2 Ep. Cor. himself, not much to the advantage of the for

:

mer, nor greatly evincing the modesty of the latter. In chap. iv. he fays-' But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not; left the light of the glorious gospel of Chrift, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.' This accounts, plaufibly, for the unbelief of many but unluckily it contradicts, not only fome of his own works, but thofe of the four evangelifts upon whom I have remarked. And yet, fays common sense, this blinding, after all, is more likely to have been the work of Satan than of God: not by virtue of a power unlimited, and irrefiftible; for in that cafe, it would indeed have been (as the records page 70, 72, and 73 fay) the act of God, in delegating fuch a power to the enemy of mankind: but a power only, or rather art, of encouraging them in the evil difpofitions which originate in their own free will. Chapters viii. and ix. are wholly employed to raife contributions: every art is used stimulating them to this kind of charity-' He which foweth fparingly, fhall reap alfo fparingly and he which foweth bountifully, fhali reap alfo bountifully.' This was an ingenious combination of fimile and promife; well adapted to the level of

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* Page 70, 72, 73, and 274.

their

their understanding. In chap. x. he boafts much 2 Ep. Cor. of his authority, but, left they should deny or difpute it; he is very cautious in his threats. In verfe 10 he mentions the character given of him by fome of the Corinthians; 'That his letters were powerful; but his bodily prefence weak, and his speech contemptible,' I have no doubt was the opinion of many at that time: and though he here tells them- Such as we are in word by letter when we are abfent, fuch will we be also in deed when we are prefent.' Yet he, even he himself, the great and infpired St. Paul (in the 6th verfe of the following chapter) acknowledges that he was rude in fpeech. Whether the preface to this confeffion- For I suppose I was

not a whit behind the very chiefeft apostles,' was a founded opinion, I know not: nor am I certain in how strict a fenfe the fubfequent confeffion ought to be taken- I robbed other churches,

taking wages of them to do you fervice.' To leffen their furprise at a faint's becoming a robber was it that he foon after faid to them- Satan him

felf is transformed into an angel of light?' Strange metamorphofes! But these are nothing, contrafted with the adventure he foon after recites, in chap. xii. viz.-' I knew a man in Christ, ⚫ above fourteen years ago, (about eight years ' after his miraculous converfion) whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth : fuch an one

6

2 Ep. Cor. caught up to the third heaven. And I knew fuch a man, whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth how ⚫ that he was caught up into Paradife and heard unfpeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.' A ftranger, reading this wonderful story, with the head and tail-pieces belong ing to it; would fuppofe Paul to have been a Gafcon of Irish extraction. St. Paul being a greater traveller than any of the apoftles; accounts, with us, for his dealing more in the marvellous: but a doubt naturally fuggefts itself upon this fubject was it not a dangerous traffic? And has not St. Paul's example, by influencing his fucceffors, been injurious to the Chriftian caufe? We find in their hiftories innumerable inftances of miraculous interpofitions, which-from the manner of their exertion; the caufe; or its end

evince that they were the inventions of knaves and fools; bigots and enthufiafts. The reafon of mankind, where it is not fubdued, is certainly provoked by the folemn manner in which some of thofe fucceffors, the fathers, have recorded these miracles; particularly in thofe cafes where we perceive the effrontery with which fome of thofe fathers of the church carried off a detection of their own impofitions in this way. One inftance of this kind may be fufficient to evince the truth of this remark. St. Jerome, in the beginning of the fifth century, writing to Eutochium upon

virginity;

virginity; to diffuade her from reading prophane 2 Ep. Cor. books (Plaufus, Cicero, &c.) faid; that for giving into this practice himself, he was caught up to the tribunal of Jefus Chrift; where he was foundly whipped, and forbidden to do it in future. He affured her that this story was not a dream and calls the tribunal where he appeared, and the judgment given against him, to atteft the truth of what he afferts. Some time after this, upon being upbraided by Rufinus for continuing this practice notwithstanding the whipping, &c. he ridicules the fimplicity of Rufinus in taking a dream for a truth. The modefty of St. Paul is admirable in many places, but in this particu. larly; after all thefe gafconades and improbable ftories, he fays- For though I would defire to glory, I fhall not be a fool; for I will fay the truth, But now I forbear, least any man should think of me above that which he feeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.' He however feems provoked at their want of respect and that their filence had forced him upon founding those praifes which fhould have proceeded from them. I am become a fool in glorying: ye have com

pelled me. For I ought to have been com'mended of you.' Adding- For in nothing am I behind the very chiefeft apoftles.' And as a proof- Truly the figns of an apostle were ⚫ wrought amongst you. in all patience, in figns, and wonders, and mighty deeds.' This paffage U

St.

2 Ep. Cor. St. Paul's admirers poffibly may quote as an un

A. D.

57 or 58.

equivocal proof of his modefty, in contrast to the ironical one I have júft given: obferving that he did not fuffer his fcribe and companion Luke to record one fign, one wonder, or one mighty deed, performed by him in eighteen months at Corinth. And I, as an exception to the latter, will not quote the drubbing given to Paul's opponent Softhenes the Jew: for as Paul, upon that occafion, was only about to open his mouth,' he could not have influenced the Grecian difciplinarians; who, it is most likely, were governed more by their hatred to the Jews than love to the Chriftians. Perhaps I ought not to quit this fecond Epistle of Paul's to the Corinthians, without apologizing to the faint or his friends, for fpeaking ironically upon a serious fubject. The beft excufe I have at this time to make is; that in fo doing, I have been misled by the faint's example given at the conclufion of this Epistle, viz. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to

tq

other churches; except it be that I myself was not burthenfome to you? Forgive me this ? wrong??

The next in order of time to be examined, is Romans. his Epistle to the Romans; occafioned, it is faid, by a conteft in Rome between the Jewish and Pagan converts. The former claimed a fuperiority as the most favoured people, to whom God himself gave the law, fent his prophets, and pro