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, ch. ii. 24, ch. iii. 18, and iv. 1, 1 John i. 7, ch. ii. 2, ch. 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 sermons, 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, CHAP. 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 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? I am 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 rose 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 in the house where he lodged, and to restore his eye sight, 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 had 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 represented 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. ver. 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. 1, 11-15. 13 Q. Where did he preach the Gospel when he went from Damascus ? A. In Arabia, and he returned again to Damascus, 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 30 great a persecutor of the Christians but a very few years before. rer. 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 an account of Christ's calling him from heaven, and his preaching boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. ver. 26, 27. 17 Q. Who was Barnabas ? A. A Levite of Cyprus, whose name was Joses, who was a zealous disciple of Christ and a preacher of the Gospel, whom the apostles surnamed Barnabas, that is, the son of consolation. Acts iv. 36. 18 Q Did Saul preach Christ at Jerusalem ? A. Yes, with great courage; but the Grecians, (that is, the Hellenist or Grecian Jews) sought to slay him, and then the brethren persuaded him to retire to his native place, Tarsus in Cilicia. Acts ix. 28-30. 19 Q. What was that other vision which he had of Christ when he was at Jerusalem ? A. As he was praying in the temple he saw the Lord, who assured him that the Jews would not receive his witness concerning him, and bid him depart from Jerusalem, for that he would send him to the Gentiles. Acts xxii. 17-21. Note. Though this account of Paul's seeing Christ in the temple at Jerusalem, seems here immediately to follow the account of his, conversion, Acts xxii. 16, 17, yet some think he had not this vision till the second time of his coming to Jerusalem. 20 Q. Whither was Barnabas sent by the apostles ? A. When they heard of the great success of the Gospel in foreign countries, they sent him as far as Antioch in Syria to confirm the disciples. Acts xi. 22-24. Note. This great success of the Gospel at this time, was partly among the Jews who resided in other countries, and partly the Jewish proselytes of the gate, or the devout persons, and such as feared God. Acts x. 17, and chap. xiii. 16, 50. 21 Q. Whither did Barnabas go when he left Antioch ? A. He went to Tarsus to seek Saul, and brought him to Antioch, where they spent a whole year together, and there the disciples were first called Christians. Acts xi. 25, 26, 22 Q. What further commission had Barnabas and Saul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles? A. The Holy Spirit appointed the prophets and teachers at Antioch to separate Barnabas and Saul to the work to which he had called them, that is, to preach to the idolatrous Gentiles, which they did by fasting, prayer, and laying on their hands. Acts xiii. 1-3. 23 Q. Who was their assistant or attendant in this journey? A. John Mark, nephew to Barnabas. Acts xii. 25, xiii. 5. Col. iv. 10. 24 . What opposition did they meet with when they came to Paphos in Cyprus ? A. When Sergius Paulus the governor of the country sent for them, that he might hear the word of God, Elymas a Jew, who was a false prophet and a sorcerer, withstood them, in order to prevent the governor from believing. ver. 6—8. 25 Q. How was Elymas punished for this crime? A. Saul (who from this time is called Paul in Scrip |