The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 111

heal religious quA.rrela, and it is practically wiser to treA.t them as we treat spreading diseases-stamp them out, by the refusal to recognize them, Let them die out; and this they will surely do it we take care not to fan the flame, Ill THE OLAIMB OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH AND DUTY M..! r NEVER BB BET ABIDE WITH ooN'l'BMPT. Whoever may present them, under wh11te, -er circumstances they may be presented, they demand our attention, our calm, careful consideration. Nothing of truth may we leave alone, whether it be old truth set before us with a new vividness and force, or new truth which is appnrcntly opposed to all our prejudices. .All truth comes to us with a "Thus sa.ith ihe Lord; " and, as God's voice to us, we dare not be indifferent, much less may we be contemptuous. Show what truths and duties may come before us; aprily especially to the gospel offer; press the demand for immediate attention on this ground, " It is not a vain thing for you ; it is your life."-R. T. Ver. 18,-St. Paul's :personal relations with Judaism. "Having shorn his head in Cenchre113, for be had a vow." For the various explanations of this allusion which have been offered, roference must be made to the Exegetical portion of this Con,mentary, For some reason, which St. Paul regarded as sufficient, he had allowed his ha r to grow for a time, and now, the time of the vow being nearly expired, he had his ha~,· cut (not shaved) before starting on his journey into Syria. 'l'he point to which we bend atten- tion, as suggesting suitable lessons for us, is that, being a born Jew, St. Paul found himself bound by rules and ceremonials which he did not feel justified in pressing upon his Gentile converts. This may give a seeming inconsistency to St. Paul's conduct, but it really reveals the nobility of his spirit, and the self-mastery and self-rule which he had won. We should ca.reiully distinguish between the limitations under which a good man and wise teacher may please to confine his own personal conduct, and the freedom from such personal limitations which he may enjoin in his public teachings. ,AI; an illustration, reference may be made to such matters as card-playing and going to theatres. The Christian. teacher who feels that no rule on such matters can be laid down, is quite consistent with such teaching if he pleases to put himi;elf under rule, and will neither play cards nor attend theatres. .And this was the position of St. Paul. He felt that personally he did not wish to break off the familiar Jewish bonds of his lifetime; but while he personally met all Jewish claims, he resolutely championed the freedom of the Gentile Christians from all such restrictions and limitations. Impress that the details of a man's conduct are fully within his own management, and that in our public relations we can only deal with principles, leaving all direct applica- tions to the judgment and conscience of the individual. Still, it should be noticed that the apparent diversity between St. Paul's personal conduct and public teachings gave his enemies a seemingly fair ground of accll88tion. We remark that- L A JU.N 1S PEBSONAL LIFE :r.fUBT BE CONSISTENT WITH Hl8 PUBLIO TEAOHINGB, Two things we demand of a public teacher: (1) the "accent of conviction;" and (2) the "note of sincerity." The force behind a man must be the force of the man himself. We must know him, and have adequate assurance that the things he speaks have a living power upon himself. We properly require something more than consistency; we ask for a. harmony between words and works which will show that each are set to the same key- note. If St. Paul's enemies were right, and his J udaical practices were out of harmony with his public teachings, then they pluck the life and power from his teaching. Impress that still all public teaching is ineffective which is beyond the personal attain- ment of the speaker. He can only utter it as intellectual knowledge or as current sentiment. A man only speaks with power when he tells what he has himself "tasted and hand.led and felt of the Word of life." ll, A JU.N'B PRIVATE LIFE Jil..!.Y BE BULED BY CONSIDEBATIONB WHIOH BE DOES NOT FEEL BOU!lD TO PBEBB ON OTHERS. This is the point suggested by our text, and a simple illustration will show us St. Paul's position. A Christian teacher nowadays may be personally impressed with the examples of David and Daniel, and may feel that to adopt a ru!'3 of prayina three times a day will be of direct service to bis spiritual life. But he may feel that h~ has no right to press his rule upon his congregation as a bind- ing one for all. He commends the duty of prayer, but he puts himself under limitations iwhicb. are for himself a.lone. Many Christian people make intellectual and spiritual &dvanc,-.s, which we might think would give ~h~ a large freedoµi \~ con~uct, and yet mr. xmr.1-28.] THE ACTS OF THF. APOSTLES. 113