ration of the self-constituted Apostle of Jesus, that the earth was made to shake. As to the liberation, by means altogether natural was that event produced: so he himself has the candour to inform us. Of this quasi-miracle, or of the last-mentioned one, Philippi, capital of Macedonia, was the theatre. By order of the magistrates of that town, Paul and his attendant had been beaten one evening, and thrown into prison: next morning, came to the jailor an order of these same magistrates, and in obedience to it the prisoners were discharged. That, in the minds of these magistrates, there was any connexion, between the earthquake and the treatment they had given to these adventurers, is not so much as insinuated. The purpose, which it had in view, was answered: it was the ridding the town of a pair of visitors, whose visit to it had produced disturbance to existing institutions. Acts xvi. 20-40.

Be it as it may with regard to the historiographer,that it was an object with his hero to produce a notion of a connexion between the stripes and the imprisonment he had undergone on one hand, and the earthquake on the other, is manifest enough. The person, in whose mind the prisoner had endeavoured to produce the idea of such a connexion, was the jailor: and, for its having in this instance been successful, there seems little difficulty in giving credit to the historiographer. Every thing that appears to have been said, either of Paul or by Paul, tends to show the wonderful strength of his mind, and the facility and promptitude, with which it enabled him to gain the ascendancy over other minds. In the language of the place and time, he had bid the fortune-telling damsel cease her imposture, and the imposture ceased. Acts xvi. 18. Committed to prison, he formed a project for making a proselyte of the keeper: and, in this too, and in so small a compass of time as a few hours, there seems reason to believe he was successful. In his presumption, in

daring to execute the sentence of the law upon so holy a person, the keeper saw the cause of the earthquake; and, whether by Paul any very strenuous endeavours were used to correct so convenient an error in geology, may be left to be imagined. Paul, when introduced into the prison, found no want of comrades: how then happened it, that it was to Paul's imprisonment that the earthquake, when it happened, was attributed, and not to any of his fellow-prisoners? Answer: It happened thus.

Of the trade, which, with such brilliant success, Paul, with this journeyman of his,-was carrying on, a set of songs with the name of God for the burthen of them, constituted a part of the capital, and, as it should seem, not the least valuable. When midnight came, Paul-the trader in godliness-treated the company in the prison with a duet: the other prisoners, though they shared in the benefit of it, did not join in it. While this duet was performing, came on the earthquake; and Paul was not such a novice as to let pass unimproved the opportunity it put into his hand.

The historiographer, if he is to be believed, was at this time in Paul's train, as well as Silas; for so, by the word we, in the tenth verse of this same chapter, he, as it were, silently informs us. The beating and the imprisonment were confined to the two principals; by his comparative insignificance, as it should seem, the historiographer was saved from it. From the relation, given to him by Paul or Silas, and in particular by Paul, must this conception, formed by the historiographer, of what passed on the occasion, have of course been derived. It was coloured of course in Paul's manner and in his colouring, there was of course no want of the marvellous. By the earthquake, not only were "foundations shaken" and "doors opened," but "bands loosened." The "feet" of the two holy men

had been "made....fast in the stocks," (ver. 24): from these same stocks, the earthquake was ingenious enough to let them out, and, as far as appears, without hurt: the unholy part of the prisoners had each of them bands of some sort, by which they were confined; for (ver. 26) "every one's bands were loosed:" in every instance if they were locked, the earthquake performed the office of a picklock. Earthquakes in these latter days, we have but too many: in breaking open doors they find no great difficulty; but they have no such nicety of touch as the earthquake, which produced to the self-constituted Apostle a family of proselytes: they are no more able to let feet out of the stocks, or hands out of hand-cuffs, than to make watches.

These elucidations being furnished, the reader is desired to turn to the text, and lay it before him: to reprint it would require more paper than he might choose to see thus employed.

As to the name of God and the name of Jesus, the two names, it should appear, were not-on the occasions in question-used at random. When the fortunetelling damsel was the subject of Paul's holy labours, she having been in some way or other already gained (ver. 17), the case was already of a sort, in which the name of Jesus Christ, the name under which the selfconstituted Apostle enlisted all his followers,-might be employed with advantage. When Paul and Silas were committed to prison, no such name as that of "Jesus Christ" would as yet have served. Of "Jesus Christ" neither had the keeper as yet heard any thing, nor had the other prisoners. But, of God, in some shape or other, they could not but have heard, all of them: God accordingly was the name, by which at this time the sensibilities of the persons in question were to be worked upon. When the earth trembled, the jailor trembled likewise: he "came trenibling and

"fell down" (ver. 29) before Paul and Silas. And brought them out (ver. 30) and said, "Sirs, what must "I do to be saved?" Now then was the time come for the enlistment-for the enlistment in the spiritual warfare against the devil and his angels: in the as yet new name of "the Lord Jesus Christ" were these recruits accordingly enlisted, as now, for the purpose of carnal warfare, in the name of King George. "And "they said," (continues the narration, ver. 31) "Be"lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be "saved, and thy house."

SECTION 6.

SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE V.-AT CORINTH, PAUL COMFORTED BY THE LORD IN AN UNSEEN VISION, A° 54.-Acts xviii. 7-11.

A VISION, being a species of miracle, could, no more than a pantomime, have place without some expense. In the present case, as in any other, a natural question is-What was the object to be accomplished, upon which the expense-whatever it was-was bestowed? The answer is-The keeping his attendants, whoever they were, in the necessary state of obsequiousness: for no other is perceptible. To the dependants in Paul's train, it was no very uncommon sentiment to be not quite so well satisfied with the course he took, as he himself was. Corinth was at this time the theatre of his labours: of the men, whoever they were, who had staked their fortunes upon his, some,-the historiographer, as it should seem, of the number,— there were, whose wish it was to change the scene. In that Gentile city,—the chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue, Crispus by name-this man, besides another man, of the name of Justus, "whose house joined

"hard to" that same synagogue, had become his converts: "and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were baptised." Eyes, however, there were, in which the success, whatsoever it was, was not yet enough to afford a sufficient warrant for his stay. A vision was necessary, and a vision accordingly, or at least a something which was called by that name, made its appearance. "Thus spake the Lord," (says the historiographer, ver. 9.) "Thus spake the Lord to "Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but "speak, and hold not thy peace:-10. For I am "with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt "thee; for I have much people in this city." Nor was the vision without its effect; for, as the next verse informs us, (ver. 11.) "He continued there a year "and six months, teaching the word of God among "them."

That which, on this occasion, may be believed without much difficulty is, that the word thus taught by Paul was Paul's word: and, that which may be believed with as little, by those, whoever they may be, who believe in his original conversion-vision, is-that it was God's word likewise. From Paul himself must the account of this vision have been delivered to the historiographer: for, unless at the expense of a sort of miracle, in the shape of an additional vision at least, if not in some more expensive shape, no information of any such thing could have reached him. In these latter days, no ghost is ever seen but in a téte-à-tête : in those days, no vision, as far as appears, was ever seen but in the same degree of privacy. A vision is the word in these pages, because such is the word in the authoritative translation made of the historiographer's. That which Paul is related to have heard, is what we have just seen as above: but that, upon this occasion he saw any thing-that he saw so much as a flash of light, this is what we are not told: any