Whereas, it is agreed by the Commentators, that it was written after the first council at Jerusalem, in A. D. 49, which is the date assigned to that council, by Petatius, Pearson, Barrington, Lardner, Michaelis, Paley, and Hales. See New Analysis, &e. Vol. 11. p. 1108, 1109, 1110.

The combined influence of all these reasons, assuredly produced the later dates assigned to the epistle to the Romans, by Simson, A. D. 55; Pearson, and Whitby, A. D. 57; Barrington, Lardner, Michaelis, and Hales, A. D. 58; Usher, and the Bible Chromology, A. D. 60. The variations abundantly evincing,that these Chronologers did not servilely copy from each other, nor were biassed by favourite hypotheses. Of these varying dates, the mean, A. D. 58. will be found the most probable; and, it shall be further established in the course of the ensuing section. If, then, we assume the correcter date, A. D. 58, it will necessarily bring St. Paul's voyage to Rome, to A. D. 61, precisely the same year resulting from the foregoing indpendent arguments.

4. In the last place, St. Paul's supposed return to Rome from Spain, cannot be placed so low as A. D. 67. For, by the joint testimonies of Lactantius, Jerome, Theodoret, and Isidore, in the foregoing introduction, concurring with the Apostle's presage during his second imprisonment; (noticed, as we have seen, in his second epistle to Timothy ;) he was put to death by Nero, in

his general persecution of the Christians. But the date of this persecution is fixed by Tacitus, to the year A. D. 65. Annal. xv. 33, 34; which is precisely the year in which Metaphrastes dates his martyrdom, as shewn in the Introduction, p. 20.

From this chain of connected evidence, we seem abundantly warranted to reduce the enormous supposition of nine years, within the narrower bounds of one, or two years, at the utmost, between the Apostle's release and departure from Rome, about the end of A. D. 63, or beginning of A. D. 64; and his return from his eastern expedition, and his martyrdom, A. D. 65. And, if so, it was morally impossible that he could visit Spain, and still less Britain, after that return; at a period too, when travelling was neither so convenient nor so expeditious as in the present age. To borrow an expression from the Tracts, with a slight alteration :-"This space has been greatly enlarged, by an unfounded Hypothesis, resting altogether on conjectures;" whereas the narrower space, here assigned, may justly be entitled to rank as a Theory, built upon the substantial foundation of Scripture, History, and Chronology-a Scientific Chronology, which, 1 trust, will be more approved of daily, the bet

* Opinionum commenta delet dies; Naturæ judicia confirmat. "The fictions of Hypotheses, daily lapse of Time defaces; but confirms the judgments of Nature."-CICERO,

ter it shall be understood, in all its harmonizing branches of Sacred and Profane History ;—and stand the test of ages.

Hence, we may safely conclude, that Christianity was NOT planted in the British isles by any of the Apostles themselves, St. Paul, Peter, John, or Simon Zelotes; NOR by the fore-named assistants, Joseph of Arimathea, Aristobulus, &c.

By whom, then, was it planted ?—The solution of this curious and important inquiry is reserved for the two next Sections.

SECTION II.

INTRODUCTION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN,

AMONG the venerable British documents, referred to by the Bishop of St. David's, are the letters of Gildas, about A. D. 546; Bede's works, A. D. 700; and the British Triads in the Myvyrian Archæology.

1. Gildas, in his querulous book, De excidio Britannia, third chapter De subjectione, relates the easy conquest of Britain by the Romans, after subduing the rest of the world. Cap. 4.

H

De Rebellione, he states the rebellion of the Britons, and their massacre by the Romans; when an army, sent over by the Senate, reduced them again under subjection, with scarcely any resistance. Cap. 5. De secunda subjectione et duro famulatu, he relates the complete reduction of the Island into a Roman province, and its consignment to the administration of Roman Governors; who ruled the Britons with great severity, scourging them with the rod, and punishing them, if necessary, with the sword: and they coined gold and silver monies there, with Cæsar's image.

Then follows cap. 6. De Religione: of which the following is a transcript, taken from Gale's edition of xv. Scriptores, 1691, Oxon. collated with several earlier editions of Gildas, and more correctly pointed.

Interea, glaciali frigore rigenti Insulæ, et velut longiore terrarum secessu, soli visibili non proximæ, VERUS ILLE SOL, non de firmamento temporali, sed de summâ etiam cœlorum arce, tempora cuncta excedente, universo orbi præfulgidum sui lumen ostendens; tempore, ut scimus, summo Tiberii Cæsaris; (quo, absque ullo impedimento, EJUS propagabatur RELIGIO: comminatâ, senatu nolente, a princip morte delatoribus militum ejusdem) radios suos, primum indulget, id est, sua præcepta CHRISTUS.

"In the mean time, to our [northern] frozen Island [of Britain], withdrawn, as it were, to a

considerable distance from the visible sun, CHRIST, THE TRUE SUN [OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, Mal. iv.,] not from the temporal firmament but from the highest and eternal summit of the heavens, first indulges his rays, or his precepts; shewing his most glorious light to the whole world, about the end, as we know, of Tiberius Caesar's reign; at which time, HIS RELIGION was propagated [at Rome], without any hindrance: this prince, without the concurrence of the Senate, having threatened death to the informers against HIS soldiers, [or militant followers."]

In this highly figurative, involved, and obscure passage, whose full meaning it is no wonder that so many antiquaries have hitherto failed to develop, the author quaintly contrasts the natural coldness of Britain from its high north ern climate, with the moral warmth produced in the hearts and lives of its heretofore pagan inhabitants, by the bright beams, or prece, ts, of Christianity; which first began to be preached to the whole world, immediately after our Lord's crucifixion, on the auspicious day of Pentecost, in the seventeenth year of Tiberius, A. D. 31; and soon after was propagated at Rome, by the " Roman sojourners," (Acts, ii. 10,) we may presume, before the end of his reign, A. D, 36, without any opposition on the part of this prince; who, on the contrary, rather favoure it, and threatened to put the informers against the Christians