smith," made an effort to address them, probably with the view of showing that his co-religionists were not identified with Paul; but when the mob perceived that he was of the seed of Abraham, they took it for granted that he was no friend to the manufacture of their silver shrines; and his appearance was the signal for increased uproar. "When they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice, about the space of two hours, cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians." At length the town-clerk, or recorder, of Ephesus, contrived to obtain a hearing; and, by his prudence and address, succeeded in putting an end to this scene of confusion. He told his fellowtownsmen that, if Paul and his companions had transgressed the law, they were amenable to punishment; but that, as their own attachment to the worship of Diana could not be disputed, their present tumultuary proceedings only injured their reputation as orderly and loyal citizens. "We are in danger,” said he, "to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse." The authority of the speaker imparted additional weight to his suggestions, the multitude quietly dispersed, and the missionaries escaped unscathed.

3

Even this tumult supplies evidence that the Christian preachers had already produced an immense impression in the Asiatic metropolis. No more decisive test of their success could be adduced than that here furnished by Demetrius and his craftsmen; for a lucrative trade connected with the estab lished superstition was beginning to languish. The silversmiths, and other interested operatives, were obviously the instigators of all the uproar; and yet they could not reckon. upon the undivided sympathy even of the crowd they had congregated. "Some cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was confused, and the more part knew not where

1 2 Tim. iv. 14.

Acts xix. 34. According to the ideas of the heathen, this unintermitted cry was, in itself, an act of worship; and hence we may understand why it was so long continued, but it is surely a notable example of "vain repetitions." See Hackett, p. 275.

Acts xix. 40.

PAUL AT EPHESUS.

1

3

113

fore they were come together." A number of the Asiarchs were decidedly favorable to the apostle and his brethren; and when the town-clerk referred to their proceedings his tone was apologetic and exculpatory. "Ye have," said he, "brought hither these men who are neither profaners of temples, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess." But here we see the real cause of much of that bitter persecution which the Christians endured for the greater part of three centuries. The craft of the image-makers was in danger; the income of the pagan priests was at stake; the secular interests of many other parties were more or less affected; and hence the new religion encountered such a cruel and obstinate opposition.

1 Acts xix. 32.

? Our English version, "robbers of churches," is obviously incorrect. The Revised version of the New Testament reads, "robbers of temples."

Acts xix. 37. It is plain from this passage that the apostle, when referring to the Gentile worship, avoided the use of language calculated to give unnecessary offence.

CHAPTER IX.

PAUL'S EPISTLES; HIS COLLECTION FOR THE POOR SAINTS AT JERUSALEM; HIS IMPRISONMENT THERE

AND AT CESAREA AND ROME.

A.D. 57 to A.D. 63.

PAUL had determined to leave Ephesus at Pentecost,' and as the secular games, at which the Asiarchs presided, took place during the month of May, the disorderly proceedings of Demetrius and the craftsmen, which occurred at the same period, did not greatly accelerate his removal. Soon afterward, however, he "called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed to go into Macedonia." When he reached that district, he was induced to enter on new scenes of missionary enterprise; and now, "round about unto Illyricum," he "fully preached the Gospel of Christ."" Shortly before, Timothy had returned from Greece to Ephesus,' and when the apostle took leave of his friends in that metropolis, he left the evangelist behind him to protect the infant Church against the seductions of false teachers. He now addressed the first epistle to his "own son in the faith," and thus also supplied to the ministers of all succeeding generations the most precious instructions on pastoral theology. Soon afterward

1 1 Cor. xvi. 8.

Acts xx. I. 51 Tim. i. 3.

Rom. xv. 19.

6 1 Tim. i. 2.

See Acts xix. 22. According to the chronology adopted in our English Bible, all the Pastoral Epistles were written after Paul's release from his first imprisonment, and this theory has recently been strenuously advocated by Conybeare and Howson, Alford, and Ellicott; but their reasonings are exceedingly unsatisfactory. For, I. The statement of Conybeare and Howson that "the three

PAUL'S EPISTLES.

115 he wrote the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. This letter throws much light on the private character of Paul, and enables us to understand how he contrived to maintain such a firm hold on the affections of those among whom he ministered. Though he uniformly acted with great decision, he was singularly amiable and gentle, as well as generous and warm-hearted. No one could doubt his sincerity; no one could question his disinterestedness; no one could fairly complain that he was harsh or unkind. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians he had been obliged to employ strong language when rebuking them for their irregularities; but now they exhibited evidences of repentance, and he is most willing to forget and forgive. In his Second Epistle to them he enters into many details of his personal history unnoticed elsewhere in the New Testament,' and throughout displays a most loving and conciliatory spirit. He states that, when he dictated his former letter, it was far from his intention to wound their

epistles were nearly contemporaneous with each other " is a mere assertion resting on no solid foundation; as resemblance in style, especially when all the letters were dictated by the same individual, can be no evidence as to date. II. There is direct evidence that heresies, such as those described in these epistles, existed in the Church long before Paul's first imprisonment. See 1 Cor. iii. 18, 19, xv. 12; 2 Cor. xi. 4, 13-15, 22, compared with 1 Tim. i. 3, 7. III. The early Churches were very soon organized, as appears from Acts xiv. 23; 1 Thess. v. 12, 13; so that the state of ecclesiastical organization described in the First Epistle to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus is no proof of the late date of these letters. IV. But the grand argument in support of the early date, and one with which the advocates of the later chronology have never fairly grappled, is derived from the fact that Paul never was in Ephesus after the time mentioned in Acts xx. When he wrote to Timothy he intended shortly to return thither. See 1 Tim. i. 3, iii. 14, 15. It is evident that when the apostle addressed the elders of Ephesus (Acts xx. 25) and told them they should "see his face no more," he considered himself as speaking prophetically. It is clear, too, that his words were so understood by his auditors (Acts xx. 38), and that the evangelist who wrote them down several years afterward was still under the same impression. I agree, therefore, with Wieseler, and others, in assigning an early date to the First Epistle to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus.

12 Cor. xi. 9, 24-28, 32, 33, xii. 2, 7-9. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians was written late in A.D. 57.

feelings, and that it. was with the utmost pain he had sent them such a communication. "Out of much affliction, and anguish of heart," said he, "I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." The Corinthians could not have well resented an advice from such a correspondent.

1

5

When Paul had itinerated throughout Macedonia and Illyricum "he came into Greece,' and there abode three months." He now visited Corinth for the third time; and, during his stay in that city, dictated the Epistle to the Romans. At this date, a Church "spoken of throughout the whole world" had been formed in the great metropolis; some of its members were the relatives of the apostle; and others, such as Priscilla and Aquila,' had been converted under his ministry. As he himself contemplated an early visit to the far-famed city, he sent this letter before him, to announce his intentions, and to supply the place of his personal instructions. The Epistle to the Romans is a precious epitome of Christian theology. It is more systematic in its structure than any other of the writings of Paul; and being a very lucid exposition of the leading truths taught by the inspired heralds of the Gospel, it remains an emphatic testimony to the doctrinal defections of the religious community now bearing the name of the Church to which it was originally addressed.

The apostle had been recently making arrangements for another visit to Jerusalem; and he accordingly left Greece in the spring of A.D. 58; but the malignity of his enemies obliged him to change his plan of travelling. "When the Jews laid wait for him as he was about to sail" from Cenchrea, the port of Corinth, "into Syria," he found it expedient "to return through Macedonia." Proceeding, therefore, to Philippi," the city in which he had commenced his Euro

1 2 Cor. ii. 4.

Acts xx. 2, 3. Rom. i. 8. ' Rom. xvi. 3.

Acts xx. 3.

· εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα, i.e., Achaia.

+ Rom. xvi. 1, 2, 23.

Rom. xvi. 7, II.

• Acts xix. 21; Rom. i. 10, II, XV. 23, 24.

10 Acts xx. 6.