immediately I sent to you; and you have done well to come. now here we are all in the presence of God, to hear whatever he has given you in charge.

but the voice from heaven address'd it self to me again, and said, don't call that impure, which God has purified.

this was done three times, and then the whole scene was mounted to heaven.

so he went out after the angel without knowing that what the angel had done, was real; but thinking it was all a vision.

after they had accomplished all that was written concerning him, he was taken down from the cross, and laid in a sepulchre:

When the people saw what Paul had done, they cry'd out in the Lycaonian tongue, the Gods have assum'd a human form, and are descended among us.

and being arrived at Jerusalem, they were receiv'd by the church, by the apostles, and presbyters, to whom they related all that God had done by them.

After they had done speaking, James assum'd the discourse, and said, my brethren, give me your attention.

"after this I will return and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down:

we went out of town on the sabbath towards the river, where the Jews were allowed to have an oratory.

then having called for a light, he ran in, and with trembling fell down before Paul and Silas;

for one Demetrius, a silver-smith, who made little models of Diana's temple, and so furnish'd a deal of employment to the workmen in that trade,

so that not only our profession runs the risk of being vilified; but the temple of the great goddess Diana will be depreciated, and her majesty, so rever'd thro' all Asia, and the whole world, will be discarded."

at these words, they were fir'd with indignation, and cry'd out, "great is Diana of the Ephesians."

but when they knew he was a Jew, they cry'd out one and all for the space of two hours, "great is Diana of the Ephesians."

at length the town-clerk appeased the people, and thus began, "who is there, O Ephesians, that does not know, that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Diana, and of her statue, which fell from heaven:

and as Paul continued his discourse a great while, a young man, named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, was seiz'd with a deep sleep, which quite o'er-came him; so that he fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead.

so Paul went down, and stooping over him, he embraced him, and said, don't trouble your selves; for his life is in him.

After this discourse, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

that time being ended, we departed, being conducted by them in a body with the women and children quite out of the city, where we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.

he being then inflexible, we desisted, saying, the will of the Lord be done.

what then is to be done? they will necessarily be all assembled, for they can't but hear, you are come.

the commander advanc'd, seiz'd him, and order'd to load him with two chains: then demanded who he was, and what he had done.

the Jews, said he, have agreed to desire you would send Paul down to-morrow to the council, under the pretext of examining him more strictly.

but don't believe them: for above forty of them lie in ambush, having bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink till they have kill'd him: they are already prepar'd, and only wait your answer.

then the tribune dismiss'd the youth with this charge, don't tell any one, that you have given me this information.

Having staid above eight, nay ten days, he went to Cesarea, and on the morrow mounting the tribunal, he order'd Paul to be brought before him.

"I stand, said Paul, to the tribunal of Cesar, where I ought to be judged. to the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself very well know.

but finding he had done nothing that deserv'd death, I have resolved to send him to the emperor, to whom he had appealed.

we were all struck down: when I heard a voice directed to me pronounce these words in the Hebrew tongue, "Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? it is dangerous for thee to kick against the goad."

king Agrippa, don't you give credit to the prophetic writings? I know you do.

they declar'd to one another, "this man has done nothing that deserves either death or imprisonment:"

this done, all hands aloft they frapp'd the ship tought with her cables, and for fear of striking upon the sands, they struck the main sail, and so drove.

It was the fourteenth night that we had been driving up and down in the Adriatick sea, when the ship's crew about midnight suspected they were making to land:

three days after, Paul sent for the chief of the Jews: and when they were assembled, he said to them, "my brethren, tho' I have done nothing against the Jews, or against the customs of our fathers, I was made a prisoner at Jerusalem, and put into the hands of the Romans:

who, after my examination, would have discharg'd me, as having done nothing that was capital.

you therefore who instruct others don't you instruct yourself?

the reward is not counted as a favour to him that has done good actions, but as a debt:

whereas he that trusts in God to be made righteous, tho' he has not done such actions, shall find his faith accounted as righteousness.

don't you know that when we were all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we were plunged into a state figurative of his death.

for before they were born, and had done neither good or evil, that the distinction which God had purposed to make might appear to be, not in consideration of their actions, but of his own free call,

but the justification which is by faith, speaks in this manner; "say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven, in order to bring Christ down from above?

God hath not discarded his people whom he formerly approv'd. don't you know what the scripture says of Elias? how he complain'd to God against Israel,

in these words, "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I alone am left, and they seek my life also."

let their eyes be darkned, so as not to see, and let their back be continually bowed down."

don't triumph over the branches: or if you do, remember the root is not dependent upon you, but you upon the root.

nay, even the Jews, if they don't continue still incredulous, shall be grafted in: since divine power can graft them in again.

Don't let our religion then be expos'd to reproach.

do not for such a thing as meat, pull down what God has been raising. all things indeed are pure; but they become evil to him who by eating giveth offence.

true, I baptized the family of Stephanas: but I don't know that I baptized any other besides.

Don't you know, that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you?

we are fatigu'd by our manual toil: when reviled, we pray: when persecuted, we don't repine:

This I don't write to give you any confusion, but by way of remonstrance, to you who are my dear children.

for though you may have ten thousand christian preceptors, you cannot have many fathers; since it was I that first instructed you in the gospel of Christ Jesus:

this you have made a matter of levity, instead of being concern'd in discarding him that has done such an action.

Your levity is very indecent: don't you know that a little leaven infects the whole mass?

don't you know that these are to judge the world? if the world is to be judg'd by you, are not you qualify'd to decide your petty causes?

don't you know that we shall be judges of angels? much more then of the affairs of life?

beside, you are absolutely in the wrong in going to law with one another at all: why don't you rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer loss?

Don't you know, that your bodies are parts of Christ's mystical body? now, how can that which is Christ's, be made the property of a very creature?

it cannot be. why, don't you perceive, that where there is such an attachment, they are but as one person? for the scripture says, "they two shall be as one."

don't desert one another, unless you mutually consent to retire for a time, to the solemnity of prayer; and then come together again, lest satan make an attempt upon your continency.

were you called being a slave? be not perplex'd about it; but if you can obtain your freedom, don't refuse it.

have you been redeemed from slavery? then, don't turn slaves.

are you contracted to a wife? seek not to be disengag'd. are you disengag'd from your wife? don't look out for another;

meat does not recommend us to God: if we eat, we are not the better men; if we don't eat, we are not the worse.

don't you know, that they who prepare the sacrifices, do eat of the sacrifice in the temple? and they who wait at the altar, have their portion from the altar?

be not idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."

but if any man say to you, this is offered in sacrifice to an idol, don't eat, for his sake that mentioned it, and for conscience sake.

when I say conscience, I don't mean your own, but that of the other: for why should I expose my liberty to the censure of another man's conscience?

And even inanimate instruments of sound, whether pipe or harp, except they have a distinct variety of notes, how can they express any significant tune?

therefore if I don't know the meaning of the language, with respect to him that speaks, I shall be a barbarian; and he that speaks shall be a barbarian to me.

what then is to be done? why, I will pray by the spirit, but my prayer shall be intelligible: I will sing by the spirit, but my hymn shall be intelligible.

yet in the church I had rather speak five words that convey my meaning to the instruction of others, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

the secrets of his heart become manifest; and so falling down on his face, he will worship God, and declare that God is certainly amongst you.

what is then to be done, my brethren? when you come together, one of you with a psalm, another with a doctrine, another with a strange tongue, another with a revelation, another with an interpretation: let the whole be done to edification.

wherefore, brethren, zealously exercise the gift of prophecy, and don't prohibit those that speak in an unknown language.

let all things be done with decency, and without disorder.

besides, my engaging with those monsters, as I may say, at Ephesus, what advantage was it to me? if the dead don't rise, "let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."

and whatever you sow, you don't sow that body which shall afterwards appear, but only the bare grain of wheat, for instance, or of some other grain.

nevertheless, God who comforteth those that are cast down, gave me comfort by the arrival of Titus: not barely by his presence,

now I rejoice, not at your uneasiness, but at your repentance which succeeded: for your sorrow was a religious sorrow, such as convinc'd you I had done you no wrong.

wherefore, my writing to you so severely did not proceed from any prejudice to him, that had done the wrong, or from favour to him that suffered wrong, but to show my conscientious regard to your welfare.

I don't mean to prescribe to you, but that the zeal of others may show you are as sincerely well-affected.

for tho' I am involv'd with the world, I don't sustain the war with their poor arts:

I will not boast of any thing done without my province, but confine myself within that line by which God has mark'd out my bounds, and in which you are included.

I don't assume to myself the credit of other men's labours in another province, but hope, that when your faith is increased, the bounds now prescribed will be enlarged by you yet farther;

but thro' a window I was let down in a basket by the wall, and so escap'd.

but tho' I don't know whether it was in the body, or out of the body, which God only knows,

It is not you that have done me any injury: tho' you knew through what infirmity of the flesh I heretofore preached the gospel to you,

But tell me, you that are so willing to be under the law, why don't you consider the law?

drunkenness, revellings, and such like, concerning which I forewarn you now, as heretofore I have done, that they who practise such vices, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

for he is our peace-maker, who hath united both Jew and Gentile, and hath by his flesh broken down the middle wall of partition

are you angry? have a care you don't sin. "let not the sun go down upon your wrath,"

don't you therefore be concern'd with them.

You husband, love your spouse, even as Christ loved the church, and laid down his life for her:

and you fathers don't exasperate your children: but instruct them in the discipline and institution of the Lord.

I don't imagine, my brethren, that I am arriv'd at the goal; but this I do, unmindful of what is pass'd, I stretch towards that which is in view,

"don't eat this, don't taste that, nor touch it:"

these are vices which draw down the divine vengeance upon unbelieving nations;