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severe in Points of Faith, and A. D. 62.
moft exact in the ceremonial
Duties, of all the Jewish Sects;
and fo lived and converfed for

many Years at Jerufalem.

6. And now I ftand, and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers.

6. Nay, and the very Article of Faith I am now accused of, is no other than that great Divine Promife made to Abraham and the Patriarchs, viz. The Promise of CHRIST the Meffiah, and of our Refurrection and future State, now proved and demonftrated by his rifing from the Dead.

7. Unto which promise our twelve tribes inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come; for which hope fake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God fhould raise the

7. An Article this, That all orthodox Jews have ever believed, and is the Spring and Foundation of all the divine Worship they conftantly pay to GOD. It is this I am arraigned for; but it is by the Sadducees, who believe no future State at all.

8. Now, I challenge these Adverfaries to give me any one Reafon, Why a God of infinite Ju ftice and Wisdom, fhould not appoint a future State of Rewards and Punishments; or why his infinite Power fhould not enable him to raise the Dead to Life again?

dead?

9. I verily thought with my felf, that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jefus of Nazareth.

10. Which thing I alfo did in Jerufa

lem,

9, 10 & 11. As to my Profeffion of these Promises to be fulfilled in JESUS of Nazareth, owning his Meffiahfhip and Refurrection; when you confider the violent Prejudices I had againft all People of that PerfuaN 3

fion,

Ver. 5. The moft ftraiteft Sect. The Word Pharifee comes from a Hebrew Word, that fignifies to separate. For they defired to be diftinguished from all other Jews, upon Pretence of greater Nicety and Exactness in legal Obfervances.

A. D. 62. lem, and many of the faints did I fhut up in prifon, having received authority from the chief Priefts, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 11. And I punished them oft in every fynagogue, and compelled them to blafpheme and being exceedingly mad against them, I perfecuted them even unto ftrange cities.

12. Whereupon as I went to Damafcus, with authority and commiffion from the chief priests: 13. At midday, O king, I faw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the fun; fhining

fion, both by my Education and Temper; how many of them I voted to Prifons and Death at Jerufalem, what a fevere Commiffion I obtain'd from the Council, to punish, banish, and perfecute them wherever I found them, and by all Methods of hard Ufage to make them renounce their Profeffion; you cannot think I turned Chriftian out of any light and frivolous Confiderations, but from clear and weighty Evidences. Now the Occafion and Manner of my Conversion was this;

12 & 13. As I was upon the Road to Damafcus, in purfsuance of that bloody Commiffion against the Chriftians of those Parts, we were furrounded with a glorious Appearance of the Divine Majefty, in a Light that eclipfed the Sun.

round about me, and them which journeyed with me.

14. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice fpeaking unto me, and faying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul,

why perfecuteft thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

15. And I faid, Who art thou, Lord? And he faid, I am Jefus

whom

14. The Brightness and Terror whereof, caufed me and my Fellow-Travellers to fall proftrate upon the Earth; when a Voice from the Divine Glory, directed to me by Name, asked, Why I perfecuted his Difciples, and thus pretended to withstand the irrefiftible Evidences and Power of GOD's true Religion?

15. When, in the utmoft Degree of Aftonishment, I cried to know what tremendous Voice

this

See Chap. ix, and Chap. xxii, and compare this Rela

tion with them.

whom thou perfecu- this was, I was anfwered, It was A. D. 62. the Voice of JESUS of Naza

test.

reth the Son of GOD, the true Meffiah, of whofe Difciples I was fo unmerciful a Perfecutor.

16. But arife, and ftand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minifter and a witness, both of these things which thou haft feen, and of those things in

the which I fhall pear to thee.

ap

16. Arife therefore (faid Jefus to me) and be now convinced of your Error, for I have in this miraculous Manner discover'd my felf to you for your Converfion, in order to make you an eminent Apoftle and Preacher of the Truth of my Religion, whereof now you are convinced, and in which I will particularly instruct you afterward.

17. Delivering thee 17. And in whatever Dangers from the people, and you fhall be involved by your from the Gentiles,unto Publication of this my Religion, whom now I fend thee. I will, by my Power and Providence, protect you against either Jews or Gentiles.

18. To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of fins, and inheritance among them which are fanctified by faith that is

18. For the Converfion of both which People, I now ordain you an Apostle and Preacher, to convert them from their Idolatry, recover them from their Ignorance, Superftition, and Immoralities; that from being Slaves of Sin and Satan, they may become the Children of GOD, and Heirs of eternal Happiness, by a fincere Faith in me, and Practice of the Duties of my Religion.

in me.

19. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

19. Thus I was converted, and how, O King Agrippa, could any Man, without the moft inexcufable Obftinacy, stand out against

fuch a Demonftration from Heaven itfelf?

20. But fhewed first unto them of Damaf

cus,

20. I could not; immediately being N 4

*

and therefore

baptized and * See Cb invefted ix.

A. D. 62. cus, and at Jerufalem, and throughout all the coafts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they fhould repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

+ See Ver.

17.

21. For these causes

the Jews caught me in
the temple, and went

about to kill me.

the People on purpose

22. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnefsing both to small and great, faying none other things than thofe which the prophets and Mofes did fay

fhould come:

23. That Chrift
fhould fuffer, and that
he fhould be the first
that fhould rife from
the dead, and should
thew light unto the

people, and to the
Gentiles.

invefted with the Powers of the Holy Ghoft, I fet my felf, in all Places I came at, to convert both Jews and Gentiles, by preaching this fincere Repentance, Faith, and Obedience in CHRIST the Meffiah.

21. And having done this in feveral Parts of the leffer Afia, fome of thofe Jews meeting me afterward in the Temple, raised to destroy me.

22. But through the Divine + Providence, I have hitherto escaped, the Effects of their Malice, and continue to preach the fame Doctrine of CHRIST's Meffiahfhip, and his Refurrection; which indeed is the Thing aimed at by Mofes, and anfwers exactly to the Predictions of the Prophets.

23. For those Prophecies concerning the Meffiah, do in no wife reprefent him as a temporal Monarch, triumphing in the Conqueft of Nations, and in the Deftruction of Mankind; but as a fuffering Saviour, that should by the Merits of his Death, redeem the whole World from the Punishment of their paft Sins; and by the Conquest of Death by his || Refurrection, give all Mankind a Pledge and Affurance of Life and Immortality, upon the Terms of fincere Faith and Obedience.

*Chapters xvi. xvii. xviii. and xix.

24. At

Ver. 23. Xersos mainlès-That Chrift was capable of fuffering, and was to fuffer. See the NOTES on PREFACE to 1 Epift John iv. 3.

Ver. 23. Be the first that should rife from the Dead. See NOTE on Chap. xiii. 34.

24. And as he thus fpake for himself, Feftus faid with a loud voice, Paul thou art befide thy felf, much learning doth make thee mad.

25. But he faid, I am not mad, most noble Feftus, but fpeak forth the words of

truth and foberness.

26. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom alfo I fpeak freely for I am perfuaded that none of these things are hidden from him: for this

24. At this Difcourfe of Paul's, A. D. 62. Feftus, being a Perfon utterly unacquainted with either Jewish or Chriftian Notions, took him to be befide himself, and told him, he had ftudied himself out of his Wits.

25. Paul very modeftly replied, that he gave no Symptoms of any irregular Tranfport, but had fpoken only clear and plain Matters of Fact;

26. For the Truth of which, in the main, he was willing to appeal to King Agrippa, who could tell, That the Life, Death, and Refurrection of JESUS, (and his own Converfion too) were not meer Inventions of his own, but thing was not done Things of publick Fame and Cognizance throughout all the Jewish Land.

in a corner.

27. King Agrippa, believeft thou the pro

phets? I know that

thou believest.

27. Then addreffing himself to Agrippa, You, O King, (fays he) by being a Jew, muft be fuppofed to believe the prophetical Writings to be of Divine Inspiration. See then, if all their Representations of the Meffiah are not most. eminently fulfilled in Jefus Christ.

28. Then Agrippa faid unto Paul, Almost thou perfuadeft me to be a Chriftian. 29. And

28. The King replied, That the Account he had given of his Converfion, and the Reasons for his Religion, had almoft induced him to be a Chriftian *.

29. Paul

Ver. 28. Almost thou perfuadeft me to be a Chriftian. But whether this was faid by way of Banter, or in good Earnest, is hardly to be determined. 'Tis clear that Agrippa never did turn Chriftian, whatever prefent Effect this Difcourfe might have on him.

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