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3 Homiletic Glance at the Acts of the

Apostles.

Able expositions of the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, describing the manners, customs, and localities described by the inspired writers; also interpreting their words, and harmonizing their formal discrepancies, are, happily, not wanting amongst us. Bu the eduction of its WIDEST truths and highest suggestions is still a felt desideratum. To some attempt at the work we devote these pages. We gratefully avail ourselves of all exegetical helps within our reach; but to occupy our limited space with any lengthened archæological, geographical, or philological remarks, would be to miss our aim; which is not to make bare the mechanical process of the study of Scripture, but to reveal its spiritual results.

SUBJECT: Paul's final Departure from Jerusalem, and his Arrival in Caesarea.

"And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome," &e.-Acts xxiii. 11-85.

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AUL had made several visits to Jerusalem since his conversion. To the last visit he looked with great interest, as he was the bearer of the charitable contributions of the Churches of Achaia and Macedonia to the poor saints at Jerusalem. For a long time his heart was on this visit: he struggled to perform it. The fear of death would not deter him from it; he made all circumstances bow to its accomplishment. But now he leaves that city never to return again he leaves it as a prisoner in chains. He had just delivered an able defence, first before the people, and afterwards before the Sanhedrim, and in each case, instead of conciliating them, he only intensified their unreasoning, unrighteous, and savage hostility; so much so, that the "chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and to bring him to the castle."

In glancing at the record here given of the circumstances connected with the termination of his connection with Jerusalem, and his journey to Cæsarea, there are, at least, three things worthy of our special attention :-A visit from

Christ- a conspiracy of enemies-an interposition of Providence.

I. A VISIT FROM CHRIST.

"And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome."

In what form "the Lord stood by him," whether as he appeared on earth, or as he appears in heaven, is not said; but he saw him not with his bodily eye, but with the eye of that soul that is endowed with faculties for perceiving the invisible. His advent to the apostle was

First Timely. We may well suppose that Paul's sensitive nature would be subject to many painful memories, gloomy thoughts, and boding anxieties, on that night, as he lay, with a lacerated body, a prisoner in the castle, Mayhap he was permitted even to question the divinity of his cause, and the rectitude of his mission. The best men have often. had sceptical thoughts, and such thoughts to such men are as the bleak winds of midnight to the unsheltered and unclad. The advent of Christ on this night was, therefore, most opportune. A verification, this, of a promise that never fails, as thy day, so shall thy strength be." His advent now to the apostle was——

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Secondly: Cheering. "Be of good cheer!" What a contrast to the words of falsehood, cursing, blasphemy, which during the previous days had been addressed to him! Who shall tell the cadence in which they were spoken-the soothing music, inspiring energy, the winning tenderness of Christ's voice, none know but those whose hearts have caught its accents. There are two things in Christ's words suited to i cheer the heart of the apostle. (1) Commendation. "Thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem.” Had Paul been allowed.

the mental agony of questioning whether he had done the right thing in Jerusalem? If so, here is a scattering of the dark thought; here is a Divine recognition, and an approving testimony of his services. "Thou hast testified of me"; thou

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hast acquitted thyself nobly and faithfully, well done. Another thing in Christ's words suited to cheer Paul's heart, was (2) Information. "So thou must bear witness also at Rome." Paul had long been intensely anxious to visit Rome. "After I had been there" (Jerusalem), says he, "I must also see Rome." (Acts xix. 21.) In his epistles, too, his longings to visit Rome are strongly expressed. (Rom. i. 10; Rom. xv. 23, 24.) Rome, the mistress of the world, the home of poets, heroes, sages, artists, &c., how strongly he desired to be there, to preach Jesus, and the resurrection. Perhaps he had just been thinking that there was no probability of his ever visiting Rome. Perhaps he had given up this longcherished purpose, and had wept bitter tears of disappointment on the wreck of the loved hope. Christ's words assured him, however, that he should yet visit Rome. "For as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." This advent of Christ to Paul on this night, suggests three general truths :

First: That great trials in duty are no evidence of unfaithfulness. Paul was faithful, yet he was in a dungeon.

Secondly: That trials in duty are contemplated by Christ. The trials of his people are not unforeseen casualties or misfortunes; they are according to his arrangement. He knows where the sufferer is, He approaches him, He speaks to him.

Thirdly: That trials in duty do not release us from the obligation to persevere. Paul was now told that he must bear witness also at Rome.

Another thing worthy of our special attention in this record of Paul's departure from Jerusalem for Cæsarea is

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"And when it was day,

II. A CONSPIRACY OF ENEMIES. certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves. under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have

slain Paul. Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain, that he bring him down unto you to-morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him." Who these "certain of the Jews" were which now banded themselves together against Paul does not appear. Some suppose that they were of the "Sicarii," or "cutthroats," with which Judea then abounded. Desperadoes and banditti about this time overran the city, perpetrating deeds of plunder and blood. (Acts xxiii.) The conspiracy formed against Paul was—

First: Malignant. Their avowed object was to "kill" him. The sufferings to which he was already subject did not satisfy them. Like wild beasts they thirsted for his blood. The conspiracy was

Secondly: Determined. "They bound themselves under a curse." In Greek, anathematized themselves; that is, pronounced themselves anathema or cursed of God unless they executed this vow. It means, Let God curse us if we eat or drink before we murder this man. Nothing could express a more invincible resolve. The conspiracy was

Thirdly Strong. "More than forty" of these sanguinary desperadoes banded themselves together for this purpose. The escape of Paul from the murderous hands of such a combination seemed all but impossible. The conspiracy was

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Fourthly Cunning. Paul was in the custody of the chief captain, the Roman officer, well guarded. How could they get him into their hands? Only through the Sanhedrim. Hence they applied to the chief priests and elders for the purpose. They inform these Jewish officers of their bloody intent, and they request them that they "signify to the chief captain, that he bring him down to them to-morrow," as though he would have heard something more concerning him. What they meant in their application to these Jewish authorities was this: "We are determined to kill Paul, but being in the charge of the Roman officer, we can get at him only

through your aid. The Roman officer will deliver him up to you on the plea that you want to make further judicial inquiries into his case. We ask you, therefore, to do this, and on his way from the castle to the council chamber, we will assassinate him." Whether the chief priests and elders agreed to this or not, one thing is certain, that the very fact that these wretches were emboldened to make such a request to them demonstrates the horrible injustice and immorality that prevailed amongst the rulers of the Jews.

Another thing worthy of our special attention in this record of Paul's departure from Jerusalem for Cæsarea is

III. THE INTERPOSITION OF PROVIDENCE. In the verses that follow, 16-35, narrating the rescue of Paul, and his safe arrival in Cæsarea, we find Divine Providence doing the two great things which it is ever doing in this worldthwarting the evil and delivering the good.

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First We find Providence thwarting the evil. The discovery and the defeat of this malignant plot is told with remarkable minuteness and inartistic simplicity in the following verses: "And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to-morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly. But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him and now are they

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