heart was feafted with the profpect; and the reality of falvation by the grace of Chrift thus exemplified in perfons, who had hitherto been involved in pagan darkness, was evidenced in a manner which, till then, had never been known before. Finding many converts, he exhorted them to perfeverance; and the addition of believers was ftill fo large, that he began to look out for a coadjutor. He fought for Saul, who was then labouring at Tarfus perhaps with no great fuccefs: we are told of none at leaft; "for a prophet is not honoured in his own country;" and he brought him to Antioch. This populous city employed them a whole year. Here Chriftian focieties were regularly formed, confifting, in a great measure, of Gentiles. And here the followers of Chrift were firft called Chrif tians. It is not probable, that they would give themselves that name. The terms BRETHREN, ELECT, FAITHFUL, SAINTS, were the names which they would rather approve. The name of Christian seems to have been given by their adverfaries. It is now a term of honour: at that time a more opprobrious one could fcarcely be thought of by the learned and the polite. Were a man allowed to poffefs many good qualities; "but he is a Chrif tian," would have been deemed more than a counterbalance to them all. And other terms invented by the malevolence of unregenerate men, in different ages, to ftigmatize the fame fort of perfons, have produced, by the bare found, fimilar effects on prejudiced minds.

The faith of the Antiochians was fignally operative. Warmed with the love of Chrift, and rejoicing in the profpect of heavenly treasures, they cheerfully contributed to the relief of the poor Chriftians in Judea, diftreffed by a famine. A large extenfion of Chrift's kingdom in any

place,

place, naturally calls together a large number of paftors. It is pleafant indeed to labour among the faithful, encircled with fincere friends. It is not every real faint, who has the fortitude and charity to quit fo agreeable a scene, for the fake of breaking up fresh ground. How much longer thefe teachers would have remained at Antioch, if left to themselves, we know not. But the Holy Ghost now felected Barnabas and Saul for other labours. They obeyed the call; and Seleucia in the neighbourhood was their first deftination. At this port they found a convenient paffage to the fertile and pleasureable Island of Cyprus. Methinks the evil fpirits, who there fupported the religious rites and the fenfual practices of the devotees of Venus, began to tremble for this capital scene of their dominions.

From Salamis, the eastern point of the Ifland, to Paphos the western, they fpread the glad tidings of the Gofpel. In this laft place they found Elymas, a Jewish forcerer and falfe prophet, in company with Sergius Paulus, the Roman governor of the Island, a man of sense and candour, who fent for Barnabas and Saul, and defired to hear the word of God. The forcerer endeavoured to prevent the good effects of their labours; till Paul, full of holy indignation at his diabolical malice, was enabled miraculously to strike him blind for a feafon. Sergius was aftonifhed, we are told," at the doctrine" of the Lord*, and commenced a Chriftian from that hour.

The

Acts xiii. 12. The expreffion is remarkable, but has a pe culiar propriety. A mere hiftorical believer would have been aftonished at the miracle merely. Sergius, a true convert, who entered into the holy nature of the Gospel by a spiritual percep tion, is astonished "at the doctrine."

The two Apoftles failed now to the adjoining continent, and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. And here John Mark, who had thus far attended them as minifter, left them and returned to Jerufalem. It was, perhaps, more agreeable to him to profefs and practise Chriftianity at home with his mother and friends, than to expofe himself to heathens. Even then, traces of the love of the world were to be seen among Christians.

Pifidia, lying to the north of Pamphylia, was the next scene. Here was another Antioch; and the Apostles on the Sabbath-day attended the Jewish fynagogue. After the ufual reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers gave them a friendly invitation to exhort the people, which Paul embraced with his ufual zeal. His fermon is much of the fame ftrain with thofe of Peter and of Stephen, tending to beget in the hearers a conviction of finfulness, and to give teftimony to Jefus, concluding with a remarkably plain declaration of the grand doctrine of juftification by faith in Jefus only, and a folemn warning against the dreadful confequences of hardness of heart, and of contempt of the Divine meffage. The Gentiles, powerfully impreffed with the news, defired to hear more of the fubject the next Sabbath. Many Jews and profelytes were converted; and the whole city almoft came on the next Sabbath-day to hear. The fight was too much for the envy of the infidel Jews, who oppofed Paul with all their might. The two Apoftles boldly affured them, that though it was their duty to carry the news of falvation to the Jews firft, yet as they defpifed God's Gift of Eternal Life, it would now be offered to the Gentiles, agreeably to the glorious prophecy of Ifaiaht, where the experimental in

fluence

Auence of the Gospel on Gentile hearts is clearly described. The Pagans, not fo proud as the Jews, felt that they had no righteoufnefs to plead before God, thankfully embraced the Gospel, and believed in great numbers.

Pifidia was now full of the Gospel; and the Apoftles proceeded with vaft fuccefs, till a perfecution, ftirred up by the Jews, induced fome felfrighteous women of rank, in conjunction with the magiftrates, to drive them out of their coafts. From thence they came to Iconium, the northern extremity of the country; and the difciples whom they left, though haraffed with perfecution, were yet filled with Joy and the Holy Ghost." The internal confolation of their religion fupported their fouls. In Iconium the two Apoftles continued a long time, and delivered the meffage of Divine Reconciliation with much freedom and energy, to the converfion of a great multitude. both of Jews and Gentiles. The unbelieving Jews* exerted their usual malevolence, and filled the Gentiles with the ftrongest prejudices against the Christians. In truth, their conduct, though by no means uncommon, affords a dreadful inftance of human depravity. It cannot be denied, that those Jews must in religious knowledge have far exceeded the idolatrous inhabitants of Iconium. They held the Unity of the Godhead; they worshipped him in their fynagogue; they heard his precepts from Sabbath to Sabbath out of the law of Mofes and the prophets. They must have known thus far, that the Meffiah was foretold in the latter, and they could not but be acquainted with their duty both to God and man in many refpects by means of the former. Yet fo unreafonable are they, as to labour to prevent their pagan neighbours

• Acts xiv.

neighbours from being inftructed in any thing that deserved the name of religion, and to perfecute with unceafing acrimony two of their own countrymen, who agreed with them in the profeffion of the worship of the one living and true God. Of fo little influence is what fome call the "Unitarian" religion, if it be UNCONNECTED with the Knowledge and Love of Jefus Chrift. Perfons,who make THAT the whole of their religion, can, it seems, rather fee mankind remain buried in the depths of the most fenfeless idolatry in worship, and of vicious profligacy in life, than brought over to the real Chriftian religion, to the hearty renunciation of their own righteoufness, and to a humble dependence on the atoning blood of Jefus! The preaching of Paul and Barnabas excited a variety of fpeculations in this city. The Gentiles were divided; and part ranged themselves with the Jews, and part with the Apoftles. But the former had the advantage for the prefent, because they had the arms,-which Chriftian foldiers cannot use-of violence and perfecution.

The Apostles, aware of their defigns, fled into Lycaonia, a country to the east of Pifidia; and there preached the Gofpel, particularly in Lyftra and Derbe, In the former of these places, a poor cripple, who never had had the ufe of his feet, heard Paul with the most refpectable attention, and was fo far wrought upon already in his mind, as to believe, that there was virtue in the name of Jefus Chrift to heal him. To confirm him in his yet infant views of the Chriftian religion, to atteft the truth, and to convince men that Jefus was both able and willing to SAVE, Paul was enabled by a word to restore the man to the full use of his limbs. Immediately these poor idolaters con

cluded,