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PART II. " be accounted a block; if thou hast seen it, and art not "in love with it, thou art a dull stupid ass; if, having 66 seen it, thou canst be willing to leave it, thou art fit "for nothing but to be a pack horse." St Paul during his stay in this city disputed with the Jews, who had here also a synagogue. But he was chiefly concerned at the idolatry, which he perceived the city so mightily given to, whereupon he scrupled not to dispute daily with such as he met with in the places of common concourse. But among the several sects of philosophers, he had more particular contest with the Stoicks and Epicureans. At length being taken and brought to Areopagus, or Mars' Hill, where was the highest court of judicature, St. Paul there made that excellent discourse mentioned Acts xvii. 22, &c. At which though some mocked, yet it did not wholly want its desired effect, and that upon some of the greatest rank and quality among them. In which number was i Dionysius the Areopagite, i. e. one of the senators and judges of the court held in the Areopagus; and Damaris, not improbably esteemed his wife by the ancients. This Dionysius is said by some to have gone afterwards into France, and there to have planted Christianity, and to have become bishop of Paris. But Mons. Launoy, a learned doctor of the Sorbon, (to mention no other,) has unanswerably proved Dionysius of Athens, and St. Denis of France, or Paris, to have been distinct persons.

19.

departing

from Athens,

comes to

St. Paul, departing from Athens, directed his travels St. Paul, still southward, going into the Peloponnesus, or Morea, to the famous city ofk Corinth, then the residence of the proconsul of Achaia. This city was commodiously Corinth. seated, not only for trade, but also for the command of all Greece, lying at the bottom of the isthmus, or neck of land that joins the Morea to the main land. But the inhabitants were chiefly given to trading, which rendered them very wealthy. Here were also several

A. D. 50.

51.

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orators and philosophers residing. On which account it CHAP. IV. is, that St. Paul tells them, Ye are rich, ye are wise, SECT. II. and honourable. In this city lived the famous, or rather infamous, whore Thais, who exacted ten thousand drachmas for a single night's lodging; which made Demosthenes cry out, Nolo tanti emere pœnitentiam i. e. I will not purchase at so dear a rate, what I must repent of afterwards; a saying spoken by an Heathen, but which it would be very well, if some that call themselves Christians would remember, and act accordingly. The same strumpet is said to be the occasion likewise of the old by-word,

Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum; i. e.

It is not for every one to go to Corinth.

I shall only observe further, that this city is memorable among Heathen writers for its citadel Acro-corinthus, so called as being built on a very high rock or hill; as also for its insolence to the Roman legates, which caused L. Mummius, thence styled Achaicus, to destroy it. In the burning whereof, so many statues of gold, silver, brass, and other metals were melted down, that hence, by a fatal chance, arose that famous mixed metal, called Corinthian brass, esteemed above gold and silver, and of which m Josephus saith the beautiful gate of the Temple of Jerusalem was made. Lastly, the houses of this city were so neatly built, and beautified with pillars, that from it, the sort of pillars here used have been ever since called by the name of Corinthian pillars.

St. Paul, having staid " a good while at Corinth, takes leave of the brethren there, designing to sail to Syria. In order whereto he goes to Cenchrea, the port or road ships belonging to Corinth on the eastern bay.

20.

St. Paul takes ship

for at Cen

chrea, and sails for

A. D. 52.

Here taking ship, he sails cross the Archipelago to Jerusalem. Ephesus, where he made but a short stay; telling the

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PART II. brethren there, upon their using importunity with him to

A. D. 52.

stay longer, that he must by all means keep the approaching passover at Jerusalem; after which he would, God willing, return to them again; which he accordingly did, and therefore I shall defer the description of Ephesus till then, and at present accompany our Apostle, who, setting sail from Ephesus, landed at Cæsarea in Palestine, and from thence went up to Jerusalem, and kept the passover with the brethren.

CHAP. V.

Of St. Paul's Travels and Voyages into Asia, and particularly to Ephesus; and from thence into Macedonia and Greece, till his fifth Return to Jerusalem, after his Conversion.

Asia.

1.

ST. PAUL having kept the passover at Jerusalem, went thence down to Antioch in Syria. And after he had St. Paul, leaving Jespent some time there, he departed and went over all the rusalem, country of Galatia and Phrygia, in order as they lay in comes into his way. And having passed through those upper coasts, he comes again to Ephesus in Asia, where he now makes a considerable stay. I shall therefore now speak of Asia, and then of Ephesus, and the rest of the seven churches in Asia, to which the seven Epistles are sent in the Revelation of St. John; after which I shall proceed with the travels and voyages of our Apostle.

SECT. I.

Of the Scripture-Asia, and the seven Churches therein, to which the seven Epistles in the Book of Revelation were

sent.

2.

ASIA in its largest acceptation denotes the whole Asiatic continent, being the eastern and greatest of the three Of Asia, parts of the old world. In this sense it is distinguished into two parts, Asia the Lesser, denoting so much as lies between the Euxine or Black sea northward, and the Mediterranean southward; and Asia the Greater, denotall the rest of the Asiatic continent.

Asia the Lesser contained the provinces of Bithynia,

• Acts xviii. 22, 23. and Acts xix, 1.

PART II. Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Pisidia,

3.

Lycaonia, Phrygia, Mysia, Troas, (all mentioned in the New Testament,) as also Lydia, with Ionia and Æolis, (both included sometimes under Lydia,) Caria with Doris, (sometimes included under Caria,) and Lycia. Of these, Lydia and Caria taken in their larger acceptations, Mysia and Phrygia, (including Troas, otherwise called Phrygia Minor,) made up the Roman P proconsular Asia, which ⚫ has been thought by some to be the same as the ScriptureAsia. But it is evident to any one, diligently reading the travels of St. Paul in the New Testament, that Mysia, Phrygia, and Troas are by the sacred writer reckoned as distinct provinces from the Asia so called in Scripture. Wherefore it is with great reason taken for granted 9 by the most judicious, that by Asia in the New Testament is to be understood Lydia in its largest acceptation, or taken so as to include Ionia and Æolis; within which compass lay the seven cities, the churches whereof are styled by the sacred penman, the churches of Asia; which I shall now proceed to describe in their following order, and chiefly from Sir Paul Rycaut', as to their modern state and condition.

I shall begin with the famous city Ephesus, not only Of Ephesus. because we left St. Pauls arrived here, but also because it is set first in order by the holy penmant St. John. As to its situation, it lies distant about forty-five English miles south south-east from Smyrna, and about five miles from the sea, accounted in ancient times for a maritime town, by reason of the river Cayster, which runs by the city, and near to the sea was capable of receiving the vessels of those days. Hence Strabo, speaking of it, saith, this city has both a port and shipping belonging to it; but the port is very shallow, by reason of the great quantity of

P See Cic. Orat. pro Flacco.

1 The only exception hereto is
Acts xxvii. 2. where the coasts of
Asia may denote all the coast from
Cæsarea to Sidon, and so along Ci-

licia, Pamphylia, and Lycia, &c.

r

! Present State of Greek Church, chap. ii. pag. 41, &c.

s Acts xix. 1.
t Rev. ii. 1.

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