church, if they did not amend before he came again to them. a 4. Another badge of this high office was the power of performing extraordinary cures, or of performing cures in an extraordinary manner; fome of which, I think, St, Luke calls" fpecial miracles "," or miracles peculiar to an apostle. And thus we see that, after St. Paul's being the second time at Jerufalem after his converfion, he cures the cripple at Lyftra, fends handkerchiefs from his body to perform cures at a distance, and raifes Eutychus. But it is very obfervable, that he does none of all these extraordinary cures before the fecond time of his being at Jerufalem after his converfion; and that he begins to perform them presently after.. 5. The greatest prerogative of all, and that which was moft peculiar to an apostle, was the power of imparting the Holy Ghoft. Now we never read of Paul's doing this before his being the second time at Jerufalem after his converfion. But after that, he immediately imparts the Holy Ghoft to the first heathen converts at Antioch in Pifidiae (if the Holy Ghost did not fall on them, as on the hundred and twenty at the begining, Z 2 Cor. x. 6, 8, 11. xii. 20. xiii. 2—10. a Acts xix. II. • Ibid. x. 12. Ibid. xiv. 8, 11. Ibid. xx. 9-12. Ibid. xiii. 52. Ann. 46. without without the laying on of hands, as I have obferved was probable. He imparts it to Timothy ; to the Galatians h; to the Theffalonians on his first converting them; to the Corinthians; to the Ephefians'; and among others at Ephefus, to certain difciples of John, the fecond time of his coming there, about the latter end of the year 54. VI. I muft alfo add, that it is not till after St. Paul's being the fecond time at Jerufalem after his converfion, that we have any account of his exercifing that fingular power, which we have pretty plain hints of afterwards; namely, of "feeing what was done in the "churches under his care whilft he was at a "diftance," of which we have an inftance". But I fhall not infift on the inftances themfelves, having treated more fully of them in the Second Effay. 4 VII. It seems highly improbable to me, that Saul should have been known to be an apostle long before his being called fo. Now he is never called an apoftle till Acts xiv. 14; which was at Lyftra, the third place at which St. Paul publickly exercised his apof f. See the First Effay. 8 Acts xvi. 3. 2 Tim. i. 6. Ann. 50. i h Gal. iii. 2, 3, 5. Ann. 51. I Theff. i. 5. k 1 Cor. i. 5,7. 2 Cor. i. 22. xii. 12. Ann. 52, 1 Eph. i. 13. Acts xix. 6. a Coloff. ii. 5. 1 Cor. v. 3, 4. tolical 1 tolical office, and probably in a few weeks after he first exercised it in any affembly whatfoever. If he had publickly acted in this character long before, it is fingular that St Luke, fo well acquainted with his story, and fo careful and exact in tranfmitting it, should never give it him till after his being separated. in the church of Antioch to the work to which the Holy Ghoft had called him. very VIII. It seems yet more improbable to me, that Saul fhould have been an apoftle before that time, when at that very time, instead of being called an apostle, he is only called “ a "prophet, and a teacher." The offices of an apostle, a prophet, and a teacher, were too diftinct in themselves, and St. Luke too well acquainted with the great diftinction there was between them, and too exact in these matters, to have ranked Paul among the prophets and teachers in the church of Antioch, if he had been an apostle at that time. IX. It seems to me yet more improbable, that, if Saul had been an apoftle at that time, he fhould have been named the laft of the five P. Mr. Pyle feems to think this fo wrong, that, in his Paraphrase, he corrects St. Luke in this particular, and puts Saul firft, fuppofing him at that time to be an apostle. But, if St. Luke might not be thought competent to fettle the rank between Barnabas and Saul, Acts xiii. 1. P Ibid. how how comes he to place others before Paul, as well as Barnabas? And yet St. Luke is an accurate writer in this refpect as well as all others. I believe we fhall never find him put Silas after Timotheus, Silas being the elder dean, and one of the leading men among the brethren; no more than Paul does in his epiftles afterwards; which fhews rank in christianity was carefully attended to in the apoftolick times. And it is highly probable that the five mentioned in Acts xiii. 1. all of them prophets and teachers, are ranked according to their age and standing in chriftianity; which if Mr. Pyle had happened to advert to, I believe it would have fatisfied him with the place that St. Luke affigns to Saul among them in the Antiochian church, and prevented him from giving Saul the precedence against St. Luke's hiftory. X. I cannot but think it is the more probable that St. Paul did not commence an apostle till after the second time of his being at Jerufalem after his converfion, because he is never called " Paul" till after that time; but prefently after, it is faid "Saul, who is "alfo called Paul." Now, though it is most likely he had that name given him at his circumcifion by his parents, as well as Saul; Saul being the Jewish name, much ufed in the tribe of Benjamin, of which tribe 11 Theff. i. 1. 2 Theff. i. 1. Acts xiii. 9. Paul Paul was; and Paul his Roman name, being born at Tarfus a Roman city; and it being no uncommon thing to give two names: yet how comes it about, that he did not ufe his Roman name till ten years after his converfion, and till fix years after his being the first time at Jerufalem; but that, as before his duty had been among the Jews, among whom Saul founded better than Paul, fo now it was to be among the Gentiles, among whom Paul would found better than Saul? And after this, he never used any other. Origen was of opinion, that this was the reason of his using thefe different names at different times; as may be seen in his Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. XI. I think it also very remarkable, that Barnabas is always named before Saul by Luke, St. Paul's companion, and very folicitous for his honour (as will appear to a careful reader of the Acts), till fome little time after his being the fecond time at Jerufalem, and after his being declared to be an apostle in the church of Antioch. For it does not only stand thus, Acts xi. 30, and xiii. 2. “ Se 'parate me Barnabas and Saul;" but, ver. 1. the prophets in the church of Antioch are reckoned up in this order, 1. Barnabas, 2. Simeon, 3. Lucius, 4. Manaen, 5. Saul. If Saul had been known or declared to be an apostle before this time, he would probably have |