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EVANGELICAL
DISCOURSES
ON
SEVERAL SUBJECTS,
85c.
DISCOURSE
I.
THE
DIVINE
COMMISSION OF
ST.
PAUL EXAMINED AND
ESTA-
BLISHED.
In
a
Sermon
preached
on
Easter
-Day,
1731.
IN
OPPOSITION
TO ALL
THE DEISTS
WHO
HAVE APPEARED IN THE
WORLD
SINCE
CHRISTIANITY BEGAN:
BEING
A
FULL CONFIRMA-
TION
OF
THE BLESSED GOSPEL.
ACTS
XXV.
18, 19.
Against
whom when
the
accusers stood
up, they brought
none accusation
of
such
things
as
I supposed,
but had certain
questions
against him
of
their
own
superstition, and of one
Jesus, who was
dead,
whom
Paul
affirmed
to
be alive.
THE
FIRST PART.
T,HE
history
which
introduces
these verses
may be
re-
presented
in
short
in
this
manner
:
The Jews
were highly
enraged against
St.
Paul
for
preaching
the gospel
of Christ
with such freedom
and
boldness in several
places;
and
when they
found
him
at
Jerusalem,
they
took occasion to
seize him,
and bring
him before the magistrate, with heavy
accusations;
but
when
he
had
defended himself
so
well,
the magistrates
saw no cause
to
punish
hirn.
The Jews
lay
in
wait
to
assassinate
him,
or
murder
him
privately;
which
being
known, he
was
sent
by
night
to
Cæsarea, to
be
judged
by Felix
the
governor;
and
there
he lay
in
prison
two
years,
till
a
new
governor, Festus, came
into the
province.
The Jews
still
pursued their
malice
against
Paul,
and
what
they could
not obtain
of
Felix,
they hoped
to
per-
suade Festus
to
grant
them
:
And
when
Festus
had
heard
what charges the
Jews brought against
him,
and when
Paul
appealed unto
Cesar,
fearing
that
Festus
would