VI. Naples. It stands upon an hill in a creek of the sea, and just CHA P. oppofite to Baia on the other fide of the creek, and famous among the Roman writers. There are within the bounds of this city thirty-five natural baths, of different forts of warm waters, very useful for the cure of feveral difeafes; and from thefe baths or pits of water, called in Latin Putei, the town is thought to have taken the name of Puteoli, There are very many Roman antiquities and natural rarities in it, not eafily to be found elsewhere. 18. Thence to rum and the Three Ta and verns, Finding fome Chriftians at Puteoli, St. Paul ftaid there a week, and then fet forward in his journey to Rome, being Appii Fomet in the way by fome Chriftians" at Appii Forum, a place about fifty miles diftant from Rome, and thought to be fo called from the fame Appius that gave name to the Appian. Way. Others met St. Paul at the Three Taverns or Inns, being places of reception or entertainment about thirty miles from Rome. St. Paul seeing the Chriftians of Rome thus come to meet him, was greatly encouraged hereby, and gave God particular thanks on the occafion. Being conducted A. D. 58, into the city of Rome, the rest of the prisoners were delivered 59. over to the captain of the guard; but St. Paul was permitted (probably at the requeft and recommendation of Julius, the centurion, who brought him from Judea,) to dwell in a private house, with a foldier to fecure and guard him. In which manner he lived two whole years, receiving all that came unto him, and preaching the gofpel without any moleftation. And here the facred Scripture ends the account it gives us of St. Paul's travels and voyages; and therefore I might here end this chapter, the city of Rome being too well known, to need being described as to its fituation; and affording too much copiousness of matter on other heads, to be here infifted. upon. But however I fhall add in fhort (from the Rev. Dr. Cave) the beft account we have left us of St. Paul's travels and voyages, during the remaining part of his life. "Acts xxviii. 14-31. * See Life of St. Paul, p. 109, &c. That 21. He returns That St. Paul after two years cuftody was perfectly restored to liberty, is agreed upon by learned writers; but which way he directed after this the course of his travels, is not abfolutely certain. By fome he is faid to have returned into Greece and the parts of Afia, upon no other ground (as is probably conjectured) than a few intimations in fome of his Epiftles that he intended to do so. By others he is thought to have preached both in the eastern and western parts, which is not inconfiftent with the time he had after his departure from Rome. But of the latter we have better evidence. An author beyond all exception, and St. Paul's contemporary and fellow-labourer, I mean Clemens, in his famous Epiftle to the Corinthians exprefsly tells us, that being a preacher both in the east and west, he taught righteousness to the whole world, and went to the utmoft bounds of the east and west. Probable it is, that he went into Spain, a thing which himfelfy tells us he had formerly once and again refolved on. Certain it is that the ancients do generally affert it, without feeming in the least to doubt of it. Theodoret and others tell us, that he preached not only in Spain, but that he went to other nations, and brought the gospel into the Isles of the Sea, by which he undoubtedly means Britain, and therefore elsewhere reckons the Gauls and Britons among the nations which the Apostles, and particularly the Tent-maker, perfuaded to embrace the law of Chrift. Nor is he the only man that has faid it; others having given in their teftimony and fuffrage in this cafe. a To what other parts of the world St. Paul preached the to Rome, gofpel, we find no certain footsteps in antiquity, nor any and is be- farther mention of him till his return to Rome, which probably was about the eighth or ninth year of Nero's reign. Here he met with Peter, and was together with him thrown into prison; no doubt in the general perfecution raised against headed. A: D. 65. Rom. xv. 24. 28. 7 Epiphan. Chryfoft. Cyril. Catech. Athan. a Sophron, &c. the VI. the Chriftians, under a pretence that they had fired the city. CHA P. Befides the general, we may reasonably suppose there were particular causes of his imprisonment. Some of the ancients make him engaged with Peter, in procuring the fall of Simon Magus; and that derived the Emperor's fury and rage upon him. St. Chryfoftom gives us this account; that having converted one of Nero's concubines, a woman of whom he was infinitely fond, and reduced her to a life of great strictness and chastity, so that now she wholly refused to comply with his wanton and impure embraces; the Emperor ftormed hereat, calling the Apostle a villain and impoftor, a wretched perverter and debaucher of others, giving order that he should be caft into prifon; and when he ftill perfifted to perfuade the lady to continue her chafte and pious resolutions, commanding him to be put to death. How long he remained in prison, is not certainly known. At laft his execution was refolved on. Being come to the place, which was the Aquæ Salviæ, three miles from Rome, he cheerfully gave his neck to the Aqua Salfatal ftroke. For being a Roman, he might not be crucified, place of his and therefore he was beheaded. From the inftrument of his execution, the custom no doubt first arose, that, in all pictures and images of this Apostle, he is conftantly represented with a fword in his right hand. 22. via the execution. rial. 23. He was buried in the Via Oftienfis, about two miles from The place Rome; over whofe grave about the year 318, Conftantine of his bu the Great, at the inftance of pope Sylvefter, built a stately church within a farm, which Lucina, a noble Christian matron of Rome, had long before fettled upon that church. He adorned it with an hundred of the best marble columns, and beautified it with the moft exquifite workmanship; the many rich gifts and endowments, which he bestowed upon it, being particularly fet down in the life of Sylvefter. This church, as too narrow and little for the honour of so great an Apostle, Valentinian, or rather Theodofius the emperor, (the one but finishing what the other began) by a refcript directed to Salluftius, præfect of the city, caused to be taken down, and a larger PART larger and more noble church to be built in the room of it: II. farther beautified (as appears from an ancient inscription) by Placida the empress, at the persuasion of Leo, bishop of Rome. What other additions of wealth, honour, or ftatelinefs, it has received fince, is not material to enquire. CHAP. CHAP. VII. Of fuch Countries and other Places, as are mentioned, or referred to, in the Books of the New Testament, which follow after the Gospels, and fall not in with the Course of St. Paul's Travels. THER HERE are fome few countries and one city, which fall not well in with the description of the course of St. Paul's travels; and therefore remain to be here spoken of. They are most of them mentioned Acts ii. 9. where amongst those that came together and heard the Twelve speak, every man in his own language, on the day of Pentecoft and upon the descent of the Holy Ghoft, are reckoned Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mefopotamia. I. Of Mefo I fhall begin with Mefopotamia, as lying next to Syria (already described) eastward, between the two famous rivers potamia. Euphrates and Tigris, whence it takes its name; Mefopotamia in the Greek tongue importing as much as Mid-River Land. In the forementioned country, in the western or north-west part thereof, on a river which runs into Euphrates, lay the city Charran, mentioned by St. Stephen the proto-martyr, called in the Old Teftament Haran, and fo named (as is thought) in memory of Haran the fon of Terah, and brother of Abraham and father of Lot, this being the place to which Terah removed when he left Ur of the Chaldees, and where he died. It was called, with a little alteration, by the Romans, Carræ, and was made memorable on account of a great overthrow they received here by the Parthians. Chaldæa, or the land of the Chaldæans, out of which Abraham originally came with his father, lies to the fouth of Me 2. Of Charran. 3. Of Chal dæa. |