{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_38557/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_38557","id":"gutenberg_38557","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38557","summary":null,"tags":["Bible stories, English -- New Testament","Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Jews -- History"],"text":"Produced by Delphine Lettau, Jen Haines and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's Note: where [oe] appears it represents the ligature oe\nwhich cannot be represented in Latin-1 characters. [=a] represents\nthe letter A with a macron (bar) above.\n\n\n\n\n\"GRANNY'S CHAPTERS\"\n\n(ON SCRIPTURAL SUBJECTS)\n\nBY\n\nLADY MARY ROSS.\n\n=THE NEW TESTAMENT=,\n\nWITH A SKETCH OF THE SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF THE JEWS.\n\n_NEW EDITION._\n\nLONDON:\n\nHATCHARDS, PICCADILLY.\n\n1882.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE TO VOLUME IV.\n\nThe New Testament has been treated in a manner somewhat different to\nthat adopted in regard to the Books of the Old Testament.\n\nThe object has been, to sketch out the earthly Life of our Blessed\nLord, and to draw attention to a few important points.\n\nIt was obviously impossible to dwell particularly upon the details of\nevery Miracle, Parable, and Conversation, recorded by the Evangelists.\nNor was such a course necessary.\n\nThe language of the Gospels is so simple and clear, that details are\nbetter read from Holy Writ itself.\n\nThat this volume may lead the young to a reverent study of our\nSaviour's character, and an earnest endeavour to \"follow the blessed\nsteps of His most Holy Life,\" is the earnest prayer of the Author.\n\nMARY ROSS.\n\n_November, 1871._\n\n\n\n\nPART I.\n\n\n\n\nChapter I.--JOHN THE BAPTIST BORN.\n\n\nWe have now seen that the Sceptre had departed from Judah. The whole\ncountry was subject to the Romans, who had appointed Herod to govern\nit for them; and the time was now come when the blessed promises, that\n\"the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head,\" and that \"in\nthe seed of Abraham all nations of the earth should be blessed,\" were\nto be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus\nChrist, our Saviour and Redeemer; born of a woman, that thus being as\nMan upon the earth, He might suffer for man, and make that atonement\nfor man, which He could only make because He was the Son of God.\nUnless the Messiah had been at once God and Man, He could have been no\nSaviour for man; no mediator between a holy God and His sinful\ncreatures.\n\nVery soon after the death of Herod's sons, Alexander and Aristobulus,\nthe last princes of the Asmonean family, the wonderful events related\nin the New Testament began to take place. No doubt we are all well\nacquainted with the story of the priest Zacharias, a good and holy\nman, who, whilst performing his duty in the house of God, saw an Angel\nstanding on the right side of the altar of incense. Zacharias was an\nold man, and his wife Elisabeth was also an old woman, and therefore\nwhen the Angel told him that the Lord would work as great a miracle as\nHe had done in Abraham's case, and give a son to Elisabeth, as He had\ngiven Isaac to Sarah, Zacharias must indeed have been greatly\nastonished.\n\nThe Angel moreover told Zacharias, that this child, whom God would\ngive him, was to be named John; and that he should be in an especial\nmanner guided and protected by the Holy Spirit, for that he was to be\nthe messenger spoken of by prophets, as sent to prepare the way for\nthe Messiah, and give notice of His coming. Such particulars should\nhave overcome any doubts which Zacharias might at the first moment\nhave felt; but his faith failed him, and therefore, considering only\nthe impossibility of such an event happening without the special\ninterposition of the Lord, he, guided by sight and not by faith,\npresumed to ask for some sign, to assure him that what the Angel spake\nwould really come to pass.\n\nThis sinful unbelief was punished, even whilst his faithless request\nwas granted; for Zacharias immediately lost the power of speaking, and\nremained speechless for many months: but his unbelief was gone, and he\ncertainly made his wife Elisabeth acquainted with the promises and\ndirections spoken by the Angel.\n\nAbout six months after this appearance of the Angel Gabriel to\nZacharias, He \"was sent from God, unto a city of Galilee, named\nNazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the\nhouse of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.\" The Angel told Mary,\nthat she had been chosen by the Almighty to be the mother of the\npromised Messiah, whose birth was to be a miracle; inasmuch as He\nwould have no earthly father, but should be called the Son of God.\nGabriel also told Mary, that when she had brought forth her son, she\nshould call His name Jesus; that is, a Saviour. Mary was greatly\ntroubled when the Angel first spake to her, and when she expressed her\nwonder and astonishment, He comforted her, and told her that her\ncousin Elisabeth, the wife of Zacharias, was also about to become a\nmother; adding, \"For with God nothing shall be impossible.\" Mary's\nfaith now showed itself, and she said, \"Behold the handmaid of the\nLord; be it unto me according to thy word.\" Meaning that she was\nwilling to serve the Lord in everything, and suffer whatever might\ncome upon her in consequence. For, as she had no husband whom she\ncould name as the father of her Child, she was liable to punishment.\nWhen Joseph, to whom Mary was espoused, or promised in marriage, found\nthat she would have a Son, he was astonished, and had some thoughts of\nputting her away from being his wife; but being a just, or good and\nkind man, he meant to do this quietly and secretly, or \"privily,\" so\nas not to expose Mary to blame or punishment. But while he thought on\nthese things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a\ndream, and told him not to fear about taking Mary to be his wife, for\nthat the Holy Spirit had worked a great miracle, and that Mary was to\nbe the mother of the promised Messiah; and as the Angel had said to\nMary herself, so He now repeated to Joseph, \"she shall bring forth a\nSon, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people\nfrom their sins.\" Then all Joseph's doubts and fears were at an end:\nhe did as the Angel bade him, and thus was looked upon by men as the\nfather of Mary's holy Son, who had in truth no Father but God.\n\nThe Scripture tells us, \"Now all this was done, that it might be\nfulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold\na virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they\nshall call his name Emmanuel; which being interpreted is, God with\nus.\" That is, God taking the form and nature of man; living as man\namongst men; dying as man for men. \"Emmanuel--God with us.\"\n\nThe next thing we read of is, that \"Mary arose and went into the hill\ncountry with haste, into a city of Judah\" where Zacharias dwelt, that\nshe might talk over with Elisabeth all those wonderful things which\nthe angel Gabriel had said to her. \"And she entered into the house of\nZacharias and saluted Elisabeth\"; who, under the guidance of the Holy\nSpirit, \"spake out with a loud voice\" words that must have greatly\ncomforted Mary. Elisabeth told her, that she was blessed among women\nin being chosen for the mother of the Messiah, and said, \"Whence is\nthis to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?\" meaning\nthat she was not worthy of the honour of receiving in her house one\nwho was to be the mother of the Son of God. Elisabeth ended by\ncommending Mary for her faith and trust, saying, \"blessed is she that\nbelieved: for there shall be a performance of those things which were\ntold her from the Lord.\"\n\nMary now uttered that beautiful hymn of praise, beginning, \"My soul\ndoth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.\"\nA hymn familiar to us all, as part of our Liturgy, or form of public\nworship, used in our Churches. This hymn, called \"The Magnificat,\" is\nsaid or sung after the first Lesson in the Evening Service.\n\nMary abode with her cousin for about three months, and then returned\nto her own home, at Nazareth, in Galilee. Not long after Mary's\ndeparture, John the Baptist was born; \"Elisabeth brought forth a son.\nAnd her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great\nmercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that\non the eighth day they came to circumcise the child,\" and give him a\nname, as amongst us is done in Baptism; for Baptism in the Christian\nChurch, takes the place of Circumcision in the Jewish Church.\n\nWhen the friends of Zacharias wished to give the infant his father's\nname, Elisabeth spoke out at once, and said, \"He shall be called\nJohn.\" This surprised them so much, that they at once asked Zacharias\n\"how he would have him called.\" Zacharias immediately, by signs, asked\nfor a writing-table, or rather for a tablet, upon which to write, and\nthen wrote down, \"His name is John. And they marvelled all.\" They must\nhave marvelled, or wondered, still more, when suddenly Zacharias\nrecovered his power of speaking; for \"his mouth was opened\nimmediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and praised God.\" Now\nhe could tell all that had happened to him, and how his unbelief in\nthe Angel's promise had been punished by temporary dumbness. \"And fear\ncame on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were\nnoised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea: and all they\nthat heard\" these things \"laid them up in their hearts\": took notice\nof them, and remembered them, \"saying, What manner of child shall this\nbe!\" The extraordinary events connected with the birth of John, made\nall men believe that a child so born must be intended to do great\nthings during his lifetime. Zacharias, inspired by the Holy Spirit,\nthen uttered the hymn called \"The Benedictus,\" sometimes said in our\nChurches after the second Lesson in the Morning Service, instead of\nthe Psalm (c.), \"Jubilate Deo,\" also belonging to our Liturgy. In this\nhymn, Zacharias praised and blessed God for the coming of the Saviour;\nand then, addressing the unconscious infant John, he foretold that he\nshould be the messenger to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ,\nand incline men to listen to, and believe in, Him.\n\nOf John's infancy and childhood we are told nothing, except that he\ngrew in body, and waxed strong in spirit, and that \"the hand of the\nLord was with him.\" \"And he was in the deserts till the day of his\nshowing unto Israel.\" He passed a quiet and retired life, until he was\ncalled upon to baptize the people, and point to the Son of Mary as the\nSon of God; the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.\n\n\n\n\nChapter II.--BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST.\n\n\nMary and her husband Joseph lived at Nazareth, a town in Galilee not\nfar from the lake of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee; and the prophets had\ndeclared that the Messiah should be born in \"Bethlehem of Judah,\" a\nsmall place to the South of Jerusalem, nearly a hundred miles from\nNazareth. That Mary should take such a long journey to a strange\nplace, instead of staying quietly at home until her Child was born,\nwas the most unlikely thing that could well be imagined. Here,\ntherefore, we again see how wonderfully the Lord rules all things, and\nmakes use of people who know nothing of Him, to do what He wills\nshould be done. God now made use of a heathen Emperor, to accomplish\nHis will, that Jesus Christ should be born in Bethlehem.\n\nThe Roman Emperor Augustus, in order to know what taxes he could lay\nupon the different parts of his dominions, determined to take the\nnumber of the people who were subject to him; and in order to do this,\nhe commanded that the name of every one should be written down. As\nJudaea was now under the dominion of the Romans, all the inhabitants of\nthat country were obliged to put their names upon lists, prepared for\nthe purpose: but all belonging to the same tribe or family were to go\nto one place, so that many of the Jews, who were scattered throughout\nthe country, had to travel a long way to the place appointed for the\nregistering of their tribe.\n\nAmongst these were Mary and Joseph, who were both \"of the house and\nlineage of David\"; that is, both were descended from David, who was of\nthe tribe of Judah; and therefore Bethlehem was the place in which\nthey must appear before the Roman officers, appointed to take down the\nnames of all the people, and register, or make lists of them. The\ncommands of the Roman Emperor were not to be disobeyed: and Mary and\nJoseph set out upon their long and fatiguing journey. Upon their\narrival, they found the place so full of people come upon the same\nbusiness, that there was no room for them in the inn, and they being\npoor, and not able to pay for better accommodation, were glad to lodge\nin a stable; and here, it pleased God, that Jesus Christ, the Lord of\nLife, the King of Glory, should be born: and Mary \"brought forth her\nfirst-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in\na manger.\"\n\nBut though born in a stable, unnoticed and uncared for by men, the\nAngels of God proclaimed the wonderful event to the Shepherds, keeping\nwatch over their flocks by night.\n\nAt that time, there was amongst the Jews, a general expectation that\nthe Messiah would soon appear upon earth: those who believed all that\nGod had made known by the prophets, seeing that the sceptre, or kingly\npower, had departed from Shiloh, were daily looking for the fulfilment\nof the blessed promise, and were ready to welcome the Saviour under\nany circumstances: of this number were the Shepherds, who, when they\nhad heard the \"good tidings of great joy,\" at once followed the\ndirection to go to Bethlehem: and when they found all things there,\nexactly as the Angels had told them, they at once believed, and\nacknowledged the Infant as their Saviour; and \"made known abroad the\nsaying which was told them concerning this Child. And all they that\nheard it wondered at those things which were told them of the\nShepherds.\" They wondered; but alas! too many of them only wondered,\nand did not believe. The greater part of the Jews at this time had\nforsaken their God, and had become careless about pleasing Him. They\nexpected a Messiah, but regardless of the prophets who had spoken such\ndifferent things, they had formed their own notions on the subject,\nand looked for the Messiah to come as a king or conqueror, surrounded\nwith pomp and splendour. These men would not believe that a helpless\ninfant, born in a stable at Bethlehem, _could_ be the Son of God, the\npromised Messiah, Who was to be the Saviour of the world: pride and\nunbelief led them to reject the Lord, even from His birth. Mary, who\nknew that her Son was no common child, marked everything that\nhappened; \"she kept all these things, and pondered,\" or thought over\n\"them in her heart.\"\n\nJesus Christ came not only to be a sacrifice for sin, but also an\nexample of godly life; He was to fulfil all righteousness, and\ntherefore, though He came to do away with the ceremonial Law, and\nestablish a better covenant, He submitted to all the Ordinances of the\nLaw, just as if He had been a sinful mortal.\n\nThus on the eighth day He was circumcised, and publicly received the\nname of Jesus, which had before been given to Him by the Angel\nGabriel. And again, in obedience to the Law, the infant Saviour was\nbrought by His mother to Jerusalem \"to present Him to the Lord.\" We\nhave heard before, that among the children of Israel, the first-born\nchild, if a son, was especially dedicated to the service of the Lord;\nthough afterwards, the whole tribe of Levi was taken, \"instead of the\nfirst-born of all Israel.\" The same Law ordained, that after a certain\ntime, called \"the days of her Purification,\" every woman to whom God\nhad given a son or daughter, should offer in sacrifice, a young lamb\nand a turtledove or pigeon. But if she was too poor to be able to\nbring a lamb, she was allowed to bring two turtledoves or pigeons\ninstead; and this sacrifice Mary brought with her Son, into the\ntemple. Then were fulfilled the prophecies, that the Lord should come\nsuddenly into His temple; and that the glory of the second temple\nshould exceed that of the first. At the Presentation of Jesus Christ\nin the temple, a remarkable testimony to His being the promised\nMessiah was given by the just and devout Simeon, to whom it had been\nmade known by the Holy Ghost, that he should not die until He had seen\nthe Lord's Christ. Full of faith, this old man was \"waiting for the\nconsolation of Israel,\" the Messiah, Who was to save His people from\ntheir sins. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Simeon was in the temple \"when\nthe Parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom\nof the Law.\" At once the Holy Spirit made known to the aged Simeon,\nthat in this infant he beheld the Saviour for whom he waited; \"Then\ntook he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now\nlettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for\nmine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the\nface of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of\nThy people Israel.\" We are told that Joseph and Mary marvelled at\nthose things which were spoken by Simeon; and we may be sure that Mary\ntreasured them up also in her heart, and looked upon her infant Son\nwith reverence, as well as love. Then Simeon blessed Mary, and warned\nher of future suffering. Another testimony to the divinity of Jesus\nChrist was then given by an aged widow, who coming into the temple \"in\nthat instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to\nall them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.\" Nor did these aged\nJews alone bear testimony to the Messiah. The glorious light of the\nShechinah, the visible sign of the presence of God, which had not been\nseen for many hundred years, until it appeared surrounding the Angels\nwho proclaimed the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds of Bethlehem, was\nnot seen by them alone. In far off countries, it was seen as a\nremarkable star. The inhabitants of Chaldea, part of the once famous\nBabylonian Empire, were at this time very learned in Astronomy: that\nis, they studied the stars, and the motions of the heavenly bodies.\nThey worshipped the sun, because they thought that must be the best\nrepresentation of the Deity: had they known the real true God, the God\nof Israel, they would not have worshipped any of His works, which He\nhad created and made. The wise and learned men of Chaldea were called\nMagi, and many of them were princes and rulers in their various\ntribes. Some of these Magi, generally supposed to have been three,\n(though the Scripture says nothing as to their number,) saw a\nwonderful star shining in the direction of Judaea. They at once\nconcluded that this star signified the birth of the king of the\nJews--and immediately they set off and travelled towards the land of\nJudaea. And when they reached Jerusalem, they enquired, \"Where is he\nthat is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the East,\nand are come to worship him.\" That is, in the Eastern land where they\nlived, they had seen this star.\n\n\n\n\nChapter III.--FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.\n\n\nTo understand the question of the Magi, \"Where is he that is born King\nof the Jews?\" a few words of explanation may be useful.\n\nThe expectation of a coming Messiah was not confined to the Jews:\nthrough the long captivity of the Jews, the writings of the prophets\nhad become known throughout many lands, and there was therefore at\nthis time, in all the countries of the East, a general idea that a\nKing would shortly be born in Judaea, who should rule over all the\nworld. Balaam, who was well known in those countries of which we are\nspeaking, had said, \"there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a\nsceptre shall arise out of Israel\"; hence it was generally believed,\nthat the appearance of some peculiar star in the Heavens, would inform\nmankind of the birth of this mighty King. The Messiah, we must\nrecollect, was promised to Gentiles as well as to Jews; and therefore\nall nations who had heard any of the prophecies concerning Him,\nexpected some benefit from the birth of this wonderful Being. Under\nsuch circumstances, we can easily imagine that the Magi, who paid\nsuch attention to the stars in general, should eagerly watch for the\nappearance of one, which was to announce, that the long-looked-for\nKing was born in Judaea. Hence, when from their home in the East, they\nbeheld the glorious light of the Shechinah, shining in the direction\nof the land of Judaea, they felt no doubt as to its meaning; and\nwithout hesitation, they at once set off on their long journey, to\nworship and do honour to the new-born King. The star had disappeared;\nbut the prophets had so plainly pointed out the land of Judaea as the\nbirthplace of the Messiah, that the Magi fearlessly and confidently\njourneyed on to that country. When at length they reached it, they\nnaturally expected that so wonderful an event would be well known to\nall the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and that they should have no\ndifficulty in finding the abode of this glorious Child; therefore, as\nsoon as they arrived in the city, they asked, \"Where is he that is\nborn King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the East, and are\ncome to worship him.\" When Herod the King had heard these words he was\ntroubled, and all Jerusalem with him.\n\nThe birth of Jesus Christ made known by Angels to the Shepherds, and\nby them \"made known abroad\" among their neighbours and friends, the\nhumble of the land, does not seem to have been noticed by the rulers\nand Priests living at Jerusalem. Their own Scriptures taught them that\nthe Messiah was to come; and they expected that His birth would be\nimmediately followed by Revolts and Wars, Earthquakes, Famine and\nPlague; therefore they might well be \"troubled,\" when they heard He\nwas actually come; though, if they had rightly believed and understood\nthe great blessing He was to bring to mankind, they would have\nrejoiced at His coming, and thought all temporal sufferings easy to be\nborne for His sake.\n\nHerod was troubled; for though he was now an old man, and not likely\nto live till a new-born Infant should grow up, yet he did not like the\nidea of another king to interfere with him: he did not understand the\nnature of the Messiah's kingdom, and thought only of a king who would\ngovern the country and the people, make laws, and impose taxes; he had\nno idea of a King who was to reign over the hearts of men on earth,\nand finally receive them into His kingdom in heaven.\n\nHerod's behaviour on this occasion showed a strange mixture of belief\nand unbelief. In common with the Jews in general, he believed that\nthe Messiah was to come; and he evidently believed that the Child,\nwhose birth had been made known by the star, was indeed the Christ. He\ntherefore called together the wise and learned men, well acquainted\nwith the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and asked them where the\nMessiah should be born. The chief priests and Scribes at once declared\nthat Bethlehem was pointed out by the prophets as the birthplace of\nMessiah; thus giving another proof, that the Infant just born in that\nplace, was the promised Messiah. So far Herod believed; but now his\nunbelief was shown by his fancying for one moment, that if this Child\nreally was the Messiah, he could kill him, and so frustrate the\npurpose for which he was sent by God.\n\nIt seems strange that any one believing as Herod did, that the Infant\nwhom the Magi were seeking was really the Messiah, should have thought\nit possible to fight against God, and destroy His Anointed: but so it\nwas. Herod, under pretence of wishing to go himself and worship the\nKing of the Jews, begged the Magi to come and bring him word when they\nhad found the young Child; and he also asked them particularly about\nthe time at which the star had first appeared, that he might know what\nwould be the age of the Babe, whom he was determined to destroy. The\nwise men, or Magi, departed, and though they had received no clear\ndirections from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, better help was at hand:\nthe star which they had seen in the East, now appeared to them again,\nand even moved on before them: \"when they saw the star, they rejoiced\nwith exceeding great joy,\" and followed it, until \"it came and stood\nover\" the stable \"where the young child was.\" \"And when they were come\ninto the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell\ndown and worshipped him:\" at once they acknowledged him to be something\nmore than an earthly king--a Being entitled to worship. Then they gave\nsuch presents as were given to kings. It was the custom in the East,\nwhere presents were so much given, to proportion their value to the\nrank and station of those to whom the gift was offered. Mary and Joseph\nwere poor and in a humble rank of life, and to their infant, therefore,\nflowers or fruit, or something of little value, would have been a\nsufficient gift. But in the Son of Mary, the Magi acknowledged the\nlong-promised Messiah; and to Him they gave the most valuable gifts,\nsuitable for a King to receive: \"when they had opened their treasures,\nthey presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.\"\nThus the Lord provided Joseph with the means for taking proper care of\nthe young child and his mother. At Bethlehem, the place of his birth,\nJesus had now been worshipped as a King, both by Jews and Gentiles;\nthus fulfilling prophecy, and showing that the Messiah was to be the\nSaviour of Gentiles, as well as Jews. Our Church has appointed a day,\nto be observed in remembrance of this first showing, or manifestation,\nof Christ to the Gentiles. In common talk we call this day Twelfth Day,\nand the custom of drawing for King and Queen is very old, and is\nfounded upon the visit of the Magi, or kings of the East to Bethlehem.\nThe name by which Twelfth Day is distinguished in our Prayer-Book is\nthe \"Epiphany,\" a word which means \"manifestation\" or \"showing\"--the\nmanifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.\n\nThe wise men, not suspecting Herod's wicked purpose, would no doubt\nhave gone back to him as he desired, but \"being warned of God in a\ndream\" not to return to Jerusalem, \"they departed into their country\nanother way.\"\n\nAfter the departure of the Magi, the Lord, Who knows the secrets of\nall hearts, warned Joseph in a dream, that Herod would seek the young\nchild to destroy him. In obedience to the command then given to him,\nJoseph \"arose, and took the young child and his mother by night, and\ndeparted into Egypt\"; thus fulfilling a prophecy which had spoken of\nthat country, as the place where the Messiah should for a time dwell.\nAt this time, a great many Jewish families lived in Egypt, and\nsupported themselves by their own industry: there were so many of\nthem, that they divided themselves into companies, according to their\ntrades or occupations: there was a company of silversmiths, who\nmanufactured articles of gold and silver, set jewels, and made\nornaments to be worn; there was another company of weavers, who wove\nthreads of flax and silk, into linen and silk of which garments were\nmade; and so on. In short, every trade had its own company; so that if\na poor Jew came into any city inhabited by his fellow countrymen, he\nalways knew where to find those who carried on the trade which he had\nlearned: then he could join them at once, and so find work, and earn a\nmaintenance for himself and family.\n\nPerhaps Joseph joined one of these companies of his countrymen; but\nthe presents given by the Magi, would for a long time supply him with\nall that he needed.\n\n\n\n\nChapter IV.--THE INNOCENTS.\n\n\nHerod anxiously expected the return of the wise men, with full\ninformation as to where he might find the infant King of the Jews:\nbut, as day after day passed and they came not, he saw that they did\nnot mean to do his bidding. \"Then was Herod exceeding wroth, and sent\nforth his soldiers, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,\nand in all the coasts thereof,\"--that is, in the neighbouring parts of\nthe country,--\"from two years old and under, according to the time\nwhich he had diligently enquired of the wise men.\" As much less than\ntwo years had passed, since the wise men saw the star which heralded\nthe birth of the Messiah, Herod made sure that, by killing all the\nlittle boys under that age, he should destroy the infant King of the\nJews, and so rid himself of any further anxiety.\n\nTerrible was the distress and mourning amongst the poor Mothers, who\nsaw their infants torn from their arms and murdered! but their dear\nbabes were safe; taken from the dangers and troubles of this world, to\nbe for ever happy in the presence of God: \"for they are without fault\nbefore the throne of God.\"\n\nOur Church sets apart three days, immediately after Christmas Day, in\nremembrance of three classes of Martyrs. A Martyr is one who suffers\nin the cause of duty, and will die rather than give way: those who\nthus suffered for Christ, and would die rather than offend or forsake\nHim, are called Martyrs. \"The Innocents,\" as the murdered babes of\nBethlehem are called, suffered death for Jesus's sake; but, of course,\nthey had no will in the matter; they were too young: these were the\nfirst Martyrs.\n\nThe day after Christmas Day is called \"St. John the Evangelist's Day\":\nSt. John was, when Jesus grew up, one of His disciples: he dearly\nloved his Master, and was ready to die for Him, but he was not called\nupon to give up his life, though he suffered much for Jesus's sake.\nThe day following \"St. John's Day,\" is called \"St. Stephen's Day\": St.\nStephen was the first who willingly gave up his life for the sake of\nJesus Christ. Thus we have three classes of Martyrs commemorated in\nour Church: Martyrs in Deed only--the Innocents; Martyrs in Will\nonly--St. John; Martyrs in Will and in Deed--St. Stephen.\n\nBut to return to our history. Herod was guilty of a great sin; and,\nin spite of all his wickedness, the Child Jesus lived and was safe.\n\nIt is said that Antipater, who had caused the death of Mariamne's\nsons, advised his father to slay the infants of Bethlehem. Antipater\nwas a bad man, and, as he was very anxious to be King of Judaea\nwhenever Herod should die, he wished to destroy one who might, as he\nfeared, dispute the kingdom with him: no doubt he rejoiced when the\ncruel deed was done, concluding that Jesus had perished, and that he\nwas now sure of the throne: but he was disappointed; for very shortly\nafterwards he in some way displeased his father, who at once caused\nhim to be put to death. It is dreadful to think of the numbers of\npersons killed by Herod's orders, but Antipater was the last; for five\ndays afterwards Herod himself died.\n\nThis Herod, called Herod the Great, left four sons living--Archelaus,\nHerod Antipas, Philip, and Herod Philip. There are three other Herods\nalso mentioned in Scripture--Herod Agrippa, and his brother, also\ncalled Herod, who were sons of Aristobulus, and consequently grandsons\nof Herod the Great; and, afterwards, a son of Herod Agrippa, called by\nthe same names as his father, Herod Agrippa. As it is difficult always\nto know which Herod is spoken of, the Table below will be useful to\nrefer to.\n\n                                         1.\n                                   Herod the Great.\n                                         |\n                +------------------------+---------------+\n                |               2.                       | 3.\n                |         Herod Antipas.            Herod Philip.\n                |\n        Sons of Aristobulus.\n        +------------------+\n        | 4.               | 5.\n    Herod Agrippa.         Herod.\n          |\n          | 6.\n    Herod Agrippa.\n\nAfter the death of Herod the Great, Archelaus became governor of the\nprovinces of Judaea and Samaria, and Herod Antipas ruled over the\nprovince of Galilee, under the title of Tetrarch: but upon this\nsubject we must say a little more before we go on with the history of\nJesus Christ.\n\nWhen Herod died, he left a Will, in which he declared his wish, that\nhis son Archelaus should be king over the greatest part of his\ndominions: but as the whole kingdom was subject to the Romans, this\ncould not be done without the Emperor's leave. Before Archelaus could\ngo to Home to ask this permission, there was a great disturbance\namongst the Jews in Jerusalem, in consequence of Archelaus refusing to\ngrant some request: they assembled in great numbers in the Courts of\nthe Temple, and behaved in such a riotous and disorderly manner, that\nArchelaus ordered his soldiers to attack them, and 3,000 men are said\nto have been killed on this occasion; a piece of cruelty which\nprobably disinclined the Emperor Augustus to give Archelaus as much\npower as his father Herod the Great had had; at any rate, Archelaus\nonly succeeded in being made Governor of Judaea and Samaria, with the\npromise, that if he acted so as to give the Emperor satisfaction, he\nshould have the title of King: but instead of obtaining this, he\nbehaved so ill, that a few years afterwards he was deprived of all\npower, and banished to a city in Gaul, where he died.\n\nReturning to the history of our blessed Lord, we find that after the\ndeath of Antipater and Herod, the Angel appeared to Joseph in Egypt,\nsaying, \"Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into\nthe land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young child's\nlife.\" The Angel did not name any particular place for the young Child\nto go to, but the Messiah was not to stay long out of the Holy Land,\ngiven to Abraham and his descendants, as a heritage for ever. When\nJoseph, with Mary and the holy Child, got back into the land of\nIsrael, he found that \"Archelaus reigned in the room of his father\";\nthat is, he was Governor of Judaea; fearing his cruelty, he was afraid\nto take the young Child and his mother there, and the Lord, by means\nof a dream, warned him to go into the land of Galilee, which was under\nthe government of Herod Antipas.\n\nJoseph in consequence made choice of Nazareth in Galilee as a\ndwelling-place, and there the Lord Jesus Christ lived till he grew up\nto be a Man, and was ready to begin the work which He came into the\nworld to do. During all these years, up to the time when Jesus was\nthirty years old, we are told nothing of what He did, except His\nquestioning the priests in the temple, when He was twelve years old.\nTwelve was the age appointed for the young Jews to begin to keep the\nFeasts and Fasts prescribed by their Law; and accordingly, Jesus, who\ncame to fulfil all righteousness, accompanied Mary and Joseph to\nJerusalem on this occasion: but after all the ceremonies had been\nobserved, He, unknown to them, remained behind, and going into the\ntemple astonished the priests and learned men by His questions, His\nknowledge of the Scriptures, and the way in which He spake: no wonder\nthat all who looked upon Him merely as a human being, should be\nastonished. When Mary missed her Son, she and Joseph returned to\nJerusalem, where \"after three days they found Him in the temple,\nsitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them\nquestions.\" To His mother's gentle rebuke, \"Son, why hast thou thus\ndealt with us?\" the holy Child made that answer at once referring to\nHis divine nature, and to the work for which He had left His Father's\nkingdom, \"Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?\" They\nunderstood not fully then His meaning; but Mary \"kept all these\nsayings in her heart.\"\n\nBut Jesus had now done all that was to be done for many years, as to\nHis great work; and therefore, though He knew Himself to be the Son of\nGod, He submitted to His earthly parents: He went \"down with them, and\ncame to Nazareth, and was subject unto them\"--thus in His first work,\nsetting us the great example of obedience to parents--an example which\nall of us must carefully and cheerfully copy. No sin, not even the\nleast approach to it, was found in Him: one act of disobedience would\nhave prevented His making atonement for us. And this perfect Being so\nloved us, His sinful creatures, as to die for us: let us love Him; and\nshow our love by trying to copy His example in all things; beginning\nwith obedience to our Parents, and all whom they set over us.\n\n\n\n\nChapter V.--BAPTISM OF JESUS.\n\n\nHow gladly should we all learn something of our Saviour's early life;\nof His childhood; of the pursuits of His youth and manhood! But these\nthings are hidden from us, and whatever legends may exist respecting\nsuch matters, we must remember that Scripture has not revealed to us\nany knowledge of these things. For the eighteen years following His\nquestioning the learned men in the temple, one entry suffices--\"And\nJesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and\nman.\" As partaking of the human nature, His body grew gradually to\nits full size and strength, enduring, no doubt, pain and sickness, so\ninseparable from mortality: in this, all who are born into the world\nfollow His example, whether they will or no; but are all careful to\n\"increase in wisdom, and in favour with God and man\"? And yet this is\nwhat all may do. These words again set the Saviour before us, as an\nexample to be diligently followed: by prayer and study of the\nScriptures, we shall obtain from God, that heavenly wisdom which will\nmake us wise unto salvation; that practical wisdom, by which we shall\nwalk daily in a manner pleasing to God; so shall we, day by day, grow\nin favour with our heavenly Father, and with all men whose approbation\nand favour is worth securing.\n\nOf John the Baptist's early life we have not even one glimpse afforded\nus, beyond the notice \"that the child grew, and waxed strong in the\nspirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto\nIsrael.\" In silence and solitude was the wonderful son of Zacharias\nprepared for his work: the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and under\nits blessed influence he became strong to do, and suffer.\n\nFor thirty years did the Sons of Mary and of Elisabeth wait patiently,\nunnoticed, till the time came when they were to enter on the work\nappointed for each. At that time, Herod Antipas (one of the sons of\nHerod the Great) was tetrarch or governor of Galilee, while his\nbrother Philip was tetrarch of Ituraea, and of other parts of the\ncountry lying to the East of the Sea of Galilee and the river Jordan.\n\nArchelaus, as we have already said, had for his misconduct been\nbanished by the Romans into Gaul, and the province of Judaea was\ngoverned by a Roman, called Pontius Pilate. Augustus Caesar, who was\nthe Emperor of Rome when Jesus Christ was born, died when our Lord was\nabout fourteen years old; and another Emperor, called Tiberius Caesar,\nruled over the vast possessions of the Romans, when Jesus and His\nforerunner John the Baptist, entered upon their public ministry.\n\nThe Bible tells us, that at this time Annas and Caiaphas were high\npriests: by the Law of Moses, the Jews could only have one high priest\nat a time, and when once appointed, he continued to hold that high\noffice as long as he lived; but when the Romans took possession of the\nHoly Land, they appointed the high priest at their pleasure--often\ndepriving one of the office, in order to bestow it upon another. Annas\nwas high priest for eleven years, and then the Roman Governor\ndeprived him of the office, and made Caiaphas, who had married the\ndaughter of Annas, high priest in the place of his father-in-law.\n\nAccording to the will of the Romans, therefore, Caiaphas was actually\nhigh priest at this time; though, according to the Law of Moses, he\nhad no right to be so, as long as Annas was alive. No doubt the more\ndevout Jews, who wished to keep their Law, looked upon Annas as their\nhigh priest; whilst those who were careless and indifferent, and\nwished rather to please the Romans, acknowledged Caiaphas: for this\nreason St. Luke speaks of them both as high priests.\n\nWe must remember that John was born a few months before Jesus, to \"go\nbefore the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,\" consequently he was\nthe first to appear in public. He went first as a Messenger, to\nprepare the people to listen to the Messiah: John came, and called\nupon all men to repent of their sins and wickedness, to leave off\ndoing wrong, and to do such things as God commanded them to do. John\nalso invited the people to be baptized. Baptism was a rite or ceremony\nin use amongst the Jews before this time, by way of admitting\nstrangers into their Church: for instance, if any Gentiles wished to\njoin the Jews, and worship God as they did, they were baptized, or\nwashed with Water; and after this ceremony, they were looked upon as\nnew creatures, fit to be admitted into the Jewish Church.\n\nThe Jews, by baptizing the heathen, admitted them into their Church,\ninto a new religion; John called upon the Jews to be baptized, because\nthey were to change their religion, and become members of a Church,\nwhich should have Christ for her head. The Jews baptized persons who,\naccording to their Law, were unclean, in order to purify them; but\nJohn called upon those, who according to the Law were clean already,\nto come to him and be baptized, in order to show, that all who would\nbelong to Christ must purify their hearts, and obey the spirit as well\nas the letter of all the commandments.\n\nThis distinction between the letter and the spirit of any commandment,\nmust be carefully and constantly borne in mind, by every Christian.\n\nFor example, the Sixth Commandment says, \"Thou shalt do no murder\";\ntherefore all, who do not actually kill a fellow creature, may be said\nto obey the _letter_, or exact _words_, of this commandment; but to\nobey the spirit, we must never do anything wilfully to hurt our\nneighbour in any way; we must, on the contrary, do all the good we\npossibly can to our fellow creatures.\n\nTo make this plainer, suppose a mother to say to her children, \"You\nmay go out, but it is so hot that you must not run about\": the\nchildren go out, and then amuse themselves by jumping--they have\nobeyed the letter of their mother's commands, for they did not _run_,\nbut they have broken the spirit--she wished them not to heat\nthemselves,--that was the spirit and meaning of the precept; and that\nthey have broken, just as much as if they had run about.\n\nThe Jews must have well understood, that when John the Baptist called\nupon them to be baptized as if they were unclean, he meant to show\nthem that the Messiah required men to be holy, far beyond what they\nthen were; and great numbers of the people listened to his teaching,\nand went out unto him, and were baptized of him in the river Jordan,\nconfessing their sins.\n\n\"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of\nGalilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbad\nhim, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to\nme? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for\nthus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered\nhim.\" John spake of the baptism administered by him, as \"the baptism\nof repentance for the remission of sins\"; meaning that those who\nrepented and were baptized, would have their sins forgiven and done\naway with, so that they would no longer be looked upon as guilty. John\nknew that Jesus was perfectly holy, and had no need of the baptism of\nrepentance, so necessary for mere mortals. John had also told those\nwho came to him to be baptized \"with water unto repentance,\" that they\nstill needed another baptism from the Son of God; even the gift of the\nHoly Spirit, without which no man could please the Lord. He told them,\n\"there cometh one mightier than I after me, whose shoes I am not\nworthy to bear,\"--\"the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to\nunloose,\"--\"He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nIn Eastern countries, the visitors to princes and great men, took off\ntheir shoes, that is, the sandals or slippers worn upon the feet, and\nleft them at the door, whilst they went barefooted into the presence\nof the prince. The fastenings or latchets of these shoes were often\nundone by a slave, who also held the shoes till his master again\nrequired them. Thus to unfasten or bear the shoes of another,\nsignified being his servant, ready to do any service that might be\nrequired. John therefore meant, that He who was to come after him was\nso greatly his superior, that he (John) was not worthy even to do for\nHim the lowest offices required from a slave. No wonder that with such\nfeelings, John objected to Jesus being baptized by him, who was in\nevery respect so far His inferior; and who, like all other human\nbeings, had need of the Holy Spirit which God alone could give.\n\nBut amongst the Jews, those who were admitted to perform the office of\nPriest were always anointed and baptized; and, as Jesus came to be our\ngreat High Priest, it was necessary that He should observe this form,\nas He had undergone the rite of circumcision. He came to fulfil all\nrighteousness, to do all that was right, and then to suffer\npunishment, as if He had been sinful instead of sinless. To make\natonement for the sin of man, it was necessary that He Who made it,\nshould obey and fulfil perfectly the whole Will of God, and then\nsuffer, \"the just for the unjust.\" Only so could atonement be made:\nthis Jesus explained to John, and then the Baptist no longer hesitated\nto baptize with water the sinless Son of God.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VI.--JESUS TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL\n\n\n\"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the\nwater: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the\nSpirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and, lo,\na voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased.\" The Three Persons in the Holy Trinity were thus at once made\nmanifest, or shown to John the Baptist: before Him, under the form of\nMan, stood God the Son: God the Holy Ghost came down from heaven in a\nbodily form, with a gentle motion like that of a dove, and rested upon\nthe Son of God: God the Father was not made visible to the eyes, but\nHis voice was heard, declaring Jesus to be His Son, the promised\nMessiah, the Saviour of the world.\n\nAfter His baptism, Jesus was, by the appointment of His Father, \"led\nby the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.\" It\nwas necessary that Jesus should gain a victory over the great enemy of\nmankind, and show that the Devil had no power to lead Him to do evil.\nSince Adam fell, no human being had ever so completely resisted the\nDevil as to _deserve_ the favour of God; thus no one had ever earned\neternal life even for himself. Jesus came to make atonement for the\nsin of countless millions: but He could not have made satisfaction for\nthe sins of others, if He had in the least thing given way to the\nDevil. Therefore He must fight and conquer, or the work which He came\nto do must have remained for ever undone.\n\nIn Scripture, Jesus Christ is called the second Adam: \"the first Adam\nis of the earth, earthy, the last Adam is the Lord from heaven.\" The\nfirst Adam was created holy and good, but he was tempted by the Devil\nand sinned; \"so by the disobedience of one man came death, for in Adam\nall die.\" All who bear the same nature, must share the punishment due\nto that sinful nature. But the Holy and Eternal Son of God took upon\nHimself the human nature of man, and became subject to the like\ninfirmities, but without sin. Thus was atonement made--\"in Christ\nshall all,\" who give themselves to Him, \"be made alive\": \"thus by man\ncame also the resurrection of the dead.\" The Devil exerted all his\npower to lead Jesus to do something which would displease God, and\ndestroy the blessed work of redemption. Taking advantage of Jesus\nbeing hungry and faint after long fasting, the Devil gently proposed\nthat He should turn some stones into bread, and thus at the same time\nsupply His own wants, and give a convincing proof that He was indeed\nthe Son of God, as He had been just declared to be.\n\nWe are ready enough to take any excuse for doing what we wish to do;\nand by this means we often fall into the snare which Satan so cleverly\nspreads for us. But Jesus thought of nothing but how to do the Will of\nHis Father completely and entirely. He had been led into the\nwilderness by the Spirit of God, and it was the Will of His heavenly\nFather that He should now be enhungered. Jesus was therefore\ndetermined to leave the matter entirely in the hands of God. This is\nwhat we should all do, rather than try to help ourselves by doing\nanything that we fear may displease God.\n\nSatan next wanted Jesus to throw Himself down from the roof of the\ntemple into the court below, where the people were assembled, and thus\nshow them at once that He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, of\nwhom David had written, God \"shall give His angels charge over thee,\nto keep thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any\ntime thou dash thy foot against a stone.\" But Jesus, still bent upon\ndoing His Father's will, answered from Scripture, \"It is said, Thou\nshalt not tempt the Lord thy God,\" meaning that no one must run into\nunnecessary danger, to try whether God will preserve him: this is\ntempting Providence, and is sinful. To do our duty in spite of danger\nis trusting God, and is right: but to run into danger just to please\nourselves, expecting that God will preserve us, is presumptuous and\nsinful.\n\nSatan made a last attempt to get Jesus to bow down to him, by\npromising to give Him power over all the kingdoms of the world; but\nJesus was content to have only what God saw fit to give Him, and\nreplied, \"Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship\nthe Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.\"\n\nThe battle was over; the victory was gained: as Man, Jesus had been\ntempted; as Man, He had resisted the Devil. He had fought and\nconquered, and thus could go on with His blessed work, which He never\ncould have accomplished, had He at this, or any other time, given way\nin the least degree to the Devil. For the first time since the\nCreation, Satan found himself defeated: against our blessed Saviour he\ncould not prevail, as he had done against Adam and his descendants; He\ndeparted therefore: we are told, \"Then the Devil leaveth Him, and,\nbehold, angels came and ministered unto Him.\" The Father sent His\nAngels to minister to His Son; that is, to serve Him; to supply those\nwants to which, as Man, He was subject. No doubt they brought Him food\nof which His human nature stood greatly in need.\n\nWe have seen how Jesus resisted the Devil; each time using the very\nwords of Scripture, which forbade Him to do as the Tempter proposed.\nThe Devil is constantly tempting every human being to sin, by\nsuggesting that they had better follow their own wishes and\ninclinations, instead of denying themselves, and trying in all things\nto please God. We should therefore bear in mind, that we possess the\nsame Scriptures, and far more; since we have now our Saviour's own\nwords whilst He was upon earth, and also the letters of His Apostles:\nand then, when we are tempted to do what is wrong, let us remember\nwhat the Scriptures say, and obey _that_, instead of following our own\nwills. The young are never too young to begin to resist the Devil,\nwho has temptations suited to every age and condition: if you feel\ndisinclined to obey your Parents cheerfully, remember that the Bible\nsays, \"Children obey your Parents in all things\": let all inclination\nto dispute with one another be driven away by the recollection of the\nprecept, \"Be ye kind one to another.\"\n\nThe direction, \"Speak every man truth with his neighbour,\" should\nstrengthen you to resist every temptation to hide a fault, by saying\nwhat is not true, or even by keeping silence, or doing anything to\ndeceive another. The fault into which so many young people fall, of\nbeing idle and careless about their lessons, would best be checked by\ncalling to mind the precepts, \"Be not slothful in business,\" and\n\"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as unto the Lord.\" These, and many\nlike precepts, warn us to conquer faults of which we are apt to think\ntoo lightly; not seeing that they are temptations set before us by the\nDevil, who strives to destroy our souls. But it is also written,\n\"Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.\" Begin at once to resist\nhim with all your strength--struggle against your own will and\ninclinations, which will too often incline you to yield to his\nsuggestions. Fight manfully as long as you live upon earth; praying\nalways for help from God, without Whom ye can do nothing. If thus\nsteadily and heartily you endeavour to renounce the Devil and all his\nworks, with all the sinful lusts of the flesh, and do everything to\nplease God, you will hereafter receive your reward in Heaven for Jesus\nChrist's sake.\n\nAfter the Baptism and Temptation of Jesus Christ, He began His work\namongst men, by declaring to them the blessed truths of the Gospel.\n\nThe first men who became disciples, or followers of Jesus Christ, were\nAndrew and John, who were already disciples of John the Baptist. \"The\nnext day,\" after the Baptism of our Lord, \"John stood and two of his\ndisciples; and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the\nLamb of God!\" The Priests and Levites, as well as all the people of\nthe Jews, knew that lambs were daily offered up as an atonement for\nsin, but that the blood of these creatures could never wash out the\nstain of sin, nor obtain its forgiveness. They were quite aware that\nthese sacrifices were only offered up as a type, or sign of the\nMessiah; for Whose coming they looked, to make atonement for the sin\nof the whole world. John the Baptist had repeatedly told his disciples\nthat he was not himself the Messiah, but was the messenger to prepare\nhis way before Him. When, therefore, John the Baptist exclaimed,\n\"Behold the Lamb of God,\" Andrew and John at once understood, that\nthis was indeed the long-looked-for Messiah, the true Lamb of God, Who\nwas to take away the sins of the whole world. \"The two disciples heard\nhim speak, and they followed Jesus.\" Jesus asked them, \"What seek ye?\"\nAt once acknowledging Him to be their Master, the disciples asked Him,\n\"Rabbi, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They\ncame and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day; for it was\nabout the tenth hour.\" That is, it was about two hours before sunset.\n\nAndrew next went in search of his own brother Simon Peter, and \"saith\nunto him, We have found the Messiah.\" Simon Peter at once believed\nthese glad tidings, and went with Andrew to Jesus, who received him\nkindly. The next day Philip, who lived in the same town as Andrew and\nPeter, and had no doubt often talked with them of the promised\nSaviour, also became a follower of Jesus; and he likewise brought a\nfriend called Nathanael, of whom we must say something more.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VII.--THE FIRST MIRACLE.\n\n\nNathanael, who was brought to Jesus by Philip, was one of those devout\nJews who had studied the writings of Moses and the prophets, and was\nin consequence anxiously expecting the coming of the promised Messiah.\nPhilip went and told him that the Messiah was really come at last, and\nthat he himself had seen the wondrous Being, of whom Moses and the\nprophets had written; and that He was no other than Jesus of Nazareth,\nthe son of Joseph. Now at that time the inhabitants of Nazareth did\nnot generally bear a good character, and were not therefore held in\nesteem by their fellow countrymen; and besides, Nathanael had learned\nfrom the Scriptures, that Christ should be born in Bethlehem; hence he\ndoubted the possibility of Jesus being the promised Redeemer, and\nasked in a tone of incredulity, \"Can there any good thing come out of\nNazareth?\" Philip, whose faith was firm, gave the best answer which\never can be given to those who doubt the testimony of others, \"Come\nand see\"; certain that if Nathanael were to see and talk with Jesus,\nhe would be convinced that He was indeed the Messiah.\n\nNathanael, who was willing and anxious to learn the truth, laid aside\nall prejudice, and went to Jesus; and fully was he rewarded for his\nwillingness to learn. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming unto Him, He\nspoke in a manner which surprised the latter, and made him ask,\n\"Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that\nPhilip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.\" It\nseems that Nathanael, following a custom amongst the devout Jews, had\ngone into a quiet, retired part of his garden, to meditate and pray.\nHere he knew that no human eye could see him, and therefore the words\nnow spoken by Jesus convinced him that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed\nthe promised Messiah; he doubted no longer, but without hesitation,\nexclaimed, \"Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of\nIsrael.\" Jesus, pleased with Nathanael's willing faith, told him that\nhe should see greater proofs of His being indeed the Son of God, the\npromised Messiah. The word Rabbi means a \"teacher having authority.\"\nAndrew and Peter, James and John, of whom we have heard as the first\ndisciples of Christ, did not at this time remain with Him as his\nconstant attendants, but returned to their own occupation as\nfishermen: they all lived at Bethsaida, a town on the northern coast\nof the sea of Galilee.\n\nThe next event which we have to notice, is the first miracle worked by\nChrist, at Cana in Galilee, where with those who had already become\nhis disciples, He attended a marriage feast. Here, when wine was\nwanted, Jesus performed His first miracle, by turning water into wine.\nThirty years had now passed away since the birth of Christ; the\nShepherds, and others who had seen or heard the wonderful things which\ntook place at that time, had probably ceased to think much about them;\nor if they thought of them, it was probably to wonder what had become\nof the Holy Babe, Who had been declared by Angels to be \"Christ the\nLord.\" Such a miracle as that now worked at Cana, would be talked of\nfar and wide; and those who remembered the birth of Mary's Son at\nBethlehem, would have no difficulty in believing that Jesus Christ was\nthat wondrous Child. To all who were inclined to listen to Jesus,\nmiracles were a confirmation of their faith; for these wonderful\ndisplays of supernatural power plainly showed Him to be the Son of\nGod; yet in spite of such unmistakable signs, few of the Jews accepted\nJesus as their expected Messiah. The poorer people, the lower\nclasses, who benefited mostly by his miracles, \"heard him gladly,\" for\na time, at least; though at the period of His crucifixion their voices\ncalled out, \"Crucify him, Crucify him!\"\n\nWhen we read the account of Christ's life and miracles, it does seem\nmost extraordinary, that throughout His career on earth, very few of\nthe higher class of Jews, or of the Priests and those best acquainted\nwith the Scriptures, would acknowledge Him. But we must remember that\nthey had made up their minds, in spite of all that the prophets had\nsaid to the contrary, that the Messiah was to come as an earthly King\nand Conqueror, surrounded with pomp and splendour: this idea they\nwould not give up: they were not like Nathanael, willing to be taught,\nand they could not bear the idea that a poor man, born in a humble\nrank of life, and only distinguished from other men by his holiness,\nshould be their Messiah. Besides this, the greater part of the Jews\nhad by this time grown careless about their religion; they still\nobserved the outward forms and ceremonies ordered by the Law, but they\ndid not obey the command given through Moses, to love the Lord their\nGod with all their heart: they did not wish to be holy, as Jesus\nplainly told his disciples they must be. He went about preaching the\nGospel of the Kingdom, that is, telling all men that they must repent\nof all their sins, and leave off doing wrong, and try to please God in\neverything, if they would hereafter be received into the Kingdom of\nHeaven. Such doctrine was very displeasing to the Jews, and therefore\nthey were determined not to own such a Teacher as their Lord: thus\nthey rejected the true Messiah, whilst they pretended to be anxiously\nlooking out for His coming.\n\nNot very long after the miracle at Cana, we are told that \"the Jews'\nPassover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.\" The Law of\nMoses commanded, that at this feast every male among the Jews, should\nappear before the Lord in His holy temple; and Jesus, Who was to set\nan example of perfect obedience to all the commandments of God,\njourneyed from Capernaum up to Jerusalem, to keep the feast in the\nplace which the Lord had chosen. When Jesus went up to this Passover,\nHe drove the buyers and sellers out of the temple, an action repeated\non a future occasion. At this time St. John says, that Jesus \"found in\nthe temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers\nof money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, He\ndrove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and\npoured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said\nunto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my\nFather's house a house of merchandise.\"\n\nIt is not meant that these animals, or the money changers, were in the\n_building of the temple itself_, but in one of the courts surrounding\nit.\n\nSo many creatures were required for sacrifices, that it was a great\nconvenience for persons coming from a distance, to be able to buy what\nthey wanted on the spot; and therefore it had long been the custom for\ntraders to establish themselves outside of the outer Court of the\ntemple, to supply the worshippers with oxen, sheep or doves. Then\nagain, people coming from a distance, might bring their money in a\nlarge sum, and then they would want to have it changed for coins of\nless value; just as we might carry a sovereign, which would give us no\ntrouble to carry, and then get it changed into shillings, when we\nwanted to spend it. Some Jews also, who came to the temple from time\nto time, lived in foreign countries, and they would naturally bring\nthe money of those countries, which would be of no use in Judaea; and\nthey would therefore wish to change their foreign money into the money\ncurrent amongst the Jews. For these reasons the money changers were\nmost useful; and they therefore established themselves with the\ntraders, outside the temple Courts.\n\nBut the Priests, as well as the people, became careless about obeying\nGod perfectly, or worshipping Him in a proper manner and honouring His\nhouse; and therefore, at length, these money changers and sellers of\ncattle, established themselves in the Court of the Gentiles, and so\ncarried on their trade within the sacred precincts of the temple. This\nouter Court, in which the money changers and those who sold oxen,\nsheep, and doves appear to have established themselves, was the Court\nof the Gentiles; and was intended for the use of devout persons, who,\nthough not willing in all respects to imitate the Jews, were to\nworship the One True God. In this Court also, all Jews who happened to\nbe _unclean_, performed their devotions, as they were not then allowed\nto go into the inner Court. There were very many things which caused a\nJew to be looked upon as unclean, without any fault of his. Illness, a\ndeath in the house, nursing the sick; and many other things, rendered\na man \"unclean,\" and unfit to enter the inner Court. Under these\ncircumstances, there were always many unclean Jews, worshipping God\nin the Court of the Gentiles; and the presence of the traders and\nmoney changers was a great disturbance to both Jews and Gentiles; for\nthey could not attend properly to their prayers, in the midst of all\nthe noise and confusion made by the buyers and sellers. This wrong\nstate of things Jesus put an end to, by driving all these traders out\nof the temple courts; telling the people not to make the house of God\na house of business, a place for buying and selling.\n\nThe disciples of Jesus who witnessed his conduct on this occasion,\nremembered that David, speaking of the Messiah Who was to come, said,\n\"The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up,\" words that meant, that\nJesus would not allow any dishonour or disrespect to be shown to the\nHouse of God.\n\nBy saying to the people, \"Make not my Father's house a house of\nmerchandise,\" Jesus plainly declared himself to be the Son of God; and\nthe Jews so understood His words, though they would not own him to be\nthe Son of God, but immediately asked, \"What sign showest thou unto\nus, seeing that thou doest these things?\" that is, What proof can you\ngive us that you are what you say, and that you have any right to turn\nthese people out of the Court of the temple?\n\nHad this question been asked in a proper spirit, from a real desire to\nknow for certain, in order that they might worship Jesus as the\nMessiah, they would no doubt have received a plain and direct answer.\nBut they had no intention of following and obeying Jesus as their Lord\nand Master, and only wished to find excuses for not believing in Him;\ntherefore our Lord, Who knew all the thoughts in their hearts,\nanswered them in a very remarkable way, giving them a sign which would\nhereafter prove Him to be indeed the Son of God.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VIII.--NICODEMUS COMES BY NIGHT TO JESUS.\n\n\nTo the question, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou\ndoest these things? Jesus answered, \"Destroy this temple, and in three\ndays I will raise it up.\" These words were a prophecy: Jesus \"spake of\nthe temple of his body,\" and thus declared that His own body would be\nkilled, but that after three days He would rise to life again.\n\nThe Jews, thinking only of the building before their eyes now,\nexclaimed in astonishment, \"Forty and six years was this temple in\nbuilding, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?\" It had taken Herod\nforty-six years to repair and beautify the second temple, and the Jews\nmight well doubt its being done in three days: they thought of nothing\nfurther, and were probably quite satisfied that Jesus had now said\nwhat could not possibly be. But the disciples felt sure that these\nwords of their Lord had some hidden meaning, though they did not\nunderstand what: they therefore remembered them; and after their\naccomplishment their faith was strengthened; for we read, \"When\ntherefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he\nhad said this unto them; and they believed the Scripture, and the word\nwhich Jesus had said.\"\n\nAll Scripture, as we know, was written for our instruction, and\ntherefore we must always think what we can learn from it: now the\nclearing of the temple court by Jesus teaches us two great lessons:\nfirst, that we must never use the House of God for any purpose but\nthat for which it is intended. Now, to us, our Churches are the house\nof God; and if we do not use them as we ought, we sin as did the Jews.\nOf course, we cannot make them a house of merchandise as the Jews did;\nbut if we are thinking of our business, or our pleasure, or anything\nelse, instead of attending to what is going on, we are not using the\nhouse of God in a proper manner. Our Churches are set apart for the\nworship of God as much as the Temple was; and if we do not worship God\nwhen we go for that purpose, we displease our heavenly Father.\nEverything belonging to God must be treated with reverence, and\nhonoured by being used according to His Will. In this way, therefore,\nwe must reverence and honour His day, His house, and His word. You\nwill thus see that being careless and inattentive at Church is a great\nsin. God sees your heart, and knows all your thoughts, so that if you\nare thinking of something else, though you may be sitting still and\nthus _appear_ good to man, He will be displeased.\n\nIn all the prayers you must join heartily: when the Lessons are read,\nyou will generally be able to understand them. When the Clergyman\nbegins to preach his Sermon, try to understand what he says: if you\nreally cannot understand his sermon, then think about some person\nmentioned in Scripture, as Adam, Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon,\nSamuel, and many others, and consider what they did to please or\ndisplease God; or say over your hymns and texts to yourself: this will\nprevent your thoughts from wandering off to your business, or\npleasures, or any such things. In the house of God, you must _think_\nof _nothing but_ God, and how to please Him.\n\nNow let us talk of the other lesson, which we are to learn from what\nJesus did.\n\nJesus spake of His body as a temple; and St. Paul tells us, that all\nwho love and follow Christ are so joined together in Him, that they\nare like stones joined together to build up a holy temple, for an\nhabitation of God through the Spirit. As Christians baptized in the\nName of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we have all become stones or\nparts of that holy temple the Church of Christ; members or parts of\nHis body: for the Scripture calls the Church of Christ His body. Now\nas long as we are obedient and faithful members of Christ's body, the\nChurch, the Holy Spirit will bless and help us: but if we give way to\nour own sinful feelings, we bring bad passions into this holy temple,\nthe Church of Christ, and \"defile,\" or make it unclean, as the Jews\ndefiled the temple built by hands by bringing oxen and sheep into its\ncourts. St Paul warns us of the consequence of such sin: \"If any man\ndefile the temple of God, him will God destroy.\"\n\nBut further, the same Apostle St. Paul teaches each one of us to look\nupon our own body as a temple, for the abode of the Holy Spirit. Now,\nas a temple is devoted to the service of God, so we must employ our\nbodies in serving Him, and doing His will. The temple must not be\ndefiled; so we must try hard to keep all naughty tempers out of our\nhearts. Disobedience, passion, quarrelsomeness, idleness--in short,\nall the faults you can have--are evil things which defile the temple,\nand render it unfit for the abode of the Holy Spirit. If you try to\nresist evil, the Holy Spirit will help you to do so; but if you give\nway to bad passions, and allow the Devil to govern you, you will\ngrieve the Holy Spirit of God, and at last _force_ Him to leave you to\nfollow your own ways. To be left to follow your own evil ways is the\nmost dreadful thing that can happen to you. Pray to God, and try to\nhave Him always for your friend.\n\nWe have said that during our Saviour's ministry on earth, few of the\nhigher class of Jews became His disciples; but there was one\nremarkable exception, in the case of a man named Nicodemus, whose\nconversation with our blessed Lord is particularly instructive. We\nread in the Gospel of St. John, \"There was a man of the Pharisees,\nnamed Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night,\nand said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from\nGod: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be\nwith him.\" Nicodemus was a man of sense, and the miracles of Jesus had\nconvinced him; for he felt certain that no one but the Son of God, the\nMessiah, could do such things. He was willing to acknowledge this; but\nafraid of the ridicule or reproaches of his friends, he came to Jesus\nby night, that no man might know of his visit. Christ, who is very\nmerciful, did not refuse to listen to Nicodemus, but began to show him\nthat there must be some proof of faith in a holy life. So when\nNicodemus declared his belief that Jesus came from God, \"Jesus\nanswered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a\nman be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.\" Nicodemus, not\nunderstanding the real meaning of these words, \"saith unto him, How\ncan a man be born when he is old?\" meaning that it was impossible for\na man who had been born many years before, again to become a baby.\n\"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born\nof water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.\nThat which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of\nthe Spirit is spirit.\" Jesus meant that, as to the body or flesh, no\nman could of course be born again; but that by the help of the Holy\nSpirit, the man's nature might be changed so that he would become\nholy, trying in all things to please God: such a change in the\ncharacter, temper, and disposition might be compared to a new birth;\nand without such a complete change, no one could enter into the\nkingdom of God. Such teaching might well cause Nicodemus great\nsurprise; and Jesus said unto him, \"Marvel not that I said unto thee,\nYe must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou\nhearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and\nwhither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.\" In\nthese words our Saviour warns Nicodemus, that a man's conduct only can\nshow whether he has been born of the Spirit: just as we cannot see the\nwind, but we know that it blows, because we hear the noise it makes,\nand see its effects in the way the trees and other things are blown\nabout.\n\nNicodemus, in astonishment at all he heard, now said, \"How can these\nthings be?\" and then Jesus told him how necessary it was to have faith\nwhen hearing of heavenly things, since it is impossible for man to\nunderstand how the great works of God are done. At this time Jesus\nuttered that remarkable prophecy, comparing His crucifixion to the\nsetting up of the Brazen Serpent in the wilderness; saying, \"And as\nMoses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of\nman be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,\nbut have eternal life.\" When the children of Israel were dying from\nthe effects of the bites of the fiery flying serpents, those who so\nbelieved the words of Moses, as to look up at the brazen serpent, were\nsaved at once from the death of the body. When all the children of men\nwere dying from the effects of sin (the bite of that old serpent the\nDevil), all who would in faith look up to the cross of Christ, and\nbelieve in Him, would be saved from the far more dreadful death (or\neternal misery) of the soul. And then our Saviour went on to speak of\nthe great love of God, as shown by His giving His Son to die for man.\n\n\"After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of\nJudaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was\nbaptizing in AEnon, near to Salim, because there was much water there\":\nhere many of the people came to John, and were baptized. Some of those\nwho came to him, seem to have been rather distressed or surprised that\nJesus was drawing men away from him; and they said, \"Rabbi, he that\nwas with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the\nsame baptizeth, and all men come to him.\"\n\nJohn immediately reminded his hearers, that he had always told them\nthat he had only come as the messenger of Christ to prepare His way,\nand that now that Christ was come, his ministry was ended, and he had\nonly to rejoice in the success of his Heavenly Master. He himself was\nbut a man, \"of the earth, earthy\"; but of Him whose messenger he was,\nhe said, \"He that cometh from above, is above all.\" Moreover, John\nsaid, \"He must increase, but I must decrease.\" Jesus had just begun\nHis work, which would go on and increase; John's work was finished,\nand he himself would not long remain on earth.\n\nAnd so it was; for very shortly afterwards, John the Baptist was shut\nup in prison by Herod Antipas, the governor of Galilee.\n\n\n\n\nChapter IX.--JOHN PUT INTO PRISON.\n\n\nHerod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great, was governor of\nGalilee: Philip, another of them, was governor or tetrarch of Itruria.\nThe word \"tetrarch\" means the governor of a certain portion of a\nkingdom. The land of Palestine being subject to the Romans, they had\ndivided it into portions; and the governors of each portion were\nstyled tetrarchs. Philip had a wife called Herodias, a bad woman, who\nbehaved ill to her husband, and at length left him, and became the\nwife of his brother Herod. Now this was a great sin on the part of\nHerod, as well as that of Herodias, and John the Baptist reproved them\nfor it: this holy man was not afraid to speak the truth, though doing\nso was sure to bring trouble upon himself, for Herod was a proud man,\nwho would not like to be told of his faults, and Herodias would be\nmuch more angry.\n\nBut John had been sent by God the Father to prepare the way of the\nLord, by teaching His Will to men, and exhorting them to repentance\nand amendment of life: this John was determined to do, undismayed by\nany fear of what man might do to him; and therefore he told Herod,\nthat it was not lawful, not allowed by the Law of God, that he should\nthus take his brother's wife to be his wife.\n\nThe consequence was, that John was immediately put into prison.\nHerodias, who hated him for reproving her, would gladly have had him\nput to death; but she could not yet prevail on Herod to consent to so\nwicked an act.\n\nThere seems to have been two reasons which made Herod unwilling to put\nhis prisoner to death. In the first place, many of the Jews looked\nupon John as a prophet and a teacher sent by God; and Herod feared\nthat there might be some riot amongst the people, in which case the\nRomans might accuse him of having misgoverned the country, and suffer\nhim to be no longer governor. The other reason was, that although\nHerod was angry with John, he could not help seeing that he was a good\nand holy man; so much so, that he listened to his advice on many\npoints, though he would not act according to it, in the matter of\nHerodias. Even after John was cast into prison, Herod often \"sent for\nhim, and heard him gladly, and did many things.\"\n\nWell would it have been for Herod, if he had done _all_ things\naccording to John's advice.\n\n\"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,\npreaching the gospel of the kingdom of God\": preaching, that is, the\ngood tidings of how sinful man might enter into the kingdom of God,\nfrom which the Fall of Adam had shut him out. \"Repent ye and believe\nthe Gospel,\" was the sum of his preaching: true repentance would make\nmen leave off sinning; and belief in the Gospel would lead them to\nstrive to be holy, out of love for the Saviour, who was come upon\nearth to deliver them from eternal misery.\n\nHe preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God to all who would hear\nhim; they naturally told others; so that \"there went out a fame of him\nthrough all the region round about.\" Besides this, \"Jesus taught in\ntheir synagogues.\" Synagogues were buildings in which the Jews\nassembled to pray to God, and to hear the holy Scriptures read and\nexplained. The use of synagogues began after the return of the Jews\nfrom their captivity in Babylon; and in our Saviour's time there were\ngreat numbers of them, not only in towns and villages, but all over\nthe country: some writers tell us, that wherever there were ten\ngrown-up men, able to form a congregation, the Jews thought it right\nto build a synagogue.\n\nIt would be well if Christians had in this matter followed the example\nof the Jews; for unhappily there are not now nearly enough Churches in\nour land, so that there are great numbers of men, women, and children\nin England, who could not go to Church if they wished to do so,\nbecause there is not room enough for them. This is very sad, and we\nshould always be ready to give our money to help in building Churches,\nwhich are so much wanted all over the country.\n\nThe Synagogues were generally built close to rivers and brooks, so as\nto have water at hand for all the ceremonies of purification: it was\nright in the Jews to observe these outward ceremonies, but it would\nhave been better for them if they had remembered, that they were only\nordered, to show the necessity of purifying the heart and life from\nsin. Let _us_ remember this, and pray to God, \"Make me a clean heart,\nO God.\"\n\nThe daily service in the Synagogue, consisted of prayers and the\nreading of a portion from the books of Moses, which was afterwards\nexpounded or explained: on the Sabbath days, a second portion of\nScripture, from the writings of the Prophets, was read in addition. A\ncertain number of wise and serious men, were chosen to be Rulers of\neach Synagogue; that is, to settle all matters concerning it, and to\narrange the services, and appoint the readers. The readers were\nusually some of the Scribes; but strangers were often allowed to read\nand expound the Scriptures in their place, and any one who was looked\nupon as a prophet, would be eagerly listened to. To show their\nreverence for the Scriptures, the Jewish doctors stood up whilst they\nread the daily portions, and then sat down, whilst they explained the\nmeaning to their congregation. Whenever any person among the Jews set\nhimself up as the founder or leader of a party, by teaching any\npeculiar doctrines, he was allowed by the Rulers to explain these\ndoctrines publicly in the Synagogues; so that all men might have an\nopportunity of hearing his opinions, and judging whether such a\nteacher spoke according to the Scriptures, and ought to be listened\nto, and followed. In consequence of this custom, Jesus Christ, and in\nafter times His Apostles also, were allowed to read and expound in the\nSynagogues.\n\nEvery considerable synagogue, that is, every one so situated as to\nhave a large congregation, had attached to it an academy, or school\nfor elder children, who here studied the Scriptures under the guidance\nof the Rabbis. But unfortunately, with the Scriptures, which are the\nWord of God, these Rabbis instructed the Jewish youth in the\ntraditions of man. \"Traditions\" were sayings and doctrines which had\nnever been written down, but had merely been told by word of mouth\nfrom father to son, and had thus been handed down through many\ngenerations. Many of these traditions, which had some truth in them at\nfirst, had become sadly altered by thus being told by one to another;\nso that some of them were, in our Saviour's time, quite contrary to\nthe commandments and precepts of God.\n\nOther traditions again had been entirely invented by men, and were not\ndeserving of any attention; but the Jews received them all, and looked\nupon them as equal in authority, or rather as superior, to the Holy\nScriptures themselves.\n\nThe Rabbis who taught in the academies attached to the synagogues, sat\nin the midst of their scholars, who all stood round them.\n\nWe have said, that \"When Jesus had heard that John was cast into\nprison, he departed into Galilee,\" preaching and teaching throughout\nthe country. \"And leaving Nazareth,\" which had been the home of His\nchildhood, \"he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea\ncoast (of the lake of Tiberias), in the borders of Zabulon and\nNepthalim.\" Thus was fulfilled the prophecy spoken by Esaias, that is\nIsaiah, \"The land of Zabulon and the land of Nepthalim, by the way of\nthe sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat\nin darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and\nshadow of death light is sprung up.\" In the holy Scriptures, the word\n\"darkness\" constantly means ignorance and sin; whilst \"light\" is used\nto express the contrary, as knowledge and goodness. The people of\nGalilee were ignorant and sinful, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ was\nas a light to drive away this darkness, by teaching men to believe in\ntheir Saviour, and obey the Will of God. This blessing was now\nbrought, as the prophet Isaiah had foretold, to the country round\nabout Capernaum.\n\nFrom this time, Capernaum seems to have been the home of Jesus Christ;\nas far, at least, as he could be said to have a home, when His whole\nlife was spent in moving about the country from one place to another,\n\"teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the\nKingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease\namong the people.\"\n\nIn the Four Gospels you must look for the full account of the\nmiracles, parables, and conversations of our blessed Saviour; here\nmany of them will be only briefly mentioned.\n\nIn passing on one occasion from Judaea into Galilee, \"He must needs go\nthrough Samaria.\" His disciples being gone into the town to buy food,\nJesus asked a woman of Samaria who came to draw water from the well,\nto give Him to drink; and He took this occasion to tell her, that it\nsignified little in what place men worshipped God, if they worshipped\nHim properly \"in spirit and in truth,\" that is, truly and sincerely,\nin faith; and he ended by telling her plainly that He was the Messiah,\nexpected by Samaritans as well as by Jews. In consequence of what\npassed between our Lord and this woman, many of the Samaritans\nbelieved in Him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world.\n\nJesus appears to have remained at Samaria for two days; and we may be\nquite sure that during that time He preached \"the Gospel of the\nKingdom\" to all who would hear His words.\n\nNext we hear of another miracle worked at Cana, where He had changed\nthe water into wine. A certain nobleman, whose son was sick at\nCapernaum, came to Him to implore His help: this nobleman believed\nthat Jesus could heal his son, and his faith was rewarded by having\nhis child restored to health. After this, Jesus \"came to Nazareth,\nwhere he had been brought up; and as his custom was, he went into the\nsynagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was\ndelivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had\nopened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit\nof the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the\nGospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to\npreach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the\nblind; to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the\nacceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it\nagain to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that\nwere in the synagogue were fastened on him,\" eagerly expecting the\nexplanation of this passage of holy writ. Jesus told them, that this\nprophecy was now fulfilled in Him; and when they hesitated to believe\nin \"Joseph's son,\" and seemed to wonder why He did not work miracles\nthere, He reminded them that miracles were worked, and always had been\nworked, just according to the pleasure of God, who often chose the\nmost unlikely persons to work his miracles upon. His words made all\nwho were in the synagogue very wrath; \"and they rose and thrust him\nout of the city, and led him unto the brow (or edge) of the hill\nwhereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong,\"\nand so put an end to his life and his preaching; but not yet, and not\nso, was the Son of man to die. He therefore worked a miracle to save\nhimself, and \"passing through the midst of them, went His way.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter X.--CALLING OF SIMON AND OTHERS.\n\n\nThe number of Christ's disciples increased, but it was necessary that\nHe should have a certain number of faithful men constantly with Him,\nto be witnesses of all that He said and did whilst on earth; so that\nthey might teach \"the Gospel of the Kingdom\" to others, when he should\nhave returned to His Father in Heaven. To this end, therefore, when\nwalking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus bid the two brothers, Simon\ncalled Peter, and Andrew, leave their occupation of fishermen, and\nfollow Him wheresoever He should go; telling them that He would make\nthem fishers of men: meaning, that as by putting their nets into the\nsea, they had hitherto brought fish to land; so now, by preaching the\nGospel, they should bring men to the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus did not\nspeak in vain: \"straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.\nAnd when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of\nZebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their\nnets. And straightway he called them; and they left their father\nZebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.\" A\nmiracle quickly confirmed the faith of these four disciples. The\npeople, who had gathered round our Lord to hear his words, so pressed\nupon Him, that He entered into Simon's ship, and from thence taught\nthe people. When He had spoken to them for some time, \"he said unto\nSimon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a\ndraught.\" Now Peter, who had been toiling all night, which is the best\ntime for catching fish, knew that there was little chance of taking\nany then; but the command of his Master was enough for him. His\nobedience was rewarded by a wonderful draught (or take) of fishes,\nwhich greatly astonished Simon and Andrew, as well as their partners,\nJames and John. Peter, seeing the wonderful works of God, felt that he\nwas utterly unworthy even to be the servant of so glorious a Being,\nand falling at Jesus's knees, he exclaimed, \"Depart from me; for I am\na sinful man, O Lord!\" But Jesus encouraged him, and repeated His\npromise, that His disciples should by their preaching of the Gospel\nbring the hearts of men to love and obey the Lord, for \"he said unto\nSimon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they\nhad brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.\"\n\nFrom henceforth these four disciples, who had been especially called,\nbecame the constant attendants of our Lord. Three of them, Simon,\nJames, and John, were more particularly favoured; for they are\nmentioned as being with the Lord on many occasions, when His other\ndisciples were not with Him; thus they were witnesses of all the\nwonderful events in His life.\n\nAfter the calling of Simon and his companions, Jesus went with them\ninto Capernaum; \"and on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue\nand taught.\" Jesus did not talk to the people, as many of the Scribes\ndid, about ceremonies and traditions; but he tried to draw their\nthoughts away from such comparative trifles, and fix them upon the\nLord God Almighty--upon His goodness and mercy, and upon the necessity\nof faith and love producing perfect obedience to His holy Will. Jesus\nspake of holiness and righteousness in a way that they had never\nbefore heard; and he spake also in a tone of authority as One who had\na right to command. He told them that he was indeed the Son of God,\nand that he spake unto them in the name of the Lord God of Israel: He\nwarned the impenitent and disobedient, that they would bring eternal\nmisery upon themselves, while He promised eternal happiness to all who\nwould believe and obey. No wonder that His hearers were astonished at\nsuch teaching, from one who appeared to be merely a man like\nthemselves. But to convince them that they might safely believe in\nHim, Jesus, even in the synagogue, healed a man who had a spirit of an\nunclean devil, so that \"the people spake among themselves, saying,\nWhat a word is this? for with authority and power he commandeth the\nunclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately the fame of him\nwent out, and spread abroad throughout all the region, into every\nplace of the country round about Galilee.\"\n\n\"And when they were come out of the synagogue, Jesus with James and\nJohn entered into the house of Simon and Andrew: here the mother of\nSimon's wife lay sick of a fever.\" The poor woman's friends besought\nJesus for her; He took her by the hand; the fever left her at once;\nand then, instead of being weak, as people naturally are after a\nfever, her health and strength returned at once, and \"immediately she\narose and ministered unto them.\" The news of so wonderful a cure,\nincreased the fame of Jesus.\n\nThe wonderful cures performed by Jesus brought many to ask His help.\n\"And when the even was come,\" that is, as soon as the Sabbath was\nover,--for the Jews reckoned their Sabbath to begin at sunset, or\nabout six o'clock on Friday evening, and to end at the same hour on\nSaturday night,--as soon, therefore, as the Sabbath was past, \"all the\ncity was gathered together at the door, and they brought unto him all\nthat were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils: and he\ncast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.\"\nThus were fulfilled the words spoken, 700 years before, by Esaias the\nprophet, who said, \"Himself took our infirmities, and bare our\nsicknesses.\"\n\nThis prophecy was doubly fulfilled: first, by healing sicknesses and\ndiseases, Christ, during his lifetime, took away the consequence of\nthe punishment of sin; secondly, by His death upon the Cross, He took\naway sin, and procured forgiveness and salvation, for all who seek it\nin the way appointed by Him.\n\n\"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out,\nand departed into a solitary place and there prayed.\" Having taken\nupon Himself the form and nature of man, Jesus now set His disciples\nan example of what prayer ought to be. It is a blessed thing to be\nallowed to pray to God--to tell Him of all our joys and sorrows--and\nto beg Him to bless us, and make us able to do well, whatever work He\nmay give us to do. We sinful creatures have also another thing to pray\nfor; and that is, forgiveness of our sins for Jesus Christ's sake, and\nsuch true repentance, as will make us try every day to do His holy\nWill better and better. For all these blessings we should constantly\npray: but you must remember, that it is quite possible for you to\nkneel down every morning and evening and repeat the prayers which you\nhave learnt, and _yet never really pray one bit_.\n\nPrayer is speaking to God, and begging Him to give us what we stand in\nneed of, both for our souls and bodies. Now, amongst ourselves, it is\nthought very rude and disrespectful, to speak to any person without\nthinking of what we are saying: and what should we think of a person\nwho went into the presence of an earthly king, to ask some great\nfavour, and then spake in a careless, indifferent manner, without\nseeming to know or care what he was asking for? We should all blame\nsuch a person; and think that he did not deserve to have his petitions\ngranted. What must it be, then, to speak to the Lord God Almighty, the\nKing of Kings, in such a manner? Then, again, if you really wanted\nyour Parents to do anything for you, or give you anything, you would\nnot ask them carelessly, as if you did not care whether they said\n\"Yes\" or \"No\"; you would beg and pray earnestly with all your heart.\nNow this is what you should do when you say your prayers to God, your\nheavenly Father, Who can give you all you need on earth; and can\nbesides, put His holy Spirit into your heart, and give you eternal\nhappiness hereafter. Try, then, always to pray from your heart, and\nnever allow yourself to repeat words carelessly, as if prayer was a\ntask, to be got through as soon as possible. Such prayers can never\nplease God; on the contrary, by praying in such a way we commit a\ngreat sin; for we take God's holy Name in vain, every time we kneel\ndown to say our prayers. Written prayers are useful as helps; but you\nshould also try of your own self to ask God to forgive you for any\nnaughty things you have done, and help you to do better: God does not\ncare what words we say, if our hearts really pray.\n\nJesus, you will observe, got up before it was light, and went into a\nquiet place, where he could pray without interruption. He would rather\ngive up His night's rest, than not have time to pray to His heavenly\nFather; and we must remember, that as He had taken upon Him the nature\nof man, He was just as liable to be tired and sleepy as we are; and\ntherefore, He suffered as much from giving up his night's rest as we\nshould do; let His conduct, therefore, be an example to us.\n\nIn the morning, \"Simon and they that were with him,\" (the three other\ndisciples already called,) missed their Master, \"and followed after\nhim. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for\nthee.\" No doubt, as soon as it was day, all they that had any sick in\ntheir families, brought them to be healed, and were disappointed at\nfinding only the disciples.\n\nAfter this, \"Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their\nsynagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all\nmanner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his\nfame went throughout all Syria; his wonderful cures were heard of in\nneighbouring lands, and they brought unto him all sick people and\nthose which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic\n(or mad); and he healed them.\" And there followed him great multitudes\nof people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and\nfrom Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XI.--THE LEPER HEALED.\n\n\nWe read so often in the Gospels, of Jesus casting out devils and\nunclean spirits, that it may be as well to say something on this\nsubject, as in these days there is nothing of the kind. We know that\nthe Devil has ever been the greatest enemy of mankind, trying to\ndestroy the souls and bodies of men. In the Old Testament, we read of\ndiviners, enchanters, wizards, sorcerers, and magicians, who were all\npersons wicked enough to try to have communication with evil spirits;\nand we also read that the children of Israel were commanded to put all\nsuch to death. But it seems that when men would persist in doing the\nDevil's work by sinning against God, the evil spirits were allowed to\nhave power over their bodies, as they had, by listening to his\ntemptations, given him power over their souls. Certain it is, that in\nthe time of our Lord, the evil spirits had some extraordinary power\nover the bodies of some men; entering into them as it were, and making\nthem do things hurtful to themselves and others. Such people are\nspoken of as \"demoniacs,\" or as being \"possessed of devils\" or\n\"unclean spirits.\"\n\nMost likely the reason why God allowed the Devil to have power over\nthe bodies of men, was to show the people the reality of a \"ghostly\nenemy\"; and to remind them, that if they allowed the Devil to get into\ntheir hearts and make them serve him, they would be unfit ever to go\ninto the kingdom of God. The sad state in which these poor demoniacs\nwere, was a sort of sign of the dreadful condition in which all the\ndescendants of Adam must for ever have continued, if the Son of God\nhad not come down to destroy the works of the Devil, and free the\nsouls of men from his power.\n\nWhen Jesus cast the devils and unclean spirits out of the _bodies_ of\nmen, it was a plain proof that His power was greater than theirs; and\nthat he could, therefore, most certainly deliver the _souls_ of men\nfrom the power of their enemy.\n\nEvil spirits were thus allowed to show their power, in order more\nclearly to manifest, or show forth, the great power and glory of the\nSon of God, Whom even the devils were bound to obey: they were,\nmoreover, forced to bear witness to the fact that He _was_ the\nMessiah, for on many occasions they cried out, \"Thou art Christ, the\nSon of God.\"\n\nWhen we read of these unhappy men who were possessed by devils, let us\nremember that the same evil spirit is watching to destroy us; and that\nthough he has now no power over the bodies of men, he tries to get\npossession of our hearts, and unless we resist him steadfastly, he\nwill succeed. To encourage us to fight against the Devil, we must\nremember that he has no power over our souls but what we give him, by\nwilfully sinning against God. Powerful as our enemy is, our Friend\nand Saviour is vastly more powerful; and He will bless and keep all\nwho do resist the Devil, and strive to obey and serve God faithfully.\n\nThe next miracle mentioned, was the cure of a leper. Both Jews and\nGentiles looked upon leprosy as a type of sin; that is, as being to\nthe body, what sin is to the soul: the leprosy first shows itself in a\nlittle spot, but quickly spreads, and covers the whole body with\nsores. Sin begins in some act of disobedience; not being resisted, one\nsin leads to another, till the whole heart is filled with evil\npassions.\n\nThe leper was considered unclean, and was not allowed to live amongst\nGod's people, nor enter into the Courts of the Temple; typifying that\nsin is hateful in the sight of God, and that those who persist in it\ncannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven.\n\nThe leprosy was looked upon as incurable by any human means, and\ntherefore whenever a leper was healed, it was attributed to an\nespecial exertion of the Divine power. In like manner, God only could\ntake away the guilt and punishment of sin, and cleanse the heart of a\nsinner.\n\nThe Leper, who went to Jesus beseeching Him, knew that no human skill\ncould heal his disease; but believing Him to be the Son of God--the\nMessiah, he \"fell on his face worshipping Him, and saying, Lord, if\nThou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.\"\n\nPleased with the man's faith, Jesus touched him, and said, \"I will; be\nthou clean: and immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was\ncleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man:\nbut go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy\ncleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto\nthem.\" The Levitical Law declared, that the priests were to be judges\nin all cases of leprosy. Any one suspected of having this dreadful\ndisease, was to be examined by the Priest: if the Priest pronounced\nhis disease to be leprosy, he was at once considered unclean, and cut\noff from all communication with his fellow men. In like manner, if it\npleased God to take away the disease, the leper was to go again to the\nPriest to be examined, and if he pronounced him to be cured, the poor\nman was then considered clean, and restored to the society of his\nfellow creatures.\n\nWhen our Lord dismissed the leper, He told him to \"offer those things\nwhich Moses commanded.\" The ceremony of cleansing, to be observed by\nevery one who had been cured of leprosy, was as follows:--Two live and\nclean birds were to be taken, with cedar-wood, hyssop, and other\nthings; one of these birds was to be killed over a brook of running\nwater, and its blood received in an earthen vessel: the living bird,\nwith the other things mentioned, was to be dipped in the blood of the\ndead bird, and the leper was afterwards to be sprinkled with the\nblood. This was to show, as all sacrifices were intended to do, that\nsin and uncleanliness could only be done away with, by shedding the\nblood of the innocent and clean: and thus pointing out to all men,\nthat the blood of Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb of God, could alone\nwash away the sin of man.\n\nThe living bird was then to be let loose in the open fields, to\nsignify that the leper now cleansed from his plague, was free to go\nwhere he would amongst his fellow men. This was the ceremony which\nJesus bade the leper observe, and he was not to mention his cure until\nall was accomplished. For this there appear to have been two reasons:\nin the first place, Jesus did not wish His ministry to be disturbed,\nby the excitement which the knowledge of such a miracle would create\namongst the people, who on several occasions desired to make Him their\nking even on earth. In the second place, the Priests were so\nobstinately prejudiced against our Lord, that they would have been\nvery unwilling to pronounce the leper to be clean, had they known how\nhis cure had been effected: but when once they had declared him to be\nhealed, they could not unsay their own words.\n\nThe healing of this leper, was the plainest proof that Christ could\ngive of His being indeed the Son of God; for there was a tradition\nuniversally believed by the Jews, that when the Messiah should come,\nHe would cure the leprosy.\n\nThe leper did not keep silence, but began to publish it abroad, and so\nmuch the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes\ncame together to hear, and \"to be healed of their infirmities;\ninsomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter the city,\" without\nexciting that attention, which at present He wished to avoid: and \"He\nwithdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed\": but even here, \"they\ncame to him from every quarter.\"\n\n\"And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was\nnoised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered\ntogether, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so\nmuch as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.\" When we\nread of the multitudes who crowded to hear Jesus, it does seem sad\nthat so few profited by what they heard: let us try not to be only\n\"hearers of the word, but doers also.\"\n\nOne day, when Jesus was thus teaching, with Pharisees and doctors of\nthe law, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and\nJerusalem, sitting by, a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed which\nwas borne of four, was brought to be healed.\n\nThe palsy is a sad disease, which often takes away the use of the legs\nand arms, and renders the poor sufferer perfectly helpless; nor can\nthe physician restore the use of the limbs.\n\nThose who had brought this poor man on a kind of litter, sought means\nto bring him into the house, and lay him before Jesus: and when they\nfound that they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they went\nupon the house-top, and uncovered the roof where he was; and when they\nhad broken it up, they let the poor man down through the tiling with\nhis couch, into the midst of the multitude, before Jesus. The Jewish\nhouses, as we must remember, were only one story high; and in the flat\nroof was an opening, leading directly to the room below.\n\nThis opening was closed by a flat door; but it seems that when they\nhad uncovered the opening, by removing the trapdoor, the aperture was\nnot large enough for the litter to pass through it; and therefore they\nbroke up some of the roof, so as to enlarge the opening, and when they\nhad done this, they fastened ropes to the four corners of the sick\nman's bed, and so let him down at Jesus's feet. The trouble they had\ntaken to bring to Him a man, who, as they well knew, could not be\ncured by any human creature, showed that those who brought him,\nbelieved that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, able to heal all manner\nof diseases. And they received the blessing sought in faith.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XII.--CALLING OF MATTHEW.\n\n\nWhen Jesus saw the faith of those who had brought the man sick of the\npalsy, He said, \"Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.\"\nThese words offended the Scribes (or Doctors) and the Pharisees who\nwere sitting there; and they said within themselves, or thought, \"This\nman blasphemeth,\" that is, He takes to himself a power which no human\nbeing can possess, for \"Who can forgive sins, but God alone?\" Here\nthey were right: no _man could_ forgive sin, nor with a word take away\nthe diseases consequent upon sin.\n\nThe Scribes and Pharisees do not appear to have even spoken their\nthoughts to each other, but Jesus, by the Spirit of God which was in\nHim, perceived that they so reasoned within themselves; \"and knowing\ntheir thoughts, He answering, said unto them, Why reason ye these\nthings, and think evil in your hearts?\" that is, why do ye think evil\nof Me, and condemn Me as guilty of blasphemy, because I have spoken\nsuch words? Then Jesus asked them, \"Whether is it easier to say to the\nsick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and\ntake up thy bed and walk?\" Thus Jesus reminded the Scribes and\nPharisees, that to heal a man sick of the palsy was as impossible for\na man, as to forgive sin; and that therefore He who could do such\nthings, must be indeed the Son of God: and he instantly gave this\nproof of his being the Messiah, saying, \"But that ye may know that the\nSon of man hath power on earth to forgive sins\"--no more _words_ were\nnecessary, the sentence was ended by an action; for turning to the\nsick of the palsy, he saith, \"I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy\nbed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he rose up\nbefore them, and took up the bed whereon he lay,\" that is, the\nmattress, rolled it up, \"and went forth before them all, and departed\nto his own house, glorifying God.\" Had the Pharisees and Scribes been\nreally anxious to know the truth, praying to God to show it to them,\nthis miracle must indeed have convinced them that Jesus was the\nMessiah; but their hearts were hardened against believing in a\nMessiah, who did not come as a king in earthly power and glory.\n\nBut whilst the Scribes and Pharisees would not believe the evidence of\ntheir own eyes, the poorer people were less obstinate. When they saw\nthe poor sick man walk away completely cured, the multitude were all\namazed at such a wonderful proof of the power of God. \"And they said,\nWe have seen strange things to-day: we never saw it on this fashion:\nand they glorified God, which had given such power unto men.\" Perhaps\nsome of these people became real and true followers of Christ: but\nmany of them, notwithstanding all they had seen, did not like to give\nup their sins, so as to become holy, as Christ's disciples must be.\nWe think it strange that men could see such miracles, and not believe\nand follow Jesus: but do we do everything that He bids us? and yet we\n_know Him_ to be the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. Let us take\ncare that we do not love our sins, so as to make us unwilling to be\ntrue followers of Jesus Christ.\n\nAfter these things, we read that as Jesus was walking by the Sea of\nGalilee, He saw \"a man, a publican named Levi,\" also called Matthew,\n\"sitting at the receipt of custom.\" A publican was a tax-gatherer; one\nwho was appointed by the Romans to collect the taxes which they\nrequired the inhabitants of Judaea to pay. The Jews disliked paying\ntaxes very much, because it was a mark of their being under the\ndominion of Gentile rulers: and therefore they hated all publicans or\ntax-gatherers. In general, too, the bad characters and ill conduct of\nthese men did not tend to make men like them: the Romans were in the\nhabit of farming out the taxes; that is, they appointed some person\nwho was willing to give them a certain sum of money, and take his\nchance of what taxes he could collect. If the taxes he collected did\nnot amount to as much as the sum he had paid to the Romans, of course\nhe was the loser: if, on the contrary, the taxes came to more than\nwhat he had to give to the Romans, he was the gainer: thus the\npublicans, having paid a large sum of money for the privilege of\ncollecting the taxes, were anxious to collect as much as possible, in\norder to have more for themselves: and so they often oppressed the\npeople, by making them pay more than was right; and of course the\npeople could not like those whom they found so troublesome and unjust,\nand therefore they hated the whole class of tax-gatherers.\n\nLevi, or Matthew, of whom we are speaking, was a Jew, who had taken\nthe office of tax-gatherer under the Romans: his particular business\nseems to have been to receive the money, which every person who\ncarried goods across the Sea of Galilee was obliged to pay as a tax to\ntheir Roman masters. Matthew was sitting in his appointed place for\nthe receipt, or receiving, of \"custom,\" that is, of the tax which it\nwas the custom to pay on landing, when our Lord passed by and saw him.\n\nThe Pharisees and Scribes looked upon all publicans, whether they were\nJews or not, as heathens, unfit to be even spoken to: they would not\neven try to make them better, as they chose to think that God had\nquite cast them off. Jesus taught a very different lesson, and showed\nthat God is ready to receive all who will repent of their sins and\nfollow Him. Jesus, who sees what thoughts and feelings are in the\nheart of every one, made choice of Matthew as a fit man to be one of\nHis constant attendants, and therefore, when he saw him sitting at the\nreceipt of custom, \"He said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose\nup, and followed him.\" At once, without doubt or hesitation, Matthew\nleft all and followed Jesus: now, Jesus calls all of us when we are\nbaptized; but how few of us try to follow Him really and truly? We\nmight perhaps think that it was wrong of Matthew thus to leave his\nbusiness and go away, because then the people who crossed the sea\nwould not pay the tax required by the Romans: but as he had paid money\nto the Romans for the situation, they would not be cheated out of the\ntax: he himself would be the only sufferer. If this had not been the\ncase, he _would_ have been wrong to go away before some other person\nwas appointed in his place: for the Bible teaches us, that we must do\nour duty to man fairly and faithfully, in whatever state of life we\nare. By doing our earthly business honestly and well, we serve God: if\nour business takes up too much of our thoughts, and makes us forget\nGod and neglect His worship, then we must give up our business; for we\nshould always think _first_ of pleasing God.\n\nThe next event we hear of in our Saviour's life is, that with His\nusual obedience to the Law, He went up to Jerusalem to keep a \"feast\nof the Jews\": most probably the feast of Tabernacles; a feast\ncelebrated in the Autumn, as a thanksgiving for the harvest or\nin-gathering of corn, grapes for wine, and all other fruits of the\nearth: this feast was also intended to remind them of the journeyings\nof their forefathers in the wilderness, where they lived in booths or\ntents for forty years; and therefore they were to keep it, by dwelling\nfor seven days in booths, made of the branches of trees.\n\nIt seems that by the Sheep Gate, on the eastern side of Jerusalem,\nthere was a pool of water, in which at a certain time of the year God\nshowed His almighty power, by the miraculous cure of any sick person,\nwho, after the troubling or stirring up of the water, first stepped\ninto the pool. By this pool was a building, having five porches,\nthrough which the unclean went down to wash in the pool. This building\nwas properly called Bethesda, a Hebrew word, meaning the House of\nMercy; and the pool was from it called the pool of Bethesda. Jesus\nvisited this place, where, in the porches, \"lay a great multitude of\nimpotent folk,\" that is, people who were unable to help themselves on\naccount of blindness, or of diseases which took away the use of their\nlegs and arms. These poor creatures were waiting for the moving of the\nwaters; each hoping that he might be the one to get first into the\npool, and be cured. Amongst these was a certain man, who had been\nunable to walk for thirty-eight years. Jesus chose this man as the\nobject of a miracle, and saith unto him, \"Wilt thou be made whole?\"\nThe poor man, thinking only of the pool, told the Lord that he had no\nchance of being healed, for he had no friends to help him; and that\nlong before he could drag himself to the water, some other person was\nsure to step in and secure the blessing. Jesus then \"saith unto him,\nRise, take up thy bed, and walk.\"\n\nWhether this poor man had heard of Jesus before, we do not know; but\nhe at once showed his faith, by _trying_ to do, what he knew he _could\nnot_ do, unless he received some miraculous help from God. How\ndelighted he must have been, when he found that a perfect cure was the\nreward of his faith and obedience!\n\nIt was on a Sabbath day that this miracle was worked; and the Jews,\nprobably the Scribes and Pharisees, found fault with the man, saying,\n\"It is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed on the Sabbath day.\" This\nwas so far true, that in the Law it was written, \"Take heed to\nyourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day\"; and the Pharisees,\nand others who were fond of adding to the outward observances of the\nLaw, and of keeping traditions, reckoned a man guilty of breaking the\nLaw, if he even carried anything in his hand on the Sabbath day. When\nthe Jews blamed this man, he answered very properly, that he could not\nbe wrong in obeying the commands of one who had showed that he had\npower from God, by healing him of his disease. The Jews allowed that a\nprophet had power to excuse men from the strict observance of the\nSabbath; and, as Jesus had proved Himself to be more than a prophet,\nthey could say no more on that subject; but wishing to have something\nto find fault with, they asked the man, \"What man is that which said\nunto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?\" This question the man could not\nanswer, for he \"wist not who it was, for Jesus had conveyed Himself\naway\" after working the miracle at the pool of Bethesda.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIII.--THE PHARISEES' PRETENDED ZEAL FOR THE SABBATH.\n\n\nThe man whom Jesus had healed at the pool of Bethesda, seems to have\nmade the first use of his restored power by going into the House of\nGod, to thank and praise Him for having been made whole. Jesus,\nfinding him in the temple, bade him remember the cure which had been\nworked upon him, and show his gratitude by forsaking all his sins and\nleading a holy life, so that he might not bring upon himself far more\nterrible sufferings than any which he could feel upon earth. The man\nnow understood who had cured him, and went \"and told the Jews that it\nwas Jesus which had made him whole\": evidently believing that Jesus\nwas the Messiah, and that His command was quite sufficient to justify\na man for doing that which was not strictly lawful on the Sabbath day.\nThe Jews, however, would not allow this: therefore did they \"persecute\nJesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the\nSabbath day.\"\n\nJesus, then, in a conversation of which St. John gives us an account,\ntried to convince the Jews that He was indeed the Messiah, and as\nsuch, _had_ authority even to heal on the Sabbath. On this occasion He\ngave the Jews advice that all of us should listen to and follow; for\nHe said, \"Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal\nlife: and they are they which testify of me.\" The Jews believed that\nthe Scriptures of the Old Testament, which were all that at that time\nwere written, were indeed the Word of God, and that they showed them\nhow to obtain eternal life: Jesus therefore bids them read and study\nthem honestly and carefully, and that they would then see that He must\nbe the Messiah, of whom those Scriptures testify or speak. We know\nthat the New Testament as well as the Old, is the Word of God; and\nthat it shows us the way to eternal life. Let us then obey our Lord's\ncommand, and search the Scriptures, that we may learn His will in\norder to do it.\n\nJesus also told the Jews, that Moses, whom they pretended to obey\nexactly, wrote of Him; and that if they really believed Moses, and\nwished to obey the Law, they would acknowledge Him to be indeed the\nMessiah, of whom Moses and all the prophets had written. All that\nJesus said, does not seem to have had any effect; for on the next\nSabbath, something of the same kind happened. The disciples who were\nfollowing Jesus through the corn-fields, being hungry, began to pluck\nthe ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands, to take off the husk,\nand eating them as they went. It might seem to us that the disciples\nhad no right to take ears of corn which did not belong to them, but\nthis was, under the circumstances, allowed by the Law of Moses, or the\nLevitical Law: a hungry man, who was passing through standing corn,\nmight pluck the ears with his hand to satisfy his wants, though he was\nforbidden \"to move a sickle unto his neighbour's standing corn.\"\n\nThe Pharisees, who were constantly watching for an opportunity to find\nfault, now asked Jesus, why He allowed his disciples to do what was\nnot lawful for them to do on the Sabbath day.\n\nFor very many years the Jews had neglected to observe the Sabbath in a\nproper manner, and this neglect of a positive command, had been one\ncause of the destruction of their kingdom, and of all the misery they\nafterwards suffered. Now their descendants had gone into another sin,\nand instead of making the Sabbath a day of rest from worldly cares,--a\nday to be devoted to the service of God, and to thinking of all His\nmercies,--they made so many rules as to what might or might not be\ndone, that the most common and necessary actions, such as healing the\nsick, or saving the life of an animal, came to be looked upon as\nunlawful, and therefore sinful. Jesus reminded the Jews who thus\nblamed His disciples, that David was not considered to have broken the\nLaw of Moses, because once, when pressed by hunger, he and his\nfollowers had eaten the shewbread, which it \"was not lawful to eat,\nbut for the priests alone.\" He also told them, that no one accused the\nPriests of breaking the Law, because on the Sabbath day they, in\nperforming the temple services, did things in themselves forbidden on\nthat holy day. Jesus ended by declaring, that \"the Sabbath was made\nfor man, and not man for the Sabbath\": that is, that the Sabbath was\nmeant for the benefit of mankind, as well as for the glory of God, and\nnot to be an oppressive burden; and that the Son of man was Lord also\nof the Sabbath, and had therefore power to dispense with its rigorous\nobservance; and that if they had understood the meaning of God's\nwords, \"I will have mercy and not sacrifice,\" they would not have been\nso ready to blame His disciples, as if they had been guilty of a\ncrime, merely because, to relieve the pangs of hunger, they had\nplucked a few ears of corn on the Sabbath day.\n\nOn another Sabbath, Jesus went into a synagogue and taught: and\nbehold, there was a man whose right hand was withered; that is, his\nhand was so shrunk and dried up, that he could make no use of it. The\nScribes and Pharisees, thinking it likely that Jesus would heal this\nman in spite of its being the Sabbath day, watched him; that they\nmight find an accusation against him. \"But he knew their thoughts\" and\npurposes, and said to the man with the withered hand, \"Rise up, and\nstand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth\" in the sight\nof all the people in the synagogue. \"And the Scribes and Pharisees\nseeing this, asked him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? that\nthey might accuse him.\" One party of Jews, in their mistaken zeal for\nthe strict observance of the Sabbath, had come to the extraordinary\ndecision, that no one might comfort the sick or mourning on that day;\nthough another party did permit the people to prepare medicine, and to\nperform any service which was required for the actual preservation of\nlife. Instead of answering a question only put for the purpose of\nhaving something to accuse Him of, Jesus said unto them, \"I will ask\nyou one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good or to do\nevil? To save life or to destroy it?\" for He knew that they wished to\ndestroy Him, whilst He only wanted to do good to a suffering human\ncreature. Whatever might be their wishes, they could not openly\ndeclare that it was more lawful to do evil than good; therefore they\nmade no answer, but held their peace. \"And he said unto them, What man\nshall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall\ninto a pit on the Sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it\nout? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is\nlawful to do well on the Sabbath days.\" To such words the Jews could\nmake no answer. Jesus, grieved to see the hardness of heart that\nprevented the Pharisees believing in Him, and made them angry instead\nof glad, to see a fellow-creature relieved; \"looked round about on\nthem with anger, and saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand\":\nthe man had faith to try, and the power to do so was given to him; \"he\nstretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.\"\nThen the Pharisees, almost beside themselves with anger, are said to\nhave been filled with madness; and they went forth, with the\nHerodians, and straightway held a council against him; and communed\none with another, what they might do to Jesus, and how they might\ndestroy him. It is sad to think that all the proofs of our Saviour's\npower, only made the Pharisees and others more and more anxious to put\nHim to death.\n\nWhen we read such accounts as these, let us be thankful for our\nSabbaths, and try to keep them holy; spending our time in worshipping\nGod, in learning our duty, and in doing good to others. Above all, let\nus take particular care to be holy on this holy day; and not to do the\nleast wrong thing, on a day which is called the Lord's Day.\n\nThe time was not yet come for Jesus to give up His life, and\ntherefore, knowing that the Pharisees sought to destroy Him, He\nwithdrew Himself from Jerusalem, and went with his disciples into\nGalilee \"to the sea; and a great multitude followed him\" from all\nparts, even from beyond Jordan; and also many of the inhabitants of\nTyre and Sidon, having heard what great things Jesus had done, came\nunto him. As many as had plagues or diseases \"pressed upon him for to\ntouch him,\" and he healed them all. \"And unclean spirits, when they\nsaw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of\nGod.\" Thus was fulfilled what had been said 700 years before by the\nprophet Isaiah, who declared that when the Messiah should come to set\nup a new Law, even the Gospel, He would use no force nor violence, but\ndo it entirely by kindness; and by showing an example of kindness and\nforbearance to the weak, encouraging them to become better. The\nprophet's words, put into his mouth by God, were, \"Behold, my servant,\nwhom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I\nwill put my spirit upon him; and he shall show judgment to the\nGentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his\nvoice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking\nflax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.\nAnd in his name shall the Gentiles trust.\"\n\nAn _example_ of goodness and holiness and kindness, has more effect\nthan all that can be _said_ on the subject. By the piety and good\nconduct of the followers of Jesus, men were led to take the same part,\nand thus by the blessing of God, has the Gospel spread over the earth.\nAll Christians should remember this, and try to show by their conduct\nthat they are followers of Jesus. Even children can set an example to\nother children, either for good or evil: but if they do it for evil,\nthey are doing the work of the Devil.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIV.--THE APOSTLES CHOSEN.\n\n\nAs Jesus was to live only for a short time on earth, it was needful\nthat He should leave behind Him others who should carry on His work,\nand preach the Gospel after His death. But if these men were to repeat\nto others the words which Jesus had spoken, and show them the\nwonderful things which He had done, it was necessary that they should\nbe constantly with their Lord, so as to be able to bear witness as to\nall that He had said or done.\n\nDuring the time that our Saviour had been teaching and healing the\nsick, many persons had become His followers, besides those whom He had\nespecially called to be His disciples. From amongst the number of\nthose who had become disciples, twelve were now to be chosen, to be in\nconstant attendance upon their Master, that they might, after his\ndeath, bear witness to His life, and actions, and teaching.\n\nThe night before this choice was to be made Jesus \"Went out into a\nmountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.\" Thus He\nset us an example of the way in which we should prepare ourselves for\nany important work we have to do; and that is, by asking guidance and\nhelp from our heavenly Father.\n\n\"And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples whom he would;\nand they came unto him: and of them he chose twelve (whom also he\nnamed Apostles) that they should be with him, and that he might send\nthem forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to\ncast out devils.\" He ordained twelve--Simon (whom he also named Peter)\nand Andrew his brother; and \"James the son of Zebedee, and John the\nbrother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons\nof thunder; and Philip, and Bartholomew; and Matthew, and Thomas; and\nJames the son of Alphaeus, and Judas Thaddaeus, the brother of James;\nand Simon the Canaanite, called Zelotes; and Judas Iscariot, which\nalso betrayed him.\"\n\nWe have already seen how Andrew, Simon Peter, James and John the sons\nof Zebedee, Philip, and Matthew, were called in the first instance to\nbe the disciples of Jesus: Bartholomew, who was also ordained an\nApostle, is supposed to be the same person spoken of as Nathanael, who\nbeing brought to Jesus by Philip, at once acknowledged Him to be the\nSon of God, and became one of His disciples. Of the other five\napostles, we know nothing previous to their being now chosen: to the\nname of one, there is a terrible distinction, \"who also betrayed him\";\nand in the three accounts of this event, written by different writers,\nhe is thus pointed out as \"the traitor.\" Of the twelve Apostles, five\nhave left us valuable records of our Saviour's life and teaching.\n\nYou will remember that in the Bible we have Four Gospels; that is,\nfour different accounts of our Lord's sayings and doings whilst on\nearth, and of the Gospel which He came to teach. The first of these\nwas written by Matthew, about five years after the death of Jesus\nChrist. The Gospels \"according to St. Mark and St. Luke,\" were written\nabout twenty-seven years later: St. Luke was a disciple of Christ's\nbefore His crucifixion, and St. Mark was probably one also, but\nneither of them was an Apostle. As the Gospel of St. Matthew gives an\naccount of the birth of Jesus Christ, St. Mark's says nothing on the\nsubject, but begins with the public appearance of John the Baptist;\nwhilst, on the contrary, that of St. Luke gives many particulars\nomitted by St. Matthew. St. John, who lived to be 100 years old, did\nnot write his Gospel until sixty-four years after the death of Christ:\nhe seems to have written it, in order to tell us many things not\nmentioned in the former Gospels, particularly the conversations and\ndiscourses of our Lord: and he repeats very little of what is recorded\nby the other Evangelists, as we call those who wrote the Gospels. Out\nof the four Evangelists, two were Apostles also, and two were not. St.\nLuke has also left us another very valuable record, of the acts done\nby the Apostles after our Saviour's death: this is the only history of\nall that the Apostles did and said, and it is called \"The Book of the\nActs of the Apostles.\" Before St. John wrote his Gospel, he wrote what\nis called \"The Book of the Revelation of St. John,\" being an account\nof visions vouchsafed him, and prophecies made known to him, whilst in\nbanishment in the isle of Patmos, on account of his religion.\n\nSt. John also wrote three of the Epistles, or Letters, which form part\nof the New Testament. Peter wrote two Epistles, James and Jude, or\nJudas Thaddaeus, each one: but the greater number of the Epistles were\nwritten by St. Paul, who did not become a disciple or follower of\nJesus until after the crucifixion.\n\nThe Jewish Rabbis preferred to take as their pupils and disciples,\nrich and learned men; but, as we have seen, Jesus chose poor and\nignorant men, to show that learning was not necessary to enable men to\nunderstand the Gospel; for that its truths are so plain, that even the\nmost ignorant person, who in his heart loves God, can understand the\nGospel, and learn how to please God.\n\nMultitudes of the people continued to come to Christ, to hear him, and\nto be healed of their diseases: he healed them all, and also tried to\nshow them how they ought to behave, in order to obtain the blessing of\nGod. Seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and there\nspake all the words which we call the \"Sermon on the Mount\": an\naccount of this Sermon is given to us both by St. Matthew and St.\nLuke. All Christians should study it, and try to obey it: even\nchildren can understand a good deal of it, if they will try.\n\nWhen Jesus \"had ended his sayings,\" and was come down from the Mount,\n\"he entered into Capernaum, where at this time He worked the miracle\nof healing the Centurion's servant.\" A Centurion, amongst the Romans,\nwas the captain or commander of 100 men. This Centurion, though he was\nhimself a Gentile, was kindly disposed towards the Jews, and had at\nhis own expense built a synagogue for their use: he also believed in\nJesus as the Son of God; and did not doubt that at His word the\ndisease of which his servant was dying would at once be removed:\ntherefore, not thinking himself worthy even to speak to the Lord, he\nsent unto Him the elders of the Jews; probably the elders belonging to\nthe synagogue he had built. Jesus immediately went with these elders;\nbut when they got near the Centurion's house, some of his friends came\nat his desire, to beg that Jesus would not trouble himself to come,\nfor if He would only speak the word, his servant would be healed. It\nwould seem that the Centurion himself quickly followed the last\nmessengers; and he received the reward of his faith, for his servant\nwas healed, and at the same time Jesus told those about Him, that the\nCenturion had shown more faith than He had found amongst the Jews; and\nthat many Gentiles would through their faith be received into the\nKingdom of Heaven, whilst many of the Jews would be shut out, on\naccount of their wilful unbelief.\n\nThe next miracle we hear of, was the bringing to life of the widow's\nson, who was being carried out of Nain to be buried, when Jesus came\nto the gate of that city. \"And there came a fear on all\" who saw these\nthings: \"and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen\nup among us; and that God hath visited his people.\" These people\nrightly felt, that the Doer of such things must indeed be the Messiah:\nand this saying was spread abroad, not only throughout all Judaea, but\nthroughout all the region round about. \"And the disciples of John\"\nwent to him in prison, where he had been, as we have heard, put by\nHerod; \"and shewed him of all these things.\" \"Now when John had heard\nin the prison the works of Christ, he, calling unto him two of his\ndisciples, sent them to Jesus,\" telling them to say, \"Art thou he that\nshould come, or do we look for another?\" John did not send to ask this\nquestion for his own satisfaction; he knew well enough that Jesus was\nindeed the Messiah that \"should come,\" and that no other was to be\nlooked for: but he wanted to strengthen the faith of his own\ndisciples, and convince them that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, and\nthat they must follow Him.\n\n\"When the men\" whom John had sent \"were come unto\" Jesus, \"they said,\nJohn Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should\ncome? or look we for another?\"\n\nThis question our Lord did not immediately answer, in words, at least;\nbut \"in the same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues,\nand of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind, he gave sight.\"\n\nThen Jesus, answering the question put to Him by the disciples of\nJohn, said unto them, \"Go your way, and tell John what things ye have\nseen and heard; how that the blind receive their sight, and the lame\nwalk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised\nup, and the poor have the Gospel preached unto them.\" The Jews all\nknew perfectly well, that the doing of all these wondrous miracles was\nto be a sign to point out the Messiah, for the prophets had declared\nthat He should do them. Now these things were being done every day,\nand therefore it was quite clear, to all who were not determined not\nto believe, that he who did them was the promised Messiah, the Son of\nGod. All who heard what Jesus now said must have understood Him to\nmean that He was the promised Messiah, and that they need not look for\nanother.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XV.--JESUS IN SIMON'S HOUSE.\n\n\nWhen the Baptist's messengers were gone away, Jesus spake to the\nmultitude about him; telling them that John was the messenger spoken\nof by the prophet Malachi--the Elias, who was to come before the\nMessiah. He also told them, that John the Baptist was more than a\nprophet, but that the humblest follower of Christ might become greater\nthan he was. Many other things spake Jesus unto the people: those who\nwere humble, and felt that they were sinners, gladly accepted the\noffer of forgiveness, on the condition of repentance; but the\nPharisees and Scribes, who thought themselves righteous, neglected His\ngracious offers of mercy.\n\nIt seems that before Jesus left Nain, where He had raised the widow's\nson, a Pharisee named Simon \"desired him that he would eat with him.\nAnd he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.\" Whilst\nhe sat, or rather reclined upon a couch, as was the custom at meals in\nthose days, a woman, well known to have been a great sinner, came \"and\nstood at his feet behind him, weeping; and began to wash his feet with\ntears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his\nfeet, and anointed them with the ointment\" which she had brought.\n\nThe Pharisees considered themselves too holy even to touch any person\nwhom they looked upon as a sinner: when, therefore, the master of the\nhouse saw that Jesus allowed this woman to touch Him, he said within\nhimself (or thought), \"This man, if he were a prophet, would have\nknown what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a\nsinner.\" Meaning, that if Jesus had known how greatly this woman had\nsinned, He would not have allowed her to touch Him. But Jesus did know\nall, and _more_ than the Pharisee knew; for He knew that this woman,\nhowever sinful she had been, was now truly sorry for her sins, and\nanxious to lead a better life; and such truly penitent sinners He was,\nand is, always ready to receive. Jesus therefore, knowing what Simon's\nthoughts were, spake to him, and told him a little parable, to show\nhim that this poor woman, whom he so despised, had given proofs of\ngreater love towards Himself than Simon had done; and He ended by\nturning to the repentant woman, and saying the comforting words, \"Thy\nsins are forgiven.\" With what joy must the poor sinner have heard\nthese words! But we are not told what her feelings or words were; we\nare only told, that \"they that sat at meat with him began to say\nwithin themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?\" They might\neasily have known that He could be none other than the Son of God, the\nMessiah; but they would not own as such a poor man who went about\namongst publicans and sinners.\n\nThat He did show such love towards sinners, is our greatest comfort;\nfor we are all sinners, and stand greatly in need of His mercy.\nKnowing how the Pharisees were offended by His words, He only repeated\nHis assurance to the woman in other words; saying, \"Thy faith hath\nsaved thee; go in peace.\" Her faith had brought her to Jesus; and\nthose who come to Him in faith and penitence, He will in no wise cast\nout.\n\nIn the parable which Jesus spake to Simon, reference is made to two\ncustoms of the Jews: one, washing the feet, or making the servants\nwash the feet, of every guest, to remove the dust which must settle on\nthe feet during the shortest journey; the other, the custom of\nwelcoming a distinguished guest with a kiss, as a sign of respectful\nattention and love.\n\nJesus continued to go throughout the country of Galilee, \"preaching\nand showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve\nwere with him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil\nspirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven\ndevils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna,\nand many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.\" These\nwomen, one of whom, at least, had been delivered from bondage to\nSatan, having \"substance,\" that is, some property of their own, seem\nto have been constant attendants upon our Lord, and to have supplied\nHis temporal wants. Jesus so devoted himself to the work He had\nundertaken, that from the constant thronging of people around Him, He\nhad not time \"so much as to eat bread.\"\n\nAt this time there was brought to Jesus a wretched object, a man\npossessed with a devil, who was also blind and dumb: \"and he healed\nhim,\" so that the man who had been blind and dumb both saw and spake.\nThe multitudes marvelled, saying, \"It was never so seen in\nIsrael\"--never before had such things been done in the land of Israel;\nand therefore the multitude rightly felt, that He who could do such\nwonderful things must be a very different Being from any of their\nteachers, or from the prophets or holy men of old.\n\nSeeing the wonderful miracles worked by Jesus, \"all the people were\namazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David?\"--that is, is not this\nMan, who can cast out devils, the Messiah of David's seed, so long\npromised to our fathers and to us?\n\nThese people saw the truth; but the Scribes and Pharisees laboured\nhard to prevent their accepting Jesus as the promised Messiah: and\nthey immediately declared, that the evil spirits were only cast out by\nthe permission of Beelzebub, or Satan, the prince of the devils; and\nthat therefore, so far from proving Jesus to be the Messiah, these\nmiracles showed that He was under the power of the Devil, and that no\none ought to listen to His teaching. This was dreadful blasphemy; and\nmight have drawn upon them the immediate wrath of God: but instead of\npunishing them, Jesus tried to show them and all the people, how\nfoolish it was to suppose that the Devil would fight against himself,\nand undo his own work. But when people are determined not to listen to\nthose who warn them of their sins, and point out their duty, they will\nbelieve, or pretend to believe, anything however foolish, that gives\nthem an excuse for not listening to good advice.\n\nJesus warned the Pharisees, that speaking of the work done by the Holy\nSpirit of God as being done by the Devil was a most fearful sin; and\none for which there could be no forgiveness.\n\nJesus also told the people, that if the heart of a man was not full of\nfaith and love, it would be as impossible for him to do anything\npleasing to God, as it would be for a bad tree to bring forth good\nfruit; for the quality of the tree is known by its fruits; and the\nheart of man is known by his conduct and actions.\n\nCertain of the Scribes and Pharisees, asked Jesus to give them a sign\nof His being indeed the Son of God. This was displeasing to the Lord,\nfor His miracles were a sufficient sign of His having come from\nHeaven; and from the writings of their own prophets, the Jews should\nhave understood, that the promised Messiah whilst on earth would be in\na humble condition, and be finally put to death for the sins of His\npeople. Jesus therefore told the Scribes and Pharisees, that no\nfurther sign of His being the Messiah would be given, than the sign of\nthe prophet Jonas, or Jonah. \"For as Jonas was three days and three\nnights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and\nthree nights in the heart of the earth.\" The meaning of this was, that\nthe only further sign they could expect as to His being the Messiah,\nwould be that one, of which Jonas was a type (or sign): for that as\nJonas, though buried in the whale's body, came out alive; so He would\nbe buried in the ground for three days, and then rise up again to live\nfor ever. Then Jesus took occasion to show the Pharisees, that they\nwere more sinful in the eyes of God than the men of Nineveh, \"because\n_they_ repented at the preaching of Jonas,\" whilst the Scribes and\nPharisees refused to listen to Him, who was far greater than Jonas.\n\nMany other things Jesus said unto the people, teaching them also by\nparables. One parable spoken at this time was that of the Sower.\nAfterwards, when they were alone, the disciples asked Jesus the\nmeaning of this parable, which He immediately explained: teaching them\nthat many may hear the Gospel, and receive no benefit from it; either\nbecause they listen carelessly; or because, having listened, they have\nnot faith to hold its doctrines fast when temptations and trials come;\nor because they allow the cares and pleasures of life to take up too\nmuch of their hearts, and so prevent their serving God properly. None\nof these will be the better for hearing the Word: but those who listen\nto it with a sincere and honest intention of obeying it, and pray to\nGod for grace to do so, striving at the same time to root out all\nthose sinful feelings and passions which, like stones and thorns,\nprevent their bringing forth the fruit of good works; those, and those\nonly, will bear fruit pleasing unto the Lord.\n\nLet us learn from this parable to listen attentively to the Word of\nGod, and try to do whatever it bids us.\n\nOther parables, which seem to have been delivered at this time, are\nthose of the Tares, the Grain of Mustard Seed, and the Leaven: \"and\nwith many such parables spake he the word unto them\"; \"and when they\nwere alone, he expounded all things to his disciples,\" and added the\nparables of the Hidden Treasure, the Goodly Pearl, and the Net. \"And\nit came to pass when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed\nthence.\"\n\nAfter this, Jesus went down to the Lake of Gennesareth, \"and said\nunto his disciples, Let us go over unto the otter side of the lake.\"\n\"And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.\" And\nthere were also with him other little \"ships.\" \"And they launched\nforth.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVI.--STILLING THE TEMPEST, ETC.\n\n\nThe Lake of Gennesareth, or Sea of Galilee, is a large body of water;\nand the River Jordan, which runs through it, causes at all times a\nconsiderable motion in the centre of the lake; when the wind blows\nstrongly from the S.E., and meets the current of the river, the sea\nbecomes so rough, that any small vessels are in the greatest danger,\nand in this way many are lost. We read, that as they sailed, Jesus\nfell asleep. We must remember, that for our sakes Jesus had become\nsubject to all the pains of hunger, fatigue, cold, &c.; well might He,\ntherefore, be tired out with his continual labours, for He never\nspared Himself, or consulted his own ease or comfort; but was always\nat work, going from one place to another, doing good to others. What a\ndifference between Him and us! For we are unwilling to deny ourselves\nin the least thing for the sake of saving trouble to others; nor are\nwe willing to give up our own wills, even for the sake of pleasing\nGod.\n\nWhilst Jesus and his disciples were now crossing the Lake of\nGennesareth, \"there came down a storm of wind on the lake,\" and a\n\"great tempest in the sea,\" \"insomuch that the ship was covered with\nthe waves,\" and was filled with water, and in great danger of sinking.\n\"And Jesus was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow.\"\nThe disciples knew where to look for help; they were in jeopardy or\ndanger, so they \"came to Him and awoke him, saying, Master, carest\nthou not that we perish? Lord, save us: we perish!\"\n\nThe fears of the Apostles were at this time stronger than their faith;\nthey should have felt that sleeping or waking their Lord could\npreserve them through every danger. For this they were blamed, for \"he\nsaith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?\" but He had\ncompassion on their weakness, for \"he arose, and rebuked the winds and\nthe raging of the water: and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And\nthe wind ceased, and there was a great calm.\" After a great storm the\nwaves naturally continue rough for some hours, but now at a word the\nwaters of the lake became at once smooth and still. This sudden\nceasing of the storm filled the Apostles, accustomed as they were to\nsee wonderful works done by Jesus, with astonishment and awe. We are\ntold, that \"the men marvelled, and they feared exceedingly, and said\none to another, What manner of man is this? for he commandeth even the\nwinds and the water, and they obey him.\" Such a miracle must have\nstrengthened the faith of the disciples, and convinced them more and\nmore, that he who could do such things, was indeed no mere man, but\nthe Son of God, the Ruler of the universe, to whom all things do bow\nand obey. The voyage was now over; the ship reached the shore; and\nJesus and His disciples came into the country of the Gadarenes, or\nGergesenes, where Jesus immediately performed another miracle, on a\nman possessed with devils, exceeding fierce. Jesus, pitying the\ncondition of this unhappy man, commanded the unclean spirit to come\nout of him. Then the devil who spake in this poor demoniac, cried out,\n\"What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?\nArt thou come hither to torment us before the time? I beseech thee,\ntorment me not.\" Even the devils acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah;\nand knew well that in the end of the world, all evil spirits would be\ndriven away into misery and darkness; but he now asks Him not to\ninterfere with his power before that time. To such a request Jesus\ncould not, of course, listen: and the devils, finding that they must\nleave the poor man whom they had so long tormented, then besought Him\nthat He would at least suffer them to go away into a herd of swine,\nwhich were feeding nigh unto the mountains, a good way off from them.\n\"And Jesus said unto them, Go.\" No sooner was the permission given,\nthan the evil spirits entered into the swine, and the whole herd ran\nviolently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters:\nand they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the\ncountry; and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.\n\nPigs were unclean animals, and it was therefore sinful of any Jew to\nkeep them: if the owners of these swine were Jews, they were justly\npunished for their disobedience. Perhaps the Gadarenes were not Jews,\nand kept these swine to show that they did not regard or obey the Law\nof Moses; if so, it was well for them to see that the Lord God of the\nHebrews could force men to obey His commands. When we read what\nhappened as soon as the evil spirits took possession of the swine, we\nshould remember the dreadful fate of all who suffer themselves to be\nled or guided by the Devil. There is no escape for them; the swine\ncould not help themselves, but the Devil has no more power over us now\nthan we choose to give him. If we resist him, he will not harm us; he\nwill try, and we may have to fight hard, but if we do, we shall be\nmore than conquerors through Jesus Christ.\n\nWe read that the keepers of the swine fled, and told how they had been\ndestroyed, and how the demoniac had been healed. The men of the city,\ngrieved at the loss of their property, and probably afraid that if\nJesus remained amongst them the same sort of thing might happen again,\nbesought Him to depart out of their coasts: a request in which the\nwhole multitude of the Gadarenes joined. They had better have besought\nHim to remain, and teach them what they should do. It is a dreadful\nthing to wish God to leave us undisturbed in our sins! The man who had\nbeen delivered from the power of the Devil, wished, on the contrary,\nto go away in the ship with Jesus and his disciples; but he was told\nrather to go home to his friends, and tell them what great things the\nLord had done for him. And he did so, and declared through all the\ncountry what great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did\nmarvel.\n\nAfter this, Levi, or Matthew, made a feast for Jesus in his own house;\nand a great company of Publicans, and of others, and of sinners, sat\ndown together with Jesus and his disciples. The Scribes and Pharisees\ntook occasion to find fault with this, and asked the disciples, \"How\nis it that your Master eateth with publicans and sinners?\" But Jesus\ntold them, that it was to do good to sinners that He was come upon\nearth: He reminded them that it was only sick people who had need of a\nphysician, and that those who thought themselves well, would not send\nfor one; and that it was the same with Him, for He was come as a\nPhysician to heal the souls of the sick, and that therefore He must go\namongst those who, feeling themselves to be sinners, wished for\npardon. The Pharisees thought themselves righteous, and therefore they\ndid not feel the need of a Saviour. After these things, Jesus appears\nto have returned into his own city, that is, to Capernaum, where He\nhad taken up His abode, at those times when He was not occupied in\ngoing about the country.\n\nHere a ruler of the synagogue, named Jairus, came to entreat Jesus to\ngo and heal his little daughter, who was dying. Jesus immediately went\nwith him, and on the way He cured a poor woman, whose faith was strong\nenough to make her believe that if she did but touch the hem of His\ngarment she should be made whole. Her hopes were not disappointed, and\nJesus commended her faith. While Jesus was yet speaking with her,\nmessengers came from the ruler's house to tell him that his daughter\nwas even now dead. The Lord, however, bid Jairus not to be afraid, for\nthat if he would only believe, his child should still be made whole.\nNo doubt the miracle that Jairus had just witnessed strengthened his\nfaith, and the result was, that his little daughter was restored to\nlife. On quitting the house of Jairus, two blind men followed our\nLord, who gave them sight; and He also enabled a dumb man to speak, by\ncasting out the devil which possessed him. The multitudes were filled\nwith wonder in seeing things which had never been so seen in Israel;\nbut the Pharisees again declared, \"He casteth out devils through the\nprince of the devils.\"\n\nJesus continued to teach, and to preach, and to heal sicknesses and\ndiseases, in spite of the unbelief of the people; for though they all\nmarvelled, and some doubtless became his disciples, many rejected Him,\nsaying, \"Is not this the carpenter's son?\" meaning that a man in such\na humble condition of life could not be the Messiah. After this, Jesus\ngave his Apostles a more solemn charge or commission for the work they\nwere to do. For He called the twelve together, and gave them power\nagainst unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of\nsickness, and all manner of disease; and then He sent them forth two\nby two to preach the Gospel, and to heal the sick. The Gospel was to\nbe first offered to the Jews, and therefore Jesus now commanded the\ntwelve, \"Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the\nSamaritans enter ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house\nof Israel.\" And as ye go say, \"The kingdom of heaven is at hand.\"\n\nJesus also bade the twelve not to make any provision of money or food\nfor their journey, but to depend on the charity of those to whom they\nshould preach: promising a blessing to those cities where they would\nbe well received. Many other things did He say unto them at this time:\nand when He \"had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He\ndeparted thence, to teach and to preach in their cities.\"\n\nAnd the twelve also departed, and went through the towns, preaching\nthe Gospel, that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and\nanointed with oil many that were sick, healing them everywhere.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVII.--DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.\n\n\nWe must now return to the history of John the Baptist; he was about\nthis time put to death by Herod, who, as we have already seen, had\nthrown the Baptist into prison to please Herodias, who was angry with\nhim because he had reproved her and Herod for their sins. But this\nwicked woman was not satisfied with the imprisonment of this holy man;\nshe wanted to destroy him, and watched for an opportunity of doing so.\nIt is a terrible thing to determine in one's heart to do a wicked\naction: it is bad enough to give way to temptation, and so sin against\nGod, but to make up one's mind to break His commandments, is far\nworse.\n\nAfter John the Baptist had been in prison for some months, Herod's\nbirthday came round; and to celebrate this event, the king made a\ngreat feast to the officers of his household, and the chief men in\nGalilee. On this occasion, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, came in\nand danced before Herod and his guests, in order to amuse them. This\nwas a very old custom among the kings of the East at that time, though\nto us it seems a very strange and bad custom. Herod and those who sat\nwith him, were very much pleased with the damsel's dancing; and Herod,\nvery rashly and foolishly, made a solemn promise, that he would, as a\nreward, give her anything she liked to ask for. \"And she went forth,\nand said unto her mother, What shall I ask?\" Herodias had probably\nexpected something of this kind; at any rate, she had an answer ready,\nand said, \"The head of John the Baptist\". It does not seem that Salome\nwas astonished at this advice, or that she was at all unwilling to\nfollow it: for she returned straightway with haste unto the king, and\nsaid, \"I will that thou give me by and by in a charger, the head of\nJohn the Baptist\". A charger was a large dish or tray: in some\ncountries, even to this day, when the king orders a great man to be\nbeheaded, the head is brought to him afterwards, to show that his\ncommands have been obeyed. Such a request as Salome now made,\nstartled even Herod himself: we read that \"the king was exceeding\nsorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat at meat\nwith him, he would not reject her.\" He therefore sent an executioner,\nwho cut off John the Baptist's head in the prison, and brought it to\nSalome, who gave it to her mother. This history teaches us many\nthings: first, although it is the duty of children to obey their\nParents, they must obey God before them: thus, if Parents are\nunhappily so wicked as to tell their children to do anything that God\nhas forbidden, they must please God rather than their Parents.\nChildren should, be very thankful when they have Parents who will\nnever wish them to break the Lord's commandments. Another thing we\nlearn is, to be careful how we make promises. A solemn promise once\nmade ought to be kept, however inconvenient it may be to keep it; and\ntherefore we should never promise positively to do anything, unless we\nare quite sure that we can do it. But though it is displeasing to God\nthat an oath should be broken, it is still more displeasing to Him\nthat it should be kept, when it can only be done by committing some\npositive act of sin. Herod made a rash oath, and to keep it, he was\nguilty of the murder of a good and holy man.\n\nAlthough Herod was angry with John, he had a high opinion of his\nholiness and goodness, and would not willingly have put him to death:\nbut amongst men it was considered shameful to break an oath; and\nHerod, caring more for the praise of men than the praise of God,\nsacrificed John the Baptist at the request of a bad woman.\n\nWhen the disciples of John heard of their master's death, they came to\nthe prison, and took up his body and laid it in a tomb, and went and\ntold Jesus.\n\nAfter this, Herod heard of the fame of Jesus, and of all the wonderful\nthings that He had done, and he was greatly troubled, and knew not\nwhat to think. Some people said, \"That John was risen from the dead;\"\nothers, \"That Elias, who was expected to come before the Messiah, had\nappeared;\" and others, \"That one of the old prophets was risen again.\"\nAmongst these different opinions, Herod was greatly perplexed: like\nmost of the Jews of high rank, Herod belonged to the sect of the\nSadducees, who denied that the body would rise again, or the soul live\nfor ever. He would not, therefore, willingly allow the possibility of\nJohn the Baptist having returned to life; but his fears got the better\nof his opinions. His conscience told him that he had done wickedly in\nputting to death a true servant of God, and therefore, when he heard\nthat there was One going about the country working miracles, he feared\nthat John had returned to life, armed with power to punish all who had\nill-treated him.\n\nHerod, disturbed by all he heard of Jesus, questioned his servants who\ntold him these things, and said, \"John have I beheaded; but who is\nthis of whom I hear such things?\" He could get no satisfactory answer,\nand his guilty conscience drove him to the conclusion, \"It is John\nwhom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works\ndo shew forth themselves in him.\" \"And he desired to see Jesus.\"\nHerod's desire to see Jesus, does not appear to have been gratified\nuntil just before our Lord's death; and then the king derived no\nprofit from the interview. Herod had had plenty of opportunities for\nlearning the truths of the Gospel from John the Baptist. He would not\nmake use of them. Our Lord has told us, that if we do not make a good\nuse of all the opportunities given to us, He will take from us the\nblessings we will not use. In our country, the young are blessed with\ninnumerable opportunities of learning their duty to God: make a proper\nuse of them, and do not force the Lord to take them away, and leave\nyou in wilful ignorance and sin.\n\nThe Feast of the Passover was now drawing near: the second Passover\nwhich had occurred, since our Saviour had entered on his public work.\nFor this Feast, our Lord went up to Jerusalem; and on His way, He fed\n5,000 people with five loaves and two small fishes; and after they had\nall eaten as much as they wanted, pieces enough were left to fill\ntwelve baskets; although the whole quantity of loaves and fishes, if\nthey had at first been broken into pieces, could not probably have\nfilled one of these baskets. In working this miracle, Jesus taught us\nnever to waste anything; he said, \"Gather up the fragments that\nremain, that nothing be lost.\" Let us remember that many things that\nwe do not want, may be useful to others, and that nothing should be\nwasted. Children should be careful not to ask for more food than they\nare sure they can eat, for that is wasteful.\n\nThe people, who had been fed in such a wonderful manner, now said,\n\"This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world\":\nmeaning the Messiah, spoken of by all the prophets, and whose coming\nwas expected about this time. Having come to this conclusion, the\npeople, according to their mistaken ideas, that the Messiah was to be\nan earthly sovereign and conqueror, determined to make Him king over\nthe land of Judaea. But Jesus desired only to rule the hearts of men;\n\"When, therefore, he perceived that they would come and take him by\nforce to make him a king,\" He sent His disciples by ship unto\nBethsaida, and having dismissed the multitude, He went up into a\nmountain alone to pray.\n\nA storm of wind overtook the disciples in the midst of the lake, and\nthen it was that Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. If the faith\nof the disciples had been strong, they would have felt that it was as\neasy for Jesus to walk on the water, as to work any other miracle; but\nthey could not believe it was Him, and \"they cried out for fear.\" The\nLord, in His mercy, spake straightway unto them, saying, \"Be of good\ncheer; it is I; be not afraid.\" \"And Peter answered, and said, Lord,\nif it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And He said, Come.\"\nPeter at once obeyed; but his faith was not strong enough to carry him\nthrough this trial: for a little while he walked on the water to go to\nJesus, but when he found himself in the midst of raging waves, with a\nboisterous wind howling around him, his faith failed, and he was\nafraid. But he had not forgotten where to look for help; and finding\nhimself beginning to sink, he cried out earnestly, \"Lord, save me.\"\nImmediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said,\n\"Oh thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?--why didst thou\ndoubt my power and my will to save thee?\" No sooner had Jesus with\nPeter come into the ship, than the storm ceased, and immediately the\nship was at the land whither they went. They were sore amazed: but\n\"they came and worshipped Him saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of\nGod.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVIII.--THE WOMAN OF TYRE.\n\n\nIn the land of Gennesaret again, the people flocked to Jesus to be\nhealed of their diseases: and when Jesus returned to Capernaum, many\nfollowed Him: and the Lord spake to them and told them that they only\ncame to Him because they had seen His miracles, and more particularly\nbecause they had partaken of the loaves and fishes; and He warned\nthem, that they had better seek those far greater spiritual\nblessings, which the Son of Man could give them. Many things He said\nunto them, trying to persuade them to believe in Him, as the Messiah\nthe Son of God.\n\nWhat our Lord said, displeased those who were not really willing and\nanxious to be taught their duty, in order to do it: and in\nconsequence, many of those who had been reckoned amongst His\ndisciples, \"went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus\nunto the twelve, Will ye also go away?\" Peter, in the name of the\nrest, immediately declared his faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah,\nsaying, \"Lord to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal\nlife. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son\nof the living God.\" Believing this, Peter declared that whatever\nhappened, they would hold fast to Him, and obey Him: let _us_ make the\nsame determination; and obey the Word of the Lord, whether it tells us\nwhat we _like_ or not. Jesus now showed, that He knew the hearts of\nall men; for alluding to Judas He answered, \"Have I not chosen you\ntwelve, and one of you is a devil?\" thus teaching Peter not to be too\nhasty in answering for other men, since even in so small a number as\nthe twelve, there was one whose heart was not really devoted to Him.\n\nThe Pharisees with certain of the Scribes came together unto Jesus,\nand blamed Him for not observing all the \"traditions of the elders.\"\nThen Jesus explained to the Pharisees, that all their washings and\noutward performances could never please God, unless they also loved\nand served Him, and put away all their sins.\n\nIn one of those journeys which Jesus was constantly taking, He went\nto that part of the country bordering on Tyre and Sidon. Here a poor\nwoman, a Gentile, came to Him, and prayed Him to heal her daughter, who\nhad an unclean spirit. This woman, living on the borders of the land of\nJudaea, had doubtless heard that the Messiah was expected; and she was\ncertainly convinced that Jesus was that Messiah, and that He had power\neven to cast out devils. This poor woman now came to Jesus, and cried,\n\"Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously\nvexed with a devil.\" At first Jesus took no notice of her, and answered\nher not a word. The poor woman continued her supplications, but still\nin vain; this greatly surprised the disciples, who were used to see\ntheir heavenly Master listening to the prayers of all who were in\ndistress: they were grieved also for this poor creature, who followed\nthem, crying out for mercy; and therefore they begged their Lord to\n\"send her away,\" that is, to grant her petition, that she might go away\nin peace. Jesus answered, \"I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the\nhouse of Israel.\" The benefits of Christ's teaching and miracles, were\nat first to be offered to the Jews, the chosen people of God; and this\nwoman, being a Gentile, had no claim to share them. The whole nation of\nthe Jews, scattered without any ruler or shepherd, might well be called\n\"lost sheep\"--sheep who had strayed from their Shepherd, even from God,\nand who must be lost unless they were brought back to Him. The\nScriptures often speak of the people of God, as his sheep: and sinners\nare compared to sheep, who, instead of following their shepherd, have\ngone astray. In the Confession, which forms part of our Morning\nService, we say, \"We have erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost\nsheep.\" In the East, sheep were not driven by the shepherd as with us,\nbut followed him: remembering this fact will be a help towards\nunderstanding many passages of Scripture, especially some in the Gospel\nwritten by St. John. The poor woman continued to implore mercy; and\ncoming nearer to the Lord, \"She fell down and worshipped him, saying,\nLord, help me!\" Jesus now answered, and said, \"Let the children first\nbe filled; for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast\nit to dogs.\"\n\nThe Jews looked upon every nation except their own as \"unclean\"; and\nlikened them to dogs, which are unclean animals. Jesus Himself did not\nlook upon the Gentiles as dogs, but He spoke thus to try the faith of\nthe woman, and to show those who were about Him, that faith in Him\nwould save Gentiles as well as Jews.\n\nThe Lord's reply to the Syrophenician woman would have disheartened\nmost, and offended many; but she was too much in earnest to be\nrepulsed easily: she was quite willing to own that the Gentiles were\nnot _worthy_ to be looked upon, as in any way equal to the children of\nIsrael, God's peculiar people: she knew she had no _claim_ to the\nmercy of the Lord; but still, hoping to share it, she reminded Jesus,\nthat even the dogs were allowed to pick up the crumbs which their\nmasters did not need: she believed that in Jesus there were help and\nmercy for every living creature, and that He could heal the Gentiles,\nwithout taking any blessing from the Jews; therefore, she at once\nanswered, \"Truth, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the\nchildren's crumbs.\" Jesus was no longer silent: pleased with her\nfaith, He said aloud, \"O woman, great is thy faith: for this saying,\nbe it unto thee even as thou wilt: go thy way: the devil is gone out\nof thy daughter.\" Even as He spake the words, the unclean spirit was\ncast out: \"And her daughter was made whole from that very hour;\" so\nthat when the mother, who at once went home, \"was come to her house,\nshe found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.\"\n\nThis poor Gentile woman is an example to us, to go on praying\nearnestly to God, although He may see fit not at once to grant our\npetitions. When we know that we are asking right and proper things, we\nmust pray on in faith, and wait patiently. We should pray that the\nDevil, and all the bad feelings and thoughts he puts into our hearts,\nmay be cast out of us, and of those we love. For this we must go on\npraying earnestly: Jesus granted the prayer of the Syrophenician woman\nbecause of her faith; and if we have faith like hers, He will most\ncertainly answer our prayers: but we must watch and fight, as well as\npray: for, if we encourage the Devil to abide in our hearts, we cannot\nexpect that the Lord will cast him out.\n\nAfter this miracle, Jesus, \"departing from the coasts of Tyre and\nSidon, came unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts\nof Decapolis.\" Here we are told, that He cured one who was deaf and\nhad an impediment in his speech, and that \"great multitudes came unto\nhim, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and\nmany others, and cast them down at Jesus's feet; and he healed them:\ninsomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak,\nthe maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and\nthey glorified the God of Israel.\" They glorified and praised God with\ntheir words, because of the wonderful things they had seen; but few of\nthem, it is to be feared, glorified Him in their hearts, by becoming\nHis disciples.\n\nAt this time, Jesus, having compassion upon the multitude, who had\nbeen with him for three days, listening to His words, and were now\nfaint for want of food, fed 4,000 men, besides women and children,\nwith seven loaves and a few little fishes: this time, seven baskets\nwere filled with the pieces left, after everybody was satisfied.\n\nSoon after the feeding of this multitude, Jesus \"entered into a ship\nwith his disciples, and came into the coast of Magdala, into the\nparts of Dalmanutha,\" to the S.E. of the Sea of Tiberias. \"And when\nhis disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take\nbread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.\"\nJesus, who lost no opportunity of impressing His lessons on His\ndisciples, now \"said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of\nthe Pharisees, and of the Sadducees, and of the leaven of Herod.\" By\nleaven, our Saviour here means the doctrines and opinions taught by\nthe Pharisees and Sadducees; doctrines very different from His, for\nthey looked upon religion as consisting mostly in outward forms and\nceremonies; whilst, in their hearts, they indulged all manner of evil\npassions. Jesus desired to teach His disciples, that, if they in any\nway followed the doctrines of the Pharisees or Sadducees, they would\nsoon become quite unfit to be His disciples; just as leaven quite\nalters the nature of the dough with which it is mixed. At first, the\ndisciples did not understand their Lord's meaning, and thought that He\nwas reproving them for having forgotten to bring any bread with them.\nBut Jesus reproved them for their want of faith, in being uneasy about\na supply of needful food, after seeing the miracle worked with seven\nloaves and a few small fishes: and he said, \"How is it that ye do not\nunderstand, that I spake it not to you concerning bread? Then\nunderstood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of\nbread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.\"\n\nJesus then cometh to Bethsaida, where he healed a blind man; not all\nat once, but first allowing him to see objects indistinctly, and then\nrestoring his sight, so that he saw all things clearly. What happened\nin the case of this man's bodily sight, happens generally as regards\nour spiritual sight, that is, our understanding of spiritual things.\nEven in common learning, we do not all at once acquire knowledge; it\ncomes by little and little, as we strive to gain it. So our\nunderstanding of things spiritual is a gradual work, carried on in our\nmind, by the Holy Spirit working _with_ us; but we must work, and\nstrive, and pray, that we may grow wise unto salvation.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIX.--THE TRANSFIGURATION.\n\n\n\"And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea\nPhilippi:\" that is, into the country and towns round about Caesarea\nPhilippi, a town some miles to the north of the Sea of Galilee. The\nname of this city had been Paneus; but Philip, governor of that part\nof the country, repaired and beautified its houses and other\nbuildings, and added more, so making quite a new and large city, which\nhe called Caesarea, in honour of Tiberius Caesar, who became Emperor of\nRome about fourteen years after the birth of Jesus Christ. There was\nanother town called Caesarea, on the Mediterranean Sea; and to\ndistinguish between the two, that which Philip had beautified was\ncalled Caesarea Philippi. Like most of the flourishing cities mentioned\nin the Bible, Caesarea Philippi has been completely destroyed; and\namongst its ruins there is a little village, consisting of twenty\nmiserable huts, inhabited by Mahometans, for the Holy Land now belongs\nto the Turks, who are not Christians.\n\nThis little village is called Paneas or Baniass. The walls of the\ngreat city can be distinctly traced. Whilst they were on this journey,\nJesus \"asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man,\nam?\" They told Him that some thought Him John the Baptist; others,\nthat He was Elias; others, that He was Jeremias, or some other of the\nold prophets, risen again from the dead. Jesus then put the still more\nimportant question, \"But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter\nanswered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.\"\n\nThe Apostles were thoroughly convinced by all that they had seen and\nheard, that Jesus was indeed the expected Messiah. No doubt they had\noften talked over the matter together, and now, in the name of all the\nrest, Peter, always first and foremost when anything was to be done,\ndeclared most positively and unhesitatingly their belief in Jesus, as\nbeing at once God and Man. Jesus then pronounced Peter to be blessed\nin having such faith. Then He told him, that the fact of His being the\ntrue Messiah was the rock upon which His Church was to be built: that\nis, that it was only by depending and resting upon this truth that men\ncould become his followers, and form a Church. Jesus also told Peter,\nthat He would give unto him the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and\npower to unbind or unloose. By which He seems to have meant, that\nPeter would have power to open the way for the Gentiles to join the\nChurch of Christ; and that he should have power to declare how far the\nLaws of Moses must be kept or dispensed with; that is, what things\nwere lawful or unlawful.\n\nAfter the disciples had declared, through the mouth of Peter, their\nfirm belief that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, He began to speak to\nthem of His sufferings and death; but the Apostles could not easily\ngive up the idea held by the Jews in general, that the Messiah was to\nestablish a kingdom upon earth; and Peter therefore expressed his\nbelief, that such terrible things could not happen to the Lord. For\nthis, Peter was severely blamed by Jesus, who told him, that by\nobjecting to the way appointed by God for the salvation of man, He was\nin reality doing Satan's work, and was an \"offence\" or hindrance in\nhis Master's way.\n\nAt this same time Jesus taught those around Him the duty of\nself-denial; the necessity of giving up everything we most value, and\nbearing any pain or trouble, rather than do the least thing contrary\nto the Will of God. He said, \"If any man will come after me,\" to be my\ndisciple, \"let him deny himself\" the indulgence of his own will, \"and\ntake up his cross daily\"; bearing cheerfully all those daily troubles\nand anxieties which may be called crosses, and \"follow me\"; follow in\nall things my example, for I came not to please myself, but to do the\nWill of God. Jesus also impressed upon them the fact, that the soul\nwas of infinitely more value than the perishing body, and that our\nfirst object must be to secure the salvation of our souls, at any\ncost, for \"what\" (said He) \"shall it profit a man, if he shall gain\nthe whole world, and lose his own soul?\"\n\nAbout a week after this, what is called the \"Transfiguration\" took\nplace. St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke all give an account of this\nevent: the place where it occurred was probably Mount Tabor, which\nlies a little to the S.W. of the Lake of Galilee: into this mountain\nJesus went up, taking with Him Peter, and James, and John his brother.\n\nThe brief account of the Transfiguration is, that whilst Jesus was\npraying in the Mount, the disciples fell asleep: suddenly, when they\nawoke, they saw a wonderful and glorious sight--\"Jesus was\ntransfigured before them\": that is, His appearance was entirely\nchanged; \"his face did shine as the sun,\" and \"his raiment became\nshining,\" \"exceeding white,\" and \"glistening.\" Nor was He alone; for\n\"behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias;\nwho appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should\naccomplish in Jerusalem.\" All that the three disciples now heard,\nshould have convinced them that Jesus must indeed die, and that His\ndeath would give the very strongest proof of his being really the Son\nof God, the promised Messiah. The disciples would further learn, that\neverything which Moses and the prophets (represented by Elijah) had\ntaught, was intended to prepare the Jews to believe in Jesus, and\nfollow Him.\n\nPeter, dazzled and confused at the wonderful scene before him,\nexclaimed, \"Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt let us\nmake here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one\nfor Elias.\" Peter seems to have had an idea, that Moses and Elijah had\nreturned to remain on earth; and that if three tents were set up, they\nmight abide with Jesus in the Mount, where he and the other disciples\nmight be constantly with them. But as we read, \"He wist not what to\nsay, for they were sore afraid.\" Whilst Peter yet spake, an answer\ncame; \"a bright cloud overshadowed them,\" \"and they feared as they\nentered into the cloud;\" \"and behold a voice out of the cloud, which\nsaid, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.\"\nAnd when the disciples heard it, knowing it to be the voice of God,\n\"they were sore afraid, and fell on their face.\" \"And when the voice\nwas past, Jesus, was found alone;\" \"and he came and touched the\ndisciples, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had\nlifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only.\" Moses and\nElias had disappeared; whilst the voice of God had plainly declared,\nthat as the people of God had hitherto obeyed Moses and the prophets,\nthey were in future to look to Jesus only, the Messiah of Whom Moses\nand the prophets did write. The old dispensation of the Law had passed\naway; but the new dispensation of the Gospel had taken its place, and\nwould last for ever.\n\nThat the Law of Moses, even as regarded ceremonial observances, should\never be abolished or done away with, was what the Jews could not or\nwould not believe. Even many years after the Resurrection of Jesus, we\nread, that many thousand Jews who believed in Christ were also zealous\nfor the Law, that it should still be observed. It was not, therefore,\nat this time suitable to speak to the Jews in general of the abolition\nof the Law of Moses; and therefore as Jesus came down from the\nmountain with His disciples, He \"charged them, saying, Tell the vision\nto no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead.\" \"And they\nkept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which\nthey had seen:\" \"questioning one with another what the rising from the\ndead should mean.\" It was at this time, that in answer to a question\nfrom His disciples, whose thoughts were naturally full of what they\nhad just seen, Jesus told them that the Elias spoken of by the\nprophets, as coming to prepare the way before Him, was not Elijah\nhimself, as many supposed, but John the Baptist, who had already been\nput to death; and that the Son of man must in like manner suffer\ndeath.\n\nWhen Jesus was come down from the mount, He found the disciples, who\nhad not accompanied Him, surrounded by a great crowd, and the Scribes\nquestioning, or disputing with them. A man, whose only child was\npossessed of an evil spirit, had brought him to the disciples, begging\nthem to cast out the devil; \"but they could not.\" This failure of the\nApostles gave the Scribes an opportunity of trying to persuade the\npeople, that the power of Jesus was not so great as His disciples\ntaught; and most likely what they said made the poor father doubt the\npower of Jesus, in whose name he had expected the Apostles to heal his\nson. When Jesus heard all that had passed, He lamented the perverse\nwant of faith, which prevented men from believing in Him. Then He said\nto the man, \"Bring thy son hither.\" Even whilst He was coming, the\nDevil gave a proof of his power over this poor child; and still more\nto convince all who stood round, that the boy really was possessed by\na devil, and could not be cured by any human means, Jesus asked his\nfather some questions on the subject: He then told the poor man, that\nif he could really and truly believe, there was nothing too difficult\nfor God to do. The father did believe; but fearing that his faith was\nweak, and that he had sinned in allowing the Scribes to raise a doubt\nin his mind, he \"cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help\nthou mine unbelief!\" This was enough, and \"the child was cured from\nthat very hour.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XX.--JESUS GOES TO THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.\n\n\nWhen the disciples were alone with their Master, after the miracle of\ncasting the devil out of the child, they naturally asked, Why, as He\nhad given them authority to cast out evil spirits, they had not in\nthis case been able to do so? Jesus told them plainly, that it was\nbecause their faith was weak; for that no miracle would be too hard\nfor them if they had a lively and increasing faith, or \"faith as a\ngrain of mustard seed.\" This was an expression in common use amongst\nthe Jews, to signify something very _very_ small, because the mustard\nseed was the least of all seeds. But when sown in the ground, the\nplant grows from it quickly, and spreads in every direction, so as to\nbecome quite a large plant: and thus it was very properly compared to\nfaith, which should always be increasing and growing stronger. Jesus\nended by reminding His disciples that, though He had given them\npermission to work miracles, they would not have power to do so,\nunless they prayed earnestly for it, and tried to lead holy lives.\n\nAfter this, Jesus and His disciples passed through Galilee, on their\nway to Capernaum. Again He spake to them of His sufferings, His death,\nand His rising again on the third day. Still they did not understand:\nthey were exceedingly sorry to hear of such things as likely to befall\ntheir beloved Master, but they did not like to ask any questions on\nthe subject. How little they yet understood the real nature of\nChrist's kingdom is plain; for at this time \"there arose a reasoning\n(or disputing) among them, which of them should be greatest\": as if\nthey still expected Jesus to be a king on earth, and appoint them to\nplaces of trust and honour under Him.\n\nWhen they were come to Capernaum, they, whose business it was to\ncollect the tribute-money for the service of the temple, \"came to\nPeter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute? He saith, Yes.\"\nJesus afterwards showed Peter, that He, being the Son of God, was\n_not_ called upon to pay this tribute; for that earthly kings do not\ntake tribute from their own children, but only of their subjects, or\nof strangers. Jesus, however, would not give the Jews any pretence for\nsaying, that He taught His disciples to be careless about the temple\nand its worship, or to disobey the laws of the country; and therefore\nHe now worked a miracle, to provide the tribute-money required from\nHim and His disciples.\n\nWhen they were quietly in a house together, Jesus spake to the\ndisciples about their dispute by the way, as to who should be\ngreatest; and told them that all who wished to be really and truly His\ndisciples and followers must be humble and meek and obedient, as\nlittle children _ought_ to be.\n\nMany other things Jesus taught His disciples: and He told them a\nparable (Matt. xviii. 13), to show us, that if we wish God to forgive\nus our sins, we must be always willing to forgive those who have\noffended against us.\n\nAfter these things, Jesus chose out from those disciples who\nconstantly followed Him seventy persons; and desired them to go two\nand two together, and enter into the cities which He meant by and by\nto visit, and prepare the people to listen to Him. These seventy were\ndisciples, but none of them were Apostles: all the Apostles were\ndisciples, and are generally so called in Scripture; but all the\ndisciples were not, of course, Apostles. To these seventy, Jesus gave\nmany directions as to what they were to do and teach.\n\nJesus was at this time in Galilee; but as the time for keeping the\nFeast of Tabernacles was drawing near, the brethren, or rather near\nkinsmen of Jesus, begged Him to go into Judaea, and let all the people,\nwho would then be assembled in Jerusalem, see His works. They said,\n\"If thou do these things, show thyself unto the world. For neither did\nhis brethren believe in him.\" To a certain degree, His kinsmen did\nbelieve in Jesus; but like the Jews in general, they expected that the\nMessiah would be great and powerful upon earth, publicly acknowledged\nand worshipped by all nations: and when they saw Jesus in such very\ndifferent circumstances, they had not faith enough to feel quite sure\nthat He was indeed the Messiah: they therefore wanted Him to take this\nopportunity to make Himself known, by working miracles at Jerusalem:\nthis open display of His power would, they thought, strengthen the\nfaith of all who were already His disciples, and force the great men\namong the Jews, as well as all the strangers collected together, to\nacknowledge Him as the Messiah.\n\nJesus, who in all things sought only to do His Father's will, told\nthose who wished Him to go up at once to the Feast of Tabernacles\nthat it was not yet time for Him to do so: that, instead of receiving\nHim as the Messiah, worldly men, who thought but little of God, would\nall be against Him, because He showed them their sinfulness. But He\ntold His brethren, and those about Him, to \"go up unto this feast.\"\nAfter they were gone, our Lord followed them, privately taking His\njourney through the country on the other side of the Jordan. Again the\npeople resorted unto Him, and He taught them as He was wont: \"and\ngreat multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.\" It is likely\nthat the Jews, expecting Jesus to go up to this feast, had laid some\nplot for taking Him on His way: but it was not yet time for Him to lay\ndown His life, and therefore He thus avoided the danger; setting us an\nexample, not to run unnecessarily into danger, when we can avoid doing\nso without neglecting any duty.\n\nMeantime, the Jews assembled at Jerusalem for the Feast of\nTabernacles, seem to have been disappointed at not seeing Jesus there;\nand enquired, \"Where is he?\" And \"there was much murmuring among the\npeople concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said,\nNay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him,\nfor fear of the Jews.\" The people had seen His miracles, and heard His\nteaching; but all that they knew of His condition in life was so\nunlike what they had expected of the Messiah, that they could not make\nup their minds to acknowledge Him as the Son of God. They could not\nunderstand all He said, for He spake of spiritual things,--things\nbelonging to the kingdom of heaven, which can be understood only by\nthose who give their whole heart to God. Some of these people, seeing\nHis holiness, allowed that He was a good man. Others objected to His\nbeing called \"good,\" because He tried to make people acknowledge Him\nas the Messiah, which, according to their ideas, was deceiving the\npeople. But even those who were most inclined to believe in Him, dared\nnot speak openly in His favour, for fear of displeasing the Jewish\nrulers, who were violently opposed to Him.\n\nThe Feast of Tabernacles lasted for eight days; and in the middle of\nit Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, and immediately \"went up into the\ntemple, and taught.\" His teaching greatly astonished all the learned\nmen, who knew that He had never been taught in any of the schools of\nthe Scribes; and they wondered how He could know so much of the books\nof the Law and of the Prophets. Jesus told them plainly, that what He\ntaught He had learnt not from man, but from God Himself; and He\nfurther said, that if any man were really desirous to do the Will of\nGod, he would be enabled to believe that all He taught was true. Other\nthings He said; but though His teaching might incline some of the\npeople to believe, they had got some idea that, when the Messiah came,\nnothing would be known of His parents; and therefore they settled that\nit was impossible He could be that Messiah. \"We know this man whence\nhe is; but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.\" Jesus\ntried to show them that they were in error; for though they knew where\nHe was born, as man, and who His earthly parents were, this should not\nprevent their believing that He was indeed sent by God, and had\nanother nature and being, of which they knew nothing. \"Many of the\npeople believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more\nmiracles than these which this man hath done?\" They doubted whether\nany one could do _more_ than Jesus had done: if not, then the only\nreasonable conclusion would be, that He _must_, indeed, be the Christ,\nthe promised Messiah.\n\nThe Rulers of the Jews heard of these things said by the people, and\nthey would gladly have prevented His speaking any more to them: and\nthey sent officers to take Him: but in vain, for the time appointed\nfor His death was not yet come, and therefore the Lord kept Him in\nsafety, and would allow no man to hurt Him. Moreover, Jesus plainly\ntold them, that He should remain in the world a little longer, because\nit was the Will of His Father that He should do so; and that then He\nshould go back to His Father, who had sent Him from heaven to preach\nthe Gospel upon earth. But the Jews did not understand His meaning;\nand when He said, \"Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where\nI am, thither ye cannot come,\" they said one to another, \"Whither will\nhe go, that we shall not find him?\" \"What manner of saying is this\nthat He said?\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXI.--RETURN OF THE SEVENTY.\n\n\n\"In the last day, that great day of the feast,\" when there was a holy\nconvocation, or assembling of the people, Jesus stood up, and invited\nall men to believe in Him, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,\nwhich He compared to \"living water\"--water that would wash away all\ntheir sins, and give life and strength to their souls: just as a good\ndrink of pure water, given to a man who is fainting with fatigue and\nthirst, will revive him, and give him fresh strength and spirit for\nhis work.\n\nAgain was there \"a division among the people because of him\": some\nsaid, \"Of a truth, this is the Prophet\"; others, more plainly, \"This\nis the Christ\"; whilst others, influenced by their false ideas, asked,\n\"Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the Scripture said, That\nChrist cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem,\nwhere David was?\"\n\nThey were right; the Scriptures did say so: but had the people with an\nearnest desire endeavoured to learn the truth, they would have found\nthat in Jesus, these words of Scripture were fulfilled, although\nNazareth, in Galilee, had accidentally been His dwelling-place.\n\nAgain, the Chief Priests and Pharisees, fearing His influence with the\npeople, sent out officers to take Jesus; and when these returned\nwithout Him, they were asked, \"Why have ye not brought him?\" The\nofficers, though sent out for that very purpose, could not bring\nthemselves to lay violent hands on one to whom they had listened with\nastonishment; and they now answered, as their reason for not having\nbrought Him in as a prisoner, \"Never man spake like this man.\" The\nPharisees, in their wilful blindness and hardness of heart, reproached\nthe officers for being also \"deceived,\" as they called it; and\nreminded them that none of the rulers, or learned men, had believed in\nJesus, and that as to the people, they were ignorant; adding the most\nunwarrantable assertion, \"This people, who knoweth not the Law, are\ncursed.\"\n\nThe Pharisees, who were very proud of their own knowledge, not only\ndespised all who were unlearned, but believed that _only_ the learned\nwould enjoy happiness after death, whilst the ignorant would be\nmiserable. They mistook knowledge for religion. But the Gospel teaches\na very different lesson; worldly knowledge is good and useful, and\nthose who have the means, do well to acquire it; but it cannot take a\nman to heaven, nor will ignorance of it, keep any man _out_ of heaven.\nA knowledge of our own sinfulness, of the Salvation brought by Jesus,\nand a consequent endeavour to please Him in all things, is the only\nknowledge that is really necessary as far as our Souls are concerned.\nWithout _this_ knowledge, the most learned man can never gain\nadmittance into heaven; with it, the most ignorant will be received\ninto the kingdom of God.\n\nOne of the councillors present on this occasion was Nicodemus, who,\nbeing a believer, had come to Jesus secretly, in the night, for fear\nof the Jews: he now ventured to speak in behalf of Jesus, showing that\nit was not according to their Law to condemn any one as teaching what\nwas wrong, or untrue, until they had heard what he had to say for\nhimself. His words had no effect but to make the other members of the\ncouncil ask him, \"Art thou also of Galilee?\"--that is, art thou one of\nthose who have the folly to believe in this Galilean. \"Search and\nlook\" in the Scriptures, for they will show that \"out of Galilee\nariseth no prophet.\"\n\nNothing more was at this time said or done, and the Pharisees probably\nbroke up the council in anger, vexed at not having got Jesus into\ntheir power. \"Every man went unto his own house.\"\n\nJesus now went unto the Mount of Olives, or Mount Olivet, where He\ndoubtless passed part of the night in prayer. This Mount rose about\nhalf a mile east of Jerusalem, and the brook Kedron ran between it and\nthe city. It took its name from the number of Olive trees which grew\nupon it; they were cultivated for the purpose of extracting oil from\nthe fruit. On this Mount there were several villages: Bethphage was on\nthat side farthest from Jerusalem; and on the side nearest to the\ncity, stood the village of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means \"the\nplace of oil presses\"; which shows that the people of the village were\noccupied in squeezing the oil out of the olives that were brought down\nfrom other parts of the Mount. It was up the Mount of Olives that King\nDavid went weeping, when the rebellion of Absalom had forced him to\nquit Jerusalem.\n\nAfter spending the night on the Mount of Olives, or in one of its\nvillages, Jesus, early in the morning, \"came again into the temple,\nand all the people came unto him; and he sat down and taught them.\"\n\nThe Scribes and Pharisees, always trying to find some cause of\ncomplaint against Him, now brought a woman who had committed a sin,\nfor which the Law of Moses pronounced death to be the punishment: they\nnow asked Jesus, whether this woman should be stoned or not. If Jesus\ncondemned the woman to death, they could accuse Him to the Romans of\ntrespassing upon their authority: if He acquitted the woman, they\ncould hold Him up to the people as acting contrary to the Jewish Law.\n\nBut Jesus knew the wickedness of their hearts, and that in the sight\nof God, their guilt was as great, if not greater, than that of this\nwoman; therefore He gave them no answer, but \"He that is without sin\namong you, let him first cast a stone at her. And they which heard it,\nbeing convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one.\" None of\nthese Scribes or Pharisees could dare to pronounce themselves free\nfrom sin, therefore they all retired. Then Jesus dismissed the woman\nwith the warning, \"Go, and sin no more.\"\n\nAt this time, Jesus spake many things to all who came into the temple\nto hear Him. He spake to them of His death: He told them that if they\nwere really the children of Abraham, spiritually as well as by natural\ndescent, they would do the works of Abraham: and that if God were\ntheir Father, as they pretended, they would love Him, who was the Son\nof God; but that they were, in fact, the children of the Devil, who\nwas a liar from the beginning. During these discourses, \"many believed\non him\"; but many others would gladly have \"laid hands on him\": and\nwhen at length, in answer to their questions, Jesus declared unto\nthem, \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am,\"\ntheir rage could no longer be repressed: \"then took they up stones to\ncast at him\": but \"his hour was not yet come\" to die, and therefore\n\"Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the\nmidst of them, and so passed by,\" disappointing the malice of His\nenemies.\n\nAfter this, the seventy disciples, whom Jesus had sent out to preach\nand to teach in the different cities, \"returned again with joy,\nsaying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.\"\nHe then told them, that this need not surprise them, since God had\nbegun to destroy the power of Satan: and He also told them, that they\nhad a far greater cause for joy than the subjection of evil spirits;\neven that they had been chosen to be the servants and children of God,\nand were thereby set in the way that would, if they walked steadily in\nit, bring them to everlasting life.\n\nThe parable of the Good Samaritan was now told by Jesus to one of the\nScribes, or Lawyers, who came and asked Him a question: not from any\nreal desire to learn, but from a wish to make our Lord say something\nthat he could find fault with. To his question, \"Master, what shall I\ndo to inherit eternal life?\" he expected that Jesus would make an\nanswer not quite agreeing with the Law of Moses: but our Lord at once\nshowed him that His teaching was the same as that of Moses; for He\nasked him, \"What is written in the Law? How readest thou?\" \"And he\nanswering, said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,\nand with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy\nmind; and thy neighbour as thyself.\" These words, taken from the Books\nof Deuteronomy and Leviticus, were repeated twice every day in the\nsynagogue service, as a short statement of all that the Law was\nintended to teach; that is, Love to God and Man. These same words were\nwritten on some of the Phylacteries, or strips of parchment which the\nJews wore on their foreheads, and on the left wrist. Most likely, the\nLawyer who questioned Jesus had these very words written on his\nPhylactery; and that Jesus pointed to the words when He asked, \"How\nreadest thou?\" The Gospel, as well as the Law, teaches us to love God\nand Man; and shows us, that those who really and truly do so are sure\nto find favour with God, who can alone admit us to eternal life. The\nScribe's answer was right, under the Gospel as well as under the Law:\nand Jesus therefore replied, \"Thou hast answered right: this do, and\nthou shalt live\": by obeying the words of Moses, he would, through the\ntidings made known by the Gospel, inherit eternal life. May these\nwords be written in all our hearts, and may we make them the guide of\nall our actions.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXII.--THE LORD'S PRAYER.\n\n\nThe answer which Jesus gave, as to loving God with all the heart, and\nhis neighbour as himself, did not silence the Lawyer: he, \"willing to\njustify himself,\" being anxious to prove that he was a just and\nrighteous man, now asked, \"Who is my neighbour?\" The Jews had in many\npoints altered or explained the Law, to suit their own feelings and\nwishes; and they would not look upon any man as a neighbour, unless he\nwere of their own religion.\n\nThis Lawyer had probably always been kind to his Jewish brethren, and\nif our Lord had, as he expected, told him that his neighbour meant one\nof his Jewish brethren, he would have been able to boast that he had\nobeyed this command. But very different was our Saviour's teaching:\ninstead of giving him a direct answer, He in a beautiful parable\ntaught him and us, that any fellow creature who needs our help, is our\nneighbour in the sight of God: even though he be an enemy, or one\nhated, as the Jews hated the Samaritans.\n\nThe Lawyer could not but own that the Samaritan in the parable had\nbest obeyed the commandment of Moses; and in answer to the question,\n\"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that\nfell among thieves?\" he said, \"He that showed mercy on him.\" \"Then\nsaid Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise,\" that is, copy this\nexample; and look upon every man that needs your help as a neighbour\nand brother, whom you are to love; and take care that your love is not\nin word and tongue only, but in deed and in truth.\n\nJourneying through the land of Judaea with His disciples, Jesus\n\"entered into a certain village\"; this was Bethany, on the eastern\nside of the Mount of Olives: \"and a certain woman named Martha\nreceived him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which\nalso sat at Jesus's feet and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered\nabout much serving.\" Both these sisters loved the Lord, though they\nshowed it in a very different way: Mary, delighted to have such an\nopportunity of listening to His teaching, sat at His feet to learn all\nthat He might teach her; Martha, anxious to show her pleasure at\nreceiving Jesus as her guest, appears to have busied herself in\npreparing a feast in His honour. Presently, tired with her exertions,\nand fearing that all might not be ready, \"she came to him, and said,\nLord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?\nbid her therefore that she help me.\" But instead of doing this, Jesus\nrebuked Martha for thinking too much of worldly matters, instead of\ngiving her mind to the \"one thing needful\" for the salvation of man:\nthat one thing was faith in Jesus as the Son of God; such faith, as\nwould produce piety and holiness; and that as Mary had chosen that\ngood part, she must not be disturbed, but that Martha would do well to\nfollow her example. When, therefore, Martha asked that Mary might be\nbid to help her, \"Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha,\nthou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is\nneedful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be\ntaken away from her.\"\n\nNow, from this little history we should all learn this lesson: that\nthough worldly business must be done, and well done, too, it must not\ntake up too much of our thoughts and hearts, and so make us careless\nin our religious duties: to please and serve God in every way is the\none thing needful for us.\n\nOn one occasion, when Jesus had been praying, according to His\nconstant custom, \"when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him,\nLord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.\" Jesus then\ngave them that beautiful prayer, called the Lord's Prayer, because the\nvery words of it were dictated by the Lord Himself, in whose name we\npray unto God, the Father Almighty. The Prayer begins by acknowledging\nGod to be \"Our Father\"; and these words should ever remind us of two\nthings: that as \"our Father,\" all we His children are bound to love\nand obey Him; and, secondly, that we must love all our fellow\ncreatures as brethren, seeing that we are all the children of one\nHeavenly Father.\n\nNext we pray, \"Hallowed be Thy Name\"; in which words we ask that all\nmen everywhere may hallow, or treat as holy, His name, His word, His\nday, and all things that belong to Him.\n\nBy \"Thy Kingdom come,\" we ask that all mankind may become Christians,\nand so be brought into the Lord's kingdom on earth: also, that we, and\nall who are Christians, may have the kingdom of God in our hearts;\nthat is, may obey, and love, and serve Him with all our hearts; so\nthat when we die we may be admitted into His glorious kingdom in\nheaven. Further, we pray, that the Will of God may be done by man on\nearth, as perfectly and entirely as it is done by the Angels in\nheaven. Let us remember that the sole object and work of the holy\nAngels is to do the Will of God; and that therefore we, who use this\nprayer, must always try to do the same, and not think of doing what\nwill only please ourselves.\n\nThe next petition of the Lord's Prayer is, \"Give us this day our daily\nbread.\" By these words we ask for all things which are needful both\nfor our souls and bodies: the body needs daily food to preserve it in\nlife, and make it strong to do its work; the Soul also wants food, to\nnourish and increase the spiritual life; and render it more active in\nthe service of God. The word of God, Prayer, religious teaching, all\nthe services of our religion, are the food of the Soul; by the proper\nuse of which, the love of God will be more and more shed abroad in\nour hearts, producing the fruit of holy obedience, and devotion to His\nservice.\n\nNext we pray, that God will forgive us our sins, on condition that we\nforgive all those who have sinned against us. When we consider how\ndreadful will be our condition, if God does _not_ forgive us, we\nshould be very careful never to indulge angry, revengeful feelings\nagainst those who have injured us. Nothing that man can do to us, can\nbe as bad as what we have done against God; and therefore we may well\nforgive our fellow creatures; and we _must_ do so, if we would obtain\nforgiveness of our heavenly Father.\n\nWe then ask the Lord not to suffer us to give way to temptation, but\nto keep us from all evil; to keep our bodies in safety, and above all\nto keep our souls from the great evil of sin, from the power of our\nghostly or spiritual enemy, the Devil, who is always watching to do us\nharm. We end the Lord's Prayer by declaring our firm belief, that God\nis able to do all that we can ask or think.\n\nNow we often _say_ the Lord's Prayer with our lips, but do we really\nsay it with our hearts, wishing and striving to gain what we are\nasking for? This we should all do; and besides this, throughout the\nday, we must each of us try to _do_ those things that we pray may be\ndone. We must each of us try to reverence and obey our heavenly\nFather; to be satisfied with whatever He gives us for our bodies; to\ntake every opportunity of feeding our souls, by learning all we can\nabout Him, and praying earnestly for His grace. We must also try to\nkeep down all angry feelings, and be kind to those who are unkind to\nus; and we must watch over ourselves continually, and strive to resist\nthe Devil, and practise self-denial, that we may not fall into sin.\n\nThe Lord's Prayer teaches us what things we ought to ask of God; and\nwe may do so more particularly in our own words; God is well pleased\nwhen we do so.\n\nAfter giving His disciples this beautiful form of words, to be a model\nfor all their prayers, Jesus exhorted and entreated them to pray\nearnestly for the help of the Holy Spirit: and told them to go on\npraying, and not to be discouraged, because they did not immediately\nreceive those things for which they asked; for that the Lord would\nhear their prayers, and \"give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.\"\n\"And as Jesus spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him;\nand he went in and sat down to meat.\" The word here translated \"dine\"\nmeans to eat the first meal of the day, and so ought rather to have\nbeen called breakfast. The Jews were accustomed to have only two\nregular meals in the day: breakfast, or dinner, as it is here called,\nabout twelve of the middle of the day; and supper, which was the\nprincipal meal, in the evening, after the heat of the day was past.\nThe Pharisees were very particular about washing before they sat down\nto meals, and this one who had besought the Lord to eat with him,\n\"marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.\"\n\nThe Lord took this opportunity of teaching, that no outward washings\ncan be pleasing in the sight of God, if the heart be full of sinful,\nevil passions: no outward forms and observances of any kind, can ever\nplease God, unless those who do such things really love God, and try\nto do their duty and please Him in everything. Many things also Jesus\nsaid, rebuking the Scribes and Pharisees.\n\nHe likewise spake to the people who crowded to hear Him, and warned\nthem to fear God rather than man; for though men might kill their\nbodies, they had no further power. \"And one of the company said unto\nhim, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with\nme.\"\n\nIt would seem that this brother had acted very unkindly, if not\nunjustly, in not sharing with his brother the money left by their\nfather; and the one who felt himself aggrieved came, hoping that Jesus\nwould interfere. But Jesus answered, \"Man, who made me a judge or a\ndivider over you?\"--meaning, that He was not come upon earth to act as\na Judge or Magistrate in settling such matters, but to teach men their\nduty to God. He then took this occasion to warn his hearers against\ncovetousness, or the too eager desire for riches, or for any of the\ngood things this world can give: bidding them rather be contented, and\ntry to please God by doing good with what they have. Covetousness is,\nas we are elsewhere told, idolatry,--and truly, if our hearts are set\nupon riches, pleasures, or anything else, they will be drawn away from\nGod.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIII.--HEALING OF THE MAN BORN BLIND.\n\n\nMuch did the Lord say upon the subject of covetousness; an evil\npassion which, if indulged, must draw the heart more and more from\nheavenly things to things of the earth; saying unto them, \"For where\nyour treasure is there will your heart be also.\"\n\nJesus, then, in a short parable, showed the necessity of constantly\nwatching, that we may not be found unready whenever we are summoned to\ndie.\n\nMany other things Jesus said, and continued to teach through the\ncities and villages: on one occasion He raised the indignation of the\nruler of a synagogue, because He had healed a poor woman, who was\n\"bowed down by a spirit of infirmity,\" which she had had for eighteen\nyears.\n\nBut Jesus rebuked those who blamed Him, and so spake that \"All his\nadversaries were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced for the glorious\nthings that were done by him.\"\n\n\"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.\nAnd his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or\nhis parents, that he was born blind?\"\n\nSome of the Jews seem at this time to have taken up an idea held by\nthe heathen, that, after the death of a man, his soul was sent into\nanother body; and that the souls of bad men even went into the bodies\nof animals.\n\nAnother false notion of the Jews was, that any one who was a great\nsufferer upon earth must have been a greater sinner than others, who\ndid not so suffer: an idea quite contrary to all the teaching of\nJesus. With these two ideas in their minds, some of those who had\nbecome followers of Jesus, asked him, whether this blind man was born\nso, as a punishment for sins he had committed in another body; or\nwhether his blindness was a punishment for the sins of his parents.\nJesus immediately answered, that it was neither for one nor the other\nof these causes, that this man was born blind; but that God in His\nwisdom had allowed it to be so, \"That the works of God should be made\nmanifest in him.\" Jesus then, in a very remarkable manner, gave sight\nto the blind man; clearly proving that it was the power of God only,\nand not the means used, which had effected his cure: and He also\nenabled the blind man to show his faith, by making the final\nrestoration of his sight, depend upon his obedience to the command,\n\"Go, wash in the pool of Siloam: he went his way therefore, and\nwashed, and came (back) seeing.\"\n\n\"The neighbours and they which before had seen him that he was blind,\"\nwere much surprised; and began questioning whether he were indeed the\nsame man, or one like him; but he quickly put an end to all doubts,\nand said, \"I am he.\"\n\nThen, in answer to their questions, he told them the exact manner in\nwhich this cure had been effected, by \"a man that is called Jesus\":\nfor at this time, he had no knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God, the\npromised Messiah. Whether from a good or bad motive we do not know,\nbut \"they brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.\" And\nit was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.\nThen the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He\nsaid, \"He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.\" The\nPharisees could not deny the miracle; but immediately some of them\nraised the objection, \"This man is not of God, because he keepeth not\nthe Sabbath day.\" Others, however, less determined to disbelieve even\nthe testimony of their own senses, said, \"How can a man that is a\nsinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say\nunto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened\nthine eyes?\" The blind man, though still ignorant of the real\ncharacter of Jesus, felt that He was most certainly more than a common\nman, and said, \"He is a prophet.\"\n\nBut the Jews now affected to disbelieve that the man had ever been\nblind, and called his parents, asking them, \"Is this your son, who ye\nsay was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered\nthem and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born\nblind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened\nhis eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for\nhimself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews,\"\nwho \"had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was the\nChrist, he should be put out of the synagogue.\" His parents,\ntherefore, not wishing to bring this punishment upon themselves,\nmerely bore witness to the fact that he was their son who was born\nblind: as to the rest, they told the Jews to let him speak for\nhimself. \"Then again called they the man that was blind, and said\nunto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.\"\nThat is, they called upon the man, who had been healed, to acknowledge\nthat Jesus was merely a sinful mortal, and had in reality no part in\nhis cure, which was the work of the God of Israel alone. The man,\nhowever, would by no means allow this: \"He answered and said, Whether\nhe be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I\nwas blind, now I see.\" This answer by no means pleased the Jews, and\nagain they asked, \"How opened he thine eyes?\" He answered them, \"I\nhave told you already, and ye did not hear (or believe): wherefore\nwould ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they\nreviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses's\ndisciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we\nknow not from whence he is.\" All the doubts and disputes of the\nPharisees, so far from shaking the faith of this man, seem to have\nstrengthened it; and now, fearless of consequences, he spake out\nboldly the words of common sense, and said, \"Why herein is a\nmarvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath\nopened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any\nman be a worshipper of God and doeth His will, him he heareth. Since\nthe world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one\nthat was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do\nnothing.\"\n\nThe answer of the man who had been born blind, made the Pharisees very\nangry. They could not contradict what he said; but they were\ndetermined not to allow that Jesus came from God, and as they chose to\nbelieve that this man was a greater sinner than other men because he\nhad been born blind, they immediately cried out, \"Thou wast altogether\nborn in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out:\" that is,\nexpelled him from the synagogue, as they had resolved to do to any one\nwho should confess that Jesus was the Christ. This casting out of the\nsynagogue, or excommunication, was a very severe punishment; there\nseem to have been three degrees of it. In the first instance, the\nperson under sentence of excommunication was forbidden to enter a\nsynagogue, or to join in the services of the temple; and he was to be\nlooked upon as no longer belonging to the chosen people of God. After\nsuch a sentence had been passed, no Jew would speak to, or have any\nintercourse with, the excommunicated person: this was the sentence now\npassed upon the man who had been so wonderfully healed. In the second\ndegree of excommunication, the loss of property was added to the\nformer sentence; all the goods possessed by the excommunicated person\nwere taken from him, and given to the service of God. The third degree\nof this terrible punishment ordained the death of the unfortunate\nwretch, who had already been cut off from all his friends, and\ndeprived of his property. When Jesus heard that the blind man had for\nHis sake been cast out, He appears to have gone in search of him; \"and\nwhen he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son\nof God?\" The man, in doubt as to the real nature of Him who had healed\nhim, and anxious to know the truth, \"answered and said, Who is he,\nLord, that I might believe on him?\" Jesus, ever ready to teach those\nwho heartily seek to learn the truth, plainly answered, and \"said unto\nhim, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.\"\nAll doubts now vanished; \"and he said, Lord, I believe. And he\nworshipped him.\" We may surely hope that this man, to whom the Lord\nhad given both spiritual and bodily sight, became a true and sincere\ndisciple of Jesus.\n\nAfter this, Jesus blamed the Pharisees for not believing in Him\nthemselves, and for trying to prevent others from doing so either.\nThen He spake of Himself as the good Shepherd; comparing the people to\na flock of sheep. The meaning of what Jesus now said, was, that He who\ncame to teach the people the way of salvation is the only good\nShepherd; and that all who do not come to them in the way appointed by\nGod, teaching as He has commanded, are like thieves and robbers; who\nonly come to do mischief in the flock, and must be shut out; just as\nthe porters, who took care of the sheep brought up to be sold for\nsacrifice, would not let any but the rightful owner enter into the\nsheepfold.\n\nJesus plainly declared Himself to be the good Shepherd, who would lead\nthe Jews to salvation, if they would follow Him, as the sheep in those\nEastern countries follow their Shepherd, when he calls them. Alluding\nto the Gentiles, Jesus also said, that He had other sheep whom He\nwould also by means of the Gospel bring into His fold, the Church of\nChrist on earth; and hereafter into His heavenly fold in heaven.\n\nAll that our Lord now said, made a great impression upon some of His\nhearers; and again caused a division of opinion among the Jews. Those\nwho were disposed to believe in Him were reproached by others, who,\nfoolishly as well as blasphemously, said, \"He hath a devil, and is\nmad; why hear ye him?\" Others, who did not allow prejudice to blind\ntheir common sense, reasonably answered, \"These are not the words of\nhim that hath a devil,\"--no man possessed with a devil could speak\nsuch good and beautiful words; and then they referred to the recent\nmiracle, in proof that the Lord could not be under the influence of\nSatan in any way; for they asked, \"Can a devil open the eyes of the\nblind?\" No more appears to have been said: we will hope that many went\naway determined to follow Jesus, but many, no doubt, hardened their\nhearts and continued in unbelief.\n\nWe next hear of Jesus being at Jerusalem, for \"the feast of the\ndedication, and it was winter.\" This Feast of the Dedication had been\nappointed by Judas Maccabeus, in remembrance of the cleansing of the\ntemple, and devoting it again to the proper worship of God, after it\nhad been profaned by the heathen. By attending this Feast, Jesus set\nus an example to keep solemn days appointed by man, in order to offer\nup thanksgiving to God for particular mercies. The Feast of the\nDedication took place in the month which answers to our December.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIV.--JESUS'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM.\n\n\n\"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was\nwinter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch:\" that is,\nin a porch or colonnade, which stood on the same spot where Solomon's\nporch had formerly stood; for the temple which existed in our\nSaviour's time was the one built by the Jews, after their return from\ntheir captivity in Babylon. The Jews came round about Jesus whilst He\nwas in this porch, and most unreasonably accused Him of keeping them\nin doubt, as to whether He was the Messiah or not; saying, \"If thou be\nthe Christ tell us plainly.\" Jesus in answer told them, that all the\nworks which they had seen would have convinced them of that fact, if\nthey had not been obstinately determined not to believe: and then,\nwhen He did plainly declare that He was the Son of God, by saying, \"I\nand my Father are one,\" \"the Jews took up stones again to stone him\";\ntelling Him that they did so, because He had spoken blasphemy in\nmaking Himself, or saying that He was, the Son of God. In spite of\nall He could say, they persisted in their unbelief; and when He again\nreferred them to His works as proving Him to be really the Son of God,\n\"they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, and\nwent away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first\nbaptized.\" \"Many resorted,\" or went out to him, there: those who had\nbefore listened to the teaching of John the Baptist, could not but see\nthat He was greater than the Baptist; for as they truly said, \"John\ndid no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.\nAnd many believed on him there.\"\n\nIt seems to have been at this time, that those about our Saviour asked\nHim, \"Lord, are there few that be saved?\" whereupon our Lord bid them,\n\"strive to enter in at the strait gate,\" by which He meant, that if\nany one really wished to go to heaven, he must try with all his might\nto walk in the path of holiness, by resisting the Devil and giving up\nhis own will or wishes, to do whatever would please God.\n\nThe same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get\nthee out, and depart hence: for Herod \"will kill thee.\" The answer\nthat Jesus made meant, that neither Herod nor any other man could put\nHim to death before the time appointed by God for His death; but that\nwhen the proper time came, He should perfect or finish His work by\ndying. He added, moreover, that He must return to Jerusalem to die,\n\"for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.\"\n\nBy the Jewish Laws, a prophet could only be judged by the Sanhedrim,\nor great Council of the Jews at Jerusalem. Jesus then lamented over\nthe troubles which he foresaw would fall upon Jerusalem, because the\nJews would not come to Him for safety.\n\nAgain we hear of a miracle of healing performed on the Sabbath day,\nwhen Jesus cured a man of the dropsy. At the same time, He spake\nvarious parables to the people, and taught them many things. Amongst\nthe parables now spoken, were those of \"the Prodigal Son\" and \"the\nUnjust Steward\": the first of these was intended to teach the Jews,\nthat they who had always been the chosen people of God, did wrong to\nbe angry because the Gentiles were admitted to share their privileges;\nand also to show that, although the Pharisees would have nothing to\nsay to those whom they looked upon as sinners, God was more merciful,\nand would receive and bless sinners who were truly penitent. The\nparable of \"the Unjust Steward\" was intended to teach all men, that\nthey ought to use as much diligence in seeking for spiritual\nblessings, as they would make use of in regard to temporal blessings.\n\nShortly after this, we read of little children being brought to the\nLord, who received them kindly, and blamed those who would have kept\nthem from Him.\n\nThe parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus the beggar, was now told: an\nawful warning to all who lead a life of luxury and self-indulgence,\ndenying themselves nothing.\n\n\"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be\nreceived up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.\"\n\nThe appointed time being near, Jesus now began His last journey to\nJerusalem, in the course of which He said many things to His disciples\nand the people in general, speaking often in parables; and He told His\ndisciples plainly that He was going up to Jerusalem, not to become an\nearthly king, as they still hoped, but to be ill treated and put to\ndeath. During this time Jesus healed the ten lepers, only one of whom,\nand he was a Samaritan, \"returned to give glory to God\" for his cure.\nTo him our Lord spake the comfortable words, \"Arise, go thy way: thy\nfaith hath made thee whole.\" Then a certain young Ruler came, and\nasked Jesus, \"Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have\neternal life.\" Jesus first shows him, that he must not look upon Him\nas man only, but as God; and then tells him that, to enter into\neternal life, he must keep all the commandments and precepts of God;\nand then, when the young man \"went away sorrowful,\" Jesus warned His\nfollowers of the danger of letting the love of riches draw their\nhearts from God.\n\nAnother remarkable parable spoken by Jesus at this time was that of\nthe labourers in the vineyard. This parable taught two lessons; first\nit showed to the Jews as a nation, that though they might be said to\nhave been labourers, from the time that they were first chosen by God,\nthey ought not to be envious and angry, because the Gentiles were now,\nat the eleventh hour, called also to be the servants of God. The Jews\nin general could not bear the idea of any other people sharing with\nthem, privileges, which they considered to belong to themselves alone;\nand many of Christ's discourses and parables were meant to correct\nthis wrong feeling. The second lesson taught by this parable comes\nhome to every individual; and shows, that though those are most\nblessed who from their childhood have truly served God, or, as it is\ncalled, \"worked in the vineyard,\" still, _all_ who, at any age, so\ntruly repent as to go and work, obeying the Word of God in everything,\nwill be graciously received by the Lord of the vineyard; and must not\ntherefore be despised by their fellow labourers, who were called at an\nearlier age. Jesus next received a message from Martha and Mary, the\nsisters of His friend Lazarus, saying, \"Lord, behold he whom thou\nlovest is sick.\" When, after a delay of two days, Jesus \"saith to his\ndisciples, Let us go into Judaea again\"; they reminded Him that the\nJews had of late sought to kill Him, and that He had better not go\nback. But Jesus told them, that as long as it was day, that is, His\ntime for working, He was safe anywhere. He explained to them that\nLazarus was now dead, and that He was going to wake him out of the\nsleep of death. The faith of the disciples seems to have been weak,\nbut their love was strong, for all agreed in Thomas's proposal, \"Let\nus also go, that we may die with him.\" \"And as they went on their way,\nJesus took again the twelve disciples apart, and began to tell them\nwhat things should happen unto him\"; speaking plainly of being\nbetrayed, delivered unto the Chief Priests, mocked, spitefully\nentreated, spitted on, scourged, and put to death by the Gentiles, and\nrising again the third day. But \"they understood none of these\nthings\": so little idea had they of the literal meaning of our Lord's\nwords, that at this very time, James and John, the sons of Zebedee,\ncame with their mother, to beg that they might sit, one on His right\nhand and the other on His left hand, in His kingdom.\n\nIn earthly courts, to be nearest the king's person, was a mark of\ndignity and favour; and, misunderstanding still the nature of Christ's\nkingdom, the sons of Zebedee made this request, to the indignation of\nthe other Apostles; who did not see why two of their number should be\nfavoured so far beyond the rest. But Jesus rebuked them all; and told\nthem, that His followers must not seek for power and greatness as the\nGentiles did; for that those who were humble and meek were most\npleasing to God. And He bid them, and all Christians in all times,\nfollow His example; reminding them, that although he was Lord of all,\nHe came on earth to serve men, and give His life for them.\n\nPassing through Jericho, Jesus, when he came near the town, gave sight\nto two blind men, who were sitting by the wayside begging. Hearing an\nunusual bustle, as of many people passing by, they asked what it\nmeant; and being told that \"Jesus of Nazareth passeth by,\" they,\nbelieving in His power, cried out earnestly, \"Have mercy on us, O\nLord, thou son of David:\" and this prayer they continued to repeat,\nalthough many of those who accompanied Jesus \"rebuked them, that they\nshould hold their peace,\" and not trouble Him with their cries.\n\nIn the Gospel accounts of this miracle, St. Mark and St. Luke only\nmention the healing of one blind man; but St. Matthew tells us there\nwere two. St. Matthew, who was one of the twelve Apostles, was present\non this occasion, so we may be sure that he saw two blind men healed.\nSt. Mark and St. Luke, writing many years afterwards, only mentioned\none of these men, who seems to have been the most known amongst the\nJews: for St. Mark speaks of him by his name, \"Bartimaeus,\" as if those\nfor whom he wrote would know the man, and therefore think more of the\nmiracle, about which they could also ask him. Perhaps, too, Bartimaeus\nis more particularly mentioned, because his faith was greater than\nthat of his companion; for St. Mark tells us, that Jesus said to him,\n\"Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.\" However that may be,\nthese blind men cried to Jesus for mercy, and \"Jesus had compassion on\nthem, and touched their eyes: and their eyes received sight, and they\nfollowed him,\" \"glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it,\ngave praise unto God.\"\n\n\"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho\": and now he gave\nanother lesson to the Pharisees, against despising any of their fellow\ncreatures.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXV.--ZACCHAEUS AND LAZARUS.\n\n\nAt Jericho \"there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among\nthe Publicans, and he was rich.\" He had already heard much of Jesus,\nand now \"he sought to see Jesus, who he was; and could not for the\npress,\" or crowd of people who surrounded the Lord, for Zacchaeus was a\nshort man, or \"little of stature.\" Being really anxious to see Jesus,\nZacchaeus did not content himself with merely _wishing_, and\n_regretting_; but he took some trouble to accomplish his object, and\nmet with his reward. We read that Zacchaeus \"ran on before, and\nclimbed up into a sycamore tree,\" under which Jesus must pass; and by\nthis means nothing could prevent his seeing the Lord.\n\nThe sycamore tree here spoken of, is also called the Egyptian fig; the\nleaves are like those of the mulberry tree, but the fruit resembles\nthe fig, in size, shape, and taste.\n\nJesus, who knows all things, saw the heart of Zacchaeus, and knew that\nhe was willing to become a true disciple; and none such will He ever\noverlook. Therefore, \"when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and\nsaw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for\nto-day I must abide at thy house.\" Most joyfully did Zacchaeus obey: he\nhad taken some trouble merely to see Jesus, and now he would have the\nprivilege of listening to His words. But many of the Jews who were\npresent were offended and displeased, because Jesus took such notice\nof a man belonging to a class, whom they, in their self-righteous\nspirit, condemned as unworthy to associate with them; \"they all\nmurmured, saying, That he was gone to be a guest with a man that is a\nsinner.\" Zacchaeus, seeing that Jesus was blamed for noticing him,\nthought it right to show that whatever his sins might have been, he\nwas now truly penitent, and determined to undo as much as possible any\nwrong he had done to his fellow creatures, in making them pay more\ntaxes than were justly due: so he stood up, \"and said unto the Lord,\nBehold, Lord, the half of my goods I give,\" that is, I will from this\ntime give, \"to the poor, and if I have taken anything from any man by\nfalse accusation,\" (or over-taxing,) \"I will restore him fourfold\":\nthat is, I will give him back four times as much as he has lost,\nthrough any fault of mine. This was true repentance, springing from\nfaith, and as such it found favour with God. \"And Jesus said unto him,\nThis day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a\nson of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that\nwhich was lost.\"\n\nZacchaeus had shown himself to be, spiritually, as well as by descent,\na son of faithful Abraham; and as such he and his family were to\nreceive that salvation, which Jesus came to bring to those who would\nturn from their sins and be saved.\n\nAt this time, \"Jesus spake a parable; because he was nigh to\nJerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should\nimmediately appear.\" By this parable of the nobleman, who went into a\nfar country to receive a kingdom, and then returned to judge his\nservants for the use they had made of the talents which he had given\nthem, Jesus showed that although He was Lord of all, He must leave\nthis world for a time, and return again to judge His servants, before\nHis kingdom could be visibly established,--before the kingdom of God\ncould appear in glory.\n\nIt is very easy to understand the meaning of this parable: we all,\nthat is, all the men, women, and children, who have ever been born,\nare sent upon earth that we may serve God, and show our love to Him,\nby doing His will in all things; and in doing all the good we can to\nothers. Some have greater means and opportunities of doing good than\nothers; such means and opportunities, as riches, wisdom, health,\nleisure, &c., are the \"talents\" entrusted to us; and we are to use\nthem in the service of God, and not for our own pleasure only. Some\nhave more of these \"talents\" than others; but all of us have\nopportunities of being useful, if we are ready to practise\nself-denial, and give up our own pleasure, wishes, and ease, in order\nto do little acts of kindness to others, in obedience to the word of\nGod. If we do not do our duty to God and man to the best of our power\nwhilst we are on earth, the Lord will be angry with us, as the king in\nthe parable was with the \"wicked servant,\" who had kept his talent\n\"laid up in a napkin,\" instead of using it so as to make a proper\nreturn to the Master, who had given it to him.\n\nWhen Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had already been buried four days.\nBethany was a village about two miles from Jerusalem; \"and many of the\nJews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their\nbrother.\" It was a custom amongst the Jews for friends and relations\nto come in this way to the house where any one had died, and there to\nmourn and lament, with particular ceremonies, for seven days. We have\nno such custom; but when any one is in trouble, we should do all we\ncan to comfort and help: even in all the little troubles and vexations\nwhich daily happen to those around us, we should try to do anything we\ncan to help them. The best rule in this, as in all other matters, is\nto observe the precept, \"Do unto others as you would wish them to do\nunto you.\" That is, think how you would feel if the same misfortune,\ntrouble, or vexation, fell upon you; and thus try and feel for others:\nthen think what you would wish to be done for you in a like case, and\ndo the same for them. Show that you are sorry for them, by doing any\nlittle act of kindness that is in your power, without thinking of\nyourself,--your own wishes, pleasure, or convenience. Even children\ncan do this; and the sooner they begin to do so, the more will they\ngrow in favour with God and Man.\n\nThe beautiful story of the raising of Lazarus is to be read in St.\nJohn's Gospel (ch. xi.).\n\nMartha's faith seems to have been weak; for though she believed that\nJesus could have saved her brother's life had He come in time, she\ncertainly did not believe that He could now restore him to life.\n\nMary, too, seems only to have thought that Jesus could have kept\nLazarus from dying; but her faith was stronger than Martha's, for she\nmade no objection to the taking away the stone that lay upon the cave\nin which Lazarus was buried.\n\nJesus here sets us an example of feeling for others: He saw the great\nsorrow of Martha and Mary, and, although He was going to remove the\ncause of their grief, yet He felt for them in their distress--\"Jesus\nwept.\" What a comfort to all who are in trouble upon earth, to know\nthat their Lord in heaven feels for them, and will hear their prayers\nfor help and comfort; though He will not answer them in the same way\nthat He answered the prayers of Mary and her sister.\n\n\"Many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which\nJesus did, believed on him. But some of them,\" determined not to\nacknowledge Him as the Messiah, \"went their ways to the Pharisees, and\ntold them what things Jesus had done.\"\n\nThe Chief Priests and Pharisees immediately called together the\nmembers of the Sanhedrim, or great Council, and said, \"What do we? for\nthis man worketh many miracles.\" They could not deny that Jesus had\nworked many miracles; for multitudes of the people had seen, and been\nbenefited by them. To the question, \"What do we?\" or rather, what\nshall we do? We might reasonably expect the answer, We will\nacknowledge Him as the Messiah, the Son of God; but, no: they did not\nsay this; on the contrary, their only thought was to prevent others\nfrom believing in Him. Rightly did they judge, \"If we let him thus\nalone, all men will believe in him\": but they added, \"and the Romans\nshall come and take away both our place and nation.\" In their\nblindness as to the spiritual nature of the Messiah's kingdom, these\nJews thought, that if they acknowledged Jesus, the Roman Emperor would\nconsider them as rebels, wishing to set up a temporal kingdom, and\nwould send his armies to destroy them utterly. Far better would it\nhave been for these unhappy men, if they had _only_ considered the\nproofs before them, and acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah, without\nfearing what man could do unto them. In a few years moreover, the very\nevil which they so wickedly strove to avoid did come upon them: their\nnation was totally destroyed, the people scattered over all lands, and\nthe temple burnt to the ground.\n\nNo doubt there were many different opinions amongst the members of the\nSanhedrim, for, after much discussion, \"one of them, named Caiaphas,\nbeing the High Priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing\nat all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should\ndie for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this\nspake he not of himself; but being High Priest that year, he\nprophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that\nnation only, but that also he should gather in one the children of God\nthat were scattered abroad.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXVI.--JESUS IN THE HOUSE OF SIMON THE LEPER\n\n\nThe speech made in the Sanhedrim by Caiaphas, meant a great deal more\nthan he did, when he _used_ the _words_. Caiaphas meant, that if there\nwere any chance of offending the Romans, it would be better at once to\nput one man to death, than to bring destruction upon the whole nation.\nBut St. John bids us take notice that, without intending it, Caiaphas\nthus proclaimed the blessed plan of salvation through the atonement,\nwhich, by the death of One, would be made for all mankind.\n\nCaiaphas was the \"High Priest that same year.\" By the appointment of\nGod, a man who once became High Priest continued to be so as long as\nhe lived; but the Romans forced the Jews to alter many of their\ncustoms, and it had been so in regard to the office of High Priest,\nwhich was now seldom held by the same person for more than a year.\n\nWhat Caiaphas said, seems to have decided the Sanhedrim as to what\nshould be done; and the only question that remained was, how it should\nbe done: how the death of Jesus could be safely managed, without\ncausing a disturbance amongst the people, who might not be willing to\nsee one who had worked such miracles for their good, put to death.\nThis required consideration on the part of the Sanhedrim: \"and from\nthat day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.\"\n\nJesus, knowing that His time was not fully come, went with His\ndisciples into a small city, situated among the mountains in the\nwilderness of Judah, which lay on the borders of the Dead Sea. We\nread, \"Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went\nthence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called\nEphraim, and there continued with his disciples.\" \"And the Jews'\nPassover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to\nJerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves\": that is, to\nobserve certain forms and ceremonies, without which no man was looked\nupon as fit to partake of this holy feast.\n\nThis was the third Passover which had occurred since Jesus began His\npublic teaching; the last of which He was to partake. It was fitting\nthat \"the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,\" should\nbe sacrificed at this solemn season. The Feast of the Passover was\nkept in remembrance of the deliverance of the Children of Israel from\ndeath, by the blood of the paschal lamb; but it was also a type, or\nsign, of a greater deliverance to come; when through the shedding of\nthe blood of the Lamb of God, all mankind would be delivered from a\nfar more terrible death. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called\n\"our Passover.\"\n\nThe Jews who now assembled in Jerusalem, to prepare themselves for the\napproaching Feast, naturally spake to each other of Jesus, whom all\nmust have heard of, and whom many had, no doubt, seen. They sought for\nJesus amongst those who were purifying themselves, and not finding\nHim, spake to each other, saying, \"What think ye, that he will not\ncome to the feast?\" Many of them probably thought, that Jesus would be\nafraid to show Himself in public; for \"both the Chief Priests and the\nPharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he\nwere, he should show it, that they might take him.\"\n\nMean time Jesus was calmly preparing to finish the work given to Him\nof the Father, by delivering Himself up to death; that through Him all\nmen might have life. Till the time was fully come, Jesus remained with\nHis disciples in the wilderness. \"Then six days before the Passover\nJesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he\nraised from the dead.\" It is probable that at this time Jesus abode in\nthe house with Lazarus and his sisters; but we read of Him as being\n\"in the house of Simon the leper,\" a man whom our Lord had, no doubt,\ncured of leprosy; where \"they made him a supper.\" Lazarus was one of\nthe guests who \"sat at the table with him,\" \"and Martha served\";\nhelped the giver of the feast to entertain and wait upon Jesus.\n\nAn event now took place, which is spoken of by St. Matthew, St. Mark,\nSt. Luke, and St. John; though it is rather differently told by each,\nsome mentioning circumstances of which the others take no notice: so\nmuch so, that some people have thought that they speak of different\nevents; but it seems much more probable that they all allude to the\nsame event, and therefore it will be so considered now.\n\nThe circumstance which happened at the supper given to Jesus in the\nhouse of Simon, (distinguished from others of that name by being still\ncalled the Leper, though now no longer one,) must be related according\nto what is generally believed.\n\n\"Mary having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious\nand very costly, brake the box, and poured it on his head as he sat at\nmeat, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her\nhair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.\" Thus\ndid Mary show her love for the Lord. \"But when his disciples saw it,\nthere were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why\nwas this waste of the ointment made? Then saith one of his disciples,\nJudas Iscariot, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment\nsold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?\"\n\nJudas Iscariot, under pretence of wishing to give the money to the\npoor, blamed Mary for thus wasting the ointment; and some of the other\ndisciples seem to have held the same idea, and \"they murmured against\nher.\"\n\nA Roman penny, the money here spoken of, was worth about 7-1/2_d._ of\nour money; so the cost of this box of ointment was about 9_l._: and\nprobably some of the disciples, not understanding the meaning of\nMary's action as afterwards described by Jesus, really thought it\nwould have been well to give that sum away in charity. But this was\nnot the case with Judas, for St. John adds, \"This he said, not that he\ncared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and\nbare what was put therein.\" The joint stock of money, out of which the\nnecessaries of life were purchased for Jesus and his Apostles, was\ntrusted to the care of Judas, who was a thief, and took money out of\nthe common bag for his own private purposes. If so large a sum as\nthree hundred pence were to be added to the common stock, Judas would\nbe able easily to take some without being found out; especially if he\npretended that he had given it to the poor. Let us, as the Bible bids\nus, beware of covetousness even in the smallest matter. This feeling\nindulged in the heart is a great sin; and it constantly leads to the\nbreaking of the eighth commandment as well.\n\nWhen Mary was blamed for what she had done, the Lord defended her,\nsaying, \"Let her alone,\"--do not blame her,--\"why trouble ye her? she\nhath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always,\nand whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always.\nShe hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body\nto the burying. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body,\nshe did it for my burial.\"\n\nIt was the custom among the Jews to anoint the bodies of the dead\nbefore burial, with perfumes and spices: this was also a custom of\nother nations, and the Egyptians had a manner of anointing, or\nembalming, the body, so that it would keep its shape, and not turn to\ndust, as it would otherwise do. Bodies so prepared are called mummies;\nand many have been found, which have been in that state for 3,000 or\n4,000 years.\n\nWhen Jesus said that Mary \"had anointed his body to the burying,\" He\nmeant, that she had done an action which was significant of His\napproaching death; but, of course, neither she nor the disciples\nunderstood it as such. He also declared, that so far from deserving\nblame, what she had done should be for ever remembered to her praise:\n\"Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached\nthroughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be\nspoken of for a memorial of her.\"\n\nWhilst Jesus was still in the house of Simon, much people of the Jews,\nknowing He was there, came not only to see Him, \"but that they might\nsee Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.\" Such a miracle\nhad naturally been much talked of; and the Chief Priests, fearing the\neffect it might have on the people's mind, consulted whether they\ncould not \"put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason of him\nmany of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.\"\n\nThe next day,--that is, five days before the Passover,--the people\nthat were assembled at Jerusalem for the feast, \"when they heard that\nJesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went\nforth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna; Blessed is the King of Israel,\nthat cometh in the name of the Lord.\" The word \"Hosanna\" is made up of\nparts of two Hebrew words, which mean \"_Save now_.\" It was a word\ncommonly used by the people to express their joy upon solemn\noccasions.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXVII.--CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.\n\n\nThen Jesus sent forth two of His disciples, with directions where to\nfind a colt, the foal of an ass, upon which He purposed to ride into\nJerusalem. The disciples did as they were directed, and \"cast their\ngarments upon the colt, and they sat Jesus thereon\": and He rode\ntowards Jerusalem, accompanied by many of the people who had been with\nHim in Simon's house, and \"that was with him when he called Lazarus\nout of his grave.\" These were soon met by those who, with palm\nbranches in their hands, had come from Jerusalem. \"And as they went, a\nvery great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down\nbranches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.\" Casting\ngarments, branches of trees and flowers on the ground, for Kings and\nConquerors to tread upon, was a mark of honour and welcome in the\nEastern nations; and it was a fitting homage to Him, Who is King of\nKings, and the Conqueror of Sin and Death.\n\n\"And when He was come nigh the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of\nthe disciples, and the multitudes that went before, and that followed,\nbegan to rejoice, and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty\nworks that they had seen; and cried, saying Hosanna to the Son of\nDavid--Hosanna in the highest. Blessed be the King that cometh in the\nname of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.\"\n\n\"All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken\" 400\nyears before \"by the prophet\" Zechariah, saying, \"Tell ye the\ndaughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting\nupon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.\"\n\nAt the Feast of Tabernacles, it had long been the custom for the\nJewish people to sing Hosannas, and also to carry in their hands\nbranches of palm or other trees, in honour of the Messiah whom they\nwere expecting; and by receiving Jesus as they now did, the multitudes\ndid, in fact, acknowledge Him to be that expected Messiah--at once God\nand man--the King spoken of by the prophets; promised by the Almighty.\n\nNo other king ever entered Jerusalem in this manner, which had been\nforetold by the prophets; and therefore what had now happened, ought\nto have convinced all the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed the\nMessiah: but nothing will convince those who are obstinately\ndetermined not to believe, and even now, \"some of the Pharisees from\namong the multitude,\" who chose to think it was blasphemy to give\nJesus, a man, the honour due to the Messiah, \"said unto him, Master,\nrebuke thy disciples.\" But instead of doing so, Jesus \"answered and\nsaid unto them, I tell you that, if these should, hold their peace,\nthe stones would immediately cry out.\" By this answer, Jesus plainly\ntold the Pharisees, that so far from meriting a rebuke for speaking\n_blasphemy_, all that the people had said was so pleasing to God, that\nif they were prevented from saying it, the Almighty would, even by a\nmiracle, raise up others to glorify His name, by proclaiming this\nwonderful truth. Nothing, however, could overcome the obstinate\nunbelief of the Pharisees. They \"said among themselves, Perceive ye\nhow ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.\"\n\nThey could not but own, that in spite of all they had done, the people\ndid believe Jesus to be the Messiah; but this had no other effect than\nto make them the more anxious to put Him to death. Mean time Jesus\nrode on; \"And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over\nit, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day,\nthe things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from\nthine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies\nshall cast a trench about thee, and keep thee in on every side, and\nshall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and\nthey shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou\nknewest not the time of thy visitation.\" The meaning of what Jesus now\nsaid is, that it would have been a happy thing for the inhabitants of\nJerusalem, if while He was with them they would have believed on Him,\nfor then He would have given them peace and happiness. And He wept in\npity, whilst He foretold the utter destruction that would come upon\nthe city, as a punishment to the Jews for refusing to believe in Him,\nand receive Him as the Messiah.\n\nEverything that Jesus foretold, came to pass exactly a few years\nafterwards, when the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem, and made a\ntrench, and a wall with strong towers all round the city, so as to\nprevent the inhabitants getting any help. The consequence was, that\nthe want of food caused the most dreadful suffering and misery. When\nat last the city was taken, the Romans did destroy it so completely,\nthat it might truly be said, that one stone was not left upon another.\n\n\"And when Jesus was come into Jerusalem,\" accompanied by multitudes,\nwaving palm branches, and singing Hosannas, \"all the city was moved,\"\nor filled with astonishment, saying, \"Who is this? And the multitude\nsaid, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus\nwent into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and\nbought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers,\nand the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is\nwritten, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have\nmade it a den of thieves.\"\n\nVery soon after our Lord's baptism, He thus cleared the temple for the\nfirst time (Ch. VII.); then He blamed the people for making His\nFather's house a house of merchandise; now he tells them that they\nhave made it like a den of thieves. There have always been people\nwicked enough to break the eighth commandment. In the land of Judaea,\nthere were then many lawless men, who, instead of working to gain an\nhonest living, went about the country robbing their fellow creatures,\nand so living on what they could get. These robbers joined together in\nbands, and took up their abodes in hollow places in the sides of the\nmountains, called dens or caves. These dens generally had a small\nentrance, but inside were of different sizes: they had no light but\nwhat came in through the entrance hole; but the inhabitants could burn\nlamps or torches to give them light, and of course they were quite\nsheltered from wind and rain. The robbers used to leave their\nhiding-places at night, and prowl about to take whatever they could\nfind. Even if they met with cattle or sheep unguarded, they drove them\naway into their dens, where they kept all manner of things which they\nhad stolen; and therefore when the court of the temple was filled with\noxen and sheep, and other animals, it might well be compared to a den\nof thieves. Nothing like this can happen in our days; but let us\nremember that Jesus referred to the words of the prophet Isaiah, \"Mine\nhouse shall be called an house of prayer for all people\": Jesus blamed\nthe people for profaning the temple, and not making the proper use of\nit: we are guilty of this sin, if we do not make a proper use of our\nchurches, and behave reverently when we are in them. Let us all be\ncareful to make our churches houses of prayer, by joining devoutly in\nthe prayers, and listening attentively to all that we hear there:\nunless we do this, we shall sin against God by not hallowing His Name;\nand He will be as much displeased with us, as He was with the Jews for\ntheir desecration of the temple.\n\nThe blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple; \"and he healed\nthem. And when the Chief Priests and Scribes saw the wonderful things\nthat he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying Hosanna\nto the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto Him,\nHearest thou what these say?\" meaning that He should stop these\nchildren from so speaking: instead of that, Jesus again plainly\ndeclared Himself to be the Messiah spoken of by the prophets, by\napplying to what had now taken place, the inspired words of David; for\nwe read, that \"Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of\nthe mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?\"\n\n\"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at\nthe feast.\" The Greek language was very much spoken at this time, and\nthe Jews called all foreigners who spoke it, Greeks: many of these\npersons had been converted, or turned, from the worship of idols to\nthat of the one True God: but as they were not really Jews, they could\nonly be admitted to worship in the Court of the Gentiles. These men\nwished to see Jesus, and expressed their wish to Philip--\"Philip\ncometh and telleth Andrew; and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.\"\n\nOur Lord in His answer, declared that the time was now come, when His\npower and glory should be shown, not to the Jews alone, but to all\nnations upon earth. But He also said, that before He could be\nglorified, He must die; just as a corn or grain of wheat must be put\ninto the ground and die, or rot, before it could bring forth fruit and\nfulfil its purpose: and then He warned His disciples, that any man\nwho really desired to serve and follow Him, must be ready to give up\neverything he most values, and even to part with his life, if\nnecessary, for the service of God.\n\nJesus in his human nature must have shrunk from suffering as a man;\nthough firmly resolved to suffer the utmost agony for our sakes. He\nwould not, therefore, ask God to save Him from the approaching trial,\nbecause He had come into the world for the express purpose of going\nthrough it, in order to purchase the salvation of man.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXVIII.--THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN.\n\n\nAt this time Jesus saith, \"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I\nsay? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto\nthis hour. Father, glorify thy name.\" By these last words Jesus\nexpressed His willingness to give Himself up entirely to God, that God\nmight do with Him whatever would be for His own praise and glory. This\nsame feeling of perfect resignation and self-denial should also govern\nus in all things. Jesus spake these words, and \"then came there a\nvoice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify\nit again. The people therefore that stood by, and heard it, said that\nit thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.\"\n\nOne of the most ancient signs, or tokens, of the presence of God was a\nvoice from heaven, uttering words that could be heard by man. The Jews\ncalled such a voice \"the Bath Col,\" which means the \"Daughter of the\nVoice.\" It was often a deep, loud sound, attended, as in this case,\nwith thunder; and many would not now believe it to be anything more.\nOthers, who knew that their fathers of old had been spoken to in this\nway, acknowledged it to be the voice of an angel.\n\nJesus told those around Him, that this Voice came to show them that He\nwas the true Messiah.\n\nMany other things spake He unto them; but although they had seen so\nmany miracles done by Him, yet they believed not that he was the\nMessiah; thus fulfilling the words spoken by Isaiah the prophet.\n\"Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him but,\nbecause of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should\nbe put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more\nthan the praise of God.\"\n\nThe fear of man bringeth a snare. Never let us be tempted, for fear of\nman, to say or do the least thing which we know to be displeasing to\nGod.\n\nIn the evening, Jesus again left Jerusalem, and lodged in Bethany,\nwith the twelve disciples.\n\nWe are now come to the last week of our Saviour's life: we call it\n\"Passion Week,\" because of His sufferings and death, which are often\nspoken of as \"His Passion.\" The Sunday that begins this Holy Week is\noften called Palm Sunday, in remembrance of Christ's riding into\nJerusalem, accompanied by multitudes carrying Palm branches; but in\nour Prayer Book it is only called \"The Sunday next before Easter.\"\n\nOn this first day of the week, Jesus, after He had finished speaking\nto the people in the temple, went out to the little village of\nBethany. Now the next morning, answering to our Monday in Passion\nWeek, Jesus and His disciples returned into the city. On the way \"he\nhungered, and seeing a fig tree by the way side having leaves, he came\nto it, if haply he might find any fruit thereon; for the time of figs\nwas not yet,\"--that is, it was not yet time for the figs to have been\ngathered, and therefore a tree which looked so flourishing ought to\nhave had fruit upon it. But there was none; nothing, but leaves only.\n\"Then Jesus said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for\never. And his disciples heard it.\"\n\nAnd they came to Jerusalem, and went into the temple. It appears that,\nthough driven out at the time, the buyers, and sellers, and\nmoney-changers had again established themselves in their former\nplaces. Again did our Lord cast them out, reminding them that His\nhouse was to be a house of prayer only: and this time we are told,\nthat He \"would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through\nthe temple.\" Jesus remained in the temple teaching the people, who\n\"were very attentive to hear him.\" \"And the Scribes, and the Chief\nPriests, and the chief of the people heard it, and sought how they\nmight destroy him\"; but they could do nothing openly for fear of the\npeople, who were \"astonished at his doctrine,\" and evidently inclined\nat this time to believe in Him as the Messiah.\n\nThe next morning, answering to Tuesday in Passion Week, Jesus and the\ntwelve again returned to Jerusalem; and \"as they passed by, they saw\nthe fig tree dried up from the roots. And when the disciples saw it,\nthey marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! And\nPeter, calling to remembrance\" (what had happened the day before),\n\"saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is\nwithered away! And Jesus, answering, saith unto them, Have faith in\nGod.\" Then He went on to speak to them of the necessity of having\nfaith; and told them that, if their faith were strong, the most\ndifficult things would become easy for them to do. He also told them\nto pray earnestly in faith; for that the faithful never pray in vain:\nbut He again warned the disciples, that if they asked God to forgive\ntheir sins, they must truly forgive all who had in any way offended or\nhurt them; saying, \"For if ye do not forgive, neither will your\nFather, which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses.\"\n\nThe fate of the fig tree teaches two lessons. In the first place, it\nwas a warning to the Jews, who made a great show of their religion,\nand were very particular in performing all the outward forms and\nceremonies which could be seen by men, and lead them to believe that\nthose who did such things must be really good and religious men. Thus\nthey were like the fig tree, with its green leaves making a good show\nto the eye. But the Jews, with all their outward show, did not do the\nWill of God: they did not bring forth the fruit of good works, and so\ntheir whole religion was valueless, and was to be put an end to by the\ndestruction of the temple. Here again they were like the fig tree,\nwhich, in spite of its flourishing leaves, bore no figs, and being\ntherefore useless, was to wither away.\n\nBut from all this we may learn an important lesson for ourselves. We\nshould each compare ourselves to this fig tree, and consider whether\nwe bear fruit, or have only a show of leaves. Leaves would be outward\nobservances; such things as can be seen of men. Going to Church, even\nreading the Bible and saying our Prayers, may be looked upon as\nleaves, because they can be seen and known by others: but, if under\nthese good leaves there is no fruit of obedience, kindness,\nself-denial, and holiness,--in short, if we are not trying to please\nGod by growing better and better day by day, where is the fruit?\n\nIf, in spite of our Bible and our prayers, we follow our own wills,\nand indulge our own naughty tempers and feelings, then we are like the\nbarren fig tree; and in the end, like that, we shall be rejected by\nour Lord in heaven. Let each of us often ask our own conscience this\nquestion, Am I a good or bad fig tree? Have I only leaves, or do I\nbear fruit also?\n\nAt this time Jesus taught daily in the temple; and on one occasion the\nChief Priests and the Scribes and the elders of the people \"spake unto\nhim, saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things? And\nJesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing,\nwhich if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I\ndo these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? was it from\nheaven, or of men? Answer me.\"\n\nThis question greatly perplexed those to whom it was put. They saw\nplainly, that if they acknowledged that John the Baptist was sent by\nGod, Jesus would justly say, Why then did ye not believe him, when he\ntold you I was the Messiah? On the other hand, they were afraid to say\nthat John had no authority from God, because all the people looked\nupon him as a prophet, and would be ready to stone any one who said\nthat he was not. \"And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot\ntell whence it was.\" They had not asked the question from any real\nwish to know, for they would not speak what they felt to be the truth,\nbecause it would show that they were wrong. Under such circumstances,\n\"Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what\nauthority I do these things.\"\n\nBut our Lord did not leave them without an answer, if they would have\nlaid it to heart; for, in the parable of the man who bid his two sons\n\"go work to-day in my vineyard,\" He showed them plainly, that, in\nspite of all their profession of religion, they did not do what God\nhad bade them, and therefore they would lose His favour; whilst the\nGentiles, and all who repented and became the obedient sons of God,\nwould go into the kingdom of heaven before them.\n\n\"Then began he to speak to the people another parable\" of the\nhouseholder; who, after planting a vineyard and doing all that was\nnecessary to make it produce good wine, sent first his servants and\nthen his son to receive the fruits: but instead of making the proper\nreturn, the servants were ill-used, and the son killed. The people, on\nbeing asked what the lord of the vineyard would do to such men,\nanswered, \"He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let\nout his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the\nfruits in their due season.\" Jesus then showed them, that this\nparable exactly described what the Jewish nation had done; and He\nsaid, \"Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken\nfrom you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.\"\nJesus also spake another parable, wherein the kingdom of heaven is\nsaid to be like unto a certain king, which made a marriage feast for\nhis son. This parable taught the same lesson; that if people will not\ncome to God when He calls them, He will deprive them of the blessings\nthey do not value. At the end of this parable, the king is represented\nas sending away into punishment a man who had not on a wedding\ngarment. This is to warn us, that though the Lord has now given to\nChristians the blessings refused by the Jews, it is not enough to be\ncalled a Christian: each one of us must be really and truly a\nChristian in heart and life; clothed, as it were, with faith, love,\nobedience, and holiness, as with a wedding garment: without this, no\nman can enter into Christ's Church in Heaven.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIX.--DISCOURSES ON THE TUESDAY.\n\n\nIn the parable of the Marriage Feast just spoken of, we read that when\nthe invited guests refused to come, beggars were compelled to come in\nfrom the highways; now, though this may seem to us a strange thing, it\nwould not appear so to those who heard this parable, as it was\naccording to the customs of the East.\n\nEven now, the Arab princes often dine in the open air before their\ndwellings, and invite all that pass, even beggars, to share their\nmeal: these guests sit down and eat, and when they have done, return\nthanks and go away.\n\nAnother custom of those times is also referred to in this parable:\nkings and great men, when they made a feast, provided garments or\nrobes to be lent to any guests who came without a proper dress for the\noccasion. As every man who needed it could have a garment if he asked\nfor it, there was no excuse for any person who sat down _without_ one.\nThe man spoken of in the parable, could have had a wedding garment if\nhe had sought for it; and so we read that he \"was speechless,\" had\nnothing to say in his own defence, and was cast from the presence of\nthe Lord.\n\nSo it is with us; God will give faith, and love, and strength to keep\nHis holy Word, to all who ask, and seek: therefore, if we are not\ncovered with the garment of faith and holiness, it will be our own\nfault that we are not allowed to sit down with the righteous in the\nkingdom of Heaven.\n\nThe righteousness of Christ is the real wedding garment of believers;\nand this will cover and save all, whose faith is true and lively; such\nas will show itself in their words and deeds.\n\nThe Pharisees and Scribes saw that these parables were spoken against\nthem, to show them how wrong they were; and this made them the more\nangry, and the more desirous to destroy Jesus. Being afraid to do this\nopenly by violence, they \"took counsel (or consulted together) how\nthey might entangle him in his talk\": that is, get Him to say\nsomething which would either offend the people, or give them a\npretence for accusing Him to the Roman governor of teaching the people\nto rebel against the authority of Caesar.\n\nThey, therefore, sent forth certain of their own disciples, with the\nHerodians; spies, which should feign themselves just and good men,\nanxious to learn the truth by asking questions; whilst all the time,\nthey hoped He would say something to enable them to \"deliver him unto\nthe power and authority of the governor.\" The Herodians here spoken\nof, seem to have been a party amongst the Jews, who were very\nfavourable to the Romans; and thought they had the best right to\nappoint the kings and governors of Judaea. This party took its rise in\nthe time of Herod the Great.\n\nThese Herodians, though Jews themselves, had been quite ready to join\nwith Herod, when, to please the Romans, he set apart temples for the\nworship of their false gods: by such means they had got into great\nfavour with the Romans, as also with Herod the Great and all his\nfamily.\n\nThe Pharisees and Herodians then came to Jesus, and having first\ndeclared their belief, that no fear of man would prevent His telling\nthem plainly what was the Will of God, they said, \"Tell us therefore,\nWhat thinkest thou, Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?\nShall we give or shall we not give?\"\n\nThe Romans had laid a tax upon Judaea when it became a Roman province:\nthe Jews hated this mark of subjection, and the Pharisees taught, that\nas the Jews were God's chosen people, they ought not to pay tax or\ntribute to any foreign power. The Herodians held the contrary opinion;\nand some of the Jews followed them. Caesar was a common name or title\ngiven to all the Roman Emperors, who had each their own particular\nname besides. Augustus Caesar was Emperor of Rome when Jesus Christ was\nborn; and, at the time we are speaking of, Tiberius Caesar was the\nEmperor. If, to the question now asked, Jesus should answer, \"Do not\npay tribute,\" the Herodians would be offended, and would get the Roman\ngovernor to punish Him. If, on the other hand, Jesus should declare\nthat it was lawful and right to pay tribute, the greater part of the\nJewish people would be very indignant, and perhaps stone Him at once:\nat any rate, He would lose their favour, so that they would not oppose\nHis destruction. Thus the Pharisees felt confident that Jesus must\nfall into the snare. \"But Jesus perceived their wickedness; and\nknowing their hypocrisy, said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me\nthe tribute-money,\" that I may see it. \"And they brought unto him a\npenny\"--a Roman coin, equal to 7-1/2_d._ of our money, having upon it\nthe image or figure of the Emperor's head, with some words, called the\nsuperscription, round it: just as our money has the Queen's image upon\nit, and writing also. \"And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and\nsuperscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them,\nRender therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God\nthe things that are God's.\" Thus teaching, that their duty to God as\nHis people, did not interfere with their duty to the Romans as\ntemporal rulers. The Pharisees could not take hold of such words:\n\"they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace, and left him, and\nwent their way.\" Let us remember that with us also, our duty to God\nwill not interfere with our duty to man: on the contrary, those who\nmost love God, will best do their duty as Parents and Children, Kings\nand Subjects, Masters and Servants, Friends and Neighbours.\n\nThe Pharisees having been put to silence in the matter of the\ntribute-money, another party or sect amongst the Jews, who did not\nbelieve in the future resurrection of the dead, came to Jesus, hoping\nalso to entangle him in his talk. These Jews, who were called\nSadducees, asked our Lord a question, which they thought it would be\nimpossible for him to answer: but Jesus showed them, that only their\nown ignorance and inattention to what was written in their Scriptures,\nmade them find any difficulty as to the resurrection of the dead: and\nHe told them most plainly, that all the dead should certainly rise\nagain; and that those who were worthy to live in Heaven, should \"be\nas the angels of God.\" Some of the Scribes, who were present, agreed\nto the truth of all that Jesus spake, and said, \"Master, thou hast\nwell said.\"\n\nBut when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to\nsilence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a\nLawyer, one of the Scribes, came, and having heard them reasoning\ntogether, and perceiving that he had answered them well, \"asked him a\nquestion, tempting him\"; that is, hoping that His answer might give an\nopportunity of finding fault with Him.\n\nBefore we speak of the question now asked, it is necessary to\nunderstand, that at this time the Scribes and Pharisees had taken up\nan opinion, that it was quite impossible for anybody to observe all\nthe precepts and commandments contained in the Law of Moses; and that,\ntherefore, every man might choose out one or two, and that if he\nobserved these perfectly, he would be forgiven for not keeping the\nothers. This was, of course, quite contrary to the teaching of\nScripture, where we learn that all men must do their very best to keep\nthe whole law of God, and do His Will in all things. The Pharisees\nhaving thus settled that they need only keep one Commandment, the\nquestion was, which it should be: some considered that the ordinances\nas to sacrifices were the most important; others thought attention to\nthe wearing of phylacteries was the chief thing. No doubt it was much\neasier to attend to such outward observances, than to keep the temper\nin order and practise self-denial; but no outward service can please\nGod if the heart is not right. As the Scribes and Pharisees were\nconstantly disputing amongst themselves, as to which of the\nCommandments it was most important to keep, this Lawyer now asked\nJesus, \"Master, which is the first commandment of all?\" which is the\ngreat commandment in the law? \"And Jesus answered him, The first of\nall the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:\nand thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all\nthy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is\nthe first and great commandment.\" This answer could not be found fault\nwith; for it agreed exactly with what Moses had said. But Jesus did\nnot stop here. He knew that the Pharisees behaved with great\nunkindness to their Jewish brethren, who did not hold the same\nopinions as they did; and that they actually hated all their fellow\ncreatures of a different religion: He therefore told them, that there\nwas a second commandment, of almost equal importance to the first, and\n_both_ must be kept. He said, \"And the second is like unto it, namely\nthis, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other\ncommandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the\nLaw and the prophets\": meaning, that these two commandments contain\nall that the Law and the prophets had taught, and that any man who\nkept these, would indeed, keep the whole Law.\n\nJust as in our Catechism we say, that from the Commandments of the Law\nwe learn two things: our duty towards God, and our duty towards man:\nnor can they be separated; he who really does love God with heart, and\nmind, and soul, and strength, will try in all things to please Him,\nand will not willingly break the least of His commands.\n\nHe who so loves his fellow creatures, as to do them all the good he\ncan, and treat them as he would himself wish to be treated, will\ncertainly never injure any one in his person or his property; nor even\nbe unkind to him, in word or deed.\n\nThe Scribe who had asked the question, \"tempting him,\" appears to have\nbeen more honest than many of his brethren: he felt the truth of our\nLord's words, and at once \"said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said\nthe truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: and\nto love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and\nwith all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his\nneighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and\nsacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said\nunto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.\" Jesus meant, that\nthis Scribe was not far from being a true believer and disciple, and,\nwe may hope, that he did become a sincere follower of the Lord, and an\ninheritor of the kingdom of Heaven.\n\n\"And no man after that durst ask him any question.\" Seeing how all had\nfailed to entangle Jesus in his talk, the Pharisees appear to have\ngiven up asking questions, which only gave Him an opportunity of\nshowing His wisdom and holiness.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXX.--WEDNESDAY--JUDAS COVENANTS TO BETRAY JESUS.\n\n\nWhilst the Pharisees, who had asked questions in the hope of finding a\nfault, were gathered together, Jesus in His turn questioned them: He\n\"asked them, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto\nhim, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in\nspirit call him Lord? for David himself said by the Holy Ghost, in the\nBook of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,\ntill I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him\nLord; if David then call him Lord, how is he his son?\" The Pharisees\ncould make no answer to this, without contradicting what David had\nsaid; or acknowledging that Christ, though in one sense the son of\nDavid, was more, and must be the Son of God spoken of by David and all\nthe prophets. Therefore \"no man was able to answer him a word, neither\ndurst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. The\ncommon people heard him gladly,\" however, not being so prejudiced\nagainst Him.\n\nJesus at this time reproved the Scribes and Pharisees for their pride\nand hypocrisy; and for their observance of outward forms only, whilst\nthey did not even try to act according to the real meaning and spirit\nof the Law of Moses. Jesus also told his disciples and the multitude,\nthat though they ought to observe and do whatever the Scribes (whose\nbusiness it was to explain and teach the Law) showed them that they\nought to do, they must be careful not to follow their example: \"The\nScribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat; all therefore\nwhatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye\nafter their works: for they say and do not.\" Other things Jesus said\nat this time (Matt xxiii., Mark xii., Luke xx.), and he ended with\nagain lamenting over the misery which Jerusalem was bringing upon\nherself, by refusing to receive Him, the Lord of Life and Glory: and\nHe reminded His hearers, that He would have saved them had they been\nwilling. \"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and\nstonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered\nthy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her\nwings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you\ndesolate.\" Jesus was teaching in that part of the temple where stood\nthe chest, into which those who came to worship, put gifts of money,\nto be used for the service of the temple.\n\n\"And Jesus sat over against the treasury. And he looked up and beheld\nhow the people cast money into the treasury; and many that were rich\ncast in much. And there came also a certain poor widow, and she threw\nin two mites, which make a farthing.\" There was a curious law at this\ntime amongst the Jews, forbidding any one to put into the treasury so\nsmall a sum as _one_ mite: this poor widow therefore put in the\nsmallest sum she could. Many who saw her, most likely despised her\noffering; and thought that such a paltry sum was not worth giving. But\nHe who seeth the heart, judged very differently: \"He called unto him\nhis disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this\npoor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the\ntreasury: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the\nofferings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all that she had,\neven all her living.\"\n\nThe difference was, that the rich men had given large sums, of which\nthey would not feel the loss: but the poor widow had practised the\ngreatest self-denial, in order to do something for the service of God.\nShe had to work hard to gain money to buy necessary food, and by\ngiving all she had at this time, she would be obliged to go without a\nmeal. Without self-denial, we cannot please God: and we can all\npractise self-denial, though it seems very hard to do so. If we give\nup our own wishes, and practise self-denial, in the most trifling\nthings, though men may not know it at all, God does: and if He sees\nthat we do it _because_ He has bid us deny ourselves, He will be\npleased with us.\n\nOur Lord now departed from the temple, and as he went out \"his\ndisciples came to him, for to show him, the buildings of the temple\";\nthat is, to draw His attention to the strength of the walls, and the\nsize of the stones used in building it; as if they thought it almost\nimpossible that one stone should not be left upon another. But Jesus\nagain assured them that the temple, as well as the city, should be\nutterly destroyed.\n\nJesus then spake of the misery that would come upon the Jews, when the\ndestruction of their city should take place. From this, He went on to\nspeak of the end of the world, which must surely take place some day\nor other: and He warned them, that as no man could know when this\nevent would take place, it was necessary that every one should be\nprepared to meet their God.\n\nLet us remember this: let each one of us try to live every day as if\nit was to be our last. Many things He spake, to enforce the duty of\nwatching, so as to be always ready.\n\nIn order to impress more strongly upon His disciples the dreadful\nconsequence of not being ready, when the Lord should come to judge the\nworld, Jesus told them the parable of the Ten Virgins, five of whom\nwere wise, and five foolish. These latter were shut out from the\nmarriage; and Jesus showed how this parable applied to all men, by\nsaying, \"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour\nwherein the Son of man cometh.\"\n\nAgain, to show them the necessity of being found at the last day,\ndoing the will of God, and improving the talents committed to our\ncare, Jesus told His disciples another parable of the Servants and the\nTalents; greatly resembling one spoken before, as given by St. Luke,\nchap. xix. He likewise showed His disciples, that though here all men\nseem to go on much alike, so that it is often difficult to know who\nare really serving God with all their hearts, and who are not, there\nwill be no difficulty in the last day, when the godly and the ungodly\nshall be as easily divided, \"as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the\ngoats\": and that while the Lord would take the one to live with Him\nfor ever, the others should go away into everlasting punishment. Jesus\nalso declared, that one way of gaining the favour of God, was by doing\nacts of kindness and self-denial, to help our suffering fellow\ncreatures.\n\nAll these discourses, which followed the last cleansing of the temple,\nseem to have been uttered on the Tuesday in Passion Week. \"And in the\nday time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and\nabode in the mount, that is called the mount of Olives;\" at Bethany,\nas is generally believed. We have now come to the Wednesday in Passion\nWeek, two days before the feast of the Passover, called also the feast\nof unleavened bread. Jesus, to prepare His disciples for what was\nabout to happen, said unto them, \"Ye know that after two days is the\nfeast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be\ncrucified.\"\n\n\"Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the\nPassover. Then assembled together the Chief Priests and the Scribes,\nand the elders of the people\" (who had long sought to destroy Jesus),\n\"unto the palace of the High Priest, who was called Caiaphas, and\nconsulted how they might take Jesus by craft and put him to death,\"\nwithout causing any uproar among the people. If once they could\ncontrive to deliver Him up as a prisoner to the Roman governor, there\nwould be no possibility of His being rescued by the people.\n\nThe Priests and elders were now offered help from an unexpected\nquarter. \"Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of\nthe number of the twelve.\" Judas had probably taken offence at what\nJesus said, when Mary anointed His feet: he was a bad man, without any\nreal love for his Master; and instead of fighting against the sinful\nlusts or desires of his own heart, he indulged them, and so let the\nDevil enter in, and lead him to betray the Lord. \"And he went his way\nunto the Chief Priests, and communed with them how he might betray him\nunto them. And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will\ndeliver him unto you? And when they heard it they were glad, and\npromised to give him money. And they covenanted (or agreed with him)\nfor thirty pieces of silver.\" Thirty shekels or pieces of silver\n(worth about 3_l._ 11_s._), was the sum which Moses had commanded to\nbe paid by the owner of any beast, which had by accident killed the\nslave of another man: thus, in every respect, did Christ take upon Him\nthe form and condition of a servant or slave.\n\nJudas having consented to sell the life of his Master for thirty\nshekels, \"from that time sought opportunity how he might conveniently\nbetray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.\" It is a\nterrible thing when a man is so hardened, as to watch for an\nopportunity of committing a crime! That, indeed, is wilful sin. The\nnext day, Thursday, was \"the first day of unleavened bread, when they\nkilled the Passover. The disciples came and said unto Jesus, Where\nwilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the Passover?\nAnd He sendeth forth two of his disciples, Peter and John, saying, Go\nye into the city; and behold when ye are entered into the city, there\nshall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him into the\nhouse where he entereth in; and say ye to the good man (or owner) of\nthe house, The Master saith unto thee, My time is at hand; I will keep\nthe Passover at thy house: Where is the guest chamber, where I shall\neat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large\nupper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And his\ndisciples went forth and came into the city, and found as He had said\nunto them: and they made ready the Passover.\" What a strengthening of\nthe Apostles' faith this must have been: He who could thus foretell\nall, even the most trifling events, must be God indeed. The blessed\nthought that God knows and governs all things, should make us trust in\nHim, and do our duty without any fear of the consequences.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXI.--MODE OF CELEBRATING THE PASSOVER.\n\n\nIn order to a better understanding of all that the Gospels tell us of\nthe Last Supper, it will be well to see how the Jews at that time kept\nthe Passover.\n\nIn the first place, on the day when the Paschal Lamb was to be killed\nand eaten, the Jews were to put away out of their houses all leaven or\nyeast, and live for a whole week on cakes made of unleavened dough:\nhence the Feast of the Passover was also called the \"Feast of\nunleavened bread.\"\n\n1. When the guests were assembled in the evening to eat the Passover,\nthe ceremonies began, by the master of the house giving to each one a\ncup of wine mixed with water, saying at the same time, \"Blessed be He\nthat created the fruit of the vine\": then they all gave thanks and\ndrank the wine.\n\n2. All the guests after drinking the wine, washed their hands; and\nthen the three things ordered by the Law of Moses, were placed on\nthe table before the master of the house. These three things were,\nthe Paschal Lamb roasted whole; two cakes of unleavened bread; and\na dish of bitter herbs. To these were added the remains of the\npeace-offerings offered the day before, and some other meats; also a\nthick sour sauce, intended to remind the Jews of the bricks made by\ntheir forefathers in Egypt.\n\nThe master of the house, or whoever took the direction of the feast,\nthen ate, and gave to each of the guests a small piece of lettuce; at\nthe same time blessing God for the fruits of the earth; afterwards\neach person present, ate a bit of the unleavened bread dipped in the\nbitter herbs.\n\n3. In the third place, all the dishes were taken off the table, and\nthe children, who were not of age to keep the feast, were called in:\nthe meaning of the Feast was then explained to them, in obedience to\nthe commandment of the Lord, spoken by Moses, saying, \"And it shall\ncome to pass when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you,\nand your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?\nthat ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, Who\npassed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He\nsmote the Egyptians and delivered our houses.\"\n\n4. After the young people had been duly taught, the supper was, in the\nfourth place, again set upon the table. Each person then, in turn,\nlifted up the bitter herbs and the unleavened cakes, and afterwards\njoined in declaring, that they ate them in remembrance of the bondage\nin Egypt, and the deliverance from it: then they praised God, by\nsinging the 113th and 114th Psalms; and having blessed the Lord, a\nsecond cup of wine was drunk.\n\n5. In the fifth place, the guests again washed their hands; and then\nthe master of the family took the two unleavened cakes, broke one of\nthem into pieces, and placed the broken pieces on the top of the whole\ncake: after this, he blessed it; and each person taking one of the\nbroken pieces with some of the bitter herbs, dipped them into the sour\nsauce, and ate them; they then blessed God again. Thanks were now\ngiven over the remains of the yesterday's peace-offering, and some of\nthat eaten. The next step was to give thanks over the Paschal Lamb, of\nwhich all partook. The Passover Feast was now, in fact, finished; but\nthe Jews made the supper last longer, by eating any other food they\nliked; always taking care to _finish_ by swallowing a little morsel of\nlamb, as after partaking of that, they were not supposed to eat\nanything more that night.\n\n6. In the sixth place, the hands were washed for the third time; and\nthe master of the house said a blessing over a third cup of wine,\nwhich was then drunk by each guest. This third cup of wine was\ncommonly called the \"Cup of Blessing.\" A fourth cup of wine was then\nmixed with water; and over this, certain Psalms, from the 115th to\n118th inclusive, were sung; and then a prayer concluded the whole\nceremony.\n\nThis was the manner in which the Jews kept the Passover Feast, when\nJesus ate it with His disciples. When Jerusalem was destroyed, the\nJews who were forced to go and live in other lands, could not\nsacrifice the lambs in a proper manner; and therefore they used to put\na bit of unleavened bread under a napkin, and keep it for a last\nmouthful, instead of the morsel of lamb.\n\nIn the impossibility of continuing to carry out the ordinances of the\nCeremonial Law, after the death of Jesus, we see the Hand of God,\nfulfilling His Word.\n\nThe Passover was a type of Christ--signifying the deliverance of His\npeople from bondage to the Devil. When Christ had come, and once for\nall made atonement as the Lamb of God, a ceremony to _prefigure_ His\nsacrifice was out of place. Another rite was instituted, \"in thankful\nremembrance of His death.\" But the Jews, who would not believe that\nChrist was the true Passover, endeavoured, and still do endeavour, to\nobserve that Law which He has done away with.\n\n\"And in the evening Jesus cometh with the twelve, and when the hour\nwas come, he sat down, and the twelve Apostles with him.\" Then He told\nthem plainly that this was the last Passover He should eat on earth;\nsaying, \"With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you\nbefore I suffer; for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof,\nuntil it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.\" Then when Jesus, as\nMaster of the family, had given the first cup to the disciples, \"He\ngave thanks and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I\nsay unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the\nkingdom of God shall come.\" Jesus being the true Lamb of God, now\nabout to be sacrificed for the deliverance of His people, would not\nHimself partake of things, only appointed as _signs_ or _types_ of\nwhat He was to accomplish by the sacrifice of Himself. When the\nsupper, or some part of it, was ended, there arose some strife or\ndispute amongst the disciples, as to \"which of them should be\naccounted the greatest.\"\n\nFor this Jesus gently rebuked them; and then, wishing to set them an\nexample of humbleness and kindness, \"He riseth from supper, and laid\naside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself:\" that is, He\ntook off His robe or upper garment, and then bound His other garments\nround him with a towel, as was usually done by those who served, or\nwaited upon others. \"After that he poureth water into a basin and\nbegan to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel\nwherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter;\" but he,\nbelieving that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, could not bear the idea\nof His acting a servant's part, and objected, saying \"Lord, dost thou\nwash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest\nnot now; but thou shalt know hereafter.\" These words should have\novercome all doubts and scruples; but in his anxiety and zeal for what\nhe considered to be the glory of the Lord, Peter quite lost sight of\nhis own duty, which was to be obedient in all things, and hastily\nexclaimed, \"Thou shalt never wash my feet.\"\n\nPeter was quickly recalled to a sense of his fault, for \"Jesus\nanswered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.\" Such a\ndeclaration might well alarm Peter, who really loved his Lord, and\nwished to serve Him; and in his zeal he rushed into the opposite\nextreme, and cried out, \"Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and\nmy head.\" But true and perfect obedience is _doing exactly_, as _we\nare told_, neither more nor less; and of this Peter was reminded by\nJesus, who \"saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash\nhis feet, but is clean every whit.\"\n\nBut these words of our Lord had a further meaning. By washing their\nfeet, Jesus meant to teach His disciples, that as washing with water\nwas necessary to cleanse the body, so holiness and purity were\nnecessary to cleanse the soul: and that as through Him alone they\ncould receive the latter, He now used that \"outward and visible sign\"\nas a type, or proof, of \"the inward and spiritual grace\" He would give\nto them. By washing the feet _only_, Jesus signified, that those who\nthrough faith and repentance were by His mercy cleansed from their\nsins, and redeemed from the curse by His sacrifice, would only in\nfuture need to be cleansed from such sins, as the weakness and frailty\nof man cause him daily to fall into: just as a guest, who after making\nhimself clean to come to a feast, would only need, on his arrival, to\nwash off the dust which must settle on his bare feet during his walk.\n\nTo the words thus spoken to Peter, Jesus added, \"And ye are clean, but\nnot all\": for knowing the hearts of all, He thus showed that the sin\nof Judas was not hid from Him: the disciples naturally would not\nunderstand these words, except Judas, whose conscience ought to have\nreproached him. \"After Jesus had washed their feet, and had taken his\ngarments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I\nhave done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so\nI am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also\nought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example,\nthat ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto\nyou, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent\ngreater than he that sent him.\"\n\nThese words are too plain to require much comment. Washing the feet,\nwas looked upon as the business of the lowest servant; and by taking\nsuch an office upon Himself, the Lord and Master of all, Jesus taught\nthe disciples and all of us, that it can never be beneath us to do any\nkind office in our power, to help our fellow creatures. Let us ever\nremember, that Jesus Christ came upon earth not only to be a\n\"sacrifice for our sins,\" but also \"an ensample (or example) of godly\nlife\"; and that it is our duty as well as our happiness, to try in\neverything to follow His example where He has set us one; and in other\nmatters, to think _how_, under the circumstances, _He would have been\nlikely_ to act, that we may do the same. This is, indeed, to follow\nChrist; and so following we shall enter into His kingdom in Heaven.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXII.--THE LAST SUPPER.\n\n\n\"And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto\nyou, that one of you which eateth with me shall betray me: behold, the\nhand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.\" The disciples,\nhearing this, \"began to be exceeding sorrowful, and to enquire among\nthemselves, which of them it was that should do this thing: and one by\none, they asked him, Lord, is it I? and another said, Is it I?\"\n\nIt was well for the disciples to be sorrowful, and fearful of doing\nwrong. When we hear of sin committed, we should never say or think, \"I\nam sure _I_ should not do this, or that\"; because we do not know what\nwe might do, if we were tempted as others have been. Let us, on the\ncontrary, when we hear of others falling into sin, watch and pray the\nmore earnestly, that we may never be led to do anything which we know\nto be wrong.\n\nIn answer to the question asked by each one of the disciples, Jesus\nrepeated what He had said, that one of them should betray Him; and\n\"said unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the\ndish; the same shall betray me.\" And then He told them that, although\nHe came on earth on purpose to die, yet the man who sinfully betrayed\nHim would bring upon himself the utmost wrath of God. \"The Son of man,\nindeed, goeth as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the\nSon of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not\nbeen born. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom\nhe spake.\" But though eleven of the disciples knew not the meaning of\ntheir Lord's words, there was one who could have had no doubt upon the\nsubject--one who had sold himself to do evil, and was only waiting for\na convenient opportunity to execute his wicked purpose. Even now he\nmight have taken warning, and given up his guilty purpose; but no: he\nhad listened to the Devil, and his heart was hardened against Jesus.\n\nAccording to the custom in those times, when people did not _sit_ as\nwe do to their meals, but lay upon couches, so that one guest leant\nupon the one next to him, John, who was next to Jesus, was leaning on\nJesus's bosom. John is always spoken of as \"the disciple whom Jesus\nloved\"; showing that he was, as a man, especially dear to his Master,\nin consequence of which, doubtless, his place at supper was next to\nthat of Jesus.\n\nSimon Peter, always eager and active, now beckoned, or made signs, to\nJohn, \"that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then,\nlying on Jesus's breast, saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus\nanswered, He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.\nAnd when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son\nof Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him,\"--that is, gained\nmore entire possession of his soul; as will always be the case when we\nonce listen to the Devil. What our Lord said to John does not appear\nto have been heard by any of the other disciples. Judas himself now\ndared to ask, \"Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast\nsaid,\"--which was a most solemn form of saying \"Yes.\" Jesus then said\nunto Judas, \"That thou doest do quickly.\" Judas immediately left the\ncompany, and went out.\n\nEven then the other disciples do not seem to have understood that\nJudas was the traitor. St. John tells us, that \"no man at the table\nknew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought,\nbecause Judas had the bag (or common purse), that Jesus had said unto\nhim, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or that\nhe should give something to the poor.\"\n\nThere were still sacrifices needed for the remaining days of the\nfeast.\n\nAfter Judas was gone out, Jesus told the disciples that, as in His\nlife He had glorified the Father, He was now about to glorify Him\nstill farther by his death. Then he bade them love one another, as He\nhad loved them: and this He called \"a new commandment,\" because the\nlove of His followers for one another, was to be something very\ndifferent from what the Jews taught and practised.\n\nJesus then warned Peter, that Satan would tempt him, but that He had\nprayed for him that his faith might not entirely fail, although he\nwould fall into sin: and He charged him, when he should have recovered\nhimself, to strengthen the faith of others. Peter had not yet learned\nthe lesson of humility, which would have made him distrust himself. He\nknew that he loved his Master, and therefore he fancied, that for His\nsake he could bear and do anything. Instead, therefore, of being\nfilled with fear at this warning, he exclaimed, \"Lord, I am ready to\ngo with thee both into prison and to death.\" And Jesus said, \"I tell\nthee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before that thou shalt\nthrice deny that thou knowest me.\"\n\nThe Jewish day was reckoned from one sunset to another. The Passover\nwas always eaten in the evening; and thus a new day was beginning when\nJesus spake these words.\n\nJesus next asked the disciples, whether they had lacked or wanted\nanything when He sent them to teach throughout the country, taking\nwith them neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes. They answered, that\nthey had wanted for nothing. \"Then said he unto them, But now, he that\nhath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that\nhath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto\nyou, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he\nwas reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me\nhave an end,\"--an end or object,--that is, everything which the\nprophets had spoken concerning the circumstances of our Saviour's\nPassion, was intended to fulfil some especial purpose, and therefore\nall must be exactly fulfilled. In answer to what Jesus said, the\ndisciples \"said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto\nthem, It is enough.\"\n\nSimon Peter appears still not to have understood that his Master's\ndeath was at hand, for \"he said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou?\nJesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but\nthou shalt follow me afterwards.\" Peter was not to die with his Lord;\nbut he did afterwards follow Him indeed, for he was crucified some\nyears after, in the reign of the Emperor Nero. Peter, as usual in his\nzeal and self-confidence, lost sight of the fact, that his duty was to\nbelieve and acquiesce without questioning and gainsaying: he needed\nthe severe lesson he received afterwards, to teach him this. Now, in\nhis love for his Master, \"he said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow\nthee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him,\nWilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto\nthee, The cock shall not crow till thou has denied me thrice.\"\n\nWe now come to a very important event in the life of our Saviour,\nnamely, His instituting another Feast, or Ceremony, to take the place\nof the Passover. The Passover was a means of reminding the Jews of a\npast bodily deliverance, and also of keeping them in remembrance of\nthe promised Messiah, who _was to come_, and deliver them from\nspiritual bondage.\n\nWhen the Messiah had actually come and finished His work, it would no\nlonger be right to keep the Passover, as given to Moses. Jesus\ntherefore, in doing away with this Feast, gave to His disciples\nanother, which was for ever to remind men of all He had done for them.\nThis Holy Feast we call \"The Lord's Supper,\" \"The Eucharist,\" or\ngiving of thanks, \"The Communion\" of His blessed body and blood. \"The\nLord's Supper\" is one of the Two Sacraments which Christ hath ordained\nin His Church. The other is Baptism, whereby we are admitted into\nChrist's Church. This is only partaken of once; just as in the natural\nworld a child can only be born once. The Lord's Supper, on the\ncontrary, should be partaken of constantly; just as we daily eat and\ndrink to keep ourselves alive. But children do not partake of this\nSacrament until they are old enough to understand its nature, and to\nfight for themselves against the world, the flesh, and the Devil.\n\nThe Four Gospels do not give us exactly the same account of what took\nplace at the institution of the Lord's Supper. Some mention one thing,\nand some another; and therefore it is difficult to say _the order_ in\nwhich the events took place: that is however, of little consequence,\nsince we are sure that everything they do tell us, did happen during\nthe Last Supper which Jesus ate with His disciples.\n\n\"As they were eating,\"--probably at that part of the Feast when the\nmaster of the family broke one of the unleavened cakes (see 5, p.\n123),--\"Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to\nthe disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is given\nfor you: this do in remembrance of me.\"\n\nThey were to look upon this bread as the body of Christ, sacrificed\nfor them; and in the same spirit they were to eat bread in a solemn\nmanner, from time to time, in remembrance of all the blessings which\nJesus purchased for mankind, by giving up His body, or His human life,\nfor our redemption.\n\n\"Likewise also, after supper, he took the cup,\"--probably that one\ncalled the Cup of Blessing (see 6, p. 123),--\"and when he had given\nthanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: and they all\ndrank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new\ntestament. This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed\nfor you and for many, for the remission of sins.\"\n\nThe wine in the cup was to be taken as a memorial, or remembrance, of\nthat New Covenant, or agreement, made between God and man, by the\nshedding of that precious blood wherewith the Saviour blotted out our\nsins.\n\nThe Old Covenant of works, made by God with the Children of Israel,\nwas now done away with. The New Covenant of Grace was to take its\nplace. In this New Covenant, God promised, that as Jesus bore our\npunishment, and washed out our sins with His atoning blood, we for His\nsake should be looked upon as righteous, because He was righteous: our\npart of this New Covenant being to repent and forsake our sins, and\nhave such faith in Christ as will constantly show itself by our trying\nto please Him, and prove our love by doing His will.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXIII.--JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.\n\n\nOur blessed Lord loved His disciples to the end; and in order that\nthey might remember all the blessings secured to them by His death on\nthe Cross, He appointed the \"outward and visible sign,\" of eating\nbread and drinking wine, which were to figure, or represent to their\nminds, His body and blood thus given for them: but not given for them\n_only_, but for all mankind; and therefore it is just as necessary for\nall Christians to remember these things.\n\nWe consequently find, that ever since that last Supper, when Jesus\nsaid, \"Do this in remembrance of me,\" Christians _have_ constantly\ndone the same thing, that Christ then commanded His disciples to do.\nWe, as members of Christ's Holy Church, continue to receive bread and\nwine in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, in token of our belief,\nthat the body of Jesus was broken and His blood shed for us; and that\nwe thereby hope, \"that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His\nbody, and our souls washed through His most precious blood.\"\n\nWhen you are of an age to partake of the blessed Sacrament of the\nLord's Supper, you will learn more about it: mean time do not forget\nthat it was appointed by Jesus Christ, only a few hours before He made\nthat sacrifice of Himself, which we commemorate, or remember, in this\nsolemn service.\n\nAfter the institution of the Lord's Supper, Jesus told His disciples\n(John xiv.) that though He was about to leave them, it was for their\ngood that He should go; because then the Holy Spirit would come upon\nthem, to teach and comfort them: and that if they believed in Him, and\nfollowed in the way that He had already pointed out, they should abide\nwith Him in heaven. He likewise declared, that all who professed to\nlove Him must show their love by keeping His commandments. Jesus,\nhaving spoken these things, said, \"Arise, let us go hence.\" And when\n\"they had sung an hymn,\" according to the custom at the Passover,\nwhere Psalms were sung after the fourth cup of wine, Jesus came out,\nand went, as he was wont, \"to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples\nfollowed him.\"\n\nHere again Jesus spake many things to the disciples--(John xv., xvi.).\nHe compared Himself to a vine, and His disciples to the branches. He\nis the root, without which there can be no tree: as long as the\nbranches remain part of the tree, they receive nourishment from the\nroot, and bring forth fruit: but if the branches are cut off, and so\nseparated from the root, they wither and die, and are of no use except\nto be burned. In the same way all who will be His disciples, must by\nfaith abide in Him as their root; doing His will, copying His\nexample, and so bringing forth the fruit of good works to the glory of\nGod.\n\nAmongst other things, Jesus spake to the disciples of prayer; and\npromised that God would give them whatsoever they should ask in His\nName. He also warned them, that if they faithfully followed His\nprecepts and obeyed His commands, they would in this world meet with\ntroubles, and be cruelly treated and even killed, by those who would\nnot believe in Him. The enemies of Jesus, those who knew not Him Who\nsent Him, would persecute His faithful servants for their Master's\nsake. Having warned His disciples that they must suffer for the sake\nof their faith, Jesus bid them fear nothing so long as they continued\nto love and serve Him: for whilst they did so, God would bless and\ncomfort them, and finally take them to Himself in heaven. \"In the\nworld ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome\nthe world.\" Now all that Jesus said to His disciples was meant for\n_all_ His followers in all times, even unto the end of the world.\n\nSuch promises and hopes have supported the \"noble army of martyrs,\"\nwho in the early ages of the Church suffered tortures, and died the\nmost cruel death, rather than give up, or even _pretend_ to give up,\ntheir faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The same spirit should be in us:\nwe are not called to martyrdom as were the holy men of old; but should\nthe Lord allow it to be so again, should we be ready so to suffer for\nour religion? But let us ask ourselves another question, of more\npractical importance at the present time: Are we willing to give up\n_anything_ for the sake of pleasing Jesus? Do we give up our own\nwishes and pleasures to please Him, Who bids us deny ourselves? Do we\ntry to conquer our evil tempers, passions, and inclinations, because\nHe has said, \"Resist the Devil\"? If we have anything like the spirit\nwhich guided the martyrs, we shall force ourselves to be attentive and\nindustrious, when we feel careless and idle: obedient, when we feel\nwilful and perverse; kind and generous, when we feel selfish: gentle\nand patient, when we feel cross and irritable; and so on. This is no\neasy task; no easy life. But we must remember Christ's warning, that\nthose who will be His faithful servants, _must_ meet with difficulties\nand hindrances in their way. Let us then pray for the Holy Spirit, to\nteach, and guide, and support us; so that, our hearts being filled\nwith faith and love, we \"may never be ashamed to confess the faith of\nChrist crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin,\nthe world, and the devil, and to continue Christ's faithful soldiers\nand servants unto our life's end.\"\n\nWhen Jesus had said these things, He lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and\nprayed to His Father, to support Him through the coming trial; so that\nHe might glorify the Father, by securing the salvation of men. Then\nJesus prayed for the disciples who did already believe in Him, and\nbesought that they might be kept in His faith and love, and enabled to\nteach others all that He had taught them.\n\nOur Lord also prayed for all who should in after times learn true\nreligion from the teaching or writings of the Apostles, and so become\none of them, by having the same faith, the same wish to glorify God by\nobedience to His holy Will. For all who do thus join themselves to\nHim, Jesus prayed that they may be with Him in heaven. Our blessed\nLord thus prayed for us, and for all His followers in every age: and\nHe still prays for us, and intercedes for us in heaven. All Christians\nare now one body, of which Christ is the Head; one vine, of which\nChrist is the root; one flock, of which Christ is the Shepherd.\n\nWe call this body the Church of Christ; by Baptism we are taken into\nthis Church, and made part of this body; therefore, we must try always\nto know and do the Will of our Head.\n\nWhen Jesus had ended His prayer, He saith unto the disciples, \"All ye\nshall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will\nsmite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered\nabroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into\nGalilee.\"\n\nBy being \"offended,\" Jesus meant that they would be afraid to own Him\nas their Master, and would forsake Him: but to show them that He would\nnot punish their weakness by casting them off for ever, He told them\nwhere they might see Him again, after He should have risen from the\ndead.\n\nNotwithstanding the warnings already received, Peter was still full of\nself-confidence, and \"answered and said unto him, Though all men shall\nbe offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.\" Why should\nPeter have thought himself more likely than others to do right? Why\nshould any of us think so? Whenever we do thus depend upon ourselves\nto do right, we are almost sure to fall into sin, for the Devil takes\nadvantage of our pride and self-conceit, to tempt us; and then God\nfrequently leaves us to ourselves, that from our fall we may learn by\npainful experience our exceeding weakness and sinfulness. Jesus now\nshowed Peter, that though he thought himself so safe, he would do\nworse than his fellow disciples; for \"he saith unto him, Verily I say\nunto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow\ntwice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I\nsay unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny\nme thrice. Peter spake the more vehemently, and said unto him, Though\nI should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee in any wise. Likewise\nalso said all the disciples.\"\n\nPoor Peter little knew himself! No doubt he and all the disciples felt\nwhat they now said: but if men would bear in mind their weakness and\nproneness to sin, they would never feel _sure_ of not doing wrong; but\nwould watch and pray, so that the Devil may get no advantage over\nthem. \"When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his\ndisciples\" from the place on the Mount of Olives, where they were,\n\"unto a place called Gethsemane, over the brook Cedron, where was a\ngarden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. And Judas also\nknew the place, for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his\ndisciples.\" Having entered into this garden with the eleven disciples,\nJesus saith unto eight of them, \"Sit ye here while I go and pray\nyonder. And he taketh with him Peter, and James and John, the two sons\nof Zebedee, and when he was at the place\" to which he had intended to\ngo, \"he began to be sorrowful, and sore amazed, and to be very heavy.\"\n\nNow began the mysterious, and most bitter part of our blessed Lord's\nsufferings for sinful man. What those sufferings were, we do not\nexactly know: they were not bodily, but spiritual; his soul suffered\nsuch agony, as we can form little idea of: we only know that sin, the\nsin of man, _our sin_, caused His sufferings; and that the holy and\nrighteous Lord now bore for our sakes, all the agony that is the fruit\nof sin. It seems likely that at this time the Devil and his evil\nspirits again attacked Jesus, and tried by every means in their power\nto prevail upon Him not to finish His work, even the salvation of man,\nbut to spare _Himself_, and leave His guilty creatures to the fearful\nconsequences of their sins. In His agony, prayer was our Lord's\nrefuge; and feeling the necessity of being alone with God, that He\nmight freely pour out His soul before Him, \"he saith unto the three\nwho accompanied him, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:\ntarry ye here and watch with me.\" Thus He asked them to help Him with\ntheir prayers; setting, in His human nature, an example for all men to\nfollow. Then, knowing the power and malice of the Devil, Jesus added a\ncaution to pray for themselves, that they might not be led into sin,\nby any temptation which should come upon them; \"he saith unto them\nPray, that ye enter not into temptation.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXIV.--JESUS BETRAYED.\n\n\nWhen Jesus had cautioned Peter, James and John, to watch and pray, \"he\nwent forward a little, and was withdrawn from them about a stone's\ncast, and kneeled down and prayed\"; in the earnestness of His prayer,\n\"he fell on his face on the ground, and prayed that, if it were\npossible, the hour might pass from him.\" It was not the death upon the\ncross which Jesus prayed might pass from Him: human martyrs have borne\nbodily sufferings and cruel deaths, supported by the grace of God; and\nthough in His human nature Christ might well shrink from the pain of\nCrucifixion, He was ready to give His body for our redemption.\n\nBut his sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane, were far beyond what\nany human being could suffer, or than we can understand. His heavenly\nFather saw fit to let Him suffer for a time, all the unspeakable agony\nwhich the just anger of God can lay upon the impenitent soul. And we\nmay well believe that this agony was a hundred-fold increased for Him,\nWho was thereby to redeem countless myriads of souls. And might not\nthis terrible agony be increased, by the foreknowledge that, in spite\nof His tremendous sacrifice, men would reject Him as a Saviour, and\npersevere in sin; until by their impenitence, they too would share\nthose horrible agonies which for a time were laid upon Him, that by\nenduring them, He might save all men from so terrible a condition?\nWhen we thus consider of what nature Christ's sufferings in the garden\nof Gethsemane were, we can fully understand the prayer, that such an\nhour might pass from Him. But mark His inconceivable love, as shown in\nthe words, \"if it were possible\"; that is, if man's redemption could\npossibly be secured without his passing through such dreadful agony;\nif that were _not_ possible, then He was willing even to undergo that\nawful and mysterious extremity of suffering.\n\nLet us not pass on without taking a practical lesson from what has\nbeen said: what made our Lord undergo such agony for us? Love. Then,\nif He so loved us, what should be our feelings towards Him? Love.\nTruly, love; sincere, heartfelt love; love that will show itself. But\nhow? Hear His own words, \"If ye love me, keep my commandments.\" This\nlet us ever strive to do; and so, through the mediation of Jesus,\nshall we escape those agonies, which for us He endured in the garden\nof Gethsemane.\n\nJesus prostrate on the ground, prayed in the agony of His soul, and\nsaid, \"Abba, Father--O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass\nfrom me: all things are possible unto thee: if thou be willing, remove\nthis cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.\" All\nthrough this dreadful scene of agony, our blessed Lord sets us an\nexample of perfect submission to His Father's Will, however much that\nWill may be contrary to our wishes and desires: this example we should\ndo well to follow, in every time of trouble. We may pray, that God\nwill, if He sees fit, remove from us the affliction or sorrow which we\nfeel or fear; but, at the same time, our hearts must be perfectly\nsubmissive to His Will, and willing to continue to bear the suffering,\nshould He not see fit to take it away from us. In this spirit our Lord\nin His human nature prayed to God; but though God saw fit to let Him\nfor a time suffer all the agony which sin brings on man, He did\nvouchsafe to send Him some comfort, in this bitter time of trial; for\n\"there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening him,\" to\ncomplete His work.\n\n\"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as\nit were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he\nrose up from prayer, he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them\nsleeping from sorrow.\"\n\nHad they obeyed the words of their Lord, to watch and pray, their\nsorrow would not at such a time have made them sleep. But they had\nfailed to do this; and Satan, who _is_ ever watchful, had doubtless\ntaken advantage of this, and tempted them to sit thinking sorrowfully\nof all that was coming upon their beloved Master, instead of obeying\nHis command, to watch and pray. Overcome with such sad thoughts, they\nfell into a sort of stupor or heavy sleep, and were thus found by\nJesus when He returned to them. He awoke them, and \"said unto them,\nWhy sleep ye? Simon, sleepest thou? What, could ye not watch with me\none hour?\" Peter had but lately declared his readiness to do some\ngreat thing, to give up his life for Jesus; and now he fails in doing\na little thing, merely praying for one hour. This is another proof of\nman's weakness, and of the danger of self-confidence. Again our Lord\nrepeated the needful warning, \"Watch ye, rise and pray, that ye enter\nnot into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is\nweak.\" Our Lord, who knew the weakness of man's nature, was thus\nmerciful to the failing of His disciples: but let us remember, that\nthe more we are convinced of the weakness of the flesh, and how it\nhinders the spirit, the more earnestly must we strive to overcome it,\nand be led by the spirit only.\n\n\"And Jesus went away again the second time, and prayed, and spake the\nsame words, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me\nexcept I drink it, thy will be done. And when he returned, he found\nthem asleep again (for their eyes were heavy), neither wist they what\nto answer him. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the\nthird time, saying the same words.\"\n\n\"Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now,\nand take your rest; it is enough, the hour is come: behold the Son of\nman is betrayed into the hands of sinners.\"\n\nBy this Jesus meant, that they had lost the opportunity of watching\nwith Him; they could no longer show any kindness by praying for Him:\nHe would no longer ask them to do this, for the time was come, when He\nwas to be given up to His enemies. Jesus did not mean that the\ndisciples were actually to lie still and sleep; for He added\nimmediately, \"Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.\nAnd immediately, while he yet spake, Judas, one of the twelve, having\nreceived a band of men and officers from the Chief Priests and\nPharisees, cometh thither with lanterns, and torches, and weapons.\"\nUpon reading this passage, if we think at all, it must appear strange\nthat as the moon was at the full, it should have been necessary to\ntake lanterns and torches, as the light of the full moon in those\ncountries, is far too bright to need any other. But travellers tell\nus, that in fact the light of the full moon only made the garden of\nGethsemane _darker_, for it is situated on the slope of the Mount of\nOlives, away from the moon; that is, the moon at the time of the\nPassover rises behind the Mount of Olives, and thus casts the shadow\nof the mountain upon the garden of Gethsemane; so that whilst all\nsurrounding parts were lighted up, there was complete darkness amongst\nthe trees in the garden of Gethsemane. Judas, well knowing this, had\nbeen careful to procure lanterns and torches, to render the execution\nof his purpose easy; and now, leading the way, he cometh, \"and with\nhim a great multitude with swords and staves, from the Chief Priests,\nand the Scribes, and the elders of the people. Now he that betrayed\nHim had given them a token,\" whereby the servants of the High Priests\nmight surely know which was Jesus. Judas had told them, \"Whomsoever I\nshall kiss, that same is he; take him, hold him fast, and lead him\naway safely.\" A kiss was in those times a common form of salutation;\nand a sign or token of respect and regard: Judas Iscariot now made use\nof it for a very different purpose.\n\n\"And as soon as he was come,\" with his band, into the garden, \"he went\nbefore them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. And forthwith he\ncame to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said\nunto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Judas, betrayest thou the\nSon of man with a kiss?\" Jesus did not ask this question because He\nneeded to be told; but in order to give Judas another warning against\nthe sin he was about to commit.\n\nThe officers did not immediately lay hold upon Jesus; we can well\nbelieve that His calm and dignified behaviour, and His question to\nJudas, struck them with awe.\n\nBut Jesus, knowing all things that should come upon Him, now showed\nhis readiness to do his Father's Will: for \"he went forth and said\nunto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus\nsaith unto them, I am he.\" As soon then as He had said unto them I am\nHe they went backward, and fell to the ground: whether in fear or out\nof respect, we are not told; but in any case their behaviour made it\nclear that the Saviour's sacrifice was a voluntary act; for He could\ncertainly, even as a man, have escaped. \"Then asked he them again,\nWhom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have\ntold you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their\nway.\" Even at such a moment, Jesus took care for His disciples, that\nthey might not suffer with Him: \"that the saying might be fulfilled\nwhich he spake, Of them which thou gavest me I have lost none.\"\n\nBy this time, the officers seem to have recovered from their surprise\nand alarm: \"Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.\" The\ndisciples now seem to have thought that it was time for them to use\nthe two swords, which they had brought for the deliverance of their\nMaster. \"And behold one of them which were with Jesus, Simon Peter,\nhaving a sword, stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck\na servant of the High Priest's and smote off his ear; the servant's\nname was Malchus.\" \"And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far.\"\nThese words seem to have been addressed to the Roman soldiers, who\nwould naturally be made very angry by such an occurrence taking place;\ntherefore he asked for their forbearance; though he at once removed\nthe cause of complaint--\"for he touched the ear of the wounded man,\nand healed him.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXV.--JESUS TAKEN BEFORE ANNAS AND CAIAPHAS.\n\n\nAfter He had healed Malchus, Jesus said unto Peter, \"Put up again thy\nsword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish\nwith the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and\nhe shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how\nthen shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? The cup\nwhich my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?\" Here Jesus\nplainly declares that He _gave_ Himself to fulfil the Scriptures,\nwhich declared, that in no other way could man be redeemed from the\ncurse of the Law. His sufferings and death were the means appointed by\nthe Father for the redemption of man; but His sufferings and death\nwere voluntary--no man could _take_ His life unless He chose to give\nit. He _could_ have saved Himself, but then His work would have been\nunfinished, and mankind for ever lost. Therefore was He willing to\ndrink the cup which His father had given Him. \"In that same hour Jesus\nanswered and said unto the Chief Priests and captains of the temple,\nand to the multitudes, and to the elders, which were come to him, Are\nye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me?\nI sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on\nme: ye stretched forth no hands against me: but the Scriptures must be\nfulfilled; this is your hour and the power of darkness.\"\n\nHere, again, Jesus showed that those who came against Him, could only\nsucceed because the time was now come, when they were allowed to\nexecute their wicked purposes, \"that the Scriptures of the prophets\nmight be fulfilled.\"\n\nJesus Christ had now given Himself into the hands of His enemies: the\ndisciples seeing this, and being perhaps afraid of sharing His fate,\ndid the very thing they had lately thought impossible when their Lord\nhad warned them of it. \"Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.\"\n\"Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus,\nand bound him, and led him away to Annas first; for he was\nfather-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the High Priest that same year.\"\n\nIt has already been said that the Romans had made Caiaphas High Priest\ninstead of Annas. Annas had filled that office for eleven years, and\nought to have continued in it as long as he lived: but the Romans, who\nhad no regard to the Jewish Law, had made this change.\n\nThe Jews, however, had a great respect for Annas as their rightful\nHigh Priest; and in spite of the Romans they still considered and\ntreated him as such; and therefore, in the first place, they took\nJesus before him, that he might advise them as to what was next to be\ndone.\n\nAs they were on their way, leading their prisoner, \"there followed him\na certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body\":\nthis young man felt sufficient interest in Jesus to follow Him; \"but\nwhen,\" for some reason which we are not told, \"the young men\" who\nguarded the Lord, \"laid hold on him,\" he gave a further proof of the\nfear which now prevailed amongst all the disciples and followers of\nJesus; for \"he left the linen cloth\" upon which they had laid hold,\n\"in their hands,\" and so escaping, \"fled from them naked.\"\n\nThis young man seems to have been clothed in the manner common to the\npoorer sort of people in those days. Even in later times travellers\ntell us, that in some places the Arabs only wear a large blanket or\nsheet, wrapped round them in a peculiar manner; and that the same\nthing is done in some parts of Palestine also. Annas, it would seem,\nsent Jesus at once to Caiaphas; no doubt fear of the Romans who had\nunlawfully deprived him of his dignity, prevented his exercising that\nauthority, which by the law of God still belonged to him, and to him\nonly: so he sent Jesus away at once. \"Then they took him, and led him\naway to Caiaphas the High Priest. (Now Caiaphas was he, which gave\ncounsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for\nthe people).\" Jesus was then brought into the High Priest's house,\nwhere were assembled with him all the Chief Priests and Scribes;\nevidently waiting for the return of those whom they had sent out,\nunder the guidance of Judas Iscariot, to take Jesus. Mean time, Peter\nand John had so far recovered themselves, as to venture to follow\nJesus at a distance: for they really loved their Master, and were\nanxious to learn what would become of Him. \"And Simon Peter followed\nJesus afar off, unto the High Priest's palace, and so did another\ndisciple: that disciple was known unto the High Priest, and went in\nwith Jesus into the palace of the High Priest.\" \"That disciple\" here\nspoken of, was John, who himself gives us the account of the matter.\nHe was in some way known to Caiaphas, and was therefore allowed to go\ninto the palace. \"But Peter stood at the door without.\" John, who had\nbeen admitted into the High Priest's palace, was not one of those\nselfish people who care only for their own comfort: he thought of\nPeter standing outside, and went out and spake unto the young woman,\nwho, according to the custom of the Hebrews, kept the door or acted as\nporter; and in consequence she \"brought in Peter,\" who joined the\nservants and attendants: \"and when they had kindled a fire in the\nmidst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among\nthem, and warmed himself at the fire; and sat with the servants to see\nthe end.\"\n\nThough the month Abib, which answers to our April, is very much warmer\nin Palestine than it is here, still the nights are often very cold;\nand a gentleman who travelled in Galilee tells us, that even in the\nmonth of May, an Arab chief who entertained him, had a fire lighted in\na ruined building for them to sit by, because it was cold.\n\nThe fire now kindled by the attendants, though in the same hall, was\nno doubt at some distance from that part where Jesus was standing\nbefore the High Priest; whilst John, being known to Caiaphas, was\nprobably standing much nearer to his beloved Master.\n\n\"The High Priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his\ndoctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever\ntaught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always\nresort; and in secret have I said nothing\"; that is, He had said\nnothing in secret contrary to what He had taught in public, and\ntherefore instead of now answering such questions, Jesus referred\nCaiaphas to those who, having heard Him, were able to bear witness as\nto what He had said. \"Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me,\nwhat I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. When he had\nthus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the\npalm of his hand (or with a rod which he held in his hand), saying,\nAnswerest thou the High Priest so?\" Jesus quietly rebuked this man,\nshowing that if he had said or done what was wrong, the officer should\nhave accused Him of it in a proper way, and not have struck Him,\ncontrary to the law, which forbids any one to be treated as guilty\nuntil proved to be so. \"Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil,\nbear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?\"\n\nThe Jews knew very well that they could not ask the Romans to put\nJesus to death, unless they could find some fault to lay to His\ncharge: they must get persons to witness or declare, that He had done\nthings for which He deserved to die; and they well knew that no one\ncould with truth do this. Therefore, \"the Chief Priests, and elders,\nand all the council, sought false witness against Jesus to put him to\ndeath; but found none\" to answer their purpose: \"yea, though many\nfalse witnesses came, yet found they none,\" whose testimony would be\nsufficient: \"for many bear false witness against him, but their\nwitness agreed not together.\" No man could be put to death unless two\nwitnesses gave testimony as to his guilt: if witnesses speak the\ntruth, their testimony must be the same: but naturally when witnesses\ntell lies, one will say one thing and one another, and therefore the\nwords of these men who spake against Jesus, \"agreed not together.\"\n\nThe sin of the Chief Priests and elders was very great; they _sought_\nfor false witnesses: unhappily, there never is any difficulty in\nfinding men who care so little for what is right, that for a bribe or\nreward they are ready to tell lies; but if liars are the children of\nthe Devil, what must those be who _encourage_ them, and almost force\nthem to speak untruly? \"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy\nneighbour,\" is one of the commandments: let us be very careful not to\nbreak this commandment, even unintentionally. We may not _mean_ to say\nwhat is _not_ true, and we may not _mean_ to make mischief; but we\nshall certainly do both, unless we are very careful always to repeat\n_exactly_ what we see or hear, _adding_ nothing, and _leaving out\nnothing_. Even the manner or tone of voice in which anything is said\nor done, makes a difference. For instance, things may be done or said\nin fun, and there may be no harm in them; but if you repeat them, as\nif they were done or said in earnest, they may appear very wrong; and\nso you will cause people to be blamed, and thought ill of, when they\ndo not deserve it.\n\nThere is, perhaps, no commandment which we all break more frequently\nthan the ninth--not wilfully; few, it is to be hoped, would act so\nwickedly as to do that; but from carelessness: by chattering about\nother peoples' concerns; repeating things when we are not _sure_ they\nare true; telling tales; and so on. Our God is a God of truth: we are\ntold that He loves truth in the inward parts, that is, in the heart;\nand therefore if we love Him, we shall always speak the truth from the\nheart, and be very careful to tell the whole truth, and nothing but\nthe truth, even in the smallest matters. The perfect truth that God\nrequires, forbids deceit of all kinds. We may deceive others by our\nactions, and even by our silence; but let us ever remember, that all\ndeception is in the eyes of God as the sin of lying, that sin which is\nan abomination to the Lord.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXVI.--JESUS CONDEMNED BY CAIAPHAS.\n\n\n\"At the last came two false witnesses.\" They did not mean to speak the\ntruth; all that they wished was to please the Priests, who, far from\ndesiring them to speak truly, only wanted something to be said, which\nwould give them an excuse for having Jesus put to death. The two\nwitnesses who now came before them, furnished them with the pretence\nthey sought for: these men \"bare false witness against him, saying, We\nheard him say, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it\nin three days. I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and\nwithin three days I will build another made without hands.\"\n\nNow this is an instance of bearing false witness, by misrepresenting\nthe words spoken, and twisting their meaning to something which they\nwere never intended to express. We have read that Jesus did say in\nreference to His own body, \"Destroy this temple, and in three days I\nwill raise it up.\" The Jews did not understand what He meant; but\nthat did not justify these witnesses in what they now said, for Jesus\nhad _not_ said, \"I _will_ DESTROY this temple,\" nor had He said one\nword of \"_building_.\" These witnesses meant to make it appear, that\nHe had said that He would destroy the temple so dear to the Jews, and\nthat in three days He would _build_ another. \"But neither so did\ntheir witness agree together.\" The Priests and elders were, however,\ntoo anxious to condemn Jesus, to be particular about that; for to\nspeak disrespectfully of the temple was looked upon as blasphemy,\nand blasphemy was a crime to be punished with death. Blasphemy is\nreally speaking disrespectfully of the Majesty and Power of the\nAlmighty--Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and ascribing to man that\npower which belongs to God alone.\n\nAfter these two false witnesses had spoken, \"the High Priest arose,\nand stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, and said unto him,\nAnswerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?\"\n\nOur Lord would make no reply to charges which even His enemies must\nhave known to be false; and therefore He \"held his peace, and answered\nnothing. Again the High Priest asked him, Art thou the Christ, the Son\nof the Blessed? I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us\nwhether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.\"\n\nTo \"adjure\" was to call upon a person to speak the truth in the Name\nof God. Any one so _adjured_ was looked upon as bound by the most\nsolemn oath to speak the whole truth. When, therefore, the High Priest\ncalled upon Jesus in this solemn manner to say whether He really was\nthe promised Messiah, the Son of God, our Lord kept silence no longer;\nbut in an equally solemn manner answered the question, adding words\nspoken by the prophet Daniel--words always understood by the Jews to\nbe a prophecy respecting the Messiah: therefore, by applying this\nprophecy to Himself, Jesus declared most plainly that He was indeed\nthe Messiah. In His answer to the High Priest, as to whether He was\nthe Christ, the Son of the Blessed God Almighty, Jesus used the Jewish\nform of saying that what had been stated was true. \"Jesus saith unto\nhim, Thou hast said\"; and then He added, \"I am: nevertheless I say\nunto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right\nhand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.\"\n\n\"Then the High Priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken\nblasphemy.\" The High Priest had asked his solemn question without any\nintention of believing the answer: he must have felt sure what the\nanswer would be, and therefore he had asked the question, that he\nmight be able to accuse Jesus of claiming for Himself, a man, the\nhonour due to God alone. To show his grief and horror at such a\ndreadful sin as blasphemy, he, according to the Jewish custom, rent\nhis robe.\n\nThen appealing to those around him, Caiaphas asked, \"What further need\nhave we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What\nthink ye?\"\n\nThere could be no doubt of the answer to such questions. The Priests,\nand Scribes, and elders were bent upon destroying their victim; and\ngladly seizing the opportunity now given them by the High Priest,\n\"They answered and said, He is guilty of death,\"--that is, He is\nguilty of a crime which the Law of Moses orders to be punished with\ndeath. \"And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.\"\n\nThe Priests and elders had now accomplished their work, as far as they\nwere concerned; but its final execution did not rest with them. Judaea\nwas a Roman province, and as such the Jews could put no man to death\nwithout the permission of the Roman governor, who was at that time\nPontius Pilate. To obtain Pilate's consent was the next step to be\ntaken; and that the Jews determined to set about as soon as possible\nin the morning. It was now about midnight of the Thursday--the day on\nwhich Jesus had eaten the last Supper with His disciples. Some six or\nseven hours must pass before Jesus could be taken before Pilate, and\nthis time the Jews occupied in ill using and mocking our innocent and\nholy Lord.\n\nThe Priests and elders having passed sentence upon Jesus, now left Him\nin the hands of the attendants and soldiers, who, as we have said,\npassed the rest of the night in ill treating Him. \"And the men that\nheld Jesus mocked him and smote him: and some began to spit on him,\nand to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him,\nProphesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? and the\nservants did strike him with the palms of their hands.\"\n\nTo spit upon a person, was the greatest affront and indignity that\ncould be offered by one man to another: it signified the utmost scorn\nand contempt. Then, in mockery of our blessed Lord's claim to be the\nMessiah, the Son of God, He was blindfolded, and then desired to show\nHis divine power, by telling the names of those who struck Him on the\nface. It is most painful to think of Jesus being so treated: for our\nsakes He bore meekly and patiently this savage treatment. He might\nwith one word have put an end to it, and struck dead those who thus\ninsulted Him. But these indignities were a part of the cup appointed\nfor Him by the Father, and this cup He was ready to drink to the last\ndrop, for the redemption of man. Should we not love the Lord in heart\nand in deed, for all that He has done and suffered for us?\n\n\"And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.\" Thus\npassed the hours of this terrible night.\n\nAll this time Peter sat in some part of the Palace; \"and there cometh\none of the maids of the High Priest, the damsel that kept the door,\nunto Peter: and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked\nearnestly upon him,\" as if trying to remember where she had seen him\nbefore. Then she said to those around, \"This man was also with him\";\nand, referring to Peter himself to confirm her statement, she asked,\n\"Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?\" We may well believe\nthat Peter was horrified at the treatment he had seen inflicted upon\nhis Master; and most probably, in spite of all Jesus had said, Peter\nwas disappointed at His not taking some signal measures to check His\npersecutors. This for a time weakened his faith, and made him fearful\nthat if he confessed himself to be a disciple, he might bring upon\nhimself similar treatment, to that which Jesus was silently and calmly\nundergoing. In his perplexity and fear, therefore, he committed a\nfearful sin; for in answer to the damsel's question, \"Art not thou\nalso one of this man's disciples?\" \"he saith, I am not.\" But the\ndamsel was not convinced, and presently said, \"And thou also wast with\nJesus of Nazareth, of Galilee.\" One departure from truth is sure to\nlead to another: and now Peter even pretends not to understand what\nshe can possibly mean by charging him with being one of Christ's\ndisciples: thus \"he denied him before them all, saying, Woman, I know\nhim not. I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest.\"\n\nPerhaps Peter now hoped that he had silenced his accusers, and should\nbe left in peace; but he was shortly undeceived. \"The servants and\nofficers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold:\nand they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed\nhimself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his\ndisciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. One of the servants of\nthe High Priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off,\" seems,\nhowever, to have recognized Peter as the person who did this act, and\nsaith, \"Did not I see thee in the garden with him?\" What had been\ndenied before was not likely to be confessed now. \"Peter then denied\nagain; and he went out into the porch; and immediately the cock crew.\"\n\nThese three denials,--first, to the damsel; secondly, to the servants\nand officers; and thirdly, to the kinsman of Malchus,--which are\nrelated in the different Gospels, all took place much at the same\ntime, and are therefore to be looked upon as one act: thus we see how\nevery word spoken by Jesus on the subject of Peter's denial came true.\nHe said that before it was time for the cock to crow at all, Peter\nwould have denied Him three times; and this he had done, and the\nwarning voice of the cock had been heard for the first time.\n\nIf we resist the Devil, he will flee from us: if we give way to one\ntemptation, we shall be more likely to fall again: so it was with\nPeter. \"When he was gone out into the porch, after a little while\nanother saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man,\nI am not. And another maid saw him, and began to say to them that\nstood by, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. This is one of\nthem.\" Peter now added to his sin, \"for he denied with an oath, I do\nnot know the man,\"--thus calling upon God as a witness to the truth of\nwhat he was saying. This was Peter's second denial of his Lord and\nMaster.\n\nAbout an hour afterwards, when it was nearly three o'clock in the\nmorning, Peter seems to have been again in the hall, where the\nsoldiers were waiting with Jesus, until it should be time for them to\ntake Him before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Here the third\ndenial took place.\n\nBefore we go further, some little explanation is necessary. You know\nthat in different countries, as in France, Spain, China, &c., the\npeople speak different languages; so that without learning one\nanother's language, the natives of different countries cannot talk to\neach other. But even in different parts of the same country, the\npeople often pronounce their words in such a different manner as to\nmake it almost a different language, so that the \"dialect,\" or manner\nof speaking, in one province, would be hardly understood in another\nprovince of the same country. Even in England we have something of the\nsame kind; and if you were to hear the people of Yorkshire or of\nSomersetshire talking to each other, you would not understand much of\ntheir conversation.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXVII.--PETER'S THIRD DENIAL.\n\n\nWhen Peter had returned into the hall where Jesus still was, another\nman \"confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was\nhim: for he is a Galilean.\" The Jews, who were natives of Galilee,\nused a different dialect to that of the inhabitants of Judaea; and this\nman, having heard Peter speak, at once perceived that he was a\nGalilean, and doubtless the follower of Jesus. But Peter at once said,\n\"Man, I am not\": he would not even now allow that he was a Galilean;\nbut the fact was too plain; for his manner of speaking betrayed or\nshowed that he was certainly a native of Galilee. They that stood by\ncould not therefore be deceived, and said again to Peter, \"Surely thou\nalso art one of them, for thou art a Galilean: and thy speech agreeth\nthereto, for thy speech bewrayeth (or betrayeth) thee.\" Peter now went\nstill further in his denial, and added to his sin; for getting\nfrightened and angry, he allowed himself to use language sinful in\nitself. \"Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the\nman: I know not this man of whom ye speak. And immediately, while he\nyet spake, the cock crew; the second time the cock crew. And the Lord\nturned and looked upon Peter.\"\n\nWhat a look must that have been! a look of reproach for Peter's sin;\nof grief for his sad fall mixed with love for His weak and erring\nfollower. Such as it was, it went straight to Peter's heart; bringing\nall things to his memory, and making him feel deeply the sin he had\ncommitted against One, whom he did truly love; though under\ntemptation, he had acted very contrary to what that love demanded from\nhim. But the Saviour's look awakened all Peter's better feelings: \"And\nPeter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he had said unto him,\nBefore the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice. Before the cock crow\ntwice thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept;\nhe went out and wept bitterly.\"\n\nPeter's tears were tears of true repentance: we know this, because in\nfuture we find him no longer confident in himself, and boasting of his\nlove, but humble, and looking to God for strength; whilst he devoted\nhis life to doing his Master's work, never letting the fear of man\nprevent his declaring the truth, as it is in Jesus.\n\nWhen we blame Peter for denying the Lord, let us remember that he\nsinned, _because_ he trusted too much in himself, and did not watch\nand pray as he ought to have done. This is a warning to us, not to do\nas he did. But let us also remember, that having sinned, he repented\ntruly; and showed his repentance, by his changed conduct during the\nrest of his life. Here is an example for us to follow.\n\nThis terrible night was over at last. \"And straightway in the morning,\nas soon as it was day\" (about four o'clock in the morning of Friday),\nthe Chief Priests seem to have called the whole Council of the\nSanhedrim together, to consult what was next to be done to secure\ntheir object: \"they took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.\nAnd they led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell\nus.\" Jesus had already answered this question before Caiaphas, and\nknowing their motive in repeating it, \"he said unto them, If I tell\nyou, ye will not believe. And if I also ask you, ye will not answer\nme, nor let me go.\" Jesus would not, however, allow them to suppose\nthat He denied being the Messiah: and He therefore repeated the words,\nwhich they chose to call blasphemy, saying, \"Hereafter shall the Son\nof man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all,\nArt thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.\nAnd they said, What need we any further witnesses? for we ourselves\nhave heard of his own mouth.\"\n\n\"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was\ncondemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of\nsilver to the Chief Priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that\nI have betrayed the innocent blood.\" Some feelings of sorrow and\nremorse for having given up an innocent man to be put to death, now\nled Judas to bring back the \"reward of iniquity,\" and at once to\nconfess his own sin, and bear witness to the innocence of Jesus.\nPerhaps he had a hope of thus saving Jesus from the fate which awaited\nHim: if so, Judas soon learnt, what many have learnt before and since,\nthat it is easy to do wrong, but by no means easy to undo the wrong\nwhen done. Many of us, in a moment of passion or self-will, commit\nacts which embitter our whole future lives. Let the young beware, lest\nthey bring upon themselves such life-long misery; they may truly\nrepent and mourn, and God, for Jesu's sake, may forgive the sin; but\nthe act itself, and its bitter consequences, can never be undone.\n\nThe Priests and elders cared not whether Jesus was innocent or guilty,\nso as they could treat Him as if He _were_ guilty. His holy life, His\nheavenly teaching, showed them their own sinfulness, and therefore it\nwas _because_ He was good, that they sought to destroy Him. Neither\ndid they care for Judas's sufferings: they had gladly profited by his\nsin, and given him the reward agreed upon: now that they had got from\nhim all that they wanted, they cared not what became of the miserable\nsinner. And this is often the case amongst men, who to gain something\nthey want, persuade others to do wrong. Those who have sinned to help\nthem, may afterwards be filled with remorse and misery; but they will\nmeet with neither help nor pity from those who led them into sin. Like\nthe Priests, they will say, What is that to us?\n\nIn vain did Judas look for pity from his partners in guilt; the\nunfeeling answer of the Priests was, \"What is that to us? see thou to\nthat.\" Had Judas repented truly, he would, like Peter, have gone out\nand wept bitterly, and sought forgiveness of his Lord; but, unable to\nbear the feeling of remorse which lay heavy upon his heart, he\ncommitted a crime for which there is no repentance: \"he departed, and\nwent and hanged himself, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the\nmidst, and all his bowels gushed out.\" What may be the exact meaning\nof this passage, it is difficult to say; but it is certain that Judas\nperished in some remarkable and dreadful manner.\n\nAfter Judas had departed from the Council, leaving the money behind,\n\"the Chief Priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful\nfor to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.\"\n\nThe Jews considered it unlawful to put into the treasury of the\ntemple, any money which had been got by taking away life. The\nexecutioners, whose duty it was to put criminals to death, were not\nallowed to make any offering to the treasury, because the money that\nthey gained was looked upon as the price of blood. These Priests, who\nwere ready to break a positive commandment by putting an innocent\nperson to death, would not break the Law in a small matter.\n\nThe fact is, that by this time the religion of the Jews had become a\nmere form: they made a great fuss about observing ceremonies and\ncustoms, which required no self-denial; but they did not care to obey\nthe Will of God, when it interfered with their own wishes and\ninclinations. They had had no scruple in buying the life of an\ninnocent man, but they would not put the price of his blood into the\ntreasury. So \"they took counsel,\" or consulted together, as to what\nshould be done with the silver pieces, \"and bought with them the\npotter's field, to bury strangers in.\" By \"strangers\" was probably\nmeant Jews, who came from distant parts of the country, or from some\nof the nations through which Jews were scattered: these people had, of\ncourse, no burial-place of their own in Jerusalem, and therefore this\nfield was bought, in order that any foreign Jews, who died in the\ncity, might be buried there.\n\nThe potter's field lay to the S.E. of Jerusalem, on the other side of\nthe brook Gihon. From this time, this field was called \"Aceldama,\" a\nHebrew word, meaning the Field of Blood: now the Christians in those\nparts call it \"the holy field.\"\n\nThis buying of the field, was foretold 457 years before, in the time\nof Ezra. \"Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the\nprophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price\nof him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;\nand gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.\"\n\nThis prophecy is not, however, to be found in the book which we call\nby the name of Jeremiah, but in that of Zechariah (xi.), another of\nthe prophets. The Jews had an old custom of dividing the Scriptures of\nthe Old Testament into three parts. The First Part, called \"the Law,\"\ncontained the books of Moses and those of Kings and Chronicles: the\nPsalms formed the Second Part: and the Third Part contained the\nwritings of the prophets. As this Third Part began with the prophecies\nof Jeremiah, the whole division was often called by his name; and thus\nany words spoken by another prophet, might be said to be in Jeremy or\nJeremiah.\n\nThe Priests and the whole Council of the Sanhedrim had condemned Jesus\nto death, for what they called blasphemy; and the next step was to get\nPilate's permission to execute the sentence. \"And the whole multitude\nof them arose, and bound Jesus, and when they had bound him, they led\nhim away from Caiaphas unto the Hall of Judgment, and delivered him to\nPontius Pilate the governor: and it was early,\" probably about five\no'clock in the morning. \"And they themselves went not into the\nJudgment Hall lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the\nPassover.\"\n\nThese Jews were _preparing_ to eat the Passover, in the evening of\nthat day, Friday; but Jesus and His disciples had eaten it the evening\n_before_; that is, on Thursday. This difference needs some\nexplanation. We divide our year into 12 months, some of 30 days, and\nsome of 31, whilst, as a general rule, February has only 28. The earth\non which we live goes round the sun in 365 days and 6 hours, all but a\nfew minutes. By \"the day\" we mean 24 hours, or what we call a day and\na night. Our 12 months, therefore, contain the 365 days; but the extra\nhours are unaccounted for. Now in four years the 6 extra hours amount\nto 24--another day: and therefore every fourth year February has an\nadditional day to provide for them. The year in which February has 29\ndays is called \"Leap Year,\" because we seem to leap over a day. For\ninstance, suppose Christmas Day to be on Saturday one year, it would\nnaturally fall on Sunday the next year: but if it were Leap Year, it\nwould leap over Sunday and fall upon Monday instead. Our year is\ncalled a Solar Year, because it is regulated by the course of the\nearth round the sun, and _Sol_ is the Latin word for the Sun.\n\nThe Jews, on the contrary, divided their year according to the course\nof the Moon, which goes round the Earth in something more than thirty\ndays. Theirs was a Lunar Year, because _Luna_ is Latin for the moon.\n\nThe twelve months amongst the Jews had not the same fixed number of\ndays every year, because they reckoned the month to begin when the new\nmoon first appeared. This practice often led to mistakes, so that what\nought to have been the 14th day of any month was frequently called the\n15th, or the 13th. Something of this kind seems to have taken place at\nthis time: so that whilst Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover on\nthe evening of the right day, the 14th of Nisan or Abib (answering to\nthe end of March with us), many of the Jews celebrated the feast on\nthe next day, calling that the 14th, though it was, in reality, the\n15th.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXVIII.--JESUS SENT BY PILATE TO HEROD.\n\n\nWhatever might be the cause, it is plain that the Priests and elders\nwere preparing to keep the Passover, on the evening _after_ that on\nwhich Jesus had eaten it with His disciples: and that lest they should\nbe defiled and rendered unclean according to the Law, they would not\nenter the Judgment Hall, which was full of Roman soldiers. Any Jew who\n(in one of the many ways) became unclean, could not partake of the\nFeast of the Passover: and it was even held, that upon occasions of\nsuch peculiar holiness, mixing with the Gentiles or heathens, made a\nJew unclean; therefore, to avoid all risk, they went not in. They did\nnot consider that all the laws about purity and uncleanness, were only\nmeant to show the necessity of being pure and holy in thought, word,\nand deed; and that their persecution of an innocent being, rendered\nthem far more unclean in the sight of God, than any ceremonial\ndefilement could possibly do. But it was ever so; they paid more\nattention to outward forms than to real holiness and goodness. Let us\nbeware never to fall into the like fatal sin.\n\nAs the Jews would not go into the Judgment Hall, \"Pilate then went out\nunto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?\"\nInstead of naming any crime of which their prisoner had been guilty,\nthe Jews merely answered, \"If he were not a malefactor, we would not\nhave delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye\nhim, and judge him according to your law.\" This was not at all what\nthe Jews wanted, and they \"therefore said unto him, It is not lawful\nfor us to put any man to death.\"\n\nSome writers think that the Jews were _not_ deprived of the power of\nputting to death criminals found guilty according to their law; but\nthat at the time of this holy feast, it was _not lawful_ for them to\nput any man to death. In any case, in all this we see the hand of\nGod; \"that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake,\nsignifying what death he should die.\"\n\n\"And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting\nthe nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he\nhimself is Christ a king.\"\n\nIn answer to Pilate's desire to know the crime of which they accused\nJesus, the Jews said not one word about blasphemy, for which alone the\nSanhedrim had condemned Him to be deserving of death: they knew very\nwell that Pilate would take no notice of such a charge as that, for\nhe, being a heathen, would care for none of these things; and\ntherefore, by a very false representation of what Jesus _had_ said,\nthey now tried to make Pilate believe that Jesus claimed to be king of\nJudaea; and that He endeavoured to pervert or turn the nation from\npaying any obedience to the Emperor of Rome. Such a charge as this\ncould not be disregarded by a Roman governor; for the Romans would not\ntolerate anything like revolt or sedition in their conquered\nprovinces. \"Then Pilate entered into the Judgment Hall again, and\ncalled Jesus, and Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor\nasked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered him,\nSayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?\"\nThe meaning of this question was, Dost thou ask this question of\nthyself, from a real wish to know whether I am the Messiah so long\nexpected by the Jews? or have others laid it to my charge as a crime,\nthat I have declared myself to be that Christ their king? \"Pilate\nanswered, Am I a Jew?\" meaning that as he was not a Jew, he was not\nlikely to know or care whether Jesus was the Messiah or not; and then\nhe called upon Jesus to tell him for what crime He had been delivered\nup by His own countrymen, who had thus plainly shown that they did not\nbelieve Him to be their Messiah. \"Thine own nation and the Chief\nPriests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?\" Jesus in\nhis answer, showed Pilate, that, declaring Himself to be a king, could\nbe no crime against the Roman Emperor, as He neither claimed nor\nsought for power upon earth: if He had done so, His followers would\nhave fought for Him. \"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:\nif my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I\nshould not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from\nhence. Pilate, therefore, said unto him, Art thou a king then?\" that\nis, dost thou really mean that thou art a king? \"Jesus answered, and\nsaid unto him, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born,\nand for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness\nunto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.\"\n\nJesus here states again the nature of His kingdom. It was founded only\nupon truth. His conquests were to be only over falsehood and sin. He\ncame into the world on purpose by His words to bring men to believe\nall that God had said, and to do His Will in all things; such were to\nbe His subjects. He came to win the _hearts_ of men, and rule and\ngovern them. Such a kingdom could in no way interfere with the\ndominion of Caesar, or any other earthly sovereign. On the contrary,\nthose whose hearts are ruled by Christ, will be the most obedient\nsubjects to the powers that be.\n\nPilate was evidently convinced by the words of Jesus, that He could in\nno way be found guilty of stirring up the people to disobey Caesar, but\nbefore he told the Jews this, he put to our Lord the question, \"What\nis truth?\" that is, what dost thou mean by that truth, which will make\nevery one hear Thy words. Had Pilate asked this important question\nwith a sincere desire to _know_ the truth, it would have been a happy\nday for him; for the truth which Jesus would have taught him, is the\nonly thing to give real happiness in life or death. But Pilate did not\neven wait for an answer, for when \"he had said this, he went out again\nto the Jews, and saith unto the Chief Priests and to the people, I\nfind no fault in this man; I find in him no fault at all.\" Thus did\nthe Roman governor, a heathen, bear witness to the blamelessness of\nour blessed Lord; but the Jews, determined on the death of their\nvictim, would by no means accept such a sentence. It is plain from all\nthat follows, that though Jesus remained in the Hall, He was so placed\nas to be able to hear all that was said outside.\n\n\"And the Chief Priests accused him of many things: but when he was\naccused of the Chief Priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then\nsaid Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness\nagainst thee? And he answered him to never a word. And Pilate asked\nhim again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? Behold how many things they\nwitness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing: insomuch that\nthe governor marvelled greatly.\"\n\nMen are in general eager enough to say all they can in their own\ndefence, especially when conscious of their innocence: well,\ntherefore, might Pilate be astonished at the calm and dignified\nconduct of one accused of so many crimes; and whom even he held to be\nguiltless. But our Lord's behaviour was thoroughly consistent with His\ncharacter, and with His work. When He had an opportunity of declaring\nthe great truth that he was the Son of God, the Messiah, then He spake\nboldly before the Priests and the Council, as well as to Pilate: but\nnow, when the Jews were saying all manner of evil falsely against Him,\nHe treated their charges with the silent contempt they deserved. But\nthis seems to have increased the rage of His accusers, \"and they were\nthe more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching\nthroughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.\"\n\nIt was true that Jesus had taught throughout the whole land of Judaea:\nbut the Jews wished to make Pilate believe that his object was to stir\nup the people to rebellion against Caesar, and other crimes: whereas\nall He did was to stir up the people to believe in Him as the Messiah,\nand to turn to God with all their hearts, and keep His commandments.\nPilate was greatly perplexed what to do; he could not but see that\nJesus was innocent, and he had not strength of mind to do his duty\nconscientiously, without any fear of what man could do unto him: he\nwas, therefore, too glad of an opportunity of throwing the\nresponsibility of passing sentence upon another; and when he heard the\nJews thus speaking of Galilee, \"he asked whether the man were a\nGalilean.\" In Galilee our Lord had dwelt from childhood, and as a\nresident in that province, He was subject to the authority of Herod\nAntipas, appointed by the Romans to be king of Galilee. \"And as soon\nas Pilate knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him\nto Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time,\" in order to\nkeep the Passover Feast. Herod being acquainted with the Jewish\nreligion and customs, would be better able to judge between Jesus and\nHis accusers; and thus his opinion might help Pilate in deciding upon\nthe case.\n\nHerod Antipas (who had caused John the Baptist to be beheaded) was, we\nare told, exceeding glad to see Jesus: he had long been desirous to\nsee One, of whom he had heard many things; \"and he hoped to have seen\nsome miracle done by him.\"\n\nIt does not seem that Herod wished to see Jesus from any good motive,\nor from any desire to _learn_ of Him, but simply out of curiosity: he\nwas, therefore, disappointed. Jesus worked no miracle, neither would\nHe give any account of what He had done and taught. Herod \"questioned\nwith him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the Chief\nPriests and Scribes stood and vehemently accused him,\" as they had\ndone before Pilate. Herod was probably provoked by our Lord's silence:\nat any rate, he allowed Him to be ill treated, and himself joined in\nshowing contempt for His claims to be a king: for in ridicule, \"Herod\nwith his men of war set him at nought, and mocked, and arrayed him in\na gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXIX.--JESUS CONDEMNED.\n\n\nSt. Luke tells us, that \"the same day Pilate and Herod were made\nfriends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.\"\n\"Enmity\" means just the contrary to friendship: Pilate and Herod had\nquarrelled, as the different governors throughout the Roman provinces\nwere very apt to do. The Bible does not tell us the cause of this\nenmity; but from other histories we learn, that some time before this,\nPilate had dedicated some shields of gold to the Emperor Tiberius, and\nplaced them in the palace called Herodium, built by Herod the Great.\nThe Jews looked upon this as an insult to their religion, and with\nHerod's permission, sent messengers to Rome, to petition the Emperor\nto order these shields to be removed. This caused a quarrel between\nHerod and Pilate: but when the latter, not wishing to help the Jews in\ncondemning Jesus, sent Him to Herod, the king, considering this as an\nacknowledgment of his authority, was pleased; and willing again to\nbecome friends with the Roman governor.\n\nThe Herodium was a very large palace, consisting of two separate\nbuildings, one called Caesareum and the other Agrippeum: it stood near\nthe temple. It is probable that Pontius Pilate inhabited one of the\nbuildings, and Herod the other, so that Jesus was not long gone.\nPilate, seeing that Herod had pronounced no sentence against Jesus,\nwas still more unwilling that He should die: he was, however, too much\nafraid of the people to act as a just Judge should have done, and set\nthe prisoner at liberty; so he thought that, if he offered to punish\nHim in some way, he might satisfy the Jews, and yet save the life of\nhis innocent prisoner: to propose to punish Him at all was unjust; but\neven this expedient availed nothing, as we shall see. Herod having\nsent Jesus back, it was necessary that Pilate should take some further\nsteps. \"And Pilate, when he had called together the Chief Priests and\nthe rulers and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man\nunto me, as one that perverteth the people: and behold, I, having\nexamined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching\nthose things whereof ye accuse him. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you\nto him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will\ntherefore chastise him, and release him.\"\n\nThere was a custom amongst the Jews at this time, that at the Feast of\nthe Passover the Jews might claim any one of the criminals then under\nsentence of death for their crimes. Whoever the Jews chose was to be\nset at liberty: this custom appears to have been introduced by some\nRoman governor of Judaea, in order to gain favour with the Jews; who\nwere thus allowed to choose one amongst the prisoners to be pardoned.\n\n\"Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a\nprisoner, whom they would; and they had then a notable prisoner,\ncalled Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection\nwith him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the\nmultitude, crying aloud, began to desire Pilate to do as he had ever\ndone unto them. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the\nfeast.)\"\n\n\"Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them,\nYe have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the Passover:\nWhom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is\ncalled Christ? Will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of\nthe Jews? For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered him for\nenvy.\"\n\nThe Roman governor saw truly that it was to gratify private passions\nalone, that the Chief Priests had brought Jesus before him; and,\nhoping that the people might be more just, he offered them a choice\nbetween Jesus and one of the greatest criminals then in prison: a man\nwho had committed the very crime, which the Priests pretended that\nChrist was trying to stir up the people to commit; who, in the\nprosecution of his designs, had committed the murder; and who was also\na robber: his evil deeds had been many; and many must have suffered\nfrom his wickedness and violence. Well might Pilate hope, that the\ncontrast between such a man and Jesus, Whose whole life had been spent\nin going about doing good, would have inclined the people to demand\nHis liberty, and leave Barabbas to the fate he had so justly deserved.\nBut no; \"the Chief Priests and elders persuaded the multitude that\nthey should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus. And they cried out all at\nonce saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.\"\n\nOne reason why Pilate strove anxiously to release Jesus was, that\nduring the night his own wife had some remarkable dreams concerning\nour Lord: what they were, we are not told; but they had convinced her\nthat He was an innocent and righteous man, and that it would be a sin\nto allow any harm to befall Him. Therefore, \"when Pilate was set down\non the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou\nnothing to do with that just man\": nothing, that is, in the way of\npunishing or harming Him; \"for I have suffered many things this day in\na dream because of him.\"\n\n\"Pilate the governor therefore, willing to release Jesus, answered and\nspake again to them, and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye\nthat I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Then cried they all\nagain, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. And Pilate answered and\nsaid again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do with Jesus\nwhich is called Christ? unto him whom ye call King of the Jews? And\nthey cried out again, Crucify him; they all say unto him, Crucify him,\nCrucify him, Let him be crucified.\" Pilate made another effort to save\nJesus, by reminding the people of His innocence; and in answer to\ntheir savage cry, \"Crucify him, Crucify him,\" he \"said unto them the\nthird time, Why? what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of\ndeath in him: I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they\ncried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And they were instant\nwith loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices\nof them and of the Chief Priests prevailed.\" Pilate could stand out no\nlonger; the people showed symptoms of breaking out into a riot, which\nat that moment would have been a serious matter; as there were an\nunusual number of Jews assembled for the Passover, and Pilate had not\nsoldiers enough to keep order, if the people should make a\ndisturbance. If anything like a riot had occurred, the Emperor\nTiberius would probably have considered Pilate to blame; and would\ncertainly have deprived him of his office, and most likely of his life\nalso. Pilate had not that fear of God, which admits no fear of man;\nneither was his wish to save Jesus strong enough to make him risk his\nlife to deliver Him. As a heathen, the life of one man would seem to\nhim of little consequence; but whilst he gave way to the clamours of\nthe Jews, he performed a symbolical action, whereby he testified that\nJesus was innocent, and that he, Pilate, did not consent to His death,\nthough forced to allow it. For \"when Pilate saw that he could prevail\nnothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed\nhis hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of\nthis just person; see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and\nsaid, His blood be on us, and on our children.\" Fearful words in the\nsense in which they uttered them! meaning, that if Jesus was innocent,\nthey were quite willing that the punishment for putting him to death\nshould rest upon them and upon their children. Little did they foresee\nhow dreadful would be that punishment; and how severely they and their\ndescendants would suffer, in consequence of the crime they were\nwilfully committing. In one sense, we may all pray that \"His blood may\nbe on us and on our children\"; even as the blood of the paschal lamb\nupon the door-posts turned aside the visit of the destroying angel.\n\nIn regard to Pilate's action on this occasion, we must recollect that\nit was ordered by the Law of Moses, that if a man were found dead in a\nfield, and it was not known who or what had killed him, the elders of\nthe nearest city should sacrifice a heifer, or young cow, with\nparticular ceremonies: after which they should wash their hands over\nthe slain beast, and declare solemnly before God, that they had had no\nhand in the death of the man, and that they knew not by what means he\nhad met his death. In imitation of this custom, Pilate now washed his\nhands; meaning thereby to show that, if Jesus were put to death, he\nwas no party to His death. But even in this Pilate was mistaken; for\nto allow a bad action to be committed, when we can prevent it, is to\nincur the guilt of it. As governor, Pilate might have refused to allow\nJesus to be slain, and it was his duty to do so: had a riot followed,\nhe could have been in no way guilty in the sight of God: but Pilate,\nbeing a heathen, did not consider the matter in this light. Do not\nmany Christians, who should know better, act upon the same principles\nas those which influenced the Roman governor? They know some\nparticular act to be wrong, and yet it seems so expedient, so likely\nto be useful in some way or other, that they do it. Then, again, they\nperceive that they ought to do something which may bring trouble upon\nthemselves, or displease some one whose favour they wish to gain, and\ntherefore they leave such action undone.\n\n\"Pilate, willing to content the people,\" and put an end to the tumult,\n\"gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released\nunto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom\nthey had desired.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XL.--JESUS CONDEMNED BY PILATE.\n\n\n\"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.\" This was a very\nunnecessary piece of cruelty practised by the Romans; whose custom it\nwas to scourge, or whip with cords, every criminal condemned to death.\nWe must now think of our blessed Lord, with His back all cut and\nbleeding from the stripes laid upon Him, aching and smarting all over;\nthen we must remember that this was the punishment of _our_ sins,\nwhich He bore, and that, \"with his stripes we are healed.\" Shall not\nsuch thoughts stir us up to show our love for Him, Who, out of His\nwondrous love for us, bore all these tortures? \"And when Pilate had\nscourged him, he delivered Jesus to their will, to be crucified.\"\n\n\"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus, and led him away into\nthe common hall, called Praetorium\"; where fresh insults and sufferings\nwere inflicted upon the holy Jesus, the Messiah: for \"they call\ntogether the whole band of soldiers,\" and in mockery and ridicule for\nHis having styled Himself a king, \"they stripped him\" of his own\nclothes, \"and put on him a scarlet or purple robe,\" (for the same word\nsignifies both colours,) and then made a crown or wreath, by twisting\ntogether some branches of a prickly plant. \"And when they had platted\na crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right\nhand,\" to represent the sceptre, carried by kings. When the soldiers\nhad thus arrayed our Lord, in ridicule of His claim to be a king, they\nwent a step further, and in derision, \"they bowed the knee before him,\nand worshipped him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!\"\nNot satisfied with this mockery, \"they smote him with their hands. And\nthey spit upon him,\" to show the greatest possible degree of hatred\nand contempt; \"and took the reed, and smote him on the head\"; thus\ndriving the thorns into Him, and so increasing His sufferings. All\nthis He bore for us; and all He asks in return is, that we should take\nHim for our King, so as to let Him reign in our hearts, and rule our\nlives. Pilate made another attempt to save the life of Jesus; he\nprobably hoped, that if the people saw Him bleeding and suffering,\nthey would feel pity, and be ashamed of so treating a man, declared to\nbe innocent, and known to all as going about doing good. \"Pilate\ntherefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him\nforth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came\nJesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And\nPilate saith unto them, Behold the man!\"\n\nThe Priests, however, were determined that nothing should save the\nlife of their victim, and \"therefore, when the Chief Priests and\nofficers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, Crucify him.\"\nPilate finding all his efforts vain, and being still afraid to offend\nthe Jews, \"then saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I\nfind no fault in him.\" As if he had said, If you are determined to\ncrucify Him, do it; but remember it is not my doing, \"for I find no\nfault in him.\"\n\n\"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die,\nbecause he made himself the Son of God.\" The Jews now changed their\nground of accusation, and simply named the sin of blasphemy, as the\ncause for which their Law required our Lord's death.\n\n\"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid\": the\nheathen governor had clearly seen that Jesus was no common man: if He\nwere put to death for declaring Himself to be the Son of God, He would\nprobably suffer for saying what was _true_; and though Pilate, as a\nheathen, had no knowledge of the nature and power of the Lord God\nAlmighty, he was afraid to crucify One, whom he believed to be the Son\nof God. Hesitating and perplexed, Pilate \"went again into the Judgment\nHall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no\nanswer. Then saith Pilate, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not\nthat I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?\nJesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except\nit were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto\nthee hath the greater sin.\"\n\nJesus meant to tell Pilate, that no earthly Ruler or Governor could\nhave power to put Him to death, unless it had been the Will of God,\nwho dwells in Heaven above, that He should suffer whatever the Jews\nchose to do to Him. The Jews had cruelly and unjustly persecuted Him,\nand in spite of His acknowledged innocence, had treated Him as the\nworst of malefactors: and therefore Jesus told Pilate, that the sin of\nthe Chief Priests and others in insisting upon His death, was far\ngreater than the sin of Pilate in giving way to them, in order to\nprevent a tumult amongst the people.\n\nThe words spoken by Jesus, His whole conduct and manner, so totally\nunlike that of a guilty person, convinced Pilate more and more, that\nHe had _not_ \"spoken _blasphemy_\" in declaring Himself to be the Son\nof God; and \"from thenceforth he sought to release him.\"\n\nTo prevent the escape of their innocent victim, the Jews now returned\nto their original charge of treason and rebellion against the Roman\nEmperor, \"and cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not\nCaesar's friend; whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against\nCaesar.\" Tiberius, who at that time was Emperor of Rome, was a\nsuspicious and cruel tyrant; and would have punished with death any\ngovernor, supposed to have spared the life of a man, who had set\nhimself up to be a king in any of the Roman provinces. Pilate,\ntherefore, did not dare to give the Jews any excuse for thus\ncomplaining of him to Tiberius: so \"when he heard that saying, (If\nthou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend,) he brought Jesus\nforth,\" from the Judgment Hall into which the Jews would not enter,\n\"and sat down in the judgment seat, in a place\" outside, \"that is\ncalled the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the\npreparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith\nunto the Jews, Behold your king! But they cried out, Away with him,\naway with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify\nyour king? The Chief Priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then\ndelivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.\"\n\nAs St John's account of the hour at which the crucifixion took place\nappears to differ from that named by the other Evangelists, it may be\nwell to explain why St. John says, \"the _sixth_ hour,\" and St. Mark\n\"the _third_.\"\n\nSt. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, speak according to the Jewish\nmode of computing time. The Jews reckoned the day to begin at one\nsunset, and end at the next; so that their night came before the day,\ninstead of after, as with us. From sunset, (about 6 o'clock of our\ntime,) they divided the night into four equal portions or watches, of\nthree hours each. The First from 6 o'clock P.M. to 9 o'clock; the\nSecond from 9 P.M. to 12 o'clock, or midnight. The Third watch, called\nalso the First Cock Crowing, ended at what we call 3 o'clock A.M.; and\nthe Fourth and Last, called the Second Cock Crowing, at our 6 o'clock\nA.M. The next hour after 6 o'clock was called the 1st hour, and so on;\nthe 3rd hour answered, therefore, to our 9 o'clock A.M.: and this was\nthe hour at which St. Mark states that they crucified Jesus. It must\nbe remarked, that the Jews also divided their day into four portions,\ncalling each by the name of the hour at which it began: thus the 3rd\nhour, being the beginning of a portion, would include the other two\nhours in that portion. In this manner, the 3rd hour, our 9 o'clock,\nwould include the 4th and 5th hours, or our 10 and 11 o'clock. Then\nthe 6th hour, answering to our 12 o'clock mid-day, would extend to 3\no'clock, the 9th Jewish hour, and so on.\n\nSt. John, on the other hand, reckoned the time according to the Roman\nand Asiatic mode, still used by us. Thus the day, as spoken of by him,\nbegan at midnight; and therefore, his 6th hour was our 6 o'clock in\nthe morning, or 6 o'clock P.M. But the Romans also divided their time\ninto watches of three hours each, speaking of the whole three hours\nunder the name of the hour with which the watch began. Thus the 6th\nhour, or 6 o'clock A.M., would include all the time up to 9 o'clock,\nwhich according to the Romans was the 6th hour, and according to the\nJews the 3rd hour.\n\nSt. John further says, that it was \"_about_ the sixth hour when they\ncrucified him\"; now _about_ may mean a little before, or a little\nafter, the time mentioned; and therefore, we find that all the\nApostles mean the same thing; viz., that Jesus was crucified soon\nafter 9 o'clock in the morning.\n\nThe following table may help us to understand clearly the time at\nwhich the different events happened; beginning with the Passover,\nwhich Jesus ate with His disciples:--\n\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n                        |                     |\n        Our Time.       |    Jewish Time.     |       Events.\n                        |                     |\n    Thursday, probably  |                     |\n    about 5 o'clock.    | Evening.            | Jesus eats the\n                        |                     |     Passover.\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n    6 o'clock P.M.      | End of Day.         |\n    7    \"    \"         | First Night Watch.  | Jesus on the Mount of\n                        |                     |   Olives.\n    8    \"    \"         |                     |\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n    9 o'clock P.M.      | Second Night Watch. | Jesus in Garden of\n                        |                     |     Gethsemane.\n    10   \"    \"         |                     | Betrayed by Judas,\n                        |                     |    and taken to Annas.\n    11   \"    \"         |                     | Taken before Caiaphas.\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n    12 o'clock Midnight.| Third Watch.        | Peter's First Denial.\n                        | First Cock Crowing. | Jesus condemned by the\n                        |                     |    Priests.\n    1 A.M. Friday.      |                     | Abused by the\n                        |                     |      Attendants.\n    2  \"    \"           |                     | Peter's Second Denial.\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n    3 o'clock A.M.      | Fourth Watch.       | Peter's Third Denial.\n                        | Second Cock Crowing.|\n    4    \"     \"        |                     | Jesus condemned by\n                        |                     |   the Sanhedrim.\n    5    \"     \"        |                     | Taken before Pilate.\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n    6 o'clock A.M.      | Romans' 6th Hour.   | Jesus sent to Herod.\n                        |                     | Returned to Pilate.\n    7    \"     \"        | Jews' 1st Hour.     | Crowned with thorns.\n    8    \"     \"        |   \"   2nd Hour.     | Delivered to be\n                        |                     |       crucified.\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n    9 o'clock A.M.      | Jews' 3rd Hour.     | Jesus crucified.\n    --------------------+---------------------+-----------------------\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLI.--JESUS CRUCIFIED.\n\n\nIn reading the account of our blessed Lord's condemnation, it may seem\nstrange to us that Pilate was ready to receive Him so early as five\no'clock in the morning; though we can understand the Priests and the\nSanhedrim sitting up all night, to accomplish their wicked purpose.\nBut we must remember, that the Jews were at all times ready to make\ndisturbances; and that as very great multitudes came into Jerusalem\nfor the Passover, those who were in authority were obliged to be very\nwatchful, so as to check the first symptoms of a riot: and no doubt\nthey were doubly watchful now, remembering that when Jesus rode into\nthe city, a few days before, all the people accompanied Him, shouting,\nand declaring Him to be that King, the promised Messiah. \"And they\ntook Jesus, and led him away. And after that they had mocked him, they\ntook off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led\nhim out to crucify him. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a\nplace called the place of a skull, which is called, in the Hebrew,\nGolgotha.\"\n\nIt was the custom of the Jews and Romans never to put condemned\npersons to death within the city walls. Golgotha was a hill outside\nthe city, set apart for executions, and was, of course, an unclean and\npolluted place. It is thought that the name Golgotha was given to this\nhill because, in shape, it resembled a head or skull; and that for the\nsame reason, the Romans called it Calvary: the Latin word so\ntranslated, meaning the same as the Hebrew word Golgotha.\n\nThe Romans compelled those who were to undergo the terrible death by\ncrucifixion, to carry their own cross to the appointed place. Thus we\nfind Jesus \"bearing his cross\": but when we remember how our blessed\nLord had passed the whole night, we shall not be surprised that He had\nno strength to carry a heavy cross of wood up a hill. Most likely He\nfell under the load; and those who led Him out saw, that faint and\nweary as He was, it was impossible for this part of His sentence to be\ncarried out, and therefore, \"they laid hold upon one Simon, a\nCyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country: him they compelled\nto bear his cross. And on him they laid the cross, that he might bear\nit after Jesus.\"\n\n\"And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which\nalso bewailed and lamented him.\"\n\nMany of these, doubtless, had benefited by His miracles of healing,\neither in themselves or in their children; and all were grieved to see\nsuch cruelty practised upon One, who had ever gone amongst them doing\ngood.\n\nJesus, always mindful of others, and foreseeing the dreadful\nsufferings that would come upon the city in consequence of His death,\n\"turning unto them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but\nweep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are\ncoming in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren\" (that is,\nthe women who have no children to suffer). \"Then shall they begin to\nsay to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if\nthey do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?\"\n\nThis is figurative language, meaning that the calamities about to fall\non Jerusalem would be so dreadful, that the Jewish women, who\nconsidered it a great misfortune to have no children, would then be\nthankful, and considered blessed because they had none: and that, in\nthe impossibility of escaping from their miseries, all people would be\nglad if the mountains could fall and crush them.\n\nThen Jesus reminded them, that if a green tree is quickly burnt up, a\ndry and withered one will be burnt much more quickly. In the\nScriptures, good men are often compared to green and flourishing\ntrees; and bad men to dry and barren ones. The meaning of our Lord was\ntherefore, If God in His wisdom sees fit to let Me, who am holy and\nrighteous in His sight, suffer such things as ye have seen; what think\nye will He do to the wicked and unrighteous?\n\nJesus was not crucified alone: it seems that at this time there were\ntwo criminals sentenced to a similar death. \"And there were two other,\nmalefactors, led with him to be put to death.\" In reading these words,\nwe must be very careful to pause at the comma after other, because the\nmeaning is, \"and there were two other (persons, who were) malefactors,\nled with him,\" &c.\n\nMalefactors mean persons that have done evil. St. Matthew tells us\nthat these men were thieves: probably some of those robbers who\ntroubled Judaea at that time, carrying off cattle and whatever they\ncould lay their hands upon, and often killing those who tried to\ndefend their property. These men were justly condemned to death in\npunishment of their sins, and they were now led out to be crucified\nwith the innocent and holy Jesus. The prophet Isaiah, speaking seven\nhundred years before of the Messiah, had said, \"He was numbered with\nthe transgressors\"; \"and he made his grave with the wicked.\" He was,\nindeed, \"numbered,\" or considered to be one of the transgressors, fit\nonly to share the fate of such. Literally was Isaiah's prophecy\nfulfilled, when Jesus was led out with two malefactors to die with\nthem.\n\n\"And when they were come to the place, which is called Golgotha, they\ngave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted\nthereof, he would not drink. And they gave him to drink wine mingled\nwith myrrh: but he received it not.\" St. Matthew mentions the vinegar\nand gall; St. Mark, the wine and myrrh. Some people have thought that\nboth mean the same thing; but it is most probable that two separate\nmixtures were offered to Christ at this time.\n\nThe Jews always gave wine, with myrrh in it, to the criminal about to\nbe executed, to stupefy him, and make him less able to feel pain. The\nfirst draught of vinegar and gall was probably offered to Jesus in\nmockery. Any one expecting the usual stupefying draught, would be\ndisappointed at getting another instead. Jesus submitted for our sakes\nto every suffering and insult inflicted by His persecutors, therefore\nHe tasted the mixture; but when the stupefying draught was offered,\n\"he received it not\"; for He would do nothing to lessen His appointed\nsufferings, nor to render Him less able to pray to God.\n\n\"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there\nthey crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and\nthe other on the left, and Jesus in the midst.\" \"And the Scripture was\nfulfilled which saith, And He was numbered with the transgressors.\"\n\nCrucifixion was not only a most painful death, but it was also looked\nupon as a very shameful one; only to be awarded to the vilest\ncriminals, in order to show contempt and hatred. Sometimes the\ncriminal was merely bound to the cross with ropes, and there left to\ndie of hunger and exposure. But our Saviour was actually nailed to the\ncross, according to the words spoken by King David, one thousand years\nbefore, \"they pierced my hands and my feet.\"\n\nThe manner of crucifixion was as follows: the cross of wood being laid\nupon the ground, the poor victim was laid upon it; and his arms being\nstretched out along the cross bar, a great nail was driven through the\nhollow of each hand into the wood: the feet were then crossed over\neach other upon the perpendicular part of the cross, and then a very\nlong nail was forced through both into the wood beyond. There appears\nto have been under the feet a small ledge of wood, just to support\nthem. The poor victim being thus made fast to the wood, the cross was\nraised up, and placed upright in a hole already prepared to receive\nit. The torture felt by the unhappy sufferer was most intense: the\nledge beneath the feet did not prevent the weight of the body hanging\nfrom the hands, nailed to the upper part of the cross. The agony of\nsuch a position was beyond all that we can conceive; and this agony\noften lasted many hours, before death put an end to suffering.\n\nSuch was the death Christ endured for us. Surely no one can think of\nall Jesus suffered at this time, without feeling the deepest grief,\nand shrinking with horror from the idea that we could have joined His\nenemies. And yet the Word of God tells us that, if we persist in sin,\nwe \"crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.\"\n\nWe can all understand, that if we have taken a great deal of trouble,\nand put ourselves to inconvenience and even to pain, in order to do\ngood to some person, it would be very grievous to see that person not\na bit better or happier than he would have been, had we _not troubled_\nourselves about him. Then let us remember that Jesus Christ suffered\nand died that we might be taken into heaven. But we cannot go into\nheaven, unless we forsake our sins and try to obey God: if, therefore,\nwe will not take the trouble to resist the Devil, all that Jesus has\ndone and suffered will be of no use to us. Let us take care that He\nhas not suffered in vain: let us pray for faith; that true and lively\nfaith which will constrain us to repent, and love, and obey.\n\nNow let us turn our thoughts again to Jesus hanging on His cross,\nbetween those upon which the two thieves were fastened.\n\nIt was the custom of the Romans, to cause a list of the crimes for\nwhich a malefactor was condemned, to be carried before him, or\nfastened to the instrument of his punishment. This was called his\n\"accusation.\"\n\nIn compliance with this custom, \"Pilate wrote a title, and set up over\nhis head his accusation written, and put it on the cross. And the\nwriting was in letters of Greek, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE\nJEWS; and in Latin, THE KING OF THE JEWS; and in Hebrew, THIS IS JESUS\nTHE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the\nplace where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was\nwritten in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin\"; so that all strangers who\ndid not understand Hebrew might also read this \"accusation.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLII.--CHRIST ON THE CROSS.\n\n\nThe Chief Priests were by no means satisfied with the superscription\nwritten by Pilate, for they persisted in believing that Jesus had no\n_right_ to be called King or Messiah. \"Then said the Chief Priests of\nthe Jews to Pilate, Write not, the King of the Jews; but that he said,\nI am king of the Jews\": an alteration which would have made it appear\nthat He had been justly punished by the Romans, for claiming a power\nto which no one had any right in the Roman provinces.\n\n\"Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.\" This was a\ncommon mode of expression, meaning that a thing was done, and could\nnot be undone. Probably Pilate wrote this title on purpose, knowing\nthat the Jews would not like it; for he was displeased with them for\nforcing him, as it were, to do what he felt to be wrong: at any rate,\nin this title he declared a blessed truth: even that the King of the\nJews, the long-expected Messiah, the Son of God, was actually hanging\non the cross, atoning for the guilt of man, and purchasing our pardon\nby the sacrifice of Himself. Let us remember this with such\nthankfulness and gratitude, as will lead us to love, so as to obey.\n\nWhilst Jesus was hanging in agony upon the cross, He prayed for those\nwho had so cruelly persecuted Him. He had often taught the lesson of\nloving our enemies, and doing them good whenever we have the\nopportunity; and now He set us a most wonderful example of that love\nwhich we are to show to them. \"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;\nfor they know not what they do\": well might He say of those who had\ndelivered Him to be crucified, \"they know not what they do.\" Little\ndid they indeed consider the sin they were committing; still less did\nthey know what blessings their sin would bring upon all mankind. But\ntheir ignorance was in a great degree wilful, and wilful ignorance\nmust always be a great sin: they had, therefore, much need that Christ\nshould pray for them, as now He did.\n\nBy law, the executioners had a right to the clothes of their victim;\nand accordingly we read, \"Then the soldiers, when they had crucified\nJesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part;\nand also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top\nthroughout.\" \"They said, therefore, among themselves, Let us not rend\nit, but cast lots for it whose it shall be. And they parted his\nraiment and cast lots, that the Scripture might be fulfilled which\nsaith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did\ncast lots. These things, therefore, the soldiers did:\" according as\nDavid had spoken in the 22nd Psalm.\n\nThus having finished the work of crucifixion, the soldiers, \"sitting\ndown\" at the foot of the cross, \"watched him there. And the people\nstood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He\nsaved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of\nGod.\" Had Jesus, indeed, been the worst of criminals, mocking or\nderiding Him thus, whilst He hung in agony upon the cross, would have\nbeen a most cowardly and brutal act: but these insults were borne\npatiently by One, who with a word could have silenced these mocking\ntongues, and have confounded all, by coming down from the cross, and\nleaving man's redemption for ever unfinished. Blessed be God, that no\ntaunts or mockings could so move Him, Who suffered all for our sakes.\n\nWe cannot wonder, that following the example of the Jewish priests and\nrulers, the heathen \"soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and\noffering him vinegar,\" or a light wine drunk by the common people,\n\"and saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself. And they\nthat passed by reviled him, and railed on him, wagging their heads,\nand saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in\nthree days, save thyself, and come down from the cross. If thou be the\nSon of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the Chief Priests\nmocking him, with the Scribes and elders, said among themselves, He\nsaved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let\nhim now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted\nin God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I\nam the Son of God. Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from\nthe cross, that we may see and believe.\"\n\nWould they have believed, if Jesus had indeed come down from the\ncross? No; their hearts were hardened in wilful unbelief, and their\nwords were empty mockery. One great truth, however, the Chief Priests\nunknowingly proclaimed, when in mockery they cried out, \"he saved\nothers, himself he cannot save\": truly the choice lay between the two;\nJesus could not save Himself and us. For our salvation an atonement\nmust be made: the only effectual atonement was the death of Jesus, He\nmight have saved Himself from this, and left us to perish. Blessed be\nGod for the love, that endured to the end, and thus saved us.\n\nWe are told, that even \"they that were crucified with him, reviled\nhim\"; joining in the abuse now heaped upon him; but without provoking\none word of reproof or complaint. No doubt the behaviour of our Lord\nat this time must have gained the admiration of many, and convinced\nthem that He who now hung upon the cross was no mere man. The Lord\ncertainly saw fit to touch the heart of one of those who were\ncrucified with him, for while \"one of the malefactors which were\nhanged,\" continued to rail \"on him, saying, If thou be the Christ,\nsave thyself and us,\" the other, answering, rebuked him, \"saying, Dost\nnot thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? and we\nindeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this\nman hath done nothing amiss.\" Here was true repentance; an\nacknowledgment of the justice of the punishment inflicted, coupled\nwith a declaration of the innocence of Him, whom the dying thief now\nbelieved to be indeed the Son of God, the promised Messiah. In\nChrist's agony and humiliation, the penitent malefactor looked to Him\nas the King of the Jews, the Saviour of mankind; and in the strength\nof his new-born faith, \"he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when thou\ncomest into thy kingdom\": he felt the true nature of Christ's kingdom:\nand Jesus, who knows the hearts of all \"said unto him, Verily I say\nunto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.\" What blessed\nwords for the poor penitent thief to hear! May each one of us, when we\nare dying, have the comfort of believing, This day shall I be in the\nkingdom of the Lord: but unless our actions during life have shown\nthat we do belong to His kingdom on earth, we cannot feel this\ncomfort.\n\n\"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's\nsister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.\" Mary's sorrow\nat witnessing the suffering of her Son, must indeed have been, as if a\nsword had pierced through her own soul, as Simeon had foretold, when\nthree and thirty years before she had carried the Holy Babe into the\ntemple, to do for Him according to the law. Mary, the wife of Cleophas\nor Alphaeus, was the mother of James called the Less, to distinguish\nhim from James the brother of John, the son of Zebedee. The Apostles\nhad, as we have seen, fled away; but John, who had followed Jesus to\nthe High Priest's palace, now stood with the women beside the cross.\nEven in the midst of all His agony, Jesus could think of others: He\nfelt for the misery and desolation of His mother, and was anxious to\nprovide for her future comfort; thus He set a double example, showing\nchildren that they should never cease to love and honour their\nparents; and teaching us all, never to let our own troubles or\nsorrows, whatever they may be, make us unmindful of the sufferings of\nothers.\n\n\"When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother, and the disciple standing by\nwhom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then\nsaith he to his disciple, Behold thy mother!\" By these words, He bade\nHis mother look for comfort to His beloved disciple; bidding him treat\nher for the future as if she were his own mother. Faithfully was this\nlast commandment obeyed, \"And from that hour that disciple took her\nunto his own home.\"\n\nJesus had now been hanging on the cross for three hours, suffering the\nextreme of bodily agony; but the worst was not yet over. It was the\nsixth hour, or twelve o'clock,--mid-day, as we call it,--when an event\ntook place, which must have greatly alarmed all men. Without any\napparent cause, \"the sun was darkened\"; \"when the sixth hour was come,\nthere was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.\" During\nthese three hours of darkness, we have reason to believe that Jesus\nwas allowed to feel the full weight of God's wrath against sin. All\nthe misery deserved by sinful man was in some wonderful and mysterious\nway laid upon Him, so that in some incomprehensible manner, He, holy\nas He was, tasted the bitterness of that death from which by His\nagonies He delivered man. What His sufferings really were, we know\nnot. God grant we never may! But for the time He felt as if His Father\nhad cast Him off for ever. What a dreadful thing must sin be, since it\ncould not be forgiven without such terrible agony, as for three hours\nwas endured in silence by our blessed Lord; and at length wrung from\nHim that heart-rending cry, \"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken\nme?\" Let us, for whose redemption He thus felt the wrath of God, watch\nand pray, that His sufferings may not have been in vain for any one of\nus.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLIII.--JESUS DIES.\n\n\nThree hours of agony beyond what we can imagine passed slowly away;\nand then, \"at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli,\nlama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why\nhast thou forsaken me?\"--the very words which stand, at the beginning\nof the 22nd Psalm, wherein David foretells many things that would\nhappen at this time. \"Some of them that stood by,\" not understanding\nHebrew, \"when they heard the words spoken by Jesus, said, Behold, he\ncalleth Elias. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now\naccomplished,\" and that His release was at hand, \"that the Scripture\nmight be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full\nof vinegar: and straightway one\" of the by-standers, more humane than\nthe others, \"ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and\nput it upon hyssop, and put it on a reed,\" with which he raised it\nhigh enough \"to put it to his mouth, and (so) gave him to drink. The\nrest said, Let be; let us see whether Elias will come to take him\ndown.\"\n\nThe common drink of the Roman soldiers was \"posea,\" a poor kind of\nwine, often called vinegar, but not like what we mean by vinegar. This\n\"posea\" was now offered to Jesus. \"When Jesus therefore had received\nthe vinegar, he said, It is finished.\" All was now accomplished; every\nprediction uttered by the Prophets concerning the Messiah, had been\nfulfilled; the Redemption of man was completed. Let the cost of that\nRedemption make us give ourselves to our Redeemer, to be His faithful\nfollowers and servants.\n\n\"Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, said, Father, into\nthy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he bowed his\nhead, and gave up the ghost,\"--he yielded up his life, according to\nhis own words, \"I lay down my life for the sheep. No man taketh it\nfrom me, but I lay it down of myself.\" The sacrifice was voluntary,\notherwise it could have availed us nothing. Jesus died: His spirit\ndeparted from the body; and His last words prove that the mysterious\nsuffering had passed away, that He again felt the comfort of His\nFather's love, and that He was no longer forsaken.\n\nThe Almighty God now again bore testimony to the Divine nature of Him\nwho had just yielded up his human life: heaven and earth alike\ntestified that this was indeed the Son of God. During the time of His\ndeepest agony, \"the sun was darkened\"; now that He had given up the\nghost, \"the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were\nopened. And behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain, in the\nmidst, from the top to the bottom.\"\n\nThe veil which divided the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple,\nwas a thick curtain, something like a worked carpet. The tearing of\nthis down the middle was a very significant action, showing that the\ndeath of Jesus had done away with all the ceremonial observances\nestablished by the Law of Moses. A new Covenant, the Covenant of\nGrace, was now to replace the old Covenant of Works.\n\nThe Holy of Holies was looked upon by the Jews as a type of heaven;\nand only the High Priest was allowed to enter into it. Christ died to\nopen the way into heaven to all mankind, whether Jews or Gentiles;\nthus the veil was rent, to show that through the mediation of Jesus,\nall might have access to God the Father.\n\n\"Now when the centurion which stood over against him, watching Jesus,\nand they that were with him, saw the earthquake, and those things that\nwere done, and that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, they\nfeared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.\"\n\nThe Roman centurion had witnessed many executions, and the wonderful\nevents attendant upon this one had convinced him of the truth of all\nthat Jesus had said; \"and he glorified God, saying, Certainly, this\nwas a righteous man.\" The very people, who had been persuaded by the\nPriests to ask for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of\nJesus, now shared the feelings of the centurion; for we read that \"all\nthe people that came together to that sight, beholding the things\nwhich were done, smote their breasts,\" in token of remorse and grief,\n\"and returned.\"\n\n\"And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from\nGalilee,\" \"among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James\nthe Less and of Joses, and Salome\" \"the mother of Zebedee's children,\"\n\"and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem,\" \"stood\nafar off, beholding these things.\"\n\nThe ninth hour, after which our Saviour breathed His last, answers to\nour 3 o'clock P.M., and a new day, according to the Jewish mode of\nreckoning, would begin at 6 o'clock P.M. As Jesus was crucified on\nFriday morning, the day now about to begin, was the Sabbath; and being\nthe Sabbath in the Passover week, it was a particularly solemn, or\n\"high day,\" to be observed with special reverence. On the morrow after\nthat Sabbath, the Jewish people, according to the ordinances of the\nMosaical Law, were accustomed to assemble in the temple, bringing with\nthem, as a thank-offering to the Lord, a sheaf of corn, the \"first\nfruits\" of the harvest, which began at this season of the year. At the\nsame time, particular sacrifices were to be offered, all in\nthanksgiving to Him who giveth us the fruits of the earth in due\nseason.\n\nCrucifixion, as we have said, was often a lingering death: and\nsometimes, to hasten the end, the legs of the poor wretches hanging\nupon the cross were broken. The beginning of the Passover Sabbath was\nnow fast approaching: it was not lawful, according to the Jewish Law,\nfor any criminal who had been hanged, to be left hanging all night;\nthat is, beyond the close of the day of their execution. The bodies of\ncriminals who had been executed, were usually buried without any form\nor ceremonies; but sometimes, at the earnest entreaty of the family,\nthey were allowed to take the body, and bury it with funeral honours.\n\nThe Jewish priests and rulers were very particular in observing all\noutward rites and ceremonies, even when they had just been guilty of a\nfearful sin; and \"therefore, because it was the preparation,\" the time\nfor preparing for the coming Sabbath, \"that the bodies should not\nremain upon the cross on the sabbath day (for that sabbath day was an\nhigh day)\" the Jews \"besought Pilate that their legs might be broken,\nand that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake\nthe legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.\nBut when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they\nbrake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his\nside, and forthwith came thereout blood and water\": this water, proved\nthat the heart had been actually pierced, so that none could doubt\nthat Jesus was really and truly dead. It was very necessary that the\nfact of His death should be clearly established, so that men might\nafterwards have no doubt as to His \"Resurrection from the dead.\"\nAmongst those who saw the water and blood flowing from the wound made\nby the spear, was the beloved disciple, St. John; for in his Gospel,\nhe tells us, \"And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true:\nand he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.\" In this\ntreatment of the body of Jesus by the Roman soldiers, two prophecies\nconcerning our Saviour, the true Paschal Lamb, were fulfilled. \"For\nthese things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone\nof him shall not be broken,\" and \"They shall look on him whom they\npierced.\"\n\n\"And after this, when the evening was come, because it was the\npreparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, there came a rich\nman of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: named Joseph, an honourable\ncounsellor,\" who \"had not consented to the counsel and deed of them\"\nin putting Jesus to death. \"He was a good man, and a just: who also\nhimself waited for the kingdom of God: being a disciple of Jesus, but\nsecretly, for fear of the Jews.\" Anxious to save the sacred body of\nHim in Whom he believed, from further injury or insult, this man\n\"came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus:\nand besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus.\"\n\nArimathaea, supposed to be the same as Rama, where Samuel dwelt in the\ntime of Saul, lay to the N.W. of Jerusalem, on the way to Joppa.\nJoseph, as a man of wealth and influence, must have been known to the\nRoman governor, who would be willing to oblige him, especially in such\na matter, since he himself was convinced that Jesus was no malefactor.\nHis only hesitation arose from his doubt as to whether Jesus was at\nthat time dead; \"Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling\nunto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while\ndead. And when he knew it of the centurion, Pilate gave him leave; and\ncommanded the body to be delivered to Joseph.\" Joseph having obtained\nPilate's leave to remove the body of Jesus, \"bought fine linen\" to\nwrap it in, according to custom. \"He came therefore,\" and with the\nhelp of others, \"took the body of Jesus\" down from the cross.\n\n\"And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen\ncloth: there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by\nnight, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred\npound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen\nclothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.\" This\nwas all that the time allowed to be done then, in the way of\nembalming.\n\n\"Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in\nthe garden a new sepulchre, and Joseph laid the body in his own new\ntomb, which he had hewn out in the rock, wherein was man never yet\nlaid.\" It was a custom in those days, for the rich, with whom Christ\nwas to be in his death (as Isaiah had said), to form their tombs, by\nhaving a sort of small room cut out of the solid rock; leaving a\nnarrow door, which was the only possible way by which any one could go\nin or out. This door or entrance was always closed by a large stone.\nWithin the room or cave, was a sepulchre or sepulchres, in which the\nbody was laid. In such a sepulchre \"they laid Jesus therefore, because\nof the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand: and\nthe sabbath drew on.\" And they rolled a great stone to the door \"of\nthe sepulchre, and departed.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLIV.--JESUS RISES FROM THE SEPULCHRE.\n\n\n\"And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses, and the women also\nwhich came with him from Galilee, followed after\" Joseph and\nNicodemus, \"and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.\" And\nthey returned and prepared spices and ointments, in order that the\nprocess of embalming, hastily begun by Joseph and Nicodemus, might be\nproperly finished after the Sabbath should be past. Having made their\npreparations, they \"rested the sabbath day, according to the\ncommandment.\"\n\nBy comparing the accounts of all that happened after Jesus was laid in\nthe tomb, we find that though the greater number of the women went\naway, as has been said, two of them remained watching the spot which\nnow contained the body of Him whom they so loved and reverenced: for\nwe read, \"And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (the mother\nof James and Joses) sitting over against the sepulchre.\" There they\nstayed, probably till the Sabbath had begun, when, of course, it was\ntoo late for them to prepare their share of spices, without breaking\nthe fourth commandment.\n\n\"Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation\" (this\nseems to mean in the beginning of the Sabbath, soon after 6 o'clock on\nFriday evening, just after the burial of our Lord), \"the Chief\nPriests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we\nremember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three\ndays I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made\nsure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal\nhim away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the\nlast error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye\nhave a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went,\nand made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.\"\n\nThus did the Lord make these Priests and Pharisees bear witness to\nChrist's resurrection. It was little likely that the Apostles would\nmake any attempt to carry off the body, and still less likely that\nthey could succeed in any such an attempt; but what was now done\nrendered it _impossible_; for there was no way of carrying the body\nout of the sepulchre but through the door, which was closed by a heavy\nstone, and was now watched by a guard of soldiers, who would not allow\nany one even to touch the stone, which could not be moved without\nmaking much noise. It was essential that there should never be any\ndoubt as to the fact of Christ's having risen from the dead, and\ntherefore His very enemies were made to furnish the strongest proofs\nof His resurrection. Thinking they had made the sepulchre sure, they\nwent away to rest on the Sabbath. But\n\n    Vain the stone, the watch, the seal,\n    Christ has burst the gates of Hell;\n    Death in vain forbids His rise,\n    Christ hath opened Paradise.\n\nJesus laid in the grave all through the Sabbath, from 6 o'clock on\nFriday evening to 6 o'clock on Saturday evening. The Sabbath was now\npast; the first day in the week, called by us Sunday, was begun. \"And\nwhen the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of\nJoses, and Salome,\" who had not had time to make any preparations\nbefore the Sabbath, set out from their homes to go to the sepulchre;\nand they \"had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint\nhim.\" But while they were on their way, \"behold, there was a great\nearthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came\nand rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His\ncountenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for\nfear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.\"\n\nThe time and circumstances of Jesus's rising from the dead, are veiled\nin mystery. He had evidently left the sepulchre before the stone was\nrolled away. All that we know is, that Christ rose, and was the \"first\nfruits of them that slept\"; and He rose on the day when the first\nfruits of the harvest were presented in thankfulness to the Lord God\nAlmightly. His resurrection secured ours; and, as a sign that it did\nso, \"many bodies of the saints which slept arose out of the graves\nafter his resurrection, and went into the city, and appeared unto\nmany.\" The graves were opened when Jesus gave up His life on the\ncross: when He arose, the bodies which lay in them arose also,\ntestifying to His triumph over death and the grave.\n\nWonderful indeed were all the events which took place at this time! In\ntheir several accounts of what happened after our Saviour had risen,\nsome of the Evangelists mention one thing, and some another; but as\nclever men, who have considered the subject, show us how all the\nevents mentioned must have followed one another, we shall keep to\ntheir account.\n\nWe have said that before the earthquake took place, Mary Magdalene and\nthe other Mary, accompanied by Salome, who had joined them, set out to\ngo to the sepulchre: knowing that it was closed by a great stone, they\nnaturally, as they drew near, \"at the rising of the sun, said among\nthemselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the\nsepulchre?\" Of the watch set there, they probably knew nothing. But on\ncoming close, this difficulty was at an end, \"for when they looked,\nthey saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.\" Very\nprobably Mary Magdalene was the first who observed this fact, for St.\nJohn speaks especially of her, and says, \"The first day of the week\ncometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre,\nand seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.\"\n\nHere you must understand, that the Hebrew sepulchres had two\ndivisions, or chambers. The inner division, or chamber, in which the\nbody was laid, was separated from the outer division by a door,\nclosed, as we have heard, by a large stone. The outer chamber, or\nporch, had an open door, or entrance.\n\nAs soon as Mary Magdalene and her companions came near, they could\nsee, through the open entrance of the outer chamber, that the door of\nthe inner chamber was also open, and that the great stone, which they\nhad seen placed there after Jesus was laid in the tomb, had been\ntaken away: but they did not see either the stone itself or the angel\nsitting upon it, on the right-hand side of the door; as this could not\nbe seen without going into the porch, or outer chamber. As soon, then,\nas Mary Magdalene saw, through the open entrance of the porch, that\nthe stone was rolled away from the door of the inner chamber, or\nsepulchre, she, concluding that some persons, either friends or\nenemies, had opened it, and carried away the body of Jesus, \"runneth,\nand cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved,\nand saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the\nsepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.\"\n\nAfter Mary Magdalene had left them, the other Mary and Salome went\ninto the outer division, and, \"entering into the sepulchre\" (that is,\ninto the porch), \"they saw a young man sitting on the right side,\nclothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And the\nangel answered, and said unto the women, Fear not ye; be not\naffrighted; for I know that ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was\ncrucified: He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the\nplace where the Lord lay; behold the place where they laid him.\"\nHaving thus assured these women that the Lord was indeed risen from\nthe dead, the angel bade them make the good tidings known to others,\nsaying, \"But go your way quickly, tell his disciples and Peter that he\nis risen from the dead, and that he goeth before you into Galilee:\nthere shall ye see him, as he said unto you; lo, I have told you. And\nthey departed quickly from the sepulchre, with fear, and fled; for\nthey trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything to any man.\"\n\nThese women were so confused and overpowered with surprise, fear, and\njoy, that they scarcely knew what to say or do: so they told no man\nwhat they had seen or heard as they went along, but \"with great joy\ndid run to bring his disciples word\" of what the angel had said.\n\nIt must have been a great comfort to Peter to hear that he had been\nparticularly mentioned by name, as it showed that Jesus had not cast\nhim off, but still looked upon him as a disciple, notwithstanding his\nsin in denying his Lord and Master.\n\nIt seems that when the disciples saw their Lord condemned and\ncrucified, they must have forgotten all that He had told them as to\nHis rising again; and, instead of going early to the sepulchre on the\nthird day, they appear to have remained at home, mourning and\nlamenting His death. Now, however, Mary Magdalene's tidings must have\nbrought their Lord's words to remembrance. \"Peter therefore went\nforth, and that other disciple (John), and came to the sepulchre. So\nthey ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and\ncame first to the sepulchre. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw\nthe linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.\" The clothes in which the\nbody had been wrapped were there; but the body itself was gone. No\nangel was now to be seen, nor did the disciples know that one had been\nseen at all; for Mary Magdalene had left the sepulchre before her two\ncompanions went into the porch of the sepulchre.\n\n\"Then cometh Simon Peter, following John, and went into the sepulchre,\nand seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his\nhead, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a\nplace by itself.\" This circumstance was very important. If the body of\nJesus had been _stolen away_, either by friends or enemies, they would\nhave carried it away as it was, and not waited to unwind the linen\nclothes, and more especially not to have folded the napkin up and laid\nit in a separate place. The astonishment of Peter when he saw the\nburial clothes thus lying in order caused John also to go into the\nsepulchre: \"and he saw and believed.\" \"For as yet they knew not the\nScripture, that he must rise again from the dead.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLV.--CHRIST APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE.\n\n\nThe Apostles appear to have come to the sepulchre, without any idea\nthat the Lord had risen from the dead. They had not understood rightly\nwhat the prophets had said of the death and rising again of the\nMessiah; nor had the words of the Lord, though He had told them\nplainly that He should die and rise again the third day, prepared them\nfor what had happened.\n\nWhen John examined the tomb, he saw that the body of Jesus must, in\nsome miraculous way, have slipped out of the linen clothes, leaving\nthem lying in such perfect order: \"he saw, and believed\" that Jesus\nwas indeed risen. \"For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he\nmust rise again from the dead.\" Up to this time they had not rightly\nunderstood this Scripture; and John's faith now rested on what he had\n_seen_, not, as it should have done, upon the Word of God. Peter and\nJohn, having satisfied themselves that the body of Jesus was no longer\nin the sepulchre, \"went away again unto their own home,\" before Mary\nMagdalene, who had followed them, reached the sepulchre for the second\ntime: she arriving after they had left, would naturally be\ndisappointed at not hearing their opinion, as to the disappearance of\nthe body of Jesus. She was grieved that any one should have carried\nHim away; and this, added to the recollection of what she had\nwitnessed in the sufferings and death of Jesus, so disturbed Mary,\nthat she \"stood without at the sepulchre weeping. And as she wept, she\nstooped down, and looked into the (inner) sepulchre, and seeth two\nangels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the\nfeet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say, Woman, why\nweepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my\nLord, and I know not where they have laid him.\" So little did Mary\nexpect the Lord to rise again to life, that even the sight of angels\nsitting by His open tomb, did not convince her that the body had not\nbeen removed to another place. She was soon to know the truth; for\n\"when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus\nstanding.\" But it pleased the Lord to appear to her in such a form,\nthat at first she knew not that it was Jesus. This was the first\nappearance of Jesus Christ after His resurrection; for, as St. Mark\ntells us, \"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week,\nhe appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven\ndevils.\" \"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest\nthou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if\nthou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I\nwill take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary.\" This one word, spoken\nin the tone she had been accustomed to hear, removed all doubts and\nfears: now she sees and knows that it is indeed Jesus restored to\nlife, who stands by her. We can imagine with what surprise and joy\n\"she turned herself\" quickly towards her Lord, \"and saith unto him,\nRabboni; which is to say, Master.\" From what follows, we may suppose\nthat in her exceeding gladness, Mary would have laid hold upon the\nLord to detain Him; for \"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am\nnot yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto\nthem, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and\nyour God.\"\n\nBy these words, He seems to have meant that the time was not quite\ncome for Him to ascend into heaven; and that Mary need not therefore\nhold Him, as if she was afraid of not seeing Him again; but, on the\ncontrary, that she should at once go and remind His disciples of all\nthat He had before told them, about His going to His Father, and not\nleaving them comfortless; because if He left them, He would send the\nHoly Ghost to teach and guide them. The message thus sent by Jesus,\nshould remind us all, that the Lord God Almighty is indeed our God; a\nkind and loving Father to _all_ who believe in His beloved Son, so as\nto love and obey Him.\n\nMary Magdalene set out immediately to tell \"the disciples that she had\nseen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.\" On her\nway it seems that she fell in with the other Mary and Salome, who had\nfled from the sepulchre at the sight of the angel. The three women now\nwent on together. \"And as they went to tell his disciples, behold,\nJesus met them, saying, All hail.\" \"All hail\" signified Welcome; it\nwas a common mode of expressing pleasure at meeting. Mary and Salome,\nwho had heard from Mary Magdalene that the Lord was indeed alive\nagain, were neither astonished nor frightened at His appearance; but,\nfilled with joy and love, they fell at His feet; \"they came and held\nhim by the feet, and worshipped him.\" \"Then said Jesus unto them, Be\nnot afraid; go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there\nthey shall see me.\" The action of holding His feet, showed fear that\nthe Lord would at once disappear; but He bids them have no fears, for\nthat, on the contrary, He would meet His disciples in Galilee. But\nbefore that, He appeared also to His Apostles.\n\nWhilst the women were on their way to tell the disciples all they had\nseen and heard, \"behold some of the watch came into the city, and\nshowed unto the Chief Priests all the things that were done.\" We have\nheard how, when the angel of the Lord descended, those who were\nguarding the sepulchre were so terrified, that they \"became as dead\nmen,\"--unable to move, or know what to do. When they came to\nthemselves, they would see that the sepulchre was empty; whilst they\nwell knew that no human power could have removed the body. They went\ntherefore, and told those who had set them to watch, how vain all\ntheir precautions had been. The Chief Priests immediately called the\nCouncil together: \"and when they were assembled with the elders, and\nhad taken counsel,\" or consulted amongst themselves what they had best\ndo to prevent their countrymen from believing in the resurrection of\nChrist, \"they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His\ndisciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. So they\ntook the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is\ncommonly reported among the Jews until this day.\"\n\nGreat indeed was the wilful unbelief of the Jews, if they could for\none moment believe such an absurd story, as the Priests and elders had\nbribed the soldiers to tell. Amongst the Romans, death was the\npunishment for any soldier who went to sleep whilst upon guard: yet,\nin spite of this, men were required to believe, that sixty soldiers,\nand their commander, were all so fast asleep, that the noise which\nmust have been made by moving the stone, did not even awake one of\nthem. Besides, if they had all been asleep, how could they have known\nthat the disciples had been there?\n\nThe Chief Priests and elders knew that this story was false; and we\nmay be quite sure that Pilate and those in authority did not believe\nit, or the soldiers would not have escaped punishment: but the Romans\ndid not care what the Jews believed on the subject: and the soldiers,\nbeing heathens, and therefore careless about speaking the truth, took\nthe money offered by the Council, and in return told what they knew to\nbe a lie. Even up to this day, the Jews, of whom there are many\nthousands scattered in different parts of the world, believe the story\ninvented by the Chief Priests; and instead of acknowledging Jesus as\nthe Messiah, still look for Christ's coming. It seems to us quite\nimpossible that any one should disbelieve in Jesus Christ being the\npromised Messiah; but unhappily it is so. Let us pray to God that He\nwill take from the Jews all blindness and hardness of heart, and bring\nthem into the Christian Church.\n\nNow let us return in thought to the sepulchre, where, after the\ndeparture of Mary Magdalene, and of the other Mary and Salome, another\nparty of women arrived. These were the women which came with Him from\nGalilee, and who, after seeing where the body of Jesus was laid, went\naway immediately to prepare spices and ointments, and then rested on\nthe sabbath day. \"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in\nthe morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which\nthey had prepared, and certain others,\" that is, some other women\ncame, \"with them.\" These women had had a longer way to come than Mary\nMagdalene and her companions, and therefore, although they set out as\nsoon as the Sabbath was past, they did not reach the sepulchre until\nsome time after them: although it was still early. \"And they found the\nstone rolled away from the sepulchre.\" This circumstance would\nnaturally cause them no surprise, as they would conclude that the\ndisciples or others had reached the sepulchre before them, and were\nalready engaged in the work of embalming the body, in which they were\ncome to assist.\n\nBut their surprise was to come; for \"they entered in, and found not\nthe body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass as they were much\nperplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining\ngarments: and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the\nearth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He\nis not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was\nyet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the\nhands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.\"\nThe sudden appearance \"of two men in shining garments,\" alarmed the\nwomen; who at once knew them to be angels. Then the angels reproved\nthese women for the want of faith, which had made them expect to find\namongst the dead, One whom they ought to have known must be alive, if\nthey had remembered and believed what He Himself had formerly told\nthem. When the women heard the words of the angels, they remembered\nthe words of Jesus, \"and returned from the sepulchre, and told all\nthese things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.\" But the eleven had\nalready heard these wonderful tidings from Mary Magdalene and Joanna,\nand Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them,\nwhich told these things unto the Apostles, as they mourned and wept\nfor the death of their Lord.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLVI.--JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES.\n\n\nThe testimony of so many different witnesses had not yet convinced the\nApostles: when they had heard that \"Jesus was alive, and had been seen\nof Mary Magdalene, they believed not. And when the other women came\nwith their testimony,\" their words seemed to the Apostles as \"idle\ntales, and they believed them not.\"\n\nStill all that they heard was not without some effect; for Peter was\nanxious to visit the sepulchre again: \"Then arose Peter, and ran unto\nthe sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by\nthemselves.\" But he saw nothing more; \"and he departed, wondering in\nhimself at that which was come to pass.\" We learn from the Scriptures\nthat Peter was the first of the Apostles who did see the Lord after\nHis resurrection; but how and when this meeting took place, we are not\ntold; and it is most likely that it took place now, whilst Peter was\nreturning from his second visit to the sepulchre, \"wondering in\nhimself at that which was come to pass.\" What joy it must have been to\nPeter, to see that his Lord and Master was indeed alive, and to be\nable to receive forgiveness for the sin he had committed, in denying\nall knowledge of Him. What passed between our Lord and Peter on this\noccasion, is not written down in either of the Gospels; but we may be\nsure that Jesus spake kindly and lovingly to Peter. It is no wonder to\nfind that ever afterwards, Peter devoted himself heartily to the\nservice of God. After this interview with Peter, Jesus appeared to two\nof the disciples, who were not also Apostles: \"he appeared in another\nform unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.\" To\nPeter, Jesus probably appeared in His own person, so as to be\nrecognized at once: on the occasion of which we are now to speak, He\nconcealed Himself under the form of a \"stranger.\" St. Luke tells us,\nthat two of the disciples went that same day, (the first day of the\nweek,) to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about\nthree-score furlongs; that is, about seven miles and a half, for eight\nfurlongs make a mile. And, very naturally, \"they talked together of\nall these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while\nthey communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went\nwith them. But their eyes were holden, that they should not know him.\nAnd he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that\nye have one with another, and are sad?\" Jesus asked not such questions\nfor His own information, but to enable Him to show the truth to the\ndisciples, who were surprised that any person, even a stranger, should\nbe ignorant of the wonderful events which had happened. \"And one of\nthem, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a\nstranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to\npass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they\nsaid unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet\nmighty in deed and word before God and all the people: and how the\nChief Priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death,\nand have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which\nshould have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to-day is the third\nday since these things were done. Yea, and certain women of our\ncompany made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; and\nwhen they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also\nseen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of\nthem which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as\nthe women had said: but him they saw not.\" In this account of the\nmatter, given by these two to a stranger, as they supposed, we see the\nstate of doubt and perplexity in which all the disciples were: a\nlittle more faith would have set their minds at rest: but it is\nevident that though, whilst He lived they had believed Jesus to be the\ntrue Messiah, who should redeem Israel, His death and burial had so\nfar shaken their belief, that they could not at once feel sure that He\nhad risen from the dead, though they could not altogether reject that\nidea.\n\nWhen these two disciples had ended their account, they must have been\nsomewhat surprised at being reproached for their unwillingness to\nbelieve all that their Prophets had spoken concerning the Messiah; for\nJesus, still in His character of a stranger, \"said unto them, O fools,\nand slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken\"! And\nthen He reminded them, that the Scriptures had expressly said, that\nChrist must suffer death on earth, before He could enter into glory in\nheaven: saying, \"Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and\nto enter into his glory?\" that is, ought not these very things which\ntrouble you to have happened just as they have done, to fulfil the\nScriptures, and to show that this was indeed the promised Messiah.\n\nWhen Jesus had shown the two disciples that want of faith alone caused\ntheir perplexity, He graciously went on, \"and beginning at Moses and\nall the prophets, he expounded (or explained) unto them in all the\nScriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the\nvillage, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone\nfurther. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is\ntoward evening, and the day is far spent.\" No wonder these disciples,\nwhose faith must have been strengthened by the explanations of their\nunknown companion, were unwilling so soon to part with one so learned\nin the Scriptures; and, as it was near evening, they urged Him to go\nin and abide with them for the night. At their earnest entreaty, \"he\nwent in to tarry with them.\" Emmaus, where our Lord now was, was a\nvillage about seven or eight miles to the west of Jerusalem; the\ndwelling-place, probably, of the two disciples whose guest He was.\n\"And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread and\nblessed it, and brake, and gave to them.\" Jesus probably did what He\nhad done at the last Passover Supper, when He appointed Bread and Wine\nto be taken and received, in \"continual remembrance of the sacrifice\nof the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby.\"\n\nAt any rate, by this act, Jesus made Himself known to Cleopas and his\ncompanion: \"their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he\nvanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not\nour heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and\nwhile he opened to us the Scriptures?\" They had felt great interest\nin the conversation and teaching of the stranger, and now they seem\nto feel that all he had said should have shown them that One Who thus\ntaught could be no other than the Lord Himself. Their next thought\nwas to tell these great and glad tidings to the rest of the\ndisciples; and though it was drawing towards night, and they had\nalready had a long walk, \"they rose up the same hour, and returned to\nJerusalem,\"--setting us a good example not to let any personal\ninconvenience prevent us from doing anything that we feel it is our\nduty to do. When they reached Jerusalem, they \"found the eleven\ngathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is\nrisen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.\" Peter had by this time\nrelated how the Lord had spoken to him, and his testimony had\nconvinced his fellow disciples that their Lord had indeed risen from\nthe dead. Cleopas and his companion now bore witness to the same\nfact, and \"told what things were done in the way, and how he was\nknown of them in breaking of bread.\" But some of the disciples do not\nseem to have been convinced even yet, for St. Mark says of these two,\n\"they went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they them.\"\n\n\"Then the same day at evening,\" (nearly 6 o'clock,) still being the\nfirst day of the week, \"when the doors were shut where the disciples\nwere assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus: as they thus spake,\nJesus stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto\nyou.\" Notwithstanding all that had already past, it seems that the\ngreater part, at least, of the disciples could not believe that this\nwas really and truly the Lord, in the same body as He had borne before\nHis death: \"they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they\nhad seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why\ndo thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it\nis I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and\nbones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them\nhis hands and his feet, and his side. Then were the disciples glad\nwhen they saw the Lord.\"\n\nDoubts, however, still lingered in the minds of some, and these our\nLord graciously condescended to remove; for \"while they yet believed\nnot for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?\nAnd they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and an honeycomb. And he\ntook it, and did eat before them. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace\nbe unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so I send you. And when\nhe had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye\nthe Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto\nthem; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.\"\n\n\"Remit\" here means _forgive_; sins remitted are sins forgiven. To\n\"retain\" means just the contrary--not forgiven sins; \"retained\" means\nsins that are not forgiven, of which the guilt still rests upon those\nwho have committed them. Jesus did not, of course, mean that His\nApostles, or any human being, had power to forgive or remit the\nsmallest sin committed against God; none can forgive sin, but God\nonly. But our Lord meant, that when, by the teaching of the Apostles,\npoor sinners should be brought to believe the Gospel and repent, they,\nthe Apostles, might safely declare unto them the blessed truth, that\ntheir sins are forgiven, and done away with, for the sake of all that\nJesus Christ has done for us.\n\nBut in the same way, the Apostles must warn all who will not believe\nand repent, that their sins cannot be forgiven; but that their guilt\nremains, and must hereafter meet with due punishment.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLVII.--UNBELIEF OF THOMAS.\n\n\n\"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when\nJesus came.\" As soon as they met again, \"the other disciples therefore\nsaid unto him, We have seen the Lord.\" Thomas, however, was so\nconvinced that it was impossible for Jesus to appear again in His own\nbody, that he declared that he would not believe, unless he actually\n_saw_ that it was the very same body which had been crucified:\ntherefore, \"he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the\nprint of the nails, and put my finger into the print,\" or hole made by\n\"the nails, and thrust my hand into\" the wound made by the spear in\n\"his side, I will not believe.\"\n\nThis want of faith was wrong: Thomas knew that the other Apostles\nwould not say anything that they did not believe to be true; and it\nwas impossible that all the ten, should have merely _fancied_ that\nthey had seen and talked with their beloved Lord and Master.\n\nThomas was now left for one whole week in his unbelief; and a good\nmany of the disciples, who had not themselves seen Jesus, took his\nview of the matter: though the ten Apostles, and a great number of the\ndisciples, were convinced that Christ was indeed risen.\n\n\"And after eight days again,\" that is, on the first day of the next\nweek, \"the disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came\nJesus, the doors being shut,\" so that He could not possibly have come\ninto the room that way, \"and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be\nunto you.\"\n\nThe disciples were probably at supper, for St. Mark says, \"he appeared\nunto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their\nunbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which\nhad seen him after he was risen.\" To \"upbraid\" means to reproach: all\nhad deserved reproach for their slowness and unwillingness to believe\nthe testimony of others, but to Thomas such upbraiding was principally\naddressed: but whilst he reproved, Jesus also showed mercy: for \"then\nsaith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands: and\nreach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not\nfaithless, but believing.\" Thomas had now received the proofs which he\nhad demanded; he saw and was convinced that Jesus had indeed,\naccording to the Scriptures, risen in his own human body from the\ngrave. \"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.\nJesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast\nbelieved: blessed are they, that have not seen, and yet have\nbelieved.\" These are comfortable words for all Christians who believe\nwithout seeing: and we may indeed thank God for the unwillingness of\nthis Apostle to believe, as it afforded a still further testimony to\nthe reality of the Resurrection.\n\nIt seems that the next appearance of Jesus Christ was to a large\nnumber of His disciples at once. We read, \"Then the eleven disciples\nwent away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed\nthem.\" Here many other disciples must have joined them; for another\npart of Scripture tells us, that \"he was seen of above five hundred\nbrethren at once.\" \"And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but\nsome doubted.\" It appears probable that at first, Jesus showed Himself\nat a great distance, so that some could still hardly believe that He\nwas the Lord. \"But Jesus came and spake unto them.\" We may imagine how\nall doubts were removed at once, and with what joyful gladness the\ndisciples acknowledged Him now, as the long-expected Messiah. \"After\nthese things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea\nof Tiberias.\" It seems that the Apostles had so little idea of the\nnature of the work they were from henceforth to do, that they had\nreturned to their usual occupation of fishermen. \"There were together\nSimon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in\nGalilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.\nSimon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We\nalso go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship\nimmediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning\nwas now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not\nthat it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any\nmeat?\" meaning, have ye now taken any fish. To this question, put, as\nthey supposed, by a man, the disciples \"answered him, No. And he said\nunto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall\nfind.\" It seems probable that the disciples now began to have some\nsuspicions as to the true nature of Him, who gave them this direction,\nsince no mere man could have foretold the result of their casting the\nnet in one particular spot. \"They cast, therefore, and now they were\nnot able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes.\" This completely\nconvinced the disciples; \"therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved,\nsaith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now, when Simon Peter heard that it\nwas the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,)\nand did cast himself into the sea,\" eager to swim quickly to the land\non which his beloved Master stood. The word \"naked,\" in this place,\nonly means that Peter had not his outer garments on--only the inner\none he wore whilst fishing; and this he girt on, bound close round\nhim, that it might be no hindrance whilst he swam. \"And the other\ndisciples came in a little ship (or boat), for they were not far from\nland, but as it were two hundred cubits (about 120 yards), dragging\nthe net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw\na fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith\nunto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter\nwent up (to help), and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an\nhundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was\nnot the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.\" The word\nhere translated _dine_, means rather breakfast, the first meal of the\nday, for it was now early morning.\n\n\"And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that\nit was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them,\nand fish likewise.\"\n\nSt. John, in his account of this meeting of Jesus and His disciples at\nthe sea of Tiberias, says, \"This is now the third time that Jesus\nshowed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the\ndead.\" It is the third appearance mentioned by St. John; and it was\nthe third time that Jesus had appeared to the Apostles, when all or\nmost of them were together; and this is probably what St. John meant.\nThe first of these appearances, was to the ten on the day of His\nResurrection, when Thomas was not with them; the second took place on\nthe first day of the next week, when all the eleven were assembled;\nand the third, was the one of which we have just been speaking at the\nsea of Tiberias. Of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other\nwomen, to Peter alone, to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus,\nand to \"above five hundred brethren at once,\" John makes no mention.\nSt. Paul, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, speaking of the appearing\nof Jesus after the Resurrection, says, \"He was seen of Cephas, then of\nthe twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at\nonce: after that, he was seen of James, then of all the Apostles.\" Now\nnone of the Gospels gives an account of any special appearance to\nJames: we may therefore conclude that we are not told of every\nappearance vouchsafed to His disciples, during the time that Jesus\nremained on earth after His Resurrection; though enough are related,\nto prove the reality of that blessed fact.\n\nWe may remark, that \"Cephas\" is a Greek word, meaning the same as\nPeter, that is, a rock, or stone; and that as St. Paul was writing to\nthe inhabitants of a city of Greece, he called Simon Peter by his\nGreek name: by \"the twelve,\" the body of the Apostles is meant, though\nat that time there were, in fact, only eleven of them.\n\nWhen the Apostles had eaten their meal of fish and bread, to which\nthey had been invited by the Lord, a remarkable conversation took\nplace. We read, \"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter,\nSimon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?\"--that is, dost\nthou love me more than these other of my disciples love me? You will\nremember how before the Crucifixion, Peter, in his self-confidence,\ndeclared, that though all the other disciples should forsake Jesus, he\nnever would, but would die for Him if necessary: but his grievous fall\nhad shown him his own weakness; and now, so far from boasting of his\ngreater love, he humbly replied, \"Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love\nthee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.\" By lambs and sheep, our\nSaviour meant all his people, young and old: all, who should believe\nin Him, and so belong to His Church, or flock, as it is often called.\n\nThis mode of speaking of the people of God, as of a Flock, consisting\nof sheep and lambs, is very common throughout the Scripture. David\npleading for his people, who were suffering from pestilence in\nconsequence of his sin in numbering them, says, \"But these sheep, what\nhave they done?\" The same idea is often repeated in the Psalms, and in\nthe Prophets; and in our Liturgy, or Church Service, we confess that\nwe \"have erred and strayed like lost sheep.\"\n\nPeter would well understand this figurative manner of speaking. The\nquestion was repeated: \"Jesus saith to him again the second time,\nSimon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord;\nthou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He\nsaith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?\nPeter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou\nme? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest\nthat I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.\" Three times\nhad Peter denied his Lord; three times now had he been asked, Lovest\nthou me? Well might he be grieved at the remembrance of that sin,\nwhich could have cast a doubt upon the love he bore his divine Master:\ndeeply did he feel the rebuke which he had deserved. Humbly, without\nmaking any professions, did he appeal to Him, who knows all hearts, to\njudge whether he loved Him. Peter's love for Jesus was both strong and\nsincere, and his whole future life bore witness to its strength and\nsincerity, until he did indeed lay down his life for his Master's\nsake. Let us take Peter for our example, and try, by every action of\nour lives, to show that we do love and wish to please our God and\nSaviour.\n\nAfter this Jesus said to Peter, \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When\nthou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou\nwouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy\nhands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou\nwouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should\nglorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow\nme.\" About thirty years after this time, in the reign of the Emperor\nNero, Peter was crucified at Rome by the heathens, because he tried to\nmake them Christians; he stretched out his arms on the cross, and\nanother bound him and carried him to execution. Faithfully did Peter\nobey his Master's command, \"Follow me\"; for he went about teaching\nafter His example, until He died by the same death. But in his death,\nPeter gave a further proof of humility; for considering himself\nunworthy even to die in the same way as Jesus had done, he begged to\nbe crucified with his head downwards; and this request was granted.\nDeath for the sake of our religion is called martyrdom, and those who\nso suffer, are martyrs.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XLVIII.--JESUS TAKEN INTO HEAVEN.\n\n\nWe are not told that Peter made any remark upon what Jesus told him,\n\"signifying by what death he should glorify God:\" we only read, \"Then\nPeter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following;\nwhich also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he\nthat betrayeth thee?\" This you will remember was John, one of the sons\nof Zebedee; the same John who alone gives us any account of what\npassed on this occasion. \"Peter, seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and\nwhat shall this man do?\" Jesus, instead of satisfying Peter's\ncuriosity, gave him an answer, which should teach us all, that we must\nnot seek curiously to know things hidden from us; and that the great\npoint is, for every man to follow Christ by faith and practice, and\nnot to concern himself too much about others; any further than by\nsetting a good example, and using what influence he may have over\nothers, for a good purpose.\n\nIn answer to Peter's question, \"Jesus saith unto him, If I will that\nhe tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went\nthis saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not\ndie,\" but should _tarry_, or remain alive upon earth, until the\nSaviour should come again to judge the world. There was no ground for\nthe disciples to form such a mistaken notion; for as St. John truly\nsays, \"yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, if I will\nthat he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?\"\n\nJesus then appeared again to His Apostles at Jerusalem, and gave them\nHis last directions as to their conduct, when He should have left them\nto return to His Father in heaven. \"Being assembled together with\nthem, (he) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem,\nbut wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard\nof me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized\nwith the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.\" In these words, Jesus\nreminded the disciples of His frequent promises to send upon them the\nHoly Spirit, the Comforter, to be their guide; and He bade them wait\nin Jerusalem, until this promise should be fulfilled. \"And he said\nunto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet\nwith you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in\nthe law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning\nme. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the\nScriptures,\" and see how exactly His death and resurrection had\naccomplished everything prophesied of the Messiah. \"And (he) said unto\nthem, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to\nrise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of\nsins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at\nJerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send\nthe promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of\nJerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.\"\n\nSuch were our Lord's last directions to the Apostles whom He was about\nto leave; and either immediately after this conversation, or a few\ndays later, \"he led them out as far as to Bethany,\" where He purposed\nto take His final leave of them on earth. The Bethany here meant, was\nnot the actual village of that name, which was about two miles from\nJerusalem, but a part of Mount Olivet, or the Mount of Olives, nearer\nto the city. The Mount Olivet began about 5 furlongs (little more than\nhalf a mile) from Jerusalem: the first tract or part of the Mount was\ncalled Bethphage, and in this tract was the village bearing that name:\nanother portion of the Mount went by the name of Bethany, and in that\ntract was the village of Bethany. Jesus led his Apostles to the spot\nwhere the tract of Bethany joined that of Bethphage. \"When they\ntherefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt\nthou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?\"\n\nThe Apostles had not yet a clear idea of the spiritual nature of\nChrist's kingdom, nor of the time which was to elapse, before it\nshould be established upon earth; and they seem even to have thought\nthat now, when by His rising from the dead He had proved Himself to be\nthe Messiah, the King of the Jews, He would at once restore them to\ntheir former state of prosperity, and make Judaea again an independent\nkingdom. Jesus reproved them for asking such a question, and \"said\nunto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which\nthe Father hath put in his own hand.\" There are, indeed, many things\nsaid of future blessings in store for the Children of Israel; but\n_how_ or _when_ God will give them, is one of the secret things, which\nare at present hidden from us. After reproving His disciples for undue\ncuriosity as to future events, Jesus calls their attention back to\nmatters more nearly concerning themselves; namely, to the work which\nthey were now to do, in bearing witness of all that He had done, and\nin teaching men everywhere the blessed truths of the Gospel; and for\nthis important and arduous task, Jesus again promises them that divine\nhelp, without which man can do nothing good. Therefore, he said unto\nthem, \"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come\nupon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in\nall Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.\"\n\n\"And he said unto them, All power is given unto me in heaven and in\nearth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the\nname of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching\nthem to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Go ye into\nall the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that\nbelieveth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not\nshall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my\nname shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;\nthey shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it\nshall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall\nrecover. And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the\nworld.\"\n\nBy being baptized, those who heard the Gospel preached, showed their\nfaith in Christ, and their determination to follow His precepts and\ncommands: and by Baptism, God gave them grace and strength to do so.\nBy Baptism, we are now received into Christ's Church--we become\nChristians. In the time of the Apostles, of course, the grown-up\npeople were baptized: when they had heard the Gospel preached, and\nbelieved that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, they\nwould repent of all their sins, and try to serve and obey Him; and\nthen they would be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son,\nand of the Holy Ghost; to show that they _did_ mean to dedicate, or\ngive themselves up, to the service of God: and He, in return, would\npour out upon them His Holy Spirit, to enable them to do so.\n\nBut God, who is a merciful Father, does not require His creatures to\nwait for the blessings of Baptism, until they are old enough to\nunderstand and value them; and therefore amongst Christian nations,\nInfants are baptized long before they can either believe or repent,\nand so they become the children of God--lambs of His flock; and\nreceive His blessing before they have sense to know anything about it.\nWhen they are old enough, they must learn to know what great blessings\nwere given to them by Baptism, and what solemn promises were made for\nthem--promises which they are bound to keep, if they would partake of\nthe benefits, and live with Jesus hereafter in heaven. In our own\nstrength, no one can keep these promises entirely; but we must\ncontinually _strive hard_ to do so, and above all pray without\nceasing, that we may be strengthened to do it.\n\nAfter Jesus had given His Apostles commands to preach the Gospel to\nevery creature, and to baptize all who were willing, He told them, as\nwe have read, that they should have power to work miracles, in order\nto prove to all men that they really were the chosen messengers of\nGod, giving His messages to His people: for if they were able to cast\ndevils out of the bodies of men, to heal the sick, to speak languages\nwhich they had never learned, and to take up venomous serpents, or\ndrink poison without suffering any harm, it would be quite plain that\nGod was with them; since only by His special grace could a man do any\nof these things.\n\n\"And when he had spoken these things, he lifted up his hands, and\nblessed them. And it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted\nfrom them, and a cloud received him out of their sight, and (he was)\ncarried up into heaven.\" \"So then, after the Lord had spoken unto\nthem, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of\nGod.\"\n\n\"And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold\ntwo men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of\nGalilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is\ntaken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have\nseen him go into heaven.\"\n\nFrom the question asked by these angels, it would seem that even now\nthe Apostles could hardly believe that their beloved Lord was gone\nfrom their sight for ever, upon the earth. They are therefore\nreminded, that their \"gazing up\" is useless; but that a day shall come\nwhen He shall return to earth: but then it will be as a judge, to pass\nsentence of happiness or misery upon every living creature. We know\nnot how soon that awful day may come; let us therefore watch and pray,\nthat we may find mercy before our judge--the Saviour of all who so\nbelieve in Him, as to love Him and keep His commandments.\n\nThe words of the angels recalled the disciples' minds to earth, and to\nthe work which their Master had left them to do. \"And they worshipped\nhim, and returned to Jerusalem, from the mount called Olivet, with\ngreat joy. And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing\nGod.\"\n\n\"And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with\nthem, and confirming the word with signs following.\" Not immediately,\nhowever; but in these words St. Mark, as it were, sums up the future\nhistory of the Apostles; stating how they at once set to work to\nfulfil the commandments given to them by Jesus Christ.\n\nHere, then, the History of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ must end;\nand we cannot do better than close it with the words of St. John\nhimself, speaking of our Lord's miracles: \"And many other signs truly\ndid Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in\nthis book: but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is\nthe Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life\nthrough his name.\"\n\nSt. John ends his account of His Master's life and death with the\nfollowing words: \"This is the disciple which testifieth of these\nthings, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is\ntrue. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which,\nif they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world\nitself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.\"\n\n\n\n\nPART II.\n\n\n\n\nChapter I.--THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST.\n\n\nAfter the Four Gospels, there is in the New Testament a book called\n\"The Acts of the Apostles,\" which gives us an account of the principal\nacts, or doings, of some of the Apostles, after the Lord was taken\nfrom them. This Book of Acts was written by St. Luke, who also wrote\none of the Four Gospels; and it is the only Scriptural account we have\nof what the Apostles said and did, though we gather a few more\nparticulars from the Epistles, or letters written by the Apostles\nthemselves, to the brethren in different places.\n\nThe Book of Acts furnishes us with much that has been said of the\nAscension, or \"_going up into heaven_,\" of Jesus Christ. We have\nalready heard that the Apostles returned to Jerusalem with \"joy,\"\nwhich might seem strange when one they so dearly loved had just been\ntaken from them. But they had indeed cause for joy: they had seen\ntheir Lord suffer and die, to purchase pardon for sinners; they had\nseen Him come to life again, thus showing that He had indeed made a\nsufficient atonement for all: and now they had beheld Him received up\ninto heaven, proving that, for His sake, all His true disciples might\nfollow Him: \"where I am, there shall ye be also.\" Great therefore was\ntheir joy, and they showed it in the most fitting manner, by being\n\"continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.\"\n\nThe first thing we have an account of after their return from Mount\nOlivet to Jerusalem is, that, \"when they were come in, they went up\ninto an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and\nAndrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew (called also Nathanael), and\nMatthew, James the son of Alphaeus (known to us as the Less), and Simon\nZelotes, and Judas (or Jude) the brother of James.\" The word \"Zelotes\"\nmeans full of zeal, or eagerness; and this Simon was probably so\ncalled, because he was eager in doing the work of God. St. Matthew\nspeaks of him as \"Simon the Canaanite\"; and it is supposed that he\nwas a native of the city of Cana, in Galilee. Here we find the eleven\nApostles all together: and they \"continued with one accord in prayer\nand supplication, with the women, and with Mary the mother of Jesus,\nand with his brethren\": waiting for the promised outpouring of the\nHoly Spirit.\n\nDuring this time, Peter proposed, that from amongst the disciples who\nhad accompanied them all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out\namong them, they should choose one to take the place of Judas\nIscariot, and be with them a witness of the Resurrection of Christ;\nthus making the number of the Apostles twelve, as it had been at\nfirst, by the Lord's appointment. Peter's suggestion was at once\nfollowed. \"And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was\nsurnamed Justus, and Matthias,\" both of whom appeared to be in every\nway fit for the office they were to fill; and then, not trusting in\ntheir own judgment, \"they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest\nthe hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,\nthat he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which\nJudas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And\nthey gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was\nnumbered with the eleven apostles.\"\n\nThe mode of deciding doubtful matters by lot had been appointed by the\nLaw of Moses; and was, at the time we are speaking of, a solemn way of\nseeking the Will of God, who directed the lot as He saw fit.\n\nMatthias, now chosen to be an Apostle, was probably one of the\nseventy, whom our Lord during His life sent out by twos to teach the\npeople, and work miracles, in order to prepare the way for Him. It is\nbelieved that Matthias first went about teaching in Judaea, and that he\nafterwards travelled eastward, where he met with cruel treatment from\nthe barbarous nations of Asia. With great labour and suffering, he did\nconvert many of the heathens to Christianity; but at last he was put\nto death for the sake of Jesus. But these things did not, of course,\nhappen until many years after Matthias was chosen to fill up the\nnumber of the Apostles.\n\nJesus had remained on earth for forty days from the day of His\nresurrection; and during that time He showed himself at different\ntimes to His disciples. The day on which He rose from the grave we\ncall \"Easter Day,\" from an old word, meaning \"to rise.\" The Apostles\nkept a feast every year afterwards on that day, in memory of this\nglorious event; and our Church teaches us also to observe Easter as a\nseason of especial joy.\n\nIn consequence of Christ having risen on the First Day of the week,\nthe disciples, and all Christians since their time, have observed that\nday as a day of holy rest, and called it the Lord's Day: this is\nSunday, which amongst us is dedicated to the special service of God,\ninstead of the Seventh Day, or Jews' Sabbath, our Saturday.\n\nForty days after Easter Day, Jesus went up, or \"ascended,\" into\nheaven; and our Church keeps that day holy, and calls it \"The\nAscension Day,\" because \"ascension\" means going up.\n\nFor ten days after the Ascension, the disciples, who had seen their\nLord ascend, remained quietly at Jerusalem, praising God for all that\nhad been done, and praying continually both in private and in public.\nAnother great feast of the Jews was now drawing near: this feast is\nspoken of under different names in the Old Testament, and we must now\nsay something about it.\n\nIn the Law of Moses, the Jews were, as has already been said,\ncommanded to offer up a sheaf of corn on the day after the Sabbath\nwhich followed the Feast of the Passover; that is, on the first day of\nthe week, after the Passover week. This sheaf was offered up as a\nthank-offering at the beginning of harvest, for they began to cut the\nbarley (the first corn crop) immediately after the Passover.\n\nSeven weeks after this beginning of harvest, the Jews were to keep one\nof the three great feasts, ordained by the Mosaical, or Levitical Law.\nThis great feast was called \"The Feast of Weeks,\" because it was\nobserved seven weeks after that of the Passover: seven weeks were\ncalled \"a week of weeks,\" because seven days make a week, and there\nwere seven times seven days in the Feast of Weeks. It was also called\n\"The Day of First Fruits,\" because it was then the time to begin to\ngather in the other crops and productions of the ground; and in\nthankfulness for all these fruits of the earth, a new meat offering\nwas offered unto the Lord.\n\nThe Jewish Rabbis also called this great feast, \"The Day of the Giving\nof the Law,\" because the Law was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai,\nfifty days after the Children of Israel ate the first Passover in\nEgypt; and this feast, as we have said, was kept on the fiftieth day\nafter the Feast of the Passover. In the New Testament this feast day\nis called \"The Day of Pentecost\": because in Greek, \"Pentecost\" means\nfiftieth, and as we have said, the Jews were to number fifty days from\nthe morrow after the Passover Sabbath, and then to keep this great\nfeast.\n\nAs Jesus rose on the morrow after the Passover Sabbath, our Easter Day\n(or Easter Sunday), the fiftieth day, would again be on the first day\nof the week, Sunday with us: seven weeks or fifty days from the\nblessed day on which our Lord rose from the grave, and ten days after\nHis Ascension.\n\nThis Day of Pentecost, distinguished already as a day of rejoicing and\nthanksgiving for many blessings, temporal and spiritual, and called\n\"The Feast of Weeks,\" \"of First Fruits,\" and of \"The Giving of the\nLaw,\" was now chosen by God as the day on which the promised gift of\nthe Holy Spirit was to be poured out upon the Apostles, to their great\nspiritual benefit, as well as to that of all who were to look to their\nteaching, for the knowledge of what Jesus Christ has done for sinners.\n\nWe read in the Book of Acts, \"And when the day of Pentecost was fully\ncome, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there\ncame a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled\nall the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them\ncloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.\" Fire\nwas looked upon by the Jews as a sign of the presence of God. And\nthose upon whom these tongues of fire descended, were at once \"filled\nwith the Holy Ghost\": a visible and miraculous sign immediately\nfollowed, for they \"began to speak with other tongues,\" that is, in\nstrange and foreign languages, which they had never learnt, \"as the\nSpirit gave them utterance.\"\n\nThus were accomplished the promises of Jesus, to send the Comforter\nupon His Apostles, and that they should be baptized with the Holy\nGhost.\n\nThe power of speaking strange languages was a most valuable gift,\nenabling the Apostles to obey the command \"to teach all nations,\"\nwhich they could not have done had they not been able to make\nthemselves understood by all men.\n\nOne miracle had, as a punishment, confounded the language of men, so\nthat they ceased to have intercourse with each other: now another\nmiracle mercifully removed this barrier, so that all nations might\nhear from the Apostles the glad tidings of salvation--the Gospel of\nour Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nAt the time when the Holy Ghost descended so miraculously upon the\nApostles, \"there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of\nevery nation under heaven.\" By \"devout men,\" is meant worshippers of\nthe one true God: these were mostly Jews, either from having been born\nso, or from having turned from idolatry to follow the religion of the\nJews. These Jews were scattered over the face of the world; and\nwherever they went, they endeavoured to make proselytes: the Feast of\nthe Passover would naturally bring numbers of them to Jerusalem, to\nadd to those who dwelt in the city. \"Now when this,\" that had happened\nto the Apostles, \"was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and\nwere confounded (or astonished beyond measure), because that every man\nheard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed, and\nmarvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which\nspeak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein\nwe were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, (or Persians), and\nthe dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus,\nand Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya\nabout Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and\nArabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of\nGod.\"\n\nMost of the countries here mentioned are parts of what we call Asia:\nbut in the New Testament, when Asia is spoken of, it seems to mean\nonly the parts about Lydia; that part of Asia, in short, known to us\nas Asia Minor, which borders on the Archipelago, or AEgean Sea. Libya,\nas well as Egypt, was a part of Africa. One of the kings of Egypt,\nPtolemy Lagus, the father of that Ptolemy who employed seventy-two\nlearned men to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, did place a\ngood many captive Jews in Cyrene, and other parts of Libya. The\ndescendants of these people, and the proselytes they had made, were\namongst the number of Jews gathered together to the city of Jerusalem\nat this time.\n\n\n\n\nChapter II.--THE LAME MAN HEALED BY PETER AND JOHN.\n\n\nWhen the multitude of Jews from all parts of the earth, heard twelve\npoor ignorant men of Galilee, able to speak easily in many different\nlanguages, which they had most probably never even heard spoken\nbefore, \"they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to\nanother, What meaneth this?\" The great truths of the Gospel thus\nproclaimed, must indeed have startled them, for they could not but\nperceive that God was with these men in a very remarkable manner. Some\nof them, unwilling to believe the words spoken by the Apostles, tried\nto make out that they had been drinking so much wine, that they did\nnot know what they were talking about, and ought not, therefore, to be\nlistened to. \"Others mocking said, These men are full of new\nwine,\"--as if being drunk, could make any man speak a real language,\nof which, in his sober moments, he knew nothing.\n\nIt was of the greatest importance that all men should clearly\nunderstand that the Apostles were really and truly the messengers of\nGod, and that the Holy Spirit had been wonderfully given to them, to\nenable them to teach all nations: and therefore, when the accusation\nof being drunk was brought against them, they stood up, and Peter, no\nlonger timid and fearful as to what man might do to him, lifted up his\nvoice, and spake boldly to the assembled multitude. It is most\nprobable that all this took place in some part of the temple.\n\nPeter began by declaring to the people, that he and his fellows were\nnot drunk, reminding them that it was only the third hour of the day.\nThe third hour, nine o'clock in the morning with us, was the time\nappointed for service in the temple, and the pious and devout Jews did\nnot eat nor drink _anything_ before they attended it. Then Peter told\nhis hearers, that what they had now seen, was only the fulfilment of\nthe prophecies, that the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon all\nflesh. Then he went on, and spake to them of many solemn things, and\nof the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth; and how David,\nwhom all the Jews acknowledged to be a prophet, had declared\nbeforehand those things which had happened unto Jesus. Peter also told\nthe people, that \"this Jesus, being by the right hand of God exalted\"\ninto heaven, \"and having received of the Father the promise of the\nHoly Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear\": and\nhe ended his discourse with these plain and fearless words, \"Therefore\nlet all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that\nsame Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.\"\n\nThese words seem to have had a great effect on the people, for \"when\nthey heard this, they were pricked in their heart,\" that is, their\nconsciences told them that they had greatly sinned in putting Jesus to\ndeath; and now, feeling their need of help and guidance, they \"said\nunto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what\nshall we do?\" The answer was ready: \"Then Peter said unto them,\nRepent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ\nfor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy\nGhost. For the promise is unto you and to your children, to all that\nare afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with\nmany other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves\nfrom this untoward generation,\"--that is, separate yourselves from the\nunbelieving and sinful multitude, and so save yourselves from the\nwrath of God, which will rest upon all impenitent sinners.\n\nThe success of Peter's words, proving the reality of the power given\nto them by the Holy Spirit, must have been a great encouragement to\nthe Apostles to continue their labours, in humble confidence that the\nsame help would be ever with them. We read, \"Then they that gladly\nreceived his word were baptized: and the same day there were added\nunto them,\" to the company of disciples, \"about three thousand\nsouls\"--a large number. Nor was it a momentary feeling that actuated\nthem, for we read, \"And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles'\ndoctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers\";\nthat is, they continued to listen to the blessed truths taught by the\nApostles of the forgiveness of sins for Jesus Christ's sake, partaking\nwith them of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of His death, and\njoining in earnest prayer for grace, to enable them to serve God\nacceptably. \"And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs\nwere done by the Apostles.\" Those who saw such miracles performed,\nwere more and more convinced that the Apostles were the messengers of\nGod; and they would naturally fear to offend the Almighty God, Whose\npower was thus shown, and of Whose goodness the Apostles spake.\n\n\"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and\nsold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every\nman had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the\ntemple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat\nwith gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour\nwith all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as\nshould be saved.\" Those who now became Christians, devoted themselves\nand all their possessions to the service of God: content with food for\nthe supply of their daily wants, their whole object was to do the work\nof God with \"singleness of heart\"; that is, with a heart wholly filled\nwith love towards Him, and to their fellow creatures for His sake,--a\nheart whose single purpose it was to do the Will of God. No wonder\nthat those who acted in such a manner, found favour with all the\npeople, and that their example was followed, so that many were daily\nadded to the Church, or body of believers in Jesus Christ.\n\nWe read just now, that those who believed had all things common, and\nsold their possessions so as to make one common fund, out of which the\ndaily wants of each were supplied. Thus those who had goods and riches\ngave them up; and those who had none were supplied out of their\nabundance.\n\nThis giving up of all private property by the rich, so that the poor\nbelievers might be supported, was necessary at that time: for the\npoorer class of people on becoming Christians, would get neither\nemployment nor help from their Jewish brethren; nor would they receive\nany part of those sacrifices offered in the temple, which were devoted\nto the relief of the poor. But however desirable this arrangement was\nthen, it was not _commanded_; it was a sacrifice made willingly by the\nrich, for the benefit of the poorer brethren. In these days, to have\neverything in common would be impossible; but though we are not called\nupon to do this, we _are_ called upon and _commanded_ to help others;\nand to deny ourselves, and sacrifice our own wishes, that we may be\nable to do good to our fellow creatures; and thus show our love for\nJesus, Who says, \"If any man seeth his brother have need and shutteth\nup his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?\" And\nagain, \"To do good and to distribute forget not, for with such\nsacrifices God is well pleased.\" Many other passages of Scripture\nteach us the same lesson, and it is summed up as it were in the\ncommand, \"Do unto all men as ye would they should do unto you.\"\n\nThe next act we hear of as done by the Apostles is, that \"Peter and\nJohn went up together into the temple, at the hour of prayer, being\nthe ninth hour.\" There were three fixed times for public prayer in the\ntemple: the third hour (or 9 o'clock in the morning), when the morning\nsacrifices were offered; the sixth hour, that is, 12 o'clock or noon;\nand the ninth hour, 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when the evening\nsacrifices were offered. The gates of the temple were the favourite\nresorts of cripples, who caused themselves to be carried to them, that\nthey might beg for money from those who were continually passing and\nre-passing. Peter and John, going up to prayer in the middle of the\nday, saw a poor man who had been lame ever since he was born, and\n\"whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called\nBeautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.\" When\nthis man begged of the Apostles they said unto him, \"Look on us.\" The\nman readily gave heed unto them, and did as they told him, \"expecting\nto receive something of them\"; and so he did, though not of the kind\nhe expected. \"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such\nas I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise\nup and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and\nimmediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he,\nleaping up, stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,\nwalking, and leaping, and praising God.\" When the people saw this man,\nwhom they had long known as a helpless cripple, \"walking, and praising\nGod,\" they were naturally full of wonder and amazement. \"And as the\nlame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran\ntogether unto them, in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly\nwondering.\"\n\nThis porch was, you must remember, a sort of colonnade or piazza,\nbuilt over the same spot on which that built by Solomon in the first\ntemple, had stood. When Peter saw such a number of people assembled,\nhe spake to them, and said, \"Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?\nor why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or\nholiness we had made this man to walk?\" And then he told them, that\nthis cripple was made whole, because he had faith in Jesus Christ, who\nwas truly the Son of God the promised Messiah, though they had refused\nto believe in Him, and had forced Pilate to crucify Him. But that,\nalthough they had preferred a murderer, and had killed Him Who was the\nPrince of Life, God had raised Him from the dead; as all the Apostles\ncould bear witness, and that in His name and by His power alone, was\nthis miracle worked. Peter then went on to say, that they did not know\nwhat they were about when they persecuted Jesus even unto death; and\nthat if now, they would repent, and believe all that the Apostles\ncould tell them of Jesus Christ, their sins should be \"blotted out.\"\nAnd he reminded them, that Moses, and all the prophets since his time,\nhad spoken of the coming of Christ; and that to them, as the\ndescendants of the Children of Israel with whom the first covenant was\nmade, God had now sent His son Jesus Christ, to bless them, in turning\naway every one from his iniquities. Peter and John were not long left\nto preach undisturbed to the people: for \"as they spake unto the\npeople, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees,\ncame upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and\npreached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid\nhands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now\neventide.\" The captain of the temple was one of the Priests, who\ndirected and looked after all the guards and watches of the Priests\nand Levites, who were appointed to keep the temple from being in any\nway profaned. Before the death of Jesus, the Scribes and Pharisees\nwere His chief enemies; but now that His disciples declared and taught\nthat He had risen from the dead, the Sadducees became the most violent\nopposers of the Apostles, who taught the doctrine of the Resurrection.\n\n\n\n\nChapter III.--ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA.\n\n\nAlthough the Priests and the Sadducees did for the time put a stop to\nPeter's discourse, they could not undo the effect which it produced;\nfor we read, \"Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and\nthe number of the men was about five thousand.\"\n\nThe next day Peter and John were taken before the Sanhedrim, where\nAnnas, the High Priest, and Caiaphas, with many others, were\nassembled. \"And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By\nwhat power, or by what name, have ye done this?\" Peter, filled with\nthe Holy Ghost, immediately told the members of the Council, that the\nlame man was healed solely and entirely by the name or power of the\nvery Jesus of Nazareth, Whom they had crucified, Whom God had raised\nagain from the dead. And further he told them, that Jesus, Whom they\nhad rejected, was the corner stone as it were, the foundation of\nChrist's Church; and that none who would not believe in Him could be\nsaved; saying also, \"Neither is there salvation in any other: for\nthere is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must\nbe saved.\"\n\nThe boldness of the Apostles in thus speaking, greatly astonished\ntheir hearers; especially as they \"perceived that they were unlearned\nand ignorant men.\" Unlearned and ignorant according to the ideas of\nthe world, but full of the best knowledge and wisdom; for by the Holy\nSpirit, they had been taught those things which make men wise unto\nsalvation. All the learning in the world, although very useful and\ndesirable, will be of no value in the day of death; but the wisdom\nwhich is from above, will then prove an inestimable treasure. Many who\nare ignorant of everything but what the Bible teaches them, will then\nbe found more _truly wise_, than those who have spent their lives in\nacquiring knowledge, without searching the Scriptures.\n\nThe Priests and elders might well marvel; they knew the Apostles to be\nunlearned fishermen, and they despised them as being Galileans; \"and\nthey took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And\nbeholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say\nnothing against it.\" They saw that Peter and John were two of those\nwho had always followed Jesus whilst He was on earth, and now it was\ncertain that they had worked a great miracle: they could not deny\nthis, for there, by the side of the two Apostles, stood the very man\nwhom they had healed: a man well known to all at Jerusalem, as having\nnever been able to stand upon his feet since he was born. The Priests\nand elders could not say the man was _not_ healed; and therefore, as\nthey were determined _not_ to acknowledge the power of Jesus, they\nwere in difficulty as to what they could do to the Apostles. \"But when\nthey had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred\namong themselves, saying, What shall we do to these men? for that\nindeed a notable miracle hath been done by them, is manifest to all\nthem that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it\nspread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them,\nthat they speak henceforth to no man in this name.\"\n\nIt is sad to hear of rulers who were only anxious to prevent the\npeople from believing in the truth! How truly did they bring upon\nthemselves the sentence pronounced by our Lord, when he said, \"Woe\nunto you lawyers, for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye\nentered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye\nhindered.\"\n\nHaving made up their minds what to do, the members of the Council sent\nagain for the Apostles: \"And they called them, and commanded them not\nto speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John\nanswered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God\nto hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but\nspeak the things which we have seen and heard.\" The Jews, who\nprofessed to obey the Law given to Moses by God, could not possibly\nsay that it was right to obey man rather than God; and the sudden and\ncomplete cure of this man, who was above forty years old, had given\nsuch a proof that the Apostles acted under the immediate direction of\nthe Almighty, that the Priests knew not what to say or do.\n\n\"So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding\nnothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men\nglorified God for that which was done. And being let go, they went to\ntheir own company, and reported all that the Chief Priests and elders\nhad said unto them.\" And when they heard that, they lifted up their\nvoice to God, and praised Him Who had done such great things, and had\naccomplished every word that David and the prophets had spoken\nconcerning the Messiah, the holy child Jesus, against whom \"both Herod\nand Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were\ngathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel\ndetermined before to be done.\"\n\nAnd then the disciples prayed the Lord to grant them grace to speak\nthe truth boldly, undismayed by the fear of man; and to continue those\nsigns and wonders, which proved them to be acting by his special\ndirection.\n\nThey were comforted and encouraged by an immediate answer to their\nprayers: for \"when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they\nwere assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,\nand they spake the word of God with boldness. And with great power\ngave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and\ngreat grace was upon them all.\" They had well and fearlessly used the\ngrace already given to them, and therefore the Lord increased the\ngift, and strengthened them still further for their work.\n\n\"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one\nsoul\": united together in perfect love and harmony; believing the same\ntruths, and having the same object in all they did; namely, that of\nbringing all men to serve and obey the Lord. Even as to worldly\nmatters, as we have said, the same unity or oneness of feeling\nprevailed, \"neither said any of them that ought of the things which he\npossessed was his own; but they had all things common. Neither was\nthere any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of\nlands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that\nwere sold, and laid them down at the Apostles' feet: and distribution\nwas made unto every man according as he had need.\"\n\nAt this time the Church of Christ, that is, the company of believers,\nwas joined by a man who afterwards took a great share in the work of\nthe Apostles: we read, \"And Joses, who by the Apostles was surnamed\nBarnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a\nLevite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and\nbrought the money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet.\" This Joses had\neither been born in the isle of Cyprus, which lies in the eastern part\nof the Mediterranean Sea, or he had lived there so long, that it was\nquite like his native country. As a Levite, he could never at any time\nhave had any inheritance of land in Judaea; but of course a Levite\nmight _buy_ land in foreign countries, or even in Judaea itself,\nparticularly now, when the distinction into tribes was almost lost.\nJoses had land probably in Cyprus, and being convinced that Jesus was\nthe Messiah, he determined to join the company of believers, and\ndevote his future life to the service of God and man, by preaching the\nGospel to others. He therefore gave up all that he possessed, and was\nhenceforth content to receive merely what was necessary for his food\nand raiment, like the poorest disciple. His joining them, was a great\ncomfort and encouragement to the Apostles in their work, and they\ntherefore surnamed him Barnabas, which means the Son of Consolation.\nBy the name of Barnabas, he is always spoken of in Scripture.\n\nSoon after Barnabas had joined the Apostles, a fearful punishment fell\nupon a man named Ananias, and his wife Sapphira, who also sold some\nland, and then brought part of the money they had received for it,\npretending that they had brought the whole. When Ananias laid \"a\ncertain part at the Apostles' feet,\" he _acted_ a lie, though he did\nnot speak one; and for the lie in his heart, Peter reproved him,\nreminding him that he was not obliged to sell his land, and that\nafter he had sold it, he could have done as he pleased with the money;\nbut that to pretend he had brought the whole price, when he had only\ngiven a part, was a grievous sin; for, said Peter, \"thou hast not lied\nunto man, but unto God.\" Immediately the wrath of God was shown in an\nawful manner. \"Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the\nghost: and the young men arose, wound him up\" in grave clothes, \"and\ncarried him out, and buried him,\" \"and great fear came upon all them\nthat heard these things.\" We must observe also, that Ananias showed a\ngreat want of faith: had he believed that the Apostles were really\nfilled with the Holy Ghost, he could not have expected to hide the\ntruth from them: in lying to the Apostles he had lied unto God; but in\nfact all lies _are_ a sin against God.\n\nAbout three hours after the burial of Ananias, his wife Sapphira, not\nknowing as yet what was done, came in. What she said we are not told;\nbut we read, \"And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the\nland for so much?\" Her answer was a lie, for \"she said, Yea, for so\nmuch;\" not, however, stating how _much more_ they had received for the\nland. \"Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed\ntogether to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them\nwhich have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee\nout. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the\nghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying\nher forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the\nchurch, and upon as many as heard these things.\" Well might fear come\nupon all who heard of these two, struck dead in their sin! Let us also\nfear, lest we likewise fall into the same condemnation; for though\nliars may not now be struck dead with the lie on their lips, we know\nthat the Devil is the father of lies, and that \"all liars shall have\ntheir part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, prepared\nfor the Devil and his angels.\" When we read such awful words, let us\nremember that we may be guilty in the sight of God, without telling a\ndirect falsehood. All deceit and hypocrisy; holding our tongues when\nwe ought to speak the truth; and telling _part_ of the truth; are as\ndispleasing in the sight of God as direct lies. We must speak and do\nthe truth from our hearts; never attempting in any way to deceive\nothers, or even to allow them to believe what we know is not true.\n\nThe Apostles, in spite of the threats of the Sanhedrim, continued to\npreach to the people in Solomon's porch, doing many signs and wonders\namong the people, who \"magnified,\" or thought much of them; \"and of\nthe rest durst no man join himself to them.\" After such a warning as\nthat given in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, no one who was not\nreally and truly willing to devote himself entirely to the service of\nGod, would dare to pretend to do so.\n\n\n\n\nChapter IV.--APPOINTMENT OF DEACONS.\n\n\nThe Apostles continued to teach the people, \"and believers were the\nmore added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Insomuch\nthat they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on\nbeds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by\nmight overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the\ncities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which\nwere vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.\"\n\nThe Priests and elders were much displeased at the Apostles having\nsuch influence over the people, who, witnessing the miracles worked by\nthem in the name of Jesus, naturally believed in them, and in Him\nwhose servants they were.\n\n\"Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which\nis the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, and\nlaid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.\"\nIn the morning the High Priest called the Council together, \"and sent\nto the prison to have them brought\" up for trial. But the officers\nsent, returned, \"saying, The prison truly found we shut with all\nsafety, and the keepers standing without before the doors; but when we\nhad opened, we found no man within.\" And so indeed it was; for after\nthe Apostles were shut up in prison, \"the angel of the Lord by night\nopened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand\nand speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And\nwhen they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the\nmorning, and taught.\" Thus, whilst the keepers did not even know that\ntheir prisoners were gone, they were fearlessly preaching the Gospel\nin the temple, in obedience to the Lord's command.\n\nWhen the members of the Council heard that the Apostles were no longer\nin the prison, they could not help feeling that a miracle had been\nworked for their deliverance; and they dreaded the consequence of this\nfresh proof that the Lord was with them. Greatly perplexed, the High\nPriest, and the captain of the temple, and the Chief Priests, debated\namongst themselves, and \"doubted of them whereunto this would grow.\"\nWhilst the Priests and elders were thus considering the matter, \"came\none and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are\nstanding in the temple, and teaching the people.\"\n\nThis proof of the determination of the Apostles to obey God rather\nthan man, without fear of the consequences, must have added to the\nperplexity of the Council, and increased their difficulty as to how\nthey should deal with these men, whom the people loved, and were ready\nto defend against all who should attempt to hurt them. Wishing again\nto speak to the Apostles, they gave orders accordingly. \"Then went the\ncaptain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they\nfeared the people, lest they should have been stoned.\" Nor was there\nany occasion to use violence, for the Apostles had no idea of\nresisting: they were ready to bear witness to the Lord Jesus before\nthe Council, as well as in every other place. \"And when they had\nbrought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest\nasked them, saying, Did not we straitly command you, that ye should\nnot teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with\nyour doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us,\"--that\nis, to make the people treat them as if they were guilty of murder,\nfor having put Jesus to death. Peter and the other Apostles repeated\ntheir declaration, that they must obey God rather than men; and then\nthey plainly told the Priests and elders that they had indeed killed\nJesus Christ, the Messiah; and that the God of Israel had raised Him\nfrom the dead, to be the Saviour of all who would believe and repent:\nand they further said, that God had appointed them to bear witness of\nall things which Jesus had said and done; and that the Holy Ghost, by\nwhose help they worked miracles, was also a witness to the truth of\nall that they taught to the people. \"When they heard that, they were\ncut to the heart\"; but it was not a right sort of grief; for, instead\nof believing the Apostles' words, and so turning to the Lord, they\n\"took counsel to slay them,\" that they might no longer preach the\nGospel of Jesus Christ.\n\nOne of the members of the Sanhedrim was a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a\nvery learned man, much looked up to by all the Jews for his great\nwisdom. This man stood up, and having commanded the Apostles to be\ntaken away for a short time, he spake to the other members of the\nCouncil, \"and said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to\nyourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.\" Then he\nreminded them, that on two former occasions, when false teachers had\nfor a time led many of the people even to rebel against their rulers,\nit had ended in the false teachers being slain, and their followers\ndispersed, so that no evil consequences had arisen. He therefore\nadvised that the Apostles should be left alone; \"for,\" said he, \"if\nthis counsel or this work be of men\" (an invention of men only), \"it\nwill come to nought: but if it be God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest\nhaply ye be found even to fight against God.\" Gamaliel evidently began\nto think that what the Apostles said might be true, and that\ntherefore, in persecuting them, the Jews might be fighting against\nGod. To fight against God is to resist His will, to try to prevent\nwhat He wills from being done. This is folly as well as sin; for the\nWill of God must be done, and we \"cannot overthrow it.\" Let us try to\nbring our Wills into subjection and agreement with the Will of God:\nwhere His Will contradicts our hopes and wishes, let us yield at once,\nand pray that we may at all times be able to say from our hearts,\n\"Father, not my Will, but Thine be done.\" Those who through life\nresist, and fight against the Will of God, will be forced at last to\nsubmit to it, to their eternal misery.\n\nThe other members of the Council agreed to follow the advice of\nGamaliel; but they did not do so without making another attempt to\nfrighten the Apostles from continuing their work. \"And when they had\ncalled the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should\nnot speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.\" These commands had,\nof course, no more effect upon the Apostles than the former threats.\n\"And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that\nthey were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.\" They felt it\nan honour to suffer for the sake of Him, Who had suffered so much for\nthem, and were only strengthened in their determination to show their\nlove, by faithfully doing the work which their beloved Master had\ngiven them to do. \"And daily in the temple, and in every house, they\nceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.\"\n\nWe have seen that the Believers, or Disciples, forming the Church of\nChrist, had at this time all things in common; and, as their numbers\nincreased, it became impossible for the Apostles to divide the money\nto every person according to their need, without neglecting the more\nimportant work of preaching the Gospel to every creature. They had not\ntime to do both things properly. We read: \"And in those days, when the\nnumber of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the\nGrecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in\nthe daily ministration.\" We must remember that \"Grecians\" were not the\ninhabitants of Greece, as the word might seem to signify. The Hebrews\nhere spoken of were of course Jews, natives of Judaea, now become\nbelievers in Christ, or Christians. But, as has been already said,\nthere were Jews established in all lands, who had been born, and\nalways lived, there. Numbers of these had also become Christians, and\nhad now joined the Apostles' company at Jerusalem. These persons were\ncalled \"Grecians,\" \"Hellenists,\" or \"Hellenistic Jews,\" because in the\ncountries to which they belonged the Grecian language was spoken.\nThese \"Grecians,\" living amongst foreigners, had lost all knowledge of\nthe Hebrew language, in which the Old Testament was originally\nwritten; so that they made use of the Greek translation of the\nScriptures. _Hebrews_, then, were Jews of Judaea, who had become\nChristians; _Grecians_ were Jews born in foreign lands, who had become\nChristians. The natives of Greece were called Greeks.\n\nIt seems that the Grecians thought their poor were not so well\nattended to as those of the Hebrews, and so they were dissatisfied,\nand a murmuring arose. The Apostles considered amongst themselves how\nto remedy this matter; then, calling the multitude of the disciples\ntogether, they explained that it was not reasonable to expect them to\nleave their special work of teaching, to attend to worldly matters;\nand they said, \"Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men\nof honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may\nappoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to\nprayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the\nwhole multitude.\" Such a wise and sensible arrangement could not fail\nto meet with approval; and it was immediately put in execution. Of\nthe seven men thus chosen (called by us Deacons), there are only two,\nof whose particular acts we read in Scripture. These are, a man named\nPhilip, and Stephen, of whom it is especially said, that he was \"a man\nfull of faith and of the Holy Ghost.\" These men, chosen from amongst\nthemselves by the \"multitude of disciples,\" were then \"set before the\nApostles,\" who approved of the choice; \"and when they had prayed\" for\na blessing upon the step now taken, \"they laid their hands on them,\"\nthus consecrating, or solemnly appointing, the Deacons to their work,\nand passing on to them by this significant action some of their own\npower and authority; for, although these seven men were to take care\nof the poor, and see that the common funds were properly distributed,\nthey were also to help in preaching, and even to baptize those whom\nthey should convert.\n\nThe _word_ \"deacon\" is not in the Book of Acts; but in the Epistles,\nDeacons are spoken of as persons appointed to help the Apostles, and\nserve under them. In the Church now, when a young man is first\nadmitted to be what is called a clergyman, he is said to be a deacon:\nafterwards he becomes a priest; but every man must be a deacon\n_before_ he can be a priest. The new arrangement now made as to\ndeacons, appears to have answered well, for we read that \"the word of\nGod increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem\ngreatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the\nfaith,\"--that is, they came to believe the things spoken by the\nApostles, and to acknowledge Jesus to be the Messiah; and then they\nwere obedient, and _did_ those things which the Gospel required.\n\nFaith must always produce obedience. If it does not, it is not true\nfaith, acceptable to God; nor will it avail us anything. Let us ever\nremember, that faith is a root from which must spring all manner of\ngood works, the fruits of faith. If it does not produce these fruits,\nit is of no more value than the root of an apple-tree, when the tree\nbears no apples.\n\n\n\n\nChapter V.--THE FIRST MARTYR, STEPHEN.\n\n\n\"And Stephen,\" (the Deacon,) \"full of faith and power, did great\nwonders and miracles among the people.\" His success among the people\nstirred up enemies against him.\n\nEvery considerable synagogue among the Jews, had an academy or school\nbelonging to it, where young persons were instructed by the Rabbis:\nand it would seem that Stephen visited different synagogues, and tried\nto convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. \"Then there arose\ncertain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the\nLibertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians (Jews from parts of\nAfrica), and of them of Cilicia and of (other parts of) Asia,\ndisputing with Stephen,\" and trying to contradict him; but as Stephen\nspake as the Holy Spirit guided him, \"they were not able to resist the\nwisdom and the spirit by which he spake.\" When these Rabbis found that\nthey could bring no proofs against the truth of what Stephen taught,\n\"they suborned (or bribed) men, which said, We have heard him speak\nblasphemous words against Moses, and against God\"--an accusation as\nfalse as the similar one brought against our blessed Lord Himself. By\nthis false charge, the people and the elders and the scribes were\nstirred up against Stephen, and they \"came upon him, and caught him,\nand brought him to the council.\" Stephen now stood before the\nSanhedrim, and the Rabbis \"set up false witnesses, which said, This\nman ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place,\nand the law: for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth\nshall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses\ndelivered us.\" Stephen had, no doubt, taught that the ceremonial part\nof the law, given to keep the people in mind of the promised Messiah,\nneed no longer be observed, since the Messiah _had_ come in the person\nof Jesus of Nazareth. Probably, too, he had warned the Jews, that the\ntemple, and even Jerusalem itself, would shortly be destroyed, because\nthe inhabitants refused to acknowledge Jesus to be the Messiah. We\nhave seen before, how easy it is to give to true and good words a\nfalse and bad meaning, if people are wickedly bent upon doing so. The\nLord God Almighty now seems to have given a remarkable sign, that this\nman now accused of blasphemy, a sin directly against God Himself,\nwas, on the contrary, one of His favoured servants, and under His\npeculiar care and protection: for we read that, \"all that sat in the\ncouncil, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the\nface of an angel.\" To compare in this way the face of a man to that of\nan angel, was a Jewish way of saying, that there was something more\nthan commonly pleasing and majestic in the countenance of such a man;\nand most likely the Lord now gave to Stephen's face, some particularly\nbright and holy look, so as to fill all who beheld it with surprise.\nThe false witnesses, having made their accusation, \"Then said the high\npriest, Are these things so?\" Instead of answering as to the\naccusations of blasphemy, Stephen endeavoured to show his hearers how\nmistaken they were in their ideas of the Messiah; and how differently\nthey would act, if they would consider all that had been told to\nAbraham and the rest of their forefathers, by God Himself. To this\nend, Stephen reminded them of how God had called Abraham out of his\nown land to be the father of the Children of Israel, giving him many\nprecious promises, and establishing with him and his seed the Covenant\nof Circumcision in token of their being His peculiar people. Then\nStephen spake of Isaac and of Jacob, and of the twelve patriarchs; and\nof how Joseph had been sold into Egypt, and was in time followed by\nhis Father and Brothers and their descendants; who remained in Egypt\nfour hundred years, according to what the Lord had told Abraham. Then\nStephen spake of the cruel treatment endured by the Children of\nIsrael; and how, in His own appointed time, God had wonderfully\npreserved the infant Moses to be the deliverer of His chosen people.\nHe reminded them of the unwillingness of the Hebrews to listen to\nMoses, although appointed by God for this very purpose; and then he\nsaid, \"This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and\na judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the\nhand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. He brought them\nout, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt,\nand in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.\"\n\nAll these things were well known to the Jews, who held Moses in great\nreverence: and Stephen now reminds them, that it was this very Moses\nhimself who prophesied concerning the expected Messiah, \"A prophet\nshall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto\nme; him shall ye hear.\" Then proceeding with his history, Stephen\nshortly noticed the giving of the Law; the idolatry and other sins of\nthe Children of Israel, which caused them to wander for forty years in\nthe wilderness, and caused the Almighty even then to warn them of a\nfuture punishment for forsaking Him, \"I will carry you away beyond\nBabylon.\" Stephen then spake of \"the tabernacle of witness,\" set up in\nthe wilderness by the command of God, as a sign or token of the\nCovenant made between Him and His people. This tabernacle, he reminded\nthem, had been brought by their fathers under the leading of Joshua,\n(for the word Jesus here used means Joshua,) into that land which had\nhitherto been \"the possession of the Gentiles\"; and that, about four\nhundred years after, David, \"who found favour before God,\" \"desired to\nfind,\" or build, a more suitable tabernacle for the God of Jacob. \"But\nSolomon built Him an house.\"\n\nHaving thus mentioned the temple, Stephen took occasion to remind\nthem, that though it had pleased the Lord to manifest His glory in the\ntemple, and promise in a certain way to be present there, yet \"the\nMost High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the\nprophet (Isaiah), Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what\nhouse will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my\nrest? Hath not my hand made all these things?\" Stephen spake with\nproper respect of the temple, whilst he tried to show the Jews that\nthey now thought too _much_ of the temple, which was only a building\nset up in honour of the Lord God Almighty; and too _little_ of Him, in\nWhose honour and for Whose worship it had been set up.\n\nIt seems probable that when Stephen spake of the temple, the Council\ninterrupted him, and showed their determination not to listen to his\nteaching: for he now changed his tone entirely, and severely\nreproached them, saying, \"Ye stiffnecked (or obstinate) and\nuncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost:\nas your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your\nfathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of\nthe coming of the Just One (the Messiah); of whom ye have been now the\nbetrayers and murderers.\" Stephen also charged them with not having\nkept the Law which was given to them by God Himself, through the\ndisposition or ministry of angels; in that they had not received\nJesus, Who was the _object_ of that law. This plain speaking made the\nmembers of the Council, and all who were present, quite furious\nagainst Stephen. \"When they heard these things, they were cut to the\nheart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.\" Their rage had no\neffect on Stephen: supported by the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration\nhe had spoken, he had no fear of death: all his hope and trust were in\nheaven. Stephen was destined to be the first martyr; and now to\nstrengthen his faith, and the faith of those who were still to remain\nand do their work on earth, it pleased the Lord to show to Stephen a\nglorious vision, as a proof that their crucified Master was really, as\nHe had said, at the right hand of God in Heaven; and that having done\neverything exactly as He had predicted, He would most assuredly also\nfulfil the gracious promise, to \"be with them alway even unto the\nend.\" Stephen, as we read, \"being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up\nstedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing\non the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened,\nand the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.\" These words, so\nfull of comfort and encouragement to his fellow labourers, raised the\nfury of the unbelieving Jews to the highest pitch: \"Then they cried\nout with a loud voice, and stopped their ears,\" that they might hear\nno more of what they considered blasphemy. Nor was this all; without\nwaiting for a trial, they at once \"ran upon him with one accord, and\ncast him out of the city, and stoned him.\" \"And they stoned Stephen,\ncalling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he\nkneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to\ntheir charge.\" Like his blessed Master, he prayed for them that did\nthe wrong--setting us an example that we should forgive injuries, and\npray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us. When Stephen\n\"had said this, he fell asleep.\" The death of a faithful follower of\nChrist is but a sleep, from which he will awaken in the presence of\nthe Lord. Thus died the first martyr; \"and devout men,\" that is, true\nbelievers, \"carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation\nover him\"; as well they might, when they thought of their own loss.\n\nIn reading this history, let us remember that this same Jesus, Whom\nStephen saw at the right hand of God, still liveth there, to make\nintercession for us.\n\nWhen Stephen was stoned, \"the witnesses laid down their clothes at a\nyoung man's feet, whose name was Saul.\"\n\nThose persons, upon whose witness or testimony any man was executed,\nwere, by the law, required to cast the first stone; thus, as it were,\ntaking upon themselves the guilt of murder, if they had become\n_false_ witness. The witnesses who had accused Stephen of blasphemy,\nprepared to do their part by taking off their long upper robes, so as\nto have freer use of their arms: the garments thus taken off, were\nplaced under the charge of some one who had also been active in\ngetting the victim condemned.\n\nSaul was a young man, neither poor nor ignorant: he was a Jew, born at\nTarsus, a city in Cilicia; and under the care of Gamaliel, (who had\nadvised that the Apostles should be let alone,) he had been strictly\nbrought up as a Pharisee, and was filled with an intense hatred of all\nwho believed in Jesus. He \"was consenting unto the death of Stephen,\"\nanxious for it. Nor was he satisfied with one victim: for he took an\nactive part in \"the great persecution of the church,\" which arose in\nJerusalem at this time. The violent behaviour of the Jews, scattered\nabroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, \"all the disciples\nexcept the Apostles.\" How it happened, that the Apostles were allowed\nto remain in peace at Jerusalem, we do not know; but it was needful\nthat they should for the present remain there, to direct and govern\nthe affairs of the Church, and bring more believers into it; and\ntherefore the Lord protected them in Jerusalem, that the Gospel might\nfirst be fully preached to the Jews, as had been appointed.\n\nMean time, by driving so many disciples out of Jerusalem, the Jewish\nrulers did the very thing they wished to prevent: for wherever these\ndisciples went, they did not cease to speak of the Messiah; thus\nspreading the knowledge of the Gospel over the country, and bringing\nmany believers into the Church.\n\nSaul mean time was active against the truth: hunting out believers in\ntheir own houses, that they might be punished: \"he made havoc of the\nchurch, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed\nthem to prison.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter VI.--CONVERSION OF SAUL.\n\n\nThe deacon Philip, having left Jerusalem in consequence of the\npersecution after the martyrdom of Stephen, \"went down to the city of\nSamaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord\ngave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the\nmiracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice,\ncame out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with\npalsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in\nthat city.\"\n\nThere was, however, in Samaria at that time, a man named Simon Magus,\nwho pretended himself to be the expected Messiah. The Scripture says\nof him, that he used sorcery and bewitched the people. We know that\nbefore the coming of the Lord Jesus, evil spirits had a power which He\ntook from them, of getting possession of the bodies of men: and as has\nbeen said before, it seems that bad men had sometimes dealings with\nevil spirits, by whose help they did things which otherwise they could\nnot have done. But any one who did seek to have dealings with evil\nspirits, was guilty of a very great sin: such unlawful deeds were\nstrictly forbidden by the Law; those who were guilty of them, were\ncalled magicians, sorcerers, wizards, witches, &c., and were, by the\ncommand of God, to be put to death. Simon had for some time deceived\nthe people of Samaria by his arts; but when Philip preached to them of\nJesus Christ and His kingdom, they believed his words, and \"were\nbaptized, both men and women.\" Simon himself also believed that Jesus\nof Nazareth was the true Messiah, and he likewise was baptized in the\nName of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, though he was still\nfar from understanding the true nature of the religion taught by\nPhilip. \"When he was baptized, he continued with Philip,\" and\n\"wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.\" The\naccount of all that had been done by Philip at Samaria, soon reached\nJerusalem; and the Apostles sent Peter and John to finish the work so\nwell begun, for although Philip had taught and baptized the people, he\nhad no power like the Apostles, to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit.\n\nWhen Peter and John were come down, they prayed for the converts \"that\nthey might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none\nof them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then\nlaid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nSimon now showed how little he understood of the things of God; for\nwhen he \"saw that through laying on of the Apostles' hands the Holy\nGhost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this\npower, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nPeter reproved Simon very severely for having thought it possible\nthat the gifts of God could be bought with money; and told him, that\nalthough he had received the outward form of Baptism, it was quite\nplain that he was no true believer in Jesus Christ, but was still in\nbondage to Satan. He then called upon him to repent truly of all his\nwickedness, and especially of the fearful sin of which he was now\nguilty, and pray to God, Who could alone forgive the thought of his\nheart.\n\nPeter's words alarmed Simon, who now besought Peter's help, \"and said,\nPray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have\nspoken come upon me.\"\n\nWhen Peter and John had testified to the truth of all that Philip had\ntaught, they returned to Jerusalem; and as they went, they \"preached\nthe gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.\"\n\nAfter these things had passed, Philip was directed by God to go into a\ndesert part of Judaea, lying between Joppa and Gaza, to meet an officer\nbelonging to Candace, the queen of a country called Ethiopia. This\nman, who held the important office of treasurer, had become a Jew, and\nwas a sincere worshipper of God as far as his knowledge went. He had\ntaken a long journey in order to worship God in the temple, after the\nmanner of the Jews: and now returning homewards, he was sitting in his\nchariot studying the Scriptures. \"Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go\nnear, and join thyself to this chariot.\" Philip obeyed, and heard him\nread that part of the prophecy of Isaiah which saith, \"He was led as a\nsheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so\nopened he not his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken\naway: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from\nthe earth.\" Philip asked him, \"Understandest thou what thou readest?\nAnd he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?\"\n\nBeing earnest in his desire to learn, this officer was rejoiced to\nmeet with some one who seemed likely to give him the guidance he\nneeded; and so \"he desired,\" or entreated \"Philip, that he would come\nup and sit with him\" in his chariot, and explain the passage of\nScripture which he had just read.\n\n\"And the eunuch (or officer) answered Philip, and said, I pray thee of\nwhom speaketh the prophet this? of himself or of some other man? Then\nPhilip,\" guided by the Holy Spirit, \"opened his mouth, and began at\nthe same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus\": showing him that\nthese words were spoken of the promised Messiah; and that Jesus of\nNazareth, whom the Jews had so lately crucified, was indeed the\nMessiah spoken of by the Prophets: and he doubtless spake of Baptism,\nin the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, as\nthe appointed means of admission into the Church of Christ: for \"as\nthey went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch\nsaid, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And\nPhilip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And\nhe answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.\"\nThis was enough. \"And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and\nthey went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he\nbaptized him.\" Philip had now done the work which he had been sent to\ndo. \"And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the\nLord caught away Philip,\" who was thus conveyed in some miraculous way\nto a place called Azotus, \"so that the eunuch saw him no more: and he\nwent on his way rejoicing,\" that he had been instructed in the Gospel,\nand admitted into the Church of Christ by Baptism. This Ethiopian\nofficer was a true convert, and no doubt his future life proved him to\nbe so.\n\nPhilip mean time found himself in a miraculous manner at Azotus, and\nfrom thence journeyed northward, and \"preached in all the cities, till\nhe came to Caesarea,\" where his home was.\n\nThe next event recorded in the Book of Acts, is the wonderful\nconversion of Saul, who was suddenly, by the mercy of the Lord,\nchanged from being an enemy to all the followers of Jesus, into a true\nbeliever, and an active and zealous preacher of the truth as it is in\nJesus.\n\nWe have already heard of Saul as a persecutor, making havoc of the\nChurch at Jerusalem, after the death of Stephen. We now learn from the\nBook of Acts, that, \"breathing out threatenings and slaughter against\nthe disciples of the Lord,\" he \"went unto the High Priest, and desired\nof him letters to Damascus to the synagogues,\" giving him authority\n\"that if he found any of this way,\" any believers in Jesus, \"whether\nthey were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.\" The\nHigh Priest was no doubt too glad to give this power to one who would\nexecute it zealously; and Saul set out on his journey, which turned\nout very differently from what he expected and intended.\n\nFor when \"he came near Damascus, suddenly there shined round about him\na light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice\nsaying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?\" Saul's answer\nto this question, shows that he was even now convinced that the voice\nwas none other than the voice of God; for he said, \"Who art thou,\nLord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest: it is hard\nfor thee to kick against the pricks.\" This seems to have been a Jewish\nexpression, meaning that it was useless for any persons to resist an\nauthority and power, which they could have no hope of overcoming, for\nthat they would only hurt and injure themselves; just as any person\nkicking against thorns, would tear and injure himself, instead of\nharming the thorns. Saul's heart was indeed touched and changed by the\nHoly Spirit, and willing to obey the commands of Him whose followers\nhe had so cruelly persecuted; \"he trembling and astonished said, Lord,\nwhat wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and\ngo into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.\" \"And\nSaul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no\nman\": the excessive brightness of the vision he had seen, had deprived\nhim of his sight, and he arose from the earth blind and helpless. \"And\nthe men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice,\nbut seeing no man.\" They had heard and seen something of what Saul had\ndone; enough to make them unable to speak from astonishment and awe:\nthey had heard a voice, but did not understand the words spoken, and\nseeing no man, they were perplexed as to whence the voice came. Now,\nhowever, seeing their master was blind, \"they led him by the hand, and\nbrought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and\nneither did eat nor drink.\" We can well imagine how Saul passed these\nthree days in meditation and earnest prayer to the Lord, who had so\nmercifully called him to be a true believer. His continued blindness\ndid not shake his faith, or lessen his love; on the contrary, they\nincreased more and more; and soon he had his reward, for the Lord\nshowed him in a vision that his sight should be restored to him. There\nwas residing in Damascus at this time a certain disciple, one of the\nbelievers in Jesus, \"named Ananias: and to him said the Lord in a\nvision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord,\"--which meant,\nHere I am, ready to obey Thee, and do whatever Thou shalt bid me do.\n\"And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is\ncalled Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called\nSaul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a\nman named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he\nmight receive his sight.\" This direction rather startled Ananias, who\nwell knew Saul of Tarsus to be the bitter enemy of Jesus Christ, and\nof all who believed in Him: therefore, \"Ananias answered, Lord, I have\nheard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at\nJerusalem: and here he hath authority from the Chief Priests to bind\nall that call upon thy name.\" But the Lord forbade Ananias to make any\nfurther objections, since it was his duty simply to believe and obey;\nand He said unto him, \"Go thy way,\" do as I command thee. At the same\ntime, the Lord in His mercy encouraged Ananias, by making known His\npurpose concerning Saul; saying, \"for he is a chosen vessel unto me\n(that is, a messenger), to bear my name,\" or to bear witness of the\nthings belonging unto God, \"before the Gentiles, and kings, and the\nChildren of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must\nsuffer for my name's sake.\"\n\nAnanias hesitated no longer, but went to the house pointed out to him,\n\"and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, receive thy sight:\nand he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.\" After\nthis, Saul at once joined the Church, or company of believers at\nDamascus, and \"straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that\nhe is the Son of God.\" All that heard him preach were greatly amazed,\nknowing with what a very different purpose Saul had come to Damascus.\nFrom other parts of Scripture we learn, that Saul did not at this time\nstay long in Damascus, but went away into Arabia, where he stayed\nquietly for three years; no doubt studying the Scriptures, and\npreparing for the great work he was to do amongst the Gentiles. After\nthat, he returned to Damascus, about Anno Domini 38; that is,\nthirty-eight years from the year in which Jesus Christ was born.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VII.--SAUL JOINS THE CHURCH AT JERUSALEM.\n\n\nSyria, of which Damascus was the capital, had become a Roman province\nabout sixty-three years before the birth of Christ. Whilst Saul was in\nArabia, Aretas, the king of that country, went into the land of Judaea,\nto fight against Herod Antipas, who had married the daughter of\nAretas, and then treated her very ill. Herod was defeated in a\nbattle, and then he applied for help to the Emperor Tiberius, as\nsupreme ruler of Judaea. Tiberius commanded his general Vitellius to\nchastise Aretas for his attack upon Herod, and bring him to Rome,\nalive or dead. Whilst Vitellius was at Jerusalem preparing to execute\nthis order, Tiberius died; and Vitellius marched his army into winter\nquarters. Aretas took advantage of this, and attacked the city of\nDamascus, which he took, and kept possession of for some time. Saul,\nas has been said, returned to Damascus whilst Aretas still held\npossession of it. By his preaching, he confounded the Jews which were\nat Damascus; for strengthened more and more by the Holy Spirit, he\nspake of Jesus of Nazareth, \"proving that this is very Christ.\" Not\nknowing how to answer him, and fearing the effect of such preaching,\nthe Jews, after many days were fulfilled, \"took counsel to kill him.\"\nFrom another part of Scripture we learn, that the governor set over\nthe city of Damascus by Aretas, took part with the Jews, and caused\nthe gates to be watched night and day, to kill Saul, should he attempt\nto leave the city, before the Jews had accomplished their purpose. But\nall these plots were, by the mercy of God, made known in some way to\nSaul. The disciples of course knew that the Lord could work a miracle,\nto save one who was chosen to be a preacher of the Gospel; but they\nalso knew that it is the duty of man in all cases, to take proper\nmeans for his own safety: and trusting that the Lord would bless their\nefforts, \"they took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a\nbasket.\" Saul being thus outside the walls, without passing through\nthe gates, journeyed on to Jerusalem.\n\nAt that time, people living in one city, knew very little of what was\ngoing on in others at a distance; and the war between Herod and\nAretas, would naturally have cut off even the usual communication\nbetween Jerusalem and Damascus. If the Chief Priests and other members\nof the Sanhedrim, had heard any rumour of Saul's wonderful conversion,\nthey would of course try to keep such a matter secret. These things\naccount for the fact, that the Apostles in Jerusalem had never heard\nof the change that had taken place in Saul, whom they remembered as\nconsenting to the death of Stephen, and then going to Damascus to\npersecute the believers. Three years had now passed since that time,\nand the Apostles probably thought that during that period, Saul had\nbeen actively employed in trying to prevent the spreading of the\nGospel.\n\n\"And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed (or attempted) to\njoin himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and\nbelieved not that he was a disciple.\" Barnabas, however, in some way\nhad become acquainted with the circumstances concerning Saul: he\ntherefore \"took him, and brought him to the Apostles, and declared\nunto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken\nto him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of\nJesus.\" This was sufficient; on the testimony of Barnabas, the\nApostles gladly received Saul as a fellow labourer, and from that time\n\"he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake\nboldly in the name of the Lord Jesus,\" especially endeavouring to\nconvince the Grecians, or foreign Jews. But instead of listening to\nSaul, \"they went about to slay him\"; which, when the \"brethren knew,\nthey brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus,\" his\nnative place in Cilicia. The removal of Saul at this time, seems to\nhave had a good effect; for we read, \"then had the churches rest\nthroughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and\nwalking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost,\nwere multiplied.\"\n\nLeaving the history of Saul for awhile, the Book of Acts gives us some\naccount of Peter's labours: he went from place to place, spreading the\nknowledge of the Gospel everywhere. At Lydda, a very large village not\nfar from Joppa, \"he found a certain man named AEneas, which had kept\nhis bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto\nhim, AEneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed.\nAnd he arose immediately,\" the palsy leaving him and his strength\nreturning, as Peter spake these words.\n\nThe news of what had happened at Lydda soon reached Joppa; and the\ndisciples who dwelt there, sent unto Peter, desiring that he would not\ndelay to come to them. The cause of their sending for the Apostle, was\nthe death of a certain disciple, a woman \"named Tabitha, which by\ninterpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and\nalmsdeeds which she did\": her kindness and charity had made her to be\nloved by all, and her death therefore caused great grief to those who\nhad benefited by her kindness. Peter obeyed the summons of the\nmessengers; he \"arose and went with them. When he was come\" to Joppa,\n\"they brought him into the upper chamber,\" where they had laid the\nbody: \"and all the widows stood by, weeping, and shewing the coats\nand garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.\" But Peter\nput them all out of the chamber, and then \"kneeled down, and prayed.\"\nAfter this, turning to the body, he said, \"Tabitha, arise. And she\nopened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her\nhis hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and\nwidows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa;\nand many believed in the Lord,\" in Whose name, and by Whose power,\nPeter had worked this great miracle.\n\nIt has been said of this Tabitha, that \"by interpretation her name was\nDorcas.\" This good woman was a _Grecian_, or foreign Jewess, and as\nsuch, her name was Tabitha, which means an \"antelope\"--a very graceful\nanimal of the deer kind, having very beautiful eyes. It was a common\npractice amongst the Arabs, and other nations of Asia, to give to\nfemale children the names of such animals as were particularly\nadmired. The Jews, instead of calling Tabitha by what was _to them a\nforeign_ name, called her Dorcas; because that word, in their\nlanguage, meant antelope. Therefore, Dorcas was the Jewish\ninterpretation of Tabitha.\n\nPeter did not leave Joppa again immediately after the restoration of\nDorcas; on the contrary, \"he tarried many days in Joppa, with one\nSimon a tanner.\"\n\nThe Gospel had by this time been preached freely to the Jews in\nJerusalem, and throughout Judaea, Samaria, and Galilee; and the time\nwas now come for it to be preached to the Gentiles also. Peter was\naccordingly chosen by God to begin this work, about A.D. 40. We are\ntold, \"There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a\ncenturion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one\nthat feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the\npeople, and prayed to God alway.\" The Italian band, was a company of a\nthousand Roman soldiers, acting probably as a guard to the Roman\ngovernor of Judaea, whose usual residence was at Caesarea, a city of\ngreat importance.\n\nCornelius was one of the centurions, or captains, of the Italian band:\nhe was a Gentile, who had already given up idolatry, and become a\nsincere worshipper of the God of Israel: but as he had not observed\nall the forms and ceremonies required by the Law, the Jews did not\nlook upon him as one of themselves. Such persons were called\n\"Proselytes of the Gate\"; and although they were allowed to dwell\namong the Jews, they were looked upon as unclean.\n\nCornelius had brought all his household to worship the One True God:\nhe was constant in prayer; and he showed his love for God, by charity\nto man for His sake.\n\nSuch a devout man was well pleasing to the Lord, Who now called him to\na \"knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.\" Cornelius being engaged\nin prayer about the ninth hour of the day, one of the times especially\nappointed for prayer in the temple, saw in a vision an angel of God,\nwho told him that by his prayers and his alms (signs of faith and\nobedience), he had found favour with God. The angel then bade him send\nto Joppa for Simon Peter, saying also, \"he shall tell thee what thou\noughtest to do.\" We may be sure that Cornelius received this divine\nmessage with joy and thankfulness, and he immediately sent \"two of his\nhousehold servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him\ncontinually\"--men upon whom he could thoroughly depend, to Joppa, to\nfetch Peter. On the morrow, as these messengers drew near to Joppa,\nthe Lord, by means of a vision, prepared Peter to receive them. About\nthe sixth hour Peter went up upon the house-top to pray, where he\nwould be quiet and undisturbed. \"And he became very hungry, and would\nhave eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,\" or kind\nof fainting fit. In this state he had a vision; and \"saw heaven\nopened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a\ngreat sheet, knit (or fastened together) at the four corners, and let\ndown to the earth.\" In this vessel, which is compared to a large\nsheet, were \"all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild\nbeasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air\"--many of these\ncreatures being unclean, according to the Jewish Law. \"And there came\na voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so,\nLord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And\nthe voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath\ncleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the\nvessel was received up again into heaven.\" Although Peter was a true\nfollower of Jesus Christ, he had not yet got over his Jewish\nprejudices; but like the rest of his countrymen, looked upon the\nGentiles as unclean, and thought that it was as great a sin for a Jew\nto keep company with a Gentile, as it would be for him to eat any of\nthe unclean animals, which the Lord forbade him to touch. The vision\nnow sent to Peter, plainly showed him that Jesus did not wish his\nfollowers to observe any longer the ceremonial Law; and above all,\nthat in preaching the Gospel, no distinction was to be made between\nJew and Gentile. No man was to be looked upon as unclean, since it was\nthe Will of God that _all_ should come to the knowledge of the truth,\nand be joined together in one body, the Church.\n\nThis vision greatly astonished Peter, and perplexed him: but while he\n\"doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean,\"\nthe whole matter was made plain to him. By this time \"the men which\nwere sent from Cornelius\" had reached Joppa, and having made inquiry\nfor the house of Simon the tanner, they now \"stood before the gate,\nand called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were\nlodged there:\" and \"while Peter thought on the vision,\" trying to\ndiscover what it might mean, \"the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three\nmen seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down,\" to hear wherefore\nthey are come, and \"go with them,\" as they will ask thee, \"doubting\nnothing\"--having no doubts or fears upon the subject, but feeling sure\nthat you are doing right by going with them,--\"for I have sent them.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter VIII.--PETER AND CORNELIUS.\n\n\nHaving received the direct commands of God by the Holy Spirit, \"Peter\"\nat once \"went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius;\nand said, Behold, I am he whom you seek; what is the cause wherefore\nye are come? And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and\none that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the\nJews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his\nhouse, and to hear words of thee. Then called he them in, and lodged\nthem. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain\nbrethren from Joppa accompanied him. And the morrow after they entered\ninto Caesarea.\" Cornelius, knowing at about what time his messengers\nmight be expected back, had called his friends together to receive\nPeter, whom he was anxiously expecting to come with his servants. \"And\nCornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and\nnear friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell\ndown at his feet, and worshipped him.\" Thus did the centurion show his\njoy and gratitude after the manner of the Gentiles, who often did pay\nto their fellow creatures that degree of reverence and worship due to\nGod alone; and Cornelius, looking upon Peter as the especial servant\nof God sent to him by the interposition of an angel, might naturally\non his appearance fall into this error. Peter, however, at once\nchecked such an expression of the centurion's feeling; teaching him,\nthat the worship due to God must never be given to any man under any\ncircumstances; so, when Cornelius fell at his feet, \"Peter took him\nup, saving, Stand up; I myself also am a man. And as he talked with\nhim, he went in, and found many that were come together. And he said\nunto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is\na Jew to keep company or come unto one of another nation; but God hath\nshewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore\ncame I to you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for.\" Having\nthus given an account of himself, Peter very naturally added, \"I ask\ntherefore for what intent ye have sent for me?\" Cornelius at once gave\nto Peter an account of the vision that had been vouchsafed to him, and\nin consequence of which he had sent for him; and added, \"and thou hast\nwell done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present\nbefore God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.\"\n\nPeter, as a Jew, had been brought up to believe that the favour of God\nwas confined to the descendants of Abraham; but he now openly\nexpresses his conviction, that no such line of separation existed,\nsaying, \"Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:\nbut in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is\naccepted with him:\" a doctrine very displeasing to the unbelieving\nJews, but most comforting to the Gentiles, who were no longer shut out\nfrom the favour of God, now that all distinction between Jew and\nGentile was done away with by the preaching of the Gospel. Peter then\nspake to Cornelius and his friends of Jesus; of His Life, Death,\nResurrection, and of the commandment which He had given to His\nApostles \"to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he\nwhich was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead;\" and\nPeter ended his discourse by repeating the great Gospel truth, \"that\nthrough faith in Jesus all may receive remission or pardon of their\nsins.\"\n\nEven while Peter was speaking, the Lord gave a signal proof that there\nwas indeed, in His sight, no difference between Jew and Gentile,\namongst those who believed the Gospel, and became followers of Jesus;\nfor \"the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word,\" that is,\nthe Gospel as now preached by Peter; and the Spirit enabled \"them to\nspeak with tongues,\" that is, to speak foreign languages, as in the\ncase of the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost: for this instance of\nmercy they did magnify and praise the Lord.\n\n\"And they of the circumcision,\" the Jews who had become believers, and\nhad now accompanied Peter from Joppa to Caesarea, \"were astonished,\nbecause that on the Gentiles also was poured out the Holy Ghost,\" in\nthis plain and unmistakeable manner.\n\n\"Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not\nbe baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?\" Peter\njustly felt, that these Gentiles, who had so evidently been made\npartakers of \"the inward and spiritual grace of Baptism,\" might be\nsafely allowed to receive \"the outward visible sign.\" \"And he\ncommanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed\nthey him to tarry certain days\" at Caesarea, that he might yet further\ninstruct them in the doctrines of the Gospel.\n\nPeter no doubt complied with this request, and we may be sure that he\ndwelt on the necessity of holiness in all the followers of Jesus, and\nexhorted his hearers to constant and earnest prayer to Him, from Whom\ncome all good gifts, and without Whose help man can do no good thing.\n\n\"The Apostles and brethren that were in Judaea, heard that the Gentiles\nhad also received the word of God,\" without at the same time hearing\nunder what circumstances Peter had gone amongst them to preach it.\n\n\"And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the\ncircumcision,\"--that is, those Jews who, although they had become\ndisciples, still thought that the Law of Moses was to be obeyed in all\nits ceremonies, and that the Gospel should be preached to Jews\nonly,--blamed, or \"contended with Peter, saying, Thou wentest in to\nmen uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.\" Peter, instead of being\nangry, that he, one of the Apostles appointed by Christ, should be\nthus called to account by those whose duty it was to learn of him,\nquietly \"rehearsed (or repeated) the matter from the beginning, and\nexpounded it by order unto them,\" beginning with his own vision at\nJoppa, and ending with the baptism of Cornelius and his friends, in\nconsequence of the pouring out of the Holy Ghost upon them; saying, in\nregard to this subject, \"Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how\nthat he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be\nbaptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like\ngift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what\nwas I, that I could withstand God?\"\n\n\"When they heard these things, they held their peace,\" ceased to blame\nPeter, seeing that he had only done as God directed him: and being now\nconvinced that it was indeed the Will of the Lord that the Gospel\nshould be preached to all nations, they \"glorified God, saying, Then\nhath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.\"\n\nAll who believe in Jesus Christ themselves, will always rejoice when\nothers are brought to do so too: Christians will ever show their love\nfor Jesus, by doing all in their power to bring others to know and\nlove Him: and whatever else we may be able to do, let us always\nremember to pray for them, and to ask God to let \"His knowledge cover\nthe earth as the waters cover the sea.\"\n\nOne thing more we should remark, as it teaches us a useful lesson in\nour dealings with our fellow creatures; and that is, how often\ndisputes and quarrels would be avoided, if we followed Peter's\nexample; and, instead of being angry when we are unjustly blamed, were\nto take it patiently, and then quietly explain all the circumstances\nwhich have caused the misunderstanding. But instead of that, amongst\nus, whether children or grown-up people, if one makes a false\naccusation, or casts undeserved blame upon another, that other too\noften feels provoked and angry, and answers sharply; one sharp cross\nanswer leads to others; and so on, until there is a regular quarrel,\nwhereby both parties sin against God: and all this might have been\nprevented by a few quiet gentle words of explanation. Let us remember,\n\"that a soft answer turneth away wrath,\" and that the \"beginning of\nstrife is as when one letteth out water,\"--we cannot tell where it\nwill stop.\n\nThe Lord bids us live peaceably with all men: let us try to do so,\nstriving never to provoke others, nor to be provoked by them.\n\nWe have seen that, after Stephen's death, most of the disciples left\nJerusalem, and \"they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution\nthat arose about Stephen, travelled as far as the country of\nPhenice,\" or Ph[oe]nicia, to the N.W. of Judaea, and to the isle of\nCyprus, and to the town of Antioch in Syria, which lay about twelve\nmiles from the sea, having the river Orontes running through it. To\nall these distant parts the disciples travelled, \"preaching the word\nto none but unto the Jews only,\" who happened to be in those different\nplaces. \"And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when\nthey were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians,\" the Jews born in\nforeign lands, preaching the Lord Jesus. The people of Cyprus, and of\nCyrene on the coast of Africa, spake the Greek language; and\ntherefore, could make themselves understood by the Grecians, who knew\nnothing of Hebrew, the language in which the other disciples preached.\n\"And the hand of the Lord was with\" all them that preached; and \"a\ngreat number believed, and turned unto the Lord.\"\n\n\"Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which\nwas in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as\nfar as Antioch,\" to ascertain the truth of what the Apostles had\nheard, and to confirm the faith of those who had turned to the Lord.\nBarnabas was now numbered with the Apostles, and exercised like\nauthority; \"for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of\nfaith.\" When he came to Antioch, and had seen how by the grace of God\nso many were truly converted, he \"exhorted them all, that with purpose\nof heart they would cleave unto the Lord\": that is, that they would\ncontinue steadfast in the faith, and determine to devote themselves\nentirely, body and soul, heart and mind, to the service of the Lord.\nThe preaching of such a man could not fail to have its effect; for he\nwas full of the Holy Ghost; and so we read that \"much people was added\nunto the Lord.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter IX.--PETER DELIVERED FROM PRISON.\n\n\nBarnabas, finding that there was plenty of work to be done at Antioch,\n\"departed to Tarsus, for to seek Saul,\" that he might come and help\nhim. \"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it\ncame to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the\nchurch\" (that is, joined in the assemblies of the believers), \"and\ntaught much people,\"--converting, we may be sure, Gentiles as well as\nJews. Scripture tells us here, \"And the disciples were called\nChristians first in Antioch.\" Some people have thought that this name,\nin which we glory, was given to the disciples by their enemies, in\nscorn of them as followers of Christ; but it is far more likely that\nit was given them by Saul and Barnabas, under the direction of the\nHoly Spirit.\n\nUp to this time, the Jewish converts were called amongst themselves\n\"disciples,\" \"believers,\" \"saints\"; and all together, \"the Church.\"\nTheir enemies called them \"Nazarenes,\" \"Galileans,\" or the \"men of\nthis way.\" Now that there were so many of them, it was quite necessary\nthat they should be distinguished by some peculiar name; and what name\ncould be more appropriate, than one which marked them as the followers\nand disciples of Jesus Christ--believers in the Messiah, the Anointed,\nthrough Whom alone they, and all mankind, could receive pardon of\ntheir sins? Let us, whilst we glory in the name of Christians, take\ncare that we are not so in name _only_. All who are joined to Christ,\nor made part of His body the Church, by Baptism, are now called\nChristians. The cross is the sign, or symbol, of the Christian faith.\nIn Baptism, the figure of the cross is made on the forehead of the\nperson baptized, to signify that he, or she, is now entered as a\nfaithful soldier and servant of Christ; and that this service is to be\ncontinued as long as life lasts.\n\nThis shows us what each one of us should be,--\"a faithful soldier,\"\nfighting against all the enemies of our Lord, which are the Devil and\nhis evil angels, our own bad passions and desires, and every kind of\nsin: and \"a faithful servant,\" studying to know his Master's Will,\nthat he may do it thoroughly, whatever suffering or trouble it may\nbring upon himself. Let us seriously consider whether we are such\nChristians, really and truly trying to serve and please God. If we are\n_not_, the name of Christian will be of no use to us. Jesus Himself\nsays, \"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the\nkingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in\nheaven.\" Let each one of us pray earnestly to God, that for the sake\nof His blessed Son, Jesus Christ, He will give us the help of the Holy\nSpirit, so that we may become true Christians in the sight of Him, by\nWhom all our thoughts, words, and actions are known.\n\nIn order to understand perfectly all that the Bible tells us, it is\nnecessary to mention a few circumstances connected with the history of\nthe Jews, which are not written in the Scriptures, but are told us by\na man called Josephus, himself a Jew, who lived at this time, and has\nleft us an account of all that he saw and heard amongst his\ncountrymen. We have already heard that Herod the Great, who slew the\ninfants of Bethlehem, had many descendants, who all bore the same\nname, and several of whom are spoken of in Scripture. Some account has\nalready been given of them. Aristobulus, one of the unfortunate sons\nof Herod the Great and Mariamne, left two sons: one named Herod\nAgrippa, called also the Elder, to distinguish him from his own son,\nnamed also Herod Agrippa; and another son, also called Herod, who\nbecame King of Chalcis. Herod Agrippa the Elder lived for some years\nquietly at Rome, as a private person, and was in favour with Tiberius,\nwho became Emperor of Rome A.D. 14. But some persons having accused\nHerod, whether truly or falsely we cannot say, of wishing for the\nEmperor's death, he was put into prison, where he remained until\nTiberius died, about four years after the Crucifixion of Jesus.\nCaligula, who became Emperor at the death of Tiberius, A.D. 37, made\nHerod Agrippa king over Iturea and some neighbouring parts of the\ncountry.\n\nPontius Pilate had ceased before this to be Governor, or Procurator,\nof Judaea. A riot, or disturbance, had taken place amongst the people\nof Samaria. Pilate put a stop to it; but he afterwards treated the\npeople with such extreme severity, that the Roman Emperor deprived him\nof his government, which he had held for about ten years. Pilate was\nbanished to Vienne, a place in Gaul (as France was then called), and\nthere he killed himself.\n\nAbout the same time that Pilate was deprived of his office, Herod\nAntipas was also deprived of his. Herod Antipas, the second son of\nHerod the Great, was the tetrarch, or governor of Galilee, who put\nJohn the Baptist to death, and who, with his men of war, mocked and\nill treated our blessed Lord, Who was sent to him by Pilate. A few\nyears after the death of Jesus, Herod wished to make himself king of\nJudaea; and he was in consequence deprived of his government, and\nbanished into Spain, also a Roman province, where he died miserably.\nSo soon did punishment fall upon these two bad men, who had sinned\nagainst the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nCaligula, who made Herod Agrippa king over some parts of Syria and\nPalestine, was anxious to be looked upon and treated as a god; and of\ncourse his heathen subjects did not much care whether he were so\nconsidered or not. But although the Jews had refused to believe in the\nMessiah, they had, ever since the return from the Captivity, a horror\nof worshipping anything but the Lord God Almighty, the God of Abraham.\nWhen, therefore, Caligula ordered that a gilt statue of himself, as a\ngod, should be set up in the temple, all Judaea was filled with horror;\nand for several weeks the people ceased from following their usual\noccupations, and the country towards Mount Carmel was crowded with\npeople in mourning. The Roman governor of Syria, charged to set up\nthis statue, seeing the distress of the people, kindly listened to\ntheir entreaties, that he would wait a little before he executed this\ndreadful order. The Jews then applied to Herod Agrippa the Elder, who\nhappened to be in Rome; and he, with great difficulty, persuaded\nCaligula not to insist upon setting up this statue.\n\nWhen Claudius became Emperor, A.D. 41, he added the provinces of Judaea\nand Samaria to Herod's dominions, so that he governed the whole land\nof Palestine, bearing the title of king.\n\nThe trouble that the Jews were in under Caligula, prevented their\nthinking so much of persecuting the Christians; and thus the Church of\nChrist had a little rest, and went on increasing. But now that Herod\nAgrippa had become King of Judaea, it was different; for he, seeing the\nnumber of Christians increasing in a most extraordinary manner, was\nfearful that they might rebel, and refuse to obey him as their king:\ntherefore we read, \"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth\nhis hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the\nbrother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the\nJews, he proceeded further to take Peter also.\" Herod was anxious to\ngain favour with his Jewish subjects; and there was no more certain\nway of doing so, than by persecuting the Christians. Having therefore\nkilled one of the sons of Zebedee, he determined to take Peter, who\nwas one of the chief amongst the Apostles. \"Then were the days of\nunleavened bread\"--that is, the Feast of the Passover was now drawing\nnear; and the preparation for that Holy Sacrifice had already begun,\nby the putting away of leaven out of every Jewish house, according to\nthe Law of Moses. \"And when Herod had apprehended Peter, he put him in\nprison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep\nhim; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people,\" with\nthe intention, no doubt, of slaying him, as he had already slain\nJames. Four soldiers formed a quaternion; four quaternions therefore\nwere sixteen men, who were especially appointed to guard Peter. \"Peter\ntherefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of\nthe church unto God for him\": and the prayers of the saints were more\neffectual than all the precautions taken by Herod.\n\nIt was customary with the Romans to fasten a prisoner to his keeper by\na light chain, which went round the wrist of each; thus rendering it\nimpossible for the prisoner to move without the knowledge of his\nkeeper. For greater security, Peter was thus bound to two of the\nsoldiers.\n\nDuring the night before the day on which \"Herod would have brought\nPeter forth, he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two\nchains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold,\nthe angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison:\nand he smote Peter on the side,\" (to awaken him,) \"and raised him up,\nsaying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands,\"\n(without disturbing the keepers). \"And the angel said unto him, Gird\nthyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto\nhim, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.\" Peter did as he was\ntold; but all this time he was not aware that he was really free, but\nthought he was merely dreaming: he \"wist not that it was true which\nwas done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were\npast the first and the second ward,\" (different parts of the prison,\nwithout being perceived by any of those who kept the doors,) \"they\ncame unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to\nthem of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one\nstreet; and forthwith the angel departed from him.\" His miraculous\nwork being now accomplished, the angel left Peter to go on his own\nway. The departure of his heavenly guide seems to have aroused Peter\nto the reality of what had happened; he no longer thought he had seen\na vision. \"And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of\na surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out\nof the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of\nthe Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house\nof Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark.\" This Mark, whose\nname was also John, was the writer of the Gospel bearing his name:\nhis mother was sister to Barnabas, and her house was no doubt a place,\nwhere the Christian brethren often met for the purpose of prayer; and\nnow, although it was not yet daylight, \"many were gathered together\npraying.\" Probably they had spent the night in prayer for the\ndeliverance of Peter. \"And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a\ndamsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice,\nshe opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter\nstood before the gate.\"\n\nThe faith of the brethren was not strong enough to make them at once\nbelieve in such a wonderful answer to their prayers. They knew that\nPeter was securely shut up in prison; and so, when Rhoda suddenly\nannounced that he was standing at the door, they said unto her, \"Thou\nart mad\"; thinking that she did not know what she was saying: and when\nshe insisted \"that it was even so,\" they could not then believe that\nit really was Peter himself, but said, \"It is his angel,\" or spirit.\n\"But Peter continued knocking\"; thus showing that it was no spirit,\nbut a real living being: \"and when they had opened the door, they were\nastonished.\" Peter would not allow them to express their astonishment,\nbut \"beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace,\" (that is,\nmaking a sign unto them not to speak,) he \"declared unto them how the\nLord had brought him out of the prison.\" When he had finished the\nwonderful recital, he said, \"Go, shew these things unto James, and to\nthe brethren.\"\n\nThough in many respects all the Apostles were upon an equality, it was\nnecessary that some one of them should have the particular direction\nof the affairs of the Church at Jerusalem; and James seems to have\nheld this office. The other Apostles therefore gave him an account of\ntheir labours, and of anything remarkable which took place. This\nJames, called \"the Less,\" to distinguish him from James the son of\nZebedee, is sometimes spoken of as \"the Lord's brother,\" though there\nis every reason to believe that he was not his brother, but the nephew\nof His mother Mary. In those times, such near kinsmen as first\ncousins--that is, the children of brothers and sisters--were often\ncalled brethren. If the mother of Jesus had had any other children, it\nwould not have been necessary for our Lord to commend her to the care\nof His beloved disciple John, whom He bade her to look upon as a son.\n\nJames is always considered as the first Bishop: he was Bishop of the\nChurch in Jerusalem; and he remained in that city, whilst the other\nApostles travelled from place to place, preaching the Gospel to all\npeople. Peter was anxious that James, and all the brethren, should\nknow what had happened to him, that they might bless God for answering\ntheir prayers in such a wonderful manner, and that their faith might\nbe strengthened, by seeing how able and willing the Lord is to\npreserve His servants, and defend them from all enemies, as long as He\nhas any work for them to do upon earth.\n\n\n\n\nChapter X.--SAUL AND BARNABAS CALLED TO PREACH TO THE GENTILES.\n\n\nAfter giving his message for James, \"Peter departed, and went unto\nanother place,\" where Herod's officers would be less likely to look\nfor him, than in a house where the Christians were in the habit of\nmeeting.\n\nNor did Peter remain in Jerusalem, where he would at any moment be\nliable to be discovered: what he did is not quite certain, but there\nis good reason to believe that he went to Rome, and preached the\nGospel to Jews and Gentiles; so as to found, or begin, the\nestablishment of a Christian Church in that city. It is also believed\nthat Mark went with Peter, and that he then wrote his Gospel, for the\nuse of the Christian converts at Rome.\n\nWhen Herod found that Peter had actually escaped out of prison, he\ncaused all the keepers of the prison to be put to death.\n\nAfter this, he \"went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.\"\n\nFrom other writings we learn, that Herod went to Caesarea at this time,\nfor the purpose of celebrating a festival in honour of Claudius Caesar,\nwho had become Emperor of Rome a year or two before, in A.D. 41. We\nalso learn that the people of Tyre and Sidon had in some way or other\noffended Herod, who was intending to make war upon them. The idea of\nwar greatly alarmed the inhabitants of Ph[oe]nicia, because they got\nthe chief part of their wheat and honey, and other provisions, from\nthe land of Judaea; and of course if there were a war, such supplies\nwould be stopped, and a famine would be the consequence. We read in\nthe Scripture, that \"Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and\nSidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus\nthe king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their\ncountry was nourished by the king's country.\" Herod, at the request of\nBlastus, consented to receive the messengers sent from Tyre and Sidon.\n\"And upon a set day,\" a day appointed for the purpose, \"Herod, arrayed\nin royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration\" (or long\nspeech) \"unto them.\" What Herod said, we do not know; but Josephus\ntells us that he wore on this occasion a magnificent robe of silver\ntissue, and that the sun shining upon it, made it look so dazzlingly\nbright and beautiful, that the people cried out, Forgive us for having\nonly paid honour to you as a mortal king: from this time we shall look\nupon you as being far superior to mortals! Instead of reproving them\nfor thus setting up a mortal man as being equal to God, Herod was\npleased with this speech; but he had soon cause to repent of his pride\nand folly: for before he left the theatre, or public building in which\nsuch assemblies took place, he was seized with most dreadful pains in\nhis stomach, so that in his agony he exclaimed, \"I whom ye have called\na god am now going to die a miserable death.\" The king was then\ncarried to his palace, where he died after five days of fearful\nsuffering: a warning to all, who allow others to treat them as if they\nwere beings superior to their fellow-men.\n\nNone of this is told us in the Bible: all that we read on this subject\nin the Book of Acts, is, that Herod \"made an oration. And the people\ngave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And\nimmediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God\nthe glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.\"\n\nHerod died about A.D. 44, lamented by the Jews, whose favour he had\ngained by his persecution of the Christians: the Roman soldiers, on\nthe contrary, rejoiced at his death, and spake against him, which made\nthe Jews very angry. This bad feeling now raised between the Roman\nsoldiers and the Jews, was one cause of the troubles and disturbances\nwhich soon followed: for from this time until Jerusalem was destroyed,\ntwenty-six years later, the land of Judaea never enjoyed any real rest\nor quiet. How could the blessing of God, which can alone give peace\nand happiness, rest upon a people who had so fearfully sinned against\nGod, by their rejection of the Messiah, His Son Jesus Christ.\n\nHerod Agrippa the Elder, of whose death we have just spoken, left\nthree children: a son, bearing his own name of Herod Agrippa; and two\ndaughters, Bernice and Drusilla, both mentioned in Scripture.\n\nHerod Agrippa the Second, or Younger, was only seventeen years old\nwhen his father died; and his dominions were therefore placed under\nthe care of a Roman governor; but afterwards he was allowed to rule\nover a part of them, and to take the title of king: and upon the death\nof his uncle, Herod king of Chalcis, the Emperor Claudius allowed this\nHerod Agrippa to succeed to his kingdom. Nero, who became Emperor of\nRome, A.D. 54, added to the dominions already possessed by Herod\nAgrippa the Second, in the land of Judaea. We shall hear of him again\nin the Book of Acts. Both Drusilla and Bernice were bad women:\nDrusilla married Azizus, king of the Emesians; but Felix, a Roman, who\nafterwards became governor or procurator of Judaea, persuaded her to\nleave her husband, and become his wife. Of this Felix we shall hear\nmore by and by, after he became the governor of Judaea.\n\nWe must now go back to the history of Saul and Barnabas, whom we left\nat Antioch preaching the Gospel, and bringing into the Church many\nconverts, who were then called Christians.\n\nWhilst Barnabas and Saul were still at Antioch, preaching the Gospel\nof Jesus, there \"came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there\nstood up one of them named Agabus, and signified (or foretold) by (the\ndirection of) the Spirit that there should be great dearth (or famine)\nthroughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius\nCaesar,\" who was at that time Emperor of Rome. The word here translated\n\"world,\" sometimes means the Roman Empire, and sometimes only the land\nof Judaea. In this case, it appears to mean Judaea only; for the dearth\nseems to have been confined to that country: and Josephus, speaking of\nthis dearth in the reign of Claudius, tells us, that large quantities\nof corn were sent up to Jerusalem from the neighbouring provinces,\nwhich could not have been the case if the dearth had been felt in them\nalso. On the announcement of the distress about to come upon their\nbrethren in Judaea, \"the disciples\" at Antioch, \"every man according to\nhis ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt\nin Judaea.\" By this we learn, that the custom of having all things in\ncommon had not been followed at Antioch. Most probably by this time it\nhad been given up altogether; for now that the numbers of Christians\nhad so largely increased on all sides, the plan of having all things\nin common would be no longer desirable, or even practicable. Each\nChristian of Antioch determined then to give what he could for the\nrelief of their fellow Christians in Judaea; \"which also they did, and\nsent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul,\" who\nimmediately set out from Antioch, to take the money thus collected to\nthe elders of the Church at Jerusalem. These two Apostles stayed in\nJerusalem for some months; probably about a year. We learn from\nanother part of the Book of Acts, that during this stay at Jerusalem,\nSaul had a very remarkable vision. He was praying in the temple, when\nby the power of God he fell into a trance. Whilst he was in this\nstate, his bodily senses suspended as it were, and his mind more alive\nto spiritual things, Jesus Christ appeared to him, and said, \"Make\nhaste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not\nreceive thy testimony concerning me.\" It surprised Saul to be told\nthat the Jews of Jerusalem would not believe him: they knew how he had\nformerly persecuted the Christians, and therefore his change of\nopinions would, he thought, have great weight in convincing them of\nthe truth of what he now taught them: therefore he answered, and said,\n\"Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them\nthat believed in thee: and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was\nshed, I was also standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept\nthe raiment of them that slew him.\"\n\nTo man, these things might seem to make Saul the most fit person to\nconvince his countrymen, but not so with God, Who had chosen Saul\nespecially to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. In answer to his\npleading, therefore, Jesus now gave this positive command, \"Depart:\nfor I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.\" This was enough,\nand from henceforth Saul became a distinguished preacher to the\nGentiles. \"And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they\nhad fulfilled their ministry,\" (that is, the work which they came to\ndo,) \"and took with them John, whose surname was Mark,\" who had before\nthis accompanied Peter to Rome.\n\nBarnabas and Saul therefore went back to Antioch, but they did not\nlong remain there.\n\n\"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and\nteachers,\" who joined with Barnabas and Saul in preaching the Gospel.\n\"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,\nSeparate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called\nthem.\" In what way the Holy Ghost spake, we are not told; but in some\nway or other the Lord made known His Will to His faithful servants,\nwhilst they were engaged in the performance of their religious duties.\nThe work unto which Barnabas and Saul were now called, was that of\npreaching the Gospel, not to Jews only, or even to Proselytes of the\nGate, but also to the idolatrous Gentiles, so as to bring them to\nleave their false religion and become Christians. Although the\nappointment of Barnabas and Saul to this work was direct from God, yet\noutward forms were to be observed in dedicating them to it, and solemn\nprayers offered up for their success. In this matter, no doubt the\nprophets and teachers acted by the direction of the same Spirit which\nhad bade them separate, or set apart the two Apostles for this\nparticular work. \"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their\nhands on them, they sent them away.\"\n\nBarnabas and Saul now set out on their first journey, about A.D. 45.\n\"So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia,\"\na port at the mouth of the river Orontes, a little to the west of\nAntioch; \"and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at\nSalamis,\" a city in the eastern part of the island, \"they preached the\nword of God in the synagogues of the Jews\"; for though they had a\npositive commission to preach to the Gentiles, they were not to\nneglect the Jews, but preach the Gospel first to them, if they would\nbut listen to it. \"And they had also John (or Mark) to their\nminister,\"--to help in their ministry or work.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XI.--SAUL'S NAME CHANGED TO PAUL.\n\n\nHaving preached the Word at Salamis, Barnabas and Saul, with Mark,\njourneyed on, proclaiming their good tidings in every village. \"And\nwhen they had gone through the isle,\" they came unto Paphos, the chief\ncity, situated on the western coast of Cyprus. Here the \"deputy of the\ncountry,\" that is, the magistrate or governor appointed by the Roman\nEmperor, resided: this deputy, whose name was Sergius Paulus, was\nhimself a Roman and a heathen; but he was \"a prudent man,\" that is, a\nman of good sense and understanding; therefore, when he heard of\nBarnabas and Saul teaching new and wonderful doctrines, he was\nanxious to hear and judge for himself as to their truth: he therefore\n\"called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.\"\nBut Sergius Paulus had with him, as his friend and adviser, a Jew,\nwhose name was Bar-jesus: he was also called Elymas, because he was\nlooked upon as a sorcerer or magician, and the word \"Elymas\" means\nsomething of that sort. This man, who pretended to be a prophet, and\nto have power to work miracles, did not at all wish that Christianity\nshould spread; and seeing that the Roman governor was inclined to\nbelieve what the Apostles taught, he contradicted them, \"withstood\nthem, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.\" For this\nconduct Saul reproved him severely, pronouncing upon him a heavy\npunishment: we read, \"Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled\nwith the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all\nsubtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all\nrighteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the\nLord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou\nshalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there\nfell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to\nlead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done,\nbelieved, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.\" He saw that\nthe Apostles were far superior to Elymas, who could not save himself;\nand he at once believed all that they taught, convinced that God was\nindeed with them.\n\nWe have read, \"then Saul, who also is called Paul\"; and we find that\nfrom this time he is never again spoken of in Scripture by the name of\nSaul. As the Bible does not tell us _why_ his name was changed, we\ncannot be sure; but there are several reasons which may have caused\nthe change. First, Sergius Paulus was the first idolatrous Gentile\nmentioned as having become a Christian, and it is very probable that\nthe Apostle had the name of Paul (which is the same as Paulus) given\nto him, in remembrance of this act of mercy shown to the Gentiles by\nGod. Then, again, the Jews, particularly those who like Paul were not\nborn in the land of Judaea, often had a Roman as well as a Hebrew name\ngiven to them; and they called themselves by either, according to the\ncustom of the people amongst whom they went. Some persons think that\nthe Apostle now chose the name of Paul, which means \"little\" or\n\"weak,\" instead of that of Saul, meaning \"beloved\" or \"desirable.\"\nPaul was now humble; he felt that he was weak, and that whatever he\nmight be able to do, could be done only by the power of the Holy\nGhost, directing and helping him. But whatever the cause may be, it is\ncertain that from this time he is always called Paul--a name much more\npleasing to the Gentiles, amongst whom he was appointed to teach, than\nthe Hebrew appellation of Saul. The remaining chapters of the Book of\nActs give us the account of the Five Journeys made by this Apostle, in\norder to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles: of the other Apostles we\nhear but little. We generally speak of the Apostles and Evangelists as\n_St._ Peter, _St._ John, _St._ Paul, _St._ Matthew, _St._ Luke, &c.\n\"Saint\" means good and holy; and we may well call the Apostles so, to\ndistinguish them from other men; for they were holy men, inspired and\nguided in a peculiar way by the Holy Ghost, and we should, therefore,\nspeak of them and think of them with reverence; remembering, that by\ntheir preaching and writings, we, and all mankind, have learnt the\nblessed tidings of salvation through Jesus Christ. St. Paul was now on\nhis first journey, in company with St. Barnabas; and St. Mark was with\nthem. From Paphos they sailed to Perga, in Pamphylia, a country in the\nsouthern part of Asia Minor. The Scripture tells us that here John, or\nSt. Mark as we call him, \"departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.\"\nWhy he did this, we are not told; but from what we read in other parts\nof Scripture, we are sure that he did wrong. He was a young man, and\nprobably he was discouraged by the idea of all the difficulties and\nhardships which the Apostles must meet with. After the departure of\nSt. Mark, St. Paul and St. Barnabas travelled northward into the\nprovince of Pisidia, where there was also a town called Antioch,\nbuilt, like Antioch in Syria, by Seleucus Nicanor, who was king of\nSyria after the death of Alexander the Great. Seleucus gave the name\nof Antioch to these cities, in memory of his father Antiochus. When\nthe Apostles came to Antioch in Pisidia, they \"went into the synagogue\non the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and\nof the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying,\nYe men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the\npeople, say on.\" We have already learnt that the Jews were required to\nset up a synagogue, in any place where ten men could meet for public\nworship; and that every synagogue had its rulers: men respectable both\nfrom age and character, who directed the services, and had some\nauthority over other members of the congregation. On the Sabbath\nmorning, two lessons were appointed to be read: one out of the Law, or\nBooks of Moses; the other from the writings of the Prophets: on\nweek-day mornings, the Law only was read. After these Lessons had been\nread, it was customary for some Teacher or Rabbi to preach or speak to\nthe people: and if any strange teacher or learned man happened to be\npresent, he was often called upon by the rulers of the synagogue, to\nperform this part of the service. Even if the rulers of the synagogue\nat Antioch in Pisidia, knew nothing before this of the Apostles, they\nwould see at once that they were Rabbis or Teachers, because they \"sat\ndown,\" which was customary for all belonging to this class: probably,\ntoo, they sat down in the seats expressly set apart for the Doctors\nand Teachers.\n\nBeing invited by the rulers of the synagogue to \"say on,\" if they had\n\"any word of exhortation for the people,\" the Apostles gladly seized\nthe opportunity of speaking to them of Jesus, and exhorting them to\nbelieve in Him. \"Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand,\" to\ndraw the attention of the congregation, \"said, Men of Israel, and ye\nthat fear God, give audience,\" that is, listen to my words. By the\n\"men of Israel,\" St. Paul meant Jews born of Jewish parents, the real\ndescendants of Abraham: by \"ye that fear God,\" he meant proselytes\nfrom the Gentiles who had adopted the Jewish religion, though they\nwere not Jews by birth. Both equally needed to be taught the Gospel,\nand St. Paul, calling upon both to listen, spake of the bringing of\nthe Children of Israel out of Egypt; of the mercy of God shown to them\nin their wanderings, in spite of all their sins; and of their final\nsettlement in the land of Canaan. He then mentioned their government\nby Judges, until, at the wish of the people, God gave them a king in\nthe person of Saul, who was succeeded by David, a man favoured by the\nLord. St. Paul then went on to explain that God had, according to His\npromise, raised up from David's seed or descendants, a Saviour in the\nLord Jesus Christ, to whom John the Baptist had borne testimony; but\nthat the Jews and their rulers had put Him to death: thus fulfilling\nthe prophecies, though, if they had attended to their meaning, they\nwould have understood that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. St.\nPaul then proceeded to show that God had fulfilled all His promises,\nas written in the Psalms or elsewhere, by raising Jesus from the dead;\nadding, \"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that\nthrough this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by\nhim all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye\ncould not be justified by the law of Moses.\" None could be justified,\nor accounted righteous by the law, because none could keep all its\ncommandments and ordinances; but those who believed in Jesus as their\nSaviour, would for His sake, be _looked_ upon as righteous. Having\nthus preached to the congregation the great Gospel truth of remission\nof sins, St. Paul warned his hearers not to disregard his words, lest\nthe sentence pronounced by one of their prophets, \"Behold, ye\ndespisers, and wonder, and perish,\" should fall upon them.\n\nThe words of St. Paul made an impression upon some part of his\nhearers; for when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the\nGentiles, that is, the Jewish proselytes from the Gentiles, besought\nthat these words might be preached to them again. Many of the Jews and\nreligious proselytes also followed Paul and Barnabas, when the\ncongregation was broken up, and were persuaded by the Apostles to hold\nfast the blessed truths, which by the grace of God they had learnt.\n\nThe fame of St. Paul's preaching, mean time, spread rapidly, \"And the\nnext sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word\nof God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with\nenvy,\" fearing lest the Gospel, which they rejected, should be\nbelieved by others; and therefore they \"spake against those things\nwhich were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.\" Then Paul\nand Barnabas plainly told these Jews, that they had begun by preaching\nthe word of God to them, because such was the Will of God; but, as\nthey wilfully refused the salvation thus offered to them, they should\nnow, in obedience to the same God, turn to the Gentiles, and bring the\nheathens into the Church of Christ, Who was to \"be for salvation unto\nthe ends of the earth.\" The Gentiles, the idolatrous Gentiles, who now\nfor the first time forsook their idols, as well as those who had\nalready turned from idolatry to worship the God of the Jews, were very\nglad when they heard this, \"and glorified the word of the Lord\"; and\nmany of them believed. This made the Jews very angry, and they\n\"stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the\ncity, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled\nthem out of their coasts.\" The devout and honourable women were female\nproselytes of rank, who had great influence over the lower classes in\nthe city. By their false accusations, the unbelieving Jews managed to\nstir up the higher class of citizens and the rulers of the city, to\npersecute the Apostles and drive them out of their country. \"But they\nshook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium,\"\na town to the S.E. of Antioch, in the province of Lycaonia. We must\nremember, that when Jesus first gave commandment to His Apostles to go\nand preach to the Jews, He told them that when they left any house or\ncity, where the people refused to hear them, they were to shake off\nthe dust of their feet, to show that they would have nothing more to\ndo with them: just as the Jews, who looked upon the dust of heathen\nlands to be polluted, shook it off their garments, to signify that\nthey had nothing to do with such idolaters. But the disciples, who\nwere left at Antioch, \"were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.\"\nThey rejoiced in the knowledge of those blessed truths which they had\nlearnt from the Apostles; and the Holy Ghost was abundantly shed upon\nthe members of the infant Church at Antioch, encouraging and assisting\nthem to increase in faith and righteousness of life.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XII.--ST. PAUL'S FIRST APOSTOLIC JOURNEY.\n\n\n\"And it came to pass in Iconium, that Paul and Barnabas went both\ntogether into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great\nmultitude of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. But the\nunbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil\naffected against the brethren.\" Still the Apostles abode there for a\nlong time, speaking boldly; the Lord bearing testimony to the truth of\nwhat they taught, by the miracles He enabled them to work.\n\n\"But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the\nJews, and part with the Apostles.\" The result was, that the Apostles\nwere in danger of being stoned, by the joint attack of the heathens,\nand the Jews and their rulers. But being aware of their danger, \"they\nfled unto Lystra,\" a town to the S.E. of Iconium, \"and there they\npreached the Gospel.\"\n\nAt Lystra there was a certain man who had been lame from his birth,\nand had never walked, being \"impotent in his feet.\" \"The same heard\nPaul speak,\" and believed. Paul, \"perceiving that he had faith to be\nhealed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet.\" The\npeople, seeing such a wonderful cure effected at the bidding of the\nApostle, immediately thought that he and Barnabas were two of their\nimaginary gods; and cried out, \"The gods are come down to us in the\nlikeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter,\" who was their\nchief god; \"and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.\"\nMercurius, or as we call him Mercury, was the god of eloquence;\nsupposed to enable people to speak well: he was considered to be a\nconstant attendant upon Jupiter. \"Then the priest of Jupiter, brought\noxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with\nthe people,\" to the gods whom they supposed had honoured them with a\nvisit. Oxen and bulls were sacrificed to Jupiter; garlands of flowers\nwere placed on their heads, and the priests also wore garlands. Every\nheathen city was placed under the protection of some particular deity,\ncalled its tutelary god; whose temple or statue was set up before the\ncity gate. The tutelary god of Lystra was Jupiter, the statue of\n\"which was before the city.\"\n\nThe Apostles were dreadfully distressed at the idea of such things\nbeing done in their honour; and \"they rent their clothes, and ran in\namong the people, crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these\nthings? We also are men of like passions with you\"; and then they went\non to tell them, that they were come on purpose to teach all people to\ngive up worshipping idols and believing in vain gods, and to turn\ninstead to the One only God, who made all things, and caused the\nfruits of the earth to grow for the food of man; and Who, though in\ntimes past he had suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, had\nnow sent His messengers, the Apostles, to teach men better things.\n\nWith difficulty the Apostles prevented the people from doing sacrifice\nunto them.\n\nThese people, who had been ready to worship the Apostles as gods, were\nsoon led into a contrary extreme: for certain Jews came from Antioch\nand Iconium, who probably told the people of Lystra, that Paul and\nBarnabas were only magicians and sorcerers; and that though they had\nby their wicked arts healed one cripple, they were just as likely to\ndo harm to their fellow creatures as good. These men, \"persuaded the\npeople, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing\nhe had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he\nrose up, and came into the city.\" The Lord had work for him to do, and\nnow restored him to life. What had now happened, was a warning to Paul\nto remain no longer at Lystra; \"and the next day he departed with\nBarnabas to Derbe,\" another city of Lycaonia, not far from Lystra.\n\"And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught\nmany,\" they, trusting in the protection of God, went again to Lystra,\nand to Iconium, and Antioch, to strengthen the faith of those whom\nthey had already converted to Christianity; \"confirming the souls of\nthe disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith\"; and\nshowing them that those who would enter into the kingdom of heaven,\nmust expect many troubles upon earth. The Apostles then appointed\nelders to look after and direct the affairs of every Church, or body\nof Christians in those towns, and with prayer and fasting, they\ncommended them to the protection and blessing of \"the Lord, on whom\nthey believed.\"\n\nSt. Paul and his company then journeyed through Pisidia and Pamphylia:\n\"and when they had preached the word in Perga,\" the chief city in\nPamphylia, \"they went down into Attalia,\" a sea-port to the S. W. of\nPerga, \"and thence sailed to Antioch,\" in Syria. This ended St. Paul's\nfirst Apostolic Journey, which had occupied rather more than one year.\nAt Antioch they had been appointed to their work; and the protection\nand grace of God had been prayed for to enable them to perform it.\nThey had now accomplished their work, and therefore they \"gathered the\nchurch together,\" and told all that they had done, or rather \"all that\nGod had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto\nthe Gentiles\"--that is, how, by their preaching, God had given to the\nidolatrous Gentiles an opportunity of becoming true believers, and\nmembers of the Church,--an opportunity of which great numbers had\ngladly taken advantage.\n\nNo doubt all the believers in Antioch rejoiced greatly when they heard\nof the success which had attended the Apostles' preaching; for all who\nknow and love God themselves, are anxious that others should do so\nalso.\n\nSt. Paul and St. Barnabas abode for some time with the disciples at\nAntioch: probably for about two years. Towards the end of this period,\nthe Christians at Antioch were disturbed by the mistaken teaching of\ncertain men who came down from Judaea. These men, who were Jews, had\nbelonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and though now converted to be\nChristians, they could not yet believe that all the ceremonial part of\nthe Law of Moses was to be entirely done away with: therefore, when\nthey were come to Antioch, they \"taught the brethren, and said, Except\nye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.\"\n\nSuch teaching, so very different from that of the Apostles, caused\ngreat distress in Antioch, where most of the believers had either been\nproselytes of the gate, only worshipping the Lord God of Israel, but\nnot observing any of the ceremonies commanded by the Law of Moses; or\nelse idolaters, until they became Christians. All these converts had\nbeen truly taught by St. Paul and St. Barnabas, that if they believed\nin Jesus so as to obey His word, that was quite sufficient; and that\nthey would be as acceptable in the sight of God, as if they had been\nJews from their birth, keeping the whole Law perfectly. The Christians\nof Antioch therefore might well be frightened and distressed, at being\nnow told that they could not obtain the salvation promised by the\nGospel, unless they kept all the ordinances of the Mosaic Law: in\nshort, that if they wished to be saved, they must be Jews as well as\nChristians. The Apostles of course opposed these Jewish teachers, and\ntried to convince them that the Gospel was all-sufficient; and that\nChrist's disciples had but to follow their Master's teaching. They do\nnot seem, however, to have succeeded, and the perplexity of the\nChristians continued. \"When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small\ndissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and\nBarnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto\nthe Apostles and elders about this question\"--that is, to ask James\nand the elders of their Church, to decide, whether the Jewish teachers\nor the Apostles were to be believed.\n\nJust before this time, we learn from other histories, that there had\nbeen great troubles amongst the Jews in Judaea. A famine had afflicted\nthe country,--probably that which Agabus had foretold. This had been\nfollowed by riots. In the year 48 (A.D.), a Roman soldier, who cared\nnothing for the religion of the Jews, and did not look upon the temple\nas a holy place, profaned it in some way, and thus made the Jews very\nangry. A great tumult was immediately raised, and several thousand\nJews were crushed or trampled to death, in the narrow ways leading to\nthe temple; and other disturbances followed.\n\nThese things are not mentioned in the Bible, but it is well to note\nthem, as they show us how the punishment of the Jews as a nation, was\ncontinually felt, from the time when they filled up the measure of\ntheir guilt, by crucifying their Messiah.\n\nIt was in the year 49 (A.D.), that St. Paul and St. Barnabas left\nAntioch for Jerusalem, in order to consult the Church there, as to the\nnecessity of keeping the Law of Moses.\n\nWe read in the Book of Acts, that \"being brought on their way by the\nchurch, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the\nconversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the\nbrethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of\nthe church, and of the Apostles and elders, and they declared all\nthings that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the\nsect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to\ncircumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.\" This\nlast passage is not very clearly put: the last verse is what the\nApostles _said_ as to the reason of their coming to Jerusalem.\n\nThe meaning of the whole passage is, that St. Paul and St. Barnabas\nexplained to the Church all that it had pleased God to do by means of\ntheir preaching, and how great numbers of the Gentiles had become\nChristians, and were serving God faithfully: but that certain of the\nsect of the Pharisees which believed, had disturbed them by saying,\nthat it was needful that they should be circumcised like the Jews, and\nkeep all the ceremonies and ordinances commanded by the Law of Moses.\n\nJames and the other elders of the Church, having heard all that St.\nPaul and St. Barnabas had to say, saw that it was very necessary to\nsettle a question, which was of the greatest importance to the\nconverts from the Gentiles. And they \"came together for to consider of\nthis matter,\" and decide upon what message should be sent back to\nAntioch.\n\nWhen the Apostles and elders of the Church began to talk over the\nmatter, there was much difference of opinion amongst the brethren:\nsome being inclined to agree with the Pharisees, that the Law of Moses\nought to be observed; others thinking that the Gospel was to be\n_instead_ of the Law, and not added to it.\n\nThis gave rise to a great deal of discussion and argument; each side\nadvancing their own opinions, and trying to persuade the other party\nto agree with them. This went on for some time, till at last, St.\nPeter, who was present, stood up, and gave his opinion upon the\nmatter.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIII.--DECISION OF THE CHURCH AS TO OBSERVING THE MOSAICAL\nLAW.\n\n\n\"And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and,\" alluding\nto the affair of Cornelius, \"said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know\nhow that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles\nby my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.\" He then\nreminded them, that the Holy Ghost had been visibly poured out upon\nthose Gentile converts, showing that in the eyes of Him Who seeth the\nheart, they were as acceptable as the Jewish converts; and that\ntherefore it could not be necessary for them to observe the ceremonial\npart of the Law, which Jesus came to do away with. The Jews themselves\nhad never kept the Law so perfectly as to deserve the favour of God;\nand now that Jesus had delivered them from the observance of that Law,\nwhy should the Gentiles be required to observe it. \"Now therefore,\"\nPeter asks, \"why tempt ye God,\" why provoke ye Him to anger in\nopposing His Will, \"to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples,\nwhich neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe\nthat through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,\neven as they.\"\n\nSuch words from St. Peter, who was well known to have been formerly of\na different opinion, could not fail to produce an effect upon his\nhearers, who now listened quietly and patiently to what was told them\nby St. Paul and St. Barnabas. \"Then all the multitude kept silence,\nand gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and\nwonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.\"\n\nWhen these two Apostles had ended their history, and \"held their\npeace,\" James, the ruler and director of the Church, declared it to be\nhis opinion, that it was most certainly the Will of God, that the\nGentiles should be received into the Christian Church _without_ being\nrequired to keep the Law, as the Jewish teachers had insisted; and\nthat this had been the intention of the Lord from the beginning, and\nhad been accordingly foretold by the prophets. \"Wherefore,\" said he,\n\"my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the\nGentiles are turned to God: but that we write unto them, that they\nabstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from\nthings strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every\ncity them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath\nday.\"\n\nThis speech of St. James requires a little explanation. The Law of\nMoses required that animals used for food should be killed in a\nparticular way; and a Jew was to be considered as unclean, if he ate\nany meat not prepared in this manner. Much of the meat eaten by the\nGentiles, was the flesh of animals offered in sacrifice to their false\ngods, or idols: to eat of such food polluted a Jew,--that is, made him\nunclean. Now, an idol was in reality nothing, nor did it signify how\nfood was prepared, if it was eaten with thankfulness. But at that time\nthere were very many Jewish converts who had long kept the Law of\nMoses, and held that to eat of meat offered to idols, or of the flesh\nof animals \"strangled,\" instead of being killed as the Law required,\ndid pollute a man, and render him unclean. St. James therefore\nconsidered, that for the present, it would be better for the Gentile\nconverts to abstain from animal food, prepared in a different way from\nwhat the Jews thought lawful, that they might not offend them; and\nthat they might, moreover, show that they had given up offering any\nsacrifices to idols. St. James therefore thought it well, in excusing\nthem from most of the observances of the Law, to caution the Gentile\nconverts not only to keep themselves free from all manner of sin, but\nalso to avoid every appearance of idolatry. The reason which St. James\ngives for this decision is, that as the Law of Moses was read every\nSabbath day, and reverenced by all the Jewish converts, it was better\nnot to disregard such ordinances, though in themselves they were\nmatters of indifference. What St. James said was approved of by the\nother members of the Church.\n\n\"Then pleased it the Apostles and elders, with the whole church, to\nsend chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and\nBarnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among\nthe brethren: and they wrote letters by them,\" bidding the Gentile\nconverts at Antioch not to be troubled by the teaching of the Jewish\nteachers, saying, \"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to\nlay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that ye\nabstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things\nstrangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye\nshall do well. Fare ye well.\"\n\nIn this letter, St. Paul and St. Barnabas are spoken of as \"beloved,\"\n\"men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus\nChrist\": and the Christians of Antioch are told, that Judas and Silas\nhave been sent, in order that they might explain more fully what had\nbeen written on the subject, about which St. James and the Church at\nJerusalem had been consulted. Sending these two brethren was a very\nwise measure. Had St. Paul and St. Barnabas returned alone, the Jewish\nteachers might have raised a question, as to how far they, being\ninterested in the matter, could be trusted to deliver any messages\ncorrectly; but Judas and Silas, having nothing to do with the affair,\nmust be regarded as unprejudiced witnesses as to what they had heard\nin Jerusalem.\n\nJudas and Silas are both called Prophets. \"The Prophets\" appear to\nhave been a class of teachers who were inspired to foretell future\nevents, as well as to preach the Gospel; but they had not so much\npower and authority as the Apostles. Then, again, there were other\nteachers, who were not Prophets. God gave different gifts and powers\nto different men, according to the work He appointed for them to do.\nIt is the same now: we have not all the same power, but each one of us\nshould try to do _all_ we _can_ to serve God, and do good to our\nfellow creatures.\n\nThe letters being written, and delivered to Judas and Silas, the\nApostles were dismissed, and \"came to Antioch: and when they had\ngathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: which\nwhen\" the Christian brethren \"had read, they rejoiced for the\nconsolation\" it had given them, in the assurance that they were by no\nmeans called upon to keep the whole Law of Moses.\n\nJudas and Silas made themselves very useful at Antioch; for they\n\"exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them\" in the\nfaith. \"And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in\npeace from the brethren unto the Apostles\" in Jerusalem. But one only\navailed himself of this permission: for \"it pleased Silas to abide\nthere still,\" and therefore he remained in Antioch with St. Paul and\nSt. Barnabas, \"teaching and preaching the word of the Lord.\" Many\nother teachers also helped them; and thus another year passed away.\n\nWe next read that, \"some days after, Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us\ngo again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached\nthe word of the Lord, and see how they do.\" This was a very good\nthought: another visit from the Apostles would be a great comfort to\nthe Christians of Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and other places; and\nespecially to the elders of those Churches, who would be glad to have\ntheir advice on many subjects. St. Barnabas was very willing to go;\nbut now a dispute arose, which caused the separation of these two\nApostles; for \"Barnabas determined to take with them Mark,\" his\nnephew; \"but Paul thought not good to take with them\" one who had left\nthem on their first journey as soon as they landed in Pamphylia; \"and\nwent not with them to the work,\" of preaching to the Gentiles in Asia\nMinor.\n\nDifferences of opinion will arise amongst the best of men, and so far\nthere was nothing wrong in the conduct of the Apostles: but, alas!\ninstead of seeking counsel from God, and settling the matter\npeaceably, Scripture tells us that \"the contention was so sharp\nbetween them, that they departed asunder one from the other.\" It is\nsad to hear of these two holy men parting from each other in anger;\nbut it is a warning to us to keep a strict watch over all _our_ words,\nthat we may not fall into that strife, which is so displeasing in the\neyes of God. Let us always remember that no dispute or quarrel, can be\ncarried on unless both parties give way to sinful feelings.\nDifferences must arise; and even if we feel it our duty not to give up\nour own design, we can, by gentleness, forbearance, and self-denial,\nprevent any \"sharp contention,\" even though we may thus be obliged to\noffend our adversary. Where no principle of right is concerned, we\nshould give up our own wishes for the sake of \"living peaceably with\nall men,\" as the Gospel enjoins us to do.\n\nSt. Paul was afraid to trust St. Mark: he had failed once; and perhaps\nthe Apostle was too stern in his condemnation of his fault, and too\nunwilling to believe in his repentance. St. Barnabas, on the other\nhand, from his nearer connexion with St. Mark, felt that he might now\nbe trusted; and he was probably angry with St. Paul for not also\nbelieving this. A little calm and quiet talk might perhaps have\nsettled the matter; or, at any rate, might have led to an amicable\nseparation, instead of \"a sharp contention,\" which parted them\nasunder.\n\nHowever it was, this unhappy dispute was overruled for the good of the\nChurch; because by going separately, these two zealous Apostles could\nvisit many more places than they could have done, had they continued\nto journey together. We must remember also, that though these Apostles\nwere for the moment angry with each other, these feelings did not\nlast; and, some years afterwards, we find St. Mark the companion of\nSt. Paul.\n\nAt the time of which we are now speaking, however, \"Barnabas took\nMark, and sailed unto Cyprus.\" How long he stayed there, or where he\nwent afterwards, we are not told; but we may be sure that, wherever he\nwent, his words strengthened the faith of believers, whilst he\nlaboured to bring fresh converts into the Church.\n\n\"And Paul chose Silas\" to accompany him on his Second Apostolic\nJourney, \"and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the\ngrace of God. And he went through Syria and\" the neighbouring province\nof \"Cilicia, confirming the churches.\" He then went northward into\nLycaonia; and at either Derbe or Lystra he found a young man, called\nTimotheus, or Timothy, one of the believers, who was well spoken of by\nother Christians in those parts, because they saw that in all things\nhe tried to obey Jesus, and follow His example. The mother of Timothy\nwas called Eunice, and his grandmother Lois. Both these women were\nJewesses, but had become Christians many years before. Eunice then\nmarried the father of Timothy, by birth a Greek, but then a proselyte\nof the gate, worshipping the God of Israel, but not observing the Law\nof Moses. As soon as the little Timothy was old enough to learn, his\nmother Eunice had carefully taught him the things of God, and\ninstructed him in the faith of Jesus Christ: so that now, by the\nblessing of God, he was a true Christian.\n\nMany children are taught nothing while they are young, and know no\nmore of God and Jesus Christ than if they were heathens. We must pity\nand pray for them; and children who have the blessing of being early\ntaught these things, should show their thankfulness, by trying to\n_learn_ and _do_ all that the Gospel teaches. No teaching can _make_ a\nchild _love_ and _serve_ God; but no one can love or serve Him unless\nthey learn how to do so. Therefore children should pay the greatest\nattention to all that is taught from the Bible and Prayer Book,\npraying to God that the Holy Spirit may help them to do whatever they\nsee to be right.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIV.--PAUL AND SILAS AT PHILIPPI.\n\n\nTimothy had paid attention to the teaching of his mother, praying for\ngrace to perceive and know what things he ought to do; and striving\nearnestly to fulfil the same: and now, St. Paul, seeing that such a\nyoung man would be most useful in preaching both to Jews and Gentiles,\n\"would have him to go forth with him\" on his journey: and he \"took and\ncircumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for\nthey knew all that his father was a Greek.\"\n\nAs the son of a Jewess, Timothy would be supposed to have been\ncircumcised; and the Jews, finding that this was not the case, and\nknowing that his father had been a heathen, would probably have been\nunwilling to listen to him; and thus his usefulness would have been\nsadly interfered with. Circumcision, in Timothy's case, was\n_unnecessary_, but there was nothing _wrong_ in it; and therefore, to\navoid giving offence to the Jews, St. Paul acted as we have heard.\nTaking Timothy with him, St. Paul now continued his journey. \"And as\nthey went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to\nkeep, that were ordained of the Apostles and elders which were at\nJerusalem,\" that is, the decrees concerning the observance of the Law\nof Moses by the Gentiles. And so were the Churches established in the\nfaith, and increased in number daily.\n\nAfter preaching the Gospel in Phrygia and Galatia, St. Paul and his\ncompanions would have gone into other parts of Asia Minor, but the\nSpirit of God made it known to them, that they were not to do so: they\nwent therefore to Troas, a sea-port quite in the northern part of the\nArchipelago. Here St. Paul's little band of followers was increased,\nfor St. Luke joined them; and from this time, in relating what\nhappened, St. Luke writes \"we\" and \"us,\" showing that he was one of\nthose concerned in the events he describes. Besides writing the Book\nof Acts, St. Luke wrote the Gospel which bears his name. We know\nnothing of St. Luke, except that he was a Jew and a physician: he was\nprobably a native of Antioch, in Syria. St. Luke tells us that, at\nTroas, St. Paul saw in a vision a man of Macedonia, who stood and\nprayed him, saying, \"Come over into Macedonia, and help us.\" St. Paul,\nrightly looking upon this as a call from God, immediately embarked on\nboard a ship, and sailing by the island of Samothracia, landed at\nNeapolis, a sea-port of Thracia. Macedonia had once been a separate\nkingdom, but the Romans, who had in the Apostles' time got possession\nof all that country called Greece, had divided the whole into two\ngreat parts: one of these contained Macedonia, Thessaly, and Epirus,\nbut went by the name of Macedonia: the other division, called Achaia,\ncontained the rest of Greece, including the Peloponnesus.\n\nFrom Neapolis St. Paul proceeded to Philippi, which was \"the chief\ncity of that part of Macedonia,\" and a Roman colony: that is, it was\npeopled or inhabited by the descendants of Romans, who had been placed\nthere by Julius Caeesar and by the Emperor Augustus. The place had got\nthe name of Philippi long before, from Philip then king of Macedonia,\nwho repaired the buildings of the city, and added many handsome new\nones. Philip was the father of Alexander the Great, a famous king, of\nwhom we read much in ancient history. Both Philip and Alexander lived\nand died more than 300 years before Jesus Christ was born.\n\nSt. Paul and his companions remained some time at Philippi; and St.\nLuke says, \"on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side,\nwhere prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the\nwomen which resorted thither.\"\n\nBesides the synagogues, or buildings for public worship, the Jews had\nalso, in every place where they took up their residence, smaller\nbuildings or oratories, to which people might constantly resort for\nthe purposes of prayer. These oratories were generally built in the\nfields, or by the side of a stream. To one of these oratories, close\nto the city of Philippi, St. Paul and his companions went, that they\nmight speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, to those who went there to\nworship the Lord God of Israel. Amongst their first converts was \"a\ncertain woman named Lydia,\" a native of the city of Thyatira, in Asia\nMinor, but resident in Philippi for the purposes of trade. Scripture\nsays, she was a \"seller of purple\": what this may mean, we do not\nexactly know; but it probably means, that she sold some fine materials\nfor female dress. At any rate, she had become a \"proselyte of the\ngate,\" and worshipped God: and the Lord \"opened her heart,\" so \"that\nshe attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul,\" with a\nsincere desire to learn; and in consequence became a real convert to\nChristianity, inducing all the members of her family to follow her\nexample. \"And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought\nus, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into\nmy house, and abide there.\" Eager to show her sincerity by _doing_\nsomething for the service of God, she now anxiously sought to be of\nuse to the messengers of Jesus for their Lord's sake; and entreated\nthem to take up their abode in her house.\n\nSt. Luke adds, \"And she constrained us\"--that is, so urged and\nentreated, as to force them to do as she wished. We now read, \"And it\ncame to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a\nspirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by\nsoothsaying.\"\n\nThis damsel seems to have been a slave, who, being possessed by an\nevil spirit, spake in a mysterious way, foretelling future events: and\nas the heathens were great believers in such things, many of them\nconsulted this unfortunate girl, and gave her money for exercising her\npowers. This money went to her masters, to whom she thus brought much\ngain. The Lord now chose this damsel, to give a proof that He can\nconstrain even evil spirits to bear testimony to the truth of Christ's\nreligion; for St. Luke says, \"The same followed Paul and us, and\ncried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which\nshew unto us the way of salvation.\"\n\nThe damsel at Philippi, though under the influence of the evil spirit,\nwas constrained by a higher power to bear evidence to the truth of\ndoctrines, calculated to overthrow the empire of Satan. \"And this did\nshe many days. But Paul, being grieved\" to see her under the dominion\nof an evil spirit, \"turned, and said to the spirit, I command thee in\nthe name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same\nhour\": thus putting an end to all future soothsaying. \"And when her\nmasters saw that the hope of their gains was gone,\" they were greatly\nenraged, and \"caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the\nmarket-place unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates,\nsaying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and\nteach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to\nobserve, being Romans.\" Such an accusation was sure to gain immediate\nattention from the magistrates, or governors of the city, as the\nRoman Emperors were very severe in any cases of rebellion or\nopposition, in their distant provinces: and though there was at that\ntime no express law against Christianity, there was a law requiring\nall persons to worship the gods of the country; and Christianity was,\nof course, opposed to all idolatrous practices. Covetousness, or a\nsinful love of money, is, we are told, the root of much evil: the\nmasters of the damsel cared not how much St. Paul preached the Gospel,\nas long as it did not interfere with their gains; but as soon as it\ndid, they raised an outcry against the Apostles. Now let us remember\nthat covetousness, or an eager desire for our own gain, whether of\nriches, honours, or pleasures, is just as great a sin now, as it was\nwhen the Scriptures were first written; and let us try never to let\nany thoughts of our own advantage or gain, lead us to _do_ or _allow_\nwhat we know to be wrong; or _prevent_ our doing what we feel is\nright. These men succeeded in their persecution of Paul and Silas, for\n\"the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates,\"\nwithout further consideration, \"rent off their clothes,\" preparatory\nto their being scourged, \"and commanded to beat them. And when they\nhad laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging\nthe jailor to keep them safely.\" The jailor, having received so\nspecial a charge, determined to keep it: and therefore \"thrust them\ninto the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks\"--a\nmachine fixed to the floor, having round holes just to go round the\nancles, so that when it was shut upon them, it was quite impossible\nfor the poor prisoners to move. Now imagine the sufferings of St. Paul\nand his companion: bleeding and smarting from the severe wounds made\nby the scourge, and their feet so confined, that they could get no\nease by any change of posture! We might expect to find them lamenting\nover their terrible sufferings, or, at least, praying to God to\ndeliver them. But the Scripture tells us, \"And at midnight Paul and\nSilas prayed, and sang praises unto God\": their faith was great; they\nrejoiced to suffer for the sake of Jesus, and they praised God for all\nHis wondrous works: they sang from their hearts with loud voice, and\nthe other \"prisoners heard them.\" No doubt such joyful songs, from the\nlips of those whom they knew to be in pain, surprised their fellow\nprisoners, who had soon a greater cause for astonishment. The prayers\nand praises of Paul and Silas went up to God: \"And suddenly there was\na great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were\nshaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's\nbands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his\nsleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and\nwould have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been\nfled.\" The jailor knew full well, that if the prisoners under his\ncharge had escaped from prison, he would surely be put to death by the\nRoman magistrates; and, to avoid the disgrace of such a death, he was\nabout to kill himself. Being a heathen, he did not know, as Christians\ndo, that it is a fearful sin to put an end to our own lives: and\ntherefore, rather than be punished for a fault of which he was not\nguilty, he prepared to kill himself. \"But Paul,\" knowing his\nintention, \"cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for\nwe are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came\ntrembling.\" Having thus convinced himself that his prisoners were\nindeed still in the prison, the jailor felt at once that the Apostles\nwere certainly holy men, the messengers of God. No doubt he knew that\nfor preaching the Gospel they had been cast into prison, and the\nwonderful things which he had now seen, convinced him that all they\nhad said was true: therefore he \"fell down\" on his knees \"before Paul\nand Silas, and brought them out\" of prison, \"and said, Sirs, what must\nI do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and\nthou shalt be saved, and thy house.\" What blessed words! and then they\ndoubtless explained to him that the faith here spoken of, meant such a\nbelief in Jesus, as would lead to repentance for all sin so\ndispleasing to Him, and make men strive to do all in their power to\nplease Him: for to believe the Gospel, means to do all that the Gospel\nteaches. Such, no doubt, was the Apostles' teaching, as \"they spake\nunto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.\" The\njailor showed his gratitude to the Apostles by doing all he could for\ntheir relief and comfort: for \"he took them the same hour of the\nnight, and washed their stripes.\" \"And when he had brought them into\nhis house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God\nwith all his house.\" Convinced and truly converted from the errors of\nidolatry to a belief of the truth as it is in Jesus, the jailor of\nPhilippi with his family were at once admitted as members of the\nChristian Church; he \"was baptized, he and all his, straightway.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XV.--ST. PAUL LEAVES PHILIPPI.\n\n\nIt would seem that the magistrates of Philippi, upon thinking calmly\nover the matter, felt that they had acted hastily and unjustly, in\ncommanding two men to be scourged and put into prison, without a\ntrial; for we read, \"And when it was day, the magistrates sent the\nserjeants,\" officers under their command, to the jailor, \"saying, Let\nthose men go.\" The keeper of the prison, well pleased to receive such\nan order, told this to Paul, saying, \"The magistrates have sent to let\nyou go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said unto\" the\nserjeants who stood by, \"They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being\nRomans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out\nprivily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.\"\n\nNow in order to understand all this, we must remember that the Romans,\nwho thought themselves greatly superior to any other people in the\nworld, were very jealous of their power and privileges as citizens of\nRome. Thus, if a Roman citizen was ill treated, the Roman Government\nwould severely punish any one who had dared to ill treat him. All\npersons whose parents were natives and citizens of Rome, were looked\nupon as _free-born_ citizens; and enjoyed from their birth, all the\nrights and privileges given by the Roman Government to her subjects.\n\nPersons not born of Roman citizens, if they had done good service,\neither by fighting for Rome, or in any other way, were often rewarded\nby receiving the _Freedom of the City_; that is, by being looked upon\nand treated as Roman citizens, and having an equal share in all the\nprivileges and benefits, granted to such Romans as _were_ free-born.\n\nSt. Paul was not a native of Rome, nor were his parents; for they were\nJews, settled at Tarsus, in Cilicia: probably some of his ancestors,\nhis grandfather or great-grandfather, had served in the Roman armies,\nand been rewarded for some great service, by receiving the freedom of\nthe city: after which, all his descendants would be looked upon as\nfree-born citizens of Rome.\n\nThe Roman Emperors sometimes allowed strangers to _buy_ the\nprivileges: the Emperor Claudius did so: and for a large sum of money\nallowed people to have _for themselves_ the privileges of a Roman\ncitizen--a great advantage in those days, as the rulers of every\nRoman province were bound to protect every Roman citizen in it, and\nnot suffer any one to be ill treated. To scourge and imprison a Roman\ncitizen, without having first _proved_ him to have been guilty of some\ngreat crime, was an offence which the Roman Government punished most\nseverely; and therefore, we find that when the serjeants went back,\nand \"told these words unto the magistrates, they feared, when they\nheard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them\" not to\nreport the treatment they had received, \"and brought them out\" of\nprison, \"and desired (or entreated) them to depart out of the city.\"\n\nWe may be quite sure that St. Paul neither valued nor used the\nprivileges of a Roman, further than they could serve to the glory of\nGod. In this case, many of the people who had seen him and Silas\nbeaten and cast into prison, would naturally think that they must have\ndone something wrong: this would prevent the people from listening to\nwhat they taught. It was necessary, therefore, that St. Paul should\nshow clearly that he had _not_ deserved any punishment; and that the\nmagistrates themselves acknowledged, that they had sinned in treating\nhim in such a manner. St. Paul, by his conduct, plainly proved his\ninnocence of all offence. \"And they went out of the prison, and\nentered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren,\nthey comforted them, and departed.\"\n\nOf course the brethren were very sorry to lose St. Paul; but now that\nhe had established a Church at Philippi, they could go on without him,\nwhilst his teaching was much wanted in other places: and consequently,\nhe and Silas journeyed on to the south-west. \"Now when they had passed\nthrough Amphipolis and Apollonia,\" preaching the Gospel no doubt,\nthough we hear nothing as to their success, they went to Thessalonica,\nan important city of Macedonia, and one in which many Jews resided;\nfor there was a synagogue there. \"And Paul, as his manner was, went in\nunto them\" in their synagogue, \"and three sabbath days reasoned with\nthem out of the Scriptures\": showing that those holy writings,\nprophesied both the sufferings and the rising again of Christ the\nMessiah; and then plainly telling them, \"this Jesus, whom I preach\nunto you, is Christ,\" the promised Messiah, of whom your Scriptures\nspeak.\n\n\"And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of\nthe devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a\nfew.\" As usual, the Jews were more bitter against the Gospel than the\nGentiles; and we read that \"the Jews which believed not, moved with\nenvy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort,\"--men of\nno principle, ready at any time to do any mischief which came in their\nway: by the help of these men, the Jews \"gathered a company, and set\nall the city on an uproar, and assaulted (or attacked) the house of\nJason,\" where they supposed the Apostles to be, \"and sought to bring\nthem out to the people,\" who, in their excited state, would probably\nhave put them to death without further inquiry.\n\nJason was one of those who had become a Christian, and he appears to\nhave shown hospitality to the Apostles, and lodged them in his house;\nthough the mob did not find them there, when they assaulted the house.\n\"And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren\nunto the rulers of the city, crying, These (men) that have turned the\nworld upside down are come hither also; whom Jason hath received: and\nthese all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is\nanother king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers\nof the city, when they heard these things.\" But the rulers could find\nno cause to punish Jason or the other brethren that were dragged with\nhim before the judgment seat, so \"they let them go,\" \"when they had\ntaken security of them.\" What this \"security\" was, we do not know;\nprobably some promise not to entertain the Apostles, nor to rebel\nagainst the Roman Emperor.\n\nBy \"turning the world upside down,\" the accusers of Jason meant, that\nwhat the Apostles taught was so different to anything ever heard of\nbefore, that it would quite alter everything, and make the world no\nlonger like the same place. This, let us remember, is exactly what the\nGospel was meant to do.\n\nIt was not considered advisable for the Apostles to remain longer at\nThessalonica, where the people were too much enraged to listen to\nthem; and therefore, \"the brethren immediately sent away Paul and\nSilas by night unto Berea.\"\n\nThere was a synagogue of the Jews also at Berea, whither, when it was\nneither useful nor safe for them to remain at Thessalonica, Paul and\nSilas were sent; \"who coming thither went into the synagogue of the\nJews. These were more noble (more liberal-minded and unprejudiced)\nthan those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all\nreadiness of mind, (listened willingly to the teaching of the\nApostles,) and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things\nwere so\": they compared the teaching of St. Paul with the written\nword of the Old Testament, in order to see whether they were justified\nin believing all he taught them. The consequence of this was, that\nmany of the Jews believed; \"also of honourable women which were\nGreeks, and of men, not a few.\" But when the unbelieving Jews of\nThessalonica, heard that the people of Berea were listening to St.\nPaul and becoming Christians, some of them came down on purpose to try\nand put an end to his preaching. They easily found plenty of\nunbelieving Jews and Gentiles ready for mischief, and stirred them up\nto make a riot: the brethren now acted as those at Thessalonica had\ndone, and fearing for the Apostle's safety, immediately \"sent away\nPaul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode,\"\nstill in Berea.\n\nTwo or three of the brethren went with St. Paul to guard him from\ndanger. We read, \"And they that conducted Paul brought him unto\nAthens,\" either by sea or by land; \"and receiving a commandment,\" that\nis, a message, from him \"unto Silas and Timotheus,\" bidding them \"for\nto come to him with all speed, they departed\" to return unto Berea;\nleaving St. Paul alone at Athens.\n\nAthens was the chief city of Achaia, the other province which, with\nMacedonia, formed what the Romans then called \"Greece.\" Athens long\nbefore this had been a powerful and famous city: it was founded, or\nbegun to be built, by a king called Cecrops, who came over from Asia\nduring the time that the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, before\nMoses was born. In the course of time Athens became, as we have said,\na great and powerful city; full of beautiful temples and other\nbuildings: some of these are even standing now; and a great many ruins\nare to be seen, all showing how magnificent the city must once have\nbeen.\n\nIn St. Paul's time, Athens, like most other cities and countries in\nthe known world, was under the dominion of the Romans; and the\nAthenians, or inhabitants of the city, were quite devoted to the\nworship of false gods: we are told that there were more idols to be\nseen at Athens, than could be found in any other place.\n\nNow while St. Paul waited at Athens, for Silas and Timotheus to join\nhim, \"his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given\nto idolatry.\" Grieved at the state of the Athenians, the Apostle felt\neager to try and teach them better things: \"his spirit was stirred in\nhim; therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with\nthe devout persons,\" proselytes of the gate, \"and in the market daily\nwith them that met with him\"; who must have been for the most part\nGentiles, or heathen idolaters. The market, as has been explained, was\na public place, where people met for business of all kinds; and to\ntalk to each other upon any subjects of importance.\n\nThere were at this time in Athens, a great many wise and clever men,\nfond of learning: such men were called \"Philosophers.\" These\nphilosophers held different opinions; some believing one thing, some\nanother; and as they each wished to bring people over to join them,\nthey constantly spake in the market-place, explaining their doctrines,\nand persuading men to believe in them.\n\nTwo chief sects (or parties) of these philosophers, were the\nEpicureans and the Stoics. The Epicureans thought that the gods were\nonly so in name, and that there was no Divine Power whatever to rule\nover the world; therefore they held, that the wisest thing was, for\nevery man to do exactly what he liked best, and only to think of his\nown pleasure, as long as he lived.\n\nThe Stoics believed, that there were gods who ruled all things in the\nworld so completely, that man became a mere machine, not answerable\nfor his own conduct; so that he could never be said to do right or\nwrong: thus they taught, that the only real wisdom was to learn to\nbear with _indifference_ whatever the gods caused to happen to them,\nwhether it was what men call good or evil, happiness or misery.\n\nBoth these \"systems of philosophy\" (or sets of opinions), were equally\ncontrary to all that St. Paul was appointed to teach. We read, \"Then\ncertain of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him.\" But\nwhen they had heard, his teaching, \"some said, What will this babbler\nsay?\"-mocking the Apostle as if he had been talking nonsense, without\nany meaning, just from a love of \"babbling,\" or talking foolishly.\nOthers said, \"He seemeth to be a setter-forth of strange gods: because\nhe preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.\" So little did all\ntheir wisdom help them to understand spiritual things, that they\nfancied the resurrection of which St. Paul spake, was some _female\ndeity_ called by that name, instead of understanding it to be an\naction done by Jesus, whom St. Paul preached. The God of whom St. Paul\nspake, was indeed a strange God unto the Athenian philosophers! but\ninstead of ill using the preacher, they, like sensible men, determined\nto hear more on the subject.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVI.--ST. PAUL BEFORE THE AREOPAGUS.\n\n\nWe have said that the Philosophers of Athens were desirous to hear\nmore of St. Paul's doctrines. \"And they took him, and brought him unto\nAreopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou\nspeakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we\nwould know therefore what these things mean.\"\n\nThe Areopagus was a Court of Justice, the chief court in Athens; and\none of its duties was, to pay particular attention to all matters\nrelating to religion, or the worship of the gods. The members of this\nCourt met in a building erected upon a certain hill dedicated to Mars,\nthe God of War; and thence called Mars' Hill. St. Paul was now brought\nbefore this Court, that he might give an account of the new doctrines\nwhich he had begun to teach in Athens. The Athenians were so fond of\nlearning, that whenever they heard anything which they did not\nunderstand, they were anxious to inquire into it, and see what it did\nmean. To a certain degree this was right, for we should all try to get\nas much knowledge as we can, as to good and useful things. But the\nAthenians were too curious; for St. Luke tells us, that \"all the\nAthenians and strangers which were\" in the city, \"spent their time in\nnothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing\": and from\nother writers we learn, that the Athenians went from place to place in\norder to meet others, and hear if there was anything new.\n\nNow this love of change and novelty, or \"new things,\" is a great\nfault, and one which often leads us into sin.\n\nIf we are always wishing for some _new_ occupation or business, we\nshall never do anything well: if we are longing and seeking for _new_\namusements, we shall not enjoy what we have: if children are always\nwishing for _new_ toys, they will cease to care about the old ones.\nTherefore all this desire for novelty and change will lead to\nindolence, discontent, covetousness, and many other evil passions. Let\nus remember that people who cultivate a contented spirit, are always\nhappy with whatever they have: discontented people are never happy;\nwhatever they have, they will still be wishing for something else: for\nit is quite impossible for anybody to have everything he wishes for.\n\nBut we must go back to St. Paul, standing before the Court of\nAreopagus, and desired there to give an account of his doctrines. The\nApostle, glad to have such an opportunity of preaching the Gospel\nbefore the chief men in Athens, now stood up, and spake gently and\nkindly. He began by telling them, that as he had gone about their city\nlooking at the different images to which they bowed down, and at the\ndifferent altars set up for the worship of those whom they called\ngods, he had found one, bearing an inscription \"TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.\"\nThis showed that they were \"too superstitious,\" for to worship a God\nof whom they knew nothing, was superstition rather than religion. This\nignorance, therefore, St. Paul now proposed to remove, so that the\nUnknown God might no longer be so to them: \"Whom therefore ye\nignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.\"\n\nBefore we proceed with what St. Paul said to the Athenians on this\nsubject, we will see how they came to dedicate an altar to \"the\nUnknown God.\"\n\nSome time before this, there had been a plague or pestilence in\nAthens; that is, a bad illness, which spread from one person to\nanother, until thousands of people died of it. In vain did the\nAthenians pray to all their false gods to stop it: such prayers of\ncourse _could_ have no effect, and the pestilence went on killing the\npeople. At last a number of sheep were taken to Mars' Hill, and there\nset at liberty, to go wherever they pleased, followed by men,\nappointed to watch them. Whenever one of these sheep laid down, it was\nimmediately sacrificed to \"the propitious god.\" \"Propitious\" means\nfavourable, kind, willing to grant a request, or supply a want. The\nsheep were thus sacrificed to that one amongst the gods, who would be\nkind enough to put an end to the pestilence. Soon afterwards it did\nplease the Almighty to remove this terrible plague: the Athenians of\ncourse attributed their deliverance to one of their gods; but as they\ncould not tell which one of them had been \"the propitious god,\" they\nset up this altar to \"the Unknown God,\" who had come to their help in\nthe time of trouble.\n\nWe know very well that the Lord God Almighty can alone take away\ndisease and sickness, or any other trouble; and therefore, though the\nAthenians did not mean it so, they had really dedicated this altar to\nthe One True God, of Whom St. Paul spake. Well therefore did St. Paul,\nwhen speaking to them of the Unknown God, say, \"Whom therefore ye\nignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.\"\n\nSt. Paul then told the Athenians, that He whom they worshipped as the\nUnknown God, was the Lord Who had made the world and all things in it:\nthat He gave life and breath and all things to His creatures, and did\nnot require to be worshipped with sacrifices and gifts, as though He\nneeded anything at the hands of man. St. Paul said, also, that God had\nmade men, in order that they might love and serve Him as their Father:\nand he reminded them, that one of their own poets had said, \"For we\nare also his offspring.\" The poet here meant, was one called Aratus:\nhe was born in Cilicia, but had probably lived and studied in Athens,\nso that the Athenians considered him as one of their own poets, and\nwere well acquainted with his poem 'On the Heavenly Bodies'; from\nwhich St. Paul quoted a line.\n\nSt. Paul proceeded to explain, that the Lord God Almighty, their\n\"Unknown God,\" was a very different Being to idols of gold, or silver,\nor stone, made or \"graven by art and man's device.\" And he told the\nAthenians, that although the Lord God had hitherto forborne to punish\nthose, who in ignorance worshipped idols, that time was now past; for\nnow, said the Apostle, He \"commandeth all men everywhere to repent:\nbecause he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world\nin righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained\"; meaning the Lord\nJesus Christ, who shall come to judge the quick and dead: and as a\nproof that God would do this, St. Paul mentioned that Jesus Christ\nHimself had already risen from the grave, saying, \"whereof he hath\ngiven assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the\ndead.\"\n\nWhen the Athenians heard St. Paul speaking \"of the resurrection of the\ndead,\" it seemed to them so impossible that a dead man should ever\ncome back to life, that they quite laughed at his words: \"some mocked;\nand others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul\ndeparted from among them\"; apparently without having made any\nimpression upon his hearers: but it was not so, for in spite of the\nunbelief and ridicule of many, we read, \"Howbeit certain men clave\nunto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite,\"\nthat is, a member of the court of Areopagus, \"and a woman named\nDamaris, and others with them.\" \"After these things, Paul departed\nfrom Athens, and came to Corinth\"; another city of Achaia, in that\npart of Greece which used to be called the Peloponnesus, or rather on\nthe isthmus which joined the Peloponnesus to the rest of Greece, and\ntook its name from this town. The situation of Corinth, with sea on\nboth sides, made it an important place for trade; because ships could\neasily come there from different countries, to sell the merchandise\nthey brought with them, and buy such things as they wanted to take\nhome. By means of their trade, the inhabitants of Corinth had become\nvery rich; their city was flourishing; and many learned men resided in\nit, when St. Paul now came there about A.D. 51. A little before this\ntime, the Roman Emperor Claudius, had for some reason or other,\nbanished the Jews from Rome. We do not know the reason, but it seems\nlikely that it was because there had been a famine in Rome, which the\npeople foolishly thought was the fault of the Jews, whom they hated;\nand so to satisfy the people, and prevent any disturbance, Claudius\ncommanded all Jews to leave the city.\n\nAmong the Jews thus obliged to leave Rome, was a man named Aquila,\nborn in Pontus, a country to the N.E. of Galatia, on the Black Sea: he\nwas therefore one of the Jews called \"Grecians,\" because, though his\nparents were Jews, he was not born in the land of Judaea. When he was\nobliged to leave Rome, Aquila and his wife Priscilla settled in\nCorinth, where they greatly helped St. Paul. Whether they had become\nbelievers before they left Rome or afterwards, we do not know; but\nthey were Christians when St. Paul came to Corinth, and were probably\nknown in some way to the Apostle, for he \"came unto them. And because\nhe was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by\ntheir occupation they were tent-makers.\"\n\nThe Jews had a saying, that \"Every man who does not teach his son some\ntrade, teaches him to be a thief\"--in which there is a great deal of\ntruth; for if a man has learnt no trade by which he can support\nhimself honestly, there is great danger of his being tempted to obtain\na living by dishonest means. It was therefore the custom amongst the\nJews, even of the higher classes, who like St. Paul had been well\neducated as to letters, to teach their sons some \"craft\" or\noccupation, whereby they could, if ever it became necessary, earn\nmoney to provide themselves with food and clothes, and such things as\nare needful.\n\nSt. Paul had learnt the trade of tent-making; and he now abode with\nAquila and Priscilla, working with them for his daily bread, whilst\nevery sabbath he \"reasoned in the synagogue, and persuaded the Jews\nand the Greeks\": trying, that is, to bring them to believe in Jesus\nChrist.\n\nAt Corinth, St. Paul was joined by Silas and Timotheus, who had\nremained at Berea when he was so suddenly sent to Athens: they had\nafterwards returned to Thessalonica, from whence they now came to\nCorinth, and gave St. Paul an account of what they had been doing\nsince he left them. In consequence of what he now heard from Silas and\nTimotheus, St. Paul wrote an Epistle or letter to the Thessalonians,\nwho had become Christians.\n\nIn this letter, St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, how thankful he is\nto hear that those who had become Christians, were trying to do all\nthat the Gospel taught them they ought to do: and then he assures\nthem, that he prays to God to give them more and more faith, and to\nmake them love Jesus better and better. Then the Apostle warned them\nnot to listen to any teachers, who might try to teach them anything\ndifferent to what he, and Silas, and Timothy, had already taught them.\nSt. Paul also told the Thessalonian Christians, that they must\nendeavour to be good and holy; and he gave them many particular\ndirections for their conduct, one of which is, \"Pray without ceasing.\"\nThe Apostle ends his letter with a prayer, that God will keep them\nfree from all sin both in body and soul. This letter of St. Paul's is\nto be found in the Bible, where it is called, \"The First Epistle of\nPaul the Apostle to the Thessalonians.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVII.--ST. PAUL FINISHES HIS SECOND APOSTOLIC JOURNEY.\n\n\nAfter Timothy and Silas had joined St. Paul, he spake still more\nplainly and decidedly to the Jews at Corinth, wishing to make them\nfollow the example of their brethren at Thessalonica: but when he\ntried to convince them that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, they would\nnot listen to him, but \"opposed themselves, and blasphemed.\" Then \"he\nshook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own\nheads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.\" St.\nPaul meant by this, that if by their own obstinacy they _would_\nprovoke the Lord to punish them, he was not to blame, for he had tried\nto teach them what was right: and that from henceforth he would\npreach only to the Gentiles in Corinth, and have nothing more to say\nto the Jews; and he shook his raiment, as a sign that he would have\nnothing more to do with them. When St. Paul had thus spoken to the\nJews in their synagogue, \"he departed thence,\" ceasing to preach in\nthe synagogue, \"and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus,\none that worshipped God\" as a proselyte of the gate, \"whose house\njoined hard to the synagogue.\" Most probably he had in his house some\nlarge room, in which it was convenient for St. Paul to preach: and\nhere he converted many. \"And Crispus, the chief ruler of the\nsynagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the\nCorinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized.\"\n\nSt. Paul was at this time greatly encouraged by a vision. We read,\n\"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid,\nbut speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man\nshall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this\ncity,\"--many, that is, who, from hearing St. Paul, would become true\nChristians. Thus encouraged, he continued in Corinth \"a year and six\nmonths, teaching the word of God among them.\"\n\nDuring the eighteen months which St. Paul spent in Corinth, he appears\nto have written \"The Epistle to the Galatians,\" which was probably\nwritten before that to the Thessalonians. St. Paul had, as we have\nheard, preached in Galatia before he went into Macedonia. It seems,\nhowever, that the Galatians had not continued steadfast in the faith;\nand the Apostle now writes kindly, to express his surprise at their\nhaving fallen away from the Gospel they had once received; warning\nthem seriously not to believe any doctrines contrary to those which he\nhad taught them: for that he had been chosen by the Lord in a\nmiraculous manner to be an Apostle, and the doctrines which he taught\nto others he had received from God Himself. He also reminds the\nGalatians, that no man could obtain salvation by the works of the Law,\nsince none could do them perfectly, and that it is through faith in\nJesus only, that all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, can be saved.\nBefore closing his Epistle, St. Paul gives a list of the works of the\nflesh, or sinful nature of man, and of the works of the Spirit. This\nlist we shall do well to study, and also to take as addressed to\nourselves the Apostle's exhortation, \"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall\nnot fulfil the lust of the flesh\": remembering always, that \"they\nthat are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and\nlusts.\"\n\nFrom Corinth, at this time, St. Paul also wrote his Second Epistle to\nthe Thessalonians; expressing his thankfulness that in the midst of\npersecutions they were increasing in faith; and he encourages them to\npersevere, by reminding them of that day when Christ shall come to\njudge the world, and reward the faithful with everlasting life. He\nthen begged those to whom he wrote, to pray that the Gospel preached\nby him might be received by others as it had been by them; and he\nprays for them, that the Lord will \"direct their hearts into the love\nof God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.\"\n\nSt. Paul was not allowed to rest undisturbed at Corinth, for when\nGallio was deputy-governor, or pro-consul, of Achaia, \"the Jews made\ninsurrection with one accord against Paul; and brought him to the\njudgment seat, saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God\ncontrary to the law,\"--meaning their own law, the Law of Moses. St.\nPaul was going to speak in answer to this charge, but Gallio\ninterrupted him, and told the Jews that if they had any wickedness, or\ncrime, to accuse St. Paul of, he must of course listen to the charge;\nand adding, \"but if it be a question of words and names, and of your\nlaw, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.\" Gallio, a\nheathen, despised both Jews and Christians, and cared nothing about\nthe Law of Moses, whether it were observed or not; therefore he would\nnot listen to the Jews: \"and he drave them from the judgment seat.\"\n\n\"Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue,\nand beat him before the judgment seat.\" Why the Greeks beat this Jew,\nwe are not told. Some think that Sosthenes was favourable to St. Paul,\nand that on this account the Jews stirred up the heathens to treat him\nin this way. But it seems more likely that Sosthenes was one of the\nmost bitter enemies of the Apostle, and had been particularly anxious\nto get him punished; and that the Greeks thought that beating him\nseverely, would be the most likely way of putting a stop to any future\ndisturbance from the Jews.\n\nHowever that might be, \"Gallio cared for none of those things\":\nthough, as governor and judge of a province, he was neglecting his\nduty by allowing _any_ man to be treated in such a way. Soon after\nthis, St. Paul left Corinth for a time.\n\nWhen St. Paul left Corinth, soon after the affair with Gallio, it\nwould seem that he went to the island of Crete, or Candia, and there\nleft one of his companions, called Titus, to direct the affairs of the\nChristian Church in that country. We know nothing of Titus, except\nthat his parents were Gentiles, and that he was converted to\nChristianity by St. Paul, who would not allow him to be circumcised,\nlest it should be thought a proof of the _necessity_ of circumcision,\nwhich the Church had declared to be _unnecessary_ for those heathens\nwho embraced the Gospel. Titus was highly esteemed by St. Paul, who\nspeaks of him as his \"partner\" and \"fellow helper\"; showing that he\ngreatly helped him in his work.\n\nWe do not exactly know where St. Paul went to from Crete: there is\nreason to believe that in trying to return to Corinth he encountered a\nstorm, and was driven by the wind to the western coast of Greece, and\nthere shipwrecked, and forced to take refuge in the city of Nicopolis.\nHere the Apostle determined to spend the winter, that he might preach\nthe Gospel to the inhabitants of Illyricum--a country to the north,\nforming the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. From Nicopolis he\nappears to have written the Epistle to Titus, giving him directions as\nto his own conduct, and telling him what sort of men he must choose to\nhelp him in teaching the people of Crete. St. Paul also told Titus to\nbe very careful to teach all who became Christians, that they must try\nto be good, and lead holy lives, following in all things the example\nof the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nFrom Nicopolis, in due time, St. Paul went back to Corinth. In the\nBook of Acts we read nothing of this little journey of St. Paul's. St.\nLuke does not of course tell us everything that the Apostle did, and\nhe speaks as if he had remained at Corinth all the time. Speaking of\nSt. Paul's final departure from Corinth, St. Luke says, \"And Paul\nafter this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of\nthe brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and\nAquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.\" This vow\nmust either have been a vow of Nazaritism, already mentioned (vol. ii.\np. 108), which St. Paul had on some occasion taken in order to please\nthe Jews; or some other vow, which he had made in acknowledgment of\nthe goodness and mercy of God. Cenchrea was a small sea-port, not far\nfrom Corinth; and from thence St. Paul and his company, with Aquila\nand Priscilla, sailed to Syria; and then proceeded to Ephesus, a\nlarge town in Lydia. Ephesus was particularly celebrated for its\nbeautiful and magnificent temple, erected in honour of the heathen\ngoddess Diana, and set apart for her worship. This Diana, one of the\npretended deities of the heathen, was supposed to rule all things\nbelonging to the chase--to be the goddess of hunting. The moon was\nlooked upon as a sign, or symbol, of Diana; and under this form she\nwas also worshipped.\n\nSt. Paul, as usual, preached in the synagogue at Ephesus, and\n\"reasoned with the Jews,\" who seem to have listened willingly, and\neven wished him to stay on. But \"when they desired him to tarry longer\ntime with them, he consented not; but bade them farewell, saying, I\nmust by all means keep this feast\" (of the Passover) \"that cometh, in\nJerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he\nsailed from Ephesus. And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up,\nand saluted the church\" at Jerusalem, and kept the Passover, \"he went\ndown to Antioch,\" A.D. 54; thus ending his Second Apostolic Journey,\nwhich had occupied about four years.\n\nSt. Luke has mentioned the places at which St. Paul made any long stay\nduring this time; but as we have already seen, he does not notice all\nhis short visits to other places. In the same way, St. Luke tells us\nall the most remarkable events that took place during these four\nyears; but of course he cannot tell us _everything_ that the Apostle\ndid or said: just as the Gospels, though they tell us all things\nneedful for us to know, do not relate every word that Jesus said, or\nevery miracle that He worked; because, as St. John remarks, \"if they\nshould be written every one of them, the world itself could not\ncontain the books that should be written.\"\n\nAfter St. Paul had spent some time at Antioch, he began his Third\nApostolic Journey: \"he departed, and went over all the country of\nGalatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples,\"--that\nis, he went again to all those places where he had before established\nChurches, or companies of believers, to see how they were going on,\nand to encourage them to persevere in their endeavours to serve the\nLord faithfully. But in the mean time the Church at Ephesus was not\nleft without a teacher; for Aquila and Priscilla remained there, and\nwere no doubt of great use in reminding others of all that St. Paul\nhad taught them: and of one good work done by them St. Luke gives us\nan account; for we read, \"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at\nAlexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to\nEphesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being\nfervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of\nthe Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.\"\n\nAlexandria was a famous city, built by Alexander the Great, in the\nnorth of Egypt, and celebrated for the many learned men who lived in\nit. Apollos had there studied the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and\nbeing \"eloquent,\" able to speak well, he taught them diligently in\nEphesus. But he seems to have heard only of the Baptism of John, and\nto have known only that men were to receive the baptism of repentance,\nof which John spake, to prepare them for believing in the Messiah, of\nWhom John was the messenger, or forerunner. But Apollos does not seem\nto have understood that the Messiah had come, or to have known of His\npromise, to give the Holy Spirit to those who would believe in Him and\nbe baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy\nGhost. Apollos was fervent in spirit, full of zeal; and so, as far as\nhe knew, he taught diligently. \"And he began to speak boldly in the\nsynagogue.\" When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, \"they took him unto\nthem,\" probably to reside in their house, \"and expounded unto him the\nway of God more perfectly,\"--that is, they explained all that he was\nignorant of; they spake to him of Jesus and of His Baptism, and showed\nhim that the sins of all who believed, and were baptized, would be\nforgiven. Apollos listened gladly to the words of Aquila and\nPriscilla, and then wished to go into Greece, to teach others the\nthings he had learnt. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia,\nthe members of the Church at Ephesus wrote to those of Corinth, to\nreceive him into their company.\n\nAt Corinth, Apollos, by his earnestness and faith, \"helped them much\nwhich had believed through grace\": nor was this all, \"for he mightily\nconvinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that\nJesus was Christ.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVIII.--ST. PAUL AND THE SONS OF SCEVA.\n\n\nWe have said that St. Paul began his Third Apostolic Journey by going\nagain through Galatia and Phrygia: then, having passed through the\n\"upper coasts\" of Asia Minor, he came again to Ephesus, after Apollos\nhad gone to Corinth. At Ephesus St. Paul now found certain disciples,\nabout twelve men, who had been taught by Apollos, before Aquila and\nPriscilla had expounded to him the way of God more perfectly: to these\nmen St. Paul said, \"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?\nAnd they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be\nany Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye\nbaptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.\" Then St. Paul explained\nto them that John the Baptist came to call all men to repentance, and\nthat his baptism was only meant to prepare the way for that of Jesus,\nand to lead all men to believe in Him, and be baptized in the way\nwhich He should appoint. \"When they heard this, they were baptized in\nthe name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon\nthem, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and\nprophesied.\" St. Paul, anxious to convert the Jews, spake boldly in\nthe synagogue for three months, \"disputing and persuading the things\nconcerning the kingdom of God.\" But, as usual, many of the Jews were\ndetermined not to believe; and not only rejected the truth themselves,\nbut spake evil of it, and abused it to the multitude, so as to try and\nprevent their believing it either. St. Paul, seeing this, would teach\nno longer in the synagogue; and \"departed from them, and separated the\ndisciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus\"; that is, he\nassembled all who were willing to listen to him, in a large room or\n\"school\"--a name given to those buildings or rooms used for\ninstruction in any kind of knowledge. In the school of Tyrannus, who\nwas a teacher of some science, and probably a convert, St. Paul now\npreached to all who would come and listen. \"And this continued by the\nspace of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the\nword of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought special\nmiracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto\nthe sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from\nthem, and the evil spirits went out of them.\" They were healed by\nmerely touching those articles which the Apostle had touched. Such a\nwonderful exercise of miraculous power must have drawn many to listen\nto the teaching of one, who did such things; and no doubt many, who so\nlistened, became true Christians.\n\nWe must now say something of the unhappy state of the province of\nJudaea at this time, of which the Bible gives no account. A Roman named\nFelix had been made governor of Judaea A.D. 51, whilst St. Paul was at\nCorinth: Felix treated the Jews cruelly, and ill-used them to such a\ndegree, as to drive them into open rebellion; and this, of course, led\nto severe punishments and fresh cruelties. The whole country was in a\nsadly disturbed state: robbers infested every part of it; men came\nforward pretending to be the Messiah, for the Jews, who disbelieved in\nJesus Christ, still expected the coming of the promised Messiah;\nmurders and executions took place constantly: the High Priest was\nmurdered at the very altar, and many persons were killed in the\ntemple. In short, as Josephus writes, \"God seemed to have abandoned\nJerusalem as a detested city, and to have sent the Romans, to punish\nthe Jews for their sin in rejecting and crucifying the Lord Jesus\nChrist.\"\n\nDuring this dreadful time of trouble, a Jew from Egypt came to\nJerusalem, and having persuaded many of the unhappy inhabitants of\nJudaea to believe the lies he told them, he led an immense number of\nthem to the top of the Mount of Olives, promising that the Lord would\nthere work a great miracle, and deliver them and their country from\nthe hands of the Romans. Of course nothing of the kind took place.\nMany of these wretched dupes were slain by the Roman soldiers, and the\nrest fled away, in order to save their lives.\n\nThe land of Judaea was indeed in a sad state; the sufferings of the\nJews were terrible; but they had deserved them. Often and often had\nthey been entreated to repent and believe in Jesus, but they would\nnot; and now the mercy of God was forced to give place to His just\nanger.\n\nLet this be a warning to us Christians, never to force the Lord to\ntake away His mercy from us. If, by our obstinate impenitence and\ncontinuance in sin, we force Him to punish us _as we deserve_, we must\nperish miserably for ever. But God sees our hearts, and if we are\nreally sorry for our sins, and are earnestly trying to conquer\nourselves and resist our evil passions and desires, He will have mercy\nupon us, and not be extreme to mark what is done amiss.\n\nWe have seen that St. Paul remained for two years in Ephesus,\nconverting many by his preaching and his miracles. His success as\nusual raised the envy and anger of the unbelieving Jews, who were\nanxious to draw the people away from the Apostle, by making them\nbelieve that they could work miracles as well as St. Paul. The means\nthey took we shall shortly hear.\n\nThe Gentile inhabitants of Ephesus were much given to the study of all\nthe arts of magic, and were considered to be very clever in the\npractice of them. We have already spoken of sorcery, witchcraft, and\nmagic: how far the professors of them were allowed to appear to do\nwonderful things by these means, we do not know; but we do know, that\nany attempt to have such communications with evil spirits was sinful\nin the sight of God, and that the Jews were especially forbidden to\npractice any such arts, or to hold communication with those who did\nso. In spite of this, many of the Jews did follow these sinful\nstudies.\n\nSt. Luke says, \"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took\nupon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the\nLord Jesus,\" using that Sacred Name as they would have used any of\ntheir magical spells or words. \"Vagabond\" means wandering; and we\ngenerally use the word to describe idle, worthless people, who go\nabout begging or stealing, instead of working honestly to gain their\nown living. \"Exorcists\" was only a name given to those who professed\nto cast out evil spirits by the arts of sorcery.\n\n\"And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the\npriests, which did so.\" The spiritual state of the Jews must indeed\nhave been sad, when the sons of a priest could be found thus wilfully\npractising arts, upon which the sentence of death was pronounced by\nthe Law! These men, seeing that when St. Paul spake to the evil\nspirits in the name of Jesus, they immediately left the bodies of\nthose whom they had possessed, wickedly determined to use that Holy\nName, in order to heal a man in whom was an evil spirit. And they\nsaid, \"We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth\" to come out of this\nman. \"And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I\nknow; but who are ye?\" The devils were forced to acknowledge the power\nof Jesus, and that for His sake they must obey His servant Paul; but\nthey plainly told these Jews that they were in no way subject to them:\nand they gave a strong proof of this, for \"the man in whom the evil\nspirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against\nthem, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.\" Such an\nevent as this showed clearly that all power belonged to God alone, and\nthat all magical arts were useless, as well as sinful. \"And this was\nknown to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear\nfell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified,\"--more\nthought of, and treated with greater respect.\n\nAnd many that believed, who had, before they became Christians,\npractised magical arts, now convinced of their extreme sinfulness and\nfolly, \"came and confessed, and shewed their deeds,\"--expressing their\nrepentance for these former sins.\n\nNor was this all: \"many of them also which (still) used curious arts\"\nsaw the wickedness of such practices; and warned by what had happened,\nshowed their repentance by their acts; for they \"brought their books\ntogether, and burned them before all men.\" This was a great proof of\ntheir earnestness to put an end to the use of magical arts in others,\nas well as in themselves; for they did not attempt to sell these books\nto others, but destroyed them. The books were very valuable, for \"they\ncounted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of\nsilver\"--all this money these men were willing to sacrifice, in order\nto please God. This is a _warning_ as well as an example to us, who\nare too often unwilling to deny ourselves in anything, or make the\nleast sacrifice in order to please or obey our Lord.\n\n\"So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed,\"--that is, the\nblessed truths of the Gospel spread on every side, so that the numbers\nof Christians increased daily.\n\nSt. Paul, who had now been nearly three years in Ephesus, began to\nthink of continuing his journey; and \"purposed in the spirit, when he\nhad passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying,\nAfter I have been there, I must also see Rome.\" Just at this time, St.\nPaul heard an unsatisfactory account of what was going on at Corinth.\nWe have seen that the Apostle had passed eighteen months in Corinth,\nforming a Church there; and that Apollos had afterwards preached the\nGospel in that city with great success: but very soon afterwards,\nfalse teachers rose up--that is, persons, who were not sufficiently\ninstructed themselves, fancied that they were able to teach others.\nBut, as they did not themselves understand the whole truth, they could\nnot teach it to others; and therefore their imperfect teaching created\ngreat confusion, and unsettled the minds of many believers. Some of\nthese \"false teachers\" were converts from the Gentiles, who, having\nbeen converted by Apollos, now called themselves his disciples; though\nthey mixed up with the truths he had taught them, many of the\ndoctrines and opinions of their philosophers. Some of these teachers\non the other hand, were converts from amongst the Jews, who would not\ngive up the idea that it was necessary to keep the whole Law of Moses,\nobserving all the forms and ceremonies ordained by it. These Jewish\nChristians called themselves followers of Cephas, the Greek word for\nPeter. These two sets of teachers, both teaching doctrines contrary to\nthe truths of the Gospel as delivered to the Corinthians by St. Paul,\nmade two parties in the Church, so that there were constant disputes\nand great confusion. Mean time also, many of the native Corinthians,\nwho had joined the Church, began to return to the sinful ways and\npractices they had followed when they were heathens.\n\nThis was the account that now reached St. Paul at Ephesus; and greatly\ndid it grieve him.\n\nSo he at once sent into Macedonia two of his company, Timotheus and\nErastus, that they might pass on to Corinth, and try to put an end to\nall these evil doings: he himself remained at Ephesus a little longer.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIX.--ST. PAUL AT EPHESUS.\n\n\nWe have said that St. Paul sent Timotheus and Erastus to Corinth:\nTimotheus, or Timothy, has already been spoken of: of Erastus we know\nnothing, but his name is mentioned in two of St. Paul's Epistles.\n\nAfter Timothy and Erastus had left Ephesus, St. Paul received a\nletter, written by those members of the Christian Church who had kept\nsteadily in the right way, and not been led astray by either of the\nfalse teachers. This letter told St. Paul how much the Church was\ndisturbed by their mistaken teachers, and begged for his advice and\ndirection. In answer to this letter, St. Paul wrote a long one, called\n\"The First Epistle to the Corinthians.\" In this letter, St. Paul\nblames the Corinthians for their disputes and differences of opinion;\nreminding them that he, the Apostle and messenger of the Lord, had\ntaught them what was right; and that therefore they should have kept\nfast to what they had learnt from him. He tells them, that as they\nhave all believed in one Lord Jesus Christ, they should live together\nin peace, believing and doing the same things. Then addressing the\nteachers who had done the mischief, St. Paul warns them, that if they\nwilfully continue to teach false doctrines, God will certainly punish\nthem: and he exhorts all the members of the Corinthian Church to\nlisten to Timothy, whom he had sent on purpose that he might show them\nthe whole truth. The Apostle then gives the Corinthian brethren many\ndirections as to their personal conduct, in order that they might lead\nholy lives on earth, such as would be pleasing to God, and tend also\nto their own happiness.\n\nIn the Twelfth Chapter of this Epistle, St. Paul gives a beautiful\ndescription of charity, that is, of love to God, and of love to man\nfor His sake: and he shows that those whose hearts are really full of\nthis charity, or love, will be gentle and humble, not thinking much of\nthemselves, or of their own comfort or pleasure; but being ready to\ngive up to others, striving to be kind to all, even to those who are\nunkind to them. In another part of this Epistle, St. Paul speaks of\nthe resurrection of Jesus, and of the consequent certainty that all\nmen shall in like manner rise from the dead, though now they may not\nunderstand how such a thing can be: and he therefore entreats the\nCorinthian brethren, to keep steadily in the faith taught by the\nGospel, doing the work of the Lord always; remembering, that those who\ndo serve Him here in faith and love, will live with Him for ever\nhereafter.\n\nSt. Paul ends his letter, by saying that he shall not come to Corinth\nat present; but that he hopes to pass the winter with them.\n\nIt was spring when St. Paul wrote this letter, for he tells the\nCorinthians, \"I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost\": and the Feast\nof Pentecost took place about the month of May; so that there were now\na good many months before winter, when St. Paul hoped, with the\npermission of the Lord, to tarry awhile at Corinth.\n\nBefore St. Paul left Ephesus, a great tumult took place in that city;\nfor, as St. Luke says, \"there arose no small stir about that\nway,\"--that is, the people were stirred up against the doctrines of\nChristianity, so as to make a tumult in the city. \"For a certain man\nnamed Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana,\nbrought no small gain unto the craftsmen.\"\n\nWe have said, that the temple of Diana, at Ephesus, was a most\nbeautiful and magnificent building, and people came from all parts to\nsee this wonderful temple, and to worship before an image of Diana,\nwhich was supposed by all the heathens to have been sent down direct\nfrom heaven. Those who came from far distant places to worship in this\nfamous temple, were glad to carry away some remembrance of the\ngoddess; and strangers who only came out of curiosity, also bought the\n\"shrines,\" or little models of the temple, which the silversmiths at\nEphesus made: these \"shrines\" had a small image of Diana within them.\nBy these means, the craftsmen, or workers in silver, gained a great\ndeal of money; and the more they sold, the better it was for them.\n\nSt. Paul had of course taught all who listened to him, that Diana was\nno goddess, only an imaginary being, and that it was very sinful to\nworship or honour her in any way: those who believed him therefore,\nwould not buy these silver shrines, and consequently the silversmiths\nfound their trade very much fallen off. This great loss of money,\ncaused Demetrius, one of the chief silversmiths, to call together all\nthe craftsmen and workmen of the like occupation. When they were\nassembled, he said to them, \"Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have\nour wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but\nalmost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away\nmuch people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:\nso that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but\nalso that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised,\nand her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world\nworshippeth.\" This speech was well calculated to stir up the bad\npassions of all who heard it; the craftsmen would be angry at the idea\nof losing their wealth, whilst all the Gentiles at Ephesus, would be\nindignant that their favourite goddess and her splendid temple should\nbe less thought of, and thus bring fewer people to Ephesus, to admire\nand worship. This decrease in the number of strangers attracted to\nEphesus, would of course cause less money to be spent in the city,\nwhich would be a great loss to the inhabitants generally. When,\ntherefore, those to whom Demetrius spake, \"heard these sayings, they\nwere full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the\nEphesians.\"\n\nWhat Demetrius had said to the craftsmen whom he had called together,\nspread quickly throughout the city: \"and the whole city was filled\nwith confusion\"--the people were now ready for any mischief; and\nmeeting with two of St. Paul's companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, they\ncaught them, and \"rushed with one accord into the theatre\"--a large\nbuilding, in which public shows and games took place, and which was\nalso used for assemblies of the people, when any important occasion\nbrought them together. When St. Paul understood what had happened, he\nwould have gone also into the theatre to speak to the people; but the\ndisciples, fearing that they might do the Apostle some mischief,\nsuffered him not to go in. \"And certain of the chief of Asia, which\nwere his friends,\" knowing that in the present excited state of the\npeople, St. Paul's life would be in danger amongst them, \"sent unto\nhim, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the\ntheatre.\"\n\nThe persons here spoken of as chiefs of Asia, were the rulers of the\nprovinces into which Asia Minor was divided: they were called\n\"Asiarchs,\" and were chosen from amongst the men of wealth and rank in\nthe different provinces. Their office was to direct all religious\nceremonies and solemnities; and to celebrate at their own expense,\npublic games in the theatre, in honour of the heathen gods. It seems\nprobable that at this very time, public shows and games were going on\nin the city of Ephesus; and that some of the Asiarchs who were his\nfriends, feared that if St. Paul now went into the theatre, the people\nmight lay hold of him, and throw him to the wild beasts, whose fights\nwith one another were generally a part of all the public games. In\nafter times, very many Christians were cruelly given to be killed by\nwild beasts, because they would not give up their religion, and bow\ndown to the false gods of the heathen. The tumult and disturbance in\nthe theatre at Ephesus became worse and worse. St. Luke tells us,\n\"Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly\nwas confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come\ntogether.\"\n\nThe greater number of those who were now assembled, and were loudest\nin their cries against St. Paul, did not even know what had caused\nthis tumultuous meeting. They copied the example of others, without\nattempting to find out whether they were right or wrong. This is too\noften the case amongst ourselves; but we should be careful not to join\nin blaming any person, merely because others do so, without taking\nthe trouble to find out whether they deserve blame or not. The Jews,\nseeing the rage of the people in the theatre, did their best to turn\nit all upon the Christians, and to show that they had taken no part in\nteaching men to despise the goddess Diana: and they now put forward a\nJew named Alexander, that he might explain this to the assembly. \"And\nthey drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him\nforward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his\ndefence unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew,\" and\ntherefore no worshipper of Diana, they refused to hear him, \"and all\nwith one voice (for) about the space of two hours cried out,\" over and\nover again, \"Great is Diana of the Ephesians.\"\n\nThe town-clerk, or principal magistrate of the city, succeeded at last\nin stopping this senseless outcry and tumult; and so far appeased the\npeople, as to get them to listen to him. They were perhaps the more\ninclined to do this, as they must have been tired of repeating this\ncry for two hours, without knowing why.\n\nAs soon as the town-clerk was allowed to speak, he reminded the\npeople, that as it was well known to all men, that the Ephesians were\nworshippers of the great goddess Diana, they need not be troubled by\nanything St. Paul said; more especially as the image of Diana had come\ndown from heaven, and could not therefore be one of those idols, made\nby the hands of men, against which the Apostle had spoken. Then he\nwent on to show them, that they had done wrong in seizing Gaius and\nAristarchus, whom they could not accuse of any crime whatever: they\nwere neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of the goddess,\nand could not justly be taken before the magistrates; but if Demetrius\nand his fellow workmen had injury to complain of, there were proper\ncourts of law, where such complaints would be heard and judged. But he\nalso told them, that if they wished to inquire into the doctrines\ntaught by St. Paul and his companions, it must be done in a very\ndifferent manner: a proper assembly must be called, of people who had\nauthority to judge of such questions; and then the matter must be\nbrought before them: and he ended by telling them, that they were in\ndanger of being punished for the uproar and confusion they had made,\nfor there was no cause for it, and therefore they would not be able to\ngive a satisfactory answer to the Roman governor, if he should call\nthem to account for what had happened.\n\nWhen the town-clerk had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. \"And\nafter the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples,\" to\ntake leave of them, \"and embraced them, and departed for to go into\nMacedonia.\"\n\nFrom another part of the Bible, we learn that Timothy was now left at\nEphesus, to direct the affairs of the Church in that city. We are not\ntold what places St. Paul now visited in Macedonia, but no doubt he\nwent wherever he had been before, as well as to other places. From one\nof these places in Macedonia, St. Paul wrote the First Epistle to\nTimothy; directing him how to answer the Jewish teachers, who tried to\nbring false doctrines into the Church at Ephesus. After giving Timothy\nmuch advice as to what he was to teach to others, St. Paul ends his\nletter by begging him to keep steadfast in the faith of the Gospel; to\navoid and flee from all sins; and to follow after righteousness,\ngodliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, that so he might, for\nJesus Christ's sake, receive eternal life.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XX.--ST. PAUL'S JOURNEY TO MILETUS.\n\n\nDuring the time that St. Paul was journeying about in Macedonia, he\nsuffered much both from the unbelieving Jews and the infidels; for he\nsays himself, in one of his Epistles (2 Cor. vii.), \"when we were come\ninto Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every\nside; without were fightings, within were fears.\" But in the midst of\nhis troubles, the Apostle had one great comfort, for Titus came to him\nfrom Corinth, and brought him a very satisfactory account of the state\nof the Church in that city.\n\nA short time afterwards, he sent Titus back to Corinth, and by him he\nsent his \"Second Epistle to the Corinthians.\" Some of the teachers,\nwho had been reproved for disturbing the faith of the believers by\ntheir mistaken teaching, had, in their anger at the reproof, spoken\nill of St. Paul himself. In this letter, therefore, St. Paul shows the\nCorinthians that all he has done or said has been according to the\nWill of God, and that therefore they may safely believe him rather\nthan any teachers, whose doctrines do not agree with what he had\ntaught them. Many other things he wrote; above all, entreating the\nmembers of the Corinthian Church to keep steadily in the Faith of the\nLord Jesus Christ, and to strive to please God in all things, by\nliving in peace and holiness.\n\nThis Epistle St. Paul sent to Corinth by Titus, remaining himself a\nlittle longer in Macedonia. \"And when he had gone over those parts,\nand had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, and there\nabode three months.\" We are told nothing of what St Paul did during\nthese three months, but no doubt he visited Corinth amongst other\nplaces; and we are quite sure that wherever he went he was doing the\nwork of the Lord. It seems that St Paul proposed to go by sea from\nAchaia to Syria; but the Jews, who were as usual greatly vexed at the\nsuccess of his preaching, laid some plot to take or kill him, at the\nport from which he must sail. Hearing in some way of this plot, St.\nPaul \"purposed,\" or determined, to return through Macedonia, and so\ndisappoint the malice of his enemies. Accordingly he went into\nMacedonia, where he was joined by several of the brethren from\ndifferent cities in that province. And they \"accompanied him into\nAsia,\" together with some others who had come with him from that\ncountry.\n\nSt. Paul appears to have merely passed through Macedonia at this time,\nsending most of his company on before, for St. Luke says of them,\n\"These going before tarried for us at Troas,\"--that is, they crossed\nover into Asia, and waited at Troas until the Apostle should join them\nthere.\n\nSt. Luke and one or two others stayed with St. Paul, and we read, \"And\nwe sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and\ncame unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.\"\nWhilst St. Paul was on his way through Macedonia at this time, he\nwrote a long letter, called \"The Epistle to the Romans,\" about the\nyear 58 (A.D.). In our Bibles, this Epistle stands first of all; but\nthe Epistles are not _chronologically_ arranged; that is, they are not\narranged according to the order in which they were written. If they\nhad been chronologically arranged, \"The Epistle to the Galatians,\"\nwritten A.D. 51, would have stood first; then \"The First Epistle to\nthe Thessalonians,\" also written A.D. 51; and next, \"The Second\nEpistle to the Thessalonians,\" A.D. 52; and that to \"Titus,\" A.D. 53.\nAfter these, the next in order would have been, \"The First Epistle to\nthe Corinthians,\" A.D. 57, and \"The First Epistle to Timothy,\" in the\nsame year; and \"The Second Epistle to the Corinthians,\" A.D. 58, just\nbefore St. Paul wrote that of which we are speaking, to \"The Romans.\"\n\nIn this letter, St. Paul speaks both to the Jews and Gentiles; trying\nto persuade both, that the only possible way of salvation for all\nmankind was through Faith in Jesus Christ. He tells the Gentiles that\ntheir learning and wisdom will not save them; and that even all their\nmoral virtues, such as truth, honesty, charity, and such like, will be\nof no use without Faith: they must first believe in Jesus Christ, and\nthen do all these things, _because_ they are pleasing to Him. To the\nJews, the Apostle writes, that all their obedience to the Law of Moses\ncannot save them, or give them eternal life; that the Law was only\ngiven to prepare the way for Christ, Who had now made known that the\nonly way of salvation was through Faith in Him, and consequent\nobedience to His holy Word. St. Paul also explained clearly, that\nAdam's sin had made all men sinners; and that therefore all men\ndeserved the wrath of God; but that Christ, by His sufferings and\ndeath, had undone the evil brought upon all mankind by Adam, and\npurchased for them forgiveness and justification. Much more St. Paul\ntaught in this Epistle, and we have it to teach us now. The Epistles\nare of the greatest use to us, for they explain and teach much, that\nis not even mentioned in the Gospels.\n\nFrom Troas, St. Paul determined to go on foot to Assos, another\nsea-port town a little to the south; but at the same time he purposed\nto send most, if not all, his companions to that place by sea. During\nthe seven days spent by St. Paul at Troas, he of course preached the\nGospel diligently; and, on the last occasion of his speaking to the\npeople, a very remarkable event took place, of which we must now read\nthe account given us by St. Luke in the Book of Acts.\n\n\"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together\nto break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the\nmorrow.\"\n\nThe \"breaking of bread\" here spoken of, was the partaking of the Bread\nand Wine which, on the night before His death, our blessed Lord\ncommanded to be received constantly by all His faithful followers, in\nremembrance of His Body given, and His Blood shed, for our redemption.\nThis receiving of Bread and Wine we call \"The Sacrament of the Lord's\nSupper.\" The early Christians met to partake of the Lord's Supper on\nthe First Day of every week, the day on which Jesus rose from the\ndead. On the night before St. Paul intended to leave Troas, the\ndisciples met together to partake with him, for the last time, of the\nLord's Supper, and to listen to his farewell counsels. Much had the\nApostle to say, and his hearers were anxious to learn of him, so that\nhe continued his speech until midnight. \"And there were many lights in\nthe upper chamber, where they were gathered together.\" This upper\nchamber was, on what we should call the third story, and, like all\nEastern houses, would have large windows opening even with the floor.\n\"Many lights,\" and a number of people, naturally made the room very\nhot, so that the windows were wide open. \"And there sat in a window a\ncertain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and\nas Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down\nfrom the third loft, and was taken up dead.\" The terrible death of\nthis young man would, of course, create much confusion and distress\namongst the assembled Christians. \"And Paul went down, and fell on\nhim, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is\nin him.\" The Apostle did not ask God to bring Eutychus at once to\nlife, but he told the brethren that his life would come back, and that\nthey need not therefore grieve and distress themselves about him.\nThose to whom St. Paul now spake had faith in God, Whose servant he\nwas, and therefore believed his words, and were content to wait the\nLord's time; and so they returned to the upper chamber, leaving the\nlifeless body of Eutychus for a time, while St. Paul continued his\npreaching. \"When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread,\nand eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he\ndeparted,\" and went at once on his way to Assos. The Apostle grudged\nno labour done for the Lord; on the eve of a journey he gave up his\nnight's rest to preach the Gospel: Eutychus, who might probably never\nhave another opportunity of learning from him, had fallen asleep\ninstead of listening to the words of salvation. After St. Paul's\ndeparture from amongst the brethren, the miracle which he had foretold\ncame to pass; for \"they brought the young man alive, and were not a\nlittle comforted.\" Comforted as to Eutychus himself, and comforted in\nthis additional proof, that St. Paul's words were indeed the words of\none under the especial direction and blessing of God Almighty, the\nLord of Life and Death. St. Luke now says, \"And we went before to\nship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so\nhad he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with\nus at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.\" This was the chief\ntown in Lesbos, one of the islands of the Archipelago: the whole\nisland is now called Metelin. St. Paul did not stop at Mitylene, for\nwe read that he and his company passed the island of Chios next day,\nthen that of Samos, and landed at Trogyllium, a town of Asia Minor, to\nthe S.W. of Ephesus; and next day they came to Miletus, still lower on\nthe coast, but directly to the south of Ephesus, from whence it was no\ngreat distance. St. Paul knew that if he went to Ephesus, he should\nfind it difficult to get away again so soon as he wished; and\ntherefore he \"had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not\nspend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to\nbe at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.\" But although he could not spare\ntime to visit Ephesus, he would not be so near without seeing some of\nthe elders of the Church, especially as he had something he wished\nparticularly to say to them. The chief ruler of the Church under St.\nPaul was now journeying with him; for Timotheus, or Timothy, was\nBishop of Ephesus, and during his absence had left the care of the\nChurch to a certain number of elders, or chief men amongst the\nbelievers. From Miletus, therefore, St. Paul \"sent to Ephesus, and\ncalled the elders of the church. And when they were come to him,\" St.\nPaul spake to them. He reminded them, that he had freely preached unto\nthem the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in spite of all difficulties and\ndangers; keeping back nothing that was profitable for them to know;\n\"testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance\ntoward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.\" He then told them\nthat now, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, he was going up to\nJerusalem, not knowing what would happen to him there; except that the\nHoly Ghost had made known unto him, that in every city bonds and\nafflictions awaited him. But St. Paul then declared, that the prospect\nof imprisonments and persecutions did not trouble him, for that he was\nquite ready to give up his life also, if so he could best finish the\nwork which the Lord had given him to do: in the faithful service of\nGod he should finish his course, or end his life, with joy. The\nApostle then spake words grievous for the Ephesians to hear; saying,\n\"And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching\nthe kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to\nrecord this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men; for I have\nnot shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.\" St. Paul had\nthoroughly done his duty to the Ephesians, in showing them the way of\nsalvation; and if any of them failed to obtain it, such failure could\nin no way be laid to him: he was \"pure from the blood,\" the _spiritual\ndeath_, of all men.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXI.--ST. PAUL GOES UP TO JERUSALEM.\n\n\nAfter reminding the elders of Ephesus of what he had done for them and\ntheir countrymen, St. Paul exhorted them to take heed unto themselves,\nand to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made them\noverseers, so as in all things to set a good example to others; and to\nfeed the Church, or nourish and strengthen the souls of the brethren,\nwith the blessed truths of the Gospel, the pure Word of Him Who had\npurchased the Church with his own blood. He told them, that he was the\nmore anxious to exhort them to do this, because he knew that, after\nhis departing, wicked men, whom he likens to \"grievous wolves,\" would\nenter in among them, not sparing the flock, but leading the brethren\nastray to the destruction of their souls. And not only this, but also\nof their own selves men should arise teaching false doctrines,\nspeaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Having\nthus warned them, St. Paul entreated them to \"watch,\" remembering that\nfor three years he had not ceased to warn them of these things. Again\nthe Apostle commended the Ephesians to the grace of God, which was\nable to give them an inheritance \"among all them which are\nsanctified\": and ended by reminding them that he had \"coveted no man's\nsilver, or gold, or apparel\"; but that he had maintained himself by\nworking with his own hands, setting them an example that they also\nshould \"remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more\nblessed to give than to receive.\" \"And when he had thus spoken, he\nkneeled down, and prayed with them all.\" St. Paul knew well that\nwithout the blessing and help of God no good thing can be done; and\nthus did he set an example to all men for ever, to ask His aid in all\ntheir works.\n\n\"And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,\nsorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should\nsee his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship,\" in\nwhich he was about to sail from Miletus; anxious not to lose sight of\nhim before it was absolutely necessary. It was natural and right that\nthe elders of Ephesus should be deeply grieved, at hearing that they\nwould never again in this world, see one who had been so much with\nthem, and from whom they had learnt so much. But had they duly\nconsidered his words, they would not have sorrowed most of all on this\naccount, but for the troubles which were to fall upon their Church\nfrom false and wicked teachers, who would lead many to forsake the\nGospel, and thus destroy them for ever.\n\nHaving taken a final leave of the elders of Ephesus, St. Paul and his\ncompany sailed to the island of Coos, or Cos; then to another called\nRhodes; and from thence to the coast of Asia Minor, where they landed\nat Patara, a sea-port of Lycia. Here they found a ship about to sail\ninto Ph[oe]nicia, and going on board, they passed near the isle of\nCyprus, and finally landed at Tyre, \"for there the ship was to unlade\nher burden.\" Finding disciples at Tyre, St. Paul stayed with them\nseven days, teaching and exhorting them. St. Luke tells us that some\nof these disciples \"said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should\nnot go up to Jerusalem.\" This means that the Holy Spirit had made\nknown to these disciples, that great troubles and dangers awaited the\nApostle at Jerusalem; and therefore they tried to persuade him that he\nshould not go up at all. St. Paul, however, knew that it was his duty\nto go to Jerusalem at this time, and therefore no fear of personal\nsuffering would keep him away: he was ready to undergo whatever God\nsaw fit to send. St. Luke then says, \"And when we had accomplished\nthose days, we departed, and went our way; and they all brought us on\nour way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we\nkneeled down on the shore, and prayed.\"\n\nThe brethren at Tyre were grieved to part with St. Paul, particularly\nforeseeing that sufferings awaited him at Jerusalem. They accompanied\nhim to the sea-shore, where the ship waited for him. Their last act\nsets us an example of what we should do in all times of sorrow and\nanxiety. They would not part without praying to God; so they all knelt\ndown where they were, and prayed earnestly from their hearts. The Lord\nwill hear all such real prayers, wherever we say them, or whether we\nare kneeling or not; but if we kneel down and repeat words without\ncaring or thinking about what we are saying, that is not such prayer\nas the Lord our God has promised to hear. When St. Paul and his\ncompanions had prayed with the Christians of Tyre, and taken leave of\nthem, they \"took ship,\"--that is, embarked on board the ship, whilst\nthe others \"returned home again.\"\n\nFrom Tyre St. Paul sailed to Ptolemais, and landing there, stayed one\nday with the brethren. Ptolemais was a celebrated sea-port of Syria,\nto the north of Mount Carmel. In the Old Testament, Ptolemais is\ncalled Accho. It was situated in that part of the Land of Canaan given\nto the Tribe of Asher; and it was one of those cities out of which the\nChildren of Israel did not drive the idolatrous inhabitants, as the\nLord had commanded them to do. You will remember the sin and trouble\nthat came upon the Land of Israel, in consequence of the disobedience\nof several of the tribes, who, instead of entirely driving out the\nCanaanites, let them continue to live amongst them; by which they were\nafterwards led into sin, and suffered much misery in consequence.\n\nThe town of Accho was enlarged and beautified, after the death of\nAlexander the Great, by the first of the Egyptian kings, called\nPtolemy; and the name of the city was in consequence changed to\nPtolemais. We now call it Acre, and you will find Acre often spoken of\nin history.\n\nSt. Luke now says, \"And the next day we that were of Paul's company\ndeparted, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of\nPhilip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with\nhim.\" We have heard of Philip as one of the seven deacons, (of whom\nStephen was another,) chosen to help the Apostles, by distributing\nfood and money to the believers, when they had all things in common;\nand we have also heard of his being sent by the Spirit into the desert\nbetween Jerusalem and Gaza, to teach the officer of Candace, queen of\nEthiopia; after which he returned to his home in Caesarea. This Philip\nmust not be confounded with the Apostle of the same name, a native \"of\nBethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter,\" unto whom our Lord said,\n\"Follow me.\" We do not call the deacon Philip an \"evangelist,\" because\nwe only give that name to those four men who, by the inspiration of\nGod, wrote their several accounts of Christ's life and death; but St.\nLuke might well call Philip so, because he preached the Gospel in\nevery place to which he was sent; and one who spreads the knowledge\nof the Gospel by preaching it, was as much an \"evangelist\" as he who\nspread it by his writing.\n\nPhilip had four unmarried daughters, to whom God had, in a miraculous\nway, given His Holy Spirit, so that they \"did prophesy.\" This was a\nfulfilment of the ancient promise recorded by the prophet Joel, that\nin the days of the Messiah the Spirit should be poured out upon their\nsons and daughters, servants and handmaidens, so that they should\nprophesy.\n\nSt. Paul stayed many days with Philip. We hear nothing of the work he\nthen did there; but St. Luke says, \"And as we tarried there many days,\nthere came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when\nhe was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands\nand feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at\nJerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him\ninto the hands of the Gentiles.\" We have heard already of Agabus, as\none of the prophets who went from Jerusalem to Antioch, and foretold\nthe dearth, or famine, in consequence of which the Christians of\nAntioch made a collection for the poorer brethren at Jerusalem, and\n\"sent it up by the hands of Barnabas and Saul,\" as St. Paul was at\nthat time called. Agabus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, now bore his\ntestimony to the dangers which threatened the Apostle at Jerusalem.\nThe consequence of this was, that St. Paul's companions themselves,\nand \"they of that place,\" (the brethren at Caesarea,) \"besought him not\nto go up to Jerusalem\"; and so avoid the dangers which threatened him\nin that city.\n\nHere we see that even our friends may tempt us to sin, and that we\nmust be careful not to yield to their entreaties when they would make\nus do wrong. When we know what our duty is, we must not be prevented\nfrom doing it, either by love to our friends or fear of our enemies.\nIt is often very hard and difficult to do right, when those we love,\nask and beg us not to do it. In this way, children are often led to do\nwrong. Let us all, whether we are old or young, take care not to give\nway to such temptations; and, above all, let us never so tempt others\nto do wrong: let us never ask any one to do what is wrong, but, on the\ncontrary, do all we can to persuade all to do what is right and\npleasing in the sight of God. St. Paul knew that it was his duty to go\nup to Jerusalem; and therefore when those about him entreated him not\nto go, he answered, \"What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?\nfor I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for\nthe name of the Lord Jesus.\"\n\nThough the Apostle was firmly resolved to do his duty, and quite ready\nto lay down his life for Christ's sake, if called upon to do so, it\ngrieved him to give pain to his friends; and therefore he reminds\nthem, that all their sorrow and weeping would but distress him more\nand more--break his heart, as he expressed it, without in any way\nchanging his settled purpose to go up to Jerusalem.\n\nWhen St. Paul had thus declared his unalterable determination, those\nwho had tried to persuade him not to carry it out, did what they\nshould have done at first: they left the whole matter in the hands of\nGod, for \"when he would not be persuaded,\" they \"ceased, saying, The\nwill of the Lord be done.\" Thus St. Paul's example had a good effect\nupon the brethren.\n\nSt. Luke then says, \"And after those days we took up our carriages,\nand went to Jerusalem.\" The word \"carriages\" here does not mean\nconveyances to take people from one place to another, but rather such\nthings as they _carried_ with them--their baggage, in short. Some of\nthe disciples from Caesarea went with the Apostles. Amongst them was an\nold disciple, a native of Cyprus, called Mnason, who appears at this\ntime to have had a house in Jerusalem, where St. Paul and his company\nwere to lodge. St. Luke tells us, \"And when we were come to Jerusalem,\nthe brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in\nwith us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had\nsaluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought\namong the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they\nglorified the Lord.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXII.--TUMULT AT JERUSALEM.\n\n\nSt. James, and the elders of the Church at Jerusalem, glorified God,\nupon hearing of the conversion of so many Gentiles by the teaching of\nSt. Paul, and then they \"said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many\nthousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of\nthe law: and they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the\nJews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they\nought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the\ncustoms. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together:\nfor they will hear that thou art come.\"\n\nThe elders feared, that St. Paul's coming to Jerusalem might cause a\ndisturbance amongst the Jewish converts; who, though Christians,\nreverenced the Law, and could not bear that it should be neglected.\nThey had heard exaggerated accounts of what the Apostle had taught;\nfor he had never said that it was _wrong_ to observe and do the things\ncommanded by Moses, and that therefore they _ought not_ to do them. He\nhad only said, that it was not _necessary_ to keep the ceremonial Law;\nand that it was _useless_ to do so, because no man could obtain\neternal life by any such outward acts. St. Paul's great object was to\nmake the Jews understand, that the Law given by Moses, was only meant\nto be binding until the Messiah came; and that as Jesus had now\nvisited his people, the ceremonial part of the Law was done away with.\nGod no longer required it to be observed: therefore, if the Jews chose\nstill to observe it, they must not imagine that by doing so they would\nnow find favour with God: the only way to gain his favour was by\nbelieving in Jesus Christ, and trying, out of love for Him, to obey\nall the commands and precepts of the Gospel: all who thus strove to\nplease God, would find favour in His sight, whether they kept the\nceremonial Law or not. The Jewish converts at Jerusalem, not clearly\nunderstanding what St. Paul had taught, were set against him; and as\nthey would be sure to meet together to discuss the matter, as soon as\nthey heard of his arrival, the elders now said to one another, \"What\nis it therefore?\"--that is, what can be done to quiet the fears of\nthese Jewish brethren. The plan that the Apostles and elders now\nproposed, was one that would show the Jews, that St. Paul did not\nthink it _wrong_ to observe the forms of the Law, though he taught\nthat it was not _necessary_ to do so. What this plan was, we shall\nhear from what they now said to St. Paul, \"Do therefore this that we\nsay to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; them take, and\npurify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may\nshave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they\nwere informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also\nwalkest orderly, and keepest the law.\"\n\nTo understand this speech, we must remember that even in the time of\nMoses, the Children of Israel were in the habit of showing their\npiety, and their wish to serve God, by devoting themselves for a time\nto the performance of special acts of worship; separating themselves\nfrom their brethren, for the observance of certain forms and\nceremonies. A person who thus separated himself for a time from others\nby a particular profession of religion, was called a Nazarite; and the\nLord Himself gave Moses directions, as to the outward forms and\nceremonies to be observed by every one, who should vow the vow of a\nNazarite. To take the vow of a Nazarite was a _voluntary_ act; that\nis, it was at the choice of any person to take it: but once taken, the\nperson who had thus devoted himself to the special service of God, was\nneither to drink wine, nor any of the drinks made from fruits or\nhoney: he was to drink water only, that his head might be cool and\nclear, and better able to attend to his religious studies and\nexercises. Then he was not to shave his head, nor to cut his hair;\nneither was he to do any of the things usually done upon the death of\na relation, because such mourning for the dead would render him\nunclean.\n\nSome persons vowed themselves to be Nazarites for life; others only\nfor a certain number of years, months, or even days: and at the end of\nthe time, the Nazarite was to bring certain offerings unto the priest\nto be presented to the Lord: then he was to shave his head at the door\nof the tabernacle, and burn the hair in the fire which consumed the\npeace offerings. After all the appointed ceremonies had been gone\nthrough, the Nazarite was free from his vow, and might return to live\nlike other people. You will, I hope, remember Samson, who was a\nNazarite from his birth; and who fell into great trouble, because his\nvow was broken, when his hair was cut off by Delilah.\n\nNow at the time when St. Paul came to Jerusalem, there were four men\nthere, who had taken the vows of a Nazarite for a short time: their\ntime was nearly out, and the elders proposed that St. Paul should join\nthem in abstaining (or keeping) from such things, as they were\nforbidden to do; and that he should \"be at charges with them,\" that\nis, pay for the sacrifices they must offer, before they could shave\ntheir heads, and be free from their vows. The Jews looked upon it as\nan act of piety, for any person to pay the expenses of those who had\ntaken the vow of a Nazarite.\n\nWe have now seen what the elders advised St. Paul to do, in order to\nshow the Jews that he was no _enemy_ to the Law of Moses, and did not\nthink it _wrong_ to observe its forms, if people liked to do so,\nthough it was unnecessary. And they added, \"As touching the Gentiles\nwhich believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such\nthing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to\nidols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication\": thus\nrepeating that decision of the Church, with which the teaching of St.\nPaul agreed.\n\n\"Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them\nentered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of\npurification, until that an offering should be offered for every one\nof them.\" All this was done for the sake of peace, and to make the\nJews more willing to listen to St. Paul. Some people think it was not\nright nor wise to act in this manner, because it might lead man to\nbelieve, that the Law _ought_ to be observed in all its ceremonies,\nand that St. Paul's practice did not quite agree with his preaching.\nAt any rate it had not the effect of satisfying the Jews; on the\ncontrary, it caused a serious disturbance. \"When the seven days were\nalmost ended,\" some unbelieving Jews of Asia, who had persecuted St.\nPaul in their own country, and were now come to Jerusalem for the same\npurpose, \"when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people,\nand laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, help: this is the\nman, that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law,\nand this place.\" They declared that St. Paul, by his teaching, was\ntaking away from the Jews all their privileges as the chosen people of\nGod, and putting the heathen on an equality with them; that he taught\nmen not to respect the law, nor to reverence the temple; and that he\ndid not reverence it himself, but had polluted and defiled it; for,\nsaid they, he \"brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted\nthis holy place.\" This they said, because they had seen an Ephesian\nconvert, named Trophimus, in the city with St. Paul, and \"supposed\nthat Paul had brought (him) into the temple\"; which of course he had\nnot done: because, though he knew that the entrance of a true\nChristian into the temple would not be displeasing to God, he knew\nthat it would greatly offend the Jews, if any one who had been a\nGentile, went any further than the outer court of the temple, set\napart for the Gentiles: and he did not wish to offend or vex the Jews\nneedlessly. We should never do anything to vex or grieve others,\nunless it is our _duty_ to do it. Our duty we must do, whatever be the\nconsequence.\n\nThe Jews, who now tried to stir up the people against St. Paul,\nsucceeded to their utmost wish in raising a disturbance, for \"all the\ncity was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and\ndrew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. And as\nthey went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of\nthe band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.\" The band here spoken\nof, was the Roman garrison, or party of soldiers, posted in Jerusalem,\nto keep the city in order, and prevent any kind of disturbance or riot\namongst the Jews. The chief captain of this band, at the time we are\nspeaking of, was a Roman named Claudius Lysias; \"who,\" upon hearing of\nthe uproar, \"immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down\nunto them.\" They had not far to go, for the place in which they were\nposted was the castle of Antonia, close to the north-west corner of\nthe temple. This castle, or strong tower, had been built by Herod the\nGreat: it was so high, that from the upper part, the soldiers on watch\ncould see what was going on in the two outer courts of the temple:\nthey would therefore have seen St. Paul dragged out of the temple by\nan angry mob, and they would at once have taken these tidings to their\ncaptain, who went down with all haste, and arrived in time to save the\nApostle's life; for the Jews feared the Roman soldiers, and when they\nsaw them, \"they left beating of Paul\"--that is, ceased to beat him.\n\n\"Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to\nbe bound with two chains\"; for as he naturally concluded that St. Paul\nmust have committed some crime, to make the Jews treat him in this\nway, his first care was to secure him, that he might not run away, and\nthus escape the punishment he deserved. We may be quite sure that the\nApostle would have made no attempt to escape; but that the Romans\ncould not know. When Claudius Lysias had secured his prisoner, he\n\"demanded who he was, and what he had done.\" To this question, no\nreasonable answer could be given; for as St. Paul had not committed\nany crime, no intelligible accusation could be brought against him:\nand therefore, \"some cried one thing, some another, among the\nmultitude\": so that Claudius Lysias could make out nothing for\ncertain; \"and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he\ncommanded him to be carried into the castle.\" The Jews, unwilling to\nlose their victim, pressed after the soldiers who were leading him\naway, eager to kill him. \"And when he came upon the stairs,\" leading\nup into the castle, \"so it was, that he was borne,\" or carried, by\n\"the soldiers for the violence of the people. For the multitude\nfollowed after, crying, Away with him.\" On the top of the stairs, the\nApostle was out of reach of his furious enemies; \"and as Paul was to\nbe led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak\nunto thee?\" These words were spoken in Greek, to the astonishment of\nClaudius Lysias, who imagined that his prisoner must be a certain\nEgyptian, or rather a Jew who had come from Egypt to Jerusalem, about\ntwo years before this time. Giving out that he was a great prophet\nsent by God, this man persuaded great numbers of people to go with him\nto the Mount of Olives, promising, that they should see the walls of\nthe city fall down at his command: but he intended, with the help of\nthese people, to force his way into the city, and destroy the Roman\nguards. This attempt was, however, prevented by Felix, the governor of\nJudaea: many of these foolish people were killed, and the leader\nhimself fled into the wilderness, accompanied by a great number of\nmen, that \"were murderers,\" or had committed other crimes which made\nthem liable to punishment. Josephus the historian tells us, that these\nmurderers were persons who, under pretence of religion, came up to\nJerusalem with daggers or short swords, concealed under their cloaks,\nready to do any act of violence. They were employed by Felix to murder\nJonathan the High Priest; and for this crime they of course received\nno punishment. They afterwards made it a practice, to come up to\nJerusalem for all the feasts; and then, either by hiring themselves\nout as assassins to those who wished to get rid of an enemy, or by\nkilling those against whom they had any grudge, they committed\nnumerous murders, even in the temple itself. The number of these\nmurderers became very considerable, and the Roman Government wished to\ndestroy them.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIII.--ST. PAUL BROUGHT BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM.\n\n\nWhen St. Paul said in Greek to the Chief captain, \"May I speak unto\nthee?\" he said, in answer, \"Canst thou speak Greek? Art not thou that\nEgyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out\ninto the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? But Paul\nsaid, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a\ncitizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto\nthe people.\" Claudius Lysias readily granted this request. \"And when\nhe had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with\nthe hand unto the people\"; signifying that he had something to say, if\nthey would only be quiet and listen to him. The people were now\nwilling to hear him. \"And when there was made a great silence, he\nspake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, Men, brethren, and\nfathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.\" It would seem\nthat many of those who had been crying out against St. Paul, had no\nidea that he was himself a Jew, and able to speak to them in their own\nbeloved language; for \"when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew\ntongue to them, they kept the more silence.\" St. Paul then told the\npeople that he himself was born a Jew, and had been brought up in\nJerusalem by their famous teacher Gamaliel, who had taught him the\nvery strictest observance of the Law of Moses; and that he himself had\nbeen so zealous for the Law, that he had at one time cruelly\npersecuted the Christians, as the High Priest and all the elders of\nthe Jews could bear witness. Then he went on to give an account of all\nthat had happened to him on his way to Damascus, and how he had in\nconsequence become himself a believer in Jesus Christ. He also told\nthe people, that when he was afterwards in Jerusalem, the Lord had\nappeared to him in a vision, and given him a positive command to go\nand preach to the Gentiles, saying, \"Depart: for I will send thee far\nhence unto the Gentiles.\" Hitherto, the assembled multitude had\nlistened quietly to what the Apostle said, \"they gave him audience\nunto this word\"; but when they heard him plainly declare, that it was\nthe will of God that the Gentiles should share His favour, which they\nthought belonged only to themselves, they were filled with rage, and\nwould hear no more: they \"lifted up their voices, and said, Away with\nsuch a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live\":\nand they cast off their upper garments, that they might be ready to\nstone him, and threw dust up into the air, to show their hatred and\ncontempt.\n\nThe Arabs in these days have a custom like this; for when any person,\nwho is speaking in public, says anything they disapprove of, they\nthrow dust into the air, to show that they have no respect for the\nspeaker and do not believe what he is saying. St. Paul was now in\ngreat danger of being torn in pieces, if the people, who stood raging\nand shouting round the stairs on which he stood, could catch hold of\nhim. Claudius Lysias saw that the only hope of stopping the uproar,\nwas to take St. Paul out of sight of the enraged multitude. \"And as\nthey cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the\nair, the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle.\"\nBut he was as far as ever from knowing what the Jews accused St. Paul\nof: he did not understand Hebrew, and therefore he had no idea of what\nhad been said; but he naturally thought, that it must be something\nvery wrong to put the people into such a rage. Seeing therefore, that\nthere was no other chance of learning the truth, he now determined to\nhave St. Paul beaten, according to the custom of the Romans, who\ntreated prisoners in this way, in order to make them confess what\ncrimes they had committed. Claudius Lysias therefore, after having had\nthe Apostle brought into the castle, \"bade that he should be examined\nby scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.\nAnd as they bound him with thongs\" to a pillar, as was usual in such\ncases, \"Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for\nyou to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?\" The privileges\nof a Roman, that is, of a Roman citizen, have been explained. The\ncenturion, who commanded the party of soldiers about to scourge the\nprisoner, was fully aware of the danger of so treating one, who had in\nany way obtained the freedom of Rome; and therefore, when he heard\nsuch words spoken by his prisoner, he at once \"went, and told the\nchief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest; for this man is a\nRoman.\" Such a startling piece of intelligence, at once brought\nClaudius to the spot where the prisoner stood bound with thongs to a\npillar, with the soldiers round ready to scourge him. \"Then the chief\ncaptain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said,\nYea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this\nfreedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they\ndeparted from him which should have examined him\" by this torture: and\nnot only did the chief captain give up all idea of scourging St. Paul,\nbut he \"also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and\nbecause he had bound him.\"\n\nEven binding a Roman citizen was unlawful, and for doing this Claudius\nLysias was liable to be punished. Nero, who had become Emperor of Rome\nabout four years before this time, on the death of Claudius, A.D. 54,\nwas a harsh and cruel tyrant; and though he would not have cared\nwhether St. Paul was tortured or not, he would have been very angry if\nany of the laws concerning the Roman privileges had been broken; and\ntherefore Claudius Lysias had good reason to fear, that if St. Paul\ncomplained of the treatment which he, a free-born citizen of Rome, had\nreceived, the Emperor would cause him to be punished. If he had known\nmore of the precepts taught by Jesus, he would have felt sure that St.\nPaul would have no wish to revenge himself in such a manner. The\nApostle made use of his rights as a Roman citizen to save himself from\na cruel punishment; because, if he had been scourged, it might have\nled men to think that he must have been guilty of some crime to\ndeserve such a punishment; and it was necessary that the teachers of\nthe holy Word of God should appear blameless before all men.\n\nThe chief captain now took other measures for finding out what St.\nPaul was accused of; and he summoned the Sanhedrim to meet, that they\nmight in a lawful manner examine and judge the prisoner, and so\nascertain whether there was any reason for the rage of the people\nagainst him. We read, \"On the morrow, because he would have known the\ncertainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his\nbands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to\nappear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them. And Paul,\nearnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived\nin all good conscience before God until this day.\"\n\nNow that the Apostle was called upon to defend himself, he rightly\nwished all men to understand, that he was no criminal deserving of\nanger or punishment; but a man who had always tried to do what he\nbelieved to be his duty in the sight of God: most truly could he say\nthat he had done this; for even when he persecuted the followers of\nJesus, it was under the mistaken idea that it was his duty to do so.\nBut the Jews were angry at his saying this, \"and the high priest\nAnanias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.\nThen said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for\nsittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be\nsmitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest\nthou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he\nwas the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of\nthe ruler of thy people.\"\n\nThe Apostle meant, that if he had known, or looked upon Ananias as\nthe High Priest, he would not have rebuked him in such words; because\na ruler of the people must be treated with respect, on account of his\noffice: but Ananias deserved the rebuke, for the Law commanded all who\nruled, or judged others, to do no unrighteousness or injustice\nthemselves; and Ananias broke the Law, and was guilty of very great\ninjustice in ordering St. Paul to be smitten in this way, before he\nhad been proved to be guilty of any crime. We must mention here that,\nin fact, Ananias was _not_ the High Priest at this time. He had been\nHigh Priest at the time of the famine, when Barnabas and Saul took\nhelp to the poor brethren at Jerusalem; but after that, there had been\nsome disturbance between the Jews and Samaritans, and the Romans,\nthinking Ananias to blame, deprived him of his sacred office, and sent\nhim as a prisoner to Rome: and though he was afterwards allowed to\nreturn to Jerusalem, he was not restored to the office of High Priest,\nto which another man, named Jonathan, had been appointed. This\nJonathan had been killed by the \"murderers\" hired by Felix the Roman\ngovernor, and no other High Priest had as yet been appointed;\ntherefore there was, in fact, _no_ High Priest to be president, or\nhead, of the Sanhedrim. Under these circumstances, Ananias set himself\nup as chief of the Council, and behaved in the unjust manner related.\nSt. Paul had only been a very few days in Jerusalem, and did not\nperhaps know that Ananias had taken the office of High Priest upon\nhimself; or if he did know it, what he said would be a just rebuke to\nhim for having done so.\n\nOne other matter requires a few words, that is, the \"whited wall,\" to\nwhich St. Paul compared Ananias. We shall remember that our Saviour\nsaid, \"Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like\nunto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but\nare within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so ye\nalso appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy\nand iniquity.\" In the same manner St. Paul applied the comparison of\nthe \"whited wall\" of a sepulchre to Ananias, who pretended to judge\nand rebuke another, whilst his own heart was full of all evil passions\nand iniquity.\n\nLet us remember, that each such passage of Scripture has a lesson for\nus: all who only think of what men will say, and try to _appear_ good\nin the eyes of their fellow creatures, without trying to love and\nserve God with all their heart, and to do His will whatever men may\nthink of them, are no more pleasing in the eyes of our Lord, than were\nthe Pharisees, whom Jesus compared to \"whited sepulchres.\"\n\nNow we must return to the Council of the Sanhedrim, and hear what the\nApostle said in his defence. St. Luke says, \"But when Paul perceived\nthat the one part (of his hearers) were Sadducees, and the other\nPharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a\nPharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the\ndead I am called in question\"--meaning that he was persecuted and\ncalled to account, because he had taught that the dead would rise\nagain. \"And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the\nPharisees and Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the\nSadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor\nspirit; but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry:\nand the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove,\nsaying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath\nspoken to him, let us not fight against God.\" These scribes spake\nwell: but unhappily they did not speak in sincerity, but only out of\ncontradiction and spite to the Sadducees, whom they hated. They were\nquite as much opposed to St. Paul's preaching to the Gentiles, as any\nother class of persons could be; and therefore it was hypocrisy to\npretend to believe that an angel had bid him do so. St Paul, moreover,\nhad said nothing of any angel speaking to him; but had plainly\ndeclared that Jesus Christ had spoken to him: and this of course the\nPharisees could not allow, because they would not acknowledge Jesus\nChrist to be the Messiah. They were, in fact, fighting against\nGod--the very thing which they pretended to be afraid of doing.\n\nThe Sadducees were very angry, and the whole Council became a scene of\nthe greatest confusion and violence; so that Claudius Lysias feared\nfor his prisoner's life; and being answerable for his safety, he sent\nhis soldiers to bring him back into the castle, where he would be out\nof danger.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIV.--ST. PAUL SENT TO CAESAREA.\n\n\nWe read in the Book of Acts, \"And when there arose a great dissension,\nthe chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces\nof them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force\nfrom among them, and to bring him into the castle.\"\n\nIn the midst of the troubles and dangers with which he was now\nsurrounded, the faithful servant of God was not left without comfort\nand encouragement; for we read, that \"the night following the Lord\nstood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast\ntestified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.\nAnd when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound\nthemselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink\ntill they had killed Paul.\"\n\nThese men belonged to a party amongst the Jews, who were particularly\nstrict in the observance of all the forms and ceremonies of the Law;\nand for their _zeal_ or eagerness in this matter, they were called\nZealots. These Zealots, quite overlooking the Moral Law, which\ncommanded \"Thou shalt not kill,\" taught, that it was right to kill any\nman who did not observe the whole of the Ceremonial Law: they\ntherefore made a practice of murdering, whenever they had an\nopportunity, all whom they looked upon as enemies of the Law, without\nwaiting for any trial to decide whether or not they deserved\npunishment.\n\nThe Chief Priest and elders, instead of trying to prevent such\nwickedness, too often approved of the practices of the Zealots; as by\ntheir means they got rid of many whom they feared and hated, and who\ncertainly could not justly have been found guilty of any crime, for\nwhich they could have been put to death. These Jewish Zealots had\nbound themselves by a curse to kill St. Paul; that is, they expressed\na wish that God would bring evil upon them, if they did not kill St.\nPaul, before they ate or drank anything. Any such oaths are very\nsinful at all times, even if the act we bind ourselves to do is a good\nand righteous one, because it may not please God that we should do it:\nman proposes, but God disposes; and we must be content with striving\nto do what is right and useful, and leave the issue in His hands.\n\nThe Zealots, though they wickedly bound themselves by such an oath,\nknew that there was no risk in any case of their being starved to\ndeath, because any of their Rabbis could absolve, or set them free\nfrom such oaths, whenever they did not find it convenient to keep\nthem.\n\nThere were more than forty of the Zealots which made this conspiracy\nagainst St. Paul; and they, knowing that the Chief Priests and elders\nwould be only too glad to have the Apostle silenced in any way, went\nto them to get their help in the execution of this wicked plot. They\ntold the Priests and elders how they had bound themselves by a curse\nto kill St. Paul: and then said, \"Now therefore ye with the council\nsignify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you\nto-morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly\nconcerning him; and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.\"\n\nThis was a plan very likely to succeed: Claudius Lysias would have\nthought it very natural that the Sanhedrim should wish to examine St.\nPaul quietly, which could not be done in the tumult and excitement of\nthe day before. He would, therefore, have sent his prisoner down with\na small guard of soldiers, sufficient to prevent his escaping: these,\nthe Zealots who would be lying in wait, could easily overpower by\ntheir greater number, and thus they would have no difficulty in\nmurdering the Apostle. It is sad to think that priests and rulers,\nwhose duty it was to teach the people what was right, and to see that\nevery man was treated justly, should have agreed thus to entrap and\nslay a man who had been guilty of no crime: but so it was, for they\nconsented to do their part in the proposed scheme.\n\nThe enemies of St. Paul must now have thought his destruction certain:\nbut they forgot that if the Lord was on the Apostle's side, all their\nplots would come to nothing. And so it proved: for the Lord, Who had\nwork for His faithful servant to do, caused this plot to become in\nsome way known to a young man, the son of St. Paul's sister. We know\nnothing of this young man; whether he was still a Jew, or had, as is\nmore probable, become a Christian: all we are told is, \"And when\nPaul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered\ninto the castle, and told Paul.\"\n\nWe have now another example as to the duty of using all human means,\nwhilst humbly depending upon the blessing of God, without which all\nour efforts are unavailing. St. Paul had the promise of God, that he\nshould live to preach the Gospel in Rome; therefore he was well\nassured that the Zealots could not harm him. He also knew that the\nAlmighty could work a miracle for his deliverance; but he knew that to\ndepend upon such a display of Divine power, would be tempting God, not\ntrusting in Him. St. Paul felt, that the Lord, Who most generally\nbrings about events through human actions, had now given him the means\nof saving his own life; and that it was his duty to make use of them,\nin order to defeat the wicked plot contrived by the Zealots and the\nCouncil.\n\nWhen St. Paul had heard from his sister's son the plot laid for his\ndestruction, he \"called one of the centurions unto him, and said,\nBring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain\nthing to tell him. So\" the centurion \"took him, and brought him to the\nchief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and\nprayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say\nunto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with\nhim aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell\nme?\" Then the young man told him all that was proposed, and begged him\nnot to yield to the request of the Council. Having heard what he had\nto say, \"the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged\nhim, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.\"\nClaudius Lysias immediately took measures to save St. Paul, without\ngiving any cause or pretence for a disturbance, by refusing what would\nappear to be a reasonable request from the Sanhedrim: and he\ndetermined at once to send his prisoner out of the city, so that when\nasked to produce him before the Council, he could truly say, that it\nwas no longer in his power to do so. We read that \"he called unto him\ntwo centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to\nCaesarea, and horsemen three-score and ten, and spearmen two hundred,\nat the third hour of the night; and provide them beasts, that they may\nset Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor,\" whose\nresidence was at Caesarea. At the same time Claudius Lysias wrote a\nletter to be given to Felix, by those who conducted St. Paul to\nCaesarea. \"And he wrote a letter after this manner: Claudius Lysias\nunto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting. This man was\ntaken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I\nwith an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.\nAnd when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I\nbrought him forth into their council: whom I perceived to be accused\nof questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge\nworthy of death or of bonds. And when it was told me how that the Jews\nlaid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave\ncommandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had\nagainst him. Farewell.\"\n\nNow this letter was not quite a truthful account of what had\nhappened: Claudius Lysias told the story most favourably for himself,\nby making it appear that he rescued St. Paul because he was a Roman\ncitizen; whereas he did not know that fact, till he was on the point\nof scourging the prisoner--a circumstance of which he makes no\nmention. In relating anything, either by word of mouth or by letter,\nwe should be very careful to state exactly what happened, whether it\nis favourable to ourselves or not. Saying that he had given\ncommandment to the accusers to go down to Caesarea with their\ncomplaints, was different; because by the time the letter reached\nFelix, the command would be given. Of course he could say nothing to\nthe Jews that evening, as it was needful to send the Apostle away\nsecretly; but we may be sure that the next day, when the Council\ndemanded that St. Paul should be brought before them for further\nexamination, this advice was given to them. The third hour of the\nnight was about nine o'clock in the evening, and \"then the soldiers,\nas it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to\nAntipatris,\" a city about thirty-eight miles from Jerusalem, and\ntwenty-seven from Caesarea. It had been rebuilt, like many other\ncities, by Herod the Great, who called it Antipatris, after his father\nAntipater.\n\nHere St. Paul was quite out of reach of the Zealots who had banded to\nkill him, and so large a guard was therefore quite unnecessary: so\nthat \"on the morrow\" the soldiers \"left the horsemen to go with him,\nand returned to the castle\" of Antonia. The horsemen went on, \"who,\nwhen they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor,\npresented Paul also before him. And when the governor had read the\nletter, he asked of what province\" the prisoner was. And when he\nunderstood that he was of Cilicia, \"I will hear thee, said he, when\nthine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in\nHerod's judgment hall.\" Herod's judgment hall, in which Felix\ncommanded the Apostle to be kept till his accusers should come down,\nwas a large building erected by Herod the Great as a palace for\nhimself: part of it was afterwards made into a residence for the Roman\ngovernor of Judaea; and part of it was used as a prison for prisoners,\nnot charged with any great or serious crime. Here, then, St. Paul was\nkept for five days. \"And after five days Ananias the high priest\ndescended,\" or went down to Caesarea, \"with the elders, and with a\ncertain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against\nPaul.\"\n\nAn orator was a person who was able to make a good speech upon any\nsubject set before him. Many men made a business of this; that is, a\nman who was able to speak well, would speak for others, who were not\nable to do so, on condition of being paid for his services. Thus, if\nany man were accused of a crime, he would get one of these public\norators to speak for him at the time of trial, and try to persuade the\nJudge that he was innocent, whether he really were so or not. The same\nsort of thing is done amongst us, by barristers--men who have made it\ntheir business to study the laws of their country, in order to advise\nand help others who are ignorant in such matters. The Jewish priests\nand rulers were so very anxious that Felix should believe St. Paul to\nbe in the wrong, and condemn him accordingly, that they had engaged an\norator named Tertullus, to come and speak for them, and make the best\nof their case; so as to persuade Felix to condemn St. Paul, and thus\ngratify their malice.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXV.--ST. PAUL ACCUSED BEFORE FELIX.\n\n\nTertullus \"informed the governor against Paul,\"--that is, he came to\nCaesarea for the express purpose of informing the governor of the many\nand serious accusations, which the Jews brought against the prisoner.\nThe accusers being now come, Felix sat to judge the matter, and hear\nwhat each party had to say. \"And when he was called forth, Tertullus,\"\nin the name of the Jewish priests and rulers, \"began to accuse\" Paul,\n\"saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very\nworthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it\nalways, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.\nNotwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee\nthat thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.\"\n\nNow Felix was a harsh and tyrannical governor; and though he had done\ngood service in freeing the country from the robbers which had\ninfested it, and in punishing impostors (like the Egyptian), he had\ncaused the High Priest to be murdered, and had often driven the Jews\ninto rebellion by his barbarous and unjust acts. In short, his whole\nconduct created such disturbances in the land, and made him so hateful\nto the Jewish people, that within two years of this time, they\npetitioned the Roman Government for his removal; and Porcius Festus\nwas appointed governor instead of him. When therefore Tertullus, as\nthe mouthpiece of the Jews, spake in this way of the peace and quiet\nthey enjoyed under his excellent government, they were not expressing\ntheir real true opinions, but were only saying what they thought would\nplease Felix, and make him more willing to do what they wished.\nTertullus having thus prepared the way, went on to bring his\naccusations against St. Paul, saying, \"For we have found this man a\npestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews\nthroughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:\nwho also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and\nwould have judged according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias\ncame upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,\ncommanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom\nthyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse\nhim.\"\n\nThis speech was full of falsehood, inasmuch as it so misrepresented\nwhat had happened, as to lead Felix to think that the prisoner before\nhim had proved himself a dangerous enemy to the Roman Government, and\nthat the chief captain had violently and unnecessarily interfered with\nthe peaceable exercise of the Council's rights, of examining into\nthose matters of which St. Paul was accused. The Jews, however,\nassented, saying that these things which Tertullus had spoken were\ntrue.\n\nWhen Tertullus had thus informed Felix, the latter called upon St.\nPaul to answer to these charges. Felix having now been governor of\nJudaea for four or five years, knew something of the religion, laws,\nand customs of the Jews, and was therefore the better able to judge in\nthese matters. \"Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto\nhim to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of\nmany years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer\nfor myself: because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet\nbut twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. And they\nneither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising\nup the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: neither can\nthey prove the things whereof they now accuse me.\"\n\nIn these few words, the Apostle contradicted absolutely the charges\nbrought against him by his enemies. Felix, he knew, would understand\nhis wish of going to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Pentecost, and\nthat, as he had only been in the city for twelve days, he could not\nhave done much to stir up the people to rebellion. Having thus\ndeclared the falseness of the charges brought against him, the Apostle\nwent on to notice what was in fact the real cause of all the\npersecution against him; and boldly said, \"But this I confess unto\nthee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God\nof my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and\nin the prophets: and have hope toward God, which they themselves also\nallow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the\njust and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a\nconscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Now after many\nyears I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings. Whereupon\ncertain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with\nmultitude, nor with tumult. Who ought to have been here before thee,\nand object, if they had ought against me. Or else let these same here\nsay, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the\ncouncil, except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among\nthem, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by\nyou this day.\"\n\nWe cannot read this beautiful speech without wishing that each one of\nus could say from our hearts, that we too are endeavouring so to live\nand act, that our consciences may not reproach us with any wilful sin.\nIt was customary for the Jews, in whatever countries they might happen\nto dwell, to send alms and offerings from time to time to Jerusalem;\nand St. Paul had now, according to that custom, brought contributions\nfrom the foreign Jews. We should notice the close of St. Paul's\nspeech, when he challenges the priests and rulers to say, whether any\nfault whatever had been proved against him during his examination\nbefore the Sanhedrim, unless they looked upon his having said, \"that\nthe Jews persecuted him because he had preached the resurrection of\nthe dead,\" as a crime. St. Paul's accusers seem to have answered\nnothing; they were unable to contradict him, for he had spoken nothing\nbut the truth, and had plainly shown that he was no \"pestilent\nfellow,\" nor mover of sedition among the people.\n\n\"And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of\nthat way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain\nshall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter. And he\ncommanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and\nthat he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come\nunto him.\" Felix, living at Caesarea, where Cornelius, a Roman\ncenturion, had been so wonderfully converted, and where Philip the\ndeacon, and many other Christians resided, must have heard a good deal\nabout the doctrines of \"that way\" of worshipping the Lord; and he had\ncertainly found, that the Christians were better subjects, and\naltogether better men, than the Jews. He would not therefore be\ninclined to condemn St. Paul _because_ he was a Christian; and,\nlistening carefully to the accusations and defence just made before\nhim, he saw at once that the prisoner had not committed any crime\nwhatever, and that the whole affair arose from the hatred, which the\nJews bore to the followers of Jesus Christ. Instead, however, of\nboldly pronouncing sentence one way or the other, he tried to pacify\nthe Jews by putting off the trial till Claudius Lysias, whom they had\naccused of illegal violence, could come down; and mean time he\nentrusted St. Paul to the care of a centurion, with orders not to\ntreat him as a prisoner. It must have been a bitter disappointment to\nthe Jews, to see the man whom they persecuted thus kindly treated.\n\nWe may also see the protecting hand of God overruling these events.\nHad St. Paul been set at liberty, the Jews would doubtless have tried\nto take his life; but under the watchful care of the centurion, he was\nsafe from their malice.\n\nWhether Claudius Lysias ever did come down to Caesarea, we are not\ntold; but it is quite clear that St. Paul was neither declared guilty\nof any offence deserving punishment, nor set at liberty, which, as an\ninnocent man, he ought to have been.\n\nSt. Luke next tells us, \"And after certain days, when Felix came with\nhis wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him\nconcerning the faith in Christ.\" It has already been said that\nDrusilla was one of the daughters of Herod Agrippa, who died miserably\nat Caesarea, as a punishment for allowing himself to be treated as a\ngod. Drusilla had been married to another man, but Felix had persuaded\nher to leave her husband, and become his wife. This was a great sin in\nboth Felix and Drusilla. After the trial of St. Paul, the governor\nappears to have left Caesarea for a while; and when he came back,\nbringing Drusilla with him, they both wished to hear more of the\ndoctrines of Christianity, and therefore they sent for St. Paul, that\nhe might talk to them \"concerning the faith in Christ.\" St. Paul was\nalways ready to speak the truth boldly in the service of his heavenly\nMaster; and knowing that Felix was an unjust and unrighteous ruler,\nand a man who at all times thought only of pleasing and indulging\nhimself, without caring what injury or suffering he inflicted upon\nothers, he took this opportunity of showing the sinfulness of such\nconduct, and that those who persisted in it would be punished\nhereafter, when Jesus Christ should come to judge the world. \"And as\nhe reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix\ntrembled\"; for his conscience told him, that he was guilty of the very\nsins for which the Apostle declared that the wrath of God would fall\nupon the impenitent. Well would it have been for him, if the fear\nwhich made him tremble, had made him at once anxiously inquire in true\npenitence, What must I do to be saved? But, unhappily, he took another\ncourse, too often followed amongst ourselves: he did not _like to\nhear_ such things, and so he tried to put them away, and answered, \"Go\nthy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call\nfor thee.\"\n\nEven in worldly matters, it is a good maxim, never to put off till\nto-morrow what ought to be done to-day. Infinitely more does it apply\nto spiritual things; to repentance, to abstaining from what we feel to\nbe wrong, to making the sacrifice we know we ought to make, to doing\nthe duty which we perceive we ought to do. Never let us put off such\nthings, and thus quench the Spirit of God speaking in our hearts. If\nwe wilfully let one opportunity slip, we may never have another given\nto us. There is no \"season\" so \"convenient\" for doing right as the\nmoment in which we feel what _is_ right. Felix stifled the voice of\nconscience, which answered to St. Paul's teaching; and we have no\nreason to believe that the convenient season ever came, for, though he\noften talked with him after this, we hear of no good results from such\nmeetings; nor could any good results be expected, from a course in\nwhich covetousness had so great a share; for one of the governor's\nmotives for keeping the Apostle still in some sort as a prisoner, was\nthe hope that he or his friends would purchase his liberty, by giving\nmoney. But Felix ought to have felt, that St. Paul would never offer a\nbribe, which it was very wrong for any Judge to take. However that may\nbe, we read, \"He hoped also that money should have been given him of\nPaul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener,\nand communed with him.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXVI.--ST. PAUL BEFORE FESTUS.\n\n\n\"But after two years, Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix,\nwilling to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.\" Felix might now\nat least have let the Apostle go, for he could no longer hope for any\nadvantage by leaving him still a prisoner. This governor had never\ntried to please the Jews by a just and kind government: then he\npreferred pleasing himself: now, that it does not interfere with his\nown gratification, he was willing to do the Jews a pleasure, by\ncommitting another sin, in the detention of an innocent man, whom he\nwell knew ought to have been set free long ago. The Bible says truly,\nthat \"the fear of man bringeth a snare,\" and the same may be said of\nthe wish to please him, when we cannot do so without doing wrong or\nneglecting our duty.\n\nFelix gained nothing by thus sacrificing St. Paul, for the Jews of\nCaesarea followed him to Rome, and there made such complaints of him to\nthe Emperor Nero, that it was with great difficulty that Felix saved\nhimself from severe punishment. The new governor of Judaea, when he\n\"was come into the province,\" made in the first instance a very short\nstay at Caesarea, and \"after three days\" went up to Jerusalem. Of\ncourse in this short time, he had not had leisure to hear anything\nconcerning St. Paul. The Jews of Jerusalem, therefore, gladly seized\nthis opportunity to try and prejudice Festus against St. Paul. \"Then\nthe high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul,\nand besought him, and desired favour against him, that he would send\nfor him to Jerusalem,\" to be there tried. But they had another end in\nview; even the same which the Zealots, with the approbation of the\nSanhedrim, had hoped to accomplish on a former occasion. The high\npriest and the elders, knowing well that St. Paul could not be found\nguilty of any crime, only besought Festus to have him brought to\nJerusalem, because they were determined to get rid of him, by \"laying\nwait in the way to kill him.\" But their wicked scheme was again\ndefeated, for \"Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea,\nand that he himself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore,\nsaid he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this\nman, if there be any wickedness in him.\"\n\nAnd when Festus had been about ten days in Jerusalem, \"he went down\nunto Caesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat, commanded\nPaul to be brought. And when he was come\" before the judgment seat,\n\"the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid\nmany and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.\nWhile he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews,\nneither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended\nanything at all.\" Festus quite saw that St. Paul had been guilty of no\noffence towards the Roman Government, but that the whole matter\nconcerned the doctrines and customs of the Jewish Law; and that he, as\nthe Roman governor, had no cause to keep him prisoner, or trouble him\nany further. \"But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered\nPaul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of\nthese things before me?\" The Sanhedrim was the proper Court to try\nquestions concerning the Jewish Law. Festus knew nothing of the plots\nto kill St. Paul, for he was a just man, and would not have\ncountenanced such wickedness. He could not order St. Paul to be tried\nby the Sanhedrim, for the authority of that Court was not recognized\nby the Romans; but probably with the view of convincing the Jews that\nSt. Paul had not offended against their Law, he proposed that the\nApostle should go up to Jerusalem to answer their charges.\n\n\"Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be\njudged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.\nFor if I be an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I\nrefuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these\naccuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.\" As a\nfreeman of Rome, St. Paul could only be tried for any crime, by a\nCourt composed of Judges appointed by Caesar; hence called \"Caesar's\njudgment seat.\" Again, he declared that he was innocent of any offence\nagainst the Jews, but that he had no wish to escape a lawful trial, or\nany just punishment; but that if he were not found guilty of any\ncrime, no person had any right to put him in the power of men so well\nknown to be his enemies as the Jews were. He ended by making use of\nanother privilege belonging to a Roman citizen, that of appealing unto\nCaesar: after which he could only be tried at Rome, by persons\nappointed especially for that purpose by the Emperor himself. A\nfreeman of Rome who had been tried anywhere and found guilty, could\nthen appeal to Caesar, if he thought his sentence unjust. Or before\ntrial, if he suspected that his judge was not acting according to law,\nhe could thus appeal to the Emperor. An appeal to Caesar was highly\nrespected by every person in authority, and any magistrate who, after\nsuch an appeal, dared to punish a prisoner, would himself be liable to\nsevere punishment. This, and all the privileges of a Roman citizen,\nwere so much respected, that many years after this time, when the\nChristians were persecuted by order of the Emperor Trajan, a Roman\ncalled Pliny, whose duty it was to have all Christians put to death,\nwrote a letter to the Emperor, in which, after speaking of the numbers\nhe had executed because they would not give up their religion, he\nsays, \"There are others, guilty of similar folly, but finding them to\nbe Roman citizens, I have determined to send them to Rome.\" Perhaps\nthese poor creatures had appealed to Caesar; at any rate, Pliny,\nrespecting their privileges, thought it safest to send them to Rome,\nthough there could be no doubt that the Emperor would immediately\norder them to be put to death.\n\nIt was usual for a Roman President, or Judge, to have a small Council\nof some of the chief Romans in the province, whose advice he could ask\nin any doubtful matter. Festus had such a Council; for we read, \"Then\nFestus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou\nappealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.\" Thus did the Lord\noverrule events to fulfil his words, \"thou must bear witness also at\nRome.\" Before St. Paul could be sent off from Caesarea, he was again\ncalled upon to defend himself and declare his doctrines. St. Luke\nsays, \"And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto\nCaesarea to salute Festus.\" This Agrippa and Bernice were both the\nchildren of Herod Agrippa, and therefore Drusilla was their sister.\nThe Emperor Claudius had made Agrippa king of some of the Roman\nProvinces in Asia, and had also given him some dominions in Judaea,\nwhich had been added to by the present Emperor Nero. It was probably\nto look after these dominions that Agrippa was now come into the\ncountry, bringing his sister Bernice with him; and it was very natural\nthat they should go to Caesarea to visit the governor. Festus, who was\nevidently rather puzzled about St. Paul, as he could see no reason for\nthe accusations of the Jews, was glad to have an opportunity of\ntalking over the matter with one, who being himself a Jew, would know\nthe laws and customs of his own people, as well as those of the\nRomans. Therefore, when Agrippa and Bernice had been at Caesarea \"many\ndays, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, There is a\ncertain man left in bonds by Felix: about whom, when I was at\nJerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me,\ndesiring to have judgment against him. To whom I answered, It is not\nthe manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he\nwhich is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to\nanswer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Therefore,\nwhen they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on\nthe judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. Against\nwhom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such\nthings as I supposed: but had certain questions against him of their\nown superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed\nto be alive. And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I\nasked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of\nthese matters. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the\nhearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him\nto Caesar.\"\n\nBy \"their superstition,\" Festus meant the religion of the Jews: for\nthe heathen always thus spake of it, and said, that \"Moses was the\ninventor of the Jews' superstition.\" The heathens saw that the Jews\nbelieved in an Almighty power, of which they knew nothing, and did\ncertain things to obtain favour from the God they worshipped: this\nthey called Superstition, and no doubt they looked upon the Christian\nreligion in much the same light.\n\nThe term \"Superstition,\" might much more properly be applied to the\nbelief and practice of the Romans themselves, with all their omens and\nauguries, supposed to reveal the will of their imaginary gods; and\ntheir sacrifices and ceremonies, in order to gain their favour.\n\nAt the time of which we are now speaking, the Jews _had_ indeed\nintroduced many superstitions into their religion; for they thought to\nplease God by outward forms and ceremonies, whilst they committed all\nmanner of sins, and rejected the Messiah.\n\nThe Christians were ready to give up all earthly joys and comforts,\nand to suffer death, rather than act contrary to the religion which\nthey professed; and this the heathens looked upon as \"foolishness.\"\n\nFestus evidently thought that both Jews and Christians were very\nfoolish, to dispute upon such a subject as the life or death of Jesus;\nfor he neither knew nor cared about the doctrines of Christianity, and\nthe need of a Saviour. Little did the Roman governor conceive, that\nthe question concerning the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was one of\nthe greatest importance to all mankind, when he thus slightingly spake\nof \"one Jesus,\" \"whom Paul affirmed to be alive.\" Had St. Paul been\naccused of crimes, as the governor supposed would have been the case,\nhe would have known how to act: but when the accusations were only\nabout such matters as to the Romans were \"foolishness,\" Festus was\nperplexed and doubtful, as to the course which he ought to take; for\nas these questions had caused disturbances in the country, they could\nnot be allowed to pass unnoticed by a Roman governor. And probably it\nwas as much to relieve himself from his perplexity as to please the\nJews, that he proposed to the Apostle to go up to Jerusalem.\n\nAll the Roman Emperors had the title of Caesar, and they also all took\nthat of Augustus: but each one had his own particular name or names\nbesides: the \"Augustus Caesar\" here spoken of, was the Emperor Nero.\nAgrippa listened with interest to all that Festus told him of St.\nPaul, and then said, \"I would also hear the man myself\"--a desire\nwhich Festus was too happy to gratify. \"To-morrow, said he, thou shalt\nhear him.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXVII.--ST. PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA.\n\n\n\"And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great\npomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief\ncaptains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul\nwas brought forth.\" This \"place of hearing\" was probably some large\napartment in the palace where Festus lived, set apart for the governor\nto receive, and give audience to, all persons who came to him on\nbusiness. This we must remember was no _trial_ of St. Paul; he could\nnow have no further trial till he reached Rome: there were now no Jews\npresent to make accusations against him; it was, in fact, only a\nprivate examination of St. Paul's opinions, for the gratification of\nking Agrippa. If the Apostle had now refused to speak, he could not\nhave been held guilty of disobedience; but he was always ready and\nwilling to give an account of the faith which was in him, and probably\nhe was particularly glad to have an opportunity of speaking of \"Jesus\nChrist, and Him crucified,\" before Agrippa, who, as a Jew, had learnt\nfrom the prophets to expect the Messiah.\n\nWhen all was ready, Festus opened the business, and explained the\nmatter to the assembly; who, with the exception of king Agrippa, and\nperhaps a few of his attendants, were all heathens.\n\n\"And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present\nwith us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews\nhave dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he\nought not to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed\nnothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to\nAugustus, I have determined to send him. Of whom I have no certain\nthing to write unto my lord.\" (That is, no crimes or offences to give,\nas a reason for his being tried at all.) \"Wherefore I have brought him\nforth before you, and especially before thee, O king Agrippa, that,\nafter examination had, I might have somewhat to write. For it seemeth\nto me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the\ncrimes laid against him. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art\npermitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand,\nand answered for himself: I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because\nI shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things\nwhereof I am accused of the Jews: especially because I know thee to be\nexpert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews:\nwherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.\" Agrippa having been\nbrought up in Jerusalem, when his father Herod Agrippa lived there as\nking of Judaea by permission of the Emperor Caligula, had been well\ninstructed in the Jewish law and customs; and at this time the Emperor\nNero had entrusted to him the government of the temple, and the care\nof its treasury: he was also allowed to nominate the High Priest. St.\nPaul, conscious of his own innocence, was glad to speak before one so\nwell able to judge of the truth of his words. Having bespoken a\npatient hearing from the king, the Apostle continued, \"My manner of\nlife from my youth, which was at first among mine own nation at\nJerusalem\" (where he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel), \"know\nall the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify,\nthat after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.\nAnd now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God\nunto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly\nserving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king\nAgrippa, I am accused of the Jews.\"\n\nThe \"promise\" here spoken of, was that made by God Himself to Abraham\nand the patriarchs, and repeated more plainly by the prophets, that\nthe Messiah should come upon earth, and by His rising from the dead,\nprove the truth of the promise of a future life for all men. This\npromise had always been believed, and its fulfilment looked for, by\nall true Israelites. So far, then, there was no difference of opinion.\nBut the Apostle had been convinced, by unmistakable signs, that the\npromise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For declaring that Jesus of\nNazareth was the Messiah, the hope of Israel, for whom the twelve\ntribes had ever been looking, and that He had risen from the dead\naccording to the promise, St. Paul was \"accused\" and persecuted by the\nJews: some denying that there could be any resurrection at all;\nothers, who allowed that, denying that Jesus Christ had risen. Agrippa\nas a Jew ought to have learnt from all the wonderful things that had\nbeen done for his forefathers, that with God nothing was impossible;\nwhilst his study of the Jewish Scriptures should have taught him, that\nthe Resurrection was more than a possibility. St. Paul now, therefore,\nspeaking to him as a Jew, asks, \"Why should it be thought a thing\nincredible with you, that God should raise the dead?\"\n\nThe doctrine of the Resurrection--or rather the great Truth that Jesus\nChrist had really risen from the dead--was the one especial point of\nSt. Paul's teaching: because all by whom that was once acknowledged,\ncould not fail to see, that He was indeed the promised Messiah, worthy\nof all the love and service His creatures could give Him.\n\nHaving spoken of the Resurrection, St. Paul went on to show Agrippa,\nthat what he now taught upon the subject was the more worthy of\nbelief, inasmuch as he himself had not been easily persuaded of this\ntruth, or inclined to join those who believed it. On the contrary, he\nsays, \"I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things\ncontrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.\" Then, after telling\nAgrippa how in consequence of this idea, he persecuted the followers\nof Jesus, he described the wonderful manner in which he had been\nbrought to see that He _was_ the promised Messiah; and he mentioned\nthe peculiar charge given unto him by God, to go unto the Gentiles,\n\"to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from\nthe power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of\nsins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith.\"\n\"Whereupon,\" continued the Apostle, \"I was not disobedient unto the\nheavenly vision: but shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at\nJerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the\nGentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet\nfor repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and\nwent about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I\ncontinue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying\nnone other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say\nshould come: that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the\nfirst who should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the\npeople, and to the Gentiles.\" Strange indeed did these things sound in\nthe ears of the heathen governor; and without pausing to consider\nwhether they might not indeed be true, \"Festus said with a loud voice,\nPaul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.\" Firm\nand respectful was the reply to this charge, that he knew not what he\nwas saying: for he said, \"I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak\nforth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these\nthings, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none\nof these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a\ncorner.\" Agrippa, who could bear witness to the things spoken by Moses\nand the prophets, must also have heard of the many wonderful acts done\nby Jesus during His life; of the events attending His death; and of\nthe works since performed by His Apostles; and therefore St. Paul\nrefers to him, as able to bear witness that the words which had so\nastonished Festus, were not the words of madness, but of sober truth.\n\nHaving thus replied to Festus, St. Paul, turning to Agrippa, said,\n\"King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?\" As a Jew, the king must\nnecessarily be a believer in all the Scriptures of the Old Testament;\ntherefore, without waiting for an answer, the Apostle added, \"I know\nthat thou believest.\" He said no more, but his meaning was easy to\nunderstand. Any one, who believing in the Scriptures of the Old\nTestament, would carefully and honestly compare all that was written\nconcerning the Messiah with the Birth, Life, and Death of Jesus, must\nperceive that He was indeed the promised Messiah, the Anointed, the\nChrist.\n\nIt is clear by the answer, that the king did so understand the\nquestion. \"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to\nbe a Christian.\" He could not deny the truth of what the Apostle had\nsaid; his reason, if he would have followed its teaching to the end,\nwould have convinced him that the Gospel preached by St. Paul was the\ngift of God; the continuation and ending, as it were, of the Law of\nMoses; that it involved no _change_ of religion, but its completion or\n_perfect state_, for that the Law had been given to prepare the way\nfor the Gospel. Just as St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians,\nwrote, \"the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.\"\n\nIt is probable that Agrippa felt much of this; why then did he not\nbecome entirely, not _almost_, a Christian? Because he was not willing\nto renounce the Devil and all his works, and the sinful lusts of the\nflesh. His life and actions were very far from the purity and holiness\nnecessary in a real true Christian; he could not make up his mind to\nendeavour to lead a new life, consistent with the profession of\nChristianity; and therefore, though almost persuaded, he stopped\nthere.\n\nTo be _almost_ a Christian, is to be in a condition most displeasing\nto the Lord; and yet there are many now, who professing to be members\nof the Church of Christ, are, it is to be feared, in this sad state.\nLet us watch and pray, that such may not be our case--remembering,\nthat if we are not daily striving with all our might, to keep our part\nof the Baptismal Covenant, whatever it may cost us to do so, we are no\nmore than _almost_ Christians, who will never be received as good and\nfaithful servants by our heavenly Master.\n\nAgrippa was not ready to live a life of self-denial, and therefore he\ncould only say, \"Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul\nsaid, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me\nthis day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these\nbonds.\"\n\nSt. Paul could not offer a better prayer for his hearers, nor for all\nmankind who have ever lived upon earth, than that they should be true\nand sincere Christians, like him in every respect, except in that of\nbeing prisoners. The \"bonds\" here spoken of were the light chains upon\nhis hands, by which, as we have said, prisoners amongst the Romans\nwere usually bound to the soldier who had charge of them. St. Paul\nbore no ill-will to those who had unjustly kept him so long a\nprisoner; he only desired their good, expressing, in the words we have\njust read, his solemn wish that they might become true Christians.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXVIII.--ST. PAUL BEGINS HIS FOURTH VOYAGE.\n\n\nSt. Paul's solemn prayer for all who had listened to his words closed\nthe examination. \"And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and\nthe governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: and when they\nwere gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man\ndoeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.\" All who had heard St. Paul\nspeak, saw at once that he had been guilty of no offence against the\nRoman Government: and Agrippa, who understood the Jewish law,\npronounced that there was no reason on that account either, to keep\nhim a prisoner. \"Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have\nbeen set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.\" Having done\nso, no prisoner could be set at liberty, without the express command\nof the Emperor.\n\nAgrippa's opinion would incline the unprejudiced Jews not to believe\nall that the priests and elders had said against St. Paul; and it\nwould make Festus write a favourable report of his case to Rome.\nProbably it was owing to what Agrippa now said, that St. Paul met with\nkind treatment, both on the voyage to Italy and after his arrival in\nRome.\n\nNothing now remained but to send St. Paul to Caesar; and of this\nvoyage, St. Luke, who appears never to have quitted him, gives us a\nfull account, saying, \"And when it was determined that we should sail\ninto Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one\nnamed Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.\" Although the garrison of\nCaesarea was at this time composed of Syrian soldiers, there was also\na small body of Roman soldiers, called the Augustan Band, as belonging\nparticularly to the Emperor. Under a centurion of this band, St. Paul\nwas now to begin his fourth and last journey, A.D. 60.\n\nThis journey differed from the three former, inasmuch as they had been\nundertaken voluntarily, (by direction of the Holy Spirit,) for the\naccomplishment of the work given him to do. This fourth journey,\nthough it would equally serve to the great work of spreading the\nGospel, was to be made as a prisoner.\n\nIn those days, a voyage was a more serious affair than it is now. It\nwas not easy to find a ship sailing direct from any port in Asia to\nItaly, and accordingly we read, \"And entering into a ship of\nAdramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one\nAristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.\" Adramyttium\nwas a sea-port of Mysia, quite out of the way of any person wishing to\ngo to Italy; but, as the ship was to touch at many ports in Asia Minor\non her way home, it was probable that at one of these ports some\nvessel might be found which was going into Italy, and could take\nJulius and his company on board. The Aristarchus here mentioned had\nbecome a Christian when St. Paul preached the Gospel in Macedonia, and\nhad then gone with the Apostle to Jerusalem, and helped him in his\ngreat work. _Why_ he was now a prisoner, we are not told; but it was\nno doubt for preaching the Gospel that he was now a fellow prisoner of\nSt. Paul. St. Luke, after mentioning the launching at Caesarea, says,\n\"And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously\nentreated Paul,\" (that is, treated him kindly,) \"and gave him liberty\nto go unto his friends to refresh himself.\" There were at this time\nmany Christians in Ph[oe]nicia; and it must have been a great comfort\nboth to them and to St. Paul, to meet and talk and pray together.\n\nThen we read, \"And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under\nCyprus, because the winds were contrary.\" The wind blowing pretty\nstrongly from the south-west, the ship, instead of passing to the\nsouth of the island, which would have been the shortest way into the\nArchipelago, sailed to the north, where it would be sheltered from the\nwind by the island itself. Thus coming to Myra, a sea-port of Lycia,\nJulius disembarked his company, as it was useless for those who wished\nto go into Italy, to continue any longer in a ship bound for\nAdramyttium, which would take them greatly out of their way.\n\nAt Myra, the centurion found a ship which had come from the opposite\nport of Alexandria, in Egypt, and was now going on to Italy. St. Luke\nsays, \"and he put us therein.\" Much corn was taken from Egypt into\nItaly. It was brought from different parts of the country to\nAlexandria, and there put on board ships, which landed it at Puteoli,\nin the south-eastern part of Italy; and from thence it was taken to\nother places as it was wanted. It was one of these vessels, laden with\ncorn, in which Julius now embarked his prisoners.\n\nSt. Luke says, \"And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce\nwere come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed\nunder Crete, over against Salmone; and, hardly passing it, came unto a\nplace which is called the Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of\nLasea.\" Cnidus stood on a point of high land at the south-west corner\nof Asia Minor; and from thence the master of the vessel meant to steer\ndirectly westward, passing to the north of the isle of Crete; but the\nwind being contrary, the vessel was many days in going from Myra as\nfar as Cnidus, and then it was obliged to go to the south of Crete,\npassing by Salmone, a promontory, or cape, on the eastern end of the\nisland. This they had much difficulty in passing; and then they took\nrefuge in a port, called the Fair Havens, near to which was a city\ncalled Lasea.\n\nIt was now a time of year when sailing was considered dangerous, on\naccount of high winds, called the Equinoctial Gales, which generally\nbegin to blow in September. At this time of the year, on the 10th of\ntheir month Tisri, answering to our 25th of September, the Jews, by\nthe appointment of God, kept the great \"Fast of Expiation,\" according\nto the Law of Moses. On this day, no work was to be done; the people\nwere to spend their time in confessing their sins, and praying for\ntrue repentance, and consequent forgiveness. They were further to\nafflict their souls by fasting, and by abstaining from every kind of\npleasure or amusement.\n\nIn the early times of the Jewish history, this fast was so strictly\nkept, that no Jew would upon it wash his face, nor put on his shoes,\nnor even read any part of the Scriptures which gave him pleasure. The\nLaw commanded that this day should be kept entirely as a day of\nmourning and sorrow; whilst the priests were to offer certain\nsacrifices as an atonement, or expiation, for all the sins of the\npeople, that they might be looked upon as clean from all their sins.\nAll that was commanded to be done on this solemn fast-day, was to be a\ntype, or sign, of the great future sacrifice to be made by Jesus\nChrist; Who by His death, made a sufficient expiation and atonement\nfor the sins of the whole world, and thus took away from all His\nfaithful people the dreadful consequences of sin, which _no_ sacrifice\nof beasts ever could have done.\n\nThe \"Fast of Expiation\" took place, as we have said, on the 25th of\nSeptember; and after that time, the ancients considered a sea-voyage\ndangerous, on account of the tempestuous winds which blew at that\nseason: they therefore generally laid up their ships for the winter.\nSt. Paul had had considerable experience in the dangers of the sea,\nfor he had often been in \"perils of the sea,\" of which St. Luke makes\nno mention. In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, written, as we\nhave heard, about two years before this last voyage, St. Paul,\nspeaking of the dangers and sufferings he had undergone whilst\npreaching the Gospel, says, amongst other things, \"thrice I suffered\nshipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep.\" St. Paul\ntherefore was well aware of the danger of sailing at this season of\nthe year; and probably the Holy Spirit had made known unto him, that\ndanger awaited the ship if she now continued her voyage. This\nexplanation is necessary for the right understanding of what we shall\nnow read, as told us by St. Luke. The ship, we must remember, had with\nmuch difficulty arrived safely at the \"Fair Havens\" in Crete.\n\n\"Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous,\nbecause the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, and said\nunto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and\nmuch damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.\nNevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the\nship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. And because\nthe haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to\ndepart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and\nthere to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the\nsouth-west and north-west.\" That is, Phenice was on the south-west\ncoast of the island, to the north-west of Lasea and the Fair Havens.\n\nA change in the weather at this time, confirmed those who were anxious\nto reach Phenice, in their opinion that it might be done. \"And when\nthe south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their\npurpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.\" By keeping close\nto the shore, they hoped to accomplish their purpose. \"But not long\nafter there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.\"\nThe word \"Euroclydon\" is made up from two Greek words, one of which\nmeans a wave, and the other the south-east wind. It was a violent wind\nwhich blew furiously generally from the south-east, and made the waves\nexceedingly rough, and very dangerous for small vessels. The same kind\nof wind is now known in the Mediterranean Sea as a \"Levanter,\" because\nit generally blows from the east, and the Levant is the eastern part\nof that sea. Sometimes it blows for a short time from some other\nquarter, which makes it all the more dangerous, because the sudden\nchange of a very violent wind is apt to capsize, or overset, a ship,\nnot prepared for such a change.\n\nThis terrible wind now came on, blowing furiously from the east. The\nrudder--that is, the machine by which a ship is guided on its\ncourse--was useless in such a storm, and the vessel became quite\nunmanageable. St. Luke says, \"And when the ship was caught, and could\nnot bear up into the wind, we let her drive.\" The ship, thus left to\nthe mercy of the wind, was driven straight to an island, called\nClauda. We read, \"And running under a certain island which is called\nClauda, we had much work to come by the boat: which when they had\ntaken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship.\" Most ships have a\nsmall boat, which is usually drawn after them by a rope fastened to\nthe stern, or hind part, of the vessel; but, fearing that the violence\nof the wind and waves would wash the boat quite away, the sailors,\nthough with great difficulty, managed to draw it up on the ship's\ndeck, ready for use in case of need. \"Undergirding,\" was passing\nstrong ropes under the ship, and bringing the ends from each side upon\ndeck, where they were fastened together; so as to support and hold in\ntheir places, all the planks and timbers of which the ship was built.\nSheltered a little from the storm under the north side of the island\nof Clauda, the seamen were able to accomplish this work, after which\nthey could do no more.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIX.--THE SHIP RUNS AGROUND.\n\n\nSt. Luke having mentioned the undergirding of the ship, adds, \"and,\nfearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so\nwere driven.\"\n\nThe ship being unable to resist the wind blowing strongly from the\nnorth-east, must of necessity be carried into the Gulf of Syrtis\nMinor, on the African coast; but before reaching it, the vessel would\nhave to pass a dangerous bank of sand on the coast of Africa. This\nbank was of great extent, and any ship that was carried upon it would\ngradually sink, and sink into the sand, until it was quite buried. The\nsailors, fearing such a fate for their ship, took down all the sails,\nso that the wind might have less power over it. In this condition the\nship was at the mercy of the wind and waves; and was driven here and\nthere, without power to help herself. All on board the ship were now\nin a dreadful situation: exposed to the fury of a wind which blew them\nsometimes one way and sometimes another. In order to make the ship\nlighter, so that it might more easily rise to the top of the waves,\nthe seamen first threw overboard the cargo of wheat carried by the\nship, and then even the very ropes and sails belonging to it. But the\nstorm continued, the sky was dark with clouds, and as there was no\npossibility of help, all gave themselves up for lost, and expected to\nbe swallowed up in this tempestuous sea. Under such circumstances, all\nregular habits were at an end; no one thought of taking food, and\nconsequently the strength of all was rapidly becoming less and less.\nSt. Luke's account is, \"And we being exceedingly tossed with a\ntempest, the next day they lightened the ship; and the third day we\ncast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither\nsun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us,\nall hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long\nabstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye\nshould have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to\nhave gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good\ncheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of\nthe ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I\nam, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought\nbefore Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with\nthee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it\nshall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a\ncertain island.\"\n\nSt. Paul's words and his steadfast faith, must have been a comfort to\nhis fellow voyagers; and if any of the heathens were then inclined to\nbelieve in the God Whose servant he was, their faith would be\nconfirmed by all that took place afterwards.\n\nWe next read in the Book of Acts, \"But when the fourteenth night was\ncome,\" (think of being fourteen days in such an awful position!) \"as\nwe were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed\nthat they drew near to some country; and sounded, and found it twenty\nfathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again,\nand found it fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest we should have fallen\nupon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for\nthe day.\"\n\nThe ancients seem to have given the name of \"Adria,\" to that part of\nthe Mediterranean Sea between Greece and the south of Italy, extending\nup into what we call the Adriatic Sea; here, by the force of the wind\nand the currents, the ship was driven backwards and forwards, even as\nfar as the islands off the coast of Dalmatia.\n\n\"Sounding\" means measuring how deep the sea is: this is done by means\nof a piece of lead fastened to a very long string, called \"the line,\"\nwhich has marks upon it, to show the number of feet. The lead of\ncourse sinks straight down into the water: if it touches the bottom of\nthe sea, it is immediately drawn up, and by observing how much of the\nline is wet, they can tell how deep the sea is in any particular spot.\nAs every ship has a good portion of it _below_ the water, she requires\na certain depth of water to keep her from touching the bottom. The sea\ngenerally becomes less deep near the shore, and thus when the shipmen\nfound that the depth of the sea had diminished from twenty to fifteen\nfathoms, it was high time to wait for daylight to see where they were;\nlest during the night the ship should run upon some land, or rock, or\nsandbank, and so be lost. A fathom is seven feet, so that twenty\nfathoms were 140 feet, and fifteen 105 feet.\n\nIn order to understand what follows, we must remember that although\n_now_ anchors are always let down from the _prow_, or fore part of the\nship, it was the custom of the ancients to let them down from the\n_stern_, or hind part of their vessels. Some of the large Egyptian\nships do even now carry their anchors at the stern, and not at the\nprow. The vessel in which St. Paul was, was anchored from the stern by\nfour anchors, to wait for daylight.\n\nIt seems that some of the shipmen, or sailors, seeing the dangerous\ncondition of the ship, thought they should be safer out of it; and so\nwithout any consideration for others, made up their minds to steal\naway secretly during the night, taking the boat with them; under\npretence that their only object in now leaving the ship, was to make\nits position more secure, by letting down some anchors from the prow\nalso. St. Luke says, \"And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the\nship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as\nthough they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, Paul said to\nthe centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye\ncannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and\nlet her fall off.\"\n\nOf course the Lord could equally have saved the passengers, whether\nthe sailors remained in the ship or not; but it was His Will that all\nshould be delivered in one way; and perhaps this was intended to be a\ntest of faith and obedience. The Roman soldiers certainly had faith in\nSt. Paul as the servant of a Mighty God, to Whom all things are\npossible, and Whose promise would be assuredly fulfilled: therefore\nthey at once took effectual means to prevent any one leaving the ship,\nby cutting the ropes which still held the boat, and letting it drift\naway.\n\nAccording to the opinion of man, they did a very foolish act in\ngetting rid of a boat, which might be of the greatest use to them. At\nCrete they had \"believed the master and the owner of the ship, more\nthan those things which were spoken by Paul\"; but they had had good\nreason to change their opinion, and to believe that the Apostle was\nindeed guided by his God; and their faith made them obedient. \"And\nwhile the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat,\nsaying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and\ncontinued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take\nsome meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair\nfall from the head of any of you\"; meaning, that no one would suffer\nthe slightest injury, but that it was necessary for them to take some\nfood, that they might have strength for all that they would be called\nupon to do. To his precept, the Apostle added example; for \"when he\nhad thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of\nthem all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.\" Even at such a\nmoment, St. Paul did not forget to give God thanks for his food. The\nwhole company in the ship would thus see how constantly he thought of\nGod, and endeavoured to do Him honour; and heathens though they were,\nhis example must have taught them to think with reverence of the God\nof the Christians. Mean time the calm and firm trust displayed by the\nwhole conduct of the Apostle, gave comfort and encouragement to all.\n\"Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.\" St.\nLuke tells us how many people there were on board the ship: for he\nsays, \"And we were all in the ship two hundred three-score and sixteen\nsouls,\" or 276 persons. \"And when they had eaten enough, they\nlightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.\" This wheat\nwas probably the remainder of their provisions for the voyage, for the\ncargo seems to have been thrown overboard before: but perhaps the\nowner of the vessel had tried to keep some of the cargo, in hope of\nstill carrying it to Italy: but now, finding that hope was vain, he\nconsented to let it be cast out, so as to lighten the ship, and\nrender her more likely to go safely on shore. Whilst, under all\ncircumstances, we put our whole trust in God, Who alone can bless any\nof our efforts with success, we must never forget that it is our duty\nto _use_ all our efforts, and make use of every means which the Lord\nplaces within our reach.\n\n\"And when it was day, they knew not the land,\" the shore which they\nsaw was that of a strange land; \"but they discovered a certain creek\nwith a shore,\" a narrow arm of the sea, with a shore on each side;\ninto this creek \"they were minded,\" that is, they wished \"to thrust in\nthe ship,\" as it would then be easier for those on board to get to\nshore.\n\n\"And when they had taken up the anchors,\" or rather cut the ropes\nwhich held the ship to them, \"they committed themselves unto the sea,\"\nthat is, left the ship to be carried along by the wind and waves, \"and\nloosed the rudder bands,\" which appear to have been ropes used to\nfasten the rudder, so as to steer the ship in any particular\ndirection; \"and hoised up the mainsail,\" to give the wind more power\nto move the ship, and so \"made toward shore.\"\n\nThe wind now seemed likely to take them into the creek; but at the\nentrance of it, there appears to have been a headland or bank of\nearth, which caused a strong current from two sides, so that two seas\nmight be said to meet. As they could not guide the ship to go round\neither end of this barrier, the wind drove it directly upon it. St.\nLuke's account is, \"And falling into a place where two seas met, they\nran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast and remained\nunmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the\nwaves.\" It was now evident that the ship must go to pieces in a few\nminutes, and that to remain in it would be certain death.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXX.--THE SHIP'S COMPANY SAVED.\n\n\nIn the hopeless condition of the ship, gradually breaking up from the\nviolence of the waves which beat upon the hind part, whilst the fore\npart was held fast on the bank, all possibility of guarding the\nprisoners was at an end. \"And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the\nprisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.\" They\nprobably feared, that even under such peculiar circumstances, if any\nof the prisoners under their charge escaped, they would be blamed and\npunished by the Roman Government; which treated with great severity\nany fault or carelessness committed by soldiers, or others trusted\nwith the charge of criminals. But the centurion, \"willing to save\nPaul,\" to whom he must have felt that their safety was owing, \"kept\nthem from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim\nshould cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: and the\nrest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship\"; in\nshort, anything which would float on the top of the water, and so keep\nthem from sinking, whilst the wind and the waves would drive them to\nthe shore. \"And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to\nland.\" There have been many wonderful escapes of shipwrecked persons,\nbut that 276 people, many of whom could not swim, should all have got\nsafe to the shore in such a storm, must be looked upon as the\nmiraculous fulfilment of the Lord's promise to St. Paul, that there\nshould be no loss of any man's life. \"And when they were escaped, then\nthey knew that the island was called Melita.\"\n\nIn the map we find the island of Melita, or Meleda, in the Adriatic\nSea, on the coast of Dalmatia; and this is most probably the island\nupon which St. Paul and his companions were shipwrecked: but in maps\nwhere the journeys of this Apostle are traced out by lines, you will\nnot see any line running out to this Melita; but you will observe that\nthey go to Melita, or Malta, to the south of Sicily, because many\npeople have imagined that _that_ was the island on which the ship was\nwrecked. Now when we have read St. Luke's account of what happened\nwhen St. Paul landed at Melita, we shall see the reasons why the\nisland must have been Melita, or Meleda, on the Dalmatian coast, and\nnot Melita, or Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea. St. Luke says, \"And\nthe barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a\nfire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and\nbecause of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks,\nand laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and\nfastened on his hand.\" A viper is a very dangerous kind of serpent, as\nthe venom or poison from its bite will kill a man; these creatures\nbecome stupid in cold wet weather, and lie _torpid_, or as if they\nwere asleep: one of them lying thus amongst the sticks, was picked up\nwith them by St. Paul; but as soon as it felt the heat it came to\nlife, and darting out upon the Apostle's hand, bit it. \"And when the\nbarbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among\nthemselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath\nescaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.\"\n\nThese people having no idea of true religion, fancied that the gods\npunished crimes upon earth only; and that as St. Paul had not been\ndrowned, they had caused the viper to sting him, that he might die as\nhe deserved. \"And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no\nharm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down\ndead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no\nharm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a\ngod.\"\n\nNow we must remember, that the shipwreck took place as the vessel was\ndriven up and down in Adria, that part of the sea close to Meleda. The\ninhabitants of that island were, as St. Luke calls them, \"barbarous\"\nand \"barbarians,\" in the sense of being uncivilized, unacquainted even\nwith the comforts and conveniences of life.\n\nThe inhabitants of Malta, on the contrary, were a civilized people:\nthey had good towns and fine buildings: the people were rich and\nprosperous, and acquainted with the arts and science of civilized\nlife: the finest linen was made there; and ships came from all parts\nfor the purposes of trade.\n\nThen, again, Meleda _is_ cold and damp, with plenty of trees all over\nit, even down to the water's edge; and there are many serpents in the\nisland.\n\nMalta, on the contrary, is warm and dry; there are but few trees in\nthe island, and none near the shore: and besides, there are no\nserpents there.\n\nNow all these are good reasons for our believing that St. Paul was\nshipwrecked on the island of Melita, or Meleda, in the Adriatic Sea,\nand not upon the Melita, or Malta, which lies to the south of Sicily.\n\nSt. Luke next tells us, that \"in the same quarters were possessions of\nthe chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us,\nand lodged us three days courteously\": by which time some arrangement\ncould be made for the future entertainment of the shipwrecked\nstrangers, who would have to remain for some months in the island. The\nfather of Publius lay ill at this time of a painful and dangerous\nillness; \"to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on\nhim, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had\ndiseases in the island, came, and were healed: who also honoured us\nwith many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such\nthings as were necessary.\" These people were truly grateful for all\nthe benefits they received from the Apostle; and besides honouring or\ntreating him with respect, whilst he lived amongst them, they\nfurnished the provisions needful for himself and his companions, when\nat last they quitted Melita.\n\nWe may be quite sure, though we are told nothing on the subject, that\nduring the three months passed in this island by St. Paul, he preached\nthe Gospel faithfully and earnestly: and we may well hope and believe,\nthat some of these barbarous people became true followers of the\nblessed Jesus, of Whose power they had seen such a wonderful instance,\nin the preservation of St. Paul and his companions. Another ship from\nAlexandria had passed the winter at Meleda: perhaps she had come up\nthe Adriatic to bring corn from Egypt to the countries on the borders\nof that sea, and when the storm came on, had wisely determined to\nremain where she was for the winter; or perhaps she had only been on\nher way to Rome, and had turned out of her course to take shelter, as\nsoon as the storm arose and made sailing dangerous. However that may\nbe, this ship, which was called \"The Castor and Pollux\" had passed the\nwinter at Meleda.\n\nWe all know that ships and boats always have a name painted upon the\nstern, to distinguish them from one another. Many large ships have\nalso a figure or image as well: thus a ship called \"The Lord Nelson,\"\nwould have fastened to the _fore_ part, or prow, an image or figure of\nLord Nelson cut out in wood and painted. This sort of thing is called\nthe \"figure-head.\" The ancients, instead of putting a figure, painted\nthe picture of one, on the fore part of their vessels, and this was\ncalled \"the sign.\" Castor and Pollux were two of the imaginary gods or\nheroes of the ancients: they were twin brothers, and were supposed to\ntake particular care of sailors. A picture of Castor and Pollux was\npainted on this ship of Alexandria.\n\nSt. Luke says, \"And after three months we departed in a ship of\nAlexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and\nPollux.\" Their voyage was undisturbed now, and they soon reached the\nisland of Sicily, \"and landing at Syracuse,\" then the capital of the\nisland, \"tarried there three days. And from thence,\" St. Luke says,\n\"we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium,\" a town in Italy, almost\nopposite to that of Messina, another considerable town in Sicily, and\njust at the entrance of the Straits of Messina. At Rhegium they appear\nto have intended to wait for a favourable wind; for we read, \"and\nafter one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to\nPuteoli.\" Here the voyage ended: at Puteoli the ship would land\nwhatever cargo she carried, and then return to Alexandria. St. Paul\nand his companions must go by land to Rome, about one hundred miles to\nthe north-west of Puteoli. Puteoli was not only a great place of trade\nfor corn, but also for merchandise of all kinds, which was brought\nthere from different countries, to be exchanged for the productions of\nItaly. This exchange is, as we have already said, called \"commerce.\"\n\nWith so many people from all parts coming to Puteoli, it was\nimpossible that the Christian religion should not have been brought\ninto the place by some of them; and it appears that there were at this\ntime a certain number of Christians at Puteoli: for St. Luke says,\n\"where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven\ndays.\" They were naturally glad of such an opportunity of conversing\nwith the Apostle, and wished to keep him with them for seven days; and\nit seems that he was allowed to remain with them, which speaks well\nfor the kindness of Julius, the centurion under whose care he was\nplaced, and who had all along evidently favoured St. Paul. They then\n\"went toward Rome. And from thence,\" St. Luke says, \"when the brethren\nheard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and the Three\nTaverns.\" Rome was at this time the most important city in the world:\npeople came there from all countries; so we are not surprised to find\nthat there were great numbers of Christians there. When the news\nreached them that St. Paul, whom many of them had probably known in\nother countries, was not only landed in Italy, but was actually\napproaching Rome from Puteoli, great numbers went out to meet and\nwelcome him. Some of them went as far as Appii Forum, a place about\nfifty miles from Rome; others met him at the \"Three Taverns,\" about\nthirty miles from Rome. The sight of so many true Christians was a\ngreat joy to the Apostle, who was anxious that all men everywhere\nshould repent and turn to God. St. Luke says, \"Whom when Paul saw, he\nthanked God, and took courage.\" Thanked God for all that had been done\nin the conversion of the heathen; whilst he was encouraged to hope for\na still further spread of the Gospel, whatever might be his own fate.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXI.--ST. PAUL A PRISONER AT ROME.\n\n\nThe centurion Julius had now finished his work, he had brought St.\nPaul from Caesarea to Rome, as he had been ordered to do. On the way,\nhe had seen wonderful things, which must have convinced him that the\nprisoner whom he was now to deliver into the charge of others, was a\ngood and holy man, under the especial protection of his God; and he\nhad moreover seen that this God was great and powerful, and able to\ncommand the wind and waves, as none of the gods worshipped by the\nheathen, could do. Whether he, or any other of St. Paul's fellow\nvoyagers, became Christians, we are not told.\n\nSt. Luke tells us, \"And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered\nthe prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to\ndwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.\" It was probably owing\nto what Festus had written after Agrippa's interview with his\nprisoner, that he was now allowed to live in a hired house of his own,\nwith merely one soldier to guard him; instead of being shut up in\nprison, as he would have been, had he been supposed to have broken\nany of the Roman laws. According to custom, he was probably linked by\na small chain to this soldier, but he was not prevented from seeing\nanybody who came to him; and he soon made use of this liberty, for \"it\ncame to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews\ntogether: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and\nbrethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or\ncustoms of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem\ninto the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, would\nhave let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when\nthe Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not\nthat I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have\nI called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for\nthe hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.\"\n\nSt. Paul was anxious that the Jews at Rome should not be prevented\nfrom listening to his teaching, by the idea that he was a prisoner on\naccount of any crimes he had committed; and as they might, perhaps,\nhave heard some account of all that had happened at Jerusalem, he took\nthe earliest opportunity of explaining, that he had done nothing\ncontrary to the religion taught by Moses; and that, in fact, the only\nreason for which he was a prisoner was, that he had preached of the\ncoming of the Messiah, and of the future resurrection of all\nmen,--matters taught by all the prophets, and so firmly believed by\nthe Children of Israel in all ages, that the doctrine might truly be\ncalled \"The hope of Israel\"; for upon it, depended all their hope of\nobtaining favour and mercy from the Almighty. The Jews of Rome,\nhowever, had heard nothing of the treatment which St. Paul had\nreceived from their brethren in Jerusalem, \"And they said unto him, We\nneither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of\nthe brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire\nto hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we\nknow that everywhere it is spoken against.\"\n\nThese Jews were not prejudiced against St. Paul, but were willing to\nlisten to all he had to say. They knew that the Christians, \"this\nsect,\" as they called them, were much spoken against, and that while\nsome thought their doctrines were true and right, others said they\nwere false and mischievous,--likely to make men _wicked_ instead of\ngood,--and ought not, therefore, to be attended to at all.\n\nUnder these circumstances, the Jews at Rome were anxious to hear from\nSt. Paul's own mouth, a true account of the doctrines which he taught.\nThe Apostle was only too glad of having such an opportunity of\nexplaining the truths of the Gospel to the Jews.\n\n\"And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into\nhis lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God,\npersuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and\nout of the prophets, from morning till evening,\"--that is, he showed\nthem from what had been said both by Moses and the prophets, that\nJesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah, promised to faithful\nAbraham, as the Son or Seed in Whom all nations of the earth should be\nblessed. For one whole day, from morning till evening, did the Apostle\nargue with these Jews, trying to persuade them to become followers of\nJesus: with some he succeeded; with some he failed: for St. Luke says,\n\"And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed\nnot. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after\nthat Paul had spoken one word.\" This \"one word\" of which St. Luke\nspeaks, was a quotation from the writings of the prophet Isaiah,\nshowing them, that by their obstinate refusal to believe the Word of\nGod, they put themselves amongst the number of those, who would be\nleft in their own wilful blindness: and that the Gospel, or words of\nSalvation, would be preached to the Gentiles, and that they would be\nfar more willing to receive it, than the Jews had ever been. The\nApostle's speech, or \"one word,\" addressed to these unbelieving Jews,\nwas, \"Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our\nfathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear,\nand shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:\nfor the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull\nof hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with\ntheir eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,\nand should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore\nunto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and\nthat they will hear it.\"\n\nWe have read the words which St. Paul spake to the unbelieving Jews,\n\"And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great\nreasoning among themselves.\" Whether their \"reasoning,\" or talking\ntogether, led to the conversion of any of them, we do not know. Nor\nare we told of any trial of St. Paul taking place, either before the\nEmperor himself, or by persons appointed by him: all that we do know\nis, that \"Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and\nreceived all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and\nteaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all\nconfidence, no man forbidding him.\" This shows that St. Paul enjoyed a\ngreat deal of liberty, although he was still considered as a prisoner,\nand could not leave Rome.\n\nDuring these two years, St. Paul, besides preaching to all who would\nhear him, wrote Epistles to the Ephesians; Philippians, or inhabitants\nof Philippi; to the Colossians, or people of Colosse, in Asia Minor;\nand one to Philemon, a rich man of Colosse. In these Epistles he\nspeaks of himself as a \"prisoner,\" and mentions his \"bonds.\"\n\nYou will remember all that happened at Ephesus, and how long St. Paul\nremained there at one time; and how on another occasion he sent for\nthe elders to Miletus, and took leave of them, knowing that he should\nsee them again no more. That was three years before the time of which\nwe are now speaking: but St. Paul had not forgotten them, and\ntherefore, in the year 61 (A.D.), he, being a prisoner at Rome, wrote\nan Epistle, or Letter, to the Christians at Ephesus. In this Epistle,\nthe Apostle speaks to the Ephesians of the great mercy shown by God to\nthe Gentiles (amongst whom they themselves were), in allowing them to\nshare the blessings of the Gospel, without being required to keep the\nLaw of Moses. In return for such great mercy, St. Paul entreats the\nEphesians to show their gratitude by their conduct, and to walk worthy\nof the vocation wherewith they were called. \"Vocation\" means calling,\nprofession, employment, state, or condition: they were _called_ to be\nChristians; their _profession_ was that they were His servants; their\n_employment_ ought to be doing the Will of God: by the atonement of\nJesus, they had been brought into a state or condition for obtaining\nsalvation, and now they must try to walk worthy of their vocation:\nleading in all things such a life as was expected from the followers\nof the Holy Jesus, who are bound to follow His example to the extent\nof their powers. What St. Paul said on this subject, equally applies\nto us; for our vocation is the same as that of the Ephesians, and we\nmust strive hard to work worthy of it, that is, to be good Christians.\nIn this Epistle, many particular rules are given for the conduct of\nChristians; one of which is, \"Children, obey your parents.\" St. Paul\nhad, as we have read, established during his second journey a Church,\nor company of believers, at Philippi, in Macedonia. We shall remember\nhow Lydia showed her gratitude to St. Paul, and how the imprisonment\nof him and Silas, led to the conversion of the jailor, who became a\ntrue believer in Jesus.\n\nDuring his Third Journey, St. Paul again went into Macedonia, after\nthe riot at Ephesus, and then he visited Philippi once more. The\nPhilippians, grateful to God for the gift of the holy Gospel received\nthrough St. Paul, were anxious to do whatever they could for the\nApostle; and whilst he was preaching at Thessalonica, the chief town\nin their part of the country, the Christians of Philippi, who were but\na small company, twice sent money to St. Paul, that the success of his\nteaching might be in no way hindered, by his having to depend upon the\nThessalonians for the supply of his temporal wants. They did the same\nthing again whilst St. Paul was at Corinth; and now, hearing that he\nwas in confinement at Rome, they feared that he might be badly off for\nfood and other necessary things. A collection was therefore made\namongst the Christians at Philippi, and the sum thus collected was\nsent to Rome by Epaphroditus, one of their Pastors, or Ministers.\n\nSt Paul was truly thankful for this timely supply; for before\nEpaphroditus came, he really had been in great want of necessaries: he\ncould not work at his trade of tent-making now he was a prisoner, and\nhe did not think it advisable to ask assistance from the Christians at\nRome.\n\nEpaphroditus stayed at Rome for several months; and during the time he\nbecame extremely ill. After he got well again, St. Paul sent him back\nto Philippi: and by him, he sent an Epistle, which he had written to\nthank the Philippians for their thoughtful care of him in his time of\nneed. In this Epistle, also, the Apostle begs the Christians of\nPhilippi not to listen to false teachers, who tried to draw them away\nfrom the truth as he had taught it to them; but to try to obey the\nLord in all things, and continue to love each other. As usual in all\nhis Epistles, St. Paul gives the Philippians much good advice and many\nholy precepts: he also speaks much of Jesus Christ, and of the\nnecessity of loving Him, and following His example.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXII.--ST. PAUL SET AT LIBERTY.\n\n\nThe Epistle to the Colossians was also written by St. Paul whilst he\nwas a prisoner at Rome: probably about the end of the year 62 (A.D.).\nColosse was a city of Phrygia, where St. Paul had founded a Church;\nthat is, converted a certain number to be believers or Christians,\nduring his First or Second Journey, when he was travelling throughout\nAsia Minor. The believers of Colosse, having heard of the Apostle's\nimprisonment at Rome, sent one of their ministers, named Epaphras, to\nsee how he was treated; and also to give him an account of how the\nChurch at Colosse was going on. After hearing all that Epaphras could\ntell him, St. Paul wrote an Epistle, which he sent to the Colossians\nby Tychicus, of whom he speaks as a \"beloved brother,\" that is, a\nfaithful fellow Christian. Tychicus was accompanied to Colosse by\nOnesimus, of whom we shall say more presently.\n\nIn this Epistle to the Colossians, St. Paul proves, that man's only\nhope of salvation rests upon the atonement made by Jesus Christ; and\nhe shows, therefore, how wrong the Jews were to insist upon the\nobservance of the Law of Moses, as if that could save them. He also\nwarned the Colossians not to be led away by the errors of the\nphilosophers, or wise men, who taught doctrines _not_ taught by the\nGospel. He exhorts them to show their faith in Christ by holiness of\nlife, and the due performance of every duty to their fellow creatures;\nand entreats them to \"continue in prayer, and watch in the same with\nthanksgiving.\" St. Paul ends this letter, by telling the Colossians\nthat they will hear everything concerning him from Tychicus and\nOnesimus, by whom he had sent the Epistle.\n\nOnesimus, who is here spoken of, had been the slave of a rich man of\nColosse, named Philemon, who had been converted to Christianity by St\nPaul. Onesimus ran away from his master, to whom he belonged, and thus\nrobbed him of his services; and some think he also robbed Philemon of\nmoney. Onesimus fled to Rome; and there God inclined this runaway\nslave to listen to the teaching of St. Paul, and, in consequence, he\nbecame a Christian and was baptized: after this, the Apostle kept\nOnesimus with him for some time, that he might see whether his conduct\nshowed that he was really and truly a Christian. He soon saw that this\nwas the case; and indeed Onesimus gave a strong proof of the change\nin his heart and feelings, by wishing to go back to Colosse, and give\nhimself up again as a slave to Philemon, in order to make up for the\ninjury he had done him by running away. In doing this, Onesimus ran\nsome risk; for the laws of Phrygia allowed a master to punish a\nrunaway slave very severely, and even put him to death if he pleased:\nbut he felt that it was his duty to go back, and make amends for the\nwrong he had done; and therefore he went, trusting in God to save him,\nor to enable him to bear whatever punishment might be inflicted. St.\nPaul felt a great interest in Onesimus, whom he speaks of as his son,\nbecause he had converted him to the new life of a Christian; and\ntherefore he wrote to Philemon, earnestly begging of him not only to\npardon Onesimus for any wrong he had done him, but also now to receive\nhim, not as a servant, but as a fellow Christian, \"a brother beloved.\"\nWe are not told in the Scriptures any more on this subject, but there\ncan be no doubt that Philemon did all that St. Paul requested.\n\nThere is reason to believe that Onesimus became a preacher of the\nGospel: some people think that he was afterwards Bishop of Ephesus,\nand that he finally suffered martyrdom at Rome: but this is not\ncertain. St. Paul was not the only Apostle who wrote Epistles, though\nhe wrote twice as many as all the other Apostles put together.\n\nDuring this time, when St. Paul was a prisoner in Rome, St. James wrote\nthe Epistle which bears his name. St. James was, we must remember, head\nor Bishop of the Church at Jerusalem; and from Jerusalem he wrote his\nEpistle, not to the inhabitants of any particular place, but to the\nJewish Christians in general; that is, to those Christians who had been\nJews before, wherever they might now be residing. In this Epistle, St.\nJames warns those to whom he wrote, not to be led away to follow any of\nthe bad practices which were but too common in those days; and he also\nexplained to them, that they were mistaken as to the meaning of some of\nthe doctrines taught by St. Paul, who had never preached anything that\nwas not quite according to the Will of God. St. James also gave many\nprecepts for the conduct of Christians, and for the due performance of\ntheir various duties--encouraging them to try, by showing that the Lord\nhad promised success to those who do really try. \"Resist the devil, and\nhe will flee from you.\" \"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to\nyou.\" \"God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.\"\n\"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.\"\nThese are texts full of encouragement to all Christians, to the end of\ntime. And equally necessary for us now, as for the believers to whom St.\nJames wrote, are, \"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,\ndeceiving your own selves.\" \"Speak not evil one of another.\" \"Grudge not\none against another\"; and all the other warnings and precepts contained\nin this short, but beautiful Epistle, written by St. James.\n\nSome time in the course of the year 62 (A.D.), St. Paul was set\ncompletely at liberty, so that he might go wherever he pleased: but he\ndid not immediately quit Rome, but remained there till he had completed\ntwo years; \"preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things\nwhich concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man\nforbidding him.\" The Roman Emperor Nero had not made any law to forbid\nthe Christian religion being preached and followed; the Jews did not\ntherefore, dare to persecute St. Paul at Rome; for by his being set at\nliberty, the Roman Government had shown that they considered him an\ninnocent man, unjustly accused by his fellow countrymen. It seems that\none reason why St. Paul now remained in Italy was, that he expected\nTimothy to join him in Rome, and then set out with him on another\nvoyage. Whilst St. Paul was thus waiting for Timothy, he wrote his\nEpistle to the Hebrews. The object of this Epistle was to convince the\nHebrews or Jews, of the truth of the Gospel; and in it, he pointed out\nthat everything which he had told them of Christ's human and divine\nnature, of His Atonement and Intercession, agreed perfectly with all\nthat the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the writings of Moses and the\nProphets, had said of the Messiah. He showed them that the Gospel was\nfar superior to the Law; for that, in fact, the Law had only been given\nto prepare the way for the Messiah, and to lead men to believe in Him\nand to serve Him.\n\nThe Bible gives us no further account of St. Paul's travels, but we\nhave reason to believe, that after Timothy had joined him at Rome,\nthey went to Spain and Britain, and to other western countries,\npreaching the Gospel everywhere, and converting great numbers of his\nhearers. After this voyage to the West, St. Paul appears to have\nvisited Jerusalem again; and then to have gone through Syria and other\nparts of Asia Minor, and so on even into Macedonia; this we gather\nfrom one of his Epistles, in which he says, that at Miletum he had\nbeen obliged to leave one of his companions, called Trophimus, who was\ntoo ill to go on any further, and that at Troas he had left a cloak\nand some parchments. Parchment is the skin of sheep, prepared in a\nparticular manner, so as to be fit to write upon. Very soon after St.\nPaul left Jerusalem, to make this Fifth and last Journey, St. James\nwas killed at Jerusalem by the unbelieving Jews. Festus, the Roman\ngovernor, died; and before his successor, Albinus, could get to Judaea,\nthe Jews raised a tumult, and St. James is said to have been thrown\ndown from some part of the temple, and then knocked on the head with a\nclub or heavy stick. Albinus, when he did come, proved himself to be a\nvery bad ruler; for he was so extremely fond of money, that in order\nto get it, he was not only guilty of great oppression, but he allowed\nthe people to commit all sorts of wickedness without being punished,\nif they would only give him a sufficient sum of money. He was not\ngovernor for long, but was succeeded by Gessius Florus, about A.D. 64.\n\nThis Gessius Florus was one of the worst of men, and the Jews suffered\ndreadfully under his government, for he pillaged whole provinces;\nencouraged the banditti, on condition that they gave him part of their\nplunder; he robbed the sacred treasury, and even tried to excite the\nJews to open rebellion, in order that, in the confusion, no complaints\nof his conduct might be carried to Rome. Awful indeed were the evils\nwhich now began to fall upon the unhappy Jews, who had provoked the\nwrath of God by their rejection of the Messiah. In consequence of the\nsad state of Judaea, many of the inhabitants sought refuge in foreign\ncountries; those who remained applied to Cestius Gallus, the governor\nof Syria, and earnestly begged that he would deliver them from the\ncruel tyranny of Florus. Gallus, instead of inquiring into Florus's\nconduct, sent the Jews away, merely telling them their governor should\nbehave better for the future, which, however, he did not do.\n\nIn the year 65 (A.D.), there was a fire at Rome, which burnt a great\nmany houses, and did much damage in the city; the Emperor Nero himself\nwas greatly suspected of having caused it, in order to have an excuse\nfor persecuting the Christians: he delighted in the sufferings and\nmiseries of others, and would have no pity for the poor creatures who\nwould lose all their property in such a fire. At any rate, Nero chose\nto accuse the Christians of having set fire to the city, and on this\npretence they were now treated with the greatest cruelty; tortured\nfirst, and then put to death in many barbarous ways. When this\npersecution began, it is probable that St. Paul was in the island of\nCrete; but, on hearing of the sufferings of the Christians at Rome, he\nimmediately went there, to strengthen and encourage the brethren to\nbear any torture, and even death itself, rather than give up their\nreligion. He comforted them by reminding them of the love of Christ,\nand by assuring them that His blessing would rest upon them, whether\nthey lived or died. St Paul was not long allowed to carry on this good\nwork, for he was himself imprisoned on account of his religion; and he\nsaw plainly that he should soon be called upon to give up his life for\nthe sake of his divine Master; but this prospect did not disturb him;\nhe was ready and willing to go, and be with Christ.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXIII.--MARTYRDOM OF ST. PAUL AND ST. PETER.\n\n\nSt. Paul, feeling that he was about to be taken away from earth, wrote\nto take leave of Timothy, whom he had loved as his own son. This\nletter, which is called \"The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to\nTimothy,\" gave him such advice as the Apostle thought might be useful\nto him.\n\nThe First Epistle to Timothy has already been mentioned, as having\nbeen written nine years before, when St. Paul went into Macedonia,\nafter the riot at Ephesus, where he had left Timothy to direct the\naffairs of the Church.\n\nIn this Second Epistle, St Paul entreats Timothy to keep steadfastly\nin the faith of the Gospel, in spite of every danger. In this Epistle\nthe Apostle declares his willingness to die; his conscience told him\nthat ever since he became a follower of Jesus, he had tried to please\nhis heavenly Master; and therefore he felt, that he should enjoy in\nheaven that happiness which God has promised to all who truly love and\nserve Him. St. Paul's own words are, \"I am now ready to be offered,\nand the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I\nhave finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is\nlaid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous\njudge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all\nthem also that love his appearing.\"\n\nWe must all try to fight a good fight against the Devil, and all our\nown sinful tempers and wishes: we too must keep the faith, doing all\nthose things which the Gospel bids Christians do: then when we have\nfinished our course, and done the work given us to do, we, like St.\nPaul, may hope, that for the sake of Jesus Christ, we shall be looked\nupon as righteous, and as such, be received into everlasting\nhappiness.\n\nVery soon after writing this Second Epistle to Timothy, St. Paul\nsuffered martyrdom by command of Nero, because he would not renounce\nhis faith, and bow down to the false gods of the heathen. Being a\nfreeman of Rome, St. Paul was put to death by having his head cut off\nwith a sword, instead of being given to be devoured by wild beasts, as\nthe Christians usually were. The Apostle died in the month of June,\nA.D. 66. Slaves and persons guilty of great crimes, were often\ncondemned to fight with wild beasts, who of course tore them to\npieces: this was a most cruel barbarous way of putting even the\ngreatest criminals to death; and yet to such a fate were Christians\ncondemned, because they would not \"deny the Lord Who bought them!\"\n\nIt is dreadful to think that the people delighted in witnessing such\ndreadful fights, which took place in the amphitheatres. These\namphitheatres were buildings without roofs; each consisting of a large\nspace enclosed by walls of moderate height, called the arena; and rows\nof seats outside the wall of the arena, rising up like steps to the\noutward wall of the building. From these seats, which were always\ncrowded, the spectators could see whatever was going on in the arena.\n\nAbout the time that St. Paul suffered martyrdom at Rome, strange and\nawful sights were seen at Jerusalem: the Almighty thus warning His\nonce-favoured people, that as they had forsaken Him, so He had given\nthem up; and that all the evils foretold by Jesus Christ, were now\nabout to fall upon their devoted city.\n\nThe cruel and unjust conduct of their Governor Florus, and the\nconsequent anger of the people, threatened to produce a war in Judaea;\nand in addition to this there were famines and earthquakes, and\nfearful sights in the heavens. Just before the Passover, when a\nmultitude of people were assembled at Jerusalem to keep it, on a\nsudden, in the middle of the night, such a brilliant light shone round\nthe temple and the altar, that it seemed to be day. A few days\nafterwards, just before the sun set, chariots and troops of soldiers\nwere seen passing through the clouds, fighting with each other. Then\nthe eastern gate of the temple, which was of solid brass, and so heavy\nthat twenty men could hardly open or shut it, flew open of itself one\nnight, although it was fastened with strong bars and bolts. At the\nFeast of Pentecost, when the Priests were going into the inner temple\nby night to attend to their duties, they heard voices saying, \"Let us\ndepart hence\"; and immediately there was a noise as of a multitude of\npeople, rushing forth out of the temple.\n\nThese and other wonderful signs must have filled the Jews with alarm;\nwhilst real troubles were daily increasing upon them.\n\nThere had long been a dispute between the Syrians and the Jews, as to\nwhich of them had the best right to the city of Caesarea Philippi,\nbuilt on the borders of the two countries. In the time of Felix, the\ntwo parties were preparing to fight for the possession of it; but the\ngovernor stopped them for a time, and sent the chiefs of both nations\nto Rome, to plead their cause before the Emperor. Nothing had then\nbeen decided; but now, in the year A.D. 66, Nero declared that the\ntown of Caesarea Philippi should belong to the Syrians. This decision\nwas very displeasing to the Jews, and led to a dreadful war, which\nended in the destruction of Jerusalem a few years later. But before we\ngo on with this subject, we must go back a little, and say a few words\nabout St. Peter.\n\nThe Book of Acts tells us nothing more of the Apostle St. Peter after\nthe Council held by St. James and the Church at Jerusalem, when \"Paul\nand Barnabas, and certain other of them,\" were sent up from Antioch\n\"to Jerusalem, unto the Apostles and elders,\" to inquire whether it\nwas needful for the Gentiles who became Christians, to be also\n\"circumcised after the manner of Moses,\" and \"to keep the law.\" When\nthere had been much disputation on the subject, St. Peter spake out\nboldly; reminding the assembly of the conversion of Cornelius, and\ntelling them that after what God had then done, it would be quite\nwrong to require the Gentiles to be circumcised and keep the Law of\nMoses. This speech decided the matter; and St. James then gave\nsentence, that the Ceremonial Law was not binding upon the Gentile\nconverts.\n\nSoon after this, St. Peter and St. Paul were together at Antioch; and\nthere, St. Peter, in his eagerness to please the Jews, withdrew\nhimself from the Gentiles, as thus countenancing the idea that being\nuncircumcised, they were not fit company for the Jews. St. Paul blamed\nhim, and showed him that he was doing wrong, since he himself knew,\nthat in the sight of God there would be no difference between Jew and\nGentile, circumcision or uncircumcision, when once they became\nbelievers in Jesus Christ. This happened A.D. 49.\n\nWhere St. Peter spent the next seventeen years, we do not know; but\nwherever he was, we may be quite sure that he zealously preached the\nGospel, and endeavoured to bring all men to believe in Jesus Christ.\nIt is most likely that St. Peter came to Rome just before or after St.\nPaul's martyrdom, in the year 66 (A.D.); and he then wrote his First\nEpistle. This Epistle was not written to the inhabitants of any\nparticular place, but generally, to all the Jewish Christians, who had\nbeen forced by persecution to leave their own land and take refuge in\nheathen countries; and also to those Gentiles who had become\nChristians, and were now living in many different countries. In his\nEpistle, St. Peter entreats all to whom he writes, to keep steady to\ntheir religion, and suffer anything rather than give it up. He also\nshows them how necessary it is that they should lead holy and\nblameless lives, not only for their own sake, that they might obtain\nthe blessing of God, but also to show all men, that Christians were in\nevery respect better than any other men. St. Peter speaks of writing\nfrom \"Babylon\"; but by Babylon, he means the city of Rome, which in\nfigurative language he calls Babylon, because in the idolatry and\nwickedness of its inhabitants, it resembled that ancient city. Besides\nthis, the real Babylon was the place where the Jews, then the Church\nof God, suffered much during their long captivity; and now the\nChristian Church was suffering fearful things at Rome. St. Peter might\nwell then use the figurative language so common amongst the Jews at\nthat time, and speak of wicked, persecuting Rome, as \"Babylon.\" It was\nprudent moreover to do so, for had the Christians spoken openly and\nplainly of Rome, they would have provoked the anger of the Romans; and\nthough the Christians suffered patiently all that was laid upon them,\nthey never provoked persecution unnecessarily. St. Peter did not long\nescape persecution; and with the prospect of a cruel death before him,\nhe wrote his Second Epistle to the Jewish and Gentile Christians in\nall countries, to warn them not to listen to the doctrines of false\nteachers, but to keep firm in the faith of the holy Gospel, which he\nand the other Apostles had taught. In this Letter, he gives many\ndirections for living a holy life; and reminds those to whom he\nwrites, that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day come to judge the\nworld, and that all who believe this, must try to be then found\nblameless, without spot of sin. This applies just as well to each one\nof us, as it did to those to whom St. Peter originally wrote: let us\ntherefore watch and pray, that we may, as he says at the end of this\nEpistle, \"grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour\nJesus Christ.\"\n\nVery soon after he had written this Second Epistle, the death which\nSt. Peter had expected came upon him. He who had once denied his Lord\nfrom fear, now boldly refused to give up his religion to purchase\nsafety: he was therefore sentenced to be crucified, according to what\nthe Lord had foretold to him long before; saying, \"When thou shalt be\nold, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee,\nand carry thee whither thou wouldest not.\" From histories of that\ntime, we learn that St. Peter, not thinking himself worthy to die in\nthe same manner as his blessed Lord and Master, begged that he might\nbe fastened to the cross with his head downward: this must greatly\nhave increased his sufferings for the time they lasted, though it\nprobably caused him to die sooner. St. Peter was thus crucified at\nRome with his head downward, A.D. 68, when Nero had been Emperor for\nfourteen years; and, as we believe, about two years after St. Paul's\ndeath; though some people think that St. Peter was put to death first.\nWe cannot, of course be quite sure; but it is most probable as we have\nsaid, that St. Paul was beheaded A.D. 66, and that St. Peter was\ncrucified A.D. 68. Nero died very soon after the crucifixion of St.\nPeter, and in the short space of one year, three different Emperors,\nGalba, Otho, and Vitellius, succeeded each other.\n\nWe must now return to Jerusalem.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXIV.--VESPASIAN SENT INTO JUDAEA.\n\n\nThe decree of the Emperor giving Caesarea Philippi to Syria, was no\nsooner known, than the Jews in all parts of Judaea took up arms.\nAgrippa happened at this time to be in Jerusalem, and he did his best\nto show the Jews the extreme folly of trying to fight against such a\npowerful people as the Romans, and begged and entreated of them not to\nrebel, and so bring misery upon themselves. Instead of listening to\nthis wise and kind advice, the Jews were so enraged with Agrippa for\ngiving it, that he was obliged to leave the city at once, to save\nhimself from their violence. War now raged on every side, and fearful\nacts of cruelty were perpetrated by both parties. Thousands and\nthousands of Jews were massacred at Caesarea, at Ptolemais, and even at\nAlexandria; and at Jerusalem, the soldiers of Florus put 3,500 to\ndeath in one day. The Jews acted in the same manner as far as they\ncould, and murdered great numbers both of Syrians and Romans. Upon\nthis general revolt of the Jews, Cestius Gallus the governor of Syria,\nmarched with a large army into Judaea and Galilee; burning all the\ntowns and villages in his way, and killing the inhabitants.\n\nNear Jerusalem he was met by a great number of Jews, who attacked him\nwith such fury, that his whole army was in the greatest danger.\nAgrippa, who with a body of troops had joined Gallus, now again\nattempted to stop further bloodshed, and sent two of his officers to\nspeak to his countrymen, the Jews, and propose terms of peace. The\nenraged Jews, however, killed one of the officers, whilst the other\nescaped wounded: Gallus then advanced with his whole army, defeated\nthe rebellious Jews, and took possession of the lower parts of\nJerusalem. Had he at once attacked the upper part of the city, and\nlaid siege to the forts, it is probable that he would have taken the\nwhole, and then the war must have ended. But, as a writer of that time\nsays, \"it seems as if God, being angry with the Jews, had determined\nthat they should expiate their sin by the most severe suffering, and\nwould not therefore allow the war to end so soon.\"\n\nSome say, Gallus was advised to retire by some of his own officers,\nwho had been bribed to do so by Florus. However that maybe, Gallus\nsuddenly went away with his army: his retreat gave the Jews fresh\nhopes, and they pursued him even to his camp at Gibeon, about six\nmiles from Jerusalem: here, the Jews attacked the Syrians with the\ngreatest fury, and killed more than 5,000 of them; whilst Gallus\nescaped by night.\n\nLeaving the history of this terrible war for a few minutes, we must\nspeak of another Epistle to be found in the New Testament, where it is\ncalled \"The General Epistle of Jude.\" The writer of this Epistle was,\nthe \"Judas (not Iscariot)\" mentioned by St. John; whom St. Luke tells\nus (ch. vi.) was the brother of James; and he appears to have been the\nsame person whom St. Mark (ch. iii.) calls \"Thaddeus,\" and of whom St.\nMatthew (ch. x.) speaks as \"Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus.\"\n\nIn the Gospels, therefore, we have four names for this Apostle, Jude,\nJudas, Thaddeus, and Lebbeus. The Book of Acts makes no mention of\nhim. From other histories we have reason to believe, that this Apostle\nwas a husbandman, or cultivator of the earth, and not a fisherman, as\nso many of the twelve were. After Jude became an Apostle, he, of\ncourse, followed the Lord as long as he lived; and then we have reason\nto believe that he went eastward, and preached the Gospel in\nMesopotamia and other countries. He then returned to Syria, from\nwhence he wrote his Epistle, about the same time as St. Peter wrote\nhis First Epistle from Rome, that is, A.D. 66; just when Nero gave\nthat decree concerning Caesarea, that led to the war of which we have\nbeen speaking. St. Jude's Epistle is very short, and was written to\nwarn the Christians in general not to listen to false teachers; but to\ntake care to believe only such truths as had been taught by Jesus\nChrist and His Apostles. After writing this Epistle, it is supposed\nthat St. Jude travelled again eastward, and preached the Gospel in\nPersia, where he suffered martyrdom.\n\nTo return to the Jews: their defeat of Gallus made them more obstinate\nin their determination not to submit to the Romans, and they\naccordingly made very great preparations for carrying on the war with\nvigour. At this time all the Christians quitted Jerusalem. They\nremembered how Jesus had told His disciples, that when they should see\nJerusalem surrounded with armies, and \"the abomination of desolation,\"\nthey would know that the destruction of the city was near at hand, and\nthat they must leave it, and take refuge in the mountains. The\nprophecy had now been fulfilled; for the armies of the heathen Romans\nhad compassed or surrounded the city, and these armies were fitly\ncalled \"the abomination of desolation,\" because they not only spread\ndesolation and misery wherever they went, but they were abominable and\nhateful to the Jews, because on their standards and flags they had\nimages and pictures of the false gods of the Romans, and also of their\nemperors, to whom, as well as to the gods, they offered sacrifices.\n\nThe Christians, seeing that the time of which Jesus had warned them\nwas now come, left Jerusalem, and crossing the river Jordan journeyed\non about one hundred miles, and took refuge in a city called Pella,\nbelonging to King Agrippa: the inhabitants of Pella were Gentiles.\nNero, who was still alive when the Jews defeated Gallus, ordered\nVespasian, one of his bravest and most skilful generals, to march at\nonce into Judaea with a large army. Vespasian set to work to collect\nsoldiers, and his son Titus went into Egypt to fetch from Alexandria\ntwo Roman _legions_, or \"regiments,\" as we should call them. An\nimmense army thus entered Galilee: one town after another fell into\nthe hands of the Romans, and thousands of the Jews were slain. At\nJoppa, large numbers of the wretched inhabitants took refuge on board\ntheir ships, hoping thus to escape; but a violent storm dashed the\nvessels back upon the rocks; many of the people were drowned or\ncrushed by the broken ships; and many, seeing no further hope of\nescape, killed themselves: such as did reach the shore, were\nslaughtered without mercy by the Romans. It is said that for a long\nspace the sea was red with the blood of these poor creatures, and that\nnot a man remained alive to carry these terrible tidings to Jerusalem.\n\nDuring this time Vespasian had taken prisoner a man, who is famous for\nhaving written a History of the Jews, and of the destruction of\nJerusalem. This man, whose name was Josephus, was a Jew, born in\nJerusalem, a few years after the Crucifixion of our Lord. When he was\nquite young he showed a great fondness for learning, and was so very\nclever and sensible, that when he was only sixteen years old, the\nChief Priests and rulers often asked his advice. Josephus adopted the\nopinions of the Pharisees; and as he grew up he took an active part in\nthe management of public affairs.\n\nWhen the wars broke out, Josephus showed so much knowledge and skill\nin military matters, that he was made governor, and acted as general\nof the Jewish armies.\n\nAmongst other places which the Romans besieged, was a small town\ncalled Jotapa, or Jotaphata. Josephus defended it for nearly two\nmonths, but at last the Romans took it, and slew all the inhabitants\nexcept Josephus and forty of his men who escaped, and took refuge in a\ncave. Some one told Vespasian where Josephus was concealed; and the\nRoman general sent to offer life and safety to him and his companions,\nupon certain conditions, which they might have accepted without any\ndisgrace. Josephus wished to accept these terms; but when he spake of\nsubmitting to the Romans, his companions threatened to murder him.\nDetermined not to live to become prisoners to the Romans, and\nunwilling to be guilty of the great crime of self-murder, these\nwretched people drew lots to decide who should kill his companion: in\nthis way one fell after another, until one man only remained alive\nbesides Josephus, who had of course taken no share in this\ntransaction. Josephus easily persuaded his companion to submit to the\nRomans: Vespasian treated the Jewish general with the greatest\nkindness: he kept him with him more as a friend than as a prisoner,\nand often consulted him, and asked his advice.\n\nMean time, Vespasian in one part of the country, and his son Titus in\nanother, carried on the war with vigour; taking one city after\nanother: in vain they besought the Jews to submit; these miserable\npeople persisted in their useless resistance, and thus enraged the\nRomans, who treated them with great barbarity. Multitudes were\ndestroyed, and a vast number were sold as slaves.\n\nAfter the whole of Galilee had been thus subdued, Titus joined his\nfather at Caesarea, and there their armies had a little rest.\n\nThe troubles in Rome after the death of Nero, A.D. 68, prevented\nVespasian having the means of carrying on the war with vigour; and\nindeed he was in no hurry to begin the siege of Jerusalem, because the\nJews were daily rendering his task more easy, by fighting amongst\nthemselves, and so wasting that strength which should have been kept\nto resist the enemy.\n\nThe city of Jerusalem was at this time in a most dreadful state of\nconfusion and tumult. The inhabitants were divided into two parties:\none party, seeing that a continuance of war would totally ruin their\ncountry, wished to submit to the Romans; the other party, the Zealots,\nwould not hear of submission; and as they were the worst of men, they\ncommitted the most horrid crimes, often under pretence of religion. No\nperson's life was safe, and the whole city was distracted by acts of\nviolence and cruelty. The leader of the party of Zealots within the\ncity was a man named John; another man named Simon, of equally bad\ncharacter, headed a party outside, and collecting a band of ruffians,\nencamped with them before the city. Some of the inhabitants of\nJerusalem, who suffered severely from the tyranny of John, fearing\nthat he would burn the city, unhappily determined to let Simon and his\ntroops come in, by way of defending them against John. But this step\nonly increased their miseries; for they now suffered from the\nviolence and wickedness of two parties, instead of one. Thus a third\nparty was formed in Jerusalem; and these three parties, instead of\njoining to defend themselves against the Romans, fought against each\nother, and many were killed, even in the temple, and before the very\naltar itself.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXV.--DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM.\n\n\nWe have said that after the death of Nero, A.D. 68, there were great\ntroubles in Rome, where three different Emperors succeeded each other\nin the space of one year; but this state of things was put an end to\nin A.D. 69, when the Romans chose Vespasian to be their Emperor. The\nnext year, the Emperor Vespasian sent his son Titus to force the\nrebellious Jews into obedience, and so put an end to this destructive\nwar. Titus and his army marched towards Jerusalem, which to look at\nwas a most magnificent and glorious city, though it had unhappily\nbecome the habitation of violence and all that is bad and wicked. The\ncity was built upon two mountains, enclosed with walls, and surrounded\nby deep valleys. The walls were guarded by towers; and altogether the\nplace was well able to resist the attacks of an enemy. But, instead of\npreparing to defend themselves, the Jews hurried on their own\ndestruction; for at the very time when a formidable army was rapidly\napproaching the city, the contending parties within the walls were\ncontinually occupied in inventing new ways of destroying each other;\nand in their fury, they wasted and destroyed considerable quantities\nof provisions, of which they had afterwards great reason to repent.\n\nAlthough danger and misery now threatened the city from the factions\nwithin and the enemy without, multitudes of people unwisely crowded\ninto it to keep the Passover; thus adding sadly to the general\nconfusion and distress. Miserable indeed was the state of Jerusalem\nwhen, in the year A.D. 70, Titus marched towards it with a formidable\narmy. The actual approach of the Romans, put a stop for the time to\nthe fighting amongst the Jews; and joining together, they left the\ncity, and forced Titus and his soldiers to leave their camp and retire\nto the mountains: but no sooner had the Jews thus obtained an interval\nof quiet, than their quarrels began again. In the mean time the\nRomans were making every exertion to prepare for the siege of\nJerusalem, which was surrounded by three walls, one within another,\nwith a good space between them, filled with buildings.\n\nTitus sent Josephus to speak to his countrymen, and offer them peace\nand safety if they would now submit and receive him into their city;\nbut these offers were refused by the infatuated Jews. They were\nrepeated with no better success; and after they had been several times\nrejected, the Romans made their first attack; and at length made a\nbreach, or gap, in the first, or outermost, wall, and so entered into\nthat part of the city, whilst the Jews retreated within the second\nwall.\n\nThe Romans having encamped within the first wall, now attacked the\nsecond wall, and forced their way through that also: and the Jews\nretired within the third wall, many of them taking refuge in the\ntemple and in the Fort Antonia. The greater part of the wretched\ninhabitants would now have submitted to the Romans, and given up their\ncity; but the Zealots murdered all who ventured to speak of such a\nthing. The great numbers of people now shut up within the walls of\nJerusalem, soon devoured the provisions, and added the horrors of\nfamine to the other terrible sufferings of the Jews. The Zealots\nforced their way into the houses of all whom they suspected of having\nany food, and carried away whatever they could find. The nearest\nrelations snatched food from each other, in the extremity of their\nhunger. Many of the starving Jews, who during the night ventured to go\nbeyond the city walls, to collect roots and herbs, were seized by the\nRoman soldiers, and crucified in the morning: so that several hundreds\nwere frequently seen at a time, suffering the same agony of body which\nhad been endured by our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to\ndescribe what the Jews went through at this time. We shall remember\nthat when they insisted on the crucifixion of Jesus, contrary to the\nwishes of Pilate himself, they had cried out, \"His blood be on us and\non our children\"; and fearfully were they now punished for having shed\nHis blood. Josephus, in his history of all that happened in Jerusalem\nat this time, writes: \"Never did any other city suffer such woes, nor\nwas there ever a more wicked generation since the beginning of the\nworld.\"\n\nAt length the Romans broke through the third, or inner, wall, and got\npossession of the Fort Antonia, and pursued the Jews into the temple.\nThe Jews for a moment fled before their enemies; but the foremost\nsoldier slipped upon the marble pavement and fell. Then the Jews\nturned, and killed him, and drove the rest of the soldiers back into\nthe fort. Even now the Jews still refused to submit; and the temple,\ninstead of being a place of worship, became a scene of battle and\nconfusion.\n\nAt this time, when the famine pressed sore upon all the people, a most\nhorrible thing was done; for a mother killed her infant child, roasted\nit, and actually ate part of it! Titus was so shocked when he heard of\nthis, that he declared that he would leave nothing but the ruins of a\ncity, in which so horrible a crime had been committed. Again he\nattacked the temple, and got possession of the outer courts. He wished\nto preserve the temple itself, and gave orders for that purpose. But\nthe Lord Himself had foretold the destruction of the temple, and a\nRoman soldier was the means of fulfilling this prophecy. Contrary to\norders, this man threw a flaming brand, or stick, into one of the\nchambers: the flames quickly burst forth and spread on all sides: the\nRoman soldiers rushed into the sacred building, and all became a scene\nof plunder and murder.\n\nThe once glorious temple was soon nothing but a heap of smoking ruins,\nin spite of all the efforts made by the command of Titus to stop the\nconflagration. This sad destruction of the second temple took place on\nthe anniversary of that day upon which the first temple, built by\nSolomon, was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, 587 years before Jesus\nChrist came upon earth.\n\nEven whilst the temple was in flames, 6,000 people actually listened\nto an impostor, who led them to the roof of a part of the building,\npromising them a miraculous deliverance: they all of course perished\nin the flames. Thousands of Jews were now killed by the Romans, and\nevery building in the city, excepting a few towers, was burned.\n\nIn this dreadful war, the greater part of the Jewish people perished:\nmany of the rest were sold as slaves, and nothing could be more\nwretched than the state of all who were left. Jerusalem has ever since\nbeen \"trodden down,\" or oppressed, by the Gentiles; and the Jews have\nremained in such a state as constantly to remind us of the prophecy of\nMoses (Deut. xxix.), where it is written, \"Even all nations shall say,\nWherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? What meaneth the\nheat of this great anger?\" The answer is given to us, \"_Because_ they\nhave forsaken the covenant of the Lord God.\" Let us ever bear this in\nmind, and not provoke God by _our_ sins, to punish us as He punished\nthe descendants of His chosen people, the Children of Israel.\n\nTitus commanded the whole city and its walls to be destroyed. This was\ndone so completely, that not one stone was left upon another, as the\nLord Himself had said.\n\nWhen Titus saw how strong the walls and forts of the city were, he\nmade a remark worthy of a Christian; saying, \"We have fought with the\nassistance of God: it was God Who drove the Jews out of these\nfortifications; for what can the hands of men, or the force of\nmachines, effect against these towers?\"\n\nAfter the destruction of Jerusalem, Titus went back to Rome, taking\nwith him Josephus, to whom Vespasian gave the freedom of the city and\na pension. Josephus immediately set to work to learn the Greek\nlanguage, in which he wrote his History of the Wars of the Jews and of\nthe Destruction of Jerusalem. He died A.D. 93, at the age of\nfifty-six: but we are now speaking of the year A.D. 70, when Titus\ntook him to Rome.\n\nThe Roman Senate decreed a Triumph to Titus and Vespasian. \"A Triumph\"\nwas a grand procession, in honour of a general who had gained some\ngreat victory. A magnificent car was provided to convey the person for\nwhom the honour was intended: his army, partly before, partly behind\nthe car, marched with flags and banners, to the sound of music: any\nprisoners who had been taken in the war were made to follow the car,\nchained two and two together; and if any valuable spoils had been\ntaken from the enemy, they were carried in the procession. In short,\neverything was done to make the Triumph a very grand affair; and it\nwas considered the greatest honour that could be bestowed upon a\nmilitary leader: it often cost an immense sum of money. The Senate now\ndecreed, that a Triumph should take place in honour of Titus and\nVespasian, who were to share the chariot provided for the occasion.\nAmongst the beautiful things carried in this procession, the most\nremarkable were the golden candlestick, and other precious things\nsaved from the temple at Jerusalem: also the volume, or Book of the\nLaw of Moses, which was indeed deserving of the greatest respect,\nthough the heathens did not know its real value.\n\nIn remembrance of the great deeds of Titus, a marble arch was erected\nat Rome, not far from the Forum. On the inside of the archway are\ncarved representations of the golden candlestick, and of many other\nthings brought from Jerusalem. This arch, called \"The Arch of Titus,\"\nstill stands in Rome; and not one of the Jews, of whom there are now\nmany thousands living in Rome, will ever pass under this archway,\nbecause it reminds them of the destruction of their once glorious\ntemple, and of the ruin of their nation.\n\nWhen Jerusalem was destroyed, there still remained in the almost\ndesolate land of Judaea three strong castles, which resisted the\nRomans. Two were soon taken; but the third was so very strong both by\nnature and art, and was so well defended by a man of great courage,\ncalled Eleazer, that for some time the Romans could not succeed in\ngetting possession of it. At last they built a high wall round it, so\nthat no one could come out or go in: they then set fire to the gates,\nand prepared to storm, or attack, the castle the next day. The Jews\nnow saw that there was no hope of defending the fortress, or of saving\ntheir own lives; and Eleazer therefore persuaded the garrison to burn\nall their valuable stores, kill the women and children that were with\nthem, and then destroy themselves. Ten men were chosen to murder all\nthe rest: after they had done this, they killed each other; and the\nlast man who was left set fire to the place, and then killed himself.\nThe next day, when the Romans were preparing to climb the walls, two\nof the women who had hid themselves, and so escaped being murdered,\ncame forth, and told all that had happened.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXVI.--ST. JOHN'S WRITINGS.\n\n\nAfter the terrible event which has just been related, the Jews who\nstill remained in the land, ceased for a time to oppose the Romans. It\nwas the submission of despair; for they felt that they had no power to\nresist, and ruin and desolation surrounded them on all sides. The once\nflourishing fields and plains of Judaea were covered with dead bodies;\nmost of the celebrated cities were merely heaps of ruins. All the\nfighting men were removed from Jerusalem, and only some women and old\nmen were allowed to take up their abode amongst the ruins of their\nbeloved city.\n\nThe Emperor only allowed the Jews to observe the forms of their own\nreligion, on condition of their paying to the Temple of Jupiter\nCapitolinus, one of the heathen deities, the tax hitherto paid by\nevery Jew for the service of the Temple, or House of the Lord. Ever\nsince Judaea had been made a Roman province, the Jews had been allowed\nto collect their own taxes: the annual tribute to the temple they\nlooked upon as an offering to God, Whose subjects they were. The\nEmperor now, in their opinion, usurped the place of God; and this was\na great affliction to the Jews; whilst the use to which the tax was to\nbe put, and the severity exercised in collecting it, made these\nunhappy people feel it to be an intolerable disgrace and burden.\n\nVespasian died nine years after the destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 79,\nand his son Titus became Emperor. Titus reigned for only two years,\nand was succeeded by his brother Domitian, A.D. 81.\n\nWe have reason to believe that only one of the Apostles was alive when\nTitus took Jerusalem: this was St. John, the disciple \"whom Jesus\nloved.\" As the Bible tells us nothing concerning this holy man, during\nthe time that St. Paul was journeying about, we cannot be sure as to\nwhat he was doing; but he is supposed to have remained in his native\nland, and probably in Jerusalem itself, till he saw the city compassed\nby foreign soldiers, and beheld the other signs of its approaching\nruin, as foretold by his Divine Master. Then it is believed, that St.\nJohn travelled through Parthia, India, and Arabia; and also founded\nChurches at Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,\nLaodicia, and other places in Asia Minor; after which, he passed some\ntime at Ephesus. There is a story that he afterwards went to Rome, and\nwas, by the order of Domitian, who persecuted the Christians most\ncruelly, thrown into a large vessel of boiling oil. But instead of\ndying in tortures, as was expected, the Lord preserved him, and he\ncame out unhurt. We may well believe this story, though we cannot be\nquite sure that it is true. After this, Domitian banished the Apostle,\nnow a very old man, to the island of Patmos, in the southern part of\nthe Archipelago. At Patmos, the Lord sent St. John a most wonderful\nvision; and his account of it forms part of the New Testament, where\nit is called \"The Revelation of St. John the Divine\": it is also\ncalled the \"Apocalypse.\" \"Revelation\" means some hidden secret thing\nmade known. \"Apocalypse\" comes from a Greek word, meaning the same as\nRevelation.\n\nThe Apocalypse is a book of prophecies, revealing and foretelling in\nmysterious language, events which are to happen even to the end of the\nworld. It is of course very difficult to understand any of the\nprophecies in this book, and quite impossible to do so perfectly; but\nlike every other part of Scripture, it teaches men to be holy. In the\nfirst chapter of this book, St. John tells us himself, that this\nRevelation was made known to him in the isle of Patmos, to which he\nhad been banished on account of his religion.\n\nDomitian persecuted the Jews as well as the Christians; and great\nnumbers of both were put to death by this tyrannical and wicked\nEmperor, who proposed to destroy all the descendants of David, lest\nany one of them should attempt to become king of Judaea. Some grandsons\nof the Apostle Jude, or Thaddeus, who was of the family of David, were\nbrought before the Emperor; but on being asked concerning the kingdom\nof Christ, they declared that it was a spiritual, not a temporal\nkingdom; and as they were very poor, and could only by the hardest\nlabour contrive to support themselves, and pay the tax demanded by the\nRomans, he spared them, as persons who were not to be feared. Some of\nthe Jews, who had retired to Alexandria, had endeavoured to get up a\ndisturbance there; but the Jews, who had long lived quietly in that\ncity, fearful of the consequence of any revolt, gave up their\nseditious countrymen to the Romans, who put them to death: they were\nobstinate to the last, and even their children suffered the greatest\ntortures, rather than acknowledge the Roman Emperor to be their\nmaster. Such conduct, however mistaken it may have been, sets a good\nexample to Christians in every age. These Jews believed that to submit\nto the Roman Emperor was contrary to their duty to God; and therefore\nthey bore any sufferings rather than do it. Let us ever be ready and\nwilling to suffer, rather than do anything which we believe to be\ncontrary to our duty to God.\n\nThe Emperor Domitian, displeased with what had happened in Alexandria,\nordered the temple which had been built in that city to be shut up;\nlest, under pretence of public worship, the Jews of that place should\nmeet there and plot rebellion.\n\nDomitian died A.D. 96, and was succeeded by Nerva, who immediately\nset St. John at liberty: the Apostle at once left Patmos, and went\ninto Asia Minor, where he wrote the account of the wonderful Vision or\nRevelation made to him in that island. Very soon afterwards, St. John\nwrote the three Epistles called by his name.\n\nThe First of these Epistles is not addressed to any persons in\nparticular; but was written to warn all Christians not to listen to\nthe false teachers, who were then leading many into serious error.\nSome of these false teachers, pretended that Jesus was not really man;\nand that, as He had no real body like ours, He did not really suffer\ncrucifixion. Others, on the contrary, taught that He was _only_ man.\nBoth doctrines were equally fatal to the hopes of Christians: if Jesus\nChrist did not share our human nature, He could not atone for the sin\nof man; if He were only man, however free from sin Himself, He could\nnot atone for the sins of His fellow mortals. Thus a firm belief in\nJesus Christ as _God and Man_, is absolutely necessary for all who\nlook for salvation through Him. Another set of false teachers taught,\nthat those who believed themselves to be justified by faith, and so\nfreed from the restraints of the Levitical Law, might sin without fear\nof punishment. St. John cautions all Christians not to be led away by\nthese, or any other false doctrines; and he shows them how very\ndifferent they are from the truths contained in the Gospel as taught\nby Jesus Christ, and fully explained by His Apostles. St. John, in\nthis Epistle, speaks much of the love of God towards His creatures,\nand of the duty of all men to love Him and their fellow creatures for\nHis sake.\n\nThe Second Epistle of St. John was probably written from Ephesus, his\nusual abode at this time. This Epistle is addressed to some particular\nlady, to warn her and her children not to listen to the dangerous\ndoctrines of false teachers.\n\nThe Third of St. John's Epistles is written to a man named Gaius, who\nis supposed to have been converted by the Apostle, who therefore\nspeaks of him as one of his children: a very usual figure of speech\nwith teachers, respecting those whom they converted. In this way St.\nPaul calls Timothy his \"son.\" In the Acts of the Apostles, and in the\nEpistles, we meet with the name of Gaius five times; and four\ndifferent persons seem to be meant. Gaius, of Macedonia (Acts xix.);\nGaius, of Derbe (Acts xx.); Gaius, whom St. Paul baptized at Corinth\n(1 Cor. i.), and who lodged that Apostle in his own house at Corinth\n(Rom. xvi.); and this Gaius, to whom St. John writes his Epistle;\nwhether he was one of those already mentioned, we cannot know.\n\nThe object of this Epistle from St. John, seems to have been to praise\nGaius for his steady faith, and for having shown kindness to some\nChristian strangers, who had passed through the place where he lived:\nat the same time, St. John cautions him to have nothing to do with a\nteacher named Diotrephes, who had denied St. John's authority, and set\nhimself up as the head of a party, in opposition to the Apostles.\n\nSt. John entreats Gaius to do, what may equally apply to each one of\nus, for he says, \"Follow not that which is evil, but that which is\ngood.\" He also recommends to him Demetrius, of whom we know nothing,\nexcept that he was a good man. This letter to Gaius is very short,\nbecause, as St. John writes, he hoped shortly to meet and talk to him.\n\nSt. John spent the last years of his long life at Ephesus, and there,\nabout A.D. 99, he wrote that very valuable and beautiful portion of\nHoly Scripture known to us as \"The Gospel according to St. John.\" When\nSt. John wrote, he was of course well acquainted with the Gospels of\nSt. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, and also with the Book of Acts,\nfor they had all been written many years before this time. He does\nnot, therefore, repeat much of what they tell us, but gives an account\nof many things which they do not mention; and repeats especially much\nof what his blessed Lord said at different times to His disciples.\nThere was a good reason for this.\n\nEven by this time, many errors had crept into the Christian Church, as\nhas already been said, when speaking of St. John's First Epistle.\n\nSt. John, therefore, wrote his Gospel to correct these errors, and to\nshow all men, that Jesus Christ was truly and indeed the Son of Man\nand the Son of God: the Word that was from the beginning with God, and\nwas God, and was made man, that He might suffer for us.\n\nThe Gospel of St. John completed the Canon of Scripture; that is,\nthose writings which are undoubtedly written by inspiration of God,\nand are, therefore, to be the general rule of Christian faith and\npractice.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXVII.--THE DEATH OF ST. JOHN.\n\n\nSt. John was nearly 100 years old when he wrote his Gospel: he had\nspent a long life in preaching and exhorting, and we are told that,\nwhen his great age prevented his continuing his active labours, he\nused to be carried into the public assemblies of the Christians, in\norder to repeat his exhortation, \"Little children, love one another\":\nwords constantly repeated in some shape or other, in the writings of\nthis Apostle, who also dwells much upon the love of Christ for man, as\na reason why men should love Him, and love each other for His sake.\nLet us try to obey the precept, \"Love one another\"; remembering that\nSt. John also says, \"Love not in word neither in tongue, but in deed\nand in truth\"; that is, do not talk about your love, but show it by\nyour actions. Love to Christ must show itself in obedience; love to\nman for His sake, by kindness to every fellow creature, and by doing\nall the good we can to them, whether they are kind to us or not.\n\nSt. John died quietly at Ephesus, about A.D. 100: his faith and love\nwere great, therefore his death was peaceful and happy; for he felt\nthat he was now going home to his beloved Master, Whom he had\nfaithfully served for many years on earth.\n\nA century, or space of 100 years, had now passed since the birth of\nJesus Christ: at the time of that event, the inhabitants of the world,\nwith the exception of the Jews, were Heathens or Pagans; who, in their\ntotal ignorance of an Almighty and Holy God, gave themselves up to\nfollow their own sinful inclinations, and were guilty of every sort of\nwickedness and vice. The Jews, though still retaining a nominal\nobservance of the Law of Moses and the worship of One True God, had\nstrangely forgotten and forsaken the religion, so long the glory of\ntheir nation. Thinking more of temporal than of spiritual things, they\nwilfully misunderstood the writings of the prophets, and looked for a\ntemporal king in the promised Messiah: those who dared to hold a\ndifferent opinion, were treated with contempt.\n\nThe two sects of Sadducees and Pharisees, though in other matters\nopposed to each other, equally set at naught the holiness of heart and\nlife commanded by the Law of Moses. The Sadducees, denying the\npossibility of a future life, laughed at the idea of denying one's\nself any gratification here, from the fear of punishment hereafter.\nThe Pharisees, passing by the Moral Law, which it did not suit them to\nkeep, taught, that a strict observance of the Ceremonial Law, and of\nthe traditions handed down from father to son, would secure the favour\nof God.\n\nThus Sadducees and Pharisees both destroyed all true religion; that\nis, all devotion of the heart to God, producing holiness of life.\n\nThe consequence of this was, that the knowledge and love of God were\ndaily growing less amongst the Jewish people, and rapidly ceasing to\nhave any effect on their motives and actions. So that, both as\nregarded Jews and Gentiles, it might truly be said, \"The whole world\nlieth in wickedness.\"\n\nThe doctrines and precepts of our blessed Lord, were meant to make man\nhate and renounce all sin and wickedness; to show him the necessity of\nself-denial, and of holiness in thought, word, and deed; and to set\nbefore him that love towards God, which was to be the motive and\nprinciple to govern all his actions.\n\nThus, wherever the Gospel was received, a great change at once took\nplace; and the close of the first century, found the world in a very\ndifferent condition from that, in which it had been at the beginning.\nMankind must now be considered as divided into three classes: First,\nthe Heathen, who, in addition to all former wickedness, now added a\nspirit of hatred and persecution towards those who rejected their\nfalse religion, for the Truth as is in Jesus. Second, the Jews, who,\nin spite of all the miseries they had gone through for their rejection\nof Jesus Christ, still clung to the Law of Moses; hating the Heathen,\nbut above all, hating the followers of Jesus with an increasing\nhatred. The third class comprehended all, who, by the mercy of God,\nhad been brought out of either of the other two classes, to be sincere\nand faithful followers of the precepts and examples of the Holy Jesus.\nThis class, called Christians, already contained a very large number\nof persons of all ages and sexes; and their number was increasing\ndaily, by fresh converts from amongst the Gentiles.\n\nThus, by the close of the first century, the Church of Christ was so\nfirmly established upon earth, as to defy all the efforts made to\noverthrow it.\n\nEven during the first century the Christians suffered persecution; and\nmany of them were put to death, because they would not give up their\nbelief in Jesus, and act contrary to His precepts. This cruel\npersecution of the Christians continued during the second and third\ncenturies; sometimes with greater, sometimes with less severity. But\nit has been truly said, that \"the blood of the martyrs is the seed of\nthe Church\"; for numbers, seeing their holy lives, and then witnessing\nthe wonderful manner in which they were supported to bear the most\nexquisite tortures rather than give up their religion, felt that there\nmust be some sure and strong foundation for such faith and\nsteadfastness, and were thus led to become Christians themselves; and\nby their future conduct and martyrdom they again, in their turn,\nbrought others to join the Church of Christ, which thus extended\nitself rapidly on all sides.\n\nBefore the close of the second century, Christianity had been\nestablished as the religion of the Britons; but how, or by whom, it\nwas brought into our island, we do not know: it seems very probable\nthat, during the long interval in which we know nothing of St. Peter's\nmovements, he came to Britain, and established the Church which has\never since existed here.\n\nIn reading of the martyrs, we should remember that they, knowing that\nthe favour of God was the only thing worth having, were willing to\nsuffer and die in order to obtain it; trusting to the Lord to give\nthem a happy issue out of all their sufferings. They did not trust in\nvain. We must also recollect, that the religion of the martyrs was no\nsham; no system of outward forms, but an entire devotion of the whole\nheart and life to God; and that the same devotion is required of\nChristians now. If we are not now called upon to suffer martyrdom, we\nare called upon to give our hearts to God; and show our Faith, by\ndenying ourselves in everything contrary to His Will, whatever pain or\ndifficulty we may have in doing so.\n\nDo we do this?\n\nThe Jews, who outlived the destruction of their city and temple,\nsought refuge in different parts of the world. Many went into Egypt,\nwhere there was a Jewish colony, that had been established in the time\nof Alexander the Great. Others fled to Cyrene, another part of Africa.\nA large number removed to Babylon, and joined their brethren who had\nremained from father to son in that country, instead of returning to\nJerusalem when the decree of Cyrus permitted them to do so. Some took\nrefuge in Persia and other Eastern countries.\n\nBy degrees, these Jews formed a regular system of government for\nthemselves.\n\nThey were divided into Eastern and Western Jews. The Eastern Jews were\nthose who settled in Babylon, Chaldaea, Assyria, Persia, and the\nadjacent countries. Those who remained in Judaea, or took up their\nabode in Egypt, Italy, and other parts of the Roman dominions in\nEurope, were called Western Jews. In the course of time, these two\nparties each chose some distinguished person as their head, or chief.\nThe chiefs of the Eastern Jews were called \"Princes of the Captivity\";\nand those of the Western Jews, were simply styled \"Patriarchs.\"\nGradually these chiefs obtained more and more influence and authority\namongst their fellow countrymen in all matters. Both parties of Jews\nalso founded schools, that the children might be fully and carefully\ninstructed in all the doctrines and practices of their religion. But\nthese things were done gradually during a long course of years, one\nstep leading to another; for naturally, on their first dispersion\nafter the destruction of Jerusalem, their whole attention was turned\nto securing a safe asylum, where they might worship God after the\nmanner of their fathers--as far, at least, as they could do so; but\nthe destruction of the Temple had rendered it impossible to keep the\nfeasts and offer the sacrifices, so strictly enjoined by the Law of\nMoses.\n\nThe impossibility of obeying the precepts of their religion, should\nhave made the Jews more ready to listen to those, who declared that\nthe promised Messiah had indeed come; and that therefore, the Old\nDispensation contained in the Law of Moses was at an end.\n\nAs Scripture history closes before the destruction of Jerusalem, all\nthat has been said regarding that and subsequent events, has been\ngathered from other histories; and all that has been related\nconcerning the latter days of some of the Apostles, has been supplied\nin a similar way. It will be well now to give a short account of the\nlabours and deaths of such of the Apostles as have not been already\nmentioned; only remembering, that whilst we have every reason to\nbelieve such accounts are true, we cannot feel certain, as we do in\nregard to all the facts related in the Holy Scriptures.\n\nTaking, then, \"the names of the twelve Apostles\" as given by St.\nMatthew (x. 2, &c.), we have \"first, Simon, who is called Peter.\" Of\nhim we have heard much in the course of our Lord's life, and during\nthe time of which the Book of Acts gives us the history: and we have\nalso spoken of what he is believed to have done after that period, and\nof his martyrdom. Of \"Andrew his brother,\" we only know that he was\nalso a fisherman, and that he was a disciple of John the Baptist, with\nwhom he was standing when the Baptist said of Jesus, \"Behold the Lamb\nof God.\" Andrew, nothing doubting, at once sought an interview with\nJesus, and then went to find, his own brother Simon, giving him the\njoyful news, \"We have found the Messias.\" Andrew became afterwards one\nof the constant followers of our Lord, chosen to be Apostles; and his\nname is mentioned two or three times in sacred history.\n\nFrom other sources we learn, that after the Ascension of our Lord,\nSt. Andrew travelled to Byzantium, now called Constantinople, and\nthere founded a Church; and that he also preached the Gospel in the\nCrimea. But he ended his life in Greece, under the following\ncircumstances: St. Andrew was preaching at a place in Achaia with\ngreat success, when AEgeas, the pro-consul or Roman governor of the\nprovince, came there, and was greatly enraged to find that multitudes\nhad already been converted from Heathenism to Christianity: he\ntherefore told the Apostle, that he should be crucified unless he\nwould himself offer a sacrifice to the heathen gods. This St. Andrew\nof course refused to do, and he was put into prison; but the people\nwere so angry at this, that they would have rescued him by force, had\nhe not begged them not to do so; telling them that he was quite ready\nto suffer martyrdom, if such was the will of God. It is said, that\namongst other miracles performed in the name of Jesus by St. Andrew,\nhe had healed the wife and the brother of AEgeas of diseases; and that\nboth had, in consequence, become Christians. This made the pro-consul\nstill more furious; and, in his rage, he ordered St. Andrew to be\nseverely scourged by seven men, before he was put to death. He was\ntied to a cross of the shape of the letter X; and it is said that he\nhung upon it for two days, during which, in the midst of his agony,\nhe continued to instruct and exhort the people. After his death, his\nbody was embalmed and buried with all honour, at the expense of a\nnoble lady, named Maximilla. We are told that, 300 years later, St.\nAndrew's body was taken to Constantinople by the Emperor Constantine,\nwho had become a Christian, and buried in a church which the Emperor\nhad built in honour of the Apostles.\n\nIn after times, St. Andrew came to be looked upon as the patron Saint\nof Scotland.\n\nA cross, the shape of that upon which St. Andrew was crucified, is\nalways called a St. Andrew's Cross.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXXVIII.--THE APOSTLES.\n\n\nThe next on the list of the Apostles, are \"James the son of Zebedee,\nand John his brother.\" Both of these have been already mentioned: the\nScripture tells us, that St. James the elder, the brother of St. John,\nwas killed with the sword by Herod Agrippa.\n\nSt. John, as we have heard, survived the destruction of Jerusalem; was\nbanished for some years to the island of Patmos; and finally died a\nnatural death at Ephesus.\n\n\"Philip and Bartholomew\" are the next upon our list; and throughout\ntheir lives they seem to have been intimately connected with each\nother. Philip's name is mentioned two or three times in Scripture. He\nwas no sooner called to be a follower of Jesus, than, as we are told,\n\"he findeth Nathanael (or Bartholomew), and saith unto him, We have\nfound Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus\nof Nazareth, the son of Joseph.\" Or, in other words, that they had\nfound out, that Jesus of Nazareth the reputed son of Joseph, was, in\ntruth, The Messiah, of whom Moses and the prophets had written.\n\nAfter the Lord's Ascension, Philip is supposed to have preached the\nGospel in some parts of Asia, and then to have suffered martyrdom in\nPhrygia. It is said, that coming to a place where the inhabitants were\nthe grossest idolaters, Philip, greatly distressed at their condition,\nprayed constantly for them; at the same time labouring to convince\nthem of the folly of their present worship, and telling them of the\ntrue God, and of His Son Jesus Christ. The Lord so blessed Philip's\nefforts, that many of his hearers turned from idolatry and became\nChristians. This success, stirred up the opposition and persecution of\nthe heathen magistrates, who accordingly seized the Apostle, put him\nin prison, caused him to be unmercifully scourged, and afterwards\ncrucified. It is said, moreover, that whilst hanging on the cross, he\nwas stoned to death; and that then, such a violent earthquake took\nplace, as greatly alarmed all the people; and that many, in\nconsequence, repented of their idolatry and wickedness, and turned to\nGod.\n\nBartholomew, or Nathanael, could not at first believe that Jesus of\nNazareth was the promised Messiah, but after acting according to\nPhilip's advice, of \"Come and see,\" he cordially acknowledged Jesus\nChrist to be the \"Son of God, the King of Israel.\" After our Lord's\nAscension, this Apostle is said to have laboured amongst the savage\ntribes of Abyssinia, then called Ethiopia; and we are told, that 100\nyears afterwards, a missionary who went to preach the Gospel in those\nparts, found a copy of St. Matthew's Gospel, which was said to have\nbeen left there by Bartholomew. Bartholomew was in Phrygia with\nPhilip, when the latter was put to death: and it is said that he was\nalso fastened to a cross, but that the heathens were so alarmed by the\nearthquake, that they took him down, and set him at liberty. After\nthis, he is said to have preached in various parts of Asia Minor,\nending with Armenia, where he was seized by the idolatrous governor,\nand treated with the greatest cruelty; he was beaten to the ground\nwith staves; crucified head downwards; then taken from the cross,\nflayed, and finally beheaded.\n\nThomas, the next on the list of Apostles, is well known to us for his\ndoubts as to the reality of the Resurrection--doubts mercifully\nremoved by the Lord Himself. After the Ascension, Thomas is said to\nhave laboured in Judaea, Parthia, Medea, Persia, and other countries,\nuntil he reached India. Here he was at first afraid of venturing\namongst the dark-coloured and cruel heathens, who inhabited the\ncountry; but being encouraged by a vision, he fearlessly journeyed on\ninto the country, and was most successful in bringing the people out\nof the darkness of Paganism into the light of the Gospel. The Brahmins\nor priests, however, were much opposed to him: at a certain town he\nbegan to build a place of worship for the Christians, and Segamo, the\nprince of the country, persuaded probably by the Brahmins, forbade him\nto go on with it. Thomas, however, by the help of God, performed\nseveral miracles, which so convinced Segamo of the truth of all his\ndoctrines, that he himself became a Christian, and allowed the\nbuilding to be continued. The idolatrous priests now saw that their\nreligion was in great danger, and therefore, watching for a convenient\nopportunity, they came upon Thomas in a quiet spot, to which he had\ngone to pray, and shot him with their arrows. Having thus disabled the\nApostle, the Brahmins stoned him, and finally ran a lance through his\nbody. The dead body of Thomas was carried by his disciples to the\nchurch which he had just completed, and there buried. About 1,500\nyears afterwards, when the Portuguese first made their way to India,\nthey found upon the Malabar coast many Christian families, who called\nthemselves \"St. Thomas's Christians\"; being descendants of those, who\nhad been converted from Paganism to Christianity, by this Apostle.\n\nMatthew's name stands next on the list of the Apostles; he has already\nbeen spoken of, as far as the Scriptures make mention of him; and also\nas the writer of the first of the four accounts of our Saviour's life\nand death. We neither know what this Apostle did after our Lord's\nAscension, nor how he died; but there is a tradition that he was\nmurdered in Ethiopia, where by his teaching, and the miracles he was\nenabled to perform, he had been the means of converting multitudes\nfrom Heathenism to Christianity.\n\n\"James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus,\"\nnow come under consideration. They were brothers; two of the sons of\nMary, sister to the Virgin Mary, and of Cleophas one of the disciples\nto whom, after His resurrection, the Lord appeared on the way to\nEmmaus. This James, distinguished as \"the Less,\" has already been\nspoken of as Bishop of Jerusalem, and his death has also been\nmentioned (p. 351).\n\nLebbaeus, also called Judas and Jude, was, as has been said, the writer\nof an Epistle. No ancient writer gives any account either of his\nlabours after the Lord's Ascension, or of the manner of his death.\n\nOf \"Simon the Canaanite,\" whose name stands next on our list,\nScripture tells us nothing, except that he was also called \"Simon\nZelotes.\" \"Zelotes\" means full of zeal and eagerness; and the name was\nprobably given to this Apostle, on account of his great zeal and\nearnestness in the service of his Master. The term \"Canaanite\" seems\nto be derived from a Hebrew word, which also means zeal. After the\nAscension, Simon is said to have preached the Gospel amongst some of\nthe barbarous nations in Africa; and then to have gone westward,\nfinally reaching Britain, where he was crucified, probably by the\nRomans.\n\nThe last on the list of Apostles is Judas Iscariot, whose surname, it\nis thought, is merely derived from the place of his birth. Of him it\nis unnecessary to speak now. The mention of Judas Iscariot naturally\nreminds us of him who was afterwards chosen to fill the place, \"from\nwhich by transgression he fell.\"\n\nMatthias, chosen after the Ascension to complete the original number\nof Apostles, was one of those disciples \"which had companied with the\nApostles, all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among\nthem.\" Beyond this, Scripture says nothing about him; nor do any\nancient writers tell us how long he laboured in the holy office to\nwhich he was appointed; but it is said, that he was finally put to\ndeath by some amongst whom he was preaching.\n\nNo sketch of our Lord's Apostles would be complete without some notice\nof Paul and Barnabas; who, though not called to be Apostles until\nafter the Ascension, laboured zealously in that sacred ministry. St.\nPaul has already been spoken of most fully, and frequent mention has\nbeen made of St. Barnabas, up to the time of his separation from St.\nPaul, after which the Book of Acts contains no account of him: but in\none of his Epistles, St. Paul writes of him in such a manner, as shows\nthat though for the moment \"the contention between them was so sharp\nas to part them asunder,\" it had not caused any real coolness or\nestrangement. Another proof of this, is found in the fact, that St.\nMark afterwards became a devoted attendant upon St. Paul, by whom he\nwas highly valued. St. Mark was with the Apostle whilst he was a\nprisoner in Rome.\n\nOf the labours of St. Barnabas after his separation from St. Paul, we\nhave no certain account anywhere: in the end he is said to have been\nstoned.\n\nBefore closing this chapter, it seems well to take notice of St. Luke\nand St. Mark, who, though not Apostles, are, as writers of the Gospel,\nentitled to the respect and gratitude of all who value the holy\nScriptures.\n\nThere is, however, little to add to what has been already said of\nthem.\n\nLuke, by birth a Jew, and probably a native of Antioch in Syria, was a\nphysician, who became a convert to the religion of Jesus. He is said\nto have been one of the seventy disciples, sent out on one occasion,\n\"two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he\nhimself would come.\" This is very probable, although, as he is not\nonce named in any of the Gospels, we cannot be sure.\n\nFrom St. Luke's own account in the Book of Acts, we find that he went\nwith St. Paul on his first voyage to Macedon. At Philippi, he seems to\nhave left the Apostle; why we know not, but perhaps St. Paul sent him\non some mission. It is not unlikely that he remained in that country;\nbut during St. Paul's second journey, he rejoined him, and sailed with\nhim from Philippi. For the next five years, St. Luke continued with\nSt. Paul: this brings us to the release of the Apostle from his\nconfinement in Rome. Here ends any certain account of St. Luke. It is\nsaid that he then went into Achaia, and afterwards preached the Gospel\nin Africa. As no ancient writers mention his having suffered\nmartyrdom, it is probable that he died a natural death.\n\nIf the Evangelist St. Mark was, as there is every reason to believe,\nthe same \"Mark whose surname was John,\" he was nephew to Barnabas. We\nfirst hear of him in Scripture, as going from Antioch to Jerusalem\nwith Barnabas and Saul; and then accompanying them on a journey, but\nleaving them unaccountably at Perga; in consequence of which, St. Paul\nafterwards refused to take him with them on another journey, thus\ncausing the contention already mentioned. \"Barnabas, taking Mark,\nsailed to Cyprus.\" It is said that St. Mark was with St. Barnabas at\nthe time of the latter's death, and received his dying commands to go\nwithout delay to St. Paul, by whom, as has been already said, he was\nwell received. What his ultimate fate was, we know not.\n\nIt may not be amiss to mention, before we take leave of the immediate\nfollowers of our Lord, that in pictures, the four Evangelists are\ndistinguished by certain signs or symbols. St. Matthew is simply a man\nwith a pen in his hand; St. Mark is accompanied by a Lion; St. Luke by\nan Ox; and St. John by an Eagle.\n\n\n\n\nPART III.\n\n\n\n\nChapter I.--THE JEWS TO THE TIME OF THE EMPEROR ADRIAN.\n\n\nThe history of those chosen by the Lord to be His peculiar people, has\nnow been traced for more than two thousand years, from the Call of\nAbraham, B.C. 1921. For the two centuries immediately following that\nevent, we have the history of Abraham's descendants, Isaac, Jacob or\nIsrael, and the twelve sons of Israel, or Patriarchs, as they are\ncalled, from being the fathers of all the tribes of Israel. Israel and\nhis sons and grand-children, to the number of sixty-six persons, went\ndown, B.C. 1706, into Egypt, where Joseph then was, having been sold\nas a slave about twenty years before.\n\nDuring the next 300 years, the descendants of Israel multiplied so\nwonderfully that, in B.C. 1491, 600,000 men, besides women and\nchildren, went out of Egypt under the guidance of Moses.\n\nThe giving of the Law, Ceremonial and Political, as well as Moral,\nestablished the chosen people of God, as a Church and Nation.\n\nForty years of wandering in the wilderness brought the Children of\nIsrael to the eastern banks of the Jordan, B.C. 1451. The Bible then\nrelates how, under the command of Joshua, the Jordan was crossed, and\nthe heathen wonderfully driven out of the land, which the Lord had\npromised to give to Abraham and his descendants, for a possession.\n\nFor forty-six years, the Children of Israel were ruled by Joshua and\nthe elders who outlived him. For the next 300 years, they were\ngoverned by Judges, raised up by the Almighty at different times, as\nthey were needed. In B.C. 1095 the Children of Israel were bent upon\nhaving a king, and Saul was accordingly crowned, and reigned for forty\nyears. During the next eighty years, the kingdom flourished under\nDavid and his son Solomon; the latter of whom built the glorious\nTemple, dedicated to the service of the Lord with much ceremony, B.C.\n1004. It had taken eight years to build.\n\nThe division of the country into the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel,\nunder Solomon's son Rehoboam, took place B.C. 975. One king succeeded\nanother more or less quickly, until the sins of kings and people led\nto the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of\nAssyria, B.C. 721; and to the burning of Jerusalem and of the Temple,\nB.C. 587, when Nebuchadnezzar carried the inhabitants of the kingdom\nof Judah into a long captivity in Babylon. Some years before, in B.C.\n606, this same Nebuchadnezzar had carried away many of the children of\nJudah; and from _this_ date the Captivity, which lasted seventy years,\nis reckoned to have begun. The seventy years expired in B.C. 536; and\nCyrus, king of Medea and Persia, having conquered the Babylonian\nEmpire, gave the children of Judah leave to go back into their own\nland, showing them much kindness upon the occasion. The Jews, as they\nwere now called, returned in great numbers to Judaea; though many of\nthem still, by their own choice, remained in the land where they had\nbeen born and bred.\n\nThe Jews who did return, had great difficulties to overcome; but at\nlength they built a Second Temple, which was dedicated B.C. 515. Under\nthe governance of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Jews served the Lord in the\nland of their fathers; but soon they again fell into grievous sin,\nthough they were never more guilty of idolatry: that crime which\nprincipally caused their captivity. So far the Bible has given us the\nhistory of the people of God.\n\nFrom other histories we learn, that Alexander the Great, who became\nking of Macedonia B.C. 336, conquered Persia and all the countries in\nany way dependent upon her: Judaea, of course, amongst the rest. The\nremarkable vision which made Alexander treat the Jews with kindness\nhas been mentioned (iii. 425). After the death of this monarch, B.C.\n323, Judaea became in some sort dependent upon Syria; and we have\nalready seen how severely the Jews suffered during the next 153 years,\nfrom the wars and fightings going on continually between Syria and\nEgypt. The cruelty and oppression of the Syrian princes became\nintolerable; and, after Antiochus Epiphanes had taken Jerusalem, B.C.\n170, the Lord in mercy raised up the family of Maccabaeus, to deliver\nthe Jews from his tyranny.\n\nUnder the Maccabaean princes, the Jews fought successfully against the\nenemies of their religion. Judaea gradually recovered from its\ndesolation and misery, and again became prosperous; whilst the pure\nworship of the One True God was once more the established religion of\nthe nation. But after the death of John Hyrcanus (iii. 481), B.C. 107,\nenemies without, and divisions and troubles amongst themselves, again\nfilled Judaea with confusion.\n\nIn B.C. 63, Judaea became, like so many other countries, a province of\nRome; and we have seen how the Romans appointed governors or kings,\nand even high priests also. The Government of Rome itself underwent a\ngreat change about this time: the Republic, or Commonwealth, which had\nlasted 479 years, from the Expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus, B.C. 509,\nnow came to an end, and Octavius Augustus Caesar was chosen as the\nfirst Emperor, B.C. 27.\n\nOctavius Augustus had ruled the vast dominions of Rome as Emperor for\ntwenty-seven years, when that event took place, destined to affect in\nthe most momentous manner all races and kindreds of men: even the\nBirth of Jesus Christ, the long-promised Messiah. When our blessed\nLord was twenty-nine years old, that is, in A.D. 29, He began to teach\npublicly amongst the Jews. Octavius Augustus was no longer Emperor of\nRome at this time; he had died when Jesus was fourteen years old, and\nhad been succeeded by Tiberius.\n\nAlthough a small number of the Jews owned and received Jesus Christ as\nthe expected Messiah, He was rejected by the nation in general: and\nafter His crucifixion, the Jews tried in every way to oppose His\nApostles, and prevent the spreading of Christianity. We have read\ntheir punishment in the destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 70, and the\ndreadful sufferings which came upon the unhappy Jews, and forced them\nto scatter themselves through all lands, hoping to find safety--a hope\ntoo often disappointed, and that constantly through their own fault.\n\nThe history of the Jews has thus been traced to the close of the first\ncentury after the Birth of Christ, that is, to A.D. 100.\n\nIt will now be advisable to give a slight sketch of their history,\nfrom that date until the present time. Unhappily there are many\nthousand Jews who profess still to expect the promised Messiah;\nrefusing to believe that Jesus of Nazareth, in Whom all the prophecies\nof their Scriptures have been so literally and exactly fulfilled, was\nindeed the Messiah, of Whom Moses and the prophets did write.\n\nMay the Lord take away their blindness, and bring them into the one\nfold, under the one Shepherd, Jesus Christ.\n\nIn spite of all that the Jews had suffered from their opposition to\nthe Romans, they could not make up their minds to submit quietly to\nforeign rulers.\n\nTrajan, who became Emperor quite at the close of the first century,\ntreated them with great severity, and even forbade them to read the\nLaw. In consequence, a rebellion broke out, A.D. 115, at Cyrene, in\nAfrica, where the Jews had been settled for many years: it quickly\nspread over Libya into Alexandria: in the struggle, the country was\nplundered and ruined, whilst thousands of people were killed on both\nsides: but finally, after a great slaughter, the Romans got the better\nof the rebellious Jews. The next year, the Jews in Mesopotamia took up\narms, and filled the country with terror. Trajan sent against them a\nfamous general, who, after killing great numbers of the people, forced\nthe rest to submit to the Roman power: the successful general was then\nmade governor of Judaea, that he might keep the Jews still residing\nthere, in submission. Soon afterwards, there was a still more dreadful\ninsurrection in the isle of Cyprus, where the Jews massacred an\nincredible number of the inhabitants: a Roman general called Adrian,\nthen went into Cyprus, and defeated the Jews after an obstinate\nbattle. Trajan now published an order, that all Jews should leave the\nisle of Cyprus, and never return to it.\n\nWhen Trajan died, A.D. 117, Adrian became Emperor; he forbade the Jews\nto circumcise their children, and sent strangers to settle in the land\nof Judaea, and rebuild the city of Jerusalem, which he meant to\nornament in the Roman style, and call by some Roman name. These\nmeasures so enraged the Jews, that they again broke out into open\nrebellion: their leader was Coziba, one of the banditti who infested\nthe country; and under his command, all kinds of violence were\ncommitted against the subjects of Rome. Coziba pretended that he\nhimself was the person spoken of by Balaam, when he said, \"There shall\ncome a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel\": and\nin consequence, he called himself Barchocheba, or \"the son of a star.\"\nEven before this time, several impostors had pretended to be either\nthe promised Messiah, or the Elias who was to prepare his way; but\nCoziba was the first whose pretensions led to any important\nconsequences.\n\nCoziba promised to deliver his countrymen from the power of Adrian,\nand to make them once more an independent and glorious nation: such a\nMessiah as this exactly suited the false ideas of the Jews, and they\nacknowledged Coziba to be the Christ, the Son of God. The Rabbi\nAkibha, chosen by the impostor to be his forerunner or messenger,\npublicly anointed him as the Messiah, the king of the Jews; placed a\ncrown upon his head; coined money in his name; and collected for him a\nbody of 20,000 disciples. By calling upon all the descendants of\nAbraham to help \"the Hope of Israel,\" promised to their common\nforefather, an immense army was soon assembled at Bither, a town near\nJerusalem, chosen by Coziba to be the capital of his new kingdom.\n\nAdrian, not believing that after all they had gone through, the Jews\ncould raise an army, thought little of this revolt at first; and when\nat length he did send against them a powerful army, it was totally\ndefeated. The news of this misfortune caused great astonishment and\ndismay at Rome: and Julius Severus, one of the greatest generals of\nhis time, was sent to put an end to this dangerous rebellion,-a\nmatter which he found it difficult to accomplish; but at length, in an\nattack upon Bither, Coziba was killed; a dreadful slaughter of men,\nwomen, and children followed; and Akibha and his sons were put to a\ncruel death by the Roman conqueror.\n\nThe Jewish historians say, that between battle, famine, sickness,\nfire, and other calamities, the number of Jews that perished in this\nwar was greater than the number of the Children of Israel who\noriginally came out of Egypt: and they also declare, that their\nterrible sufferings under Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, were not so great\nas those inflicted upon them in the reign of Adrian. Both these\nstatements are probably exaggerated; but they show that the misery of\nthe unhappy Jews at this time, was most extreme.\n\n\n\n\nChapter II.--STATE OF THE JEWS TO THE END OF THE THIRD CENTURY.\n\n\nThe repeated provocations which, by their rebellions, the Jews gave to\nthe Romans, could not, of course, tend to make their conquerors deal\nmercifully with them: thus did they, time after time, draw upon\nthemselves those miseries, which were a chastisement for all their\nsins against God; and especially of that crowning one, the Crucifixion\nof \"the Lord of Life and Glory.\"\n\nAfter the rebellion under Coziba, numbers of the Jews who outlived it,\nwere offered for sale at the same price as a horse, at the fair of\nTerebinth, held every year on the plain of Mamre. The horror of such a\nfate was doubled by the fact, that the plain of Mamre was looked upon\nby the Jews as a sacred spot; because here their great forefather\nAbraham received the angel, who gave him the promise of a son.\n\nThose of the unhappy captives who were not sold at Terebinth, were\ntaken to another fair, at Gaza, or sent into Egypt, to be disposed of\nthere.\n\nWhen this terrible war was at an end, Adrian caused the building of\nhis city to be continued. He did all he could to profane, and hold up\nto contempt, whatever the Jews looked upon as most sacred: he placed a\nmarble hog over the gate of the city nearest to Bethlehem; built a\ntemple to Jupiter Capitolinus, on the spot where the temple of the\nJews, the House of God, had stood; and used the stones which had been\nemployed for the temple, to build a theatre.\n\nAs Adrian hated the Christians as well as the Jews, he set up statues\nof heathen deities at Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born; on the\nspot where He was crucified; and in the garden, from whence He rose\nagain from the dead.\n\nAdrian also forbade the Jews to enter Jerusalem, or even to go near\nenough to look upon its ruins. Before this time, they were constantly\nto be seen, clothed in rags, wandering sadly upon the Mount of Olives,\nand amongst the ruins of their once glorious temple and city: a Roman\ngarrison was now charged to see that Adrian's harsh decree was obeyed,\nor to put the transgressors to death. But by giving money to the\ngarrison, the unhappy Jews did get leave to go once a year, on the\nanniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem, to weep over the ruins of\ntheir beloved city.\n\nThus were the Jews forced to pay even for the privilege of shedding\ntears, in the places where they had purchased and shed the blood of\nJesus Christ. Truly was \"His blood,\" that is, the punishment for\nshedding it, \"on them and on their children.\" When they had madly\ncried, \"His blood be on us and on our children,\" they had, in fact,\n_asked_ that the curse of God might come upon them; and heavily indeed\nhad it fallen. The dreadful fate of the Jews should ever be a warning\nto each individual Christian. We have owned Jesus Christ to be the\nMessiah, the Redeemer of mankind; we are called by His name; His Word\nis in our hands: if we do not love and obey Him, shall we not deserve\na greater punishment even than the Jews? whose history is given us as\na warning of the hatefulness of sin, in the sight of the Almighty.\n\nWhilst the Western Jews had been suffering as has been described, the\nEastern Jews were more fortunate. The Emperor Adrian had agreed to let\nthe Euphrates be the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire, and\ntherefore the Jews on the eastern side were no longer subject to his\npower. Many of them, however, eager for the liberty of their country,\nwent into Judaea to help their brethren, but they only added to the\nnumber of sufferers.\n\nLittle is known of these Eastern Jews: they chose chiefs, called\n\"Princes of the Captivity,\" to preside over their synagogues; they\nfounded schools, and encouraged learned men; so that some of their\nrabbis became famous for their learning. One of these rabbis, named\nJudah, wrote a book called \"The Misna,\" of which some account must be\ngiven.\n\nAfter the destruction of Jerusalem, the sect of Pharisees became very\npowerful amongst the Jews; the chief thing taught by them in the\nschools was, not the written Law of Moses, but all the _traditions_,\nor doctrines and precepts, handed down by word of mouth from father to\nson. Of course doctrines handed down in such a way, got sadly altered\nfrom what they had been at first; and thus the truth was corrupted. As\ntime went on, fresh traditions were added, till at last they were so\nmany, that the doctors, whose duty it was to explain the meaning of\nthem, found it necessary to write them out, as it was impossible\notherwise even to remember them. The disciples of the doctors again,\ntook notes of the explanations given of these traditions; and all this\nmade so much confusion, that the Rabbi Judah undertook to make a new\narrangement of the traditions, or oral Law. The meaning of the word\n\"oral,\" is \"delivered by the mouth\"; and this Law was called \"oral,\"\nbecause it was originally given by the mouth. Judah, therefore,\ncollected together all the traditions, with the commentaries or\nexplanations given by the most famous amongst their teachers or\ndoctors. This work occupied him for forty years; it contained all the\nlaws and doctrines, with an account of the institutions and modes of\nlife, which the Jews supposed themselves bound to observe, _beyond_\nthose commanded in the Mosaical Law. The Jews held this work in the\ngreatest possible veneration, and called it \"The Misna\"--Misna being a\nHebrew word, meaning the Second Law. It was also called \"The First\nTalmud.\" The Jews called it \"The Misna,\" or Second Law, because they\nconsidered that it was as necessary to obey it, as it was to keep the\nPentateuch, or First Law. The Misna did not, however, settle all the\ndoubtful cases and questions often raised by the Jews; and another\nrabbi, with the assistance of two of Judah's disciples, wrote a\ncommentary, or rather an addition to the Misna. This addition was\ncalled the Talmud of Jerusalem, because it was compiled or put\ntogether in the land of Judaea, for the benefit of those Jews who still\nremained in their native country.\n\nDuring the second century the Jews became still further divided into\nsects, holding many opinions or doctrines contrary to those held\noriginally by the Jewish people; but the sect of the Pharisees still\ncontinued to be the largest.\n\nThe consequence of these divisions into numerous sects was, that there\nwere perpetual jealousies and contentions amongst them. One great\nsubject of dispute was, as to the use of the Septuagint version of the\nScriptures by the Hellenists. The Hellenists were Jews who spoke\nGreek, and did not understand Hebrew, so as to read the Scriptures in\ntheir original language; and who were, therefore, very glad to make\nuse of the Septuagint version, which was written in Greek. The rest of\nthe Jews used the Hebrew Scriptures; but at last they agreed that the\nHellenists might use the Greek copies. Afterwards, however, finding\nthat the Christians always used the Septuagint, when endeavouring to\nconvince the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, their dislike to\nthat version of the Holy Scriptures increased to such a degree, that\nthey came to look upon all persons who used it as Schismatics; that\nis, as persons who sinfully separated themselves from their brethren,\nwho held the true faith as delivered to them by Moses.\n\nAntoninus Pius became Emperor of Rome towards the middle of the\nsecond century, that is, in A.D. 138. The edict forbidding the Jews to\ncircumcise their children, was so hateful to them, that in spite of\nthe warnings given them by former sufferings, they again revolted.\nAntoninus put down the revolt by force; but afterwards he treated the\nJews very mildly, and gave them the privilege for which they had\nfought; only forbidding their attempting to make proselytes. In the\nreign of Marcus Aurelius, who became Emperor A.D. 161, the Eastern\nJews, who were subject to the king of Parthia, joined that monarch in\na war against the Romans; and Marcus Aurelius was so angry, that he\nunjustly revenged himself upon his Jewish subjects, and once more\nordered Adrian's law against circumcision to be put in force: but in\nthe distant provinces this law was not observed.\n\nIn A.D. 197, Septimius Severus became Emperor: at this time the Jews\nhad settlements in Galilee, but the law forbidding them to enter\nJerusalem was still in force. Though defeated and humbled so\nconstantly, this unhappy people attempted to get possession of Samaria\nand Judaea by force. When the Romans had again brought them into\nsubjection, Severus treated the Jews as Antoninus had done before; and\nin reward for some service they had done him, he also granted them the\nprivilege of Roman citizens, and even allowed them to be chosen to\nfill offices of trust and honour. So ended the second century.\n\nEarly in the third century, Heliogab[=a]lus became Emperor of Rome,\nA.D. 218. This Emperor pretended to be in some respects a Jew himself,\nand would not, in consequence, eat the flesh of swine; but at the same\ntime he built a temple in honour of the Sun, and was anxious to make\nboth Jews and Samaritans mix this worship, with their own religious\nobservances. The Jews, who never would have consented to such\nidolatry, were saved from the misery which a refusal would have\nbrought upon them, by the death of Heliogab[=a]lus, who was\nassassinated by his own soldiers, A.D. 222. Alexander Severus, who\nsucceeded him, favoured the Jews, and caused himself to be instructed\nin their religion. The great object of Alexander Severus was to mix up\nthe Christian and Jewish doctrines with those of Paganism, and make\none religion of the whole: this shows that he could have had no real\nknowledge of the two former. In his own private chapel, Severus placed\nstatues of Jesus Christ, of Abraham, and of Orpheus, a famous musician\nof ancient times, of whom many mythological tales are told.\n\nThe Eastern Jews established academies in the beginning of the third\ncentury; and in Persia their rabbis were for some time treated with\ngreat respect: but at last the Persians became jealous of the power\nand influence of the Jews, and persuaded Sapor, king of the country,\nto allow a violent persecution to be carried on against these unhappy\npeople: those who could escape sought refuge in other lands. Under\nZenobia, Queen of Palmyra, (the Tadmor built by Solomon,) the Jews\nflourished exceedingly: they built handsome synagogues in every part\nof her dominions, and filled the highest offices in the state. In A.D.\n273, the Emperor Aurelian defeated Zenobia, and took possession of her\ndominions: some of the Jews then returned into Persia; but under\nAurelian, and the Pagan emperors who succeeded him during the\nremainder of the third century, the Jews enjoyed peace and\ntranquillity in the dominions of the Romans. In this respect they were\nmore fortunate than the Christians, who were persecuted by various\nEmperors, and especially by Diocletian, who began to reign A.D. 284.\nWhilst the Christians were treated with the most barbarous cruelty,\nbecause they would not give up their religion, the Jews were allowed\nto celebrate all the forms of their worship in the most public manner.\nThus ended the third century; but early in the next, an event took\nplace, which made a great change in the condition of Jews and\nChristians.\n\n\n\n\nChapter III.--JEWS IN THE FOURTH CENTURY.\n\n\nEarly in the fourth century, as has been said, a great change took\nplace in religious matters. Constantine, surnamed the Great, who began\nto reign as sole Emperor of Rome A.D. 324, became a Christian. It is\nsaid, that when going to fight against a rival who claimed the\nImperial power, Constantine saw, or dreamed that he saw in the sky, a\nbright cross, and upon it the words, \"In hoc vince\" (in this conquer).\nHe gained the victory; and ascribing it to the God worshipped by the\nChristians, (whose emblem was a cross,) he became a convert to their\nreligion, and adopted the cross as his standard. The example of\nConstantine was followed by the greater part of his subjects, so that\nChristianity was established as the religion of the Roman Empire,\nthough many of the inhabitants still remained Pagans.\n\nThe city of Jerusalem, which Adrian had called Elia, took again its\nown name; and many beautiful churches were built in it by Constantine.\nBut the establishment of the Christian religion was by no means a\nfavourable circumstance for the Jews, who were looked upon as its\nworst enemies: against them, Constantine, in the beginning of his\nreign, made some very severe laws. The Jews in Persia had grown\ninsolent in consequence of the prosperity they had enjoyed: they\ninsulted and abused all Christians, and were even supposed to have put\nto death some of their brethren who had embraced Christianity.\nConstantine, indignant at such conduct, visited it upon the Jews in\nhis own dominions, and treated them with the greatest severity, even\nforbidding Christians to eat with them. In short, the unhappy\nIsraelites were now subjected to every sort of insult and suffering.\n\nThe Persian Jews were very angry at such treatment of their brethren;\nand as they had great influence over the King of Persia, they now\ntried to avenge the Jews in the west, by raising a bloody persecution\nagainst Christians in the east: numbers of Christ's followers were\naccordingly killed; their churches destroyed; and their sacred book\nburnt. This persecution was carried on, until every trace of\nChristianity was almost rooted out of the country.\n\nBut the cruelty of the Persian Jews did not go unpunished, although\nthe Roman Empire was now greatly disturbed by internal strife, as well\nas by the attacks of foreign enemies.\n\nConstantine the Great died in A.D. 337; and after his death the Roman\nEmpire rapidly declined, both in extent and power; but of this we need\nsay nothing here, as our business is with the Jews. Constantius, who\nsucceeded Constantine as Emperor, hated the Jews, and by his cruel\ntreatment, drove them to raise an insurrection in Palestine. This only\nenraged the Emperor still more, and led him to add new and more severe\nlaws to those already made against these unhappy creatures, by former\nEmperors. Any Jew who dared to marry a Christian, was to be put to\ndeath; and the same punishment was inflicted upon one who tried to\nmake a proselyte of his own slave; or who kept in slavery any man who\nhad become a Christian.\n\nOn the death of Constantius, A.D. 361, the Jews experienced some\nrelief from his successor the Emperor Julian, surnamed the Apostate;\nbecause, after having been brought up as a Christian, he renounced\nthat true religion, and lived as a Pagan.\n\nWhen Constantine the Great died, he left Constantius and two other\nsons, who were to divide his dominions amongst them: and he left two\nbrothers, who had sons also. Gallus and Julian were the sons of one of\nthese brothers, and were consequently cousins to Constantius. The\ngenerals and ministers of Constantine, persuaded the people after his\ndeath, that there would be constant struggles for power between the\nbrothers and sons of the late Emperor. The soldiers, who were very\nfond of Constantine, declared that no one but a son of their beloved\nEmperor should reign over his dominions, or rule in the city of\nConstantinople, which he had built to be the capital of his dominions,\nand the royal residence. The soldiers stirred up the people, and\nformed a plot to destroy the brothers and nephews of Constantine.\n\nConstantius, when he first came to Constantinople after his father's\ndeath, had solemnly promised to protect his uncles and cousins from\nall their enemies; but in spite of this, he was easily persuaded to\njoin in the plot for their destruction; and a pretext was soon found\nfor carrying out the scheme. A paper was produced, which was pretended\nto have been written by Constantine just before his death. In this\npaper, the Emperor was made to declare his belief, that he had been\npoisoned by his brothers; and he desired his sons to revenge his\ndeath, and secure their own safety, by the destruction of their uncles\nand cousins. Such a pretext was quite sufficient; and the soldiers,\nwithout waiting for any inquiry or trial, murdered the suspected\nprinces and all their sons, excepting the two young boys Gallus and\nJulian, who were hidden by their attendants from the fury of the\nsoldiers; and thus escaped the fate of the two brothers and seven\nnephews of Constantine, who were now murdered.\n\nGallus and Julian, who alone escaped the slaughter, were of the\nrespective ages of twelve and six years. Constantius justly felt, that\nto put these children to death in cold blood, would be looked upon by\nall mankind as an act of wanton and needless cruelty: perhaps, too, he\nfelt some sorrow for the crime already committed. At any rate, the two\nboys were allowed to live, and were sent to some city in Bithynia, or\nIonia, where persons were appointed by the Emperor to educate them. As\nGallus and Julian grew up, Constantius feared that they might plot\nagainst him; and he therefore chose for their residence a strong\ncastle, standing in a pleasant situation, with extensive grounds\nbelonging to it: having been an ancient palace, it contained very\ngood rooms. Here, attended, or rather _guarded_, by a numerous\nhousehold, the young princes lived for six years: they were carefully\ninstructed by the best teachers, in all branches of learning, as well\nas in active exercises; but in spite of every attention and comfort,\nthey felt themselves to be prisoners, shut out from all society except\nthat of persons devoted to Constantius, and ready to obey him in every\nmatter. A very strict observance of all the outward forms of\nChristianity, had been forced upon them; but upon the heart of Julian,\nat least, the blessed truths and precepts of the Gospel had taken no\nhold. He had rather learnt to connect Constantius and his religion,\nwith cruelty and tyranny; and the violent disputes carried on by the\nbishops, who professed to be the followers of Jesus Christ, still\nfurther increased his dislike to a religion, associated in his mind\nwith his own sufferings.\n\nWhen Gallus was twenty-five years old, disturbances in his dominions\ninduced Constantius to release him, and even to place him as governor\nover part of the country. The cousins, therefore, met, and took a\nsolemn oath, never to do anything to injure each other; and then\nGallus was settled at Antioch, to rule over the neighbouring\nprovinces. Gallus was not unmindful of his brother, but also obtained\nliberty for him. Julian, now nineteen years of age, having been so\nlong restricted in his choice of society, eagerly sought that of\nlearned men, the greater part of whom were unfortunately Pagans; to\nwhose ideas of religion he willingly listened, until he became\nconvinced that Paganism was a better religion than Christianity, which\nhe accordingly renounced; and from that time, became a devout and\nsincere worshipper of the gods of Rome and Athens. On the death of\nConstantius, A.D. 361, Julian became Emperor of Rome, and he proved a\njust and wise ruler. As it was his great wish entirely to destroy the\nChristian religion, Julian gave great encouragement to its enemies the\nJews; allowing them the free exercise of their religion, and treating\nthem with the greatest kindness. This emboldened the Jews to destroy\nthe churches of the Christians, and commit other acts of violence\nagainst them--an example followed by their brethren in Egypt, who\ndestroyed the finest churches in Alexandria. Julian issued a law\nestablishing Paganism as the religion of his empire; but he did not\nput to death those who held contrary opinions.\n\nHe hated the Christians, and would not allow them to have any power in\nthe State; he forbade them to teach any sort of science in the public\nschools; he fined and banished their clergy; and also fined all who\nrefused to offer sacrifices to the Pagan deities. But nothing he could\ndo had any effect upon the Christians, who held firm to the true\nfaith.\n\nThe Emperor then determined to rebuild the temple, and settle a\npowerful colony of Jews in Judaea; where they would be always ready to\njoin in any measure against the Christians. The destruction and\ndesolation of the temple having been foretold by Jesus Christ, Julian\nthought, that by rebuilding it, and re-establishing in it the ancient\nworship, he should shake the faith of mankind as to the truth of\nChristianity.\n\nGreat preparations were made for the work; but when the workmen began\nto clear out the foundations, they were hindered by balls of fire\nwhich broke out, scorching and burning the unfortunate people. Some\nwriters doubt the truth of this account; but though we cannot be quite\nsure, there is great reason to believe that it really did happen. We\nmay well believe that the Almighty worked this miracle, to prove the\ntruth of prophecy; and to show that the Christians were now his chosen\npeople, instead of the Jews, who had filled up the measure of their\niniquities by crucifying the Saviour of mankind. At any rate, Julian\ngave up the attempt to rebuild the temple. Julian was killed in battle\nA.D. 363, and was succeeded by Christian Emperors. Christianity was\nthen re-established as the national religion, although both Pagans and\nJews were allowed to practise their own forms of worship in peace,\nuntil the close of the fourth century, when the Emperor Theodosius put\nan end to Paganism in the Roman Empire: sacrifices to the heathen\ndeities were absolutely forbidden; and all the heathen temples were\ndestroyed, or shut up.\n\n\n\n\nChapter IV.--FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES.\n\n\nBy the close of the fourth century, the Roman Empire was very\nconsiderably weakened and diminished, by the attacks of barbarian\ntribes on all sides.\n\nOn the death of the Emperor Theodosius, A.D. 395, all that remained of\nthe once Roman Empire was finally divided between his two young sons:\nArcadius becoming Emperor of the East, with Constantinople for his\ncapital; Honorius Emperor of the West, with the ancient capital of\nRome.\n\nThe Jews of the Eastern Empire, emboldened by the mild treatment they\nhad experienced, now insulted the Christians. Whilst celebrating the\nFeast of Purim, in remembrance of their deliverance from the wicked\nplots of Haman, instead of hanging a figure of Haman on a gibbet, and\nburning it, according to custom; the Jews, in mockery of the\nChristians, nailed the figure to a cross, and burnt that. This, of\ncourse, greatly displeased and shocked the Christians; and the\nmagistrates caused the houses, as well as the synagogues of the Jews,\nto be burnt. Laws were now made, forbidding the Jews to insult the\nestablished religion; and also forbidding the Christians to destroy\nthe synagogues of the Jews: but these unhappy people were still\nsubject to great cruelty and injustice from the zeal of the\nChristians, and the Emperor was obliged to make fresh laws, for their\nprotection from those, who would have done well to copy the _example_\nof Him, Whose followers they professed to be.\n\nDuring the early part of the fifth century, the Jews in the West,\nenjoyed the free exercise of their religion under the Emperor\nHonorius: the office of Patriarch was, however, abolished by law; and\nthis was a great grief to the Jews, who from this time were under the\ndirection of chiefs of the synagogues, whom they called Primates. The\nfifth century was remarkable for the still further curtailment of the\nRoman dominions, especially in the West. Britain was lost. Rome itself\nwas plundered, and a Visigothic Empire established in Spain. The Jews\nof the Eastern Empire were much worse off during the fifth century\nthan their brethren in the Western. A great number of Jews had settled\nat Alexandria, in the north of Egypt: they were very clever in their\nvarious trades, and therefore prospered and grew powerful; but they\nwere not at all disposed to obey any rulers or magistrates. As early\nas A.D. 415, they had become much less strict in their observance of\nthe forms and ceremonies enjoined by their religion; and instead of\nattending the services of the synagogue on Saturday, their Sabbath,\nthey fell into a habit of going to witness the public amusements which\ntook place on that day. On these occasions, there were frequent\nquarrels between the Jews and the Christians, and blood was often\nshed. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, who had an extreme hatred of the\nJews, threatened them with the severest punishments; but as the\ngovernor of the city was their friend, they paid no attention to the\nbishop, and even laid a plot, and attacked the Christians during the\nnight, killing many of them. Cyril, without waiting for a legal\nsentence against these murderers, encouraged the Christians to attack\nand destroy the synagogues. After doing this, the people entered the\nhouses of all Jews, whether innocent or guilty, and robbed them of\ntheir goods, which were given up for the use of the Christian Church.\nThe Jews were thus forced to quit the city, and Alexandria lost a\nuseful and rich colony. The governor Orestes was much displeased at\nthe Jews having been driven out of the city; and fresh disturbances\narose in consequence, between him and Cyril.\n\nTowards the middle of the fifth century, a man appeared in the island\nof Candia, pretending that he was a second Moses. There were a great\nmany rich Jews in the island, and this impostor persuaded them that he\nwas sent by the Almighty to deliver His people from worse than\nEgyptian bondage; and that the sea would be divided before them, to\ngive them a safe passage to their own land. This man passed through\nevery town and village in Candia, and persuaded the Jews to meet him\nat a particular spot on the sea-shore, on a certain day which he\nnamed. Multitudes did so, taking with them as much of their wealth as\nthey could carry. The impostor then led the assembled multitude to the\ntop of a rock, and ordered them to throw themselves into the sea. Men,\nwomen, and children, with a faith worthy of a better cause, at once\njumped into the sea, where most of them were, of course, drowned: some\nwere rescued from their fate by Christian fishermen. The survivors,\nconvinced too late of the falsehood of their pretended deliverer, now\nattempted to seize him, but he managed to escape. Many of the Jews,\nashamed of having believed in such an impostor, are said to have\nbecome Christians. What the object of this man was it is hard to see:\nit certainly does not seem that he was any friend to the Jews, whom he\nmisled to their destruction.\n\nDuring the fifth century, the Jewish work, called \"The Talmud of\nBabylon,\" was probably compiled: like \"The Talmud of Jerusalem,\" it\ncontained the Misna of Judah, with other remarks and explanations. It\nis supposed that another work, called \"The Masora,\" was also written\nat this time. The Masora fixed the true reading of the Hebrew words,\nand numbered the chapters and verses, and even the words and letters,\nof the Old Testament Scriptures. The object was, to prevent the Hebrew\nScriptures from being in any way altered, and so corrupted; and\ntherefore the Jews called the Masora \"the hedge of the Law.\"\n\nTowards the close of the fifth century, a tribe of Goths, called\nHeruli, led by their king Odoacer, put an end to the Western Empire,\nA.D. 476. Romulus Augustulus, the Emperor, was deposed; but his life\nwas spared, and a pension was granted him by Odoacer, who established\na kingdom of his own in Italy. He protected the Jews, who had\nestablishments for trade and commerce at Rome, Naples, Milan, and\nGenoa: laws were made to defend them from the attacks of the\nChristians; but, nevertheless, they were often robbed and ill-used by\nthe populace.\n\nA few years later, A.D. 493, the kingdom of the Heruli was overthrown\nby the Ostrogoths; but this change in the masters of the country does\nnot appear to have made any difference in the treatment of the Jews.\n\nDuring the sixth century, the Jews in Persia were cruelly persecuted\nby the kings, who wanted to force them to follow the idolatrous\nreligion of the country. Nor were the Jews on the western side of the\nEuphrates better off, for the Emperor Justinian, who began to reign at\nConstantinople A.D. 527, oppressed them most severely; and by degrees\ndeprived them of all the privileges they had enjoyed. He took upon\nhimself to settle all matters connected with religion: he would not\nallow the Jews to keep the Passover at the time they wished; nor to\neducate their children in their own faith; and he forbade the\nmagistrates to receive evidence against a Christian from any Jew.\nJustinian also forbade the Jews of Carthage to worship God in their\nown way; and commanded that their synagogues should be turned into\nplaces of worship for the Christians. All these harsh measures\ninclined the Jews to revolt, and a man called Julian, taking advantage\nof this disposition, pretended to be the Messiah, whose coming the\nJews still expected. Many of these unhappy people joined Julian in\nPalestine, confidently hoping for deliverance from their bondage: he\nimmediately led them to attack the Christians, who, not being\nprepared, were defeated with great slaughter.\n\nBut the triumph of the Jews was of short duration, for Justinian sent\ntroops, which routed the rebels entirely; Julian was taken prisoner,\nand immediately put to death.\n\nSome years afterwards, the Jews of Caesarea rebelled against the\ngovernment of Justinian, and notwithstanding the hatred which existed\nbetween them and the Samaritans, the two people joined together to\nfight against the Christians: the governor of Caesarea, and great\nnumbers of the Christians, were massacred; and many of their churches\nwere destroyed.\n\nThis rebellion was quickly put down by the troops of Justinian; many,\nwho had taken part in it, were beheaded, and the rich were deprived of\nall their property.\n\nWhen Belisarius, the famous general of Justinian, besieged the city of\nNaples, the Jews defended it most obstinately; and the length of the\nsiege caused the death of very many of the assailants. Belisarius at\nlength took the city: he tried to protect the Jews from the fury of\nhis own soldiers, but his efforts were unsuccessful, and men, women,\nand children were murdered. The Jews were now so terrified, that they\nkept quiet for the remainder of the sixth century.\n\nThe seventh century was a time of great suffering for the Jews in\ngeneral. Those of Antioch brought their first miseries upon\nthemselves, by attacking the Christians A.D. 602: the Christians\ndefended themselves bravely, but were overpowered: many were burnt in\ntheir houses; others, with their bishop, were treated with every\ninsult, and then put to death. This rebellion was at last crushed, and\nthe Jews were most severely punished for their cruelty.\n\nCyprus gives us a pleasanter picture: in spite of Adrian's edict\nof banishment, the Jews had again become numerous and powerful in\nthat island; and Leontius, the Christian bishop, fearing such an\ninsurrection as had taken place at Antioch, treated the Jews kindly,\nand tried by gentle means to convert them. We are told that, under his\nwise management, numbers really did become Christians.\n\nIn Rome, too, the bishops or pontiffs, who, under the title of Pope,\nbegan to have great power and authority over all Christians, would not\nallow the Jews to be persecuted.\n\nBut Heraclius, the Greek Emperor, hated the Hebrew race; and, not\nsatisfied with persecuting them himself, stirred up other sovereigns\nto do the same. The Greek Empire, of which Heraclius was now Emperor,\nwas that division of the Roman Empire which has been called hitherto\nthe Eastern Empire, having Constantinople for its capital. There was\nnow no _Roman_ Empire; many of the countries that had formerly been\nparts of it had become separate kingdoms, under monarchs of their own.\nThe two principal kingdoms were Spain, and Gaul, which we call\nFrance. Neither Spain nor Gaul was, however, one kingdom, but each was\ndivided amongst several kings or rulers.\n\n\n\n\nChapter V.--RISE OF MAHOMETANISM.\n\n\nThe Jews settled in Spain had become rich by trading, and were very\nflourishing, until Heraclius, who had been at war with that country,\nmade peace, on condition that all the Jews who would not consent to be\nbaptized, should be destroyed or driven out of Spain. Many to save\ntheir lives and property submitted to the outward rite of baptism;\nothers, more conscientious, stood firm, and were cruelly tortured.\nSome escaped into Gaul, but met with cruel treatment there: and during\nthe remainder of the seventh century, the unhappy Jews, both in Spain\nand Gaul, were oppressed and ill-used by Christian kings, priests, and\npeople.\n\nThe most remarkable event in the seventh century was, the rise of\nthe Mahometan religion; so called from its founder, a man named\nMahomet--an Arabian, the son of a prince of one of the chief wandering\ntribes who inhabited the country. The religion of these Arabians was a\nmixture of the superstitious belief of neighbouring people; they also\nbelieved themselves to be descended from the patriarch Abraham, and\nobserved circumcision, with other rites and ceremonies belonging to\nthe Jewish religion. They believed in one Supreme Being; and also in\nthree goddesses of equal power and wisdom, to be worshipped as well:\nthey likewise worshipped idols.\n\nAt Mecca, the capital of Arabia, there was a small temple, called the\nC[=a][=a]bba, in which there was a stone, said to have fallen _white_\nfrom heaven, in the time when man was innocent, and to have gradually\nlost its pure colour as man became sinful; it was now quite black.\nThis stone was held in such veneration, that people from all parts of\nArabia came to the C[=a][=a]bba, to worship, bringing gifts; and thus\nMecca grew to be a rich and flourishing city.\n\nMahomet was left an orphan when he was quite young, and in order to\nprovide for him, his relations placed him in the service of a woman,\nwho was in the habit of going backwards and forwards to Syria,\ntrading; that is, selling the spices and other things which grew in\nArabia, to the Syrians; and bringing back such things as she could\nsell to her countrymen. Mahomet now accompanied her on her journeys;\nlooking after the camels, and doing any other services required.\nSyria was at this time a Roman province. Mahomet, being a clever,\nintelligent lad, of an observing turn of mind, soon saw how much\ndifference there was between the laws, manners, and customs of the\npolished Syrians, and those of his own uncivilized countrymen; and he\ngreatly regretted not being able to read or write. The mixture of Jews\nand Christians which he found in Syria, turned his thoughts towards\nreligious matters, and made him think that it would be a good thing to\nwork a reformation in the corrupt and idolatrous religion of his own\ncountry. His ambition made him wish to distinguish himself as the\nfounder of a new religion; but his poverty and dependent position\nseemed to render this impossible.\n\nIn the course of time, however, Mahomet made himself so useful to his\nmistress Cadigha, and gained such favour with her, that she married\nhim, and thus gave him the riches and consideration necessary for\ncarrying out his schemes. His first step was to remedy the defects of\nhis education; the next to gain favour with the people: he gave much\nin charity; led a solitary life; and occasionally retired into the\ndesert, where he pretended to receive instructions from the angel\nGabriel. His wife assisted him by every means in her power; and in a\nshort time the whole city of Mecca talked of nothing but Mahomet, who\nthen began to lecture publicly. He taught that mankind should\nacknowledge one God (without division of persons, as in Christianity);\nhe declared that the love of this Being was equal to His power, and\nthat all His laws tended to make His creatures happy. Mahomet also\ntaught, that as mankind sinned, God had from time to time sent\nprophets upon earth to reprove them, and bring them back to His\nservice; and that the chief of these prophets were, Abraham, Moses,\nJesus Christ, and Mahomet; the last being the greatest of all \"There\nis one God, and Mahomet is His Prophet,\" was their confession of\nfaith. Prayers were to be offered to God seven times a day; and the\npilgrimages to Mecca, as well as circumcision and ablutions, were\nrecommended as outward signs of belief, in the doctrines of what\nMahomet declared to be a new Revelation, delivered to him by the angel\nGabriel. The book, in which all the doctrines and precepts taught by\nMahomet were recorded, is called \"The Koran.\" The Koran contains many\nprecepts worthy of Christianity; and many doctrines in which there is\nmuch truth, mixed, however, with a great deal of falsehood and error,\nwhilst the indulgence of man's evil passions is allowed. Such a\nreligion accorded well with the disposition of the Arabians; the\ndisciples of Mahomet increased greatly, and amongst them were the\nrichest and most respectable citizens of Mecca.\n\nVery shortly, Mahomet began to spread his religion by conquest; and in\na few years he had subdued to his empire and religion, all Arabia;\nthus establishing the \"Saracen Empire,\" which afterwards extended\nitself over much of Asia, Africa, and even Europe.\n\nThe Arabian followers of Mahomet took the name of \"Saracens,\" to\ninduce a belief that they were descended from Abraham and his wife\nSara; whereas they were the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham\nand the bond-maid Hagar.\n\nAfter the destruction of Jerusalem, many of the Jews settled in\nArabia; and by the beginning of the seventh century, they possessed\nseveral towns and fortifications, and had armies commanded by\nprinces of their own. Their number and influence made Mahomet wish\nfor their help in his undertaking, and he treated them at first with\ngreat attention: he had adopted many of their opinions and customs,\nand he ordered his followers to turn towards Jerusalem when they\nprayed. He thus succeeded in gaining favour with the Children of\nIsrael, who seeing what wonderful victories he gained, and misled by\ntheir own obstinate ideas as to the character of the promised\nMessiah, began actually to think that in this conqueror, they beheld\nthe long-expected Messiah. Many of the Jews, therefore, embraced the\nMahometan religion, which all, who were conquered by Mahomet, were\nforced to adopt. The Jews were soon afterwards offended by his\neating the flesh of camels, a meat forbidden by the Mosaical Law;\nand they had speedily other reasons for changing their opinions\nconcerning the pretended prophet; they then became his determined\nenemies. Mahomet returned their hatred; and in the Koran, to which\nhe was continually adding chapters, as supposed to be delivered to\nhim from time to time by the angel Gabriel, he reproaches the Jews\nwith betraying and murdering the prophets sent by God, amongst whom\nhe numbers Jesus Christ. He also declares, that for these things,\nand for breaking the laws of God and neglecting the Sabbaths, and\nabove all for having refused to acknowledge his authority to\nestablish a new Revelation, the Jews were justly accursed of God.\nNot contented with such declarations, the impostor cruelly\npersecuted the unhappy Jews; their property was taken from them,\nmany were driven into exile, and thousands were slaughtered. But in\nspite of all sufferings, the Jews remained faithful to their\nreligion.\n\nAfter the death of Mahomet, A.D. 632, the miserable remnant of the\nonce flourishing people of Israel was forced to remove into Syria; as\nthe impostor's dying command was, that none but followers of what he\ncalled \"the true religion,\" should be allowed to dwell in his native\nland of Arabia.\n\nOne of the Caliphs, or princes, who succeeded to the power of\nMahomet, carried on war to force all nations to become Mahometans\nor Mussulmans: he subdued Mesopotamia, Persia, and Syria: the\nJews rejoiced in the downfall of Persia, where they had met with\npersecution. At the head of an army of Saracens, this Caliph\n(Abubeker) attacked Jerusalem: the Christians gallantly defended it\nfor four months, and were then obliged to surrender the city to the\nSaracens; who built a mosque, or Mussulman place of worship, on the\nvery spot where the magnificent temple of Solomon had formerly\nstood.\n\nThe first Caliphs allowed the Jews the free exercise of their own\nreligion, and even permitted the Princes of the Captivity to exercise\nconsiderable authority. During the eighth and ninth centuries the Jews\nhad their share in the troubles and calamities caused by civil wars\namong the Caliphs. Besides this, their treatment varied much under the\nrule of the different Saracen princes, who succeeded each other more\nor less quickly: by some they were allowed to live in peace, and\nworship God in their own way; by others they were persecuted. One of\nthe Caliphs forbade their riding on horses, and only permitted them to\nhave mules, and make use of iron stirrups: the Jews were also deprived\nof every office or employment in the State, and they were obliged to\nwear a cord round the waist, to point them out to the ridicule and\nabuse of the people.\n\nIn Christian countries, during the seventh and eighth centuries, we\nfind the Jews exposed to equal, and even greater persecutions. The\nmembers of the Christian Church were at this time divided into two\ngreat parties, one of which objected to having any images of saints\nin the churches: the Jews, being accused of encouraging these\ndisputes, were commanded by the Greek Emperor to give up their\nreligion, on pain of the severest punishment. To save their lives,\nmany of the Hebrews were baptized, but without any intention of\nreally becoming Christians. This being suspected, afforded an\nexcuse for still further persecutions of these unhappy people; but\nsubsequent Emperors showed them favour, and allowed them to practise\nall the rites and ceremonies of their religion.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VI.--TENTH AND ELEVENTH CENTURIES.\n\n\nThe Jews in Spain brought trouble upon themselves by listening to\none of their own countrymen, who declared himself to be the expected\nMessiah, and persuaded the multitude to follow him to Palestine,\nwhere he promised to establish his kingdom. Many perished on this\nexpedition; and those who did return to Spain had cause to repent\nbitterly of their foolish credulity, for during their absence the\nGovernment had seized upon all their lands and property.\n\nWhen Gaul was taken from the Romans by the barbarians, various tribes\nof Germans, calling themselves Franks, established their empire in the\ncountry. Charles the Great, or \"Charlemagne,\" as he is always called,\nbecame sovereign of the Empire of the Franks (or France, as we may now\nterm it), A.D. 772. The Saracens at this time were very troublesome in\nmaking frequent attacks upon the country; and the Jews were suspected\nof encouraging and aiding the Infidels, out of hatred to the\nChristians. Charlemagne, after defeating the Saracens at Toulouse, in\nthe south of France, determined utterly to destroy the Jews, who were\naccused of causing all this bloodshed. He was, however, persuaded only\nto put to death some of those supposed to be the most guilty. The\nothers were condemned to pay an annual fine; and were, moreover,\nobliged to assemble three times a year, at the gate of some Christian\nchurch appointed by the bishop, to receive a box on the ear! which we\nmay well believe to have been no slight blow.\n\nAt other times, the Jews were treated with gentleness and moderation.\nLouis le Debonnaire became king on the death of his father,\nCharlemagne, early in the ninth century, A.D. 814. His favourite\nphysician was a Jew; and for his sake Louis granted great privileges\nto the Jews. These marks of favour made them haughty and insolent;\nbut when the bishops complained of their behaviour, the king would\nnot listen to any proposition for their punishment. The favour and\nprotection thus granted by the monarch, produced a great effect among\nhis subjects; and those about the Court declared openly, that the\ndescendants of Abraham ought to be treated with the greatest respect.\nSome even went so far as to observe the Jewish Sabbaths, and to\nattend the synagogues; preferring to hear the discourses of the\nlearned rabbis, rather than the sermons of the Christian priests and\nmonks, who were at this time extremely ignorant. During the reign of\nthe next king, Charles the Bold, the Jews met with little favour; and\nin some places they were constantly insulted with impunity by the\npopulace. In one part of Languedoc, it was the custom to pelt the\nJews with stones, from Palm Sunday--that is, the Sunday before Good\nFriday--until the Tuesday after Easter Day.\n\nDuring the tenth century, when there was much ignorance in all\nChristian countries, the Saracens were great promoters of learning;\nand under their protection the Jews were also able to apply themselves\nto study, and many famous men appeared amongst them at this time; but,\nunhappily, disputes between themselves soon brought them into fresh\ndifficulties.\n\nWe now come to the eleventh century, during which, if not before,\ncolonies of Jews settled in England; for when William, Duke of\nNormandy, conquered the country, A.D. 1066, a considerable number of\nthem were already established in the kingdom. William also brought\nwith him, from Rouen, another colony of Jews, and gave them places to\nlive in, from whence they could carry on trade with other nations. In\nreturn, they were to pay the king certain sums of money.\n\nThe Jews also appear to have been in favour with William Rufus, who\nencouraged disputes between the learned rabbis and the Christian\nbishops, declaring that he himself was quite ready to follow the\nreligion of whichever party had the best of the argument or dispute.\nThe Jews, always an industrious and money-making people, are said to\nhave become so rich and powerful in England during William the\nSecond's reign, that they not only held public meetings for the\npurpose of converting the upper and more learned classes, but also\nendeavoured by bribes to induce the poor and ignorant to renounce\nChristianity, and enrol themselves amongst the Jews.\n\nWhat has been said of the condition of the Jews in England, applies\nalso to all other European countries, where the Jews were richer, more\nfond of learning, and more polished--that is, more civil and gentle in\ntheir manners--than any other people. They were the only bankers; all\ntrade with foreign nations was carried on by them alone; and even the\ngold and silver ornaments and vessels used in Christian churches, were\nmostly made by these determined enemies of Christianity.\n\nDuring the eleventh century, of which we have been speaking, the Jews\nin Egypt were for a short time persecuted by a Saracen prince, who\nwished to establish a new religion in the place of Mahometanism, or\nIslamism, as the religion established by Mahomet was called. As\nneither Jews nor Christians would assist him, he persecuted both;\nobliging the former to wear some outward mark to distinguish them, and\npoint them out as objects for hatred and insult. He commanded their\nsynagogues to be closed, and tried to force them to follow the new\nreligion, of which he wanted to be the head. After a time, however, he\nallowed them to return to the practice of their own rites and\nceremonies. Towards the middle of the eleventh century, an Eastern\nCaliph determined to get rid of the Jews altogether. He shut up their\nacademies or schools; banished the teachers; and killed the Prince of\nthe Captivity, with all his family. This cruel persecution drove many\nof the Jews into the deserts of Arabia; but most of them took refuge\nin the western countries; and by the end of the eleventh century, they\nhad become numerous and powerful in different towns of Germany. Some\nof the Jews, driven out of the East, passed through Africa into Spain,\nand there joined their brethren, who, having helped the Saracens to\nconquer Spain, were now greatly favoured by the Caliphs, and were a\nwealthy and flourishing people. Hatred of the Christians was a bond of\nunion between the Jews and the Mahometans; but when one of the rabbis\ntried to convert the Saracens of Grenada to the Jewish religion, the\nking was so enraged, that he caused the rabbi to be seized and put to\ndeath at once. This was followed by a terrible persecution of the\nHebrew race.\n\nThe Jews, however, suffered still greater miseries in those parts of\nSpain which were under the rule of Christian princes. One of these,\ncalled Ferdinand, having declared war against the Saracens, resolved,\nin the first place, to destroy all the Jews in his dominions,\nexpecting by such an act of cruelty to obtain the favour and blessing\nof God! but the clergy of his kingdom objected to the execution of\nsuch a scheme; and the Pope himself wrote, and blamed Ferdinand for\nsuch unchristianlike zeal, so that the design was given up.\n\nAlphonso, the successor of Ferdinand, found himself in such\ndifficulties, owing to the increasing power of the Saracens, that he\nshowed favour to the Jews, in order to get them to help him with men\nand money in his wars against the Infidels. He even allowed them to\nact as judges over Christians; but the Pope did not at all approve of\nthis, and reproached the king for having, as he expressed it, \"put the\nsynagogue of Satan above the Church of Christ.\" Alphonso, however, did\nnot take away the indulgences, which he had granted only to further\nhis own interest.\n\nThe close of this eleventh century was remarkable for the first of the\nCrusades, or wars undertaken by Christian nations, in order to take\nPalestine, or the Holy Land, out of the hands of the Saracens. In many\nparts of Spain, great numbers of Jews were massacred by those about to\njoin the Crusade, under the mistaken idea that they should bring the\nblessing of God upon their intended expedition, by destroying the\ndescendants of those who had crucified the Saviour of mankind. In\nGermany, the Crusaders, who marched through the country, murdered all\nthe Jews who refused to become Christians. An immense number thus\nperished, many of whom were burnt in their houses; for the unhappy\nJews barricaded their dwellings, and then threw their families, their\nproperty, and themselves into the flames, thus disappointing the\navarice of their enemies, who coveted their riches. Even mothers, on\nthe approach of the merciless Crusaders, killed their children with\ntheir own hands, telling them it was far better for them to go at once\ninto Abraham's bosom, than to fall into the hands of the Christians.\nSome of the Jews, less brave and conscientious than their brethren,\nsaved their lives by pretending to adopt the Christian religion, which\nthey must naturally have hated more than ever, since those who\nprofessed to be guided by its precepts, had acted with a degree of\ncruelty and inhumanity, worthy only of the most ignorant savages. The\nsame dreadful scenes took place in Palestine, for when the Crusaders\narrived in that country, they, actuated by very mistaken notions of\nthe spirit of Christianity, inhumanly murdered all the Jews they could\nlay hands upon; and men, women, and children alike perished by\nhundreds.\n\nDuring this dreadful time, it is pleasant to know that some of the\nChristian bishops and clergy did try to protect the Jews; and they\nreceived into their houses such fugitives as could manage to escape\nfrom the fury of their enemies.\n\nThus ended the eleventh century.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VII.--TWELFTH CENTURY.\n\n\nOur history has now brought us to the twelfth century; that is, to the\nspace of 100 years, from A.D. 1100 to A.D. 1200. The twelfth century\nbegan as the eleventh had ended; for the Crusaders continued to\npersecute the Jews in Germany and other countries, as well as in\nPalestine.\n\nThe cry of the Christians was, \"Let us destroy the descendants of\nthose who crucified Jesus Christ, so that the name of Israel be no\nmore remembered\"--a cry as much at variance with prophecy, as with the\nspirit of Christianity; for the Holy Scriptures had plainly declared,\nthat the once chosen people of God, though scattered throughout all\nlands, and severely punished for their unbelief, should _never be\ndestroyed_.\n\nAmong the Christian bishops who interfered in favour of the Jews, was\none called St. Bernard, who thought that it was the duty of Christians\nto _convert_ rather than destroy them; and that kindness was more\nlikely to do this than persecution. St. Bernard brought Innocent the\nSecond, who was then Pope, to agree with him, and to befriend the\nHebrew race.\n\nOn one occasion, when this Pope entered with much pomp and show into\nParis, the Jews, approaching him with great respect, gave him a\nvolume, or roll, containing the Law. The Pope received it, and said,\n\"I reverence the Law given by God to Moses, but I condemn your\nexplanation of it, because you still expect the Coming of the promised\nMessiah, instead of believing, as the Catholic Church does, that Jesus\nChrist was indeed the Messiah our Saviour; and that He now liveth and\nreigneth in Heaven, with God the Father, and God the Holy Ghost.\"\n\nThe next Pope was also favourable to the Jews, and forbade the people\nto insult them on any occasion whatever. Under such circumstances, the\nJews became a rich and flourishing people in Rome, and in all the\nother cities of Italy.\n\nTowards the close of the twelfth century, a Jewish rabbi, named\nJoseph, was prime minister to a Christian king of Spain, and had a\ncoach of state, and guards to attend upon him; but having cause to be\ndispleased with the wicked conduct of one of his countrymen, this man,\nwhose name was Gonzales, contrived by his falsehoods to set the king\nagainst Joseph, who was in consequence turned out of his office in\ndisgrace. Gonzales, who, though a Jew himself, was no friend to his\nbrethren, now, under pretence of enriching the king, persuaded him to\nallow him to do as he pleased with eight of the principal Jews. The\nking consented; Gonzales caused these eight men to be put to death,\nand seized all their property. He then asked the king to give up to\nhim twenty more; but the monarch refused, thinking it more honourable\nto demand some of their riches for his own use, than to deprive them\nof life as well as property: the unhappy Jews gladly consented to give\nthe king large sums of money, in order to preserve their lives.\nShortly afterwards, Gonzales, having displeased the king, was shut up\nin prison, and then the Jews again enjoyed that peace and quiet so\nfavourable to the pursuit of learning, of which they were very fond.\nAmong the learned men who distinguished themselves at this time, the\nchief was Moses Maimonides, or the son of Maimon. This man claimed to\nbe descended from king David: his knowledge and learning were so\nwonderfully great, and so far superior to that of any other rabbi,\nthat his countrymen called him \"The Eagle of Doctors,\" (the eagle\nbeing the king of his kind,) and declared, that no one before had ever\ncome so near in wisdom to their great founder and lawgiver, whose name\nhe bore.\n\nBut the very wisdom and learning for which they praised him, soon\nraised the jealousy of the Jews against Maimonides; and this feeling\nwas increased by his showing very little respect for the Talmud, and\nby his teaching some extraordinary doctrines, learnt from a Mahometan\nof Arabia, under whom he had studied. Thus Maimonides offended a great\npart of the Jewish people; and at Montpelier, a town in the South of\nFrance, the chief of the synagogue persuaded certain learned men to\npreach against Maimonides, and defend the Talmud: he also caused the\nworks of Maimonides to be burnt, and excommunicated all who should\ndare to read them.\n\nThe learned men amongst the Jews were now divided into two parties:\none _for_ and one _against_ Maimonides; and disputes were in\nconsequence carried on for many years. At this time, learning was not\nentirely confined to _men_ amongst the Hebrew race; for several\nlearned Jewish _women_ made themselves remarkable in the twelfth\ncentury. One of these women was so skilful in explaining the Law and\nthe Talmud, that many went to hear her lectures upon these subjects:\nshe spake to the people from behind a latticed window, so that, whilst\nher voice was heard, she herself could not be seen by those outside.\n\nFrom Jewish historians we learn, that during this twelfth century many\nof their nation were raised, at different times, to high offices in\nthe courts of princes; and that others became celebrated as generals.\nSeveral learned Jews also renounced their religion and became\nChristians, and then wrote books in favour of Christianity. One of\nthese Jews turned Mahometan, and wrote a book, accusing his Jewish\nbrethren of having altered the Law given to Moses by God. This greatly\npleased the followers of Mahomet, who forbade any person to quote or\ntranslate any part of the Pentateuch, as used by either Jews or\nChristians.\n\nIn France, towards the end of this century, the Jews suffered greatly\nunder Philip Augustus, or Philip the Second, who began to reign A.D.\n1180. Some Jews were accused of having murdered a Christian youth;\nking Philip eagerly seized upon such an excuse, and, under pretence of\npiety and zeal for the glory of God, banished all the Hebrew race from\nhis dominions; allowing them only to keep the money for which they\ncould sell their furniture, the king taking for his own use all the\nrest of their property. It is even said that these poor creatures were\nrobbed of what money they had been allowed to keep, and reduced to\nsuch a state of want and misery, that many died in consequence. The\nindustry and skill of the Jews, however, made their loss felt in every\ncountry from which they were expelled; and no doubt that was the case\nnow, for shortly afterwards Philip recalled them, excusing himself to\nsuch of his subjects as disapproved of the measure, by saying, that he\nallowed the Jews to return in order to get from them money to pay the\nexpenses of the Crusades.\n\nSo wickedly were the Jews treated at this time, that if one became a\nChristian, all his property was taken from him--a measure not likely\nto encourage conversions.\n\nSomething must now be said of the treatment of the Jews in England\nduring the twelfth century. Henry the Second, who began to reign A.D.\n1154, has been blamed by monkish writers for allowing them to live in\npeace; but the scene was soon changed.\n\nThe great wealth of the Jews caused them often to be applied to by\nthose who wished to borrow money; but they were hated by all\nChristians, and grievously oppressed and ill-treated in most Christian\ncountries. When Richard the First succeeded his father, A.D. 1189, the\nJews hoped, by giving him large sums of money, to secure his favour\nand protection; and great numbers of them came up to London from the\nmost distant parts of England, just before the king's coronation. The\ncommon people in those days were very ignorant and superstitious, and\nfancied that the Jews were magicians or conjurors, who could bewitch\nthe king, and so do him harm; and Richard, therefore, forbade any Jew\nto be present in Westminster Abbey at his coronation.\n\nSome of them, however, hoping to forward their own interests, ventured\ninto the abbey, loaded with valuable presents for the monarch; but as\nthey knelt before him, the king spurned them with his foot, and the\ncourtiers followed his example. A great outcry was immediately raised\noutside the abbey; and at the same time a report was spread, that\nRichard had given an order for the general massacre of the Jews. An\norder so agreeable to the people, who hated the race of Israel, was\ninstantly acted upon; and under this false impression, hundreds of\nJews perished miserably: houses were broken open, and all the\ninhabitants murdered; or if they resisted the entrance of their foes,\ntheir houses were set on fire. Many of these wretched Jews put their\nown wives and children to death, to prevent their falling into the\nmerciless hands of the Christians. The day after the coronation, a\nproclamation was published to stop these shocking acts; but the fury\nof the people was not so easily checked, and the persecution continued\nin some degree for several months. Nor was it confined to London, for\nin other parts of England similar outrages were committed upon the\nunfortunate Jews.\n\nWhen Richard the First went to Palestine to take part in the Third\nCrusade, the Jews suffered a still worse persecution; for although\nthey had furnished the king with large sums of money for the expenses\nof this war, their enemies were not satisfied.\n\nIt has been said, that in those times the Jews best understood how to\nget rich by trade; one way in which they made money was, by lending it\nat high interest. If, for instance, any person wanted a large sum of\nmoney at once, in order to buy an estate, or carry out any great\nobject, he would borrow it of the Jews; engaging, in return, to pay a\ncertain sum every year, or every month, as _interest_ on the money\nlent, until he could repay the whole sum.\n\nThe Jews who lent money asked very high interest for it; and were\noften guilty of great injustice and harshness to those who had\nborrowed it: all this added considerably to the hatred felt towards\nthe Hebrew race on account of their religion.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VIII.--IMPOSTORS IN THE TWELFTH CENTURY.\n\n\nWhen Richard the First was making preparations for the Holy War, (as\nthe Crusade was called,) his Christian subjects felt very angry that\nthey, who looked upon themselves as the favourites of Heaven, should\nbe obliged to deprive their families even of needful things, in order\nto fit themselves or others out to join in this war, whilst the\nenemies of Christ were left in peaceable enjoyment of their riches;\nand they persuaded themselves that it would be a meritorious act,\nacceptable to God, to destroy all the descendants of those who had\ncrucified the Saviour, and then take their wealth to pay the expenses\nof the Crusade. Before his departure for the Holy Land, the King gave\nan order that the Jews were not to be disturbed in any way; but no\nsooner had he left England, than the fury of the people broke out\nafresh, and very many of the unhappy Israelites were destroyed in\ndifferent places, and their property seized; whilst the magistrates,\nwhose duty it was to keep order and protect _all_ the king's subjects,\nmade little or no attempt to stop these acts of cruelty and violence.\n\nAt York, the most dreadful scenes took place. The Jews of that city\nwere great money-lenders, or _usurers_, as they were called in\nreproach; and as they lived in a sumptuous manner, indulging\nthemselves in every luxury, the people envied them for their riches,\nand hated them more and more; and hearing what had been done in other\nparts of England, they prepared to attack their victims. Upon this,\nthe chief persons among the Israelites prevailed upon the governor of\nYork to allow their countrymen to take refuge in the castle, as its\nwalls were strong enough to protect those within them. Very soon,\nhowever, the Jews, seeing that the governor frequently went out of the\ncastle into the city, suspected that he was plotting with their\nenemies for their destruction; and therefore, one day, when he had\ngone out as usual, they shut the gates, and refused to let him in\nagain. The governor, very indignant, complained to the sheriff and to\nthe heads of the Christian party, who, as they were the chief debtors\nto the Jews, were most anxious to destroy them. The sheriff\nimmediately ordered the governor to attack the castle; but he soon\nrepented of having given such a hasty order, and many of the principal\ncitizens refused to join in its execution. It was, however, too late\nto check the populace, who were bent upon murder and robbery. The\nattack was made, the assailants encouraging each other by the cry,\n\"Destroy the enemies of Jesus.\" The Jews offered to give large sums of\nmoney, on condition that their lives should be spared; but this offer\nwas refused. When they saw that they could defend themselves no\nlonger, one of their most esteemed rabbis proposed that they should\nkill themselves, saying, that it was better to die courageously for\nthe Law than to fall into the hands of the Christians. Accordingly,\nthese poor creatures killed their wives and children, set fire to the\ncastle, and then slew themselves. In this way 500 perished. A few, who\ngave themselves up in hopes of meeting with mercy, were murdered, and\nall the houses belonging to the Jews were plundered.\n\nRichard was very angry when he heard of such disobedience to his\norders, and ordered the Bishop of Ely, as Chief Justice of England, to\npunish the guilty most severely. The chief offenders, however, had\nleft York before the bishop entered that city; and he contented\nhimself with depriving the sheriff and governor of their offices, and\nlaying a fine upon some of the richest citizens.\n\nAlthough so much has been said about the Jews in the twelfth century,\nthere is still something more to be added, because during this period\nthere were more impostors pretending to be the Messiah, than during\nany other similar period of time. The first of these impostors\nappeared in France A.D. 1137, and committed so many crimes, that the\nGovernment caused several synagogues to be destroyed, and at length\nthe man himself was put to death, with a large number of his\nfollowers. The next year a false Messiah appeared in Persia, and\ncollected a formidable army. The king of the country bribed him with a\nlarge sum of money to disband his followers, and then treacherously\ncaused him to be beheaded, forcing the Jews to return to him the\nmoney, which he had given as a bribe to the unfortunate man.\n\nSpain had also her impostor, who appeared in A.D. 1157, and was\nsupported by one of the most learned rabbis of Cordova, who had just\nwritten a book to prove that the Messiah must shortly come--a work\nwhich had probably put it into the head of this man to assume the\ncharacter. The greater part of the educated and sensible Jews looked\nupon this impostor as a madman; but the people in general believed in\nhim, and suffered severely for their folly.\n\nTen years afterwards, a person appeared in the kingdom of Fez, in\nAfrica, and declared that in the course of a year the promised Messiah\nwould come. The conduct of this impostor greatly displeased the\nMahometans, to whom the kingdom belonged, and brought persecution upon\nall the Jews scattered throughout the country.\n\nIn the same year in which a false Messiah appeared in Fez, another Jew\nof Arabia took the title of Messiah. He pretended to work miracles,\nand gained many followers. He was at length seized, and taken before\nthe ruler of the country, who asked him, what had led him to try and\nimpose upon his countrymen? He boldly answered, that he had not done\nso, for that he was indeed a prophet sent by God. Being then asked\nwhat miracle he could work to prove that he was really sent by God, he\nsaid, \"Cut off my head, and I will come back again to life.\" The king\ntook him at his word, and ordered him to be beheaded, promising to\nbelieve in him if he came to life again. His followers actually\ncontinued for some time to expect his re-appearance; but at last they\nwere obliged to give up all hope: they were heavily fined, as a\npunishment for listening to this impostor.\n\nWe have now spoken of eight pretended Messiahs; but there is still one\nmore, the most famous of them all: this was a Jew, named David Alroi,\nor El David, who, with about 1,000 of his countrymen, dwelt in a city\nsubject to the King of Persia, to whom they paid tribute. In 1199 El\nDavid took the title of Messiah; and, being a learned and clever man,\nhe deceived the multitude by his pretended miracles, and persuaded\nthem to take up arms in his cause. The King of Persia, alarmed by the\nsuccess of the rebels, commanded El David to go to Court, promising\nto acknowledge him as the Messiah, if he would give some miraculous\nproof of being so. Contrary to all expectation, the impostor appeared\nbefore the king, persisting in his claim to be the true Messiah. He\nwas then put into prison, in order to see whether he could work a\nmiracle to set himself free. Somehow or other, he did manage to\nescape, and those who were sent in search of him were unable to find\nhim; but, through the treachery of his son-in-law, who took a large\nbribe to betray him, he was given up to the king, and put to death,\nwith a great number of those who had been deceived by him.\n\nThus remarkably was fulfilled our Saviour's prophecy, that \"false\nChrists and false prophets should arise and deceive many.\" It may seem\nstrange to us that the Jews, after refusing to acknowledge Jesus\nChrist, Who had given so many proofs of His Divine power, should\nafterwards have been so ready to follow any impostor who chose to\nstyle himself the Messiah, without being able to do one single thing\nto support such a claim.\n\nThe reason of this appears to be, that the Jews, in spite of all\nprophecy, still set their minds upon a Messiah, who could at once\nestablish a kingdom upon earth; and they were, in consequence, always\nready to take up arms, hoping that the time for establishing such a\nkingdom was now come.\n\nJesus, by His conduct, put an end to all hopes of the kind in Him; and\ntherefore He was despised and rejected. The impostors who took His\nname promised to deliver the Jews from all their enemies, and restore\nthem to their country; and therefore they were believed and followed.\n\nThe cruel treatment experienced by the Jews in England during the\nreign of Richard the First, led many of those who still possessed any\nproperty, to leave the country; so that when John became king, A.D.\n1199, the absence of so many rich people and the falling off of trade\nwere much felt in the kingdom; and, in the early part of the\nthirteenth century, the king used every means in his power to bring\nthem back. He solemnly promised, that if they would give him a large\nsum of money, they should enjoy all their former privileges: he\nallowed them to possess lands, build synagogues, and even choose a\nHigh Priest. Great numbers of Jews then returned to England, where\nthey were soon more cruelly plundered than they had been before. It\nwas the old story; they were odious to the people on account of their\nreligion, and still more so, perhaps, for the enormous usury which\nthey exacted for money lent. Thus there was a continual cry for their\nbanishment, or rather for their destruction; but the king found it\nmore for his own interest to keep them in the country, where he could\nupon all occasions make them purchase his protection by paying a heavy\nfine; and the Jews, seeing that so long as they gave money to the king\nthey might exact what interest they pleased for money lent to his\nsubjects, acted accordingly, and became more and more oppressive to\nall who were so unfortunate as to be their debtors.\n\nIn the beginning of the thirteenth century, A.D. 1210, John wished to\nraise a large sum of money: as usual, he fell upon the Jews. The money\nnot being readily paid, the king, in spite of the privileges which\nthese unfortunate people had so dearly purchased, ordered men and\nwomen to be put into prison until he received the enormous sum which\nhe now demanded. A Jew of Bristol was called upon to furnish such an\nimmense sum, that he refused, declaring that the payment of it would\nreduce him to beggary. Upon this refusal, the king cruelly ordered\nthat one of the poor man's teeth should be taken out every day until\nhe did pay. This wretched Jew lost seven teeth, and then agreed to\ngive the sum demanded by the king.\n\n\n\n\nChapter IX.--THIRTEENTH CENTURY IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE.\n\n\nHenry the Third became King of England on the death of John, A.D.\n1216: he was quite a child when his father died; but those who\ngoverned for him, set the Jews who were in prison at liberty; and\nordered that they should be protected against the violence of the\nCrusaders. Still, during the whole of Henry's long reign, which\nextended far into the latter half of the thirteenth century, the Jews\nwere subject to great oppression and ill-usage in England.\n\nAs a privilege and favour to the citizens of Newcastle, the king\ncommanded that no Jew should be allowed to dwell in their city.\n\nThe Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishops of Lincoln and Norwich,\ntook a sure way of driving the Jews out of their dioceses; for they\nforbade all Christians to sell them any provisions whatever.\n\nThe Prior of Dunstable, on the other hand, gave the Jews leave to\nreside in those places over which he had any control, on condition of\ntheir paying him every year two silver spoons.\n\nThe Jews were at this time accused of committing all sorts of dreadful\ncrimes; how far these accusations were true or false, we do not know.\nThey were human creatures, and the cruel treatment they met with,\nmight well lead them into the commission of many wrong acts, which\nwould, of course, be exaggerated by the hatred of their enemies; who\nbelieved them guilty, upon the slightest suspicion, and compelled\nthem, in consequence, to pay heavy fines.\n\nIn the middle of the century, when Henry the Third demanded fresh\nsupplies of money for the purposes of war, the Jews, irritated by such\nrepeated oppression, wished to leave England, and seek some more\nhospitable country, in which they might dwell: the king refused to\nallow them to leave the country, and forced them to pay the tax\ndemanded. The next year, the king again applied to them, declaring\nthat in spite of the taxes he had already levied, he continued to be\ngreatly in want of money, and must raise it from any quarter, and by\nany means.\n\nThe unfortunate Jews truly declared that they could not pay the taxes\nnow demanded of them; upon which Henry the Third actually sold them\nand their possessions to his brother, to raise the sum required! It\nwas now expected that the Jews would be completely robbed of\neverything they possessed, in order to repay the prince the money for\nwhich he had bought them; but he, being convinced that they really\ncould not have furnished the sum required, had compassion upon them,\nand left them in peace.\n\nTo such a height had hatred of the Jews risen in this reign, that when\n(about 1264) the barons took up arms to force the king to agree to\ntheir demands, they could think of no better way of gaining the favour\nand help of the people, than by killing the Jews; and 700 were\naccordingly massacred. The pretence for this massacre was, that one of\nthe Jews had tried to force a Christian to pay an enormous and unfair\ninterest for a loan of money: supposing this to have been true, the\ncrime of one man should not have caused the death of hundreds. At the\nsame time, houses were plundered, and the magnificent synagogue, built\nin the beginning of Henry the Third's reign, was burnt to the ground:\nit was afterwards rebuilt; but in 1270, the king most unjustly took it\nfrom the Jews, and gave it to a body of friars, who lived near it,\nand complained that their devotions were disturbed by the howling of\nthe Jews during their worship.\n\nThe fact was, that the chapel belonging to the friars was small and\ndark, and they coveted the fine large synagogue close by their\ndwelling; and as no ideas of justice ever interfered with the\ntreatment of the Jews, they begged the king to give them this\nsynagogue, and furnished him with an excuse for doing so.\n\nOn the death of Henry the Third, A.D. 1272, his son Edward the First\nbecame King of England, and very soon afterwards a law was made, which\npromised to improve the condition of the Jews; as it fixed a yearly\ntax to be paid by them, instead of leaving them liable to be called\nupon for contributions on every occasion, at the will of their\nenemies. This law also permitted them to possess houses and lands\nwherever they pleased. But, on the other hand, it was forbidden for\nany Christian to lodge in the house of a Jew; and every one of the\nHebrew race above seven years of age, was obliged to wear a\ndistinguishing mark upon his upper garment: this mark was a figure of\ntwo ropes joined together.\n\nIn the latter part of his reign, Edward changed his conduct towards\nthe Jews, and they were treated with much injustice and even cruelty.\nThe oppression suffered by these unhappy people, had not unnaturally\nraised up in them a spirit of retaliation; it made them think, that\nit was justifiable to use every possible means, right or wrong, to\nrepay themselves for all the money unjustly taken from them by\nthe Christians: their attempts to do this, increased the hatred\nentertained for them. They were accused of coining false money, and\nof cheating in every possible way. A great outcry being raised\nagainst them, they were, in all parts of the kingdom, thrown into\nprison, and many of them were executed, whilst their houses, lands,\nand goods, were sold for the use of Government. But to show the\npeople that these measures were not taken merely for the sake of the\nplunder, the king ordered, that half the money produced by this sale\nshould be put by, and given to such Jews as would renounce their\nreligion and become Christians. Very few, however, could be brought,\nfor the sake of worldly advantages, to embrace the religion of their\npersecutors; nor can we be surprised, that the very unchristianlike\nconduct of the followers of the blessed Jesus, should have increased\nthe hatred and contempt felt by the Jews for the Christian religion.\n\nTowards the end of the thirteenth century, about A.D. 1290, Edward the\nFirst, who had already banished the children of Israel from those\nparts of France which were under his dominion, now commanded them all\nto leave England, and never to come back on pain of death. He took\nwhatever property they had, only allowing them to keep enough money to\npay the expenses of removal into foreign countries; and of this\nmiserable sum many of them were robbed by the seamen at Dover and\nother ports, whilst some hundreds of the poor wretches were even\nthrown into the sea and drowned: for this crime, however, many of the\nguilty seamen were punished by death.\n\nThe clergy in England were so delighted to get rid of the Jews, that\nthey willingly gave the king very considerable sums of money to make\nup for the loss of a people, from whom former monarchs had always\nobtained help in time of need.\n\nAfter this banishment of the Jews by Edward the First, they never\nappeared in any considerable numbers in England, until the seventeenth\ncentury.\n\nIn France we have seen the Jews banished by Philip the Second, and\nthen recalled by the same monarch at the end of the twelfth century\n(p. 408). They immediately returned to all their former ways of making\nmoney by usury, so that early in the thirteenth century they had again\nbecome rich, and purchased lands of the lords who had large estates;\nbut on certain conditions, which made them in some degree the property\nof the liege lord, of whom they held their lands. This \"feudal\ntenure,\" as it was called, was common over Europe in those times; and\nall, whether Jews or Christians, who thus held lands under a liege\nlord, were called his \"vassals,\" and were bound to do him certain\nservices, whenever called upon to do so.\n\nFor some time Philip allowed, or at least did not try to put a stop\nto, the usurious practices of the Jews, because they gave him large\nsums of money in return for letting them alone; but at last the\ncomplaints of his subjects forced him to make some laws to check the\nevil. Philip the Second died A.D. 1223; Louis the Eighth, who\nsucceeded him, reigned only three years: but when Louis the Ninth,\nsurnamed Saint Louis, became king, A.D. 1226, he immediately made a\nlaw, forbidding any of his subjects to borrow money of a Jew. The\ncondition of the Jews in France at this time was miserable enough;\ntheir property was at the mercy of those lords, in whose territories\nthey had fixed their residence; without his leave, they could not\nchange their place of abode, and if they ventured to do so, their\nliege lord had a right to follow them, and seize upon them as runaway,\nslaves! If one lord sold land to another, the Jews living on such\nland, also became the property of the purchaser: sometimes even, they\nwere sold apart from the land, the price asked for them varying\naccording to the talent and industry of each individual. But there was\nsomething worse still; if one of these Jews did become a Christian,\nthe whole of his property was forfeited to his liege lord. So that\nthese unhappy people were at the same time oppressed and persecuted\nfor being Jews, or for becoming Christians; and this, by persons\ncalling themselves Christians, who should have rejoiced at every\nconversion, and done all in their power to make them more frequent.\nLouis the Ninth, although called St. Louis on account of his\nremarkable piety and devotion, not only approved of these cruel and\nunjust laws, but added others; forbidding Christians to have any\nintercourse with the Jews, who were, in short, treated with the\ngreatest harshness and injustice.\n\nBut the most terrible persecution of this unhappy race, took place in\nA.D. 1238, when they were accused of having, in mockery of the\nChristians, crucified some children on Good Friday: on this\nsupposition, multitudes of the Jews were put to death with the most\ncruel tortures, until the Pope, Gregory the Ninth, interfered to save\nthem from further slaughter. During the imprisonment of Louis the\nNinth in the Holy Land, whither he had gone upon a Crusade, he ordered\nthe Jews to be driven out of his dominions; but when Philip the Third\n(the Bold) became king, in A.D. 1270, he recalled the Jews, because he\nstood in need of their money. In other parts of France, which were\ngoverned by Dukes or Princes of their own, subject more or less to the\nking, the Jews met with much the same kind of treatment; but in some\nprovinces they did become magistrates, and possessed Christian slaves.\nPhilip the Fourth (the Fair), who succeeded his father as king, A.D.\n1285, followed the example of Edward the First, who was then King of\nEngland, and banished the Jews altogether from France; seizing all\ntheir wealth, with the exception of a small sum to pay the expenses of\ntheir journey: many died of fatigue and want by the way, and the rest\nsought refuge in Germany. Some avoided banishment by being baptized:\nmost of these returned afterwards to Judaism; but the conversion of\nsome of them, at least, was sincere. Amongst those who became true\nChristians, was one Nicolas de Lyra, who spent the remainder of his\nlife in explaining the Scriptures; and even wrote a book to prove from\nScripture, that the Jews were wrong in not acknowledging Jesus Christ\nto be indeed the promised Messiah.\n\n\n\n\nChapter X.--THIRTEENTH CENTURY CONCLUDED.\n\n\nIn Spain during the thirteenth century, the Jews suffered as much as\nthey did in England and in France. At this time there were two\nChristian kingdoms in Spain: namely, the kingdom of Castile and the\nkingdom of Arragon; the southern part of Spain formed the kingdom of\nthe Moors, who were Mahometans. The Bishop of Toledo, vexed at the\nincreased numbers and riches of the Israelites in Spain, excited the\npopulace against them, and putting himself at the head of the\nrioters, entered and plundered synagogues and houses; the Crusaders\ncompleted the work so unworthily begun by a Christian bishop, and,\naccording to Jewish writers, this was one of the most severe and\nbloody persecutions ever endured by their unhappy countrymen: great\nnumbers quitted the country at this time. The Spanish nobles tried to\nput a stop to the horrible cruelties practised towards the Jews; but\nFerdinand the Third, who became King of Castile, A.D. 1226, rather\nencouraged the persecution, in order to make himself popular with the\nlower orders, who detested the Jews.\n\nIn the kingdom of Arragon, towards the middle of the century, great\nefforts were made for the conversion of the Jews. One of the clergy,\nnamed Raymond, contrived to keep in check the violence of the people,\nwho had a great respect for him; and at the same time he persuaded the\nking, James the First, who was a zealous Christian, that the best way\nto convert the Jews was by treating them with kindness, and trying to\nconvince them of their errors. To carry out his views, Raymond caused\nmany of the friars to learn the Hebrew and Arabic languages, and to\nstudy the Scriptures carefully, so as to be able to reason with the\nJews, and point out to them how all the prophecies in the Old\nTestament were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. All his attempts to\nconvert the Jews were, however, unsuccessful, although they highly\nesteemed Raymond himself for his moderation and humanity.\n\nThe King of Arragon mean time, so far from sharing the prejudices\nagainst the Jews, applied to them for instruction in many matters of\nlearning and science: the great and learned men amongst the Spaniards\nalso encouraged and admired them; but the people, and the ignorant and\nill-educated among the clergy, hated and despised them, and would\ngladly have destroyed them altogether.\n\nIn the middle of the century, Alphonso the Tenth, who was then King of\nCastile, encouraged all learned men, whatever might be their religious\nopinions; and the favour shown in consequence to the Jews, excited the\njealousy of the people, who formed fresh plots for their destruction.\nThe dead body of a man was thrown into the house of a Jew, who was\nthen accused of having murdered the man: this accusation roused the\nfury of the populace, who put numbers of the Jews to death. The\nmassacre threatened to become general, but the authorities interfered,\nand declaring that the Jew was innocent of the crime laid to his\ncharge, order was at length restored.\n\nDuring those times, when the Israelites enjoyed the favour of the\nkings in Spain, many learned men flourished, and educated pupils, who\nafterwards became celebrated amongst their countrymen.\n\nThe Spanish Jews were again disturbed by an impostor called Zechariah,\nwho pretended that by studying the prophecies, he had discovered the\nexact day on which the Messiah would appear; and declared that the\nJewish people would then be gathered together by the Lord, Who would\nsubdue their enemies and resettle them in their ancient kingdom. The\nJews, always too easily deceived, prepared for this grand event by\nprayer and fasting; and on the appointed day they crowded to the\nsynagogues clothed in white robes. Besides having the mortification of\na bitter disappointment, they thus brought upon themselves the insult\nand ridicule of their enemies.\n\nIn Germany, during the thirteenth century, the Jews suffered much, in\nconsequence of their being constantly accused of committing crimes\nmore or less heinous. At one time they were charged with encouraging\nthe Persians and Tartars to attack the country and destroy the\nChristians; at another time, with preventing the baptism of those\namongst them who wished to become Christians; and they were\nrepeatedly accused of murdering Christian children at the time of the\nPassover. What truth there was in any of these accusations, we do not\nknow, but each was made by the people a pretext for robbery and\nmurder; nor could the authorities save the wretched Jews from the\nfury of their Christian enemies. On one occasion, when the people of\nMunich were murdering all the Jews they could find, the town\nofficers, unable to stop the tumult, advised the wretched victims to\ntake refuge in their synagogue, a strong stone building, till the\nfury of their persecutors should cool down: but in spite of the\nefforts made by the Duke of Bavaria and his officers, they were all\nburnt, or otherwise killed in the synagogue. Notwithstanding all\nthese persecutions, many learned rabbis flourished in Germany during\nthis century; and towards its close violent disputes arose amongst\nthe Jews themselves, as to the doctrines which were to be believed\nand taught. The consequence was, that the Jews were divided into two\nparties or sects, the Rabbinists and the Caraites: these two sects\nhated each other, since the Caraites taught that the Talmud, regarded\nby the Rabbinists with the greatest veneration, was not to be\ndepended upon in any way whatever.\n\nTowards the end of the century, when Germany was disturbed by the wars\nbetween Albert of Austria and another prince, who both wished to be\nEmperor of Germany, a peasant pretended that he was sent by God to\ndestroy all the Jews. This man went about the country declaring his\nerrand, and exciting the people to execute the Will of God. The\nmultitude rose at once, and killed great numbers of the Jews; whilst\nmany of these unhappy people destroyed themselves and their families,\nto escape from their enemies. Albert would gladly have put a stop to\nthis barbarous persecution; but he was afraid that if he did so, many\nof his followers, who believed that the peasant really had a divine\ncommission, would abandon him, and take the side of the rival prince.\nThe riot was at last stopped, and a heavy fine laid upon the town of\nNuremburg, where it had begun: half the town was already burnt down,\nby the Jews setting fire to their own houses.\n\nIt has been already said, that the Roman Pontiffs, or Popes, often\ninterfered to stop the persecution of the Jews, and to check the\nmistaken zeal of those who wanted to _force_ them to become\nChristians. In 1247, Innocent the Fourth wrote a letter in defence of\nthe Jews, declaring that they were not guilty of the crimes laid to\ntheir charge; and he also said, that their condition under Christian\nprinces, was far more miserable and wretched than that of their\nfathers had been under Pharaoh.\n\nThere were a great many Jews in the kingdom of Naples, and they had\nmuch wealth: as they had done the king some important service, he\ntreated them with great indulgence. But after his death, attempts were\nmade to convert them, instead of allowing them still to enjoy the free\nexercise of their religion. The Jews, fearing a persecution, offered\nto become Christians, provided they were allowed to marry into the\nrichest and noblest families in the kingdom--a condition that they\nfelt certain would be refused; but to their surprise and sorrow,\npermission was granted, and thus they were obliged to profess\nChristianity; but those who were not able to make advantageous\nmarriages, soon returned to the practice of their own religion.\n\nIt is said, that a monk, who wished the Jews to be punished for\npretending to be Christians, hid a cross in a heap of earth, and then\naccused one of these poor creatures of having done it: the people,\nenraged at such an act, rose at once and massacred a great number of\nthe Jews, and more would have been put to death if the nobles had not\ninterposed, and even given shelter in their own houses to some of the\nmost wealthy, who were always the peculiar objects of popular fury. In\nthe East, the number and the power of the Jews were much lessened\nduring the thirteenth century. The Caliph of Bagdad, who was a zealous\nMahometan, and very fond of money, was vexed to see a people growing\nrich by their own industry, whilst they were always ready to receive\nany one who declared himself to be the Messiah: and he therefore began\na persecution, by which he hoped to compel all Jews, either to become\nMahometans or to leave his dominions. Some departed; others, to avoid\nexile, pretended to become followers of Mahomet. In some parts of the\nEast the Jews suffered greatly from the invasions of the Tartars; but\ntowards the end of the century they enjoyed peace for a short time,\nunder a prince, whose chief minister and favourite was a Jewish\nphysician, who obtained many privileges and indulgences for his\ncountrymen. But on the death of this prince, his Mahometan subjects,\nenraged at the favour he had shown to the Jews for the sake of his\nminister, accused the latter of having poisoned his master: he was\ncondemned without any proof, and vast numbers of his countrymen were\nat the same time murdered.\n\nPalestine was greatly distressed by the wars between the Christians\nand the Saracens. The Jews had still some synagogues in their native\nland; and even amidst their troubles, several learned rabbis appeared\namongst them, the most remarkable of whom was styled the \"Father of\nWisdom\"; he had been born in Spain, but went to live in Judaea, where\nhe built a synagogue. Several learned rabbis of the Caraite sect\nflourished in different parts of the East during the thirteenth\ncentury.\n\nThe fourteenth century does not seem to have brought any comfort to\nthe wretched Hebrews. The same avarice or love of money which made\nPhilip the Fourth drive them out of France, made Louis the Tenth, who\nbecame king A.D. 1314, bring them back again; because he wanted some\nof their money to enable him to reduce the Flemings to subjection.\nThe Flemings were the inhabitants of Flanders, a country in that part\nof Europe which we now call Belgium. The conditions upon which the\nJews were allowed to return to France were, that they should pay a\nheavy tax to the king; and that their stay in the country should be\nlimited to a period of twelve years. During this time they might make\nmoney by trade and labour: they might buy land for synagogues and\nburying-places, and they might purchase any books they pleased with\nthe exception of the Talmud: but they were forbidden to converse\npublicly or privately with any Christian; and they were obliged, as\nbefore, to wear a mark upon their upper garment.\n\nPhilip the Fifth became King of France in A.D. 1316, and during\nhis reign the Jews suffered much from a body of men called \"The\nShepherds.\" They really were shepherds and labourers, who left their\nusual occupations to go, as they said, to the relief of the Holy\nLand. Their leaders were two priests, who, by pretending to work\nmiracles, got many of the lowest classes of the people to join the\nband. Having thus strengthened themselves by the addition of a\nconsiderable body of desperate ruffians, the Shepherds plundered\nthe southern provinces of France, and by breaking open the prisons,\nadded still further to their own numbers, by receiving the liberated\ncriminals as brethren. They committed the most unheard-of barbarities,\nespecially upon the Jews, who fled before this savage band, and took\nrefuge in considerable numbers, in a strong castle, near Toulouse; and\nhere defended themselves bravely, but in vain. When no hope of safety\nremained, they put themselves or each other to death. Many of the\nShepherds were taken and executed.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XI.--END OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.\n\n\nAbout ten years after the affair of the Shepherds, the Jews in France\nwere accused of having been bribed by the Saracen king of Granada to\npoison all the wells and rivers in the country. There was no proof of\nthis but the declaration of a leper, who said, that a rich Jew had\ngiven him money to poison some wells; but this was enough for the\npopulace, who, without waiting for inquiry or trial, rose at once, and\nput numbers of the suspected race to a cruel death.\n\nThe king, Philip the Sixth, shamefully took advantage of this popular\noutcry, and imprisoned the wealthy Jews in Paris until they told him\nwhere their treasures were hid; he then seized the greatest part for\nhis own use, and banished the whole race from his dominions. The Jews,\nthus expelled from France, took refuge in the northern part of Italy,\nthen called Lombardy, and there first established \"banks,\" and the\nsystem called \"banking\"; by which merchants, in lands far distant from\neach other, could receive the price of goods exchanged, without the\nrisk of sending money: and by this means, the Jews from this time were\noften able to save their riches from the avarice and violence of their\nenemies. But the system of banking was not useful to the Jews alone:\nit was of the greatest service to trade in general, as well as to\nindividuals, and has continued so up to the present time, when every\nconsiderable town in almost all European countries has its bank or\nbanks. The great skill and cleverness of the Jews in all matters\nconnected with money, made the monarchs of various kingdoms willing to\nlet them remain in their dominions; for though they would gladly have\nbeen rid of the Jews themselves, they were anxious to keep their\nwealth in the country.\n\nAfter John the Second became King of France, A.D. 1351, the Jews tried\nto obtain leave to return to France; but the permission was not\ngranted until 1356, when, John having been taken prisoner by the\nEnglish, the money of the Jews was needed to raise the sum demanded\nfor his ransom. The children of Israel were, therefore, re-admitted\ninto France for twenty years, on condition that they should at once\npay a considerable sum, and that each Jew should pay annually a fixed\ntax. They would have been wiser to have remained out of the kingdom;\nfor during the reign of Charles the Sixth, which began in 1380, they\nwere often fined, scourged, and many of them executed, on pretence of\ntheir having committed various crimes. The wicked absurdity of many of\nthese accusations is proved by the fact, that when Charles the Sixth\nbecame mad, the Jews were accused of having deprived him of his\nsenses!\n\nTowards the end of the fourteenth century, the people of France again\nbecame clamorous for the banishment of the Jews; and supported by\ncertain noblemen who owed those unhappy creatures money, they broke\ninto their houses, murdered the inhabitants, and seized all the\nproperty they could find. Some of the persecuted race took refuge in\none of the prisons: their wives attempted to follow them, with their\nchildren in their arms, but the mob forced the little ones away from\ntheir mothers, and carried them off to be baptized. The government,\ntoo weak to venture on punishing the perpetrators of these crimes,\nreplaced the Jews who survived in their houses; and ordered that all\npersons who had taken any of their property should give it back to\nthem--an order which was, of course, only laughed at. In A.D. 1394, an\nAct was passed, banishing the Jews from France for ever; but as the\ntown of Metz, in that part of the country called Lorraine, was then a\nfree city, under the protection of the Emperor of Germany, the Jews\ncontinued to reside there in peace; and after Lorraine became a part\nof the kingdom of France, the French monarchs did not molest the Jews\nin Metz. But though, until the seventeenth century, Metz was the only\ncity in France where the Jews were _allowed_ to reside, a few were\nalways to be found in different parts of the kingdom. Mary de Medicis,\nthe wife of Henry the Fourth, who became king A.D. 1589, sent for a\nJewish physician to Paris, where he was allowed free exercise of his\nreligion for himself and his family.\n\nThe Jews, who were driven out of France in 1394, went mostly into\nGermany, where, however, they could not have much hope of peace, as\ntheir brethren in that country had suffered much from the beginning of\nthe fourteenth century. About the middle of the century, a number of\nignorant and superstitious Christians, imagining that the Almighty had\nordered them to scourge themselves and kill the Jews, formed\nthemselves into a company, called \"Flagellants,\" for the purpose of\ncarrying out what they conceived to be the Divine commission. They\nproceeded to whip themselves in the most cruel manner, and then began\ntheir work of destruction. After many of the Jews had been murdered,\nthe Flagellants came to some agreement with their unhappy victims; but\nthis was rendered useless by the conduct of a Jew of Frankfort, who,\nnot being satisfied with the agreement made, set fire to one of the\npublic buildings, which was burnt down, with all the valuable papers\nit contained: the flames spread to the cathedral, and burnt that also\nto ashes. For this crime, not only the guilty Jew, but all his\ninnocent brethren also, were put to death; with the exception of a\nfew, who managed to escape, and took refuge in Bohemia.\n\nThe year after the affair of the Flagellants, the Jews in Germany were\naccused of poisoning wells and springs, and a fresh massacre took\nplace all over the country.\n\nAt Metz, the Jews not only defended themselves, which they were\nperfectly right to do, but in revenge put to death, in a barbarous\nmanner, 200 unarmed Christians, who were in no way answerable for the\nattack upon them.\n\nThe enraged populace punished this real crime, by killing many\nthousands of the Jews, and setting fire to their houses. The flames\nspread, and did much damage in the town. This persecution extended\nover the whole of Germany; some of the princes and nobles tried to\nsave and help the miserable victims, but with little success.\n\nThe Jews who had fled into Bohemia suffered equally at Prague; during\nthe Feast of the Passover, they were burnt in their synagogues whilst\nengaged in their devotions.\n\nSoon afterwards another persecution was raised, on the old charge of\npoisoning springs and rivers; and this persecution extended through\nGermany and into Italy, Provence, and other parts. The Emperor of\nGermany himself, convinced of their innocence of this pretended crime,\nendeavoured to convince his Council that it was impossible for the\nJews to have committed it; but such was the feeling against the Hebrew\nrace, that in order to save them from worse calamities, the Emperor\nwas forced, at the close of the fourteenth century, to command these\nunhappy creatures either to be baptized, or to leave the country. The\nJewish historians tell us, that very few did give up their religion;\nor, as they expressed it, \"forsake the glory of their God.\"\n\nIn Spain, the Jews suffered dreadfully at the beginning of the\nfourteenth century from the Shepherds, who, after finishing their work\nof destruction in France, carried fire and sword into Spain; marking\nout the race of Israel as their especial victims: and a pestilence\nthat broke out in the army of the Shepherds increased their fury\nagainst these devoted people, whom they accused of having caused it by\npoisoning the rivers. This story was readily believed, or at least\naccepted, by those who ought to have known better; and great numbers\nof Jews were actually imprisoned on this charge: after a long\nconfinement, the judges declared them to be innocent. The king,\nunwilling to allow that he had imprisoned them unjustly, pretended\nthat he had only kept them in prison in order to convert them; but he\ncaused a large number who refused to be baptized, to be put to death.\n\nAlphonso the Eleventh, king of Castile, was the friend and protector\nof the Jews, and had one of that nation for his principal minister and\nadviser. But this displeased his turbulent and rebellious subjects,\nwho accused a Jewish boy of having in some way insulted the Sacrament:\nthey became so violent upon the subject, that the king was obliged to\nsummon a Council, to decide whether the Israelites should be put to\ndeath, or banished. Banishment was decided upon; and they were\ncommanded to leave the country within three months' time: but mean\ntime it was discovered that a _Christian_, and not a _Jewish_ lad, had\ncommitted the offence complained of; and the king recalled the\nsentence of banishment, to the great disappointment and indignation of\nthe enemies of the Jews, who declared, that the witnesses who had\nproved the Christian lad to be guilty, had been bribed to do so.\n\nThe same kind of treatment was experienced by the Israelites in other\nparts of Spain during the fourteenth century; but during that period\nthe Popes in general treated them with humanity. Troubles and disputes\nunconnected with the Jews had caused the Popes for a time to leave\nRome, and take up their residence at Avignon, in the south of France.\nClement the Fifth, then Pope, did all in his power to save the Jews\nfrom the violence of the Shepherds, and all their other enemies: he\nalso provided for them the means of instruction, by ordering that\nHebrew should be taught in all the Christian universities, or places\nof education for young men; so that there might be some, able to show\nthe Jews from their own Scriptures, how all ancient prophecies pointed\nout Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. Again, when the Jews were\npersecuted on pretence of their having poisoned the rivers, Pope\nClement the Sixth exerted himself on their behalf; many of them found\na safe asylum in Avignon, and the Pope left nothing undone to relieve\ntheir misery, and soften the fury of their persecutors. In Italy, the\nJews seem to have been pretty well treated during the fourteenth\ncentury, and in Poland they met with favour and indulgence: by their\nindustry they gained wealth and power, and became a prosperous and\nflourishing people, as they have ever since continued to be in that\ncountry. Poland produced many learned Jews; and Jewish children from\nall parts were sent there to study the Talmud, and to learn and\npractise all the peculiar rites and ceremonies of their religion.\n\nWe have now come to the close of the fourteenth century. The dreadful\nsufferings endured by the Jews up to this time, and during future\nyears, must remind us how surely all the prophecies contained in\nScripture will be fulfilled. The prophets had foretold, that in\nconsequence of their sins they would suffer unheard-of miseries:\nhistory shows us the accomplishment of this prediction.\n\nThen again, it is wonderful that with such persecutions, they should\nnot have been utterly destroyed; but, no, the Lord had said by His\nprophets, that they should be scattered throughout all lands, but not\ndestroyed. The whole history of the Jews proves the truth of the\nBible; and it should remind us, that Scripture equally warns us, that\nif we sin we shall also suffer; and that nothing will be acceptable to\nGod, but a true, loving, and faithful devotion of ourselves to the\nservice of Jesus Christ, Whom we acknowledge to be the Son of God, the\npromised Messiah.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XII.--THE JEWS AND THE INQUISITION.\n\n\nDuring the fifteenth century there were no Jews in England or France.\nOf course, there may have been a few scattered here and there; but\nthere was no body of Jews in either country during this period.\n\nIn Germany, their condition continued much the same. The slightest\npretence sufficed to raise a persecution; and a pretence was afforded,\nat the close of the century, by an impostor, named David, who declared\nthat the Messiah would positively appear in the year 1500. He\nafterwards declared, that the Messiah had delayed His coming on\naccount of the sins of the people; and he caused the credulous Jews to\nappoint a solemn fast, in order to obtain pardon and hasten the\nappearance of the Deliverer. The Jews of course suffered; and David\nwas imprisoned, and died shortly afterwards.\n\nIn the beginning of this century, great efforts were made for the\nconversion of the Jews in the Spanish kingdom of Arragon. The Pope was\nzealous in the work; and one of their own race, named Jerome, who had\nhimself embraced Christianity, undertook to convince his countrymen\neven by passages from the Talmud, that Jesus Christ must certainly be\nthe Messiah. Although the Jews treated the Pope with great respect,\nthey were by no means disposed to listen to Jerome, with whom they\nwere very angry; first, for deserting the faith of his people; and,\nsecondly, for drawing them into disputes, which might bring\npersecution upon them. It is said, however, that 4,000 Jews were then\nconverted, and that a few years later, through the zeal of one of the\nclergy, a still larger number were baptized; but the greater part,\nhaving only submitted to baptism out of fear, continued to observe in\nsecret all the rites and ceremonies of the Hebrews.\n\nIn 1479 a great change took place in the condition of the Jews in\nSpain, for Ferdinand, King of Arragon, married Isabella, the Queen of\nCastile; so that from this time the two kingdoms became _one_, called\nthe Kingdom of Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella were very anxious that\nall the inhabitants of Spain should be Christians. In 1492 the Moors\nwere driven out of Granada, and their country became also a part of\nthe Kingdom of Spain; but many of the Moors, rather than leave their\nbeloved Granada, pretended to become Christians. Having driven the\nMoors out of Spain, Ferdinand thought it would be desirable to get rid\nof the Jews also; and he commanded them either to be baptized or to\nquit Spain altogether. In order to prevent Jews or Mahometans who had\nbeen baptized, from ever returning to the practices of their former\nfaith, Ferdinand and Isabella were persuaded to establish the Court of\nthe Inquisition in Spain. The Inquisition was a Court of Inquiry, the\nmembers of which were charged by the Pope to examine all persons\naccused, or suspected of holding any opinions in religious matters,\nnot agreeing entirely with the doctrines taught by the Church of Rome.\nThey had power to torture the accused, in order to force them to\nconfessions, and to put to death all who continued to hold any\nopinions condemned by the Pope. So much was this dreadful tribunal\nfeared by the people, that none ventured to withhold their nearest and\ndearest relations from the officers of the Inquisition, whose duty it\nwas to arrest all persons, upon whom rested the slightest suspicion of\nwhat was called heresy. The unfortunate creatures thus dragged from\ntheir homes, were kept for a long time in the dungeons of the\nInquisition, until they accused themselves and declared the cause of\ntheir imprisonment; for they were not told of what crimes they were\naccused, nor were their accusers ever brought face to face with them\nto witness against them, as justice would have demanded. Seldom did\nany, who were once consigned to the dungeons of the Inquisition,\nreturn to their families; and so well was this known that, when they\nwere taken away by the officers, their friends and relations looked\nupon them as dead: nor did they dare to make any effort to save them,\nlest they should themselves be looked upon as accomplices in some\nunknown crime.\n\nWhen no shadow of proof could be brought against the wretched\nprisoners, they were discharged, with the loss of great part of their\nproperty, after suffering the most cruel tortures during a tedious and\ndreadful imprisonment. Many of those whom the Inquisitors (or Judges\nin this Court) chose to consider guilty, were secretly put to a cruel\ndeath, in the dungeons of the Inquisition. Sometimes a number of these\nso-called \"heretics\" were executed publicly, by being all burnt\ntogether with great pomp and ceremony, so as to make quite a show of\ntheir execution!\n\nThis terrible show was called an \"Auto-da-Fe,\" meaning a sacrifice\noffered up by faithful Christians to prove their devotion to God! It\nis dreadful to think of all the cruel and wicked things which have\nbeen done under pretence of religion, when true religion should fill\nour hearts with love to God, and love to man for His sake, and make us\nstrive to subdue all our own evil passions and tempers.\n\nSad too, to remember, that this cruel tribunal, under whose authority\nthe most barbarous and wicked acts were committed through a long\nseries of years, was established by Christian bishops, under the idea\nthat they could thus please a God of love and mercy!\n\nIt is necessary to mention the circumstances which led to the\nestablishment of a tribunal, so opposed to the spirit of Christianity.\n\nThe Popes, from being originally the Bishops of Rome, had gradually\nclaimed and obtained influence and power over the Church in all\nChristian kingdoms; and they required that every member of these\nchurches, should believe exactly whatever they and their Council\ndeclared to be right and true. The different orders of monks, who were\nestablished in every Christian country, supported the Pope's claims,\nand did all in their power to increase the power and authority of the\nRoman Pontiffs. Not content with spiritual power, the Popes, little by\nlittle, claimed the right to interfere in temporal affairs; so that,\nby degrees, the Pope claimed and exercised a kind of sovereign power\nover all Christian kings, and required them to obey him in temporal as\nwell as spiritual matters. Such was the influence of the priests over\nan ignorant and superstitious people, that their kings would not have\ndared to deny the superior authority of the Pope, had they wished to\ndo so; for the people were taught to believe, that the Roman Pontiff\nhad power to draw down upon individuals and nations who had displeased\nhim, the severest judgments, or visible signs of the displeasure of\nthe Almighty God Himself.\n\nIn England, the Pope's power never was so great as it became in Italy\nand other European countries.\n\nBut though Christians in general, and the monks in particular, were\nready to profess belief in whatever the Popes declared to be the\ntruth, there arose from time to time men who, contrary to the Papal\norder, dared to search the Scriptures for themselves; and thus\nperceived clearly, that the Church of Rome had adopted many doctrines\nand practices which were, in fact, quite contrary to those taught by\nthe Apostles, and given to them by the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who\nmade such an important discovery, naturally told others of it; and\nthus there grew up in the Christian Church, a party who were opposed\nto the Pope's authority, both in spiritual and temporal matters.\n\nThis was of course highly displeasing to the sovereign Pontiff; and,\nin order to check the spread of feelings and opinions which weakened\nthe Papal power, the terrible Court of the Inquisition was established\nin Italy, by Pope Gregory the Ninth, in the year 1233--that is,\ntowards the middle of the thirteenth century. It became the constant\nendeavour of all future Pontiffs, to persuade the various sovereigns\nof Europe, to introduce this iniquitous tribunal into their dominions.\n\nBut, although Gregory the Ninth may be said to have established the\nInquisition as a permanent tribunal, it was not altogether a new\ninstitution; for, at the close of the twelfth century, the same desire\nto check the growth of feelings opposed to Papal power, led Innocent\nthe Third, in the year 1198, to nominate Inquisitorial Courts, to\nexamine all persons accused of heresy. From this beginning, sprang the\nCourt of Inquisition, established by Gregory A.D. 1233.\n\nInnocent the Third is well known in English history, as the Pope to\nwhom King John gave up his kingdom, to be returned to him as a Papal\nfief. He is also remarkable for the encouragement given to the cruel\npersecution of the Albigenses in the south of France, and of the\nWaldenses in the valleys of Piedmont.\n\nThe Albigenses were a body of men living about Toulouse and Albigeois,\nin Languedoc, who distinguished themselves by their opposition to the\ndoctrines and ceremonies of the Church of Rome. Their name appears to\nhave been given them, either because a great number of them resided in\nthe diocese of Albi, or because they were condemned as heretics by a\ncouncil held in that town. The Albigenses became so powerful, that\nPope Innocent the Third sent a legate into their country; but, as that\nstep produced no good effect, he stirred up against them Philip the\nSecond, King of France, who, being joined by other princes, carried on\na regular crusade against these unfortunate people. They were at first\nsupported by Raimond, Count of Toulouse; but when the King of France\nmade war upon them, he deserted them, and made his submission to the\nPope; but, soon afterwards, finding himself plundered by the\nCrusaders, he declared war against them. He was, however, defeated and\nslain at the siege of Toulouse; and the consequence was, that the city\nsurrendered to the Crusaders, who also conquered the greater part of\nLanguedoc and Provence.\n\nHis son, also called Raimond, who succeeded him, published a\ndeclaration against the Albigenses, A.D. 1253; and agreed with the\nPope and the King of France, to set up the Inquisition in his\nterritories. From this time the Albigenses gradually decreased in\nnumber, until, in the sixteenth century, the remnant had become so\nintermingled with the Vaudois, that all are known by the latter name.\n\nThe Waldenses took their name from Peter Waldo, who was a rich\nmerchant of Lyons, in the latter part of the twelfth century. Waldo,\nbeing extremely anxious for the increase of Christian knowledge and\npiety, employed a priest, in the year 1160, to translate from the\nLatin into French, the four Gospels and some other parts of Scripture.\nWhen this was done, Waldo found that there was no authority in\nScripture, for many of the doctrines and practices taught by the\nChurch over which the Pope presided; in fact, that they were quite\ncontrary to the Word of God. In consequence, he gave up his mercantile\nprofession, distributed his riches among the poor, and devoted\nhimself, as a public teacher, to spread a knowledge of Scriptural\ntruth. His success was great. His followers took their name of\nWaldenses from him; and they were also called \"The poor men of Lyons.\"\n\nThe Archbishop of Lyons, and other rulers of the Church in those\nparts, opposed Waldo vigorously, but with little effect; for the\nsimplicity and beauty of his doctrines, and the pious and blameless\nlives led by him and his followers, caused a daily increase of their\nnumbers. Being driven out of Lyons, they spread over Dauphine,\nProvence, and the valleys of Piedmont.\n\nThe merciless persecution carried on against these innocent people, by\nPhilip the Second and Innocent the Third, failed to destroy them\nutterly, although the king is said to have destroyed the country seats\nof 300 gentlemen in the attempt. Amongst those who distinguished\nthemselves most in this barbarous persecution, was Simon de Montfort,\nwhose son, bearing the same name, retired to England, and became a\nfavourite of Henry the Third, who created him Earl of Leicester. After\none quarrel and reconciliation with his sovereign, Leicester put\nhimself at the head of the English barons who rebelled successfully\nagainst Henry the Third; but in the battle of Evesham, when the royal\nforces were led by Prince Edward, the Earl was defeated and slain.\n\nIn spite of the united efforts of the Pope, the King of France, and of\nthe Count Simon de Montfort, the Waldenses continued to exist, and\nwere in later times known as the Vaudois.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIII.--TREATMENT OF THE JEWS BY FERDINAND.\n\n\nThe Monks took such an active part in the persecution of the Jews,\nthat it may be well to give some account of the \"Religious Orders,\" as\nthey are called; all of which hated the Hebrew race, and would gladly\nhave seen it extirpated.\n\nVery soon after the establishment of the Christian religion, there\nwere men who wished to devote their hearts and lives to the service of\nGod, and thought they could better do this by giving up all the\npleasures and business of ordinary life. It became the practice for\nsuch to leave their families and live together in houses, thence\ncalled Religious Houses, under the direction and authority of some\npriest. Here they spent their time in devotion, and in doing good to\ntheir fellow creatures: the services in the churches were performed by\nthem; they undertook the education of the young; books were prepared\nby them, for in those days there were no books except such as were\nwritten by hand; and to them the sick and poor applied for relief,\nwhich was never denied.\n\nThose who became inmates of such houses, were not bound to remain in\nthem; but as long as they did so, they were bound to obey the orders\nof the ruling priest.\n\nBut before long, a change took place: these religious houses took the\nname of Monastery, Abbey, Priory, or Convent. Those who entered these\nhouses, took a solemn oath to remain in them until their death, and to\nbe in all things obedient to the priests, who, under the appellation\nof Abbots or Priors, ruled over these establishments, whilst they\nthemselves were completely subject to the Pope. As the gifts of money\nand lands bestowed upon these religious houses, gave them power and\ninfluence, those who ruled over them became ambitious, and desired to\nhave a share in the government of kingdoms: in this they gradually\nsucceeded by persuading kings and princes, that by following their\nadvice in all things, they would please the Lord God, and ensure his\nfavour.\n\nAs time went on, the heads of the abbeys, monasteries, priories, and\nconvents, became more and more powerful, in the various kingdoms where\nthey were established. The inmates of these various houses belonged to\ndifferent classes or \"orders\"; the chief of which, were the\nBenedictines, Dominicans, and Franciscans.\n\nSt. Benedict, the founder of the first religious order in Europe, was\nborn at Spoleto, in Italy, A.D. 480. At the age of fourteen, he\nretired to a cavern, where the fame of his pious austerities brought\nhim numerous followers. He afterwards founded the monastery of Monte\nCasino, near Naples, and thus established the Order of St. Benedict,\nor the Benedictines. The oath taken by all who entered this order,\nbound them never to marry, nor to quit their convent; to practise the\nstrictest self-denial in every matter; to speak but little to the\nother members of the community; to give up all intercourse with the\nworld; and to place their minds and bodies at the absolute disposal of\ntheir superior; so as not only to do at once whatever he bid them do,\nbut to hold no opinions contrary to his. The Pope or Bishop of Rome,\nnaturally looked with especial favour upon this order of monks;\nbecause being pledged to implicit obedience, they formed a sort of\narmy, ready to do anything to increase the power of the priesthood and\nthe Pope. The Benedictine Order was introduced into England by\nDunstan, when he became superior of Glastonbury Abbey, in the tenth\ncentury.\n\nThe founder of the Dominican Order, was a man named Dominic, born at\nCalahorra, in Old Castile, A.D. 1170. He was employed by Pope Innocent\nthe Third to convert the Albigenses; but failing in his endeavours, he\njoined in the horrible persecution carried on against them; and for\nhis zeal in the cause, he was, after his death, A.D. 1221, canonized,\n(that is, ordered to be called a saint) by the Pope.\n\nThe founder of the Franciscan Order was born at Assisi, in a part of\nItaly called Umbria, A.D. 1182; and was after his death canonized, and\ncalled St. Francis d'Assisi. He was the son of a merchant, and had in\nhis youth led a wild and dissipated life: but on recovering from a\ndangerous illness, he became enthusiastically devout; retired into\nsolitude; and underwent every species of penance and mortification; so\nthat his family thought he had gone mad. He gave up all claim to his\nfather's property, and took a vow of poverty. Being looked upon as a\nsaint, many joined him, and he drew up rules for them to observe; and\nthese rules being approved of by Pope Innocent the Third, the order of\nFranciscan Friars was established, and its members increased rapidly.\nSt. Francis d'Assisi was, as well as St. Dominic, a zealous\npersecutor of the Albigenses and Waldenses. St. Francis made an\nunsuccessful attempt to convert the Sultan, or sovereign of Turkey,\nand then returned to Assisi, where he died, A.D. 1226: he was\ncanonized four years later, by Gregory the Ninth.\n\nIt has been said, that the members of the Dominican and Franciscan\nOrders were called friars, instead of monks. The difference between\nthe two classes was, that the friars rejected the possession of all\nworldly wealth, and depended entirely for their subsistence upon what\nthey could collect from the pious, in their wanderings about the\ncountry. On this account, they were also called \"Mendicants,\" that is,\n\"beggars.\" There were four orders of these Mendicant Friars: the\nDominicans, or Black Friars; the Franciscans, or Grey Friars,\nsometimes called \"Freres Mineurs\" (Lesser Friars), or Minorites; the\nAugustines, or Mendicants, properly so called; and the Carmelites, who\nclaimed their origin from the prophet Elijah.\n\nBefore we leave this subject, we must mention that there were also\nreligious houses, called nunneries and convents, for females: the\ninmates were called nuns, and there were various orders of them,\ndistinguished from each other by some differences in their rules and\ndiscipline.\n\nBut all monks, friars and nuns were bound by their vows never to\nmarry, nor leave their retirement; and to be in all things obedient to\ntheir superior.\n\nWhen the Court of Inquisition was set up in Spain, it was directed to\npay particular attention to the conduct of the Jews, as the clergy had\nfound out that their change of religion was generally only a pretence;\nand therefore the Pope exhorted all Christian princes to bring them to\npunishment.\n\nGreat numbers of the Jews, terrified at the fate which awaited them,\ngave up the observance of their own rites and ceremonies, and\nsubmitted to any penance or punishment appointed by the clergy: but\nmany of these unhappy creatures were put to death, even after they\nhad confessed Jesus Christ to be the Messiah: others were imprisoned\nfor a long time, and when set at liberty, were obliged to wear two\nred crosses on their upper garment, which was considered as an\nacknowledgment that they deserved to be burnt. Property was, of\ncourse, seized; and besides their persecution by the Inquisition, the\npopulace oppressed and ill-used them, so that their condition was as\nmiserable as possible. The sufferings of the Jews whom Ferdinand\ndrove out of Spain, were most extraordinary. The greater part\nembarked on board ships, some of which, from being too heavily laden,\nsunk, and all on board were drowned; some of the ships are said to\nhave been burnt; some were wrecked on foreign shores, where the\nmiserable passengers died of want. The master of one ship determined\nto murder all his passengers, in order, as he said, to avenge the\ndeath of Christ, whom their ancestors had crucified: the Jews,\naware of his design, reminded this bad man, that one doctrine of\nChristianity was, that Christ desired the salvation, and not the\ndeath of sinners; but the master, instead of feeling how little his\nconduct was like what a Christian's ought to be, caused the Jews to\nbe stripped, and landed on the coast of Africa, where he left them.\nSome of these poor creatures were destroyed by wild beasts; some died\nof hunger; but some were saved by the master of another vessel. Some\nof the Jews, on leaving Spain, sailed direct to the city of Fez, in\nAfrica; but the inhabitants cruelly refused to admit them into the\ncity, and they, too, died of want. Another party sailed to Genoa,\nwhich was at that time suffering from a scarcity of food, so that\nprovisions were very dear: the inhabitants, seeing the miserable\ncondition of the Jews, who had no money to buy food, met them with a\ncross in one hand and in the other bread, which they refused to give\nto any one who would not first worship the cross. Many who had\nhitherto resisted all temptation to conform to Christian worship,\ncould hold out no longer, and did what was required of them.\n\nThe way in which Ferdinand had treated the Jews, was greatly blamed;\nand many nations expressed their astonishment, that the king should\nhave so little regard to his own interest, as to banish a people,\nwhose skill in money matters was so useful to the country. This very\nskill enabled the Jews to disappoint the avarice of the king; for they\nhad managed to send the greater part of their wealth safely out of the\ncountry, and consequently Ferdinand got much less money from them than\nhe had expected.\n\nMeantime his subjects felt the loss of Moors and Jews, and the nobles\ncomplained that their towns were deserted and ruined.\n\nMany of the Jews on leaving Spain, went into Portugal, where their\nbrethren had done good service to the king, by bringing him accounts\nof the coasts of the Red Sea; and also by helping his subjects to\ndiscover the way of reaching India, by sailing round the southern\npoint of Africa.\n\nBut notwithstanding the services of the Jews already in Portugal, the\nking only allowed the fugitives from Spain to enter his dominions, on\ncondition of their paying a sum of gold, with an understanding, that\non a certain day fixed, they must either leave Portugal again, or be\nsold as slaves: on his part, the king promised to provide ships to\ntake them wherever they wished to go.\n\nWhen the time came, the king really wished to keep his promise; but\nhis orders were not obeyed, and the Jews who were about to sail, were\nso barbarously used by the seamen, that they chose rather to be sold\nas slaves than to put themselves into the power of such ruffians.\n\nThe next king of Portugal had pity on the Jews, and set them free\nfrom slavery; but afterwards, in order to gain favour with Ferdinand\nand Isabella, he ordered the Israelites to leave the kingdom on a\ncertain day, after which, all who remained would be again treated as\nslaves. But the king did not like the idea of expelling such a number\nof skilful and industrious people, and he determined at least to keep\nall the children under fourteen years of age, and have them baptized\nand brought up as Christians. When, therefore, the time of departure\ndrew near, he forbade the Jews to embark from any port except Lisbon;\nand when they came to that city, the king's officers seized their\nchildren, and dragged them away from their parents. We may imagine\nwhat a dreadful scene this was! Many, in despair, rather than give\ntheir children up, killed them and then put an end to their own\nlives. Besides this, the king contrived to delay their embarkation so\nmuch, that the day fixed passed away before they had sailed, and\nconsequently they became slaves. In utter despair, these poor\ncreatures now agreed to become Christians, in order to recover their\nliberty, and their children. But such Christianity could only be a\npretence; and their enemies, suspecting this, watched them narrowly.\nThe least sign of their observing any of the rites and ceremonies of\nthe Jewish religion, or of their preferring the Law of Moses to the\nGospel, exposed them to the horrible cruelties of the Inquisition.\nShame upon Christians, who could thus treat their fellow creatures!\nand instead of trying to win them over by Christian love, could thus\nrender the very name of Christian more and more hateful to them.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIV.--SEPARATION IN THE CHURCH.\n\n\nThe events which have been noticed in Spain and Portugal, extended\nwell into the sixteenth century, and thus belong to modern history;\nfor the fifteenth is the last of the ten centuries known in history as\n\"the Middle Ages,\" during which, as we have seen, the sufferings of\nthe Jews were very terrible. It is impossible here to give a\nparticular account of this persecuted race in all countries, during\nthe centuries that have since elapsed.\n\nIn the sixteenth century took place that important movement in the\nChristian church, spoken of in history as \"the Reformation.\"\n\nIn speaking of the Inquisition, allusion has been made to the feelings\nof mistrust and opposition, which had arisen in regard to the Pope,\nand the Church of which he claimed to be the head.\n\nBy the beginning of the eleventh century, the Papal power, or power of\nthe Popes, was far greater than that of any sovereign; and kings were\nobliged to acknowledge and submit to it, because in case of any\ndispute, their subjects would probably have obeyed the Pope rather\nthan their own sovereigns. Nor was this extraordinary, since the\npeople were led by the priests to believe, that they could not\npossibly be saved, unless they obeyed the Pope in everything; and that\non the other hand, he could forgive their sins, and ensure their\nsalvation. Thus was the Pope put almost into the place of God.\n\nThis naturally produced evil consequences, and for more than two\ncenturies the corruptions of the Church of Rome went on increasing:\nthe real doctrines and truths of the Gospel were more and more\nforgotten, and its precepts disobeyed; so that wickedness seemed\neverywhere triumphant. Such a sad state of things led many to think,\nthat as the Pope and his clergy were not teaching the truth as\ncontained in the Scripture, some reform was greatly needed. This\nfeeling once roused, spread rapidly; and in the beginning of the\nsixteenth century, it was strengthened and confirmed by the preaching\nof a German, called Martin Luther. Luther was born in A.D. 1483, at\nEisleben, in Lower Saxony: wishing to devote himself to a religious\nlife, he entered a monastery of Augustines. His fondness for learning\ncaused him to be appointed as a teacher in the new University of\nWittemberg: but his studies soon taught him that the church to which\nhe belonged, had departed very far from Gospel truth and practice; and\na journey to Rome showed him so much that was wrong in the lives and\nconduct of her clergy, as quite to destroy all his reverence for the\nPope. His own mind being thus made up, Luther boldly declared his\nconvictions; and taught that all who wished to be saved by Jesus\nChrist, must make a great change in their religious opinions and\npractice; and instead of blindly obeying the Church of Rome, must\nstrive to worship God as the Apostles and early Christians had done;\nfor this purpose he urged every individual to read and study the Holy\nScriptures, which the Pope did not permit any member of his Church to\ndo. People of all ranks listened to Luther's words; and many\ndetermined no longer to submit to the Pope's dictation, but to purify\nthe Church, by extirpating the errors which had one after another\ncrept into her doctrines and practice, so as to restore her to her\noriginal condition of a scriptural Church.\n\nWhole nations now shook off the authority of the Pope, and became\nseparate branches of the One Catholic or Universal Church established\nby the Apostles, and of which Jesus Christ is the true and only head.\nIn A.D. 1517, when Henry the Eighth was King of England, such a branch\nwas established in our own country, and called \"the Church of\nEngland\"; whilst to that branch over which the Pope still rules, we\ngive the name of \"the Church of Rome.\"\n\nAll the works of man are liable to error, and in this great separation\nfrom the Church of Rome, some mistakes were probably made; nor were\nall who advocated the changes actuated by holy and religious motives.\nBut whatever mistakes may have been made, we find in the teaching of\nthe Church of England the way of salvation. All of us who have been\nbaptized into this Church, must ever remember with thankfulness that\nwe belong to a Church which bids us take the Holy Scripture as our\nrule of life. As members of such a Church, let us always strive to act\nup to our baptismal vows, carefully studying all the articles of the\nChristian faith, that we may hold them fast; and that our faith may be\nfirm and lively: let us renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil,\nconstantly striving against sin in every form, so that we may truly\nkeep the commandments and precepts of God: loving Him with all our\nhearts, and our neighbour as ourselves, for His sake. If we are thus\ntrue and worthy members of the Church Militant upon earth, we shall,\nthrough the atonement and mediation of Jesus Christ, be hereafter\nreceived into His Church triumphant in Heaven.\n\nBefore we go on, it will be well to say a few words as to the word\n\"Protestant,\" often applied both to Churches and individuals who have\nseparated from the Church of Rome. To \"protest,\" means to \"object to,\"\nto \"declare against.\" \"Protestant,\" therefore, only means one who\nobjects to anything, or declares against it; and so the word came to\nbe applied to those, who so objected to the errors and false doctrines\nof the Church of Rome (which claimed for itself alone the title of\nCatholic), as to separate from it, and establish a reformed branch. In\n_this_ sense the Church of England may be called _Protestant_; but we\nmust never give up our claim of being a true and pure branch of the\nHoly Catholic and Apostolic Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Head.\n\nThe separation from the Church of Rome was not effected in any country\nwithout great struggles; many battles were fought, and many crimes\ncommitted, under pretence of religion, on both sides.\n\nLuther died in 1546, having lived to see the doctrines he had taught,\ntoo firmly established ever to be overthrown by the opposition of the\nPope and his supporters, who made great efforts to bring all men back\nto the Church of Rome.\n\nMary, the daughter of Henry the Eighth, who became Queen of England on\nthe death of her brother Edward the Sixth, A.D. 1553, tried hard to\nmake her subjects submit again to the Church of Rome, and many were\nburnt to death for refusing to do so.\n\nElizabeth, who succeeded her sister Mary in 1558, was zealous for the\ndoctrines opposed to the Papal teaching; and in her time the Church of\nEngland was firmly established in this country, though many Englishmen\nhave never joined it, and continue to this day to be Roman Catholics,\nas we call those who belong to the Church of Rome, to distinguish them\nfrom those who have renounced her errors; for we all claim to be\nCatholics, as members of the Catholic or Universal Church of Christ.\nMany, too, in our own times have unhappily forsaken the Church of\ntheir forefathers, and joined that of Rome. Let us watch and pray,\nthat we fall not into such grievous error.\n\nThe Reformation relieved the Jews from much active persecution, but,\non the other hand, Luther declared, that no Christian might even\nemploy a Jewish physician; for as the whole race lay under the curse\nof God, they ought not to cure those who were the children of God:\nthe Jews naturally detested Luther, by whose advice many Christian\nprinces in Germany, refused to receive them into their dominions. The\nchief persecution against the Israelites in Europe during this\ncentury, arose from their being falsely accused of causing a fire that\ndid great damage in Bohemia. In Persia they suffered much from one of\nthe kings, who was resolved to make them embrace the Mahometan faith.\n\nThe Jews at this time, seem to have enjoyed more peace in Egypt,\nAbyssinia, and other parts of Africa, than in any other countries in\nthe world. They became numerous, wealthy, and powerful at Cairo, and\nalso in Morocco, from whence one of them was sent as ambassador to the\nunited provinces of Holland, in the beginning of the seventeenth\ncentury. Although the King of Portugal had banished the Jews from his\nEuropean dominions, he allowed them to settle at Goa and other places,\nwhich then belonged to him in the East Indies: but, unfortunately,\nafter some years, these Jews allowed themselves to be deceived by a\npretended Messiah. The news spread to Portugal where some of the\nIsraelites, who had become Christians, showed such joy at the\nintelligence, as to make it clear that they still clung to their old\nfaith, and were Christians only in name. The Inquisition, therefore,\ninterfered, and all Jews living in such parts of the East as were\nsubject to the King of Portugal, were forced either to become\nChristians, or to leave the country.\n\nThe Jews had now been shut out of England for about 350 years; but\nwhen, after the murder of king Charles the First, Cromwell became\nruler under the name of Protector, A.D. 1654, he, seeing the benefit\nwhich Holland had gained by allowing this persecuted race to settle in\nthat country, was anxious to bring their industry and their riches\nback into Great Britain. At his request, the Parliament allowed\nManasses Ben Israel, who was greatly looked up to by the whole Jewish\npeople, to come to England, to beg permission for his countrymen to\nreturn: but the idea was so displeasing to the people in general, and\nwas so strongly opposed by some persons of ability and learning, that\nCromwell was unwillingly obliged to dismiss Manasses, without giving\nhim any positive answer. Some of his countrymen, however, did venture\ninto England, where they were left in peace, and allowed to reside\ntogether in a certain part of London: but no laws were made for their\nprotection, though they were ready to pay large sums for any such\nmarks of favour.\n\nUnfortunately for Cromwell's project of re-establishing the Jews in\nEngland, a deputation arrived from the Asiatic Jews, for the purpose\nof making out that Cromwell was the Messiah. This made the Protector\nvery angry; and when the object of these Jews became known, it excited\nso much indignation throughout the country, that they were obliged to\nleave the kingdom in all haste. This incident greatly increased the\nfeelings of prejudice and dislike, with which the children of Israel\nwere regarded. When Charles the Second was restored to the English\nthrone, A.D. 1660, he, being greatly in want of money, sold to the\nJews permission to settle in England, and their numbers increased\ngreatly in consequence.\n\nJames the Second, who in 1685 succeeded his brother Charles, also\nfavoured the Jews; and during this seventeenth century, they also\nregained a footing in France, from whence they had been finally\nbanished in 1394, though, as has been said, some Jews were always to\nbe found in different parts of that kingdom. The first place in which\nthey were now permitted to reside and carry on trade, was Bordeaux;\nthey were also allowed to buy estates in France.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XV.--SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES.\n\n\nThe most curious event connected with the Jews in the seventeenth\ncentury is the history of the impostor, Zabathai Tzevi, who was born\nin Syria, of poor Jewish parents; and being gifted with wonderful\ntalents and great powers of learning, was enabled to take advantage\nof the ignorance and credulity of his countrymen. Towards the close\nof the century, there was a general idea amongst the Jews, that some\nwonderful event was about to take place, and all sorts of strange\ntales were told, and believed: amongst others, it was related that a\nship had reached the coast of Scotland, filled with sailors who could\nspeak nothing but the Hebrew language; that the sails of this ship\nwere made of the most beautiful silk; and that upon them were\nembroidered the words, \"The Twelve Tribes of Israel.\" Tzevi\nimmediately took advantage of so favourable an opportunity,\nproclaimed himself to be the Messiah, and promised the Jews a\nglorious kingdom, in which they should enjoy peace and prosperity.\nHe pretended to work miracles, and reproached some of his followers\nwith wilful blindness, because they would not own that they had seen\nhim rise up into the air! The multitude believed in Tzevi, but many\nof the better instructed and more intelligent Jews condemned him as\nan impostor, and would gladly have put him to death, could they have\ndone so. After visiting Greece and Alexandria, Tzevi went to Gaza,\nwhere he persuaded a celebrated Jew, named Nathan Levi, to act as his\nforerunner. Tzevi and Levi then went to Jerusalem, and actually named\na time when the Jews should recover their kingdom by the conquest of\nthe Sultan, who then held it in subjection.\n\nSome of the more sensible among the Jews, saw that such folly could\nlead only to their own destruction, and therefore they condemned Tzevi\nand his forerunner, to be put to death as impostors; but they went off\nto Constantinople: the Jews there had, however, been warned not to\nlisten to them, and they therefore proceeded to Smyrna.\n\nHere Tzevi received presents from the Jews of many countries; and\nalthough the Jewish Council at Smyrna condemned him as an impostor,\nhis party was too numerous and powerful for any active steps to be\ntaken against him. At length Tzevi having, as he said, received the\ncommand of God to do so, went again to Constantinople, where, by the\nSultan's orders, he was seized and cast into prison; but this event\ndid not in any way shake the faith of his followers, who firmly\nbelieved that it was not in the Sultan's power to put him to death.\n\nWhen he was questioned by the Sultan's ministers, Tzevi declared that\nhe had only called himself the Messiah, because his nation had forced\nhim to do so: his life was therefore spared, and although he was kept\nin prison, all who chose were allowed to visit him. He remained a\nprisoner for some months, visited by the infatuated Jews from all\nparts, who still persisted in looking upon him as the Messiah; but as\nthe Turks made all these Jews pay for the privilege of visiting Tzevi,\nthey did not interfere with the attentions and honours paid to him. In\nthe height of his fame he was visited by a learned Jew from Poland,\nwho wanted to be admitted in some manner to share his honours: this,\nTzevi was by no means inclined to allow, and the two men quarrelled.\nIn revenge, the Polish Jew told the Sultan that Tzevi was a dangerous\nimpostor, who was plotting to overthrow the Turkish dominion: upon\nthis, the Sultan ordered that he should be set up as a mark for his\narchers to aim at, and that if he escaped unwounded, it would be a\nproof that he was not an impostor. Tzevi naturally had no mind to\nsubmit to such a trial of his truth, and therefore he at once\nconfessed himself to be an impostor; and when he found that this was\nnot now enough to save his life, he became a Mahometan, declaring that\nhe had long wished to do so. This step filled his followers with grief\nand horror.\n\nTzevi lived for many years at Constantinople, and became a learned and\nzealous Mahometan: he still declared himself to be the appointed\ndeliverer of the Jews, but told them that he should not be able to\nprevail with the Almighty to restore them as a nation to the Holy\nLand, until they gave up the Law of Moses and followed that of\nMahomet, as he had done. Multitudes did actually, in consequence, go\nto Constantinople, and there declare themselves to be followers of the\nfalse prophet Mahomet. By this means, Tzevi hoped to keep his\ninfluence over the Jews, and at the same time remain in favour with\nthe Turks; but all his impiety and wickedness soon met with just\npunishment, for, for some cause or other, he was beheaded by order of\nthe Sultan.\n\nDuring the eighteenth century, the condition of the Jews improved\ngreatly throughout Europe. No more dreadful persecutions took place;\nand though the prejudices of the people often led them to treat the\nJews with contempt and ridicule, and to annoy them in many ways, still\nthe laws of the different countries in which they lived, did more or\nless, protect the Hebrew race from real injuries and violence. In the\nmiddle of the eighteenth century there were nine synagogues in Rome,\nand also an academy for the instruction of youth: the Jews in this\ncity seem to have exercised some authority over their brethren in\nother parts of Italy, who consulted them upon all important matters,\nand paid great respect to their advice. There are now great numbers of\nJews in Rome, who are all obliged to dwell together in one part of the\ncity, called the Ghetto.\n\nThe King of Naples, in the eighteenth century, granted such great\nprivileges to the Jews, as to make the Roman Catholics very uneasy;\nbut in spite of the remonstrances of the clergy, he persevered in this\ncourse, until the Jews, by their ill conduct, forced him to make a\nchange.\n\nIn Spain and Portugal during this century, there were a great many\nJews who, according to the permission granted them by the Talmud,\n_pretended_ to be Christians, and as such, filled various offices in\nthe state, and even performed the functions of priests in the Roman\nCatholic Church. Outwardly they were zealous Roman Catholics; inwardly\nthey were Jews: so that it has been said, that whenever a house was\nmore than usually furnished with crucifixes, images of the Virgin and\nof the Saints, relics and lamps, the inhabitants were sure to be\nIsraelites in heart. By pretending great zeal for the Christian\nreligion which they detested, these dissemblers generally escaped\ndetection; though from time to time some of them did fall into the\nhands of the Inquisition.\n\nJews can now live openly and unmolested in Spain and Portugal: they\nclaim to be descended from the tribe of Judah, and declare that many\nof their ancestors went into those countries, at the time of the\ncaptivity, more than two thousand years ago! For these reasons, the\nSpanish and Portuguese Jews think themselves superior to those in\nother countries, and will not allow of marriages with them. The\ndaughter of a Portuguese Jew having married a Jew of Berlin, the\nparents of the bride put on mourning for her as if she had been dead,\nwhich she was to them, as they never would see or hear of her again:\nthey renounced her for ever.\n\nAfter the revolution in France towards the end of the eighteenth\ncentury, when the king Louis the Sixteenth was murdered, the Jews were\nallowed all the privileges of citizens, on condition of taking an oath\nof obedience to the Government of the country. Their numbers then\nincreased amazingly in France.\n\nIn Germany also, during this century, the Jews gained many privileges\nfrom the Emperors. In short, the children of Israel were now\neverywhere protected by the laws, though they were still often robbed\nof their property, ridiculed and scoffed at, and employed in the\nlowest work.\n\nAt Frankfort, as in Rome, the Jews rich and poor, are all obliged to\nlive in one quarter of the town: this consists of a long street, with\nhigh walls at the backs of the houses, to separate them from those\nparts in which the Christians dwell.\n\nZealous Christians have often formed plans for the conversion of the\nJews; not, as formerly, by violence, but in a manner more suitable to\nthe spirit of the Gospel; that is, by endeavouring to convince them\nthat Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah prophesied of in the Holy\nScriptures, and that they must look for no other, until in the end of\nthe world He shall come again in glory, to judge both the quick and\nthe dead. These efforts have met with some little success, but still\nthere are an immense number of Jews. One of these converts to\nChristianity in the middle of the eighteenth century, was a young man\nnamed Moses Marcus, whose parents, rich Jews of London, had him\ncarefully instructed in Hebrew and Chaldee, and in all the learning of\ntheir people. When he was old enough, he was sent from England to\nfinish his education at Hamburg, and there became acquainted with some\nclergymen of what was called the Reformed Church,--that is, a branch\nof the Church which had given up many of the doctrines and practices\nof the Church of Rome. With these clergymen, Marcus frequently talked\nof the difference between the religion of the Christians and that of\nthe Jews. By their advice he studied the Scriptures of the New\nTestament, and became thereby convinced that Jesus Christ was indeed\nthe Messiah. Mean time the father of Marcus had been to India, and\nwhen he returned to England he sent for his son, then about twenty\nyears old. On his arrival, the young man at once told his father of\nthe change which had taken place in his religious feelings and\nopinions. His father received this intelligence with the greatest\ndispleasure, and spared neither threats nor promises to induce the\nyoung man not to desert the synagogue. But the faith of Marcus had\nbeen strengthened by conversation with clergymen of the Church of\nEngland, and therefore, disregarding all threats and promises, he\npersevered, even at the risk of his life, and was baptized: soon\nafterwards, he published a work explaining his reasons for becoming a\nChristian; pointing out the fulfilment of prophecy in the person of\nJesus Christ; and showing how many absurdities and contradictions were\ncontained in the Talmud.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVI.--CONCLUSION.\n\n\nOf late years many privileges have been granted to the Jews in\nEngland, and many societies have also been formed, for the purpose of\ntrying to prove to them from their own Scriptures, that the promised\nMessiah, _has_ accomplished His work, and that the Christian religion\nshould now take the place of the Jewish Dispensation,--that the two\nare but in fact, only two parts of one religion,--that the Jewish\nDispensation, the Law, the Covenant of Works, was designed to prepare\nmankind for the Coming of the Messiah,--and that, as that event has\ntaken place, we are now living under the Christian Dispensation, the\nGospel, the Covenant of Grace. Some have believed; but many, alas!\nbelieve not, and still cling to their old faith.\n\nAt the present time, no persecution is carried on against the Hebrew\nrace, and Jews are to be found in all parts of the world, having free\nliberty to observe the rites and ceremonies of their own religion, as\nfar as they can do so. Their manners and customs, and their mode of\nobserving the ceremonies of their religion, differ in different\ncountries; but all agree in denying that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.\n\nOne thing we must remark about the higher class of Jews in the present\nday--they are very charitable, not to their own people only, but also\nto Christians, helping even to support Christian schools.\n\nIt is said that there is in these days a growing feeling amongst the\nJews, that the Messiah must have come unobserved by them. Let us pray,\nthat through this feeling, they may be led to see and acknowledge,\nthat Jesus of Nazareth is indeed that Messiah. Great efforts have been\nmade, and are still being made, for the conversion of the Jews, but\nwith little success at present. The time is not yet come for them to\nbe brought into the fold, and made one flock with the Christians,\nunder one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord.\n\nBut the time _will_ come, when by some means or other, the Lord God\nAlmighty will do this thing, for the Scriptures contain very many\nprophecies as to the restoration of the Children of Israel to the\nfavour of God. The Scripture predictions of future happiness for the\nJews, _will_ as surely be fulfilled, as those _have been_, which\nforetold the miseries that have fallen upon the once chosen people of\nGod.\n\nThe whole history of this remarkable nation, the chosen people of God,\nwarns us in a most forcible manner of the evil of sin, which made the\nAlmighty at last cast off the people whom He had so loved, and whose\nsins He had so long borne with. Let us learn from this, that sin\npersisted in will bring destruction upon any people; though, for the\nLord Jesus Christ's sake, those who repent of it and forsake it, shall\nbe forgiven.\n\nThe history of the Jews gives also the clearest proofs of the truth of\nprophecy.\n\nTo go no further than Moses, let us see how exactly his words have\nbeen accomplished in the sufferings of the Jews. His prophecies,\nfulfilled in part when the children of Israel and Judaea were carried\ninto captivity, also describe most truly the circumstances of the\nJews, since the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, A.D. 72, put a\nfinal end to their existence as a nation.\n\nMoses says, \"And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people from one\nend of the earth even to the other.\" In the sketch which has been\ngiven of the Jews, we have read of them as being found in all parts of\nthe known world.\n\nAgain, their condition, as described by Moses, \"Thou shalt only be\noppressed and spoiled evermore,\" exactly agrees with all that has\nbeen said of them. We have seen that, in the East as well as in the\nWest, they have been continually \"oppressed\" by the cruel laws and\nheavy taxes of the rulers of the various countries in which they\nsought refuge, as well as by the violence of the people, who have\nrepeatedly \"oppressed\" them in every way, robbed them, \"and spoiled\"\nthem of all their possessions. Again Moses says, \"The Lord will make\nthy plagues wonderful, even great plagues, and of long continuance.\"\nNo people have ever suffered so much as the Jews: their \"plagues,\" or\ncalamities, have indeed been wonderfully great, and of \"long\ncontinuance,\" carried on, as we have seen, with little intermission\nthrough 1,700 years.\n\nSome of the calamities inflicted upon the Jews were especially\nforetold; for instance, \"Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given\nunto another people\"; and \"Thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine\neyes which thou shalt see.\" We have read that the children of the\nunhappy Jews were cruelly taken from them by force, and \"given to\nanother people,\" to be educated as Christians. Their despair on this\nand other occasions, when they saw that their children were likely to\nfall into the hands of their enemies, drove them to madness; and in\ntheir frenzy and despair, they often destroyed their families and\nthemselves. They were indeed made \"mad,\" by the sight which their eyes\nhad seen.\n\nAgain Moses tells them, \"Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb\nand a by-word among all nations, whither the Lord shall lead thee.\"\nThe amazing sufferings of the Jews, and their existence through them;\ntheir obstinate attachment to their own religion; and the manner in\nwhich they have constantly believed in impostors declaring themselves\nto be the Messiah,--must ever be an \"astonishment\" to all who read\ntheir history: and, whether justly or unjustly, their avarice, usury,\nand hard-heartedness, _did_ everywhere become a \"proverb.\" Even now,\nif any person is peculiarly avaricious and miserly, it is not unusual\nto hear his neighbours say of him, \"Oh, he is quite a Jew,\"--meaning\nthat he has those bad qualities ascribed to the children of Israel. In\nshort, the name of Jew has been a \"by-word,\" or term of reproach,\nsignifying all that is bad; and the treatment of the poor creatures\nhas been in accordance with such notions. Then again, rulers have\nforced them to wear marks on their clothes, and have made their\ncondition as low and disgraceful as possible: the people have insulted\nand abused them, and treated them rather as brutes than as fellow\ncreatures. Pagans, Mahometans, and, sad to say, Christians also, have\nalike persecuted them; making their very name a \"proverb\" and a\n\"by-word,\" in every part of the world whither they have been\nscattered.\n\nThat any Jews should be left, after all that this persecuted race has\ngone through, must ever appear truly wonderful. They have, as we have\nread, been massacred by thousands, and exposed to privations and\nsufferings, which might have blotted out their name from the face of\nthe earth; yet they still exist. Let us once more refer to Moses, for\nthe reason of this wonderful circumstance. \"And yet...when they be\nin the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will\nI abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with\nthem: for I am the Lord their God.\"\n\nThese words, and these only, explain _why_ their unprecedented\nsufferings have, contrary to all human expectation, failed to\n\"_destroy_\" the Jews \"_utterly_.\"\n\nThe prophet Jeremiah also, in regard to the Jews, says, \"I am with\nthee, saith the Lord, to save thee; though I make a full end of all\nthe nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full\nend of thee.\" Since the Jews were first scattered amongst all nations,\ngreat changes have taken place amongst the kingdoms of the earth; old\nempires have been utterly destroyed, and new ones have risen in their\nplace; a \"full end\" has been made to many of the Eastern nations,\namongst whom the Jews were scattered; most, if not all, the nations of\nEurope have changed their masters, and become, as it were, new\nnations: but amidst all these changes, the race of Israel has ever\nremained a distinct people, a nation without a country, \"a homeless\nrace,\" clinging to the religion, laws, and customs of their\nforefathers.\n\nMany prophecies there are, pointing to great blessings still to come\nupon the Jews; and, as has been already said, they _will_ come as\nsurely as the miseries foretold, have done: _how_ and _when_ these\nthings will be, it is not for us to know, until the Lord shall perform\nhis work of mercy, and take His chosen people again into favour.\n\nMean time the exact fulfilment of prophecy, as shown by their history,\nhas ever been regarded as one of the strongest proofs of the truth of\nthe Christian religion: thus through the dispensation of the Almighty,\nthe Jews have been made the means of strengthening the faith of others\nin those blessed Gospel truths, which unhappily for themselves, they\nstill refuse to believe.\n\nIt only remains for us to pray for the conversion and salvation of the\nJews; and to ask God to pour out upon us the help of the Holy Spirit,\nthat we may so truly believe all the articles of the Christian faith,\nas to practise the duties which the Gospel sets before us, and act\nalways as the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose followers and\ndisciples we became at our baptism.\n\n\nLONDON: PRINTED BY E. J. FRANCIS, TOOK'S COURT, E.C.","title":"\"Granny's Chapters\" (on scriptural subjects): The New Testament, with a Sketch of the Subsequent History of the Jews.","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":195112}