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victory was given to Peter, or to Barnabas and Paul, who pleaded, that circumcision was unnecessary, since great success had attended their ministry among the Gentiles. The fact is, the Apostles were not contending one against another for victory, but they were " striving together for the faith of the Gospel," and the peace of the church: they were consulting how they might best defeat the machinations of those who "troubled" the Christians by "perverting the Gospel of Christ." And truly it must be admitted, that the arguments made use of, and the decree which was adopted, were well calculated to achieve the important objects they had in view. Mr. Gamaliel Smith has fallen into an error by supposing, that the decree was to be universally acted upon; hence he says, "the religion of Jesus spread itself in spite of the decision of the Apostles, the elders, and the whole church," and that "St. Paul wrote against the decree with all his might." Now a very little attention to the real state of the case will enable us to see the fallacy of his remarks. The decree was written, not with a design to be universally acted upon, but with a view to the state of the churches in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. And so far from the relib Page 170.

gion of Jesus having spread itself in those places, in spite of the decree, the decree promoted peace, and the success of the Gospel, and gave the utmost satisfaction to the churches. "So when they," (that is, the persons who were charged with the delivery of the letter and decree) "were dismissed, they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the Epistle, which, when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation." Acts xv. 30, 31., And "as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the Apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily"." Gamaliel Smith

a

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The author of the "Miscellanea Sacra," in an ingenious Essay "on the Apostolical Decree," has an opinion, that appears to be well founded; that there is, in this part of The Acts, a transposition of the text, and that the fourth and fifth verses of the 16th chapter of The Acts, ought to follow the last verse of the 15th chapter: the entire passage will then be as follows: "And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren to the grace of God: and he went through Syria and Cilicia, (to the Christians of which countries the decree was addressed,)" confirming the churches. through the cities, they delivered them keep, that were ordained of the Apostles and elders, which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." The 16th chapter then commences with a fresh section of the narrative, "Then came he to Derbe, and Lystra, &c." Barrington's Miscellanea Sacra, Vol. II. Essay iv.

"And as they went the decrees for to

says not a word about this last passage, it would not have answered his purpose to mention it; but we may see in this instance, how little his representations are to be depended on. Again, where do we find, in St. Paul's writings, any one word against the decree. So far from writing against it, St. Paul approved it, and was one of those, who delivered it to the churches for whom it was intended, in order that they might "keep," or observe it. To those, indeed, to whom the decree did not apply, St. Paul wrote, that the observance of circumcision, and other Jewish rites, was not necessary to salvation.

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SECT. II.

Additional Testimony in support of St. Paul's Character, and Divine Commission.

SUPPOSING the document containing the letter and decree to be genuine, and, to use Mr. Gamaliel Smith's own words, "in favour of its genuineness, reasons present themselves," what an important body of evidence does it afford

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to St. Paul's character. How completely does it refute those absurd and senseless calumnies, which represent St. Paul "as not having been credited by the Apostles," but as quarrelling with, and opposing them," as "preaching not Jesus, but himself," as "having peculiar doctrines of his own, doctrines different from those which were taught by the other Apostles." By universal consent of the church at Jerusalem, are St. Paul's character and pretensions fully recognized he is styled the "beloved" Paul, (for this endearing epithet, in the originał Greek, is in the plural number, and therefore applies to Paul, as well as Barnabas.) with just reason was St. Paul so styled his zeal, his virtues, and his talents, had acquired him a claim to the title, for he had given every possible proof of the sincerity of his faith, and was "a man who had hazarded his life for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ"." We need not wonder, that those who were persons of eminence, and who were pillars of the church, such as James, and Peter, and John, should desire the friendship of such a man, or, that they should give him as a pledge of their sincere regard, "the right hand of fellowship."

* σὺν τοῖς ἀγαπητοις ἡμῶν. Acts xv. 25.

b Acts xv. 26.

And

Yet strange to say, Mr. Gamaliel Smith, (notwithstanding all that is related in the foregoing account,) still persists in calling Paul "an unreconciled enemy of the Apostles and their disciples, in a word, of all who preached in the name of Jesus:" nay, he even goes so far as to say, in defiance of the most positive evidence to the contrary, that the countenance given to St. Paul by the Apostles, was "partial, cold, and guarded," pages 205, 206.

SECT. III.

St. Paul's third Visit to Jerusalem, continued.

AMONG others, who accompanied St. Paul on this third visit to Jerusalem, it appears was Titus, whom being a Grecian, Paul refused, to circumcise, on account of those false brethren, who were anxious to scandalize the liberty which Christians enjoyed under the Gospel dispensation. To have submitted, on such an occasion, would have been an unworthy compliance on the part of St. Paul, and might have afforded a dangerous precedent to those, who wanted to impose on the Gentiles the observance of the ceremonial law of Moses. The

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