CONCLUSION. 223 



him," of "signs and wonders and mighty deeds wrought 

 among them." 



Secondly, from visions. These would not by any means 

 satisfy the force of the terms, "signs, wonders, and mighty 

 deeds :" still less could they be said to be ''ivrought by him," 

 or "wrought among them;" nor are these terms and ex- 

 pressions anywhere applied to visions. When our author 

 alludes to the supernatural communications which he had 

 received, either by vision or otherwise, he uses expressions 

 suited to the nature of the subject, but very difTerent from the 

 words which we have quoted. He calls them revelations, but 

 never signs, wonders, or mighty deeds. " I will come," says he, 

 "to visions and revelations of the Lord ;" and then proceeds 

 to describe a particular instance, and afterwards adds, "Lest 

 I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of 

 the revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh." 



Upon the whole, the matter admits of no softening qual- 

 ification, or ambiguity whatever. If St. Paul did not work 

 actual, sensible, public miracles, he has knowingly, in these 

 letters, borne his testimony to a falsehood. I need not add, 

 that, in two also of the quotations, he has advanced his 

 assertion in the face of those persons among whom he de- 

 clares the miracles to have been wrought. 



Let it be remembered, that the Acts of the Apostles de 

 scribed various particular miracles wrought by St. Paul 

 which in their nature answer to the terms and exjjresslon? 

 which we have seen to be used by St. Paul himself 



Here, then, we have a man of liberal attainments, and 

 in other points, of sound judgment, who had addicted his life 

 to the service of the gospel. We see him, in the prosecution 

 of his purpose, travelhng from country to country, enduring 

 every species of hardship encountering every extremity of 

 danger, assaulted by the populace, punished by the magis- 

 trates, scourged, beat, stoned, left for dead ; expecting, 

 wherever he came, a renewal of the same treatment and 

 the same dangers, yet, when driven from one city, preaching 



