A.D. 58. 7 Which is not ano- 7. There can be no other : Nor

ther; but there be could you have been perswaded there fome that trouble you, was, unless by the sly Infinuations and would pervert the and false Suggestions of designing gospel of Christ.

Men; whose Art and Business is to pervert the Gospel Doctrine, and model your Principles to their own private Interests and ambitious Purposes.

22.

8 But though we, 8. The better to gain their Ends or an angel from hea- upon you, those Judaizing Teachers ven, preach any other would have you believe, that not gospel unto you, than that which we have only Peter and the other Apostles,

but I my self also do sometimes preach preached unto you, let him be * accursed.

up the Jewish Law, as absolutely

neceflary along with the Christian Faith. So far from it, that I now solemnly pronounce, Were any one Apostle, nay, or (were it possible) should an Angel from Heaven be supposed to preach a thing so contra

ry to the Doctrine I at first delivered to you, he ought to Ver. 8, 9. be rejected and called * accursed. Rom. ix. 3• 1 Cor.xvi. 9 As we said be.

9. And, to show you I speak it fore, so say I now a- not hastily, but with all deliberation gain, If any man and sincerity, I repeat it again, Should preach any other gos. an Apostle, or even an Angel, preach pel unto you, I than that ye have received, any thing so derogatory to, and wide let him be accursed: of, the true Gospel Doctrine, let him be

.

accursed. 10 For do I now

10. As to my self, should I do it, perswade men, or I know it would gain me the faGod? or do I seek to please men ? for if Zealots; but I hope you have no

I

vour of a Sett of Men, the Jewish yet pleased men, I fhould not be the ser reason to think the design of my yant of Christ.

Ministry is to curry favour with Men,

but to discharge my Duty to God, as his faithful Apostle ; which I could never do by that Method; and were that my Principle, I need never to have

turn'd

*

| Ver. 9. Any other Gospel than that ye have received, wap? ögon paráters, any thing befode or more than ye have received from the Apoftles: viz. any thing as neceffary to Salvation.

5 turn'd Christian *, and suffered so much as I have done for A.D. 58, the sake of that Profession.

Cap. v.

12, & vi. II But I certifie

Il, 12.

And as to their dispa- 12. you, brethren, that ragement of my Apostolical Comthe gospel which was mision, or my Doctrine, because it preached of me, is not may not fuit with their Prejudices or after man. 12 For 1 neither Designs ; be you fully affured, I re

assured received it of man,

ceived my Commission from no Man, neither was I taught from no other Apostles, but had both it, but by the reve

that and the Doctrine I preached to lation of Jesus Chrift. you, from the immediate Revelation

of Jesus Christ himself.

13 For ye have

13. Nor indeed can you well heard of my conver- think such a Bigot as I should be sation in time past, in the Jews religion,

converted at all, much less turn an how that beyond mea- Apostle of his Religion, by any but fure I perlecuted the extraordinary Means. For you must church of God, and have heard what a raging Zealot for wasted it.

the Jewish Religion I formerly was;

and how I persecuted the Christian Faith with uncommon Fury and Cruelty. 14. And profited in

14. I was, you know, noted athe Jews religion, a- bove any Man of my Age and bove many my equals Standing, for Learning in, and Zeal in mine own nation, for, the Jewish Traditions and Dobeing more exceed.

ctrines. ingly zealous of the traditions of

my

fathers. 15 But when it

15, 16. My Conversion therepleased God, who se- fore is wholly attributed to a divine parated || me from my, and extraordinary Favour, origimother's womb, and called

nally intended to me by God. And, me by his

accordingly, when it pleased God grace,

16'To reveal his thus miraculously to convert, and Son in me, that I commission me to be a Preacher of might preach him a- his Gospel to the Gentile World, I

mong
B 3

made

Ver. 15. Who feparated me from my Motber's Womb. See Jerem, i. 5.

, .

A.D. 58. mong the heathen, made my Application to no Man,

immediately I con- to none of the Apostles for their ferred not with flesh Warrant or Instructions how to perand blood :

form my Office. 17

Neither went 17. I addressed myself to none I up to Jerusalem, to of the Apostles at Jerusalem, who them which were apo- were ordain'd to that Office before Atles before me, but I went into Arabia, and me; but from Damascus, the place returned again unto

my Conversion, I retired into Damascus.

Arabia, and returned thither again,

and preached the Gospel, without any Order or Authority from any of their College.

18 Then after three 18. Indeed about three Years years I went up to after my Conversion I went to Jeo Jerusalem, to see Pe. rusalem, where Barnabas brought ter, and abode with

me to Peter, who readily own'd him fifteen days.

me for his fellow Apostle, upon the Account I gave him of the Manner and Circumstances of my

Call to that Office; and with him I stayed, not to receive any Authority froin him, but only to Converse with him, for about fifteen Days. 19 But other of the

19 The only Person of Note I apostles faw I none, faw, besides Peter, was James the fave James the Lord's Just, our Lord's Kinsman, and brother.

Bishop of Jerusalem. So that I could not be supposed to derive my Commission from the Apostolical College.

20 Now the things 20. (And for the Truth of these which I write unto Facts I appeal to God, the Author you, behold, before of Truth itself.) God, I lye not. 21. Afterwards I

21. After this short Stay at Jecame into the regions rufalen, I went upon the Exercise of Syria and Cilicia,

of my Office into Syria, and preached at Cefarea (Aits xxii. 17, 18.) and at Troas in Cilicia (Acts ix. 30.) xxii. 3) 1. 22 And was

22. All which Time neither the known by face unto Churches of Jerusalem, or of the the churches of Ju. rest of Judea, they nor their Apodea, which were in ftolical Ministers, had ever seen, or Christ.

had any personal Knowledge of me.

un.

23 But

23 But they had 23. All they knew of me was by A.D. 58. heard only, That he Accounts they had from abroad, which persecuted us that the great Persecutor Paul was in times past, now turned a Preacher of the very Gopreacheth the faith which once he de spel he had so persecuted. stroyed,

24 And they glo. 24. For which marvelous Conrified God in me. version in me they rejoiced, and

blessed God.

CH A P. II.

The ARGUMENT.
He proceeds further to clear himself of the Imputation

of ever having preached up the Necessity of Circumci-
fion and the Ceremonial Law. And to vindicate his

* See the Apostolical Commision. Proving both those Points *

Preface. from his next Journey to Jerusalem, his Management of Titus, his Reception from the Apostles, his Behaviour there, and at Antioch with Peter, and from the Inconsistency of supposing He Mould preach such a DoEtrine.

1Ꭲ

years after I

HEN fourteen

O show you still further the
T
Falsity of their I Suggestions, 8. 18.

1 Chap. i. went up again to Je- and the immediate Authority of Acts xv. rusalem with Barna. bas, I and took Titus my Apostleship, let me remember with me also.

That eleven Years after my you,

former Journey to Jerusalem, which is fourteen Years after my first conversion, I went thither I again, and took Barnabas and Titus along with me. 2 And I went up

2. I then went by the special by revelation, and Appointment of God, and gave the communicated

unto Apostles that were there a full Acthem that gospel

count of the Doctrines || I had been || Acts xv. which I preach

among preaching to the idolatrous as well as 4. 120 the Gentiles, but privately to them which profelyte Gentiles, as I received them

B 4

,

4. D. 58. were of reputation, from Jesus Christ, and of the Suc

left by any means ļ cess of my Ministry among them. should run, or had I gave this Account only to some of run in vain.

the chief Apostles and Governours of that Church, and to them too in private, not out of any distrust of my Doctrine and Behaviour, or want of their Information ; but only to prevent the scandalous Reports the Judaizing Faction might raise upon me, to the disparagement and hindrance of the further Success of my Miniitry: For these Zealots, even of the Converted Jews, were not as yet in any temper to hear of Christianity being preached to the idolatrous Gentiles.

3 But neither Titus, 3. And in this whole Affair I was who was with me, be so consistent with myself, and just to ing a Greek,was com my own Principle, that though Ti

. pelled to be circum

tus that went with me was a Gentile cised :

born; yet at his Conversion to Christianity, and his Ordination to the Ministry, I never insisted on his being Circumcised ; nor did the Apostles, to whom I carried him, require any such thing; which, 'tis plain, both they and I should have done, had we thought the observation of the Ceremonial Law neceffary to the Justification of a converted idolatrous Gentile.

4. And that because 4. I kept Titus Uncircumcised, and of false brethren una. carried him so to the Apostles, on pur

wares brought in, who pose to show my Sentiments were | Abs xv.

came in privily to fpy quite opposite to those false Jewish out our liberty, which Zealots that came to Antioch il, and we have in Christ Je.

insinuated themselves into our Allemsus, that they might bring us into bondage. blies there ; with a design to catch at,

a

and oppose the Doctrine I preached, and to bring all you Gentile Christians to embrace the unneceffary Slavery of the Jewis Ceremonies.

5 To whom we 5. For tho I am willing to yield gave place by subject- to any indifferent thing, for the ion, no not for an present, in compliance with the hour, that the truth Weakness and Prejudices of Men ; of the gospel might in hopes the sooner to draw them continue with you.

off from them || ; yet, to these false Zealots, that so furiously infifted upon the absolute Necellity of the Jewish Law, I never yielded an Inch,

but