the Church of Chrift he ftands a perfecutor, and his virtues are, in the strong but just language of Auguftine, *fplendid fins. Yet his perfecution was not the effect of a cruel temper. Had the Jews regarded Chriftianity with a favourable eye, he, at least, would have protected it. But long before this time the general favour of the common people toward the Chriftians had been diffipated by the active malice of the rulers, and Chrift was found to have no lafting friends, but those whom he made fo by effectual grace. The first victim of this political perfecution was James the fon of Zebedee: he was flain with the fword, the first of the Apoftles, who departed from the Church below, to join that which is above.

Finding that the act was popular, Herod attempted to dispatcht Peter alfo. But God had referved him for more fervices; and yet, in all appearance, there was no hope of his prefervation. He was imprifoned, and flrictly guarded, with a view, after the paffover, when the concourfe of Jews at Jerufalem was very large, to have him publicly executed. The king pleafed himself with the idea of ingratiating himself with his fubjects; but the Church has arms, which men of the world understand not, and they were vigorously used on this occafion.

A fpirit of earneft perfevering prayer was poured on the Church of Jerufalem. The Lord delayed to anfwer, till the critical moment;-a method not uncommon of exercising the faith, and zeal, and patience of his people. By the miraculous interpofition of an angel, Peter, the night before his intended execution, was delivered from prifon, At first he imagined that to be done in vifion, which was a reality. At length being fully come + Acts xii.

Splendida peccata.

to

to himself, and reflecting on what the Lord had done, he came to the houfe of Mary the mother of John Mark, a woman of eminent piety and of fome opulence, where many Chriftians were gathered together in the religious employment of prayer. Thofe only, who know what the fpirit of prayer is, can conceive the vehemence of wrestling, which then engaged Chriftian hearts. The fcene which followed was at once moft aftonishing, and most pleasing. They hear a perfon knocking at the door; a young woman named Rhoda comes to hearken; fhe knows Peter's voice; joy prevents her from opening the gate; fhe returns to inform the fupplicants, that Peter ftood before it; they are induced to fufpect her of infanity, rather than to believe that their prayers were heard; fo flow are even the beft to believe the goodness of God. She perfeveres in her firft affertion; it must then, fay they, be his angel*. Peter continues knocking; they open at length; they behold him, and are astonished. Having waved his hand, and brought them to filence, he informs them of the Lord's wonderful interpofition in his favour. Go, fays he, and fhew thefe things to James, and the brethren. James, who was the Lord's brother, with himfelf and John had the greateft concern in the government of the mother-churcht at that time. Peter retires then to a place of concealment.

Little did Herod apprehend that his own death fhould precede that of his prifoner. On a public occafion, in which he appeared in great fplendor, he delivered an oration, fo pleafing to his audi"that they fhouted, it is the voice of a

ence,

God,

The idea of the miniftry of angels among men was popular with the Jews; poffibly thefe good men might carry it too far. † Gal. ii. 9.

God, and not of a man." That moment he was fmitten with an incurable disease by an angel, because he " gave not God the glory." That pride and ambition, which had gained him the character of a patriot, orator, and ftatefman, were punished with death by Him, who "feeth not as man feeth;" and he fell a warning to princes not to feek glory in oppofition to God.

The next memorable circumftance in the hiftory of the mother-church will deferve our particular attention. This was the firft Chriftian council. The controverfy which occafioned it, involved a fubject of vaft confequence in real religion.

* About twenty years had elapfed fince the effufion of the Spirit had commenced; a period of time in which, even in the midst of one of the moft wicked nations in the world, in Jerufalem and in its neighbourhood, God had erected his kingdom in the hearts of thoufands who had lived

in great unanimity and charity, " keeping the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace," confcious of their Divine Mafter's fpiritual prefence, and rejoicing in hope of his fecond coming to complete their felicity. They had fuftained, in his ftrength, with much patience, two very fevere perfecutions, in the former of which a Deacon, in the fecond an Apoftle had fealed the truth with his blood. In an earlier part of this period their holy harmony had been a little interrupted by a fecular contention; but this was foon compofed. The time was not yet arrived, when those, who called

I once for all obferve here, that the niceties of chronology make no part of my ftudy in this work. Yet I fhall endeavour to attend fo much to hiftorical connection, as to be generally right within a few years. This feems fufficient for my purpofe, and whoever attends to the fecond and third chapters to the Galatians, will fee, that I cannot err much in this inftance.

called themselves Chriftians, could fo much forget the dignity of their profeffion, as to contend paffionately for worldly things. The prefent controversy had a more intimate eonnection with the Chriftian religion itfelf, and therefore feemed more likely to disturb the union of men, with whom fpiritual objects were the chief ground of concern. The Jews were ftrongly attached to their own religious national peculiarities. Under the influence of pride, envy, and other evil paffions, this difpofition fupported the fpirit of felf-righteoufnefs. Nothing could be more contrary to the genius of the Gospel than the attempt of fome Chriftian Jews, who endeavoured to infufe into the Gentile converts an idea of the neceffity of circumcifion, and of obedience to the whole of the Mofaic ceremonial, in order to falvation. Some of the Pharifees themselves were now real Chriftians, but they were displeased to fee and hear of fo many Gentiles admitted into the Chriftian Church, and regarded by the Apoftles as on an equal footing with themselves in the favour of God. Thus were their minds darkened with refpect to the article of juftification: and, before they were aware, by thus infifting on the neceffity of circumcifion, they practically averred, that the Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift was not fufficient for man's falvation; that the favour of God was to be purchafed by human works, in part at leaft; and that their ritual obfervances, contributed to their acceptance with God.

This was the first time that the natural pride and ignorance of the human heart, difguifed under the pretence of religious zeal, attempted to undermine the fimplicity of the faith, by which hitherto Chriftians had refted with complacency on Jefus alone, had enjoyed peace of confcience, and

had

had been constrained to obedience by love. The Apoftles Paul and Barnabas looked on the growing evil with a jealous eye, and after no small fruitless altercation with the zealots, thought it better to refer the full confideration of the queftion to a council of Apoftles and Elders at Jerufalem. And now Paul returned to Jerufalem the third time fince his converfion, and about feventeen years after it; and, in his progrefs with Barnabas, reported the converfion of the Gentiles, which gave great joy to the Chriftian Jews in general.

At the Council, Peter, who was returned to Jerufalem, and fince Agrippa's death was no longer molefted, opened the debate by obferving, that a confiderable time ago, God had felected him to preach to the Gentiles, and had bleffed his labours with unequivocal fuccefs, in purifying their hearts by faith, and in difpenfing the Holy Ghoft among them, no less than on the Jews. After God himself had thus decided, he faid it appeared prefumptuous in any perfon to impofe a yoke on the Gentiles, from which the Divine Indulgence had exempted them. He infifted that the yoke itself, especially when laid on the confcience as neceffary to falvation, was intolerable: and he concluded, that even they, who ftill, for charitable and prudential reafons, perfifted in the ritual obfervances, were yet obliged to repofe for falvation only on the "grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift," as well as these Gentiles, who never had obferved them at all. This full teftimony of Peter was fupported by Paul and Barnabas, who gave large proof of the Divine Grace vouchfafed to the Gentiles. James, who seems to have been the ftanding paftor of Jerufalem, confirmed the fame argument, by the prophets of the Old Teftament, agreeably to

Peter's