it poffible to imagine him an apostle, and yet to be fo little known to the rest of the apostles as not to be thought a disciple by them? From Jerufalem he goes to Cæfarea, thence to Tarfus in Cilicia, and other parts of Syria, and returns to Tarfus, but preaches only to the Hebrew or Grecian Jews. The fcrip ture is not only filent about his preaching to any others; but I hope to fhew, by plain infe rences from thence, that he as yet preached to no others; though perhaps he might preach to the profelytes of the gate, after the year 41; having (at least about that time) a plain decifion in the cafe of Cornelius to warrant him for going fo far. And it seems to be intimated that he did preach to them when he went with Barnabas from Tarfus to Antioch, which was in the year 43. But I shall endeavour to make it appear, that he did not turn to the Gentiles, that is, the idolatrous Gentiles, till about ten years after his converfion.

So that for many years after St. Paul's converfion he seems to have preached to the Jews, and perhaps for fome part of that time to the profelytes of the gate; as a zealous person, newly converted and enlightened, may be fuppofed to have done: or, more probably, by a particular order from Jefus Christ, and from being filled with the Holy Ghost, pro

7

bably as a prophet and a teacher (as I fhall endeavour to fhew more fully by and by), though not yet in the character of an apostle; having only received the Holy Ghoft, together with a prediction, that " God had chofen him, that he fhould know his will, "fhould fee that juft-one, and hear the voice "of his mouth;" and be a witnefs of all that he had seen and heard but not having as yet feen Chrift, nor received the doctrine of his apostleship, nor any directions to preach to the idolatrous Gentiles (of whom alone he was the apostle), nor teftifying to them, nor exercifing any of the powers peculiar to that office. However, though he does not immediately commence the apoftle of the Gentiles; yet it is remarkable, that he, that was to be their apoftle, was not only born, but is converted, and first preaches, on Gentile ground.

It was the fecond time, as I apprehend, when Saul went up to Jerufalem after his converfion, about the latter end of the year 43, that he commenced an apostle.

I. For then it was, that Chrift "first ap"peared in perfon" to him, whilft he was in the temple, "faying to him, &c.;" he having before this only made his glory to appear to him in the way to Damafcus. That this

h Acts xvii. 18, 22. and xiv. 15.

Ibid. xxii. 18.

was

was the fecond time of his coming to Jerufa lem, after his converfion, may be feen by comparing Acts ix. 26. Gal. i. 18. with Acts xi. 29, 30. and xii. 25.; and will be more fully proved in the fequel: and that falls on the latter end of the year 43k. So that, for the future, I shall speak fometimes of his feeing Chrift by the time when it happened, in order to avoid a greater circumlocution that I muft otherwife ufe: and Saul's feeing Christ at this time was agreeable to Ananias's prophecy at Saul's converfion, as it is related by St. Luke to have been reprefented by St. Paul himself'; "The God of our fa"thers has chofen thee, that thou shouldest "know" (not "hast known")" and shouldest "fee" (not, "haft feen") "that just-one" (which fhews he had not seen him on the road to Damafcus), "and hear the voice of his "mouth;" that is, not fhortly, faying in a voice from a heavenly cloud, as at your converfion, "Go to Damafcus;" but fully instructing you in a voice from his mouth (face to face) in the peculiar bufinefs of your apoftolic charge, acquainting you with the meffage you are to carry, and when and to whom you are to carry it. And in this very account that St. Paul gives of himself to the Jews, he makes Christ's appearing to him in

See the Abstract,

1 Acts xxii. 14.

the

the temple, to be an accomplishment of this prediction. For he adds, For he adds, "And it came to pass, that when I was come again to Jeru"falem, even while I prayed in the temple, "I was in a trance, and faw him, faying un"to me, &c." This, we may well be affured, was the first time Saul faw Chrift, from the peculiar emphasis he here lays upon it,

II. And as this was the first time of his feeing Chrift, fo this was likewise the time when Chrift "commiffioned him to go to "the Gentiles," that is, the idolatrous Gentiles; as Chrift had in a former vifion commiffioned Peter to go to the profelytes of the gate.

66

For St. Paul fays, that Chrift then said to him, "Make hafte and get thee quickly out "of Jerufalem, for they will not receive thy teftimony concerning me.' "And then adds, "Depart, for I will fend thee far hence to the "Gentiles";" and " delivering thee from the "Gentiles, to whom I now fend thee; to 66 open their eyes, and to turn them from "darknefs to light, and from the power of "Satan unto God." Now by Gentiles here the idolatrous Gentiles must be meant, as ap pears by the phrafe of "opening their eyes, turning them from darkness unto light, and "from the power of Satan unto God." These

m Acts xxii. 18.
• Acts xxvi. 16, 18.

■ Ver. 21.

are

are characteristicks of the idolatrous Gentiles, and always used concerning them in the Acts and Epiftles: but I think never used there (if any where) of Jews or profelytes of the gate, Befides, Chrift had fent Peter to the devout Gentiles long before, in the vifion of the fheet. The men of Cyprus and Cyrene had after that converted feveral others, which St. Luke takes notice of, as a remarkable tranfaction in the history of the church, confequent to Peter's converting Cornelius and his family. After that, Barnabas and Saul converted many others. So that the command could not be to go to those to whom there had been a fpecial command to Peter to go long before, as was well known in the church; and to whom thereupon Saul, as well as others, had alfo gone before. He had spent a great deal of his time among those profelytes in Syria and Cilicia, countries near Judæa: but now Chrift fends him far hence to the Gentiles."

And that the idolatrous Gentiles are here meant, is yet clearer by the execution of this commiffion, as we shall see more fully by and by; Paul and Barnabas hereupon turning to the idolatrous Gentiles. They preach to Sergius Paulus an heathen at his defire, and to the heathens at Antioch in Pifidia at their

Acts, chap. x. and xi. Ibid. xi. 19, 20.
• Ibid. xiii. 7.

• Ibid. xi. 25, 26.

defire