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7. Who was with the deputy of the country, "with the proconsul," Sergius Paulus, a prudent man, "a sensible man," who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

Some have supposed that Luke was guilty of a little inaccuracy in calling the governor of this island a proconsul, as the original word signifies; but Dr. Lardner has shown, in a very satisfactory manner, that this appellation was strictly accurate, and that, in this respect, he was better informed than those who have pretended to correct him.

Sorcerers or magicians were persons who, by their pretended knowledge of the secret powers of nature, and the assistance of the gods, professed to foretel future events, and to do other extraordinary things. Such was the character of Bar-Jesus or Elymas, who is, therefore, justly branded with the name of a false teacher or impostor. He pretended to knowledge which he was conscious that he did not possess, and was, therefore, with good reason, treated by the apostles as a wicked man.

8. But Elymas the magician (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith.

Elymas expresses in the Arabic or Persian language what the Greek for magician does. He was well aware that if the Christian doctrine were believed by the people in general, and more especially by the governor, his own art and character would sink into disrepute; he therefore strove to oppose them; but in what manner his opposition was conducted we are not told.

9. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, set his eyes on him,

Some suppose that Paul's name was given him by the Romans, on account of the similarity which it bears to the word Saul; but others suppose by himself, out of compliment to his illustrious disciple, Sergius Paulus.

The phrase, "being full of the Holy Spirit," does not refer to the words which follow, as if they proceeded immediately from God, but to the miraculous punishment which Paul inflicted, which was a proof that he abounded with the gifts of the Spirit. The confidence, however, with which he spoke, proceeded, probably, from his consciousness of possessing these powers.

10. And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

This is a proper description of a man whose great object was to enrich himself by false pretences, and by imposing upon the credulity of mankind. He is called the child or son of the devil,

because he resembled the supposed author of all evil in disposition, as a child resembles its parent.

11. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness, a mist came over his eyes first, and darkness afterwards, and he went about, seeking some to lead him by the hand.

12. Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

He was astonished at the effect of the doctrine, and induced, on this account, to embrace it.

REFLECTIONS.

1. IN commending to God by prayer the first preachers of the gospel, Christians showed the idea which they entertained of the importance of their message, and the anxiety which they felt for its success, regarding it as connected with the honour of God and the best interests of men. To express this anxiety before their Father and their God, would have a natural tendency to impress their minds with a sense of the value of the gospel, and to increase their attachment to it, whatever might be its effect upon the progress of Christianity in the world; it was, therefore, an important and useful exercise.

Similar prayers for the success of the ministers of Christ, are equally proper in the present day; for his doctrine has not lessened in value by distance of Time; if it is not now new to the world, yet it has been altered and corrupted in a manner that has greatly injured its beauty and destroyed its efficacy: in its original purity it is still an unknown doctrine to many. It becomes us, therefore, to pray that those who preach the gospel may have wisdom to discern, integrity and courage to avow, the truth on all occasions; that the love of gain and the love of the favour of men may never tempt them to be ashamed of Christ and his cause; and that the truth, when taught, may be received with unprejudiced minds by men in every condition of life.

2. We see, here, that the gospel obtains fresh triumphs. Its proselytes, hitherto, had been principally men of ordinary occupations in life, fishermen, tent-makers, and other mechanics: men who had not the prejudices of wealth and high station, in addition to those of education, to overcome; but now we see a Roman governor, trained up in idolatry and superstition, and regarded as the protector and patron of the religion of his countrymen, a man of good understanding, and enjoying the best education which

Rome could afford, sacrificing his prejudices and his interests, and yielding to the force of truth, professing the gospel, not perhaps at the hazard of his life, but at the hazard of what he probably esteemed as more valuable, his place. No slight motive could surely induce him to make such a change; evidence which could overcome so many prejudices must have something in it peculiarly forcible; a doctrine which could produce the sacrifice of so many interests must have something in it of more than ordinary value and importance. The apostle's declaration is, however, still true, that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. Some there were, however, of this description, and their conversion is an illustrious proof that the gospel was adapted to gain the attachment of men in all situations, and ought to recommend it to our regard.

We see, also, a celebrated professor of magic, actuated by jealousy and self-interest, opposing the gospel; who, inured to the arts of deceit himself, was most likely to detect them in others; but so far is he from injuring the cause of truth, that his opposition serves to confirm and establish it, and to bring entire disgrace upon himself.

SECTION XX.

Paul and Barnabas preach the gospel at Antioch in Pisidia.

ACTS xiii. 13-52.

13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

He was either discouraged by the difficulties of the undertaking, or thought it necessary to attend to his own private affairs.

14. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, so called to distinguish it from Antioch in Syria, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, and sat down;

15. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, that is, a section of each, according to the custom of the Jews, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

It was usual for the rulers to call upon some one to explain what had just been read from the Scriptures; or to found some exhortation upon it; and seeing strangers there who, they had heard, were professed teachers, they call upon them to do it. With this request Paul readily complies.

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16. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand, waving it as a signal for silence, said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

The persons whom he addresses are Israelites, and those religious proselytes who joined with them in the worship of Jehovah.

17. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, i. e. separated them from all other nations to be the object of peculiar religious privileges, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, rendered them great and prosperous, and, with a high arm, with an arm exerted in many miraculous acts of power, brought he them out of it.

18. And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness, or, according to some of the best manuscripts, "and carried," or, "fed them, as a nurse her child."*

19. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot, or, 66 gave it to them as an inheritance."+

20. And after that, he gave unto them judges, about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

21. And afterward they desired a king, and God gave unto them Saul, the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

Interpreters have found some difficulty in reconciling these dates with the chronology of the Old Testament; but some degree of inaccuracy in either is a matter of little consequence, provided the inspiration of the historian or speaker be not insisted upon. Paul, probably, spoke according to the method of computation in use amongst the Jews of his own time.

22.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

This does not refer to David's private character, in which were several things highly exceptionable and contrary to the divine will, but merely to his conduct as a prince, in which character he always demeaned himself well, manifesting a becoming zeal against

* Griesbach, 2d edition.

+ Griesbach, 2d edition.

idolatry, and constantly observing the divine injunctions that were given him; for disregarding which, the entail of the kingdom was cut off from the house of Saul. Few, if any, of his successors in the kingdom equalled him in this respect. To mark his approbation of his conduct, God entailed the crown upon his posterity, and ordained that the Messiah should descend from him.

23. Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

This promise was delivered by the prophet Isaiah, xi. 1, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." It is observable that Paul says nothing about the miraculous birth of Christ, in order to obviate an objection which would naturally arise in the mind of a Jew, from the circumstance of Jesus not being a natural descendant of David in the male line: it is probable, therefore, that he had never heard of this miracle, and, from that and other circumstances, that it never had a real existence.

24. When John had first preached, before his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25. And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he: but, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.*

REFLECTIONS.

We have here an example of a laudable custom which prevailed amongst the Jews, and which deserves to be imitated amongst Christians, that of reading their law and their prophets, every sabbath-day in their public assemblies.

I am far from thinking, indeed, that the mere reading of a book, or hearing it read, is all that is necessary to understand it; more especially, one of such ancient date, and which comprehends such a variety of style and matter. On the contrary, I conceive it to be very possible that men may read the bible, or hear it read, all their days, in such a manner, that they may be grossly ignorant of what it contains; and this, I am persuaded, is the condition of a great number of Christians, who seem to think their reading the bible often will supply the place of studying it. Nevertheless it must be acknowledged that the slightest impression in favour of virtue and piety, such as may be acquired by the most careless reader or hearer, is not to be despised; while the best informed minds require to have their good impressions renewed, it is only

* See the commentary on Matt. iii. 11.

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