that enfued Stephen's martyrdom, and are called Grecians. It fhould be read"Exλnvas, and not 'Exλnusas, and fhould have been rendered Gentiles, not Grecians h. And that they were devout Gentiles, is farther evident from this phrase, that, on the preaching of the men of Cyprus and Cyrene, they are faid "to turn unto the Lord," being turned unto God already, as we fhall fhew in the courfe of this Effay. This is the more probable from the Greek phrase used about them *, which is not λαὸς ἱκανὸς, but ὄχλῳ ἱκανὸς προσεγέθη τῷ Κυρίῳ. And now ὄχλα is the word St. Luke often ufes concerning a multitude, or any very great number, as may be seen in the Acts. I confefs St. Luke in the Acts ufes this word (xλ), in conjunction with fome other word, of a riotous multitude or affembly of Jews, or to fignify a number or a company of any fort; but I think his avoiding the word λads, not in a good sense here, and his ufing the word "xλ here, which is never applied by him or any other facred writer of the New Testament to any but Jews, or to the Gentiles when spoken of under the notion of a people that God took to himself as he did the Jews, or inftead 8 Acts xi. 20. i Ver. 21. See the Abstract, * Ver. 24. Acts xiii. 45. xiv. 11, 13, 14, 18, 19. xvi. 22. xvii. 8, 13. xix. 26, 33, 35. of of the Jews, gives a great countenance to the opinion, that these were not Jews, but devout Gentiles. He that will confult the places where the word aacs is ufed in the New Teftament, will not have much doubt of the truth of this criticism upon it. I farther observe, that no word, is fo much oppofed to 'Idaíos as "Eλλnves. Inftances are numerous in the Acts, as well as the Epiftles. Nor are 'Exλnvisal oppofed to Ιεδαίοις, but Ἑβραίες m. This may further ferve to fhew that "Exλnvas is the true reading here. These are taken notice of by St. Luke, as the great harvest of the profelyte converts, that enfued on the converfion of Cornelius and his family, who were the first fruits of thefe Gentiles. This reading and verfion reftores good sense and order to St. Luke's history, and force to his remark. For then it ftands thus: "Hav 66 ing entered on the hiftory of the conversion "of the profelytes of the gate, in the account "of Cornelius and his family"; and having "given an account of the expoftulation of "thofe that were of the circumcifion with "him on that account of Peter's juftifica“tion ; and of their acquiefcence, on seeing plainly that God had then granted, or "begun to grant, repentance unto life unto "the Gentiles (that is, the profelytes of the 66 Chap. x. gate), 66 66 66 gate, immediately adds, that upon this, though they that were scattered abroad upon Stephen's perfecution had hitherto only "preached to the Jews, notwithstanding that they had travelled as far as Phoenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch (fome of which were men of Cyprus and Cyrene); yet, on the occafion of "the former tranfaction, in relation to Corne«lius and his family, and the acquiefcence of "the whole church at Jerufalem in it, they 66 86 being at Antioch, now begin to speak unto "the Gentiles" (that is, the fame fort of Gen'tiles that had been difcourfed of in all this. and the preceding chapter; that is, profelytes of the gate). But where is the order of St. Luke's hiftory, if ‘Eaλnvisas, Grecians, be the true reading; fince his history will then go backward, and, after giving an account of the conversion of profelyted Gentiles, return to the hiftory of the converfion of Hellenist Jews? and how will Grecians, that is, Hellenift Jews, or Jews that spoke Greek, or Jews that ufed no other tongue but the Greek, and Jews by profelytifm (in one of which fenfes the Grecians or Hellenists must be taken), ftand opposed to Jews? Will it be good fenfe to fay, "that the men "of Cyprus and Cyrene, who had in their "travels, as far as Antioch, fpoken hi 9 Ver. 18. • Ibid. VOL. II, H r Ver. 19. ❝therto "therto to none but the Jews only, spoke "now to the Jews?" or would it be of any moment for St. Luke to have said, "that 66 they, who before had spoken to Jews that "ufed the Hebrew as their mother tongue, "now first spoke to Jews that used the "Greek;" or "that they who had spoken. "before to fuch as were Jews by conver fion', now fpake to Jews by religion;" if that was true, as it is not? or where will be the force of the remark that is plainly introduced on the ftory of the converfion of Cornelius, and which, according to the common reading and our version, muft be this; namely, "that thereupon the men "of Cyprus and Cyrene converted Hellenist "Jews, who had been converted before in "great multitudes "?" So that we may be fully affured, that "Exλnvas, Gentiles, is the true reading and rendering of the place. Upon the news of the fuccefs which the men of Cyprus and Cyrene had met with among these profelytes of the gate at Antioch being brought to the ears of the apoftles, who continued at Jerufalem (notwithstanding the perfecution, to look out and confult for the good of the church), they, according to their ufual vigilance, fend Barnabas thither; a man peculiarly fuited to exhort these people, Acts xi. 19. u Ibid. vi. 1. W being not only a prophet "," but "a good "man" (avip álatos, that is, a man of a sweet and benign temper, not likely to lay greater burdens on the profelyte converts than were neceffary), "and full of the Holy Ghoft, and "of faith." He, finding more business among them than he could go through, goes to Tarfus, to find Saul; and bringing him with him to Antioch, they for a whole year taught much people there, that is, great numbers of profelytes of the gate. Infomuch that, taking the name of "Brethren" upon them, which they did not know whether the Jewifh chriftians, who took the name of Brethren to themselves, would allow them, confidering their prejudices against them, whom they treated as ftrangers; they take a new name, namely, that of "Chriftians 2," from Chrift their great mafter, according to the Greek cuftom, as we fee was the cafe in Pythagoreans, Platonifts, Ariftotelians, and. Epicurcans, &c. And perhaps with an allufion to the unction," which Cornelius and his family, the firft fruits of these profelytes at Cæfarea, had received from Chrift, whom, St. Peter fays in his difcourfe to them, " God "anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with 66 power a Some think this new name of w A&ts xiii. I. y Ver. I. 2 Acts x. 38. T 2 * Ibid. xi. 23, 24. z Ver. 26. Chriftians, |