The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 268

Vers. 24--28.-Ile Christian's desire. The point of deepest interest in this scene is Paul's reply to Agrippa. There the nobility of the apostle is conspicuously present. But it is worth while to glance, first, at- L THE BLINDNESS OF SIN. (Ver. 24.) It makes mistakes of the greatest magnitude; it looks at the wisdom of God and mistakes it for madness. So it judged incarnate wisdom (John :x.. 30). So we are to expect it will judge us; for "the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to the natural man" (1 Cor. ii. 14), whether he be Greek (1 Cor. i 23) or Roman (text). That the whole Gentile world should be redeemed from sin and led by repentance into the kingdom of God by means of a suffering Saviour-this, which is the wisdom of God, deep and Divine, seemed to the proud man of the world nothing better than insanity itself. Enlightened by his Spirit, we detect in this the very essence of Divine wisdom. If the eternal Father, looking down upon us, sees his own wise procedure mistaken for and spoken of as madness, may we not be content that our human schemes and plans should sometimes receive the faint approval, or even the direct condemnation, of our fellows ? IL THE CBRISTLUT AT.rITUDE UNDEB ATTACK. Paul was not abashed by the sudden outbreak of Festus, nor did he give way to Uf1Buita.ble and injudicious resentment. He replied with calmness and dignity to the insulting charge of his Roman judge (ver, 26). When assailed in this way-when charged with folly, error, fanaticism, or even madness-the best thing we can do is to bear ourselves calmly, retaining mental and moral equability. This is the beet way to disprove the allegations that are made. (1) First let us be well assured of our position, not taking our ground until we have ma.de all necessary inquiries and have every possible guarantee that we are on the side of" truth and soberness;" and then (2) let us refuse to be disconcerted by abuse, oppose quiet dignity to angry crimination, and show a conscious rectitude which is far superior to violence, whether of word or deed. Ill Tm: CHIWITI.A.lf'e DESmE FOB .ALL WHOM BE CAN BE.A.OH. Paul turned appealingly from Festus to Agrippa. Some points in common there must be, he felt, between him• aelf and hil royal countryman (vers. 26, 27). The king put off the prisoner with a courtly sarcasm (ver. 28); but the apostle was not thus to be silenced. In noble language and with touching allusion to the fetters he wore, he expressed the earnest wish that, whether with eaae or with difficulty, not only the king himself, but all who· heard him, might be " such as he was." .A pure and passionate desire filled his eo,~l that all whom he could anywise afi'ect might be elevated and blessed by that enoobling truth which the risen Saviour had revealed to him. This holy earnestness of hie may l'emind OB. XXVI, 1-32.] 1'IlE AO'I'S OF THE APOSTLES. 275