his glory Certain it is that hee was not so quickly framed by Ananias his industrie but that so soone as hee had learned the first priciples by mans mouth he was extolled by God vnto higher things afterward He comprehendeth the summe of his preaching briefly when hee saieth That Christ was the sonne of God In the same sense he saith shortly after That he was Christ And vnderstand thus much that when Paul intreated out of the Law and the Prophets of the true office of the Messias he taught also that al whatsoeuer was promised of and was to be hoped for at the handes of the Messias was reuealed and giuen in Christ For the words signifie thus much when he saith that he preached that Christ is the sonne of God That was vndoubtedly a principle amongst the Iewes that there shoulde a redeemer come from God who shoulde restore all things to an happie estate Paul teacheth that Iesus of Nazareth is hee which he cannot do vnlesse he shake off those grosse errours which he had conceiued of the earthly kingdome of the Messias Certaine it is that Paule declared how Christ was promised in the Lawe and to what end but because all tended to this end that hee might prooue that the sonne of Mary was he of whom the Law and the Prophets bare witnes therefore Luke is content with this one word onely 21 They were all amased This is added that wee may knowe that the power of God was acknowledged For seeing that the zeale of Paul against the Gospel was openly knowne they saw no other cause of such a sodaine chaunge but the hand of God And therefore this is also one fruite of the myracle that they all wonder at him being made a newe man so sodainly so that his doctrine doth the more moue their minds Whereas they say that hee raged horriblie with great crueltie and that he came of late to Damascus that he might proceed in his purpose these circumstances serue to augment the myracle Wee must also note the phrase those which call vpon this name which witnesseth that the godly did so professe the name of Christ that they placed all their hope of saluation in him according to that These men put their trust in chariots and others in horses but we will call vpon the name of the Lord. Finally whatsoeuer the scripture commaundeth concerning calling vpon the name of God it agreeth to the person of Christ 22 And Saul waxed stronger Luke doeth not onely in this place commend the bold zeale of Paule in confessing the faith of Christ but also he telleth vs that he vsed strong reasons to conuince the Iewes He waxed strong saith he that is he gat the victorie in disputation his confession did carrie with it great force and efficacie because being furnished with testimonies of Scripture and such other helpes of the holy Ghost he did as it were tread all his aduersaries vnder his feete For the word confounded which Luke vseth doth signifie That for as much as Paul did vrge them out of measure they were so striken that they coulde not tell where they were The manner of the confounding is expressed because Paul proued that Iesus was Christ For the sense is this that euen when the Iewes were most desirous to resist they were ouercome confounded So that Paul tried by experience that that was most true which he himselfe affirmeth that the Scripture is profitable to conuince Also he performed that which he required elsewhere of a Bishop and teacher for hee was armed with the word of God to maintaine the trueth And Luke setteth down two things that Paul so gate the victory in disputing 2. Tim. 3.16 Titus 1.7 that he ouerthrew the Iewes and yet their stubbernesse was not broken and tamed that they yeelded to the trueth because their consciences rage neuerthelesse inwardly and being throwne downe from their false opinion they doe not submit themselues to Christ Whence had Paule this victorie saue onely because the Scripture was his sworde Therefore so often as Heretikes stande vp to resist the true faith so often as wicked men endeuour to ouerthrowe all godlinesse so often as the vngodly doe obstinately resist let vs remember that wee must fet armour hence Because the papists finde no weapons in Scripture yea because they see that it maketh quite against them they flie vnto this miserable fortresse That they must not dispute with heretikes And that there can no certaine thing be set downe out of Scripture But if Satan himselfe be vanquished with the sword of the worde why shall it not bee able to put heretikes to flight not that they will submit themselues or make an ende of murmuring but because they shall lie ouercome in themselues And if so be it wee couet to escape this trouble let vs raise no tumults against God but let vs with a quiet and meeke spirit receiue that peace which the Scripture offereth vs. 23 When many dayes were fulfilled He saith that many dayes were expired that we may know that Paul had some space of time granted him wherein he might doe good For although the Iewes did resist him euen from the first day yet the Lord did not suffer the course which hee had begunne well to be broken off so soone so he doth with his wonderfull counsell hinder the purposes of the enimies stay their indeuours restraine their malice and madnesse whiles that he furthereth the Gospel and also we see what the hatred of the truth doth For when the wicked see that they are vnable to resist they are carried headlong vnto bloodie furie They would gladly contemne the word of God if they coulde but because they are enforced whether they will or no to feele the force thereof they runne headlong like furious beasts with blinde violence The vnaduised and rash heate of zeale will alwayes almost breake out into such crueltie vnlesse men suffer themselues to bee ruled by the worde of God This is assuredly horrible blindnesse For why are they so madde saue onely because their wounded conscience doth vexe them But God doth by this meanes punish their hypocrisie who doe therefore hate sounde religion because being friends of darknesse they flie the light Furthermore wee see howe sweetly these preposterous zealous fellowes graunt themselues libertie to doe whatsoeuer them lusteth when Satan hath once pricked them forward to persecute the trueth For they feare not to take counsell vnder colour of zeale to put a man to death which they knowe is meere wickednesse as at this day the Papists thinke that they may do whatsoeuer they will so they can quench the doctrine of the Gospel they rage not only with sworde but they goe about by laying in waite by trecherie and by most execrable meanes to destroy vs. We must first beware that that do not befall vs that wee intangle not our selues in the defense of euill causes secondly that we handle those causes wel which we know are good But
Helpe They crie out as if they were in extreame danger and they call vpon all men to helpe them as if all religion were in hazard Whereby we see with what furious hatred they were inflamed against Paul onely because in shewing that the full and perfite truth is found in Christ he taught that the figures of the Law had an end Now whereas they conceiue a false opinion hauing seene Trophymus they do more bewray by this headlong lightnes how venemous they be They accuse Paul of sacrilege Why because he brought into the Temple a man which was vncircumcised But they laid a most cruell crime to the charge of an innocent through a false opinion Thus the boldnesse of those men vseth commonly to bee preposterous who are carried away with an opinion conceiued before But let vs learne by such examples to beware of the distemperature of affections and not to let light preiudices haue the raine least we runne headlong vpon the innocent being carried with blind force 30 And the Citie was moued Wee see in this place the vanitie of the common people which count Paul a condemned man before euer they heare him Whereas the citie is moued about godlines it is no maruell but this is a point of peruerse zeale and mad rashnes in that they set themselues against Paule before they knowe his matter For in this corruption of nature frowardnes is ioined with foolishnes so that those will readily of their owne accord make haste to maintaine an euil cause who can hardly be moued with many exhortations to do well This is a hard case that the whole world should be armed against vs at a sodaine through the perswasion of a fewe but seeing it pleaseth the Lorde it should bee so let euery one of vs prepare himselfe by this and such like examples to suffer all manner assaults and to beare and abide albrunts 31 And as they sought to kill him it was told the captaine of the band that all Ierusalem was on an vprore 32 Who tooke with him streightway soldiars and vnder captaines and ranne downe vnto them But they when they saw the chiefe captaine and the soldiars left smiting of Paul 33 Then the chiefe captaine drew neere and tooke him and commanded him to be bounde with two chaines and hee asked what he was and what hee had done 34 And some cried one thing and some another among the people And when he could not know the truth by reason of the tumult he commanded him to be carried into the campe 35 And when he came to the staires it happened that he was carried of the soldiars because of the violence of the multitude 36 For the multitude of people followed crying Away with him 37 And when Paul began to be carried into the campe he saith to the captaine May I speake to thee who said canst thou speake Greeke 38 Art not thou that Egyptian which before these dayes madest an vprore and leddest into the wildernes fower thousand men which were murderers 39 And Paul saide I verely am a man which am a Iewe borne in Tharsus a citizen of no vile Citie of Cilicia But I beseech thee suffer me to speake to the people 40 And when he had giuen him leaue Paul standing vpon the staires beckoned with the hand vnto the people and when there was made great silence he spake in the Hebrew tongue saying 31 As they sought to kill him Assuredly the force of satan appeareth therein in that he driueth the people headlong into such rage that whē they haue shut the doares of the Temple being not content with meane punishment they conspire to put Paul to death Wee must thus thinke with our selues that Sathan doth pricke forward the enimies of godlinesse least their rage how cruell and troublesome so euer it be trouble vs. On the otherside appeareth the wonderfull goodnes of God when as he raiseth vp the chiefe captaine at a sodaine that hee may deliuer Paul from death He himselfe thought vpon no such thing but he came to appease the tumult which was raised among the people but the Lord sheweth a more euident token of his prouidence because Paul his life was deliuered from such present danger without mans counsell Thus doth he suffer the faithful not only to labor but to be almost oppressed that hee may deliuer them from death more wonderfully Luke calleth him the chiefe captaine of the band improperly seing euery chiefe captain was set ouer a thousand which doth also appeare by the text where he saith that the chiefe captaine tooke with him vndercaptaines 32 And when they saw the chiefe captaine Those whose furie neither the maiestie of God ne yet the reuerence of the temple could once stay begin to relent when they see a prophane man Wherby it appeareth that theye were set on fire rather with barbarous crueltie than zeale Nowe whereas the chiefe captaine bindeth Paul with chaines hee declareth thereby sufficiently that he came not to ease him The vnbeleeuers wold attribute this to fortune but the Spirit hath depainted out vnto vs the prouidence of God as in a table reigning amidst the confused vprores of men And though this be very hard that this holy minister of God is so shamefully handled yet the equitie of the chiefe captaine is to be commended if hee bee compared with the Iewes Hee bindeth him with chaines as if he were some euill doer or some wicked person yet doth he vouchsafe to heare him when he is bounde whom they did beat vnmercifully neither doeth hee determin to handle him hardly before he knew his cause Yea this was the best way to mitigate their cruelty because they thought that Paul should be punished immediatly 34 Some cried one thing and some another The madnesse of the raging people doth bewray it selfe on euery side They make horrible outcries whereof one is contrary to another Neuerthelesse they desire with one consent to haue him put to death who was conuict of no offence In the meane season we need not doubt but that they were blinded with a color of holy zeale but the truth of the cause wel known maketh mē truly zealous as it maketh them true martyrs of God but rage bewraieth diuellish madnes Whereas mention is made in this place of the campe or fortresse we must know that the soldiars which were placed to gard the City had a place which was trenched fortified on euerie side which they might defend as if it were a castle from which they might beat backe all assaultes if any sedition were raised For it had not been good for them to haue been dispearsed here and there in diuers Innes seeing the people were treacherous and the Citie troublesome And wee gather by this that the place was high because Luke saith that when they came to the steps Paul was carried of the soldiers And whether the soldiers did lift vp Paul on high that they might bring him safe to the station or campe
or he was thus tost with the violence of the crowde this was no dutie of fauour But the greater the crueltie of those which followed him was God did more plainly declare that he was fauourable to his seruant in sparing his life least if hee should haue been murdered in the tumult his death should haue wanted due frute 37 May I speake vnto thee Paul offered himselfe to defend his cause which all the seruaunts of God must do For wee must doe our indeuour to make our integritie knowen to all men least through our infamie the name of God bee blasphemed But when the chief captain demandeth whether Paul be not that Egyptiā which was a murtherer which a litle before had ledde away a companie of men let vs learne that how modestly and quietly soeuer the ministers of Christ behaue themselues and howesoeuer they bee voide of all fault yet cannot they escape the reproches and slaunders of the worlde Whiche thing wee must note for this cause that wee maye acquaint our selues with rebukes and that in well dooyng wee may bee prepared too bee euill spoken of When hee asketh him concerning the Egyptian he meaneth not Theudas the sorcerer as some men falsly suppose of whom Gamaliel made mention before in the fift Chapter Ch. 5.37 and of whom Iosephus speaketh more in his twentieth of antiquities For besides that wee reade there that Theudas carried awaie onelie foure hundred menne and the chiefe Captaine reckoneth vp in this place foure thousande and saith that they were all murtherers that is more in that Theudas raised that faction during the reigne of Tiberius or Augustus Caesar whereof remained onlie an obscure report because so soone as a troupe of horsemen was sent after them they were forthwith destroied Notwithstanding it seemeth to me that Iosephus is deceiued in that where he saith first that Cuspius Fadus was sent by Claudius and then hee addeth that Theudas was of him ouercome seing I haue before shewed that that former insurrection was made at such time as Claudius was but a priuate man Though he disagree much with Lukes narration euen in the number seing he saieth that there were about thirtie thousand made partners in the sedition vnlesse happily we expound it thus that after hee was put to flight by Felix he fled into the wildernesse with fower thousand And it had bin an absurd thing that the number should be made ten times greater as also that a troupe hauing no skill in warre or being altogither without courage shoulde haue bene defamed with the name of murderers For as Iosephus doeth witnesse that seducer had deceiued the simple and credulous common people with false promises boasting that he was a prophet of God which would lead the people dry foote through the midst of Iordane But the same Iosephus putteth the matter out of doubt when hee saith that an Egiptian a prophet did gather together a band of men vnder Foelix the president and did carry them into mount Oliuet whereof foure hundred were slaine two hundred taken and the residue dispearsed The historie was fresh in memorie Againe forasmuch as the authour of the sedition was escaped the region filled with murtherers it is not without cause that the chiefe captaine demaundeth of Paul when he seeth all men so hate him whether he were that Egiptian Luke recordeth no longer conference had betweene the chiefe captain and Paul yet it is likely forasmuch as both of them vnderstood the Greeke tong that they had farther talk Wherby it came to passe that so soone as Paul had wel purged himself he had licence graunted him to speake to the people For the chiefe captaine would neuer haue suffered a wicked man to make any publik speech in a citie which was so sore suspected CHAP. XXII 1 MEN Brethren and fathers heare mine excuse which I make nowe before you 2 And when they heard that he spake to them in the Hebrew tongue they kept the more silence And he said 3 I truely am a man a Iewe borne in Tharsus a citie of Cilicia and brought vp in this citie at the feete of Gamaliel and taught according to the perfect maner of the Lawe of the fathers and was zealous towarde God as yee all are this day 4 And I persecuted this way vnto death binding deliuering into prison both men and women 5 As the chiefe priest doth beare me witnesse and all the order of Elders Of whom also I receiued letters vnto the brethren and went to Damascus to bring them which were there bounde to Ierusalem that they might bee punished 2 Though wee may gesse by the beginning of this speech what was Paul his drift yet because he was interrupted we know not certainelie what hee was about to say The summe of that part which is resited is this that Forasmuch as he was well and faithfully instructed in the doctrine of the Law he was a godlie and religious worshiper of God in the sight of the world Secondly that hee was an enimie to the Gospell of Christ so that hee was counted among the priests one of the principall maintainers and defenders of the Law Thirdly that he did not change his sect vnaduisedly but that being tamed and conuict by an Oracle from heauen he gaue his name to Christ Fourthly that he did not embrace vnknowne things but that God appointed him a faithful teacher of whom he learned al things perfectly Lastly that when he was returned to Ierusalem and sought to doe good to his countrimen God did not permit him So that he brought not the doctrine of saluation vnto forraine nations without good consideration or because hee hated his owne nation but being commanded by God so to do Men Brethren and fathers It is a wonder that hee giueth so great honour yet to the desperate enimies of the Gospel for they had broken al bonde of brotherly fellowship and by oppressing the glory of God had spoiled themselues of all titles of dignitie But because Paule speaketh in this place as some one of the people he speaketh so louingly vnto the bodie it selfe and vseth towards the heads words honourable without dissembling and surely because their casting off was not made knowne as yet though they were vnworthie of any honour yet it was meete that Paul should reuerently acknowledge in them the grace of Gods adoption Therefore in that he calleth them Brethren and Fathers hee doth not so much regard what they haue deserued as into what degree of honour God had exalted them And all his Oration is so framed that hee goeth about to satisfie them freely in deede and without flattering yet humblie and meekely Therefore let vs learne so to reuerence and honour men that wee impaire not Gods right For which cause the Popes pride is the more detestable who seing hee hath made himselfe an high Priest without the commaundement of God and the consent of the Church he doth not onely chalenge to himselfe all titles of honour but