which was accordingly done, and some of the townsmen seized upon Sost hens one of the rulers of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat, the proconsul giving himself no concern about it. Thus were the de signs of the apostle's enemies rendered abortive; and Paul continued without any further opposition, to preach the doctrine of the gospel during du year and a half, when he left the church at Corinth, to visit others he had planted in different parts of the east.

While the apostle continued at Corinth he wrote his second Epistle to the Thessalonians, to supply his absence. In this Epistle he again endeavours to confirm their minds in the truth of the gospel, and prevent their being shaken with those troubles which the wicked and unbelieving Jews would be continually raising against them. And because some passages in his former Epistle relating to the destruction of the Jews had been misunderstood, as if the day of the Lord was near at hand, he rectifies these mistakes, and shews the sign that must precede our Lord's coming to judgment in the latter days.

Leaving the church at Corinth, St. Paul took ship at Cenchrea, the port of Corinth, for Syria, taking with him Aquila and Priscilla ; and on his arrival at Ephesus, he preached a while in the synagogue of the Jews, promising to return to them after keeping the passover at Jerusalem. Ac cordingly, he again took ship, and landed at Cæsaria, and from thence travelled to Jerusalem, where he kept the feast, visited the church, and then repaired to Antioch: here he stayed some time, and then traversed the countries of Galatia and Phrygia, till he came to Ephesus, confirming the new converted Christians.

While the apostle was taking this large circuit, Providence took care of the churches of Ephesus and Corinth, by means of one Apollos, and eloquent Jew of Alexandria, and well acquainted with the law and writings of the prophets. This man coming to Ephesus, though he was only instructed in the first rudiments of Christianity, and John's baptism; yet he taught with great courage, and a most powerful zeal. After being fully instructed in the faith by Aquila and Priscilla, he passed over into Achaia, being furnished with recommendatory letters by the churches of Ephesus and Corinth.He was of the greatest service in Achaia, in watering what Paul had pl ed, confirming the disciples, and powerfully convincing the Jews JESUS was the true Messiah promised in the Scriptures of the Ol ment.

Leaving Apollos thus usefully employed, St. Paul returned where he fixed his abode for three years, bringing with Derbe, Aristarchus a native of Thessalonica, Timotheus Corinth, and Titus. The first thing he did after his ar mine certain disciples, whether they had received the they believed? To which they answered, "That the received, promised nothing of that nature; nor had such an extraordinary spirit had of late been besto This answer surprized the apostle who asked t had been baptized; since, in the Christian for Ghost was always expressed? They replied, John's baptism; which, though it enjoined w nothing expressly concerning the Holy G Upon which the apostle informed them, t' manded nothing but repentance, yet it + of CHRIST and the Holy Ghost. baptized according to the form pres in the name of the blessed Trinity; laid his hands upon them, they rec raculous powers.

him: but interest and superstition meeting in the minds of a bigotted multitude, admitted of no reason; they were all fired with a zeal for their goddess, and determined, if they could find Paul, to expose him to the beast in the theatre. The whole city was filled with the tumult, and the crowd, missing Paul, laid hold on Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians of Paul's company, and hurried them into the theatre, with a design to throw them to the wild beasts: Paul who was at present in a place of security, hearing of the danger to which his brethren were exposed, was very desirous of venturing after them, in order to speak in their behalf; but was at last dissuaded from it, not only by the Christians, but also by the Gentile governors of the theatrical games, who were his friends, and assured him, that he would only endanger himself, without rescuing his friends, or affording them any assistance.

The multitude were now prodigiously clamorous and confused, most of them not knowing the reason for which they were come together; and, therefore, some cried one thing, and some another. In this distraction, Alexander, a Jewish convert, was singled out by the multitude, and by the instigation of the Jews was going to make his defence, defence, i in which doubtless, he would have laid the whole blame upon Paul: but the multitude perceiving him to be a Jew, and therefore suspecting he was one of Paul's associates, raised another outcry for near two hours together, wherein nothing could be heard but "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." This confusion brought the town clerk, who kept the register of the games, into the theatre, to suppress, if possible, s so uncommon a tumult; and having with great difficulty, obtained silence, calmly and discretely told them, "That the world was sufficiently acquainted with the devotion paid by the Ephesians to the great goddess Diana, and the image which fell down from Jupiter; and therefore it was absolutely needless for them to publish it at that time; that if Demetrius and his fraternity had any thing to allege against Paul and his companions, the court were open, and they might bring their accusation against them; or, if they were questioned with regard to the breach of any of their laws, the cause ought to be heard in a regular assembly. That they would do well to consider this, and be quiet; having already rendered themselves obnoxious to the magistrates, if they did think proper to call them to an account for the tumult which they had that day occasioned."

The multitude, on hearing this discourse, were convinced that they had acted very improperly, and therefore repaired to their respective habitations; and Gaius, Aristarchus, and Alexander, were released without any burt: but the escape of Pani was so very remarkable, that he mentions it as a miraculous deliverance. "We had," says he, "the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead, who delivereth us from so great a death." And in another place he tells us, "he fought with beasts at Ephesus," alluding either to the design of the enraged multitude of throwing him to the wild beasts in the theatre, though their intention was not executed; or to the manners of the people, who sufficiently deserved the character of being savage Jand brutal in the strictest sense of the words.

Paul about this time, was informed of some disturbances in the church of Corinth hatched and fomented by a company of false teachers, crept in amongst them, who endeavoured to draw them into parties and factions, by persuading one company to be for Peter, another for Paul, and a third for Apollos; as if the principal part of religion consisted in being of this or that denomination, or in a warm active zeal to depreciate and oppose whoever is not for our own narrow seet. It is a very weak and slender - claim, when a man holds his religion by no better title than his having joined himself to such or such a sect or congregation, and is remarkably zealous to promote it; to be childishly and passionately clamourous for some person's particular mode of administration, or some particular opinion; as if religion rather consisted in curious disputes, or in separating from our brethren, than in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. By these means, schisms and factions broke into the Corinthian church, whereby many wild and extravagant opinions, and some of them such as tended to undermine the fundamental articles of Christianity, were planted, and had taken root there. To cure these distempers, St. Paul wrote his first Epistle to the Corinthians, wherein he smartly reproves them for their schisms and parties, conjures them to follow after peace and unity, corrects those gross corruptions that had been introduced amongst them, and particularly resolves those many cases and controversies, wherein they had requested his advice.

Apollos soon after determined to go to Crete together with Zenos, St. Paul sent by them his Epistle to Titus, whom he had made bishop of that island, and had left there for propagating the gospel. In this Epistle, he instructs him fully in the execution of his office, how to benave himself, and what directions he should give to others in the several relations and Tanks of men, especially those who were to be advanced to places of of fice and authority in the church, amongst the Gentiles.

* The tumult at Athens had not long subsided, before Paul called the Christians together, and took his leave of them with the most tender expressions of love and affection. He had now spent almost three years at Ephesus, and founded there a very considerable church, of which he had ordained Timothy the first bishop. He first travelled about two hundred miles northward to Troas, before he took ship, expecting to meet Titus there: but missing him, he pursued his voyage to Macedonia, where, on his arrival, he preached the gospel in several places, even, as far as Illyricum, now called Sclavonia. During this journey he met with many troubles and dangers, " without were fightings," and "within were fears:" but God, who comforteth those that are cast down, revived his spirits by the arrival of Titus, who gave him a pleasing account of the good effects his Epistles had produced at Corinth. This worthy bishop came hither with large contributions from that church, and from the example of those liberal Christians, St. Paul stirred up the Macedonians to imitate their charity, intending to assist the distressed Christians at Jerusalem, who were then in an indigent and persecuted state.

While Titus continued in Macedonia, Paul wrote his second Epistle to the Corinthians, and sent it to them by Titus and Luke. In this, he en. deavours to rectify what his former Epistle had not effected, to vindicate his apostleship from that contempt and scorn, and himself from those • slanders and aspersions which the seducers, who found themselves lashed by his former letter, had cast upon him; together with several other particular cases relating to the church. About this time also, he wrote his first Epistle to Timothy, whom he had left at Ephesus, wherein he gives thim large directions how to carry himself in the discharge of that great ⚫ office and authority in the church, committed to his care; and instructs him in the particular qualifications of those he should make choice of as bishops and ministers in the church. He likewise gives him instructions with regard to his giving orders to deaconesses, and instructing servants; warning him at the same time against that pestilent generation of heretics and seducers that would arise in the church, after his departure.

While Paul remained in Greece, he went to Corinth where he wrote his excellent Epistle to the Romans, which he sent by Phœbe, a deaconess of the church of Cenchrea, near Corinth. His principal intention in this Epistle is, fully to state and determine the great controversy between the Jews and Gentiles, with regard to the obligations of the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish law, and those principal and material points of doctrine depending upon it; namely, Christian liberty, the use of indiffer

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ent things, and the like; and, which is the chief intention of all religion, instructs them, and presses them to perform the duties of a holy and pious life, such as the Christian doctrine naturally recommends and enforces.

Being now determined to return into Syria, in order to convey the contributions to the brethren at Jerusalem, he set out on his journey; but being informed, that the Jews had formed a design of killing and robbing him by the way, he returned back into Macedonia, and came to Philippi, from whence he went to Troas, where he stayed seven days: here he preached to them on the Lord's day, and continued his discourse till midnight, being himself to depart in the snorning. The length of his discourse & time of the night caused some of his audience to be overtaken with sleep, and amongst them a young man, named Eutychus, who fell from the third story, and was taken up dead; but the apostle, by his prayer to the throne of grace, presently restored him to life and health. How indefatigable was the industry of this great apostle! How closely did he tread in the steps of his great Master, who went about doing good! He preached and wrought miracles in the name and by the power of CHRIST, wherever he came ! As a master-builder, he either laid the foundation, or raised the superstructure! He was instant in season and out of season, and spared no pains to assist the souls of men by warning and persuading some, and confuting and establishing others.

After having spent the night in holy exercises, St. Paul took his leave of the brethren in the morning, travelling on foot to Assos, a sea-port town, whither he had before sent his companions by sea: from thence they sailed to Mytilene, a city in the isle of Lesbos: the next day they sailed from thence, and came over against Chios, and the day following landed at Trogyllium, promontory of Ionia, near Samos: the next day they came to Miletus, not putting in at Ephesus, because the apostle was resolved to be, at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, if possible.

Arrived at Miletus, he sent to Ephesus, to summon the elders of the church, and on their coming, reminded them of the manner in which he had conversed amongst them; how faithfully and affectionately he had discharged the offices of his ministry, and how incessantly he had laboured for the good of the souls of men: adding that he had never failed to acquaint them both in public and private, with whatever might be useful & profitable to them; urging both the Jews & Gentiles to repentance, & reformation of life & a hearty entertainment of the faith of CHRIST: that now he was going up to Jerusalem, where he was ignorant of what might befall him, except what had been foretold him by those who were endued with prophetic gifts of the Holy Ghost; namely, that afflictions and imprisonment would attend him, but this gave him no concern, being willing to lay down his life whenever the gospel required it, and fully determined to serve faithfully his great Lord and Master. "I well know, continued he, that ye will see my face no more; but for my encouragement and satisfaction, ye yourselves can bear me witness, that I have not, by concealing any part of the Christian doctrine, betrayed your souls: and as for yourselves, whom God hath made bishops and pastors, of his church you should be careful to feed, guide, and direct those Christians under your inspection, and be infinitely tender of the welfare of souls, for whose redemption the blessed JESUS laid down his own life. All the care, therefore, possible for you to use, is no more than necessary; for after my departure, heretical teachers will appear in the church, to the great danger of the souls of men, seeking by every crafty method, and pernicious doctrine, to gain proselytes to their party, and by that means fill the church of CHRIST with schisms and factions. Watch ye therefore, and remember with what tears and sorrows I have, during three years, warned you of these things: and now I recommend you to the divine favour and protection, and to the rules and instructions of the gospel, which if ad