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30. On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loofed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and fet him before them.

30. But however, to do Justice to the Jews, and to himself, he fummoned the High-Priest and his Council next Day, and brought Paul free and unfetter'd into Court, to be fairly tried and examined.

CHA P. XXIII.

The CONTENTS.

Paul's Behaviour in the Jewish Council. The High-Prieft orders him to be ftruck in open Court, for pleading his own Innocency. Paul's Expreffion to him thereupon. His Prudence with refpect to the feveral Sects of the Jews in Court, whereby he divided them, and efcaped their Fury. Is carried into the Castle again. A Plot to murder him contrived by the Sadducees. It is difcovered, and the Roman Captain carries him off to Cæfarea, to be tryed before Felix.

ΑΝ

ND Paul earneftly beholding the council, faid, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good confcience before God until this day *.

I.

A

S foon as Paul was brought A. D. 61. into Court, where he knew he fhould meet with no fair and juft Dealing in his Defence of himself as a Chriftian, his first Business was to look round the Council, and People affembl'd, to find of what Sects and Parties of Jews they confifted, how they were divided, and on which Side the Majority lay, that fo he might adapt his Difcourfe with the greater Prudence and Advantage for his own Safety. And then began with a folemn Proteftation, That tho' he was now clamoured against as a loose and irreligious

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Paul

* Ver. 1. Until this Day. See NOTE on Rom. v. 13. + Ver. 1. 'Αζερίσας ἢ ὁ ΠαυλΘ τῷ συνεδρίῳ. Ρπ! earnestly beholding the Council. -The Meaning of which Words is accounted for in the PARAPHRASE; but I find it taken due Notice of by no CoMMENTATORS.

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*

·A. D. 61. gious Perfon, He had yet all his Life long lived and acted in a frict Conformity to the Dictates of his Confcience, and the Principles of his Perfuafion. While a few, he had a mighty Zeal for the Law (tho' in fome Inftances it was a misguided Zeal;) and now as a Chriftian, acted up to thofe invincible Arguments that he thought obliged him to that Profeffion.

2. And the high Prieft Ananias commanded them that ftood by him, to fmite him on the mouth.

3. Then faid Paul unto him, God fhall fmite thee, thou whited wall: for fitteft thou to judge me after the law, and commandeft me to be

2. The High Prieft incenfed at him for fuch a bold Juftification of himself, called out to the People that stood next him at the Bar, to ftrike him upon the Face for it, who accordingly did fo.

3. At this illegal and unwarrantable Abufe, Paul was fo moved (and at the fame Time actuated by a divine and prophetical Impulfe) as to tell the High Prieft he was a Hypocrite, ‡ for pretending to fill that Bench as a righteous and impartial Judge, and yet commanding a Man to be punished, before ever he had heard a word of the Merits of his Caufe; and affured him withal, that Providence would meet with him in as open and exemplary a Manner for fo doing.

fmit en contrary to
the law?

4. And they that ftood by, faid, Revileft thou God's high

Priest?

4. The People that ftood by asked him, in a reproaching Manner, how he dare affront God's High Prieft?

5. To

*Ver. 1. I have lived in all good Conscience before God unto this Day. See 1 Tim. i. 13, 15. which are reconcileable to thefe Words by our PARAPHRASE.

+ Ver. 3. To judge me after the Law, viz. The Law of Levit. xix. 15. Thou shalt do no Unrighteousness in Judgment, but in Righteousness fhalt thou judge thy Neighbour.

Ver. 3. The whited Wall. See Matth. xxiii. 27.

Ver. 3. God ball imite thee thou whited Wall. Which Prediction of St. Paul's was fulfilled at the Deftruction of Jerufalem, in which he perifhed, according to St. Chryfoftom and Dr. Lightfoot; but Jofephus fays he was then depofed from his Priesthood, and carried to Rome in Chains. Antiq. 1. xx. cap. v.

5. Then faid Paul, I wift not brethren, that he was the high Prieft: For it is written, Thou shalt not fpeak evil of the ru ler of thy people.

5. To which Paul replied, 4. D. 61. That he was very fenfible of the great Duty of Reverence to Magiftrates (according to that of Exod. xxii. 28.) and though he had gone beyond the Bounds of it, calling the High-Prieft Hypocrite, yet it was owing purely to the Provocation received by his illegal and injurious Proceeding: And therefore that he was as juftifiable in reviling him, as he could be in punishing a Man before he was fairly heard, and duly convicted of any Crime.t

6. But when Paul

perceiv'd that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharifees, he cried out in the council, Men and rifee, the fon of a Pharifee: of the hope t and refurrection of the dead I am called in question.

brethren, I am a Pha

6. To proceed then. Paul finding the Council and People in Court, confifted chiefly of Pharifees and Sadducees, that were violent Oppofers of one another in feveral religious Opinons; and that the only Method he had to efcape their unanimous Vote in his Condemnation, would be to infift upon fome particular Point in his Defence, that would divide and fet them at Difference among themselves, declared himself to have been born and bred up a Pharifee, with whom he ftill agreed in that main and fpecial Article of Religion, viz. A future State of Rewards and Punishments after Death; and this

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Ver. 5. in deiv öti isiv äexisgev's—I wift not that it was the High-Prieft-The Criticks being very much divided in their Sentiments, whether St. Paul fpake this as an Excufe, or a Juftification of himself; I have paraphrased it fo as to exprefs both.

+ See Chap. xxii. 25. John 51.

Ver. 6. Of the Hope and Refurrection of the Dead-Or περὶ ἐλπίδα και αναςάσεως νεκρῶν, Of the Hope (not and but) even of the Resurrection of the Dead, fuppofing the Word

to be in the original Copy-For the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiop. Verfions omit it. It is the THE Hope, the Great Hope, viz. of a Refurrection; the Hope towards God, Chap. xxiv. 15, 21. the Hope of the Fathers, xxvi. 6. the Hope of Ifrael, xxviii. 20.

A. D. 61. is the great Point (fays he) for which I am now fo much blackened and perfecuted, and come to be tried for.

7. And when he had fo faid, there arofe a diffenfion between the Pharifees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

8. For the Sadducees fay that there is no refurrection, neither angel nor fpirit; but the Pharifees confels both.

7. The Design took; for the two Parties, both in Council and People, began immediately to divide and difpute, the one for, the other against this Article.

8. For this Declaration of Paul was full against the Sadducees, who believed nothing at all of a future State, or the Immortality of the Soul, or that any Angel or Spirit exifted feparately without a Body; but it pleafed the Pharifees, who as zealously maintained the contrary Opinions.

9. And there arose a great cry: and the fcribes that were of the Pharifees part a rofe, and ftrove, fay ing, We find no evil in this man: but if a fpirit or an angel hath fpoken to him, let us not fight against God.

9. So that out of pure Oppofition to the Sadducees, the Pharifaical Doctors declared ftrenuoufly for Paul (as to this Point) and that the Account he had given of a divine Appearance made to him (Chap. xxii.) might be poffible enough, and had no manner of Blafphemy in it; for it might be made by an Angel, or fome othe Spirit, by God's Appointment; fo that in a rafh and inconfiderate Manner to reject and disbelieve fuch divine Meffages, was the fame Thing as to diftruft God himself.

10. The Sadducees cried out fo violently against this, and the Difpute grew to fuch a Head, that the Captain order'd his Guards to go to the Bar, and take Paul carry him into the Castle again, for fear he fhould have been killed in the Rout.

10. And when there
arole a great diffen-
fion, the chief cap;
tain fearing left Paul
fhould have been pul-
led in pieces of them,
commanded the foldi-
ers to go down, and
to take him by force
from among them,
and to bring him into the cafile.

and

11. And

11. And the night following, the Lord ftood by him, and faid, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou haft teftified of me in Jerufa

lem, fo muft thou bear witness alfo at Rome.

done at Jerufalem.

12. And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded to gether, and bound themfelves under a curfe, faying, that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

11. The Night following JE- A. D. 61. SUS appeared to Paul in a Vifion, to comfort and encourage him under his Sufferings, affuring him he should escape all the Malice of the Jews, and have an Opportunity of preaching his Religion at Rome itself, as he had (See Chap. xxv. II.)

12 & 13. The Sadducees were fo exafperated to hear Paul defended in open Court, and to find he was likely to come off clear, that next Day a Company of their Party took a mutual Oath, neither to eat nor drink till they had murdered him.

13. And they were more than forty that had made this confpiracy. 14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and faid, We have bound ourselves under a great curfe, that we will eat nothing until we have

flain Paul.

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14. And the better to accomplifh this wicked Effect of their Zeal and Rage, they came to thofe Members of the Council that were of their own Party, (and who they knew would gladly join with them) and acquainted them with the Design.

15. Which was laid thus, viz. That thofe Doctors of the Council fhould go to the Roman Captain, and acquaint him, they had got fome freth Evidences against Paul to prove him a feditious Perfon; and if they could get the Captain to bring him into Court next Day to a fecond Hearing, these Ruffians were to affault and murder him as he came from the Caftle to the Bar.

16. But before the Defign could be brought to bear, it got Wind, M 3

and

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