tions (obedience, pity, courage, aspiration, eto.); (3) ~hose who han 1plrltul\l affinities wit.b us, to whom we e.re brethren or fe.tbere "in the Lord." IV. THE DIVINE. (Ver. 16.) At this troublous e.11.danxiou1 time, tvhen Paul was out of! fro!11 fellows~ip with the discipll'S, the MRSter himself drew nea~ to him. He oame with his comfortrng presence e.nd his cheering word. He did not fail hie ee"ant then; nor will he_ fail his faithful followers now. We may reckon upon (1) hie comforting presence with us; (2) hie word of promise and cheer; (3) his summons to bear witness in t_he future as in the past: "Ae thou hast testified ..• eo must thou," eto. 'Wb1le all these powers are acting upon us, we must play our own parl ma'fljully, or the issue will be unfavourable (ver. 17). When all is done for or against us, we must make our own choice, decide for onrseh-es which of the two paths we will pursue, at which gate we shall be found when the journey of life is over (Gal. vi. 4, 5).-0. Vers. 12-35.-Paul at OaJSQ,rea. I. "'THE LORD rs MINDFUL OF ms OWN." Recall the beautiful song in Mendelssohn's 'St. Paul.' 1. The craft of their foes. They con- spire against the righteous with a zeal worthy of a better cause (vere. 12, 13); and cloke their designs under pious pretexts (vers. 14, 15). 2. The Divine protection, He briugs the counsels of wickedness to light (ver. 16). The young man, whoever he was, Christian or otherwise, became, in Divine providence, a guardian angel of the apostle. • Nothing so fine is spnn, But comes to light beneath the f!iTlllo" to the help of the good. and. the confusion of the wicked (cf. Ps. vil. 15; xxxiv. 8). Sincerity and good faith are found where they a.re least expected, when God is guiding the hearts of men (ver. 18). II. THE GRACIOUS DELIVERANCE. (Vers. 23-35.) 1. They arc withdrawn from the snares of their foes. Paul, surrounded by the military guard, seems a visible picture of the angels of God encamping about those who fear him. " Against forty bandits be sendR five hundred protectors." 2. Testimony to the truth is'furnished on their behalf (ver. 27, etc.). The honourable and straightforward dealing of the heathen Romans stands· in contrast to that of the orthodox Jews. Better have the spirit of the Law without the letter than the letter without the spirit. The very indifferentism of the Romans becomes overruled for the deliverance of Paul Guarded in the palace of Herod, Paul has time for reflection and prayer. The intervals of arduous labour, the moments of respite from toil and confilct,-in these we may find proofs of the nearness and tender- ne.BS of God.--,J.
Vers. 1-10.-PauZ before tM Bankedrim. l A SUGGESTIVE CONTRAST between corrupt ecclesiasticism and secular power. The bigotry, intolerance, personal animosity, unfairness, fanatical cruelty, all finding abundant confirmation in the history of tho persecutions emanating from the papacy. Lysias was cruel because he was reckless and followed bad customs, but Ananias was cruel because he was spiteful and tyrannical. II. THE MASTER'S PREDICTION FULFILLED. Such a scene was what the servants of Christ were told to prepare for. The apostle's infirmity, compared with the Saviour's perfect self-possession and patience, shows that the highest of merely human characters fall far below the Divine goodness in Christ. Yet the instant apology, so courteously expressed, shows that the ruffle was only on the surface. The mistake was a natural one, and the provocation was great. • III. '£HE CORRUPTION OF JUDAISM'. EXHIBITED. Whether Paul acted blamelessly in appealing to Pharisees against Sadducees may be an open question, but, as he was brought before the highest religious authority of Judaism, and the Jews of that time rejected the reformation which Christianity in the person of Paul presented to them, it was a challenge to Jewish orthodoxy to vindicate itself if it could. And all the apostle probably meant was that he had been brought up in the orthodox school, and that Christianity was no heresy to the substance of Jewish teaching. '£he discusi!ion which followed revealed the utter decay of Judaism. The heart of it was eaten out with scepticism and pride. 'l'he orthodox had no moral influence. The heterodox were powerful enough to tight succeasfully their battle against the rulers, which waa another Oll, :um. 1-35,] THE AO'l'S OF THE APOSTLES. 221