formance, the most sacred among the sacred: act of entrance, universally public, purpose universally notorious; operations, whatever they were, inscrutably concealed from vulgar eyes: person of the principal actor occasionally visible, but at an awful elevation : time, requisite for accomplishment (Acts xxi. 27.) not less than seven days: the whole ceremony, effectually şecured against frequent profanation, by "charges" too heavy to be borne by the united power of four ordinary purses *. With all the ingredients of the most finished perjury in his breast,-perfect consciousness, fixed intentionality, predetermined perseverance, and full view of the sanction about to be violated,-we shall see him entering upon the task, and persevering in it. While the long drama was thus acting in the consecrated theatre, the mind of the multitude was accumulating heat without doors. The seven days necessary, were as yet unaccomplished, when indignation could hold no longer: they burst into the sacred edifice, dragged him out, and were upon the point of putting him to death, when the interference of a Roman officer saved him, and became the first link in that chain of events, which terminated in his visit to Rome, and belongs not to this place.

Thus much, in order to have the clearer view of the plan of the Apostles, and of the grounds of it, from which will be seen the unexceptionableness of it, it seemed necessary for us here to anticipate. But such rashness, with the result that followed-the Apostles, in their situation, how could they have anticipated it? Baffled, in their former endeavours to keep the in

* Acts xxi. 23, 24. "We have four men (say the Apostles "and Elders) we have four men which have a vow on them ;"24. Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges "with them."

vader from entering the holy city-that holy city, with the peace of which his presence was so incompatible, such was the course which they devised and embraced for driving him out of it. For the carrying of this measure into effect, a general assembly of the governing body of the Church was necessary. At this assembly had no Apostle been present, it could not, in the eyes of the Church at large, have been what it was necessary it should appear to be. Though, of the whole number of the Apostles, no more than one was present,-yet, his being the house at which it was held, and the others, whether summoned or no, being expected of course, by the disciples at large, to be likewise present, the Elders being likewise "all" of them present, this attendance was deemed sufficient: as to the other Apostles-all of them but the one whose presence was thus indispensable,-abhorrence, towards the man, whose career had in their eyes commenced with murder, continued in imposture, and had recently been stained with perfidy,-rendered the meeting him face to face, a suffering too violent to be submitted to, when by any means it could be avoided.

On this occasion, the opinion, which, as we have seen, cannot but have been entertained by them, concerning Paul and his pretensions to Revelation, and to a share equal to their own in the confidence of Jesus, must not, for a moment, be out of mind.

The whole fellowship of the Apostles,—all others, to whom, at the time, any thing about the matter was known, believed his story to be, the whole of it, a pure invention. In their eyes it was a fabrication : though we, at this time of day-we, who of ourselves know nothing about it, take for granted that it was all

true.

For proving the truth of it, all we have are his own accounts of it: his own accounts, given, some of

them, by himself directly: the rest ultimately, his being the only mouth from which the accounts we have seen in the Acts could have been derived. Bearing all this in mind, let us now form our judgement on the matter, and say, whether the light, in which the Apostles viewed his character and conduct, and the course pursued by them as above, was not from first to last, not only conformable to the precepts of their master, but a model of patience, forbearance, and prudence.

CHAPTER X.

Paul disbelieved continued.-His Fourth Jerusalem Visit continued. His Arrival and Reception. Accused by all the Disciples of the Apostles, he commences an exculpatory Oath in the Temple. Dragged out by them-rescued by a Roman Commander-sent in Custody to Rome.

SECTION 1.

AT JERUSALEM, PAUL IS RECEIVED BY THE ELDERS AND JAMES, BUT BY NO OTHER APOSTLE.

SPITE of the opposing Holy Ghost,-spite of the Apostles, and their prophet,-there he is at Jerusalem. Now comes an incident-or say, rather, a relation-which is altogether curious.

At" Jerusalem" (says the history) "the brethren "received us gladly*." The brethren? what brethren? the brethren, by whom Agabus, with his stage-trick, had been sent some sixty or seventy miles' journey, in the endeavour to keep him at a distance? the thousands of Jews thereupon immediately men. tioned? those Jews, who, though believers in Jesus, are not the "less zealous of the law," and enraged at Saul for those breaches of it, with which he is charged?

That, by such of them, if any, by whom-by the appearance he made, with his suite, it had happened to be more or less overawed,—that by these, an appearance of gladness was assumed, seems credible enough: look for those, by whom he could have been received

* Acts xxi. 17.

with real gladness-they will not, it should seem, be very easy to be found.

Not, till the next day after his arrival, do Paul and his suite present themselves to any in authority in this spiritual commonwealth. The first person, to whom, on this occasion, he presents himself, is James that one of the Apostles, who, with the exception of Peter, is the person, and the only person, with whom Paul has, on the occasion of any of his visits, been represented as holding converse. Not with this James-not with any settled inhabitants of Jerusalem-has he had his lodging: only with Mnason*, a man of Cyprus, whom, lest a lodging should be wholly wanting, they had brought with them from Cæsarea. Of this so extensively apprehended arrival, there had been full time for ample notice: among the rulers, those, who, as well as James, chose to see him, were all present. Who were they? the elders-"all the elders." Of the Apostles, not so much as one, besides James. Let it not be said, that, under the word elders, the Apostles were meant to be included: on other occasions, on which elders are mentioned, (Acts xv. 4. 6. 23.) the Apostles are mentioned, as forming a body, distinct, as they naturally would be, distinct from these same elders.

Salutations performed, he addresses the assembly in that strain, which was so familiar to him: boasting upon boasting, and, above all things, boasting that he does not boast: "declaring" (says his historian);-declaring? what? declaring what was his business at Jerusalem? declaring what service, in his eyes, the cause stood in need of, at his hands? Not he, indeed: to any such effect, declaration might

"

*Acts xxi. 16. "There went with us also certain of the disciples of Cæsarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge."