The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

12 Now when Gallio was deputy of Achaia, the Jews rose with one accord against Paul, and brought him before the judgement seat, 13 Saying, this man persuadeth men to worship god contrary to the law. 14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto them, If it were any injury or wicked fact, O Jews, I would according to reason maintain you. 15 But if it be a question of words & names, & your law, look ye to it your selves for I will be no judge in these matters. 16 And he drave them from the judgement seat. 17 And when all the Greeks had caught Sosthenes the ruler of the Synagogue, they smote him before the judgement seat: neither did Gallio care for any of these things,

12 Now when Gallio was deputie of Achaia, the Iewes rose with one accorde against Paul, and brought him before the iudgement seat, 13 Saying, this man perswadeth men to worship god contrary to the law. 14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio saide vnto them, If it were any iniurie or wicked fact, O Iewes, I would according to reason maintaine you. 15 But if it be a question of words & names, & your law, looke ye to it your selues for I will be no iudge in these matters. 16 And he draue them from the iudgement seat. 17 And when all the Greekes had caught Sosthenes the ruler of the Synagogue, they smote him before the iudgemēt seat: neither did Gallio care for any of these things,

12 When Gallio. Either the change of the deputy did encourage the Jews, to wax more proud and insolent: as froward men use to abuse new things, that they may procure some tumult: or else hoping that the judge would favour them, they brake the peace and silence at a sudden, which had continued one whole year. And the sum of the accusation is, that Paul went about to bring in a false kind of worship, contrary to the law. Now the question is, whether they spake of the law of Moses, or of the rites used in the empire of Rome. Because this latter thing seemeth to me to be cold, I do rather receive that, that they burdened Paul with this crime, that he brake & altered the worship prescribed in the law of God, & that to the end they might hit him in the teeth with novelty or innovation. And surely Paul had bin worthy to have bin condemned, if he had gone about any such thing: but forasmuch as it is most certain that they did treacherously & wickedly slander the holy man, they endeavoured to cover an evil cause with an honest excuse. We know how straitly the Lord commandeth in the law, how he will have his servants to worship him. Therefore to depart from that rule is sacrilege. But forasmuch as, Paul never meant to add too, or take away any thing from the law, he is unjustly accused of this fault. Whence we gather, that though the faith full behave themselves never so uprightly & blamelessly, yet can they not escape false & slanderous reports until they be admitted to purge them selves. But Paul was not only unworthily and falsely slandered by the adversaries: but when he would have refuted their impudency & false reports, his mouth was stopped by the deputy. Therefore he was enforced to depart from the judgement seat without defending himself. And Gallio refuseth to hear the cause, not for any evil will he bare to Paul, but because it was not agreeable to the office of the deputy to give judgement concerning the religion of every province. For though the Romans could not enforce the nations which were subject to them to observe their rites: yet least they should seem to allow that which they did tolerate, they forbade their magistrates to meddle with this part of jurisdiction. Here we see what the ignorance of true godliness doth, in setting in order the state of every common-wealth and dominion.