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CHAPTER III.

Paul disbelieved.-Neither his divine Commission nor his inward Conversion ever credited by the Apostles or their Jerusalem Disciples.-Source of Proof stated.

SECTION 1.

TO PAUL'S CONVERSION VISION, SOLE ORIGINAL WITNESS HIMSELF.

VOID, as we have seen, of all title to credence, is the story of Paul's commission from Jesus:-void may it be seen to be, even if taken by itself, and without need of resort to any counter-evidence. Who could have expected to have found it, moreover, disproved by the most irresistible counter-evidence-by the evidence of the Apostles themselves? Yes: of the Apostles themselves, of whom it will plainly enough be seen, that by not so much as one of them was it ever believed: no, not to even the very latest period, of which any account has reached us: namely that, at which the his tory of the Acts of the Apostles closes, or that of the date of the last-written of Paul's Epistles, whichsoever of the two may be the latest.

In regard to the story of his conversion, its cause, and manner, it has been seen, that it is either from himself directly, or from an adherent of his, the author of the Acts,-who had it from himself, unless Ananias was a person known to the author of the Acts, and heard by him,-it is from Paul, and Paul alone, that all the evidence, which the case has hap pened to supply, has been derived.

In regard to the degree of credence given, to his pretence to the having received a commission from

Jesus, still the same remark applies: still, either from himself, or from the same partial, and, as will be seen, not altogether trustworthy, narrator, comes the whole of the evidence, with which the case happens to have furnished us.

SECTION 2.

COUNTER-WITNESSES, THE APOSTLES. BY THEM, THE STORY WAS PROBABLY NOT HEARD-CERTAINLY NOT CREDITED.

JERUSALEM, according to the Acts, was the headquarters of the noble army of the Apostles: the ordinary residence of that goodly fellowship::-a station, which they none of them ever quitted, for any considerable length of time.

In the course of the interval, between the date assigned by Paul to his conversion, and that of the last particulars we have of his history,-mention, more or less particular, may be found of four visits of his-distinctly four related visits, and no more than four,-to that metropolis of the new Church. On no one of these occasions, could he have avoided using his endeavours, towards procuring admittance, to the fellowship of the distinguished persons, so universally known in the character of the select companions and most confidential servants of Jesus: of that Jesus, whom, in the flesh at any rate, he never so much as pretended to have ever seen from whom he had consequently (if they thought proper to impart it) so much to learn, or at least to wish to learn: while to them he had nothing to impart, except that which, if any thing, it was only in the way of vision, if in any way, that he had learnt from Jesus.

That on three at least of these four occasions, viz. the 1st, 3d, and 4th, he accordingly did use his endeavours to confer with them, will be put out of dispute

by direct evidence; and that, in the remaining one, namely that which in the order of time stands second,successfully or not, his endeavours were directed to the same purpose,-will, it will be seen, be reasonably to be inferred from circunstancial evidence. In the character of an additional occasion of intercourse, between him and one of the Apostles, namely, Peter, the chief of them,―will be to be added, that which will be seen taking place at Antioch; immediately upon the back, and in consequence, of the third of these same visits. of his to Jerusalem.

As to the mode of his conversion as above stated,the time, for him to have stated it to them, was manifestly that of the first of these four visits;-say his reconciliation-visit: and that, of that first visit, to see them, or at any rate the chief of them, namely, Peter, was the object,-is what, in his Epistle to the Galatians, we shall see him declaring in express terms.

After all-that story of his, in which the supposed manner of his conversion is related, as above,-did he so much as venture to submit it to them? The more closely it is examined, the less probable surely will be seen to be-his having ventured, to submit any such narrative, to a scrutiny so jealous, as theirs, under these circumstances, could not fail to be.

One of two things at any rate will, it is believed, be seen to a certainty: namely, Either no such story as that which we see, nor any thing like it, was ever told to them by him; or, if yes, it obtained no credit at their hands.

SECTION 3.

IN PROOF OF THIS, SO MUCH OF THE ACTS HISTORY MUST HERE BE ANTICIPATED.

FOR proof, of the disbelief, which his story will, it is believed, be found to have experienced, at the hands of those supremely competent judges,-the time is

now come, for collecting together, and submitting in a confronted state to the reader, all the several particulars that have reached us, in relation to these four important visits.

Between the first-recorded and the last-recorded of the four, the length of the interval being so considerable as it will be seen to be, namely, upwards of 17 years at the least,—and, in the course of the interval, so numerous and various a series of incidents being to be seen comprised,-the consequence is-that this one topic will unavoidably spread itself to such an extent, as to cover the whole of the chronological field of the history of the Church in those eventful times. A sort of necessity has thus been found, of taking a view of the principal part of all those several incidents, in a sort of historical order, in a succeeding part of this work: hence, of that which, for the proof of what has just been advanced, will here be necessary to be brought to view, no inconsiderable portion will be an anticipation, of that which belongs properly to the historical sketch, and, but for this necessity, would have been reserved for it.

SECTION 4.

TOPICS UNDER HIS SEVERAL. JERUSALEM-VISITS.

THICK clouds, and those covering no small portion of its extent, will, after every thing that can be done to dispel them, be found still hanging over the field of this inquiry. But, if to the purpose of the present question, sufficient light be elicited; in whatever darkness any collateral points may remain still involved, the conclusion will not be affected by it.

As to the credibility of Paul's story,—taken in itself, and viewed from the only position, from which we, at this time of day, can view it,-the question has just been discussed.

That which remains for discussion is-whether, from

the Church, which Paul found in existence-the Church composed of the Apostles of Jesus, and his and their disciples-it ever obtained credence.

On this occasion, to the Apostles more particularly must the attention be directed: and this-not only because by their opinion, that of the great body of those disciples would, of course, on a point of such vital importance, be governed; but, because, in the case of these confidential servants and habitual attendants of Jesus, the individuals, of whom the body is composed, and who are designated by one and the same denomination, are always determinable: determinable, in such sort, that, at all times, wheresoever they are represented as being, the eye can follow them.

To judge with what aspect Paul with his pretensions was viewed by them, always with a view to the main question-whether, in any particular, the alledged supernatural cause of his outward conversion, and thence of his presumable inward conversion, ever obtained credence from them ;-one primary object, which requires to be attended to, is-personal intercourse; viz. the sort of personal intercourse, which between him on the one part, and them, or some of them, on the other part, appears to have had place.

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Of this intercourse, the several interviews, which appear to have had place, will form the links. Correspondent to those interviews will be found to be so many visits: all of them, except one, visits made by him to the great original metropolis of the Christian world-Jerusalem: the scene of the acts and sufferings of the departed Jesus :-the ordinary abode of these his chosen disciples and successors. If, to these visits of Paul's is to be added any other interview,-it will be in another city, to wit Antioch and, in this instance, between Paul, and not (as in the case of the other visits might naturally be expected) the Apostles in a body; but one, or some other small number of members, by whom a visit to that place was made, in