SECT. 11. great and populous city likewife of Macedonia, and lying CHAP. IV. more to the fouth, towards Athens. Here likewife was a fynagogue of the Jews, into which St. Paul went and preached with good fuccefs; infomuch that the sacred writer has bestowed a peculiar elogium on the Berœans, telling us they were f more noble or ingenuous than those of Theffalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and diligently fearched the Scriptures, whether the things they had heard of Paul concerning the Meffias, or Chrift, were fo or no. But the Jews of Theffalonica, s hearing what entertainment A. D. 50. the Apostle had met with here, quickly pursued him with their malice, and forced him to retire hence to Athens. Of Athens, from Be Athens was one of the most renowned cities of the 18. world. It ftands on the gulf of the Egean fea, whither St. which comes up to the ifthmus of the Peloponnefe, or Paul retires Morea; in that diftrict of Greece, properly fo called, rdea. which was named Attica, whence the Attic dialect was esteemed as the pureft or finest Greek. To fay all that is to be faid of this famous city, would take up too much room in this treatise. It will be fufficient to our prefent purpose to obferve, that as it was the most powerful city of Greece by fea, and one of the two which for a long time contended for, and fometimes had, the chief fway in Greece, and on this account makes a great figure in the hiftory of Greece; so it was more renowned for being the feat of learning and philofophy. On which score we find several great encomiums given it by the ancient writers. I fhall take notice but of two, viz. that of the famous orator Cicero, who defcribes it as the fountain, whence civility, learning, religion, arts, and laws were derived into all other nations. The other h carries in it a true tafte of the Grecian humour, running thus: "If thou haft not feen Athens, thou deservest to f Acts xvi. 11. h Lyfipp. Comic. apud Dicæarch. de vit. Græc. ❝ be PART II. " be accounted a block; if thou haft feen it, and art not "in love with it, thou art a dull ftupid afs; if, having "feen it, thou canst be willing to leave it, thou art fit "for nothing but to be a pack-horse." St. Paul during his stay in this city difputed with the Jews, who had here also a fynagogue. But he was chiefly concerned at the idolatry, which he perceived the city so mightily given to, whereupon he fcrupled not to dispute daily with fuch as he met with in the places of common concourse. But among the several fects of philofophers, he had more particular conteft with the Stoicks and Epicureans. At length being taken and brought to Areopagus, or Mars' Hill, where was the highest court of judicature, St. Paul there made that excellent discourse mentioned Acts xvii. 22, &c. At which though fome mocked, yet it did not wholly want its defired effect, and that upon fome of the greateft rank and quality among them. In which number was Dionyfius the Areopagite, i. e. one of the fenators and judges of the court held in the Areopagus; and Damaris, not improbably esteemed his wife by the ancients. This Dionyfius is faid by fome to have gone afterwards into France, and there to have planted Christianity, and to have become bishop of Paris. But Monf. Launoy, a learned doctor of the Sorbon, (to mention no other,) has unanswerably proved Dionyfius of Athens, and St. Denis of France, or Paris, to have been diftinct perfons. 19. Athens, comes to i St. Paul, departing from Athens, directed his travels St. Paul, ftill fouthward, going into the Peloponnefus, or Morea, departing from to the famous city of k Corinth, then the refidence of the proconful of Achaia. This city was commodiously feated, not only for trade, but also for the command A. D. 50. of all Greece, lying at the bottom of the ifthmus, or neck of land that joins the Morea to the main land. But the inhabitants were chiefly given to trading, which rendered them very wealthy. Here were alfo feveral Corinth. 51. i Acts xvii. 34. Acts xviii. 1. orators SECT. II. orators and philofophers refiding. On which account it CHAP. IV. Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum; i. e. I fhall only obferve further, that this city is memorable among Heathen writers for its citadel Acro-corinthus, fo called as being built on a very high rock or hill; as alfo for its infolence to the Roman legates, which caufed L. Mummius, thence ftyled Achaicus, to destroy it. In the burning whereof, fo many ftatues of gold, filver, brafs, and other metals were melted down, that hence, by a fatal chance, arofe that famous mixed metal, called Corinthian brafs, efteemed above gold and filver, and of which m Jofephus faith the beautiful gate of the Temple of Jerufalem was made. Laftly, the houses of this city were so neatly built, and beautified with pillars, that from it, the fort of pillars here used have been ever fince called by the name of Corinthian pillars. 20. In St. Paul St. Paul, having ftaid n a good while at Corinth, takes leave of the brethren there, defigning to fail to Syria. order whereto he goes to Cenchrea, the port or road ships belonging to Corinth on the eastern bay. takes ship for at Cen chrea, and fails for Here taking fhip, he fails cross the Archipelago to Jerufalem. Ephefus, where he made but a fhort ftay; telling the A. D. 52. 1 1 Cor. iv. 8. 10. m Jofeph. of the Wars of the Jews, book vi. chap. vi. p. 934. L'Eftrange's English edit. brethren PART II. brethren there, upon their ufing importunity with him to stay longer, that he must by all means keep the approaching paffover at Jerufalem; after which he would, God willing, return to them again; which he accordingly did, and therefore I fhall defer the defcription of Ephefus till then, and at present accompany our Apostle, who, setting fail from Ephefus, landed at Cæfarea in Palestine, and A. D. 52. from thence went up to Jerufalem, and kept the passover with the brethren.. CHAP. CHAP. V. Of St. Paul's Travels and Voyages into Afia, and particularly to Ephefus; and from thence into Macedonia and Greece, till his fifth Return to Jerufalem, after his Converfion. Afia. 1. ST. PAUL having kept the paffover at Jerufalem, went thence down to Antioch in Syria. And after he had St. Paul, leaving Je fpent fome time there, he departed and went over all the rufalem, country of Galatia and Phrygia, in order as they lay in comes into his way. And having paffed through those upper coafts, he comes again to Ephesus in Afia, where he now makes a confiderable stay. I fhall therefore now speak of Asia, and then of Ephesus, and the rest of the seven churches in Afia, to which the feven Epiftles are fent in the Revelation of St. John; after which I fhall proceed with the travels and voyages of our Apoftle. SECT. I. Of the Scripture-Afia, and the feven Churches therein, to which the feven Epiftles in the Book of Revelation were Sent. 2. ASIA in its largest acceptation denotes the whole Afiatic continent, being the eastern and greatest of the three Of Atia. parts of the old world. In this sense it is distinguished into two parts, Afia the Leffer, denoting, fo much as lies between the Euxine or Black Sea northward, and the Mediterranean fouthward; and Afia the Greater, denoting all the rest of the Afiatic continent. Afia the Leffer contained the provinces of Bithynia, • Acts xviii. 22, 23. and Acts xix. 1. Pontus, |