,transcriber's ,note3 ,italics are      
indicated by underscores4               
,not ,paul1 ,but ,jesus        ,,by     
,,jeremy ,,bentham1 ,,esqr41--,the      
,eminent    ,philosopher of ,sociology1 
,jurisprudence1    c41 of ,london4      
,with ,preface ,containing ,sketches of 
,his ,life and    ,works ,together with 
,critical ,notes by ,john    ,j4        
,crandall1 ,esqr41 of the ,new ,jersey  
,bar--author    of ,right to ,begin and 
,reply          ,,editor',s ,,preface4  
,jeremy ,bentham1 an eminent ,english   
judicial or jural philosopher1 was  born
 in ,london1 ,february #ae1 #agdh1 and  
died at ,westminster1 his  residence for
 six years previously1 ,june #f1 #ahcb4 
,his grandfather was a  ,london         
,attorney2 his father1 who followed the 
same profession1 was a  shrewd man of   
business1 and added considerably to his 
patrimony by land  speculations4 ,these 
,london ,benthams were probably an      
offshoot from an  ancient ,york family  
of the same name1 which boasted a       

,bishopric among  its members2 but our  
author did not trouble himself to trace 
his  genealogy beyond the pawnbroker4   
,his mother1 ,alicia ,groove1 was the   
daughter of an ,andover shopkeeper4     
,jeremy1 the eldest1 and for nine  years
 the only child of this marriage1 was   
for the first sixteen years  of his life
 exceedingly puny1 small and feeble4 ,at
 the same time1 he  exhibited a         
remarkable precocity which greatly      
stimulated the pride and  affection of  
his father4 ,at five years of age he    
acquired a knowledge of  musical notes  
and learned to play the violin4 ,at four
 or earlier1 having  previously learned 
to write1 he was initiated into ,latin  
grammar1 and in  his seventh year       
entered ,westminster ,school4           
,meanwhile1 he was taught  ,french by a 
private master at home and at seven read
 ,telemaque1 a book  which strongly     
impressed him4 ,learning to dance was a 
much more serious  undertaking1 as he   
was so weak in his legs4    ,young as he

 was1 he acquired distinction at        
,westminster as a fabricator  of ,latin 
and ,greek verses1 the great end and aim
 of the instruction  given there4       
,when twelve years old1 he was entered  
as a ,commoner at ,queen's ,college1    
,oxford1 where he spent the next three  
years4 ,though very uncomfortable  at   
,oxford1 he went through the exercises  
of the ,college with credit and  even   
with some distinction4 ,some ,latin     
verses of his1 on the accession  of     
,george ,,iii1 attracted a great deal of
 attention as the production of  one so 
young4 ,into all of the disputations    
which formed a part of the  ,college    
exercises1 he entered with zeal and much
 satisfaction2 yet he  never felt at    
home in the ,university because of its  
historical monotony1  and of all of     
which he retained the most unfavorable  
recollections4    ,in #agfc1 while not  
yet sixteen1 he took the degree of      
,a4,b4 ,shortly  after this he began his
 course of ,law in ,lincoln's ,inn1 and 

journeyed  back and forth to ,oxford to 
hear ,blackstone's ,lectures4 ,these    
lectures  were published and read       
throughout the realm of ,england and    
particularly  in the ,american          
,colonies4 ,these were criticised by the
 whole school of  ,cromwell1 ,milton and
 such followers as ,priestly and others 
in ,england  and many in the ,colonies  
in ,america4 ,young ,bentham returned to
 ,london  and attended as a student the 
,court of the ,king's ,bench1 then      
presided  over by ,mansfield1 of whom he
 continued for some years a great       
admirer4    ,among the advocates1       
,dunning's clearness1 directness and    
precision most  impressed him4 ,he took 
the degree of ,a4,m4 at the age of #ah1 
the  youngest graduate that had been    
known at the ,universities2 and in #aggb
  he was admitted to the ,bar4    ,young
 ,bentham had breathed from infancy1 at 
home1 at school1 at college  and in the 
,courts1 an atmosphere conservative and 
submissive to  authority1 yet in the    

progress of his law studies1 he found a 
striking  contrast between the          
structural imperialism of the ,british  
,empire as  expounded by ,blackstone and
 others of his day1 and the             
philosophical  social state discussed by
 ,aristotle1 ,plato1 ,aurelius1 the     
struggling  patriots of ,france1 and the
 new brotherhood1 then agitating the    
colonies  of ,america4    ,his father   
had hoped to see him ,lord-,chancellor1 
and took great pains to  push him       
forward4 ,but having perceived a        
shocking contrast between the  law as it
 was under the ,church imperial         
structure and such as he  conceived it  
ought to be1 he gradually abandoned the 
position of a  submissive and admiring  
student and assumed a position among the
 school  of reformers and afterwards the
 role of sharp critic and indignant     
denouncer4    ,he heroically suffered   
privations for several years in         
,lincoln's ,inn  garrett1 but persevered
 in study4 ,he devoted some of his time 

to the  study of science4 ,the writings 
of ,hume1 ,helvetius and others led him 
to  adopt utility as the basis of       
,morals and ,legislation4 ,there had    
developed two distinct parties in       
,england3 ,the ,radicals and            
,imperialists4 ,the ,radicals contended 
that the foundation of ,legislation  was
 that utility which produced the        
greatest happiness to the greatest      
number4    ,blackstone and the          
,ecclesiastics had adopted the theory of
 ,locke1 that  the foundation of        
,legislation was a kind of covenant of  
mankind to  conform to the laws of ,god 
and ,nature1 as interpreted by          
hereditarily  self-constituted rulers4  
,bentham contended that this was only a 
vague and uncertain collection of  words
 well adapted to the promotion of rule  
by dogmatic opinions of the  ,lords and 
,king and ,ecclesiastics in combination 
well calculated to  deprive the people  
of the benefits of popular government4  
,he conceived  the idea of codifying the

 laws so as to define them in terms of  
the  greatest good to the greatest      
number1 and devoted a large share of the
  balance of his life to this work4     
,in #agge he published a small book in  
defense of the policy of ,lord ,north   
toward the ,colonies1 but for fear of   
prosecution it was issued by one  ,john 
,lind and extensively read4 ,a little   
later he published a book  entitled ,a  
,fragment on ,government4 ,this created 
a great deal of  attention4 ,readers    
variously ascribed the book to          
,mansfield1 to ,camden  and to ,dunning4
 ,the impatient pride of ,bentham's     
father betrayed this  secret4 ,it was   
variously interpreted as a philosophical
 ,treatise and a  ,critical ,personal   
,attack upon the ,government4 ,but he   
persevered in the  advocacy of his      
principals of ,morals and ,government4  
,he hoped also to be  appointed         
,secretary of the ,commission sent out  
by ,lord ,north to propose  terms to the
 revolted ,american ,colonies4 ,but as  

,king ,george ,,iii had  contracted a   
dislike to him1 he was disappointed in  
his plan of  ,conference with the       
,colonies4 ,his writings were1 however1 
more  appreciated in ,france4 ,he was   
openly espoused as a philosopher and    
reformer by ,d',alimbert1 ,castillux1   
,brissat and others4 ,but in the        
meantime some such men as ,lord         
,shelbourne1 ,mills and others became   
his  friends and admirers1 and          
encouraged him to persevere with his    
philosophical ,code of laws1 largely    
gleaned from the ancient  philosophers  
of liberty and equality which had been  
smothered and  superseded by military   
and ,church imperialism4    ,in #aghe he
 took an extensive tour across the ,alps
 and while at ,kricov on  the ,dou1 he  
wrote his letters on ,usury4 ,these were
 printed in ,london1  which were now    
welcomed by the people largely on       
account of his  reputation in ,france as
 a philosopher of popular government4   
,in the  meantime1 ,paley had printed a 

treatise on the ,principle of applying  
utility to morals and legislation4 ,he  
determined to print his views in        
,french and address them to that people 
then struggling for liberal  government4
    ,he revised his sheets on his       
favorite penal ,code and published them 
under the title of ,an ,introduction to 
the ,principles of ,morals and          
,legislation4 ,the ,principles          
enunciated in this treatise attracted   
the  attention of the liberals in       
,france1 as well as ,england and        
,america4  ,mirabeau and other ,french  
publishers spread his reputation far and
 wide4    ,meanwhile1 ,bentham with the 
idea of aiding the deliberations of the 
,states ,general of ,france1 and        
encouraged by the liberals on both      
continents1 and especially such men as  
,franklin1 ,jefferson and others1       
printed a ,draft of a ,code for the     
organization of a ,judicial             
,establishment in ,france1 for which    
services the ,national ,assembly        

conferred on him the ,citizenship of    
,france by a decree1 ,august #bc1 #agib1
  in which his name was included with   
those of ,priestly1 ,paine1             
,wilberforce1 ,clarkson1 ,mackintosh1   
,anacharsis1 ,clootz1 ,washington1      
,klopstock1 ,kosiosco1 and several      
others4    ,in the meantime1 in his     
travels1 he conceived an extensive plan 
of  ,prison reform which he strenuously 
urged the ,crown ,officers and the      
,english ,parliament to adopt4 ,after   
several years of strenuous labors and   
the expenditure of a large part of the  
patrimony left him by his father1  the  
enterprise was thwarted by the refusal  
of the ,king to concur with  ,parliament
 in the enterprise4 ,this scheme is     
fully set forth in the  histories of the
 reign of ,george ,,iii4 ,but to avoid  
persecution under the  drastic penal    
,codes of ,england1 ,bentham boasted    
that he was a man of no  party but a man
 of all countries and a fraternal unit  
of the human race1  he had come to      

occupy at home the position of a party  
chief4    ,he espoused with             
characteristic zeal and enthusiasm the  
ideas of the  radicals1 who1 in spite of
 themselves1 were ranked as a political 
party4  ,he went1 indeed1 the whole     
length1 not merely republicanism1 but on
 many  points of ancient democracy      
including ,universal ,suffrage and the  
,emancipation of all ,colonies4    ,no  
matter how adroitly the ,contention was 
managed1 the ,imperialists  insisted    
that it was merely resurrecting the     
historic struggle of the  days of       
,cromwell and his bare bones4 ,the      
,church establishment by way  of the    
,lords and ,bishops and ,bishop ,lords  
was the real foundation of the  ,crown  
rule in all its ramifications4 ,this    
superstructure was protected  by all    
forms of penal laws against lease       
,majesty and even the  appearance of    
,church ,creed heresy4 ,the ,radicals   
always confronted by  ,crown detectives 
were compelled to be very wary in their 

attacks upon  this that they called     
imperial idolatry and were compelled to 
move by  indirect and flank attacks4    
,the upheaval by ,martin ,luther in the 
reign of ,henry ,,viii at the ,council  
of ,trent and others over the ,divine   
authenticity of the ,athanasian ,creed  
never abated among the humanitarians of 
,england or ,france4 ,but in the        
presence of criminal inquisitions too   
barbarous to mention1 the ,radicals     
were handicapped and were compelled to  
work strategically and by pits  and     
mines beneath the superstructure of     
,church imperialism4 ,the ,church       
structure as established in ,europe is  
by common consent based upon the        
hypothesis of ,divinity in the life1    
works1 and dogmas of one ,saul of       
,tarsus1 or as denominated ,paul1 or the
 canonized ,st4 ,paul4 ,the  substantial
 ,creed might well be denominated       
,paulism4 ,hence the legendary  ,paul   
has been one of the points of attack by 
the rationalists of the  centuries4     

,while many of the contemporaries of    
,bentham both in ,england1 ,america and 
the ,continent denied the verity of the 
whole ,mosaic cosmogony and             
historiology1 yet ,bentham seemed to    
ignore this task as superserviceable    
and unimportant4 ,he and his school of  
,radicals were devoted to the life      
works and teachings of ,jesus4 ,jesus   
was the idol of his school and he       
heartily espoused the task of           
eliminating ,paul as the nemesis of     
,jesus  and his ,apostles1 and a        
character invented and staged by        
imperialists to  subordinate the toiling
 classes to the production of resources 
to  subserve their personal luxuries4   
,bentham began writing a philosophic    
analysis of the ,church's pretensions   
concerning the divine agency of ,paul4  
,after several years of examination  and
 study1 and while he was writing his    
famous treatise entitled ,the  ,rational
 of ,judicial ,evidence afterwards      
collected and published by  ,mill1 he   

finished the manuscript criticisms of   
,paul and entitled them  ,not ,paul but 
,jesus4    ,for fear of prosecution for 
direct heresy or denunciation of the    
,creed  of the ,church1 he evaded the   
use of his own name as writer of the    
,criticism and used the name of ,conyers
 ,middleton1 a ,cambridge ,divine1  who 
by his writings had created a great deal
 of disturbance4 ,he had been  convicted
 twice for heresy4 ,he had been dead    
fifty years when ,bentham  introduced   
him in the first lines in the           
,introduction to his ,criticisms  herein
 published 7,see ,introduction74        
,bentham1 no doubt1 intended to  evade  
prosecution1 as it will be seen that his
 name does not appear in  the book1 and 
yet at the same time used the name most 
obnoxious to the  ,church in all its    
history4    ,in #agbi ,middleton        
published his ,letter from ,rome in     
which he boldly  essayed to demonstrate 
that the then religion of the ,roman    
,church was  derived from their heathen 

ancestral idolaters4 ,he published other
 works  on the uses of miracles and     
prophecy4 ,but ,bentham's ,not ,paul but
 ,jesus  did not long remain anonymous4 
,it was read extensively in ,france and 
,america4 ,but this treatise formed a   
part of the labor of his life1 which    
was to promote the theory of the social 
state based upon ,the greatest  good to 
the greatest number1 and subordinate the
 whole to rational  calculations of     
utility4 ,these views he continually    
urged in the form  of ,codification so  
as to eliminate all pretensions of      
hierarchical  control by historical     
divine prophets1 the faithful souls and 
agents of  ,kings and princes4 ,in the  
meantime1 he was indefatigable in his   
attacks  upon the ,english ,system of   
,jurisprudence1 which was being operated
 in  ,america as a kind of paternal     
inheritance4 ,dumont1 in #ahaa1 compiled
  from the manuscripts of ,bentham a    
complete code which was readily  adopted
 in ,france1 because it conformed so    

closely to the old ,roman  procedure    
which was held tenaciously in ,france4  
,in the meantime1 by importunity of     
,lord ,brougham and others1 and         
particularly of his friends in ,america1
 such as ,adams1 ,franklin and  others1 
he wrote to ,madison offering his       
services to draw up a complete  code of 
laws for the ,united ,states4 ,mr4      
,madison caused these ideas to be       
spread broadcast by pamphlets as        
pamphleteering was much in vogue for    
such purposes in those days4 ,but on    
account of our dual form of  government1
 and as the code would apply to the     
,states separately1 the  scheme as a    
whole failed4 ,but some of the          
,governors1 especially those  of        
,pennsylvania1 ,virginia and ,new       
,hampshire1 got hold of the manuscripts 
and many of the provisions were adopted 
and still obtain4    ,in the meantime1  
,mr4 ,mill had collected his manuscripts
 on ,the  ,rationale of ,judicial       
,evidence and published them in #e vols4

 ,they  shortly became a part of the    
libraries of the lawyers and statesmen  
of  ,england1 and especially in the     
,united ,states4 ,his manuscripts on    
,not  ,paul but ,jesus were extensively 
read and universally admitted to be     
rational and sound in point of rational 
jural demonstration4 ,during this  time1
 ,thomas ,jefferson had been writing on 
the same subject and after  reading the 
prints of ,bentham1 he abandoned the    
part directed to the  criticism of      
,paul1 but he arranged chronologically  
all of the verses  from the four gospels
 that pertain to the career of ,jesus1  
omitting1  however1 every verse or      
paragraph that to his mind was ambiguous
 or  controversial1 and every statement 
of fact that would not have been        
admitted as evidence in a ,court of     
,justice4 ,the original copy of what is 
denominated as ,jefferson ,bible1 is now
 preserved in the ,national  ,museum at 
,washington4 ,it was purchased by the   
,government as a memento of  the author 

of the ,declaration of ,independence4   
,this ,the ,thomas ,jefferson ,bible has
 lately been republished by ,david      
,mc,kay1 #fjd ,s4 ,washington ,sq41     
,philadelphia4 ,the treatise ,not ,paul 
but  ,jesus was published in #ahbe4 ,the
 printing art was not as well advanced  
as at present1 and the division of      
subjects for discussion and  correlation
 were not arranged strictly             
methodically1 so the ,editor has        
rearranged some of the titles with a    
view to improve the order of  sequence4 
,with this change1 every word has been  
preserved4    ,it will all the time be  
borne in mind that the examination is   
,judicial  and the ,character ,paul had 
to be staged from many points of view   
and  examination4 ,jeremy ,bentham has  
revolved him in the limelight of        
inquisition with a thoroughness that    
commands the attention of all           
thoughtful readers4 ,with this view the 
,editor hopes to be justified in  its   
republication by the reading and        

inquiring public4                       
,j4 ,j4 ,,crandall4                     
,,introduction4      ,illustrious1 in   
the church of ,jesus in general1 and in 
the church of  ,england in particular1  
is the name of ,,conyers ,,middleton4   
,signal was1 and  is1 the service       
rendered by him to the religion of      
,jesus4 ,by that bold1  though reverend1
 hand1 it now stands cleared of many a  
heap of  pernicious rubbish1 with which 
it had been incumbered and defiled1 by  
the unhallowed labours of a succession  
of writers1 who1--without  personal     
intercourse with the founder1 any more  
than we have now1--have1  from the mere 
circumstance of the comparative vicinity
 of their days to  those in which he    
lived1 derived the exclusive possession 
of the  imposing title of ,fathers of   
the ,church1 or1 in one word1 ,the      
,fathers4    ,so able1 so effectual1 has
 been this clearance1 that1 as it has   
been  observed by the ,edinburgh        
,reviewers1--speaking of course of      

protestants1  and more particularly of  
,english protestants1--till one         
unexpected  exception1 which it         
mentions1 had presented itself1 they had
 thought  that in no man's opinion were 
those writers any longer to be regarded 
as guides1 either in faith or morals4   
,one step further was still wanting4    
,one thorn still remained1 to be        
plucked out of the side of this so much 
injured religion1--and that was1  the   
addition made to it by ,saul of ,tarsus3
 by that ,saul1 who1 under  the name of 
,paul1 has1--as will be seen1 without   
warrant from1 and  even in the teeth of1
 the history of ,jesus1 as delivered by 
his  companions and biographers the four
 evangelists1--been dignified with  the 
title of his apostle3 his apostle1 that 
is to say1 his  emissary3 his emissary1 
that is to say1 sent out by him3 sent   
out1  by that ,jesus1 whose immediate   
disciples he so long persecuted and     
destroyed1 and whose person1--unless    
dreaming of a person after his  death1  

or professing to have dreamt of him1 is 
seeing him1--he never  saw4    ,in the  
course of the ensuing examination1 the  
subject of miracles has  come1          
unavoidably1 under consideration4 ,on   
this delicate ground1 it has  been      
matter of no small comfort to the       
author1 to behold precursors1  among    
divines of different persuasions1 whose 
reputation for piety has  not been      
diminished by the spirit of critical    
inquiry which accompanies  it4 ,such    
were ,mede1 ,sykes1 and others1 whose   
ingenious labours were1 in  the case    
called that of the daemoniacs1 employed 
in the endeavor to  remove the          
supernatural character1 from what1 in   
their eyes1 was no more  than a natural 
appearance4 ,on the success of these    
their labours1 any  judgment would here 
be irrelevant4 ,not altogether so the   
observation1  that in no instance does  
it appear to him that any such latitude 
of  interpretation has been employed1 as
 that which1 on that occasion1 was      

found necessary for the conversion of   
devils into diseases4    ,the           
dissentions which1 at all times1 have   
had place among persons  professing the 
religion of ,jesus1 are but too         
notorious4 ,the  mischiefs1 produced by 
these dissentions1 are no less so4      
,these  dissentions1 and these          
mischiefs--in what have they had their  
source8 ,in  certain words4 ,these      
words1 of whom have they been the words8
 ,of ,jesus8  ,no3 this has not been so 
much as pretended4 ,of ,paul1 and of    
,paul alone3  he giving them all along  
not as the words of ,jesus1 but as his  
own  only3--he all along preaching 7as  
will be seen7 in declared opposition  to
 the eleven who were undisputedly the   
apostles of ,jesus3 thus1 of ,paul  only
 have they been the words4    ,that1 by 
these words1 and1 consequently1 by him  
whose words they were  and are1 all the 
mischiefs1 which have been imputed to   
the religion of  ,jesus1 have been      
produced1--in so far as the dissentions1

 from which  these mischiefs flowed1    
have had these words for their          
subjects1--cannot  be denied4 ,but1     
moreover1 in these same words1 that is  
to say1 in the  doctrines delivered by  
them1 cannot but be to be found the     
origin1 and  the cause1 of no small     
part--perhaps of the greatest part--of  
the  opposition1 which that religion1   
with its benevolent system of  morals1  
has hitherto experienced4 ,if this be   
so1 then1 by the clearing  it of this   
incumbrance1 not only as yet unexampled 
purity1 but  additional extent1 may not 
unreasonably be expected to be given to 
it4    ,it was by the frequent          
recurrence of these observations1 that  
the author  of these pages was led to   
the inquiry1 whether the religion of    
,paul1--as  contained in the writings   
ascribed to ,paul1 and with a degree of 
propriety which the author sees no      
reason to dispute1--whether the         
religion of ,paul has any just title to 
be considered as forming a part  of the 

religion of ,jesus4 ,the result was in  
the negative4 ,the  considerations1 by  
which this result was produced1 will    
form the matter  of the ensuing pages4  
,if1 by cutting off a source of useless 
privations and groundless  terrors1     
comfort and inward peace should be      
restored or secured2--if1  by cutting   
off a source of bitter                  
animosity1--good-will1 and peace from   
without1 should be restored or          
secured2--if1 by the removal of an      
incongruous appendage1 acceptance should
 be obtained for what is good in  the   
religion commonly ascribed to           
,jesus2--obtained at the hands of any   
man1 much more of many1 to whom at      
present it is an object of              
aversion2--if1 in any one of these      
several ways1 much more if in all of    
them1 the labours of the author should  
be crowned with success1--good  service 
will1 so far1 and on all hands1 be      
allowed to have been rendered  to       
mankind4    ,whosoever1 putting aside   

all prepossessions1 feels strong enough 
in  mind1 to look steadily at the       
originals1 and from them to take his    
conceptions of the matter1 not from the 
discourses of others1--whosoever  has   
this command over himself1 will         
recognise1 if the author does not  much 
deceive himself1 that by the two persons
 in question1 as  represented in the two
 sources of information--the ,gospels   
and ,paul's  ,epistles1--two quite      
different1 if not opposite1 religions   
are  inculcated3 and that1 in the       
religion of ,jesus may be found all the 
good that has ever been the result of   
the compound so incongruously  and      
unhappily made1--in the religion of     
,paul1 all the mischief1 which1  in such
 disastrous abundance1 has so           
indisputably flowed from it4    #a4     
,that ,paul had no such commission as he
 professed to have2--#b4 that  his      
enterprize was a scheme of personal     
ambition1 and nothing more2--#c4  that  
his system of doctrine is fraught with  

mischief in a variety of  shapes1 and1  
in so far as it departs from1 or adds   
to1 those of ,jesus1  with good in      
none2--and that it has no warrant1 in   
anything that1 as far  as appears from  
any of the four gospels1 was ever said  
or done by  ,jesus2--such are the       
conclusions1 which the author of these  
pages has  found himself compelled to   
deduce1 from those materials with which 
history has furnished us4 ,the grounds  
of these conclusions he proceeds  to    
submit to the consideration of his      
readers4          ,,plan ,,of ,,the     
,,work4      ,the work may be conceived 
as divided into five parts4    #a4 ,in  
,part the first1 the five different1 and
 in many respects  discordant1 accounts 
given of ,paul's conversion1 which1 in  
these  accounts1 is of course           
represented as being not only outward   
but  inward1 are confronted1 and1 so far
 as regards inward conversion1  shown to
 be1 all of them1 untrue3 and1          
immediately after1 the state of  things1

 which produced1 accompanied1 and       
immediately followed1 his  outward      
conversion1--together with the time and 
manner in which that  change was        
declared1--is brought to view4 ,this    
part occupies the first  two chapters4  
#b4 ,part the ,second is employed in    
showing1--that1 from the first          
commencement1 of the intercourse1 which1
 upon the tokens given of his  outward  
conversion1 took place at ,jerusalem    
between him and the  apostles1 ,acts    
#i3bg1 to the time when1--in consequence
 of the  interposition of the ,roman    
commander1 to save him from the         
unanimous  indignation of the whole     
people1 more particularly of the        
disciples of  the apostles1--he was     
conveyed from thence under guard to     
,rome1 a space1  according to the       
commonly received computation1 not less 
than six and  twenty years1 7,acts #ba  
and #bc71 no supernatural commission    
from ,jesus1  nor any inward conversion1
 was1--either by those distinguished    

servants  and companions of ,jesus1 or  
by their disciples at                   
,jerusalem1--believed  to have place in 
his instance4 ,this part occupies eight 
chapters3 to  wit1 from the #c;d to the 
#ajth inclusive4    #c4 ,in ,part the   
,third1 in further proof of the         
insincerity of his  character1--in      
addition to an oath proved to be false1 
are brought to  view two unquestionably 
false assertions3--each having for its  
subject a  matter of prime              
importance1--each deliberate and having 
in view a  particular purpose3 the one1 
a false account of the number of the    
witnesses to the resurrection of ,jesus2
 #a ,cor4 #ae3f2 the other1 a           
prediction of the end of the world      
before the death of persons then        
living2 #a ,thes4 #d1 #ae1 #af1 #ag4    
,this part occupies ,chapters #aa and   
#ab4    #d4 ,part the ,fourth is        
employed in showing1--that no proof1 of 
his  alleged supernatural commission    
from the ,almighty1 is deducible1 from  

any account we have1 of any of those    
scenes1 in which he is commonly         
regarded as having exercised a power of 
working miracles4 ,for1 that not  only  
he himself never made exercise of any   
such power1--on any of those  occasions1
 on which the demand for it1 for the    
purpose of overcoming the  disbelief    
entertained of his story by the         
,apostles1 was extreme1--but1  neither  
on those1 nor any other occasions1 did  
he ever take upon himself  to make      
reference1 to so much as any one        
instance of any such proof of  special  
authority from the ,almighty1 as having 
been exhibited by him on  any other     
occasion3 that1 for the belief in any   
such gift1 we have no  other ground1    
than the relations contained in the     
history called ,the  ,acts of the       
,apostles1 or1 for shortness1 ,the      
,acts3 and that such  throughout is1--on
 the one hand1 the nature of the        
occurrence itself1 on  the other hand1  
the character of the representation     

given of it1--that1  to a disbelief in  
the exercise of any such supernatural   
power1 it is  not necessary that any    
such imputation as that of downright and
 wilful  falsehood should be cast upon  
the author of that narrative3 the       
occurrences in question being1 mostly1  
if not entirely1 such as lie  within the
 ordinary course of nature1--but1 upon  
which1 either by the  fancy1 or by the  
artifice of the narrator1 a sort of     
supernatural  colouring has been        
superinduced4 ,for this purpose1 these  
supposed  miracles are1 each of them1   
separately brought to view and examined4
  ,this part occupies the #acth chapter4
    #e4 ,part the ,fifth is employed in 
showing1 that1--even if1 on all these   
several occasions1 the exercise of a    
power of producing supernatural  effects
 had1 by unequivocal statements1 been   
ascribed to ,paul by the  author of the 
,acts1--such testimony1 independently of
 the virtual  contradiction given to it 
by the above-mentioned circumstantial   

evidence1--could not1 with any          
propriety1 be regarded as affording     
adequate proof--either of the fact of   
,paul's having received a divine        
commission1 and thereby1 having become1 
inwardly as well as outwardly1 a        
convert to the religion of              
,jesus--either of that radical fact1 or 
so  much as of any one of the alleged   
achievements1 which1 upon the face of   
the accounts in question1 are wont to   
present themselves as miraculous3  for  
that1 in the first place1 it is only by 
error that the history in  question has 
been ascribed to ,saint ,luke3 it being1
 in respect of the  account given of the
 circumstances accompanying the         
ascension of ,jesus1  inconsistent with 
the account given in the gospel of      
,saint ,luke1 when  compared with ,acts 
#a3c to #ab1--;and as to those attendant
 on the death of  ,judas1 inconsistent  
with the account in ,saint ,matthew     
#bg3c to #aj and  ,acts #a3af to #bj3   
and moreover1 such being the whole      

complexion of his  narrative1 as to     
render it incapable of giving any       
tolerably adequate  support to any      
statement whereby the exercise of       
supernatural power is  asserted4 ,this  
part occupies ,chapter #ad4    ,in ,part
 the ,sixth1 to give additional         
correctness and completeness1 to  the   
conception supposed to be conveyed1 of  
the character of ,paul and his          
attendant historiographer1 jointly and  
severally considered1--a conjunct  view 
is given of five reports of his five    
trials1 as reported in the  ,acts4 ,this
 part has been added since the          
publication of the  above-mentioned     
,summary ,view4 ,it occupies ,chapter   
#ae of the present  work4    ,chapter   
,,xvi4 and last1 winds up the whole1    
with some general  observations on the  
self-declared oppositeness of ,paul's   
,gospel1 as he  calls it1 to that of the
 ,apostles3 together with an indication 
of a real  ,antichrist1 in compensation 
for the fabulous one1 created by ,paul1 

and  nursed by the episcopal authors and
 editors of the ,church of ,england1    
translators of the ,bible3 and by       
,chapter #ab of the present work1 the   
imaginary ,antichrist is1 it is hoped1  
strangled4    ,at the time of the       
publication of the ,summary ,view1--for 
the more  complete and satisfactory     
demonstration of the relative           
insufficiency of  the narrative in      
question1 a short but critical sketch   
was1 as herein  stated1 intended to be  
given1 of the parts not before noticed  
of the  ,history of the ,church1--from  
the ascension of ,jesus1 being the      
period  at which that narrative         
commences1 to that at which it          
terminates1--to  wit1 about two years   
after the arrival of ,paul at ,rome1    
,acts #bh3 the  history--to wit1 as     
deducible from the materials which1 in  
that same  narrative1 are brought to    
view3 the duration of the period being1 
according to commonly received          
computations1 about #bh or #cj years,a3 

the author of ,the ,acts himself1--if he
 is to be believed1--an  eyewitness1    
during a considerable portion of the    
time1 to the several  occurrences which 
he relates4    ,on this occasion1 and   
for this purpose1--the history in       
question had  been sifted1 in the same  
manner and on the same principles1 as   
any  profane history1 in which1 in a    
series of occurrences mostly natural1 a 
few1 wearing a supernatural appearance1 
are1 here and there1  interspersed3 as1 
for instance1 in ,livy's1 and even in   
,tacitus's ,roman  ,history3 on the one 
hand1 the authority not being regarded  
as affording  a sufficient foundation1  
for a belief in the supernatural parts  
of the  narrative2 nor1 on the other    
hand1 the sort of countenance1 given to 
the  supernatural parts1 as affording a 
sufficient reason1 for the disbelief  of
 those1 which have nothing in them that 
is unconformable to the  universally    
experienced course of nature4    ,in    
respect of doctrine1 the conclusion     

is--that no point of doctrine1  which   
has no other authority than that of     
,paul's writings for its  support1 can  
justly be regarded as belonging to the  
religion of  ,jesus1--any more than if1 
at this time of day1 it were broached by
 any  man now living3 that thus1 in so  
far as he is seen to have added         
anything to the religion of ,jesus1 he  
is seen to set himself above it  and    
against it3 that1 therefore1 if this be 
true1 it rests with every  professor of 
the religion of ,jesus1 to settle with  
himself1 to which of  the two religions1
 that of ,jesus and that of ,paul1 he   
will adhere3 and1  accordingly1 either  
to say1 ,not ,jesus but ,paul1--or1 in  
the words of  the title to this work1   
,not ,paul but ,jesus4,b    ,,footnotes3
    ,a ,to prevent1 if possible1 an     
embarrassment1 which might otherwise be 
liable to have place on the part of the 
reader1--and therewith1 the idea  of    
inconsistency1 as having place here and 
there in the work1--the  following      

indication may be found to have its use4
    ,a cloud of uncertainty1 to the     
length of one or two years1 hangs over  
the duration of the period embraced by  
this work3 namely1 that between  the    
point of time at which the conversion of
 ,paul is stated to have  taken place1  
and the point of time at which the      
history1 intituled ,the  ,acts of the   
,apostles1 as therein declared1         
concludes3--a point of time1  posterior 
by two years to that of his arrival at  
,rome4    ,b ,for making the requisite  
separation1 between the two religions of
  ,jesus and the religion of ,paul1--an 
instrument1 alike commodious and        
unexceptionable1 has--for these many    
years1 though1 assuredly1 not with  any 
such view1--been presented to all hands1
 by ,doctor ,gastrell1 an  ,english and 
,church of ,england ,bishop3 namely1 in 
a well-known work1  intituled ,the      
,christian ,institutes3 date of the     
#adth ,edition1 #ahjh4 ,it  is composed 
of a collection of points of faith and  

morality1 and under  each are quoted the
 several texts1 in the ,new ,testament1 
which are  regarded by the author as    
affording grounds for the positions     
indicated4  ,if then1 anywhere1 in his  
composition of the ground1 passages1 one
 or  more1 from this or that ,epistle of
 ,paul1 are employed1--unaccompanied    
with any passage1 extracted from any of 
the four ,gospels1--the reader  may1    
without much danger of error1 venture to
 conclude1 that it is to  the religion  
of ,paul alone1 that the point of       
doctrine thus supported  appertains1 and
 not to the religion of ,jesus4 ,as to  
any of the ,epistles1  which bear the   
name of any of the real ,apostles of    
,jesus1--a  corresponding question may  
perhaps be here suggesting itself4 ,but1
 with  regard to the design of the      
present work1 scarcely will they be     
found  relevant4 ,for1 when compared    
with the sayings of ,jesus as repeated  
in  the four ,gospels1 scarcely will    
they be found exhibiting any additional 

points of doctrine3 never1 pregnant with
 any of those dissentions1  which1 from 
the writings of ,paul1 have issued in   
such disastrous  abundance4 ,only lest  
they should be thought to have been     
overlooked1 is  any mention here made1  
of those documents1 which1 how much     
soever on  other accounts entitled to   
regard1 may1 with reference to the      
question  between the religion of ,jesus
 and the religion of ,paul1 be1 as      
above1  and without impropriety1 stated 
as irrelevant4          ,,table ,i4     
,,outward ,,conversion4         ,showing
 at one view1 under the head of ,paul's 
,conversion1 the       different        
accounts from which the inference is    
drawn that the       ,conversion was    
outward only1 not inward4      ,,vision 
,i4 ,,acts ,,account4    ,ch4 ix4 #a-i4 
#a4--;,but ,saul1 yet breathing         
threatening and slaughter against the   
disciples of the ,lord1 went unto the   
,high ,priest1 and asked of him         
letters to ,damascus unto the           

synagogues1 that if he found any that   
were of the ,way1 whether men or women1 
he might bring them bound to            
,jerusalem4 ,and as he journeyed1 it    
came to pass that he drew nigh      unto
 ,damascus3 and suddenly there shone    
around about him a light out      of    
heaven3 and he fell upon the earth1 and 
heard a voice saying unto      him1     
,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me8  
,and he said1 ,who art thou1      ,lord8
 ,and he said1 ,i am ,jesus whom thou   
persecutest3 it is hard for      thee to
 kick against the pricks3 7#a7 but rise1
 and enter into the      city1 and it   
shall be told thee what thou must do4   
,and the men that      journeyed with   
him stood speechless1 hearing the       
voice1--but      beholding no man4 ,and 
,saul arose from the earth2 and when his
 eyes      were opened1 he saw nothing2 
7old version no man7 and they led him   
by the hand1 and brought him into       
,damascus4 ,and he was three days       
without sight1 and did neither eat nor  

drink4      ,,ii4 ,,paul',s ,,first     
,,personal ,,account4    ,as per ,acts  
xxii4 #c-aa4        ,i am a ,jew1 born  
in ,tarsus of ,cilicia1 but brought up  
in this city1      at the feet of       
,gamaliel1 instructed according to the  
strict manner      of the law of our    
fathers1 being zealous for ,god1 even as
 ye all are      this day3 and ,i       
persecuted this ,way unto the death1    
binding and      delivering into prisons
 both men and women4 ,as also the ,high 
,priest      doth bear me witness1 and  
all the estate of the elders3 from whom 
also ,i received letters unto the       
brethren2 and journeyed to              
,damascus1 to bring them also which were
 there unto ,jerusalem in      bonds1   
for to be punished4 ,and it came to     
pass1 that1 as ,i made my      journey1 
and drew nigh unto ,damascus1 about     
noon1 suddenly there      shown from    
heaven a great light round about me4    
,and ,i fell unto the      ground1 and  
heard a voice saying unto me1 ,saul1    

,saul1 why      persecutest thou me8    
,and ,i answered1 ,who art thou1 ,lord8 
,and he said      unto me1 ,i am ,jesus 
of ,nazareth1 whom thou persecutest4    
,and they      that were with me beheld 
in deed the light1 but they heard not   
the      voice of him that spake to me4 
,and ,i said1 ,what shall ,i do1 ,lord8 
,and the ,lord said unto me1 ,arise1 and
 go into ,damascus2 and there it        
shall be told thee of all things which  
are appointed for thee to do4      ,and 
when ,i could not see for the glory of  
that light1 being led by      the hand  
of them that were with me1 ,i came into 
,damascus4      ,,iii4 ,,paul',s        
,,second ,,personal ,,account4    ,as   
per ,acts xxvi4 #i-bj4        ,i verily 
thought with myself1 that ,i ought to do
 many things      contrary to the name  
of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,and this ,i    
also did in      ,jerusalem3 and ,i both
 shut up many of the saints in prison1  
having      received authority from the 
,chief ,priests1 and when they were put 

to      death1 ,i gave my vote against  
them4 ,and punishing them oftentimes in 
all the synagogues1 ,i strove to make   
them blaspheme2 and being               
exceedingly mad against them1 ,i        
persecuted them even unto foreign       
cities4 ,whereupon as ,i journeyed to   
,damascus with the authority and        
commission of the ,chief ,priests1 at   
midday1 ,o1 king1 ,i saw on the      way
 a light from heaven1 above the         
brightness of the sun1 shining          
round about me and them that journeyed  
with me4 ,and when we were all          
fallen to the earth1 ,i heard a voice   
saying unto me in the ,hebrew           
language1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest 
thou me8 it is hard for thee      to    
kick against the goad4 ,and ,i said1    
,who art thou1 ,lord8 ,and the          
,lord said1 ,i am ,jesus whom thou      
persecutest4 ,but arise1 and stand      
upon thy feet3 for to this end have ,i  
appeared unto thee1 to appoint      thee
 a minister and a witness both of thee1 

to appoint thee a      minister and a   
witness both of the things wherein thou 
hast seen me1      and of the things    
wherein ,i will appear unto thee2       
delivering thee      from the people1   
and from the ,gentiles1 unto whom ,i    
send thee1 to      open their eyes1 that
 they may turn from darkness to light1  
and from      the power of ,satan unto  
,god1 that they may receive remission of
 sins      and an inheritance among them
 that are sanctified by faith in me4    
,wherefore1 ,o king ,agrippa1 ,i was not
 disobedient unto the heavenly          
vision3 but declared both to them of    
,damascus first1 and at      ,jerusalem1
 and throughout all the country of      
,judea1 and also to the      ,gentiles1 
that they should repent and turn to     
,god1 doing works      worthy of        
repentance4      ,,iv4 ,,paul',s        
,,allusions4    ,i4 ,as per ,paul to    
,corinth4 i4 xv4 #h4        ,and last of
 all1 as unto one born out of due time1 
he appeared to      me1 also4      ,,ii4

 ,as per ,paul to ,gal4 i4 #ab1 #ae1    
#af1 #ag4        #ab4 ,for neither did  
,i receive it from man1 nor was ,i      
taught it1 but      it came to me       
through revelation of ,jesus ,christ4   
#ae4 ,but when it was the good pleasure 
of ,god1 who separated me1 even         
from my mother's womb1        #af4 ,and 
called me through his grace1 to reveal  
his ,son in me1 that ,i      might      
preach him among the ,gentiles2         
immediately ,i conferred not      with  
flesh and blood3        #ag4 ,neither   
went ,i up to ,jerusalem to them which  
were apostles      before me3 but ,i    
went away into ,arabia2 and again ,i    
returned unto      ,damascus4      ,,ii4
 ,,vision #b4--;,,ananias',s4    ,i4    
,acts ,account4    ix4 #aj-af4          
#aj4 ,now there was a certain disciple  
at ,damascus1 named ,ananias2 and       
the ,lord said unto him in a vision1    
,ananias6 ,and he said1 ,behold1 ,i     
am here1 ,lord4 ,and the ,lord said unto
 him1 ,arise1 and go to the      street 

which is called ,straight1 and inquire  
in the house of ,judas      for one     
named ,saul1 a man of ,tarsus3 for      
behold1 he prayeth3 and he      hath    
seen a man named ,ananias coming in1 and
 laying his hands on      him1 that he  
might receive his sight4 ,but ,ananias  
answered1 ,lord1 ,i      have heard from
 many of this man1 how much evil he did 
to thy saints      at ,jerusalem3 and   
here he hath authority from the chief   
priests to      bind all that call upon 
thy name4 ,but the ,lord said unto him1 
,go thy      way3 for he is a chosen    
vessel unto me1 to bear my name before  
the      ,gentiles and kings1 and the   
children of ,israel3 for ,i will shew   
him      how many things he must suffer 
for my name's sake4      ,,iii4         
,,ananias',s ,,visit ,,to ,,paul4    ,i4
 ,acts ,account4    ix4 #ag-bb4         
,and ,ananias departed1 and entered into
 the house2 and laying his      hands on
 him said1 ,brother ,saul1 the ,lord    
even ,jesus1 who appeared      unto thee

 in the way which thou camest1 hath sent
 me1 that thou      mayest receive thy  
sight1 and be filled with the ,holy     
,ghost4 ,and      straightway there fell
 from his eyes as it were scales1 and he
      received his sight2 and he arose  
and was baptized2 and he took food      
and was strengthened4        ,and he was
 certain days with the disciples which  
were at ,damascus4      ,and straightway
 in the synagogues he proclaimed ,jesus1
 that he is      the ,son of ,god4 ,and 
all that heard him were amazed1 and     
said1 ,is not      this he that in      
,jerusalem made havock of them which    
called on his      name8 and he had come
 hither for this intent1 that he might  
bring      them bound before the chief  
priests4 ,but ,saul increased the more  
in      strength1 and confounded the    
,jews which dwelt at ,damascus1 proving 
that this is the ,christ4      ,,ii4    
,paul's ,account4    ,as per ,acts xxii4
 #ab-af4        xxii4 #ab4 ,and one     
,ananias1 a devout man according to the 

law1 well      reported of by all the   
,jews that dwelt there1 came unto me1   
and      standing by me said unto me1   
,brother ,saul1 receive thy sight4 ,and 
in that very hour ,i looked up on him4  
,and he said1 ,the ,god of our          
fathers hath appointed thee to know his 
will1 and to see the      ,righteous    
,one1 and to hear a voice from his      
mouth4 ,for thou shalt be      a witness
 for him unto all men of what thou hast 
seen and heard4 ,and      now why       
tarriest thou8 arise1 and be baptized1  
and wash away thy      sins1 calling on 
his name4          ,,not ,,paul1 ,,but  
,,jesus          ,,chapter ,i4          
,paul's ,conversion4#a--;,improbability 
and ,discordancy of the       ,accounts 
of it4      ,,section ,i4    ,,list ,,of
 ,,these ,,accounts1 ,,with             
,,preliminary ,,observations4    7,see  
,,table ,i41 in which they are          
confronted47    ,in one single work1 and
 that alone1 is comprised the whole of  
the  information1 in which1 in relation 

to this momentous occurrence1 any       
particulars are at this time of day to  
be found4 ,this is that historical      
work1 which in our edition of the       
,bible1 has for its title ,the ,acts of 
the ,apostles2 for shortness1 let us say
 ,the ,acts4    ,of this same           
occurrence1 in this one short work no   
fewer than three  separate accounts are 
visible2 one1 in which the story is     
related by the  historian in his own    
person2 two others1 in each of which    
,paul is  introduced as giving his own  
account of it4 ,of these three accounts1
 no  two will be found agreeing with    
each other4 ,by the historian1 ,paul    
when  introduced as speaking in his own 
person1 is represented as  contradicting
 not only the historian's account1 but  
his own account4 ,on  each occasion1 it 
should seem1 ,paul's account is adapted 
to the  occasion4 ,on the first         
occasion1 the historian's account was   
not exactly  adapted to that same first 
occasion4 ,by the historian's ingenuity1

 ,paul  is accordingly represented as   
giving on that same occasion another and
  better-adapted account4 ,on the second
 occasion1 neither was the  historian's 
account nor ,paul's own account1 as     
given on the former  occasion1 found    
suitable to this fresh occasion2 on this
 same fresh  occasion1 a suitable       
amendment is accordingly framed4        
,here1 at the very outset of the        
inquiry1 the distance of time between   
the point of time on which the          
occurrence is supposed to have taken    
place1 and the time at which the        
historian's account of it was penned1   
are circumstances that present a claim  
to notice4    ,the year #ce after the   
birth of ,christ is the year which1     
according to  the received accounts1 is 
assigned to the occurrence4 ,according  
to these  same accounts1 the year #fc is
 the date given to the last occurrence  
mentioned by the historian1 ,acts #bh3  
after which occurrence1 two years  are  
stated by him as having elapsed1 at the 

time at which the history  closes4 ,here
 then is an interval of about #cj years1
 between the time at  which the         
occurrence is stated to have happened1  
and the time at which  these three      
mutually contradictory accounts of it   
were framed4    ,in regard to this      
radical occurrence in particular1 namely
 ,paul's  conversion1--for the          
foundation of this his report1 what     
evidence was it  that the reporter had1 
or could have had in his possession1 or 
at his  command8 ,one answer may serve  
for all2 the accounts given of the      
matter  by ,paul himself4    ,with      
,paul1 then1 what were this same        
reporter's means and mode of            
intercourse8 ,in the year #ei1 and not  
before1 7such is the inference from  his
 own words7 did it fall to his lot to be
 taken into the train of this           
self-denominated ,apostle4 ,then it is1 
that for the first time1 in the  several
 accounts given by him of ,paul's       
migrations from place to place1  the    

pronouns us1 ,acts #bj3e1 and we make   
their appearance4 ,from #cd to  #ei     
years are #be4 ,at the end of this      
interval came the earliest  opportunity1
 which1 for anything that appears1 he   
could have had of  hearing from his     
master's own mouth1 whatsoever account1 
if any1 it may  have been the pleasure  
of that same master to give1 of an      
occurrence1 in  relation to which there 
existed not among men any other         
percipient  witness4    ,having         
accompanied his master during the whole 
of his progress from  ,jerusalem1 the   
historian speaks of himself as being    
still in his train  on his arrival at   
,rome4 ,acts xxviii4 #af1 ,and when we  
came to ,rome1 c4  ,it is not precisely 
stated1 nor can it very determinately be
 inferred1  whether at the point of time
 at which the history closes1 the       
historian  was still at that capital2   
the negative supposition presents itself
 as  the most probable4 ,posterior to   
the closing of the real action of the   

history1 the penning of it will         
naturally be to be placed4    ,paul1    
says the ,acts xxviii4 #cj1 dwelt two   
whole years in his own hired  house1 and
 received all that came in unto him1 c4 
,when this last verse  but one of the   
history was penning1 had the historian  
been living with  ,paul1 he would       
naturally have given us to understand as
 much2 instead of  dwelt1 he would have 
said has been dwelling4    ,by the      
tokens of carelessness afforded by the  
omission of so many  particulars1 which 
in every work of an historical nature   
the reader will  naturally expect to see
 specified2 such as the name of the     
historian1  the particulars1 occasion   
and manner of his being taken into the  
company  of the illustrious missionary1 
and the time of that event2--by these   
tokens1 two inferences1 how different   
soever their tendency1 seem at  once to 
be suggested4 ,one is1 the genuineness  
of the narrative4 ,a  writer1 who was   
conscious that he was not the man he was

 thus  representing himself to be1 viz4 
the companion of the missionary1 would  
hardly have slid in1 in so careless a   
manner1 the mention of so material  a   
circumstance4 ,the other is1 the        
slenderness of the author's             
qualification for the task thus executed
 by him2 the lowness of his  station in 
the scale of trustworthiness1 and       
consequently the smallness  of the      
probative force1 with which a mass of   
evidence thus circumstanced  can        
reasonably be considered as operating1  
in support of any alleged  matter of    
fact1 which1 7either by the             
extraordinariness of its nature1  or the
 temptation which the circumstances of  
the case afforded for  entire fiction or
 misrepresentation71 presents itself as 
exposed to  doubt or controversy4    ,a 
supernatural conversion1 and the receipt
 of a supernatural commission  for the  
delivery of a fresh body of doctrine2   
such are the two events1  which1 though 
in their nature so perfectly            

distinguishable1 were  according to this
 narrative combined in one3--the        
conversion from an  unbelieving1 cruel1 
and destructive persecutor of the new   
fellowship1  into a most zealous        
supporter and coadjutor3 the body of    
doctrine such  as if it amounted to     
anything1 could not but have been--what 
the person  in question declared it to  
be--a supplement to the religion taught 
by  ,jesus while in the flesh2--a       
supplement1 containing matter never     
revealed to1 and consequently never     
taught by1 his ,apostles4    ,now then1 
of all these supernatural occurrences1  
which1 by the nameless  historiographer1
 are related to have happened to ,paul1 
if anything had  really happened to     
him--on this supposition1 7so many as   
were the  different sets of disciples of
 his1 inhabitants of so many mutually   
distant provinces1 no fewer than eight  
in number72 is it in the nature  of the 
case1 that in no one instance1 in any of
 his numerous ,epistles1  he should have

 felt the necessity of stating and      
accordingly have  stated1 to any of     
these his disciples1 the circumstances  
attending the  event of his             
conversion--an event on which alone all 
his professions  were founded8          
circumstances to which1 as stated in his
 historian's  narrative1 could not from 
their nature have been known to any     
human  being other than himself8        
,yet1 in no one of all his ,epistles1 to
 any one of these his disciples1  of any
 such particular1 either in the way of  
direct assertion1 or in the  way of     
allusion1 is any trace to be found4 ,of 
revelation1 yes3 of  revelation--this   
one most momentous indeed1 but at the   
same time most  mysterious and          
uninstructive word1 repetitions we have 
in abundance4 ,but  of the time and     
manner of the alleged communication1 or 
of the matter  communicated1 nothing is 
anywhere said4    ,in these             
considerations may be seen a part1      
though but a part1 of those1  on which1 

in due season1 will be seen grounded the
 inference1--that at  no time1 in all   
the personal conferences he had with the
 ,apostles1 was  any such story told by 
,paul1 as is related by the author of   
the ,acts4    ,on the supposition that  
the narrative1 such as it is1 is        
genuine1--taking it as a whole1 a very  
important source of division1  from     
which it will require to be divided in  
idea into two parts or  periods1 here   
presents itself4 ,period the first1     
containing the portion  of time anterior
 to the historian's admission into the  
train of the  supposed ,apostle3 ,period
 the second1 containing the portion of  
time  posterior to that event3 this     
latter portion continuing1 as far as    
appears1 to the time at which the       
history closes4    ,in this latest and  
last-mentioned period are comprised all 
the several  facts1 or supposed facts1  
in relation to which any grounds appear 
for  the supposition that the historian 
was1 in his own person1 a percipient    

witness4    ,in relation to all the     
several facts1 or supposed facts1       
anterior to  this period1--the best     
evidence1 which1 for anything that      
appears1 ever  came within his reach1   
was composed of such statements as1 in  
the course  of his service1 it may have 
been the pleasure of the master to make 
to1  or in the hearing of1 this his     
attendant4 ,whatsoever may be the       
grounds  of suspicion that may be found 
attaching themselves to evidence passing
  through such a channel1 or issuing    
from such a source2 other evidence      
will1 if taken in the lump1 present     
itself as being in comparison much  less
 trustworthy4 ,all other evidence       
consists of statements1 coming from  we 
know not whom1 at we know not what      
times1 on we know not what  occasion1   
each of them with we know not how many  
reporting witnesses1  one after and from
 another1 through so many different and 
successive  channels1 between the       
percipient witness or witnesses1 and the

 last  reporting witness or witnesses1  
from whom the historian received the    
statement in the way of personal        
intercourse4    ,the period of rumour1  
and the period of observation--,by these
 two  appellations it should seem1 may  
the two periods be not altogether       
unaptly or uninstructively              
distinguished4    ,with reference to the
 period of rumour1--whether1 it was from
 ,paul's own  statement1 or from a      
source still more exposed to suspicion1 
that the  historian's conception was    
derived1--one consideration presents    
itself1  as requisite to be kept in     
mind4 ,this is1 ,with what facility1    
especially  in that age1 upon an        
occurrence in itself true1 and including
 nothing  that lies without the ordinary
 course of nature1--a circumstance out  
of  the course of nature1 giving to the 
whole a supernatural1 and to use the    
ordinary word a miraculous1 character1  
may1 in and by the narrative1  have been
 superinduced4#b ,fact1 for instance1 as

 it really was--at  the word of command1
 7suppose7 a man1 having the appearance 
of a  cripple1 stands up erect and      
walks3 untrue circumstances1 one or both
  superinduced by rumour--the man had   
been so from his birth2 from his  birth 
down to that same time he had been an   
inhabitant of that same  place4    ,in  
the chapter on ,paul's supposable       
miracles1 about a dozen occurrences  of 
this description will be found4 ,on each
 one of these several  occasions1 the   
propriety of bearing in mind the        
above-mentioned  consideration1 will1 it
 is believed1 not appear open to        
dispute1  whatsoever on each several    
occasion may be the application made of 
it4      ,,section #b4    ,,vision      
,i4--,,dialogue ,,on ,,the ,,road3      
,,paul ,,hears ,a ,,voice1 ,,sees       
,,nothing4    ,i4 ,,account4--,as per   
,acts ix4 #a-i4         ix4 #a4 ,and    
,saul1 yet breathing out threatenings   
and slaughter       against the         
disciples of the ,lord1 went unto the   

high priest1--and       desired of him  
letters to ,damascus to the synagogues1 
that if       he found any of this way1 
whether they were men or women1 he might
       bring them bound unto            
,jerusalem4--,and as he journeyed1 he   
came near       ,damascus3 and suddenly 
there shined round about him a light    
from       heaven3--and he fell to the  
earth1 and heard a voice saying         
unto him1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest 
thou me8--,and he said1 ,who       art  
thou1 ,lord8 ,and the ,lord said1 ,i am 
,jesus whom thou       persecutest3 it  
is hard for thee to kick against the    
pricks4--,and       he trembling and    
astonished said1 ,lord1 what wilt thou  
have me to       do8 ,and the ,lord said
 unto him1 ,arise1 and go into the city1
 and it       shall be told thee what   
thou must do4--,and the men which       
journeyed       with him stood          
speechless1 hearing a voice but seeing  
no       man4--,and ,saul arose from the
 earth2 and when his eyes were          

opened1 he saw no man2 but they led him 
by the hand1 and brought       him into 
,damascus4--,and he was three days      
without sight1 and       neither did eat
 nor drink4    ,,ii4 ,,paul',s supposed 
,,first ,,or ,,unstudied ,,account4--,as
 per ,,acts xxii4  #c-aa4        xxii4  
#c4 ,i am verily a man which am a ,jew1 
born in ,tarsus1 a city in              
,cilicia1 yet brought up in this city at
 the feet of ,gamaliel1 and      taught 
according to the perfect manner of the  
law of the fathers1      and was zealous
 toward ,god1 as ye all are this        
day4--,and ,i      persecuted this way  
unto the death1 binding and delivering  
into      prisons both men and          
women4--,as also the high priest doth   
bear me      witness1 and all the estate
 of the elders3 from whom also ,i       
received letters unto the brethren1 and 
went to ,damascus1 to      bring them   
which were there bound unto ,jerusalem1 
for to be      punished4--,and it came  
to pass1 that1 as ,i made my journey1   

and was      come nigh unto ,damascus   
about noon1 suddenly there shone from   
heaven a great light round about        
me4--,and ,i fell unto the ground1      
and heard a voice saying unto me1 ,saul1
 ,saul1 why persecutest thou            
me8--,and ,i answered1 ,who art thou1   
,lord8 ,and he said unto me1 ,i am      
,jesus of ,nazareth whom thou           
persecutest4--,and they that were with  
me      saw indeed the light1 and were  
afraid2 but they heard not the          
voice of him that spake to me4--,and ,i 
said1 ,what shall ,i do1 ,lord8         
,and the ,lord said unto me1 ,arise1 and
 go into ,damascus2 and there it        
shall be told thee of all things which  
are appointed for thee to      do4--,and
 when ,i could not see for the glory of 
that light1 being led      by the hand  
of them that were with me1 ,i came into 
,damascus4      ,,iii4 ,,paul',s        
supposed ,,oratorical ,,or ,,studied    
,,account4--,as per ,,acts xxvi4  #i-bj4
        xxvi4 #i4 ,i verily thought with

 myself1 that ,i ought to do many       
things contrary to the name of ,jesus of
 ,nazareth4--,which thing ,i      also  
did in ,jerusalem3 and many of the      
saints did ,i shut up in      prison1   
having received authority from the chief
 priests2 and when      they were put to
 death ,i gave my voice against         
them4--,and ,i punished      them oft in
 every synagogue1 and compelled them to 
blaspheme2 and      being exceedingly   
mad against them1 ,i persecuted them    
even unto      strange                  
cities4--,whereupon as ,i went to       
,damascus with authority      and       
commission from the chief priests1--at  
midday1 ,o king1 ,i      saw in the way 
a light from heaven1 above the          
brightness of the      sun1 shining     
round about me and them which journeyed 
with me4--,and      when we were all    
fallen to the earth1 ,i heard a voice   
speaking      unto me1 and saying in the
 ,hebrew tongue1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why      
persecutest thou me8 it is hard for thee

 to kick against the pricks4      ,and  
,i said1 ,who art thou1 ,lord8 ,and he  
said1 ,i am ,jesus whom thou            
persecutest4--,but rise1 and stand upon 
thy feet3 for ,i have appeared      unto
 thee for this purpose1 to make thee a  
minister and a witness      both of     
these things which thou hast seen1 and  
of those things in      the which ,i    
will appear unto thee2--delivering thee 
from the people1      and from the      
,gentiles1 unto whom now ,i send thee4  
,on comparing the three accounts of     
,vision #ast1 the particulars will be   
found referable to twelve heads4 ,under 
no more than two of the twelve1  will   
the conformity among them be found      
entire4    ,where disconformity has     
place it may be clear or not clear of   
contradiction4 ,clear it may be of      
contradiction1 when it consists either  
of mere deficiency or mere redundancy1  
or of both3 deficiency or  redundancy1  
according as it is this or that account1
 which1 on the  occasion of the         

comparison1 is taken for the standard4  
,on the occasion in question1 such is   
the importance of the occurrence1  that 
the proper standard of reference and    
comparison is that which is  most ample3
 that which1 if not strictly speaking   
complete1 wants the  least of being so4 
,on the part of the historian1 speaking 
in his own  person1 omission is in such 
a case without excuse4    ,not so1      
necessarily1 in the case of a person    
whom the historian speaks  of as giving 
that person's own account of that same  
occurrence4 ,what may  be is1 that in   
the nature of the occasion in which the 
person is  represented as speaking of   
it1 there is so much of suddenness1 by  
reason  of impending danger1 or urgent  
pressure1 that1 of the quantity of time 
necessary for complete utterance1 and   
even of that necessary for  complete and
 correct recollection1 more or less was 
wanting4    ,on the occasion of that    
account of the matter1 which is the     
first of the  two on which the historian

 represents ,paul as giving an account  
of this  momentous occurrence1--this    
justification for want of completeness1 
or  this excuse for want of correctness1
 might naturally enough have place4     
,for it was while pleading for his life 
at ,jerusalem1 before a mixed           
multitude1 no inconsiderable part of    
which were endeavouring at the          
destruction of it1 that ,paul is        
represented as delivering this first of 
his two accounts3--call that the        
supposed unstudied or unpremeditated    
account4    ,not so1 on the occasion on 
which he is represented as delivering   
the  second of these same two accounts4 
,on this occasion1 it is true1 he is    
represented as pleading in his defence4 
,but it is pleading in and before  a    
regularly constituted judiciary1 and    
after time for preparation in  much     
greater abundance than he could have    
wished3--call this the  supposed studied
 or premeditated account4    ,in this   
view1 the proper standard of comparison 

can not be dubious4 ,the  historian     
being himself1 in all three accounts1   
the immediately  reporting witness1 and 
having had his own time for the forming 
of them  all1--that which he gives in   
his own person1 and which therefore     
naturally occupies the first place1     
should1 in respect of both  qualities1  
as well as in that of clearness1 have   
been1 7and1 setting  aside deceptious   
design1 naturally would have been71 as  
perfect as it  was in his power to make 
it4 ,to the others alone could any      
excuse be  afforded1 in respect of any  
one of those requisites1 by any         
circumstance  peculiar to the respective
 cases4    ,what is above being         
observed--,of the ten following         
instances of  disconformity1 seven will 
be found to be cases of simple          
deficiency1  three of contradiction4    
,in those which are cases of simple     
deficiency1 it will be seen to have     
urgency for its justification or excuse2
 for the others there appears no        

justification or excuse4#c ,of the      
twelve distinguishable heads in         
question1 under two alone1 viz4 that of 
place and that of time1 will  the       
conformity be found complete4 ,place1 a 
spot near to ,damascus1 in  the road    
leading from ,jerusalem to ,damascus3   
,time1 meaning time of  day1--about     
noon4 ,but1 in the quality of           
trustworthiness deficient as  all three 
accounts will presently be shown to be1 
it will be seen how  little is          
contributed1 by conformity as to the    
mere circumstances of  time and place4  
,now then let us see the subjects1 in   
relation to which a want of  conformity 
is observable4 ,to save words1 the      
shortest form of  description possible  
will throughout be employed4            
#a4 ,the light seen4                    
#b4 ,the dialogue4    ,omissions        
#c4 ,falling to the ground4             
#d4 ,language of the voice4             
#e4 ,kicking against the pricks4        
#f4 ,the ,lord's commands4              

#g4 ,paul's companions' posture4        
,contradictions  #h4 ,paul's companions'
 hearing or not hearing4                
#i4 ,if hearing1 what they heard4       
#aj4 ,nothing seen but light4    #a4    
,light seen4 ,between ,acts account and 
,paul's #ast or supposed  unstudied     
account1 no disconformity worth         
remarking4 ,in ,acts it is a  light1 in 
,paul #ast a great light2#d in both it  
is about midday4  ,but in ,paul's #b;d  
or supposed studied account1 it is above
 the brightness  of the sun at that time
 of the day4    ,in ,acts the passage is
 simply narrative3 in ,paul's #ast1 the 
urgency of  the occasion left no room   
for flowers4 ,but in ,paul's #b;d1 time 
being  abundant1 flowers were to be     
collected1 and this is one of them4 ,in 
the  ordinary course of nature there    
exists not upon earth any light equal in
  brightness to that of the sun2        
especially the sun at midday1 and in    
such  a latitude4 ,supposing the light  
in question ever so much greater than   

the midday sun1 neither ,paul nor this  
his historian could1 without a  miracle 
on purpose1 have had any means of       
knowing as much4 ,for a miracle  for    
such a purpose1 the existence of any    
effectual demand does not seem          
probable4 ,for the purpose              
mentioned1--namely the bereaving of the 
power  of vision every open eye that    
should direct itself towards it1--to    
wit1  so long as that same direction    
should continue1--the ordinary light of 
the sun would have been quite           
sufficient4 ,at the time and place in   
question1 whatever they may have been1  
suppose it true that1 though  midday was
 the time1 the atmosphere was cloudy1   
and in such sort cloudy1  that without  
something done for the purpose1 a light 
productive of such  effects could not   
have been produced4 ,still1 for this    
purpose1 a  specially created body of   
light different from that of the sun1   
and  exceeding it in intensity1 could   
not be needful4 ,the removal of a single

  cloud would have been amply           
sufficient3--a single cloud1 and that a 
very  small one4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,but if the     
light was really a light created for the
 purpose1 and  brighter than that of the
 sun2 of circumstances so important1    
mention  should not have been omitted in
 the standard narrative4           99   
99       99       99       99    ,here  
then is either a deficiency in the      
standard narrative1--and this           
deficiency1 as already observed1 an     
inexcusable one1--or a redundancy in    
the subsequent account3 a redundancy1   
the cause of which seems  sufficiently  
obvious3 a redundancy--in that account  
which1 being  premeditated on the part  
of the historian1 is given by him as    
being  premeditated on the part of the  
speaker1 whom he represents as          
delivering it3 a redundancy1--and that  
in a word a falsehood3 a  falsehood1 and
 for what purpose8--for deception3 the  
hero represented by  his historian as   

using endeavours to deceive4    #b4     
,dialogue4 ,per ,acts1 the ,dialogue    
contained five speeches3 to wit1  #a4   
,the voice's speech2 #b4 ,paul's2 #c4   
,the ,lord's1 whose voice1 ,paul and    
his historiographer#e1 from what        
experience is not said1 knew the voice  
to be2 #d4 ,paul's2 #e4 ,the ,lord's4   
,in ,paul #ast1 speeches the same in    
number1 order1 and1 save in one phrase  
about kicking against the  pricks1      
nearly so in terms4 ,but in ,paul #b;d1 
the number of the speeches  is no more  
than three3 and1 as will be seen below1 
of the last the  import is widely       
different from that of any of those     
reported in the  other two accounts4    
#c4 ,falling to the ground4 ,per ,acts  
and ,paul #ast1 by ,paul alone was  this
 prostration experienced4 ,per ,paul    
#b;d1 by his unnumbered companions1  by 
the whole company of them1 as well as by
 himself4 ,deficiency here on  the part 
of the proper standard2 so1 in the case 
of the unstudied  speech4 ,in the       

studied speech it is supplied4    #d4   
,language of the voice4 ,per ,acts and  
,paul #ast1 of the language  nothing is 
said4 ,deficiency1 as in the case last  
mentioned2 to wit1 in  the regular      
history1 and in the unstudied speech4   
,in the studied speech  it is supplied4 
,stage effect greater4 ,agrippa1 to whom
 it was more  particularly addressed1   
being1 under the ,roman viceroy1 a sort 
of king  of the ,jews1--what seems to   
have occurred to the historian is--that 
it  might be a sort of gratification to 
him to be informed1 that his own        
language1 the ,hebrew1 was the language 
which1 on this occasion1 was  employed  
by that voice1 which by ,paul1 by whom  
it had never been heard  before1 was    
immediately understood to be the        
,lord's2 i4e4 ,jesus's2  i4e4 ,god's4   
,the character1 in which ,paul was on   
this occasion brought  by his           
historiographer on the stage1 being that
 of a consummate orator1  furnished with
 all his graces1--this compliment was   

among the rest put  into his mouth4     
,moreover1 by ,jesus no language1 for   
aught that appears1  but the ,hebrew1   
having been ever spoken1 hence the      
account became the  more consistent or  
credible4    #e4 ,kicking against the   
pricks4#f ,hard for thee to kick against
 the  pricks4 ,per ,acts1 this          
proverbial expression is employed by the
 voice1  as soon as it turns out to have
 been the ,lord's4 ,in the supposed and 
hasty unstudied speech1 it is dropped4  
,this is natural enough4 ,in ,paul      
#b;d--in that studied speech1 it is     
employed3 it stands there among the     
flowers4    #f4 ,the ,lord's ,commands4 
,commands delivered to ,paul by the     
,lord4 ,under  this head there is a     
disastrous difference2 a sad            
contradiction4 ,per  ,acts1 the command 
is for ,paul to go into ,damascus3 there
 it stops4  ,follows immediately an     
article of information1 which is1 that  
at that  time and place there is no     
information for him2 but that1 sooner or

  later1 some will be ready for him4    
,after he has arrived at ,damascus1 it  
shall there1 by somebody or other1 be   
told him1 it is said1 what he is  to do4
 ,so likewise in ,paul #ast1 in the     
unstudied speech1 he is1 in like        
manner1 to learn not merely what he is  
to do1 but everything that he is  to do4
 ,lastly comes1 ,paul #b;d1 the studied 
speech4 ,by the time the  historian had 
arrived at this point in his history1 he
 had forgotten  that1 according to his  
own account of the matter1 no           
information at all  had1 during the road
 scene1 been given to ,paul by the      
,lord's voice2 by  that voice which was 
so well known to be the ,lord's4 ,that  
the supposed  studied speech1 by the    
charms of which the favour of the ,king 
was so  happily gained1 might be the    
more impressive1--he makes his orator1  
in  direct contradiction to the account 
which1 on the former occasion1 had  by  
him 7the historian7 been given1 enter1  
on the very spot1 into all the  details 

of the ,lord's commands4    ,when the   
time had come for composing this        
supposed studied speech1--the  historian
 had1 it should seem1 forgot ,ananias's 
vision1 that subsidiary  vision1 which  
we shall come to presently1 containing a
 further promise  of the ,lord's        
commands and instructions2 and which1   
after all1 unless it  is by this studied
 speech that they are to be regarded as 
given1 are not  given by him anywhere4  
#g4 ,paul's companions--their posture4  
,per ,acts1 though he fell1 they  stood 
it out4 ,per ,paul #ast1 not said       
whether they fell or stood it out4  ,per
 ,paul #b;d1 they fell4 ,the supposed   
studied oratorical account is here  in  
full contradiction with the historical  
one4    #h4 ,paul's companions--their   
hearing or not hearing4 ,per ,acts1 they
 not  only saw the light1 but heard the 
voice4 ,per ,paul #ast1 they did ,,not  
hear  the voice4 ,in the supposed hasty 
and unstudied speech is the oratorical  
account made to contradict the          

historical one4 ,in this particular1    
which  of the accounts was true8 ,if the
 historical1 the haste must1 in the     
oratorical1 be the apology1 not only for
 the incompleteness but for the         
incorrectness4 ,in ,paul #b;d1 nothing  
is said about their hearing or not      
hearing4    ,supposing the story in any 
of the accounts to have had any truth in
 it1  there was a middle case1 fully as 
possible and natural as either of  these
 extreme and mutually contradictory     
ones4 ,it may have been1 that  while    
some stood their ground1 others fell4   
,and the greater the numbers1  the      
greater the probability of this middle  
case4 ,but as to their number1  all is  
darkness4    #i4 ,paul's companions--if 
they heard1 what it was they heard4 ,if 
they  heard anything1 they heard1 as far
 as appears1 whatever ,paul himself     
heard4 ,per ,acts1 it is after the order
 given to ,paul to go on to             
,damascus1--with the promise thereupon1 
that there and then1 and not  before1 he

 should receive the information he      
should receive2 it is after  the        
statement made of his hearing all this  
from the voice1 that the  further       
statement comes1 declaring that it was  
by ,paul's companions also  that this   
same voice was heard4 ,but this same    
voice was1 it is said1 the  ,lord's     
voice4 ,that when the voice had answered
 to the name by which ,paul  called it1 
to wit1 the name of ,lord1 it stopt     
there1 so far as concerned  ,paul's     
companions2--and that it reserved what  
followed1 to wit1 the  above-mentioned  
order with the promise1 for ,paul's     
single ear2 true it  is1 this may be    
imagined as well as anything else3 but  
at any rate it  is not said4    ,if     
,paul #b;d--the studied oratorical      
account--is to be believed1 all the     
information for the communication of    
which this miracle was performed  was1  
as will be seen1 communicated here upon 
the road3 viz4 immediately  after the   
voice had been called by him ,lord4     

,but1 if this was the  case1 and1 as    
above1 ,paul's companions heard all that
 he heard1--then so  it is1 that the    
revelation was made as well to them as  
to him2--this  revelation1 upon the     
strength of which we shall see him      
setting himself  up above all the       
,apostles2 himself and that ,gospel of  
his own1 which he  says was his own1 and
 none of theirs4 ,now then--these       
companions--was it  upon the same errand
 as his that they went1 to wit1 the     
bringing in  bonds to ,jerusalem all the
 ,damascus ,christians8 ,if so1 or if on
 any  other account they were any of    
them in a condition to need             
conversion1--they were converted as well
 as he2 or else1 so far as  concerned   
them1 the miracle was thrown away4      
,companions as they were of  his1 were  
they or were they not respectively      
attendants of his8  attendants going    
under his orders1 and on the same       
errand8 ,unless1 by  the ,jerusalem     
rulers1 on the part of the ,damascus    

rulers1 both will and  power were       
depended upon1 as adequate to the task  
of apprehending the  followers of ,jesus
 and sending them bound to ,jerusalem1  
such these  companions ought to have    
been1 every one of them--supposing      
always on  the part of this about-to-be 
,apostle an ordinary prudence3 that sort
 and  degree of prudence with which no  
ordinary police-officer is unprovided4  
,some persons under his orders he must  
have had1 or he could never have  been  
sent on so extensively and strongly     
coercive an errand4    ,these           
companions1 if1 on this occasion1 any   
such or any other companions  he had1   
had each of them a name4 ,to this       
vision1 such as it was1 they  being each
 of them respectively1 as well as       
himself1 whether in the way  of sight   
and hearing both1 or in the way of sight
 alone1 percipient  witnesses1 their    
names1 in the character of so many      
percipient  witnesses1 ready upon every 
proper occasion to answer in the        

character  of reporting witnesses1 would
 have been of no small use3 of use1 were
  it only for the giving to this story a
 little more substance than it has  in  
the form we see it in4    ,as to        
,ananias--the supposed principal actor  
in the scene next to  ,paul--for him1   
indeed1 supposing any such person to    
have existed1 a  name1 it is seen1 was  
found4 ,but1 with a view to any purpose 
of  evidence1 how little that name      
amounted to1 will be seen likewise4     
,in this vision of ,paul's1 as it is    
called1--was any person seen1 or        
anything but light--light at midday8    
,no2 positively not any person1 nor  as 
far as appears1 the light excepted1     
anything whatsoever4 ,per ,acts1  chap4 
ix3#h1 when his eyes were opened1--so it
 is expressly said1--he  saw no man4    
,this was after he had fallen to the    
earth2 for it was after  he arose from  
the earth4 ,but1 it was before he fell  
to the earth1 and  thereupon heard the  
voice1 that1 according to this same     

account1 he saw  the extra light--the   
light created for the purpose3 and1     
forasmuch as at  the conclusion of the  
dialogue with the five speeches in      
it--forasmuch  as at the conclusion of  
it1 such was the effect produced upon   
him by the  light1 as to render him at  
that time stone-blind1 requiring to be  
led by  the hand1 it could not from the 
first have been anything less effective4
  ,per ,acts1 in this state he continues
 all the way as far as ,damascus1 and   
for three days after his arrival there4 
,so likewise in the supposed  unstudied 
speech1 ,paul #ast4 ,but in the studied 
speech1 ,paul #b;d1 there is  no        
blindness2 the blindness is either      
forgotten or discarded4    ,but the     
curious circumstance is1 his being led  
by the hand--all the way  to ,damascus  
led by the hand3--led by the hand by    
these same companions4  ,now these same 
companions1 how was it that they were   
able to lead him by  the hand8 ,all that
 he saw was the light1 and by that light

 he was  blinded4 ,but all that he saw  
they saw3 this same light they saw as   
well  as he4 ,this same light1 then1 by 
which he was blinded--were they not     
blinded likewise by it8 ,was it a       
privilege--a privilege reserved for a   
chosen favourite--a privilege which it  
cost a miracle to produce--the  being   
blinded when nobody else was blinded8   
,blinded then as they were1 how came he 
to be led by them1 any more than  they  
by him8 ,can the blind lead the blind8  
,let ,jesus answer4 ,shall they  not    
both fall into the ditch8    ,oh6 but   
7says somebody7 it is only in ,paul     
#ast1--in ,paul's supposed  unstudied   
speech1 that the historian makes them   
see the light that ,paul  saw4 ,answer4 
,true3 but neither in his own person    
does he say the  contrary4 ,as to their 
seeing1 all he says is1 that they saw no
 man1  hearing a voice but seeing no    
man4 7ver4 #g47 ,but by the same        
account1  7ver4 #h47 ,when his eyes were
 opened1 he saw no man2 so that1 though 

in what he says in his own person the   
historian does not mention this  which  
he mentions1 speaking in ,paul's        
person1--yet he does not  contradict it4
    #aj4 ,paul's companions4 ,what part1
 if any1 took they in the  conversation8
 ,per ,acts1 they stood speechless3 and 
it is after the  dialogue has been      
reported1 that this is stated4 ,in the  
unstudied  speech1 nothing is said about
 their speech4 ,in the studied speech1  
with  reference to them1 no mention is  
made of speech2 any more than of sight  
or hearing4    ,but1 forasmuch as1      
according to ,acts1 whatever ,paul saw  
and heard1 they  saw and heard likewise2
 how happened it1 that by no one of     
them1 so much  as a word1 on an occasion
 so interesting to all1 was said--or a  
question  put8 ,to be sure it was to    
,paul alone1 that by the voice1 whosever
 it  was1 any address was made4 ,it was 
his concern3--his alone1 and none of    
theirs4    ,so1 indeed1 some might      
think2 but1 others in their situation1  

quite as  naturally might think         
otherwise4 ,sooner or later1 at any     
rate1 they  would recover whatever it   
was they lost3 sight1 if sight2 speech1 
if  speech4 ,whenever recovered1 speech 
would thereupon range with but the      
greater freedom1 for the restraint      
which1 for a time1 had been put upon    
it3--range over the whole business1     
including whatever secrets ,paul had    
been put in possession of3--the         
commission1 the sweeping and            
incarcerating commission he had been    
intrusted with by the rulers1 and  the  
unperformed promise that had been made  
to him by the voice1 which  being at    
midday1 accompanied by an extraordinary 
light1 was of course  the ,lord's voice4
 ,these things would naturally1 by these
 his companions1  have been converted   
from secrets into town-talk4    ,nay but
 7says somebody7 though it is said he   
saw no man1 it is not  said1 he saw not 
the ,lord3 and elsewhere he may be seen 
saying--saying  in the most positive    

terms1 that he did see the ,lord#g4 ,and
 if he did  see the ,lord anywhere1 why 
not here as well as anywhere else8      
,saw no man4 ,yes3 so says the ,english 
version4 ,but the original is  more     
comprehensive3--,saw no person1 says the
 original3 that is1 to speak  literally1
 saw no one of the masculine gender4 ,no
 one what8 ,no one  person of this      
gender3 this is what the word means1 if 
it means  anything4 ,no person2 and     
therefore no ,lord3 no ,god2 if so it be
 that1  when applied to denote ,god1 the
 word person means ,god1 or as some say1
 a  part of ,god4    ,note1             
likewise1--that1 when the companions are
 spoken of1--both in the  translation   
and in the original1 the object to which
 the negative is  applied is expressed  
by the same word as when he1 ,paul1 is  
spoken of4      ,,section #c4           
,,vision ,,ii4--,,ananias',s4    ,,topic
 #a4--;,ananias's ,description4    ,of  
the vision itself there being but one   
account1 by this singleness  discordancy

 is saved4    ,but1 of the description  
belonging to ,ananias there are two     
accounts4  ,one the historical1 as      
before3 the other1 the unpremeditated   
oratorical account supposed to be given 
by ,paul in the first of  his two       
supposed speeches1 as above2 and1 room  
being thus given for                    
discordancy1--discordancy1 as of course1
 enters--or at any rate a  strong       
suspicion of it4    ,per ,acts1 ,ananias
 is a disciple3 a disciple1 to wit1 a   
,christian2 a  disciple immediately of  
,jesus or his ,apostles3 for1 such is   
the  signification attached to the word 
disciple in the ,acts3 such he would  on
 this occasion be of course understood  
to be2 for1 otherwise the word  would be
 uncharacteristic and insignificant4    
,materially different is the description
 supposed to have been given of  this   
same ,ananias by ,paul in that same     
supposed unpremeditated speech2  so     
different as to be not without effort1  
if by any effort1 reconcilable  with it4

    ,he is now a disciple of ,jesus and 
the ,apostles2 of that ,jesus1 by whom  
the law1 i4e4 the ,mosaic law1 was after
 such repeated exposure of its          
inaptitude1 pronounced obsolete4 ,he is 
now not only spoken of as being1        
notwithstanding this conversion1 a      
devout man according to that same  law2 
but1 moreover1 as having a good report  
of all the ,jews which dwelt  there1 to 
wit1 at ,damascus4 ,of the ,jews8 ,yes2 
of all the ,jews4    ,if1               
notwithstanding his conversion to a     
religion by which that of the  ,jews was
 slighted and declared to be superseded1
 he was still so happy  as to be the    
subject of this good report1 which is as
 much as to  say--of a correspondently  
unanimous good opinion2 this1 it would  
seem1  would have been the man to preach
 to them that religion3 especially if   
that part of the story were true1       
according to which he was  distinguished
 by the same supernatural sort of       
communication2 this man1  who was       

already a ,christian1 this man1 and not 
,paul1 who of all opposers  of          
,christianity had been the most fierce  
and the most mischievous1 would         
naturally have been the man to receive  
the supernatural commission4  ,supposing
 his vision real1 and the reports of it 
true1 no difficulty1  rationally        
speaking1 could he have found in        
obtaining credence for it at  the hands 
of the ,apostles3 those ,apostles1 at   
whose hands1 from first to  last it will
 be seen1 never was it the lot of ,paul1
 with his vision or  visions1 to obtain 
credence4    ,the audience1 before which
 this speech was supposed to be         
delivered1 of  whom was it composed8    
,with the exception of a few ,romans1 to
 whom it was  probably unintelligible   
unless by accident1 altogether of ,jews2
 and  these--no one can say in what     
proportion1 probably in by much the     
largest1 ,jews not christianized4 ,hence
 then the sort of character1 which  the 
occasion and the purpose required should

 be given1 to this supposed             
miraculously formed acquaintance of the 
person who1 upon the strength of  this  
acquaintance1 was to be numbered among  
the ,apostles4      ,,topic #b4--,mode  
of ,conversation4    ,by this vision is 
produced a dialogue4 ,interlocutors1 the
 ,lord and  ,ananias4 ,in the course of 
the dialogue1 speeches five3 whereof1 by
 the  ,lord1 three2 the other two by    
,ananias4    ,in and by the first pair  
of speeches the ,lord calls the man by  
his name3  the man answers1 ,behold1    
says he1 ,i am here1 ,lord4 ,in the     
,english  translation1 to atone for the 
too great conciseness of the ,greek     
original1 the words am here are not     
improperly interpolated4 ,giving  to    
this supposed supernatural intercourse  
what seemed to him a natural  cast--a   
cast suited to the occasion--seems to   
have been the object of  the historian  
in the composition of this dialogue4    
,but1 upon so  supernatural a body1 a   
natural colouring1 at any rate a        

colouring such  as this1 does not seem  
to fit quite so completely as might have
 been  wished4 ,on the road1 when the   
voice1--which turned out to be that of  
the  ,lord1 that is1 being interpreted1 
,jesus's1--addressed itself to ,paul1   
this being the first intercourse1 there 
was a necessity for its  declaring      
itself1 for its declaring whose it was2 
and the declaration  was made           
accordingly4 ,here1 on the other hand1  
no sooner does ,ananias  hear himself   
called by his name1 than he knows who   
the person is by whom  he is thus       
addressed4 ,taken as it stands1 an      
answer thus prompt includes  the        
supposition of an already established   
intercourse4 ,such intercourse          
supposed--in what way on former         
occasions had it been carried on8       
,laying  such former occasion out of the
 question--in what way is it supposed to
  be carried on on the occasion here in 
question8 ,on the occasion of his  visit
 to ,paul1--the ,lord1 to whomsoever he 

may have been audible1 had  never1 from 
first to last1 as we have seen1 been    
visible4 ,on the  occasion of this visit
 of his to ,ananias--was the ,lord      
audible only1 or  visible only1 or both 
audible and visible8 ,if both audible   
and visible1  or even if only           
visible1--the mode of revelation was    
more favourable to  this secondary and  
virtually unknown personage1 than to the
 principal  one4    ,between mortal and 
mortal1 when it is the desire of one man
 to have  personal communication with   
another whom he supposes to be within   
hearing1 but who is either not in his   
sight or not looking towards  him1--he  
calls to him by his name2 and in token  
of his having heard1 the  other answers4
 ,from man to man1 such information is  
really necessary2  for--that the        
requisite attention has place where it  
is his desire that  it should have      
place1 the human interlocutor has no    
other means of  knowing4 ,not           
considering1 that the person to whom the

 information is  supposed to be conveyed
 is a sort of person to whom no such    
information  could be necessary1 the    
historian represents his ,ananias as    
giving to  the ,lord1 as if to a mere   
mortal1 information of his presence4    
,behold1  ,lord6 ,i am here4            
,,topic #c4--,lord's ,commands and      
,information3 ,want of particularization
 a  disprobative ,circumstance4    ,the 
conversation being thus begun1 the      
interlocutors proceed to  business4 ,in 
speech the #c;d1 ,lord delivers to      
,ananias1 the devout ,jew1 a  command1  
and thereupon a piece of information4   
,the command is--to repair  to a place  
therein described1 and find out ,paul3  
the information  is--that at the time   
then present ,paul is praying2 and that1
 at an  anterior point of time not      
designated1 he had seen a vision4    ,in
 the command1 the designation of the    
place wears1 upon the face of it1  the  
appearance of that sort and degree of   
particularity1 the exaction of  which   

is1 in these days1 in which genuine     
visions are never exemplified1  matter  
of course1 on every occasion on which it
 is the real intention1  of those on    
whom it depends1 that through the medium
 of personal  testimony the truth should
 be extracted4 ,on every such occasion1 
the  object in question1 whether it be  
an event or a quiescent state of        
things1 is endeavoured to be            
individualized3 and1 for the production 
of  this effect1 the individual portion 
of space1 and the individual portion  of
 time1 are endeavoured to be brought to 
view together4    ,on the occasion here 
in question1 towards the                
individualization of the  portion of    
space some approach is made3 the town   
being foreknown1 to  wit1 ,damascus1 the
 street is particularized2 it is the    
street called  ,straight3 as in         
,westminster we have ,long-ditch1 and in
 ,london  ,crooked-lane4 ,moreover1 the 
house is particularized2 it is the house
  of ,judas4 ,to this ,judas had any one

 of those marks of distinction been     
added1 which in that age and nation we  
find to have been common1--as in  the   
instance of the too notorious ,judas the
 ,iscariot1 i4e41 the  inhabitant of    
,iscara1 and in that of ,judas          
,barsabas1 i4e41 the son of  ,sabas1 or1
 as we should say1 ,sabasson1 not long  
after mentioned1 ,acts  #be3bb1--;it    
would have been something4 ,but1        
destitute of such limitative  adjunct1  
,judas of itself was nothing4 ,in that  
age and country1 even  without reckoning
 notorious traitors1 there was never any
 want of  ,judases4 ,not inferior in    
plenty were ,ananiases3 in the ,acts we 
have  three of them2--this private      
inhabitant of ,damascus3 the ,high      
,priest1  whose seat was at ,jerusalem2 
and the husband of ,sapphira3 and in    
,josephus they vie in abundance with the
 ,johns and ,jesuses4    ,but1 on the   
occasion in question1 and to the purpose
 in question1 though  a distinctive     
adjunct as above would have done        

something1 it would have  done very     
little4 ,in the field of                
time1--seven-and-twenty years at  least1
 and we know not how much more1         
according to the received  chronology1  
was the distance between the event in   
question1 and the  report given of it in
 this history4 ,neither in ,damascus nor
 yet in  ,jerusalem was any such thing  
as a newspaper1--not even an enslaved   
newspaper1 in existence2 no1 nor yet so 
much as a printing-press1--not  even an 
enslaved printing-press4 ,for writing1  
the materials were  expensive2 and      
handwriting was the only mode of        
copying4 ,publication was  not1 as under
 the printing-press1 promiscuous3 unless
 by accident1 for  an indefinite length 
of time1 into no other hand did any copy
 find its  way1 other than those of the 
author's confidential friends1 or       
friends  separated from the author by a 
greater or less number of removes1 as it
  might happen2 but all of them linked  
to one another by the bonds of  amity1  

and unity of principle and practice4    
,in such a capital as ,damascus1        
,straight ,street might have been as    
long  as ,oxford ,street2 and1 unless   
the style of building in those earlier  
days had much more of convenience and   
luxury in it than in these latter  days1
 was much more crowded4 ,conceive a man 
at this time of day1 going  to ,oxford  
,street with the intention of finding   
the house1 in which1  thirty years ago1 
a man of the name of ,brown or ,smith   
had his  residence1--to wit1 on some    
indeterminate day1 of the number of     
those  included within the space of an  
indeterminate number of years2 and this1
  for the purpose of ascertaining       
whether1 on this indeterminate day1 and 
by this ,smith or this ,brown1 a vision1
 not seen by anybody else1 had  been    
seen4 ,suppose a man in ,rome set out on
 such an errand--and then say  what     
would be the probable result of it4     
,,topic #d4--,vision reported to        
,ananias by the ,lord as having been    

seen by  ,paul4    ,of the report then  
given of this anterior vision1 the      
character is too  remarkable to be      
given1 as it were1 in a parenthesis3 it 
is therefore  referred to a separate    
head4 ,acts ix4 #ab4 ,and ,paul hath    
seen in a  vision a man named ,ananias  
coming in1 and putting his hand on him  
that  he might receive his sight4       
,,topic #e4--;,ananias's ,objection to  
the ,lord's ,commands to visit          
,paul--,he  informs the ,lord what he   
had heard about ,paul4    ,by the two   
first speeches of this dialogue1 we are 
given to understand  that ,ananias had  
already held intercourse with the ,lord2
 an intercourse  which1 the nature of   
the two parties considered1 could not   
have been  other than a supernatural    
intercourse3 yes1 and on this very      
subject3  for1 if not on this particular
 subject1 the subject of it1 whatever it
  was1 could not but have called for    
notice and communication4 ,but1 no      
sooner does this next speech commence1  

than we are given to understand  that   
there had not--could not have been any  
such intercourse3 for if  there had     
been1 what follows would have been      
rendered useless and  needless4 ,upon   
receiving the command1 ,ananias's first 
thought is--to  endeavour to excuse     
himself from paying obedience to it2 for
 in this  endeavour it is1 that he gives
 the ,lord a piece of information2 to   
wit--of what1 in relation to ,paul's    
character1 he 7,ananias7 had heard4     
,acts ix4 #ac3 ,then ,ananias answered1 
,lord1 ,i have heard by many of this    
man1 how much evil he hath done to thy  
saints at ,jerusalem4 ,and here he  hath
 authority from the ,chief ,priests to  
bind all that call on thy  name4 ,thus  
then1 commands known to have been the   
,lord's1 having that  instant been      
received1--the man by whom they have    
been received--so  small is the         
confidence1 reposed in the ,lord by this
 his favoured  disciple--instead of     
paying obedience to them1 answers them  

by an  objection4 ,this objection1      
prepared for it or not prepared for it1 
the  ,lord1 as might well be expected1  
immediately overrules4    ,a question   
that here presents itself is--,since it 
was from many1 i4e4  many men1 that     
,ananias had heard1 not only what       
everybody had been  hearing for weeks1  
or months1 or years1--viz4 of the evil  
that ,paul had  been doing to the       
,jerusalem saints1 but of the authority 
that he had so  lately received1 to bind
 at ,damascus all the ,damascus saints  
he could  find--since it was from so    
many1 who then were these many8 ,how was
 it1  that in the compass of the three  
days 7ver4 #i71 during which ,paul had  
remained without sight or nourishment1 a
 commission1--to the execution  of which
 secrecy was so obviously               
necessary1--had to such a degree        
transpired8 ,suppose the secret to have 
thus transpired1--two results  would1 in
 any natural and credible state of      
things1 have been among the             

consequences4 ,the persons thus devoted 
to destruction would have made  their   
escape2 the commission by which alone   
the supposed proceedings  against them  
could have found a justification or a   
cause1 not having  been delivered4 ,on  
the other hand1 hearing that ,paul was  
there1 and that  he either was1 or      
pretended to be1 in the house in        
question1 or in some  other1 in the     
extraordinary condition above           
described1--the persons  spoken of in   
the ,acts under the name of the         
,synagogue1 would not have  left him    
there1 but would have convened him      
before them1 and1 if he  really had any 
such commission1 have caused it to be   
produced1 and read  it3 convened before 
them1 not only ,paul with his supposed  
commission1  but those companions of his
 that we have already heard of1 if any  
such  he had#h4    ,but of these there  
will be occasion to speak in another    
place4      ,,topic #f4--,the ,lord's   
,answer1 obviating the objection1 and   

giving  intimation of his designs in    
favour of ,paul4    ,this objection1 no 
sooner has the ,lord overruled it1 than 
he undertakes  to answer it1 and to     
explain to this his so singularly       
favoured old  disciple the intentions he
 had formed in favour of his intended   
new  convert1 whose conversion is1      
however1 as yet but in progress 7ver4   
#ad73  ,but the ,lord said to him1 ,go  
thy way2 for he is a chosen vessel unto 
me1 to bear my name before the ,gentiles
 and kings1 and the children of         
,israel3--,for 7continues the ,lord7 ,i 
will show him how great things he  must 
suffer for my name's sake4 ,being1 and  
therefore at the time of  ,paul's vision
 purposing to be1 in relation to his    
designs for ,paul1 thus  communicative  
to this same ,ananias1 who is a perfect 
stranger to this  same ,paul1--to what  
purpose1 on the occasion of his supposed
 visionary  intercourse with ,paul1     
should the ,lord have stopped short2    
reserving  the communication1 for the   

intention of giving it him at           
second-hand by  the mouth of that same  
stranger8 ,this is one of the swarms of 
questions  which an account of this sort
 could scarcely fail to present to any  
inquiring mind4    ,meantime1 as to the 
,lord's having thus stopped short1 this 
we shall see  is in full contradiction  
with the account which the historian    
makes him  give in his supposed second  
reported speech1 to wit1 the supposed   
premeditated one1 spoken before         
,agrippa1 who1 under the proconsul      
,festus1 was king of the ,jews1 and who1
 on that occasion1 is spoken of as      
being assessor to the said proconsul    
,festus4 ,on that occasion the ,lord  is
 represented as explaining himself more 
fully to ,paul himself1 than  here1 for 
the benefit of ,paul1 through ,ananias4 
,,section #d4    ,,ananias3 ,,his       
,,visit ,,to ,,paul ,,at ,,damascus4    
,we now come to the visit1 which1 we are
 to understand1 was1 in reality1  paid  
to ,paul by ,ananias1 in consequence of 

this vision1 in obedience to  the       
command imagined to be given in it4     
,note that1 though1 in the original--in 
the including vision1 as it may  be     
called--the command is given to inquire 
in the house in question for  the person
 7,saul7 in question1--this is all the  
command which1 in that  least visionary 
of the two visions1 is delivered4 ,in   
the first instance  to make the inquiry1
 and in conclusion to go his way--this  
is all to  which the commands given to  
him in the direct way extend themselves4
 ,to  accomplish the object of this     
intercourse--to do anything towards it  
beyond the making of this inquiry--he   
has to take hints and to draw           
inferences3--inferences from the ,lord's
 speech1 which is thus continued1  ,acts
 ix4 #ab3 ,and 7,paul7 hath seen in a   
vision a man named ,ananias  coming in1 
and putting his hand on him that he     
might receive his sight4  ,from having  
been told what--in a vision1 to wit1    
this contained or  included vision--this

 same ,paul had been fancying he had    
seen him  7,ananias7 do--from this he   
was to conclude that it was the ,lord's 
will  that he 7,ananias7 should do in   
reality that which ,paul had been       
fancying him to have done2 though the   
only effect1 for the doing of  which it 
had so been fancied to have been        
performed1 had never been  produced4    
,this was what he was to conclude was   
the ,lord's will2 although  the ,lord   
himself1 who 7if any person7 should have
 known how to speak  plainly and beyond 
danger of misconception1 had forborne to
 tell him as  much4    ,on the occasion 
of this important visit--this visit of  
,ananias to  ,paul1--the double         
light--the light cast by the first of   
the two  oratorical accounts--to wit1   
the supposed unpremeditated one1 upon   
the  historical one--recommences4       
,follows now--and from both sources--the
 account of the interview1 and of  the  
cure performed in the course of it4     
,,acts' ,,account4--,ch4 ix4 ver4       

#ag-bb4        ,and ,ananias went his   
way1 and entered into the house2 and    
putting      his hands on him1 said3    
,brother ,saul1 the ,lord1 even ,jesus1 
that      appeared unto thee in the way 
as thou camest1 hath sent me1 that      
thou mightest receive thy sight1 and be 
filled with the ,holy      ,ghost4--,and
 immediately there fell from his eyes as
 it had been      scales3 and he        
received sight forthwith1 and arose1 and
 was      baptized4--,and when he had   
received meat1 he was strengthened4     
,then      was ,saul certain days with  
the disciples which were at             
,damascus4--,and straightway he preached
 ,christ in the synagogues1      that he
 is the ,son of ,god4--,but all that    
heard him were amazed1      and said3   
,is not this he that destroyed them     
which called on this      name in       
,jerusalem1 and came hither for that    
intent1 that he might      bring them   
bound unto the ,chief ,priests8--,but   
,saul increased the      more in        

strength1 and confounded the ,jews which
 dwelt at      ,damascus1 proving that  
this is very ,christ4    ,,paul',s      
,,account4--,,acts1 ,ch4 xxii4 ver4     
#ab-af4        #ab4 ,and one ,ananias1 a
 devout man according to the law1 having
 a      good report of all the ,jews    
which dwelt there1--,came unto me1 and  
stood1 and said unto me3 ,brother ,saul1
 receive thy sight4 ,and the      same  
hour ,i looked up upon him4--,and he    
said3 ,the ,god of our fathers      hath
 chosen thee1 that thou shouldest know  
his will1 and see that      ,just ,one1 
and shouldest hear the voice of his     
mouth4--,for thou shalt      be his     
witness unto all men of what thou hast  
seen and heard4--,and      now1 why     
tarriest thou8 arise1 and be baptized1  
and wash away thy      sins2 calling on 
the name of the ,lord4      ,,topic     
#a4--,on visiting ,paul1 ,ananias's     
,introductory ,speech--,preliminary     
,recital4    ,i4 ,in the historical     
account1 the speech has in it several   

distinguishable parts4    ,i4 ,brother  
,saul4    ,first comes the address1 in  
which ,saul1 the future ,paul1 is       
addressed by  disciple ,ananias by the  
name of brother4 ,if1 as between ,jew   
and ,jew1  this was a common form of    
salutation1--so far everything is in    
order4  ,but1 if it was only in         
consideration of his having been        
denominated a  disciple1 to wit1 of     
,jesus1--the salutation is rather       
premature3 the  conversion1 supposing it
 effected1 is1 at any rate1 not yet     
declared4  ,not only in the historical  
account is this appellation employed1   
but  likewise in the oratorical one4    
,the attention of ,paul being thus      
bespoken by his visitor1 mention is     
thereupon made of the purpose of the    
visit4    ,i4 ,in the first place comes 
a recital4 ,the ,lord 7says he71 even   
,jesus1  that appeared unto thee on the 
way as thou camest1 hath sent me4444    
,unfortunately1 according to the        
historian himself1 this assertion1 as we

  have seen already1 is not true4 ,in no
 manner or shape did the ,lord  ,jesus1 
or any other person1 make his           
appearance2--all that did appear  was   
the light--the light at midday3 so he   
has just been writing1 and  before the  
ink1 if ink it was that he used1 was    
dry1 already had he  forgotten it4      
,this1 however1 is but a collateral     
averment3--a recital1 an episode1       
matter of inducement1 as an ,english    
lawyer would phrase it4      ,,topic    
#b4--;,declared ,purposes or ,objects of
 the ,visit4    ,purpose the first4     
,that thou mightest1 says ,ananias1     
receive thy  sight4 ,thus says ,ananias 
in the historical account3 in the       
supposed  oratorical one he is more     
concise4 ,no supposed past occurrence   
referred  to3--no purpose declared4     
,receive thy sight are the words4       
,purpose the second4 ,that thou mightest
 be filled with the ,holy ,ghost1  says 
the historical account4 ,but in a       
succeeding passage what is the  purpose1

 which1 in the supposed oratorical      
account ,ananias is made to  speak of1  
in the design that it should be taken   
for the purpose which  the ,lord by his 
commandment meant to be accomplished8   
,not the being  filled by the ,holy     
,ghost2 only the being baptized4 ,and   
now1 why  tarriest thou8 7,acts xxii4   
ver4 #af7 ,arise and be baptized1 and   
wash away  thy sins1 calling on the name
 of the ,lord4 ,well but 7says somebody7
  receiving the ,holy ,ghost1 and being 
baptized1--by these two  expressions1 is
 not one1 and no more than one          
effect--one and the same  effect--to be 
understood8 ,no1 in truth1 if the       
historian himself is to  be believed4   
,turn to another chapter--the very next 
chapter before this1  ,acts #ab to #ag1 
and there you will see1 that the being  
baptized was one  thing1 the receiving  
the ,holy ,ghost another thing1 and much
 more4 ,for  administering the ceremony 
of baptism1 a single ,apostle1 ,philip1 
was  sufficient3 whereas1 for the       

causing the ,holy ,ghost to be received1
  nothing less was requisite than the   
cooperation of two ,apostles1 and  those
 two commissioned by the rest4    ,so   
serious always1 according to this       
historian1 was the difference1 that  it 
was after he had been already baptized1 
and baptized gratis in a  crowd1 that   
for the power of conferring this        
benefit1 whatever it was  that it was   
composed of1 ,sorcerer ,simon made to   
the two ,apostles1 those  offers--those 
pecuniary offers--which are said to have
 been no sooner  made than rejected4    
,acts #ac to #bd4      ,,topic          
#c4--;,actual ,effects of the ,visit1   
and the ,application in  consequence    
made in the course of it4 ,effect #a4   
,scales fall from ,eyes1  and ,sight is 
received in consequence4    ,in the     
historical narrative1 the effect is as  
complete as it is  remarkable4 ,fall    
from his eyes a portion of matter of the
 nature or  resemblance of scales3      
whereupon he receives sight forthwith4  

,in the supposed oratorical account1    
whatsoever had been meant by scales1    
nothing is said of them4 ,neither is the
 declaration made of the  completeness  
of the case quite so explicit4 ,one look
 he gave--gave to  his wonder-working   
surgeon--and instead of its being given 
forthwith--to  give this one look       
required1 it should seem1 if not a whole
 hour1 at  any rate so little less1 that
 any time less than an hour could       
not--such1 in this supposed             
unpremeditated speech1 was the anxiety  
felt  for correctness--could not be     
ventured to be particularized4    ,the  
more closely these scales1 or things    
resembling scales1 are looked  at1 the  
more difficult will it be to find them  
amount to anything4 ,in no  cure1       
performed upon eyes in any natural way1 
in these our days--upon  eyes that have 
lost their sight--do any scales fall    
off1 or anything in  any degree         
resembling scales2--in no disorder of   
the eyes1 known to have  place in these 

our days1 do scales1 or anything like   
scales1 come over  the eyes4 ,by the    
taking of matter from the eyes1 sight1  
it is true1 is  every now and then      
restored3 but this matter is not matter1
 foreign in  relation to the eye and    
exterior to it2 but one of the component
 parts  called humours of the eye1      
which1 by losing its transparency having
  suspended the faculty of vision1 is   
let out by a lancet2 whereupon not  only
 is the faculty of sight restored1 but  
the part which had been  extirpated     
restored likewise2 and without any      
expense in the article of  miracles4    
,on the supposition of falsity1--quere  
the use of this circumstance8  ,answer4 
,to afford support to the conception1   
that memory and not  imagination was the
 source from which the story was        
derived4 ,true it is1  that1 instead of 
support1 a circumstance exposed to      
contradiction would  be an instrument of
 weakness3 if1 for example1 on the      
supposition that  ,paul had no          

companions on the road1 names indicative
 of really existing  and well-known     
persons had been added1 to the          
intimation given in the  ,acts1 of the  
existence of such companions4 ,but to no
 such hazard was  the story of the      
scales exposed3 not to any great danger1
 on the  supposition of the existence of
 ,paul's ,ananias3 not to any danger at 
all1 upon the supposition of his        
non-existence4    ,but1 upon this       
occasion1 now again once more present   
themselves--present  themselves to the  
mind's eye--,paul's companions4 ,that   
they were blinded  at all can scarcely1 
it has been seen1 be believed1 if on    
this matter  the historian himself is   
believed4 ,for1 per ,acts ix4 #h1 they  
led him by  the hand3 so1 per ,paul     
#ast1 ,acts xxii4 #aa1 ,when ,i could   
not see for  the glory of that light1   
being led by the hand of those that were
 with  me1 ,i came unto ,damascus4 ,but 
if1 notwithstanding so it was that they 
too were blinded1--how was it with their

 eyes8 ,had their eyes scales  upon     
them8 did these scales ever fall        
off8--if so1 by what means were  they   
made to fall off8 their evidence would  
have been not much1 if  anything1 less  
impressive1--and it would have been much
 less open to  suspicion1--than ,paul's 
evidence1 supposing him to have spoken  
of these  scales--which the historian1  
to whom1 if he is to be believed1 their 
existence is so well known1 did not take
 upon him to represent ,paul as  saying 
that he did4 ,but if so it was1 that1   
though rendered blind as  ,paul's1 no   
scales were superinduced upon1 nor      
consequently made to fall  off1 the eyes
 of those nameless and unknown          
persons1--how came they to  be          
superinduced upon and made to fall off  
from the eyes of their  singularly      
favoured principal8 ,if1 for a length of
 time more or less  considerable1 they  
really were made blind1--it was1 if the 
historian is  to be believed1 by the    
same cause by which1 in the instance of 

,paul's  eyes1 this same effect was     
produced3--the same cause1 to wit an    
extraordinary light at noonday4 ,if1    
whatsoever was the matter with them1    
the eyes of these ordinary persons could
 be set to rights without a  miracle1   
what need could there be of a miracle   
for the producing the  same desirable   
effect in the person of this their      
leader or master1  extraordinary as this
 same leader or master was8      ,,topic
 #d4--;,baptism--was it performed8 when1
 where1 by whom1 c48    ,the baptism    
thus spoken of--was it performed8 ,yes3 
if you will believe  the historian1     
speaking in his own person1 speaking in 
his own  historical account3 ,and       
forthwith1 in the first place1 ,paul    
recovered his sight2--then1 when1 his   
sight having been recovered1 he  was    
able to go about as usual1--he arose and
 was baptized3  baptized--that is say1  
as from this expression taken by itself 
any one  would conclude--baptized1 as   
soon as he arose1 to wit1 as soon as    

water  could be found for the purpose3  
that water1 which his guest ,ananias1   
foreknowing what was to come to pass1   
and what was to be done to make it  come
 to pass1 might naturally be expected to
 have provided1 and this  without any   
supernatural foresight3 in a word1      
without the expense of  any additional  
miracle in any shape3--the water being  
thus ready upon  the spot1 and he in    
equal readiness to administer it4       
,this1 according to the historian1      
speaking in his own person3 but1 when   
the time comes for giving an account of 
the matter in the person of ,paul       
himself1--to wit in the supposed        
unpremeditated oratorical               
speech1--then1 for whatever it was that 
stopped him1 7whether the  supposed     
urgency of the occasion on which the    
supposed speech was  supposed to be     
made1 or any thing and what else17 so it
 is1 that he  gives not any such        
information3 he leaves the matter to    
hang in  doubt3--a doubt1 which1 down to

 the present day remains unsolved4    ,a
 command to this effect is spoken of as 
having been given3 thus much  is said4  
,but1 what is not said is--whether to   
this same command any or  what obedience
 was paid4    ,thus it is that1 instead 
of an effect which it seems desired that
 we  should consider as being produced1 
what we see directly stated as being    
produced1 is nothing more than a        
command--a command1 by which1 as by  its
 cause1 we are to suppose the effect to 
have been produced4 ,what is  more1 in  
the same blind way1 is intimation given 
us1 of another and very  different      
effect--the washing away of sins--as if 
produced by the  first-mentioned        
physical operation2--namely1 by that of 
a man's being  dipped in1 or sprinkled  
with1 water3 and thus it is1 that from a
 mere  physical operation of the most   
trivial nature1 we are called upon to   
infer a spiritual and supernatural      
effect of the most awful importance2    
the spiritual effect stated as if it    

were produced by the physical           
operation1 to which it has no           
perceptible real relation--nothing but  
the  mere verbal one thus given to it2  
produced by it1 and following it1 as  of
 course--just as if sins were a species 
of dirt1 which1 by washing1  could as   
surely be got off as any other dirt4#i  
,and was he then really baptized8 ,if so
 he was1 then also if1 speaking in  the 
person of his hero1 the historian is to 
be believed1--then also1 by  this       
ceremony1 the name of the ,lord being at
 the same time called  upon1--then also 
were his sins washed away2 his sins     
washed away2 the  sinner1 therefore and 
thereby1 put into the same case as if   
the sins had  not any of them been ever 
committed4 ,how can it be understood    
otherwise8  for if1 in and by this      
passage1 intimation--sufficiently       
perfect  information--is given1 that the
 ceremony was performed--then also is   
sufficiently perfect information given1 
that such was the effect  actually      

produced by it4 ,arise 7,ananias is made
 to say7--,arise and  be baptized1 and  
wash away thy sins1 calling on the name 
of the ,lord4    ,this is no light      
matter3 if so it really were1 that      
according to the  religion of ,jesus1 by
 such a cause1 such an effect was on    
that occasion  produced2--that such     
effect could1 in a word1 on any         
occasion1 in any  case be               
produced1--that murders1 or 7not to     
embarrass the question  with conceits of
 local jurisprudence7 killings of       
men--killings of men  by persecution    
carried on1 on a religious              
account--slaughters of  ,christians by  
non-,christians--could thus1 as in      
,paul's case1 be divested  of all guilt1
 at any rate of all punishment1 at the  
hands of ,almighty  ,justice2--if       
impunity could indeed be thus conferred 
by the sprinkling a  man with water or  
dipping him in it1 then would it be     
matter of serious  consideration--not   
only what is the verity of that         

religion1 but what  the usefulness of   
it1 what the usefulness--with reference 
to the  present life at any rate1 not to
 speak of a life to come3 what the      
usefulness of it2 and on what ground    
stands its claim to support by all  the 
powers of factitious punishment and     
factitious reward1 at the hands  of the 
temporal magistrate4#aj      ,,topic    
#e4--,performance of the ,promise1      
supposed to have been made by the       
,lord1 in favour of ,paul1 to ,ananias4 
,if the supposed promise is inadequate  
to the occasion1 the supposed           
performance is still more inadequate    
with reference to the promise4    ,in   
the supposed promise are two            
distinguishable parts1 and in neither of
  them is the one thing needful to be   
found4 ,of these two parts1 the only    
one in which in any direct stage the    
matter of a promise is contained1  is   
the one last mentioned3 it is the       
promise to show him1 7,paul7 what       
sufferings he will have to undergo in   

the course of the career1 whatever  it  
is1 in which he is about to engage3 to  
wit1 in name and profession1  the       
preaching the religion of ,jesus3 for ,i
 will show him1 says the  ,lord1        
according to the historian1--,i will    
show him how great things he  must      
suffer for my name's sake4 ,if so it    
was1 that upon this promise1  such as it
 is1 performance never followed1 the    
regret for the failure  need not be very
 great4 ,whatsoever were the sufferings 
that he was  predestined to undergo1    
that which was not in the nature of this
  foreshowing1 was--the lessening their 
aggregate amount2 that which was  in the
 nature of it was--the making an        
addition to that same afflicting        
aggregate2 to wit1 by constant and      
unavoidable anticipation of the         
approach of such sufferings4    ,of this
 talk1 vague as it is1 about sufferings1
 the obvious enough  object was--the    
giving exaltation to the idea meant to  
be conveyed of  the merits of the       

hero3--an object1 which1 by this and    
other means1 has  accordingly1 down to  
the present day1 in no small degree been
  accomplished4 ,so much as to          
sufferings3 as to enjoyments1 by any    
idea  entertained of the enjoyments     
derived by him from the same source1    
this  design would have been--not       
promoted1 but counteracted4 ,but1 when  
the  time arrives1 whether the mass of  
suffering was not1 to no small amount1  
overbalanced by that of his             
enjoyments--meaning always worldly      
sufferings and worldly enjoyments--the  
reader will be left to judge4    ,here  
then we have the only promise1 which in 
any direct way is  expressed3--a promise
 which1 in the first place would have   
been useless1  in the next place worse  
than useless4      ,,topic              
#f4--;,indirect ,promise1 that ,paul    
shall spread the ,name of ,jesus4    ,in
 the whole substance of this promise1 if
 there be anything1 which1  with        
reference to the professed end--to wit  

the giving extension to the  religion of
 ,jesus--would have been of use1 it is  
in the foregoing part  that it must be  
looked for4 ,in this part then1 if there
 be any such  matter to be found1 it    
will be this3 to wit1 a promise that he 
7,paul7  shall bear1 and therefore that 
he shall be enabled to bear1 the name of
  the ,lord1 to wit1 the name of ,jesus1
 before the classes of persons          
specified1 to wit1 the ,gentiles1 and   
kings1 and children of ,israel3 ,acts   
ix4 #ae4 ,but1 only in an indirect way  
is this solely material part of the     
promise expressed3 ,he is a chosen      
vessel unto me1 to bear my name1 c4     
i4e4 ,when ,i chose him1 it was my      
design that he should do so4 ,but1 in   
the case of the ,lord1 according to the 
picture drawn of him by this  historian1
 how very inconclusive evidence         
intention is of execution1  there will1 
in the course of this work1 have been   
abundant occasion to  see4    ,bear the 
name of ,jesus8 so far1 so good4 ,but   

for this function no such  special and  
supernatural commission was necessary3  
without any such  commission1 the name  
of ,jesus had been borne to the people  
at large1 if  in this particular the    
,gospel history is to be believed4 ,luke
 ix4 #di1  #ej3 ,and ,john answered and 
said1 ',master1 we saw one casting out  
devils  in thy name3 and we forbad him1 
because he followed not with us4' ,and  
,jesus said unto him1 ',forbid him not1 
for he that is not against us1 is  for  
us4' ,how inadequate soever1 with       
reference to the professed end1 to  wit1
 giving extension to the religion of    
,jesus1 the promise was  perfectly      
adequate1 and commensurate1 to what we  
shall find to be ,paul's  real design2  
to wit1 the planting a ,gospel of his   
own1 as1 and for1 and  instead of1 the  
,gospel of ,jesus4 ,the ,gospel of      
,jesus was the ,gospel of  ,jesus3 and  
the ,gospel1 which1 availing himself of 
the name of ,jesus1 it  was ,paul's     
design and practice to preach1 was1 as  

he himself  declares1--as we shall see  
him declaring in the plainest and most  
express terms1--a ,gospel of his own2 a 
,gospel which was not the ,gospel  of   
the ,apostles1 and which1 for fear of   
its being opposed by them1 he  kept     
studiously concealed from those         
confidential servants and real          
associates of ,jesus1 as may be seen in 
the following passages3 ,gal4 i4  #i1   
#aa1 and #ab2 ,as we said before1 so say
 ,i now again1 ,if any man preach  any  
other ,gospel unto you1 than that ye    
have received1 let him be               
accursed4--,but ,i certify you1         
brethren1 that the ,gospel which was    
preached of me is not after man4--,for  
,i neither received it of man1  neither 
was ,i taught it but by the revelation  
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,gal4  #b3b3 ,and ,i 
went up by revelation1 and communicated 
unto them that  ,gospel which ,i preach 
among the ,gentiles2 but privately to   
them which  were of reputation1 lest by 
any means1 ,i should run1 or had run1 in

  vain4    ,in the course of ,paul's    
dialogue with the voice on the          
road--that voice  which we are given to 
understand was the ,lord's1 i4e4        
,jesus's--the  promise supposed to be   
made to ,paul1 it must be remembered1   
was--the  promise to tell him1 when in  
the city1 what he was to do4 ,what thou 
must do1 says the historian in his      
historical account3--all things  which  
are appointed for thee to do1 says the  
historian in the supposed               
unpremeditated oratorical account1      
which1 in this so often mentioned  first
 of the speeches1 he is supposed by the 
historian to have  delivered4    ,among 
all these things1--one thing1 which it  
is manifestly the design of  the        
historian1 as it was that of his hero1  
to make men believe1 was  accomplished3 
to wit1 the satisfying them what was the
 religious  doctrine1 for the           
dissemination of which the expense of   
this miracle  was incurred4 ,this1      
moreover1 is the promise2 which1 in the 

reading of  the story everybody looks   
for3 this too is the promise which in   
the  reading of this same story1 the    
believers in the religion of ,jesus have
  very generally been in the habit of   
considering as performed4 ,not in and   
by this history1 however1 will they have
 any such satisfaction1 when the  matter
 comes to be looked into4 ,for1 in      
respect of this information1  desirable 
as it is1--,paul is1 in this strangely  
supposed intercourse1  put off--put off 
to another time and place3 put off1 for 
no reason  given1 nor for any           
substantial reason that can be imagined4
 ,further on1  when a show of performing
 the promise comes to be made1 then1    
instead of  accomplishment1 we have more
 evasion4 ,instead of furnishing the    
information to ,paul himself--to ,paul  
directly--for1 when the time and  place 
for performance comes1 performance--what
 the ,lord is not supposed  so much as  
to profess to do1 what he professes to  
do is--to make the  communication to    

this man1 who1 his existence being      
supposed1 was an  utter stranger to     
,paul--namely to this ,ananias4 ,well1  
and for the  conveying the information1 
in this indirect and inadequate way--for
  conveying it to and through this same 
,ananias--what is done8--as we have     
seen1 what amounts to nothing4    ,when1
 for affording the information--had any 
information been intended  to be        
afforded--the time and place are come2  
when ,ananias and ,paul have  been      
brought together2 what is it that1 from 
the information afforded us  by the     
historian1 we are to understand1 passed8
 ,answer1 that1 after  the scales had   
fallen from his eyes1 ,paul was         
baptized2 that he ate  meat1 and that   
after he had eaten meat he was          
strengthened3  strengthened1 we are     
warranted to suppose1 by the meat which 
he had so  eaten4 ,moreover1 that       
somehow or other1 in this large city he 
was  certain days--number not           
specified1--with certain                

disciples--neither  names nor number    
specified1--and preached ,christ in the 
synagogues1  saying that he was the son 
of ,god4    ,thus far then we are got2  
and1 of the supposed revelation1 in all 
this  time nothing revealed4 ,promises1 
put-offs1 evasions--and1 after all1 no  
performance4    ,among the purposes of  
this work1 is the satisfying the        
reader--not only  that ,paul received   
not any revelation from the ,almighty2  
but that1 even  upon his own showing1   
never did he receive any such           
revelation3 that1 on  pretence of his   
having received it from the ,almighty by
 a special  revelation1 he preached     
indeed a certain doctrine2 but that this
  doctrine was partly one of his own1   
contrary to that of ,jesus's  apostles1 
and therefore contrary to that of       
,jesus3 and that1 in the way  of        
revelation1 he never did receive        
anything2 neither that doctrine of  his 
own which he preached1 nor anything     
else4      ,,topic #g4--;,doctrine1     

supposed to be preached by ,paul at     
,damascus in the  synagogues4           
,straightway1 if the historian is to be 
believed2--straightway after  being     
strengthened by the meat2--and          
straightway after he had passed the     
certain days with the disciples2--then  
did ,paul preach ,christ in the         
synagogues--preach that he is the son of
 ,god4    ,here1 had he really preached 
in any such places--here would have been
  the time1 and the best time1 for      
telling us what1 in pursuance of the    
supposed revelation1 he preached4 ,for1 
whatever it was1 if anything1  that he  
ever learnt from his supposed           
revelation1 it was not till he had      
learnt it1 till he made this necessary  
acquisition1 that the time for          
beginning to preach in the synagogues in
 question or anywhere else was  come4   
,and1 no sooner had he received it1 than
 then1 when it was fresh in  his        
memory--then was the time for preaching 
it4 ,but1 never having  received any    

such thing as that which he pretended1  
and which the  historian has made so    
many people believe1 he received1--no   
such thing  had he to preach at any time
 or place4    ,whatever of that nature  
he had had1 if he had had at any time1  
,damascus was not the place1 at any rate
 at that time1 for him to  preach it1 or
 anything else1 in synagogues--in any   
receptacle so  extensively open to the  
public eye4    ,preach1 in the name of  
,jesus--in the name of that ,jesus1     
whose  disciples1 and with them whose   
religion1 he now went thither with a    
commission to exterminate1--preach in   
that name he could not1 without         
proclaiming his own religion--his own   
perfidy2--his own rebellion1  against   
the authorities1 from which1 at his own 
solicitation1 the  commission so granted
 to him had been obtained3--his own     
perfidious  contempt--not only of those 
,jerusalem rulers1 but of those         
,damascus  authorities1 from whom1 for  
that important and cruel purpose1 he was

  sent to receive instruction and       
assistance4 ,at some seven-and-twenty   
years distance in the field of time1 and
 at we know not what distance in  the   
field of space1 probably that between   
,rome and ,damascus1 it was as  easy for
 the historian to affirm the supposed   
preaching1 as to deny it3  but1 as to   
the preaching itself1 whether it was    
within the bounds of  moral possibility1
 let the reader judge4      ,,topic     
#h4--,supposed ,amazement of the ,people
 of ,damascus at this ,paul's  supposed 
preaching of ,christ in the ,synagogues 
there4    ,had there really been any    
such preaching1 well might have         
amazement  followed it4 ,but there was  
no such preaching1 therefore no such    
amazement4 ,had there been real         
preaching1 and real amazement produced  
by  it--what would have been the subject
 of the amazement6 ,not so much the     
audacity of the preacher--for madmen    
acting singly are to be seen in but  too
 great frequency3 not so much the       

audacity of the speaker1 as the         
supineness of the constituted           
authorities2 for1 madmen acting in      
bodies  in the character of public      
functionaries have never yet been       
visible4  ,and if any such assemblage   
was ever seen1 many such would be seen1 
before any one could be seen1 whose     
madness took the course of sitting      
still1 while an offender against their  
authority1 coming to them single  and   
without support1--neither bringing with 
him support1 nor finding it             
there1--continued1 at a public meeting1 
preaching against them1 and  setting    
their authority at defiance4            
,,topic #i4--,matter of the ,revelation1
 which1 in and by the supposed          
unpremeditated ,oratorical ,account1 is 
supposed to have been made4             
,forgetting what1 as we have seen1 he   
had so lately been saying in his  own   
person--in the person of ,paul1--he on  
this occasion1 returns to the  subject3 
and more evasive is the result4    ,on  

this occasion--this proper              
occasion--what is it that he1 ,paul1    
takes  upon him to give an account      
of4--,that which the ,lord had revealed 
to  him8--revealed1 communicated in the 
supernatural way of revelation1 to      
him--,paul8 ,no2 but that which1        
according to him1--if he1 and through   
him  the historian1 is to be            
believed1--the ,lord communicated to    
,ananias  concerning him--,paul4 ,the   
,almighty having minded to communicate  
something to a man1 and yet not         
communicating to that man any part of   
it1 but communicating the whole of it to
 another6 ,what a proceeding  this to   
attribute to the ,almighty1 and upon    
such evidence6    ,still we shall see1  
supposing it communicated1 and from such
 a source  communicated--still we shall 
see it amounted to nothing3 to          
nothing--always excepted the            
contradiction to what1 in relation to   
this  subject1 had1 by this same        
historian1 been a little before         

asserted4    ,observe what were the     
purposes1 for which1 by this ,ananias1  
,paul is  supposed to be made to        
understand1 that ,god--the ,god1 says   
he1 of our  fathers--had chosen him4    
#a4 ,purpose the first--,to know his    
will4 ,his will1 respecting what8 ,if   
respecting anything to the great purpose
 here in question1 respecting  the new  
doctrine which1 to this ,paul1 to the   
exclusion of the ,apostles  of ,jesus1  
is all along supposed to have been      
revealed4 ,of no such  doctrine is any  
indication anywhere in these accounts to
 be found4    #b4 ,purpose the          
second--,and see this just one4         
,meaning1 we are to  understand1 the    
person all along spoken of under the    
name of the ,lord2  to wit1 ,jesus4     
,but1 in the vision in question1 if the 
historian is to be  believed1 no ,jesus 
did ,paul see4 ,all that he saw was a   
light1--an  extraordinary strong light  
at midday2 so strong1 that after it1    
till the  scales fell from his eyes1 he 

saw not any person in any place3 and    
this  light1 whatever it was1 was seen  
by all that were with him1 as well as   
by him4    #c4 ,purpose the third--,and 
shouldest hear the voice of his mouth4  
,oh6  yes2 if what the historian says in
 that other place is to be              
believed--hear a voice he did2 and if   
the historian is to be again  believed1 
that voice was the ,lord's4 ,but1 by    
hearing this voice1 how was  he         
distinguished8 those that were with him1
 according to the historian's  own      
account1 heard it as well as he4 ,and   
what was he the wiser8 ,this  also1 it  
is hoped1 has been rendered sufficiently
 visible--just nothing4    ,purpose the 
fourth and last--,thou shalt be his     
witness 7the ,lord's  witness71 of      
everything thou hast seen and           
heard3--that is1 of that  which was     
nothing1 and that which amounted to     
nothing4    ,unhappily1 even this is not
 all3 for1 before the subject is        
concluded1  we must go back and take up 

once more the supposed premeditated and 
studied speech1 which1 on the second    
occasion1 the self-constituted  ,apostle
 is supposed to have made to the        
,sub-king of the ,jews1 ,agrippa1       
sitting by the side of his superior--the
 ,roman ,proconsul1 ,festus4    ,in the 
course of this long-studied speech1--to 
whom1 is the  communication1 such as it 
is1--to whom1 in an immediate way1 and  
without  the intervention of any other  
person1 is it supposed to be made8 ,not 
to  ,ananias2--not to any such          
superfluous and unknown personage2--not 
to  ,ananias1 but to ,paul himself3 viz4
 to the very person by whom this  same  
communication1 supposed to have been    
made to him1 is supposed to be  reported
 7,acts xxvi4 #af to #ah73 to this      
principal1 or rather1 only  person      
concerned3--to this one person1 the     
communication1 such as it is1  and to   
him the whole of it at once1 is supposed
 to be made4    ,here then is this      
,ananias discarded3--discarded with this

 vision of his1  and that other vision  
which we have seen within it3 the       
communication1  which1 speaking in the  
first place in his own person1--and     
then1 on one  occasion1 in the person of
 this same hero of his--the historian   
had just  been declaring1 was made--not 
to ,paul1 but to ,ananias2--this        
all-important communication1 speaking   
again in this same third person1  but on
 another occasion--the discourse being  
supposed to be a  long-studied one--he  
makes this same ,paul declare1 was      
given--not to any  ,ananias1 not to any 
other person--but directly to him1      
,paul1 himself4    ,let us now see what 
it amounts to4 ,in the most logical     
manner1 it begins  with declaring the   
purposes it is made for2 and1 when the  
purposes are  declared1 all that it does
 is done4 ,ver4 #af4 ,but now3 rise1 and
 stand  upon thy feet2 for ,i have      
appeared unto thee for this             
purpose4444,in  this purpose are several
 parts3 let us look into them one by    

one4    #a4 ,part #a4 ,to make thee     
7says the ,lord7 a minister and a       
witness1 both  of these things which    
thou hast seen1 and of those things in  
the which ,i  will appear unto thee4    
,but1 as to the things which he had     
seen1 by this  same account they        
amounted to nothing but a glare of      
light4 ,here then  was the light to bear
 witness of1 if it was worth while3 but1
 as to  the ministering1 here was       
nothing at all to minister to3 for the  
light  was past1 and it required no     
ministering to1 when it was present4    
,had it  been the light of a lamp--yes2 
but there was no lamp in the case4      
,thus much1 as to these things which he 
had seen4 ,thereupon comes the  mention 
of those things in the which1 the ,lord 
is supposed to say1 ,i  will appear unto
 thee6 ,here1 as before1 we have another
 put-off4 ,if1 in  the way in question1 
and of the sort in question1 there had  
been  anything said1 here was the time1 
the only time1 for saying it4 ,for      

immediately upon the mention of this    
communication1 such as it is1  follows  
the mention of what was due in          
consequence of it1 in obedience  to the 
commands supposed to be embodied in it1 
and by the light of the  information    
supposed to be conveyed by it4          
,whereupon1 says he1 ,king  ,agrippa1 ,i
 was not disobedient to the heavenly    
vision444    ,part #b4 ,the purpose     
continued4--,delivering thee from the   
people1 and  from the ,gentiles1 unto   
whom ,i now send thee4 ,this1 we see1 is
 but a  continuation of the same        
put-off3 no revelation1 no doctrine1 no 
,gospel  here4 ,as to the doctrine--the 
,gospel--that ,gospel which he preached1
 and  which he said was his own1 no such
 ,gospel is on this occasion given to   
him2 and1 not being so much as reported 
to have been given to him on any  other 
occasion1 was it not therefore of his   
own making1 and without any  such       
supernatural assistance1 as ,christians 
have been hitherto made to  believe was 

given to him8    ,as to the deliverance 
from the people and from the ,gentiles1 
this is a  clause1 put in with reference
 to the dangers1 into which the         
intemperance of his ambition had plunged
 him1 and from whence in part it  had   
been his lot to escape4 ,here then the  
sub-king and his ,roman  superior were  
desired to behold the accomplishment of 
a prophecy3 but  the prophecy was of    
that sort which came after the          
fact4--,unto whom now  ,i send thee444  
,in this they were desired to see a     
continuation of the  prophecy3 for1 as  
to this point1 it was1 in the hope of   
the prophet1 of  the number of those1   
which not only announce1 but by         
announcing  contribute to1 their own    
accomplishment4    ,part #c4 ,the       
purpose continued4--,to open their eyes1
 and to turn them  from darkness to     
light1 and from the power of ,satan unto
 ,god444 ,still  the same nothingness3  
to his life's end a man might be hearing
 stories  such as these1 and still at   

the end of it be none the wiser3--no    
additional doctrine--no additional      
gospel--no declaration at all--no       
gospel at all--here4    ,part #d4 ,the  
purpose continued and concluded444 that 
they may receive  forgiveness of sins1  
and inheritance among them which are    
sanctified by  faith that is in me4     
,good4 ,but this is not doctrine2 this  
is not  gospel2 this is not itself the  
promised doctrine3 but it is a          
description of the effect1 of which the 
promised doctrine was to be the  cause4 
,now it is1 as we have just seen1 that  
,paul is represented as commencing  his 
preaching1 or sallying forth upon his   
mission2 preaching1 from  instructions  
received in a supernatural way--received
 by revelation4  ,yet1 after all1 no    
such instructions has he received4      
,thrice has the  historian--once in his 
own person1 twice in that of his        
hero--undertaken  to produce those      
instructions4 ,but by no one1 from first
 to last1 have  they anywhere been      

produced4    ,truly1 then1 of his own   
making was this ,gospel which ,paul went
  preaching2 of his own making1 as well 
as of his own using2 that ,gospel1      
which he himself declares to his        
,galatians was not of man1 was not1     
therefore1 of those ,apostles1 to whom  
the opposition made by him is thus      
proclaimed4    ,when1 after having given
 in his own person an account of a      
supposed  occurrence1--an historian1 on 
another occasion1 takes up the same     
occurrence2 and1 in the person of       
another individual1 gives of that same  
occurrence another account different    
from1 and so different from1 as to  be  
irreconcileable with it2 can this       
historian1 with any propriety1 be  said 
to be himself a believer in this second 
account which he thus  gives8 ,instead  
of giving it as a true account1 does he 
not1 at any rate1  in respect of all the
 several distinguishable circumstances  
in which it  differs from the account   
given in his own person--give it in the 

character of a fable8 a fable invented  
on the occasion on which the  other     
person is supposed to speak--invented in
 the intent that it shall  promote the  
purpose for which this speech is        
supposed to be made8 ,yet  this account1
 which in the eyes of the very man by   
whom it is delivered  to us1 is but a   
fable1 even those to whom in this same  
character of a  fable it is             
delivered--this account it is that      
,christians have thus  long persisted in
 regarding1 supporting1 and acting upon1
 as if it were  from beginning to end1 a
 truth--a great body of truth6--,o      
,locke6 ,o  ,newton6 where was your     
discernment6    ,on such evidence would 
any ,judge fine a man a shilling8 ,would
 he give  effect to a claim to that     
amount8 ,yet such is the evidence1 on   
the  belief of which the difference     
between happiness and misery1 both in   
intensity as well as duration1 infinite1
 we are told1 depends6      ,,section   
#e4    ,,vision ,,iii4--,,paul',s       

,,anterior ,,vision1 ,,as ,,reported    
,,by ,,the ,,lord ,,to ,,ananias4    ,by
 the nature of the acts which are the   
objects of it1 the command1 we  see1 is 
necessarily pregnant with information3  
but now comes the  information given as 
such--the piece of information with     
which the  command is followed4 ,this   
information--in and by which another1 an
  antecedent vision1 is brought upon the
 carpet1 and communicated--has  been    
reserved for a separate consideration4  
,this information is in its complexion  
truly curious3 to present a clear  view 
of it1 is not an altogether easy task4  
,the information thus given  by the     
,lord--given to this ,ananias--this     
information1 of which ,paul is  the     
subject1 is--what8 that1 on some former 
occasion1 neither time nor  place       
mentioned1 he1 ,ananias1 to whom the    
,lord is giving the  information1 had   
been seen by this same ,paul performing1
 with a certain  intention1 a certain   
action2 the intention being--that1 in   

relation to  this same ,paul1 a certain 
effect should be produced--to wit1 that 
of his  receiving his sight4 ,the ,lord 
declares1 ,acts ix4 #ab1 to ,ananias1   
that  ,paul had seen in a vision a man1 
,ananias himself1 coming and putting    
his hand on him1 that he 7,paul7 might  
receive his sight4    ,well then--this  
action which the ,lord thus informs     
,ananias that he1  ,ananias1 had        
performed1--did he1 at any time and     
place1 ever perform it8  ,oh1 no2 that  
is not necessary3 the question is not a 
fair one2 for it  was only in a vision  
that it was performed4 ,well then--if it
 was only in  a vision that it was      
performed1 then1 in reality1 it was     
never  performed4 ,the ,lord said that  
it had been performed2 but in so saying 
the ,lord had said that which was not   
true4 ,the ,lord had caused him to      
believe this--the ,lord knowing all the 
while that it was not true4 ,such  is   
the deed1 which1 according to our       
historian1 the ,lord relates himself  to

 have achieved4    ,but the intention1  
was that true8 ,oh1 no2 nor was there   
any need of  its being so3 for the      
intention1 with which the act was       
supposed to be  performed1 was part and 
parcel of the divinely-taught untruth4  
,the effect1 the production of which had
 been the object of the  intention1 was 
it then--had it then been--produced8    
,wait a little2 no1  not at that time4  
,but the time was not then as yet come2 
and now it is  coming apace4    ,but    
this effect--what is it8 a man's        
receiving his sight2 this same  ,paul's 
receiving his sight2 this same ,paul1 of
 whom ,ananias knew  nothing1 nor had   
ever heard anything1 except what he had 
just been  hearing--to wit1 that1 by a  
man of that name1 he1 ,ananias1 had once
 been  seen--seen to do so and so--he1  
all the while--he1 the doer1 knowing    
nothing of what he was doing--knowing   
nothing at all about the matter4        
,however1 only in a vision did all this 
pass2 which being the case1 no  proper  

subject of wonder was afforded to him by
 such otherwise somewhat  extraordinary 
ignorance4    ,but this sight--which1 at
 the hands of this seer of visions1 to  
whom  this information is thus          
addressed1 this stranger1 whose name was
 still  ,saul1 was to receive--how      
happened it that it was to him1         
,ananias1  that he came to receive it8  
,this faculty--at his birth1 was he not1
 like  any other man1 in possession of  
it8 ,if he was1 what was become of it8  
,in  this particular1 the information   
thus supposed to have been given by     
,omniscience1 was rather of the         
scantiest4    ,supposing the story to   
have any foundation in truth1--such1 to 
,ananias1  it could not but have        
appeared2 and1 supposing him bold enough
 to ask  questions1 or even to open his 
mouth1 a question1 in the view of       
finding  a supply for the deficiency1 is
 what the assertion would naturally have
  for its first result4 ,no such        
curiosity1 however1 has ,ananias3       

instead  of seeking at the hands of     
,omniscience an information1 the demand 
for  which was so natural1 the first use
 he makes of his speech1 or rather      
would have made of it1 if1 instead of   
being imagined in a vision1 the  state  
of things in question had been true1    
is--the furnishing to  ,omniscience a   
quantity of information of a sort in no 
small degree  extraordinary4 ,for1      
hereupon begins a speech1 in and by     
which ,ananias  undertakes to give      
,omniscience to understand1 what        
reports1 in relation  to this same      
,paul1 had reached his 7,ananias's7     
ears4 ,what he is willing  thus to speak
 is more1 however1 than ,omniscience is 
willing to hear3  the story is cut      
short1 and the story-teller bid to go   
his way4 ,then  ,ananias1 says the text1
 ,acts ix4 #ac4 ,then ,ananias answered1
 ,lord1 ,i  have heard by many of this  
man1 how much evil he hath done to thy  
saints  at ,jerusalem4 ,and here he hath
 authority from the ,chief ,priests to  

bind  all that call on thy name4 ,but   
the ,lord said unto him1 ,go thy way2   
for444 c4    ,but1 though thus cut      
short1 he is far from being in disgrace4
 ,so far  from it1 that he is taken into
 confidence4 ,then comes--still in a    
vision1 and the same vision--information
 of the till then secret acts  and      
intentions of ,omnipotence in relation  
to this same ,paul3 he had  actually    
been chosen as a vessel to bear the     
,lord's name before the  ,gentiles1 and 
kings1 and the children of ,israel3 and 
the determination  had been taken1 says 
the ,lord in this vision1 to show him   
how great  things he must suffer for my 
name's sake4 ,for ,i will show him1 says
  the ,acts1 ix4 #af1 how great things  
he must suffer for my name's sake4      
,and1 with the announcement thus made of
 this determination1 the  historical    
account1 thus by the historian in his   
own person given1 of  this same vision1 
closes4    ,thus highly distinguished1  
and favoured with a confidence1         

equalling1 if  not surpassing1 any      
which1 according to any of the ,gospel  
accounts1  appears ever to have been    
imparted to any one of the ,apostles1   
how comes  it that ,ananias has never   
been put in the number of the ,saints8  
meaning always the ,calendar            
,saints--those persons1 to wit1 who1 as 
a  mark of distinction and title of     
honour1 behold their ordinary names     
preceded by this extraordinary one8     
,still the answer is3 ,aye1 but this    
was but in vision3 and of a vision one  
use is--that of the matter of  which all
 that there is not a use for1 is left to
 be taken for false2  all that there is 
a use for1 is taken1 and is to pass1 for
 true4 ,when1  by the name of ,ananias1 
who1 humanly speaking1 never existed but
 in  name1 the service for which it was 
invented has been performed--to wit1    
the giving a support to ,paul and his   
vision1--it has done all that was       
wanted of it3 there is no1 further use  
for it4    ,supposing that thirdly      

mentioned vision really seen1 at what   
point of  time shall we place the seeing
 of it8 ,in this too there seems to be  
no  small difficulty4    ,between the   
moment at which ,paul is said to have   
had his vision1 if a  vision that can be
 called in which1 the time being midday1
 he saw  nothing but a glare of         
light1--between the moment of this      
vision1 of  which a loss of sight was   
the instantaneous consequence--between  
the  moment of this loss of sight and   
the moment of the recovery of it1 the   
interval is mentioned3 three days it was
 exactly4 ,acts ix4 #i1 ,and he  was    
three days without sight1 and neither   
did eat nor drink4    ,the time during  
which1 in verse #i1 he has just been    
declared to have  been the whole time   
without sight1--this is the time1 within
 which he is  declared--declared1 if the
 historian is to be believed1 declared  
by the  ,lord himself--to have seen this
 introductory vision--this preparatory  
vision1 for which it is so difficult to 

find a use4 ,and thus it is1 that  in a 
vision1 though vision means seeing1 it  
is not necessary a man  should have     
sight4    ,meantime1 of all these       
matters1 on which his own existence1 not
 to speak  of the salvation of mankind1 
so absolutely depends1 not a syllable is
 he  to know1 but through the medium of 
this so perfectly obscure and           
questionable personage--this personage  
so completely unknown to  him--this same
 ,ananias4    ,three whole days he is   
kept from doing anything3 during these  
three  whole days the business of the   
miracle stands still4 ,for what purpose 
is  it thus kept at a stand8 ,is it that
 there might be time sufficient left    
for his learning to see1 when his sight 
is returned1 this preparatory  vision1  
by which so little is done1 and for     
which there is so little  use8          
,,section #f4    ,,visions1 ,,why ,,two 
,,or ,,three ,,instead ,,of ,,one4      
,as to the matter of fact designated by 
the words ,paul's conversion1 so  far as

 regards outward conversion1 the truth  
of it is out of all  dispute3--that he  
was converted1 i4e4 that after having   
been a  persecutor of the votaries of   
the new religion1 he turned full round1 
and became a leader4 ,whether the so    
illustriously victorious effect1 had    
for its cause a supernatural intercourse
 of ,paul with ,jesus after his         
resurrection and ascension1 and thence  
for its accompaniment an inward         
conversion--in this lies the matter in  
dispute4    ,from those1 by whom1 in its
 essential particular1 the statement is 
regarded as being true1 a natural       
question may be--,if the whole was an   
invention of his own1 to what cause can 
we refer the other vision1 the  vision  
of ,ananias8 ,to what purpose should he 
have been at the pains of  inventing1   
remembering1 and all along supporting   
and defending1 the  vision of the       
unknown supposed associate8             
,answer4--,to the purpose1 it  should   
seem1 of giving additional breadth to   

the basis of his  pretensions4    ,among
 that people1 in those times1 the story 
of a vision was so common  an           
article1--so difficultly distinguishable
 from1 so easily confounded  with1 on   
the one hand the true story of a dream1 
on the other hand a  completely false   
story of an occurrence1 which1 had it   
happened1 would  have been a            
supernatural one1 but which never did   
happen1--that a basis1  so indeterminate
 and arial1 would seem to have been in  
danger of not  proving strong enough to 
support the structure designed to be    
reared  upon it4    ,on the supposition 
of falsity1 the case seems to be--that1 
to  distinguish his vision from such as 
in those days were to be found among    
every man's stories1 as well as in every
 history1--and which1 while  believed by
 some1 were disbelieved and scorned by  
others1--either ,paul  or his historian 
bethought himself of this contrivance of
 a pair of  visions3--a pair of         
corresponding visions1 each of which    

should1 by  reference and               
acknowledgment1 bear witness and give   
support to the  other3 a pair of        
visions3 for1 for simplicity of         
conception1 it seems  good not to speak 
any further1 of the antecedent vision   
interwoven so  curiously in the texture 
of one of them1 after the similitude of 
the  flower termed by some gardeners    
hose in hose4    ,of this piece of      
machinery1 which in the present instance
 has been seen  played off with such    
brilliant success upon the theological  
theatre1 the  glory of the invention    
may1 it is believed1 be justly claimed1 
if not by  ,paul1 by his historian4     
,with the exception of one that will be 
mentioned  presently#aa1 no similar one 
has1 upon inquiry1 been found to present
  itself1 in any history1 ,jewish or    
,gentile4    ,the other pair of visions 
there alluded to1 is--that which is also
 to be  found in the ,acts3 one of them 
ascribed to ,saint ,peter1 the other to 
the  centurion ,cornelius4    ,paul1 or 

his historian8--,the alternative was but
 the suggestion of the  first moment4   
,to a second glance the claim of the    
historian presents  itself as           
incontestable4 ,in the case of ,peter's 
pair of visions1 suppose  the story the 
work of invention1 no assignable        
competitor has the  historian for the   
honour of it3 in the case of ,paul's    
pair of visions1  supposing that the    
only pair1 the invention was at least as
 likely to  have been the work of the   
historian as of the hero3 add to this   
pair the  other pair--that other pair   
that presents itself in this same work  
of  this same history--all competition  
is at an end4 ,in the case of even the  
most fertile genius1 copying is an      
easier task than invention3  and1 where 
the original is of a man's own          
invention1 copying is  an operation     
still easier than in the opposite case4 
,that an  occurrence thus curious should
 find so much as a single inventor1  is 
a circumstance not a little             

extraordinary3 but1 that two separate   
wits should jump in concurrence in the  
production of it1 is a  supposition that
 swells the extraordinariness1 and with 
it the  improbability1 beyond all       
bounds4      ,,section #g4              
,,commission ,,to ,,paul ,,by           
,,jerusalem ,,rulers--,,commission ,,to 
,,bring ,,in ,,bonds  ,,damascus        
,,christians--,,paul',s ,,contempt ,,put
 ,,upon ,,it4    ,per ,acts1 in the     
historical account1 is stated the       
existence of a  commission3--granters1  
the ,jerusalem rulers2 persons to whom  
addressed1  ,paul himself at ,jerusalem2
 and the synagogues1 i4e4 the rulers of 
the  synagogues1 at ,damascus3 object1  
the bringing in custody1 from ,damascus 
to ,jerusalem1 all ,christians found    
there3 all adult ,christians at any     
rate1 females as well as males2 at      
,paul's own desire1 adds this same      
historical account 7ix4 #b472 for to be 
punished1 adds ,paul #ast  supposed     
unpremeditated oratorical account1 xxii4

 #e4 ,in the supposed  premeditated     
oratorical account1 ,paul #bnd1 the     
existence of authority  and commission  
granted to him by the ,chief ,priests is
 indeed mentioned1  xxvi4 #ab3 but1 of  
the object nothing is said4    ,in the  
unpremeditated oratorical account1 such 
is the boldness of the  historian1      
nothing will serve him but to make the  
orator call to witness  the constituted 
authorities--the ,jerusalem             
rulers--whoever they were1  that were   
present1--to acknowledge the treachery  
and the aggravated  contempt he had been
 guilty of towards themselves or their  
predecessors3  towards themselves1 if it
 be in the literal sense that what on   
this  occasion he says is to be         
understood3 ,as also the ,high ,priest  
doth bear  me witness1 and all the      
estate of the ,elders1 from whom also ,i
 received  letters1 c41 ,acts xxii4 #e4 
,in the premeditated oratorical account1
 the  boldness of the orator is not     
quite so prominent2 he says--it was with

  authority and commission from the     
,chief ,priests at ,jerusalem1 that he  
went to ,damascus2 but1 for the         
correctness of this statement of his1 he
  does not now call upon them1 or any of
 them1 to bear witness4    ,in respect  
of the description of the persons1 of   
whom the ,jerusalem  rulers1 exercising 
authority in their behalf1 were         
composed1--the  conformity1 as between  
the several accounts1 is altogether     
entire4 ,in  the historical account1 it 
is the authority of the ,high ,priest1  
and the  ,high ,priest alone1 that is   
exercised3 in the unpremeditated        
oratorical  account1 it is that of the  
,high ,priest and all the estate of the 
,elders3  in the premeditated account1  
it is that of the ,chief ,priests3      
nothing  said either of ,high ,priests  
or ,elders4    ,neither1 in the supposed
 unpremeditated oratorical account1 is  
it  stated--that1 at the time and place 
of the tumult1 the rulers thus  called  
to witness1 or any of them1 were        

actually on the spot4 ,but1 the  spot   
being contiguous to the ,temple--the    
,temple1 out of which ,paul had  been   
that instant dragged1 before there had  
been time enough for  accomplishing the 
determination that had been formed for  
killing  him1--the distance1 between the
 spot1 at which ,paul with the          
surrounding  multitude was standing1    
,paul being under the momentary         
protection of the  ,roman               
commander--between this spot and the    
spot1 whatever it was1 at  which the    
question might have been put to them1 or
 some of them1 could  not be great4     
,on the part of the historian1 the      
boldness1 requisite for the ascribing   
the correspondent boldness to the       
orator1 may be believed without much    
difficulty4 ,the materials for writing  
being at hand1 there was no more  danger
 in employing them in the writing of    
these words1 than in the  writing of an 
equal number of other words4    ,not so 
on the part of the orator himself4 ,for1

 supposing the appeal  made1 the        
multitude might have saved themselves   
the trouble of putting  him to death3   
the constituted authorities whom he was 
thus  invoking--those rulers1 against   
whom1 by his own confession1 he had     
committed this treason--would have been 
ready enough to proceed against  him in 
the regular way1 and take the business  
out of the hands of an  unauthorized    
mob4    ,the truth of the story1 and for
 that purpose the trustworthiness of the
  historian1 being to be defended at any
 rate1--by some people1 all this        
contradiction1 all this mass of         
self-contradiction1 will of course be   
referred to artlessness1 or1 to take the
 choice of another eulogistic  word1 to 
simplicity3 and1 of trustworthiness1    
this amiable quality1  whatever may be  
the name given to it1 will be stated as 
constituting  sufficient proof4 ,no such
 design1 as that of deceiving1          
inhabited1 it  will be said1 his artless
 bosom3 no such design was he capable of

  harbouring3 for1 supposing any such   
wicked design harboured by him1  could  
he have been thus continually off his   
guard8    ,but--by all this             
self-contradiction1 the quality really  
proved is--not  artlessness1 but        
weakness3 and1 with the desire of       
deceiving1 no degree  of weakness1 be it
 ever so high1 is incompatible4 ,by     
weakness1 when  risen even to insanity1 
artfulness is not excluded3 and1 in the 
fashioning1 from beginning to end1 of   
all this story1 art1 we see1 is by  no  
means deficient1 how unhappily soever   
applied4    ,but the story being such as
 it is1 what matters it1 as to the      
credence  due to it1 in what state1 in  
respect of probity1 was the author's    
mind8  ,being1 as it is1 to such a      
degree untrustworthy and incredible1 as 
that1  in so many parts of it1 it is    
impossible it should have been true1 the
  truth of it is impossible3 what       
matters it then1 whether it be to the   
weakness of the moral1 or to that of the

 intellectual1 quarter of the  author's 
mind1 that the falsity is to be         
ascribed8    ,not only in the whole does
 this history1 anonymous as it is1      
present  satisfactory marks of          
genuineness1--that is1 of being written 
by the  sort of person it professes to  
be written by1 namely1 a person who in  
the course of ,paul's last excursion was
 taken into his suite2 but in  many     
parts1 so does it of historic verity4   
,true or not true1--like any  other     
history ancient or modern1 it has a     
claim to be provisionally  taken for    
true1 as to every point1 in relation to 
which no adequate  reason appears for   
the contrary3 improbability1 for        
example1 of the  supposed facts as      
related1 contradictoriness to itself1   
contradictoriness to other more         
satisfactory evidence1 or probable      
subjection to sinister and              
mendacity-prompting interest4    ,but1  
under so much self-contradiction as hath
 been seen1--whether bias  be or be not 

considered1 could any1 the most ordinary
 fact1 be regarded  as being            
sufficiently proved8    ,meantime1 let  
not any man make to himself a pretence  
for rejecting the  important position   
thus offered to his consideration2--let 
him not1 for  fear of its being the     
truth1 shut his eyes against that which 
is  presented to him as and for the     
truth2--let him not shut his eyes1 on   
any such pretence1 as that of its being 
deficient in the quality of             
seriousness4 ,if1 indeed1 there be any  
such duty1 religious or moral1  as that 
of seriousness2 and that the stating as 
absurd that which is  really absurd is a
 violation of that duty2--at that rate1 
seriousness  is a quality1 incompatible 
with the delivery and perception of     
truth on  all subjects1 and in          
particular on this of the most vital    
importance3  seriousness is a           
disposition to cling to falsehood1 and  
to reject truth4  ,in no part has any   
ridicule ab extra1 been                 

employed3--ridicule1 by  allusion made  
to another object1 and that an          
irrelevant one4#ab      ,,section #h4   
,,companions--,,had ,,paul ,,any ,,upon 
,,the ,,road8    ,meantime1 if all these
 miraculous visions and other miracles  
must needs  be supposed1--a cluster of  
other miracles1 though not mentioned1   
must be  supposed along with them3      
miracles1 for the production of which a 
still  greater mass of supernatural     
force must have been expended4 ,here1   
their  existence being supposed1 here   
were those companions of his1 who1      
unknown in names and number1 saw or saw 
not all or anything that he saw1  and   
heard or heard not all or anything that 
he heard4 ,these men1 at any  rate1 if  
so it be that they themselves1 blind or 
not blind1 led him1 as  it is said they 
did1 into the city1 because he could not
 see to guide  himself1--must1 in some  
way or other1 have perceived that       
something in  no small degree           
extraordinary had happened to him3 so   

extraordinary1  that1 in the condition  
in which he was1 and in which1 if they  
saw  anything1 they saw him to be--no   
such commission1 as that1 for the       
execution of which1 if1 as well as      
companions1 they were his destined      
assistants1 they were put under his     
command1--could1 in any human           
probability1 receive execution at his   
hands4 ,if they were apprised of  this  
commission of his1 could they1 whether  
with his consent or even  without his   
consent1 avoid repairing to the         
constituted authorities to  tell them   
what had happened8 ,this commission of  
his1 so important in  itself1 and       
granted to a man of letters by men of   
letters1 could not but  have been in    
writing3 and accordingly1 in the form of
 letters we are1 by  the historian1     
expressly informed it was4 ,of the      
existence of these  letters1 on the     
tenor of which their future proceedings 
as well as his  depended1--these        
conductors of his1 if he did not1 with  

or without his  consent would of course 
have given information1 to the rulers to
 whom  these same letters were          
addressed4 ,not being struck dumb1 nor  
having1  amongst the orders given by the
 voice1 received any order to keep      
silence1 or so much as to keep secret   
anything of what little they had  heard1
 they would scarcely1 under these       
circumstances1 have maintained  either  
silence or secrecy4 ,the historian1     
knowing what he 7the  historian7        
intended to do with his hero--knowing   
that1 at three days'  end1 he intended  
not only to make scales fall from his   
eyes1 but to fill  his belly1--might not
 feel any great anxiety on his account4 
,but ,paul  himself1 if he1 in the      
condition he is represented in by the   
historian1--was1 for three days         
together1 with scales on his eyes1 and  
nothing in his stomach3 and1 at the end 
of the three days1 as ignorant  as at   
the beginning1 whether the scales would1
 at any time1 and when1  drop off1 and  

his stomach receive a supply3 in such a 
state surely1 a  man could not but feel 
a curiosity1 not unattended with        
impatience1 to  know when and how all   
this was to end4 ,under these           
circumstances1 by  some means or other1 
would all these tongues have been to be 
stopped3  otherwise1 instead of the     
house of ,judas in ,straight-street1    
,paul might  have had no other place1 to
 receive his visitor in1 than the town  
jail1  or some one other of those strong
 places1 into which visitors do not     
always find it more easy to gain        
entrance1 than inmates to get out4      
,these tongues then--,paul's tongue1 his
 companions' tongues--this  assemblage  
of tongues1 all so strongly urged to let
 themselves loose--by  what could they  
have been stopped8 ,if1 by anything1 by 
a correspondent  cluster of             
miracles--nothing less4    ,that1 from  
,jerusalem1 about the time in question1 
,paul went to  ,damascus1--and that it  
was with some such letters in his       

possession1--seems1 as will be seen     
presently1 altogether  probable2--also1 
that when there1 he acted in the way his
 historian  speaks of1 betraying the    
confidence reposed in him by the        
constituted  authorities1 and joining   
with those whom he had solicited and    
received a  commission to destroy2--that
 these were among the circumstances of  
his  alleged conversion1 seems probable 
enough3--though he1 with all the need   
he had of miracles1 if any were to be   
had1 gives not--in what he  himself1    
writing to his ,galatian converts1 says 
of his conversion--any  of the slightest
 hint of them4    ,as to his            
conversion--meaning his outward         
conversion1 which was all  that was     
necessary to the production of the      
effect so notoriously  produced by      
him--to that1 it will be seen1 no       
miracle was necessary3  nothing but what
 belonged to the ordinary course of     
things4 ,as to  companions on the       
journey--whether he had any or not2 and 

if he had any1  whether they were       
attendants on his orders1 or            
acquaintances of his not  under his     
orders2 or mere strangers into whose    
company accident threw  him--all this we
 must satisfy ourselves1 as well as we  
can1 under the  ignorance of4    ,that1 
for giving effect1 by his means1 to the 
sort of commission he went  entrusted   
with1 the power of local authorities was
 trusted to1 is a  supposition          
altogether natural4 ,for bringing to    
,jerusalem bound1 for to  be punished   
7,acts ix4 #b4 xxii4 #d71 all the       
,christians that could be  found in     
,damascus1 both men and women1 if the   
,damascus rulers were  favourable to the
 persecuting design1 no large force from
 ,jerusalem  could be needful4 ,even a  
small one would be superfluous3 and1 by 
a  force1 great or small1 sent from the 
one set of constituted authorities1  a  
slight would be shown to the other4     
,,section #i4    ,,in ,,paul',s         
,,epistle ,,to ,,his ,,galatians1--,,by 

,,his ,,silence1 ,,acts' ,,accounts ,,of
  ,,his ,,conversion ,,are ,,virtually  
,,contradicted4    ,of ,paul's outward  
conversion--conversion from the         
character of an  authorized persecutor  
of the religion of ,jesus1 to that of a 
preacher of  a religion preached in the 
name of ,jesus--such1 as we have seen1  
is the  account given in the ,acts2     
given by the author of the ,acts1 and by
 him  alone4 ,for1 what ought never to  
be out of mind1 if instead of two       
different accounts--declared by him as  
having been1 on different  occasions1   
delivered by ,paul--he had given two    
hundred1 still they  would have been    
his3--not ,paul's1 but his4    ,all this
 while1 now for little less than #ahjj  
years1 from ,paul's own pen  we have an 
account of this his conversion3 and1 of 
any such story as  that of its being    
effected through the instrumentality of 
visions1--in  this account of his1 not  
any the slightest trace is to be        
found2--not  any the slightest allusion 

to it4    ,at the time of his giving    
this account--supposing this story of   
the mode  of his conversion             
true--supposing even that1 though false1
 it had been  got up and propagated--at 
the time of his giving the account which
 bears  such unquestionable marks of    
being his1 was the occasion such as to  
render it probable1 that he could thus  
have omitted all allusion1 to an        
occurrence at once so extraordinary and 
so important8 ,if not1 then so it       
is--that1 by the silence of ,paul       
himself1 the story related by his       
historian is virtually contradicted4    
,the occasion here in view is--that of  
his writing the so often  mentioned1 and
 so often about to be mentioned1        
,epistle to his ,galatian  disciples4   
,at the time of his writing this letter1
 so we shall have occasion to see  over 
and over again in the tenor of it1 he   
was acting in  opposition--declared and 
violent opposition--to the ,apostles3   
struggling  with them for the mastery2  

declaring that to them he was not       
beholden  for anything2--that the       
,gospel he preached was not their       
,gospel1 but a  ,gospel of his own1     
received by him directly from           
,jesus2--declaring1 that  in ,jerusalem 
itself1 the seat of their authority1 he 
had preached this  ,gospel of his1 which
 was not theirs2 but confessing1 at the 
same time1  that when he did so1 it was 
in a secret manner1 for fear of the     
opposition1 which he well knew1 had they
 known of it1 they could not  but have  
made to it4    ,in this state of        
contention--supposing any such miracle  
as that in  question wrought in his     
favour--was it in the nature of the case
 that he  should have failed to avail   
himself of it8--to avail himself of the 
account which the truth--the important  
truth--would have so well  warranted him
 in giving of it8 ,supposing it true1   
had there at that time  been witnesses  
to it--any percipient witnesses--the    
supposed  ,ananias--the supposed        

companions on the road1--would he have  
failed  making his appeal to their      
testimony8 ,supposing even that there   
were  none such left1 the truth of the  
occurrence--of an occurrence of such    
momentous importance1 would it not have 
inspired him with boldness1  sufficient 
for the assertion of it1 with all that  
intensity for which  the case itself    
furnished so sufficient a warrant1 and  
which the  vehemence of his character   
would have rendered it so impossible for
 him  to avoid8 ,supposing even the     
story an utter falsehood1 yet1 had it   
been  at this time got up and           
promulgated1 could he1 if he saw any    
tolerable  prospect of its obtaining    
credence1 have failed to endeavour to   
avail  himself of it8    ,no1 surely4   
,yet1 in this his address1 made to his  
,galatian disciples1  and to all such   
inhabitants of that country1 as he could
 see a prospect  of numbering among his 
disciples--in this address1 written     
under a sense  of the necessity he was  

under1 of making for his support against
 the  ,apostles1 the most plausible case
 his ingenuity could enable him to      
make1--not any1 so much as the          
slightest1 hint of any such miracle1    
does  he venture to give4 ,revelation6  
revelation6--on this single word--on    
the ideas1 which1 in the minds with     
which he had to deal1 he hoped to  find 
associated with that word--on this      
ground1 without any other1 did  he see  
himself reduced to seek support in his  
contest with the ,apostles4             
,revelation8 revelation from ,jesus8    
from the ,lord1 speaking from heaven8   
from the ,almighty8 ,on what occasion1  
in what place1 at what time1 in  what   
company1 if in any1 was it thus         
received8 ,to no one of these  questions
 does he venture to furnish an          
answer--or so much as an  allusion to an
 answer4 ,why8--even because he had none
 to give4 ,he had  been a persecutor of 
the disciples of ,jesus--this he        
confesses and  declares3 he became a    

preacher in the name of ,jesus--this he 
also  declares2 a preacher in the name  
of him1 of whose disciples--the whole   
fellowship of them--he had been a       
persecutor--a blood-thirsty and         
blood-stained persecutor4 ,his          
conversion1 whatever it amounted to1 how
  came it about8 what was the cause1 the
 time1 the place1 the mode of it2  who  
the percipient witnesses of it8 ,to all 
these questions1  revelation2 in the    
single word is contained all the answer1
 which--in  this letter--in this plea of
 his--he1 audacious as he was1 could    
summon  up audacity enough to give4     
,why1 on so pressing an occasion1 this  
forbearing8 ,why8 but that1 had he      
ventured to tell any such story1 that   
story being a false one1 there were his 
opponents--there were the  ,apostles1 or
 men in connection with the             
,apostles--to contradict it--to  confute
 it4    ,had he made reference to any   
specific1 to any individual1 portion of 
place and time1 the pretended facts     

might have found themselves in          
contradiction with some real and        
provable facts4 ,but1 time as well as   
place being left thus                   
unparticularized1--he left himself at   
liberty1 on  each occasion1 if called   
upon for time or place1 to assign what  
portion  of time and place the occasion 
should point out to him as being most   
convenient2--best adapted to the purpose
 of giving lodgment to an  appropriate  
falsity2--and without danger1 or with   
little danger1 of  exposure4    ,at     
distinct and different times1 five      
interviews we shall see him  have1 with 
the ,apostles--one or more of them3 the 
first interview  being1--according to   
his own account1 as given in this very  
,epistle1--at  little if anything more1 
than three years' distance from the time
 of his  quitting the occupation of     
persecution4 ,then1 says he1 it was1    
,gal4 i4  #ag and #ah1 that ,i went up  
to ,jerusalem to see ,peter1 and abode  
with him  fifteen days4 ,in all these   

days1 is it possible1 that1 if the      
conversion miracle had really taken     
place as stated in the ,acts1 with  the 
companions on the road and ,ananias for 
witnesses1--he should not  have related 
to ,peter1 and1 if not spontaneously1 at
 any rate in answer  to such questions  
as a man in ,peter's situation could not
 fail to put1  have brought to view1    
every the minutest circumstance8 ,this  
then was the  time--or at least one     
time--of his trial1 on the question1    
revelation  or no revelation4 ,here     
then1 when1 with such vehemence1        
declaring--not  his independence merely1
 but his superiority1 in relation to the
  ,apostles--and that on no other ground
 than this alleged revelation1  was it1 
had the judgment in that trial been in  
his favour--was it  possible1 that he   
should have omitted to avail himself of 
it8 ,yet no  such attempt1 we see1 does 
he make3--no attempt1 to avail himself  
of  the issue of the trial1 or of       
anything that passed on the occasion of 

it4 ,altogether does he keep clear of   
any allusion to it3 and indeed1 if  his 
historian--the author of the ,acts--is  
to be believed1--with very  good reason3
 for1 whatever it was that1 on that     
occasion1 he said1 in  the ,acts it is  
expressly declared that1 by the         
disciples at least1 he  was utterly     
disbelieved4 ,acts ix4 #bf3 ,he assayed 
to join himself to the  disciples3 but  
they were all afraid of him1 and        
believed not that he was  a disciple4   
,but ,barnabas took him and brought him 
to the ,apostles1 c4  ,why it was1 that1
 after the disciples had thus           
unanimously declared him  and his story 
unworthy of credit1 the ,apostles gave  
him notwithstanding  a sort of          
reception2--and that1 by no countenance1
 which they on that  occasion gave him1 
was any ground afforded1 for the        
supposition that any  more credence was 
given to him and his story1 by them than
 by the  disciples at large1--will be   
explained in its place4          ,,table

 ,,ii4--,,paul ,,disbelieved4           
,,table--,showing1 at one ,view1 the    
,passages1 from which the               
,inference is drawn1 that ,paul's inward
 ,conversion was never       believed1  
by any of the ,apostles1 or their       
,disciples4    ,explanations4--,the     
,interviews here seen are between ,paul 
and one or  more ,apostles4 ,number of  
,interviews five1--of ,visits the same3 
whereof1  by ,paul to ,peter1 four1--by 
,peter to ,paul1--one3 besides the one  
supposed fictitious4 ,of the ,accounts1 
,paul's as far as it goes1 is taken  for
 the standard4 ,of ,paul's ,epistles the
 genuineness is out of dispute3  ,acts  
history is anonymous4 ,paul's evidence  
is that of an alleged  percipient       
witness4 ,his historian's1--as to these 
matters1 mostly that  of a              
narrator1--narrating--but from hearsay1 
,probably from ,paul's4                 
,,interviews1 ,a4,d4 #ce 7,i72 ,a4,d4   
#eb 7,,iii74    ,as per ,paul1 ,gal4    
,a4,d4 #eh4    #a4 ,introduction4       

,gal4 #a3a4 ,paul1 an apostle1 not from 
men1 neither through man1 but  through  
,jesus ,christ1 and ,god the ,father1   
who raised him from the dead1  and all  
the brethren which are with me1 unto the
 churches of ,galatia3  ,grace to you   
and peace from ,god the ,father1 and our
 ,lord ,jesus ,christ1  who gave himself
 for our sins1 that he might deliver us 
out of this  present evil world1        
according to the will of our ,god and   
,father3 to whom  be the glory for ever 
and ever4 ,amen4    #b4 ,independence   
,declared4    ,gal4 #a3f4 ,i marvel that
 ye are so quickly removing from him    
that called  you in the grace of ,christ
 unto a different gospel2 which is not  
another  gospel3 only there are some    
that trouble you1 and would pervert the 
gospel of ,christ4 ,but though we1 or an
 angel from heaven1 should preach  unto 
you any gospel other than that which we 
preached unto you1 let him  be anathema4
 ,as we have said before1 so say ,i now 
again1 if any man  preacheth unto you   

any gospel other than that which ye     
received1 let him  be anathema4 ,for am 
,i now persuading men1 or ,god8 or am ,i
 seeking to  please men8 if ,i were     
still pleasing men1 ,i should not be a  
servant of  ,christ4    ,for ,i make    
known to you1 brethren1 as touching the 
gospel which was  preached by me1 that  
it is not after man4 ,for neither did ,i
 receive it  from man1 nor was ,i taught
 it1 but it came to me through          
revelation of  ,jesus ,christ4      #c4 
,conversion ,spoken ,of4    ,ver4 #ac4  
,for ye have heard of my manner of life 
in time past in the  ,jews' religion1   
how that beyond measure ,i persecuted   
the church of ,god1  and made havock of 
it3 and ,i advanced in the ,jews'       
religion beyond many  of mine own age   
among my countrymen1 being more         
exceedingly zealous for  the traditions 
of my fathers4 ,but when it was the good
 pleasure of ,god1  who separated me1   
even from my mother's womb and called me
 through his  grace1 to reveal his ,son 

in me1 that ,i might preach him among   
the  ,gentiles2 immediately ,i conferred
 not with flesh and blood3 neither went 
,i up to ,jerusalem to them which were  
apostles before me3 but ,i went away    
into ,arabia2 and again ,i returned unto
 ,damascus4      #d4 ,account of        
,interview ,i4    ,ver4 #ah4 ,then after
 three years ,i went up to ,jerusalem to
 visit ,cephas1  and tarried with him   
fifteen days4 ,but other of the apostles
 saw ,i none1  save ,james the ,lord's  
brother4 ,now touching the things which 
,i write  unto you1 behold1 before ,god1
 ,i lie not4 ,then ,i came into the     
regions of  ,syria and ,cilicia4 ,and ,i
 was still unknown by face unto the     
churches of  ,judea which were in       
,christ3 but they only heard say1 ,he   
that once  persecuted us now preacheth  
the faith of which he once made havock2 
and  they glorified ,god in me4      #e4
 ,account of ,interview ,,iii4 ,,ii4    
,gal4 #b3a4 ,then after the space of    
fourteen years ,i went up again to      

,jerusalem with ,barnabas1 taking ,titus
 also with me4 ,and ,i went up by       
revelation2 and ,i laid before them the 
gospel which ,i preach among the        
,gentiles1 but privately before them who
 were of repute1 lest by any  means ,i  
should be running1 or had run1 in vain4 
,but not even ,titus who  was with me1  
being a ,greek1 was compelled to be     
circumcised3 and that  because of the   
false brethren privily brought in1 who  
came in privily to  spy out our liberty 
which we have in ,christ ,jesus1 that   
they might bring  us into bondage3 to   
whom we gave place in the way of        
subjection1 no1 not  for an hour2 that  
the truth of the gospel might continue  
with you4 ,but  from those who were     
reputed to be somewhat 7whatsoever they 
were1 it  maketh no matter to me3 ,god  
accepteth not man's person7--they1 ,i   
say1  who were of repute imparted       
nothing to me3 but contrariwise1 when   
they  say that ,i had been intrusted    
with the gospel of the uncircumcision1  

even as ,peter with the gospel of the   
circumcision1 for he that wrought  for  
,peter unto the apostleship of the      
circumcision wrought for me also  unto  
the ,gentiles4      #f4 ,partition      
,treaty4    ,ver4 #i4 ,and when they    
perceived the grace that was given unto 
me1  ,james and ,cephas and ,john1 they 
who were reputed to be pillars1 gave to 
me and ,barnabas the right hands of     
fellowship1 that we should go unto  the 
,gentiles1 and they unto the            
circumcision2 only they would that we   
should remember the poor2 which very    
thing ,i was also zealous to do4        
#g4 ,jealousy1 ,notwithstanding4        
,ver4 #aa4 ,but when ,cephas 7,peter7   
came to ,antioch1 ,i resisted him to the
  face1 because he stood condemned4 ,for
 before that certain came from  ,james1 
he did eat with the ,gentiles3 but when 
they came1 he drew back  and separated  
himself1 fearing them that were of the  
circumcision4 ,and  the rest of the     
,jews dissembled likewise with him2     

insomuch that even  ,barnabas was       
carried away with their dissimulation4  
,but when ,i saw that  they walked not  
uprightly according to the truth of the 
gospel1 ,i said  unto ,cephas before    
them all1 ,if thou1 being a ,jew1 livest
 as do the  ,gentiles1 and not as do the
 ,jews1 how compellest thou the         
,gentiles to  live as do the ,jews8 ,we 
being ,jews by nature1 and not sinners  
of the  ,gentiles1 yet knowing that a   
man is not justified by the works of the
  law1 save through faith in ,jesus     
,christ1 even we believed on ,christ    
,jesus1 that we might be justified by   
faith in ,christ1 and not by the  works 
of the law3 because by the works of the 
law shall no flesh be  justified4 ,but  
if1 while we sought to be justified in  
,christ1 we  ourselves also were found  
sinners1 is ,christ a minister of sin8  
,god  forbid4 ,for if ,i build up again 
those things which ,i destroyed1 ,i     
prove  myself a transgressor4 ,for ,i   
through the law died unto the law1 that 

,i  might live unto ,god4 ,i have been  
crucified with ,christ2 yet ,i live2 and
  yet no longer ,i1 but ,christ liveth  
in me3 and that life which ,i now live  
in the flesh ,i live in faith1 the faith
 which is in the ,son of ,god1 who      
loved me1 and gave himself up for me4 ,i
 do not make void the grace of  ,god3   
for if righteousness is through the law1
 then ,christ died for  nought4         
,,interview ,i4 ,a4,d4 #ce4    ,paul's  
,jerusalem ,visit ,i4    ,reconciliation
 ,visit4    7,departure from ,damascus47
    ,acts #i3bc-cj4 ,and when many days 
were fulfilled1 the ,jews took counsel  
together to kill him3 but their plot    
became known to ,saul4 ,and they        
watched the gates also day and night    
that they might kill him3 but his       
disciples took him by night1 and let him
 down through the wall1 lowering  him in
 a basket4    7,arrival at              
,jerusalem--,results47    ,ver4 #bf4    
,and when he was come to ,jerusalem1 he 
assayed to join himself  to the         

disciples3 and they were all afraid of  
him1 not believing that he  was a       
disciple4 ,but ,barnabas took him1 and  
brought him to the apostles1  and       
declared unto them how he had seen the  
,lord in the way1 and that he  had      
spoken to him1 and how at ,damascus he  
had preached boldly in the  name of     
,jesus4 ,and he was with them going in  
and going out at ,jerusalem1  preaching 
boldly in the name of the ,lord4        
7,departure--,cause47    ,ver4 #bi4 ,and
 he spake and disputed against the      
,grecian ,jews2 but they  went about to 
kill him4 ,and when the brethren knew   
it1 they brought him  down to ,csarea1  
and sent him forth to ,tarsus4          
,,interview ,i4 ,a4,d4 #ce4             
,departure--,cause4    ,in ,paul's      
,first ,account4    ,acts #bb3ag-ba4    
,and it came to pass1 that1 when ,i had 
returned to  ,jerusalem1 and while ,i   
prayed in the temple1 ,i fell into a    
trance1 and  saw him saying unto me1    
,make haste1 and get thee quickly out of

  ,jerusalem3 because they will not     
receive of thee testimony concerning    
me4 ,and ,i said1 ,lord1 they themselves
 know that ,i imprisoned and beat in    
every synagogue them that believed on   
thee3 and when the blood of  ,stephen   
thy witness was shed1 ,i also was       
standing by1 and consenting1  and       
keeping the garments of them that slew  
him4 ,and he said unto me1  ,depart3 for
 ,i will send thee forth far hence unto 
the ,gentiles4      ,,interview ,,ii4   
,a4,d4 #dc4    ,paul's ,jerusalem ,visit
 ,,ii4    ,money-,bringing ,visit4      
,acts #aa3bb-cj4 ,and the report        
concerning them came to the ears of the 
church which was in ,jerusalem3 and then
 sent forth ,barnabas as far as         
,antioch3 who1 when he was come1 and had
 seen the grace of ,god1 was glad2  and 
he exhorted them all1 that with purpose 
of heart they would cleave  unto the    
,lord3 for he was a good man1 and full  
of the ,holy ,ghost and of  faith3 and  
much people was added unto the ,lord4   

,and he went forth to  ,tarsus to seek  
for ,saul3 and when he had found him1 he
 brought him unto  ,antioch4 ,and it    
came to pass1 that even for a whole year
 they were  gathered together with the  
church1 and taught much people2 and that
 the  disciples were called ,christians 
first in ,antioch4    ,now in these days
 there came down prophets from          
,jerusalem unto ,antioch4  ,and there   
stood up one of them named ,agabus1 and 
signified by the ,spirit  that there    
should be a great famine over all the   
world3 which came to  pass in the days  
of ,claudius4 ,and the disciples1 every 
man according to  his ability1          
determined to send relief unto the      
brethren that dwelt in  ,judea3 which   
also they did1 sending it to the elders 
by the hand of  ,barnabas and ,saul4    
,,interview ,,iii4 ,a4,d4 #eb4          
,paul's ,jerusalem ,visit ,,iii4        
,deputation ,visit4    ,as per ,,acts   
xv4 #a-ba4    ,acts #be3a-bc4 ,and      
certain men came down from ,judea and   

taught the  brethren1 saying1 ,except ye
 be circumcised after the custom of     
,moses1  ye cannot be saved4 ,and when  
,paul and ,barnabas had no small        
dissension  and questioning with them1  
the brethren appointed that ,paul and   
,barnabas1 and certain other of them1   
should go up to ,jerusalem unto the     
apostles and elders about this question4
 ,they therefore1 being brought  on     
their way by the church1 passed through 
both ,phoenicia and ,samaria1  declaring
 the conversion of the ,gentiles3 and   
they caused great joy unto  all the     
brethren4 ,and when they were come to   
,jerusalem1 they were  received of the  
church and the apostles and the elders1 
and they  rehearsed all things that ,god
 had done with them4 ,but there arose up
  certain of the sect of the ,pharisees 
who believed1 saying1 ,it is needful  to
 circumcise them1 and to charge them to 
keep the law of ,moses4    ,and the     
apostles and the elders were gathered   
together to consider of  this matter4   

,and when there had been much           
questioning ,peter rose up1 and  said   
unto them1    ,brethren1 ye know how    
that a good while ago ,god made choice  
among you1  that by my mouth the        
,gentiles should hear the word of the   
gospel1 and  believe4 ,and ,god1 which  
knoweth the heart1 bare them witness1   
giving  them the ,holy ,ghost1 even as  
he did unto us2 and he made no          
distinction  between us and them1       
cleansing their hearts by faith4 ,now   
therefore why  tempt ye ,god1 that ye   
should put a yoke upon the neck of the  
disciples1  which neither our fathers   
nor we were able to bear8 ,but we       
believe that  we shall be saved through 
the grace of the ,lord ,jesus1 in like  
manner as  they4    ,and all the        
multitude kept silence2 and they        
hearkened unto ,barnabas  and ,paul     
rehearsing what signs and wonders ,god  
had wrought among the  ,gentiles by     
them4 ,and after they had held their    
peace1 ,james answered1  saying1        

,brethren1 hearken unto me3 ,symeon hath
 rehearsed how first ,god did  visit the
 ,gentiles1 to take out of them a people
 for his name4 ,and to  this agree the  
words of the prophets2 as it is written1
        ,after these things ,i will     
return1      ,and ,i will build again   
the tabernacle of ,david1 which is      
fallen2      ,and ,i will build again   
the ruins thereof1      ,and ,i will set
 it up3      ,that the residue of men   
may seek after the ,lord1      ,and all 
the ,gentiles1 upon whom my name is     
called1      ,saith the ,lord1 who      
maketh these things known from the      
beginning        of the world4          
,wherefore my judgment is1 that we      
trouble not them which from among the   
,gentiles turn to ,god2 but that we     
write unto them1 that they abstain  from
 the pollutions of idols1 and from      
fornication1 and from what is           
strangled1 and from blood4 ,for ,moses  
from generations of old hath in  every  
city them that preach him1 being read in

 the synagogues every  sabbath4         
,,interview ,,iv4 ,a4,d4 #eb4           
,peter's ,visit to ,antioch4    ,acts   
#ae3bb-cc4 ,then it seemed good to the  
apostles and the elders1 with  the whole
 church1 to chose men out of their      
company1 and send them to  ,antioch with
 ,paul and ,barnabas2 namely1 ,judas    
called ,barsabbas1 and  ,silas1 chief   
men among the brethren3 and they wrote  
thus by them1 ,the  apostles and the    
elder brethren unto the brethren which  
are of the  ,gentiles in ,antioch and   
,syria and ,cilicia1 greeting3          
,forasmuch as we  have heard that       
certain which went out from us have     
troubled you with  words1 subverting    
your souls2 to whom we gave no          
commandment2 it seemed  good unto us1   
having come to one accord1 to choose out
 men and send them  unto you with our   
beloved ,barnabas and ,paul1 men that   
have hazarded  their lives for the name 
of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,we have   
sent  therefore ,judas and ,silas1 who  

themselves also shall tell you the same 
things by word of mouth4 ,for it seemed 
good to the ,holy ,ghost1 and to  us1 to
 lay upon you no greater burden than    
these necessary things2 that  ye abstain
 from things sacrificed to idols1 and   
from blood1 and from  things strangled1 
and from fornication2 from which if ye  
keep  yourselves1 it shall be well with 
you4 ,fare ye well4    ,so they1 when   
they were dismissed1 came down to       
,antioch2 and having  gathered the      
multitude together1 they delivered the  
epistle4 ,and when  they had read it1   
they rejoiced for the consolation4 ,and 
,judas and  ,silas1 being themselves    
also prophets1 exhorted the brethren    
with many  words1 and confirmed them4   
,and after they had spent some time     
there1  they were dismissed in peace    
from the brethren unto those that had   
sent  them forth4      ,,interview      
,a4,d4 #eb4    ,paul's ,visit4    ,as   
per ,,acts xviii4 #ai-bc4    7,supposed 
,fictitious47    ,and they came to      

,ephesus1 and he left them there3 but he
 himself  entered into the synagogue1   
and reasoned with the ,jews4 ,and when  
they  asked him to abide a longer time1 
he consented not2 but taking his leave  
of them and saying1 ,i will return again
 unto you1 if ,god will1 he set  sail   
from ,ephesus4 ,and when he had landed  
at ,csarea1 he went up and  saluted the 
church1 and went down to ,antioch4 ,and 
having spent some time  there1 he       
departed1 and went through the region of
 ,galatia and ,phrygia  in order1       
stablishing all the disciples4          
,,interview ,v4 ,a4,d4 #fj4    ,paul's  
,jerusalem ,visit ,,iv4    ,invasion    
,visit4    7,visit ,proposed4 ,a4,d4    
#ef47    ,acts #ai3bj-ba4 ,now after    
these things were ended1 ,paul purposed 
in the  spirit1 when he had passed      
through ,macedonia and ,achaia1 to go to
  ,jerusalem1 saying1 ,after ,i have    
been there1 ,i must also see ,rome4 ,and
  having sent into ,macedonia two of    
them that ministered unto him1 ,timothy 

and ,erastus1 he himself stayed in ,asia
 for a while4    7,visit ,again         
,proposed4 ,a4,d4 #fj47    ,acts #bj3af4
 ,for ,paul had determined to sail past 
,ephesus1 that he might  not have to    
spend time in ,asia2 for he was         
hastening1 if it were  possible for him1
 to be at ,jerusalem the day of         
,pentecost4    ,and from ,miletus he    
went to ,ephesus1 and called to him the 
elders of  the church4 ,and when they   
were come to him1 he said unto them1    
,ye yourselves know1 from the first day 
that ,i set foot in ,asia1 after  that  
manner ,i was with you all the time1    
serving the ,lord with all  lowliness of
 mind1 and with tears1 and with trials  
which befell me by  the lots of the     
,jews3 how that ,i shrank not from      
declaring unto you  anything that was   
profitable1 and teaching you publicly1  
and from house  to house1 testifying    
both to ,jews and to ,greeks repentance 
toward ,god1  and faith toward our ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,and now1 behold1 ,i go

 bound in  the spirit unto ,jerusalem1  
not knowing the things that shall befall
 me  there3 save that the ,holy ,ghost  
testifieth unto me in every city1 saying
  that bonds and afflictions abide me4  
,but ,i hold not my life of any         
account1 as dear unto myself1 so that ,i
 may accomplish my course1 and  the     
ministry which ,i received from the     
,lord ,jesus1 to testify the gospel  of 
the grace of ,god4 ,and now1 behold1 ,i 
know that ye all1 among whom ,i  went   
about preaching the kingdom1 shall see  
my face no more4    ,acts #ba3g-i4 ,and 
when we had finished the voyage from    
,tyre1 we arrived  at ,ptolemais2 and we
 saluted the brethren1 and abode with   
them one day4  ,and on the morrow we    
departed1 and came unto ,csarea3 and    
entering into  the house of ,philip the 
evangelist1 who was one of the seven1 we
 abode  with him4 ,now this man had four
 daughters1 virgins1 which did prophesy4
    7,visit ,opposed4 ,a4,d4 #fj47      
,ver4 #aj4 ,and as we tarried there many

 days1 there came down from ,judea  a   
certain prophet1 named ,agabus4 7,see   
,acts xi4 #bg47    ,and coming to us1   
and taking ,paul's girdle1 he bound his 
own feet and  hands1 and said1 ,thus    
saith the ,holy ,ghost1 ,so shall the   
,jews at  ,jerusalem bind the man that  
owneth this girdle1 and shall deliver   
him  into the hands of the ,gentiles4   
,and when we heard these things1 both we
  and they of that place besought him   
not to go up to ,jerusalem4 ,then ,paul 
answered1 ,what do ye1 weeping and      
breaking my heart8 for ,i am ready not  
to be bound only1 but also to die at    
,jerusalem for the name of the ,lord    
,jesus4 ,and when he would not be       
persuaded1 we ceased1 saying1 ,the will 
of the ,lord be done4      ,,interview  
,v4 ,a4,d4 #fj4    ,paul's ,jerusalem   
,visit ,,iv4    ,invasion               
,visit--,results4    ,arrival4    ,acts 
#ba3ae-cf4 ,and after these days we took
 up our baggage1 and went up  to        
,jerusalem4 ,and there went with us also

 certain of the disciples from  ,csarea1
 bringing with them one ,mnason of      
,cyprus1 an early disciple1  with whom  
we should lodge4    ,and when we were   
come to ,jerusalem1 the brethren        
received us gladly4    ,test1 ,proposed 
for ,riddance4    ,and the day following
 ,paul went in with us unto ,james2 and 
all the  elders were present4 ,and when 
he had saluted them1 he rehearsed one by
  one the things which ,god had wrought 
among the ,gentiles by his ministry4    
,and they1 when they heard it1 glorified
 ,god2 and they said unto him1  ,thou   
seest1 brother1 how many thousands there
 are among the ,jews of them  which have
 believed2 and they are all zealous for 
the law3 and they have  been informed   
concerning thee1 that thou teachest all 
the ,jews which are  among the ,gentiles
 to forsake ,moses1 telling them not to 
circumcise  their children1 neither to  
walk after the customs4 ,what is it     
therefore8  they will certainly hear    
that thou art come4 ,do therefore this  

that we  say to thee3 ,we have four men 
which have a vow on them2 these take1   
and  purify thyself with them1 and be at
 charges for them1 that they may  shave 
their heads3 and all shall know that    
there is no truth in the  things whereof
 they have been informed concerning     
thee2 but that thou  thyself also       
walkest orderly1 keeping the law4 ,but  
as touching the  ,gentiles which have   
believed1 we wrote1 giving judgment that
 they  should keep themselves from      
things sacrificed to idols1 and from    
blood1  and from what is strangled1 and 
from fornication4    ,the ,test         
,swallowed4    ,then ,paul took the men1
 and the next day purifying himself with
 them  went into the temple1 declaring  
the fulfilment of the days of           
purification1 until the offering was    
offered for every one of them4          
,indignation ,universal4    ,and when   
the seven days were almost completed1   
the ,jews from ,asia1 when  they saw him
 in the temple1 stirred up all the      

multitude1 and laid hands  on him1      
crying out1 ,men of ,israel1 help3 ,this
 is the man1 that teacheth  all men     
everywhere against the people1 and the  
law1 and this place3 and  moreover he   
brought ,greeks also into the temple1   
and hath defiled this  holy place4 ,for 
they had before seen with him in the    
city ,trophimus the  ,ephesian1 whom    
they supposed that ,paul had brought    
into the temple4 ,and  all the city was 
moved1 and the people ran together3 and 
they laid hold  on ,paul1 and dragged   
him out of the temple3 and straightway  
the doors  were shut4 ,and as they were 
seeking to kill him1 tidings came up to 
the  chief captain of the band1 that all
 ,jerusalem was in confusion4 ,and      
forthwith he took soldiers and          
centurions1 and ran down upon them3 and 
they1 when they saw the chief captain   
and the soldiers1 left off beating      
,paul4 ,then the chief captain came     
near1 and laid hold on him1 and         
commanded him to be bound with two      

chains2 and inquired who he was1 and    
what he had done4 ,and some shouted one 
thing1 some another1 among the  crowd3  
and when he could not know the certainty
 for the uproar1 he  commanded him to be
 brought into the castle4 ,and when he  
came upon the  stairs1 so it was1 that  
he was borne of the soldiers for the    
violence of  the crowd2 for the         
multitude of the people followed after1 
crying out1  ,away with him4            
,,footnotes3    #a ,of the word         
conversion1 as employed everywhere and  
in all times in  speaking of ,paul1     
commonly called ,saint ,paul1 the import
 has been found  involved in such a     
cloud1 as1 on pain of perpetual         
misconception1 it has  been found       
necessary1 here at the outset1 to clear 
away4 ,that1 from  being an ardent and  
destructive persecutor of the disciples 
of the  departed ,jesus1 he became their
 collaborator1 and in that sense their  
ally1--preaching1 in speech1 and by     
writing1 a religion under the name  of  

the religion of ,jesus1 assuming even   
the appellation of an ,apostle  of      
,jesus1--,apostle1 that is to say1      
special envoy--7that being the  title by
 which the twelve most confidential     
servants of ,jesus stood                
distinguished71 is altogether out of    
dispute4 ,that in this sense he  became 
a convert to the religion of ,jesus1 and
 that in this sense his  alleged        
conversion was real1 is accordingly in  
this work not only  admitted1 but       
affirmed4 ,few points of ancient history
 seem more  satisfactorily attested4 ,in
 this sense then he was converted beyond
  dispute4 ,call this then his outward  
conversion2 and say1 ,paul's  outward   
conversion is indubitable4 ,but1 that   
this conversion had for  its cause1 or  
consequence1 any supernatural           
intercourse with the  ,almighty1 or any 
belief in the supernatural character of 
,jesus himself2  this is the position1  
the erroneousness of which has1 in the  
eyes of the  author1 been rendered more 

and more assured1 the more closely the  
circumstances of the case have been     
looked into4 ,that1 in speech and  even 
in action1 he was in outward appearance 
a convert to the religion  of ,jesus2   
this is what is admitted3 that1         
inwardly1 he was a convert to  the      
religion of ,jesus1 believing ,jesus to 
be ,god1 or authorized by any           
supernatural commission from ,god2 this 
is the position1 the negative of  which 
it is the object of the present work to 
render as evident to the  reader1 as a  
close examination has rendered it to the
 author4 ,the  consequence1 the         
practical consequence1 follows of       
itself4 ,in the way of  doctrine1       
whatsoever1 being in the ,epistles of   
,paul is not in any one of  the         
,gospels1 belongs to ,paul1 and ,paul   
alone1 and forms no part of the         
religion of ,jesus4 ,this is what it    
seemed necessary to state at the        
opening2 and to this1 in the character  
of a conclusion1 the argument  will be  

seen all along to tend4    #b ,see ,ch4 
#ae4 ,paul's supposable miracles        
explained4    #c ,in regard to the      
matter testified1 that is1 in regard to 
the object  of the testimony2 it is1    
first of all1 a requisite condition1    
that what  is reported to be true should
 be possible1 both absolutely1 or as an 
object of the elaborative ,faculty1 and 
relatively1 or as an object of  the     
,presentative ,faculties1--,perception1 
,external or ,internal4 ,a thing  is    
possible absolutely1 or in itself1 when 
it can be construed to  thought1 that   
is1 when it is not inconsistent with the
 logical laws of  thinking2 a thing is  
relatively possible as an object of     
perception1  ,external or ,internal1    
when it can affect ,sense or            
,self-consciousness1  and1 through such 
affection1 determine its apprehension by
 one or other  of these faculties4    ,a
 testimony is1 therefore1 to be         
unconditionally rejected1 if the fact   
which it reports be either in itself    

impossible1 or impossible as an  object 
of the representative faculties4    ,but
 the impossibility of a thing1 as an    
object of these faculties1 must  be     
decided either upon physical1 or upon   
metaphysical1 principles4    ,a thing is
 physically impossible as an object of  
sense1 when the  existence itself1 or   
its perception by us1 is1 by the laws of
 the  material world                    
impossible4--,hamilton's ,logic         
#dfj4--;,ed4    #d ,light1--great       
,light4--,it will be noticed that this  
light is  presented first objectively as
 a phenomenon1 a thing1 ,but what is    
light8 ,the universal answer is ,that   
force in nature which1 acting on  the   
,retina of the eye produces the         
sensation we call vision4 ,this  vision 
is the total of the subjective effect of
 that agency of ,nature1  the subjective
 realization through the functions of   
the ,cerebellum4 ,but  functions are    
accomplished through agencies called    
organs4 ,the retina is  one of these    

organs4 ,through the operations of these
 organs and  cerebellum subjective      
apprehension is produced as an effect1  
but in some  cases of very forcible     
apprehensions they are interpreted as a 
diseased  condition of the organs of    
sense4 ,ideas sometimes acquire unusual 
vividness and permanence and are1       
therefore1 peculiarly liable to be      
mistaken for their objective prototypes 
and hence specters1 spectral  allusions 
which are very common in cases of       
emotional excitement4    ,further1 it   
will be noticed all the time that the   
reporter1 ,luke1 wrote  what ,paul1 or  
some other person or rumor had          
previously communicated to  him4 ,now   
,luke1 was accustomed to pen these      
wonders1 these superhuman  ,chimerical  
prodigies4 ,take the example of the     
trial of ,stephen1 ,acts #g4  ,after the
 ,charges of the ,complainants1 ,ib4    
#f-i1 ,libertines and others  had been  
heard by the ,high ,priest1 he inquired 
of ,stephen personally as  to the verity

 of the charges1 ,and ,luke reports his 
responses1 ,and then  to make sure of   
portraying fully the ,emotional         
conditions of the  witnesses and the    
spectators1 he reports1 ,v4 #ed4 ,when  
they heard these  things1 they were cut 
to the heart and they grabed on him with
 their  teeth2 but he1 ,stephen1 being  
full of the ,holy ,ghost looked up      
steadfastly into heaven and saw the     
glory of ,god and ,jesus standing at    
the right hand of ,god1 and said1       
,behold ,i see the heavens opened1 and  
the son of man standing on the right    
hand of ,god4 ,then they cried out  with
 a loud voice1 and stopped their ears   
and ran upon him with one  accord1 and  
cast him out of the ,city and stoned    
him1 and the witnesses  laid down their 
clothes at a young man's feet whose name
 was ,saul4    ,this ,saul1 now ,paul1  
must have acted as overseer or umpire4  
,paul1 is by  chronologers reckoned to  
have been about #ab years of age2 ,but  
it will be  seen that ,luke1 the        

narrator1 is just such a                
superserviceable witness as  wholly     
impairs his credibility4 ,he says first1
 ,stephen was in fact  filled with the  
,holy ,ghost1 saw the glory of ,god1 for
 he evidently was  gloriable1 and ,jesus
 standing on the right hand of ,god2 and
 that in  addition thereto he states    
that ,stephen1 said he saw the same     
wonders--with the addition that the     
heavens were opened1 c4 ,if he had  been
 cross-examined and asked whether little
 ,paul1 did not behold all  these       
wonders1 he no doubt would have answered
 in the affirmative and  volunteered the
 statement1 ,that they all saw these    
wonders1 the high  priest1 the accusers1
 by-standers1 and human canines that    
gnashed their  teeth upon ,stephen4     
,consult any author on ,psychology on   
the subject of  ,emotions1 ,exstatic    
illusions1 c4    ,but in the assembly   
inquisitors of ,stephen1 ,paul and      
others before the  high priests1 what   
special law or cannons were they accused

 of  violating8 ,answer1 one cannon is  
quite conspicuous1 to wit3--,ex4 #bb3bh4
  ,thou shalt not revile the gods1 nor  
curse the ruler of the people4    ,when 
the inquisitor the high priest found the
 accused guilty1 he was  delivered over 
to the witnesses for execution4 ,the    
detectives enjoyed  the luxury of doing 
the stoning4 ,if ,christ's limitation   
had been in use1  to wit3--that none but
 the guiltless should throw stones1 the 
accusing  sleuths might have been less  
zealous4--,ed4    #e ,historiographer is
 used purposely by the author to denote 
a  specialist for the occasion4    #f   
,goad is the word used in the ,douay    
,testament and in the late  revisions of
 ,the ,protestants4    #g ,cor4         
#ae3h--;,as unto one born out of due    
time1 ,he appeared unto me  also4    #h 
,another question that here presents    
itself is--,how could it have  happened 
that1 ,jerusalem being under one        
government1 and ,damascus under  another
 7if so the case was71 the will of the  

local rulers at ,jerusalem  found       
obedience1 as it were of course1 at the 
hands of the adequate  authorities at   
,damascus8 ,to the question how this    
actually happened1  it were too much to 
undertake to give an answer4 ,for an    
answer to the  question how it may be   
conceived to have happened1 reference   
may be  made to existing ,english       
practice4 ,the warrant issued by the    
constituted  authorities in ,jerusalem  
expected to find1 and found accordingly 
in  ,damascus1 an adequate authority    
disposed to back it4 ,in whatsoever     
,gentile countries ,jews1 in a number   
sufficient to compose a synagogue1      
established themselves1 a habit         
naturally enough took place1 as of      
course1 among them--the habit of paying 
obedience1 to a considerable  extent1 to
 the functionaries who were regarded as 
rulers of the  synagogue4 ,few are or   
have been the conquered countries1 in   
which some  share of subordinate power  
has not been left1 as well to the       

natives of  the conquered nation as to  
any independent foreigners1 to whom1 in 
numbers sufficient to constitute a sort 
of corporate body1 it happened  from    
time to time to have become settlers4   
,after all1 what must be  confessed     
is--that1 in all this there seems       
nothing but what might  readily enough  
have been conceived1 without its having 
been thus  expressed4    #i ,it is well 
known that this dogma of ,original      
sin--a disease that the  human family   
enjoys by sad inheritance1 ,christ      
treated with negligible  indifference4  
,he dealt with the problems of man in a 
social state1 as  socially conditioned  
only4 ,a human being conditioned as     
isolated from  neighbors1 friends and   
society1 he did not as he scientifically
 could  not deal with1 ,he discoursed   
upon social duties1 however sublimely1  
,n4,b4  ,acts #ah3ae1 ,but if thy       
brother shall offend against thee1 go   
and rebuke  him between thee and him    
alone1 ,if he shall hear thee thou hast 

gained  thy brother4 ,but if he will not
 hear thee1 then take with thee one or  
two more1 that in the mouth of two or   
three witnesses every word may be       
established4 ,and if he shall neglect to
 hear them then tell it unto the        
church4 ,and if he neglect to hear the  
church1 let him be to thee as the       
heathen and publican1 ,amen ,i say unto 
you1 ,whatsoever you shall bind on      
earth1 shall be bound also in heaven3   
and whatsoever you shall loose on  earth
 shall be loosed also in heaven4    ,now
 without quibbling about the translation
 this scheme of social  arbitration     
contains the ultimate of justice1 ,it   
contains the only  working hypothesis   
within any social condition of mankind4 
,there is no  such thing as justice in  
the abstract or concrete1 ,it is like   
heat and  electricity1 a mere mode of   
motion1 a form of action4 ,and when a   
controversy between ,citizens is fairly 
submitted to the judgment of  normal men
 the voice of their consciousness1 being

 the ultimate organ of  nature's        
,creator1 must be binding so far as man 
is concerned socially4    ,and as there 
does not appear to the natural man any  
appeal to heaven1  the arbitrament of   
man in the special case carries the seal
 of the  eternities and forecloses all  
further controversy4 ,the speech of the 
honorable ,consciousness of ,man is the 
voice of the ,creator of his            
personality4--,ed4    #aj ,since what is
 in the text was written1 maturer       
thoughts have  suggested an             
interpretation1 by which1 if received1  
the sad inferences  presented by the    
doctrine1 that misdeeds1 and consequent 
suffering that  have had place1 could by
 a dip into a piece of water be caused  
never to  have happened1 may be         
repelled4 ,according to this            
interpretation1 the  act of being       
baptized--the bodily act--is one thing2 
an act of washing  away the sins--the   
spiritual act--another4 ,the effect     
produced is--not  the causing the       

misdeeds and sufferings never to have   
had place1 but the  causing them to be  
compensated for1 by acts productive of  
enjoyment1 or  of saving in the article 
of sufferings1 to an equal or greater   
amount4    #aa ,see ,ch4 xvii4 4 v4 #d4 
,peter's and ,cornelius's visions4      
#ab ,see ,bentham's ,church of          
,englandism examined4          ,,chapter
 ,,ii4         ,outward ,conversion--how
 produced--how planned4      ,,section  
#a4    ,,motive1 ,,temporal             
,,advantage--,,plan4    ,how flourishing
 the state of the church had at this    
period become1 will  be seen more fully 
in another place4 ,long before this     
period1--numbers  of converts1 in       
,jerusalem alone1 above three thousand4 
,the aggregate1 of  the property        
belonging to the individuals1 had been  
formed into one  common fund3 the       
management--too great a burden for the  
united labours  of the eleven ,apostles1
 with their new associate ,mathias--had1
 under the  name so inappositely        

represented at present by the ,english  
word  deacon1 been committed to seven   
trustees2 one of whom1 ,stephen1 had1   
at the instance of ,paul1 been made to  
pay1 with his life1 for the  imprudence1
 with which he had1 in the most public  
manner1 indulged  himself1 in           
blaspheming the idol of the ,jews--their
 temple4#ac      ,of that flourishing   
condition1 ,paul1 under his original    
name of ,saul1  had all along been a    
witness4 ,while carrying on against it  
that  persecution1 in which1 if not the 
original instigator1 he had been a  most
 active instrument1 persecuting1 if he  
himself1 in what he is made  to say1 in 
,acts xxii4 #d1 is to be                
believed1--persecuting unto the  death1 
binding and delivering into prisons both
 men and women2--while  thus occupied1  
he could not in the course of such his  
disastrous  employment1 have failed to  
obtain a considerable insight into the  
state  of their worldly affairs4        
,samaria--the field of the exploits and 

renown of the great sorcerer  ,simon1   
distinguished in those times by the name
 of ,magus--,samaria1 the  near         
neighbour and constant rival1 not to say
 enemy1 of ,jerusalem2--is  not more    
than about five and forty miles distant 
from it4 ,to ,paul's  alert and busy    
mind1--the offer1 made by the sorcerer1 
to purchase of  the ,apostles a share in
 the government of the church1 could not
 have  been a secret4    ,at the hands  
of those rulers of the ,christian       
,church1 this offer had not  found      
acceptance4 ,shares in the direction of 
their affairs were not1  like those in  
the government of the ,british ,empire  
in these our days1  objects of sale4    
,the nine rulers would not come into any
 such bargain2  their disciples were not
 as cattle in their eyes3 by those      
disciples  themselves no such bargain   
would have been endured2 they were not  
as  cattle in their own eyes4    ,but1  
though the bargain proposed by the      
sorcerer did not take place1  this      

evidence1 which the offer of it so      
clearly affords1--this evidence1  of the
 value of a situation of that sort in a 
commercial point of view1  could not    
naturally either have remained a secret 
to ,paul1 or failed to  engage his      
attention1 and present to his avidity   
and ambition a ground  of               
speculation--an inviting field of       
enterprise4    ,from the time when he   
took that leading part1 in the          
condemnation and  execution1 of the too 
flamingly zealous manager1 of the       
temporal  concerns of the associated    
disciples of that disastrous orator1 by 
whom  the preaching and spiritual       
functions might1 with so much happier an
  issue1 have been left in the hands of 
the ,apostles--from that time1 down  to 
that in which we find him1 with letters 
in his pocket1 from the  rulers of the  
,jews in their own country1 to the      
rulers of the same  nation under the    
government of the neighbouring state of 
,damascus1 he  continued1 according to  

the ,acts ix4 #a2 yet breathing out     
threatenings  and slaughter against the 
disciples of the ,lord4    ,of these    
letters1 the object was--the employing  
the influence of the  authorities from  
which they came1 viz4 the ,high ,priest 
and the ,elders1  to the purpose of     
engaging those to whom they were        
addressed1 to enable  him to bring in   
bonds1 to ,jerusalem from ,damascus1 all
 such converts to  the religion of      
,jesus1 as should have been found in the
 place last  mentioned4    ,in his own  
person the author of the ,acts informs  
us--that1 by ,saul1  letters to this    
effect were desired#ad4 ,in a subsequent
 chapter1 in  the person of ,paul1 viz4 
in the speech1 to the multitude by whom 
he had  been dragged out of the ,temple1
 in the design of putting him to death1 
he informs us they were actually        
obtained#ae4    ,it was in the course of
 this his journey1 and with these       
letters in his  pocket1 that1 in and by 
the vision seen by him while on the     

road--at  that time and not earlier--his
 conversion was1 according to his own   
account of the matter1 effected4        
,that which is thought to have been     
already proved1 let it1 at least for    
argument's sake1 be affirmed4 ,let us   
say accordingly--this vision-story  was 
a mere fable4 ,on this supposition1     
then1 what will be to be said of  those 
same letters8--of the views in which    
they were obtained8--of the  use which  
was eventually made of them8--of the    
purpose to which they  were applied8    
,for all these questions one solution   
may serve4 ,from what  is known beyond  
dispute--on the one hand1 of his former 
way of life and  connections--on the    
other hand1 of his subsequent           
proceeding--an answer1  of the          
satisfactoriness of which the reader    
will have to judge1 may1  without much  
expense of thought1 be collected4       
,if1 in reality1 no such vision was     
perceived by him1 no circumstance       
remains manifest whereby the change     

which so manifestly and notoriously     
took place in his plan of life1 came to 
be referred to that point in  the field 
of time--in preference to any antecedent
 one4    ,supposing1 then1 the time of  
the change to have been antecedent to   
the  commencement of that journey of his
 to ,damascus--antecedent to the time   
of the application1 in compliance with  
which his letter from the ruling  powers
 at ,jerusalem the object of which was  
to place at his disposal the  lot of the
 ,christians at ,damascus1 was          
obtained2--this supposed1 what1  in the 
endeavour to obtain this letter1 was his
 object8 ,manifestly to  place in his   
power these same ,christians3 to place  
them in his power1  and thereby to      
obtain from them whatsoever assistance  
was regarded by  him as necessary for   
the ulterior prosecution of his schemes1
 as above  indicated4    ,on this       
supposition1 in the event of their      
giving him that assistance1  which1 in  
the shape of money and other necessary  

shapes1 he  required--on this           
supposition1 he made known to them his  
determination1  not only to spare their 
persons1 but to join with them in their 
religion2 and1 by taking the lead in it 
among the heathen1 to whom he  was1 in  
several respects1 so much better        
qualified for communicating it  than any
 of the ,apostles or their adherents1 to
 promote it to the utmost  of his power4
 ,an offer of this nature--was it in the
 nature of things  that it should be    
refused8 ,whatsoever was most dear to   
them--their own  personal security1 and 
the sacred interests of the new         
religion1 the  zeal of which was yet    
flaming in their bosoms1 concurred in   
pressing it  upon their acceptance4     
,with the assistance thus obtained1 the 
plan was--to become a declared  convert 
to the religion of ,jesus1 for the      
purpose of setting himself at  the head 
of it2 and1 by means of the expertness  
he had acquired in the  use of the      
,greek language1 to preach1 in the name 

of ,jesus1 that sort of  religion1 by   
the preaching of which1 an empire over  
the minds of his  converts1 and1 by that
 means1 the power and opulence to which 
he  aspired1 might1 with the fairest    
prospect of success1 be aimed at4       
,but1 towards the accomplishment of this
 design1 what presented itself as  a    
necessary step1 was--the entering into a
 sort of treaty1 and forming  at least  
in appearance1 a sort of junction1 with 
the leaders of the new  religion and    
their adherents--the ,apostles and the  
rest of the  disciples4 ,as for them1 in
 acceding to this proposal1 on the      
supposition of anything like sincerity  
and consistency on his part1  they would
 naturally see much to gain and nothing 
to lose3 much indeed  to gain2 no less  
than peace and security1 instead of that
 persecution1  by which1 with the       
exception of the ,apostles themselves1  
to all of whom  experience seems1       
without exception1 to have imparted the 
gift of  prudence1 the whole fraternity 

had so lately been driven from their    
homes1 and scattered abroad in various  
directions4    ,with the ,christians at 
,damascus1 that projected junction was  
actually  effected by him3 but1 in this 
state of things1 to return to ,jerusalem
  was not1 at that time1 to be thought  
of4 ,in the eyes of the ruling  powers1 
he would have been a trust-breaker--a   
traitor to their cause3 in  the eyes of 
the ,christians1 he would have been a   
murderer1 with the  blood of the        
innocent still reeking on his hands3 no 
one would he have  found so much as to  
lend an ear to his story1 much less to  
endure it4 ,in  ,damascus1 after making 
his agreement with his new brethren1    
there  remained little for him to do4   
,much had he to inform himself of       
concerning ,jesus4 ,damascus--where     
,jesus had already so many              
followers--,damascus was a place for him
 to learn in3 not to teach  in3--at any 
rate1 at that time4    ,arabia1 a       
promising field of enterprise--,arabia1 

a virgin soil1 opened  to his view4     
,there he would find none to abhor his  
person--none to  contradict his         
assertions3 there his eloquence--and1   
under the direction  of his judgment1   
his invention--would find free scope3 in
 that country  the reproach of          
inconsistency could not attach upon him3
 in that foreign  land he beheld his    
place of quarantine--his school of      
probation--the  scene of his novitiate4 
,by a few years employed in the exercise
 of his  new calling--with that spirit  
and activity which would accompany him  
of  course in every occupation to which 
he could betake himself--he would       
initiate himself in1 and familiarize    
himself with1 the connected  exercises  
of preaching and spiritual rule4 ,at the
 end of that period1  whatsoever might  
be his success in that country1 such a  
portion of  time1 passed in innocence1  
would at any rate allay enmity3 such a  
portion of time1 manifestly passed1 in  
the endeavour at any rate to  render    

service to the common cause1 might even 
establish confidence4    ,at the end of 
that time1 he might1 nor altogether     
without hope of  success1 present       
himself to the rulers of the church1 in 
the metropolis  of their spiritual      
empire3 ,behold1 he might say1 in me no 
longer a  persecutor1 but a friend4 ,the
 persecutor has long vanished3 he has   
given  place to the friend4 ,too true it
 is1 that ,i was so once your           
persecutor4  ,years spent in unison with
 you--years spent in the service of the 
common  cause--have proved me4 ,you see 
before you1 a tried man--an ally of     
tried  fidelity3 present me as such to  
your disciples3 take me into your       
councils3 all my talent1 all my         
faculties1 shall be yours4 ,the land of 
,israel will continue1 as it has been1  
the field of your holy labours2  the    
land of the ,gentiles shall be mine3 we 
will carry on our operations  in        
concert2 innumerable are the ways in    
which each of us will derive  from the  

other--information1 assistance1 and     
support4    ,to ,arabia he accordingly  
repaired3 so1 in his ,epistle to the    
,galatians1  ,gal4 i4 #ag1 he himself   
informs us3 in that little-known        
country1 he  continued three whole      
years--so also1 in the same place1 he   
informs us4  ,there it was1 that he     
experienced that success1 whatever it   
was1 that  went to constitute the       
ground1 of the recommendation given of  
him by  ,barnabas to the ,apostles4     
,from thence he returned to ,damascus3  
and1 in  that city1 presenting himself  
in his regenerated character1 and having
  realized by his subsequent conduct the
 expectations raised by his  promises at
 the outset of his career#af2 he        
planned1 and as will be  seen1 executed 
his expedition to ,jerusalem3 the       
expedition1 the object  of which has    
just been brought to view4 ,then1 says  
,paul himself1 ,i  went up to ,jerusalem
 to see ,peter1 and abode with him      
fifteen days4  ,gal4 #a3ah4 ,there1 says

 the author of the ,acts1 ,acts #i3bg1  
#bh1 ,barnabas  took him and brought him
 to the ,apostles 444 and he was with   
them coming  in and going out of        
,jerusalem4      ,,section #b4    ,,at  
,,damascus1 ,,no ,,such ,,ananias       
,,probably4    ,this same ,ananias--of  
whom so much has been seen in the last  
chapter--,paul's own imagination        
excepted1 had he anywhere any existence8
  ,the probability seems to be on the   
negative side3 and1 in the next         
section1 as to whether ,paul's          
companions on the road are not in a     
similar predicament1 the reader will    
have to judge4 ,but let us begin  with  
,ananias4    ,at ,damascus1 at any      
rate--with such power in his hands1 for 
securing  obsequiousness at the hands of
 those to whom he was addressing        
himself--with such power in his hands1  
,paul could not have had much need  of  
anything in the shape of a vision3--he  
could not have had any need of  any such
 person as the seer of the correspondent

 vision--,ananias4    ,for the purpose  
of aiding the operation of those        
considerations of  worldly prudence1    
which these powers of his enabled him to
 present1 to  those whom it             
concerned1--there might be some perhaps1
 who1 for yielding  to those            
considerations1 and thus putting        
themselves under the command  of this   
formidable potentate1 might look for an 
authority from the ,lord  ,jesus4 ,but1 
forasmuch as1 in this very case1 even at
 this time of day1  visions1 two in     
name1 but1 in respect of probative      
force1 reducible to  one--are so        
generally received as conclusive        
evidence1--no wonder if1  at that time  
of day1 by persons so circumstanced1    
that one vision  should be received in  
that same character4 ,at ,damascus1     
therefore1 on  his first arrival1 there 
could not be any occasion for any such  
corroborating story as the story of the 
vision of ,ananias4 ,at                 
,damascus--unless he had already        

obtained1 and instructed as his         
confederate1 a man of that name--no such
 story could1 with any prospect  of     
success1 have been circulated3 for the  
purpose of learning the  particulars of 
an occurrence of such high importance1  
the residence of  this ,ananias would   
have been inquired after3 and1 by       
supposition1 no  satisfactory answer    
being capable of being given to any such
  inquiries1--no such story could be    
ventured to be told4    ,such was the   
case1 at that place and at that time4   
,as to any such  evidence1 as that      
afforded by the principal vision1 viz4  
,paul's  own1--perhaps no such evidence 
was found necessary3 but1 if it was     
found necessary1 nothing could be easier
 than the furnishing it4 ,as to  the    
secondary vision1 viz4 that ascribed    
afterwards to a man of the  name of     
,ananias1--at that time scarcely could  
there have been any need  of it--any    
demand for it2 and1 had there been any  
such demand1 scarcely1  unless          

previously provided1 could any such     
correspondent supply have  been         
afforded4    ,in other places and       
posterior times alone1 could this       
supplemental  vision1 therefore1 have   
been put into circulation3 accordingly1 
not till  a great many years after1 was 
mention made of it by the author of the 
,acts3--mention made by him1 either in  
his own person1 or as having been       
related1 or alluded to1 by ,paul        
himself4 ,even the author of the        
,acts1--though in this same chapter he  
has been relating the story of          
,ananias's vision1--yet1 when he comes  
to speak1 of the way1 in which1         
according to him1 ,paul1 by means of his
 protector and benefactor  ,barnabas1   
obtained an introduction to the         
,apostles1 viz4 all the  ,apostles1 in  
which1 however1 he is so pointedly      
contradicted by ,paul  himself1--yet    
speaks not of ,barnabas1 as including1  
in the  recommendatory account he gave  
them1 of ,paul--his vision1 and his     

merits--any mention of this supplemental
 vision3--any mention of any  ,ananias4 
,acts #i3bg4    ,at ,damascus1 howsoever
 it might be in regard to the           
,christians--neither  to ,jews1 nor to  
,gentiles1 could the production1 of any 
such letters as  those in question1 have
 availed him anything4 ,such as had     
embraced  ,christianity excepted1       
neither over ,gentiles nor over ,jews   
did those  letters give him any power3  
and1 as to ,jews1 the character in      
which--after any declaration made of his
 conversion--he would have  presented   
himself1 would have been no better than 
that of an apostate1  and betrayer of a 
highly important public trust4 ,to men  
of both these  descriptions1 a plea of  
some sort or other1 such as1 if         
believed1 would  be capable of          
accounting for so extraordinary a step1 
as that he should  change1 from the     
condition of a most cruel and inveterate
 persecutor of  the new religion1 to    
that of a most zealous supporter and    

leader1--could  not1 therefore1 but be  
altogether necessary4 ,no sooner was he 
arrived at  ,damascus1 than1 if the     
author of the ,acts is to be believed1  
he began  pleading1 with all his energy1
 the cause of that religion1 which1     
almost  to that moment1 he had with so  
much cruelty opposed4 ,as to the story  
of  his vision1--what is certain        
is--that1 sooner or later1 for the      
purpose  of rendering to men of all     
descriptions a reason for a change so   
preminently extraordinary1 he employed  
this story4 ,but1 forasmuch as of  no   
other account of it1 as given by him1 is
 any trace to be found2--nor  can any   
reason be found1 why that which was     
certainly employed  afterwards might not
 as well be employed at and from the    
first2--hence  comes the probability1   
that from the first it accordingly was  
employed4      ,,section #c4    ,,on    
,,damascus ,,journey--,,companions      
,,none4    ,in the preceding chapter1 a 
question was started1 but no determinate

  answer as yet found for it3 this      
is--what became of the men1             
who--according to all the accounts given
 by ,paul1 or from him1 of his          
conversion vision--were his companions  
in the journey8 ,at ,damascus1 if  any  
such men there were1 they would in      
course arrive as well as he1 and  at the
 same time with him4 ,this circumstance 
considered1 if any such men  there      
were1--and they were not in confederacy 
with him1--the imposition  must have    
been put upon them3 and1 for that       
purpose1 he must1 in their  presence1   
have uttered the sort of discourse1 and 
exhibited the sort of  deportment1      
mentioned in the above accounts4    ,to 
this difficulty1 however1 a very simple 
solution presents itself4 ,he  had no   
such companions4 ,neither by name1 nor  
so much as by any the most  general     
description1--either of the persons1 or 
of the total number1--is  any           
designation to be found anywhere3--not  
in the account given in the  ,acts2 not 

in any account1 given by himself1 in any
 ,epistle of his2 or1  as from himself1 
in any part of the ,acts4 ,in the       
company of divers  others1 a man was    
struck down1 he says1 or it is said of  
him1 by a  supernatural light3 and1 at  
the instant1 and on the spot1 has a     
conversation with somebody4 ,instead of 
saying who these other men are1  the    
credit of the whole story is left to    
rest on the credit of this  one         
man3--the credit1 of a story1 the       
natural improbability of which1  stood  
so much need of collateral evidence1 to 
render it credible4    ,not till many   
years had elapsed1 after this journey of
 his were these  accounts1 any one of   
them1 made public3 and1 in relation to  
these  pretended companions--supposing  
him interrogated at any time posterior  
to the publication of the account in the
 ,acts1--after the lapse of such  a     
number of years1 he could1 without much 
difficulty1 especially his  situation   
and personal character considered1 hold 

himself at full  liberty1 to remember or
 to forget1 as much or as little1 as on 
each  occasion he should find           
convenient4      ,,section #d4          
,,flight ,,from ,,damascus3             
,,causes--,,false--,,true4    ,,acts ix4
 #ai-be4        ,and when he had        
received meat he was strengthened4 ,then
 was ,saul      certain days with the   
disciples which were at ,damascus4--,and
      straightway he preached ,christ in
 the synagogues1 that he is the ,son    
of ,god4--,but all that heard him were  
amazed1 and said3 ,is not this      he  
that destroyeth them which called on his
 name in ,jerusalem2 and      came      
hither for that intent1 that he might   
bring them bound unto the      chief    
priests8--,but ,saul increased the more 
in strength1 and      confounded the    
,jews which dwelt at ,damascus1 proving 
that this is      very ,christ4--,and   
after that many days were fulfilled1 the
 ,jews took      counsel to kill        
him4--,but their laying await was known 

of ,saul4 ,and      they watched the    
gates day and night to kill him4--,then 
the      disciples took him by night1   
and let him down by the wall in a       
basket4    ,the conception1 which it was
 the evident design of this passage to  
impress upon the mind of the reader1    
is--that1 as soon almost as he was      
arrived at ,damascus1 ,paul not only    
went about preaching ,jesus1 but        
preaching to that effect openly1 and    
without reserve1 in all the  synagogues3
 and that it was for this preaching1 and
 nothing else1 that  the ,jews1 thus    
undiscriminating is the appellation1    
purposely it should  seem1 employed1    
went about to kill him3 that thereupon  
it was1 that he  made his escape over   
the wall1 and having so done1 repaired  
immediately  to ,jerusalem4    ,in this 
conception1 there seems to be evidently 
a mixture of truth and  falsehood4      
,that he addressed himself1 in a greater
 or less number1 to the                 
disciples1--must assuredly have been    

true3 to the accomplishment of his      
designs1 as above explained1 intercourse
 with them could not but be  altogether 
necessary4    ,that1 when any probable  
hope of favourable attention and secrecy
 were  pointed out to him--that1 in here
 and there an instance1 he ventured so  
far as to address himself to this or    
that individual1 who was not as yet     
enlisted in the number of               
disciples1--may also have been true3    
and1 for  this purpose1 he might have   
ventured perhaps to show himself in some
  comparatively obscure synagogue or    
synagogues4    ,but1 as to his venturing
 himself so far as to preach in all     
synagogues  without distinction1--or in 
any synagogue frequented by any of the  
constituted authorities1--this seems    
altogether incredible4    ,to engage    
them to seek his life2 to lie in wait to
 kill him2 in other  words1 to apprehend
 him for the purpose of trying him1 and 
probably at  the upshot killing         
him1--this is no more than1 considering 

what1 in  their eyes1 he had been guilty
 of1 was a thing of course3 a measure1  
called for--not1 for preaching the      
religion of ,jesus2 not1 for any        
boldness in any other way displayed2    
but1 for the betraying of the  trust1   
reposed in him by the constituted       
authorities at ,jerusalem3 thus         
protecting and cherishing those         
malefactors1 for such they had been     
pronounced by authority1 for the        
apprehending and punishing of whom1 he  
had solicited the commission he         
thereupon betrayed4 ,independently of   
all  other offence1 given by preaching  
or anything else1--in this there was    
that1 which1 under any government       
whatever1 would have amply              
sufficed--would even more than          
sufficed--to draw down1 upon the head of
  the offender1 a most exemplary        
punishment4    ,in this view1 note well 
the description1 given in the ,acts1 of 
the  persons1 by whose enmity he was    
driven out of ,damascus2 compare with it

  what1 in relation to this same point1 
is declared--most explicitly            
declared--by ,paul himself4    ,by the  
account in the ,acts1 they were the     
persons to whom he had been  preaching  
,jesus2 and who1 by that preaching1 had 
been confounded and  provoked4 ,among   
those persons1 a conspiracy was formed  
for murdering  him2 and it was to save  
him from this conspiracy that the       
disciples let  him down the wall in a   
basket4    ,such is the colour1 put upon
 the matter by the author of the ,acts4 
,now1  what is the truth--the manifest  
and necessary truth1 as                 
related--explicitly related--by ,paul   
himself8 related1 in the second of  his 
letters to his ,corinthians1 on an      
occasion when the truth would be  more  
to his purpose than the false gloss put 
upon it by his adherents as  above8 ,the
 peril1 by which he was driven thus to  
make his escape1  was--not a murderous  
conspiracy1 formed against him by a set 
of  individuals provoked by his         

preaching2--it was the intention1 formed
 by  the governor of the city4          
,intention8 to do what8 to put him to   
death  against law8 ,no2 but to         
apprehend him4 ,to apprehend him8 for   
what8  ,evidently for the purpose of    
bringing him to justice in the regular  
way--whatsoever was the regular way--for
 the offence he had so recently         
committed3 committed1 by betraying his  
trust1 and entering into a  confederacy 
with the offenders1 whom he had been    
commissioned1 and had  engaged1 to      
occupy himself1 in concert with the     
constituted authorities  of the place1  
in bringing to justice4    ,in          
,damascus1 says he1 #b ,cor4 xi4 #cb1   
#cc1 the governor under ,aretas  the    
king kept the city of the ,damascenes   
with a garrison1 desirous to  apprehend 
me4 ,and through a window in a basket   
was ,i let down by the  wall1 and       
escaped his hands4    ,and on what      
occasion is it1 that this account of the
 matter is given  by him8 ,it is at the 

close of a declamation1 which occupies  
ten  verses--a declamation1 the object  
of which is--to impress upon the minds  
of his adherents the idea of his merits3
 viz4 those which consisted in  labour1 
suffering1 and perils3 merits1 on which 
he places his title to  the preference  
he claims above the competitors to whom 
he  alludes3--alludes1 though without   
naming them3 they being1 as he          
acknowledges therein1 ministers of      
,christ1 and probably enough1 if not    
any of them ,apostles1 persons          
commissioned by the ,apostles4 ,greater1
 it  is evident1 must have been the     
danger from the ruling powers of the    
place1 than from a set of individual    
intended murderers3--from the power  of 
the rulers there could not be so much as
 a hope of salvation1 except  by escape3
 from the individuals there would be a  
naturally sufficient  means of          
salvation2 the power of the rulers      
presenting a means of  salvation1 and   
that naturally a sufficient one4        

,note here1 by the by1 one of the many  
exemplifications1 of that  confusion    
which reigns throughout in ,paul's      
discourses3 the result1 of  that        
mixture1 which1 in unascertainable      
proportions1 seems to have had          
place--that mixture of nature and       
artifice4 ,it is at the end of a long   
list of labours1 sufferings1 and perils1
 that this anecdote presents  itself4   
,was it accordingly at the end of them  
that the fact itself had  taken         
place8--,no3 it was at the very         
commencement3 or rather1 so far  as     
concerned preaching1 before the         
commencement4 ,only in the way of       
allusion--allusion in general terms--in 
terms of merely general  description1   
without mention of time or place1 or    
persons  concerned1--are any of the     
other sufferings or perils mentioned3 in
 this  instance alone1 is any mention   
made under any one of those heads3 and  
here we see it under two of them1 viz4  
place and person3 and  moreover1 by     

other circumstances1 the time1 viz4 the 
relative time1  is pretty effectually   
fixed4    ,immediately afterwards1 this 
same indisputably false colouring will  
be  seen laid on1 when the account comes
 to be given1 of his departure for      
,jerusalem3 always for preaching ,jesus 
is he sought after1 never for  anything 
else4    ,according to this             
representation1 here are two            
governments--two  municipal             
governments--one of them1 at the        
solicitation of a functionary  of its   
own1 giving him a commission to         
negotiate with another1 for the  purpose
 of obtaining1 at his hands1 an         
authority1 for apprehending a set  of   
men1 who1 in the eyes of both1 were     
guilty of an offence against  both4     
,instead of pursuing his commission1 and
 using his endeavours to  obtain the    
desired cooperation1 he betrays the     
trust reposed in him3--he  not only     
suffers the alleged malefactors to      
remain unapprehended and  untouched1 but

 enters into a confederacy with them4   
,to both governments1  this conduct of  
his is1 according to him1 matter of such
 entire  indifference1 that he might    
have presented himself everywhere1 as if
  nothing had happened1 had it not been 
for his preaching3--had it not  been for
 his standing forth openly1 to preach to
 all that would hear  him1 the very     
religion which he had been commissioned 
to extinguish4    ,in such a state of   
things1 is there anything that can1 by  
any  supposition1 be reconciled to the  
nature of man1 in any situation1--or  to
 any form of government8    ,three years
 having been passed by him in that to   
him strange country1  what1 during all  
that time1 were his means of            
subsistence8 ,to this  question an      
unquestionable answer will be afforded  
by the known nature  of his situation4  
,he was bred to a trade1 indeed a       
handicraft  trade--tent-making3 an art1 
in which the operations of the architect
  and the upholsterer are combined4     

,but1 it was not to practise either     
that1 or any other manual operation1    
that he paid his visit to that  country4
 ,when he really did practise it1 he    
took care that this  condescension of   
his should not remain a secret3 from    
that1 as from  everything else he ever  
did or suffered1 or pretended to have   
done or  suffered1 he failed not to     
extract the matter of glory for himself1
 as  well as edification for his        
readers4 ,in ,arabia1 his means of      
subsistence  were not then derived from 
his trade3 if they had been1 we should  
have  known it3--from what source then  
were they derived8#ag ,by the very      
nature of his situation1 this question  
has been already answered3--from  the   
purses of those1 whom1 having had it in 
his power1 and even in his  commission1 
to destroy1 he had saved4    ,and now1  
as to all those things1 which1 from the 
relinquishment of his  labours in the   
field of persecution to the first of his
 four recorded  visits to ,jerusalem1 he

 is known to have done1 answers have    
been  furnished3--answers1 to the       
several questions why and by what means1
  such as1 upon the supposition that the
 supernatural mode of his  conversion   
was but a fable1 it will not1 it is     
hoped1 be easy to find  cause for       
objecting to as insufficient4           
,,section #e4                           
,,arabia-,,visit--,,mentioned ,,by      
,,paul1 ,,not ,,acts4    ,not altogether
 without special reason1 seems the veil 
of obscurity to  have been cast over    
this long interval4 ,in design1 rather  
than accident1  or heedlessness1 or want
 of information1--may be found1 it      
should seem1  the cause1 of a silence so
 pregnant with misrepresentation4 ,in   
addition  to a length of time1 more or  
less considerable1 spent in ,damascus1 a
  city in close communication with      
,jerusalem1 in giving proofs of his     
conversion1--three years spent in some  
part or other of the contiguous  indeed1
 but wide-extending1 country of         

,arabia--7spent1 if ,paul is to be      
believed1 in preaching the religion of  
,jesus1 and at any rate in a state  of  
peace and innoxiousness with relation to
 it7--afforded such proof of  a change  
of plan and sentiment1 as1 in the case  
of many a man1 might1  without miracle  
or wonder1 have sufficed to form a basis
 for the  projected alliance3--this     
proof1 even of itself2 much more1 when  
corroborated1 by the sort of            
certificate1 given to the ,church by its
  preeminent benefactor ,barnabas1 who1 
in introducing the new convert1 to  the 
leaders among the ,apostles1 for the    
special purpose of proposing the        
alliance1--took upon himself the        
personal responsibility1 so inseparably 
involved in such a mark of confidence4  
,in this state of things then1 which is 
expressly asserted by ,paul to  have    
been1 and appears indubitably to have   
been1 a real  one1--considerations of an
 ordinary nature being sufficient--to   
produce--not only the effect actually   

produced--but1 in the case of many  a   
man1 much more than the effect actually 
produced1--there was no  demand1 at that
 time1 for a miracle3 no demand for a   
miracle1 for any  such purpose1 as that 
of working1 upon the minds of the       
,apostles1 to any  such effect as that  
of their maintaining1 towards the new   
convert1 a  conduct free from hostility1
 accompanied with a countenance of      
outward  amity4 ,but1 for other         
purposes1 and in the course of his      
intercourse  with persons of other      
descriptions1 it became necessary for   
him to have  had these visions3 it      
became necessary--not only for the      
purpose of  proving connection on his   
part with the departed ,jesus1 to the   
satisfaction of all those by whom such  
proof would be looked for1--but1  for   
the further purpose1 of ascribing to    
,jesus1 whatsoever doctrines the        
prosecution of his design might from    
time to time call upon him to           
promulgate2--those doctrines1 in a word1

 which1 7as will be seen71 being  his   
and not ,jesus's--not reported by anyone
 else as being ,jesus's--we  shall find 
him1 notwithstanding1 preaching1 and    
delivering1--so much at  his ease1 and  
with unhesitating assurance4    ,a      
miracle having therefore been deemed    
necessary 7the miracle of the           
conversion-vision71 and reported        
accordingly1--thus it is1 that1 by the  
appearance of suddenness1 given to the  
sort and degree of confidence  thereupon
 reported as having been bestowed upon  
him by the ,apostles1 a  sort of        
confirmation is1 in the ,acts account1  
given to the report of the  miracle3    
according to this account1 it was not by
 the three or four  years passed by him 
in the prosecution of their designs1 or 
at least  without obstruction given to  
them2--it was not by any such proof of  
amity1 that the intercourse1 such as it 
was1 had been effected3--no3 it  was by 
the report of the vision--that report   
which1 in the first  instance1 was made 

to them by their generous benefactor and
 powerful  supporter1 ,barnabas2        
confirmed1 as1 to every candid eye it   
could not  fail to be1 by whatever      
accounts were1 on the occasion of the   
personal  intercourse1 delivered from   
his own lips4 ,but ,barnabas 7says the  
author7 took him and brought him to the 
,apostles1 and declared unto them  how  
he had seen the ,lord by the way1 and   
that he had spoken to him1  and how he  
had preached boldly at ,damascus in the 
name of ,jesus4 ,acts  #i3bg4    ,when  
in the year #eg1 ,paul1#ah to so many   
other boastings1 was added the          
sufferings he would have us think were  
courted and endured by him1 while       
preaching in the name of ,jesus1 that   
gospel1 which he proclaims to have  been
 his own1 and not that of the ,apostles1
 little assuredly did he  think1 that   
five years after1 or thereabout1 from   
the hand of one of his  own attendants1 
a narrative was to appear1 in which1 of 
these same  sufferings a so much shorter

 list would be given2 or that1 by an odd
  enough coincidence1 more than         
seventeen centuries after1 by a namesake
  of his honored patron1 ,doctor        
,gamaliel1 the contradiction thus given 
to  him1 would be held up to view4      
,in the second of his epistles to his   
,corinthians1 dated ,a4,d4 #eg1--the    
following is the summary he gives of    
those same sufferings4 ,speaking of     
certain unnamed persons1 styled by him  
false ,apostles1 but whom reasons  are  
not wanting for believing to have been  
among the disciples of the  real        
ones1--,are they1 says he1 #b ,cor4 xi4 
#bc1 ministers of ,christ8 ,i  speak as 
one beside himself1 ,i am more3 in      
labours more abundant3 in  stripes above
 measure3 in prisons more frequent3 in  
deaths1 oft4--,of  the ,jews five times 
received ,i forty stripes1 save         
one4--,thrice was ,i  beaten with rods2 
once was ,i stoned3 thrice ,i suffered  
shipwreck3 a  night and a day have ,i   
been in the deep4 ,thus far as per      

,paul4    ,add from his former ,epistle 
to the same in the same year1 battle    
with  beasts1 one4 ,if1 after the manner
 of men1 ,i have fought with beasts at  
,ephesus1 what advantageth it me1       
continues he1 #a ,cor4 ,,xv4 #cb1 if the
  dead rise not1 let us eat and drink1  
for tomorrow we die4    ,let us now see 
how the account stands1 as per ,acts4   
,on the part of  this his panegyrist1   
whether any such habit had place as that
 of cutting  down below their real      
amount1 either the sufferings or the    
actings of  his hero1 the reader will   
have judged4 ,of both together1 let it  
not be  forgotten1 the ,acts' account   
comes some five years lower1 than the   
date  of the above tragical list3 in it 
are included those sufferings and       
perils which we have seen1 namely1 those
 produced by the voyage to ,rome1  and  
which1 at the time of ,paul's list1 had 
not taken their commencement4  ,now then
 for the ,acts' list4 ,stripes1         
nine-and-thirty in a parcel1 none3      

difference five4 ,beatings with rods1   
saving one possible one1 of which       
presently1 none2 difference1 three4     
,stoning1 one#ai4 ,shipwreck1 as yet    
none3 the accident at ,malta being three
 years subsequent4 ,night and day  in   
the deep1--according as it was on or in 
the deep--either nothing  at all1 or an 
adventure considerably too singular to  
have been passed  over4 ,diving-bells   
are not commonly supposed to have been1 
at that  time of day1 in use2 but       
whoever has a taste for predictions1    
may1 if it  be agreeable to him1 see    
those same scientific instruments or the
  equivalent in this ,gospel of ,paul's 
predicted4    ,as to the parcels of     
stripes1 the self-constituted ,apostle  
takes credit  for1 they would have      
been1--supposing them                   
administered1--administered1  all of    
them1 according to law1 meaning always  
the law of ,moses3 for1  it is in that  
law1 7namely in ,deuteronomy ,,xxv4 #c7 
that the clause1  limiting to           

nine-and-thirty1 the number to be given 
at a time1 is to be  found4 ,of these   
statements of ,paul's1 let it not pass  
unnoticed1 the  place is--a formal and  
studied ,epistle1 not an extempore      
speech3 so that  the falsehood in them1 
if any1 was not less deliberate than the
 ,temple  perjury4    ,of all these same
 boasted bodily sufferings1 eight in the
 whole1 when  put together1--one was1 at
 the outset1 reserved for consideration3
 let  us see what light1 if any1 is cast
 upon it by the ,acts4 ,one beating1 the
  ,acts informs us of3 and it was a     
beating by order of magistrates3 and    
accordingly1 a beating according to law4
 ,but the law1 according to which  it   
was given1 was not ,jewish law3 the     
magistrates1 by whose order it was      
given1 were not ,jewish magistrates4    
,the magistrates were heathens3 and  it 
was for being ,jews1 and preaching in   
the ,jewish style1 that ,paul1 and  his 
companion ,silas1 were thus visited4 ,it
 was at ,philippi that the  affair      

happened3 it was immediately preceded by
 their adventure with the  divineress1  
as per ,acts #af3af2 #cd1 ,chap4 #ac3   
and brought about by the  resentment of 
her masters1 to whose established       
business1 the  innovation1 introduced by
 these interlopers1 had given           
disturbance3 it  was                    
followed--immediately followed--by the  
earthquake1 which was so  dexterous in  
taking irons off4 ,whether therefore    
this beating was in  ,paul's account    
comprised in the eight stripings and    
beatings1 seems not  possible1 humanly  
speaking1 to know3 not possible1 unless 
so it be1 that  ,paul1 being the        
wandering ,jew1 we have sometimes heard 
of1 is still  alive1--still upon the    
look-out1 for that arial voyage1 which1 
with or  without the expectation of an  
arostatic vehicle1 we have seen him so  
confident in the assurance of4          
,remains the battle with the beasts4    
,what these same beasts were1 how  many 
there were of them1--how many legs they 

respectively had--for  example1 two or  
four--in what way he was introduced into
 their  company1--whence his difference 
with them took its rise1--whether it was
  of his own seeking1 or by invitation  
that he entered the lists with  these   
his antagonists1--how it fared with them
 when the affair was  over1--7for as to 
the hero himself1 it does not appear    
that he was much  the worse for         
it72--these1 amongst other questions1   
might be worth  answering1 upon the     
supposition1 that these antagonists of  
his were real  beings and real beasts1  
and not of the same class as the        
arch-beast of  his own                  
begetting--,antichrist4 ,but1 the plain 
truth seems to be1 that if  ever he     
fought with beasts1 it was in one of his
 visions3 in which case1  for proof of  
the occurrence1 no visible mark of      
laceration could  reasonably be         
demanded4 ,meantime1 to prove the       
negative1 as far as1 in a  case such as 
this1 it is in the nature of a negative 

to be proved1--we  may1 without much    
fear of the result1 venture to call his 
ever-devoted  scribe4 ,to this same     
,ephesus1--not more than a twelvemonth  
or  thereabouts1 before the date of the 
,epistle--he brings his  patron1--finds 
appropriate employment for him1--and1   
off and on1 keeps  him there for no     
inconsiderable length of time4 ,there it
 is1 that we  have seen1 ,chap4 #ac1 4  
#g41 his handkerchiefs driving out      
devils as well  as diseases3 there it   
is1 and for no other reason than that he
 is  there--there it is1 that we have   
seen so many thousand pounds worth of   
magical books burnt--and by their       
owners3 there it is1 that with a  single
 handkerchief of his1--which so it were 
but used1 was an overmatch  for we know 
not how many devils1--we saw a single   
devil1 with no other  hands than those  
of the man he lodged in1 wounding and   
stripping to the  skin no fewer than    
seven men at the same time4 ,if1 then1  
with or without  a whole skin at the    

conclusion of it1 he had really had any 
such  rencounter1 with one knows not how
 many beasts1 is it in the nature of    
the case1 that this same historiographer
 of his1 should have kept us  ignorant  
of it8 ,to be shut up with wild beasts1 
until torn to pieces by  them1 was      
indeed one of the punishments1 for which
 men were indebted to  the ingenuity of 
the ,roman lawyers3 but1 if any such    
sentence was really  executed upon our  
self-constituted ,apostle1 his surviving
 it was a  miracle too brilliant not to 
have been placed at the head of all his 
other miracles3 at any rate1 too        
extraordinary to have been passed by    
altogether without notice4 ,the         
biographer of ,daniel was not thus      
negligent4    ,after all1 was it really 
matter of pure invention--this same     
battle8 or  may it not1 like so many of 
the quasi-miracles in the ,acts1 have   
had a  more or less substantial         
foundation in fact8 ,the case may it not
 have  been--that1 while he was at      

,ephesus1 somebody or other set a dog at
 him1  as men will sometimes do at a    
troublesome beggar8 or that1 whether    
with  hand or tongue1 some person1 male 
or female1 set upon him with a degree   
of vivacity1 which1 according to ,paul's
 zoology1 elucidated by ,paul's         
eloquence1 entitled him or her to a     
place in the order of beasts8--,where   
darkness is thus visible1 no light can  
be so faint1 as not to bring with  it   
some title to indulgence4    ,of the    
accounts1 given us by the               
historiographer1 of the exploits and    
experiences of his hero while at        
,ephesus1 one article more will complete
  the list4 ,when any such opportunity  
offered1 as that of presenting him  to  
view1 in his here assumed character1 of 
a candidate for the honours  of         
martyrdom1--was it or was it not in the 
character of the  historiographer to let
 it pass unimproved8 ,to our judgment on
 this  question1 some further maturity  
may be given1 by one more law-case1 now 

to be brought to view4 ,under some such 
name as that of the ,ephesian  ,diana1  
not unfrequent are the allusions to it4 
,church of ,diana  silversmiths versus  
,paul and ,co4 is a name1 by which1 in  
an ,english law  report1 it might with  
more strict propriety be designated4    
,plaintiffs1  silversmiths' company just
 named3 ,defendants1 ,paul and ,co42 to 
wit1 said  ,paul1 ,alexander1           
,aristarchus1 ,alexander and others4    
,acts1 #bb3da4 ,action  on the case for 
words3--the words1 in tenor not         
reported3 purport1  importing injury in 
the way of trade4 ,out of the principal 
cause1 we  shall see growing a sort of  
cross cause3 a case of assault1 in which
  three of the defendants were1 or might
 have been1 plaintiffs3 cause of        
action1 assault1 terminating in false   
imprisonment4 ,in this  exercetitious   
cause1 defendants not individually      
specified3 for1 in  those early days1   
note-taking had not arrived at the pitch
 of  perfection1 at which we see it at  

present4 ,that which1--with reference   
to the question--as to the truth of the 
beast-fighting story1--is more          
particularly material in the two cases  
taken together1--is this3 in the        
situation1 in which these junior        
partners of ,paul found themselves1     
there was some difficulty1 not to say   
some danger4 ,pressed1 as he  himself   
was afterwards1 in his invasion of      
,jerusalem1--pressed in more  senses    
than one1 they found themselves by an   
accusing multitude4 ,what  on this      
occasion does ,paul8 ,he slips his neck 
out of the collar4 ,so far  from lending
 them a hand for their support1 he will 
not so much as lend  them a syllable of 
his eloquence4 ,why8 because forsooth1  
says his  historiographer1 ,acts xix4   
#cj1 #ca1 the disciples suffered him    
not3  item1 v4 #cj1 certain others of   
his friends4 ,when1 as we have seen     
him1 spite of everything that could be  
said to him1 he repaired to  ,jerusalem 
on his ,invasion ,visit1--he was not    

quite so perfectly under  the government
 of his friends4 ,on the present        
occasion1 we shall find  him            
sufficiently tractable4 ,was this a man 
to be an antagonist and  overmatch for  
wild beasts8    ,now as to the          
above-mentioned principal case4         
,plaintiffs1 dealers in  silver goods3  
,defendants1 dealers in words4 ,to be   
rivals in trade1 it is  not necessary   
that men should deal exactly in the same
 articles3--the  sale of the words      
injured the sale of the goods3 so at    
least the  plaintiffs took upon them to 
aver3 for1 in such a case1 suspicion is 
not  apt to lie asleep4 ,the church of  
,diana was the ,established ,church1 of 
that place and time4 ,to the honour1 the
 plaintiffs added the profit1 of  being 
silversmiths to that same ,excellent    
,church4 ,to the value of that  sort of 
evidence1 which it is the province of   
silversmiths to furnish1  no established
 church was ever insensible4 ,the       
evidence1 furnished by  the church      

silversmiths of these days1 is composed 
of chalices3 under  the ,pagan          
dispensation1 the evidence furnished by 
the church  silversmiths of the church  
of the ,ephesian ,diana1 was composed of
  shrines4 ,when1 with that resurrection
 of his own1 and that ,gospel of  his   
own1 of which so copious a sample       
remains to us in his  ,epistles1--,paul1
 with or without the name of ,jesus in  
his mouth1 made  his appearance in the  
market1 ,plaintiffs1 as we have seen1   
took the  alarm4 ,they proceeded1 as the
 pious sons of an established church    
could  not fail to proceed4 ,before     
action commenced1 to prepare the way for
 a  suitable judgment1--they set to     
work1 and set on fire the inflammable   
part of the public mind4 ,the church was
 declared to be in danger1 ver4  #bg3   
the church of ,diana1 just as the church
 of ,england and ,ireland would  be1    
should any such sacrilegious proposition
 be seriously made1 as that  of tearing 
out of her bosom any of those precious  

sinecures1 of which  her vitals are     
composed4 ,in ,ephesus1 it is not       
stated1 that1 at that  time1 any society
 bearing the name of the ,vice ,society1
 or the  ,constitutional ,association1  
was on foot4 ,but1 of those pious       
institutions the equivalent could not be
 wanting4 ,accordingly1 the  charge of  
blasphemy1 it may be seen1 ver4 #cg1 was
 not left unemployed4  ,so the defence  
shows3 the defence1 to wit1 made by the 
probity and  wisdom of the judge3 for1  
by the violence of the church mob1--who1
 but  for him1 were prepared to have    
given a precedent1 to that which set    
,birmingham in flames1--the defendants  
were placed in the condition of         
prisoners3 and the judge1 seeing the    
violence1 of the prejudice they had  to 
encounter1 felt the necessity1 of adding
 to the function of judge1  that of     
counsel for the prisoners4    ,but it is
 time to turn to the text3 not a        
particle of it can be spared4    ,,acts 
xix4 #bb-da4         #bb4 ,so he sent   

into ,macedonia two of them that        
ministered unto him1       ,timotheus   
and ,erastus2 but he himself stayed in  
,asia for a       season4--,and the same
 time1 there arose no small stir about  
that       way2--,for a certain man     
named ,demetrius1 a silversmith1 which  
made       silver shrines for ,diana1   
brought no small gain unto the          
craftsmen2--,whom he called together    
with the workmen of like                
occupation1 and said1 ,sirs1 ye know    
that by this craft we have our          
wealth4--,moreover ye see and hear1 that
 not alone at ,ephesus1 but       almost
 throughout all ,asia1 this ,paul hath  
persuaded and turned       away much    
people1 saying1 that they be no gods1   
which are made       with hands3--,so   
that not only this our craft is in      
danger to be set       at nought2 but   
also that the temple of the great       
goddess ,diana       should be despised1
 and her magnificence should be         
destroyed1 whom       all ,asia and the 

world worshippeth4--,and when they heard
 these       sayings1 they were full of 
wrath1 and cried out1 saying1 ,great is 
,diana of the ,ephesians4--,and the     
whole city was filled with              
confusion3 and having caught ,gaius and 
,aristarchus1 men of       ,macedonia1  
,paul's companions in travel1 they      
rushed with one accord       into the   
theatre4--,and when ,paul would have    
entered in1 unto the       people1 the  
disciples suffered him not4--,and       
certain of the chief       of ,asia1    
which were his friends1 sent unto him1  
desiring him that       he would not    
adventure himself into the              
theatre4--,some1 therefore1       cried 
one thing1 and some another3 for the    
assembly was confused2       and the    
more part knew not wherefore they were  
come together4--,and       they drew    
,alexander out of the multitude1 the    
,jews putting him       forward4 ,and   
,alexander beckoned with the hand1 and  
would have made       his defence unto  

the people2--,but when they knew he was 
a ,jew1 all       with one voice1 about 
the space of two hours1 cried out1      
,great is       ,diana of the           
,ephesians4--,and when the town clerk   
had appeased the       people1 he said1 
,ye men of ,ephesus1 what man is there  
that knoweth       not how that the city
 of the ,ephesians is a worshipper of   
the great       goddess ,diana1 and of  
the image which fell down from          
,jupiter8--,seeing then that these      
things cannot be spoken against1        
ye ought to be quiet1 and to do nothing 
rashly4--,for ye have       brought     
hither these men1 which are neither     
robbers of churches1       nor yet      
blasphemers of your                     
goddess4--,wherefore1 if ,demetrius1 and
       the craftsmen which are with him1
 have a matter against any man1         
the law is open1 and there are deputies3
 let them implead one                   
another4--,but if ye inquire anything   
concerning other matters1 it       shall

 be determined in a lawful              
assembly4--,for we are in danger to     
be called in question for this day's    
uproar1 there being no cause            
whereby we may give an account of this  
concourse4--,and when he had       thus 
spoken1 he dismissed the assembly4      
,the ,judge by whom the principal cause 
was tried1 and the plaintiffs           
non-suited1 is styled1 we see the ,town 
,clerk3 the more appropriate  and       
respected title would not on this       
occasion have been ill-applied to  him4 
,except what we have here been seeing1  
we know nothing of him that  is         
positive3 but1 seeing thus much of him1 
we see that he was an  honest man3 and  
an honest man is not ill portrayed by   
negatives4 ,he had  no coronet playing  
before his eyes3 no overpaid places and 
sinecures for  relatives4 ,he had not   
been made judge1 for publishing a       
liturgy of the  church of ,diana1 with  
an embroidery composed of his own       
comments1--or  for circulating1 with    

anonymous delicacy1 a pious warning1    
never to be  absent from the shrine of  
,diana1 when the sacred cup was1        
proffered by  the hands of holy priests4
 ,accordingly1 when the charge of       
blasphemy  was brought before           
him1--being a heathen1 he found no      
difficulty in  treating it1 in that     
gentle and soothing mode1 in which1     
when1 from the  bosom of an established 
church it enters into a man1 the spirit1
 which  calls itself the spirit of      
,christianity1 renders him so averse to 
the  treating it4 ,if1 when his robes   
were off1 he spoke of ,diana what we now
  think of her1--he did not1 when they  
were on1 foam or rave1  declare--that   
all1 who would not swear to their belief
 in her1 were not  fit to be believed1  
or so much as fit to live4    ,by him1  
one man was not robbed of his rights1   
because another man1 when  called upon  
as a witness1 refused to perjure        
himself4 ,by him1 a man was  not refused
 to be heard as a witness1 nor refused  

protection for the  fruits of his       
industry1 nor deprived of the           
guardianship of his  children1 because  
he waited to see ,diana1 before he      
declared himself a  believer in her     
existence4 ,in the open theatre was     
pronounced the  judgment we have seen4  
,he did not1 by secret sittings1 deprive
 men of  the protection of the public   
eye4 ,he did not1 we may stand          
assured--for  we see how far the people 
of ,ephesus were from being tame enough 
to  endure it--he did not keep men's    
property in his hands1 to be plundered  
by himself1 his children1 or his        
creatures1 till the property was        
absorbed1 and the proprietors sent      
broken-hearted to their graves4 ,he  did
 not--for the people of ,ephesus would  
not have endured it--wring out  of      
distress a princely income1 on pretence 
of giving decisions1  declaring all the 
while his matchless incapacity for      
everything but  prating or raising      
doubts4 ,he did not display1--he could  

not have  displayed--the people of      
,ephesus could not have endured it--any 
such  effrontery1 as1 when a judicatory 
was to sit upon his conduct1 to set     
himself down in it1 and assume and carry
 on the management of it4 ,he  would not
 have sought impunity--for if he had    
sought it in ,ephesus1 he  would not    
have found it there--he would not have  
sought impunity1 in  eyes lifted up to  
heaven1 or streaming with crocodile     
tears4    ,thus much as to his negative 
merits4 ,but1 we have seen enough of    
him1 to  see one great positive one4    
,when1 from the inexhaustible source of 
inflammation1 a flame was kindled1--he  
did not fan the flame1--he  quenched it4
    ,the religion of ,diana having thus 
come upon the carpet1 a reflection      
which could not be put by1 is--spite of 
all efforts of the church  silversmiths1
 in how many essential points1 negative 
as they are1 the  religion of ,diana    
had1 on the ground of usefulness1 the   
advantage of  that1 which is the        

religion of ,paul1 and is called the    
religion of  ,jesus4 ,diana drove no men
 out of their senses1 by pictures or    
preachments of never-ending torments4   
,on pretence of saving men from  future 
sufferings1 no men were consigned by it 
to present ones4 ,no  mischievous1 no   
pain-producing1 no real vice1 was       
promoted by it4 ,it  compelled no       
perjury1 no hypocrisy3 it rewarded none4
 ,it committed1 it  supported1 it       
blessed1 it lauded1 no depredation1 no  
oppression in any  shape3 it plundered  
no man of the fruits of his industry1   
under the name  of tithes4 ,for the     
enrichment of the sacred                
shrines1--money1 in any  quantity1 we   
may venture to say1 received3 received1 
yes3 but in no  quantity extorted4 ,one 
temple was sufficient for that goddess4 
,believing1 or not believing in her     
divinity1--no men were compelled to  pay
 money1 for more temples1 more priests1 
or more shrines4    ,as to the religion 
of ,jesus1 true it is1 that so long as  

it continued  the religion of ,jesus1   
all was good government1 all was        
equality1 all  was harmony3 free church1
 the whole2 established church1 none3   
monarchy1  none2 constitution1          
democratical4 ,constitutive authority1  
the whole  community3 legislative1 the  
,apostles of ,jesus2 executive1 the     
,commissioners of the ,treasury3 not    
,lords ,commissioners1 appointed by a   
,king ,herod1 but trustees or stewards2 
for such should have been the  word1 and
 not deacons1--agents elected by        
universal suffrage4 ,in  this felicitous
 state1 how long it continued--we know  
not4 ,what we do  know1 is--that1 in the
 fourth century1 despotism took         
possession of  it1 and made an          
instrument of it4 ,becoming established1
 it became  noxious1--preponderantly    
noxious4 ,for1 where established is the 
adjunct to it1 what does religion mean8 
what but depredation1  corruption1      
oppression1 hypocrisy8 depredation1     
corruption1  oppression1                

hypocrisy--these four3 with delusion1 in
 all its forms  and trappings1 for      
support4    ,so pregnant is this same   
boasting passage--#a ,cor4 xv4 #cb1 the 
labour it  has thrown upon us1 is not   
altogether at an end4 ,by what it says  
of the  resurrection1 the memory has    
been led back1 to what we have seen on  
the  same subject1 in one of ,paul's    
,epistles to his ,thessalonians3 brought
  together1 the two doctrines present a 
contrast too curious to be left         
unnoticed4 ,of the apparatus employed by
 him in his trade of  disciple-catcher1 
his talk about the resurrection1 was1 it
 may well be  imagined1 a capital       
article4 ,being1 according to his own   
motto1 all  things to all men1 #a ,cor4 
ix4 #bb1 whatever it happened to him to 
say on  the subject1 was dished up1 of  
course1 according to the taste of those 
he had to deal with4 ,to some it was a  
prediction3 for such1 we have  seen1 was
 the form it assumed when the people to 
be wrought upon were  the               

,thessalonians4 ,to others1 when        
occasion called1 it was a statement     
concerning something past1 or supposed  
to be past4 ,on an occasion of  this    
sort it was1 that the name of ,jesus1   
another article of that same  apparatus1
 was of so much use to him4 ,true it is1
 that to the doctrine  of the general   
resurrection in time future1 he had1 it 
must be  remembered1 no need of         
declaring himself beholden to ,jesus3 at
 least1 if  on this point1 the ,acts'   
history is to be believed3 for1 of the  
,pharisees1--the sect to which ,paul    
belonged--of the ,pharisees1 as         
compared with the other sect the        
,sadducees1 it was the distinctive      
tenet4 ,but1 of the then future1 the    
then past1 as exemplified in the        
particular case of ,jesus1 could not but
 afford very impressive  circumstantial 
evidence4 ,of this momentous occurrence1
 there were the  real ,apostles1 ready  
to give their accounts1--conformable1 it
 may be  presumed1 to those we see      

given1 as from them1 by the four        
,evangelists4  ,these accounts1 however1
 would not suit the purpose of the      
self-constituted ,apostle3 in the first 
place1 because they came from  the real 
,apostles1 with whom1 as we have so     
often seen1 it was a  declared principle
 with him not to have had anything to   
do3 in the next  place1 because the     
,apostles were too scrupulous3 they     
would not have  furnished him with      
witnesses enough4 ,his own inexhaustible
 fund--his own  invention1--was         
therefore the fund1 on this occasion1   
drawn upon3 and1  accordingly1 instead  
of the number of witnesses1--say a score
 or two  at the utmost--he could have   
got from the ,apostles1--it supplied him
  with five hundred3 five hundred1 all  
at once3 to which1 if pressed1  he could
 have added any other number of         
percipient witnesses whatsoever1        
provided only that it was at different  
times they had been such4    ,so much   
for explanation3 now for the announced  

contrast4 ,whoever the  people were1    
whom he had to address himself to1--they
 had contracted1 he  found1 a bad habit3
 it was that of eating and drinking4    
,reason is but  too apt to be seduced   
by1 and enlisted in the service of her  
most  dangerous enemy--,appetite4 ,not  
only did they eat and drink2 but they   
had found1 as it seemed to them1 reason 
for so doing4 ,they ate and  drank--why8
 because they were to die after it4 ,let
 us eat and drink1  said the language we
 have seen him reproaching them with1 #a
 ,cor4 xv4 #cb4  ,let us eat and drink1 
for tomorrow we die4    ,the case       
is--that1 in pleasure1 in whatever shape
 they see her1--all  men1 to whose      
ambition supernatural terrors supply an 
instrument of  dominion1 behold their   
most formidable rival4 ,against such a  
rival1  wonderful indeed it would be1 if
 their hostility were not               
proportionable4 ,no morality accordingly
 do they acknowledge1 that does  not    
include1 with or without other things1  

hatred1--with or without  contempt1 of  
pleasure4 ,such1 too1 as is their       
morality1 such is their  law4 ,death is 
scarce severe enough1 for a pleasure1   
which they either  have1 or would be    
thought to have1 no relish for4 ,so at  
least says what  they teach3 but1       
teaching how to act is one thing2 acting
 accordingly1  another4 ,thus we all see
 it is1 in so many instances3 and thus1 
without  much danger of injustice1 we   
may venture to suppose it may have been1
 in  that of the self-constituted       
,apostle4    ,not so ,jesus3 no harm did
 he see in eating and drinking1 unless  
with the  pleasure it produced greater  
pain4 ,with this reserve1 no harm1--for 
anything that appears in any one of the 
four histories we have of  him1--no harm
 did he see in anything that gives      
pleasure4 ,what every man  knows--and   
what ,jesus knew as well as any man--for
 neither in words nor  in acts did he   
deny it--is1--that happiness1 at what   
time soever  experienced1--happiness1 to

 be anything1 must be composed of       
pleasures3  and1 be the man who he may1 
of what it is that gives pleasure to    
him1 he  alone can be judge4    ,but1 to
 return to eating and drinking4 ,eating 
and drinking--he gives his  men to      
understand--even he1 holy as he is1     
should not have had any  objection to1  
had it not been for this same           
resurrection of his1 which  he was      
telling them of3 eating and drinking--a 
practice1 to which1  notwithstanding    
this resurrection of his1 and so much as
 he had told  them of it1 he had the    
mortification to find them so much      
addicted4 ,so  much for his             
,corinthians4 ,it was1 as we see1 for   
want of their  paying1 to what he was   
thus telling them about the             
resurrection1 that  attention1 to which 
it was so well entitled1--that they     
still kept on  in that bad habit4 ,but  
his ,thessalonians--they too1 as we have
 seen1  had got the same bad habit4     
,well3 and what was it that gave it     

them8  ,what but their paying too much  
attention to this same resurrection of  
his1 dished up in the same or another   
manner1 by the same inventive and       
experienced hand4 ,in conclusion1 on    
laying the two cases together1 what     
seems evident enough is--that1 in       
whatever manner served up to them1 his  
resurrection1 whatever it was1 was      
considerably more effectual in making   
people eat and drink1 than in weaning   
them from it4      ,,section #f4        
,,gamaliel--,,had ,,he ,,part ,,in      
,,paul',s ,,plan8    ,gamaliel--in the  
working of this conversion1 may it not  
be that  ,gamaliel--a person whose      
reality seems little exposed to         
doubt--had  rather a more considerable  
share1 than the above-mentioned unknown 
and  unknowable ,ananias8    ,gamaliel  
was a doctor of law ,acts #e3cd--;a     
person of sufficient note1  to have been
 a member of the council1 in which the  
chief priests1 under  the presidency of 
the ,high ,priest1 ,acts #e3bd1 took    

cognizance of the  offence with which   
,peter and his associates had a little  
before this  been charged1 on the       
occasion of their preaching ,jesus4     
,under this  ,gamaliel1 had ,paul1 he so
 at least is made to tell us1 studied1  
,acts  #bb3c4 ,between ,paul and this   
,gamaliel1 here then is a connection3 a 
connection--of that sort1 which1 in all 
places1 at all times1 has               
existence1--and of which the nature is  
everywhere and at all times so  well    
understood--the connection between      
proteg and protector4 ,it was  by       
authority from the governing body1 that 
,paul was1 at this time1  lavishing his 
exertions in the persecution of the     
,apostles and their  adherents3--who    
then so likely1 as this same ,gamaliel1 
to have been the  patron1 at whose      
recommendation the commission was       
obtained8 ,of the  cognizance which this
 ,gamaliel took1 of the conduct and mode
 of life of  the religionists in        
question1--the result was favourable4   

,let them  alone1 were his words4 ,acts 
v4 #ch4 ,the maintenance1 derived by the
  proteg1 on that same occasion1 from   
the persecution of these  innoxious     
men--this maintenance being at once     
odious1 dangerous1 and                  
precarious1--while the maintenance1     
derivable from the taking a part in  the
 direction of their affairs1 presented  
to view a promise of being at  once     
respectable1 lucrative1 and             
permanent2--what more natural then1     
that this change1 from left to right1   
had for its origin the advice of  this  
same patron8--advice1 to which1 all     
things considered1 the epithet  good    
could not very easily be refused4       
,,false ,,pretences ,,employed4    ,to  
the self-constituted ,apostle1 false    
pretences were familiar4 ,they  were    
not--they could not have been--without  
an object4 ,one object was  power3 this 
object1 when pursued1 is of itself      
abundantly sufficient to  call forth    
such means4 ,but1 another object with   

,paul was money3 of its  being so1 the  
passages referred to as above1 will     
afford abundant  proofs4 ,a man1 in     
whose composition the appetite for      
money1 and the  habit of using false    
pretences are conjoined1 will be still  
more likely  to apply them to that      
productive purpose1 than to any barren  
one4 ,in the  character of a general    
argument1 the observations thus         
submitted1 are  not1 it should seem1    
much exposed to controversy4    ,but1 of
 a particular instance1 of money        
obtained by him on a false              
pretence1--namely1 by the pretence of   
its being for the use of others1  when  
his intention was to convert it to his  
own use1--a mass of evidence  we have1  
which presents itself as being in no    
slight degree probative4  ,it is        
composed of two several declarations of 
his own1--with1 as above  referred to1  
the explanation of it1 afforded by a    
body of circumstantial  evidence1 which 
has already been under review3 and as1  

in the nature of  the case1 from an     
evil-doer of this sort1 evidence to a   
fact of this  sort1 cannot reasonably be
 expected to be frequently              
observable1--the  labour1 employed in   
bringing it here to view1 will not1 it  
is presumed1  be chargeable1 with being 
employed altogether without fruit4      
,first1 let us see a passage1 in the    
first of his ,epistles to his           
,corinthians1 date of it1 ,a4,d4 #eg4   
,in this1 we shall see a regularly      
formed system of money-gathering3 an    
extensive application of it to  various 
and mutually distant countries1 with    
indication given of  particular times   
and places1 in which it was his         
intention to pursue it3  also1          
intimation1 of a special charitable     
purpose1 to which it was his  professed 
intention to make application of the    
produce of it1 at a place  specified3   
namely1 ,jerusalem4    ,first then      
comes1 #a ,cor4 #af3a-h4 ,a4,d4 #eg4    
,now concerning the collection for the  

saints1 as ,i have given order to  the  
churches of ,galatia1 even so do        
ye4--,upon the first day of the  week1  
let every one of you lay by him in      
store1 as ,god hath prospered  him1 that
 there be no gatherings when ,i         
come4--,and when ,i come1  whomsoever ye
 shall approve by your letters1 them    
will ,i send to bring  your liberality  
unto ,jerusalem4--,and if it be meet    
that ,i go also1  they shall go with    
me4--,now ,i will come unto you when ,i 
shall pass  through ,macedonia2 for ,i  
do pass through ,macedonia4--,and it may
 be  that ,i will abide1 yea and winter 
with you1 that ye may bring me on my    
journey whithersoever ,i go4--,for ,i   
will not see you now by the way3 but  ,i
 trust to tarry a while with you if the 
,lord permit4--,but ,i will  tarry at   
,ephesus until ,pentecost4 ,at ,ephesus1
 where he becomes an  object of         
jealousy1 as we have seen1 to the       
church-silversmiths2 and1  from his     
declared business at those other places1

 some evidence surely  is afforded of   
what was his probable business in that  
place4    ,next let us see a passage in 
his ,epistle to his ,romans3 date of it1
  ,a4,d4 #eh4 ,here1 in two instances1  
we shall see the success1 with which    
this system was pursued by him3 as also 
a maxim1 laid down by him--a  maxim1 in 
which the existence of this same system1
 on his part1 is  acknowledged3 a maxim1
 in which his hopes of success in the   
pursuit of  it1 are declaredly founded4 
,rom4 #ae3bd-bh4 ,a4,d4 #eh4            
,whensoever ,i take my journey into     
,spain1 ,i will come to you2 for ,i     
trust to see you in my journey1 and to  
be brought on my way thitherward  by    
you1 if first ,i be somewhat filled with
 your company4--,but now ,i go  unto    
,jerusalem1 to minister unto the        
,saints4--,for it hath pleased them  of 
,macedonia and ,achaia to make a certain
 contribution for the poor  saints which
 are at ,jerusalem4--,it hath pleased   
them verily3 and their  debtors they    

are4 ,for if the ,gentiles have been    
made partakers of their  spiritual      
things1 their duty is also to minister  
unto them in carnal  things4--,when     
therefore ,i have performed this1 and   
have sealed to them  this fruit1 ,i will
 come by you into ,spain4    ,in the    
instance in question1 money 7we see7--of
 the quantity of course  nothing        
said--is mentioned by him1 as being     
actually in his hands3 the  purpose1 for
 which it was there1--and to which he   
would of course be  understood to intend
 applying it1--being also mentioned by  
him3--applying it1 at ,jerusalem1 to the
 use of the poor saints4 ,so much  for  
professed intentions4 ,now then for real
 ones4 ,answer1 in his own  words3 that 
those ,gentiles1 who by him had been    
made partakers of his  spiritual things1
 might1 as in duty bound1 minister to   
him1 so  much the more effectively in   
carnal things3 that he1 who preached1   
what he called the ,gospel1 might1 as he
 had been preaching to his  ,corinthians

 also 7#a ,cor4 ix4 #ad7 be enabled so  
much the more comfortably  to live by   
it4    ,the poor saints which are at    
,jerusalem3--the poor saints--to wit1   
not here and there a saint or two1 but  
the whole ,christian population  living 
together on a common stock--if now1     
,a4,d4 #eh1 they were living1 as  ,a4,d4
 #ec they were 7,acts ii4 #dd2 vi4 #a7  
and1 in this particular1 from the       
beginning to the end of the history1 no 
change is mentioned--in  ,jerusalem--was
 it in the nature of man1 in that state 
of men and  things1--was it in the      
nature of men and things1 that any man1 
who had  any knowledge of their         
situation1 and of the terms on which    
,paul1 from  first to last1 had been    
with them1 could for a moment have      
thought of  lodging1 for their use1 any 
the smallest sum of money in his hands8 
as well might it be said1 at this       
moment--a man1 whose wish it was to     
convey money to ,spain1 for the use of  
the ,cortes1 would choose the hand  of  

the ,duc d',angouleme to send it by4    
,all this time1 there were the          
,apostles of ,jesus--patrons of those   
same saints3 and1 anywhere more  easily 
than there1 could he be4 ,that1 with    
this money in his hands1  among his     
objects was--the employing more or less 
of it in the endeavour  to form a party 
there1 may not unreasonably be supposed1
 from what we  have seen of that        
,invasion ,visit1 by which his designs  
upon ,jerusalem  were endeavoured to be 
carried into effect4 ,for1 according to 
,acts  #ai3ba1 already when he was at   
,ephesus1 as above1 was it his known    
design1 to try his fortune once more in 
,jerusalem1 and after that in  ,rome4   
,this may have been among his designs1  
or not4 ,be this as it may1  this would 
have been no more than a particular way1
 of converting the  money to his own    
use4    ,not that1 if at this time1 and 
for this purpose from even the quarters 
in question1 money had come1 as he says 
it had1 there was anything very         

wonderful in its so doing4 ,as to us    
indeed we know pretty well what  sort of
 terms he was on1 from first to last1   
with the community in  question3 we know
 this1 because his historiographer has  
made us know  it4 ,but1 as to the people
 of those same countries                
respectively1--at  their distance from  
,jerusalem1 what1 in their situation1   
might easily  enough happen was1--not to
 have1 as to this point1 any adequate   
information till it was too late to     
profit by it3 and1 that such would  be  
their ignorance1 is a matter1 of which  
he might not less easily have  that     
which1 to a man of his daring and       
sanguine temper1 would be a  sufficient 
assurance4    ,one thing there is1      
which1 on the occasion of any view they 
took of this  subject1 may perhaps have 
contributed to blind their eyes4 ,this  
is--the  fact1 of his having actually   
been concerned1 in bringing money to    
,jerusalem1 for a similar purpose1      
though it must be confessed1 not less   

than fourteen years before this3 to wit1
 from ,antioch1 as stated in  ,chapter  
,v41 speaking of that--his second       
,jerusalem ,visit1 by the name  of the  
,money-bringing ,visit4    ,but1--what  
may easily enough have happened1        
distance in time and place1  together   
considered1 is--that to those           
particulars1 which composed no  more    
than the surface of the business1 their 
knowledge was confined3  while we1      
though at the distance of more than     
seventeen centuries1  know more or less 
of the inside of it1--let into it1 as we
 have been1 by  the author of the ,acts4
    ,as to their arriving sooner or     
later1 at the suspicion1 or though it   
were the discovery1 that the money had  
not1 any part of it1 reached the  hands 
it was intended for1 nor was in any way 
to do so1--what bar could  the          
apprehension of any such result oppose1 
to the enterprise1  systematic1 as we   
see it was1 of the creator of           
,antichrist8 ,when1 to a  man1 who      

occupies a certain situation in the eye 
of the political world1  calls for      
accounts are become                     
troublesome1--,scipio might have        
informed  him1 if he had not well enough
 known of himself1 how to answer them4  
,when a charge made upon you is         
true--evidence full against you1  and   
none to oppose to it1--fly into a       
passion1 magnify your own               
excellence--magnify the depravity of    
your adversaries4 ,this mode1 of        
parrying a charge1 is perfectly well    
understood in our days1 nor could  it   
have been much less well understood in  
,paul's days4 ,as for his  adversaries1 
,paul had a storm in petto at all times 
ready for them3  for the materials1 turn
 to any page of his ,epistles3 whatever1
 in this  way1 he had for rivals1--that 
and more he could not fail to have for  
accusing witnesses4 ,to the creator of  
,antichrist--sower of tares between     
,pharisees and ,sadducees1--whatever    
were the charges1 defence1 the most     

triumphant1 could never be wanting3     
arguments1 suited with the utmost       
nicety1 to the taste of judges4 ,he     
would warn them1 against false          
brethren1 and liars1 and wolves1 and    
children of ,satan1 and so forth3  he   
would talk to them1 about life and      
death1 and sin and righteousness1  and  
faith and repentance1 and this world and
 that world1 and the ,lord  and         
resurrection3 he would talk backwards   
and forwards--give nonsense  for        
mystery1 and terror for instruction3 he 
would contradict everybody1  and himself
 not less than anybody3 he would raise  
such a cloud of words1  with here and   
there an ignis fatuus dancing in the    
smoke1--that the  judges1 confounded and
 bewildered1 would forget all the       
evidence1 and  cry out ,not ,guilty     
through pure lassitude4    ,as to       
us1--the case being now before us1 what 
shall be our verdict8  ,obtaining money 
on false pretences is the charge4       
,guilty shall we say1  or not guilty8   

,obtainment on a certain pretence1 is   
proved by direct  evidence--his own     
evidence3 proof1 of falsity in the      
pretence1 rests1 as  it could not but   
rest1 on circumstantial evidence4       
,one observation more3 for another piece
 of circumstantial evidence has  just   
presented itself3 it consists of the    
utter silence1 about the  receipt of the
 money or any particle of it1--when1 if 
there had been any  such receipt1       
occasions there were in such abundance  
for the mention of  it4 ,a4,d4 #eg1 in  
his first to his ,corinthians1--there it
 is1 as we have  seen1 that he urges    
them to lay by money for him1 declaring 
it is for  the saints at ,jerusalem2 and
 that on this same errand it is1 that he
 is  going to ,macedonia1--and that in  
his way to ,jerusalem he will give them 
another call1 to receive1 for that same 
purpose1 the intermediate  produce of   
these proposed saving-banks4 ,in his    
letter to the ,romans1  written the next
 year1 ,a4,d4 #eh--written at           

,corinth1--then it is1 that he  has     
already made the said intended          
money-gathering visit1 and with         
success3--with success not only in      
,macedonia1 as he had proposed1 but in  
,achaia likewise3 and1 with this money  
in his hand1 and for the purpose  of    
delivering the money to those for whom  
he obtained it2--for this  purpose 7he  
says7 it is1 that he is at that moment  
on his way to  ,jerusalem--the place of 
their abode4 ,this is in the year ,a4,d4
 #eh4 ,well  then3 after this it is1    
that he takes up his abode at ,ephesus4 
,and when1  after his contests with the 
church silversmiths there1 he departs   
from  thence1 whither does he betake    
himself8 ,to ,jerusalem8 ,no3 he turns  
his  back upon ,jerusalem1 and goes for 
,macedonia 7,acts xx4 #a47 then into    
,greece1 where he stays three months2   
and purposes1 ,acts #bj3c1 to return    
through ,macedonia4 ,a4,d4 #fj1 it is1  
that1 for the first time1 ,acts #bj3af1 
any intention of his to visit ,jerusalem

 is declared1 he having coveted  no     
man's silver or gold1 as his historian1 
,acts xx4 #cc1 makes him assure  us4    
,when1 at length he arrived there1 what 
his reception was1 we have  seen4 ,had  
any of the money been received there1   
would such as we have  seen have been   
the reception given to the man8 ,when1  
by the ,christians  at ,jerusalem1      
,agabus was sent to him1 to keep him if 
possible from  coming there1--is it in  
the nature of things1 that they should  
have  already received any of it1 or    
been in any expectation of it8 ,in what 
passed between him and the ,elders1     
headed by the ,apostle ,james1 is any   
the slightest allusion made to it8      
,when1 in ,csarea1 all in tears1 ,acts  
#ba3ab1 #ac1 his attendants were        
striving1 might and main1 to dissuade   
him  from going to ,jerusalem1--did he  
say anything about the money--the money 
he had been so long charged with8 ,oh   
no2 not a syllable3 to ,jerusalem he  is
 resolved to go indeed3 ,oh yes3 but not

 the shadow of a reason can he  find for
 going there4    ,when arrived at       
,jerusalem1 the brethren1 says the ,acts
 #bj3ag1 received  him gladly4 ,the     
brethren3 yes1 what adherents he had1   
would of course  receive him gladly1 or 
at least appear to do so4 ,but the      
money8 ,on their  side1 was anything    
said about the money8 ,not a syllable4  
,either at this  time by his own hand1  
or any time before1 by other hands1 had 
they  received this money1 or any       
considerable part of it1 could they have
  received him otherwise than not only  
gladly1 but gratefully8    ,all the     
time1 the hero was thus employed in     
money-craving and  money-gathering1 the 
historian1 let it never be out of mind1 
was of the  party3 four years before1   
,a4,d4 #ec1 had he been taken into it2  
yet not  any the least hint about these 
money-matters does he give4 ,so far     
indeed  as regarded what was avowedly   
for ,paul's own use1 neither could the  
receipt nor the craving of the money    

from their customers1 have been  unknown
 to him2 for this was what they had to  
live upon4 ,but the letters  his master 
wrote--wrote to their customers         
everywhere--letters1 in which  the      
demand was made1 for the so much more   
extensive purpose1--of these1  so many  
of which have reached these our times1  
the contents may to him  have easily    
enough remained a secret3 little reason 
had he to expect1  none at all to fear1 
the exposure1--which now1 at the end of 
more than  seventeen centuries1 has1 at 
length1 been made of them1--confronted1 
as  they may now be1 with the           
particulars he himself has furnished us 
with4    ,,footnotes3    #ac ,acts vii4 
ver4 #dg4 ,speech of ,st4 ,stephen4 ,but
 ,solomon built him an  house4 ,howbeit 
the ,most ,high dwelleth not in temples 
made with hands2 as  saith the prophet1 
,heaven is my throne1 and earth is my   
footstool3 what  house will ye build me8
 saith the ,lord3 or what is the place  
of my  rest8 ,in itself1 perfectly      

comfortable all this1 to the dictates of
  reason and the instruction of ,jesus3 
but not the less clear blasphemy        
against the ,mosaic law4    #ad ,acts   
ix4 ver4 #a and #b4 ,and ,saul1 yet     
breathing out threatenings  and         
slaughter against the ,disciples of the 
,lord1 went unto the ,high              
,priest1--,and desired of him letters to
 ,damascus to the ,synagogues1  c4      
#ae ,acts xxii4 ver4 #e4 ,as also the   
,high ,priest doth bear me witness1  and
 all the estate of the ,elders3 from    
whom also ,i received letters  unto the 
brethren1 and went to ,damascus1 to     
bring them which were there  bound unto 
,jerusalem for to be punished4    #af   
,yet1 for even at the outset1 after     
certain days spent with the  disciples1 
and employed of course in receiving from
 them the necessary  instructions1 he   
preached ,jesus with such energy and    
success as not only  to confound1 ,acts 
ix4 #ai to #bd1 the unbelieving among   
the ,jews1 but to  provoke them to take 

counsel to kill him4    #ag ,paul1      
says--#bnd ,cor4 #aa3f--;,for though ,i 
be rude in speech yet am ,i  not in     
knowledge nay1 in everything we have    
made it manifest among all  men to      
you-ward1 or did ,i commit a sin in     
abasing myself that ye might  be        
exalted1 because ,i preached to you the 
,gospel of ,god for naught8 ,i  robbed  
other ,churches1 taking wages of them   
that ,i might minister unto  you2 and   
when ,i was present with you ,i was in  
want1 ,i was not a burden  on any man2  
for the brethren1 when they came from   
,macedonia supplied the  measure of my  
want1 and in everything ,i kept myself  
from being  burdensome unto you and so  
,i will keep myself4 ,as the truth of   
,christ is  in me no man shall stop me  
of this glorying in the regions of      
,achaia1  c4    ,when ever we get a     
,temperamental and psychological view of
 ,paul1 we see  verified the deductions 
of the author of this treatise1 that he 
was a  transparent imposter4 ,an        

unscrupulous adventurer4 ,with talent   
well  adapted to dogmatically command   
the attention of the ignorant and       
especially those of organized hereditary
 idolatry1 the extreme vanity1  the vain
 glorious pretensions of this new priest
 was well adapted to  obtain obsequious 
complacence from such people4 ,he always
 presents  himself in a controversial   
spirit of self-exaltation4    ,his      
egotistic diction could hardly be made  
more manifest than in the  terms above  
quoted1 to wit3--,i robbed other        
,churches taking wages of  them that ,i 
might minister unto you1 c4 ,it presents
 a striking  contrast to the benevolent 
and fraternal spirit of ,christ and his 
disciples4    #ah ,n4,b4 ,the editor at 
this place inserts pages of             
discussion--which  the author exhibited 
by way of an appendix4 ,at the expense  
of a little  redundancy and incongruity 
the editor inserts it in this           
place4--,ed4    #ai ,according to the   
,acts' account1 this same stoning1 if it

 was the  same1 was much in the style of
 that same resurrection of ,eutychus1   
which  we have seen in ,chapter xiii4 4 
#aj4 ,as to ,paul1 when this martyrdom  
had  been suffered by him1--some says   
,acts xiv4 #ai1 were supposing he had   
been dead3 and on that supposition1 drew
 him out of the city4 ,paul1  on the    
other hand1 thought otherwise3 he       
supposed himself alive1 and1 on  that   
supposition1 he walked off1 as if       
nothing had been the matter with  him4  
,certain ,jews 444 say verses #ai and   
#bj1 having stoned ,paul1 drew  him out 
of the city1 supposing he had been dead4
 ,howbeit1 as the  disciples stood round
 about him1 he rose up1 and came into   
the city3 and  the next day he departed 
with ,barnabas to ,derbe4               
,,chapter ,,iii4         ,paul          
disbelieved4--,neither his divine       
,commission nor his inward              
,conversion ever credited by the        
,apostles or their ,jerusalem           
,disciples4--,source of ,proof stated4  

,,section #a4    ,,to ,,paul',s         
,,conversion ,,vision1 ,,sole ,,original
 ,,witness ,,himself4    ,void1 as we   
have seen1 of all title to credence1 is 
the story of ,paul's  commission from   
,jesus3--void may it be seen to be1 even
 if taken by  itself1 and without need  
of resort to any counter-evidence4 ,who 
could  have expected to have found it1  
moreover1 disproved by the most         
irresistible counter-evidence--by the   
evidence of the ,apostles  themselves8  
,yes3 of the ,apostles themselves1 of   
whom it will plainly  enough be seen1   
that by not so much as one of them was  
it ever believed3  no1 not to even the  
very latest period1 of which any account
 has reached  us3 namely that1 at which 
the history of the ,acts of the         
,apostles  closes1 or that of the date  
of the last-written of ,paul's          
,epistles1  whichsoever of the two may  
be the latest4    ,in regard to the     
story of his conversion1 its cause1 and 
manner1--it has  been seen1 that it is  

either from himself directly1 or from an
 adherent  of his1 the author of the    
,acts1--who had it from himself1 unless 
,ananias  was a person known to the     
author of the ,acts1 and heard by       
him1--it is  from ,paul1 and ,paul      
alone1 that all the evidence1 which the 
case has  happened to supply1 has been  
derived4    ,in regard to the degree of 
credence given1 to his pretence to the  
having  received a commission from      
,jesus1 still the same remark applies3  
still1  either from himself1 or from the
 same partial1 and1 as will be seen1 not
  altogether trustworthy1 narrator1     
comes the whole of the evidence1 with   
which the case happens to have furnished
 us4      ,,section #b4                 
,,counter-,,witnesses1 ,,the ,,apostles4
 ,,by ,,them1 ,,the ,,story ,,was       
,,probably  ,,not ,,heard--,,certainly  
,,not ,,credited4    ,jerusalem1        
according to the ,acts1 was the         
headquarters of the noble army  of the  
,apostles3 the ordinary residence of    

that goodly fellowship3--a  station1    
which they none of them ever quitted1   
for any considerable  length of time4   
,in the course of the interval1 between 
the date assigned by ,paul to his       
conversion1 and that of the last        
particulars we have of his              
history1--mention1 more or less         
particular1 may be found of four visits 
of his--distinctly four related visits1 
and no more than four1--to that         
metropolis of the new ,church4 ,on no   
one of these occasions1 could he  have  
avoided using his endeavours1 towards   
procuring admittance1 to the  fellowship
 of the distinguished persons1 so       
universally known in the  character of  
the select companions and most          
confidential servants of  ,jesus3 of    
that ,jesus1 whom1 in the flesh at any  
rate1 he never so much  as pretended to 
have ever seen3 from whom he had        
consequently1 if they  thought proper to
 impart it1 so much to learn1 or at     
least to wish to  learn3 while to them  

he had nothing to impart1 except that   
which1 if  anything1 it was only in the 
way of vision1 if in any way1 that he   
had  learned from ,jesus4    ,that on   
three at least of these four occasions1 
viz4 the #ast1 #c;d1 and  #dth1 he      
accordingly did use his endeavours to   
confer with them1 will be  put out of   
dispute by direct evidence2 and that1 in
 the remaining one1  namely that which  
in the order of time stands             
second1--successfully or  not1 his      
endeavours were directed to the same    
purpose1--will1 it will be  seen1 be    
reasonably to be inferred from          
circumstantial evidence4 ,in the        
character of an additional occasion of  
intercourse1 between him and one  of the
 ,apostles1 namely1 ,peter1 the chief of
 them1--will be to be added1  that which
 will be seen taking place at ,antioch2 
immediately upon the  back1 and in      
consequence1 of the third of these same 
visits of his to  ,jerusalem4    ,as to 
the mode of his conversion as above     

stated1--the time1 for him  to have     
stated it to them1 was manifestly that  
of the first of these  four visits2--say
 his reconciliation-visit3 and that1 of 
that first  visit1 to see them1 or at   
any rate the chief of them1 namely1     
,peter1 was  the object1--is what1 in   
his ,epistle to the ,galatians1 we shall
 see him  declaring in express terms4   
,after all--that story of his1 in which 
the supposed manner of his  conversion  
is related1 as above1--did he so much as
 venture to submit it  to them8 ,the    
more closely it is examined1 the less   
probable surely will  be seen to be--his
 having ventured1 to submit any such    
narrative1 to a  scrutiny so jealous1 as
 theirs1 under these circumstances1     
could not  fail to be4    ,one of two   
things at any rate will1 it is believed1
 be seen to a  certainty3 namely1       
,either no such story as that which we  
see1 nor  anything like it1 was ever    
told to them by him2 or1 if yes1 it     
obtained  no credit at their hands4     

,,section #c4    ,,in ,,proof ,,of      
,,this1 ,,so ,,much ,,of ,,the ,,acts   
,,history ,,must ,,here ,,be            
,,anticipated4    ,for proof1 of the    
disbelief1 which his story will1 it is  
believed1 be  found to have experienced1
 at the hands of those supremely        
competent  judges1--the time is now     
come1 for collecting together1 and      
submitting  in a confronted state to the
 reader1 all the several particulars    
that  have reached us1 in relation to   
these four important visits4    ,between
 the first-recorded and the             
last-recorded of the four1 the length   
of the interval being so considerable as
 it will be seen to be1 namely1  upwards
 of #ag years at the least1--and1 in the
 course of the interval1  so numerous   
and various a series of incidents being 
to be seen  comprised1--the consequence 
is--that this one topic will unavoidably
  spread itself to such an extent1 as to
 cover the whole of the  chronological  
field of the history of the ,church in  

those eventful  times4 ,a sort of       
necessity has thus been found1 of taking
 a view of the  principal part of all   
those several incidents1 in a sort of   
historical  order1 in a succeeding part 
of this work3 hence1 of that which1 for 
the  proof of what has just been        
advanced1 will here be necessary to be  
brought to view1--no inconsiderable     
portion will be an anticipation1 of     
that which belongs properly to the      
historical sketch1 and1 but for this    
necessity1 would have been reserved for 
it4      ,,section #d4    ,,topics      
,,under ,,his ,,several                 
,,jerusalem-,,visits4    ,thick clouds1 
and those covering no small portion of  
its extent1 will1  after everything that
 can be done to dispel them1 be found   
still hanging  over the field of this   
inquiry4 ,but1 if to the purpose of the 
present  question1 sufficient light be  
elicited2 in whatever darkness any      
collateral points may remain still      
involved1 the conclusion will not be    

affected by it4    ,as to the           
credibility of ,paul's story1--taken in 
itself1 and viewed from  the only       
position1 from which we1 at this time of
 day1 can view it1--the  question has   
just been discussed4    ,that which     
remains for discussion is--whether1 from
 the ,church1 which  ,paul found in     
existence--the ,church composed of the  
,apostles of ,jesus1  and his and their 
disciples--it ever obtained credence4   
,on this occasion1 to the ,apostles more
 particularly must the attention  be    
directed3 and this--not only because by 
their opinion1 that of the  great body  
of those disciples would1 of course1 on 
a point of such vital  importance1 be   
governed2 but1 because1 in the case of  
these confidential  servants and        
habitual attendants of ,jesus1 the      
individuals1 of whom the  body is       
composed1 and who are designated by one 
and the same  denomination1 are always  
determinable3 determinable1 in such     
sort1 that1  at all times1 wheresoever  

they are represented as being1 the eye  
can  follow them4    ,to judge with what
 aspect ,paul with his pretensions was  
viewed by them1  always with a view to  
the main question--whether1 in any      
particular1 the  alleged supernatural   
cause of his outward conversion1 and    
thence of his  presumable inward        
conversion1 ever obtained credence from 
them2--one  primary object1 which       
requires to be attended to1 is--personal
  intercourse2 viz4 the sort of personal
 intercourse1 which between him on  the 
one part1 and them1 or some of them1 on 
the other part1 appears to  have had    
place4    ,of this intercourse1 the     
several interviews1 which appear to have
  had place1 will form the links4       
,correspondent to those interviews  will
 be found to be so many visits3 all of  
them1 except one1  visits made by him to
 the great original metropolis of the   
,christian  world--,jerusalem3--the     
scene of the acts and sufferings of the 
departed  ,jesus3--the ordinary abode of

 these his chosen disciples and         
successors4  ,if1 to these visits of    
,paul's is to be added any other        
interview1--it  will be in another city1
 to wit1 ,antioch3 and1 in this         
instance1 between  ,paul1 and not1 as in
 the case of the other visits might     
naturally be  expected1 the ,apostles in
 a body2 but one1 or some other small   
number of  members1 by whom a visit to  
that place was made1 in consequence of  
their  having been selected for that    
purpose1 and deputed by the rest4    ,of
 the interviews corresponding with these
 visits1 the real number1--and  not only
 the real number1 but the number upon   
record1--is unhappily1 in  no           
inconsiderable degree1 exposed to doubt2
 for1 considering the terms  they were  
upon1 as we shall see1 at the interviews
 produced by ,paul's  first ,jerusalem  
visit1 it does not by any means follow1 
that1 between  the persons in question1 
because there were two more such visits1
 there  was1 on each occasion1 an       

interview4    ,two of them1 however1 at 
any rate1 if any degree of credence     
whatever be  given to the documents1    
remain altogether clear of doubt3 and   
whatever  uncertainty may be found to   
attach upon any of the others1 may be   
regarded as so many fixed points3 fixed 
points1 forming so many  standards of   
reference1 to which the others may in   
speaking of them be  referred1 and by   
reference to which the reality and time 
of those  others1 will be endeavoured to
 be ascertained4    ,for the designation
 of the visits which produced these two 
unquestionable interviews1 the terms    
,reconciliation ,visit1 and  ,invasion  
,visit1 will here be employed3 the      
former being that which  gave rise to   
the first-mentioned of the two          
interviews1 which1 after the            
conversion1 appear for certain to have  
had place between the rival and         
contending powers2 the other1 to the    
last4    #a4 ,by the ,reconciliation    
,visit is here meant--that visit--by    

which was  produced the first interview1
 which1 after the conversion of ,paul1  
had  place between him and any of the   
,apostles4 ,its title to this           
appellation  is altogether              
unquestionable4 ,after these proceedings
 of ,paul's1 by  which the destruction  
of so many of the ,christians had       
already been  effected1 and that of all 
the rest was threatened1--it was not    
possible1 that1 without a               
reconciliation1--if not an inward at any
  rate an outward one1--any interview1  
on both sides voluntary1 should  have   
taken place4 ,of the ,apostles1 ,peter  
was the acknowledged chief3  that it was
 for the purpose of seeing ,peter1 that 
a visit of ,paul's to  ,jerusalem--the  
first of those mentioned by him--was    
made1--is  acknowledged by himself3     
acknowledged1 in that ,epistle of his1  
to his  ,galatian disciples1 of which so
 much will have to be said1 ,gal4 i4 and
  ii4#bj ,without the assistance of some
 mediator1 scarcely was it in the       

nature of the case1 that1 in any way1   
any such reconciliation could have  been
 effected4 ,in the person of            
,barnabas1--a most munificent patron1 as
  will be seen1 of the infant           
church1--this indispensable friend was  
found4    ,according to the received    
chronology1 the time of this visit was  
,a4,d4  #ch4 ,in the account1 given in  
the ,acts1 ,acts #af3f1 of the conjunct 
missionary excursion made from ,antioch 
by ,paul and ,barnabas--an  excursion1  
the commencement of which is1 by that   
same chronology1 placed  in the year    
#ec1--;,galatia stands fifth1 in the    
number of the places1  which they are   
spoken of as visiting4 ,of any visit1   
made in that  country1 either before    
this or after it1 no mention is to be   
found in  the ,acts1 except in ,acts    
#ah3bc3 on which occasion1 he is spoken 
of as  revisiting ,galatia1             
strengthening the churches4#ba    ,of   
what passed on the occasion of this     
visit1 the account1 given as  above by  

,paul1 will be seen receiving           
explanation1 from what is said of  this 
same visit in the ,acts4    ,,acts ix4  
#bf to #cj4         #bf4 ,and when ,saul
 was come to ,jerusalem1 he assayed to  
join himself       to the disciples3 but
 they were all afraid of him1 and       
believed not       that he was a        
disciple4--,but ,barnabas took him1 and 
brought him       to the ,apostles1 and 
declared unto them how he had seen the  
,lord in       the way1 and that he had 
spoken to him1 and how he had preached  
boldly at ,damascus in the name of      
,jesus4--,and he was with them          
coming in and going out at              
,jerusalem4--,and he spake boldly in the
       name of the ,lord ,jesus1 and    
disputed against the ,grecians3 but they
       went about to slay him4--,which  
when the brethren knew1 they brought    
him down to ,csarea1 and sent him forth 
to ,tarsus4    #b4 ,by the ,invasion    
,visit is here meant--that visit of     
,paul to  ,jerusalem1 by which his      

arrestation1 and consequent visit to    
,rome in a  state of confinement1 were  
produced4 ,invasion it may well be      
termed3  the object of it having        
manifestly been--the making1 in that    
original  metropolis of the ,christian  
world1 spiritual conquests1 at the      
expense  of the gentle sway of the      
,apostles3 spiritual acquisitions--not  
to speak  of their natural consequences1
 temporal ones4 ,it was undertaken1 as  
will  be seen1 in spite of the most     
strenuous exertions1 made for the       
prevention of it3 made1 not only by     
those1 whose dominions he was so        
needlessly invading1 but by the         
unanimous remonstrances and entreaties  
of his own adherents4    ,the           
date--assigned to the commencement of   
this visit1 is ,a4,d4 #fj4  ,interval1  
between this his last recorded visit and
 his first1 according  to the received  
chronology1 #bb years4    ,neither of   
the occasion of it1 nor of any          
individual occurrence which  took place 

in the course of it1 have we any        
account--from any other  source than the
 history of the ,acts4 ,paul's account  
is all in generals4      #c4 ,paul's    
,jerusalem ,visit the                   
,second4--,according to the ,acts1 ,acts
  #aa3cj1 which also they did1 and sent 
it to the ,elders by the hands of       
,barnabas and ,saul1 between these two  
indisputable interviews of ,paul's  with
 the ,apostles occurs another visit1    
herein designated by the name of  the   
,money-bringing ,visit4 ,under the      
apprehension of a predicted  dearth1    
money is sent from the ,antioch to the  
,jerusalem saints4  ,barnabas1 and with 
him ,paul1 are employed in the          
conveyance of it4 ,time1  assigned to   
this ,visit1 ,a4,d4 #dc4 ,of this visit1
 not any the least trace  is to be found
 in any ,epistle of ,paul's4 ,yet1 in   
this ,epistle of his to  his ,galatians1
 he will be seen undertaking in a       
manner1 to give an  account1 of every   
visit of his to ,jerusalem1 in which1   

with reference to  spiritual dominion1  
between himself and the ,apostles1      
anything material  had ever passed4     
,by this silence of ,paul's1 no         
counter-evidence is opposed1 to the     
account given of this visit in the      
,acts4 ,what may very well be is1--that 
he went along with the money1 and       
departed1 without having had any        
personal communication with any         
,apostle1 or even with any one of their 
disciples4    #d4 ,deputation ,visit4   
,paul's ,jerusalem ,visit the           
,third--say his  ,deputation ,visit4    
,according to the ,acts1#bb ,paul being 
at the ,syrian  ,antioch1 certain men   
came thither from ,judea1 teaching1 that
 ,mosaic  circumcision is necessary to  
,christian salvation4 ,dissension being 
thus  produced1 ,paul1 and ,barnabas as 
usual with him1 are dispatched to confer
  on this subject with the ,apostles and
 the ,elders--,time1 assigned to this   
visit1 ,a4,d4 #eb4 ,interval between the
 first and this third visit--years  #ae4

    ,in addition to the first ,jerusalem
 ,visit1 mentioned as above by ,paul1 to
  wit1 in the first chapter of his      
,epistle to his ,galatians1--in the     
second1 mention is made of another4     
,of the incidents mentioned by ,paul1 as
 belonging to this other visit1         
scarcely can any one1 unless it be that 
of his having ,barnabas for a           
companion1 be found1 that presents      
itself as being the same with any       
incident mentioned in the ,acts1 in the 
account given of the above named        
,deputation ,visit4 ,but1 between the   
two accounts1 neither does any          
repugnance manifest itself3 and1        
forasmuch as1 in a statement1 the       
purpose of which required that no       
interview1 in which anything material   
passed between him and the ,apostles1   
should pass unnoticed1--he mentions  no 
more than one visit besides the         
first1--it seems reasonable to          
conclude1 that it was but one and the   
same visit1 that1 in the penning  of    

both these accounts1 was in view4    ,as
 far as appears1 it is from the account 
thus given by ,paul of the  second1 of  
the two visits mentioned by him as made 
to ,jerusalem1 that  the received       
chronology has deduced the year1 which  
it assigns to the  ,deputation ,visit1  
as recorded in the ,acts4    ,in ,paul's
 account alone--in ,paul's1 and not in  
that in the ,acts--is the  distance     
given in a determinate number of years4 
,according to one of two                
interpretations1 #ag--the number above  
mentioned as adopted in the  current    
chronology--is the number of years      
mentioned by ,paul as  intervening      
between those two visits4 ,but even in  
this place1 a  circumstance that must   
not pass altogether unnoticed is1--that1
  according to another interpretation1  
to which the text presents itself  as   
almost equally open1 the length of the  
interval would be considerably  greater4
 ,galatians i4 #ag3 ,neither went ,i up 
to ,jerusalem to them which  were       

,apostles before me3 but ,i went into   
,arabia1 and returned again unto        
,damascus4 ,then after three years ,i   
went up to ,jerusalem to see ,peter1    
and abode with him fifteen days4 ,after 
what period8--after that of his         
conversion8 or after the expiration of  
this his second visit to  ,damascus8    
,reckoning from this latter period1 the 
interval may be ever so  much greater   
than that of the three years3 for1 to   
the three years may  be added an        
indefinite length of time for the       
second1 and even for the  first1 of his 
abodes at ,damascus4 ,but1 as we        
advance1 reason will appear  for        
concluding1 that1 being in the eyes of  
the ,damascus rulers1 as well  as the   
,jerusalem rulers1 a traitor--in the    
highest degree a traitor--his  abode at 
,damascus could not1 at either of these 
times1 have been other  than short as   
well as secret4    ,gal4 ii4 #a3 ,then1 
fourteen years after1 ,i went up again  
to ,jerusalem  with ,barnabas1 and took 

,titus also4 ,this being supposed to be 
the  ,deputation ,visit1 these fourteen 
added to the former three1 make the     
seventeen4    #e4 ,peter's ,antioch     
,visit4--,in ,paul's ,epistle1 addressed
 to his  ,galatians1 as                 
above1--immediately after the mention of
 his own second  ,jerusalem ,visit as   
above1 comes the mention of an          
interview1 which he  says he has at     
,antioch with ,peter3 ,peter being come1
 he says1 to that  place4 ,gal4 ii4 #aa4
 ,in the ,acts1 #ae3bb1 immediately upon
 the back of  the accounts of the       
,deputation ,visit1 as above1--comes an 
account of  what may be called a counter
 ,deputation ,visit4 ,of the former     
,deputation ,visit1 according to the    
,acts1 the result is--from the          
,apostles1 the ,elders1 and the whole   
,church1 a letter1 concluding with  a   
decree3 and by men chosen of their own  
company1 this letter is  stated as      
having been carried to ,antioch3 and1   
with these men1 so  chosen1 ,paul and   

,barnabas are stated as returning to    
,antioch1 from which  city1 as above1   
they had been deputed4 ,as and for the  
names of chosen  men1 those of ,judas1  
surnamed ,barsabas1 and ,silas1 are     
mentioned3  chief men among the brethren
 is another title by which they are1    
both  of them1 distinguished4 ,to these1
 no other names are added3 in           
particular1 not that of ,peter4 ,thus   
far the ,acts4    ,as to ,paul1 in the  
account he gives1 of the discussion1 to 
which1  after--and apparently1 as above1
 in consequence of--his secondly        
mentioned interview with ,peter at      
,jerusalem1--no mention is made either  
of ,judas ,barsabas1 or of ,silas3 of   
,peter--and him alone--it is1 that1 on  
this occasion1 any mention is made4     
,peter comes1 as it should seem1 to     
,antioch from ,jerusalem2 which last    
city seems to have been his ordinary    
abode4 ,but1 on this occasion likewise1 
in addition to this visitor1  mention is
 again made of ,barnabas1 of whom1 as   

far as appears1 from the  time of the   
,reconciliation ,visit down to this     
time1 ,antioch was the  ordinary abode4 
,in relation to each of these several   
,visits1 a brief  preparatory indication
 of the topic or topics1 which will be  
brought to  view1 when an account comes 
to be given of it1 may in this place    
have  its use4    ,i4 ,reconciliation   
,visit4--,on this occasion1 a difficulty
 that  naturally presents itself--is--if
 the relation is in substance true1 and 
the occasion is the same--how it can    
have happened1 that if ,peter was at    
,antioch--,peter1 the universally       
acknowledged chief of the ,apostles--no 
mention should be to be found of him in 
the ,acts3 instead of him1 two  men as  
yet unknown--this ,judas ,barsabas1 and 
this ,silas--neither of  them of the    
number belonging to the goodly          
fellowship of the  ,apostles1--being the
 only persons mentioned4    ,but1 for   
this difficulty1 conjecture presents a  
solution1 in which there  is nothing    

either in itself improbable1 or         
inconsistent with either of  the two    
accounts--that of ,paul as above1 and   
that in the ,acts4 ,this  is--that those
 two were the men1 and the only men1    
deputed in the first  instance3 but1    
that after them1 at no long interval1   
came thither to  their assistance that  
chief of the ,apostles4 ,whether the    
importance of  the question be          
considered--to wit1 whether1 upon being 
received as  ,christians1 ,gentiles     
should be obliged to submit to ,mosaic  
circumcision--whether the importance of 
the question1 or the  strenuousness of  
the debates to which it is spoken of as 
having given  rise1 ,acts #ae3b1 be     
considered--the visit of the chief of   
the ,apostles  at ,jerusalem1 to the    
scene of controversy at ,antioch1       
presents not any  supposition1 to which 
any imputation of improbability seems to
 attach4    ,,acts xv4 #a to #cd4       
#a4 ,and certain men which came down    
from ,judea taught the brethren         

and said1 ,except ye be circumcised     
after the manner of ,moses1 ye          
cannot be saved4--,when therefore ,paul 
and ,barnabas had no small              
dissension and disputation with them1   
they determined that ,paul and          
,barnabas1 and certain other of them1   
should go up to ,jerusalem unto         
the ,apostles and ,elders about this    
question4--,and being brought on        
their way by the ,church1 they passed   
through ,phenice and ,samaria1          
declaring the conversion of the         
,gentiles1 and they caused great joy    
unto all the brethren4--,and when they  
were come to ,jerusalem1 they       were
 received of the ,church1 and of the    
,apostles and ,elders1 and       they   
declared all things that ,god had done  
with them4--,but there       rose up    
certain of the sect of the ,pharisees   
which believed1       saying1 ,that it  
was needful to circumcise them1 and to  
command them       to keep the law of   
,moses4--,and the ,apostles and ,elders 

came       together for to consider of  
this matter4--,and when there had been  
much disputing1 ,peter rose up1 and said
 unto them1 ,men and       brethren1 ye 
know how that a good while ago ,god made
 choice among       us1 that the        
,gentiles by my mouth should hear the   
word of the       ,gospel1 and          
believe4--,and ,god which knoweth the   
hearts1 bare them       witness1 giving 
them the ,holy ,ghost1 even as he did   
unto us3--,and       put no difference  
between us and them1 purifying their    
hearts by       faith4--,now therefore  
why tempt ye ,god to put a yoke upon the
 necks       of the disciples1 which    
neither our fathers nor we were able to 
bear8--,but we believe that through the 
grace of the ,lord ,jesus       ,christ1
 we shall be saved even as they4--,then 
all the multitude       kept silence1   
and gave audience to ,barnabas and      
,paul1 declaring       what miracles and
 wonders ,god had wrought among the     
,gentiles by       them4--,and after    

they had held their peace1 ,james       
answered1 saying1       ,men and        
brethren1 hearken unto me4--,simeon hath
 declared how ,god at       the first   
did visit the ,gentiles1 to take out of 
them a people for       his name4--,and 
to this agree the words of the          
,prophets2 as it is                     
written1--,after this ,i will return1   
and will build again the                
tabernacle of ,david which is fallen    
down2 and ,i will build again       the 
ruins thereof1 and ,i will set it       
up3--,that the residue of men           
might seek after the ,lord1 and all the 
,gentiles1 upon whom my name       is   
called1 saith the ,lord who doeth all   
these things4--,known unto       ,god   
are all his works from the beginning of 
the world4--,wherefore       my sentence
 is1 that we trouble not them1 which    
from among the       ,gentiles are      
turned to ,god3--,but that we write unto
 them1 that they       abstain from     
pollutions of idols1 and from           

fornication1 and from       things      
strangled1 and from blood4--,for ,moses 
of old time hath in       every city1   
them that preach him1 being read in the 
synagogues       every                  
sabbath-day4--,then pleased it the      
,apostles and ,elders1 with       the   
whole ,church1 to send chosen men of    
their own company to       ,antioch with
 ,paul and ,barnabas2 namely1 ,judas    
surnamed ,barsabas1       and ,silas1   
chief men among the brethren4--,and they
 wrote letters by       them after this 
manner2 ,the apostles and elders and    
brethren send       greeting unto the   
brethren which are of the ,gentiles in  
,antioch and       ,syria and           
,cilicia4--,forasmuch as we have heard1 
that certain which       went out from  
us have troubled you with words1        
subverting your       souls1 saying1 ,ye
 must be circumcised2 and keep the law2 
to whom we       gave no such           
commandment3--,it seemed good unto us1  
being assembled       with one accord1  

to send chosen men unto you1 with our   
beloved       ,barnabas and ,paul2--,men
 that have hazarded their lives for the 
name       of our ,lord ,jesus          
,christ4--,we have therefore sent ,judas
 and ,silas1       who shall also tell  
you the same things by mouth4--,for it  
seemed       good to the ,holy ,ghost1  
and to us1 to lay upon you no greater   
burden than these necessary             
things2--,that ye abstain from meats    
offered to idols1 and from blood1 and   
from things strangled1 and       from   
fornication3 from which if ye keep      
yourselves1 ye shall do       well4     
,fare ye well4--,so when they were      
dismissed1 they came to       ,antioch3 
and when they had gathered the multitude
 together1 they       delivered the     
,epistle4--,which when they had read1   
they rejoiced for       the             
consolation4--,and ,judas and ,silas1   
being prophets also       themselves1   
exhorted the brethren with many words1  
and confirmed       them4--,and after   

they had tarried there a space1 they    
were let go       in peace from the     
brethren unto the ,apostles4--#cd4      
,notwithstanding       it pleased ,silas
 to abide there still4    ,,galatians   
ii4 #a to the end4         #a4 ,then    
fourteen years after1 ,i went up again  
to ,jerusalem with       ,barnabas1 and 
took ,titus with me also4--,and ,i went 
up by       revelation1 and communicated
 unto them that ,gospel which ,i preach 
among the ,gentiles1 but privately to   
them which were of reputation1          
lest by any means ,i should run1 or had 
run in vain4--,but neither       ,titus1
 who was with me1 being a ,greek1 was   
compelled to be       circumcised4--,and
 that because of false brethren unawares
 brought       in1 who came in privily  
to spy out our liberty which we have in 
,christ ,jesus1 that they might bring us
 into bondage4--,to whom we       gave  
place by subjection1 no not for an hour2
 that the truth of the       ,gospel    
might continue with you4--,but of those1

 who seemed to be       somewhat        
7whatsoever they were1 it maketh no     
matter to me2 ,god       accepteth no   
man's person7 for they who seemed to be 
somewhat1 in       conference added     
nothing to me4--,but contrariwise1 when 
they saw       that the ,gospel of the  
uncircumcision was committed unto me1 as
 the       ,gospel of the circumcision  
was unto ,peter3--,for he that wrought  
effectually in ,peter to the            
,apostleship of the circumcision1 the   
same was mighty in me towards the       
,gentiles4--,and when ,james1           
,cephas1 and ,john1 who seemed to be    
pillars1 perceived the grace       that 
was given unto me1 they gave to me and  
,barnabas the right       hands of      
fellowship1 that we should go unto the  
heathen1 and they       unto the        
circumcision4--,only they would that we 
should remember       the poor2 the same
 which ,i also was forward to do4--,but 
when ,peter       was come to ,antioch1 
,i withstood him to the face1 because he

 was to       be blamed4--,for before   
that certain came from ,james1 he did   
eat       with the ,gentiles3 but when  
they were come1 he withdrew1 and        
separated himself1 fearing them which   
were of the       circumcision4--,and   
the other ,jews dissembled likewise with
 him1       insomuch that ,barnabas also
 was carried away by their              
dissimulation4--,but when ,i saw that   
they walked not uprightly1              
according to the truth of the ,gospel1  
,i said unto ,peter before them         
all1 ,if thou1 being a ,jew1 livest     
after the manner of ,gentiles1 and      
not as do the ,jews1 why compellest thou
 the ,gentiles to live as do       the  
,jews8--,we who are ,jews by nature1 and
 not sinners of the                     
,gentiles1--,knowing that a man is not  
justified by the works of the       law1
 but by the faith of ,jesus ,christ1    
even we have believed in       ,jesus   
,christ that we might be justified by   
the faith of ,christ and       not by   

the works of the law3 for by the works  
of the law shall no       flesh be      
justified4--,but if while we seek to be 
justified by ,christ       we ourselves 
also are found sinners1 is therefore    
,christ the       minister of sin8 ,god 
forbid4--,for if ,i build again the     
things which       ,i destroyed1 ,i make
 myself a transgressor4--,for ,i through
 the law       am dead to the law1 that 
,i might live unto ,god4--,i am         
crucified       with ,christ4           
,nevertheless ,i live2 yet not ,i1 but  
,christ liveth in       me3 and the life
 which ,i now live in the flesh1 ,i live
 by the faith       of the ,son of ,god1
 who loved me1 and gave himself for     
me4--#ba4 ,i do       not frustrate the 
grace of ,god3 for if righteousness come
 by the       law1 then ,christ is dead 
in vain4    ,of the falsity of his story
 concerning the manner of his           
conversion1--one proof1 that has been   
given1 has been deduced from the        
inconsistency1 of the several accounts  

which we have of it--all of them        
originally from himself--as compared    
with one another4    ,of the            
erroneousness of the notion of his      
having ever been in the eyes  of the    
,apostles what he professed himself to  
be--of this1 and at the  same time of   
the want of correctness1 and            
trustworthiness1 in every  account1     
which1 by him1 or from him1 is to be    
seen rendered1 of his  proceedings1     
adventures1 and dangers--proof will1 on 
the ensuing  occasions1 be afforded1 by 
evidence of this same kind3 by similar  
instances of inconsistency1 which will  
be all along brought to view4    ,on the
 occasion of his first visit to         
,jerusalem--to the metropolis of        
,christendom--will be to be noted--#a4  
,the cause and manner of his  arrival4  
#b4 ,the circumstances of his abode--its
 duration1 and business4  #c4 ,the cause
 and circumstances of his departure4 #d4
 ,the general result  of this his       
expedition4    #a4 ,of the cause of his 

visit1 and manner of his arrival1 we    
shall see  two different accounts3      
namely1 one1 given by himself directly1 
in an  epistle of his to his disciples  
in ,galatia2 the other1 by a man1 who   
afterwards became his adherent and      
travelling companion--namely the  author
 of the ,acts4    #b4 ,of the duration  
and business of his abode1 we shall see1
 in like  manner1 two different         
accounts1 delivered respectively by     
those same  pens4    #c4 ,so1 of the    
cause of his departure2--from the same  
two sources4    #d4 ,so1 of the         
circumstances of it4    #e4 ,of the     
general result of this same expedition  
of his1 we have no  fewer than three    
different accounts3 namely1 the same two
 as above2 with  the addition of a      
third1 as reported1 in the ,acts1 to    
have been given by  ,paul himself1 in   
the course of the speech he made1 at the
 time of his  fourth visit1 to an       
assembled multitude1 headed by the      
constituted  authorities among the      

,jews3--when1 after having been dragged 
by force  out of the ,temple1 he        
would--had he not been saved by a       
commander of the  ,roman guard--have    
been torn to pieces4    ,on this        
occasion1 we shall find1 that1 by his   
own confession1 made for a  particular  
purpose--for the purpose of saving his  
life--under an  exigency which allowed  
no time for the study of consistency1   
and  recorded by the blindness and      
inconsiderateness of his biographer2--we
  shall find1 that the account1 whatever
 it was1 which1 on the occasion of  this
 his first visit1 he gave of himself to 
the ,apostles1 failed  altogether in its
 endeavours to obtain credence4         
,,section #e4    ,,topics ,,under       
,,visit ,,ii4--,,money-,,bringing       
,,visit4    ,of the occasion and        
particulars of the second of these four 
visits1 we  have but one account3 viz4  
that which is to be seen in the ,acts4  
,compared with what belongs to the other
 visits1 that which belongs to  this is 

but of small importance4 ,the           
information1 to be collected from  it1  
will1 however1 be seen to be this3      
namely1 that this was the second1  of   
the attempts he made to join himself to 
the ,apostles3 and that it  succeeded no
 better than the first4 ,it did not even
 succeed so well3  for1 notwithstanding 
the claims which the business of it gave
 him to  their regard--it was to bring  
them a sum of money1 the fruit of the   
liberality of the ,church at            
,antioch--he could not so much as obtain
  admittance into the presence of any   
one of them4 ,without much  hesitation1 
this may be affirmed4 ,if he had1 he    
would have made mention  of it3 for1 it 
will be seen1 that1 whatsoever apparent 
countenance he  ever succeeded in       
obtaining from them1 it was his care to 
make the most  of it4      ,,section #f4
    ,,remarks ,,on ,,visit              
,,iii4--,,deputation ,,visit4    ,of the
 occasion1 and particulars1 and         
termination1 of the third of  these four

 visits1 we have two1 and but two1      
accounts3 one--that given  in the ,acts2
 the other--that given by ,paul himself1
 as above1 in his  letter to his        
,galatians3 that in the ,acts1 the only 
one which goes into  particulars2 and   
which must accordingly be taken for the 
basis of the  narrative1 and in that    
character be brought to view in the     
first  instance3 that given by ,paul    
himself confining itself to generals2   
but1  as far as it goes1 much more to be
 depended upon1 and affording much  more
 instruction1 than that given in the    
,acts4    ,among its immediate          
consequences1 this third visit appears  
to have had  some sort of intercourse   
between ,paul and ,saint ,peter at      
,antioch--the  next most considerable   
seat of the new religion after          
,jerusalem2 at  ,antioch1 to which city1
 ,paul1--who1 with ,barnabas1 had been  
settled  there1--was on his return3     
,peter being then on a temporary visit1 
made  to that place1 for the final      

settlement of the business1 by which the
  last preceding visit of ,paul to      
,jerusalem had been occasioned4    ,at  
the time of this visit1 the residence of
 ,paul was at this same  ,antioch4 ,the 
occasion of it was--the dissemination   
there1 of a doctrine1  which1 by certain
 persons not named1 had been imported   
thither from  ,jerusalem3 a doctrine1   
according to which it was taught to the 
brethren--,except ye be circumcised     
after the manner of ,moses1 ye cannot   
be saved4 ,for the settlement of this   
important matter1--,barnabas1 with      
,paul for his companion1 besides other  
companions not named1 was1 by the       
brethren at ,antioch1 now1 for the      
second time1 sent1 as a delegate1 to    
the brethren at ,jerusalem4    ,on every
 one of these three visits1 it was under
 the protection of this  ,barnabas 7it  
will be seen7 that ,paul had presented  
himself3--on the  first of them1 for the
 purpose of making known his conversion1
 and1 if  possible1 forming a connection

 with the brethren there2--the second1  
for  the purpose of bringing them money1
 the fruits of the respect and          
affection of the brethren at            
,antioch2--the third time1 for the      
settlement of this important point of   
doctrine4 ,as for ,barnabas1 he was  a  
,cypriot1 who1 as will be seen1 had an  
establishment at ,jerusalem3  and who1  
by his indefatigable zeal1 added to his 
unrivalled munificence1  appears to have
 obtained an influence not exceeded by  
any but that of  the ,apostles4    ,of  
this same ,deputation ,visit1 being the 
third of the recorded visits of  ,paul  
to ,jerusalem1--followed by1 and coupled
 with1 one of ,peter to  ,antioch--,gal4
 ii4 #aa1 the place of ,paul's          
residence1--two most important  results1
 or alleged results1 are mentioned3 the 
first1 mentioned by the  author of the  
,acts alone1 the decree1 of a council1  
composed of the  ,apostles and certain  
other persons1 by the name of ,elders1  
at  ,jerusalem2--which decree1 together 

with a letter1 was from thence sent  by 
the hands of ,judas ,barsabas and       
,silas1 to the brethren at ,antioch2    
,paul and ,barnabas being of the party1 
on their return to that same  place3 the
 other result1 mentioned by ,paul alone1
 a sort of partition  treaty1 by which  
the field of doctrinal labour1 and      
thence of spiritual  dominion was       
divided between him1 7,paul71 on the one
 part1 and the  ,apostles on the other4 
,the ,jewish world1 for a less ambiguous
  designation would hardly find a       
sufficient warrant1 to remain with the  
,apostles2 the ,gentile world1 to be    
left free to the exertions of the       
declared convert and self-constituted   
,apostle4 ,as to the decree and  letter1
 reasons for questioning the            
authenticity of these documents  will be
 hereinafter brought to view1 ,ch4 #f4  
,of the partition treaty1  the reality  
presents itself as altogether natural   
and probable--and1 by  circumstantial as
 well as direct evidence1 sufficiently  

established3 by  direct evidence        
supported1 by circumstantial evidence   
confirmed4      ,,section #g4           
,,topics ,,under ,,visit                
,,iv4--,,invasion ,,visit4    ,of the   
occasion of the fourth and last of these
 four visits--call it  ,paul's ,invasion
 ,visit--we have1 though but from one   
immediate source1  what may1 to some    
purposes1 be called two distinct and    
different  accounts1 included one within
 another3 to wit1 that which the        
historian  gives as from himself1 and   
that which he puts into the mouth of his
  hero1 whose adventures he is relating4
 ,on this subject1 from the mouth  of   
the hero1 the historian has not given   
us1 and probably could not give  us1    
anything but mystery4 ,from the         
circumstances1 it will be seen1  whether
 the appellation ,invasion ,visit1 by   
which this last of his  recorded visits 
to ,jerusalem is here distinguished1 is 
not fully  justified4    ,neither1 of   
the occurrences which took place during 

the course of it1  nor of the mode in   
which it terminated1 have we any more   
than one  account2 viz4 the account     
which1 speaking in his own person1 is   
given of  it by the author of the       
,acts4#bc    ,but1 upon one part of this
 account--and that a part in itself in  
no  small degree obscure--light1 and    
that such as1 it is believed1 will be   
found to dispel the darkness1 will be   
seen thrown1 by an article of the       
,mosaic law3 upon which article1 light  
will be seen reciprocally  reflected1 by
 the application here recorded as having
 been made of it4  ,this regards the    
,temple scene3--an expensive ceremony   
spun out for  days together only to     
produce the effect of an ,oath4    ,on  
the occasion of this visit1 in spite of 
a universal opposition on the  part of  
all concerned--his own adherents and    
dependents1 as well as his  adversaries 
of all classes included1--,paul1 for    
reasons by himself  studiously          
concealed1--and1 if brought to light at 

all1 brought to light  no otherways than
 by inference1--will be seen making his 
entry into  ,jerusalem1 as it were by   
force4 ,in the hope of freeing          
themselves1 as it  should seem1 of this 
annoyance1 it is1--that the rulers of   
the ,christian  church1 insist upon his 
clearing himself from certain           
suspicions1 in the  harbouring of which 
the whole church had concurred4#bd      
,,section #h4    ,,self-,,written       
,,biography--,,its ,,superior ,,value   
,,and ,,claim ,,to ,,credence4    ,on   
the occasion of this portion of history1
 it seems particularly  material1 to    
bring to view an observation1 which1 on 
the occasion of  every portion of       
history1 it will1 it is believed1 be of 
no small use to  have in remembrance4   
,in comparison of self-written          
biography1 scarcely does any other      
biography deserve the name4    ,faint1  
indeterminate1 uninstructive1 deceptive1
 is the information  furnished by any   
other hand1 of whatsoever concerns the  

state of the  mental frame1 in          
comparison of what is furnished by a    
man's own4 ,even of  those particulars  
which make against himself1--even of    
those motives and  intentions which he  
would most anxiously conceal1--more     
clear and  correct1 as far as it goes1  
if not more complete--is the information
  given by him1 than any which is       
commonly afforded1 even by an impartial 
hand4 ,by a man's own hand1 not         
unfrequently is information afforded1 of
  a sort which makes against himself1   
and which would not1 because it  could  
not1 have been afforded by any other    
hand1 though ever so hostile4  ,he      
states the self-condemnatory mental     
facts1 the blindness of  self-partiality
 concealing from his eyes the           
condemnatory inference3 or1  even with  
his eyes open1 he lays himself under the
 imputation3 bartering  merit in this or
 that inferior shape1 for the merit of  
candour1 or for  the hope of augmenting 
the probative force of his own          

self-serving  evidence1 in favour of    
every other merit for which it is his   
ambition to  gain credence4             
,,footnotes3    #bj ,gal4 i4 #ah4 ,then 
after three years ,i went up to         
,jerusalem to see  ,peter1 and abode    
with him fifteen days4    #ba ,of any   
mention made of ,galatia1 in any of the 
,books of the ,new  ,testament1 the     
following are1 according to ,cruden's   
,concordance1 the  only instances3 #a   
,cor4 xvi4 #a4 444 have given order to  
the churches at  ,galatia4 ,times1      
assigned to these ,epistles1 ,a4,d4 #ei4
 #b ,tim4 iv4 #aj3  ,crescens is        
departed to ,galatia4 ,a4,d4 #ff4 #a    
,pet4 i4 #a3 to the  strangers scattered
 in ,galatia4 ,date ,a4,d4 #fj4    #bb  
,acts xv4 #a-d4 #a4 ,and certain men    
which came down from ,judea taught  the 
brethren and said1 ,except ye be        
circumcised after the manner of  ,moses1
 ye cannot be saved4--,when therefore   
,paul and ,barnabas had no  small       
dissension and disputation with them1   

they determined that ,paul  and         
,barnabas and certain other of them     
should go up to ,jerusalem unto  the    
,apostles and ,elders about this        
question4--,and being brought on their  
way by the church1 they passed through  
,phenice and ,samaria1 declaring  the   
conversion of the ,gentiles3 and they   
caused great joy unto all the           
brethren4--,and when they were come to  
,jerusalem1 they were received of  the  
,church1 and of the ,apostles and       
,elders1 and they declared all things   
that ,god had done with them4    #bc ,be
 this as it may1 that he must have been 
in the way to hear1 from  various       
persons present1 accounts1 such as they 
were1 of what was said  by ,paul1--seems
 to follow almost of course4 ,this seems
 applicable even  to the latest of the  
two occasions2 for1 though the place1   
,csarea1  was some distance from        
,jerusalem1 #ef miles1--yet the distance
 was not so  great1 but that the        
persons1 who were attached to him1      

might1 for the  most part1 be naturally 
supposed to have followed him3 and in   
particular  the historian1 who1         
according to his history1 continued in  
,paul's suite  till1 at the conclusion  
of this his forced excursion1 he arrived
 at  ,rome4    ,but1 on the subject of  
possible materials1 one concluding query
 here  presents itself4 ,on a subject   
such as that in question1 on an         
occasion1 such as that in question1 for 
a purpose such as that in  question1 a  
speech such as either of those in       
question1 might it not1  by a person in 
the historian's situation--not to speak 
of other  situations--be just as easily 
made without any special materials1 as  
with any the most correct and complete  
stock of materials8    #bd ,between     
,paul's third visit1 and that which is  
here reckoned as his  fourth1 another   
is1 by some1 supposed,i4 to1 have been  
taken place2 on  which supposition1 this
 concluding one1 which is here styled   
the fourth1  ought to be reckoned the   

fifth4    ,but1 for the support of this 
supposition1 the grounds referred to for
  this purpose do not seem              
sufficient3--not that1 if the           
supposition were  true1 any consequence 
material to the present purpose would   
follow4    ,for this supposition1 what  
ground there is1 consists in a passage  
in the  ,acts3--,acts #ah3bj1 #ba1 #bb4 
#bj4 ,when they1 the ,jews at ,ephesus1 
desired him to tarry longer time  with  
them1 he consented not2    ,but bade    
them farewell1 saying1 ,i must by all   
means keep this feast  that cometh in   
,jerusalem2 but ,i will return again    
unto you1 if ,god  will4 ,and he sailed 
from ,ephesus4    ,and when he had      
landed at ,csarea1 and gone up1 and     
saluted the  church1 he went down to    
,antioch4    ,there we have the grounds 
of the supposition4 ,but1 what is the   
support  they give to it8--declaration1 
affirming the existence of an intention1
  is one thing2 actually existing       
intention is another4 ,even supposing   

the  existence of the intention in      
question1--intention is one thing2      
corresponding action1 another4          
,jerusalem is not mentioned4 ,csarea    
being on the sea-coast1 ,jerusalem is   
indeed in the interior3 and  therefore1 
it may be said1 is a place1 to which1 if
 a man went from  ,csarea1 he would go  
up3 but1 from ,csarea1 it being on the  
coast1  a man could not go to any place 
in ,judaea not on the coast1 without    
going up4    ,so much for place3--and   
now as to time4 ,the time mentioned as  
the  object of the intention1 is the    
passover2 but1 that the time1 at  which1
 being gone up1 ,paul saluted the       
church--this being all  which1 upon this
 going up1 he is here stated as         
doing--that this time  was the passover1
 is not stated4    ,as to the salute    
here stated as given to the church1--at 
the  conclusion1 and as a material part 
of the result1 of this inquiry1 it  will
 appear plain beyond all doubt1 that1 if
 by the church be  understood any member

 of it at ,jerusalem1 besides two1 or at
 most three1  of the                    
,apostles1--according to this           
interpretation1 from the time of his    
,conversion ,visit to ,damascus         
antecedently to his first visit to      
,jerusalem1 down to the last visit here 
reckoned as his fourth--there  never was
 a day on which the church would have   
received his salute4    ,what will also 
be rendered manifest is--that it was an 
object with the  author of the ,acts1 to
 induce a belief1 that ,paul1 before the
 conclusion  of his first visit1 was    
upon good terms with the church1 and so 
continued to the last3 and that1 to this
 end1 a purposed  misrepresentation was 
employed by the historian4    ,not that1
 in regard to the visit here in         
question1 to the purpose of the         
argument--it makes any sort of          
difference1 whether it had place or had 
not4 ,if it had place1 neither the      
conclusion1 nor any part of the         
argument1 will be seen to require any   

variation in consequence4         ,i4   
,wells's ,historical ,geography of the  
,old and ,new ,testament1       ii4     
#bga4 ,ch4 #e4 ,of ,saint ,paul's       
,travels and ,voyages into ,asia4       
,st4 ,paul 7says ,wells very composedly7
 having kept the passover       at      
,jerusalem1 went thence down1 c4--,and  
for this the ,acts are       quoted as  
above3 but the ,acts1 it will here be   
seen1 say no such       thing4          
,,chapter ,,iv4         ,paul           
disbelieved continued4--,first of his   
four ,visits to       ,jerusalem after  
his ,conversion2 say ,jerusalem ,visit  
,i4 or       ,reconciliation            
,visit4--,barnabas introducing him from 
,antioch to       the ,apostles4        
,,section #a4    ,,paul',s ,,proceedings
 ,,between ,,his ,,conversion ,,and     
,,this  ,,visit4--,,contradiction4 ,,per
 ,,paul1 ,,it ,,was ,,not ,,till ,,after
 ,,three ,,years  ,,spent ,,in ,,arabia2
 ,,per ,,acts1 ,,immediately4           
,already on another occasion1 and for a 

different purpose1 have the two         
accounts1 between which this            
self-contradiction manifests itself1    
been  brought to view3 viz4 on the      
occasion of the accounts1 given or      
supposed to be given1 by ,paul1 of the  
cause and manner of his                 
conversion3--accounts given in the first
 place1 in writing1 and  consequently1  
with all requisite time for             
deliberation1 in his ,epistle  to the   
,galatians3--given1 or supposed to be   
given1 in the next place1 by  a speech  
spoken1 namely1 that which1 in the ,acts
 is reported as spoken  by him1 on the  
occasion of his trial1 to ,festus and   
,agrippa3--,festus1  the ,roman         
,proconsul1 ,agrippa1 the ,jewish ,king4
    ,in the whole account of this       
matter1 as given by ,paul in his        
,epistle to  the ,galatians1 how much of
 truth there probably was1 and how much 
of  falsehood or misrepresentation1--has
 been seen already in some measure1  ch4
 ,,ii4 i4 #e1 and will be seen more     

fully as we advance4    ,as to his      
motive for this visit1 he has           
endeavoured to keep it to  himself3 but1
 by the result1 according to the account
 he himself gives  of it1 it is         
betrayed4 ,it was--to effect the so much
 needed  reconciliation3--his           
reconciliation with the ,apostles3--the 
,apostles1  in relation to whom his     
disregard is professed1 the need he had 
of them1  no otherwise than virtually1  
nor yet the less effectually confessed4 
,without an interval of considerable    
length between his conversion and  this 
visit1 all such reconciliation would    
have been plainly hopeless4  ,from this 
circumstance1 the length1 as alleged by 
him1 of his abode in  ,arabia1 receives 
obvious and highly probative            
confirmation4 ,the  confirmation is1    
indeed1 reciprocal4 ,the nature of his  
situation1 proves  the need he had1 of  
an interval of considerable length1     
before any hope  of reconciliation could
 be fulfilled1 or1 naturally speaking1  

so much  as conceived3 by this          
circumstance1 his abode in some other   
country is  rendered probable to us3 and
 this other country may1 for aught we   
know1  as well have been the country    
mentioned by him--to wit1 ,arabia1  as  
any other3 and1 thus it is1 that this   
assertion1 of his having  been three    
years in ,arabia1 between the time of   
his departure from  ,jerusalem to       
,damascus1 and his return to ,jerusalem 
to see ,peter1 is                       
confirmed3--confirmed1 by the natural   
length1 of the interval1 requisite  to  
the affording any1 the least chance1    
that ,peter could be induced to  meet   
upon terms of amity and intercourse a   
man1 in whom he beheld the  murderer of 
a countless multitude of human beings1  
linked to him by the  closest bonds of  
self-regarding interest1 as well as     
sympathy and  brotherly love4    ,as to 
contradiction1 contradiction cannot     
easily be much more pointed1  than it   
will be seen to be1 between the account 

in respect of time1 as  given in this   
instance by ,paul1 and the account given
 of it by his  historiographer in the   
,acts4 ,on a double ground1 it is       
,paul's account  that claims the        
precedence4 ,of his account1 such as it 
is1 the rank1  in the scale of          
trustworthiness1 is that of immediate   
evidence2 that  of his historiographer1 
no higher than that of unimmediate      
evidence3--evidence once removed2       
having1 for its most probable and  least
 untrustworthy source1 that same        
immediate evidence4 ,paul's  evidence   
is1 at the same time1 not only more     
circumstantiated1 but  supported by the 
reasons which he has combined with it4  
,not till three  years after his alleged
 miraculous conversion1 did he go near  
to any of  the                          
,apostles4--,why8--,because1 though1 at 
that time1 for reasons which  he has    
left us to guess1 he had regarded       
himself as having considerable  need of 
them1--till that time he did not regard 

himself as having any  need of them4    
,and1 why was it1 that1 for so great a  
length of time1 he  did not regard      
himself as having any need of           
them8--,the answer he  himself gives us1
 ,gal4 i4 #aj3 444 do ,i seek to please 
men8--,i certify  to you1 brethren1 that
 the ,gospel which was preached of me1  
is not after  man4--,for ,i received it 
not of man1 nor was ,i taught it but by 
the  revelation of ,jesus               
,christ4--,when it pleased ,god1 who    
called me by his  grace1--to reveal his 
,son in me1 that ,i might preach him    
among the  heathen1 immediately ,i      
conferred not with flesh and            
blood3--,neither  went ,i up to         
,jerusalem to them which were ,apostles 
before me2 but ,i went  into ,arabia1   
and returned again unto                 
,damascus4--,then after three years  ,i 
went up to ,jerusalem to see ,peter1 and
 abode with him fifteen  days4--,but    
other of the ,apostles saw ,i none1 save
 ,james1 the ,lord's  brother4    ,thus 

far ,paul himself4 ,let us now see1 what
 is said in regard to the  time1 by his 
subsequent attendant and                
historiographer4 ,acts ix 444 as  he    
7,saul7 journeyed1 he came near         
,damascus1 and1 suddenly there shined   
round him a light1 c4--ver4 #h4 ,and    
,saul arose from the earth1 and 444     
they led him by the hand1 and brought   
him into ,damascus4--,and he was  three 
days without sight1 and neither did eat 
nor drink4--,and there was  a certain   
disciple at ,damascus1 named ,ananias2  
and to him said the ,lord  in a         
vision444--444go into the street called 
,straight1 and inquire  in the house of 
,judas for one called ,saul of          
,tarsus444--#ag4 ,and ,ananias  444     
entered into the house1 and 444 said1   
,brother ,saul1 the ,lord 444  hath sent
 me1 that thou mightest receive thy     
sight 444--,and 444 he  received sight  
forthwith1 and arose1 and was           
baptized4--,and when he had  received   
meat1 he was strengthened4 ,then was    

,saul certain days with the  disciples  
which were at ,damascus4--,and          
straightway he preached ,christ  in the 
synagogues1444--#bb4 444 and confounded 
the ,jews which dwelt at                
,damascus1444--,and after that many days
 were fulfilled1 the ,jews took  counsel
 to kill him4--444 and they watched the 
gates day and night to  kill him4--,then
 the disciples took him by night1 and   
let him down by the  wall in a          
basket4--,and when ,saul was come to    
,jerusalem1 he assayed to  join himself 
to the disciples3 but they were all     
afraid of him1 and  believed not that he
 was a disciple4--,but ,barnabas took   
him1 and  brought him to the ,apostles1 
and declared unto them how he had seen  
the ,lord in the way1 and that he had   
spoken to him1 and how he had  preached 
boldly at ,damascus in the name of      
,jesus4    ,with what the               
historiographer says in his own person1 
agrees1 as to the  particular point now 
in question1 what1 in the studied       

oration1 he puts  into ,paul's mouth4   
,in that account likewise1 immediately  
after the  mention of what ,paul did at 
,damascus1--follows1 the mention of what
 he  did at ,jerusalem3 and1 as to      
everything done by him among the        
,gentiles1  not only does the mention of
 it come after the mention of what was  
done  by him at ,jerusalem1 but1 between
 the two1 comes the mention1 of         
whatever was done by him1 in any of the 
coasts of ,judea4 ,acts #bf3ai4         
,whereupon1 ,o1 ,king ,agrippa1 ,i was  
not disobedient unto the heavenly       
vision3--but showed1 first unto them of 
,damascus1 and of ,jerusalem1 and       
throughout all the coasts of ,judea2 and
 then to the ,gentiles1 that they       
should repent and turn to ,god1 and do  
works meet for repentance4    ,here     
then1 according to ,paul's own account1 
after his visit to ,damascus  from      
,jerusalem1 he visited ,arabia1 and     
moreover ,damascus a second time1       
before he made his visit to ,jerusalem  

to see ,peter3 before this visit  did he
 make both those other visits2 and1 in  
making them1 pass three  years1 with or 
without the addition1 of the time1      
occupied by his first  visit to         
,damascus1--and the time1 occupied by   
his abode in ,arabia4  ,according to    
,paul's own account then1 between his   
second departure from1  and his arrival 
at1 ,jerusalem from thence1 there was an
 interval either  of three years1 or of 
so much more than three years4 ,on the  
contrary1  according to both the        
accounts given of the matter by his     
historiographer in the ,acts1 there was 
not between the two events in  question1
 any interval other than such as the    
journey from the one to  the            
other--about #acj ,british miles as the 
crow flies1 say about #afj1  allowance  
made for turnings and windings1--would  
require4    ,now1 as between ,jews and  
,gentiles1 alias heathens3--to which of 
these  two descriptions of persons1 were
 his preachings addressed in the first  

instance8    ,according to his ,epistle 
to his ,galatians1 preaching to the     
heathen  being his peculiar destination1
 this accordingly is the vocation upon  
which he proceeded in the first place3  
and we have seen how probable it  is1   
not to say certain1 that1 in this       
particular1 what he asserted was  true4 
,his appointment being to the heathen1  
he conferred not with  flesh and blood3 
i4e4 with the ,apostles1 their immediate
 disciples1 or  other flesh and blood of
 the ,christian persuasion3 for1 of any 
such  conference--of any assistance or  
support from any such quarter1 he has1  
in this same ,epistle1 been declaring   
and protesting--most vehemently         
protesting--that he had no need4        
,neither then for the purpose of        
conference with those who were          
,apostles1 as he says1 before him1 nor  
for any other purpose1 went he up to    
,jerusalem3 no1 not till either  three  
years after his conversion1 or three    
years1 with the addition of  another    

term of unmeasurable length4    ,now    
then1 how stands this matter according  
to the ,acts--according to the  speech  
put into ,paul's mouth by the author of 
the ,acts8 ,instead of the  ,gentiles   
being the description of persons1 to    
whom1 in the first  instance1 he applies
 his labours1--it is the ,jews4 ,what he
 shows is  shown1 in the first place1 to
 those of ,damascus2 then at            
,jerusalem2 then throughout all the     
coasts of ,judea2 and1 not till         
then--to the ,gentiles3 of his abode in 
,arabia--of any visit of his to         
,arabia--not any of the slightest       
mention1 or so much as allusion to it4  
,but1 all this while1 for anything that 
appears to the contrary1 ,arabia  was   
completely open to him3 whereas1 after  
the offence he had committed  against   
the authority of the ruling powers at   
,judea1 it was not1 morally  speaking1  
in the nature of things that he could   
have continued in any  place coming     
within that description--have continued1

 long enough to  make any sensible      
impression3 and1 in ,jerusalem in       
particular1 in this  same ,epistle to   
the ,galatians1 from which the above    
particulars are  taken1--it was1 as he  
himself declares1 only in secrecy1 that1
 even  fourteen years after this1 he    
ventured to disseminate those doctrines1
  whatever they were1 that were peculiar
 to himself1 #bnd ,gal43 #a1 #b4  ,then1
 fourteen years after1 ,i went up again 
to ,jerusalem with ,barnabas1  and took 
,titus with me4 ,and ,i went up by      
revelation1 and communicated  unto them 
that ,gospel which ,i preach among the  
,gentiles1 but privately  to them which 
were of reputation1 lest by any means ,i
 should run1 or had  run1 in vain4      
,thus stands the contrariety3--the      
contrariety1 between ,paul's own        
account of his own proceedings1 and the 
account1 which1 by the author of  the   
,acts1 he is represented as giving of   
them1 on another occasion4  ,says ,paul 
himself1 in his own ,epistle to his     

,galatians--,after my  conversion1 it   
was to the ,gentiles that ,i applied    
myself first3 to the  ,jews1 not till   
afterwards2 nor then1 to any            
considerable extent4 ,says  the author  
of the ,acts1 in a speech1 which he puts
 into the mouth of  ,paul--,it was to   
the ,jews that he applied himself first1
 and that to a  great extent3 to the    
,gentiles1 not till afterwards4    ,thus
 stands the contrariety1 taken in       
itself4 ,as to the cause1 it will       
neither be far to seek1 nor dubious4 ,in
 the differences of situations1         
occasions1 and purposes in view--in the 
differences1 that had place in  respect 
of all those particulars--it will be    
found4    ,on the occasion1 on which    
,paul himself speaks1 what was the      
persuasion  which it was his endeavour  
to produce8 ,it was--that1 for a number 
of  years1 commencing from the moment of
 his conversion1--with no persons1  who1
 to this purpose1 could be called ,jews1
 had he1 to any such  purpose as this1  

had any intercourse3 for1 this being    
admitted1 it  followed1 of course1 that1
 if1 on the subject of the religion of  
,jesus1  he had really received the     
information he declared himself to have 
received1 it was not from the ,apostles1
 that he had had it1 or any  part of it4
 ,on them 7says he7 ,i am perfectly     
independent3 to them ,i am  even        
superior4 ,with ,jesus they had no      
communication but in a natural  way2    
with the same ,jesus ,i have had        
communication in a supernatural         
way3--in the way of 'revelation4' ,my   
communication with him is1  moreover1 of
 a date posterior to theirs--to any that
 they can pretend  to3 in so far as     
there is any contrariety between that ,i
 teach and what  they teach1 it is for  
theirs1 on both these accounts--it is   
for theirs1  to yield to mine4 ,from    
,god is my doctrine3 in opposition to   
it1 if  either they1 or any other men   
presume to preserve1 let the curse of   
,god  be on their heads4 ver4 #h4       

,accordingly1 at the time of my first   
visit to  ,jerusalem after my           
conversion1 no communication had ,i with
 them1 for1 no  such communication1     
teaching as ,i did from revelation1     
could ,i stand in  need of1 ,i had      
already passed three years at least in  
,arabia1 teaching  to the ,gentiles     
there my peculiar doctrine4 ,this       
peculiar doctrine1 as ,i  made no       
scruple of teaching it to those         
,gentiles1 as little1 on the  occasion  
of that visit of mine to ,jerusalem1 did
 ,i make any scruple of  teaching it to 
,jews as well as ,gentiles4 ,true it is1
 ,i did not then  teach it publicly3--,i
 did not teach my peculiar doctrine1 so 
publicly as  they did theirs4 ,but1 as  
to this comparative secrecy1 it had for 
its  cause the advantage of being free  
from opposition2 for1 had the fact of   
my teaching this doctrine so different  
from theirs--been known to  them1--they 
might have opposed it1 and thus my      
labours might have been  lost4          

,whether1 in the representation here    
given of what he says to his            
,galatians1 there be any                
misrepresentation1 the reader may judge4
    ,on the occasion1 on which his      
historian represents him as speaking1   
what now1 as to this same matter1 was   
the persuasion1 which the nature  of his
 situation required him to endeavour to 
produce8 ,it was1 that ,jews  were the  
sort of persons1 with whom1 during the  
period in question1 he  had1 to the     
purpose in question1 been holding       
intercourse3 ,jews1 even in  preference 
to--not to say to the exclusion         
of--,gentiles3 so far is he  from being 
now represented1 as stating himself to  
have held converse  with ,gentiles1 to  
the exclusion of ,jews2 which is1 that  
of which he  himself has been seen      
taking so much pains to persuade his    
,galatian  disciples4 ,yes3 as far as   
competition could have place1 ,jews1 on 
this  occasion1 in preference1 at least1
 to ,gentiles3 for1 on this occasion1   

what he was labouring at was--to        
recommend himself to the favour of his  
,jewish ,judge1 ,king ,agrippa1 ,acts   
#bf3h-ba1 by magnifying the services he 
had been rendering to the ,jews1 his    
very accusers not excepted3  services1  
to the rendering of which1 close and    
continued intercourse1  during that same
 period1 could not but have been        
necessary4    ,on this occasion1 being  
accused of--his historian does not      
choose to say  what1--his defence       
was--that1 of the persecution he was    
suffering1 his  preaching the           
resurrection was the only real cause3   
that1 having been  born and bred a      
,pharisee1--in preaching that doctrine1 
so far from  opposing1 he had been      
supporting1 with all his might1 the     
principles  maintained by the           
constituted authorities3 adducing1 in   
proof of the  general proposition1 the  
evidence furnished by a particular fact1
 the  resurrection1 that had place in   
the case of ,jesus1 ,acts #be3ai3 that  

when1 in his conversion vision1 ,jesus  
gave him his commission1 the  principal 
object of that commission was--the      
instruction of the  ,gentiles3 to wit1  
by informing them--that1 to such of them
 as would  believe in the resurrection1 
and repent of their sins1 and do works  
accordingly1--the benefit of it would be
 extended3 that to this mandate1  it was
 true1 he did not ultimately fail to pay
 substantial obedience3  yet1 such was  
his affection for his brethren the      
,jews1--that it was not  till1 for a    
considerable time1 he had been          
conferring on them the  benefit of his  
labours1 that he betook himself to the  
,gentiles4 ,acts  #bf3ai4 ,i was not    
disobedient unto the heavenly           
vision3--,but showed  first unto them of
 ,damascus1 and at ,jerusalem1 and      
throughout all the  coasts of ,judea2   
and then to the ,gentiles1 that they    
should repent1  c4--,for these causes   
the ,jews caught me in the ,temple1 and 
went about  to kill me4    ,the         

repugnancy 7says somebody71 the         
repugnancy1 is--not between ,paul and   
,paul--but between ,paul and the author 
of the ,acts2 and1 since the facts  in  
question are occurrences in which ,paul 
himself was either agent or  patient1 to
 the author of the ,acts1 and not to    
,paul1 is the  incorrectness1 wherever  
it be1 to be imputed4 ,be it so3 for the
 purpose  of the argument at least1 be  
it so3 but1 if so it be1 what are we to 
think of the author of the ,acts8 ,take 
away the author of the ,acts1 what      
becomes of ,paul8 ,take away the        
authority of the ,acts in the character 
of  an inspired writer--writing from    
supernatural inspiration1 after an      
immediate and continued intercourse1 in 
some unexplained and  inexplicable      
manner1 with the ,almighty1--what       
remains1 then1 of the  evidence1 on the 
ground of which the mighty fabric of    
,paul and his  doctrine has been        
erected8    ,a man1 who is thus         
continually in contradiction--sometimes 

with himself1  at other times with the  
most unimpeachable authorities--what    
credence  can1 with reason and          
propriety1 be given to his evidence1 in 
relation to  any important matter of    
fact8 at any rate1 when any purpose1    
which he  himself has at heart1 is to be
 served by it8 ,of such a man1 the      
testimony--the uncross-examined and     
uncross-examinable testimony--would  it1
 of itself1 be sufficient to warrant a  
verdict1 on a question of the  most     
inconsiderable pecuniary import8 how    
much less then1 on questions1  in       
comparison of which those of the        
greatest importance which the  affairs  
of this life admit of1 shrink into      
insignificance8 ,even1 suppose          
veracity1 and every other branch of     
probity1 unimpeached and                
unimpeachable1--if such confusion of    
mind1 such want of memory1 such         
negligence1 in relation to incidents and
 particulars1 of too immensely          
momentous a nature1 to escape1 at any   

interval of time1 from the most         
ordinary mind2--if such want of         
attention1 such deficiency1 in respect  
of the most ordinary intellectual       
faculties and attainments1 are          
discernible in his narrative1--what     
solid1 what substantial ground of       
dependence can it furnish1 or even leave
 in existence8    ,of this sort are the 
questions for which already no          
inconsiderable  warrant has1 it is      
believed1 been found2 nor1 if so1       
throughout the  whole remaining course  
of this inquiry1 should they ever be out
 of mind4      ,,section #b4            
,,grounds ,,of ,,paul',s ,,prospect ,,of
 ,,reconciliation ,,on ,,this ,,occasion
 ,,with  ,,the ,,apostles ,,and ,,their 
,,disciples4    ,on this head1 in       
addition to1 and in explanation of1 the 
sort of  narrative given in the         
,acts1--information1 of the most        
instructive and  impressive stamp1 may  
be seen furnished by himself3 at the    
head of it1  may be placed that1 which  

may be seen in his ,epistle to his      
,galatian  converts4    ,at ,jerusalem  
was the board-room in which sat the     
,council of the  ,apostles3 of those    
men1 to whom their bitterest enemies    
would not1 any  more than their         
disciples and adherents1 have refused   
the appellation of  constant companions 
and selected disciples of the departed  
,jesus4 ,to  them was known1 everything 
that1 in relation to ,jesus1 was known  
to any  one else3 and moreover1 in      
unlimited abundance1 particulars not    
capable  of being known by any one else4
    ,as to ,paul1 let us suppose him now
 a believer in ,jesus2 and1 on this     
supposition1 note what could not but    
have been the state of his mind1  with  
relation to those select servants of    
,jesus4    ,in them he beheld the       
witnesses--not only of the most material
 and  characteristic acts and sayings of
 their ,master1 but of his death1 and   
its supernatural consequences--the      
resurrection and ascension1 with  which 

it had been followed4    ,in them he    
beheld--not only the witnesses of his   
miracles1 but a set  of pupils1 to whom 
such powers of working the like         
miracles--such  miraculous powers1 in a 
word1 as it had pleased him to          
impart1--had been  imparted4    ,in     
their labours1 he beheld the causes of  
whatsoever prosperity1 he  found the    
society1 established by them1 in        
possession of4    ,in himself1 he beheld
 the man1 who1 with such distinguished  
acrimony and  perseverance1 had done his
 utmost1 for the destruction of that    
society1  into which1 for the purposes1 
indication of which has been so clearly 
given by his own pen1 he was preparing  
to intrude himself4    ,to form an      
ostensible cause for his intrusion1--in 
addition to such  information1 as1 by   
means of his persecution1 it had        
happened to him to  extract from those  
whom he had been persecuting1 what1 on  
his part1 had  he8--,he had his own     
learning1 his own talents1 his own      

restless and  audacious temper1 and the 
vision he had got up3--the baseless     
fabric of  that vision1 a view of which 
has just been given4    ,of the         
representation thus given of the        
matter1--whether we take his own        
account of it1 or that of the           
,acts1--suppose the truth to rest upon  
no  other ground than this vision1 with 
or without that other vision1 which  has
 been seen so slenderly tacked to it1   
and so strangely inserted into          
it1--thus slender is the ground1 on     
which we shall find him embarking  upon 
his enterprize1--assuming to himself1   
without modification or  apology1 the   
name of an ,apostle1--thrusting himself 
into the society1  and putting himself  
altogether upon an equality1 not to say 
more than an  equality1 with the whole  
company of the men1 whose title to that 
appellation was above dispute3--those of
 them who1 among the chosen1 had  been  
the most favoured1 not excepted4        
,,galatians i4 #aa-bc4         #aa4 ,but

 ,i certify you1 brethren1 that the     
,gospel which was preached       of me  
is not after man4--,for ,i neither      
received it of man1 neither       was ,i
 taught it1 but by the revelation of    
,jesus ,christ4--,for ye       have     
heard of my conversation in time past in
 the ,jews' religion1       how that    
beyond measure ,i persecuted the ,church
 of ,god1 and wasted       it3--,and    
profited in the ,jews' religion above   
many my equals in       mine own nation1
 being more exceedingly zealous of the  
traditions       of my fathers4--,but   
when it pleased ,god1 who separated me  
from my       mother's womb1 and called 
me by his grace1--,to reveal his ,son in
       me1 that ,i might preach him     
among the heathen2 immediately ,i       
conferred not with flesh and            
blood1--,neither went ,i up to          
,jerusalem       to them which were     
,apostles before me2 but ,i went into   
,arabia1 and       returned again unto  
,damascus4--,then after three years ,i  

went up to       ,jerusalem to see      
,peter1 and abode with him fifteen      
days4--,but other       of the ,apostles
 saw ,i none1 save ,james the ,lord's   
brother4--,now the       things which ,i
 write unto you1 behold1 before ,god1 ,i
 lie       not4--,afterwards ,i came    
into the regions of ,syria and          
,cilicia2--,and       was unknown by    
face unto the ,churches of ,judea which 
were in       ,christ4--,but they had   
heard only1 that he which persecuted us 
in       times past now preacheth the   
faith which once he destroyed4    ,thus1
 however indistinctly and incoherently  
stated1 stands the matter1  on the      
surface of both these accounts4 ,on the 
surface4 ,but1 by a little  reflection  
on the nature of the case--the obvious  
and indisputable  nature of the case--as
 collected from all accounts1 as already
 brought  to view in a preceding chapter
 ,,ii1 we shall be led to another       
conception1 and the only tenable one4   
,the plan of worldly ambition--that plan

 by which we have already seen  his     
outward conversion produced--had been   
not only formed1 but acted  upon3--acted
 upon1 during a course of at least three
 years3 of three  years1 employed at    
,damascus in preparation1--in ,arabia in
 probation4  ,what remained1 and was now
 become necessary1 was--some sort of    
countenance from the ,apostles3 from the
 ,apostles1 and thence1 if  possible1   
from the rest of the then existing      
,church4 ,necessary  altogether was this
 countenance for his support3 for1 to   
this plan the  name of ,jesus was       
essential4 ,it was in that name1 that   
all his  operations were to be carried  
on3--in that name1 from the use of which
  it was to be universally understood1  
that it was according to  directions1   
and with support1 from the departed     
,jesus1 that by this1 his               
newly-enlisted servant1 everything was  
said and done4    ,in                   
,damascus--yes3--in ,damascus1 where    
were the only persons1 with whom1  for  

the purpose of his dominion1 he could   
with safety communicate3 that  is to    
say1 persons1 whom his commission from  
the ,jerusalem authorities  had placed  
under his power4 ,in ,arabia--yes3      
where1 though he had made no  progress  
of which he saw any advantage in giving 
any account--he at any  rate had not    
experienced any opposition1 of such a   
sort as to engage him  to drop his      
scheme4 ,in those comparatively distant 
countries--yes4 ,but1  in               
,jerusalem--the birthplace of ,jesus and
 his religion1--in that  metropolis1    
within which1 or the near neighbourhood 
of it1 all the  witnesses of its rise   
and progress--all the proselytes1 that  
had been  made to it1 were              
collected1--and from whence1 and to     
which1 the votaries  of that religion1  
out of which it had sprung1 would be    
continually  flocking from all          
quarters2--in this place1 for a man1    
known so  notoriously to them all as a  
persecutor1 in whose scheme of          

persecution  they had all of them been  
involved1--for such a man to have1 all  
on a  sudden1 begun preaching and       
acting1 in the name of that ,jesus1     
whom1 to  use his own language1 he had  
persecuted--such an enterprise as this1 
which1 even with the utmost support     
which it was in their power to give1    
would have been audacity1 would1 without
 some sort of countenance from          
them1--have been downright madness4     
,to perfect success it was necessary1   
that not only these shepherds of  the   
,church pasture1 but1 through them the  
whole flock1 should thus be  brought    
under management4 ,so far as regarded   
those same rulers1 we  shall find him1  
in a certain degree1--and even1 with    
reference to his  purpose1 in a         
sufficient degree1--successful4 ,but1   
with reference to the  ,disciples in    
general1 and to all those rulers but    
three1--it will be  seen to have        
completely failed4    ,circumstanced as 
he was1 to those rulers alone1 was it   

possible for him  to have addressed     
himself1 with any the smallest hope4 ,to
 any assembly  of the faithful at large1
 to have repaired with no better        
recommendation  than his vision         
story1--even with ,barnabas1 ready1 as  
we shall see1 to  take him by the       
hand1--would have been plainly hopeless4
 ,not less so  would it have been--to   
present himself to the ,apostles1--if1  
in support  of such proposition as he   
had to make1--nothing more apposite1    
nothing  to them in their situation more
 credible1 than this same vision        
story1--had been capable of being       
produced4 ,on them1 therefore1 the case 
seems already pretty well ripe for the  
conclusion1 that1 no such story  was    
ever attempted to be passed4 ,but1      
setting aside that arial                
argument1--inducements of a more        
substantial nature1 such as we shall    
find brought to view by ,paul himself1  
were neither on this occasion           
wanting1--nor could1 at any time1 have  

been out of the view of that same       
,barnabas1 whom we shall see appearing  
so often1 in the character of his       
generous patron and steady friend4 ,on  
this plan1 might ,barnabas say to       
them1--,on this plan1 which he has      
chalked out for himself1 he will be     
acting--not only not in opposition to1  
but even in furtherance of1 your  wishes
 and endeavors4 ,grecian as he          
is1--skilled in that language1 and  that
 learning1 which serves a man as a      
passport through the whole of the       
,gentile world1--it is to that world    
that his labours will confine           
themselves2 a field surely ample enough 
for the most comprehensive  views4 ,to  
you he will leave1--and leave certainly 
without privation1 and  therefore       
naturally without regret1--that field1  
of which you are  already in            
possession1--and1 by the boundaries of  
which1 your means of  convenient culture
 are circumscribed4    ,on this         
plan1--not only will your exertions     

remain unimpeded1 but the  influence of 
the name of ,jesus--that name1 on the   
influence of which  those same exertions
 are so materially dependent for their  
success1--will1 in proportion to ,paul's
 success1 be extended4    ,in a         
discourse1 to this effect1 from the     
generous and enlightened  mediator1--may
 be seen the natural origin of that     
agreement1 which1  further on in its    
place1 under the name of the partition  
treaty1 there  will be occasion to      
bring1 in a more particular manner1     
under review4    ,but1 what is little   
less evident1 than the propriety and    
prudence of  this plan1 viewed at least 
in the point of view in which it might  
not  unnaturally be viewed by ,barnabas1
 is--the impossibility1 of coming       
forward1 with any tolerable prospect of 
success1 with any such plan in  hand1 in
 presence of a vast and promiscuous     
assemblage4 ,to engage1 on  the part of 
any such assemblage1 not to say any     
steady confidence1 but  any the         

slightest hope1--that1 from an enemy    
even to death1 the same man  would      
become a partner and assistant1--would  
require a most particular  and          
protracted exposition1 of all those     
facts and arguments1 which the          
requisite confidence would require for  
its support3--a detail1 which no  such  
assembly would so much as find time to  
listen to1 were it possible  for it to  
find patience4    ,even in the case of  
the ,apostles themselves1--taking the   
whole council  of them together1 the    
nature of the plan1 it will be seen1    
admitted not  of any successful         
negotiation4 ,accordingly1 to the chief 
of them alone1  to wit1 to ,peter1 was  
it so much as the intention of ,paul to 
make any  communication of it in the    
first instance3 and1 in the whole length
 of  the intercourse1 such as it was1   
that he kept up with1 them--in all the  
four visits1 in the course of which that
 intercourse was kept up--being  a      
period of not less than twenty-five     

years1 to wit1 from the year #ce to  the
 year #fj1--with no more than three of  
the eleven1 will he be seen so  much as 
pretending to have had any personal     
interview3 they not seeing  him1 except 
when they could not avoid it2 and the   
others never seeing  him at all4        
,,section #c4    ,,occasion ,,of ,,this 
,,visit1 ,,as ,,per ,,paul',s ,,own     
,,account4    ,after his                
conversion--after the time at which1 if 
he is to be believed1  he saw that      
first-mentioned of his visions--that    
vision1 by which the  most strenuous    
opponent of the new religion was changed
 into one who1 in  profession1 was the  
most active of its supporters1--what was
 the course  he took8 ,did he repair    
immediately to ,jerusalem from whence he
 came8 ,did  he present himself to the  
eleven ,apostles--to the confidential   
companions of the departed ,jesus1 to   
lay before them his credentials8 to     
report to those by whom everything about
 ,jesus that was to be known to  man was

 known--what had been experienced by    
him8--by him1 ,paul1 by whom1  till the 
moment of that experience1 nothing of it
 whatever had been  known8 ,not he1     
indeed4 ,behold what he says himself4   
,instead of so doing1 off he goes1 in   
the first instance to ,arabia2 from     
whence1 at the end of a length of time  
not specified1 he returns to  ,damascus4
 ,at length1 however1 to ,jerusalem he  
does repair3 at length1  into the       
presence of those against whose lives he
 had so long  conspired1--he now uses   
his endeavours to intrude himself4      
,at length8 at the end then of what     
length of time8 ,at the end of three    
years8 ,yes3 but from what point of time
 computed8 ,from the time of his        
conversion on the road1--or from the    
last day of his stay at ,damascus1  upon
 his return thither from ,arabia8 ,by   
that man1 let an answer to these        
questions be given--by that man who can 
find grounds for it4    ,thus much1     
however1 may1 at any rate1 be said3--of 

the length of this  interval three years
 is the minimum4    ,in what view did it
 occur to him to seek this conference8  
in what view  to make the attempt8 and  
in what view delay it8    #a4 ,as to his
 view in seeking it1--it must be left to
 inference3--to  conjecture1 grounded on
 circumstances4    #b4 ,being engaged1  
as he was1 in the plan of making        
converts to a  religion1 called by him  
the religion of ,jesus1--and this among 
the  nations at large--among others     
besides those in the bosom of whose     
religion the founder of the new religion
 had been born2--feeling1 as it  seemed 
to him1 the need1 of information in     
various shapes--concerning  the acts and
 sayings of ,jesus2--not having1 for the
 purpose1 had1 as  yet1 access1 to any  
of the persons1 to whom the benefit1 of 
an interview  with ,jesus1 upon terms of
 peculiar confidence1 had been          
imparted2--he  was desirous1 of taking  
this--his only course--for rectifying   
the  misconception1 under which1 to no  

small extent1 he must probably have     
been labouring1--and filling up the     
deficiencies1 under which he could  not 
but be labouring4    #c4 ,obvious is the
 need he had1 of countenance from these 
universally  acknowledged chiefs1 of the
 religion professed to be taught by him4
    ,good1 says some one3 but1 having1  
from the first1 been thus long          
labouring1 under the need of            
information1--how happened it1 that he  
so  long delayed1 the exertions he made 
at length1 for the obtaining of it8     
,the answer is surely not unobvious4    
,had the time1 of his                   
presenting-himself1 been when the memory
 of his  conversion was fresh1--when the
 memory1 of the vision1 by which it was 
to be stated as having been effected1   
would1 supposing it really  experienced1
 have been fresh also1--in such case1   
the narrative1 true or  untrue1 would   
have found1 opposed to its reception1   
all imaginable  repugnance1 in so many  
ulcerated minds3 and1 on the supposition

 of its  being untrue1 he--the supposed 
percipient and actually narrating       
witness--he1 who knew nothing about the 
subject of his testimony1 would  have   
had to submit himself to the severest   
imaginable cross-examination1  at the   
hands of those1 to whom everything about
 ,jesus was matter of  perfect          
knowledge4    ,thus the matter would    
have stood1 in the first instance4 ,on  
the other  hand1 as time ran on1 several
 results1 favourable to his design1     
would  naturally have taken place4      
#a4 ,the exasperation1 produced by the  
experience of the persecution  suffered 
at his hands1 would have been           
diminished4    #b4 ,his own             
recollection1 of the particulars1 might 
be supposed less  vivid4    #c4 ,the    
curiosity1 respecting them1 would have  
become less eager4    #d4 ,time might   
have given admission to behaviour on his
 part1 of a sort1  by which distrust    
might be lessened1 confidence           
strengthened4    ,well2 now we have him 

at ,jerusalem1--and for the first time  
after his  conversion4 ,when thus1 at   
,jerusalem1--of those whom he went to   
see1 whom  did he actually see8 ,answer1
 ,peter for one2 ,james1 whom he styles 
the  ,lord's brother1 and who1 according
 to him1 though not literally a         
brother1 was1 however1 a kinsman of     
,jesus3--these two1 according to his    
own shewing2 these two1 and no more4    
,then after three years ,i went up  to  
,jerusalem to see ,peter1 and abode with
 him fifteen days4 ,but of the  other   
,apostles saw ,i none1 save ,james1 the 
,lord's brother4 ,gal4 #a3ah1  #ai4     
,,section #d4    ,,occasion1 ,,as ,,per 
,,acts ,,account ,,compared ,,with      
,,paul',s4    ,such as hath been seen is
 ,paul's account of the matter3--,paul's
 own  account1 of the interval that     
elapsed1 between his conversion1 and the
  first of his subsequent visits to     
,jerusalem3--to the residence of the    
,christians1 whom he had been           
persecuting1 and of the rulers1 under   

and  by the authority of whom1 the      
persecution had been carried on4 ,such1 
loose as it is1 is his account1 of the  
interval between these two  events3 and 
of the place1 in which1 either almost   
the whole1 or at any  rate the greatest 
part of it1 was passed4    ,such was    
,paul's own account of his own          
proceedings1--at the distance of        
twenty-five years and more4 ,compare    
with it1 now1 the account1 given by  his
 historiographer--given1 of the         
interval1 that1 according to him1 had   
place1 between these same two events4   
,acts #i3ai-bi4    ,here1 no three      
years' sojournment in ,arabia3 no visit 
to that country3  no notice1 of any     
place1 other than ,damascus1 as being a 
place1 in which  the whole1 or any part1
 of the time in question1 was passed4   
,in a  position1 with respect to each   
other1 scarcely different from that of  
contiguity1--are the two events brought 
together4 ,the blood of their  disciples
 scarce washed from off his hands1 when1

 with ,barnabas for his  introducer1 he 
presents himself to the ,apostles6      
,at the very time1 when the ,jerusalem  
rulers1 would have been expecting  to   
receive from him1 the proofs of his     
punctuality1 in the execution of  the   
important plan1 of official oppression1 
of which1 at his own  instance1 he had  
been solemnly constituted and appointed 
the  instrument2 when1 after going over 
to and forming a league with the        
criminals1 for such they must have been 
called1 whom he had been  commissioned  
by these rulers to bring to justice2--at
 this very time it  is1 that he returns 
to the seat of their dominion3--to the  
place in  which1 at that very time1 his 
return to them1 with the intended       
victims  in captivity1 could not but be 
the subject of universal expectation6   
,let any one now judge1 whether1 in any 
state of things1 natural or             
supernatural1 the sort of conduct thus  
supposed is credible4    ,at ,damascus1 
instead of presenting himself to the    

,damascus rulers1 to  whom the          
commission of which he was the bearer   
was addressed1--the first  persons1     
whom1 according to this account1 ,acts  
#i3ai1 he sees1 are the  disciples1     
i4e41 the persons whom1 by that         
commission1 he was to  arrest3 and1 with
 them1 instead of arresting them1 he    
passes certain  days4    ,these certain 
days ended1--does he thereupon1 with or 
without an  apology1 present himself to 
these same rulers8 ,not he1 indeed4 ,not
  presenting himself to them1 does he1  
by flight or otherwise1 take any        
measures1 for securing himself1 against 
their legitimate and necessarily        
intended vengeance8 ,no such            
thing3--instead of doing so1 he runs in 
the  very face of it4 ,he shows himself 
in the ,jewish synagogues1 in the       
public places of worship3 and there1    
instead of preaching ,moses and his     
law1 he preaches ,christ1--that ,christ1
 whose disciples he was  commissioned to
 extirpate4    ,this breach of          

trust--this transgression1 which1       
however commendable in  itself1 could   
not but1--in the eyes of all those by   
whom1 or for whom1  he was in trust1--be
 a most flagitious and justly punishable
 act of  treachery1--could it even from 
the first1 for so much as two days1     
together1 remain unknown8 ,not it1      
indeed3 if1 in this particular1 to  this
 same conversion story1 as related by   
this same author1 any credit  is due4   
,for1 according to this same            
account1--in this same journey1 and  at 
the very time of his conversion vision1 
was he alone8 ,no2 he had  companions3  
companions1 who1 whatsoever became of   
him1 would1 at the  very time of his    
entrance1 unless any cause can be shown 
to the  contrary1 have entered thither  
in due course4 ,well1 then--ask the men 
in  authority1--,this ,paul1 in whose   
train you came1--where is he1 what has  
become of him8 ,such would of course    
have been the questions put to  these1  
his companions1 even on the supposition1

 that by these same  companions1 no     
visit had1 of their own accord1 been    
paid to these same  rulers1 under whose 
authority they went to place themselves4
    ,at length1--and the days which by  
this time had elapsed were  many1--he   
finds it expedient to quit ,damascus4   
,he is driven from  thence3 but by what 
force8 ,by the exercise of the legal    
authority of the  offended rulers8 in a 
word1 by public vengeance8 ,no3 but by a
 private  conspiracy--nothing more3 for1
 to these rulers1--so different are they
  from all other rulers1--whether their 
authority is obeyed or contemned1  has1 
all the while1 been matter of           
indifference4      ,,acts ix4 #ai-cj4   
#ai4 ,and when he had received meat1 he 
was strengthened4 ,then was       ,saul 
certain days with the disciples which   
were at       ,damascus4--,and          
straightway he preached ,christ in the  
synagogues1       that he is the ,son of
 ,god4--,but all that heard him were    
amazed1 and       said1 ,is not this he 

that destroyed them which called on this
 name       in ,jerusalem1 and came     
hither for that intent1 that he might   
bring       them bound unto the chief   
priests8--,but ,saul increased the more 
in       strength1 and confounded the   
,jews which dwelt at ,damascus1 proving 
that this is very ,christ4--,and after  
that many days were       fulfilled1 the
 ,jews took counsel to kill him3--,but  
their laying       await was known of   
,saul4 ,and they watched the gates day  
and night       to kill him4--,then the 
disciples took him by night1 and let him
       down by the wall in a            
basket4--,and when ,saul was come to    
,jerusalem1 he assayed to join himself  
to the disciples3 but they       were   
all afraid of him1 and believed not that
 he was a       disciple4--,but         
,barnabas took him1 and brought him to  
the apostles1       and declared unto   
them how he had seen the ,lord in the   
way1 and       that he had spoken to    
him1 and how he had preached boldly at  

,damascus in the name of ,jesus4--,and  
he was with them coming in and          
going out at ,jerusalem4--,and he spake 
boldly in the name of the       ,lord   
,jesus1 and disputed against the        
,grecians3 but they went about       to 
slay him4--#cj4 ,which1 when the        
brethren knew1 they brought him         
down to ,csarea1 and sent him forth to  
,tarsus4    ,in the above account--a    
remarkable incident is presented1 by the
  occasion and manner of his escape from
 ,damascus4 ,in part1 it has for its    
support an assertion made by ,paul      
himself2 but1 as usual1 as to part it   
is scarcely reconcileable with the      
account he gives of it4 ,in respect of  
the adventure of the basket1 the two    
accounts agree3 and thus the  occasion  
is identified and fixed4 ,it is in      
respect of the description of  the      
persons1 by whom the attack upon him was
 made or meditated1 that the  accounts  
differ4 ,according to the ,acts1 the    
hostile hands are those of  the ,jews1  

who are spoken of as so many            
unauthorized and criminal  conspirators3
 but1 according to ,paul1 they are those
 of the constituted  authorities--a     
governor acting under a king4           
#ca4 ,in ,damascus--says he1 in #b ,cor4
 #aa3cb-cc--;,in ,damascus1 the         
governor under ,aretas the king kept the
 city of the ,damascenes with       a   
garrison1 desirous to apprehend me4 ,and
 through a window in a       basket was 
,i let down by the wall1 and escaped his
 hands4    ,now1 supposing the adverse  
force to have been that of a band of    
conspirators1 it was natural for them to
 watch the city gates3 a more  promising
 resource they could scarcely have had  
at their command4 ,but1  suppose it to  
have been that of the governor1--what   
need had he to watch  the gates8 he     
might have searched houses4 ,by the     
reference made1 to a  matter of fact1   
which1 supposing it real1 must in its   
nature have been  notorious--to wit1 the
 existence of a king1 of the name in    

question1 in  the country in question1  
at the time in question--a comparative  
degree  of probability seems to be given
 to ,paul's account4 ,a curious         
circumstance is--that1 in this ,epistle 
of ,paul's1 this anecdote of the        
,basket stands completely insulated2 it 
has not any the slightest  connection   
with anything that precedes or follows  
it4    ,in the ,acts' account1 as       
already observed1 ,chap4 #d1 it looks as
 if it  was immediately after the       
adventure of the basket1 that he went on
 this  his first visit to the ,apostles 
at ,jerusalem3 for1 as we see1 it is    
immediately thereupon that his arrival  
at that city is mentioned4 ,if so1  the 
abode he had then been making at        
,damascus1 was probably after  his      
return from ,arabia3 that return from   
,arabia1 which we have seen him         
speaking of in his ,epistle to the      
,galatians1 ,gal4 i4 #ae4 ,when it      
pleased ,god 444 to reveal his son to   
me1 that ,i might preach him to the     

heathen2 immediately ,i conferred not   
with flesh and blood2 ,neither went  ,i 
up to ,jerusalem1 to them which were    
,apostles before me2 but ,i went  into  
,arabia1 and returned again unto        
,damascus4 ,then after three years1  ,i 
went up to ,jerusalem1 to see ,peter4 c4
    ,after three years8--three years1   
reckoning from what time8 ,here we  see 
the ambiguity1 and along with it the    
difficulty4 ,if reckoning from  his     
conversion1--then we have the three     
years1 to be spent--partly in           
,damascus1 partly in ,arabia3 in        
,damascus1 in obtaining1 perhaps1 from  
the  ,christianized ,jews--in return for
 the impunity given to them by the      
breach of the trust committed to him by 
the ,jerusalem rulers--money1 for       
defraying his expenses while in ,arabia4
 ,if1 reckoning from his escape  from   
,damascus in a basket1 then we have     
three years1 during which not so  much  
as any the faintest trace of him is     
perceptible4 ,all1 therefore1  that is  

clear is--that according to his account 
of the matter1 there was  an interval of
 at least three years between his       
conversion1 and this  first of his      
subsequent ,jerusalem visits--this visit
 of his to  ,jerusalem1 to see the      
,apostles4    ,between the two          
interpretations1--in respect of length  
of time1 observe  here the difference4  
,according to one of them1 between the  
conversion  and the first ,jerusalem    
visit1 we have an interval of three     
years1 and  no more3 and1 in this       
interval1 three lengths of time--one    
passed in  ,damascus1 another in        
,arabia1 a third1 terminated by the     
basket  adventure1 passed also in       
,damascus1 are all included3 the entire 
interval determinate3 but its parts1 all
 of them1 indeterminate4  ,according to 
the other interpretation1 we have also  
three lengths of  time3 the first1      
indeterminate1 passed in ,damascus2 the 
second1 as  indeterminate1 passed in    
,arabia2 the third1 passed in ,damascus1

 and this  a determinate one--namely1   
the three years4 ,thus1 upon the first  
supposition1 the interval consists of   
three years1 and no more3 upon the      
second supposition1 it consists of three
 years1 preceded by two lengths  of     
time1 which are both indeterminate1 but 
one of which--that passed in            
,arabia--may have been to any amount    
protracted4    ,upon either             
supposition1--it seems not unlikely1    
that it was immediately  after his      
escape from ,damascus1 that this first  
visit of his to  ,jerusalem took place4 
,and1 the greater the preceding interval
 of time1  whether passed in ,arabia or 
,damascus1 the less unpromising his     
prospect1  that the resentments1        
produced by the provocations given by   
him to the  ,christians1 by his         
persecution of them1--and to the ,jewish
 rulers1 by  his treachery towards      
them1--should1 both1 have to such a     
degree  subsided1 as to render even so  
short a stay1 as that of fifteen days   

which he mentions1 consistent with      
personal safety4 ,yet1 as we see in  the
 ,acts1 are these two events spoken of  
as if they had been contiguous3  at any 
rate1 it is in contiguity that they are 
spoken of4    ,uncertainties crowd upon 
uncertainties4 ,at the time of ,paul's  
conversion1--had ,damascus already this 
same king1 named ,aretas1 with a        
governor under him8 ,if so1 how happens 
it1 that1 of this state of the          
government1 no intimation is            
perceptible1 in the account given of    
that  conversion in the ,acts8 ,was     
it--that1 at that time1 there existed   
not  any such monarchical personage8 but
 that1 before the adventure of the      
basket1 some revolution had placed him  
there8    ,according to ,paul's         
account1--the state of things1 produced 
in ,damascus  by his exertions1 was     
somewhat curious4 ,on the face of this  
account1 in  ordinary there was no      
garrison in ,damascus3 it was only by   
special  order from the monarch1 and for

 no other purpose than the bringing to  
justice--or what was called justice--the
 person of the self-constituted         
,apostle1--that a garrison was put into 
the town1 with a governor for the       
command of it4    ,what a foundation all
 this for credence6 and1 with it1 for a 
system of  religious doctrine to build  
itself upon6--religious doctrine--with  
the  difference between eternal         
happiness and eternal misery depending  
upon  it6      ,,section #e4    ,,cause 
,,of ,,the ,,discordance ,,between ,,the
 ,,two ,,accounts4    ,between these two
 accounts1 such being the               
discordance--where shall we  find the   
cause of it8 ,answer3 in the different  
views1 in which1 at the  time of        
writing1 the two accounts were penned3  
in the different objects1  to the       
accomplishment of which1 at the time of 
penning their respective  accounts1 the 
endeavours of the two writers were      
directed4    ,the author of the         
,acts--what1 then1 was his object8 ,to  

obtain for his  patron--his chief       
hero--alive or dead--a recognition1 as  
universal as  possible1 in his assumed  
character of an ,apostle4 ,the more     
complete the  recognition1 bestowed upon
 him by those most competent of all     
judges1--the more extensive the         
recognition he might look for1 at the   
hands of all other their                
fellow-believers4    ,sufficient was    
this--sufficient for the general        
purposes of the  party--in the eyes of a
 person other than ,paul1 even though   
that other  person was a proteg1 a      
retainer1 a satellite4    ,sufficient   
this was not1 however1 to the arrogance 
of the head of the  party--,paul        
himself3 at least1 at the time of his   
writing this his  letter to his         
,galatian converts4    ,think you1 says 
he1 that any relation1 ,i have ever     
borne to any of those  who were         
,apostles before me1 had1 on my part1   
anything in it of  dependence8 ,think   
you1 that ,i ever stood in need of      

anything at their  hands8 ,think you1   
that ,i had ever any more need of them1 
than they of  me8 ,not ,i1 indeed4 ,the 
,gospel1 which ,i have always           
preached--neither  from them did ,i     
receive it1 nor from them1 in preaching 
it1 did ,i ever  seek or receive any    
assistance4 ,gal4 i4 #aa1 #ab4 ,think   
you1 that ,i stood  in any need1 or ever
 supposed myself to stand in any need1  
of any  acceptance or acknowledgement at
 their hands8 ,not ,i1 indeed4 ,when my 
revelation had been received by me1 did 
,i present myself to them1 for  any such
 purpose as that of remuneration and    
acceptance8 ,not ,i1 indeed4  ,i went   
not to them3 ,i went not so much as to  
,jerusalem1 where they then  were3 ,i   
conferred not with flesh and blood3--off
 ,i went to ,arabia2 and  when my       
business in ,arabia was at an end1 even 
then1 did ,i repair to  ,jerusalem8 ,not
 ,i1 indeed4 ,i returned again to       
,damascus4 ,true it is1 to  ,jerusalem  
,i did go at last4--,but when8--,not    

till three years  afterwards4           
,well--and1 when ,i was at ,jerusalem1  
how many1 and which of  them1 think you 
that ,i saw8 ,think you1 that ,i put    
myself to any such  trouble1 as that of 
seeing them all together8 the whole herd
 of them8  ,no4 ,peter was naturally a  
chief among them3 with him ,i had       
accordingly  some business to           
settle3--him1 accordingly1 ,i saw1 as   
also ,james1 whom1  as being a brother1 
or other near kinsman1 of ,jesus1 ,i had
 a curiosity  to see4    ,paul himself  
wrote at one time2 this his disciple at 
another3 each of  them pursued the      
purpose of the time4 ,not on this       
occasion1 at any  rate1--perhaps not on 
any other1 was there anything1 that     
either wrote1  concerted between        
them4#be ,of this want of concert1 what 
has just been  seen is one of the       
consequences4    ,reserved as we have   
seen him1 in regard to time and other   
circumstances1--one circumstance more   
there is1 for which our curiosity  is to

 no small amount1 debtor1 to the author 
of the ,acts4 ,this  is--information1 of
 the means--of the channel1 through     
which ,paul  obtained the introduction1 
which1 without mention made of the      
object1 we  have seen him acknowledging 
that1 so far as concerned ,peter1 he was
  desirous of3 and that to such a       
degree1 as to undertake a journey from  
,damascus to ,jerusalem1 some #abj or   
#acj miles1 for the purpose4            
,repugnancy1 so natural1 and naturally  
so vehement--even at the end of  three  
years1 or the still greater number of   
years--by what means could  he remove   
it1 or so much as flatter himself with a
 prospect of being  able to remove it8  
,to this question1 it is to the author  
of the ,acts  that we are indebted for  
an answer3 and that answer a            
satisfactory  one3--it was by the       
assistance of ,barnabas1 that the       
object1 so far as  it was accomplished1 
was accomplished4    ,to the religion of
 ,jesus1 after as well as before        

this1--to the ,apostles  in particular  
before this1--,barnabas was a supporter 
of no small  importance4    ,at the time
 when the financial arrangements were   
for the second time  settled2#bf--when1 
from the substance of the opulent among 
the  faithful1 enough was collected for 
the support of all the  indigent2--among
 those1 by whom1 on this second         
occasion1 lands and  houses1 were for   
this purpose sold1 particular persons   
are1 on this  second occasion1 for the  
first time mentioned4 ,the first place  
is  occupied by this ,barnabas3 and not 
till after him come ,ananias and        
,sapphira--the unfortunate pair1 of     
whose fate mention will have to be  made
 in another place4    ,joses was1 it    
seems1 the original name--the proper    
name of this  beneficent protector3     
,barnabas1 the ,son of consolation1     
,acts #d3cf1 was  no more than a title  
of honour1--a token of gratitude4 ,a    
title of  honour8 and by whom conferred8
 ,even by the ,apostles4 ,by ,barnabas1 

therefore1 whatsoever thereafter comes  
to be reported as done1--it is by  the  
,son of consolation that we are to      
understand it to have been1 and  to be1 
done4    ,as to the arguments1 by which 
this son of consolation succeeded1--in  
prevailing1 upon two1 and1 if we are to 
believe ,paul1 no more than two1  of    
these so lately persecuted or threatened
 servants of ,jesus1--to be1  for a few 
days1 upon speaking terms1 with him1 who
 so lately had been  their deadly1 as   
well as open enemy1--it is from         
imagination1 with  judgment for her     
guide1 that they must1 if at all1 be    
deduced from the  surrounding           
circumstances of the case4    ,as to    
these arguments1 however1--whatever were
 the rest of them1 of two  of them a    
hint is given by the author of the      
,acts3 these are1--the  story of the    
conversion1--and the boldness of the    
preaching1 which at  ,damascus was among
 the first-fruits of it4 ,those which1  
under the  guidance of judgment1        

imagination would not find much         
difficulty in  adding1 are1--the        
evil--that might result from his enmity1
 in case the  advances then made by him 
were rejected1--and the useful service1 
which1  by the blessing of ,god1 might  
be hoped for at his hands1 if admitted  
in  the character of an ally and        
cooperator3 at any rate1 so long as the 
whole field of his exertions1 and in    
particular the geographical part of  it1
 continued different from theirs4       
,with ,peter1 on whatever account1 it   
was ,paul's own desire to hold a        
conference3--so we have seen him        
declaring to the ,galatians4 ,to this   
,peter1 whom he was desirous of seeing1 
and whom at length he succeeded  in     
seeing1--to this ,peter did he then     
himself tell the story of his  vision1  
of his conversion1 and the mode of it8  
,if at any time he  did1--at any rate1  
if the author of the ,acts is to be     
believed1--it was  not till ,barnabas1  
the son of consolation1 had told it for 

him4 ,had it  been by himself that his  
story had been to be told in the first  
instance1--he would thereby have stood  
exposed to cross-examination3  and1     
among those things1 which ,barnabas     
might in his situation say for          
him1--were many things1 which1 if at    
all1 he could not1 with anything  like  
an equal prospect of good effect1 have  
said for himself4 ,to any  asseveration 
of his own1--in any promises of future  
amity1 it was not in  the nature of the 
case1 that from his own mouth they      
should give  credence4 ,but1 when by    
,barnabas1 of whose zeal in their cause 
they had  received such substantial     
proofs--when from this son of           
consolation they  received assurance1   
that ,paul had actually engaged himself 
in that line  of service1 which he      
professed himself desirous to           
embrace2--that he had  engaged so far1  
that no prospect of safe retreat could  
reasonably be in  his view2--then it    
was1 that1 without imprudence1 they     

might1 venture to  hold at least a      
conference with him1 and hear and see   
what he had to say  for himself4    ,as 
to the account1 given on this occasion  
by ,barnabas1 of the famous             
vision1--had it been but preserved1 it  
would probably have been no less        
curious than those which we have been   
already seeing4 ,though we cannot  be   
precisely assured in what way1--we may  
be pretty well assured1 that1  in some  
way or other1 additions would have been 
to be seen made in it1  to the list of  
variations4    ,but1 the great          
advantage1--producible1 and probably    
produced1 by  the opening of the matter1
 as performed by ,barnabas1--was this3  
in company with those arguments1 by     
which the sincerity of ,paul was  to be 
demonstrated1--would naturally come     
those1 by which intimation  would be    
given1 of the advantage there might be1 
in forbearing to  apply too strict a    
scrutiny1 to this important statement4  
,the  interests1 which1 in the character

 of motives1 pleaded for the            
acceptance1 of the advance made towards 
reconciliation and mutually             
advantageous cooperation1--would1 in    
this manner1 prepare the way1  for      
receiving1 without any troublesome      
counter-interrogation1 the  important   
narrative3 or1 perhaps1 for considering 
the matter1 as  already sufficiently    
explained1 by the son of                
consolation1--in such  sort that1 to the
 new ,apostle1 the trouble of repeating 
a narrative1  which he must already have
 so frequently found himself under the  
necessity of repeating1 might be spared4
    ,the greater was the importance1 of 
the service thus rendered to ,paul by   
the son of consolation1--the more       
studiously1 in giving the account1 as   
above1 of the intercourse with the      
,apostles at ,jerusalem1--the more      
studiously1 would he avoid all mention  
of it4#bg      ,,section #f4    ,,length
 ,,of ,,this ,,visit--,,paul',s         
,,employment ,,during ,,it4    ,fifteen 

days1 if ,paul is to be                 
believed--fifteen days1 and no          
more1--was  the length of time1 during  
which his intercourse with ,peter       
continued3  ,gal4 i4 #ah1 that same     
length of time1 and no greater1 it may  
without  much rashness be inferred1 was 
his stay at ,jerusalem4    ,these       
fifteen days1--or whatever1 if anything 
longer1 was the duration  of his stay in
 that seat of their common religion1--in
 what occupations  were they employed8  
,it is in the ,acts1 if anywhere1 that  
this question  will receive its answer4 
,it was in disputing against the        
,grecians4  ,acts #i3bi4    ,that such  
should have been his occupation1 is in  
his situation  altogether natural4      
,of a sort of partition treaty1 as      
having1 at one time1 been entered  into 
between himself and ,peter1--,paul1 in  
his so-often mentioned  letters to the  
,galatians1 informs us in express terms4
 ,as to the time1  which1 on that       
occasion1 he has in view1--it was1      

according to  appearance1 not the time  
of this his first visit1 but of the     
third4 ,at  that third visit1 the treaty
 was1 at any rate1 either entered into  
for  the first time1 or confirmed3      
receiving1 at the same time1 what was on
  both sides agreed upon1 as an         
amendment requisite to add to it1 in    
respect of clearness1 correctness1 or   
completeness4    ,but1 at this visit1 it
 seems altogether natural1 that1 with   
more or less  of these same qualities1 a
 treaty of this sort took place4 ,by the
 sort  of relation1 produced between    
them1 by the state of interests1--the   
existence of an agreement of this sort  
seems sufficiently probabilized3  and1  
from the few words1 in which1 by the    
author of the ,acts1 mention is  made of
 the ,grecians1 and of ,paul's disputes 
with them1--the inference  receives the 
confirmation afforded by direct         
evidence4    ,with the ,grecians then it
 was1 that these disputations of ,paul  
were  held4 ,why with the ,grecians1 and

 no other8 ,the reason is no mystery4   
,greek was the language of ,paul3       
,greek1 for anything that appears1 was  
not the language of ,peter1 or of any   
other of the ,apostles4 ,applying       
himself to the ,grecians1 and to them   
alone1--,paul might1 to any amount1     
have given additional extent to his own 
dominion1 without subtracting  anything 
from theirs4    ,not productive1 it     
should seem1 of much fruit1--was this   
portion1 of the  new ,apostle's labours4
 ,no sooner are we informed1 of the boon
 thus  offered to these ,grecian        
,gentiles1 than comes1 moreover1 the    
further  information1 that some there   
were1 that went about to slay him4      
,which  when the brethren knew1 they    
brought him1 it is added1 to ,csarea1   
and sent him forth to ,tarsus4 ,acts    
#i3bi4    ,meantime1 those men1 who went
 about to slay him1--who were they8     
,possibly they were ,grecians1 if by the
 disputation in question1 the  annoyance
 produced was so intolerable to them1 as

 to be productive of a  wish and        
enterprise thus flagitious3 and1 if the 
evidence afforded by  the rules of      
grammar be in this case regarded as     
conclusive1--the  pronoun they having   
for its last possible antecedent the    
substantive  ,grecians--these1 and no   
other1 must have been the intended      
murderers4  ,on the other hand1 among   
the heathen--the philosophical          
disputants of  this                     
nation1--disputations1 having any such  
abstractions for their  subject1 were   
not wont to be productive1 of any such  
practical and  flagitious consequences4 
,among the heathens1 moreover1 it       
appears not1  that1 antecedently to his 
conversion1 the zeal of ,paul had led   
him to  put any to death3 on the other  
hand among the ,christianized ,jews1 his
  fellow-religionists1 the number of    
persons1 of whom he had put to death    
some1 and in other ways plagued others1 
was unhappily but too great4 ,by  the   
religion into which they had been       

converted1--revenge1 it is true1  was   
not 7as in that which they were         
converted from7 magnified1 but          
prohibited3 but1 the influence of it has
 never been equally efficient  upon all 
minds4    ,be this as it may1--upon his 
leaving ,jerusalem1 it was to the region
 of  ,syria and ,cilicia1 that1 at this 
time1 he betook himself4 ,so1 in his    
letter to his ,galatians1 he himself    
says1 ,gal4 #a3ba2 and1 by what is  said
 in the ,acts1 he is not contradicted1  
but confirmed4 ,by himself what  is     
mentioned is--the region1 viz4 ,syria   
and ,cilicia3 by the ,acts what  is     
mentioned is--the cities1 viz4 ,csarea  
and ,tarsus4  ,csarea1--whether at that 
time it was in ,syria or not1--was1 at  
any  rate1 little1 if anything1 out of  
the way1 from ,jerusalem to ,tarsus4    
,csarea was a town upon the coast3--one 
among those maritime towns1  which1     
whether parts or not of ,syria1 are in  
the way between the inland  city1 of    
,jerusalem1 and the coast of ,cilicia3  

with which coast1 by a  river1--,tarsus1
 marked in the map with the mark of a   
capital town1  appears to communicate4  
,in speaking of this change of place1   
the terms employed by ,paul1 are        
general terms1--,i came4 ,by what means 
he came1 he does not  mention3 nor does 
there appear any particular reason why  
he should have  mentioned them4    ,in  
the ,acts1 the account is more          
particular3--he was1 in a manner1       
forced from the one place to the        
other3--he was1 at any rate1  escorted3 
it was by the brethren1 he was so dealt 
with4 ,which  when the brethren knew1   
they brought him down to ,csarea1 and   
sent him  forth to ,tarsus4 ,acts #i3cj4
    ,by the brethren8--,yes4--,but by   
what brethren8 ,by the general body of  
the  ,christians1 or any that belonged  
to it8 ,no3--for1 it was from their     
wrath1 that he was making his escape4   
,no3--not by the justly exasperated     
many2 but by such few adherents as1     
under such prodigious disadvantage1  his

 indefatigable artifice and energy had  
found means to conciliate4              
,,section #g4    ,,mode ,,and ,,cause   
,,of ,,its ,,termination4    ,in        
relation to this subject1 we have two1  
and no more than two1  accounts1--both  
from the same pen1--that of the         
historiographer in the  ,acts2 and these
 two accounts1 as usual1 contradictory  
of each other4  ,the first1 in the order
 of the history1 is that given by him in
 his own  person3 ,acts #i3bg1 #bh1 #bi4
 ,the other1 is that given by him in the
 person  of ,paul3 namely1 in the course
 of his supposed first-made and         
unpremeditated speech1--when1 on the    
occasion of his last visit to           
,jerusalem--his ,invasion ,visit1 he was
 pleading for his life before the  angry
 multitude4 ,acts #bb3ag1 #ah1 #ai1 #bj1
 #ba4    ,now then1 let us compare the  
two accounts4    ,speaking in his own   
person1--it is to the fear of certain   
,grecians1 that  the historiographer    
ascribes ,paul's departure for          

,jerusalem4 ,in  disputing with them1 he
 had been speaking boldly in the name of
 the  ,lord ,jesus3 and thereupon1--and 
as we are desired to believe1           
therefore1--came certain designs and    
endeavours to slay him4 ,designs8  on   
the part of whom8 ,answer3--on the part 
of those same ,grecians3 cause  of these
 designs and endeavours1 irritation1 so 
it is intended we should                
suppose1--irritation1 produced in the   
breasts of those same  ,grecians2--and  
produced by the dispute4    ,now1 as to 
the words of the historiographer1       
speaking in his own person4  ,it is     
immediately after the mention of ,paul's
 transactions with the  ,apostles and   
the other disciples1 that after saying1 
,acts #i3bh1 that  444 he was with them 
coming in and going out of ,jerusalem1  
the  narrative continues thus3 ver4 #bi2
 ,and he spake boldly in the name of    
the ,lord ,jesus1 and disputed against  
the ,grecians1 but they went about  to  
slay him3 ver4 #cj2 ,which when the     

brethren knew1 they brought him  down to
 ,csarea1 and sent him forth to ,tarsus4
    ,such is the account given1 of the  
departure of ,paul from ,jerusalem1 on  
the occasion in question--given by the  
historiographer1 speaking in his  own   
person1 of the manner of the departure1 
and at the same time of the  cause of   
it4 ,behold now how different is the    
account given1 of the same  matter1 by  
the same historiographer1 in the same   
work1 when speaking in  the person of   
his hero4 ,nothing now as to any        
disputes with ,grecians3  nothing now of
 these1 or any other human beings1 in   
the character of  beings who were angry 
with him1 and that to such a degree1    
that1 to  save his life1 it was deemed  
necessary by his adherents1--styled on  
this  occasion the brethren1 to take    
charge of him1 as we have seen1 and     
convey him from ,jerusalem to ,csarea   
and elsewhere4    ,the case seems to    
be--that1 between the time of writing   
the account  which has just been seen1  

and the time for giving an account of   
the same  transaction in the person of  
the hero1 as above1--a certain          
difficulty  presented itself to the mind
 of the historiographer3 and1 that it is
 for  the solution of this difficulty1  
that he has recourse1 to one of his     
sovereign solvents--a trance4 ,the      
difficulty seems to have been this3     
,the class of persons1 whom1 on that    
first visit of his he had  exasperated1 
were--not ,grecians1 or any other       
,gentiles1 but  ,christians3            
,christians1 the whole body of          
them--,apostles and ,disciples          
together3 the same class of persons1 to 
which belonged those who1 on the        
occasion of this his last visit--the    
,invasion ,visit--were to such a  degree
 exasperated1 by this fourth intrusion  
of his1 as to be attempting  his life4  
,how hopeless any attempt would have    
been1 to make them  believe1 that it was
 not by themselves1 but by a set of     
,heathens1 that  his life was threatened

 on that former occasion1 is            
sufficiently  manifest4 ,here then comes
 a demand1 for a substitute1 to that    
cause1  which1 distant as the time was1 
could not1 however1 be altogether absent
  from their memory3 and which1 so far  
as it was present1 could not but        
heighten their exasperation3--this      
substitute was the trance4    ,the cause
 of the departure is now--not the fear  
of any human being1 but  the express    
command of the ,lord3--a command        
delivered in the course1  and by means1 
of this same trance4 ,moreover1 as if1  
from such a  quarter1 commands were not 
sufficient of themselves2 on the present
  occasion1 it will be seen1 they came  
backed by reasons4 ,was it that1  as the
 historiographer has been telling us in 
his own person1 certain  ,grecians were 
exasperated8 ,no3 but that the persons1 
to whom1 with  ,barnabas for his        
supporting witness1 ,acts #i3bg1 he had 
been telling his  story1 gave no credit 
to it3 so that1 by a man with his       

reputation in  this state1 nothing in   
the way of his business was to be done4 
,but now let us see the text4 ,it comes 
immediately after that passage1 in      
which ,paul is made to speak of         
,ananias1 as giving orders to him1 in   
the  name of the ,lord3 orders1         
concluding in these words3 ,acts #bb3af3
 444  arise1 and be baptized1 and wash  
away thy sins1 calling on the name of   
the ,lord4 ,this said1--his story1 as   
told to the multitude1 continues  thus3 
,and it came to pass that1 when ,i was  
come again to ,jerusalem1  even while ,i
 prayed in the temple1 ,i was in a      
trance3 ,and saw him  saying unto me1   
,make haste1 and get thee quickly out of
 ,jerusalem3  for they will not receive 
thy testimony concerning me4 ,and ,i    
said1  ,lord1 they know that ,i         
imprisoned and beat in every synagogue  
those that  believed on thee3 ,and when 
the blood of thy martyr ,stephen was    
shed1 ,i  also was standing by1 and     
consenting to his death1 and kept the   

raiment  of them that slew him4 ,and he 
said unto me1 ,depart3 for ,i will send 
thee  far hence unto the ,gentiles4 ,and
 they gave him audience unto this word1 
and then lifted up their voices and     
said1 ,away with such a fellow from  the
 earth2 for it is not fit that he should
 live4    ,it may now be seen1 how      
useful and convenient an implement this 
same  trance was3 how well adapted1 to  
the occasion on which it was employed4  
,taken by itself1 this story about the  
enraged ,grecians might serve to  impose
 upon readers in general3 but1 to the   
knowledge of the really  enraged        
,christians1 whose wrath he was         
endeavouring to assuage1--it was  not   
only too palpably false to be related to
 them1 but too much so1 to  be even for 
a moment supposed to be related to them3
 hence came the  demand for the         
supernatural cause4 ,nothing1 it is     
evident1 could be  better suited to the 
purpose4 ,the assertion was of the sort 
of those1  which1 how palpably soever   

untrue1 are not exposed to contradiction
 by  direct evidence3 and which1        
supposing them believed1 ensure         
universal  respect1 and put all         
gainsayers to silence4    ,an incident  
not unworthy here of notice1 is--the    
sort of acknowledgment  contained in the
 words--for they will not receive thy   
testimony  concerning me4 ,in this may  
be seen--a confirmation of the important
  fact1 so fully proved on the occasion 
of the first or ,reconciliation  ,visit3
 and we see--with what consistency and  
propriety1 the mention of  it comes in1 
on the present occasion3 namely1 in a   
speech1 made to a  multitude1 of which1 
many of those1--by whom he had been     
disbelieved and  rejected on that former
 occasion1--must of course have formed a
 part4    ,such is the fact1 which1     
after having communicated to us1 in his 
own  person1 ,acts #i3bf1 they were all 
afraid of him1 and believed not that  he
 was a disciple1 the historiographer is 
frank enough to communicate  to us a    

second time1 through the mouths of ,paul
 and the ,lord1 the one  within the     
other4 ,true enough this information3   
and1 moreover1 at  ,jerusalem1 as well  
when the historiographer was writing1 as
 when ,paul  was speaking1 notorious    
enough3 or we should hardly have had it 
here  and now4 ,but1 what a truth to put
 into the mouth of ,paul1 whose title   
to credence for his claim1 is so        
effectually destroyed by it6    ,to     
return to what1 on the occasion of the  
first visit1 is said by the             
historiographer1 in his own person1     
about the ,grecians4 ,that it was       
false1 as to the main point1--namely1   
that it was by the fear of those  same  
,gentiles that he was driven out of     
,jerusalem1--is now1 it is hoped1       
sufficiently evident4 ,but1 as to his   
having held disputation with  them1--in 
this there seems not to be anything     
inconsistent or  improbable3 and this   
part1 supposing it true1 might1 in so   
far as known1  help to gain credence for

 that which was false4    ,a            
circumstance--not altogether clear1 nor 
worth taking much trouble in  the       
endeavour to render it so1 is--on the   
occasion of this dialogue1 the  change  
made1 of the supernatural vehicle1 from 
a vision into a  trance4 ,whatsoever1 if
 any1 is the difference1--they agree in 
the  one essential point3 namely1 that  
it is in the power1 of any man1 at any  
time1 to have had as many of them as he 
pleases3 hearing and seeing1  moreover1 
in every one of them1 whatsoever things 
it suits his  convenience to have heard 
or seen4--,i saw a vision3 or1 ,i was in
 a  trance3 either postulate granted1   
everything whatsoever follows4    ,this 
trance1 it may be observed1 is of a much
 more substantial nature  than any of   
the visions4 ,by ,paul in his road      
vision1--vision as it  was1--neither    
person nor thing1 with the exception of 
a quantity of  light1 was seen3 only a  
voice1 said to be the ,lord's1 heard4   
,in this  trance1 the ,lord is not only 

heard1 but seen4 ,in those visions1 that
  which is said to have been heard1     
amounts to nothing3 on the present      
occasion1 what is said to have been     
heard1 is material to the purpose1  and 
perfectly intelligible4 ,not that there 
could be any use in ,paul's  actually   
hearing of it3 for what it informed him 
of1 was nothing more  than that which1  
at the very time1 he was in full        
experience of4 ,but1 in  a situation    
such as his1 it was really of use to    
him1 to be thought to  have heard it3   
and therefore it is1 that1 in the speech
 ascribed to him1  he is represented as 
saying that he heard it4    ,,footnotes3
    #be ,in the current chronology1 this
 ,epistle to the ,galatians is placed   
in the year #eh2 on the part of the     
author of the ,acts1 the first mention  
of his being in the company of ,paul is 
placed in the year next  following1 to  
wit1 #ei4 ,note1 that at the end of the 
,epistle to the  ,galatians1 it is      
stated to be written from ,rome3 yet1   

according to the  current chronology1   
his arrival at ,rome1 in custody1 from  
,jerusalem1--at  which time             
unquestionably he had never as yet      
visited ,rome1--did not  take place till
 the year #fb4    #bf ,first time1 ,acts
 ii4 #de4 ,second time1 ,acts iv4 #cd4  
#bg ,i conferred not with flesh and     
blood4 7,gal4 ii4 #af47 ,of those  who  
seemed to be somewhat1 whatsoever they  
were1 it maketh no matter to  me4 ,not  
till after three years did ,i go up to  
,jerusalem to see  ,peter4 ,with        
language in this strain1 it would have  
harmonized but  indifferently1 to have  
added1 nor should ,i have seen him then1
 had it  not been for ,barnabas4        
,,chapter ,v4         ,paul disbelieved 
continued4--,jerusalem ,visit ,,ii4     
,money-bringing ,visit4--,barnabas      
accompanying him from ,antioch4         
,,section #a4    ,,at ,,antioch1        
,,agabus ,,having ,,predicted ,a        
,,dearth1 ,,money ,,is ,,collected ,,for
 ,,the  ,,jerusalem ,,saints4    ,at his

 own house it was1 that we last left our
 self-declared ,apostle3 at  his own    
birthplace--,tarsus3 what we have next  
to see is--what drew him  from thence4  
,all this while there were other        
disciples that had not been idle4 ,to   
the  new religion1 already was ,antioch1
 ,antioch in ,syria1 become a new       
,jerusalem4    ,upon the dispersion of  
the ,jerusalem ,christians1 occasioned  
by  the judicial murder of the sainted  
trustee of the poor's                   
fund--,stephen1--some of them1 among    
whom were some natives of  ,cyprus1--in 
which island was situated the property  
of the son of  consolation1             
,barnabas1--had betaken themselves to   
that same island1  others to that same  
city of ,antioch in ,syria4    ,,acts   
xi4 #ai-bd4         #ai4 ,now they which
 were scattered abroad upon the         
persecution that       arose about      
,stephen1 travelled as far as ,phenice  
and ,cyprus1 and       ,antioch1        
preaching the word to none but unto the 

,jews only4--,and       some of them    
were men of ,cyprus and ,cyrene1 which1 
when they were       come to ,antioch1  
spake unto the ,grecians1 preaching the 
,lord       ,jesus4--,and the hand of   
the ,lord was with them2 and a great    
number       believed1 and turned unto  
the ,lord4--,then tidings of these      
things       came unto the ears of the  
church which was in ,jerusalem3 and they
       sent forth ,barnabas1 that he    
should go as far as ,antioch4--,who1    
when he came and had seen the grace of  
,god1 was glad2 and exhorted       them 
all1 that with purpose of heart they    
would cleave unto the       ,lord4--,for
 he was a good man1 full of the ,holy   
,ghost and of faith3       and much     
people was added unto the ,lord4    ,of 
these1 some addressed themselves        
exclusively to the ,jews3 others        
ventured so far1 as to make an          
experiment upon the ,grecians4          
,unfortunately1 these terms are1 neither
 of them1 wholly free from  ambiguity4  

,by the word ,jews1 may have been meant 
either ,jews by  birth and abode1 or    
,jews by religion3 by the word          
,grecians1  either ,jews who1 born or   
dwelling within the field of quondam    
,grecian  dominion1 used the ,greek as  
their native language1--or ,greeks1 who 
were  such1 not only by language1 but by
 religion4 ,in this latter case1 their  
lot was among the ,gentiles1 and much   
more extraordinary and conspicuous  was 
the importance of the success4    ,they 
which preach the ,gospel1 should live of
 the ,gospel4 ,such1 in his  own words1 
#a ,cor4 #i3ad1 is the maxim laid down  
by ,paul1 for the  edification of his   
,corinthian disciples4 ,to save doubts  
and disputation1  he prefaces it with   
the assurance--even so hath the ,lord   
ordained4 ,no  great need of support    
from revelation1 seems to attach upon a 
maxim so  natural1 and so reasonable3   
from the time of the first planting of  
the  ,gospel1 it appears to have been1  
as indeed it could not fail to be1      

universally acted upon2 saving such few 
exceptions as a happy union of  zeal1   
with sufficient pecuniary means1 might  
render possible4    ,how1 under the     
,apostolical aristocracy1 it had been   
acted upon in  ,jerusalem1 has been seen
 already4 ,the time was now come1--for  
its being  established1 and acted upon  
in ,antioch4    ,at ,jerusalem1 under   
the spiritual dominion of the ,apostles1
  lived a man of the name of ,agabus4   
,among the endowments1--of  which1 in   
the character of qualifications1 a      
demand was by some  understood to be    
created1 by the business of propagating 
the new  religion1--qualifications1 a   
list of which1 according to his         
conception  of it1 ,paul1 #a ,cor4      
#ab3aj1 has given us1--was one1 which1  
among these  endowments1 was called the 
gift of prophecy3--a gift1 under which1 
as under that of speech in general1     
particularly when applied to  occasions 
of importance1 the faculty of           
prediction--of forming correct          

judgments respecting future             
contingencies--would1 if not            
necessarily1  very frequently at least1 
come to be included4    ,in the instance
 of the prophecy here in question1 this 
same  prospective faculty1 it should    
seem1 was actually included4    ,the    
fact1 for the purpose of predicting1 or 
giving information of  which1 this      
useful emissary was1 on the present     
occasion1 sent from  ,jerusalem to      
,antioch1--was--that of signifying1 that
 there should be a  great dearth3 an    
inference deduced from it1 was--that1 at
 this same  ,antioch1 for the relief of 
the brethren at ,jerusalem1             
contributions  should be collected1 and 
sent to ,jerusalem4    ,,acts xi4       
#bg-cj4         #bg4 ,and in these days 
came prophets from ,jerusalem unto      
,antioch4--,and there stood up one of   
them named ,agabus1 and       signified 
by the spirit that there should be a    
great dearth       throughout all the   
world2 which came to pass in the days of

       ,claudius ,caesar4--,then the    
disciples1 every man according to his   
ability1 determined to send relief unto 
the brethren which dwelt in             
,judea3--,which also they did1 and sent 
it to the elders by the hands       of  
,barnabas and ,saul4    ,in the calamity
 of dearth may be seen one of those     
events1 of  which--especially if the    
time of it be not predesignated with too
 rigid  an exactness--a prediction may  
be hazarded1--and even by any           
man1--without much risk of falling under
 the disgrace attached to the           
appellation of a false prophet4 ,of this
 observation1 an  exemplification seems 
to have been afforded1 in the present   
instance4  ,with not unaccustomed       
prudence1--the spirit1 by which1 on this
  occasion1 the calamity was signified1 
forbore1 as we see1 from the  fixation  
of any particular year--either for the  
prophecy1 or for the  accomplishment of 
it4 ,the days of ,claudius ,caesar are  
mentioned as the  time of the           

accomplishment4 ,by agreement of all    
chronologists1--the  duration of his    
reign is stated as occupying not less   
than thirteen  years4 ,whether this same
 reign had then already commenced1--is  
not1 on  this occasion1 mentioned3 from 
the manner in which it is mentioned1 the
  negative seems not improbable2 if so1 
then to find the time which the         
prophecy had for finding its            
accomplishment to the definite term of  
thirteen years1 we must add another1 and
 that an indefinite one4    ,according  
to the situation1 of the individuals by 
whom the word is  employed1--worlds vary
 in their sizes4 ,of the dearth in      
question1 the  whole world1 all the     
world1 is1 by the author of the ,acts1  
stated as  having been the afflicted    
theatre3 great dearth throughout all the
  world4 ,acts #aa3bh4 ,as to the rest  
of the world1 we may leave it to        
itself4 ,for the purpose then and now in
 question1 it was and is                
sufficient--that two cities1 ,jerusalem 

and ,antioch1 were included in it4  ,the
 calamity being thus universal1--no     
reason of the ordinary kind is  given1  
or seems discoverable--why1 of any such 
contribution as should  come to be      
raised1 the course should be--from      
,antioch to ,jerusalem1  rather than    
from ,jerusalem to ,antioch4 ,inquired  
for1 however1 on  religious ground1--a  
reason presents itself1 without much    
difficulty4  ,what ,rome became         
afterwards1 ,jerusalem was then--the    
capital of that  world1 which now1 for  
the first time1 received the name of    
,christian4  ,according to one of the   
sayings of ,jesus--if ,paul1 his        
self-appointed  ,apostle1 is to be      
trusted to--of them it was pronounced   
more blessed  to give than to           
receive3#bh but in the eyes of the      
successors of ,st4  ,peter at all       
times1--and at this time1 as it should  
seem1 in his own--it  was more blessed  
to receive than give4      ,,section #b4
    ,,barnabas ,,and ,,paul ,,dispatched

 ,,with ,,the ,,money ,,to ,,jerusalem4 
,of the amount of the eleemosynary      
harvest1 no intimation is to be  found4 
,as to the consequence of it1 ,barnabas1
 we see1 is the man  stated as having1  
with obvious propriety1 been chosen for 
the important  trust3 ,barnabas--of     
whose opulence1 trustworthiness1        
steadiness1 and  zeal1 such ample       
proofs1 not to speak of those subsequent
 ones1 which  will be seen in their     
place1 had already manifested           
themselves4 ,in  consequence of the     
information1 already received by the    
,mother ,church  in ,jerusalem1 of the  
prosperity of the ,daughter ,church1    
,acts #aa3bj1 #ba1  planted1 as above1  
in the capital of ,syria1--this most    
active of all  ,christian citizens had  
been sent to give increase to it4       
,but1 of the talents and activity of    
,paul1 his indefatigable supporter  and 
powerful patron had had full occasion to
 be apprized4 ,accordingly1  without the
 aid of this his not less indefatigable 

helper1 still was the  strength of the  
rising church1 in the eyes of the       
patron1 incomplete4 ,a  prophet1 says a 
not ill-grounded proverb1 has no honor  
in his own  country4 ,in his native     
city1 among the witnesses of his youth1 
,paul had  indeed found safety3 but1 as 
the nature of the case manifests1 in a  
circle1 from which respect stood        
excluded by familiarity1 safety had not 
been accompanied with influence3 and1 in
 eyes such as those of ,paul1  safety   
without influence was valueless4 ,under 
these circumstances1--the  patron1 going
 to ,tarsus in person in quest of his   
proteg1 could not  naturally find much  
difficulty in regaining possession of   
him1 and  bringing with him the so      
highly-valued prize1 on his return to   
,antioch4  ,then1 says the ,acts1       
#aa3be1 #bf1 departed ,barnabas to      
,tarsus1 for to  seek ,saul3 ,and when  
he had found him1 he brought him unto   
,antioch4    ,at this place1 with their 
united powers1 they had been carrying on

 their  operations for the space of a   
twelvemonth1 when the petition for      
pecuniary assistance was received there4
    ,as for ,paul1--from the moment of  
his conversion1 notwithstanding the ill 
success of his first attempt1--the prime
 object of his ambition--the  situation 
of ,president of the ,christian         
,commonwealth--had never quitted  its   
hold on his concupiscence4 ,occasions1  
for renewing the enterprise1  were still
 watched for with unabated anxiety3--a  
more favourable one  than the one herein
 question1 could not have presented     
itself to his  fondest wishes4 ,the     
entire produce1 of the filial bounty of 
the ,daughter  ,church1 was now to be   
poured into the bosom of the necessitous
 ,mother4  ,for the self-destined head  
of that rising ,church1 two more        
acceptable  occupations1 than those     
which one and the same occasion brought 
to him1  could not have been            
found3--,first1 the collection of the   
contributions2--and then the conveying  

of them1 to the place of their          
destination4 ,of the labours of such    
agents1 in such circumstances1 the      
success1 we are told1 they found1 was a 
natural result4 ,then1 says the  ,acts  
#aa3bi1 #cj1 ,then the disciples1 every 
one according to his ability1           
determined to send relief unto the      
brethren which dwelt in ,judea3--,which 
also they did2 and sent it to the elders
 by the hands of ,barnabas and  ,saul4  
,thus much as to the public purpose4    
,very different was the lot  of ,paul's 
personal project4 ,what the elders could
 not have any  objection to the receipt 
of1 was--the money4 ,but1 what they had 
an  insuperable objection to1 was--the  
receipt of the yoke of this their       
outwardly-converted1 but once already   
rejected1 persecutor4 ,this second      
enterprise1--though still under the same
 powerful leader1 and produced  by such 
flattering prospects1--succeeded no     
better than the first4  ,five-and-twenty
 verses after1 we are told of the       

termination of this  their second       
,jerusalem visit2 and this is all we    
hear of it3 ,and  ,barnabas and ,saul1  
says the ,acts #ab3be1 returned from    
,jerusalem1 when  they had fulfilled    
their ministry1 and took with them      
,john1 whose  surname was ,mark4 ,this  
same ,john ,mark they got by their      
expedition3 and  this1 for anything that
 appears1 was all they got by it4       
,between the mention of their arrival at
 ,jerusalem1 and the mention of  their  
departure from thence1--comes the       
episode about ,peter3--his              
incarceration and liberation under      
,herod2 and the extraordinary death of  
the royal prosecutor1--of which1 in its 
place4 ,as to the interval1--what  the  
length of it was1 and in what manner1 by
 ,paul1 under the wing of the  ,son of  
,consolation1 it was occupied1--are     
points1 on which we are left  altogether
 in the dark3 as also1 whether the time 
of these adventures  of ,peter1 the     
mention of which stands inserted between

 the mention of  the two occurrences in 
the history of ,paul1 was comprised in  
that same  interval4    ,,footnotes3    
#bh ,acts #bj3ce4 ,it is in the parting 
scene--when about to break from  his    
dissuading disciples1 and enter upon his
 invasion project--that ,paul  is       
represented as saying to them3 ,remember
 the words of the ,lord ,jesus1  how he 
said1 ,it is more blessed to give than  
to receive4 ,whence this  self-appointed
 and posthumous ,apostle of ,jesus got  
these words of  ,jesus--if such they    
were--must be left to conjecture4 ,in   
the works of  the four received         
biographers of ,jesus1 with ,cruden and 
his  ,concordance for guides1 all search
 for them has been fruitless4           
,,chapter ,,vi4         ,paul           
disbelieved continued4--,his third      
,jerusalem ,visit4--,paul and           
,barnabas delegated by ,antioch ,saints1
 to confer on the ,necessity of         
,jewish ,rites to ,heathen ,converts to 
the ,religion of ,jesus4      ,,section 

#a4    ,,occasion ,,of ,,this ,,visit4  
,we come now to the transaction1 on the 
occasion of which1 the grand  object of 
,paul's ambition received1 in part1 its 
accomplishment3 namely1  that1 by       
which1--though without any such popular 
election as1 in the  instance of        
,matthias1 had been necessary to        
constitute a man an  associate to the   
,apostles1--he was1 in some sort1 taken 
by them into  fellowship1 and admitted1 
with their consent1 into a participation
 of  their labours4    ,this occasion   
was--the dispute1 which1 in the ,syrian 
,antioch1 took  place1 according to the 
author of the ,acts1 on the             
question--whether1  under the religion  
of ,jesus1 circumcision was necessary to
 salvation3 a  question1 in             
which1--whether explicitly or no1--was  
implicitly1 it  should seem1 and perhaps
 inextricably1 understood to be         
involved1 the so  much wider            
question--whether1 under that same new  
religion1 the old  ceremonial law       

should1 in any part of it1 be regarded  
as necessary4    ,on this same occasion1
 two important subjects present         
themselves to view  at the same time3   
the one1 a question of doctrine relative
 to  circumcision1 as above2 the other1 
a question about jurisdiction1 as       
between ,paul on the one part1 and      
,peter1 with or without the rest of the 
,apostles4    ,as to what concerns the  
debate about circumcision1 we have no   
other  evidence than the statement of   
the author of the ,acts4    ,as to what 
concerns the jurisdiction question1 we  
have the evidence of  ,paul himself1 as 
contained in his letter to the ,galatian
 converts3 and  an original letter1     
howsoever dubious the correctness of the
 author in  respect of matters of fact1 
is more trustworthy than a multitude of 
anonymous narratives4#bi    ,in respect 
of the progress made by the religion of 
,jesus1--,antioch1 it  has already been 
observed--the ,syrian ,antioch--had     
become a second  ,jerusalem2 and1 so far

 as concerned the ,gentiles at large1   
its maritime  situation gave to it a    
convenience1 that was not shared with it
 by that  inland city4    ,at the time  
here in question1--the ,gentiles had    
received more or less of  instruction1  
from three different sets of            
teachers3--#a4 from the  disciples who  
had been driven from ,jerusalem by the  
tragical death of  ,saint ,stephen2 #b4 
from ,saint ,peter1 principally on the  
occasion of the  excursion made by him  
to ,lydda1 ,saron1 ,joppa1 and ,csarea2 
and #c4 from  ,paul and ,barnabas1 on   
the occasion1 and by the means1 of the  
long tour1  made by them for that       
special purpose1 as above4    ,at this  
maritime metropolis of the faith1 the   
new religion was spreading              
itself1--and1 as far at least as        
depended on exemption from all          
disturbance from without1 in a state of 
peace and tranquility2--when1 by  a set 
of nameless men from ,judea1--if to the 
author of the ,acts credit  is to be    

given on this point1 for by him no      
mention is made of any one  of their    
names1--the harmony of the ,church was  
disturbed4    ,converts as they were to 
the religion of ,jesus1 yet1--in their  
view of  the matter1 if the author of   
the ,acts is to be believed1 without    
circumcision1 no salvation was to be    
had4    ,by ,paul it is said1 they came 
from ,james1 ,gal4 #b3ab1 which is as   
much  as to say that they were sent by  
,james3 and accordingly1 when ,james's  
speech is seen1 by him will these       
scruples of theirs be seen advocated4   
,if the ,gospel history1 as delivered by
 the ,evangelists1 is to be             
believed1--nothing could be more        
inconsistent1 on many occasions with    
the practice1 and at length with the    
direct precepts1 of ,jesus1 than  this  
deference to the ,mosaic law3 if human  
prudence is to be  regarded1--nothing   
could be more impolitic--nothing more   
likely to  narrow1 instead of extending1
 the dominion of the ,church4 ,on this  

principle1 no man who was not born a    
,jew1 could be a ,christian without     
first becoming a ,jew1 without embracing
 the ,mosaic law2 and thus loading      
himself with two different1 and mutually
 inconsistent1 sets of  obligations4    
,from ,paul1 this conceit1--as was      
natural1--experienced a strenuous       
resistance4 ,no recognition as yet had  
,paul received1 from the body of  the   
,apostles4 ,in ,jerusalem1 for anything 
that appears1--though this was  at least
 seventeen years after the death of     
,jesus--they remained  alive--all of    
them3--at any rate the two chiefs of    
them1 if ,paul is to  be believed1 who1 
,gal4 i4 #ai1 says he saw them1 namely1 
,saint ,peter and  ,james1 the ,lord's  
brother3 which two1 he says1 he saw1 out
 of a number1  the rest of whom1 he     
studiously assures his ,galatians that  
he did not  see3 though by his          
historiographer1 ,acts #ae3d1 by his    
all-comprehensive  expression1 the      
,apostles1 we are desired to believe1   

that he saw all  of them4#cj ,whichever 
be the truth1--at ,jerusalem1 the       
metropolis of  ,judaism1 no employment  
could1 under these circumstances1 be    
reasonably  expected for ,paul3 whereas1
 out of ,judea1--wherever the language  
of  ,greece was the mother tongue1 or   
familiarly spoken1--the advantage1      
which1 in every address to the          
,gentiles1 he would have over those     
unlearned ,jews1 was universally        
manifest4    ,such1 however1 were the   
impressions1 made by these unnamed      
manufacturers  and disseminators of     
scruples1 who1 if ,paul is to be        
believed1 came from  ,james the brother 
of our ,lord--that1 by the whole        
,church1 as it is  called1 of ,antioch1 
a determination was taken--to send to   
,jerusalem1 to  the ,apostles and the   
,elders that were associated with them1 
a numerous  mission1 headed by ,paul and
 ,barnabas1 who are the only two persons
  named4 ,accordingly1 out they set1    
after having been brought on their  way1

 says the author of the ,acts1 #ae3c1 by
 the ,church1 which is as  much as to   
say1 by the whole fraternity of         
,christians there established4          
,,section #b4    ,,the ,,delegates ,,how
 ,,received4--,,council ,,of ,,apostles 
,,and ,,elders4    ,against the         
pretensions of a man thus supported1    
vain1 on the part of  the original and  
real ,apostles1 would have been any     
attempt1 to resist  the pretensions of  
this their self-constituted rival3 they1
 ,barnabas and  ,paul1 were received1   
says the author of the ,acts1 of the    
,church and of  the ,apostles and       
,elders4#ca    ,arrived at ,jerusalem1  
,paul and ,barnabas told their own      
story--related  their adventures and    
experiences--declared1 to use the       
language of the  ,acts #ae3d1 all things
 that ,god had done unto them4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,notwithstanding the utmost exertion of 
,paul's ever-ready  eloquence1--some1 it
 is stated1 there were1 who1 believers  

as1 in a  certain sort1 they were in the
 religion of ,jesus1--were not to be    
persuaded1 to give up so much as a      
single tittle of the ,mosaic law3  these
 were1 as it was natural they should be1
 of the sect of ,pharisees4  ,there rose
 up1 says the ,acts #ae3e1 certain of   
the sect of the  ,pharisees which       
believed1 saying that it was needful to 
circumcise them  7the ,gentiles71 and to
 command them to keep the law of ,moses4
           99       99       99       99
       99    ,of these private          
discussions1 the result was--the        
convocation of an  assembly of the      
managing body1 in which1 associated with
 the ,apostles1  we find others--under  
the name of ,elders4    ,how1 on an     
occasion1 on which the proposed subject 
of determination was  a question of such
 cardinal importance to the religion of 
,jesus2--how it  should have come to    
pass1 that the ,apostles1 to whom alone1
 and by whom  alone1 the whole tenor of 
the acts and sayings of ,jesus had been 

made  known--made known by an           
uninterrupted habit of exclusive        
intimacy1 and  especially during the    
short but momentous interval between his
  resurrection and ascension2--how it   
should have happened1 that1 to the      
,apostles1 any other persons not        
possessed of these first of all titles  
to credence and influence1 should have  
come to be associated1--is not          
mentioned4 ,upon no other authority than
 that of this author1 are we to  believe
 it to be true8 ,on the supposition of  
its being true1--there  seems to be1    
humanly speaking1 but one way to account
 for it4 ,that which  the ,apostles1 and
 they alone1 could contribute to the    
cause1 was--the  authority and the      
evidence resulting from that peculiar   
intimacy3 what  they could not          
contribute was--money and influence     
derived from  ordinary and external     
sources3 to the exclusive possession of 
these  latter titles to regard1 will1   
therefore1 it should seem1 be to be     

ascribed1 supposing it credited1 the    
circumstance of an incorporation        
otherwise so incongruous4    ,received1 
say the ,acts #ae3d1 they were4--,but by
 whom received8--,by the  ,church1 by   
the ,apostles1 by the ,elders1 says that
 same history in that  same place4 ,by  
the ,apostles3 to wit--so as any one    
would conclude--by  all the             
,apostles--by the whole fellowship of   
,apostles4           99       99        
99       99       99    ,whether in any1
 and1 if so1 in what degree that        
conclusion is correct1  we have no      
determinate means of knowing4           
99       99       99       99       99  
,if1 however1 it was so to the          
utmost1--nothing appears in favor of the
  notion1 that between ,paul on the one 
part1 and the ,apostles and their       
disciples on the other1 there existed at
 this time any real harmony4  ,for1 in  
what character was it that he made his  
appearance8 ,in that of a  commissioned 
envoy1 from the whole body of the       

,church1 established in  that station1  
which was next in importance to         
,jerusalem1 to which he was  sent4 ,and 
who was it that1 at that time1 as on    
both the former times1  he1 ,paul1 had  
in his company8 ,still his constant     
patron and associate  ,barnabas--the    
munificent friend and patron of that    
church which he was  visiting--the      
indefatigable ,barnabas4    ,by ,paul   
himself1 in his ,epistle to the         
,galatians1 #b3i1 #aj1 #aa1 the idea  of
 any such extensive cordiality1--say    
rather of cordiality to any the         
smallest extent1--is pretty plainly     
negatived4#cb ,on that occasion1 it  was
 that of the ,partition ,treaty1 what   
his interest required was--that1  on the
 part of the ,apostles and their        
disciples1 the concurrence given  to it1
 should appear as extensive as possible4
 ,if then they had all of  them1 really 
and personally concurred in it1--or even
 if the contrary  had not been          
notorious1 this is the conception which 

he would have been  forward to convey   
and inculcate4 ,no such notion1 however1
 does he  venture to convey4 ,when      
speaking of them in general terms--of no
  affection on either side1 more kindly 
than that of ill humor1 does he  give   
any intimation4 ,gal4 #b3f4 ,of those   
who seemed to be somewhat1  whatsoever  
they were1 it maketh no matter to me3   
,god accepted no man's  person3 for they
 who seemed to be somewhat in conference
 added nothing  to me4    ,when1 again1 
he comes to speak of the sort of        
intercourse1 such as it  was1 which he  
had with the ,apostles1--who are the    
persons that he speaks  of8 ,all the    
,apostles8 the body of the ,apostles in 
general8--,no3 ,james1  ,cephas1 the    
,hebrew name of which ,peter is a       
translation1 and ,john3 these  three1   
and no more4 ,these are the men1 whom1  
to him ,paul and his  protector         
,barnabas in conjunction1 he on that    
same occasion speaks of1  as giving the 
right hand of fellowship3 to wit1 for   

the purpose of the  ,partition ,treaty1 
the terms of which immediately follow4  
,and1 even of these men1 in what way    
does he speak8 ,as of men who seemed  to
 be pillars3 so that1 as to what        
concerned the rest of the ,apostles1  he
 found himself reduced to speak no      
otherwise than by conjecture4 ,and  this
 same right hand of fellowship--what was
 their inducement for  giving it8--,it  
was1 says he1 that they perceived the   
grace that was  given unto me3 i4e41 in 
plain language1 and ungrounded          
pretension  apart1--the power1 which    
they saw he had1 of doing mischief3--of 
passing1 from the character of a jealous
 and restless rival1 into that  of a    
declared enemy3 into that character1 in 
which he had originally  appeared1 and  
with such disastrous effect4            
,immediately after this comes the       
mention of the visit1 made by ,peter to 
,antioch3 and therefore it is1 that1 no 
sooner is ,peter--that chief of  the    
,apostles of ,jesus--mentioned1--than he

 is mentioned1 as a man whom  this ,paul
 withstood to his face1 because he was  
to be blamed4 ,gal4  #b3aa4    ,peter   
was to be blamed3 those other ,jews that
 were come to ,antioch from             
,james--they were to be blamed4         
,barnabas1 under whose powerful         
protection1--by the ,church at          
,jerusalem1 her justly odious persecutor
  had1 at three different times1 been   
endured1--he too was to be blamed4  ,he 
too was1 at that time1 to be blamed2    
and1 as will be seen presently  after1  
openly quarrelled with2 and1 if on this 
point the ,acts are to be  believed1    
parted with4 ,acts #ae3ci4 ,and the     
contention was so sharp  between them1  
that they departed asunder one from the 
other3 and so  ,barnabas took ,mark1 and
 sailed unto ,cyprus4      ,,section #c4
    ,,debates--,,course ,,carried ,,by  
,,james ,,against ,,peter4    ,of what  
passed at this assembly1 the only       
account we have--the account  given to  
us by the author of the ,acts--is       

curious3--curious at any rate2  and     
whether it be in every particular       
circumstance true or not1--in so  far as
 it can be depended upon1               
instructive4#cc    ,we have the persons 
mentioned as having spoken3 they are1 in
 the order  in which they are here      
enumerated1 these four3--to wit1 ,peter1
 ,barnabas1  ,paul and ,james4 ,of the  
speech of ,peter1 the particulars are   
given3 so  likewise of that of ,james3  
of ,barnabas and ,paul1 nothing more    
than the  topic4    ,against the ,mosaic
 law in toto1 we find ,peter2 and such  
contribution  as he is represented as   
furnishing to this side of the cause in 
the  shape of argument4 ,on the same    
side1 were ,barnabas and ,paul3 what    
they  furnished was matter of           
fact3--namely1 in the language of the   
,acts1  what miracles and wonders ,god  
had wrought among the ,gentiles by      
them3--in plain language1 the success   
they had met with among the  ,gentiles4 
,on this question1 on the side of the   

chief of the ,apostles1 were--the       
manifest interest of the religion of    
,jesus as to extent of  diffusion1--the 
authority derived from situation1--the  
express command  of ,jesus as delivered 
in the ,gospel history1--and ,jesus' own
 practice3  not to speak of the         
inutility and unreasonableness of the   
observances  themselves4 ,yet1 as far as
 appears from the author of the         
,acts1--of  these arguments1 conclusive 
as they would or at least should have   
been1--it appears not that any use was  
made3 the success1 he spoke of as       
having been experienced by himself among
 the ,gentiles1--in this may be  seen   
the sole argument employed in ,peter's  
speech4 ,thus1--in so far as  this      
report is to be believed1--thus1 upon   
their own respective  achievements1     
did1--not only ,paul but ,peter1--rest1 
each of them1 the  whole strength of the
 cause4    ,spite of reason1 religion1  
and ,jesus1 the victory is in this      
account1  given to ,james--to ,jesus'   

kinsman1 ,james4 ,the motion is carried3
 the  course proposed1 is a sort of     
middle course--a sort of compromise4 ,at
  the hands of ,gentile proselytes1 in  
deference to the ,mosaic law1           
abstinence from four things is required3
 namely1 meats offered to  idols1 blood1
 things strangled3 these1 and the       
irregularities of the  sexual           
appetite1--whatsoever they were1 that   
were meant by the word1  rendered into  
,english by the word fornication4    ,if
 any such decision were really come     
to1--by nothing but                     
necessity--necessity produced by the    
circumstances of place and  time--will  
it be found excusable4 ,abstinence from 
food killed in the way  of sacrifice to 
heathen gods1 on the occasion of public 
sacrifices3 yes2  for1 for such food1   
little relish could remain1 on the part 
of persons  devoted to the religion of  
,jesus3 from fornication1 yes2 for1 for 
a  sacrifice in this shape1 even among  
the ,gentiles1 some preparation had     

been made by stoicism4 ,but1 as to blood
 and things strangled1#cd that  is to   
say1 animals so slaughtered as to have  
more blood left in their  carcasses than
 the ,mosaic law would allow to be left 
in them--animals  slaughtered otherwise 
than in the ,jewish manner1--thus       
forbidding  teachings of the religion of
 ,jesus1 to eat a meal furnished by     
,gentile  hands1--this1 as above        
observed1 was depriving them of their   
most  favourable opportunities1 for     
carrying their pious and beneficent     
purposes into effect1 by adding to the  
number of believers4    ,altogether     
remarkable is the consideration1 upon   
the face of it1 by  which1 if the       
historian is to be believed1 this       
decision was produced4  ,for ,moses of  
old time hath in every city them that   
preach him1 being  read in synagogues   
every sabbath day1 ,acts #ae3ba4 ,may be
 so3 but what  if he has8 what is that  
to the purpose8 ,good1 if the question  
were about  the ,jews3 but1 it is not   

about the ,jews3 the ,gentiles1 and they
 only1  are the subjects of it4 ,and the
 ,gentiles--what know or care they about
  ,moses8 what is it that is to send    
them into the synagogues1 to hear       
anything that is read in synagogues8    
,by this imaginary abstinence from      
blood1--for1 after all1 by no exertion  
of ,mosaic ingenuity could the flesh    
ever be completely divested of the      
blood that had circulated in it1--of    
this perfectly useless prohibition1     
what would be the effect8--,not only to 
oppose obstacles1 to the  exertions of  
,christian teachers1 in their endeavors 
to make converts  among the             
,gentiles1--but1 on the part of the     
,gentiles themselves to  oppose to them 
a needless difficulty1 in the way of    
their conversion1 by  rendering it      
impossible for them1 consistently with  
the observance of  this prohibition1 to 
associate with their unconverted friends
 and  families at convivial hours4 ,thus
 much as to what concerns the           

,gentiles4#ce    ,since1 and from that  
time1 the religion of ,jesus has spread 
itself3--we  all see to what extent4    
,spread itself3 and by what means8 ,by  
means of  the decision thus fathered    
upon the ,apostles8 ,upon the ,apostles1
 the  ,elders1 and the whole            
,church8--,no3 but in spite of it1 and  
by the  neglect of it4    ,charged with 
a letter1 containing this decision1 did 
,paul1 together with  his friend        
,barnabas1 return from ,jerusalem1--if  
the author of the ,acts  is to be       
believed1--to the society of ,christian 
converts1 by which he  had been sent    
thither3 charged with this letter1      
carrying with it the  authority of the  
whole fellowship of the ,apostles4 ,paul
 himself--he  ,paul--what sort of regard
 did he pay to it8 ,he wrote against it 
with  all his might4 ,no more ,jewish   
rites6 ,no more ,mosaic law6 ,such is   
the  cry1 that animates the whole body  
of those writings of his which have     
reached us4      ,,section #d4          

,,result1 ,,supposed ,,apostolic        
,,decree ,,and ,,letter ,,to ,,antioch1 
,,which1 ,,per  ,,acts1 ,,paul          
,,circulates4    ,of a decision1 agreed 
upon and pronounced to the above        
effect--a  decision expressed by a      
decree2--and of a copy of that decree1  
included  in and prefaced by a letter   
addressed to the saints at              
,antioch1--were  ,paul and ,barnabas1   
along with others who were associated   
with them1 on  their return to that     
city1 the bearers3--that is to say1 if1 
as to these  matters1 credence is given1
 to the statement1 made by the author of
 the  ,acts2 by whom the alleged decree 
and letter are given1 in words1 which1  
according to him1 were their very       
words3--these words are those which     
follow3    ,,acts #ae3bb to #cb4        
#bb4 ,then pleased it the ,apostles and 
,elders1 with the whole church1       to
 send chosen men of their own company to
 ,antioch1 with ,paul and               
,barnabas1 and ,silas1 chief men among  

the brethren4--,and they wrote          
letters by them after this manner3 ,the 
,apostles and elders1 and               
brethren1 send greeting unto the        
brethren which are of the               
,gentiles in ,antioch and ,syria and    
,cilicia4--,forasmuch as we have        
heard1 that certain which went out from 
us have troubled you with       words1  
subverting your souls1 saying1 ,ye must 
be circumcised1 and       keep the law3 
to whom we gave no such                 
commandment3--,it seemed good       unto
 us1 being assembled with one accord1 to
 send chosen men unto       you with our
 beloved ,barnabas and ,paul1--,men that
 have hazarded       their lives for the
 name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--,we 
have sent       therefore ,judas and    
,silas1 who shall also tell you the same
 things       by mouth4--,for it seemed 
good to the ,holy ,ghost1 and to us1 to 
lay       upon you no greater burden    
than these necessary things2--,that ye  
abstain from meats offered to idols1 and

 from blood1 and from       things      
strangled1 and from fornication3 from   
which if ye keep       yourselves1 ye   
shall do well4 ,fare ye well4--,so when 
they were       dismissed1 they came to 
,antioch2 and when they had gathered the
       multitude together1 they         
delivered the epistle4--,which when they
       had read1 they rejoiced for the  
consolation4--,and ,judas and ,silas1   
being prophets also themselves1 exhorted
 the brethren with many       words1 and
 confirmed them4    ,supposing it       
genuine1--a most curious1 important and 
interesting  document1 this letter and  
decree must be allowed to be4 ,supposing
 it  genuine3 and1 in favor of its      
genuineness1 reasons present themselves1
  which1 so long as they remain         
unopposed1 and no preponderating reasons
  in support of the contrary opinion are
 produced1 must decide our  judgment4   
,not long after the account of the      
acceptance given at ,antioch to this    
decision1--comes that of a conjunct     

missionary excursion from that place    
made by ,paul1 with ,timotheus1 and     
perhaps ,silas1 for his companion4 ,at  
the very commencement of this           
excursion--if1 in the decree spoken of1 
this decree is to be understood as      
included2 and there seems no reason  why
 it should not be1 they are represented 
as taking an active part in  the        
distribution of it4 ,acts #af3d4 ,and   
says the historian1 as they  7,paul1 c47
 went through the cities1 they delivered
 them the decrees  for to keep1 that    
were ordained of the ,apostles and      
,elders that were at  ,jerusalem4       
,that1 by ,paul1 this token1 of         
association with the ,apostles1 should  
at  that time be exhibited and made     
manifest1 seems altogether natural4 ,it 
affords a further proof1 of the need1   
which1 at that period of his  labors1 he
 regarded himself as having1 of the     
appearance--the outward  signs at       
least--of a connection with the         
,apostles4    ,true1 it is1 that the    

persuasion of any such need is          
altogether  inconsistent with that      
independence1 which1 in such precise and
 lofty  terms1 we have seen him         
declaring in his ,epistle to his        
,galatians1--is  sufficiently manifest4 
,but1 in the current chronology1 the    
date1  ascribed to that ,epistle1 is by 
five years posterior1 to the date       
ascribed to the commencement of this    
excursion3 date of the excursion1       
,a4,d4 #ec2 date of the ,epistle1 ,a4,d4
 #eh3 difference1 five years3 and five  
years are not too great a number of     
years1 for the experience of success    
and prosperity1 to have raised to so    
high a pitch1 the temperature of  his   
mind4#cf    ,even before this time1 we  
find him even outstretching the         
concessions1  which1 in that decree1 in 
the case of the ,gentiles1 in compliance
 with  the scruples of the ,jewish      
disciples they had to deal with1 we have
 been  seeing made by the ,apostles1 in 
favor of the ,mosaic law4               

,abstinence--from meat offered to idols1
 from blood1 from things  strangled1 and
 from fornication--composed all the     
,mosaic observances  exacted in that    
decree4 ,to these1 he1 in his practice1 
at this time1  added another1 and that1 
in respect of extent1 in a prodigious   
degree  a more important one3 to wit1   
the submitting to circumcision4 ,for1 to
  this painful observance1--in which a  
submission to all the other ,mosaic     
observances was implied1--he had already
 subjected his new convert  ,timotheus1 
whom1 in this excursion1 in addition to 
,silas1 he took with  him for a         
companion4 ,born of a ,greek father as  
he was1--adult as he  was1--he took him1
 says the historian1 and circumcised    
him4 ,circumcised  him--and             
why8--,because of the ,jews1 which were 
in those  quarters4#cg    ,,footnotes3  
#bi ,acts xv4 #a to #d3--a4 ,and certain
 men which came down from ,judea1       
taught the brethren1 and said1 ,except  
ye be circumised after the  manner of   

,moses1 ye cannot be saved4--#b4 ,when  
therefore ,paul and  ,barnabas had no   
small dissension and disputation with   
them1 they  determined that ,paul and   
,barnabas1 and certain other of them1   
should go  up to ,jerusalem unto the    
,apostles and ,elders about this        
question4--#c4  ,and being brought on   
their way by the ,church1 they passed   
through  ,phenice and ,samaria1         
declaring the conversion of the         
,gentiles3 and they  caused great joy   
unto all the brethren4--#d4 ,and when   
they were come to  ,jerusalem1 they were
 received of the ,church1 and of the    
,apostles and  ,elders2 and they        
declared all things that ,god had done  
with them4    #cj ,gal4 i4 #ah1 #ai4    
,then after three years ,i went up to   
,jerusalem to  see ,peter1 and abode    
with him fifteen days4--#i4 ,but other  
of the  ,apostles saw ,i none1 save     
,james the ,lord's brother4    ,acts    
#ae3d4 ,and when they were come to      
,jerusalem1 they were received of  the  

,church1 and of the ,apostles and       
,elders2 and they declared all  things  
that ,god had done with them4    ,the   
cause of this contrariety lies not far  
beneath the surface4 ,paul had  one     
object in view2 his historiographer     
another4 ,in the two passages1  they    
wrote at distant times1 and with        
different purposes4 ,in his address  to 
his ,galatian disciples1 ,paul's object 
was to magnify his own  importance at   
the expense of that of the ,apostles3 to
 establish the  persuasion1 not only of 
his independence of them1 but of his    
superiority  over them4 ,the generality 
of them were not worth his notice2 but  
having  some business to settle with    
them1 ,peter1 the chief of them1 he went
  to see1 and ,james1 as being the      
,lord's brother1 he vouchsafed to see4  
,on that particular occasion1 such was  
the conception which ,paul was          
labouring to produce3 and such1         
accordingly1 was his discourse4 ,as for 
the historiographer1 his object was1 of 

course1 throughout1 to place the        
importance of his hero on as high a     
ground as possible4 ,but1 in this  view1
 when once ,paul had come to a          
settlement with the ,apostles1 the  more
 universal the acceptance understood to 
have been received by  him--received    
from the whole body of ,christians1 and 
from those their  illustrious leaders in
 particular1--the better adapted to this
 his  historiographer's general purposes
 would be the conception thus  conveyed3
 accordingly they were received1 he     
says1 of the ,church1 and  the          
,apostles1 and ,elders4    #ca ,acts xv4
 #d4 ,and when they were come to        
,jerusalem1 they were  received of the  
,church and of the ,apostles and        
,elders1 and they declared  all things  
that ,god had done unto them4    #cb    
,gal4 ii4 #f4 ,but of those who seemed  
to be somewhat1 whatsoever  they were1  
it maketh no matter to me3 ,god         
accepteth no man's person3 for  they who
 seemed to be somewhat in conference    

added nothing to me4--,and  when ,james1
 ,cephas1 and ,john1 who seemed to be   
pillars1 perceived the  grace that was  
given unto me1 they gave to me and      
,barnabas the right  hands of           
fellowship2 that we should go unto the  
heathen1 and they unto  the             
circumcision4--,only they would that we 
should remember the poor2 the  same     
which ,i also was forward to do4--,but  
when ,peter was come to  ,antioch1 ,i   
withstood him to the face1 because he   
was to be blamed4    #cc ,acts #ae3e-ba4
 #e4 ,but there rose up certain of the  
sect of the  ,pharisees which believed1 
saying1 ,that it was needful to         
circumcise  them1 and to command them to
 keep the law of ,moses4--,and the      
,apostles  and ,elders came together for
 to consider of this matter4--,and when 
there  had been much disputing1 ,peter  
rose up1 and said unto them1 ,men and   
brethren1 ye know how that a good while 
ago ,god made choice among us1  that the
 ,gentiles by my mouth should hear the  

word of the ,gospel and  believe4--,and 
,god1 which knoweth the hearts1 bare    
them witness1 giving  them the ,holy    
,ghost1 even as he did unto us2--,and   
put no difference  between us and them1 
purifying their hearts by faith4--,now  
therefore why  tempt ye ,god1 to put a  
yoke upon the neck of the disciples1    
which  neither our fathers nor we were  
able to bear8--,but we believe that     
through the grace of the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ we shall be saved1 even as      
they4--,then all the multitude kept     
silence1 and gave audience to  ,barnabas
 and ,paul1 declaring what miracles and 
wonders ,god had wrought  among the     
,gentiles by them4--,and after they had 
held their peace1 ,james  answered1     
saying1 ,men and brethren1 hearken unto 
me3--,simon hath  declared how ,god at  
the first did visit the ,gentiles1 to   
take out of  them a people for his      
name4--,and to this agree the words of  
the  prophets2 as it is written1--,after
 this ,i will return1 and will build    

again the tabernacle of ,david1 which is
 fallen down2 and ,i will build  again  
the ruins thereof1 and ,i will set it   
up3--,that the residue of men  might    
seek after the ,lord1 and all the       
,gentiles upon whom my name is  called1 
saith the ,lord1 who doeth all these    
things4--,known unto ,god are  all his  
works from the beginning of the         
world4--,wherefore my sentence          
is1--that we trouble not them1 which    
from among the ,gentiles are turned  to 
,god3--,but that we write unto them1    
that they abstain from pollutions  of   
idols1 and from fornication1 and from   
things strangled1 and from  blood4--,for
 ,moses of old time hath in every city  
them that preach him1  being read in the
 synagogues every sabbath day4    #cd   
,after the word blood1 the mention made 
of things strangled seems to  have been 
rather for explanation than as a        
separate ordinance4 ,of  strangling1    
instead of bleeding in the ,jewish      
style1--what the effect  would be1 other

 than that of retaining blood1 which the
 ,mosaic ordinance  required should be  
let out1 is not very apparent4    #ce   
,another observation there is that      
applies even to the ,jews4 ,by  ,moses  
were all these several things forbidden4
 ,true3 but so were a vast  multitude of
 other things1 from1 which 7after the   
exceptions here in  question7 the       
prohibition is1 by this decision1 taken 
off4 ,these things1  still proposed to  
be prohibited1 as often as they entered 
a synagogue1  they would hear           
prohibited3 but1 so would they all those
 other things1  which1 by this decision1
 are left free4    #cf ,in the account  
of this excursion1 ,galatia--now        
mentioned for the  first time in the    
,acts1--is mentioned1 in the number of  
the countries1  which1 in the course of 
it1 he visited4 ,it stands fourth3 the  
preceding  places being ,derbe1 ,lystra1
 ,iconium and ,phrygia4 ,acts #af3a to  
#f4 ,in ,acts  #ah3bc1 ,he 444 went over
 all ,galatia 444 strengthening the     

disciples4    #cg ,acts #af3a to #c4    
,then came he to ,derbe and ,lystra3 and
 behold1 a  certain disciple was there  
named ,timotheus1 the son of a certain  
woman1  which was a ,jewess and         
believed3 but his father was a          
,greek3--,which was  well reported of by
 the brethren that were at ,lystra and  
,iconium4--,him  would ,paul have to go 
forth to him1 and took and circumcised  
him1  because of the ,jews which were in
 those quarters3 for they knew all that 
his father was a ,greek4                
,,chapter ,,vii4         ,paul          
disbelieved continued4--,after ,his     
,third ,jerusalem ,visit1       ,contest
 ,between ,him and ,peter at ,antioch4  
,,partition ,,treaty3 ,,paul       for  
,himself3 ,,peter1 ,,james and ,,john1  
for the ,apostles4      ,,section #a4   
,,contest ,,and ,,partition ,,treaty1   
,,as ,,per ,,acts1 ,,and ,,paul',s      
,,epistles4    ,,galatians ii4 #a to    
#af4         #a4 ,then fourteen years   
after ,i went up again to ,jerusalem    

with       ,barnabas1 and took ,titus   
with me also4--,and ,i went up by       
revelation1 and communicated unto them  
that ,gospel which ,i preach       among
 the ,gentiles1 but privately to them   
which were of reputation1       lest by 
any means ,i should run1 or had run1 in 
vain4--,but neither       ,titus1 who   
was with me1 being a ,greek1 was        
compelled to be       circumcised3--and 
that because of false brethren unawares 
brought       in1 who came in privily to
 spy out our liberty which we have in   
,christ ,jesus1 that they might bring us
 into bondage4--,to whom we       gave  
place by subjection1 no1 not for an     
hour2 that the truth of       the       
,gospel might continue with you4--,but  
of those who seemed to be               
somewhat1 whatsoever they were1 it      
maketh no matter to me3 ,god            
accepteth no man's person3 for they who 
seemed to be somewhat in                
conference added nothing to me2--but    
contrariwise1 when they saw       that  

the gospel of the uncircumcision was    
committed unto me1 as       the gospel  
of the circumcision was unto            
,peter2--,for he that       wrought     
effectually in ,peter to the apostleship
 of the       circumcision1 the same was
 mighty in me toward the ,gentiles3--and
       when ,james1 ,cephas1 and ,john1 
who seemed to be pillars1 perceived     
the grace that was given unto me1 they  
gave to me and ,barnabas the       right
 hands of fellowship2 that we should go 
unto the heathen1 and       they unto   
the circumcision4--,only they would that
 we should       remember the poor2 the 
same which ,i also was forward to       
do4--,but       when ,peter was come to 
,antioch1 ,i withstood him to the face1 
because he was to be blamed4--,for      
before that certain came from           
,james1 he did eat with the ,gentiles3  
but when they were come1 he             
withdrew and separated himself1 fearing 
them which were of the                  
circumcision4--,and the other ,jews     

dissembled likewise with him2           
insomuch that ,barnabas also was carried
 away with their                        
dissimulation4--,but when ,i saw that   
they walked not uprightly               
according to the truth of the ,gospel1  
,i said unto ,peter before them         
all1 ,if thou1 being a ,jew1 livest     
after the manner of ,gentiles1 and      
not as do the ,jews1 why compellest thou
 the ,gentiles to live as do       the  
,jews8--,we who are ,jews by nature1 and
 not sinners of the                     
,gentiles1--knowing that a man is not   
justified by the works of the       law1
 but by the faith of ,jesus ,christ1    
even we have believed in       ,jesus   
,christ1 that we might be justified by  
the faith of ,christ1       and not by  
the works of the law3 for by the works  
of the law shall       no flesh be      
justified4    ,so much for the question 
about ,jewish rites4    ,we come now to 
the state of affairs between ,paul and  
,peter4 ,concerning  this1 we have      

little1 as hath been seen1 from the     
author of the ,acts3  from ,paul        
himself1 not much3 but what there is of 
it is of prime  importance4    ,on this 
occasion1 to judge from the account     
given in the ,acts1--between  ,paul and 
,peter1 all was harmony4 ,in their      
principles1 in their speeches1  they may
 be seen pleading on the same side3     
arguing1 and arguing in  vain1 both of  
them against the superior influence of  
,james3 of that  ,james1 of whose       
written works1 in comparison of those we
 have from ,paul1  we have so little4   
,but presently1 on one side at          
least1--we shall see                    
contention--preserving contention--and  
rival ambition1 for the cause of  it4   
,in this pregnant and instructive       
letter1--,paul's second letter to his   
,galatians1--the authenticity of which  
seems to be altogether out of the  reach
 of doubt1--among the particulars1 that 
bear relation to this the  third visit1 
the following are those1 by which the   

greatest share of  attention seems      
demanded at our hands4    ,in the first 
place1 let us view them in the order in 
which they stand3  that done1 the degree
 of importance may determine the order  
in which  they are considered4    #a4   
,fourteen is the number of years1       
between this third visit of his to      
,jerusalem1 reckoning either from the   
first of his visits made to that  same  
holy place after his conversion1 or from
 his departure from  ,damascus after his
 return thither from ,arabia4    #b4 ,on
 this journey of his to ,jerusalem1 he  
has with him not only  ,barnabas1 as    
mentioned in the ,acts1 but ,titus1 of  
whom no mention is  there made4    #c4  
,it is by revelation1 that this journey 
of his was undertaken4    #d4 ,the      
,gospel1 which he then and there        
preaches1 is a ,gospel of his own4      
#e4 ,private at the same time1 and for  
reasons thereupon given1 is his  mode of
 communicating it4    #f4 ,titus1 though
 at his disposal1 he leaves             

uncircumcised4    #g4 ,false brethren is
 the appellation he bestows upon those1 
who1 on  this occasion1 standing up for 
the ,mosaic law1 give occasion to this  
debate4    #h4 ,elders1 ,apostles1      
kinsmen of ,jesus1--be they who they    
may1--he1 ,paul1  is not on this        
occasion a man to give place to any such
 persons3 to give  place by subjection3 
say rather in the way of subordination4 
#i4 ,unnamed are the persons1 on whom   
the vituperation he discharges1 is      
poured forth4 ,thus much only is said of
 them3 namely1 verse #ab1 that  they    
came from ,james1 the brother of our    
,lord4 ,contemptuous throughout  is the 
manner in which he speaks of all those  
persons whom he does not  name4 ,quere1 
,who are they1 to whom1 in everything   
that goes before that  same verse1 he is
 alluding8 ,it seems from thence1 that  
it was with  ,james1 from whom they     
received support1 that those scruples of
 theirs1  out of which sprung these     
differences and negotiations1           

originated4    #aj4 ,leaving the ,jews  
to ,peter--he claims to himself as his  
own the whole  population of the        
,gentiles4    #aa4 ,to this effect1 an  
explicit agreement was actually entered 
into2  parties1 he and ,barnabas of the 
one part2 ,james1 ,peter1 by his ,hebrew
  surname of ,cephas1 and ,john1 of the 
other part4    #ab4 ,of this agreement1 
one condition was--that1 of such        
pecuniary  profit1 as should be among   
the fruits of the labors of ,paul among 
the  ,gentiles1 a part should be        
remitted1 to be at the disposal of      
,peter4    #ac4 ,paul1 at the time of   
this visit1 stood up against ,peter4    
#ad4 ,the cause1 of his doing so1       
was--an alleged weakness and            
inconsistency in the conduct of ,peter1 
and his gaining to his side--not  only  
,jews of inferior account1 but          
,barnabas4    #ae4 ,the weakness and    
inconsistency consisted in this3 viz3   
that whereas  he himself had been in use
 to act with the ,gentiles1 yet after   

the  arrival at ,antioch of those who   
came from ,james at ,jerusalem1--he from
  fear of the ,jewish converts1 not only
 ceased to eat with the ,gentiles1  but 
to the extent of his influence forced   
the ,gentile converts to live  after the
 manner of the ,jews4    #af4 ,on the   
occasion of this his dispute with       
,peter1 he gave it  explicitly as his   
opinion1--that1 to a convert to the     
religion of ,jesus1  ,jew or            
,gentile1--observance of the ,mosaic law
 would1 as to everything  peculiar to   
it1 be useless1 not to say worse than   
useless1 ,gal4 #b3af1  for by the works 
of the law shall no flesh be justified4 
#a4 ,as to his place in relation to the 
,apostles4 ,his was not inferior to     
anybody's3 upon terms altogether equal  
did he treat with the ,apostles3  in and
 by the first partition treaty1--he1    
with ,barnabas for his                  
colleague1--,barnabas1 from whom1       
according to the ,acts1 he afterwards   
separated1--obtains the whole of the    

,gentile world for the field of  their  
labors4 ,thus elevated1 according to his
 account of the matter1 was  the        
situation1 occupied by him on the       
occasion of this his third visit  to    
,jerusalem1 in comparison of what it had
 been at the time of his  first1--and1  
to all appearance1 at the time of the   
second4 ,at the time  of his first      
visit1 the ,apostles1--all but ,peter   
and ,james1 upon which  two ,barnabas   
forced him1--turned their backs upon    
him3 upon his second  visit1 none of    
them1 as far as appears1 had anything to
 do with him3  now1 upon his third      
visit1 they deal with him upon equal    
terms3 and now1  not only ,peter and    
,james1 but ,john1 are stated as having 
intercourse  with him4    #b4 ,of this  
partition treaty1 important as it is1 no
 mention is to be  found in the ,acts4  
,from first to last1--in the account    
given in the  ,acts1 no such figure does
 he make as in his own4 ,in the ,acts1  
of the  speech of ,peter1 and even of   

that of ,james1 the substance is        
reported3  of ,paul's1 nothing more than
 the subject3 viz4 his own achievements 
among the ,gentiles3 against ,paul's    
opinion1 as well as ,peter's1 the       
compromise1 moved by ,james1 is         
represented as carried4    #c4 ,as to   
the cause1 or occasion1 of his third    
visit to ,jerusalem4 ,in the  account   
given in the ,acts1 it is particularly  
and clearly enough  explained4 ,it is in
 conjunction with ,barnabas that he goes
 thither3 both  of them1 to confer with 
the ,apostles and elders1 on the subject
 of the  notion1 entertained by numbers 
among the ,jewish converts1 that1 by    
conversion to the religion of ,jesus1   
they were not set free from any of  the 
obligations imposed by the law of       
,moses4    ,of this                     
commission1--creditable as it could not 
but have been to  him1--,paul1 in his   
account of the matter1 as given to the  
,galatians1  makes not the least        
mention4 ,no3 it is not from men on this

 occasion nor  on others1 it is not from
 men1 that he received his authority1   
but from  ,god3 it is by revelation1    
that is1 immediately from ,god1 and by a
 sort  of miracle4    #d4 ,what1 in     
obedience to this revelation1 he was to 
do1 and did  accordingly1 was1--the     
preaching of a gospel of his own2 a     
gospel which  as yet he had not preached
 to any body but the ,gentiles4         
,preaching8 how  and where8 in an       
assembly of the whole body of the       
believers in ,jesus1  the ,apostles     
themselves included8 ,no3 but privately1
 and only to the  leading men among     
them3 to them which were of reputation4 
,a gospel of his own8 ,yes3 that he did4
 ,further on1 it will be seen what  it  
was3 a ,gospel1 of which1 as far as     
appears from the evangelists1 no  traces
 are to be found1 in anything said by   
,jesus3 especially1 if what1  on that   
occasion1 he1 ,paul1 taught by word of  
mouth at ,antioch1 agreed  with what we 
shall find him teaching in his          

,epistles4    #e4 ,false brethren       
unawares brought in1 who came in privily
 to spy out  our liberty which we have  
in ,christ ,jesus1 that they might bring
 up into  bondage4 ,liberty8 what       
liberty8 evidently that liberty which   
consisted  in exemption from the        
ceremonials of the ,mosaic law4 ,who    
then were these  false brethren1 these  
sticklers for the ceremonial law8 ,if   
the account  in the ,acts is to be      
believed1--they were the greater part of
 the  fraternity of ,christians in      
,jerusalem3 a party so considerable1    
that  ,peter1 the chief of the          
,apostles1 though in his sentiments on  
this  subject so decidedly and          
completely opposite to them1 was obliged
 to  give way to it3 and1 as to several 
of the obligations1--by which1 as  above
 stated1 no small obstacle was opposed  
to the progress of the  religion of     
,jesus1--the whole body of the ,apostles
 found themselves  under the like       
necessity4 ,if he himself is to be      

believed1 ,gal4 #b3ab1  the men in      
question were men1 who1 if they         
continued in those scruples  in which   
they went beyond the brother of our     
,lord1 had1 at any rate1 in  the first  
instance1 received from that highly     
distinguished personage  their          
instructions4 ,and shortly after this1  
,acts #af3c1 in deference to  this      
party1 ,paul himself took ,timothy1 a   
,gentile1 and circumcised  him4 ,but1   
supposing the public transactions1 thus 
reported in the  history of the author  
of the ,acts1 to have really had        
place2--namely1  mission of ,paul and   
,barnabas1 from the ,christians of      
,antioch to  ,jerusalem1--mission of    
,judas ,barsabas and ,silas1 from the   
,apostles and  elders1 with ,paul and   
,barnabas in their company1 to          
,antioch1--letter of  the ,apostles and 
elders sent by them to the ,christians  
of ,antioch1--all  this supposed1 how   
erroneous soever in their opinions1 in  
affirmance of  the obligatoriness of    

these ceremonials1--this majority1 to   
whose  scruples the whole body of the   
,apostles saw reason to give way1--could
  they1 by this self-intruded convert1  
be considered as persons to whom  the   
epithet of false brethren1 would be     
admitted to be applicable8    #f4 ,does 
it not seem1 rather1 that this story1   
about the deputation of  ,paul and      
,barnabas to the ,apostles and brethren 
at ,jerusalem from the  ,apostles at    
,antioch1 and the counter deputation of 
,judas ,barsabas1 and  ,silas1 to       
accompany ,paul and ,barnabas on their  
return to ,antioch1  bearing all of them
 together a letter from the ,apostles at
  ,jerusalem1--was an invention of the  
anonymous author of the ,acts8 or  else 
a story1 either altogether false1 or    
false in great part1 picked up  by him1 
and thus inserted8    #g4 ,mark now1 in 
this letter of ,paul1 another           
circumstance3 and judge  whether it     
tends not to cast discredit on what is  
said of ,peter in the  ,acts4    ,in the

 ,acts account we have seen ,peter in   
the great council1 supporting1  in a    
sort of speech1 the liberty side--of the
 question1--,jesus against              
,moses1--supporting it in the great     
council1 in which1 in that same         
account1 ,paul1 though present1 is1 as  
to that point1 represented as  silent3  
in that same account1 shall we see      
,peter1 five years before this  time1   
addressing himself to the               
,gentiles1--using this same             
liberty1--and1 when called to account   
for doing so1 employing his pair  of    
visions1 his and ,cornelius's1 ,acts    
#aj3cj-da1 in and for his defence3  we  
shall see him in this new part of his   
career1--in this part1 for  which he was
 by both education and habits of life so
 ill qualified1--we  shall see him so   
much in earliest in this part of his    
labors1 as to have  expended            
miracles1--a supernatural cure1 and even
 a raising from the  dead1--for his     
support in it4    ,had any such facts   

really happened--facts in their nature  
so  notorious1--would ,paul1 in this    
letter of his to the ,galatians1 have   
spoken of ,peter1 as if he had never    
made1 or attempted to make1 any         
progress in the conversion of the       
,gentiles8 ,speaking of the sticklers   
for ,moses1 as well as of ,peter1--would
 he have said ,when they saw that  the  
,gospel of the uncircumcision was       
committed unto me1 as the ,gospel of    
the circumcision was to ,peter8 ,gal4   
#b3g1 ,for he that wrought  effectually 
in ,peter to the ,apostleship of the    
circumcision1 the same  was mighty in me
 toward the ,gentiles8    ,that1 in some
 way or other1 ,peter had tried his hand
 upon some persons  who were            
,gentiles--in this there is nothing but 
what may well enough be  believed3      
provided it be also believed--that1 in  
the experiment so made  by him1 he had  
little or no success3--for1 that after  
the expenditure of  two such miracles of
 so public a nature1 besides a pair of  

visions1--he  had after all made so poor
 a hand of it1 as to be content to give 
up to  ,paul the whole of his prospects 
from that quarter1--does it seem        
credible8    #h4 ,as to the             
partition-treaty itself1--whatsoever    
were the incidents  that had brought it 
about1 nothing could be more            
natural--nothing more  probable--nothing
 more beneficial to the common cause--to
 the religion  of ,jesus1 meaning always
 so far as the religion taught by ,paul 
was  comfortable to it4 ,each retained  
to himself the only part of the field1  
for the cultivation of which he was     
qualified3 each gave up no other  part  
of the field1 than that1 for the        
cultivation of which he was not         
qualified4    #i4 ,gal4 #b3ab4 ,for     
before that certain came from ,james1 he
 did eat with  the ,gentiles3 but when  
they were come1 he withdrew1 and        
separated  himself1 fearing them which  
were of the circumcision4    #aj4 ,but  
contrariwise1 when they saw that the    

gospel of the  uncircumcision was       
committed unto me1 as the gospel of the 
circumcision  was unto ,peter4    #aa4  
,and when ,james1 ,cephas1 and ,john1   
who seemed to be pillars1  perceived the
 grace that was given unto me1 they gave
 to me and ,barnabas  the right hands of
 fellowship2 that we should go unto the 
heathen1 and  they unto the             
circumcision4    #ab4 ,gal4 #b3aj4 ,only
 they would that we should remember the 
poor2 the  same which ,i also was       
forward to do4    #ac4 ,but when ,peter 
was come to ,antioch1 ,i withstood him  
to the face1  because he was to be      
blamed4    #ad4 ,for before that certain
 came from ,james1 he did eat with the  
,gentiles3 but when they were come1 he  
withdrew1 and separated himself1        
fearing them which were of the          
circumcision4--,and the other ,jews     
dissembled likewise with him3 insomuch  
that ,barnabas also was carried  away   
with their dissimulation4    #ae4 ,but  
when ,i saw that they walked not        

uprightly according to the  truth of the
 gospel1 ,i said unto ,peter before them
 all1 ,if thou1 being a  ,jew1 livest   
after the manner of ,gentiles1 and not  
as do the ,jews1 why  compellest thou   
the ,gentiles to live as do the ,jews8  
#af4 ,knowing that a man is not         
justified by the works of the law1 but  
by  the faith of ,jesus ,christ1 even we
 have believed in ,jesus ,christ1 that  
we might be justified by the faith of   
,christ1 and not by the works of  the   
law3 for by the works of the law shall  
no flesh be justified4    ,note1 in this
 same letter1 the mention made of       
,peter's eating with the  ,gentiles4    
,for before that certain came from      
,james1 he1 ,peter1 did eat  with the   
,gentiles3 but when they were come1 he  
withdrew and separated  himself1 fearing
 them which were of the circumcision4   
,note here1 an additional reason for    
discrediting the whole story of         
,peter's expedition1--miracles and      
visions included1--as reported in  the  

,acts4 ,in regard to the visions1--from 
this circumstance it may be  seen1 that 
either no such visions were1 as stated  
in the ,acts #aa3a-ac1  related by      
,peter1 on his defence against the      
accusations preferred  against him on   
this ground1--or that1 if any such      
relation was given1 no  credit was given
 to it3 for1 it is after this1 and1     
according to  appearance1 long          
after1--that1 according to the ,acts    
#ae3a-cc1 not less  than five years     
after1 the meeting at ,jerusalem took   
place2 that  meeting1 at which1 at the  
motion of ,james1 the adherence to the  
,mosaic  law was indeed in part         
dispensed with2 but1 so far as regards  
the  practice charged upon ,peter as an 
offence1--namely the eating with the    
,gentiles1 insisted on and ordained4    
,if ,paul's evidence was good and       
conclusive evidence in support of       
,paul's  visions1--how came ,peter's    
evidence not to be received as good and 
conclusive evidence in support of       

,peter's visions8 ,paul's evidence1 with
  the visions reported by it1 was not   
better evidence1 in support of his      
claim to the ,apostleship1--than        
,peter's visions1 if the account in the 
,acts is to be believed1 in support of  
the abrogation of the ,mosaic law4      
,yet1 as1 according to the author of the
 ,acts1 by ,paul's account of his       
visions1 the ,apostles were not any of  
them convinced2 so here1 according  to  
,paul1 by ,peter's account of his       
visions1 if ever really related to  the 
fellowship of the ,apostles1 and to the 
elders1--their  associates1--that same  
goodly fellowship was not convinced4    
,,section #b4                           
,,partition-,,treaty--,,probability     
,,given1 ,,by ,,the ,,financial         
,,stipulation1 ,,to  ,,paul',s ,,account
 ,,of ,,it4    ,of this important       
treaty1 mention may have been seen      
above4 ,in the  financial stipulation   
which may have been observed in it1--may
 be seen a  circumstance1 by which an   

additional degree of credibility seems  
to be  given1 to ,paul's account of the 
transaction2 at the same time that light
  is thrown upon the nature of it4 ,paul
 alone1 with his adherents1 were to     
address themselves to the ,gentiles3    
but1 in return for the countenance      
given to him by ,peter and the rest of  
the ,apostles1 he was to remember  the  
poor2 which is what1 says he1 ,i also   
was forward to do4 ,now1 as  to the     
remembering the poor1 what is meant by  
it at this time of day1  was meant by it
 at that time of day1 or it would not   
have been meant by  it at               
this3--supplying money1 need it be      
added8 for the use of the poor4         
,whatsoever1 in relation to this money1 
was the intention of the                
rulers1--whether to retain any part in  
compensation for their own  trouble1 or 
to distribute among the poor the whole  
of it1 without  deduction2--in other    
words1 whether profit as well as        
patronage1--or  patronage alone1 and    

without profit1--was to be the          
fruit2--human nature  must1 in this     
instance1 have ceased to be human       
nature1 if1 to the men  in              
question--,apostles as they were--the   
money could have been altogether  an    
object of indifference4 ,according to a 
statement1 to which1 as above1  ch4 ii41
 though contained in this anonymous     
history1 there seems no  reason to      
refuse credence1--community of goods--a 
principle1 even now1  in these days1    
acted upon by the ,moravian             
,christians--was a principle1  acted    
upon in those days1 by the ,jewish      
,christians4 ,the property of each  was 
thrown into one common stock3 and the   
disposal of it was committed  to a set  
of trustees1 who--it is positively      
related--were confirmed1  and1 to all   
appearance1 were recommended by1--and   
continued to act under  the influence   
of1--the ,apostles4    ,on neither side 
were motives of the ordinary human      
complexion--motives  by which man's     

nature was made to be governed--wanting1
 to the  contracting parties4 ,by ,peter
 and the rest of the ,apostles1 much    
experience had been acquired1 of the    
activity and energy of this their       
self-constituted colleague3 within that 
field of action1 which alone was  suited
 to their powers1 and within which they 
had stood exposed to be  disturbed by   
his interference1 within that field to  
be secured against  such                
interference1--was1 to them and their   
interests1 an object of no  small       
moment4 ,such seems to have been the    
consideration1 on the part of  the      
acknowledged and indisputable ,apostles4
    ,not less obvious was the advantage1
 which1 by the stipulation of this  same
 treaty in his favour1 was in a still   
more effectual manner1  secured to      
,paul4 ,that1 when the whole transaction
 was so fresh1--all  that ,paul was able
 to say for himself1 with all that      
,barnabas was able  to say for him1 had 
not been sufficient1 to induce the      

,apostles to give  credence to his story
 about the manner of his conversion1--in
 a word1 to  regard him in any other    
light than that of an impostor1--is     
directly  asserted by the author of the 
,acts4 ,so again1 in his unpremeditated 
speech to the enraged multitude1 ,acts  
#bb3ah1 ,they will not receive thy      
testimony concerning me1 is the         
information which the ,acts make him    
report as having been communicated to   
him by the ,lord1 when while ,i  prayed 
in the ,temple1 says he1 ver4 #ag1 ,i   
was in a trance4 ,should a  charge to   
any such effect happen to encounter him 
in the course of his  labours2--should  
he1 in a word1 find himself stigmatized 
as an  impostor2--find himself          
encountered by a certificate of         
impostorship2--a  certificate1 signed by
 the known and sole confidential        
servants1 as well  as constant          
companions1 of that ,jesus1             
whom--without so much as  pretending any
 knowledge of his person1 he had thus   

pretended to have  heard without seeing 
him1--and at a time and place1 in which 
he was  neither heard nor seen by       
anybody else2--it is obvious enough1 in 
any  such case1 how formidable an       
obstruction of this sort was liable to  
prove4 ,on the other hand1 so he were   
but once seen to be publicly            
recognized1 in the character of an      
associate and acknowledged labourer  in 
the same field1--a recognition of him in
 that character--a virtual  recognition 
at least1 if not an express one--would  
be seen to have taken  place3--a        
recognition1 such as it would scarcely1 
at any time after1 be  in their power to
 revoke3 since it would scarcely be     
possible for them1  ever to accuse him  
of the principal offence1 without       
accusing themselves  of the             
correspondent connivance4 ,note1 that1  
of this treaty1 important  as it        
was--this partition-treaty--by which a  
division was made of the  whole         
,christian world--no mention1 not any   

the least hint1 is to be  found in the  
,acts4    ,thus much for this third     
visit of ,paul's to ,jerusalem1         
reckoning from  the time of his         
conversion3 thus much for this third    
visit1 and the  partition-treaty that   
was the result of it4 ,in and by his    
fourth visit  to that original          
metropolis of the ,christian world1--we 
shall see how  this same treaty was     
violated--violated1 without any the     
slightest  reason or pretext1 or so much
 as an attempt1 on the part of his      
anonymous biographer1--either by his own
 mouth1 or by that of his  hero1--to    
assign a motive4 ,violated--that is to  
say1 by and on the part  of ,paul3 for1 
of ,peter1 no further mention is1 in all
 this history1 to  be found4    ,the    
truth is--that1 instead of the ,acts of 
the ,apostles1 the ,history  of         
,paul--namely1 from the time of his     
conversion to the time of his  arrival  
at ,rome--would have been the more      
proper denomination of it4 ,of  any     

other of the ,apostles1 and their       
acts1--little1 if anything1 more is     
said1 than what is just sufficient1 to  
prepare the reader1 for the  history of 
,paul1 by bringing to view the state of 
the ,christian world1  at the time of   
his coming upon the stage4 ,as to ,saint
 ,peter1--the  author's chief hero being
 all along ,saint ,paul1 in whose train1
 during  this last-mentioned of his     
excursions1 he represents himself as    
being  established1--what is said of    
,saint ,peter and his achievements1     
stands1  as it were1 but as an episode4 
,and though1 by this historiographer1 no
  mention is made of the                
partition-treaty1 it has eventually been
 of use  to us1 by serving to show what1
 at the time of entering into that      
engagement1 was the situation of ,st4   
,peter2 and how good the title is1      
which the transaction presents to our   
credence1--as being so natural1  because
 so manifestly for the advantage of both
 the contracting parties1  as well as of

 the religion of ,jesus1 in so far as   
that of ,paul was  conformable to it4   
,,section #c4    ,,time ,,of ,,the      
,,partition ,,treaty1 ,,most ,,probably 
,,that ,,of ,,visit ,i4    ,the time1 at
 which this partition-treaty took place1
 appears involved in  much obscurity1   
and presents some difficulties3         
question--whether it was  at the first1 
or not till the third1 of these         
visits--of these four  visits of ,paul's
 to ,jerusalem4    ,the consideration1  
by which the assigning to it the time of
 the first  visit has been determined1  
is--that it was at this first visit1    
that the  demand for it1 in respect of  
all interests concerned1 namely1 that of
  the religion of ,jesus--that of the   
existing ,christians in general1--as    
well as that of the individuals         
particularly concerned on both          
sides1--took place3 that1 from that     
time1 so1 as far as appears1 did the    
observance of it3 and that it was not   
till a long time after1 that  either    

symptoms1 or complaints of              
non-observance1 seem to have made  their
 appearance4    #d4 ,among the          
conditions of the treaty1 the financial 
stipulation has  been brought to        
view3--party to be remembered1 the      
poor--then under the  gentle sway of the
 ,apostles3 party1 by whom they were to 
be remembered1  ,paul--their recognized1
 though1 for aught appears1 no otherwise
 than  locally and negatively           
recognized1 associate4 ,in and by the   
,deputation  ,visit1 on the part of     
,paul1 with the assistance of           
,barnabas1--we see  this stipulation    
actually conformed to and carried into  
effect4 ,from the  ,christians at       
,antioch to the ,apostles at            
,jerusalem1--for the benefit of  the    
poor1 at that metropolis of the         
,christian world1 by the conjoined      
hands of ,paul and ,barnabas1--money1 it
 has been seen1 was actually  brought4  
,on the other hand1 an observation      
which1 at first sight1 may seem to  shut

 the door against this supposition1     
is--that whereas in his letter1  to his 
,galatians1 ,gal4 i4 #ah1 #ai1 after    
saying1 ,i went up to ,jerusalem  to see
 ,peter1 and abode with him fifteen     
days1 and adding1 ,but other  of the    
,apostles saw ,i none1 save ,james1 the 
,lord's brother2 he1 not  more than     
fourteen verses afterwards1 ,gal4 #b3i1 
in the verse in which  his account of   
this important treaty is                
continued1--speaks as if it was  at that
 very time that he had seen--not only   
the above two ,apostles1 on  this       
occasion designated by the names of     
,james and ,cephas--but ,john  likewise3
 and that this must have been his third 
,jerusalem visit1  because it is after  
mention made of that same third visit1  
which1 in a  passage intermediate       
between these1 namely1 ,gal4 #b3a1 is   
stated1 in  express terms1 as being by  
fourteen years posterior to his first   
visit1#ch that this circumstance1 of his
 seeing ,john likewise1 is  mentioned as

 having had place4    ,but1 in neither  
of these considerations1 is there       
anything1 that  presents itself as      
conclusive1 against the                 
supposition--that whatever  treaty there
 was1 took place at the first visit4    
#a4 ,as to the first1 at that time it   
is1 that for giving intimation of  the  
treaty1 giving the right hands of       
fellowship is the expression  employed3 
and that if this union were to be taken 
in a literal1 and  thence in a physical 
sense1 as an agreement in which1 as a   
token of  mutual consent1 the physical  
operation of junction of hands was      
employed1--here must have been an actual
 meeting1 in which ,john was seen  as   
well as the two others--and1            
consequently1 on the supposition that   
the account thus given by ,paul1 is1 in 
this particular1 on both  occasions     
correct1--this must have been a         
different meeting from the  first3 on   
which supposition1 on comparison with   
the account given in the  ,acts of      

,paul's second visit1--there can be no  
difficulty in determining  that this    
visit cannot have been any other than   
the third4 ,but1 so  evidently          
figurative is the turn of the           
expression1--that1 even in the  language
 used in this country at this time1     
slight indeed1 if it  amounted to       
anything at all1 would be the force1 of 
the inference drawn  from it1 in favour 
of the supposition of mutual presence4  
,to signify an  agreement on any        
point--especially if regarded as        
important--who is  there that would     
scruple to speak of his having given the
 right hand of  fellowship to another1  
although it were known to be only by    
letter8 or1  even through the medium of 
a common friend1 and without any        
personal  intercourse8    #b4 ,as to the
 other consideration1 whatsoever might  
be the force of it1  if applied to a    
composition of modern times--after so   
many intervening  centuries1 during     
several of which the arts of literary   

composition  have1 with the benefit of  
the facilities afforded by the press1   
been the  subject of general study and  
practice2--whatsoever on this           
supposition  might be the force of it1  
applied to the style and character of   
,paul1  little weight seems necessary to
 be attached to it4 ,of the             
confusion--designed or undesigned--in   
which the style of this self-named      
,apostle involves every point it touches
 upon1 not a page can be read  without  
presenting samples in abundance1 to     
every eye that can endure to  open      
itself to them3 in this very work1 some 
must probably have already  offered     
themselves to notice2 and before it     
closes1 many will be  presented in this 
express view3 the point in question     
belongs to the  field of chronology3    
and1 of the perturbate mode of his      
operation in  this field1 a particular  
exemplification has been already brought
 to  view1 ,ch4 #b1 in a passage1 in    
which1 of a long train of sufferings and

  perils1--some real1 some to all       
appearance not so--the one first        
undergone is last mentioned4#ci ,from   
the order in which two events are       
mentioned by this writer1 no argument1  
in any degree conclusive1 can be        
deduced1 for the persuasion1 that that  
which stands first mentioned1 was  so   
much as intended by him to be regarded  
as that which first took  place4    ,in 
the very passage1 in which the giving   
the right hands of fellowship  to him   
and ,barnabas is mentioned1 and         
immediately after these very  words1--it
 is said--that we should go unto the    
heathen1 and they unto  the             
circumcision4 ,thus1 then1 the conjunct 
excursion of ,paul and  ,barnabas--an   
excursion1 not commenced till about ten 
years after this  same first visit1     
,acts #ac and #ad1 is mentioned1 as an  
incident at that  time future4 ,true it 
is1 that the word directly expressive of
 the future  is1 in the ,english        
translation1 but an interpretation1 and 

as such  marked4 ,but1 had any prior    
excursion of this kind taken place      
before1  there seems no reason to       
suppose1 that the event1 which1 by the  
context1  would surely have been taken  
for an event then as yet to             
come1--would1  had the intention been to
 represent it as no more than a         
repetition of  what had taken place     
already1 have received a form1 so ill   
adapted to  its intended purpose4       
,but1 two verses before1 stands that1 in
 which mention is made of the           
circumstance1 by which1 according to    
,paul1 the course taken by the          
,apostles1 in respect of their entering1
 into this treaty1 is brought to  view4 
,but contrariwise1 says he1 ,gal4 #b3g1 
when they saw that the  ,gospel of the  
uncircumcision was committed unto me1 as
 the ,gospel of  the circumcision was   
unto ,peter3 #i4 ,and when ,james1      
,cephas1 and ,john1  who seemed to be   
pillars1 perceived the grace that was   
given to me1  they gave to me and       

,barnabas the right hands of fellowship2
 that we  should go unto the heathen1   
444 c4    ,now these perceptions--the   
perceptions thus ascribed by him to the 
,apostles--when was it that they were   
obtained8 ,evidently at no time         
whatever1 if not at the time of his     
first visit3 for1 these were the        
perceptions--say rather the             
conceptions--the conveyance of which is 
beyond dispute manifest1 not only from  
the whole nature of the case1  according
 to the accounts we have of it1 but from
 the account expressly  given by the    
author of the ,acts2 and that account1  
in some part  confirmed1 and not in any 
part contradicted1 by ,paul himself1 and
 in  this very epistle4#dj    ,to       
conclude4 ,that1 at the time of the     
,deputation ,visit1 ,visit ,,iii41 the  
treaty in question could not but have   
been on the carpet1 seems1 it must  be  
confessed1 altogether probable1 not to  
say unquestionable4 ,but1 that  at the  
time of the ,reconciliation ,visit1     

,visit ,i41--it was already on  the     
carpet1 seems1 if possible1 still more  
so4 ,for1 without some  understanding   
between ,paul and the ,apostles--and    
that to the effect of  this same treaty 
7the impossibility that ,paul's         
conversion story should  have been the  
cause1 having1 it is believed1 been     
hereinabove  demonstrated7 without some 
understanding of this sort1 neither the 
continuance ascribed to the             
,reconciliation ,visit1 nor the         
existence of  either of the two         
succeeding visits1 to wit1 the          
,money-bringing ,visit1  and this       
,deputation ,visit1 seem within the     
bounds of moral  possibility4#da        
,,footnotes3    #ch ,gal4 #b3a4 ,then   
fourteen years after1 ,i went up again  
to ,jerusalem  with ,barnabas1 and took 
,titus with me also4    #ci #b ,cor4    
#b3cb4 ,in ,damascus1 the governor under
 ,aretas the king kept  the city of the 
,damascenes with a garrison1 desirous to
 apprehend me1  c4 namely1 on his       

conversion4    #dj ,to this same        
,partition ,treaty1 allusion seems      
discernible in ,paul's  ,epistle to his 
,roman adherents4 ,romans #ae3ae to #bb4
 ,nevertheless1  brethren1 ,i have      
written the more boldly unto you1 in    
some sort1 as  putting you in mind1     
because of the grace that is given to me
 of  ,god1--,that ,i should be the      
minister of ,jesus ,christ to the       
,gentiles1  ministering the ,gospel of  
,god1 that the offering up of the       
,gentiles  might be acceptable1 being   
sanctified by the ,holy ,ghost4--,i have
  therefore whereof ,i may glory through
 ,jesus ,christ in those things which   
pertain to ,god4--,for ,i will not dare 
to speak of any of those things  which  
,christ hath not wrought by me1 to make 
the ,gentiles obedient by  word and     
deed1--through mighty signs and wonders 
by the power of the  spirit of ,god1 so 
that from ,jerusalem1 and round about   
unto ,illyricum1 ,i  have fully preached
 the ,gospel of ,christ4--,yea1 so ,i   

have strived to  preach the ,gospel1 not
 where ,christ was named1 lest ,i should
 build upon  another man's              
foundation3--but1 as it is written1 ,to 
whom he was not  spoken of1 they shall  
see3 and they that have not heard shall 
understand4--,for which cause also ,i   
have been much hindered from coming  to 
you4    #da ,from this passage in       
,paul's ,epistle to his ,galatians,,ii41
 compared  with a passage in his first  
,epistle to the ,corinthians,,iii4--the 
,bible  edited by ,scholey1 in a note to
 ,acts xv4 #ci1 7being the passage in   
which  the rupture between ,paul and    
,barnabas is mentioned71 draws the      
inference1 that1 after this rupture     
between ,paul and ,barnabas1 a          
reconciliation took place4         ,,ii4
 ,gal4 ii4 #i4 ,they gave to me and     
,barnabas the right hands of            
fellowship1 that we should go unto the  
heathen1 and they unto the              
circumcision4         ,,iii4 #a ,cor4   
ix4 #f4 ,or1 ,i only1 and ,barnabas1    

have not we power to       forbear      
working8    ,from the passage in        
question1 if taken by itself1 true it is
 that this  supposition is a natural one
 enough4 ,for1 according to all         
appearances1  the date of this ,epistle 
to the ,corinthians is posterior to that
 of the  rupture3 and1 from the conjunct
 mention of the two names1 if there were
  no evidence on the other side1 it     
might naturally enough be supposed      
probable1 how far soever from certain1  
that the intention was thereby1  to     
report the two persons1 as operating in 
conjunction1 and even in each  other's  
company4 ,but1 to the purpose of the    
argument no such supposition  7it will  
be seen7 is necessary4 ,labouring they  
both were herein  represented to be1 and
 to all appearance were1 in the same    
field1 viz4  the field of the ,gentiles3
 labouring1 after and in conformity to  
this  same treaty--the agreement made by
 them with the ,apostles--the partition 
treaty so often mentioned4 ,but1 from   

this it followed not1 by any means1     
that they were labouring in the same    
part of that field4 ,for the  purpose of
 the argument1 the question was--,what  
was the sort of  relation1 that had     
taken place1 between these two preachers
 on the one  part1 and their respective 
disciples on the other8 ,it is of this  
relation that it is stated by ,paul1 and
 stated truly1 that as between  him and 
,barnabas1 it was the same3 both being  
actual labourers in their  respective   
parts of the same field3 both being     
equally at liberty to  cease from1 to   
put an end to1 their respective labours 
at any time3 not  that both were        
labouring in the same place1 or in any  
sort of concert4  ,or ,i only1 and      
,barnabas1 have not we1 says ,paul1     
power to forbear  working8    ,thus     
inconclusive is the argument1 by which  
the existence of a  reconciliation is   
inferred4 ,against evidence so weak1 the
 contrary  evidence seems decisive4     
,after mention made by him of the       

rupture1--had  any reconciliation ever  
taken place1 within the compass of time 
embraced  by his history1 would the     
author of the ,acts have left it        
unnoticed8  ,that1 among his objects was
 the painting every incident1 in colours
 at  least as favourable1 to the church 
in general1 and to ,paul in  particular1
 as he durst1--is sufficiently manifest4
 ,by a rupture between  two such holy   
persons1--a token1 more or less         
impressive1 of human  infirmity1 could  
not but be presented to view3 and1 to   
any reflecting  mind--in those marks of 
warmth at least1 to say nothing worse1  
which1  from first to last1 are so      
conspicuous1 in the character and       
conduct1 of  this the historian's patron
 and principal hero1 ground could scarce
 fail  to be seen1 for supposing--that  
it was to his side rather than that of  
,barnabas--the generous and             
ever-disinterested ,barnabas--that the  
blame1  principally1 if not exclusively1
 appertained4          ,,chapter ,,viii4

         ,interview the ,fourth4--,peter
 at ,antioch4--,deputies to ,antioch    
from       ,jerusalem1 ,judas and       
,silas4--,paul disagrees with ,peter and
       ,barnabas1 quits ,antioch1 and on
 a ,missionary ,excursion takes with    
him ,silas4 ,what concerns the          
,partition ,treaty1 down to this        
,period1       reviewed4--,peter and the
 ,apostles justified4      ,,section #a4
    ,,paul',s ,,account ,,of ,,this     
,,interview ,,quoted4--,,acts ,,account 
,,of ,,what ,,followed  ,,upon ,,it4    
,we now come to the last of the four    
different and more or less distant      
occasions on which a personal           
intercourse1 in some way or other1 is   
recorded as having had place1 between   
,paul on the one part1 and the          
,apostles or some of them on the other1 
antecedently to that1 on which  ,paul's 
history1 so far as any tolerably clear1 
distinct1 and material1  information has
 descended to us1 closes4 ,of this      
interview1 the scene  lies at ,antioch3 

,peter having1 for some consideration no
 otherwise to be  looked for than by    
conjecture1 been led to pay a visit1 to 
that place of  ,paul's then habitual    
abode1 after1 and1 as seems probable1 in
  consequence of1 ,paul's third recorded
 visit to ,jerusalem--his  ,deputation  
,visit4    ,let us now cast an eye on   
the documents4 ,respecting ,paul's      
disagreement  with ,peter1 the only one 
we have1 is that which has been         
furnished us  by ,paul himself4 ,it     
consists of the following passage in his
 ,epistle to  his ,galatians4           
,,galatians #b3aa to #af4         ,but  
when ,peter was come to ,antioch1 ,i    
withstood him to the face1       because
 he was to be blamed4--,for before that 
certain came from       ,james1 he did  
eat with the ,gentiles3 but when they   
were come1 he       withdrew and        
separated himself1 fearing them which   
were of the       circumcision4--,and   
the other ,jews dissembled likewise with
 him2       insomuch that ,barnabas also

 was carried away with their            
dissimulation4--,but when ,i saw that   
they walked not uprightly               
according to the truth of the ,gospel1  
,i said unto ,peter before       them   
all1 ,if thou1 being a ,jew1 livest     
after the manner of       ,gentiles1 and
 not as do the ,jews1 why compellest    
thou the ,gentiles       to live as do  
the ,jews8--,we who are ,jews by nature 
and not       sinners of the            
,gentiles1--knowing that a man is not   
justified by       the works of the law1
 but by the faith of ,jesus ,christ1    
even we       have believed in ,jesus   
,christ1 that we might be justified by  
the       faith of ,christ1 and not by  
the works of the law3 for by the works  
of the law shall no flesh be justified4 
,let us now see the account1 given in   
the ,acts1 of what passed in  ,antioch1 
in relation to ,paul1 ,barnabas and     
,silas1--during a period1  which seems  
to be either the same1 or one in        
contiguity with it1  probably antecedent

 to it4    ,,acts #ae3ce to #da4        
,paul also and ,barnabas continued in   
,antioch1 teaching and preaching        
the word of the ,lord with many others  
also4--,and some days after1       ,paul
 said unto ,barnabas1 ,let us go again  
and visit our brethren1       in every  
city where we have preached the word of 
the ,lord1 and see       how they       
do4--,and ,barnabas determined to take  
with them ,john whose       surname was 
,mark4--,but ,paul thought not good to  
take him with them1       who departed  
from them from ,pamphylia1 and went not 
with them to       the work4--,and the  
contention was so sharp between them1   
that they       departed asunder one    
from the other3 and so ,barnabas took   
,mark and       sailed unto             
,cyprus2--,and ,paul chose ,silas and   
departed1 being       recommended by the
 brethren unto the grace of ,god4--,and 
he went       through ,syria and        
,cilicia1 confirming the churches4      
,with regard to ,paul's separation from 

,barnabas1 departure from ,antioch1  and
 taking ,silas for a companion1--we have
 nothing from ,paul himself3  nothing1  
from any other source1 than1 as above1  
the ,acts4    ,in ,paul's account1      
however1 may be seen a passage1 ,gal4   
#b3ac1 by which  some light is thrown   
upon the breach of ,paul with ,barnabas4
 ,in the ,acts1  though the contention  
is said to be sharp1 no cause is stated 
for  it1 other than a difference        
respecting the choice of a companion3   
namely1 on an excursion1 which they are 
represented as having agreed to  make1  
in the company of each other1 as before4
    ,but1 according to ,paul1 he had had
 cause of complaint1 against his old    
friend ,barnabas1 on another account4   
,barnabas had sided with the  ,apostles3
 ,barnabas had been carried away with   
their dissimulation2 by  the            
dissimulation of those ,apostles of     
,jesus1 the virtuous simplicity of  the 
self-constituted ,apostle1 so he desires
 his ,galatian disciples to  believe1   

had been foiled4      ,,section #b4     
,,paul ,,disagrees ,,with ,,peter--,,and
 ,,barnabas--,,quits ,,antioch1 ,,taking
 ,,silas  ,,from ,,the ,,apostles4      
,in no place can this man exist1 but to 
exercise hostility or provoke it3  with 
no man can he hold intercourse1 without 
acting towards him1 if not  in the      
character of a despot1 in that either of
 an open and audacious1  or in that of a
 secret adversary1 or both4 ,against    
,peter1 at ,jerusalem1  in his          
,deputation ,visit1 he is intriguing1   
while he is bargaining with  him4 ,with 
the same ,peter1 when arrived at        
,antioch1 he quarrels3 for1 at          
,antioch1 ,peter was but a visitor--a   
stranger2 ,paul1 with ,barnabas for  his
 constant supporter1 was on his own     
ground3 no betrayed rulers  there to    
fear--no persecuted ,christians4 ,he    
quarrels--so he himself  informs his    
,galatians--he quarrels with the chief  
of the ,apostles3 he  withstands him to 
his face4 ,why8 because1 forsooth1 he   

was to be  blamed4 ,in conclusion1 to   
such a pitch1--by the degree of success1
  whatever it was1 which by this time he
 had experienced1--to such a pitch  of  
intemperance1 had his mind swelled--he  
quarrels even with ,barnabas3  with     
,barnabas--in all his three antecedent  
visits to ,jerusalem1 his  munificent   
protector1 and steady adherent3 with    
that ,barnabas1 in whose  company1 and  
under whose wing1 one of his missionary 
excursions had  already been performed4 
,acts #aa3ai-bg2 ,ib4 #b3cg-dj4    ,at  
,antioch1 the number of his competitors 
could not but be considerable3  at      
,antioch1 the number of years1 which he 
appears to have passed in that  city1   
considered1--the number of his enemies  
could not be small4 ,he  accordingly    
plans1 and executes1 a new missionary   
excursion4 ,he stands  now upon his own 
legs3 no ,barnabas now1--no necessary   
protector1 to  share with him in his    
glory3 to share with him1 in equal or   
superior  proportion1 in the profit of  

his profession3 in that profit1 the     
image  of which1 in all its shapes1 was 
flitting before his eyes1--and which we 
shall accordingly see him gathering in1 
in such unequalled exuberance4  ,he now 
looks out for a humble companion--an    
assistant3 he finds one in  ,silas3 that
 ,silas1 whom1 with ,judas ,barsabas1 we
 have seen come to  ,antioch1 deputed by
 the ,apostles and their disciples1 to  
conclude1 in  that second metropolis1   
the negotiation1 commenced in the first 
metropolis of the new ,christian world4 
,deserter from the service in  which he 
was sent1 ,silas enlists in that of the 
daring and indefatigable  adventurer4   
,thus much1 and no more1 do we learn    
concerning him3 for1 in  the picture    
drawn in the ,acts1 no character is     
given to him1 except the  being found in
 company with ,paul1 in some of the     
places which ,paul  visits3 except this 
exercise of the locomotive faculty1     
nothing is there  to distinguish him    
from the common stock of still-life4    

,from this fourth recorded epoch in the 
intercourse between ,paul and the       
,apostles1 we now pass to that which    
stands fifth and last1 to wit3 that     
which was produced by his fourth and    
last visit to ,jerusalem3--his          
,invasion ,visit1 ,a4,d4 #fb4    ,in the
 interval1 come four years1--occupied by
 a series of successive  excursions and 
sojournments1--in the course of which1  
all mention of  ,silas is dropped1      
without remark3 dropped1 in the same    
obscure and  inexplicit manner1 in which
 the historian affords to the reader1   
supposing him endowed with the requisite
 degree of attention1 the means  of     
discovering1 ,acts #af3aj1 that not long
 after the commencement of this  same   
period1 the historian himself1 whoever  
he was1 was taken into the  train of the
 self-constituted ,apostle4 ,to the     
reader is also left the  faculty1 of    
amusing himself in conjecturing1 about  
what time1 and in  what manner1 this    
latter event may have taken place2 an   

event1 from  which such important       
consequences have resulted4    ,of these
 portions of ,paul's life1 some view    
will come to be taken1 in a  succeeding 
chapter1 under another head3--under the 
head of ,paul's  supposed miracles3 for1
 it is in the account given of his      
achievements  and adventures1 and of the
 transactions in which1 in the course of
 this  period1 he was engaged1--it is in
 the course of this account1 that we    
shall have to pick up1 the supposed     
accounts of supposed miracles1  which1  
in this part of the ,acts history lie   
interspersed4 ,this review  must of     
necessity be taken1 for the purpose of  
placing in a true light1  the evidence1 
supposed to be thus afforded1 in support
 of his claims to  a supernatural       
commission4    ,to this change of       
connection on the part of ,silas1--from 
the service of  the ,apostles of ,jesus 
to that of the self-constituted         
,apostle1--the  character of defection  
on the part of ,silas1--seduction on the

 part  of ,paul1--may here be ascribed  
without difficulty4 ,by the ,apostles1  
one  ,gospel was preached--the ,gospel  
of ,jesus3--we see it in the            
,evangelists4  ,by ,paul1 another and   
different ,gospel was preached3--a      
,gospel1 later and  better1 according to
 him1 than that which is to be seen in  
the  ,evangelists3--a ,gospel of his    
own4 ,if1 even down to this time1 mutual
  prudence prevented an open and        
generally conspicuous rupture1--there   
was  on his part1 at any rate1 an       
opposition4 ,if1 to men1 whose conduct  
and  temper were such as they uniformly 
appear to have been1--any such word  as 
party can1 without disparagement1 be    
applied1 here were two  parties4 ,he1   
who was for the self-constituted        
,apostle1 was against  the ,apostles of 
,jesus4 ,in a word1 in the language of  
modern party1  ,silas was a rat4        
,,section #c4    ,,the ,,partition      
,,treaty1 ,,and ,,the ,,proceedings1    
,,in ,,relation ,,to ,,it1 ,,down ,,to  

,,this ,,period1 ,,reviewed4    ,in     
regard to the ,partition                
,treaty1--taking the matter from ,paul's
 first1  or ,reconciliation ,visit1     
,a4,d4 #ce1 to his departure from       
,antioch1 on his  missionary excursion1 
after the interview he had had at that  
city with  ,peter1--the state of the    
affairs1 between ,paul and the          
,apostles1 seems  to have been thus3--  
#a4 ,on the occasion1 and at the time1  
of his first ,jerusalem ,visit--his     
,reconciliation ,visit--a sort of       
reconciliation--meaning at least an     
outward one--could not1--consistently   
with the whole train1 of what is  said  
of his subsequent intercourse and       
interviews with the  ,apostles1--could  
not but have taken place4    #b4 ,of    
this reconciliation1 the terms          
were--that1 on condition of his         
preaching in the name of ,jesus1--they  
would not1 to such persons in           
,jerusalem and elsewhere1 as were in    
connection with them1--speak of  him any

 longer in the character of a           
persecutor3 for1 by his  disobedience   
and breach of trust1 as towards the     
,jerusalem constituted                  
authorities1--such he had put it out of 
his power to be any longer3  not speak  
of him as a persecutor1 but1 on the     
contrary1 as an  associate3--he taking  
up the name of ,jesus3 and              
preaching--never in his  own1 but on    
every occasion in that holy1 name4      
#c4 ,on this occasion1--it being        
manifest to both parties1 that1 by his  
intimate acquaintance with the ,greek   
language1 and with the learning         
belonging to that language1 he was in a 
peculiar degree well qualified  to      
spread the name of ,jesus among the     
,gentiles in general2--that is1  among  
those to whom the ,jewish was not a     
vernacular language2--whereas  their    
acquaintance with language was confined 
to their own1 to wit1 the  ,jewish      
language2--on this occasion1 it followed
 of course1 from the  nature of the     

case1 and almost without need of        
stipulation1  that1--leaving to them1   
for the field of their labours1         
,jerusalem1 and  that part of the       
circumjacent country1 in which the      
,jewish alone was the  language of the  
bulk of the population1--he should      
confine his  exertions1 principally if  
not exclusively1 to those countries1 of 
which  ,greek was1 or at any rate       
,hebrew was not1 the vernacular         
language4    ,to him1 at that time1 it  
was not in the nature of the case1 that 
absentation from ,jerusalem1 or any part
 of the country under the same          
dominion1 should be matter of regret4   
,within that circle1 he could not1  for 
any length of time1 abide publicly1 for 
fear of the legal vengeance  of the     
constituted authorities3 nor yet among  
the ,christians2 although  from their   
chiefs he had obtained1 as above1 a sort
 of prudential  endurance2 considering  
the horror1 which his persecution of    
them had  inspired1 and the terror1 with

 which1 until his conversion had been   
proved in the eyes of all by experience1
 he could not as yet fail to be         
regarded4    ,whatever was the object of
 his concupiscence1--whether it were the
  fund--and we have seen how attractive 
the bait was--which1 at that time1  in  
that metropolis of the ,christian world1
 offered itself to an  ambitious        
eye1--still1 though his opportunities   
had as yet confined his  exertions to   
the second city in that increasing      
world1 his eyes never  ceased looking to
 the first4    ,twice1 accordingly1     
between the first of his ,visits1--his  
,reconciliation  ,visit--and this his   
last interview with ,peter1--we see him 
visiting that  inviting spot3 each time1
 protected and escorted by the          
munificent  ,barnabas and his           
influence--to make him endurable3 each  
time with a  public commission--to make 
him respected3--the first time with     
money  in his hand--to make him welcome4
    ,that1 all this while1 neither good 

faith nor prudence were capable  of     
opposing to the violence of his         
ambition1 any effectual check1--is      
abundantly manifest4    ,that good faith
 was not1 we learn distinctly from      
himself4 ,for though1  from the very    
nature of the two correlative           
situations1 it is out of all  question1 
as above1 that1 without some agreement  
to the effect above  mentioned1 he could
 not1 even with the benefit of every    
possible means  of concealment1 have    
been preserved for two days together    
from the  vengeance which pressed upon  
him1 from below as well as from above2  
yet still was he1 by his secret         
intrigues1 ,gal4 #a3aa1 violating the   
treaty1 at the expense of those upright1
 patient1 and long-suffering  men1 to   
whose observance of it1 he was every day
 indebted for his life4      ,,section  
#d4    ,,peter ,,and ,,the ,,apostles   
,,justified ,,as ,,to ,,the ,,financial 
,,stipulation ,,in  ,,the ,,treaty1     
,,and ,,the ,,succeeding ,,missionary   

,,labours ,,of ,,peter ,,among  ,,the   
,,gentiles4    ,of the financial        
stipulation1 the account we have has    
been seen3--an  account given by one of 
the parties to it--,paul3--the other    
party  being--the ,apostles4 ,in the    
instance of ,paul1 in the demonstration1
  supposed to be given of it1 the       
worldliness1 of the motives which gave  
birth to it1 has in a manner been taken 
for granted4 ,well1 then1 if in  the one
 instance such was the character of     
it1--in the other instance1  can it have
 been any other8 ,the question is a     
natural one2 but not less  so is the    
answer4 ,for note1 the stipulation is   
express--that1 by  ,paul--by ,paul out  
of the profits of his vocation--the     
poor1 meaning the  poor of              
,jerusalem--the poor among the disciples
 of the ,apostles--should  be           
remembered4 ,remembered1 and how8       
,remembered1 by payment of the          
money--into the hands1 either of the    
,apostles themselves1 or1 what comes  to

 the same thing1 some other persons1 in 
connection with them1 and  acting under 
their influence4 ,now1 then1 once more4 
,of the man1 by whom  the money was to  
be paid--of this man1 the motives1 you  
say1 were  worldly3 is it credible then1
 that they should have been less so1 in 
the  instance of the men by whom they   
were to be received8    ,answer4 ,oh6   
yes1 that it is4 ,between the two cases1
 there is this  broad difference4       
,whatever ,paul might receive1 he would 
receive for  himself3 whatever1 after   
payment made1 under the treaty1 to the  
use of  the ,jerusalem poor1 he         
retained1--he might retain for his own  
use4 ,but  the ,apostles--that which1 if
 anything1 they received1 in the name of
 the  poor1 and as for the use of that  
same poor1--would they--could they1 for 
their own use1 retain it1 or any part of
 it8 ,not they1 indeed4 ,not in  their  
hands were the poor's funds3 not in     
theirs1 but in a very  different set of 
hands3--in the hands of a set of        

trustees--of the  trustees already      
mentioned in this work1 ,ch4 #b--of     
those administrators1  whose function1  
to every reader who has not the ,greek  
original in view1  is so unfortunately  
disguised by the word ,deacons4 ,and    
these deacons1  by whom appointed8 ,by  
the ,apostles8 ,no2 but1 by the whole   
communion of  the saints--by the whole  
number of the members of the ,christian 
commonwealth2--and in the way of free   
election1--election1 on the  principle  
of universal suffrage4 ,monarchists and 
,aristocrats6 mark  well6--of universal 
suffrage4    ,so much for the treaty    
itself4 ,now1 as to the subsequent      
conduct of the  parties1 under it1 and  
in relation to it4 ,as to the           
partition--,paul to  the ,gentiles1     
,peter and his associates to the        
,jews--such was the letter  of it4 ,such
 being the letter--what1 at the same    
time1 was the spirit of  it8 ,manifestly
 this3 on the one hand1 that the field1 
to which ,paul's  exertions should apply

 themselves1 and confine themselves1    
should be  that field1 for the          
cultivation of which1 with any prospect 
of success1  he was exclusively         
qualified3 on the other hand1 that the  
field1 to  which their exertions should 
apply themselves and confine themselves1
  should be that1 for the cultivation of
 which1 they were--if not  exclusively1 
at any rate more peculiarly1 qualified4 
,in a word--that1 of  all that portion  
of the world1 that presented itself as  
open to the  exertions1 of those who    
preached in the name of ,jesus1--they   
should  reserve to themselves that part 
which was already in their possession1  
to wit1 ,jerusalem1 and its near        
neighbourhood1 together with such parts 
of ,judea1 and its neighbourhood1 of    
which their own language1 the  ,hebrew1 
was the vernacular language3 this minute
 portion of the world  reserved1 all the
 rest was to be left open to him3 over  
every other part  of it he was to be at 
liberty to cast forth his shoe4         

,judea--the country  of the ,jews8 say1 
rather1 the ,jews themselves3--the ,jews
 wherever found3  for1 revelation apart1
 it was in language1 that ,paul's       
pretensions--his exclusive              
qualifications--consisted4 ,the         
,apostles spoke  nothing but ,hebrew3   
,paul was learned1 and eloquent1 in a   
certain sort1  in ,greek4    ,in regard 
to the interpretation to be put upon    
this treaty1--suppose any  doubt to have
 place1--in the word ,gentile1 would    
obviously the seat  and source of it to 
be to be found4 ,suppose1 on the one    
hand persons  to be the objects1 of     
which it was meant to be                
designative1--then1 let  there be but so
 much as one single uncircumcised man in
 ,jerusalem1 or  elsewhere1--to whom1 in
 the view of gaining him over to their  
communion1  the ,apostles1 or1 with     
their cognizance1 any of their          
disciples1  addressed themselves1--here 
would1 on their part1 be a breach of the
  treaty4 ,suppose1 on the other hand1  

places to be the objects1 of which  it  
was meant to be designative1--on that   
supposition1 within that tract  of      
country1 within which alone1 the        
necessary means1 of communicating  with 
the bulk of the population1 were in     
their possession1--they might  apply    
themselves1 to all persons without      
restriction3 and this1 still  without   
any real breach of the agreement--of the
 spirit and real import  of the         
agreement4    ,in respect either of     
persons or places1 by the agreement1    
according to  this--the obvious sense of
 it--what was it that ,paul gave up8 ,in
 truth1  just nothing4 ,had his mind    
been in a sober state1--strange indeed1 
if  the field thus afforded by the whole
 heathen world1 was not wide enough  for
 his labour3 in all parts of it he could
 not be at once2 and the most  promising
 parts were open to his choice4         
,cessation of ,paul's  hostilities      
excepted1 what was it that the ,apostles
 gained8 ,not much  more4    ,as already

 observed--what was not gained by it1 is
 what is above3 what  was really gained 
by it1 is what follows4    ,what ,paul  
gained was--exemption from the          
annoyance1 which otherwise he  would    
everywhere have been exposed to have    
received1 by being designated  as the   
quondam notorious persecutor1 and still 
unreconciled enemy1 of  the ,apostles   
and their disciples3--in a word1 of all 
others who preached  in the name of     
,jesus4    ,that which the ,apostles    
actually gained1 was--that confirmation 
and  extension of their influence1 which
 followed of course1 upon every         
extension1 received by that field1      
within which the influence of the  name 
of ,jesus was extended4    ,that which1 
besides what is above1 they ought to    
have gained1 but did  not gain1         
is--exemption from all such annoyance1  
as could not but be  inflicted on them1 
in proportion as ,paul1 preaching to    
persons1 to whom  they had access1 a    
,gospel which was his1 and not          

theirs1--should1  while in pretence and 
name an associate1 be1 in truth and     
effect1 an  adversary and opponent4     
,this is what--though they not only     
should have gained1 but might also      
reasonably have expected to gain--they  
did not gain4 ,for1 not to  insist any  
more on his secret intrigues in         
,jerusalem itself1 and his  open        
opposition in the second ,jerusalem1    
,antioch1 as above2 we  shall--when we  
come to the next and last of his        
interviews with the  ,apostles on the   
occasion of his ,invasion ,visit--see1  
to what lengths the  madness of his     
ambition carried him1 in that birthplace
 and metropolis  of the ,christian      
world4    ,by the sort of connection1   
which1 notwithstanding such obvious and 
naturally powerful principles of        
discrimination1 have on each occasion1  
been visible1 as between the undoubted  
,apostles1 and this self-styled         
one--three distinguishable questions    
cannot but1 from time to time1 have     

been presenting themselves3--#a4 ,the   
sort of countenance--partial1 cold1  and
 guarded as it was--shown by the old    
established and goodly  fellowship to   
the ever-intruding individual--is it    
credible8 #b4 ,can it1  in fact1 have   
been manifested1 in conjunction with a  
disbelief1 on their  part1 of his       
pretensions to a degree of supernatural 
favour with the  ,almighty1 equal or    
superior to their own8 #c4 ,and1 if not 
only possible1  but actual--was it1 in  
point of morality1 justifiable8    ,by a
 few obvious enough considerations1 an  
answer--and1 it is hoped1 a  not        
altogether unsatisfactory one1--may be  
given to all these questions4    ,as to 
whatever was natural in the course of   
the events1 ,barnabas was  necessary to 
the rising ,church3 and ,paul was1 all  
along1 necessary1 or1  at least1 was so 
thought1 to ,barnabas4    #a4 ,barnabas 
was necessary to the ,church4 ,already1 
it has been seen1 how  preeminent was   
the support received by it from his     

munificence4 ,in him1  it had found at  
once the most liberal of benefactors1   
and1 unless ,peter  be an exception1 the
 most indefatigable of agents4 ,on the  
part of no one  of even the chosen      
servants of ,jesus1 do proofs of equal  
zeal and  activity present themselves to
 our view4    ,in an ensuing chapter1 we
 shall see ,peter trying his strength   
among the  ,gentiles4 ,yet1 from the    
direction thus given to his ,apostolic  
zeal1 no  violation of the treaty1 it   
will be seen1 can with justice be       
imputed to  him1 if the interpretation  
above given to the word ,gentiles be    
correct4    #a4 ,in the first           
place1--according to the ,acts1 the date
 of this  excursion is antecedent to    
that third interview1 which took place  
on  the occasion of ,paul's third       
,jerusalem ,visit--his ,deputation      
,visit3 that  is to say1 to the time1 at
 which1 and not before1 though1 if the  
above  reasoning be just1 in a sort of  
general terms the preliminaries had been

  agreed upon1 the general preliminary  
arrangements were followed1  confirmed1 
explained1 and liquidated1 by more      
particular ones4    #b4 ,in the next    
place--of all the places1--which1 in the
 course of this  excursion of ,peter's1 
are mentioned as having been visited by 
him1--there is not one1 that ,paul is   
mentioned as having ever visited3       
whereas1 in the first of them that is   
mentioned1 the ,apostles are  mentioned 
as having already a band of             
disciples4#db    #c4 ,in the third      
place1--the date1 assigned to this      
excursion of ,peter's1  is1 by several  
years1 antecedent even to the first1 of 
the several  excursions of ,paul's1 of  
which mention is made in the ,acts4 ,in 
the  received chronology--date assigned 
to the commencement of ,peter's         
excursion1 ,a4,d4 #ce2 date assigned to 
,paul's first excursion1 ,a4,d4 #de4    
,while ,peter was thus occupying        
himself1 ,paul was still at ,tarsus3#dc 
at  ,tarsus--his own                    

birthplace--whereto1--in consequence of 
the danger1 to  which his life had been 
exposed by his first ,jerusalem ,visit1 
his  ,reconciliation ,visit1--he had    
taken his flight4#dd    #d4 ,in the     
fourth place1--notwithstanding the      
perpetual hostility of  ,paul's mind1 as
 towards ,peter and the rest of the     
,apostles1--on no  occasion1 on the     
score of any breach of this article in  
the partition  treaty1 is any complaint1
 on the part of ,paul1 to be found4     
,when  dissatisfaction is expressed1    
doctrine alone is mentioned by him as   
the  source of it3 doctrine1 the        
ostensible2 dominion1 the original and  
real  source4    ,spite of the          
treaty1--spite of the manifest interest1
 of the only  genuine religion of       
,jesus--the ,gospel taught by the       
,apostles1--still in  places to which   
they had access--in places in which1 in 
consequence1  they had formed           
connections1--he persisted in intruding 
himself3  intruding himself1 with that  

,gospel which he says himself1 was his1 
not  theirs--and not being theirs1 was  
not ,jesus's3--intruding himself1 in    
places1 in which1 even had his ,gospel  
been ,jesus's1 their connections  being 
established1 there existed no demand for
 him and his4 ,can this  be doubted of8 
,if yes1 all doubt will at any rate be  
removed1  when1--spite of all the       
endeavours that could be employed1      
either by  them or by his own adherents1
 to prevail upon him to desist1--we     
shall  see him entering ,jerusalem on   
his ,invasion ,visit3 as if1 while1 for 
preaching the religion of ,jesus1 all   
the world1 with the exception of  the   
,jewish part of it1 was not enough for  
this intruder1--the ,apostles  of       
,jesus--eleven in number1 with their    
elected associate1  ,matthias1--were    
not1 all together1 enough1 for that     
small part of it4    ,the name he       
preached in1 that indeed not his own1   
but ,jesus's3 but  the doctrine he      
preached--the ,gospel1 as he called     

it--not ,jesus's1  nor anybody else's1  
but his own4 ,all this1 as he has the   
assurance to  declare1--all this did he 
preach without their knowledge4 ,and why
  without their knowledge8 because1 as  
he himself has the still more           
extraordinary assurance to declare--for 
confession is the result not  of        
assurance1 but weakness--because1 as he 
himself acknowledges1--if so  it had    
been1 that this ,gospel of his had come 
to the knowledge of the  ,apostles--of  
those associates1 to whom he was all    
along holding out the  right hand of    
fellowship1 this ,gospel of his could   
not have been  listened to--this        
preaching of his would have been in     
vain4    ,already1 however--for in this 
he may be believed--already1 throughout 
this first intercourse1 though the      
expression is not used till he came  to 
speak of the third1--already must the   
right hand of fellowship have  been held
 out1 and on both sides3 and1 what      
followed of course1--and was  not only  

affirmed by his statement1 but          
demonstrated by the result1--on  this   
last occasion was the treaty again      
brought upon the carpet and  confirmed1 
after such modifications as it may      
naturally have received1  from the      
consideration of intervening incidents4 
,,footnotes3    #db ,acts #i3cb4 ,and it
 came to pass1 as ,peter passed through 
all  quarters1 he came down also to the 
saints which dwelt at ,lydda4    #dc    
,acts #aa3be4 ,then departed ,barnabas  
for to seek ,saul4 ,a4,d4 #dc4    #dd   
,acts #i3cj1 ,which when the brethren   
knew1 they brought him down to  ,csarea 
and sent him forth to ,tarsus4          
,,chapter ,,ix4         ,paul           
disbelieved continued--,the ,fourth and 
,last ,jerusalem ,visit4       ,the     
,purpose concealed3 ,opposition         
universal2 among his own                
,disciples1 and among those of the      
,apostles4      ,,section #a4           
,,motives ,,to ,,this ,,visit4    ,of   
this momentous visit to say what were   

the real objects1 must in a  great part 
be left to conjecture3--to inferences   
drawn from the known  circumstances of  
the case4 ,by himself1 as will be seen1 
they were  concealed with the most      
persevering anxiety4    ,but1 in default
 of direct evidence1 the point may      
without much danger of  error be settled
 by circumstantial evidence4 ,the common
 objects of  political                  
concupiscence--money1 power and         
vengeance--were all before his  eyes3   
money--in no less a quantity than that  
of the aggregate mass of  the property  
of the whole church3--that fund1 for the
 management of  which1 the ,apostles'   
seven trustees1 under the name of       
,deacons1 were not  more than           
sufficient3--that fund1 by which the    
repulsed concupiscence of  the sorcerer 
of ,samaria had so lately been          
excited3--power1 that  which was        
exercised by the direction of the       
consciences of the whole  number of the 
faithful1 some time before this1 not    

less in number than  three thousand3    
vengeance1 for the repeated rebuffs1 by 
which1 at the  interval of so many years
 from each other1 his endeavours to     
supplant  the ,apostles had been        
repelled4    ,in a general point of     
view1 ambition1--rival ambition1--the   
same motive  which sent ,caesar to      
,rome1 may be stated as having sent     
,paul1 at this  time1 to ,jerusalem3 to 
,jerusalem--the metropolis of the       
,christian world1  by design2 and       
thence1 eventually and undesignedly1 to 
the metropolis of  the whole civilized  
world4    ,by two opposite desires--two 
antagonizing but correspondent and      
mutually  explanatory desires--desires1 
in both parts intense and active1 the   
external marks of which are sufficiently
 visible in two different               
quarters1--the nature as well as        
prevalence of this motive1 will1 it is  
believed1 be found sufficiently         
proved3--a desire1 in the breast of the 
self-constituted ,apostle1 to establish 

himself in the original  metropolis of  
the ,christian world3--a desire on the  
part of the  ,apostles--of the ,apostles
 constituted by ,jesus--to keep him out 
of it4      ,,section #b4    ,,the      
,,visit ,,announced ,,by ,,paul ,,and   
,,deferred4    ,ephesus1 at which place 
he had arrived not long after his       
departure from  ,corinth1 where he had  
made a stay1 as it should seem1 of more 
years than  one1#de touching in the way 
at ,cenchrea1 where he shaved his head  
for  the performance of a vow--,ephesus 
is the place1 at which1 by the author   
of the ,acts1 ,paul is for the first    
time made to speak of himself1 as       
harbouring1 having in mind the making of
 this visit3 and on that  occasion1 the 
visit is spoken of1 as being the subject
 of a settled  determination1 and in    
particular as being the time fixed upon 
by him for  the execution of this       
design4 ,acts #ah3bj1 #ba4 ,when they1  
the ,jews at  ,ephesus1 desired him to  
tarry longer with them1 he consented    

not2 but  bade them farewell1 saying1 ,i
 must by all means keep this feast that 
cometh in ,jerusalem3 but ,i will return
 again to you if ,god will4    ,as to   
the keeping of this or any other feast  
at ,jerusalem or at any  other place--if
 it was under any such notion as that of
 contributing to  his own personal      
salvation by any such ,mosaic work1 it  
was an object  inconsistent with his own
 principles--with his own so repeatedly 
and  strenuously advocated              
principles3--and the like may be said of
 the  head-shaving and the vow1         
performed by him1 at ,cenchrea1 in his  
way to  ,ephesus from ,corinth3 and     
moreover1 in this last-mentioned        
instance1  more particularly in         
contradiction with a precept so         
positively  delivered by ,jesus1 namely1
 ,swear not at all1--if1 under swearing1
 the  making of vows is to be understood
 to be included4    ,of this design1 the
 next intimation which occurs in the    
,acts1 is in the  next chapter1 ,acts   

#ai3ba1 ,when these things were ended1  
namely1 the  discomfiture of the        
exorcists1 and the burning of the books 
of curious  arts at ,ephesus1--,paul1 it
 is said1 purposes in the spirit1 when  
he  had passed through ,macedonia and   
,achaia1 to go to ,jerusalem1 saying1   
,after ,i have been there1 ,i must also 
see ,rome4    ,fortunate it is for the  
credit--either of the spirit1 or of     
,paul1 or  of the author of the ,acts1  
that it was on this second occasion     
only1 and  not on the first1 that it was
 in the spirit that he proposed to go to
  ,jerusalem by the then next feast3    
for1 notwithstanding the must and  the  
by all means1--so it is1 that between   
those his two  determinations as above1 
no less a space of time than two years  
is  stated as elapsing1 on one occasion1
 at one and the same place4#df ,and     
this place--what was it8 it was         
,ephesus3 the same place1 at which1 on  
his departure from it1 the first        
determination was declared3 after       

which1 and before this his second visit 
to ,ephesus1--he is represented  as     
having visited ,csarea and ,antioch4    
,the next mention1 is that which occurs 
in the next chapter1 chapter  #bj3af4   
,paul1 we are there told1 being then at 
,miletus1 had determined  to sail by    
,ephesus1 because he would not spend the
 time in ,asia3 for he  hasted1 if it   
were possible for him1 to be at         
,jerusalem the day of  ,pentecost4      
,at ,miletus it is1 that he sends for1  
and receives1 from ,ephesus1 a  number  
of his adherents in that place4 ,upon   
their arrival1 he is  represented as    
making a formal speech to them3 and now1
 he not merely  proposes in the spirit1 
as before1 but is bound in the spirit1  
to go  thither4#dg ,vain would be the   
attempt to ascertain1 with any approach 
to exactness1 the interval of time1     
during which the operation of the       
spirit remained in a sort of suspense   
between purpose and  obligation3 it may 
have been months1 only3 it may have been

 years4    ,while1 by one spirit1 ,paul 
was thus urged on1 every now and then1  
towards ,jerusalem2--by the same spirit1
 or by another spirit1 he was  pulled   
back4#dh    ,in the very next verse1    
,acts #bj3bb1 in which he speaks of his 
being  bound in the spirit unto that    
place1 not knowing1 as1 in his speech1  
he thereupon adds1--not knowing the     
things that shall befall me  there1--he 
goes on1 and says3 ,save that the ,holy 
,ghost witnesseth in  every city1       
saying1 that bonds and afflictions abide
 me4 ,but none of  these things1 says   
he1 ver4 #bd1 move me1 neither count ,i 
my life dear  unto myself1 so that ,i   
might finish my course with joy1 and the
  ministry1 which ,i have received of   
the ,lord ,jesus1 to testify the ,gospel
  of the grace of ,god4    ,to raise1 in
 the breast of ,paul1 the expectation1  
that of his proceeding  in the course it
 was his way to take in preaching that  
religion1 to  which1 from a persecutor1 
he had1 in appearance1 become a convert1

  affliction1 in a variety of shapes1   
might prove to be the  fruits1--needed  
no information from the spirit2 if1 by  
receiving  information from the spirit1 
he meant any communication of a         
supernatural kind--anything beyond      
information in the ordinary  shape2--be 
the effect--be the purpose1 good or     
bad1--such is the lot1  that awaits     
innovation in the field of politics--the
 spiritual part  included1 as well as   
the temporal--at all places1 and all    
times4    ,a passage1 which now presents
 itself1 helps to show how easily and   
copiously1 out of a few words1 written  
in ancient times1 mysteries and         
miracles have been manufactured in      
modern times4 ,in ,acts #bj3bb1 we have 
seen ,paul1 bound in the spirit1 as he  
is made to assure us1 to go  unto       
,jerusalem4 ,in the next chapter1 #ba3d1
 we find disciples 444 who  said to     
,paul1 through the spirit1 that he      
should not go up to  ,jerusalem4 ,oh6   
what a useful word this word spirit6    

,let a man say  plainly and simply1 ,i  
shall go1 or be going1 to               
,jerusalem--or1 ,don't go  to           
,jerusalem1--his words go for no more   
than they are worth3 in either  case1   
with a proper proposition to introduce  
it1 add the word spirit1  the matter    
becomes serious4 ,out of a word or two1 
you thus add to the  ,godhead a third   
person1 who talks backward and forward  
for you1 and does  for you whatever you 
please4    ,at so small a price1 even to
 this day1 are manufactured1 every day1 
a  sort of verbal miracles1 which1 as   
many as are disposed1 are welcome  to   
improve into real ones4    ,to reconcile
 men to this expedition of ,paul's1 the 
spirit was the more                     
necessary1--inasmuch as it was not in   
his own power1 or even in that of  any  
one of his numerous attendants and      
dependants1 to assign so much as  one   
ostensible reason for it4    ,that1 to  
the advancement of religion--of the     
religion of ,jesus--no such  presence of

 his was necessary2--that no good could 
result from it2--that  much evil could  
not but result from it2--was obvious to 
all eyes4 ,of the  original number of   
the ,apostles1--for aught that appears1 
not less than  eleven were still        
remaining on the spot3 men1 to every one
 of whom1 all  acts and sayings of      
,jesus were1 by memory1 rendered so     
familiar3--men1  on the part of some of 
whom1 and1 at any rate1 on the part of  
the chief  of them1 ,peter1--there was  
no want of zeal and activity4 ,while to 
these  men a single city1 or1 at the    
utmost1 one small region--composed the  
whole field of exertion--the whole earth
 besides is left open by them  to ,paul3
 still1 such is the ravenousness of his 
ambition1 nothing can  content him1 but 
he must be intruding himself--thrusting 
his restless  sickle into their ripening
 harvest4      ,,section #c4    ,,the   
,,design ,,indefensible4    ,all        
this--is it not enough8 ,well then1 take
 this one other--this  concluding proof4

 ,in the teeth of all their endeavours1 
and among them1  some that will be seen 
extraordinary enough1 to prevent        
it1--was  undertaken the fourth and last
 of his four recorded visits to their   
residence--,jerusalem4    ,but1 in the  
first place1 in the utter               
indefensibility of the design1  shall be
 shown the cause1 of the opposition so  
universally made to it4    ,tired of a  
mixture of successes and                
miscarriages1--disdaining the  conquests
 he had been making in so many remote1  
and comparatively  obscure regions of   
the world1--he had formed--but at what  
precise time1  the documents do not     
enable us to pronounce--the             
determination1 to  exhibit his glories  
on the two most illustrious of          
theatres3--in the two                   
capitals--,jerusalem1 of the ,jewish1   
and now of the ,christian world2  ,rome1
 of the whole classical heathen         
world3--and in the first place1         
,jerusalem1 now1 for the fourth time    

since his conversion4 ,it was at        
,ephesus1 as we have seen1 this         
determination was first declared4    ,to
 ,rome1 he might have gone1 and welcome3
 namely1 in so far as his  doctrines    
could have confined themselves within   
the limits of those of  ,jesus3 which1  
however1 it will be seen1 they could    
not3 but1 success  being moreover       
supposed1 nothing but good could such   
visit have had for  its result4    ,but1
 by a visit to any place other than     
,jerusalem1 various were the  points of 
spleen and ambition1 that could not have
 been satisfied4  ,nothing would serve  
him1 but1 over that ,edom ,jerusalem1 he
 would1 in the  first place1 cast forth 
his shoe4    ,unless the eleven most    
confidential servants1 selected by      
,jesus himself  to be the propagators of
 his religion1 were altogether unworthy 
of the  task thus allotted to           
them1--nothing to the good purposes of  
that  religion could be more palpably   
unnecessary1 nothing to the purposes of 

peace and unity more pernicious1 than   
the intrusion thus resolved upon4  ,that
 the number of these legitimately       
instituted ,apostles had as yet         
suffered any diminution1 is not1 by any 
of the documents1 rendered so  much as  
probable4 ,neither in the works of ,paul
 himself1 nor in that of  his           
historiographer1 is any intimation to   
any such effect to be found4  ,in their 
own judgments1 had there been any need  
of coadjutors--any  deficiency of hands 
for the spiritual harvest1--they well   
knew how to  supply it4 ,of the         
sufficiency of such knowledge1 they had 
given the  most incontestable proofs3   
the election of ,matthias was the fruit 
of it4  ,they showed--and with a        
disinterestedness1 which has never since
 had1  nor seems destined to have1 any  
imitators--that1 in the ,christian      
world1  if government in any shape has  
divine right for its support1 it is in  
the shape of democracy2--representative 
democracy--operating by  universal      

suffrage4 ,in the eye of the ,christian1
 as well as of the  philosopher and the 
philanthropist1 behold here the only    
legitimate  government3 the form1 the   
exclusion of which from the ,christian  
world1  has been the object of that     
league1 by which1 by an unpunishable1   
yet  the most mischievous--if not the   
only mischievous--sort of blasphemy1    
the name of ,christian has been         
profaned4    ,this method of filling    
offices1 was no more to the taste of    
,paul1 than  to that of a ,napoleon or a
 ,george4 ,he determined to open their  
eyes1 and  prove to them by experience1 
that monarchy1--himself the first       
monarch--was the only legitimate form of
 government4 ,the difficulties of  the  
enterprise were such as could not escape
 any eyes3--least of all his  own3 but  
to die or conquer was his resolve3 so he
 himself declares4#di  ,what1 in case of
 success1 would have been the use made  
by him of it8 ,the  fate of the         
,apostles may be read in the catastrophe

 of ,saint ,stephen3  the vulgar herd   
would1 in his eyes1 have been as        
declaredly foolish as  the ,galatians4  
,gal4 #c3a4 ,o1 foolish ,galatians6 ,who
 did bewitch you1  etc4    ,the invasion
 was not less inconsistent with good    
faith1 than with  brotherly love1 peace 
and unity4 ,it was a direct violation of
 the  partition-treaty3 that treaty1 of 
which he gives such unquestionable      
evidence against himself1 in the boast  
he makes of it to his ,galatians4  ,gal4
 #b3i4 ,when ,james1 ,cephas 7,peter71  
and ,john1 who seemed to be  pillars1   
perceived the grace that was given unto 
me1 they gave to me  and ,barnabas the  
right hands of fellowship1 that we      
should go unto the  heathen1 and they   
unto the circumcision4      ,,section   
#d4    ,,opposition ,,made ,,to ,,it    
,,by ,,his ,,own ,,attendants ,,and     
,,other ,,adherents4    ,to find so much
 as the colour of a reason for this     
perfidy1 was too much  for the ingenuity
 of his attendant panegyrist4 ,in the   

eyes of the whole  body of his          
attendants1 of whom the historian was   
one1 so completely  unjustifiable was   
his design in every point of view1--they
 joined in a  remonstrance to him1      
beseeching him to give it up4           
,,acts #ba3ab to #ad4         ,and when 
we heard these things1 both we1 and they
 of that place1       besought him not  
to go up to ,jerusalem4--,then ,paul    
answered1 ,what       mean ye to weep   
and to break mine heart8 for ,i am ready
 not to be       bound only1 but also to
 die at ,jerusalem1 for the name of the 
,lord       ,jesus4--,and when he would 
not be persuaded1 we ceased1 saying1    
,the       will of the ,lord be done4   
,at no such loss1 however1 was ,paul    
himself3 for this1 and for everything   
else it was his will to do1 he had a    
reason ready made4 ,it was no less      
concise and economical than convenient3 
a word1 and no more than a word1  was   
the price paid for it3--revelation was  
that word4#ej ,so he  assures his       

foolish ,galatians3 and if they were    
foolish enough to  believe it1 these1   
though first1 have not been last1 in the
 career of  foolishness4    ,allow a man
 but the use of this one word1 so it be 
in the sense in which  ,paul here uses  
it--admit the matter of fact1 of which  
it contains the  assertion1--the will of
 that man is not only sufficient reason1
 but  sufficient law1 for everything3 in
 all places1 and to all persons1 his    
will is law4 ,the will of this man is   
the will of that ,god1 by whom this     
revelation of it has been made to him3  
the will of ,god1 what man shall  be    
audacious enough to dispute8    ,the    
motives1 which gave birth to this act of
 perfidy and hostility1 will  now be    
visible enough1 to every eye1 that dares
 to open itself to them4  ,at the time  
in question1 they were too manifest to  
need mentioning3 and  at the same time  
too unjustifiable1 to bear to be        
mentioned by his  dependent historian1  
when speaking of the opposition1 which1 

even on the  part of his own dependents1
 it produced4 ,they besought him--with  
tears  they besought him3 but1 as to the
 reflections by which these tears were  
produced1 they could not bear the light3
 it was not for a declared  adherent to 
give them utterance4 ,the sort of       
colour1 put upon the  project by ,paul1 
with the help of one of his             
phrases--this was the only  colour that 
could be found for it4 ,it was for the  
name of the ,lord  ,jesus1 ,acts #ba3ac1
 that he was ready--ready1 not to be    
bound only1 but  also to die4 ,for the  
name8 ,o1 yes1 for the name at all      
times2 for1 in  the name of ,jesus1 he  
beheld from first to last his necessary 
support3  and of the ,lord ,jesus1      
nothing1 as we shall find1--nothing from
 first to  last1 did he ever employ but 
the name4 ,but1 to be bound at          
,jerusalem--to  die at ,jerusalem--to be
 bound--to die--supposing this to take  
place1--where--to the religion of       
,jesus--would be1 where could be1 the   

use of it8 ,there1 at ,jerusalem1 the   
,apostles--the real ,apostles of        
,jesus3--executing1 without either dying
 or being bound for it1 the  commission1
 which to them had been really given by 
,jesus4      ,,section #e4              
,,opposition ,,made ,,to ,,it ,,by ,,the
 ,,apostles ,,and ,,their ,,disciples4  
,thus indefensible and deplorable1 in   
the eyes even of his own                
dependents1--it may be imagined in what 
light the invasion presented  itself at 
,jerusalem1 to those who found          
themselves so cruelly menaced by  it4   
,at the first place1 at which1 after a  
voyage of some length1 they landed  on  
their way to ,judea1--they found the    
alarm already spread4 ,this place  was  
,tyre3 there they found disciples1 ,acts
 #ba3d1 who said to ,paul1  and through 
the ,spirit1 that he should not go up to
 ,jerusalem4 ,it was  through their     
spirit1 that they bade him not to go2   
but his  revelation1 as we have seen1   
bade him to go1 notwithstanding3--his   

revelation was too strong for their     
spirit4 ,if it was from the ,lord       
,jesus1 as he all along informs us1 that
 his revelation came1 while  their      
spirit was the ,holy ,spirit1 otherwise 
called the ,holy  ,ghost1--already      
another schism was produced3 a schism1  
in a council  still higher than that of 
the ,apostles4    ,at ,ptolemais1 on the
 road from ,tyre to ,jerusalem1 they    
stayed but one  day3 ,acts #ba3g1 not   
long enough1 it should seem1 for any    
fresh marks of  opposition to this      
enterprise to manifest themselves4      
,continuing their approach to the       
metropolis1 the next day they came to   
,csarea1 ,acts #ba3d1 ,the house1 then  
entered into1 was that of  ,philip1     
there styled the ,evangelist1 one of the
 seven trustees1 who1  under the name1  
rendered in the ,english translation by 
that of ,deacon1  at the recommendation 
of the ,apostles1 had been chosen by    
universal  suffrage1 for the management 
of the pecuniary affairs of the ,church4

  ,here they took up their quarters3 and
 here a fresh scene awaited them4    ,in
 the person of a man1 whose name was    
,agabus1 the ,apostles and their        
associates had found1 as we have seen1  
an agent of approved talents1 and       
usefulness3 to him they had been        
indebted1 for the most important        
service1 of a temporal nature1 which the
 history of the church in those  days   
furnishes3--the supply of money already 
received1 as above  mentioned1 from the 
first-born daughter of the church--the  
church of  ,antioch1 in ,syria4 ,at this
 place1 ,csarea1 as a last resource1    
this  same ,agabus1 or another1 was1 as 
it should seem1 dispatched to meet--at  
any rate did meet--the self-appointed   
,apostle in his way2 and1 in the        
character of a prophet1 for so this     
,agabus is styled1 strained every       
nerve1 in the endeavour to divert the   
invader from the so anxiously           
apprehended purpose4    ,whoever he was1
 employed on this occasion1 but employed

 in vain1 were  all the treasures of his
 eloquence4 ,the ,holy ,ghost was once  
more1 and by  name1 set in array against
 ,paul's ,lord ,jesus4 ,the powers of   
verbal and  oral eloquence were not     
thought sufficient3 action--and not only
 of that  sort which1 in the eyes of    
,demosthenes1 was an object of such     
prime  importance1 but even             
pantomime--was employed in aid4 ,acts   
#ba3aa4 ,as to  argument--fear in the   
bosom of the ,church1 for a life so     
precious1 was  the only one1 which the  
skill of the orator could permit him to 
employ3  as to fear for their own sakes1
 and resentment for the injury which    
they  were predestinated to             
suffer1--these were passions1 too       
strongly felt  to be avowed4 ,he took   
,paul's girdle1 ,acts #ba3aa1 and bound 
his own  hands and feet1 and said1 ,thus
 saith the ,holy ,ghost1 ,so shall the  
,jews  at ,jerusalem bind the man that  
owneth this girdle1 and shall deliver   
him  into the hands of the ,gentiles4   

,supposing the ,agabus mentioned on this
 occasion1 to be the same ,agabus  as he
 who was mentioned on the occasion of   
the apprehended  dearth--supposing this 
to be he--and no reason presents itself 
in favour  of the contrary              
supposition--well known indeed must he  
have been to  ,paul1 since it was by his
 means that ,paul was indebted for the  
opportunity of paying1 to ,jerusalem1   
that second visit of his1 from  which1  
as we have seen1 so little fruit was    
reaped4    ,the singular circumstance   
here is1 the manner1 in which1 on this  
second  occasion1 mention is made of    
this name--,agabus3 a certain prophet   
named  ,agabus1 ,acts #ba3aj4 ,whether  
this was1 or was not1 the same as the   
former ,agabus1--this mode of           
designation presents itself as alike    
extraordinary4 ,if he was the same1--in 
that case1 as1 by the addition  of the  
adjunct a certain prophet1 a sort of    
cloud is thrown over his  identity1--so1
 by so simple an expedient as that of   

the non-insertion of  these redundant   
words1 the clouds would have been       
dispelled4 ,if he was  not the same1--so
 expressive being the circumstances1 by 
which  identity stands                  
indicated--namely1 the quarter from     
whence the same2  the quarter to which  
the same2 the importance of the mission1
 and the  demand for talents and        
influence1 in both cases so great2 on   
this  supposition1 to prevent           
misconception1 no less obvious than     
urgent was  the demand1 for some mark of
 distinction1 to be added on this second
  occasion3 in a word1 for that sort of 
mark of distinction1 which1 on  other   
occasions2 may1 in this same history1 be
 seen more than once  employed3 witness 
that ,john1 twice distinguished by the  
name of ,john1  whose surname was ,mark4
 ,acts #bb3be1 ib4 #be3cg4    ,hence a  
suspicion1 nor that an unnatural        
one--that1 in this history1 the  part1  
in which the name ,agabus occurs for the
 first time1 and the part1  in which    

that same name occurs for the second    
time1 were not the work of  the same    
hand4    ,with or without the assistance
 of the ,holy ,ghost1 with the like     
importunity1 though in a tone           
corresponding to the difference of      
situation1 was a dissuasion1 to the same
 effect1 added1 with one voice1  by the 
adherents1 of whom the suite of the     
self-appointed ,apostle was  composed1  
and by all the other ,christians then   
present4 ,and when we  heard these      
things1 says the author of the ,acts1   
both we1 and they of  that place1       
,csarea1 besought him not to go up to   
,jerusalem4 ,acts  #ba3ab4    ,the ,holy
 ,ghost1 whom all the rest of the       
,church had for their advocate1  was no 
equal match for the ,holy ,ghost whom   
,paul had for his adviser4  ,what mean  
ye1 says he1 to weep and to break mine  
heart8 for ,i am  ready not to be bound 
only1 but also to die at ,jerusalem for 
the name of  the ,lord ,jesus4 ,acts    
#ba3ac4 ,to a ,holy ,ghost so highly    

seated1  submission from a ,holy ,ghost 
of inferior rank1 was the only course   
left4  ,when he could not be persuaded1 
concludes the historian1 we ceased1     
saying1 ,the will of the ,lord be done4 
,paul die at ,jerusalem1 for the name of
 the ,lord ,jesus8 ,he1 ,paul1 this     
self-constituted ,apostle1 who1 upon his
 own showing1 had never seen  ,jesus8   
for the name of ,jesus1 forsooth1 die at
 ,jerusalem8 at that  ,jerusalem1 at    
which the indisputable ,apostles had    
been1 and continued to  be1 living and  
labouring1 in the service of that same  
holy name1 each of  them1 or they are   
much misrepresented1 not less ready and 
willing1 both  to live and upon occasion
 to die for it1 than he could be8 ,was  
it then  really to die for the name of  
,jesus8 was it not rather to live8 to   
live  for his own name1 for his own     
glory1 for his own profit1 and for the  
pleasure of depriving of their flock    
those shepherds of souls1 by whom  his  
pretensions had been disallowed1 his    

glory disbelieved1 his advances         
received with that distrust and         
jealousy1 for which the long and bitter 
experience they had had of him1 afforded
 so amply sufficient a warrant8  men1 in
 whose eyes1 though in the clothing of a
 shepherd1 he was still a  wolf8        
,what was he to die for8 ,by whose hands
 was he to die8 ,by no danger1  since he
 had ceased to be their declared        
persecutor1 had any ,christians1  in    
their character of ,christians1 whether 
disciples or preachers1 then1  or at any
 time1 been menaced2#ea of no such      
danger1 at any rate1 is  any1 the       
slightest1 intimation ever to be found3 
if any danger awaited  him1 it was by   
himself1 by his own restless and        
insatiable ambition1 by  his own        
overbearing and ungovernable temper1    
that it was created4 ,had he  but kept  
to his agreement2 had the whole of the  
known world1 with the  single exception 
of ,judea1 been wide enough for him3 no 
danger would  have awaited him3--he and 

,jerusalem might have remained in peace4
    ,what service that they could not1  
could he hope to do to the cause8  ,for 
doctrine1 they had nothing to do but to 
report the discourses2 for  proof1 the  
miracles which they had witnessed4 ,to  
this1 what could he  add8 ,nothing1 but 
facts1 such as we have seen1 out of his 
own head1--or1  at best1 facts taken at 
second hand1 or through any number of   
removes  from them1--and1 in an infinity
 of shapes and degrees1 travestied in   
their passage4    ,in this account1 the 
curious thing is--that upon the face of 
it1 the  ,holy ,ghost of prophet ,agabus
 is mistaken3 nothing happened in the   
manner  mentioned by him3 for1 in the   
same chapter comes the account of what  
did  happen1 or at any rate is1 by this 
same historian1 stated as that which    
happened3--by no ,jews is the owner of  
the girdle bound3 dragged by the  people
 out of the temple1--by that same people
 he is indeed attempted to  be killed1  
but bound he is not3 for1 with his being

 bound1 the attempt  to kill him is not 
consistent3 binding requires mastery1   
and a certain  length of time1 which    
killing does not3 a single blow from a  
stone may  suffice for it4    ,as to the
 ,jews delivering him unto the hands of 
the ,gentiles1--it is by  the ,gentiles 
that he is delivered out of the hands of
 the ,jews3 of the  ,jews1 the endeavour
 was--to deprive him of his life2 of the
 ,gentiles1 to  save it4      ,,section 
#f4    ,,plan ,,of ,,the ,,apostles     
,,for ,,ridding ,,themselves ,,of       
,,paul4    ,in this important contest1  
the ,holy ,ghost of ,agabus was         
predestinated to  yield to the          
irresistible power of ,paul's ,lord     
,jesus4 ,he made his entry  into        
,jerusalem1 ,acts #ba3ag1 and the very  
next day commenced the storm1  by which1
 after having been on the point of      
perishing1 he was driven1 at  last1 as  
far as from ,jerusalem to ,rome1 but the
 particulars of which  belong not to the
 present purpose4    ,what is to the    

present purpose1 however1 is the        
company1 which1 upon  this occasion1 he 
saw4 ,james1 it may be remembered1 was  
one of the three  ,apostles--out of the 
whole number1 the only three who1 on the
 occasion  of the partition treaty1     
could be prevailed upon to give him the 
right  hand of fellowship4 ,into the    
house of this ,james he entered3 and    
there  what he saw was an assembly1 met 
together for the purpose1 of giving him 
the advice1 of which more particular    
mention will be made in its place4  ,it 
was--to clear himself of the charge1--a 
charge made against him by  the ,jewish 
converts1--of teaching all the ,jews1   
which are among the  ,gentiles1 to      
forsake ,moses1 and of inculcating that 
doctrine by his own  example1 ,acts     
#ba3bj-bd4 ,well6 at this assembly who  
were present8  ,answer--the ,elders--all
 of them3 of the ,apostles with the     
single  exception of ,james1 at whose   
house it was held1 not one3 not even    
,john1--not even ,peter3--the two other 

,apostles1 by whom on their part1  the  
treaty had been entered into3--,peter1  
the chief of the  ,apostles2--,john the 
disciple1 ,john #ai3bf2 #bj3b2 #ba3g-bj1
 whom ,jesus  loved4 ,the nerves of     
,james it appears1 from other tokens    
besides this1  were of a stronger       
texture than those of either of these   
his two  colleagues2 he alone stood the 
brunt4 ,as for ,peter1 he had been so   
withstood to his face by ,paul on the   
occasion of his first visit1  that he   
had no stomach to be so withstood a     
second time4    ,james1 it may be       
remembered1 was the ,apostle1 at whose  
motion1 against  the opinion and speech 
of ,peter1 the resolution insisting upon
 certain  ,jewish observances1 on the   
part of heathen converts to the ,church1
 was  carried4    ,here then1 in support
 of the proposition maintained1 by      
,james1--here1  was an assembly of the  
rulers of the ,church convened3 the     
,elders--the  elected coadjutors of the 
,apostles all of them present3 of the   

,apostles  themselves1 not one3 ,james  
excepted1 whose presence1 it is evident1
  could not1 on this occasion1 be       
dispensed with4 ,of this assembly1 the  
object1 and sole object1 was--the       
insisting upon ,paul's taking1 for the  
sake of the peace of the ,church1 a     
certain measure4 ,now1 the measure  thus
 insisted upon1 what was it8 ,the       
clearing himself of a certain  charge   
then mentioned4 ,and this charge1 what  
was it8 ,a charge--of which1            
consistently with truth1--of which      
without such direct falsehood1 as if    
committed would be notorious1--he could 
not clear himself4 ,in this case1  one  
of two things would absolutely be the   
result4 ,either he would be  rash enough
 to commit the falsehood1--in which case
 his reputation and  power of disturbing
 the peace of the ,church would be at an
 end2 or1  shrinking from the summons1  
he would virtually confess himself      
guilty3  in which case likewise1 he     
would find his situation1 in the midst  

of an  universally adverse multitude1 no
 longer tenable4    ,for this clearance1
 a ceremony was prescribed to him3--a   
ceremony1 the  effect of which was--to  
declare1 in a manner1 beyond all        
comparison1  more solemn and deliberate 
than that of anything which is commonly 
understood by the word oath1--that he   
had not done anything1 of that  which he
 stood charged with having done1 and    
which it could not but be  generally    
known that he had done4 ,witness those  
,epistles of his1 which  in another     
place we shall see1 ,ch4                
#ab3--;,epistles in which he will be    
seen1 so frequently1 and upon such a    
variety of occasions1 and in such a     
variety of language1 not only           
proclaiming the needlessness of         
circumcision--its uselessness to        
salvation1--but1 in a word1 on all      
points making war upon ,moses4    ,no   
course was so rash1 that ,paul would    
shrink from it1 no ceremony so  awful1  
or so public that ,paul would fear to   

profane it4 ,of the  asseveration1 to   
which he was called upon to give1 in an 
extraordinary  form1 the sanction of an 
oath1 the purport was universally       
notorious3  the falsity1 no less so3 the
 ceremony1 a solemnity on which the     
powers  of sacerdotal ingenuity had been
 exhausted1 in the endeavour to render  
is efficaciously impressive4 ,place of  
performance1 the most sacred among  the 
sacred3 act of entrance1 universally    
public1 purpose universally  notorious2 
operations1 whatever they were1         
inscrutably concealed from  vulgar eyes3
 person of the principal actor          
occasionally visible1 but at  an awful  
elevation3 time1 requisite for          
accomplishment1 ,acts #ba3bg1 not  less 
than seven days3 the whole ceremony1    
effectually secured against  frequent   
profanation1 by charges too heavy to be 
borne by the united  power of four      
ordinary purses4#eb ,with all the       
ingredients of the most  finished       
perjury in his breast1--perfect         

consciousness1 fixed  intentionality1   
predetermined perseverance1 and full    
view of the  sanction about to be       
violated1--we shall see him entering    
upon the task1  and persevering in it4  
,while the long drama was thus acting in
 the  consecrated theatre1 the mind of  
the multitude was accumulating heat     
without doors4 ,the seven days          
necessary1 were as yet unaccomplished1  
when indignation could hold no longer3  
they burst into the sacred  edifice1    
dragged him out1 and were upon the point
 of putting him to  death1 when the     
interference of a ,roman officer saved  
him1 and became  the first link in that 
chain of events1 which terminated in his
 visit to  ,rome1 and belongs not to    
this place4    ,thus much1 in order to  
have the clearer view of the plan of the
  ,apostles1 and of the grounds of it1  
from which will be seen the             
unexceptionableness of it1 it seemed    
necessary for us here to  anticipate4   
,but such rashness1 with the result that

 followed--the  ,apostles1 in their     
situation1 how could they have          
anticipated it8    ,baffled1 in their   
former endeavours to keep the invader   
from entering  the holy city--that holy 
city1 with the peace of which his       
presence was  so incompatible1 such was 
the course which they devised and       
embraced  from driving him out of it4   
,for the carrying of this measure into  
effect1 a general assembly of the       
governing body of the ,church was       
necessary4 ,at this assembly had no     
,apostle been present1 it could not1  in
 the eyes of the ,church at large1 have 
been what it was necessary it  should   
appear to be4 ,though1 of the whole     
number of the ,apostles1 no  more than  
one was present1--yet1 his being the    
house at which it was  held1 and the    
others1 whether summoned or no1 being   
expected of course1  by the disciples at
 large1 to be likewise present1--the    
,elders being  likewise all of them     
present1--this attendance was deemed    

sufficient3 as to the other             
,apostles--all of them but the one whose
  presence was thus                     
indispensable1--abhorrence1 towards the 
man1 whose  career had in their eyes    
commenced with murder1 continued in     
imposture1  and had recently been       
stained with perfidy1--rendered the     
meeting him  face to face1 a suffering  
too violent to be submitted to1 when by 
any  means it could be avoided4    ,on  
this occasion1 the opinion1 which1 as we
 have seen1 cannot but have  been       
entertained by them1 concerning ,paul   
and his pretensions to  ,revelation1 and
 to a share equal to their own in the   
confidence of  ,jesus1--must not1 for a 
moment1 be out of mind4    ,the whole   
fellowship of the ,apostles1--all       
others1 to whom1 at the time1  anything 
about the matter was known1 believed his
 story to be1 the whole  of it1 a pure  
invention4 ,in their eyes it was a      
fabrication3 though we1  at this time of
 day--we1 who of ourselves know nothing 

about it1 take  for granted1 that it was
 all true4    ,for proving the truth of 
it1 all we have are his own accounts of 
it3 his  own accounts1 given1 some of   
them1 by himself directly3 the rest     
ultimately1 his being the only mouth    
from which the accounts we have  seen in
 the ,acts could have been derived4     
,bearing all this in mind1  let us now  
form our judgment on the matter1 and    
say1 whether the light1  in which the   
,apostles viewed his character and      
conduct1 and the course  pursued by them
 as above1 was not from first to last1  
not only  conformable to the precepts of
 their master1 but a model of patience1 
forbearance1 and prudence4              
,,footnotes3    #de ,acts #ah3aa4 ,he   
continued there1 at ,corinth1 a year and
 six  months4--#ah4 ,and ,paul tarried  
there yet a good while1 and then took   
his leave4    #df ,acts #ai3aj4 ,and    
this continued by the space of two      
years2 so that  all they which dwelt in 
,asia heard the word of the ,lord       

,jesus1 both ,jews  and ,greeks4    #dg 
,acts #bj3bb4 ,and now1 behold1 ,i go   
bound in the spirit unto  ,jerusalem1   
not knowing the things that shall befall
 me there4    #dh ,acts #bj3bc4 ,save   
that the ,holy ,ghost witnesseth in     
every city1  saying1 that bonds and     
afflictions abide me4    #di ,acts      
#bj3bd4 ,but none of these things move  
me1 neither count ,i my  life dear unto 
myself1 so that ,i might finish my      
course with joy1 and  the ministry1     
which ,i have received of the ,lord     
,jesus1 to testify the  ,gospel of the  
grace of ,god4    ,acts #ba3ac4 ,then   
,paul answered1 ,what mean ye to weep   
and to break my  heart8 for ,i am ready 
not to be bound only1 but also to die at
 ,jerusalem  for the name of the ,lord  
,jesus4    #ej ,gal4 ii4 #b4 ,i went up 
by revelation4    #ea ,in ,acts #ab3a1  
,king ,herod is indeed spoken of as     
having stretched  forth his hands to vex
 certain of the ,church1 and he killed1 
it is  said1 ,james1 the brother of     

,john1 with the sword4 ,then comes the  
story  of ,peter's imprisonment and     
liberation4 ,but the cause of these     
inflictions had nothing to do with      
religion3 the proof is--nor can there   
be a more conclusive one--to no such    
cause are they attributed4    #eb ,acts 
#ba3bc1 #bd4 ,we have four men1 say the 
,apostles and ,elders1 we  have four men
 which have a vow on them3--,them take1 
and purify thyself  with them1 and be at
 charges with them4          ,,chapter  
,x4         ,paul disbelieved           
continued4--,his ,fourth ,jerusalem     
,visit continued4       ,his ,arrival   
and ,reception4 ,accused by all the     
,disciples of the       ,apostles1 he   
commences an exculpatory ,oath in the   
,temple4 ,dragged       out by          
them--rescued by a ,roman               
,commander--sent in ,custody to         
,rome4      ,,section #a4    ,,at       
,,jerusalem1 ,,paul ,,is ,,received ,,by
 ,,the ,,elders ,,and ,,james1 ,,but    
,,by ,,no ,,other  ,,apostle4    ,spite 

of the opposing ,holy ,ghost1--spite of 
the ,apostles1 and their                
prophet1--there he is at ,jerusalem4    
,now comes an incident--or say1  rather1
 a relation--which is altogether        
curious4    ,at ,jerusalem1 says the    
history1 the brethren received us       
gladly1  ,acts #ba3ag4 ,the brethren8   
what brethren8 the brethren1 by whom    
,agabus1  with his stage-trick1 had been
 sent some sixty or seventy miles'      
journey1 in the endeavour to keep him at
 a distance8 the thousands of  ,jews    
thereupon immediately mentioned8 those  
,jews1 who1 though believers  in ,jesus1
 are not the less zealous of the law1   
and enraged at ,saul  for those breaches
 of it1 with which he is charged8       
,that1 by such of them1 if any1 by      
whom--by the appearance he made1 with   
his suite1 it had happened to be more or
 less overawed1--that by these1  an     
appearance of gladness was assumed1     
seems credible enough3 look for  those1 
by whom he could have been received with

 real gladness--they will  not1 it      
should seem1 be very easy to be found4  
,not1 till the next day after his       
arrival1 do ,paul and his suite present 
themselves to any in authority in this  
spiritual commonwealth4 ,the first      
person1 to whom1 on this occasion1 he   
presents himself1 is ,james3 that  one  
of the ,apostles1 who1 with the         
exception of ,peter1 is the person1  and
 the only person1 with whom ,paul has1  
on the occasion of any of his  visits1  
been represented as holding converse4   
,not with this ,james--not  with any    
settled inhabitants of ,jerusalem--has  
he had his lodging3 only  with          
,mnason1#ec a man of ,cyprus1 whom1 lest
 lodging should be wholly  wanting1 they
 had brought with them from ,csarea4 ,of
 this so  extensively apprehended       
arrival1 there had been full time for   
ample  notice3 among the rulers1 those1 
who1 as well as ,james1 chose to see    
him1 were all present4 ,who were they8  
the elders--all the elders4 ,of  the    

,apostles1 not so much as one1 besides  
,james4 ,let it not be said1  that1     
under the word elders1 the ,apostles    
were meant to be included3  on other    
occasions1 on which elders are          
mentioned1 ,acts #ae3d2 #f3bc1 the      
,apostles are mentioned1 as forming a   
body1 distinct1 as they naturally  would
 be1--distinct from these same elders4  
,salutations performed1 he addresses the
 assembly in that strain1  which was so 
familiar to him3 boasting upon boasting1
 and1 above  all things1 boasting that  
he does not boast3 declaring1 says his  
historian2--declaring8 what8 declaring  
what was his business at  ,jerusalem8   
declaring what service1 in his eyes the 
cause stood in need  of1 at his hands8  
,not he1 indeed3 to any such effect1    
declaration might  not have been        
altogether so easy4 ,what he declared1  
and that  particularly1 was--what things
 ,god had wrought among the ,gentiles   
by his ministry4 ,exactly on this1 as on
 his last preceding visit1--when  all1  

but himself1 were speaking to the       
question before him--,peter on one      
side2 after him1 ,james on the other    
side--nothing1 is either he1 or his     
companion ,barnabas1 represented as     
saying1 that belongs to the question2   
nothing1 but declaring what miracles and
 wonders1 ,god had wrought among  the   
,gentiles by them4 ,between what is     
represented1 as having been said  on the
 two occasions1--one difference1 and no 
more than one1 is visible4  ,on the     
former occasion1 miracles and wonders2  
on this latter occasion1  no miracles no
 wonders3--nothing more than things4    
,supposing any of  them                 
particularized--neither miracles nor    
wonders had1 it should seem1  been      
fortunate enough to obtain credence3 for
 that reason1 it should  seem1 that1 on 
this occasion1 all mention of them is   
dropped4    ,hearing of these things1   
what did these elders8 ,being things    
that  ,god1 as they were informed1 had  
wrought1 they could do no less than     

glorify the ,lord4 ,acts #ba3ai-bj4 ,as 
in ,paul's ,epistles1 so here1 in  the  
,acts1--by the ,lord1 it is ,jesus1 who1
 as far as it appears1 is the  person1  
all along meant to be designated4 ,here1
 ,god1 it may be  observed1 is the      
person1 by whom everything good1 that is
 done1 is done3  ,jesus--the ,lord      
,jesus--the person1 who is glorified for
 it4    ,to make his boasts1 was his    
business with them3 but1 to subscribe to
  those same boasts1 was not their      
business with him4    ,their business   
was--to inform him1 of the storm of     
unpopularity1 which  by his audacity he 
had brought upon himself3 to inform him 
of the storm1  and to point out the only
 course1 which1 in their view of the    
matter1  presented a chance for his     
escape from it4 ,thou seest1--say       
they1--thou seest how many thousands of 
,jews there are which believe2  and they
 are all zealous of the law4 ,and they  
are informed of thee1 that  thou        
teachest all the ,jews which are among  

the ,gentiles to forsake  ,moses2       
saying1 that they ought not to          
circumcise their children1 neither  to  
walk after their customs1 ,acts #ba3bj4 
,what is it1 therefore8 add  they1 the  
multitude must needs come together3 for 
they will hear that  thou art come4     
,,section #b4    ,,low ,,tone ,,assumed 
,,by ,,him ,,on ,,this ,,occasion4      
,on more accounts than one1             
remarkable1--and not a little           
instructive1 is  the account we have of 
this last recorded visit3 and1 in       
particular1 as  to what concerns the    
reception he experienced from the ruling
 powers of  the ,church4    ,it is1 in  
some particulars1 more especially to be 
depended  upon1--inasmuch as1 at this   
important meeting1 the author of the    
,acts--if he is to be believed--was     
himself present4    ,the first          
remarkable circumstance is--that1 on    
this occasion1 ,paul1 the  self-elected 
,apostle--instead of taking the lead1   
and introducing his  companions--keeps  

behind1 and is introduced by them3 such 
was the  pliancy1 with which--even on   
this expedition1 of invasion and        
projected  conquest1--an                
expedition1--undertaken1 in spite of    
everything that could  be done1 both on 
the part of the intended objects of the 
conquest1 and  on the part of his own   
adherents--such was the pliancy1 with   
which this  man1 among whose boasts was 
that of being all things to all men1    
could  bend himself to circumstances4   
,acts #ba3ae-ah4 ,and after those days1 
we took up our carriages1 and went  to  
,jerusalem4 ,there went with us1 also1  
certain of the disciples of  ,csarea1   
and brought with them one ,mnason of    
,cyprus1 an old disciple1  with whom we 
should lodge4 ,at ,jerusalem1 not so    
much as a house1 to  harbour them1 could
 they have been assured of1 but for this
 old  disciple--fellow countryman1 of   
,paul's old patron1 the ,son of         
,consolation1 ,barnabas4 ,not even with 
him could they have been assured of     

this token of friendship1 had he not    
either been already of their party1  or 
detached himself to meet them1 and      
afford them the assurance3  although1 at
 ,csarea1--from some cause1 of which1   
while the effect is  brought to view1 no
 intimation is given1--they were        
fortunate enough to  obtain a hospitable
 reception1 ,acts #ba3h1 at the house of
 ,philip4 ,this1  however1 be it        
observed1 was not ,philip1 the ,apostle1
 whether it may  have been ,philip1     
styled here the ,evangelist3--one of the
 seven  trustees1 or directors1 ,acts   
#f3e1 to whom1 with his six colleagues1 
under the name1 so inexpressively       
rendered1 in the ,english1 by the word  
,deacons1--the management of the common 
fund had1 by the suffrages of  the      
disciples1 been committed1 must be left 
to conjecture4    #ag4 ,and when we were
 come to ,jerusalem1 the brethren1 ,acts
 #ba3ag1  received us gladly4 ,what     
brethren8 ,the ,apostles1 or any one of 
them8 no3 ,the elders8 no4 ,who         

then8--,who1 but such of the members of 
the  ,church1 as1 notwithstanding the   
general repugnancy1--as testified at    
,tyre1 and afterwards1 by prophet       
,agabus1 at ,csarea1--could1 by the     
influence of the ,cypriot ,mnason1 or   
otherwise1 be prevailed upon to see     
them4    ,and1 to whom was it1 that this
 sort of reception1 whatsoever it was1  
was afforded8 ,was it to ,paul8 ,no3 it 
was to those1 who1 on other  occasions1 
were with him2 but1 with whom1 on this  
occasion1 his  prudence forced his pride
 to submit to be4    ,witness the next  
verse1 ,acts #ba3ah2 ,and the day       
following1 not till  the day following1 
,paul went in with us unto ,james4 ,with
 them--with  these his attendants--did  
,paul1 then and there1 go in3--not they 
with  him4    ,at the house of          
,james--mark well1 now--who were the    
persons present8  ,answer--all the      
elders4 ,but1 forasmuch as these elders 
were1 all of  them1 present1--notice1   
within the compass of the two fragments 

of two  days1--notice1 to and by all of 
them must have been given and received3 
for it has just been seen1 whether1     
between any of them1 on the one         
hand1--and ,paul1 or1 so much as any one
 of his attendants1 on the              
other1--there could have been any such  
sort of good understanding1 as to  have 
produced any the least personal         
intercourse1 but at1 and on1 the        
occasion of the general and formal      
meeting3--a meeting1 which--as will  be 
seen presently--had1 for its sole       
object1 the imposing upon him1 in  the  
event of his continuance at ,jerusalem1 
an obligation3 an  obligation--to a man 
in his circumstances--it has been seen1 
of how  perilous and repulsive a nature4
    ,such1 then1 was the notice1 as to  
have brought to the place1 all the      
,elders--,all the ,elders8--good4 ,but1 
these ,elders--,elders among the        
disciples in ordinary1--on an occasion  
such as this1 what were they  in        
comparison of the ,apostles--the only   

known chosen servants1 and  constant    
companions of ,jesus8 ,well1 then1      
while--at this meeting--this  formally  
convened meeting--those ,elders were1   
every one of them1  present--what was   
the number of ,apostles present8        
,answer--,besides  ,james1 not one4     
,and--why ,james8--manifestly1 because  
it was at his house1 that the  meeting  
was held4    ,and--why at his house8    
,because1 on the occasion1 and for the  
purpose1  of the partition treaty1--that
 treaty1 so necessary to the peace of   
the ,church1--on the one hand2 and1 to  
the carrying on of ,paul's scheme  of   
dominion1 on the other hand2--,james was
 one1 of the only three1 who  could ever
 endure the sight of the self-declared  
,apostle3 ,peter and  ,john1 as hath    
been seen1 being the two others3--and1  
because1 when1 for  the purpose of      
investing the meeting1 in the eyes of   
the disciples at  large1 with the       
character of a meeting of the ruling    
administrative  body--the               

,apostles1--less than that one1 if there
 were any1 there could  not be4 ,this   
one1 ,james--under the pressure of the  
present  emergency--prevailed upon      
himself to be3 and1 to be so irksome an 
intercourse--notwithstanding the        
obviousness of the demand for as great  
a number1 as could be collected1 of that
 primarily influential body--of  no     
other of the ,apostles1 could the       
attendance be obtained3 not even of     
,peter1 who1 on a former occasion1 had  
brought himself to endure the  hateful  
presence4      ,,section #c4            
,,posterior ,,to ,,all ,,his ,,supposed 
,,miracles1 ,,his ,,silence ,,proves    
,,them ,,unreal4    ,now1 then1 as to   
miracles4 ,had ,paul1 really and truly1 
ever received  from ,jesus1 any such    
preeminent and characteristic appendage 
and mark of  ,apostleship1--here1 of all
 others1 was an occasion1 on which it   
concerned him to make proof of it4 ,here
 was an occasion1 on which1 with  the   
design1 and for the purpose--the        

palpable1 and almost universally  and so
 strenuously opposed design and         
purpose--of constituting himself  the   
superior of the ,apostles1 he was       
presenting himself--though in           
circumstances of such humiliation--in   
the character of an equal1 with  whom   
they had treated on equal terms4        
,here--in order to impose silence  on   
all gainsayers--here was the occasion1  
for his bringing to public  view1 this  
most important of all items in the list 
of his credentials4  ,the ,apostles1 to 
whom--without any exception1 by ,jesus1 
if the  ,evangelist1 ,mark #af3ae-ah1 is
 to be believed--this power had1        
previously  to his ascension1 been      
imparted1--these1 if any1 were the      
men--not to  say the only men--qualified
 to form a judgment on the              
question--whether1  by any other        
individual1 and1 more especially1 by the
 individual before  them1 namely1 by    
this their self-declared colleague1 any 
such  extraordinary power had1 on any1  

and what1 occasion1 been exercised or   
possessed4 ,of all imaginable occasions1
 this was the one1 on which he  had most
 at stake1 in the being able to make    
proof of so matchless an  endowment3--of
 an endowment1 which in the character of
 a proof1 in  support of all his claims1
 would1 in the very nature of it1 have  
been so  perfectly irresistible4        
,well1 then3 this proof of his          
title--did he use every endeavour1 or   
make  any offer1 to produce it8 ,no3 not
 so much did he venture upon1 as1 in    
any the most general terms1 to assert1  
or1 so much as insinuate1 the  existence
 of it4 ,according to his own statement1
 what was the general  description of   
the tokens brought forward by him1 for  
the purpose of  obtaining acceptance8   
,were they signs and wonders8 ,oh1 no6  
,his  historiographer1 indeed--in that1 
or any other such indeterminate1 and    
conveniently ambiguous phrase--his      
historiographer1 at some twenty or      
seven-and-twenty years' distance1 might 

venture1 ,acts #ad3c1 to speak of  his  
exploits--of the effects produced by his
 exertions3 in the like  terms1 in      
writing to his ,corinthian disciples1 he
 might1 even himself1  venture1 for     
once1 to speak of his own exploits4#ed  
,but1 before an  assembly1 so composed1 
was this boast1 loose1 and conveniently 
ambiguous1 as it was1--in his eyes1 too 
much to venture4 ,acts  #ba3ai--;,behold
 here the passage3 ,and when he had     
saluted them1 he  declared              
particularly--what8 what--signs and     
wonders8 ,no3 but  simply--what things  
,god had wrought among the ,gentiles by 
his  ministry4    ,had he hazarded so   
much as the general expression of signs 
and  wonders--well1 and what were these 
signs and wonders8 give us1 at any      
rate1 something by way of a sample of   
them8 ,in any one of them1 was  there   
anything supernatural8 anything--beyond 
the success1 the  extraordinary         
success--we are to understand1 your     
exertions were  attended with8          

,questions1 to some such effect as this1
 which1 in an  assembly1 so composed1   
had he ventured upon any such           
expressions1 he  could not but have     
expected to be annoyed with4    ,the    
occurrences which1 in the course of it1 
in the character of  miracles1 he has   
ventured to present to view1 will have  
been seen in  their place and order4    
,yet1--notwithstanding the mention there
  respectively and severally made of    
them--no mention of them does he1 in    
the account given by him of the meeting1
 venture to put in his leader's  mouth4 
,why8 because--forasmuch as1 by ,paul   
himself1 no such pretence was  ventured 
to be made--the meeting was too         
important1 and too notorious1  to render
 it safe to advance any such matter of  
fact2 the face being  false2 or1 that   
any such pretensions were really made4  
,but1 hereupon come two questions4      
#a4 ,had any such miracles been really  
wrought--was it in the nature of        
things1 that1 on this occasion1 ,paul   

should have omitted all mention of      
them8 even so much as the most distant  
allusion to them8    #b4 ,if any such   
intimation had really been given1 by the
 historian  himself1 is it in the nature
 of the case1 that1 on this             
occasion1--he  having been one of the   
witnesses1 in whose presence they had   
been  performed1--all mention of such   
intimation should have been omitted8    
,well1 then--suppose that to both these 
questions1 let it but be a  negative    
answer or the true one1 the consequence 
is plain--no such  miracles were        
wrought4 ,yet1 in his narrative1 has    
this man--exhibiting  himself1 at the   
same time1 in the character of a        
percipient witness1  in relation to     
them--ventured to assert the existence1 
one after  another1 of the whole list of
 these particularized miracles1 not to  
speak of the cluster of unparticularized
 ones4      ,,section #d4    ,,accused  
,,by ,,the ,,disciples1 ,,he            
,,commences1 ,,at ,,the ,,recommendation

 ,,of  ,,the ,,apostles1 ,,an           
,,exculpatory ,,oath ,,in ,,the         
,,temple4    ,such being in their eyes  
the danger2 now comes their expedient   
for the  arresting of it4 ,it is an     
altogether curious one3 and among those 
persons styled elders--all the          
elders--to every sincere and pious      
,christian it will naturally be matter  
of no small satisfaction that no  one of
 the whole fellowship of the ,apostles  
is to be found4    ,according to the    
description here given of it1 the       
expedient is of such  a sort1 that--but 
for the occasion on which it is         
represented as being                    
proposed1--scarcely would it be possible
 to divine what is meant2 what  it was  
that was proposed to be done2 or1       
whatever it was1 what could be  the use 
or effect of it8    ,do therefore this1 
,acts #ba3bc1 continues the speech      
attributed to  these elders1 do         
therefore this that we say to thee3 we  
have four men  which have a vow on      

them3--,them take1 and purify thyself   
with them1 and  be at charges with them1
 that they may shave their heads3 and   
all may  know that those things1 whereof
 they were informed1 are nothing2 but   
that thou thyself also walkest orderly  
and keepest the law4--,as touching  the 
,gentiles which believe1 we have written
 and concluded that they  observe no    
such thing1 save only that they keep    
themselves from things  offered to      
idols1 and from blood and from          
fornication4--,then ,paul1 it  is added1
 took the men1 and the next day         
purifying himself with them  entered    
into the temple to signify the          
accomplishment of the days of           
purification1 until that an offering    
should be offered for every one of      
them4    ,in the terms of the historian1
 the matter of the accusation in        
question  is this3 namely1 that thou1   
speaking to ,paul1 teachest all the     
,jews  which are among the ,gentiles to 
forsake ,moses3 it then divides itself  

into two branches3 one is--that they    
ought not to circumcise their  children2
 the other is--that they ought not to   
walk after the  customs3--i4 e41 conform
 to any part of the habitual            
observances--acts and forbearances      
together--prescribed by the ,mosaic     
law4    ,such is the accusation3 such   
the act charged upon him1 in the        
character  of an offence3--the teaching 
of the doctrine in question4    ,in     
regard to the question--whether the     
doctrine he is thus said to have        
taught1 had really ever been taught by  
him1--much will depend upon the         
difference between simple permission and
 prohibition3 in ,english1  upon the    
difference between need not and ought   
not4 ,if1--in the  doctrine1 the        
teaching of which is thus charged upon  
him as a  crime1--simple permission was 
included--if1 in speaking of the        
converts in question1 the saying        
was--that they need not circumcise      
their children--that they need not walk 

after these customs--this and  no       
more2--in this case1 that the charge1   
such as it is1 was true1 is  altogether 
out of doubt3--if1 on the other hand1   
the act he was charged  with1 went so   
far as to the teaching that they ought  
not to circumcise  any of their         
children1 or that they ought not to walk
 after the  customs prescribed in the   
,mosaic law--on this supposition1 the   
truth of  the charge will at any rate   
not be quite so clear as in the other   
case4    ,according to the ,english     
translation1 that which is charged as an
  offence1 was not committed1 unless1 in
 the doctrine taught1 a direct          
prohibition was contained3 to a doctrine
 importing nothing more than a  simple  
permission to abstain from the acts and 
forbearances in  question1 the charge   
would not have any application4 ,not    
thus  unambiguous1 however1 is the      
,greek original2 either by prohibition1 
or  by ample permission1 might the      
doctrine charged as criminal have been  

taught4    ,such is the description of  
the obnoxious practice1 with which ,paul
 is  here stated as having been charged3
 the practice by which the odium is     
stated as having been incurred4    ,but 
this imaginary guilt1 in what view do   
they mention it as imputed to  him8 ,in 
this view evidently1 viz41 that at their
 recommendation he may  take that       
course1 by which1 in their view1 he will
 escape from the wrath  of which he had 
become the object4 ,the effect thus     
aimed at is1--that  the indignation of  
which he is the object1 may be made to  
cease4 ,how  made to cease8 in one or   
other of two ways3 for the nature of the
 case  admits not of any other3 either  
by proving that that which he had  been 
supposed to have taught1 had not in     
truth ever been taught by him1  and     
thus1 that no such offence as he was    
charged with1 had1 in fact1  ever been  
committed by him2 or that1 if any such  
offence had been  committed1 the        
practice recommended might be accepted  

as an atonement3  or rather as an       
assurance1 that whatever in his past    
conduct had given  them offence1 would  
not be repeated by him in future4       
,when the supposed remedial practice has
 been explained1--then  immediately     
after comes1 we see1 a more particular  
indication of the  good effects1 for the
 production of which it is recommended4 
,these  are--in the first place1 that1  
whatsoever were the doctrines he was    
charged with having taught it1 it will  
be generally known that no such         
doctrines were ever taught by him3 in   
the next place1 that it will in  like   
manner be known1 that by himself no such
 habitual offence as that  of an        
habitual violation of the law in        
question was committed4    ,such are the
 effects1 stated as resulting from his  
performing the  ceremony1 the           
performance of which was thus           
recommended to him4    ,this ceremony we
 see3 and what we see at the same time  
is--that it could  not be1 in the nature

 of it1 productive of any such effects4 
,here is a certain doctrine1 which he   
had been charged with having  taught4   
,if the case was1 that he had taught it2
 let him have purified  himself ever so 
purely1 whatsoever was meant by         
purification1--let him  have purified   
himself ever so completely1 let him have
 paid ever so much  money1 let him have 
shaved his head ever so close1--by any1 
or all of  all these supposed           
meritorious acts1 how could that be     
caused1 not to  have happened1 which in 
fact had happened8 by what means could  
they  afford proof of his performance of
 any ceremony1 other than those very    
same purification ceremonies themselves8
    ,as to the purpose of furthering the
 temporal interest of the individual  in
 question2 namely1 by removing the load 
of odium1 with which at that  time it   
seems he was burdened1--how far1 in     
relation to this object1 the  expedient 
promised to be an effectual cure1 is    
more than at this time we  can find any 

ground for saying3 as to any good       
purposes of any other  kind1 that it was
 not in the nature of it to be          
productive of any1 may  be pronounced   
without much danger of error4    ,here  
at any rate was a ceremony--a ceremony  
the object of which was--to  apply1 to  
the purpose of ensuring obsequiousness1 
the power of the  religious sanction4   
,the object1 to which it was meant to   
apply that form1 comes1 it may be  seen1
 under the general denomination of an   
oath4 ,an oath is either  assertory or  
promissory3 if it be an oath of the     
promissory kind1 it is  called a vow4   
,an oath which is not a vow cannot      
respect anything but  what is past3 upon
 that which is past1 no human act can   
any longer  exercise any influence4 ,a  
vow has respect to something future--to 
the  future conduct of him by whom the  
vow is taken3 and to this conduct a     
man1 in and by the taking of the vow1   
engages to give the form therein        
mentioned4    ,whatsoever1 therefore1   

these ceremonies were in                
themselves1--thus much  seems plain     
enough1 respecting the immediate effect 
they were designed  to answer3 namely1  
either the delivery of a certain species
 of  evidence1 or the entering into an  
engagement to a certain effect3  the    
evidence being a denial of the act      
charged3 the engagement1 a  promise not 
to practice any acts of the sort in     
question in future4    ,whatsoever was  
the effect looked for1 and intended1 by 
the  ceremony1--thus much we know1 if   
the historian is here to be believed3   
namely1 that1 in conformity to the      
advice1 ,paul betook himself to the     
performance of it4    ,but1 in so doing1
 thus much also we know3 namely1 that he
 consented to1  and betook himself to   
one of two things3 an act of perjury1 if
 the  effect of the ceremony was to     
convey an assertion1 that he had never  
taught1 that a ,jew1 on being converted 
to the religion of ,jesus1 need  not    
circumcise his children1 or walk after  

the ,mosaic customs3 an act of          
apostasy1 if the effect of it was an    
engagement never to teach this same     
doctrine in future3 an act of           
apostasy--and for what8 only to save    
himself from the displeasure entertained
 towards him on unjust grounds  by a set
 of ill-advised and inconsistent        
disciples4    ,under the general head of
 ,paul's ,doctrines1 particular title   
,faith  and ,works1 it will be seen what
 pains he had taken1 on so many         
occasions1 to weed out of men's breasts1
 ,gentiles and ,jews together1 all      
regard for the ,mosaic law--to cause    
them1 in the words of the charge1  to   
forsake ,moses4 ,by the works of the    
law1 says he in his letter to  the      
,galatians1 ,gal4 #b3af1 by the works of
 the law shall no flesh be  justified4  
,in this same letter1 and in the same   
paragraph1--he speaks1 of a speech      
which he had made1 of a reproof which1  
at ,antioch1 he had given to            
,peter3--given to him1 at a point of    

time long before the time here in       
question1 namely1 that of his last      
preceding visit--his third visit to     
,jerusalem1--this being the fourth4 ,let
 us see1 once more1 on what  occasion1  
and for what cause1 this reproof3 we    
shall thereby be the  better enabled to 
judge--how far1 supposing the ceremony  
to have the  effect of an assertory     
oath1--how far that oath can have been  
conformable to the truth4    ,speaking  
of ,peter1 ,time was1 he says1 when he  
did eat with the  ,gentiles3 but at     
,antioch1 as above1 certain persons came
 from ,james3  ,gal4 #b3ab1 #ac1 and    
then it was that he1 ,peter1 withdrew   
and separated  himself1 fearing them    
which were of the circumcision4--,and   
the ,jews1  continues he1 dissembled    
likewise with him2 insomuch that        
,barnabas also  was carried away with   
their dissimulation4 ,of his return to  
,judaism1 or  at any rate of the        
dissimulation which accompanied it1 what
 is the  judgment which1 if he is to be 

believed1 he pronounced8 ,answer1 ,that 
in  so doing they walked not uprightly  
according to the truth of the  ,gospel4 
,thereupon it is1 that he charged ,peter
 with inconsistency1 and  reproved him  
for it3 ,because1 says he1 he was to be 
blamed4 ,gal4  #b3ad4 ,when ,i saw that 
they walked not uprightly according to  
the  ,gospel1 ,i said unto ,peter before
 them all1 ,if thou1 being a ,jew1      
livest  after the manner of the         
,gentiles1 and not as do the ,jews1 why 
compellest  thou the ,gentiles to live  
as do the ,jews8    ,before me lies a   
book by ,thomas ,lewis1 ,m4 ,a41 in four
 #hvo volumes1  entitled ,origines      
,hebraicae4 ,in this book1 under titles 
,vow and  ,purification1 my expectation 
was1 to find some explanation of this   
matter3 as also of the other vow taken  
by ,paul at ,cenchrea1 ,acts  #ag3ah1 in
 the interval between his third visit to
 ,jerusalem1 and this  fourth3 but no   
mention is made of either3 nor does     
anything appear1 by  which any light can

 be reflected upon either4    ,on the   
four men1 whom1 in pursuance of the     
recommendation in question1  ,paul is   
said to have taken1 that he might purify
 himself along with  them1 the intended 
effect of the ceremony in question is   
said to  be--the making or performance  
of a vow4 ,but1 from the circumstance of
  its being a vow in their case1 it     
follows not absolutely that it may not  
have been an oath--an assertory oath1 in
 his case4    ,at ,jerusalem1 for the   
taking or performance of a vow1 a man   
was received  into the temple3--a       
district more extensive by far1 it      
appears1 than the  district called      
,rules of the ,king's ,bench at ,london3
 from the account  given by ,lewis1 as  
well as by this1--it appears that1 on   
every such  occasion1 fees were taken by
 the priests4 ,as to the four men here  
in  question--having already1 as it is  
stated1 a vow on them1 but nothing as   
yet done in consequence1--it looks as if
 it had been by poverty that  they had  

hitherto been kept from the             
accomplishment of their purpose3 on     
which supposition1 ,paul being the head 
of a considerable party1 and as  such   
having a command of money1--part of the 
recommendation seems to  have           
been--that1 to acquire the reputation of
 liberality1 he should open  his purse  
to these his proposed companions1 and   
pay their fees4    ,on the occasion here
 in question1 whatsoever was the purpose
 and  intended effect of the ceremony1  
what appears from verse #bg1 ,acts #bg1 
is--that seven days were regarded as    
necessary for the accomplishment of  it3
 no mention of this in ,lewis4    ,on   
this occasion1 by the author of the     
,acts1 once more is mentioned the       
conciliatory decree of the ,apostles and
 ,elders4 ,still1 not a syllable  about 
it is to be found in any ,epistle of    
,saint ,paul1 or in any other  of the   
,apostolical ,epistles that have come   
down to us4    ,humanly speaking1--in   
what motives1 in what circumstances1 in 

what  considerations1 shall we say1 that
 the causes1 final and efficient1 of    
this temperament--this mezzo            
termino--this middle course--are to be  
found8 ,the answer that presents itself 
is as follows3    ,two stumbling-blocks 
were to be steered clear of3--the       
scruples of the  ,jewish converts1 and  
the refractoriness of the ,gentiles4 ,so
 far as  regarded abstinence from       
idolatrous feasts1 and from meat with   
the whole  blood in it1 killed and      
dressed in a manner other than that in  
practice  among the ,jews1--conformity1 
it was judged1 need not be dispensed of1
 at  the hands of the ,gentiles3 and1 so
 long as they would be content with     
meat killed and dressed after the       
,jewish mode1--the ,jewish teachers     
might1 without giving offence to their  
,jewish converts1 have the  convenience 
of partaking of the tables of the       
,gentile converts4 ,as to  the rest--the
 endless train of habitual observances1 
by which so large a  portion of a man's 

life was occupied and tormented1 neither
 these  permanent plagues1 nor the      
initiatory plague of circumcision1      
though the  affair of a minute1 and     
performed once for all1 were found      
endurable3  neither upon himself nor    
upon his children would a man submit to 
have it  practiced4    ,after all1 if   
the author of the ,acts is to be        
believed1--it was by the  ,jews of      
,asia1 and not by those of ,jerusalem1  
that1 at ,jerusalem1 the  tumult was    
raised1 by which this purification of   
,paul's was rendered  incomplete1 and   
his stay at ,jerusalem cut short3 he    
being removed for  trial to ,rome2 at   
which place the history leaves him and  
concludes4    ,of the behaviour observed
 by the ,jerusalem ,christians1 on that 
occasion--,apostles1 ,elders1 ,deacons  
and ordinary brethren all               
together--nothing is said4 ,yet1 of     
these there were many thousands on  the 
spot1 ,acts #ba3bj3 all of them of      
course informed of the place--the  holy 

place1--in which1 at the recommendation 
of the ,elders1 ,paul had  stationed    
himself4 ,by the ,jews of ,asia were all
 the people on this  occasion stirred   
up1 ,acts #ba3bg3 yet1 among so many    
thousands1 no  protection1 nor any      
endeavour to afford him protection1 for 
aught that  appears1 did he experience4 
,yet ,asia it was1 that had been1 to the
  exclusion of ,judaea1 the theatre of  
his labours3 from ,asia it was1 that    
the train of attendants he brought with 
him1 were come--were come with  him to  
these brethren--the brethren1--as if it 
had been said1 all  the brethren1--by   
whom1 according to the author of the    
,acts1 they were  received so gladly4   
,at this period ends all that1 on the   
present occasion1 it will be  necessary 
to say1 of this last recorded visit to  
,jerusalem4 ,of the two  inconsistent   
accounts said to have been given by him 
of his  conversion--one to the          
,jerusalem mob1 the other to ,king      
,agrippa--full  notice has been taken   

under the head of his conversion3 of the
 miracles  ascribed to him at ,malta1   
mention is here made1 in the chapter    
allotted  to the history of his supposed
 miracles4 ,of any other subsequent acts
 or  sayings of his1 no notice will     
require to be taken in this place4 ,the 
matter here in question has been--the   
sort of relation1 stated as having  had 
place1 between this self-constituted    
,apostle1 and those who beyond          
controversy were constituted such by1   
and lived as such with1 ,jesus  himself3
 and to this have incidentally been     
added the causes1 which have            
continually been presenting themselves1 
for suspicion1 in respect of the  verity
 and authenticity1 or both1 of the      
history1 which1 under the name  of the  
,acts of the ,apostles1 has come down to
 us1 connected by the  operations of the
 bookbinder1 in the same volume with the
 several  histories of the four         
,evangelists1 and the ,epistles--not    
only of ,paul  himself but of others    

among the ,apostles2 and with the work  
styled1 as  if in derision1 ,the        
,revelations4      ,,section #e4        
,,the ,,design ,,of ,,this              
,,recommendation ,,justified4    ,but   
the ,apostles--says somebody--what are  
we to think of the ,apostles8  ,if by   
,paul a perjury was thus committed1 were
 they not--all of them  who joined in   
this recommendation--so many suborners  
of this same  perjury8    ,the answer   
will1 it is hoped1 by most readers at   
least1 have been  anticipated4--,yes or 
no1 if so it be1 that it was their      
expectation that  he would commit it3   
no1 assuredly2 if it were their         
expectation--their  assured             
expectation--that he would not commit   
it3 that1 even in his  person1 even     
after all they had witnessed in him1 the
 union of  profligacy and rashness would
 never soar to so high a pitch4 ,the    
necessity they were under1 of ridding   
themselves of his presence was          
extreme3--of ridding themselves--and1   

what was so much more1 their  cause4    
,stay in the same town1 and in the same 
company with them1 he  could            
not1--without being either their known  
adversary1 or their known  associate4   
,their known adversary he could not be1 
without either  continuing himself to be
 an object of universal horror1 or else 
rendering them objects of horror1 to the
 whole body of their  disciples4 ,their 
associate he could not be1 without      
involving them  in that odium1 with     
which he himself was1 by the confession 
of his own  adherent and                
historiographer1 covered4 ,under these  
circumstances1 not to  speak of the     
cause of mankind1 for saving themselves 
and their cause  from destruction1--what
 course could they take1 so gentle1 and 
at the  same time1 to all appearance1 so
 surely effectual1 as the proposing to  
him this test8--a test1 which no man    
could rationally expect1 that any  man  
in his circumstances would take4        
,,section #f4    ,,dragged ,,out ,,of   

,,the ,,temple ,,by ,,jews ,,or         
,,christians1 ,,he ,,is ,,saved ,,by ,a 
,,gentile1 ,,namely1 ,a ,,roman         
,,commander4    ,with this occurrence   
concludes so much of ,paul's history1   
as1--for the  purpose of perfecting the 
demonstration given1 of the disbelief   
manifested towards his pretensions to a 
supernatural intercourse with  the      
,almighty1--it was found necessary here 
to anticipate4    ,in the matter of the 
chapter--the #acth--in which ,paul's    
supposed  miracles are brought to       
view1--his history is1 as to all those  
particulars which seemed necessary to be
 brought to view for the purpose  of the
 present inquiry1--deduced to very near 
the time1 at which the  historian of the
 ,acts1 having conducted him to ,rome1  
leaves him there3  leaves him there1 and
 with no other notice1 than that of his 
having1 at  the time1 at which the      
history closes1 passed two years at that
 capital1  in a sort of ambiguous state 
between freedom and confinement3 waiting

 to  receive1 at the hands of the       
constituted authorities1 the final      
determination of his fate4    ,meantime1
 lest anything should be wanting1 that  
could have contributed  to the          
elucidation on a point of such supreme  
importance1 follows in the  next chapter
 a concluding and more particular view  
of the grounds1 on  which1 on the       
occasion of his visit to the temple1 the
 intention of  deliberate perjury was   
found necessary to be imputed to him4   
,,footnotes3    #ec ,acts #ba3af4 ,there
 went with us also certain of the       
disciples of  ,csarea1 and brought with 
them one ,mnason of ,cyprus1 an old     
disciple1  with whom we should lodge4   
#ed #b ,cor4 #ab3ab4 ,truly the signs of
 an ,apostle were wrought among you  in 
all patience1 in signs1 and wonders1 and
 mighty deeds4 ,not that1 by  the words 
assigns and wonders1 when used by ,paul1
 anything more was  meant1 than what1   
but a few years after1 was1 according to
 him1 doing1  or about to be done1 by   

,antichrist4 #b ,thess4 #b3i4 ,even him1
 whose  coming is1 after the manner of  
,satan1 with all powers1 and signs1 and 
lying wonders4 ,lying is1 indeed1 the   
adjunct prefixed1 in this  instance2    
but1 lying or not lying1 if ,paul be    
believed1 they failed not  to produce   
the effect intended by them4 ,signs and 
wonders being such  equivocal thing1 no 
great wonder if--writing at ,corinth to 
nobody knows  what disciples of his at  
,rome1 ,a4,d4 #eh1 ,rom4 #ae3ah1        
#ai1--;he could  venture1 if this was   
venturing1 to speak of what he had been 
doing in  ,jerusalem and ,illyricum1 in 
the same terms4 ,for ,i will not dare to
  speak1 says he1 of any of those things
 which ,christ has not wrought by  me1  
to make the ,gentiles obedient by word  
and deed4--,through mighty  signs and   
wonders1 by the power of the ,spirit of 
,god2 so that from  ,jerusalem1 and     
round about1 unto ,illyricum1 ,i have   
fully preached the  ,gospel of ,christ4 
,,chapter ,,xi4         ,paul           

disbelieved continued4--,paul's fourth  
,jerusalem ,visit                       
continued4--,perjurious was the ,purpose
 of the exculpatory ,oath               
commenced by him in the ,temple4        
,,section #a4    ,,general ,,proof ,,of 
,,the ,,perjury ,,from ,,the ,,acts4    
,we have seen the indignation produced  
by ,paul's invasion of the dominion  of 
the ,apostles3 we have seen it carried  
to its height1 by his  commencement of1 
and perseverance in1 the exculpatory    
ceremony1 for the  purpose of which he  
made his entrance1 and took up his      
lodgment in the  temple4 ,we have seen  
the fruits of that same indignation3 we 
have seen  the general result of them4  
,what remains is--to give a clearer and 
more  explicit conception1 than can as  
yet have been given1 of the cause of    
it4    ,this was--neither more nor less1
 than an universal persuasion--that the 
assertion1--to which1 on his part1 this 
ceremony had for its object the         
attaching the sanction of an oath1--was1

 to his full knowledge1 false3  the oath
 employed being1 in its form1 beyond    
comparison more impressive1  than any   
that has been known to be at any time in
 use1 in this or any  other country3 and
 that1 accordingly1 the confirmation    
given to the  falsehood1 in and by means
 of that most elaborate and conspicuous 
ceremony1 was an act of perjury3 of     
perjury1 more deliberate and  barefaced1
 than anything1 of which1 in these days1
 any example can have  place4    ,that1 
on this occasion1 the conduct of the    
self-constituted ,apostle was  stained  
with perjury1 is a matter1 intimation of
 which has unavoidably  come to have    
been already given1 in more parts       
perhaps of this work than  one4 ,but1   
for a support to a charge1 which1 if    
true1 will of itself be  so completely  
destructive of ,paul's pretensions--of  
all title to  respect1 at the hands of  
every professor of the religion of      
,jesus--no  slight body of evidence     
could have been sufficient4    ,for this

 purpose1 let us1 in the first place1   
bring together the several  elementary  
positions1 proof or explanation of      
which1 may be regarded as  necessary1   
and at the same time as sufficient1 to  
warrant1 in this case1  a verdict of    
guilty4    ,to these charges1 is        
immediately subjoined such part of the  
evidence1 as  is furnished1 by the      
account of the matter1 as given in the  
,acts3 in  another section will be      
brought to view the evidence1 furnished 
by ,paul  himself1 in his ,epistles4    
,the evidence from the ,acts is of the  
circumstantial kind3 the evidence from  
the ,epistles is direct4    #a4 ,to     
,paul was imputed as a misdeed1 the     
having recommended the  forsaking of the
 ,mosaic law4 ,recommended1 namely1 to  
such disciples of  his as1 having been  
born and bred under it1 were found by   
him settled in  some ,gentile nation4   
,proof1 ,acts #ba3ba1 444 ,they1 'the   
,jews which  believe1' ver4 #bj1 are    
informed of thee1 that thou teachest all

 the  ,jews which are among the         
,gentiles to forsake ,moses1 saying1    
that they  ought not to circumcise their
 children1 neither to walk after the    
customs4    #b4 ,to a great extent1 the 
imputation was well grounded3 for1 to a 
great  extent1 it had been his practice1
 to give the recommendation thus        
described4 ,of this position the proof  
will follow presently4    #c4 ,by ,paul1
 the truth of this imputation was       
utterly denied3 denied by  the opposite 
denegatory assertion3 and1 the          
imputation being as above  well         
grounded1--in so far as any such        
denegatory assertion had been made  by  
him1 he had knowingly uttered a wilful  
falsehood4    #d4 ,in proof of the      
sincerity of this denial1 it was        
proposed to ,paul1 on  the part of the  
,apostles and ,elders1 to give a        
confirmation of it1 by  the performance 
of a certain appropriate ceremony4      
#e4 ,the ceremony thus proposed1 was one
 that was universally understood1  to   

have the effect of attaching1 to any    
assertion1 connected with it for  the   
purpose1 the sanction of an oath4    #f4
 ,knowing such to be the effect of the  
ceremony1 he gave his assent to  the    
proposition1 and determined1 by means of
 it1 to attach the sanction  of an oath 
to such his denial1 as above3 and       
thereby1 the assertion  contained in    
that denial1 being1 as above1 to his    
knowledge1 false1--to  commit1 in that  
extraordinary solemn and deliberate form
 and manner1 an  act of perjury4    #g4 
,in pursuance of such determination1 he 
accordingly repaired for that  purpose  
to the temple and had his abode therein 
for several days3 the  completion of the
 requisite number being no otherwise    
prevented1 than by  the irruption of the
 indignant multitude1 assured as they   
were of his  being occupied in the      
commission of a perjury4    ,proof of   
charges #b1 #c1 #d1 #e1 #f1 #g4 ,acts   
#ba3bc1 #bd1 #bf1 #bg1 #bh4    #bc4 ,we1
 the ,apostles and the ,elders1 or at   

least the ,apostle ,james1  ver4 #ah1   
have four men1 which have a vow on them2
    #bd4 ,them take1 and purify thyself 
with them1 and be at charges with  them1
 that 444 all may know that those       
things1 whereof they were  informed     
concerning thee1 are nothing2 but that  
thou thyself also  walkest orderly1 and 
keepest the law4    #bf4 ,then ,paul    
took the men1 and the next day purifying
 himself with  them entered into the    
temple1 to signify the accomplishment of
 the  days of purification1 until that  
an offering should be offered for  every
 one of them4    #bg4 ,and when the     
seven days were almost ended1 the ,jews1
 which were  of ,asia1 when they saw him
 in the temple1 stirred up all the      
people1 and  laid hands on him4    #bh4 
,crying out1 ,men of ,israel1 help2     
,this is the man1 that teacheth all  men
 everywhere against the people1 and the 
law1 and this place3 and  further       
brought ,greeks also into the temple2   
and hath polluted this  holy place4     

,of the perjuriousness of ,paul's       
intent1 a short proof1 namely of the    
circumstantial kind1 is thus already    
visible1 in the indignation             
excited1--its intensity1 its immorality1
 and the bitter fruits of it4  ,will it 
be said no8 for that the indignation    
had1 for its adequate  cause1 his being 
thought to have spoken slightingly of   
the law in  question--it being the law  
of the land1--and that1 to this         
imputation1  the ceremony1 it being1 as 
above the performance of a vow1 had no  
reference8 ,assuredly no3 no such       
interpretation will be found tenable4   
,true it is1 that1 by the persuasion1   
that he had thus been dealing by  the   
,mosaic law1--by this persuasion1       
without need of anything else1 the      
indignation may well have been produced3
 but it could only have been by  the    
knowledge1 that1 upon his having been   
called upon to confess the  having so   
done1 or to deny it1 he had1 in this    
most extraordinary and  universally     

conspicuous mode1 given continuance and 
confirmation to his  denial--it could   
only have been by this knowledge1 that  
the excitement  was raised up to so high
 a pitch4 ,for1 ,what was it that the   
information  had charged him with8 ,it  
was the forsaking ,moses4 ,what was the 
purpose1  for which the recommendation  
was given to him--the recommendation to 
perform this ceremony8 ,it was the      
purifying himself1 that all might  know 
that the information was groundless4    
,that those things1 say the  ,apostles  
with the ,elders to him1 whereof they1  
the thousands of ,jews  which believe1  
ver4 #bj1 were informed against thee    
were  nothing3--to purify thyself1 says 
the official translation3 more          
appositely might it have said to clear  
thyself3 for in that case1 the  idea of 
an imputation would clearly enough1     
though but implicitly1  have been       
conveyed3 whereas1 to some minds1 the   
idea conveyed by the  word purify may   
perhaps be no other than that of some   

general  cleansing of the whole         
character1 by means of some physical    
process1 to  which1 in so many minds1   
the psychological effect in question    
has1 by  the influence of artifice on   
weakness1 been attached4    ,such then1 
namely1 the clearing himself of the     
imputation by so solemn a  confirmation 
of the denial of it1--such was the      
purpose1 for which1 in  the most        
unequivocal terms1 his performance of   
the ceremony was  recommended3 such1    
therefore1 was the purpose for which it 
was  commenced2 such1 accordingly1 was  
the purpose for which it would have     
been consummated1 but for the           
interruption which it experienced3      
experienced not from his hands1 but from
 hands among which1 there seems         
sufficient reason to believe1 were the  
hands1 if not of the very persons  by   
whom it had been recommended1 at any    
rate of those who till that time  had   
been in use to be guided by their       
influence4    ,to this interpretation1  

what objection is there that can be     
opposed8 ,if  any1 it can only be that  
which to some minds may perhaps be      
suggested by  the word vow4    ,but the 
fact is--this word vow is a             
mistranslation3 the proper word  should 
have been oath4 ,by an oath everyone    
understands at first  mention an        
assertory1 not a promissory1            
declaration3 by a vow1 a  promissory1   
not an assertory one4 ,but an assertory 
declaration1 as  every one sees1 is the 
only sort of declaration1 that admits of
 any  application to the case in        
question4 ,by nothing that1 in ,paul's  
situation1 a man could promise to do1 in
 addition to the performance  of the    
ceremony1 could any evidence be given1  
of a man's having1 or not  having1 done 
so and so1 in any time past4    ,that by
 that which was actually done1 that     
which was essential was  considered as  
having been done1--is proved1 by what is
 put into ,paul's  mouth in relation to 
this subject1 in his defence against the

 accusation  brought afterwards against 
him1 before the ,roman governor ,felix1 
by  the spokesman of the ,jewish        
constituted authorities1 ,tertullus4    
,there  it is1 that1 beyond all doubt1  
what he is speaking of1 is his          
,,clearance1  as above3 for there also1 
the word in the official translation1 as
 well  as in the ,greek original1 is    
purified3 in the past tense1 purified4  
,this being assumed1 it follows1 as a   
necessary consequence1 that either  in  
the course of that part1 which at the   
time of the irruption1 was  already     
elapsed of the seven days' ceremony1 in 
the temple2 or1 what  seems more        
probable1 antecedently to the           
commencement of it1 a  denegatory       
declaration--a declaration denying the  
fact charged in the  accusation1--had   
been made3 for1 that the ceremony itself
 was never  accomplished1 is what is    
expressly stated3--of the term of seven 
days  stated as necessary to the        
accomplishment of it1 no more than a    

part1 it  is said1 had elapsed1 when the
 final interruption of it took place4   
,to return to the time of ,paul's       
entrance into the temple4    ,thus1 as  
hath been seen1 stands the matter1 even 
upon the face of the  official ,english 
translation4 ,but in verse #bf1 the word
 employed in the  ,greek original1      
removes all doubt4 ,then1 says the      
translation1 ,paul  took the men1 and   
the next day purifying himself with     
them1 entered  into the temple4         
,purifying himself1 in the present      
tense1 says the  translation3 and1 even 
this alone taken into consideration1 the
  purifying process1 whatever it was1   
might be supposed to have been but      
commenced before the entrance into the  
temple1 and as being thus as yet  in    
pendency1 waiting the exit out of the   
temple for its accomplishment4  ,thus it
 is1 that1 in the translation1 the verb 
is in the present tense1  purifying     
himself3 but1 in the ,greek original1 it
 is in the past  tense1 having purified 

himself3 so that1 in the original1 the  
purification1 whatever it may have been1
 is in express terms stated as  having1 
even before his entrance into the       
temple1 already accomplished4    ,note  
that1 if the historian is to be         
believed1 he had on this occasion1  the 
fullest opportunity1 of being1 in the   
most particular manner1  acquainted with
 everything that passed4 ,for1 when1 as 
above1 the  recommendation was given to 
,paul1 on his appearance before the     
,apostle  ,james and the ,elders1--he1  
the historian1 was actually present1    
,and the  day following1 says he1 ,acts 
#ba3ah1 ,paul went in with us unto      
,james2  and all the ,elders were       
present4    ,supposing that the true    
interpretation1--of what use and effect 
then1  it may perhaps be asked1 was the 
ceremony1 of which the temple was the   
theatre8 ,the answer has been already   
given4 ,it cannot have been any  other  
than the attaching1 to the declaration  
that had been made1 the  sanction1 of an

 oath4 ,without the ceremony performed  
in the temple1 the  declaration was a   
declaration not upon oath1 and as such  
not regarded  as sufficient             
evidence3--evidence1 in the shape which1
 the historian  says1 had been actually 
required for the purpose3 when the      
ceremony1 of  which the temple was the  
theatre1 had been gone through1 and the 
last of  the number of days1 required   
for its accomplishment had been         
terminated2--then1 and not before1 it   
was regarded as having been  converted  
into the appropriate and sufficient     
evidence4 ,thus it was1  that this seven
 days' ceremony was no more than an     
elaborate substitute  to the ,english   
ceremony of kissing the book1 after     
hearing the dozen or  so of words       
pronounced by the official functionary4 
,on this occasion1 the ,greek word      
rendered by the word vow1 is a word     
which in its ordinary sense was1 among  
,gentiles as well as ,jews1 exactly     
correspondent to our word prayer4 ,but1 

the idea denoted by the word  prayer1   
applies in this case with no less       
propriety to an assertory  oath than to 
a promissory vow4 ,directly and         
completely1 it designates  neither4 ,in 
both cases an address is made to some   
supposed supernatural  potentate3 in    
cases such as the present1 beseeching   
him to apply the  sanction of punishment
 to the praying individual1 in the event
 of a  want of sincerity on his part3 in
 this case1 in the event of his not     
having done that which1 on this         
occasion1 he declares himself to have   
done1 or1 what comes to the same thing1 
his having done that which he  declares 
himself not to have done3 in the other  
case1 in the event of  his not doing    
that which he has promised to do1 or    
doing that which he  has promised not to
 do4#ee    ,all this while1 it is not in
 a direct way1 it may be observed1 that 
this  word vow is employed1 and         
application made of it to ,paul's case3 
not  in speaking of ,paul himself in the

 first instance1 but after speaking of  
the four other men1 whom it is proposed 
he should take for his  comrades1 on his
 entrance into the temple4 ,we have four
 men1 ,james and  the ,elders are made  
to say1 ,acts #ba3bc1 #bd1 ,we have four
 men which have  a vow on them3 ,them   
take1 and purify thyself with them 444  
that 444 all  may know1 that those      
things1 whereof they1 the multitude1    
ver4 #bb1  were informed concerning     
thee1 are nothing3 no otherwise1        
therefore1  than by the case these four 
men were in1 is the case designated1 in 
which it is proposed to ,paul to put    
himself4    ,as to the case these four  
men were in1--no otherwise than on      
account of  its connection with the case
 ,paul was in1--is it in anywise of     
importance4 ,as probable a supposition  
as any seems to be--that of their  being
 in the same case with him3 accused1 as 
well as he1 of teaching  ,jews to       
forsake ,moses3 for1 between their case 
and his1 no intimation  is given of any 

difference3 and1 as the purifying       
himself is what is  recommended to him1 
so is it what they are stated1 as       
standing  eventually engaged to do on   
their part4 ,if then1 in his instance1  
purifying himself means--clearing       
himself of a charge made against        
him1--so in their instance must it      
naturally1 not to say necessarily1  have
 meant--clearing themselves of some     
charge made against them4  ,moreover1   
when1 as above1 he is1 in the ,greek    
original1 stated as having  actually    
purified himself1 before his entrance   
into the temple1 so are  they likewise2 
for it is with them1 that his           
purification is stated  as having been  
performed4    ,this being assumed1 it   
might not be impossible to find a use   
for the  word vow1 even in its proper   
sense--its promissory sense3 for1 what  
might be supposed is--that before the   
entrance into the temple1 at the  same  
time with the denegatory declaration1 a 
vow was made--a solemn  promise--to     

enter into the temple1 and back of the  
declaration with  the sanction of an    
oath1 by going through the ceremony4    
,but1 forasmuch1  as1 in the import of  
the ,greek word1 no such idea1 as that  
of a  promise1 is comprised1--the only  
use of this interpretation would  be--to
 save the translators from the          
imputation of an impropriety1 with      
which it seems rather more probable that
 they stand chargeable4    ,all this    
while1 of ,paul's conduct on this       
occasion1 to what part was it  that the 
blame belonged8--,surely1 not to the    
endeavour1 to wean men from  their      
attachment to the ,mosaic laws3 for thus
 far he copied ,jesus2 and  in copying  
did not go against1 but only beyond1 the
 great original4 ,true  it is1 that1 in 
so doing1 he served his own personal and
 worldly  purposes3 not less so1 that1  
in this subserviency1 he found the      
inducement by which his conduct was     
determined3 for1 by how much  stronger  
men's attachment would continue to be to

 the dead lawgiver1 by  so much1 less   
strong would it be to the living        
preacher4 ,but1 in so far  as a man's   
conduct is serviceable to mankind at    
large1 it certainly is  not rendered the
 less serviceable1 or the less laudable1
 by his being  himself included in the  
number4 ,the blame lay then--not in     
teaching men  to forsake ,moses3 for1   
thus far1 instead of being blame-worthy1
 there  was nothing in his conduct1 that
 did not merit positive praise4 ,what   
there was amiss in his conduct--in what1
 then1 did it consist8 ,plainly  in     
this1 and this alone3 namely1 that1 on  
being taxed with having so              
done1--instead of avowing and justifying
 it1 he denied it3 and1 having  denied  
it1 scrupled not to add to the falsehood
 the aggravation of such                
extraordinarily deliberate and solemn   
perjury1 as hath been so plainly        
visible4 ,and1 to what purpose commit so
 flagrant a breach of the law of        
morality8 ,plainly1 to no other1 than   

the fixing himself in ,jerusalem1  and  
persevering in a project of insane and  
selfish ambition1 which1 in  spite of   
the most urgent remonstrances that could
 be made by his most  devoted adherents1
 had brought him thither3 for1 he had   
but to depart in  peace1 and the        
,apostles of ,jesus would have remained 
unmolested1 and the  peace of           
,christendom undisturbed4    ,an article
 of evidence1 that must not be left     
unnoticed1--is the part  taken1 on this 
occasion1 by the historiographer4       
,nowhere does this  eyewitness take upon
 himself to declare1--nowhere so much as
 to  insinuate--that of the charge1 thus
 made upon his hero1 there was  anything
 that was not true3 nowhere does he so  
much as insinuate1 that  the declaration
 by which he says ,paul had cleared     
himself of the charge1  and1 as we have 
seen1 before his entrance into the      
temple for the  purpose of enforcing it 
by the sanction of an oath1--was        
anything short  of a downright          

falsehood4 ,after this1 he makes a      
defence for ,paul before  ,felix2#ef he 
makes a defence for ,paul before        
,festus2#eg he makes a  defence for     
,paul before ,festus and ,agrippa2#eh   
and1 on no one of all  those occasions1 
is the defence anything to the purpose4 
,he1 indeed1  makes ,paul declare1 that 
he1 ,paul1 had always been a strict     
observer of  the ,mosaic ordinances4    
,this may have been either true or      
false3 but1  true or false1 it was      
equally foreign to the purpose4 ,not    
improbably1 it  was1 in a considerable  
degree1 true3 for if1 while he gave to  
other ,jews  his assurance1 that the    
operations in question1 burthensome as  
they  were1 were of no use1 he himself  
continued to bear the burthen           
notwithstanding1--the persuasiveness of 
his advice would naturally be  augmented
 by the manifestation thus given of     
disinterestedness4 ,it may  accordingly 
have been true3 but1 false or true1 it  
was equally foreign  to the purpose3 the

 question was--not what he had done     
himself2 but what  he had recommended it
 to others to do4      ,thus--from      
everything that appears1 by all such    
persons as had the best  means of       
information--the charge made upon him   
was believed1--let it  now be seen1     
whether we should not be warranted in   
saying1 known1--to  be true4    ,as to  
,the ,jews of ,asia1--and the mention   
made of this class of men1  as the      
instigators of the tumult--can any      
support be derived from it1  for the    
inference1 that it was by something else
 in ,paul's conduct1 and  not by any    
such perjury as that in question1 that  
the vent1 thus given  to the            
indignation1 was produced8#ei ,no1      
assuredly3 altogether  inconsistent     
would any such supposition be1 with the 
main part of the  narrative4 ,whoever   
were the persons with whom the manual   
violence  originated2--whatever were the
 reproaches cast upon the invader on    
other  grounds2--the purpose--the sole  

purpose--for which he entered upon the  
ceremony1 is rendered as plain as words 
can make it4 ,it was the  clearing      
himself of the charge of teaching ,jews 
to forsake ,moses3 and1  supposing the  
fact admitted1 everything1 in the way of
 justification1  being1 before such a   
tribunal1 manifestly inadmissible1--of  
no such  charge was it possible for him 
to clear himself1 without denying the   
truth of it4 ,but1 according to the     
historian1 to confirm this denial1 by   
the solemnity1 whatever it was1--was the
 purpose1 and the sole purpose1  of it3 
of this1 the negative assertion1        
contained in the denial1 being  untrue1 
and1 by him who made it1 known to be    
so1--confirming such  denial1 by the    
solemnity1--call it oath--call it       
vow--call it  anything else1--was       
committing an act of perjury3 and1 to   
believe that  such his denial was false1
 and yet not believing him guilty of    
perjury--at any rate1 on the supposition
 of the accomplishment of the           

solemnity--was not possible4 ,how       
numerous so ever may have been the      
other causes of provocation1 given by   
him--how numerous so ever1 the          
different descriptions of persons to    
whom they had been given2--no  disproof 
could1 by all of them put together1 be  
given1 by this  solemnity1 to the denial
 in question1--supposing it false4      
,to the present purpose1 the only       
question is--whether1 by ,paul1 on the  
occasion in question1 an act of perjury 
was1 or was not1 committed8  not--what  
was the cause1 whether that1 or any     
other1 of any indignation  of which he  
was the object4 ,even therefore1 might  
it be allowed1 that a  vow1 in the sense
 of which it is contradistinguished from
 an oath1  was performed by him1 or     
about to be performed1--still it would  
not be  the less undeniable1 that it was
 for the purpose of converting the      
simple declaration into a declaration   
upon oath1 that he entered upon  the    
solemnity3 and that1 therefore1 if in   

the simple declaration there  was       
anything to his knowledge false1 the    
consequence is--that by his  converting 
it into a declaration upon oath1 he     
rendered himself guilty  of perjury4    
,the observation1 thus applied1 to what 
is said of the ,jews of ,asia1  will be 
seen to be applicable1 and1 with equal  
propriety1 to what is  said about his   
being charged with bringing ,greeks into
 the temple3  and1 in particular1 about 
his being supposed to have brought in   
,the  ,ephesian ,trophimus3 and         
moreover1 what may1 in this last case1  
be  observable1 is--that this about the 
,greeks is expressly stated as being  a 
further charge1 distinct from the main  
one3 nor yet is it so much as  stated1  
that1 by any such importation1 to what  
degree so ever offensive1  any such     
effect1 as that signified by the word   
pollution was produced4    ,not         
altogether destitute of probability     
seems the supposition1 that  these two  
circumstances--about the ,jews of ,asia1

 and about  ,trophimus--may have been   
thrown in1 by this adherent of ,paul's1 
for the  purpose of throwing a cloud of 
confusion and obscurity over the real   
charge3 and if so1 the two              
circumstances1 with the addition of the 
three  different defences1 put into the 
hero's mouth1 on the three several      
occasions of the endeavour1--must be    
acknowledged to have been employed1  not
 altogether without success4    ,here   
then closes that part of the evidence1  
which1 to the purpose of a  judgment1 to
 be passed at this distance of time from
 the facts1 may be  considered as so    
much circumstantial evidence3 in the    
next section may  be seen that part1    
which comes under the denomination of   
direct  evidence4      ,,section #b4    
,,proof ,,from ,,the ,,epistles4    ,we 
come now to the direct evidence3 that   
evidence--all of it from  ,paul's own   
pen3--all of it from his own ,epistles4 
,it consists in those  teachings to     
forsake ,moses1 which will be now       

furnished1 in such  unequivocal terms   
and such ample abundance1 in and by     
those fruits of  his misty and crafty   
eloquence3--in the first place1 in his  
letter to  the disciples1 which he had  
made1 or hoped to make at ,rome3--date  
of it1  according to the received       
chronology1 about four years anterior to
 the  time here in question3--in the    
next place1 in two successive letters to
  the disciples1 whom1 it appears1 he   
had made at ,corinth3--both these       
addresses1 set down1 as belonging to the
 same year as the one to the  ,romans4  
,moreover1 in his so often mentioned    
,epistle to the ,galatians1  matter of  
the same tendency is to be found4 ,but1 
this last being1  according to that same
 chronology1 of a date posterior by some
 years to  the time1 at which the charge
 of having preached the sort of doctrine
 in  question was1 on the present       
occasion1 made1--it belongs not to the  
present question1 and is therefore left 
unemployed4 ,and1 in the same  case1 is 

some matter that might be found in his  
,epistles to the  ,thessalonians4    #a4
 ,first then as to the ,mosaic law and  
customs1 taken in the  aggregate4    ,on
 this subject1 see in the first place   
what the oath-taker had said to  his    
,romans4           ,rom #ae3ad4 ,i know1
 and am persuaded by the ,lord ,jesus1  
that there       is nothing unclean of  
itself2 but to him that esteemeth       
anything to       be unclean1 to him it 
is unclean4--#ag4 ,for the kingdom of   
,god       is not meat and drink2 but   
righteousness1 and peace1 and joy in the
       ,holy ,ghost4         ,rom #c3bj4
 ,by the deeds of the law there shall no
 flesh be       justified in his1 ,god's
 sight2 for by the law is the knowledge 
of       sin4         ,rom4 #c3bg1 #bh1 
#bi1 #cj1 #ca4 ,where is boasting then8 
,it is excluded4       ,by what law8 of 
works8 ,nay2 but by the law of the      
faith4--       ,therefore1 we conclude1 
that a man is justified by faith without
       the deeds of the law4--,is he the

 ,god of the ,jews only8 is       he not
 also of the ,gentiles8 ,yes1 of the    
,gentiles also3--       ,seeing it is   
one ,god1 which shall justify the       
circumcision by       faith1 and        
uncircumcision through faith4--,do we   
then make void       the law through    
faith8 ,god forbid3 yea1 we establish   
the law4         ,rom4 #aj3i4 444 if    
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the   
,lord       ,jesus1 and shalt believe in
 thine heart that ,god hath raised him  
from the dead1 thou shalt be            
saved4#fj--ab4 ,for there is no         
difference between the ,jew and the     
,greek3 for the same ,lord over         
all is rich unto all that call upon     
him4--,for whosoever shall       call   
upon the name of the ,lord shall be     
saved4#fa         ,rom #ad3b4 444 one   
believeth that he may eat all things3   
another       who is weak1 eateth       
herbs4--,let not him that eateth despise
 him       that eateth not2 and let not 
him which eateth not judge him that     

eateth2 for ,god hath received          
him4--,one man esteemeth one day        
above another3 another esteemeth every  
day alike4#fb         #a ,cor4 #f3ab4   
,all things are lawful unto me1 but all 
things are       not expedient3 or      
profitable margin1 all things are lawful
 for       me1 but ,i will not be       
brought under the power of any4--,meats 
for the belly1 and the belly for meats2 
but ,god shall destroy       both it and
 them4         #a ,cor4 #h3h4 ,but meat 
commendeth us not to ,god3 for neither1 
if we       eat1 are we the better2     
neither if we eat not1 are we the       
worse4--,wherefore1 if meat make my     
brother to offend1 ,i will       eat no 
flesh while the world standeth1 lest ,i 
make my brother to       offend4        
#a ,cor4 #i3ai-bc4 #ai4 ,for though ,i  
be free from all men1 yet have ,i       
made myself servant unto all1 that ,i   
might gain the more4--,and       unto   
the ,jews ,i became as a ,jew1 that ,i  
might gain the ,jews2 to       them that

 are under the law1 as under the law1   
that ,i might gain       them that are  
under the law3--,to them that are       
without law1 as       without law1 being
 not without law to ,god but under the  
law to       ,christ1 that ,i might gain
 them that are without law4--,to the    
weak became ,i as weak1 that ,i might   
gain the weak3 ,i am made all           
things to all men1 that ,i might by all 
means save some4--,and       this ,i do 
for the ,gospel's sake1 that ,i might be
 partaker thereof       with you4       
#b ,cor4 #c3ab to #ag4 ,seeing then that
 we have such hope1 we use       great  
plainness of speech4--,and not as       
,moses1 which put a vail       over his 
face1 that the children of ,israel could
 not steadfastly       look to the end  
of that which is abolished4--,but their 
minds       were blinded2 for until this
 day remaineth the same vail untaken    
away in the reading of the ,old         
,testament2 which vail is done away     
in ,christ4--,but even unto this day1   

when ,moses is read1 the       vail is  
upon their heart4--,nevertheless when it
 shall turn to       the ,lord1 the vail
 shall be taken away4--,now the ,lord is
 that       spirit2 and where the spirit
 of the ,lord is1 there is liberty4     
,now as to circumcision in particular4  
,rom4 #b3be1 #bf1 #bg1 #bh1 #bi4 ,for   
circumcision verily profiteth1 if       
thou keep the law3 but if thou be a     
breaker of the law1 thy                 
circumcision is made                    
uncircumcision4--,therefore if the      
uncircumcision keep the righteousness of
 the law1 shall not his                 
uncircumcision be counted for           
circumcision8--,and shall not           
uncircumcision which is by nature1 if it
 fulfil the law1 judge       thee1 who  
by the letter and circumcision dost     
transgress the       law8--,for he is   
not a ,jew1 which is one outwardly1     
neither is       that circumcision which
 is outward in the flesh3--,but he is a 
,jew1 which is one inwardly3 and        

circumcision is that of the heart1      
in the spirit1 and not in the letter2   
whose praise is not of men1       but of
 ,god4         ,rom4 #c3a1 #b4 ,what    
advantages then hath the ,jew8 or what  
profit is       there of                
circumcision8--,much every way3 chiefly1
 because that       unto them were      
committed the oracles of ,god4          
,rom4 #d3i1 #aj1 #aa1 #ab4 ,cometh this 
blessedness then upon the               
circumcision only1 or upon the          
uncircumcision also8 for we say         
that faith was reckoned to ,abraham for 
righteousness4--,how was       it then  
reckoned8 when he was in circumcision1  
or in       uncircumcision4 ,not in     
circumcision1 but in                    
uncircumcision4--,and       he received 
the sign of circumcision1 a seal of the 
righteousness       of the faith which  
he had yet being uncircumcised3 that he 
might       be the father of all them   
that believe1 though they be not        
circumcised2 that righteousness might be

 imputed unto them       also3--,and the
 father of circumcision to them who are 
not of the       circumcision only1 but 
who also walk in the steps of that faith
 of       our father ,abraham1 which he 
had being yet uncircumcised4            
,rom4 #ae3h4 ,now ,i say that ,jesus    
,christ was a minister of the           
circumcision for the truth of ,god to   
confirm the premises made unto       the
 fathers4         #a ,cor4 #g3ah4 ,is   
any man called being circumcised8 let   
him not       become uncircumcised4 ,is 
any called in uncircumcision8 let him   
not       be circumcised4--,circumcision
 is nothing1 and uncircumcision is      
nothing1 but the keeping of the         
commandments of ,god4    ,from any one  
individual1 who1 in either of these     
distant cities1 had  seen any one of    
these same ,epistles1--let it now be    
seen whether  information of their      
contents1 supposing it credited1 would  
not have  sufficed to produce those     
effects1 the existence of which is so   

unquestionable4 ,not but that the same  
rashness1 which suffered him to  furnish
 such abundant evidence against himself 
in those distant regions1  could scarce 
fail to have given birth to credence in 
abundance1 of  various sorts1 and of a  
character1 which1 on that occasion1     
would be  much more impressive4         
,,footnotes3    #ee ,on this occasion1  
supposing the purpose of this ceremony  
to be1 as  here contended1 no other than
 that of applying1 to a declaration     
concerning a matter of fact1 the        
supernatural penal sanction1 by which   
it was converted into an oath1--a       
natural enough subject of inquiry       
is--to what cause is to be attributed   
the extraordinary length thus  given to 
it8--seven days at the least2 to which1 
upon examination1 would  be found       
virtually added1 as much greater a      
length of time1 as the holy  person1 to 
whose custody the oath-taker consigned  
himself1 might be  pleased to prescribe4
 ,answer1 without difficulty1--the      

affording time  and pretence for the    
exaction of his surplice fees3--namely1 
those  established by law1--with the    
addition of others1 to as large an      
amount1  as the need which the          
oath-taker had of the accommodation thus
 to be  afforded to him1 could engage   
him to submit to4 ,as to the length of  
time1--in the passage in question1 the  
translation exhibits some  obscurity3   
nor is it altogether cleared up by the  
original4 ,a  determinate number of     
days1 to wit1 seven1 is indeed          
mentioned1 ver4 #bg1  but immediately   
before this1 ver4 #bf1 comes a passage1 
from whence it  seems unquestionable1   
that1 whatever were the time a man had  
been thus  detained1 he was not to be   
let out1 until1 over and above what good
  things it had been made necessary he  
should bring in with him1 a further     
payment1 and as it should seem1 in a    
pecuniary shape1 had been made3 to      
signify1 says ver4 #bf1 the             
accomplishment of the days of           

purification1  until that an offering   
should be offered for every one of them4
 ,and  when the seven days were almost  
ended1 continues ver4 #bg3  immediately 
after which comes the account of the    
tumult1 by which they  were prevented   
from being quite ended4    ,as to the   
phrase--to signify the accomplishment of
 the days1 what  seems to be meant by it
 is--to make known when the number      
requisite for  the completion of the    
train of operations had been            
accomplished4 ,but1  to make known when 
that number had been accomplished1 it   
was  previously requisite to make known 
when it had commenced3 and1 for  making 
this known1 the act1 probably a public  
one1 of making entrance  into the       
temple1 was employed4    ,as to the     
origin1 as well as particular nature1 of
 the ceremony1--though  no such word as 
,nazarite is here employed1 on turning  
to the ,book of  ,numbers1 chapter the  
sixth1 it will be manifest1 that the    
ceremony  here in question is the same  

as that1 by which1 according to the     
receipt  there given1 any man whatever1 
whether1 and any woman also1 must be    
left  to conjecture1 might be converted 
into a ,nazarite4 ,nazarite is from  a  
,hebrew word1 which meant originally    
neither more nor less than a  person    
separated4 ,a person consigned himself  
to the custody of the  priest of the    
congregation3 or1 as we should now say1 
the parson of  the parish4 ,the ceremony
 accomplished1 the patient was thereby  
put into  a state of appropriate        
sanctity3 and1 from this metamorphosis1 
as the  priest and the ,nazarite could  
agree1 any inference might be drawn1 and
  any purpose at pleasure accomplished4 
,neither to the extent of the           
inference1 nor therefore to the purpose 
designed1 were any limits  visible4     
,everything depended upon the priest3   
for1 though of certain  particular      
operations made requisite1 a most       
particular list is given1  all of them  
of the most insignificant character in  

themselves1 yet so  thickly and so      
plainly sown are the seeds of nullity1  
that1 when all  the appointed fees1 of  
which there is also an enormous         
list,,iv41 had  been paid1 it would     
still lie at the option of the priest1  
to pronounce  the whole procedure null  
and void1 unless1 and until any such    
final  compliment as he chose to expect1
 were paid to him4 ,among the most      
obviously1 as well as extensively       
convenient purposes1 to which it was    
capable of being applied1 is this of    
which the present case affords an       
example3 namely1 the manufacturing of   
evidence3 could he but find means  to   
satisfy the priest1 a man might1 to all 
legal purposes1 and even to  the        
satisfaction of all appropriately       
disposed minds1 prove1 and with         
conclusive effect1 any thing to be      
false1 which everybody knew to be  true4
 ,by fabrication1 falsification1 or     
suppression of evidence1 what is  the   
right that may not be usurped8 what is  

the wrong that may not1 with  success   
and impunity1 be committed8    ,in the  
,mosaic law1 immediately before this    
institution ,numbers1 chap4  #e41 comes 
another1 by means of which every man1   
who was tired of his  wife1 might1 in   
another way1 with the assistance of a   
priest--and1 for  aught that appears1   
any priest--clear himself of that       
incumbrance4 ,all  the man had to do    
was--to say he was jealous of her3 the  
priest  thereupon took charge of her4   
,if priest and husband were agreed1 the 
water of jealousy did its office3 if    
not1 the woman remained  imprisoned4    
,against the superhuman evidence1       
afforded by the purifying  process here 
in question1 no quantity of human       
evidence was to be  available4 ,in like 
manner1 to warrant this poisoning       
process1 not any  the smallest particle 
of human evidence was necessary3 the    
case in which  it is to be performed1 is
 if there be no witness against her1    
neither  she be taken1 says the text1   

,numbers #e4 #ac4 ,verily1 verily1 not  
without sufficient cause1 did ,jesus1   
from first to last1 take every          
occasion1 to weaken the attachment of   
the people1 to a system of law1 of      
which those institutions afford two1    
among so many samples4 ,yet1 while  in  
the very act of depreciating it1 is he  
represented as declaring his  purpose to
 be the fulfilling it3 ,matt4 #e4 #ag4  
for1 such was the verbal  veil1 which   
the prejudices he had to encounter1     
rendered it necessary to  him at the    
moment1 to throw over the tendency of   
his endeavors4 ,fulfill  the very law he
 was preaching against8 ,yes3 but in one
 sense only3  namely1 by fulfilling--not
 the real purpose of it1--the           
establishment of  the corrupt despotism 
of the priesthood1--but the professed   
purpose of  it1 the good of the         
community3 in regard to the law1        
fulfilling1 in a  word1 whatever there  
was that was good in it1 whatever there 
was that  deserved to be fulfilled4     

,jesus1 in whose opinion death was too  
severe a  punishment1 for a wife1 in the
 case of a breach1 on her part1 of a    
contract1 the breach of which was by the
 other contending party  practised with 
impunity--,jesus1 who accordingly1 in   
saving the offender1  exposed to merited
 disgrace the sanguinary law--was       
doubtless still  further from approving1
 that parish priests1 in unlimited      
numbers1  should poison innocent women  
for the accommodation of their husbands1
 or  sell licenses to commit every      
imaginable wrong by perjury4    ,vow is 
oath3 this is not the only occasion1 in 
which the  self-constituted ,apostle1 if
 his historiographer is to be believed1 
took  the benefit1 whatever it was1 of  
this ceremony4 ,in ,acts #ah3af1 he     
shaved his head1 it is said1 at         
,cenchrea3--why8--for he had a vow  upon
 him4 ,what the vow was1 we are not     
told2 this1 however1 we know1 as  well  
from ,acts #ba3bf1 as from ,numbers #f1 
he could not have got anything  by it1  

had the parson of the parish of         
,cenchrea been otherwise than  satisfied
 with the offering that was made4       
,,iv4 ,in the bargain between vow-maker 
and vow-sanctifier1 the following  list 
of fees1 provided for sanctifier1 by    
,excellent ,church of that  country1 in 
those days whatever they were1--may     
serve to show the use of  it to one of  
the contracting parties4 ,to complete   
our conception of the  nature and       
effects of the arrangement1 nothing is  
wanting1 but that  which so unhappily   
must for ever remain wanting--a history 
of the  purposes1 to which from the     
commencement of the government to the   
dissolution of it1 the solemnity had    
been applied on the vow-maker's  side4  
,of these purposes1 we must content     
ourselves as well as we can  with the   
sample1 for which we are here indebted  
to the author of the  ,acts4 ,the table 
of fees is as follows3    ,it is        
extracted from the ,book of ,numbers1   
chapter #f3a to #ba4    ,fees to be paid

 in all cases3 fees liquidated in       
quantity1 and thence in  value4         
#a4 ,he lamb of the first year1 one4    
,i4  #b4 ,ewe-lamb of the first year1   
one4          #c4 ,ram without blemish1 
one4    ,fees1 not liquidated in        
quantity1 and thus left to be liquidated
 in  quantity1 and thence in value1 by  
the will of the priest4            #d4  
,basket of unleavened bread1 one4       
#e4 ,parcel of cakes of fine flour      
mingled with oil4     ,,ii4  #f4 ,parcel
 of wafers of unleavened bread anointed 
with oil1 one4          #g4             
,meat-offering1 one4          #h4       
,drink-offerings--numbers and respective
 quantities not              liquidated4
    ,fees payable1 on a contingency3 a  
contingency not describable without     
more time and labour1 than would be paid
 for by the result4      ,,iii4   #i4   
,turtle-doves or pigeons1 two4          
#aj4 ,lamb of the first year1 one4      
,,iv4 ,mysterious addition1 the         
liquidation of which must be left to the

  ,hebrew scholar4 ,ver4 #ba4 ,besides  
that that his hand shall get3  7whose   
hand8 priest's or vow-maker's87         
according to the vow which he  vowed1 so
 he must do after the law of his        
separation3--probable  meaning1         
according to the purpose1 for which he  
performed the  ceremony--the advantage  
which he looked for from it4            
,moreover1 by any one whose curiosity   
will carry him through the inquiry1     
causes of nullity may be seen as        
sedulously and copiously provided1 as   
if by the astutia of an ,english judge1 
or pair of judges1 to whose  profit the 
fees were to be received3 effect of the 
nullity1 of course1  repetition2        
necessity of repeating the process1 as  
in case of new  trial or arrest of      
judgment1 with the fees4    ,religion   
was thus no less aptly served at        
,jerusalem1 under ,mosaic               
institutions1--than ,justice is to this 
day1 under matchless constitution  and  
,english institutions1 at ,westminster4 

#ef ,paul at the suit of ,tertullus1    
,a4,d4 #fj4 ,acts #bd3a1 #b1 #e1 #f1 #i1
 #aa1  #ah4    ,and after five days     
,ananias the high priest descended with 
the elders1  and with a certain orator  
named ,tertullus1 who informed the      
governor  against ,paul4--,and when he  
was called forth1 ,tertullus began to   
accuse  him1--,saying1 ,we have found   
this man a pestilent fellow1 and a mover
 of  sedition among all the ,jews       
throughout the world1 and a ringleader  
of  the sect of the ,nazarenes3--,who   
also hath gone about to profane the     
temple2 whom we took1 and would have    
judged according to our law4--,and  the 
,jews also assented1 saying1 that these 
things were so4--,then ,paul1  after    
that the governor had beckoned unto him 
to speak1 answered1--,thou  mayest      
understand1 that they are yet but twelve
 days since ,i went up to  ,jerusalem   
for to worship4--,whereupon certain     
,jews from ,asia found me  purified in  
the temple1 neither with multitude nor  

with tumult4    #eg ,paul before ,festus
 alone1 ,a4,d4 #fj4 ,acts #be3g1 #h4    
,and when he was come1 the ,jews which  
came down from ,jerusalem stood  round  
about1 and laid many and grievous       
complaints against ,paul1 which  they   
could not prove3--,while he answered for
 himself1 ,neither against  the law of  
the ,jews1 neither against the temple1  
nor yet against ,caesar1  have ,i       
offended anything at all4    #eh ,paul  
before ,festus and ,agrippa1 ,a4,d4 #fb4
 ,acts #bf3a1 #b1 #c1 #d1 #e1 #f1  #g1  
#bj1 #ba4    ,then ,agrippa said unto   
,paul1 ,thou art permitted to speak for 
thyself4  ,then ,paul stretched forth   
the hand1 and answered for himself3--,i 
think  myself happy1 ,king ,agrippa1    
because ,i shall answer for myself this 
day  before thee1 touching all the      
things whereof ,i am accused of the     
,jews2--,especially because ,i know thee
 to be expert in all customs and        
questions which are among the ,jews2    
wherefore ,i beseech thee to hear me    

patiently4--,my manner of life from my  
youth1 which was at the first  among    
mine own nation at ,jerusalem1 know all 
the ,jews2--,which knew me  from the    
beginning1 if they would testify1 that  
after the most  straightest sect of our 
religion1 ,i lived a ,pharisee4--,and   
now ,i stand  and am judged for the hope
 of the promise made of ,god unto our   
fathers3--,unto which promise our twelve
 tribes1 instantly serving ,god  day and
 night1 hope to come4 ,for which hope's 
sake1 ,king ,agrippa1 ,i am  accused of 
the ,jews4--#bj4 ,but showed first unto 
them of ,damascus and at  ,jerusalem1   
and throughout all the coasts of ,judea1
 and then to the  ,gentiles1 that they  
should repent and turn to ,god1 and do  
works meet for  repentance4--,for these 
causes1 the ,jews caught me in the      
temple1 and  went about to kill me4     
#ei ,and when the seven days were almost
 ended1 says ,acts #ba3bg1 the  ,jews   
which were of ,asia1 when they saw him  
in the temple1 stirred up  all the      

people1 and laid hands on him4    #fj ,a
 cheap enough rate this1 at which       
salvation is thus put up4 ,of  what use 
then morality8 ,of what use is          
abstinence from mischievous acts1  in   
what degree so ever mischievous8 ,oh6   
but1 says somebody1 though  ,paul said  
this1 he meant no such thing3 and then  
comes  something--anything--which it may
 suit the defender's purpose to make    
,paul say4    #fa ,another receipt for  
making salvation still cheaper than as  
above4  ,not so ,jesus4 ,matt4 #g3ba3   
,not every one that saith unto me1      
,lord1  ,lord1 shall enter into the     
kingdom of heaven2 but he that doeth the
  will of my ,father which is in heaven4
    #fb ,behold here the degree of      
importance attached by ,paul to         
sabbaths4          ,,chapter ,,xii4     
,more ,falsehoods4--,resurrection       
,witnesses multiplied4--,world's ,end   
predicted4--,to save credit1 ,antichrist
 invented4      ,,section #a4           
,,resurrection-,,witnesses ,,multiplied4

    ,after what has been seen of the    
seven days' course of perjury1 proofs of
  simple falsehood will be apt to appear
 superfluous4 ,to make certainty  more  
sure1 two preeminent ones shall1        
however1 be brought to view4 ,they  may 
have their use1 were it only as examples
 of the palpableness1 of  those         
falsehoods1 which1 for so many hundreds 
of years1 and through so  many          
generations of commentators1 are1 under 
favourable circumstances1  capable of   
remaining undetected4 ,the extravagance 
of the addition1 made  by the audacious 
stranger1 to the number of the          
,resurrection-witnesses1  as given by   
themselves3--the predicted end of the   
world in the prophet's  own             
lifetime1--and the creation of          
,antichrist for the purpose of putting  
off that catastrophe1--may even be not  
altogether unamusing1 by the  picture   
they will give1 of that mixture of      
rashness and craftiness1  which         
constitutes not the least remarkable1 of

 the ingredients in the  composition of 
this extraordinary character4 ,moreover1
 ,antichrist being  in the number of the
 bug-bears1 by the images of which many 
an enfeebled  mind has not yet ceased to
 be tormented2--putting an extinguisher 
upon  this hobgoblin may have the       
serious good effect1 of calming a mass  
of  disquietude1 which how completely   
soever groundless1 is not the less      
afflicting1 to the minds into which it  
has found entrance4    ,first1 as to the
 resurrection-witnesses4 ,in relation to
 a fact of such  cardinal importance1   
the accounts which have reached us from 
the four  biographers of ,jesus are not1
 it must be confessed1 altogether so    
clear  as could have been wished4 ,but1 
on so ample a subject1 howsoever        
tempting the occasion1 anything that    
could here be offered1 with any  promise
 of usefulness1 would occupy far too    
much space1 and be by much  too wide a  
digression from the design of the       
present work4#fc    ,sufficient to the  

present purpose will be the observation1
 that nothing  can be more palpably or  
irreconcileably inconsistent with every 
one of  them1 than the amply and round  
number1 thus added by the effrontery of 
this uninformed stranger1 to the most   
ample that can be deduced from any  of  
the accounts1 thus stated as given by   
the only description of  persons1 whose 
situation would give to their testimony 
the character of  the best evidence4    
,behold now the account of the number   
and of the persons in ,paul's own       
words4 ,it is in the fifteenth chapter  
of the first of his two letters to  his 
,corinthians4 ,moreover1 brethren1 ver4 
#a1 ,i declare unto you the  ,gospel1   
the good news1 which ,i preached unto   
you1 which also ye have  received1 and  
wherein ye stand4--,by which also ye are
 saved1 if ye  keep in memory what ,i   
preached unto you unless ye have        
believed in  vain4--,for ,i delivered   
unto you first of all that which ,i also
  received1 how that ,christ died for   

our sins1 according to the              
,scriptures3--,and that he was buried1  
and that he rose again the third  day1  
according to the ,scriptures3--,and that
 he was seen of ,cephas1  then of the   
twelve3--,after that1 he was seen of    
above five hundred  brethren at once2 of
 whom the greater part remain unto this 
present1  but some are fallen           
asleep4--,after that he was seen of     
,james1 then of  all the                
,apostles4--,and last of all he was seen
 of me also1 as of one  born out of due 
time4--,for ,i am the least of the      
,apostles1 which am  not meet to be     
called as ,apostle1 because ,i          
persecuted the church of  ,god4#fd      
,as to the five hundred brethren at     
once1 with the additions in petto1  the 
more closely the ,gospel accounts are   
looked into1 the more entire  will be a 
,man's conviction of the extravagance of
 this account4 ,in  addition to the     
eleven ,apostles that remained after the
 death of the  traitor ,judas1 it may be

 matter of question1 whether so much as 
a single  individual can be found1 who1 
in any one of the ,gospels1 is stated as
  having1 after the death of ,jesus1    
received from the testimony of sense1   
the demonstration of his presence4 ,of  
the percipient witnesses in  question1  
not to waste space and time in needless 
discussions1 taking a  round number1 and
 including both sexes taken together1 no
 number  approaching to twenty can be   
made out from any one of the four       
,gospel  accounts1 nor from all of them 
taken together4 ,to what end then       
substitute1 to less than twenty1 more   
than five hundred8 ,to what1 but to     
supply by falsehood the deficiency left 
by truth4 ,the thing to be done  was the
 coming up to the expectations1 whatever
 they might be1 of his  ,corinthians4   
,number twenty1--said he to             
himself1--may perhaps fall  short3 well 
then1 strike out the twenty1 and set    
down five hundred4 ,thus  did the       
self-constituted ,apostle take a leaf   

out of the book of the  unjust steward4 
,luke #af3a-bj4    ,now then as to      
mutually contradictory numbers--that    
given by the four  ,evangelists1 and    
that given by this one stranger1--to    
which shall we  give credence8 ,as to   
the ,evangelists1--whether1 in the      
situation in  which they were1 and      
writing for the purposes for which they 
wrote1--these most intimate of the      
associates of the departed ,jesus1 and  
percipient witnesses of the several     
facts in question1--all of them  spoken 
of in the same narration1 all of them so
 fully apprised of the  whole real      
number--could have been disposed1 any   
one of them1 to get  down a number short
 of the truth1--may be left to anyone to
 imagine4    ,but1 according to ,paul's 
calculation1 the truth would not come up
 to his  purpose3--to his particular    
purpose3 a number1 such as could not    
fail of  doing so1 was therefore to be  
substituted4    ,five hundred was as    
easily written as twenty4 ,had          

,jerusalem1 or any  place in its        
neighbourhood1 been the place1 to which 
this letter of his  was to be addressed1
 some caution might have been necessary4
 ,but  ,corinth--a place so remote from 
the scene of action--being the abode of 
the disciples1 to whom this letter of   
his was addressed1--and the  letters    
themselves1 not destined to be seen by  
any other than devoted                  
eyes1--,invention found herself at ease4
    ,meantime1 while ,jesus was thus    
magnified1 ,paul was not to be          
forgotten4  ,insufficient still would be
 the cloud of witnesses1 unless himself 
were  added to it4 ,last of all1 says   
he1 #a ,cor4 #ae3h1 he1 ,jesus1 was seen
  of me also4 ,seen by him ,paul8 at    
what place8 at what time8 ,at the time  
of his conversion1 when hearing a voice 
and seeing light1 but nothing  else8    
,but the whole constellation of his     
visions will here be crowding  to the   
reader's view1 and any more particular  
reference to them would be  useless3    

suffice it to observe1 that on no other 
occasion1 either does  ,paul himself1 or
 his historiographer for him1 take upon 
himself to say1  that he had ever seen  
,jesus any otherwise than in a vision1  
whatsoever may have been meant by this  
so convenient term4 ,on no  occasion is 
it so much as pretended1 either by him  
or for him1 that in  the flesh ,jesus   
was ever seen by him4 ,by no fingers of 
his  murder-abetting hand1 had ever been
 so much as pretended to have been      
probed1 the wounds of ,jesus4 ,yet1 what
 are the terms employed1 by him1  in    
speaking of the sight1 he pretended to  
have had of ,jesus8 exactly  the same1  
as those employed by him1 when speaking 
of the evidence1  vouchsafed to the     
,apostles4      ,,section #b4    ,,false
 ,,prophecy1--,,that ,,the ,,world      
,,would ,,end ,,in ,,the ,,lifetime ,,of
  ,,persons ,,then ,,living4    ,the    
unsatiableness of ,paul's ambition meets
 the eye at every page3 the  fertility  
of his invention is no less conspicuous4

 ,so long as1 between  this and the     
other world1 the grave stood            
interposed1--the strongest  impression  
capable of being made by pictures of    
futurity1 even when  drawn by so bold a 
hand1 was not yet sufficient for        
stocking it with the  power it grasped  
at4 ,this barrier1 at whatever hazard1  
he accordingly  determined to remove4   
,the future world being thus brought at 
both ends  into immediate contact with  
the present1--the obedient1 for whom the
  joys of heaven were provided1 would   
behold the troubles of the middle       
passage saved to them1 while the        
disobedient would see the jaws of hell  
opened for their reception1 without any 
such halting-place1 as might  otherwise 
seem to be offered by the grave4 ,in    
particular1 by a nearer as  well as     
smoother road than that rugged one1 he  
would make his way to  heaven3 nor would
 they1 whose obedience gave them a just 
claim to so  high a favour1 be left     
behind4    ,his ,thessalonians were the 

disciples1 chosen by him for the trial  
of  this experiment4 ,addressed to them 
we have two of his ,epistles4 ,in these 
curious and instructive documents1 the  
general purport--not only of what  had  
been said to the persons in question on 
a former occasion1 but  likewise of the 
observation of which on their part it   
had been  productive1--is rendered      
sufficiently manifest1 by what we shall 
find  him saying in the first of them4  
,good1 said they1 as to some of us1     
whoever they may be3 but1 how is it to  
be with the rest8 in  particular1 with  
those who have actually died already3   
not to speak of  those others who will  
have been dying off in the meantime3 for
 you do  not go so far as to promise1   
that we shall1 all of us1 be so sure of 
escaping death as you yourself are4     
,make yourselves easy1 we shall  find   
him saying to them3 sooner or later1    
take my word for it1 we  shall1 all of  
us1 mount up together in a body3 those  
who are dead1 those  who are to die1 and

 those who are not to die--all of us at 
once1 and by  the same conveyance3 up1  
in the air1 and through the clouds1 we  
shall  go4 ,the ,lord will come down and
 meet us1 and show us the way3--music1  
vocal and instrumental1 will come with  
him1 and a rare noise altogether  there 
will be6 ,those who died first will have
 risen first2 what little  differences  
there may be are not worth thinking     
about4 ,comfort  yourselves1 concludes  
he1 with these words4 ,assuredly not    
easily  could more comfortable ones have
 been found3--always supposing them     
followed by belief1 as it appears they  
were4 ,but it is time we should  see    
more particularly what they were4    #a 
,thess4 #d3aj to #ah4--;,and indeed ye  
do it1 viz4 love one another1 ver4  #i1 
toward all the brethren which are in all
 ,macedonia3 but we beseech  you1       
brethren1 that ye increase more and     
more2--,and that ye study to be  quiet1 
and to do your own business1 and to work
 with your own hands1  as we commanded  

you2--,that ye may walk honestly toward 
them that are  without1 and that ye may 
have lack of nothing4--,but ,i would not
 have you  to be ignorant1 brethren1    
concerning them which are asleep1 that  
ye  sorrow not1 even as others which    
have no hope4--,for if we believe that  
,jesus died and rose again1 even so them
 also which sleep in ,jesus will  ,god  
bring with him4--,for this we say unto  
you by the word of the ,lord1  that we  
which are alive and remain unto the     
coming of the ,lord shall  not prevent  
them which are asleep4--,for the ,lord  
himself shall descend  from heaven with 
a shout1 with the voice of the          
archangel1 and with the  trump of ,god3 
and the dead in ,christ shall rise      
first4--,then we which  are alive and   
remain1 shall be caught up together with
 them in the  clouds1 to meet the ,lord 
in the air3 and so shall we ever be with
 the  ,lord4--,wherefore comfort one    
another with these words4 ,hereupon1    
without any intervening matter1 follows 

that of the next chapter4 ,the  division
 into chapters1--though1 for the purpose
 of reference1 not  merely a useful1 but
 an altogether necessary one1--is       
universally  acknowledged to have been a
 comparatively modern one4    #a ,thess4
 #e3a-aa4 ,but of the times and the     
seasons1 brethren1 ye have  no need that
 ,i write unto you4--,for yourselves    
know perfectly1 that  the day of the    
,lord so cometh as a thief in the       
night4--,for when they  shall say1      
,peace and safety1 then sudden          
destruction cometh upon them1  as       
travail upon a woman with child2 and    
they shall not escape4--,but ye1        
brethren1 are not in darkness1 that that
 day should overtake you as a           
thief4--,ye are all the children of     
light1 and the children of the day3  we 
are not of the night1 nor of            
darkness4--,therefore let us not sleep1 
as do others2 but let us watch and be   
sober4--,for they that sleep1  sleep in 
the night2 and they that be drunken1 are

 drunken in the  night4--,but let us1   
who are of the day1 be sober1 putting on
 the  breastplate of faith and love2 and
 for an helmet1 the hope of             
salvation4--,for ,god hath not appointed
 us to wrath1 but to obtain  salvation  
by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--,who died 
for us1 that1 whether we  wake or sleep1
 we should live together with           
him4--,wherefore comfort  yourselves    
together1 and edify one another1 even as
 also ye do4    ,an ingenious game was  
the one thus played by ,paul1 if ever   
there was  one4 ,of this prophecy1#fe   
what when once mentioned1 is plainly    
enough  visible1 is--this is of the     
number of those predictions1 by which   
profit  is put in for1 and no loss      
risked3 for such is the shape given to  
it4 ,so  long as the predictor lived1 it
 would remain good and undisfulfilled3  
at the end of a certain time--namely1 at
 the end of the life of the  longest    
liver of the aggregate number of        
individuals in existence at  that       

time1--the disfulfillment would indeed  
take place4 ,but if1 by that  time1 the 
predictor had made his exit1--as1 in    
this case1 being already  of a certain  
age1 it is tolerably certain he         
would1--the reproach of  false prophecy 
would not have reached him3 and1 even1  
supposing it to  have reached him1 as it
 would do if he survived the last of    
them1 still  the speculation would not  
be a very bad one4 ,his prophecy1 his   
purposes would have been fulfilled4     
,not altogether without claim to        
observation1 is the manner1 in which1 by
  the adroitness of the soothsayer1 the 
anxiety of questioners is evaded4  ,that
 he himself does not know1 nor ever     
expects to know1--that is what  his     
prudence forbids his telling them4 ,the 
day of the ,lord so cometh as  a thief  
in the night3 this is what1 in answer to
 former importunities1  he had at that  
time told them4 ,for you yourselves1    
says he1 know  this perfectly2 that is1 
in so far as they could know from his   

telling3 this being1 in this instance1  
the only source1--of that  delusion1 to 
which he gave the name of knowledge4    
,this he had told  them then3 and more1 
he takes care not to tell them now4 ,of 
the  times and seasons1 brethren1 says  
he1 ye have no need that ,i write  unto 
you4 ,meantime1 their hopes and fears1  
and therewith their  dependence upon his
 good pleasure1 are kept still alive3 in
 the first  place1 the hope--that1      
knowing already more than he as yet     
desires to  disclose1 he may by ulterior
 obsequiousness be prevailed upon to    
disclose it3 in the next place1 the     
hope--that1 though not as yet  possessed
 of the information1 he may at some     
future period be able to  obtain it1 and
 in that case give them the benefit of  
it4    ,to a speculation of this        
sort1--in how particular a degree       
favourable  the mode of communication by
 letter was1 is sufficiently visible4   
,writing1 was an operation not quite so 
prompt1 in those days as in  these4     

,between ,thessalonica and              
,athens1--from whence1 as they tell us1 
these ,epistles were written1--there was
 not1 it may be affirmed without  much  
danger of error1 any established        
letter-post3 and1 even if there         
was1--to this or that question1 which a 
man sees in a letter1 he makes  or does 
not make answer1 as he finds convenient4
 ,not exactly so1 when  the questioner  
is at his elbow4      ,,section #c4     
,,disorder ,,and ,,mischief ,,produced  
,,by ,,this ,,prediction4    ,we have   
seen the prophecy3 let us now see the   
effects of it4 ,they were  such as might
 have been expected4 ,they were such as 
had been expected3  expected1 as may    
have been observed1 at a very early     
period4 ,but there  was rather more in  
them than had been expected4    ,of the 
confusion1 which1 by an expectation of  
this sort1 in a state of  society1 so   
much inferior1 in the scale of moral    
conduct1 to any1 of  which in this our  
age and country we have experience1 was 

capable of  being produced1--it can     
scarcely1 at this time of day1 be in any
 man's  power1 to frame to himself      
anything approaching to an adequate     
conception4 ,so far as regards peaceable
 idleness1 of the general nature  of it1
 some faint conception may under modern 
manners be formed1 from  the accounts of
 the effects produced by a similar      
prediction1 delivered  first in ,france1
 then in ,england1 about the time of    
,queen ,anne3--so far  as regards a     
mixture of idleness and positive        
mischief in a time of  terror1 under    
ancient manners1--from the accounts1    
given by ,thucydides1  of the effects   
produced at ,athens1 by the near        
approach of death1 on the  occasion of  
the plague2--and1 from that given by    
,josephus1 of the  effects produced by  
the like cause1 on the occasion of the  
siege1 which1  under his eye1 terminated
 in the final destruction of ,jerusalem 
by the  ,romans4    ,according to each  
man's cast of mind1 and the colour of   

the expectations  that had been imbibed 
by it1--terror and self-mortification1  
or  confidence and mischievous          
self-indulgence1 would be the natural   
result3  terror and self-mortification1 
if apprehensions grounded on the        
retrospect of past misconduct           
predominated--mischievous indulgence1   
if1  by the alleged or supposed         
all-sufficiency of faith1--of faith1 of 
which  the preacher was the object--the 
importance of morality had1 even in the 
imagination of the disciple1 been thrown
 into the back-ground3  confabulation   
without end1 in the case of terror2     
cessation from work1  in both cases4    
,had he been somewhat less positive on  
the head of time1--the purposes  of     
those announcements of his might have   
been completely1 and without  any       
deduction1 fulfilled4 ,the terror he    
infused could not be  unfavourable to   
those purposes1 so long as it made no   
deduction1 from  the value of the       
produce of their industry6 ,it was his  

interest1 that  they should walk        
honestly1 lest they should be punished  
for walking  otherwise3--punished1      
capitally or not capitally--and1 in     
either case1  bring his teaching into   
disgrace4 ,it was his interest1 that    
they should  work1 in such sort1 as to  
earn each of them the expense of his    
maintenance2 lest1 by abstaining from   
work1 they should1 any one of  them1    
impose a burthen upon the charity of the
 others1 or be seen to  walk            
dishonestly1 to the prejudice of the    
common cause1 as above4 ,it was  his    
interest1 that they should1 each of     
them1 gain as much as could be  gained  
without reproach or danger2 because1 the
 greater the surplus  produced by each  
disciple1 the greater the tribute1 that 
could be paid  to the spiritual master1 
under whose command they had put        
themselves4  ,thus far his interest and 
theirs were in agreement4 ,but1 it was  
his  interest1 that1 while working to   
these ends1 their minds1 at the expense 

of whatever torment to themselves1      
should be kept in a state of constant   
ferment1 between the passions of hope   
and fear2 because1 the stronger  the    
influence of the two allied passions in 
their breasts1 the more  abundant would 
be the contributions1 of which1 to the  
extent of each  man's ability1 they     
might reasonably be expected to be      
productive4 ,here  it was1 that his     
interest acted in a direction opposite  
to theirs3 and  it was by too ardent a  
pursuit of this his separate interest1  
that so  much injury1 as we shall see1  
was done to all those other interests4  
,of the disease which we shall see      
described1 the description1 such as it  
is1 is presented1 by the matter         
furnished by the practitioner himself1  
by whose prescription the disease was   
produced4 ,this matter we must be       
content to take1 in that state of       
disorder1 which constitutes one of the  
most striking features of the issue of  
his brain4 ,in speaking of the          

symptoms1--addressed as his discourse is
 to nobody but the patients  themselves 
by whom these symptoms had been         
experienced1--only in the way  of       
allusion1 and thence in very general    
terms1 could they naturally have  been1 
as they will actually be seen to be1    
presented to view4 ,as to               
details1--from them to him1 not from him
 to them1 was1 it will readily  be      
acknowledged1 the only natural course4  
,in the same ,epistle1--namely in the   
second1 which is the last1 but1 in a    
passage which does not come till after  
the announcement1 which1 as will  be    
seen under the next head1 was to operate
 as a remedy1--stands the  principal    
part of the matter from whence we have  
been enabled to collect  the nature of  
the disease4 ,the chapter is the third  
and concluding  one3--the words that add
 nothing to the information1 are here   
and there  omitted4    #a4 ,finally1    
brethren1 pray for us 444--that we may  
be delivered from  unreasonable and     

wicked men2 for all men have not        
faith4--,and we have  confidence in the 
,lord touching you1 that ye both do and 
will do the  things which we command    
you4--,and the ,lord direct your hearts 
444 into  the patient waiting for       
,christ4--,now we command you1 brethren 
444  that ye withdraw yourselves from   
every brother that walketh  disorderly1 
and not after the tradition which he    
received of us4--,for  yourselves know  
how ye ought to follow us3 for we       
behaved not  ourselves disorderly among 
you3--,neither did we eat any man's     
bread for  nought3 but wrought with     
labour and travail night and day1 that  
we  might not be chargeable to any of   
you4--,not because we have not power1   
but to make ourselves an example unto   
you to follow us4--for even when  we    
were with you1 this we commanded you1   
that if any would not work1  neither    
should he eat4--,for we hear that there 
are some which walk  among you          
disorderly1 working not at all1 but are 

busybodies4--,now them  that are such1  
we command and exhort by our ,lord      
,jesus ,christ1 that  with quietness    
they work1 and eat their own            
bread4--,but ye brethren1  be not weary 
in well-doing4--,and if any man obey not
 our word by this  ,epistle1 note that  
man1 and have no company with him1 that 
he may be  ashamed4    ,by anything we  
have as yet seen1 the symptoms of the   
disease1 it may be  thought1 are not    
painted in any very strong colours4     
,but1 of the  virulence of it there is  
no want of evidence4 ,it may be seen1 in
 the  drastic nature of the remedy3--a  
remedy1 for the invention of which1 we  
shall1 in the next section1 see the     
ingenuity of the practitioner put to  so
 extraordinary a stretch4      ,,section
 #d4    ,,paul',s ,,remedy ,,for ,,the  
,,disorder1 ,,and ,,salvo ,,for         
,,himself4--,,antichrist  ,,must ,,first
 ,,come4    ,we have seen the disorder3 
we had before that seen the causes of   
it4 ,we  now come to the remedy--the    

remedy provided by the practitioner for 
a  disease of his own creating4 ,of the 
shape given to this remedy1 the         
ingenuity will be seen to be truly      
worthy of the author of the disease4    
,it consists in the announcement made1  
of an intermediate state of  things1 of 
the commencement of which1 any more than
 of the termination1  nothing is said3  
except that it was to take place1       
antecedently to that  originally        
announced state of things1 by the       
expectation of which the  disorder had  
been produced4 ,of the time of its      
commencement1 no3  except as above1 on  
that point no information is given4 ,but
 of its  duration1 though no determinate
 information1 yet such a description is 
given1 as suffices for giving his       
disciples to understand1 that in the    
nature of things1 it could not be a     
short one3 and that thus1 before the    
principal state of things took place1   
there would be a proportionate  quantity
 of time for preparation4 ,satisfied of 

this1 they would see  the necessity of  
conforming themselves to those          
reiterated commands1  with which his    
prediction had from the first been      
accomplished2 and to  which he had so   
erroneously trusted1 when he regarded   
them as composing  a sufficient antidote
 to the poison he had infused4 ,that the
 warning  thus provided for them would  
be a very short one1 he left them1 it   
will  be seen1 no great reason to       
apprehend4 ,a sort of spiritual         
monster1--a  sort of an ape of ,satan1 a
 rival to the ,almighty1--and that by no
  means a contemptible one--was to enter
 upon the stage4    ,what with force and
 what with fraud1 such would be his     
power1--that the  fate of the ,almighty 
would have appeared too precarious1 had 
not the  spirits of his partisans been  
kept up1 by the assurance1 that when all
  was over1 the ,almighty would remain  
master of the field4    ,the time1      
originally fixed1 by him for the aerial 
voyage1 was too  near4 ,by the hourly   

expectation of it1 had been produced all
 those  disastrous effects which had    
ensued4 ,after what had been said1 an   
adjournment presented the only possible 
remedy4 ,but this adjournment1  after   
what had been said1 by what imaginable  
means could it be produced8  ,one only  
means was left by the nature of the     
case4         #b ,thess4 #b3a-ab4 ,now  
we beseech you1 brethren1 by the coming 
of       our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and  
by our gathering together unto          
him1--,that ye be not soon shaken in    
mind1 or be troubled1       neither by  
spirit1 nor by word1 nor by letter as   
from us1#ff as       that the day of    
,christ is at hand4--,let no man deceive
 you by any       means2 for that day   
shall not come1 except#fg there come a  
falling away first1 and that man of sin 
be revealed1 the son of                 
perdition2--,who opposeth and exalteth  
himself above all that is       called  
,god1 or that is worshipped2 so that he 
as ,god sitteth in the       temple of  

,god1 showing himself that he is        
,god#fh--,remember ye       not1 that   
when ,i was yet with you1 ,i told you   
these       things#fi--;,and now ye know
 what withholdeth1 that he might be     
revealed in his time4--,for the mystery 
of iniquity doth already       work3    
only he who now letteth will let1 until 
he be taken out of       the way4--,and 
then shall that ,wicked be revealed1    
whom the ,lord       shall consume with 
the spirit of his mouth1 and shall      
destroy with       the brightness of his
 coming4#gj--;,even him1 whose coming is
       after the working of ,satan1#ga  
with all power and signs and lying      
wonders#gb--;,and with all              
deceivableness of unrighteousness in    
them that perish2 because they received 
not the love of the truth1       that   
they might be saved4--,and for this     
cause ,god shall send them       strong 
delusion1 that they should believe a    
lie3#gc--,that they all       might be  
damned1 who believed not the truth1#gd  

but had pleasure       in               
unrighteousness4    ,to this rival of   
his ,god--,god and rival--both of them  
of his own  creation1 the creator has   
not1 we see1 given any name4 ,by this   
omission1  he has1 perhaps1 as perhaps  
he thought to do1 rendered the bugbear  
but  the more terrible4 ,the deficiency1
 such as it is1 the ,church of ,england 
translators of the ,english official    
translation of the ,bible1 have  filled 
up3 they have taken it in hand--this    
bantling of ,paul's--and  christened it 
,antichrist4 ,he1 ,paul1 showeth1 say   
they1 a  discovery of ,antichrist1      
before the day of the ,lord come4 ,such 
is the  discovery1 communicated in the  
heading1 prefixed to the second chapter 
of the second of the two ,epistles3 and1
 of the readers of this so  abundantly  
and gratuitously distributed ,bible1 how
 few are there1 by  whom any such       
distinction as that between the headings
 and the text is  borne in mind6 ,the   
right reverend divines in               

question1--were they the  first authors 
of this discovery1 or was it ready-made 
to their  hands8--made by that church1  
from the errors of which their own has  
been  so felicitously purified8 ,to this
 question1 let those look out for1 and  
find1 the answer1--in whose eyes the    
profit is worth the trouble4    ,not a  
few are the divines1 who have discovered
 ,antichrist sitting in ,st4  ,peter's  
chair1 with a triple crown on his head4 
,in the chair of ,luther1  or in that of
 ,calvin1 would the triple monarch be   
disposed to discover  the hobgoblin1 if 
he thought it worth while to look for   
him4 ,has he  ever1 or has he not1 made 
this discovery already8    ,oh1 but1    
says somebody1 we does not here mean we 
only who are  alive at this present     
writing2 it means1 we ,christians of all
  ages3--any number of ages after this1 
as well as this1 included4 ,in  the     
designation thus given1 neither the     
individuals he was addressing1  nor he  
himself1 were necessarily comprehended4 

,this accordingly1 if  anything1 must be
 said1 or the title of the              
self-constituted ,apostle1 to  the      
appellation of false prophet1 must be   
admitted4 ,oh1 yes6 this may  be said1  
and must be said3 but what will it avail
 him8 ,in no such  comprehensive sense  
did he use it2 for1 in that sense1 it   
would not  have answered his purposes3  
not even his spiritual and declared     
purposes1 much less his temporal1       
selfish1 and concealed purposes4 ,why   
was it that these disciples of his1 as  
well as he1 were to be so  incessantly  
upon the watch6 ,i ,thess4 #e3f1 #g1 #h4
 ,why1 but because you  yourselves1 says
 he1 ver4 #b1 know perfectly1 that the  
day of the ,lord  cometh like a thief in
 the night4 ,who1 on that occasion1     
could be meant  by we1 but himself and  
them8 ,in no such comprehensive sense   
was it  understood by them3 if it had   
been1 no such consequences as we have   
seen following1 could have followed4    
,after the experience he and they  had  

had1 of the mischief produced by the    
narrow sense put upon the  all-important
 pronoun1 would he have continued thus  
to use it in that  same narrow sense1 if
 it had not been his wish that in that  
same sense  it should continue to be    
understood8 ,would he have been at all  
this  pains in creating the spiritual   
monster1 for the declared purpose of    
putting off their expectation of the    
great day1 if1 but for this  put-off1 it
 would not have come on8#ge ,in what    
part of all his  preachings can any     
distinct ground be seen for any such    
supposition1 as  that any portion of the
 field of time1 beyond that by which his
 own  life was bounded1 was ever present
 to his view8 ,in the field of place1   
yes3 in that field his views were of no 
small amplitude3 for in that  field it  
was by his ambition that they were      
marked out3 but in the field  of time1  
no symptoms of any the smallest degree  
of enlargement will  anywhere be found4 
,but1 on this occasion1 suppose other   

ages1 and those  others to any extent1  
included in his views3 from their       
including such  future ages1 would it   
follow that they had no application to  
the age  then present8--,but1 supposing 
them understood to apply to that age1   
thereupon in comes the mischief in full 
force4    ,any man that has been reading
 these ,epistles1--let him suppose1 in  
his  own breast1 any the most anxious   
desire to raise an expectation1 such as 
that in question3 and then let him ask  
himself1 whether it be in the  power of 
that desire to suggest language1 that   
would afford any  considerably better   
promise of giving effect to it4    ,of  
the nature of the disorder1 as well as  
of the cause of it1--the  persons1 to   
whom the world is indebted for the      
preservation of these  remains of the   
self-constituted ,apostle1--have given  
us1 as above1 some  conception4 ,of the 
effect of the remedy1 it would have been
 amusing  to be informed3 unfortunately1
 this portion of his history is not     

comprised in the labours of his         
historiographer4#gf    ,,footnotes3     
#fc ,the account given by ,luke of the  
resurrection and ascension of  ,jesus is
 contained in the last chapter1 chap4   
#bd3ec4 ,according to this  account1 by 
no men was ,jesus seen in the interval  
between those two  events1 besides the  
eleven ,apostles and a few others1 all  
together not  more than enough1 to sit  
down together at meat1 in one of the    
houses of  a village4 ,luke #be3i1 #bh1 
#bi1 #cj4 ,number of the occasions on   
which ,jesus  was seen by the ,apostles1
 two3 the company the same without      
addition1  and both occasions having    
place within twenty-four hours4 ,between
 these  two occasions it is that ,paul  
sticks in the one of his own invention1 
in  which ,jesus was seen by above five 
hundred brethren at once4               
,point-blank on this head is the        
contradiction given to this story of    
,paul's1 by his own attendant and       
historiographer3 namely1 in the account 

put into the mouth of ,peter1 speaking  
to ,centurion ,cornelius1 ,acts #aj3ci  
to #db4 ,expressly is it there said1    
ver4 #dj1 ,him 7,jesus7 ,god raised up  
the third day1 and showed him           
openly2--,not to all the people1 but    
unto  witnesses chosen before of ,god   
even to us1 who did eat and drink with  
him after he rose from the dead4 ,when  
in the year #fb1 or some posterior      
year1 the author of the ,acts was       
writing his history1 nothing1 it will   
be inferred1 did he know of the         
contradictory account given by his hero1
  in writing in a letter written in the 
year #eg4    #fd ,follows a sample of   
,paul's logic wrapped up as usual in a  
cloud of  tautologies and paralogisms1  
the substance of which amounts to       
this3--,jesus resurrects2 therefore all 
men will do the same4 ,admitting  the   
legitimacy of this induction1 what will 
be the thing proved8 ,that  every man1 a
 few days after his death1 will come to 
life again1 and eat1  drink1 and walk in

 company with his friends4    #fe ,by   
the word prophecy the idea meant to be  
conveyed in ,jewish  language seems to  
be very generally misconceived4 ,it is  
regarded as  exactly synonymous to      
prediction4 ,nothing can be more        
erroneous4 ,in  ,new ,testament language
 in particular1 it is no less applicable
 to past  events than to future4        
,witness1 ,prophecy who is it that smote
 thee4  ,luke #ag3fd4 ,in the ,greek1   
the word is occasion1 it meant evidently
  neither more nor less than speak out4 
,hence it came to signify  speaking in  
public3 hence again1 speaking as a      
statesman3 hence again1  writing as a   
statesman1 as well as speaking4 ,not    
that a statesman could  ever or can ever
 be a statesman1 and in the above sense1
 a prophet1  without being a predictor  
likewise3 as often as any proposed      
measure  is on the carpet1 such he must 
be1 or what he says must be nothing to  
the purpose4 ,merely by uttering a      
prediction concerning future events1    

,paul would not have included1 in his   
prophecy1 any such pretension1 as  that 
of a supernatural communication received
 from the ,almighty3 but1  the one here 
in question was one which1 supposing it 
true1 could not  have come from any     
other source4    #ff ,here we have a    
sort of retractation4 ,this shows how he
 was  frightened4    #fg ,here he gives 
the intermediate warning2 thence the    
respite4    #fh ,here we see the rival  
of ,paul's god3 and we see how dangerous
 an  one4    #fi ,like enough2 but in   
the same unintelligible style1 in which 
he  tells all men all things4    #gj    
,all's well that ends well3 the friends 
of the ,almighty may now  dismiss their 
fears4    #ga ,here we see the rival of 
the ,almighty sunk into the ape of      
,satan4  ,what if he and ,satan had made
 an alliance8 ,happily they could not   
agree1  or time was wanting for settling
 the conditions4    #gb ,all power1 with
 lying to boot4 ,but for the            
above-mentioned  assurance1 who would   

not have trembled for ,paul's ,god8     
#gc ,this was fighting the ape of ,satan
 with his own weapons4 ,but--this  ,god 
of ,paul's creation--in what1 except an 
ultimate superiority of  power1 is he   
distinguishable from ,satan and his ape8
 ,those1 who have  been so quicksighted 
of late in the discovery of blasphemy1  
and so bent  on punishing it1--have they
 ever found so clear a case as this     
which is  before us8 ,would not they    
have begun at the more proper end1 had  
they  begun with the editors of these   
,epistles8    #gd ,for this             
damnation1--on the present as on so many
 other occasions1  those who are so     
eager to believe1 that all who differ   
from them on a  question of evidence1   
will be consigned to everlasting        
torments1 are  indebted to the right    
reverend translators3 the original says 
condemned4 ,this may be understood to   
mean--damned in the ordinary  sense of  
the word damned1 or whatever less       
unpleasant result may be  more          

agreeable4    #ge ,of this child of the 
self-appointed ,apostle's brain1 it     
seems not  altogether improbable1 that1 
in case of need1 some further use was in
  contemplation to be made3 with the    
skin of this bugbear1 might1 upon       
occasion1 be invested1 any person1 to   
whom1 either in the character of a      
declared adversary1 or in that of a     
rival1 it might happen1 to have  become 
in a certain degree troublesome3 a      
declared adversary1--that  is1 either a 
,gentile or an unbelieving ,jew3 a      
rival1--that is1 one  who1 believing in 
the religion of ,jesus1 adhered to that 
edition of it1  which had the ,apostles 
of ,jesus for its publishers1 or        
followed any  other edition which was   
not his3 one of those1 for example1 upon
 whom  we have seen him making such     
bitter war in his ,epistle to his       
,galatians4  ,of the two1 the believing 
rival would of course be much more      
troublesome1 than the non-believing     
adversary1 from whom1 if let alone1  he 

would not experience an annoyance4 ,of  
this rival class were they  whose       
unrighteousness1 #b ,thess4 #b3aj1 had  
recourse to  deceivableness3 for as to  
non-believers1 no need could they have  
of  deceivableness2 to foil him1 they   
had but to turn aside from him1 and     
stand as they were4 ,those men1 whose   
unrighteousness had recourse to         
deceivableness1 who could they be1 but  
the men of the same description  in this
 respect as those1 whom in chapter third
 of his ,epistle to his  ,galatians1 he 
complains of as having bewitched them2  
and that in  such sort1 as to have made 
him so far lose his temper as to call   
them  foolish3 and that they were       
rivals1 is a matter altogether out of   
doubt4 ,in a word1 rivals were the only 
troublesome sort of men1 who1 at  the   
writing of this ,epistle1 could1 with   
the nameless monster since  named       
,antichrist1 be yet to come4    #gf ,as 
for that helmet of faith1 which1 in the 
passage first  quoted1 he has been seen 

commanding his disciples to put on--of  
that  faith1 which is the everlasting   
object of his so indefatigably repeated 
command1 and which is always faith in   
,paul1--for of ,jesus scarcely  is so   
much as a word1 except the name1 to be  
found in any of his  ,epistles1--as to  
this helmet1 it is the sort of cap1     
which a man learned  how to put on1 when
 he had made himself perfect1 in what   
may be called  the self-deceptive       
exercise1 or in a word the exercise of  
faith4 ,it  is composed of two very     
simple operations3 at the word of       
command1 the  recruit turns its face to 
the arguments on one side2 at the word  
of  command1 it turns its back to those 
on the other side4 ,the test of         
perfection is--its being able to hold in
 its embrace1 for any length of  time1  
both parts together of a                
self-contradictory proposition2 such as1
  that three man's-persons1--to use the 
,german word1 or if any other  sorts of 
persons there are three others1--are but

 one4 ,when the helmet  sits close      
enough on his head to enable him to do  
this1 there is no fear  of its falling  
off4 ,holding fast to improbabilities1  
how absurd and  extravagant soever1 is  
thenceforward but child's play to       
him3--for  example1 belief in the future
 existence of ,paul's ,antichrist3      
including1  the coming on of those      
scenes1 in which that raw-head and      
bloody bones  is to be the principal    
performer4    ,to this1 as to anything  
else1 the mind of man is capable of     
being  brought1 by assurances of        
infinite enjoyment1 in case of his      
having made  himself perfect in this    
exercise1 or of infinite torment in case
 of his  neglecting it3 of course1 still
 more effectually1 by both assurances   
put  together2 and1 considering the     
facility of both operations1 easier     
terms  could not very easily be         
imagined4 ,a capital convenience        
is--that1 for  producing faith in this  
way1 not a particle of anything in the  

shape of  evidence is necessary3 the    
place of evidence is supplied by        
assurance3--by the intensity1 real or   
apparent1 of the persuasion1 to  which  
expression has been given1 by what the  
preacher has said or done4  ,the more   
intense the apparent assurance on the   
one part1 the greater the  apparent     
safety1 obtained by yielding to it1 on  
the other3 and thus it  is1 that no     
absurdity can be so flagrant1 that the  
side on which it is  found may not be   
embraced1 under the notion of its being 
the safe  side4 ,when ,paul1 with his   
accustomed vehemence1 was preaching the 
world's end1 so many of his             
,thessalonians as believed in it1       
believed1  that believing in it was     
being on the safe side4 ,on the part of 
the  preacher1 the more vehement and    
impudent the assurance1 the greater on  
the part of the disciple1 the apparent  
danger on the disbelieving1 the         
apparent safety on the believing side4  
,by this means are produced the signs   

and wonders we read of in the  ,epistles
 of our modern missionaries2 for1 how   
conclusive soever the  evidence may be1 
which the assertions they employ might  
call in for  their support1--conclusive 
to every reasonable mind by which it was
  received1--assuredly it is not by the 
evidence1 but by the unsupported        
assertion1 that1 on the occasion of     
those exploits of theirs1--whatever     
credence has place1 is produced4        
,,chapter ,,xiii4         ,paul's       
supposable ,miracles explained4         
,,section #a4    ,,objections1          
,,applying ,,to ,,them ,,in ,,the       
,,aggregate4    ,but1 it may be said1   
,paul's alleged commission from ,god was
 certainly  genuine2 for it is proved by
 his miracles4 ,look at the ,acts1 no   
fewer  than twelve miracles of his you  
will find4 ,if then taken by themselves1
  for want of that accurate conception  
of the probative form of evidence1  to  
which maturer ages have given birth1 the
 account of the miracle by  which his   

conversion was wrought fails of being   
completely  satisfactory1--look at his  
miracles1 the deficiency will be filled 
up4  ,the man1 to whom ,god had imparted
 such extraordinary powers--powers so   
completely matchless in these our       
times1--can such a man have been a      
liar--an impostor8 a liar for the       
purpose of deceit--of giving support  to
 a system of deception--and that a      
lucrative one8 ,an imposition so        
persevering as to have been carried on1 
from youth to death1 through1  perhaps1 
the greatest part of his life8    ,the  
observation is plausible3--the answer   
will not be the less  satisfactory4     
,the answer has two branches3 one1      
general1 applying to all the alleged    
miracles in question1 taken in the lump3
 the other particular1  applying to the 
several miracles separately considered4 
,observations applying to the whole     
together are1 the following3    #a4 ,not
 by ,paul himself1 in any one of his own
 ,epistles1 is any such  general        

assertion made1 as that he had received 
from ,god or from  ,jesus1--or1 in a    
word1 that he was in possession of1 any 
such power1 as  the power of working    
miracles4    #b4 ,nowhere in the account
 given of his transactions by the author
 of the  ,acts1 is he in any of his     
speeches represented as making reference
 to  any one act of his in the character
 of a miracle4    #c4 ,nowhere in that  
same account1 is he represented as      
stating himself to  be in possession of 
any such powers4    #d4 ,not by the     
author of the ,acts1 is he spoken of as 
being in possession  of any such power4 
#e4 ,nowhere by the author of the ,acts1
 is he in any general terms spoken  of1 
as producing any effects1 such as1 in   
respect of the power necessary  to the  
production of them1 approach to those   
spoken of as having been  produced by   
,simon ,magus2 by that declared         
impostor1 in whose instance1  no such   
commission from ,god is represented as  
having been received4    #f4 ,neither on

 the occasion of his conversion1 nor on 
any other occasion1  is ,paul stated to 
have received from ,jesus any such power
 as that of  working miracles3--any such
 power as the real ,apostles are--in    
,mark  #af3ae1 #af1 #ag1 #ah--stated to 
have received from ,jesus4    ,was it   
that1 in his own conception1 for gaining
 credence to his  pretension of a       
commission from ,jesus--from ,jesus1    
styled by him the  ,lord ,jesus--any    
need of miracles1 or of a persuasion1 on
 the part of  those with whom he had to 
deal1 of his having power to work       
miracles8  ,by no means4 ,of the        
negative1 the story told by him of the  
manner of his  conversion is abundant   
proof4 ,of the efficient cause of this  
change in  his mind1 the account given1 
is plainly given in the character of the
  account of a miracle4 ,but of this    
miracle1 the proof given consists       
solely in his own evidence3 his own     
statement1 unsupported by that of  any  
other person1 or by reference to that of

 any other person3 his  account1 of the 
discourse1 which on the occasion of the 
vision1 in which  nothing was seen but a
 flood of light1 he heard from the ,lord
 ,jesus3 his  own account1 of the       
vision1 which he says was seen by       
,ananias3 his own  account1 of that     
other vision1 which1 according to       
,ananias1 he1 ,paul1  had had1 but of   
which ,paul himself says nothing4    ,in
 the work of his adherent and sole      
biographer1 the author of the           
,acts1--we have five speeches1 made by  
him1 in vindication of his  conduct1 in 
the character of a preacher of the      
religion of ,jesus2 and1  from his own  
hand1 ,epistles out of number3 yet      
nowhere is any reference  made1 to so   
much as a single miracle wrought by his 
own hand1 unless the  trance which he   
falls into when he is alone1 and the    
vision which he  sees1 when nobody else 
sees anything1 are to be placed to the  
account of  miracles4 ,miracles8 ,on    
him1 yes2 by him1 no4 ,true it is1 that1

 on  one occasion1 he speaks in general 
terms of signs and wonders1 as  having  
been wrought by him4 ,but vague1 in the 
highest degree1 is the  import1 as well 
as wide the extent1 of those general    
terms3 nor is it by  any means clear1   
that1 even by himself1 any such claim   
was meant to be  brought forward1 as    
that of having exhibited any such       
manifestations of  supernatural power1  
as are commonly regarded as designated  
by the word  miracles4 ,in the multitude
 of the persons1 whom1 in places so     
widely  distant from one another1 he    
succeeded in numbering in the list of   
his  followers--in the depth of the     
impression1 supposed to have been made  
on  the heart of this or that one of    
them--in all or any one of these        
circumstances1 it was natural he should 
himself behold1 and1 whether he  did or 
no1 use his endeavours to cause others  
to behold1 not only so  many sources of 
wonder1 but so many circumstances2 all  
conspiring to  increase the quantity of 

that confidence1 which1 with so much    
industry1  and1 as far as appears1 with 
such brilliant success1 he was labouring
  to plant in every breast3             
circumstances1 serving1 in the minds of 
his  adherents in general1 in the       
character of a sign or proof1 of the    
legitimacy of his pretension1 as above4 
,but1 of any such supernatural power as 
that which is here in question1  could  
any such loose and vague expressions be 
reasonably regarded as  affording any   
sort of proof8 ,no3--unless whatsoever1 
in the affairs of  men1 can justly be   
regarded as wonderful1 ought also to be 
regarded as  a miracle4    ,in one      
passage1 and one alone1 either in the   
,acts or in his own  ,epistles1 is he   
found laying any claim1 how distant and 
vague soever1 to  any such power1 as    
having ever been exercised by him4 ,and1
 in this  instance1 no one individual   
incident being in any way brought to    
view or  referred to1 what is said will 
be seen to amount absolutely to nothing1

  being nothing more than1 without      
incurring any such interpretation as    
that of imposture1 is at the present    
time continually averred by  ,christians
 of different sects4    ,he who makes so
 much of his sufferings1 had he wrought 
any miracles1  would he have made       
nothing of his miracles8    ,in the next
 place1 although it must be admitted1   
that1 on several  occasions1 by his sole
 biographer and professed adherent1     
viz41 the  author of the ,acts1 a sort  
of colour of the marvellous seems       
endeavoured  to be laid on2 laid on over
 the incident itself1 and over the part1
  which on that occasion was taken by   
him2 yet on no one of these  occasions1 
unless perhaps it be the last--of which 
presently1--does the  account1 given by 
him of what passed1 wear any such       
complexion as shall  render it matter of
 necessity1 either to regard it as      
miraculous1 or to  regard the           
biographer1 as having on that occasion  
asserted a complete  and downright      

untruth4      ,,section #b4             
,,supposable ,,miracle ,i4--,,elymas    
,,the ,,sorcerer ,,blinded4--,acts #ac3f
 to #ab4    #a4 ,of these supposable    
miracles1 the first that occurs is that 
which had  for its subject ,elymas the  
sorcerer4    ,at ,paphos1 in the island 
of ,cyprus1#gg ,paul and his associate  
,barnabas  are sent for1 by the deputy  
of the country1 ,sergius ,paulus1 who   
desires to hear the word of ,god4 ,but  
at that same place is a certain  ,jew1  
of the name of ,barjesus1 alias         
,elymas1--a sorcerer by profession1  who
 withstood them1 seeking to turn away   
the deputy from the faith4 ,to  this    
man1 it is not said1 either where or    
when1 ,paul is thereupon  represented as
 making a short speech1 at the end of   
which1 after calling  him a child of the
 devil1 and so forth2 he says to him1   
,thou shalt be  blind1 not seeing the   
sun for a season4 ,thereupon1 continues 
the  story1 immediately there fell on   
him a mist and a darkness2 and he went  

about seeking some to lead him by the   
hand4 ,then the deputy1 it  concludes1  
when he saw what was done1 believed1    
being astonished at the  doctrine of the
 ,lord4    ,supposing this story to have
 had any foundation in fact1--of the    
appearance of blindness thus exhibited1 
where shall we look for the  cause8 ,in 
a suspension of the laws of nature1     
performed by the author  of nature1 to  
no other assignable end1 than the       
conversion of this ,roman  governor8 ,at
 no greater expense1 than that of a     
speech from this same  ,paul1 the       
conversion of a king1--,king            
,agrippa--if the author of the ,acts  is
 to be believed1 was nearly effected4   
,almost1 says ,agrippa1 thou  hast      
persuaded me to become a ,christian4 ,so
 often as ,god is  represented1 as      
operating in a direct--however secret   
and  mysterious--manner1 upon the heart1
 i4e41 the mind1 of this and that       
man1--while the accounts given of the   
suspension of the laws of nature  are   

comparatively so few--to speak in that  
sort of human language1 in  which alone 
the nature of the case admits of our    
speaking1 if the  expense of a miracle  
were not grudged1--might not1 in the way
 above  mentioned1 by a much less lavish
 use of supernatural power1 the same    
effect have been produced8 viz41 by a   
slight influence1 exercised on the      
heart of governor ,paulus8              
,whatsoever may have been the real state
 of the case1--thus much seems  pretty  
clear1 viz41 that at this time of day1  
to a person whose judgment  on the      
subject should have1 for its ground1 the
 nature of the human mind  as manifested
 by experience1--another mode of        
accounting for the  appearance in       
question will be apt to present itself  
as much more  probable4 ,that is--that1 
by an understanding between ,paul and   
,elymas--between the ex-persecutor and  
the sorcerer--the sorcerer1 in the  view
 of all persons1 in whose instance it   
was material that credence  should be   

given to the supposed miracle1--for and 
during the season  that was thought     
requisite1 kept his eyes shut4    ,the  
sorcerer was a ,jew3--,paul was also a  
,jew4 ,between them here was  already   
one indissoluble bond of connection and 
channel of intercourse4  ,elymas1 by    
trade a sorcerer1 i4e41 an impostor--a  
person of the same  trade with ,simon   
,magus1 by whom so conspicuous a figure 
is cut in the  chapter of this          
history--was a sort of person1 who1 on  
the supposition  of an adequate motive1 
could not naturally feel any greater    
repugnance1  at the idea of practicing  
imposition1 at so easy a rate as that of
  keeping his eyes shut1 than at the    
idea of practicing it1 in any of the    
shapes to which he had been             
accustomed3--shapes1 requiring more     
dexterity1 and some1 by which he would  
be more or less exposed1 to that        
detection1 from which1 in the mode here 
in question1 it would be  altogether    
secure4    ,but ,paul--was he in a      

condition to render it worth the        
sorcerer's while  to give this shape to 
his imposture8 ,who can say that he was 
not8 ,yes3  if to a certain degree he   
had it in his power1 either to benefit  
him or  to make him suffer8 ,and who can
 say but that these two means of        
operating1 were one or other1 or both of
 them1 in his power8 ,as to the         
sorcerer's betraying him1 this is what  
he could not have done1 without         
betraying himself4    ,true it is1 that1
 by acting this under part1--this       
self-humiliating  part1--so long as     
,paul stayed1 so long was the sorcerer1 
not the first1  but only the second     
wonder-worker of the town4 ,but no      
sooner did ,paul's  departure take      
place1 than ,elymas1 from being the     
second1 became again  the first4        
,,section #c4    ,,supposable ,,miracle 
,,ii4--,,at ,,lystra1 ,,cripple         
,,cured4--,acts #ad3h to #aa4    ,second
 of these supposed miracles1--cure of   
the cripple at ,lystra4    ,this miracle

 makes a bad match with the             
before-mentioned one4    ,seeing a man  
at ,lystra1 neither man's name1 nor     
place's1 except in that  general way1   
nor time1 in any way mentioned1--seeing 
a man in the guise  of a cripple1 ,stand
 upright on thy feet1 says ,paul to him 
with a  loud voice4 ,and1 continues the 
story1 he leaped and walked1            
steadfastly beholding and perceiving    
that he had faith to be healed4  ,chorus
 of the people thereupon1 ,the ,gods are
 come down to us in the  likeness of    
men4    ,to the production of an        
appearance of this sort1 what was       
necessary8 a  real miracle8 ,no1 surely3
 so long as a vagrant was to be found1  
who1  without any risk1 could act a part
 of this sort for a few pence1 in an    
age so fertile in imposture4    ,true it
 is1 that this same man1 whoever he was1
 is represented as being  impotent in   
his feet1 being a cripple from his      
mother's womb1 who never  had walked4   
,but these words1 how much more than any

 other words1 of the  same length1 in   
the same number1 did the writing of them
 cost the author  of this story8 ,as to 
the correctness of his narratives1--of  
the  self-contradictory accounts given  
by him of ,paul's conversion1 a sample  
has been already given4 ,as to          
detection1 supposing this circumstance  
false1--detection is what the account   
thus given of it renders  impossible4   
,for--this same cripple1 what was his   
name8 from birth to  this time1 where   
had he been living8 ,of this nothing is 
said4 ,that1 at  ,lystra1 or anywhere   
else1 the account was ever made public1 
is neither  affirmed1 nor so much as    
insinuated3 not but that it might have  
been  published1 and1 at the same time1 
though as to everything but the scene   
that exhibited itself to outward        
appearance1 false1--might not have      
found any person1 at the same time able 
and willing to contradict the  falsity1 
and thus naturalize the miracle4        
,,section #d4    ,,supposable ,,miracle 

,,iii4--,,divineress ,,silenced4--,acts 
#af3af-ah4    ,while ,paul and his      
suite1--of whom1 according to the author
 of the ,acts1  he himself was          
one1--were at ,philippi1--a ,roman      
colony1 and capital of a  part of       
,macedonia1--among their hearers1 is    
,lydia--a purple-seller of  the ,city of
 ,thyatira4 ,being converted1 she       
receives the whole party into  her      
house4    ,from this house1 on their way
 to prayers1--probably in a ,jewish     
synagogue1--they are met by a certain   
damsel1 as nameless as the  lame-born   
cripple1 who1 being possessed of a      
spirit of divination1 or of  ,python1   
brings to her masters1 for masters it   
seems she had more than  one1 much gain 
by soothsaying4 ,here then is a female1 
who1 by being  possessed by or with a   
spirit1--a real spirit1 whether devil or
 a spirit  of any other sort1--is       
converted into a prophetess1 and1       
doubtless1 in  the main a false         
prophetess4    ,in the present instance1

 however1 she is a true prophetess3 for1
  following ,paul and his suite1 she    
runs after them1 saying1 ,these men  are
 the servants of the ,most ,high ,god1  
which show unto us the way of           
salvation4 ,and this did she many days4 
,if1 instead of a demon1 it had been an 
angel1 that took her vocal organs  for  
the instrument of his communications1 it
 is difficult to say1 in  what manner he
 could have deserved better at the hands
 of these  servants1 real or pretended1 
of the ,most ,high ,god4    ,yet1 from  
some cause or other that does not       
appear1 so it was it  seems1--there was 
something about her with which ,paul was
 not well  pleased4 ,being grieved1 he  
turns and says1--not to the damsel      
herself1  but to the spirit1 which      
possessed her1 or rather1 since for the 
benefit of her masters1 it brought her  
so much gain1 which she  possessed1--,i 
command thee1 in the name of ,jesus     
,christ1 to come out  of her4           
,amongst the superstitions of that and  

other ages1 one was--the notion of  a   
property1 possessed by such and such    
words--possessed1 by these mere         
evanescent sounds--by the air of the    
atmosphere1 when made to vibrate in  a  
certain manner3--a property1 of working 
effects in endless abundance  and       
variety1 and those1 too1 supernatural   
ones4 ,in some instances1 the  wonders  
would be wrought by the words           
themselves1 whatsoever were the  mouths 
by which they were uttered4 ,in other   
instances1 they required1  for the      
production of the effects1 a person1 who
 being possessed of a  particular and   
appropriate power1 should1 for the      
purpose of giving  exercise to such his 
power1 give them passage through his    
lips4 ,of this  latter kind was the     
present case4 ,the command issued as    
above1 he1 for  it was a he-spirit1 came
 out of her1 the damsel1 the same hour4 
,when the devil that ,josephus saw      
expelled1 came out of the man1 the      
channel at which he made his exit1 being

 manifest1 it was accordingly           
specified3 it was the man's nose4 ,this 
was something to know3  especially1 in  
relation to an occurrence1 the time of  
which was at so  great a distance from  
our own4 ,at the same time1 however1    
other  particulars present themselves1  
by which curiosity is excited1 and for  
want of which1 the information thus     
bestowed must be confessed to be  rather
 imperfect4 ,what the shape of the devil
 was8 what the substance8  whence he    
last came8 to what place1 to what       
occupation1 after being thus  dislodged1
 he betook himself1 and so forth3 not to
 speak of many others1  which howsoever 
instructive and satisfactory it would   
have been to be  acquainted with1 yet   
now that all acquaintance with them is  
hopeless1 it  would be tedious to       
enumerate4    ,in the present instance1 
not only as to all these particulars1   
has the  historian1--eyewitness as it   
should seem he was of everything that   
passed1--left us in the dark2 but1      

neither has he vouchsafed to afford  us 
that single article of information1     
scanty as it was1 for which1 as  above1 
in the case mentioned by ,josephus1 we  
are indebted to ,josephus3  to          
,josephus--that most respectable and    
instructive of the uninspired           
historians of his age4    ,in relation  
to this story1 as well as to those      
others1 the same question  still        
presents itself3--if told of the present
 time1--if spoken of in  some newspaper1
 as having happened in the present      
year1--exists here any  person1 even    
among the most ignorant populace1 with  
whom it would obtain  any permanent     
credence8    ,but1 a reported state of  
things--which1 if reported as having had
 place  in the present century1 would1  
by its disconformity to the manifest    
state of things1 and the whole course of
 nature1 be regarded as too  absurd and 
flagrantly incredible to deserve to be  
entitled to a  moment's notice1--what is
 there that should render it more       

credible1  when reported as having      
happened in this same world of ours1 at 
any  anterior point of time8            
,,section #e4    ,,supposable ,,miracle 
,,iv4--,,at ,,philippi1 ,,an            
,,earthquake3 ,,paul ,,and ,,silas      
,,freed ,,from ,,prison1 ,a4,d4 #ec4    
,the passage1 in which these events are 
related1 is in ,acts #af3ai-dj1         
inclusive4    ,on this occasion three   
principal events are narrated2--the     
incarceration  of ,paul1 an earthquake1 
and the liberation of ,paul4 ,between   
the  earthquake and the liberation of   
this prisoner1 what was in reality the  
connection8 ,in the answer there is not 
much difficulty3 ,the same as that      
between the earthquake and any other    
event that took place after it4  ,but1  
by an answer thus simple1 the purpose of
 the narrator would not  have been      
answered3 the purpose was--to induce1 on
 the part of his  readers1 the          
belief--that it was for the purpose of  
bringing about the  liberation of the   

self-constituted ,apostle of ,jesus1    
that the earth was  made to shake4 ,as  
to the liberation1 by means altogether  
natural was  that event produced3 so he 
himself has the candour to inform us4   
,of this  quasi-miracle1 or of the      
last-mentioned one1 ,philippi1 capital  
of  ,macedonia1 was the theatre4 ,by    
order of the magistrates of that town1  
,paul and his attendant had been beaten 
one evening1 and thrown into  prison3   
next morning1 came to the jailor an     
order of these same  magistrates1 and in
 obedience to it the prisoners were     
discharged4 ,that1  in the minds of     
these magistrates1 there was any        
connection1 between the  earthquake and 
the treatment they had given to these   
adventurers1 is not  so much as         
insinuated4 ,the purpose1 which it had  
in view1 was answered3  it was the      
ridding the town of a pair of visitors1 
whose visit to it had  produced         
disturbance to existing institutions4   
,acts #af3bj-dj4    ,be it as it may    

with regard to the                      
historiographer1--that it was an  object
 with his hero to produce a notion of a 
connection between the  stripes and the 
imprisonment he had undergone on one    
hand1 and the  earthquake on the other1 
is manifest enough4 ,the person1 in     
whose mind  the prisoner had endeavoured
 to produce the idea of such a          
connection1  was the jailor3 and1 for   
its having in this instance been        
successful1  there seems little         
difficulty in giving credit to the      
historiographer4  ,everything that      
appears to have been said1 either of    
,paul or by ,paul1  tends to show the   
wonderful strength of his mind1 and the 
facility and  promptitude1 with which it
 enabled him to gain the ascendency over
 other  minds4 ,in the language of the  
place and time1 he had bid the          
fortune-telling damsel cease her        
imposture1 and the imposture ceased4    
,acts #af3ah4 ,committed to prison he   
formed a project for making a  proselyte

 of the keeper3 and1 in this too1 and in
 so small a compass of  time as a few   
hours1 there seems reason to believe he 
was successful4 ,in  his presumption1 in
 daring to execute the sentence of the  
law upon so  holy a person1 the keeper  
saw the cause of the earthquake2 and1   
whether  by ,paul any very strenuous    
endeavours were used to correct so      
convenient  an error in geology1 may be 
left to be imagined4 ,paul1 when        
introduced  into the prison1 found no   
want of comrades3 how then happened it1 
that  it was to ,paul's imprisonment    
that the earthquake1 when it happened1  
was  attributed1 and not to any of his  
fellow-prisoners8 ,answer3 ,it happened 
thus4    ,of the trade1 which1 with such
 brilliant success1 ,paul1--with this   
journeyman of his1--was carrying on1 a  
set of songs with the name of ,god  for 
the burthen of them1 constituted a part 
of the capital1 and1 as it  should seem1
 not the least valuable4 ,when midnight 
came1 ,paul--the  trader in             

godliness--treated the company in the   
prison with a duet3 the  other          
prisoners1 though they shared in the    
benefit of it1 did not join  in it4     
,while this duet was performing1 came on
 the earthquake2 and ,paul  was not such
 a novice as to let pass unimproved the 
opportunity it put  into his hand4      
,the historiographer1 if he is to be    
believed1 was at this time in ,paul's   
train1 as well as ,silas2 for so1 by the
 word we1 in the tenth verse of  this   
same chapter1 he1 as it were1 silently  
informs us4 ,the beating and  the       
imprisonment were confined to the two   
principals2 by his comparative          
insignificance1 as it should seem1 the  
historiographer was saved from  it4     
,from the relation1 given to him by     
,paul or ,silas1 and in particular  by  
,paul1--must this conception1 formed by 
the historiographer of what  passed on  
the occasion1 have of course been       
derived4 ,it was coloured of  course in 
,paul's manner3 and in his colouring1   

there was of course no  want of the     
marvellous4 ,by the earthquake1 not only
 were foundations  shaken and doors     
opened1 but bands loosened4 ,the feet of
 the two  holy men had been made 444    
fast in the stocks1 ver4 #bd3 from these
  same stocks1 the earthquake was       
ingenious enough to let them out1 and1  
as far as appears1 without hurt3 the    
unholy part of the prisoners had  each  
of them bands of some sort1 by which    
they were confined2 for1 ver4  #bf1     
everyone's bands were loosed3 in every  
instance if they were  locked1 the      
earthquake performed the office of a    
picklock4 ,earthquakes  in these latter 
days1 we have but too many1 in breaking 
open doors they  find no great          
difficulty2 but they have no such nicety
 of touch as the  earthquake1 which     
produced to the self-constituted        
,apostle a family of  proselytes3 they  
are no more able to let feet out of the 
stocks1 or  hands out of hand-cuffs1    
than to make watches4    ,these         

elucidations being furnished1 the reader
 is desired to turn to the  text1 and   
lay before him3 to reprint it would     
require more paper than he  might choose
 to see thus employed4    ,as to the    
name of ,god and the name of ,jesus1 the
 two names1 it should  appear1 were     
not--on the occasions in question--used 
at random4 ,when the  fortune-telling   
damsel was the subject of ,paul's holy  
labours1 she  having been in some way or
 other already gained1 ver4 #ag1 the    
case was  already of a sort1 in which   
the name of ,jesus ,christ1 the name    
under  which the self-constituted       
,apostle enlisted all his               
followers1--might be  employed with     
advantage4    ,when ,paul and ,silas    
were committed to prison1 no such name  
as that of  ,jesus ,christ would as yet 
have served4 ,of ,jesus ,christ neither 
had  the keeper as yet heard anything1  
nor had the other prisoners4 ,but1 of   
,god1 in some shape or other1 they could
 not but have heard all of them3  ,god  

accordingly was the name1 by which at   
this time the sensibilities  of the     
persons in question were to be worked   
upon4 ,when the earth  trembled1 the    
jailor trembled likewise3 he came       
trembling and fell  down1 ver4 #bi1     
before ,paul and ,silas4 ,and brought   
them out1 ver4 #cj1  and said1 ,sirs1   
what must ,i do to be saved8 ,now then  
was the time come  for the              
enlistment--for the enlistment in the   
spiritual warfare against  the devil and
 his angels3 in the as yet new name of  
the ,lord ,jesus  ,christ were these    
recruits accordingly enlisted1 as now1  
for the  purpose of carnal warfare1 in  
the name of ,king ,george4 ,and they    
said1  continues the narration1 ver4    
#ca1 ,believe in the ,lord ,jesus       
,christ1 and  thou shalt be saved1 and  
thy house4      ,,section #f4           
,,supposable ,,miracle ,v4--,,at        
,,corinth1 ,,paul ,,comforted ,,by ,,the
 ,,lord ,,in ,,an  ,,unseen ,,vision1   
,a4,d4 #ed4--;,acts #ah3g-aa4    ,a     

vision1 being a species of miracle1     
could1 no more than a pantomime1  have  
place without some expense4 ,in the     
present case1 as in any other1 a        
natural question is--,what was the      
object to be accomplished1 upon which   
the expense--whatever it was--was       
bestowed8 ,the answer is--,the keeping  
his attendants1 whoever they were1 in   
the necessary state of  obsequiousness3 
for no other is perceptible4 ,to the    
dependants in ,paul's  train1 it was no 
very uncommon sentiment to be not quite 
so well  satisfied with the course he   
took1 as he himself was4 ,corinth was at
  this time the theatre of his labours3 
of the men1 whoever they were1 who  had 
staked their fortunes upon his1         
some1--the historiographer1 as it       
should seem1 of the number1--there were1
 whose wish it was to change the  scene4
 ,in that ,gentile city1--the chief     
ruler of the ,jewish synagogue1         
,crispus by name--this man1 besides     
another man1 of the name of ,justus1    

whose house joined hard to that same    
synagogue1 had become his  converts3 and
 many of the ,corinthians hearing1      
believed and were  baptized4 ,eyes1     
however1 there were1 in which the       
success1 whatsoever  it was1 was not yet
 enough to afford a sufficient warrant  
for his stay4  ,a vision was necessary1 
and a vision accordingly1 or at least a 
something1 which was called by that     
name1 made its appearance4 ,thus  spake 
the ,lord1 says the historiographer1    
ver4 #i1 ,thus spake the ,lord  to ,paul
 in the night by a vision1 ,be not      
afraid1 but speak1 and hold not  thy    
peace4----,for ,i am with thee1 and no  
man shall set on thee to hurt  thee2 for
 ,i have much people in this city4 ,nor 
was the vision without  its effect2 for1
 as the next verse informs us1 ver4 #aa1
 ,he continued  there a year and six    
months1 teaching the word of ,god among 
them4    ,that which1 on this occasion1 
may be believed without much difficulty 
is1 that the word thus taught by ,paul  

was ,paul's word3 and1 that which  may  
be believed with as little1 by those1   
whoever they may be1 who  believe in his
 original conversion-vision1 is--that it
 was ,god's word  likewise4 ,from ,paul 
himself must the account of this vision 
have been  delivered to the             
historiographer3 for1 unless at the     
expense of a sort  of miracle1 in the   
shape of an additional vision at least1 
if not in  some more expensive shape1 no
 information of any such thing could    
have  reached him4 ,in these latter     
days1 no ghost is ever seen but in a    
tete-a-tete3 in those days1 no vision1  
as far as appears1 was ever  seen but in
 the same degree of privacy4 ,a vision  
is the word in these  pages1 because    
such is the word in the authoritative   
translation made of  the                
historiographer's4 ,that which ,paul is 
related to have heard1  is--what we have
 just seen as above3 but that1 upon this
 occasion  he saw anything--that he saw 
so much as a flash of light1 this is    

what we are not told3 any more than by  
what other means he became so  well     
assured1 that the voice which he heard1 
supposing him to have heard  a voice1   
was the ,lord's voice4 ,in these latter 
days1--inquiries1 of  some such sort as 
these1 would as surely be put1 by a     
counsel who were  against the           
vision1--as1 in the case of the         
,cock-lane ,ghost1 which  gave so much  
exercise to the faith of the            
archlexicographer1  were put by the     
counsel who were against the ghost2 but1
 by a  sort of general                  
understanding1--than which nothing can  
be more  convenient1--inquiries1 such as
 these1--how strictly soever in season  
when applied to the #aith century of the
 vulgar ear1 are altogether  out of     
season1 as often as they are applied to 
the commencement of it4    ,as to the   
speaking by a vision1 the only          
intelligible way1 in which any  such    
thing can really have place1 is that1   
which under the pressure of  necessity  

has been realized by the ingenuity of   
dramatists in these  latter days4 ,such 
is the mode employed1 when the actors1  
having been  struck dumb by the tyranny 
of foolish laws1 and consequently having
 no  auditors1 convey to the spectators 
what information seems necessary1 by  an
 appropriate assortment of gold letters 
on a silk ground3 whether the  ,lord    
who1 on this occasion1 according to     
,paul1 spoke to the eyes of  ,paul1 came
 provided with any such implement1 he   
has not informed us4  ,without much     
danger of error1 we may venture to      
assert the negative3  for1 if such was  
the mode of converse1 there was nothing 
but what might  happen without sign or  
wonder3 and1 on this supposition1 no    
addition was  made by it1 to those signs
 and wonders1 which1 as has been seen1  
it was  his way to make reference to1 in
 the character of evidence4             
,,section #g4    ,,supposable ,,miracle 
,,vi4--,,at ,,ephesus1 ,,diseases ,,and 
,,devils ,,expelled ,,by  ,,foul        

,,handkerchiefs4--,acts #ai3a-ab4    ,at
 ,ephesus1 ,paul makes a stay of between
 two and three years2 for two  years    
together1 disputing daily in the school 
of one ,tyrannus1 so  that all they     
which dwelt in ,asia heard the word of  
the ,lord ,jesus1 both  ,jews and       
,greeks4    ,and ,god1 continues the    
history1 wrought special miracles by the
 hands  of ,paul4    ,these special     
miracles1 what were they8 ,of the whole 
number1 is  there so much as a single   
one particularized8 ,no2 not one4       
,special as  they are1 the following is 
the account1 and the only account given 
of  them4 ,so that1 continues the       
history1 from his body were brought unto
  the sick1 handkerchiefs or aprons1 and
 the diseases departed from them1  and  
the evil spirits went out of them4      
,no circumstances whatever              
particularized1 name of the person1 name
 of  the place1 description of the      
time--nothing1 by means of which1 in    
case  of falsity in toto1 or            

incorrectness in circumstance1 the      
misstatement  might have been           
exposed1--to what degree of credence1 or
 so much as  consideration with a view  
to credence1 vague generalities such as 
these1  can they present so much as the 
slightest claim8 ,if allusions such as  
these are to pass proof1 where is the   
imposture1 to which proofs--proofs      
sufficient in number and value--can ever
 be wanting8    ,opposed as ,paul was1  
wherever he went1--by gainsayers or     
persecutors1 or both--sometimes         
successful1 sometimes altogether        
unsuccessful1--sometimes in a slight    
degree successful--in so much as  any   
one occasion1 either in this history1 or
 in any one of his own  numerous        
,epistles1 do we find so much as a      
single one of these  special miracles1  
any more than of any other miracles1    
brought to  view by him1 or so much as  
alluded to by him1 in the character of  
proofs  of the commission to which he   
pretended8 ,answer3 ,no1 not one4       

,diseases cured1 evil spirits driven    
out1 by handkerchiefs and  aprons6--by  
handkerchiefs and aprons brought from a 
man's body6 ,diseases  cured and devils 
seared away by foul linen6 ,by          
,jesus--by any one of his               
,apostles--were any such implements1 any
 such eye-traps ever employed8  ,no2    
never4 ,as to diseases1 if by such means
 a disease had been  propagated1 the    
case would have been intelligible       
enough4 ,but what was  wanted was a     
miracle3 and this would have been no    
miracle4 ,the price1  received by the   
holy wearer for any of these cast-off   
habiliments--the  price1 of the precious
 effluvia thus conveyed--by any such    
little  circumstance1 had it been       
mentioned1 some light might have been   
cast on  what was done4    ,one thing1  
indeed1 may be stated with some         
assurance3 and this is--that1  after a  
man1 well or not well1 had received one 
of these same dirty  handkerchiefs1 or  
of these same dirty aprons1 no evil     

spirit in him was  visible4    ,one     
other thing may also be stated with no  
less confidence3--this is  that1        
infection out of the question1 and      
supposing ,paul free from all           
contagious disease1 if1 without         
handkerchief or apron1 the disease would
  have had its exit1--by no such        
handkerchief or any such apron was the  
exit of it prevented4    ,note1 that all
 this time1 according to this man1 the  
author of the ,acts1  he himself was in 
,paul's suite4 ,yet1 taking credit for  
all these  miracles--taking credit thus 
for miracles out of number1 not so much 
as  one of them all does he take upon   
himself to particularize4#gh            
,,section #h4    ,,supposable ,,miracle 
,,vii4--,,at ,,ephesus1 ,,exorcists     
,,scevas  ,,bedeviled4--,acts #ai3ac-bj4
    ,thus it is that1 as under the last 
head has been observed1 of all these    
alleged successful exhibitions1 not so  
much as a single one is  particularized4
    ,in lieu1 however1 of these         

successes of ,paul's1 something of a    
story to  a certain degree              
particularized we have4 ,but this       
is--what8 a successful  performance of  
,paul's8 ,no3 but an unsuccessful       
attempt of certain  persons1--here      
termed exorcists1--who took upon        
themselves to act  against him in the   
character of competitors4    ,well1     
then3 when the time came for            
demonstrating supernatural powers by    
experiment1 these exorcists--these      
impostors1 no doubt it was intended     
they should be deemed--made a very      
indifferent hand of it4 ,good3 but the  
true man1 ,did he go beyond these same  
impostors8 ,not he1 indeed3 he did  not 
so much as attempt it4 ,but1 let us hear
 his historiographer1 who all  this     
while was at his elbow4 ,acts #ai3ac-bj4
 ,then certain of the  vagabond ,jews1  
exorcists1 took upon them to call over  
them which had  evil spirits1 the name  
of the ,lord ,jesus1 saying1 ,we adjure 
you by  ,jesus1 whom ,paul preacheth4   

,and there were1 continues the          
narrative1 ver4 #ad1 seven sons of      
,sceva1 a ,jew1 and chief of the        
priests1 which did so4 ,thus far the    
narrative4    ,the sons of the chief of 
the priests8 ,such men styled not only  
exorcists but vagabonds8 ,if they are   
not here1 in express terms1  themselves 
styled vagabonds1 at any rate1 what is  
here imputed to them  is the doing those
 same things1 the doers of which have   
just been  styled1 not only exorcists1  
but at the same time vagabonds4 ,but let
  us continue1 ,and the evil spirit1    
ver4 #ae1 answered and said1 ,jesus1  ,i
 know1 and ,paul ,i know1 but who are   
ye8--,and the man1 in whom the evil     
spirit was1 leaped on them and overcame 
them1 and prevailed against  them1 so   
that they fled out of that house naked  
and wounded4 ,thus far  the narrative4  
,to whatsoever order of beings the hero 
of this tale may have                   
belonged2--whatsoever may have been his 
proper appellative1--a man with  two    

natures1 one human1 the other           
diabolical1--a man with a devil in  him1
 a madman1--or a man in his sound senses
 counterfeiting a diabolized  man or a  
madman1--the tale itself is surely an   
eminently curious one4 ,of  these human 
or superhuman antagonists of his--of    
these pretended masters  over evil      
spirits--the number is not less than    
seven3 yet1 in comparison  of him1 so   
feeble and helpless are they all        
together1 that he not only  masters them
 all seven1 but gets them down1 all     
seven together1 and  while they are     
lying on the ground in a state of       
disablement1 pulls the  clothes off     
their backs3 but whether one after      
another1 or all at the  same time1 is   
not mentioned4 ,be this as it may1      
hereupon comes a  question or two4      
,while he was stripping any one of them1
 what were the  others about all that   
time8 ,the beating they received1 was it
 such as to  render them senseless and  
motionless8 ,no3 this can scarcely have 

been  the case2 for1 when the devil had 
done his worst1 and their sufferings    
were at the height1 out of the house did
 they flee1 wounded as they  were4      
,jesus ,i know1 and ,paul ,i know1 says 
the mysterious hero1 in the  fifteenth  
verse4 ,hereupon an observation or two  
calls for utterance4  ,supposing him a  
man1 who1 knowing what he was about1    
counterfeited the  sort of being1 who   
was half man1 half devil1--one-half of  
this speech of  his1 namely1 ,paul ,i   
know1 may without much difficulty be    
believed4  ,but1 upon this supposition1 
forasmuch as he acted with so much      
effect  against these rivals of         
,paul's1--a supposition not less        
natural1 to say  the least of it1       
is--that to ,paul he was not unknown1   
any more than ,paul  to him3 in a word1 
that on this occasion1 between the evil 
spirit and  the self-constituted        
,apostle1 a sort of understanding had   
place4 ,be this  as it may1 how         
extraordinary a person must he not have 

been1 to  undertake the complete mastery
 of seven men at once6 ,seven men1 all  
of  them young enough to have a father1 
not only living1 but officiating as  a  
priest3 and at the same time1 all of    
them old enough1 if not to  exercise1   
mastery over evil spirits1 at any rate  
to undertake it6    ,in ,paul's suite1  
all this time1 as far as appears1 was   
the author of  this narrative4 ,the     
scene thus exhibited--was he then1 or   
was he not1  himself an eyewitness of   
it8 ,on a point so material and so      
natural1 no  light has he afforded us4  
,another circumstance1 not less curious1
 is--that it is immediately after  the  
story of the unnamed multitudes1 so     
wonderfully cured by foul               
clothes1--that this story of the        
devil-masters discomfited by a          
rebellious servant of theirs1 makes its 
appearance4 ,turn now to the  supposed  
true devil-master--on this score1 what  
was it that he did8 ,just  nothing4 ,the
 devil1--and a most mischievous one he  

was1--he was doing  all this            
mischief3--the man1 who had all such    
devils so completely in  his power1 that
 they quit possession1 and decamp at the
 mere sight or  smell of a dirty        
handkerchief or apron of his2--he1      
though seeing all  this mischief        
done1--done by this preminently         
mischievous as well as  powerful        
devil1--still suffers him to go on2--and
 not any the least  restraint in any    
shape1 does he impose upon him2 but     
leaves him in  complete possession of   
that receptacle1 which1 according to the
  narrative1 he wanted neither the power
 nor the will to convert into an        
instrument of so much mischief4 ,was it 
from ,paul himself1 that1 on this       
special occasion1 for this special      
purpose1 namely1 the putting down  these
 presumptuous competitors1 this         
mysterious being received so            
extraordinary a gift8 ,this is not said1
 but not improbably1 as it should  seem1
 this was the miracle1 which it was     

intended by the historian  should be    
believed4    ,occasions there are--and  
this we are desired to believe was one  
of  them--in which the impossibility of 
a thing is no bar to the knowledge  of  
it4    ,and this was known1 continues   
the narrative1 ver4 #ag1 ,and this was  
known to all the ,jews and ,greeks also 
dwelling at ,ephesus3 and fear fell  on 
them all1 and the name of the ,lord     
,jesus was magnified4    ,now1 supposing
 this thing known1 the fear stated as   
the result of it may  without difficulty
 be believed3--fear of being treated as 
those sons of  the chief of the ,jewish 
priests had been3 fear of the devil1 by 
whom  those1 his unequal antagonists1   
had been thus dealt with3 fear of the   
more skilful devil-master1 under whose  
eye these bunglers had been thus  dealt 
with4    ,but the name here said to be  
magnified--the name of the ,lord        
,jesus--how that came to be magnified3  
in this lies all the while the          
difficulty1 and it seems no small one4  

,the name1 on this occasion1 and thus   
said to be employed1 whose was  it8 ,it 
was1 indeed1 the ,lord ,jesus's4 ,but   
was it successful8 ,quite the  contrary4
 ,it made bad worse4 ,in the whole of   
this business1 what was  there from     
which the name of ,jesus could in any   
shape receive  magnification8 ,yes3 if  
after the so eminently unsuccessful use1
 thus  made of it by those exorcists1 a 
successful use had1 on the same         
occasion1 been made of it by ,paul4     
,but1 no3 no such enterprise did he     
venture upon4 ,madman1 devil1           
counterfeit madman1 counterfeit         
devil1--by  proxy1 any of these he was  
ready to encounter1 taking for his proxy
 one  of his foul handkerchiefs or      
aprons3 any of this sort of work1 if his
  historiographer is to be believed1 he 
was ready enough to do by proxy4  ,but1 
in person8 ,no2 he knew better things4  
,and many that believed1 concludes this 
part of the narrative1 ver4 #ah1  came  
and confessed1 and showed their deeds4  

,yes2 supposing there were  any1 by whom
 all this or any part of it was         
believed1--that they spoke  and acted in
 consequence1 may be believed without   
much difficulty3 and1  with this        
observation may the story1 and the sort 
of elucidation  endeavouring to be given
 of it1 be left to close4      ,,section
 #i4    ,,supposable ,,miracle          
,,viii4--,,magical ,,books ,,burnt ,,by 
,,the  ,,owners4--,acts #ai3ai1 #bj4    
,such as it was1 the supposable miracle 
last mentioned was not without  its     
supposed fruit3 destruction of property1
 such as it was--destruction  of        
property1 and to an amount sufficiently 
wonderful for the  satisfaction of any  
ordinary appetite for wonders4 ,but let 
us see the  text4 ,it follows in the    
verse #ai1 next after that1 in which    
mention is  made1 as in the last        
preceding section1 of what was done by  
the many  who believed4    ,many of them
 also1 ver4 #ai1 which used curious     
arts1 brought their  books together1 and

 burned them before all men2 and they   
counted the  price of them1 and found it
 fifty thousand pieces of silver4 ,so   
mightily1 ver #bj1 grew the word of     
,god1 and prevailed4 ,and there ends    
the story of the books of curious arts4 
,as to the sum total1 nothing can be    
more precise3 as to the items1 could    
the list of them be but produced1 this  
would be indeed a treasure4 ,as to  the 
denomination magical1 given in the title
 of this section to those  books1 styled
 books of curious arts1--in the text1   
short is the only  apology that need be 
made for it4 ,of the number of those    
curious arts  could not1 most assuredly1
 have been any of the arts included at  
present  under the name of fine arts2 of
 the character of the arts here         
designated by the appellation of        
curious1 a sufficient indication is     
afforded by the story1 by which the     
mention of them is1 as above1           
immediately preceded4 ,they were the    
arts1 by which effects were  undertaken 

to be produced1 such as the             
self-constituted ,apostle  undertook to 
produce by so much more simple means4   
,how vast soever were  the collection1  
what would be the value of it1--the     
whole taken  together1--when so much    
more than could be done by everything   
which it  professed to teach1 could be  
done by about a score or a dozen words1 
on  the single condition1 that the lips 
by which they were uttered were         
properly commissioned lips1 not to speak
 of the still more simple  operation of 
the touch of a used handkerchief8    ,of
 the state of art and science in the    
wake of the great temple of  ,diana1 the
 representation here given is of itself 
no small curiosity4  ,books of curious  
arts--all of them arts of               
imposture--books1 employed1  all of     
them1 in teaching the most secret of all
 secrets--books of this  description1 so
 well known to all men1 as to bear a    
market-price6 a  market-price1 so well  
known to all men1 as if it were the     

price of bread  and butcher's meat3 and1
 in the single town of ,ephesus1 these  
books so  numerous1--such the multitude 
or the value1--or rather the multitude  
as  well as value1 of them taken in the 
aggregate1 that the price1 that had     
been given for such of them as were thus
 given up1 and which are only  part1    
and1 as it should seem by the word many1
 not the larger part1 of  the whole     
number1 of those1 which1 at that same   
place1 were at that same  time in       
existence1--was1 upon summing up1 found 
actually to amount1 so  we are required 
to believe1 to that vast sum4    ,of the
 aggregate1 of the prices that had been 
paid1 we are told1 for  this smaller    
part of the aggregate number of the     
books1 then and there  existing on this 
single subject1--inadequate1 indeed1    
would our  conception be of it were we  
to regard it as not exceeding the value 
of  the whole library collected by ,king
 ,george the ,third1 and given by his   
successor to the ,english part of his   

subjects4 ,data1 though not for         
numeration1 yet sufficient for          
conception1 are by no means wanting4 ,to
  consult ,arbuthnot1 or any successor  
of his1 would be mere illusion2 in  so  
far as the value of money is unknown1   
prices in money serve but to  deceive4  
,history--and that the most appropriate 
history--has furnished  us with much    
surer grounds4 ,thirty pieces of silver1
 ,matt4 #bh3c-aj1 was  the              
purchase-money of the field1 called the 
potters' field1 bought for  a           
burying-ground1 with the money received 
and returned by the traitor1  ,judas1 as
 the reward for his treachery4 ,suppose 
it no more than half an  acre4 ,what1 in
 ,english money of the present day1     
would be the value of  half an acre of  
land in or close by a closely built     
metropolis8 ,a  hundred pounds would1   
assuredly1 be a very moderate allowance4
 ,multiply  the hundred pounds by fifty 
thousand1 you have five millions2 divide
 the  five millions by thirty1 you have1

 on the above supposition1 #aff1fffl4   
and odd for the value of these books4   
,look to the ,english translation1  look
 to the ,greek original1 the pieces of  
silver are the same4      ,,section #aj4
    ,,supposable ,,miracle ,,ix4--,,at  
,,troas1 ,,eutychus ,,found ,,not ,,to  
,,be  ,,dead4--,acts #bj3g-ab4    ,in   
this story may be seen another example1 
of the facility with which1  when men   
are upon the hunt for miracles1         
something may be made out of  nothing3  
the most ordinary occurrence1 by the    
addition of a loose word  or two1       
metamorphosed into a miracle4    ,paul1 
one evening1 was treating his disciples 
with a sermon3 he was at  the same time 
treating them1 or they him1 with a      
supper4 ,the  architecture of the house 
was such1 that1 under favourable        
circumstances1 a fall might be got from 
the top of it1 or thereabouts1  to the  
bottom1 without much difficulty4 ,if any
 difficulty there was1 on  the occasion 
in question it was overcome4 ,according 

to circumstances1  sermons produce on   
different minds different effects3 from 
some1 they  drive sleep2 in others1 they
 produce it4 ,on the occasion in        
question1  the latter was the effect    
experienced by a certain youth4 ,his    
station  is represented as being an     
elevated one3--so elevated that1 after  
the fall he got from it1 it may be      
believed without difficulty1 he  lay for
 some time motionless4 ,paul went down  
to him1 we are told1  and embraced him4 
,the youth received the embrace2 ,paul1 
the praise  of tender-heartedness3--this
 is what may be asserted with a safe    
conscience1 though it be without any    
special evidence4 ,trifling1  however1  
is the boon he received from that       
congregation1 in comparison  of what he 
has been receiving from so many         
succeeding ones--the  reputation of     
having made so brilliant an addition to 
the catalogue of  his miracles4 ,by the 
accident1 whatever may have been the    
interruption1  given by it to the       

festivity1 no end was put to it4 ,sermon
 and supper  ended1 the rest of the     
congregation went their way3 and with   
them went  the youth1 to whom had       
anything serious happened1 the historian
 would  scarcely have left us uninformed
 of it4    ,on this occasion1 between   
the hero and his historian1 there is    
somewhat  of a difference4 ,the         
historian will have it1 that when ,paul 
reached the  body he found it dead4     
,paul's own account of the matter is the
 direct  contrary3 so the historian     
himself informs us4 ,here then the      
historian  and his hero are at issue4   
,but1 the historian1 having the first   
word1  makes1 if we may venture to say  
so1 a rather unfair advantage of it1 and
  by this same first word gives a       
contradiction to what he makes his hero 
say in the next4 ,he was taken up dead1 
says the historian1 who was or  was not 
there3 ,his life is in him1 says the    
preacher1 who was there  beyond dispute4
    ,but let us see the text4    ,,acts 

#bj3g-ab4         #g4 ,and upon the     
first day of the week1 when the         
disciples came       together to break  
bread1 ,paul preached unto them1 ready  
to depart       on the morrow1 and      
continued his speech till               
midnight4--,and there       were many   
lights in the upper chamber1 where they 
were gathered       together4--,and     
there sat in a window a certain young   
man named       ,eutychus1 being fallen 
into a deep sleep3 and as ,paul was long
       preaching1 he sunk down with     
sleep1 and fell down from the third     
loft1 and was taken up dead4--,and ,paul
 went down1 and fell on him1       and  
embracing him1 said1 ,trouble not       
yourselves1 for his life is in          
him4--,when he therefore was come up    
again1 and had broken bread1       and  
eaten1 and talked a long while1 even    
till break of day1 so he                
departed4--,and they brought the young  
man alive1 and were not a       little  
comforted4    ,at this time of day1 any 

such contrariety might produce some     
embarrassment2 but1 when it is          
considered how long ago the thing       
happened1 no such uneasy sensation is   
experienced4 ,a supposition1 by  which  
all embarrassment is excluded1 is so    
immediately obvious1 as to be  scarce   
worth mentioning4 ,when ,paul reached   
the body1 the soul was  already in the  
other world2 but1 with the kisses goes a
 whisper1 and the  soul comes back      
again4 ,whether from indolence or from  
archness1 there is  something amusing in
 the course the historian takes for     
enlivening his  narration with these    
flowers3 he sketches out the outline1   
but leaves it  to our imaginations to   
fill it up4      ,,section #aa4         
,,supposable ,,miracle ,x4--,,on        
,,shipboard1 ,,paul ,,comforted ,,by    
,,an ,,angel4    ,,acts #bg3bj-be4      
,and when neither sun nor stars appeared
 for many days1 and no small            
tempest lay on us1 all hope that we     
should be preserved was                 

thenceforth taken away4--,but after long
 abstinence ,paul stood in       the    
midst of them1 and said1 ,sirs1 ye      
should have hearkened to me1       and  
not have loosed from ,crete1 but have   
prevented this harm and                 
damage4--,and now ,i exhort you to be of
 good courage3 for there       shall be 
no loss of life among you1 but of the   
ship1 there shall       be loss4--,for  
there stood by me this night an angel of
 that ,god1       whose ,i am1 and whom 
,i serve1 saying1--,fear not1 ,paul1    
thou must be       brought before       
,caesar2 and lo1 ,god hath graciously   
given to thee       all who sail with   
thee4--,wherefore1 ,sirs1 be of good    
courage3 for ,i       believe ,god1 that
 it will be as it hath been told me4    
,the sea being stormy1 the crew are     
alarmed4 ,the storm1 however1 is not  so
 violent1 but that ,paul is able to make
 a speech1 and they to hear it4  ,to    
keep up their spirits1 and1 at the same 
time1 let them see the sort  of terms he

 is upon with the ,almighty1 he tells   
them a story about an  angel4 ,the angel
 had been sent to him upon a visit1 and 
was but just  gone4 ,the business of the
 angel was to quiet the mind of the     
,apostle4  ,the matter had been settled4
 ,the precious life was in no danger3   
and1  not only so1 but1 out of          
compliment to him1 ,god had been pleased
 to  grant to him the lives of all who  
were happy enough to be in his  company4
    ,in the situation1 in which so many 
lives are represented as being          
placed1--no very severe condemnation can
 easily be passed upon any  little      
fraud1 by which they might be saved4    
,but1 is it really to be  believed1 that
 this angel1 whom1 in a deckless vessel1
 for the vessels  of those times were   
not like the vessels of present times1  
no person  but ,paul either saw or      
heard1 was really sent express from the 
sky by  ,god ,almighty1 on such an      
errand8 ,if not1 then have we this      
additional  proof1--if any additional   

proof can be needed1--to help to satisfy
  us1--that1 where a purpose was to be  
answered1 falsehood1 or as he would     
have called it lying1 was not among the 
obstacles1 by which ,paul would  be     
stopped1 in his endeavours to accomplish
 it4      ,,section #ab4    ,,supposable
 ,,miracle ,,xi4--,,at ,,malta1 ,a      
,,reptile ,,shaken ,,off ,,by ,,paul    
,,without ,,hurt4--,acts #bh3a-f4    ,a 
fire of sticks being kindled1 a reptile1
 here called a viper1 is  represented as
 coming out of the heat1 and fastening  
on ,paul's hand4  ,on beholding this    
incident1--the barbarous people1 as the 
inhabitants  are called1 whose          
hospitality kindled the fire for the    
relief of the  shipwrecked company1     
concluded that ,paul was a murderer3 and
 were1  accordingly1 in expectation of  
seeing him swollen1 or fallen down dead 
suddenly4 ,nothing of this sort         
happened1 their next conclusion was1    
that he was a ,god4 ,as such1 did these 
barbarians1 as did the civilized        

inhabitants of ,lystra1 sacrifice to    
him1 or in any other way worship  him8  
,no3 these conceptions of theirs        
reported1 there the story ends4    ,of  
this story1 what is to be made8 ,at this
 time of day1 among ,christians  in     
general1 what we should expect to find  
is1 that it passed for a  miracle4 ,but1
 if by miracle is meant1 not merely an  
accident1 somewhat  singular and        
extraordinary1--but1 by a special act of
 ,almighty power1 an  effect produced1  
by means disconformable to the uniform  
course of  nature1--it might be too much
 to say1 that even by the reporter      
himself1  it is for the decided purpose 
of its being taken for miracle1 that it 
is  brought to view4    ,if1 however1   
the design was not here1 that the       
incident should be taken  for a         
miracle1--the story amounted to nothing1
 and was not worth the  telling4 ,but1  
if it is to be made into a miracle1     
where is the matter  in it1 out of which
 a miracle can be made8    ,the         

reptile--was it really a viper8 ,neither
 the barbarians of ,malta1 nor  the     
reporter of this story1 nor in a word1  
at that time of day1 any  other persons 
whatever1 were either very complete or  
very correct1 in  their conception of   
matters belonging to the field of       
natural history4  ,at present1 reptiles 
are crawling creatures4 ,at this time of
 day1 when  leeches are excepted1 to    
fasten upon the part they have bitten is
 not  the practice with any reptiles    
that we know of4 ,if1 instead of viper1 
the ,greek word had been one that could 
have been translated  leech1--the story 
would have been probable enough1 but1   
were it only  for that very reason1 no  
miracle could have been made out of it4 
,shaken  down into the fire1 that is1   
into the burning fuel1--a small reptile1
  such as a leech1 how brisk soever in  
the water1 would be very apt to be      
overpowered by the heat1 before it could
 make its escape3 with a reptile  of the
 ordinary size of a viper1 this would   

hardly be the case4    ,be this as it   
may1 he felt1--so says the story1--he   
felt no harm4  ,how came it that he felt
 no harm8 ,because the ,almighty        
performed a  miracle to preserve him    
from harm8 ,so long as eyes are open1   
causes out  of number--causes that have 
nothing wonderful in them--present      
themselves to view before this4 ,the    
beast1 as it is translated1 was  not a  
viper3--if really a viper1 it happened1 
at that moment1 not to be  provided with
 a competent stock of venom3 it had     
already expended it  upon some other    
object3--by some accident or other1 it  
had lost the  appropriate tooth4 ,not to
 look out for others1--any mind that was
 not  bent upon having a miracle at any 
price1 would lay hold of some such      
cause as one of these1 sooner than give 
itself any such trouble as that  of     
torturing the incident into a miracle4  
,to bring under calculation the quantity
 of supernatural power necessary  to the
 production of a given effect is no very

 easy task4 ,at any  rate1--without more
 or less of expense in a certain shape1 
nothing in  that way could ever be done4
 ,in the case here in question1 what    
could  have been the object of any such 
expense8 ,was it the saving the         
self-constituted ,apostle the pain of a 
bite8 ,the expense then1 would it  not  
have been less--the operation1 so to    
speak1 more economical--had a  slight   
turn been given to ,paul's hand1 or to  
the course of the reptile8  ,but1 in    
either case1 neither would the name of  
the ,lord1 nor--what was  rather more   
material--that of his ,apostle1 have    
received that  glorification which was  
so needful to it4    ,any such design1  
as that of giving an unequivocal        
manifestation of  ,almighty power1 such 
as should stand the test of scrutiny1   
testifying  the verity of ,paul's       
commission to the end of time1--any such
 design  could the incident have had for
 its final cause8 ,a more equivocal1--a 
less conclusive1--proof of the          

manifestation of supernatural power1    
seems not very easy to imagine4    ,here
 then comes once more the so often      
repeated conclusion3--the  narrative    
began to be in want of a miracle1 and   
the miracle was made4    ,in those days1
 among that people1 miracles were so    
much in course1 that  without a         
reasonable number of them1 a history    
would hardly have  obtained credence3 at
 any rate it would not have obtained    
readers1 and  without readers no history
 can ever obtain much credence4         
,,section #ac4    ,,supposable ,,miracle
 ,,xii4--,,at ,,malta1 ,,deputy         
,,publius',s ,,father  ,,cured4--,acts  
#bh3g-aj4    ,in the same quarters1 says
 the story--it follows immediately upon 
that  of the viper4 ,in the same        
quarters were possessions of the chief  
man of  the island1 whose name was      
,publius1 who received us and lodged us 
three days courteously4--,and it came to
 pass1 that the father of ,publius  lay 
sick of a fever1 and of a bloody flux1  

to whom ,paul entered in and  prayed1   
and laid his hands on him and healed    
him4--,so when this was  done1 others   
also which had diseases in the island1  
came and were  healed4--,who also       
honoured us with many honours1 and when 
we departed1  they laded us with such   
things as were necessary4    ,of the    
fevers1 which1 within the compass of any
 given spot1 and any  given space of    
time1 have place1 it almost always      
happens1 that a  certain number go off  
of themselves4 ,of1 perhaps1 all sorts  
of  fever1--at least of almost all sorts
 at present known1 thus much is  agreed 
upon by all physicians3--they have at   
least two regular courses1  one of which
 terminates in death1 the other or      
others in recovery4  ,supposing the     
person in question to have had a        
fever1--what is pretty  clear is--that1 
if of itself1 it would have taken a     
favourable  termination1 there was      
nothing1 in the forms employed by ,paul1
 viz41  utterance of prayers and        

imposition of hands1 that could have any
  natural tendency to cause it to take  
an unfavourable one4    ,but--the course
 afterwards taken by the fever1 was     
there anything in it  to distinguish it 
from the ordinary favourable course8 ,if
 not1 in that  case1 so far from        
miraculous1 there is nothing that is so 
much as  wonderful in the case4    ,note
 here two things--the narrator one of   
the party2 the narrative so  loose and  
uncircumstantial4 ,but to see is one    
thing2 to narrate1  another4    ,three  
days1 it seems1 and no more1 did ,paul  
and his suite stay at the  house of this
 ,publius4 ,was it during that time1 or 
not till afterwards1  that ,paul        
performed on him those ceremonies1 of   
which healing is  represented as having 
been the consequence8 ,was it within    
that same  space of time1 or not till   
afterwards1 that the healing is supposed
 to  have taken place8 ,as to the       
,english word healing1 it cannot be     
accused  of being indecisive4 ,but in   

some languages they have words1 by which
 a  very convenient veil is thrown over 
the result4 ,in the languages in        
question1 for the endeavour to heal1    
whether successful or unsuccessful1  the
 word employed is the same4 ,the ,latin 
affords one of these convenient  words1 
curo4 ,the ,greek has another1 iasato1  
and in the ,greek  original of this     
history1 this is the word employed4     
,in a case where a ceremony and nothing 
else is trusted to1 it being  supposed  
that the patient really has the disease1
 the safe and prudent  course is1 so to 
order times and seasons1 that between   
the time of  performing the ceremony1   
and the time at which restoration to    
health is  expected to take place1 the  
time shall have come for the            
practitioner to  have shifted quarters2 
for1 in this case1 this is an interval  
more or  less considerable during which 
it being taken for granted that the     
desired result will take place of       
course1 reward1 in the shapes of  profit

 and honour1 will pour in upon the      
scientific head4    ,here1 as elsewhere1
 not only no symptoms are               
particularized1 but no  place is        
mentioned3 no time is particularized1 no
 persons are  mentioned as percipient   
witnesses3 even the individual who was  
the  subject of the cure is not         
mentioned by name4    ,as to the givers 
of the supposed honours and             
presents--persons are  indeed           
mentioned3--mentioned1 but no otherwise 
than by the name of  others4 ,one       
individual alone is particularized3     
particularized as  having received the  
benefit of these ceremonies4 ,this is   
the father of  ,publius4 ,this man1 to  
use the phraseology of the passage1 was 
also  healed4 ,but--this man who was he8
 ,he was no less a person than the      
father of the chief man in the island4  
,well then1 what are the honours1  what 
the allotment of such things as were    
necessary8 ,what were the  proofs of    
gratitude1 afforded by this man1 who was

 so much better able  to afford such    
presents1 than any of those other       
persons cured8 ,by such  proofs of      
remuneration1 some evidence--some       
circumstantial  evidence1--supposing    
them exhibited at a proper time1 would  
have been  afforded1 in proof of the    
reality of the service4 ,but1 neither by
 the  person thus spoken of as healed1  
nor by his son--the chief man in the    
island1--is it said that any such proofs
 were afforded4 ,for such a  silence    
when the case of an individual was      
brought to view1 coupled with  the      
express declaration made1 of gifts      
presented by persons  unnamed1--three   
cases cannot but present themselves1 as 
being any one of  them more probable1   
than that1 on this occasion1 a real     
miracle was  performed4 ,one is--that   
there was no disease1 perhaps no such   
person3  another is1 that though there  
was a disease1 it went off of itself3   
the  third is1 that it never went off at
 all4    ,one thing may be asserted     

without much fear of contradiction3  and
 that is1 that in this country1 if in   
terms such as these1  accounts were     
inserted in the public prints2--accounts
 of diseases  cured without             
medicine2--diseases cured by nothing but
 words and  gesticulations2--though the 
accounts given were ever so numerous1   
not  the smallest notice would they be  
thought worthy of1--not the smallest    
attention would they receive from       
anyone1 unless it were for the joke's   
sake4    ,what is more1--numerous are   
the publications1 in which1 encompassed 
with circumstantiality in all manner of 
shapes1 not only the names of  the      
fortunate patients are mentioned1 but   
under the signatures of those  patients 
declarations made1 assuring the public  
of the reality of the  cure1--and yet1  
when at the same time1 by competent     
persons1 due inquiry  has been made1 it 
turns out after all that no such cure   
has been  performed4    ,accounts1 which
 would not be believed were they to come

 out at a time of  so widely diffused   
knowledge1 are they to be believed1     
merely because  the time they belonged  
to1--facts and accounts together1--was1 
as to all  such matters1 a time of      
universal ignorance8 ,the less a man    
understands  the subject1 the more      
firmly is he to be believed1 as to      
everything he  says of it8 ,or is it    
that1 between then and now1 men and     
things have  undergone a total change8  
and1 if so1 when did it take place8     
,,section #ad4    ,,conclusion3 ,,the   
,,supposable ,,miracles ,,classed ,,and 
,,summed ,,up4                          
,inferences1--conveying more or less of 
instruction1--may1 perhaps1 be  found   
deducible1--at any rate our conception  
of the whole series taken  together1    
will be rendered so much the clearer1 by
 bringing the same  supposed marvels    
again under review1 arranged in the     
order of time4    ,for this purpose1 the
 time may be considered as divided into 
three  periods4    ,in the first are    

included--those1 which are represented  
as having had  place during the time    
when at the outset of his missionary    
expedition1  ,paul had ,barnabas for his
 associate4 ,of these there are two1    
viz4 #a4 ,at  ,paphos1 ,a4,d4 #de1      
,sorcerer ,elymas blinded4 #b4 ,at      
,lystra1 ,a4,d4 #df1 cripple  cured4 ,of
 this part of the expedition1 the       
commencement1 as in the  current        
account1 placed in the year #de4    ,in 
the second period are included--those1  
which are represented as  having had    
place1 during the time when ,paul1 after
 his separation from  ,barnabas1 had    
,silas for his associate1 and the       
unnamed author of the  ,acts for an     
attendant4 ,this ends with his arrival  
at ,jerusalem1 on the  occasion of his  
fourth visit--the ,invasion ,visit4     
,in the current accounts1 this event is 
placed in the year #fj4 ,within  this   
period1 we have the seven following     
supposed marvels3 #a4 ,at  ,philippi1   
,a4,d4 #ec1 divineress silenced4 #b4 ,at

 ,philippi1 ,a4,d4 #ec1  earthquake3    
,paul and ,silas freed from prison4 #c4 
,at ,corinth1 ,a4,d4 #ed1  ,paul        
comforted by the ,lord in an unseen     
vision4 #d4 ,at ,ephesus1 ,a4,d4 #ef1   
diseases and devils expelled by ,paul's 
foul handkerchiefs4 #e4 ,at  ,ephesus1  
,a4,d4 #ee1 ,exorcist ,scevas bedeviled4
 #f4 ,at ,ephesus1 ,a4,d4 #ef1  magic   
books burned by the owners4 #g4 ,at     
,troas1 ,a4,d4 #ei1 ,eutychus found  not
 to be dead4    ,in the third period are
 included--those which are represented  
as having  had place1 in the interval   
between his forced departure from       
,jerusalem  for ,rome1 and his arrival  
at ,rome4    ,in the current accounts1  
this event is placed in the year #fb4   
,within  this concluding period1 we have
 the following supposed marvels3 #a4 ,on
  shipboard1 ,a4,d4 #fb1 ,paul comforted
 by an angel4 #b4 ,at ,malta1 ,a4,d4    
#fb1 a  reptile shaken off by ,paul     
without his being hurt4 #c4 ,at ,malta1 
,a4,d4 #fb1  ,deputy ,publius's father  

cured by ,paul of some disorder4 ,year  
of all  these three last marvels1 the   
same as that of ,paul's arrival at      
,rome4  ,total number of supposed       
marvels1 twelve4    ,to the first of    
these three periods belong two supposed 
marvels1 which1  supposing them to have 
any foundation in truth1 present        
themselves as  being1 in a greater      
degree than most of the others1 exposed 
to the  suspicion of contrivance4 ,a    
moderate sum1 greater or less according 
to  the state more or less flourishing  
of his practice1 might suffice to       
engage a sorcerer1 for a few minutes or 
hours1 to declare himself  struck blind3
 a still more moderate sum might suffice
 to engage an  itinerant beggar1 to     
exhibit himself with one leg tied up1   
and after  hearing what was proper to be
 heard1 or seeing what was proper to be 
seen1 to declare himself cured4    ,this
 was the period1 during which ,paul had 
,barnabas1 or ,barnabas ,paul1  for an  
associate4 ,in these cases1 if fraud in 

any shape had place1--it  is not without
 reluctance1 that any such supposition  
could be  entertained1 as that          
,barnabas--the generous1 the            
conciliating1 the  beneficent1 the      
persevering ,barnabas--was privy to it4 
,but1 times and  temptation considered1 
even might this supposition be assented 
to1 on  rather more substantial grounds1
 than that which stands in competition  
with it3 namely1 that for the production
 of two effects1--comparatively  so     
inconsiderable1 and not represented as  
having been followed by any  determinate
 effects of greater moment1--the        
ordinary course of nature  was1 by a    
special interposition of ,almighty      
power1 broken through and  disturbed4   
,is it or is it not a matter worth      
remarking--that1 of all these twelve    
supposed occurrences1 such as they      
are1--in not more than four is the  hero
 represented1--even by his own          
attendant1 historian1 and               
panegyrist1--as decidedly taking any    

active part in the production of  the   
effect8 ,these are--the blinding of the 
sorcerer1 the cure of the  cripple1 the 
silencing of the divineress1 the curing 
of ,deputy ,publius's  father3 the three
 first1 at the commencement of this     
supposed  wonder-working part of his    
career2 the last1--with an interval of  
fifteen years between that and the      
first1--at the very close of it4 ,in    
the eight intermediate instances1 either
 the effect itself amounted to  nothing1
 or the hero is scarcely represented as 
being instrumental in  the production of
 it4 ,these are--the being let out of   
prison after an  earthquake had         
happened--being comforted1 whether by   
,god or man1 in a  vision or without    
one--having handkerchiefs1 by which1    
when he had done  with them1 diseases   
and devils were expelled--being present 
when a gang  of exorcists were beaten   
and stripped by a devil1 whom they had  
undertaken to drive out of a man--being 
in a place1 in which some  nonsensical  

books were burned by their owners--being
 in a house1 in  which a youth said to  
be dead1 was found not to be so--being  
comforted  by an angel1 who had the     
kindness to come on board ship          
uninvited--shaking off a reptile1       
without being hurt by it4    ,whatever  
store may be set at this time of day    
upon all these marvels1  less cannot    
easily be set upon them by anybody than 
was by ,paul himself4  ,for proof1 take 
the whole tenor of his own ,epistles1 as
 well as the  whole tenor of his        
visions1 as delivered by his attendant4 
,numberless as  were the scrapes he got 
himself into1--numberless as were the   
hosts of  enemies he everywhere made    
himself1--open as all ears were to      
everything  that presented itself as    
marvellous1--unable as men were to      
distinguish  what could be done from    
what could not be done1--pressing as was
 at all  times the need he had of       
evidence1 that could arrest the hands of
  enemies1--on no occasion do we find   

him calling into his aid1 so much as  a 
single one of all these supposed        
irrefragable evidences4    ,,footnotes3 
#gg ,and they had also ,john to their   
minister1 #ac3e4 ,what ,john was  this8 
,answer1 see chap4 #ae3cg to #dj4 ,this 
appears to have been that  ,john1 whose 
surname was ,mark1 who was the cause of 
the angry separation  of ,paul from     
,barnabas4    #gh ,another branch of his
 trade1 already mentioned in this same  
chapter1 as having been carried on by   
him in this same place1 namely1         
,ephesus1--and which1 where             
circumstances created a demand for the  
article1 appears to have been more      
profitable than that of expelling       
devils or diseases1--is that1 of which  
the ,holy ,ghost was the subject4  ,this
 power of conferring--that is to say1 of
 being thought to  confer--the ,holy    
,ghost1--such1 and of such sort was the 
value of it1  that ,simon ,magus1 as    
there may be occasion to mention in     
another  chapter1 had1 not less than    

one-and-twenty years before this1       
offered  the ,apostles money for it4    
,acts #h3ah-bd1 ,a4,d4 #cd4 ,this power1
 two  preceding verses of the same #aith
 chapter1 namely the #eth and #fth1     
represent ,paul as exercising3 and1     
whatsoever was the benefit derived1     
twelve is the number of the persons here
 spoken of as having received  it4      
,acts #ai3e-g4 ,after they1 the above   
twelve1 v4 #g1 disciples1 v4 #i1  were  
baptized1 v4 #e1 in the name of the     
,lord ,jesus2 when ,paul1 v4 #f1  had   
laid his hands upon them1 the ,holy     
,ghost came on them2 and they  spake    
with tongues1 and prophesied4 ,here     
then1 if1 by thus laying on of  hands1  
it is by ,paul that any operation is    
performed1 it is the  conferring of the 
,holy ,ghost4 ,but this power1 whence   
had ,paul received  it8 ,not from       
,jesus1 had the self-constituted        
,apostle received this gift1  whatever  
it was1 any more than he had baptism1 by
 which ceremony1 as  appears from ,acts 

#h3af1 it was regularly preceded3 as in 
the case of the  magician it actually   
had been4 ,not from ,jesus3 no such     
thing is anywhere  so much as pretended4
 ,not from the ,apostles1 or any of     
them2 from two1  for example1 by        
commission from the rest--as in the case
 of ,peter and  ,john1 ,acts            
#h3ad-ai3--no such thing is anywhere so 
much as pretended4 ,in  no such persons 
could this--would this--their           
self-declared superior1  have vouchsafed
 to acknowledge the existence1 of a     
power in which he had  no share4 ,on    
this occasion1 as on every other1       
independently of the  ,apostles did he  
act1 and in spite of the ,apostles4     
,as to the speaking with tongues and    
prophesying1 these are  pretensions1    
which may be acknowledged without much  
difficulty4  ,tongues are the organs    
most men speak with4 ,as to prophesying1
 it  was an operation that might as well
 be performed after the fact as  before 
the fact3 witness in ,luke #bb3fd1      

,prophesy1 who is it that smote  thee8  
,read the ,bible over from beginning to 
end1 a prophet1 whatever  else be meant1
 if there be anything else meant1 you   
will find to have  been a politician3 to
 prophesy was to talk politics4 ,make a 
new  translation1 or1 what would be     
shorter1 a list of corrigenda1 and      
instead of prophet put politician1--a   
world of labour1 now employed  in       
explanations1 will be saved4            
,,chapter ,,xiv4         ,acts1 part    
false1 part true3 ,author not ,saint    
,luke4      ,,section #a4    ,,by ,,the 
,,false ,,parts1 ,,the ,,gospel ,,not   
,,affected3 ,,most ,,parts ,,true4      
,in regard to the ,acts1 a notion1      
generally1 not to say universally1      
received1 is--that it had ,saint ,luke  
for its author3 and that1  accordingly1 
it may with propriety be regarded as a  
continuation of the  ,gospel of that    
,evangelist1 written by the same hand4  
,were this  conception a correct one1   
whatsoever shock were given to the      

credit of  the ,acts1 would unavoidably 
extend itself to the ,gospel history3 at
 any  rate1 to that part of it which    
bears the name of ,luke4    ,before this
 chapter is at an end1--the reader1 if  
the author is not much  mistaken1 will  
not only be convinced that that opinion 
is untenable1 but  see no small ground  
for wondering1 how by any person1 by    
whom any survey  had been taken of the  
two objects in that point of view1 any  
such notion  should ever have come to be
 entertained4    ,another memento1 of   
which1 if made before1 even the         
repetition may in  this place1 perhaps1 
be not without its use1 is--that1 from  
nothing that  is here said1 is any such 
conception meant to be conveyed1 as that
 the  history called ,the ,acts1 is from
 beginning to end1 like that of         
,geoffrey of ,monmouth's ,history of    
,britain1 a mere falsity4 ,in a  great  
part1 perhaps even by much the greatest1
 it is here looked upon as  true3 in    
great part true1 although in no         

inconsiderable part incorrect1  to say  
no worse3 and1 in particular1 on every  
point1 on which the colour  of the      
marvellous is visible4 ,as to the sort  
and degree of evidence due  to it1 one  
general assumption there is1 by which   
the whole of this  inquiry has1 from    
first to last1 been guided4 ,this       
is--that1 in relation  to one and the   
same work1 whatsoever be the subject of 
it1 credence may1  without inconsistency
 or impropriety1 by one and the same    
person1 be  given and withholden3 given1
 on this or that occasion2 withholden1  
on  this or that other occasion3 given1 
in so far as the truth of the  contents 
seems probable2 withholden1 as far as it
 seems improbable4    ,for the support  
of this assumption1--all that1 on the   
present occasion1  can be offered1      
is--an appeal to universal experience4  
,as to the general  foundations of the  
law of evidence1--for any excursion into
 so wide an  expanse1 neither this      
chapter nor any other part of this work 

would1 it  has been thought1 be         
generally regarded as a proper place4   
,what had been  written on that subject 
has accordingly been discarded4         
,,section #b4    ,,time ,,between       
,,resurrection ,,and ,,ascension--,,acts
 ,,contradicts ,,luke4    ,in the first 
place then1 ,saint ,luke cannot have    
been the author of the  ,acts4    ,the  
reason is very simple4 ,in respect of   
the time between ,jesus's  resurrection 
and his ascension1--the one of these    
narratives gives one  account1 the      
other1 another account3 and1 so wide is 
the difference  between the two1 that by
 one and the same person they could not 
have  both been given4 ,according to    
,saint ,luke1 the time during which1    
after  his resurrection1 and before his 
ascension1 ,jesus was seen by his       
disciples1 extended not beyond one day3 
according to the ,acts1 it  extended as 
far as forty days4 ,by ,saint ,luke1    
that the time was not  more than a day1 
is not indeed said in so many words2 but

 upon  examination of the text1 it will 
be found1 that1 consistently with the   
particulars given1 no longer duration   
can be assigned to it4 ,in the  ,acts1  
that the time1 during which he continued
 showing himself after his  passion1    
,acts #a3c1gi to the ,apostles1 was     
forty days1 is  affirmed in those very  
words4    ,the point here in question1  
be it observed1 is not truth1 but       
consistency3 not the truth of either of 
the two accounts2 but their             
consistency1 the one with the other3    
and1 instead of consistency1 so         
palpable is the inconsistency1 that the 
conclusion is1--by no one man1  who did 
not1 on one or other of the two         
occasions1 intend thereby to  deceive1  
can both of them1 morally speaking1 have
 been penned4    ,now for the proof4    
,first1 let us hear ,saint ,luke3 it is 
all of it in his  last chapter--the     
#bdth4 ,in verse #aj1 mention is made of
 certain women1  three named1 others not
 named4 ,in verses #b and #c1 they      

entered into1  it is said1 the          
sepulchre1 ver4 #b1 and found not the   
body of the ,lord  ,jesus4 ,in ver4 #i1 
they returned1 it is said1 from the     
sepulchre1 and  told all these things to
 the eleven1 and to all the rest4       
,thereupon it  is1 that1 of all them1   
two ver4 #ac1 of whom ,cleopas1 ver4    
#ah1 was one1  went that same day to    
,emmaus1 which was from ,jerusalem about
 sixty  furlongs3 and while they        
communed together1 it was that ,jesus1  
ver4  #ae1 drew near1 and went with     
them1 whereupon between him and them a  
conversation therein reported1 ensued4  
,the conversation1--the same            
conversation1 as reported in verses from
 #af to #bg1--;continues till their     
arrival at the village1 ver4 #bh1       
namely1 ,emmaus1 as per ver4 #ac4       
,according to the next verse1 ver4 #bi1 
the day1 namely1 that same day1  being  
far spent1 at that same place1 he went  
in to tarry with them1  they having     
constrained him4 ,then also it is that1 

ver4 #cj1 he sat at  meat with them3    
and1 ver4 #ca1 they knew him1 and he    
vanished out of  their sight4 ,moreover1
 at that same hour it is1 ver4 #cc1 that
 they  returned to ,jerusalem1 and found
 the eleven gathered together1 and them 
that were with them1 saying1 ver4 #cd1  
,the ,lord is risen indeed1 and  hath   
appeared unto ,simon4 ,then it is also1 
that1 ver4 #cf1 they  reporting what had
 passed1 as they thus spake1 ,jesus     
himself stood in  the midst of them1 and
 saith unto them1 ,peace be unto you4   
,thereupon  follows a conversation1     
reported in verses from #cg to #di1 in  
the course  of which he1 ver4 #dc1 did  
eat before them4 ,then it is1 that1     
immediately after the last words1 which1
 in ver4 #di1 he is stated to  have     
uttered1 come these words1 ver4 #ej1    
,and he led them out as far as  to      
,bethany1 and he lifted up his hands and
 blessed them4 ,and it came to  pass1   
says the next verse1 ver4 #ea1 while he 
blessed them1 he was  parted from them1 

and carried up into heaven4 ,and they   
worshipped him1  continues the next     
verse1 ver4 #eb1 and returned to        
,jerusalem with great  joy4 ,and1 with  
the next verse1 which says1 they were   
continually in  the temple1 praising and
 blessing ,god1--the chapter1 and with  
it the  ,gospel1 ends4    ,so much for  
,saint ,luke4 ,now for the author of the
 ,acts1 chapter #a1 ver4  #c1 ,to whom1 
says he1 namely the ,apostles1 ver4 #b1 
he1 namely ,jesus1  ver4 #a1 showed     
himself alive after his passion by many 
infallible  proofs1 being seen of them  
forty days444    ,thus while1 according 
to the author of the ,acts the          
time--during which  ,jesus was seen by  
the persons in question was not less    
than forty  days1--according to ,saint  
,luke1 the whole time1 during which this
 same  ,jesus was seen by those same    
persons1 was not more than one day4 ,and
  who was this historian1 who1 on the   
supposition of the identity1  speaking  
of this all-important scene1 on one     

occasion says1 that it  lasted no more  
than one day2 and1 on another occasion1 
professing1  ,acts #a3a1 to be giving   
continuance to such his former          
discourse1  declares1 in so many words1 
that it lasted forty days8 ,it is ,saint
  ,luke1 one of the ,apostles of        
,jesus2--one1 of the eleven1 before     
whose  eyes1 everything of that which   
has just been read1 is stated as having 
passed4    ,with all this before him1   
does the editor of the edition of the   
,bible1  called ,scholey's ,bible1 in a 
note to the commencement of the ,acts1  
very  composedly assure us1 that from   
its style1 and other internal marks1 it 
is evidently the production of ,luke3   
quoting for his authority1 ,bishop  of  
,lincoln's ,elements of ,christian      
,theology1 vol4 #d4 ,who this same      
,bishop of ,lincoln was1 by whose       
,elements of ,christian ,theology1      
instruction such as this is             
administered1 let those inquire1 in     
whose  eyes the profit of the inquiry   

promises payment for the trouble4 ,from 
any such particular inquiry1 the profit 
will perhaps appear the less1  the      
greater appears the probability1 that1  
in the minds of all  ,bishops1--from the
 first that ever committed his          
instructions in  theology to the press1 
down to those by whom the ,christian    
world is  illuminated at this present   
writing1--the same sort of discernment1 
or  the same sort of sincerity1 has all 
along had place4    ,when #bj1jjjl1 a   
year--or though it were but #bjl1 once  
told--or1  though it were but salvation 
from everlasting torment--is to be      
gained2  gained1 by the perception1 that
 two men1 the one of whom writes in     
point-blank contradiction to the other1 
are one and the same man1--the  task is 
not1 naturally speaking1 of the number  
of those1 by the  performance of which  
much wonder need be excited4    ,the    
sort of improvement1 made by the author 
of the later history1 upon  the account 
given in the earlier1 has now been seen4

 ,would anyone wish  to see the         
inducement8 ,he will not have far to    
look for it4 ,for making  the           
impression1 which it was his desire to  
make1--the one day1  allotted to the    
occurrence by one of the company1 was   
not1 in the  estimation of the anonymous
 writer1 sufficient4 ,to render it      
sufficient1  he calls in the powers of  
arithmetic3 he multiplies the one by    
forty2  and thus1 to the unquestionable 
satisfaction of a host of               
mathematicians1--,barrow1 ,newton1 and  
so many other mathematical divines1  not
 to speak of ,locke1 of the number--thus
 is done what is required to  be done3  
thus1 by so simple an operation1 is the 
probative force of the  occurrence      
multiplied forty-fold4#hj      ,,section
 #c4    ,,as ,,to ,,ascension1 ,,acts   
,,is ,,inconsistent ,,with ,,luke4      
,thus far1 the embellishments1 made by  
our anonymous artist1 have had for      
their ground the work of the original   
hand3 meaning always ,saint ,luke1  with

 whom the common error has identified   
him4 ,here comes an instance1  in which 
the whole is altogether of his own      
workmanship4 ,this is the  story of the 
two men in white apparel1 by whom1 what1
 in his eyes1  were the deficiencies in 
the instruction offered by ,jesus to the
  witnesses of his ascension1 may be    
seen supplied4    ,still the same       
delicacy as before3 by his own hand no  
miracle made3 only  a quantity of       
matter1 fit for this purpose1 put into  
the hands of  readers2 and to their     
imagination is left a task so natural   
and so1  agreeable4    ,scarcely1 after 
finishing his instructions to his       
,apostles1 has ,jesus  ceased to be     
visible to them1 when1 if ,acts is to be
 believed1 two men  in white            
apparel--two men1 to whom none of them  
were known1 and by  whom none of them   
were known1 make their appearance1 and  
from nobody  knows where4 ,but these    
same two men in white1 who are they8    
,oh6 says  ,imagination1 for the hints  

we have already seen given to her are   
quite  sufficient1 ,oh6 says            
,imagination1 they were angels4 ,think  
for a  moment1 and say what else they   
can have been4 ,had they been men1 could
  they have been thus unknowing and     
unknown8 could their appearance have    
been thus sudden8 not less sudden than  
the vanishing of a spirit8 not to  speak
 of the beautiful white clothes you see 
they had1--and would they  have been    
thus dressed8 ,to believe them men1     
would be to believe in  direct          
contradiction to ,saint ,luke2 for1 in  
his account of the matter1  as you may  
see1 from first to last1 not two men    
were there in the whole  party1 that    
were not in the most intimate manner    
known to each other4  ,but though1 by   
,saint ,luke's account1 so decided a    
negative is put upon  all men-strangers1
 yet nothing is said about angels4      
,angels1 therefore1  they may have      
been1--you may venture to say they were3
 and the report  made by all persons    

present1 remains nevertheless           
uncontradicted4    ,another proof1 that 
they cannot have been men1 and that     
therefore they  were angels4 ,of these  
beings1 who were then unknown to all the
 company1  what was the errand8 ,it was 
no less than the giving to the whole    
company  of the companions of           
,jesus1--of that ,jesus1 by whom1 after 
giving to  them such instructions as he 
thought fit to give to them1 they had   
but  that moment been left1--the giving 
to them some other instructions1  which 
he had not thought fit1 or else had     
forgot1 to give to them4 ,but1  as by no
 men-strangers could any such conceit   
have been entertained1 as  that1 by the 
party in question1 any such instructions
 would be listened  to1--so1 by no      
men-strangers can it be that any such   
instructions were  given3--an additional
 proof that they cannot have been       
anything but  angels4 ,thus readily does
 the imagination of the reader1 answer  
with  her logic1 the call given to her  

by the imagination of the author4       
,angels if they were1 they appear not to
 have been very knowing ones4  ,sent1   
for the purpose of giving               
information1--and such information1     
nothing of that which was known to all  
those1 to whom they came to give        
it1--nothing1 if they themselves are to 
be believed1 was known to them4         
,addressing themselves to the           
company--the company whom ,jesus had but
  that moment left1--,whom saw ye going 
up1 say they1 ver4 #aa1 into  heaven8   
,then comes the information1 which      
,jesus1 on his departure1  ,jesus1 we   
are expected to believe1 has not thought
 fit1 or else had  forgot1 to give4     
,this same ,jesus1 say they1 ver4 #aa1  
which is taken  up from you into heaven1
 shall so come in like manner as ye have
 seen  him go into heaven4 ,here we have
 the information and--they to whom it   
was given1--what can they have been the 
better for it8--,shall so come4  ,yes3  
but when and where1 and to what end1 and

 what to do8 points these1  as to all   
which1 the information is altogether    
mute4    ,one other proof is yet behind4
 ,what has been seen as yet is in the   
first  chapter4 ,the tenth of his eight 
and twenty chapters is not finished1    
where1 speaking in agreement with ,saint
 ,luke1 he now disagrees with  himself4 
,on this occasion1 it is by the mouth of
 ,peter that he speaks4  ,god1 he makes 
,peter say1 ,acts #aj3da1 ,god showed   
him1 ,jesus1  openly4--,showed him1 let 
anybody ask1 and to whom8 ,not1 says he1
 to  all the people1 but unto witnesses 
chosen before of ,god1 even to us who   
did eat and drink with him after he rose
 from the dead4 ,thus again it  is1 that
 for any men-strangers1 not a particle  
of room is left4 ,but1  for angels1     
considering the materials they are made 
of1 no quantity of  room can be         
insufficient3 therefore1 once more1     
nothing can these men  have been but    
angels4    ,,footnotes3    #gi ,as to   
the word passion1 that by this word     

could not have been  meant the same     
event as that denoted by the word       
resurrection1 cannot  but be            
acknowledged4 ,but1 with regard to the  
alleged inconsistency1 this  distinction
 will not be found to make any          
difference3 for1 as will be  seen1 it is
 not till after his resurrection1 that1 
by ,saint ,luke1 ,jesus  is represented 
as having begun to show himself4    #hj 
,in chapter ,,xii4 of this work1 section
 #a1 notice has already been  taken1 of 
a similar operation as having been      
performed by ,paul himself3  of the     
improvement made in that case1 the      
subject was the number of  the          
witnesses3 according to the real        
,apostle1 who was one of the  company1  
the number1 as we have seen1 was eleven1
 and a few more3 this  number1 whatever 
it was1 the self-constituted ,apostle1  
who knew nothing  about the matter1 took
 in hand1 and multiplied till he had    
raised it to  five hundred4 ,thus1 with 
or without concert1 with like           

effect1--and it  is almost needless to  
say1 with the same object1 and from the 
same  inducement1--may be seen the      
master and the journeyman1 working on   
different occasions1 but with           
well-matched industry1 at the           
manufacturing of evidence4 ,add now     
together the results of the two         
operations1 and note the aggregate4     
,number of witnesses1 according to      
,luke1 say1--for the sake of round      
numbers1--twenty2 though there seems    
little reason to suppose it so great3   
addition made to it by ,paul1 #dhj4     
,number of days1--during which1 as      
above1 they continued seeing and        
hearing what they saw and               
heard1--according to ,saint ,luke1 but  
one3  according to ,paul's attendant1   
#dj4 ,multiply together the two         
improvements1 that is to say1 the #dhj  
by the #dj1 you have #ai1bjj for the    
sum total of probative force1 added by  
the arguments of the author of  the     
,acts to the amount of the original     

quantity1 as reported by ,saint  ,luke4 
,,chapter ,,xv4         ,law            
,report4--,jews versus ,paul3 ,trials   
five1 with ,observations4      ,,section
 #a4    ,,introduction4    ,on the      
occasion of what passed at the ,temple1 
the report of a great  law-case1--to    
speak in modern and ,english            
language1--the case of ,the  ,jews      
against ,paul1 was begun4 ,the          
judicatory before which he underwent    
that trial1--partly before the ,jewish  
multitude1 partly before the ,roman     
chief by whom he was rescued1--was a    
sort of mixed and extempore  judicatory1
 something betwixt a legal and an       
illegal one3 for1 as has  been seen in  
the case of ,saint ,stephen1 and as may 
be seen in the case  of the woman taken 
in adultery1 and moreover1 in the body  
of the law  itself1 a sort of mob-law   
might1 not altogether without ground1 be
  stated as forming part and parcel of  
the law of ,moses4 ,to this sort of     
irregular trial1 succeeded1 before the  

definite judgment was pronounced1  no   
fewer than four others1 each of them    
before a tribunal1 as regular as  any   
the most zealous supporter of what is   
called legitimacy could  desire4 ,in    
execution of this definitive judgment it
 was1 that ,paul was  sent1 on that     
half-forced1 half-voluntary expedition  
of his1 to ,rome3 at  which place1 on   
his arrival at that capital1 the ,acts  
history closes4 ,of  the reports of     
these several trials1 as given in the   
,acts1--follows a  summary view1        
accompanied with a few remarks for      
elucidation4      ,,section #b4         
,,trial ,i4 ,,place1 ,,jerusalem        
,,temple4--,,judicatory1 ,,the ,,mixed  
,,multitude4--,acts #bb3a to #ba4       
,scene1 the ,temple4 ,judges1           
prosecutors1 and--stated as intended    
executioners1 a ,jerusalem multitude4   
,sole class1 by whom any declared or    
special cause of irritation had been    
received1 the ,christianized ,jews1     
provoked by ,paul's preachings against  

the law of the land1 to which they  as  
yet maintained their adherence2 by his  
intrusion upon their society1  by which1
 were it only for his former            
persecution1 he could not but be        
abhorred2 and by the notorious perjury  
he was at that moment committing1       
having chosen to commit it1 rather than 
cease to obtrude upon them the  object  
of their abhorrence4    ,of the         
particulars of the accusation nothing is
 said3 but1 the above  circumstances1   
and the subsequent charges made upon him
 the next day by  the constituted       
authorities1--who immediately took up   
the matter1 and  carried on a regular   
prosecution against him1--sufficiently  
show1 what1  if expressed1 would have   
been the purport of them4 ,by the       
preparations  made for execution1 we    
shall see broken off the defence1 before
 it had  come1 if ever it was designed  
to come1 to the substance of the alleged
  offence4    ,points touched upon in it
 are these3--    #a4 ,defendant's       

birthplace1 ,tarsus2 parentage1 ,jewish2
 religious  persuasion1 ,pharasaical2   
education1 under ,gamaliel1 verse #c4   
#b4 ,part1 borne by him1 in the         
persecution of the ,christians1 when    
,stephen was stoned3 his commission for 
that purpose stated1 and the ,high      
,priest and ,elders called to witness1  
verses #d and #e4         ,n4,b4 ,time  
of that same commission1 according to   
the received       chronology1 not less 
than #bf years before this4    #c4      
,story1 of that first vision1 of which  
so much has been seen3 namely1  that    
from whence his conversion was dated3   
occasion1 his journey to  ,damascus1 for
 the execution of that same commission1 
verses #f to #af4    #d4 ,story of his  
trance3 for this see ,chapter ,,iv4 4   
#g4 ,in this state1  the ,lord seen by  
him4--,lord to ,defendant4 ,get thee    
quickly out of  ,jerusalem1 for they    
will not receive thy testimony          
concerning me4  ,defendant1 to ,lord4   
,informing or reminding said ,lord of   

the details of  the part borne by said  
defendant in the persecution of ,saint  
,stephen4--,lord to ,defendant4 ,depart1
 for ,i will send thee far hence  unto  
the ,gentiles4 ,note1 ,defendant cut    
short3 ,lord's patience no match  for   
defendant's eloquence4    ,judges and   
executioners4--,at the word ,gentiles1  
exclamation3--,away  with him 444 he is 
not fit to live3--clothes cast off1 as  
in ,stephen's  case1 as if to prepare   
for stoning him4#ha ,dust thrown into   
the air4  ,present1 chief captain       
,claudius ,lysias1 who commands him to  
be brought  into the castle1 and        
examined by scourging4 ,while1 for this 
purpose1  they are binding him1 on      
,defendant crying out1 ,i am a ,roman   
citizen1  the binding ceases1 no        
scourging commences3 the next day he is 
released1  and the chief priests and all
 their council are sent for1 and        
,defendant is set before them4          
,,section #c4    ,,trial ,,ii4          
,,judicatory1 ,,jerusalem               

,,council-,,board4--,acts #bc3a to #aj4 
,judges1 chief priests in council       
assembled3 present1 the high priests4   
,prosecutors1 the said judge3 other     
prosecutors1 as far as appears1 none4   
,in modern ,rome-bred law1 this mode of 
procedure1 in which the parts of  judge 
and prosecutor are performed by the same
 person1 is styled the  inquisitorial3  
in contradistinction to this1 that in   
which the part of  prosecutor is borne  
by a different person1 is stiled the    
accusatorial4    ,charges or questions  
put1 not stated4    ,defendant4 ,i am a 
,pharisee 444 the son of a ,pharisee4   
,of the hope and  resurrection of the   
dead ,i am called in question4          
,thereupon1 ver4 #i1 great cry          
444--,great dissention4 ,chief captain1 
fearing lest1 ,defendant1 ,paul should  
have been pulled in pieces of  them1    
inuendo the said judges1 commands       
soldiers1 who take him back  into the   
castle4    ,cry8 dissention8--whence all
 this8 ,acts has not here been explicit 

enough to inform us4 ,as to ,defendant's
 plea1 that it was for believing  in the
 resurrection that he was               
prosecuted1--what could not but be      
perfectly known to him was1--that it    
neither was true1 nor by  possibility   
could be so4 ,among said ,judges1       
parties two--,pharisees and  ,sadducees3
 ,pharisees the predominant4 ,the       
,sadducees1 on this occasion1  says ver4
 #h1 say there is no resurrection1      
neither angel nor spirit2  but the      
,pharisees confess both4 ,prosecuting a 
,pharisee for preaching  the            
resurrection1 meaning always the general
 resurrection1 would have  been as if a 
,church-of-,englandist ,priest were     
indicted in the ,king's  ,bench1 for    
reading the ,athanasian creed4          
,accordingly--it was a stratagem  of the
 ,defendant's--this same misstatement3  
such it is expressly stated  to         
be3--when defendant perceived1 ver4 #f1 
that the one part were  ,sadducees1 and 
the other ,pharisees1--then it was that 

he came out with  it3 and1 already it   
has been seen1 how effectually it       
answered its  purpose4    ,enter once   
more the history of the trance4 ,note   
here the sudden  termination of         
,defendant's first ,jerusalem visit1    
alias his  ,reconciliation ,visit1 and  
turn back to ,chapter ,,iv4 4 #g1 ,cause
 of  it1--historian speaking in his own 
person--,grecians1 ,acts #i3bi1 went    
about to slay him1 for disputing with   
them3--historian1 speaking1 to  wit1    
here1 in defendant's person1            
,christianized ,jews' disbelief of his  
conversion1 and of that vision story of 
his1 that he produced in  evidence of   
it4 ,it is on the occasion of the       
just-mentioned ,temple  trial1 that     
,defendant is made to come out with it4 
,on that occasion1 as  hath been seen1  
it was of no use3 but1 in this second   
trial1 it will be  seen to be of prime  
use4 ,that it was told over again at    
this trial is  not indeed expressly     
said3 but1 that it was so is            

sufficiently manifest4  ,this and no    
other is the handle which his supporters
 in the council lay  hold of3 and this  
they could not have done1 had he not1 as
 will be seen  presently1 put it into   
their hands4 ,the ,scribes1 says ver4   
#i1 that  were of the ,pharisees' part1 
arose1 and strove1 saying1 ,we find no  
evil  in this man2 but if a spirit or an
 angel hath spoken to him1 let us not   
fight against ,god4 ,well then--this    
spirit1 or this angel1 who was he8  ,who
 but that spirit1 whom defendant had so 
manifestly told them of1 and  who was no
 other than that ,lord of his1 whom he  
had seen in the  trance3 in the trance1 
which1 while the multitude were beating 
him1  invention had furnished him with  
for the purpose4    ,mark now1 how      
apposite a weapon the ,pharisees found1 
in this same  trance1 in their war      
against the ,sadducees4 ,as to          
,jesus1--though from  first to last1 so 
far from being recognized by their sect1
 he had been  the object of that enmity 

of theirs under which he sunk1--yet1 so 
far  as1 in general terms1 he preached  
the general resurrection1--his  doctrine
 not only agreed with theirs1 but was of
 no small use to them3  it was of use to
 them1 against those political rivals1  
whose opposition  to their sect was the 
sole cause of everything that was       
troublesome to  it4 ,as to ,paul1--had  
he confined himself1 to the speaking of 
,jesus's  particular resurrection1--this
 indeed was what no ,pharisee could be  
disposed to admit3 but if1 by ,paul or  
anyone else1 ,jesus1 or any other       
person1 was at any time seen in an      
incorporeal state1--here was a piece  of
 evidence on their side4 ,with relation 
to any interview of the  ,apostles with 
,jesus after his resurrection1 nothing  
that ,paul had to  say--to say with     
truth or colour of truth--was anything  
more than  hearsay evidence3 but1 as to 
that1 which on this occasion1 he had    
been  relating about the ,lord1 whom he 
had seen in his trance1--this1 how      

false soever1 was not only direct1 but  
immediate evidence3 evidence1  in the   
delivery of which1 the relating witness 
stated himself to have  been1 with      
relation to the alleged fact in         
question1 a percipient  witness4        
,that1 on this occasion1 ,paul dwelt1   
with any particularity1 on the          
appearance of ,jesus in the flesh after 
his resurrection1 is not said3  and1 as 
it would not have contributed anything  
to the purpose1 the less  particular the
 safer and the better4 ,lord or not     
,lord1 that which  appeared was at any  
rate a spirit3 and for the war against  
the  ,sadducees1 a spirit was all that  
was wanted3 no matter of what sort4     
,,section #d4    ,,trial ,,iii4 ,,place1
 ,c,,sarea4--,acts #bd3a-bc4    ,,scene1
 ,governor ,felix's judicatory4 ,judge1 
said ,governor4 ,prosecutor1  ,orator   
,tertullus3 ,present1 his clients1--the 
,high ,priest and the  ,elders4         
,procedure1 accusatorial4 ,time1 twelve 
days1 ver4 #aa1 after  ,trial #a2       

eleven1 after ,trial #b4    ,i4         
,counsel's ,speech--,points touched upon
 in it1 these3--verses #a-d4    #a4     
,opening compliment to ,governor        
,judge4--,his providence and  clemency4 
,,ii4 #a4 ,vituperative surplusage1 of  
course1 as if in ,b4 ,r43 though not    
paid for1 in fees and taxes1 by the     
sheet4--,defendant1 a pestilent  fellow4
    ,charges three4 ,to make the matter 
more intelligible1 had the proceeding   
been by writing in the first instance1  
they might have been styled  counts4    
#b4 ,charge #a4 ,defendant a mover of   
sedition among all the ,jews  throughout
 the world4    #c4 ,charge #b4 ,said    
,defendant a ringleader of the sect of  
the ,nazarenes4    #d4 ,charge #c4      
,defendant gone about to profane the    
temple4    #e4 ,statement made of ,trial
 #b1 and the termination given to it by 
,roman  chief captain ,lysias1 taking   
said ,defendant out of their hands1 and 
commanding accusers' appearance in this 
court3 verses #g1 #h4    #f4 ,viva voce 

evidence accordant3 witnesses1 neither  
quality nor number  stated4 ,and the    
,jews also assented1 saying that these  
things were  so4 ver4 #i4    ,,iii4     
,defendant's defence3 verses #aj-ba4    
,points touched upon in it1 these3--    
#a4 ,defendant's confidence in this his 
judge4    #b4 ,at ,jerusalem to worship 
was his errand4 ,the ostensible one1    
yes3 of  the real one1--supplanting the 
,apostles1--of course nothing said4     
#c4 ,in the temple1 defendant was not   
found by them1 by whom8  disputing with 
any man4 ,disputing8 ,no4 ,it was to    
take the oath--the  seven-days-long     
false oath1--that he went there3--this1 
and nothing  else4 ,the priests1 in     
whose keeping he was1 and on whose      
acceptance the  validity and efficacy of
 the ceremony depended1 were not men to 
be  disputed with4    #d4 ,defendant not
 found by them raising up the people1   
neither in the  synagogues1 nor in the  
city4 ver4 #ab4 ,no3 neither was any    
such raising  charged upon him3 nor     

would it have suited his purpose4       
,seditious acts  are one thing2         
seditious discourses1 another4 ,from    
seditious acts he  had nothing to gain2 
from seditious discourses everything3 to
 wit1 in so  far as the effect of it was
 to weaken men's attachment to the law  
of the  land1 and engage them to        
transfer it to the schism he had raised 
in the  religion of ,jesus4    #e4      
,general denial3 but not amounting to   
,not ,guilty4 ,neither can they  prove  
the things whereof they now accuse me4  
ver4 #ac4    #f4 ,in verses #ad1 #ae1   
#af1 matter nothing to the purpose4     
,orthodox his  belief3 among the objects
 of it1 the resurrection3 void of       
offence  towards ,god and man1 his      
conscience4    #g4 ,false               
pretence--object of this his visit to   
,jerusalem--of this his  ,invasion      
,visit--falsely stated4 ,now after many 
years ,i came to bring  alms to my      
nation1 and offerings4 ver4 #ag4    #h4 
,when ,defendant was found purified in  

the temple1 it was neither  with        
multitude1 nor with tumult4 ,true3 but  
nothing to the purpose3 the  priests1 in
 whose boarding-house he was1 while the 
purifying1 that is  to say1 the eating  
and paying1 process was carrying on1    
were not a  multitude3 nor would tumult 
have been either profitable or          
practicable4    #i4 ,the men1 who so    
found ,defendant there1 were certain    
,jews from ,asia1  and1 if they were    
accusers or witnesses1 ought to have    
appeared in that  character on the      
present occasion4 ,who ought1 says ver4 
#ai1 to have  been here before thee1 and
 object1 if they had aught against me4  
,ought8  why ought they8 ,defendant     
called no witnesses3 by non-appearance  
of  witnesses1 if against him1 so far   
from being injured1 he was benefited4   
,the proceeding1 too1 was inquisitorial1
 not accusatorial3 it  required no      
accusers4 ,jews of ,asia indeed8 as if  
there were any ,jews of  ,asia1 to whom 
any more natural or legitimate cause of 

indignation could  have been given by   
his misdeeds1 than had been given by    
them to all the  ,jews in ,jerusalem1   
not to speak of the rest of the world1  
or the  ,christianized ,jews4    #aj4   
,by ,defendant's saying to the judges in
 ,trial #b1 that it was for  preaching  
the resurrection that he stood accused  
by and before them--by  this1 without   
anything else1 the indignation thereupon
 expressed by them  against him had been
 excited4 ,or else1 say verses #bj1 #ba1
 let these  same here say1 if they have 
found any evil doing in me1 while ,i    
stood  before the council1 ,except it be
 for this one voice1 that ,i cried1     
standing among them1 ,touching the      
resurrection of the dead ,i am called   
in question by you this day4    ,follows
 the judge's decision1 ,when ,felix1    
says ver4 #bb1 heard these  things1     
having more perfect knowledge of that   
way1 he deferred them1 and  said1 ,when 
,lysias the chief captain shall come    
down1 ,i will know the  uttermost of    

your matter4 ,such is stated to have    
been the decision of  the judge3 and1 so
 far as regarded what passed on         
,defendant's trial  before ,jerusalem   
council1 it was clearly the only proper 
one3 a more  impartial1 as well as1 in  
every point of view1 suitable witness1  
the  case could hardly have afforded3   
and1 as to the main question1 nothing   
could be more natural1 than that what it
 had fallen in ,lysias's way on  that   
occasion to observe1 might afford       
instructive light4    ,interlocutory    
order4 ,defendant recommitted3 but      
access to him free for  everybody4 ,and 
he commanded a centurion1 says ver4 #bc1
 to keep ,paul1  and to let him have    
liberty1 and that he should forbid none 
of his  acquaintance to minister1 or    
come unto him4    ,in this state        
continues ,paul for two years3 at which 
time1 says ver4  #bg1 ,porcius ,festus  
came into ,felix's room3 and ,felix1    
willing to show  the ,jews a pleasure1  
left ,paul bound4    ,in verses #bd1    

#be1 #bf1 this interval of delay is     
filled up with an  account1 such as it  
is1 of certain intrigues1 of which the  
,defendant was  the subject4 ,the ,roman
 has a ,jewess for his wife4 ,the       
prisoner is sent  for1 and wife shares  
with husband the benefit of his         
eloquence4  ,self-constituted ,apostle  
preaches3 heathen trembles3 trembling1  
however1  prevents not his hoping to get
 money out of the prisoner1 if this part
  of the history is to be believed4 ,and
 after certain days1 says ver4  #bd1    
when ,felix came with his wife          
,drusilla1 which was a ,jewess1 he  sent
 for ,paul1 and heard him concerning1   
what is here called1 the  faith in      
,christ4 ,faith in ,christ indeed8      
,after the word faith1 the  word ,christ
 costs no more to write than the word   
,paul3 but in  whatever was said about  
faith by ,paul1 which would be the most 
prominent  figure1--,christ or          
,paul--may by this time be imagined4 ,as
 for any faith  which it was in the     

nature of the case1 that the ,roman     
heathen should  derive from the ,greek  
,jew's eloquence1 it must have been     
faith in ,paul1  and ,paul only4 ,paul  
he had seen and heard1 ,christ he had   
neither seen  nor heard2 nor1 for aught 
that appears1 anything concerning him1  
till  that very time4    ,and as he     
reasoned1 says ver4 #be1 of             
righteousness1 temperance1 and  judgment
 to come1 ,felix trembled1 and answered1
 ,go thy way for this  time1 when ,i    
have a convenient season1 ,i will call  
for thee4 ,he hoped1  continues ver4    
#bf1 that money should have been given  
him of ,paul1 that  he might loose him3 
wherefore he sent for him the oftener1  
and communed  with him4      ,,section  
#e4    ,,trial ,,iv4 ,,place ,,again1   
,c,,sarea4--,acts #be3a-ab4    ,,scene1 
,csarea judicatory4--,judge1 new ,roman 
governor1 ,festus4  ,accusers1 ,jews1   
not named1 sent by the high priest and  
his colleagues  from ,jerusalem to      
,csarea for the purpose4 ,defendant     

still in the  prison at ,csarea3 ,roman 
judge1 at ,jerusalem4 ,prosecutors1 the 
council  there--petition to have        
,defendant brought thither4 ,judge      
chooses rather  to go to him at ,csarea1
 than thus send for him to ,jerusalem4  
,according to the historian1 it was for 
the purpose of causing  ,defendant to be
 murdered1 in the way to the judicatory1
 that the  prosecutors were so earnest  
as they were to obtain the habeas       
corpus3  according to probability1 it   
was for any purpose1 rather than that of
  committing any such outrage upon the  
authority of their constituted          
superior1 with an army at his command4  
,be this as it may1 instead of  sending 
for ,defendant to ,jerusalem1 the judge 
returned himself to  ,csarea4    ,now1  
says ver4 #a1 when ,festus was come into
 the province1 after three  days he     
ascended from ,csarea to                
,jerusalem4--,then the high priest and  
the chief of the ,jews informed him     
against ,paul1 and besought him4--,and  

desired favour against him1 that he     
would send for him to ,jerusalem1       
laying wait in the way to kill          
him4--,but ,festus answered1 that ,paul 
should be kept at ,csarea1 and that he  
himself would depart shortly            
thither4--,let them therefore1 said he1 
which among you are able1 go down  with 
me1 and accuse this man1 if there be any
 wickedness in him4--,and  when he had  
tarried among them more than ten days1  
he went down unto  ,csarea2 and the next
 day sitting on the judgment-seat       
commanded ,paul  to be brought4         
,charges1 not particularized3 said of   
them1 not so much as that they were  the
 same as before4 ,many and grievous     
complaints against ,paul1 which  they   
could not prove3 ver4 #g--such is the   
only account given of them4             
,defence--points contained in it4 ,as   
before1 no offence1 says ver4 #h1       
against the law--no offence against the 
temple4 ,one point added1 ,nor  yet     
against ,caesar4 ,good4 ,but how comes  

this here8 ,here we have a  defence1    
against what1 it is plain1 was never    
charged4    ,festus--judge1 to          
,defendant1 ver4 #i3 ,wilt thou go up to
 ,jerusalem1  and there be judged of    
these things before me8    ,defendant to
 judge1 ver4 #aj3 ,i stand at ,caesar's 
judgment-seat1 where ,i  ought to be    
judged3 meaning1 as appears from the    
direct words of appeal  in the next     
verse1--by a ,roman1 not by a ,jewish   
judicatory1 ought ,i to  be tried4      
,against the being judged at ,csarea1   
instead of ,jerusalem1 he  could not    
naturally have meant to object3 at      
least1 if the historian  speaks true1 in
 what he says about the plot for        
murdering the prisoner  on the road4    
#b4 ,to the ,jews1 says ver4 #aj1 have  
,i done no wrong4 ,thus far nothing     
more is said than ,not ,guilty4 ,but now
 follows another trait of that          
effrontery1 which was so leading a      
feature in ,paul's eloquence1 as1       
continues he1 thou very well knowest4   

,now what anybody may see  is1--that    
,festus neither did know1 nor could     
know1 any such thing4  ,witness the     
historiographer himself1 who1 but eight 
verses after1 7#ah1  #ai1 #bj17 makes   
,festus himself1 in discourse with ,king
 ,agrippa1 declare  as much4 ,but the   
more audacious1 the more in ,defendant's
 character2 and  the greater the        
probability1 that1 in the conflict      
between the  ,law-,report and the       
narrative1 truth is on the side of the  
,report4    #c4 ,conclusion3 ver4 #aa1  
defendant gives judge to understand1    
that if he1  the ,defendant1 has done   
any of the things he has been charged   
with1 he  has no objection to be put to 
death3 but in the same breath ends with 
saying1 ,i appeal to ,caesar6 submitting
 thus to ,festus's judgment1  whatever  
it may be1 and at the same time         
appealing from it4    ,festus judge3    
ver4 #ab1 when he had conferred with the
 council1  whoever they were1--,hast    
thou appealed unto ,caesar8 unto ,caesar

 thou  shalt go4 ,here ends ,trial ,,iv4
      ,,section #f4    ,,trial ,v4 ,,and
 ,,last4--,,place1 ,,still ,c,,sarea4   
,this requires some previous            
explanation4    ,a few days after the   
last preceding trial1 came to ,csarea1  
says verse  #ac1 ,agrippa and ,bernice3 
,festus being still there3 ,agrippa1    
sub-king  of the ,jews under the        
,romans3 ,bernice1 it may be presumed1  
his queen3  saluting this their         
superior1 their only business mentioned4
 ,follows  thereupon a conversation1 of 
which ,defendant is the subject1 and    
which  continues the length of fourteen 
verses4 ,defendant having appealed to   
,caesar1 judge has determined to send   
him to ,caesar accordingly4 ,but1       
considering that1 by the emperor1 on the
 arrival of a man sent to him in  the   
character of a prisoner1 some assigned  
cause1 for his having been  put into    
that condition1 will naturally be looked
 for2 and1 as the only  offences1 the   
,jew stands charged with1 are of a sort1

 which1 while to  the heathen emperor   
they would not be intelligible1 would to
 a ,jew  sub-king1 if to any one1 be    
sufficiently so2--thereupon it is1 that 
he  desires his sub-majesty to join with
 him in the hearing of the cause1  and  
by that means put him in a way to report
 upon it4    ,speaking of the accusers1 
they brought1 says ,festus to ,agrippa  
in  verse #ah1 none accusation of such  
things as ,i supposed4--,but had        
certain questions against him of their  
own superstition1 and of one  ,jesus1   
which was dead1 whom ,paul affirmed to  
be alive4--,and because ,i  doubted of  
such manner of questions1 ,i asked him  
whether he would go to  ,jerusalem1 and 
there be judged of these matters4--,but 
,paul444had  appealed to be reserved    
unto the hearing of ,augustus444 ,such1 
as  above noticed1 is the declaration   
which the historian puts into the  mouth
 of ,festus3 and this1 after having so  
recently made ,paul tell  ,festus1 that 
his1 ,paul's1 having done no wrong to   

the ,jews1 was to him1  ,festus1 matter 
of such perfect knowledge4#hb    ,now   
then comes the trial1 ,acts #bf3a4      
,scene1 at ,csarea1 the ,emperor's      
,bench4 ,lord chief justice1 ,roman     
governor ,festus2 ,puisne judge1 ,jew   
sub-king ,agrippa4 ,present1            
,bernice444chief captains and principal 
men  of the city4 ,special accusers1    
none4 ,sole speaker1 whose speech is    
reported1 the ,defendant4    ,points in 
,defendant's speech1 these3    #a4      
,verses #b and #c4 ,patient hearing     
requested1 acknowledgment of  ,agrippa's
 special confidence4    #b4 ,verses #d  
and #e4 ,protestation of ,phariseeism4  
#c4 ,verses #f1 #g1 #h4 ,same false     
insinuation as before1--,phariseeism the
  sole crime imputed to him4    #d4     
,verses #i1 #aj1 #aa4 ,confession or    
avowal1 whichever it is to be called1   
of his proceedings six-and-twenty years 
before1 against the  ,christianized     
,jews1 shutting them up in prison1 in   
pursuance of  authority from the chief  

priests1 down to the time of his        
conversion-vision4 ,see ,table ,i4      
,conversion ,table4    #e4 ,verses #ab  
to #bj4 ,account of this same vision4   
,see that same ,table4    #f4           
,declaration4 ,for these causes the     
,jews caught me in the temple1  and went
 about to kill me4--,for these causes8  
,for what causes8 ,if for  being a      
,pharisee1 or preaching the general     
resurrection1 or even the  particular   
one1--assuredly no4 ,but1 if for the    
breach of trust1 in  joining with the   
state offenders1 the ,christianized     
,jews1 whom he was  commissioned to     
apprehend2--joining with those state    
offenders1 and then  bringing out the   
vision-story for an excuse2--if telling 
everybody that  would hear him1 that the
 law of the land was a dead             
letter2--and1 if the  denying he had    
ever done so2 and1 for giving himself   
the benefit of such  mendacious denial1 
rendering the temple an instrument of   
notorious  perjury2--if it was for all  

this1 that they went about indeed to    
kill  him1--but to kill him no otherwise
 than in the manner prescribed by  that 
same law1--,jewishly speaking1 they were
 not to blame in what they              
did1--humanly speaking1 nothing can be  
seen that is not altogether  natural in 
it4    #g4 ,conclusion3 namely1 if not  
of what he would have said1--at any     
rate1  of what1 according to the        
reporter1 he was permitted to say3--it  
is  formed by a passage1 in which1 in   
continuance of his plan for keeping up  
his interest with the ,pharisee part of 
the council1 his ingenuity  employs     
itself in strengthening the connection  
between the particular  resurrection of 
,jesus1 and the general resurrection    
maintained by the  ,pharisees4          
,having therefore1 says verse #bb1      
obtained help of ,god1 ,i continue  unto
 this day1 witnessing both to small and 
great1 saying none other  things than   
those which the prophets and ,moses did 
say should  come3--,that ,christ should 

suffer1 and that he should be the first 
that  should rise from the dead1 and    
should show light unto the people1 and  
to  the ,gentiles4--,lord ,chief        
,justice ,festus1 with a loud voice1 as 
he1  the ,defendant1 thus spake for     
himself--,paul1 thou art beside thyself2
  much learning hath made thee mad4 ,in 
the mouth of a ,roman1 and that  ,roman 
so high in rank1 the notion thus        
expressed had nothing in it but  what   
was natural enough4 ,as to the general  
resurrection1 that was  one of the      
above-mentioned questions about their   
own superstition1  which he therefore   
left to the ,jewish judges3 as to the   
particular  resurrection1 of this he had
 heard no better evidence than the      
defendant's3 and what1 in discriminating
 eyes1 that was likely to be  worth1 the
 reader has by this time judged4    #h4 
,defendant in reply1 ver4 #be3 ,not mad1
 but sober3--for confirmation1  appeal  
to the ,jewish sub-monarch1 then and    
there present4 ,i am not mad1  most     

noble ,festus2 but speak for the words  
of truth and soberness4--,for  the ,king
 knoweth of these things1 before whom   
also ,i speak freely2 for ,i  am        
persuaded1 that none of these things are
 hidden from him2 for this  was not done
 in a corner4 ,here would have been a   
place for the five  hundred1 by whom1   
after his resurrection1 ,jesus was seen 
at once--see  above chapter--but1 upon  
the present occasion1 the general       
expression1  here employed1 was deemed  
preferable4 ,king ,agrippa1 continues   
verse  #bg1 believest thou the prophets8
 ,i know that thou believest4    ,king  
,agrippa to ,paul1 ver4 #bh4 ,almost    
thou persuadest me to be a  ,christian4 
,paul to ,agrippa3 ,i would to ,god1    
that not only thou1 but also all that   
hear me this day were both almost and   
altogether such as ,i am1 except  these 
bonds4 ,no bad trait of polite oratory  
this exception4    ,assembly breaks     
up4--,and when he had thus spoken1 the  
,king rose up1 and  the governor and    

,bernice1 and they that sat with them4  
,and when they  were gone aside1 they   
talked between themselves1 saying1 ,this
 man doeth  nothing worthy of death or  
of bonds4 ,then said ,agrippa unto      
,festus1 ,this  man might have been set 
at liberty1 if he had not appealed unto 
,caesar4  ,observation4 ,in this        
observation1 something of the obscure   
seems to  present itself4 ,for1 ,paul   
himself being the appellant1 and that   
for no  other purpose than the saving   
himself from death or bonds1 he had but 
to  withdraw the appeal1 and1 supposing 
a judgment pronounced to the effect     
thus mentioned1 this was everything he  
could have wished from it4 ,but1  ,paul 
having already1 to judge from his       
,epistle to the ,romans1 laid the       
foundation of a spiritual kingdom in the
 metropolis of the civilized  world1--it
 looks as if he had no objection to     
figure there1 as we shall  find him     
figuring accordingly1 in the character  
of a state-prisoner1 for  the purpose of

 displaying1 and in the eye of the      
,caesar of that day1 a  sample of his   
eloquence1 in a cause so much greater   
than any in which  that of the first    
,caesar could ever have displayed       
itself4 ,reason is not  wanting for the 
supposition1 that it was by what passed 
at the council1  that the idea was first
 suggested to him3 for the night        
following1 the  ,lord1 says #bc3aa1     
stood by him1 and said1 ,be of good     
cheer1 ,paul2 for  as thou hast         
testified of me in ,jerusalem1 so must  
thou bear witness  also at ,rome4 ,the  
,lord has commanded me so and so1 is the
 sort of  language in which he would    
naturally make communication of this    
idea to  his attendants4    ,the        
circumstantiated and dramatic style of  
this part of the narrative1  seems to   
add to the probability1 that1 on this   
occasion1 the historian  himself was    
present4 ,on this supposition1 though in
 the ,greek as well as  in the ,english1
 they are represented as if they had    

quitted the  justice-room1--any         
conversation1 that took place among them
 immediately  after1 in the street1     
might not unnaturally have been         
overheard by him4  ,in chapter #bd1 ver4
 #bc1 stands ,felix's order of          
admittance1 as above1  for ,paul's      
acquaintance1 to minister or come to    
him4 ,one other attendant  has appeared1
 in the character of his sister's son1  
,acts #bc3af2 by whom  information was  
given to ,felix1 that the men there     
spoken of were lying  in wait for him to
 kill him4 ,on the occasion of this     
invasion of his1 it  would have been    
interesting enough to have had a        
complete list of his  staff4    ,here   
ends trial fifth and last3 and in the   
next verse it is1 that1  together with  
other prisoners1 and the historian at   
least for his free  attendant1 he is    
dispatched on his voyage4 ,acts #bg3a4  
,and when it was  determined that we    
should sail into ,italy1 they delivered 
,paul and  certain other prisoners unto 

one named ,julius1 a centurion of       
,augustus'  band4--,and entering into a 
ship of ,adramyttium1 we launched444    
,,footnotes3    #ha ,if in any former   
part of this work1 in speaking of this  
scene1 the  persons in question have    
been spoken of as having actually       
proceeded to  acts of manual violence1  
it was an oversight4    ,as to the      
examination by scourging1--singular     
enough will naturally  appear this mode 
of collecting evidence3 declared purpose
 of it1 that  he1 the captain1 might    
know wherefore they1 the ,jews1 cried   
out  against him1 meaning the defendant4
 ,a simpler way would have been to  have
 asked them2 and1 as to the scourge1    
what use it could have been  of is not  
altogether obvious4 ,to begin with      
torturing a man1 and proceed  by        
questioning him1 was1 however1 among the
 ,romans a well-known mode of  obtaining
 evidence4 ,but1 then and there1 as now 
and everywhere1 unless  the ,united     
,states form an exception1 whatever     

is--is right1 provided  always that it  
is by power that it is done4    #hb     
,acts #be3ab-bg4    ,then ,festus1 when 
he had conferred with the council1      
answered1 ,hast  thou appealed unto     
,caesar8 unto ,caesar shalt thou        
go4--,and after certain  days king      
,agrippa and ,bernice came unto ,csarea 
to salute ,festus4--,and  when they had 
been there many days1 ,festus declared  
,paul's cause unto  the king1 saying1   
,there is a certain man left in bonds by
 ,felix3--,about  whom1 when ,i was at  
,jerusalem1 the chief priests and the   
elders of the  ,jews informed me1       
desiring to have judgment against       
him4--,to whom ,i  answered1 ,it is not 
the manner of the ,romans to deliver any
 man to die1  before that he which is   
accused have the accusers face to face1 
and have  license to answer for himself 
concerning the crime laid against       
him4--,therefore1 when they were come   
hither1 without any delay on the  morrow
 ,i sat on the judgment-seat1 and       

commanded the man to be brought         
forth3--,against whom1 when the accusers
 stood up1 they brought none  accusation
 of such things as ,i supposed3--,but   
had certain questions  against him of   
their own superstition1 and of one      
,jesus1 which was dead1  whom ,paul     
affirmed to be alive4--,and because ,i  
doubted of such manner of  questions1 ,i
 asked him whether he would go to       
,jerusalem1 and there be  judged of     
these matters4--,but when ,paul had     
appealed to be reserved unto  the       
hearing of ,augustus1 ,i commanded him  
to be kept till ,i might send  him to   
,caesar4--,then ,agrippa said unto      
,festus1 ,i would also hear the man     
myself4 ,to-morrow1 said he1 thou shalt 
hear him4--,and on the morrow1  when    
,agrippa was come1 and ,bernice1 with   
great pomp1 and was entered  into the   
place of hearing1 with the chief        
captains and principal men of  the city1
 at ,festus' commandment ,paul was      
brought forth4--,and ,festus  said1     

,king ,agrippa1 and all men which are   
present with us1 ye see this  man about 
whom all the multitude of the ,jews have
 dealt with me1 both at  ,jerusalem and 
also here1 crying that he ought not to  
live any  longer4--,but when ,i found   
that he had committed nothing worthy of 
death1  and that he himself hath        
appealed to ,augustus1 ,i have          
determined to send  him4--,of whom ,i   
have no certain thing to write unto my  
lord1 wherefore ,i  have brought him    
forth before you1 and specially before  
thee1 ,o1 ,king  ,agrippa1 that after   
examination had1 ,i might have somewhat 
to  write4--,for it seemeth to me       
unreasonable to send a prisoner1 and not
  withal to signify the crimes laid     
against him4          ,,chapter ,,xvi4  
,paul's ,doctrines                      
,anti-apostolic4--,was he not           
,anti-,christ8      ,,section #a4       
,,paul',s ,,doctrine ,,was ,,at         
,,variance ,,with ,,that ,,of ,,the     
,,apostles4    ,if ,paul's pretensions  

to a supernatural intercourse with the  
,almighty  were no better than a        
pretence2--his visit to ,jerusalem1 from
 first to  last1 an object of abhorrence
 to the ,apostles and all their         
disciples2  in a word1 to all1 who in   
the birthplace of ,christianity1 bore   
the name  of ,christian1 and were       
regarded as belonging to the religion of
  ,jesus2--if1 not only to their        
knowledge1 but to that of the whole     
population of ,jerusalem1 he was a      
depraved character1 marked by the       
stain1--not merely of habitual          
insincerity1 but of perjury in its most 
aggravated form2--if it was no otherwise
 than by his having declared  himself a 
,roman citizen1 that he escaped from the
 punishment--apparently  a capital      
one--attached by the law of the land to 
the crimes of which he  had been guilty2
 if1 in a word1 it was only in places1  
in which  ,jesus--his doctrines1 and his
 ,apostles--were alike unknown1 that    
this  self-declared ,apostle of ,jesus  

was received as such2--if all1 or though
  it were but some1 of these points may 
be regarded as established1--any        
further proof1 in support of the        
position1 that no doctrine of his1      
which is not contained in some one or   
other of the four ,gospels1 has any     
pretension to be regarded as part and   
parcel of the religion of ,jesus1  might
 well1 in any ordinary case1 be regarded
 as superfluous3 and1 of  the several   
charges here brought to view1 whether   
there be any one1 of  the truth of which
 the demonstration is not complete1 the 
reader has all  along been invited to   
consider with himself1 and judge4 ,if   
thereupon the  judgment be condemnatory1
 the result is--that whatever is in     
,paul1 and  is not to be found in any   
one of the four ,gospels1 is not        
,christianity1  but ,paulism4    ,in any
 case of ordinary complexion1 sufficient
 then1 it is presumed1 to  every        
judicious eye1 would be what the reader 
has seen already3 but the  present case 

is no ordinary case4 ,an error1 if such 
it be1 which  notwithstanding all the   
sources of correction1 which in the     
course of  the work have at length been 
laid open and brought to view1 has now1 
for  upwards of seventeen centuries     
past1 maintained its ground throughout  
the ,christian world1 cannot1 without   
the utmost reluctance1 be parted  with3 
for dissolving the association so       
unhappily formed1 scarcely1  therefore1 
can any argument which reason offers be 
deemed superfluous4    ,for this        
purpose1 one such argument1 though on a 
preceding occasion  already touched     
upon1 remains to be brought to view4 ,it
 consists of his  own confession4       
,confession8 say rather avowal3         
for--such is the temper  of the man--in 
the way of boasting it is1 not in the   
way of concession  and self-humiliation 
that he comes out with it4 ,be this as  
it may--when1  speaking of the undoubted
 ,apostles1 he himself declares1 that he
 has  received nothing from them1 and   

that he has doctrines which are not     
theirs1 shall he not obtain credence8   
,yes3 for this once1 it should  seem1 he
 may1 without much danger of error1 be  
taken at his word4    ,to see this--if  
he can endure the sight--will not cost  
the reader much  trouble1 ,table ,,ii4  
,paul disbelieved ,table1 lies before   
him4 ,under the  head of ,independence  
declared1 in ,paul's ,epistle to his    
,galatians1  chapter #a1 verses #aa1    
#ab1 he will find these words4 ,but ,i  
certify you1  brethren1 that the ,gospel
 which was preached of me is not after  
man3  for ,i neither received it of man1
 neither was ,i taught1 but by the      
revelation of ,jesus ,christ4 ,thus far 
,paul4 ,if then it was not received  by 
him by the revelation of ,jesus         
,christ--this ,gospel of his2 nor yet1  
as he assures us1 of man1--the          
consequence is a necessary one--it  was 
made by him1 out of his own head4       
,,section #b4    ,,of ,,conformity1     
,,use ,,made ,,of ,,the ,,name ,,of     

,,jesus ,,no ,,proof4    ,of the name of
 ,jesus1 whatever use he may have       
made--made 7as it was  seen7 without    
authority--can any use1 made in         
contradiction to this his  own          
confession1 afford any the slightest    
ground for regarding his  ,gospel1      
whatever it be1--his ,gospel1 or any    
part of it1--as belonging to  the       
religion of ,jesus8 ,if so1 then are all
 impostors the persons they  falsely    
pretend to be--all counterfeit          
productions of any kind1 genuine  ones4 
,while preaching to ,gentiles at a      
distance from ,jerusalem1 from any use  
he could have the assurance to make of  
so revered a name1 it is almost         
superfluous to observe1 how much he had 
to gain1 and how little to lose4  ,in a 
case of this sort1 how much soever there
 may be that is offensive  in the       
demeanour of the pretended agent        
eulogizing1 no part of it is  ascribed  
to the pretended principal eulogized3   
and1 in such his eulogy1  the pretended 

agent is not hampered by any of those   
considerations1 by  which he would stand
 precluded from all prospect of         
advantage1 had he  the effrontery to lay
 it in equally strong colours on        
himself4 ,thus1 in  the case of ,paul1  
from putting in the foreground where he 
did1 the name  of ,jesus1 there was this
 great advantage to gain3 and1 the      
pretended  principal being never present
 to disavow him1 the consequence        
was--that1  so long as no accredited and
 credited agents1 of that same          
principal1  were at hand to contradict  
his pretensions1--the mere name of this 
principal would be no obstacle1 to the  
preaching of doctrines1 ever so         
decidedly at variance with his4    ,if1 
on the other hand1--in a company1 in    
which he was preaching  doctrines of his
 own1 which were not ,jesus's1--men     
should happen to be  present1 to whom1  
by reason of their personal acquaintance
 with ,jesus1  or with any immediate    
disciples of ,jesus1 these same         

doctrines of ,paul's  should be         
perceived and declared not to be        
,jesus's1 here would be an              
inconvenience3 and1 on this             
account1--wherever1 without using the   
name  of ,jesus1 or any other name than 
his own1 he could be sufficiently       
assured1 of obtaining a degree of       
confidence sufficient for his           
purpose1--this course1 supposing it     
successful1 would1 on several  accounts1
 be more advantageous4    ,here then1 on
 each occasion1 or at any rate on some  
occasions1 would be  an option for him  
to make3 namely1 either to preach in the
 name of  ,jesus1 or else to set up for 
himself3--to set up for himself1 and1 on
  the strength of a pretended revelation
 from the ,almighty1 without the        
intervention of ,jesus1 preach in no    
other human name than his own4    ,from 
a passage1 in the first of his two      
,epistles to his ,corinthian  disciples1
 it looks as if an experiment of this   
kind--an experiment for  adding nominal 

independence to real--had actually been 
tried3 but that1  the success of it was 
not such as to be followed by           
continuance4 ,for  this suspicion--for  
it is but a suspicion1--any reader who  
thinks it  worth his while may see the  
grounds in the subjoined note4#hc       
,,section #c4    ,,paul1 ,,was ,,he     
,,not ,,antichrist8    ,a child1 of     
,paul's ready and fruitful brain--a     
bugbear1 which the  officious hands of  
the ,english official translators of his
 ,epistles1  have in their way          
christened1 so to speak1 by the name of 
,antichrist1--has been already brought  
to view4 ,see ,chap4 ,,xii4 4 #d4 ,if   
there be any persons1 to whose          
religion1--in addition to a devil1 with 
or without horns and tail1--with or     
without other spirits1 in no less       
carnal howsoever unrepulsive forms1--an 
,antichrist is necessary for the        
completion of the polytheistical        
official establishment2 and if1 in      
place of an ideal1 they can put up with 

a real ,antichrist1--an  ,antichrist of 
flesh and blood1--they need not go far  
to look for one4 ,of  ,saul1 alias      
,paul1 the existence is not fabulous4   
,if1 in his time1 a  being there was1 in
 whom1 with the exception of some two or
 three  attendants of his own1 every    
person1 that bore the name of           
,christian1  beheld1 and felt an        
opponent1 and that opponent an          
indefatigable  adversary1 it was this   
same ,paul3 ,yes1 such he was1 if1 in   
this  particular1 one may venture to    
give credence1 to what has been seen so 
continually testified1--testified1 not  
by any enemy of his1 but by his  own    
dependent1--his own                     
historiographer1--his own               
panegyrist1--his own  steady friend4    
,here then1 for anybody that wants an   
,antichrist1 here is  an ,antichrist1   
and he an undeniable one4               
,antichrist1 as everybody sees1         
,antichrist means neither more nor less 
than that which is opposed to ,christ4  

,to ,christ himself1 the bugbear1       
christened by the ,english bishops      
,antichrist1 was not1 by its creator1   
spoken of as opposing itself4 ,to       
,christ himself1 ,paul himself could    
not1  at that time1 be an opponent3 the 
,jesus1 whom he called ,christ1 was no  
longer in the flesh4 ,but of all that1  
in the customary figurative  sense--of  
all that1 in any intelligible sense1    
could on this occasion be  called       
,christ--namely1 the real ,apostles of  
,jesus1 and their disciples  and        
followers1--,paul1 if he himself is to  
be believed1 was an opponent1  if ever  
there was one4    ,paul preached the    
resurrection of the dead4 ,agreed4 ,but 
did not all  ,pharisees do so1 too8 ,and
 was not ,paul a ,pharisee8 ,and        
,jesus--had he not  in all ,pharisees so
 many opponents8 ,and the real          
,christians1 had they  anywhere in his  
lifetime1 any other opponent so acrid or
 so persevering  as this same ,paul8    
,paul preached the resurrection of the  

dead4 ,agreed4 ,but that  resurrection  
of the dead which he preached1 was it   
not a resurrection1  that was to take   
place in the lifetime of himself and    
other persons then  living8 ,and--any   
such resurrection1 did it accordingly   
take place8#hd    ,,footnotes3    #hc   
,were ye baptized1 says he1 speaking to 
his ,corinthians1 #b ,cor4  ii4 #ac4    
,were ye baptized in the name of        
,paul8--,i thank ,god1 continues  he1   
that ,i baptized none of you but        
,crispus and ,gaius1--,lest any man     
should say that ,i had baptized in mine 
own name4--,and ,i baptized also  the   
household of ,stephanas2 besides1 ,i    
know not whether ,i baptized any  other4
 ,for an experiment of this kind1 it    
should seem from that  ,epistle1 that   
motives were by no means wanting4 ,for1 
among these same  disciples1 in the     
preaching of his doctrines1 he had found
 himself  annoyed by divers names more  
or less formidable3 there was the name1 
though probably never the person--of    

,cephas1 the real ,hebrew name1 of      
which1 in the four ,gospels1 written as 
they are in ,greek1 ,peter is the       
translation3 there was the name1 and not
 improbably the person--of  ,apollos1   
whom1 about three years before1 ,acts   
#ah3ah-bf1 two female  disciples of     
,paul's1 ,aquila and ,priscilla1 had at 
,ephesus enlisted under  his banners3   
there was1 according to him1 the name of
 ,christ1 though  assuredly1 never the  
person of ,jesus4    ,for it hath been  
declared unto me of you1 brethren1 says 
he1 #a ,cor4 i4  #aa1 that there are    
contentions among you1--,now this ,i    
say1 that every  one of you saith1 ,i am
 of ,paul2 and ,i of ,apollos2 and ,i of
 ,cephas2 and ,i  of ,christ4 ,thereupon
 follows immediately a short flourish of
 ,paulian  eloquence3--,is ,christ      
divided8 was ,paul crucified for you8 or
 were ye  baptized in the name of ,paul8
 and so forth1 as above4    ,division1  
says he1 among you3 in this phrase may  
be seen the style  of modern royalty4   

,towards a will so intimately connected 
with the  divine as the royal1 no such  
temper of mind1 so intolerable as       
opposition1 is ever to be supposed3 were
 it on all occasions equally            
known--known to all1 and alike          
interpreted by all1 no division could   
have place3 but1 some put one           
interpretation upon it1 some another3 in
  some eyes1 this course is regarded as 
best adapted to the giving effect  to   
it2 in others1 that3 hence that         
division1 to which1 on every  occasion1 
it is the duty of all to put the        
speediest end4 ,now then as to  ,paul4  
,this same assumed fatherly affection1  
under the name of  elder-brotherly--this
 desire of seeing concord among         
brethren--what was  it in plain truth8  
,answer1 love of power4 ,would you have 
proof8 ,take in  hand this same ,epistle
 of his to his ,corinthians1 or1 if at  
verse the  tenth1 it will be to this    
purpose early enough1 and read on1 till 
you  come to chapter iv4 verses #ae1    

#af4 ,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 by  
the  name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1  
that ye all speak the same thing1 and   
that there be no divisions among you3   
but that ye be perfectly joined         
together in the same mind1 and in the   
same judgment4--,for it hath been       
declared unto me1 and so forth1 as      
above4 ,read on1 and at length you  will
 come to the essence of all this good   
advice1 #a ,cor4 #d3ae4 ,for1  though ye
 have ten thousand instructors in       
,christ1 says he1 yet have  ye not many 
fathers2 for1 in ,christ ,jesus1 ,i have
 begotten you1  through the             
,gospel4--,wherefore1 ,i beseech you1 be
 ye followers of me4    ,at this time1  
it should seem that1 on the occasion of 
this his courtship  of the ,jews of     
,corinth1 not only was the name of      
,peter an object of his  declared       
rivalry1 but the name and person of his 
own sub-disciple  ,apollos1 an object of
 his jealousy4 ,for1 while one saith1 #a
 ,cor4 iii4  #d1 ,i am of ,paul2 and    

another1 ,i am of ,apollos2 are ye not1 
says he1  carnal8--,who then1 continues 
he1 is ,paul1 and who is ,apollos1 but  
ministers by whom ye believed1 even as  
the ,lord gave to every man8--,i  have  
planted1 ,apollos watered2 but ,god gave
 the increase4--,now he that  planteth  
and he that watereth are one2 and every 
man shall receive his  own reward       
according to his own labour4 ,fifteen   
verses after comes a  flourish1 in which
 ,apollos is spoken of for the last     
time4 ,whether  ,paul1 or ,apollos1 or  
,cephas1 or the world1 or life1 or      
death1 or things  present1 or things to 
come1 all are yours2--#bc4 ,and ye are  
,christ's1 and  ,christ is ,god's4 ,at  
the word ,cephas ends1 it may have been 
observed1  common sense3 what follows   
being dust for the eyes3 dust1 composed 
of  the flowers of ,saulo-,paulian      
eloquence4    ,as to ,apollos1 if so it 
was1 that1 at one time1 in the mind of  
our  spiritual monarch1 any such        
sentiment as jealousy1 in regard to this

  sub-minister had place1 it seems to   
have been afterwards1 in some way or    
other1 removed3 for1 in his ,epistle to 
,titus1 bearing date about seven  years 
after1 namely ,a4,d4 #fd1 the devotion  
of the subject seems to have  been      
entire4 ,speaking to ,titus1 ,tit4      
#c3ac1 ,bring with you1 says ,paul1     
,zenas the lawyer1 and ,apollos1 on     
their journey diligently1 that  nothing 
be wanting to them4    #hd ,paul must   
have thought that he had the ,church at 
,corinth under  complete control of his 
hypnotic suggestion or otherwise so much
 under  his control as to assume the    
exalted office of ,clairvoyant ,oracle  
without question4 ,he says1 #b ,cor4    
#a-g1 ,i must needs glory1 though it is 
not expedient2 but ,i will come to      
visions and revelations of the ,lord1 ,i
  know a man in ,christ1 fourteen years 
ago 7whether in the body ,i know  not2  
or whether out of the body1 ,i know not1
 ,god knoweth74 ,such a one  caught up  
even to the third heaven4 ,and ,i know  

such a man 7whether in  the body1 or    
apart from the body1 ,i know not1 ,god  
knoweth72 how that he  was caught up    
into ,paradise1 and heard unspeakable   
words1 which it is  not lawful for a man
 to utter4 ,on behalf of such a one will
 ,i glory3 but  on mine own behalf ,i   
will not glory1 save in my weakness4    
,for if ,i  should desire to glory1 ,i  
shall not be foolish2 for ,i shall speak
 the  truth3 but ,i forbear1 lest any   
man should account of me above that     
which  he seeth me to be1 or heareth    
from me4    ,and by reason of the       
exceeding greatness of the              
revelations--wherefore1  that ,i should 
not be exalted overmuch1 there was given
 to me a thorn in  the flesh1 a         
messenger of ,satan to buffet me1 that  
,i should not be  exalted overmuch4     
,concerning this thing ,i besought the  
,lord thrice1 that  it might depart from
 me4    ,and he has said unto me1 ,my   
grace is sufficient for thee4    ,it    
would require a ,swift1 ,dryden1 ,pope1 

,milton or ,knowles to stage the  above 
so as make appreciable objective        
quantities out of the above  verbal     
terms4 ,they might create characters and
 give them the plumage of  angels1      
nymphs1 spirits1 heathen gods1 etc41 and
 so feast the  imagination into         
paranoia4    ,thorn in the flesh4 ,this 
phrase has baffled the ,ecclesiastics4  
,the  earlier ,commentators interpreted 
it to mean ,paul's great disappointment 
in all his schemes to subordinate the   
,apostles of ,christ to his  personal   
dominion of which so much has been      
disparaged by the author4               
,,end4          ,,index ,,to ,,contents4
        ,,table ,i-,,xxii               
,,chapter ,i4      ,paul's ,conversion4 
,improbability and ,discordancy of the  
,accounts of it                         
#a      #a4 ,list of these ,accounts1   
with preliminary ,observations4         
,table in which they are confronted     
#a      #b4 ,vision ,i4 ,dialogue on the
 road3 ,paul hears a voice1       sees  

nothing                                 
#h      #c4 ,vision ,,ii4 ,ananias's    
#ba1 #cd      #d4 ,ananias3 his ,visit  
to ,paul at ,damascus                   
#bf1 #eg      #e4 ,vision ,,iii4 ,paul's
 anterior ,vision1 as reported by the   
,lord to ,ananias4 ,acts ix4 #ab        
#fb      #f4 ,visions1 why two or three1
 instead of one8                     #fd
      #g4 ,commission to ,paul by       
,jerusalem ,rulers--,commission       to
 bring in ,bonds ,damascus              
,christians--,paul's ,contempt       put
 upon it                                
#fi      #h4 ,companions--had ,paul any 
upon the road8                          
#gb      #i4 ,in ,paul's ,epistle to his
 ,galatians1--by his silence1 ,acts     
,accounts of his ,conversion are        
virtually contradicted          #gg     
,,table ,,ii      ,,chapter ,,ii4       
,outward ,conversion--how produced--how 
planned                     #hi      #a4
 ,motive1 ,temporal ,advantage--,plan   
#ic      #b4 ,at ,damascus1 no such     

,ananias probably                       
#ig      #c4 ,on ,damascus              
journey--,companions none               
#ajj      #d4 ,flight from ,damascus3   
,causes--false--true                    
#aja      #e4 ,arabia ,visit--mentioned 
by ,paul1 not ,acts              #ajh1  
#aac      #f4 ,gamaliel--had he part in 
,paul's plan8                           
#abe        ,,chapter ,,iii4      ,paul 
disbelieved4--,neither his divine       
,commission nor his    inward           
,conversion ever credited by the        
,apostles or their    ,jerusalem        
,disciples4--,source of ,proof stated   
#ace      #a4 ,to ,paul's ,conversion   
,vision1 sole original ,witness         
himself                                 
#ace      #b4 ,counter-,witnesses1 the  
,apostles3 by them1 the ,story          
probably not heard--certainly not       
credited                    #acf        
#c4 ,in proof1 so much of the ,acts     
history must here be       anticipated  
#ach      #d4 ,topics under his several 

,jerusalem ,visits3 viz4       ,i4      
,reconciliation ,visit                  
#aci1 #adc      #e4 ,topics under ,visit
 ,,ii4--,money-bringing ,visit          
#aec      #f4 ,remarks on ,visit        
,,iii4--,deputation ,visit              
#aed      #g4 ,topics under ,visit      
,,iv4--,invasion ,visit                 
#aef      #h4 ,self-written             
,biography--its superior ,value and     
,claim       to ,credence               
#aei        ,,chapter ,,iv4      ,paul  
disbelieved continued4 ,first of his    
four ,visits    to ,jerusalem after his 
,conversion--say ,jerusalem ,visit      
,i4 or ,reconciliation                  
,visit4--,barnabas introducing him      
from ,antioch to the ,apostles          
#afj      #a4 ,paul's ,proceedings      
between his ,conversion and this        
,visit4--,contradiction4 ,per ,paul1 it 
was not till after       three ,years   
spent in ,arabia2 per ,acts1 immediately
          #afd      #b4 ,grounds of     
,paul's ,prospect of ,reconciliation on 

this       ,occasion with the ,apostles 
and their ,disciples                #aga
      #c4 ,occasion of this ,visit1 as  
per ,paul's own ,account           #agg 
#d4 ,occasion1 as per ,acts ,account    
compared with ,paul's          #ahj     
#e4 ,cause of the ,discordance between  
the two ,accounts             #ahh      
#f4 ,length of this ,visit              
#aib      #g4 ,mode and ,cause of its   
,termination                            
#aig        ,,chapter ,v4      ,paul    
disbelieved continued4 ,jerusalem ,visit
 ,,ii4    ,money-bringing               
,visit4--,barnabas accompanying him     
from ,antioch                           
#bjc      #a4 ,at ,antioch1 ,agabus     
having predicted a ,dearth1 ,money      
is collected for the ,jerusalem ,saints 
#bjc        #b4 ,barnabas and ,paul     
dispatched with the ,money to ,jerusalem
      #bjh        ,,chapter ,,vi4       
,paul disbelieved continued4--,jerusalem
 ,visit ,,iii4    ,deputation           
,visit4--,paul and ,barnabas delegated  

by    ,antioch ,saints1 to confer on the
 ,necessity of ,jewish ,rites    to     
,heathen ,converts to the ,religion of  
,jesus                     #baa      #a4
 ,occasion of this ,visit               
#baa      #b4 ,the ,delegates how       
received4--,council of ,apostles and    
,elders                                 
#bae      #c4 ,debates--,course carried 
by ,james against ,peter            #bbj
      #d4 ,result1 supposed ,apostolic  
,decree and ,letter to       ,antioch1  
which1 per ,acts1 ,paul circulates      
#bbd        ,,chapter ,,vii4      ,paul 
disbelieved continued4 ,after his third 
,jerusalem    ,visit1 ,contest between  
him and ,peter at ,antioch4             
,partition ,treaty3 ,paul for himself3  
,peter1 ,james    and ,john for the     
,apostles                               
#bbh      #a4 ,contest and              
,partition-,treaty1 as per ,acts and    
,paul's ,epistles                       
#bbh      #b4                           
,partition-,treaty--,probability1 given 

by the financial       ,stipulation1 to 
,paul's ,account of it                  
#bch      #c4 ,time of the              
,partition-,treaty1 most probably that  
of       ,visit ,i                      
#bdb        ,,chapter ,,viii4           
,interview the ,fourth4--,peter at      
,antioch4--,deputies to    ,antioch from
 ,jerusalem1 ,judas and ,silas4--,paul  
disagrees    with ,peter and ,barnabas1 
quits ,antioch1 and on a    ,missionary 
,excursion takes with him ,silas4 ,what 
concerns    the ,partition ,treaty1 down
 to this ,period1 reviewed4--,peter     
and the ,apostles justified             
#bdi      #a4 ,paul's ,account of this  
,interview quoted4--,acts       ,account
 of what followed upon it               
#bdi      #b4 ,paul disagrees with      
,peter and ,barnabas2 quits             
,antioch1 taking ,silas from the        
,apostles                     #beb      
#c4 ,the ,partition ,treaty1 and the    
proceedings in relation       to it1    
down to this ,period1 reviewed          

#bee      #d4 ,peter and the ,apostles  
justified1 as to the financial          
,stipulation in the ,treaty1 and the    
succeeding ,missionary       ,labours of
 ,peter among the ,gentiles             
#beh        ,,chapter ,,ix4      ,paul  
disbelieved continued4--,jerusalem      
,visit ,,iv4 and    last ,invasion      
,visit4 ,the ,purpose concealed3        
,opposition    universal2 among his own 
,disciples1 and among those of the      
,apostles                               
#bff      #a4 ,motives to this ,visit   
#bff      #b4 ,the ,visit announced by  
,paul and deferred                  #bfg
      #c4 ,the design indefensible      
#bgb      #d4 ,opposition made to it by 
his own attendants and other            
adherents                               
#bge      #e4 ,opposition made to it by 
the ,apostles and their       disciples 
#bgg      #f4 ,plan of the ,apostles for
 ridding themselves of ,paul       #bhb 
,,chapter ,x4      ,paul disbelieved    
continued4--,jerusalem ,visit ,,iv4     

continued4 ,his ,arrival and ,reception4
 ,accused by all the    ,disciples of   
the ,apostles1 he commences an          
exculpatory    ,oath in the ,temple4    
,dragged out by them--rescued by a      
,roman ,commander--sent in ,custody to  
,rome                         #bhh      
#a4 ,at ,jerusalem1 ,paul is received by
 the ,elders and       ,james2 but by no
 other ,apostle                         
#bhh      #b4 ,low ,tone assumed by him 
on this ,occasion                       
#bia      #c4 ,posterior to all his     
supposed ,miracles1 his ,silence        
proves them unreal                      
#bie      #d4 ,accused by the           
,disciples1 he commences1 at the        
,recommendation of the ,apostles1 an    
exculpatory       ,oath in the ,temple  
#bih      #e4 ,the ,design of this      
,recommendation justified               
#cjh      #f4 ,dragged out of the       
,temple by ,jews or ,christians1        
he is saved by a ,roman ,commander      
#cji        ,,chapter ,,xi4      ,paul  

disbelieved continued4--,paul's fourth  
,jerusalem    ,visit continued4         
,perjurious was the ,purpose of the     
exculpatory ,ceremony commenced in the  
,temple                     #caj        
#a4 ,general ,proof of the ,perjury from
 the ,acts                    #caj      
#b4 ,proof from the ,epistles           
#cbg        ,,chapter ,,xii4      ,more 
,falsehoods4--,resurrection-,witnesses  
multiplied4--,world's    ,end           
predicted4--,to save credit1 ,antichrist
 invented              #ccc      #a4    
,resurrection-,witnesses multiplied     
#ccc      #b4 ,false ,prophecy1 that the
 ,world would end in the ,lifetime      
of ,persons then living                 
#cch      #c4 ,disorder and ,mischief   
produced by this ,prediction            
#cdc      #d4 ,paul's ,remedy for the   
,disorder1 and ,salvo for himself4      
,antichrist must first come             
#cdg        ,,chapter ,,xiii4           
,paul's supposable ,miracles explained  
#ced      #a4 ,objections1 applying to  

them in the ,aggregate                  
#ced      #b4 ,supposable ,miracle ,i4  
,elymas the ,sorcerer blinded4--,acts   
xiii4 #f-ab                             
#ceh      #c4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,ii4--,at ,lystra1 ,cripple            
cured4--,acts       xiv4 #h-aa          
#cfa      #d4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,iii4--,divineress silenced4--,acts    
xvi #af-ah                              
#cfb      #e4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,iv4--,at ,philippi1 an ,earthquake3   
,paul and ,silas freed from ,prison1    
,a4,d4 #ec                     #cfe     
#f4 ,supposable ,miracle ,v4--,at       
,corinth1 ,paul comforted by       the  
,lord in an unseen ,vision1 ,a4,d4      
#ed--;,acts       xviii4 #g-aa          
#cfi      #g4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,vi4--,at ,ephesus1 ,diseases and      
,devils expelled by foul                
,handkerchiefs4--,acts       xix4 #a-ab 
#cgb      #h4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,vii4--,at ,ephesus1 ,exorcist ,scevas 
bedeviled4--,acts xix4 #ac-bj           

#cgc      #i4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,viii4--,magical ,books burnt by the   
,owners4--,acts xix4 #ai1 #bj           
#chj     #aj4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,ix4--,at ,troas1 ,eutychus found      
not to be dead4--,acts xx4 #g-ab        
#chb     #aa4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,x4--,on ,shipboard1 ,paul comforted    
by an ,angel4--,acts xxvii4 #bj-be      
#che     #ab4 ,supposable ,miracle      
,,xi4--,at ,malta1 a ,reptile shaken off
       by ,paul without hurt4--,acts    
xxviii4 #a-f                     #chf   
#ac4 ,supposable ,miracle ,,xii4--,at   
,malta1 ,deputy ,publius's       ,father
 cured4--,acts xxviii4 #g1 #h           
#chi     #ad4 ,conclusion3 the          
,supposable ,miracles classed and       
summed up                               
#cic        ,,chapter ,,xiv4      ,acts1
 ,part false1 ,part true3 ,author not   
,saint ,luke               #cig      #a4
 ,by the false ,parts1 the ,gospel not  
affected3 most ,parts       true        
#cig      #b4 ,time between             

,resurrection and ,ascension--,acts     
contradicts       ,luke                 
#cih      #c4 ,as to ,ascension1 ,acts  
inconsistent with ,luke                 
#djc        ,,chapter ,,xv4      ,law   
,report4--,jews versus ,paul3 ,trials   
five1 with    ,observations             
#djf      #a4 ,introduction             
#djf      #b4 ,trial ,i4 ,place1        
,jerusalem-,temple4--,judicatory1 the   
mixed       ,multitude4--,acts xxii4    
#a-ba                                   
#djg      #c4 ,trial ,,ii4 ,judicatory1 
,jerusalem ,council-,board4--,acts      
xxiii4 #a-aj                            
#dji      #d4 ,trial ,,iii4 ,place1     
,csarea4--,acts xxiv4 #a-bc             
#dac      #e4 ,trial ,,iv4 ,place1      
again1 ,csarea4--,acts xxv4 #a-ab       
#dag      #f4 ,trial ,v4 and            
last4--,place1 still ,csarea            
#dbj        ,,chapter ,,xvi4            
,paul's ,doctrines                      
,anti-,apostolic4--,was he not          
,antichrist8         #dbf      #a4      

,paul's ,doctrine was at variance with  
that of the       ,apostles             
#dbf      #b4 ,of ,conformity1 use made 
of the ,name of ,jesus no ,proof        
#dbh      #c4 ,paul1 was he not         
,antichrist8                            
#dcb             99       99       99   
99       99    ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3
  ,punctuation corrected without        
comment4 ,original spelling retained    
with  the exception of the following    
apparent typesetting errors3    ,pg iv  
,d'unning's changed to                  
,dunning's--,dunning's clearness    ,pg 
xxiv ,stright changed to                
,straight--street which is called       
,straight1    ,pg #ac read changed to   
road--in the road leading2 was changed  
to what--,but what is    ,pg #ad        
superservicable changed to              
superserviceable--such a                
superserviceable witness    ,pg #ge     
proveable changed to provable--real and 
provable facts4    ,pg #gi he changed to
 the--uprightly according to the truth  

of the  gospel    ,pg #ha ,casearea     
changed to ,caesarea--down to ,caesarea 
,pg #hb ,cladius changed to             
,claudius--in the days of ,claudius     
,pg #hc ,gentile changed to             
,gentiles--among the ,gentiles2 missing 
word brethren added unto the brethren   
,pg #hd the changed to they--when they  
were dismissed2 ,casearea  changed to   
,caesarea--landed at ,caesarea    ,pg   
#aai pourtrayed changed to portrayed--is
 not ill portrayed    ,pg #abj woud     
changed to would--,ephesus would not2   
coud changed  to could--could not have  
endured    ,pg #adb and #bbf ,galacia   
changed to ,galatia--,galatia stands    
fifth1  and over all ,galatia    ,pg    
#agh numbering corrected4 ,original had 
two #a's4    ,pg #agi narative changed  
to narrative--in such case1 the         
narrative    ,pg #bbb cosideration      
changed to consideration--is the        
consideration1  upon    ,pg #bea saled  
changed to sailed--,mark and sailed unto
    ,pg #bfa has changed to his--,had   

his mind been    ,pg #bfb unsatifactory 
changed to unsatisfactory--not          
altogether  unsatisfactory    ,pg #bgc  
probably changed to probable--so much as
 probable42  ligitimate changed to      
legitimate--the only legitimate         
government3    ,pg #bge attedant changed
 to attendant--of his attendant    ,pg  
#bhj distiguished changed to            
distinguished--distinguished by  the    
name2 dissuation changed to             
dissuasion--was a dissuasion to  the    
,pg #bib and changed to an--an old      
disciple    ,pg #bif irrestible changed 
to irresistible--so perfectly           
irresistible4    ,pg #cah previoulsy    
changed to previously--it was previously
  requisite    ,pg #cai chcarge changed 
to charge--took charge of her4    ,pg   
#ccg be to changed to to be--not to be  
forgotten4    ,pg #cfc in changed to    
on--on their way    ,pg #cfe absurb     
changed to absurd--too absurd and       
flagrantly    ,pg #cff succussful       
changed to successful--instance been    

successful    ,pg #cgf epirits changed  
to spirits--masters over evil spirits   
,pg #chf missing word be added--purpose 
was to be answered2 their  changed to   
theirs--conceptions of theirs reported1 
,pg #dae numbering corrected1 ,,ii      
changed to ,,iii2 #ac changed to #aj4   
,pg #dch ,galations changed to          
,galatians--,in ,paul's ,epistle to  his
 ,galatians