n. Places Dom. ther they

went.

33

How often
Paul bad

bi- been there

Proofs of

Proofs of the

the time and Their most remarkable Transactions Transactions. after bis converfion. place.

as it was laid against him),
by fhewing, in many in-
tances through their history,
that God's favour had no
been confined to any of the
things they moft valued, as,
he land of Canaan, the
Circumcifion, the Taber-
nacle, or the Temple; for
that Abraham had been fa-
voured with the appearances
of the glory of God, and of
divine revelations, whilft he
was in Mefopotamia and in
Charran, before he dwelt in
Canaan: that when he dwelt
there it was but as a stranger,
and not as a poffeffor: that
God did not promife to give
it to his feed till many ages
after; that he was accepted
of God, and dwelt in Ca-
naan, before he was circum-
cifed; that Jofeph, who was
in favour with God, was
fold out of that land into
Egypt; that Jacob and the
patriarchs were forced to
follow him thither; tha
Mofes was born there, and
lived in Midian, and in the
wilderness, where the If-
raelitish people were carried,
and not immediately to the
holy land; that it was there
the Tabernacle was
pitched, and was afterwards
carried into Canaan, which
itfelf then was the poffet
ion of the Gentiles; tha

C 3

firf

Moles

Chrift; that the Tabernacle
continued the place of God's
worship but till the erecting
the Temple; that the Tem-
ple was fo little neceffary to
the worship of God, that
God deferred the building
of it, only because David
had been a man of war; ane
that Solomon, at the dedi-
cation of it, fhewed, that
the most high God neither
could confine his efpecial
prefence, nor would confine
his bleffings, on the wor-
hipers of himself to any
temple made with hands;
and that the judgments of
God, which had followed
their fore-fathers for reject-
ing Mofes and the prophets.
whom they perfecuted and
flew, would come to the ut-
termoft upon them, for be
raying and murdering the
Juft-one, of whofe coming!
Mofes and all the prophets
had foretold: fince, though
they had received the law by
the difpofition of angels,
they had not kept it, nor
answered any of the ends for
which it was given. The
conclufion, which they did
not give him time to draw,
or which he left to them to
draw, was, that as the fa-
vour of God had not been
formerly confined to Canaan,

Circum

33

Circumcifion, the Taber

nacle, and Temple, they could no ways affure themfelves of God's protection now, on the account of al or any of those things, under all their impieties. They, A&ts vii. not being able to bear this 59. bold defence, expreffed the moft bitter rage against him; which he oblerving, looked jup to heaven, from whence alone be expected relief; Jand, for his own encouragement and the encourage: ment of all fucceeding mar tyrs, had the heavens opened to him, fo that he faw the glory of God, and Jefus tanding on the right hand of God, ready to receive him whereupon they furiously caft him out of the city, and ftoned him: who, in imitation of Him that gave his life a ranfom for the world, in the midft of his gonies got upon his knees, and prayed to God with a loud voice, not to lay that in to their charge. The Acts vii. witneffes, who were to begin 58. he execution, ftripping themfelves for it, laid down their cloaths at a young man's feet, whofe name was

Saul;

and he was confent-Acts vii. fing unto Stephen's death. 38. But devout men, as a mark Acts viii. of their high esteem for him, 1.

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buried