be intended, because, whether they were put to death by the authority of the sanhedrim, or of a Roman governor, it cannot be supposed that Saul was one of the judges.

But I think, it may very well be questioned, whether in these words Paul refers to any thing beside the death of Stephen. This is the only person, whose death he has any where expressly said he was concerned in. There is not any one instance, beside the death of Stephen, hinted by St. Luke: whereas if there had been any, it is very improbable that he should have omitted them, since he has given so particular an account of that of Stephen. It is very common, in less exact, nay in almost all kinds of relations, to use the plural number, where one only is meant. Thus St. Matthew says, Matt. xxvii. 44," that the thieves also which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." Whereas it appears from St. Luke, (ch. xxiii. 39, 40,) that only one of the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him, whilst he was rebuked by the other for it. Again, Paul said unto them, [the keepers of the prison at Philippi,] Acts xvi. 37, " They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans." And yet, most probably, Paul only was a Roman and not Silas. And in no case could a plural number be put for a singular more properly than here, where the apostle, in his great humility, aggravates his former blindness and madness. And the meaning of his words here is no more than, when any one was put to death, I was very forward in approving it.

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Thus I think, that all which does evidently appear to have been done by a proper authority of the chief priests and council of the Jews, is imprisoning, scourging in the synagogue, and in some public place, and harassing in such a manner, as to oblige men to leave Judea. Stephen is put to death, but it seems to have been in a tumultuous

manner.

However it must be allowed, that this was a time of very heavy sufferings for the followers of Jesus. And one would be apt to suppose, that for a good part of this period, the Jews had no Roman governor residing among them; or if they had, that he connived at some disorders; or else, that their zeal rendered them so tumultuous, that he was not able to keep things in good order amongst them.

There is one thing very observable, that for some time before the end of this period, the disciples of Christ enjoyed peace in Judea. Acts ix. 31, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria." I hope we shall be able to perceive, in some measure, the occasion

of this, when we come to enquire what light foreign writers give us into this time.

VIII. We go on now to the third period, which is the reign of Herod the king. The account we have of the transactions in this period, is contained in the twelfth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles; particularly from ver. 1, to the 7th, and ver. 18, 19. There being no difficulty in it, I need not transcribe it. Every order and act of Herod here mentioned, his killing James with the sword, imprisoning Peter with intent to bring him forth to the people, commanding the keepers to be put to death, is an undeniable proof of his sovereign authority at this time in Judea.

IX. The fourth period reaches from the reign of this Herod, to the conclusion of the evangelical history.

The main thing which occurs here, is the treatment of Paul in Judea, so far as there is any appearance of a legal procedure. He being come to Jerusalem, and having been persuaded to purify himself with others that had a vow, entered into the temple, Acts xxi. 26-34, "to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification.-And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, crying out, Men and brethren, help; this is the man that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and farther, brought Greeks also into the temple, and has polluted this holy place. (For they had seen before with him in the city, Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) And all the city was moved, and the people ran together, and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came to the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them; and when they saw the chief captain, and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains, and demanded who he was, and what he had done.-And when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle."-But before he was led in, with the chief captain's leave, he made a speech to the people in the Hebrew tongue; in which he relates at length, that he had received directions in a trance, saying, Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. The Jews, not being able to contain themselves any longer, "lift up their

voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. The chief captain then commanded that he should be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging," Acts xxii. 22, 23, 24. But Paul affirming that he was a Roman, the centurion appointed to attend the torture, went and gave the chief captain information of it. "On the morrow, because he [the chief captain] would have known the certainty, wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them, ver. 30. And Paul earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by, said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people," Acts xxiii. 1-5. A dissension arising in the council," the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle," ver. 9, 10.

The chief captain after this, being informed of a conspiracy against Paul, sent him with a guard of two hundred soldiers to Felix at Cæsarea; who, when he had received him, together with a letter from Lysias the chief captain, told Paul, he would "hear him, when his accusers also were come," ver. 35. "After five days, Ananias the high priest descended with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul," Acts xxiv. 1–22. Felix having heard both sides, "deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.-But after two years, Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound," ver. 27.

"Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Cæsarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest, and the chief of the Jews, informed him against Paul, and besought him, and desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. But Festus answered, that Paul

should be kept at Cæsarea; and that he himself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. Accordingly, he went down to Cæsarea-and sitting on the judgment-seatthe Jews which came down from Jerusalem-laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. Paul answered for himself. But Festus willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? Acts xxv. 1-9. Hereupon Paul appealed to Cæsar, and was carried to Rome.

The case is this: a man was like to have been killed in a popular tumult at Jerusalem; a Roman officer there rescues him, takes him into his own hands, and lodges him in a castle. Afterwards, that his prisoner might be safer, he removes him to Cæsarea, the residence of the governor before whom there are divers hearings. There was therefore at this time a Roman governor in Judea, at first Felix, who was succeeded by Festus. But beside them here is also a Jewish council, which appears not void of authority.

This is the sum of the story. But here are divers particulars to be reviewed. The pretence for seizing this man at first is extremely complicated: "That he taught men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place, and had brought Greeks into the temple, and polluted this holy place. The whole charge, however, seems to have been of a religious nature. This appears from divers testimonics.

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When Paul was brought before the council at Jerusalem by Lysias, he said, I am a pharisee, the son of a pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead am I called in question," Acts xxiii. 6. This is a presumption the debates then ran upon matters of religion. Lysias, in the letter he sent with Paul to Felix, says: "I brought him forth into their council, whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law," ver. 28, 29. Tertullus, whom Ananias took along with him to Cæsarea, tells Felix, "We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, who also hath gone about to profane the temple," ch. xxiv. 5, 6. Here are hard words, and some grievous charges thrown in to increase the account : and nothing true, but that Paul was a Nazarene, as Paul affirms, and seems to make out to Felix. "And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man,

neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogue, nor in the city neither can they prove the things whereof they accuse me. But this I confess to thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, ver. 12-14. And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ," ver. 24. These new notions therefore of Paul were the great subject of inquiry, to see whether there was any thing dangerous or punishable in them.

Thus, before Festus at Cæsarea, the Jews, which were come down from Jerusalem," laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove," ch. xxv. 7. When Agrippa came to salute Festus, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, and tells him, " Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed; but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive," ver. 20. They might mix other matters in their complaints, as men intent upon a point are wont to do; but Festus perceived no truth in their charges, but what concerned their superstition or religion. Festus afterwards brings forth Paul to Agrippa; and Paul having rehearsed the manner of his life from first to last, before and since his conversion; and having acquainted them in particular with his commission from Christ to preach the gospel; after all was over, Agrippa said unto Festus, "This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar," ch. xxvi. 15-30. Which words show, Agrippa was convinced by what Paul said; first, that these principles of his were his only crime; and secondly, that notwithstanding the charges and pretences of the Jews, Festus had a right to set Paul at liberty.

From all which particulars it appears, that all the evidence against Paul, was of facts that concerned the Jewish religion, or the security of their worship: and yet we find, that Felix and Festus were the judges of this prisoner, in this cause all parties acknowledge it.

The Jews seem to have owned it by their conduct: for Ananias went down to Cæsarea with Tertullus, and accused Paul there before Felix, Acts xxv. 6, 7. And when Festus came into the province, they went to Cæsarea again, and pleaded against Paul. Festus, speaking of Paul to Agrippa, says, about whom "when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him," ver. 15. And again, “Ye sce this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have