Upon this the high-prieft, and the rulers of the nation, were, as might have been expected, more exasperated than ever; and still hoping to fubdue them by terror, they put them in prison, Acts v. 18; but in the night they were miraculously set at liberty; and when they were fent for to appear before the council, the judges were informed that they were teaching in the temple. And the officers who had been fent to conduct them into the court faid, Ver. 23, The prison truly found we shut with all fafety, but when we had opened we found no man within. And prefently other perfons came, and faid, Behold the men whom ye put in prifon are ftanding in the temple, and teaching the people. The magiftrates being utterly confounded at this, and not knowing what farther to do, contented themselves with threatening them as before, and charging them not to preach any more to the people. But Peter and the other apoftles, having these evident tokens of the prefence of God with them, anfwered as before, and faid, Ver. 29, We ought to obey God rather than man. They They alfo boldly repeated their teftimony to the divine miffion and refurrection of Jefus. After this these magiftrates thought to put the apoftles to death, as they had done Jefus; but, in confequence of the prudent advice of Gamaliel, one of their body, they only ordered them to be beaten, and again charged them to preach no more in the name of Jefus. This, however, was far from having the intended effect. For we read, Ver. 41, that they departed from the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to fuffer fhame for the name of Chrift. And daily in the temple, and in every houfe, they ceafed not to teach and to preach Jefus Chrift. What do we see in this conduct, both of the apoftles, and of the rulers of the nation, but the clearest evidence of the truth of the apoftles doctrine, and the impotence of civil power to prevent the effect of it? I intend not to dwell on other miracles, as the cure of Æneas, and the raising from death of Tabitha by Peter, his fecond miraculous deliverance from prifon, where he was confined by Herod; or many that occur in the history of Paul, as, though all tending, in a general way, to fhew the prefence of a divine power with the apoftles, they had only local effects. But the circumstances attending the conversion of Paul himself are deferving of very particular notice. It has often been faid by unbelievers, that the truth of the facts on which Chriftianity is founded is not attested by unbelieving Jews or Heathens. But it has appeared that the facts were not denied by the moft inveterate enemies of Christianity in this early age, not even by the Jewish rulers, who perfecuted the apoftles, and would have put them to death. Befides, an enemy converted by being convinced of the truth of the facts, and afcribing them to their proper caufe, becomes of course a Christian, and a friend. And the strongest attestation that can be given is that of one who, from having been a violent enemy, becomes a friend by this fair means; and fuch was the cafe of Paul. Had the Jewish rulers, and other the most most inveterate enemies of Christianity, been affembled, and have put their conviction of the truth of it upon the converfion of any one man whatever, of their own. body, and acting by their direction, it would probably have been Paul, who was a moft bigoted Jew, a Pharifee, and a most open enemy of the Chriftian name. It was probably he who procured the death of Stephen, as he is faid to have consented to his death, and to have kept the clothes of them that ftoned him. It is farther faid of him, Acts viii. 3, that he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prifon; fo that the difciples were fcattered abroad, and went to preach in diftant places. But even thus they did not escape his fuit. We read, Ch. ix. 1, that breathing out threatening and flaughter against the difciples, be, of his own accord, went unto the highprieft, and defired of him letters to Damafcus, to the fynagogue; that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, be might bring them bound to Jerufalem. U pur The The converfion, therefore, of fuch a man as this, was the greatest and the clearest triumph that the Chriftian cause could have. His paffions, and no doubt his intereft too, impelled him to perfist in his violence. And having, no doubt, heard all that had been alleged by the apostles, and other Chriftians, it was not easy to fay what could give his mind a different impreffion. And yet this was effected, and though fuddenly, fo effectually, that he ever after promoted the caufe of Chriftianity with as much zeal as ever he had perfecuted it. Nay, he bore every kind of perfecution himself about thirty years, and at length died a martyr to his new principles. His motive to this could not have been either intereft or reputation. For the Chriftians had nothing to bribe him with, and the Chriftian cause at that time was in no degree of eftimation with any perfon whofe good opinion he would naturally wish to engage. On the contrary, Christianity was from the first, and long after, a fect every where Spoken againft. Nothing, therefore, remained to make any impreffion |