being with us Aristarchus, à Macedonian, a Thessalonian. 3. And on the following day we ran into Sidon. And Julius, humanely treating Paul, permitted him to go to his friends to receive attentions. 4. And having departed thence, &c. 6. . an Alexandrine ship, sailing to Italy, he put us on board of her. 7. . . . and scarcely reaching against Cnidus, &c. 8. And hardly sailing by it, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, nigh to which was the city Lasaea. 10. ... that the voyage is on the point of being with hurt and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, &c. 12. And the haven not being [rapɣovтos] convenient, . . if by any means they might, reaching to Phoenice, winter [there], a haven of Crete, looking according to the south-west and according to the north-west. 13. [aooov, not a proper name, but an adverb.] 14. But not long after, there rushed down it a whirling wind called [Codex Sinaiticus has cuparuAwv, so Lachmann and James Smith.] 15. But the ship being caught, and unable to eye the wind, giving [her] up, we we were scarcely able to get at and were drifted. 16. master the boat. ... and fearing lest they should fall away on to the quicksand, having lowered the gear, were thus drifted. 18. . . . . they did a casting out. 20. . . . . all hope that we should be saved was finally taken away. 21. And after long fasting, . . . . ye should have been guided by me, and not have loosed from Crete, and have been spared this hurt and loss. 23. an angel, &c. .'. . and whom I worship [λarpevw]. 25. ... for I trust God, that thus it shall be according as it has been spoken to me. must fall away on to a certain island. 27. And when the fourteenth night came, we being driven about in the Adria, about midnight the shipmen surmised that some land was nearing them. 29. And fearing lest we should fall away 30. And the upon breakers, &c., and wished day to come. shipmen seeking to flee out of the ship, and having let down the boat into the sea, in pretence as if going to extend anchors out of the prow, 31. ye [emphatic], &c. 33. And while day was coming on, Paul was beseeching all to partake 17. 26. But we of food, saying, To-day is the fourteenth day that ye have waited, continuing fasting, having partaken of nothing. 34. Wherefore I beseech you to partake of food, for this belongs to your salvation: for there shall not a hair perish from the head of one of you. 36. Then all, becoming of good cheer, themselves also partook of food. 38. And when they were full of food, they lightened the ship by casting out, &c. 39. And when day came, they did not recognise the land: but they observed an inlet with a strand, into which they designed if they could, to drive the ship forward. 40. And having cut away the anchors, they left [her] to the sea, at the same time loosing the lashings of the helms: and hoisting the foresail to the wind made for the strand. 41. And falling into a place of two seas, they ran the ship aground, and the prow sticking fast remained unshakeable, but the after part was severed by the shock. 42. And a design arose of the soldiers to kill the prisoners, lest any should escape by swimming out. 43. But the centurion, designing to bring Paul safe through, hindered them from the design, and commanded them that could swim to throw themselves of first and get away on to the land: 44. And the rest, some on planks, some on pieces of the ship. And thus it came to pass that all were brought safe through on to the land. Chap. xxviii. 1.--And having been brought safe through, then we recognised that the island was called Melite. 2. And the barbarians afforded us uncommon philanthropy: &c. 3. And Paul having collected a heap of dry sticks, and laid them on the fire, a viper, coming out from the heat, fastened on his hand. 4. And when the barbarians saw the beast hanging on his hand, they said to each other, Doubtless this man is a murderer, whom, although brought safe through out of the sea, justice hath not suffered to live. 5. He then, having shaken off the beast into the fire, suffered no evil. 6. They then expected that he would swell from inflammation, or fall down suddenly dead; and expecting for a great while, and seeing nothing unusual coming to him, changing their minds, they said he was a god. 7. And in the neighbourhood of that place, estates belonged to the chief of the island, by ... name Publius, who receiving us, three days kindly entertained [us]. 8. . . . . of fever and of dysentery, &c. 9. And this being done, the rest also that had sicknesses in the island, came near and were healed. 10. . . . and when we sailed, supplied us with what was needful. 11. . . . . we sailed in an Alexandrine ship, . . . . with the sign of the Dioscuri. 13. Whence by coming roundabout we reached down against Rhegium; and after one day the south wind coming on, we came the second day to Puteoli. 15. And thence the brethren, having heard about us, came, &c. 16. And when we came into Rome, it was permitted to Paul, &c. 17... he called... I [emphatic], Sirs [avdpes] and brethren, haring done nothing against the people or the customs of the fathers was delivered a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18. Who, having well examined me, designed to let me go, because there was no ground whatever of death in me. 19. to call upon Cæsar, ... 20. On this ground then I am hung around with this chain. 21. . . . nor came any [one] of the brethren near to announce or speak any evil concerning thee. 22. But we think it good to hear from thee the things which thou hast in mind; for indeed concerning this sect it is known to us, &c. 23. there were come to whom he set forth by fully witnessing the kingdom of God, and by persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and [from] the prophets, from early morning until evening. 24. And some were persuaded of what was said, and some disbelieral. 25. And being discordant among themselves they went away, Paul having said one word, . . . . . to your fathers, saying, 26..... and seeing ye shall see and not know. 27. For the heart of this people was made gross, and with [their] ears they heard dully, and their eyes they closed, &c. 28. ... this salvation of God was sent to the heathen, and they [emphatic] will hear. 29. 30. And he dwelt . . . . in his own hired lodging, and received all that entered unto him. 31. . . . . with all freedom, unhindered. * This verse is wanting from the texts of Lachmann and Tischendorf, and also from the Codex Sinaiticus. Mit in the Pulpit. N the use of wit and humour in preaching there is a greater variety of opinion. Some earnestly contend for the supposed propriety of applying ridicule and sarcasm to error and sin. If the question were with reference to general literature, or the style of a mere moralist, it might be differently regarded, since certain species of folly may be made to wither under the application of ridicule, and humour is very entertaining. With reference to preaching the Gospel, however, the question arises on the score of congruity and propriety in their highest and gravest sense. In this view, the most that can be said in favour of wit and humour can only present them as very feeble auxiliaries to a Christian minister, whereas danger of gross impropriety attends their use. If, in deference to those rare examples of irony found in the Scriptures, it be conceded that humour may be occasionally employed, it must also be enjoined to keep it under rigid restraint. Some men are gifted with an extraordinary flow of humour, which without doubt may be disciplined and sanctified so as to become a talent of usefulness, when judiciously employed, even in the pulpit. But against its free indulgence or excessive use by ministers in any circumstances, distinct warnings should be uttered. In all periods of the history of preaching the abuses of this faculty seem to have been more obvious than its uses. Hence it may be better to rest the case upon the testimony of good men rather than upon a theoretic argument. "Ridicule," says Vinet, "shuts the soul to religious emotions. Moreover, it is a weapon that may be applied to good as well as to evil, and one which, if a minister uses, he is very likely to have with greater power turned against himself." Dean Swift, in his letter to a young clergyman, throws a shaft of ridicule at the very practice in question. He says: "I cannot forbear warning in the most earnest manner against endeavouring at wit in your sermons, because by the strictest computation it is very near a million to one that you have none, and because too many of your calling have made themselves everlastingly ridiculous by attempting it. I remember several young men in this town who could never leave the pulpit under half-a-dozen conceits, and this VOL. XXI. faculty adhered to those gentlemen a longer or shorter time, exactly in proportion to their several degrees of dullness; accordingly I am told that some of them retain it to this day. I heartily wish the brood were at an end." Again, the use of wit tends to depreciate the estimate in which one's judgment is held, and consequently to lower the influence of the minister's personal character. Lord Kames is authority upon this point, although his remarks are general, and not designed for the present application. He says: "Wit and judgment are seldom united. Wit consists chiefly in joining things by distant and fanciful relations, which surprise because they are unexpected. Such relations, being of the slightess kind, readily occur only to those who make every relation equally welcome. Wit upon that account is incompatible with solid judgment." "Subjects really grave are by no means fit for ridicule." And yet those who ought to be grave ministers are tempted sometimes to indulge in ridicule because it excites laughter and the appearance of a momentary approbation. Campbell, Author of the "Philosophy of Rhetoric," says: "The effect designed by the pulpit, namely, the reformation of mankind, requires a certain seriousness which ought uniformly to be preserved by the preacher. His time, place, and occupation seem all incompatible with the levity of ridicule; they (indeed) render jesting impertinence, and laughter, madness. Therefore, anything from the pulpit which might provoke this emotion would be deemed an unpardonable offence against both piety and decorum." Edmondson, in his work on the Christian Ministry, says: "Never aim at displays of wit in the pulpit. This might suit a buffoon, but ill becomes a grave minister of Jesus Christ. Triflers might like it well enough, but the deeply serious would be disgusted." Baxter enters his solemn protest against witticism in the pulpit in these words: "Of all preaching in the world that speaks not stark lies, I hate that which tendeth to make the hearers laugh, or to move their minds with tickling levity, and affect them as stage-players use to do, instead of affecting them with a holy reverence in the name of God." The same evil, with some others, has been gibbeted in the immortal verse of Cowper : "Would I describe a preacher, such as Paul, Were he on earth, would hear, approve, and own- |