the base of the building, protected from their fury by the soldiers, having the "licence" of the chief captain" to speak, he addressed them with all the freedom of his noble and Christ-inspired nature. "And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people; and when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying," &c. He) "beckoned" with his hand to still the noise of the people, and he spoke in the Hebrew tongue, not because they would not! have understood Greek, but because he wished to command their sympathies by demonstrating that he was an Israelite. With great rhetorical adroitness, he further conciliates the good-will of his audience by the courteous and even affec tionate terms with which he addresses them as "men, brethren, ~ and fathers." So far he succeeds. "And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence, and he saith," &c. The multitude which just before" had raged like ocean in the storm, were reduced to a breathless stillness, with eager ear to listen to what the prisoner had to say. And now, taking the chapter to the 30th verse, ! we have three subjects forced on our attention-an autobiographic defence too genuine to be questioned-an audience too prejudiced for argument, and officers of law too weak tol be generous or brave.

I. HERE WE HAVE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHIC DEFENCE TOO GENUINE TO BE QUESTIONED. In Paul's defence on this occasion, there is nothing like special pleading no attempt to invalidate oppos sing evidence. As an honest man who felt that his life would bear scrutiny, he gives a brief sketch of himself, that is all. C (1.) He avows himself a Jew by birth and education.d (Verse 3.) (2.) He describes his persecuting zeal against the Christians. (Verses 4 and 5.) (3.) He details his extraordinary conversion. (Verses 6 to 11.) (4.) He shows that his reception into the Church was by, Jewish, agency (Verses 12 to 16.) (5.) He proves that his mission to the Gentiles was forced upon him by Divine authority. (Verses

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17, 21.) In analyzing this autobiographic sketch, there are (a), points stated which are to be found elsewhere. The account of his conversion here will be found in Acts ix. 3-19.* There are (b), points stated found elsewhere, but in a modified form. For example, it is said in Acts ix. that the men which journeyed with Paul heard a voice, and here (verse 10), that they heard not the voice. This is satisfac torily explained by supposing that the voice in the former place meant mere sound, and here articulate utterance. Such slight variation of testimony, an enlightened and impartial judgment will ever regard as confirming rather than weakening the general trustworthiness of the narrative. There are (c) points stated which are not found elsewhere such, for example, as the "trance" in the 17th verse. Neither our purpose or space will allow us to go more minutely into this autobiographic defence.t Concerning the whole, however, four things are very remarkable concerning it. (1) In it, self is criminated. Paul has not a word to say in vindication of his conduct prior to his conversion. He virtually denounces himself. He even confesses guilt in connection with the martyrdom of Stephen. (2.) In it, Christ is honoured." His conversion is ascribed to Christ, who appeared to him on the road to Damascus; also his commission to the Gentiles. (3.) In it, there is manifest honesty of soul. How open and frank is every utterance. (4.) In it, conversion appears as the ever memorable epoch. Twenty-five years, or more, had passed away since Paul's conversion, yet the incidents were so fresh in memory, that he details them with all the minuteness..with which they were detailed at first, as found in the 9th chapter. Conversion is the most memorable epoch in the biography of souls... g

II. HERE WE HAVE AN AUDIENCE TOO PREJUDICED FOR ARGUMENT, Notwithstanding this autobiographic defence, so

See HOMILIST, vol. v., third series, p. 72.

The reader will find several of the verses homiletically treated in the present number.

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respectful, so frank, so sufficient in every respect for the occasion, no sooner did he refer to his mission to the Gentiles in the 21st verse, than they broke out into a violent interruption. And he said unto me, depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothds and threw dust into the air." The word "Gentiles" fell from his lips like a spark upon the tinder of their bigotry. The odium theologicum raged so furiously within them that they could not listen to another word, or tolerate him for another moment. “Away with such a fellow from the earth; it is not fit that he should live." They would not allow him to utter another word in justification. To them all the charges brought against him were more than true. He was a monster to be swept from the face of the earth" away with such a fellow from the earth." The old voice that filled Jerusalem on the day of Christ's crucifixion, comes out again in thunder. Their rage was ungovernable. "They cast off their clothes and threw dust into the air." The act described here may be either that of tossing up their loose cloaks or outer garments, or that of violently shaking them without removal; not as a gesture of concurrence or applause in which sense agitation of the dress is sometimes mentioned in the classics, but as a spontaneous expres sion of intense and irrepressible excitement. Throwing dust into the air-not as it has sometimes been explained, that it might descend upon their own heads as a sign of mourning an idea probably connected with the false assumption that they rent their garments, whereas they only shook or tossed them. The act described is to be understood precisely like the one before it, as an outward symptom of internal rage resembling its expression in the lower animals, and said to be common in the East upon the part of whole crowds, when impatient or exasperated." root Inimal di I" : Userud meme Bohoro horo po Alexander,con silT ( "1.time!!

TIL. HERE WE HAVE OFFICERS OF LAW TOO WEAK TO SI OBE GENEROUS OR BRAVE. "The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be ex amined by scourging, that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.".

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990 ml 95: First: Fear of the people made the chief captain too timider to behave generously towards Paul Why did the chief captain the Roman tribune command Paul to be brought into the castle, scourged, and bound? Not because he could have been in any way convinced of his guilt, but because he wished to conciliate the raging mob who cried out, "Away with such a fellow from the earth!". For fear of the Jewish mob this commander of the garrison examined him by scourging, i According to the Roman law, Paul was scourged in order to extract from him a confession of guilt which no witnesses could prove. Scourging was al species of judicial torture, intended like the similar but worse devices of the Inquisition, and some other civilized but barbarous tribunals, to supply the want of proof or information by extorting a confession or compelling a prisoner to accuse himself. From this use torture has acquired a euphemistic name ;the application of the rack, the iron boot, the thumb screws, and a hundred other hellish cruelties, being known in history as putting men (or women) to the question. In comparison with these refinements, there was something merciful in the Roman practice of examining by scourges." This species of barbaric ferocity still lingers about Christendom. Second Fear. of the Roman power forced him to desist from his cruelties. While the indignities and cruelties were being inflicted upon him, Paul, with the heroism of a great man, said, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncon demned'?” "From the conversation that took place from versé 26-30, three things are observables (a) Paul's self-com mand. Tortured and bleeding under the lash, he speaks without t rage or even excitement speaks to the bold Roman himself: "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman?" (b) The apostle's civic superiority to the Roman

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HOMILETIC GLANCE AT THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

tribune. The one was a "free-born" citizen of Rome, the other was a citizen only by purchase. "With a great sum obtained I this freedom," said the captain. The right of Roman citizenship was conferred only on such foreigners as had rendered some signal service to the state. As the moral tone of the empire lowered, it became a purchasable commodity. This chief captain thus obtained his citizenship. “But I was born free," says Paul, as if he had said, “I am a greater Roman than thou." Paul was born in Tarsus, a city whose inhabitants were admitted to the rights of citizenship by Augustus. (c) The force of the Roman name. As soon as they heard that Paul was a Roman, the officer shrank with dread from the outrage he was committing, and the soldiers recoiled. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain, also, was afraid after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him."

This incident accords with Roman history. Cicero, against Verres, says, "Whoever he might be whom you were hurrying to the cross, were he even unknown to you, if he but said that he was a Roman citizen, he would necessarily obtain from you, the prætor, by the simplest mention of Rome, if not an escape, yet at least a delay of his punishment." And again, "It is a heinous sin to bind a Roman citizen; it is wickedness to beat him; it is next to parricide to kill him; and what shall I say to crucify him?"

REPOSE OF GREAT MINDS.

Really great minds seem to have cast off from their hearts the grave's earth, as well as dissipated the clouds which conceal the heaven from our view, and they thus disclose to themselves and to us a clear and blissful world of everlasting repose. The beauty of such minds appears simple and unagitated, extending, like the blue ether, over the world and time. And it is the repose produced by satisfaction and completion, not exhaustion from the fatigue of continuous endeavour, which gives an expression of serenity to their eyes, and imprints its quiet on their lips. RICHTER.