fent only to them, as he himself relates the matter. Accordingly he firft preaches to Sergius Paulus, at his defire; then to the idolatrous Gentiles at Antioch in Pifidia, at theirs: and travels through all the Leffer Afia, Macedonia, Greece, Italy, and, perhaps Spain, preaching to them. He often affures us, that he was "the apoftle of the Gentiles." He tells the Romans, "I speak to you, "Gentiles, inafinuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles; I magnify my office." And he makes this his character, his excufe for writing to them fo freely, "Nevertheless, I "have written the more boldly to you, in "fome fort, as putting you in mind of the "grace that is given me of God, that I fhould "be the minifter of Jefus Christ to the Gentiles, miniftring the gofpel of God; that "the offering up of the Gentiles might be ac ceptable; being fanctified by the Holy "Ghoft." Just as he had said before 3, “ That Jefus Chrift was a minifter of the circum"cifion," who fays of himself, that he was only "fent to the loft sheep of the house of 66 66 Ifrael" And on the account of this his character and office, as an apoftle of the Gentiles, he writes to the Romans, as a part of his province, though he had never seen them". For then he had been " no farther than the "borders of Illyricum ; that is, that part of Greece that joins to Illyricum. He also tells the Romans, "that he was their debtor; and "a debtor both to the Greeks and Barbarians, "both to the wife and unwife "," that is, all the Gentiles: fpeaking in the style of the Greeks, who, being proud of their learning and politeness, called themselves Greeks and the Wife, and all others the Barbarians and the Unwife. And Paul fays, he is their debtor, inasmuch as he was intrufted with the gofpel on their account; and had the difpenfation of it committed to him for their fakes. And therefore adds, that " he is ready to "preach the gofpel to them that are at Rome "alfo." But fays nothing of his being a debtor to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles: a phrafe that is very natural to him, when there is any occafion for it. occafion for it. He likewise acquaints Timothy, a circumcifed Jew, "That "Chrift gave himself a ransom for all" (that is, for Gentiles as well as Jews)," to be tefti"fied in due time" (that is, to be teftified by me, in the time when God had prepared men and things for it; by fpreading the gospel firft among the Jews, then among the devout Gentiles, and by the reft of the Jews at laft rejecting it), and" whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apoftle-a teacher of the "Gentiles in faith and verity" (that is, to testify which truth, namely, that he was a ranfom for all, in its due and proper time), "I "am ordained a preacher, and an apostle (that is, a witness and teacher)" of the Gentiles." St Paul likewife fpeaks to the fame purpose. Moreover he put himself under the fame predicament with Barnabas (who was only an apostle of the Gentiles), and ranks himself with him, in oppofition to the apoftles of the Jews'. And St. Paul and Barnabas are acknowledged as apoftles of the Heathens, or the Gentiles only, by the three great apoftles; who challenged to themselves, and the other apostles, the fole character of apostles of the circumcifion; as St. Paul informs the Galatians: adding, that he that wrought effectually in "Peter, to the apostleship of the circumcifion, "the fame wrought mightily in me towards "the Gentiles b." And it is very remarkable, that he fays this to the Galatians, when he is vindicating his own authority aganft his adverfaries: and when, we may fuppofe, he would therefore carry it as far as he could. Finally, Paul is a prifoner for many years on account of the gospel that he preached to the Gentiles, glories in the chains he bears on e that account; and fays, "that his delive "rance out of the mouth of the lion" (Nero or Helius Cæfarienfis) was " that the preaching" (that is, of the Gentile gofpel)" might "be fully known, and that all the Gentiles "might hear," It makes very much to this purpose to obferve, that St. Paul fpeaks of the gospel that he preached to the Gentiles, 1. as a revelation made to him; and, 2. as his peculiar gofpel; at leaft, as the gofpel of himself and Barnabas. I refer the reader for the proof of the firft, to the Third Effay; and to what I have touched on this head before in this Effay, And I think he will be convinced of the truth of the fecond, by the following texts: "By "whom (Chrift) we have received grace and "apostleship for the obedience to the faith among all nations for his name f." "Now “unto him that is of power to establish "according to my gofpel; and the preaching you of Jefus Chrift, according to the revelation "of the mystery which was kept fecret fince the world began; but now is made mani, feftto all nations." "Moreover, bre "thren, I declare unto you the gofpel, which "I preached unto youth." "And all things ❝ are of God, who hath reconciled us (Gen • Gal. iv, 17. Phil. i, 12, 13, 2 Tim. iv. 17. Ibid. xvi. 15: f 14. Col. i. 24. “tiles) tiles) to himself, and hath given us (Paul, "or perhaps Paul and Barnabas) the mystery "of reconciliation: to wit, that God was in "Chrift, reconciling the world unto himself. -And hath committed unto us the word of 66 66 reconciliation. Now then we are ambaffa"dors for Chrifti." "But when it pleased "God— to reveal his Son in me, that I might "preach him among the heathensk." "But "they had heard only that he-now preacheth "the faith that he once deftroyed'." "Then "fourteen years after I went up to Jerufalem "-and communicated the gofpel which I "now preach among the Gentiles. " But "when they saw that the gospel of the uncir"cumcifion was committed to me (Paul), they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of "fellowship, that we should go unto the hea" then "" "That the Gentiles fhould be partakers of his promife in Chrift by the gofpel; whereof I was made a minifter."Unto me, who am lefs than the leaft of all "faints, is this grace given, that I fhould 66 preach among the Gentiles, the unfearcha"ble riches of Chrifto, "Which is the church whereof I am made a minister, according to the difpenfation of God which is "given to me, even the mystery hid from ages. |