first. XV. strangled, and from blood, for the XV. CHAP. bate, Peter rose up, and said unto improper trouble to those Gentiles CHAP. them, "Brethren, ye know that a who turn to God; but charge them A consul good while since God made choice by letter, to abstain from the pol- 20 tation is of us, that the Gentiles by my luted offerings to idols, and from holden, in which Pe- mouth might hear the word of the fornication, and from things ter speaks gospel, and believe. And God who knoweth the heart bare testimony to them, by giving unto them the holy spirit, even as he had given it 9 also unto us, and made no differ-ers in every city, and is read on ence between us and them, consi- every Sabbath in the synagogues." dering them as purified in their Upon this, it seemed good to 22 10 hearts, by faith in Christ. Now, the apostles, and the elders, and all The deci therefore, why do ye try God, to the church, to choose men from sion of the put a yoke upon the neck of the among themselves, and send them disciples, which neither our fa- to Antioch with Paul, and Barnathers, nor we have been able to bas, namely, Judas surnamed Bar11 bear. But I believe as well as Bar-sabas, and Silas, leading men nabas, and Paul, that the Gen-among the brethren, by whom 23 tiles shall be saved through the they sent the following letter: gracious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ." 12 apostles, "The apostles, and the elders, and is sent by the brethren,wish health unto their Antioch, letter to Then all the multitude listened brethren of the Gentiles in Anti- and other Then Paul in silence to Barnabas and Paul, och, and Syria and Cilicia. Foras- churches, and Barna- while they related what signs and much as we have heard, that some 24 bas, and James. wonders God had wrought by them who went out from us have troub13 among the Gentiles. Now, when led you with their words, and unthey had done speaking, James an- settled your minds, by enjoining 14 swered, "Brethren, hearken unto circumcision, and the keeping of me: Simon Peter hath related how the law, to whom we gave no such God some time ago showed kind-commission; we have all agreed to 25 ness to the Gentiles, by taking out send chosen men unto you, with 15 of them a people for his name. And our beloved brethren Barnabas and with this agree the words of the pro-Paul, men who have hazarded 26 phets, as it is written, After these their lives for the name of our ix. 11. 12.. things I will again build up the Lord Jesus Christ. We have ac- 27 fallen tabernacle of David, and Icordingly sent them,and also Judas will build up its ruins, and will re-and Silas, who will tell you the 17 store it, that the residue of men same things that we have written. may seek after the Lord, and all For it hath seemed good to the ho- 28 the Gentiles, over whom my namely spirit, and to us, to lay upon you is called, saith the Lord, who no other burden than these necessa18 doeth all these things.' Known ry things: To abstain from the 29 unto God are all his works from the polluted offerings to idols, and from 19 beginning of the world. Where blood, and from things strangled, fore my opinion is, that we give no and from fornication, from which Amos, 1 Who are my creatures and children in by the Levitical law. Fornication in the 2 Í his most probably means either marry-christianity as an heinous offence. See ing persons not converted to christianity, or Gal. v. 21. within the degrees of affinity, prohibited CHAP. if ye keep yourselves, ye will do right. Fare ye well." XVI. which causes great joy. 30 So the messengers went away, and came to Antioch, and delivered the letter to all the brethren assembled together, who read it, and 31 rejoiced at this encouragement. 32 Then Judas and Silas, being themselves also teachers, exhorted the brethren with many words, and 33 confirmed them; and after staying some time, they went in peace from the brethren to those who sent 34 them, except Silas, who thought 35 proper to continue there. Moreover Paul and Barnabas also staid at Antioch, teaching and preaching, with many others also, the glad tidings of the word of the Lord. Barnabas isagree and part 36 XVI. him; so he took and 'circumcised CHAP. Now, when they had passed 6 through Phrygia, and the country proceed to of Galatia, being hindered by the Philippi. holy spirit from publishing the word in the proconsular Asia, they came 7 to Mysia, and attempted to go into Bithynia; but the spirit imparted to them by Jesus, suffered them Now, after some days, Paul said not. So they went by Mysia, and s Paul and to Barnabas, "Let us go again came down to Troas. And Paul 9 and see how the brethren go on in saw a vision in the night, a man of every city, where we preached the Macedonia standing by him, and 37 word of the Lord." And Barna- entreating him in these words, bas determined to take with them" Cross over into Macedonia, and . 38 John called Mark; but Paul did help us." And after he had seen 10 not think fit to take with them a the vision, we immediately endeaman, who had left them in Pam-voured to go into Macedonia, conphylia, and not gone with them cluding that the Lord had called us 39 to the work. The dispute there- to preach the gospel there. We 11 fore was so sharp between them, bore away accordingly from Troas, that they parted from each other, and came straight to 3 Samothrace, and so Barnabas took Mark with and the next day to Neapolis, and 40 him; but Paul chose Silas, and thence to Philippi, which is a departed also, after he had been chief city in that part of Macedonia, commended to the favour of God and a colony. And we abode in 12 by the brethren, and passed through that city some days. 41 Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. 2 converts Lydia, And on the Sabbath day, we went 13 out at the city-gate, by a river's Where He CHAP. Now, when Paul came to Derbe, side, to a place where prayer was XVI. and Lystra, he found at the latter usually made, and we sat down, aul meets place, a certain disciple, named and spake to the women who resortTimothy (the son of a believing ed thither. And a certain woman 14 Jewess, but his father was a Gen-heard us, named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, a Gentile, who worshipped God ; and the Lord so opened her heart, that ith Ti othy at stra ; 2 tile) well spoken of by the brethren That he might not offend the Jews. 4 2 16 an insane young wo ز man and cures er, there met us a maid-servant son were shaken, and the doors in- CHAP. 3 CHAP. she received the doctrines of Paul, XVI. and was baptized with all her family. 15 Then she besought us, saying, "If ye think me faithful to the Lord, come and stay in my house." And she pressed us to compliance. Now, as we were going to pray-going to destroy himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud 28 voice, "Do thyself no harm, for we are all here." Then the gaoler 29 called for a light, and sprang in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, and led them out, saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be 3 sav- 30 ed?" And they said, "Believe 31 on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou, and thy family shall be saved." Then they spake the word of the 32 Lord unto him, and to all that were in his family. And he took Paul 33 and Silas that very hour of the night, and washed the wounds which their stripes had made, and was immediately baptized, he and all his family; and when he had 34 brought them into his house, he set food before them, and he rejoiced exceedingly with all his family upon believing in God. Paul and beaten, 19 But when her masters saw that for which the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the market place, and thrown and brought them before the mainto prison. gistrates, saying, "These men, 20 these Jews, greatly trouble our ci21 ty, and teach practices which it is not lawful for us Romans to re22 ceive or observe." And the mul titude rose up in a body upon them, and the magistrates tore off their clothes, and commanded them to 23 be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they cast them into prison, and charged the gaoler to keep them 24 safely; who, having received these orders, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in Now, when it was day, the ma- 35 gistrates sent the officers, saying, and at the the magis Let those men go." And the quest gaoler told Paul of this order, say- trates leave ing, “The magistrates have sent the city. to discharge you: now, therefore, 36 come out, and depart in peace.' But Paul said, "They have beaten 37 us who are Roman-citizens, publicly without any trial, and thrown us into prison, and now they are for sending us away privately. Not so indeed, but let them come themselves and conduct us out." And 38 the officers related these words to the magistrates; who were affrighted, when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman-citizens. So 39 heard Paul and Silas say of themselves. XVI. CHAP they came and besought them, and conducted them out, and desired them to leave the city. 40 Upon this Paul and Silas came out of the prison, and went to the house of Lydia; and after seeing the brethren, and exhorting them they departed. CHAP. XVII. persecute hem at ica. Then Paul and Silas travelled through Amphipolis, and ApolloThe envi- nia, and came to Thessalonica, us Jews where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Now Paul, as his custom Thessalo- was, went in among them; and for three Sabbath-days reasoned 3 with them from the scriptures, explaining them, and proving thereby that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer death, and to rise from the dead; and that the same Jesus, whom I am declaring 4 to you, is the Christ. Upon this some of them were convinced, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks, 5 a great multitude. But the unbelieving Jews, moved with envy and vexation, taking with them a disorderly rabble, and raising a mob, made a riot through the city, and came to the house of Jason, with a design of bringing Paul and Silas 6 out to the people. But not finding them there, they dragged Jason, and some of the brethren, before the magistrates, crying out, "These men that have turned the world 7 upside down, are come hither; and Jason hath entertained them; though they all act in opposition to the decrees of Cesar, by affirming that there is another king, one 8 Jesus." And the magistrates, as well as the common people, were 9 alarmed upon hearing this; so they took security of Jason and the rest, and let them go. These were famous philosophical sects among the Greeks. The Epicureans denied a Providence and a future state; and maintained that pleasure was the chief good. The XVII. the Berean Jews. Then the brethren immediately CHAP. sent away Paul and Silas in the night to Berea; who when they came 11 thither, went into the synagogue Fine chaAnd these were racter of of the Jews. more ingenuous than those in Thessalonica, because they received the word with all readiness of mind, searching the scriptures daily, whether these things were so; and accordingly, many of them 12 believed; and of the Grecian women of high rank, and of men, not a few. But as soon as the Jews of Thes- 13 salonica knew that the word of God Paul goes was preached by Paul in Berea, to Athens, they came there also, raising a disturbance among the multitude. Upon this the brethren sent away 14 Paul immediately to go toward the sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there still. Then they 15 who conducted Paul, brought him to Athens; and after receiving from him an order to Silas and Timothy, to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. with the Now while Paul was waiting for 16 them at Athens, his spirit was where he greatly provoked within him, when converses he saw the city full of idols. He philosodiscoursed therefore in the synago-phers. gue with the Jews, and with the 17 Gentile proselytes, and in the market-place daily, with such as came in his way. And some of 18 the Epicurean and 'Stoic philosophers met with him, some of whom said, "What doth this babbler mean to say?" And others said, "He seems to be a setter-forth of strange demons; because he preached to them the glad tidings of Jesus, and of the resurrection.' 1 And they took him, and brought 19 Stoics were fatallists, and held that virtue was the only good; that all vices were equal; and that pain was no evil. XVII. before the supreme court of justice, where he noble XVIIL Divine Being like unto any golden, CHAP. Verts are CHAP. him to the court of Areopagus, saying, "We cannot understand Is taken what this new doctrine, which is proposed by thee, is; for thou bringest strange things to our ears; we wish, therefore, to know what 21 these things can mean?" (For all the Athenians, and the strangers that came among them, employed their leisure in nothing else, but in telling or hearing something new.) 22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and spoke thus: "Ye men of Athens ! I perceive Now, when they heard of a re- 32 makes a you all together much given to re-surrection of the dead, some scoff- by which a speech, ligious worship; for as I was go-ed; and others said, "We will few con23 ing about and taking notice of hear thee again of this matter." made. your deities, I found, among other Upon this, Paul went out from 33 things, an altar with this inscrip- among them. However some men 34 tion, To THE UNKNOWN GOD.'joined themselves to him, and beWhom therefore ye reverence with-lieved; among whom was Dionyout knowing him; the same do Isius, a judge of the Areopagus, now make known unto you. and a woman named Damaris, and 24 That God, the Creator of this others besides them. world, and of all things which it Now after this Paul left Athens, CHAP. containeth; that God, the Lord and went to Corinth; and finding of heaven and earth, dwelleth not there a certain Jew, named Aquila, Paul goes 25 in temples made with hands; nor born in Pontus, lately come from doth he require service at men's Italy, with Priscilla his wife, be- finds Aqui hands to supply his wants; since cause of an order from Claudius la. he is the giver of life and breath the Roman emperor, that all Jews 26 unto all mankind. And he made should depart from Rome; he apof one blood every nation of men, plied himself unto them, and as to dwell on the whole face of the he was of the same trade, he con- 3 earth, having fixed from the first tinued with them, working at it, the appointed times and bounda-for they were tent-makers by trade; 27 ries of their habitation; that they and he discoursed in the syna- 4 might seek for God, inasmuch as gogue, on every Sabbath, and enthey would find him, by 'feeling deavoured to convince Jews and after him; for indeed he is not Greeks. 28 far from every one of us, as in But when Silas and Timothy 5 him we live and move, and have were come from Macedonia, the Vexed our being. And to this purpose mind of Paul was violently dis- with the some of your poets also have spok-turbed by the opposition and wick- of the Jews [Aratus.] en," For we are indeed his off-ed speeches of the Jews, whilst he he turns 29 spring." Since then we are God's was earnestly assuring them that from the offspring, we ought not to think this Jesus was the Christ, so that he Gentiles, XVIII to Corinth, where he Opposition to the Endeavouring to discover him, as men blind or in the dark do the object they are in pursuit of. The word is admirably descriptive of that dark and ignorant state in which mankind were before the gospel. A province of the Lesser Asia. |