this turn, but always falls in with some previous passion, interest or humour.

Paul was now actually engaged in a design to extir. pate Christianity, and he was persuaded, that his design was laudable. If he had been a fanatic, he might have fancied a revelation in favor of his design; but it was impossible that imagination should create a light and voice in direct opposition to a design, which he had so much at heart, and which he thought so pious.

Besides This whole scene was open and public, and attended with none of those circumstances of secrecy and disguise, which usually attend the revelations of enthusiasts and impostors. It took place, not in the night, but in full day-not in a private apartment, or retired desert, but in the high road, and near a populous city-not when Paul was alone, but when he was in the company of a number of people, who all saw the light and heard the voice, as well as he, though they understood not the words which were spoken. And these were not Christians, but enemies to Christianity, as well as he.

Nothing can be more absurd, than to suppose, that a number of men, all violent opposers of the gospel should happen, all at the same moment, to fancy, that they saw a light, and heard a voice in confirmation of the gospel, and that one of them fell blind, and continued so for several days, if no such thing had taken place.

That this story was not a fiction of the writer, but a fact fully believed by him, is as evident, as any ancient historical fact can possibly be. It is publicly asserted by Luke soon after it is said to have happened; and the time, place and circumstances are pointed out; so that it might easily have been disproved, if it had not been true. Paul himself, in two of his public defences, and in the presence of numbers of Jews, relates the story, and appeals to it as a proof of his Apostleship, which he would not have done, if there had not

been full evidence of the truth of it. He alludes to it also in several of his epistles, which shews, that it was then fully believed in the churches.

This vision produced in Paul a mighty change. From this time he became a firm, unwavering believ er, and a zealous, intrepid preacher of the gospel. He openly professed his faith, that Jesus was the Son of God; and he immediately received baptism, the instituted badge of discipleship. And, being divinely instructed, that he was appointed a minister and witness of Jesus, he straightway preached him in Damascus, proving that he was the very Christ foretold by the prophets. From Damascus, where he first began his ministry, and where he soon found his life in danger, he privately escaped to Jerusalem. There he joined the other Apostles, and spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. Afterward, being ordained by certain prophets and teachers of the church as an Apostle of the Gentiles, he travelled through the various provinces of the lesser Asia: Then he passed into Europe and visited the most noted places in ancient Greece: From thence he went into Syria, and returned to Jerusalem. Afterwards he went over a considerable part of the same ground again, confirming the churches, which he had planted.

Wherever he went, he boldly preached this new religion in the most conspicuous places, especially in the Jewish synagogues; for there were Jews dispersed in all parts of the Roman empire. In many places he met with great opposition, chiefly from the malice of the Jews. He was imprisoned, tortured, whipped, stoned, and once handled so violently that he fell, and was dragged away for dead. But none of these things moved him, neither counted he his own life dear to him, that so he might finish with joy the ministry which he had received. God wrought special miracles by his hands in expelling evil spirits, healing the sick and raising the dead. In many places, churches under his VOL. III.

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ministry were planted, improved and increased to great celebrity. Thus he continued his work, until he was made a prisoner at Rome, where he remained two years, confined to his own hired house; yet with so much liberty, that he received all who came to him, preaching to them the kingdom of God, and testifying the things which concern the Lord Jesus, with all confidence.

Paul could not have conducted in this manner, if he had not believed the gospel to be divine. He could not have had such great success, if he had not exhibited evidence of its divinity. The miracles, which he wrought, confirmed the testimony which he gave in

.its favor.

And certainly Luke's narrative of these matters must have been true, or it never could have gained credit, nor would he have thought of writing it. For, it should be observed, this is not a narrative of Paul's private life, but of his public ministry. If Paul had never performed such travels, preached in such places, erected such churches, wrought such miracles, met with such persecutions, stood before such councils and magistrates, and made such speeches in his public defence, the historian, who should relate these things as recently done, would have gained no credit, but must have met with perfect contempt.

There are thirteen epistles ascribed to this Paul; and whoever reads them with attention, will easily see, that they were written by the same man, whose life and actions Luke has related to us. They breathe the spirit of that celebrated preacher; they contain the

octrines, which, Luke says, Paul preached; and arrate, or allude to the same transactions, which istorian has ascribed to him. If you read Luke's lory, and Paul's letters, you will see, there is no collusion-no combination to support each other's credit. But yet there is a remarkable coincidence of facts; a coincidence which is worthy of notice, as it

strongly confirms the credit of both writers. For where two men write independently, in a different manner, on different occasions, and without concert, their agreement in the relation of facts must be supposed to spring from truth.

Paul's early sentiments and manner of life-his persecution of the church-his conversion-his preaching in Damascus-his danger in, and escape from that city-his sufferings the places to which he carried the gospel-the success, and the opposition which he found in them-his assistance from other Apostleshis imprisonments-his selfdenials-his labors for his own support-his constancy and perseverance-his miraculous works are represented in his epistles, as they are related in the history of the Acts, with only this difference; Luke relates them with the freedom and boldness of an historian writing of another man; Paul alludes to them with the modesty, or appeals to them with the reluctance of an honest man constrained to speak of himself.

Any discerning person, reading the writings of the New Testament, and comparing them together, will find decisive evidence of their genuineness and authenticity.

But we have still farther evidence in their favor.

Every man, in the least acquainted with history, knows, that, in the time when the books of the New Testament are supposed to have been written, there were those persons who are here mentioned; as Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Herod, Pilate, Felix, Festus, Caiaphas, and many others: And that there were those sects and classes of men, which are here describ. ed; as Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes and Herodians: And that there were those customs and usages, which are here related; as the feasts of the passover and penticost, the ceremony of circumcision, a great strictness in observing the Sabbath, and in reading the law. It is well known that the Jews were under the Roman

government, paid tribute to the Emperor, received their chief magistrates by his appointment, could put no man to death without his permission; and many other things too numerous to be here mentioned.

Now if the writings of the New Testament exhibit a true account of the state of things in that age, we must believe they were extant in, or near, that age. And if the authors have strictly regarded the truth in every thing else, why should their veracity be questioned, in things which concern the Lord Jesus. If we believe there were such men as Cæsar, Herod and Pilate, who performed the works ascribed to them, Why may we not believe, there was such a person as Jesus Christ, who performed the works ascribed to him?

That there was an extraordinary person called by this name, who did many wonderful things, and was put to death under Tiberius; and that there was such a sect as Christians, denominated from him, which made a great noise, and became very numerous in the world, soon after the death of their founder, we have evidence from Heathen, as well as Christian writers.

The books of the New Testament were early received as the genuine works of the men whose names they bear; and in this character they have been handed down to the present time. Of this we have as good evidence as we have of any ancient facts. Writers who flourished soon after the Apostles, and who were con‐ versant with them, or with their immediate disciples, can even now, at this distance of time, be produced as witnesses of the genuineness of almost all the books of the New Testament; as the four Gospels, the Acts, thirteen Epistles of Paul, the first of Peter, and the first of John. And writers but little later bear witness to the authority of them all.

A certain writer named Papias, who lived soon after the Apostles, and was conversant with their immediate disciples, is quoted by Eusebius, a church historian, in confirmation of the gospel of Matthew. Justin, Irenæ