whence they came, so that they lost sight of them in a few moments. This unexpected accident extremely astonished them; and what was worse, there were many Turks, Moors, and Arabs of a variety of colours, in this cavern, of whom some were reclined on the sand, enjoying the fresh air, some were dressing provisions among these rocks, others were smoking tobacco, notwithstanding the apparent danger of the fall of great pieces of the rocks, which frequently happened; but it is common for them to retire hither, on account of a spring of fine water which glides along here, and is always extremely cool. (Voy. de la Terre-Sainte, ch. 61.) Harmer, vol. iii. p. 205. No. 485.-ACTS i. 26. The lot. THE account which Grotius gives of the manner in which lots were cast, seems very probable and satisfactory. He says, they put their lots into two urns, one of which contained the names of Joseph and Matthias, and the other a blank, and the word apostle. In drawing these out of the urns, the blank came up with the name of Joseph, and the lot on which was written the word apostle came up with the name of Matthias. This being in answer to their prayers, they concluded that Matthias was the man whom the Lord had chosen to the apostleship. No. 486.-vi. 9. The synagogue of the libertines.] Great numbers of the Jews, who were taken captive by Pompey, and carried into Italy, were there set at liberty, and obtained their freedom from their masters; their children therefore, would be libertini in the proper sense of that word, and, agreeably to this, the Jews banished from Rome by Tiberius are spoken of by TACITUS (Annal. lib. ii. cap. 85.) as of the libertine race. These might easily constitute one of the 480 synagogues said to have been at Jerusalem. No. 487.-ix. 34. Arise, and make thy bed.] Mattrasses, or something of that kind, were used for sleeping upon. The Israelites formerly lay upon carpets. (Amos ii. 8.) Russell (p. 90.) says, the "beds consist of a mattrass laid on the floor, and over this a sheet (in winter a carpet, or some such woollen covering,) the other sheet being sewed to the quilt. A divan cushion often serves for a pillow and bolster." They do not now keep their beds made; the mattrasses are rolled up, carried away, and placed in cupboards till they are wanted at night. Hence we learn the propriety of our Lord's address to the paralytic, arise, take up thy bed, and walk. (Matt. ix. 6.) HARMER, vol. ii. p. 66, note. No. 488.-ix. 37. When they had washed.] It was usual, immediately upon the decease of a person, to lay out the corpse, and then to wash it. This office was commonly performed by women related to the party deceased; only in cases of necessity others were employed therein. Among the Greeks this custom was very particularly observed: there were vessels in some of their ancient temples for this purpose; these were called in Latin labra. The Greeks used warm water on this occasion; the modern Jews, warm water with roses and camomile. It was designed to prevent precipitate interment. (See Virgil, Æn. vi. ver. 218.) No. 489.-xii. 10. Iron gate.] Among different ways of securing their gates, one was by plating them over with thick iron. Pitts tells us (p. 10.) that Algiers has five gates, and some of these have two, others three gates within them, some of them plated over with thick iron. After this manner the place where St. Peter was imprisoned seems to have been secured. When they were past the first and second ward, they came unto the iron gate, &c. HARMER, vol. i. p. 207. No. 490.-xiv. 11. the likeness of men.] The gods are come down to us in sages in the heathen writers, that they supposed the gods often descended in the likeness of men. Thus Homer represents one of his personages in the character of a suitor, recommending hospitality to strangers by saying, -If in this low disguise Wander perhaps some inmate of the skies: And with sure eyes inspecting all mankind. Odyss. xvii. ver. 485. This notion particularly prevailed with respect to Jupiter and Mercury. No. 491.-xiv. 13. Then the priest of Jupiter, who was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.] It was customary to build temples to their tutelar deities in the suburbs of the cities, and to set up their images before the city, at the gates. According to this practice, the priest of that Jupiter who was esteemed the tutelar deity of the place, and whose image was placed in a temple erected to him before the city, brought oxen and garlands to offer a sacrifice to Barnabas and Paul. They used to crown both the images of their deities and the victims they offered to them with chaplets of flowers. The heathens considered their several images, of Jupiter for instance, as so many distinct Jupiters, that is, as having some spirit sent from the god, to whom their worship was ultimately referred, to reside in them. This circumstance, Bp. Warburton observes, may account for the dispute between two Jupiters, the Tonans and the Capitolinus, mentioned by Suetonius. DODDRIDGE, in loc. No. 492.-xvi. 13. On the sabbath we went out of the eity by a river's side, where prayer was wont to be made.] The Jewish proseucha were places of prayer, in some circumstances similar to, in others different from, their synagogues: the latter were generally in cities, and were covered places; whereas for the most part the proseucha were out of the cities, on the banks of rivers, having no covering, except perhaps, the shade of some trees, or covered galleries. Their vicinity to water was for the convenience of those frequent washings and ablutions which were introduced among them. No. 493.-xvi. 22. The magistrates rent off their clothes.] It was usual for the Roman magistrates to command the lictors to rend open the clothes of the criminal, that he might the more easily be beaten with rods. No care was taken of the garments on these occasions: but they were suddenly and with violence rent open. Thus were Paul and Silas treated in this instance. No. 494.-xvi. 24. Made their feet fast in the stocks.] It is generally supposed that these were the cippi or large pieces of wood used among the Romans, which not only loaded the legs of prisoners, but sometimes distended them in a very painful manner; so that it is highly probable the situation of Paul and Silas here might be made more painful than that of an offender sitting in the stocks, as used among us, especially if (as is very possible) they lay with their bare backs, so lately scourged, on the hard or dirty ground; which renders their joyful frame, expressed by songs of praise, so much the more remarkable. Beza explains it of the numella, in which both the feet and the neck were fastened, in the most uneasy posture that can well be imagined. DODDRIDGE, in loc. No. 495.-xvii. 18. Others said, he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods.] The Romans were averse |