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"nor with tumult, who ought to have been "here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.' Acts xxiv. 17-19. This mention of alms and offerings certainly brings the narrative in the Acts nearer to an accordancy with the epiftle; yet no one, I am perfuaded, will suspect that this clause was put into St. Paul's defence, either to fupply the omiffion in the preceding narrative, or with any view to fuch accordancy.

After all, nothing is yet faid or hinted concerning the place of the contribution; nothing concerning Macedonia and Achaia. Turn therefore to the first epistle to the Corinthians, chap. xvi. ver. 1-4, and you have St. Paul delivering the following directions: "Concerning the collection for "the faints, as I have given orders to the "churches of Galatia, even fo do ye : upon "the first day of the week let every one "of you lay by him in ftore as God hath

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profpered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, "whomfoever you fhall approye by your "letters, them will I fend to bring your liberality unto Jerufalem; and if it be C 4

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"meet that I go alfo, they fhall go with "me." In this paffage we find a contribution carrying on at Corinth, the capital of Achaia, for the Chriftians of Jerufalem ; we find alfo a hint given of the poffibility of St. Paul going up to Jerufalem hímself, after he had paid his vifit into Achaia: but this is spoken of rather as a poffibility than as any fettled intention; for his firft thought was, "Whomfoever you shall ap"prove by your letters, them will I fend to. "bring your liberality to Jerufalem :" and, in the fixth verfe he adds, "That ye may "bring me on my journey whither foever I

go." This epiftle purports to be written after St. Paul had been at Corinth; for it refers throughout to what he had done and faid amongst them whilft he was there. The expreffion therefore, "When I come," muft relate to a fecond vifit; against which vifit the contribution spoken of was defired to be in readiness.

But though the contribution in Achaia be exprefsly mentioned, nothing is here faid concerning any contribution in Macedonia. Turn therefore, in the third place,

to

to the fecond Epiftle to the Corinthians, chap. viii. ver. 1-4, and you will discover the particular which remains to be fought for: "Moreover, brethren, we do you to "wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that, in a great "trial of affliction, the abundance of their

joy and their deep poverty abounded unto "the riches of their liberality; for to their I bear record, yea, power and beyond "their power, they were willing of them"felves; praying us, with much entreaty, "that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the miniftering

to the faints." To which add chap. ix. ver. 2: "I know the forwardness of your "mind, for which I boast of you to them "of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a

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in Achaia; but for whom the contribution was made does not appear in this epistle at all: that information must be supplied from the first epistle.

Here therefore, at length, but fetched from three different writings, we have obtained the feveral circumftances we enquired after, and which the Epiftle to the Romans brings together, viz. a contribution in A haia for the Chriftians of Jerufalem; a contribution in Macedonia for the fame; and an approaching journey of St. Paul to Jerufalem. We have these circumstances each by fome hint in the paffage in which it is mentioned, or by the date of the writing in which the paffage occurs-fixed to a particular time; and we have that time turning out, upon examination, to be in, all the fame; namely, towards the clofe of St. Paul's fecond vifit to the peninfula of Greece. This is an inftance of conformity beyond the poffibility, I will venture to fay, of random writing to produce. I alfo affert, that it is in the highest degree improbable that it should have been the effect of con

trivance and defign. The imputation of defign amounts to this, that the forger of the Epistle to the Romans inferted in it the paffage upon which our obfervations. are founded, for the purpose of giving colour to his forgery by the appearance of conformity with other writings which were then extant. I reply, in the first place, that, if he did this-to countenance his forgery, he did it for the purpose of an argument which would not ftrike one reader in ten thousand. Coincidences fo circuitous as this answer not the ends of forgery; are feldom, I believe, attempted by it. In the fecond place I observe, that he must have had the Acts of the Apoftles, and the two Epiftles to the Corinthians, before him at the time. In the Acts of the Apostles (I mean that part of the Acts which relates to this period) he would have found the journey to Jerusalem; but nothing about the contribution. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians he would have found a contribution going on in Achaia for the Chriftians of Jerufalem, and a diftant hint of the poffibility of the journey; but nothing concerning