disputation in question, the annoyance produced was so intolerable to them, as to be productive of a wish and enterprise thus flagitious: and, if the evidence afforded by the rules of grammar be in this case regarded as conclusive, the pronoun they having for its last pos sible antecedent the substantive Grecians-these, and no other, must have been the intended murderers. On the other hand, among the heathen-the philosophical disputants of this nation,-disputations, having any such abstractions for their subject, were not wont to be productive, of any such practical and flagitious consequences. Among the heathens, moreover, it appears not, that, antecedently to his conversion, the zeal of Paul had led him to put any to death: on the other hand among the Christianized Jews, his fellow-religionists, the number of persons, of whom he had put to death some, and in other ways plagued others, was unhappily but too great. By the religion into which they had been converted,-revenge, it is true, was not (as in that which they were converted from) magnified, but prohibited: but, the influence of it has never been equally efficient upon all minds.

Be this as it may,-upon his leaving Jerusalem, it was to the region of Syria and Cilicia, that, at this time, he betook himself. So, in his letter to his Galatians, he himself says; and, by what is said in the Acts, he is not contradicted, but confirmed. By hinself what is mentioned is—the region, viz. Syria and Cilicia: by the Acts what is mentioned is-the cities, viz. Cæsarea and Tarsus. Cæsarea,—whether at that time it was in Syria or not,-was, at any rate, little, if any thing, out of the way, from Jerusalem to Tarsus. Cæsarea was a town upon the coast:-one among those maritime towns, which, whether parts or not of Syria, are in the way between the inland city, of Jerusalem, and the coast of Cilicia: with which coast,

* Gal. i. 21.

by a river,-Tarsus, marked in the map with the mark of a capital town, appears to communicate.

In speaking of this change of place, the terms employed by Paul, are general terms,-" I came." By what means he came, he does not mention: nor does there appear any particular reason why he should have mentioned them.

In the Acts, the account is more particular:-he was, in a manner, forced from the one place to the other: he was, at any rate, escorted: it was by "the brethren," he was so dealt with. "Which when the "brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, "and sent him forth to Tarsus." Acts ix. 30.

By the brethren ?-Yes.-But by what brethren? By the general body of the Christians, or any that belonged to it? No:-for, it was from their wrath, that he was making his escape. No:-not by the justly exasperated many; but by such few adherents as, under such prodigious disadvantage, his indefatigable artifice and energy had found means to conciliate.

SECTION 7.

MODE AND CAUSE OF ITS TERMINATION.

In relation to this subject, we have two, and no more than two, accounts,-both from the same pen,-that of the historiographer in the Acts; and these two accounts, as usual, contradictory of each other. The first, in the order of the history, is that given by him in his own person: Acts ix. 27, 28, 29. The other, is that given by him in the person of Paul: namely, in the course of his supposed first-made and unpremeditated speech,-when, on the occasion of his last visit to Jerusalem-his Invasion Visit-he was pleading for his life before the angry multitude. Acts xxii. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.

L

Now then, let us compare the two accounts.

Speaking in his own person,-it is to the fear of certain Grecians, that the historiographer ascribes Paul's departure for Jerusalem. In disputing with them, he had been speaking "boldly in the name of the Lord "Jesus:" and thereupon,-and as we are desired to believe, therefore,-came certain designs and endeavours to slay him. Designs? on the part of whom? swer:-on the part of those same Grecians: cause of these designs and endeavours, irritation, (so it is intended we should suppose)-irritation, produced in the breasts of those same Grecians;-and produced by the dispute.

An

Now, as to the words of the historiographer, speaking in his own person. It is immediately after the mention of Paul's transactions with the Apostles and the other disciples, that after saying, (Acts ix. 28.) that "... he was with them coming in and going out "of Jerusalem," the narrative continues thus: ver.29; "And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, "and disputed against the Grecians; but they went "about to slay him: ver. 30; Which when the "brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, " and sent him forth to Tarsus."

Such is the account given, of the departure of Paul from Jerusalem, on the occasion in question-given by the historiographer, speaking in his own person, of the manner of the departure, and at the same time of the cause of it. Behold now how different is the account given, of the same matter, by the same historiographer, in the same work, when speaking in the person of his hero. Nothing now as to any disputes with Grecians nothing now of these, or any other human beings, in the character of beings who were angry with him, and that to such a degree, that, to save his life, it was deemed necessary by his adherents,— styled on this occasion "the brethren," to take charge

of him, as we have seen, and convey him from Jerusalem to Cæsarea and elsewhere.

The case seems to be-that, between the time of writing the account which has just been seen, and the time for giving an account of the same transaction in the person of the hero, as above, a certain difficulty presented itself to the mind of the historiographer and, that it is for the solution of this difficulty, that he has recourse, to one of his sovereign solvents-a trance. The difficulty seems to have been this: The class of persons, whom, on that first visit of his he had exasperated, were-not " Grecians," or any other Gentiles, but Christians: Christians, the whole body of them-Apostles and Disciples together: the same class of persons, to which belonged those who, on the occasion of this his last visit-the Invasion Visit-were to such a degree exasperated, by this fourth intrusion of his, as to be attempting his life. How hopeless any attempt would have been, to make them believe, that it was not by themselves, but by a set of Heathens, that his life was threatened on that former occasion, is sufficiently manifest. Here then comes a demand, for a substitute, to that cause, which, distant as the time was, could not, however, be altogether absent from their memory and which, so far as it was present, could not but heighten their exasperation :-this substitute was the trance.

The cause of the departure is now-not the fear of any human being, but the express command of "the "Lord:"—a command delivered in the course, and by means, of this same trance. Moreover, as if, from such a quarter, commands were not sufficient of themselves; on the present occasion (it will be seen) they came backed by reasons. Was it that, as the historiographer has been telling us in his own person, certain Grecians were exasperated? No: but that the persons, to whom, with Barnabas for his supporting witness (Acts ix. 27.),

he had been telling his story, gave no credit to it: so that, by a man with his reputation in this state, nothing in the way of his business was to be done.

But now let us see the text. It comes immediately after that passage, in which Paul is made to speak of Ananias, as giving orders to him, in the name of the Lord: orders, concluding in these words: (Acts xxii. 16.) ...." arise, and be baptized, and

wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the"Lord." This said,-his story, as told to the multitude, continues thus: ver. 17. "And it came to

pass that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even "while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance:

18. And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, "and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will "not receive thy testimony concerning me. 19. And "I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat "in every synagogue those that believed on thee: "20. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen

was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting "to his death, and kept the raiment of them that "slew him. 21. And he said unto me, Depart : for "I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. 22. "And they gave him audience unto this werd, and "then lifted up their voices and said, Away with such "a fellow from the earth; for it is not fit that he "should live."

It may now be seen, how useful and convenient an implement this same trance was: how well adapted, to the occasion on which it was employed. Taken by itself, this story about the enraged Grecians might serve to impose upon readers in general: but, to the knowledge of the really enraged Christians, whose wrath he was endeavouring to assuage,-it was not only too palpably false to be related to them, but too much so, to be even for a moment supposed to be related to them: hence came the demand for the

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