mafter king in a fpiritual fenfe; nay, that they proclaimed him the fovereign of the univerfe, king of kings, and lord of lords; but it is clear, beyond a poffibility of doubt, that they afferted no temporal jurisdiction of Jefus Chrift, or faid or did any thing contrary to the decrees, or against the government of Cafar.

We have next an account of Paul and Silas's preaching the Gofpel at Berea* ; but there is nothing in it which discriminates it from parallel ones already spoken to, except the candid reception the Gospel met with at that place.

We will therefore follow our Apostle to Athens, where we find him difputing in the fynagogue with the Jews, and others that met with him. Among these were certain philofophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics, who encountered him; fome calling him a babler; others, a fetter forth of strange gods, because be preached unto them Jefus and the refurrec

* Acts xvii. 10.

tion §. I mean not to infinuate from this paffage, that the Apostle is maintaining the Divinity of Jefus Chrift; as it is evident from the tenor of his enfuing discourse to thofe heathen philofophers, which is fet down at large, that he has here only an eye. to the prophetic character, or office of our bleffed Lord. If you will turn to the dif courfe, you will find the great points infifted on, to be the unity and the fpirituality of the Godhead, together with the doctrine of a future ftate, and the refurrection of all men from the dead, in confequence of his, whom God had ordained to be the judge of the world. This was a proper beginning with heathens. But what effect had this discourse upon these idolatrous philofophers? When they heard of the refurrection, continues the facred story, fome mocked, and others faid, we will hear thee again; bowbeit certain men clave unto, him, and believed, &c. Our Apostle appears then to have made converts at Athens, though we do not read that they were baptized, or indeed believed in the fun§ Acts xvii. 16, &c.

damental articles of Chriftianity, according to our hypothefis. Without doubt, these articles, the great myfteries of faith, were gradually opened to them afterwards, and previously to their admiffion into the church by baptifm. For we shall see presently that thefe converts are not the only inftances of perfons who were difciples, or believers in a certain sense, though they were uninstructed in the first principles of Chriftianity; and this too even fince the propagation of it by the Apoftles.

After these things, we are told, Paul and Silas came to Corinth§; and Paul reafoned in the fynagogue, and perfuaded the Jews and Greeks-and was preffed in fpirit, and teftified to the Jews that Jesus was Chrift; and when they oppofed themselves, and blaf phemed, he shook his raiment, and faid unto them, your blood be upon your own heads, &c. You will be pleased to compare this relation with that of the perverfe and unbelieving

§ Acts xviii. 1, &c.

Jews

Jews at Antioch in Pifidia, already taken notice of.

We have next an account of the conversion of Juftus, (though it is not particularly fet down,) and of Crifpus, and of many of the Corinthians; which contains nothing material to our argument.

But after this we read of an infurrection made by the Jews against Paul, and of a charge brought against him before Gallio; which has a particular worth our notice. This fellow, fay they, perfuadeth men to worfhip God contrary to the law*. Now when we recollect, that our bleffed Saviour was circumcifed, and "obedient to the law for

man;" that himself and his Apoftles conformed to the religion of their country in all points, and attended divine service in the temple, and in the fynagogues; that our Apostle circumcifed Timothy in pure condefcenfion to the Jews; that, in vindication of his innocence, he declared to Feftus, as

Acts xviii. 13.

he

he had done before in fubftance to Felix, that neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple he had offended any thing at all; that the Mofaic economy totally ceafed not before the final deftruction of Jerufalem, when all difputes concerning circumcifion, and the legal rites and obfervances were happily terminated; when we recollect all this, to which more might be fubjoined, it will, I conceive, be impoffible to make tolerable sense of the accufation just mentioned, without fuppofing fomething to have been fuperadded to the Jewish worship by the Apostles, and first Christians, which gave this great offence; and what should this be but the worship of Chriftians, as such or, in other words, the adoration of Chrift, as God?

We will now proceed to the account which the facred hiftorian gives us of Apollos in the fame chapter. * A certain Few named Apollos, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephefus. This man was

*Acts xviii. 24.

inftructed