How often Paul had
been there after his
conversion,

Proofs of the time
and place.

Their most remarkable
Transactions.

Proofs of the

Transactions.

70

196

For at this time he says, he had
left Erastus in Corinth, and
Trophimus sick at Miletum;
whereas he could neither be at]
Corinth nor Miletum in his first
voyage.

Peter writes his two Epistles
about this time, declares him-
self an elder, and a witness of
the sufferings of Christ: dating
the first from Rome, which he
calls Babylon, in the Apoca-
lyptic style; as may appear
probable from the companions
he had then with him.

Jude seems to have written his Epistle at the same time, from its agreement in matter and expressions with the Epistle of Peter.

Though Paul's intention seems to have been to have gone to Italy and Spain, to strengthen the disciples he had made in his former journey; yet he went no farther, but suffered martyrdom (under Helius Caesar, the vilest lieutenant of the vilest prince any age or country ever produced): and so did Peter, in the manner Jesus foretold, John xxi. 18.

This year Jerusalem is besieged, taken, sacked, and burned by Titus, according to Christ's prophecy, Luke xix. 43, 44; 1,100,000 Jews perish, 97,000 are made prisoners, besides an innumerable company, who, in other places, killed themselves, or perished through famine, banishment, or other miseries.

About this time St. John seems to have written the Apocalypse, to supply the place of a continued succession of Prophets in the Christian Church,

till the second coming of Christ. 1 John i. John writes his first general 1, 2, 3, Epistle; declares himself a wit-and iv. 14.

ESSAY I.

ON THE TEACHING AND WITNESS OF THE

HOLY SPIRIT.

INTRODUCTION.

SECTION I.-The Teaching and Witness of the Holy Spirit, the greatest Evidence of the Truth of the Christian Religion.

THE Christian dispensation is the last and most gracious dispensation of God to mankind. It is not however without its enemies, among some few of the sober, and, who seem, at least, on all other occasions, capable, diligent, and fair inquirers; as well as among the vicious, the indolent, the knavish, and the incompetent. The greatest witness to the truth of the Christian religion is the Holy Spirit. I have therefore thought it might be of some service, to consider that evidence with all the care and attention I could.

I have chosen to do this the rather, because, whilst I think this teaching of the Spirit the greatest proof of the truth of the Christian religion, I at the same time see, that it runs so much through the beginning and end of the

VOL. I.

Α

Gospels, particularly St. John's; and is so much insisted upon in the Acts, and all the Epistles, that neither the scheme of the Christian religion itself, nor a great number of texts in the New Testament can be understood without carefully considering it.

SECTION II.-Before the fall, God imparted His will to mankind, by frequent and immediate communica

tion.

The invisible God, the Creator of all things, who at first made man upright and happy, often conversed with him (whilst he kept his integrity) by the Word; by whom He made, and governs the world: as may be gathered from that short history, which Moses gives us, of the creation of our first parents. We have an account of God's conversing with them three or four times before the fall.' This was an honour therefore He often vouchsafed them, if the general opinion be true, of the short time they preserved their innocence. How much oftener God might vouchsafe them this high privilege, we do not exactly know; but that it had been often enough for Adam and Eve to be well acquainted with His voice, we may gather from these words "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, in the cool of

I Gen. i. 28-31. and ii. 15-20.