the law of Moses, or the authority of Cæsar; but Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, asked Paul, whether he were willing to be tried at Jerusalem? he again asserted his innocence, and availing himself of his privilege as a Roman citizen, appealed to the emperor himself; and Festus, after some deliberation, informed him, that he should be sent to the emperor, as he desired.

Not long after, king Agrippa, with his sister Bernice, came to congratulate Festus upon his accession to the government of Judæa. Festus acquainted him with all the circumstances relative to Paul; and Agrippa expressing a desire to hear Paul, Festus promised that he should hear him the next day. Accordingly, on the following morning Paul was brought in bonds before Agrippa, Bernice, the military officers, and principal persons of the city. Festus represented to the assembly, that the Jews had laid very heavy charges against Paul, declaring that he was not worthy to live; that he had himself found no guilt of that description in him, but upon his appealing to Cæsar, he had determined to send him immediately to Rome; and that he had now brought him before them, and especially before Agrippa, that after examination he might be enabled to state to the emperor, as it was his duty

BB 2

60.

duty to do, the nature of the crimes alleged against him. Then Agrippa (t), who is said to have been well acquainted both with the Jewish and Roman laws, told Paul, that he was permitted to speak for himself. In the course of his defence, Paul argued so forcibly in support of the Gospel, and justified his own conduct in so satisfactory a manner, that Agrippa acknowledged himself almost persuaded to be a Christian, and declared that Paul might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar. After an appeal was made to the emperor, the judge, from whom the appeal was made, could neither condemn nor release the prisoner.

St. Paul (u), and several other prisoners, were delivered to Julius, a centurion, to be conveyed to Rome (r). St. Luke has recorded the circumstance of this voyage: it was long and dangerous, and the vessel was wrecked upon the isle of

(t) Acts, c. 26.

(u) There is no account of any Epistle written by St. Paul during his long imprisonment in Judæa. This was not owing to any strictness in his confinement, for Felix" commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty; and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him." Acts, c. 24. v. 23.

(x) Acts, c. 27.

of Melita (y). No lives however were lost; and Paul upon his arrival at Rome, was committed to the care of the captain of the guard. The Scriptures do not inform us whether he was ever tried before Nero, who was at this time emperor of Rome; and the learned (2) are much divided in their opinion upon that point. I am inclined to think, from the silence of St. Luke, that Paul was not now brought to any trial at Rome. St. Luke only says, "Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. And Paul dwelt two whole years (a) in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Paul, during his confinement, converted some Jews resident at Rome, and many Gentiles, and among the rest, several persons belonging to the emperor's household (b). VII. THE

(y) Acts, c. 28. Vide Mr. Bryant's Essay. (z) Vide Lardner, vol. 6. p. 249.

(a) During St. Paul's imprisonment at Rome, he wrote his Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and to Philemon: and it is probable that he wrote his Epistle to the Hebrews soon after his release.

(b) Philip. c. 4. v. 22. Chrysostom mentions a cup-bearer and a concubine of Nero, who were converted by St. Paul.

61.

VII. THE Scripture history ends with this release of St. Paul from his two years imprisonment at Rome (c); and no antient author has left us any particulars of the remaining part of this Apostle's life. It seems probable, that immediately after he recovered his liberty, he went to Jerusalem; and that afterwards he travelled through Asia Minor, Crete, Macedonia, and Greece, confirming his converts, and regulating the affairs of the different churches which he had planted in those countries (d). Whether at this time he also preached the Gospel in Spain (e), as

some

(c) It is to be observed, that the Acts do not contain a complete history of St. Paul even to this period; for before he wrote his second Epistle to the Corinthians, that is, before the year 57, he had been five times scourged by the Jews, twice beaten with rods, and thrice shipwrecked, none of which circumstances are mentioned in the Acts.

(d) St. Paul probably wrote his first Epistle to Timothy, and his Epistle to Titus, at this time, that is, between his first and second imprisonments at Rome. Some modern authors consider St. Paul as making two apostolical journies after the first of these imprisonments; the first by way of Crete, through Judæa, to Antioch; the second, from Antioch, through Syria, Cilicia, Phrygia, Macedonia, and thence to Rome; but I find no mention of these journies in any antient author.

(e) The opinion that St. Paul preached the Gospel

in

some have imagined, is very uncertain. It was the unanimous tradition of the church, that St. Paul returned to Rome; that he underwent a second imprisonment there (ƒ), and at last was put to death by the emperor Nero. Tacitus (g) and Suetonius (h) have mentioned a dreadful fire which happened at Rome in the time of Nero. It was believed, though probably without any reason, that the emperor himself was the author of that fire; but to remove the odium from himself he chose to attribute it to the Christians; and to give some colour to that unjust imputation, he persecuted them with the utmost cruelty. In this persecution Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom, probably in the year 65; and if we may credit Sulpitius Severus, a writer of the fifth century, the former was crucified, and the latter beheaded (i).

VIII. ST.

in Spain probably arose from the following passage in his Epistle to the Romans, "Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you;" but we have no certain information whether he ever went into Spain or not. It seems, however, clear, that in the year 58 he intended to go thither; but it should be remembered that this was five years before his release from imprisonment.

(f) St. Paul wrote his second Epistle to Timothy during his second imprisonment at Rome.

(g) Tac. Ann. lib. 15. cap. 44.

(h) Suet. Nero, cap. 38.

(i) Lib. 2. cap. 41.