The Almost Christian Discovered, Sermon
ACTS 26.28.
—foreign
—Almoſt thou perſwadest me to be a Chriſtian.
IN this Chapter you have the Apoſtle Pauls Apology and defenſative plea which he makes for himſelf againſt thoſe blinde Jews which did ſo maliouſly proſecute him before Agrippa, Feſtus, Bernice and the Council.
In which plea he doth chiefly inſiſt upon three things.
The manner of his life before converſion.
The manner of his converſion.
The manner of his life after converſion.
How he lived before converſion he tells you from v. 4. to 13.
How God wrought on him to converſion, he tells you from verſ. 13. to 18.
How he lived after converſion, he tells you from v. 19. to 23.
Before converſion he was very phariſaical.
The manner of his converſion was very wonderful.
The fruit of his converſion was very remarkable
Before converſion he perſecuted the Goſpel which others preached; after converſion he preached the Goſpel which himſelf had perſecuted.
Verſ. 21.While he was a perſecutor of the Goſpel the Jews loved him, but now that (by the grace of God) he was become a preacher of the Goſpel, now the Jews hate him and ſought to kill him.
Verſ. 9.He was once againſt Chriſt, and then many were for him, but now that he was for Chriſt, all was againſt him; his being an enemy to Jeſus, made others his friends, but when he came to own Jeſus, then they became his enemies.
And this was the great charge they had againſt him, that of a great oppoſer he was become a great profeſſor.
Hic vir invidet mihi granam Chriſti.Becauſe God had changed him, therefore this enraged them. As if they would be the worſe, becauſe God had made him better. God had wrought on him by grace, and they ſeem to envy him the grace of God.
He preached no treaſon nor ſowed no ſedition, only he preached repentance and faith in Chriſt, and the Reſurrection, and for this he was called in queſtion.
This is the breviat and ſum of Pauls defence and plea for himſelf; which you find in the ſequel of the Chapter, had a different effect upon his Judges.
Feſtus ſeems to cenſure him, verſ. 24.
Agrippa ſeems to be convinced by him, verſ. 28.
The whole Bench ſeems to acquit him, verſ. 30, 31.
Feſtus he thinks Paul was beſide himſelf.
Agrippa he is almoſt perſwaded to be ſuch an one as himſelf.
Dei ſapieutia, mun de eſt inſanta M…lc. … Putat hominem eſſe fa…ati um Mr lor. in loc.Feſtus thinks him and becauſe he did not underſtand the doctrine of Chriſt and the Reſurrection; Much learning hath made thee mad.
Agrippa he is ſo affected with his plea, that he is almoſt wrought into his principle: Paul pleads ſo effectually for his Religion, that Agrippa ſeems to be upon the turning point to his profeſſion.
Then Agrippa ſaid to Paul, Almoſt thou perſwadeſt me to be a Chriſtian.
Almoſt] foreign, ſo the Greek, the words make ſome debate among the learned. I ſhall not trouble you with the various hints upon them by Valla, Simplicius, Beza, Eraſmus and others.
I take the words as we read them, and they ſhew what an efficacy Pauls Doctrine had upon Agrippa's conſcience. Though he would not be converted, yet he could not but be convinced. His conſcience was touched, though his heart was not renewed.