harm to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Now in these places were possessions of the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us, and for three days entertained us courteously. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever, and of a bloody flux, to whom Paul entered in; and when he had prayed, and laid his hands on him, he healed him. And when this was done, all that had diseases in the island came, and were healed. And they also honoured us with many honours, and when we were to sail, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Syracuse.

And after three months, we sailed in a ship of Alexandria, that had wintered in the island, whose sign was the Castors. And when we were come to Syracuse, we tarried there three days. From thence we fetched a compass and came to Rhegium; and after one day, the south wind blowing, we came the second day to Puteoli, where, finding brethren, we were desired to tarry with them seven days, and so we went on toward Rome. And from thence, when the brethren had heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and the Three Taverns, whom, when Paul saw, he gave thanks to God, and took courage.

And when we were come to Rome, Paul was suffered to dwell by himself, with a soldier that kept him.

SECT. CCI. PAUL ASSEMBLES THE JEWS IN ROME, AND ADDRESSES THEM. HE CONTINUES TWO YEARS IN IMPRISONMENT IN ROME. A.D. 61-63.

And after the third day, Paul called together the chief of the Jews. And when they were assembled, he said to them, Men brethren,

Rome.

I, having done nothing against the people, or the

custom of our fathers, was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, would have released me, for that there was no cause of death in me; but when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Cæsar, not that I had anything to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore I desired to see you, and to speak to you; because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

But they said to him, We neither received letters concerning thee from Judea, neither did any of the brethren that came hither relate or speak any evil of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest; for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.

And when they had appointed him a day, there came very many to him unto his lodgings, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, out of the law of Moses and the prophets, from morning until evening. And some believed the things that were said, but some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, Paul speaking this one word, Well did the Holy Ghost speak to our fathers by Isaias the prophet, saying, Go to this people, and say to them, With the ear ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears have they heard heavily, and their eyes they have shut; lest perhaps they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (Isa.iv.10). Be it known therefore to you that this salvation of God is sent to the gentiles, and that they will hear it.

And when he had said these things, the Jews went out from him, having reasoned much among themselves.

And Paul remained two whole years in his own hired lodging; and he received all that came in to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

ON THE CONCLUSION OF ST. PAUL'S LIFE.

Towards the close of this two years' detention, St. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Colossians, the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Epistle to Philemon, and the Epistle to the Philippians. From these documents we learn that the Apostle's bonds had tended rather to the furtherance than hindrance of the Gospel; that most of the brethren, on hearing of his freedom in preaching, had themselves become emboldened to proclaim the Word fearlessly (Philip. i. 12-15); that some of Cæsar's household had received the faith (Philip. iv. 22). The runaway slave, Onesimus, became a zealous convert, and was sent back to his master, Philemon, one of the brethren at Colosse, to be received "no longer as a slave, but as a brother beloved" (Philem. 16). Luke, Timotheus, Tychicus, Demas, and Marcus are named as the Apostle's companions and fellow-labourers; Aristarchus and Epaphras are distinguished as his fellow-prisoners (Col. iv. 10; Philem. 23).

The Epistle to Philemon and the Epistle to the Philippians show that St. Paul expected his forthcoming trial to result in an acquittal; that it did so, and that he visited various places before his martyrdom, the evidence of the Epistles to Timotheus and Titus, and the testimony of antiquity, scarcely permit us to doubt.

Assuming, then, that the Roman imprisonment recorded by St. Luke was not the last, we may plausibly arrange the Apostle's subsequent career in the following

manner:

The wishes and intentions expressed in Philippians ii. 24, Philemon 22, render it probable that he first went eastwards, and visited Philippi and the Churches of Asia Minor. From Asia he may have accomplished the traditional journey to Spain. Returning, after probably an

U

interval of two years, on his way to Macedonia (1 Tim. i. 3), he passed by Ephesus, and finding there the heretics Hymeneus and Philetus busy at work, he committed the Ephesians to the charge of Timotheus, and continued his journey. Perhaps from Macedonia he wrote the first Epistle to Timothy. Soon afterwards he went to Crete with Titus, and commissioned him to complete the organisation of the Churches in that island (Titus i. 5). Shortly after, probably from Ephesus, he wrote to Titus, and signified his determination of wintering at Nicopolis, and bade his disciple join him there, when he should send to him Artemas or Tychicus (Titus iii. 12). Before he reached Nicopolis he went to Miletus, and left there from sickness his old companion Trophimus of Ephesus. He visited Troas, and lodged in the house of a certain Carpus (2 Tim. iv. 13). At Corinth he left behind him Erastus (2 Tim. iv. 20). It was probably during the winter at Nicopolis that he was arrested and sent again to take his trial in Rome.

From Rome, in foresight of his approaching martyrdom, the Apostle wrote his last Epistle-the second to Timothy. From it we learn that he was then not only chained, but treated as a common criminal (2 Tim. ii. 9); that Onesiphorus, who was not ashamed of his chain, had had much trouble in searching him out (2 Tim. i. 16, 17); that most of his former companions had for various reasons left him. Demas had forsaken him for love of this present world; Crescens had gone to Galatia; Titus to Dalmatia; only Luke was with him (iv. 10, 11). So perilous was it to show him any public sympathy, that at his first hearing no one ventured to stand by him in the court of justice; nevertheless, the Lord Jesus had enabled him to make a successful defence (iv. 17). Yet he knows that he has not escaped death. "Now," he writes, "I am being poured out as a sacrificial offering, and the season of my departure is come. I have fought a good fight. I have now finished my course, and the crown of justice is laid up for me" (iv. 6-8). And he begs Timotheus to do his utmost to come to him speedily, before the winter (iv. 9, 21). His martyrdom took place by the sword a little before the close of Nero's reign, A.D. 67 or 68.

Dionysius of Corinth, A.D. 170, says that St. Peter and St. Paul suffered about the same time (quoted in Euseb. H. E. ii. 25). Caius, a Roman presbyter, at the end of the

second century, speaks of the trophies of the two Apostles on the Vatican and on the Ostian Way (Euseb. Hist. Eccl. ii. 25). St. Jerome asserts that St. Peter and St. Paul suffered martyrdom not only in the same year-the fourteenth of Nero's reign-but on the same day (Hieron. Cat. Script.).

There are other facts of St. Paul's life that we know almost exclusively from the Apostle's own writings. The most noteworthy are: (1) That he received his knowledge of the Gospel, not from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ; that after his conversion he did not take counsel with flesh and blood, nor did he go up to Jerusa lem to those that were Apostles before him, but he departed immediately into Arabia, and from thence returned to Damascus. (2) That afterwards, when three years had passed, he went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days, and saw none other of the Apostles, save James, the Lord's brother.. (3) That fourteen years after he went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus, in obedience to a revelation, that he might obtain a recognition of his independent apostleship. (4) That at Antioch he withstood Peter to the face, because that apostle had withdrawn himself from eating with the gentiles, lest he should offend certain judaising Christians from Jerusalem (Gal. i. 11-19; ii. 1; ii. 11, 12). (5) That on one occasion he was caught up into Paradise, and heard words that it is not lawful for man to utter.. (6) That lest he should be puffed up with pride through the exceeding greatness of the revelations that had been made to him, there was given him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet him and keep down his pride; concerning which affliction, he says, "Thrice I besought the Lord that it might depart from me. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is mighty in weakness" (2 Cor. xii. 1-9).