Division ..BS^t) 2-5" Section.v.Q...LuO O No. W. J. LIIAMON, M. A. Studies in Acts THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOK OF BEGINNINGS By W. J. LHAMON, M. A. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY A. McLEAN, Corresponding Secretary of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society St. Louis CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY 1897 Copyrighted, 1897, by CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. Hftcctionatclg ITnscribeD XTo /ID^ ffatber anD /iDotbct CONTENTS. Introduction 7 Preliminary Essay 11 I. The First Sermon after the Ascension ... 29 II. The First Church 51 III, The First Persecutions 71 rv. The First Martyr 89 V. The First Gentile Convert 105 VI. The First Gentile- Christian Church . . . 123 VII. The First Martyr Apostle 143 VIII. The First Foreign Missionaries .... 159 IX. The First Foreign Missionary Journey . . . 177 X. The First Church Council 199 XI. The First Missionary Journey in Europe . . 215 XII. Paul's First Imprisonment in Rome . . . 237 XIII. The First History of the Holy Spirit in the Church 259 XIV. Excursus. The Apostle Paul as Organizer and Unifier 275 Notes and Comments 301 INTRODUCTION. At Oriental feasts there is an officer who tastes the food and drink before they are served and certifies to their whole - someness and palatableness. My duty is similar to that of the official taster. I have tasted the following pages and have found them ' 'the joy and rejoicing of my heart. " I am persuaded that po one can read them with care and moral earnestness without profit. The Lord endowed the writer of these essays with a large soul. He gave him insight and independence. Mr. Lhamon is a man of scholarly tastes and scholarly attainments. His experience in the pulpit has taught him to present the pro- foundest truths in such a way that the common people can grasp and remember them.' He has given years of patient and reverent study to the Book of Acts. He has read what the best commentators have written. In these essays he gives results and omits processes. A glance at the Table of Contents will show that he has seized on points of capital importance. He gives his readers the cream of what he has learned. Bacon, writing of books, said, "Some are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. ' ' One will not read many pages of this book be- fore he will know to which class it belongs. Though written by a scholar it can be read by all. I have not found a dull or obscure sentence in it from first to last. I may not agree with the author in every detail; that is a merit rather than INTRODUCTION a defect. It would be a poor compliment to the writer if I did. These eloquent and luminous pages have helped me mightily and have provoked me to study the Book of Acts with renewed interest. I believe they will affect others in the same way. This book appears at the nick of time. The Sunday- schools are going to devote most of the coming year to the Acts of the Apostles. Teachers and scholars need the best helps in the market. They need the commentaries that they may study the text word by word. They will need these essays in addition to the commentaries. The plan of the work afforded the author freedom for enlarging upon points of historic and doctrinal moment, for an enlarged treatment of the character and influence of the Apostle Paul, and for such a unique and consecutive treatment of subjects as is found in the last two essays. In these Mr. Lhamon sets forth, in a systematic way, the historic work of the Holy Spirit in the Apostolic times, and the three principles which guided Paul in the organization of churches. They are: The historic or conservative ^principle ; liberty under the direction of the Holy Spirit; and expediency in many matters. The one supreme thing is love. The discussion of these principles is particularly vigorous and suggestive. In my opinion, the reader will find this study of the Book of Acts both fresh and helpful. A. McLean. Cincinnati. STUDIES IN ACTS PRELIMINARY ESSAY. The Book of Acts is unique. It is the key-book of the New Testament. It is " The Gospel of the Holy Spirit." It is a history, a biography, a mis- sionary manual, and an apology. As a history of the first church it is indispensable; as a character sketch of the greatest apostle it is priceless ; as the manual of his missionary achievements it is of thrilling interest; as an apology it pleads the innocence of Paul when on trial in the courts of the Roman Empire. In this book we are brought to the fulfillment of ancient prophecy and the beginning of modern his- tory. In it we pass from the ethnic to the universal in religion, and from era to era in the providence of God. It is from first to last the story of a majestic battlefield with Jerusalem and Antioch and Ephesus and Corinth and Rome for its strategic points, with weapons of warfare not carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through God to the pulling down of strong- holds, and with victories bloodless and admirable over principalities and powers, and spiritual wick- edness in high places. The Gospel according to Luke, his " first treatise," is the record of "all that Jesus began to do and to teach; " this is the record of what the apostles of (11) 12 STUDIES IN ACTS Jesus began to do and to teach. As regards the Savior's church it is the book of beginnings. There is the beginning of spiritual enduement, the begin- ning of the Gospel ministry, the beginning of con- versions, the beginning of organization, the beginning of emancipation from legalism, and the beginning of world-wide evangelization. The evidential value of the book of Acts is unsur- passed. It is replete with facts that bear the stamp of genuineness. Fiction does not create sermons like that on Pentecost, or martyrdoms like that of Stephen, or conversions like that of Cornelius, or missionary heroism like that of Paul, or a society like the first church, united in love and Spirit-guided. At many points this book touches with delicacy and precision the geography, the history and the customs of the first century, both among the Jews and the Romans. The apostles Peter and James and Paul must forever hold their historic places side by side with Felix and Festus and Herod and Claudius and Nero, with this difference, that while the ordinary or even inferior careers of these Roman rulers are fully accounted for by quite the ordinary causes, the supe- rior careers of these apostles are not at all to be accounted for except by the historic presence of the Holy Spirit bearing witness to Jesus, and glorifying him through them. The careers of these men, and their historic and spiritual creations, refuse to vanish from sight in the crucible of the hyper-higher- critics. If Paul should be torn from our reason, he STUDIES IN ACTS 13 would still cling to our hearts, and they to him. But having him, reason demands more, and Christ and the Holy Spirit, as the exponents of his conver- sion and career, become intellectual necessities. It is a matter of prime interest to know the con- clusions of the latest learned criticism regarding this book. Prof. W. M. Ramsay, in his great Avork enti- tled "St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen," published only last year, has this to say: "I may fairly claim to have entered on this inves- tigation without any prejudice in favor of the conclu- sion which I shall now attempt to justify to the reader. On the contrary, I began with a mind unfavorable to it, for the ingenuity and apparent completeness of the Tubingen theory had at one time quite convinced me. It did not then lie in my line of life to investigate the subject minutely; but more recently I found myself often brought in contact with the book of Acts as an authority for the topogi-aphy, antiquities, and society of Asia Minor. It was gradu- ally borne in upon me that in various details the nar- rative showed marvelous truth. In fact, beginning with the fixed idea that the work was essentially a second century composition, and never relying on its evidence as trustworthy for first-century conditions, I gradually came to find it a useful ally in some obscure and difficult investigations." Following this frank statement of his personal experience, the author proceeds to an equally frank dismissal of all theories that would make the book 14 STUDIES IN ACTS a second-century production with mythical admix- tures and tendency purposes, or that would make it a piece of ill-assorted second-century patch-work from documents A, B, C, etc., by redactors L, II., III., etc. He says (page 10), "All theories of this class imply that the atmosphere and surroundings of the work are of the second-century type; and such theories have to be founded on a proof that the details are represented in an accurate way and colored by second-century ideas. The efforts of that earlier school of critics were directed to give the required proof, and in the attempt they displayed a misappre- hension of the real character of ancient life and Roman history which is often astonishing, and which has been decisively disproved in the process of Roman historical investigation. All such theories belong to the pre-Mommsenian epoch of Roman his- tory; they are now impossible for a rational and educated critic; and they hardly survive except in popular magazines and novels of the semi-religious order." Quite explicitly the author states his working hypothesis. "Acts was written by a great historian (a first-class historian, he says elsewhere), a writer, who set himself to record the facts as they occurred, a strong partisan, indeed, but raised above partiality by his perfect confidence that he had only to describe the facts as they occurred, in order to make the truth of Christianity and the honor of Paul apparent. To STUDIES IN ACTS 15 a Gentile Christian, as the author of Acts was, the refusal of the Jews to listen to Paul, and their hatred of him as untrue to their pride of birth, must appear due to pure malignity; and the growing estrangement must seem to him the fault of the Jews alone. It is not my object to assume or to prove that there was no prejudice in the mind of Luke, no fault on the part of Paul ; but only to examine whether the facts stated are trustworthy, and leave them to speak for themselves (as the author does). I shall argue that the book was composed by a personal friend and disciple of Paul, and if this be once established there will be no hesitation in accepting the primitive tradition that Luke was the author." The reader is asked to bear with one more quota- tion from Prof. Ramsay's first chapter: ** The characterization of Paul in Acts is so detailed and individualized as to prove the author's personal acquaintance. Moreover, the Paul of Acts is the Paul that appears to us in his own letters, in his ways and his thoughts, in his educated tone of polished courtesy, in his quick and vehement tem- per, in the extraordinary versatility and adaptability which made him at home in every society, moving at ease in all surroundings, and everywhere the center of interest, whether he is the Socratic dialectician in the agora of Athens, or the rhetorician in its uni- versity, or conversing w^ith kings and proconsuls, or advising in the council on shipboard, or cheering a broken-spirited crew to make one more effort for 16 STUDIES IN ACTS life. Wherever Paul is, no one present has eyes for any but him. Such a view could not have been taken by a second century author. The church in the second century had passed into new circum- stances, and was interested in quite different ques- tions. The catastrophe of the persecution of Domi- tian, and the effect produced for the time on the attitude of the church by the deliberate attempt to suppress and destroy it on the part of the imperial government, made a great gulf between the first cen- tury and the second century of Christian history." The leading arguments in favor of the authorship of Luke (in addition to the above) are, First, The traditions of the early church, which with one consent (authorities tell us) ascribe the authorship to the author of the Gospel according to Luke. Secondly, Similarity in literary style and method between Acts and the Gospel according to Luke. At least fifty words are peculiar to these two books. **Luke being acknowledged as the author of the Gospel, we know from that source what the charac- teristics of his style are; and it is maintained that these reappear in Acts to such an extent that we can account for the agreement only by referring the two productions to the same writer." — HacJkett. Thirdly, The evidence of what are called the **We-narratives." In several passages the writer uses the first personal pronoun in such a way as to indi- cate his companionship with Paul. These passages STUDIES IN ACTS 17 are xvi. 10-17; xx. 5-xxi. 18; xxvii. and xxviii. Great weight attaches to them, inasmuch as any other explan- ation than that of companionship seems impossible. Meyer says, "The WE-narrative, with its vivid and direct impress of personal participation, always remains a strong testimony in favor of a companion of the apostle as author of the whole book, of which that narrative is a part; to separate the subject of that narrative from the author of the whole, is a procedure of skeptical caprice." (See Essay XI.) As to the date of the composition, the Variorum Bible says: "When and where the book of Acts was written must be a matter of mere conjecture. We only know that it must have been written after St. Luke's Gospel (75 A. D.)." This statement is perhaps too strong. However, there is little agree- ment among commentators. Hackett places it about 63; Lumby, 63 to 70; Meyer about 80; Ramsay places the composition of Luke's Gospel 79-81, and that of Acts somewhat later. His arguments are more than usually interesting, and one cannot but feel their force. The chronology of the book of Acts is of the very first importance. It is practically the chronology of the New Testament. Luke, however, gives but few notes of time, and the difficulty of constructing a series of dates has been great. The prophecy of Agabus (xi. 28), and the date of the famine, extend- ing, as Prof. Ramsay thinks, into the year 46 A. D. (see Note), fixes the time of one of Paul's visits to 18 STUDIES IN ACTS Jerusalem. This the same author seeks to identify with the visit described by Paul himself in Gal. ii. 1-10. If, then, this visit may be placed as late as 46, and if the fourteen years named by Paul (Gal. ii. 1) includes the three years of his sojourn in Ara- bia, and dates therefore from his conversion, the latter event, together with the death of Stej)hen, would fall as early as 32 or 33. Some place the death of Stephen as early as 30; others as late as 36 •or 37. Meyer decides upon 33 or 34. Prof. Kam- say's argument and conclusion, as stated above, are entitled to great weight. Another date is given in xviii. 2. The edict of Clau- dius was in 52. It was probably in the same year that Paul met Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth. One of the closest calculations of time anywhere to be found is given by Prof. Ramsay on page 289 of the work above named. **In A. D. 57, Passover fell on Thursday, April 7. The company sailed away from Philippi on the morning of Friday, April 15 (xx. 6), and the journey to Troas lasted till the fifth day, Tuesday, April 19. In Troas they stayed seven days, the first of which was April 19, and the last, Monday, April 25. Luke's rule is to state first the whole period of residence, then some detail of the residence. On the Sunday evening just before the start, the whole congregation at Troas met for the Agape; religious services were conducted late into the night; and in the early morning of Monday the party went on board and set sail. In A. D. 56, STUDIES IN ACTS 19 58, 59, incidence of the Passover is not reconcilable with Luke's statistics, as is apparent from the attempts that have been made to torture his words into agreement." Still another important note of time is the appoint- ment by Nero of Fortius Festus in the room of Felix (xxiv. 27). The date of this change assigned almost unanimousl}' by scholars, is A. D. 60. Felix left Paul a prisoner in the hands of Festus. Under Fes- tus Paul made his appeal to Caesar, and was soon after sent to Rome. These circumstances fix the later years of Paul's life with almost absolute precision. Perhaps it will never be found possible to give absolute dates except upon a few points. It is hoped the following list will commend itself to readers as having a fair consensus of scholarship in its favor. The ascension of Jesus and the Pentecost follow- ing. May, A. D. 30; Death of Stephen and conver- sion of Paul, 32-33; Barnabas and Paul in Antioch, 42-43; Death of James and Herod Agrippa, 44; The famine foretold by Agabus, 45-46; Paul's first mis- sionary journey, 47; Council in Jerusalem, 49-50; Paul's second missionary journey, 51-54; Paul's third missionary journey, 55-58; Paul's fifth and last journey to Jerusalem, 58; Paul's journey to Rome, 60 ; His first imprisonment under Nero, 61-63. The book of Acts presents us with a historic basis for our Christian faith. The personalities of Peter and Paul in history, and the impress of these men. 20 STUDIES IN ACTS especially the latter, upon their times and upon all succeeding times can never be doubted or denied. They are among the sanest and the stablest of all men, and they hazarded their lives in the furtherance of their mission. In the history that gathers itself around these two men as its principal figures, the natural and the higher-natural (what we call the miraculous) are inextricably interwoven. It is not possible to sift and to say, This is history and that is myth. The moment we attempt it, we find ourselves excluding as myths parts that stand related to the rest as cause to effect, and we find ourselves there- fore in the dilemma of accepting, as historic, facts and persons rendered by our exclusions more cause- less and mysterious than the things we had excluded. We are told on every hand that many a man of scien- tific temper and training is inclined, now-a-days, to grow reverent in the presence of the New Testament record of the higher-natural. Prof. Ramsay may be taken as an example. Speaking of *' the marvels described in Acts," he says: "Twenty years ago I found it easy to dispose of them, but now-a-days prob- ably not even the youngest among us finds himself able to maintain that we have mastered the secrets of nature, and determined the limits which divide the unknown from the impossible. That Paul believed himself to be the recipient of direct revelations from God, to be guided and controlled in his plans by direct interposition of the Holy Spirit, to be enabled by divine power to move the forces of nature in a STUDIES IN ACTS 21 way that ordinary men cannot, is involved in this nar- rative. You must make up your minds to accept or reject it, but you cannot cut out the marvelous from the rest, nor can you believe that either Paul or this writer (Luke) was a mere victim of hallucinations." The historic verities of the book of Acts and its fixed dates have an important bearing upon the writ- ings of Paul and their value as witnessing to the truth of the Gospel narratives. Paul was a prisoner under Felix and Festus in 59 and 60. Before this date I. and II. Thessalonians, I. and 11. Corinthians, Galatians and Romans were written. In all these letters Paul testifies to the crucifixion and the resur- rection of Jesus, and he was not the man to put his life to the hazard for a myth or a fable or a fiction. From the resurrection of Jesus to the writing of the Book of Romans is in round numbers twenty-five years; Galatians and I. and II. Corinthians fall within the same period. Such books do not spring by mythical processes from hallucination or fiction or falsehood in so short a time, and within the memo- ries of multitudes who as eye-witnesses of what really did happen were able and anxious to contra- dict them if they were false. Paul's testimony is practically contemporaneous"; it is the testimony of one who was at the first an enemy of the cross ; it was heralded by him boldly everywhere; and upon him through all his ministry there beat the fierce his- toric light of Judaea in the days of Josephus, and of Rome in the times of Livy and Tacitus. By such 22 STUDIES IN ACTS lines of reason and research the doubters of to-day are to be convinced, if at all. " Never since the apostolic age has Christianity stood so proudly erect on her rendered reasons in the field of historic research as at the present hour." It is not enough to say that the historic basis of our Christian faith is left to us; it is confirmed to us by critical and schol- arly research. It has been said, with striking force, that the mythical theory of Strauss died before its author, he having abandoned it before he died. We may rest assured that in a similarly relentless way time will weed out from the field of criticism the extremists and the erratics who are bound to be in it, and that sober scholarship will unceasingly protest to us that the apostles " did not follow cunningly devised fables when they made known to us the power and coming of our Lord Jesus," but that they were "eye-witnesses of his majesty." One thing there is in the book of Acts abso- lutely, and not as an accidental, but as an essen- tial part of it, and as inseparable from it as color and form and perfume from the petals of the rose. Eight times at least the phrase, " The Way," is used distinctively, and with technical pre- cision. The passages are ix. 2; xvi. 17; xviii. 25; xviii. 26; xix. 9; xix. 23; xxii. 4, and xxiv. 22. In the Revised Bible this phrase is several times printed with a capital W. The first of them is indicative of all of them. "But Saul, yet breath- ing out threatening and slaughter against the dis- STUDIES IN ACTS 23 ciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the syna- gogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." This must refer to Christ's "new and living Way," the way of salvation, the way by which the thousands came to him on the day of Pentecost, and by which the Ethiopian came, and Cornelius, and Lydia and her household, and the jailer and his household, and all the others whose conversions are at all fully described. This Way leads over the mountain of Calvary and down by the empty sepulcher, and on down by the waters of bap- tism, and so across to the land that is Christ's. It is the preaching of the incarnation, of the crucifixion, and of the resurrection of Jesus ; it is the faith be- gotten by this preaching; it is the confession of this faith in penitence and baptism ; and it includes the promise of the Holy Spirit. Absolutely this is the one well-worn highway that runs through the whole historic landscape that is presented to us in this book; it is the Way of Atonement, and we have been mournfully slow to find it and walk in it. On the other hand there is no systematic theology here. We look in vain for dogmatics and counter- dogmatics. This book is delightfully innocent of isms. It is not marred by a single one of our denom- inational names. It reverently refrains from mis- chievous attempts to measure the immeasurable. There is iio theometry in it. Upon this point one is 24 STUDIES IX ACTS constrained to quote with entire approval Joseph Parker's vigorous words: *'I have made no attempt to find a formal theology in apostolic preaching. No such theology is there to be found. The supposed finding of it anywhere has been the heaviest cross which the Risen Christ has had to carry, and the greatest hindrance to the extension of his reign. Theology is as indefinable as life. It admits of multitudinous expression, and, like inspiration itself, must take the color of the individual soul that receives it. As theology deals with the Infinite, it cannot admit of complete and final statement in words. There is always a nameless quantity beyond. An infinite theology should create an infinite charity, yet probably there is less charity in theology than in any other subject of human thought." Here is a church spiritually complete and doc- trinally invincible, yet with no formal creed. Here are multitudes of believers, at one with God in Christ, made so by their faith, repentance, and bap- tism, coupled with the promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, and by the apostles left wisely unvexed with the speculative and mysterious side of regeneration. Here are organization and enlargement proceeding under the rule of expediency, and no harm comes to the faith. Forever fact is better than theory; possession transcends speculation, and reality is the soul of religion. This is a book of real- ities. The death of Jesus is real; his resurrection is STUDIES IN ACTS 25 real; his Lordship and Messiahship are real; faith in him is real; repentance and baptism are real; the promise of forgiveness is real and it is realized, and the atonement is real, because there is a real recon- ciliation between the repentant child and the forgiv- ing Father. In this book there is a mighty march of realities; an invincible array of events; a conquering army of facts. The soul is at first led captive by them; then it delights in them; at last it rests in them, and finds that its rest is rest in the Father and in his Son Jesus Christ. The author begs the reader to accept this volume for what it purports to be, simply and humbly a series of meditations thrown into the form of essays, with greater haste and many more interruptions than were to his taste. In availing himself of the liberties of the essayist, the author has been enabled to avoid on the one hand the necessary routine of the com- mentator, and on the other the conventional limita- tions and exhortations of the sermonizer. The notes are selected with reference to their evi- dential value, the history and customs of the time, the constitution and life of the first church, and, above all, to the elucidation of the more diflicult passages of the text. Where the well-known com- mentaries have been quoted, credit has been given. The plan imposes its own limitations, and it has required constant care and great resolution on the part of the author to keep within them. 26 STUDIES IN ACTS Courtesy demands that the works that have been most helpful to the author in the preparation of the Essays should be named. Prof. B. A. Hinsdale's compact and thoughtful little book, "The Jewish- Christian Church," gave decided bent to the author's thought while he was yet a college boy. Dr. Philip Schaff's "History of the Apostolic Church" has been used as an authority upon many points. Far- rar's "Life and Work of St. Paul," a work of won- derful eloquence and research, has been frequently helpful. Prof. W. M. Ramsay's recent critical work entitled "St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen" is indispensable to a thorough study of the last half of Acts. Should the humble studies here presented incite the reader to a closer, wiser and more reverent reading of this key-book of the New Testament, and should it bring him into a sweeter relationship to the Church of Christ, his present " Spirit-bearing body" in the world, its object will be attained and its mission fulfilled. I. THE FIRST SERMON AFTER THE ASCENSION "I say the pulpit (in the sober use Of its legitimate, peculiar powers) Must stand acknowledged while the world shall stand, The most important and effectual guard, Support and ornament of virtue's cause. There stands the messenger of truth. There stands The legate of the skies, his theme divine, His office sacred, his credentials clear; By him the violated law speaks out Its thunders, and by him, in strains as sweet As angels use, the Gospel whispers peace." —Cowper, 28 THE FIRST SERMON AFTER THE ASCENSION. "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."— Acts ii. 36. The second chapter of The Acts is vital. The Holy Spirit is in it. It throbs with passionate elo- quence. It has the thrill of a divine logic. It reaches a conclusion which immediately becomes a conviction. There ring through it the cries of thou- sands of penitent souls. It gives the divine response to these cries in its command to -obedience and its promise of forgiveness. It heralds thov/hope of sal- vation to all that are afar off, and to the children's children of those who on that Pentecost day became the anointed of The Anointed. It holds the history of the beginning of the Church of Christ, and reveals to us in the apostolic steadfastness, and in the wholly fraternal relations of the first confessors, the power of the new, new story to regenerate men and transform society. There are few chapters in the Bible comparable to this in point of historic and spiritual values. In Genesis we are told of the creation of man ; here is the plan of his re-creation. In Exodus we still hear the thunders of Sinai giving forth a law under which 29 30 STUDIES IN ACTS a mob of people, but yesterday out of slavery, is organized into an army and a nation; here the church of the crucified but living and reigning Christ is born. In the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, Messianic prophecy reaches its loftiest strains and its sweetest pathos; in this chapter that prophecy becomes his- tory, and the One from whom we "hid as it were our faces," stands before us in resurrection regnancy, commanding us to look upon him in everlasting acknowledgment. The Apostle Paul's great chapter on the resurrection is anticipated by the Apostle Peter's daring, impulsive, irresistible testimony in this sermon. The thirteenth chapter of I. Corinth- ians teaches no higher form of love than is tacitly taught in this, the crucified One offering an abundant pardon to his murderers. The last chapter of Mat- thew, the last of Mark, and the last of Luke, con- tains, each, the risen Savior's last command, "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you;" this contains the execution of that commission. It is in this chapter that we are come — "Unto Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innu- merable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of STUDIES IN ACTS 31 Sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel." It was in the year of our Lord 30, on a Sunday, on a May day, probably the 27th, that the miracle of Pentecost took place. Forty days after his resurrec- tion Jesus tarried visibly upon earth, giving to his chosen witnesses "many infallible proofs" of his res- urrection, and therefore of his Messiahship. There came the last solemn meeting with him, when with pitiful yearning for their ancient theocracy they asked of him this impertinent question: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" This, then, was their final, political, un- spiritual praj^er! It is a startling indication of the antagonism between their ideals and the Master's own of his Messianic kingdom. Their tuition under Jesus, his persistent refusal to wear any crown save one of thorns, his death, his resurrection, had failed to disabuse their minds of that ingrained nationalism which, cherished on the part of the Jews as a nation, was ultimately their ruin. Christ's answer to this ill- timed prayer was indirect. He knew that one crown- ing miracle still was needed to "guide them into all truth." Previously he had promised them the Holy Spirit, and had indicated the office thereof in saying, "He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." His present answer in- cludes a command, a rebuke, and a reference to his former promise. "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father hath put in his 32 STUDIES IN ACTS own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." These are his last words upon earth, and they are a Godlike answer to a very human question. Their poor plans of over-matching Caesar with "iron and blood" were limited to the "kingdom of Israel;" his matchless plan of over-matching all souls with truth and love found its boundaries only in "the uttermost parts of the earth." One lesson at least his disciples had learned : they could wait. They returned from the scene of the Ascension, and tarried in the city of Jerusalem "till they were endued with power from on high." On the day of Pentecost the Savior's promise was fulfilled. "There came from heaven a sound as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." This was their endue- ment. Guided, empowered thus, the Apostle Peter gave forth the greatest sermon ever preached. The names of the most notable preachers, and the immortal achievements of their "tongues of fire" are not wanting to memory when this assertion is made — Elijah, Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, STUDIES IN ACTS 33 Ezra, John the Baptist, Paul, Chrysostom, Savon- arola, Luther, Whitefield, Edwards, Spurgeon, and many another, all of whose names thrill us more than those of kings and their counselors. There is one sermon never to be forgotten in such an estimate as we are attempting, and the name of the preacher of it is to be mentioned always reverently, and apart from any possible roll of names that are noblest among men. In its ethical and spiritual values the Sermon on the Mount is confessedly supreme. But its author does not present it as a completion. It is rather an inception. Not till Jesus bowed his head in death, saying, as he did so, "It is finished," was that sermon finished. In the Sermon on the Mount the death of Jesus is not foretold; there is no hint of his resurrection; the atonement is not taught. In these points it is surpassed by the sermon of Peter on that first Pentecost after the ascension. It was given to the apostle to ieomplete what the Master had begun, or, rather, fully to declare the completions revealed in the living, dying, and rising of the Mas- ter. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believ- eth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father." "Because I go unto my Father" — indicative of a finished work, a foundation in its completion, whereupon they, his disciples, were to build the house unto completion. Peter's sermon was, therefore, to all preceding preachers an impossibility. To the Savior him- 3 34 STUDIES IN ACTS self it would have been an anachronism. Its repe- tition or its equal is likewise an impossibility to all succeeding jjreachers, for the occasion, the inspi- ration and the results of Pentecost can never be duplicated. Four factors are essential to a great sermon. In * /the first place there must be a great occasion. This Pentecost occasion had been in preparation through the whole of the nineteen Abrahamic centuries. God had this day in view when he said to Abraham, *' In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the €arth be blessed." Sinai, with all that it means, the theocracy ai;id all of its history, the prophecy, poetry and tragedy of the Jews through thirty generations, the temple worship with its endless lineage of priests and high priests, with its altars and victims and sol- emn mimicry of types and shadows, the majestic roll of Hebrew prophets beginning with Moses and end- ing with John the Baptist, the whole of Hebrew history from the golden age of Solomon to the awful days of the Maccabees, — all, all is but preparation for the completions that were preached on Pentecost. John the Baptist is but the last of the many fore- runners of Christ. His cry, ''Repent, for the king- dom of heaven is at hand," is the summary and conclusion, terse and terrible, in the very presence of the Christ, of the law and the prophets from Moses to Malachi. Standing as the representative not alone of Elijah, but of Isaiah as well, and of Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and the rest STUDIES IN ACTS 35 of Christ's great-souled forerunners, standing as the last old covenant prophet and the best product of a mighty ancestr}^ "the greatest among them that are born of women," he introduces the Christ, saying, "Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." This man and all that for which he stands in his incompleteness — "the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he " — is like- wise a factor in the preparation for the completions of Pentecost. But, as already intimated, Christ himself is the essential and the immediate preparation for that event. The sermon goes back and looks into the face of prophecy, but only that it maiy find Christ there. The sixteenth Psalm is quoted, and now for the first time the veil is lifted from it, for only in the light of the crucifixion and the resurrection can the face of Moses, and of David, be unveiled. "Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patri- arch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, accordin^^^ to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before, spake of the resurrec- tion of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (the world of the dead) neither his flesh did see cor- ruption.'* Christ in prophecy meets Christ in fact. " Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a 36 STUDIES IN ACTS man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowl- edge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." The life of Jesus, therefore, and all that was unique in it; his teaching, his miracles, his oneness with himself in word and deed, his death, being at once the necessary sequel and climax to his life, and his resurrection together with the infallible proofs of it, all, all is in the line of preparation for the Pentecost occasion. If the crucifixion may be likened to a mighty storm- cloud that passed in fury, raining divine blood upon the earth, the resurrection may be similarly likened to the indescribable glory of the sun, when, as though he had conquered the storm, he turns to paint upon its darkest breast his brightest boAV of promised peace. The terror and the glory of the crucifixion and the resurrection were fresh in the minds of myriads of the people of Judaea, and their capital city had not yet recovered from the astonish- ment of the empty sepulcher when the day of Pente- cost had fully come. The thousands of pilgrims who gathered from many lands to keep the feast in the Holy City could not have been ignorant of what had happened, for so early as the day of the resur- rection it was the topic of conversation by the way- STUDIES IN ACTS 37 side, and whoever had not heard it was immediately taken for a stranger. " These things were not done in a corner." In addition to all this, and the last circumstance to be named as contributing to the occasion, was the harvest feast itself, the second of the three great festi- vals of the Jews. Worshiping strangers were present from many lands, and the city and the temple courts were thronged with devout and expectant crowds. Did they remember the young Galilean who had twice cleansed the tempi e of its company of monopo- listic thieves, scourging them, and overthrowing their money tables? Did they recall the terrible energy of his words, and his look of divine indignation as he said, "Take these things hence; make not my Fath- er's house a house of merchandise? " Did these recollections connect themselves with others fresher in mind of the dreadful noonday darkness that boded no good of his crucifixion, of the earthquake and the rending of the temple veil, and above all of his resur- rection, quiet, divine, and terrible defiance as it was of Jewish malignity and Roman power? Did throngs of curious awe-struck people go now to gaze in at the empty sepulcher, and now upon the torn veil of the temple? Had the story of his appearances and dis- appearances gotten abroad, and were there hopes and fears on the part of friends and foes? Had he not promised that he would come again, and had he not threatened that of their temple not one stone should be left upon another that should not be 38 STUDIES IN ACTS thrown down? One may not unwisely guess that there were forebodings of evil in many a heart, that there was expectancy on the part of all, and that when his disciples began to speak miraculously amidst the throngs in the temple courts there was intense excitement. It was a great occasion for which the history of centuries, and the tragedy of history, which to the worshipers there was the tragedy of the season, had prepared the way. Such preparations, such conditions, such an occasion can never return. All is unique. 1, ,/ The second essential to a great sermon is a great preacher. No man preaches taller than he is. It is not the office of the Holy Spirit to make suddenly and for the occasion giants of pigmies, sages of clowns, prophets of platform jobbers, or heroes of political cravens. From the pulpit wag, the sen- sationalist of the hour, the Cheap-John comic draw- ing card, you may expect smirks, jokes, the puns of last year's almanac, the slang of the street, the mere plausible tall-talk for which the multitudes having itching ears make constant demands. Our colleges and theological seminaries would perform a valuable service to mankind if they would make a business, metaphorically speaking, of strangling pulpit wags in embryo. The prostitution of the pulpit is not the least of the sins for which the trifler in divine things, the small dogmatic Doctor of Divinity, the evan- gelistic buffoon, and the mere political huckster of denominational eccentricities, must sometime answer. STUDIES IN ACTS 39 But the pulpit and the sermon, as looked upon by the great and serious soul, present no opportunity for trifling. The Apostle Paul said, '' We are the savour of death unto death, and of life unto life. Who is suflacient for these things? For we are not as many who corrupt the word of God, but as of sin- cerity, as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." Chrysostom, already in his youth an accom- plished rhetorician, rushed away and spent six years in lonesome study and devout meditation before he consented to enter the pulpit. Savonarola kindled his soul from the fires of Old Testament prophecy, and from his pulpit kindled the fires of revolution in Florence. With him preaching was so serious a busi- ness that when the papal agents sought to purchase his conscience with a cardinal's cap he merely said that he expected a cap some day red with his own blood. Jonathan Edwards " lived, an absorbed spirit, in the study. . . . He was a man of faith and prayer, a man who handled the things that are unseen as things really seen and felt; a mind shining through a beautiful face, . . . terribly in earnest, with a dreadful sense that sin was sin, Satan, Satan, and Christ, Christ." The man, the real man in the pulpit does realize that, "There he stands The legate of the skies, his theme divine, His ofiQce sacred, his credentials clear. By him, the violated law speaks out its thunders, And by him, in strains as sweet as angels use. The Gospel whispers peace." 40 STUDIES IN ACTS Suited to the greatness of the Pentecost occasion there was a great preacher. The Apostle Peter was no longer "an ignorant fisherman," if he ever was that. He had had three years or more under this world's Master of masters, he had had spiritual experiences that were worth infinitely more to him than all the possible curricula of legalistic and rab- binical lore of his time, and above all else he was greatly and especially inspired for this day's work. Three years with Jesus, going about and doing good, hearing, seeing, practicing, puzzled, asking questions, grandly confessing Christ, and, from his standpoint as grandly rebuking him; as grandly also, still from his standpoint, out of crushed hopes and a broken heart, denying him; and after all compelled to read the meaning of these experiences in the light of the resurrection, and for that purpose endued with and guided by the Holy Spirit — this is the great man, greatly schooled, absolutely subdued, totally regen- erated, positively inspired, who stands up match- lessly equipped for this matchless occasion. , The third essential to a great sermon is a great "^ theme. The Spirit does not go forth with the sound as of a rushing, mighty wind, nor do the cloven tongues of fire appear for the declaration of trifles. Platitudes and attitudes are not the secret of heart- moving power. The meanness of the theme belittles the man and his pulpit; the grandeur of the theme exalts him and it. Out of the presumable science, philosophy, or politics of the day, there may come STUDIES IN ACTS 41 forth any amount of pulpit oration, no doubt, rang- ing all the way from twaddle to gabble, and from gabble to fustian, and the twaddle and gabble and fustian may, indeed, have some seasoning of the Gos- pel in high, homeopathic solution; but are we to call this preaching? Jesus preached about so slight a thing as a lost coin, and a lost sheep, but his real theme was a lost soul, and out of that theme there grew the pearl of his parables, the one doubly and properly named "The Parable of the Prodigal Son," "The Parable of Fatherly Love." The themes of Jesus are simple, but they are sublime ere he leaves them, for into the commonplaces of earth he pours the spiritual content of faith and hope and love, of repentance and forgiveness and restoration, and he concludes by setting the whole of it in the perspec- tive of endless days. How can one fitly speak of the Apostle Peter's Pentecost theme! It is the theme of mankind, of the angels, and of the ages. It is the theme of prophecy preceding, and history succeeding, a certain date. Once it was the theme of types and shadows embodied in stately forms of ritualistic worship; as the shadows give place to substance, their theme be- comes the exclusive one of apostles, martyrs, heroes and reformers, whose names are without number. It is still the theme, and shall ever be, of all preachers that are preachers, of all poets that are poets, of all martyrs and prophets and reformers and philoso- 42 STUDIES IN ACTS phers who are genuinely so, and not the mere effigies of their respective classes^ When Whittier would overreach himself in the production of his finest ode, he can choose no theme but the Christ, *'Our Master." In his "In Memo- riam," Tennyson's friend, whom he tenderly remem- bers and fondly hopes again to meet, is less his theme than the Christ, through faith in whom he lifts up his hopes in poetic forms, till the poem becomes an anthem and a sermon, beginning with "Strong Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen thy face, By faith and faith alone embrace, Believing where we cannot prove." And closing with "That God which ever lives and loves, One God, one law, one element, And one far off, divine event, To which the whole creation moves J' Our English epic, *' Paradise Lost," cannot so much as get itself introduced by its great author without the most fervent expression of recovery through Christ. Disobedience, death, woe, loss of Eden, are only — "Till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat." It has been said there is no poetry without God. Since *'God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself," let it be said quite as positively, there is no poetry without Christ. And if no poetry, then also STUDIES IN ACTS 43 no philosophy, no history, no highest life of any sort. Henry B. Smith, formerly of Union Theological Seminary, says, "God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, is the burden of the Bible, and it is also the burden of history." In this connection he quotes the great Swiss historian, John Von Miiller, who gives the results of his life-long labors, extracted from 1,733 authors, in the striking confession, that "Christ is the key to the history of the world. Not only does all harmonize with the mission of Christ, all is subordinated to it. When I saw this," he continues, "it was to me as wonderful and surprising as the light which Paul saw on the way to Damascus, the fulfillment of all hopes, the completion of all philosophy, the key to all the apparent contradictions of the physical and moral world; here is life and im- mortality. I marvel not at miracles; a far greater miracle has been reserved for our times, the spectacle of the connection of all human events in the estab- lishment and preservation of the doctrine of Christ." Christ was the Apostle Peter's theme on the day of Pentecost. Christ, of whom Herder has said, "He is the realized ideal of humanity;" whom Carlyle calls, "Our divinest symbol, a symbol of quite perennial, infinite character;" of whom Dorner says, "He is the perfect revelation of God, and at the same time the perfection of humanity;" of whose life Schaff says, **It is the moral miracle of history;" — Christ, at whose feet, inerrant, and wounded, as at tiie feet of 44 STUDIES IN ACTS the Master supreme, the greatest masters of earth unanimously, reverently bow. Note the argument of the sermon. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God by miracles and wonders and signs; delivered by the counsel of God, and slain by wicked hands ; by God raised from the dead, exalted, seated at the right hand of the Most High till his foes are his footstool; and, finally, giver of the Holy Spirit, — these are the mighty passages of directly inspired, impetuous, daring, apostolic tes- timony. The climax, the conclusion, the eifective, heart- piercing appeal of the sermon, are all reached in the words that are chosen to stand as the caption of ^.this essay: '* Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.'' There is no other theme, there is no other conclu- sion for the pulpit. The platform, the forum, the academic chair, may deal with inferior themes, and reach other, minor conclusions, but not the pulpit. The moment the pulpit undertakes to present or represent any other than Christ, or to enforce truth other than and inferior to this, namely, that God hath made him Lord and Christ, that moment the pulpit ceases to be the pulpit, and becomes by neces- sity something other, but not better. Forever and forever the Christological preacher, and therefore also the evangelistic one, must find in this sermon his model. Surely it is with accurate, homiletic in- STUDIES IN ACTS 45 stinct that Joseph Parker has said, "As a matter of fact, the Apostle Peter preached the only sermon that any Christian minister is ever at liberty to preach. This discourse of Peter's is not nineteen centuries old. This is the model sermon. This is the evangelistic doctrine." The occasion was unique. To match it the preacher was especially chosen, peculiarly trained, divinely-inspired. His theme was Christ. One thing remains to make the sermon great ; its effect was ^ great. Three thousand were "pricked in the heart;" three thousand became inquirers, and were told explicitly what to do; they did it exactly. They received the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and in their rebirth the church of Christ was born. Significant beyond the fact that three thousand souls were turned to Christ is the question that they asked, and the answer it received. They have passed away from earth, but their question abides; it is the soul- cry of humanity, " Men and brethren, what shall we do? " And the answer to it, given under such cir- cumstances, and with such sanctions, must be an abiding answer. If the pulpit is unique, if its theme is unique, if its peculiar province is to call forth this question, then shall not its answer be likewise unique, and shall it not be explicit, and forever imperative? "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 46 STUDIES IN ACTS Spirit." Repentance! Baptism! Remission I the Holy Spirit! — here is the atonement! " God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself," and this is the way reconciliation began on that first Pen- tecost after the. ascension, in the persons of thrice a thousand souls. This sermon is great in that it completely presents the Gospel in its completion. The manner of it is a model, the Apostle Peter having been greatly schooled and greatly inspired for its delivery. It is great in its exclusion of things irrelevant. Not one word is said about restoring the kingdom again to Israel, though this was the last thought uppermost with the disciples at the moment of Christ's ascension. ^"It is Christological rather than theological, and inductive rather than deductive. In a very great manner it is barren, therefore, of metaphysics, the- ories, dogmas, and the general guess-work impu- dently conceived and dogmatically enforced of all merely rationalistic, because merely syllogistic, and therefore merely logic-chopped theology. It is great in presenting Christ as he presented himself, "Approved of God by miracles and signs and wonders which God did by him;" crucified, buried, risen, exalted, expectant, regnant, claiming the world at the price of his blood. It is great in moving the hearts of the people as fields of grain are shaken by the wind. At once to STUDIES IN ACTS 47 enlighten the mind, to touch the heart, and to bend man's stubborn will before God's will till cries for mercy are forthcoming is the most majestic effect of speech. It is great in its revelation of the new way of access to God " through the veil, that is to say, his flesh," commanding that "the heart be sprinkled from an evil conscience, and the body washed with pure water." It is great in its promise of the Holy Spirit, and in its extension of that promise to "all that are afar off." It is the greatest sermon ever preached. II. THE FIRST CHURCH "Christ also loved .the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish." — Eph. v. 25-27. "The church is no other than the outward, visible representation of the inward communion of believers with the Redeemer and with one another." — Neancler. "Over against the divisions of race and continent the Church raises still its witness to the possibility of a universal brotherhood ; over against despair and dispersion it speaks of faith and the unity of knowledge; over against pessimism it lifts up a perpetual Eucharist." — Rev. W. Lock. 50 II. THE FIRST CHURCH. "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about tliree thousand souls. " —Acts it 41. The word received was the conclusion of the Apos- tle Peter's sermon and his answer to the inquirers' question. This was the conclusion: "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." This was the answer to the question: *'Kepent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This conclusion and this answer were respectively creed and charter of the new-born church. They " received his word;" that is, they accepted the creed and com- plied with the conditions of the charter. A great change had come over them in the few weeks since they clamored for the crucifixion of Jesus, and hooted around his cross, and wagged their heads in mockery while he expired in majesty. The miracle of the tongues and the power of the Holy Spirit bringing proof of the resurrection of Jesus, had broken up the fountains of the great deep in the hearts of the hitherto impenitent multitudes, and 51 52 STUDIES IN ACTS many doors flew open now where the Master himself had stood knocking in vain. They "were baptized;" that is, they acknowledged their faith in Christ openly; they submitted, in a figure, to die with him that they might rise with him; they took the step that severed them from the old, and brought them into new relations with God. In baptism they reached the culmination of conversion, for conver- sion is immersion — the immersion of the mind in the mind of Jesus; of the heart in the love of Jesus; of the will in the purpose of Jesus; of the body in water in the name of Jesus, coupled with the name of his Father and ours, and with the name of the Holy Spirit, his and ours. So the three thousand "were added." It is the Pentecostal plan of the addition, and therefore also of the multiplication of believers. Not a word is said about any further basis of mem- bership than this. Whatever brought a soul into Christ brought him also into the church of Christ, and the basis of the union of souls in the Head of the church was by necessity the basis of their union and communion in the body of it. Thus the question of Christian union is reduced to a mathematical ex- actness. The last word to be said on the subject is this: union with Christ is union with his church, and those who are members of his body are therefore "members one of another." We have made many sad and foolish schisms, but the saddest and fool- ishest is that between Christ himself and his own STUDIES IN ACTS 53 body. We cannot, somehow, seem to understand that the church is his, and that all who are members of him are by necessity members of it. jQiir^difficul- ties are of our own ci'SSLtion. We have failed to understand the primary union of the Savior with the\ saved, of the Lord with his domain, of the Head with; his own proper body, speaking after the fashion of the Apostle Paul; and having gone wrong in this primary matter, we have been going wrong by, sequence in all secondary ones. Foolishly and with measurable impudence we have dragged in our creeds„ and polities; we demand places for our clashing] isms, and recognition of our pet notions; we talk ofi our denominations, and propose federation of them, ' as though they were the things to be united; on the contrary, the things to be united are Christ and our- selves. When you and I are united with Christ, and consequently with one another, we are then to go anywhere in this world and claim our place at any communion table that is his. In defiance of dogmas and theologies and theometries and rituals and poli- ties and isms and schisms and ecclesiasticisms and hierarchies, high or low, I have a right to the bread wherever it is broken in his name, and to the wine wherever it speaks to me of his blood — I have a right to it if I am his. We need to reassert the primal, Pentecostal "addition" of believers to believers. That mode of "addition" is the solution of the whole problem, and its proper and practical assertion would forever forestall such talk as is too common 54 STUDIES IN ACTS and commonplace about the variously proposed bases of union, such as "The Apostles' Creed," noble, and true, perhaps, and hoary with age, though the apos- tles themselves never dreamed of it; and "The Quadrilateral," proposed as a basis of union by such as, claiming the Apostolic Succession, have evidently lost the apostolic simplicity; and the Evangelical Alliance creed, and any number of things except the one, Pentecostal, right thing. If we knew it, all Christians are already united in Christ just as the Pentecost thousands were; they all claim the same eternal Father, they are all journeying to the same heaven ; they have only to drop their extrane- ous, and superfluous, and mischievous peculiarities, and bravely acknowledge their existing oneness. If the first church was by birth a unit, by its edu- cation it continued its coherence. " They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers." The teaching and fellowship of the apostles, prayer and the eucharist, are the divinely-appointed means of ordination and of co-ordination in the church of Christ. The writer of Acts leaves the phrase " apos- tles' teaching" unqualified, seemingly suggesting that their doctrines were so well known as to need no iteration. And we do know, if we stop to think about it, precisely what they taught. The Pentecost sermon is a summary of it; the Gospels are an enlargement of it; the epistles are the completion of it. Day after day they must have repeated the STUDIES IN ACTS 55 story of Christ's resurrection, and from that they must have gone back in memory to dwell upon his life, full of childlike simplicity and more than man- like perplexity, and clothed at once in warp and woof of humility and majesty. They must have had occasion, as all pastors have, to enforce his style of forbearance and forgiveness, many and many a time, upon his fledojling followers; often they must have described with accuracy and with the enthusiasm of a vivid remembrance his walk upon the waves when tossed by the night winds, his transfiguration, sun- like pre-robing of glory for a season's communion vnth glorified ones, and his strange semi-earthly, semi-heavenly appearances after his resurrection; and very frequently they must have turned to their Scriptures and to the temple-worship proceeding daily around them, to find many a prophetic promise and sacramental type of him. The apostles were not theologians; they had not |0. Regenerated. ^ Christological ! Their teachings were wholly that. The Holy Spirit was not given to make theologians of them, but to glorify Christ through them. They had been trained by Jesus to trust God as children trust a Father, and to believe in himself as both Lord and Christ, and to go about doing good. They were entirely and beneficently innocent of all speculations about Mouarchianism, and Eutychian- ism, and Monophysitism, and Monothelitism, and Supra-lapsarianism, and Sublapsarianism, and the Kenosis, and the Krypsis, and the genus ideo- 56 STUDIES IN ACTS maticum, and the genus apotelesmaticum^ and the genus majestaticum, and of transubstantiation, and consubstantiation, and eternal generation, and eternal procession, and co-substantiality and tri-per- sonality, and the voUprcesentia, or the muUivoli- proesentia of Christ as opposed to the absolute ubiquity of his humanity from his very infancy — O thank God! The apostles were beneficently inno- cent of all this. They were too reverent and prac- tical to indulge in such meddlesome and useless speculations. Not until the ill-starred times when there came an alliance between the Christian faith on the one hand and Greek speculation and Roman dogmatism on the other, and not till men lost their reverence in the heat and impetuosity of their pur- suit of partisan ends was it possible to indulge in the "profane and vain babblings" that encompass the whole history of theology. The members of the first church, ''continuing steadfastly in the doctrine of the apostles," lived in the enjoyment of a loving loy- alty to the personal Lordship of Jesus, and since Jesus was a brother and a friend and a reality to them they would have speculated quite as readily about one another as about him. Even John, the most mystical of all the twelve, kept through the whole of his life to a reverently simple and absolute declaration of that "Word," which he had seen, which he had looked upon, which he had heard, and his hands had handled (I. John i. 1-3). From that STUDIES IN ACTS 57 he proceeded immediately to practical matters, for- bidding speculative ones. It is needful to note in a word that the first church enjoyed the fellowship of the apostles together with their teaching. Forever and forever the teachers whom Christ appoints are to be the "fellows," the friends and brothers of those whom they are ap- pointed to teach. The lords over the heritage, with their secular scepters and high miters, have ceased to be apostolical, since with albs and crosiers and palli- ums and red caps and clerical titles, and every pos- sible distinction between themselves and "the laity," from the peculiar cut of a coat to the supercilious assumption of infallibility, such teachers have sep- arated themselves from their disciples. The fellow- ship, the friendship, the environment of the teacher is essential to the completest efficacy of his teaching. Hence Jesus lived among his disciples. Hence the apostles lived among the members of the first church. Hence the true pastor must live among his people, and the ringing of door-bells is quite as essential as the announcing of texts. From the fellowship of the apostles, and the fellowship of all true teach- ers and pastors, out through the medium of the church there is to go forth at last that fellowship, which, breaking down all caste, is to compass the whole earth, — "When each shall find his own in all men's good, And all men dwell in noble brotherhood," and when each man's title to reverence shall pro- 58 STUDIES IN ACTS ceed from his ministerial rather than his magisterial service to men. The first church continued steadfastly in the break- ing of bread and in prayers. According to the forty- sixth verse of the chapter this "breaking of bread" was a daily service. It was modeled after Christ's last supper with liis disciples, Avhich was a full meal; after that the bread and the wine were passed, blessed with his blessing, and set apart forever to the remembrance of him. Gradually changes came both in the time and the manner of the observance of this communal supper and communion service. In the twentieth chapter of Acts we already have indica- tions that the daily feast had in the Gentile church at Troas passed over into a weekly one, and that the first day of the week was the statedly appointed time for it. But that the communal supper, or love-feast, as it has been called, and the communion service were separated during the days of the apostles is not quite clear. There are indications of such separation in the Apostle Paul's instructions to the Corinthian church, for in this church the supper fell under shameful abuses, " one being hungry and another drunken." The apostle thereupon rebuked them, saying, "What? Have you not houses to eat and drink in? Or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that are poor? " Then, following this suggestion that they should eat and drink in their own houses, that is, that they should take their own suppers in their own houses, he emphasizes in the STUDIES IN ACTS 59 most solemn way the Lord's supper as commemo- rative of the Lord's death. This much is certain: the daily communal supper was never commanded by Christ, and from its nature it could not become permanent in the church. The communion service, on the other hand, was commanded, and its nature bespeaks its permanence. Before Jesus died, in anticipation of his death, he broke the bread and blessed it, and he blessed the wine, and gave both to his disciples as age-long, sacred symbols of himself, afflicted though he was, and despised, and rejected of men, yet devoted to men, and already in intent as truly dead as when he died. Oh, the love, the courage, the dauntlessness of Jesus! With a present tense preceding his death he calmly gave to his disciples and to the world a reminder of something that was yet to be. ** This is my body which is broken for you!" "This cup is the New Testament in my blood!" He is a Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world." In in- tent, and no less in fact, the atonement runs through the whole of his life, of which his death is but the climax, of which his resurrection is the seal, it being his second and final transfiguration never to be followed by humiliation. The death of Jc-^iJt^.^ is not an accident. It is an integral part of his life. To remember his death is to remember him, and his atoning death is his atoning self, given, devoted, in anticipation slain, slain from the first, yet in resur- rection livinof forever. 60 STUDIES IN ACTS In their direct way of looking at it, the Pentecost Christians could never have dreamed of anything so shocking as the Mediaeval doctrine of "blood atone- ment." To them the death-tragedy of Jesus was the 'i /culmination of his life-tragedy, the two being bound | together as antecedent and consequent, thus forming | one mighty movement of the one transcendent life, | the whole acknowledged of Grod and sealed by him in ^ the resurrection of his Son from the dead. And where is the efficacy of this mingled tragedy of life and death and resurrection? On Pentecost it pricked the thousands in their hearts; they cried in peni- tence and baptism unto God, and were forgiven, and that was their atonement. After repentance and for- giveness, to talk about a divine justice or a divine law still to be "satisfied," is ill-timed and illogical. A father who has looked upon the face of his penitent child and has forgiven him, is already satisfied, and more sweetly so than by any possible other "pay- ment." To the first Christian church, therefore, the communion service must have been a weekly reminder of Christ and all that the apostles were con- tinually telling about him; and of that pricking in the heart which brought them to repentance and baptism; and of the Holy Spirit's blessed promise thereupon of the forgiveness of their sins. In the light of this chapter the atonement, the '^unio mysfica,'' well-nigh ceases to be mystical; theology becomes Christology, and the Lord's supper becomes a Father's feast, with the Elder Brother and all the STUDIES IN ACTS 61 children at table, breaking bread from one loaf, par- taking of wine from a common cup, remembering the one body and the one blood of the one Greatest Brother, and not forgetting that "God hath made of one blood (is it not the same?) all the nations of the earth." The communion service thus, when prop- erly seen from the standpoint of the first church, will set our eyes looking upon the simplest, sweetest sort, not of doctrinal but of practical and actual atone- ment, and it will set them looking also both Godward and manward in heaven-high and world-wide ways. However, this question should not be studied in the spirit of triumphant rationalism, but in caution and reverence, since there are positions that easily offer themselves to a hasty logic based upon the rough and ready dealings of man with man, rather than upon the revealed dealings of God with man. Though the first church must be exonerated from the Komish doctrine of the vicarious atonement, it must nevertheless have been influenced in its views of the death of Jesus by the sacrificial system upon which, through all their generations, the Jews had been trained to look with utmost reverence. The standpoint of John the Baptist is evidently that also of John the Apostle, and is therefore indicative of that of the apostolic church: "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." John Ruskin, revolting with all of his characteris- tically seer-like soul from much that is taught in theology, has, nevertheless, with accurate, spiritual 62 STUDIES IN ACTS and scriptural insight, avoided an extreme that has proved too great an allurement to many a smaller soul, namely, that the death of Jesus has no other than ethical and evidential values for us. The fol- lowing paragraph is from his *'The Art of England," and is so fair a comment upon many a passage in the New Testament as to deserve a place in every such discussion as this: "None of you who have the least acquaintance with the general tenor of my own teaching will suspect in me any bias toward the doctrine of vicarious sacrifice as it is taught by the modern evangelical preacher. But the great mystery of the idea of sacrifice itself, which has been manifested as one united and solemn instinct by all thoughtful and affectionate races since the wide world became peopled, is founded upon the secret truth of benevolent energy which all men who have tried to gain it have learned — that you cannot save men from death but by facing it for them, nor from sin but by resisting it for them. It is, on the contrary, the favorite and the worst falsehood of modern infidel morality, that you serve your fellow- creatures best by getting a percentage out of their pockets, and will best provide for starving multitudes by regaling yourselves. Some day or other — proba- bly now very soon — too probably by heavy afflictions of the state, we shall be taught that it is not so ; and that all the true good and glory, even of this world — not to speak of any that is to come — must be bought still, as it always has been, with our toil and with our STUDIES IN ACTS 63 tears. That is the final doctrine, the inevitable one, not of Christianity only, but of all heroic faith and heroic being; and the first trial question of a true soul must be — Have I a religion, have I a country, have I a love, that I am ready to die for?" The first church was a praying church. It was ushered in by the way of prayer, for in that upper room previous to the day of Pentecost "they all con- tinued with one accord in prayer and supplication." It was nourished by prayer, and within the apostolic environment it breathed the atmosphqre of prayer. The church of Christ is unique in that it is a praying brotherhood. There are secret fraternities, and com- mercial fraternities, and fighting fraternities, but the secret and the wealth and the weapons of the church are in prayer. The effectual, fervent prayers of the first church were not without startling efficacy. When they communed they prayed; when they or- dained deacons they prayed; when they were perse- cuted they prayed; if they died, they died praying, and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." When Peter was in prison they prayed daily for him, and even while they prayed he stood, to their surprise, knocking at their gate. For the angel of the Lord answered their prayers, taking him from the sleeping soldiers, and leading him forth through prison doors and iron gates that "opened of their own accord." A prayerless Christian is an anomaly, and likewise a prayerless church. Prayer belongs among the "all things " that Jesus commanded to be taught. " Jesus 64 STUDIES IN ACTS himself," says Mozoomdar, 'Mived and died in prayer." "They saw prayer when they beheld Jesus praying, for as he prayed the fashion of his counte- nance was altered." "There is more wisdom in a whispered prayer Than in the ancient lore of all the schools; The soul upon its knees holds God by the hand." The laws of prayer may be traced in the prayers of the first church. They who continued in prayer were all believers in Christ as their Savior, and therefore in God as their Father; such belief is the first law of Christian prayer. They were all obedient, having done punctually and precisely what they were commanded to do; this is the second law of Christian prayer. Unarmed and in the midst of enemies who would soon let loose the fires of persecution upon them, they were helpless without God, and therefore de- pendent upon him; this is the third law of Christian prayer. As shown in their community of distribution, these Christians loved, and love is a sacred condition of prayer. "He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all." "Prayer is the highest form of speech t!iat human lips can try." "A man holds himself at his best when he prays." STUDIES IN ACTS 65 Prayer is the other half of work. It is the prov- ince of the Christian to work and pray. The first church "had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need." This was a voluntary, not a compulsory communism. The right to their own property both before and after the sale of it was recognized by the Apostle Peter in the case of Ana- nias and Sapphira. "Whiles it remained was it not thine own? And after it was sold was it not in thine own power?" These people were condemned for their attempted deception, not for their retention of a portion of their goods. Doubtless many of the members of this church retained their own houses, as was the case with Mary the mother of John, in whose house they gathered to pray for Peter when he was in prison, Acts xii. 12. The common store did not enrich the apostles, for they said to the lame man at the gate of the temple, " Silver and gold have we none." Yet, that the goods were " laid at the apos- tles' feet" indicates that they had the entire control of them. Their use of them therefore must have been strictly for the good of the community, and not at all for personal gain. The dangers to which the first Christians were sub- jected, their common faith and love, and their expec- tation of the early reappearance of Jesus, led many of them to this voluntary surrender of their goods. After all, the communism was in distribution rather 66 STUDIES IN ACTS than in possession. The first church had no claim on the goods of its members, it was simply a store- house for their free-will offerings. There was no confiscation on the part of the church, and no obliga- tion on the part of the members except the con- straint of their enthusiasm and love. But in distri- bution there was the strictest obligation resting on the apostles to see that every one was supplied according to his needs. As the church grew the work became too great for them, and hence the appoint- ment of the seven deacons to whom the service of the "tables" was committed, the apostles giving themselves to the preaching of the word. Such a communism of the storing and distribution of voluntary gifts is not traceable in any of the Gen- tile churches, and it seems to have led ultimately to the poverty and dependence of many in the first church, for in later years the Apostle Paul went about among the Gentile Christians in Macedonia and Achaia soliciting help for the "poor saints which were in Jerusalem." In close and profitable study the accidental must be distinguished from the essential. In the first church the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, the breaking of bread, and the prayers, were essential and permanent. The canceling of any of these fac- tors would cripple any church. But the communism was accidental and transient, and passed away with the transient conditions from which it arose. The essential and abiding principle underneath this outer STUDIES IN ACTS 67 communism was the spirit of brotherly kindness, under the constraint of which none of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own. True stewards of God's gifts, they held their prop- erty at the service of his church. This was the abid- ing, social soul of Christianity, and it was manifested as truly by the churches of Macedonia and Achaia in their gifts to the "poor saints" far away, and of another and erstwhile hateful lineage, as by those who in Jerusalem sold their lands and laid the prices at the apostles' feet. Out of this, the abiding social soul of Christianity, there has gone forth through all the centuries that bear the name of our Lord the innumerable benefactions of his church. Schools, hospitals, asylums, churches, missions and martyr- doms have sprung from it; and the most advanced of civilizations owe themselves to it; and even revolu- tions have been indirectly due to it when under the constraint of tyranny this spirit, misguided, has become an explosive force among the multitudes of men. This fraternal spirit in Christianity is coming more and more to express itself in forms of popular government and in altruistic ways. It must become regnant throughout all the arts of pro- duction, and the avenues of distribution, till justice and charity consort together, and the hungry are fed, and the naked are clothed, and the imprisoned are visited, and the sick and the sinful are ministered unto, each according to his crying needs. Beyond all notions of enforced state communism, which can 68 STUDIES IN ACTS have no warrant from the book of Acts, there rises the lofty socialism of the Master himself, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." And if the decisions of the judgment day are to rest upon jus- tice, and if justice is to be wedded with charity in the ultimate righting of social wrongs, if this is the con- clusion arrived at by our wisest leaders of thought, then let it be remembered that this also is the conclu- sion of Christ's pictured day of awful reckonings, and that the parable of ministrations becomes on the one hand the parable of sweetest invitations, and on the other of eternal condemnations. Christianity is not communism, but it is fraternism, and to the cold and hungry brother at the door it does not say, "Depart in peace; be ye warmed and filled." III. THE FIRST PERSECUTION " But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefuUy use you and persecute you ; that ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven ; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."— Jfatt. V. 44, 45. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the pi-ophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say. If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves that ye are children of them who killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the meas- ure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the judgment of hell? "— ikfatt. xxiii. 29-33. III. THE FIRST PERSECUTION. "And as they spake to the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead." — Acts iv. i, 2. A REMARKABLE source of grief surely ! This is not irony, it is history. Men may be known by what they are accustomed to weep over, as well as by what they delight to laugh at. They wagged their heads when Jesus died; they now mourn w^hen he is preached. Thus in their mockery and their mourning these wretched misleaders of God's ancient, chosen, and glorious people, hav^e given their measure to all the world, and the world has rewarded them by keeping their remembrance as a hiss and a by-word. In pro- portion to its valuation of Jesus the world metes out execration, not to his murderers, but to their cher- ished hardness of heart, and the brighter the glory that gathers round him the deeper the darkness into which their sins are cast. Christ's resurrection was God's answer to the nation that murdered Christ. The empty sepulcher and the miracle of Pentecost were the chagrin and the confusion of the haters of Jesus. The believers suddenly became an army numbering thousands; they 71 72 STUDIES, IN ACTS were gathered into a community, many wonders and signs were done by the apostles, and fear came upon every soul. The crucifixion darkness that gathered at noonday, the earthquake and the rending of the temple veil, the report of the resurrection and the miracle of tongues, the new community and the con- continued wonder-working of the apostles, was the terrible array, mightier than an army with banners, which God brought to front tiie consciences of his rebellious and gainsaying people. By the voice of this mighty array, as in the most majestic, mourn- ful language of forsaken love, God was still calling to his people, and saying, *' Repent, and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This is the Pentecost translation of Isaiah's tongue of fire, and of Jeremiah's mourn- ing, and of Ezekiel's rebukes, plus the superlative emphasis of Christ's own tears and blood and empty tomb. For a while the leaders of the nation were stupe- fied, and they offered no resistance. The apostles preached in the temple courts, and the multitude of believers increased daily. These days were even more crucial to the nation than the ones that cm- braced the trial and the crucifixion of Jesus, for at that time the divine demonstration was not yet com- plete, and there was room still for excuse and prayer and forgiveness. Therefore the prayer of the pas- sion, *' Father, forgive them; they know not what STUDIES IN ACTS 73 they do." But now the evidence is all in; the dem- onstration is complete; Christ has arisen, and the Holy Spirit has been given; whom they have re- jected, God has accepted, and the stone of their stumbling has been made by Jehovah himself the head of the corner. There is no longer any excuse. For days they have nothing to say, and they seem cast in the balance, hesitating, terrified. There are moments freighted with destinies, and these Pente- costal days, the birth season of the church of the Redeemer, were the last days of grace extended to the "children of Abraham," the revilers of Jesus. The evidence of the Holy Spirit witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus in miracles of speech, and with heart-piercings, and gifts of healing, was before them daily, and in the very precincts of the temple, for *' these things were not done in a corner." It was their last call, and it was crucial. Be3'oud this no offer could be made, for it was the call of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the community of the be- lievers, glorifying Jesus, and convincing the unbe- lievers of sin because they had rejected him; of righteousness because God had accepted him ; and of judgment because by the resurrection of Jesus the prince of this world was judged. From the day of Pentecost their resistance of the apostles was a resistance of the Holy Spirit, and their persecution of the spiritually endued community of believers was a final blasphemy. The occasion of the first persecution was the heal- 74 STUDIES IN ACTS ing of the lame man and the sermon that followed. Under a vine of gold with clusters of golden grapes as large as a man's body, sat this crippled, life-loug beggar. It is the mark of a decadent religion to adorn its temples and neglect its men. Forty and six years had this temple been building, and the ham- mers of its workmen were still heard in it, and the expenditure upon its marble and gold was incalcula- ble. It seems like the irony of fate that this beggar should have been carried daily and placed like a hun- gry, ragged, human statue ,in the midst of this gilded luxuriance of architecture and art. Too frequently it still happens that our temples have the double adornment of beautiful gates and begging men. Encircled by this vine of gold, and standing amidst the clusters of its fruit of gold, the apostles stooped to take the ragged cripple by the hand, and to say to him, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk." Better than the building of a temple is the healing of a man. Immediately the man, a cripple from his birth, leaped and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God. All at once the crowds of well-to-do worshipers became interested in their beg- gar brother, and in his benefactors, whom he held by the hands. This gave the Apostle Peter the occa- sion for another sermon, the duplicate in tone and substance of the one on Pentecost. It was another of those unique occasions furnished providentially to STUDIES IN ACTS 75 the apostles in the early days of their evidential work. The sermon is a marvel of daring, accusing, excusing, and appealing speech, backed by an incar- nate miracle ; for still as the apostle speaks, the man who never had walked stands and leaps, and the wondering worshipers stand staring, and listening that they may learn the secret of the miracle. And when they have learned it curiosity has passed over into conviction, for once more they hear nothing but the story of the Christ crucified at their hands, raised up by the hand of God, and proving his potency to forgive by his potency to heal. The results of Pen- tecost were well nigh repeated, the three thousand having become five thousand before that day's even- tide. It was a beneficent work, full of holy teach- ing, and love, and healing, and hope, and forgiveness. There w^as nothing unseemly in the conduct of the apostles; they were unarmed, they stirred up no seditions, they made no threats. Why, then, were they persecuted? Their words were sharper than a two-edged sword, and their teachings more revolutionary than an army with banners. They were -persecuted for the same reason that Jesus was persecuted; the prince of this world had nothing in him, but everything to oppose in him. In an age of intense and bitter hatreds Jesus and his apostles preached love; in the midst of a nation rankling with every possible retaliation they preached forbearance and forgiveness; into a world governed by armies and swords and iron seep- 76 STUDIES IN ACTS ters they came with broken reeds, and thorn-crowned brows, preaching disarmament. Immediately after Jesus had fed the five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fishes they came to take him by force and make him a king. What a commissariat he would have been for an army marching against Rome! Narrow nationalists and hateful trucklers that they were, that was the thought uppermost with them — they would make him a king, and their armies should have leadership, and no need of for- aging'. But when Jesus refused to be such a king, and i^vhen he persisted in still going about and doing good, preaching peace, and forbearance, and for- giveness, their disappointment and indignation knew no bounds. At last, after the resurrection of Laz- arus, they gave expression to the full secret of their opposition to him in these words: "What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone all men will believe on him, and the Rom- ans will come and take away our place and nation." (John xi. 47, 48; xii. 10, 11). They even consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death, *' Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus." To a nation, therefore, hating Caesar worse than Satan Jesus was repugnant. Hence at last he was called upon to die in political martyrdom to his own peace principles. There were religious reasons also for their oppo- sition to Jesus and his apostles. Jesus exposed mer- cilessly the hollowness of Phariseeism and the STUDIES IN ACTS 77 heresies of Sadduceeisiii. Their slavery to Sabbath rituals, their mummery of endless ceremonialism, their self-righteous disdain of everybody not of their own set, their street-corner praying, their vain- glorious ailms-giving, their tithing of mint, their neg- lect of mercy, their hand-washings and their heart- hardenings, their utter self-abandonment to forms and rituals and hatred and hypocrisy and supercili- ousness were met on the part of Jesus with stern rebuke, and utter condemnation, and warnings against an eternal hell. Upon them at last Jesus fixed his stigma forever; they felt its sting, and they never forgave him for it: "Whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones! " When the time came for it their reply was, "Crucify him! Crucify him! " To a people utterly false nothing is more repulsive than truth, and to a people utterly hateful nothing can be more revolutionary than love. Hence it was that the light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not; that Jesus came to his own and his own received him not. With such a man in such a nation, one of two things was inevitable; they must repent, or he must perish. They had no intention of the former, he had a full intention of the latter; that is, he intended to perish that he might not perish. From the first, Jesus knew that his face was toward the cross. When Peter acknowledged him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus in turn acknowledged the title, and immediately pointed out to his aston- 78 STUDIES IN ACTS ished disciple the pathway that a being wearing worthily such a title must take through this world. From the day of his temptation and triumph in the wilderness, it was as clear to him as a mathematical demonstration, that love can be made perfect only in loving one's enemies, and in loving them enough to die for them, and in loving them unto death, should they demand it. Likewise that forgiveness can be made perfect only in forgiving as long as the breath of prayer can move to repentance ; and that non-re- taliation can find its perfection only in dying, not in cursing, nor even in commanding the wrath of legions of angels to go forth smiting. If instead of dying Jesus had retaliated, had he smitten the nation with sudden destruction, there would have ])een an end of love and of forbearance, and a mockery of his own peace principles. Flad he given himself to malediction instead of prayers, he would have been false to his own sermons and parables; if being re- viled he had reviled, if suffering he had threatened, his superlative teaching would have fallen feebly upon the world as having no complement in superlative conduct. In short, had Jesus saved himself from the cross, he would have betrayed his own principles, and the Sermon on the Mount would never have had a commentator. Had he not perished, his teachings would have perished. Had he saved himself, his life would have been in vain as reaching no climax in the actual self-renunciation of love, so that quite literally he died in order that he might not die. STUDIES IN ACTS 79 Thus on the one hand there is the explanation of perse'jution, and on the other, of suffering, or what is the same, of love which is atoning and sacrificial because self-sacrificial. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the apostles entered upon the same style of life and doctrine that had paved Christ's way to the cross, and as he was persecuted so were they. In the persons of the apostles the enemies of Christ were still fighting Christ. This is the best evidence of their orthodoxy, or leather, Christodoxy. There may be minor differ- ences between the teaching, for instance, of Peter and that of John; there may be a "Petrine doctrine," and a "Pauline doctrine," and a *' Johannean doctrine," but when we see Peter and John and Paul identified in suffering for Christ, we know that their enemies identified them in their presentation of Christ. So far as " the tendency theory" goes, all these men had a tendency to suf- fer for Christ; or "the accommodation theory," they all accommodated themselves to their sufferings in a very Christlike way; or " the mythical theory," it is no myth that the rulers and elders and scribes united in hating them as one without attempt- ing to discover microscopical differences of doctrine among them. In the eyes of these enemies of the cross, it was a sufficient condemnation that they preached and healed and won disciples in the name of Jesus, and as in the eyes of their enemies that was their sufficient condemnation, so in the eyes of 80 STUDIES IN ACTS all generations of believers it is their sufficient vin- dication. The Apostle Paul in more than one strik- ing passage appeals to the persecutions he endured as an evidence of his loyalty to Christ, claiming to be not the least of the apostles in that his sufferings were not the least, and affirming that if he should preach circumcision, that is, Mosaism or Judaism, he would no longer suffer; '* Then is the offense of the cross ceased." Speculative schoolmen, and dogmatic theologians, unoccupied except in endless wranglings one with another, and in worshiping their own syllogisms, have sought to enforce, each as final, a multitude of dogmas; but the cross itself stands as the symbol of the one creed for which Christ died, and the offense of the cross on the one hand, and the love of it on the other, were the primitive signs of orthodoxy and heterodoxy. The first persecutions began timidly enough. Late in the evening Peter and John were impris- oned. Next day there gathered together the w^hole array of the religiously and politically elite of Jeru- salem, not to compliment these humble men for hav- ing done a great and kindly deed, but in self-stultifica- tion to confront them with this preposterous question : "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" To ask this question was to go and touch a mountain clothed in thunders and lightnings more terrible than Mount Sinai in the days when *' if so much as a beast touched the mountain, he should be stoned or thrust through with a dart." At the STUDIES IN ACTS 81 touch there rushed out the lightning and the thunder of apostolic, Pentecostal speech. '' By the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." " Unlearned and ignorant men!" they ob- served superciliously of them. They marveled nev- ertheless, and made one other observation not so gratifying, namely, that these " unlearned and igno- rant men" had been with Jesus. (See Comments, Ch. iv. 13). And one other thing happened that was not comforting; the man who was healed stood there, their well-known beggar-brother, who had always heretofore contented himself with sitting humbly in their presence, pleading for alms. They were non- plused. They must get this man and the two tongues of fire out of sight before they could say another word. Then they communed and said, '*A notable miracle has been done, and we cannot deny it." As much as to say. We would deny it if we could; we would lie about it if we could make a lie go. They must find a way out of it, however, and this time th.ey touched more timidly their mountain of terrors. They called the apostles, and com- manded them not to preach in the name of Jesus ! and threatened them ! and — let them go ! And this 02 STUDIES IN ACTS was the stroke they got for their pains: " Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard." Evidently the authorities made a mistake in trying to question these men. After all, the only way to confront Christ is with hammer and nails; or the thirteenth century Roman Catholic way, shouting, " Kill! kill! the Lord will know his own;" or Abdul Hamid's modern way, with sword and gun, stabbing and shooting at leisure, and ad libitum. Only in such ways can Christ and his apostolic followers be answered without chagrin. And such ways are not finally effective, for the dead Christ rises, and the Christian martyr only begins to preach when his mar- tyrdom is complete. Upon their release the apostles went to their own company, grown to thousands now, and united with them in a sublime chorus of praise, ending with the prayer, "And now. Lord, behold their threatenings; and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done in the name of thy holy Child Jesus." And the Lord answered them with an earthquake, and with a renewed enduement of the Holy Spirit. Human threatenings and divine encouragements! The apostles became giants, heroic and impetuous. They preached and healed in Solomon's porch (v. 12), and multitudes of believers were added to STUDIES IN ACTS 83 the Lord, and the sick were brought from surround- ing cities, and the very shadow of Peter passing by was potent to heal. The summary judgment upon the first deceivers, Ananias and Sapphira, must have contributed to the dread of the situation on the part of the authorities, but at last their rage overmastered their prudence, and they threw the apostles into prison (v. 18). The next morning the high priest and the sect of the Sadducees called the council together, and enacted the following comedy. They sat in state, a semi-circular row of grey beards, "tall, good-looking, wealthy, learned (both in divine law and divers branches of profane science, such as medicine, mathematics, astronomy, magic, idolatry, etc.), in order that they might be able to judge in these matters;" they sat thus, waiting, anxious to judge the "ignorant and unlearned" men who had been with elesus. These men, not destined to stay in prison that night, were at their appointed busi- ness, teaching and healing in the temple courts. Officers called for them at the prison, but it was the wrong place. Doubt grew to astonishment with the double report of their absence from the prison, and their presence in the temple. They were brought, however, "without violence," and the high priest passed upon them, unintentionally, this high compli- ment: "Did not we straightly command you that you should not teach in that name? And behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." And the quick 84 STUDIES IN ACTS retort, — "We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and the forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him." This is the model martyr speech. Heroism can go no higher. Paul, and Justin Martyr, and Savon- arola, and Martin Luther, and John Huss, and Cran- mer, and Ridley, and Latimer, and John Knox, fronting their respective Sanhedrins, popes and Bloody Marys, are worthy of places in the same class with the Apostle Peter, he standing first among them in daring speech and deed for Christ, this being his true and only primacy. There are two effects from being "cut to the heart," one the Pentecost effect, the other the effect upon the "tall, good-looking, learned" members of the Sanhedrin. Murder was their staple argument against truth. They had murdered Jesus, they were now intent upon murdering the apostles. But the prudent counsels of Gamaliel prevailed. Perhaps they remembered Ananias and Sapphira; perhaps, the escape of the prisoners; perhaps, the miracle of tongues; perhaps, the darkness and earthquake and rending of the temple veil ; perhaps, the resurrection of Jesus. "Tall, good-looking, wealthy" misleaders of the land, cowed, conscienceless, squirming, with STUDIES IN ACTS 85 no reason but prejudice, and no mercy but cowardice, on the verge of perdition, and dragging their nation at their heels like a hound in the leash, — that is what the Sanhedrin had grown to be. In its help- lessness and its fury and its emptiness of everything good, lifting its heel only to kick against the goads, and in its blindness crashing "Up against the thick-bossed shield Of God's judg-ment in the field," it is the type of all truckling senates, and cowardly congresses, and time-serving, partisan parliaments. *' These first persecutions stimulated the zeal and enthusiasm of the first disciples, and braced them for the struggle (iv. 24; v. 41). 'It is better to obey God than man.' In this phrase we hear by anticipa- tion the farewell of the apostles to national Judaism. So, little by little, Christianity and Judaism came to exhibit the hostility latent in their principles. Let a man now arise bold enough to disentangle the two systems and set them in antithesis, and we shall see the great conflict begun by the discourses and the death of Jesus break forth again as freely as before. Such a man was Stephen, deacon and martyr." In this paragraph, full of discernment, quoted from Sabatier, there are indicated the source and the direction of Jewish persecution against the growing church. IV. THE FIRST MARTYR "My Lord died for my sins: shall I not gladly give this poor life for him?" — Savonarola. "When the cap painted over with devils, and inscribed 'Here- siarch ' was put on his brow, he murmured, ' My Lord Jesus wore for my sake a crown of thorns ; shall I not wear this lighter dis- grace for the sake of him? I will, indeed, and that right gladly.'" — John Hus8. "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." — Latimer. "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do."— iit^ xxiii. 34. IV. THE FIRST MARTYR. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep."— 4cte vii. 59, 60. The martyrdom of Stephen marks an epoch in the history of the first church. That two or three years should have passed away before the first blood was shed is noteworthy. The shadow of the crucifixion still rested upon the guilty nation, and the boldness of the apostles was their best protection. At last the storm broke, and in its fury there was a demand for blood. In the growth of the church, in the apostles' unanswerable logic of word and deed, in the appear- ance of new men of mark, such as Stephen, resistless in the spirit and wisdom of his advocacy, there was enough to convert the ''children of wisdom;'' enough to enrage unto ruin typical Pharisees and Sadducees. Through the church composed of regen- erate men, and crowned with miracles of speech and deed, the Holy Spirit became the savor of life unto life, and of death unto death. The first martyr was a member of the first com- mittee. There was a growing church with its grow- ing community of goods, and the burden of their 89 90 STUDIES IN ACTS distribution became too great for the apostles. Besides, the Grecians were murmuring that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. True Christian policy dictated that Grecians should be appointed to answer the complaints of Grecians. In democratic style, therefore, the people were per- mitted to choose seven men from among themselves for this daily diaconate. Whom the people chose the apostles appointed. Here is democracy with the sanction of aristocracy. Where the Holy Spirit guides government is a minor matter, for over the democracy of the people and the wise aristocracy of the apostles rises the autocracy of the Spirit himself. These seven men are never called deacons. Their appointment was simply a question of the proper division of labor, the apostles becoming thereby more especially and fittingly deacons of the word, and the chosen seven especially and fittingly deacons of the "tables," or counters. They were all dea- cons, servants, ministers, but each in his own place; it was all the Lord's work, and the}^ were brethren; there was no clerical caste. The distinctive offices of the diaconate and the bishopric arose at a later date, and seem never within the limits of the New Testa- ment literature to have been absolutely fixed, for men called themselves deacons, or overseers, or pres- byters according to what they were doing at the time. Even the first seven are not rigidly fixed to the diaconate of tables. It was not long till two of them at least became deacons of the word; Philip preached STUDIES IN ACTS 91 in Samaria, and became the evangelist and baptist of the Ethiopian officer; and Stej)hen attained to the diaconate of wonders and miracles and irresistible speech, — of martydom even! To infer, therefore, that the appointment of the seven is a precedent for the ordaining of deacons such as are now found in various congregations of Christians is unwarranted. The whole procedure is rather a precedent for the appointment of a commit- tee to meet an emergency. Is there a needful thing to be done? Appoint a proper person, or company of persons, to do it. That is the double dictate of common prudence and of the Holy Spirit. Carrying out the supposition previously made that the Jews of Jerusalem were overawed by the scenes of the crucifixion and of Pentecost, it is interesting to note that the murder of the first martyr was wrought at the instigation of foreign Jews, or possi- bly even of proselytes. "There arose certain of the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia, and of Asia, disputing with Stephen." There were num- bers of synagogues in Jerusalem, the meeting-places respectively of such foreign Jews as are named in the text. Equally zealous with the Jerusalem Jews for "the holy place," and "the law," and "the cus- toms which Moses delivered," they had not yet expe- rienced the terrors of opposing Christ and his apos- tles. The dread of the name of the Nazarene had not yet settled down upon them. They were fresh in 92 STUDIES IN ACTS the work of persecution, and to them Satan trans- ferred it. The whole of the chosen people, native born to Judsea and foreign born, seemed fated to stain their hands in the blood of Jesus and the proto- martyrs. The charge against Stephen is a compliment to him. It is an evidence of his discernment. Already he saw further than the apostles themselves into the genius of the Gospel and the destinies of the nation. There was antagonism between the Gospel and the law of Moses at many points, and if Christianity triumphed Judaism must suffer defeat. The new wine could not be put into old bottles. The apostles were true to Christ and the leadings of the Holy Spirit, but they were also traditionalists, and as such they still "went up into the temple at the hour of prayer to worship," and were doubtful about admit- ting the Gentiles into the church except on a Jewish basis, and perhaps, loving both the old and the new, fondly hoped for some providential reconciliation between the new cloth and the old garment. But the enemies of the cross, hating it, saw its tendencies more clearly through their hatred than the apostles through their love. Evidently Stephen saw precisely what his persecutors saw, namely, that there was no possible reconciliation between the spirit of the Jews and the spirit of Jesus; between his liberty and their bigotry; between his mercy and their cruelty, his love and their hatred, his culture and their cult. Stephen and his enemies, therefore, occupy the same STUDIES IN ACTS 93 standpoint as to their prevision of results should Christianity triumph. He and they differ only in attitude, and the difference is deadly. The falsity of their evidence against him consists in this, that they attributed to him as blasphemy what he was preaching, either implicitly or explicitly, as inevitable from the standpoint of Gospel truth. He was accused of a double blasphemy, first against "the holy place," and second, against "the law" (vi. 13). His speech' is an admirable answer to this accusation, and should be studied wholly in view of it. It is biblical, and it is a rhetorical model. It rushes on like a stream, swollen and impassioned. It is historical, but not accurately so. Some of its statements are not in keeping with the records, as, for instance, when it is said that Abraham bought the burying ground in Sychem of the sons of Emmor, whereas it was Jacob who made this purchase, Abra- ham having bought the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite. (See Comments.) Twice the Septuagint is quoted rather than our present Hebrew text, and Moses is declared "learned in all the wis- dom of the Egyptians," though the Old Testament is silent as to that, as it is likewise with regard to his "trembling" at the burning bush. It is an inspired speech, all but its jots and tittles. Something may be chargeable to the reporter, and besides, mere technical inspiration is no inspiration at all. We must get away from that if we would entertain the Bible's own view of its own inspiration. The quota- 94 STUDIES IN ACTS tions of Jesus are not always verbatim, but they are none the less divine. On great moral questions, such as the abolition of slavery, or the prohibition of the liquor traffic, we may not have a single text to bring face to face with our problem in such a way as to make it say, "Thou shalt not enslave thy brother," or "Thou shalt not sell wine and beer," yet we may feel that we have the whole Bible on our side, say- ing, with all the lightnings and thunderings of its Mosaic inspiration, and with all the blood-marked emphasis of its Gospel revelations, *' Thou shalt not." It is the soul of the Bible that is inspired, and its body is the best that can be given to it in human speech. The inaccuracies of the speech are evidences of its genuineness. A second century writer, at leisure in his study, with a method by the end, would have taken pains to be verbally exact. As the speech stands, it bears every mark of having been delivered to such an audience as the Jewish Sanhedrin in the early history of the first church, and the view-point of it is worthy of the forerunner of the Apostle Paul. True at once to the trend of Jewish history and to the genius of the Gospel, full of impetuosity and of sudden adaptations to the mood of the hearers, bristling with indirect reproofs of the localized idea of God and his providence, and containing, in the language of Moses himself, one crowning rebuke of their rejection of Jesus — it is no wonder that this STUDIES IX ACTS 95 sermon had the effect of a fire-brand upon the already overheated tempers of its auditors. The early part of the speech, down to the thirty- fifth verse, is fitted to chain the attention of the Sanhedrin, and to prove that Stephen held in rever- ence the history of his people and the law of Moses. He had been charged with blasphemy; here all is reverent. But with the thirty-fifth verse there begins an application of history that is keener than a two-edged sword. Moses, whom God had chosen, through whom he showed wonders in the wilderness for forty years, and through whom he spoke on Mount Sinai, their fathers had rejected; they made a calf and worshiped it, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, and took up the tabernacle of Moloch. It was terrible to remind the proud mem- bers of the Jewish council of their nation's historic rejection of Moses, and the idolatries of their fathers; it was still more terrible to remind them of a pre- diction that this divinely accepted, humanly rejected Moses had made, namely, that God would raise up un- to them of their brethren a prophet like unto himself, whom in all things they should hear, and to apply this prediction to Jesus, and to say to them, '* Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them wiiich shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murder- 96 STUDIES IN ACTS ers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it." The Christological standpoint of this proto-martyr is the same as that of the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, and his boldness in denouncing the lead- ers of the land as the murderers of Jesus parallels that of the chiefest apostles. This application of history and denunciation of the death of the Savior at their hands, cut like a saw to the hearts of men who once had cried, in thoughtless, heartless rage, "His blood be on us, and on our children." The inspiration of Stephen at this moment carried him beyond the range of daring and triumphant speech. Full of the Holy Spirit, he "looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." Granted thus at the same moment a Theophany and a Christophany, he cried out, saying, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." This should have overawed his enemies, and turned them from their bitterness, for if before he began his speech they that looked upon him " saw his face as it had been the face of an angel," what must have been its rapture in this moment of ecstatic vision! But a height of per- versity, second only, as it would seem, to that which mocked the dying Savior, was revealed in them when they cried out, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him, and cast him out of the city and stoned him. STUDIES IN ACTS 97 The style of his dying was Christlike. If men were not able to resist the wisdom and power of his speaking, how could they resist the Christliness of his dying! There is an eloquence of action mightier than the eloquence of diction. But when human speech has assumed its highest form in prayer and forgiveness, and when prayer and forgiveness and trust are sealed unto eternal glory by calm and sweet and heroic dying, the plea to man by man thus made is irresistible, except by those whose hearts are stone. They stopped their ears, they rushed upon him, and the stones with which they crushed him were not so hard as the hearts with which they hated him. . And these were the hearts that Jesus saw, harder than stone, flintier than the rock, more cruel than death, full of prejudice, big with hatred, and alive and throbbing only with murder, when he gave utterance to his parables of judgment, and his terri- ble simile of whited sepulchers and dead men's bones, and his awful philippic against Pharisaic hypocrites, fated to the condemnation of hell; ah! these were the hearts he saw when he mourned over Jerusalem and foretold her destruction. Had hell been discoverable no otherwhere in the universe, Jesus would have looked into these hearts and found it there. Full of the conceptions of hatred, and pregnant with bloodshed, it was from these hearts that there came forth in the days of the siege of their "holy place" internal discord, high-handed revenge, secret assassination, public brawls, street 7 98 STUDIES IN ACTS fights, multiplied murders, and all the untold woes of fanatical rapine, which, together with the siege, have made the name of their city as significant of cursing and doom, on the one hand, as it is of peace and *'an eternal weight of glory," on the other. The death of Stephen had not even the mock but finished forms of law for its sanction, as in the case of Jesus. The members of the council, whose busi- ness it was to protect life; whose maxim was, "The Sanhedrin is to save, not to destroy life;" whose president at the beginning of the trial "solemnly admonished the witnesses, pointing out the precious- ness of human life, earnestly beseeching them care- fully and calmly to reflect whether they had not overlooked some circumstance which might favor the innocence of the accused;" — the members of this august council, composed of "middle-aged men, tali, good-looking, wealthy, learned — none of them very old persons, nor eunuchs, nor proselytes, nor nethi- nim," failed to render a decision at all. According to custom, they should have waited till the next day before pronouncing Stephen guilty. But they lost their gravity, and stopped their ears, and howled, and rushed upon their victim, and the Sanhedrin became a mob. They should have credit for quick work. The refinements of persecution were not yet invented. They did not cut off his ears, or slit his nose, or brand him with hot irons, or stretch him on racks, or hang him with a strappado, or blow him up to burst- STUDIES IN ACTS 99 ing with a bellows, or roast him at a slow fire, or crown him as heresiarch with painted devils on his cap. In a way blunt, and straightforward enough, they crushed him with stones. The above more deliberate and scientific and satisfactory ways of defending the faith, and reclaiming heretics, and propagating the Gospel, were left to the sanctified, inventive genius of Roman Catholicism. In such ways the "Holy Father Infallible," and "The Holy Mother Church," have shown the world how to chas- tise their children out of paternal love for them, and with tender solicitation for their spiritual welfare. With such beneficent chastisements the " Holy Mother" has murdered — the astonishing estimate is — fifty millions of her children! But back of all persecution, and more astonishing than it, and sadder, lies the utter misconception of the genius of the Gospel and the method of Jesus. From the standpoint of Christ's commission the heresiarch is he who does not go and teach and preach and baptize in the name and the spirit of Christ; and from the standpoint of the cross the heresiarch is he who sins against the law of love. Under Christ we have no weapons but truth and love and forbearance and forgiveness; guided by him we have no appeal but to the minds and hearts and consciences of beings like-minded and like-hearted with ourselves, and conscience-crowned as well as we. Education was the method of Jesus. His society is a teaching brotherhood. To him the miter 100 STUDIES IN ACTS and the crown were equally repugnant. He dis- dained the sword, and healed its wounds. His death is the seal upon his life of a true teacher's limitless love, and his resurrection is proof of a perfect teach- er's rightful regnancy. He is not persecutor, and therefore destroyer, but he is educator, and therefore Redeemer. Master of masters in moral and spiritual realms he cries to his followers with the emphasis of pierced hands and thorn-marked brow, '* Go teach." His misrepresentatives, enthroned, crowned, scep- tered, mitered in Caesar's fashion, have spoken their anathemas and their excommunications with threat- enings of hell and the horrors of the battlefield, and out of hearts full of the hatred from which murder springs, they have cried, ''Go kill." Seven times on the cross Jesus opened his lips, and there continued to speak as never man spake. Two of his matchless utterances find close resemblance in the w^ords of his dying disciple: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do;" "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Oh, the heights and depths of Christ's manward love and forgiveness, and of his Godward love and trust! Heights and depths measured, yet measureless by these last prayers of his passion! We in our days of delight, repeating our easy and customary forms of prayer, attain too often only to the semblance of love and forgiveness and trust. But he who through days of distress, or amidst a storm of crushing, mangling stones prays thus for his enemies and himself has STUDIES IN ACTS 101 attained to the reality of discipleship in the school of Christ. The first martyr claimed by right of Christly dying, Christly glory. *'And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep." V. THE FIRST GENTILE CONVERT "Calvary made an irrevocable breach between the religion of the past and of the future. Jesus, in dying, guaranteed his work against any unintelligent or timid reaction. From the outset he planted his cross between Christianity and Judaism; and so often as his disciples are tempted to retrace their steps, they find it placed as an impassable barrier between them and their nation. The cross, in fact, was the real motive principle of all the progress which ensued ; it was this which gave impulse and impetus to the primitive church, and drove it irresistibly beyond the limits of Judaism. " — Sabatier. 104 TEE FIRST GENTILE CONVERT. "Tliou wen test in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." — Acts xi. 3. "God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." — Acts x. 28. The conversion of Cornelius and his household equals in its progressive significance the miracle of Pentecost. Once more the Apostle Peter, endued with the Holy Spirit, stands in the forefront of the evangelistic movement. The keys of the kingdom are in this man's keeping, and it his province to go forward opening doors of prophecy, and of liberty, and of salvation till the Gentiles come to Christ's light, and their kings to the brightness of his glory. On the day of Pentecost the Church of Christ was born ; on the day of the conversion of Cornelius she reached her majority. From that time she was ready to go forth *' conquering and to conquer." On that day she cast aside the leading strings of Judaism, and declared herself equipped for heavenly minis- tries among the Gentile races of all the world. In the conversion of Cornelius the young church gave the challenge of her spirituality and universality to decadent Judaism and the cramped and cramping forms of the Mosaic ritual. Through the lips of her 105 106 STUDIES IN ACTS chosen first apostle, moving still under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, she asserted her heavenly queen- liness, and published at the same time the platform of her world-wide regnancy, saying, "God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him." "All zones are one seed-field, And one the fostering sky; Best germs the ripened ages yield On world-wide pinions fly. "High human hearts are one, And one their God above; And genial every star and sun To faith and hope and love." Perhaps a period of ten years lies between the conversions of Pentecost and the conversion of Cor- nelius, but in the plans of the Savior these two acts belong to the same drama. The full obedience of the commission requires them both as the inception of Christ's world-wide kingdom. The second chap- ter of the book of Acts is not complete without the tenth, and the two rise up from among the others in a kind of lonely majesty. In both there is the pres- ence of the Apostle Peter; in both the Holy Spirit speaks miraculously; in both Jesus is presented as the crucified and risen Lord and Christ; in both there is the offer of the remission of sins through the acceptance of Jesus as Savior; in both there breathes the spirit of prayer wherein souls are seek- STUDIES IN ACTS 107 ing a higher life, and the culmination of both is in the ]oy of conversion. Yet these two chapters differ by the breadth of whole horizons. The first of them speaks to us of the inception of Christ's kingdom; the second, of its extension; if the first means birth, the second means breadth ; if the first indicates a center, the second is a circumference; if the first shows us a divinely commanded "beginning at Jerusalem," the second enters upon the divinely prescribed *' uttermost parts of the earth." It was a new day in philosophy when the law of gravitation, applying to an ap'ple, was seen also in its application to the solar system and the constellations. Likewise it was a new day in the church when the Jerusalem Christians were con- strained by the account that the Apostle Peter gave them of the conversion of Cornelius to "hold their peace, and glorify God, saying. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." Cornelius was a Gentile, and without becoming a Jew he became a Christian. That is the point of most significance in our present study. On the high- way leading from Jerusalem to Gaza Philip had preached to the Ethiopian officer, and close by the road, in a lake of water lying in the Wady el-Hasy, according to the suggestion of Edersheim, he had bap- tized him. But this man was a proselyte, and he had been to Jerusalem to worship, and there was therefore nothing irregular about his reception into the church. Furthermore, both Philip and Peter had preached 108 STUDIES IN ACTS among the Samaritans, and many of them had been brought to Christ, and churches had been established among them, as shown by the enumeration in the thirty-first verse of the ninth chapter of Acts. The Samaritans, however, were semi-Jews, and they were a circumcised people. But the conversion of Cor- nelius and his household was unique. He and his were publicly and avowedly Gentiles ; they had never Deen either to Gerizim or to Jerusalem to worship ; they gave no attendance at the altar; they had no ipart or lot or pride in the lineage of Abraham ; they were Gentiles, pagans, dogs, Romans. To receive them into the fellowship of the church without sub- mission to the requirements of the Mosaic law meant the abrogation of that law, and this to the Jew meant the height of treason. The Jews charged Ste- phen with saying that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy their Holy Place, and change the customs that Moses had delivered to them, and upon that charge they stoned him to death. In the conversion of Cor- nelius, therefore, there were the beginnings of revo- lution, possibly .of disaster to the young church, cer- tainly of those misunderstandings and explanations and persecutions and alienations which are the birth- pains of liberty, and the growing-pains of progress. From one view-point it seems like an enigma of Providence that such a fruitful cause of dissension should have been introduced so early into the church, and that the Jewish and Gentile Christians should, within twenty years of Christ's crucifixion, stand STUDIES IN ACTS 109 fronting each other in determined antagonism. But victory is the fruit of battle, and the way of peace is necessarily the way of the sword.? It was in this sense that the Prince of Peace said, "I come to bring a sword on the earth." The Gospel, universal in its genius, must become universal in its methods, and in doing so it must break away from the barriers of carnalism and formalism and localism and tribal- ism. Jerusalem could never be the religious capital of the world; the Jewish altar, smoking with the blood of rams, could never give to the world the sweet assurance of the remission of sins; the Jewish Sab- bath, burdened with numberless slavish and super- stitious precepts of Eabbinism, could never convey to the world the joy, the freedom, and the inspira- tion of the Lord's Day, bearing with it round the globe once weekly the eucharistic reminders of the Lord's death; the negative precepts uttered by the thunders of Sinai could never rise to the divine altruism of the Golden Rule; nor could the feasts and fasts and tithings and sprinklings of a mere ethnic cult ever become of world-wide, spiritual con- cern. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." One thing or the other: the new movement must settle down within the narrow dimensions of the old, or it must break away like a growing child from his cast-off garments. *' Moses for a people; Christ for the world." Look- ing back upon all the dreadful history that came upon the Jews during the generation that saw Jesus 110 STUDIES IN ACTS perish on the cross, one must see that had the new movement confined itself to the limits of Judaism it must inevitably have been buried, like a child in the grave of its mother. Th6 salvation of the movement was in its enlargement. The historic necessities were that the Church of Christ should extend her offer of salvation to all the world, or be herself condemned to destruction. She must seek to save the nations if she would be saved by them. The time had come when the apostles of the cross must go boldly to Cor- nelius, looking out from his fortress in Csesarea upon the waters of the Mediterranean; to Lydia, praying upon the banks of the Gangites; to the jailer in Phil- ippi, amidst his granite walls and iron bars, and say to each and all of them, "These fortresses and river banks and prison walls are as holy as the Holy of Holies when here, through Christ, you present your bodies as living sacrifices unto God, esteeming such sacrifice reasonable service." The Holy Spirit saw fit to make Cornelius the occasion of such enlargement, and the first fruits of it, and the Apostle Peter the instrument of it. That we may appreciate these two men in their meeting and their mutual relations, we must first study them apart, remembering that each, on his pathway to find the other, was under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God had these men in training for their meeting. As typical Jew and typical Gen- tile, yet prepared, the one for the declaration, the other for the reception of the Gospel, they meet; STUDIES IN ACTS 111 and thereafter they stand before the world, not as representatives of the deplorable schisms and hatreds among men, but as types together, mutual and fraternal, of the "new man in Christ." The Jews esteemed it their religious and political duty to hate the Gentiles. From the days of Abraham their theory and their practice had united in making them an exclusive people, and from the days of the captivity in Babylon they were a fanatical people, hating all not Jews, and courting their hatred. By the rivers of Babylon they dreamed and sang of revenge, but never of forgiveness, saying with awful imprecation, "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed, happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us ! Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones!" There was a tradition that at Mount Sinai the Jews were cleansed from the impurities that cling to man- kind by reason of the relations between Eve and the serpent, and which still cling to all the rest of man- kind. They said God cares more for one Israelite than for all the rest of the world. Gentile babes were unclean from their birth. The Mishna forbids aid to a Gentile mother in her hour of need, or the giving of nourishment to her new-born babe, lest a child should be brought up for idolatry. One maxim reached the height of scowling hatred: "The best among the Gentiles, kill; the best among serpents, crush its head." Chosen of God as a medium and a means to a 112 STUDIES IN ACTS beneficent end, they mistook themselves as being the beginning and the end of God's purposes, and con- cluding that he had cast off all other people, they settled down into the rankest of Pharisaical self- complacency, and from the standpoint both of their hatred and their exclusiveness, they interpreted their prophecies concerning the promised Messiah. Dur- ing the generation of which we are speaking, the Romans were their special objects of hatred because they were the political lords of the land, and were, looked upon as being the despoilers of the glory of Israel. Hating Rome worse than sin, and Caesar worse than Satan, they naturally planned for a Mes- siah who should be a prince, and a soldier, and a political redeemer. How absolutely were they dis- appointed in Christ! He rebuked their hatred while he healed their sick ones, refused their proffered crowns while he fed their multitudes, and preached forgiveness while he paid tribute to Cassar, till at last they said, '*If we let him thus alone, the Romans will come and take away our place and nation." Now the Apostle Peter was a true Jew, born and bred with all the inherited and inculcated antipathies of his race. Hence his rebuke of Jesus, as recorded in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, and his mourn- ful but inevitable denial, as recorded in the twenty- sixth chapter. Hence also his pathetic and patriotic question at the ascension of Jesus: '*Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel 9 ' ' Up to the time of Pentecost this man had had line STUDIES IN ACTS 113 upon line, precept upon precept; yet there was required a miracle of spiritual guidance lest he should speak amiss, and launch forth upon a crusade against the Gentile enemies of his people and nation instead of proclaiming the spiritual triumphs and heavenly promises of the true Messiah. But the heights of heavenly-directed speech attained by this apostle on Pentecost are to be surpassed, should he still submit to that Spirit which was guiding him into all truth. When Cornelius sent for Peter, he was '* lodged in the house of one Simon, a tanner, whose house was by the seaside." With this tanner he had lodged r> many days, unconscious that this was a preparation for his further departure from old prejudices, and for the braving of uncleannesses. Tanners were esteemed unclean. This man's house was by the seaside, possibly for convenience, but certainly be- cause he was not permitted to live in the town of Joppa. The rabbis said, "It is impossible that the world can do without tanners, but woe unto that man who is a tanner! " They released a widow from the law requiring her to marry her deceased husband's brother, if that brother happened to be a tanner. '*He is lodged in the house of one Simon, a tanner." It needed no other description; everybody knew where that house was, for everybody was accustomed to shun it. And that Peter, the primate of the apos- tles, should bear the stigma of such lodgings, shows that he had not been under the tuition of Jesus in 114 STUDIES IN ACTS vain. However, there must be another revelation before he is ready for his very largest work; and still, in the face of that revelation, he will cry out, after his old style, "Not so, Lord!" throwing, as was his wont, his corrections into the face of Christ's revela- tions. "Not so, Lord! for nothing common or un- clean hath at any time entered into my mouth." True Jew! True disciple! Denying and converted! Correcting and corrected ! Noble! Abased! Shrink- ing! Daring! Impulsively resisting, yet consider- ately following, the guidance of the Holy Spirit! We are inclined to tears, and we are forced to admiration, while we rank him among the greatest and truest of our human brothers and leaders. Imperatively the voice from the vision answered, **What God hath cleansed, that call not thou com- mon or unclean." The echoes of this imperative voice were still sounding through his soul, while another voice was calling at the gate, and saying, **Is Simon, whose surname is Peter, lodged here?" God's plans had come together as hand locks hand, and on the morrow Peter went with them, "doubting nothing." It would be hard to find a nobler representative than Cornelius in the person of whom the Gentile world might lay claim to the blessings of the Father's new kingdom. He is a worthy leader of the Gentile hosts, who through faith in Christ have "subdued kingdoms and wrought righteousness." None of the centurions who are mentioned in the New Testament STUDIES IN ACTS 115 are ignoble, and Cornelius stands foremost among them. His character is sketched in four words: he is devout, God-fearing, charitable, prayerful. But this bold outline gains immensely in vividness when we look beyond to the awful background on which it is drawn. From the thousands of gods in the Roman Pantheon, representatives of the vanities, lusts, cruelties, and idolatries of all the world, this man turned to the worship of Jehovah, gathering as he could from the Jews around him accurate notions of the supreme and holy Deity. In the midst of a nation thronged with millions of human chattels he made his servants members of his praying household. Living among a vindictive and hateful people his hand was open to them with alms; and though he might naturally have been superciliously proud of his Roman name and lineage, he is nevertheless so humble as to send for spiritual guidance to a Jew lodged with a tanner. At last these two Spirit-led, chosen men, meet. It is a scene for an artist. The Roman soldier, clad in breast-plate and helmet, falls down to worship at the feet of the fisherman Jew. The Jew, no longer thinking of Gentile pollution, lifts him up, saying: ** Stand up; I myself also am a man." And so side by side they walk, entering into the house, mutually explaining all that their visions had not explained, the soldier of the cross and the soldier of the sword, brothers already potentially, their hearts swelling with mutual love under the inspiration of hopes 116 STUDIES IN ACTS reaching heaven-high and world-wide. This talking and walking with the centurion, and entering into his house is the beginning of the sublime pageantry of Christ's international, blood-bought. Spirit-born, brotherhood. The apostle began his sermon before the centurion and his household by the frank statement of the last revelation that he was ever to receive. His first great revelation was that Jesus was the Christ, the t^ Son of the living God. Of this he was finally con- vinced by the resurrection of Jesus. His second great revelation was the plan of salvation as an- nounced to the inquiring believers on the day of Pentecost: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." His third great revelation he announces in these words: *'I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him." In this he reached the summit of the mountain up which he had been traveling, and stumbling, from the day that the Savior called him to leave his boats and nets. Higher in the ways of revelation it is not possible to go. The Apostle Paul knew a certain one caught up into the third heaven, but what he saw there it was unlawful to tell in this world. Aside from this final revelation, standing as an introduction, the apostle's sermon is the same that he preached on the day of Pentecost, modified only STUDIES IX ACTS 117 in minor details to meet the needs of the occasion. While he was declaring the resurrection of Jesus, and his reigning and judicial authority, and the remission of sins through faith in him, the Holy Spirit fell upon the hearers precisely as upon the apostles and others on the day of Pentecost. This was at once the Savior's sign of acceptance as re- garded the Gentiles, and his seal of approval as re- garded the apostle's preaching to them. Immediately it enabled the Apostle Peter to challenge the adverse opinion of his Jewish brethen, the six who had ac- companied him, as to the acceptance of the Gentiles, and afterward, as recorded in the eleventh chapter, to offer to the Jerusalem church such a defense of his course as could not be gainsaid. Here is the challenge: *'Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?" Breaking the silence that followed, "he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Evidently the apostle places baptism here as the culmination of conversion. It was the last step of the pathway that Cornelius traveled entering the church. If the six Jewish brethren wished to challenge the reception of Cor- nelius into the church, there at the waters of baptism was the place to do it. There and then they should speak, or forever hold their peace. They dared not demand circumcision, they dared not refuse baptism, and without the former, and upon the basis of the latter, they accepted the fellowship of 118 STUDIES IN ACTS the Gentiles, "tarrying certain days" with them, and ** eating with them." All this is indicative of the place that baptism held in the economy of the first church, and in the minds of the first Christians. By the conversion of Cornelius a great mystery was made plain. The Apostle Paul refers to this as a dispensation of the grace of God, and as a revela- tion, "which," he says, "in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel" (Eph. iii. 5, 6). To the generous souls among the Israelites it must have seemed surpassingly strange that God should cast off the myriads of the nations around them. Isaiah and Jeremiah could understand it only in view of an ultimately extended reception of them. "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel ; I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isa. xlix.6). This large- hearted longing of Isaiah, boldly and beautifully expressed, is representative of such Old Testament passages as seem to stand in conflict with the exclu- siveness shown in God's choice of Abraham, and the permanence pf the Jewish cult and rites, which over and over again are enjoined upon the people for- ever. There stood the mystery of nations rejected STUDIES IN ACTS 119 of God; hated by all but all of the chosen people; yearned over by few; yet with manifold blessings promised to them in the very covenant, which, by the exclusiveness of its carnal ordinances, seemed to cut them off forever. To a people worshiping the letter of their law rather than its spirit; mistaking their own divinely-appointed office as an end within itself; supposing that their ceremonial types and shadows were the eternal substance of spiritual things; mistaking their promised Messiah for a greater Moses to match and over-match the Csesars ; failing to perceive that his fulfillment of the law was the end of it rather than the confirmation of it; schooled by generations of a history mostly mourn- ful to a life and death loyalty to the customs of their fathers, — to such a people it was an inscruta- ble mystery that the cast-off peoples were ever in any way to be made one with themselves. The estrangement between Jews and Gentiles seemed incurable; their mutual hatred, ineradicable; and the wall between them, impregnable. But lo! Cornelius is converted, and to those who, like the apostles Peter and Paul, have the eyes to see it, the mystery is solved. That conversion was a revelation and a revolution. Therein '*old things passed away; all things became new." In the flesh of Jesus there was "abolished the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances," and in him there was made "of twain, one new man." We are to bring this miracle and this mystery face 120 STUDIES IN ACTS to face, and we are to gaze upon the former till the latter is no more. Only so can we understand the conflict that was soon to be waged in the first church, for, mournfully enough, the conversion that brought peace to the noble Roman became a storm center in the kingdom of his new-found Master. In summary: 1st. The tenth chapter of The Acts presents us with a parallel to Pentecost. There is the same preacher, the same supervision of the Holy Spirit, the same presentation of Christ, the same miracle of conversion. Yet there is an advance upon Pentecost. 2d. It presents us with a good man, non-Chris- tian, non-Jew, made a Christian, but not made a Jew. 3d. It presents us, therefore, with a revelation which was a revolution, and with a conversion that unveiled the mystery of ages. 4th. It presents us with the Apostle Peter's path of progress till he reached perfection in revelation. VI. THE FIRST GENTILE CHRISTIAN CHURCH " By revelation he made known unto me the mystery, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit ; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel."— JSp/i. in. 3-6. "It was from Antioch, and with the co-operation of its church, that Paul undertook his great missionary tours into Asia Minor and Greece. "—Sc^#. 122 VI. THE FIRST GENTILE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. "Now they that were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus, and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Greeks (Revised Version), preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number turned unto the Lord." — Acts xi. 19-22. Antioch whs the third city in the Koman empire, Kome being first, and Alexandria second. Eastward it commanded the region lying toward the fertile val- leys of the Tigris and the Euphrates; northward, Asia Minor and the highways leading thence to Rome; westward, by way of the Orontes, the shores of the Mediterranean. As an evangelistic center, Antioch had points of advantage over any of her sister cities. Babylon was too far to the east to influence the growing western world. Alexandria had Egypt for her background, but the world's progress did not lie in that direction; and, be- sides, that city was so speculative as to spoil Christianity almost as soon as she had received it. Jerusalem was doomed to destruction by reason of its exclusiveness. Antioch was cosmopolitan. All things considered, it was a strategic point to be gained and held by the Christian faith, and from which to propagate that faith. 123 124 STUDIES IN ACTS Nature had adorned Antioch with the splendor of rivers and the majesty of mountains; commerce had poured her wealth into it, and the Seleucid princes had spared no pains to enrich it with the works of human grandeur and art. Renan, as quoted by Prof. B. A. Hinsdale, in his *' Jewish Christian Church,'' has given the following description of its popula- tion : "It was an inconceivable medley of merry- andrews, quacks, buffoons, magicians, miracle-mon- gers, sorcerers, priests, impostors; a city of races, games, dances, processions, fetes, debauches, of un- bridled luxury, of all the follies of the East, of the most unhealthy superstitions, and of the fanaticisms of the orgy. The great corso which traversed the city was like a theater, where rolled, day after day, the waves of a trifling, light-headed, changeable, insurrection-loving populace — a populace sometimes spirituel, occupied with romps, parodies, squibs, im- pertinences of all sorts." But there were solider elements in its make-up as indicated by the presence of its Roman soldiers, and a colony of Jews, of whom Nicolas, the proselyte, was a representative. Cicero speaks of the city as ''distinguished by men of learning and the cultiva- tion of the arts." Certainly the dark and trifling side of the picture of its people is relieved by the readiness with which they received Christianity, and the energy with which they propagated it. In the time of Chrysostom, the population was estimated at STUDIES IN ACTS 125 200,000, more than half of whom were Christians. The persecution that followed the death of Stephen had its beneficent side. As the eagle stirs up her young, and tosses them from the nest, com- pelling them to fly, so by the hand of persecution the children of the " Mother Church " became missiona- ries, and Phenice received the Gospel, and Cyprus, and Antioch, and doubtless many intervening cities. This missionary work was at the first confined to the Jews only. But the men of Cyprus and Cyrene, **when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus." Upon the more liberal-minded Jews, who had been brought up in lands foreign to Judaea, the leaven of the Gospel was having its legitimate effect. Love was allying itself with the fundamental sense of humanity in passing beyond the arbitrary lines of clannishness and nation- alism. So when they came to this great city and saw its needs, they no longer refrained, but boldly preached to the Greeks as well as to the Jews. These missionaries seem to have reached by a more natural course the conclusion which, in the case of the Apostle Peter, came by the way of miracle. Had they themselves entertained any doubt as to the correctness of their course, the Lord stood ready to remove it, for *'his hand was with them," and a great number turned to him. "By their fruits ye shall know them." When the preaching of the Word brings forth beneficent results in lives re- newed, it is not becoming to censure seeming irreg- 126 STUDIES IN ACTS ularities in its presentation. As the Lord himself came to the defense of his faithful and aggressive missionaries in Antioch, so he has risen up in de- fense to-day of his missionaries in India, and China, and Japan, and Africa, and in hundreds of the islands of the sea. From the standpoints merely of the humanity and the ethics involved in missionary enterprises, and the evident transformations of pagan peoples in personal conduct and social customs, the mouths of the cynics should forever be stopped. And when we add to this those spiritual and eternal considerations upon which our Savior placed so much of the emphasis of his life and teachings, it becomes a matter simply of ignorant and heartless impertinence to seek to throw so much as a straw in the way of missionary progress. Let the adverse critics of missions do three things : let them in the first place remember the ancient missions from which have resulted, by the lapse of centuries, the present conditions of civilization in Europe and America, — missions which began precisely here in Antioch, were carried forward by the immortal labors of the Apos- tle Paul into Asia Minor and Europe, and thence still further extended among the Goths and Saxons a^id Angles, by such as Ulfilas and Augustine and Columba and Boniface; in the second place, let them ponder the statistical tables of modern missions standing boldly out from an awful background of heathen and idolatrous conditions, where hatred and lust and superstition rankle within, and lechery and STUDIES IN ACTS 127 lies and clannishness and infanticide and widow-burn' ing and priestcraft and tribal wars and cannibalism rage without; — let them note the transformations that have passed over such greater islands as Mada- gascar and Borneo and Sumatra and Celebes and New Zealand, and at least three hundred of the lesser islands of the Pacific Ocean; and the revolu- tion in tJapan, the result of Christian influences; and the missionary explorations of Africa, together with the conversion of whole tribes; and the encouraging advances that have been made in China, where the 50,000 native Christians are but an earnest of the millions confidently expected by the most experi- enced missionaries ; and the still greater advances in India, where, at the present rate of increase, another century will see 100,000,000 of native Christians; in short, let them consider the great and beneficent work that has already been accomplished, remember- ing, meanwhile, that the majestic enterprise of world-wide evangelization has but just begun ; and in the third place, let them pray, really, devoutly pray, *'Thy kingdom come;" — then there will be an end of unfriendly criticism. These unnamed and unknown men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had got as far as Antioch, dared to break away from traditionalism and do an irregular thing, preaching to the ** Greeks," are not only the worthy heralds of the Savior, who in the glory of his resurrection state stood up in a more than manlike boldness of originality and sublimity of 128 STUDIES IN ACTS conception, commanding them to do this very thing; but they are also the worthy forerunners of Paul and Barnabas and Ulfilas and Augustine and Carey and Morrison and Moffat and Martyn and Living- stone and Zinzendorf, and a great host which no man can number, as nameless here as these men of Cyprus and Cyrene themselves, but not nameless, we know, where the inerrant record of prophets and apostles and heroes and martyrs is kept. At last the news of this irregularity in Antioch reaches the church in Jerusalem, and again the Lord's plans are seen to meet as hand locks hand. By the conversion of Cornelius, and the Apostle Peter's explanation and defense of his conduct in admitting this Gentile to full fellowship, the Jerusa- lem church was made ready for the news from Anti- och. When the Apostle Peter completed his de- fense, saying, *'What was I that I could withstand God?" they held their peace, and glorified God, say- ing, *'Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." It is wonderful how these Jewish Christians were overcoming their abhorrence of the Gentiles. Properly weighed, it would be hard to find a more fraternal and progressive sentiment than this. Here is the expression of a breadth of brotherhood that could have sprung only from the life and teachings of Christ, and that could have been nurtured into ripeness only by the Holy Spirit. By the side of it that high-sounding Americanism, *'Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," pales into a STUDIES IN ACTS 129 mere political shibboleth, for we do not live it as we ought; and the turbulent Frenchmen of the days of the reign of terror, shouting, ''Liberty, fraternit}^ and equality!" while they were cutting off one another's heads, have given us, by way of contrast with the action of the Jerusalem church, the most fearful exhibition of the sentiments of liberty and equality, shorn of the love of Jesus and the potency of the Holy Spirit. Instead, therefore, of condemning the progressive and even revolutionary work of the Antioch mission- aries, the Jerusalem church found it in full keeping with the work done at Caesarea, for which they had already glorified God. Instead of coming upon them as a shock, and creating a revulsion against the Gentiles, the report came rather as " good news from a far country, and as cold water to a thirsty soul." And surely it is competent to suppose that once more they glorified God, and again joined in the wondrous acclaim, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto salvation." As to their action, we are not left to speculation; they did a beautiful thing. " They sent forth Barna- bas that he should go as far as Antioch." Why Barnabas? Why not James the legalist, the rigid and ascetic Jew? Why not the Apostle Peter him- self? No, they send the "Son of Consolation," the large-hearted, liberal-handed exhorter of the church. He is the man who sold his land and gave the price of it to the church; he is the man who introduced 130 STUDIES IN ACTS Paul to the church, and vouched for the genuineness of his conversion, and stood by him in his disputes with the Grecians. Why should they send this '* Son of Consolation?" Had the Jerusalem church no professional theologian, with a hard and fast system of dogmatics, that she could send? Had she no pro- fessional watch-dogs of the faith, no heresy-sniffers, no arch-inquisitors that she could send to Antioch to spy out their irregularities? Where was her Tor- quemada? Where at the very least was her "Angel- ical Doctor," with his "Method of Aristotle," and his twenty-three folio volumes of speculative theol- ogy? Why not send him to show the young converts of Antioch whether realism or nominalism was the true philosophy, or to show them the difference be- tween the satisfaction to justice that Jesus wrought in his sufferings and the merit of his obedience to the law, "by virtue of which the redeemed are enti- tled to the rewards of eternity? " O surely they will send some one who can logic-chop the scaffolding of the new temple they are building in Antioch, and see that it is all done the way the grandfathers did it, and "fashion it according to the pattern shown in the Mount!" Surely the Mother Church will see that the Antioch Church is made from her own stere- otype plates, and she will demand that there be no innovations, no progress, no liberty, and if things do not go along the chalk-line of legalism she will issue high-sounding documents with damnatory clauses, and grow furious with the thunders of her excommu- STUDIES IN ACTS 131 nications! Where were the Pecksniffs of the Jeru- salera church, the non-progressives, always suffering from an attack of conscience, the anti-brethren, who would make a test of fellowship of circumcision, or of a music box, or of a syllogism, or of their own deified dogmatism? O thanks to the Mother Church! She had such characters, as we shall find, but she kept them as long as she could in the dark, where they belong. She refused to appoint them to disturb the peace of the young Gentile church. If they will go on such a mission of infernalism they must go self- appointed, as such characters for the most part do. It is a mission of fellowship, not of censorship; a mission of love, and not of law, that the Mother Church has to perform. And out of her love, not her legalism, she sends her " Son of Consolation," his credentials being that he was a son of co^isolation^ a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith. In addition to the Apostle Paul's panegyric in the thir- teenth chapter of I. Corinthians it may be added, Christian love is not blind; she sees; she has com- mon sense; she does not send out a misfit of bigotry upon her fraternal ministries, but she chooses with clearest insight the precisely fitted minister for such offices. When this good man came to Antioch and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and, true to his character and his mission, he exhorted them (he was only an exhorter) that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord. In this exhortation Barnabas justifies his mission. 132 STUDIES IN ACTS Whatever other religions may demand, the one essen- tial of Christianity is this cleaving to the Lord Christ. Personal loyalty to his personal Lordship is the sum total of his demands upon us, and it is also his graciously extended privilege to us. To cleave to Christ is to cleave to all that is Christly, and that is atonement. The form of our confession, the sub- stance of our creed, and the rule of our lives as Christians is practically this: *' O Christ, where thou goest I will go ; where thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God." Or this, ** I am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Or this, "Alone, O Love ineffable! Thy saving name is given; To turn aside from thee is hell, To walk with thee is heaven. "Apart from thee all gain is loss, All labor vainly done ; The solemn shadow of thy cross Is better than the sun. "Not thine the bigot's partial plea, Nor thine the zealot's ban; Thou well canst spare a love to thee Which ends in hate of man. "O Lord and Master of us alll Whate'er our name or sign, We own thy sway, we hear thy call. We test our lives by thine." STUDIES IN ACTS 133 Under the leadership of this good man the church grew: "Much people was added unto the Lord." Enlargement in one direction called for enlargement in another. This church must have an assistant pas- tor, or, more properly, above all other pastors it must have one fit to be their leader. '* Then de- parted Barnabas to Tarsus to seek for Saul; and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole j^ear they assem- bled themselves with the church and taught much people." Barnabas knew Paul by companionship with him better than we know him by his epistles, and he chose him for that place as inerrantly as a great general chooses his captains for strategic encounters. As he had introduced Saul to the church in Jerusalem, so now he introduces him to the Antioch church, and here among Gentiles, among Christians mostly Gentile, the young Jewish zealot and rabbi, the Pharisee of Pharisees, the student of Gamaliel, finds the basis of his life work. So sur- prising are the destinies marked out by God for his chosen workmen! If the church could always have some good Barnabas for its adviser! If Barnabas could always find the Paul suitable for the place ! If Paul and Barnabas could always content themselves to be teaching much people, and not seek to be "lording it over God's heritage! " If the church were always willing to be thus taught and shep- herded ! — how much foolish and unlearned talk might be spared about "the eldership," and "the 134 STUDIES IN ACTS ruling elders," and '*the deacons," and **the bish- ops," and **the presbyters," and their respective functions and official dignities ! Up to this point we have heard nothing about the bishops and deacons of the church in Antioch. Possibly they were there, possibly not. Of one thing, however, we may be sure: where Paul and Barnabas were, and such "prophets and teachers" as were associated with them (xiii. 1), the teaching function eclipsed all else. Always in the church the maximum of intelli- gence means the minimum of surveillance; the maximum of love, the minimum of law; and the maximum of fraternity, the minimum of machinery. "And it came to pass . . . that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." At last it began to dawn upon the world that here was a dis- tinct people, neither Jews nor Gentiles. In Jeru- salem they seemed to be merely a sect of the Jews ; here in Antioch they attained to distinctiveness, and a name for them was inevitable. The world names its genera and species as naturally and necessarily as Adam named the beasts of Eden. The naming of the disciples, therefore, indicates progress; it marks the appearance of a new species; it is one of the milestones of the earliest church history. Is there nothing in names? There is a distinctive move- ment back of every distinctive name. History makes no mistake in this matter. Let the man who loves the union of Christ's people and yet pleads that his denominational name means nothing, ask history STUDIES IN ACTS 135 if, like an insane mother, she has given a name where no really distinct child existed. With reference to one another, Christ's followers were called brethren; with reference to God, chil- dren ; with reference to their character, saints ; with reference to their Master, disciples; with reference to the Savior, believers; as distinguished from the world by the sum total of their relations to Christ, Christians. None of these names are used in the New Testament as the names of the church, or of any of its congregations. There is no *' Brethren Church," or "Children's Church," or "Saints' Church," or "Disciples' Church," or "Christian Church." Taken together, the Christians in the world were designated by pleonasm " the Church of God," or "the Church of Christ," but most simply and most frequently as " the church," there being of course but one; the congregations of Christians were designated always by location, never, never, never by denomination. There were no denominations, and our whole system of isms and their denominational namings is abnormal. There were the churches at Antioch, and Corinth, and Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Laodicea, and Thyatira, but in every case it was simply and sublimely and unmistakably " the church" there. It is our denominational environment that is crowding us into such expediencies as "Disciple" with a big D to it, and " The Christian Church " with a big THE before it. At normal, if Christians ever get back to that condition, they will simply say " the 136 STUDIES IN ACTS church/' and then proceed to give its place name rather than its x>arty name. There must be denomin- ationalism in denominational names; there may be in the names "Brethren," "Saints," "Disciples," and even "Christian." Sectarianism is first in the spirit and then in the name, and it may be in the spirit in spite of the name, for the very sink of sectarian blasphemy consists in wearing exclusively the name of Christ for the purpose of browbeating all the rest of the world. It is axiomatic that all Christians can unite in Christ, and in the name of Christ, and it is a corollary that there is no other basis of union. Their creed must be the creed of Christ; their name the name of Christ; their spirit the spirit of Christ. No doubt sacrifices must be made of many a dogma, and pet polity, and cherished name, and denomin- ational whim, and the haughty looks of lineage. But then God is able of tlie stones to raise up seed unto Luther, and Calvin was not crucified for us, nor were we baptized in the name of supralapsarianisra. And beyond all else, when we see others casting out devils in Christ's name we must have charity enough not to anathematize them because they follow not with us. In a double direction "sweet charity" was bridg- ing the chasm between Jew and Gentile. Out of love the church in Jerusalem gave Barnabas to Antioch. But there came forewarnings of a famine, and Judea seems to have been especially afilicted. Out of love the Antioch church, "every man according to his ability, determined to send relief STUDIES IN ACTS 137 unto the brethren who dwelt in Judaea. Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." Christianity is full of sur- prises, and this is one of them, that there should have been in such an age, between peoples so sun- dered by birth and environment, and by every antipathy that can spring from such breeding grounds of hatred as the politics and religions of that day were, such a reciprocity of love. Above there is given Kenan's description of the population of Antioch, an unlikely conglomerate of human creatures surely from which to expect a show of substantial charity toward foreigners. But place beside it this paragraph from Mr. Charles Loring Brace's "History of Humane Progress:" "Under the old Greek and Roman habits of mind, the stranger was mainly looked upon as a barbarian and enemy. Something of the same savagery, which in Stanley's travels through Africa made almost every new tribe he met with at once attack him like a dangerous wild beast, animated the ancient races, both barbarous and civilized, in their rela- tions to foreigners. Stoicism indeed cultivated a more humane feeling toward the learned and re- fined; but the masses of the people in the ancient world were full of prejudices and hostility against those not of their own race or country. It is true that the Roman Empire, with its imperial unity, tended to melt different peoples together under one rule, and strangers and enemies gradually became 138 STUDIES IN ACTS only those outside the limits of this grand domain. Toward those, however, the old barbaric feeling and custom were strong as ever. That expression in Plautus, *A man is a wolf to the man he does not know,' is probably an echo of an old Roman proverb, and utters a common sentiment of the Italian peoples." Add this further paragraph from the same writer: *'The world never needed charity and compassion as it did in the centuries just following Christ. The irresjDonsible and despotic authority of Rome had stripped some of the richest provinces of the ancient world of every vestige of wealth for the sake of adding to the incredible extravagance and display of the imperial court and city. The system of taxation in distant communities was like that in the states of European Turkey in this century. It soon left nothing to the unfortunate peasants, and mortgaged their harvests years before. Nor did the taxes always reach the imperial exactor. Knavish tax-gatherers, peculating officials, and local rings, plundered the money which was rung from half-starved farmers. Incessant wars and conquests added to the misery of the laboring classes; and slavery, as we have shown, depressed the industry and wasted the means of the whole empire. Vast masses of proletaires were gathered in the cities, especially in the imperial capital; and poverty, orphanage, abandonment of children, with wide- STUDIES IN ACTS 139 Spread pauperism prevailed, as they have scarcely ever been known in the history of the world." Among the systems of philosophy of those times Stoicism is reckoned as the loftiest and most humane; with many it passed for religion as well; but it left its disciples saying actually: *' Trouble not thyself; thy neighbor sins, but he sins for himself; " and practically also, trouble not thyself; thy neighbor suffers, but he suffers for himself. Into this world of tribal pride and corresponding scorn; of wars and conquests and slavery and rapacious taxation; of the indifference of the Stoic and the wantonness of the Epicure; into this wolf- like world, three hundred years before it could claim a hospital for the sick or an asylum for the deficient, came the spirit of Jesus, breathing peace and helpfulness. The Greeks had their fabled god- dess of Fortune, bearing high her cornu-copia, but Christianity is that goddess in reality. Fortune and plenty spring from love. Regardless of lati- tude and longitude Christian love pours out her plenty with actual human hands on famine-smitten, and fever-smitten, and plague, war, flood, and storm-smitten spots of earth. And vv^hat is more wonderful, over all but infinite desert distances of human alienation she throws her spell of peace and brotherhood. Agabus, the brother prophet, foretold the sufferings of Christian Jews; Christian Greeks immediately responded, sending relief, "every man according to his ability." 140 STUDIES IN ACTS The Jerusalem church began with a community of goods; it was her form of sisterly love. The Antioch church began with a collection for for- eign sufferers; and that was her form of sisterly love. **Thou," cries St. Augustine, apostrophizing the church, "thou bringest within the bond of mutual love every relationship of kindred, every alliance of affinity; thou unitest citizen to citizen, nation to nation, man to man, not only in society, but in fraternity. Thou teachest kings to seek the welfare of their peoples, and peoples to be subject to kings. . . . Thou showest how to all love is due, and injury to none."* Sixteen years later the Apostle Paul, meditating upon a similar exhibition of charity by the Gentile churches of Macedonia and Achaia toward **the poor saints that were at Jerusalem," exclaims: *' Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." * Lux Mundi, page 420. vn. THE FIRST MARTYR APOSTLE "Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshiping him, and ^asking a certain thing of him. And he said unto her. What wouldest thou? And she said unto him. Com- mand that these my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said. Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? They say unto him, We are able. He saith unto them. My cup indeed ye shall drink; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared of my Father. "—Matt. xx. 20-23 142 VII. THE FIRST MARTYR APOSTLE. "Now about that time Herod the king- stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword." — Acts xii. 1, 2. James was the first of the apostles to seal his tes- timony with his life. Perhaps he was prominent in some of the more public functions of the church, sitting thus by the side of Christ, and therefore smitten. Perhaps, being a "Boanerges," he was ter- ribly pronounced in his profession. Perhaps, having been one of the Savior's inner circle of three, he was for that reason more a mark for the enemies of Christ, the greater love entailing the greater danger. But conjectures apart, the fact is he was first, and his death "pleased the Jews." The death of James is a tragedy responding to a prophecy. The mother of James and John, vanity led, and leading her sons, asked that they might sit, the one on the right hand, and the other on the left, of the Lord in his glory. "Can you drink the cup that I shall drink?" "We can." "You shall in- deed." . . . "And he killed James the brother of John with the sword." Thus the Savior's proph- ecy passes into somber history, and the young man's vanity is forever forgotten in the true man's baptism 143 144 STUDIES IN ACTS of blood. It is ever thus that the Savior, rebuking our magisterial vanities, appoints us to ministerial functions, demanding that we shall come with our lives in our hands, if we would be worthy of places on his right and on his left. There were immensi- ties of differences between the Son of God and these ** earthly vessels," yet in the day of trial they proved themselves the worthy repositories of his heavenly treasure. They hazarded their lives, they resisted unto blood, they drank the cup, they have their places at his side. James is a representative of all the apostles. Not one of them denied Jesus after his resurrection, and to most of them sooner or later Christ's cup of death was presented, and they partook of it '*in remem- brance of him," a holy eucharist of evidence and love, sealed by blood. John, own brother to James, lived to a great old age, and though his was not a martyr's death, yet in his tarrying he tasted of deeper bitterness in the persecutions that assailed the church, and the names of Nero and Domitian are sufficient to recall the crowd of mournful metaphors he has left us of the terrible times in which he saw his "little children" perishing under fearful tribulations. Herod Agrippa I. was the son of Aristobulus, and grandson of Herod the Great. The emperors Cali- gula and Claudius had restored to him the kingdom of his grandfather, consisting of the tetrarchies of Herod Philip, and Herod Antipas, and Lysanias, and STUDIES IN ACTS 145 the provinces of Judaea and Samaria. We may asso- ciate and execrate the remembrance of the three Herods as follows: Herod the Great, murderer of babes; Herod Antipas, murderer of the Baptist; Herod Agrippa, murderer of James. Renan calls Agrippa a vile Oriental, and says that, "In return for the lessons of baseness and perfidy he had given at Rome, he obtained for himself Samaria and Judaea, and for his brother Herod the kingdom of Chalcis. He left at Rome the worst memories, and the cruelties of Caligula were attributed in part to his counsels." "The orthodox (Jews) had in him a king after their own heart." His income from rapacious taxation was the equivalent of two million dollars annually. His well nigh absolute and tyran- nous power is shown in his oppression of Tyre and Sidon, whose commerce he had impeded if not ruined, and by his favoritism to Beyrout. Evidently, this Herod is one of the monsters of history, " crafty, selfish, extravagant, vainglorious, unprincipled and licentious." In his "Napoleon le Petit," Victor Hugo has the following paragraph, colossal in mer- ited sarcasm: " History has its tigers. The historians, those im- mortal keepers of ferocious animals, exhibit to the nations that imperial menagerie. Tacitus has seized and confined eight or ten of these tigers in the iron cages of his style. Behold them! they are frightful and superb; their spots constitute a part of their beauty. This is Nimrod, the hunter of men; that is 10 146 STUDIES IN ACTS Busiris, the tyrant of Egypt; that other is Phalaris, who caused men to be baked alive in a brazen bull, that he might hear the bull bellow; here is Ahasuerus, who tore the scalps from the heads of the seven Maccabees, and caused them to be roasted alive; there is Nero, the burner of Rome, who wrapped the Christians in wax and bitumen, and set them on fire like torches; there is Domitian; here is Caracalla; there is Heliogabalus; that other is Com- modus, who has this merit the more in the horror he inspires, that he was the son of Marcus Aurelius; there are the Czars; those, the Sultans; there go the popes, — behold among them the tiger Borgia! see Philip called the Good, as the Furies were called Eumenides; see Richard III., sinister and deformed; behold, with his great face and huge belly, Henry YIII., who, of five wives that he had, murdered three! see Christiern II., the Nero of the North; behold Philip II., the demon of the South! They are frightful; hear them roar; consider them one after the other. The historian brings them out before you; the historian exhibits them, furious and terrible, at the side of the cage, opens for you their jaws, lets you see their teeth, shows you their claws. You can say of every one of them, *It is a royal tiger.' In truth they have been taken upon their thrones. History leads them forth across the ages. She takes care that they shall not die ; they are her tigers." Victor Hugo neglects to name him, but Herod STUDIES IN ACTS 147 Agrippa I. belongs in this cage. In him there were the two requisites for a wholesale persecution of the church. Being a Jew, he hated Christians, and being a king, he had the authority to execute. In the da3^s of Pontius Pilate the Jews were greatly troubled to get Jesus crucified, for there stood the Koman authority precisely in the way of their designs. They could not defy it, and to placate it incurred risk and humiliation. But nov/ they have a superb tool in that trinity of Jew, king, and monster. Per- haps a general persecution was planned, such as that under Nero, or Domitian, or Trajan, or Diocletian; or such as the later persecutions of Protestants by Roman Catholics in France and Germany and Spain and Portugal and Holland, under that most awful and infernal perversion of the religious sentiment known as the Inquisition. The conditions were all present for such an attack. There was the religious intolerance of the Jews, which, like a smouldering flame, had been held in check for thirteen years, or possibly fourteen, counting from the day of Pente- cost; the religious and the political functions of the state were in accord for the first time since the birth of Jesus, and the king cared to make himself popu- lar with the multitude at the expense of a despised sect. If such was the plan, and if the apostles James and Peter were intended to be but the first sufferers in a general destruction, then the miracu- lous interference, by which Peter was saved to the Christians and Herod was lost to their enemies, 148 STUDIES IN ACTS appears to us as the arm of the Lord shielding his young church. And may we not see in this kindly protection of his church an amazing extension of mercy and of evidence to the nation also? The Savior's merciful offer of cumulative evidence to the rebellious nation has been noted previously, but an attempted sum- mary and emphasis of it is now in place. The resur- rection of Jesus should have been sufficient ; to that is added the miracle of Pentecost; a church num- bering thousands, and endued with marvelous pow- ers of love and speech and prayer, rises up as if by magic; the apostles, being imprisoned, are miracu- lously released ; Stephen's speech is irresistible; per- secution itself ministers to the enlargement of the church, and now, in climax of evidence, if there can be climax after the resurrection, Peter is unaccount- ably delivered from prison, and Herod suffers an awful death. Surely in all this the Savior's pierced hands are still uplifted before the gaze of the nation, and the people are still invited to look, and believe, and cry out, as Thomas did, *'My Lord and my God." Will this people never relent? Will they never repent? Will they forever stand in fierce opposition to incarnate love and reason? Will they persist in cherishing '* the passions that make earth a hell?" **Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a Seed of evil-doers, children that are cor- rupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have pro- STUDIES IN ACTS 149 voked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward." Repent or perish, was the burden of John the Baptist's message; it was the burden, likewise, of the preaching and the life of Jesus ; and his church was still crying out with irresistible speech, and wonderful growth, and miracles of prayer and de- liverance, Kepent or perish ! The warning is older than John the Baptist, and more recent also than Christ and his apostles. Isaiah repeats it many times in chapters of righteous wrath and deepest pathos; Jeremiah mingles it with his sobs and prayers and pleadings; and these greater prophets are joined by many a Minor Prophet, such as Micah and Hosea and Habakkuk, both in the sternness of their denunciation of sin and in the pathos of their plea for repentance. Gibbon in his *' Decline and Fall of Rome," and Carlyle in his "French Revolu- tion," and Victor Hugo in his "Les Miserables " are but modern voices upraised with the mighty comments of history in defense and confirmation of the ancient prophets. " The Lord will roar from Zion, From Jerusalem will he utter his voice; And the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, And the head of Carmel will be parched." This from Amos is but one example of the everlast- ing warning against the consequences of sin. Or it may take this form: 150 STUDIES IN ACTS " Rome shall perish ; write that word On the blood that she has spilt; Perish, hopeless and abhorred, Deep in ruin as in guilt." Or it may take this form: "And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said: As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." When we look for the comment of history upon this prediction of Jesus, and upon the course of the Israelites in their rejection and their attempted destruction of him, and in their rejection of his church and their attempted destruc- tion of it, we have only to turn to the account of the siege of Jerusalem and the devastation of Judaea by the armies of Rome in the years of 69 and 70. The murder of James, the arrest of Peter, and the intended general persecution, were steps of the downward way along which this nation was walking so consistently to ruin. The release of the Apostle Peter and the death of Herod were the plans of Providence protecting the church, and seeking to turn the nation from destruction. Peter was saved by the punctiliousness of the king and the prayers of the Christians. Though the king would murder, and murder for political capital, yet he would not do it during the Passover. This gave the opportunity for earnest and united pray- er in the apostle's behalf. Prayer is the language of STUDIES IN ACTS 151 extremity, and the answer to it is God's opportunity. When Jesus was in agony he prayed, and when the members of his church could lift no hand of help to their leader they turned to God. And the prayers both of the Master and of his church were answered, — his in resignation, theirs by the angel of deliverance. While they were praying Peter was knocking at the door, for he had con- sidered the thing, and he would make himself known ; the news should run from house to house throughout the whole church, and in his deliverance the hand of the Lord should be exalted. Here follows one of the strangest of the incon- sistencies of our poor mortal style of faith. These Christians believed; they prayed; they had seen miracle upon miracle; yet they declared the maiden mad who reported to them the answer to their prayers; they were incredulous, they said: "It is his angel!" Are we not of the same lineage? Do we not reason while we pray, counting one by one, and saying: Here is the limit to the Lord's hand? Behold the two chains, and the two soldiers, and the prison door, and the keepers of the door, and the iron gate leading to the city! No, it is impos- sible. We will pray, but God cannot answer that way. May be Herod will relent. May be the peo- ple will not clamor for the apostle's death. May be — but God can break those chains and open those doors easier than move the hearts of that king and his stubborn people. The iron gate *' opened to 152 STUDIES IN ACTS them of his own accord," but the will of Herod moved not. Perhaps the Lord knows the easier way to the deliverance of his servants. Perhaps the lesser miracles astonish us most. The death of Herod, so simply related and so summarily dismissed in this chapter, is described at length by Josephus as follows: '*Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judaea, he came to the city of Csesarea, which was formerly called Strato's Tower, and there he exhibited shows in honor of Caesar, upon his being informed that there was a certain festival celebrated to make vows for his safety. At which festival a great multitude was gotten together of the principal per- sons and such as were of dignity thoughout his province. On the second day of which shows he put on a garment made wholly of silver and of a contexture truly wonderful, and came into the theater early in the morning, at which time the silver of his garment being illumined by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a dread and shuddering over those that looked intently upon it, and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another (though not for his good) that he was a god. And they added: Be thou merciful unto us, for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet we will henceforth own thee as supe- rior to mortal nature. Upon this the king did STUDIES IN ACTS 153 neither rebuke them nor reject their impious flat- tery. But as he presently afterwards looked up he saw an owl sitting upon a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and fell into the deepest sorrow. A violent pain also arose in his belly, having begun with great severity. He therefore looked upon his friends and said : * I whom you call a god am commanded presently to depart this life, while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me, and I who was called by you immortal am immediately to be hurried away to death. But I am bound to accept what Providence allots as it pleases God, for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid, happy manner.' When he said this his pain became violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad everywhere that he would certainly die in a little while. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his bowels for five days, he departed this life." There are deaths that seem judicial. More than the course of nature and the force or the play of cir- cumstances seems to be involved in this one of Herod. The death of Antiochus Epiphanes is a striking parallel to it. The account may be found in the ninth chapter of the Second book of Macca- bees. Threatening to make Jerusalem the common burying-place of the Jews, he was smitten with a 154 STUDIES IN ACTS remediless pain in the bowels; at last his flesh fell away; worms rose up out of him; his presence was unendurable to his army. Loathed by others and a horrer to himself, he died finally in a strange coun- try, in the mountains, branded by his historian as a murderer and a blasphemer. Charles IX. of France, who gave the order for the slaughter of the Hugue- nots, crying furiously, *'Kill them all that none be left to reproach me," died in less than two years after the awful day of St. Bartholomew. Prof. Fisher says, "On his deathbed brief intervals of sleep were disturbed by horrible visions. He suffered from vio- lent hemorrhages, and sometimes awoke bathed in blood, which recalled to his mind the torrents of blood shed by his orders on that dreadful night. In his dreams he beheld the bodies of the dead, floating on the Seine, and heard their agonizing cries." In company with these one other may be named whose cringing and shameful death was scarcely a match for his mean and murderous life. Nero, who was saluted as a god, and the savior of the world; who IDrocured the murder of his mother; who kicked his second wife to death; who set Rome on fire, and played the fiddle while he saw it burning; who lit up his gardens with Christians dipped in tar and set blazing; who polluted politics, and degraded society, and contaminated everything that he touched ; Nero, political harlequin, sensualist, clown, dilettante, cow- ard, assassin, incendiary, persecutor, matricide, uxori- cide, wholesale murderer, above all others the shame. STUDIES IN ACTS 155 the terror, the brute, the fiend incarnate, — Nero, at last despised of Rome and deserted by his armies, kicked over the table where he was sitting, packed poison in a golden box expecting to need it, decided to mount the rostrum and appeal to the people, then threatened to rush into the Tiber, but set off instead to the villa of a friend, barefooted, in a faded coat, with masked face. Once there, cringing, whining, vacillating, he had not the courage to commit suicide. He ordered his grave digged ; he collected marble for its adornment, and wood for his funeral pyre, and begged some one to show him how to die. In the last moment, when the horses' hoofs were clatter- ing around him, and the centurion approached to arrest him, he held a dagger to his throat, and the hand of a literary slave thrust it in. As the death- stare came upon him they were surprised that his eyes should seem to be starting from his head. Would that of such dying wretches we could so much as speak in Schiller's fine phrase: "O thou sinner majestic, All thy terrible part is now played." But these sinners are not majestic; they are mean. Side by side in the twelfth chapter of Acts there rests the record of the first martyr apostle and the first king who dared to lay his hand upon an apostle. Peter and Paul perished under Nero, and Nero per- ished amidst political turmoils and personal terrors that were unspeakable. Jerusalem and Kome in the 156 STUDIES IN ACTS persons of their representatives rejected the Savior of the world, and Josephus has painted for us in lurid pictures the destruction of the one, and Gibbon in stately chapters the fall of the other. "Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And their rulers take counsel together Against the Lord, and against his Anointed, q saying, Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall have them in derision. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son lest he be angry. And ye perish from the way When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." VIII. THE FIRST FOREIGN MISSIONARIES "Paul as a missionary and shepherd of souls is great indeed. There is nothing- in all antiquity to compare with the record of his travels and triumphs. Feeble in body, living by his toil like a working-man, this weaver of Tarsus enters the vast world of Paganism, another Alexander, to conquer the faith and the reason of mankind. Merely to form such a resolution was heroic. Dark- ness covered the earth; the peoples, to use the language of the prophet, were sitting in the valley and the shadow of deg/bh. Paul entered, alone at first, into these depths of darkness, with the Gos- pel torch in his hand; and wherever he went he left in his track from Damascus to Rome a succession of young expanding churches, the radiant centers of new life, the fruitful germs of modern society forming already in the midst of the old world. In all this, I repeat, there is something truly heroic. "—Sabatier. 158 VIII. THE FIRST FOREIGN MISSIONARIES. "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for tlie work whereunto I have appointed them." — Acts xiii. 2. The Holy Spirit speaks. The church obeys. With fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands Bar- nabas and Saul are sent away. Thus the Autioch church sacrifices her foremost teachers, and becomes the mother of missions. A more memorable journey, under feebler human auspices, and fraught with greater consequences was never undertaken. Many a king in fullness of royal trappings, with armies fol- lowing, has set out upon missions so mean that his- tory has refused to take the smallest note of them ; but these two poor Jews and their majestic mission will never be forgotten. The Antioch Church was herself the result of mis- sionary enterprise, but rather incidentally so than intentionally so. In her inception and growth the genius of Christianity outran the definite plans of its foremost advocates. Not the apostles and prophets of Jerusalem, but *' men of Cyprus and Cyrene " first spoke to the Greeks in Antioch, *' preaching the Lord Jesus." These men were not put forth by the Jeru- salem church, but by the hand of persecution, and 159 160 STUDIES IN ACTS their missionary work sprang from the daring spon- taneity of Christian love. Divine love is a divine leaven, and whether systematically or otherwise, it works wherever it is, its affinity being for man as man. This is the secret both of sporadic and of systematic missions. But now in the mission of Barnabas and Saul there is definiteness of purpose and plan. The circle wid- ens. The church is in the pathway of progress. The genius of the Gospel asserts itself in a way hitherto untried. In the conversion of Cornelius, and the acknowledged legitimacy of the work among the Greeks of Antioch, the freedom of the Gospel from the forms of Mosaism has been declared. The very success of the Gospel in Antioch was the demonstra- tion of its power over Gentiles and idolaters. Thus the foundation for foreign work was laid, and it was most fitting that the church in Antioch should build thereon. It is highly significant that this new movement pro- ceeded under the leadership of new men. Except for the council in Jerusalem "the apostles and elders " drop out of the history. Peter is lost sight of. From the home of Cornelius we follow him back to Jerusalem ; we listen to his defense of that high deed of Gentile conversion in Csesarea, and thereupon we practically bid him farewell. His primacy seems at an end, and the stage of history in the book of Acts is visited no more by the college of the twelve. Two apostles (for Barnabas and Saul are both called apos- STUDIES IN ACTS 161 ties in Acts xiv. 14), unknown to the Pentecost Chris- tians, take the leadership of the evangelistic move- ment, and fill the pages of its recital to the exclusion of all others. Let those who insist on the absolute- ness of the number twelve, and on the continued primacy of Peter, note this addition to the number, and note also that if the Apostle Peter stood first on Pentecost and in the home of Cornelius, the Apostle Paul stands first in Cyprus, and Iconium, and Derbe, and Lystra, and Ephesus, and Philippi, and Athens, and Corinth, and Rome. The Holy Spirit is not bound to names or numbers, and there may be for us a lesson in the fact that the witnesses who were especially trained by the Master himself are now superseded by those who never knew him face to face in his mighty style of speech and deed. The yoke-fellowship of Barnabas and Saul is de- lightful, and it is suggestive of the methods of the Holy Spirit that he should send these two tried friends forth on such a mission. Barnabas was the first to trust Saul and vouch for him in Jerusalem; when he needed a helper in Antioch he thought of Saul far away in Tarsus, and journeyed thither to find him; then he brought him to Antioch, and they worked together for a whole year; when there was a charity offering to be sent to Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul were intrusted with it; they returned to- gether from Jerusalem, and now they are sent out together to brave the hardships and dangers and sor- rows and joys of missionary pioneering in a pagan 11 162 STUDIES IN ACTS world. The friendship of Barnabas and Saul in the New Testament matches that of David and Jonathan in the Old, only the former is unfortunately marred at the last. Still, for all that dissension about Mark, no doubt they would both join David in saying each of the other, — "I am distressed for thee, my brother; Very pleasant hast thou been unto me ; Thy love was w^onderful, passing the love of women." Barnabas' fitness for the foreign field is seen in this, that he was an experienced Christian, having been very early a member of the Jerusalem church; that he was self-sacrificing and generous, having given his property to the church ; that he was gifted in the ministries of exhortation and consolation; that he was quick to love and trust and see the better side of everybody, as shown in his ready reception of Saul, and the introduction he gave him to the mother church; and that already he had had experience in Antioch, which was at the first practically a foreign field. In its inception he seems to have been the leader in the work, having been first trusted by the Jerusalem church, and first named by the Antioch church. Early in their first tour abroad, however, Saul's name was changed to Paul (Ch. xiii. 9), and from that time on he was the recognized leader in the work. At a later date Barnabas developed two points of weakness; in Antioch he was *' carried away" by the dissimulation of Peter and the preju- dices of certain Jerusalem Judaizers, and in Paul's STUDIES IN ACTS 163 opinion his love for his nephew John Mark warped his judgment in the choice of a fellow minister for their proposed second journey. Paul would have nothing to do with a deserter. "So Barnabas took Mark and sailed away to Cyprus," and thereafter we hear nothing of them except as they are mentioned in a generous way by Paul in various of his letters. Evidently Mark was restored to the confidence of Paul, and became " profitable to him for the minis- try." (II. Tim. iv. 11). Perhaps both Paul and Bar- nabas were excusable for the quarrel. At all events, the missionary forces were doubled, and later recon- ciliations followed. The parting of the ways of these two mission- aries is the signal at which the writer of Acts drops the curtain upon Barnabas, as previously upon Pe|:er. During the years 47 and 48 they labored together; in 50 they visited Jerusalem together in behalf of the liberty of the Gentiles; in 51 they parted, and the rest of Acts from that date, begin- ning with the fortieth verse of the fifteenth chapter, is devoted to the labors and trials of the Apostle Paul. This portion of the book may there- fore be called a missionary manual, or it may be styled the biography of the prince of missionaries. In attempting to speak of St. Paul's apostleship, or what is the same, his missionary character and career, one feels the burden both of the greatness of the theme and the wealth of material. Even Luke's missionary biography is not an adequate 164 STUDIES IN ACTS presentation of the man and of his work; our hero's autobiography must be taken into account, and that means the whole of his thirteen epistles. To the greater purposes of his writings an autobi- ography was incidental, but inevitable. No one would accuse him of setting out intentionally upon such a poor business as the writing of an autobi- ography, but his life was so identified with his works that in telling about the latter he must bring whole pages out of the former. His tears, his groans, his prayers, his joys, his logic, and his love were in the churches he established, and they are also in the pages he has written. The defense of his apostolic office, the recital of the perils and persecutions he endured, his championship of Gen- tile Christianity, and his reasons for it, his fatherly care of the churches, his passionate love of Christ, his heroic endurance in the cause of Christ; and the background to all this, the hatred, the zeal, the conscience with which he once persecuted Christ — in short, the soul of the man with its storms and revolutions, with its peace and prayers and bitter tears, with its unconquerable faith and unspeakable visions, and finally, with its eager expectancy of the crown of life eternal, speaks in every one of his immortal letters. His soul is a part of his style. His pen was vital with his own blood. If he wrote at all he could not but pro- duce an autobiography. For this reason his epis- tles must be in our mind's eye quite as much as STUDIES IN ACTS 165 the book of Acts while a feeble attempt is made to characterize him. It is Dot proposed to speak here of the Apostle Paul's -missionary work, but of his equipments and character as a missionary. Nature was lavish in her endowments upon him of mind and heart and will. He was perfectly balanced in love, in logic, and in purpose, and his mold was that of a giant. His home life in Tarsus must have con- tributed in a goodly degree to his knowledge of Greek, and of the Greek-speaking, pagan peoples of Western Asia. To such a nature as his this would bring by revulsion a more intensely Jewish, but also, after his conversion, a more cosmopolitan style of thought. His education in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel gave him an intimate ac- quaintance with the law of Moses, and made him a zealot for the traditions of his race. The re- flection of his pride and zeal in race and caste and legalism is in many a passage of his epistles, where the experience is turned to good account in his debates with Judaizing Christians. "If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more; circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee ; concerning zeal, persecuting the church ; touching the righteousness which is of the law, blameless." Such was Saul when he stood listen- ing to the speech of Stephen, and holding the 166 STUDIES IN ACTS clothes of the enraged men who stoned him to death. A typical man, only that he was a Jew; a typical Jew, only that he was born in a foreign city; a typical Pharisee, only that he was honest; and a typical inquisitor, only that he was converted. Farrar has invited us to note that many times in the providence of God the destroyer of a creed or system has been bred in its inmost bosom. Sakya Mouni, in Brahminism; Luther, in Augustinianism ; Pascal, in Jesuitism; Wesley and Whitefield, in Anglicanism; Paul, in Phariseeism. Eevulsion against false and deadly systems is a mighty in- spiration to great and honest souls. Paul had the inspiration of a double revulsion, first from the heathen environment of his childhood home; and secondly, from the equally deadly, if not quite so abominable, Pharisaic environment of his manhood home, and legal studies. Add to all this his point blank conversibn. His change was a complete ''about face." In a double sense he was smitten to the earth, and in a double sense he saw a light above the brightness of the sun. Where the first inquisitor fell to the ground on his way to Damascus there fell also his pride and his prejudice, the former in his own people, and the latter against aliens; in his baptism he buried his old life, and ever afterward counted it but refuse that he might win Christ, and be found of him, not having his own righteousness. From his baptism he arose in newness of life to walk with Christ. STUDIES IN ACTS 167 There is nothing half and half about him. With the Apostle Peter, release from the law was a long process, requiring repeated revelations, and contin- ual supervision of the Holy Spirit; with the Apostle Paul this release was like the snapping of a chain, and the fall of dungeon walls, and the flash of noon- day light. Immediately he seized upon the genius of the Gospel, and the logic of love became to him the soul of liberty. Where others of his race groped and stumbled, he saw and ran; and the conclusions to which they were forced by stress of facts, he seized by grasp of intuition. The abso- lute and sudden revolution in his mental attitude is, from every human standpoint, a psychological enigma, and critics adverse to the Gospel have pro- nounced it a miracle. His cry when smitten to the earth, ''Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" was his oath of allegiance to his new-found Lord. It was, to him, what a Roman soldier would have called the sacramentum. All his reverence for the fathers, all his allegiance to the law of the fathers, he trans- ferred suddenly and irreversibly to Christ. Like a man who is lost, and suddenly finds himself in an old and familiar spot, the world swung round. His faith was fixed forever; his repentance was revolutionary; scales fell from his eyes ; Christ became to him a sun always at meridian; he uttered the word, "Lord," and the word went with him to his dying day. These factors, namely, by way of summary, his rich native endowments, his liberal education, mingled 168 STUDIES IN ACTS of Greek and Hebrew elements, and his thorough conversion accompanied with revulsion from pagan idolatry and Jewish legalism, made him the cham- pion of liberal Christianity. He saw the antithesis in nature, and the inevitable conflict in practice be- tween love and law; between prohibition and inspira- tion; between deadly technicality and a vital spirit- uality. It required such a soul to break the crust of custom, and to declare an emancipation from the carnal ordinances and empty types of Mosaism ; to show that circumcision was nothing, and uncir- cumcision nothing; to rebuke the Gentile Christians for trying to follow the lead of Judaizers in the ol^servance of Mosaic clean meats and new moons and Sabbaths; and to put baptism with Christ, new- ness of manhood in Christ, and the exaltation of the cross of Christ in absolute, and glorious, and ever- lasting antithesis to all mere legalism, and formalism, and dogmatism, and sectarianism, and idolatry of every sort. In the person of Peter Christianity had its "apostle of the rock; " in John, its "apostle of love; " in Paul, its apostle of emancipation and evangelization. And his work of emancipation is not done so long as the church is burdened with rituals, and mum- meries, and legalistic notions of the New Testament, which usurp the place in the soul of a vital kinship with Christ, which are like a continual malaria to spirituality, and which impede the way of progress; nor his work of evangelization, so long as hundreds STUDIES IN ACTS 169 of millions of our race still sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. It was by no accident that Luther espoused the book of Galatians, claiming it for his bride, and that the Eeformation followed. It was not by feeble insight into the needs of his times that he called the book of Romans ''the mas- terpiece of the New Testament, and the purest Gos- pel," assuring us that it can never be too much studied, and that the more it is handled the more precious it becomes. It would seem morally impos- sible to come under the mastery of the Apostle Paul's thought, and still dote upon the jots and tittles, the trifles and technicalities, that vex mis- guided disciples and minds of smaller mould than his. In the reasonable sacrifice of our own living bodies, all other sacrifices, whether upon Jewish or pagan altars, are, from his standpoint, forever ful- filled, and done for, and forgotten. In the Sabbath rest that remains for the children of God, the ever- lasting peace of soul that comes of repentance and forgiveness, all other Sabbaths find their full sig- nificance and their permanent antitype, and the Mosaic rest days are transplaced by Christian memo- rial ones. Under his plea for justification by faith, the whole of that baneful, all but world-wide trust in the meritoriousness of works goes down abso- lutely; and under his law of love, coupled with expe- diency, a thousand of our questions, whether trifling or important, about times, and seasons, and rituals, and vestments, and choirs, and societies, and gov- 170 STUDIES IN ACTS ernments, and amusements even, are at once re- moved from the arena of legalistic and dogmatic debate, to that of praj'er and brotherly counsel, and "the common sense of most." Such was the man whom the Holy Spirit thrust forth into the pagan world to be first and freest, the ablest and safest herald of the cross to those peoples whence there has sprung by the lapse of centuries our Western Christendom. The divine wisdom of the choice may be seen by way of contrast in the deplorable misfits that sometimes get themselves into our mission fields nowadays, — small souls, the mouthpieces of a hobby or a whim; the lispers of provincial shibbo- leths; the infallible dogmatists, who cannot forget that they are the tools of a party or a sect, while presuming to herald a Savior whose truth and love are as universal and unfettered as the rains and rays that his Father and ours sends upon the good and bad alike. It is deplorable when gnat-strainers get into mission fields, microscopically searching out this small wing of heresy, and that small leg of irregularity, omitting, meanwhile, the weightier mat- ters of mercy and truth, and swallowing much (as is the rule with such characters) that is big with personal animosity, and bitter with sectarian hatred and strife. A few other points must be noted as factors in the problem of the Apostle Paul's immense influ- ence. The word missionary itself is suggestive of the first that may be named. Translated, the word STUDIES IN ACTS 171 apostle must read missionary, just as the word bap- tize, translated, must read immerse. Thus we should read, *'Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be a missionary, separated unto the Gospel of God." (Romans i. 1.) And again, "Paul, called to be a missionary of Jesus Christ through the will of God." (I. Cor. i. 1.) And again, "Paul, a mission- ary not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead." (Gal. i. 1.) The thought of send- ing, as embodied in this word, was a predominant one with Christ, and the thought of being sent became predominant with his chiefly chosen twelve. After a night of prayer he called to him his dis- ciples, "and he chose from them twelve, whom he named missionaries." (Luke vi. 13.) In many a form the Master reiterates the thought. "I chose you and appointed you that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide." "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." This last while he was breathing upon them and saying, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." This act stands very close, both in point of time and in the Scripture context, to our Lord's final message to his mission- aries, the crown of all his instructions, namely, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." The Apostle Paul came under the complete mastery of this predominant thought. Though he acknowledged himself as one "born out of due time," and "not meet to be called a mis- ]72 STUDIES IN ACTS sionary because he persecuted the church of God," yet he never failed to defend himself as one dis- tinctively sent of Christ. His life was wrought out under this ruling ideal. His mission was to be Christ's missionary. To this end he magnified his office. In utter abandonment of self he made full proof of his ministry, seeking by every means lawful and by all things expedient to honor his '* high call- ing of God in Christ. '* Again: He came under the mastery of Christ's sim- ple and predominant creed. The Apostle Peter saw no more clearly than the Apostle Paul that Christ is all and in all. His creed was Christ. He said, "I know whom I have believed." Christ, to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the Greeks foolishness, was to him the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Into whatever dark places daylight creeps, it may still be traced back to the sun. So of the activities and the teachings of Paul; back to Christ they all run, proclaiming him as their source. This singleness of creed, bodied forth in the sublime personality of Jesus, and declared and defended by Paul, exclu- sively, and without compromise, gave him immense power over decadent Mosaism and the destructive idolatries of the pagan world. Through the preach- ing of Christ and the resurrection of Christ, he wrought moral and spiritual revolution wherever he went. Among the idolaters of Ephesus, the philoso- phers of Athens, and the rulers of Rome, he lifted up his voice alike in the name of Christ, glorying STUDIES IN ACTS 173 in the cross, saying, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." This made him an iconoclast of old and futile forms ; a destroyer of hateful and harmful distinctions between man and man ; a cham- pion of liberty and progress to the church and the world; a wise master-builder of churches; a father to young men in the ministry; a collector and distributer of alms, and an unrivaled writer of letters to the churches and children of his Gospel ministry and love. Again : The Apostle Paul came under the power of a predominant purpose. "Buried with Christ in baptism, "^ — it is bis own phrase — he arose 'Ho walk in newness of life." As he voices the unity of his creed in many forms of speech, so he gives expression to his singleness of purpose in a multi- tude of texts: **For me to live is Christ; to die is gain." *'I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live in the faith of the Son of God." "This one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind, I press toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus." "I determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified." "Ye are all the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, 174 STUDIES IN ACTS there can be no male and female; for ye are one in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the prom- ise." "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself." "We in Christ's stead pray you, be ye reconciled to God." This is a hasty gleaning of texts showing the all-inclusive because all-exclusive purpose of Paul. He narrowed that he might deepen the channel of his life. The losing of life in order to find it is the secret of all great living. This was Paul's attainment as it was Christ's command- ment, and it is admirable. It made him a tower of strength to the infant church, and a blessing to all ages. Having written himself down in a lowly way as the "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ, he has shown us in his life such exaltation as comes only by the way of the readiest, lowliest, loftiest service. Surely if our Lord ever had a servant upon earth who could with right and with reverence lay claim to the stigmata of the Master himself, saying, "I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus," that servant was the missionary Paul, in labors more abundant than others, "in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft." In the last place, he came under the power of a predominant love. Farrar in his life of Paul calls the thirteenth chapter of I. Corinthians "the most glorious gem, even in the writings of St. Paul." John is known pre-eminently as the apostle of love, but he nowhere excels Paul in his teachings regarding STUDIES IN ACTS 175 love unless it is when he gathers up the whole philos- ophy of creation and religion in that sublime trinity of words, *' God is love." Moses proved himself the worthy leader of a great people in that he was willing to die for them, and his strenuous, determined, anx- ious care for them rushes to its climax of expression in this self-sacrificial prayer: '* Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book which thou hast written." Paul reaches the same climax of human love for his " kins- men according to the flesh" when he says, "I could wish myself accursed from Christ for them." Such words are so foreign to us that they astonish us, and we try to explain them away. But Paul meant what he said. That height and depth of love, however foreign it may be to a church shamefully sejf-com- placent in non-apostolic, non-missionary lethargy, was to Paul an inspiration born of the self -sacrificial love of Jesus. Moses was a type of Christ; Paul was Christ's disciple ; the one is a forerunner, the other a follower of the Christ. Yet they stand side by side in a devotion to their people that was glorious, and side by side also in their exaltation to an eminence of love wherein they are surpassed only by One, and to that One they both direct us, saying, each in his appropriate and peculiar way, ''Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." Such was the man whom the Holy Spirit chose, saying, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have appointed them," and who 176 STUDIES IN ACTS was sent forth into the world of reeking paganism that gathered around the Mediterranean Sea in order to *' kindle a fire of faith that should burn to its very water's edge," but who in doing so was called upon to front every form of peril by sea and by land, among idolaters and among false brethren; was called upon to endure — but no language can match his own — '* Thrice was I beaten with rods; once was I stoned; thrice I suffered shipwreck; anight and a day I have been in the deep. In weariness and pain- fulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory in the things that concern my weakness. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forevermore, knoweth that I lie not." A chain of churches marked his pathway, and in Csesar's household Christians were found before he died; and though under the worst of emperors his poor body was led to martyrdom out along the Ostian way, yet within three hundred years a successor to that emperor became himself a confessor of Christ ; and along the mighty roadways of Rome, upon which her armies had marched forth to war and had re- turned in triumph, there passed many and many a missionary of the cross, heralding in peace the name of the Prince of Peace. STUDIES IN ACTS 177 Other missionaries have equaled or even surpassed the Apostle Paul in special directions, but not one has been his compeer in the totality of his sufferings and achievements. William Carey surpassed him as a linguist; perhaps Adoniram Judson equaled him in physical endurance and sufferings for Christ's sake; David Livingstone was a heroic sufferer and a greater pioneer; Henry Martyn reminds us of him in the energy and intensity of his movements, and the per- manent impression he made wherever he went; in martyrdom there have been many who died as unwav- eringly as he. But taken for all in all it is the judg- ment of students that no saint has equaled him. "The elements were So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up, And say to all the world. This was a man." As a pioneer missionary, building " not on other men's foundations;" as a *' wise master builder of churches; " as a defender, on the one hand of the liberty of the church against Judaizers, and on the other of the faith of the church against philoso- phists ; as the creator of a literature received above all others as unimpeachable and canonical; as dis- criminating with absolute nicety between the essen- tial and the expedient in- Gospel work and worship ; as a sympathizer even unto tears with the weeping, unto joys with the joyous, and unto heart burnings with those who stumbled; as a fearless proclaimer of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus; as a tender 12 178 STUDIES IN ACTS and pathetic pleader for souls; as an inspirer of men; as a distributer of alms; and finally, as a ready and triumphant martyr, he stands before the world as its accepted foremost saint. And standing thus in his lonely grandeur, he asks us to forget him while we behold the Christ in him, calling himself the chief of sinners while we behold him as the chief of saints. His epitaph is chiseled by his own hand, not in mar- ble, but upon the heart of the world wherever Christ is loved, and wherever history is true to her noblest treasures: **I have fought a good fight; I have fin- ished my course ; I have kept the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but to them also that love his appearing.'* IX. THE FIRST FOREIGN MISSIONARY JOURNEY "How easy it must have been for Jews of the Diaspora, who had been converted when visiting Jerusalem at their festivals, to induce some of them (the apostles) to carry the Gospel to their countrymen outside; or other members of the primitive Church might in their commercial travels bear the Gospel to the syna- gogues of the Diaspora. But this spread of the Gospel was entirely incidental, and the Acts are right in representing the organised missionary journey of Barnabas and Saul as an epoch-making event."— PFeiss. 180 ' IX. THE FIRST FOREIGN MISSIONARY JOURNEY. "So they being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed unto Seleucia ; and from thence they sailed unto Cyprus. ' ^—Acts xiii. 4. It was a dreadful world into which Barnabas and Saul were sent. In many a passage, but especially in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul has set the brand of infamy upon it, and, Cain-like, it must bear that brand forever. An- cient paganism was a sink of perdition with modern parallels nowhere except among modern pagans and idolaters. Only those who know heathenism in the centers of its influence can appreciate the apostle's terrible arraignment of it. Our missionaries who return to us from the islands of the Pacific, and from India and China and Africa, and from lands domin- ated by the grosser forms of Roman Catholicism, tell us that we know nothing of the spiritual darkness that broods like a pall over the very temples of idolatry; of the social distress and the fearful sins that destroy men's lives here and forever, and of the thraldom of superstition that forbids like a chaos the entrance of order. Buddha and Brahma and Con- fucius have done nothing to lift their peoples above the grossest forms of idolatry, and the physical tor- tures and shockingly obscene rites that too fre- 181 182 STUDIES IN ACTS quently accompany idol worship. The misguided devotees of Brahmanism aud Buddhism and fetish- ism have been led to the cultivation rather than the destruction of castes and class distinctions with their inexpressible hatreds and their innumerable cruelties; they have not frowned upon polygamy and lechery and base tantric forms of worship; they have not forbidden widow-burning and infanticide and human sacrifices; they have enslaved men; they have de- graded women; they have adored cattle and mon- keys; they have worshiped snakes and devils; they have neglected the poor, the sick, and the insane, except to torture them with exorcisms; and myriads upon myriads of men and women have been left to corrupt themselves in those things that they know naturally as brute beasts. The ancient idolaters and the modern ones are therefore alike described by Paul when he says, *'Even as they refused to have Grod in their knowl- edge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind to do those things that are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, mali- ciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, cove- nant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful; who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do STUDIES IN ACTS 183 the same, but also consent with them that practice them." Farrar suggests that Tarsus itself, the birthplace of Paul, was, because of its paganism and its pollutions, no unfit burial-place for Julian the Apostate. *'The seat of a celebrated school of letters," he says, "it was at the same time the metropolis of a province so low that it was counted among the three most vil- lainous k's of antiquity, Kappadokia, Kilikia and Krete. What religion there was at this period had chiefly assumed an orgiastic and oriental character, and the popular faith of many even in Kome was a strange mixture of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Phry- gian, Phoenician and Jewish elements. The wild fanatical enthusiasms of the Eastern cults shook with new sensations of mad sensuality and weird super- stition the feeble and jaded despair of Aryan pagan- ism. The Tarsian idolatry was composed of these mingled elements. . . . *'The traditional founder of the city was the Assyrian, Sardanapalus, whose semi-historic exist- ence was confused, in the then syncretism of pagan worship, with various representatives of the sun- god — the Asiatic Sandan, the Phoenician Baal and the Grecian Hercules. The gross allusiveness and origin of this worship, its connection with the very types and ideals of luxurious effeminacy, unbounded glut- tony and brutal license, were quite sufficient to awake the indignant loathing of each true-hearted Jew. And these revolts of natural antipathy must have 184 STUDIES IN ACTS been intensified with patriotic disgust in the hearts of a people in whom true religion has ever been united with personal purity when they saw that at the main festival of this degraded cult the effeminate Sardan- apalus and masculine Semiramis, each equally detest- able, were worshiped with rites which externally resembled the pure and thankful rejoicings of the Feast of Tabernacles. St. Paul must have witnessed this festival. He must have seen at Anchiale the most defiant symbol of cynical contentment with all which is merely animal in the statue of Sardan- apalus, represented as snapping his fingers while he uttered the sentiment engraved upon the pedestal, 'Eat, drink, and enjoy thyself, the rest is nothing.' " Godet says that the Apostle Paul's picture of the unnatural vices prevalent in Gentile society is con- firmed "in all points by the frightful details con- tained in the works of Greek and Latin writers." Macaulay has left us, in his *' Fragments of a Roman Tale," a description of the utter moral laxity among the noble Romans in the days of Caisar and Cicero. Revelry, gambling, conspiracy, lewdness, brawls and assassinations filled the minds and occu- pied the time of an aristocracy rendered inordinately brutal by wars and inordinately rich by conquests. If anything were wanting as an evidence of the coarse cruelty and inhuman abandonment of the times it would be abundantly supplied by the barest description of the amphitheaters, and of the bloody STUDIES IN ACTS 185 plays demanded by the people and furnished by their rulers. More and more the old martial spirit, culti- vated by generations of warfare, took to gloating itself upon scenes of bloodshed deliberately planned and executed for the Roman holidays. The crimes of Nero and Caligula did not prevent them from standing well with the people so long as they were able to furnish bread and games for the unemployed, and that class included nearly the whole of the popu- lation minus the slaves, who did the work, and of whom there were sixty millions in the empire. In the time of the republic sixty-six days in the year were given up to shows; during the empire, a hun- dred and seventy-three. The expenses were enor- mous, sometimes reaching as niuch as $75,000.00 on a single performance. *'In the year 80 A. D., Titus gave a show that lasted a hundred days, and exhib- ited in one day five thousand wild animals." In the games at Berytus he compelled thousands of Jews to fight and die. As if to color the degradation and cruelty of the age by an unintentional sarcasm, this emperor was seriously called "the darling of the human race." Trajan (98 to 117 A. D.) gave a show that lasted four months, in which he exhibited ten thousand men and eleven thousand wild beasts. Claudius (41 to 54 A. D.) entertained Rome with a sham sea fight in which nineteen thousand men were engaged. Augustus, who was emperor when Christ was born, testified in a codicil to his will that he had exhibited eight thousand men and three thousand 186 STUDIES IN ACTS five hundred and ten wild beasts. At a comic per- formance dwarfs were set to fighting dwarfs, and every expedient was tried and no cruelty shunned to bring out new sensations. *' Prisoners would appear on the stage in gorgeous clothes, from which sud- denly flames would burst forth and consume them. Ixion was seen on his wheel. Mucins Scaevola was seen to put his hand into a coal fire and keep it there till it was burned off. Orpheus was presented with his harp amid a smiling nature, to all appearances charmed with his music. When the spectators began to grow weary with the show a wild beast would rush out from the foliage and tear him to pieces amid the laughter of the public." When a victim was down and put up his hand pleading for his life he might be spared if the people put up their fingers; but he must be finished if they turned down their thumbs. The women who thronged the amphitheaters were usually quick to say by the latter sign, *'Do him to death." Once when food was scarce for the beasts in the menagerie Caligula proposed to feed them on criminals. If a gladiator showed fear he was prodded forward into the battle with hot irons. The emperors while thus engaged in slaughtering beasts and murdering men for the amusement of the people, were prone to dote upon mistresses and race horses. Caligula had a horse that he fed from a marble manger, sometimes, however, inviting him to his own table, and dining him on almonds and STUDIES IN ACTS 187 raisins. The licentiousness and trifling of the empe- rors were in turn imitated by the people, and found public expression in shows that were as shameful as those above described were cruel. Charles Loring Brace tells us in a significant paragraph that *'the extremes to which licentious shows were carried can not even be explained in modern writings." He says, "In fact, few classical scholars who have not waded through the disgusting mire of a large part of Roman literature, can have any idea of the depth of obscenity and immorality which it reached. Athen- seus, Petronius, Apuleius (in his lighter works), Juvenal, and many others, only show how debased even genius and talent may become under such influ- ences as so much of the Greek and Roman religions furnished. Even the universal suffering and ruin of the Roman Empire had no influence on the public appetite for these enjoyments. In Salvian's bitter epigram, the empire ridtt et tnoritur^ laughs while dying." Again he says, speaking of the same and other writers: *' It is not that, like Juvenal, they pick out extreme immoralities for a biting sarcasm ; but they allude casually and without shame to excesses and habitual vices whose very name is lost to modern ears. Even Cicero says soberly that it was held a disgrace among the Greeks not to indulge in unnat- ural vices. He did not say that his own countrymen fell even lower." Such was the ''heartless cruelty, the unfathomable 188 STUDIES IN ACTS corruption," and the disgusting frivolity of the peo- ples for whom the philosophy of Socrates, the morals of Seneca, and the politics of Caesar had done their utmost. Slaves that were not wanted were slain; wives that were not wanted were divorced ; children that were not wanted were abandoned. By and by emperors that were not wanted were assassinated, and the soldiers put the empire up for sale to the highest bidder. That was the style of world pro- duced by the boasted arts of Greece, the laws of Rome, and the swords of the Caesars. However, the very failure of philosophy and art and idolatry and legislation and conquest, in short, of the forces at work in the ancient world, to produce happiness and purity and permanence must be looked upon as a negative preparation for the coming of Christ. By doing its utmost, and by failing in its utmost, humanity learned to despair of itself. It proved ** adequately and magnificently both that it could not save itself, and how splendidly worth saving it was." "Eternal hopes are man's, Which when tljey should mainuain themselves aloft Want due consistence; like a pillar of smoke, That with majestic energy from earth Rises, but, having reached the thinner air, Melts and dissolves, and is no longer seen." A true estimate of the preparation in history for Christ and his message cannot fail to include the facts of Greek civilization and Roman government. STUDIES IN ACTS 189 The above was a negative preparation, but these were positive. More marvelous than the conquests of Alexander were the permanent results that he left behind him. The historian Arnold, as quoted by Creasy, says: *' Asia beheld with astonishment and awe the uninterrupted progress of a hero, the sweep of whose conquests was as wide and rapid as that of her own barbaric kings, or of the Scythian or Chal- dean hordes; but, far unlike the whirlwinds of Asiatic warfare, the advance of the Macedonian leader was no less deliberate than rapid. At every step the Greek power took root, and the language and the civilization of Greece were planted from the shores of the ^gean to the banks of the Indus, from the Caspian and the great Hyrcauian plain to the cataracts of the Nile; to exist actually for nearly a thousand years, and in their influence to endure for- ever." Creasy, in his "Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World," says: *' Within thirty years after Alexan- der crossed the Hellespont the Greek language was spoken in every country from the shores of the ^gean to the Indus, and also throughout Egypt — not indeed wholly to the extirpation of the native dialects, but it became the language of every court, of all literature, of every judicial and political func- tion, and formed a medium of communication among the many myriads of mankind inhabiting those large portions of the Old World." Rome conquered where Greece had conquered, but 190 STUDIES IN ACTS she did not drive out the language and the influence of Greece. To her was committed the mission of legislation and centralization. With imperial reck- lessness of cost she bridged rivers and tunneled mountains and paved her roadways to the limits of her domains. Over these she sent out her armies to garrison and hold, or to invade and conquer, and through her armies she impressed her imperious will upon the world at her feet, bringing at least political order out of what had previously been a chaos. Augustus, through his long and peaceful reign, held the provinces of the empire as in a leash, imposing laws upon the conquered nations as effectually as the Greeks had imposed their language. When these two facts are placed together there is furnished the explanation of the following thought- ful paragraph: *' Follow St. Paul and see his cir- cuits ; watch him claiming the safeguard of the same Roman citizenship in the Macedonian town and the capital of Palestine, laying hold at Csesarea on the horns of a central tribunal at Kome, borne thither by the sails of the carrying trade in the * ship of Alexan- dria,' meditating a journey into Spain, numbering among his Roman converts, as seems probable, one who had a direct connection with Roman Britain, writing in the same Greek to Rome and to the high- landers of Galatia, never crossed in his journeys by any track of war, never stopped by challenge of frontier or custom house ; these are so many object lessons to show what the ' Pax Romana ' and the STUDIES IN ACTS 191 Rdman unity of power and organization imported for the growth of a world-religion." History, the most accurate and truly philosophical, is the best commentary on the Apostle Paul's pro- found observation, "When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son." It was in the same opportune time that the apostle himself and his fellow-workers were sent forth, a time marked by religious perversion and moral decay on the one hand, by unity of Greek culture and Roman domin- ion on the other. Into that world, therefore, though all too briefly and inadequately described, Barnabas and Paul were sent forth. It was an enterprise full of the beauty of holiness and the sublimity of faith. When nations set themselves against nations, it is with the bar- barous splendor of thousands upon thousands of armed men ; but when the Lord sets himself against a world in wickedness, it is in the persons thus of two lonely men, without sword or shield, and armed only with the story upon their lips of a third Man who had died on a Roman cross, "whom they affirmed to be alive." There is the more than martial tread of a divine heroism through the whole history of missions. The missionary walks by faith, not by sight, and as his commission is divine, so his victory is preassured. Setting sail from Seleucia, Barnabas and Saul must have felt that they were consecrating their little merchant ship to new uses, and that her white sails were made by their mission the wings of peace and 192 STUDIES IN ACTS love and forgiveness. The Mediterranean Sea was called, from its commercial importance, *'The Mar- riage King of Nations." Through the work of these missionaries it was destined to become, within little more than a generation, the marriage ring of churches of the redeemed. The chief incidents of this first missionary journey are the conversion of Sergius Paulus, the preaching and persecution in Pisidian Antioch, the preach- ing and persecution in Iconium, the preaching and persecution in Lystra, and the preaching in Derbe; then upon the return journey, the confirming of the churches, and the ordaining of elders in each of them. Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of the island of Cyprus, is described as "a prudent man, who called for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the word of God." At the same time he was keeping with him Elymas the sorcerer, a false prophet, a renegade Jew, calling himself Bar-jesus. Judged by his equals and superiors in Roman society, Sergius Paulus was not censurable for keeping his household prophet, though of such a character. Through all ages those who have been devoid of the knowledge of the true God and of trust in him, have been the victims of false prophets, magicians, sorcerers, wizards, witches, astrologers, sibyllists, augurs, casters of horoscopes, dream interpreters, spiritualistic mediums, strolling fortune-tellers, mahatmas, or some such quack mira- cle venders. Pharaoh had his magicians; Nebuchad- STUDIES IN ACTS 193 nezzar, his astrologers; Saul, when he had lost God, sought the witch of Endor, and there were scarceh^ any of the heroes of Greece or the rulers of Rome who were not in some way or other the patrons of Delphic oracles, or Pythian priestesses, or dream- ers, or prognosticators, or ventriloquists, or deceivers of some sort. *' There was scarcely a Roman family that did not keep or consult its own fortune-teller, and Juvenal describes the Emperor Tiberias as seated with a herd of Chaldeans on his rock at Capri." The emperors Nero and Vespasian and Domitian, all of whom persecuted Christians, enter- tained each a superstitious regard for his pet sor- cerers. Naturally, this household sorcerer withstood Bar- nabas and Saul, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith. Strangely enough, such abnormal people are the first to recognize the man with a holy mission, and to confess him. The demonized man in the synagogue at Capernaum was the first to con- fess Christ, saying, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." The instincts of fear are supernatu rally quick, and in such matters they are inerrant. At St. Paul's rebuke Elymas was smitten with blindness, and Sergius Paulus became a believer, *' being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." It was probably in the year 47 that the rulers and elders in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch noticed 13 194 STUDIES IN ACTS two strangers seated among the worshipers there, and sent to them, saying (in a way that seems to us delightfully antique and fraternal), "Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on." They little dreamed of the storm 'they were inviting. Led by this invitation, the Apos- tle Paul "stood up, and beckoning with the hand, said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audi- ence." Thereu^Don he delivered a sermon (xiii. 17- 41), the outlines of which may be clearly traced in that of the martyr Stephen. There is the same his- toric background, there is a similar use of prophecy, there is the declaration of the Messiahship of Jesus, and in both there is the same fearful warning against the rejection of Jesus, enforced by the mournful his- toric rejection of the prophets of Israel by the fathers of Israel. Stephen's sermon was not lost upon the young man who held the clothes of his mur- derers, and in the providence of God Paul the apos- tle is more than a compensation for Stephen the martyr. This sermon was the honest and daring con- fession of a mistaken man. Ten years before, possi- bly fourteen, Paul had sanctioned the murder of Stephen for preaching that sermon, but he could not murder the sermon. It lived in his soul, and lived the more vitally there since it was eloquent with a brother's blood, still "crying to him from the ground." He must have pondered over that sermon, and prayed and wept over it. And now, having nurtured it in his soul with prayers and tears and meditations. STUDIES IN ACTS 195 the opportune time has come for its delivery, and he will preach it, though he, too, must put his life in jeopardy for it. No wonder that nearly the whole city should be roused by such a preparation and delivery of sermons. They were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit with which this new Stephen spake. But the Apostle Paul, in this Antioch sermon, makes two noteworthy advances upon Stephen. The latter was cut off before he could declare the resur- rection of Jesus; Paul declares it fully. Probably Stephen would not have declared the insufficiency of the law of Moses as contrasted with the all-sufficiency of the Gospel. This Paul does in the following words, v/hich are the first statement of a position that he was afterward to maintain and defend by much reasoning and under many persecutions. *' Be it known unto you, therefore, men and breth- ren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins ; and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses." Meyer suggests that this is but the major premise of the proposition; that the minor premise, namely, by the law of Moses there can be no justification, is prudently left to be inferred. This doctrine of justi- fication by faith, with its antithesis, no justification by law, is in reality but another voicing of the soteriology preached by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. In his answer to inquiring believers. 196 STUDIES IN ACTS "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins," there is implied the same antithesis as regards the law. He, too, leaves a minor premise prudently unexpressed. But this minor premise of salvation, namely, freedom from the law of works with its im- plied meritoriousness, prudently unexpressed on the day of Pentecost, and now but half expressed by the Apostle Paul, was destined to become the one great root of bitterness in the Apostolic Church. And again, after fifteen hundred years of church history, mostly mournful, the Apostle Paul's major and minor premises of salvation were destined to become the logic of liberty from the bondage of Eoman Catholicism. There are striking parallels on the one hand between the Jewish church of the first century and the Romish church of the sixteenth, and on the other, between Paul the emancipator from the one and Luther the emancipator from the other. The beginnings of history are hidden in the souls of the heroes of history. When Saul of Tarsus cried out, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" there, in his expressed heart-loyalty to the Lordship of Jesus, was the beginning of more than a biography. When Martin Luther was ascending Pilate's staircase in Rome upon his knees, counting beads, rosary in hand, with the promise of absolution awaiting him on the top stair, there came to his mind the text, "The just shall live by faith." He arose and fled in shame and humiliation from the place, and that was STUDIES m ACTS 197 the beginning of the Reformation. The theses against indulgences were a consequence of the in- spiration born in that supreme moment. It is true that Luther himself says of the theses, " In fourteen days they ran clear through all Germany, for all the world was complaining about the indulgences; and because all the bishops and doctors were silent, and nobody was willing to bell the cat, Luther became a renowned doctor, because at last somebody took hold of the thing." But it was Paul's sermon in Antioch with a German gloss upon it, suiting it to the times, that ran through all Germany in fourteen days, and has not ceased running through all true Protestant- ism in opposition to the meritoriousness of Phari- seeism and Roman Catholicism, and in short all forms of idolatry and paganism. The results of the preaching in Antioch were the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, " contradicting and blaspheming; " in consequence, the declaration of a special mission to the Gentiles; thereupon the conversion of as many as were disposed to eternal life (Variorum Bible, Variorum rendering), accom- panied with joy and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Many times in Luke's history the marvels of Paul's mission are left enshrined in few and simple words. We are told for instance (xiv. 1) that Paul and Bar- nabas went into the synagogue of Iconium and so spake that " a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed." Later we are told, quite incidentally, as it would seem (vs. 21-24), that a 198 STUDIES IN ACTS church was organized in that city, and that elders or bishops were appointed over it. All this is written down with no expressions of astonishment. It seems that the faith of the ancient Christians was such that they were no more surprised at conversions and the organization of churches, even in those densely pagan lands, than we are at the growing trees and the fruits in an orchard. When Christ was presented the cause was there ; the effects were a matter of consequence. In Iconium, however, persecutions arose, they, too, being a matter of consequence, and written down with equal calmness. Having tarried '* a long time " in that city, the apostles finally, when an assault was made, fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities far in the interior of Lycaonia, or Wolf-land. In Lystra the Apostle Paul wrought the miracle of healing upon the lame man. He and Barnabas were immediately taken by the shallow and impul- sive idolaters of the city for their tutelar deities; Barnabas for Jupiter, he no doubt making the bet- ter personal appearance; and Paul for Mercurius, he being the chief speaker, and apparently the servant of Barnabas, the greater god. Oxen and garlands were brought to the door of the house where they were staying, and they would have been worshiped with a sacrifice, had they not rebuked the people with every demonstration of disapproval and horror, rending their clothes, and running in among them, declaring themselves as " men of like passions," and preaching to them the vanities of idolatry, and the STUDIES IN ACTS 199 claims of the true God *' who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that are therein." The fickle people were restrained from worshiping them, but now, being disillusioned, they were open to the advances of Paul's enemies. Persuaded by " certain Jews who came from Antioch and Iconium," they who yesterday would have worshiped Paul, to-day stone him and leave him for dead. *' The missionary of the cross," it has been said, " is absolutely im- mortal till his work is done." As Christ viewed itj as the Holy Spirit viewed it, Paul's work was not done, and he was not dead. While they stood round him, he rose up, and presently he went with them into the city. The next day he and Barnabas went to Derbe, where they made many disciples (Vario- rum Bible), and from which they returned by the way of Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, " confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Verse twenty-three of chapter fourteen, should be noted for its bearing upon the primary steps in the organization of the Pauline churches. A plurality of ''elders" or *' bishops " (xx. 28; Titus i. 5 and 7), was '* ordained " or " elected " (Variorum rendering) in every city. Were these apostles heroes? They went directly back to the cities in which they had been persecuted and stoned. They went customarily into the syna- gogues of their brethren by blood, and preached doc- 200 STUDIES IN ACTS trines that they knew to be revolutionary and unpal- atable; they hazarded their lives in the defense of their faith, and in the confirmation of their newly- baptized brethren. Admiration for their noble ten- acity of purpose, the solicitude of their watch-care, and the tenderness of their love, cannot be kept within small bounds. Having returned to their home church in Antioch, they gave a missionary rehearsal, the first of which we have any record, unless it be that of the Apostle Peter upon his return from the home of Cornelius. In sending out her chiefest teachers as missionaries, the Antioch Church proved her apostolicity. In gathering together to hear from her missionaries *' all that God had done," and *' how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles," she proved by her interest that her spirit was the spirit of Him who died for all men. And still, as of old, the church that is truly apostolic speeds away the representatives of Christ and herself to far-off lands, and welcomes also her returning missionaries, and hears with joy the story of their achievements. Forever and forever, the church that intelligently and truthfully calls herself apostolic must hear and heed the com- mand, *' Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." And forever, except for such obedience, the true church must realize the blasphemy of claim- ing the promise, ** Lo, I am with you always." THE FIRST CHURCH COUNCIL "This little picture marks the beginning of Christian liberty. A wrong step here, and Christian liberty would have been lost. Paul was raised up at the very moment of time. He who made havoc of the church kept it together; it was an arm terrific; — whether to strike or to build its energy was superhuman. Paul enlightened the whole church — even James himself became almost a poet under the inspiration of this new voice. "—Jbsep?i Parker. 202 THE FIRST CHRUCH COUNCIL. "The apostles and elders and brethren (in other words, the whole church, see verse 22) send greeting unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia ; Forasmuch as we have learned that certain who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls ; to whom we gave no such command- ment ; it seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send unto you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, who them- selves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things stran- gled, and from fornication ; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well." — Acts xv. 23-29. Neander calls this the first public document of the Christian church. It is the expression of a vic- tory and a compromise. To appreciate the victory it is necessary to rememher that there was a party of the circumcision, Judaizers, Pharisee saints, in the Jerusalem church. When the Apostle Peter returned from Csesarea after the conversion of Cor- nelius, "They that were of the circumcision con- tended with him, saying. Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and didst eat with them." This phrase, "They that were of the circumcision," is Luke's gentle designation of the party. Ail the 203 204 STUDIES IN ACTS members of the Jerusalem church were circumcised, but they were not all champions of circumcision as a condition of salvation. For the time being these par- tisans were silenced by Peter's statement of the case, and especially by his argument based upon the fact that the Holy Spirit had been given to Cornelius and his household. But they were the professional heresy- hunters of the church, and, like all such characters, they evidently felt that to them was committed the keeping of the faith, and that they must ** contend earnestly for it." They were silenced, but only for a season. Biding their time, they at last hit upon the supreme opportunity for mischief-making in the Gen- tile church in Antioch. They went down, presumably with authority from the apostles, and said, ** Except ye be circumcised, after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (xv. 1). It was a square issue, for Paul and Barnabas had been teaching otherwise. Was Christianity to be the religion of mankind, or was it to settle back into an ethnic cult, a scarcely improved form of Mosaism, a new patch on the old garment, with "rents made worse?" It was the old, old question that we have constantly to face, the question between men of the letter and men of the spirit; the question be- tween stagnation and progress, between formalism and freedom, between legalism and love. And further, it was a question between era and era in his- tory; between dispensation and dispensation in the providence of God; and finally, between the prophets STUDIES IN ACTS 205 of God speaking with a transient voice, and the Son of God, who is the Alpha and Omega, whose yea is yea, and whose nay is nay for evermore. Surely if ever literalists and legalists had a strong case it was this. Were the thunderings upon Mount Sinai to be forgotten? Were the blessings upon Gerizim and the curses upon Ebal no longer to be courted and dreaded? Were not the Sabbaths of Israel and their passovers and their circumcision to be observed "throughout all their generations?" Was not Moses sent of God? Could the moral law be done away, and was not the ceremonial law done up with it verse by verse? Should the phylacteries upon their door posts and the rolls of their Torah be thrown to the ash pit, and that by men who had no new Torah in their hands, but only a word upon their lips? Was the Holy City to lose her prestige, and was the hated Gerizim after all, or Antioch, or any other place, to become quite as acceptable to Jehovah as the place toward which his people h-ad turned their faces in prayer through many genera- tions? In short, were the chosen people to be no longer the chosen people? and were their sacred places, their sacred books, their sacred days, and their sacred names to go for naught? And how could Paul meet such appeals to law and custom and prestige except by what would surely seem to his opponents as forced interpretations of passages from the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Hosea; or by an appeal to the fact of Gentile 206 STUDIES IN ACTS conversions, with the evident fruits of the Spirit aside from the law, an argument easily depreciated by legalists; or by pleading the supremacy of Jesus, in which case his opponents could readily show to their own satisfaction that Jesus indorsed the author- ity of Moses, having, as was supposed, lived in conformity to the law of Moses? It was one of those cases in which the soul of the prophet rises up to the intuitive perception of what is right, and in spite of law and logic says, "You are wrong; the heart also has its logic; the Holy Spirit speaks ; here are my facts fronting your syllogisms ; what will you do? " ** When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they deter- mined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question." In this appeal Jerusalem is recognized, according to Prof. W. M. Eamsay, as "the administrative center of the church." The appeal is appropriate also in view of the claim by the Judaizers that they were com- missioned by the apostles (xv. 24). As indicating the urgency of the case, and the baleful influence of the Judaizers, it should be remembered that Peter, when he was in Antioch, was won over by them, and that even Barnabas ** was carried away by their dissimulation." Paul alone stood firm. His quick and incisive rebuke had its effect on Peter. " I said to Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, STUDIES IN ACTS 207 livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? " (Gal. ii. 14). This happened, according to Prof. Ramsay, before the council in Jerusalem, and not, as most critics suppose, afterward, and the adjustment helps to clear up several hard questions. Every indication therefore is that the Antioch church was disturbed to its very center, and since that church was the mother of Gentile Christianity the whole of the Apostle Paul's movement in behalf of a cosmopolitan faith was endangered. To Paul the period of waiting for the decision of the council must have been a season of anxiety. Should the case go against him it involved one of two consequences, either a schism in the church, or a shrinking back of the Faith from her youth and vigor and expansion like an old and lifeless wine into an old and worthless skin. *'Paul would rather have died," says Farrar, " would rather have suffered a schism between the Church of Jerusalem and the churches of her Gentile converts, than admit that there could be no salvation out of the pale of Mosaism. ... He intended, at all costs, by almost unlimited concessions in the case of indi- viduals (referring to the circumcision of Timothy and Titus), by unflinching resistance when princi- ples were endangered, to establish, as far at any rate as the Gentiles were concerned, the truth that Christ had obliterated the handwriting in force against us, 208 STUDIES IN ACTS and had taken it out of the way, nailing the torn fragments of its decrees to his cross." The debate came on, and there was **much dis- puting." The "false brethren" were there with every advantage of local associations, national preju- dices, centuries of history, the written law with its positive injunctions for all generations, and, more than likely, with warnings of persecution from with- out should a word be spoken against the law of Moses or their Holy Place. But the Apostle Peter rose up, and true to his Pentecost courage and inspiration repeated his experiences in Csesarea ten years before. He appealed to the witness of the Holy Spirit on that occasion in the acceptance of the Gentiles, and challenged them to put a yoke upon the neck of the Gentiles, which, he said, ** neither we nor our fathers were able to bear." Thereupon, in true Pauline style, he declared that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only ground of salvation for Jews and Gentiles. There were times when Jesus spoke in such a fashion that no man answered him a word, and the Apostle Peter seems to have learned from the Master something of that power of speech which leaves an opponent unmasked and non- plused. "Then all the multitude kept silence," till at last Barnabas and Paul rose, "declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them." Thus were the hard and fast theologians of the day, the men with an a priori creed, cast iron, and all but the "anathema sit" to STUDIES IN ACTS 209 it, the men rooted and grounded in their grand- fathers' ways, thoroughly honest, thoroughly logical, thoroughly stubborn, the typical, self-appointed con- servators of the faith, the anti-progressives, knife in hand — thus were they smitten with facts. Peter and Paul and Barnabas united in putting Csesarea and Antioch and Derbe and Lyst^a and Iconium over against Mount Sinai. In all these places God had spoken through the Holy Spirit, receiving the Gen- tiles, no knife in hand. Traditional prejudice must give way to received practice; a ipriori theories to the logic of facts; God's ancient law engraved on stone to his latest word written upon fleshly tables of the heart; the carnal to the spiritual, shadow to substance, type to anti-type. Peter and Paul and Barnabas pursued the inductive method, collating facts, treating them as legal tender, and upon them basing conclusions, thus anticipating the Baconian method by sixteen centuries. They were the three mighty Protestants of the ancient church. Last of all James spoke. He was the most inter- esting figure in the council. As "the brother of the Lord," he would be looked upon with loving rever- ence; as the bishop of the church in Jerusalem, his word would be final, not as dictatorial but as repre- sentative; as a man of extreme holiness, he would be honored by all parties. "Tradition," says Farrar, "as embodied in an Ebionite romance, represents him as wearing no wool, but clothed in fine white linen from head to foot, and — either from some 14 210 STUDIES IN ACTS priestly element in his genealogy, or to symbolize his episcopate in Jerusalem — as wearing on his forehead the petalon, or golden plate of high priesthood. It is said that he was so holy and so highly esteemed by the whole Jewish people that he alone was allowed, like the high priest, to enter the Holy Place ; that he lived a celibate and ascetic life; that he spent long hours alone in the temple praying for the people, till his knees became hard and callous like those of a camel; that he had the power of working miracles; that rain fell in accordance with his prayers ; that it was owing to his prayers that God's impending wrath was averted from the nation; that he received the title of 'The Just,' and 'Rampart of the People,' and that he was shadowed forth in the images of the prophets." Such was the traditional man, perhaps not very unlike the real man, who now rose to speak. Having first commanded a hearing, he indorsed the speech that Peter had just made, fortifying it with a proph- ecy from Amos, quoted from the Septuagint, and declaring that the reception of the Gentiles, recently wrought by the Holy Spirit through Peter and Paul and Barnabas, was in the plans of God from the beginning. Whereupon he gave his sentence that the Gentiles should not be troubled, that is, by the Judaizers, but that they should be exhorted to abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornica- tion, and from things strangled, and from blood. The last sentence of this speech (verse 21) contains STUDIES IN ACTS 211 a double argument for the proposed compromise. First, because Moses was read in the synagogue every Sabbath the Jews need not fear for the law; the apostles to the Gentiles were not interfering with this arrangement; secondly, because this was the case the Gentiles should be the more ready to abstain from these, to the Jews, most shocking things. That for- nication and idolatry should be coupled together seems inevitable when it is remembered that much of the pagan worship was accompanied with the vilest orgies; that the worship of Venus under various forms and names was widespread, and that in Cyprus, the ancient center of her worship, the pollu- tions accompanying it became a scandal even to the surrounding pagan countries. The thing here con- demned as a sin both by the legal and instinctive purity of Judaism, coupled with Christian sanctions, was in all that pagan world '*so completely a matter of indifference that Socrates has no censure for it, and Cicero declares that no pagan moralist ever dreamed of meeting it with an absolute prohibition." Here is one of the great secrets of both Jewish and Christian antagonism to idolatry, and the modern Parliaments of Religion that cover up or condone the same pollutions existing rampant in the Buddhistic and Brahmanistic cults of this day, will probably not get very far on the road toward harmonizing the ancient Hebrew purity, still cardinal in Christianity, with the ancient idolatrous impurity, still a factor of pagan worship. 212 STUDIES IN ACTS "The apostles and elders and the whole church" agreed to the compromise proposed by James, and wrote to the Gentiles in Antioch a delightfully fra- ternal letter, and sent it by the hands of Barnabas and Paul, accompanied by two of their own chief men, Judas and Silas, who were instructed to teach the same things by word of mouth, which, being prophets, they did with much exhortation. When the letter was read to the Christians of Antioch, they "rejoiced for the consolation." Four points are to be noted: First, The decision was a triumph for the Apostle Paul and his co-work- ers. They could now go out into the Gentile world and preach the Gospel as free from the fetters of legalism as though they were presenting mathemat- ical axioms. It is true that the great apostle was followed and troubled by Judaizers as long as he lived, but they could never again claim the authority of the Jerusalem church. As this Judaizing party was the occasion of the first church council, and con- sequently of the first document of the Christian church, so by its persistence it occasioned the major part of the literature that we owe to the Apostle Paul. Galatians and Romans cannot be understood aside from this controversy. It appears also in First and Second Corinthians, and in Ephesians, and Colossians, and Philippians, and First Thessalonians. To the end this great man remained true to the trust that Christ had committed to him, as to a "chosen vessel," the trust of Gospel truth and Gospel love STUDIES IN ACTS 213 and Gospel liberty; and when he penned his farewell to Timothy he had two things upon which justly to congratulate himself — he had "fought a good fight'' (with Judaizers, no doubt), and he had kept *' the faith." Secondly, The decision, like most compromises, was but a temporary settlement of the dispute. De Pressense, quoted by Prof. B. A. Hinsdale, says: "The barrier was lowered, not removed. Thus, no sooner was the decision communicated, than it re- ceived various interpretations. Paul drew from it inferences which were undoubtedly by implication contained in it, but which were not equally evident to the minds of all." Several questions of importance were not touched upon in the decision; the relation of the Jewish Christians themselves to the Mosaic law was very prudently left in abeyance ; likewise the social relations of Jewish and Gentile Christians; these and some other questions, such as the release of all Christians from the Jewish altar worship, and cleansings, and fasts, and Sabbaths, were left to be wrought out for us by the Apostle Paul's incisive dis- tinctions between Moses and Christ, between the law and the Gospel, the former as preparatory and tetn- porary, the latter as all-sufficient and final. The tenacity of the Judaizing party for the law of their fathers is most pathetic. Spite of the decision of the council, and the sanction of the Holy Spirit in the reception of Gentiles, and Christ's formally de- clared supremacy, they could not seem to get over 214 STUDIES IN ACTS their fondness for the letter of the law. God's final warnings to them in the utter destruction of Jerusa- lem, and the temple, and the altar forms of worship there, were unheeded. They continued their opposi- tion to the progressive forms of the faith until they fell logically into the heresy of denying the divine nature of Jesus ; they branded the Apostle Paul as a heretic, and became themselves the Ebionite secta- rians of the first and second centuries, and dwindled by the middle of the latter century into insignifi- cance. Thirdly, This council was thoroughly democratic. Grant that the reading " and brethren," in the twen- ty-third verse is a corruption; yet the democratic character of the council is shown by the twenty- second verse, which reads: ''Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas." No one assumed autocratic authority. Even Peter is designated in the speech of James by his old, unapostolic name, Simeon. Perhaps it is for these reasons that Farrar contends that the council was not a council at all. According to the Anglican and Romish notions of a council as being thoroughly aristocratic, the laity and infe- rior orders of the clergy not being admitted, this was not a council. But if open debate in the spirit of the Holy Spirit with the right of suffrage ex- tended to all; if a decision arrived at by " the com- mon sense of most;" if, in short, brotherly counsels STUDIES IN ACTS 215 and brotherly conclusions constitute a council, this was a council. Lastly, As the presence of sin magnifies the work- ings of grace, so the intensity of Judaism magnifies the Christly charity and liberty of the Jerusalem' church. Even as a compromise, the decision is won- derful. James and others must have felt that it broke the trend of the centuries. It was revolution- ary, and they knew that to the Jews as a nation, it would appear as a denial of the faith of their fath- ers. It was a reverent and painful slap in the face of tradition. But the Holy Spirit, genius and guide of the new age, was imperious; he demanded this break in the centuries, and to him the church was loyal. This was an hour freighted with destinies, and these men were fitted for the emergency by *' the power from on high." How reverently they couch their decision ! And what historic majesty there is in it! ** It seemed good to the Holy Spirit — and to us!" XI. THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY IN EUROPE "Where should Paul be studied, loved and venerated if not in England? Are not English Christians in a very special sense his spiritual children? Do they not owe to him the character of their religion, the form of their doctrine, even their principles of religious liberty and civil right? Is not Anglo-Saxon society his work? Does not his spirit pervade the thousand ramifications of English civilization, extending from individual conduct to the highest scien- tific activity, and from domestic life to political debates in Parlia- ment ? " — Sabatici: "All zones are one seed-field. And one the fostering sky. Best germs the ripened ages yield On world-wide pinions fly."— JosepTi Cook. 218 XI. THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY IN EUROPE. "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man. of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us." — Acts xvi. 9. This vision has the strangeness of romance, the sternness of history, and the pathos of prayer. It is the way by which the Holy Spirit signifies to Paul that he has been appointed as the actor in a new march of events. The waves of Gospel influence must be kept rolling outward, and this is the signal for an advance. Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts i. 8) — that is the Savior's programme; and the Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, has now the primacy in carrying it out. Peter is not again named in Acts; Jerusalem has already become second to Antioch ; the work of Barnabas even, is left in obscurity, and the historian deals only with this foremost man upon the foremost confines of the pagan world. Twice the Holy Spirit interfered with Paul's plans before the directing vision was granted him. When he had "made a missionary progress" throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, he evidently de- sired to preach in "Asia," but the Holy Spirit for- bade him ( ch. xvi. 6). Then he wanted to go 219 220 STUDIES IN ACTS into Bithynia, *'and the Spirit suffered him not." So passing through Mysia, and at the same time pass- ing it by, he came down to Troas. Paul's traveling companions at this time were Silas, who accompanied him from the home church in Antioch, and Timothy, a son in the Gospel, whose home was in Lystra, whose mother was a Jewess, whose father was a Greek, and whom Paul circumcised, not as a matter of compulsion but of concession. At Troas, however, a third companion announces his presence in the briefest and least pretentious of all imaginable ways. He simply says *'we" (xvi. 10) — , and then goes on writing about the whole company. In this way the writer of Acts identifies himself with the history he relates. Paul is his hero, and he but the humblest of fellow- workers. It is a shrewd and very interesting guess of Prof. Ramsay's, that Luke was a Macedonian; that being a physician he had come to Troas on business; that through professional services he became acquainted with Paul, and was converted; that he himself was the **man of Mace- donia " whom Paul saw in a vision; that Philippi was his home, and that he was Paul's first host and helper in this, the first city in that part of Mace- donia. The Apostle Paul's voyage across the JEgean Sea must have seemed to him like a progress merely from province to province. All that world was Rome, and all these provinces were hers. But as we see it his voyage was from continent to continent, so does the STUDIES IN ACTS 221 perspective of centuries enlarge rather than diminish the plans of Providence. The following paragraph, from an eloquent lecture by Joseph Cook, will help us to seize upon the historic significance of the call of the ''man from Macedonia:" "Before the battles of Marathon and Salamis, Asia predominated in the world's affairs. Since those contests she has always held a second rank. This steel-gray narrow sheet of murmurous salt water has been thus visibly touched in human history by that finger at whose contact the hills melt and the moun- tains smoke; and, therefore, even after 2,300 years the waves flash here, between the bleak, rocky shores, with a light better than that of the sun. Greek civilization, on that great day when the women on Salamis, according to the prophecy, boiled their meat with broken oars, was in process of preserva- tion for you and me. And among the corpses which shut out the moonlight from the depths of this clear water on the night after the battle, the plans of Prov- idence for the education of Kome, of London, of Paris, and of Boston were advancing." Troas and Neapolis, therefore, are only dots on the map ; in the larger sense, quite literally, the Apostle Paul set sail from Asia and landed in Europe, and the ship that bore him carried a more precious freight by far than was ever borne by the fleets and trans- ports of Xerxes, or Philip of Macedon, or Alexan- der, or any of the Csesars. Beyond Macedonia was Rome; and beyond Rome, .Germany; and beyond 222 STUDIES IN ACTS Germany, Britain; and beyond Britain, America; and still beyond America, an Asia that was not in the dreams even of the greatest of the Caesars. And toward all these nations the face of Paul was turned, though he knew it not; and through him westward the Gospel was destined to take its coarse, guiding and inspiring the course of empire, till it should en- compass the earth. What mighty works were yet to be wrought by Greece and Rome, and by the bar- barians that Caesar presumed to have conquered! What battles and victories ! What governments, civ- ilizations, progress! What mistakes, sorrows, revo- lutions and triumphs, both of war and peace ! And the "man of Macedon " uttered the cry of deepest need, and the pathetic prayer of all these "kindreds and tongues and peoples and nations " through their centuries of struggle when he said to the missionary of the cross, "Come over and help us." It was an ancient custom of the Jews to meet by a river side for prayer when no synagogue was at hand. One of the exiles of the great captivity sang : " By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea we wept When we remembered Zion; We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof ; For there they that carried us away captive, Required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion." Finding, as it would seem, no synagogue in the city of Philippi, Paul and Luke, therefore, on the Sabbath sought the customary place of prayer by the STUDIES IN ACTS 223 river. There they found Lydia, *'a seller of pur- ple," and her household, worshiping God. The Lord opened her heart; she attended to the things that Paul spoke; she was baptized, and her house- hold. Luke's record of this first conversion in Europe (xvi. 14, 15) is precise, unadorned, and beau- tiful. It is his style to state facts; he seeks little from the arts of rhetoric ; but here in the statement of the fact he produces a picture, and the circum- stances and the associations unite in giving to it the character and the sacredness of an ancient master- piece. There is no incompleteness about it. There is the place and the spirit of prayer; there is the preacher and his audience; there is the declaration of the Gospel and its confession in baptism; there is the sisterly hospitality that springs from gratitude for the gift of faith and hope and love. And all this is set within the somber background of Greek and Roman history. The city was named for Philip, the father of Alexander the Great, and was a monument of his empire. A hundred and sixty-eight years before Christ it fell into the hands of Rome. Ninety- four years before the visit of Paul, not far from Lydia's place of prayer, occurred the battle of Philippi, which decided the fate of the republic of Rome, and introduced the imperial system. Here Cassius and Brutus committed suicide, the former before, the latter after the battle was lost. But in this humble baptism there was the beginning of a mightier and more beneficent movement for Europe 224 STUDIES IN ACTS and the world than could possibly spring from the battlefields of Greece and Rome. One cannot for- bear the reflection that perhaps the nearest approach in modern times, as regards historic interest, to this baptism in the Gangites was that one in the Ganges, when, in the year 1800, on Christmas day, Chrishna Pal confessed in his body, at the hands of William Carey, the death and resurrection of Jesus. Dr. J. M. Stifler has an interesting suggestion in explanation of Luke's care in describing this conver- sion: "Since the beginning of a new stage finds record here, we have some repetitions of features seen before. Years have passed away, the Gospel has spread far and wide, but baptism has not been mentioned since the story looked at Peter in the household of Cornelius. When the Gentile work began it was necessary to show that baptism would attend it, but after that mention there is no other till we come to the household of Lydia and the jailer. For here again we are at the center of a new circle." The same author brings together other parallels that are interesting. " Samaria triumphed over Simon Magus. Paphos left Elyraas groping in blind- ness. The strong man armed is again encountered (referring to ch. xvi. 16-18), only to suffer the spoil of another of his chattels. The meeting of an evil spirit on the entrance of the Gospel into Europe, is in harmony with the cases above cited, is in harmony with the hindrances of divine grace from the dawn of history. Satan blocks the way as soon as it is STUDIES IN ACTS 225 entered." This insane slave-girl, ventriloquist and soothsayer, is another example of those numerous '* dabblers in the black art " that belong to the times of Paul. Of course her advertisement of Paul and his missionary co-workers as the servants of the most high God, and the preachers of the way of salvation, was such as to bring the sobriety and dignity of the Gospel into disrepute. The triflers of the city must have jeered continually at seeing this crazy girl fol- lowing the missionaries, and calling after theui. At last Paul rebuked the spirit, and healed her. This destroyed her commercial value, and brought down upon him the persecution of her owners, for there were not wanting men so mean as to make specula- tion out of such maladies, and people so superstitious as to pay the price of such fortune telling. It was easy to call out the mob by shouting that the customs of the Romans were endangered, and the result was that Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned. This gave the occasion for the midnight prayer and praise meeting in the prison; the earthquake; the opening of the prison doors; the loosing of the pris- oners; the jailer's intention to kill himself, suppos- ing his prisoners were gone; Paul's gracious inter- ference and timely preaching, and the conversion of a household the same hour of the night. The immersion of the jailer and his household offers no difficulties to scholarly exegetes. ''The rite may have been performed," says DeWette, " in the same fountain or tank in which the jailer had 15 226 STUDIES IN ACTS washed them." Meyer, as quoted by Hackett, sug- gests that the water was in the court of the house ; and that the baptism was that of immersion, which, he says, '* formed an essential part of the symbolism of the act." The fact that the jailer brought them out of the prison before their baptism and that they did not come into his house till after it had taken place is favorable to immersion rather than affusion , for the latter could most likely have been performed either in the prison or the house, as also the washing of their stripes. A manly trait in the character of Paul is shown in that he refused to go secretly away bearing the wounds and humiliation of his unjustified whipping. The lictors sent, saying, " Let these men go." '' Nay verily," said Paul. '*We are Romans; we are un- condemned; they have beaten us; they shall not thrust us out privily; let them come themselves and fetch us out." Paul gloried in necessary sufferings for Christ's sake, and he never murmured at persecu- tions incurred in the way of duty; but he was a stranger to monkish asceticism, and superstitious trust in the meritoriousness of penances would have been a horror to his transparent soul. The next church established by Paul was in the city of Thessalonica. This city was named after a sister of Alexander the Great; it was on the direct road from Philippi to Rome; it was situated at the head of the Thermaic Gulf, and has been an impor- tant point from Paul's day to our own. To the STUDIES IN ACTS 227 apostle this was one of the most satisfactory of all the churches. His first letters were written to it; he comforts the members of it in their persecutions; exhorts them to rejoice unceasingly; assures them of his deep love, and while praying for them, craves their prayers. In Berea the apostle found exceptional Jews, *'more noble than those in Thessalonica," in that they readily received the word, and candidly exam- ined the Scriptures to confirm it. To the great mis- sionary this experience must have been as delightful as it was rare; but the inevitable happened. Mali- cious Jews from Thessalonica followed him, and again, as usual, he was persecuted and driven out. Athens has an imperishable charm for the student. It was the birthplace of Greek history and philosophy and rhetoric. Immortal names are associated with it, and the masterpieces of their genius are the admira- tion of the centuries. "Were Plato, Socrates, and Demosthenes the only forms visible from the Acrop- olis, that eminence would be the loftiest outlook on the globe over human intellectual history. At the west summit of the Parthenon there is a point from which are visible the groves of Plato's Academy, the daily haunts of Socrates, the Pnyx of Demosthenes, the grounds of the Lyceum of Aristotle, the Mars' Hill of Paul, the Propylea of Phidias and Pericles,— the theatre of ^schylus, Sophocles, and Euripides,— the mountain slope once the seat of Xerxes,— the path to Marathon of Miltiades, and the Salamis 228 STUDIES IN ACTS straits of Aristides and Themistocles." In the time of Paul Athens was the home of philosophy and frivolity, of art and idolatry. Petronius says it was more easy to meet a god than a man in Athens. "There were more statues in Athens than in all the rest of Greece put together." All this would be the more displeasing to Paul since he was trained in a school that prohibited the representation in art of the human form. And besides, the conventional nudity of Grecian art must have seemed a shocking degradation to the severely chaste and lofty morals of the Hebrew missionary. "It is all very well," says Farrar, "for sentimentalists to sigh over * the beauty that was Greece, and the glory that was Rome; ' but paganism had a very ragged edge, and it was this that Paul daily witnessed. . . . Perfect- ness of sculpture might have been impossible without the nude athleticism that ministers to vice. For one who placed the sublimity of manhood in perfect obedience to the moral law, for one to whom purity and self-control were elements of the only supreme ideal, it was in that age impossible to love, impossi- ble to regard even with complacence, an art which was avowedly the handmaid of idolatry, and covertly the patroness of shame. Our regret for the extin- guished brilliancy of Athens will be less keen when we bear in mind that more than any other city she has been the corruptress of the world." Thus Paul confronted art in Athens, while in the persons of the Epicureans and the Stoics he encoun- STUDIES IN ACTS 229 tered philosophy. The former were materialistic and therefore practically atheistic; they sought pleasure as the highest good, and descended into the pathways of sensuality in their search. The substance of their beastly teaching is put in a single phrase by Paul in the fifteenth chapter of I. Corinthians, when, upon the supposition that Christianity is false and the dead rise not, he says, "Let us eat and drink, for to-mor- row we die." Considering Stoicism as the noblest of the Greek philosophies, it was nevertheless fatalistic and panthe- istic. The Stoics aimed at a laudable self-control, but ended in heartless indifference to the conditions around them, and in the justification of suicide. Of the Christian's Godward trust and manward sympa- thy they knew nothing, and the trend of their teach- ing was the direct antithesis of Christian altruism. For four hundred years these systems of thought had been uppermost in Athens, and at last they had degenerated, the one into "the apotheosis of sui- cide," the other into "the glorification of lust." From every humane and beneficent standpoint the failure of the philosophy and art of Athens is con- spicuous. They had filled the city with idols and idlers; with a university of philosophic triflers, and a population of news-mongers; with voluptuous priests and unknown gods. The best name that such a peo- ple could find for so great and serious a soul as Paul was a piece of their street slang; they called him "Spermologus," by which they meant almost 230 STUDIES IN ACTS any amount of contempt, a babbler, a seed-picker, **an ignorant plagiarist," a worthless fellow with scraps of learning. However, he had something new to tell them, and so they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, not necessarily to Mars' Hill, but to their highest court, and not for a court trial, but for the sake of curiosity. In the city of Socrates Paul had adopted the So- cratic method; he had gone about the streets engag- ing this one and that one in conversation. But Athens was also the city of Demosthenes, and the Areopagus demanded of him an oration. By his courtly and undaunted bearing he plainly said in the presence of these degenerate descendants of great thinkers, '*I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." We know that the orations of Demosthenes have lived; we know that this sermon of Paul's will live. The grouping of his thoughts, the delicacy and daring of his polemics, and the novelty of his theme must have been alike startling to his Athenian auditors, as they are the admiration of his latest readers. The tact and dignity of his introduction are spoiled by the King James translators, for Paul would not have in- sulted an Athenian audience to begin with by calling them superstitious. Such bluntness and bungling would not be in keeping with his genteel rule of ** becoming all things to all men that he might by all means save some." This, rather, is his introduction: "Men of Athens, I perceive that you carry your religious reverence STUDIES IN ACTS 231 very far, for as I passed by I beheld an altar with this inscription, To an Unknown God. What there- fore ye worship in ignorance, this set I forth unto you." Having seized this text from one of their own altars, he seized also a quotation from one of their own poets, and upon this double basis chosen in common with them he declared that the God con- fessedly unknown to them is Creator and Father, indirectly rebuking in this double proposition the pantheism of the Stoics, the practical atheism of the Epicureans, the polytheism of the people, and the pride of caste and race that belonged to every Greek. He made the search for God the object of existence, thus rebuking their contention that pleasure is the highest good. By making the worship of God a matter not of the hands but of the heart of the devotee he rebuked the meritoriousness of their sacri- ficial cult. By deducing the idea of the Godhead from that of the Fatherhood of God he rebuked a whole city full of idols, saying, we ought not to think that what is divine is like unto gold or silver or stone graven by art or man's device. In conclusion he made a direct application, calling upon them to repent, and warn- ing them of the righteous judgment of God; and all in all, both warning and pleading were based upon the fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. At this the more frivolous mocked, and the more seemingly sober said, Felix-like, '* We will hear thee again of this matter." 232 STUDIES IN ACTS One Areopagite believed, Dionysius by name; and one woman, Damans by name. Was this then the result of Paul's mission to Athens, "The eye of Greece," *' The pride of the world?" A city full of babblers mistaking Paul for a babbler! One is re- minded of Carlyle's fable, adopted from the Koran, of men turned to apes, and " gibbering very genuine nonsense, there by the Dead Sea." But this was not the whole result. Could Paul have foreseen the church that afterwards grew up in Athens; the van- ishing of her gods as though smitten by magic; the giving of her sons and daughters in Christian mar- tyrdom; and the bishops that were trained in her Christian schools, he would not have gone so sadly away, and we can imagine him exclaiming in antici- pated triumph, " God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence." With fine rhetoric, but with pagan rather than Christian taste, Renan has apostrophized the smit- ten idols of Athens; "Ah, beautiful and chaste images; true gods and goddesses, tremble! See the man who will raise the hammer against you. The fatal word has been pronounced; you are idols. The mistake of this ugly little Jew will be your death warrant." With vastly finer rhetoric, and with iner- STUDIES IN ACTS 233 rant Christian taste, Mrs. Browning has sung their requiem : " Gods of Hellas ! gods of Hellas I Can ye listen in your silence? Can your mystic voices tell us Where ye hide? In floating islands, "With a wind that evermore Keeps you out of sight of shore? Pan, Pan is dead. " O twelve gods of Plato's vision, Crowned to starry wanderings, — "With your chariots in procession, And your silver clash of wings ! Very pale ye seem to rise. Ghosts of Grecian deities — Now Pan is dead ! " Gods I we vainly do adjure you,— Ye return nor voice nor sign ; Not a votary could secure you Even a grave for your Divine ! Not a grave to show thereby, Here these gray old gods do lie! Pan, Pan is dead." Corinth was a city of four hundred thousand peo- ple when Paul visited it. A hundred and forty-six years before Christ the Romans had destroyed it; but in forty-four before Christ, Julius Csesar, mark- ing the importance of its situation, had rebuilt it and colonized it. Lying on the highway of travel and commerce between the East and the West, it sprang into prominence with surprising rapidity, and became *' The Vanity Fair of the Roman Empire, at once the London and the Paris of the first century after 234 STUDIES IN ACTS Christ." Its wealth and its profligacy were proverb- ial, and to its nameless and more degrading vices were given by the worship of Venus, the sanctions of religion. It had all the traits of a city suddenly grown. There were the ugly contrasts between the poor, housed in their ancients huts of wood or straw, and the rich adventurers of yesterday dwelling in palaces adorned with relics from the ancient city, and displaying the inevitable arrogance and shallow culture of such upstarts. Side by side with the sober business man of means, there came the huckster and the trickster, and together with the commerce of the nations there came the gods of the nations with their devotees, their unsavory priests, and their prostitute priestesses. Such a city is a great catch-all. Farrar sa3's, " It was in the midst of this mongrel and het- erogeneous population of Greek adventurers and Roman bourgeois, with a tainting infusion of Phoeni- cians — this mass of Jews, ex-soldiers, philosophers, merchants, sailors, freedmen, slaves, tradespeople, hucksters, and agents of every form of vice — a col- ony without aristocracy, without traditions; without well-established citizens — that the toil-worn Jewish wanderer made his way." In Corinth the Apostle Paul met Aquila and Pris- cilla, Jews, lately driven from Kome by an edict of the Emperor Claudius. One cannot but muse upon these three wandering and persecuted people estab- lishing a home and working together at their com- mon trade of tent-making. Perhaps they first met STUDIES IN ACTS 235 in the synagogue, for there it was not unusual for craftsmen to sit together, ** silversmiths by themselves, and ironworkers by themselves, and miners by themselves, and weavers by themselves, and when a poor man came there he recognized the members of his craft, and went there, and from thence was his support, and that of the members of his house." Whether in the synagogue, or the home, or the prison, Paul was a persistent and tireless mis- sionary. These household companions could not live with him long without hearing of the Savior. They became thoroughly instructed Christians, and accom- panied him to Ephesus, and their friendship lasted as long as Paul lived. At a later date, in Ephesus Aquila and Priscilla found Apollos, an eloquent Alexandrian and disciple of John the Baptist, and having instructed him perfectly in the way of the Gospel, sent him as a preacher to the church in Corinth. In Rome at a later date they had a church in their house. And still later, once more in Ephe- sus, they received through Timothy Paul's last earthly greetings. In Corinth Paul was persecuted as usual by the Jews. The incarnate malice that nailed Jesus to the cross never deserted this foremost herald of the cross. In Jerusalem, in Pisidian Antioch, in Iconi- um, in Lystra, in Thessalonica, in Berea, in Corinth, he was "in perils by his own countrymen." Such persistent malice would have discouraged or soured the spirit of all but the most robust and saintly of 236 STUDIES IN ACTS saints. His strength came from an unseen source, and receiving mercy he fainted not. Two things happened in Corinth to comfort him and to prolong his stay. In a time of deepest need, the Lord stood by him in the night, and said to him, '* Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace. For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city" (xviii. 9-11). *'/ am with thee.'' Sustained by such companionship, he continued a year and six months teaching the word of God in Corinth. Then befell to his advantage one of those unique incidents which are capable of letting us so far into the spirit of the times. The Jews attempted an ac- cusation of Paul at the judgment seat of Gallio. Seneca the philosopher was brother to this noble Roman, and said of him: " Those who love him best don't love him enough;" and also, *'No mortal is so sweet to any single person as he is to all man- kind." He was the perfection of kindliness, court- liness and nobility. After his proconsulship in Corinth he attained to the consulship, and there is a tradition that he was murdered by Nero. So far as concerns our present study, he stands as the repre- sentative of the Roman policy at that time in respect to the Jews of the provinces, evidently considering Christianity as a phase of Judaism. Looking with the undisguised contempt of the typical Roman ruler upon everything pertaining to the Jews, he drove them from his judgment-seat when they came STUDIES IN ACTS 237 dragging Paul before him, refusing to be a judge of questions of their law. Perhaps Gallio would have cared as little had they beaten Paul instead of Sosthenes. He simply declined to be troubled by them. Perhaps the Greeks joined the proconsul in his contempt for the Jews, and may be Paul had won some friends among them. But at any rate the non- chalance of Gallio and the prankishness of the Greeks, put a sudden stop to the persecution of Paul ** by his own countrymen," and made it possible for him to stay "yet a good while " in Corinth, so that " many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, and were baptized." So far as Luke's record goes, the pioneer mission- ary work of the Apostle Paul may be fairly said to have ended at Corinth. Upon his third journey he did a great and fruitful work, but it was mainly if not wholly within the regions covered by the first and second journeys. In Rome he was a prisoner rather than a pioneer, and besides, others had pre- ceded him as preachers in that city. In the spring of 53, he set sail from Corinth for Syria, that he might attend the Passover of that year in Jerusalem. "And when he had landed at Csesarea, and gone up and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch." Was he coldly received in Jerusalem? Why did he hasten away to Antioch? Had Paul's position as regards the law caused James and the elders to recoil from him? Why was there no gathering of the church to receive him as upon a former, and also 238 STUDIES IN ACTS upon a later, occasion? The silence of Luke throws a veil over much. But knowing the Jews we can judge much. Once again, and once only, at the close of his third missionary journey, he visited Jerusalem, saying, " I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there ; save that the Holy Spirit witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." XII. PAUL'S FIRST IMPRISONMENT IN ROME "Not only did Paul conquer the pagan world for Jesus Christ; he accomplished a task no less necessary, and perhaps more difficult, in emancipating at the same time infant Christianity from Judaism, under whose guardianship it was in danger of being stifled. Besides removing the center of gravity of the new church, the advance of his mission from Jerusalem to Antioch, from Antioch to Ephesus, and from Ephesus to Rome, he also succeeded in disengaging from the swaddling-bands of Judaism the spiritual and moral principles which constitute Christianity a progressive and universal religion." —Sabatier. 240 XII. PAUL'S FIRST IMPRISONMENT IN ROME. "I am standing at Caesar's judgment seat." — Acts xxv. 10. Thus Paul appealed from his Jewish brethren to a pagan court, and the greatest of Christian missiona- ries placed himself before the highest of political tribunals. Two years before he had entered Jerusa- lem "bound in the spirit," saying, "I know not the things that shall befall me there;" rescued by Lysias from the murderous intent of his own people, he left the city in the night escorted by a guard of Roman soldiers. Felix found no fault in him, and Festus, successor to Felix in A. D. 60, found no fault in him. When the latter proposed to release him from all claims of Roman law on condition that he would go back to Jerusalem to be tried by the Jews, he, know- ing his rights as a Roman citizen, and dreading Caesar, though that Caasar chanced to be Nero, less than the Sanhedrin, made the memorable appeal under which at last he reached Rome. By the appeal he gained the continued protection of the Roman authorities against the Jews, who, *' or ever he came near," were ready to kill him. By it also he was enabled to carry out his long cherished plan of visiting Rome (xix. 21). It mattered little to him that he should be carried there in chains, for Ik ' 16 241 242 STUDIES IN ACTS knew how to ennoble a chain, and turn its very clanking into an eloquence that should speak for him of the "hope of Israel." Others might be ashamed of his chain, he was not. From it he took the title, *'Bond servant of Jesus Christ," a title nobler far than any mere fragment of alphabetism that is made to adorn or desecrate the names of men. Under this title he proceeded to Rome, and this was the title he wore while he was the imprisoned primate of the church in Rome. It has fallen to the lot of his degenerate non-apostolic successors of later ages to deck themselves in various combinations of ecclesi- astical capital letters, always with corresponding millinery, and strut about the "Holy City." He, as lief as not, would enter the city of the Caesars, make the acquaintance of Caesar's household, and appear before the reigning Caesar, bound like a culprit to a soldier of the Caisars. Perhaps he saw in this the only possible way of appearing before the highest potentate on earth, for how else than as a prisoner demanding his legal rights as a Roman could a despised Jew get himself before the Emperor of the world! How else could he gain the opportunity of turning for one brief hour the court of the Empire into a pulpit, and the throne of the Caesars into a pew while he preached Christ crucified! Did Paul ever appear before Nero in person, and did he reason of righteousness, temper- ance, and the judgment to come, as in the presence of Felix? And was there in that degenerate Caesar, STUDIES IN ACTS 243 that malformed specimen of human kind, still left enough of humanity to tremble, as Felix did? Luke's history ends suddenly, and there is much that we shall never know, but the possibility of such a meeting between the noblest and the ignoblest of men, the former in chains, the latter on a throne, is a spur to the imagination. By his appeal to Csesar, and his consequent trial in Rome, Paul gained, or at least planned, a test case in the supreme court of his day. He must have fore- seen that general persecutions would arise, instigated by Jews and pagans alike, if the sanctions of the Empire were not obtained for the growing faith. He could reason thus: I appeal to Caesar; should I be acquitted, Christianity will then stand as a religio licita, and Christians throughout the Empire can then claim the protection of Rome. This supposi- tion ennobles his appeal from a mere matter of per- sonal self-defense to a far-seeing and definitely planned defense of all Christians. It should be noted that the last eight chapters of the book of Acts are devoted almost exclusively to Paul's connection with Roman officials. A tribune with his cohort of soldiers saved him from the mob, and led him to the tower of Antonia, from the steps of which he was permitted to make his defense to his own people in Hebrew. When certain Jews swore by their lives that they would kill him, Claudius Lysias sent him under guard to Felix. Felix pro- tected him, heard him, and trembled, and turned 244 STUDIES IN ACTS him over after two years to Festus. Festus also protected him, declined to take him to Jerusalem for trial, granted his appeal to CiBsar, and permitted him to speak before Agrippa. Julius the centurion, his guardian on the well-nigh disastrous voyage to Rome, "entreated him courteously," permitted him to visit his friends in Sidon, and took him into his counsels during the voyage. On the island of Melita, Publius and others "honored him with many honors." At Puteoli his Roman guard permitted him to tarry seven days with Christian brethren. At Rome he was suffered "to dwell by himself, with a soldier that kept him." It is an attractive theory of Prof. Ramsay's, that Luke wrote his books, the Gospel and the Acts, the former a little before, and the latter a little later than, the year 80; that at that time there was a grow- ing tendency in the Empire to persecute Christians because they were Christians; that, therefore, Luke had a well defined purpose in dwelling so at length upon the relations of Paul to the Empire, namely, to show that in his day Christians could not be con- demned on the charge of being Christians, but only, like other citizens, upon criminal charges; that it was his intention to write a third book in which to set forth Paul's trial and release, and later ministry; that the completion of his plan w^ould have been the completion of his plea for Christianity as a religio licita, and that the work in full was to be addressed, as the Gospel and the Acts certainly are, to a Roman STUDIES IN ACTS 245 officer, whose baptismal name was Theophilus. In these sentences but the barest outline of the theory is given, and the reader must be referred to Prof. Ram- say's work for its complete statement and argu- mentation. Like most theories, it explains some things, raises some questions that it does not settle, and leaves some of the old problems without solu- tion. If the late date assigned be accepted, one im- mediately wonders w^hy then there should be neither in the Gospel nor in the Acts any reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70; why nothing is said about the Neronian persecutions, and why there should be no hint of the heretical tendencies that were troubling the church late in the century. The supposition of an intended third book, which Luke was not permitted to finish, weighs in a meas- ure against these objections, and also explains the abrupt ending of the Acts. In the main, the theory seems credible, and it is at least worthy of careful consideration. Luke's description of the voyage from Csesarea to Rome must be that of one who made the trip. It is not fiction. The course of the voyage has been retraced point by point; harbors, such as Fair Havens and St. Paul's Bay, have been visited and identified, and even the soundings recorded by Luke have been verified, and no pains have been spared to test the accuracy of the record. The vividness and precision of the account are such, the exactness of the soundings and of the specified days and nights 246 STUDIES IN ACTS and hours is such, that Luke is supposed to have kept while on board a diary, with the help of which at a later date he framed the history. Prof. Ramsay says, "The account of the voyage as a whole is com- monly accepted by critics as the most trustworthy part of the Acts, and as one of the most instructive documents for the knowledge of ancient seaman- ship." We should be aware that the hyper-higher- critics have tried their hands upon this chapter. They have discovered in the "sections" vv. 21-26 and vv. 33-35 a better role and a higher character at- tributed to Paul than in vv. 10 and 31, and they have forthwith concluded that these "sections" are the interpolations of a later writer, who sought to throw around Paul the halo of a mythical heroism. It is interesting therefore to know the opinion of the latest great specialist in this field. Prof. Ramsay says: " But let us cut out every verse that puts Paul on a higher plane, and observe the narrative that would result: Paul twice comes forward with advice that is cautiously prudent, and shows a keen regard to the chances of safety. If that is all the character he displayed throughout the voyage, why do we study the man and his fate? All experience shows that in such a situation there is often found some one to encourage the rest; and if Paul had not been the man to comfort and cheer his despairing shipmates, he would never have impressed himself on history or made himself an interest to all succeeding times, STUDIES IN ACTS 247 The world's history stamps the interpolation theory here as false. ... It would cut out the center of the picture. . . . The superhuman element is inextricably involved in this book; you cannot cut it out by any critical process that will bear scrutiny. You must take all or leave all." Rome when Paul visited it was a city of two mil- lions of people, the cullings, good, bad, and indiffer- ent, from every nation under heaven. Conqueror and conquered, master and slave, soldier and citizen, Greeks, Jews, all sorts of barbarians, kinky-haired Africans, blue-eyed Germans, matrons as noble and chaste as the mother of the Gracchi, matrons who counted their age by the number of husbands they had had, multitudes of priests and prostitutes, armies of gladiators and droves of wild beasts, the immensely rich and the desperately poor, were mingled together in that awful pell-mell of humanity, which had as its hope against starvation the corn ships from Alexan- dria; as its chief est amusements, the midnight brawl and the blood-soaked sands of the amphitheater; and as its chief citizen Nero, at once emperor, "priest, atheist, and god." Paul's imprisonment in Rome fell within that period characterized by Gibbon as the iron age, the period that succeeded the peaceful years of Augustus, and that preceded "the golden age of Trajan and the Antinonies." There falls within the purview of New Testament history a group of the successors of Augustus which Gibbon has bunched and branded in the following summary 248 STUDIES IN ACTS way. "Their unparalleled vices, aud the splendid theater on which they were acted, have saved them from oblivion. The dark, unrelenting Tiberias, the furious Caligula, the feeble Claudius, the profligate and cruel Nero, the beastly Vitellius, and the timid, inhuman Domitian, are condemned to everlasting infamy. During four-score years (excepting only the short and doubtful respite of Vespasian's reign) Rome groaned beneath an unremitting tyranny, which exterminated the ancient families of the republic, and was fatal to almost every virtue and every talent that arose in that unhappy period." It was Nero's Rome in which Paul was imprisoned. The Rome of which Nero himself grew tired, and which he burned in the fury of his passion to invent a new sensation. Three of its fourteen precincts were utterly destroyed ; four only escaped the flames, and in these were the Imperial palaces and gardens. To these gardens the terrified populace thronged, and the monstrous Emperor, to excuse himself, charged the incendiarism on the Christians, and still fertile in the diabolical invention of sensations and spectacles, crucified some; sewed some in the skins of wild animals and thrust them out to the dogs; and others still he steeped in pitch, and thrust them out in blazing tunics to light up the gardens while he played the role of a buffoon and charioteer. This was the beginning of the persecution of Christians as Christians by the Empire, and it happened in the year 64, only four years after Paul entered the city as the STUDIES IN ACTS 249 *' bond servant of Jesus Christ. ' Gibbon has sketch- ed for us one of the transformation scenes of his- tory which in itself is suggestive of many reflections. '* The gardens and the circus of Nero on the Vatican, which were polluted with the blood of the first Chris- tians, have been rendered still more famous by the triumph and by the abuse of the persecuted religion. On the same spot a temple which far surpasses the ancient glories of the Capitol has since been erected by the Christian Pontiffs, who, deriving their claim of universal dominion from an humble fisherman of Galilee, have succeeded to the throne of the Caesars, given laws to the barbarian conquerors of Rome, and extended their spiritual jurisdiction from the coasts of the Baltic to the shores of the Facifio Ocean." So similarly history has its revenges in persons as well as places. While Nero was at the same moment claiming divine honors and outraging all human decency, Paul was preaching to the chance visitors at his home the doctrines which were destined in a few generations to do away forever with the impious hon- ors that paganism was accustomed to pay to its potentates. And in his writings, produced in part during that imprisonment, he has left enshrined the same doctrines, more enduring than the ancient Capi- tol or the modern Temple, and destined to destroy the superstitious reverence paid by devotees scarcely less than pagan to a spiritual potentate more Roman- ized than Christianized. To that obscure prisoner more than to any other except the Savior himself was 250 STUDIES IN ACTS due the reformation of the Empire in conduct and doctrines, and to him we owe in like manner the very soul and body of the sixteenth century Reformation, and of present century world-wide evangelization. He who, glorying only in the cross of Christ, was so potent to smite the idols of his own day, is still potent, through the kindred souls of Martin Luther and William Carey, to smite the more modern idols of the papacy and of paganism. Before Paul reached Rome, forty miles out at Appii Forum, and again thirty miles out at Tabernae, he was met by " brethren " from the city, " whom, when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage." There was already a church in Rome, and at least two years before Paul had addressed to these same brethren his Roman letter. There must have been some who knew him by face. Had Priscilla and Aquila gone back to Asia before Paul reached Rome? Timothy was with him much, and is associated with him in the addresses of the Colossian and Philippian letters, and in that to Philemon. Mark, touchingly mentioned as "sister's son to Barnabas" (Col. iv. 10), was with him, and Aristarchus stayed so con- stantly with him as to deserve the appellation, " fel- low-prisoner." And he had- Luke, his "beloved physician," and Epaphras, a " dear fellow-servant," and minister to the church at Colossoe, perhaps a young man, and like Timothy and Titus, a student of Paul, — for did he not have a college in Rome, and a training school for young preachers of the Word? STUDIES IN ACTS 251 And another possible student, Demas, who afterward forsook him, " having loved this present world," was with him. And lastly, Tychicus, '* a beloved brother and faithful minister of the Lord," by whom the letters to the Colossians and Ephesians were posted, was one of his companions. Ah, that hired house in Eome! Was it not at once the home of the apostle, his hostlery for friends, his pulpit, his professor's chair, and his editorial sanctum,— and his prison? Could we identify that house, could we know that spot, it should rank with Sinai in the sanc- tity, and higher than Sinai in the potency of the voice that has spoken from it ! It seems that the Jews in Eome had little to do with Paul. We have no assurance that they took part in the proceedings against him. Perhaps they considered prudence the better part of valor. They were a despised people in Rome, and they knew it; Paul was a favored prisoner, and they knew that. When he called them to him three days after his arrival, and laid his case before them, they professed to know nothing about it. They even professed a desire to hear him, for they said with a touch of malice, " As concerning this sect, we know that it is everywhere spoken against." Upon a set day they heard him from morning till evening expounding and testifying, and persuading them, *'both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets." As usual, some believed and some did not, and as usual they fell into a violent dispute among themselves. That 252 STUDIES IN ACTS Paul was in no mood to curry favor with them, but only to enlighten and persuade and warn them, is shown by his use of Isaiah's terrible anathema, de- nouncing their hardness and their hopelessness, and by his definitely expressed purpose of devoting him- self to the Gentiles (xxviii. 26-28). It seems also that the Church in Rome was not en- thusiastic in its loyalty to Paul. In the last chapter of the letter to the Colossians he names a very few disci- ples, and says, '' These only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort to me." In his second letter to Timdthy, he com- plains bitterly, and with prayers for his deserters, that at his first defense no man stood with him. Judaizers may have influenced some, but more than likely the dread of Nero's fickleness and cruelty rested like a blight upon the souls of all but Paul and the very fewest of his friends. There are some indications that at this period Paul was not penniless. He did not work at his trade, and he seems not to have depended on alms. He had his own hired house, thus escaping the loath- some prisons of that day. This house could not have been in the poorer quarters of the city, for it must have been easy of access to the soldiers, to one of whom he was chained daily while he was in Caesarea. Felix communed with him often, courting a bribe from him, which evident- ly he never received. But the fact indicates that Paul had money at his disposal (ch. xxiv. 26). STUDIES IN ACTS 253 In making his appeal to Caesar, according to Prof. Ramsay, he was entering upon an expensive line of life. We are reminded by the same author that a long lawsuit is expensive; that Roman offi- cials, such as Felix, did not look for small bribes; that " at Csesarea he was confined to the palace of Herod; but he had to live, to maintain two attend- ants, and to keep up a respectable appearance;" that he was attended, perhaps at his own expense, by Luke and Aristarchus, who to the Romans would appear as his slaves; and that at Rome, in addition to the expense of " his own hired house," he would be expected to maintain the soldier who guarded him. Prof. Ramsay's solution of this financial phase of the question is pleasing, and it casts a side light on his theory as previously referred to. Concluding that Paul must have been a man of some wealth dur- ing these years, he suggests that either he had come into possession of his hereditary property, or if he had previously been disowned by his relatives, a reconciliation had been reached, and his property was put at his disposal. If so, he was using it in defense of the faith, making his own case a test case in the highest of earthly courts. This would be in perfect keeping with the character of the man who could say, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I 254 STUDIES IN ACTS have suffered all things, and do count them but dross that I may win Christ." One question remains, that of Paul's acquittal and subsequent labors. Over this Luke has left the veil of his silence. Paul's later epistles are not decisive. It would be worse than idle to presume upon a cate- gorical decision here, when such names as those of Neander and Schaff are not in agreement. No doubt there will always be two sides to the question. How- ever, the higher probability seems to be in favor of acquittal; of subsequent work in Greece, in Asia Minor, and in Crete; of (possibly) a brief visit to Spain; of a second imprisonment, and of martyr- dom in Rome in the last year of Nero's reign. It has been assumed that Paul was chosen to take the place of Judas, the selection of Matthias not having been directed by the Holy Spirit; or of James, the brother of John, who was slain by Herod. But there is a deeper significance than that in Paul's jDresence among the apostles. Israel itself should have been God's missionary people to other peoples. But they '* rejected the counsel of God against them- selves." They would not be convinced even by the resurrection of Jesus. They persecuted the church. They murdered Stephen, and they murdered James. They were proud of their particularism, and they determined to maintain it. They were formalists, legalists, traditionalists, nationalists. They would murder, but they would not accept and teach a loft- ier faith and larger hope than such as centered in STUDIES IN ACTS 255 themselves. Even the Jerusalem church, though not overruled by the Judaizing party, was crippled by it. From that nation, therefore, and even from that church, there was no hope of a world-wide work. Paul tvas chosen to do a nation^s work, and he did it as completely as ever one mortal, divinely directed, could take the place of myriads. And moreover, he did it in spite of those myriads. The number of the Apostle Paul's students and admirers must increase with increasing ages. Among great students, whether professors of his faith or not, there is all but unanimity in eulogy. Farrar ranks him as the greatest man of all times, Christ being, of course, excepted from the comparison as being more than man. Sabatier says of him: " The lofty character of Paul has not always been properly apprehended because it has too often been considered from a narrow point of view. Its striking originality seems to be due to the fruitful combination in it of two spiritual forces, two orders of faculty which are seldom found united in this day in one personality, and which in the case of Jesus alone presented them- selves more perfectly blended and carried even to a further height than in the apostle. I mean dialectic power and religious inspiration, the rational and the mystic element. Or to borrow Paul's own language, the activity of the mind (vovs) and of the spirit (irvcv/jta)." Godet says: "The calling of Paul was nothing less than the counterpart of Abraham's. The life 256 STUDIES IN ACTS of Paul is summed up in a word; a unique man for a unique task." '* O Christianity, had thy one work been to produce a St. Paul, that alone would have rendered thee dear to the coldest reason." XIII. THE FIRST HISTORY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH "Christ is the second Adam, who, having recapitulated the long development of humanity into himself, taken it up into himself, that is, and healed its wounds and fructified its barrenness, gives it a fresh start by a new birth from him. The Spirit coming forth at Pentecost out of his uplifted manhood, as from a glorious fountain of new life, perpetuates all its richness, its power, its fullness in the organized society of humanity which l)e prepared and built for the Spirit's habitation. The church, his Spirit-bearing body, comes forth into the world, not as the exclusive sphere 6f the Spirit's operations, for 'tliat breath bloweth where it listeth,' but as the special and covenanted sphere of his regular and uniform operation, the place where he is pledged to dwell and to work; the center marked out and hedged in, whence ever and again proceeds forth anew the work of human recovery ; the home where, in spite of sin and imperfection, is ever kept the picture of what the Christian life is, of what common human life is meant to be and can become." — Lux Mundi. 358 XIII. THE FIRST HISTORY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."— Acts ii. 4. Luke is a historian. He has his method. He records facts. He does not syllogize, he does not legislate, he does not speculate. Prayer-meetings and prisons and earthquakes and miracles of release stand recorded side by side. Men and angels and sorcerers play their proper roles as belonging alike to the drama. In the same paragraph appear an ordinary journey and a miraculous conversion. In marvelous ways fishermen and publicans confront high priests and their councils; Jews mingle with Gentiles; cursing murderers are contrasted with praying martyrs; missionaries in chains cause Eoman rulers to tremble, and spiritual direction marks a pathAvay transverse to that of carnal tradition. Here miracles are mingled with commonplace mat- ters just as though they were at home there. They are written down without exclamation points. M3's- tery becomes history, and there is no interrogation. In the first church the supernatural found such a congenial home with the natural that the first his- torian of it never dreamed of questioning its rightful 259 260 STUDIES IN ACTS residence there. He simply tells about it as Caesar tells about Gaul. Among the lofty persons that move upon the stage of this history the Holy Spirit has his place, and there is such a relationship be- tween his presence and the course recorded that without the former the latter is inexplicable. Luke does not theorize, but when he sets before us a super- natural course of history, he sets before us at the same time the supernatural person that reason de- mands as its coefficient. His method is as admirable as his material is wonderful. In the book of Acts three persons above all others bear witness to a fourth. These three are the mis- sionaries Peter and Paul, and their guide, the Holy SjDirit. Reverently, these three are one in bearing witness to Christ. If the language is startling, it is intended. Here, absolutely, is where our study of the Holy Spirit in the church of Christ must begin. And no study is more needful, for the Holy Spirit has been a great sufferer in the house of his friends. There is no emulation, wrath, strife, or sedition among Christians for which the Holy Spirit has not been made to suffer responsibility. There is no schismatic or heretic but claims his guidance. The meanest ignoramus cloaks his most trifling and despicable whims under the Holy Spirit, and calls them revelations. Evangelistic follies and frenzies parade their shoutings, their shame and their dis- order as the power of the Spirit. We have listened to the profane man on the street, and we have called STUDIES IN ACTS 261 him a blasphemer, but we have not gone into our temples to condemn the blasphemy that is there, where men put the Holy Spirit himself up as a defense of their bigotry, cruelty, and hatred, and make him the inspirer of their creeds, their thumb- screws, their mj^stic ravings, and even their immoral- ities. Whittier's terrible arraignment, in his ''Brew- ing of the Soma," has a historic justification too ample by far: "As in that child-world's early year, Each after age has striven By music, incense, vigils drear, And trance to bring the skies more near, Or lift men up to heaven ! — " Some fever of the blood and brain. Some self-exalting spell. The scourger's keen delight of pain. The Dervish dance, the Orphic strain, The wild-haired Bacchant's yell, — " And yet the past comes round again, And new doth old fulfill ; In sensuous transports wild as vain We brew in many a Christian fane The heathen Soma still ! " Beginning with the history of Luke, we are re- minded of the promises of Jesus. The fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of the Gospel according to John are cardinal to the study of the Holy Spirit. In these chapters he is most frequently called the Comforter, though the original may also be translated Helper, or Advocate, understanding that the friendship meaning of that word be kept in it, 262 STUDIES IN ACTS and the forensic meaning be kept out of it. Once the Savior calls him the Spirit of truth. In these chapters the promised relationship of the Holy Spirit to the apostles is expressed under four general heads. 1. **He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John xiv. 26). 2. '* He shall testify of me" (John xv. 26). 3. *'He shall glorify me" (John xvi. 14). 4. "He will guide you into all truth" (John xvi. 13). The fourth of these is practically inclusive of the first, and the second of the third, for teaching and remembrance are the instruments of guidance, and to testify of Jesus, simply to present him as he is, is the highest glorification of him. This reduces them to two: "He shall testify of me." "He shall guide you into all truth." There is a negative promise which serves to empha- size both of these: "He shall not speak of him- self" (John xvi. 13). These explicit promises, two positive and one negative, were made on the night before the betrayal, and they have every possible prominence that can be given to them by the solem- nities of time and place. This study would by no means be complete did it not include a reference to the promise contained in John xvi. 8: "When he is come he will convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment." STUDIES IN ACTS 263 This promise has been left till the last because the convincing power of the Holy Spirit depended upon his guidance of the witnesses, and their consequent testimony regarding Jesus. It is with clear intuition of this that Godet says, *'The discourse of St. Peter at Pentecost and its results are the best commentary on this text." These promises, therefore, divinely prescribe the office and work of the Holy Spirit. Luke's history shows their fulfillment. )n the day of Pentecost the apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit in their speech, for it is said that they spoke "as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts ii. 4). The Apostle Peter's sermon was there- fore Spirit-guided, and forever as we read it we feel that it is replete with testimony concerning Christ. The apostle's answer to inquiring sinners is likewise Spirit-guided, and his command to them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus glorifies Christ by making the very imagery of his death and resur- rection the very symbol of conversion and salvation. The apostles showed their painful need of guid- ance by the last question they proposed to Jesus before his ascension. "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? " O carnal- minded men! Your mission is not to restore the kingdom to Israel, but to testify of Jesus! You have nothing to do to fight Kome, but to preach the Gospel ! With such questions foremost you are not fit for the work! Wait! "You shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you. 264 STUDIES IN ACTS and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusa- lem, and in Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth" (Acts i. 6-8). Given the Jewish, carnal-minded apostles on the one hand; on the other, the purely spiritual products of Pente- cost; then cancel from the record the agency of the Holy Spirit, and such a gap remains as the intellect refuses to sanction. Such fruit does not grow from such trees. Cause and effect are not properly matched. Such writing would seem mythical. But the miracle that the intellect demands the record pre- sents, and the writing immediately assumes the form of history. The Holy Spirit, personal, intelligent, powerful, is present, and this miracle makes all else natural. The apostles forget Israel; they remember Christ and preach him; they had trembled on the night of his betrayal, but they are heroes now ; they declare courageously and mightily the resurrection and the Lordship of Jesus; their hearers are convicted of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and the young church comes forth in the strength and beauty of a spiritual faith, a spiritual love, and a spiritual hope. The Holy Spirit is logical. Myths and " cun- ningly devised fables" do not fabricate causes that are adequate to effects like this, and interlock prom- ises with their fulfillment like this. - When Peter gave his answer to .Annas the high priest (iv. 5-12) he was filled with the Holy Spirit. His testimony was wholly for Jesus, and he exalted him to an exclusive place, saying, *' There is none STUDIES IN ACTS 265 other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." In the praise meeting that fol- lowed the acquittal (iv. 31), '* they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness." The presence and the presidency of the Holy Spirit in the church is assumed by the Apostle Peter when he accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit (v. 3). Men chosen to prominence in the church were expected to be "full of the Holy Spirit." Stephen the martyr was pre-eminently such a man (vi. 3-5). They were not able to resist " the wisdom and spirit with which he spake." The climax of his accusation against his people was that they " always resisted the Holy Spirit; " that therefore they had persecuted the prophets, and had slain Jesus, making themselves his betrayers and murderers (vii. 51-53). Undoubtedly there were visible and audible signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit. This was the rule and not the exception. The first Christians knew when the Holy Spirit fell upon them (viii. 14-20). There was something to be seen and heard that Simon wanted to buy, and his groveling mistake gave his name to the world as a synonym for all filthy, lucrative traffic in holy things. The mission of Ananias to Saul was not simply to baptize him, but also **that he might receive his sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Pres- ently this Spirit-filled man *' preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God," and thus 266 STUDIES IN ACTS was performed the " office work " of the Holy Spirit, and the glorification of Jesus (ix. 17-20). When the churches in Judaaa and Galilee and Samaria ''walked in the fear of the Lord, and the comfort of the Holy Sj)irit," they were multipiied and edified (ix. 31). The Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his house- hold before their baptism. Thus he guided the Apostle Peter and the church into the transforming truth that the Gentiles were to be received just as the Jews were, simply upon the basis of the presentation of Christ and of faith in him. " What was I that I could withstand God?" said Peter afterward in mak- ing his defense to his Jewish brethren in Jerusalem (x. 44-48, and xi. 15-18. See also essay on '' The First Gentile Convert") . In the first council (xv. 6-11) this fact was used by Peter as an unan- swerable argument. Of Barnabas it is said, "He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith," indicating that the Holy Spirit finds hospitality where goodness and faith also dwell. Under the ministry of this man in the Gentile Church of Antioch " much people was added unto the Lord." No doubt this good and faithful man was Spirit-led also when he did so wise a thing as to seek out Saul and make him an associate in his ministry (xi. 22-27). In the thirteenth chapter of Acts there is the record of a new movement. The camp of the Lord with its pillar of fire must now move forward into STUDIES IN ACTS 267 the darkness of pagan lands. The church must become a foreign missionary society. The historian is very emphatic in the part he assigns to the Holy Spirit in this movement. " The Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where- unto I have called them." Here the Holy Spirit, fulfilling his "office work" in guiding the church and glorifying Jesus, calls the men and commands the church to send them out. But, as though this were not explicit enough, the matter is restated in the fourth verse in language as plain as language can be. "So they being sent forth by the Holy Spirit departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." From this time the Apostle Paul becomes the leading character in the book, and the Holy Spirit is his closest companion. Filled with the Spirit, he re- buked Elymas, the sorcerer (xiii. 9-11.) Forbidden by the Spirit, he refrained from a missionary journey through Northern Asia Minor, and soon discovered that the Spirit was guiding him, by the help of the "Man of Macedonia," into Europe (xvi. 6-10). Thus he was led to preach in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. At Ephesus he found disciples of John, to whom he imparted the Holy Spirit, after they were baptized in the name of Jesus. " And they spake with tongues and prophesied " (xix. 1-7). He would not be dissuaded from going to Jerusalem, though the Holy Spirit assured him that in that city, as in every other, bonds and afflic- 268 STUDIES IN ACTS tions awaited him (xx. 22, 23). He reminded the elders of the church in Ephesus that the Holy Spirit had made them overseers of the flock^(xx. 28). In his last recorded speech, and therefore, so far as this record goes, his last meeting and parting with his Jewish brethren, he charged them in the name of the Holy Spirit, quoting Isaiah, of blindness and deaf- ness, and hardness of heart (xxviii. 16-28). ^ Still one other noteworthy referehx)e~^airns~lts place among the above. When the Church in council rendered its decision as to the status of the Gentiles it claimed to be Spirit-guided, saying, as an introduction to the decision, " It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us ... " (XV. 28). Having collated the Scriptures and summarized the history pertinent to the theme, it remains to offer some reflections and leave the reader to judge wheth- er they are legitimate conclusions. The Holy Spirit was the guiding genius of the church. He made it cosmopolitan, and he made it missionary. His was the presence, often but not always, of an audible, visible, intelligible intelligence. This pres- ence, called metaphorically the baptism of the Spirit, was not confined to the apostles, nor even to the first Gentiles in the home of Cornelius. The promise of "the gift of the Holy Spirit" (ii. 38), must upon any fair construction refer to this presence. To the re-baptized disciples of John in Ephesus was granted this presence (xix. 1-6). The study STUDIES IN Acfrs 269 upon this point may be carried forward into the epistolary writings, especially the first letter to the Corinthians. This presence was conditioned upon the preaching of the Gospel, and might either precede or succeed, but never supersede, baptism. The book of Acts gives us no indication of an in- tention on the part of the Holy Spirit to resign his office in favor of a written word. If there was such an intention, or such a resignation, the record of it must be found elsewhere. The apostles had no written word by which they could be guided in the building of a cosmopolitan, missionary church. The New Testament had yet to be created, and to be created by them under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament would not do, for its cult is neither cosmopolitan nor missionary. The narrow limits of its legalism were a constant o:ffset to the aspirations of its prophet- ism. But the Holy Spirit supplied the place of a book, and how much more one dares not attempt to say. Nevertheless, Christians can never cease to remember with gratitude that they have from the Holy Spirit while he dwelt audibly and visibly in the church, the gift of a collection of books, which we call the New Testament, and which, as distinguished from the Mosaic Bible, is the Christian Bible. Revelation was the work of Jesus; inspiration was that of the Holy Spirit. ** He shall not speak of himself. He shall take of mine, and shall show it 270 STUDIES IN ACTS unto you." The quickening of the memory of the apostles, the fitting of their words to the needs of the hour, the adjustment of men and measures to the accomplishment of ends that were desirable, as in the appointment of the seven deacons and the sending out of Paul and Barnabas, are indicative of the whole tenor of his inspirational work. Jesus himself revealed himself to Saul of Tarsus; after the revelation the Holy Spirit became Saul's helper. This placed him upon the same basis of revelation and inspiration that belonged to the other apostles. It is evident that the relation of the Holy Spirit to us cannot be identical with that to the apostles. He cannot quicken our memories with the words of Jesus as he did theirs, for Jesus has not spoken to us as to them. He cannot use us in an evidential way as he did them, for we have never seen and heard Jesus. It may be for this reason that there are not given to us the extraordinary powers of the Spirit, such as healing and speaking with tongues. The immediate conversion of sinners was not the work of the Holy Spirit. That would be mysticism. But through men to testify to the man Christ, and through men to glorify the man Christ, and through men to take of the things of Christ and show them to the world,— this was his work. Christ is the reve- lation of truth. It is truth that convicts. It is evi- dence that substantiates truth. Along this rational highway the Holy Spirit guided the apostles and the first church in the work of evangelization. STUDIES IN ACTS 271 Does the Holy Spirit abide in the church to-day, and does he make his home with Christians individu- ally? We do not work miracles; we do not proph- esy; we do not speak with tongues. But, — "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. '> Have we the fruit of the Spirit? This only is our oapital question. " No more from rocky Horeb the smitten waters gush; Fallen is Bethel's ladder, quenched is the burning bush. The jewels of the Urim and Thummim all are dim; The fire has left the altar, the sign the teraphim. No more in ark or hill or grove, the Holiest abides ; Not in the scroll's dead letter, the eternal secret hides. Have ye not still my witness within yourselves alway? My hand that on th3 keys of life for bliss or bale I lay? Still in perpetual judgment, I hold assize within, With sure reward of holiness, and dread rebuke of sin. My Gerizim and Ebal are in each human soul ; The still, small voice of blessing, and Sinai's thunder roll. The world will have its idols, and flesh and sense their sign ; But the blinded eyes shall open, and the grossest ear be fine. What if the vision* tarry? God's time is always best ; The true light shall be witnessed, the Christ within confessed." Even so. *' The Christ within!" And no less also the Christ without; the historic Christ; the risen, the ascended, the now regnant Christ shall be con- fessed. And that through the witness of the Holy Spirit, also historic, and speaking overmore as Peter spoke on Pentecost, as Paul spoke in Antioch, in Athens, in Corinth, and in Rome. XIV. EXCURSUS. THE APOSTLE PAUL AS ORGAN- IZER AND UNIFIER "Nothing is essential to the conversion of the world but the union and co-operation of Christians. Nothing is essential to the union of Christians but the apostles' teaching or testimony. Neither truth alone nor union alone is sufficient to subdue the unbe- lieving nations. But truth and union combined are omnipotent. They are omnipotent, for God is in them and with them, and has consecrated and blessed them for this very purpose." — A. Campbell, Christian System. 374 XIV. EXCURSUS. THE APOSTLE PAUL AS ORGANIZER AND UNIFIER. "Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings." — Acts xxiv. 17. The Apostle Paul's emergence in history is as an organizer and leader of men. At the first mention of his name there is a recognition of his primacy in persecution. '*The witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul." A moment later the historian, speaking still further of the martyrdom of Stephen, says, '*And Saul was consenting to his death." And still a moment later, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women, com- mitted them to prison." There for a time in solitary prominence of blood-stained activity, with strangely mournful, and even frightful and terrible introduc- tion, Luke leaves his hero standing. No less than nine chapters, and at least twelve passages of the New Testament, bear witness to the thoroughness and the terror of his organized persecu- tions. Aside from him, no other persistent and sys- tematic persecutor is brought before us. It is well to note a number of these passages, for they have not received the attention they deserve in making up our 275 276 STUDIES IN ACTS estimate of Paul's character and influence. The word havoc, used in one of the passages quoted above, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and Farrar tells us that in the Septuagint and in classic Greek it is applied to the wild boars that uproot a vineyard. In close connection with this word, so graphic of destruction, it is said that "he entered into every house, and haling men and women, committed them to prison," indicating an organized and systematic, as well as a relentless, per- secution. In the first verses of the ninth chapter of Acts, there is the record of his " threatenings and slaughter," which he is described as ''breathing •out," and also of his plan for an authorized and organized campaign of persecution among all the synagogues of Damascus. In both these passages it is especially noted by Luke that he did not spare women even. His fame as a persecutor had pre- ceded him to Damascus, for Ananias says, "I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name." The apostle himself, both in his speeches and his letters, has told us of his persecutions with such brevity and emphasis as are indicative of painful recollections, but also in such terms as to show sys- tem and thoroughness. In Acts xxii. 4 he sa3's: "I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women." In STUDIES IN ACTS 277 chapter xxvi. 10, 11 he says: "Many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I pun- ished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities." In I. Cor. xv. 9 he calls himself the least of the apostles, because he "persecuted the church of God." In Gal. i. 13 he says that "beyond measure be persecuted the church of God and wasted it." And in I. Tim. i. 13 he refers to his former life in language of almost unrestrained self-condemnation as having been "a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insulter in word and deed." There is every indication that this man's work of persecution was not spasmodic and haphazard, but that it was a well concerted and definitely directed plan for the extermination of Christianity, and there appears in it all the genius of leadership, of action, of organization, and of direction. It is interesting to speculate upon the probable history of the young church had this man not been converted. It seems not too much to say that the weight of this one man's influence, as thrown into the scale for or against Christ, meant all but all of life or death to the cause of Christ. It is impossible to say how much Paul had to do with the organization and inception of the first for- eign missionary enterprise of the Antioch church. 278 STUDIES IN ACTS The Holy Spirit is represented as taking the initia- tive, and saying, *' Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have appointed them." Instruction and inspiration are closely correlated in the Gospel, and it is not improbable that the teach- ing of Barnabas and Saul had prepared the church for the movement authorized by the Holy Spirit. However, it is a fact that Paul Avas a leader in the work from the first, and that before the evangeliza- tion of the island of Cyprus was completed, he became the leader in it. The moment in which his name was changed from Saul to Paul fixes the date of his recognized leadership in the evangelistic move- ments of the church (xiii. 9). There is a definite statement to the eifect that the second missionary journey was proposed by Paul (xv. 36). After his disagreement with Barnabas, he chose Silas, "and departed, being recommended by the brethren to the grace of » God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the churches." The choice of Silas is significant, and has a bearing on the Jewish-Gentile controversy, as we shall see below. The third missionary journey had its beginning as described in Acts xviii. 23. Paul departed from Antioch, "and went through all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples." During this journey he did his great work at Ephesus, passed through Macedonia and STUDIES IN ACTS 279 Greece, and returned through Macedonia to Troas on his way to Jerusalem. These journeys are so briefly narrated that upon casual reading we by no means get the full impress of their significance. We should picture to ourselves an evangelistic movement extending from Jerusalem and Antioch in Syria through Cilicia, Lycaonia, Pisidia, Galatia, Caria, Lydia, Mysia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Italy, and the islands of Cyprus and Crete; as the chief figure in the personnel of this movement, Paul, supporting himself a part of the time at least by daily labor, yet preaching and lec- turing constantly in schools or synagogues or his own private house; selecting and training young men, such as Timothy and Titus and Epaphras and Onesi- mus*and Aristarchus and Tychicus and Trophimus, and sending them out as messengers and evangelists and overseers, thus taking upon himself "the care of all the churches;" through amanuenses and messen- gers posting to the churches of his creation imper- ishable letters; suffering constant and many times perilous persecution; now stoned, now imprisoned, now and again fronting furious mobs, and now and again shipwrecked; organizing churches; ordaining elders; restraining lawlessness; proclaiming liberty; meanwhile not forgetting *'the poor saints that were in Jerusalem," but intent upon carrying out in their behalf a general and thoroughly systematized series of collections among the churches of Galatia, Mace- donia, and Achaia; all the while also defending the 280 STUDIES IN ACTS Gospel from the attacks of Judaizers on the one hand, and on the other from the most imminent dan- ger of internal discord — all this and more must go to make up an adequate summary of that majestic movement, which had Christ for its inspiration, and the Apostle Paul for the first of its human agencies. To many a church other than that in Corinth he might have written, saying, "Though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." In the organization of churches the Apostle Paul seems to have been guided by three principles. There was first, the historic or conservative prin- ciple, viz., his regard for the constitution of the Jewish synagogues which were to be found in every considerable city. Upon the synagogue plan the Mother Church in Jerusalem was modeled, and the Gentile churches held continuity with it by being similarly organized. This was a point not to be despised as regarded the question of unity. The official functions of the elders (otherwise presbyters or bishops), and of the deacons or ministers, were derived from the synagogue, the elders of the one corresponding to the elders of the other, and the deacons of the one to the almoners of the other. In the synagogue there was also a ** legate of the con- gregation," or *' leader of divine worship," whose reproduction we seem to have in *'the angel of STUDIES IN ACTS 281 the church," the officer addressed in the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation. Upon their first missionary journey the apostles Paul and Barna- bas took care that elders were appointed in every church (Acts xiv. 23). Paul, having left Titus in Crete, instructed him to appoint elders in every city (Titus i. 5). In these passages nothing is said about deacons, a significant silence, surely. Perhaps that office was not considered immediately essential to the young churches. However, Paul, in writing to the Philippian church, addresses the "bishops (elders) and deacons;" he also instructs Timothy as to the character of the men who should be appointed to this office (I. Tim. iii. 12). It is a matter of gvevt moment that the synagogue, rather than the temple, became the model of the first churches. The latter, with its sacrificial service and sacerdotal orders, drops entirely out of the problem, and as a factor in the organized work of Christianity seems to have been as entirely discarded as though it had never existed. There is never in the record of any Christian church of apostolic origin the slightest intimation of anything like the old altar forms of worship, and the priestly class of the Mosaic cult is left absolutely behind in the transition from the one dispensation to the other. No apostolic Christian ever posed as a priest except in the sense that they all, from the least to the greatest of them, were both "kings and priests unto God." All priestly func- tions, aside from these most general ones that per- 282 STUDIES IN ACTS tain to the whole body of believers, were forever gathered up into his person who died for us, and who by reason of his resurrection is ** Priest forever after the order of Melchisedec," that is, after an order wholly independent and unique. The claim of any professed Christian that he is more priest than another, is an ignorant or an impudent usurpation of Christ's office, and likewise an ignorant or an im- pudent blasphemy against his blood-bought mediator- ship. There were no altar forms of worship, there- fore, nor was there any priestly class in the churches organized by Paul. In the Pauline dispensation the brother who "is apt to teach," or to dispense alms, has forever taken the place of the skillful slayer of beasts, the sprinkler of water and blood and ashes. In the second place, Paul was governed by the prin- ciple of liberty under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Pauline churches were far from being limited in their organization to the synagogue model. The new wine of the Spirit could not be imprisoned in the old bottles. Two lists of functions within the church, whether official or charismatic, are given by Paul, one in I. Cor. xii. 28, and the other in Eph. iv. 11. These lists are not in entire correspondence, and therefore the apostle must not be considered as treating the subject from a technical, much less a legalistic standpoint. Indeed such treatment would seem to be foreign to the genius of Christianity, for where the Spirit is there is liberty rather than legality. In the first of these lists it is hard to say STUDIES IN ACTS 283 where the official functions end and the charismatic ones begin, and perhaps we do not need to attempt a rigid distinction. Perhaps we get a better view of the official freedom and spiritual genius of Chris- tianity by leaving them as the apostle has left them. "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that mir- acles, then gifts of healings, helps (^. e., functions of the diaconite; Variorum Bible), governments (z. e., functions of the presbyterate ; Variorum Bible), diversities of tongues" (I. Cor. xii. 28). "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teach- ers" (Eph. iv. 11). As intimated above, our present interest in these lists lies in the fact of their differences. Neither includes all the offices or gifts of the other, and we are led to this conclusion, viz., that there were some offices and gifts in the Corinthian church that were unknown to the Ephesian church, and vice versa; or this, viz., that the Apostle Paul did not care to be technically exact in his enumeration. In either case there is an indication of liberty rather than of legal- ism, and in the former of diversity in unity. Sabatier, in his work entitled, "The Apostle Paul," has the following suggestive paragraph bear- ing upon this point. "All development implies variety; and hence the apostle perceives and acknowledges in the church diverse offices, gifts, and ministries (I. Cor. xii. 4). To each of these 284 STUDIES IN ACTS separate gifts he allows free and full development; and through them the wealth of life in the church is manifested. But on the other hand these different charisms proceed from one and the same spirit (I. Cor. xii. 11). And with love as their common inspiration, all tend to the same goal, the perfecting of the whole body of the church. So the unity of the church is, in the first instance, broken up and expanded into a rich variety; but this in turn is absorbed into the supreme unity. Such is the or- ganic and harmonious development of the life of the church." In the third place, Paul was governed by the prin- ciple of expediency in many matters pertaining to organization. No doubt it was expedient that Titus should be left in Crete to set in order the things that were wanting (Titus i. 5); to ordain elders in every city; and to exhort and rebuke with all authority (ii. 15). This seems to indicate an office distinct from any yet named, and so far as Paul's writings go it is left without a name. Was Titus the overseer of all Crete, and was he then a bishop over the congre- gational bishops, and is there here a precedent for the episcopal form of church polity? The position of Timothy in Ephesus is similar to that of Titus in Crete. When Paul went into Macedonia he found it expedient that Timothy should abide in Ephesus (I. Tim. i. 3); that he should have general super- vision of doctrine; of the appointing of elders and deacons (I. Tim. iii.), and of the salaries of eld- STUDIES IN ACTS 285 ers (I. Tim. v. 17), granting double pay or support (honor is the euphemism used by Paul) to those who should rule well ; and with authority also to rebuke and exhort under certain limitations. Intense in- terest attaches to the position and functions of these two men. But whatever conclusions we may come to regarding them there is no record of similar officials having been sent into other regions or cities, such as Macedonia or Achaia, or Philippi or Corinth. It is argued, therefore, that in the Apostle Paul's judg- ment it must have been simply a matter of expedi- ency that these men should be stationed permanently, the one in Crete, the other in Ephesus, with func- tions superior to those of the elders of the congrega- tions; and that, on the contrary, in his judgment the exigencies in other churches or districts did not call for such an expedient in the way of organization and government. Another example of the rule of expediency in church organization is found in the office of the Pair onus or Patrona, not many notices of which are given us in the New Testament. There is one clear case, however, if the interpretation of Kurtz may be relied on. In Rom. xvi. 1 and 2 we have the follow- ing language: "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that ye receive her in the Lord as becom- eth saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever busi- ness she hath need of you; for she hath been a succourer (Protectress; Variorum Bible) of many, 286 STUDIES IN ACTS and of myself also." Kurtz in his Church History characterizes this as *' a peculiar kind of ministry which must soon have developed as something indis- pensable to the Christian churches throughout the Hellenic and Roman regions, so deeply grounded in the social life of classical antiquity was the part played by the patron. Freedmen, foreigners, pro- letarii could not in themselves hold property, and had no claim on the protection of the laws, but had to be associated as Olientes with a Patronus or Patrona^ who in difficult circumstances would afford them counsel, protection, support and defense. As in the Greek and Roman associations for worship this relationship had long before taken root, and was one of the things that contributed most materially to their prosperity, so also in the Christian churches the need for recognizing and giving effect to it became all the more urgent in proportion as the number of members increased for whom such sup- port was necessary. Phebe is warmly commended as such a Christian Patrona (Protectress) at Cenchrea, the port of Corinth, among whose numerous clients the apostle himself is mentioned. Many inscrip- tions in the Roman catacombs testify to the deep impress which this social scheme made upon the organization, especially of the Roman church, down to the end of the first century, and to the help it gave in rendering that church permanent." It would be impossible to find a better example of an office created entirely upon the principle of ex- STUDIES IN ACTS 287 pediency, or one more completely discarded as the conditions passed away from which it sprang. The Apostle Paul, though thus engaged in his great enterprises of evangelization and organization, was at the same time equally intent upon preserving the unity of the body of Christ. Aside from Christ's high-priestly prayer as recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John, the New Testament literature upon the subject of unity is almost wholly from the pen of Paul. His pictured logic of unity is embraced in the figure of the church as a body with many members and many functions, but moved by the same spirit (Rom. xii. 4 and 5; I. Cor. xii. 12); in his figure of the church as the body of which Christ is the head (Eph. i. 22 and 23; iv. 15 and 16); and in his figure of the one body with the one spirit, answering to the one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. iv. 4-6). He was quick to chide the church in Corinth for its incipient divisions; he exhorted the Christians in Rome to be of the same mind one toward another; he prays the Philippians to fulfill his joy by maintaining like-mindedness, having the same love, being of one accord; he instructs both Timothy and Titus to avoid foolish and unlearned questions because they gender strifes*; he commands that those who cause divisions shall be marked and avoided, and that the heretic shall be rejected after a first and second admonition. These references are sufficient to show how constantly the Apostle Paul 288 STUDIES IN ACTS kept the unity of the church before his mind, how close it was to his heart, and how jealously he guarded it. There is still one other principle that enters into the Apostle Paul's dealings with churches of such a general and comprehensive nature as to deserve sep- arate classification and treatment. It is a principle inherent in the very substance of the Gospel, and to eliminate it would be well-nigh to eliminate the Gos- pel as a social force from the affairs of societies and nations. It is the democratic or brotherly principle of government, and although it is a matter of prime importance it must be dismissed here in a single paragraph. The Apostle Paul never lorded over the congregations ; he did not dogmatize ; he did not dic- tate; he was not a pope. He instructs, he advises, he entreats, he pleads and prays, but never permits himself to go beyond the affection of a father and the persuasion of an elder brother. It was not his to claim dominion over faith, but to be a helper in joy (II. Cor. i. 24). He ranks himself with Apollos as being only a minister (deacon) through whom the Corinthian Christians came to their faith (I. Cor. iii. 5). As a father he warns the Corinthians, appeal- ing to them as his beloved sons, and reminding them that though they may have ten thousand instructors they cannot have many fathers (I. Cor. iv. 14-17). Withdrawal from a brother was enjoined as an action on the part of the whole church, the apostle assum- STUDIES IN ACTS 289 ing only a spiritual presence in the affair (I. Cor. V. 1-5). Kurtz presents us with an excellent summary of this matter in the following sentences : '* Confining our- selves to the oldest and indisputably authentic epis- tles of Paul, we find that the autonomy of the church in respect of organization, government, discipline and internal administration is made prominent as the very basis of its constitution. He never interferes in those matters, enjoining and prescribing by his own authority, but always, whether personally or in spirit, only as associated with their assemblies, de- liberating and deciding in common with them." The means thjit the Apostle Paul adopted as look- ing to the permanent unity of the church are of transcendent interest in a time like this, when many of the choicest spirits in many of our denominations are longing for the reunion of Christ's mournfully dissevered body. The Jewish-Grentile question was the all but insur- mountable one of the Apostle Paul's day, and no question was ever fraught with greater dangers to an incipient movement. To the Jews, the Gentiles were despicable and hateful, and to the Gentiles the Jews were already a hiss and by-word. In manners and morals they were in antipathy; in faith and wor- ship they were in antagonism. The prejudices and traditions of many generations had intensified the natural dislike between monotheists on the one hand, and polytheists on the other; between social and cer- 19 290 STUDIES IN ACTS emonial cleanness here, and lustful and idolatrous pollutions there; and finally, between peoples each alike proudly conscious of the divine choice in their own behalf, and as proudly convinced of the divine abandonment of all others. Christianity set herself to the problem of recon- ciling these irreconcilables, and aside from the influ- ence of the Gospel and of the Holy Spirit in regen- eration, the Apostle Paul's is by far the largest factor in the work. He seems from the first to have deter- mined upon two things, namely, that the liberty of the Gentiles should not be infringed, and that the unity of the church should not be disturbed. Not legislation, or creed formulation, but education, prudence, and brotherly love were the factors upon which he relied in the solution of the problem. It is impossible to say how much the Apostle Paul had to do in bringing about the first council (treated in a previous Essay), but it is very like a work of his from first to last. We know that he was at Antioch when the proposition was made to go up to Jerusa- lem to the apostles and elders about the matter, and such a proposition would come naturally from one so fertile in methods and so desirous of conciliating as Paul. We know also that Paul was one of the dele- gates sent up to Jerusalem (Acts xv. 2), and we know that he conferred privately with the leading apostles or members of the Jerusalem church, " lest by any means he should run in vain " (Gal. ii. 2). His pri- vate conference (a mark of his prudence, by the STUDIES IX ACTS 291 way,) with such as " were of reputation," must have had much to do with the favorable decision of the council, and is not to be forgotten in our estimate of Paul's leadership upon the questions of liberty and union. Then, how graciously he accepted the compromise, and how promptly he went out among the Gentile churches, " delivering them the decrees for to keep." The council and the decrees were educational and prudential as related both to the Jews and the Gentiles. In several other respects, Paul's prudence is ad- mirably shown. First, when he could no longer be accompanied by Barnabas he chose Silas. Now Silas was a representative man of the Jerusalem church, a prophet, and an exhorter, and one of the brethren chosen to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch when they delivered the decrees. By making this man his traveling-companion and yoke-fellow among the Gentiles, he shielded himself from the suspicions of the Jewish Christians, and he gained among the Gentile Christians a double confirmation of the decrees. The circumcision of Timothy was another pruden- tial measure. Here no principle was at stake, inas- much as Timothy's mother was a Jewess, a point that Luke makes especially prominent (Acts xvi. 1-3). Upon his last visit to Jerusalem, at the suggestion of James, Paul undertook to purify himself with the four men who had a vow, and to be at charges with 292 STUDIES IN ACTS them. This also was a prudential measure (Acts xxi. 21-24). Paul could conscientiously do this, being a Jew, but we cannot imagine him enjoining it upon any Gentile. No doubt it had the desired effect upon Jerusalem Jews, for we are told that the disturbance was created by '' Jews which were of Asia." It is a meaningful fact that succeeding every one of his great missionary journeys, Paul made a visit to Jerusalem. After his first missionary journey came the council in Jerusalem. At the close of his second journey, having landed at Csesarea, he went up and saluted the church in Jerusalem before he went down to Antioch (Acts xviii. 22). At the close of his third journey, he determined to go up to Jeru- salem, even at the risk of his life, and that though he was longing even then to visit Rome. He refused to be dissuaded from this visit, and said: '* Behold, I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Spirit witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of tlie grace'" of God" (Acts XX. 22-24). Why was he so intent upon reaching Jerusalem? Others could have carried and distributed the alms entrusted to hiiii. Though he planned to reach the city by Pentecost, he must long since have come to STUDIES IN ACTS 293 look upon the Mosaic feasts as of no vital import- ance. But that he, the apostle to the Gentiles, should keep in touch with the mother church, that he should in person refute the falsehoods of the Judaizers, that he should report, as Peter did upon his return from Csesarea, the work of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles, and that he should hold close the bonds of mutual knowledge and regard between these two peoples, — this was a matter of the first importance. These visits, therefore, were most highly prudential. Supreme above all else in the Apostle Paul's con- structive policy was the principle of love. One never sees it treated nowadays as a fundamental principle of unity, and yet that is what Paul made of it both theoretically and practically. Over all elo- quence and offices and gifts rises love; over faith and hope even rises love. Paul agrees with John in making love the highest orthodoxy, and the deepest heresy, hate. The thirteenth chapter of First Corin- thians is not a panegyric only; it is a union platform. Where love to Christ is supreme, faith cannot get far away from him, and where love toward men is, there follows a community of learning and faith. Therefore faith needs scarcely any other defense than love, and union scarcely any other bond. Our sins against the law of love have been the heaviest cross of heresy that the body of Christ has had to bear, and of all destructive isms, Cainism has been the most destructive. 294 STUDIES IN ACTS But Paul did not rest in panegyrics; he was a man of action as well as diction. How did he apply his union platform of love to the Jewish-Gentile controversy? By reason of persecution, or famine, or from some cause unknown, there were many poor saints in Je- rusalem. Twice the Apostle Paul came bringing help from Gentile Christians, once from Antioch at the time of the famine, when he and Barnabas re- mained probably many months ministering to the needy; and once from the Gentile Christians of Galatia and Macedonia and Achaia. The poor Jew- ish believer, receiving his daily food for months at a time from the hands of Paul, and recognizing that it came from uncircumcised believers, or at least from a mixed church, must have had his heart grad- ually but also greatly softened on the subject of Gen- tile circumcision. Unless his own heart were of stone, it must have been borne in upon him that after all, though his Gentile benefactors bore not in the flesh the mark of Abraham, yet their brotherly hearts were sufficiently circumcised. " All hearts confess the saints elect Who, twain in faith, in love agree ; And melt not in an acid sect The Christian pearl of charity." The contributions from the churches of Galatia and Macedonia and Achaia must have been on a large scale. For a long time these churches had been gathering systematically, "laying by them in store STUDIES IN ACTS 295 as the Lord prospered them," and bringing it to- gether weekly at their Lord's day worship. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul la^'S this w^ork upon them, and in his second letter, written several months later, he praises them for their forwardness in it, and assures them that he has been boasting of them to the Macedonian Christians (L Cor. xvi. 1; II. Cor. ix). The philosophy of Christian union that the Apostle Paul sees in this is expressed with delicacy but not with uncertainty in the following verses: ''For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but abound- eth also through many thanksgivings unto God; seeing that through the proving of you by this min- istration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the Gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution unto them and to all; while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceed- ing grace of God in you." Ah! There, instead of hair-splittings, and suspicions, and coldness, and alienations; instead of the bandying back and forth of ugly words, and prolonged discussions upon mooted points — there was " sweet charity," and the fruits of it, and the thanksgivings to God by reason of it, and Jews and Gentiles (wonderful! wonder- ful!) longing after one another because of the ex- ceeding grace of God thus discovered. Thus prac- tical love was made by the magic of the Gospel and management of Paul the solvent of the most uncon- 2i^6 STUDIES IN ACTS querable disagreements, and that hard old world in which hatred and warfare were the rule, with sel- dom an exception in favor of friendship and peace; in which there was not an asylum for the blind, or a hospital for the leper, or a home or a heart for an abandoned babe; in which clannishness was esteemed a virtue, and inter-ethnic charity was unknown, saw Jew and Gentile rise up together in the spirit of Christ's love to call each other blessed! O Logic, thou hast never wrought miracles like this! O Unity of Love, we still search for thee as for the Holy Grail ! Biting and devouring one another, we search by logic in the spirit of legalism for unity. We in- variably come back from our search torn and empty- handed, and the world does not say, *' Behold how these brethren love one another." NOTES AND COMMENTS PREFACE TO THE NOTES AND COMMENTS. The general purpose of this part of the work is briefly expressed in the Preliminary Essay, page 25. It may be said further that the plan and scope of the Essays precluded the treatment of many impor- tant passages. It is hoped that the Notes and Com- ments will be found to supply the deficiency thus necessitated, and that the work as a whole may there- fore fairly claim for itself a goodly degree of com- pleteness as a treatise upon Acts. In the treatment of chapters xxvii. and xxviii, it will be noticed that the dates assumed by Prof. Kamsay for the Apostle Paul's voyage to Rome, and consequently his first imprisonment there, are earlier by a year and a half or two years than those com- monly agreed upon. Whether Prof. Kamsay's chro- nological scheme can command general acceptance remains to be seen. The dates are important as fixing those also of the letters written from Rome; moreover the earlier dates give the ampler time for the labors attributed by some to the apostle after this imprisonment, namely, his visit to Greece and Asia Minor, his evangelization of Crete, and possibly a journey into Spain, and quite certainly the writing of the pastoral epistles. 300 PREFACE TO THE NOTES AND COMMENTS It will be observed that the Notes and Comments have, as a rule, no other order or connection than the very natural and simple one of the chapters and verses. In the few instances where there is a departure from this order the references embraced in the body of the text will, it is hoped, sufficiently guide the reader, thus avoiding foot-notes and mar- ginal references. Wherever in the Essays reference is made to the Notes or Comments it is invariably to this part of the work, and to the passage in hand. NOTES AND COMMENTS. CHAPTER I. 1. "The former treatise." Referring to the Gos- pel according to Luke. ** First" rather than "former" in the original, the superlative indicating, as some suppose, Luke's intention to write a third treatise. "Theophilus." An unknown person. Called in the introduction to Luke's Gospel, "most excel- lent," an epithet in the original "technical and dis- tinctive," and used by Luke as implying equestrian rank. Accordingly, Theophilus was a Roman officer, whose Roman name is not known, Theophilus being his baptismal name. "It has an important bearing on Luke's attitude to the Roman State that his work is addressed to a Roman officer who had become a Christian."— P?'o/. W. M. Ramsay. 2. "Was taken up." The resurrection necessi- tates the ascension. It was not expedient that Jesus should abide upon earth. He could not again pass away from earth by the gates of death. The miracle of his ascension, therefore, naturally rounds out the miracle of his earthly presence. "The reality of such a fact as that related by Luke in his account of 301 302 STUDIES IN ACTS the ascension is indubitable, both from the stand- point of faith in the resurrection and from the standpoint of faith in general. The ascension is a postulate of faith." — Godet. 3. *' Infallible proofs." " The adjective here has no representative in the original. The Greek word signifies some sign or token manifest to the senses, as opposed to evidence given by witnesses." (Luke xxiv. 36-44; John xx. 24-30; I. John i. l-?>.)—Oam- hridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. "Being seen of them forty days." In the last chapter of his Gospel Luke omits chronological statements; here he gives a definite statement of time. There is no discrepancy. **SpeakiQg of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." These talks of Jesus in his risen state! With the emi^hasis of his five wounds ! Could the disciples ever forget them? Could they be deceived? Was it not in his old-time style, inimitable, that he spoke, and did he not speak continually about the object of his life and death, namely, the kingdom of his Father? 5. "Baptized with the Holy Spirit." A striking metaphor. It is to be understood in analogy with John's baptism. "Their spirits were as literally and completely immersed in the Holy Spirit (e. g., on Pentecost, ch. ii. 1-4) as their bodies had been in the waters of Jordan." — Prof. J. W. McGarvey. 6. "Wilt thou at this time restore again the king- dom to Israel?" Pathetic question! One of the NOTES AND COMMENTS 303 most pregnant passages in the book. Contrast the worldly, temporal, carnal longings here expressed with the spiritual preaching of Pentecost, and see therein the miracle promised above in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the need of it. (Essays I. and XIII.) 8. *'And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." The last recorded words of Jesus. Absolutely, this is a for- eign missionary commission. The Lord gives in his last sentence the boundary of his love, and makes the mission of his followers identical with it. It was his design that the earthly limits of our faith should become co-extensive with the earthly limits of limit- less love. 11. "Easter Morning, 1883.— Our task is ended, and we also worship and look up. And we go back from this sight into a hostile world, to love, and to live, and to work for a Risen Christ. But as earth's day is growing dim, and, with earth's gathering darkness, breaks over it heaven's storm, we ring out — as of old they were wont, from church tower to the mariners that hugged the rock-bound coast — our Easter bells to guide them who are belated over the storm-tossed sea, beyond the breakers, into the desired haven. Ring out, earth, all thy Easter chimes; bring your offerings, all ye people; worship in faith, for — 'This Jesus, which was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going 304 STUDIES IN ACTS into heaven. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.' " — Edersheim: Last paragraph of ''Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.'^ 12. *'Then returned they unto Jerusalem." See Luke xxiv. 47, 49, 52. It was a bold stroke to begin at Jerusalem. *' These things were not done in a corner." Thus the city that crucified Christ stands in witness of the birth of his church through all ages. 14. "And Mary the mother of Jesus." Thus in prayer the Scriptures leave our Savior's mother. In the Scripture she worships, but never is worshiped. Her child Jesus is her Savior, even as he is ours, and to worship her is to worship a fellow-worshiper. **And with his brethren." *' These are called (Matt. xiii. 55; Mark vi. 3) James, Joseph (or Joses), Simon and Judas, and are here clearly distinguished from the apostles, which shows that James the son of Alpheeus, and James the Lord's brother, were different persons." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, 18. "And falling headlong, he burst asunder . . ." " There is a difference but no contradiction in the accounts given by Matthev/ (xxvii. 1-5) and Luke. Matthew does not say what happened to the body of Judas after he hanged himself; nor does Luke say what he did to himself ere he fell headlong and burst asunder in the midst. We have not the link to connect his act of suicide with what befell his body; but the two facts are in no sense at variance." — Ormiston, NOTES AND COMMENTS 305 "There is scarcely an American or English jury that would scruple to receive these two accounts as perfectly consistent." — Alexander. 19. *'Iu their proper tongue." This, in connec- tion with Col. iv. 9 and 14, is used by Paley in his "Horse Paulinse." Though not so convincing as many of the "undesigned coincidences," which he uses with great power, it has weight, and is a good example of his method. Had the writer of Acts been a Jew he would scarcely have said " their tongue." The indication, therefore, is that the writer was a Gentile. Now in Colossians the Apos- tle Paul refers to Aristarchus, Marcus, and Jesus who is called Justus, as being "of the circumcision." Then he refers to Epaphras, Luke, and Demas, as though they were not " of the circumcision." If this inference is correct, the two passages harmonize in indicating the Gentile extraction of Luke. The author says, "Though this may bear the appearance of great nicety and refinement, it ought not, perhaps, to be deemed imaginary." 22. "To be a witness with us of his resurrec- tion." The resurrection is the cardinal fact. It is the one miracle necessitated by all others in the his- tory of Jesus, and explanatory of them. Back from this, link by link, we trace the line of his life till we reach his miraculous conception; and forward from this we trace link by link, the miraculous deeds of his apostles, the miraculous birth of his church, and its majestic spiritual march through that ancient 20 30G STUDIES I^ ACTS world. Edersheim, reviewing the " vision hypothe- sis," and other rationalistic theories antagonistic to the account of the resurrection, concludes, " The historical student is shut up to the simple acceptance of the narrative. The great fact itself," he says, " may unhesitatingly be pronounced that best estab- lished in history." Godet, as quoted by the same author, tells us that Strauss admits that the church would never have arisen if the apostles had not had unshaken faith in the resurrection of Jesus. " This faith of the apostles would never have arisen unless the resurrection had been a true historical fact." To the student of the Gospels and Acts, and of Jewish history and human nature, the resurrection of Jesus is an intellectual necessity. 25. "That he might go to his own place." Pre- cisely. That is where we all shall go. The expres- sion is pregnant. It is the conclusion of all argu- ments upon the question of the future. Justice and mercy unite to fit the immortal spirits of men into their eternal niches. As to restoration of the wicked? " A tenderer light than moon or sun, Than song of earth a sweeter hymn, May shine and sound forever on, And thou be deaf and dim. " Forever round the Mercy -seat The guiding lights of love shall burn ; But what if, habit-bound, thy feet Should lack the will to turn?" — Wh Utter : ' ' The Answer. ' ' NOTES AND COMMENTS 307 26. "And the lot fell upon Matthias." Never during the presence of Jesus did the apostles cast lots; and never after the Holy Spirit came upon them. For a little while left to themselves, they fall into this weakness. Was Matthias not an apostle then? In chapter vi. 2, the tioelve are spoken of, though Paul was not yet chosen, thus evidently in- cluding Matthias. Then with Paul there were thir- teen, and with Barnabas (xiv. 14) there were four- teen. And if Andronicus and Junias (Variorum reading) may be counted (Rom. xvi. 7), there were sixteen. We should not draw the lines too rigidly around official names and numbers. CHAPTER II. 1. " When the day of Pentecost was fully come." In A. D. 30, on the 27th of May, on a Sunday, ac- cording to Meyer and Schaff. For the discussion of this intricate and interesting subject, reference is made to the authors named, the first in his commen- tary on Acts, and the second in his History of the Apostolic Church. Here, therefore, at the birth of the Church of Christ begins the Sunday, or First Day, or Lord's Day worship on the part of the Church. It is doubtful if the Gentile Christians ever kept the Mosaic Sabbath. There is evidence that the Jewish Christians, while still keeping the Jewish Sabbath, kept also the remembrance of the Lord's resurrection on the first day of the week. 308 STUDIES IN ACTS " The church always celebrated Pentecost on Sunday, the fiftieth day after Easter — which likewise always falls on Sunday." — Schajf. The disciples in Troas met together on the first day of the week to break bread (xx. 7). The Corinthian Christians were ex- horted to make their offerings to charity upon the first day of the week (I. Cor. xvi. 2). Little weight one way or the other belongs to the argument in favor of the creational Sabbath. The resurrection of Jesus and the inception of his church are to the world events quite as significant as that of creation itself. However, there is an argument well worthy of notice in favor of our Sunday being the creational Sabbath. " The ancient nations all about the Jews devoted the first day of the week to what was at first the chief symbol of God, and then the chief god, the sun, calling it Sunday. This holy day was strangely enough one day after that of the Jews. This remarkable fact may be explained by the theory of many scholars, with which the Scriptures harmon- ize, that the first day Sabbath, which Adam be- queathed to all nations — not under that name, how- ever — was at the Exodus changed for the Jews only as a sign of their separation, and a protection against idolatry, to the preceding day, this change continu- ing until the ceremonial mission of the Jewish peo- ple had been completed. Then the Savior buried in his own grave, by sleeping there on Saturday, the Jewish part of the Sabbath — its sacrifices and its order in the week — partly because Christians now NOTES AND COMMENTS 309 needed to be separated from Jewish ceremonies as much as the Jews of the Exodus needed to be sepa- rated from the heathen days of worship; partly be- cause the narrow Jewish dispensation was now to give place to one as broad as mankind, which called for a return on the part of the Jewish Christians to the original Sabbath of Adam." — Crafts: The Sahhath for Man. See also his references to the arguments of Rev. James Johnston and others. Of Exodus xvi. he says: "Many learned men find in this chapter evidence that the Sabbath was set back one day at the Exodus." *' It is remarkable that the day of the giving of the law was celebrated throughout the Jewish ages without one word in the Old Testament to indicate that it was designed to commemorate that event. In like manner the day of the week on which the Holy Spirit descended has been celebrated from that time to this, though no formal reason is given in the New Testament for its observance. The resurrection of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit are of such transcendent importance, that all minds agree at once in attributing to them, and especially to the former, the celebration of the day." — Prof. J. W. McGarvey. ** Very soon, alongside of the Sabbath, and among Gentile Christians instead of it, the first day of the week as the day of Christ's resurrection began to be observed as a festival." — Kurtz: Church History. How far this observance was from the solemnity 310 STUDIES IN ACTS and the legalism of the Jewish Sabbath is indicated by this phrase, '* a festival." Professor Zahn of Erlangen is more positive than Prof. Kurtz in his de- scription of the free and joyful, rather than the legal- istic, character of the day. He says: "The Chris- tians of the first three centuries never thought of regarding the Sunday as the continuation of the Jew- ish Sabbath, or even to call this day 'Sabbath ' — the day of the Lord, referring to Christ, being the name uniformly used. If we ask the Christians of the earliest centuries, the oldest witnesses to the idea of Sunday, for the reason which they had in marking this one day above all the rest, they will with one voice declare, ' We celebrate this day because Christ on this day arose from the dead.' The Sunday was for them a weekly recurrence of the Easter festival. Throughout Sunday was regarded as a day of joy." 4. "And they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." "At this moment was performed the proper act of inspiration, which forms, in some degree, the con- tinuation in the apostles of the incarnation of the Word. Inspiration is as much a practical as a theo- retical process. It is communication as well of life as of the knowledge of Christ, and affects not only the subsequent writings of the apostles and evan- gelists, but also all their oral instructions. Hence- forth they always spoke, and wrote, and acted, out of the fullness of the Spirit. He was the peryading and NOTES AND COMMENTS 311 controlling principle of their entire moral and relig- ious being. This supernatural equipment was their solemn ordination and inauguration to the apostolic office. " The effects of this miracle were in perfect keep- ing with such a creative beginning, and with its vast significancy for the future. Among them we must distinguish (1) the speaking with tongues, or the uttering of the new life in the form of praise and prayer; (2) the testimony of the apostles concerning Christ, given in intelligible language to the assembled multitude; . . . (3) the result of this preaching, the conversion and baptism of three thousand Israel- ites." — Schaf: History of the Apostolic Church. 6-12. These verses are the best possible commen- tary upon verse four. The efforts of many critics to rid the account of its amazingly miraculous element cannot be said to have succeeded. Such efforts can be entertained only on the supposition of a mixture of the mythical with the historical, that is, by doing violence to the history. Hackett emphasizes the fact that, "Critics who would explain away the reality of the miracle admit that it was the writer's intention to record a miracle." Exemplifying this, he quotes Meyer: "The other tongues are to be considered, according to the text, as absolutely nothing else than languages which were different from the native lan- guage of the speakers." 17. "The last days." The transition period from the old dispensation to the new, beginning prac- 312 STUDIES IN ACTS tically with the preaching of John the Baptist and ending with the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 A. D. Within this period the prophecy of Joel finds its fulfillment. 23. Here God's plans and man's wickedness are brought into striking contrast. ^' What God does he from the first intends," and the spirit of his intent as regards the delivering up of Christ is expressed in John iii. 16 — " God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son." Against this goodness there were raised the "wicked hands" of men. 24. '*Whom God hath raised up." This one word "God," as it is used in the Bible, is the explan- ation of all that is miraculous. God's agency was the Apostle Paul's final argument in favor of the resurrection. " Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?" (xxvi.8). So far from the resurrection being impossible, it was on the contrary not possible that Jesus should "be holden of the travail-pains of death." Jesus, speaking in strangest, tenderest strains of his Fath- er's love, says of his life, "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John x. UlS). 27. "Hades." Thus in the Revised. It is the Greek word brought over, as there is no English word precisely suited to its translation. It means quite literally unaeen, and is used to represent the place of the dead. In Luke xxiii.43 Jesus calls it NOTES AND COMMENTS 313 paradise. '*The word occurs in the New Testament eleven times, and is rendered by the word hell in every instance except one (I. Cor. xv. 55), where it is rendered grave. In no instance does it mean hell as that word is now commonly undertood, . . nor in any case does it necessarily mean grave. When it is said that the soul of Christ was not left in Hades — unhappily rendered in our version, hell — the real meaning is that his soul was not left in the abode of separate spirits, whither it went at death, even as his body did not remain in the grave where it was laid after his crucifixion." — Ormiston. 36. This is the climax of the sermon. Its rhetor- ical effect must have been terrible. The antithesis between God's deed and man's is absolute. On the basis of the resurrection the apostle declares the Lordship and Messiahship of Jesus, and boldly charges his hearers with the murder of their " Lord and Christ." 38. " What a definite and complete answer and promise of salvation! The repentance demands a change of ethical disposition as the moral condition of being baptized."— 3ie?/e?'. Not only is the answer "definite and complete," but it is definitely and completely in keeping with Christ's commission. (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15, 16; Luke xxiv. 47). "Be baptized." "Baptism, which our Lord in- stituted at his departure from earth, meets us in the Christian form on the first Pentecost in intimate 314 STUDIES IN ACTS connection with the preaching of the Gospel. As to its nature and import, it appears as the church- founding sacrament and the outward medium of the forgiveness of sins and the communication of the Holy Spirit. It is the solemn ceremony of reception and incorporation into the communion of the visible church and of Jesus Christ its head. Hence Paul calls it a putting on of Christ (Gal. iii. 27), a union into one body by one Spirit (I. Cor. xii. 13), a wash- ing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Tit. iii. 5), and a being buried with Christ and rising again with him to a new and holy life (Kom. vi. 4), . . . Finally, as to the outward mode of adminis- tering this ordinance, immersion and not sprinkling was unquestionably the original, normal form. This is shown by the very meaning of the Greek words used to designate the rite. Then again, by the analogy of the baptism of John, which was performed in the Jordan (Matt. iii. G, 16; Mark i. 9). Further- more, by the New Testament comparisons of baptism with the passage through the Red Sea (I. Cor. x. 2), with the flood (I. Pet. iii. 21), with a bath (Eph. V. 26; Tit. iii. 5), with a burial and resurrection (E-om. vi. 4; Col. ii. 12). Finally by the general usage of ecclesiastical antiquity which was always immer- sion (as it is to this day in the Oriental and also in the Grgeco-Russian churches) ; pouring and sprink- ling being substituted only in cases of urgent neces- sity, such as sickness and approaching death." — S chaff: History of the Apostolic Church, pp. 565 and 568. NOTES AND COMMENTS 315 Kurtz, in speaking of the constitution, worship and discipline of the first church, dismisses baptism in a single sentence: " Baptism was administered by com- plete immersion (Acts viii. 38) in the name of Clirist or the Trinity." Prof. Stifler, in his recent " Introduction to the Book of Acts," calls attention to the emphasis placed upon baptism at the beginning of each new cycle in the missionary record. First, at Pentecost; secondly, at the home of Cornelius upon the admission of Gen- tiles to the church; thirdly, at the conversions of Lydia and the Philippian jailer, the beginning of the church in Europe. One of the very latest of recent great authorities. Prof. Sanday, in his commentary on Romans, treats the sixth chapter of Romans, vv. 1-5, as follows: ''Baptism has a double function. (1) It brings the Christian into personal contact with Christ, so close that it may be fitly described as a union with him. (2) It expresses symbolically a series of acts corresponding to the redeeming acts of Christ. "Immersion. Death. *' Submersion. Burial (the ratification of death.) " Emergence. Resurrection. "All these the Christian has to undergo in a moral and spiritual sense, and by means of his union with Christ. As Christ by his death on the cross ceased from all contact with sin, so the Christian, united with Christ in his baptism, has done once for all with sin, and lives henceforth a reformed life dedicated to 316 STUDIES IN ACTS God. (This at least is the ideal, whatever may be the reality). Act then as men who have thrown off the dominion of sin. Dedicate all your powers to God. Be not afraid; Law, Sin's ally, is superseded in its hold over you by grace." It would be hard to find in the English language a more graphic and explicit description of immersion and its meaning than Prof. Sanday has given in this paraphrase of the third and fourth verses of this sixth chapter of Romans. 46. "And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness." " In the apostolic period the Lord's Supper was celebrated daily, at least where the circumstances allowed of daily worship. After the manner of its institution and the analogy of the Jewish feast of the Passover, it was connected with a simple meal of brotherly love, which afterward (first in Jude 12) came to be called 'agape,' or love feast. Origin- ally this arrangement was connected in the church at Jerusalem with the community of goods', the Chris- tians considering themselves as one household. The celebration of the communion, it is commonly sup- posed, was the closing of the daily social feast, and the earthly food was thus sanctified by the heavenly bread of life. Yet it is possible that even in the apostolic church, as in the second century, the com- munion took place in the morning and the love-feast in the evening. Then the profanation of the latter NOTES AND COMMENTS 317 in the Corinthian congregation can be better ex- plained; whereas on the supposition of the imme- diate union of the two, it would be doubly strange." — Schaff: History of the Apostolic Church. With this Neander and Kurtz and Fisher are in almost precise agreement. CHAPTER III. 1. "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour." Here Luke begins the history of the first persecu- tion, which comprehends this and the following chapter down to the thirtj^-second verse. There he resumes the history of the Jerusalem church. (See Essay HI.) The continuance of the Temple-worship on the part of the apostles is to be noted. Their separation from the Jewish cult was necessarily gradual. Per- haps the Apostle Paul alone saw clearly not only the liberty but the need of an entire separation from it. However, the Apostles Peter and John make their Temple-worship the occasion of the exaltation of Christ, using Moses as a witness for him (iii. 22), putting his name above every name, and declaring his exclusiveness as Savior (iv. 10-12). 7. "His feet and ancle bones." "The words in the original are found no where else in the New Tes- tament. They are of a technical character, and their 318 STUDIES IN ACTS use, together with other features of the exact description of the cripple's case, indicate that we have before us the language of the physician (Luke, the beloved physician, Col. iv. 14). It is hardly pos- sible to dwell too strongly on indications of this kind, which indirectly mark in the history something which is likewise noted in the Epistles. Those who would assign the second century as the date of the composi- tion of the Acts, must assume for their supposed writer the keenest appreciation of every slight allu- sion in the letters of Paul, and at the same time an ability to let his knowledge peep out only in hints like that which we have in this verse. Such persons, while rejecting all that is miraculous in the story as we have it, ask us to believe in such a writer as would be himself almost a miracle for his powers of observation and the skill with which he has employed them." — Camhridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. See also ch. xxviii. 8. The argument in this para- graph is of the nature of that used with such com- plete effect by William Paley in his "Horoe Paulina3," though this application of it seems not to have been noted by him. 19. "Repent ye therefore, and turn again" (Revised Version). **The word convert has received much ongrowth of meaning since the A. V. was made. The same word is well rendered (xi. 21), *A great number believed and turned unto the Lord.' " — Camhridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. *'That your sins may be blotted out." *'The idea NOTES AND COMMENTS 319 of the forgiveness of sins is here represented under the figure of the erasure of a handwriting (Col. ii. 14; Ps. li. 9; Isa. xliii. 25). Baptism is not here expressly named as in ii. 38, but was now understood of itself, seeing that not long before thousands were baptized; and the thought of it has suggested the figurative expression of blotting out, namely, by the water of baptism. The causa meritoria of the forgiveness of sins is contained in verse 18 (the suffering of Jesus); the causa apprehendens (faith) is contained in the required repentance and conver- sion." — Meye7\' Co^nmentary on Acts. *'When the times of refreshing shall come." *' Peter conceives that the times of refreshing and the Parousia will set in as soon as the Jewish nation is converted to the acknowledgment of Jesus as Mes- siah. It required a further revelation to teach him that the Gentiles were to be converted — and that directly, and by way of proselytism — to Christ (ch. x)." — Meyer. Light is thrown upon vv. 19-21 by reference to ch. i. 6. Evidently the Apostle Peter is advancing, but there is still a lingering hope that the Messiah may yet be the King of Israel. Spite of this, however, the Holy Spirit leads him to the declaration of a purely spiritual Gospel (v. 26). 20. **And he shall send Jesus Christ." "The reference is certainly to an objective and not subjec- tive advent. It is a matter of dispute in what man- ner the apostles regarded the second coming of 320 STUDIES IN ACTS Christ. In all they were so engrossed with it that they lost sight of intermediate events; it was the object of their earnest desire ; the period was indeed concealed from them, but they continually looked forward to it; they expected it as that which might occur at any moment. Afterwards, as revelation disclosed itself, and the course of Providence was developed, they did not expect it to occur in their days. Paul especially seems to have regarded it as an event in the remote future, and cautions his con- verts not to be shaken in mind or to be troubled, as that the day of Christ was at hand (II. Thess. ii. 2). The precise period of the advent, we are informed by our Lord, formed no part of the divine revelation ; it was designedly left in uncertainty by God." — Gloag : Quoted by American Editor of Meyer's Com- mentary on Acts. CHAPTER IV. 2. "Being grieved that they taught the people." This is always a great source of grief to such conser- vatism as takes the form of dogmatism and dema- gogism. Too much popular intelligence is not con- genial to kingcraft and priestcraft. The New Testa- ment is the hand-book of Protestantism, and Christ- ianity is fertile of democracy. '* Other religions say. Keep the people in the dark. Christianity says. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Other religions NOTES AND COMMENTS 321 draw a screen, as Pythagoras lectured from behind a curtain to his disciples; and from behind a screen they mutter their unintelligible incantations. Chris- tianity lifts its banner, throws it out upon the willing wind, and on it is written, ' This thing was not done in a corner.' By the compass of its mission, by the universality of its speech, by its chivalry of philan- thropy, I ask you to adjudge to Christianity the palm of all the religions of the world. Other religions are philosophies, philosophies only; Christianity is a Gospel. ' ' — Joseph Parher. 7. "By what power, or by what name have ye done this?" "Beware of that point of thought in which you turn your religion into a piece of meta- physical inquiry. It is at that point that Christianity is often defeated in her most beneficent purposes. What did the learned men say? They wanted to go into the ways and means, and to analyze what we now call the modus operandi. They wanted to turn this question into a metaphysical inquiry. Instead of accepting the man, the healed man, the concrete, positive, indisputable fact, they wanted to lure the apostles and those who followed them into meta- physical quagmires and difficulties. . . . Chris- tianity rests on facts, not opinions."— Jose^i Parker. 13. "Perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men." The scribes perceived this of Peter and John. But what was their learning? The knowledge of the Mishna and the Gemara, the tradi- tions of the older scribes, the Sopherim, and the 21 322 STUDIES IN ACTS commentaries upon these traditions. They had exalted these traditions and traditions upon tradi- tions above the law of Moses, "making the law of none effect by them" (Matt. xv. 6). The tendency of their traditional trifling was to make men punc- tilious but not magnanimous. The most insignificant affairs of life were regulated by absolute laws, and when these became too burdensome, as in the case of the Sabbath laws, they resorted to casuistry to get rid of their own legalism, thus breeding hypocrisy side by side with punctiliousness. Hence the awful denunciation of the Savior in the twenty-third chap- ter of Matthew. That chapter is full of the very thunders and lightnings, the withering flashings and threatenings of the judgment throne of the Eternal, and it must stand forever in the literature of the world as the most tremendous and appalling rebuke upon that bigotry and hypocrisy which is begotten of tradition and pride and legalism and casuistry. The following is Farrar's characterization of the teaching of these men who found Peter and John "unlearned and ignorant." "The teaching of the scribes was narrow, dogmatical, material ; it was cold in manner, frivolous in matter, second-hand and iter- ative in its very essense; with no freshness in it, no force, no fire: servile to all authority, opposed to all independence; at once erudite and foolish, at once contemptuous and mean, full of balanced inference and orthodox hesitancy and impossible literalism; intricate with legal pettiness and labyrinthine system; NOTES AND COMMENTS 323 elevating mere memory above genius, and repetition above originality, concerned only about priests and Pharisees, in temple and synagogue, or school, or Sanhedrin, and mostly occupied with things infinite- ly little." ** The Rabbinical schools," according to the same author, *' in their meddling, carnal, superficial ^spirit of word-weaving and letter-worship, had spun large accumulations of worthless subtlety all over the Mosaic law. Among other things they had wasted their idleness in fantastic attempts to count and classify and weigh and measure all the separate com- mandments of the ceremonial and moral law. They had come to the sapient conclusion that there were 248 aflirmative precepts, being as many as the mem- bers of the human body, and 365 negative precepts, being as many as the arteries and veins, or the days of the year; the total being 613, which was also the number of the letters in the decalogue. They arrived at the same result, from the fact that the Jews were commanded (Num. xv. 38) to wear fringes (tsitsith) on the corners of their tallith bound with a thread of blue; and as each fringe had eight threads and five knots, and the letters of the word tsitsith makes 600, the total number of command- ments was, as before, 613'." Mr. J. Paterson Smyth, who is a generous critic of the Talmud, calls it, nevertheless, " A vast and tan- gled mass of ancient lore," and says that, ** At times the reader, wandering through the pages of nonsense 324 STUDIES IN ACTS that these wise sages wrote, will feel almost a sym- pathy with the belief of Carlyle, that nine out of ten men are fools, and he would not like to say too much about the tenth." "The Mishna," says Edersheim, *' in an extreme- ly curious section, tells us how on Sabbaths the Jewesses of Arabia night wear their long veils, and those of India the kerchief round the head, custom- ary in those countries, without incurring guilt of desecrating the holy day by needlessly carrying what, in the eyes of the law, would be a burden; while in the rubric for the Day of Atonement we have it noted that the dress that the High Priest wore between the evenings of the great fast — that is, as the afternoon darkened into evening — was of the most costly Indian stuff." The Mishna classifies thirty-nine different kinds of work by which the guilt of Sabbath-breaking should be incurred. The schools of Shammai and Hillel differed as to whether or not an egg laid on a feast day should be eaten the same day, Hillel taking the ground that it should not. The first of the seven treatises of the third part of the Mishna djscusses the law found in Deut. xxv. 5-9. "Its first section may give a good idea of the manner of the Mishna. Fifteen women free their rival wives and their rival's rivals, from shoe-pulling and brother's marriage to the world's end. HLs daughter (the dead brother's wife being the daughter of a surviving brother), son's daughter or daughter's daughter; his wife's NOTES AND COMMENTS 325 daughter, wife's son's daughter, or wife's daughter's daughter; his mother-in-law, or mother-in-law's mother, father-in-law's mother; his sister on the mother's side, mother's sister, or wife's sister, and the wife of his brother by the mother's side, and the wife of his brother who was not alive at the same time with him, and his daughter-in-law; all these free their rival's wives.''— M' Clmtock arid Strong, Triflers versed in such lore as this discovered that Peter and John were "unlearned and ignorant men!" *' They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus." They found in them a freedom, bold- ness, and originality that could have been acquired only in the school of Christ. They heard from these disciples a tone of authority that awoke within their guilty souls the echoes and the terrors of Christ's mighty pleadings and warnings. These Spirit-moved men appealed directly to the heart of nature, to the conscience of man, and the throne of God. Never in Rabbinical schools could they have learned to say, " Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." 32. " One heart and one soul ; . . . all things common." "Each felt that he held his possessions only as a trust, and if occasion called for it they were to be given up. Such love toward one another Christ had foretold (John xiii. 35). All those who have sketched a perfect society, as Plato in his Republic, and Sir Thomas More in his Utopia, have placed among their regulations this kind of community of 326 STUDIES IN ACTS goods which was established by the first Christians. In theory it is the perfection of a commonwealth, but there is need of perfection in the citizens before it can be realized." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. "There is in many of the aspirations and aims of communism a certain marked sympathy or harmony with the ideals of Christianity. What is best in it has come from the teachings of Galilee. The sense of human brotherhood between rich and poor, the sympathy with the unhappy laboring masses of the world, the duty of allowing every human being the highest possible use of his faculties, the aversion to the deceit and fraud so often characteristic of commerce, the opposition to the selfishness of com- petition, the horror of war of the Socialists, the aspect of property as a fund for the good of all — all these are plainly reflections from that light which shone eighteen centuries ago from the hills of Judsea." — Charles Loring Brace, ** There was a time when labor leaders were chiefly prophets of future Utopias. High ideals are of great value. Without them there is sure to be low achieve- ment. But impossible or extravagant ideals, or ideals whose achievement is too remote, are of doubtful utility. The early communistic ideals usually repre- sent their industrial heaven on earth as achieved with impossible suddenness and impossible sinlessness. Labor leaders have abandoned such ideals, but their NOTES AND COMMENTS ^27 critics are still bombarding the emi3ty forts." — Crafts: Practical ChHstian Sociology. Coinmuuism has been proposed as a panacea for social ills. In the case of Ananias (v. 1-5) it did not cure covetousness and lying. If ever there is to be a successful communistic state it must be an effect rather than a cause. Nevertheless, is there not much in this voluntary communism of the first church to cause present-day Christians, looking back upon it and also upon the world around them, to pause and think, and possibly pray? '* There are sad children sitting in the market-place, who indeed cannot say to you, We have piped unto you and you have not danced; but eternally shall say to you, We have mourned unto you and ye have not lamented." — Rus- hin: Crown of Wild Olive, Here in this young church was a state so intensely spiritual as to bring into subjection the whole material side of life, the directly reverse of that described by Tennyson — " When the poor are hoveled and hustled together ; each sex like swine ; When only the ledger lives, and when only not all men lie." 328 STUDIES IN ACTS CHAPTER Y. 1-11. The account of Ananias and Sapphira has an evidential value which is thus presented in the Cambridge Bible for Schools: ** The narrative with which this chapter commences is one which none but a veracious narrator would have inserted where it stands. The last chapter concludes with a descrip- tion of the unity of heart and soul which prevailed among the brethren, and expressly notices that all were filled with the Holy Spirit. But as among the Twelve there was a Judas, so into the infant church there had intruded two at least whose professions were not sincere, and who were unworthy of the gifts of grace which, with the rest, they had received. The o:ffense of Ananias and Sapphira showed con- tempt for God, vanity and ambition in the offenders, and utter disregard of the corruption they were bringing into the society. Such sin, committed in spite of the light which they possessed, called for a special mark of the Divine indignation, and to those who, likewise filled with the Spirit, knew all that had been done, and why it was done, there is no shock produced by the terrible doom of the sinners, nor any language employed in the narration but the plainest and simplest. A late compiled story would have enlarged and spoken apologetically on the rea- sons for such judgment, and would not have pre- NOTES AND COMMENTS 329 sented us with a bare recital of facts without comment." **I was told of persons who were supposed to be worth five and twenty thousand pounds that at the communion of the Lord's Table never contribute a coin, but put in the communion card alone. Is it possible? Thy money perish with thee. Keep it; keep it. Take it in the coffin with thee. Do insist upon having it there. Make a pillow of it; make a footstool of it; make a lining of it. Keep it, thou whited sepulcher! Ananias lied without speaking, and that is the worst form of falsehood. The blun- dering speaker of a lie may be converted; but the actor of a lie can only be killed. ... To bring ray piece, and lay it down as if it v/ere all, can any atheist stab the Christ of God so far as that? O Church of the living God! conversion must begin within thee; and then the fire will burn, and throw out its happy influence upon the wide circumference, and there shall be joy in the presence of the angels of God over a prodigal Church, repentant and returned." — Joseph Parker, 13. "And of the rest durst no man join himself to them.'* Already the church was a strange, great body. It was unique in the midst of a nation that was unique. It had appropriated Solomon's Porch as its place of worship, and there daily, in the cap- ital city of the nation, in the central sanctuary of the nation, surrounded by the priests and the populace that had murdered Jesus, in the midst of multitudes 330 STUDIES IN ACTS of native and foreign worshipers, its members preached and prophesied and wrought miracles, and rebuked lying and covetousness with the death pen- alty, and overawed the rulers, and were magnified of the people. They were a city set on a hill. Christ, by the price of his blood, had not lit this candle to be put under a bushel. Within one year the Jews of the whole world must have known of this church and its majestic, miraculous presence in their temple courts. 34. ** Gamaliel, a doctor of the law." Grandson and disciple of the great Hillel. At his feet Paul sat (xxii. 3). He was a member of the Sanhedrin dur- ing the reigns of Tiberias, Caligula, and Claudius, and was probably for some time president of the council. The school of Hillel was more liberal than that of Shammai, and the advice of Gamaliel on this occasion is that of a judicial mind. It is possible that the Christian church owes much more to this man than appears in this chapter. Was it from this man that the Apostle Paul received the germs of that free and judicial style of thought that gave him such a transcendent place among the apostles, and made him the father of Gentile Christianity? Such a mind when enlightened by the Gospel must also have among its forces revulsion from the endless and worse than trivial disputes that engaged these two great schools. About the egg laid on the Sabbath the schools of Hillel and Shammai disputed till there grew from their discussions a whole treatise of the NOTES AND COMMENTS 331 Talmud, occupying seventy-nine pages, and entitled Beza, i, e., The Egg. But why should we smile at these ancient conscientious triflers? What a treatise could be gathered up from current religious (?) lit- erature, and entitled, not The Egg, but The Organ! or The Vestments ! or The Posture ! or The Validity of Orders ! or Hooks and Eyes ! or Standing Collars ! or The Sisters' Caps! or The Mustache! These are burning questions in respective schools of present- day triflers and traditionalists, the children by direct descent of spiritual punctiliousness of the pot wash- ers and gnat strainers and neglecters of love and judgment and mercy that «Tesus condemned. "As to the speech of Gamaliel, I accept it every word. Gamaliel gives me the only conditions the church ever ought to ask for: To be left alone to carry out her own policy, and to realize the results of her own conception of faith. As a Christian teacher I have no right to ask to be heard at the expense of any other man. Let Theudas speak, let Judas of Galilee speak, and when they are done, let the Chris- tian speaker make his appeal, and 'the God that answereth by fire let him be God.' Let Socrates conduct his dialogue, let Seneca read his moral proverbs ; let every man have all the hearing which he demands, and when they are done let us hear what Christ of Nazareth has to say, and *the God that answereth by fire let him be God.' Christianity is nothing if it is not heroically fearless." — Joseph Parker. 332 STUDIES IN ACTS 36, 37. Theudas and Judas. Josephus, as quoted in the Cambridge Bible for Schools, says: **At this time (z. e., in the days when Varus was president of Syria) there were ten thousand other disorders in Judaea, which were like tumults. . . Judsea was full of robberies, and whenever the several compa- nies of the rebels could light upon any one to lead them, he was created a king immediately." Here is a glimpse at the desperadoes of the time, who, but for the strong hand of Rome, would have ruined everything. Contrast with them the leadership of Jesus, and the ministries of his disciples. CHAPTER VI. 1. "And in those days, when the number of disci- ples was increased." With the growing church there came perplexing problems, and there was no law for their solution. In this case the apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, resorted to the principle of expediency, and appointed a committee of seven. This is the beginning of the office and work of the deacons, though these seven men are not called deacons. The name of the office arises from the Greek word used by the apostles in proposing their appointment. It is used by Paul as the designation of an office in I. Tim. iii. 10 and 13. The first churches, how- ever, allowed great liberty in official matters. One of these men, Philip, is better known as an evangelist than as a deacon. According to Acts xi. 30, the NOTES AND COMMENTS 333 elders of the Jerusalem church had charge of the charities. Indeed, the New Testament references to men and their offices and their work are so varied as to indicate that the spirit of love and the rule of expediency were the controlling principles. John Ruskin has spoken with great spiritual insight upon this question, and his words may be taken with very slight grains of salt. "The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the corner-stone. Well, we cannot have two founda- tions, so we can have no more apostles or prophets. Then, as for the other needs of the church in its edifying on this foundation, there are all manner of things to be done daily, — rebukes to be given; com- fort to be brought; threatonings to be executed; charities to be ministered; and the men who do these things are called, and call themselves, with absolute indifference, deacons, bishops, elders, evangelists, according to what they are doing at the time of speaking. St. Paul almost always calls himself a deacon; Peter calls himself an elder (I. Pet. v. 1), and Timothy, generally understood to be addressed as a bishop, is called a deacon (I. Tim. iv. 6) — for- bidden to rebuke an elder (v. 1), and exhorted to do the work of an evangelist (II. Tim. iv. 5). But there is one thing which, as officers, or as separate from the rest of the flock, they never call them- selves, — which it would have been impossible, as so separate, they ever should have called themselves; 334 STUDIES IN ACTS that is — PRIESTS. It would have been just as possi- ble for the clergy of the early Church to call them- selves Levites, as to call themselves ( ex officio ) priests. The whole function of priesthood was, on Christmas morning, at once and forever gathered into His Person who was born in Bethlehem; and thenceforward all who are united with Him, and who with Him make sacrifice of themselves, that is to say, all members of the invisible church become at the instant of their conversion, priests, and are so called in I. Pet. ii. 5 and Rev. i. 6 and xx. 6, where, ob- serve, there is no possibility of limiting the expres- sion to the clergy; the conditions of priesthood being simply having been loved by Christ, and washed in his blood. The blasphemous claim on the part of the clergy of being more priests than the godly laity — that is to say, of having a higher holiness than the holiness of being one with Christ, — is altogether a Romanist heresy, dragging after it, or having its origin in, the other heresies respecting the sacrificial power of the church officer, and his repeating the oblation of Christ, and so having power to absolve from sin; — with all the other endless and miserable falsehoods of the papal hierarchy; falsehoods for which, that there might be no shadow of excuse, it has been ordained by the Holy Spirit that no Chris- tian minister shall once call himself a priest from one end of the New Testament to the other, except together with his flock." — John Ruskin: Construc- tion of Sheep/olds. NOTES AND COMMENTS 335 2. "It is not reason (pleasing) that we should leave the word of God to serve tables." The move- ment for the appointment of the deacons is not placed on the basis of law, or precedent, or revela- tion even, but of what is pleasing (the Greek word means that); proper, we may say; expedient, is Paul's word. A division of labor was proper. It was not proper that the apostles should become dea- cons of tables, but that they should, praying contin- ually, be deacons of the Word. The mechanism of this church was ruled by prayer and love; it was therefore flexible, and therefore adaptable to emer- gencies, and therefore capable of continued enlarge- ment in continued unity. Dogmatism and legalism and unloveliness at this point would have divided the church. Side by side with the care of the apostles for the preaching of the Word was their care for neglected widows. Could the Apostle James have had this early experience in mind when he defined *'pure religion and undefiled? " 7. "A great company of the priests became obedi- ent to the faith." *' No fact recorded by Luke shows so strikingly the effect of the Gospel upon the popu- lar mind in Jerusalem." — Prof. J. W. McGarvey. With the increase of influence came intensity of opposition. Here begins the record of the persecu- tion and martyrdom of Stephen. (See Essay IV.) 336 STUDIES IN ACTS CHAPTER VII. 1. "Then said the high priest, Are these things SO? " For a moment the Sanhedrin seemed over- awed by that transfigured face of which Augustine has written as though himself enraptured by it: ** O lamb, foremost of the flock of Christ, fighting in the midst of wolves, following after the Lord, but still at a distance from him, and already the angel's friend! Yes, how clearly was he the angel's friend, who, while in the very midst of wolves, still seemed like an angel ; for so transfigured was he by the rays of the sun of Righteousness, that even to his enemies he seemed a being not of this world." The evidential value of the speech called forth by this question has been noticed and emphasized by Meyer. "This speech bears in its contents and tone the impress of its being original. For the long and somewhat prolix historical narrative (vv. 2-47), in which the rhetorical character remains so much in the background, and even the apologetic element is dis- cernible throughout only indirectly, cannot — so pecu- liar and apparently irrelevant to the situation is much of its contents — be merely put ' into the mouth of Stephen, but must in its characteristic nature and course have come from his own mouth. If it were sketched after mere tradition or acquired informa- tion, or from a quite independent ideal point of view, then either the historical part would be placed in NOTES AND COMMENTS 337 more direct relation to the points of the charge and brought into rhetorical relief, or the whole plan would shape itself otherwise in keeping with the ques- tion put in verse 1 ; the striking power and boldness of the speech, which only break forth in the smallest portion (vv. 48-53), would be more diffused over the whole, and the historical mistakes — which have noth- ing surprising in them in the case of a discourse delivered on the spur of the moment — would hardly occur." The same commentator censures Bruno Bauer for having gone "to the extreme of frivolous criticism" in rejecting the speech as fabricated, and the circum- stances of it, and even the death of Stephen. He supposes it to have been committed to writing imme- diately after its delivery by an earnest ear-witness, and copies of it to have been circulated, from one of which Luke made his report. 2. Stephen locates the call of Abraham in Meso- potamia. Gen. xii. 1 locates it in Haran. (See also Gen. xi. 31). Most commentators suppose that Ste- phen refers to an earlier call barely hinted at in Gen. XV. 7. Meyer contents himself with saying that in the haste of his extemporized speech Stephen made a mistake. 6. *'Four hundred years." The speaker puts a round number for the exact one, which is four hun- dred and thirty (Ex. xii. 40; Gal. iii. 17). *'This period of four hundred years is taken by Stephen from Gen. xv. 13, and is the time during 23 338 STUDIES IN ACTS which the seed of Abraham sojourned, not including the period of his own sojourning before the birth of Isaac."— Pro/. J. W. McGarvey. *^The period of four hundred and thirty years embraces the time from Abraham's immigration into Canaan until the de- parture out of Egypt." — Hackett. 16. Meyer's bold solution of the difficulties in this verse, as in verse 2, is that Stephen made mistakes respecting Abraham's purchase and the burial place of Jacob. Jacob, not Abraham, bought the ground of Sychem, and Joseph, not Jacob, was buried there, whereas Jacob was buried in the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite. The American editor of Meyer's commentary says, in attempted explanation of the difficulties of verse 16, *'The following reading has been suggested, which requires only that an ellipsis be supplied : 'And were carried into Sychem, and were laid, some of them, Jacob at least, in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money; and others of them in that bought of the sons of Emmor, the father of Sychem.' The sketch is drawn with great brevity, and the facts greatly compressed, doubtless clearly apprehended by those to whom they were stated, though not easy to disentangle and arrange now." Other commentators seek to amend the text, and write Jacob instead of Abraham in verse 16. It is a troublesome verse. 31. ''The voice of the Lord." "It will be seen that the angel of Jehovah (verse 30; Ex. iii. 2) is NOTES AND COMMENTS 339 here represented as Jehovah himself. Examples of a similar transition from one name to the other often occur in the Old Testament. It has been argued from this usage, as well as on other ground, that the Revealer under the ancient dispensation was identical with the Revealer or Logos under the New Dispensa- tion. ' ' — Hackett. Too much, however, should not be built upon such literary expedients. An angel from God, speaking for God, might very naturally personate God. 37-40. In these verses the direct aim of Stephen's speech becomes apparent. (Cf. 51). 42. "Then God turned and gave them up to wor- ship the host of heaven." God gave them up to star- worship. " By way of punishment for that bull- worship, according to the idea of sin being punished by sin. The assertion, often repeated since the time of Chrysostom and Theophylact, that only the divine permission or withdrawal of grace is here denoted, is at variance with the positive expression and true Biblical conception of the divine retribution." — Meyer. 43. *' Moloch." According to Jewish tradition, from what source we know not, the image of Moloch was of brass, hollow within, and was situated without Jerusalem. Kimchi (on II. Kings xxiii. 10) describes it as set within seven chapels, and whoso offered to him fine flour, they open to him one of them; whoso, turtle doves or young pigeons, they open to him two; a lamb, they open to him three; a ram, four; a calf. 340 STUDIES IN ACTS five; an ox, six; and to whosoever offered his son, they opened to him seven. And his face was that of a calf, and his hands stretched forth like a man who opens his hands to receive something of his neighbor. And they kindled it with fire, and the priests took the babe and put it into the hands of Moloch, and the babe gave up the ghost. And why was it called Tophet or Hinnom? Because they used to make a noise with drums (tophim) that the father might not hear the cry of the child and have pity upon him and return to him. Hinnom, because the babe wailed, and the noise of his wailing went up." — M^Clintock and Strong. Kurtz, in speaking of the anticipations of religious truth, *'many of which are little better than carica- ture," in pagan systems, says, " To this class belongs the offering of human victims which has been prac- ticed in all religions of nature without exception, — a terrible, and to some extent prophetic cry of agony from God-forsaken man, which is first toned down on Golgotha to hymns of joy and thanksgiving." The Israelites seemed prone to these " religions of nature," and they did not hesitate at the awful ex- treme of human sacrifice (II. Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. vii. 31; xix. 5). This throws a side-light upon the rigid prohibition of idolatry, and of intermarriage with idolaters in the Mosaic Law (Ex. xxxiv. 15, 16). 55. *'He beheld Jesus as he raised himself up from God's throne of light, and stands ready for the saving reception of the martyr. The prophetic basis NOTES AND COMMENTS 341 of this vision in the soul of Stephen is Dan. vii. 13." — Meyer. This author also censures certain critics who think that Stephen only gave expression to "his firm con- viction of the glory of Christ and of his own impend- ing admission into heaven," or that "he had seen a dazzling cloud as the symbol of the presence of God," saying, "They convert his utterance at this lofty moment into a flourish of rhetoric." CHAPTER VIII. lo "At that time there was a great persecution against the church that was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles." Here begins a new movement in the church. This persecution was attended with historic consequences. Chapters viii. and ix., or, as Prof. J. M. Stifler prefers to state it, chapters vi. to ix. inclusive, form a section of the book, of which he writes as follows: "Pentecost is five or six years in the past, and the Risen Christ has not yet been preached out of the sight of Herod's temple. The disciples had been left here long enough to test whether Israel would repent and secure the promise spoken by Peter, * That he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, even Jesus.' . . . Long as the church had now existed, and multiplied in numbers as it was, not a single Gentile had been invited to 342 STUDIES IN ACTS cross its threshold. The door is about to be opened to them. The next few months will witness a revolu- tion more significant than any seen before or since. History was never made so fast. The barriers of the ages are to be broken down, and the God of the Jews is to be accepted by the nations. Our section gives an account of the first long stride in this direction. It tells of the opposition aroused by Stephen, gives his speech before the council, his death, and the dreadful persecution that followed the same day and scattered the church; the conversion of the half heathen Samaritans and the Ethiopian prince, and finally the miraculous calling and cleansing of an- other man for the apostolate. If the church's work was to be broadened, there must be more laborers, and laborers of broader views. We get them in Stephen, Philip and Saul. The settlement of the trouble about the daily ministration of the poor fund was the entering wedge to the new movement. That settlement certainly brought the Hellenistic Jews to the front. The names of the seven are all Greek. The last one in the list is a Jew by religion, but not by blood — 'a proselyte of Antioch.' This little note is rich in meaning. We find Stephen, as soon as he entered upon his office, preaching in the Hellenistic synagogues. Plainly these foreign Jews with their more liberal thoughts had been suppressed. There must have been strong feeling, or why were their widows neglected while the home-born, Jewish wid- ows were regularly fed? How could these foreign NOTES AND COMMENTS 343 Jews, with their hearts full of God's love, forget their brethren in distant countries through the Roman Empire? If they had not acted as yet they must have thought much. And seven of them hav- ing been put into the front now, God soon gave them an opportunity for more extended work. They set out with a few loaves to feed their widows. It was not long till they had to feed the world with the bread of life." 2. "Devout men." "Not Christians, but Jews who, in their pious conscientiousness, and with a secret inclination to Christianity, had the courage to honor the innocence of him who had been stoned." — Meye7\ 4. " They that were scattered abroad went every- w^here preaching the word." "In the case of those dispersed, and even in that of Philip, preaching was not tied to an existing special office. With their preaching probably there was at once practically given the new ministry, that of the evangelists (xxi. 8; Eph. iv. 11), as circumstances required, under the guidance of the Spirit." — Meyer. 5-25. "The history of the evangelization of Samaria." It is attended with three noteworthy circum- stances: The ready belief of the Samaritans, and their baptism, "both men and women" (12), the false conversion of Simon the sorcerer, and the com- ing of Peter and John from Jerusalem, in answer to 344 STUDIES IN ACTS whose prayers the Holy Spirit was given to the be- lieving Samaritans. This Simon *'has been stigmatized by the tradi- tions of the church fathers as the patriarch of all heretics, especially of the heathen Gnostics. . . . The opinion of the Samaritans regarding him, which was no doubt the mere echo of his own boastful declaration, that he was *the great power of God,' itself suggests the Gnostic seons and emanations, those singular caricatures of the mystery of the incar- nation. According to the statement of Irenseus, Simon gave himself out as the supreme power, and blasphemously boasted that he appeared among the Samaritans as Father, among the Jews as Son, and among other nations as Holy Spirit." — S chaff. 18. "The motive of his proposal was selfishness in the interests of his magical trade ; very naturally he valued the communication of the Spirit, to the inward experiences of which he was a stranger, only according to the surprising outward phenomena, and hence saw in the apostles the possessors of a higher magical power still unknown to himself, the posses- sion of which he as a sorcerer coveted." — Meyer. *'The sorcery which Simon and men like him used was probably no more than a greater knowledge of some of the facts of chemistry by which they at first attracted attention, and then traded on the credulity of those who came to consult them. From the time of their sojourn in Egypt the Jews had known of such impostors, and in their traditional literature NOTES AND COMMENTS 345 some of the 'wisdom' of Moses partakes of this character."— CamSncZgre Bible for Schools and Col- leges. This man could not get above the mammonistic basis of life. Sorcery was with him a lucrative busi- ness. He was baptized from a business standpoint. With an eye to business he wondered at the miracles and signs wrought by Philip (13). He tried to drive a shrewd bargain with Peter, offering him money for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of imparting the Spirit, as another trick in his trade. His shal- lowness, his blasphemy, and his mammonism have their merited rebuke from the Apostle Peter (20), to w^hom in his genuineness they were utterly repug- nant. 26-40. The conversion of the Ethiopian officer is a typical one in every respect. It is carefully detailed. There is the preaching of the Gospel by Philip. There is reception of it, and confession of it by the eunuch; there is the baptism, and the subse- quent rejoicing. 37. '* This verse is wanting in the best authorities. The most reliable manuscripts and versions testify against it. The few copies that contain the words read them variously. Meyer suggests that they may have been taken from some baptismal liturgy, and added here that it might not appear that the eunuch was baptized without the evidence of his faith."— Hackett. 346 STUDIES IN ACTS '* It i8 nothing else than an old addition for the sake of completeness." — Meyer. ''This verse has been used chiefly for the purpose of determining the confession which was made origin- ally by candidates for immersion. The fact that it is an interpolation must modify the argument on this subject, but cannot invalidate it. The fact that such a confession as is here put into the mouth of the eunuch was uniformly required by the apostles is evident from other passages of Scripture. It is quite certain that it was confessed by Timothy. Paul says to him (I. Tim. vi. 13), 'Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life, unto which you were called, and did confess the good confession before many witnesses.' This confession was made at the beginning of his religious career; for it is connected with his call to eternal life. It is the same confes- sion which is attributed to the eunuch, for Paul immediately adds: 'I charge thee before God, who gives life to all things, and Jesus Christ, who bore witness under Pontius Pilate, to the good confession,' etc. Now, what is here called the good confession, is certainly the confession that he was the Christ, made before the Sanhedrin under Pontius Pilate. But this is identified, by the terms employed, with the confession that Timothy made, which is also the good confession." — Prof. J. W. McGarvey, "Certainly in the 'preached unto him Jesus ' (36) there was comprehended also instruction concerning baptism . ' ' — Meyer. NOTES AND COMMENTS 347 Hackett enumerates three places on the ancient roads from Jerusalem to Gaza where there was suffi- cient water for an immersion. CHAPTER IX. 1-22. " It is impossible to exaggerate the impor- tance of St. Paul's conversion as one of the evidences of Christianity. That he should have passed by one flight of conviction not only from darkness to light, but from one direction of life to the very opposite, is not only characteristic of the man, but evidential of the power and significance of Christianity. That the same man who just before was persecuting Chris- tianity with the most violent hatred, should come all at once to believe in him whose followers he had been seeking to destroy, and that in this faith he should become ' a new creature ' — what is this but a victory which Christianity owed to nothing but the spell of its own inherent power?" — Farrar. Various theories have been resorted to by the hyper-higher critics to rid themselves of the miracle of conversion recorded in these verses, and affirmed and reaffirmed by the apostle himself in chapters xxii. and xxvi. In attempted explanation of the vision on the way to Damascus they hesitate between a sunstroke and a thunderstorm! Sunstrokes and thunderbolts do not usually produce such characters as that of Paul the apostle. 348 STUDIES IN ACTS ** Saul of Tarsus has refused to melt away in the crucible of these critical fires. This man, whatever may be said of the other apostles and of the great body of primitive Christians, had all the training and tastes of a scholar. He was endowed with the high- est intellectual gifts, and his conversion proved the turning point in the history of Christianity.'' — Behrends. Bauer, at one time the leading pantheistic, ration- alistic critic of Germany, confessed just before his death in 1860, that " No psychological or dialectical analysis can explore the inner mystery of the act in which God revealed his Son in Paul," and that, *' in the sudden transformation of Paul from the most violent adversary of Christianity into its most deter- mined herald," he could see *' nothing short of a miracle." Mr. Behrends adds, *'The confession is fatal to the theory of the great critic. The conver- sion of Paul is an inexplicable event on any theory that denies the supernatural in Christianity, and that discredits the historical credibility of the Gospels." *'Next to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel history has no testimony which equals that of Saul of Tarsus. It has been felt in all ages ; and many a reflective mind, hitherto unmoved, has yielded to the power of this page of the Gospel." — Monod. 10-12. "The course of the conversion, guided by Christ directly revealing himself, is entirely in accordance with its commencement (3-9). * But we . NOTES AND COMMENTS 349 know not the law according to which communications of a higher spiritual world to men living in the world of sense take place, so as to be able to determine anything concerning them.'" — Meyer. 31. "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea, and Galilee, and Samaria." The first storm of persecution had passed by, and out of it there came missions to these regions, and churches in all of them. Not the least of its fruits was the conver- sion of Saul. In the calmness that followed the wrath of man was revealed in the light of the praise of God. 32-43. The previous parts of this chapter are devoted to an account of the conversion of Saul; these last verses of it, to a missionary journey of Peter through the towns and cities of Sharon. In this portion of Acts Peter and Saul are the leading characters. It would seem that after the conversion of Cornelius (Ch. x.) the author hastens to be done with Peter that he may bestow all his attention on Paul. Even this missionary journey is dispatched with great haste. We would gladly know more about it. In this chapter Saul and Peter are first brought face to face, as may be seen by bringing Gal. i. 18 into proper reference to verses 26 and 27. " Kindred in spirit, though differing much in social culture and mental training, the high-born, philosophic pupil of Gamaliel, and the humble, illiterate boatman of Gal- ilee, formed, even during the brief intercourse of two 350 STUDIES IN ACTS weeks, an ardent, life-long friendship. Little did either of them at the time imagine the grandeur of the work in which they were engaged, or the great things they both were to do and to suffer for the sake of Him they sought to serve and honor. Still less did they suppose that their humble names would be inscribed in the heraldry of deathless fame, while the great men of their day, princes, philosophers, and priests, would be remembered chiefly because of them and their works. Scarcely had the names of Caligula, and Gamaliel, and Annas been known to-day but for their connection with these two hum- ble great men and their mission." CHAPTER X. See Essay V. 10-16. Schaff has spoken very suggestively, though perhaps too minutely, upon this vision as follows : *'The symbolical import of this vision we can easily conjecture. The vessel denotes the creation, especially mankind; the letting down of it from heaven, the descent of all creatures from the same divine origin; the four corners are the four quarters* of the globe; the clean and unclean beasts represent Jews and Gentiles, and the command to eat contains the divine declaration that the new creation in Christ has henceforth annulled the Mosaic laws respecting food (Lev. X. 10), as well as the distinction between clean and unclean nations; and that even the hea- NOTES AND COMMENTS 351 then, therefore, were to be received into the Chris- tian church without the intervention of Judaism, as the cloth with all the animals was taken up again into heaven." "The object aimed at in the whole vision was the symbolical divine announcement that the hitherto subsisting distinction between clean and unclean men, that hedge between Jews and Gentiles, was to cease in Christianity as being destined for all men without distinction of nation." — Meyer. 30-32. "The communication on the part of the angel (4-7) is understood as a divine answer to the constant prayer of Cornelius (2)." — Meyer, 34, 35. "It is well known that the introductory words in the discourse of Peter have often been so interpreted as to teach that all religions are of equal value; that faith, as contradistinguished from mo- rality, is not indispensable ; and that, with reference to the salvation of the soul, all that is specifically Christian is of no importance. But the attempt to find a palliation of indifference in the subject of religion in this passage betrays, as even DeWette judges, very great exegetical frivolity. Both the words themselves, and also the whole connection of the discourse, as well as of the narrative of which they form a part, decidedly pronounce against any such interpretation." — Lechler, as quoted by the American Editor of Meyer's Commentary on Acts. 47, 48. "Can any one then withhold the water, in order that these be not baptized? The water in this 352 STUDIES IN ACTS animated language is conceived as the element offer- ing itself for the baptism. So urgent now appeared the necessity for completing on the human side the divine work that had miraculously emerged." — Meyer. "Though the gift of the Spirit has been made so apparent, yet Peter does not omit the outward sign which Christ had ordained (Matt, xxviii. 19) for the admission of members into his church." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. "Who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we." Chrysostom calls this event the great apology that God had arranged beforehand for Peter. "The communication of the Spirit, and conse- quently regeneration, in this case before baptism, is striking and without parallel in the New Testa- ment. In all other cases the gift of the Spirit accompanied or followed baptism and the laying on of hands. Man is bound by the ordinances of God, but not God himself; he can anticipate them with his spiritual gifts. This exception to the general rule was undoubtedly ordered, though not for the benefit of Peter himself, yet for that of his Jewish com- panions ; and was intended to give them — and through them the whole Jewish Christian party in Jerusa- lem, who could conceive of no baptism with the Spirit without the baptism with water, — incontesta- ble proof of the participation of the Gentiles in the kingdom of Christ, and to free them from their narrow, legalistic views. The apostle, however, even NOTES AND COMMENTS 353 in this case, bore the strongest testimony to the importance of baptism with water, by causing this sacrament still to be administered as an objective divine seal and pledge of the gifts of grace." — Schaff. CHAPTER XL See Essays V. and VI. 1-18. These verses are a continuation of the mat- ter treated in chapter x. The chaptering is unfor- tunate. Peter is called to account by those in Jeru- lem " who Avere of the circumcision " for eating with Gentiles (verse 3). These Judaizers were zealous not alone for the law of Moses, but for traditions that had been magnified into laws. In the Penta- teuch there is no express prohibition of such fellow- ship as Peter had indulged in with the Gentile Cornelius. But Maimonides recalls a traditional law that runs as follows: "It is forbidden to a Jew to be alone with heathens, because they are suspected of lightly shedding blood, nor must he associate with them on the road." The following is an interesting example of the sort of ceremonial uncleanness that might spring from association with Gentiles. *'It happened that Shimeon the son of Kimkhith (who was high priest) went out to speak with the king of the Arabians, and there came a fleck of spittle from the king's mouth upon the priest's gar- 354 STUDIES IN ACTS ment, and so he was unclean; and his brother Judah went in and served instead of him in the high priest's office. That day their mother saw two of her sons higli priests." 20. "Spake unto the Grecians." So in the Authorized Version. In the Revised, "Greeks." "The New Testament uses Hellenist ce — Grecians, to mean those Jews who had been born abroad and spoke the Greek language, or else for proselytes, but Hellenes — Greeks, when the heathen popuhition was spoken of. Now it is clear that it would have been no matter of remark had these men preached to Greek Jews, for of them there was a large number in the church in Jerusalem, as we see from the events narrated in chapter vi. 1, and most probably these Grecian and Cyprian teachers were Greek Jews; but what calls for special mention by St. Luke is that they, moved perhaps by some spiritual impulse, ad- dressed their preaching in Antioch to the Gentiles as well as the Jews." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. With this Meyer and Hackett agree. "Christianity touched the mind and heart of the centurion. Let him represent Roman strength, sternness, lawj force, dignity. Christianity touched the Greek mind. Let that stand for refinement, ele- gance, delicacy, philosophy, for the completing line of human thought and service. There you have the whole circle. Christianity becomes Roman to the Roman, Grecian to the Grecian — a great rock to a rocky man, a rainbow to the dreaming genius, a sum- NOTES AND COMMENTS 855 mer light to the poet's fancy. Christianity speaks to every man in the tongue wherein he was born. Chris- tianity says. You cannot learn my language, but I can speak yours. Therefore, with the infinite stoop of divine and tender grace it comes down to the lowli- est and obscurest of men and utters its gracious Gospel. No other religion does this. Every other religion says. You must come to me ; I will not take one step toward you. This religion, symbolized by the blessed cross, comes out toward every man to seek and to save. In such circumstances such beneficence is argument." — Joseph Parher. 26. "By Christians I understand Christ's follow- ers, Christ lovers, Christ worshipers, Christ ones. It is a thousand pities, in one aggravation of distress, that such a name should have been debased, com- mercialized, and made the password to unworthy confidence and honor. Were we what we ought to be in integrity, in simplicity, in equity of soul, there should be no nobler designation known amongst men, and no other should be needed. Eoman Catholics, Protestants, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Pres- byterians — what are they, and how have they come to have any existence at all, and especially any honor as names? Did Christ ever see them? The one name that we ought to have is Christian, meaning by that the man who takes Jesus Christ as his Lord, Savior, Priest, Pattern, Inspiration. Could we restore that definition of the now perverted term, no name known under heaven amongst men could be such a warranty 356 STUDIES IN ACTS of conduct and such a seal of dignity." — Joseph Parker. Farrar says of the name Christian: "It was be- stowed as a stigma, and accepted as a distinction. They who afterwards gloried in the contemptuous reproaches that branded them sarmenticii and sera- axii, from the fagots to which they were tied and the stakes to which they were bound, w^ould not be likely to blush at a name which was indeed their robe of victory, their triumphal chariot. They gloried in- it all the more because even the ignorant mispronuncia- tions of it were a happy nomen and omen. If the Greeks and Eomans spoke correctly of (Jhristus, they gave unwilling testimony to the universal king; if they ignorantly said Chrestus, they bore witness to the sinless One. If they said Chrisfiani,, they showed that the new faith centered not in a dogma, but in a person; if they said Chrestiani, they used a word which spoke of sweetness and kindness. And beyond all this, to the Christians themselves the name was all the dearer because it constantly reminded them that they, too, were God's anointed ones — a holy genera- tion, a royal priesthood; that they had an unction from the Holy One which brought all truth to their remembrance." 27. "In these days there came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch." " Inspired teachers, who delivered their discourses, not indeed in the ecstatic state, yet in exalted lan- guage, on the basis of a revelation received. Their NOTES AND COMMENTS 357 working was entirely analogous to that of the Old Testament prophets. Revelation, incitement, and inspiration on the part of God gave them their quali- fication; the unveiling of what was hidden in respect of the divine counsel for the exercise of a psycho- logical and moral influence on given circumstances, but always in reference to Christ and his work, was the tenor of what these interpreters of God spoke. The prediction of what was future was, as with the old, so also with the new prophets, no permanent characteristic feature. But naturally and necessarily the divinely- illuminated glance ranged very often into the future development of the divine counsel and kingdom, and saw what was to come." — Meyer, 28. *' Throughout all the world." "History pointed out the limits within which what was seen and predicted without limitation found its fulfillment, inasmuch, namely, as this famine which set in in the fourth year of the reign of Claudius (A. D. 44) extended only to Judaea and the neighbor- ing countries, and particularly fell on Jerusalem itself, which was supported by the Syrian queen Helena of Adiabene with corn and figs." — Meyer. This passage is one of the important notes of time in the book. Claudius reigned from A. D. 41 to 54. Prof. Ramsay bases much on the time of the famine, and sums up his arguments as follows : **As thus interpreted, Luke's chronology harmon- izes admirably with Josephus. Agabus came to Anti- och in the winter of 43-44 ; and in the early part of 358 STUDIES IN ACTS 44 Herod's persecution occurred, followed by his death, probably in the autumn. In 45 the harvest was probably not good, and provisions grew scarce in the country; then when the harvest of 46 failed, famine set in, and relief was urgently required, and was administered by Barnabas and Saul. It is an interesting coincidence that relief was given liberally in Jerusalem by Queen Helena (mother of Izates, king of Adiabene), who bought corn in Egypt and figs in Cyprus, and brought them to Jerusalem for distribution. She came to Jerusalem in 45, and her visit lasted through the season of famine; she had a palace in Jerusalem. The way in which she imparted relief to the starving people illustrates the work that Barnabas and Saul had to perform." 30. It is noteworthy here that the elders are rep- resented as having charge of the charities of the church. CHAPTER XII. See Essay VII. 1. *'The accuracy of the sacred writer, says Paley, in the expressions which he uses here, is remarkable. There was no portion of time for thirty years before, or ever afterwards, in which there was a king at Jerusalem, a person exercising that authority in Judaea, or to whom that title could be applied, except the last three years of Herod's life, within which period the transaction herein recorded took place. " — Oi'miston. NOTES AND COMMENTS 359 4. "Easter." This word is an anachronism. No such feast was known to the Christians. It should read, ''Passover." 5. "In the fifth verse there is a pitched battle. Eead it:— Peter therefore was kept in prison; there is one side of the fight; after the colon— but prayer was made without .ceasing of the church unto God for him. Now for the shock of arms! Who- wins? It is the battle of history. It is a field on which the universe gazes with conflicting feeling. Prayer always wins." — Joseph Parher, "If they had been taught the modern doctrine that Christians may rightly resist with violence the assaults of tyrannical rulers, and, whatever the weak- ness on their own part, may confidently appeal to the God of battles in vindication of their rights, their feelings and their conduct under these circumstances must have been far different from what they were. If ever there was an occasion on which the boasted first law of nature, the right of self-defense, would justify violent resistance to oppression, it existed here. But instead of the passion and turmoil of armed preparation, we hear from the midnight assemblies of the disciples the voice of fervent prayer. Where prayer is, acceptable prayer, there is no passion, no thirst for revenge, or purpose of violence. These men were disciples of the Prince of Peace."— Pro/. J. W. McGarvey. 17. "And he departed, and went into another 360 STUDIES IN ACTS place." *'How often did Paul and Jesus himself withdraw .... into concealment! " — Meyer. "Catholic writers and some others hold that Peter proceeded to Rome at this time, and labored for the Jews there as the apostle of the circumcision (Gral. ii. 7; I. Pet. i. 1). If this be true, he must have then been the founder of the church in that city, or, at all events, have established a relation to it, per- sonal and official, stronger than that of any other teacher. It is entirely adverse to this view that Paul makes no allusion to Peter in his Epistle to the Romans, but writes with the tone of authority which his avowed policy, his spirit of independence (II. Cor. X. 16), would not have suffered him to employ had it belonged more properly to some other apostle to intrust and guide the Roman church. The best opinion from traditionary sources is that Peter arrived at Rome just before the outbreak of Nero's persecution, where he soon perished as a martyr." — Hackett. 24. ''But the word of God grew and multiplied." *'A contrast — full of significance in its simplicity — to the tragical end of the persecutor." — Meyer, One of the many indications in the book of the rapid growth of the church (ch. vi. 7; viii. 25; ix. 31; xix. 20). 25. " When they had fulfilled their ministry." A ministry of charity; ministration rather, for the word " ministry " has been narrowed. (See xi. 29-30.) The original word for "ministry" here, and for NOTES AND COMMENTS 361 "relief" in xi. 29, and for "ministration" in vi. 1, is the same. It is a form of the Greek word which we have anglicized as "deacon." Its best translation is "ministration." It is noteworthy that the Apostle Paul here performed distinctively the office of a deacon. (See quotation from Ruskin, ch. vi. 1.) It must have been an arduous work to purchase and transport goods for a famine stricken people, and it was no light task to distribute them properly among the thousands of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. CHAPTER XIII. See Essay YIII. On the work of the Holy Spirit see Essay XHI. "The record of the first offer of the Gospel to the (Gentile) world begins after the return of Saul and Barnabas from their visit of benevolence to Jerusa- lem. They bring back with them John Mark. These three set out to bear the light to the heathen. " The church is at length prepared, after more than sixteen years, to begin formally and deliberately its work among the heathen. The Sanhedrin seems to have lost its power to hinder. The Jewish state will never again oppose. But more than all the Jewish caste has been broken, and its prejudice driven to the rear so that it will not soon stand in the way again. The new center of the Gospel influence has been founded in Antioch. The religious thought of the Jews under the power of the Spirit has found a new. STUDIES IN ACTS a deeper, a broader channel. God is no longer the God of the Jews only. The world has put on a new face, because it has become the field of divine grace. This first regular work among the heathen was not very wide in its scope. It did not reach Rome. It did not reach Corinth, or even Ephesus. It extended but a few hundred miles beyond Paul's birthplace in Tarsus. In giving its history Luke shows how God promoted it from first to last, how it was carried on and how it was justified by the obstinacy of the Jews who were encountered in this first missionary jour- ney."— Pro/. J. M. Siijler. 1-3. ''Thus the mother church of Gentile Chris- tianity has become the seminary of the mission to the Gentiles. ' ' — Meyer. 2. "As they ministered unto the Lord." The original for this word "ministered" is used both in reference to religious service and the minis- tering of charities, or to service both Godward and manward, indicating that the two are very closely related (Heb. x. 11; Rom. xv. 27). The same is true of the noun (Luke i. 23; Phil. ii. 30). 7. "Deputy." Strictly proconsul. "Under Augustus the Roman provinces were divided into two classes, one class of which (needing the presence of troops for their government, the pos- session of which gave the emperor the control of the army) was called iinperatorial, while the others were called senatorial provinces. The former were governed by an officer called propraetor, the latter by NOTES AND COMMENTS 363 a proconsul. We know from Dio Cassius that Cyprus was originally an imperatorial province, and there- fore under a propraetor. This also Strabo confirms, but says that Augustus made it over to the people along with part of Galatia, and took instead of these Dalmatia for one of his provinces. So that the gov- ernment was at Paul's visit held by a proconsul for the Eoman Senate, as is here recorded. This is another instance of the historic faithfulness of Luke's record." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 9. "Who is also called Paul." Prof. Ramsay's interesting paragraph on the Apos- tle Paul's change of name cannot be omitted here. "Nothing has hitherto transpired to show that Paul was anything but a Hebrew sprung from the Hebrews. In Cyprus he went through the country city by oity, synagogue by synagogue ; and he was the Jew in all. But here he is in different surroundings; he stands in the hall of the proconsul, and he ansvvers the questions of the Roman official. The interview doubtless began, as all interviews in the country be- tween strangers still begin, with the round of ques- tions; * What is your name? (or who are you?) Whence come you? What is your business? ' . . . To these questions how would Saul answer? After his years of recent life as a Jew, filled with the thought of a religion that originated among the Jews, and was in his conception the perfected form of Jew- ish religion, did he reply: 'My name is Saul, and I 364 STUDIES IN ACTS am a Jew from Tarsus?' First let us see what he himself says as to his method of addressing an audi- ence (I. Cor. ix. 20f.)» * To the Jews I made myself a Jew that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law as under the law (though not myself under the law) ; to them that are without the law as without law; I am become all things to all men; and I do all for the Gospel's sake.' We cannot doubt that the man who wrote so to the Corinthians replied to the questions of Sergius Paulus, by designating himself as a Roman, born at Tarsus, and named Paul. By a marvelous stroke of historic brevity, the author sets before us the past and the present in the simple words: Then Saul, otherwise Paul, fixed his eyes on him, and said. "The double character, the mixed personality, the Oriental teacher who turns out to be a free-born Roman, would have struck and arrested the attention of any governor, any person possessed of insight into character, any one who had even an average share of curiosity. But to a man with the tastes of Sergius Paulus, the Roman Jew must have been doubly inter- esting; and the orator or the preacher knows how much is gained by arousing such an interest at the outset." 12. "Then the deputy (proconsul) when he saw what was done believed." "He was convinced by the miracle and by the words with which it was accompanied, that the apos- tles were teachers of the way of the Lord, after >^OTES AND COMMENTS 365 which he had been seeking in vain from Elymas. We are not told that Sergius was baptized, but we have other instances of like omission of notice (verse 48), yet as baptism was the appointed door into Christ's church, such omission of the mention thereof should not be thought to warrant us in believing that the sacrament was neglected on any occasion." — Cam- bridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. With this Meyer agrees, saying that "believed" *' obviously supposes the reception of baptism." 14. *' But when they departed from Perga they came to Antioch in Pisidia." Prof. Ramsay connects this sudden departure from Perga and visit to Antioch with Paul's " infirmity in the flesh," referred to in Gal. iv. 13, 14. He thinks the "infirmity" was malarial fever in a distressing form, and that therefore Paul sought the moun- tainous regions of Pisidian Antioch. He also seeks to show that this disease was Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (II. Cor. xii. 7). His arguments are interest- ing, and well nigh convincing. 20. "Gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." Paul here seems to follow the chronology of Jose- phus rather than that in I. Kings vi. 1, where the period from the Exodus to the building of the temple is given as 480 years. This, subtracting the 40 years in the wilderness, the 25 of Joshua, the 40 of Saul's reign, the 40 of David's, and the 4 of Solo- 366 STUDIES IN ACTS mon's up to the time of the beginning of the work, leaves only 331 as the period of the Judges. Jose- phus, however, gives the time from the exodus to the building of the temple as 592 years. Making the subtractions above from this we have left in round numbers the 450 vears of the text. (See Meyer and Hackett.) 17-41. In Paul's sermon there appears, 1. Epit- ome of Israel's history from the sojourn in Egypt to David. 2. The genealogy of Jesus as starting from David. 3. The rejection of Jesus. 4. The resur- rection of Jesus. 5. Forgiveness through Jesus, and therefore justification by him. 6. A warning to despisers. The first part of this sermon follows the plan of Stephen (VII.); the latter part, that of Peter on Pentecost (II.). The place assigned to forgiveness by Paul is the same as that assigned to remission of sins by Peter. In Paul's mind forgiveness takes the form of justification. Here is the first intimation of his teaching on that subject. Here also he first intimates the insufficiency of the law of Moses, and it seems to have given no offense to his Jewish audi- tors, perhaps because these Jews were already lax legalists by reason of Gentile associations. 48. *'As many as were ordained (were disposed; Variorum Bible) to eternal life believed." *'ln the controversies on predestination and elec- tion this sentence has constantly been brought for- ward. But it is manifestly unfair to take a sentence NOTES AND COMMENTS 367 out of its context, and interpret it as if it stood alone. In verse 46 we are told that the Jews had judged themselves unworthy of eternal life, and all that is meant by the words in this verse is the oppo- site of that expression. The Jews were acting so as to proclaim themselves unworthy; the Gentiles were making manifest their desire to be deemed worthy. The two sections were like opposing troops, ranged by themseh^es, and to some degree, though not unal- terably, looked upon as so ranged by God on differ- ent sides. Thus the Gentiles were ordering them- selves, and were ordered, unto eternal life. The text says no word to warrant us in thinking that none could henceforth change sides." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 49. "And the word of the Lord was published through all the region." *' Here we have a fact of (Roman) administration and government assumed in quiet and undesigned fashion. Antioch was the center of a Region, This is the kind of allusion which affords to the students of ancient literature a test of accuracy, and often a presumption of date. I think that, if we put this presumption to the test, we shall find, (1) That it is right; (2) that it adds a new fact; (3) that it explains and throws new light on several passages in ancient authors and inscriptions." This note is from Prof. Ramsay, who goes more deeply into the sub- ject, and concludes as follows, referring to an in- scription found and published by Prof. Sterrett, of 368 STUDIES IN ACTS Amherst, Mass., which speaks of a *'regionary cen- turion: " *'Thuswehave epigraphic authority to prove that Antioch under the Roman administration was the center of a Region. Further, we can determine the extent and name of that Region, remembering always that in a province like Galatia, where evidence is lamentably scanty, we must often be content with reasonable probability, and rarely find such an in- scription as Prof. Sterrett's, to put us on a plane of demonstrated certainty. . . . Thus without any formal statement, and without any technical term, but in the course of a bare, simple and brief account of the effects of Paul's preaching, we find ourselves unexpectedly (just as Paul and Barnabas found them- selves unintentionally) amid a Roman provincial dis- trict, which is moved from the center to the circum- ference by the new preaching. It is remarkable how the expression of Luke embodies the very soul of history." 50. "The honorable women." "The influence attributed to women at Antioch is in perfect accord with the manners of the country. In Athens or in an Ionian city it would have been im- possible." — Ramsay. 51. "Shook off the dust of their feet." In ac- cordance with the instruction of Jesus (Matt. x. 14). It is not always necessary or possible that the victo- ries of truth should be immediate. Time is required NOTES AND COMMENTS 369 for the effects of preaching. Paul and Barnabas withdrew only that they might revisit and confirm (xiv. 21, 22). CHAPTER XIV. 5, 6. Observe that the apostles were not stoned in Iconium, though they were perilously near to it. Observe also that in Lystra (19, 20) Paul was stoned, this being the only occasion of stoning recorded in his case. In II. Cor. xi. 25, he says, "Once was I stoned." Paley, in his " Horae Pauliuae," makes fine use of this agreement between Paul and Luke, espe- cially as they are so dangerously near to a disagree- ment. They are saved from contradiction by their mutual accuracy and truthfulness. 8-10. "Observe the earnest circumstantiality of this narrative." — Meyer. 11. "Lifted up their voices in the speech of Lycaonia." "The more surprised and astonished the people were, the more natural it was for them to express themselves in their native dialect." — Meyer. "The name Lycaonia, or Wolfland, indicates only too faithfully the character of the inhabitants. Few if any Jews were settled there, and we read of no synagogue in either of the towns named. The region is described as wild, rugged, mountainous; an almost Alpine country." "Lystra was the home of Timo- thy, and has a post-apostolic history, the name;: c . 24 370 STUDIES IN ACTS its bishops appearing in the records of early coun- cils." *'The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men." **It was a general belief, long after the Homeric age, that the gods visited the earth in the form of men. Such a belief with regard to Jupiter would be natural in such an inland, rural district as Lystra, which seems to have been under his special protec- tion, as his image or temple stood in front of the city gates. And as Mercury was the messenger and her- ald of the gods, especially of Jupiter, it was natural that he should be associated with him. He was also the god of eloquence; and as Paul was the chief speaker, they took him for Mercury; and the more quiet, perhaps the more aged, venerable and majestic looking Barnabas, they regarded as Jupiter." — Ormiston. 23. "And when they had ordained (chosen; elected; appointed; Variorum Bible) them elders in every church . . ." '*' There is indeed no point on which the most learned have been so much agreed as this, that the Greek word here simply denotes having selected, constituted, appointed. Alford says. The word will not bear the sense of laying on of hands, and adds. The apostles ordained the elders whom the churches elected. Gloag says the word has two meanings, to choose by election, or simply to choose. Meyer adopts the first of these meanings; Gloag decidedly NOTES AND COMMENTS 371 prefers the second, so does also Hackett." — Ormis- ton. Elders are previously mentioned in xi. 30. (See Comment.) Gloag says the ministers of the church were called presbyters or elders with reference to the Jewish element in the church; and bishops or overseers with reference to the Greek element. CHAPTER XV. See Essay X. This is one of the most important chapters of the book. 1. "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved." From the standpoint of the old law circumcision was not a trifle; but from the standpoint of the "grace and truth" that came by Jesus Christ it was a trifle, and worse if men trusted in it as meritorious to the detriment of spir- itual life. It is amazing what trifles Christians con- tend about! Early in the eighteenth century a congregation in the west of Scotland "differed on the paltry question whether it was necessary for the minister to lift in his hand the plate of bread before its distribution in the Lord's Supper, the Lifters holding this to be essential, the others regarding it as a matter of no moment." They became known as the Lifters and the Anti-Lifters!— llf'(7/^?^/oc^• and Strong: Biblical and Theological Cyclojocedia. 23. "A singular feature in James' resolution is 372 STUDIES IN ACTS that it includes one positive sin with matters that are in themselves indifferent. He forbids a moral breach along with others that are only ceremonial. But the solution is easy. The Greeks did not look upon fornication with the Jews' abhorrence. The sin was so common among the heathen that they had lost all conscience about it, and in the prohibition now laid upon them they would not feel any theological diffi- culty. "—/S'/(/fe/*. 36-39. For the dissension between Paul and Bar- nabas, see Essay VIII., pp. 161 and 162. 40. "Paul chose Silas." Silas was one of the chosen men of the Jerusalem church (vv. 25-27). In Paul's Epistles and in I. Pet. v. 12 he is called Silva- nus. In choosing such a member and representative of the Jerusalem church to accompany him in his labors among Gentile churches, Paul shows his anx- iety and foresight, for this was among his plans to further the confidence, and thereby preserve the unity between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. 41. *'Andhe went through Syria and Cilicia con- firming the churches." According to Prof. Ramsay, Syria and Cilicia was a Roman Region lying in Syria and not extending into Asia Minor. That there were churches in this Region is proof of missionary work of which we have no record, probably Paul's. (See page 367.) NOTES AND COMMENTS 373 CHAPTER XVI. See Essay XI. In this essay a reasonably full treatment of the principal matters presented in this and the two immediately succeeding chapters is attempted. 3. The circumcision of Timothy was not de- manded by Judaizers, as in the case of Titus (Gal. ii. 3, 4), but was a concession on the part of Paul. In this concession no principle was at stake. Besides, Timothy, according to the Rabbinical law, would be considered a Jew because his mother was a Jewess. The decision of the council in Jerusalem (xv. 29) gave no permission to Jewish Christians to neglect the rite of circumcision. This was a point not touched upon, and the apostle Paul's concession in the case of Timothy would serve to emphasize his demand for liberty in the case of the Gentiles. 12. "A colony." '* It should be borne in mind that a Roman colony was not like what we now call a colony. The inhabitants did not settle as they pleased, but were sent out by authority from Rome, marching to their destination like an army with banners, and they reproduced, where they settled, a close resemblance to Roman rule and life. They were planted on the frontiers of the empire for pro- tection, and as a check upon the provincial magis- trates. The names of those who went were still enrolled in the lists of the tribes of Rome. Latin was their language, and they used the Roman coinage 374 STUDIES IN ACTS > and had their chief magistrate sent out or appointed by the mother city. Thus they were very closely united with Rome, and were entirely free from any intrusion on the part of the governors of the prov- inces." — Cambridge Bible for Schools mid Colleges. 13. " Spake unto the women which resorted thither. '^ " Considering the little regard which the Jews had for the women to be conversed with and taught, it is noteworthy how large a part women play both in the Gospel history and in the Acts. It was one effect of Christianity to place woman in her true position." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Col- leges. 15. " And her household." ** Of a like baptizing of a household see below (v. 33), and also x. 48. We are not justified in conclud- ing from these passages that infants were baptized. ' Household ' might mean slaves and freedwomen." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. *' If in the Jewish and Gentile families that were converted to Christ there were children, their bap- tism is to be assumed in those cases when they were so far advanced that they could and did confess their faith in Jesus as the Messiah ; for this was the uni- versal, absolutely necessary qualification for the re- ception of baptism." — Meyer. *' Here," says De Wette, '' as well as in verse 33; xviii. 8; I. Cor. i. 16, some would find a proof of the apostolic baptism of children; but there is nothing NOTES AXD COMMENTS 375 here which shows that any except adults were bap- tized." — Quoted by Hachett. With the above, Neander is in full agreement, as- suring us that not till so late as the time of Irenseus (last half of the second century), does there appear in the church a trace of infant baptism. The household of Stephanus, baptized by Paul in Corinth (I. Cor. i. 15), were all adults, as is shown by reference to I. Cor. xvi. 15. They " addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints." 40. '* Into the house of Lydia." "Waiting there probably till they were able to travel further. But in the midst of their suffering they still exhort and comfort the Christians whom in their stay they had gathered into a church. "How deep was the mutual affection which existed between St. Paul and these Philippians, his first European converts, is manifest in every line of the epistle he wrote to them from Kome in his first im- prisonment. They are his greatest joy; they have given him no cause for sorrow; and from first to last have ministered to his afflictions, and made manifest how they prized their * father in Christ.' The jubilant language of the letter is marked by the oft- repeated ' Rejoice in the Lord.'" 376 STUDIES IX ACTS CHAPTER XYII. See Essay XI. 6. "The rulers of the city" (TroA-iTapxas, — poli- tarchs). "The title ' politarchs ' is found nowhere in literature but in this chapter. But an inscription connected with this very city of Thessalonica has been preserved on an arch which spans a street of the modern city. It contains some names which occur as the names of St. Paul's converts, Sosipater, Gains, Secundus, but the inscription is probably not earlier than the time of Vespasian. There the title of the magistrates is given in this precise form; a striking confirmation of the truthfulness of the account before us." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. " The curious and rare title ' politarchs ' was given to the supreme board of magistrates at Thessalonica, as is proved by an inscription."— i^amsay. 12. " Honorable women which were Greeks." " In Macedonia, as in Asia Minor, women occupied a much freer and more influential position than in Athens; and it is in conformity with the known facts that such prominence is assigned to them in the three Macedonian cities." — Ramsay. 16. "Paul waited for them at Athens." Speaking in general of Paul's presence in Athens Prof. Ramsay says, "This extraordinary versatility in Paul's character, the unequaled freedom and ease with which he moved in every society, and addressed NOTES AND COMMENTS 377 SO many races in the Roman world, were evidently appreciated by the man who wrote this narrative, for the rest of Chapter xvii. is as different in tone from xiii. as Athens is different from Phrygia. Only a writer who was in perfect sympathy with his subject could adapt his tone to it so perfectly as Luke does. In Ephesus Paul taught ' in the school of Tyran- nus; ' in the city of Socrates he discussed moral questions in the market-place. How incongruous it would seem if the methods were transposed! But the narrative never makes a false step amid all the many details, as the scene changes from city to city; and that is the conclusive proof that it is the picture of real life." — Ramsay. 23. "To the unknown god." Upon the authority of an ancient writer Meyer says, " Epimenides put an end to a plague in Athens by causing black and white sheep, which he had let loose on the Areopagus, to be sacrificed on spots where they lay down to the god concerned, yet not known by name, namely, who was the author of the plague; and that therefore one may find at Athens altars without the designation of the god by name." From this instance he derives an argument in favor of the presence in Athens of altars with the inscrip- tion "Unknown Grod." *' Reverence for the Unknown and Nameless was the expression of the unsatisfied groping of poly- theism after the truth; its consciousness of its own insufficiency; its presentiment both of a higher 376 STUDIES IN ACTS power beyond the sphere of its gods, and of the necessity of having that power propitiated. Thus polytheism itself left room for a new religion, for the knowledge and worship of the unknown god, who is also the only true God. On this longing after truth Paul lays hold; and, referring that remarkable phe- nomenon to its ultimate principle; interpreting the religious want, which revealed itself therein ; and in the presence of an unknown god, recognizing with perfect propriety the faint notion of the unknown God, he proceeds: Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." — 8chaff. 28. "In him we live, and move, and have our being." This is not pantheism. It is the assertion of the immanence of God as vv. 24 and 25 are the assertion of the transcendence of God. Moreover this " divine descent" is predicated only of man, and in man there is the recognition of evil, both of which conceptions are averse to pantheism. So far from pantheism this is a common Hebrew conception (Psalm xc. 1), and the apostle brings Greek poetry to its confirmation with his Greek audience, namely, '* We also are his offspring; " "the first half of a hexameter, verbatim from Aratus." 34. "And a woman named Damaris." "One woman was converted at Athens; and it is not said that she was one of good birth, as was stated at Berea and Thessalonica and Pisidian Antioch. The difference is true to life. It was impossible in NOTES AND COMMENTS 379 Athenian society for a woman of respectable position and family to have any opportunity of hearing Paul ; and the name Damaris (probably a vulgarism for damalis, heifer) suggests a foreign woman, perhaps one of the class of educated Hetairai, who might very well be in his audience." — Ramsay. Prof. Ramsay thinks that Paul was disappointed and disillusioned in Athens; that when he went to Corinth he determined to abandon the philosophic style, and " know nothing but Christ and him cruci- fied " (I. Cor. ii. 2); and that nowhere was he so hard on the philosophers and dialecticians as when he defended the style of his preaching in Corinth. CHAPTER XVIII. Portions of Essay XI. will be found to bear on this chapter down to verse 22. 2. An interesting point of contact with Roman history, and especially valuable from a chronological standpoint. See Preliminary Essay, page 18. 8. See Comments on Ch. xvi. 15. 18. "Having shorn his head in Cenchrea; for he had a vow." The construction of the sentence is such that it can never be known absolutely whether this refers to Paul or Aquila; it is commonly referred to Paul. 24-28. The use of these verses by Paley in his "Horse Paulinas" affords us another interesting example of his method. In I. Cor. iii. 6, Paul says, 380 STUDIES IN ACTS "I have planted, ApoUos watered." "Therefore Paul was in Corinth before Apollos, and Apollos was there before the writing of I. Corinthians." With these requirements the history found in these verses agrees precisely, and it is evidently undesigned. Many passages in the last chapters of Acts are thus used in the "Hone Paulinse " with great force. CHAPTER XIX. 1-7. The rebaptism of these disciples of John is unique and interesting. If they were disciples of Apollos why did he leave them thus after he himself was better instructed? Surely Aquila and Priscilla could not have known them long. They must have been strangers who attached themselves to the Chris- tians upon a very slight knowledge of Christ. At all events, Paul completed an incomplete work, and in this respect the incident may be taken for a prece- dent. Some critics feel that it is an interruption to the narrative of Luke, and not perfectly in keeping with his style. Prof. Ramsay suggests that if we knew more of the history of the church in Ephesus, we might see more of the significance and import- ance of the episode in its development. 8, 9. Here is the usual synagogue preaching; the usual persecution; the usual turning to the Gentiles. 10. "So that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus." " Asia." That is, Asia Minor, according to Meyer. NOTES AND COMMENTS 381 This ''great and effectual door," explains the long stay of Paul in Ephesus. " It was but forty years after this that Pliny, in his celebrated letter to Trajan, says, even in reference to the more distant Bithynia. " ' Many of every age, of every rank, and also either sex, are brought, and will be brought into peril. For the contagion of this superstition has not only spread through the cities, but also through the villages and country places.' " — Hachett. 13-20. " In this narrative the powers of Paul are brought into competition with those of Jewish exor- cists and pagan dabblers in the black art, and his superiority to them is demonstrated. Ephesus was a center of such magical arts and practices, and it was therefore inevitable that the new teaching should be brought in contact with them and triumph over them . ' ' — Ramsay. These sons of Sceva are representatives of a class. Many Asiatic Jews had become lax and degenerate, and even the office of the priesthood did not deter them from such a vagabond life as is here indicated. Of their pretended art of healing we have a de- scription in Josephus, as quoted in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. " God gave Solomon skill against demons for the help and cure of men. And he arranged certain incantations whereb}^ dis- eases are assuaged, and left behind him certain forms of exorcism whereby they so put to flight the over- powered evil spirits that they never return. And 382 STUDIES IN ACTS this method of curing is very prevalent among us to the present time." The price of the magical books that were burned is estimated by Schaff at $8,000. To this wonderful triumph may have been due in part Paul's influence throughout Asia Minor. " The most sensitive part of civilized man is his pocket; and it was there that opposition to Christian changes, or 'reforms,' began. Those 'reforms' threatened to extinguish some ancient and resj)ect- able trades, and promised no compensation; and thus all the large chiss that lived off the pilgrims and the temple service was marshaled against the new party, which threatened the livelihood of all." — Hamsay. It was .thus that the phenomenal success of Paul's work was the source of a bitter persecution against him, as is shown in the last half of this chapter. 21. Here Paul expresses the intention of visiting the churches he had organized in his previous prog- ress from Philippi to Corinth. It was his custom to revisit and confirm the churches that sprang up wherever he first passed. Here also is his first expressed intention of visiting Rome. In the greatness of his soul he seems to have taken the Roman empire for his parish, and it was fitting that he should visit its capital. He planned also to see Spain (Rom. xv. 24), the farthest western limit of the empire. 23. Here follows what Prof. Ramsey calls " the NOTES AND COMMENTS 383 most instructive picture of society in an Asian city at this period that has come down to us." 24. *'A certain man named Demetrius, a silver- smith." This enterprising business man roused the non- chalant eunuch priests of Diana to their danger, and when once roused they were excellent leaders of fa- naticism and mob violence. 26. A high tribute to the extended influence of PauVs preaching, and an indication of his remorse- less antagonism to idolatry. 27. "That the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence destroyed." The temple of Diana in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the world. It was 425 feet in length, 220 in breadth, with 127 columns 60 feet high, each said to have been the gift of a king, and many of them adorned with rich ornamentation in bas-re- lief. It was built of white marble, and was the glory of the city. Of this "proud temple, not one stone remains upon another. It is said that some of the pillars may be seen in the Mosque of St. Sophia at Constantinople." In the 35th verse, the townclerk says that the city of Ephesus is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana. This is an index to the general character of the people. Kenan says of the city: " It might have been called the rendezvous of courtesans and viveurs. It was full to repletion of magicians, diviners, mimics, flute-players, eunuchs, jewelers, amulet and metal mer- 384 STUDIES IN ACTS chants, and romance writers. . . . The mildness of the climate disinclined one to serious things. Dancing and singing remained the sole occupation; public life degenerated into bacchanalian revels." 28, 29. "An enthusiastic outcry for the preserva- tion of the endangered, and yet so lucrative! majesty of the goddess." — Meyer. We are told that the vast ruins of this theater are still to be seen, and that it was planned to seat thirty thousand people. 31. "Certain of the chief of Asia." "The reference to Asiarchs is very important, both in respect to the nature of that office, on which it throws great light, . . . and as a fact of Pauline history. The Asiarchs, or high priests of Asia, were the heads of the imperial, political-religious organiza- tion of the province in the worship of 'Rome and the emperors,' and their friendly attitude is a proof both that the spirit of the imperial policy was not yet hostile to the new teaching, and that the educated classes did not share the hostility of the superstitious vulgar to Paul. Doubtless some of the Asiarchs had, in the ordinary course of dignity, previously held priesthoods of Artemis or other city deities; and it is quite probable that up to the present time even the Ephesian priests were not hostile to Paul. The eclectic religion, which was fashionable at the time, regarded new forms of cult with equanimity, almost with friendliness ; and the growth of each new super- NOTES AND COMMENTS 385 stition only added to the influence of Artemis and her priests . ' ' — Ramsay, 33, 34. * 'Alexander was a Jewish Christian; but his Christian position was either unknown to the mob, or they would listen to nothing at all from one belonging to the Jewish nation as the hereditary enemy of the worship of the gods." — Meyer, **For about two hours the vast assembly, like a crowd of devotees, or howling dervishes, shouted their invocation of * Great Artemis!' In this scene we cannot mistake the tone of sarcasm and contempt, as Luke tells of this howling mob; they themselves thought they were performing their devotions, as they repeated the sacred name, but to Luke they were merely howling, not praying." — Ramsay. 35. *'And when the townclerk had appeased the people." This townclerk is "a most important personage, and his title is found at times on the coinage, and he gave name in some places to the year, like the Archon at Athens. Through him all public commu- nications were made to the city, and in his name replies were given." — Cambridge Bible for /Schools and Colleges, Prof. Ramsay considers the speech of this "town- clerk" *'a very skillful and important document in its bearing on the whole situation, and on Luke's plan." In brief, the speech shows that at this time the rulers did not consider Christianity as disloyal to the 25 386 STUDIES IN ACTS government, and it jDoints out the proper legal course to be taken in case accusations were to be brought against the Christians. "It is so entirely an apologia for the Christians that we might almost take it as an example of the Thucydidean type of speech, put into the mouth of one of the actors, not as being precisely his words, but as embodying a states- manlike conception of the real situaition." CHAPTER XX. 1-5. Strangely enough in these five verses Luke dismisses Paul's very interesting journey into Mace- donia and Greece, together with his return to Asia, including a list of his traveling companions. He hastens on to the relation of a new chapter in the life of Paul. This chapter begins with the birth of Paul's purpose to see Rome (xix. 21) ; the journey into Macedonia and Greece ends with the celebration of the Passover in Philippi; from that moment Paul entered seriously upon the new enterprise, and the record becomes minutely descriptive. 6, 7. For Prof. Ramsay's very interesting chrono- logical estimates based upon these verses, see Prelim- inary Essay, page 18. *'The moment Paul turns south from Philippi Luke writes with the utmost detail. The days and nights are given all the way from the chief city of Macedonia to the chief city of the Jews. It is not difficult to see how Paul and his company were NOTES AND COMMENTS 387 engaged at almost every step. From the close of the Passover week in Philippi to the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem we know where Paul is and what he is doing. What is the meaning of this abundance of particulars? . . . Luke's presence on this jour- ney was the means by which he gathered all these items, but why did he write them? Shall we say that he whose object in every word set down hitherto was as clear as a sunbeam, becomes now suddenly pur- poseless in his narrative, and is nothing more than a news reporter? It will aid us in discovering what the history means here if we note the threads on which the multitudinous facts are hung. First of all, Paul is taking leave of the churches. He does not expect to see them again. The address to the Ephesian elders is given as a sample of these farewell visits. Again, this is the place to show the completeness and especially the unity of the churches. They all pos- sess the same spirit. That spirit is one of solicitude for the Gospel. Paul is everywhere warned against the danger that awaits him in Jerusalem. Again, in the section now before us we find for the first time warm exhibitions of love for Paul. Luke hitherto had only shown how the great missionary was hated. He had not told of the devotion of the Galatians, who would have plucked out their eyes for the apos- tle (Gal. iv. 14, 15), nor of the Thessaloniaus (I. Thess. iii. 6), and of the Philippians (Phil. i. 26). Now it is plain that the history, by lingering along day by day and depicting what is pleasant, means to 388 STUDIES IN ACTS prepare us for the painful events soon to occur in Jerusalem. The churches are everywhere with Paul, but to carry out his grand design he leaves them for that caldron of rage where the Lord was rejected, and where he, too, must be." — Stijier. '*The first day of the week." See Comments on Chapter ii., page 307. 9. "The author vouches that Eutychus was dead, implying that, as a physician, he had satisfied himself on that point." — Ramsay, 13. This twenty-mile walk after an all-night serv- ice indicates great physical endurance on the part of Paul. Did the apostle long for solitary communion with nature and with God? Luke gives no hint of Paul's reason for this course. 16. **For Paul determined to sail by Ephesus." "Paul, having been disappointed in his first inten- tion of spending Passover in Jerusalem, was eager at any rate to celebrate Pentecost there. For the pur- pose which he had at heart, the formation of a perfect unity between the Jewish and non-Jewish sections of the church, it was important for him to be in Jerusalem to show his respect for one of the great feasts." — Batnsay. 17. "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called for the elders of the church." "Paul intimates clearly that this is his farewell before entering on his enterprise in the West : * Ye shall see my face no more.' With a characteristic gesture he shows his hands : ' These hands have min- NOTES AND COMMENTS 389 istered unto my necessities.' . . . The clinging affection which is expressed in the farewell scene, and the 'tearing ourselves away,' of xxi. 1 (Variorum rendering), make a very pathetic picture."— i?am- say. 28. '*The church of God." "Many ancient authorities read the Lord" (Mar- gin of the Revised Version). Meyer decides in favor of this reading. 36, 37. Of this farewell meeting Renan says: "They all knelt and prayed. There was nought heard but a stifled sob. Paul's words, 'Ye shall see my face no more,' had pierced their hearts. In turn the elders of Ephesus fell on the apostle's neck and kissed him." "Paul was a man of strong conviction and great force of character, but also possessed of exquisite tenderness and a wealth of affection. If he had to endure the strongest enmities, he also won for himself the deepest and most enduring friendships. At once so gigantic and so gentle, his personality was a great power, and seemed wholly to overshadow his companions and followers, though in themselves men of great excellence and worth, such as Timothy, Titus, Silas, Luke, and others/ ^^— Or miston* 390 STUDIES IN ACTS CHAPTER XXI. An intense interest attaches to this and the follow- ing chapters of the book, both from the standpoint of Paul's later history, and of the attitude of the Roman rulers to the Christian religion. For fullness of treatment on the latter point, the reader must be referred to Prof. Ramsay's work, already many times noted. 3,. 4. "Landed at Tyre; . . and having sought out the disciples" (Variorum rendering). There is no account of any missionary work in Tyre. But by this time Paul and his companions had learned to expect Christians in every such considerable city on the Mediterranean, and to search them out. 10,11. "Agabus." Undoubtedly the same prophet who is mentioned in chapter xi. 28. 16. "Mnason, ... an old disciple." Like Barnabas, he was of Cyprus. Unlike Barnabas, he seems not to have given over his property to the church, since he had a house in Jerusalem large enough to accommodate Paul and his companions during the throng of the Pentecost season. 21. This verse has an emphatic bearing on the Jewish-Gentile controversy, and is an example of the false reports intentionally made current about Paul's teaching. 22-25. The course proposed by James and the elders of the Jerusalem church was not inconsistent with Paul's rule of expediency by which he "became NOTES AND COMMENTS 391 all things to all men." Besides, he had had a vow in Corinth, and had shaved his head in Cenchrea. That these four Jewish Christians should have a Nazarite vow upon them shows how tenaciously many in the Jerusalem church still clung to the Mosaic forms of worship. (See Num. vi.) That Paul should purify himself with them and pay the expenses of their release would prove that he was not antagonistic to the ancient customs. Perhaps there is no other incident that so fully illustrates his true position. He had come to look upon all these things as not legally binding (I. Cor. vii. 19), but simply as expe- dient for such Jewish Christians as felt the need of them, and inexpedient for all Gentiles. (See Essay XIV.) 27. No doubt the plan would have succeeded had it not been for these "'Jews which were of Asia." 33. From this time forth to the close of the record Paul is a distinguished Roman prisoner. His imprisonment was in reality rescue, and it was the providential means of his reaching Rome. CHAPTER XXII. 1. "Hear ye my defense." *'In this speech to the multitude the apostle gives a skillfully arranged account of his past experience and conduct with the view of allaying the fanatical ex- citement of many of the Jews, and of replying to their unfounded accusations against him. He avows 392 STUDIES IN ACTS himself to be a Jew both by birth and training; refers to his fierce persecution of Christians; gives an account of his wonderful and memorable conver- sion; explains how he was baptized and admitted into the fellowship of the disciples by a pious Jew, and refers to his labors among the Gentiles. Throughout the address he depreciates himself, exalts Christ, and makes conversion to him an epoch in the life of the convert. It is interesting to note how the addresses delivered by Paul on this occasion, and when brought before Agrippa (Ch. xxvi.), differ from each other and from the narrative given by Luke (Ch. ix.), and yet how they harmonize in all material points. The discrepancies in the several statements present no serious difficulties to any ex- cept those who seek to find and multiply contradic- tions in Scripture." . . . *'It is observable that in speaking to the Jews from the stairs of the castle Paul not only uses the Hebrew dialect but gives a Jewish coloring to the entire narrative; while, when addressing Agrippa and his associates' in the royal hall, in keeping with the place and parties, he gives the story a strong Gentile coloring, speaking of the hostility of the Jews, and of the persecuted Chris- tians as saints." — Ormiston. 12. "Ananias, a devout man according to the law." "The apostle neglects nothing in his address which can conciliate his audience, and so he tells them that the messenger whom God sent to him was ' well NOTES AND COMMENTS 393 reported of b}' all the Jews that dwelt in Damas- cus.' " — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 15. ''Thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard." This was the Apostle Paul's commission and is to be compared with that given to the other apostles by the risen Savior (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15, 16; Luke xxiv. 46-48). 16. *' Be baptized, and wash away thy sins." Compare this with Titus iii.5: "According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit." (Also with Eph. v. 25-27.) ** Baptism administered to real penitents is both a means and a seal of pardon. Nor did God ordinarily in the primitive church bestow this on any, unless through this means." — John Wesley. 22. "They gave him audience unto this word." The very name Gentile was enough to infuriate this people. Up to this point Paul prudently re- frained from its use. Immediately when it fell from his lips the outbreak began. The incident is an indi- cation of the abysmal hatred of the Jews, and it serves to enhance in our minds the mighty problem that confronted Paul. 27. "Art thou a Roman? " "With a wild and cruel fanaticism they shouted, 'Away with him ; away with such a fellow from the earth; for it is not fit that he should live.' Thus began one of the most odious and despicable specta- 394 STUDIES IX ACTS cles which the world can witness, the spectacle of an Oriental mob, hideous with impotent rage, howling, cursing, gnashing their teeth, flinging about their arms, waving and tossing their blue and red robes, casting dust into the air by handfuls, with all the furious gesticulations of an uncontrolled fanaticism." Rescued from the mob by Lysias, and about to be examined by scourging, Paul appealed to his rights as a Roman citizen. This rescue and this appeal are made prominent by Luke. The very words of the appeal are given, and the startled centurion's response, "Art thou a Roman?" and the scene has in it the thrill of tragedy. *'As if the fact were incredible the centurion added, 'The privilege of citizenship cost me much.' To this Paul with great dignity replied, ' 1 have been a citizen from my birth.' By the Lex Portia Roman citizens were exempt from all degrading punishment, such as that of scourging. The words Civus JRomanits sum acted like a magical charm in dis- arming the violence of provincial magistrates. . . . 'It is a crime to bind a Roman citizen; a heinous iniquity to scourge him; what shall I say to crucify him?' * 'According to the Roman law it was death for any one falsely to assert a claim to the immunities of citizenship, one of which was exemption from the lash . ' ' — Ormiston. NOTES AND COMMENTS 395 CHAPTER XXIII. 2. "With disgraceful illegality Ananias ordered the officers of the court to smite him on the mouth." — Favrar. 3. *'God shall smite thee, thou whited wall." "Where," asks St. Jerome, "is that patience of the Savior, who, as a lamb led to the slaughter, opens not his mouth; who gently asks the smiter, 'If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? ' We are not detracting from the apostle, but declaring the glory of God, who, suffering in the flesh, reigns above the wrong and frailty of the flesh." — Jerome. Quoted by F array'. Even the greatest of Christ's servants suffers by comparison with the Master himself. " We know from Josephus that Ananias did come to a violent end. St. Paul calls him * whited wall ' because he bore the semblance of a minister of justice, but was not what he seemed. Cp. * whited sepulchers ' Matt, xxiii. 27." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 5. " I wist not, brethren, that he was high priest." How should Paul not know that he was high priest? "Numerous explanations have been offered. The most satisfactory, though not free from objections, is that given by Bengal, Neander, Hackett, Schaff, Howson and others, which supposes that Paul meant 396 STUDIES IN ACTS that he did not recollect or consider that it was the high priest whom he was addressing. . . . Farrar suggests that in a crowded assembly he had not noticed who the speaker was. Owing to his weak- ness of sight, all that he saw before him was a blurred white figure, issuing a brutal order, and to this person, who, in his external whiteness and in- ward worthlessness, thus remmded him of the plasv tered wall of a sepulcher, he had addressed his indignant denunciation." After the first flash of indignant resentment was over, Paul immediately resumed his wonted style of urbane and perfect gentility. The frankness and dignity of his apology are admir- able, and politic also as showing his familiarity with the Scriptures and his high regard for them. 6. "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee." Farrar thinks Paul's course here was not ingen- uous, and he sees in xxiv. 21, an indication that Paul himself regretted it. Alford, however, says: " Sure- ly no defense, of Paul for adopting this course is required, but all admiration is due for his skill and presence of mind." 9. *' And there arose a great cry." What fierce passions, how little self-control, what an utter lack of the judicial mind in this Jewish San- hedrin ! 11. *'Beof good cheer, Paul. As thou hast tes- tified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." NOTES AND COMMENTS 397 *'0n this passage Alford has the following excel- lent remarks : By these few words the Lord assured him of a safe issue of his present troubles, of an accomplishment of his intention of visiting Rome, of the certainty that he should preach the Gospel and bear testimony there. So that they upheld and com- forted him in the uncertainty of his life from the Jews, in the uncertainty of his liberation from the prison in Csesarea, in the uncertainty of his surviving the storm in the Mediterranean, in the uncertainty of his fate on arriving at Rome. So may one crumb of divine grace and help be multiplied to feed five thousand wants and anxieties." — Quoted hy Ormiston. 12. " Bound themselves by a great curse." Perhaps they were piqued at the way in which Paul had escaped them, and became the more mali- cious. 16. This is the only reference to Paul's relatives to be found in the New Testament. 23. That a force of 470 soldiers should be de- tailed for this march, indicates the apprehension of the Roman officials. That such a force could be spared from Jerusalem on a moment's notice injdi- cates the strength of the army that was kept there. 27. "Having understood that he was a Roman." Lysias did not know that he was a Roman till after he had rescued Paul. Meyer calls this a lie, and sees in it a proof of the genuineness of the letter. That Lysias should warp the truth in ^this ingenious way for a purpose, would be quite natural. That an 398 STUDIES IN ACTS author should create such a fiction with no purpose in it from his own standpoint would be unaccount- able. Luke recorded what happened. CHAPTER XXIV. 1. "A certain orator named Tertullus, who in- formed the governor against Paul." "The Jews, probably because ignorant of Roman law, engaged the services of a Roman barrister of eminent ability, persuasive eloquence, and probably of great reputation, to make the charges against the apostle. From the outline given of his speech, he was evidently a practiced pleader, and a voluble, plausible orator. Augustine says, ' Eloquence is the gift of God, but the eloquence of a bad man is like poison in a golden cup!" — Ormiston, " The language of Tertullus is that of gross flat- tery. History ascribes to Felix a very different char- acter. Both Josephus and Tacitus represent him as one of the most corrupt and oppressive rulers ever sent by the Romans into Judea. He deserved some praise for the vigor with which he suppressed the bands of robbers by which the country had been infested. The compliment had that basis, but no more. " — Hachett. It has been suggested that even this was because he preferred a monopoly on robbery. 5-9. ** Having made an orderly and formal indict- ment against the apostle of treason against Rome, NOTES AND COMMENTS 399 schism against Moses, and profanity against the gods, the clever and crafty advocate insinuates that the Sanhedrin would have judged Paul righteously had Lysias not interposed, and further gets the elders to assent to all that he had said." — Ormiston. 10-21. Paul replies definitely to the charges. He could not have created a sedition against the Roman government in twelve days. So far from schism they had found him purified in the temple with gifts and offerings. As to heresy, he confesses that after the way which they called a heresy he worshiped God. This he explains at some length, and pleads a con- science void of offense toward God and man. Before a Roman tribunal his peculiar way of worshiping Jehovah would count for nothing. He was claiming a recognized right. 17. "Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation." *'This allusion is very abrupt. It is the first and only intimation contained in the Acts that Paul had been taking up contributions on so extensive a plan. The manner in which the epistles supply this defi- ciency, as Paley has shown (Horse Paulinae), fur- nishes an incontestable proof of the credibility of the New Testament writers." — Hackett. 26. "Felix trembled." Tacitus says of Felix: "In the practice of all kinds of lust, crime and cruelty, he exercised the power of a king and the temper of a slave." Respecting Felix and his wife Drusilla, Hackett 400 STUDIES IN ACTS quotes Josephus as follows : " Agrippa gave his sis- ter Drusilla in marriage to Azizus, king of the Emesenes, who had consented to be circumcised for the sake of the alliance. But this marriage of Dru- silla with Azizus was dissolved in a short time, after this manner. When Felix was procurator of Judaea he saw her, and, being captivated with her beauty, persuaded her to desert her husband, transgress the laws of her country, and marry himself." "The fate of this woman," Hackett observes, ** was singular. She had a son by Felix, and both the mother and the son were among those who lost their lives in the eruption of Vesuvius in A. D. 79." Paul was brought before the bar of Felix, but Felix trembled before the bar of Paul. He trembled, but with him as with many another sinner, procras- tination took the place of repentance, and " the thief of time " was found to be also the thief of the soul. His groveling nature sought a bribe; the apos- tle offered him heaven and God. He little knew or cared that " Through all ages and in all human story The path of duty is the way to glory." CHAPTER XXV. 1-5. This was a critical time for Paul. The new procurator would wish to please the chief men among the Jews. These wealthy and influential men made a plausible request, namely, that instead of subject- ing them to the inconvenience of going to Ciesarea, NOTES AND COMMENTS 401 Paul should be brought back to Jerusalem for trial. "Two years of deferred hopes and obstructed pur- poses and dreary imprisonment had not quenched the deadly antipathy of the Jews to the man whose free offer of the Gospel to the Gentiles seemed to them one of the most fatal omens of their impending ruin." Their request was to have Paul once more before the Sanhedrin ; their plan w^as to assassinate him.. But Festus was not to be trifled with, and falling back upon the requirements of the Roman law, he answered that Paul was kept in charge at Caesarea (Revised Version). Once more under the laws of Rome, the assassins were thwarted and Paul was saved. Meyer asks us to notice the contrast be- tween Jewish baseness and the strict order of the Roman government. 9. Festus, knowing Paul's rights as a Roman citi- zen, can do no more than propose to release him from all charges before the Roman law, and request him to go to Jerusalem for trial upon charges before the Sanhedrin. 10. "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat." See Essay XII. 13. This was Herod Agrippa II., son of Herod Agrippa I., whose tragical death is related in xii. 20- 24. He was grandson of Aristobulus, and great- grandson of Herod the Great. It is well understood that his sifter Bernice was living wnth him in a criminal way. " She was noted for her beauty and profligacy. Luke's accuracy in introducing her at 402 STUDIES IN ACTS this stage of the history is worthy of remark. After a brief marriage with her first husband, she became the wife of Herod, her uncle, king of Chalcis, and on his death remained for a time with her brother, Agrippa. Her third marriage with Polemon, king of Cilicia, she soon dissolved, and returned to her brother not long before the death of the emperor Claudius (A. D. 54). She could have been with Agrippa, therefore, in the time of Festus, as Luke represents in our narrative. Her subsequent connec- tion with Vespasian and Titus made her name familiar to Eoman writers. Several of tliem, Taci- tus, Suetonius, and Juvenal, either mention her ex- pressly or allude to her." — Hackett. This Agrippa sided with the Romans in the war against Jerusalem. After the fall of the city he retired to Rome with his sister Bernice, and there died in 100 A. D. 23. See Comment on xxvi. 1. 26. "Unto my lord." Gloag says: **In the use of this title we have an instance of the extreme accuracy of the historian of the Acts." "This title was declined by the first two emperors, Augustus and Tiberias. Caligula (37-41) accepted it, but it was not a recognized title of any emperor before Domitian (81-96). . . . Antoninus Pius (138-161) was the first who put this title on his coins. Polycarp, who was a contemporary of some of the NOTES AND COMMENTS 403 apostles, and who suffered martyrdom at an advanced age, refused to utter it." — Ormiston. CHAPTER XXVI. 1. "Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and an- swered for himself." "It was not, as commonly represented, a new trial. That would have been on all grounds impossible. Agrippa was without judical functions, and the authority of the procurator had been cut short by the appeal. It was more in the nature of a private, or drawing-room audience— a sort of show occasion, designed for the amusement of these princely guests, and the idle aristocracy of Ceesarea, both Jewish and Gentile. Festus had ordered the auditorium to be prepared for the occasion, and invited all the chief officers of the army and the principal inhabitants of the town (xxv. 23). The Herods were fond of show, and Festus gratified their humor by a grand pro- cessional display. ' '—Farrar. 6. Paul claims that Christianity is the true fruit- age of Judaism. 8. A sudden and impassioned appeal, and an un- answerable argument in favor of the resurrection. 10, 11. An intimation of the extent of Paul's work of persecution, and a proof that he was implicated in the death of others than Stephen. 12-19. Paul's second account of the Christophany at the time of his conversion, the first having been 404 STUDIES IN ACTS given in Hebrew before the angry Jews in Jerusalem (xxii. 5-11). ** There are some differences between this speech and the one made on the stairs of the castle in Jeru- salem. The contradictions are only apparent and vanish before a little scrutiny. Heve before Agrippa Paul does not hesitate to call the disciples whom he had persecuted, saints, holy persons (v. 10), a term which would have been resented had it been used in the former speech before the mob. There he said instead * men and women' (xxii. 4). In describing the scene on the Damascus road some particulars not given before are mentioned. The light was ' above the brightness of the sun.' They 'all' fell to the ground. The voice spake to him 'in the Hebrew tongue.' It said, 'It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.' These particulars would go to show before Agrippa that in that sublime moment Paul was calm and self-possessed. He noted everything. He did not fall down in a swoon. All fell before the power of the light. It was not a delusion, not a mere vision. It was a sensible reality." — Stijler. Paul begins and ends his account of the Chris- tophany with a respectful address to the king (vv. 13 and 19). 20-23. "Paul was now launched on the full tide of the sacred and impassioned oratory which was so powerful an agent in his mission work. He was delivering to kings and governors and chief captains NOTES AND COMMENTS 405 that testimony which was the chief object of his life." — Farrar. 24. "Festus saw that nature was not working in Paul; grace he did not see." **His profane mind remained wholly unaffected by the holy inspiration of the strange speaker, and took his utterances as the whims of a mind perverted by much study from the equilibrium of sound under- standing. ' ' — Meyer, 25. Paul was rudely interrupted, but his reply was admirable. His speech was marred, but his courtesy was perfect. 28. "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, with but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian" (Revised Version). Herod must have uttered the word ** Christian" with a good-natured sneer, mingled of Jewish preju- dice and Roman pride. "The king is of course well-meaning enough not to take amiss the burning words, but also as a luxurious man of the world, sufficiently estranged from what is holy instantly to banish the transiently felt impres- sion with haughtily contemptuous mockery." — Meyer, "Doubtless his polished remark on this compen- dious style of making converts sounded very witty to that distinguished company, and they would with difficulty suppress their laughter at the notion that Agrippa, favorite of Claudius, friend of Nero, King of Chalcis, Ituria, Trachonitis, nominator of the high 406 STUDIES IN ACTS priest, and supreme guardian of the temple treasures, should succumb to the potency of this ' short method with a Jew.' That Paul should make the king a Christian (!) would sound too ludicrous. But the laugh would be instantly suppressed in pity and admiration of the poor but noble prisoner, as with perfect dignity he took advantage of Agrippa's am- biguous expression, and said, with all the fervent sin- cerity of a loving heart, 'I could pray to God that whether in little or in much not thou only, but even all who are listening to me this day might become even such as I am except — he added as he raised his fettered hand — except these bonds.' They saw that this was indeed no common prisoner; one who could argue as he had argued, and speak as he had spoken; one who was so filled with the exaltation of an inspir- ing idea, so enriched with the happiness of a firm faith and a peaceful conscience, that he could tell them how he prayed that they all — all those princely and distinguished people — could be even such as he — and who yet in the spirit of entire forgiveness desired that the sharing of his faith might not involve the sharing of his sorrows and misfortunes — must be such a one as they never yet had seen or known either in the worlds of Jewry or heathendom." — Farrar. Paul does not resent the name Christian; he accepts and defends it. Herod's use of it shows that it had traveled far beyond the city of its origin. NOTES AND COMMENTS 407 ' ' No more he feels upon his high-raised arm The ponderous chain, than does the playful child The bracelet formed of many a flowery link ; Heedless of self, forgetful that his life Is now to be defended by his words, He only thinks of doing good to them That seek his life."— Graft,am. CHAPTEK XXVII. 1. "A convoy of prisoners was starting for Rome under charge of a centurion of the Augustan cohort, and a detachment of soldiers, and Paul was sent along with it. He, of course, occupied a very differ- ent position from the other prisoners. He was a man of distinction, a Roman citizen who had ap- pealed for trial to the supreme court of Rome. The others had been in all probability condemned to death, and were going to supply the perpetual de- mand which Rome made on the provinces for human victims to amuse the populace by their death in the arena. Luke uses the first person throughout the narra- tive, and he was therefore in Paul's company. But how was this permitted? It is hardly possible to sup- pose that the prisoner's friends were allowed to accompany him. Pliny mentions a case in point. Psetus was brought a prisoner from lUiricum to Rome, and his wife Arria vainly begged to accompany him; several slaves were permitted to go with him as waiter's, valets, etc., and Arria offered herself alone to perform all their duties; but her prayer was 408 STUDIES IN ACTS refused. The analog}- shows how Luke and Aris- tarchus accompanied Paul. They must have gone as his slaves, not merely performing the duties of slaves (as Arria o:ffered , to do), but actually passing as slaves. In this way not merely had Paul faithful friends always beside him ; but his importance in the eyes of the centurion was enhanced, and that was of great importance. The narrative clearly implies that Paul enjoyed much respect during this voyage, such as a penniless traveler without a servant to attend him would never receive either in the first century or the nineteenth." — Ramsay, 2. Aristarchus. See xix. 29; xx. 4; Col. iv. 10, and Philem. 24. How gladly would we know more of this man who was such a faij:hful companion of Paul during the last chapters of his history! The term '* fellow-prisoner" in Col. iv. 10 may be used by Paul as an emphatic and tender compliment to his constant friendship. For a paragraph on this interesting voyage the reader must be referred to Essay XII. ; for a close study of it, to Prof. Ramsay's work already many times quoted. 9. "The fast." The fast of the Day of Atone- ment. This fast fell, according to Prof. Ramsay, on Oct. 5th, 59. It was observed by Paul and Aris- tarchus and is used by Luke as a note of time, show- ing that the season was so far advanced as to make navigation dangerous. After Nov. 11, all navigation on the open sea was discontinued. NOTES AND COMMENTS 409 14. ** But not long after there arose a tempestuous (typhonic) wind, called Euraquilo " (Revised Ver- sion). *' Before they got half way across the open bay (seventeen miles from shore to shore) there came a sudden change, such as is characteristic on that sea, where 'southerly winds almost invariably shift to a violent northerly wind.' There struck down from the Cretan mountains, which towered above them to the height of over 7,000 feet, a sudden eddying squall from about east north-east. Every one who has any experience sailing on lakes and bays overhung by mountains will appreciate the epithet * typhonic,' which Luke uses. As a ship captain recently said to me in relating an anecdote of his own experience in Cretan waters, ' The wind comes down from those mountains fit to blow the ship out of the water.' " — Ramsay. 19. " With our own hands we threw away all the ship's fittings and equipment." " This verse is a. climax. It records the extreme act of sacrifice. The first person used in the Authorized Version occurs only in some less authoritative MSS., but greatly increases the effect. The sailors threw overboard part of the cargo ; and the passengers and supernu- meraries, in eager anxiety to do something, threw overboard whatever movables they found, which was of little or no practical use, but they were eager to do something. This makes a striking picture of growing panic; but the third person which appears in the 410 STUDIES IN ACTS great MSS., is ineffective, and makes no climax." — Ramsay. 21-26. Paul's action here is that of one whose soul is calmed by faith, and whose God answers prayer. Paul held the secret of heroism. ** God hath given thee all them that are with thee." Evidently Paul had been praying for this. He who calmed the sea of Galilee could grant an answer to Paul's prayers for the souls of his fellows in the storm. 31. Here and in verse 11 the centurion is repre- sented as in chief command of the ship. Prof. Ramsay says: **To our modern ideas the captain is supreme on the deck of his ship . . . Here the ultimate decision lies with the centurion, and he takes the advice of the captain. The centurion therefore is represented as the commanding officer, which implies that the ship was a government ship, and the cen- turion ranked as the highest officer on board. That doubtless is true to the facts of Roman service. The provisioning of the vast city of Rome, situated in a country where farming had ceased to pay owing to the ruinous foreign competition in grain, was the most serious and pressing department of the Imperial administration. Whatever else the Emperor might neglect, this he could not neglect and live. In the urban populace he was holding a wild beast by the ear; and, if he did not feed it, the beast would tear him to pieces. With ancient means of transport the NOTES AND COMMENTS 411 task was a hundred times harder than it would be now; and the service of ships on which Kome was entirely dependent was not left to private enterprise, but was a state department." 33. On board ship during a storm there is great inconvenience in getting food, and with many not much inclination to take it. For these reasons the fourteen days was a practical though not an absolute fast. *' What the apostle means is that the crew and passengers had taken during all that time no regular food, only snatching a morsel now and then when they were able, and that of something which had not been prepared." — Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 35. A sublime act. Amidst the storm, upon a creaking and heaving vessel no longer sea-worthy, among faces pale and haggard with fear, there is one man who is calm, prayerful, thankful; who praises God while breaking bread, and by word and example encourages others to be calm and to eat. "Like the father of a family among those at table," says Meyer. 44. " So it came to pass that all escaped safe to land." " Onl}^ the rarest conjunction of favorable circumstances could have brought about such a for- tunate ending of their apparently hopeless situation ; and one of the completest services that has been ren- dered to New Testament scholarship is James Smith's proof (Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul) 412 STUDIES IN ACTS that all these circumstances are united in St. Paul's Bay. The only difficulty to which he has applied a rather violent solution is the sandy beach; at the traditional point where the ship was run ashore there is no sandy beach; but he considers that it is * now worn away by the wasting action of the sea.' On this detail only local knowledge would justify a decision. " — Ramsay. "If the assumption of the school of Bauer as to the set purpose animating the book of Acts were cor- rect, this narrative of the voyage, with all its collat- eral circumstances in such detail, would be a mean- ingless ballast of the book. But it justifies itself in the purely historical destination of the work, and confirms that destination." — Meyer. " Ridge of the mountain wave, lower thy crest! Wail of Euraquilo, be thou at rest! Sorrow can never be, darkness must fly. Where saith the Light of light, Peace! It is I." — QrecU hymn of Anatolius. Quoted hy Schaff. CHAPTER XXYIII. 1. "They knew that the island was called Melita." Modern Malta. At present there can be no doubt about the identification of this island. *' The objections which have been advanced, that there are now no vipers on the island, and only one place where any wood grows, are too trivial to de- serve notice. Such changes are natural and probable NOTES AND COMMENTS 413 in a small island, populous and long civilized." — Ramsay. 2. **The term 'barbarians' is characteristic of the nationality of the writer. It does not indicate rudeness or uncivilized habits, but merely non-Greek birth. It is difficult to imagine that a Syrian or a Jew or any one but a Greek would have applied the name to the people of Malta, who had been in con- tact with the Phoenicians and the Romans for many centuries." — Ramsay. 7. " Chief man of the island, whose name was Publius." This is another of the noble Romans whom we are accustomed to meet so frequently in the book of Acts. The Apostle Paul richly repays his hospitality. 11. *'A ship of Alexandria." A government corn-ship plying between Egypt and Rome. (See note on xxvii. 31.) 14. *' . . Puteoli, where we found brethren.*' "Puteoli, as a great harbor, was a central point and a crossing of intercourse ; and thus Christianity had already established itself there. All movements of thought throughout the Empire acted with mar- velous rapidity on Rome, the heart of the vast and complicated organism; and the crossing-places or knots on the main highways of intercourse with the East, Puteoli, Corinth, Ephesus, Syrian Antioch — became centers from which Christianity radiated." — Ramsay. " The concession of a seven days' stay so near the 414 STUDIES IN ACTS end of the journey, testifies how much Paul possessed the love and confidence of the centurion." — Meyer, During these seven days the brethren in Rome could easily be notified of Paul's progress toward the city. 15. The Three Taverns was about 33 miles out from Rome, and Appii Forum about 40. Paul had never before been welcomed and escorted thus to a city. Rome was an *' epitome of the inhabited world," and Paul had long desired to visit it as the climax of his labors. How ardently he must have approached the city! and with what misgivings as a prisoner in chains! How many doubts must have risen in his mind! Had his Jewish enemies com- municated with the authorities, or with the Jewish Christians? Would the church receive him at all? Would his old friends and former fellow-workers, some of whom had drifted to Rome, welcome him? Ah, they knew his heart, and they knew his circum- stances, and they did a most gracious thing in going out to greet and welcome him. 16. "Captain of the guard." ** The Greek title 8tratopedarch very rarely occurs; and it remained for Mommsen, aided by the form given in an old Latin version, Princeps Peri- grinoruin, to explain who the officer really was, and to place the whole episode of Paul's Roman impris- onment in a new light. "Augustus had reduced to a regular system the maintenance of communications between the center NOTES AND COMMENTS 415 of control in Rome and the armies stationed in the great frontier provinces. Legionary centurions, com- monly called frumenlarii, went to and fro between Rome and the armies, and were employed for numer- ous purposes that demanded communication between the Emperor and his armies and provinces. They acted not only for commissariat purposes (whence the name), but as couriers, and for police purposes, and for conducting prisoners; and in time they became detested as agents and spies of the govern- ment. They all belonged to legions stationed in the provinces, and were considered to be on detached duty when they went to Rome ; and hence in Rome they were * soldiers from abroad,' jperigrini. While in Rome they resided in a camp on the Cselian Hill, called Castra Perigrinorum. In this camp there were always a number of them present, changing from day to day, as some came and others went away. This camp was under the command of the Princeps Perigrinoritm ; and it is clear that Strato- pedarch in Acts is the Greek name for that officer." — Ramsay. 17-31. For material upon these verses the reader is referred to the last pages of Essay XII. "During the two years of his imprisonment Paul regarded himself as *an ambassador in a chain' (Eph. vi. 20); he asked the prayers of the Colossian and Asian churches generally for his success in preaching; his tone is hopeful, and full of energy and spirit for the work (Col. iv. 3, 4), and he looked 416 STUDIES IN ACTS forward to acquittal and a visit to ColossaB (Philem. 22).''— Ramsay. **The presence of many friends in Rome also cheered Paul. He had been permitted to take two personal attendants with him from Csesarea; but though his other companions in Jerusalem were pre- vented from accompanying him in his voyage, some of them followed him to Rome. Timothy was with him during the great part of his imprisonment, was sent on a mission to Philippi about the end of 61 (Phil. ii. 19), and thereafter seems to have had his headquarters in Asia, whence he was summoned by Paul to join him during his second imprisonment. Tychicus also joined Paul in Rome in 60, and was sent on a mission to Asia, and especially to the churches of the Lycos valley, early in 61. They probably left Csesarea when Paul sailed for Rome, visited on the way their own homes, and arrived in Rome not long after Paul himself." — Ramsay. It is pleasing to note that Mark visited Paul in Rome (Col. iv. 10), and that Paul commends him warmly to the Christians whom he expected to meet in Asia, and even took pains to send oral commenda- tions beforehand in his behalf. With these glimpses of friendship and reunion, and of forgetting and for- giving, and of *'care for all the churches," the life of Paul passes from the pages of history. *'Paul at Rome! Climax of the Gospel! End of Acts! Victory of the word of God! " — Bengel. INDEX Advent, second. 320. Agabus, 139. Amos, quoted, 149. Amphitheater. 185. Ananias and Sappliira, 83. Angel, of the Church, 280. Antioch, in Syria, 123 f. Antiochus, Epipanes, death of, 153. Apostles, Christological teach- ing of, 54. Aquila, 234. Aristarchus, 250. Arnold, quoted, 189. Athens, 227. Atonement, 23, 46, 59, 60. Augustine, quoted, 140. Baptism, 45, 51, 52, 224, 314, 319, 346. Baptism, liousehold, 374. Baptism, infant, 375. Baptism, culmination of conver- sion, 117. Barnabas, 129, 159. Berea, church established, 227. Blaspliemy, final. 73. Brace, Charles L,oring, quoted, 137, 187. Browning, Mrs. quoted, 233. Brutus, suicide of, 223. Campbell, A., quoted, 274. Carey, William, 177, 224. Carlyle, quoted, 43, 232. Charles IX.. of France, death of, 154. Christian, the name, 134, 355, 356, 406. Christophany, of Stephen, 96. Chronology, of Acts, 17. Chrysostom. 39. Church, a praying brotherhood, 63. Church, benefactions of, 67. Church, basis of membership in, 52. Church, social soul of, 67. (27) 41 Cicero, quoted, 124. Civilization, Greek, 188. Claudius, edict of, 18. Commission, Clirist's, 30. Communion Service, 58, 61. Communism, 65, 66, 140, 326 f . Confession, the good, 346. Conversion, 318. Cook, Joseph, quoted, 218, 221. Cornelius, conversion of, 105 f, character of, 115. Covetousness, 329. Corinth, described, 233. Cowper, quoted, 28. Crafts, Rev. Wilbur F., quoted, 308. Creasy, quoted, 189. Creed, Apostles', 54, 80. Crown, of thorns, 31. Crucifixion, 36. Deacons, 90, 280. Demas, 251. Denominations, 135. De Pressense, quoted, 213. Diana, temple of, 383. Dorner, quoted, 43. Ebionites, .214. Edersheim, quoted, 107, 304, 306. Edwards, Jonathan, 39. Elders, 280. Elders, appointed, 230. Elymas, the sorcerer, 192. Epaphras, 250. Epicureans, 139, 228. Eunuch, baptism of, 107. Evidence, cumulative, 148. Exorcism, 381. Expediency, 284, 332. Famine, in Jerusalem, 136, 294. Farrar, quoted, 183, 207, 209. 2^. Felix, 19. Festus, 19, Fisher, Prof. George P., quoted, 154. Forgiveness, 24, 75, 78, 100, 819. (See remission). 418 INDEX Fortune, goddess of, 139. Future, the, 306. Gallio, 236. Gamaliel, 84, 330. Gibbon, quoted, 247. Godet, quoted, 184, 302. Gospel, universal, 109. Government, Roman, 188, Hackett, Dr. Horatio B., quoted, 16. 17, 311. Hades. 312. Hatred, 111. Herder, quoted, 43. Herod Agrippa I., 144. Herod Agrippa I., death of. 152. Herod Antipas, 145. Herod the Great, 145. Heroism, of the martyrs, 84. Holv Spirit, historic presence of. 12^; Holy Spirit, promise of, 31. Holy Spii'it, guidance of, 113, 117. Holy Spirit, in the church, 259 f. Impurity, of pagan worship, 211. Inspiration, 93, 310. Isaiah, quoted, 118. Jailer, converted, 225. James, the brother of the Lord, 209. James, the martyr apostle, 143 f. Jerusalem, destruction of, 214. Jerusalem, superseded by Anti- och, 219. Jesus, a reality, 24. Jesus, messiahship of, 31. Jesus, Laml) of God, 35. Jesus, unique life of, 36. Jesus, Lord and Christ, 44. Jesus, fellowship of, 57. Jesus, love of, 59. Jesus, hated, 76. Jesus, method of, 99. Jesus, on tlie (Jross, 100. Jesus, prediction of, 150. Jews, mockery of, 71. John the Baptist, :34, 61. John|the Baptist, message of, 149, Judson, Adoniram, 177. Justification. 3(56. Justin Martvr, 84. Kurtz, quoted, 285, 289, 309, 315. Law and Gospel, 92. Latimer, 84, 88. Lazarus, resurrection of, 76. Liberty, false, 129. Livingstone, David, 177. Lord's Day, 109. Lord's Supper, 316. Love, Christian, 30, 78. Love, as a principle of unity,. 293 f . Loyalty, to Christ, 132. Luther, quoted, 84, 197. Luke, author of Acts, 15, 16. Lydia, converted, 223. Macaulay, quoted, 184. Martyn, Henry, 177. Matthias, 307. Milton, quoted, 42. Ministry, 362. Miracles, 43, 75, 81. Miraculous, the, 20. Mishna, 324. Missions, defended, 126. Moloch, 339. Mystery, of the Gospel, 118. Neander, quoted, 50, 203. Necessity, intellectual, 13. Nero. 144. Nero, death of, 154. Nero, Paul before, 242. Nero, burning of Rome, 248. Ordination, 370. Orthodoxy, 79, 80. Paganism, ancient, 181. Paley, William, 305. Parousia. 319. Patronus, Patrona, 285. Parker, Joseph, quoted, 202. Paul, characterized, 15. appeal to Cassar, 19, 241 ; conversion of, 1 66, 347 f ; early date of Epistles, 21 ; as a' martyr, 84 ; brought to Antioch, 133 ; sent out With Barnabas, 159; primacy of, 161: endowments of, 165; apostle of emancipation, 168; preaching in Pisidian Antioch, 194; in Iconium, 197; in Lystra, 198; crosses the yEgejin, 221 ; in Athens, 229 ; connection with Roman officials, 243; imprisonment in Rome, 247; not penniless, 252; as organizer and uni- fier, 275 f; change of name, 363 ; character of, 389 ; in the. storm, 411; companions m Rome, 416. INDEX 419 Pentecost, 31. Pentecost, sermon on, 33. Pentecost, preparation for, 34. Pentecost, birthday of the church, 105. Persecution, 75, 79, 80, 99, 125. Peter, the apostle, 40. Peter, primacy of, 84, 160. Peter, true Jew, 112, 114. Peter, revelations to, 116. Peter, defense of Gentile Chris- tianity, 208. Phariseeism, 76. Phebe, Patrona, 285. ,Poetry, 42. Prayer, unspiritual, 31. Prayer, in tl)e first church, 63, 64. 82, 151. Progress, 128. Prophecy, Messianic, 30. Pulpit, prostitution of, 38. Pulpit, sacredness of, 39. Pulpit, themes of, 40, 44. Rabbinical Schools. 323. Ramsay, Prof. W. M., quoted 13, 14, .17. 18, 20, 206, 220, 246, 253, 301. Ramsay, theory stated, 244. Reality, the soul of religion, 24. Remission of sins, 46. Renan, quoted, 124, 145, 232. Repentance, 46. Resurrection of Jesus, 35, 36, 305. 312. Resurrection of Jesus, effect upon the Jews, 71. Retaliation, 75. Romans, hated by the Jews, 112. Rome, 247. Ruskin, quoted, 61, 333. Sabbath, Jewish, 109. Sabattier, quoted, 85, 104, 158, 218, 240, 283. Sacrifice, human, 340. Sadduceeism, 77. Samaritans, conversion of, 108 Sanday, Prof., quoted, 315. Sanhedrin, described, 83. Sanhedrin, maxim of, 89. Schaff, quoted, 43, 122, 311. 314, 317. Scribes, learning of, 321. Sectarianism, 136. Sergius Paulus, 192. Silas, 212, 220, 291. Slaves, in the Roman Empire, 185. Smith, Henry B., quoted, 43. Sorcerers, 192, 193, 343. Stephen, martvrdom of, 89 f. Stoicism, 139, 229. Strauss, 22. Succession, apostolic. 54. Sunday, 307. Synagogue, model of the church, 281. Tanners, unclean, 113. Tennyson, quoted, 42. Theology, systematic. 23. Theophany, of Stephen, 96. Thessalonica, church established, 226. Timothy, student of Paul, 250. Titus, student of Paul. 250. Torquemada, 130. Traditionalism, 127, 322, 331. Tubingen, theory, 13. Uncleanness, ceremonial. 354. Union, Christian, 52. 388. Venus, worship of, 211. Victor Hugo, quoted, 145. Way, the, 22. Weiss, quoted, 306. We-narratives, 16. Whittier. quoted. 42, 306. Woman, treatment of among- the ancients, 368, 374. 376. 378. ^ Date Due ^^^a4 — r ^ r>.'j, ■/ — ' — ■^'■- .^» ■ VI i ■ '■' ' V LP ?^»r-f, «*%. 4iii-i-4-J#«- f^"' •^^^ V ^ IJ