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who was for the self-constituted Apostle, was against the Apostles of Jesus. In a word, in the language of modern party, Silas was a rat.

SECTION 3.

THE PARTITION TREATY, AND THE PproceedingS, IN RELATION TO IT, DOWN TO THIS PERIOD, REVIEWed.

IN regard to the Partition Treaty,-taking the matter from Paul's first, or Reconciliation Visit, A.D. 35, to his departure from Antioch, on his missionary excursion, after the interview he had had at that city with Peter, the state of the affairs, between Paul and the Apostles, seems to have been thus:

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1. On the occasion, and at the time, of his first Jerusalem Visit-his Reconciliation Visit-a sort of reconciliation-meaning at least an outward onecould not, consistently with the whole train, of what is said of his subsequent intercourse and interviews with the Apostles,—could not but have taken place.

2. Of this reconciliation, the terms were that, on condition of his preaching in the name of Jesus,-they would not, to such persons in Jerusalem and else where, as were in connexion with them,-speak of him any longer in the character of a persecutor: (for, by his disobedience and breach of trust, as towards the Jerusalem constituted authorities,-such he had put it out of his power to be any longer :) not speak of him as a persecutor, but, on the contrary, as an associate:-he taking up the name of Jesus; and preaching-never in his own, but on every occasion in that holy, name.

3. On this occasion,-it being manifest to both parties, that, by his intimate acquaintance with the Greek language, and with the learning belonging to that language, he was in a peculiar degree well qualified to spread the name of Jesus among the Gentiles

in general; that is, among those to whom the Jewish was not a vernacular language;-whereas their acquaintance with language was confined to their own, to wit, the Jewish language;-on this occasion, it followed of course, from the nature of the case, and almost without need of stipulation, that,-leaving to them, for the field of their labours, Jerusalem, and that part of the circumjacent country, in which the Jewish alone was the language of the bulk of the population, he should confine his exertions, principally if not exclusively, to those countries, of which Greek was, or at any rate Hebrew was not, the vernacular language.

To him, at that time, it was not in the nature of the case, that absentation from Jerusalem, or any part of the country under the same dominion, should be matter of regret. Within that circle, he could not, for any length of time, abide publicly, for fear of the legal vengeance of the constituted authorities: nor yet among the Christians; although from their chiefs he had obtained, as above, a sort of prudential endurance; considering the horror, which his persecution of them had inspired, and the terror, with which, until his conversion had been proved in the eyes of all by experience, he could not as yet fail to be regarded.

Whatever was the object of his concupiscence,whether it were the fund-and we have seen how attractive the bait was-which, at that time, in that metropolis of the Christian world, offered itself to an ambitious eye,-still, though his opportunities had as yet confined his exertions to the second city in that increasing world, his eyes never ceased looking to the first.

Twice, accordingly, between the first of his Visits, -his Reconciliation Visit-and this his last interview with Peter,-we see him visiting that inviting spot: each time, protected and escorted by the mu

nificent Barnabas and his influence-to make him en-durable: each time with a public commission-to make him respected:-the first time with money in his hand-to make him welcome.

That, all this while, neither good faith nor prudence were capable of opposing to the violence of his ambition, any effectual check,-is abundantly manifest.

That good faith was not, we learn distinctly from himself. For though, from the very nature of the two correlative situations, it is out of all question, as above, that, without some agreement to the effect above mentioned, he could not, even with the benefit of every possible means of concealment, have been preserved for two days together from the vengeance which pressed upon him, from below as well as from above; yet still was he, by his secret intrigues *, violating the treaty, at the expense of those upright, patient, and long-suffering men, to whose observance of it, he was every day indebted for his life.

SECTION 4.

PETER AND THE APOSTLES JUSTIFIED AS TO THE FINANCIAL STIPULATION IN THE TREATY, AND THE SUCCEEDING MISSIONARY LABOURS OF PETER AMONG THE GENTILES.

Of the financial stipulation, the account we have has been seen :—an account given by one of the parties to it-Paul:-the other party being-the Apostles. In the instance of Paul, in the demonstration, supposed to be given of it, the worldliness, of the motives which gave birth to it, has in a manner been taken for granted. Well, then, if in the one instance such was the character of it,-in the other instance, can it have

Viz. by his address to his Galatians, Gal. i. ii.

been any other? The question is a natural one; but not less so is the answer. For note, the stipulation is express-that, by Paul-by Paul out of the profits of his vocation-the poor, meaning the poor of Je rusalem-the poor among the disciples of the Apostles -should be remembered. Remembered, and how? Remembered, by payment of the money-into the hands, either of the Apostles themselves, or, what comes to the same thing, some other persons, in connexion with them, and acting under their influence. Now, then, once more. Of the man, by whom the money was to be paid-of this man, the motives (you say) were worldly: is it credible then, that they should have been less so, in the instance of the men by whom they were to be received?

Answer. Oh! yes, that it is. Between the two cases, there is this broad difference. Whatever Paul might receive, he would receive for himself: whatever, after payment made, under the treaty, to the use of the Jerusalem poor, he retained,—he might retain for his own use. But the Apostles-that which, if any thing, they received, in the name of the poor, and as for the use of that same poor,-would they-could they, for their own use, retain it, or any part of it? Not they, indeed. Not in their hands were the poor's funds not in theirs, but in a very different set of hands-in the hands of a set of trustees-of the trustees already mentioned in this work *-of those administrators, whose function, to every reader who has not the Greek original in view, is so unfortunately disguised by the word Deacons. And these deacons, by whom appointed? By the Apostles? No; but, by the whole communion of the saints-by the whole number of the members of the Christian commonwealth;—and in the way of free election,―election, on

* Supra, Ch. II. §. 1.

the principle of universal suffrage. Monarchists and Aristocrats! mark well!-of universal suffrage.

As to the use, made by Paul, of his share of the contributions of the faithful, indications of it are not to be found wanting; by any one, whose curiosity will lead him to them, and his patience convey him through them, they may be seen in abundance in the Appendix *.

So much for the treaty itself. Now, as to the subsequent conduct of the parties, under it, and in relation to it. As to the partition-Paul to the Gentiles, Peter and his associates to the Jews-such was the letter of it. Such being the letter-what, at the same time, was the spirit of it? Manifestly this: on the one hand, that the field, to which Paul's exertions should apply themselves, and confine themselves, should be that field, for the cultivation of which, with any prospect of success, he was exclusively qualified: on the other hand, that the field, to which their exertions should apply themselves and confine themselves, should be that, for the cultivation of which, they were -if not exclusively, at any rate more peculiarly, qualified. In a word-that, of all that portion of the world, that presented itself as open to the exertions, of those who preached in the name of Jesus,—they should reserve to themselves that part which was already in their possession, to wit, Jerusalem, and its near neighbourhood, together with such parts of Judea, and its neighbourhood, of which their own language, the Hebrew, was the vernacular language: this minute portion of the world reserved, all the rest was to be left open to him: over every other part of it he was to be at liberty to cast forth his shoe. Judea-the country of the Jews? say, rather, the Jews themselves:-the Jews

* Appendix, Paul's Inducements, Ch. I. II. III.

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