Acts 26 Acts 26:1–23 Paul, in the presence of Agrippa, declareth his life from his childhood, his wonderful conversion, and call to the apostleship, and his preaching of Christ according to the scripture doctrine.

This stretching forth of his hand was: 1. To obtain silence of others whilst he spake; or: 2. To show his innocence, whilst he uses this modest confidence; or: 3. As other orators, when they begin to speak, move their hands.

I think myself happy; Paul thought it to be his advantage to speak before Agrippa, who could not be unacquainted with the law or the prophets, by which St. Paul would have his case determined.

This is not flattery, but a plain confession of what was true; for Agrippa, by reason of his birth and breeding, could not be wholly ignorant of those things in question; 1. About the Messiah; 2. About the resurrection; 3. About the giving of the Holy Ghost.

Paul appeals to his enemies, the Jews themselves, whether they could tax him with any enormity whilst he was of their persuasion; whereby he vindicates his holy religion from being the sink and offscouring of other religions, as some would make it; as also to intimate, that it was his religion…

This heresy, sect, opinion, or way of the Pharisees, St. Paul rigthly commends, if we consider it comparatively with the other sects of the Sadducees and Essenes: he had called this before, Acts 22:3, the most exact manner of the law of the fathers; for it is certain it was more learned and strict,…

I stand; the posture of such as are held for guilty. The hope of the promise; St. Paul brings in the discourse of the resurrection, which, as hath been observed, is the foundation of all religion, 1 Cor.

Twelve tribes; so St. Paul still reckons them, notwithstanding that ten tribes had been led captive, without returning again to this day. Yet, 1. There were many left by the king of Assyria in their own land; and though for a while they joined themselves unto the Samaritans rather than to the Jews,…

This St. Paul seems to have spoken in regard of Festus, and many others there present, who were heathens; or to any of the Sadducees, if any such were amongst them: as for Agrippa, He believed the prophets, Acts 26:27, and had out of them learned and observed this promise, Acts 26:7.

The name of Jesus; the religion which teacheth Christ is to be worshipped, and his name to be magnified. Jesus of Nazareth; so they called our Saviour, of which see Acts 22:8.

The saints; the professors of the religion of the holy Jesus, who are called to be saints, Rom. 1:7, and have him for the great example of holiness, who fulfilled all righteousness; and from him they have the Spirit of holiness; being sanctified in him, 1 Cor.

Paul confesses that he compelled them to blaspheme, either: 1. By the torments he made them to be put unto; or: 2. By his own example; for he confessed that he had been a blasphemer himself, 1 Tim. 1:13. This blasphemy was either: 1. Denying of Christ to be the Messiah; or: 2.

With procuratory letters recommending him to the Jews abroad, and deputing him as their agent.

At mid-day; this appeared at noon-day, that it might not be suspected to be a dream or fancy. Above the brightness of the sun; our Saviour’s face in the transfiguration did shine as the sun, Matt.

In the Hebrew tongue; whereby it appears, that Paul spake not now before Agrippa in the Hebrew tongue, as he did before the Jews at Jerusalem, Acts 21:40.

The foot is trod upon on earth, and the Head cries out out from heaven, as Acts 9:5.

Stand upon thy feet; as Daniel was bidden by the angel, Dan. 10:11, to mitigate his consternation and fear. Of those things in the which I will appear unto thee: St. Paul accordingly had many visions and revelations, Acts 28:9, Acts 23:11, 2 Cor.

From the people; from this people of the Jews, so in some copies it is expressed; howsoever, by the antithesis, and from the Gentiles, it is plainly to be understood: and God undertakes no less hereby, than to deliver Paul, and all his faithful servants, from all evils and enemies.

To open their eyes; the eyes of their minds, that they might know God, and their duty towards him. Our Saviour assures Paul, that he should do that for the souls of men which he should find effected in his own body, being made to see.

I was not incredulous, I believed God, and yielded to his call, as Isa. 1:5, which cannot be counted a fault in me; and yet this is all that can be charged upon me.

Showed first unto them of Damascus; nigh unto which place he was first converted, taking the first opportunity to preach Christ: out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaking. And turn to God: as sin is a turning from God, so repentance is a turning (or rather returning) unto God.

By violent hands and indirect means, as we see, Acts 21:31, and as they had done unto our Saviour, Acts 5:30, where the same word is used.

I continue unto this day: that Paul, continued till then alive, notwithstanding all the fraud and force of his enemies, is acknowledged by him to be from God; from whence he infers towards his justification, that what he had done was but in a becoming gratitude towards that God who had maintained…

The sufferings of Christ were taught by Moses in all the commands about sacrifices, and more plainly by Isaiah in all the 53rd chapter Isa. 53; insomuch, that this was acknowledged by Tryphon, disputing with Justin Martyr, although the generality of Jews, both then and now, do stiffly deny it.

Thou art beside thyself; this was the opinion of Festus concerning Paul, and such is the opinion of carnal and worldly men concerning such as are truly godly; as the prophet who came to Jehu was counted a mad fellow, 2 Kings 9:11, and the friends of our Saviour thought him to be beside himself,…

St. Paul with all meekness makes his reply to the governer, and not taking notice of his sharp censuring of him, returns an answer in most respectful terms unto him; as his blessed Master, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, 1 Pet. 2:23.

Agrippa, being educated in Judea, could not but hear of the life and doctrine, death and resurrection, of our Saviour; as also of the miracles done by him, and by his disciples; for, as our Saviour says, he ever taught openly, John 18:20.

A rhetorical insinuation, that could not but much affect the king, and leave a sensible impression on his heart. St. Paul answers the question which he had propounded, and that in favour of Agrippa; or rather blames himself for making that a question; but his cryptical inference would then be, If…

Some think that these words were spoken ironically, or scoffingly; as if Agrippa had said: Thou wouldst have me in so short a space (for so εν ολιγω may be translated) to be brought to profess Christ: some think it unlikely that such a one as Agrippa would speak so plainly as we translate it, in…

Paul, knowing how little it would avail any to be almost a Christian, wisheth their perfection in that profession, that they might not, with the Laodiceans, be neither hot nor cold, Rev. 3:16; nor, with the Israelites, halt between God and Baal, 1 Kings 18:21.

Agrippa, Festus, and the queen, together with the governor’s council, although they had heard this excellent discourse from, the most learned apostle, like the blackamoor or leopard, they cannot change their spots, or skin, Jer.

Gone aside; either to their houses, or to some apartment nigh to the tribunal. They acquit Paul; for as yet Nero had not made those bloody laws, whereby the profession of Christianity was made capital.

These judges and great men do, by their opinion concerning Paul, condemn the Jews, whom they declare to have no cause for the prosecuting of him; and so those caitiffs returned to Jerusalem, not only with their labour for their pains, but being branded by the sentence of so many eminent personages,…