are easily roused, and a rumour, or bold assertion, is sufficient to bring them together, and impel them to action. In heathen countries, they were generally more attached to their superstitions than the higher ranks ; and in any country, they are ready, under the dexterous management of those who expect to profit by their excesses, to display a furious and destructive zeal for their religion. The ma- gistrates seem to have been as intemperate as the people. Without waiting to make inquiry into the true state of the case, or allowing the accused to defend themselves, " they rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them." A summary sentence was pronounced, and executed on the spot. And that Paul and Silas might be re- served for such other punishment as their conduct should be found to deserve, they were committed to prison ; and the jailor inflamed with the same zeal against those blasphemers of the Gods, which his superiors displayed, treated them with great severity. " They cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely ; who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks." Paul and Silas might have saved themselves from punishment, by the declaration which they made next morning, that they were Roman citizens ; but they did not choose to plead their privilege, when it might have been con- strued as a proof of unwillingness to suffer for the gospel. They submitted to stripes and imprisonment, because they were called to bear testimony to the truth, by their patience, as well as by their miracles. Their meekness and resignation might be rendered, 238 LECTURE XVni. — CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. through the blessing of God, tlie mean of drawmg the attention of the spectators to a reUgion, which could give composure and forti- tude to the mind in the most trying circumstances. But however unjustifiable was the conduct of the magistrates in treating Paul and Silas as criminals, without any proof of their guilt, Providence over-ruled it for promoting the object of their mis- sion to PhiHppi. Their prison proved a scene in which the power and grace of the Saviour were displayed. " And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God : and the prisoners heard them.'' Prayer is the natural language of the soul, implor- ing, in its distress, divine assistance and consolation. It was there- fore, an exercise suited to the present situation of these good men, to whom the grace of God was necessary, that they might bear the present trial with patience, and be prepared for the issue of it. But, why did they also sing praises to God? Is there any thing calcu- lated to inspire cheerfulness in the condition of men, whose backs have been torn with a scourge, and whose feet are made fast in the stocks ? Do songs accord with the gloom of a prison ? A Chris- tian has causes of joy and gratitude, independent upon external circumstances. Paul and Silas gave thanks to God for the high honour of being called " to suffer shame for the name of Christ ;" for the peace of mind which they enjoy amidst their outward troubles ; for the certain knowledge of the love and care of their Redeemer ; and for the hope of immortality which raised tliem above the fear of death. " God their Maker gave them songs in the night," which they sang with such devout fervour and anima- tion, that the other prisoners heard them. At this moment, God was pleased to bear testimony, by a miracle, in favour of his suffering servants, and, by one of those extraordinary methods, which were sometimes employed in the commencement of Chris- tianity, to save a " vessel of mercy." " And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken ; and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." There is every reason to suppose, from the time when this earth- quake happened, and the purpose which it served, that it was pre- ternatural. Its effects were moderated by the power of God, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, but it was not thrown down ; and although the chains of the prisoners were loosed, none of them was permitted to cscaj^e. They were detained by LECTUEE XVIII, — CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. 239 their own fears, or by the secret restraints of providence, which in- tended to alarm the conscience of the jailor, without exposing him to any personal injury. Awaking from sleep, and naturally con- cluding that the prisoners had embraced the opportunity of regain- ing their liberty, he was filled with apprehensions for his own safety. He who suffered a criminal to escape from justice, was doomed by the law to undergo the same punishment which would have been mflicted upon him. The horrors of his situation rushed at once into his mind, and incited him to form a hasty and desperate reso- lution against his life. "And the keeper of the prison awaking out of sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled." To this rash and impious deed, the mind of a heathen was fa- miliarized. It was approved, in certain circumstances, by the differ- ent sects of philosophers ; it was practised by some of their most eminent men ; and no suspicion was entertained that it was offen- sive to the Gods. Nature, indeed, exclaims against it ; but her voice is not heard amidst the tumult and uproar of passion. When a great and unexpected loss is sustained ; when the proud spirits, overwhelmed by disgrace ; when the mind is agitated by the pros- pect of some dreadful calamity ; when the bright visions of honour and felicity, which enchanted the imagination, are dispelled, and hope seems to have fled for ever, the heart sickens at existence, and sees in its lengthened line, only the prolongation of its misery. Death appears to afford the sole means of relief " Rather than be thus tormented," cries the impatient, desponding sufferer, " it is better to rid myself at once of all my sorrows, and either to take my chance of another state of being, or to sink into insensibility." This is the phrensy of the mind, during which the admonitions of reason and religion are disregarded. Could men summon up as much fortitude as to bear the first onset of calamity, its violence might gradually abate. The passion, which torments them, might at length lose its influence. Time lays its healing hand upon the wounds of the heart. To him who has resolved to live, some un- foreseen deliverance may arise in the perpetual vicissitude of human affairs ; but our hopes are sealed up in the grave. How can he expect a welcome in the other w^orld, who rushes into it, stained with his own blood ? Will the Father and Fountain of Life, show mercy to those who indignantly throw his own gift in his face ? 240 LECTURE XVIU. — CIIAPTER XVI. 19 10. The self-murderer, intent only upon escaping from his present ago- ny, listens to none of these considerations. His furious spirit breaks from its confinement, and leaps into eternity. The design of the jailor was prevented by Paul, who " cried with a loud voice, saying. Do thyself no harm; for we are all here."' These seasonable words arrested his arm, ah^eady raised against himself. But although he was delivered from the dread of tempo- ral puniihment, his mind was not at ease. He was distracted with new terrors ; he felt the anguish of an awakened conscience. The impression was sudden, and was undoubtedly produced by the power of the Spirit of God. Perhaps, the jailor had heard as much of the doctrine of Paul and Silas, from their own lips, or from the report of others, as was sufficient now, when he was led seriously to reflect upon it, to excite an anxious concern for the welfare of his soul. At any rate, although a heathen, he had such knowledge of good and evil, as would convince him, under the faithful admoni- tions of conscience, that he was a guilty creature, and was exjiosed to the wrath of his Maker. Although the Gentiles had not the written law, yet " the work of the law was written in their hearts, so that their thoughts sometimes accused, and sometimes excused them." These notices of duty, rendered clearer and more authorita- tive by the divine Spirit, darted a light into his mind, which showed him his character in all its deformity, and overwhelmed him with confusion and dismay. Hence, " he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas ; and brought them out, and said " Sirs, what must I do to be saved ?*' It is not to be supposed, that the jailor had distinct ideas of the nature of the salvation which is revealed in the gospel. But he was convinced, that a creature fallen under the displeasure of God, is in most alarming circumstances ; and that to be delivered from this condition, to escape the vengeance, and to be restored to the fa- vour of the Almighty, is a blessing of greater value than any which the world can bestow^ The first object of the desire of an awakened sinner, is pardon. His conscience pronounces a sentence of condcn)nation upon him, which the law of God confirms. While its awful threatenings sound in his ears, like the tremendous voice of the trumpet on Sinai, which made Moses fear and quake, he longs to hear the gentle and tranquillizing language of mercy. What would not this man give for peace with his ofTended Creator ? In his present state he can find no rest. His mind is incessantly LECTURE XVm. CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. 24 1 foreboding evil ; he trembles on the brink of perdition, expecting every moment to fall into it ; he suspects danger from every quar- ter, for there is not a creature which may not be made a minister of divine vengeance ; the day is spent in anxiety, and the night in tears and groans. He turns successively to the various earthly sources of comfort, but finds them all empty. He tries, without suc- cess, every expedient to relieve himself He is willing to perform any duty however painful, and to offer any sacrifice however costly, which shall extricate him fi-om danger. He would listen with plea- sure to any man, who could point out a refuge from the vengeance by which he is pursued. " What shall I do to be saved ?" cried the jailor of Phihppi, in the agony of his soul. A few hours before, he had rudely thrust Paul and Silas into the inner prison, and made them fast in the stocks ; but now he applies to them for counsel in the most momentous of all concerns, and humbly prostrates himself at their feet. The demoniac had declared them to be " the servants of the most high God, who showed unto men the way of salva- tion." He remembered her words, which, when he first heard them, had probably excited his ridicule, and was willing implicitly to sub- mit to their instructions. " Tell me what I should do ?" The answer of Paul and Silas is related in the next verse. " And they said. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." This short sentence contains the substance of the gospel ; but we can consider it as only a summary of what was spoken in reply to the question. It was necessary to inform the jailor, who Jesus Christ was, for he cannot be supposed to have known much more concerning him than his name, and what is that salvation, of which he is the author, as well as to explain the na- ture of faith which was recommended to him, as the mean of ob- taining an interest in it. A heathen would have naturally thought of purifications and sacrifices, as expedients for rendering the Deity propitious. He had been accustomed to attach great importance and efficacy to these observances. So every man who is convinced of sin, his own heart suggests penitential tears, confession, acts of mortification, and amendment of life, as the only recommendations to the divine favour ; for the idea of obedience or good works, as the condition of the blessings which we expect from our Creator, is in- terwoven with the frame and principles of our nature. Man, in a fallen state, fondly recurs to that constitution, which was adapted only to a state of innocence and perfection. But the gospel points 31 242 LECTURE XATII. CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. out a shorter and surer way to salvation. Let the sinner ])eheve in Jesus Christ, and he shall he saved. Conscious of guilt and moral impurity, and renouncing confidence in his imaginary virtue, let him rely upon the atonement and meritorious obedience of the Son of God, and he shall obtain the pardon of his offences, and a right to the forfeited inheritance of immortal felicity. As by the first man' we were ruined, by the second man, who is the Lord from heaven, we are restored. Do you ask how this plan of justifying the un- godly, is consistent with the wisdom and justice of God ? The an- swer is ready. As our guilt was transferred to Jesus Christ, that he might expiate it by his death upon the cross ; so his merit is trans- ferred to those who believe the record of the gospel, or cordially trust in him whom it reveals. By the sacrifice of our Redeemer, the demands of justice were satisfied ; and it is, therefore, agree- able to justice, to exempt from punishment, those in whose room it was offered. " He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." While this plan secures the honour of the divine perfection.s and government, it is most acceptable and consoling to a sinner, over- whelmed by a consciousness of crimes, and of spiritual impotence. The obedience which to him would be impracticable, has been al- ready performed ; and nothing is required from him but that he should consent to what his Saviour has done, "rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh." The jailor was encouraged to believe, by the promise of salvation not to himself alone, but also to his house. " Thou shall be saved, and all thy house." These words cannot signify, that through his faith, all the persons, old and young, belonging to his family, should be entitled to salvation ; but that such of them as beheved in Jesus Christ should be saved, as well as himself ; and that his children should be admitted into the covenant of God, and to their seed after them." The children of believers enjoy great advantages from the prayers, the instructions, and the example of their parents, which are often followed, through the blessing of God, with happy effects. The actual salvation of them all, cannot, with any appearance of truth, be affirmed, because we observe too many instances of their forsaking the God of their fathers ; but certainly there is ground of hope, with respect to such of them as die in early life. That there were other adult persons in the family, besides the jailor him- self, is evident from the thirty-second verse, where we read, that LECTURE XVIII. CHAPTER XVI. 19 40. 243 Paul and Silas " spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." They did not speak in vain ; for we are farther informed, that " he and all his were baptized straightway.'' The word of God is quick and powerful. It operates with rapid and irresistible energy, illuminating in a moment the darkened mind, as in the beginning, when God said, " Let there be light, there was light ;" and effecting a complete revolution in the state of the heart. The human soul is originally like a dreary wilder- ness, the habitation of dragons and of every foul bird, and fertile only in briers and thorns. But by the command of God, the desert is converted into a fruitful field ; it becomes the garden of the Lord, in which peace resides, and all the graces flourisli. How surprising the change, which, in the course of a single night, was effected in the house of the jailor ! It was turned into a sacred man- sion of faith and devotion, whwe, instead nf the language of pro- faneness, and the invocations of idolatry, were heard the songs of salvation. How happy was this family ! The new convert rejoiced, and so did all his house. " The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous." There is no joy like that which flows from the belief of the gospel. It purifies, while it refreshes the soul ; it gives a more elevated tone to the feelings than worldly pleasures can give ; it contains no poisonous mixture, which after- wards corrodes the heart ; it sheds a lustre upon every object, and cheers even the dark hours of adversity ; and, in a word, it is per- manent, going with us, whithersoever we go, accompanying us to death, and springing up within us, as " a well of living water," in the world to come. Remark the great change which has taken place in the temper and manners of this man. The day before, he had treated Paul and Silas with cruelty, aggravating the unjust sentence of the magistrates, by the unfeeling harshness with which he executed it. But now he soothes and comforts them, not only from gratitude to the men, who had been the instruments of bringing salvation to his house, but from that humanity, which the grace of God never fails to inspire. " And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes. And when he had brought them into his house. Ire set meat before them." Do you wish to see a man df feeling ? Look not for him in the stories of romance, nor among those affected sentimentalists whose tears flow at tales of fictitious 244 LECTURE XVIIl. CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. distress, while their seiLsibility is not awakened by the real miseries of hfe. You will find hiia in the abodes of piety, and among the select few, whose hearts are softened by the love of God. They love others, " not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth."' They watch the beds of the sick aiid dying ; visit the receptacles of poverty, to wake up joy in the bosoms of the naked and hungry ; pour consolation into the hearts of the widow and the fatherless ; and go in quest of the sheep which have wandered into the wilderness, the outcasts, whom the proud virtue of the world has abandoned. They weep over an enemy when he has fallen ; and like the good Samaritan, poiu- oil and wine into the wounds of a Jew. To alleviate sorrow, and diffuse happiness, is their sweetest enjoyment. I shall pass over the remaining verses with a few ren)arks. " And when it was day, the magistKites sent the sergeants, saying. Let these men go. And the keeper of the prison told this say- ing to Paid. The magistrates have sent to let you go : now there- fore depart, and go in peace." During the night, the passion of the rulers had subsided, and reflecting upon what they had done, they perceived that they had been guilty of an abuse of their authority, for which they might be called to account. Tliey had punished and imprisoned two men, upon a simple accusation, with- out allowing them to defend themselves. They gave orders, there- fore, to set the prisoners at liberty, not doubting that they would quickly withdraw from the city. But Paul and Silas now thought it proper to assert their rights. They were Roman citizens, whose persons and privileges were guarded by the laws with jealous care. To scourge a Roman was a crime, which subjected the offender to severe punishment ; and it was an aggravation of the present case, that citizens had been scourged without any evidence of their guilt. "They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison, and now do they thrust us out privily ? nay verily ; but let them come themselves, and fetch us out." Had those ministers of Jesus Christ been governed by the same principles which usually influence men on similar occasions, they would have prosecuted the magistrates with the utmost rigour of law. They were satisfied, however, with alarming and humbling them, not to gratify their pride and resentment, but, in the most public manner, to vindicate their own character, for the credit of the gospel. It would add to its reputation in the eyes of the people, that its LECTURE XVin. — CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. 245 preachers were not vagrants, without a country or a name, but men under the protection of the laws, whom no person, however high in office, could wrong with impunity. How submissive have those insolent magistrates suddenly be- come ! Instead of resenting the answer of Paul and Silas, as dis- respectful to their dignity, they go to the prison, implore the forgive- ness of the men, whom they had treated so ignominiously, and request, for they would not now venture to compel them, to depart out of the city. Had they known the character of the persons whom they had injured, they would not have been so much afraid. From their resentment they had nothing to dread. Those meek disciples of Jesus were ready to pardon their worst enemies, and would, the next moment, have performed any office of kindness to them. Their Master had taught them " to love their enemies, to bless them that cursed them, to do good to them that hated them, and to pray for them which despitefully used them, and persecuted them." " For your hatred," said a bishop and a martyr, addressing himself to the heathens, "we render benevolence; and in return for the torments and punishments which are inflicted upon us, we show the way of salvation. Believe and live 5 and may you who persecute us in time, rejoice with us through eternity."* We learn from the history which we have considered, what state of mind is necessary to prepare us for giving serious attention to the gospel. It was not, till the conscience of the jailor was alarmed, that he began to inquire what he should do to be saved. We know with what indifference we listen to a discourse which does not inter- est us. While it excites, perhaps, the liveliest emotions in others, it procures our attention with difficulty. Such is the nature of the gospel, that without a peculiar train of sentiments and affections, it must be the most insipid of all subjects. What pleasure can a per- son, whose thoughts are engrossed by the pursuits of the present life, and who is careless of his immortal soul ; what pleasure can he derive from hearing of the love of God in giving his only begot- ten Son, and of Jesus Christ in dying upon the cross for our salva- tion; of the riches of divine grace in the justification of the un- godly ; and of the sanctifying influences of the spirit ? While the awakened sinner grasps at every word of consolation which the * Cyprian, contra Demetrianum. 246 LECTURE XVIII. CHAPTER XVI. 19 — 40. g"o?pel speaks, the secure sinner, who stands in as much need of salvation as he, yawns and sleeps, or regards it merely as a tale of other times, and other men. It is the wounded heart which feels the virtue of the balsam of divine grace. " They that are»whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick." It is, there- fore, the first concern of all to acquire the knowledge of their own character, which is the foundation of spiritual wisdom. Much may be learned by attention to their conduct, which often furnishes in- contestable proofs of innate depravit)', by listening to the testimony of conscience, and by consulting the word of God ; but above all, they should earnestly implore the assistance of the Spirit of truth, who opened the eyes of the jailor of Philippi. Then, and not till then, will the gospel be to them " as cold water to a thirsty soul, or as good news from a far country." The question, " What shall I do to be saved ?" is the most im- portant which can be proposed. It is a question in which all men are equally concerned. The reason that so few are earnest in the inquiry, is to be found in the insensibility of their hearts : but why are they so insensible ? Why are they alive to all interests but those of their souls ? Why are they eager in the pursuit of wealth, honour, and amusement, while the great salvation is neglected? If any awakened sinner is putting the question ; if, under an ap- prehension of the wrath of God, he is desirous to know by what means he shall escape, we have no other answer to return than that of Paul and Silas, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." How thankful should we be, that we are not left to conjectures, where uncertainty is so distressing, and an error would be fatal ? As conscience retains some degree of authority among the Gentiles, they must often feel a sense of sin, and be per- plexed in their endeavours to find out the means of relief " Where- with shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ! Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Disregarding the voice of revelation, men, in Christian countries, have suffered themselves to be misled by the suggestions of pride, and the dreams of superstition. We see the sinner labouring to conciliate the favour of his Maker, at one time, by vows, prayers, and penitence, and at another, by pilgrimages, austerities, and cere- LECTURE XVIU. — CHAPTER XVI. 19 40. 247 monial observances. But the doctrine preached by Paul and Silas is the truth, which has in every age, proved " the power of God unto salvation." Nothing else can give solid peace to the anxious, trembling soul. Let us embrace and hold it fast, if we would not be disappointed ; and remember, that Jesus Christ is the only hope of the guilty. " God so loved the world that he gave his only be- gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." His blood ensures the pardon of our sins, however numerous and aggravated ; his spirit is able to purify our souls ; his merit will entitle us to heaven ; and his power will pre- serve us, notwithstanding our weakness, and the temptations to which we are exposed, till our hope be crowned with the full frui- tion of eternal felicity. LECTURE XIX. PAUL AND SILAS IN THESSALONICA AND BEREA. Chap. xvii. 1 — 12. The treatment which Paul and Silas had met with in Philippi, gave them no encouragement to continue their labours in Mace- donia. They had been accused of violating the laws, scourged in an ignominious manner, and committed to prison. From this spe- cimen of the dispositions of the people and their rulers, they had cause to reckon upon persecution in every city ; and had they con- sulted their personal safety, they would have speedily retired from a country, in which it was manifestly dangerous to remain. But Paul and Silas were men of bold and intrepid spirit. Theii' call to visit this region of the earth was express. They were certain, from their commission, as well as from their experience at Philippi, where some persons had been converted, that their exertions should not prove altogether vain ; and they were willing to contribute to the glory of Jesus Christ, and the salvation of souls, at the hazard of their lives. Hence, upon leaving Philippi, they went forward to Thessalonica the capital of Macedonia. " Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews." This verse has been supposed to throw light upon the account which Paul gives of his travels, in the Epistle to the Romans. " From Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preaclied the gospel of Christ." Illyricum was a province, or rather the common name of several provinces, stretching along the Dan- ube, from the Hadrialic gulph to the confines of Macedonia. It has been inquired at what time that country was visited by the Apos- tle, as there is no express mention of it, in the history of his pere- grinations by Luke. His words now quoted, do not necessarily im- LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 12. 249 ply, that he actually preached in it, but only that in the course of his journey he approached its borders. This happened in his way to Thessalonica ; for Apollonia stood in the vicinity of Illyricum, if it was not, as some have affirmed, one of its cities. The range of the labours of this zealous and indefatigable missionary, ex- tended over a surface of many hundred miles in length, among nations of different languages and manners, some more, and others less advanced in civilization, but all, in consequence of their hea- then prejudices, and the depravity of their hearts, disaffected to the gospel, and disposed to contemn and persecute its preachers. How pleasing is it to follow him in this tour of benevolence ; to contem- plate a man who has renounced the ease and comforts of home, not to amass wealth, or gratify curiosity, or acquire knowledge, which he may ostentatiously display on his return, but to perform the unsolicited offices of love to strangers ; to impart to them the best of all gifts, the blessings of salvation ; to do good to others, not only at the expense of time and labour, but at the risk of his life ! It was thus that Paul, like his Master, " went about doing good." In Thessalonica, Paul and Silas found a synagogue of the Jews. In all countries, into which that people were dispersed by the Baby- lonian captivity, and by subsequent events, they retained the faith of their fathers, and openly professed it, when they were permitted by the governments, to which they were subject. At a distance from Jerusalem, it was not lawful to offer sacrifices, because there was only one altar, which was erected by divine appointment in the temple ; but they could assemble in any place to hear the law expounded, to join in prayers and thanksgivings to God, and to in- flict censures on such of their brethren as were guilty of offences against religion. For these purposes, when there was a sufficient number of Jews in the city, they built a synagogue, which was fitted up like the Churches of Christians, for the performance of public worship. " And Paul, as his manner was, went in imto them." It appears from these words, to have been the custom of Paul to go into the synagogues, and preach the gospel to the Jews. Although he calls himself the Apostle of the uncircumcision, signifying that the Gen- tiles were the chief objects of his ministrations, yet he did not con- sider himself as precluded from addressing the Jews ; in the same manner as Peter, who was the Apostle of the circumcision, occa- 32 250 LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 12. sionally picacliccl to the Gentile^:, and was, indeed, the person first employed to make known to them the way of salvation. Within a few years, the Jews were to be rejected for their unbelief; but the hour of judgment and vengeance was not yet come. In the mean time, they were so far from being overlooked, that Paul, and the other Apostles, we may presume, adopted the same plan, when he found any of them in heathen countries, disclosed to them first the purpose of his mission. This preference was due to them as descendants of the patriarchs, the people whom God had long ac- knowledged as his own, to whom the promise of the Messiah was made, and who professed themselves ready to receive hijn, as soon as he should appear. Besides, there were many of the elect among them, who were to be separated, by means of the gospel, from their impenitent brethren, before the latter should be cast out of the pale of the Church. As our Lord had commanded the Apostles " to preach in his name repentance and remission of sins, among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem," they probably considered this or- der as an intimation, that they should, in every instance, offer sal- vation to their own countrymen, before they turned to the Gen- tiles. In the synagogue of Thessalonica, " Paul reasoned with the Jews three sabbath days out of the Scriptures." The Jewish sab- bath was now virtually abolished, and the Lord's day was substi- tuted in its room. The Apostles might occasionally observe it from the same motive, which led them to comply with some of the cere- monial institutions ; and, at the same time, it afforded them a favourable opportunity of preaching to their countrymen, who were assembled on that day to worship God according to the law. The subject upon Paul chiefly insisted, in his discomses to the Jews and to the Gentiles, was " Christ crucified." Although it was offensive to both, yet he made it his favourite theme. There was a particular reason for introducing it in an assembly of Jews. The death of the Messiah was the point at issue between them and the Apostles. The former objected to it as inconsistent with the design which, they supposed, the Messiah was to accomplish, and consequently as a proof, that the person, whom it had befallen, was a deceiver ; the latter affirmed it to be the only mean of effecting what was the real object of his mission, the spiritual redemption of the people of God. The objections of the Jews arose from their own misconceptions. They were a carnal race, attached to the covenant which God LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 12. 251 made with their fathers, chiefly on account of the temporal advan- tages which it promised. Looking into the Scriptures, under the influence of this temper, they found predictions of the glory of the Messiah, the splendour of the Church under his reign, and the feli- city of his subjects, expressed in language, borrowed from the pomp and transactions of worldly kingdoms. Of those prophecies they adopted a literal interpretation, and conceived the Messiah to be a temporal monarch, under whose dominion wealth and hquours should abound. In this imaginary system, the sufferings and death of the principal actor could find no place. They deranged the whole scheme, and levelled with the dust the ambitious hopes, which it had been contrived to support. The gospel could not be believed by the Jews, unless their erro- neous ideas respecting the Messiah and his work were corrected. The method which Paul employed for this purpose, was to reason with them out of the Scriptures, " opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead ; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you, is Christ." In every contro- versy, it is necessary that there should be some common principle, in which both parties agree, because without such agreement, argu- ments may be multiplied, and the dispute may be prolonged, with- out end. The Scriptures of the Old Testament were received by the Jews as the oracles of God, the infallible standard, by which all opinions and practices in religion should be tried. Paul appealed to this standard, and showed, that the prevailing ideas of the char- acter and office of the Messiah, were completely at variance with it. He pursued the same plan, which our Lord followed in his con- versation with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, proving from Moses and the Prophets, that the Christ must have suffered, before he could enter into his glory. The prophecies of Isaiah alone were sufficient for his purpose, as they contain descriptions of the humiliation and death of the Messiah, so minute and plain, that it is not easy to conceive how the Jews could overlook or misunder- stand them. The necessity of the sufferings of our Redeemer was an obvious inference from the prophecies, because what God has expressly foretold must be accomplished ; and this proof was all that %vas requi^'ite for the conviction of his audience. But the Apostle would farther show that his sufferings were necessary, from the jus- tice of God, which required the blood of our Saviour to be shed, as the meritorious cause of the remission of sins. They would have 252 LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 — 12. been necessary, although they had not been predicted ; for the necessity of events does not properly arise from the prophecy which announces them, but from the nature of things, or the divine con- stitution. Prophecy is merely a declaration of what God has pur- posed to do. The arguments which Paul deduced from the Scriptures, were intended to prove not only the death, but also the resurrection of Christ, which it was predicted with equal clearness, and was, with great propriety, submitted to the consideration of the Jews, to recon- cile them to the idea of his death, as not inconsistent with the design of saving his people, nor fatal to their hopes, because he had been restored to life, and invested with supreme authority over hea- ven and earth. It was the decisive evidence that he was the true Messiah. It refuted the calumnies of the Jews, who charged him with imposture and blasphemy ;' and was the testimony of God himself, that he was his beloved Son. From this general reasoning concerning the death and resurrec- tion of the Messiah, the transition was easy to the particular proof, that " this Jesus, whom Paul preached, was Christ." The Apostle had only to shov/, that the prophecies, which he had cited, were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The cflfect of his discourse is pointed out in the fourth verse. " And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas," leaving the synagogue, and forming a new religious society, which professed faith in Jesus Christ, and observed the ordinances of the gospel. It is plain, however, that all the Jews did not believe, although they all heard the reasoning of the Apostle. To what, then, should we attribute this difference ? Not to the superior dis- cernment of those who were convinced, nor to their greater candour and docility, but to the grace of God, from which the efficacy of the truth is derived. " I have planted, Apollos watered ; but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth : but God that giveth the increase." These Jews were not the only converts. " Of tlie devout Greeks a great multi- tude believed, and of the chief women not a few." The devout Greeks were those persons who are commonly called proselytes of the gate. The appellation is founded on the words of the law, " the stranger that is within thy gates," and was given, in the first instance, to Gentiles living among the Jews, who remained uncircumcised, but acknowledged and worshipped the God of Israel. It Avas afterwards LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 12. 253 extended to all the Gentiles, in whatever part of the world they resided, who renounced idolatry, and observed the moral precepts of the law.* Of these there were many in Thessalonica, for "a great multitude" is said to have believed, and there is no reason to suppose, that they were all obedient to the faith. " The chief women" were women of rank in the city. In the twelfth verse, females of the same class are called " honourable women." They were already proselytes, and they now became disciples of Jesus. In the most favourable seasons, when a profession of religion exposes to no danger, and demands no extraordinary sacrifice, it seldom suc- ceeds in gaining the attention and sincere attachment of the great and opulent. It is therefore no inconsiderable proof of the divine power which accompanied the first publication of the gospel, that some of the higher orders were found in the number of converts, at a time, when Christianity was generally despised, and the probable consequence of openly embracing it, would be the forfeiture of worldly honours and enjoyments. The success of Paul was contemplated by the unbelieving Jews, with great dissatisfaction. They were offended at the doctrine which he preached, and the more displeased, because it was fav- ourably received by some of their own countrymen, and by many of the Greeks. With the zeal of religionists, therefore, and the jealousy of rivals, they bestirred themselves to arrest its progress. " But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a com- pany, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people." The associ- ates of the Jews are described as " lewd fellows of the baser sort," or worthless persons of the lowest class, who sauntered about the market place, and other places of public resort, and having nothing to do, were prepared to assist in any kind of mischief. They were choice materials, of which to compose a mob, ready, at the instiga- tion of its leaders, to commit violence upon persons and property. It is the complaint of one of the Fathers, that the most active ene- mies of the Christians, were the off-scouring of society, the vile rabble, the unjust, the impious, and the b^e, who were abhorred by the Gentiles themselves. With the assistance of such friends. the Jews assaulted the house of Jason, in which Paul and Silas • Medes's discourse on Acts xvii. 4. 254 LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 12. had taken up their re.si(lence ; but, through the care of providence, they were not at home, or they must have fallen a sacrifice to the rage of the populace. A body so tumultuous, so susceptible of every casual impression, is not easily governed, and wants only a signal, or an accidental word, to hurry it into excesses far beyond its original intention. Disappointed in their design against Paul and Silas, " they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, saying. These men that have turned the world upside down, are come hither also, whom Jason hath received." The men of whom they complain, were Paul and Silas, whose doctrine, they affirm, had caused disturbance and disorder wherever it was preached, and would produce the same effects, if they were permitted to remain in Thessalonica. In a certain sense, it was true, that the Apostles " did turn the w^orld upside down." The gospel professed an inten- tion to change the face of human affairs ; to overthrow all the re- ligions which existed in the earth ; to abohsh idolatry, and with- draw the worshippers of the Gods from the temples ; to put an end to barbarous shows and licentious festivals ; to make the slaves of vice sober, chaste, just, and merciful ; to call off the thoughts and affections of men from the vanities of time, and to raise them to eternal and invisible ol)jects. This is the grand revolution which it proposed to accomplish, and which it did actually effect in many regions of the earth. Compared with the advantages resulting from it to mankind, as inhabitants of this world, and expectants of ano- ther, those which have arisen from the happiest political changes, are unworthy to be mentioned. The accusation of the Jews, however, was of a different nature. " These all do contrary to the decrees of Cesar, saying. That there is another king, one Jesus." Paul and Silas had transgressed the law of the senate, and emperor of Rome, which enacted, that no person should assume the title of king without their permission. But this was not the whole of their crime. By calling Jesus of Nazareth a king, they set up a rival monarch, and persuaded the subjects of the emperor to transfer their allegiance to him. They proclaimed another king besides Cesar, whose authority was to be established upon the ruins of the existing government. Who is not shocked at the deliberate malice of these Jewish zealots? They knew well, that the royalty which the Christians ascribed to their Lord, did not interfere with the claims of earthly princes and LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVIl. 1 12. 255 magistrates ; and it was chiefly on this account that they refused to acknowledge Jesus to be the Messiah. Had he, indeed, been such a king, as should have been a rival to Cesar ; had he deliv- ered his country from the Roman yoke, and ascended the throne of Judea, they would have welcomed him with acclamations of joy. But finding that his kingdom was not of this world, and that he offered to save them, without freeing their country from the dom- ination of foreigners, and loading them with wealth and hon- ours, they loudly demanded his punishment. "Crucify him, crucify him." Yet, when they wanted to awaken the jealousy of the Romans against his disciples, they took advantage of the ambi- guous title of king, to assert that it rscognized in Jesus of Nazareth a right to reign, incompatible with the supreme authority of the emperor. It would have been easy to retort the accusation ; for who did not know, that the Jews waited with impatience for the coming of the Messiah, to restore their national indepen- dence ? Religion is artfully loaded with false imputations, because it is only by this expedient that its adversaries can hope to expose it to hatred and contempt. Were it exhibited in its genuine character, it might not command the sincere esteem, and cheerful submission of all to its authority ; but scarcely any man would be Ipld enough to avow opposition to it. In the first ages, Christianity was malig- nantly represented as an innovation, which threatened to subvert the whole system of human affairs, to overthrow civil establish- ments, and to propagate faction and rebellion. Insinuations, and public charges of the same nature, have since been advanced, not indeed against religion itself, of which even its worst enemies know how to speak with respect ; but against every attempt to free it from corruptions, and restore it to its primitive purity. The exer- tions of reformers have been associated with the movements of se- dition ; and magistrates have been called upon to watch and to repress them, as dangerous to the peace of society. If, indeed, a false religion were so closely interwoven with a particular form of government, that they could not be separated without dissolving the complex system, the general reception of pure Christianity, and the fall of that government, would be connected as cause and effect. But such a revolution would be purely accidental. In other circumstances, the government would sustain no injury by the change. The gospel does not intermeddle with the constitution 256 LECTURE XIX. — CHAPTER XVII. 1 — 12. of states, but contents itself with enjoining obedience to lawful autliority, as a sacred and indispensable duty. Nothing would afTord such security to governments as the religion of their sub- jects) and the purer is the religion, the greater would be the sccu- vity. Men would then quietly submit to their rulers, " not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake." The laws would be obeyed, not from constraint but from principle. The fear of God operating upon the heart in every situation, and in all the occurrences of life, would prevent crimes, against which no human vigilance could guard, and which, under the shelter of secrecy, are committed in the hope of impunity. It is evident, therefore, that the introduction of Christianity into countries where it is unknown, and the correc- tion of those abuses which have impaired its influence, and coun- teracted its spirit, among nations by whom it is professed, would be productive of the greatest advantages, in respect of their temporal welfare. Religion may be made the pretext for insubordination and rebellion, but it is only the pretext. It condemns such practices, and disowns those who are engaged in them. The Jews, b}" their false accusation of Paul and Silas, " troubled the people and the rulers of the city," who were probably afraid of be- ing punished for allowing another king to be proclaimed in Thes- salonica. As the offenders themselves^ however, coidd not l^e found, they were satisfied with taking security from Jason and the other brethren, that they would behave like good subjects, and exert themselves to preserve the peace of the city. It being no longer safe for Paul and Silas to remain in Thessa- lohica, " the brethren immediately sent them away by night unto Berca ; Avho coming thither, went into a synagogue of the Jews." " These," the historian adds, " were more noble than those in Thes- salonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." He compares the Jews of the two cities, and gives the preference to those of Berea, whom he calls more noble than the others. He does not allude to their birth, or their rank in life, but to the quali- ties of their understandings and hearts. The Jews gloried in their extraction as noble, because they were descended from Abraham, a man illustrious among his contemporaries, and a distinguished favourite of Heaven. But the boast of ancestry is a vain thing ; and true nobility consists, not in an honourable pedigree, but in in- tegrity of heart, and the love of truth. The Jews of Berea were LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 — 12 257 more noble, because they were not so prepossessed against every opinion contrary to their own, as to refuse to give it a candid ex- amination. TJiey were desirous of instruction, and willing to re- ceive it, from whatever quarter it came. Hence, " they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched tl)e Scriptures daily whether those things were so." According to the arrangement of the sentence, it seems to be suggested, that they first received the word preached by Paul and Silas, and then searched the Scriptures of the Old Testament for the proof of it. But this, undoubtedly is not the idea which was meant to be conveyed ; for it would discover no nobleness of mind to embrace a doctrine, and afterwards to in- quire into its evidence. The order in which those Jews proceeded was exactly the reverse. When Paul and Silas afiirmed that Jesus was the Christ, they turned to their sacred books ; and finding that all the marks of the Messiah were united in his character, they im- mediately acknowledged him. But why, it may be asked, did they adopt this procedure ? If Paul was an inspired ambassador of Christ, was he not entitled to the same ready and undoubting assent as the Prophets ? Whence, then, was it necessary for those whom he addressed, to compare his doctrine with theirs, before they should believe it? I answer, that to such as acknowledged the Apostolical authority of Paul, the comparison was not absolutely necessary, although even their faith must have been confirmed, by observing the exact correspondence between the gospel and the law. This correspondence would af- ford them, and it still affords us, a pleasing and satisfactory proof, that both have ^proceeded from the same author, " the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turn- ing." But, there is no evidence, that the divine commission of Paul was, at this time, recognised by the Jews of Berea. We are not told, that he had performed any miracles before them. As they could not, therefore, regard him in any other hght than as a person, who delivered what he honestly conceived to be the truth, both prudence and piety required them to appeal to the Scriptures, and to bring his doctrine to the test of that infallible standard. It was by the argument from prophecy, that they were convinced of the divine authority of the gospel. The conduct of the Berean Jews must be commended, and ought to be imitated, by us all. The clear and unequivocal declarations of Scripture demand our assent, without inquiry or hesitation. 33 258 LECTCRE XIX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 — 12. But, tlic doctrines which men found upon Scripture, should be in- vestigated with great care and caution, because they are only their inferences from it, in deducing which they may have erred through precipitance, inadvertence, or the influence of prejudice. " Prove all things, iiold fast that which is good." To yield up our judgment in religious matters to any individual, or to any Church, is to invest that individual, or that Church, with the attribute of infallibility ; and con- sequently, while we retain the character of Protestants, is practi- cally to adopt one of the worst errors of popery. You can have no certainty, that any doctrine which you hold, is true, unless you have seen it, with your own eyes, in the Scriptures. The faith of those who submit to be guided by the sentiments of others, how- ever learned, and wise, and holy, is downright presumption ; a ven- ture, in the most momentous of all concerns, upon the diligence, impartiality, and capacity of others, of which they can never be fully assured. Let them seriously consider, that, although their creed should happen to be right, its orthodoxy will not recommend them to God who perceives, in their undue respect for human au- thority, a criminal indifTerence to truth, and a virtual rejection of his testimony as the only foundation of faith. The result of the inquiry instituted by those Jews, was the con- version of many of them ; and, at the same time, the gospel was believed by a considerable number of the Greeks. The news of this success having reached Thessalonica, the Jews of that city came to Berca, and so inflamed the inhabitants against Paul, that he was compelled to withdraw to another place. Passing these events without farther notice, I conclude with the following re- flections. First, The difficulties which we may encounter in the course of our duty, will not justify us in abandoning it. "When Paul and Silas found it necessary to leave Philippi, they repaired to Thessa- lonica ; and upon meeting with opposition in Thessalonica, they went to Berea. Persecuted in one city, they fled to another, not to remain there in concealment and inactivity, but to persist in the perilous work of preaching the gospel. Christians are not, indeed, required to disregard the suggestions of prudence, and to expose themselves wantonly to danger ; but in the way which Providence has clearly marked out to them, they should resolutely advance, without turning to the right hand or to the left. If we perform our LECTURE XIX. CHAPTER XVU. 1 — 12. 259 duty when it is easy and safe, but neglect it, when accompanied with trouble and danger, it is manifest, that the principle of our obedience is wrong. Sincere love to God, and reverence for his authority, would operate with a steady influence upon our minds, in all the diversified situations and occurrences of life. Secondly, The opposition which has been made, in past ages, to the gospel, reflects honour upon it. Its excellence may be inferred from the character of the men, by whom the opposition has been conducted. It has not proceeded from the sober, the humble, and the candid, from such as were in earnest about religion, and spent their days in piety and holiness : but from persons full of prejudice, and governed by interest, hke the Jews ; from " fellows of the baser sort," the gross vulgar, immersed in . ignorance and low habits of vice ; or from men conceited of their fancied wisdom, rioting in luxury, engaged in the pursuit of wealth and honours, and hostile to religion in any other view than as an engine of state. It is a strong presumption in favour of the gospel, that such men have condemned it. That rehgion, surely, has descended from heaven, which pride, sensuality, and covetousness, have united to oppose. Thirdly, We should beware of forming our opinion of men, and parties, from the representations of enemies. Were we to judge of Christianity itself by this rule, we should conclude, that, instead of being worthy of all acceptation, it deserved to be rejected by the universal suffrage of mankind. The Jews affirmed, that it was calculated "to turn the world upside down." Prejudice 'is apt to misapprehend, and malice is disposed to misrepresent. Without being conscious of any unfair intention, we observe the character and conduct of our opponents with a partial eye ; and too often, we allow ourselves to paint their actions with colours purposely shaded, to impute motives to them which charity would not suspect, and to condemn them with a degree of severity, which our consciences do not approve. By a person, therefore, of candour and prudence, the testimony of an adversary will not be received, unless it be favour- able, or be supported by unquestionable evidence. We hear, almost every day, reports circulated to the disadvantage of sects and indi- viduals, which we find, upon inquiry, to have no foundation, or to have taken their rise from circumstances wilfully exaggerated, or hastily misunderstood. Let us, on all occasions, strictly adhere to 260 LECTURE XLX. CHAPTER XVII. 1 12. the rule which our Lord lias prescribed. " Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." In the last place. There is a perfect harmony between the law and the gospel, between the rehgion of Moses and that of Jesus Christ. The latter, indeed, is only a continuation of the former, with such alterations and improvements, as were adapted to the progress of events. The external form is different, but the sub- stance is the same. In both, the object of worship, the foundation of hope, the spiritual promises, and the moral precepts, are the same ; and they are chiefly distinguished by the degrees of light, and the measures of divine communication, under each. Chris- tianity was not a new religion to those who understood the design of the institutions of Moses, and had given attention to the instructions of the Prophets. The Jews who examined their ancient Scriptures with discernment and impartiality, immediately embraced the gos- pel as the completion of the law. We have seen an instance in the conduct of those of Berea. From the beginning of the world, God has been carrying on one consistent scheme for the salvation of mankind by his Son Jesus Christ, who was first revealed in pro- mises, types, and predictions, and was afterwards manifested in human nature, " to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself'' There is but one Church under a diversity of administrations, com- posed of believers in every age ; and, for tliis reason, the admission of the Gentiles into the Christian Church is described by their " sitting down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the king- dom of lieaven." The work of God in our redemption is great and wonderful, comprehending all time, embracing all events, which, in one way or another, are rendered subservient to it, and in its con- sequences stretching into eternity. It is worthy to be studied, and cannot be contemplated without admiration and praise. " Of him, and through him, and to him, are all things : to whom be glory, for ever. Amen." LECTURE XX. PAUL IN ATHENS. Chap. xvii. 15 — 34. The obstacles to the success of tlie gospel, when it was first ^ lished, were of too formidable a nature, to have been surmounted by human courage and prudence. It was encountered by the pre- judices and bigotry of the Jews ; by prejudices the more obstinate, as they were founded in reverence for the religion which their an- cestors had received from God himself; by bigotry originating in the distinction which had long subsisted between them and the Gentiles, and anxious to secure the perpetual monopoly of the blessings of the covenant. But, it was not in the moral state of the Jews alone, that Christianity met with opposition, which no impos- ture, however dexterously managed, could have overcome. The age in which it appeared, was an age of learning and science. The boundaries of knowledge were extended; the human mind was highly cultivated; and the mythological tales of antiquity were despised, and openly derided. A new system of falsehood had no chance of eluding the test of severe examination, and could not have defended itself, against the arguments and the scorn of philosophical inquirers. We have already seen the gospel triumph- ing over the hostility of the Jews, many of whom embraced it as the completion of their law, and became the disciples of Him, whom their rvilers had rejected and crucified. We are now to observe the issue of its conflicts with the philosophy of Greece. By some men, whose minds the pride of wisdom had elated, Paul was treated with great contempt ; but even in Athens, the school of science and refinement, Christianity could boast of its success; and we know, that before three centuries had elapsed, it trampled in the een the objects of his ministr}', and the constant witnesses of his conduct. " All the counsels of God," is equivalent, to the whole system of revealed truth. The Apostle was not one of those preachers, whose dis- courses run the perpetual round of a few subjects, which exhaust their poor stock of knowledge, or are selected, because they are easily discussed, and are the best fitted to gain popular applause. As his mind was capable of taking- a comprehensive view of the various doctrines and duties of Christianity, so he exhibited them in their order and connexion, carefully adapting his instructions to the diversified characters and circumstances of the members of the Church, and leading them on to perfection. " This scribe who was instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, was like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." He was a wise as well as a faithful preacher ; and as he never obtruded subjects unseasonably upon the Church, so he did not conceal any truth which he was called to publish, how con- trary soever it might be to the ideas and inclinations of those to whom he ministered. What painful study, what profound medita- tion, what extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, and of other sub- jects which throw light upon them, what intimate acquaintance with the human heart, and experience of the ways of men, are necessary to enable a minister of the gospel to tread in the footsteps of Paul ! " Who is suflScient for these things ?" is a reflection which will often occur to the preacher, who has been most diligent and successfid in his preparations. What, then, shall we think of those presumptuous intruders into the sacred ofllice, who are not qualified to explain, in a satisfactory manner, a single doctrine of religion ? The Church of Ephesus was no longer to enjoy the instructions and pastoral care of so able and faithful a minister of Christ. On the eve of his departure, therefore, he exhorts the elders '• to take heed imto themselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." They are required first "to take heed to themselves," that they might not be diverted from their duty by the cares and amusements of life, nor through indo- LECTURE XXrV. CHAPTER XX. 17 — 38. 327 lence and remissness let slip opportunities of doing good ; that they might always perform their functions from pure motives, with a proper sense of their importance, and an ardent desire to accomplish their design ; and that their conduct might uniformly serve to illus- trate and enforce the doctrines which they taught. The duties of the ministerial office are so various and weighty, the temptations are so great, and the consequences of error and negligence are so fatal, that incessant vigilance is indispensably necessary. It surely concerns those who are the guides of others in religion, to be them- selves possessed of a lively faith of the gospel, and to cherish in their own hearts the devotional sentiments which they are daily recom- mending. This attention to themselves, which Paul enjoined upon the elders of Ephesus, was preparatory to the due care of the Church ; for he immediately adds, " Take heed to all the flock." The general injunction is limited to the duty of " feeding" it. by the preaching of the word, and the dispensation of the other ordinances of the gospel, w^iich are the means of communicating spiritual nour- ishment to the soul. The design of the ministry is " to perfect the saints, and to edify the body of Christ ;" to impart instruction and consolation to believers, to assist their progress in faith and piety, and, by this holy discipline, to train them for eternal life. The care which is requisite for these important purposes, must be extended to all the flock, or to all the individuals of which it is composed. Respect of persons is condemned in those who are invested with a public character, and it is peculiarly offensive and incongruous in the Church, because every member of it stands precisely in the same relation to the pastor, and the souls of all are equally precious. If any distinction is made, it should be in favour of those who are the most apt to be overlooked, the humble, the diffident, the weak, and the disconsolate. Jesus Christ has given an example of condescen- sion and tender sympathy to his servants. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead them that are with young." In this part of his address, Paul introduces several considerations, admirably calculated to excite the elders of Ephesus, and others upon whom the same office has been conferred, to exercise a Avatch- ful care over the Church. It is the " Church of God," that is, of Jesus Christ, who is " God over all blessed for ever," as we learn from the last part of the verse, where God is said " to have purchased 328 LECTURE XXIV. CHAPTER XX. 17 — 38. it with his own blood." It is a society composed of persons inti- mately related to him, as members of his body ; and he claims a greater interest in it than in any other association. God redeemed the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt by his mighty power ; but Jesus Ciirist has redeemed the Church by laying down his life for it. As it is manifest that the Church, purchased with this invalu- able price, is unspeakably dear to him, it is a high honour to any man to be entrusted with a charge so precious. With what unre- mitting activity should he exert himself for its welfare ! With what solicitude should he guard it against injury ! Ov^er that part of this spiritual society which resided in Ephesus, the Holy Ghost had made the elders whom Paul was now addressing, " overseers,," or bishops If we suppose him to refer to an extraordinary appoint- ment of those men to their ofBce, by a suggestion or revelation of the Spirit, who said, on another occasion, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them ;" their voca- tion to the ministry was express, and the obligation to perform its duties must have been strongly felt. But, every man, who is duly qualified for the sacred function, and has been regularly set apart to it, may be justly considered as made a bishop by the Holy Ghost ; and to consider himself in this light, will be a powerful excitemerit to unwearied diligence. Let him remember, that there are no sine- cures in the Christian Church, and that the names of office are not empty titles of honour. A pastor should feed the flock ; an over- seer is bound to inspect, with a vigilant eye, the affairs committed to his trust. * Besides these considerations, which are of the same force in every age, there was a particular reason which induced Paul, to enjoin upon the elders of Ephesus strict attention to their charge. He fore- saw the approach of perilous times. " For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." There is no reference in these words, as some have sup- posed, to the persecution of Nero, which commenced some years after ; but they are an evident prediction of the rise of heresies, by which the Church was veiy early infested. In the book of Revela- tion, we read of the sect of the Nicolaitans, whose licentious tenets Jesus Christ abhorred. Cerinthus, who vented many wild and blasphemous opinions, is said to have been contemporary with the Apostles, or at least with John, who survived his brethren ; and when we look into the Epis- LECTURE XXIV. CHAPTER XX, 17 38. 329 ties of Paul, particularly his Epistle to the Colossians, we observe several allusions to the doctrines which were afterwards propagated by the Gnostics, of all heretics the most impious and absurd. "Also of yourselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things." It has been supposed, that he had particularly in his eye Hymeneus and Philetus, who affirmed that the resurrection was already past, and some other false teachers, who are mentioned in the Epistles to Timothy, which were sent to him, while he was residing in Ephe- sus. The Apostle calls those heretics " grievous wolves," referring to his former description of the Church under the image of a flock ; and it is with manifest propriety that such men are compared to those ravenous animals, because their doctrine is of a pernicious nature, and makes havock of the souls of men. The harmlessness of error is a modern discovery. But, according to our Saviour's representation, they are often " wolves in sheep's clothing," conceal- ing their real character and intentions from the simple and unwary, under the garb of modesty, candour, and piety. Yet, to the atten- tive and intelligent, they betray themselves by their doctrine, for they speak " perverse things." However specious it may seem, and with whatever arguments drawn from Scripture and reason it may be apparently confirmed, it is a perversion of the oracles of God. It is supported by detached expressions of Scripture, interpreted with- out regard to the connexion, and to other passages in which the same subject is treated, and by such wresting of the words of inspi- ration from their obvious sense, as, if attempted upon any other writing, would subject the commentator to the charge of stupidity or dishonesty. By such methods, the divinity and atonement of Jesus Christ, and the personality and operations of the Holy Ghost have been opposed. Finally, it is stated to be the design of the false teachers, " to draw away disciples after them." We know, from the history of the early ages, with how much success their ex- ertions were crowned. The spirit of proselytism is common to all parties ; but it has existed, in pecuhar vigour, among the teachers of error. The Pharisees " compassed sea and land " to make one proselyte. The missonaries of Rome have travelled into the most distant regions of the earth, to persuade the natives to acknowledge the Pope, and to worship saints, instead of the Gods of their fathers. In ancient and modern times, heretics have signalized themselves by their activity. The solitary enjoyment of their discoveries is not a sufficient reward. Heresy, which is the offspring of pride of un- 42 330 LECTURE XXIV. — CHAPTER XX. 17—38. derstanding, fondness for novelty, and a desire for distinction, courts the attention of the public, and the applause of partisans. Perhaps, in some instances, the mind still hesitating between its old and its new opinions, seeks the decision of its doubts in the suffrages of others. Whatever be the cause which stimulates the zeal of the heretic, scarcely any man whose brain has hatched a new conceit, however silly or absurd, can be content, unless he see a crowd as foolish and giddy as himself, following in his train. In the prospect of the perils to which the Church should be ex- posed, the Apostle exhorts the elders to watch. It was not a time for tlie shepherds to sleep, when wolves were ready to break into the fold. It would not, indeed, be possible, by the utmost care, to prevent the Church from being, in some degree, injured by the doc- trines of false teachers ; but their mischievous tendency might be, in a great measure, counteracted by timely and vigorous resistance. Paul proposes his own conduct as an example to the pastors of Ephesus, and reminds them of his admonitions and his tears, to excite them to the same fidelity, and the same affectionate concern for the souls of men. " Therefore watch, and remember that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Finally, " he commends them to God, and to the word of his grace, which was able to build them up, and to give them an in- heritance among all them that are sanctified." By " the word of his grace," some are of opinion, that Jesus Christ is meant, who is the " Word of God," and may be called the word of his grace, be- cause by him divine grace was revealed to the world. " Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." And to whom is it so fit, that Chris- tians, whether ministers or people, should be commended, as to him who died for their salvation, and intercedes in heaven, that their faith may not fail? Others think, that "the word of his grace" is the gospel, which in the twenty-fourth verse of this chapter, is called " the gospel of the grace of God ;" and it must be ac- knowledged, that this is the most obvious and natural meaning. There is, indeed, something unusual in commending Christians to God and to the gospel : but, with respect to the latter, nothing more can be imderstood than a reference to it, or a direction attentively to consider it, as containing the promises, which are the objects of their faith, and the sources of their consolation, and as furnishing the most powerful motives to steadfastness in theii" profession, and LECTURE XXIV. — CHAPTER XX. 17 38. 331 the performance of personal and official duties. It is certain, that the properties which are here ascribed to " the word of grace," do belong to the gospel, which is the instrument of building up the people of God in faith, sanctifying them, and " making them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." The best preparation for an approaching trial, is a serious consideration and firm belief of the truth ; for thus Christians are furnished with the evidence of experience, by which the sophistry and allurements of error will be resisted and overcome. He who perceives the excel- lence of the gospel, and feels its influence in tranquillizing his con- science, and comforting his heart, is in little danger from those who lie in Avait to deceive. It would be a hopeless undertaking, to per- suade the man who is rejoicing in the light, that darkness is preferable. The diligence of Paul in ministering to the Church did not pro- ceed from a selfish or mercenary principle. He was entitled, indeed, in justice and reason, to a recompense from those who enjoyed the benefit of his labours ; but, in many instances, he chose rather to support himself by his own industry. Let it not be said, that as the first Christians were so poor, that they could not reward their teachers, the generosity of Paul was the eflfect of necessity. The representation is not agreeable to truth. Some of them had posses- sions of houses and lands ; and the zeal of them all was so fervent, that, like the Galatians, " they would, if it had been possible, have plucked out their own eyes, and have given them to him." But, the Apostle, who was desirous to recommend the gospel by every lawful expedient, wiUingly declined the exercise of his right, when his self-denial would procure a favourable reception to his doctrine. " What is my reward then ? Verily, that when I preach the gos- pel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more." In this disinterested manner he had acted in Ephesus ; and he could say, in the presence of the elders of that Church, " I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, you your- selves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." His conduct was not intended to be a precedent to the ministers of religion in every situation, but was accommodated to the cir- cumstances of the time, and was an illustration by example of those lessons of generosity and love, which he had inculcated 332 LECTURE XXIV. CHAPTER XX. 17 — 38. upon others. " I have showed you all things, how that so labour- ing ye ought to support the weak ; and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to re- ceive." Charity is incumbent not only upon the rich, but upon those also who earn their subsistence by the labour of their hands ; and the latter ought to increase their industry, that out of their greater gain they may be the more able to assist their indigent brethren. This is obviously the meaning of the words, although, when thus understood, they enjoin a degree of active benevolence, rarely exemphfied, and I may add, rarely conceived. Who thinks it his duty to labour not for his own advantage alone, and for the maintenance of his family, but to acquire the means of relieving the necesities of others ? Where is the man, who, having made ample provision for his personal and relative wants, would pursue business with a design to replenish the source of his liberality, that it might be more widely diffused ? How few believe, or, indeed, ever reflect upon the words of our Saviour, " It is more blessed to give than to receive ?" As they are not found in any of the Gos- pels, we may presume, that Paul had learned them by revelation, or from the other Apostles ; and being delivered to us by him, they are equally authentic as if they had been recorded by one of the Evangelists. To most men it appears to be more blessed to receive than to give. The increase of their treasures affords them plea- sure, and it is with pain that they see them diminished. They are not acquainted with the feelings of a benevolent heart, to which the happiness of others is a source of purer and more exquisite de- hght than the selfish man can derive from his solitary enjoyinents. The influence of the gospel makes the Christian capable of tasting this pleasure. Religion refines our sentiments, and expands our affections. It forms us after the pattern of the divine goodness, and restores the empire of love in the soul. It is more godlike to give than to receive ; it is a feature in the character of our heavenly Father, " whose tender mercies are over all his works." Here Paul closed his address. And now, like a pious and afl^ec- tionate father, who is about to take the last farewell of his family, he knelt down in the midst of the elders, and in a solemn prayer commended them to God. The historian has said nothing of his feelings on this afTecling occasion ; but we know that a man of so tender a heart, could not separate, without lively emotions of grief, from those whom he dearly loved. The tears which the disciples LECTURE XXIV. CHAPTER XX. 17 — 38. 333 shed in abundance, were expressive of their sorrow at parting for ever with a friend, whose sympathy they had experienced in their perplexities and distresses ; with a teacher, to whom they had often listened with pleasure and advantage ; with a spiritual father, who " in Christ Jesus had begotten them through the gospel." In hea- ven, pious friends will be re-united ; but the interval of separation is gloomy, and nature will let fall some tears, even while the heart feels the cheering influence of hope. From this portion of the history of Paul, we learn what will give us comfort in the solemn hour, which shall terminate our intercourse with those whom we love. All earthly relations are of temporary duration ; the pastor must leave his spiritual flock, and the union, which has been cemented by an interchange of good offices, during many years, must be dissolved. It will alleviate our grief, if when we look back upon our past connexions, our consciences bear wit- ness, that we have faithfully endeavoured to perform the duties be- longing to them. A retrospect of our mercies will give us no plea- sure, unless they have been improved. The reflection that they have been neglected and abused, will prove a sting in our hearts, which will exasperate our natural feelings, and overwhelm us with sorrow and remorse. How dreadful the thought to a minister of re- ligion, that he has slept over his charge, and suffered immortal souls to perish in ignorance and vice ! How would it rend the heart of a father, when looking at the lifeless body of his son, to remember that he had treated him with harshness and cruelty ! How much more bitter his anguish, if, at this awful moment, conscience should lift up its voice, and. accuse him of having done nothing for the salvation of his child ; and if the terrible idea should rush mto his mind, that, perhaps, his own offspring, in a state of torment, is cursing him as the cause of his eternal perdition ! Happy the dying saint who can say, " I am free from the blood of all men. I have endeavoured with much imperfection, indeed, but with sin- cerity and diligence, to serve my generation according to the will of God. Lord ! thou deliveredst unto me five talents : behold I have gained besides them five talents more." Farther, The example of Paul shows us in what manner every Christian should study to acquit himself, in the station which Pro- vidence has assigned to him. We see a man intent upon the per- formance of his duty, indefatigable in his exertions, and acting 334 LECTURE XXIV. CHAPTER XX. 17 — 38. from the purest motives, whose courage was undaunted, and whom no consideration could turn aside to the right hand or to the left. How unlike him are the most of us ! Should we not blush to think of our languid and interrupted obedience, of the mixture of selfish- ness in our actions which have the fairest show of disinterestedness, of our cowardice when danger occurs, of the facility with which we deviate from the path of duty to enter upon some other pursuit ! Yet, we serve the same master, whom Paul served, and profess to be equally sincere. We have the same promises of divine assistance, and the same glorious prospects to animate us. Let us be ashamed, that we are so much inferior in zeal and activity. It is a powerful excitement to those efforts which are necessary to the attainment of excellence, to keep constantly in our eye the finest models, the most perfect patterns. Conformably to this plan, the Scripture directs us to contemplate first the example of Jesus Christ, and next tiiat of the most eminent saints. " Being encompassed with a great cloud of witnesses," we are exhorted " to run with patience the race which is set before us." Let us propose for imitation not the dwarf- ish virtues of the majority of Christians, but the heroic deeds of Paul and other illustrious men, that, if we cannot hope to equal them, we may, at least, rise to higher degrees of holiness than we should have attained, if we had fixed a lower standard. We should account nothing done while any thing remains to be done. " Let us not be slothful, but followers of them, who, through faith and patience, inherit the promise." LECTURE XXV. PAUL IN JERUSALEM. Chap. xxi. 1 — 32. The first part of this chapter contains a narrative of the jour- ney of Paul from Miletus to Jerusalem. It would serve no valuable purpose to trace his progress more fully than the inspired historian has done. To engage in a minute detail of the places mentioned in Scripture, of their situation, the character of their inhabitants, and their general history, is justifiable only when the knowledge of such particulars will throw hglit upon the passages to which they relate ; and without this reference, is to give, under the name of a religious discourse, a geographical lecture, which is addressed with manifest impropriety to a worshiping assembly. There were, how- ever, some incidents in his way to Jerusalem, of which it is neces- sary to take notice, before we procceed to consider what befel him on his arrival in that city. The first is recorded in the fourth verse, which informs us, that on landing at Tyre Paul found disciples, " who said to him through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem." If we under- stand his words in the preceding chapter, " And now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem," to import, that he had under- taken this journey by the suggestion of the Holy Ghost, we here en- counter a difficulty ; for it would seem, that the Spirit had retracted his own order, and that having first commanded, he now forbade, the Apostle to go. Besides, since Paul, notwithstanding the advice or prohibition of those disciples, did proceed to Jerusalem, must we not pronounce him to have been guilty of the high crime of disobeying a divine command, and, consequently, account the troubles, in which he w£is 336 LECTURE XXV. — CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. iiivolvetl, the just punishment of his obstinacy? It is impossible, however, on the one hand, to beheve, that the Holy Ghost issued contradictory precepts, hke an inconstant man, who is of one mind to-day, and of another to-morrow ; or on the other, to conceive, that Paul, who, on every other occasion, discovered the profoimd respect for the will of God, acted in this instance, without any imaginable reason, in direct opposition to it. The conclusion, there- fare, to Avhich we are necessarily conducted by these considerations, is, that he was not forbidden by the Spirit himself; but that the disciples in Tyre, forseeing the sufferings which awaited him, if he should go to Jerusalem, presumed to persuade him to desist from his intention. Their knowledge of the troubles which should befal him, proceeded from the Spirit ; the counsel to stop in his journey was dictated by the officiousness of friendship. They said to him " through the Spirit" that he should not go up to Jerusalem ; that is, they gave this advice, not by the direction of the Holy Ghost, but in consequence of that foresight of the result, which they had obtained by his inspiration. It is a probable apology for their con- duct, that they had not been informed of the previous order to re- pair to that city. The next remarkable circumstance occurred at Cesarea, where Paul remained for some time with Philip the Evangelist. " There came down from Judea a certain Prophet named Agabus. And, Avhen he was come to us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver liim into the hands of the Gentiles." Concerning this pre- diction, the fulfilment of which is afterwards related, I remark, that although it is said that the Jews should bind Paul, and deliver him up to the Gentiles, yet he was actually bound by the Gentiles, or by the captain of the Roman garrison, who had rescued him out of the hands of the Jews. There is, however, no contradiction between the prophecy and the event, because in the prophetical style, and indeed in the common style of the Scriptures, things are represented to have 1)een done by a person which were done by others at his command, or through his influence, direct or indirect. It was in consequence of the rage which the Jews expressed against Paul, that the Romans seized and bound him, Agabus accompanied the prediction of his sufferings with a symbolical action or an action expres- sive of their nature. Actions of this kind are frequent among nations LECTURE XXV. — CHAPTER XXI. 1 32. 337 in the earlier periods of their history, when the imagination and passions operate with great vivacity, and perhaps the jienury of lan- guage requires the aid of visible signs ; and some of them are re- tained on particular occasions, after a people is far advanced in civilization. They were common among the ancient Prophets. Isaiah walked " naked and barefoot," to signify, that the Egyptians and Ethiopians should be spoiled, and led into captivity by their enemies ; and Ezekiel carried out his household-stuff in the sight of his countrymen, to intimate that Jerusalem should be plundered by the Chaldeans." In the same manner, Agabus bound his own hands and feet with Paul's girdle, to foreshow that he should suffer bonds and imprisonment. It is probable, thai when the Prophets first adopted the mode of communicating instruction by appropriate actions, as well as by words, they merely conformed to the manner of their age. It was calculated to rouse attention, to give a distinct and impressive idea of the subject, and, by interesting the imagina- tion, to fix it in the memory. How was Paul affected by the repeated notices of the afflictions, which he was to endure in Jerusalem ? Sometimes, when a man is suddenly involved in perilous circumstances, his mind, by an instinctive effort, rises up to his situation ; and, amidst his active exertions to save himself, he has not leisure to take a full and delib- erate view of his danger. Few are possessed of such strength of mind, and cool courage, as to look forward with composure to the scene of troubles, through which they are destined to pass. He who is a hero amidst the tumult of a battle, would, perhaps, prove a coward, if he were waiting the slow approach of death in a pri- son, or on a sick bed. Dark and alarming as was the prospect before him, Paul betrayed no symptoms of fear ; but retained his self-command, and the firmness of liis resolution. Like his Master, with the cross in his eye, he " steadfastly set his face to go to Jeru- salem ;" and like him too, he reproved those friends, whose unsea- sonable kindness would have dissuaded him from his duty. " And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place be- sought him not to go up to Jerusalem, But Paul answered. What mean ye to weep, and to break mine heart ? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." The concern which the disciples expressed for his safety, was natural. They loved him as a friend, and his life was valu- able to the Church. As a proof of their affection, their tears could 43 338 LECTURE XXV. — CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. not but be pleasing to him ; but temptation sometimes steals upon us, in the most innocent form^ and by a path, which virtue alone was expected to tread. Thos^ tears might melt his soul into un- manly softness. Grief is contagious ; and while we sympathize with the PufTerer, we would mo.'^t willingly relieve him. Who could endure the thought of wounding a tender affectionate heart, Avhich trembles for his happiness, and is alive to every injury which he sustains? Who, in opposition to the most earnest solicitations, A^oidd persist in an enterprise, the issue of which would overwhelm that heart with sorrow 1 Paul was too well acquainted with human nature not to be sensible, that he was now exposed to a hazardous trial. He therefore checked the disciples. " What mean ye to weep, and to break mine heart?" "Why do you endeavour, by your prayers and solicitations, to persuade me not to go to Jerusalem ? I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die there for the name of the Lord Jesus. Those chains of which you are so much afraid, 1 shall welcome as an honourable badge of my relation to him ; and death itself shall have no terrors for me, if I am required to submit to it, in defence of his cause." The reiterated warnings which he received of his danger, illustrate his magnanimity. We behold a man, who having conceived and resolved upon an import- ant design, pursues it with inflexible perseverance amidst scenes of difficulty and trouble, and is determined to sacrifice even life itself to the attainment of his piupose. " And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done." His friends perceiving that he acted under a divine impulse, to which the common maxims of prudence must yield, desisted from their importunities ; and their solicitude for his safety gave place to a superior principle, reverence for God. Their conduct affords an example of acquiescence in the dispen- sations of heaven, which we should imitate, when our friendship and affection are severely tried by a separation from those whom we love. It is the duty of rational creatures to acknowledge, not in words only, but in practice, the supreme authority of their Maker, who has an undoubkid right to dispose of them and their affairs ac- cording to his pleasure. To this duty Christians are under pecuhar obligations, arising from the certain knowledge, that his procedure is always wise and gracious, and that submission to his decrees will be productive of the happiest consequences. Into the hands of our Father and our Sovereign we should surrender what is dearest to LECTURE XXV. CHAPTER XXI. 1 32. 339 US without a murmur. And then only do we render to God the homage, to which he is entitled, when not venturing to prescribe to unerring wisdom, and to limit almighty power, we give our unqua- lified as.sent to the arrangements of his providence, and rejoice in the manifestation of his glory, although it should be displayed at the expense of our best earthly enjoyments. " The will of the Lord be done." Let us now proceed to consider the transactions of Paul in Jeru- salem. The day after his arrival, he paid a visit to James and the elders, who were assembled to receive him. " And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry." It was a narrative of splen- did achievements. Without any disposition to boast, Paul could relate a series of flattering successes, of astonishing miracles, of multiplied hardships and perils which he had encountered with heroic courage. Yet, without those emotions of envy which the superior excellence of others is so apt to excite in little, and some- times even in great minds, the audience listened with pleasure to the detail, and with one voice "glorified the Lord." They were animated by the liberal spirit of Christianity, which engages with such ardour in the cause of religion, and, from a conviction of its importance, is so earnest in wishing its success, that if the work is done, it cares not who is the agent ; and is content, if such is the will of God, to labour in obscurity, while others are appointed to act upon a conspicuous theatre. During the successful labours of Paul among the Gentiles, the gospel had made great progress in Judea. " Thou seest, brother, how many thousands" (the word signifies ten thousands) "of Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the law." The zeal of the unbelieving Jews for the law was founded in the per- suasion, that it was the only acceptable mode of serving God ; and it excited them to reject Christianity as a false and heretical reli- gion. The Jewish converts, while they received the gospel, believed at the same time, that the law retained its authority ; and hence, although they observed the institutions of Christ, they lived, in all other respects, like the disciples of Moses. Some proceeded so far as to maintain, that obedience to the law was necessary to justifi- cation. It may be presumed, that an opinion so contrary to the truth, and so expressly condemned by the Council of Jerusalem, was not common among the Christians of that city ; but it would 340 LECTURE XXV. — CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. be an excess of charity to suppose, that none of them had adopted it. Among those zealots, a report had been spread, which was cal- culated to prejudice them against Paul. " They are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews, which are among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, saying, that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore ? The multitude must needs come together, for they will hear that thou art come :" and there was reason to fear, that at this meeting, Paul would be publicly accused by the zealots for the law, and much ill humour would be discovered. To guard against such disagreeable consequences, James and the elders proposed the fol- lowing expedient. " Do therefore this that we say to thee : we have four men which have a vow on them ; them take, and purify thy- self with them, and be at charges wnth them that they may shave their heads : and all may know, that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee are nothing, but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law." The vow which those men had made, seems to have been the vow of the Nazarite, by which an Israelite engaged to drink no wine or strong drink, during the period of his separation, and not to suffer a razor to come upon his head. At the expiration of his vow, he shaved his head, and presented in the temple certain offerings, which the law had pre- scribed. It appears from the writings of the Jews, not to have been uncommon for persons, who had not come under this vow. to assist the Nazarites in defraying the expense of the customary sacrifices. This the elders advised Paul to do, or to adopt their own words, " to be at charges with the men. that they might shave their heads." The shaving of the head was an expression used to denote the completion of the vow. Thus it would be understood, that there was no foundation for the account which had been circulated con- cerning him as an enemy to the law ; for the Jews would see him giving an unequivocal proof of his regard to it. by the observance of one of its remarkable institutions. " As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded, that they observe no such things, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication." The ciders refer to the de- cree of the Council of Jerusalem, which exempted the Gentiles from the Jewish law, and subjected them only to the restrictions here LECTURE XXV. CHAPTER XXI. 1 32. 341 enumerated. No blame could be imputed to Paul for having taught that they might be received into the fellowship of the disciples, with- out submitting to circumcision and the ritual of Moses. His doc- trine on this point had the sanction of the highest authority in the Church. The transaction which has now been explained, is involved in difficulties, and has given rise to objections affecting not only the wisdom but the integrity of all who were concerned in it. Was it not a true report respecting Paul, it has been said, which the bre- thren in Judea had heard ? Did he not teach the Jews to forsake Moses, and tell them, that his law had lost its power of obligation J On what ground, then, can James and the elders be justified in suggesting a plan, the express design of which was to persuade the disciples in Jerusalem of the contrary 7 Should it be insinuated, that they might not be well acquainted with the doctrine of Paul, a supposition which has little probability, did not the Apostle himi- self know, that he had taught the exemption of the Jews as well as of the Gentiles from the yoke of ceremonies ? Why, then, did he consent to act in such a manner as should make it be believed that " those things whereof the brethren had been informed con- cerning him were nothing," when in substance they were unques- tionably true 7 Was he ashamed or afraid to profess in Jerusalem, what he had boldly avowed in Greece and Asia ? Why did he not with his wonted candour declare, that the Jews were no longer bound to circumcise their children ; that in Christ Jesus circumcision was of no avail ; and that nothing was required by the gospel, but faith which works by love? It must be acknowledged, that the conduct of all parties in this affair, seems to give ground for these, or similar objections ; and to some they have appeared so strong, and so incapable of a satisfactory solution, that their minds have been much perplexed.* Let us examine the transaction more minutely, and we shall, perhaps, discover, that the conduct of Paul and the elders was not so unjustifiable as at first sight it appears. It may be remarked, that the unfavourable report respecting Paul, which the proposed plan was intended to disprove, was not true in its full extent. He taught indeed, in every place, that obedience to the law of Moses was not necessary to justification, and did not hesitate to declare, » Wits, in vita Pauli. sect. x. 4. 342 LECTURE XXV. CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. that, in consequence of the death of Christ, and the introduction of the new economy, it was not binding upon the conscience. But, this was very diflerent from assorting-, " that the Jews ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs." If any believing Jew had chosen not to observe the ordinances of the ceremonial law, the Apo.stle, I presume, would not have condemned him. But, he did not condemn those, who continued to observe them. He never pronounced the practice of the Mosaic rites, unless it was accompanied, as in the case of the Galatians, with an error in relation to the ground of our acceptance in the sight of God, to be inconsistent with the faith and duty of a Christian. He could not have done so without criminating himself; for we know, that " to the Jews he became as a Jew," conforming their customs^ with a view to gain them over to the gospel ; and we have seen him, from the same motive, circumcising Timothy. There was properly, therefore, no dissimulation in his joining with the four men who had made a vow, because, on other occasions, " he walked orderly, and kept the law." When he was abroad among the Gentiles, he had entered into the vow of the Nazarite, and shorn his head. But why, it may be asked, did James, and the elders, and Paul, concur in encouraging the converted Jews, who were zealous for the law, to think, that its obligation continued, although they were aware, that it was abrogated by the death of Clirist 1 Did they not lend their influence to foster a prejudice, which they should rather have exerted their authority to eradicate 1 It is certain, that the Jews who believed, were emancipated from the Mosaic institute, and might have refused to be any longer in bondage to the ele- ments of the world. But, it appears from the New Testament, that God was pleased, in condescension to the peculiar circumstances of that people, to permit their ancient law to be observed for some time, by those who had embraced Christianity. This permission, I say, was granted from respect to the circumstances of the Jews, whose zeal for the law will not appear surprising to those who attend to the reasons on which it was founded. From their earliest years they had imbibed a sacred reverence for its institutions ; and, prior to their conversion, they had regarded it as the only system of re- ligious worship which was acceptable to God. They were fully assured, that its origin was divine, and they had been accustomed to believe it to be of perpetual obligation. To adopt the idea, that LECTURE XXV. CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. 343 this law, so ancient, so venerable, and so sacred, was of no farther use in the service of God, and shotdd, therefore, be laid aside as unprofitable, was a revolution of sentiment too great and violent to be suddenly effected. The change was accomplished by gradual and gentle means. First, the Gentiles were received into the Church without circumcision, and the acceptance of a sinner was declared to depend solely upon faith ; next, the Jews were expli- citly informed, particularly in the Epistle which Paul addressed to them, that the ultimate design of their ritual was fulfilled in the death of the Messiah ; and, when their zeal for the law had been thus insensibly cooled, its abrogation was plainly signified by the destruction of the temple, in which alone its solemn rites could be performed. After that event, the law was forsaken by all the Jews who pro- fessed Christianity, except a few zealots, who having adopted, at the same time, some heretical opinions concerning the person of our Saviour, were expelled from the communion of the Catholic Church. The conduct of the elders and Paul was conformable to this plan of gracious condescension. Respecting the prejudices of the Jews, in favour of the institutions which God himself had delivered to them, and the abrogation of which was not generally understood, they complied with them for a time ; and choose rather to expect their removal, by the silent influence of the truth and the progress of events, than to run the risk of irritating their minds, and turning their zeal into inflexible obstinacy, by demanding an immediate re- nunciation of their ancient habits and attachments. In this manner the transaction may be explained, so as to pre- serve our respect for the wisdom and integrity of the persons con- cerned in it. If, however, there should be some, to whom this explanation does not seem satisfactory, they may be reminded, that while we believe the Apostles to have been inspired, and infallibly directed in the revelations which they made to the world, we do not maintain, that their conduct was, on every occasion, exemp from error. Peter and Barnabas were once guilty of dissimulation from fear of giving offence to the Jews ; and if James had been betrayed into the same fault by the same temptation, no conclusion to the discredit of Christianity, or of the Apostolical office, could be drawn from the one case, any more than from the other. We should only have another proof, that the highest attainments in gifts and grace do not raise the possessors to perfection ; and that 344 LECTURE XXV. CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. in the present state, man, altliougli placed in the most advantageous circumstaneep, is still man, a weak and erring being. Some may be disposed to infer the tmlawfulness of the transac- tion from its imhappy termination, which may be construed into a declaration of Providence against it. It must, indeed, be acknow- ledged, that we can hardly conceive any scheme to have a more unfortunate issue. The believing Jews were, no doubt, convinced, that Paul was not such an enemy to the law of Moses as they had been led to believe; but this was an object of little importance. With respect to himself, the consequences were of a serious nature ; for he was involved in a long series of troubles, was shut up in pri- .son for several yeare, and was exposed to the risk of closing his invaluable labours, by a premature and violent death. This un- prosperous result would almost lead us to suspect, that God was displeased with the measure, did we not know, that the dispensa- tions of providence towards individuals afford no certain criterion of their character and the nature of their actions ; and that his servants have often experienced great opposition and incredible hardships, "\yhen they were obeying the clearest dictates of his word. " Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them, entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification ; until that an offering should be offered for every one of them." It seems to have been his design, in going into the temple, to give notice to the priests, that he had joined with the four men, and would observe the purity which was required from the Nazarite, for seven days, at the end of which their vow would expire.. The temple was surrounded with two courts, sepa- rated by a wall of three cubits in height, which was sufficient to mark their boundaries, and, at the same time, permitted those who were in the one court to see what was passing in the other. Into the interior court none but a Jew was permitted to enter ; the pre- sence of a stranger Avould have profaned it. The exterior court was open to the Gentiles ; but pillars were erected at proper intervals, with an inscription warning them to proceed no farther, and threat- ening the impious intruder with death. Some Jews from Asia,Avho had seen Paul in the streets of Jerusalem, accompanied by Trophi- mus, a native of Ephesus, hastily concluded, when they again saw him in the temple, that the same person was along with him ; and that having formerly spoken, as they affirmed, in disrespectful terras LECTURE XXV. — CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32, 345 of that holy edifice, he had now polluted it, by introducing an un- circumcised man into its sacred inclosure. This happened, when the seven days of his purification were almost ended. Filled with indignation at his supposed crime, they called aloud to the by- standers to assist in seizing him ; and to inflame their zeal, they advanced such charges against him as were peculiarly offensive and provoking to every orthodox Jew. They accused him not only of having profaned the temple by bringing Greeks into it, but of declaiming every where " against the people, and the law, and this place," because he had taught, that the exclusive privileges of the Jews were at an end, and the Gentiles were now to be admitted into the covenant of God ; that the Messiah having died upon the cross, the law which prefigured him was to give place to a new and more spiritual system of worship ; and that Jeho- vah, who had for many ages made the temple his peculiar resi- dence, was to be adored, in every land, from the rising to the setting sun. These accusations produced an instantaneous and violent com- motion. " All the city was moved, and the people ran together : and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple : and forth- with the doors were shut." There is a degree of fury approaching to madness, observable in the proceedings of the Jews against the followers of Jesus, which was the effect of the fierce temper of that people, exasperated by religious bigotry. When the passions of any mob are let loose, law, justice, and humanity present but feeble barriers to their outrages ; but a Jewish mob was still more furious and ungovernable, and resembled a number of savage beasts thirst- ing for blood. It was a principle publicly avowed, and, in the lat- ter period of their history, frequently acted upon, that zeal for the glory of God would justify them in putting transgressors of the law to death, without a judicial trial. In the hands of such men, Paul was in imminent danger ; and had not Providence seasonably inter- posed, he should now have closed his labours and his life. " But as they went alSout to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band," or the garrison of Roman soldiers, stationed in a tower which commanded the temple, " that all Jerusalem was in an uproar ; who immediately took soldiers, and centurions, and ran down unto them, and when they saw the chief captain, and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul." The Roman commander interfered to suppress the tumult ; and finding Paul to be the 44 346 LECTURE XXV. — CilArXER xxt. 1 32. cause 01" occasion of it, he rescued him out of tlie hands of the Jews, and secured him, that if he was guilty of any crime, he might, he legally tried and punished. He was the instrument of Providence for the preservation of the great Apostle, wlio had yet to go through a long course of trials and important services. It is unnecessary to make any observations upon the remaining part of the chapter. We have seen on what occasioii, and by what means Paul was deprived of his liberty, which he did not regain for several years. I shall, in the next Lecture, call your attention to his appearance before the Sanhedrim. We perceive from the events which have now come under review, that among the disadvantages under which the gospel laboured at its first publication, its contrariety, real or apparent, to the existing religions, was not the least unfavourable to its success. To all the modifications of paganism it was professedly hostile ; and it demand- ed the immediate and unqualified renunciation of the objects and the rites of their worship. Its opposition to the religion of Moses was only apparent ; but the appearance was so strong as to alarm the Jews, and rouse them to the most determined resistance. It re- quired them to desist from circumcision, sacrifices, and the other ceremonial ordinances, and to adopt in their room the simple and spiritual institutions of the gospel. Notwithstanding the fickleness which men often discover in matters of taste and fashion, and even in affairs of much gieater importance, there are some cases, in which the power of habit operates with so much force, as to render a change exceedingly difl^icult. Having long acquiesced in a set of opinions and practices, they startle at every proposed alteration, and will not listen with patience to the arguments which are intended to show that it is an improvement. We wonder at the obstinacy, with which the beheving Jews retained their ancient usages, al- though they might have understood that they had lost their mean- ing and use. It is evident, at the same time, that no people were ever so justifiable in being slow to admit a change, because their religion had been delivered to their fathers by God himself, and was contained in books, which they justly regarded as divine. May we not wonder much more at some persons among ourselves, who en- tertain the same sacred respect for human dogmas, matters of doubt- ful disputation, and mere forms, which have nothing to reconnuend them but the authority of their ancestors, who had no belter right LKCTUnE XXV. CHAPTER XXI. 1 — 32. 347 to institute forms in religion than their descendants ? Let the most trifling variation be introduced in the order of procedure to which they have been accustomed ; let an alteration be made in modes manifestly indifferent, and times arbitrarily fixed ; let a human ap- pendage to a divine ordinance be removed ; and they are as much alarmed and displeased, as if an attempt had been made to subvert the foundations of our faith. Such. persons would do well to con- sider, that, in the same spirit, they would have been as ready, if they had lived in the days of Paul, to exclaim against his doctrine, as the most furious zealots for the law, among the believers in Jeru- salem. Let us remark with pleasure, in the triumph of the gospel over every kind of opposition, a proof of its divinity, and an earnest of its future victories. Heathenism, with all the assistance which it received from the secular power, and the strong interest which it possessed in the corrupt passions of mankind, was not able to stand against it. Judaism yielded to its superior influence. Myriads of the Jews embraced Christianity. That rehgion, indeed, still sub- sists ; but in what condition ? Is it not divested of its glory, with- out its temple, its priests, and its sacrifices ? Has it not degenerated into an absurd and contemptible superstition, which is retained only by the outcasts of mankind ? It is the meagre and lifeless image of what it once was ; and while it points its impotent malice against Christianity, it involuntarily does it homage, by bearing testimony to the truth of its predictions, in every region of the earth. My brethren, our hearts are ready to despond when we consider tlie formidable obstacles, which oppose the diffusion of evangelical truth. Heathen idolatry and Mahometan superstition are established throughout a great part of the earth. In other regions, Antichris- tian delusion have spread far and wide their baleful influence, and infidelity boasts of its numerous disciples. Ignorance, dissipation, and the love of worldly things have ahenated the minds of most men from serious subjects. But meditate now upon the works of the Lord, and remember the years of his right hand. Have we for- gotten the victories, which it has gained 7 Do we suspect that it has lost its vigour, or that God will never again pluck it out of his bosom ? If his power seems at present to slumber and sleep, it is that it may awake with greater energy than ever. " Behold, I create new heavens, and a new earth : and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." Let us not perplex ourselves 348 LECTURE XXV. — CHAPTER XXT. 1 — 32. about the means of effecting that mighty revolution in human affairs, which is announced by prophecy. He will provide them, " who calls the tilings that are not as though they were." All na- ture is obedient to his voice ; and if, in the whole compass of crea- tion, nothing should be found fit for his purpose, there is an unfail- ing resource in his Almighty power. When he says, " Let there be light, there shall be Ught." LECTURE XXVI. PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL. Chap, xxiii. 1 — 10. We have seen, in the last Lecture, to what danger Paul was ex- posed, not long after his arrival at Jerusalem. He was saved from the fury of the Jews, who intended to put him to death for the sup- posed crimes of blasphemy against the law, and profanation of the temple, by the commander of the Soman soldiers, who kept guard in the castle of Antonia. In the end of the twenty-first chapter, we are informed, that, after some conversation with that officer, he was permitted to address the people ; and in the twenty-second chapter, we have an account of his speech. He begins by assigning the reason, which had induced him, who was once zealous for the law, and a persecutor of Christianity, to become its friend and advocate. The sudden and surprising change is attributed to a miraculous appearance of our Saviour, which convinced him, that he was the true Messiah, and not an impostor as he had hitherto believed. There is one fact, not recorded in any of the preceding chapters, the mention of which gave great offence to his hearers, and was the occasion of the abrupt termination of his speech, I shall relate it in the words of the Apostle. " And it came to pass, that when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance, and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem : for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said. Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue, them that believed in thee. And when the blood of thy martyr, Stephen, was shed, I also was standing by, and consented unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me. Depart : for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles." It was impoasi- 350 LECTUKE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIU. 1 — 10. ble for an unbelieving Jew to hear this account without the utmost indignation, because, it charged him and his brethren with the guilt of obstinately rejecting the Messiah, and represented the Gentiles as chosen to enjoy those privileges, of which the Jews had proved themselves to be unworthy. This statement was so contrary to the pleasing idea, that they were the favourites of Hea- ven, and to the contempt in which they held the nations of the world, that nothing co.n be conceived more mortifying to their pride, and more calculated to hiflame their resentment against the speaker. Accordingly, although they had listened with calmness to the nar- rative of his conversion, '• they now lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth ; for it is not fit that he should live. And they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air." The chief captain, who could not comprehend the cause of the uproar, either because he did not understand the Hebrew language, in which Paul delivered his spfeech, or because he was ignorant of the points in dispute between the Christians and the Jews, " com- manded him to be brought into tlie castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know wherefore they so cried against him." He ordered Paul to be scourged, that the severity of pain might extort a confession of his crime ; for, at pre- sent, there was no proof of his guilt, and the only presumption against him was the general clamour of the multitude. The bar- barous practise of subjecting an accused person, to torture, was, in certain cases, permitted by the Romans, and has been adopted by some modern nations, in contradiction to the plainest dictates of justice and common sense. It is evidently unjust to punish a man, who, for aught his judges know, is innocent ; and there is not a more precarious method of discovering the truth than the confession of a person in pain, who cannot be supposed to be master of his own thoughts, and maybe induced to make any declaration, which shall procure immediate relief from his sufferings. " But as they bound him with thougs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncon- demned ?" The law forbade a Roman citizen to be scourged ; and Paul inherited this character by birth, although his parents were Jews. Tarsus, the place of his nativity, was favoured by Julius Cesar and Augustus ; and it is probable, that the right of citizenship was one of the privileges which the latter had conferred upon its LECTtTRE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. 351 inhabitants. The rank of citizen of Rome was an honour to which the most iUustrious persons aspired. The chief captain had ob- tained it with a great sum; and knowing with what jealousy it was guarded by the laws against every insult and violation, he dismissed those who should have examined the prisoner by torture. Paul, although willing to suffer and die for the gospel, had not im- bibed that enthusiastic passion for martyrdom, which impelled some Christians in the following ages, to court torments and death, by voluntarily accusing themselves at the tribunals of the heathen magistrates. Acting upon this sober and rational principle, that, if we can avoid sufferings without deserting our duty, we ought to avoid them, he pleaded his civil rights, as a defence against the cruelty of the men, into Avhose hands he had fallen. But, as there was no law forbidding a Roman citizen to be imprisoned, he was detained in the castle till the next day, when the great council of the nation was summoned to meet. The assembly, before which Paul appeared on this occasion, was that which was commonly known by the name of the Sanhedrim, and was the highest court in the nation. The Jewish writers affirm, that it subsisted during all the ages of their commonwealth, and was instituted in the wilderness, when seventy elders of Israel were chosen to assist Moses in the government. The Sanhedrim was composed of the same number of members. Some, however, are of opinion, that its commencement can be traced no farther back than the return from the Babylonian captivity. It was a court to which appeals were made from the sentences of inferior judicatories ; but there were some causes of greater difficulty and importance, in which it claimed a sole right to judge. When our Lord said, that " it could not be that a Prophet should perish," that is, should die by a judicial sentence, " out of Jerusalem," he seems to have referred to the Sanhedrim, which met in that city, and as- sumed the exclusive authority to try the pretensions of the Pro- phets, and to punish those who were found guilty of imposture. In the degenerate times, which preceded the downfal of the Jewish state, a true Prophet was more likely to be condemned, than to be recognised and honoured by men, who were corrupted by false no- tions of religion, and by the vices of the age. The Council was now summoned by the chief captain, as it had been called together, at the birth of our Saviour, by Herod. Its independence was lost, and its jurisdiction was abridged, during the reign of that 362 LECTURE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. king, to whom it was an object of jealousy. The Roman com- mander brought Paul before the Sanhechini, because he appeared, from the clamours of the people, to have been guilty of some of- fence against their laws ; and, probably, that court asserted its right to judge him as a blasphemer of Moses, and of their sacred institutions. ^ In the presence of this august assembl)'^, Paul was not abashed and intimidated. Alone in the midst of enemies, who had both ihe inclination and the power to injure him, he surveyed them with an undaunted countenance ; supported by consciousness of innocence, and the expectation of that assistance, which Jesus Christ had pro- mised to his disciples, when they should be brought before govern- ors and kings for his sake. Instead of endeavouring to disarm their resentment, and to court their favour by any mean concession, or any retractation of his principles, he dared to assert the purity of his motives, and the rectitude of his conduct. " And Paul earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God, until this day." The import of this declaration is easily understood, from the fre- quent occurrence of the same language in ordinary conversation. When a person affirms, that he said or did any thing with a good conscience, he means, that he was not influenced by improper mo- tives, but by a conviction of duty ; and that his own mind was so far from condemning him, that it approved of his conduct. In this sense, Paul could truly assert, that he had lived in all good con- science before God, not only since his conversion to Christianity, but also prior to that remarkable change of his views. " I verily thought with myself," he says, in his speech to king Agrippa, '' that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." When opposing him and his religion, he was fully persuaded, that he was performing an acceptable service to God, because he sin- cerely believed our Saviour to be an impostor. Still he was " a blas- phemer, a persecutor, and an injurious person ; but he obtained mercy, because he did it ignorantly, in unbelief" His activity did not originate in malice, but in a mistaken idea of duty. That he acted with the same integrity in the subsequent period of his life, it is impossible to doubt. It was upon the most satisfactory evidence, that he embraced the religion which he had persecuted, and from the purest motives, that he underwent so much toil and sulfering in propagating and defending it. " This was his lejoicing, the testi- LECTUKE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 10. 353 mony of his conscience, that in simphcity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he had his conversa- tion in the world." The design of the declaration which he now made, was to assure his judges, that whatever construction they were disposed to put upon his conduct, it was not from caprice, or with an interested view, that he had passed over to Christianity; but from the unbiassed dictates of his mind ; and that he was now as firmly convinced of its truth, as he had ever been of the divine authority of the law. Ananias, the high-priest, offended at the presumption of Paul, who had spoken before leave was granted by the court, and still more at this bold testimony to the goodness of the cause in which he was embarked, commanded those who stood by him, to " smite him on the mouth." Among the Jews, this seems to have been a customary mode of expressing reproof and contempt. Zedekiab, a false Prophet, "smote Micaiah a Prophet of the Lord on the cheek, and said. Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee ?" and when our Saviour stood before Caiaphas, the offi- cers " smote him with the palms of their hands, saying. Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee ?" " Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee thou whited wall." A whited wall, or a wall daubed with plaster, which gives it a goodly appearance, is an expressive figure to denote a man, whose real dispositions are different from the character which he assumes. " They are sordid and base," says a heathen philosopher, . speaking of some persons who made a false show, " but outwardly they are adorned after the similitude of their walls." From the high-priest and the president of the Sanhedrim, the strictest regard to justice might have been reasonably expected ; but the conduct of Ananias too plainly showed, that he was liable to be transported by passion, beyond the bounds of decorum, ^nd was capable of vio- lating the law, when he could do so with impunity. " Sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten con- trary to the law ?" It was contrary to the law, which forbade the judges "to do any unrighteousness in judgment," and directed them, when a person Avas accused, "to inquire, and make searcb, and ask diligently," before they passed sentence upon him, to order a man to be smitten, who had i^ot been proved guilty of a crime. " God," says Paul, " shall therefore smite thee." These words ought not to be considered as a passionate exclamation, or an im- 45 354 LECTURE xx^^. — chapter xxiii. 1 — 10. precation of vengeance, because the Apostle had learned the lessons of patience, meekness, and forgiveness, in the school of Jesus Christ, was, on all other occasions, an illustrious pattern of those graces, and, as we have reason to believe, from the promise of our Lord to which we lately referred, was now particularly assisted by the Spirit. They may be understood as an intimation founded upon the threat- enings of Scripture, of the punishment which a man guilty of such injustice, should sooner or later incur, unless he repented. We may even suppose Paul to have been under the impulse of the prophetic Spirit, and that by his inspiration he now foretold the fate of Ana- nias. The supposition has great probability, because he undoubt- edly enjoyed, at this time, the presence of the Holy Ghost, by whom he was enabled, in many other instances, to predict future events. " God is about to smite thee, thou hypocrite." As Ananias is said to have suffered a violent death, the correspondence between the event and the plain import of the words, favours the idea, that they were intended as a prophecy. To this view of them, it may, in- deed, be objected, that the Apostle, as we shall afterwards see, did not know Ananias. But, he knew him to be unworthy of the sta- tion which he held as a member of the Sanhedrim ; and as the organ of the Spirit, he might have denounced his doom, although he had been totally unacquainted with his person and character. To the by-standers, the language of Paul seemed unguarded and indecent. He had reproached a man, whose character should be held sacred on account of his office. " Revilest thou God's high- priest?" Paul answered, "I wist not brethren," or I did not know, •' that he was the high-priest : for it is written. Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." This was a wise law, founded in the principles of justice and expediency. Not only is respect for our superiors necessary to the support of their authority, which is weakened by want of lionfidence in their talents and virtues ; but when we consider that they are but men like ourselves, whose judg- ments are not infallible ; that they may err with the best intentions, and while they have no object in view but the public good ; and that they are often surrounded with persons whose interest is to deceive and mislead them ; we shall perceive the equity of requiring us to be candid in forming an opinion of their proceedings, and cautious in our language, when it is necessary to blame them. The answer of the Apostle is attended with some difficulties. How was it possible, it has been said, that Paul shoiUd not have LECTURE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 10, 355 known Ananias, since he had now been several days in Jerusalem, and had frequented the temple, where the high-priest would be often seen ? Besides, as he was president of the council, and wore certain badges of his office, must he not have been distinguished, at a single glance, by his seat and his dress ? Two methods have been adopted for removing this difficulty. The first supposes, that Paul did know Ananias, but refused to acknowledge him to be high-priest ; the second presumes that he was ignorant of both his person, and his official character. Those who think, that the Apostle knew him, consider his words, " I wist not," as equivalent to " I do not acknowledge," and they assign the one or the other of the following reasons why he did not acknowledge him ; either that the Jewish priesthood was now abolished by the death of Jesus Christ, who bad assumed the character of high-priest of the Church, and had an ex- clusive right to it ; or that Ananias was in truth not the high- priest, but had intruded himself into the office, or purchased it with money ; and Paul had learned from Gamaliel, that a person who had procured an office by bribery, should not be recognised as a judge, and was not entitled to respect. Neither of these comments upon the words of the Apostle, and least of all the first, will recom- mend itself to such as love simplicity, and believe, that on this, as other occasions, he studied plainness and candour in expressing his sentiments. Both represent him as using the word " to know," in an equivocal sense, which is hardly consistent with honesty. Others think, that Paul having been long absent from Jerusalem, might really not know Ananias to be high-priest, especially as the office was not now held during life, but passed, at the will of the Romans, from one person to another in such quick succession, that three are said to have possessed it, in the short space of a year ; that the Sanhedrim having probably been assembled, not in the usual place, but in the castle, he might not have appeared in bis official dress, nor in his ordinary seat ; or that, upon the supposition that Paul did know him and his dignity, he might not observe among so many judges, who commanded him to be smitten, and the high- priest was the last man, whom he should have suspected to be guilty of so gross a violation of the law. Any of these solutions may be considered as satisfactory ; but more, I apprehend, has been said upon this subject than was necessary. The difficulty, if not created, has certainly been magnified, by the elaborate attempts to explain it Paul was a man so little disposed to conceal his sentiments on 356 LECTURE XXVI. — CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. the most trying occasions, so little liable to be driven to any mean shift or evasion by tlie presence of danger, that we might have con- tented ourselves with his simple assertion, '• that he wist not that Ananias was the high priest." But, if Paul had known the rank of the person, who commanded him to be smitten, would he have refrained from speaking as he did ? Does not this seem to be the import of his reference to the law, " Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people ?" And if his language aduiitted of correction, where was the promise of the Saviour, " that he would give a mouth and wisdom to his Apos- tles, which all their adversaries should not be able to gainsay nor resist ?" This is a greater difficulty than the other, although it has attracted less attention ; but it may be satisfactorily explained. Paul, I apprehend, does not quote the law, with a design to convince his accusers, that as he distinctly remembered it, he could be charged only with an unintentional transgression. Ignorance of the person of the high-prie?t would not have acquitted liim from a breach of the precept, which was equally violated by reviling the other mem- bers of the Sanhedrim, who were all invested with the dignity of rulers. Nay, to speak evil of any man, although the lowest and most obscure member of society, was contrary to the law of love, which has, indeed, received new enforcements from the gospel, but was binding under the Mosaic dispensation. The question to be considered is, whether Paul was actually guilty of reviling Ananias ; and it may be confidently answered in the negative. If, as we have already supposed, he was under a prophetic impulse, his language, however different from the style, in which ordinary men are bound to address their civil and ecclesiastical superiors, was not disrespect- ful. In truth, the words were not his own, but the words of God, who pours contempt upon the wicked princes of the earth, and counts them as vanity. A Prophet claimed superiority to the great- est of men ; and it was the prerogative of his office to reprove mag- istrates and kings, and to denounce against them the judgments of Heaven. Our Lord, who never " rendered railing for railing," and " when he was reviled, reviled not again," called Herod the tetrarch, " a fox," on account of his cunning and cruelty. We are next to consider, by what expedient Paul defeated the design of the Sanhedrim, which, we may confidently affirm, from our knowledge of the iujplacable enmity entertained by the unbe- lieving Jews against the disciples of Jesus, had assembled with a LECTURE XXVI. — CHAPTER XXIH. 1 — 10. 357 premeditated resolution to condemn this ringleader of the Christian heresy. It was by dividing his enemies, and inducing one party to espouse his cause from opposition to the other. " And when Paul perceived, that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee : of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the chief religious sects among the Jews, with the one or the other of which all the persons of learning, and rank, and fashion, were connected. The Sadducees acknowledged the divino origin of the Jewish religion, and of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, for there is no satisfactory evidence that they received only the five books of Moses ; but they interpreted the promises in a temporal sense, and maintained, that obedience was rewarded, and sin was punished, only in the present life. They denied the existence of any spirit besides God, or of any separate spirit ; for they rejected the immortality of the soul, and asserted that it died with the body. It is not easy to conceive on what ground they could controvert the ■existence of angels, who are so often represented in the sacred books of the Jews, as appearing, and speaking, and acting ; but it is pro- bable, that they imagined them to have been transient appearances, or temporary emanations of divine power. Having discarded from their system the immortality of the soul, and a future state of retri- bution, they were necessarily led to deny the doctrine of the resur- rection. " The Sadducees say, that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both." The religious creed of the latter was more consonant to Scripture, to the sugges- tions of conscience, and to the expectations of the human race. They believed not only that angels were real beings, but that the soul should survive the body, be reunited to it at a future period, and share in its happiness or its misery. The tenets of the Saddu- cees were embraced chiefly by the rich and the great, who wished to enjoy the pleasures of life, without the dread of a future reckon- ing ; while those of the Pharisees were espoused by the lower orders, and by all the sober part of the community. From the opposition of their principles, and a competition for power, the two sects regard- ed each other with jealousy and aversion. When Paid perceived that the one part of his judges were Sad- duces, and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the coun- cil, " Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee ; of 358 LECTURE XXVI. — CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question," Some may be disjx)sed to consider this declaration of his sentiments as an artifice or stratagem, scarcely consistent with simplicity and manliness of conduct. But, Paul asserted notliing but what was strictly true ; for he had once belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and he still retained so much of their creed as related to the resur- rection of the dead, and the subjects connected with it. He was now standing before the Sanhedrim, because he had affirmed the resiurection of Christ, which was not only a proof of his Messiah- ship, but is the grand evidence of our future triumph over the power of death. It will, perhaps, be objected, that there was a great dif- ference between the doctrine of the Pharisees upon this point, and that of Christianity ; for, that according to Josephus, they did not hold the resurrection of the same body which had died, but the transmigration of souls, or their passage from one body to another.* But. in this instance, we may suspect his accuracy, or his fidelity. He has either ascribed to the whole sect an opinion which was entertained only by a few ; or with the same disregard to truth which has led him to accommodate other parts of his history to the taste of the Gentiles, he has not scrupled to render the doctrine of the resurrection more palatable to them, by representing it as nearly allied to the notions of Pythagoras and other philosophers. There is no doubt, that the ideas of the Pharisees were in substance the same with those of the Scriptures. Paul knew them as well as Josephus, and vv^ould not have ventured to misrepresent them, in the presence of the chief men of the sect. No blame can be justly imputed to the Apostle for this avowal of his sentiments, although it was made with a design to divide the members of the council. Our Lord has recommended to his dis- ciples " the wisdom of the serpent," as well as " the harmlessness of the dove ;" not the practice of deceit and wicked policy, but the enlightened prudence, which knows how to improve favourable opportunities, and to avoid danger without a desertion of duty. No man is required to die for religion, unless he cannot live, but by renouncing and dishonouring it. If a seasonable declaration of the truth would save the life of Paul, by what law was he bound to be silent ? And, if by so innocent an expedient he could turn the hostility of the adversaries of the gospel against one another, while ♦ De Eello Jud. lib. ii. cap. 12. LECTURE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. 359 during the contest he should escape, was he not perfectly justifiable in making use of it ? It will throw additional light upon his con- duct to remark, that he was now before judges, from whom he had no reason to expect an impartial trial. The high-priest had already commanded him to be smitten contrary to the law ; and he foresaw from this commencement, with what violence and disregard of jus- tice the business of the court would be conducted. He was, cer- tainly, at liberty to employ any means, consistent with truth and honour, to deliver himself from so iniquitous a tribunal. The plan which he adopted was successful. " And when he had said so, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees ; and the multitude was divided." In the ninth verse we are farther told, " that there arose a great cry : and the Scribes that were of the Pharisees part arose, and strove, saying. We find no evil in this man ; but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God." How powerful is the influence of party-spirit in forming our opinions, and swaying our affections ! It confounds our moral perceptions, and incapacitates us for judging impartially of either our enemies or our friends. Those who have yielded up their understandings to its government, see every object through a deceitful medium ; and in their eyes, the characters of others change from bad to good, and from good to bad, according as they approach or recede from the arbitrary standard of excel- lence, which they have presumed to establish. When Paul was introduced into the presence of the Sanhedrim, he was regarded by all the members as a heretic and a blasphemer. But, no sooner has he declared himself in favour of the Pharisees, than he is pro- nounced by them to be an innocent person. What ! could they find no evil in the man, who had openly apostatised from Moses, and preached through Jesus the resurrection of the dead ? No ; the thought instantly occurs to them, that an angel or a spirit may have spoken to him, and, his doctrine may be a revelation from heaven ; and they gravely admonish the court to beware of opposing him, lest they should be found guilty of contending with God himself. And what was the cause of these new and liberal sentiments respect- ing Christianity? Whence do the Pharisees begin to suspect it to be true ? Some have been inclined to put a charitable construction upon their conduct ; but there does not appear to be any sufficient reason for attributing it to conviction, and it may be accounted for by a less honourable principle. Paul had avowed one of the pecu- 360 LECTURE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. liar doctrines of the Pharisees in the presence of their rivals, whom they were always eager to humble ; and the merit of this action atoned, in their eyes, for all the heresies which he was said to have propagated. They were willing to allow, not from a change of their views, but from opposition to the Sadducees, that the gospel might be tme, because it lent its aid to support one of the distinguished articles in their creed. In this way, I think, their conduct should be explained. But, by whatever motive they were influenced, the contest between them and the Sadducees became so vehement, and was carried on with so much noise, that the Sanhedrim could not proceed in the triaL The chief captain being afraid lest Paul should fall a victim to the violence of the parties, " commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle." In this manner, the design of the Jews against him was defeated ; and he was preserved, as the Lord told him the following night, to bear testimony to the gospel in Rome, as he had already done in Jerusalem. To this discourse I shall subjoin a few practical inferences. First, We learn how desirable it is to enjoy the testimony of a good conscience, particularly in the season of adversity and trial. A well-grounded persuasion of the goodness of the cause in which we are engaged, and consciousness of the purity of our motives, will support our minds under reproach, and arm us with courage in the midst of dangers. A conscience enlightened by Scripture and purified by faith, will prove a source of satisfaction, into what- ever difficulties we are brought by our religious profession ; whereas the man whose heart accuses him of insincerity, must blush at his own baseness, even when his hypocrisy is rewarded with the most flattering commendations A good conscience is a preservative from remorse and fear, two inmates which torment the soul in which they reside. What embarrassment and anxiety should the Apostle have felt in his present circumstances, had he been acting the part of an impostor ? But, we have seen him collected and undaunted ; and being at peace with himself and with God, he did not dread the power of the Jewish rulers, who had condemned his Master, and were actuated by the same hostile sentiments towards himself. " If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards LECTTmE XXVI. — CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. 361 God ;" and when we can look up to him as our friend and guardian, " we shall not fear what flesh can do unto us." Secondly, Let us be careful to discover a meek and iquiet spirit, when we are injured and ill treated by others. We, indeed, hear Paul, when Ananias commanded him to be smitten on the mouth, saying, " God shall smite thee, thou whited wall." But we should consider that the actions of other men which were right, are to be imitated by us, only when we are in the same circumstances ; and that it is an abuse of examples, to make a general and indiscrimi- nate application of them. The disciples wished to be permitted to bring down fire from heaven upon a Samaritan village, as Elijah had done to the bands of armed men, which were sent by the king of Israel, to seize him ; but they had not the spirit of Elijah. Paul, we have reason to believe, was moved by the Spirit of pro- phecy ; and words spoken under a divine impulse, however severe, were not inconsistent with Christian charity. Our rule is plain, " not to render railing for railing, but to bless them that curse us, and pray for them that despitefiilly use us, and persecute us." Above all other examples is that of Jesus Christ, who instead of upbraid- ing his murderers with their wickedness, and denouncing the ven- geance of Heaven against them, said, when he hung upon the cross, and felt their cruelty in every member of his body, " Father forgive them : for they know not what they do." Lastly, How easily can God defend his own cause ! By a word spoken in season, the designs of the Jewish Sanhedrim against Paul were defeated. When the enemies of the truth are united to op- pose if; they are but men ; and God says to his Church, " Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass ?" At his command, their breath goes out, or their power and their wisdom strangely fail, so that " their hands cannot find their enterprise." Besides, although in their conspiracy against religion, they seem to be in perfect concord, yet they are influenced by very different motives, which may happen to clash with one another ; and in the common aflfairs of life, they are divided by envy, jealousy, resentment, and an interference of pursuits. There is no true friendship among the wicked ; it is merely a temporary connexion of interest, or a com- bination of mischief With how much ease can Providence turn their union into open hostility, as in the case of the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the inhabitants of mount Seir, who having in- 46 362 LECTURE XXVI. CHAPTER XXIII. 1 — 10. vaded the laud of Judah, in the days of Jehoshaphat, perished by one another's sword ; or in that of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who spent the fury, which was ready to burst forth upon Paul, in mutual clamour and contention ? Let no good man ever act the part of a coward. God is with him ; and who shall harm him, if he is a follower of that which is good ? Let no good man despair of the interests of religion. Is not the arm of Omnipotence able to protect the cause of truth against every adverse power ? " Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing 1 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take council to- gether, against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh : the Lord shall have them in derision. Then he shall speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." « LECTURE XXVII. PAUL BEFORE FELIX. Chap. ixiv. We have seen what courage and prudence Paul displayed in the presence of the high-priest and the rulers of the Jews, and by what expedient he defeated the purpose, for which the counsel was as- sembled. A few words seasonably spoken, revived the hostility of two rival sects, which were united for a moment in the prosecution ; ahd so violent was the contest, that the Roman commander was obliged to interfere, and to carry back the prisoner to the castle. By this disappointment, the malice of his enemies was exaspera- ted. Paul had been marked out as a victim to their zeal ; his death vvas deemed necessary to vindicate the honour of their religion ; and if it could not be accomplished under the forms of law, which have often given the colour of justice to the most iniquitous deeds, it was determined, that he should perish by the hands of assassins. We are informed in the preceding chapter, " that when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying, that they would neither eat nor drink, till they had killed Paul." Such a conspiracy must excite our detestation, whether we reflect upon the purpose for which it was formed, or upon the solemn bond, by which the members pledged themselves to execute their plan. Having resolved upon the death of the Apostle, they guarded against the influence of their cooler thoughts, and the feelings of compunction or pity which these might have awakened, by engaging under a dreadful imprecation speedily to perpetrate the murder. Their own Uves were staked upon the suc- cess of the enterprise ; and the God of mercy and justice was in- voked, to witness and to ratify a combination of blood. From this transaction we learn how much conscience may be debauched by 364 LECTURE XXVII. — CIUPTER XXIV. the principles of a false religion. Superstition will sanctify the foul- est actions in the eyes of its deluded votaries. There is no atrocity, however revolting to the natural feelings, and the unsophisticated moral sentiments of mankind, to which the mind may not be recon- ciled, if it have been previously persuaded that the deed will be ac- ceptable to God. The horrors of the inquisition, and the barbarous cruelties exercised upon the friends of truth by the Antichristian Church, are examples of crimes committed in the name of God, and mistaken for acts of holy zeal. Men have imagined, that they never stood higher in the favour of Heaven, than at the moment when they were displaying the malignity of demons, and the fero- city of savages. There is a particular account, in the preceding chapter, of the manner in which this conspiracy was discovered by the chief cap- tain, and of the plan which he immediately adopted for the security of Paul. He sent him under a strong guard to Felix the governor of Judea, who resided in Cesarea, and gave orders to his accusers to follow him. The chapter now before us relates the proceedings at this new tribunal. Let us attend, in the first place, to the speech of Tertullus, an orator, whom Ananias and the elders had chosen, on account of his eloquence and address, to conduct the prosecution. Felix, before whom he was appointed to plead, was a freednian of the emperor Claudius, by whom he had been entrusted with the government of Judea. The accounts of his conduct in this high station, which have been transmitted to us by both Jews and Romans, are exceed- ingly unfavourable. He had, indeed, dispersed and destroyed some bands of robbers who infested the country, and to this very proper exercise of liis authority Tertullus seems to allude, when he says, '•' By thee we enjoy great quietness ;" but from the general history of his administration, he appears to have been a man void of all re- gard to justice and humanity. Under his government the people were subjected to innumerable vexations and injuries, and their property and lives were wantonly sacrificed, to gratify his avarice, or his revenge. Impatient of control, he procured the assassination of Jonathan the high-priest, whose only crime it was, that he had freely remonstrated against his tyrannical proceedings. In a word, relying upon the influence of his brother Pallas, who was in high favour with the emperor, " he exercised royal authority," to adopt LECTURE XXVII. CHAPTER XXIV. 365 the words of Tacitus, " with the spirit of a slave, and indulged him- self in every species of cruelty and lust."* After this description of the character of Felix, with what sur- prise must we read the speech of TertuUus ! " Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness." What ! was this man a stranger in Judea 1 Had he never heard the complaints and curses of the people against their unrighteous governor ? TertuUus was one of those orators whose talents are exposed to sale, and are pur- chased by the highest bidder ; a venal pleader, prepared to espouse either side of a question, and to employ, without moral discrimina- tion, the means which seemed best adapted to ensure success. In order to obtain the condemnation of Paul, he endeavoured to gain the favour of the judge by flattery, than which nothing more readily steals upon the heart, and renders it more pliant and accommoda- ting. The flattery was certainly gross, and had scarcely the sem- blance of truth ; but TertuUus had, perhaps, studied human nature so well as to know, that none are more eager to grasp at the praise of virtue, than those who least deserve it. To them, indeed, it is most necessary, because, in the want of the reality, they may de- rive some advantage from the name. Eloquence, exerting its pow- ers in giving a luminous and impressive statement of truth ; in por- traying the charms of virtue, and exhibiting the deformity of vice ; in defending the innocent against oppression and calumny, and dragging forth the wicked to execration and punishment ; eloquence employed in these unportant offices, and uniting with the clear deductions of reason and experience, all the energies of language, and all the ornaments of an ardent and cultivated imagination, is undoubtedly one of the noblest and most enviable talents, which a mortal can possess. It may uphold the religion and morals of a na- tion, and may save a sinking state from ruin. But, when it aims at exciting the passions, without enlightening the understanding ; when, with its false colouring, it makes the worse appear the better cause; when it corrupts the imagination, and underjiiines the prin- ciples of morality : when like a base prostitute, it offers its services to every person who solicits its assistance ; when it substitutes flat- tery for honest reproof, and condemns what it ought to applaud and * Tacit, Hist. v. 9. 366 LECTURE XXVII. — CHAPTER XXIV. defend ; it is more noxious than the pestilence which taints the air that we breathe, or the hghtning which bhnds us with its overpow- ering splendour, and overwhelms us with its irresistible force. TertuUus proceeds to exhibit the grounds of accusation against the prisoner at the bar, which were three, sedition, heresy, and pix)- fanation of the temple. The charge of sedition is contained in these words. " We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world." From our knowledge of the history of Paul, we may boldly pro- nounce this charge to have been unfounded. But, as it was more likely than any other to prejudice a judge so jealous and suspicious, the unprincipled orator did not hesitate to advance it with all the confidence of truth. He is accused of heresy, when he is called " a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes ;" an appellation given from contempt to the followers of Jesus, who lived in Nazareth, out of which no good thing was expected to come. The new religion was deemed a heresy, to which the Jews affixed the ideas of fac- tion, error, and apostacy. Lastly, he is represented as " having gone about to profane the temple," because it was supposed that he had brought Trophimus, an uncircumcised Gentile, into its sacred inclosure. These were serious charges, which, had his enemies been able to substantiate them, would have subjected him to pun- ishment, according to both the Jewish and the Roman law. Ter- tuUus includes with an insinuation against Lysias, the chief captain, as having obstructed the course of justice, by violently carrying off Paul, when the Sanhedrim was met to judge him. He says no- thing respecting the intention of the Jews to put him to death, when he was found in the temple, or the conspiracy which some of them afterwards formed to assassinate him, and by the discovery of which, Lysias was induced to send him to Cesarea. With the art of an orator, he sets the conduct of his cUents in the fairest light, and suppresses every circumstance unfavourable to their cause. With this tissue of flattery and falsehood, let us contrast the sim- ple and honest defence of the Apostle. " Forasmuch aa I know, that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself." This is not, like the in- troductory address of TertuUus, an insincere and undeserved com- pliment to Felix. Paul does not call him a righteous governor, and praise the mildness and equity of his administration ; but merely expresses his happiness in having an opportunity to plead for him- LECTURE XXVII. CHAPTER XXIV. 367 self before a judge, who having hved several years in Judea, was acquainted with its laws and usages, and with the temper and manners of the people. To him, the vehemence with which Paul was accused would not appear a proof or even a presumption of his guilt, as he was aware of the bitterness of Jewish zeal, and the in- tolerance which they displayed in their religious disputes. By his residence in the country, he had also acquired some knowledge of Christianity ; and being a disciple neither of Moses nor of Christ, he was able to decide with coolness and impartiality, whether Paul was worthy of blame for having espoused and propagated the new faith. The Apostle proceeds to reply to the several accusations in their order. The charge of sedition he expressly denies, and challenges his adversaries to prove, that he had been found in the temple, in the synagogues, or in any part of the city, engaged in disputation, or attempting to sow the seeds of disaffection to government. " Be- cause that thou may est understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city : neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me." Paul, indeed, declined no proper opportunity of preaching the gospel, and defend- ing it against its adversaries ; but he always conducted himself with meekness and prudence. His behaviour as well as that of the other Apostles, was strictly conformable to the duty of good citizens. He exemplified the precept which he inculcated upon others, to be subject to the higher powers. In the primitive ages, Christianity was not propagated by exciting insurrections among the people, by inflaming their minds against the government, and by the over- throw of civil institutions ; but by a simple manifestation of the truth, and by leaving it silently to work a change in the sentiments of mankind. The Christians cheerfully obeyed the laws, as far as was consistent with obedience to God ; and when conscience for- bade them to comply, they patiently submitted to sufferings. No bitterness of spirit was mingled with the disputes in which they were compelled to engage ; no intolerant zeal was displayed against the most unreasonable and mahgnant opponents of truth. Like their blessed Master, " they did not cry, nor lift up, nor cause their voice to be heard in the streets." To the charge of heresy he pleads guilty. " But this I confess 368 LECTURE XXVII. CHAPTER XXIV. unto (bee, that after the way which tliey call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, beheving all things which are written in the law and the Prophets." Christianity was stigmatized as a heresy. But, with whatever odious name it might be branded by the Jews, it was not an apostacy from the ancient religion of the country, for Paul continued to worship the God of his ancestors ; and the doctrines which he had embraced, although they were represented by his ac- cusers as novel and blasphemous, were contained in their own sacred writings. The law prefigured, and the Prophets foretold, Jesus Christ and redemption through his blood. He adds, '• And have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." The reason for specifying this article of his faith, seems to have been his former avowal of it in the presence of the Sanhedrim, which, having caused much contention among the members of the court, had probably been misrepresented to Felix. " If I have de- clared my hope of the resurrection of the dead, they cannot con- sistently blame me, since the same hope is entertained and professed by themselves." The resurrection of the body is not a doctrine pecu- liar to Christianity, but has always been an article in the creed of the Jews. It was rejected, indeed, by the Sadducees ; but while in point of number they were an inconsiderable sect, their naked and comfortless system was at variance with the faith of the nation, founded upon the promises of God, and was regarded with detesta- tion by the devout and sober minded part of the community. With the greater part even of the orthodox Jews, this hope was nothing more than a speculative opinion ; but the life of Paul was an illus- tration of its practical effects. " And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." In the view of the retribution which will take place at the resurrection of the just and the unjust, it w^as the constant study of the Apostle, to act such a part, that his conscience should bear testi- mony in his favour, and anticipate the approbation of his judge. Whatever opinion, therefore, Felix might entertain of the grounds of his hope, he could not condemn him for adopting a principle, which exerted so salutary an influence upon his conduct. A hea- then might deem it a delusion ; but it was a pardonable one, since i( was favourable to the practice of virtue. To the last charge of profaning the temple he answers in the following words. " Now after many years, I came to bring alms LECTURE XXVII. CHAPTER XXIV. 369 to my nation, and offerings. Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult : who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me." He did not return to Jerusalem, after a long absence, for the purposes of sedition or impiety, but on an errand of charity, to bring alms to his countrymen, or those contri- butions which he had collected for the relief of the poor. So far was he from showing any disrespect to the temple, that having joined with some others in a religious vow, and purified himself according to the law, he went into it to offer the customary sacri- fices. During the time which he spent in it, he was guilty of no disorder, and did nothing inconsistent with the sacred nature of the place. Those who saw him there, could not justly charge him with any offence ; Paul complains that they were not present to be confronted with him, that he might have an opportunity to estab- lish his innocence. At the same time, he boldly challenges those who were present, the high-priest and the elders, to point out any fault in his conduct, when he appeared before the council, " except this one voice, that he cried standing among them. Touching the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question by you this day." To this declaration of his faith, they could not reasonably object. The Pharisees believed the resurrection of the body : and the Sad- ducees must have allowed, that Paul had the same liberty to assert, which they had to deny, it. Such is the defence which the Apostle made for himself, simple, distinct, dignified, and in every part of it, strictly conformable to truth. We may remark the courage which he displayed, when standing alone before his accusers and his judge ; his calmness in replying to misrepresentation and falsehood ; and the confidence with which he maintained his innocence. Instead of shrinking from an investigation of his conduct, he claimed it as his right. Fehx resolved to delay giving judgment, till Lysias, the chief captain should arrive, from whom he expected a full and impartial account of the matter. It is remarked by Luke, " that he had more perfect knowledge of that way ;" or that in consequence of having lived several years in Judea, he was acquainted with the history and doctrines of the Christian religion. He probably considered it as a harmless superstition, and suspecting, perhaps, that this pro- secution had originated in bigotry, he was not disposed to give implicit credit to the accusations of the Jews. He could not, how- 47 370 LECTURE XXVII. — CHAPTER XXIV. ever, dismiss Paul from his tribunal, because he had yet heard only strong assertions of his guilt, on the one hand, and of hie innocence, on the other ; but he ordered him to be treated with kindness, and allowed him as much liberty as a prisoner could enjoy. The knowledge of the new religion which the governor, who seems to have been no careless spectator of what was passing around him, had already acquired, excited his curiosity to hear an accurate detail of its principles from Paul, who was one of its most eminent teachers. " And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ." Drusilla was the daughter of the Herod whose tragical end is related in the twelfth chapter of this book. She was first married to Azizus king of Emesenes, who had consented for her sake to embrace the Jewish religion ; but not long after she deserted him, and was married a second time to Felix, who had seduced her affections. Her conduct gave great and just offence to the Jews, who detested her as an adulteress, and a traitress to her religion, which condemned her for entering into this relation with a Gentile.* Such were the persons before whom Paul was summoned to give an account of the Christian doc- trine ; and when we recollect what has been already said with respect to the unjust and oppressive administration of Felix, we shall perceive his reason for selecting the topics, upon which he discoursed in their presence. Paul having been requested by Felix to explain " the faith in Christ," wiUingly embraced this opportunity to give a summary account of the doctrines and institutions of his religion. To preach Christ "as the power of God unto salvation to every one that be- lieveth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek," was his favourite employment. He was not ashamed of this subject, however strange and fooHsh it might seem to men whose minds were preoccupied by the maxims of a vain philosophy, and the tenets of a corrupt theology. His heart warmed with love and grfititude to the Saviour, rendered his tongue eloquent in commending him to the world. But, Paul was too wise and too faithful a preacher, to suppress any part of the truth, when circumstances required him to publish it. He adapted his discourses not to the taste, but to the character and • Joseph. Antiq. lib. zx. e&p. 6. LECTURE XXVII. CHAPTER XXIV. 371 situation of his hearers. Reflecting that he now stood before two persons of profligate manners, to whom the doctrine of salvation would be uninteresting, unless their consciences were alarmed, he entered upon an illustration of those duties, in Avhich they were chiefly deficient, and announced the awful sanction, by which Christianity confirms them. A courtly preacher, when addressing such auditors, would have contented himself with representing the gospel as a new theory of religious opinions, and with a vague declamation upon virtue and vice, more calculated to amuse than to reform. Paul, dismissing the arts of accommodation, as, in the present case, inconsistent with the fidelity which he owed to God and to the souls of men, selected a subject, which, although not grateful to the feelings, through the divine blessing, would be profitable. He reasoned on justice and temperance in the presence of Felix, who openly lived in the neglect of those virtues. He held up a faithful mirror before him, which exhibited his features in all their deformity. A lecture on justice and temperance was a direct reproof of the man, who had often abused his power to oppress those whom he ought to have protected, and who in order to gratify his sensual appetites, had invaded the most sacred domestic rights, and broken the dearest bonds of society. It is possible to declaim against vice in terms so soft and gentle, that our words, like pointless arrows, shall not penetrate the con- science. It may be represented as a failing or impropriety, which a regard to decorum requires us to correct, and as productive of such consequences to our reputation, our health, our woildly interest, and our domestic comfort, as it will be prudent to avoid. Paul thun- dered against it with the honest indignation of a virtuous mind, and with the authority of a messenger from God, commissioned to de- nounce the punishment which awaits the guilty and impenitent. To Felix and Drusilla, to whom also a part of his discourse was directed, he gave warning of the judgment to come, at which the great and the small, without distinction of persons, shall appear before God, and be recompensed according to their deeds. The principles of morality are exposed, without defence, to the inroads of our impetuous passions, if they are not exhibited in connexion with a future retribution. A perception of the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice, which has been represented as sufficient to excite us to our duty, and to guard our hearts against temptation, 372 LECTURE XXVII. CHArXKR XXIV. is a romantic theory, foun'tled in ignorance of human nature, and inattention to experience. The moral sense, of which philosophers talk, can mean nothing but conscience ; and, without a reference to a higher tribunal, conscience has no authority. It is only by |)owerful ai)iieals to our hopes and fears, that the heart will be in- terested, and the sinner, fascinated by the syren song of pleasure, and hastening to seize forbidden joys, will be rescued from the illusions of sense, and induced to abandon his purpose. The doc- trine of a judgment to come gives a force to the commands of re- ligion, which the boldest sinners have found themselves unable to resist. The power of the word of God appeared in the impression which it made upon Felix. " As Paul reasoned of righteousness, temper- ance, and judgment to come, he trembled." Conscience reminded him of his crimes against the laws of God and man, and summoned him to a more awful tribunal than that of the Roman emperor. What a surprising spectacle is now presented to us ! The Apostle, whose liberty and life depended upon the will of Felix, dares to address him in the language of truth, without being deterred by the thought, that so wicked a man was more likely to be of- fended than reformed. Felix sitting as his judge, surrounded with his guards, and invested with supreme power in the province of Judea, trembles at the v/ords of a poor unfriended prisoner. They have exchanged situations. Felix is the criminal, arraigned and convicted ; and Paul is the judge, or rather the accredited deputy of the Sovereign Judge of heaven and earth. But, although Felix felt a momentary conviction of guilt, his heart was not changed. Truth was an unexpected and unwel- come visitant, whose presence troubled him, and interrupted those pleasures to which he was still attached ; and he made haste, there- fore, to dismiss it. " Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time ; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." What ! was any other business more urgent than the reforination of his conduct, or more important than the salvation of his soul ! The governor would have found leisure to listen to Paul, if he had relished his doctrine, and been as deeply aflected as the jailor of Phihppi, who exclaimed, " What must I do to be saved ?" but an hour, or a minute, appears too long, when we are compelled to hear those practices exposed and condemned, which we cannot justify, and are resolved not to forsake LECTURE XXVn. — CHAPTER XXIV. 373 We do not find that a convenient season ever occurred to Felix, for hearing Paul on the same subject. The governor, indeed, sent often for him ; but he confined him, we may presume, to general topics, and cautiously avoided the repetition of those truths, which had given him so much uneasiness. He was a base, unprincipled man. Convinced of the innocence of Paul, he retained him in custody, expecting that his friends would purchase his liberty with money. Felix would not do justice without a bribe. As a bribe was never offered, Paul remained in prison, till Felix was recalled, when he left him in bonds, to please the Jews ; trusting, that by this instance of attention to their wishes, they should be so much gratified, as to forgive the crimes of his administration. In this hope, however, he was disappointed, for soon after his return, the chief men of the nation followed him to Rome with their complaints , and he narrowly escaped the just punishment of the wrongs with which he had afflicted Judea, by the intercession of his brother, who was, at that time, in favour with the emperor. From the history of what passed between Felix and Paul, when the latter reasoned before him concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, we may draw the following instructions. First, We conceive what power the word of God can exert upon the conscience. There is, indeed, no greater virtue in the terms in which his will is expressed, than in tliose of ordinary language, nor can the sound of them, like the pretended incantations of magic, produce any mysterious effect upon the hearers. The letter is dead ; it is the Spirit who gives life. When the secret influence of its Author accompanies the simple words in which it is delivered, the impression made upon the mind is more wonderful than human eloquence was ever able to effect. Felix might have been quite composed, and might have even been entertained, by the elegant declamation of a philosopher against vice ; but when a plain Apostle preaches, without a nice selection of terms, and without rhetorical ornaments, the governor trembles. He sees, or seems to see, the God of justice and purity seated on his throne of judgment ; he hears a voice accusing him of his crimes, and demanding his pun- ishment. " Is not my word like as a fire ? saith the Lord ; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ?"' It is the word of Him, who can impress upon the soul such a sense of his majesty 374 LECTORE XXVn. CHAPTER XXIT. and holiness, as shall disturb and terrify it amidst the most pro- found security. Its efficacy, however, does not arise solely from the momentous and awful nature of its doctrines, but from the divine ^ power which accompanies it, and operates, not blindly and neces- sarily, but under the direction of sovereign wisdom. I remark, therefore, in the second place, that those to whom it is addressed, are not all affected by it, in the same manner. Felix trembled, when Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come ; but we do not read that Drusilla experienced a similar agitation. She seems to have retained the utmost com- posure, during a discourse which should have alarmed her as well as her husband. Perhaps, she supported her courage by the thought, that although an adulteress, she was guilty of none of those acts of injustice with which Felix was chargeable, for in the estimate of some persons, a less degree of wickedness is positive virtue ; per- haps, she was a more hardened and determined sinner tlian he ; perhaps, being a Jewess, she contrived to persuade herself, that as one of the chosen people, she should find favour with her Maker, notwithstanding the disorders of her life. It is impossible to enu- merate or to conceive the various methods, by which sinners fortify themselves against the influence of the word of God. Their suc- cess in the art of deceiving themselves is manifest, from their indif- ference to the most solemn and momentous truths. While one man startles at his danger, and makes haste to escape from it, another hears the doctrines by which he is awakened, with con- summate listlessness. Salvation is equally necessary to all, but few seek it with earnestness. " Many say. Peace and safety, although sudden destruction is coming upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall not escape." In the third place, impressions and emotions, which seemed to prognosticate conversion, frequently pass away, without producing any lasting effect. Who would not have augured good from the fears of Fehx ? But the fit of terror was transient ; he exerted him- self to put a stop to it, by dismissing the preacher ; and he inmiedi- ately returned to his former course of injustice and profligacy. Often have men "exclaimed, in a moment of alarm, What must we do to be saved ? who never honestly and resolutely engaged in the work of salvation. Sinners contrive a variety of expedients to recall the hopes which had fled from them, and again please themselves with their own delusions. Starting up, like a man who is roused from LECTURE XXVII. CHAPTER XXIV. 375 sleep by a loud noise, they continue awake for a short time, and are restless ; but they gradually sink into their usual state of insensi- bility. They quiet their consciences, perhaps, witli the opiate of pleasure. Plunging into folly and dissipation, they forget the cause of their uneasiness ; and turning away their eyes from the danger which alarmed them, they persuade themselves that it is removed. Let us not be deceived by occasional appearances of religion in others, or in ourselves. Although the spring should open with a fair promise of fruit, yet a fatal blast may, in a single night, disap- point our expectations. Lastly, Let us beware of trifling with the word of God, by dis- missing it, when it solicits our attention, and deferring the duty which it immediately demands, to a future opportunity. " Go thy way for this time ; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." In this disrespectful manner, it is often treated, when it is pressing upon the attention of men the concerns of their souls, and has begun to exert its power upon their consciences. But, they promise to themselves, that the business which is neglected to-day, shall be attended to to-morrow. It is a promise which they have no serious intention to perform ; for if they were sincerely resolved to engage in the work of salvation, they would presently enter upon it. It would be of such magnitude in their eyes, that the delay even of an hour would seem too long. They would dread impedi- ments, which the progress of time might create ; and w^ould be urged on by the uncertainty of life, the unexpected termination of which might send them down into the grave with their resolutions unexecuted. " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wis- dom, in the grave whither thou goest." Procrastinating sinners, why is the present not a convenient sea- son ? Do you expect, that as you advance in life, your hearts will grow softer, and the influence of the world upon them will decline ? Ah ! how much are you deceived ? The result will be totally differ- ent ; for your hearts will become callous, and earthly cares will twist themselves more closely about them. Is any business more interesting than the well-being of your souls, which are far more precious than ten thousand worlds, and through your neglect, may be lost for ever 7 Are you at this moment in no danger of eternal perdition ? Is there no sentence against you in the word of God, the execution of which is deferred only by his patience, upon the 376 LECTimE xx\'ir. — chapter xxiv. continued exercise of which you cannot reckon ? Are your lives more certain now, although you enjoy all the vigour of youth, than they will be at any subsequent stage of your existence? Alas! that men, whose eternal fate may depend upon the determination of the present day, and to whom salvation is offered, perhaps, for the last time, should permit themselves to be imposed upon by ar- guments, which would not dissuade them from immediate atten- tion to their secular interests, and which are so evidently fallacious, that they condemn all but themselves, who allow their conduct to be influenced by them. The present is a convenient season ; other opportunities may be less favourable, but will not be more advanta- geous. Should you not consider, that the same motives from which you delay till to-morrow, will prevail upon you to-morrow to delay till the next day ; and that you may go on in this course of guilt and folly till life is exhausted, and death has set its inviolable seal upon your doom ? Disregard not therefore, the voice of God, nor say to him, " We will afterwards hear thee," lest provoked by this insult, which would excite the indignation of a human superior, he should refuse to listen to your prayers, when you shall call upon him in the day of distress. Remember his awful words, which are full of terror to every careless sinner. " Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought n^y counsel, and would none of my re- proof: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your de- struction Cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer ; they seek me early, but they shall not find me : for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the liord. They would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." LECTURE XXVIII. PAUL BEFORE PESTUS AND AGRIPPA. Chae. xxvi. Felix, whose character and conduct were reviewed in the last Lecture, was one of those in whom conscience has not entirely lost its authority, but whose sinful habits and propensities are so strong, as to counteract the force of its commands. He was convinced that Paul was innocent of the crimes laid to his charge, and was, therefore, bound in justice to set him immediately at liberty. But he retained him in bonds from a motive of avarice ; and when he was recalled from the government of Judea, he left him in prison, in the hope that by this instance of complaisance to the Jews, he should prevent them from carrying their complaints of his cruelty and extortion to the emperor. Felix was succeeded by Festus, who a few days after his arrival in the province, went up from Cesarea to Jerusalem. The hatred of the chief priests and rulers against Paul was implacable. Time had not abated its violence, nor had his sufferings during an im- prisonment for at least two years, inclined them to relax the sever- ity of their measures. Hence, they now endeavoured to persuade Festus to send for him to Jerusalem, that he might there undergo a trial ; under this apparently reasonable and harmless request, concealing a most nefarious design. During the long interval which had elapsed since they resolved upon the assassination of Paul, they had not repented of their purpose. Often, we may be- lieve, it had been the subject of reflection and conversation in their confidential meetings ; but the only sentiment which ever arose in their minds was regret that they had been prevented from accom- plishing it. A false zeal for God had perverted their moral judg- ment and feelings. Religion, misunderstood, and corrupted by the 48 378 LECTURE XXVIII. CnArTER XXVI. influence of human passions, justified, in their eyes, one of the most atrocious deeds of injustice and cruelty. In cases of this nature, no remedy can be expected from conscience, whicli some- times arrests the wicked man in his career, because it is preoccupied by an erroneous idea of duty, and prescribes, in the name of God, actions which it ought, in the most exphcit manner, to condemn. The chief priests and elders had concerted, that Paul should be murdered in the way ; and they might have accomplished their de- sign without detection, because the country was infested with bands of robbers and lawless persons, to whom the guilty deed would have been imputed. ' With this request Festus refused to comply ; and the enemies of Paul were obliged to repair to Cesarea, where he successfully de- fended himself against their accusations. As the governor, how- ever, in consequence of fresh solicitations, or with a view to concili- ate the favour of the Jews, at the commencement of his administra- tion, now discovered an inclination to transfer the judgment of the cause to Jerusalem, the Apostle found it necessary to appeal to Cesar. This ap])eal to a foreign judge was not made with a view to reflect upon the laws of his country as insuflicient for the security of inno- cence, but from his certain knowledge, that he had no justice to expect from the partial and hostile tribunal of the Sanhedrim. As a Roman citizen, he had a right to claim the protection of the Ro- man laws ; and it was the privilege of a citizen, to carry his cause from an inferior judicatory to the emperor himself, not. only when a sentence, by which he deemed himself aggrieved, had been pro- nounced, but at the commencement, or at any stage of the process. This expedient was calculated to secure an impartial execution of the laws. It was a check upon those magistrates of cities, and governers of provinces, who were disposed to abuse their power ; and it afforded an accused person the benefit of a second trial, before a court where the partialities and prejudices arising from local circumstances, which frequently obstruct the course of justice, would not operate to his disadvantage. Paul expected fairer treat- ment from a heathen emperor than from the supreme council of the Jews ; and was wiUing to submit his cause rather to Nero than to the higli priest. By the appeal to Cesar, the proceedings were stopped ; and the Apostle was remanded to prison, till an opportunity should occur of sending him to Rome. In the mean time, Agrippa and his sister LECTURE XXVIIl. CHAPTER XXVI. 379 Bernice came to Cesarea on a visit to Festus. Their father was the Herod, wlio killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and died, as this historian relates, by the judgment of God. At the death of his father, Agrippa was too young to succeed him in the throne ; but he received from the emperor Claudius the king- dom of Chalcis^ which was afterwards exchanged for other do- minions. Bernice was first married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, and after his decease, to Polemon, king of Cilicia, with whom her connexion was not of long continuance ; for she soon returned to her brother, and was now living with him, under sus- picion of an unlawful familiarity between them.* Festus having mentioned the case of Paul to Agrippa, the king expressed a desire to hear him. His curiosity would be gratified by seeing a man who had rendered himself so remarkable, first by his zeal for Judaism, and afterwards by his conversion to Christianity, and by receiving from him a true and particular account of the new religion, which was the subject of so much conversation and dis- cussion. When the court was assembled, Paul having been permitted to speak for himself, began by expressing his happiness in being called to plead his cause, before so competent a judge as Agrippa. He does not, indeed, insinuate, that he expected him to be more candid than Festus, nor does it appear, that the governor enter- tained any prejudice against him, and was disposed to favour his accusers. But, Agrippa, who had been educated in the knowledge of the law of Moses, and of the writings of the Prophets, was better qualified to decide upon the merits of the question than Festus, who had lately come into Judea, and was not acquainted with its religion and customs. " I think myself happy, king Agrippa, be- cause I shall answer for myself this day before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews ; especially because J-know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews." The man who addresses an audience, to whom the subject of discourse is new, and who are ignorant of the prin- ciples, without which it cannot be understood, is placed in disad- vantageous circumstances. When delivering the most important truths, he may seem to utter crude fancies, and the reveries of a disordered brain. Festus thought Paul mad, when he was stating * Joseph. Antiq. lib. xi. cap. 5. 380 LECTURE XXVIir. CHAPTER XXVI. some of the great doctrines and facts of Christianity. But, in the pre- sence of Agrippa. the Apostle could illustrate the harmony between the gospel and the law, with the hope of producing conviction, or at least of proving that the new religion was not so irrational and impious, as its malignant enemies represented it. Accordingly, the king acknowledged that the arguments had made a favourable im- pression upon his mind. After this introduction, Paul proceeds to give an account of him- self prior to his conversion, in order to pave the way for the relation of that event. " My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews which knew me from the beginning, (if they would testify,) that after the most straightest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." The Jews were divided into several sects, differing widely in their sentiments and practices, although they were united in the same religious fellowship. Of all those sects the Pharisees were the strictest. Professing a sacred reverence for the law, they were scrupulously punctual in observing the ceremonial duties which it enjoined, and the traditions of the elders, in which religion was supposed chiefly to consist. Josephus informs us, that they were accounted more pious than others, and more exact in the interpre- tation of the laws. To this sect Paul was attached in the preced- ing part of his life. He adopted its peculiar tenets, rigidly con- formed to its institutions, so that " touching the righteousness which was in the law, he w^as blameless," and imbibed the ve- hement zeal, which distinguished the Pharisees, and usually characterises those sects, which affect pre-eminence in orthodoxy and puiity. His connexion with the Pharisees he had now renounced, as well as some of their tenets, which were contrary to the Christian faith ; but he retained such of them as were agreeable to Scripture. For why did he now stand a prisoner at the tribunal of Festus^ Had he committed any crime against the state, or was he guilty of any offence against religion ? No ; he was persecuted by his coun- trymen, for his steadfast adherence to the promises of God, which they also professed to believe. " And now I stand, and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers : unto which promise our twelve tribes, constantly serving God day and night, -liope to come; for which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews." The promise made to the fathers is the LECTt'RE XXVIII. CH.\rTER XXVI. 381 promise of the Messiah, or, as some suppose, that of the resuriectiou of the body to eternal hfe. Paul, however, was not blamed for simply teaching the resurrection of the dead, which was expected by all the Jews, with the exception of the Sadducees, but for as- serting that it would be affected by the agency of Jesus of Naza- reth, and that God had given an example and earnest of it, by restoring him to life. The subject of dispute, between him aiiH his \ adversaries was confined to the ground of our hope ; and in this ' discussion the truth of Christianity was involved. If the question which follows, be considered as addressed to Agrippa, it is not easy to perceive the propriety of it. " Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead ?" The resurrection of the dead was not deemed incredible by the Jews, in whose Scriptures it is expressly taught, and who entertained such conceptions of the power of God, as removed the difficulties with which it seems to be encumbered. They did not disbelieve the resurrection of our Saviour, because they judged it to be impossible, but because they counted him an impostor, in whose favour it was absurd and blasphemous to suppose God to have exerted his miraculous power. I consider the question, there- fore, as addressed to the Gentile part of the audience, to whom the resurrection did seem incredible. As it was a doctrine of great im- portance in the Christian system, Paul was careful in this stage of his discourse, to obviate an objection against it, which arises from the complete destruction of the body in the grave. How can it be believed that its parts, which are separated, decomposed, and in ap- pearance annihilated, shall be collected together, and arranged in their original order ; and that it shall live again, after an interval of hundreds or thousands of years ? He reminds the Gentiles that, however strange it may seem, the event ceases to be improbable, as soon as we reflect upon the agent, to whose power no limits can be assigned. He who created the body of man, is undoutedly able to restore it, after it had been blended with its native elements. No- thing which may be done, is impossible to omnipotence ; no effect, how much soever it may surpass the common operations of nature, should be acounted too wonderful to be believed, when God has declared his intention to produce it. "Ye do err," said our Lord to the Sadducees, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. » Paul returns to his own history. While he Uved a Pharisee, he 382 LECTURE XXVIII. CHAPTER XXVI. had conceived an implacable hatred against Jesus Christ, which was displayed in many acts of violence and cruelty, of which his disciples were the objects. He dragged them to prison, consented to their death, scourged them in the synagogues, in which the Jews were wont to inflict corporal punishment upon offenders against religion, compelled them to blaspheme, or made every effort to force them to deny Christ, and, perhaps, in some instances, succeeded through the frailty of the sufferers, and in the excess of his rage, pursued tliem to strange cities, to which they had fled for safety. In persecuting the Church, Paul acted from conscience. He never doubted that Jesus was an impostor, and consequently, that the means which he employed to check the progress of his religion, were acceptable to God. '• I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Naza- reth." We learn, by the way, that the standard of our duty is not conscience, which sometimes calls good evil, and evil good, but the "perfect and unchangeable law of God ; and that it will not be a sufficient apology for our errors of practice, that we can plead its dictates, because there is a higher authority, by which its commands are controlled. We perceive, too, that sincerity, of which some men speak, as if it were the only virtue, or as if it would atone for almost every mistake, is of no value, unless we be sincere in what is right. No man was ever more sincere, or more fully convinced of the law- fulness of his proceedings than Paul, when he persecuted the disci- pks of Christ ; but notwithstanding this persuasion, he afterwards reflected upon his conduct with shame and detestation, and pro- nounced himself to be the chief of sinners. We may farther see the diflferencc between false and true zeal. False zeal is a hateful compound of pride, passion, and injustice. It seeks the injury and destruction of those against whom it is directed, and, like a torrent, sweeps away every thing before it. The man of enlightened zeal, entertains a much stronger hatred of sin than the false zealot, and opposes it with honest indignation ; but he pities the sinner, is de- sirous to reclaim him, and is far from thinking, that to torture his body is the best expedient for saving his soul. Saul, the persecutor, is not, surely, a pattern to Christians, although many of them have found it more congenial to their proud and impatient temper, to imi- tate his furious zeal against the gospel, than to comply with the ex- hortation delivered by him, in the character of an Apostle, "in LECTURE XXVIII. CHAPTER XXVI. 383 meekness to instruct those that oppose themselves, if God peradven- ture will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." Paul proceeds to account for his subsequent conduct, in endea- vouring to propagate the religion which he had laboured to destroy. "Whereupon as I went to Damascus, with authority and commis- sion from the chief priests, at mid-day, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them that journeyed with me. And, when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and say- ing in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, who art thou. Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." As the conversion of Paul was the subject of a former Lecture, it is not necessary now to give a particular illustration of it.* Yet, the repeated references to it in his speeches, and the miraculous manner in which it was accomplished, will justify me in making a few re- marks in this place, upon an event, from which many important instructions may be drawn. The first remark relates to its extraordinary nature. Paul was not brought to the knowledge of the truth, by the ordinary means, but by an unusual, and what we may strictly call a miraculous, dispensation. We do not know of a similar interposition in favour of any other person, although it would, perhaps, be presumptuous to affirm, that God has never again stept aside from his established method, for the salvation of a sinner ; but we are certain, that it is not by visions and voices from heaven, that men are commonly converted. From his character and circumstances, Paul seems to have been beyond the reach of the ordinary means. Yet, it was not properly for his own sake, that this singular plan was adopted, for in the sight of God, Saul of Tarsus was of no more importance than any other Jew, but to make his conversion at once a striking proof of the truth of Christianity, and an illustrious display of the sovereignty of divine grace. I remark, in the second place, that at the time of his conversion, his mind was in a state highly unfavourable to a change. Had he been a man of loose manners, an open transgressor of the law of God, his conscience might have been easily alarmed, so that he should have willingly listened to the gospel, proclaiming pardon to • Lect. xii. 384 LECTURE XXVIII. — CHAPTER XXVI. the guilty. But, he was a Pharisee, elated by a proud confidence in his own righteousness, who treated the humiliating doctrine of salvation by grace with contempt. Had he been a calm and mode- rate man, he might have candidly examined the evidence in favour of Christianity, and have been convinced by it. But, his prejudices were strong; they were wrought up, according to his own confes- sion, to madness ; and agreeably to the usual process of the pas- sions, his hatred of the gospel became the more virulent, the more it was indulged. His case was hopeless without a moral miracle, analogous to the power displayed in making water flow from a solid rock, and life return to a dead body in the grave. The con- A'ersion of Paul demonstrates the immediate agency of God, " who quickcneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." In the third place, this event affords a striking illustration of the grace of God, or of the free, unconditional exercise of his mercy. It elucidates and confirms the doctrine, that salvation is not of works, but of grace. Much has been said concerning certain quahfications which a sinner must possess, that he may be a proper object of the favour of his Maker ; but to this idea the case before us gives no countenance. In Paul, at the time of his conversion, there was no qualifications, which could recommend him to divine mercy, or render it congruous and equitable, that it should be extended to him in preference to others. He was actuated, in a high degree, by all those passions, which are just objects of abhorrence and punish- ment, pride, rage, enmity to the truth, and implacable hatred against good men. There was no relenting of heart, nor so much as a doubt in his mind with respect to the propriety of his conduct ; he was decided in his opposition to the gospel, and bent upon the ex- tirpation of it from the earth. It was at this moment, the most unlikely of all to be the season of gracious visitation, that Jesus whom he persecuted, chose to appear, not to punish but to pardon his crimes, and to employ the blaspliemer and persecutor in his service. Was not Paul, without controversy, saved by grace ? And with this example in his eye, why should any man, how- ever unworthy, despair of obtaining salvation, when he seeks it by faith ? In the last place, the conversion of Paul was sudden and com- plete. It may be said, indeed, of every convert, that he passes at once from a state of nature to a state of grace, because a middle LECTURE XXVm. CHAPTER XXVI. 385 State between condemnation and pardon, between the bondage of sin and spiritual liberty, is inconceivable. But, in most cases, there is a previous process, of which the steps are distinctly marked. Se- rious thoughts arise in the mind of the sinner ; remorse for past offences, and fear of punishment disturb his peace ; tears are shed, and prayers are multiplied ; and the duties of religion are diligently and anxiously performed. The conversion of Paul, like the crea- tion of light, was accomplished in an instant. He who but a mo- ment before breathed threatenings and slaughter against the disci- ples of Jesus, lies prostrate before him, and says, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" This was not the transient effect of a fit of terror, the deceitful language of distress, which is forgotten as soon as the cause which extorted it is removed. The sincerity of his conversion is manifest from his subsequent conduct. The convic- tion of the truth of Christianity which now took possession of his mind, lasted during the lemainder of his life, and called forth his vigorous and well-supported exertions in its service. Jesus Christ did not appear to him. solely for his own salvation, but to employ him in preaching the gospel to the nations of the world ; and, ac- cordingly, he gave him the following commission. " But rise, and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee ; delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." The office with which Paul was invested was of the most hon- ourable nature ; and such it seems to every Christian. But, in the state of the world at that time, it subjected him to the contempt and hatred of all classes of men. By the Greeks he was accounted a babbler, and by the Jews an apostate and a heretic ; and we shall, perhaps, form an idea of his situation tolerably exact, by supposing it to have been similar to that of the ringleader of some illiterate and enthusiastic sect in our own age, whom high and low, learned and unlearned, never mention but in terms of scorn and detestation, with this difference, however, that while our laws protect every man in the exercise of his religion, the life of the Apostle was exposed 49 386 LECTURE xxvnr.- :;H AFTER XXVI. to perpetual danger. Paul was perfectly aware of the consequences of accepting the office; but he neither declined it at first, nor did he afterwards discover any inclination to resign it. " Whereupon O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision : but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repen- tance. For these causes, the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Closes did say should come : that Christ should sufier, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles." The alacrity with wliicli he en- gaged in the service of Christ, and th« undaunted courage, which he displayed in performing his duty, are proofs of his full persua- sion of the truth of the gospel, and of the complete change of views and principles which he had experienced, in consequence of the a}> pearance of our Saviour, in the way to Damascus. While the Apostle was relating the manner of his conversion, and the doctrines which he had since preached to Jews and Gentiles, he was interrupted by Festus, who exclaimed, " Paul, thou art beside thyself: much learning doth make thee mad." If we reflect upon the character and circumstances of Festus, we shall not be surprised, that Paul appeared to him in the light of a mad- man. The governor was a heathen, who probably knew little about the .Tcwish religion, and had scarcely heard of Christianity, before he came into Judea. To such a man, how strange must every thing relative to it have seemed ! . Wiiat could he think of Paul's miraculous conversion ! How different from his \iews of religion, was the account which the apostle gave of the design of his ministry, to open the eyes of sinners, to deliver them from the dominion of Satan, and to sanctify them through faith : and of the grand facts on which Christianity is founded, the death and resur- rection of its Author ! These were subjects which the governor could not comprehend, and which excited no distinct notions in his mind. The discourse which he had heard, seemed to be a jumble of waking dreams, a collection of extravagant fancies, more resembling the ravings of an insane person, than the thoughts of a man in his senses. At the same time, as Paul had referred to the writings LECTURE XXVra. CHAPTER XXVX. 387 of Moses and the Prophets, and had probably cited a variety of passages from them, Festiis conckided, that he was a man of learning, whose mind intense study had disordered, and who was bewildered by the multitude of his ideas. " Much learning doth make thee mad." To this abrupt and indecent charge Paul repUed with temper and politeness. He remembered the respect due to the supreme magistrate of the province, and displayed the meekness, which should characterise a Christian, upon every occasion. A passionate an- swer would havfe been unsuitable to his present circumstances, and to the spirit of rehgion, which he was endeavouring to vindicate and recommend. " I am not mad, most noble Festus ; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness." In support of this asser- tion, he appealed to Agrippa. " For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely : for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him ; for this thing was not done ^ in a corner," To Agrippa, a professor of the Jewish religion, the writings of the Prophets, which foretold the sufferings and glory of ;he Messiah, were familiar. He could not be ignorant of the his- lory of Jesus of Nazareth, and of the report of his resurrection, which was publicly and confidently asserted by his disciples. He had undoubtedly heard of the conversion of Paul, which, whether }ve consider the character of the man, or the suddenness of the change,' must have been a subject of general conversation. With respect to both these events, it was true, " that this thing was not done in a corner." The conversion of the Apostle was soon made known by his appearance in the character of a preacher of the gos- pel ; and, besides, tlie men who accompanied him to Damascus, were witnesses of the miraculous interposition by which it was af- fected. The resurrection of Jesus was a fact of public notoriety. The Roman soldiers, who were stationed to watch the sepulchre, saw the angel descend, and roll away the stone which closed the entrance to it ; the body could not be found ; the disciples appeared in the streets and in the temple, affirming that their Master was risen ; and many miracles were performed in confirmation of their testimony. It is an argument of great weight in favour of the gospel, that it was pubhshed at the time, when the events which it records, are said to have happened ; that it was submitted to the examination of those, who, had it been a human contrivance, could have easily convicted it of imposture ; and that it stood this severe 388 LECTURE XXVIII. CHAPTER XXVI test, and prevailed, in circumstances which would have proved fatal to every thing but truth. After this inilirect appeal to Agrippa, Paul turns from Fcstus to the king himself " King Agrippa, behevest thou the Prophets? 1 know that thou believest." Agrippa and all the Jews, believed that the Prophets were divinely inspired, and consequently, that their predictions should be punctually fulfilled. But, no nian who held this belief, and understood the prophetical writings, could refuse to acknowledge Jesus to be the Messiah, because his character and the events of his life are so clearly described in them. The argu- ment from prophecy was sufficient for the conviction of the Jews ; and accordingl}', we observe, that the mind of Agrippa was strongly affected by it. He said to Paul, " Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.'" It is evident, that in this summary of his speech, Luke merely gives an account of the general source, from which the arguments Avere drawn. Paul had endeavoured to show the exact correspond- ence between ancient prophecy and the history of our Saviour ; and Agrippa acknowledged that there was such a degree of probability in the reasoning, as almost induced him to admit the conclusion, that Jesus was the Christ. But he stopped here, either because his humble life and ignominious death were contrary to the notions of the pomp and splendour of the Messiah and his kingdom, which a Jew was accustomed to entertain ; or because he was restra'ined, by worldly considerations, from candidly declaring his sentiments. The remains of his Jewish prejudices, or a dread of the consequences, if he should avow his convictions, and embrace Christianity, arrested his progress. It w^ould have been no easy matter, in that age, for a king to profess the despised and offensive doctrine of the cross. The rage of the Jews against him w' ould have been without bounds ; and he would have incurred the displeasure of the Roman emperor, and probably have been degraded from his royal honours. What- ever was the motive which prevented him from becoming an entire convert to the religion of Christ, his conscience compelled him to acknowledge, that there were strong presumptions of its truth. The reply of the Apostle breathes the spirit of benevolence, by which a genuine Christian is influenced even towards his enemies " I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except thesf bonds." This wish or prayer might have seemed ridiculous t( LECTURE XXVra. CHAPTER XXVT. 389 those, who considered only the external circumstances of the Apos- tle, a poor man and lightly esteemed, precluded by his character and profession from the pleasures of the world, and constantly exposed to its most formidable evils. But Paul makes an exception of the chain with which he was bound. He was content to be a solitary sufferer, and desirous that his hearers should participate in his ad- vantages, without having a share in his troubles. He would have rejoiced to see them all enjoying the peace which dwelt in his own bosom, the consolation by which he was sustained, and the blessed hope, which cheered him in the dark scenes of adversity, and makes even the valley of death shine with celestial hght. The best prayer which a Christian can oflfer up for another man, is, that he may be associated with him in his spiritual privileges. Let the men of the world wish health, long life, riches, and honours to their friends. These are the only blessings of which they know the value : and if they sincerely desire others to be as happy as themselves, pos- sessed of all the good things which they so much esteem, what more can we expect from them ? He who has tasted the higher plea- sures of rehgion, will wish thaX grace, mercy, and peace may be multiplied to those in whom his heart is interested. He will say with the generous spirit of Paul, " May God make them what his grace has made me, and much better ! May they have all my joys, without any of my sorrows !" When Paul had closed his defence, his judges withdrew, and having consulted together, were unanimously of opinion, that he had done nothing " worthy of death or of bonds." Agrippa was almost convinced of the truth of Christianity ; and Festus regarded it as a harmless superstition. There was nothing, therefore, to hin- der him from being set at liberty but his appeal to the emperor, which, perhaps, he had not power to withdraw, and an inferior court could not set aside. We may, therefore, be disposed to regret that Paul had made this appeal, as he might have been immediately dismissed from the bar of Festus, and have returned to the free ex- ercise of his Apostolical office, which had been so long interrupted. It is evident, however, that it was a measure al^solutely necessary at the tim'fe, to preserve him from falling into the hands of the .Tews, who were resolved upon his destruction. By the Head of the Church, it was overruled as the occasion of sending him to Rome, the centre of concourse to all the nations of the earth, where he preached the gospel, which he had already published in many of 390 LECTURE XXVIII. CHAPTER XXVI. the chief cities of the empire ; and while this journey was subser- vient to the interests of rehgion, it was attended with no worse con- sequence to himself than his continuance for some time longer in bonds. This chapter would furnish a variety of useful remarks ; but I shall conchide with a few reflections, suggested by the impression which the speech of Paul made upon Agrippa. "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." We learn from this example, that there may be convictions of the truth, which are prevented by certain causes from terminating in conversion ; or that particu- lar persons may make such approaches towards religion, ns in the language of our Saviour, " not to be far from the kingdom of hea- ven," and yet may not fully submit to its authority. Perhaps, there may be found, among professed infidels them- selves, some persons, the state of whose minds much resembles that of Agrippa. They are secretly Convinced that Christianit}' is true, or the evidence in its favour appears so strong, that they entertain suspicions and presumptions of its truth ; but they are hindered from pursuing the inquiry, and avowing their sentiments, by pride, by the prevalence of corrupt propensities, by a dread of the re- proaches of their companions in unbelief, or by some other base consideration, which counteracts the suggestions of conscience. Their heartij misgive them, when they seem to he boldest in expres- sing their contempt for religion, and they tremble while they pretend to set its awful sanctions at defiance. How unhappy must such persons be ! There is a frequent and painful struggle in their breasts between inclination and a sense of duty ; they are desirous to taste and they venture to pluck, the forbidden fruit ; but they have not yet been able to fully persuade themselves, that the threat- ening is only an imaginary terror. Of religion they know as much as disturbs them in their pleasures, but not so much as to prevail upon them to give their cordial consent to it. While they hate the light and refuse to come to it, lest their deeds should be reproved, what a dreadful load of guilt do they accumulate ? No man can despise religion without sin ; but how great, how inexcusable is the sin of those, who affect to despise it, although their hearts secretly bear witness to its truth and excellence ! Again, Among the members of the Church, there are persons. who believe the gospel to be true, and profess an attachment to it, LECTURE XXVni. CHAPTER XXVI. 391 but, at the same time, are only almost persuaded to be Christians. Their faith is a cold and careless assent, which has httle or no in- fluence upon their hearts. They do not feel themselves interested in religion. They hear its awful and comfortable doctrines without emotions of fear or joy ; they observe its institutions Avithout devout affections ; they obey its precepts without any liking to the duties which they enjoin. Conscience will not permit them to do less ; but why are they content with so little ? If the gospel is true, is it not worthy of all acceptation ? If Jesus Christ is the Saviour of sinners, is he not entitled to their highest gratitude and love ? Con- sider, ye lukewarm friends of Christianity, that if you are not in earnest about religion, it can serve no valuable purpose to make a profession of it. " I would," said our Lord to the Church of Lao- dicea, '• thou wert cold or hot." He requires you to take a decided part, to be either for him or against him ; and he would rather that you should openly avow your hostility, than that under a show of regard, you should harbour a contemptuous indifference. Lastly, There is a third class of persons, to whom the words of Agrippa may be applied. They have not only the form, but they seem also to have experienced the power, of reUgion. They trust, as they flatter themselves, in the mercy of God, and hope for eter- nal life ; they take delight in hearing the doctrines and promises of salvation ; they engage in the exercises of devotion with fervour, and punctually perform many of the common duties of life. Yet, their religion is a false show ; there is nothing real under those specious appearances. They are not, indeed, deliberate hypocrites, studying for fame or gain to impose upon others ; but they are themselves imposed upon by their own feelings. There is no radi- cal change of their principles ; they are not new creatures in Christ Jesus ; they are almost, but not altogether persuaded to be Chris- tians. Remember the account given by our Saviour, in the parable of the sower, of some " who receive the word with joy, and con- tinue for a season, but have no root in themselves," It, therefore, deeply concerns the professors of rehgion to examine the emotions of their minds, and the attainments which they suppose themselves to have made, by the criterion of Scripture. No man should, upon slight evidence, or by a hasty induction, produce a sentence in his own favour. Let him reflect, that the heart is deceitful above all things ; and that there maybe a strong movement of the affections, and even a reformation of the conduct, while it remains under the 392 LECTURE XXVIII. CHAPTER XXVI. dominion of sin. It is by the grace of God, that a man becomes altogether a Christian. This new character cannot be assumed at pleasure, nor produced merely by the force of arguments, and the influence of favourable circumstances. It is the image and super- scription of our heavenly Father, impressed upon the soul by his own hand ; for " we are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." LECTURE XXIX PAUL IN MALTA AND ROME. Chap, xxviii. This chapter begins with showing- us Paul and his company safely landed in the Island of Melita. He had been sent by sea, with other prisoners, to Italy ; and the incidents of the voyage are related in the preceding chapter. After stopping at several places, and encountering adverse winds, they were overtaken by a tempest, which drove them upon an unknown coast, were the vessel was stranded. Of this disaster Paul had given early notice, not by his skill in maritime affairs, but in consequence of a divine revelation. The centurion to whose charge he was committed, was more dis- posed to believe the master and the owner of the ship, who seemed to have suspected no danger ; and the voyage was cciiitinued. When the storm arose, an angel was sent to inform Paul, that the lives of all the company, consisting of sailors, soldiers, and prisoners, should be preserved. The next day, he communicated this infor- mation, which was intended not only to comfort his own mind, but by exhibiting him as a man who enjoyed intercourse with Heaven, to recommend him to the favour of the centurion. Accordingly, he was held in such esteem by that officer, that for his sake, he would not permit the soldiers to murder the prisoners, as they had proposed to do, in order to prevent their escape. The prediction of Paul was exactly fulfilled : for, notwithstanding the wreck of the vessel at some distance from the shore, of two hundred and seventy-six per- sons, not an individual perished, but by different expedients they all got safely to land. It is worthy of observation, that although Paul expressly foretold, that there should be no loss of lives during the voyage, yet when the sailors were attempting to escape by means of the boat, he said 50 394 LECTURE XXIX CHAPTER XXVIU. to the centurion. "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." How shall these things be reconciled ? If God had deter- mined to save Paul and his companions, should not his purpose have been accomplished, whctlier the seamen had left the sliip or had remained in, it? Are the divine decrees dependent upon cir- cumstances, and liable to be reversed by the volitions and actions of men ? The objection is not peculiar to the present case, but has been advanced against the doctrine of predestination in all its ex- tent. If the counsels of God are absolutely fixed, it has been said, they will be executed, whatever may happen ; and, consequently, exhortations to duty are preposterous, and the use of means to avoid one thing, and obtain another, is idle labour. The objection lias a specious appearance, which dazzles superficial thinkers ; but it is founded in mistake, or intentional misrepresentation. It proceeds upon the idea, that the decrees of God are determinations res|)ecting certain ends or events, without a reference to the means ; and thus it attributes a procedure to Him who is wonderful in counsel, which would be unworthy of any of his creatures, endowed with only a small portion of reason. The objection first separates things, which cannot, in fact, be disjoined, the means and the end ; and then holding up the doctrine of the decrees in this mangled and distorted light, pronounces it to be absurd. With whatever parade and con- fidence, therefore, it has been brought forward, it has no relation to the subject, and is only of use to destroy an extravagant and senseless theory, which . has been substituted in the room of the genuine doctrine of Scripture. When God decreed an event, he, at the same time, decreed, that it should take place in consequence of a train of other eyentSj^or as the result of certain previous circumstances. Thus, he did not propose to save Paul and his companions unconditionally, by means of the seamen remaining on board to manage the ship, till it should be driven on the coast of Melita. In the same manner, he has not determined to save sinners, let them live as they will ; but he has chosen them to salvation, " through the sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." To say, therefore, that unless the means be employed, the ends will not be accomplished, is to assert a very simple and self-evident truth, that the purposes of God will not be fulfilled, unless tlicy be fulfilled. Had Paul and his company been preserved without the aid of the sailors, the decree of God would not have been executed : nor would it be executed, if it were possi- LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIII. 395 ble for a sinner to escape eternal perdition, without faith and re- pentance. The same event is supposed in both cases ; but it is effected in a different way from what God had ordained Let us al- ways remember, that the means make a part of the divine decrees as well as the end. The system of things is like a chain composed of many links, upon each of which the union and consistence of the chain depend. If one link w^ere broken, the chain would be destroyed. This view of the deciees of God does not make them dependent upon the mutable will of man, and liable to be frustrated by its capricious movements. Providence is not an occasional interference, but a constant agency of the Creator, directing and controlling events in subservience to his own designs, and, at the same time preserving inviolate the nature of his creatures. The hearts of men are in the hand of the Lord, who turns them as the rivers of water, without infringing their liberty. None of his pur- poses, therefore, can be defeated, because the means of carrying them into effect are provided, and will be brought into operation, in the proper season. The importance of the subject will jus- tify these remarks, although they have detained us from enter- ing upo'n the consideration of the passage, which it is the design of the present Lecture to explain. " And when they were escaped, they knew that the island was called Melita." There were two islands bearing this name in an- cient times ; the one belonging to Dalmatia, and the other lying in the Mediterranean, betw^een Sicily and Africa. The course which Paul was steering, and several circumstances in the history of his voyage, has given currency to the common opinion, that the island upon which he was shipwrecked, was Malta, which has lately at- tracted our notice, as the scene of our military operations, and is now a part of the British dominions.* The tradition of the country favours this opinion ; and the inhabitants still show a place upon their coast, which they call " the port or haven of St. Paul." The island was originally peopled by strangers from Africa or Phenicia. If the term, barbarous, is used to denote a people rude * Bochart, Phaleg. part ii. lib. i. cap. 26. It is, however, the opinion of some learned men, that it was the other island, called Melita lUyrica, and situated in the Hadriatic. within the limits of which Malta cannot be properly included. 396 LECTURE XXIX. — CHAPTER XXVUI, and uncivilized, it could not be justly applied to the inhabitants of Malta ; but Luke scenis, on this occasion, to have adopted the style of the Greeks, who called those barbarians who did not speak their language, and gave this appellation to the Egyptians and Indians who were as learned as themselves, and to the Persians, in whose mighty empire laws were established, and the arts of life flourished. In the present case, however, the epithet is not expressive of con- tempt ; for the historian immediately remarks, to the honour of those islanders, " that they showed Paul and his company no little kindness : for they kindled a fire, and received them every one, be- caur^e of the present rain, and because of the cold." Pity was ex- cited by their sufferings, and what unaffected hospitality could do to alleviate them, was cheerfully done. While the inhabitants of Malta were sympathizing with the un- fortunate strangers, their attention was directed to Paul, by a very extraordinary incident. " And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves. No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live." The conclusion was such as would naturally occur to persons, persuaded that a mo- ral government is exercised over mankind, but whose views were not corrected and enlarged by Scripture, or by accurate observation and extensive experience. They were right in believing, that God who knows the actions of men will recompense them according to their desert, and that he sometimes interposes, in a visible manner, to punish atrocious crimes. But, they erred in supposing such in- terpositions to be so regular, as to afford certain grounds for inter- preting the design of every calamitous event. When a viper issuing from the fire fixed upon Paul's hand, they immedately inferred that he was a murderer, whom the vengeance of Heaven had overtaken. They were more ready to consider him as a criminal, because he was a prisoner ; and they probably charged him with murder, be- cause it has been observed, that of all crimes, it most rarely escapes with impunity. They did not reflect that this world is not the place of retribution ; that although there are occasional manifesta- tions of justice, the exercise of it is for the most part delayed ; that notorious transgressors sometimes live long, and die in peace ; and that the lot of ffood men is often full of affliction and sorrow. LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIII. 397 These reflections, which arise from a very shght view of human hfe, seem not to have occurred to the unenhghtened inhabitants of Malta. How great was their surprise, when they saw Paul shake off the viper into the fire ; and having expected " that he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly, they perceived no harm come to him ?" They were, no doubt, well acquainted with the properties of the animal, and had frequently observed the dele- terious effects of its poison. But, they did not know, that this man was a servant of the Lord of the universe, who had said concerning those who beUeved, " that they should take up serpents, and that if they drank any deadly thing, it should not hurt them." Aston- ished at the event, they passed from one extreme to another, and concluded that Paul was a God. Those poor heathens, who had long been accustomed to believe that their Deities sometimes as- sumed the human form, supposed him to be one of them, who, for some unknown reason had descended to the earth. We see in this instance, a true picture of man, who judges by appearances and equivocal signs, and changes his opinions as often as the scene around him fluctuates. If he has pronounced a first sentence rashly, the second is, perhaps, more foolish and extravagant. Paul was not a murderer ; but he was still less a God. He was only a min- ister of Jesus Christ, who had destined him to important services, and honoured him with his particular protection. We are informed of other miracles, which Paul performed during his stay in the island. " In the same quarter were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius, who re- ceived us, and lodged us three days courteously. And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever, and of a bloody flux : to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also which had diseases in the island, came and were healed." The first mir- acle had so astonished the ignorant inhabitants, that they supposed Paul to be a God ; but this honour he would reject with indignant zeal. We have seen in what manner he and Barnabas acted, when the inhabitants of Lystra having fallen into the same mis- take, on a similar occasion, were preparing to oflfer sacrifice to them, in the characters of Jupiter and Mercury. The Apostle was, no doubt, equally careful to undeceive the Maltese, and to instruct them in the knowledge of the Creator, who alone is God, and is exclu- sively entitled to religious worship. There was, however, an infe- 393 LECTURE XXIX — CHAPTER XXVIII. rior honour due to the Apostles, which the miracles were the means of procuring. By these they were pointed out as the servants of God, who had a claim not only to the offices of friendship from those with whom they conversed, but also to respectful attention and implicit faith, when they professed to deliver his will. Miracles were not designed to aggrandize them as men. but as ministers of the Messiah, to authenticate their commission, and to convince both Jews and Gentiles, that they should act a safe and prudent part, in submitting to them as their guides in religion. To this purpose they faithfully devoted their supernatural powers, never, in a single instance, employing them to draw admiration to themselves, or to promote their secular interests. Notwithstanding the silence of the history, we may confidently affirm, that Paul made the mira- cles which he performed in Malta, subservient to the cause of Christ. A man so eager to do good, who, although a prisoner, does not seem to have been under restraint, would not remain inactive during the three months which he spent in the island ; and as his wonder- ful works had gained him the favour of the people, he enjoyed a very favourable opportunity to instruct them in the knowledge of the gospel. And thus, what we should call an accidental event, the shipwreck of Paul upon an unknown coast, was overruled by Providence as the occasion of introducing Christianity into Malta, where it still exists in the corrupted form, which it has assumed in countries, subject to the authority of the Pope. The kindness Avhich the inhabitants showed to tne strangers, who had escaped the perils of the sea, when they were first cast upon their coast, was continued to Paul and his friends, from re- spect to his character, and gratitude for the favours which they had received from him. " Who also honoured us with many honours, and when we departed they laded us with such things as were ne- cessary." When our Lord conferred miraculous powers upon the Apostles, he enjoined a free and generous exercise of them. They were not to set a price upon their cures, but to heal the sick, and cast out devils, without demanding or expecting a reward. By this injunction, however, they were not restrained from accepting the gifts which should be presented to them, by those who esteemed them " for their work's sake." It was reasonable, that they should be recompensed by the persons to whom they devoted their time and labour ; and a man of the purest generosity, who would scorn a bribe as the motive to his duty, will be pleased with tokens of LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIII. 399 affection from the objects of his beneficence, and estimate them far above the vahie which sordid self-interest would attach to them. When winter was past, and the season became favourable for the prosecution of their voyage, the centurion with the prisoners under his care, sailed from Malta, in a ship of Alexandria ; and having passed the island of Sicily, arrived at Puteoli, a city of Italy, not far distant from Naples. From this place Paul proceeded to Rome by land. In the way he was met by some Christians from that city, who, having heard of his appoach, went to meet him as far as Appii Forum, and the Three Taverns, two cities at the respec- tive distances of fifty, and thirty miles from the capital. They had probably never seen the Apostle, but they had heard his fame, and enjoyed the benefit of his instructions ; for he had sent an Epistle to their Church, which makes a part of the sacred canon of the New Testament. The present circumstances of Paul were not calculated to induce strangers to court an acquaintance* with him. Associated with a number of prisoners who were accused of different crimes, he was on his way to the tribunal of Nero, by whose sentence he might be deprived of his life. No honour could result from a connexion with such a man ; and his friends might 1)6 involved in trouble and danger, by the suspicion and jealousy of government. But, it was the glory of the disciples of Jesus in those early ages, that they were united in the bonds of affection, Avhich the severest trials were not able to dissolve. They did not selfishly and pusillanimously abandon him, who was singled out to encounter the hostility which the world entertained against them all. They gathered around him in the hour of adversity, to sustain his cour- age, and to alleviate his sorrows, by their presence and their coun- sels. When Jesus Christ was sick and in prison, in the persons of his faithful servants, they accounted it both a duty and a privilege to visit him. This unexpected visit had an agreeable eifect upon the mind of the Apostle. " When he saw them, he thanked God," who had disposed those brethren to show him kindness in the time of dan- ger ; " and he took courage," or felt his resolution confirmed in the prospect of the troubles, which might befal him in Rome. " Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." By the simple presence and approving looks of his friends, as well as by their exhortations, a sufferer shall be sustained, in the severest 403 LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIU. trials of his patience and fortitude. As it is a common cause, in which Christians are embarked, every man is bound to contribute to its success by his personal exertions when they are wanted, or by supporting his brethren who are actually engaged in the conflict , and there is not a saint of the highest order, who may not be as- sisted by the prayers and counsels of those, who are much inferior to him in talents and attainments, l^he courage of the great Apos- tle of tiie Gentiles was invigorated, by the presence of some j)rivate Christians from Rome. Upon his arrival in the city, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, or the commander of the pretorian bands, which were stationed in Rome, to guard the person of the emperor, and to retain that mighty capital in subjection. But, Paul was permitted to dwell by himself, or as we learn from the tliirtietli verse, in a house which he had hired. This favour was probabl}^ obtained by the intercession of the centurion, who had conceived a friendship for him, and would be more readily granted, because he had not come to Rome properly in the character of a criminal, but rather as a man, who had been compelled to appeal to Cesar, by the injustice of his countrymen. He was attended by a soldier to whom he seems to have been fastened, according to the custom of the Romans, by a chain fixed to the right hand of the prisoner, and the left hand of his guard. " For the hope of Israel," he says I am bound with this chain." These words were addressed to the chief men of the Jews, whom Paul had called together three days after his arrival in Rome. " And when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in rae. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Cesar, not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause, therefore, have I called for you, to see you and to speak with you : because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain." It was evidently the design of this speech, to remove the prejudices which the Jews might have conceived against him, that they migiit be prepared to hsten patiently, when he pleaded in de- fence of Christianity. He had not violated the laws of his country, nor was it his intention to accuse his own nation to the emperor. LECTURE XXIX. — CHAPTER XXVIII. 401 The appeal proceeded simply from a regard to his personal safety ; his innocence had been declared by the Roman governors of the province of Judea , and the true cause of his present confinement, as well as of his past sufferings, was his faith in the Messiah, whose advent they, and their brethren in every region of the earth, were anxiously expecting. The Jews answered, " We neither received letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came, showed or spake any harm of thee.'" It is surprising that the priests and elders at Jerusalem, who persecuted Paul with implacable hostility, had not endeavoured by letters or messengers, to prejudice their brethren in Rome against him. As their sentiments had not undergone a change in his favour, their silence may, perhaps, be accounted for. by the want of an opportunity to send information to Rome, in con- sequence of the lateness of the season, when Paul set out on hit: voyage. " But we desire," they add, " to hear of thee what thou thinkest : for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against." Christianity made its first appearance under the disadvantage, of a bad name, which was principally owing to the malignant industry of the Jews, as we learn from an ancient writer, who informs us, that they sent messengers from Jerusalem to their synagogues in foreign countries, announcing that an impious and lawless sect had been formed by a certain impostor, Jesus of Galilee.* No means were neglected to repress what they considered. or affected to consider, as a pestilent heresy. But, while the malice of the Jews was chiefly to be blamed for the unfavourable character which was attached to Christianity, truth requires us to add, that the Gentiles were fully disposed to adopt and circulate their slanders. and to load our holy religion with other opprobrious charges, in- vented by themselves. These are recorded and completely refuted by the Fathers. " The sect was every where spoken against." What other fate could it expect ! It offended the prejudices of men of all religions ; it condemned their vices, and even many of their virtues ; it taught doctrines from which corrupt reason revolted ; it enjoined duties, to which the depraved heart was unwiUing to sub- mit. It was received, therefore, with a general outcry, like the screams of the birds of night, when the light which they abhor, bursts into their dark and foul habitations. * Just. Blartyr. Dialog, cum Tryph. 51 402 LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIU. Notwithstanding the reports to the disadvantage of the gospel, the Jews, with whom Paul was now conversing, had not come to a tinal determination to reject it. They were willing to hear both sides. Having seen it attacked, they also wished to see it defended. A day being fixed, '• there came many to him into his lodging : to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the Prophets, from morning till evening." The discouse was long, be- cause the sul»ject was ample, much reasoning was necessary, and probably many objections were proposed. I'he Apostle "expountled the kingdom of God," or explained the nature of the new dispen- sation of religion, and proved that Jesus was the Christ, by testimo- nies from the law of Moses, and the prophetical writings. In an address to the Jews, no other mode of proof could have been at- tempted with propriety. If an appeal had been made to the evidence of miracles, they would have replied, that their law expressly for- bade them to hearken to a Prophet, who should endeavour, by signs and wonders, to entice them from the religion of their fathers. 1 do not mean, that there was any defect in this evidence, which that of prophecy was necessary to supply. It was by the miracles of the Apostles, that the Gentiles, who did not know the books of the Prophets, were convinced. But, since God had provided another species of proof, in the harmony between the old and the new dis- pensation, and had directed the Jews to look for it, no reasoning, in which this essential part was omitted, could have justified them in receiving the gospel as a divine revelation. It was necessar}^ to de- monstrate, that Jesus of Nazareth was the person whose character and actions are described by Moses, David, and Isaiah ; and that his religion possessed all the properties of the new covenant, which God had promised to make with liis people in the latter days. Our Lord adopted this plan in his discourses to the .Tews ; and we see from many occurrences in this book, that his ministers followed h\^ example. Among the Jews whom Paul addressed, there were, no doubt, persons of difTerent dispositions, and different degrees of informa- tion ; some, who had considered the prophecies with more attention than others ; and some, who being less prejudiced against the no- tion of a spiritual Messiah, would not be so averse to recognise him in the pi^r.-on of the crucified .Tesus. At the same time, it should be remembered, that the grace of God is the efficient cause of the LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVm. 403 success of the gospel ; and that, while the eyes of one man are opened to perceive its tnith, another remains under the blinding influence of corrupt reason, and earthly alTections. '' Some believed the things vi^hich were spoken, and some believed not." The assembly being divided, a discussion ensued, in which the one part maintained the doctrine of Paul against the other. Before they separated, he reminded them of a prophecy in the book of Isaiah, the application of which to the unbelieving part of his au- dience was obvious. From the frequent mention of it in the New Testament, and, in particular, from the words of the Evangelist John, it appears to have been ultimately intended to represent the character and conduct of the Jews, at tlie commencement of the Christian dispensation. It begins with foretelling, that they should be delivered up, in the righteous judgment of God, to a blinded mind, and a hardened heart ; or, at least, that they should discover the most surprising stupidity and insensibihty, so as not to under- stand what was plainly told, nor to see what was placed before their eyes. " Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the Prophet, unto our fathers, saying. Hearing ye shall hear, but shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive." The exact fulfilment of this part of the prophecy, is evident from their obstinate rejection of our Saviour as an impostor, notwithstanding the splendid train of miracles, by which his mission was attested, and the manifest accomplishment of ancient predictions in his death, and the various circumstances in his life. The prophecy goes on to account for their conduct. " For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed ; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and un- derstand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." This description of their spiritual taste seems to be taken from a man addicted to gluttony and drunkenness, whose mental faculties are benumbed, whose very senses are blunted, and who, oppressed by the effects of intemperance, sinks into a profound sleep. The unbelief of the Jews was not the consequence of in- voluntary and invincible ignorance, but of the predominance of sinful affections. They were not willing to imderstand and perceive. Jesus Christ, in his humble form, had no attractions for men, who desired nothing so much as the honours and pleasures of the world. They would not believe that he was the Messiah, because they 404 LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVUI. ivere displeased with the lowliness of his character, and the spiritual salvation which he offered to bestow. Hence, they are said " to have closed their eyos;'' as a person does, to whom the liglit is offen- sive, or who wishes not to see a disagreeable object. The ciiief seat of unbelief is the will. It is not from want of evidence that the gospel is rejected, but from disinclination of heart. Its mysterious doctrines would meet with no opposition from our reason, if it were not prejudiced and corrupted by our passions. In the parable of the marriage supper, the conduct of tiiose who refused the invitation, is ascribed to the influence of the cares and enjoyments of the present fife. We have, then, before our eyes an awful example of men, who, by the neglect of their privileges, had provoked God to with- draw his Spirit, and to leave them to the uncontrolled dominion of carnal affections. Such was the moral condition of the Jews in the Apostolic age ; and such it has continued for more than seven- teen hundred years. It administers a solemn warning to us, to take heed lest we also be hardened " through the deceitfulness of sin." To this prophecy Paul directed the attention of the unbelieving Jews, as a subject of serious consideration. It was calculated to alarm them all, and might, through the blessing of God, rouse some of them from their spiritual lethargy, which was an awful prognos- tic of eternal death. He concluded with a declaration, which was always mortifying to the Jews, but which he now made, not with a design to irritate them, but to provoke them to jealousy. When better motives failed, the dread of being superseded in their privi- leges, might render them cautious of rashly and perversely rejecting the gospel. Although they should resist its evidence, yet the Gentiles would believe, and be admitted into the place which they had long held in the favour of God. " Be it known unto you, there- fore, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." " And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves." Tlie gospel was the sulv ject of their private conferences, in which the arguments on both sides were canvassed. Those who were convinced of its truth, would be eager to convert their unbelieving brethren ; and we may conceive the unbelievers to have been equally earnest to reclaim them from heresy. How those reasonings terminated we are not informed ; but it may be presumed, that while some were at last LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIII. 405 I brought to see the Christian reUgionto be worthy of all acceptation, the effect of opposition upon others, was to render them more de- cided and obstinate in rejecting it. The chapter closes with a short account of Paul during the period of his imprisonment. He was permitted to dwell in his own hired house, to which every person, who chose to visit him, had access, and to preach the gospel without restraint. Although the Apostle was in chains, the word of God was not bound. He was likewise employed in writing letters to the Churches in different parts of the world. The Epistles to the Ephesians, the Philippians, and the Colossians, and the short letter to Philemon, bear internal marks of having been composed during his confinement in Rome. Whether the second epistle to Timothy should be dated from his first or his second imprisonment, is a question, about which learned men are not agreed. The Epistle to the Hebrews, which is ascribed with more probability to Paul than any other person, seems to have been written after he was loosed from his bonds. He was restored to liberty, in consequence of a full proof of his innocence, or through the intercession of some friends in the household of Cesar, who had embraced the Christian religion. The accounts of the subsequent part of his life, of the places which he visited, and the time which he spent in his Apostolical labours, are, for the most part, uncertain and conjectural. We know, however, that he was again imprisoned in Rome, and in that city, sealed with his blood the doctrine which he had long and faithfully preached. I have traced, as far as any authentic records remain, the history of this illustrious servant of Jesus Christ, whose exertions in the cause of the gospel, were adequate to the high expectations which might have been entertained, from the extraordinary manner in which he was called to the Apostolical oflice. By immediate reve- lation he was furnished with a profound knowledge of the myste- ries of redemption ; and in natural abilities he was, perhaps, supe- rior to his brethren, in supernatural endowments, certainly not behind the chief of the Apostles. Transferring to the service of rehgion the activity and ardour of mind which he inherited from nature, he declined no labour, and shrunk from no danger, in en- deavouring to advance the glory of his Saviour, and the best inter- ests of the human race. It was his most delightful employment to preach the doctrine of salvation by the cross, without being at all 406 LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTKR XXV U„ discouraged by the ridicule of the Greeks, and the persecuting zea. of the Jews. His hfe was a hfe of faith upon the Son of God, the constraining inlhience of whose love he constantly felt, and Avhose grace sustained him in a series of duties and difficulties, by tlie pressure of which the unassisted strength and courage of any man would liave been overwhelmed. The close of his life migjii seem unfortunate to those,, who looked only at his bodily sufferings ; but it was cheered by the peaceful recollections of a good conscience, and the triumphant hope of an everlasting recompense. '• I am now ready to be offered up, and the time of my departure is at hand. 1 have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day." In his conversion, he exhibits an instance of divine grace, which should preserve the unworthy from desjiair ; in his Apostolical character, he is a pattern to Christian ministers of diligence and fidelity, of entire devotedness to the service of the Saviour, and the most ardent love to the souls of men ; as a wiUing martyr for religion, he inculcates this important lesson upon us all; that the truth should be dearer to us than our lives, and that we should resolve to follow our Redeemer to prison and to death. I have now brought to a conclusion this course of Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles. After tracing the history of the Church, from the ascension of Christ to the meeting of the first Christian Conncil in Jerusalem, I have surveyed the principal events in the life of Paul, to which the subsequent narrative confines our atten- tion. Although he seems to have been " in labours more abundant," yet we are not to suppose, that the other Apostles were inactive, or that their transactions furnished nothing unworthy to be known. In- vested the same commission, actuated by the same zeal, endowed with the same supernatural powers, and assisted by the same Spirit, they, undoubtedly, exerted themselves, with unwearied diligence, to diffuse the knowledge of the gospel ; but, with the exception of some particulars, it has seemed good to the Holy- Ghost to pass over their history in silence. After the list of their names, which is in- serted in the first chapter, most of tliem are never again mentioned in any part of these inspired memoirs. Five years are elapsed since this course of Lectures commenced ; LECTURE XXIX. CHAPTER XXVIII. 407 and five years are no inconsiderable portion ^f the life of man. At the close of any period of time, it is our duty to inquire, whether we have improved our opportunities and privileges, and what pro- gress we have made in wisdom and holiness. This inquiry is par- ticularly necessary at the conclusion of a series of religious instruc- tions, the professed intention of which was to enlighten and purify us. If these illustrations of the Apostolical history have accomplished the design with which they were dehvered, you have been led to admire the wisdom and power of Jesus Christ, displayed in the establishment, the protection and the enlargement of the Church. Your belief of the divine origin of our holy religion has been con- firmed by the many proofs which you have seen, of the presence of God wath those who first published it ; and your conviction of its transcendent excellence has been strengthened, by a view of its beneficial effects in reclaiming mankind from idolatry, and its at- tendant vices. You have felt yourselves animated with the same contempt for the blandishments and terrors of the world, which so strongly characterised the conduct of the primitive Christians. You have resolved, after their example, to glory only in the cross of Christ and to consecrate yourselves to his service. While you be- held the grace of God to the Gentiles, whom he visited by the min- istry of his holy servants, to bless them through his Son, " the desire of all nations," you have been thankful, that whether the gospel was preached to the inhabitants of Britain by any of the Apostles, or not, tiie joyful sound has been heard in this island ; and that, at the distance of seventeen centuries from the age in which they lived, you reap the fruits of their pious labours. Remember, that it is the Holy Spirit only, by whom the pen of Luke was guided in composing this histor}'^, and the other sacred writers were inspired, who can open your understandings to under- stand the Scriptures, and dispose you to receive the word of God, with reverence and love. May he bless what has been spoken, ac- cording to his own will, that our preaching and your hearing may not be in vain ! I conclude with the words of PSiul to the Church of Thessalonica. " Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." Amen ! VALUABLE BOOKS RECENTLY ISSUED BY ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, NEW YORK, A N D THOMAS CARTER, MARKET ST., PITTSBURG. 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