confpirators, the foot returned to the caftle, and left the horsemen to proceed; who, as foon as they arrived, delivered the letter and the prifoner, thus difcharging themselves of all further truft. And now what Chrift had faid to his Difciples was verified in this Apostle, Ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my fake.

At Rome, the plaintiff had fix hours allowed to accufe, and the defendant nine to make his anfwer: Felix, knowing this, would not enter upon St. Paul's trial, until his accufers arrived from Jerufalem. After five days Ananias the high-prieft, with the principal members of the Council arrived, and employed one Tertullus, whom fome writers fay was an Italian by birth, well fkilled in the Roman law, and of great celebrity for his readiness and eloquence in fpeaking, to plead their caufe. This orator brought three charges against the Apostle--fedition, herefy, and a profanation of the temple; who returned feparate answers to each. Felix, having heard both parties, put them off to another time, faying, When I am better informed concerning this fect, and the chief captain Lyfias is here, I will inquire more narrowly into this affair. And he commanded the centurion to keep Paul, as a prifoner at large, and to prohibit none of his acquaintance from fending him food, books, or other accommodations, or vifiting him in perfon.

After he had been kept fome days in this gentle confinement at Cæfarea, Felix, who had been abfent for a fhort time, returning thither again, with Drufilla his wife*, who was a Jewefs, fent for him, to give an account of his religion, and, after hearing, endeavoured to acquaint himself therewith. The Apostle, knowing the characters of the perfons whom he had to

to

* Drufilla was the daughter of Herod Agrippa, and one of the finest women of that age. She had been married to Azizus, king of Emeffa, who fubmitted circumcifion, and fo embraced Judaifm, as the condition of the nuptials. Felix, enamoured with her beauty, employed one Simon, a wicked Jew, who profeffed himself a magician, to perfuade her to abandon her husband, and marry him, though a heathen; to which the confented. She was afterwards, with a fon fhe had by Felix, confumed in an irruption of Mount Vefuvius, See Jofeph. Antiq. lib. 20. cap.7.

addrefs, ufed not the ftudied eloquence of Tertullus, but with plainness and the energy of divine truth reasoned of righteoufnefs, temperance, and judgment to come, which moved, terrified*, and confounded the governor, while the heart of the partner of his crimes feemed callous. She had been accustomed to hear of a future judgment, as Bishop Atterbury excellently obferves: perhaps she also trufted to her being a daughter of Abraham, or to the expiation of the law, and therefore was proof against the convictions which feized her husband, though a Heathen. Let this teach us to guard against all fuch falfe dependencies as thofe, which tend to elude convictions, that might otherwise be produced in us, by the faithful preaching of the word of God. Let us ftop our ears against thofe meffengers of Satan, who appear as angels of light, and would teach us to reconcile the hope of falvation with a corrupt heart or an unholy lifet.

Felix difmiffed the Apoftle; intimating that he would, at fome future opportunity call for him, and hear more fully his doctrine in private. This probably might be his intention: he however afterwards fent frequently, and communed with him: but with what defign? to be inftructed in the knowledge of Chriftianity? fo far from this, he expected money would have been given him for the liberty of fo able a minifter, and, waiting for that, fell fhort of the treasure of the Gofpel. Seeing covetoufnefs was the spring of his humanity to St. Paul, it is somewhat ftrange, that the profecutors did not bribe him to act with vigour against the object of their hatred.

When he had been more than two years a prifoner in Cæfarea, Nero took the Government of Judea out of the hand of Felix, and nominated Portius Feftus as his fucceffor. Now about three days after he had begun to govern the province, he went from Cæfarea to the metropolis, in conformity to the Roman law, and in order to make himfelf acquainted with the

Felix trembled, upobos, he was in fear, or wholly made up of fear; his awakened confcience faid amen to St. Paul's reasonings.

† See Bishop Atterbury's Sermon on Acts xxiv. 25,

ftate of their public affairs. There the high-prieft, and the chief of the Jews, who had been Paul's profecutors before Felix, endeavoured, by mifreprefentation, to prejudice him against this Apoftle; and defired, that he would fend for him to Jerufalem; laying an ambush of defperate wretches, to intercept his journey, and kill him by the way. But he, anxious to preserve the Imperial privileges, denied their request; informing them, that he himself would depart fhortly to Cæfarea, and those of them who were able to manage the profecution in a legal manner, might go thither alfo to the bar of Nero. Thus was he the means of preferving St. Paul's life. By what invisible springs, and with what filence, wifdom, and energy, does God govern the world!

When Feftus had tarried about ten days, he returned to his feat of Government; and, as expedition in administering juftice is commendable, he, the day after, on the arrival of the accufers, fitting on the seat of judgment, commanded Paul to be brought to the bar. At this crifis his profecutors flocked round him, and with their envenomed tongues, laid many grievous accufations to his charge, fimilar to thofe produced before Felix; but their affertions, though bold, were infufficient to fubftantiate their charges; from which, the accused, with the greatest eafe, vindicated himself. The faithful fervants of Chrift are happy in their own innocence, and their enemies render themselves odious in accufing them falfely.

Felix, to palliate his injuftice and tyranny in governing the Jews, left Paul bound; and Feftus, to conciliate their esteem, asked him, faying, Wilt thou go up to Jerufalem, and there be judged of these things before me? But juftly apprehenfive of the danger that would attend being fent thither, he rejected the propofal, claimed the privilege of a Roman, and appealed to Cæfar. This, for the prefent, concluded the business; and the profecutors loft all hope of accomplishing his death. What the Jewish doctors faid concerning Job is applicable here, viz. that the Devil was more cha

grined at his inability to take away his life, than this patient man was with all his afflictions.

Some days after this, king Agrippa*, and Bernicef his fifter, vifited Feftus, and congratulated him on his advancement to the government of the province. When they had been there many days, feafting and indulging in mirth, Feftus entertained the King with a relation of Paul's trial, and perhaps afked his advice; because the Romans had then no laws against the Chriftians: they were looked upon as a fect of the Jews, and provided they injured no man in civil rights, nor made any dif turbance in the ftate, were protected by the Roman laws. As Agrippa underftood the Jewish cuftoms and privileges, he was a proper perfon to confult, confequently able to direct Feftus how to form his charge against the prifoner, in fo uncommon and remarkable a cafe. And whether to oblige him, or excited by curiofity to fee fo eminent a Chriftian teacher, he defired to hear St. Paul; and Feftus promifed he fhould on the morrow.

All the chief officers, both military and civil, attended the governor, and his royal guefts, who had a numerous and fplendid train, making a moft pompous and magnificent appearance. When they were feated, Paul being ordered came forth, having his chains on; Feftus, in a fhort fpeech, fhowed the occafion of the

* This was the fon of Herod Agrippa who killed the apoftle James and was eaten of worms at Cæfarea. Claudius had made him King of Chalcis: he was by profeffion a Jew, had the power of the temple, and the facred treasury, and could likewife difpofe of the high-priesthood as he thought proper.

+ Bernice, his fifter, was the eldeft daughter of Herod Aprippa, and fifter to Drufilla the wife of Felix. In her infancy fhe had been contracted, by Claudius, to Mark, fon of Alexander Lyfimachus, the Alabarch; but, he dying before the marriage was confummated, her father married her to his own brother Herod, king of Chalcis, though that was contrary to the law of Mofes. After his death, fhe went to her brother Agrippa, with whom the lived in a fcandalous familiarity. To wipe off this afperfion, the offered herself to Polemon, king of Cilicia, upon condition that he would become a profelyte of righteoufnels; who confenting to be circumcifed, married her. But the continued not long with her husband, which occafioned his cafting off the Jewish religion; and returned to live in inceft with her brother. Being beautiful, the afterwards infinuated herself into the affections of Titus Vefpafian, of which Tacitus and Suetonius fpeak; and as he paffionately loved her, would have made her emprefs, had not the clamours of the Romans prevented it.

meeting, alfo juftified the prifoner before that illuftrious affembly; and requested advice, particularly from Agrippa, that he might better ftate his cafe to the Emperor. That the King might be able to form a right judg ment, he faid to Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyfelf. Stretching forth his hand, he entered on his defence and after refuting the accufations of the Jews, declaring his former unbelief and cruelty to the Chriftians, and avowing his miraculous converfion and divine call to the apoftlefhip; while enlarging upon the faith of the Gofpel, particularly, that Chrift should be the first that should rife from the dead, and should here light unto the people, and to the Gentiles, Feftus interrupted him, by faying with a loud voice, Paul, thou art befide thyfelf; much learning doth make thee mad. i. e. To talk of the refurrection of a man who is dead and buried, and to fay that he appeared to, and ordained thee a minifter and witnefs, that he is the Saviour of the world, and would enlighten, not only his own barbarous nation the Jews, but even the Gentiles, and, amongst others, the polite and learned Romans and Greeks, all this is mere fancy, and the effect of a diftracted imagination.

After refuting the charge, with modefty, politeness, and refpect, he turned again to the royal perfonage, and faid, King Agrippa, believeft thou the prophets? I know that thou believeft. This direct and bold appeal, fo feized, affected, and overpowered the King, that he could fcarcely make any refiftance; but replied, I am but a little from being perfuaded to be a Chriftian: which is an acknowledgement that the reasons and proofs advanced in favour of Chriftianity were convincing. A writer very pertinently fays, See here, Feftus altogether an Heathen, Paul altogether a Chriftian, Agrippa halting between both. Poor Agrippa! but almoft perfuaded? fo near the mark, and yet fall fhort! another ftep and thou art within the veil. Reader, ftop not with Agrippa, but go on with Paul; whofe heavy chains Chriftianity rendered light and tolerable, these were foon exchanged for ornaments of 'glory; which now deck his immortal foul in the prefence

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