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tine difpofition. As among the Jews, fo among the Chriftians, his converfation and manners were blameless. Hear the appeal that he makes to the Theffalonians upon his doctrine and behaviour among them: them: Our exhortation was not of de ceit nor of uncleannefs, nor in guile: Ye are witneffes, and God alfo, how holily, and juftly, and unblameably, we behaved o rselves among you that believe.' 1 Theff. ii. 10. See alfo 2:

Cor. i. 12. and iv. 2. And to the Corinthians he fays, We have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.' 2 Cor. vii. 2.

It was not then the defire of gratifying any irregular paffion, that could induce St. Paul to turn Chriflian, any more than the hope of advancing himself either in wealth, or reputation, or power. But ftill it is poffible fome men may fay (and I would leave no immaginable objection unanswered) that though St Paul could have no felfish or interefted view in undertaking fuch an impoture, yet for the fake of its moral doctrines he might be inclined to fupport the Chriftian faith, and make ufe of fome pious frauds to advance a religion, which, though erroneous and falfe in its theological tenets, and in the facts upon which it was grounded, was in its precepts and influence beneficial to mankind.

Now it is true that fome good men in the Heathen world have both pretended to divine revelations, and introduced or fupported religions they knew to be falfe, under a notion of public utility: but befides that this practice was built upon maxims difclaimed by the Jews, (who looking upon truth, not utility to be the basis of their religion, abhorred all such frauds, and thought them injurious to the honor of God,) the circumstances they acted in were very different from thofe of St. Paul.

THE first reformers of favage, uncivilized nations, had no other way to tame those barbarous people, and bring them to fubmit to order and government, but by the reverence which they acquired from this pretence. The fraud was

therefore alike beneficial both to the deceiver and the deceived. And in all other inftances which can be given of good men acting this part, they not only did it to ferve good ends, but were fecure of its doing no harm. Thus when Lycurgus perfuaded the Spartans, or Numa the Romans, that the laws of the one were inspired by Apollo, or thofe of the other by Egeria, when they taught their people to put great faith in oracles, or in augury, no temporal mischief either to them or their people, could attend the reception of that belief. It drew on ne

perfecutions, no enmity with the world.

But at

that time when St. Paul undertook the preaching of the Gospel, to perfuade any man to be a Christian, was to perfuade him to expose himself to all the calumnies human nature could fuffer. This St. Paul knew; this he not only expected, but warned those he taught to look for it too: i Theff. iii. 4. 2 Cor. vi. 4, 5. Eph. vi. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Phil. i. 28, 29, 30. Col. i. 9, 10, 11. Rom. viii. 35, 36. The only fupport that he had himself, or gave to them, was, • That if they fuffered with Chrift, they should be also glorified together.' And that 'he reckoned the sufferings of the present time were not worthy to be compared with that glory. Rom. viii. 17, 18. So likewife he writes to the Theffalonians, • We ourselves glory in you, in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your perfecutions and tribulations that you endure; which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which also ye fuffer. Secing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense [or pay] tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled, reft with us, when the Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from Hea

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ven, with his mighty angels,' &c. 2 Theff. i. 4, 5, 6, 7. And to the Corinthians he fays,

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this life only we have hope in Chrift, we are of all men the moft miferable.' How much reafon had he to say this, the hatred, the contempt, the torments, the deaths, endured by the Chriftians in that age, and long afterwards, abundantly prove. Whoever profeffed the Gospel under these circumftances without an entire conviction of its being a divine revelation, must have been mad: and if he made others profess it by fraud or deceit, he must have been worse than mad, he muft have been the moft hardened wretch that ever breathed. Could any man who had in his nature the leaft fpark of humanity, fubject his fellow-creatures to fo many miseries; or could one that had in his mind the leaft ray of reafon, expose himself to share them with thofe he deceived, in order to advance a religion which he knew to be false, merely for the fake of its moral doctrines? Such an extravagance is too abfurd to be supposed, and I dwell too long on a notion, that, upon a little reflection, confutes itfelf.

I WOULD only add to the other proofs I have given, that St. Paul could have no rational motive to become a difciple of Chrift, unless he fincerely believed in him, this observation: that whereas it may be objected to the other Apostles, by those who are refolved not to credit their

testimony, that having been deeply engaged with Jefus during his life, they were obliged to continue the fame profeffions after his death, for the support of their own credit, and from having gone too far to go back, this can by no means be faid of St. Paul. On the contrary, whatever force there may be in that way of reasoning, it all tends to convince us that St. Paul must naturally have continued a Jew, and an enemy of Chrift Jefus. If they were engaged on one fide, he was as ftrongly engaged on the other. If fhame withheld them from changing fides, much more ought it to have stopped him, who, being of a higher education and rank in life a great deal than they, had more credit to lofe, and must be fuppofed to have been vaftly more fenfible to that fort of fhame. The only difference was, that they, by quitting their mafter after his death, might have preferved themselves; whereas he, by quitting the Jews and taking up the crofs of Christ, certainly brought on his own deftruction.

As therefore no rational motive appears for St. Paul's embracing the faith of Chrift, without having been really convinced of the truth of it: but, on the contrary, every thing concurred to deter him from acting that part; one might very juftly conclude, that when a man of his underftanding embraced that faith, he was in reality N°. 6.

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