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" preach among the Gentiles; but privately "to these perfons of reputation, left &c.' And it is confequently neceffarily implied, that he then carefully kept it from all others; and particularly from "those false brethren, "who were unawares brought in to this "affembly, and came in privately, to spy out "the (fuller) liberty which we" (that is, you Galatians under the predicament of idolatrous Gentiles) have in Chrift Jefus : "that they might bring us" (that is, you and all those idolatrous Gentiles)" into bondage again;" by raifing the fury of the Jewish believers against this full liberty, which they are not yet able to bear; and of which perhaps these falfe brethren had then got fome fort of intimation, or fufpicion. Now it is fcarce conceivable, that Paul should declare the converfion of the idolatrous Gentiles to the whole church; and declare the gofpel that he preached to those Gentiles only to the three chief apostles. If he had declared the converfion of the idolatrous Gentiles to the whole church, how could he have well avoided to communicate the gospel that he preached to them? Would it not have been asked, either by friends or foes, by the more bigoted or the more moderate, what he preached to them? Particularly would it not have been asked by those "false "brethren unawares brought in" (to this af

fembly),

fembly)," who came in privately, to fpy out "this full liberty, which we" (Galatians, 'that is, idolatrous Gentiles) "have in Christ Jefus:" (to the intent) that " they might

bring us into bondage?" And how then could Paul and Barnabas have avoided anfwering their question? Or if they had made no answer, not anfwering had been confeffing. Whereas we may be fure, that Paul, who took fo much care not to impart his gospel, for fear of the most mischievous confequences, would certainly avoid that which (I think I may fay) muft neceffarily have led to the divulging of it.

And methinks, if Paul and Barnabas had declared the converfion of the idolatrous Gentiles, and had been fo understood by the church of Jerufalem, we should have had fome account of the great aftonifhment and exultation with which it had been received by the reasonable; and of the fury with which it had been received by the false and the bigoted part of the church. What expoftulations would it have produced in this affembly, if they then had it to say, that Paul and Barnabas converfed with the idolatrous Gentiles? These were effects which the first news of a lefs remarkable event produced: namely, the converfion of the devout Gentiles, and on the terms on which Paul converfed with them, and offered peace and reconciliation to them. For first they expoftulated upon it with Pe

ter; and when they heard the matter fully, they held their peace, and glorified God; faying, with aftonishment and joy, "Then hath "God alfo unto the Gentiles granted repen"tance unto life P." Whereas St. Luke drops no hint of any emotion of this kind in either of the two parties in this whole chapter.

And that the time of St. Paul's being prefent at this debate is the very time that he fpeaks of communicating his gospel to the three apostles only, is plain from hence; that he fays it was "fourteen years after" (that is, his converfion), which was ann. 35; and was therefore the time of his being prefent at this debate, namely, ann. 49. And as St. Paul does in effect acquaint the Galatians, that he did not impart the news of his converting the idolatrous Gentiles at this time of his being at Jerufalem to the elders or the church, fince he fays he communicated the gospel of the Gentiles only to the three apostles privately; fo St. Luke feems to me to intimate plainly, that he first imparted it to the elders of the church of Jerufalem, together with the account of this converting the idolatrous Gentiles, the fifth time of his being there. St. Paul had told the Galatians, that he communicated his gospel

"only to the three chief apostles ;" and St. Luke fays", having his eye perhaps to this very account of St. Paul's to the Galatians, "And the day following, Paul went in with "us unto James, and all the elders were pre"fent; and declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gen"tiles by his miniftry." And then the facred. hiftorian adds, that they received this account in a manner suitable to so great an event: for "when they heard it," St. Luke fays, "they

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glorified the Lord;" the very words he ufed to exprefs the joy and aftonishment, with which the believing Jews at Jerufalem received the firft news of the converfion of the devout Gentiles" and the very expreffion which St. Paul makes use of to the Corinthians; foreseeing how this news would be received by the church of Jerufalem; when he fays (fpeaking of their contributions that he was at that time just coming to them to receive, and then to carry to the poor faints in Judæa), "For the administration of "this fervice not only fupplieth the want "of the faints, but is, or will be, abundant "alfo by many thanksgivings unto God, "whilft, by the experiment of this miniftra"tion, they (fhall now firft) glorify God for your profeffed fubjection unto the gospel " of Chrift, and for your liberal diftribution

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Acts xxi. 18, 19.

X 3

* Ibid. xi. 18.

❝ unto

"unto them." This agreement of expreffion between St. Paul in his epiftle to the Corinthians, and St. Luke in his history, is the more confiderable, because St. Luke was with St. Paul when he wrote that epiftle to the Corinthians; and may from thence be fupposed to have made ufe of this expreffion in his hiftory, from St. Paul's having used it in that epiftle. And then gave St. Paul their advice, how to clear himself from a calumny, that seems to have sprung up with the first news that had reached the church at Jerufalem, of his teaching the idolatrous Gentiles . And I think it the more probable, that the converfion of idolatrous Gentiles, and the gofpel that he preached to them, were not known before to the church of Jerufalem; because James fpeaks of this decree (which I hope I have proved related to the profelytes of the gate converted to chriftianity) as the only thing that the church of Jerufalem had known, until then, relating to Gentile converts. "As to the Gentiles which believe," fays he, "we have written and concluded, "that they observe no fuch things" (that is, the law and cuftoms ), "fave only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things ❝ftrangled, and from fornication 2.

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