ACTS Chap. XX. Ver. 6.
And we came to them to Troas in five daies: Where we abode seven daies. And so to Ver. 17. of Chap. XXI.
FRom Philippi after Easter, he setteth away for Corinth, where he staied so little, that he came to Troas within five daies after the company was come thither which had gone before: for so are the five daies to be understood: not that Paul in five daies went from Philippi to Corinth and Troas, but that his company which was set out with him, but set directly for Troas, had staied but five daies at Troas, before he came up to them.
There he celebrates the Lords day and the Lords Supper, and preacheth and discourseth all night [a thing not altogether strange in the Jewish customs, Jerus. Sota fol. 16. 4. R. Mair was teaching profoundly all the night of the Sabbath in the Synagogue of Chamath] So that Euty∣chus sleeps and falls and is taken up dead, but recovered by miracle. The change and be∣ginning and end of the Christian Sabbath may be observed here.
When he goes now from thence, it is most likely it was the time when he left his Cloak, Books and Parchments with Carpus, 2 Tim. 4. 13. His Cloak: for he was now going among his own Nation in Judea: and there he was to wear his Jewish habit, and he left his Roman garb here, till he should come into those Roman quarters again. It may be, the Parchments were the Originals of those Epistles that he had already written: for that he sent tran∣scripts, and reserved the Original copies, may be collected from these passages, I Tertius who wrote out this Epistle, Rom. 16. 22. The salutation of me Paul with my own hand, 1 Cor. 16. 21. Col. 4. 18. which was the token in every Epistle, 2 Thes. 3. 17. for all the Epistle beside was written with another hand.
From Troas by several journeys he cometh to Miletum: and thither he sends for the El∣ders of the Church of Fphesus, which City was near at hand: But who were these? Not Timothy and Trophimus, for they were in his company already, and had been with him in his journey hither, but these twelve men upon whom he had laid his hands, and bestowed on them the Holy Ghost, and so fitted them for the Ministry, Acts 19. 6. and whomsoever besides Timothy had ordained into the Ministry whilst he was there.
Although the Ephesian and the rest of the Asian Churches, were but in an ill case at this time in regard of false doctrines and much Apostacy that had corrupted and cankared them, yet doth the Apostle foresee that the case will be worse and worse with them still, and that grievous Wolves should yet break in upon them: And this he concludeth, not only from the boldness that he was assured false teachers would use and assume to themselves when he was gone, but from those predictions of Christ that had foretold what sad Apostacy should occur, and what false teachers should arise before the great day of Jerusalem came, which was now coming on apace.