convinced of the truth of it, and that, by confequence, he was not an impoftor, who faid what he knew to be false, with an intent to deceive. BUT that no fhadow of doubt may remain upon the impoffibility of his having been fuch an impoftor; that it may not be faid, 'The minds of men are fometimes fo capricious, that they will act without any rational motives, they know not why, and fo perhaps might St. Paul: I fhall next endeavour to prove, that if he had been fo unaccountably wild and abfurd, as to undertake an impofture fo unprofitable and dangerous both to himself and those he deceived by it, he could not poffibly have carried it on with any fuccefs, by the means that we know he employed. FIRST, then, let me obferve, that if his converfion, and the part that he acted in confequence of it was an impofture, it was fuch an impofture as could not be carried on by one man alone.The faith he profeffed, and which he became an Apoftle of was not his invention. He was not the author or beginner of it, and therefore it was not in his power to draw the doctrines of it out of his own imagination. With Jefus, who was the author and head of it, he had never had any communication before his death, nor with his Apoftles after his death, except as their perfecutor. As he took on himself the office and cha racter of an Apoftle, it was abfolutely neceffary for him to have a precife and perfect knowledge of all the facts contained in the Gospel, feveral of which had only paffed between Jefus himself and his twelve Apoftles, and others more privately ftill, so that they could be known to very few, being not yet made public by any writings; otherwise he would have expofed himself to ridicule among those who preached that Gospel with more knowledge than he; and as the testimony they bore would have been different in point of fact, and many of their doctrines and interpretations of Scripture repugnant to his, from their entire difagreement with those Jewish opinions in which he was bred up; either they must have been forced to ruin his credit, or he would have ruined theirs. Some general notices he might have gained of these matters from the Chriftians he perfecuted, but not exact nor extenfive enough to qualify him for an Apoftle, whom the leaft error in these points would have difgraced, and who must have been ruined by it in all his pretentions to that infpiration, from whence the Apoftolical authority was chiefly derived. It was therefore impoffible for him to act this part but in confederacy at least with the Apostles. Such a confederacy was ftill more neceffary for him, as the undertaking to preach the Gofpel did not only require an exact and particular knowledge of all it contained, but an apparent power of working miracles; for to fuch a power all the Apostles appealed in proof of their miffion, and of the doctrines they preached. He was therefore to learn of them by what secret arts they fo imposed on the fenfes of men, if this power was a cheat. But how could he gain these men to become his confederates? Was it by furiously perfecuting them and their brethren, as we find that he did, to the very moment of his converfion? Would they venture to truft their capital enemy with all the fecrets of their impofture, with those upon which all their hopes and credit depended? Would they put it in his power to take away not only their lives, but the honor of their fect, which they preferred to their lives, by fo ill placed a confidence? Would men fo fecret as not to be drawn by the most severe perfecutions, to fay one word which could convince them of being impoftors, confefs themselves fuch to their perfecutor, in hopes of his being their accomplice? This is ftill more impoffible than that he fhould attempt to engage in their fraud without their confent and affiftance. WE muft fuppofe then, that till he came to Damafcus, he had no communication with the Apoftles, acted in no concert with them, and learnt nothing from them, except the doctrines which they had publicly taught to all the world. When he came there, he told the Jews to whom he brought letters from the high-prieft and the fynagogues against the * Chriftians, of his having seen in his way a light from heaven, and heard Chrift Jefus reproaching him with his perfecution, and commanding him to go into the city, where it fhould be told him what he was to do. But to account for his choofing this method of declaring himself a convert to Chrift, we must suppose that all those who were with him, when he pretended he had his vifion, where his accomplices. Otherwise the story he told could have gained no belief, being contradicted by them whose testimony was neceffary to vouch for the truth of it. And yet, how can we fuppofe, that all these men fhould be willing to join in this imposture? They were probably officers of juftice, or foldiers, who had been employed often before in executing the orders of the high-prieft and the rulers against the Chriftians. Or if they were chofen particularly for this expedition, they must have been chofen by them as men they could truft for their zeal in that caufe. What * The difciples of Chrift were not called Chriftians till after this time; but I ufe the name as most familiar to us, and to avoid circumlocution. fhould induce them to the betraying that business they were employed in? Does it even appear that they had any connection with the man they fo lied for, before or after this time, or any reward from him for it? This is therefore a difficulty in the firft outfet of this impofture not to be overcome. BUT farther he was to be inftructed by one at Damafcus. That inftructer therefore must have been his accomplice, though they appear to be abfolute ftrangers to one another, and though he was a man of an excellent character, who had a good report of all the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, and fo was very unlikely to have engaged in fuch an impofture. Notwithstanding these improbabilities, this man, I fay, must have been his confident and accomplice in carrying on this wicked fraud, and the whole matter must have been previously agreed on between them. But here again the same objection occurs: How could this man venture to act fuch a dangerous part without the consent of the other difciples, efpecially of the Apoftles, or by what means could he obtain their confent? And how abfurdly did they contrive their business, to make the converfion of Saul the effects of a miracle, with all those who were with him muft certify did never happen? How much enfier would it have been to |