The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 202

account (co1:11~· the ne.rrative in eh. xxvi. 17). It is to be noticed that, though St. Pou! thus d1stmctly knew whe.t his mission was, he waited patiently until Divine directions or Divine providence clearly opened the way for him. And, while ho waited he cheerfully did the work which came to his hand. We proceed to dwell on thre~ points: (1) the sphere to which St. Paul was sent; (2) the fitness of St. Paul for work in this particular sphere; and (3) the influence which work in this sphere had upon St. Paul'e own apprehensions of the truth. Noticing first what a strain upon his own Jewish feelings it must have involved for him to undertake this work, and how hie doing so proves the sincerity and completeness of his conversion. I. THE SPHERE TO WHICH THE APOSTLE WAS SENT. "The Gentiles." Jews divided the whole world into Jews and Gentiles; so St. Paul's mission was to all outside the Jewish nation. Illustrate how the prevalence of the Greek tongue, and the wide supremacy of the Roman rule, at this time opened the whole world to the gospel. Illustrate what variety of classes and of people the apostlo met with in travelling, as he did, from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum. Rece.11 the circumstances under which the apostle came to leave the syne.gogues and devote himself exclusively to the Gentile populations. And show what preparation there was for the gospel in Gentile spheres, (1) in the common religious wants of men; and (2) in the sense of dissatisfaction with idolatry which then so widely prevailed. As representative of the various Gentile spheres, give some account of Lystra, Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome. II. TaE FITNESS OF THE APOSTLE FOB WORK IN THIS PABTIOULAR SPHERE. Find the fitn8liSes in: I. His birth as a Grecian Jew. 2. His knowledge of the Greek language, and partial Greek education. All the other apostles were Aramaic Jews. St. Paul's early associations prepared him to take larger and more comp1:ehensive views of Christian truth, when once his strong Jewish prejudices were overcome. 3. His unquestioning sense of a Divine call. 4. The permanent influence exerted on him by Stephen's death, and probably by Stephen's teachings. 5. The clear apprehension he had of Christian trath, in its distinction from, but full harmony with, the principles of Judaism. 6. Further fitness may be found on a careful estimate of St. Paul's peculiarities of mind, disposition, and character. , ill THE INFLUENCE WHICB WOBK IN BIB SPHERE BAD UPON THE APOSTLE'S OWN APPREHENSIONS OF THE TBUTB. '!'his is a difficult subject to treat, and involves a very close study of St. Paul's doctrinal position at different points of his ministry. To open it out wisely, the Epistles must be chronologically arranged and fitted into the record in the Acts, and compared with the apostle's speeches. An illustration may be taken from the Epistle to the Ephesians, which clearly shows that the mystical and super- stitious people of Ephesus exercised such an influence on St. Paul as led him to consider some great speculative questions, and, we may say, tended to exercise and develop his mystical faculty. The influence of work among the Gentiles may be illus- trated in relation: L To doctrine. It led to the first attempts at a philosophy of the Christian religion. 2. To practical Ohriati,a,n life, St. Paul had to find out how to adjust Christian principles to Gentile life and manners, and so he was led to develop a system of Christi.an ethlcs. Impress that the work to which God calls ua will also be (1) our service to others; a.n.d (2) our own personal culture.-R. T. Vera. 22, 23.-The unreasoning ezcitement of crowds. The action of this crowd ia in most respects similar to that of crowds in all ages and in all districts ; but in some of its features it was characteristically Eastern. "A great similarity appears between the conduct of the Jews when the chief captain of the Roman garrison at Jerusalem presented himself in the temple, and the behaviour of the Persian peasants when they go to court to complain of the governors under whom they live, upon their oppressions becoming intolerable. Sir John Chardin tells us respecting them, that they carry their complaints against their governors by companies, consisting of several hundreds, and sometimes of a thousand; they repair to that gate of the palace near to which their prince is most likely to be, where they begin to make the most horrid cries, tearing their garments, and throwing dust into the air, at the same time demanding justice. The king, upon hearing these cries, sends to know the occasion of them. The people .ieliY,er their complaint in writing, upon which he lets them know that he will commit ~( ~ n e e of the afi'air to some one by whom justice is usually done them " on. xxrr. 1-80.] 'rIIE ACTS OF TIIE APOSTLRS, 209