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3. If this will not fatisfy, yet let it be confidered, that Paul and Barnabas went and preached to the idolatrous Gentiles, or the nations, or, as St. Paul fays, " to every crea"ture under heaven " And though they were not of the eleven, to whom Chrift perfonally gave the commiffion, yet they had the fame office with them. So that the meaning of our Saviour is, " Go ye, or fuch as fhall be "afterwards in the fame office with you (that "is, Matthias, Paul, and Barnabas), and teach "all nations. Or, Go ye into all the world, "and preach to every creature; that is, to people of every country, age, sex, rank, and "diftinction;" as the fourteen apoftles did: having preached Chrift to high and low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, Jew and Gentile, Barbarian and Scythian, bond and free. However, though I am of opinion that the Jewish and Gentile apoftles had their distinct provinces, yet I am withal apt to think, that the profelytes of the gate were of a mixt province: and that as Peter preached, and addreffed epiftles to them, fo did Paul too; which gives Peter occasion to say, in the end of his fecond epiftle1, "And account that the long

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fuffering of our Lord is falvation, even as "our brother Paul alfo, according to the wif“ dom given him, hath written unto you; as « also in his other epiftles." Which writing Chap. iii. 15. 17.

* Col. i. 24.

to

to them, Peter diftinguishing from all his other epiftles, would make one apt to conclude that Paul had writ fome epiftle to the stran gers scattered, or the profelytes of the gate, converted to chriftianity, which is not come to our hands; efpecially fince what Peter refers to in Paul's epiftles is not very obvious in any of thofe epiftles of his which we have.

It does not fuit with my defign, to enter into the particular tempers of these twelve prime ministers of the kingdom of Christ; or to fhew from paffages and hints in fcripture that Peter was always prefident of the apostles whilst they continued together, by virtue of Jefus's appointment; though, after they difperfed and left Jerufalem, James feems to have prefided when they met there; how each of their tempers was fuited to their high office; and how all these different tempers, by a happy mixture and agreement, combined to the farthering of the gospel: in which the wisdom of God in choofing them, and giving them to Jefus, would appear. But it may not be improper to fay fomething of their number; and of the very different characters of the twelve apoftles of the Jews, and of the two apoftles of the Gentiles.

I do not pretend to be able to enter precisely into the reasons, why our Saviour appointed but twelve apoftles firft, and two after

wards,

wards, in all but fourteen: and why he chose illiterate and ignorant men, of the lowest calling and occupation, for the first twelve; and men of letters and education for the two laft; namely Barnabas a Levite, and Paul who was a tentmaker (according to the known custom of the Jews, who always bred up their children to fome trade), but brought up, at the same time in all the learning of the Jews, at the feet of Gamaliel; as Mofes had been in all the learning of the Egyptians, at Pharaoh's court. But thus much, I think, in general, fairly offers itself, on both thefe heads, to our obfervation.

It was not proper to have only two or three for witneffes of the facts, and teachers of the doctrine of chriftianity; left there might have been a pretence to fufpect them of confpiracy: which, to be fure, two or three are always more capable of carrying on than fourteen. And, on the other hand, it was not fit to have a great many; left there should not have been fo apparent and visible a distinction between the witneffes and the teachers, and those to whom the facts and the doctrines were to be imparted. By which diftinction the truth of their teftimony and doctrine was to receive a great confirmation. Since by this means fourteen private men, and they only, could vouch thefe facts and doctrines, in a manner which must convince all that were

well

well difpofed, where they came. And when one of thefe witneffes betrayed Jefus, and then presently hanged himself, for betraying him (thereby bearing witness to the innocence of Jefus); the reft, not at all difcouraged at this man's fate, presently propose another witness fhould be appointed to fill up his place. This, by the way, Providence directed them to do, before the feaft of Pentecoft was fully come; that fo he, being added to the eleven before that time, might, together with them, receive the descent of the Holy Ghoft; to qualify him to be a witnefs, and a revealer of the christian doctrine, as well as the rest.

The men of birth and education were generally too bigoted to the opinions and tem per of the Pharifees, to embrace the doctrine of Chrift, or too worldly-minded to leave the care of their affairs, and the pursuits of their defigns, and expose themselves to the fury of the Jews, to become his difciples, and follow him; especially in fuch a manner as it was neceflary for those to do who were to be his apostles; that is, to be always with him, or to be sent out by him. We fee how fome of these paffions wrought on men otherwise well difpofed to him, as Nicodemus, and Jofeph of Arimathea. Befides, that our Saviour might have been unwilling to take men of birth and education for his apoftles and companions, if they had been willing to follow

him; left it might have created in the government a jealoufy of his defigns. But I fhall chiefly infift on two other reasons for Jefus's taking illiterate men for the twelve, as being moft fuited to my purpose. It was proper to take fuch for the twelve, rather than men of learning and experience; that fo they might follow Jefus in his life-time, without prying too much into the defigns of his coming into the world: which was not to take temporal power, but to die by the wicked hands of Jews and Gentiles. Men of learning, parts, or bufinefs, with the temper and notions which prevailed univerfally among the people to whom he was fent, would not have been kept eafily in that dependance, without enquiring much earlier than they did (long before the time of his approaching crucifixion) when, and how, he would have fet up his kingdom in the world? and if they had not received an answer, from feeing no likelihood of its being effected at all; or if they had been told, that it was to be done by his being crucified; from the fuppofed unfitness of the means, they would, in all probabily, have taken offence, and have left him, as others did upon other occafions. Such men were neither capable of bearing to be put off without an anfwer; nor of the answer that must have been given them. Our Saviour, therefore, chofe thefe honeft illiterate VOL. II. K

men,

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