CHAPTER XXIII.

TUMULT AT JERUSALEM.

ACTS xxi. 17-40.

A.D. 58- Emperor, Nero-President of Syria, Titus Ummidius Quadratus-Procurator of Judæa, Felix-King (Titular), Herod Agrippa II.

"And the Truth, that queen of heaven, moves onward amidst insults and outrages upon an earth laden with sins. Nothing more plainly declares the degradation of humanity, than the spectacle of mankind fighting thus against Truth, and never yielding as long as it can strike another blow.... The most powerful witness of the Truth is her greatest martyr, and that which has been done to the Master will be done to the servant. All who shall be honoured to continue her work must share in her dangers and in her sorrows, and that is what the Apostle means when he writes of himself: 'Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the Church."-DE PRESSENSE.

T. PAUL is now in Jerusalem for the fifth recorded time. He is in Jerusalem, when he had intensely desired and intended to be at Rome. He meant to go thither as an ordinary missionary traveller, but he will arrive hereafter as a prisoner. The guidance of God's Providence was stronger than his resolution, and he found himself at Jerusalem bound by an irresistible power, without seeing exactly why he was brought thither. So it is with all good men. Their own plans, formed, to be sure, in the fear of God, are entirely set aside. Often God is better to them than they would have been to themselves. A happier position is provided for them than they could possibly

have laid out for themselves. Or, as in St. Paul's case, they may be conducted through severe trials, by a path calculated, not for their comfort and happiness, but for the furtherance of the truth, and the spread of the knowledge of God among the ignorant and ungodly.

The historian says, "When we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly." By "we" let us recollect who are meant. They are St. Paul, St. Luke, Trophimus, Aristarchus, and very possibly other deputies appointed by the Christians of Macedonia and Achaia to be the trustees of the charitable fund they had collected,-a goodly and an united company, bound together by many common ties of affection felt and of sorrows shared. The true brethren received the toil-worn travellers with a joyful welcome. The heartiness of that welcome is the more remarkable, because St. Paul had now been so long a teacher of the Gentiles; a fact which could not but leave a lurking prejudice, however firmly kept down, in the hearts of children of Israel. They had not seen Paul for some years, and the ravages of incessant care and anxiety were plainly visible in the wrinkles that furrowed his pallid cheeks.

Among those that came previously to salute him, would most probably be his sister, mother to the young man who afterwards did him such signal service (xxiii. 16).

No delay was allowed for rest and refreshment after the long travels. The very next day after their arrival, the whole apostolic band proceeded with something of formality, and perhaps a little unpretending state, to present themselves before the assembled brethren, with St. James, the Lord's brother, presiding. But it does not appear that any other of the Twelve were present. Peter and John, the other two of the foremost three, were absent.

It is reasonable to ask, where was the necessity that Paul should recount his acts before this official tribunal? He was in no way responsible to the Church of Jerusalem. He

needed not their approbation to confirm his proceedings. He was not an Apostle "from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father" (Gal. i. 1), and if he had been possessed by the proud independent spirit which is sometimes the object of praise in the world, he might have refused to appear before them at all. But such a course would not have been in harmony with that graceful spirit of conciliation which is ever one of the Apostle's chief characteristics. He knew the importance of the Apostolic body in the extension of the faith. He was anxious to cement the bonds of brotherhood among all Christians, and to promote "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"; and therefore it was in manly courtesy and with winning frankness that he sought this audience.

On this occasion, too, he would deliver up the large collection which the deputies brought in their hands and deposited at the Apostle's feet. We are not told this, but we cannot doubt it.

It was a well-understood thing that St. James was foremost among the Apostles; but only as primus inter pares. Peter, on his return from imprisonment, had bidden, "Go show these things unto James, and to the brethren." In the Council of Jerusalem it was James who delivered the united judgment of the Apostles. On this occasion there were sitting with James all the elders or clergy of Jerusalem; no longer now few, and half concealing themselves, but the numerous ministers of great multitudes of believing Jews, though also of Christians who were more than half Jews in their belief and ritual.

Paul loved to be surrounded and supported by likeminded brethren. He was never for erecting himself into a solitary and unapproachable superior, though he was chief among all the Churches of the Gentiles. "Paul went in with us." So, in Gal i. 2, the address is from "Paul and all the brethren which are with me." Besides, the environment

of a complete and united band of brethren was an outward evidence of the union of hearts that bound them together in action and in suffering.

The feast attended was that which St. Paul so earnestly desired by all means to keep at Jerusalem (xviii. 21), after the observance of which it was his intention to return to Ephesus; a design which, as we shall see, was frustrated.

First there were the mutual salutations of brotherly love and courtesy, "saluting one another with an holy kiss" (Rom. xvi. 16).

The conference being thus auspiciously opened, Paul delivered a formal and detailed narrative of all that they had done, and all that had befallen them since their departure from Seleucia seven years before, A.D. 51, when the Apostle had been led by the Spirit of God into Europe, up to the present time. These things he recounted with great minuteness (κа ev eкaσтov), taking the events in orderly succession, and place by place, giving the glory to God, and acknowledging His supreme and overruling power and guidance; for these "things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry,"-in which words, if we rightly listen, we shall distinguish the same dominant note to which we have often before referred, of Christ continuing on earth from heaven the work He had left to be done after His ascension.

But we are not to suppose that St. Paul delivered himself of this address as one responsible to the Council sitting at Jerusalem, but as a fellow-worker and colleague, delighted in recounting all that had been done by the grace of God among the Gentiles, through his instrumentality. Besides, he naturally desired to prove to them how loyally he had adhered to the provisions and regulations settled upon by the First Council at Jerusalem.

Yet how extremely difficult a task he had before him in

this speech! It would be enough to make any lesser man tremble and shrink from so great a responsibility. How could he make mention of the untiring hate with which he had been pursued from city to city, by the bigots of the law, and their unceasing efforts to pervert and turn aside his converts? What a dangerous topic was the strife and disunion in Galatia and at Corinth, the natural result of the operations of the very men who were perhaps sitting there before him, or at any rate of emissaries of theirs! This would be most dangerous ground to tread. Yet we see, from the cordial manner in which the address was received, that he had with equal grace and skill succeeded in glancing inoffensively past these perilous pitfalls: just as a well-practised modern speaker will generally succeed in averting the dangers that wait upon an address before a prejudiced and ill-affected audience.

When St. Paul had brought his address to a close, a general murmur of pleased approval passed round the assembly, showing, that of the various elements that composed his audience, none had, for the present, been inclined to express themselves hostile to what had been done, and with one accord "they glorified God."* They gave praise to God for "opening the kingdom of heaven to all believers," of whatever race or nation. Their hearts were all thus far in unison together; and it would have been better perhaps if no thoughts of prudential measures had arisen in the minds of some of the elders, to propitiate the disaffected. They could not help letting their minds run on the half Christians half Jews outside, who had not heard Paul, and who might so easily be stirred up into a state of excitement and uproar, if their passions for a moment became raised by jealousy or suspicion. Therefore it is, that in reply to the Apostle's speech, we hear this counsel delivered,

* So in the Sinaitic, Vatican, and Alexandrine MSS.; not "the Lord," as it is in the Authorized Version; and so in Revised Version.