Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Christianity -- Origin; Paul, the Apostle, Saint
When Paul and Silas were committed to prison, no such name as that of
"Jesus Christ" would as yet have served. Of "Jesus Christ" neither had
the keeper as yet heard anything, nor had the other prisoners. But, of
God, in some shape or other, they could not but have heard all of them:
_God_ accordingly was the name, by which at this time the sensibilities
of the persons in question were to be worked upon. When the earth
trembled, the jailor trembled likewise: he "came trembling and fell
down," ver. 29, before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, ver. 30,
and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Now then was the time come
for the enlistment--for the enlistment in the spiritual warfare against
the devil and his angels: in the as yet new name of "the Lord Jesus
Christ" were these recruits accordingly enlisted, as now, for the
purpose of carnal warfare, in the name of King George. "And they said,"
continues the narration, ver. 31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
SECTION 6.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE V.--AT CORINTH, PAUL COMFORTED BY THE LORD IN AN
UNSEEN VISION, A.D. 54.--_Acts_ 18:7-11.
A vision, being a species of miracle, could, no more than a pantomime,
have place without some expense. In the present case, as in any other, a
natural question is--What was the object to be accomplished, upon which
the expense--whatever it was--was bestowed? The answer is--The keeping
his attendants, whoever they were, in the necessary state of
obsequiousness: for no other is perceptible. To the dependants in Paul's
train, it was no very uncommon sentiment to be not quite so well
satisfied with the course he took, as he himself was. Corinth was at
this time the theatre of his labours: of the men, whoever they were, who
had staked their fortunes upon _his_, some,--the historiographer, as it
should seem, of the number,--there were, whose wish it was to change the
scene. In that Gentile city,--the chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue,
Crispus by name--this man, besides another man, of the name of Justus,
"whose house joined hard to" that same synagogue, had become his
converts: "and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were
baptized." Eyes, however, there were, in which the success, whatsoever
it was, was not yet enough to afford a sufficient warrant for his stay.
A vision was necessary, and a vision accordingly, or at least a
something, which was called by that name, made its appearance. "Thus
spake the Lord," says the historiographer, ver. 9, "Thus spake the Lord
to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not
thy peace.----For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt
thee; for I have much people in this city." Nor was the vision without
its effect; for, as the next verse informs us, ver. 11, "He continued
_there_ a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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