Chapter XXVIII.--ST. PAUL BEGINS HIS FOURTH VOYAGE.

St. Paul's solemn prayer for all who had listened to his words closed the examination. "And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: and when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds." All who had heard St. Paul speak, saw at once that he had been guilty of no offence against the Roman Government: and Agrippa, who understood the Jewish law, pronounced that there was no reason on that account either, to keep him a prisoner. "Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar." Having done so, no prisoner could be set at liberty, without the express command of the Emperor.

Agrippa's opinion would incline the unprejudiced Jews not to believe all that the priests and elders had said against St. Paul; and it would make Festus write a favourable report of his case to Rome. Probably it was owing to what Agrippa now said, that St. Paul met with kind treatment, both on the voyage to Italy and after his arrival in Rome.

Nothing now remained but to send St. Paul to Cæsar; and of this voyage, St. Luke, who appears never to have quitted him, gives us a full account, saying, "And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band." Although the garrison of Cæsarea was at this time composed of Syrian soldiers, there was also a small body of Roman soldiers, called the Augustan Band, as belonging particularly to the Emperor. Under a centurion of this band, St. Paul was now to begin his fourth and last journey, A.D. 60.

This journey differed from the three former, inasmuch as they had been undertaken voluntarily, (by direction of the Holy Spirit,) for the accomplishment of the work given him to do. This fourth journey, though it would equally serve to the great work of spreading the Gospel, was to be made as a prisoner.

In those days, a voyage was a more serious affair than it is now. It was not easy to find a ship sailing direct from any port in Asia to Italy, and accordingly we read, "And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us." Adramyttium was a sea-port of Mysia, quite out of the way of any person wishing to go to Italy; but, as the ship was to touch at many ports in Asia Minor on her way home, it was probable that at one of these ports some vessel might be found which was going into Italy, and could take Julius and his company on board. The Aristarchus here mentioned had become a Christian when St. Paul preached the Gospel in Macedonia, and had then gone with the Apostle to Jerusalem, and helped him in his great work. _Why_ he was now a prisoner, we are not told; but it was no doubt for preaching the Gospel that he was now a fellow prisoner of St. Paul. St. Luke, after mentioning the launching at Cæsarea, says, "And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul," (that is, treated him kindly,) "and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself." There were at this time many Christians in Ph[oe]nicia; and it must have been a great comfort both to them and to St. Paul, to meet and talk and pray together.

Then we read, "And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary." The wind blowing pretty strongly from the south-west, the ship, instead of passing to the south of the island, which would have been the shortest way into the Archipelago, sailed to the north, where it would be sheltered from the wind by the island itself. Thus coming to Myra, a sea-port of Lycia, Julius disembarked his company, as it was useless for those who wished to go into Italy, to continue any longer in a ship bound for Adramyttium, which would take them greatly out of their way.

At Myra, the centurion found a ship which had come from the opposite port of Alexandria, in Egypt, and was now going on to Italy. St. Luke says, "and he put us therein." Much corn was taken from Egypt into Italy. It was brought from different parts of the country to Alexandria, and there put on board ships, which landed it at Puteoli, in the south-eastern part of Italy; and from thence it was taken to other places as it was wanted. It was one of these vessels, laden with corn, in which Julius now embarked his prisoners.

St. Luke says, "And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone; and, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea." Cnidus stood on a point of high land at the south-west corner of Asia Minor; and from thence the master of the vessel meant to steer directly westward, passing to the north of the isle of Crete; but the wind being contrary, the vessel was many days in going from Myra as far as Cnidus, and then it was obliged to go to the south of Crete, passing by Salmone, a promontory, or cape, on the eastern end of the island. This they had much difficulty in passing; and then they took refuge in a port, called the Fair Havens, near to which was a city called Lasea.

It was now a time of year when sailing was considered dangerous, on account of high winds, called the Equinoctial Gales, which generally begin to blow in September. At this time of the year, on the 10th of their month Tisri, answering to our 25th of September, the Jews, by the appointment of God, kept the great "Fast of Expiation," according to the Law of Moses. On this day, no work was to be done; the people were to spend their time in confessing their sins, and praying for true repentance, and consequent forgiveness. They were further to afflict their souls by fasting, and by abstaining from every kind of pleasure or amusement.

In the early times of the Jewish history, this fast was so strictly kept, that no Jew would upon it wash his face, nor put on his shoes, nor even read any part of the Scriptures which gave him pleasure. The Law commanded that this day should be kept entirely as a day of mourning and sorrow; whilst the priests were to offer certain sacrifices as an atonement, or expiation, for all the sins of the people, that they might be looked upon as clean from all their sins. All that was commanded to be done on this solemn fast-day, was to be a type, or sign, of the great future sacrifice to be made by Jesus Christ; Who by His death, made a sufficient expiation and atonement for the sins of the whole world, and thus took away from all His faithful people the dreadful consequences of sin, which _no_ sacrifice of beasts ever could have done.

The "Fast of Expiation" took place, as we have said, on the 25th of September; and after that time, the ancients considered a sea-voyage dangerous, on account of the tempestuous winds which blew at that season: they therefore generally laid up their ships for the winter. St. Paul had had considerable experience in the dangers of the sea, for he had often been in "perils of the sea," of which St. Luke makes no mention. In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, written, as we have heard, about two years before this last voyage, St. Paul, speaking of the dangers and sufferings he had undergone whilst preaching the Gospel, says, amongst other things, "thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep." St. Paul therefore was well aware of the danger of sailing at this season of the year; and probably the Holy Spirit had made known unto him, that danger awaited the ship if she now continued her voyage. This explanation is necessary for the right understanding of what we shall now read, as told us by St. Luke. The ship, we must remember, had with much difficulty arrived safely at the "Fair Havens" in Crete.

"Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south-west and north-west." That is, Phenice was on the south-west coast of the island, to the north-west of Lasea and the Fair Havens.

A change in the weather at this time, confirmed those who were anxious to reach Phenice, in their opinion that it might be done. "And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete." By keeping close to the shore, they hoped to accomplish their purpose. "But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon." The word "Euroclydon" is made up from two Greek words, one of which means a wave, and the other the south-east wind. It was a violent wind which blew furiously generally from the south-east, and made the waves exceedingly rough, and very dangerous for small vessels. The same kind of wind is now known in the Mediterranean Sea as a "Levanter," because it generally blows from the east, and the Levant is the eastern part of that sea. Sometimes it blows for a short time from some other quarter, which makes it all the more dangerous, because the sudden change of a very violent wind is apt to capsize, or overset, a ship, not prepared for such a change.

This terrible wind now came on, blowing furiously from the east. The rudder--that is, the machine by which a ship is guided on its course--was useless in such a storm, and the vessel became quite unmanageable. St. Luke says, "And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive." The ship, thus left to the mercy of the wind, was driven straight to an island, called Clauda. We read, "And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship." Most ships have a small boat, which is usually drawn after them by a rope fastened to the stern, or hind part, of the vessel; but, fearing that the violence of the wind and waves would wash the boat quite away, the sailors, though with great difficulty, managed to draw it up on the ship's deck, ready for use in case of need. "Undergirding," was passing strong ropes under the ship, and bringing the ends from each side upon deck, where they were fastened together; so as to support and hold in their places, all the planks and timbers of which the ship was built. Sheltered a little from the storm under the north side of the island of Clauda, the seamen were able to accomplish this work, after which they could do no more.