24. DEFENCE BEFORE AGRIPPA.-St. Paul. 1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul: "Thou art permitted to speak for thyself." Then Paul stretched forth his hand and answered for himself. 2. "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews; especially because I know thee to be expert, in all customs and questions which are among the Jews; wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. 3. "My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews, who knew me from the beginning, (if they would testify,) that after the most straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. 4. "And now I stand and am judged, for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 5. "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with my self, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 6. "Which thing, I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 7. “And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. 8. "Whereupon, as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at mid-day, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and those who journeyed with me. 9. "And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, who art thou Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 10. "But rise, and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 11. "Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision; but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. 12. "For these causes, the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles." 13. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice: "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad." 14. But he said: "I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. 15. "King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest." Then Agrippa said unto Paul: "Almost thou persuadest me to be a christian." And Paul said: "I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." 16. 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." Then said Agrippa unto Festus: "This man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed unto Cæsar."Acts xxvi. St. Paul's defence breathes a spirit of true and genuine eloquence. It is unostentatious and sublime. It is characterized by sincerity and earnestness. To say that he was a greater man than Hannibal, Cæsar, Alexander, Bonaparte, or even Sir Isaac Newton, or our beloved Washington himself, is not enough. He was inferior only to Jesus Christ. The character of St. Paul and of his defence, is eloquently portrayed in the following poetry: "With illustration simple, yet profound, and with unfaltering zeal, But from the gifted soul and the deep feeling breast." St. Paul's defence, being highly rhetorical, should be read or recited, not only grammatically or correctly, but with all the pathos, power, and polished graces of elocution. It requires a middle key, a combination of quantity and emphasis, and an earnest and animated manner. Let the reader or declaimer possess himself fully of the sentiments and feelings of the great apostle, and then his elocution will awaken in the bosoms of his hearers the same interest that pervades his own. Let it be imagined that a Tertullus, or some other hireling is to appear, as counsel against us; and that we are speaking not only before the governor, but in the presence of the king himself, and that, too, upon a subject of deep and absorbing interest, then our voices, our looks, and our gestures, will spontaneously be such as unbiassed nature directs; and we shall want neither "Action, nor utterance, nor power of speech A true orator must be a good man. St. Paul was greatly distinguished for frankness. In 2 Corinthians, xii. 16, he says: "But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile." That is, although you admit that I preached the gospel freely, you, my opposers at Corinth, nevertheless, say, that I am crafty and practise guile. In verse 17, he says: "Did I make gain of you?" Produce the proof if in your power. He was also accused of "doing evil that good might come:" to which charge he answered: "God forbid!" Some persons suppose that he acknowledges himself to be crafty and guileful; and, therefore, have concluded that it is right to use management and deceit to promote a religious purpose. They err egregiously. The truth is, St. Paul's aim was to do good by proper means. If the reader is not perfectly satisfied that the passage, as it stands in the context, implies, as Bloomfield says, a possible charge, that his not taking a stipend of his hearers was but a piece of refined policy, to obtain the same purpose more effectually by another," he is referred to Scott and Clarke. The passage in question should be so read as to convey its true meaning. This is not the only instance in which St. Paul employs the figure of irony. He also spoke ironically in the 19th verse of the 11th chapter, and second Epistle to the Corinthians, where he says: "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise." The most pathetic and sublime writers, occasionally use this figure. When Job says, in the 12th chapter and 24 verse of the book of Job: "No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you," his meaning is unfolded by the nature of the case, which is, that those to whom he addressed that language possessed very little wisdom, if indeed any. In the third line of the ninth verse, Paul says, a voice addressed him thus: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Christ regarded his followers, as the apple of his eye; and, therefore, those who persecuted them, were guilty of persecuting Jesus himself. To say, "why persecutest thou me," implies, what induces you to do it? what evil have I done? If it be read, "why persecutest thou me ?" it simply implies, why do you persecute me? Put the emphasis on the word me why persecutest thou me ?" and the principal idea will be conveyed, which is, what prompts you to persecute the Savior? And this, Saul had been doing, by putting the ecclesiastical laws into execution, against Christ's disciples; and by punishing "them oft in every synagogue." Nearly every word in the sentence, requires more or less emphaIn the third line of the fifteenth verse, Agrippa said unto Paul, 'Almost thou persuadest me to be a christian.' "The apostle's eloquence produced so great a sensation in the king's mind, that he was almost induced to become a christian. If the word, "me," be emphasised, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a christian," the idea will be conveyedYou have fully persuaded others to be christians; and I, too, am "almost" persuaded to be one. The reason for making the word "almost somewhat emphatic is obvious. Either " persuadest," or "me," or both those words, should be emphasised still more strongly. To read it, "Almost twu persuadest me to be a christian," conveys the idea that Paul produced an effect which others had failed to produce. A greater or less degree of emphasis should be given to the whole sentence: the phrase in the latter part of it, "to be a christian," is, by no means, unimportant. be" what? not merely a man of earthly wisdom, but a christian, which, as Dr. Young truly observes in his "Night Thoughts,"—" is the highest style of man.' "To 25. EXTRACT FROM A SUPPOSED SPEECH OF JOHN ADAMS, IN SUPPORT OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.-D. Webster. 1. Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote. It is true, indeed, that in the beginning, we aimed not at independence. But there's a divinity which shapes our ends. The injustice of England has driven us to arms; and, blinded to her own interest, for our good, she has obstinately persisted, till independence is now within our grasp. 2. We have but to reach forth to it, and it is ours. Why, then, should we defer the declaration? Is any man so weak, as now to hope for a reconciliation with England? Do we mean to submit to the measures of parliament, Boston port-bili and all? I know we do not mean to submit. We never shall submit. 3. The war, then, must go on. We must fight it through. And if the war must go on, why put off longer the declaration of independence? That measure will strengthen us. It will give us character abroad. The nations will then treat with us, which they never can do, while we acknowledge ourselves subjects in arms against our sovereign. Nay, I maintain that England herself, will sooner treat for peace with us, on the footing of independence, than consent, by repealing her acts, to acknowledge that her whole conduct. towards us, has been a course of injustice and oppression. 4. Sir, the declaration will inspire the people with increased courage. Instead of a long and bloody war for restoration of privileges, for redress of grievances, for chartered immuni ties held under a British king,-set before them the glorious object of entire independence, and it will breathe into them anew the breath of life. 5. Read this declaration at the head of the army; every sword will be drawn from its scabbard, and the solemn vow uttered to maintain it, or to perish on the bed of honor. Publish it from the pulpit; religion will approve it, and the love of religious liberty will cling round it, resolved to stand with it, or fall with it. 6. Send it to the public halls; proclaim it there; let them hear it, who heard the first roar of the enemy's cannon; let them see it, who saw their brothers and their sons fall on the field of Bunker Hill, and in the streets of Lexington and Concord, and the very walls will cry out in its support. 7. Sir, before God, I believe the hour is come. My judgment approves this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope, in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it; and I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the declaration. It is my living sentiment, and, by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment;-independence now, and independence for ever. It is sometimes supposed that John Adams actually made the above speech. It contains sentiments which he cherished; but Daniel Webster |