7G ROR.JE PAULINiK. 



not appear that tlie author of the history was with St. PauJ 

 until his departure from Troas, on his way to Macedonia, as 

 related chap. 16 : 10 ; or rather indeed the contrary appears. 

 It is in this point of the history that the language changes. 

 In the seventh and eighth verses of this chapter the third 

 person is used : " After theij were come to Mysia, they as- 

 sayed to go into Bithynia ; but the Spirit suffered them not. 

 And thei/ passing by Mysia came to Troas :" and the third 

 person is in hke manner constantly used throughout the fore- 

 going part of the history. In the tenth verse of this chap- 

 ter, the first person comes in : " After Paul had seen the 

 vision, immediately ice endeavored to go into Macedonia, 

 assuredly gathering that the Lord had called its for to preach 

 the gospel unto them." Now, from this time to the writing 

 of the epistle, the history occupies four chapters ; yet it is in 

 these, if in any, that a regular or continued account of the 

 apostle's life is to be expected ; for how succinctly his histo- 

 ry is delivered in the preceding part of the book, that is to 

 say, from the time of his conversion to the time when the 

 historian joined him at Troas, except the particulars of his 

 conversion itself, w^hich are related circumstantially, may be 

 understood from the following observations : 



The history of a period of sixteen years is comprised in 

 less than three chapters ; and of these, a m.aterial part is 

 taken up with discourses. After his conversion he continu- 

 ed in the neighborhood of Damascus, according to the histo- 

 ry, for a certain considerable, though mdefinite length of 

 time — according to his own words, Gal. 1 : 18, for three 

 years ; of which no other account is given than this short 

 one, that " straightv/ay he preached Christ in the syna- 

 gogues, that he is the Son of God ; that all that heard him 

 were amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them 

 which called on this name in Jerusalem ? that he increased 

 the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt 

 at Damascus ; and that after many days were fulfillod, the 

 Jews took counsel to kill him." From Damascus lie pro 



