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tance the whole community was hardly fup`plied with the neceffaries of life. And even in churches he afterwards planted himself, which were much more wealthy than that of Jerufalem, fo far was St. Paul from availing himself of their charity, or the veneration they had for him, in order to draw that wealth to himself, that he often refufed to take any part of it for the neceffaries of life.

Thus he tells the Corinthians: "Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place, and labour, working with our own hands."

xv. 8.

1 Cor.

In another epistle he writes, "Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burthenfome to you, for I feek not yours but you; for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children." 2 Cor. xii. 14.

To the Theffalonians he fays, "As we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gofpel, even fo we speak, not as pleafing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time ufed we flattering words, nor a cloak of covetoufnefs, God is

witnefs; nor of men fought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burthenfome, as the apoftles of Chrift. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: For labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable to any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." And again in another letter to them, he repeats the fame teftimony of his difintereftednefs: "Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought, but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you." 2 Theff. chap. iii. 8.

And

when he took his farewell of the church of Ephefus, to whom he foretold that they fhould fee him no more, he gives this testimony of himself, and appeals to them for the truth of it: "I have coveted no man's filver or gold, or apparel. Yea, you yourfelves know, that thefe hands have miniftered unto my neceffities, and to them that were with me." Acts xx. 33, 34. It is then evident both from the ftate of the church when St. Paul firft came into it, and from his behaviour afterwards, that he had no thoughts of encreafing his wealth by becoming a christian; whereas by continu

ing to be their enemy, he had almoft certain hopes of making his fortune by the favour of those who were at the head of the Jewish ftate, to whom nothing could more recommend him than the zeal that he fhewed in that perfecution. As to credit or reputation, that too lay all on the fide he forfook. The fect he embraced was under the greatest and moft univerfal contempt of any then in

the world. The chiefs and leaders of it were men of the lowest birth, education, and rank. They had no one advantage of parts, or learning, or other human endowments to recommend them. The doctrines they taught were contrary to thofe, which they who were accounted the wifeft and the moft knowing of their nation profest. The wonderful works that they did, were either imputed to magic or to impofture. The very author and head of their faith had been condemned as a criminal, and died on the crofs between two thieves. Could the difciple of Gamaliel think he fhould gain any credit or reputation by becoming a teacher in a college of fishermen? Could he flatter himfelf, that either in or out of Judea the doctrines he taught could do him any honor? No; he knew very well that the preaching

Chrift crucified was a stumbling-block to the Jews, and to the Greeks foolishness. 1 Cor. i. 23. He afterwards found by experience, that in all parts of the world, contempt was the portion of whoever engaged in preaching a mystery so unpalatable to the world, to all its paffions and pleafures, and fo irreconcileable to the pride of human reafon. We are made (fays he to the Corinthians) as the filth of the world, the off-fcouring of all things unto this day. 1 Cor. iv. 13. Yet he went on as zealously as he fet out, and was not ashamed of the gospel of Chrift. Certainly then the defire of glory, the ambition of making to himself a great name, was not his motive to embrace christianity. Was it then the love of power? Power! over whom? over a flock of fheep driven to the flaughter, whofe fhepherd himself had been murdered a little before. All he could hope from that power was to be marked out in a particular manner for the fame knife, which he had feen fo bloodily drawn against them. Could he expect more mercy from the chief priests and the rulers, than they had fhewn to Jefus himself? Would not their anger be probably more fierce against the deferter and betrayer of

their caufe, than against any other of the apostles. Was power over fo mean and despised a set of men worth the attempting with fo much danger? But ftill it may be faid, there are fome natures fo fond of power, that they will court it at any risk, and be pleased with it even over the meanest. Let us fee then what power St. Paul affumed over the chriftians. Did he pretend to any fuperiority over the other apostles? No; he declared himself the leaft of them, and less than the least of all faints. Ephef. iii. 8. 1 Cor. xv. 9. Even in the churches he planted himself, he never pretended to any primacy or power above the other apoftles; nor would he be regarded any otherwise by them, than as the inftrument to them of the grace of God, and preacher of the gospel, not as the head of a fect. To the Corinthians he writes in these words: "Now this I fay, that every one of you faith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Chrift. Is Chrift divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" 1 Cor. i. 12, 13, 14, 15, 17. And in another place; "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but minifters by whom ye believed, even as

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