October 23

strength: yet they do his commandments, and hearken unto the voice of his word. He saith to one, Go, and he goeth; to another, Come, and he cometh; and to each of them, Do this, and, whatsoever it be, he doeth it: for it is his will alone they regard; and they are always satisfied and delighted with it. They are elevated above us in rank and estate, yet they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister unto them that shall be the heirs of salvation. Such honour and happiness have all the household of faith: the highest of God's creatures are their servants; they rejoice over them in their repentance, encamp round about them in trouble and danger, convey their souls at death into Abraham's bosom, and in the morning of the resurrection will gather together their bodies from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. They will be our associates for ever—We are come to an innumerable company of angels.

Secondly, the season: this night. It was dark, pitch dark: not one star appeared. How was the angel to find Paul far off upon the sea in such a dense obscurity? We are not to judge of their senses by ours. They see not as man seeth. The darkness hideth not from them, but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to them. It was a period of extremity. The Lord could have given Paul the assurance before he had been so long tossed with the tempest; but it was withholden till all hope that they should be saved was taken away. This is what his people have often experienced. His reasons for delay are founded in wisdom and in kindness. He would destroy creature-confidence, and yet teach us never to despair with regard to himself. His conduct shows us that nothing is too hard for the Lord; at eventide it shall be light. It also displays his glory more to cure when the disease has been pronounced desperate, and all other physicians have withdrawn. Hence he abode two days in the same place, after he heard of the case of Lazarus, and was glad for the sake of his disciples that he was not present to recover him from his sickness, as it would confirm their faith more to see him raised after he had been dead four days.

OCTOBER 23.—“Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar: and, lo, God have given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sire, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit, we must be cast upon a certain island.”—Acts 27:24—26.

LET us observe the angel's address to Paul; and Paul's address to his companions.

The angel's address contains two things. First, an admonition. “Fear not, Paul.” There is nothing by which Christians honour their religion more than by confidence in danger, and cheerfulness in trouble. It would therefore have been lamentable had Paul on this occasion failed in spirit; and exposed himself to the reproach Eliphaz unjustly applied to Job: “Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.” Yet it would seem that the frame of his mind began to be weak and wavering. He had nature in him as well

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as grace. He had eaten nothing for a length of time, and was exhausted with fatigue. He knew what it was to be enervated. In one of his epistles he speaks of being "in weakness, and fear, and much trembling." In such a case the body depresses the mind; and a man has hardly the command of his own principles. Was Paul afraid whether he had done right in appealing unto Cæsar? Did he begin to shudder at the thought of appearing before such a monster as Nero? Or was he afraid of sinking? The Lord knew his frame; and remembered that he was dust.

Secondly, an assurance. "Thou must be brought before Cæsar? This was the appointment of God; and it was to answer very important purposes. There his bonds were to be made manifest in the palace, and in all other places. There he was to testify the gospel of the grace of God, and to induce others to speak the word without fear. There he was to make converts to Christianity, and converts even in Cæsar's household. Such was the design of God, and as this purpose must be accomplished, Paul's preservation was secure. Even a providential destination has rendered the fulfiller of it invulnerable, and insured his success, as far as he moved in the line of God's appointment. We see this in the case of Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus. All our times are in his hands, and we are immortal till our work is done. The assurance includes not only himself, but the whole company: "And, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." The angel could have rescued Paul, and left the crew to perish; but to save them all for his sake was attaching importance to Paul, and putting honour upon him. And in this way the Lord magnifies his people now. The world knoweth them not, yet it is owing to them their very existence is continued. They are the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. Nations are blessed for their sakes: and though now they are overlooked because they are not heroes and statesmen, in the annals of heaven they are called the repairers of the breach, the restorers of paths to dwell in. "I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God."

Observe also Paul's address to his companions in tribulation. It was tender: "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer." Paul had a feeling heart; and the state of his fellow-sufferers; their pale faces; their haggard looks; their shrieks when the vessel rolled or plunged: the thought of so many perishing, and perishing for ever—for there were in all two hundred threescore and sixteen: all this deeply affected him. He therefore now rejoices on their behalf, and eagerly hastens to alleviate their terror and anguish; and hopes too that the long-suffering of God would prove their eternal salvation.—It was confident: "For I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me." Thus he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able to perform. Owing to this he felt as safe and composed as if already on shore. We have every reason to believe what God has