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A. D. 61. wards God, as ye all eminent Pharifee, and great Doctor of the Law, inftructed in the Principles of that rigid and

are this day.

fevere Sect; and as great a Zealot for the Jewish Law as any of you can pretend to be.

4. And I perfecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prifons,

4. And as for this Profeffion of the Chriftian Religion, I was fo far from being ignorantly or haftily drawn into it by any Incliboth men and women. nation of my own, that with an uncommon Averfion, I abhorr'd and perfecuted, apprehended and imprifon'd all that did fo, as Blafphemers against the facred Law of Moses.

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5. Of all which, your very High Priest and his whole Council can be my Witneffes, whose chief Inftrument I was in that Perfecution, and to whom I apply'd myself for a Commiffion to the Prefidents of the Synagogues of Damafcus, to feize upon all Chriftians there, and fend them to Jerufalem to be try'd and punifh'd as fuch Profaners of our Religion. (Chap. vi. 13.)

6. And under this immoderate Zeal had I continued, in all likelihood, to this Day; but that God was pleafed to convince me of the Error of it, by a glorious Manifeftation of himself, and his Divine Will to me, as I was going to execute that bloody Com

miffion.

7. The Light that then fhined round us, was fo bright and amazing, that out of Reverence and Aftonifhment at fo true an Appearance of the Divine Majefty,

we

we all fell proftrate upon the Earth; when a Voice A. D. 61. directed to me, faid, Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me?

8. And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he faid unto me, I am Jefus of Nazareth whom thou perfecuteft.

8. To which I reply'd, If this be indeed the Voice and Appearance of the True GOD, tell me, I beseech thee, how I can be faid to be a Perfecutor of Him, for whofe divine Law I am thus eminently zealous? He anfwer'd, It is the Voice of JESUS of Nazareth, the Son of God, the true Meffiah, and that I was a Perfecutor of his holy and true Religion.

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9. My Fellow-Travellers did not hear the diftinct Words directed to me, but heard the dreadful Thunder, and faw the miraculous Light, and fo are sufficient Witnefies that it was a divine Manifestation, as well as I.

10. Thus miraculously convinced of my Error, I begged to know what I fhould do to atone and obtain Pardon for it; and was commanded by the Voice to go into Damafcus, and wait for further Orders from Heaven.

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See Chap. ix. with which compare this whole Oration, and the PARAPHRASE, as alfo Chap. xxvi.

A. D. 61. of all the Jews that

dwelt there.

13. Came unto me, and ftood, and faid unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy

turned Chriftian; who, faluting me by the Name of Brother Chriftian, did, in the Name of JESUS, immediately reftore me to my perfect Sight.

fight. And the fame hour I looked up upon him.

14. And he faid,
The God of our fa-
thers hath chofen
thee, that thou
fhouldest know his
will, and fee that
just one, and should-
eft hear the voice of

his mouth.
15. For thou fhalt

14 & 15. Telling me, that God was gracioufly pleased in so miraculous a Manner, to manifest * his Son Jefus Chrift to me, and thus to convert me, in order to make me a special Witness of the Truth of his Religion, and a

Preacher of his Doctrine.

be his witnefs unto all men of what thou haft feen and heard.

16. And now why tarrieft thou? Arife, and be baptized: and wash away thy fins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Apostle, by the Gifts

17. And it came to pass, that when I was come again to Jerufalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

18. And faw him

faying unto me, Make
hafte, and get thee
quickly out of Jeru-
falem: for they will

not receive thy tefti-
mony concerning me.

16. And, knowing that I had by fincere Fafting and Prayer, teftified my Repentance, he baptiz'd me into the Profeffion of Christ's Religion, and at the fame Time qualify'd me for his Minifter and of the Holy Ghost +.

17. After this my Converfion, I came to Jerufalem, and in devout Prayer, one Day in the Temple, I fell into an Ecftafy or a divine Trance;

18. Wherein I clearly faw Jefus Chrift, and heard him command me to make hafte out of Jerufalem, and not then attempt to preach his Gospel to any of the Jews there, for that they would give no manner of Credit to me,

but perfecute and destroy me.

19 & 20.

*Ver. 14. And fee the juft One, and hear the Voice of his Mouth. See the NOTE on Chap. ix. 7.

+ See Chap. ix. 17.

19. And I faid, Lord, they know that I imprisoned, and beat in every fynagogue that believed

them
on thee:

19 & 20. To which Expreffion A. D. 61. of his, methought I pleaded and argued thus: That whereas thofe Jews knew full well, what a zeafous and bitter Adverfary I had been againft his Religion; how I begun to join in the first Act of Perfecution upon Stephen, and carried it on in fo Inftances many afterward, they could not but be convinced it must be upon fome certain and irrefiftible Grounds of Perfuafion, that I fhould thus preach up the Faith I once deftroyed, and confequently would hearken to me before any other Chriftian Apoftle.

20. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was thed, I allo was ftanding by, and confenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that flew him.

21. And he faid unto me, Depart: for I will fend thee far hence unto the Gen

21. He told me, the Jewish Prejudices were too deep, and their Malice too incurable, to be wrought upon even by this Argument, and therefore bad me fay no more, but retire for a Time into fome diftant *Parts, and convert what I could of the Gentile Part of the World to his Religion.

tiles.

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22 & 23. Thus far the People heard him with fome tolerable Patience; but as foon as ever he mentioned his Orders to preach the Kingdom of the Meffiah to the Gentiles, they flew into the utmoft Rage and Clamour against him, as a Fellow that ought immediately to be taken off for a Blafphemer; ftripping themselves, and flinging Duft about, as ready to ftone him forthwith.

24. Upon which the Roman Captain, concluding he must

have

Ver. 21. Far hence unto the Gentiles, i. e. into Arabia:

See Chap. ix. 23. and the NOTE there.

A. D. 61. to be brought into the
caftle, and bade that
he fhould be examin-

ed by scourging: that
he might know where-
fore they cried fo a-
gainst him.

25. And as they
bound him with
thongs, Paul faid
unto the centurion

that stood by, Is it
lawful for you to
fcourge a man that
is a Roman, and un-
condemned?

26. When the cen-
turion heard that, he

went and told the
chief captain, faying,

have been guilty of fome notorious Crime, bad the Soldiers carry him up into the Castle, and examine him by a fevere Whipping, to make him confefs what it was.

25. As the Soldiers were tying him, in order to his Scourging, Paul demanded of the Centurion, or Under- Officer, whether his Captain could answer it, to whip a Roman Freeman, and especially before he was legally tried and convicted of any Crime?

26. At which Queftion, the Centurion went and gave the Captain the Caution.

Take heed what thou doft, for this man is a Roman.

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was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because

he had bound him.

30. On

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