rean philosophers, upon his preaching to them Jesus and the Resurrection, thought him a setter forth of strange gods, and accused him as such before the court of Areopagus, to which the cognizance of all religious controversies belonged.Paul defended himself with great eloquence before this august assembly, and in explaining the nature of the Gospel doctrines, he introduced the awful subject of the day of judgment, and appealed to our Saviour's restoration to life as a pledge and assurance that all men will hereafter rise from the dead: "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and others said, we will hear thee again of this matter; so Paul departed from among them (n)." It does not appear that Paul was again summoned before the court of Areopagus, or that those of its members, who expressed an intention of hearing him again, ever sent for him in private.However, his preaching at Athens was not altogether ineffectual, for some of the Athenians were converted to the Gospel, and among the rest Dionysius the Areopagite (o), and a woman of distinction named Damaris.

From

(n) Acts, c. 17. v. 32 & 33.

(0) Acts, c. 17. v. 34. Eusebius mentions this Dionysius as the first Bishop of Athens.

[PART II. From Athens, Paul went to Corinth (p), and 51. lived in the house of Aquila and Priscilla, two Jews, who being compelled to leave Rome in consequence of Claudius's edict against the Jews, had lately settled at Corinth. St. Paul was induced to take up his residence with them, because, like himself, they were tent-makers. At first he preached to the Jews in their synagogue; but upon their violently opposing his doctrine, he declared that from that time he would preach to the Gentiles only (q); and accordingly he afterwards delivered his instructions in the house of one Justus, who lived near the synagogue. Among the few Jews, who embraced the Gospel, were Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, and his family; and many of the Gentile Corinthians "hearing believed, and were baptized." Paul was encouraged in a vision to persevere in his exertions to convert the inhabitants of Corinth; and although he met with great opposition and disturbance from the unbelieving Jews, and was accused by them before Gallio (r), the Roman governor of Achaia, he continued there a year

(p) Acts, c. 18.

and

(4) This declaration must be considered as confined to Corinth, for we find him afterwards preaching in many synagogues of the Jews at other places.

(r) Gallio was the elder brother of Seneca the philosopher.

and six months (s), "teaching the word of God." During this time he supported himself by working at his trade of tent-making, that he might not be burthensome to the disciples.

From Corinth Paul sailed into Syria, and thence he went to Ephesus. The Ephesians, upon hearing the Gospel explained by Paul, desired that he would continue with them; but as it was necessary for him to keep the approaching feast at Jerusalem, he could not comply with their request; however he promised that, with the permission of God, he would return to them. He sailed from Ephesus to Cæsarea, and is supposed to have arrived at Jerusalem just before the feast of Pentecost. After the feast he went to Antioch: and this was the conclusion of his second apostolical journey, in which he was 53. accompanied by Silas; and in part of it, Luke and Timothy were also with him.

V. HAVING made a short stay at Antioch, Paul set out upon his third apostolical journey. He passed through Galatia (t) and Phrygia, confirming

(s) In this time he wrote his two Epistles to the Thessalonians, and probably that to the Galatians.

(t) It is probable that St. Paul went into Galatia before he went to Ephesus, to learn what effect his Epistles to the Galatians had produced, and to correct any errors which might still remain. Vide Gal, c. 4. v. 19 & 20.

[PART II. confirming the Christians of those countries; and 54. thence, according to his promise, he went to Ephesus (u). He found there some disciples, who had only been baptized with John's baptism: he directed that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus, and then he communicated to them the Holy Ghost. He preached for the space of three months in the synagogue; but the Jews being hardened beyond conviction, and speaking reproachfully of the Christian religion before the multitude, he left them; and from that time he delivered his instructions in the school of a person called Tyrannus, who was probably a Gentile. Paul continued to preach. in this place about two years (x), so that all the inhabitants of that part of Asia Minor "heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." He also performed many miracles at Ephesus; and not only great numbers of people were converted to Christianity, but many also of those, who in this superstitious city used incantations

(u) Acts, c. 19.

(x) During this stay of St. Paul at Ephesus, he wrote his first Epistle to the Corinthians, probably in the beginning of the year 56; and from this Epistle we learn that he supported himself by his own labour at Ephesus, as he had before done at Corinth. I Cor. c. 4. v. 11 &

He alludes to the same thing in his speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Acts, c. 20. v. 34.

tations and magical arts, professed their belief in the Gospel, and renounced their former practices by publicly burning their books.

Such was the general success of Paul's preaching at Ephesus. But Demetrius, a silversmith, who sold models of the temple and image of Diana, observing the tendency of the Gospel to put an end to every thing connected with idolatry, represented to the workmen employed by him, and to others of the same occupation, that not only their trade would be ruined, which they knew by experience to be very lucrative, but also that the temple of their "great goddess Diana," the pride and glory of their city, would be brought into discredit and contempt, if Paul were permitted to propagate his doctrines, and to persuade the people that they be no gods, which are made with hands;" these men, thus instigated both by interest and by superstition, raised a great tumult in the city, and probably would have proceeded to extremities against Paul and his companions, if the chief magistrate had not interposed, and by his authority dispersed the multitude.

Previous to this disturbance Paul had intended to continue at Ephesus till Titus should return, whom he had sent (y) to inquire into the

(y) 2 Cor. c. 12. v. 18.

state