were permitted to stay seven days, and then they went towards Rome.

ROME was one of the most celebrated cities in the universe, the capital of Italy, and once the capital of the whole world. It is situated on the river Tiber, a small river which flows into the Mediterranean sea. It was founded by Romulus, 753 years before the Christian era. But a history of Rome cannot here be given. Our readers must seek for that in works expressly written for the object.

As Paul was permitted to stay seven days in Puteoli, the Christians in Rome had time to hear of his arrival, and some of them came to meet him as far as a place called Appii Forum, or the market place of Appius. This was a town on a road from Rome to Campania, called the Appian way. This road was remarkable in those days, because it was paved, and was a work of great labour, such as became the great empire in which it was built. Appii Forum was fifty-two miles from Rome. As Paul went on, he found more brethren at a place called the Three Taverns, on the same road, about thirty-three miles from Rome.

The visit of the brethren cheered the mind of Paul; and we are told that he "thanked God, and took courage."

At length they came to Rome, and the centurion delivered up his prisoners to the captain of the guard. What became of the other prisoners we are not told; but as to Paul, he was very much favoured in being permitted to dwell by himself under the guard of a soldier. This mode of custody, however, was by no means pleasant; though it was better than being put into the common prison. As our readers may not understand why it was uncomfortable, we will explain it. Paul was bound to this soldier by a chain, and, of course, he could never be absent from the soldier. All his communications, therefore, either with the Jews, or his Christian brethren, had to be in the presence of this witness. He alludes to it, in the conversation which he had with the Jews-" for the hope of Israel am I bound with this chain." Blessed be God, however, he was free to speak and to write; and the result of this freedom we shall notice in another chapter.

CHAPTER XX.

Paul, during his imprisonment at Rome.

PAUL appears to have taken about three days to get rested from the fatigues of his journey, and to devote to his immediate friends; after which he sent for the Jews to meet him. When they came together, he told them the whole of the circumstances which caused his imprisonment, and induced him to appeal to the Emperor. To his utter amazement, he found that the Jews in Rome knew nothing about the matter; and they told him, that they had neither received any letters from Jerusalem on the subject, neither had any of their brethren from Judea said any evil about him. This shows that the Jews in Judea, though they persecuted him so violently there, felt their cause entirely frustrated by his appeal to the Emperor, and so let the matter drop. Paul in Rome, therefore, had no accusers, and though kept a prisoner, had no specific charge laid against him. In consequence of this state of

things, the Jews told him, that all the object they had in coming to visit him, was, that they might hear his opinion on the subject of Christianity; for they confessed that they were entirely ignorant on the subject, and that the whole amount of their knowledge was, that the Christians were a sect, every where spoken against.

Paul of course was very anxious to express his full and decided opinion on the subject of the Christian religion; and on a certain day, which they themselves appointed, they came to his lodging for this purpose. Here he set himself more earnestly to work to convince them of the truth of the religion of his master. We are told, that "he expounded and testified the kingdom of God;" that is, he showed the reign of the Messiah to mean a spiritual reign, and that Jesus, whom he preached, was the true Messiah. The arguments which he brought on these points he gathered entirely from the scriptures, from the law, and the prophets; and so full are the testimonies connected with all the types and ceremonies and institutions of the law, and the numerous predictions of the prophets, that he was from

morning until evening engaged in this interesting and important discussion.

This conversation was not without its profitable effect: "some believed;" but as is usual in the faithful exhibition of truth,

66 some believed not." There are always those who reject the counsel of God. The discussion of Paul seems to have had the effect of exciting a spirit of investigation among them, but they could come to no agreement; so that before the Jews left him, he felt constrained to tell them, that their conduct verified the prophecy of Isaiah-"Go unto this people and say, hearing ye shall hear and not understand, and seeing ye shall see and not perceive; for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should be converted, and I should heal them." And then he concluded his address, by telling them, what he had told the Jews in other places twice before, viz. that the salvation of the gospel being rejected by them, would be offered to the Gentiles; and that they would hear it, accept it, obey it, and be saved.