Sergius Paulus the Roman Governor; and others that it was affumed by him after his Converfion, as an Act of Humility; ftiling himself lefs than the leaft of all Saints.

Q. Where was St. Paul born?

Eph. 3.8.

A. At Tarfus, the Metropolis of Cilicia, a A&s22.3. City famous for Riches and Learning; where the liberal Sciences and all polite Arts flourished, and where the Inhabitants enjoyed the Franchifes and Liberties of Roman Citizens; which Chap. 16. Advantage St. Paul afferted as the Privilege of 37. his Birthright. After having laid the Foundation of human Learning in this Place, he was fent by his Parents to Jerufalem, to be brought up at the Feet of Gamaliel in the Study of the Law, in which he made very quick and large Improvements.

Q. How came be to be educated befides to the Trade of Tent-making.

A. According to the Cuftom of the Jews, among whom it was a Maxim, That he who teacheth not his Son a Trade, teacheth him to be a Thief; defigning thereby not only to keep their Children from Idlenefs, but to fecure them a Maintenance if their Circumstances made it neceffary to work at it,

Q. How did St. Paul bebave bimfelf before his Converfion?

A. Being educated in the Principles of the Pharifees, the ftrictest Sect of the Jewish Religion, and being naturally of a hot Temper, he violently oppofed all thofe that were esteemed Enemies to the Mofaick Qeconomy; and perse- Acts 8.3. cuted the Chriftians with great Fury, breathing. out Threatnings and Slaughter against the Difciples at Jerufalem, making Havock of the Chap. 9. Church 1, 2.

K 3

Church, and procuring a Commiffion to imprifon fuch as he found Chriftians at Damafcus, Acts 8. 1. How far he was concerned in the Martyrdom of St. Stephen, doth not appear, any farther than that he was confenting to his Death, and fo became a Sharer in the Guilt of thofe that murdered him.

Q. How was St. Paul converted?

A. In an extraordinary Manner; for when 9.3,4,&c. he was upon his Journey near to Damafcus, on a fudden there fhone round about him a Light from Heaven above the Brightness of the Sun; whereat being ftrangely amazed, he and his Companions fell to the Ground; and he heard a Voice calling to him, Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me? To which he replied, Lord, who art thou? who told him, I am Jefus whom tbou perfecuteft, and it is best for thee not to be refractory to the Commands which shall now be given thee; defigning to make him a Minifter and Witness both of thofe Things he had feen, and of thofe he fhould afterwards hear and that he would ftand by him and preferve him, and make him a great Inftrument in the Converfion of the Gentile World.

Acts 13.

10.

Mat. 3

17.

Q. What Effecthad the heavenly Vision upon him? A. The great Splendor of it made him blind for three Days; but he did not with Elymas the Sorceror, pervert the right Ways of the Lord, nor with his Brethren the Jews refift the Evidence of a Voice from Heaven, which teftified to our Saviour's Divinity at his Baptifm; but became obedient to the heavenly Vifion, and upon this Discovery of his Saviour diligently enquired his Will and Pleasure, and immediately followed the Directions he received.

Q. Who

Q. Who admitted St. Paul into the Chriftian Church?

A. After St. Paul had fasted three Days, and Acts 9.10. humbled his Soul under the Sense of those Cruel- &c. ties he had committed against the Church of God; Ananias, a devout Man, fuppofed to be one of the Seventy Difciples, and though a Christian, yet well efteemed of among the Jews, having been admonished by a Vifion, went to St. Paul, and entering into the House, brought him the good News, that the fame Jefus had appeared to him in the Way, had fent him to him; and laying his Hands upon him, he received his Sight, and the Gift of the Holy Ghoft, and was made a Member of the Church by Baptifm.

Q. What Reason may be affigned for the miraculous Manner of his Converfion?

A. That St. Paul, who was to be the Apostle of the Gentiles, might in his own Perfon be a remarkable Inftance of the Power of God's Grace, and of his Readiness to receive the worft of Sinners upon their Repentance: He obtained Mercy 1. Tim.1. that Jefus Chrift might fhew forth first in him all 16. Long-fuffering, for a Pattern to them that should bereafter believe on him to Life everlasting. Befides, this gave great Authority to the Apostle's Teftimony; which was neceffary, confidering the great Share he was to have in planting Chriftianity through the World. Add to this, that St. Paul appeared to have a very honest Mind, and to be influenced with a Regard only to what he thought Truth; but being prejudiced by Education, and pushed on by the Heat of his natural Temper, was tranfported with furious Zeal, and that therefore God was pleafed to fhew Mercy to him, because what he did was 1 Tim. 1. done 13.

K 4

29.

done ignorantly, in Unbelief; and in a miraculous Manner to convince him of the Truth of that Religion which he perfecuted.

Q. How did St. Paul demonftrate the Sincerity of his Converfion?

A. By preaching that very Jefus, whom he had A&s9. 27. perfecuted; confounding the Jews who dwelt at Damafcus, in proving him to be the true Meffias, the Son of God; in labouring to establish the Church which he had made Havock of, in comforting and confirming the Faithful whom he had hawled to Prison, exposing himself to those Dangers and Difficulties for the Faith, which he had endeavoured to bring upon others.

Q. Where did St. Paul beftow his Apoftolical Labours?

A. Whereas the other Apoftles chofe this or that Province as the main Sphere of their Miniftry, St. Paul over-ran, as it were, the whole Roman Empire, feldom staying long in a Place; from Jerufalem through Arabia, Afia, Greece, round about to Illyricum, to Rome, and even to pift. ad the utmost Bounds of the Western World. The Corinth. greatest Part of his Travels are recorded in the

Clem, E.

Alls of the Apostles; and in this Course he was difcouraged by no Dangers nor Difficulties, for he frequently fuffered fevere Scourgings and Imprifonments, and was brought even to the Confines of Death, both at Sea and Land; neither was he tired out with any Troubles or Oppofitions that were raised against him; but for the Space of five and thirty Years was indefatigable in preaching the Gofpel, and in writing Epistles for the confirming thofe Churches he had esta2 Tim 4. blished; thus perfevering in the good Fight of Faith, till he had finished his Courfe. Q. Having

Q. Having extended his Labours to the utmoft Bounds of the Western World, may we not reasonably fuppofe be planted a Church in this our Inland?

Tom. 1.

A. There is very good and fufficient Evidence, built on the Teftimony of antient and credible Writers, with a concurrent Probability of Circumstances, That there was a Chriftian Church planted in Britain during the Apoftles Times. Eufebius, a learned and inquifi- Lib. 3. c. tive Perfon, affirms, in his third Book of Evan- 7. gelical Demonftration, That some of the Apostles preached the Gofpel in the British Islands. Theo- In Pfal. doret, another learned and judicious Histori- 116. an, exprefly names the Britains among the Nations converted by the Apostles; and fays in another Place, that St. Paul brought Salvation to the Iflands that lie in the Ocean. St. Je- Hieron.in rom teftifies that St. Paul, after his ImprifonAmos,c.5. ments, preached the Gospel in the Western Parts. By which the British Islands were especially understood; as will appear by the following Teftimony of Clemens Romanus, who faith, St. Paul preached Righteoufnefs through the whole Epift. ad World, and in fo doing went to the utmoft Bounds Corinth. of the Weft; which neceffarily includeth the British Inlands, as is plain to those who know how the Phrase, the utmoft Bounds of the Weft, was used by the Hiftorians and Poets of thofe Times.

Q. What probable Circumstances concur to incline us to think that St. Paul was the Perfon who planted a Chriftian Church in Britain?

A. The Leifure and Opportunity he had for this Purpofe; it being about eight Years between the Time of obtaining his Freedom at

Rome,