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appearing, Festus informed the court, how greatly he had been importuned by the Jews, both at Cæsarea and Jerusalem, to put the prisoner to death as a malefactor; but having, on examination, found him guilty of no capital crime, and the prisoner himself having appealed unto Cæsar, was determined to send him to Rome; but was willing to have his case debated before Agrippa, that he might be furnished with some material particulars to send with him; it being highly absurd to send a prisoner without signifying the crimes alleged against him.

Festus having finished his speech, Agrippa told Paul, he was now at liberty to make his own defence: and silence being made, he delivered himself in the following manner, addressing his speech particularly to Agrippa:

"I consider it as a peculiar happiness, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defence against the accusations of the Jews before thee because thou art well acquainted with all their cus toms, and the questions commonly debated among them: I therefore beseech thee to hear me patiently. All the Jews are well acquainted with my manner of life, from my youth, the greatest part of it having been spent with my own countrymen at Jernsalem. They also know that I was educated under the institutions of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion, and am now arraigned for a tenet believed by all their fathers; a tenet suf ficiently credible in itself, and plainly revealed in the Scriptures, I mean, the resurrection of the dead. Why should any mortal think it either incredible or impossible that God should raise the

dead?

"I, indeed, formerly thought myself indispensably obliged to oppose the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. Nor was I satisfied with imprisoning and punishing with death itself the saints I found at Jerusalem; I even persecuted them in strange cities, whither my implacable zeal pursued them, having procured authority for that purpose from the chief priests and elders.

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Accordingly, I departed for Damascus, with a commission from the Sanhedrim: but as I was travelling towards that city, I saw at mid-day, O king, a light from heaven, far exceeding the brightness of the sun, encompassing me and my companions. On seeing this awful appearance, we all fell to the earth, and I heard a voice which said to me, in the Hebrew language, "Saul, Saul, who persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.' To which I answered, 'Who art thou, Lord? and he replied, I anf Jesus, whom thou persecutest.' But be not terrified, arise from the earth: for I have appeared unto thee, that thou mighiest be both a witness of the things thou hast seen, and also of others, which I will hereafter reveal unto thee. My power shall deliver thee from the Jews and Gentiles, to whom now I send thee to preach the Gospel;

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withdraw the veil of darkness and ignorance; to turn them from falsehood unto truth, and from the power of Satan unto God.'

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"Accordingly; king Agrippa, I readily obeyed the heavenly vision, I preached the Gospel first to the inhabitants of Damascus, then to those of Jerusalem and Judea, and afterwards to the Gentiles, persuading them to forsake their iniquities, and, by sincere repentance turn to the living God.

"These endeavors to save the souls of sinful mortals exasperated the Jews, who caught me in the temple, and entered into a conspiracy to destroy me. But, by the help of Omnipotence, I still remain a witness to all the human race, preaching nothing but what Moses and all the prophets foretold, namely, That the Messiah should suffer, be the first that should rise from the chambers of the grave, and publish the glad tidings of salvation, both to the Jews and Gentiles."

While the apostle thus pleaded for himself, Festus cried out, "Paul, thou art mad; two much study hath deprived thee of thy reason." But Paul answered, "I am far, most noble Festus, from being transported with idle and distracted ideas; the words I speak are dictated by truth and sobriety; and I am persuaded that the king Agrippa himself is not ignorant of these things for they were transacted openly before the world. I am confident, king Agrippa, that thou believest the prophets, and therefore must know that all their predictions were fulfilled in Christ." To which Agrippa answered "Thou hast almost persuaded me to embrace the Christian faith." Paul replied, "I sincerely wish that not only thou, but also all that hear me, were not almost, but altogether, the same as I myself, except being prisoners."

It being now finally determined, that Paul should be sent to Rome, he was, with several other prisoners of consequence committed to the care of Julius, commander of a company belonging to the legion of Augustus; and was accompanied in his voyage by St. Luke, Aristarchus, Trophimus, and some others not mentioned by the sacred historian.

In the month of September, they embarked on board a ship of Adramyttium, and sailed to Sidon, where the centurion courteously gave the apostle leave to go on shore to visit his friends and refresh himself.

Afer a short stay they sailed for Cyprus, and arrived opposite the Fair Havens, a place near Myra, a city of Lycia. Here the season being far advanced, and Paul foreseeing it would be a dangerous voyage, persuaded them to put in and winter there. But the Roman centurion preferring the opinion of the master of the ship, and the harbor being at the same time incommodious, resolved, if possible to reach Phoenice, a port

of Crete, and winter there. But they soon found themselves disappointed; for the fine southerly gale which had favored them for some time, suddenly changed into a stormy and tempestuous wind at north-east, which blew with such violence, that the ship was obliged to sail before it; and to prevent her sinking, they threw overboard the principal part of her lading.

In this desperate and uncomfortable condition they continued fourteen days, and on the fourteenth night the mariners discovered they were near some, coast, and, therefore, to avoid the rocks, thought proper to come to an anchor, till the morning might give them better information.

During the time they continued at anchor, waiting for the light of the morning, St. Paul prevailed on them to eat and refresh themselves, having fasted a long time, assuring them they should all escape.

The country near which they were, was, as Paul had foretold, an island called Melita, now Malta, situated in the Lybian Sea, between Syracuse and Africa. Here they landed, and met with great civility from the people, who treated them with humanity, and entertained them with every necessary accommodation. But while St. Paul was laying a few sticks on the fire, a viper, enlivened by the heat, came from among the wood, and fastened on his hand. On seeing this, the inhabitants of the island concluded that he was certainly some notorious murderer, whom the divine vengeance, though it suffered him to escape the sea, had reserved for a more public and solemn execution. But when they saw him shake off the venomous creature into the fire, and no manner of harm ensue, they changed their sentiments, and cried out, "that he was a God."

After three months stay in this island, the centurion with his charge went on board the Castor and Pollux, a ship of Alexandria, bound to Italy. They put in at Syracuse, where they tarried three days; then they sailed to Regium, and from thence to Puteoli, where they landed; and finding some Christians there, staid, at their request, a week with them, and then set forward on their journey to Rome. The Christians of this city, hearing of the apostle's coming, went to meet him as far as the distance of about thirty miles from Rome, and others as far as the Apii-forum, fifty-one miles distant from the capital. They kindly embraced each other, and the liberty he saw the Christians enjoy at Rome greatly tended to enliven the spirits of the apostle.

PAUL SHIPWRECKED AT MELITA.

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"And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm."-Acts, xxviii. 4, 5.

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