thoughts of increasing his wealth by becoming a Chriftian; whereas, by continuing to be their enemy, he had almost certain hopes of making his fortune by the favour of thofe who were at the head of the Jewish state, to whom nothing could more recommend him than the zeal which he fhewed in the perfecution. As to credit or reputation, that too lay all on the fide he forfook. The fect he embraced was under the greatest and most universal contempt of any then in the world. The chiefs and leaders of it were men of the lowest birth, education, and rank. They had no one advantage of parts or learning, or other human endowments to recommend them. The doctrines they taught were contrary to those, which they who were accounted the wifeft and the most knowing of their nation profeffed. The wonderful works that they did, were either imputed to magick or to imposture. The very author and head of their faith had been condemned as a criminal, and died on the crofs between two thieves. Could the difciple of Gamaliel think he fhould gain any credit or reputation by becoming a teacher in a college of Fishermen? Could he flatter himself, that either in

or

or out of Judea the doctrines he taught could do him any honour? No; he knew very well that the preaching Christ crucified was a fumbling-block to the Jews, and to the Greeks. foolishness. He afterwards found by experience, that in all parts of the world, contempt was the portion of whoever engaged in preaching a mystery fo unpalatable to the world, to all its paffions and pleasures, and so irreconcileable to the pride of human reason. We are made (fays he to the Corinthians) as the filth of the world, the off-fcouring of all things unto this day.

4

oufly as he fet out,

Yet he went on as zealand was not ashamed of the Gospel of Chrift. Certainly then the defire of glory, the ambition of making to himself a great name, was not his motive to embrace Christianity. Was it then the love of power? power! over whom? over a flock of fheep driven to the flaughter, whofe fhepherd himfelf had been murdered a little before. All he could hope from that power was to be marked out in a particular manner for the fame knife, which he had feen fo bloodily drawn against them. Could he expect more mercy from the chief priests, and the rulers, than they had fhewn to Jefus himself?

Would

Would not their anger be probably fiercer against the deferter and betrayer of their caufe, than against any other of the Apostles? Was power over fo mean and despised a set of men worth the attempting with fo much danger? But ftill it may be faid, there are fome natures fo fond of power, that they will court it at any rifk, and be pleafed with it even over the meaneft. Let us fee then what power Saint Paul affumed over the Chrif tians. Did he pretend to any fuperiority over the other Apoftles? No; he declared himself the least of them, and less than the leaft of all faints. Even in the churches he planted himself, he never pretended to any primacy or power above the other Apostles: nor would he be regarded any otherwise by them, than as the inftrument to them of the grace of God, and preacher of the Gospel, not as the head of a fect. To the Corinthians he writes in thefe words: Now this I fay, that every one of you faith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Chrift divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the

* Ephef. iii. 8. 1 Cor. xv. 9.

" name

<name of Paul? And in another place, • Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but minifters by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jefus the • Lord, and ourselves your fervants for Jesus fake t.'

All the authority he exercifed over them was purely of a fpiritual nature, tending to their inftruction and edification, without any mixture of that civil dominion in which alone an impoftor can find his account. Such was the dominion acquired and exercised through the pretence of Divine infpiration, by many ancient legislators, by Minos, Radamanthus, Triptolemus, Lycurgus, Numa, Zaleucus, Zoroafter, Zamolxis, nay even by Pythagoras, who joined legislation to his philofophy, and, like the others, pretended to miracles and revelations from God, to give a more venerable fanction to the laws he prescribed. Such, in later times, was attained by Odin among the Goths, by Mahomet among the Arabians, by Mango Copac among the Peruvians, by the

1 Cor. i. 12, 13. iv. 5.

+ Cor, iii. 5. 2 Cor.

Sof

Soft family among the Perfians, and that of the Xeriffs among the Moors. To fuch a dominion did alfo afpire the many false Meffiahs among the Jews. In fhort, a fpiritual authority was only defired as a foundation for temporal power, or as the fupport of it, by all thefe pretenders to divine infpirations, and others whóm hiftory mentions in different áges and countries, to have used the fame arts. But St. Paul innovated nothing in government or civil affairs; he meddled not with legislation, he formed no commonwealths, he raised no feditions, he affected no temporal power. Obedience to their rulers was the doctrine he taught to the churches he planted*, and what he taught he practised himself; nor did he use any of those foothing arts by which ambitious and cunning men recommend themselves to the favour of those whom they endeavour to fubject to their power. Whatever was wrong in the difciples under his care, he freely reproved, as it became a teacher from God, of which num berlefs inftances are to be found in all his Epiftles. And he was as careful of them

* Rom. xiii.

when