Chapter VII.—SAUL JOINS THE CHURCH AT JERUSALEM.

Syria, of which Damascus was the capital, had become a Roman province about sixty-three years before the birth of Christ. Whilst Saul was in Arabia, Aretas, the king of that country, went into the land of Judæa, to fight against Herod Antipas, who had married the daughter of Aretas, and then treated her very ill. Herod was defeated in a battle, and then he applied for help to the Emperor Tiberius, as supreme ruler of Judæa. Tiberius commanded his general Vitellius to chastise Aretas for his attack upon Herod, and bring him to Rome, alive or dead. Whilst Vitellius was at Jerusalem preparing to execute this order, Tiberius died; and Vitellius marched his army into winter quarters. Aretas took advantage of this, and attacked the city of Damascus, which he took, and kept possession of for some time. Saul, as has been said, returned to Damascus whilst Aretas still held possession of it. By his preaching, he confounded the Jews which were at Damascus; for strengthened more and more by the Holy Spirit, he spake of Jesus of Nazareth, "proving that this is very Christ." Not knowing how to answer him, and fearing the effect of such preaching, the Jews, after many days were fulfilled, "took counsel to kill him." From another part of Scripture we learn, that the governor set over the city of Damascus by Aretas, took part with the Jews, and caused the gates to be watched night and day, to kill Saul, should he attempt to leave the city, before the Jews had accomplished their purpose. But all these plots were, by the mercy of God, made known in some way to Saul. The disciples of course knew that the Lord could work a miracle, to save one who was chosen to be a preacher of the Gospel; but they also knew that it is the duty of man in all cases, to take proper means for his own safety: and trusting that the Lord would bless their efforts, "they took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket." Saul being thus outside the walls, without passing through the gates, journeyed on to Jerusalem.

At that time, people living in one city, knew very little of what was going on in others at a distance; and the war between Herod and Aretas, would naturally have cut off even the usual communication between Jerusalem and Damascus. If the Chief Priests and other members of the Sanhedrim, had heard any rumour of Saul's wonderful conversion, they would of course try to keep such a matter secret. These things account for the fact, that the Apostles in Jerusalem had never heard of the change that had taken place in Saul, whom they remembered as consenting to the death of Stephen, and then going to Damascus to persecute the believers. Three years had now passed since that time, and the Apostles probably thought that during that period, Saul had been actively employed in trying to prevent the spreading of the Gospel.

"And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed (or attempted) to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple." Barnabas, however, in some way had become acquainted with the circumstances concerning Saul: he therefore "took him, and brought him to the Apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus." This was sufficient; on the testimony of Barnabas, the Apostles gladly received Saul as a fellow labourer, and from that time "he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus," especially endeavouring to convince the Grecians, or foreign Jews. But instead of listening to Saul, "they went about to slay him"; which, when the "brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus," his native place in Cilicia. The removal of Saul at this time, seems to have had a good effect; for we read, "then had the churches rest throughout all Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."

Leaving the history of Saul for awhile, the Book of Acts gives us some account of Peter's labours: he went from place to place, spreading the knowledge of the Gospel everywhere. At Lydda, a very large village not far from Joppa, "he found a certain man named Æneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately," the palsy leaving him and his strength returning, as Peter spake these words.

The news of what had happened at Lydda soon reached Joppa; and the disciples who dwelt there, sent unto Peter, desiring that he would not delay to come to them. The cause of their sending for the Apostle, was the death of a certain disciple, a woman "named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did": her kindness and charity had made her to be loved by all, and her death therefore caused great grief to those who had benefited by her kindness. Peter obeyed the summons of the messengers; he "arose and went with them. When he was come" to Joppa, "they brought him into the upper chamber," where they had laid the body: "and all the widows stood by, weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them." But Peter put them all out of the chamber, and then "kneeled down, and prayed." After this, turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord," in Whose name, and by Whose power, Peter had worked this great miracle.

It has been said of this Tabitha, that "by interpretation her name was Dorcas." This good woman was a Grecian, or foreign Jewess, and as such, her name was Tabitha, which means an "antelope"—a very graceful animal of the deer kind, having very beautiful eyes. It was a common practice amongst the Arabs, and other nations of Asia, to give to female children the names of such animals as were particularly admired. The Jews, instead of calling Tabitha by what was to them & foreign name, called her Dorcas; because that word, in their language, meant antelope. Therefore, Dorcas was the Jewish interpretation of Tabitha.

Peter did not leave Joppa again immediately after the restoration of Dorcas; on the contrary, "he tarried many days in Joppa, with one Simon a tanner."

The Gospel had by this time been preached freely to the Jews in Jerusalem, and throughout Judæa, Samaria, and Galilee; and the time was now come for it to be preached to the Gentiles also. Peter was accordingly chosen by God to begin this work, about a.d. 40. We are told, "There was a certain man in Cæsarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." The Italian band, was a company of a thousand Roman soldiers, acting probably as a guard to the Roman governor of Judæa, whose usual residence was at Cæsarea, a city of great importance.

Cornelius was one of the centurions, or captains, of the Italian band: he was a Gentile, who had already given up idolatry, and become a sincere worshipper of the God of Israel: but as he had not observed all the forms and ceremonies required by the Law, the Jews did not look upon him as one of themselves. Such persons were called "Proselytes of the Gate"; and although they were allowed to dwell among the Jews, they were looked upon as unclean.

Cornelius had brought all his household to worship the One True God: he was constant in prayer; and he showed his love for God, by charity to man for His sake.

Such a devout man was well pleasing to the Lord, Who now called him to a "knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus." Cornelius being engaged in prayer about the ninth hour of the day, one of the times especially appointed for prayer in the temple, saw in a vision an angel of God, who told him that by his prayers and his alms (signs of faith and obedience), he had found favour with God. The angel then bade him send to Joppa for Simon Peter, saying also, "he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do." We may be sure that Cornelius received this divine message with joy and thankfulness, and he immediately sent "two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually"—men upon whom he could thoroughly depend, to Joppa, to fetch Peter. On the morrow, as these messengers drew near to Joppa, the Lord, by means of a vision, prepared Peter to receive them. About the sixth hour Peter went up upon the house-top to pray, where he would be quiet and undisturbed. "And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance," or kind of fainting fit. In this state he had a vision; and "saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet, knit (or fastened together) at the four corners, and let down to the earth." In this vessel, which is compared to a large sheet, were "all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air"—many of these creatures being unclean, according to the Jewish Law. "And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven." Although Peter was a true follower of Jesus Christ, he had not yet got over his Jewish prejudices; but like the rest of his countrymen, looked upon the Gentiles as unclean, and thought that it was as great a sin for a Jew to keep company with a Gentile, as it would be for him to eat any of the unclean animals, which the Lord forbade him to touch. The vision now sent to Peter, plainly showed him that Jesus did not wish his followers to observe any longer the ceremonial Law; and above all, that in preaching the Gospel, no distinction was to be made between Jew and Gentile. No man was to be looked upon as unclean, since it was the Will of God that all should come to the knowledge of the truth, and be joined together in one body, the Church.

This vision greatly astonished Peter, and perplexed him: but while he "doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean," the whole matter was made plain to him. By this time "the men which were sent from Cornelius" had reached Joppa, and having made inquiry for the house of Simon the tanner, they now "stood before the gate, and called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there:" and "while Peter thought on the vision," trying to discover what it might mean, "the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down," to hear wherefore they are come, and "go with them," as they will ask thee, "doubting nothing"—having no doubts or fears upon the subject, but feeling sure that you are doing right by going with them,—"for I have sent them."

Chapter VIII.—PETER AND CORNELIUS.

Having received the direct commands of God by the Holy Spirit, "Peter" at once "went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom you seek; what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And the morrow after they entered into Cæsarea." Cornelius, knowing at about what time his messengers might be expected back, had called his friends together to receive Peter, whom he was anxiously expecting to come with his servants. "And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him." Thus did the centurion show his joy and gratitude after the manner of the Gentiles, who often did pay to their fellow creatures that degree of reverence and worship due to God alone; and Cornelius, looking upon Peter as the especial servant of God sent to him by the interposition of an angel, might naturally on his appearance fall into this error. Peter, however, at once checked such an expression of the centurion's feeling; teaching him, that the worship due to God must never be given to any man under any circumstances; so, when Cornelius fell at his feet, "Peter took him up, saving, Stand up; I myself also am a man. And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I to you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for." Having thus given an account of himself, Peter very naturally added, "I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?" Cornelius at once gave to Peter an account of the vision that had been vouchsafed to him, and in consequence of which he had sent for him; and added, "and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God."

Peter, as a Jew, had been brought up to believe that the favour of God was confined to the descendants of Abraham; but he now openly expresses his conviction, that no such line of separation existed, saying, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him:" a doctrine very displeasing to the unbelieving Jews, but most comforting to the Gentiles, who were no longer shut out from the favour of God, now that all distinction between Jew and Gentile was done away with by the preaching of the Gospel. Peter then spake to Cornelius and his friends of Jesus; of His Life, Death, Resurrection, and of the commandment which He had given to His Apostles "to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead;" and Peter ended his discourse by repeating the great Gospel truth, "that through faith in Jesus all may receive remission or pardon of their sins."

Even while Peter was speaking, the Lord gave a signal proof that there was indeed, in His sight, no difference between Jew and Gentile, amongst those who believed the Gospel, and became followers of Jesus; for "the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word," that is, the Gospel as now preached by Peter; and the Spirit enabled "them to speak with tongues," that is, to speak foreign languages, as in the case of the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost: for this instance of mercy they did magnify and praise the Lord.

"And they of the circumcision," the Jews who had become believers, and had now accompanied Peter from Joppa to Cæsarea, "were astonished, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the Holy Ghost," in this plain and unmistakeable manner.

"Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" Peter justly felt, that these Gentiles, who had so evidently been made partakers of "the inward and spiritual grace of Baptism," might be safely allowed to receive "the outward visible sign." "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days" at Cæsarea, that he might yet further instruct them in the doctrines of the Gospel.

Peter no doubt complied with this request, and we may be sure that he dwelt on the necessity of holiness in all the followers of Jesus, and exhorted his hearers to constant and earnest prayer to Him, from Whom come all good gifts, and without Whose help man can do no good thing.

"The Apostles and brethren that were in Judæa, heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God," without at the same time hearing under what circumstances Peter had gone amongst them to preach it.

"And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision,"—that is, those Jews who, although they had become disciples, still thought that the Law of Moses was to be obeyed in all its ceremonies, and that the Gospel should be preached to Jews only,—blamed, or "contended with Peter, saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." Peter, instead of being angry, that he, one of the Apostles appointed by Christ, should be thus called to account by those whose duty it was to learn of him, quietly "rehearsed (or repeated) the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them," beginning with his own vision at Joppa, and ending with the baptism of Cornelius and his friends, in consequence of the pouring out of the Holy Ghost upon them; saying, in regard to this subject, "Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God?"

"When they heard these things, they held their peace," ceased to blame Peter, seeing that he had only done as God directed him: and being now convinced that it was indeed the Will of the Lord that the Gospel should be preached to all nations, they "glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

All who believe in Jesus Christ themselves, will always rejoice when others are brought to do so too: Christians will ever show their love for Jesus, by doing all in their power to bring others to know and love Him: and whatever else we may be able to do, let us always remember to pray for them, and to ask God to let "His knowledge cover the earth as the waters cover the sea."

One thing more we should remark, as it teaches us a useful lesson in our dealings with our fellow creatures; and that is, how often disputes and quarrels would be avoided, if we followed Peter's example; and, instead of being angry when we are unjustly blamed, were to take it patiently, and then quietly explain all the circumstances which have caused the misunderstanding. But instead of that, amongst us, whether children or grown-up people, if one makes a false accusation, or casts undeserved blame upon another, that other too often feels provoked and angry, and answers sharply; one sharp cross answer leads to others; and so on, until there is a regular quarrel, whereby both parties sin against God: and all this might have been prevented by a few quiet gentle words of explanation. Let us remember, "that a soft answer turneth away wrath," and that the "beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water,"—we cannot tell where it will stop.

The Lord bids us live peaceably with all men: let us try to do so, striving never to provoke others, nor to be provoked by them.

We have seen that, after Stephen's death, most of the disciples left Jerusalem, and "they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as far as the country of Phenice," or Phœnicia, to the N.W. of Judæa, and to the isle of Cyprus, and to the town of Antioch in Syria, which lay about twelve miles from the sea, having the river Orontes running through it. To all these distant parts the disciples travelled, "preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only," who happened to be in those different places. "And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians," the Jews born in foreign lands, preaching the Lord Jesus. The people of Cyprus, and of Cyrene on the coast of Africa, spake the Greek language; and therefore, could make themselves understood by the Grecians, who knew nothing of Hebrew, the language in which the other disciples preached. "And the hand of the Lord was with" all them that preached; and "a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord."

"Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch," to ascertain the truth of what the Apostles had heard, and to confirm the faith of those who had turned to the Lord. Barnabas was now numbered with the Apostles, and exercised like authority; "for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." When he came to Antioch, and had seen how by the grace of God so many were truly converted, he "exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord": that is, that they would continue steadfast in the faith, and determine to devote themselves entirely, body and soul, heart and mind, to the service of the Lord. The preaching of such a man could not fail to have its effect; for he was full of the Holy Ghost; and so we read that "much people was added unto the Lord."

Chapter IX.—PETER DELIVERED FROM PRISON.

Barnabas, finding that there was plenty of work to be done at Antioch, "departed to Tarsus, for to seek Saul," that he might come and help him. "And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church" (that is, joined in the assemblies of the believers), "and taught much people,"—converting, we may be sure, Gentiles as well as Jews. Scripture tells us here, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Some people have thought that this name, in which we glory, was given to the disciples by their enemies, in scorn of them as followers of Christ; but it is far more likely that it was given them by Saul and Barnabas, under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Up to this time, the Jewish converts were called amongst themselves "disciples," "believers," "saints"; and all together, "the Church." Their enemies called them "Nazarenes," "Galileans," or the "men of this way." Now that there were so many of them, it was quite necessary that they should be distinguished by some peculiar name; and what name could be more appropriate, than one which marked them as the followers and disciples of Jesus Christ—believers in the Messiah, the Anointed, through Whom alone they, and all mankind, could receive pardon of their sins? Let us, whilst we glory in the name of Christians, take care that we are not so in name only. All who are joined to Christ, or made part of His body the Church, by Baptism, are now called Christians. The cross is the sign, or symbol, of the Christian faith. In Baptism, the figure of the cross is made on the forehead of the person baptized, to signify that he, or she, is now entered as a faithful soldier and servant of Christ; and that this service is to be continued as long as life lasts.

This shows us what each one of us should be,—"a faithful soldier," fighting against all the enemies of our Lord, which are the Devil and his evil angels, our own bad passions and desires, and every kind of sin: and "a faithful servant," studying to know his Master's Will, that he may do it thoroughly, whatever suffering or trouble it may bring upon himself. Let us seriously consider whether we are such Christians, really and truly trying to serve and please God. If we are not, the name of Christian will be of no use to us. Jesus Himself says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Let each one of us pray earnestly to God, that for the sake of His blessed Son, Jesus Christ, He will give us the help of the Holy Spirit, so that we may become true Christians in the sight of Him, by Whom all our thoughts, words, and actions are known.

In order to understand perfectly all that the Bible tells us, it is necessary to mention a few circumstances connected with the history of the Jews, which are not written in the Scriptures, but are told us by a man called Josephus, himself a Jew, who lived at this time, and has left us an account of all that he saw and heard amongst his countrymen. We have already heard that Herod the Great, who slew the infants of Bethlehem, had many descendants, who all bore the same name, and several of whom are spoken of in Scripture. Some account has already been given of them. Aristobulus, one of the unfortunate sons of Herod the Great and Mariamne, left two sons: one named Herod Agrippa, called also the Elder, to distinguish him from his own son, named also Herod Agrippa; and another son, also called Herod, who became King of Chalcis. Herod Agrippa the Elder lived for some years quietly at Rome, as a private person, and was in favour with Tiberius, who became Emperor of Rome a.d. 14. But some persons having accused Herod, whether truly or falsely we cannot say, of wishing for the Emperor's death, he was put into prison, where he remained until Tiberius died, about four years after the Crucifixion of Jesus. Caligula, who became Emperor at the death of Tiberius, a.d. 37, made Herod Agrippa king over Iturea and some neighbouring parts of the country.

Pontius Pilate had ceased before this to be Governor, or Procurator, of Judæa. A riot, or disturbance, had taken place amongst the people of Samaria. Pilate put a stop to it; but he afterwards treated the people with such extreme severity, that the Roman Emperor deprived him of his government, which he had held for about ten years. Pilate was banished to Vienne, a place in Gaul (as France was then called), and there he killed himself.

About the same time that Pilate was deprived of his office, Herod Antipas was also deprived of his. Herod Antipas, the second son of Herod the Great, was the tetrarch, or governor of Galilee, who put John the Baptist to death, and who, with his men of war, mocked and ill treated our blessed Lord, Who was sent to him by Pilate. A few years after the death of Jesus, Herod wished to make himself king of Judæa; and he was in consequence deprived of his government, and banished into Spain, also a Roman province, where he died miserably. So soon did punishment fall upon these two bad men, who had sinned against the Lord Jesus Christ.

Caligula, who made Herod Agrippa king over some parts of Syria and Palestine, was anxious to be looked upon and treated as a god; and of course his heathen subjects did not much care whether he were so considered or not. But although the Jews had refused to believe in the Messiah, they had, ever since the return from the Captivity, a horror of worshipping anything but the Lord God Almighty, the God of Abraham. When, therefore, Caligula ordered that a gilt statue of himself, as a god, should be set up in the temple, all Judæa was filled with horror; and for several weeks the people ceased from following their usual occupations, and the country towards Mount Carmel was crowded with people in mourning. The Roman governor of Syria, charged to set up this statue, seeing the distress of the people, kindly listened to their entreaties, that he would wait a little before he executed this dreadful order. The Jews then applied to Herod Agrippa the Elder, who happened to be in Rome; and he, with great difficulty, persuaded Caligula not to insist upon setting up this statue.

When Claudius became Emperor, a.d. 41, he added the provinces of Judæa and Samaria to Herod's dominions, so that he governed the whole land of Palestine, bearing the title of king.

The trouble that the Jews were in under Caligula, prevented their thinking so much of persecuting the Christians; and thus the Church of Christ had a little rest, and went on increasing. But now that Herod Agrippa had become King of Judæa, it was different; for he, seeing the number of Christians increasing in a most extraordinary manner, was fearful that they might rebel, and refuse to obey him as their king: therefore we read, "Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also." Herod was anxious to gain favour with his Jewish subjects; and there was no more certain way of doing so, than by persecuting the Christians. Having therefore killed one of the sons of Zebedee, he determined to take Peter, who was one of the chief amongst the Apostles. "Then were the days of unleavened bread"—that is, the Feast of the Passover was now drawing near; and the preparation for that Holy Sacrifice had already begun, by the putting away of leaven out of every Jewish house, according to the Law of Moses. "And when Herod had apprehended Peter, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people," with the intention, no doubt, of slaying him, as he had already slain James. Four soldiers formed a quaternion; four quaternions therefore were sixteen men, who were especially appointed to guard Peter. "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him": and the prayers of the saints were more effectual than all the precautions taken by Herod.

It was customary with the Romans to fasten a prisoner to his keeper by a light chain, which went round the wrist of each; thus rendering it impossible for the prisoner to move without the knowledge of his keeper. For greater security, Peter was thus bound to two of the soldiers.

During the night before the day on which "Herod would have brought Peter forth, he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side," (to awaken him,) "and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands," (without disturbing the keepers). "And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me." Peter did as he was told; but all this time he was not aware that he was really free, but thought he was merely dreaming: he "wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward," (different parts of the prison, without being perceived by any of those who kept the doors,) "they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him." His miraculous work being now accomplished, the angel left Peter to go on his own way. The departure of his heavenly guide seems to have aroused Peter to the reality of what had happened; he no longer thought he had seen a vision. "And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark." This Mark, whose name was also John, was the writer of the Gospel bearing his name: his mother was sister to Barnabas, and her house was no doubt a place, where the Christian brethren often met for the purpose of prayer; and now, although it was not yet daylight, "many were gathered together praying." Probably they had spent the night in prayer for the deliverance of Peter. "And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate."

The faith of the brethren was not strong enough to make them at once believe in such a wonderful answer to their prayers. They knew that Peter was securely shut up in prison; and so, when Rhoda suddenly announced that he was standing at the door, they said unto her, "Thou art mad"; thinking that she did not know what she was saying: and when she insisted "that it was even so," they could not then believe that it really was Peter himself, but said, "It is his angel," or spirit. "But Peter continued knocking"; thus showing that it was no spirit, but a real living being: "and when they had opened the door, they were astonished." Peter would not allow them to express their astonishment, but "beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace," (that is, making a sign unto them not to speak,) he "declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison." When he had finished the wonderful recital, he said, "Go, shew these things unto James, and to the brethren."

Though in many respects all the Apostles were upon an equality, it was necessary that some one of them should have the particular direction of the affairs of the Church at Jerusalem; and James seems to have held this office. The other Apostles therefore gave him an account of their labours, and of anything remarkable which took place. This James, called "the Less," to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, is sometimes spoken of as "the Lord's brother," though there is every reason to believe that he was not his brother, but the nephew of His mother Mary. In those times, such near kinsmen as first cousins—that is, the children of brothers and sisters—were often called brethren. If the mother of Jesus had had any other children, it would not have been necessary for our Lord to commend her to the care of His beloved disciple John, whom He bade her to look upon as a son.

James is always considered as the first Bishop: he was Bishop of the Church in Jerusalem; and he remained in that city, whilst the other Apostles travelled from place to place, preaching the Gospel to all people. Peter was anxious that James, and all the brethren, should know what had happened to him, that they might bless God for answering their prayers in such a wonderful manner, and that their faith might be strengthened, by seeing how able and willing the Lord is to preserve His servants, and defend them from all enemies, as long as He has any work for them to do upon earth.

Chapter X.—SAUL AND BARNABAS CALLED TO PREACH TO THE GENTILES.

From other writings we learn, that Herod went to Cæsarea at this time, for the purpose of celebrating a festival in honour of Claudius Cæsar, who had become Emperor of Rome a year or two before, in a.d. 41. We also learn that the people of Tyre and Sidon had in some way or other offended Herod, who was intending to make war upon them. The idea of war greatly alarmed the inhabitants of Phœnicia, because they got the chief part of their wheat and honey, and other provisions, from the land of Judæa; and of course if there were a war, such supplies would be stopped, and a famine would be the consequence. We read in the Scripture, that "Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country." Herod, at the request of Blastus, consented to receive the messengers sent from Tyre and Sidon. "And upon a set day," a day appointed for the purpose, "Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration" (or long speech) "unto them." What Herod said, we do not know; but Josephus tells us that he wore on this occasion a magnificent robe of silver tissue, and that the sun shining upon it, made it look so dazzlingly bright and beautiful, that the people cried out, Forgive us for having only paid honour to you as a mortal king: from this time we shall look upon you as being far superior to mortals! Instead of reproving them for thus setting up a mortal man as being equal to God, Herod was pleased with this speech; but he had soon cause to repent of his pride and folly: for before he left the theatre, or public building in which such assemblies took place, he was seized with most dreadful pains in his stomach, so that in his agony he exclaimed, "I whom ye have called a god am now going to die a miserable death." The king was then carried to his palace, where he died after five days of fearful suffering: a warning to all, who allow others to treat them as if they were beings superior to their fellow-men.

None of this is told us in the Bible: all that we read on this subject in the Book of Acts, is, that Herod "made an oration. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."

Herod died about a.d. 44, lamented by the Jews, whose favour he had gained by his persecution of the Christians: the Roman soldiers, on the contrary, rejoiced at his death, and spake against him, which made the Jews very angry. This bad feeling now raised between the Roman soldiers and the Jews, was one cause of the troubles and disturbances which soon followed: for from this time until Jerusalem was destroyed, twenty-six years later, the land of Judæa never enjoyed any real rest or quiet. How could the blessing of God, which can alone give peace and happiness, rest upon a people who had so fearfully sinned against God, by their rejection of the Messiah, His Son Jesus Christ.

Herod Agrippa the Elder, of whose death we have just spoken, left three children: a son, bearing his own name of Herod Agrippa; and two daughters, Bernice and Drusilla, both mentioned in Scripture.

Herod Agrippa the Second, or Younger, was only seventeen years old when his father died; and his dominions were therefore placed under the care of a Roman governor; but afterwards he was allowed to rule over a part of them, and to take the title of king: and upon the death of his uncle, Herod king of Chalcis, the Emperor Claudius allowed this Herod Agrippa to succeed to his kingdom. Nero, who became Emperor of Rome, a.d. 54, added to the dominions already possessed by Herod Agrippa the Second, in the land of Judæa. We shall hear of him again in the Book of Acts. Both Drusilla and Bernice were bad women: Drusilla married Azizus, king of the Emesians; but Felix, a Roman, who afterwards became governor or procurator of Judæa, persuaded her to leave her husband, and become his wife. Of this Felix we shall hear more by and by, after he became the governor of Judæa.

We must now go back to the history of Saul and Barnabas, whom we left at Antioch preaching the Gospel, and bringing into the Church many converts, who were then called Christians.

Whilst Barnabas and Saul were still at Antioch, preaching the Gospel of Jesus, there "came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified (or foretold) by (the direction of) the Spirit that there should be great dearth (or famine) throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar," who was at that time Emperor of Rome. The word here translated "world," sometimes means the Roman Empire, and sometimes only the land of Judæa. In this case, it appears to mean Judæa only; for the dearth seems to have been confined to that country: and Josephus, speaking of this dearth in the reign of Claudius, tells us, that large quantities of corn were sent up to Jerusalem from the neighbouring provinces, which could not have been the case if the dearth had been felt in them also. On the announcement of the distress about to come upon their brethren in Judæa, "the disciples" at Antioch, "every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judæa." By this we learn, that the custom of having all things in common had not been followed at Antioch. Most probably by this time it had been given up altogether; for now that the numbers of Christians had so largely increased on all sides, the plan of having all things in common would be no longer desirable, or even practicable. Each Christian of Antioch determined then to give what he could for the relief of their fellow Christians in Judæa; "which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul," who immediately set out from Antioch, to take the money thus collected to the elders of the Church at Jerusalem. These two Apostles stayed in Jerusalem for some months; probably about a year. We learn from another part of the Book of Acts, that during this stay at Jerusalem, Saul had a very remarkable vision. He was praying in the temple, when by the power of God he fell into a trance. Whilst he was in this state, his bodily senses suspended as it were, and his mind more alive to spiritual things, Jesus Christ appeared to him, and said, "Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me." It surprised Saul to be told that the Jews of Jerusalem would not believe him: they knew how he had formerly persecuted the Christians, and therefore his change of opinions would, he thought, have great weight in convincing them of the truth of what he now taught them: therefore he answered, and said, "Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed in thee: and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I was also standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him."

To man, these things might seem to make Saul the most fit person to convince his countrymen, but not so with God, Who had chosen Saul especially to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. In answer to his pleading, therefore, Jesus now gave this positive command, "Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles." This was enough, and from henceforth Saul became a distinguished preacher to the Gentiles. "And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry," (that is, the work which they came to do,) "and took with them John, whose surname was Mark," who had before this accompanied Peter to Rome.

Barnabas and Saul therefore went back to Antioch, but they did not long remain there.

"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers," who joined with Barnabas and Saul in preaching the Gospel. "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." In what way the Holy Ghost spake, we are not told; but in some way or other the Lord made known His Will to His faithful servants, whilst they were engaged in the performance of their religious duties. The work unto which Barnabas and Saul were now called, was that of preaching the Gospel, not to Jews only, or even to Proselytes of the Gate, but also to the idolatrous Gentiles, so as to bring them to leave their false religion and become Christians. Although the appointment of Barnabas and Saul to this work was direct from God, yet outward forms were to be observed in dedicating them to it, and solemn prayers offered up for their success. In this matter, no doubt the prophets and teachers acted by the direction of the same Spirit which had bade them separate, or set apart the two Apostles for this particular work. "And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."

Barnabas and Saul now set out on their first journey, about a.d. 45. "So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia," a port at the mouth of the river Orontes, a little to the west of Antioch; "and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis," a city in the eastern part of the island, "they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews"; for though they had a positive commission to preach to the Gentiles, they were not to neglect the Jews, but preach the Gospel first to them, if they would but listen to it. "And they had also John (or Mark) to their minister,"—to help in their ministry or work.

Chapter XI.—SAUL'S NAME CHANGED TO PAUL.

Having preached the Word at Salamis, Barnabas and Saul, with Mark, journeyed on, proclaiming their good tidings in every village. "And when they had gone through the isle," they came unto Paphos, the chief city, situated on the western coast of Cyprus. Here the "deputy of the country," that is, the magistrate or governor appointed by the Roman Emperor, resided: this deputy, whose name was Sergius Paulus, was himself a Roman and a heathen; but he was "a prudent man," that is, a man of good sense and understanding; therefore, when he heard of Barnabas and Saul teaching new and wonderful doctrines, he was anxious to hear and judge for himself as to their truth: he therefore "called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God." But Sergius Paulus had with him, as his friend and adviser, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: he was also called Elymas, because he was looked upon as a sorcerer or magician, and the word "Elymas" means something of that sort. This man, who pretended to be a prophet, and to have power to work miracles, did not at all wish that Christianity should spread; and seeing that the Roman governor was inclined to believe what the Apostles taught, he contradicted them, "withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith." For this conduct Saul reproved him severely, pronouncing upon him a heavy punishment: we read, "Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." He saw that the Apostles were far superior to Elymas, who could not save himself; and he at once believed all that they taught, convinced that God was indeed with them.

We have read, "then Saul, who also is called Paul"; and we find that from this time he is never again spoken of in Scripture by the name of Saul. As the Bible does not tell us why his name was changed, we cannot be sure; but there are several reasons which may have caused the change. First, Sergius Paulus was the first idolatrous Gentile mentioned as having become a Christian, and it is very probable that the Apostle had the name of Paul (which is the same as Paulus) given to him, in remembrance of this act of mercy shown to the Gentiles by God. Then, again, the Jews, particularly those who like Paul were not born in the land of Judæa, often had a Roman as well as a Hebrew name given to them; and they called themselves by either, according to the custom of the people amongst whom they went. Some persons think that the Apostle now chose the name of Paul, which means "little" or "weak," instead of that of Saul, meaning "beloved" or "desirable." Paul was now humble; he felt that he was weak, and that whatever he might be able to do, could be done only by the power of the Holy Ghost, directing and helping him. But whatever the cause may be, it is certain that from this time he is always called Paul—a name much more pleasing to the Gentiles, amongst whom he was appointed to teach, than the Hebrew appellation of Saul. The remaining chapters of the Book of Acts give us the account of the Five Journeys made by this Apostle, in order to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles: of the other Apostles we hear but little. We generally speak of the Apostles and Evangelists as St. Peter, St. John, St. Paul, St. Matthew, St. Luke, &c. "Saint" means good and holy; and we may well call the Apostles so, to distinguish them from other men; for they were holy men, inspired and guided in a peculiar way by the Holy Ghost, and we should, therefore, speak of them and think of them with reverence; remembering, that by their preaching and writings, we, and all mankind, have learnt the blessed tidings of salvation through Jesus Christ. St. Paul was now on his first journey, in company with St. Barnabas; and St. Mark was with them. From Paphos they sailed to Perga, in Pamphylia, a country in the southern part of Asia Minor. The Scripture tells us that here John, or St. Mark as we call him, "departing from them, returned to Jerusalem." Why he did this, we are not told; but from what we read in other parts of Scripture, we are sure that he did wrong. He was a young man, and probably he was discouraged by the idea of all the difficulties and hardships which the Apostles must meet with. After the departure of St. Mark, St. Paul and St. Barnabas travelled northward into the province of Pisidia, where there was also a town called Antioch, built, like Antioch in Syria, by Seleucus Nicanor, who was king of Syria after the death of Alexander the Great. Seleucus gave the name of Antioch to these cities, in memory of his father Antiochus. When the Apostles came to Antioch in Pisidia, they "went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and of the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on." We have already learnt that the Jews were required to set up a synagogue, in any place where ten men could meet for public worship; and that every synagogue had its rulers: men respectable both from age and character, who directed the services, and had some authority over other members of the congregation. On the Sabbath morning, two lessons were appointed to be read: one out of the Law, or Books of Moses; the other from the writings of the Prophets: on week-day mornings, the Law only was read. After these Lessons had been read, it was customary for some Teacher or Rabbi to preach or speak to the people: and if any strange teacher or learned man happened to be present, he was often called upon by the rulers of the synagogue, to perform this part of the service. Even if the rulers of the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, knew nothing before this of the Apostles, they would see at once that they were Rabbis or Teachers, because they "sat down," which was customary for all belonging to this class: probably, too, they sat down in the seats expressly set apart for the Doctors and Teachers.

Being invited by the rulers of the synagogue to "say on," if they had "any word of exhortation for the people," the Apostles gladly seized the opportunity of speaking to them of Jesus, and exhorting them to believe in Him. "Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand," to draw the attention of the congregation, "said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience," that is, listen to my words. By the "men of Israel," St. Paul meant Jews born of Jewish parents, the real descendants of Abraham: by "ye that fear God," he meant proselytes from the Gentiles who had adopted the Jewish religion, though they were not Jews by birth. Both equally needed to be taught the Gospel, and St. Paul, calling upon both to listen, spake of the bringing of the Children of Israel out of Egypt; of the mercy of God shown to them in their wanderings, in spite of all their sins; and of their final settlement in the land of Canaan. He then mentioned their government by Judges, until, at the wish of the people, God gave them a king in the person of Saul, who was succeeded by David, a man favoured by the Lord. St. Paul then went on to explain that God had, according to His promise, raised up from David's seed or descendants, a Saviour in the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom John the Baptist had borne testimony; but that the Jews and their rulers had put Him to death: thus fulfilling the prophecies, though, if they had attended to their meaning, they would have understood that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. St. Paul then proceeded to show that God had fulfilled all His promises, as written in the Psalms or elsewhere, by raising Jesus from the dead; adding, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." None could be justified, or accounted righteous by the law, because none could keep all its commandments and ordinances; but those who believed in Jesus as their Saviour, would for His sake, be looked upon as righteous. Having thus preached to the congregation the great Gospel truth of remission of sins, St. Paul warned his hearers not to disregard his words, lest the sentence pronounced by one of their prophets, "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish," should fall upon them.

The words of St. Paul made an impression upon some part of his hearers; for when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles, that is, the Jewish proselytes from the Gentiles, besought that these words might be preached to them again. Many of the Jews and religious proselytes also followed Paul and Barnabas, when the congregation was broken up, and were persuaded by the Apostles to hold fast the blessed truths, which by the grace of God they had learnt.

The fame of St. Paul's preaching, mean time, spread rapidly, "And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy," fearing lest the Gospel, which they rejected, should be believed by others; and therefore they "spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming." Then Paul and Barnabas plainly told these Jews, that they had begun by preaching the word of God to them, because such was the Will of God; but, as they wilfully refused the salvation thus offered to them, they should now, in obedience to the same God, turn to the Gentiles, and bring the heathens into the Church of Christ, Who was to "be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." The Gentiles, the idolatrous Gentiles, who now for the first time forsook their idols, as well as those who had already turned from idolatry to worship the God of the Jews, were very glad when they heard this, "and glorified the word of the Lord"; and many of them believed. This made the Jews very angry, and they "stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts." The devout and honourable women were female proselytes of rank, who had great influence over the lower classes in the city. By their false accusations, the unbelieving Jews managed to stir up the higher class of citizens and the rulers of the city, to persecute the Apostles and drive them out of their country. "But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium," a town to the S.E. of Antioch, in the province of Lycaonia. We must remember, that when Jesus first gave commandment to His Apostles to go and preach to the Jews, He told them that when they left any house or city, where the people refused to hear them, they were to shake off the dust of their feet, to show that they would have nothing more to do with them: just as the Jews, who looked upon the dust of heathen lands to be polluted, shook it off their garments, to signify that they had nothing to do with such idolaters. But the disciples, who were left at Antioch, "were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost." They rejoiced in the knowledge of those blessed truths which they had learnt from the Apostles; and the Holy Ghost was abundantly shed upon the members of the infant Church at Antioch, encouraging and assisting them to increase in faith and righteousness of life.

Chapter XII.—ST. PAUL'S FIRST APOSTOLIC JOURNEY.

At Lystra there was a certain man who had been lame from his birth, and had never walked, being "impotent in his feet." "The same heard Paul speak," and believed. Paul, "perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet." The people, seeing such a wonderful cure effected at the bidding of the Apostle, immediately thought that he and Barnabas were two of their imaginary gods; and cried out, "The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter," who was their chief god; "and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker." Mercurius, or as we call him Mercury, was the god of eloquence; supposed to enable people to speak well: he was considered to be a constant attendant upon Jupiter. "Then the priest of Jupiter, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people," to the gods whom they supposed had honoured them with a visit. Oxen and bulls were sacrificed to Jupiter; garlands of flowers were placed on their heads, and the priests also wore garlands. Every heathen city was placed under the protection of some particular deity, called its tutelary god; whose temple or statue was set up before the city gate. The tutelary god of Lystra was Jupiter, the statue of "which was before the city."

The Apostles were dreadfully distressed at the idea of such things being done in their honour; and "they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you"; and then they went on to tell them, that they were come on purpose to teach all people to give up worshipping idols and believing in vain gods, and to turn instead to the One only God, who made all things, and caused the fruits of the earth to grow for the food of man; and Who, though in times past he had suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, had now sent His messengers, the Apostles, to teach men better things.

With difficulty the Apostles prevented the people from doing sacrifice unto them.

These people, who had been ready to worship the Apostles as gods, were soon led into a contrary extreme: for certain Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, who probably told the people of Lystra, that Paul and Barnabas were only magicians and sorcerers; and that though they had by their wicked arts healed one cripple, they were just as likely to do harm to their fellow creatures as good. These men, "persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city." The Lord had work for him to do, and now restored him to life. What had now happened, was a warning to Paul to remain no longer at Lystra; "and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe," another city of Lycaonia, not far from Lystra. "And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many," they, trusting in the protection of God, went again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, to strengthen the faith of those whom they had already converted to Christianity; "confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith"; and showing them that those who would enter into the kingdom of heaven, must expect many troubles upon earth. The Apostles then appointed elders to look after and direct the affairs of every Church, or body of Christians in those towns, and with prayer and fasting, they commended them to the protection and blessing of "the Lord, on whom they believed."

St. Paul and his company then journeyed through Pisidia and Pamphylia: "and when they had preached the word in Perga," the chief city in Pamphylia, "they went down into Attalia," a sea-port to the S. W. of Perga, "and thence sailed to Antioch," in Syria. This ended St. Paul's first Apostolic Journey, which had occupied rather more than one year. At Antioch they had been appointed to their work; and the protection and grace of God had been prayed for to enable them to perform it. They had now accomplished their work, and therefore they "gathered the church together," and told all that they had done, or rather "all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles"—that is, how, by their preaching, God had given to the idolatrous Gentiles an opportunity of becoming true believers, and members of the Church,—an opportunity of which great numbers had gladly taken advantage.

No doubt all the believers in Antioch rejoiced greatly when they heard of the success which had attended the Apostles' preaching; for all who know and love God themselves, are anxious that others should do so also.

St. Paul and St. Barnabas abode for some time with the disciples at Antioch: probably for about two years. Towards the end of this period, the Christians at Antioch were disturbed by the mistaken teaching of certain men who came down from Judæa. These men, who were Jews, had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and though now converted to be Christians, they could not yet believe that all the ceremonial part of the Law of Moses was to be entirely done away with: therefore, when they were come to Antioch, they "taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved."

Such teaching, so very different from that of the Apostles, caused great distress in Antioch, where most of the believers had either been proselytes of the gate, only worshipping the Lord God of Israel, but not observing any of the ceremonies commanded by the Law of Moses; or else idolaters, until they became Christians. All these converts had been truly taught by St. Paul and St. Barnabas, that if they believed in Jesus so as to obey His word, that was quite sufficient; and that they would be as acceptable in the sight of God, as if they had been Jews from their birth, keeping the whole Law perfectly. The Christians of Antioch therefore might well be frightened and distressed, at being now told that they could not obtain the salvation promised by the Gospel, unless they kept all the ordinances of the Mosaic Law: in short, that if they wished to be saved, they must be Jews as well as Christians. The Apostles of course opposed these Jewish teachers, and tried to convince them that the Gospel was all-sufficient; and that Christ's disciples had but to follow their Master's teaching. They do not seem, however, to have succeeded, and the perplexity of the Christians continued. "When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and elders about this question"—that is, to ask James and the elders of their Church, to decide, whether the Jewish teachers or the Apostles were to be believed.

Just before this time, we learn from other histories, that there had been great troubles amongst the Jews in Judæa. A famine had afflicted the country,—probably that which Agabus had foretold. This had been followed by riots. In the year 48 (a.d.), a Roman soldier, who cared nothing for the religion of the Jews, and did not look upon the temple as a holy place, profaned it in some way, and thus made the Jews very angry. A great tumult was immediately raised, and several thousand Jews were crushed or trampled to death, in the narrow ways leading to the temple; and other disturbances followed.

These things are not mentioned in the Bible, but it is well to note them, as they show us how the punishment of the Jews as a nation, was continually felt, from the time when they filled up the measure of their guilt, by crucifying their Messiah.

It was in the year 49 (a.d.), that St. Paul and St. Barnabas left Antioch for Jerusalem, in order to consult the Church there, as to the necessity of keeping the Law of Moses.

We read in the Book of Acts, that "being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the Apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." This last passage is not very clearly put: the last verse is what the Apostles said as to the reason of their coming to Jerusalem.

The meaning of the whole passage is, that St. Paul and St. Barnabas explained to the Church all that it had pleased God to do by means of their preaching, and how great numbers of the Gentiles had become Christians, and were serving God faithfully: but that certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, had disturbed them by saying, that it was needful that they should be circumcised like the Jews, and keep all the ceremonies and ordinances commanded by the Law of Moses.

James and the other elders of the Church, having heard all that St. Paul and St. Barnabas had to say, saw that it was very necessary to settle a question, which was of the greatest importance to the converts from the Gentiles. And they "came together for to consider of this matter," and decide upon what message should be sent back to Antioch.

When the Apostles and elders of the Church began to talk over the matter, there was much difference of opinion amongst the brethren: some being inclined to agree with the Pharisees, that the Law of Moses ought to be observed; others thinking that the Gospel was to be instead of the Law, and not added to it.

This gave rise to a great deal of discussion and argument; each side advancing their own opinions, and trying to persuade the other party to agree with them. This went on for some time, till at last, St. Peter, who was present, stood up, and gave his opinion upon the matter.