God meant Paul to appear before Caesar. He was a notable illustration of
the saying of Solomon, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he
shall stand before kings." Paul, the slave of God, made judges tremble,
and his chained hands ruffled the imperial purple. If only we sail with
Jesus, storms become our slaves. The Lord meant to have Christianity
planted at Malta, and therefore Euroclydon must drive the wreck to that
shore, but still _en route_ to Rome. Take the so-called misfortunes out
of the history of religion, and you put it back into commonplace.
Persecution has pushed on the cause it has striven to hinder, and heroes
are made by hindrances. "Why do the heathen rage? The Lord shall have
them in derision." This was never so true as it was when the time came
for Jesus to die. It seems as though Satan would have made a good
Socinian. He saw not in the Scripture either the Saviour's Divinity or
His atoning work, and so he hastened to have Him slain, and thereby
carried out the programme of God. Have you ever noticed the prayer that
was offered when the servants of God returned from jail? (See Acts iv.
26 28). The enemy "gathered together to do whatsoever thy hand and thy
counsel determined before to be done!" It shall yet be seen that no one
has done so much for the truth as he who was a liar from the beginning!