which impressed them with the deepest sorrow (h). From Miletus he sailed by Coos, Rhodes, and Patara in Lycia, to Tyre (i). Finding some disciples at Tyre, he staid with them several days, and then went to Ptolemais, and thence to Cæsarea. While Paul was at Cæsarea, the prophet Agabus foretold by the Holy Ghost, that Paul, if he went to Jerusalem, would suffer much from the Jews. This prediction caused great uneasiness to Paul's friends, and they endeavoured to dissuade him from his intention of going thither. Paul, however, would not listen to their entreaties, but declared that he was ready to die at Jerusalem, if it were necessary, for the name of the Lord Jesus. Seeing him thus resolute, they desisted from their importunities, and accompanied him to Jerusalem, where he is supposed to have arrived just before the feast of Pentecost, A. D. 58. This may be considered as the end of St. Paul's third apostolical journey.

VI. PAUL was received by the Apostles and other Christians at Jerusalem with great joy and affection; and his account of the success of his ministry,

(h) It is however highly probable that St. Paul was at Ephesus after his first imprisonment at Rome, as will appear when we consider the date of the first Epistle to Timothy.

(i) Acts, c. 21.

ministry, and of the collections which he had made among the Christians of Macedónia and Achaia for the relief of their brethren in Judæa, afforded them much satisfaction; but not long after his arrival at Jerusalem, some Jews of Asia, who had probably in their own country witnessed Paul's zeal in spreading Christianity among the Gentiles, seeing him one day in the temple, endeavoured to excite a tumult, by crying out, that he was the man who was aiming to destroy all distinction between Jew and Gentile; who taught things contrary to the Law of Moses; and who had polluted the holy temple, by bringing into it uncircumcised heathens (k). This representation did not fail to enrage the multitude against Paul; they seized him, dragged him out of the temple, beat him, and were upon the point of putting him to death, when he was rescued out of their hands by Lysias, a Roman tribune, and the principal military officer then at Jerusalem. Lysias instantly bound Paul with two chains, concluding that he had been guilty of some heinous crime; but the uproar was so great, that he could not learn who he was, or what he had done, and therefore he committed

him

(k) It was death for any Gentile to enter into that part of the temple, which was called the second court, or court of the Israelites,

him to custody, that he might afterwards inquire into the nature of his offence. As he was conducting him to the castle Antonia (1), Paul obtained permission from him to address the people he began by stating to them his former attachment to the Law of Moses (m), and his zealous persecution of the Christians; he then proceeded to relate the circumstances of his miraculous conversion; and when he asserted that he was commissioned by God himself to announce salvation to the Gentiles through faith in the Messiah, they interrupted him with violent exclamations, shewed the strongest marks of indignation, and declared that he was not worthy to live. Lysias, observing the fury of the multitude, commanded that Paul should be carried into the castle, and examined by scourging. While the soldiers were binding him with thongs for that purpose, he informed the centurion who attended, that he was a Roman citizen. The centurion went to the tribune, and advised him to be cautious in what he did to his prisoner, as he was a citizen of Rome.

This intelligence alarmed

(1) This Castle was built by Herod the Great, and called Antonia from his friend Mark Antony; it was afterwards made a garrison for the Romans, when Judæa became a Roman province,

(m) Acts, c. 22x

[PART II, alarmed Lysias, who had already violated the privileges of a Roman citizen by binding Paul (n); and he immediately desisted from his design of examining him by torture.

The next morning "he loosed him from his bands," and brought him before the Sanhedrim, or Jewish council (o); but great altercation and confusion arising, Lysias, fearing lest Paul should be pulled to pieces, again interposed with his soldiers, and conducted him back to the castle. While Paul was asleep that night, Jesus appeared to him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome (p)." The next day Lysias was informed that more than forty persons had entered into a conspiracy to assassinate Paul, and therefore he sent him the following evening under a strong guard to Cæsarea, where Felix the Roman governor resided. Lysias wrote a letter to Felix, explaining the circumstances which originally induced him to apprehend Paul, and now to send him to Cæsarea. Five days

after,

(n) Though a Roman citizen might not be bound with thongs by way of punishment, or in order to be scourged, yet he might be chained to a soldier, or kept in custody, if he were suspected of being guilty of any crime.

(0) Acts, c. 23.

(P) Acts, c.23. v. II.

after (q), Ananias the high priest, with the elders, and a certain orator or advocate named Tertullus, went to Cæsarea for the purpose of accusing Paul before Felix. Tertullus stated the charges against him, and Paul made his defence. Felix, having heard both of them, said that he would inquire more fully into the business when Lysias should come to Cæsarea; and in the mean time he commanded the centurion to keep Paul as a prisoner at large, and to allow his friends to have access to him.

It does not appear that Felix ever took any farther step in this trial; but not long after, he and his wife Drusilla (r), who was a Jewess, sent for Paul to hear him " concerning the faith in Christ." Paul knew the characters of the persons before whom he was to speak, and enlarged upon such points as were likely to affect them: "and as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." Felix was a man of profligate life and corrupt principles; and this discourse of the Apostle,

(q) C. 24.

(r) Drusilla was the daughter of the elder Agrippa, and sister to king Agrippa and Bernice, before whom Paul afterwards pleaded.