it. This at least appears to me on an attentive reading of the first epiftle to the Corinthians; and I think may be pretty obvious to any one, on reading the fixth chapter of the epistle to the Galatians.

III. This is the more probable from the persons that moved the question at Antioch, fome of the fect of the Pharifees that believed." Such at least were those who abetted them at Jerufalem, and most likely fome of the very zealots of that zealous fect. Their conftant opinion was, that no perfons fhould be admitted to live quietly among them on the bare terms of profelytifm; much less be admitted to be Jews, without fully embracing their religion, and being circumcifed; as may be feen, on two great occafions, in Jofephus; whilft others thought much lefs would do. So that it appears, from the very persons that moved the question, as well as the place where it was moved, that this in all probability was the queftion now first moved in the chriftian church; namely, whether the profelytes of the gate, who, as the zealots pretended, could not so much as live among them, much lefs be thought Jews, without circumcifion, could ever be allowed to be a part of the church of Chrift without

$ Acts xv. 5.

r Ver. 12, 13. *Antiq. 1. xx. c. 2. Vit. Jofeph, p. 1007. B. p. 1010.C. And Selden de Jur.

it?

it? And because the Holy Ghoft had given a full decifion in the cafe of Cornelius, that they ought (as we fhall fee more fully prefently); therefore these men come with a pretended authority from the apostles, elders, and brethren at Jerufalem; not putting it on the merit of the cause, after fuch a full decifion by the Holy Ghoft to the contrary; but on a pretended new revelation, made fince to the apostles at Jerufalem, and now brought by them as meffengers of the church of Jerufalem to the church of Antioch. Every one will fee, that this must have been naturally the first question that these zealots at Jerufalem were like to ftir in the church, whatever queftion they might from thence raife afterwards in relation to the idolatrous Gentiles, when they became acquainted with the news of their converfion.

So that this hypothefis accounts well for the rife of the question; whether we confider the question itself, the perfons who moved it, and the place where, and confequently the perfons about whom, it was moved. But I think my hypothefis will be proved more unanfwerably from the confiderations that follow. For,

IV. This hypothefis alone agrees with feveral things that occurr in the debate.

1. With Peter's argument, which is entirely taken from the profelyted (not from the

idolatrous)

idolatrous) Gentiles converted to chriftianity. For his argument is this: "God, in the cafe "of Cornelius" (the only cafe referred to in Peter's fpeech), "has born witnefs to the "profelytes of the gate, or declared them acceptable to him upon the terms of profely"tifm" (that is, the obfervance of these four precepts, though they did not obferve any of the other laws of Mofes), "by giving them "the Holy Ghost at Cæfarea, as he did to us at "the beginning, without any difference;

thereby fhewing that he had purified their "hearts by faith, whom we all used to think "unclean, and whom you zealots ftill conti“nue to think fo: therefore let those terms, “and no more, be required of the profelytes

of the gate converted to christianity at An❝tioch, &c. "." Here the conclufion is well drawn from the premises. But it would be no argument to fay, "The Holy Ghost, or "God by the Holy Ghoft, has declared the

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profelytes of the gate (obliged by a particu"lar law to certain abftinences) acceptable to "him, on the terms of faith, and these absti"nences, and no other; therefore let us enjoin thefe abftinences to idolatrous Gen"tiles, who were never obliged to obferve them before."

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Acts xv. 7-12.

2. It

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2. It agrees with James's quotation from Amos (which he brings to enforce Peter's argument, and to fhew how agreeable his fense was to a prophecy in that prophet), which relates only to the profelytes of the gate, as far as St. James makes ufe of it: "After this "I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down (by raifing up Chrift to fit on David's "throne)—that the refidue of men might "feek after the Lord." It is in the prophet, "that they may poffefs the refidue of Edom” (that is, the worst enemies of Ifrael, or a remnant of the moft profligate and abandoned idolaters)," and all the Gentiles on whom "my name is called," that is, all the profelytes of the gate, or by far the greater part of them. The fenfe of the prophecy being this, is therefore very applicable to James's purpose; that, after Chrift was set on David's throne, not only a remnant of the most abandoned idolaters fhould become Chrift's fubjects, but all the Gentiles "on whom my "name is called," or who are called by my name, or call upon my name; that is, the profelytes of the gate, who generally became chriftians where chriftianity was preached; being by far the best prepared of any to receive it, not only as they were free from idolatry on the one hand, but as they were likew Acts ii. 30.

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wife free from fuperftition on the other. For, as St. James adds, "known unto God "are all his works, from the beginning of "the world." Before Cornelius's converfion, there were but a few fingle perfons among the Gentiles that feared God, Melchizedeck, Jethro, Job, &c.; but God defigned all along "to vifit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name" (or, for his honour); and he, who knew this from the beginning, pointed it out to the Jews, by ordering fuch perfons to be received among them, on their worshiping God, and abftaining from thefe prohibited things; and yet more fully, by fending down the Holy Ghost on them, on his first visiting the Gentiles by Peter, as we shall see more clearly by and by.

3. Agreeably hereunto is James's expreffion alfo, when he comes to fum up the matter; diò ila novw, "wherefore my fentence" (or my opinion or judgement)" is, that we

trouble not them which from among the "Gentiles are turned unto God;" the very defcription of a profelyte of the gate at that period, who were turned from "these vani"ties unto the living God;" and being already turned unto God when they are converted to christianity, they are not then faid to be turned unto God from idols, as the Theffalonians are faid to be*, when their bare conver* 1 Theff. i. 9.

fion