ACTS XXVII. He foretels next day they light- A. D. 62. ened the ship; 19 And the third day e we cast out with our own bands the tackling of the ship. 20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and i loss. e Jon. 1. 5. f ch. 23. 11. Da. 6. 22. He. 1. 14. Re. 22. 16. g ch. 16. 17. Ps. 143.12. the shipwreck. for h I believe God, 26 Howbeit 27 But when the fourteenth night was Da. 3. 26. Come, as we were & 6. 16. Jno. 12.26. Ro. 1. 19. & 6. 22. 2 Ti. 1. 3. 28. driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; & 2. 24. Tit. 1. 1. h 2 Nu. 23. 19. Ch. 20 20. Lu. 1. 45. Ro. 4. 20, 21. 2 Ti. 1. 12. ch. 28. 1. messsage 22 And now I ex-ver. 24Such a hort you to be of good cheer for there God's angels shall be no loss of have often any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23f For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and g whom I serve; brought to his people. See Dan. 10. 12. 19. Ma. 2. 10. ancients called all ver. 27i.e. In the 24 Saying, Fear Adriatic not, Paul; thou must Sea: so the be brought before Cæsar: and, lo, God that part of hath given thee all the Mediterthem that sail with ranean Sea which lay thee. south of 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good Italy. 28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 29 Then fearing lest they should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes meat for this is for m ch. 2. 41. & 7. 14. your health: for Ro. 13. 1. therek shall not an 1 Pe. 3. 20. hair fall from the + Or, cut the head of any of you. anchors, they 35 And when he left them in had thus spoken, he the sea, &c. took bread, and gaven 2 Co.11.25. thanks to God in pre-o ver. 22. sence of them all: Ps. 107. and when he broken it, he began to eat. had 36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. 30. 2 Co. 1. 8. ver. 43 This could not have been thought of, had not the Roman this cruel 37 And we were in all in the ship two it, or had it laws allowed hundred threescore not been and sixteen m souls. sometimes 38 And when they done. So that had eaten enough, and unfeelthey lightened the ing policy ship, and cast out the disgraced wheat into the sea. the jurispru39 And when it was dence of the day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain renowned Romans. See Scott. the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, made toward and shore. 41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape, 43 But the centuPaul, kept them from rion, willing to save their purpose ;* and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: 44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, "that 2 And the b barba-e Ja. 5.14,15. rous people shewed: us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. & 13. 13. 1 Co. 12.9. & Ma. 15. 6. 1 Ti. 5. 17. The name of this island 3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of ver. 1the heat, and fastened on his hand. + And is taken from when the μελι, honey; barbarians saw the it being favenomous beast hang mous for its on his hand, they said produce of among honey. The themselves, place on the No doubt this man is island where a murderer, whom, Paul was though he hath es driven on shore, is to caped the sea, yet this day vengeance still shewn not to live. to travellers, and called St. Paul's shore or haven. The po6 Howbeit they pulation is looked when he stated to be should have swollen, above 90,000. or fallen down dead suffereth 5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. by a viper. a suddenly: but after they had looked great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and d said that he was a god. 7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of island, whose the name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. 8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and flaid his hands on him, and healed him. 9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: ho 10 Who also noured us with many honours ; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary. 11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. 12 And landing at Paul arrives ACTS XXVIII. at Rome. Syracuse, we tarried A. D. 63. committed nothing there three days. 13 And from thence h ch. 24. 25. we fetched a com & 27.3. & 25.8. pass, and came to i ch. 24. 12. 14 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. 15 And from thence, when the brethren * heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. k ch. 21.33. & 24. 10. P against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet k was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. ch. 26. 6,7. 19 But when the ch. 26. 29. Jews spake against Ep. 3. 1.it, m I was constrained to appeal unto Cæsar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. & 4. 1. 2 Ti. 1. 16. ch. 24. 5. Lu. 2. 34. 1 Pe. 2. 12. 20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.* ver. 15— There is no certain ac16 And when we count, by came to Rome, the whom Chriscenturion delivered tianity was the prisoners to the planted at captain of the guard: Rome; but but h Paul was suf. probably some inhabi-thee, fered to dwell by tants of that himself with a soldier city were at that kept him. Jerusalem on See Ac. 2.10. ver. 20 17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews to- A chain gether: and when being fastenthey were come to- ed to his gether, he said unto wrist, and to them, Men and breth- the soldier's ren, though I have i arm. 21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judæa concerning neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. 22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest for as concerning this sect, we know that every where Pit is spoken against. 23 And when they had appointed him a 27 For the heart of duracy for this people is waxed their sins. gross, and their ears. is rejected. are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.* 28 Be it known therefore unto you. that the salvation of God is sent " unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. 29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. 30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. This book forms the second part of the Gospel of St. Luke; he commences by recording the descent of the Holy Spirit, and then relates the manner in which Christianity was first promulgated; and terminates with St. Paul's imprisonment at Rome. Macknight observes respecting this book, that the learned have had an opportunity of examining its historical facts, and have found them confirmed by the best contemporary heathen writers, whose works still remain. It was written about 30 or 31 years after our Lord's crucifixion, and has been universally received by the Christian church in all ages; it is quoted by almost every Christian writer, and thereby its authenticity and importance are confirmed. |