194 sT. PA$L'S DIVINE COMstISSIOIe. 22. That he straightway preached Christ in the synagogue, that' he is the Son of God ; Gal. i. 1. Paulan apostle, not of man, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ. He had a new heart given him, andwas made a new man. I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation ofJesus'Christ. God called me by his grace, and revealed his Son in me; Gal. i. 15, 16. And of an enemy he became a friend, and preacher of the gospel; Gal. i. 11-16, 23. 3. He found strange powers communicated to him, and he could speak many unknown languages, and gave this gift of tongues to other men ; he could heal the sick with a touch of his band, or a word of his mouth : he could make the lame to walk, as at Lystra ; Acts xiv. 8, 10. ànd strike men blind with a re- proof, so Elymas ; Acts xiii. 11, 12. and couldraise the dead ; so Eutychus, Acts xx. IO, 12. and besides all this, he had apower of communicating these miraculous and healing gifts to christians ; which eminently appears among the Corinthians;. to which he appeals in his disputes with them ; 1 Cor. xiv. 18. Now was itpossible for a man who felt such amazing chan. ges wrought in him, and such amazing powers communicated to him by Jesus Christ, to doubt whether Christ was risen from the (lead, whether Jesus were alive or no ? Or wouldGod havecom- municated such powers to a man, who went about to preach the resurrection of Christ, if Christ had never been raised from the grave? Would God have afforded such favours to a man who preached the christian religion, if it had not been true and appro- vedof God ? Nor could St. Paul be deceived in his frequently exercising these powers, nor couldhe deceive others by pretending to them, nor could he appeal to men who enjoyed them, if he had not re- ceived them and bestowed them. He appeals, in his public epis- tles to the Corinthians and Romans, two large assemblies in two noted cities; Rom. xv. 18. 2Cor. xii. 71. These letterswere to be read by the churches, and they published his vindication. And let it be observed too, that several among the Corinthians were his professed adversaries, and had set themselves up against him, and endeavoured to deny his apostleship. 1 Cor. ix. 1, 2. If I be not an apostle to others, I am unto you; for ye are the seal, or proof of my apostleship, by receiving divine gifts fromme. 4. Upon closer examination of the bible, St. Paul found, thatChrist's rising from the deadwas agreeable to the revelations that God had made to mankind in former ages, agreeable to the prophecies of the prophets his predecessors, and particularly agreeableto the explications of those scriptures byhis forefathers, and the promisbs.contained in his own native religion, and in the books which teach it; Acts xiii. 30--37. and eminently in that
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