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fame time equally diftinguiflied for t'ne multitude of its 
temples and altars, and for the attachment of the people 
to the fuperltitious rites an'd ceremonies of polytheiltic 
worfhip, which had been handed down to them from 
their anceftors. The abjeft idolatry in which they were 
funk, notwithftanding their advantages for acquiring 
knowledge, induced Paul, not only to preach to the 
Jews and their profelytes in the fynagogues, and to dis¬ 
pute with them on the diftinguifhing tenets of Chriftian- 
ity, but to feize every opportunity of difcourfing on them 
with thofe Athenians wjiom he met with in the public 
edifices in the great forum or market-place. Here lie had 
for opponents forne of the Epicureans and Stoics, which 
were the moll diftinguifiied lefts of philofopiiers at that 
time, who brought him to the Areopagus, where the il- 
lultrious court fat which took cognizance of all matters 
relating to religion, that he might give thofe judges a 
particular account of the doftrine which he advanced. 
In the feventeenth chapter of the Afts of the Apoftles, 
we have an interefting account of the addrefs and elo¬ 
quence which Paul difplayed on this occafion, fo as to 
avoid giving offence to his audience, while he enforced 
the great principles of natural and revealed religion, and 
fliowed the abfurdity of the commonly-received idolatry. 
But, when he fpoke of the refurreftion of the dead, 
fome made a jefl of the doftrine, while others promifed 
to hear him again on that fubjeft; and, having thus 
fpoken, they put an end to the apoflle’s difcourfe and to 
the affembly. Finding but little profpeft of fuccefs with 
men whofe minds were barred by prejudice and the pride 
of worldly wifdom againft the reception of the fimple 
truths of the Gofpel, the apoftle foon took his leave of 
Athens, and proceeded to vifit other parts of Greece. 
In the year 52, Paul came to the populous and wealthy 
city of Corinth, where he chiefly redded during a year 
and fix months, and made numerous converts from the 
Jews and Gentiles in that place and the neighbouring 
country of Achaia. Provoked to rage at his fuccefs, the 
unbelieving Jews concerted a plot againft Paul, on whom 
they made a violent aflault, and carried him before the tri¬ 
bunal of Gallio, the proconful of Achaia, tumultuoufly 
accufing him of perfuading the people to follow a mode 
of worfhip which was not fanftioned by the laws ; but 
Gallio, wifely and equitably regarding the alleged charge 
to be no offence againft the peace and good order of fo- 
ciety, and not to call for his interference as a civil magif- 
trate, ordered the accufers of Paul to be driven away 
from his tribunal. He was alfo fo fully convinced of the 
bigoted malignity which had prompted the Jews to this 
proceeding, that he overlooked the irregular conduft of 
the Greeks, who violently beat Softhenes the ruler of the 
fynagogue, even under the eye of the magiftrate, by way 
of punifhment for the confufion of which he had been 
an aftive promoter. After fome further ftay in Corinth, 
Paul embarked for Syria at the port of Cenchrea, accom¬ 
panied by Aquila and his wife Prifcilla, converts to the 
Chriftian faith, having fhaved his head, according to the 
cuftom of the Jews, in confequence of a vow into which 
he had entered to exprefs his gratitude to God for his 
deliverance from the dangers to which he bad been ex- 
pofed. As the veflel in which they failed had occafion 
to touch at Ephefus, Paul would not negleft the oppor¬ 
tunity which offered of preaching Chrift, but entered the 
Jewifli fynagogue, and argued fo powerfully in favour of 
nis pretenfions, that he made no little impreffion on his 
auditors, who expreffed a defire that he would continue 
fome time with them ; with which his vow would not 
permit him for the prefent to comply. Refuming his 
voyage, therefore, he failed to Caefarea, whence he went 
to Jerufalem, where he completed his vow, and kept the 
feaft of Pentecoft. When the feaft was over, and he had 
enjoyed a fhort friendly intercourfe with the church in 
that city, he went to Antioch ; and, after fpending fome 
time there, commenced a progrefs through all Galatia 
and Phrygia, vifiting and confirming the churches which 
U L. 
he had before eftabliflied in thofe countries. In this 
journey Paul had feveral adiiiants, and, among others, 
Timothy, Titus, and Softhenes, his former enemy at 
Corinth, who had become a convert to the Gofpel. With 
thefe companions he came to Ephefus towards the dole 
of the year 53 ; and to that city, including tnoft probably 
the contiguous diftrifts, he confined his perfonal labours 
till the year 56. 
The firlt perfons to whom Paul preached Chriftianity 
at Ephefus, were his countrymen the Jews, in whofe fy- 
nagogue “ he fpake boldly for the fpace of three months,” 
veafoning in defence of the truth of the gofpel-difpenfa- 
tion. And, when he found that the greater number of 
them were hardened by their prejudices againft conviftion, 
he withdrew with the difciples whom he had made to the 
fchool of one Tyrannus, who was probably an orator 
or philofopher, where he preached and maintained the 
Chriftian doftrine againft all opponents; by which means 
it was widely difleminated among the Jews and Greeks, 
who flocked to that city from the neighbouring province 
of Alia. At the fame time Paul confirmed this doftrine 
by the numerous extraordinary miracles which he 
wrought, and the fupernatural gifts which he communi¬ 
cated to fome of the believers, who had been prepared 
for the reception of Chriftianity by the preaching of John 
the Baptift. But this fuccefs which attended his labours 
excited againft Paul the enmity of the bigoted worfhip- 
pers of Diana, whofe temple at Ephefus was, on account 
of its magnificence, reckoned one of the wonders of the 
world; and it particularly alarmed the jealoufy of one 
Demetrius and his fellow-craftfmen, who procured great 
profit by making filver fhrines, or fmall models of the 
temple and image of the goddefs, which were fold to the 
crowds who came from diftant parts to worfhip her. 
Thefe men perceiving that, if the doftrine of Paul pre¬ 
vailed, their trade would foon be at an end, collefted to¬ 
gether their workmen, and, by an inflammatory addrefs 
to their fuperftition and avarice, roufed them to the high- 
eft pitch of fury againft Paul and his afiociates, and led 
them to unite in the common cry of Great is Diana of the 
Ephejians! With this cry they ran about the ftreets, 
giving the alarm to the populace, till the whole city was 
thrown into confufion ; and having feized upon Gaius 
and Ariftarchus, two of Paul’s companions, they dragged 
them to the theatre, probably with the defign of throw¬ 
ing them to the wild beads which were ufually kept 
there. In this critical fituation of his friends, Paul 
would have ventured to go into the theatre, that he 
might endeavour to bring the multitude into a better 
temper, had he not been diffuaded by other friends, 
among whom were fome of the principal people in the 
province. At length, after the uproar and confufion of 
the affembled crowd had lafted about two hours, the 
town-clerk, or proconful’s fecretary, to whom the direc¬ 
tion of affairs in the city was committed, by his autho¬ 
rity obtained filence ; when, after fecuring their atten¬ 
tion by an addrefs in which he availed himfelf of their 
prejudices, he reproved them for the irregularity of their 
proceedings, by which they had rendered themfelves 
amenable to the higher powers. He added, that if De¬ 
metrius and ids fellow-craftfmen had juft caufe of com¬ 
plaint againft the men in cuftody, or any other perfons, 
the way to obtain redrefs and the punifhment of the of¬ 
fending party, was by an appeal to the courts of law 
and magiftracy, which were always open for the adminif- 
tration.of juftice. Having thus fpoken, he dif’miffed the 
affembly, and fet the prifoners at liberty. 
Some time after this riot, Paul took his leave of the 
church at Ephefus, and travelled into Macedonia; whence 
he went to vifit the churches which he had planted‘in 
Achaia, Corinth, the Peloponnefus, and other countries. 
Of thefe journeys, which employed the apoftle during 
two years, we have no regularly-digefted account; but it 
is probable that in that interval he went into Illyricum, 
and alfo to Crete, where it is certain that he perfonally 
4 laboured 
