The Acts of the Apostles (1911) — PDF Scan 459

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IN ROME 453 liis arguments, but they refused to accept his conclusions. Many months passed by after Paul's arrival in Eome, before the Jews of Jerusalem appeared in person to present their accusations against the prisoner. They had been repeatedly thwarted in their designs ; and now that Paul was to be tried before the highest tribunal of the Roman empire, they had no desire to risk another defeat. Lysias, Felix, Festus, and Agrippa had all declared their belief in his innocence. His enemies could hope for success only in seeking by intrigue to influence the emperor in their favor. Delay would further their object, as it would afford them time to perfect and execute their plans; and so they waited for a while before preferring their charges in person against the apostle. In the providence of God, this delay resulted in the furtherance of the gospel. Through the favor of those who had Paul in charge, he was permitted to dwell in a commodious house, where he could meet freely with his friends, and also present the truth daily to those who came to hear. Thus for two years he continued his labors, ''preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.'' During this time, the churches that he had established in many lands were not forgotten. Realizing the dangers that threatened the converts to the new faith, the apostle sought so far as possible to meet their needs by letters of warning and practical instruction. And from Rome he sent out con-