been mad enough to hope for fafety, against the bite of a viper, without any remedy being applied to it, but would that hope have prevented his death? Or, were the barbarous islanders, to whom this Apoftle was an abfolute stranger, prepared by enthusiasm to expect and believe that any miracle would be worked to preserve him? On the contrary when they faw the viper hang on his hand, they faid among themselves 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the fea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.' I will add no more inftances: these are fufficient to fhew, that the miracles told of St. Paul can no more be afcrided to enthusiasm than to imposture.

BUT moreover, the power of working miracles was not confined to St, Paul, it was alfo communicated to the churches he planted in different parts of the world. In many parts of his firft Epiftle he tells the Corinthians, that they had among them many miraculous graces and gifts, and gives them directions for the more orderly use of them in their affemblies. Now I afk, whether all that he said upon that head is to be ascribed to enthusiasm? If the Corinthians knew that they had among them no fuch miraculous powers; they must have regarded the author of that Epiftle as a man out of his fenfes, inftead of revering him as an Apostle of God.

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IF, for inftance, a Quaker fhould, in a meeting of his own fect, tell all the perfons affembled there, that to fome among them was given the gift of healing by the Spirit of God, to others the working of other miracles, to others diverse kinds of tongues, they would undoubtedly account him a mad man, because they pretended to no fuch gifts. If indeed they were only told by him that they were inspired by the Spirit of God in a certain ineffable manner, which they alone could underftand, but which did not difcover itself by any outward, diftin&t operations, or signs, they might mistake the impulfe of enthusiasm for the inspiration of the Holy Ghoft; but they could not believe, against the conviction of their own minds, that they spoke tongues they did not speak, or healed diftempers they did not heal, or-worked other miracles when they worked none. If it be faid, the Corinthians might pretend to these powers, though the Quakers do not, I ask whether in that pretention they were impoftors, or only enthusiasts? If they were impoftors, and St. Paul was alfo fuch, how rediculous was it for him to advise them in an Epiftle, writ only to them, and for their own ufe, not to value themselves too highly upon thofe gifts; to pray for one rather than another, and prefer charity to them all! Do affociates in fraud talk fuch a

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language to one another? But if we suppose their pretention to all those gifts was an effect of enthusiasm, let us confider how it was poffible that he and they could be fo cheated by that enthufiafm, as to imagine they had fuch powers when they had not,

SUPPOSE that enthusiasm could make a man think, that he was able by a word or a touch to give fight to the blind, motion to the lame, or life to the dead: would that conceit of his make the blind fee, the lame walk, or the dead revive? And if it did not, how could he perfift in such an opinion, or upon his perfifting, escape being shut up for a madman? But such a madness could not infect so many at once, as St. Paul fuppofes at Corinth to have been endowed with the gift of healing, or any other miraculous power. One of the miracles which they pretended to, was the fpeaking of languages they never had learned.And St. Paul fays, he poffeffed this gift more than them all. If this had been, a delufion of fancy, if they had spoke only gibberish, or unmeaning founds, it would foon have appeared when they came to make use of it where it was necessary, viz. in converting of those who underftood not any language they naturally spoke. St. Paul particularly, who travelled fo far upon that defign, and had fuch occasion to use it, must soon

have discovered that this immaginary gift of the spirit was no gift at all, but a ridiculous inftance of frenzy, which had poffeffed both him and them. But if those he spoke to in diverfe tongues underftood what he said, and were converted to Christ by that means, how could it be a delufion? Of all the miracles recorded in Scripture, none are more clear from any poffible imputation of being the effect of an enthusiastic imagination than this. For how could any man think that he had it, who had it not; or if he did think so, not be undeceived when he came to put his gift to the proof? Accordingly, I do not find such a power to have been ever pretended to by any enthusiast,

ancient or modern.

IF then St. Paul and the church of Corinth were not deceived in afcribing to themselves this miraculous power, but really had it, there is the ftrongest reason to think, that neither were they deceived in the others powers to which they pretended, as the same spirit which gave them that equally, could, and probably would, give them the others, to ferve the fame holy ends for which that was given. And by confequence, St. Paul was no enthufiaft in what he wrote upon that head to the Corinthians, nor in other fimilar inftances where he afcribes to himself, or to the churches he founded, any fupernatural graces

and gifts. Indeed, they who would impute to imagination effects, fuch as those which St. Paul imputes to the power of God attending his misfion, must ascribe to imagination the fame omnipotence which he afcribes to God.

HAVING thus, I flatter myself fatisfactorily fhewn, that St. Paul could not be an enthufiaft, who, by the force of an over-heated imagination imposed on himself, I am next to inquire whether he was deceived by the fraud of others, and whether all that he said of himself can be imputed to the power of that deceit? But I need fay little to fhew the abfurduity of this fuppofition.-It was morally impoffible for the difciples of Chrift, to conceive fuch a thought, as that of turning his perfecutor into his Apostle, and to do this by a fraud in the very inftant of his greatest fury against them and their Lord. But could they have been fo extravagant as to conceive fuch a thought, it was phyfically impoffible for them to execute it in a manner we find his conversion to have been effected. Could they produce a light in the air, which at mid-day was brighter than the fun? Could they make Saul hear words from out of that light, which were not heard by the reft of the company? Could they make him blind for three days after that vision, and then make scales fall off from his eyes, and restore him