The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 233

II. WIIY MANY NEVEn DEOOME AERIOUB CHRil!TIANB. 1. They have not the resolution for thorough repentanco, to break utterly with the evil past. 2. They neglect the acceptable time and the day of salvation. "The golden grace of the day " flees, and never comes be.ck to them. 8. They thrust a.side the thought of jndgment to come. 'rhough they know the vanity of the world, they are too indolent to tear themselves from its deceptive pleasures. Disgusted with the hateful bondage of sin, they are too wee.k to break off their fetters. Superficial impressions are felt, but frivolity admits no deep impressions. III. THE EXOUBEB OF THE BINNER. 1. Certain subjects are not in good taste. Speak: to me of everything but that I Generalize on virtue and goodness, but let my favourite weaknesses or vices alone I • 2. Procrastination. " To-morrow I" "To-morrow and to-morrow Oreeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted foola The way to dusty death." " Procrastination is the thief of time. Yee.r after year it steals till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leavea The vast concel'IlS of an etema.l time." 'l'he time of repentance is now and always for him who is willing. For God is ever calling, inwardly and outwardly ; in every circum~tance time can be foUnd to obey. But never for him who cannot find it seasonable to listen to God at any time, "Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me, and shall die in your sins" (John viii. 21). IV. AN EXAMPLE OF GENUINE PREACHING. 1. He speaks of repentance and its fruits; justice towal'ds our neighbour; personal purity; sober recollection of the Divine judgment. 2. Its powers. The preacher is a. slight and insignificant inan, yet he makes the powerful magistrate tremble. He is bound in one sense, yet in another free, and the lord is the real slave. He is the accused ; yet quickly he changes pari;s with Felix. Paul is the hero in the light of truth and of eternity, Felix the coward and the abject. If we are on the side of truth, the Word of God becomes a sword in our hand. If we a.re opposed to it, we must be fatally pierced by it.-J. Vers. 1-9,-The governor's court. Time given to Paul for special preparation, possibly for communication with fellow-believers in Cresarea.. The relation of the parties to one another. The Roman ruler; his character one of the blackest : "In the practice of ell kinds of lust a.nd cruelty, he exercised the power of a king with the temper of e. slave" (Tacitus). The calm, heroic, lofty-minded apostle ; rejoicing that an opportunity would be given him of proclaiming the gospel in such a. place, and upheld by the Divine assurance that he was safe. The representatives of the San- hedrim ; Ananias, the elders, and the paid orator Tertullus, evidently feeling the weakness of their cause, half ashamed of their position in attacking a defenceless man, ready for hypocritical plotting, and yet knowing that no dependence could be placed on Felix. I. A BAD PICTURE OF THE WORLD e.s it was at that time. The corruption of judges, the despotism of rulers, the furious hatreds and evil passions at work, the blindness of fanaticism, the decay of religious life in the nation which had received most religious teaching a.nd privileges. II. AN EXAMPLE OF OALUllNY AND MISREPRESENTATION. The charges ma.de were of politice.1 rebellion, of heresy, of sacrilege, of disorder. The first was insincere; for the ptiests among the Jews cared nothing a.bout preserving Roman rule. The others were instigated by fear of Paul's teaching, partly due to ignorance, but mainly to bigotry and jealousy. They knew that if the gospel wa.s accepted, their own priestly power was gone. Truth is always stronger than fa.lsehood.-R. ~era. 10-21.-The J°ust mans <kfenca. Twofold-negative; positive. The a.ccu- eat10ns met by a clear and bold denial, Over against the false representation a simple and candid statement of his position as a private and public man. Notice-  240 THE AOTS OF THE APOSTLE& [au. XXIV. 1-27.