tumult, which obliged him to flee to Berea, where he met with Jews of a noble cast of character, who received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily, whether the things which Paul preached were as he reported them. But the active malice of the Jews of Thessalonica pursued him to Berea; and as the thunder strikes the tallest cedars, the brethren kindly conducted the intrepid Paul to Athens, while Silas and Timotheus, as men of less notoriety, were privately detained, to confirm and water the word which Paul had preached. While he waited at Athens the coming of his fellow-labourers, his spirit was stirred with godly sorrow and indignation, at the gross idolatry of that seat of reason and philosophy. He, therefore, not only disputed with the Jews and devout proselytes in the synagogue, but also openly in the Forum with the Epicurean and Stoick philoso phers. These proud men, while they affected to treat him as a babbler, apprehended him, and brought him to a trial before the Areopagus, as a setter forth of strange gods. His defence on this occasion was admirable. First charging them with excessive superstition, he substantiated the charge by remarking, that he had seen an altar inscribed To THE UNKNOWN GOD; and then declaring himself the minister of this God unknown, he asserted his eternal power and godhead, pointed out the folly of their idolatry, intimated that though God winked at the times of their ignorance, yet that this was a season of light when he peremptorily commanded all men to repent, and concluded with preaching Christ, his resurrection, and the eternal judgment, which he was to administer. Though this admirable discourse, of which we have only a rough outline, was treated with derision, yet the justice of that celebrated court acquitted Paul; and one of his judges, and some others, gladly received the doctrine of the TILL THEN UNKNOWN GOD.

At Corinth, the capital of Achaia, Paul planted a noble church, in the midst of much opposition from Jews and Gentiles, and the Lord Jesus saw fit to encourage him in a vision of the night, saying, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in the place. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God. From Corinth he went to Ephesus, whence, after a short stay, he took ship for Cesarea, and then proceeded to Jerusalem for the fourth time, in the year of Christ 54. How gracious is our Lord to his suffering disciples; and what need is there, that the best of men should, from time to time, receive those spiritual succours, without which they would

become weary in well doing! A future reward, however great, if not recommended by present anticipations of felicity, would hardly operate on the impatient and fretful spirits of mankind. But till we can drink at the fountain head, our Master kindly opens for us springs in the desert.

After Paul had saluted the church, and kept the feast, probably that of the pentecost, at Jerusalem, he spent some time at Antioch, preached the word in Phrygia and Galatia, and at last came to Ephesus, where the Holy Ghost was given by the imposition of his hands. Here he laboured with equal diligence and success for two years, and wrought great miracles, so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. And many, who used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. About this time, Paul purposed, in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. A clear indication this, that all the troubles which befel him at Jerusalem, were by the appointment of providence; and the apostle himself had, if not a full and explicit, yet an obscure intimation of them, in which he joyfully acquiesced.

His departure from Ephesus was hastened by the tumult raised by Demetrius the silversmith: he then made a progress through Macedonia and Greece, and took a most affectionate leave of the brethren at Philippi, where he restored to life a young man who had fallen from a window, while he was preaching. Determining to be at Jerusalem by the next pentecost, he assembled at Miletus the elders of Ephesus, and probably of other Asiatic churches; and delivered one of the most solemn, affectionate, and impressive charges ever uttered by the lips of man, and which no minister can read too frequently or seriously. And when he had spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all went sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he had spoke, that they should see his face no more. Affecting spectacle! Hated or despised by the world, the man of God, even in this life, has his peculiar comforts and friends: friends endeared by principles of truth and virtue, which the world know not; and by common hopes and joys, desires and affections, the grand objects of which are invisible and eternal.

When Paul came on his journey as far as Tyre, he found certain disciples, who said to him, through the spirit, that he should VOL. II.

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not go up to Jerusalem. At Cesarea, Agabus, a prophet, 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 him into the hands of the Gentiles. Then Luke and other companions of his travels, as well as the christians of the place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. But Paul answered, What mean ye, to weep and 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. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done! It has been before observed, that Paul had an intimation from the spirit of what he was to suffer at Jerusalem. It was now repeated, that this champion of the faith might be completely armed for the fight; and that the disciples might be prepared for a dispensation so afflictive, might accept it as the holy will of Christ, and trust his wisdom and power to make Paul's chains useful and glorious to the church. So they evidently construed it, saying, The will of the Lord be done! For they were convinced Paul well knew and humbly obeyed the voice of the great Shepherd. At his command, he had quitted Jerusalem hastily on his first visit; and in the three following, his stay was short and his ministry private. More than 25 years had elapsed from the death of Jesus. Stephen, James, and many others, had sealed the truth with their blood; time had been given for the fury of persecution to cool, and in 15 years, Titus was to fill their city with slaughter, and level its bulwarks with the ground. What then could be so consonant to the long suffering of Christ, as to give a loud and public testimony to the high priest, the Roman governors, and king Agrippa? Or who was so fit to bear it as this wonderful man, who was the ablest defender of the faith, which he once persecuted? He seems to have perfectly entered into the views of his divine Master, and though willing to die, if such were the will of Christ, entertained a confident expectation of deliverance, and that he should be honoured to preach Christ at Rome also.

With a mind thus armed, he entered Jerusalem, and with Luke and others went to James, the Lord's brother, and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the law. And 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. Do therefore this, that we say to thee; we have four men which have a vow on them. Them take and purify thyself with them, and be at charges 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 walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded, that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. Upon this passage, it were unnecessary to remark, if the compliance of St. Paul with this request were not construed by some into a reprehensible dissimulation. But without insisting on the risk men of modern times incur in censuring apostles, who had more wisdom and piety than we can flatter ourselves to be possessed of, let it be remembered how accurately Jesus himself conformed to the ceremonial law of Moses, neglecting nothing but the frivolous traditions with which it was obscured. Could the apostles have a better example? Were they likely to convert the Jews by pouring contempt on divine institutions, which were evidently to continue as long as their polity existed? They knew them to be shadows, which were passing away; but the time was not yet come, and it was not for them to anticipate the dispensations of providence. Self-acquaintance and charity taught them to bear with the prejudices of the flock. The request was reasonable, nor was Paul to blame in complying with it. He had resisted the attempt to subjugate the Gentiles to the ceremonial law and opposed the Jews, who taught that circumcision was necessary to salvation. But in condescension to the prejudices of the weak, none surpassed him. To use or disuse these ceremonies, to himself was indifferent, but where the edification of others was at stake, it became important. He made himself all things to all men, and would gladly desist from the use of meat, while he lived, rather than offend a weak brother. While he steadily refused to circumcise Titus, who was a Gentile, he was the first to propose the circumcision of Timothy, who was of Jewish extraction, and from his knowledge of the scriptures, a proper instrument for the conversion of the Jews. No doubt he had himself strictly observed the law, and might fairly adopt the measure proposed, to satisfy the scruples of weak brethren, whose ears had been abused by the misconstructions of zealots. Let the censurers of these great men rather learn to suspect themselves, and let them shun those controversies, whereby they stab the vitals of religion, while they contend for some trivial circumstance.

But though Paul's condescension fully satisfied the church, it could not silence the malice of the synagogue. Some Asiatic Jews seized him in the temple, and accused him of teaching against the people, the law, and that holy place, as well as of polluting it by introducing some Greeks. He was immediately dragged out of the temple, and beaten, and would probably have been stoned on the spot, had not the captain of the temple ran down from his station in the castle of Antonia, and rescued him out of their hands. But so violent was the tumult, that when they came to the steps of the fortress, Paul was obliged to be borne by the soldiers. When he had gained the top of the stairs, he requested permission to address the multitude. And when they heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they gave patient attention to his defence, in which he detailed the leading events of his life, particularly his conversion and appointment to be an apostle; but when he related his vision in the temple, and the words of Christ, I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles, their prejudices were inflamed to madness, and they exclaimed, Away with such a fellow from the earth! it is not fit that he should live! And as they now threatened violence, Paul was carried into the castle, by the command of the chief captain, who being prejudiced against his prisoner, ordered him to be bound, and a confession to be extorted from him, by beating him with rods. But from his torture, alike repugnant to reason and humanity, Paul sheltered himself, by pleading that he was a Roman citizen.

[To be concluded.]

RELIGIOUS AND MORAL DISCUSSIONS.

A DIALOGUE

ON THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD.

MR. EDITOR,

In a conversation some time since held, on the subject of religion, I was not a little surprised at an assertion of one of the party present, and made with much apparent confidence, viz. "That it was happy for the world, that there was so little religion in it." The gentleman to whom it was addressed, being likewise much surprised, could not help suggesting an apprehension, that more had been said than was really intended; and begged leave to ask, whether it referred to the genuine experience and practice of religion, or only to its instituted forms, or factitious appearances. If, Mr. Editor, you shall think, that a recital of the