158 ST PAUL'S DIVINE COMMISSION [DISC. II. ing the vigour and spirit of his writings, and the force of argument contained in them, we have the testimony of some of his greatest adversaries, as he himself represents the case. His letters, say they, are weighty and power- ful ; and he was not ashamed to appeal to themselves, and threaten them, that he would make -it appear that his practice towards them should have as much force and power as his letters had, when he came the second time to visit' them ; 2 Cor. x. 10; 1.1. :And we have.the testimony of two others, particularly Luke the physician, in his history of the Acts of the ,Apostles, who was a fel- low- traveller with him ; and Peter, who was another of his countrymen, in his epistles, bears witness to him and to his writings : besides the testimonyof all the christian writers from the beginning of Christianity ; 2 Pet. iii. 15, 16. Which writings of St. Paul are dignified by St. Peter himself, with the names of the scriptures, ver. 16. they being both men inspired by God, andof chief repute among the, apostles. I proceed now to enquire, what were these blessed effects on men in the heathen world, whereby Paul's doctrine of the resurrection of. Christ was further con- firmed and established.. And here I might talk largely of the idolaters, that were turned from their superstitions to the worship and love of the true God, of their abandoning their former vices, mad the superstitious and sinful customs of their nations, and the reformation of their lives and manners, to goodness and holiness, &c. but I shall confine myself only to those effects which bear a more apparent relation to the resurrection of Christ; and such are these that follow : (viz.) 1. How many dead sinners were made alive to God, and virtue, piety and universal holiness, bypreaching this doctrine of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? What encouragement for hope of pardon for the worst ofsinners, in this blessed doctrine of a dying and .a rising Saviour? What an assurance of full atonement made to the justice of God, in that Jesus, who, in death, took our sins upon him, is now discharged from the dead, and his dismission from the grave is a full token and proof of it. ,He diedfor our offences, and rose againfor ourjustifi- cation; Rom. iv. 25.
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