preffed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness. For, as Lowth obferves on Ifaiah, p. 188. "The Jewish church to which "John was fent to announce the coming of Meffiah, was at "that time in a barren and defert condition; unfit, without re"formation, for the reception of her king. It was in this de"fert country, destitute at that time of all religious cultivation, "in true piety and good works unfruitful, that John was fent "to prepare the way of the Lord by preaching repentance."

Many other examples of prophecies might be mentioned, in which the return of the Jews from Babylon was foretold, and of which paffages are applied, by the writers of the New Teftament, to the redemption of mankind from the bondage of fin. But the one explained above, may suffice as a proof of what is called the double fenfe of prophecy, in which the obvious literal sense exhibits a fecond and higher meaning: So that these prophecies, properly speaking, are true allegories.

Thus it appears. That the high figurative expreffions in the Jewish fcriptures which are fo offenfive to modern ears and to minute philofophers, were occafioned by the poverty of the first language of mankind: That the boldest of these figures were derived from the ancient picture-writing: That the fymbols ufed in that kind of writing gave rife to the dark Egyptian allegory, which was held in great eftimation at the time the fcriptures were written: And that in the early ages mankind, whether barbarous or civilized, were accustomed to exprefs their fentiments and feelings by Lignificant actions as well as by fignificant founds. These things confidered, it cannot be matter either of furprise or of blame, that the Jewish prophets exhorted the people and foretold future events in fuch figurative language as to us moderns appears extravagant; or that they delivered their exhortations and predictions in dark allegories, formed on the qualities and circumftances of the symbols, by which the perfons, and nations concerning whom they prophefied were denoted in picture writing; or even, that on extraordinary occafions, they foretold things future by what may be called a drama continued through a great length of time, in which they fpake and acted things which excited the wonder of the fpectators, and led them to inquire what the prophets

meant

meant by them, and, when explained, could not but make a ftrong impreffion upon their imagination. Thefe things were all done fuitably to the genius and manners of the times, and were easily understood by the people for whose instruction they were intended. And with refpect to the perfons who, in the fcrip.. tures, are faid in their natural characters and actions to have been types of future perfons and events, that method of foretelling things future was of the fame kind with allegorical prophecy for furely it made no difference whether the allegory was formed on the qualities and actions of a symbol, or on the qualities and actions of a real perfon. In the fymbolical or inftituted allegory, it was fhewed to be an allegory by the particulars of which it was compofed. But in the natural allegory, the characters and events of which it was compofed do not fhew it to be an allegory. Wherefore, before thefe are confidered by us as allegories, or prefigurations of future perfons and events, we ought to be affured by fome one or other of the prophets or infpired perfons who afterwards arofe, that they are allegories, otherwife they ought not to be confidered as fuch.- By this rule the futility of those allegorical meanings which fome of the ancient fathers put on many paffages of fcripture will clearly appear. And the humour of finding myftical fenfes in the facred oracles, which fome of the modern commentators have too much indulged, will be effectually repreffed.

Upon the whole, the obfervation fuggefted in the beginning of this Effay may now be repeated with fome confidence; namely, That the high figurative language by which the Jewish fcriptures are so strongly marked, together with the allegorical and typical fenfes with, which they abound, and the extraordinary things done by the Jewish prophets, instead of being inftances of abfurdity and figns of impofture, are proofs of their antiquity and authenticity; and even strong prefumptions of the divine original of the revelations contained in these venerable writings.

A HISTORY

A

HISTORY

OF THE

LIF

I FE

OF

THE APOSTLE PAUL,

BY WHOM THE GENTILES WERE CONVERTED:

ACCOMPANIED WITH

PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

OFFER to the Public the history of the apoftle Paul, compofed from materials furnished, partly by himself in his epiftles, and partly by the evangelift Luke in his book of the Acts. And I do this, in the perfuafion that the better we are acquainted with Paul's character and actions, the more will we be disposed to acknowledge his authority as an apostle, and to respect his writings as the oracles of God. This, however, is

not the only advantage to be derived from the knowledge of Paul's history. It will establish us in the faith, by fhewing us in what manner the gofpei was preached at the firft, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles; what fuccefs it met with in the different countries where it was preached; what fufferings the first preachers and the first believers endured for the fake of the gofpel; and how amply it was confirmed by the Lord, who gave teftimony to the word of his grace, by the figns and wonders which he granted to be wrought by the hands of the apostles, in all the countries where they preached. To these advantages we may add, the use which the knowledge of Paul's hiftory will be of, in helping us to underftand his writings. which make fo confiderable a part of the canon of fcripture.

CHAP.