o So this B-athm Governor prophanely calls the Religion and Worſhip of God's own Inſtitution , and that in the preſence of Agrippa and Bernice, who were both Jews, or at leaſt, brought up amongſt them. p To have been raiſed again from the dead acknowledging with them, that he had been indeed dead,
25 And becauſe q || T doubted of ſuch manner of queſtions, r I asked 4;z2 whether he would go to Jeruſalem, and there be judged of theſe mat- \CLS.
7 Fefus pretends, that he knew not by what Rule thoſe Cales were to be decided, nor before what Judges; whether before himielf or the "ewith Sanhedrim, But this is only his Pretenſion : The truc Cuije why he would not acquit Pal, though he knew lim to be innocent, we read, werſe 9. wiz. that he might do the Jews a pleaſure. » He asked Paul this queſtion, Whether he would go ro Jeruſalem, bur with a Reſo- kaicn to have lent him whether he would or no, had he not zppealed ; bur then he durſt not; For in certain Caſes none could hinder Appeals, from any Judge, to the People in the {01n;er times, Or to their Emperor in the latter times.
21 But when Paul had appealed to be reſerved unto the || hearing {of Auguſtus, I commanded him to be kept till I might ſend him to 7 Car.
{ The Emperor who now reigned, and to whom Panl ap- pealed, was Nero, who was called Auguſtus ; this Title being at tirfi appropriated tro Ofavizs, who ſucceeded Julius Ceſar ; but out oft Honour unto him or becauſe of its ſignification , it became an Appellative, and was given unto all the Emperors ſuccellively: Nay the Emperor of Germany to this day is culled Semper Augrſius, t As from Ofavius, the Emperors of Pome had the Name of Yngruſtus, ſo from the firſt Emperor Julius, they buve the Name of Ceſar:. This Word C2far, which was the proper Name of the firſt Emperor, is, in acknowledg- ment of him, made an Appellative to all his Succeſlors.
22 Then * Apgiippa ſaid unto Feſtus, T would alfo hear the man # my felf. To morrow, faid he, thou {halt hear him.
# Agrippa being well acquainted with the Jewiſh Religion, if not a Jew, could not bur have heard of our Saviour, his Cottrine, Dexrth and Reſurre&ion ; and yet makes this detfire but out of Curiclity; as Herod defired to hear John Baptiſt, Mark 6. 20. andto Jes our Saviour, Luke 23. 9.
23 And on the morrow, when Aprippa was « and Bernice, with » great pomp, and were en the place of hearing, with the chief eg Into principal men of the city, at Feſtus commanias x Paul was brought forth. a.
w The State, Attire, and Retinue uſed in this Solemnics ; much undervalued by the term the Holy Ghoſt Om 's (px1]272) ; intimating, that all worldly glory is — p SIS F and appearance, meerly,; and that as a ſhew it paſſe = x Here is a great difference indeed between theſe rem noe thus adorned and accompanied on the one ſide nd WSar Priſoner (l:ow@Er, the chained, as he is called Chap 4%, tho on the other ſide: Yet Holy Paul, with great Reſon = his condition before theirs. He does not delire to core. ae them in their eaſe and ſplendor, but with Chriſt in his Fon and ſufferings. Phil, 3. 10. US"ace
24 And Feſtus ſaid, King, Agrippa, and all m. which are here preſent with us, ye fee y this = about whom all the multitude of the Jews have Fes with me, both at Jeruſalem ,- and alſo here, cryin: Po he ought not to live any longer. ie
3 Well might Pau! be agaſt, to be friendleſs in f reg 2 multitude, and to be ſhewn and pointed at as ; Morifter being made a ſpefacle ro the world, and to Angels and Ns as 1 Cor, 4. 9. Burt he found ſurely the berefit and efficacy of that promiſe, Mat. 28. 20. I am with you unto the end of th world. :
25 But when IT found that * he had comming z nothing worthy of death, and that he himſelf ht
_—_— to Auguſtus, I have determined to {:1 im.
z The Calumny of the Jews adds to the Reputation « $, Paul : Yo many Enemies, and {o long in finding or making 4 Fault that might reach his Life, and yet to be diſappointed! Paul and his Religion are vindicated by the T eſtimony of Liſa the Chief Captain , Chap. 23. 29. and of Feltx, the Governcr Coap 24. 25, and here by Feſtns, as afterwards by Agrinpa too. Chap 26. 32. So mighty is truth and Innocence, th: they in prevail ſooner or later.
26 Of whom I have no certain thing to write un: to my 2 Lord. Wherefore I have brought him torth before you, and ſpecially before thee, b O king A grippa,
that after examination had, I might have ſomewhar tO Write, AY
_ Nero, the preſent Emperor, whoſe Deputy #fs wi! in this Province, though {ome of the former Emperors refuſe! this Name, as favouring of too much Arbirrarineſs ; ti latter did accept of it. 6 Agrippa being brought up in the knowledge of the Jewiſh Law, though it was not his bulines
- Judge Paul's Caſe, yer he might inftruR and inform the Julg: aDOUE 1k,
27 For it feemeth to me unreaſonable to fend a priſoner, and not withal to ſignifie the c crimes {a againſt him,
c So great a clamour, ſo hot a Purſuit, and yet after all ti the Judge (who would. willingly have condemned Pas! , and gratitied the Jews) knows not wherefore all this tir had been: But the more muſt he have been ſelf. condemned that durſtnot abſolve or free a Priſoner, who wag detained only by the pow! and multitude of his Adverſaries.
CHAP. XXVI.
Agrippa permitted Paul to ſpeak for himſelf: he related his Lij before his Converſion: how he was conviried, 1-————15 called to his Apoſileſhip, 16 20, how he taug; and Jufferes, 21—23. Feſtus chargeth him with madneſs thriugh 10 i Learning : he modeſtly defendeth himſelf, 24, 25. turneth pi Diſcourſe to Agrippa, who is almoſ# perſwaded to bs 3 Chriſtian 26.-——28, Paul wiſheth all to be like himſelf, 29. All 11s - Connſel judge him innocent, 35032.
I Tm Agrippa faid unto Paul, Thou art 7c! mm ted to ſpeak for thy ſelf Then Paul « firetcNc0 forth the hand and anſwered for himſelf.
# This ſtretching forth of his hand was, 1. To obtain 11cnce of others whilſt he ſpake; or, 2. To ſhew his innocencs, whileſt he vſes this modeſt confidence : or, 3. As orher Orato!s when they begin to ſpeak, move their hands. Thc Providence, of God wonderfully procures Pau! a liberty to publiſh 6: Goſpe), and to make his Caſe and Religion known.
2 I think my {elf b happ Eing Agripp2, becauſe [ ſhall anſwer for my ſelf - : þ fu - before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accuſed of che Tews,
8 X&VI.
me,
2p.
\0 could nor be unacquainted with the Law or the Prophets,