ginal Greek is, if possible, still more explicit, and might very correctly be rendered', And when he had saluted them, he declared one by one, (that is, particularly) each of those things, which God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. Now if he mentioned each thing, which God had wrought by his ministry, St. Paul must have mentioned miracles, since the author of The Acts expressly relates, that miracles had been performed by him among the Gentiles; but not only did St. Paul mention his miracles, but he particularized them, in giving an account of them to the Apostles. Besides, the very expression used, is that which is applied by the same writer in other passages of The Acts, when speaking of the performance of miracles. Thus, in Acts xix. 11, it is said, "God" wrought "special miracles by the hands of Paul." But I need not dwell longer on this point, since both the Greek Text, and the English Translation, refute what Mr. Gamaliel Smith asserts about Paul not having mentioned his miracles on this occasion.

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• Καὶ ἀσπασάμενος αὐτοὺς ἐξηγεῖτο καθ' ἓν, ἕκαστον ὧν ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι διὰ τῆς διακονίας αὐτοῦ. Acts xxi. 19. • Δυνάμεις τε οὐ τὰς τύχουσας ἐποίει ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῶν χειρῶν Παύλου. Acts xix. 11.

CHAP. XII.

ST. PAUL BELIEVED-continued.

SECT. I.

At the Recommendation of the Apostles, St. Paul complies with certain Jewish Ceremonies.

WE come now to the discussion of a subject, which Mr. Gamaliel Smith has studiously endeayoured to involve in much verbiage and mystification, namely, the proceedings adopted by St. Paul, at the recommendation of James, and other Apostles and elders. It would be superfluous to point out all the mistakes and misrepresentations of Gamaliel Smith, in reference to this matter: the propriety and integrity of St. Paul's conduct, will be best illustrated, by having recourse to the account given in The Acts of the Apostles, of what occurred on the occasion. The Jews, as I have before remarked, were exceedingly tenacious of the Mosaic institutions, and regarding themselves as the chosen people See above, Chap. vi. Sect. 1.

of God, they indulged a supercilious feeling. towards the Gentiles. Even such of the Jews as had embraced Christianity, were, for the most part, attached to the ceremonies of the Jewishreligion, and as at this time, there were assembled in Jerusalem great multitudes of Jewish converts", it was very desirable not to offend the prejudices of those persons, not only lest they should relapse. into Judaism, but lest other Jews should be deterred from embracing Christianity. It seems that a report had reached Jerusalem, that St. Paul had taught such of the Jews, as dwelt among the Gentiles, "to forsake Moses," and that they ought not to circumcise their children, or conform to the customs of the Jewish law. There is no ground for believing that Paul had persuaded Jews to violate or neglect the observances of the law; on the contrary, we find, that he not only circumcised Timothy, who was the son of a Jewish woman, but himself complied on various occasions with Jewish customs. St. Paul doubtless regarded Jewish ceremonies as ineffectual for the purposes of salvation, and considered that "by the deeds of the law, should no flesh be justified in the sight of God," and that "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availed any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which work

ed by love," and that men could only "be justified freely by the grace of God, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"." These doctrines St. Paul had strenuously maintained. Hence he had resisted the attempts of those, who had sought to impose the observance of Mosaic rites, upon the Gentile converts. But in fact, the real cause of the prejudice excited against him, was his having asserted the right of the Gentiles to be admitted to the privileges of Christianity, without conforming to the Jewish law; and hence had originated the reports, that St. Paul had taught the Jews to forsake Moses and the law. With a view therefore to allay the prejudice entertained against St. Paul, and which seemed likely to prove detrimental, not only to that Apostle, but also to the success of the Gospel among the Jews, the Apostles and elders advise St. Paul to comply with certain Jewish ceremonies, and to bear the expenses of four persons, who had taken upon themselves

a vow.

ACTS xxi. 19-26.

19. "And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20. 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: 21. 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. 22. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24. Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with 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. 25. 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. 26. 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.

Upon comparing what is said above, in the 23d and 24th verses, with the account given of the qualifications of the Nazarites in the Old Testament, it appears evident, that the vow which the four men had upon them, was neither more nor less than the vow of a Nazarite.

See Numbers vi.

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