Chapter XXV.--ST. PAUL ACCUSED BEFORE FELIX.

Tertullus "informed the governor against Paul,"--that is, he came to Cæsarea for the express purpose of informing the governor of the many and serious accusations, which the Jews brought against the prisoner. The accusers being now come, Felix sat to judge the matter, and hear what each party had to say. "And when he was called forth, Tertullus," in the name of the Jewish priests and rulers, "began to accuse" Paul, "saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words."

Now Felix was a harsh and tyrannical governor; and though he had done good service in freeing the country from the robbers which had infested it, and in punishing impostors (like the Egyptian), he had caused the High Priest to be murdered, and had often driven the Jews into rebellion by his barbarous and unjust acts. In short, his whole conduct created such disturbances in the land, and made him so hateful to the Jewish people, that within two years of this time, they petitioned the Roman Government for his removal; and Porcius Festus was appointed governor instead of him. When therefore Tertullus, as the mouthpiece of the Jews, spake in this way of the peace and quiet they enjoyed under his excellent government, they were not expressing their real true opinions, but were only saying what they thought would please Felix, and make him more willing to do what they wished. Tertullus having thus prepared the way, went on to bring his accusations against St. Paul, saying, "For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him."

This speech was full of falsehood, inasmuch as it so misrepresented what had happened, as to lead Felix to think that the prisoner before him had proved himself a dangerous enemy to the Roman Government, and that the chief captain had violently and unnecessarily interfered with the peaceable exercise of the Council's rights, of examining into those matters of which St. Paul was accused. The Jews, however, assented, saying that these things which Tertullus had spoken were true.

When Tertullus had thus informed Felix, the latter called upon St. Paul to answer to these charges. Felix having now been governor of Judæa for four or five years, knew something of the religion, laws, and customs of the Jews, and was therefore the better able to judge in these matters. "Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself: because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me."

In these few words, the Apostle contradicted absolutely the charges brought against him by his enemies. Felix, he knew, would understand his wish of going to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Pentecost, and that, as he had only been in the city for twelve days, he could not have done much to stir up the people to rebellion. Having thus declared the falseness of the charges brought against him, the Apostle went on to notice what was in fact the real cause of all the persecution against him; and boldly said, "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings. Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult. Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me. Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council, except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day."

We cannot read this beautiful speech without wishing that each one of us could say from our hearts, that we too are endeavouring so to live and act, that our consciences may not reproach us with any wilful sin. It was customary for the Jews, in whatever countries they might happen to dwell, to send alms and offerings from time to time to Jerusalem; and St. Paul had now, according to that custom, brought contributions from the foreign Jews. We should notice the close of St. Paul's speech, when he challenges the priests and rulers to say, whether any fault whatever had been proved against him during his examination before the Sanhedrim, unless they looked upon his having said, "that the Jews persecuted him because he had preached the resurrection of the dead," as a crime. St. Paul's accusers seem to have answered nothing; they were unable to contradict him, for he had spoken nothing but the truth, and had plainly shown that he was no "pestilent fellow," nor mover of sedition among the people.

"And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter. And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him." Felix, living at Cæsarea, where Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had been so wonderfully converted, and where Philip the deacon, and many other Christians resided, must have heard a good deal about the doctrines of "that way" of worshipping the Lord; and he had certainly found, that the Christians were better subjects, and altogether better men, than the Jews. He would not therefore be inclined to condemn St. Paul _because_ he was a Christian; and, listening carefully to the accusations and defence just made before him, he saw at once that the prisoner had not committed any crime whatever, and that the whole affair arose from the hatred, which the Jews bore to the followers of Jesus Christ. Instead, however, of boldly pronouncing sentence one way or the other, he tried to pacify the Jews by putting off the trial till Claudius Lysias, whom they had accused of illegal violence, could come down; and mean time he entrusted St. Paul to the care of a centurion, with orders not to treat him as a prisoner. It must have been a bitter disappointment to the Jews, to see the man whom they persecuted thus kindly treated.

We may also see the protecting hand of God overruling these events. Had St. Paul been set at liberty, the Jews would doubtless have tried to take his life; but under the watchful care of the centurion, he was safe from their malice.

Whether Claudius Lysias ever did come down to Cæsarea, we are not told; but it is quite clear that St. Paul was neither declared guilty of any offence deserving punishment, nor set at liberty, which, as an innocent man, he ought to have been.

St. Luke next tells us, "And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ." It has already been said that Drusilla was one of the daughters of Herod Agrippa, who died miserably at Cæsarea, as a punishment for allowing himself to be treated as a god. Drusilla had been married to another man, but Felix had persuaded her to leave her husband, and become his wife. This was a great sin in both Felix and Drusilla. After the trial of St. Paul, the governor appears to have left Cæsarea for a while; and when he came back, bringing Drusilla with him, they both wished to hear more of the doctrines of Christianity, and therefore they sent for St. Paul, that he might talk to them "concerning the faith in Christ." St. Paul was always ready to speak the truth boldly in the service of his heavenly Master; and knowing that Felix was an unjust and unrighteous ruler, and a man who at all times thought only of pleasing and indulging himself, without caring what injury or suffering he inflicted upon others, he took this opportunity of showing the sinfulness of such conduct, and that those who persisted in it would be punished hereafter, when Jesus Christ should come to judge the world. "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled"; for his conscience told him, that he was guilty of the very sins for which the Apostle declared that the wrath of God would fall upon the impenitent. Well would it have been for him, if the fear which made him tremble, had made him at once anxiously inquire in true penitence, What must I do to be saved? But, unhappily, he took another course, too often followed amongst ourselves: he did not _like to hear_ such things, and so he tried to put them away, and answered, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."

Even in worldly matters, it is a good maxim, never to put off till to-morrow what ought to be done to-day. Infinitely more does it apply to spiritual things; to repentance, to abstaining from what we feel to be wrong, to making the sacrifice we know we ought to make, to doing the duty which we perceive we ought to do. Never let us put off such things, and thus quench the Spirit of God speaking in our hearts. If we wilfully let one opportunity slip, we may never have another given to us. There is no "season" so "convenient" for doing right as the moment in which we feel what _is_ right. Felix stifled the voice of conscience, which answered to St. Paul's teaching; and we have no reason to believe that the convenient season ever came, for, though he often talked with him after this, we hear of no good results from such meetings; nor could any good results be expected, from a course in which covetousness had so great a share; for one of the governor's motives for keeping the Apostle still in some sort as a prisoner, was the hope that he or his friends would purchase his liberty, by giving money. But Felix ought to have felt, that St. Paul would never offer a bribe, which it was very wrong for any Judge to take. However that may be, we read, "He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him."