not only the disciples of Cæsarea, but those who had come with him, earnestly entreated him to desist from his purpose. We may learn from this passage, that the clearest intelligence of approaching danger is not always a sufficient warrant to decline it, even when, in the judgement of our brethren, we might decline it without sin. St. Paul was satisfied that, all circumstances considered, it was right for him to proceed. He had taken his determination upon good grounds, was brought so far on his way in safety; and to be told, though from an infallible authority, that his views of service could not be completed without great risk and trouble to himself, did not discourage him in the least. He was less affected by the prospect of sufferings from the Jews than by the solicitations of his friends; and told them, that though they could not shake his resolution, their concern and importunity exceedingly dis tressed him. "What mean you to weep, and to break

my heart? I am ready not to be bound only, but "also to die, for the sake of the Lord Jesus." In this short speech we may discern a spirit which is indeed the honour of human nature. Inflexibly firm to his character and duty, yet expressing the most tender feelings for his friends; while he contemplated the severest trials that might affect himself unmoved, he was almost overpowered by what he felt for others. But when they saw that he was not to be dissuaded, they desisted from their suit, and acquiesced in the will of the Lord.

A. D. 59.] Having staid some time at Cæsarea, he proceeded to Jerusalem; his friends, who had crossed the sea with him, resolving to expose themselves to a share of the dangers from which they could not divert him. They were accompanied likewise by an old dis

ciple, named Mnason, of Cyprus, who resided at Jerusalem, and had offered his house for their accommodation. Their arrival was welcome to the brethren; and the next day St. Paul introduced his friends to St. James and the elders, who seem to have met together on purpose to receive him. To them he gave a succinct account of the success with which God had honoured his ministry among the Gentiles; which when they had heard, they unanimously glorified God on his behalf, and rejoiced to hear of the accession of such numbers to the Christian faith. But at the same time they gave him to understand, that the bulk of the Jewish converts had received no small prejudice against him; that there were even many thousands who had heard and believed hard things of him, as one who taught the Jews to apostatize from the law of Moses, and forbade them to practise circumcision and the other rites and customs of their forefathers. In order to show them that this charge was groundless, they advised him to join himself publicly with four men, who were under a vow, and to attend with them the prescribed course of purification in the temple.

From this passage we are led to remark, that, through the weakness of human nature, the prejudices of education, and the arts of Satan, many thousands of professed Christians, in the first and purest period of the primitive church, while under the care of the apostles, had imbibed, from hear-say, a degree of coldness and dislike towards one of the Lord's most faithful and most favoured servants. How far the method St. Paul was advised to pursue, for the removal of this misapprehension, was suited to his character and known in

9 Acts, xxi.

apo

tegrity, is a question not easily determined. The stles, considered in one light, as the penmen of a large part of the sacred canon of faith and practice, which the Lord was pleased by them to communicate to his church, were doubtless so far under the full direction and inspiration of his Holy Spirit; but we have no reason to believe that, in every part of their own personal conduct, they were strictly infallible: nay, we have good warrant to conclude the contrary; as St. Paul himself assures us, that, upon a certain occasion, already mentioned, he withstood Peter to his face, because he was to be blamed. It is therefore no way derogatory from the character and authority of Paul, to inquire whether, upon this occasion, the tenderness of his spirit towards weak believers, and his desire of becoming all things to all men (when the foundationtruths of the Gospel were not affected) might not carry him too far. For though a reserve was made by James, in favour of the Gentile converts, that they should not be burdened with the observance of Jewish rites; yet the express cnd and design for which this step was proposed to him, and for which he seems to have undertaken it, was, that all might know or believe, not only that he was not against others adhering to the Jewish ceremonies, but that he likewise orderly and statedly practised them himself: a circumstance which is far from being clear, or indeed probable, if we consider the strain of his Epistle to the Galatians, which, though the addition at the close of our copies mentions as sent from Rome, is generally allowed to have been written during his stay at Ephesus at the latest, if not sooner; and further, that for some time past his converse had been almost wholly confined to the Gentile

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, whereever 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 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 temple, 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 was the 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,