[Chap. IV. day converted and baptifed. We next find this Apostle and John healing a lame man at the gate of the temple, at the report of which miracle, as the man was univerfally known in Jerufalem, great crowds flocking together, Peter addreffed himfelf to them, in a fpirited and awakening fermon, by which numbers were convinced and embraced the gofpel. He was next imprisoned, brought before the Sanhedrim, threatned, and difmiffed. Afterwards we find St. Peter feverely reprehending Ananias and Sapphira for their mutual agreement to fecrete fome part of the money for which they had fold their eftate, and yet deliver in the rest to the apoftles as the whole original fum, hoping to elude and deceive the holy fpirit by acting in this fraudulent manner-upon whofe reproof they were both initantly ftruck dead, by the hand of God, in a fhort space of time, one after the other. We then read how the friends and relations of the fick and indif pofed brought them into the streets, and that they were inftantaneously restored to perfect health, if but the fhadow of Peter paffed over them. Minutely to relate and expatiate upon all the particulars of this apoftle's life would extend the fubject beyond the limits affigned to a fingle chapter. The following incidents, therefore, of this apoftle's life, can only be narrated in a brie and concise manner. During the rest the churches enjoyed, which continued for fome time, he traveled through all parts of Judæa-he healed

Eneas,

Eneas, who had been confined to his bed by the pally eight years-he restored Tabitha to life who died at Joppa-he converted Cornelius, the Roman centurion, the firft Chriftian convert from among the Gentiles, who was admitted into the church without circumcifion or any injunction to comply with the mofaic obfervances-he was delivered out of prifon by an angel of God-he was reproved at Antioch by the apostle Paul for diffembling and temporizing; and his conduct in feparating himself from the heathen converts, when he had a little before countenanced them in their Chriftian liberty, was culpable-and, laftly, he went to Rome, and with his wife was involved in the fame perfecution, and both fuffered martyrdom under Nero. His two epiftles were written about the year of Chrift 64.

thers were James, Jofes, and Simon-but whether by brother we are to understand only a relation, according to the Hebrew idiom, or the fon of Jofeph by a former wife, is difputed. There is nothing particular related of this apoftle in the four evangelists, except this question which he addreffed to his mafter: Lord! how is it that thou wilt manifeft thyfelf to us and not to the

world!

world! Full of temporal grandeur and univerfal monarchy he could not imagine how our Saviour could eftablish a kingdom without manifefting it to the world. A proof, how much this apoftle was actuated by Jewish prejudices, and what fond delufive hopes he cherished, in common with all the other apoftles, of foon beholding his mafter erect a powerful and magnificent empire. There is no account, in any credible hiftorian, in what' countries he preached the gof cl-and whether he fuffered martyrdom or died a natural death. His Epifle is thought to be written about the year of Chrift 64, or 65.

CHA P.

CHA P. V.

Of the diction, ftyle, and compofition of the facred writers of the NEW TESTAMENT.

Nothing could be farther from the defign of

the facred authors of the New Teftament,

*

than that their writings fhould be esteemed as a model of the true fublime in compofition.' Christianity was never defigned to teach men rhetoric and philofophy-I mean, fuch philofophy as was in vogue in thofe days, full of fpeculative refinement and ingenious difquifitions, and embel lished with all the elegance with which the Greek language could adorn it. The philofophy of Jefus did not extend its triumphs in the world and advance from country to country with that amazing rapidity, by means of the fuperior eloquence of its teachers, or the fuperior wisdom of words and splendour of diction and compofition, which distinguished it above every other form of philo fophy the world had ever seen. St. Paul draws

* Οὐ λογὼν ὑμῖν απαγγελλόντων τεχνας, ουδε πιθανως και τις ευ τίκως λεγοντων· τουλ yag ιδιον των την αληθειαν κλέπτειν εξελούζων αλλα απλώς τους επιτυχούσιν ονόμασι τε καὶ ῥημασι χρωμένων. Juftin Martyr, ad Græcos cohort. p. 119. Oxon. Mn doxoμοτητα φράσεως παρ' αυτών αιτέντας, ου γαρ εν λόγοις, αλλ' εγ έργοις τα της ημετερας θεοσεβείας πραγματα, ibid. p. 120. Οι του Ιήσου μαθηται οἱ μακρά χαίρειν είποντες τῇ ποικίλη των λέξεων συνθέσει και της ὡς ὠνόμασεν ἡ γραφή, σοφια ανθρώπων. Origen, con. Celfum. See alfo his Philocalia, p. 25. Cantab. 1677.

an irrefragable argument in favour of the divine authority of the Christian religion from this very circumftance-its difclaiming all the fhowy ornaments of ftyle and language, yet collecting fuch an immenfe harvest of converts in every region. At the time when the apostles were planting the Chriftian religion in the world, the Greeks were feeking after wisdom-weaving inane and vifionary schemes of philofophy-forming ingenious fyftems-occupied in all the fubtilties of ideal fpeculation-and when after much inveftigation and ftudy they had moulded their reveries into fome kind of form, they openly profeffed fuch a fpecies of philofophy-clothed it in a pleasing veft of the pureft, fublimest language— publickly taught it, and called it wISDOM. And thefe learned and inquifitive Greeks, who were fo fervently engaged in the purfuit of this wisdom, were fo enamoured of every metaphyfical fyftem and romantic hypothefis, which was fet off by the charms of eloquence, and this tafte for polite literature and elegance of compofition was fo univerfally prevalent among the friends of erudition. and science in that age in which the apostles preached, that these philofophers and inquifitive Greeks, who were feeking after this wisdom and could relish nothing but this wisdom, treated the unadorned fimplicity of the gofpel with the utmoft ridicule and contempt-the plainnefs of the gofpel had no charms for fuch a falfe and vitiated tafte-it was to fuch, foolishness-and it could

not.