dus one F aven OR, A GEOGRAPHICAL and HISTORICAL ACCOUNT of the a manner the S our bleffed Saviour came to be a light to lighten the St. Paul in a Gentiles, as well as to be the glory of his (once more more fpecial peculiar) people, the children of Ifrael; fo the principal inftru- Apoftle of ment made use of by our Saviour to spread the light of his the GenGospel through the Gentile world, was St. Paul; who there b fore expressly styles himself the Apostle of the Gentiles, and tells us, that God was mighty in him towards the Gentiles, namely, to make them obedient by word and deed, through a Luke ii. 32. c Gal. ii. 8. tiles. mighty II. travels.com ment out of PART mighty figns and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; fo that from Jerufalem and round about unto Illyricum, and after that in Rome, and, according to the received opinion of the ancients, in Spain, and even in Britain & itself, he preached the St. Paul's Gospel of Chrift. Indeed the two greatest parts of the facred books, which make up the New Teftament befides the Gofprehend almoft all the pels, are either Epiftles written by this great Apostle, or else places mentioned in the accounts of his travels and voyages, the relation of these being New Tefta- what takes up the greatest part of the facred book, intitled, the Gospels, the Acts of the Apoftles. For this reafon, to defcribe the travels and voyages of St. Paul, is much the fame as to give a geographical account of the places mentioned in the other books of the New Teftament, befides the four Gospels. As for those few places which occur in the faid books of the New Teftament, and yet relate not to the hiftory of St. Paul's travels and voyages; they fhall however be taken notice of where it shall be moft proper, fo that in this treatise shall be comprised a full account of all fuch places as are to be found any of the books of the New Testament that follow after the Gospels, and have not been described before in the former Part as being likewife mentioned in the Gospels. in • Acts xxviii. 31. f Epiphan. Hæref. xxvii. p. 51. Chryf. de Laud. Paul. Cyril. Catech. xvii. p. 457. Theod. in Tim. et Pfalm. Athan. ad Dracont. CHAP. CHAP. I. Of St Paul's Travels from his leaving Jerufalem to go to Damafcus, till his first return to Jerufalem, after his Converfion. 1. St. Paul to Damaf ST. Paul having (as himself acquaints us) been bred up, after the strictest feet of the Jewish religion, a Pharifee, goes from was very zealous for the Mofaical Law, and confequently Jerufalem against the Gospel of Chrift, as a doctrine looked upon by cus. him to be fet up in oppofition to the Law. Hereupon he thought with himself, that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of JESUS of Nazareth; which he accordingly did in Jerufalem, shutting up many Christians in prifon, having received authority from the chief priests so to do. And when they were put to death, he gave his voice against them, and punished them frequently in every fynagogue, and even compelled them to blafpheme, by speaking against or difowning of Chrift. Nay, so exceedingly mad was St. Paul against such as profeffed themselves to be the difciples of Chrift, that he perfecuted them even unto ftrange cities, lying without the bounds of Judea. For the Jewish Sanhedrim, or chief council, not only had power of feizing and fcourging offenders against their law within their own country, but, by the connivance and favour of the Romans, might fend into other countries, where there were any synagogues that acknowledged a dependance in religious matters upon the forementioned council at Jerufalem, to apprehend them. Accordingly St. Paul was fent to Damafcus, with authority and commiffion from the chief priests, to fetch up what Chriftians he could find there, that they might be arraigned and sentenced at Jerufalem. But God had defigned him from A. D. 35. b a A&ts xxvi. 5, 9, &c. b Acts xxvi. 11. hence |