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straightway. (34) And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in * God Iwith all his house.

c

[5.] (35) And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. (36) And the keeper of the prison told this saying to * Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. (37) But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. (38) And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. (39) And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. (40) And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

a

Tε, om. Chrys. IX. 1084.

byaâтo, Chrys. (bis), &c. Tisch.
• φήσας ὅτι, Chrys.

а πρós, to, ABD, &c., Chrys. &c., Tisch.

v. 34. ȧvayaywv, "bringing up," as from a lower place to a higher. See Hebr. xiii. 20. But in Philo, I. 354, θυσίας ἀναγαγόντες = ἀγαγόντες. ἠγαλMâTO. See Matth. v. 12; John viii. 56. παρέθηκε τράπεζαν, lit." a table." For amongst the Greeks and Roinans guests reclined on couches, and tables with the different courses of food were brought in and removed in succession (C. and H.).

v. 36. Rather, "told these words, -that."

v. 39. "Besought," or "comforted." Lucian represents the governor of Egypt thus comforting (παραμυθησάμενος), by kind words, and giving a large sum of money to Antiphilus and Demetrius to prevent their complaint against him, on the ground of unjust detention in prison. Toxaris, p. 80 (Biscoe).

§ 4. Exposition.

[1.] Events immediately preceding the call to Philippi.] Paul and Barnabas had proposed to visit the churches, which had been founded during their first missionary tour, but were prevented by an unhappy altercation, arising out of the previous conduct of Mark, in consequence of which the Levite retired with his relative to Cyprus, and Paul, having selected Silas for his future associate, was once more commended to that divine grace, which alone could crown their efforts with success, by the earnest prayers of the (doubtless, sorrowing) brethren at Antioch. It was not in vain; God over-rules all things to the fulfilment of His gracious purposes, causing even the wrath of man to praise Him. After traversing Syria and Cilicia, and successfully contributing to the edification of the existing churches, they proceeded to Derbe, and from thence to Lystra (another city of Lycaonia), where they met with Timothy, the son of Eunice a Jewish Christian, who was much esteemed by his brethren in that district, and already gave promise of that career of usefulness, on which he now entered as the most intimate friend, and faithful companion, of the great apostle of the Gentiles. But, before he could prudently avail himself of his services, Paul judged it necessary to circumcise him, in order to conciliate the prejudices of the Jews, and render his ministrations the more acceptable; for it was lawful for the children of Abraham still to conform to the ceremonial law, and it was the ordinary practice of the apostle, as far as possible, to become all things to all men to gain the more. At the same time, as the missionaries prosecuted their journey, they communicated to the brethren in every city, which they visited, the decrees which had been recently enacted, not without some warm dis

a That he was his cousin (åvefiós, not sister's son) we learn only incidentally from Coloss. iv. 10, where Paul commands the Colossians to receive Mark, as if he anticipated hesitation. He unites in the salutation to Philemon, ver. 24; and is said to be profitable to

the apostle for the ministry in 2 Tim.
iv. II, so that he desires his friend to
bring him with him to Rome. Contrast
Acts xiii. 13; (xii. 25); xv. 36, 40.
b Ps. lxxvi. 10.

c

1 Cor. ix. 20.

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cussion, in the power of the Holy Ghost, by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem under the presidency of James, for the direction of the Gentile converts, in order to free them from all perplexity on this point. They must clearly understand that they were under no obligation to keep the ceremonial law, or to submit to circumcision in order to perfection, as some falsely pretended. Only let them abstain from meats offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. They must not be circumcised. The result of these proceedings was the establishment and confirmation of the churches in the faith, and their continuous increase; an occasion of bitter controversy was removed, and an obnoxious rite, (the object of constant ridicule by the heathen), ceased to be an impediment to profession.

It is remarkable that no mention is yet made of evangelising villages; but the sacred writer is very concise in his narrative, and passes over much in silence, such as the establishment of the churches in Galatia, accomplished at this period, on which we might wish to expatiate. It has been well observed that this silence gives greater importance to the facts actually reported, and clearly indicates the grand object of revelation, or of the written word. That is not the exhibition of human excellence, or even the gratification of lawful curiosity, or the mere recording of interesting facts, but the edification of the saints, or the manifestation of the divine glóry by choice illustrations from history, or by direct precepts and announcements of the truth. We thus learn that the silence of Scripture can never be adduced to prove a negation, or the ignorance of the writer as to any special fact, inasmuch as so many known occurrences are either altogether omitted, or merely mentioned in a cursory manner, or perhaps intimated by indirect allusions.

The marriage of Eunice, the daughter of the pious Lois", with a Greek or heathen, is worthy of note, as such unions were not only inconsistent with the general reluctance of the Jews to have intimate communion with persons of a different nation, but plainly contrary to that divine word, which these women so greatly reverenced, and in which they consequently

a Acts xv. 20, 29, &c. This clause is omitted, Tertull. de Pudic. c. 12. b See 2 Tim. i. 5.

• Acts x. 28.

d See Ezra ix. I, 2, 14, &c.; x. 2—II, &c.; Nehem. xiii. 23-28; Deut. vii. 3.

instructed Timothy so diligently from his earliest childhood. We know that Gentile women, like Ruth and Rahab, notwithstanding the law, had been married to distinguished Israelites; but this seems to be the only instance in which a devout female entered into an alliance with a Gentile. That he should have objected to his child's circumcision is not extraordinary; but there was evidently a spirit abroad (an earnest of the catholic preaching of the Gospel), which caused some at least of the dispersed Israelites to look beyond the letter, and the ceremonial of the law, to the deeper truths of revelation, and to realise the lovely character of God, as One that prefers mercy to sacrifice, even as Hosea so emphatically announces.

It has been lately suggested that Silas and Luke are really the same person, and that Silas is the author of the Acts of the Apostles. This wild hypothesis is sufficiently refuted by the manner in which the first person is abruptly introduced into the narrative after the arrival of the apostle at Troas, and the particular account given of the imprisonment of Paul and Silas, in which that never occurs. That Silas was a common name

among the Jews may be inferred from Josephus, who mentions one Silas, whom he appointed commandant in Tiberias, and another, a Babylonian, who was a deserter from Agrippa. It is scarcely therefore to be regarded as a conventional construction for Sylvanus. But we turn to weightier matters.

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Salvation is of the Lord,"-His work, His prerogative, His gift alone. It is not man who begins to work, or to run, or who raises himself by his own eager efforts, or his own anxious

a

2 Tim. iii. 15, ἀπὸ βρέφους, from infancy.

b Journal of Sacred Literature, Oct. 1850. It is by no means clear that Silas is intended, 2 Cor. viii. 17; it seems quite puerile to suppose that, because sylva and lucus are nearly (certainly not exactly) synonymous in Latin, the names possibly derived from these words are likely to have designated one and the same individual. The contrary assuredly is most probable, may we not say, is certain? Sober criticism cannot condescend to such gratuitous hypotheses. Nothing is related of Silas or

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prayers, to a state of acceptance with God, or of meetness for heaven, but God Himself, stooping down from His throne of glory, looking with tender compassion upon "a world lying in wickedness," dark, ruined, and condemned, and sending forth His only begotten Son "in the likeness of sinful flesh," to "seek and to save that which was lost," by His own agonies and death, the ministrations of His word, and the energy of His Spirit, who quickens those who were "dead in trespasses and sins," together with Christ. All must be traced up to that great love, which has no cause but in Himself, and is consequently alike everlasting and unchangeable.

The work of redemption has been accomplished once for all by the spotless Lamb of God. "It is finished." The "bread of life" has been given; the "fountain of living waters" has been opened, and its refreshing streams are running over; the wedding garment has been prepared; the feast is ready, alike sumptuous and free. The Gospel announcement is accompanied by a distinct invitation to the hungry and thirsty to come and partake of these blessings, "without money and without price." It is addressed indiscriminately "to every creature." Servants are sent out, as it were into the very highways and hedges, to compel men to come in, even from thence, filthy or naked as they might be, that the royal palace may be filled with guests. And as far as we are concerned, as Chalmers observed, “our first step is simply a conflicting acceptance of an offer that is most free, most frank, most generous, and most unconditional," or the stretching out of the naked hand of faith, at the Lord's bidding, to receive the gifts of His love.

And yet the application is far from universal. "Many are called, but few chosen;" "for they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children." Notwithstanding the unlimited invitations of the Gospel, not all are actually called or invited. Every living man, every generation, every province, has not been alike favoured even with outward privileges and means of grace. None can dispute this fact, however he may regard it. It is not simply that ministers have been unfaithful, or servants negligent; there

a Rev. xxii. 17; Isai. lv. 1-3; John vii. 37; Mark xvi. 15; Luke xiv.

16-23; Prov. i. 20—33; ix. &c.; Isai. xlv. 22.

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