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20 new doctrine, whereof thou fpeakeft, is? For thou bringest certain ftrange things to our ears: we would 21 know therefore what thefe things mean. (For all the Athenians and ftrangers which were there, spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear fome new thing.)

22 Then Paul ftood in the midst of Mars-hill, and faid, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things 23 ye are too fuperftitious. For as I paffed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this infcription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare 24 I unto you.

God that made the world, and all

things therein, feeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made' with hands: -25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though

he needed any thing, feeing he giveth to all life, and 26 breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appoint27 ed, and the bounds of their habitation (f): That they fhould feek the Lord, if haply they might feel afterhim, and find him, though he be not far from every 28 one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have

our being; as certain alfo of your own poets have 29 faid, For we are alfo his off-fpring. Forasmuch then as we are the off-fpring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or fil30 ver, or ftone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at (g); but now

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(f) All the nations of the world were made by the one, true Almighty God; and, however feparated and diftinguished from each other, they are all defcended from one common parent, by whofe off-fpring the whole earth was overfpread (Gen. ix. 19.) according to the times and limits before determined by divine Providence.

(g) God was pleased mercifully to overlook; that is, he did not call them to account for their ignorance, finful as it was; but hav

ing

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31 commandeth all men every where to repent; Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the refurrection of the dead, fome mocked: and others faid, We will hear 33 thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from 34 among them. Howbeit, certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionyfius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

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CHA P. XVIII.

FTER these things, Paul departed from Athens, A 2 and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife_Prifcilla (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome), and 3 came unto them. And because he was of the fame craft (a), he abode with them, and wrought (for by 4 their occupation they were tent-makers). And he reafoned in the fynagogue every fabbath, and perfuad5 ed the Jews, and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was preffed in fpirit, and teftified to the Jews, that 6 Jefus was Chrift. And when they oppofed themfelves, and blafphemed, he shook his raiment (6), and

ing now thought fit to make a full declaration of himself and his will, he justly expects men to repent and reform their lives accordingly.

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(a) It was ufual for perfons of the best education to learn fome handicraft trade.

(b) In cafe of great emotion and anxiety of mind, the Jews ufed to throw open the upper garment, and shake it at any person they were difpleafed with. Chap. xxii. 23.

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faid unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house named Juftus, one that worshipped God (c), whose houfe joined hard to the fynagogue. 8 And Crifpus, the chief ruler of the fynagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house': and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, and were bap9 tized. Then fpake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vifion, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not 10 thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man fhall

fet on thee, to hurt thce: for I have much people in 11 this city. And he continued there a year and fix months, teaching the word of God among them.

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And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made infurrection with one accord against 13 Paul, and brought him to the judgment-feat, Saying, This fellow perfuadeth men to worship God 14 contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio faid unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong, or wicked lewdnefs, O ye Jews, reafon would that I fhould bear with you: 15 But if it be a question of words and names, and of

your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of 16 fuch matters. And he drave them from the judg17 ment-feat. Then all the Greeks took Softhenes, the chief ruler of the fynagogue, and beat him before the judgment-feat: and Gallio cared for none of thofe things.

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And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and failed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila: having fhorn his head in Cenchrea (d): for he had a

19 VOW.

(c) See Chap. ii. 10. (d) It was cufomary among the Jews, in cafe of certain vows, to have the head, and not to appear in public until the hair was grown

19 vow. And he came to Ephefus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the fynagogue, and rea20 foned with the Jews. When they defired him to tarry 21 longer time with them, he confented not: But bade them farewel, faying, I must by all means keep this feaft that cometh (e), in Jerufalem: but I will return again unto you, if God, will. And he failed from 22 Ephefus. And when he had landed at Cefarea, and gone up (f) and faluted the church, he went down 23 to Antioch. And after he had fpent fome time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, ftrengthening all the difciples.

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And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the fcrip25 tures, came to Ephefus. This man was inftructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the fpirit, he fpake and taught diligently the things of the 26 Lord, knowing only the baptifm of John (g). And he began to speak boldly in the fynagogue. Whom when Aquila and Prifcilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of 27 God more perfectly. And when he was difpofed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the difciples to receive him; who, when he was come,

again. We may therefore fuppofe, that St. Paul remained in private with Chriftian friends until his arrival at Jerufalem. Cenchrea was the fea-port belonging to Corinth.

(e) The feaft that was then approaching was the paffover, which St. Paul refolved to keep at Jerufalem, not for the fake of observing the ceremonies appointed by Mofes, which were no longer in force, but most probably in order to vifit the Chriftian brethren, and further to propagate the gofpel among the great numbers who would at that time be affembled there.

(f) Gone up to Jerufalem. This was his fourth journey thither, and about twenty-one years after his converfion.

(g) The doctrine into which St. John baptized his difciples; viz. the neceffity of repentance, and faith in the Meffiah then about to appear. Chap. xix. 4.

helped

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helped them much which had believed (b) through For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, fhewing by the fcriptures, that Jefus was Chrift (i).

CHA P. XIX.

AND it came to pafs, that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having paffed through the upper coafts, came to Ephefus (a): and finding certain dif2 ciples, He faid unto them, Have ye received the holy Ghoft fince ye believed? And they faid unto him, We have not fo much as heard whether there be any 3 holy Ghoft (b). And he faid unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they faid, Unto John's 4 baptifin. Then faid Paul, John verily baptized with the baptifm of repentance, faying unto the people, That they fhould believe on him which fhould come after him, that is, on Chrift Jefus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the 6 Lord Jefus (c). And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the holy Ghoft came on them; and they fpake with tongues, and prophefied (d). And all the 8 men were about twelve. And he went into the fynagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, difputing and perfuading the things concern

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(h) By means of the gifts of eloquence and knowledge, which God had graciously bestowed on him, he greatly affifted the new converts in their religion.

(2) That Jefus was the Chrift or Meffiah. Jefus is the name, and Chrift the title.

(a) St. Paul having been at Jerufalem, came back to Ephefus. (b) The queftion being whether they had received the gifts of the holy Ghoft; their answer must be concerning thofe gifts, and not the perfon of the holy Ghoft.

(c) Into the faith and obedience of the Chriftian religion, and in the form appointed by the Lord Jefus.

(d) Inftructed others. See Chap. xv. 32.

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