their voyage. Nay, Publius himself is said, by some, to have been hereby converted to the faith,' and by St. Paul to have been constituted bishop of the island; and that this was he that succeeded St. Denis, the Areopagite, in the see of Athens, and was afterwards crowned with martyrdom.

9. After three months' stay in this island, they went on board the Castor and Pollux, a ship of Alexandria, bound for Italy. At Syracuse they put in, and stayed three days; thence sailed to Rhegium, and so to Puteoli; where they landed, and finding some Christians there, staid a week with them, and then set forward in their journey to Rome. The Christians at Rome having heard of their arrival, several of them came part of the way to meet them, some as far as the Three Taverns, a place thirty-three miles from Rome, others as far as Appii Forum, fifty-one miles distant thence. Great was their mutual salutation, and the encouragement which the apostle received by it; glad, no doubt, to see that Christians found so much liberty at Rome. By them he was conducted in a kind of triumph into the city; where, when they were arrived, the rest of the prisoners were delivered over to the captain of the guard, and by him disposed in the common jail, while St. Paul (probably at Julius's request and recommendation) was permitted to stay in a private house, only with a soldier to secure and guard him.

1 Bar. ad Ann. LVIII. n. 173, vid. Adon. martyr. ad xii. Kal. Febr. Martyr. Rom. ad diem 21 Jan. Euseb. lib. iv. c. 23, p. 143.

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SECTION VII.

St. Paul's acts, from his coming to Rome till his martyrdom.

THE first thing St. Paul did after he came to Rome, was to summon the heads of the Jewish consistory there, whom he acquainted with the cause and manner of his coming that though he had been guilty of no violation of the law of their religion, yet had he been delivered by the Jews into the hands of the Roman governors; who would have acquitted him once and again, as innocent of any capital offence, but by the perverseness of the Jews he was forced, not with an intention to charge his own nation, (already sufficiently odious to the Romans,) but only to vindicate and clear himself, to make his appeal to Cæsar; that being come, he had sent for them, to let them know that it was for his constant asserting the resurrection, the hope of all true Israelites, that he was bound with that chain which they saw upon him. The Jews replied, that they had received no advice concerning him, nor had any of the nation that came from Judæa, brought any charge against him: only for the religion which he had espoused, they desired to be a little better informed about it, it being every where decried, both by Jew and Gentile. Accordingly, upon a day appointed, he discoursed to them from morning to night, concerning the religion and doctrine of the holy Jesus, proving from the promises and predictions of the Old Testament, that he was

the true Messiah. His discourse succeeded not with all alike, some being convinced, others persisted in their infidelity; and as they were departing in some discontent at each other, the apostle told them, it was now too plain, God had accomplished upon them the prophetical curse, of being left to their own wilful hardness and impenitency, to be blind at noon-day, and to run themselves against all means and methods into irrecoverable ruin; that since the case was thus with them, they must expect, that henceforth he should turn his preaching to the Gentiles, who would be most ready to entertain what they had so scornfully rejected, the glad tidings of the gospel.1

2. It was not, probably, long after this, that he was brought to his first hearing before the emperor, where those friends whom he most expected should stand by him, plainly deserted him: afraid it seems of appearing in so ticklish a cause before so unreasonable a judge, who governed himself by no other measures than the brutish and extravagant pleasure of his lust or humour. But God stood by him, and encouraged him; as indeed divine consolations are many times then nearest to us, when human assistances are furthest from us. This cowardice of theirs the apostle had a charity large enough to cover, heartily praying, that it might not be brought against them in the accounts of the great day.2 Two years he dwelt at Rome in a house which he hired for his own use, wherein he constantly em

It is a remarkable fact, that the prejudices which prevailed among the Jews in their own country, should have thus infected them even in the midst of a highly free and cultivated people. -ED.

21 Tim. iv. 16.

2

ployed himself in preaching and writing for the good of the church. He preached daily, without interruption, to all that came to him, and with good success; yea, even upon some of the better rank and quality, and those belonging to the court itself. Among which, the Roman martyrology' reckons Torpes, an officer of prime note in Nero's palace, and afterwards a martyr for the faith; and Chrysostom (if Baronius cites him right) tells us of Nero's cupbearer, and one of his concubines, supposed by some to have been Poppaa Sabina, of whom Tacitus3 gives this character, that she wanted nothing to render her one of the most accomplished ladies in the world, but a chaste and a virtuous mind; and I know not how far it may seem to countenance her conversion, at least inclination to a better religion than that of paganism, that Josephus styles her a pious woman, and tells us that she effectually solicited the cause of the Jews with her husband, Nero; and what favours Josephus himself received from her at Rome, he relates in his own life.

4

3. Amongst other of our apostle's converts at Rome was Onesimus, who had formerly been servant to Philemon, a person of eminency in Colosse; but had run away from his master, and taken things of some value with him. Having rambled as far as Rome, he was now converted by St. Paul, and by him returned with recommendatory letters to Philemon, his master, to beg his pardon, and that he

1 Ad diem. XVII. Maii. p. 308.

2 Ad An. 59, n. 9, vid. Chrysost. adv. vituper. vit. monast. lib. i. c. 4, p. 361, tom. iv.

3 Annal. lib. xiii. c. 45, p. 263.

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Antiq. Jud. lib. xx. cap. 7, p. 697; de vit. sua, p. 999.

might be received into favour, being now of a much better temper, more faithful and diligent, and useful to his master than he had been before; as indeed Christianity, where it is heartily entertained, makes men good in all relations; no laws being so wisely contrived for the peace and happiness of the world, as the laws of the gospel, as may appear by this particular case of servants: what admirable rules, what severe laws does it lay upon them for the discharge of their duties! It commands them to honour their masters as their superiors, and to take heed of making their authority light and cheap, by familiar and contemptible thoughts and carriages, to obey them in all honest and lawful things, and that 'not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, as unto God;' that they be faithful to the trust committed to them, and manage their master's interest with as much care and conscience as if it were their own; that they entertain their reproofs, counsels, corrections with all silence and sobriety, not returning any rude, surly answers; and this carriage to be observed, not only to masters of a mild and gentle, but of a cross and peevish disposition; that whatever they do, they do it heartily, not as to men only, but to the Lord; knowing that of the Lord they shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for that they serve the Lord Christ.' Imbued with these excellent principles, Onesimus is again returned unto his master; for Christian religion, though it improves men's tempers, does not cancel their relations; it teaches them to abide in their callings, and 'not to despise their masters, because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful.' And being thus improved, St. Paul the more