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SERM. that the writings of the Apostle Paul are VI. the works of a madman ?

But there are two things, which may be truly called demonftrations, that there was no fuch phrentic turn of mind in the apostle. First, that though he had no concert with the other apoftles, which is the account he himself giveth, and which, upon the present fuppofition, that there was no deceit or impofture intended, we must believe; for he tells us, that the gofpel, which he preached, he did not receive from man, but by revelation from Jefus Chrift; and that, upon his converfion, he did not go up to Jerusalem, to them, who were apoftles before him: I fay, though he had no concert with the other apostles, yet he taught the fame doctrines with them; and in all things dif covereth a perfect understanding of the Christian religion. All the main lines of it are the fame in him as in them. The fpiritual kingdom of the Meffiah; immortality brought to light; the means of attaining to it, and all that, which concerneth the Christian life, are fully and clearly taught by him: and it is evident, that his plan is the fame, which our Bleffed Sa

viour

viour himself laid, and upon which all the SERM. apostles went. Now, how is it conceiv- VI. able, that a difordered, and diftracted imagination, should have produced a plan and design of such a variety of parts, perfectly agreeable to that of other men, with whom he had no correfpondence? He, in a phrenzy, goes about the world to preach a religion, which, to answer the end, must be the fame in all material points with that, which the other apostles taught, to whom he is a perfect stranger; and he acteth upon their principles and tenets exactly, and fheweth, that he understood the defign as thoroughly as any of them. Surely a man of fenfe will look for fome other cause of this, than the madness of enthusiasm; for nothing can be more ridiculously abfurd, than to afcribe it to that cause. And it And it may be observed farther, that though the apoftle taught the fame things, which the other apostles taught, yet, in fome points, he had a clearer and more extended view given him; particularly, with refpect to the abrogation of the Mofaic law, and the calling of the Gentiles, without diftinction, into the Christian church. He frequently men

tioneth

SERM, tioneth this, and glorieth in it, that to him VI. was given the grace to preach among the Gentiles the unspeakable riches of Chrift, * and to make all men know the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning was bid in God. And though it was made known to the other apostles, that God would grant repentance unto life to the Gentiles; yet it was from Paul, that the world had the cleareft and fulleft informa tion of this matter: fo that, as from a master of the defign, other Chriftians, and even the apostles, received improvement from him, and accordingly, we fee in the history, used him with the greatest respect, He was likewife the great advocate for Christian liberty; and pleaded most strenuously for the union of all Chriftians in one heart, and in purfuing the great common defign, notwithstanding any difference of fentiments, in matters of lefs importance, which might be among them and indeed fheweth, in all refpects, that he was perfectly in the right tract of ferving the interests of Chriftianity, and of propagating it in the world, And shall all this be accounted for by a mind so disor* Ephef. iii. 9.

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dered,

dered, and distracted, as not to be able to SERM. judge, even in the moft obvious occur- VI. rences, and with refpect to facts, which lie open to the fenfes of every man ?

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Secondly, it would be impoffible to account for what the apostle did and wrote, by any supposable force of enthusiasm in himself, if we do not imagine the world about him, to be equally under the influence of the phrenzy. I believe, that the objectors to Christianity will not at all pretend, that there were not focieties of Chriftians founded by the Apoftle Paul, to whom he writeth epiftles, and which fubfifted long after fuch as the churches of Corinth, Galatia, Theffalonica, and others. This is a matter too certain to admit of difpute. Now these focieties of Chriftians received the Chriftian faith from the Apostle Paul; and it manifeftly appears from his writings, that they rested upon his authority, which was, to their full fatisfaction, demonftrated; as by other concurring circumstances, fo more especially by the miracles, which he worked among them. Not only fo, but it is plain, that his writings, in very many places, suppose it a thing publickly known, and which was unquestionable,

that

SERM. that the extraordinary gifts of the Holy VI. Ghost, and a power of working miracles,

were communicated to many of these primitive Christians. We fee he appealeth to this, in the epistle to the Galatians, iii, 2. This only would I learn of you; received ye: the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the bearing of faith? Are ye fo foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh ?—He therefore, who miniftreth to you the fpirit, and worketh miracles among you, doth be it, by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? And in the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the twelfth and fourteenth chapters, he doth at great length treat concerning the miraculous powers, wherewith Chriftians were endowed, the proper ufe of them, and thofe regulations, under which the exercife of them ought constantly to be kept, that the great end, the edification of the church, might be fuccessfully served. Now there are diverfities of gifts, but the same spirit; and there are differencies of adminiftrations, but the fame lord; and there are diverfities of operations, but it is the fame God, which worketh all in all. But the manifeftation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit

withal.

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