395 
P A 
any intelligence about what had parted at Damafcus, and 
in the way thither, and being fufpicious that he afl'umed 
the charafter of a: believer for the purpofe of betraying 
them. However, he met with Barnabas, who, when he 
heard of what had befallen Jiim, was fatisfied of the 
reality of his converfion, and introduced him to James 
and Peter. After this he was willingly received by the 
other difciples, whom he alfo convinced of his fincerity, 
by the boldnefs with which he defended the caufe of 
Chrift, particularly againfl the Jewilh profelytes from 
the Grecian provinces, whofe zeal for the inftitutions of 
Mofes had brought them to Jerufalem. Thefe perfons, 
as is not uncommonly the cate with new'converts to any 
caufe, were fo warmly attached to the fyftem, which they 
had recently adopted, that they were filled with the tu¬ 
rn oft rage againfl: Paul for preaching Jefus 5 and, being 
alfo inlligated by the rulers, who could not forgive him 
for going over to the perfecuted party, they formed a 
plan for putting him to death. Intimation of their de¬ 
sign having been conveyed to the brethren, they prevent¬ 
ed it from being carried into execution by conducing 
him in fafety to Caelarea, whence they advifed that he 
fhould go to Tarfus, thinking that he might preach the 
gofpel to the Jews in his native city^with more fuccefs 
and lefs hazard, than in Judea. Accordingly Paul came 
to Tarfus, where he appears to have continued three or 
four years. Though the facred hiftory does not give 
any particulars of his proceedings during that period, 
yet we cannot doubt but that he was bufied in the work 
of the miniftry, preaching in the name of Chrift to native 
Jews and profelytes to the Jewifti religion. It is proba¬ 
ble alfo, that, though Tarfus was his home, yet, as it was 
fituated upon the fea-coalt, he vifited from thence many 
other places, for the purpofe of preaching the gofpel; 
and that in his travels by land, or fliort voyages to neigh¬ 
bouring countries, he met with fome of thofe difafters 
and fhipwrecks to which there is a reference in the recital 
of his fufferings which he made to the Corinthians. 
In the mean time, the perfecution of the churches in 
Judea having ceafed, Peter vifited the difciples in differ¬ 
ent parts of that country 1 and, in obedience to the di¬ 
vine command communicated in a vifion, went to the 
houfe of the centurion Cornelius at Caefarea, where he 
preached to Gentiles ; and gave fuch an account of the 
reafons for that proceeding to the apoftles and brethren 
at Jerufalem upon his return, as led them to acquiefce in 
it, and to glorify God for “granting unto the Gentiles 
alfo repentance unto life.” During the time of perfecu¬ 
tion, fome Jews of Cyprus and Gyrene who were driven 
from Jerufalem, travelled to Phenice, and Cyprus, and 
Antioch, in which places they preached the gofpel to 
Jews, and the profelytes to Judaifm. Some time after 
their arrival at Antioch, hearing of Peter’s having deli¬ 
vered the truths of the kingdom of God to the Gentiles 
at Csefarea, they alfo extended their miniftry to the 
Gentile inhabitants of the city where they refided, fome 
few of whom might portibly be devout men like Corne¬ 
lius, but the greateft part of them mu ft have been heathen 
idolaters. So abundant was the fuccefs which attended 
their labours, that when information of it was brought to 
the church at Jerufalem, they fent Barnabas to confirm 
the new converts; and fo great was the fpeedy increafe 
of their numbers under his miniftry, that, finding the 
work too heavy for himfelf alone, and wifliing to have 
the a Alliance of an able fellow-labourer, he went to Tar¬ 
fus, whence he brought Paul to Antioch, in the year 43. 
Here they continued their joint labours for a whole year, 
and made fuch conliderable additions to the number of 
believers, that they attracted the particular notice of the 
heathens, and were for the firft time diftinguilhed by the 
denomination of Chrijlians. 
While Paul continued at Antioch, he appears to have 
had thofe vifions and revelations mentioned by him to 
the Corinthians, in which he fpeaks of himfelf as hav¬ 
ing been caught up into Paradife, where he heard and 
Vol. XIX. No. 1311. 
U L, 
faw things of which he was not permitted to fpeak 5 but 
which were made known to him in this extraordinary 
manner, to encourage him in the arduous and dangerous 
undertaking of preaching the gofpel to the Gentiles. 
During the fame time, a prophet called Agabus having 
predicted that the whole land of Judea was about to he 
vifited by a great famine; the new converts at Antioch 
made liberal contributions for their relief in proportion 
to their refpeftive abilities, and fent them to the elders of 
the church at Jerufalem by the hands of Paul and Bar¬ 
nabas. It appears to have been during this vifit to that 
city, which was in the year 44, that Paul, while praying 
in the temple, was thrown into a trance or extacy, in 
which he had a vifion of Chrift, who commanded him to 
haften his departure, that he might proceed on that mil¬ 
lion into Gentile regions, for which he was particularly 
defignated when called to the office of an apoltle. In 
obedience to this command, Paul and Barnabas left Jeru¬ 
falem and returned to Antioch, accompanied by John, 
whofe furname was Mark, whom they took with them as 
their afliftant in the miniftry. From Antioch, after be¬ 
ing folemnly recommended to the divine blefling by 
prayer and the imposition of the brethren’s hands, accor¬ 
ding to the cuftom of thofe countries, they proceeded to 
Cilicia; and from thence they failed to Cyprus, where 
they preached with great fuccefs both in the Jewilh fyna- 
gogues, and before the idolatrous Gentiles, and converted 
the proconful, Sergius Paulas, by the excellence of their 
doSrine, and the miraculous punilhment of Barjefus, or 
Elymas, the pretended magician, for his infidious opposi¬ 
tion to it. Departing from Cyprus, they landed at Perga, 
in Pamphilia, where John Mark deferted them, as we 
have related in vol. xiv. p. 371. and from thence they 
travelled to Antioch, the capital of Pifidia, Icon!urn in 
Lycaonia, Lyftra, Derbe, and other cities and diflrifts in 
Alia Minor, in which they made multitudes of profelytes, 
and wrought many miracles in fupport of their doilrine. 
The account of this progrefs, which lafted two or three 
years, though given, upon the whole, with great concife- 
nefs in the hiftory of the A els of the Apoftles, contains, 
neverthelcfs, two remarkable fpeeches of St. Paul, and 
Sufficiently circumftantial relations of the principal inci¬ 
dents which befel them. 
After their return from this journey, it is faid of our 
apoftles, that “ they abode long time with the difciples in 
Antioch.” While they continued in this city, a circum¬ 
stance occurred which gave rife to a conliderable difeuf- 
fion among the primitive believers, and occafioned a me¬ 
morable decree of the apoftles and elders refpefting the 
obfervances of the Mofaic ritual. Some mistaken profe¬ 
lytes, who came to Antioch from Judea, zealoufly 
taught the brethren, in public and private, that unlefs 
they were circumcifed, according to the'manner pre¬ 
scribed in the law of Mofes, and obferved the whole fyf- 
tem of his precepts, they could not portibly be Saved by 
the Gofpel, which was intended to make all that are con¬ 
verted to it Jews : and that they could not other wife be 
true and genuine Chriltians. This dofirine, which could 
not but be difagreeable to the converts from among the 
Gentiles, was ftrenuoufly oppofed by Paul and Barnabas, 
who maintained, that Chriftians converted from other 
nations were as free from the Mofaic law, as if it had 
never been given at all. In order to obtain fatisfaftion 
on a point which affe£led the liberties and confciences of 
a vaft number of believers, the church at Antioch re- 
folved, that Paul and Barnabas, accompanied by Titus, 
who was a Gentile convert, and fome others of. their 
number, fhould go up to Jerufalem, and he governed by 
the decifion of the apoftles and elders in that city on this 
grand queftion. Accordingly, they repaired thither, 
where, on an appointed day, an aflembly or council was 
held, which, after much debate, occafioned by fome be¬ 
lievers of the fe6l of the Pharifees who were ftill zealous 
for the ohfervance of the ceremonial law, determined that 
the Gfintiles ought not to be fubjecled to the burthens 
5 I of 
