the very secrets of his soul: he would prostrate himself in the worship of God, and report that God was in them of a truth *. And, if where the Gospel was so little honoured by the lives of its professors as at Corinth, such power attended the dispensation of it, how much more of the same kind, may we suppose, happened at Philippi and at Thessalonica? For we have not yet mentioned all the evils of this outwardly flourishing, but inwardly distempered Church. There were some, who even denied the resurrection of the body, which gives occasion to the Apostle to illustrate that important article †. Though he had promised to revisit them soon, yet, in the next epistle, he assigns a reason why he delayed longer than he had intended. Their Christian state was very imperfect; and he wished to be enabled, by their reformation, to come among them with more pleasure. In truth, he wrote the first epistle in much anguish and affliction. His soul was deeply affected for this people; and while great progress in profession seemed so inconsistent with their experience and their practice, he felt the sincerest grief. He was relieved at length by the coming of Titus §. From his account it appeared, that the admonitions were by no means fruitless. The case of the incestuous person at length was attended to by them as it ought: they proceeded even with more severity than the Apostle desired; for, though the man gave the strongest proof of repentance, they refused to readmit him into their Church, till St. Paul signified his express desire that they would do so. There can be no doubt but that many persons This is a proof of the Divine Influence attendant on Christianity. General proofs of its authenticity may be drawn also from the subject of miraculous gifts. The Apostle's manner of describing these things proves their reality and their frequency. For no man could have convinced these Corinthians, that they were in possession of those gifts, if they themselves had not been conscious of them. + Chap. xv. 12 Cor. ii. 4. § 2 Cor. vii. CENT. I. belonging to this Church were recovered to a state of affection and practice worthy of Christianity. In particular the Apostle commends their liberality toward the distressed Christians*. But there was still an obstinate party among the Corinthians, attached to the false apostles, whose conduct extorted from him a zealous and honest commendation of himself, his endowments, and his office, which yet he manages with great address and delicacy, while he bewails the scandalous practices still existing among them t. On his arrival at Corinth after these epistles, he doubtless executed what he had threatened, namely, sóme wholesome severities on offenders, unless their speedy and sincere repentance prevented the necessity of such a step. He spent three months in his second visit. But we have no more particular account in Scripture of this Church. CIA P. XII. ROME. CHAP. IT may seem to have been purposely appointed by XII, Infinite Wisdom, that our first accounts of the Roman 1 Scripture is the more remarkable, because the Church itself was in an early period by no means insignificant, either for the number or the piety of its converts. Their faith was spoken of through the whole world. The Apostle thus commends them; nor does he in his epistle to them intimate any thing peculiarly faulty in their principles or conduct. The epistle to the Romans itself, while the world endures, will be the food of Christian minds, and the richest system of doctrine to scriptural theologians. By the distinct directions which he gives for the maintenance of charity between Jews and Gentiles, it appears that there must have been a considerable number of the former among them. If one might indulge a conjecture, I should suppose that Aquila and Priscilla, who had laboured with St. Paul at Corinth both in a spiritual and temporal sense, and had been expelled from Italy by the emperor Claudius, and whom, he here salutes as at Rome, were first concerned in the plantation of this Church, which was numerous, before any Apostle had been there. Andronicus and Junias are saluted also in the epistle: they were men of character among the Apostles, whose conversion were of an earlier date than St. Paul's; they were also his kinsmen, and had suffered in conjunction with him for the faith. He salutes also a number of others, though they might not all be residents of Rome. The work of divine Grace in distinguishing persons of various families and connections is ever observable. There were saints at Rome of the two families of Aristobulus and Narcissus. The former was of the royal blood of the Maccabees, and had been carried prisoner to Rome by Pompey. He himself had suffered a variety of hardships incident to a life of turbulent ambition like his; yet some of his family, of no note in civil history, are marked as the disciples of Christ, and heirs of the true riches. Narcissus is distinguished in Roman Rom. i. CENT. I. J CHAP. history as the ambitious prime minister of Claudius; yet some of his houshold were in the Lord. XII. Paul had long wished and even projected a visit to this Church. He did not expect that his journey thither at last was to be at Cæsar's expense. Confident however he was, that when he did come to them, it should be in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ." And he intreats the prayers of the Romans, that he may be delivered from the infidel Jews, and be acceptable in his ministry to his believing countrymen at Jerusalem, whither he was then hastening, that "he night come to them with joy by the will of God," and be with them refreshed. Thus did Christians in those days intreat the prayers of their brethren through the world, and sympathize with one another. And the prayers were answered: Paul was saved from Jewish malice: was acceptable to the Jewish converts, "who had compassion on him in his bonds;" and was conducted safe to Rome. At Appii Forum and the three taverns he was met by the Roman Christians: he thanked God and took courage*, refreshed, as he had been confident he should be, whenever he night arrive among thein. None but those, who know what is meant by the communion of saints, can conceive the pleasure which he felt on the occasion. After a charitable but fruitless attempt to do good to the principal Jews at Rome, he employed the two years of his imprisonment in receiving all who came to him, preaching with all confidence, and without molestation. On account of his imprisonment and examination at Rome, the nature of the Gospel began to be enquired into † in Nero's court, and the conclusion of the epistle to the Philippians makes it evident, that some of the imperial houshold became Christians indeed. And as the court was by no means disposed to treat him with rigour, but rather to favour him with indulgences as a Roman citizen, hence many preachers in Rome Acts, xxviii. 15. ↑ Philippians, i. and the neighbourhood exerted themselves with more courage than formerly they dared to do. Yet certain persons even then could preach Christ with malevolent views of depreciating the Apostles: others did it with sincere charity. But as real benefit accrued to the souls of men from the labours of the former as well as of the latter, the heart of Paul, with a charity, the wonderful effect of heavenly teaching, could rejoice in both. Some writers seem to have gone too far, in denying that Peter ever was at Rome. But the cause of Protestantism needs not the support of an unreasonable scepticism. Undoubtedly the account of Peter's martyrdoin there, with that of Paul, rests on a foundation sufficiently strong, namely, the concurrent voice of antiquity. His first epistle, by an expression at the close of it*, appears to have been dated thence; for the Church at Babylon, according to the style of Christians at that time, could be no other than the Church at Rome.-Of the literal Babylon we find nothing in the writers of those days. CENT. CHA P. XIII. COLOSSE. THIS city of Phrygia was in the neighbourhood of Laodicea and Hierapolis, and all three seem to have been converted by the ministry of Epaphras the Colossian, a companion and fellow-labourer of Paul, who attended him at Rome during his imprisonment, and informed him of the sincerity and fruitfulness of their Christian profession. For though he speaks to the Colossians only, yet the religious state of the two neighbouring cities may be conceived to be much the same. The example of Epaphras deserves to be 1 Pet. v. 13. VOL. I. |