violence. Tacitus tells us, that he made his will the law of his government, practising all manner of cruelty and injustice. To these qualities he added bribery and covetousness; and therefore often sent for our apostle to discourse with him, expecting he would have given him a considerable sum for his release; having, in all probability, heard that St. Paul had brought a large quantity of money to Jerusalem.

But finding no offers were made him, either by the apostle himself, or his friends, he kept him prisoner two years; when he himself being discharged from his office by Nero, he left Paul in prison, in order to gratify the malice of the Jews, and engage them to speak the better of his government, after his departure from Judea.

Felix was succeeded in the government of the province by Portius Festus, before whom, at his first coming to Jerusalem, the high priest and Sanhedrim preferred an indictment against Paul, desiring that he might be sent for up to Jerusalem, in order to take trial, intending to assassinate him by the way. But Festus told them, that he was shortly going himself to Cæsarea, and that if they had any complaint against Paul, they should come down thither, and accuse him.

Accordingly, as soon as he was come to Cæsarea, he ascended the tribunal, where the Jews renewed the charge they had before brought against Paul; but the apostle soon cleared himself of every part of the charge, they not being able to prove any thing against him. Festus, however, being willing to procure the favour of the Jews at his entrance on the government, asked Paul, whether he would go up and be tried before him at Jerusalem? But the apostle, well knowing the consequences of such a proposal, answered, as a Roman, I appeal unto Cæsar.

This method of appealing was common among the Romans, and introduced to defend

and secure the lives and fortunes of the people from the unjust encroachments and rigorous severities of the magistrates, whereby it was lawful, in cases of oppression, to appeal to the people for redress; a thing more than once settled by the sanction of the Valerian law.

Some time after St Paul had appealed unto Cæsar, king Agrippa, who succeeded Herod in the tetrarchate of Galilee, and his sister Bernice, came to Cæsarea, to visit the new governor. Festus embraced this opportunity of mentioning the case of our apostle to king Agrippa, together with the remarkable tumult this affair had occasioned among the Jews, and the appeal he had made to Cæsar. This account excited the curiosity of king Agrippa, and he was desirous of hearing himself what St. Paul bad to say in his own vindication.

Accordingly, the next day, the king and his sister, accompanied with Festus the governor, and several other persons of distinction, came into the court, with a pompous and splendid retinue, where the prisoner was brought before them. On his appearing, Festus informed the court how greatly he had been importuned by the Jews, both at Cæsarea and Jerusalem, to put the prisoner to death as a malefactor! but having, on examination, found him guilty of no capital crime, and the prisoner himself having appealed unto Cæsar, he was determined to send him to Rome, but was willing to have his cause debated before Agrippa, that he might be be furnished with some material particulars to send with him; it being highly absurd to send a prisoner without signifying the crimes alledged against him.

Festus having finished his speech, Agrippa told Paul, he was now at liberty to make his own defence: and silence being made, he delivered himself in the following manner, addressing his speech particularly to Agrippa:

"I consider it as a peculiar happiness, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defence against the accusations of the Jews, before thee; because thou art well acquainted with all their customs, and the questions commonly debated among them; I therefore beseech thee to hear me patiently. All the Jews are well acquainted with my manner of life, from my youth, the greatest part of it having been spent with my own countrymen at Jerusalem. They also know that I was educated under the institutions of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion, and am now arraigned for a tenet believed by all their fathers; a tenet sufficiently credible in itself, and plainly revealed in the scriptures; I mean the resurrection of the dead. Why should any mortal think it either incredible or impossible, that God should raise the dead?

"I, indeed, formerly thought myself indispensibly obliged to oppose the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. Nor was I satisfied with imprisoning and punishing with death itself, the saints I found at Jerusalem; I even persecuted them in strange cities, whither my implacable zeal pursued them, having procured authority for that purpose from the chief priests and the elders.

Accordingly I departed for Damascus, with a commission from the Sanhedrim: but as I was travelling towards that city, I saw at mid-day, O king, a light from heaven, far exceeding the brightness of the sun, encompassing me and my companions. On seeing this awful appearance, we all fell to the earth, and I heard a voice, which said to me in the Hebrew language, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." To which I answered, Who art thou Lord? and he replied, Iam Jesus whom thou persecutest. But be not terrified, arise from the earth; for I have appeared unto thee, that thou mightest be both a witness of the things thou hast seen and also of others, which I will hereafter reveal unto thee. My power No. 21.

shall deliver thee from the Jews and Gentiles, to whom now I send thee to preach the gospel to withdraw the veil of darkness and ignorance; to turn them from falsehood unto truth, "and from the power of Satan unto God."

"Accordingly, king Agrippa, I readily obeyed the heavenly vision: I preached the gospel first to the inhabitants of Damascus, then to those of Jerusalem and Judea, and afterwards to the Gentiles; persuading them to forsake their iniquities, and, by sincere repentance, turn to the living God.

"These endeavours to save the souls of sinful mortals exasperated the Jews, who caught me in the temple, and entered into a conspiracy to destroy me. But by the help of Omnipotence, I still remain a witness to all the human race, preaching nothing but what Moses and all the prophets foretold, namely, that the Messiah should suffer, be the first that should rise from the chambers of the grave, and publish the glad tidings of salvation, both to the. Jews and Gentiles."

While the apostle thus pleaded for himself, Festus cried out, "Paul, thou art mad too much study hath deprived thee of thy reason." But, Paul answered, "I am far most noble Festus, from being transported with idle and distracted ideas; the words I speak are dictated by truth and sobriety; and I am persuaded that the king Agrippa himself is not ignorant of these things; for they were transacted openly before the world. I am confident, king Agrippa, that thou believest the prophets; and therefore must know that all their predictions were fulfilled in Christ." To which, Agrippa answered, "Thou hast almost persuaded me to embrace the Christian faith. Paul replied, "I sincerely wish that not only thou, but also. all that hear me, were not almost but altogether the same as myself, except being prisoners."

4-P

CHAP. II.

The Transactions of St. Paul, from his Arrival at Rome, till his Martyrdom.

ly, and use him as a brother, promising withal, that if he had wronged, or owed him any thing, he himself would repay it."

This epistle may be considered as a

tigue of his voyage, the apostle sent for the heads of the Jewish consistory at Rome, and related to them the cause of his coming in the following manner: Though I have been guilty of no violence of the laws of our religion, yet I was delivered by the Jews at Jerusalem to the Roman governors, who more than once would have acquitted me, as innocent of any capital offence; but, by the perverseness of my persecutors, I was obliged to appeal unto Cæsar; not that I had any thing to accuse my nation of: I had recourse to this method, merely to clear my to clear my own innocence."

Among others of the apostle's converts at Rome, was one Onesimus, who had formerly been a servant to. Philemon, a person of distinction at Colosse, but had run away from his master, and taken with him some things of value.

Having rambled as far as Rome, he was now converted by St. Paul, who advised him to return to his master, and gave him a short recommendatory letter, "earnestly desiring his master to pardon him; and notwithstanding his former faults, to treat him kind

in

sive way; for in it the apostle had recourse to all the considerations, which friendship, religion, piety, and tenderness can spire, to reconcile an incensed master to his servant.

The Christians of Phillippi hearing of St. Paul's being at Rome, and not knowing what distress he might be reduced to, raised a contribution for him, and sent it by Epaphroditus, their bishop, by whom he returned an epistle to them, wherein he gives some account of the state of his affairs at Rome; gratefully acknowledges their kindness to him, warns them against the dangerous opinions which the Judaizing teachers began to propagate among them, and advises them to live in continual obedience to Christ; to avoid disputations, delight in prayer, be courageous under affliction, united in love, and clothed with humility, in imitation of the blessed Jesus, who so far humbled himself, as to become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

St. Paul lived about three years at Ephesus, preaching the gospel to the numerous inhabitants of that city, and was therefore well acquainted with the state and condition. of the place: so that taking the opportunity of Tychicus's going thither, he wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, wherein he endeavours to countermine the principles and practices both of the Jews and Gentiles; to confirm them in the belief and practice of the Christian doctrine, and to instruct them fully in the great mysteries of the gospel; their redemption and justification by the death of Christ; their gratuitous election, their union with the Jews in one body, of which Christ is the head, and the glorious exaltation of that head above all creatures, both spiritual and temporal: together with many excellent

precepts, both as to the general duties of religion, and the duties of their particular relations.

St. Paul himself had never been at Colosse: Epaphras, who was then at Rome, and preached the gospel there with good success; and from him he might learn that certain false teachers had endeavoured to persuade the people, that they ought not to apply to God by Jesus Christ, who, since his ascension, was so far exalted above them, that angels were now become the proper mediators between God and man; and therefore in opposition to this, as well as other seductions of the same nature, he wrote his epistle to the Colossians; wherein he magnificently displays the Messiah, and all the benefits flowing from him as being the image of his Father, the Redeemer of all mankind, the reconciler of all things to God, and the Head of the church, which gives life and vigour to all its members.

By what means St. Paul was discharged from the accusation the Jews brought against him, we have no account in history; but it is natural to suppose, that not having sufficient proof of what they alledged, or being informed that the crimes they accused him of were no violation of the Roman laws, they durst not implead him before the emperor, and so permitted him to be discharged of course. But by whatever means he procured his liberty, he wrote his epistle to the Hebrews before he left Italy, from whence he dates his salutations.

The principal design of it is to magnify Christ, and the religion of the gospel, above Moses and the Jewish œconomy, in order to establish and confirm the converted Jews in the firm belief and profession of Christianity, notwithstanding the trouble and persecution that would certa nly attend them.

Having thus discharged his ministry, both by preaching and writing in Italy, St. Paul,

accompanied by Timothy, prosecuted his long-intended journey into Spain: and according to the testimony of several writers, crossed the sea, and preached the gospel in Britain.

What success he had in these western parts is not known; he, however, continued there eight or nine months, and then returned again to the east, visited Sicily, Greece, and Crete, and then repaired to Rome.

Here he met with Peter, and was, together with him, thrown into prison, doubtless in the general persecution raised against the Christians, under pretence that they had set fire to the city. How long he remained in prison is uncertain; nor do we know whether he was scourged before his execution. He was, however, allowed the privilege of a Roman citizen, and therefore beheaded.

Being come to the place of execution, which was the Aquæ Salviæ, three miles from Rome, he cheerfully, after a solemn preparation, gave his neck to the fatal stroke; and from this vale of misery passed to the blissful regions of immortality, to the kingdom of his beloved Master, the great Redeemer of the human race.

He was buried in the Via Ostiensis, about two miles from Rome. And about the year 317, Constantine the Great, at the instance of pope Sylvester, built a stately church over his grave, adorned it with a hundred marble columns, and beautified it with the most exquisite workmanship.

St. Paul seems, indeed, to have been eminently fitted for the apostleship of the Gentiles, to contend with and confute the grave and the wise, the acute and the subtle, the sage and the learned of the Heathen world, and to wound them with arrows from their own quiver. He seldom, indeed, made use of learning and philosophy, it being more agreeable to the designs