Jefus during his life, they were obliged to continue the same professions after his death, for the fupport of their own credit, and from having gone too far to go back, this can by no means be faid of St. Paul. On the contrary, whatever force there may be in that way of reafoning, it all tends to convince us that St. Paul must naturally have continued a few, and an enemy of Chrift Jefus if they were engaged on one fide, he was as ftrongly engaged on the other. If fhame with-held them from changing fides, much more ought it to have ftopt him, who, being of a higher education and rank in life a great deal than they, had more credit to lofe, and must be supposed to have been vaftly more fenfible to that fort of shame. The only difference was, that they, by quitting their mafter after his death, might have preserved themfelves; whereas he, by quitting the Jews, and taking up the cross of Christ, certainly brought on his own deftruction.

As therefore no rational motive appears for St. Paul's embracing the faith of Christ, without

without having been really convinced of the truth of it: but on the contrary, every thing concurred to deter him from acting that part; one might very juftly conclude, that when a man of his understanding embraced that faith, he was in reality convinced of the truth of it, and that, by confequence, he was not an impoftor, who faid what he knew to be false with an intent to deceive.

But that no fhadow of doubt may remain upon the impoffibility of his having been fuch an impoftor; that it may not be faid, The minds of men are sometimes fo capricious, that they will act without any • rațional motives, they knew not why, and fo perhaps might St. Paul;' I shall next endeavour to prove, that if he had been fo unaccountably wild and abfurd, as to undertake an impofture fo unprofitable and dangerous, both to himself and those he deceived by it, he could not poffibly have carried it on with any fuccefs, by the means that we know he employed.

First then let me obferve, that if his converfion, and the part that he acted in confequence

fequence of it, was an impofture, it was fuch an impofture as could not be carried on by one man alone. The faith he profeffed, and which he became an Apoftle of, was not his invention. He was not the author or beginner of it, and therefore it was not in his power to draw the doctrines of it out of his own imagination. With Jefus, who was the author and head of it, he had never had any communication before his death, nor with his Apostles after his death, except as their perfecutor. As he took on himfelf the office and character of an Apoftle, it was abfolutely neceffary for him to have a precife and perfect knowledge of all the facts contained in the Gospel, feveral of which had only paffed between Jefus himself and his twelve Apostles, and others more privately ftill, so that they could be known but to very few, being not yet made publick by any writings; otherwife he would have expofed himself to ridicule among thofe who preached that Gofpel with more knowledge than he; and as the teftimony they bore would have been

different

different in point of fact, and many of their doctrines and interpretations of Scripture repugnant to his, from their entire difagreement with those Jewish opinions in which he was bred up; either they must have been forced to ruin his credit, or he would have ruined theirs. Some general notices he might have gained of thefe matters from the chriftians he perfecuted, but not exact nor extenfive enough to qualify him for an Apostle, whom the least error in these points would have difgraced, and who must have been ruined by it in all his pretenfions to that infpiration, from whence the apoftolical authority was chiefly derived.

It was therefore impoffible for him to act this part but in confederacy at leaft with the Apoftles! Such a confederacy was ftill more neceffary for him, as the undertaking to preach the Gofpel did not only require an exact and particular knowledge of all it contained, but an apparent power of working miracles; for to fuch a power all the Apostles appealed in proof of their miffion, and of the doctrines they preached. He

was

was therefore to learn of them by what fecret arts they fo impofed on the fenfes of men, if this power was a cheat. But how could he gain these men to become his confederates? Was it by furiously perfecuting them and their brethren, as we find that he did, to the very moment of his converfion? Would they venture to trust their capital enemy with all the fecrets of their imposture, with thofe upon which all their hopes and credit depended? Would they put it in his power to take away not only their lives, but the honour of their fect, which they preferred to their lives, by fo ill-placed a confidence? Would men, fo fecret as not to be drawn by the most severe perfecutions to fay one word which could convince them of being impoftors, confefs themselves fuch to their perfecutor, in hopes of his being their accomplice? This is ftill more impoffible than that he should attempt to engage in their fraud without their confent and affiftance.

We suppose then, that till he came to Damafcus, he had no communication with the