and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, a. 343 Phcenice, a port of Crete, andwinter there. But they foon found themfelves difappoint ed for the fine foutherly gale, which had favoured them for fome time, fuddenly changed into a formy and tempeftuous wind at north-eat, which blew with fuch violence that the fhip was obliged to fail before it; and to prevent her foundering; they threw overboard the principal part of her lading, to lighten the veffel. They continued fourteen days in this defperate and uncomfortable condition, neither fun nor fiar appearing for great part of the time. During this confufion, the apoftle put them in mind how prepof- teroufly they had aaed in not liftening to his advice ; but, at the fame time told them, that the God whom he ferved and worfhipped, had the laft night fent an angel to him, with affurance that, notwith- ftanding their prefent danger, not one of their lives fhould be loft, though the fhip fhould be wrecked. When the fourteenth night arrived, the failors, upon founding, found they were near fome coati ; and, therefore, to avoid the rocks, thought proper to come to an anchor, till the morning might give them better information. In the mean time, the feamen, who beet underftood the danger, were preparing to get into the boat to fave themfelves; which Paul perceiving, told the captain, that unlefs they all flayed in the fhip, not one of them could be Paved: whereupon the foldiers cut the ropes, and let the boat fall into the fea, from the fhip. While they continuedat anchor, waiting for the light of the morning, St. Paul pre- vailed upon them to eat, and refrefh them- felves, having fatted a long time, affuring them they fhould all efcape. When they had finifhed their repaft, they lightened the fhip of thole goods which fill remained on board, and endeavoured to put into a fmall creek they had difcovered at a little dif- tance ; but falling into a place where two feas met, the (hip ran aground, the fore part remaining immovable, but the after a part was demoli{hed by the waves: awaken- ed with the danger they were in, the fol- diets were defirousof killing the prifoners, left any of them fhould make their efcape ; but the centurion, willing to fave Paul, refufedhis confent, commanding that every one fhould fhift for himfelf in the belt method he could. Accordingly, fome by fwimming, and others by broken pieces of the (hip, they all, to the number of two hundred threefcore and fixteen, got to (bore in fafety. Agreeable to St. Paul's prediaion, the country on which they were caft, was an ifland called Melita, now Malta, fituated in the Libyan fea, between Syracufe and Africa. Here they met with great civility from a barbarous people, and the plain acknowledgments of a divinejullice written on the naked and uninftrured minds of men ; they treated them withgreat huma- nity, entertaining them with all the necef- fary accommodations : but while St. Paul was laying a few flicks on the fire, a viper, enlivenedby the heat, came from amongf the wood and fattened on his hand. On feeing this, the inhabitants of the ifland concluded, that he was certainly fome no- torious murderer, whom the divine ven- geance, though it fuffered him to efcape the fea, had referved for a more public and folemn execution : but when they faw him (hake off the venomous creature into the fire, and no manner of harm enfue, they changed their fentiments, and cried out, that he was a God : fo eafily are light and credulous minds tranfportéd from one extreme to another, according to the dif- ference of occurrences. The refidence of Publius, the governor of the ifland, was not far from the place where they were fhipwrecked : he enter- tained this unfortunate companywith great hofpitalityfor three days; in acknowledg- ment of which St. Paul by his prayers, and the impofitionof his hands, recovered his father from , a fever and a bloody-flux ; and reftored feveral others of the inhabi- tants, afiliEted with different difeafes, to - their
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