believers, or to those churches of which they formed the largest part. If he became as a Jew amongst the Jews, it was, as he says himself, only with the hope of gaining the Jews; which motive could no longer take place when he had finally withdrawn from their synagogues. Those therefore who suppose that, in this instance, he was over-persuaded to deviate from that openness of conduct which he generally maintained, seem to have some ground for their suspicion. This, however, is certain, his temporizing did not answer the proposed end, but instead of rendering him more acceptable, involved him in the greatest danger; for when the seven days were almost fulfilled, some Jews of Asia seeing him in the temple, pointed him out to the multitude as the dangerous man who had apostatized from his religion, and was using his endeavours, wherever he went, to draw people from the worship of God according to the law of Moses. To this they added, that he had profaned the holy place, by bringing Gentiles with him into the temple. This they conjectured from having seen Trophymus, an Ephesian, with him in the city. This part of the charge was wholly false; he had not brought his Gentile friends into the temple, but he appeared so publicly with them upon other occasions, as to give some room for a surmise of this sort. If he submitted to the proposal of the elders, and attended in the temple himself, for the satisfaction of the Jewish converts, he would not go so far as to be ashamed of his friends, to make himself more acceptable to his enemies. It is our duty to avoid giving just offence; but if we boldly and honestly avow the

* 1 Cor. ix. 20.

Lord's people upon all proper occasions, without regard to names and parties, we must expect to suffer from the zealots of all sides.

Those who first laid hands on him were soon assisted by great numbers, for the whole city was moved, and the people ran together from all quarters. They dragged him out of the temple, and were upon the point of killing him, without giving him time or leave to speak a word for himself. They thought him absolutely in their power, but they were prevented by the appearance of Lysias, a Roman officer, who had a post near the tem ple, to prevent or suppress insurrections. Upon the first notice he received of this disturbance, he came down with a party of soldiers. The evangelist observes, that when the Jews ran to kill Paul, the Romans ran to save him. Thus the succour the Lord provides for his people is always proportioned to the case, and effectual to the end. When danger is pressing, relief is speedy. Lysias, though ignorant of the cause of this tumult, judging by its violence that the apostle must have been some great malefactor, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and, when he could obtain no satisfactory information from the people, had him removed to the castle, or Roman station; but such wasthe violence of the incensed, unmeaning multitude, that the soldiers were constrained to carry him in their arms up the steps, or stairs, which led thither from the temple. Here Paul obtained leave to speak for himself; the tribune inclining rather to a more favourable opinion of him, when he found he could speak Greek; and the people attended with some composure, when they heard him address them in the Hebrew or Syriac language.

In his discourse* he told them, that he had been brought up amongst themselves; and appealing to the high priest and elders concerning the zeal and earnestness with which he had formerly served their party, he related the extraordinary dispensation by which the Lord Jesus had conquered his heart. This was St. Paul's usual method of defence; and though no means are sufficient to reach the heart without a divine influence, yet, humanly speaking, a simple and faithful declaration of what God has done for our souls, seems most likely to convince, or at least to soften and silence those who oppose. Enraged as the Jews had been, they listened with patience to his relation, till he proceeded to intimate the Lord's designs in favour of the Gentiles, and that he was appointed an apostle to them. Accustomed to despise the rest of mankind, and to deem themselves the only people of God, they could not bear this: they interrupted him instantly; and, with one voice, declared it was not fit such a fellow should live upon the earth. They cast off their clothes, threw dust in the air, and their fury seemed to deprive them of their reason. Lysias, the tribune, secured him from their violence; but commanded him to be examined by scourging, that he might know his crime from his own mouth; according to a barbarous custom of putting those to torture against whom there was no sufficient evidence, that their own extorted confession might furnish some grounds of proceeding against them; a custom still prevalent in most countries called Christian, though contrary to religion, to reason, and to the common sentiments of humanity. Our Lord

* Acts xxii.

171 Jesus was examined in this manner before Pilate; and, though the apostle was ready to follow the steps of his Master in suffering, yet, upon this occasion, he pleaded his right of exemption from such treatment, as being a native of Tarsus, a city honoured with the freedom of Rome. A Roman citizen was not legally liable either to be bound or scourged therefore, when the tribune understood his privileges, he stopped further proceedings, and was something apprehensive for himself, that he had in part violated them already, by ordering him to be bound*; but being still desirous to know what was laid to his charge, he convened the chief priests and the members of the Sanhedrim on the next day, and brought him again before them.

The apostle, fixing his eyes upon the high priest and council, as one who was neither ashamed nor afraid † to appear at their tribunal, began with a declaration that he had lived to that day in the exercise of a good conscience; but Ananias, the high priest, forgetting his character as a judge, commanded those who stood near to strike him on the face. The apostle severely rebuked his partiality, in perverting the cause of justice, and warned him of the righteous judgment of God, the supreme Judge, who would surely punish his hypocrisy. His reply to those who reproved him for speaking in such terms to the high priest, seems to in

* A Roman citizen might be bound with a chain, but not tied with thongs, or beaten with rods. Facinus est vinciri civem Romanum, scelus verberari.' CICERO.

† Acts xxiii.

"Thou whited wall!" A clay wall, glossed over with white, is an apt emblem of a man who carries on a malicious design under the pretence and forms of justice. Hateful is the character, and dreadfully dangerous the condition of such.

timate, that the injurious treatment he had received had raised an undue warmth in his spirit, though it may be supposed that he denounced his future doom under a superior and prophetic impulse. But knowing that the council was composed of Pharisees and Sadducees, who were at variance amongst themselves about several weighty points, particularly the doctrine of a resurrection, he declared himself a Pharisee, and that the opposition he met with from the Sadducees was owing to his belief and hope in that doctrine. The Pharisees immediately suspended their present resentment, to embrace the occasion offered of opposing their old antagonists, and upon this issue espoused his cause, declaring him innocent; and said, that if a spirit or angel, (the existence of both which the Sadducees denied,) had spoken to him, they ought not to fight against God, by refusing to hear him. Upon this, a great dissention took place; and Lysias, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces between the contending parties, put an end to the conference, and ordered the soldiers to take him by force and secure him in the castle. It is, indeed, often well for believers, that the people of the world, though agreed in one point, namely, to oppose the Gospel, are divided and subdivided in other respects; so that, for the sake of a favourite passion, or to cross an opposite interest, they will sometimes protect those whom they would otherwise willingly destroy.

The next night he received full amends for all he had suffered, and was confirmed against the utmost efforts of his enemies' malice; for the Lord Jesus, whom he served, vouchsafed to appear to him in a vision, commanded him to be of good cheer, owned his gracious acceptance of his late testimony in Jerusalem,