9. Then Saul (who alfo is called Paul) filled with the holy Ghoft, fet his eyes on 9. Upon which Saul who goes by the Name of Paul in the Sequel of this Hiftory) being infpired with a divine Power to punish this wicked Perfon in a for the Governor's Converfion, fet his Eyes on him with an Air of Anger and Authority. him, 11. And now be hold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and 10 & 11. And having first severely rebuked him as a Confederate with the Devil, and a malicious Oppofer of true Religion, told him that his Obftinacy àgainft the plain Evidences of the Gofpel, fhould inftantly be punifhed with the Lofs of his Sight; upon which Words he was ftruck blind. thou fhalt be blind, not feeing the fun for a feafon. And immediately there fell on him a mift and a darkness; and be went about feeking fome to lead him by the hand. 12. Then the deputy when he saw what was done, believed, being aftonished at the doctrine of the Lord. 13. Now when Paul and his company loof ed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: 12. The Governor feeing the Apoftle's Doctrine confirmed with fuch divine Power, embraced the Chriftian Faith. 13. From Paphos in Cyprus, they went to Perga in Pamphylia, where Mark chufing* rather to be with Peter at Jerufalem, than As Bishop Pearson thinks, Op. Poftum. p. 6. travel travel with them any further, left phylia and John departing from them, returned to Jerufalem. 14. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pifidia, and went into the fynagogue on the fabbath-day, and fat down. 15. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the fyna 14, 15 & 16. Thence the next A. D. 46. Year they arrived at Antioch in Pifidia, where in one of the Jewifh Synagogues, after the Leffons, the Prefident (according to + Cuf- † Philo. tom) asking who would expound upon any Part of them, Paul ftood up, and made the following Sermon to the Jews and Profelytes. gogue fent unto them, faying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, fay on. 16. Then Paul ttood up, and beckning with his hand, faid, Men of Ifrael, and ye that fear God, give audience. 17. The God of this people of Ifrael chofe our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as ftrangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. 18. And about the time of forty years fuffered he their manners in the wilderness. 19. And when he had deftroyed feven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by 20. And after that he gave unto them judges, about the fpace of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. lot. 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21. Wherein he proved to them in the first Place, that the chief and great Defign of God in chufing Abraham and the Patriarchs, and the Nation of the Jews defcended from them, for a peculiar and separate People, in preserving and miraculously delivering them from the Egyptian Bondage; in his Mercies and Patience toward them in the wilderness; in deftroying the feven Nations for their Settlement in the Land of Promife, and their conftant Deliverances under the Government of their. Judges and Kings, down to David, and fo to this Time, was the Kingdom and Religion of the Meffiah, who was to be born of their Nation, as the Saviour and Redeemer of Mankind. G 4 Ver. 13. See Chap. xv. 37, 38, 39. 21. And A. D. 46. 21. And afterward they defired a king, and God gave unto them Saul, the Son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. 22. And when he had removed him, he raifed up unto them David to be their king, to whom ako he gave teftimony, and faid, I have found David the fon of Jeffe, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 22 & 23. And then, as David, in particular, upon Account of his eminent Wisdom, Valour, and Piety, was made a Type of Chrift, and had a Promise he fhould defcend from his Family, That GOD had fulfilled that Promife in JESUS of Nazareth, who was of David's Line. 23. Of this mans feed hath God according to his promife, raifed unto Ifrael a Saviour, Jefus : not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every fab bath-day they have fulfilled them in condemning him. demned and crucified him as a 4. D. 46, Messiah, that used to be read in their own Synagogues. 28. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet defired they Pilate that he fhould be flain. have him flain. 29. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a fepul 28. Befide, that Jesus's Innocence was fo clear, even to Pilate himself, that he would have acquitted him, but for the outrageous Clamours of the Jews to 29 & 30. But God (fays he) chre. 31. And he was feen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerufalem, who are his witneffes unto the people. 32. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33. God hath fulfilled the fame unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jefus again, as it is alfo written in the fecond palm, Thou art my fon, this day have I begotten thee. 31. Of which his Apostles, and a great Number of his Difciples, converfed with him for forty are Eye-witneffes, who faw and Days after it. 32 & 33. And how willingly Ancestors? For of this it is that * Matth. xxvii. 66. . D. 46. and full Accomplishment in God's raifing up the Meffiah from Death, to the Glory and Power of his fpiritual Kingdom. * 34 & 35. Thus also that Promife of God to the Jewish Nation, of the fure Mercies of David, Ifa. lv. 3. could only be meant of that abfolute Promife of the Meffiah to be from his Fa mily, a glorious Prince and Saviour, of whom David was a Type, and who was called alfo by his very Name David, and the Son of David; and fo is in Effect the fame Promife with that Thou shalt not fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption. 34. And as con- 36 & 37. Which last Words can no Way be true of David's Perfon, who having performed feveral good Services, in Obedience to God's Commands, in his Life-time, lies in his Grave to this Day; but are most exactly fulfilled in JESUS, whom God raised the third Day, before his Body was in the leaft putrefied, and then exalted him into Heaven. 38. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is 38. Wherefore you have all the Demonftration your own Scriptures and Prophecies can give you, That this JESUS is the Ver. 34. Now no more to return to Corruption. As Lazarus, and the Widow's Son did. Thus CHRIST's dying no more, and Death having no more Dominion over him, Rom. vi. 9. is the diftinguishing Privilege of his Refurrection, above that of any other Perfons miraculously restored to Life, who all returned again to the dark Prison of the Grave. And this is what made the Mercies here fpoken of, to be a wisà, confant and continual, as the Promife was abfolute. |