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GOD baving called and fitted him for his Work,

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from my Mother's Womb,

me,

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16 To reveal his Son in

Sect. 2. Sect lays fo much ftrefs. But when at 15 But when it pleased length it pleafed GOD, who in the fecret GOD, who separated me Gal. I. 15. Purposes of his Mercy had fet apart and and called me by his Grace, Separated me to this Office from my Mother's Womb, (as he did Jeremiah to that of a Prophet, Jer. 1. 5.) having determined to employ me as a Minifter of his Gospel; and who afterwards called [me] by fuch an aftonishing Difplay and Energy of his Grace, while I was actually engaged in Oppofition to his Caufe and Intereft; 16 When it pleated him, I fay, to reveal by Vifion and Infpiration bis Son Chrift Jefus in me, and thus to give me a Difcovery of the Glories of his Perfon, and of his Righteousness and Grace, that I might not only know him for my own Salvation, but alfo in due Time, when Providence fhould open a convenient Way, might preach him among the Gentiles (c), as well as among the Jews, to whom my Addreffes were at firft confined; immediately my Heart was overpowred, and all my Prejudices fo entirely removed, that I conferred not with Flesh and Blood (d), and

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that I might preach immediately I conferred not him among the Heathen; with Flesh and Blood;

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(c) That I might preach him among the Gentiles.] This was undoubtedly the Scheme of Providence concerning Paul, who was accordingly diftinguished by the Character of the Apoftle of the Gentiles: But if his Converfion happened, as we fuppofe, about the Year 35, and Peter's preaching to Cornelius in the Year 39, then fince it is inconteftably evident that the Gentiles first heard the Gospel by the Mouth of Peter, it will follow, that Paul did not at first understand the full Extent of his Commiffion, and therefore, when he first began to preach, confined his Labours to the Synagogues at Damafcus; which is indeed intimated, Acts ix. 20,—22.

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(d) Immediately I conferred not with Flesh and Blood.] Dr. Wells and fome others understand this, as if the Apostle had faid, "Immediately after the Recovery of my Sight, without conferring with any Man in the World, or fo much as applying "to Ananias himself for Advice, I retired by Divine Direction into the Defart of "Arabia; where, after fome Time spent in Devotion, I had a full Revelation "made to me of the most important Facts and Doctrines of Chriftianity, [which "some suppose to be the Rapture referred to, 2 Cor. xii. 3.] and then, after my Return from thence, preached at Cos for the firft Time." (See Wells,

Gorg. Vol. iii. pag. 275.) And Mr. Locke infifts, that laws here does not refer to

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his

he went not for Inftructions to Jerufalem.

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18 Then after three Years I went up to Jerufa

with him fifteen Days.

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food not to confider what would be moft
fubfervient to my wordly Intereft, or to
confult with any mortal Man about en-
gaging in the Work to which I had fo
clear a Call. Nor did I at that Time
go up to Jerufalem to them that were Apof
tles before me, to be inftructed more parti-
cularly in the Doctrines I should preach,
that there might be no Inconfiftencies be-
tween us, or to apply to them for a Com-
miffion to perform my Office: But having
entered on my Miniftry, and preached the
Word at Damafcus, (Acts ix. 20.) I went
for a while into Arabia, where I could have
no Opportunity of being taught by any Man,
as none of the Apostles had been there be-
fore me; and from thence I returned again
to Damafcus, where I boldly declared the
Neceffity of believing in Chrift for Sal-
vation, even in the Prefence of thofe Jews,
whom I knew to be moft ftrongly preju-
diced against that important Doctrine.

19 Sect. 2.

Gal. I. 16.

17

Then at length, after three Years from 18 the Time of lem, to fee Peter, and abode Jerufalem, to vifit and converfe with Peter, the Time of my Converfion, I went up to by whom, when he had heard from Barnabas an Account of my Converfion and my preaching at Damafcus, I was cordially received as one whom the Lord had called; and I abode there with him at his Houfe

So

his immediately engaging in the Work of the Miniftry without applying for Advice
to any Man, but to his going to Arabia.-But the fame Word is ufed by Luke in
his History of the Acts, who, without taking any Notice of Paul's Departure into
Arabia, fays, that after he recovered Strength, he tarried certain Days at Damafcus,
and (evbews) immediately preached Chrift in the Synagogues, Acts ix. 19, 20.
that it feems most probable to me, that after his Converfion Paul was fo well in-
ftructed in the Knowledge of the Gofpel by the Revelation that was then made to
him, that he immediately began without confulting any Man, to preach the Word
at Damafcus, before he went from thence into Arabia; which is most fuitable to
the natural Order of the Words, and beft agrees with the Account of his, first en-
tering on his Miniftry in the Acts. See Vol. iii. Sect. 20. Note (h). pag. 143.
(e) James,

C.2

20

Gal. I. 18.

In his firft Vifit there, be faw but Two Apostles

Sect. 2. House but fifteen Days, to have the Plea fure of difcourfing with him on the mutual: Succefs of our Miniftry, and not with the leaft View of receiving any farther 19 Authority from him. But I faw no one of the Apostles then befides, except it were James, the Brother or near Kinfman of the Lord Jefus (e); for all the rest of that facred Society were abfent at that Time on their refpective Miffions.

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20

21

.

Now with respect to all thefe Circumftances, [as to] the Things which I write unto you, you may give the most entire Credit to them, how little foever they may confift with fome Reports, that have been artfully fpread abroad concerning me; for bebold, I folemnly profess to you before GOD, that I do not lye or falfify in the least Degree (f), but with all poffible Franknefs and Sincerity fpeak what I affuredly know to be the most certain Truth.

Afterwards departing from Jerufalem, I came into the Regions of Syria; and from thence I paffed into my native Country of

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19 But other of the Apoftes faw I none, fave James

the Lord's Brother.

20 Now the Things which I write unto you, behold, before GOD, Llie not.

21 Afterwards I came into the Regions of Syria and Cilicias;

e) Fames, the Brother, or near Kinfman of the Lord Jefus.] He was the Son of Alpheus and Mary, the Sifter of the Virgin; fo that James was Coufin-german to Jefus. See Vol. ii. Sect. 174 Note (e), pag. 457.- This Vifit to ferufalem, (which is mentioned Acts ix. 26, & feq.) as it was three Years after his Converfion, appears to have been in the Year 38; and after Paul had preached fo long before, it cannot be fuppofed he was inftructed how to preach the Gofpel in the fhort Stay he now made at Jerufalem, where he faw only Two of the Apoftles.

(f) Before GOD, I do not lye.] A Revelation of the Facts and Doctrines of Chriftianity immediately from Jefus Chrift himfelf, without the Affiftance of any human Teacher, fo wonderfully agreeing in all its Branches with that which Chrift had taught on Earth both before and after his Refurrection, was fo extraordiuary an Event, and of fo great Importance to thofe whom St. Paul vifited and to whom he wrote, that one cannot wonder, he should think proper to affert it in fo folemn a Manner. We have great Reafon, while we read the Atteftation he has given to the Truth of what he fays, to acknowledge that it is of a Piece with the many Signs and Wonders attending both his Converfion and his Ministry; which Mr. Lyttelton had fo admirably illuftrated in his Obfervations on the Conversion, &c. of St. Paul.

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nor was he known in Judea, but by his Converfion.

22 And was unknown by
of Judea, which were in

Face unto the Churches

Chrift:

23 But they had heard
only, That, he which per-
fecuted us in Times past,
now preacheth the Faith
which once he destroyed. '

21

Cilicia, to exercife my Miniftry there; and Sect. 2.
to bring, if poffible, those

Gal. I. 21.

among whom
I was born, to the Knowledge of Chrift
and of the Doctrine of Salvation by him.
And during all this Time, as I had only 22
juft paffed through their Country in my
Way, I was unknown by Face unto the se-
veral Churches of Christ which were in Ju-
dea, as well as to the greater Part of my
Brethren the Apoftles; fo that I could
learn nothing of the Contents of the Gof-
pel from any of them:
But only they 23
had beard this wonderful Account in ge-
neral, which might well fpread through
all the Land, that he who fo cruelly perfe-
cuted us in Times paft to Imprisonment
and Death, was become a Convert to the
victorious Truth and Grace of the Gospel,
fo that he now preacheth the fame Divine
Faith, which he formerly ravaged and laid
wafte to the utmost of his Power, and
would if poffible have totally destroyed
24 And they glorified and extirpated: And they glorified GOD 24.
on my Account, as they well might, be-
holding in me so illustrious an Instance of
the Power and Sovereignty of his Grace.

GOD in me.

IMPROVEMENT.

LET'us alfo, at this Diftance of Time and Country, join with Ver. 24.
them in glorifying GOD in the Apostle; in adoring the

Grace, that engaged him to preach the Faith he would once have
deftroyed, and at length to add his own Blood to that of the Martyrs Ver. 23...
of Chrift which he had shed. Still hath the great Head of the
Church the fame omnipotent Efficacy, the fame Ability to in-
fluence the Heart, to overcome the strongest Prejudices, and to
turn Bigots into true Believers; and, rather than his Church shall
wants its Servants and its Ornaments, he will find them among
its moft cruel Enemies.

Hadi

:

22

Sect. 2.

Ver. 17,
18, 19.

any

Reflections on the Change wrought on St. Paul.

Had the Gospel been taught St. Paul by Ananias, or Peter, or of the Apostles, his Readiness to receive it from fuch Teachers, and to preach it at the certain Expence of his Reputation, his Intereft, and his Life, would no Doubt have ranked him among the most illuftrious Witneffes to the Truth of Christianity.

But Ver. 11, 12. this additional Fact of an originul Revelation of the whole Syftem of it to him, independent of human Teaching, deferves our Admiration, and demands our Praise.

GOD herein wrought according to the fecret Counsel of his Ver. 15. Divine Will, and that Purpose, by which he had separated Paul from the Womb. In vain was it oppofed by the prevailing PrejuVer. 13, 14. dices of his Education, or by the Violence of his Zeal for Judaifm, and that Proficiency in it, by which he had eclipfed fo many of his Co-temporaries, and thofe of his own Nation. All his Zeal for the Traditions of his Fathers gave Way to a yet greater Zeal for a nobler Object; a Zeal, which carried him through Arabia and Syria, through Judea and Cilicia, and prevented him in one Sense as well as another, from confulting with Flesh and Ver. 16. Blood, from being influenced by any selfish worldly Views, or giving heed to any Man's Opinion.

Ver. 21, 22.

Adored be the Grace, that animated and supported him in overcoming every Difficulty; and having fo miraculously furnished him for the great Work that he was called to, made him fo gloriously fuccefsful in it. So may we be enabled to furmounte Obstacle! and fo may we be taught, as to thofe Things which we have most highly efteemed, to count them all but Lofs for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Chrift, and to grudge no Labour, SelfDenial, or Suffering, by which the Gospel may be any way promoted or adorned, and a Teftimony given of our faithful Subjection to it!

SECT.

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