would exert their utmost abilities to ftop the spreading of the doctrines he preached; doctrines which ftruck at the root of their power and gain, and were much more ter rible to them than thofe of the most atheiftical fect of philofophers, because the latter contented themselves with denying their principles, but at the fame time declared for fupporting their practices, as useful cheats, or at least acquiefced in them as establishments authorized by the fanction. of law. Whatever therefore their cunning could do to fupport their own worship, whatever aid they could draw from the magiftrate, whatever zeal they could raise in the people, St. Paul was to contend with, unfupported by any human affiftance..

And Thirdly, This he was to do in direct. oppofition to all the prejudices and paffions. of the people. Now had he confined his preaching to Judea alone, this difficulty would not have occurred in near fo great a degree. The people there were fo moved. by the miracles the Apoftles had wrought,. as well as by the memory of those done by

Jefus, that in fpite of their rulers, they began to be favourably disposed towards them; and we even find that the high priest * and the council had more than once been with-held from treating the Apostles with fo much severity as they defired to do, for fear of the people. But in the people among the Gentiles no fuch Difpofitions could be expected: their prejudices were violent, not only in favour of their own fuperftitions, but in a particular manner against any doctrines taught by a few. As, from their averfion to all idolatry, and irreconcileable feparation from all other religions, the Jews were accused of hating mankind, fo were they hated by all other nations: nor were they hated alone, but defpifed. To what a degree that contempt was carried, appears as well by the mention made of them in beathen authors, as by the complaints JoJephus makes of the unreasonableness and injuftice of it in his apology. What authority then could St. Paul flatter himself

*Acts iv. 21. and v. 26.

that

that his preaching would carry along with it, among people to whom he was at once both the object of national hatred and national fcorn? But, befides this popular prejudice against a Jew, the doctrines he taught were fuch as fhocked all their moft ingrafted religious opinions. They agreed to no principles of which he could avail himself, to procure their affent to the other parts of the Gofpel he preached. To convert the Jews to Chrift Jefus, he was able to argue from their own fcriptures, upon the authority of books which they owned to contain Divine Revelations, and from which he could clearly convince them, that Jefus was the very Chrift. But all these ideas were new to the Gentiles; they expected no Chrift*, they allowed no fuch fcriptures, they were to be taught the Old Teftament as well as the New. How was this to be done by a man not even authorized by his own nation: oppofed by those who were greateft, and thought wifeft

among them; either quite fingle, or only attended by one or two more under the fame difadvantages, and even of lefs confideration

than he?

The light of nature indeed, without exprefs revelation, might have conducted the Gentiles to the knowledge of one God the creator of all things, and to that light St. Paul might appeal, as we find that he did t. But clear as it was, they had almost put it out by their fuperftitions, having changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beafts, and creeping things, and ferving the creature more than the Creator. And to this idolatry they were strongly attached, not by their prejudices alone, but by their paffions, which were flattered and gratified in it, as they believed that their deities would be rendered propitious, not by virtue and holiness, but by offerings, and incenfe, and outward rites; rites which dazzled their fenfes by magnificent fhews,

* Acts xiv. 17. xvii. 17, 28.

Rom. i. 23, 25.

and

and allured them by pleasures often of a very impure and immoral nature. Inftead of all this, the Gospel proposed to them no other terms of acceptance with God but a worship of him in fpirit and truth, fincere repentance, and perfect fubmiffion to the Divine laws, the ftricteft purity of life and manners, and renouncing of all those lufts in which they had formerly walked, How unpalatable a doctrine was this to men fo given up to the power of those lufts, as the whole heathen world was at that time! If their philofophers could be brought to approve it, there could be no hope that the people would relish it, or exchange the cafe and indulgence which thofe religions. they were bred up in allowed to their appetites, for one fo harth and fevere. But might not St. Paul, in order to gain them, relax that severity? He might have done fo, no doubt, and probably would, if he had been an impoftor; but it appears by all his epiftles, that he preached it as purely, and enjoined it as ftrongly, as Jesus himself. 01 D:5 *But