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46.

35 Wherefore he saith also in another Psalm, Thou Antioc shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

37 But he whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 38 Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.

39 And by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is
spoken of in the prophets;

41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish for
I work a work in your days, a work which
shall in no
wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

ye

42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath 10.

43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas who speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44 And the next sabbath-day came almost the whole city together, to hear the word of God.

45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been

been extinct; the prophecy must therefore receive another in-
terpretation.

10 In this verse there is a great number of various readings;
instead of "when the Jews were going out of the syna-
gogue," several manuscripts of great repute, with all the Syriac,
the Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and Itala, read, As
they were going out, they intreated that these words should be
preached unto them in the course of the week, or the next sab-
bath, so that, according to this well accredited reading, the
words εκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, are left out in the first
clause, aurwy being put in their place, and rà ovn, the Gen-
tiles, is wholly omitted in the second clause. The most eminent
critics approve of this reading; indeed it stands on such autho-
rity, as to render it almost indubitable. Of the avrov, them,
which is substituted for the first clause, Professor White says,
lectio indubie genuina; this reading is undoubtedly genuine:
and of the ra vŋ ɛiç, he says, certissime delenda: they should
certainly be expunged. We are therefore to understand the
words thus: that "as they were going out," on the breaking up
of the assembly, some of them desired that they might have
these doctrines preached to them on the ensuing week, or
sabbath.

Pisidia

riod, 4757.

173

Julian Pe- spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge Antioch, in Valgar Era, yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to Pisidia.

46.

the Gentiles.

47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained" to eternal life, believed.

As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. The word Terayμévot, here rendered by our translators "ordained," has been more accurately interpreted by Dr. Hammond" disposed." The word properly signifies to marshal (as for a fight,) to constitute, order, appoint, &c. &c. See the very learned note of Dr. Hammond in loc. Mr. Scott defends the common translation. Dr. Doddridge selects the word "determined," or "resolved" to obtain eternal life. Mede translated the word as denoting the Proselytes of the Gate. Limborch and Maius (apud Elsner, Critici Sacri, vol. xiii. p. 621.) would render it predestined or preordained." Elsner would interpret it by "destined," or, 66 appointed before."

Sir Norton Knatchbull would connect the words sic Sony with the verb, not the participle, and read the passage iπiorevσay, ὅσοι ήσαν τεταγμένοι, εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, and as many as were collected together believed in everlasting life. y, which is translated by the LXX συνάγω, is rendered by others τάττομαι as Exod. xxix. 33. This interpretation Kuinoel justly observes, is unwarranted and unsupported by authority; neither is wǹv αἰώνιον ever used to denote the Christian doctrine; nor πιστεύειν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, to become a Christian.

The fuller and more appropriate meaning of terayμivo, is "those who enrolled themselves under the divine banner."

It is certainly time that the great question which once absorbed all other points of theology, the Aaron's rod of Divinity, should be considered in its true light. Prone to extremes, we seem determined to avoid one error by flying to another. The horror with which the Calvinist and Arminian regarded each other, about the time of the Synod of Dort, however ludicrous, still in some measure continues to prevail in existing Christian societies. Both parties are agreed in the same principles, or premises, both err in their conclusions. Both acknowledge that the future must be known to the Deity, and that man must have sufficient possession of the powers of his will to make him an accountable being. If God foresees all things, he must foreknow the eventual destinies of men-further than this we cannot penetrate; the difficulties that crowd upon us are utterly inexplicable, if we permit ourselves to speculate on the subject. We can only arrive at some few very general conclusions, and there we must rest. We may be assured that every man who is admitted into the visible Church on earth, will be hereafter received into a future state of happiness, unless he wilfully renders himself unfit for it. No man will be condemned to misery, because God has decreed it. The truth is, that we call upon our reason to comprehend God, and we are soon bewildered. Our guide is revelation. Our plan of studying that revelation must be to believe in the facts recorded, and make those facts the interpreters of the doctrines: and we are never justified in attempting to deduce any system of speculative doc

Pisidia.

Julian Pe- 49 And the word of the Lord was published through- Antioch, in riod, 4757. out all the region. Vulgar Era,

46.

50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

SECTION VI.

From Antioch in Pisidia to Iconium in Lycaonia-The
People about to stone them.

ACTS xiii. 51, 52. xiv. 1-5, and part

of ver.

6.

51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against Iconium. them, and came unto Iconium.

52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both
together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake,
that a great multitude, both of the Jews and also of the
Greeks, believed.

trines from the Scripture, unless it is clearly laid down in the
sacred pages.
We have bad Calvinistic systems, and Armi-
nian systems, deduced by forcing passages from their context,
and by the most violent perversions of the simplest texts, of
which the peculiar primary meaning has never once been re
garded. The Scripture is appealed to with confidence by both
the Pelagian and the Calvinist, and both are confuted from the
same book. The formularies of the Church of England are ap-
pealed to with equal confidence by both classes of religionists;
and nothing perhaps can more fully prove the Scriptural nature
of its services, than the same result to both of these contending
parties.

All who are received into heaven are elected and predestinat-
ed, as it were, by the foreknowledge of God, to that end; and
all are received into heaven, who accept the Gospel of Christ;
all are enabled to accept it by the same plan of mercy which pro-
posed the system of redemption to mankind; and consequently
it is in the power of every man to become elected or predesti-
nated. The Gospel is offered to all; the same grace is promised
to all. Those who resist its influences gradually quench the
divine Spirit, while those who are led by it, to them is imparted
grace upon grace. Thus the salvation of man proceeds from
God, who is the author of it, and who in his infinite mercy
vouchsafes the assistance of his Holy Spirit, and appeals to him
by every motive which can affect the will or influence the heart.
The salvation of man depends also upon himself, as the terms of
his acceptance are faith, obedience, and repentance. The
atonement of Christ is the condition of our acceptance, and the
Spirit of God is the means of our acceptance; working in us a
complete change of nature, subduing the flesh with its affections
and lusts, till the old man or the inferior nature dies in us, and all
things become new, Christ living in us. (Gal. ii. 20.) Thus nei-
ther the Calvinist nor the Pelagian can claim Scriptural autho-
rity in favour of their tenets, without admitting the deductions
of his opponent. Both are right in their premises, both are
wrong in their conclusions; because both exclude a great part
of truth, to favour a preconceived hypothesis.

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2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, Iconium. riod, 4757. and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. Vulgar Era,

46.

3 Long time therefore abode they, speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their

hands.

4 But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

5 And when there was an assault made, both of the Gentiles and also of the Jews, with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,

6 They were ware of it, and fled into Lystra.

SECTION VII.

From Iconium to Lystra, the People attempt to offer them
Sacrifice, and afterwards stone them.

ACTS xiv. 8-19. and part of ver. 20.

8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in Lystra. his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked :

9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia", The gods are come down to us, in the likeness of men.

12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius: because he was the chief speaker.

13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

12 It is difficult to ascertain what this language or dialect might have been. Jablonski, who has written a very learned treatise on the subject, reprinted in the thirteenth volume of the Critici Sacri, and more lately in the first number of the new edition of Stephens's Thesaurus, endeavours to prove that it was a Greek dialect, in great measure derived from the Assyrian, and mingled with Syriac. Guhlingius (ap. Kuinoel,) wishes to shew that it was originally derived from the Greek; but by intermingling with the surrounding nations, the language, in the course of time, and by negligence, became corrupted. Grotius thinks it was the same as that of the Cappadocians.-See the treatise of Jablonski, and Kuinoel in lib. N. T. Historicos Comment. vol. iv. p. 482.

13 The various particulars of this remarkable narrative; the opinions of the ancients on the incarnations of their gods; the reason why Barnabas was considered as Jupiter, and Paul as Mercury; the opinion of Chrysostom on the vehement and effectual manner in which the apostles repressed the intended homage of these people, &c. &c. are discussed at length in two treatises of the Critici Sacri, vol. xiii. by Christoph. Frederic. Boerner and Jo. Jacob. Pfizer, to which the reader is referred,

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14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul heard Lystra. riod, 4757. of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, Vulgar Era. crying out,

46.

Julian Period 4758. Vulgar Æra,

47.

15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities, unto the living God, which made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

17 Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people", and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had

been dead.

20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city.

SECTION VIII.

From Lystra to Derbe.

ACTS xiv. last part of ver. 20. and part of ver. 6. and ver. 7.

20 And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. Derbe.

6 And Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:

7 And there they preached the gospel.

SECTION IX.

St. Paul and Barnabas return to Lystra, Iconium and An-
tioch in Pisidia, ordaining in all the Churches.

ACTS xiv. 21-23.

nium, Anti

21 And when they had preached the gospel to that Lystra, Icocity, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,.

22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

14 It is probable that the Jews persuaded the people, that the apostles were magicians.

The account which Mr. Faber has given in his valuable treatise on the Origin of Idolatry, of the rise of the superstition here alluded to, is confirmed by all the researches I have been able to make.

och.