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Observe here, St. Paul the prisoner being called forth, Tertullus, the orator, began to show his art by a flattering insinuation, which mightily prevails with men of mean and corrupt minds. There is no cause so foul and bad, but some will be found to plead it; yea, to justify and defend it. And if so, judges had need be wise, as the angels of God, discerning between truth and falsehood.
Observe farther, how Tertullus seeks to gain the judges favour by flattery and falsehood: to win judges by flattery hath ever by false accusers been taken for the surest way of sucess; but after all, flattery is a very provoking and wrath-procuring sin; and it is hard to say, which is most dangerous, to receive flattery or to give it. When men give much glory to man, 'tis hard for man to give that glory back again to God. 'Tis hell and death to flatter sinners, or suffer ourselves to be flattered by them.
Observe, lastly, That bad government is better than no government; tyranny itself is better than anarchy. The Jews were not now their own masters, but tributaries to the Romans. Yet Tertullus acknowledges, many worthy deeds were done unto their nation by the prudence of the Roman governor: "Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix."