been at Cenchrea itself, appears from the eighteenth chapter of the Acts; and appears

a circumstance as incidental, and as unlike defign, as any that can be imagined. Paul after this tarried there (viz. at Co

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rinth) yet a good while, and then took "his leave of the brethren, and failed thence "into Syria, and with him Prifcilla and Aquila, having fhorn his head in Cenchrea, "for he had a vow." xviii. 18. The fhaving of the head denoted the expiration of the Nazaritic vow. The hiftorian therefore, by the mention of this circumftance, virtually tells us that St. Paul's vow was expired before he fet forward upon his voyage, having deferred probably his departure until he should be releafed from the restrictions under which his vow laid him. Shall we fay that the author of the Acts of the Apostles feigned this anecdote of St. Paul at Cenchrea, because he had read in the Epistle to the Romans that Phoebe, a fervant of the "church of Cenchrea, had been a fuccourer

" of many, and of him alfo ?" or fhall we fay that the author of the Epiftle to the Romans, out of his own imagination, created

Phobe

Phœbe "a fervant of the church at Cenchrea,” because he read in the Acts of the Apostles that Paul had "thorn his head" in that place?

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No. III.

Chap. 1. ver. 13. "Now I would not have 'you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purpofed to come unto you, but was let hitherto, that I might have fome fruit

among you àlfo, even as among other "Gentiles." Again, xv. 23, 24, "But now having no more place in these parts, and

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having a great defire thefe many years

(Toλa, oftentimes) to come unto you, "whenfoever I take my journey into Spain "I will come to you; for I trust to see you "in my journey, and to be brought on my

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way thitherward by you: but now I go

up unto Jerufalem, to minifter to the "faints. When therefore I have perform"ed this, and have fealed to them this fruit, "I will come by you into Spain."

With these paffages compare Acts xix. V. 21. "After these things were ended (viz. at Ephefus), Paul purposed in the spirit, "when he had paffed through Macedonia

"and

"and Achaia, to go to Jerufalem; faying, "after I have been there, I must also fee "Rome."

Let it be observed that our epiftle purports to have been written at the conclufion of St. Paul's fecond journey into Greece; that the quotation from the Acts contains words faid to have been spoken by St. Paul at Ephefus, fome time before he set forwards upon that journey. Now I contend that it is impoffible that two independent fictions fhould have attributed to St. Paul the fame purpose, especially a purpose fo fpecific and particular as this, which was not merely a general defign of vifiting Rome, but a design of vifiting Rome after he had paffed through Macedonia and Achaia, and after he had performed a voyage from these countries to Jerufalem. The conformity between the history and the epistle is perfect. In the first quotation from the epiftle, we find that a defign of vifiting Rome had long dwelt in the apostle's mind in the quotation from the Acts we find that defign expreffed a confiderable time before the epiftle was written. In the

history

history we find that the plan which St. Paul had formed, was to pass through Macedonia and Achaia ; after that, to go to Jerusalem; and, when he had finished his vifit there, to fail for Rome. When the epistle was written, he had executed fo much of his plan, as to have paffed through Macedonia and Achaia; and was preparing to pursue the remainder of it, by speedily fetting out towards Jerufalem: and in this point of his travels he tells his friends at Rome, that, when he had completed the business which carried him to Jerufalem, he would come to them. Secondly, I fay that the very inspection of the paffages will satisfy us that they were not made up from one another.

but

“Whenfoever I take my journey into "Spain, I will come to you; for I trust to " fee you in my journey, and to be brought "on my way thitherward by you "now I go up to Jerufalem, to minifter to "the faints. When, therefore, I have per"formed this, and have fealed to them this

fruit, I will come by you into Spain."This from the epiftle.

"Paul

"Paul purposed in the fpirit, when he "had paffed through Macedonia and Achaia, "to go to Jerufalem; faying, After I have "been there, I must also fee Rome."-This from the Acts.

If the paffage in the epiftle was taken from that in the Acts, why was Spain put in; If the paffage in the Acts was taken from that in the epistle, why was Spain left out? If the two paffages were unknown to each other, nothing can account for their conformity but truth. Whether we fuppofe the history and the epiftle to be alike fictitious, or the history to be true but the letter fpurious, or the letter to be genuine but the history a fable, the meeting with this circumftance in both, if neither borrowed it from the other, is, upon all these fuppofitions, equally inexplicable.

No. IV.

The following quotation I offer for the purpose of pointing out a geographical coincidence, of fo much importance, that Dr. Lardner confidered it as a confirmation of the whole history of St. Paul's travels.

Chap.