52 Q. How did Peter defend himself for conversing and eating with the Gentiles, when the Jew ish believers reproved him for it?

A. Peter related the whole story both of his own vision upon the house-top, and of the angel that was sent to Cornelius, and the wonderful success of his sermon; upon which they held their peace, and glorified God, Acts xi. 1-18.

53 Q. Were the disciples of Christ free from persecution at this time?

A. They had been free from persecution for a considerable time in Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, till Herod killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and put Peter in prison, Acts ix. 31. and xii. 1-4.

54 Q. How did Peter escape from his hands?

A. Prayer was made by the church without ceas+ ing, for him; and while he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and the centinels kept the prison door, at night a light shone in the prison, and the angel of the Lord awakened him, the chains fell from his hands, the gates opened of their own accord, and the angel brought him into the street, and departed, Acts xii. 5-10.

55 Q. Whither went Peter after his release from prison !

A. To the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where the Disciples were met together for prayer, and he ordered them to acquaint the brethren of his miraculous deliverance, ver. 12-17.

56 Q. How did Herod shew his rage for his disappointment?

A. He commanded the keepers of the prison to be put to death, being exceedingly vexed that Peter had escaped his hands, ver. 19.

57 Q. What remarkable judgment of God fell upon Herod?

A. Upon a special occasion, sitting on his throne in his royal robes, he made a speech to the people;

upon which they cried out, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man: and immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms and died, ver. 21-23. 58 Q What further account is there given of Peter in Scripture?

A. He preached the Gospel to the world; he encouraged the receiving the Gentiles into the church without circumcision, by his own example; he wrote letters to encourage the believers under persecution; till at last he was crucified, as Christ had foretold him, Acts xv. 7-11. first and second Epistle of Peter, John xxi. 18, 19. 2 Pet, i. 13-15.

59 Q. Is there any thing else recorded concerning the Apostle John?

A. He also preached the word, and wrote the history of the life and death of Christ, which is called the Gospel; he wrote several Epistles to the Christians; he was banished to the isle of Patmos, for the sake of Christ, where he wrote the book of the Revelation in what order he wrote these things, does not appear from Scripture.

60 Q. You have informed us what were the doctrines, and what was the religion that the Apostles and Disciples taught after Christ went to heaven; but how comes it to pass that among these doctrines we do not find them insisting more expressly on that great article of the Gospel, the Redemption by Christ's death, and the Atonement made for sin by his sufferings?

A. It is sufficiently evident that this doctrine was taught the world by Peter and John, as well as by Paul, since there is frequent mention of it in their Epistles, as well as it shines every where through the Epistles of St. Paul: nor can we suppose their preaching utterly forgot or neglected what their writings abound with. 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. ii. 24. iii. 18. and iv. 1. 1 John i. 7. i. 2. iii. 16. and v. 6. and therefore it is possible they might preach it sometimes at first, though it be not expressly recorded in such short abstracts of their ser

CHAP. XXVI. St. Paul's Travels, Labours, &c. 297

mons, as we find in the book of Acts: or, if this doctrine was not published at first with frequency and freedom, there seems to be a very good reason for it, namely, because neither the Jews nor Gentiles could well bear it so soon; for it was a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, 1 Cor. i, 23. And they were to be led by degrees into a full acquaintance with the mystery of the Gospel; even as Christ himself led his own disciples by slow degrees into the knowledge of this and other things, as they were able to bear them, John xvi. 12.

CHAPTER XXVI.

The Acts of Paul the Apostle, his Travels and Sufferings, his Life and Death.

1 Q. WHO was Paul?

A. He was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, born at Tarsus, his name at first was Saul, he was brought up in the strict sect of the Pharisees, a man of good morals, and exceeding zealous of the traditions of the Fathers, Acts xxiii. 9. and xxi. 39. Phil, iii. 5, 6. Gal. i. 14. Acts vii. 58.

2 Q. What was his behaviour towards the Christians while he continued a Pharisee?

A. He was a very great persecutor in his younger years, he made a havock of the Church every where, sending men and women to prison, and he encouraged those who stoned Stephen, Acts viii. 1. 3. and vii. 58.

3 Q. How came he to become a Christian?

A. As he was going to Damascus, with orders from the high-priest to bring all the Christians he could find there bound to Jerusalem, he was struck down on the road, by a blaze of light from heaven, Acts ix. 1-3,

4 Q. Did he hear any voice at the same time?

A. A voice from heaven said to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 1 um Jesus whom thou persecutest, ver. 4, 5.

5 Q. What effect had this upon Saul?

A. He trembled and cried out, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? and the Lord bid him arise, and go to the city of Damascus, and there he should be told his duty, ver. 6.

6 Q. Did Saul obey this divine vision?

A. He arose from the earth, and found that he was struck blind, and he was led by the hand into Damascus, where he was three days without sight and without food, and engaged much in prayer, ver. 8-11. 7 Q. Who was sent to teach him his duty there? A. Ananias, a disciple, was ordered by the Lord in a vision to go to him into the house where he lodged, and to restore his eyesight, ver. 11, 12. and to tell him what honour and duty God had appointed for him.

8 Q. Did Ananias go willingly on this errand?

A. He was at first afraid to go, because he had heard of his cruel persecution of the Christians : but the Lord assured him that Saul would receive him, because he had given Saul also a vision of one Ananias to prepare him for his coming, ver. 10, &c. 9 Q. How did Saul recover his sight?

'A. Ananias laid his hands upon him, and he received his sight, and was filled with the Holy Ghost, and was baptized, ver. 17, 18.

10 Q. Who appointed Saul at first to be a preacher?

A. The Lord Jesus ordered Ananias to tell him, that God bad chosen him to know his will, to see Jesus, and to be a witness for Christ to the world, Acts xxii. 14, &c. And some time after that, Christ himself in another vision sent him to preach to the heathen nations, ver. 21.

Note here. In St. Paul's rehearsal of this matter to Agrippa, Acts xxvi. 16, &c. Christ himself is repre

sented as giving Paul his first commission from heaven, to the Gentiles at this time: yet it has been questioned whether the Apostle does not in this rehearsal join together all that Christ said to him, both in his first vision upon the road to Damascus, and his second vision at Jerusalem in the Temple, when he was more expressly sent to the Gentiles, Acts xxii. 17, 18, 21. but this is too large a debate to be assumed here.

11 Q. How did Saul employ himself after this wonderful appearance?

A. He was a few days with the disciples at Damascus, and he soon preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God, to the amazement of them that heard him, Acts ix. 19–22.

12 Q. How came he to learn and preach the Gospel so soon?

A. It is generally supposed that he was taught the Gospel by Jesus Christ himself in the three days of his blindness, for he declares he learnt it not from men, Gal. i. L. 11—16.

13 Q. Where did he preach the Gospel when he went to Damascus ?

A. In Arabia, and he returned again to Damascas, and did not go up to the apostles at Jerusalem, till three years after, Gal. i. 17, 18.

14 Q. When he returned to Damascus, how did the Jews bear with him?

A. They watched the gates night and day to slay him; but the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket, Acts ix. 23-25, and 2 Cor. xi. 32, 33.

15 Q. When he came to Jerusalem how was he received by the disciples?

A. They were all afraid of him, because he had been so great a persecutor of the Christians but a very few years before, ver. 26.

16 Q. How were they persuaded to believe that he was now a disciple of Christ?

A. Barnabas brought him to the apostles, and gave