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quotation of Isa. 6:, with which the Jew was set aside in the last chapter of the Acts. At
the close of chapter 13: we read:
"And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region" (Acts 13: 49).
And at the close of chapter 14: we read:
"And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all
that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the
Gentiles" (Acts 14: 27).
There is a very remarkable contrast found in Acts 13: and Acts 28:
"But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the
city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their
coasts" (Acts 13: 50).
In contrast with this action of the devout, the honourable, and the chief men, we have:
"And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and
received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold . . . . . In the
same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius;
who received us, and lodged us three days courteously" (Acts 28: 2 and 7).
It is encouraging to observe the record of the Holy Spirit in these matters; the names
of the "devout", the "honourable" and the "chief", who expelled Paul, have gone down
into oblivion, but wherever the Scriptures are read, the name of Publius is recorded with
gratitude.
The thirteenth chapter of the Acts, while most important, is necessarily a part only of a
larger context, and this is clearly indicated by the structure of the whole section which we
now set before the reader.