lifhed; fo it cannot be fuppofed that Saul should have it revealed to him any confiderable time before he actually published it; fince a revelation of fuch importance must be fuppofed to be made for the benefit of the idolatrous Gentiles, and not for Saul's fpeculation and entertainment: and yet Saul must have hid this glorious talent a great while in a napkin, if this revelation was made to him even at the first time of his being at Jerufalem after his converfion; which was anno 38 (that is, about feven or eight years before he preached to the idolatrous Gentiles, for whofe fake alone it was revealed to him); much · more, if it was made at his converfion, which was three years before that, namely, anno 35:

2. It appears plainly, that, as foon as Saul had received Chrift's commands, at the second time of his being at Jerufalem after his converfion, he then actually carried this meffage to the idolatrous Gentiles; at least as foon as Chrift's commands to him were notified to the church, by the mouth of the prophets in the church of Antioch: for he then presently fails to Cyprus, and there converts a fingle heathen, the proconful of the island, the first fruits of the idolatrous Gentiles. Soon after he comes to Antioch in Pifidia, where the affembly feems to be compofed chiefly indeed • Acts xiii. 7—13.

of

of Jews and religious profelytes, or profelytes of the gateh; but, as it feems, of fome Gentiles or idolatrous Gentiles too, by their being diftinguished from the Jews and religious profelytes. And the next fabbath day, on the perverfenefs of the Jews, he and Barnabas "waxing bold," declare, that though it was neceffary that the word fhould be firft preached to "you (Jews)," yet, fince you put it from you," and judge yourselves unwor"thy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the "Gentiles;" about the beginning of the year 46. And it ought to be obferved here, by the way, that St. Luke on this occafion fays, that on the great perverfenefs of the Jews," Paul " and Barnabas waxed bold, and turned to the « Gentiles." If Chrift had been publicly preached before to a number of idolatrous Gentiles, where is the force of St. Luke's remark, that they "waxed bold?" Though indeed, as Chrift had not been preached to the idolatrous Gentiles before, there is a great beauty in it: for, confidering the ftrong prejudices of the whole body of christians then against the idolatrous Gentiles, it required a very high degree of courage to turn to them, even on this amazing perverfeness of the Jews. Paul ufes a like expreffion concerning

Acts xiii. 43.

1 Ver. 42 compared with ver. 43. See the Abstract. * As xiii. 45.

Efaias's

Efaias's clear prophecy about the calling of the Jews'. But "Efaias is very bold, and "faith, I was found of them that fought me ❝ not. I was made manifeft unto them that "afked not for me. But unto Ifrael he faith, "All day long have I ftretched forth my "hands unto a difobedient and gainfaying people." I cannot but obferve here, as I go along, that God ordered it fo in his providence, that, as the firft great harveft of devout Gentiles fhould be made at Antioch in Syria, fo the first great harvest of idolatrous Gentiles fhould be made at Antioch in Pifidia. From Antioch in Pifidia they go to Iconium, where they speak in the fynagogue, as they had done at Antioch in Pifidia. But the first time they spake to a number of heathens only, which was at Lyftra, the town whither they fled from Iconium: they there fay, "that in the times that were hitherto past, "God fuffered all nations to walk in their "own ways, fending no meffenger to restrain "them;" but now fends us, " to preach to you "to turn from these vanities (heathen deities) "to the living God." This carries very much the air of this being the first time of the gofpel's being preached to an unmixed affembly of heathens. I am fure, carrying that in our mind will add force and beauty to St. Paul's manner of expreffing himself on this

Rom. x. 20, 21.

m Acts xiv.

15, 16. "

occafion.

occafion. Compare this fpeech of his to that he made, in his fecond apoftolical journey, at Athens; and it ftill confirms one in this thought. That was also an unmixed affembly of heathens; his fpeech there is much of the fame caft with this here. But the gofpel had been then preached by Paul to the heathens in several parts of the world; and therefore, after faying to them, that " God winked "at the times of former ignorance," he adds with great propriety, "but commandeth all "men every where to repent "." After St.

Paul and Barnabas left Lyftra, they go through parts of the Leffer Afia, converting idolatrous Gentiles; then return to Antioch in Syria, from whence they "had been recommended "to the grace of God, for the work which σε they had fulfilled. And-rehearsed all "that God had done with them, and how he "had opened the door of faith to the Gen"tiles" (which fhews plainly that the door of faith had never been opened to the idolatrous Gentiles before). After which, St. Paul and Barnabas go out on a fecond progrefs among the Gentiles: but, on their differing about Mark, they part; Barnabas going to Cyprus, Paul through all the Leffer Afia; then to Macedonia, and Greece, and at last in another journey to Rome, and other parts of Italy, and perhaps to Spain.

Acts xvii. 30.

• Ibid. xiv. 26, 27.

3. It makes very much for my purpose, that no epiftle of St. Paul was written till after his first peregrination to convert the idolatrous Gentiles, which was after the second time of his being at Jerufalem; his first epistle being written in the year 52. If he was an apoftle from his converfion, how comes it that he wrote no epiftle to the Gentiles till after the time of his vifion in the temple?

4. What adds great ftrength to all the proofs I have already given that Saul did not preach the gospel before the time of that vifion, is, that he did not communicate his gofpel, that is, the gospel which he preached to the Gentiles, to any of the apostles, till "fourteen years after his firft being at Jeru"falem "," that is, till about the year 49; which was the third time of his being at Jerufalem. He communicated it then by revelation, or special orders from Chrift, to go up thither for that purpose as well as others; and then only to James, and Cephas, and John, whom he calls "them that were of reputation "," and who, he says, " feemed to "be fomewhat," and "who feemed to be "pillars," and to them" but privately; left "by any means he should run, or had run, in

66

P Gal. ii. 1, 2.

. Ver. 2.

: Ver. 9.

1 Ver. 9.

• Ver. 6.

« vain.