unintelligible. In vindication of themselves, for their rejection of the Gospel, they endeavour to cast an odium upon its advocates; and represent them, however sincere they may be, as men who are of weak minds, and easily led away.

Paul replied to the charge of Festus, with great energy, and yet with the most becoming respect," I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness;" and, to prove that he was speaking nothing but the sober truth, he turned round to king Agrippa, and appealed to him, if he did not know these things to be true. "I am persuaded," says Paul," that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner:" that is, the miracles of Christ, and all the facts of his life, were perfectly notorious at the time, as the scene of the transactions had not been some obscure place, but the whole land of Judea; and as the facts of the history of Christ, strictly agreed with the predictions of the prophets, the Apostle felt himself authorised to argue as he had done. It seems that the Apostle must have perceived that some impression was made upon the mind of Agrippa; for, as soon

as he had declared that the facts of the history of Christ were matters of public notoriety, he asks the interesting question, "King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?" And then, without waiting for his answer, he goes on, "I know that thou believest." The truth found its way to the heart of Agrippa; and, in the first impulse of his feelings, he replied, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a CHRISTIAN." Unhappy man, that he did not yield an entire submission to the truth of the Gospel! The fear of the world, most probably, prevented his conversion. With a persuasion that what Paul had preached was true, his heart shrunk from the sacrifices which it would require to be a Christian, and he went back into his former state of enmity. The acknowledgment made by Agrippa, though favourable, was by no means satisfactory to the anxious mind of Paul: he knew that such partial convictions could never secure the salvation of the soul, Forgetting his own case, and anxious only for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls, with the most tender affection he replies,"I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost,

and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." This devout aspiration clearly manifested his unbounded benevolence, his full confidence in the goodness of the Lord, and the blessedness which he experienced in the midst of his sufferings. He was not ashamed of being the prisoner of the Lord; he envied not the king and governor their pomp and power, and he could not express his good wishes for them in other terms than desiring that, like him, they might belong to Jesus Christ. How great and noble does the Christian here appear! The little distinctions of crowns and chains, robes of state, and prison garments sink into nothing, in view of eternity and the great concerns of the immortal soul.

The last remark of Paul closed the assembly. The King, and Bernice, and Festus rose up with the counsellors; and when they had conferred among themselves, they were fully persuaded that he was innocent; and they agreed that they would have dismissed him, if he had not referred the cause to the Roman emperor.

And now, upon a serious review of the his

tory thus far, we would inquire of our readers, not what is your opinion of Paul, but what think you of your own character, and what think you of the Saviour whom Paul so zealously and fearlessly preached? Have you

seriously attended to the doctrines which he maintained? Have they made any impression upon your minds? Perhaps, like Festus, you may be disposed to treat them with contempt; or probably, like Agrippa, you are disposed to resist or trifle with their impressions. You are "almost persuaded," and here you rest. Ought this to satisfy your consciences, or can you seriously expect in such a case to inherit the promises of God? O, why will you not consent to advance a little further, and be altogether" what your own conscience tells you you ought to be? There are hundreds and thousands of men, who have sound understandings and solid judgments, who can tell you of the blessedness which they have found in the service of Christ. They argue rightly, that it is not a vain illusion of the fancy, but a most delightful reality, by which they are supported and comforted in the most severe and pressing difficulties. With tender af

fection, and compassionate importunity, they press it upon you to make the trial, that you may partake of their felicity. Credit their testimony, and do not reject your own mercies. Stop not at that awful point with all the responsibility of a sense of duty on your soul, and heaven within your reach. May HE, who alone can subdue the human heart to himself, lead you to embrace the Gospel. May the almighty influence of his grace enable you to break through all your difficulties, and make you not "almost," but "altogether" a Christian.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Voyage of Paul to Rome, as a prisoner— Suffers shipwreck.

IT was the will of God, that Paul should bear his testimony as an apostle of Jesus Christ at Rome; but how that object was to be accomplished was unknown to the Apostle. Though this was distinctly the determination of God, it was, in the method of his providential