1ft, LET us learn a Leffon from hence, dearly Beloved, as we go along; namely, that as foon as the Fear of the Lord entereth into a Man's Heart, the Sword of Perfecution droppeth out of his Hand. Peace, which is the Badge of the Gofpel, and Cruelty, which is the Coat of Arms of Satan, cannot dwell together. Behold, he prayeth !

2dly, IT is obfervable, that when a Zealot leaves his Party, and turns Chriftian, how very apt the High Party are, ungratefully to forget all his former wicked Merit, which made him dear to them; and to perfecute him for apoftatizing into Mercy and Grace. While Paul continued the fiery Flail of the Godly, the Priests held him in high Favour, and trufted him with their Ecclefiaftical Commiffion: And for what? Why, to bring bound to Jerufalem all thofe of this Way: Of what Way? Why, all that forfook the established Synagogue, and followed Chrift.

3dly, OBSERVE, my Brethren, that Con science and Non-conformity had the Powers of the World againft them feventeen hundred Zears ago. Paul, the Blafphemer, had a Poft; but Paul the Convert, Paul the Saint, is allowed no Toleration; yea, they watched the Gates

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Gates Day and Night to kill him; for, Behold, he prayeth!

4thly, IT is obfervable from the whole Hiftory of Paul, that the Grace of God makes a Man both meek under Sufferings, and bold for Chrift. Here our Convert neither returns the Injury, nor flacks his Pace in planting the Gospel; both hard Tasks! He rifqued his Life, and laboured in the Vineyard, without Pay; a rare thing in this our Day! when the firft Motive for overseeing of Souls, is fo much a Year. The Apostle drove no Bargain about Preaching, nor made a Market of Salvation.

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OH! my. Beloved, how many dignified Drones have we in our Time, who fet up for a Likeness to the Apostles, without any Likenefs; who take great Sums for Mock Apostleship, when nothing thrives by their Ministry, but their Bellies! This, my Friends, is lamentable, but it is lamentably true.

II. I HASTE Now to my second general Head, and will difcourfe particularly upon several Verfes in this Chapter.

I BEGIN with Verfe the 8th, And he went into the Synagogue, and Spake boldly for the Space of three Months, difputing and perfuadeing the things concerning the Kingdom of God.

ift, AND he went into the Synagogue. Obferve we here, ift, my beloved Brethren, that as great Bigots as the Jews were, and as great a Diffenter as Paul was, yet they fuffered him to preach in their Synagogues or Churches. He had a clear Stage, though perhaps not equal Favour. Now think ye, my Friends, if the fame Apostle should come among us here in London, at this time, that he would be permitted to preach in his own Church, unless he first qualified himself according to the Forms and Ceremonies of the Church of England by Law established? Or would he, trow ye, get any Preferment, that the black Dons could hinder him from, in cafe he perfifted to preach what his Mafter preached before him; namely, that Chrift's Kingdom was not of this World?

2dly, My Beloved, we may see here the great Point of Paul's Preaching; He difputed and perfuaded the Things concerning the Kingdom of God. Not a Word of his own fpiritual Dominion; not a Word of Epifcopal Sovereigns, who were to defcend, as it were, from his Loins, and who, without his Inspiration or Miracles, were to fucceed him in what he ne ver had; worldly Wealth, worldly Grandeur, and worldly Power; Things which always L 3

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mar the Kingdom of God, instead of promoteing it; there being no Fellowship between Chrift and Belial.

LET us now proceed to the 9th Verfe, and fee what that fays; But when divers were hardened, (obferve he fays, when divers were hardened) and believed not, but spake Evil of that Way before the Multitude, he departed from zbem, and Separated the Disciples, difputing daily in the School of one Tyrannus.

THE Priefts, no doubt, who traded in Ceremonies, and knew nothing of Jesus Christ, or of inward Holiness, were nettled at a new Religion, which taught Men a plain Path to Heaven, without the Incumbrances of Sacrifices, or Priests, or Fopperies; a Religion, that had a professed Enmity to all fecular Gain, and all holy Trifling.

MARVEL not at it, my Brethren; a Religion without a Hierarchy, and Godliness without Gain, will never please any Set of High Priests: Nothing will go down with them but Pride and Grimace, and the ready Peny. Poor Paul had nothing about him of all this, nor did he teach a Religion that had. All that he brought, was a Christ crucified, and Salvation in and through him. They therefore spake Evil of that Way before the Multitude; that is,

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the Priefts told the People, that Paul was an Heretic, and his Doctrine was Schifm; but for themselves, they had Antiquity and the Fathers on their Side, with an Orthodox Church full of decent Types and Ceremonies.

THERE needed no more to prevent the Apoftle from doing any Good among them : So be departed from them. This was all the Punishment he inflicted on them, and this was enough. He who had the Holy Ghoft, could have inflicted Death or Mifery on them; but it was oppofite to the Genius of his Religion, which allows fpiritual Paftors to feed their Flocks, but not force them, nor to punish them, if they refuse to feed. If a Man has not a Mind to be faved, he has the worst of it himfelf; and what is it to the Priefts? as Master Selden well remarketh.

THIS, my Brethren, was the primitive Excommunication. If you could work no Good upon a Man; or if that Man worked Mischief to you, or gave you Scandal; why you would not keep Company with him. But to give him to the Devil, because he was already going to the Devil of himfelf, is to be a Minifter of Chrift the backward way. Befides, there was no need of it. The Apostle, in my Text, neither curses these unbelieving High-Church