5. And he shook off, &c In this was remarkably fulfilled the promise of the Saviour (Mark xvi. 18): "They shall take up serpents," &c.
island, whose name was Publius, who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever, and of a bloody flux: to whom c Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid dhis hands on him, and healed
9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
10 Who also honoured e us with
from the bite of the viper. The poison of the viper is rapid; and they expected that he would die soon. The word rendered " swollen" (m/tvfUTdtu) means properly to burn; to be inflamed; and then to be swollen from inflammation. This was what they expected here, that the poison would produce a violent in flammation. IF Or fallen down dead suddenly. As is sometimes the case from the bite of the serpent, when a vital part is affected. IF They changed their minds. They saw he was uninjured, and miraculously preserved; and they supposed that none but a god could be thus kept from death. tf That he was a god. That the Maltese were idolaters there can be no doubt. But what gods they worshipped is unknown, and conjecture would bo useless. It was natural that they should attribute such a preservation to "the presence of a divinity. A similar instance occurred atLystra. See Notes, ch. xiv. 11.
7. In the same quarters. In that place, or that part of the island. IT Possessions. Property. His place of residence. IT The chief man. Gr. The frst man. Probably he was the governor of the island.
8. A bloody flux. Gr. Dysentery. IT And laid his hands on him, &c. In accordance with the promise of the Saviour. Mark xvi. 18. This miracle was a suitable return for the hospitality of Publius, and would serve to conciliate further the kindness of the people, and prepare the way for the usefulness of Paul.
10. Who also honoured us. As men who were favoured of heaven, and who had been the means of conferring important benefits on them in healing the sick, &c. Probably the word " honours" here means gifts, or marks of favour. IT They laded tis. They gave us, or con-
many honours; and when we departed, they laded em with Buch things " as were necessary.
11 And after three months uv departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
12 And landing at Syracuse) we tarried there three days.
13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind
ferred on us. They furnished us with such thingB as wero necessary for us on our journey.
11. And after three months. Probably they remained there so long, because there was no favourable opportunity il>r them to go to Koine. If they arrived there, as is commonly supposed, in CVlober, they left for Rome in January. 1T In a ship of Alexandria. See Note, ch. xxvn. 6. IF Whose si<?n. Which was ornamented with an image of Castor and Pollux. It was common to place on the prow of the ship the image of some person, or god, whose name the ship bore. Tin is still observed. 1T Castor and Pollux. These were two semi-deities. They wenreputed to be twin brothers, sons of Jupiter and Leda, the wife of Tyndarus, King of Sparta. After their death, they are fabled to have been translated to heaven, and made constellations under the name ofgemini, or the twins. They then received divine honours, and were called the sons of Jupiter. They were supposed to preside over sailors, and to be their protectors; hence it was not uncommon to place their image on ships. See authorities in Lempriere's Dictionary.
12. And landing at Syracuse. Syracuse was the capital of the island of Sicily, on the eastern coast. It was in the direct course from Malta to Rome. It contains at present about 18,000 inhabitants.
13. We fetched a compaa*. We about; or we coasted along tie side of Sicily. The course can on the map. % And came to Kkegivm. This was a city of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, on the coael near the southwest extremity of Italy.!t was nearly opnosite to Messina, in Sicily. I called Reggio. See the map. 1 'i ■■ sn nth wind. A wind favourable for their voyage. IT To Puteoli. The wells. It was celebrated for iLs warm hatha, and
The city was built on th Appian way, or The roa I and probably the city also. It w i the forum or.,
16 And when we came to Rome, the. centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself ° with a soldier that kept
17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though * I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered c prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans:
tiansofRome. Rom. i. 9—11; xv 23.32. He was now grateful to God that the object of his long desire was at last granted to him. and that he was permitted to see them, though in bonds. IT And took courage. From their society and counsel. The presence and counsel of Christian brethren is often of inestimable value in encouraging and strengthening us in the toils and trials of life.
16. The captain of the guard. The commander of the Pretorian cohort, or guard. The custom was, that those who were sent from the provinces to Rome for trial were delivered to the custody of this guard. The name of the prefect or captain of the guard at this time, was Burrhus Afranius. Tacit. Ann. 12. 42. 1. 11 But Paul was suffered, &c. Evidently by the permission of the centurion, whose favour he had so much conciliated on the voyage. See ch. xxvii. 43. 11 With a soldier that kept him That is, in the custody of a soldier, to whom he was chained, and who, of course, constantly attended him. See ch. xxiv. 23. Note, ch. xii. 6.
17. Paul called the chief of the Jews. He probably had two objects in this: one was to vindicate himself from the suspicion of crime, or to convince them that the charges alleged against him were false; and the other, to explain to them the gospel of Christ. In accordance with his custom every where, he seized the earliest opportunity of making the gospel known to his own countrymen; and he naturally supposed that charges highly unf ivourable to his character, had been tent forward against him to the Jews at
amined me, would have let vie go, because there was no cause of death in me.
19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal e unto Cesar; not that I had aught to accuse my nation of.
20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope f of Israel I am bound with this chain. *
21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed of spake any harm of thee.
19. The Jews spake against it. Against my being set at liberty. IF / was constrained. By a regard to my own safety and character. 11 To appeal unto Cesar. Note, ch. xxv. 11. H Not that I had aught, &c. I did it for my own preservation and safety; not that I wished to accuse my own countrymen. It was not from motives of revenge, but for safety. Paul had been unjustly accused and injured; yet with the true spirit of the Christian religion, he here says that he cherished no unkind feelings towards
20. Because for the hope of Israel. On account of the hope which the Jews cherished of the coming of the Messiah; of the resurrection; and of the future state through him. See this explained in the Note on ch. xxiii. 6. IT lam bound with this chain. See Note, ch. xxvi. 29. Probably he was attached constantly to a soldier by a chain.
21. We neither received letters, &c. Why the Jews in J"dea had not forwarded the accusation against Paul to their brethren at Rome, that they might continue the prosecution before the emperor, is not known. It is probable that they
22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for a
23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his Lodging; b to whom he expounded c and testified the kingdon of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both d out ot' the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
24 And some e believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one
regarded their cause as hopeless, and choose to abandon the prosecution. Paul had been acquitted successively byLysias, Felix, Festus, and Agrippa; and as ihey had not succeeded in procuring his condemnation before them, they saw no prospect of doing it at Koine, and chose therefore not to press the prosecution any farther. IT Neither any of the brethren that came. Any of the Jews. There was a verv constant intercourse between Judea* and Rome, but it 6eems that the Jews who had come before Paul had arrived, had not mentioned his case, so as to prejudice them against him.
22. What thou thinkest. What your belief is; or what are the doctrines of Christians respecting the Messiah. 1 This sect. The sect of Christians. IT Spoken against. Particularly by Jews. This was the case then; and to a great extent, is the case still. It has been the common lot of the followers of Christ to be spoken of with contempt. Comp. ch. xxiv..">.
23. Appointed him a day. A day when they would hear him. It To his lodging. To 'the house where he resided.
IF He expounded. He explained or declared the principles of Jxe Christian religion. IT And testified the kingdom of (hxl. Bore witness to, or declared tin; principles and doctrines ot" ii,.' the Messiah. See Note, Matt iii. - wading them concerning J vouring to convince them tha( J< siah r Both outoj Ou tau Endeavouring to convince them thai be corresponded with the predictions re- dull ot hearing, and their eyes bare they closed; lest they Bhov with their eyes, and bear with and understand with heart, and should be oom and 1 should heal them.
I.en. \h\. Il 18. and with: instituted to prefigure 1 And out of the pro] ho corresponded with the i n I the prophets. Sec Note, eh IT From morning until evening. stance of Paul's indefatigable tod in endeavouring to win Ins own countrymen to Jest - riah.
•j.") Had spoken one word. On. ration of solemn prophecy, r. i them that it was the charai U nation to reject die testimony of( I that it was to!><• eipected it •
29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
was rejected by one class of people, he was ready to offer it to another. If his own countrymen rejected and despised it, he never allowed himself to suppose that Christ had died in vain, but believed that others would be inclined to embrace its saving benefits. How happy would it be if all Christians had the same unwavering faith and zeal as Paul!
29. And had great reasoning. Great discussion or debates. That is, the part which believed that Jesus was the Messiah (ver. 24) discussed the subject warmly with those who did not believe. This whole verse is wanting in the Syriac version, and in some Greek MSS., and is supposed by Mill and Griesbach to be spurious,
30. Paid dwelt two whole years. Doubtless in the custody of the soldiers. Why he was not prosecuted before the emperor during this time is not known. It is evident, however (ver. 21), that the Jews were not disposed to carry the case before Nero, and the matter, during this time, was suffered quietly to sleep. There is great probability that the Jews durst not prosecute him before the emperor. It is clear that they had never been in favour of the appeal to Rome, and that they had no hope of gaining their cause. Probably they might remember the former treatment of the Roman emperor of their people (Note, ch. xviii. 2); they might remember that they were despised at the Roman capital, and not choose to encounter the scorn and indignation of the Roman court; and as there was no prosecution, Paul was suffered to live in quietness and safety. Lardner, however, supposen (vol. v. p. 528, 529. Ed. 8vo. Lond. 1629) that the case of Paul was soon brought before Nero, and decided; and that the method of confinement was ordered by the emperor himself. Lightfoot also supposes that Paul's " accusers, who had come from Judea to lay their charge against him, would be urgent to get their business despatched, that they might be returning to their own home again, and so would bring him to trial as
years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him. 31 Preaching h the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesu3 Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
soon as they could." But nothing certainly is known on the subject. It is evident, indeed, from 2 Tim. iv. 16, that he was at some time arraigned before the emperor; but when it was, or what was the decision, or why he was at last set at liberty, are. all involved in impenetrable obscurity. IT In his own hired house. In a house which he was permitted to hire, and occupy as his own. Probably in this he was assisted by the kindness of his Roman friends. Tl And received all, &c. Received all hospitably and kindly who came to him to show him kindness, or to listen to his instructions. It is evident from this, that he was still a prisoner, tstrA was not permitted to go at large.
31. Preaching the kingdom of God. Note, ch. xx. 25. IT With all confidence Openly and boldly, without any one to hinder him. It is known also, that Paul was not unsuccessful even when a prisoner at Rome. Several persons were converted by his preaching even in the court of the emperor. The things which had happened to him, he says (Phil. i. 12, 13, 14), had fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel, so that his bonds in Christ were manifested in all the palace, and in all other places; and mmy brethren in the Lord, says he, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. In this situation he was remembered with deep interest by the church at Philippi, who sent Epaphroditus to him with a contribution to supply his wants. Of their kindness he speaks in terms of the tenderest gratitude in Phil. ii. 25; iv. 18. During his confinement also, he was the means of the conversion of Onesimus, a runaway slave of Philemon, of Colosse in Phrygia (Philem. 10); whom he sent back to his master with a letter to himself, and with an epistle to the church at that place. See epistle to the Colossians iv. 8, 9. 18. During this imprisonment, he wrote, according to Lardner, the following epistles, in the following order and time, viz:
Here closes the inspired account of the propagation of Christianity, of i: ization of the Christian church, and of the toils and persecutions of the apostle Paul. Who can but be deeply affected when he comes to the conclusion of this inspired book of revivals, and of the history of the spread of the Christian religion, and of the account of thai wonderful man — the apostle Paul? Who can help heaving the sigh of regret, thai this interesting historian did not carry forward the history of Paul till his death, and that henceforward, in the history of the church, we want tins faithful, inspired guide; and that, from the close of this book, every thing becomes at once bo involved in obscurity and uncertainty ' Instead, however, of pouring forth the Bigh of unavailing regret that the sacred historian has carried us no farther onward, we should rather speak the language of praise that he has given, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, a history of the church for thirty years alter the ascension of the Saviour; that he has recorded the accounts of the first great revivals of religion; that he has presented us the examples of the early missionary zeal; that he has informed us how the early Christians endured persecution and toil; that he has conducted us from land to land, and from city to city, showing us every where how the gospel was propagated, until we are led to the seat of the Itoman power, and see the great apostle of Christianity thero proclaiming, in that mighty capital oi the world, the name of Jesus as the Saviour of men. Perhaps there could be DO more appropriate close to the book of the inspired history, than thus to have conducted the apostle of the Gentiles, and to have recorded the spread of Christianity, to the capital of the Roman world, and to leave the principal aLront in the establishment of the Christian in that seat of intelligence, and influence, and power. It is the conducting of Christianity to the very height of jfj earthly victories; arid having shown its power in the provinces of the empire, it was proper for the inspired author of tins ecclesiastical history to dose the account with the record of its achievement* in tno capital.
that I. uke, alter the tr.n which the Acts of the \. passed over into Achaia, v a yeat or two, and there died al I of eighty-four yean.
r '\ thing in regard I Paul, after the account with which Lulu doses this book, i- involved in doubt m.d uncertainty. I5v wh at liberty is nol known; and lb great contradii gard to bis subsequent tr «•. the time of his a< ath. Il agreed, indeed, thai I ty in the \ ear Of our L this, some of the fat ■ travelled over Ital
Spain. But this account is involved in great uncertainty. Lardner, \ examined nil the statenu and than whom no one is I ' to pronounce an opinion on thi ires the folio subsequent life of P 331—331). Ed. Lond. that after nil Rome to Jerui that he then went to Ephesus, and from thence to Laodicea and < that he returned to R lippi, and Corinth. The n returned to Rot
In the year of our I fire happened al Rome wh lor six or supposed thai the t ity bad ion. Paul is supposed to have been beheaded rather than crucified, because he was a Roman citizen, and because it was unlawful to put a Roman citizen to death on a cross. Lardner thinks that this occurred in the year 65. Where Paul was beheaded is not certainly known. It is generally supposed to have occurred at a place called the Salvian Waters, about three miles from Rome, and that r e was buried in the Ostian Way, where a magnificent church was afterwards built. But of this there is no absolute certainty.
It is far more important and interesting for us to be assured, from the character which he evinced, and from the proofs of his zeal and toil in the cause of the Lord Jesus, that his spirit rested in the bosom of his Saviour and his God. Wherever he died, his spirit, we doubt not, is in heaven. And where that body rested at last, which he laboured " to keep under," and which he sought to bring " into subjection" (1 Cor. ix. 27), and which was to him so much the source of conflict, and of sin (Rem. vii. 5. 23),, is a matter of little consequence. It will 1 be watched and guarded by the eye of that Saviour whom he served, and will be raised up to eternal life. In his own inimitable language, it was sown in cor. ruption; it shall be raised in incorruption; it was sown in dishonour, it shall be raised in glory; it was sown in weakness, it shall be raised in power; it was sown a natural body, it shall be raised a spiritual body. 1 Cor. xv. 42 — 44. And in regard to him, and to all other saints, wnen that corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and that mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Cor. xv. 54. To Paul now, what are all his sorrows, and persecutions, and toils in the cause of his Master? What but a source of thanksgiving that he was permitted thus to labour to spread the gospel through the world? So may we live — imitating his life of zeal, and self-denial, and faithfulness, that when he rises from the dead we may participate w;th him in the glories of the resurrection of the just.