myself, a real one; whereas your inconfiftencies are only imaginary. And no doubt you reckon, that many imaginary inconsistencies will be abundantly counterbalanced by a real one. I did not apprehend that the question betwixt you and ine was, which of us is infallible? or, which of our words be canonical? for I thought we were both liable to real inconfiftencies. But if this be the very queftion, I shall freely yield my fide of it, and fo you may chufe you fome other rival than one that has no pretenfions to what you are contending about. But if I had no evidence against your infallibility, and your words being canonical, fave what you fay about this inconfiftency, I would be certain that you are fallible, and that your word is not canonical. You fay, "Now, I defire you may difcover to your admirers, which "of these affertions are trueft, viz. the decrees were ordain"ed by the apoftles, &c. before the queftion and difpute " was raised at Antioch; or, whether it behoved the news "of that difpute to be notified to the apostles and elders, &c. "by Paul and Barnabas, and the commiffioners from An"tioch, before any decrees about it could be enacted? Sir, "" you have a dexterity in raising imaginary inconfiftencies, " and I expect you will fhew an equal fkill in reconciling a "real one." But may I not inquire at my hater, if he be indeed perfuaded that the first of these affertions is mine? Or if this be what I am afferting in the words you yourself had cited immediately before your question?" In your fpeech "before the commiffion," p. 9. you fay, Thefe decrees " were ordained by the apoftles and thefe elders, with the "brethren that were in Jerufalem, before the question and difpute was raised at Antioch, even that company that fays, "23. 24."

Whatever be amiffing in the pointing; yet it is most evident, that, in thefe words, I am afferting the quite contrary of what you call my affertion, and giving the reafon of it. And my affertion is the very fame with this. The apoftles and these elders, with the brethren, by whom the decrees were ordained, were in Jerufalem before the queftion and difpute was raised at Antioch. This was my affertion, and the ground of it is pointed out in the words immediately fol lowing the affertion, "Even that company that fays,"

24.

23.

"Forafmuch as we have heard, that certain which "went out from us have troubled you with words.—to whom "we gave no fuch commandment." This is what they say, and it fupports my affertion. But you, by concealing what

they fay, and taking away the main thing in my propofition by an &c. would have me to be afferting, that the queftion and difpute iffued in the decrees before it was raised. And this was easier than to answer that argument in my speech, proving, that the decrees were not ordained by elders gathered into a fynod for that purpose out of Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, or any other elders, but by the apoftles refiding in Jerufalem, and the elders of the church there, with the brethren of that church. And fo I think I may give you back Auguftine's faying, "Reftore me my words, and your "dreaming imaginations," not only of an inconsistency in my affertions, but alfo of a fynod in Acts xv. "will vanish." You come next to my fpeech before the commiffion to confider it. And you firft oppose yourself to that affertion, That the decrees about the keeping of Mofes's law were ordained by the apoftles and elders of the church in Jerufalem. I faid feveral things, and adduced several scriptures to vouch this affertion, and that was one of them of which I have been prefently speaking but as it would not answer your purpose to touch it, and give it an answer in its proper place; fo indeed you have not answered, nor touched any thing I fay, or any fcripture I bring to prove it in the fpecch, but Acts xvi. 4. which I had connected with Acts xv. 22.; and you say that text is no proof of it, but declares the contrary in express words. "For," fay you, "inftead of faying the apostles and "elders of the church in Jerufalem, it fays, The apoftles "and elders which were at Jerufalem." Here is our famous criticism upon at and of, upon which you form a fyllogifm, whereby you difprove my affertion; and this, with a refer ence to the Independents and their authority, is all the answer I have to that part of my speech. Only you fay, "I defire you may let me fee any fcripture in the New Teftament that "will vouch this affertion, either exprefsly or by lawful con "féquence."

Because I know by this time you will reckon no confequence lawful that tends toward the congregational way, I fhall only lay before you the texts themselves, from which I think I have this affertion; and let it not offend you, that I leave them with your confcience to draw what conclufion from them you can beft answer for, but not to men. Acts XV. 2. "They determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, fhould go up to Jerufalem to the apo "stles and elders about this queftion." 4. "And when "they were come to Jerufalem, they were received of the

church,

#church, and of the apostles and elders." 6. "And the "apostles and elders came together for to consider of this mat

ter." 22. "Then pleafed it the apoftles and elders, "with the whole church, to fend chofen men of their own "6 company to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas; namely, "Judas firnamed Barfabas, and Silas, chief men among the "brethren." 23. "And wrote letters by them after this "6 manner, The apoftles, and elders, and brethren, fend "greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in "Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia." 24. "Forafmuch

66 as we have heard, that certain which went out from us "have troubled you with words ;- to whom we gave no "fuch commandment." Acts xvi. 1. 2. 3. 4. "Then came "he to Derbe and Lyftra, and behold, a certain difciple was "there named Timotheus:- which was well reported of "by the brethren that were at Lyftra and Iconium.Him "would Paul have to go forth with him.And as they "went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees " for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders "that were at Jerufalem." Acts xxi. 18. 20. 25. "And the "day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all "the elders were prefent. And"--they-" faid unto "him.As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have "written and concluded," &c. Confider this impartially, and in the fear of the author, together with what I have told you touching your criticism on the word brethren, and see if there be ground for the confidence you exprefs in your demand.

But against all this, and all I fay in the juftification of this affertion in my speech, your criticism upon at and of, abun dantly expofed already, furnishes you with this fyllogifm; which, no doubt, is, according to you, a demonftration. "The decrees were ordained" by the company " of the " apoftles and elders which were at Jerufalem," Acts xvi. 4. "But Paul and Barnabas were apoftles, and at Jerufalem "when the decrees were enacted: therefore Paul and Bar"nabas were of the company who enacted the decrees." It does not become me to meddle with the form of this folemn fyllogifm, when, perhaps, it has gone to St Andrew's, and got an imprimatur from fome body that has better skill in the affair of fyllogifms than I can pretend to; though I am far from thinking, that it obtained it by the plurality of the voi ces of the masters of philofophy there. But I may venture to try if I can form one after the model of it, and fo give

you

you another of the fame. And here it is: The decrees were ordained by the company of the apoftles and elders at Jerufalem, to which Paul and Barnabas were fent up, and from which they are diftinguished in the enacting of the decrees, Acts xv. 2. 22. Acts xvi. 4.; but Paul and Barnabas were both in some sense apostles, and at Jerufalem when that company enacted the decrees; ergo, Paul and Barnabas were of the company which enacted the decrees.

Then, after you have afferted, upon what grounds you know beft, that the words of 22. discover, that Paul and Barnabas gave their suffrage, and that y 12. clearly intimates they gave their judgment; while yet it intimates nothing but that they narrated matters of fact relating to the question they came to propofe to the apoftles and elders, you proceed to take fome notice of that part of my speech to which I referred you, that you might fee that no confequence can be drawn from Acts xv. for the jurifdiction of one church over another; and fo you touch at the reafons condefcended on in that speech, why the question was fent to the church in Jerufalem, and determined there.

The first of thefe is, "The falfe teachers used the autho "rity of the apoftles and elders of this church from whence "they came out againft Paul and Barnabas, y 1. 2. 24. 25. "26.; and it was the ufe of fuch teachers after this to call "the apostleship of Paul in question, and represent him

unto the churches where they came as differing from the "apostles." Here are two things to be confidered as the reasons of fending the queftion to the apoftles and elders which were in Jerufalem.

1. That it was a part of the queftion, Whether Paul and Barnabas, in the exercife of their miniftry among the Gentiles, and in their opposition to the teachers that came from the a poftles and elders to Antioch, were acting contrary to the apoftles and elders which were in Jerufalem, and oppofing them and this could not be determined but by thefe apostles and elders. This is manifeft from the epiftle of these apoftles and elders, wherein they declare that these teachers had no inftruction from them to teach what they taught, and con demn their doctrine, and teflify their love and regard to Paul and Barnabas and their miniftry; and, left Paul and Bar. nabas fhould be fufpected at Antioch of making a falfe report in their own favour, they write, and fend Judas and Silas along with them to teftify the fame things that they wrote. You do not meddle with this.

But

But there is a fecond thing to be confidered here, and that is, that these teachers came out from the apostles and the elders of the church in Jerufalem, and being received by the church in Antioch as coming from them, troubled them with the doctrine that they pretended to bring from them. This is likewise manifest in the epiftle, where it is given as one of the reafons why the apoftles and elders, to whom Paul and Barnabas were fent up to Jerufalem, and who received them when they came to Jerufalem, came together, and decided the queftion; for they fay, "Forafmuchas we have heard, "that certain which went out from us have troubled you "with words.It feemed good unto us, being affembled "with one accord."

Against this you offer fomething: for you fay, " But does "the text fay, that thefe falfe teachers came to Antioch "from the church of Jerufalem? Nay, does it not expressly "declare they came down from Judea, y 1.?" Then, becaufe you would have us think, that these two could not confift together, by the fame rule by which you would say, if a man came from Holland, he came not from Amsterdam; or if a man came down from England, he came not from Lon. don, but from every town of England: You tell me, "Now, according to your own argument, the certain which went out from us, y 23. 24. muft imply, that the elders of the "church of Judea were there, feeing thefe falfe teachers "that came from thence, are faid to come out from us. If "they came from Judea, then the perfons from whom they 46 came, there mentioned, must be the elders of these "churches, no less than that of Jerufalem, which was but 66 one of them." Here you put me mind of their way guing upon Ignatius's epiftles, who would have all Syria to be his diocefe, or all the churches in Syria, that one church whereof he was paftor; and the fame answer you can make to them, will ferve yourself.

of ar

But, 1. Does it appear to you that the church in Antioch in Syria knew that the elders of all the churches in Judea were in Jerufalem, when they thought of fending Paul and Barnabas to Jerufalem to the elders? Or were the elders of all the churches of Judea in Jerufalem ready to receive Paul and Barnabas when they came there, and not they only, but that church of Judea, whereof they were elders, as you fpeak, Acts xv. 4.?

2. How do you make out this inference, if they came from Judea, then the perfons from whom they came, there

mentioned,