to be tried, under the security of his protection. But the apostle knew the Jews much better than Fcstus did. Perhaps be was quite wearied out with these vain trials and this prolonged uncertainty. It seems that he suddenly made up his mind to claim his right of appeal 11s a Roman citizen, which would secure him from the machinations of his Jewish enemies. '£here are times when Christians may appeal to their citizen rights in their defence. This may be illustrated from such a case a.s that of the Salva- tion Army, and their right of procession through the streets. In times of religious porseoution men have properly found defence and shelter in a demand for legal and political justice. 'l'heir hope has often lain in having their 0311es removed from the heated passionate atmospheres of religious courts to the calm atmospheres of strictly legal ones, though even our law-courts do not always keep due calmness when questions related to religion are brought before them. In this incident we may notice- I. ST. PAUL'S SAFETY AS A UoMA.N. Explain the privileges of Roman citizenship. No governor could give him up to the Jews apart from his own consent (ver. 16). Recall the circumstances under which Paul's citizenship had prond his defence. II. ST. PAUL'S RIGHT AS A RoMA.N PRISONER. A right of appeal from any inferior to the supreme court at Rome over which the emperor presided. Theoretically, this was a safeguard to justice, but in practice it proved rather a furtherance of injustice. The apostle was not likely to know all that was involved in his appeal. "There is obviously something like a sneer in the procurator's acceptance of St. Paul's decision. He knew, it may be, better than the apostle to what kind of judge the latter was appealing, what long delays there would be before the cause was heard, how little chance there was C\f a righteous judgment at last." The appeal must have been a surprise to all who heard it. (1) To Paul's frien<ls, who lost the last hope of having him released to them. (2) To Paul's enemies, who knew that he was now altogether beyond their reach. And (3) to Festus, who felt that the prisoner recognized his inability to follow out what he knew to be the right, and who could not help being ashamed of his suggested weak compromise. Still, in this we may feel that the apostle was divinely directed, according to the promise, "It shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak." Through this appeal Providence opened the way for what seemed to be an unlikely, and indeed almost an impossible, thing, that St. Paul should see Rome, and even d we!! there as a Christian teacher. We are often showing that circumstances work out Divine providences; we need also to see that the free actions of men, freely taken, work out the Divine providences quite as certainly.-R. T. Vers. 18, 19.-Party accusations. From Festns we learn what were the accusa- tions made against the apostle by his Jewish enemies, and we see plainly that they ea.red only for the interests of party, not for the truth. It becomes evident that the point of difficulty was .our Lord's resurrection, upon which St. Paul always so firmly insisted. That fad is the central fact of Christianity; and upon it the whole scheme of Christian doctrine rests. Note- I. WHEREIN PAUL'S ACCUSERS FA..ll.ED. They could not prove any crime that wa, cognizable by the Roman authorities. They were in danger of being themselves charged with violence done to a Roman citizen. II. WHEREIN PAUL'S ACCUBEBB WERE WEAK. They brought before a civil judge only matters of opinion. On these freedom was allowed, 110 long as that freedom did not !~ad to acts of rebellion or disorder. They did not even bring matters of opinion that were of public concern, but only such as were made subjects of party contention. Their 1i ttle isms they thought of more importance than the government of the empire. FestUB haughtily says that the questions concerned their own superstition. III. WHEREIN PAUL'S ACCUSERS CONFIRMED BIB TEACHING. They set out promi- nently Paul's great troth, that Je$W was alive, and had present power to save. From his enemies we learn what Paul preached-Christ risen ; Christ living; Christ saving now. Christ, as "alive from the dead," is declared (1) innocent, (2) accepted, (3) Divine, (4) related to us as Mediator. We know clearly what made the Jewish party so mad against the apostle. No other apostle or disciple had shown, as he had done, what was involved in our Lord's resurrection. Still if our preaching is to be a saving power on men, we must declare Christ risen from the dead, and" able to save unto the uttermost all who oome unto God by hiru."-R. T. 264 THE ACTS OF TllE ArOSTLES, [cH, XXVL 1-32.
Ver. 22.-Interest in the pNSO'ller for Olirise. For the necessary accounts of Agrippa and Bernice, see the Expository po1tions of this Commentary, We only dwell on Agrippa's interest in St. Paul, as giving him an opportunity to preach the gospel before kings. Gerok gives the following outline as suggestive of a descriptive dis- course, from which general practical lessons may be drawn :-The audience-chamber of the governor at Cmsa.ree. may be regarded from three points of view, I. IT wAs A DRAWING-BOOK OP WORLDLY GLOBY, by reason of the splendour of the assembled nobility. II. IT wAB .a. LECTUB.E•B0011 OP HOLY DOCTRINE, by reason of the testimony made by the apostle. III. IT WAS A JUDGKE~'T-BALL OF DIVINE MAJESTY, by reason of the impression pro- duced by the apostolic discourse. The speech and its effect.a will be dealt with in the succeeding chapter.-R. 'l'.