,transcriber's ,note3 where oe appears  
it represents the ligature oe which     
cannot be represented in ,latin-#a      
characters4 a represents the letter ,a  
with a macron 7bar7 above4              
,,granny',s ,,chapters  7,,on           
,,scriptural ,,subjects7  ,,by  ,,lady  
,,mary ,,ross4  ,,the ,,new ,,testament1
  ,,with ,a ,,sketch ,,of ,,the         
,,subsequent ,,history ,,of ,,the       
,,jews4  ,,new ,,edition4  ,,london3    
,,hatchards1 ,,piccadilly4  #ahhb4      
,,preface ,,to ,,volume ,,iv4  ,the ,new
 ,testament has been treated in a manner
 somewhat different to that adopted in  
regard to the ,books of the ,old        
,testament4  ,the object has been1 to   
sketch out the earthly ,life of our     
,blessed ,lord1 and to draw attention to
 a few important points4  ,it was       
obviously impossible to dwell           
particularly upon the details of every  
,miracle1 ,parable1 and ,conversation1  
recorded by the ,evangelists4 ,nor was  
such a course necessary4  ,the language 

of the ,gospels is so simple and clear1 
that details are better read from ,holy 
,writ itself4  ,that this volume may    
lead the young to a reverent study of   
our ,saviour's character1 and an earnest
 endeavour to follow the blessed steps  
of ,his most ,holy ,life1 is the earnest
 prayer of the ,author4  ,,mary ,,ross4 
,november1 #ahga4     ,,part ,i4        
,chapter ,i4--,,john ,,the ,,baptist    
,,born4   ,we have now seen that the    
,sceptre had departed from ,judah4 ,the 
whole country was subject to the        
,romans1 who had appointed ,herod to    
govern it for them2 and the time was now
 come when the blessed promises1 that   
the seed of the woman should bruise the 
serpent's head1 and that in the seed of 
,abraham all nations of the earth should
 be blessed1 were to be fulfilled by the
 coming of the ,messiah1 the ,son of    
,god1 ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour and  
,redeemer2 born of a woman1 that thus   
being as ,man upon the earth1 ,he might 
suffer for man1 and make that atonement 

for man1 which ,he could only make      
because ,he was the ,son of ,god4       
,unless the ,messiah had been at once   
,god and ,man1 ,he could have been no   
,saviour for man2 no mediator between a 
holy ,god and ,his sinful creatures4    
,very soon after the death of ,herod's  
sons1 ,alexander and ,aristobulus1 the  
last princes of the ,asmonean family1   
the wonderful events related in the ,new
 ,testament began to take place4 ,no    
doubt we are all well acquainted with   
the story of the priest ,zacharias1 a   
good and holy man1 who1 whilst          
performing his duty in the house of     
,god1 saw an ,angel standing on the     
right side of the altar of incense4     
,zacharias was an old man1 and his wife 
,elisabeth was also an old woman1 and   
therefore when the ,angel told him that 
the ,lord would work as great a miracle 
as ,he had done in ,abraham's case1 and 
give a son to ,elisabeth1 as ,he had    
given ,isaac to ,sarah1 ,zacharias must 
indeed have been greatly astonished4    

,the ,angel moreover told ,zacharias1   
that this child1 whom ,god would give   
him1 was to be named ,john2 and that he 
should be in an especial manner guided  
and protected by the ,holy ,spirit1 for 
that he was to be the messenger spoken  
of by prophets1 as sent to prepare the  
way for the ,messiah1 and give notice of
 ,his coming4 ,such particulars should  
have overcome any doubts which          
,zacharias might at the first moment    
have felt2 but his faith failed him1 and
 therefore1 considering only the        
impossibility of such an event happening
 without the special interposition of   
the ,lord1 he1 guided by sight and not  
by faith1 presumed to ask for some sign1
 to assure him that what the ,angel     
spake would really come to pass4  ,this 
sinful unbelief was punished1 even      
whilst his faithless request was        
granted2 for ,zacharias immediately lost
 the power of speaking1 and remained    
speechless for many months3 but his     
unbelief was gone1 and he certainly made

 his wife ,elisabeth acquainted with the
 promises and directions spoken by the  
,angel4  ,about six months after this   
appearance of the ,angel ,gabriel to    
,zacharias1 ,he was sent from ,god1 unto
 a city of ,galilee1 named ,nazareth1 to
 a virgin espoused to a man whose name  
was ,joseph1 of the house of ,david2 and
 the virgin's name was ,mary4 ,the      
,angel told ,mary1 that she had been    
chosen by the ,almighty to be the mother
 of the promised ,messiah1 whose birth  
was to be a miracle2 inasmuch as ,he    
would have no earthly father1 but should
 be called the ,son of ,god4 ,gabriel   
also told ,mary1 that when she had      
brought forth her son1 she should call  
,his name ,jesus2 that is1 a ,saviour4  
,mary was greatly troubled when the     
,angel first spake to her1 and when she 
expressed her wonder and astonishment1  
,he comforted her1 and told her that her
 cousin ,elisabeth1 the wife of         
,zacharias1 was also about to become a  
mother2 adding1 ,for with ,god nothing  

shall be impossible4 ,mary's faith now  
showed itself1 and she said1 ,behold the
 handmaid of the ,lord2 be it unto me   
according to thy word4 ,meaning that she
 was willing to serve the ,lord in      
everything1 and suffer whatever might   
come upon her in consequence4 ,for1 as  
she had no husband whom she could name  
as the father of her ,child1 she was    
liable to punishment4 ,when ,joseph1 to 
whom ,mary was espoused1 or promised in 
marriage1 found that she would have a   
,son1 he was astonished1 and had some   
thoughts of putting her away from being 
his wife2 but being a just1 or good and 
kind man1 he meant to do this quietly   
and secretly1 or privily1 so as not to  
expose ,mary to blame or punishment4    
,but while he thought on these things1  
behold the ,angel of the ,lord appeared 
unto him in a dream1 and told him not to
 fear about taking ,mary to be his wife1
 for that the ,holy ,spirit had worked a
 great miracle1 and that ,mary was to be
 the mother of the promised ,messiah2   

and as the ,angel had said to ,mary     
herself1 so ,he now repeated to ,joseph1
 she shall bring forth a ,son1 and thou 
shalt call ,his name ,jesus2 for ,he    
shall save ,his people from their sins4 
,then all ,joseph's doubts and fears    
were at an end3 he did as the ,angel    
bade him1 and thus was looked upon by   
men as the father of ,mary's holy ,son1 
who had in truth no ,father but ,god4   
,the ,scripture tells us1 ,now all this 
was done1 that it might be fulfilled    
which was spoken of the ,lord by the    
prophet1 saying1 ,behold a virgin shall 
be with child1 and shall bring forth a  
son1 and they shall call his name       
,emmanuel2 which being interpreted is1  
,god with us4 ,that is1 ,god taking the 
form and nature of man2 living as man   
amongst men2 dying as man for men4      
,emmanuel--,god with us4  ,the next     
thing we read of is1 that ,mary arose   
and went into the hill country with     
haste1 into a city of ,judah where      
,zacharias dwelt1 that she might talk   

over with ,elisabeth all those wonderful
 things which the angel ,gabriel had    
said to her4 ,and she entered into the  
house of ,zacharias and saluted         
,elisabeth2 who1 under the guidance of  
the ,holy ,spirit1 spake out with a loud
 voice words that must have greatly     
comforted ,mary4 ,elisabeth told her1   
that she was blessed among women in     
being chosen for the mother of the      
,messiah1 and said1 ,whence is this to  
me1 that the mother of my ,lord should  
come to me8 meaning that she was not    
worthy of the honour of receiving in her
 house one who was to be the mother of  
the ,son of ,god4 ,elisabeth ended by   
commending ,mary for her faith and      
trust1 saying1 blessed is she that      
believed3 for there shall be a          
performance of those things which were  
told her from the ,lord4  ,mary now     
uttered that beautiful hymn of praise1  
beginning1 ,my soul doth magnify the    
,lord1 and my spirit hath rejoiced in   
,god my ,saviour4 ,a hymn familiar to us

 all1 as part of our ,liturgy1 or form  
of public worship1 used in our          
,churches4 ,this hymn1 called ,the      
,magnificat1 is said or sung after the  
first ,lesson in the ,evening ,service4 
,mary abode with her cousin for about   
three months1 and then returned to her  
own home1 at ,nazareth1 in ,galilee4    
,not long after ,mary's departure1 ,john
 the ,baptist was born2 ,elisabeth      
brought forth a son4 ,and her neighbours
 and her cousins heard how the ,lord had
 showed great mercy upon her2 and they  
rejoiced with her4 ,and it came to pass1
 that on the eighth day they came to    
circumcise the child1 and give him a    
name1 as amongst us is done in ,baptism2
 for ,baptism in the ,christian ,church1
 takes the place of ,circumcision in the
 ,jewish ,church4  ,when the friends of 
,zacharias wished to give the infant his
 father's name1 ,elisabeth spoke out at 
once1 and said1 ,he shall be called     
,john4 ,this surprised them so much1    
that they at once asked ,zacharias how  

he would have him called4 ,zacharias    
immediately1 by signs1 asked for a      
writing-table1 or rather for a tablet1  
upon which to write1 and then wrote     
down1 ,his name is ,john4 ,and they     
marvelled all4 ,they must have          
marvelled1 or wondered1 still more1 when
 suddenly ,zacharias recovered his power
 of speaking2 for his mouth was opened  
immediately1 and his tongue loosed1 and 
he spake and praised ,god4 ,now he could
 tell all that had happened to him1 and 
how his unbelief in the ,angel's promise
 had been punished by temporary         
dumbness4 ,and fear came on all that    
dwelt round about them3 and all these   
sayings were noised abroad throughout   
all the hill country of ,judaea3 and all
 they that heard these things laid them 
up in their hearts3 took notice of them1
 and remembered them1 saying1 ,what     
manner of child shall this be6 ,the     
extraordinary events connected with the 
birth of ,john1 made all men believe    
that a child so born must be intended to

 do great things during his lifetime4   
,zacharias1 inspired by the ,holy       
,spirit1 then uttered the hymn called   
,the ,benedictus1 sometimes said in our 
,churches after the second ,lesson in   
the ,morning ,service1 instead of the   
,psalm 7c471 ,jubilate ,deo1 also       
belonging to our ,liturgy4 ,in this     
hymn1 ,zacharias praised and blessed    
,god for the coming of the ,saviour2 and
 then1 addressing the unconscious infant
 ,john1 he foretold that he should be   
the messenger to prepare the way of the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and incline men to
 listen to1 and believe in1 ,him4  ,of  
,john's infancy and childhood we are    
told nothing1 except that he grew in    
body1 and waxed strong in spirit1 and   
that the hand of the ,lord was with him4
 ,and he was in the deserts till the day
 of his showing unto ,israel4 ,he passed
 a quiet and retired life1 until he was 
called upon to baptize the people1 and  
point to the ,son of ,mary as the ,son  
of ,god2 the ,lamb of ,god1 that taketh 

away the sin of the world4     ,chapter 
,,ii4--,,birth ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4   
,mary and her husband ,joseph lived at  
,nazareth1 a town in ,galilee not far   
from the lake of ,tiberias1 or ,sea of  
,galilee2 and the prophets had declared 
that the ,messiah should be born in     
,bethlehem of ,judah1 a small place to  
the ,south of ,jerusalem1 nearly a      
hundred miles from ,nazareth4 ,that     
,mary should take such a long journey to
 a strange place1 instead of staying    
quietly at home until her ,child was    
born1 was the most unlikely thing that  
could well be imagined4 ,here1          
therefore1 we again see how wonderfully 
the ,lord rules all things1 and makes   
use of people who know nothing of ,him1 
to do what ,he wills should be done4    
,god now made use of a heathen ,emperor1
 to accomplish ,his will1 that ,jesus   
,christ should be born in ,bethlehem4   
,the ,roman ,emperor ,augustus1 in order
 to know what taxes he could lay upon   
the different parts of his dominions1   

determined to take the number of the    
people who were subject to him2 and in  
order to do this1 he commanded that the 
name of every one should be written     
down4 ,as ,judaea was now under the     
dominion of the ,romans1 all the        
inhabitants of that country were obliged
 to put their names upon lists1 prepared
 for the purpose3 but all belonging to  
the same tribe or family were to go to  
one place1 so that many of the ,jews1   
who were scattered throughout the       
country1 had to travel a long way to the
 place appointed for the registering of 
their tribe4  ,amongst these were ,mary 
and ,joseph1 who were both of the house 
and lineage of ,david2 that is1 both    
were descended from ,david1 who was of  
the tribe of ,judah2 and therefore      
,bethlehem was the place in which they  
must appear before the ,roman officers1 
appointed to take down the names of all 
the people1 and register1 or make lists 
of them4 ,the commands of the ,roman    
,emperor were not to be disobeyed3 and  

,mary and ,joseph set out upon their    
long and fatiguing journey4 ,upon their 
arrival1 they found the place so full of
 people come upon the same business1    
that there was no room for them in the  
inn1 and they being poor1 and not able  
to pay for better accommodation1 were   
glad to lodge in a stable2 and here1 it 
pleased ,god1 that ,jesus ,christ1 the  
,lord of ,life1 the ,king of ,glory1    
should be born3 and ,mary brought forth 
her first-born son1 and wrapped him in  
swaddling clothes1 and laid him in a    
manger4  ,but though born in a stable1  
unnoticed and uncared for by men1 the   
,angels of ,god proclaimed the wonderful
 event to the ,shepherds1 keeping watch 
over their flocks by night4  ,at that   
time1 there was amongst the ,jews1 a    
general expectation that the ,messiah   
would soon appear upon earth3 those who 
believed all that ,god had made known by
 the prophets1 seeing that the sceptre1 
or kingly power1 had departed from      
,shiloh1 were daily looking for the     

fulfilment of the blessed promise1 and  
were ready to welcome the ,saviour under
 any circumstances3 of this number were 
the ,shepherds1 who1 when they had heard
 the good tidings of great joy1 at once 
followed the direction to go to         
,bethlehem3 and when they found all     
things there1 exactly as the ,angels had
 told them1 they at once believed1 and  
acknowledged the ,infant as their       
,saviour2 and made known abroad the     
saying which was told them concerning   
this ,child4 ,and all they that heard it
 wondered at those things which were    
told them of the ,shepherds4 ,they      
wondered2 but alas6 too many of them    
only wondered1 and did not believe4 ,the
 greater part of the ,jews at this time 
had forsaken their ,god1 and had become 
careless about pleasing ,him4 ,they     
expected a ,messiah1 but regardless of  
the prophets who had spoken such        
different things1 they had formed their 
own notions on the subject1 and looked  
for the ,messiah to come as a king or   

conqueror1 surrounded with pomp and     
splendour4 ,these men would not believe 
that a helpless infant1 born in a stable
 at ,bethlehem1 could be the ,son of    
,god1 the promised ,messiah1 ,who was to
 be the ,saviour of the world3 pride and
 unbelief led them to reject the ,lord1 
even from ,his birth4 ,mary1 who knew   
that her ,son was no common child1      
marked everything that happened2 she    
kept all these things1 and pondered1 or 
thought over them in her heart4  ,jesus 
,christ came not only to be a sacrifice 
for sin1 but also an example of godly   
life2 ,he was to fulfil all             
righteousness1 and therefore1 though ,he
 came to do away with the ceremonial    
,law1 and establish a better covenant1  
,he submitted to all the ,ordinances of 
the ,law1 just as if ,he had been a     
sinful mortal4  ,thus on the eighth day 
,he was circumcised1 and publicly       
received the name of ,jesus1 which had  
before been given to ,him by the ,angel 
,gabriel4 ,and again1 in obedience to   

the ,law1 the infant ,saviour was       
brought by ,his mother to ,jerusalem to 
present ,him to the ,lord4 ,we have     
heard before1 that among the children of
 ,israel1 the first-born child1 if a    
son1 was especially dedicated to the    
service of the ,lord2 though afterwards1
 the whole tribe of ,levi was taken1    
instead of the first-born of all        
,israel4 ,the same ,law ordained1 that  
after a certain time1 called the days of
 her ,purification1 every woman to whom 
,god had given a son or daughter1 should
 offer in sacrifice1 a young lamb and a 
turtledove or pigeon4 ,but if she was   
too poor to be able to bring a lamb1 she
 was allowed to bring two turtledoves or
 pigeons instead2 and this sacrifice    
,mary brought with her ,son1 into the   
temple4 ,then were fulfilled the        
prophecies1 that the ,lord should come  
suddenly into ,his temple2 and that the 
glory of the second temple should exceed
 that of the first4 ,at the             
,presentation of ,jesus ,christ in the  

temple1 a remarkable testimony to ,his  
being the promised ,messiah was given by
 the just and devout ,simeon1 to whom it
 had been made known by the ,holy       
,ghost1 that he should not die until ,he
 had seen the ,lord's ,christ4 ,full of 
faith1 this old man was waiting for the 
consolation of ,israel1 the ,messiah1   
,who was to save ,his people from their 
sins4 ,guided by the ,holy ,spirit1     
,simeon was in the temple when the      
,parents brought in the child ,jesus1 to
 do for ,him after the custom of the    
,law4 ,at once the ,holy ,spirit made   
known to the aged ,simeon1 that in this 
infant he beheld the ,saviour for whom  
he waited2 ,then took he him up in his  
arms1 and blessed ,god1 and said1 ,lord1
 now lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart  
in peace1 according to ,thy word2 for   
mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation1     
which ,thou hast prepared before the    
face of all people2 a light to lighten  
the ,gentiles1 and the glory of ,thy    
people ,israel4 ,we are told that       

,joseph and ,mary marvelled at those    
things which were spoken by ,simeon2 and
 we may be sure that ,mary treasured    
them up also in her heart1 and looked   
upon her infant ,son with reverence1 as 
well as love4 ,then ,simeon blessed     
,mary1 and warned her of future         
suffering4 ,another testimony to the    
divinity of ,jesus ,christ was then     
given by an aged widow1 who coming into 
the temple in that instant1 gave thanks 
likewise unto the ,lord1 and spake of   
him to all them that looked for         
redemption in ,jerusalem4 ,nor did these
 aged ,jews alone bear testimony to the 
,messiah4 ,the glorious light of the    
,shechinah1 the visible sign of the     
presence of ,god1 which had not been    
seen for many hundred years1 until it   
appeared surrounding the ,angels who    
proclaimed the birth of ,jesus to the   
,shepherds of ,bethlehem1 was not seen  
by them alone4 ,in far off countries1 it
 was seen as a remarkable star4 ,the    
inhabitants of ,chaldea1 part of the    

once famous ,babylonian ,empire1 were at
 this time very learned in ,astronomy3  
that is1 they studied the stars1 and the
 motions of the heavenly bodies4 ,they  
worshipped the sun1 because they thought
 that must be the best representation of
 the ,deity3 had they known the real    
true ,god1 the ,god of ,israel1 they    
would not have worshipped any of ,his   
works1 which ,he had created and made4  
,the wise and learned men of ,chaldea   
were called ,magi1 and many of them were
 princes and rulers in their various    
tribes4 ,some of these ,magi1 generally 
supposed to have been three1 7though the
 ,scripture says nothing as to their    
number17 saw a wonderful star shining in
 the direction of ,judaea4 ,they at once
 concluded that this star signified the 
birth of the king of the ,jews--and     
immediately they set off and travelled  
towards the land of ,judaea4 ,and when  
they reached ,jerusalem1 they enquired1 
,where is he that is born ,king of the  
,jews8 for we have seen his star in the 

,east1 and are come to worship him4     
,that is1 in the ,eastern land where    
they lived1 they had seen this star4    
,chapter ,,iii4--,,flight ,,into        
,,egypt4   ,to understand the question  
of the ,magi1 ,where is he that is born 
,king of the ,jews8 a few words of      
explanation may be useful4  ,the        
expectation of a coming ,messiah was not
 confined to the ,jews3 through the long
 captivity of the ,jews1 the writings of
 the prophets had become known          
throughout many lands1 and there was    
therefore at this time1 in all the      
countries of the ,east1 a general idea  
that a ,king would shortly be born in   
,judaea1 who should rule over all the   
world4 ,balaam1 who was well known in   
those countries of which we are         
speaking1 had said1 there shall come a  
star out of ,jacob1 and a sceptre shall 
arise out of ,israel2 hence it was      
generally believed1 that the appearance 
of some peculiar star in the ,heavens1  
would inform mankind of the birth of    

this mighty ,king4 ,the ,messiah1 we    
must recollect1 was promised to         
,gentiles as well as to ,jews2 and      
therefore all nations who had heard any 
of the prophecies concerning ,him1      
expected some benefit from the birth of 
this wonderful ,being4 ,under such      
circumstances1 we can easily imagine    
that the ,magi1 who paid such attention 
to the stars in general1 should eagerly 
watch for the appearance of one1 which  
was to announce1 that the               
long-looked-for ,king was born in       
,judaea4 ,hence1 when from their home in
 the ,east1 they beheld the glorious    
light of the ,shechinah1 shining in the 
direction of the land of ,judaea1 they  
felt no doubt as to its meaning2 and    
without hesitation1 they at once set off
 on their long journey1 to worship and  
do honour to the new-born ,king4 ,the   
star had disappeared2 but the prophets  
had so plainly pointed out the land of  
,judaea as the birthplace of the        
,messiah1 that the ,magi fearlessly and 

confidently journeyed on to that        
country4 ,when at length they reached   
it1 they naturally expected that so     
wonderful an event would be well known  
to all the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1   
and that they should have no difficulty 
in finding the abode of this glorious   
,child2 therefore1 as soon as they      
arrived in the city1 they asked1 ,where 
is he that is born ,king of the ,jews8  
for we have seen his star in the ,east1 
and are come to worship him4 ,when      
,herod the ,king had heard these words  
he was troubled1 and all ,jerusalem with
 him4  ,the birth of ,jesus ,christ made
 known by ,angels to the ,shepherds1 and
 by them made known abroad among their  
neighbours and friends1 the humble of   
the land1 does not seem to have been    
noticed by the rulers and ,priests      
living at ,jerusalem4 ,their own        
,scriptures taught them that the        
,messiah was to come2 and they expected 
that ,his birth would be immediately    
followed by ,revolts and ,wars1         

,earthquakes1 ,famine and ,plague2      
therefore they might well be troubled1  
when they heard ,he was actually come2  
though1 if they had rightly believed and
 understood the great blessing ,he was  
to bring to mankind1 they would have    
rejoiced at ,his coming1 and thought all
 temporal sufferings easy to be borne   
for ,his sake4  ,herod was troubled2 for
 though he was now an old man1 and not  
likely to live till a new-born ,infant  
should grow up1 yet he did not like the 
idea of another king to interfere with  
him3 he did not understand the nature of
 the ,messiah's kingdom1 and thought    
only of a king who would govern the     
country and the people1 make laws1 and  
impose taxes2 he had no idea of a ,king 
who was to reign over the hearts of men 
on earth1 and finally receive them into 
,his kingdom in heaven4  ,herod's       
behaviour on this occasion showed a     
strange mixture of belief and unbelief4 
,in common with the ,jews in general1 he
 believed that the ,messiah was to come2

 and he evidently believed that the     
,child1 whose birth had been made known 
by the star1 was indeed the ,christ4 ,he
 therefore called together the wise and 
learned men1 well acquainted with the   
,scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 and 
asked them where the ,messiah should be 
born4 ,the chief priests and ,scribes at
 once declared that ,bethlehem was      
pointed out by the prophets as the      
birthplace of ,messiah2 thus giving     
another proof1 that the ,infant just    
born in that place1 was the promised    
,messiah4 ,so far ,herod believed2 but  
now his unbelief was shown by his       
fancying for one moment1 that if this   
,child really was the ,messiah1 he could
 kill him1 and so frustrate the purpose 
for which he was sent by ,god4  ,it     
seems strange that any one believing as 
,herod did1 that the ,infant whom the   
,magi were seeking was really the       
,messiah1 should have thought it        
possible to fight against ,god1 and     
destroy ,his ,anointed3 but so it was4  

,herod1 under pretence of wishing to go 
himself and worship the ,king of the    
,jews1 begged the ,magi to come and     
bring him word when they had found the  
young ,child2 and he also asked them    
particularly about the time at which the
 star had first appeared1 that he might 
know what would be the age of the ,babe1
 whom he was determined to destroy4 ,the
 wise men1 or ,magi1 departed1 and      
though they had received no clear       
directions from the inhabitants of      
,jerusalem1 better help was at hand3 the
 star which they had seen in the ,east1 
now appeared to them again1 and even    
moved on before them3 when they saw the 
star1 they rejoiced with exceeding great
 joy1 and followed it1 until it came and
 stood over the stable where the young  
child was4 ,and when they were come into
 the house1 they saw the young child    
with ,mary his mother1 and fell down and
 worshipped him3 at once they           
acknowledged him to be something more   
than an earthly king--a ,being entitled 

to worship4 ,then they gave such        
presents as were given to kings4 ,it was
 the custom in the ,east1 where presents
 were so much given1 to proportion their
 value to the rank and station of those 
to whom the gift was offered4 ,mary and 
,joseph were poor and in a humble rank  
of life1 and to their infant1 therefore1
 flowers or fruit1 or something of      
little value1 would have been a         
sufficient gift4 ,but in the ,son of    
,mary1 the ,magi acknowledged the       
long-promised ,messiah2 and to ,him they
 gave the most valuable gifts1 suitable 
for a ,king to receive3 when they had   
opened their treasures1 they presented  
unto ,him gifts2 gold1 and frankincense1
 and myrrh4 ,thus the ,lord provided    
,joseph with the means for taking proper
 care of the young child and his mother4
 ,at ,bethlehem1 the place of his birth1
 ,jesus had now been worshipped as a    
,king1 both by ,jews and ,gentiles2 thus
 fulfilling prophecy1 and showing that  
the ,messiah was to be the ,saviour of  

,gentiles1 as well as ,jews4 ,our       
,church has appointed a day1 to be      
observed in remembrance of this first   
showing1 or manifestation1 of ,christ to
 the ,gentiles4 ,in common talk we call 
this day ,twelfth ,day1 and the custom  
of drawing for ,king and ,queen is very 
old1 and is founded upon the visit of   
the ,magi1 or kings of the ,east to     
,bethlehem4 ,the name by which ,twelfth 
,day is distinguished in our            
,prayer-,book is the ,epiphany1 a word  
which means manifestation or            
showing--the manifestation of ,jesus    
,christ to the ,gentiles4  ,the wise    
men1 not suspecting ,herod's wicked     
purpose1 would no doubt have gone back  
to him as he desired1 but being warned  
of ,god in a dream not to return to     
,jerusalem1 they departed into their    
country another way4  ,after the        
departure of the ,magi1 the ,lord1 ,who 
knows the secrets of all hearts1 warned 
,joseph in a dream1 that ,herod would   
seek the young child to destroy him4 ,in

 obedience to the command then given to 
him1 ,joseph arose1 and took the young  
child and his mother by night1 and      
departed into ,egypt2 thus fulfilling a 
prophecy which had spoken of that       
country1 as the place where the ,messiah
 should for a time dwell4 ,at this time1
 a great many ,jewish families lived in 
,egypt1 and supported themselves by     
their own industry3 there were so many  
of them1 that they divided themselves   
into companies1 according to their      
trades or occupations3 there was a      
company of silversmiths1 who            
manufactured articles of gold and       
silver1 set jewels1 and made ornaments  
to be worn2 there was another company of
 weavers1 who wove threads of flax and  
silk1 into linen and silk of which      
garments were made2 and so on4 ,in      
short1 every trade had its own company2 
so that if a poor ,jew came into any    
city inhabited by his fellow countrymen1
 he always knew where to find those who 
carried on the trade which he had       

learned3 then he could join them at     
once1 and so find work1 and earn a      
maintenance for himself and family4     
,perhaps ,joseph joined one of these    
companies of his countrymen2 but the    
presents given by the ,magi1 would for a
 long time supply him with all that he  
needed4     ,chapter ,,iv4--,,the       
,,innocents4   ,herod anxiously expected
 the return of the wise men1 with full  
information as to where he might find   
the infant ,king of the ,jews3 but1 as  
day after day passed and they came not1 
he saw that they did not mean to do his 
bidding4 ,then was ,herod exceeding     
wroth1 and sent forth his soldiers1 and 
slew all the children that were in      
,bethlehem1 and in all the coasts       
thereof1--that is1 in the neighbouring  
parts of the country1--from two years   
old and under1 according to the time    
which he had diligently enquired of the 
wise men4 ,as much less than two years  
had passed1 since the wise men saw the  
star which heralded the birth of the    

,messiah1 ,herod made sure that1 by     
killing all the little boys under that  
age1 he should destroy the infant ,king 
of the ,jews1 and so rid himself of any 
further anxiety4  ,terrible was the     
distress and mourning amongst the poor  
,mothers1 who saw their infants torn    
from their arms and murdered6 but their 
dear babes were safe2 taken from the    
dangers and troubles of this world1 to  
be for ever happy in the presence of    
,god3 for they are without fault before 
the throne of ,god4  ,our ,church sets  
apart three days1 immediately after     
,christmas ,day1 in remembrance of three
 classes of ,martyrs4 ,a ,martyr is one 
who suffers in the cause of duty1 and   
will die rather than give way3 those who
 thus suffered for ,christ1 and would   
die rather than offend or forsake ,him1 
are called ,martyrs4 ,the ,innocents1 as
 the murdered babes of ,bethlehem are   
called1 suffered death for ,jesus's     
sake2 but1 of course1 they had no will  
in the matter2 they were too young3     

these were the first ,martyrs4  ,the day
 after ,christmas ,day is called ,st4   
,john the ,evangelist's ,day3 ,st4 ,john
 was1 when ,jesus grew up1 one of ,his  
disciples3 he dearly loved his ,master1 
and was ready to die for ,him1 but he   
was not called upon to give up his life1
 though he suffered much for ,jesus's   
sake4 ,the day following ,st4 ,john's   
,day1 is called ,st4 ,stephen's ,day3   
,st4 ,stephen was the first who         
willingly gave up his life for the sake 
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,thus we have three  
classes of ,martyrs commemorated in our 
,church3 ,martyrs in ,deed only--the    
,innocents2 ,martyrs in ,will only--,st4
 ,john2 ,martyrs in ,will and in        
,deed--,st4 ,stephen4  ,but to return to
 our history4 ,herod was guilty of a    
great sin2 and1 in spite of all his     
wickedness1 the ,child ,jesus lived and 
was safe4  ,it is said that ,antipater1 
who had caused the death of ,mariamne's 
sons1 advised his father to slay the    
infants of ,bethlehem4 ,antipater was a 

bad man1 and1 as he was very anxious to 
be ,king of ,judaea whenever ,herod     
should die1 he wished to destroy one who
 might1 as he feared1 dispute the       
kingdom with him3 no doubt he rejoiced  
when the cruel deed was done1 concluding
 that ,jesus had perished1 and that he  
was now sure of the throne3 but he was  
disappointed2 for very shortly          
afterwards he in some way displeased his
 father1 who at once caused him to be   
put to death4 ,it is dreadful to think  
of the numbers of persons killed by     
,herod's orders1 but ,antipater was the 
last2 for five days afterwards ,herod   
himself died4  ,this ,herod1 called     
,herod the ,great1 left four sons       
living--,archelaus1 ,herod ,antipas1    
,philip1 and ,herod ,philip4 ,there are 
three other ,herods also mentioned in   
,scripture--,herod ,agrippa1 and his    
brother1 also called ,herod1 who were   
sons of ,aristobulus1 and consequently  
grandsons of ,herod the ,great2 and1    
afterwards1 a son of ,herod ,agrippa1   

called by the same names as his father1 
,herod ,agrippa4 ,as it is difficult    
always to know which ,herod is spoken   
of1 the ,table below will be useful to  
refer to4                               
#a4                                     
,herod the ,great4                      
--------------------------------------- 
#b4                        #c4          
,herod ,antipas4            ,herod      
,philip4                          ,sons 
of ,aristobulus4                        
------------------          #d4         
#e4     ,herod ,agrippa4         ,herod4
                       #f4     ,herod   
,agrippa4  ,after the death of ,herod   
the ,great1 ,archelaus became governor  
of the provinces of ,judaea and         
,samaria1 and ,herod ,antipas ruled over
 the province of ,galilee1 under the    
title of ,tetrarch3 but upon this       
subject we must say a little more before
 we go on with the history of ,jesus    
,christ4  ,when ,herod died1 he left a  
,will1 in which he declared his wish1   

that his son ,archelaus should be king  
over the greatest part of his dominions3
 but as the whole kingdom was subject to
 the ,romans1 this could not be done    
without the ,emperor's leave4 ,before   
,archelaus could go to ,home to ask this
 permission1 there was a great          
disturbance amongst the ,jews in        
,jerusalem1 in consequence of ,archelaus
 refusing to grant some request3 they   
assembled in great numbers in the       
,courts of the ,temple1 and behaved in  
such a riotous and disorderly manner1   
that ,archelaus ordered his soldiers to 
attack them1 and #c1jjj men are said to 
have been killed on this occasion2 a    
piece of cruelty which probably         
disinclined the ,emperor ,augustus to   
give ,archelaus as much power as his    
father ,herod the ,great had had2 at any
 rate1 ,archelaus only succeeded in     
being made ,governor of ,judaea and     
,samaria1 with the promise1 that if he  
acted so as to give the ,emperor        
satisfaction1 he should have the title  

of ,king3 but instead of obtaining this1
 he behaved so ill1 that a few years    
afterwards he was deprived of all power1
 and banished to a city in ,gaul1 where 
he died4  ,returning to the history of  
our blessed ,lord1 we find that after   
the death of ,antipater and ,herod1 the 
,angel appeared to ,joseph in ,egypt1   
saying1 ,arise1 and take the young child
 and his mother1 and go into the land of
 ,israel1 for they are dead which sought
 the young child's life4 ,the ,angel did
 not name any particular place for the  
young ,child to go to1 but the ,messiah 
was not to stay long out of the ,holy   
,land1 given to ,abraham and his        
descendants1 as a heritage for ever4    
,when ,joseph1 with ,mary and the holy  
,child1 got back into the land of       
,israel1 he found that ,archelaus       
reigned in the room of his father2 that 
is1 he was ,governor of ,judaea2 fearing
 his cruelty1 he was afraid to take the 
young ,child and his mother there1 and  
the ,lord1 by means of a dream1 warned  

him to go into the land of ,galilee1    
which was under the government of ,herod
 ,antipas4  ,joseph in consequence made 
choice of ,nazareth in ,galilee as a    
dwelling-place1 and there the ,lord     
,jesus ,christ lived till he grew up to 
be a ,man1 and was ready to begin the   
work which ,he came into the world to   
do4 ,during all these years1 up to the  
time when ,jesus was thirty years old1  
we are told nothing of what ,he did1    
except ,his questioning the priests in  
the temple1 when ,he was twelve years   
old4 ,twelve was the age appointed for  
the young ,jews to begin to keep the    
,feasts and ,fasts prescribed by their  
,law2 and accordingly1 ,jesus1 who came 
to fulfil all righteousness1 accompanied
 ,mary and ,joseph to ,jerusalem on this
 occasion3 but after all the ceremonies 
had been observed1 ,he1 unknown to them1
 remained behind1 and going into the    
temple astonished the priests and       
learned men by ,his questions1 ,his     
knowledge of the ,scriptures1 and the   

way in which ,he spake3 no wonder that  
all who looked upon ,him merely as a    
human being1 should be astonished4 ,when
 ,mary missed her ,son1 she and ,joseph 
returned to ,jerusalem1 where after     
three days they found ,him in the       
temple1 sitting in the midst of the     
doctors1 both hearing them and asking   
them questions4 ,to ,his mother's gentle
 rebuke1 ,son1 why hast thou thus dealt 
with us8 the holy ,child made that      
answer at once referring to ,his divine 
nature1 and to the work for which ,he   
had left ,his ,father's kingdom1 ,wist  
ye not that ,i must be about my         
,father's business8 ,they understood not
 fully then ,his meaning2 but ,mary kept
 all these sayings in her heart4  ,but  
,jesus had now done all that was to be  
done for many years1 as to ,his great   
work2 and therefore1 though ,he knew    
,himself to be the ,son of ,god1 ,he    
submitted to ,his earthly parents3 ,he  
went down with them1 and came to        
,nazareth1 and was subject unto         

them--thus in ,his first work1 setting  
us the great example of obedience to    
parents--an example which all of us must
 carefully and cheerfully copy4 ,no sin1
 not even the least approach to it1 was 
found in ,him3 one act of disobedience  
would have prevented ,his making        
atonement for us4 ,and this perfect     
,being so loved us1 ,his sinful         
creatures1 as to die for us3 let us love
 ,him2 and show our love by trying to   
copy ,his example in all things2        
beginning with obedience to our         
,parents1 and all whom they set over us4
     ,chapter ,v4--,,baptism ,,of       
,,jesus4   ,how gladly should we all    
learn something of our ,saviour's early 
life2 of ,his childhood2 of the pursuits
 of ,his youth and manhood6 ,but these  
things are hidden from us1 and whatever 
legends may exist respecting such       
matters1 we must remember that          
,scripture has not revealed to us any   
knowledge of these things4 ,for the     
eighteen years following ,his           

questioning the learned men in the      
temple1 one entry suffices--,and ,jesus 
increased in wisdom and stature1 and in 
favour with ,god and man4 ,as partaking 
of the human nature1 ,his body grew     
gradually to its full size and strength1
 enduring1 no doubt1 pain and sickness1 
so inseparable from mortality3 in this1 
all who are born into the world follow  
,his example1 whether they will or no2  
but are all careful to increase in      
wisdom1 and in favour with ,god and man8
 ,and yet this is what all may do4      
,these words again set the ,saviour     
before us1 as an example to be          
diligently followed3 by prayer and study
 of the ,scriptures1 we shall obtain    
from ,god1 that heavenly wisdom which   
will make us wise unto salvation2 that  
practical wisdom1 by which we shall walk
 daily in a manner pleasing to ,god2 so 
shall we1 day by day1 grow in favour    
with our heavenly ,father1 and with all 
men whose approbation and favour is     
worth securing4  ,of ,john the          

,baptist's early life we have not even  
one glimpse afforded us1 beyond the     
notice that the child grew1 and waxed   
strong in the spirit1 and was in the    
deserts till the day of his showing unto
 ,israel4 ,in silence and solitude was  
the wonderful son of ,zacharias prepared
 for his work3 the ,spirit of the ,lord 
was upon him1 and under its blessed     
influence he became strong to do1 and   
suffer4  ,for thirty years did the ,sons
 of ,mary and of ,elisabeth wait        
patiently1 unnoticed1 till the time came
 when they were to enter on the work    
appointed for each4 ,at that time1      
,herod ,antipas 7one of the sons of     
,herod the ,great7 was tetrarch or      
governor of ,galilee1 while his brother 
,philip was tetrarch of ,ituraea1 and of
 other parts of the country lying to the
 ,east of the ,sea of ,galilee and the  
river ,jordan4  ,archelaus1 as we have  
already said1 had for his misconduct    
been banished by the ,romans into ,gaul1
 and the province of ,judaea was        

governed by a ,roman1 called ,pontius   
,pilate4 ,augustus ,caesar1 who was the 
,emperor of ,rome when ,jesus ,christ   
was born1 died when our ,lord was about 
fourteen years old2 and another         
,emperor1 called ,tiberius ,caesar1     
ruled over the vast possessions of the  
,romans1 when ,jesus and ,his forerunner
 ,john the ,baptist1 entered upon their 
public ministry4  ,the ,bible tells us1 
that at this time ,annas and ,caiaphas  
were high priests3 by the ,law of       
,moses1 the ,jews could only have one   
high priest at a time1 and when once    
appointed1 he continued to hold that    
high office as long as he lived2 but    
when the ,romans took possession of the 
,holy ,land1 they appointed the high    
priest at their pleasure--often         
depriving one of the office1 in order to
 bestow it upon another4 ,annas was high
 priest for eleven years1 and then the  
,roman ,governor deprived him of the    
office1 and made ,caiaphas1 who had     
married the daughter of ,annas1 high    

priest in the place of his              
father-in-law4  ,according to the will  
of the ,romans1 therefore1 ,caiaphas was
 actually high priest at this time2     
though1 according to the ,law of ,moses1
 he had no right to be so1 as long as   
,annas was alive4 ,no doubt the more    
devout ,jews1 who wished to keep their  
,law1 looked upon ,annas as their high  
priest2 whilst those who were careless  
and indifferent1 and wished rather to   
please the ,romans1 acknowledged        
,caiaphas3 for this reason ,st4 ,luke   
speaks of them both as high priests4    
,we must remember that ,john was born a 
few months before ,jesus1 to go before  
the face of the ,lord to prepare his    
ways1 consequently he was the first to  
appear in public4 ,he went first as a   
,messenger1 to prepare the people to    
listen to the ,messiah3 ,john came1 and 
called upon all men to repent of their  
sins and wickedness1 to leave off doing 
wrong1 and to do such things as ,god    
commanded them to do4 ,john also invited

 the people to be baptized4 ,baptism was
 a rite or ceremony in use amongst the  
,jews before this time1 by way of       
admitting strangers into their ,church3 
for instance1 if any ,gentiles wished to
 join the ,jews1 and worship ,god as    
they did1 they were baptized1 or washed 
with ,water2 and after this ceremony1   
they were looked upon as new creatures1 
fit to be admitted into the ,jewish     
,church4  ,the ,jews1 by baptizing the  
heathen1 admitted them into their       
,church1 into a new religion2 ,john     
called upon the ,jews to be baptized1   
because they were to change their       
religion1 and become members of a       
,church1 which should have ,christ for  
her head4 ,the ,jews baptized persons   
who1 according to their ,law1 were      
unclean1 in order to purify them2 but   
,john called upon those1 who according  
to the ,law were clean already1 to come 
to him and be baptized1 in order to     
show1 that all who would belong to      
,christ must purify their hearts1 and   

obey the spirit as well as the letter of
 all the commandments4  ,this           
distinction between the letter and the  
spirit of any commandment1 must be      
carefully and constantly borne in mind1 
by every ,christian4  ,for example1 the 
,sixth ,commandment says1 ,thou shalt do
 no murder2 therefore all1 who do not   
actually kill a fellow creature1 may be 
said to obey the letter1 or exact words1
 of this commandment2 but to obey the   
spirit1 we must never do anything       
wilfully to hurt our neighbour in any   
way2 we must1 on the contrary1 do all   
the good we possibly can to our fellow  
creatures4  ,to make this plainer1      
suppose a mother to say to her children1
 ,you may go out1 but it is so hot that 
you must not run about3 the children go 
out1 and then amuse themselves by       
jumping--they have obeyed the letter of 
their mother's commands1 for they did   
not run1 but they have broken the       
spirit--she wished them not to heat     
themselves1--that was the spirit and    

meaning of the precept2 and that they   
have broken1 just as much as if they had
 run about4  ,the ,jews must have well  
understood1 that when ,john the ,baptist
 called upon them to be baptized as if  
they were unclean1 he meant to show them
 that the ,messiah required men to be   
holy1 far beyond what they then were2   
and great numbers of the people listened
 to his teaching1 and went out unto him1
 and were baptized of him in the river  
,jordan1 confessing their sins4  ,and it
 came to pass in those days1 that ,jesus
 came from ,nazareth of ,galilee to     
,jordan unto ,john to be baptized of    
him4 ,but ,john forbad him1 saying1 ,i  
have need to be baptized of ,thee1 and  
comest ,thou to me8 ,and ,jesus         
answering said unto him1 ,suffer it to  
be so now3 for thus it becometh us to   
fulfil all righteousness4 ,then he      
suffered him4 ,john spake of the baptism
 administered by him1 as the baptism of 
repentance for the remission of sins2   
meaning that those who repented and were

 baptized1 would have their sins        
forgiven and done away with1 so that    
they would no longer be looked upon as  
guilty4 ,john knew that ,jesus was      
perfectly holy1 and had no need of the  
baptism of repentance1 so necessary for 
mere mortals4 ,john had also told those 
who came to him to be baptized with     
water unto repentance1 that they still  
needed another baptism from the ,son of 
,god2 even the gift of the ,holy        
,spirit1 without which no man could     
please the ,lord4 ,he told them1 there  
cometh one mightier than ,i after me1   
whose shoes ,i am not worthy to         
bear1--the latchet of whose shoes ,i am 
not worthy to unloose1--,he shall       
baptize you with the ,holy ,ghost4  ,in 
,eastern countries1 the visitors to     
princes and great men1 took off their   
shoes1 that is1 the sandals or slippers 
worn upon the feet1 and left them at the
 door1 whilst they went barefooted into 
the presence of the prince4 ,the        
fastenings or latchets of these shoes   

were often undone by a slave1 who also  
held the shoes till his master again    
required them4 ,thus to unfasten or bear
 the shoes of another1 signified being  
his servant1 ready to do any service    
that might be required4 ,john therefore 
meant1 that ,he who was to come after   
him was so greatly his superior1 that he
 7,john7 was not worthy even to do for  
,him the lowest offices required from a 
slave4 ,no wonder that with such        
feelings1 ,john objected to ,jesus being
 baptized by him1 who was in every      
respect so far ,his inferior2 and who1  
like all other human beings1 had need of
 the ,holy ,spirit which ,god alone     
could give4  ,but amongst the ,jews1    
those who were admitted to perform the  
office of ,priest were always anointed  
and baptized2 and1 as ,jesus came to be 
our great ,high ,priest1 it was         
necessary that ,he should observe this  
form1 as ,he had undergone the rite of  
circumcision4 ,he came to fulfil all    
righteousness1 to do all that was right1

 and then to suffer punishment1 as if   
,he had been sinful instead of sinless4 
,to make atonement for the sin of man1  
it was necessary that ,he ,who made it1 
should obey and fulfil perfectly the    
whole ,will of ,god1 and then suffer1   
the just for the unjust4 ,only so could 
atonement be made3 this ,jesus explained
 to ,john1 and then the ,baptist no     
longer hesitated to baptize with water  
the sinless ,son of ,god4     ,chapter  
,,vi4--,,jesus ,,tempted ,,of ,,the     
,,devil   ,and ,jesus1 when he was      
baptized1 went up straightway out of the
 water3 and1 lo1 the heavens were opened
 unto him1 and he saw the ,spirit of    
,god descending like a dove1 and        
lighting upon him3 and1 lo1 a voice from
 heaven1 saying1 ,this is my beloved    
,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,the  
,three ,persons in the ,holy ,trinity   
were thus at once made manifest1 or     
shown to ,john the ,baptist3 before     
,him1 under the form of ,man1 stood ,god
 the ,son3 ,god the ,holy ,ghost came   

down from heaven in a bodily form1 with 
a gentle motion like that of a dove1 and
 rested upon the ,son of ,god3 ,god the 
,father was not made visible to the     
eyes1 but ,his voice was heard1         
declaring ,jesus to be ,his ,son1 the   
promised ,messiah1 the ,saviour of the  
world4  ,after ,his baptism1 ,jesus was1
 by the appointment of ,his ,father1 led
 by the ,holy ,spirit into the          
wilderness to be tempted of the ,devil4 
,it was necessary that ,jesus should    
gain a victory over the great enemy of  
mankind1 and show that the ,devil had no
 power to lead ,him to do evil4 ,since  
,adam fell1 no human being had ever so  
completely resisted the ,devil as to    
deserve the favour of ,god2 thus no one 
had ever earned eternal life even for   
himself4 ,jesus came to make atonement  
for the sin of countless millions3 but  
,he could not have made satisfaction for
 the sins of others1 if ,he had in the  
least thing given way to the ,devil4    
,therefore ,he must fight and conquer1  

or the work which ,he came to do must   
have remained for ever undone4  ,in     
,scripture1 ,jesus ,christ is called the
 second ,adam3 the first ,adam is of the
 earth1 earthy1 the last ,adam is the   
,lord from heaven4 ,the first ,adam was 
created holy and good1 but he was       
tempted by the ,devil and sinned2 so by 
the disobedience of one man came death1 
for in ,adam all die4 ,all who bear the 
same nature1 must share the punishment  
due to that sinful nature4 ,but the     
,holy and ,eternal ,son of ,god took    
upon ,himself the human nature of man1  
and became subject to the like          
infirmities1 but without sin4 ,thus was 
atonement made--in ,christ shall all1   
who give themselves to ,him1 be made    
alive3 thus by man came also the        
resurrection of the dead4 ,the ,devil   
exerted all his power to lead ,jesus to 
do something which would displease ,god1
 and destroy the blessed work of        
redemption4 ,taking advantage of ,jesus 
being hungry and faint after long       

fasting1 the ,devil gently proposed that
 ,he should turn some stones into bread1
 and thus at the same time supply ,his  
own wants1 and give a convincing proof  
that ,he was indeed the ,son of ,god1 as
 ,he had been just declared to be4  ,we 
are ready enough to take any excuse for 
doing what we wish to do2 and by this   
means we often fall into the snare which
 ,satan so cleverly spreads for us4 ,but
 ,jesus thought of nothing but how to do
 the ,will of ,his ,father completely   
and entirely4 ,he had been led into the 
wilderness by the ,spirit of ,god1 and  
it was the ,will of ,his heavenly       
,father that ,he should now be          
enhungered4 ,jesus was therefore        
determined to leave the matter entirely 
in the hands of ,god4 ,this is what we  
should all do1 rather than try to help  
ourselves by doing anything that we fear
 may displease ,god4  ,satan next wanted
 ,jesus to throw ,himself down from the 
roof of the temple into the court below1
 where the people were assembled1 and   

thus show them at once that ,he was the 
promised ,messiah1 the ,son of ,god1 of 
whom ,david had written1 ,god shall give
 ,his angels charge over thee1 to keep  
thee2 and in their hands they shall bear
 thee up1 lest at any time thou dash thy
 foot against a stone4 ,but ,jesus1     
still bent upon doing ,his ,father's    
will1 answered from ,scripture1 ,it is  
said1 ,thou shalt not tempt the ,lord   
thy ,god1 meaning that no one must run  
into unnecessary danger1 to try whether 
,god will preserve him3 this is tempting
 ,providence1 and is sinful4 ,to do our 
duty in spite of danger is trusting     
,god1 and is right3 but to run into     
danger just to please ourselves1        
expecting that ,god will preserve us1 is
 presumptuous and sinful4  ,satan made a
 last attempt to get ,jesus to bow down 
to him1 by promising to give ,him power 
over all the kingdoms of the world2 but 
,jesus was content to have only what    
,god saw fit to give ,him1 and replied1 
,get thee hence1 ,satan3 for it is      

written1 ,thou shalt worship the ,lord  
thy ,god1 and ,him only shalt thou      
serve4  ,the battle was over2 the       
victory was gained3 as ,man1 ,jesus had 
been tempted2 as ,man1 ,he had resisted 
the ,devil4 ,he had fought and          
conquered1 and thus could go on with    
,his blessed work1 which ,he never could
 have accomplished1 had ,he at this1 or 
any other time1 given way in the least  
degree to the ,devil4 ,for the first    
time since the ,creation1 ,satan found  
himself defeated3 against our blessed   
,saviour he could not prevail1 as he had
 done against ,adam and his descendants2
 ,he departed therefore3 we are told1   
,then the ,devil leaveth ,him1 and1     
behold1 angels came and ministered unto 
,him4 ,the ,father sent ,his ,angels to 
minister to ,his ,son2 that is1 to serve
 ,him2 to supply those wants to which1  
as ,man1 ,he was subject4 ,no doubt they
 brought ,him food of which ,his human  
nature stood greatly in need4  ,we have 
seen how ,jesus resisted the ,devil2    

each time using the very words of       
,scripture1 which forbade ,him to do as 
the ,tempter proposed4 ,the ,devil is   
constantly tempting every human being to
 sin1 by suggesting that they had better
 follow their own wishes and            
inclinations1 instead of denying        
themselves1 and trying in all things to 
please ,god4 ,we should therefore bear  
in mind1 that we possess the same       
,scriptures1 and far more2 since we have
 now our ,saviour's own words whilst ,he
 was upon earth1 and also the letters of
 ,his ,apostles3 and then1 when we are  
tempted to do what is wrong1 let us     
remember what the ,scriptures say1 and  
obey that1 instead of following our own 
wills4 ,the young are never too young to
 begin to resist the ,devil1 who has    
temptations suited to every age and     
condition3 if you feel disinclined to   
obey your ,parents cheerfully1 remember 
that the ,bible says1 ,children obey    
your ,parents in all things3 let all    
inclination to dispute with one another 

be driven away by the recollection of   
the precept1 ,be ye kind one to another4
  ,the direction1 ,speak every man truth
 with his neighbour1 should strengthen  
you to resist every temptation to hide a
 fault1 by saying what is not true1 or  
even by keeping silence1 or doing       
anything to deceive another4 ,the fault 
into which so many young people fall1 of
 being idle and careless about their    
lessons1 would best be checked by       
calling to mind the precepts1 ,be not   
slothful in business1 and ,whatsoever ye
 do1 do it heartily as unto the ,lord4  
,these1 and many like precepts1 warn us 
to conquer faults of which we are apt to
 think too lightly2 not seeing that they
 are temptations set before us by the   
,devil1 who strives to destroy our      
souls4 ,but it is also written1 ,resist 
the ,devil1 and he will flee from you4  
,begin at once to resist him with all   
your strength--struggle against your own
 will and inclinations1 which will too  
often incline you to yield to his       

suggestions4 ,fight manfully as long as 
you live upon earth2 praying always for 
help from ,god1 without ,whom ye can do 
nothing4 ,if thus steadily and heartily 
you endeavour to renounce the ,devil and
 all his works1 with all the sinful     
lusts of the flesh1 and do everything to
 please ,god1 you will hereafter receive
 your reward in ,heaven for ,jesus      
,christ's sake4  ,after the ,baptism and
 ,temptation of ,jesus ,christ1 ,he     
began ,his work amongst men1 by         
declaring to them the blessed truths of 
the ,gospel4  ,the first men who became 
disciples1 or followers of ,jesus       
,christ1 were ,andrew and ,john1 who    
were already disciples of ,john the     
,baptist4 ,the next day1 after the      
,baptism of our ,lord1 ,john stood and  
two of his disciples2 and looking upon  
,jesus as ,he walked1 he saith1 ,behold 
the ,lamb of ,god6 ,the ,priests and    
,levites1 as well as all the people of  
the ,jews1 knew that lambs were daily   
offered up as an atonement for sin1 but 

that the blood of these creatures could 
never wash out the stain of sin1 nor    
obtain its forgiveness4 ,they were quite
 aware that these sacrifices were only  
offered up as a type1 or sign of the    
,messiah2 for ,whose coming they looked1
 to make atonement for the sin of the   
whole world4 ,john the ,baptist had     
repeatedly told his disciples that he   
was not himself the ,messiah1 but was   
the messenger to prepare his way before 
,him4 ,when1 therefore1 ,john the       
,baptist exclaimed1 ,behold the ,lamb of
 ,god1 ,andrew and ,john at once        
understood1 that this was indeed the    
long-looked-for ,messiah1 the true ,lamb
 of ,god1 ,who was to take away the sins
 of the whole world4 ,the two disciples 
heard him speak1 and they followed      
,jesus4 ,jesus asked them1 ,what seek   
ye8 ,at once acknowledging ,him to be   
their ,master1 the disciples asked ,him1
 ,rabbi1 where dwellest thou8 ,he saith 
unto them1 ,come and see4 ,they came and
 saw where ,he dwelt1 and abode with    

,him that day2 for it was about the     
tenth hour4 ,that is1 it was about two  
hours before sunset4  ,andrew next went 
in search of his own brother ,simon     
,peter1 and saith unto him1 ,we have    
found the ,messiah4 ,simon ,peter at    
once believed these glad tidings1 and   
went with ,andrew to ,jesus1 who        
received him kindly4 ,the next day      
,philip1 who lived in the same town as  
,andrew and ,peter1 and had no doubt    
often talked with them of the promised  
,saviour1 also became a follower of     
,jesus2 and he likewise brought a friend
 called ,nathanael1 of whom we must say 
something more4     ,chapter            
,,vii4--,,the ,,first ,,miracle4        
,nathanael1 who was brought to ,jesus by
 ,philip1 was one of those devout ,jews 
who had studied the writings of ,moses  
and the prophets1 and was in consequence
 anxiously expecting the coming of the  
promised ,messiah4 ,philip went and told
 him that the ,messiah was really come  
at last1 and that he himself had seen   

the wondrous ,being1 of whom ,moses and 
the prophets had written2 and that ,he  
was no other than ,jesus of ,nazareth1  
the son of ,joseph4 ,now at that time   
the inhabitants of ,nazareth did not    
generally bear a good character1 and    
were not therefore held in esteem by    
their fellow countrymen2 and besides1   
,nathanael had learned from the         
,scriptures1 that ,christ should be born
 in ,bethlehem2 hence he doubted the    
possibility of ,jesus being the promised
 ,redeemer1 and asked in a tone of      
incredulity1 ,can there any good thing  
come out of ,nazareth8 ,philip1 whose   
faith was firm1 gave the best answer    
which ever can be given to those who    
doubt the testimony of others1 ,come and
 see2 certain that if ,nathanael were to
 see and talk with ,jesus1 he would be  
convinced that ,he was indeed the       
,messiah4  ,nathanael1 who was willing  
and anxious to learn the truth1 laid    
aside all prejudice1 and went to ,jesus2
 and fully was he rewarded for his      

willingness to learn4 ,when ,jesus saw  
,nathanael coming unto ,him1 ,he spoke  
in a manner which surprised the latter1 
and made him ask1 ,whence knowest thou  
me8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1  
,before that ,philip called thee1 when  
thou wast under the fig tree1 ,i saw    
thee4 ,it seems that ,nathanael1        
following a custom amongst the devout   
,jews1 had gone into a quiet1 retired   
part of his garden1 to meditate and     
pray4 ,here he knew that no human eye   
could see him1 and therefore the words  
now spoken by ,jesus convinced him that 
,jesus of ,nazareth was indeed the      
promised ,messiah2 he doubted no longer1
 but without hesitation1 exclaimed1     
,rabbi1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god1     
,thou art the ,king of ,israel4 ,jesus1 
pleased with ,nathanael's willing faith1
 told him that he should see greater    
proofs of ,his being indeed the ,son of 
,god1 the promised ,messiah4 ,the word  
,rabbi means a teacher having authority4
 ,andrew and ,peter1 ,james and ,john1  

of whom we have heard as the first      
disciples of ,christ1 did not at this   
time remain with ,him as his constant   
attendants1 but returned to their own   
occupation as fishermen3 they all lived 
at ,bethsaida1 a town on the northern   
coast of the sea of ,galilee4  ,the next
 event which we have to notice1 is the  
first miracle worked by ,christ1 at     
,cana in ,galilee1 where with those who 
had already become his disciples1 ,he   
attended a marriage feast4 ,here1 when  
wine was wanted1 ,jesus performed ,his  
first miracle1 by turning water into    
wine4 ,thirty years had now passed away 
since the birth of ,christ2 the         
,shepherds1 and others who had seen or  
heard the wonderful things which took   
place at that time1 had probably ceased 
to think much about them2 or if they    
thought of them1 it was probably to     
wonder what had become of the ,holy     
,babe1 ,who had been declared by ,angels
 to be ,christ the ,lord4 ,such a       
miracle as that now worked at ,cana1    

would be talked of far and wide2 and    
those who remembered the birth of       
,mary's ,son at ,bethlehem1 would have  
no difficulty in believing that ,jesus  
,christ was that wondrous ,child4 ,to   
all who were inclined to listen to      
,jesus1 miracles were a confirmation of 
their faith2 for these wonderful        
displays of supernatural power plainly  
showed ,him to be the ,son of ,god2 yet 
in spite of such unmistakable signs1 few
 of the ,jews accepted ,jesus as their  
expected ,messiah4 ,the poorer people1  
the lower classes1 who benefited mostly 
by his miracles1 heard him gladly1 for a
 time1 at least2 though at the period of
 ,his crucifixion their voices called   
out1 ,crucify him1 ,crucify him6  ,when 
we read the account of ,christ's life   
and miracles1 it does seem most         
extraordinary1 that throughout ,his     
career on earth1 very few of the higher 
class of ,jews1 or of the ,priests and  
those best acquainted with the          
,scriptures1 would acknowledge ,him4    

,but we must remember that they had made
 up their minds1 in spite of all that   
the prophets had said to the contrary1  
that the ,messiah was to come as an     
earthly ,king and ,conqueror1 surrounded
 with pomp and splendour3 this idea they
 would not give up3 they were not like  
,nathanael1 willing to be taught1 and   
they could not bear the idea that a poor
 man1 born in a humble rank of life1 and
 only distinguished from other men by   
his holiness1 should be their ,messiah4 
,besides this1 the greater part of the  
,jews had by this time grown careless   
about their religion2 they still        
observed the outward forms and          
ceremonies ordered by the ,law1 but they
 did not obey the command given through 
,moses1 to love the ,lord their ,god    
with all their heart3 they did not wish 
to be holy1 as ,jesus plainly told his  
disciples they must be4 ,he went about  
preaching the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1  
that is1 telling all men that they must 
repent of all their sins1 and leave off 

doing wrong1 and try to please ,god in  
everything1 if they would hereafter be  
received into the ,kingdom of ,heaven4  
,such doctrine was very displeasing to  
the ,jews1 and therefore they were      
determined not to own such a ,teacher as
 their ,lord3 thus they rejected the    
true ,messiah1 whilst they pretended to 
be anxiously looking out for ,his       
coming4  ,not very long after the       
miracle at ,cana1 we are told that the  
,jews' ,passover was at hand1 and ,jesus
 went up to ,jerusalem4 ,the ,law of    
,moses commanded1 that at this feast    
every male among the ,jews1 should      
appear before the ,lord in ,his holy    
temple2 and ,jesus1 ,who was to set an  
example of perfect obedience to all the 
commandments of ,god1 journeyed from    
,capernaum up to ,jerusalem1 to keep the
 feast in the place which the ,lord had 
chosen4 ,when ,jesus went up to this    
,passover1 ,he drove the buyers and     
sellers out of the temple1 an action    
repeated on a future occasion4 ,at this 

time ,st4 ,john says1 that ,jesus found 
in the temple those that sold oxen and  
sheep and doves1 and the changers of    
money sitting3 and when he had made a   
scourge of small cords1 ,he drove them  
all out of the temple1 and the sheep1   
and the oxen2 and poured out the        
changers' money1 and overthrew the      
tables2 and said unto them that sold    
doves1 ,take these things hence2 make   
not my ,father's house a house of       
merchandise4  ,it is not meant that     
these animals1 or the money changers1   
were in the building of the temple      
itself1 but in one of the courts        
surrounding it4  ,so many creatures were
 required for sacrifices1 that it was a 
great convenience for persons coming    
from a distance1 to be able to buy what 
they wanted on the spot2 and therefore  
it had long been the custom for traders 
to establish themselves outside of the  
outer ,court of the temple1 to supply   
the worshippers with oxen1 sheep or     
doves4 ,then again1 people coming from a

 distance1 might bring their money in a 
large sum1 and then they would want to  
have it changed for coins of less value2
 just as we might carry a sovereign1    
which would give us no trouble to carry1
 and then get it changed into shillings1
 when we wanted to spend it4 ,some ,jews
 also1 who came to the temple from time 
to time1 lived in foreign countries1 and
 they would naturally bring the money of
 those countries1 which would be of no  
use in ,judaea2 and they would therefore
 wish to change their foreign money into
 the money current amongst the ,jews4   
,for these reasons the money changers   
were most useful2 and they therefore    
established themselves with the traders1
 outside the temple ,courts4  ,but the  
,priests1 as well as the people1 became 
careless about obeying ,god perfectly1  
or worshipping ,him in a proper manner  
and honouring ,his house2 and therefore1
 at length1 these money changers and    
sellers of cattle1 established          
themselves in the ,court of the         

,gentiles1 and so carried on their trade
 within the sacred precincts of the     
temple4 ,this outer ,court1 in which the
 money changers and those who sold oxen1
 sheep1 and doves appear to have        
established themselves1 was the ,court  
of the ,gentiles2 and was intended for  
the use of devout persons1 who1 though  
not willing in all respects to imitate  
the ,jews1 were to worship the ,one     
,true ,god4 ,in this ,court also1 all   
,jews who happened to be unclean1       
performed their devotions1 as they were 
not then allowed to go into the inner   
,court4 ,there were very many things    
which caused a ,jew to be looked upon as
 unclean1 without any fault of his4     
,illness1 a death in the house1 nursing 
the sick2 and many other things1        
rendered a man unclean1 and unfit to    
enter the inner ,court4 ,under these    
circumstances1 there were always many   
unclean ,jews1 worshipping ,god in the  
,court of the ,gentiles2 and the        
presence of the traders and money       

changers was a great disturbance to both
 ,jews and ,gentiles2 for they could not
 attend properly to their prayers1 in   
the midst of all the noise and confusion
 made by the buyers and sellers4 ,this  
wrong state of things ,jesus put an end 
to1 by driving all these traders out of 
the temple courts2 telling the people   
not to make the house of ,god a house of
 business1 a place for buying and       
selling4  ,the disciples of ,jesus who  
witnessed his conduct on this occasion1 
remembered that ,david1 speaking of the 
,messiah ,who was to come1 said1 ,the   
zeal of thine house hath eaten me up1   
words that meant1 that ,jesus would not 
allow any dishonour or disrespect to be 
shown to the ,house of ,god4  ,by saying
 to the people1 ,make not my ,father's  
house a house of merchandise1 ,jesus    
plainly declared himself to be the ,son 
of ,god2 and the ,jews so understood    
,his words1 though they would not own   
him to be the ,son of ,god1 but         
immediately asked1 ,what sign showest   

thou unto us1 seeing that thou doest    
these things8 that is1 ,what proof can  
you give us that you are what you say1  
and that you have any right to turn     
these people out of the ,court of the   
temple8  ,had this question been asked  
in a proper spirit1 from a real desire  
to know for certain1 in order that they 
might worship ,jesus as the ,messiah1   
they would no doubt have received a     
plain and direct answer4 ,but they had  
no intention of following and obeying   
,jesus as their ,lord and ,master1 and  
only wished to find excuses for not     
believing in ,him2 therefore our ,lord1 
,who knew all the thoughts in their     
hearts1 answered them in a very         
remarkable way1 giving them a sign which
 would hereafter prove ,him to be indeed
 the ,son of ,god4     ,chapter         
,,viii4--,,nicodemus ,,comes ,,by       
,,night ,,to ,,jesus4   ,to the         
question1 ,what sign showest thou unto  
us1 seeing that thou doest these things8
 ,jesus answered1 ,destroy this temple1 

and in three days ,i will raise it up4  
,these words were a prophecy3 ,jesus    
spake of the temple of his body1 and    
thus declared that ,his own body would  
be killed1 but that after three days ,he
 would rise to life again4  ,the ,jews1 
thinking only of the building before    
their eyes now1 exclaimed in            
astonishment1 ,forty and six years was  
this temple in building1 and wilt thou  
rear it up in three days8 ,it had taken 
,herod forty-six years to repair and    
beautify the second temple1 and the     
,jews might well doubt its being done in
 three days3 they thought of nothing    
further1 and were probably quite        
satisfied that ,jesus had now said what 
could not possibly be4 ,but the         
disciples felt sure that these words of 
their ,lord had some hidden meaning1    
though they did not understand what3    
they therefore remembered them2 and     
after their accomplishment their faith  
was strengthened2 for we read1 ,when    
therefore he was risen from the dead1   

his disciples remembered that he had    
said this unto them2 and they believed  
the ,scripture1 and the word which      
,jesus had said4  ,all ,scripture1 as we
 know1 was written for our instruction1 
and therefore we must always think what 
we can learn from it3 now the clearing  
of the temple court by ,jesus teaches us
 two great lessons3 first1 that we must 
never use the ,house of ,god for any    
purpose but that for which it is        
intended4 ,now1 to us1 our ,churches are
 the house of ,god2 and if we do not use
 them as we ought1 we sin as did the    
,jews4 ,of course1 we cannot make them a
 house of merchandise as the ,jews did2 
but if we are thinking of our business1 
or our pleasure1 or anything else1      
instead of attending to what is going   
on1 we are not using the house of ,god  
in a proper manner4 ,our ,churches are  
set apart for the worship of ,god as    
much as the ,temple was2 and if we do   
not worship ,god when we go for that    
purpose1 we displease our heavenly      

,father4 ,everything belonging to ,god  
must be treated with reverence1 and     
honoured by being used according to ,his
 ,will4 ,in this way1 therefore1 we must
 reverence and honour ,his day1 ,his    
house1 and ,his word4 ,you will thus see
 that being careless and inattentive at 
,church is a great sin4 ,god sees your  
heart1 and knows all your thoughts1 so  
that if you are thinking of something   
else1 though you may be sitting still   
and thus appear good to man1 ,he will be
 displeased4  ,in all the prayers you   
must join heartily3 when the ,lessons   
are read1 you will generally be able to 
understand them4 ,when the ,clergyman   
begins to preach his ,sermon1 try to    
understand what he says3 if you really  
cannot understand his sermon1 then think
 about some person mentioned in         
,scripture1 as ,adam1 ,abraham1 ,jacob1 
,david1 ,solomon1 ,samuel1 and many     
others1 and consider what they did to   
please or displease ,god2 or say over   
your hymns and texts to yourself3 this  

will prevent your thoughts from         
wandering off to your business1 or      
pleasures1 or any such things4 ,in the  
house of ,god1 you must think of nothing
 but ,god1 and how to please ,him4  ,now
 let us talk of the other lesson1 which 
we are to learn from what ,jesus did4   
,jesus spake of ,his body as a temple2  
and ,st4 ,paul tells us1 that all who   
love and follow ,christ are so joined   
together in ,him1 that they are like    
stones joined together to build up a    
holy temple1 for an habitation of ,god  
through the ,spirit4 ,as ,christians    
baptized in the ,name of the ,father1   
,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 we have all     
become stones or parts of that holy     
temple the ,church of ,christ2 members  
or parts of ,his body3 for the          
,scripture calls the ,church of ,christ 
,his body4 ,now as long as we are       
obedient and faithful members of        
,christ's body1 the ,church1 the ,holy  
,spirit will bless and help us3 but if  
we give way to our own sinful feelings1 

we bring bad passions into this holy    
temple1 the ,church of ,christ1 and     
defile1 or make it unclean1 as the ,jews
 defiled the temple built by hands by   
bringing oxen and sheep into its courts4
 ,st ,paul warns us of the consequence  
of such sin3 ,if any man defile the     
temple of ,god1 him will ,god destroy4  
,but further1 the same ,apostle ,st4    
,paul teaches each one of us to look    
upon our own body as a temple1 for the  
abode of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,now1 as a  
temple is devoted to the service of     
,god1 so we must employ our bodies in   
serving ,him1 and doing ,his will4 ,the 
temple must not be defiled2 so we must  
try hard to keep all naughty tempers out
 of our hearts4 ,disobedience1 passion1 
quarrelsomeness1 idleness--in short1 all
 the faults you can have--are evil      
things which defile the temple1 and     
render it unfit for the abode of the    
,holy ,spirit4 ,if you try to resist    
evil1 the ,holy ,spirit will help you to
 do so2 but if you give way to bad      

passions1 and allow the ,devil to govern
 you1 you will grieve the ,holy ,spirit 
of ,god1 and at last force ,him to leave
 you to follow your own ways4 ,to be    
left to follow your own evil ways is the
 most dreadful thing that can happen to 
you4 ,pray to ,god1 and try to have ,him
 always for your friend4  ,we have said 
that during our ,saviour's ministry on  
earth1 few of the higher class of ,jews 
became ,his disciples2 but there was one
 remarkable exception1 in the case of a 
man named ,nicodemus1 whose conversation
 with our blessed ,lord is particularly 
instructive4 ,we read in the ,gospel of 
,st4 ,john1 ,there was a man of the     
,pharisees1 named ,nicodemus1 a ruler of
 the ,jews3 the same came to ,jesus by  
night1 and said unto him1 ,rabbi1 we    
know that thou art a teacher come from  
,god3 for no man can do these miracles  
that thou doest1 except ,god be with    
him4 ,nicodemus was a man of sense1 and 
the miracles of ,jesus had convinced    
him2 for he felt certain that no one but

 the ,son of ,god1 the ,messiah1 could  
do such things4 ,he was willing to      
acknowledge this2 but afraid of the     
ridicule or reproaches of his friends1  
he came to ,jesus by night1 that no man 
might know of his visit4 ,christ1 who is
 very merciful1 did not refuse to listen
 to ,nicodemus1 but began to show him   
that there must be some proof of faith  
in a holy life4 ,so when ,nicodemus     
declared his belief that ,jesus came    
from ,god1 ,jesus answered and said unto
 him1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1
 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot 
see the kingdom of ,god4 ,nicodemus1 not
 understanding the real meaning of these
 words1 saith unto him1 ,how can a man  
be born when he is old8 meaning that it 
was impossible for a man who had been   
born many years before1 again to become 
a baby4 ,jesus answered1 ,verily1       
verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man 
be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4  
,that which is born of the flesh is     

flesh2 and that which is born of the    
,spirit is spirit4 ,jesus meant that1 as
 to the body or flesh1 no man could of  
course be born again2 but that by the   
help of the ,holy ,spirit1 the man's    
nature might be changed so that he would
 become holy1 trying in all things to   
please ,god3 such a change in the       
character1 temper1 and disposition might
 be compared to a new birth2 and without
 such a complete change1 no one could   
enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,such   
teaching might well cause ,nicodemus    
great surprise2 and ,jesus said unto    
him1 ,marvel not that ,i said unto thee1
 ,ye must be born again4 ,the wind      
bloweth where it listeth1 and thou      
hearest the sound thereof1 but canst not
 tell whence it cometh1 and whither it  
goeth3 so is every one that is born of  
the ,spirit4 ,in these words our        
,saviour warns ,nicodemus1 that a man's 
conduct only can show whether he has    
been born of the ,spirit3 just as we    
cannot see the wind1 but we know that it

 blows1 because we hear the noise it    
makes1 and see its effects in the way   
the trees and other things are blown    
about4  ,nicodemus1 in astonishment at  
all he heard1 now said1 ,how can these  
things be8 and then ,jesus told him how 
necessary it was to have faith when     
hearing of heavenly things1 since it is 
impossible for man to understand how the
 great works of ,god are done4 ,at this 
time ,jesus uttered that remarkable     
prophecy1 comparing ,his crucifixion to 
the setting up of the ,brazen ,serpent  
in the wilderness2 saying1 ,and as      
,moses lifted up the serpent in the     
wilderness1 even so must the ,son of man
 be lifted up3 that whosoever believeth 
in him should not perish1 but have      
eternal life4 ,when the children of     
,israel were dying from the effects of  
the bites of the fiery flying serpents1 
those who so believed the words of      
,moses1 as to look up at the brazen     
serpent1 were saved at once from the    
death of the body4 ,when all the        

children of men were dying from the     
effects of sin 7the bite of that old    
serpent the ,devil71 all who would in   
faith look up to the cross of ,christ1  
and believe in ,him1 would be saved from
 the far more dreadful death 7or eternal
 misery7 of the soul4 ,and then our     
,saviour went on to speak of the great  
love of ,god1 as shown by ,his giving   
,his ,son to die for man4  ,after these 
things came ,jesus and his disciples    
into the land of ,judaea2 and there he  
tarried with them1 and baptized4 ,and   
,john also was baptizing in ,a,enon1    
near to ,salim1 because there was much  
water there3 here many of the people    
came to ,john1 and were baptized4 ,some 
of those who came to him1 seem to have  
been rather distressed or surprised that
 ,jesus was drawing men away from him2  
and they said1 ,rabbi1 he that was with 
thee beyond ,jordan1 to whom thou       
bearest witness1 behold1 the same       
baptizeth1 and all men come to him4     
,john immediately reminded his hearers1 

that he had always told them that he had
 only come as the messenger of ,christ  
to prepare ,his way1 and that now that  
,christ was come1 his ministry was      
ended1 and he had only to rejoice in the
 success of his ,heavenly ,master4 ,he  
himself was but a man1 of the earth1    
earthy2 but of ,him whose messenger he  
was1 he said1 ,he that cometh from      
above1 is above all4 ,moreover1 ,john   
said1 ,he must increase1 but ,i must    
decrease4 ,jesus had just begun ,his    
work1 which would go on and increase2   
,john's work was finished1 and he       
himself would not long remain on earth4 
,and so it was2 for very shortly        
afterwards1 ,john the ,baptist was shut 
up in prison by ,herod ,antipas1 the    
governor of ,galilee4     ,chapter      
,,ix4--,,john ,,put ,,into ,,prison4    
,herod ,antipas1 one of the sons of     
,herod the ,great1 was governor of      
,galilee3 ,philip1 another of them1 was 
governor or tetrarch of ,itruria4 ,the  
word tetrarch means the governor of a   

certain portion of a kingdom4 ,the land 
of ,palestine being subject to the      
,romans1 they had divided it into       
portions2 and the governors of each     
portion were styled tetrarchs4 ,philip  
had a wife called ,herodias1 a bad      
woman1 who behaved ill to her husband1  
and at length left him1 and became the  
wife of his brother ,herod4 ,now this   
was a great sin on the part of ,herod1  
as well as that of ,herodias1 and ,john 
the ,baptist reproved them for it3 this 
holy man was not afraid to speak the    
truth1 though doing so was sure to bring
 trouble upon himself1 for ,herod was a 
proud man1 who would not like to be told
 of his faults1 and ,herodias would be  
much more angry4  ,but ,john had been   
sent by ,god the ,father to prepare the 
way of the ,lord1 by teaching ,his ,will
 to men1 and exhorting them to          
repentance and amendment of life3 this  
,john was determined to do1 undismayed  
by any fear of what man might do to him2
 and therefore he told ,herod1 that it  

was not lawful1 not allowed by the ,law 
of ,god1 that he should thus take his   
brother's wife to be his wife4  ,the    
consequence was1 that ,john was         
immediately put into prison4 ,herodias1 
who hated him for reproving her1 would  
gladly have had him put to death2 but   
she could not yet prevail on ,herod to  
consent to so wicked an act4  ,there    
seems to have been two reasons which    
made ,herod unwilling to put his        
prisoner to death4 ,in the first place1 
many of the ,jews looked upon ,john as a
 prophet and a teacher sent by ,god2 and
 ,herod feared that there might be some 
riot amongst the people1 in which case  
the ,romans might accuse him of having  
misgoverned the country1 and suffer him 
to be no longer governor4 ,the other    
reason was1 that although ,herod was    
angry with ,john1 he could not help     
seeing that he was a good and holy man2 
so much so1 that he listened to his     
advice on many points1 though he would  
not act according to it1 in the matter  

of ,herodias4 ,even after ,john was cast
 into prison1 ,herod often sent for him1
 and heard him gladly1 and did many     
things4  ,well would it have been for   
,herod1 if he had done all things       
according to ,john's advice4  ,now after
 that ,john was put in prison1 ,jesus   
came into ,galilee1 preaching the gospel
 of the kingdom of ,god3 preaching1 that
 is1 the good tidings of how sinful man 
might enter into the kingdom of ,god1   
from which the ,fall of ,adam had shut  
him out4 ,repent ye and believe the     
,gospel1 was the sum of his preaching3  
true repentance would make men leave off
 sinning2 and belief in the ,gospel     
would lead them to strive to be holy1   
out of love for the ,saviour1 who was   
come upon earth to deliver them from    
eternal misery4  ,he preached the       
,gospel of the kingdom of ,god to all   
who would hear him2 they naturally told 
others2 so that there went out a fame of
 him through all the region round about4
 ,besides this1 ,jesus taught in their  

synagogues4 ,synagogues were buildings  
in which the ,jews assembled to pray to 
,god1 and to hear the holy ,scriptures  
read and explained4 ,the use of         
synagogues began after the return of the
 ,jews from their captivity in ,babylon2
 and in our ,saviour's time there were  
great numbers of them1 not only in towns
 and villages1 but all over the country3
 some writers tell us1 that wherever    
there were ten grown-up men1 able to    
form a congregation1 the ,jews thought  
it right to build a synagogue4  ,it     
would be well if ,christians had in this
 matter followed the example of the     
,jews2 for unhappily there are not now  
nearly enough ,churches in our land1 so 
that there are great numbers of men1    
women1 and children in ,england1 who    
could not go to ,church if they wished  
to do so1 because there is not room     
enough for them4 ,this is very sad1 and 
we should always be ready to give our   
money to help in building ,churches1    
which are so much wanted all over the   

country4  ,the ,synagogues were         
generally built close to rivers and     
brooks1 so as to have water at hand for 
all the ceremonies of purification3 it  
was right in the ,jews to observe these 
outward ceremonies1 but it would have   
been better for them if they had        
remembered1 that they were only ordered1
 to show the necessity of purifying the 
heart and life from sin4 ,let us        
remember this1 and pray to ,god1 ,make  
me a clean heart1 ,o ,god4  ,the daily  
service in the ,synagogue1 consisted of 
prayers and the reading of a portion    
from the books of ,moses1 which was     
afterwards expounded or explained3 on   
the ,sabbath days1 a second portion of  
,scripture1 from the writings of the    
,prophets1 was read in addition4 ,a     
certain number of wise and serious men1 
were chosen to be ,rulers of each       
,synagogue2 that is1 to settle all      
matters concerning it1 and to arrange   
the services1 and appoint the readers4  
,the readers were usually some of the   

,scribes2 but strangers were often      
allowed to read and expound the         
,scriptures in their place1 and any one 
who was looked upon as a prophet1 would 
be eagerly listened to4 ,to show their  
reverence for the ,scriptures1 the      
,jewish doctors stood up whilst they    
read the daily portions1 and then sat   
down1 whilst they explained the meaning 
to their congregation4 ,whenever any    
person among the ,jews set himself up as
 the founder or leader of a party1 by   
teaching any peculiar doctrines1 he was 
allowed by the ,rulers to explain these 
doctrines publicly in the ,synagogues2  
so that all men might have an           
opportunity of hearing his opinions1 and
 judging whether such a teacher spoke   
according to the ,scriptures1 and ought 
to be listened to1 and followed4 ,in    
consequence of this custom1 ,jesus      
,christ1 and in after times ,his        
,apostles also1 were allowed to read and
 expound in the ,synagogues4  ,every    
considerable synagogue1 that is1 every  

one so situated as to have a large      
congregation1 had attached to it an     
academy1 or school for elder children1  
who here studied the ,scriptures under  
the guidance of the ,rabbis4 ,but       
unfortunately1 with the ,scriptures1    
which are the ,word of ,god1 these      
,rabbis instructed the ,jewish youth in 
the traditions of man4 ,traditions were 
sayings and doctrines which had never   
been written down1 but had merely been  
told by word of mouth from father to    
son1 and had thus been handed down      
through many generations4 ,many of these
 traditions1 which had some truth in    
them at first1 had become sadly altered 
by thus being told by one to another2 so
 that some of them were1 in our         
,saviour's time1 quite contrary to the  
commandments and precepts of ,god4      
,other traditions again had been        
entirely invented by men1 and were not  
deserving of any attention2 but the     
,jews received them all1 and looked upon
 them as equal in authority1 or rather  

as superior1 to the ,holy ,scriptures   
themselves4  ,the ,rabbis who taught in 
the academies attached to the           
synagogues1 sat in the midst of their   
scholars1 who all stood round them4  ,we
 have said1 that ,when ,jesus had heard 
that ,john was cast into prison1 he     
departed into ,galilee1 preaching and   
teaching throughout the country4 ,and   
leaving ,nazareth1 which had been the   
home of ,his childhood1 he came and     
dwelt in ,capernaum1 which is upon the  
sea coast 7of the lake of ,tiberias71 in
 the borders of ,zabulon and ,nepthalim4
 ,thus was fulfilled the prophecy spoken
 by ,esaias1 that is ,isaiah1 ,the land 
of ,zabulon and the land of ,nepthalim1 
by the way of the sea1 beyond ,jordan1  
,galilee of the ,gentiles2 the people   
which sat in darkness saw great light2  
and to them which sat in the region and 
shadow of death light is sprung up4 ,in 
the holy ,scriptures1 the word darkness 
constantly means ignorance and sin2     
whilst light is used to express the     

contrary1 as knowledge and goodness4    
,the people of ,galilee were ignorant   
and sinful1 but the ,gospel of ,jesus   
,christ was as a light to drive away    
this darkness1 by teaching men to       
believe in their ,saviour1 and obey the 
,will of ,god4 ,this blessing was now   
brought1 as the prophet ,isaiah had     
foretold1 to the country round about    
,capernaum4  ,from this time1 ,capernaum
 seems to have been the home of ,jesus  
,christ2 as far1 at least1 as he could  
be said to have a home1 when ,his whole 
life was spent in moving about the      
country from one place to another1      
teaching in their synagogues1 and       
preaching the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1  
and healing all manner of sickness1 and 
all manner of disease among the people4 
,in the ,four ,gospels you must look for
 the full account of the miracles1      
parables1 and conversations of our      
blessed ,saviour2 here many of them will
 be only briefly mentioned4  ,in passing
 on one occasion from ,judaea into      

,galilee1 ,he must needs go through     
,samaria4 ,his disciples being gone into
 the town to buy food1 ,jesus asked a   
woman of ,samaria who came to draw water
 from the well1 to give ,him to drink2  
and ,he took this occasion to tell her1 
that it signified little in what place  
men worshipped ,god1 if they worshipped 
,him properly in spirit and in truth1   
that is1 truly and sincerely1 in faith2 
and he ended by telling her plainly that
 ,he was the ,messiah1 expected by      
,samaritans as well as by ,jews4 ,in    
consequence of what passed between our  
,lord and this woman1 many of the       
,samaritans believed in ,him as the     
,christ1 the ,saviour of the world4     
,jesus appears to have remained at      
,samaria for two days2 and we may be    
quite sure that during that time ,he    
preached the ,gospel of the ,kingdom to 
all who would hear ,his words4  ,next we
 hear of another miracle worked at      
,cana1 where ,he had changed the water  
into wine4 ,a certain nobleman1 whose   

son was sick at ,capernaum1 came to ,him
 to implore ,his help3 this nobleman    
believed that ,jesus could heal his son1
 and his faith was rewarded by having   
his child restored to health4 ,after    
this1 ,jesus came to ,nazareth1 where he
 had been brought up2 and as his custom 
was1 he went into the synagogue on the  
,sabbath day1 and stood up for to read4 
,and there was delivered unto ,him the  
book of the prophet ,esaias4 ,and when  
he had opened the book1 he found the    
place where it was written1 ,the ,spirit
 of the ,lord is upon me1 because he    
hath anointed me to preach the ,gospel  
to the poor2 he hath sent me to heal the
 broken-hearted1 to preach deliverance  
to the captives1 and recovering of sight
 to the blind2 to set at liberty them   
that are bruised1 to preach the         
acceptable year of the ,lord4 ,and he   
closed the book1 and he gave it again to
 the minister1 and sat down4 ,and the   
eyes of all them that were in the       
synagogue were fastened on him1 eagerly 

expecting the explanation of this       
passage of holy writ4 ,jesus told them1 
that this prophecy was now fulfilled in 
,him2 and when they hesitated to believe
 in ,joseph's son1 and seemed to wonder 
why ,he did not work miracles there1 ,he
 reminded them that miracles were       
worked1 and always had been worked1 just
 according to the pleasure of ,god1 who 
often chose the most unlikely persons to
 work his miracles upon4 ,his words made
 all who were in the synagogue very     
wrath2 and they rose and thrust him out 
of the city1 and led him unto the brow  
7or edge7 of the hill whereon their city
 was built1 that they might cast him    
down headlong1 and so put an end to his 
life and his preaching2 but not yet1 and
 not so1 was the ,son of man to die4 ,he
 therefore worked a miracle to save     
himself1 and passing through the midst  
of them1 went ,his way4     ,chapter    
,x4--,,calling ,,of ,,simon ,,and       
,,others4   ,the number of ,christ's    
disciples increased1 but it was         

necessary that ,he should have a certain
 number of faithful men constantly with 
,him1 to be witnesses of all that ,he   
said and did whilst on earth2 so that   
they might teach the ,gospel of the     
,kingdom to others1 when he should have 
returned to ,his ,father in ,heaven4 ,to
 this end1 therefore1 when walking by   
the ,sea of ,galilee1 ,jesus bid the two
 brothers1 ,simon called ,peter1 and    
,andrew1 leave their occupation of      
fishermen1 and follow ,him wheresoever  
,he should go2 telling them that ,he    
would make them fishers of men3 meaning1
 that as by putting their nets into the 
sea1 they had hitherto brought fish to  
land2 so now1 by preaching the ,gospel1 
they should bring men to the kingdom of 
,heaven4 ,jesus did not speak in vain3  
straightway they forsook their nets1 and
 followed him4 ,and when he had gone a  
little farther thence1 he saw ,james the
 son of ,zebedee1 and ,john his brother1
 who also were in the ship mending their
 nets4 ,and straightway he called them2 

and they left their father ,zebedee in  
the ship with the hired servants1 and   
went after him4 ,a miracle quickly      
confirmed the faith of these four       
disciples4 ,the people1 who had gathered
 round our ,lord to hear his words1 so  
pressed upon ,him1 that ,he entered into
 ,simon's ship1 and from thence taught  
the people4 ,when ,he had spoken to them
 for some time1 he said unto ,simon1    
,launch out into the deep1 and let down 
your nets for a draught4 ,now ,peter1   
who had been toiling all night1 which is
 the best time for catching fish1 knew  
that there was little chance of taking  
any then2 but the command of his ,master
 was enough for him4 ,his obedience was 
rewarded by a wonderful draught 7or     
take7 of fishes1 which greatly          
astonished ,simon and ,andrew1 as well  
as their partners1 ,james and ,john4    
,peter1 seeing the wonderful works of   
,god1 felt that he was utterly unworthy 
even to be the servant of so glorious a 
,being1 and falling at ,jesus's knees1  

he exclaimed1 ,depart from me2 for ,i am
 a sinful man1 ,o ,lord6 ,but ,jesus    
encouraged him1 and repeated ,his       
promise1 that ,his disciples should by  
their preaching of the ,gospel bring the
 hearts of men to love and obey the     
,lord1 for he said unto ,simon1 ,fear   
not2 from henceforth thou shalt catch   
men4 ,and when they had brought their   
ships to land1 they forsook all1 and    
followed him4  ,from henceforth these   
four disciples1 who had been especially 
called1 became the constant attendants  
of our ,lord4 ,three of them1 ,simon1   
,james1 and ,john1 were more            
particularly favoured2 for they are     
mentioned as being with the ,lord on    
many occasions1 when ,his other         
disciples were not with ,him2 thus they 
were witnesses of all the wonderful     
events in ,his life4  ,after the calling
 of ,simon and his companions1 ,jesus   
went with them into ,capernaum2 and on  
the ,sabbath day he entered into the    
synagogue and taught4 ,jesus did not    

talk to the people1 as many of the      
,scribes did1 about ceremonies and      
traditions2 but he tried to draw their  
thoughts away from such comparative     
trifles1 and fix them upon the ,lord    
,god ,almighty--upon ,his goodness and  
mercy1 and upon the necessity of faith  
and love producing perfect obedience to 
,his holy ,will4 ,jesus spake of        
holiness and righteousness in a way that
 they had never before heard2 and he    
spake also in a tone of authority as    
,one who had a right to command4 ,he    
told them that he was indeed the ,son of
 ,god1 and that he spake unto them in   
the name of the ,lord ,god of ,israel3  
,he warned the impenitent and           
disobedient1 that they would bring      
eternal misery upon themselves1 while   
,he promised eternal happiness to all   
who would believe and obey4 ,no wonder  
that ,his hearers were astonished at    
such teaching1 from one who appeared to 
be merely a man like themselves4 ,but to
 convince them that they might safely   

believe in ,him1 ,jesus1 even in the    
synagogue1 healed a man who had a spirit
 of an unclean devil1 so that the people
 spake among themselves1 saying1 ,what a
 word is this8 for with authority and   
power he commandeth the unclean spirits1
 and they do obey him4 ,and immediately 
the fame of him went out1 and spread    
abroad throughout all the region1 into  
every place of the country round about  
,galilee4  ,and when they were come out 
of the synagogue1 ,jesus with ,james and
 ,john entered into the house of ,simon 
and ,andrew3 here the mother of ,simon's
 wife lay sick of a fever4 ,the poor    
woman's friends besought ,jesus for her2
 ,he took her by the hand2 the fever    
left her at once2 and then1 instead of  
being weak1 as people naturally are     
after a fever1 her health and strength  
returned at once1 and immediately she   
arose and ministered unto them4 ,the    
news of so wonderful a cure1 increased  
the fame of ,jesus4  ,the wonderful     
cures performed by ,jesus brought many  

to ask ,his help4 ,and when the even was
 come1 that is1 as soon as the ,sabbath 
was over1--for the ,jews reckoned their 
,sabbath to begin at sunset1 or about   
six o'clock on ,friday evening1 and to  
end at the same hour on ,saturday       
night1--as soon1 therefore1 as the      
,sabbath was past1 all the city was     
gathered together at the door1 and they 
brought unto him all that were diseased1
 and them that were possessed with      
devils3 and he cast out the spirits with
 his word1 and healed all that were     
sick4 ,thus were fulfilled the words    
spoken1 #gjj years before1 by ,esaias   
the prophet1 who said1 ,himself took our
 infirmities1 and bare our sicknesses4  
,this prophecy was doubly fulfilled3    
first1 by healing sicknesses and        
diseases1 ,christ1 during his lifetime1 
took away the consequence of the        
punishment of sin2 secondly1 by ,his    
death upon the ,cross1 ,he took away    
sin1 and procured forgiveness and       
salvation1 for all who seek it in the   

way appointed by ,him4  ,and in the     
morning1 rising up a great while before 
day1 he went out1 and departed into a   
solitary place and there prayed4 ,having
 taken upon ,himself the form and nature
 of man1 ,jesus now set ,his disciples  
an example of what prayer ought to be4  
,it is a blessed thing to be allowed to 
pray to ,god--to tell ,him of all our   
joys and sorrows--and to beg ,him to    
bless us1 and make us able to do well1  
whatever work ,he may give us to do4 ,we
 sinful creatures have also another     
thing to pray for2 and that is1         
forgiveness of our sins for ,jesus      
,christ's sake1 and such true           
repentance1 as will make us try every   
day to do ,his holy ,will better and    
better4 ,for all these blessings we     
should constantly pray3 but you must    
remember1 that it is quite possible for 
you to kneel down every morning and     
evening and repeat the prayers which you
 have learnt1 and yet never really pray 
one bit4  ,prayer is speaking to ,god1  

and begging ,him to give us what we     
stand in need of1 both for our souls and
 bodies4 ,now1 amongst ourselves1 it is 
thought very rude and disrespectful1 to 
speak to any person without thinking of 
what we are saying3 and what should we  
think of a person who went into the     
presence of an earthly king1 to ask some
 great favour1 and then spake in a      
careless1 indifferent manner1 without   
seeming to know or care what he was     
asking for8 ,we should all blame such a 
person2 and think that he did not       
deserve to have his petitions granted4  
,what must it be1 then1 to speak to the 
,lord ,god ,almighty1 the ,king of      
,kings1 in such a manner8 ,then1 again1 
if you really wanted your ,parents to do
 anything for you1 or give you anything1
 you would not ask them carelessly1 as  
if you did not care whether they said   
,yes or ,no2 you would beg and pray     
earnestly with all your heart4 ,now this
 is what you should do when you say your
 prayers to ,god1 your heavenly ,father1

 ,who can give you all you need on      
earth2 and can besides1 put ,his holy   
,spirit into your heart1 and give you   
eternal happiness hereafter4 ,try1 then1
 always to pray from your heart1 and    
never allow yourself to repeat words    
carelessly1 as if prayer was a task1 to 
be got through as soon as possible4     
,such prayers can never please ,god2 on 
the contrary1 by praying in such a way  
we commit a great sin2 for we take      
,god's holy ,name in vain1 every time we
 kneel down to say our prayers4 ,written
 prayers are useful as helps2 but you   
should also try of your own self to ask 
,god to forgive you for any naughty     
things you have done1 and help you to do
 better3 ,god does not care what words  
we say1 if our hearts really pray4      
,jesus1 you will observe1 got up before 
it was light1 and went into a quiet     
place1 where he could pray without      
interruption4 ,he would rather give up  
,his night's rest1 than not have time to
 pray to ,his heavenly ,father2 and we  

must remember1 that as ,he had taken    
upon ,him the nature of man1 ,he was    
just as liable to be tired and sleepy as
 we are2 and therefore1 ,he suffered as 
much from giving up his night's rest as 
we should do2 let ,his conduct1         
therefore1 be an example to us4  ,in the
 morning1 ,simon and they that were with
 him1 7the three other disciples already
 called17 missed their ,master1 and     
followed after him4 ,and when they had  
found him1 they said unto him1 ,all men 
seek for thee4 ,no doubt1 as soon as it 
was day1 all they that had any sick in  
their families1 brought them to be      
healed1 and were disappointed at finding
 only the disciples4  ,after this1      
,jesus went about all ,galilee1 teaching
 in their synagogues1 and preaching the 
,gospel of the ,kingdom1 and healing all
 manner of sickness and all manner of   
disease among the people4 ,and his fame 
went throughout all ,syria2 his         
wonderful cures were heard of in        
neighbouring lands1 and they brought    

unto him all sick people and those which
 were possessed with devils1 and those  
which were lunatic 7or mad72 and he     
healed them4 ,and there followed him    
great multitudes of people from         
,galilee1 and from ,decapolis1 and from 
,jerusalem1 and from ,judaea1 and from  
beyond ,jordan4     ,chapter            
,,xi4--,,the ,,leper ,,healed4   ,we    
read so often in the ,gospels1 of ,jesus
 casting out devils and unclean spirits1
 that it may be as well to say something
 on this subject1 as in these days there
 is nothing of the kind4 ,we know that  
the ,devil has ever been the greatest   
enemy of mankind1 trying to destroy the 
souls and bodies of men4 ,in the ,old   
,testament1 we read of diviners1        
enchanters1 wizards1 sorcerers1 and     
magicians1 who were all persons wicked  
enough to try to have communication with
 evil spirits2 and we also read that the
 children of ,israel were commanded to  
put all such to death4 ,but it seems    
that when men would persist in doing the

 ,devil's work by sinning against ,god1 
the evil spirits were allowed to have   
power over their bodies1 as they had1 by
 listening to his temptations1 given him
 power over their souls4 ,certain it is1
 that in the time of our ,lord1 the evil
 spirits had some extraordinary power   
over the bodies of some men2 entering   
into them as it were1 and making them do
 things hurtful to themselves and       
others4 ,such people are spoken of as   
demoniacs1 or as being possessed of     
devils or unclean spirits4  ,most likely
 the reason why ,god allowed the ,devil 
to have power over the bodies of men1   
was to show the people the reality of a 
ghostly enemy2 and to remind them1 that 
if they allowed the ,devil to get into  
their hearts and make them serve him1   
they would be unfit ever to go into the 
kingdom of ,god4 ,the sad state in which
 these poor demoniacs were1 was a sort  
of sign of the dreadful condition in    
which all the descendants of ,adam must 
for ever have continued1 if the ,son of 

,god had not come down to destroy the   
works of the ,devil1 and free the souls 
of men from his power4  ,when ,jesus    
cast the devils and unclean spirits out 
of the bodies of men1 it was a plain    
proof that ,his power was greater than  
theirs2 and that he could1 therefore1   
most certainly deliver the souls of men 
from the power of their enemy4  ,evil   
spirits were thus allowed to show their 
power1 in order more clearly to         
manifest1 or show forth1 the great power
 and glory of the ,son of ,god1 ,whom   
even the devils were bound to obey3 they
 were1 moreover1 forced to bear witness 
to the fact that ,he was the ,messiah1  
for on many occasions they cried out1   
,thou art ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4    
,when we read of these unhappy men who  
were possessed by devils1 let us        
remember that the same evil spirit is   
watching to destroy us2 and that though 
he has now no power over the bodies of  
men1 he tries to get possession of our  
hearts1 and unless we resist him        

steadfastly1 he will succeed4 ,to       
encourage us to fight against the       
,devil1 we must remember that he has no 
power over our souls but what we give   
him1 by wilfully sinning against ,god4  
,powerful as our enemy is1 our ,friend  
and ,saviour is vastly more powerful2   
and ,he will bless and keep all who do  
resist the ,devil1 and strive to obey   
and serve ,god faithfully4  ,the next   
miracle mentioned1 was the cure of a    
leper4 ,both ,jews and ,gentiles looked 
upon leprosy as a type of sin2 that is1 
as being to the body1 what sin is to the
 soul3 the leprosy first shows itself in
 a little spot1 but quickly spreads1 and
 covers the whole body with sores4 ,sin 
begins in some act of disobedience2 not 
being resisted1 one sin leads to        
another1 till the whole heart is filled 
with evil passions4  ,the leper was     
considered unclean1 and was not allowed 
to live amongst ,god's people1 nor enter
 into the ,courts of the ,temple2       
typifying that sin is hateful in the    

sight of ,god1 and that those who       
persist in it cannot enter into the     
kingdom of ,heaven4  ,the leprosy was   
looked upon as incurable by any human   
means1 and therefore whenever a leper   
was healed1 it was attributed to an     
especial exertion of the ,divine power4 
,in like manner1 ,god only could take   
away the guilt and punishment of sin1   
and cleanse the heart of a sinner4  ,the
 ,leper1 who went to ,jesus beseeching  
,him1 knew that no human skill could    
heal his disease2 but believing ,him to 
be the ,son of ,god--the ,messiah1 he   
fell on his face worshipping ,him1 and  
saying1 ,lord1 if ,thou wilt1 ,thou     
canst make me clean4  ,pleased with the 
man's faith1 ,jesus touched him1 and    
said1 ,i will2 be thou clean3 and       
immediately the leprosy departed from   
him1 and he was cleansed4 ,and ,jesus   
saith unto him1 ,see thou say nothing to
 any man3 but go thy way1 show thyself  
to the priest1 and offer for thy        
cleansing those things which ,moses     

commanded for a testimony unto them4    
,the ,levitical ,law declared1 that the 
priests were to be judges in all cases  
of leprosy4 ,any one suspected of having
 this dreadful disease1 was to be       
examined by the ,priest3 if the ,priest 
pronounced his disease to be leprosy1 he
 was at once considered unclean1 and cut
 off from all communication with his    
fellow men4 ,in like manner1 if it      
pleased ,god to take away the disease1  
the leper was to go again to the ,priest
 to be examined1 and if he pronounced   
him to be cured1 the poor man was then  
considered clean1 and restored to the   
society of his fellow creatures4  ,when 
our ,lord dismissed the leper1 ,he told 
him to offer those things which ,moses  
commanded4 ,the ceremony of cleansing1  
to be observed by every one who had been
 cured of leprosy1 was as follows3--,two
 live and clean birds were to be taken1 
with cedar-wood1 hyssop1 and other      
things2 one of these birds was to be    
killed over a brook of running water1   

and its blood received in an earthen    
vessel3 the living bird1 with the other 
things mentioned1 was to be dipped in   
the blood of the dead bird1 and the     
leper was afterwards to be sprinkled    
with the blood4 ,this was to show1 as   
all sacrifices were intended to do1 that
 sin and uncleanliness could only be    
done away with1 by shedding the blood of
 the innocent and clean3 and thus       
pointing out to all men1 that the blood 
of ,jesus ,christ1 the spotless lamb of 
,god1 could alone wash away the sin of  
man4  ,the living bird was then to be   
let loose in the open fields1 to signify
 that the leper now cleansed from his   
plague1 was free to go where he would   
amongst his fellow men4 ,this was the   
ceremony which ,jesus bade the leper    
observe1 and he was not to mention his  
cure until all was accomplished4 ,for   
this there appear to have been two      
reasons3 in the first place1 ,jesus did 
not wish ,his ministry to be disturbed1 
by the excitement which the knowledge of

 such a miracle would create amongst the
 people1 who on several occasions       
desired to make ,him their king even on 
earth4 ,in the second place1 the        
,priests were so obstinately prejudiced 
against our ,lord1 that they would have 
been very unwilling to pronounce the    
leper to be clean1 had they known how   
his cure had been effected3 but when    
once they had declared him to be healed1
 they could not unsay their own words4  
,the healing of this leper1 was the     
plainest proof that ,christ could give  
of ,his being indeed the ,son of ,god2  
for there was a tradition universally   
believed by the ,jews1 that when the    
,messiah should come1 ,he would cure the
 leprosy4  ,the leper did not keep      
silence1 but began to publish it abroad1
 and so much the more went there a fame 
abroad of him3 and great multitudes came
 together to hear1 and to be healed of  
their infirmities2 insomuch that ,jesus 
could no more openly enter the city1    
without exciting that attention1 which  

at present ,he wished to avoid3 and ,he 
withdrew himself into the wilderness and
 prayed3 but even here1 they came to him
 from every quarter4  ,and again he     
entered into ,capernaum after some days2
 and it was noised that he was in the   
house4 ,and straightway many were       
gathered together1 insomuch that there  
was no room to receive them1 no1 not so 
much as about the door3 and he preached 
the word unto them4 ,when we read of the
 multitudes who crowded to hear ,jesus1 
it does seem sad that so few profited by
 what they heard3 let us try not to be  
only hearers of the word1 but doers     
also4  ,one day1 when ,jesus was thus   
teaching1 with ,pharisees and doctors of
 the law1 which were come out of every  
town of ,galilee1 and ,judaea1 and      
,jerusalem1 sitting by1 a man sick of   
the palsy1 lying on a bed which was     
borne of four1 was brought to be healed4
  ,the palsy is a sad disease1 which    
often takes away the use of the legs and
 arms1 and renders the poor sufferer    

perfectly helpless2 nor can the         
physician restore the use of the limbs4 
,those who had brought this poor man on 
a kind of litter1 sought means to bring 
him into the house1 and lay him before  
,jesus3 and when they found that they   
could not come nigh unto him for the    
press1 they went upon the house-top1 and
 uncovered the roof where he was2 and   
when they had broken it up1 they let the
 poor man down through the tiling with  
his couch1 into the midst of the        
multitude1 before ,jesus4 ,the ,jewish  
houses1 as we must remember1 were only  
one story high2 and in the flat roof was
 an opening1 leading directly to the    
room below4  ,this opening was closed by
 a flat door2 but it seems that when    
they had uncovered the opening1 by      
removing the trapdoor1 the aperture was 
not large enough for the litter to pass 
through it2 and therefore they broke up 
some of the roof1 so as to enlarge the  
opening1 and when they had done this1   
they fastened ropes to the four corners 

of the sick man's bed1 and so let him   
down at ,jesus's feet4 ,the trouble they
 had taken to bring to ,him a man1 who1 
as they well knew1 could not be cured by
 any human creature1 showed that those  
who brought him1 believed that ,jesus   
was indeed the ,son of ,god1 able to    
heal all manner of diseases4 ,and they  
received the blessing sought in faith4  
,chapter ,,xii4--,,calling ,,of         
,,matthew4   ,when ,jesus saw the faith 
of those who had brought the man sick of
 the palsy1 ,he said1 ,son1 be of good  
cheer2 thy sins be forgiven thee4 ,these
 words offended the ,scribes 7or        
,doctors7 and the ,pharisees who were   
sitting there2 and they said within     
themselves1 or thought1 ,this man       
blasphemeth1 that is1 ,he takes to      
himself a power which no human being can
 possess1 for ,who can forgive sins1 but
 ,god alone8 ,here they were right3 no  
man could forgive sin1 nor with a word  
take away the diseases consequent upon  
sin4  ,the ,scribes and ,pharisees do   

not appear to have even spoken their    
thoughts to each other1 but ,jesus1 by  
the ,spirit of ,god which was in ,him1  
perceived that they so reasoned within  
themselves2 and knowing their thoughts1 
,he answering1 said unto them1 ,why     
reason ye these things1 and think evil  
in your hearts8 that is1 why do ye think
 evil of ,me1 and condemn ,me as guilty 
of blasphemy1 because ,i have spoken    
such words8 ,then ,jesus asked them1    
,whether is it easier to say to the sick
 of the palsy1 ,thy sins be forgiven    
thee2 or to say1 ,arise1 and take up thy
 bed and walk8 ,thus ,jesus reminded the
 ,scribes and ,pharisees1 that to heal a
 man sick of the palsy was as impossible
 for a man1 as to forgive sin2 and that 
therefore ,he who could do such things1 
must be indeed the ,son of ,god3 and he 
instantly gave this proof of his being  
the ,messiah1 saying1 ,but that ye may  
know that the ,son of man hath power on 
earth to forgive sins--no more words    
were necessary1 the sentence was ended  

by an action2 for turning to the sick of
 the palsy1 he saith1 ,i say unto thee1 
,arise1 and take up thy bed1 and go thy 
way into thine house4 ,and immediately  
he rose up before them1 and took up the 
bed whereon he lay1 that is1 the        
mattress1 rolled it up1 and went forth  
before them all1 and departed to his own
 house1 glorifying ,god4 ,had the       
,pharisees and ,scribes been really     
anxious to know the truth1 praying to   
,god to show it to them1 this miracle   
must indeed have convinced them that    
,jesus was the ,messiah2 but their      
hearts were hardened against believing  
in a ,messiah1 who did not come as a    
king in earthly power and glory4  ,but  
whilst the ,scribes and ,pharisees would
 not believe the evidence of their own  
eyes1 the poorer people were less       
obstinate4 ,when they saw the poor sick 
man walk away completely cured1 the     
multitude were all amazed at such a     
wonderful proof of the power of ,god4   
,and they said1 ,we have seen strange   

things to-day3 we never saw it on this  
fashion3 and they glorified ,god1 which 
had given such power unto men4 ,perhaps 
some of these people became real and    
true followers of ,christ3 but many of  
them1 notwithstanding all they had seen1
 did not like to give up their sins1 so 
as to become holy1 as ,christ's         
disciples must be4 ,we think it strange 
that men could see such miracles1 and   
not believe and follow ,jesus3 but do we
 do everything that ,he bids us8 and yet
 we know ,him to be the ,son of ,god1   
the ,saviour of the world4 ,let us take 
care that we do not love our sins1 so as
 to make us unwilling to be true        
followers of ,jesus ,christ4  ,after    
these things1 we read that as ,jesus was
 walking by the ,sea of ,galilee1 ,he   
saw a man1 a publican named ,levi1 also 
called ,matthew1 sitting at the receipt 
of custom4 ,a publican was a            
tax-gatherer2 one who was appointed by  
the ,romans to collect the taxes which  
they required the inhabitants of ,judaea

 to pay4 ,the ,jews disliked paying     
taxes very much1 because it was a mark  
of their being under the dominion of    
,gentile rulers3 and therefore they     
hated all publicans or tax-gatherers4   
,in general1 too1 the bad characters and
 ill conduct of these men did not tend  
to make men like them3 the ,romans were 
in the habit of farming out the taxes2  
that is1 they appointed some person who 
was willing to give them a certain sum  
of money1 and take his chance of what   
taxes he could collect4 ,if the taxes he
 collected did not amount to as much as 
the sum he had paid to the ,romans1 of  
course he was the loser3 if1 on the     
contrary1 the taxes came to more than   
what he had to give to the ,romans1 he  
was the gainer3 thus the publicans1     
having paid a large sum of money for the
 privilege of collecting the taxes1 were
 anxious to collect as much as possible1
 in order to have more for themselves3  
and so they often oppressed the people1 
by making them pay more than was right2 

and of course the people could not like 
those whom they found so troublesome and
 unjust1 and therefore they hated the   
whole class of tax-gatherers4  ,levi1 or
 ,matthew1 of whom we are speaking1 was 
a ,jew1 who had taken the office of     
tax-gatherer under the ,romans3 his     
particular business seems to have been  
to receive the money1 which every person
 who carried goods across the ,sea of   
,galilee was obliged to pay as a tax to 
their ,roman masters4 ,matthew was      
sitting in his appointed place for the  
receipt1 or receiving1 of custom1 that  
is1 of the tax which it was the custom  
to pay on landing1 when our ,lord passed
 by and saw him4  ,the ,pharisees and   
,scribes looked upon all publicans1     
whether they were ,jews or not1 as      
heathens1 unfit to be even spoken to3   
they would not even try to make them    
better1 as they chose to think that ,god
 had quite cast them off4 ,jesus taught 
a very different lesson1 and showed that
 ,god is ready to receive all who will  

repent of their sins and follow ,him4   
,jesus1 who sees what thoughts and      
feelings are in the heart of every one1 
made choice of ,matthew as a fit man to 
be one of ,his constant attendants1 and 
therefore1 when he saw him sitting at   
the receipt of custom1 ,he said unto    
him1 ,follow me4 ,and he left all1 rose 
up1 and followed him4 ,at once1 without 
doubt or hesitation1 ,matthew left all  
and followed ,jesus3 now1 ,jesus calls  
all of us when we are baptized2 but how 
few of us try to follow ,him really and 
truly8 ,we might perhaps think that it  
was wrong of ,matthew thus to leave his 
business and go away1 because then the  
people who crossed the sea would not pay
 the tax required by the ,romans3 but as
 he had paid money to the ,romans for   
the situation1 they would not be cheated
 out of the tax3 he himself would be the
 only sufferer4 ,if this had not been   
the case1 he would have been wrong to go
 away before some other person was      
appointed in his place3 for the ,bible  

teaches us1 that we must do our duty to 
man fairly and faithfully1 in whatever  
state of life we are4 ,by doing our     
earthly business honestly and well1 we  
serve ,god3 if our business takes up too
 much of our thoughts1 and makes us     
forget ,god and neglect ,his worship1   
then we must give up our business2 for  
we should always think first of pleasing
 ,god4  ,the next event we hear of in   
our ,saviour's life is1 that with ,his  
usual obedience to the ,law1 ,he went up
 to ,jerusalem to keep a feast of the   
,jews3 most probably the feast of       
,tabernacles2 a feast celebrated in the 
,autumn1 as a thanksgiving for the      
harvest or in-gathering of corn1 grapes 
for wine1 and all other fruits of the   
earth3 this feast was also intended to  
remind them of the journeyings of their 
forefathers in the wilderness1 where    
they lived in booths or tents for forty 
years2 and therefore they were to keep  
it1 by dwelling for seven days in       
booths1 made of the branches of trees4  

,it seems that by the ,sheep ,gate1 on  
the eastern side of ,jerusalem1 there   
was a pool of water1 in which at a      
certain time of the year ,god showed    
,his almighty power1 by the miraculous  
cure of any sick person1 who1 after the 
troubling or stirring up of the water1  
first stepped into the pool4 ,by this   
pool was a building1 having five        
porches1 through which the unclean went 
down to wash in the pool4 ,this building
 was properly called ,bethesda1 a       
,hebrew word1 meaning the ,house of     
,mercy2 and the pool was from it called 
the pool of ,bethesda4 ,jesus visited   
this place1 where1 in the porches1 lay a
 great multitude of impotent folk1 that 
is1 people who were unable to help      
themselves on account of blindness1 or  
of diseases which took away the use of  
their legs and arms4 ,these poor        
creatures were waiting for the moving of
 the waters2 each hoping that he might  
be the one to get first into the pool1  
and be cured4 ,amongst these was a      

certain man1 who had been unable to walk
 for thirty-eight years4 ,jesus chose   
this man as the object of a miracle1 and
 saith unto him1 ,wilt thou be made     
whole8 ,the poor man1 thinking only of  
the pool1 told the ,lord that he had no 
chance of being healed1 for he had no   
friends to help him2 and that long      
before he could drag himself to the     
water1 some other person was sure to    
step in and secure the blessing4 ,jesus 
then saith unto him1 ,rise1 take up thy 
bed1 and walk4  ,whether this poor man  
had heard of ,jesus before1 we do not   
know2 but he at once showed his faith1  
by trying to do1 what he knew he could  
not do1 unless he received some         
miraculous help from ,god4 ,how         
delighted he must have been1 when he    
found that a perfect cure was the reward
 of his faith and obedience6  ,it was on
 a ,sabbath day that this miracle was   
worked2 and the ,jews1 probably the     
,scribes and ,pharisees1 found fault    
with the man1 saying1 ,it is not lawful 

for thee to carry thy bed on the        
,sabbath day4 ,this was so far true1    
that in the ,law it was written1 ,take  
heed to yourselves1 and bear no burden  
on the ,sabbath day2 and the ,pharisees1
 and others who were fond of adding to  
the outward observances of the ,law1 and
 of keeping traditions1 reckoned a man  
guilty of breaking the ,law1 if he even 
carried anything in his hand on the     
,sabbath day4 ,when the ,jews blamed    
this man1 he answered very properly1    
that he could not be wrong in obeying   
the commands of one who had showed that 
he had power from ,god1 by healing him  
of his disease4 ,the ,jews allowed that 
a prophet had power to excuse men from  
the strict observance of the ,sabbath2  
and1 as ,jesus had proved ,himself to be
 more than a prophet1 they could say no 
more on that subject2 but wishing to    
have something to find fault with1 they 
asked the man1 ,what man is that which  
said unto thee1 ,take up thy bed1 and   
walk8 ,this question the man could not  

answer1 for he wist not who it was1 for 
,jesus had conveyed ,himself away after 
working the miracle at the pool of      
,bethesda4     ,chapter ,,xiii4--,,the  
,,pharisees' ,,pretended ,,zeal ,,for   
,,the ,,sabbath4   ,the man whom ,jesus 
had healed at the pool of ,bethesda1    
seems to have made the first use of his 
restored power by going into the ,house 
of ,god1 to thank and praise ,him for   
having been made whole4 ,jesus1 finding 
him in the temple1 bade him remember the
 cure which had been worked upon him1   
and show his gratitude by forsaking all 
his sins and leading a holy life1 so    
that he might not bring upon himself far
 more terrible sufferings than any which
 he could feel upon earth4 ,the man now 
understood who had cured him1 and went  
and told the ,jews that it was ,jesus   
which had made him whole3 evidently     
believing that ,jesus was the ,messiah1 
and that ,his command was quite         
sufficient to justify a man for doing   
that which was not strictly lawful on   

the ,sabbath day4 ,the ,jews1 however1  
would not allow this3 therefore did they
 persecute ,jesus1 and sought to slay   
him1 because he had done these things on
 the ,sabbath day4  ,jesus1 then1 in a  
conversation of which ,st4 ,john gives  
us an account1 tried to convince the    
,jews that ,he was indeed the ,messiah1 
and as such1 had authority even to heal 
on the ,sabbath4 ,on this occasion ,he  
gave the ,jews advice that all of us    
should listen to and follow2 for ,he    
said1 ,search the ,scriptures2 for in   
them ye think ye have eternal life3 and 
they are they which testify of me4 ,the 
,jews believed that the ,scriptures of  
the ,old ,testament1 which were all that
 at that time were written1 were indeed 
the ,word of ,god1 and that they showed 
them how to obtain eternal life3 ,jesus 
therefore bids them read and study them 
honestly and carefully1 and that they   
would then see that ,he must be the     
,messiah1 of whom those ,scriptures     
testify or speak4 ,we know that the ,new

 ,testament as well as the ,old1 is the 
,word of ,god2 and that it shows us the 
way to eternal life4 ,let us then obey  
our ,lord's command1 and search the     
,scriptures1 that we may learn ,his will
 in order to do it4  ,jesus also told   
the ,jews1 that ,moses1 whom they       
pretended to obey exactly1 wrote of     
,him2 and that if they really believed  
,moses1 and wished to obey the ,law1    
they would acknowledge ,him to be indeed
 the ,messiah1 of whom ,moses and all   
the prophets had written4 ,all that     
,jesus said1 does not seem to have had  
any effect2 for on the next ,sabbath1   
something of the same kind happened4    
,the disciples who were following ,jesus
 through the corn-fields1 being hungry1 
began to pluck the ears of corn1 rubbing
 them in their hands1 to take off the   
husk1 and eating them as they went4 ,it 
might seem to us that the disciples had 
no right to take ears of corn which did 
not belong to them1 but this was1 under 
the circumstances1 allowed by the ,law  

of ,moses1 or the ,levitical ,law3 a    
hungry man1 who was passing through     
standing corn1 might pluck the ears with
 his hand to satisfy his wants1 though  
he was forbidden to move a sickle unto  
his neighbour's standing corn4  ,the    
,pharisees1 who were constantly watching
 for an opportunity to find fault1 now  
asked ,jesus1 why ,he allowed his       
disciples to do what was not lawful for 
them to do on the ,sabbath day4  ,for   
very many years the ,jews had neglected 
to observe the ,sabbath in a proper     
manner1 and this neglect of a positive  
command1 had been one cause of the      
destruction of their kingdom1 and of all
 the misery they afterwards suffered4   
,now their descendants had gone into    
another sin1 and instead of making the  
,sabbath a day of rest from worldly     
cares1--a day to be devoted to the      
service of ,god1 and to thinking of all 
,his mercies1--they made so many rules  
as to what might or might not be done1  
that the most common and necessary      

actions1 such as healing the sick1 or   
saving the life of an animal1 came to be
 looked upon as unlawful1 and therefore 
sinful4 ,jesus reminded the ,jews who   
thus blamed ,his disciples1 that ,david 
was not considered to have broken the   
,law of ,moses1 because once1 when      
pressed by hunger1 he and his followers 
had eaten the shewbread1 which it was   
not lawful to eat1 but for the priests  
alone4 ,he also told them1 that no one  
accused the ,priests of breaking the    
,law1 because on the ,sabbath day they1 
in performing the temple services1 did  
things in themselves forbidden on that  
holy day4 ,jesus ended by declaring1    
that the ,sabbath was made for man1 and 
not man for the ,sabbath3 that is1 that 
the ,sabbath was meant for the benefit  
of mankind1 as well as for the glory of 
,god1 and not to be an oppressive       
burden2 and that the ,son of man was    
,lord also of the ,sabbath1 and had     
therefore power to dispense with its    
rigorous observance2 and that if they   

had understood the meaning of ,god's    
words1 ,i will have mercy and not       
sacrifice1 they would not have been so  
ready to blame ,his disciples1 as if    
they had been guilty of a crime1 merely 
because1 to relieve the pangs of hunger1
 they had plucked a few ears of corn on 
the ,sabbath day4  ,on another ,sabbath1
 ,jesus went into a synagogue and       
taught3 and behold1 there was a man     
whose right hand was withered2 that is1 
his hand was so shrunk and dried up1    
that he could make no use of it4 ,the   
,scribes and ,pharisees1 thinking it    
likely that ,jesus would heal this man  
in spite of its being the ,sabbath day1 
watched him2 that they might find an    
accusation against him4 ,but he knew    
their thoughts and purposes1 and said to
 the man with the withered hand1 ,rise  
up1 and stand forth in the midst4 ,and  
he arose and stood forth in the sight of
 all the people in the synagogue4 ,and  
the ,scribes and ,pharisees seeing this1
 asked him1 ,is it lawful to heal on the

 ,sabbath days8 that they might accuse  
him4 ,one party of ,jews1 in their      
mistaken zeal for the strict observance 
of the ,sabbath1 had come to the        
extraordinary decision1 that no one     
might comfort the sick or mourning on   
that day2 though another party did      
permit the people to prepare medicine1  
and to perform any service which was    
required for the actual preservation of 
life4 ,instead of answering a question  
only put for the purpose of having      
something to accuse ,him of1 ,jesus said
 unto them1 ,i will ask you one thing2  
,is it lawful on the ,sabbath days to do
 good or to do evil8 ,to save life or to
 destroy it8 for ,he knew that they     
wished to destroy ,him1 whilst ,he only 
wanted to do good to a suffering human  
creature4 ,whatever might be their      
wishes1 they could not openly declare   
that it was more lawful to do evil than 
good2 therefore they made no answer1 but
 held their peace4 ,and he said unto    
them1 ,what man shall there be among    

you1 that shall have one sheep1 and if  
it fall into a pit on the ,sabbath-day1 
will he not lay hold on it1 and lift it 
out8 ,how much then is a man better than
 a sheep8 ,wherefore it is lawful to do 
well on the ,sabbath days4 ,to such     
words the ,jews could make no answer4   
,jesus1 grieved to see the hardness of  
heart that prevented the ,pharisees     
believing in ,him1 and made them angry  
instead of glad1 to see a               
fellow-creature relieved2 looked round  
about on them with anger1 and saith unto
 the man1 ,stretch forth thine hand3 the
 man had faith to try1 and the power to 
do so was given to him2 he stretched it 
forth2 and it was restored whole1 like  
as the other4 ,then the ,pharisees1     
almost beside themselves with anger1 are
 said to have been filled with madness2 
and they went forth1 with the           
,herodians1 and straightway held a      
council against him2 and communed one   
with another1 what they might do to     
,jesus1 and how they might destroy him4 

,it is sad to think that all the proofs 
of our ,saviour's power1 only made the  
,pharisees and others more and more     
anxious to put ,him to death4  ,when we 
read such accounts as these1 let us be  
thankful for our ,sabbaths1 and try to  
keep them holy2 spending our time in    
worshipping ,god1 in learning our duty1 
and in doing good to others4 ,above all1
 let us take particular care to be holy 
on this holy day2 and not to do the     
least wrong thing1 on a day which is    
called the ,lord's ,day4  ,the time was 
not yet come for ,jesus to give up ,his 
life1 and therefore1 knowing that the   
,pharisees sought to destroy ,him1 ,he  
withdrew ,himself from ,jerusalem1 and  
went with his disciples into ,galilee to
 the sea2 and a great multitude followed
 him from all parts1 even from beyond   
,jordan2 and also many of the           
inhabitants of ,tyre and ,sidon1 having 
heard what great things ,jesus had done1
 came unto him4 ,as many as had plagues 
or diseases pressed upon him for to     

touch him1 and he healed them all4 ,and 
unclean spirits1 when they saw him1 fell
 down before him1 and cried1 saying1    
,thou art the ,son of ,god4 ,thus was   
fulfilled what had been said #gjj years 
before by the prophet ,isaiah1 who      
declared that when the ,messiah should  
come to set up a new ,law1 even the     
,gospel1 ,he would use no force nor     
violence1 but do it entirely by         
kindness2 and by showing an example of  
kindness and forbearance to the weak1   
encouraging them to become better4 ,the 
prophet's words1 put into his mouth by  
,god1 were1 ,behold1 my servant1 whom ,i
 have chosen2 my beloved1 in whom my    
soul is well pleased2 ,i will put my    
spirit upon him2 and he shall show      
judgment to the ,gentiles4 ,he shall not
 strive1 nor cry2 neither shall any man 
hear his voice in the streets4 ,a       
bruised reed shall he not break1 and    
smoking flax shall he not quench1 till  
he send forth judgment unto victory4    
,and in his name shall the ,gentiles    

trust4  ,an example of goodness and     
holiness and kindness1 has more effect  
than all that can be said on the        
subject4 ,by the piety and good conduct 
of the followers of ,jesus1 men were led
 to take the same part1 and thus by the 
blessing of ,god1 has the ,gospel spread
 over the earth4 ,all ,christians should
 remember this1 and try to show by their
 conduct that they are followers of     
,jesus4 ,even children can set an       
example to other children1 either for   
good or evil3 but if they do it for     
evil1 they are doing the work of the    
,devil4     ,chapter ,,xiv4--,,the      
,,apostles ,,chosen4   ,as ,jesus was to
 live only for a short time on earth1 it
 was needful that ,he should leave      
behind ,him others who should carry on  
,his work1 and preach the ,gospel after 
,his death4 ,but if these men were to   
repeat to others the words which ,jesus 
had spoken1 and show them the wonderful 
things which ,he had done1 it was       
necessary that they should be constantly

 with their ,lord1 so as to be able to  
bear witness as to all that ,he had said
 or done4  ,during the time that our    
,saviour had been teaching and healing  
the sick1 many persons had become ,his  
followers1 besides those whom ,he had   
especially called to be ,his disciples4 
,from amongst the number of those who   
had become disciples1 twelve were now to
 be chosen1 to be in constant attendance
 upon their ,master1 that they might1   
after his death1 bear witness to ,his   
life1 and actions1 and teaching4  ,the  
night before this choice was to be made 
,jesus ,went out into a mountain to     
pray1 and continued all night in prayer 
to ,god4 ,thus ,he set us an example of 
the way in which we should prepare      
ourselves for any important work we have
 to do2 and that is1 by asking guidance 
and help from our heavenly ,father4     
,and when it was day1 he called unto him
 his disciples whom he would2 and they  
came unto him3 and of them he chose     
twelve 7whom also he named ,apostles7   

that they should be with him1 and that  
he might send them forth to preach1 and 
to have power to heal sicknesses1 and to
 cast out devils4 ,he ordained          
twelve--,simon 7whom he also named      
,peter7 and ,andrew his brother2 and    
,james the son of ,zebedee1 and ,john   
the brother of ,james2 and he surnamed  
them ,boanerges1 which is1 ,the sons of 
thunder2 and ,philip1 and ,bartholomew2 
and ,matthew1 and ,thomas2 and ,james   
the son of ,alphaeus1 and ,judas        
,thaddaeus1 the brother of ,james2 and  
,simon the ,canaanite1 called ,zelotes2 
and ,judas ,iscariot1 which also        
betrayed him4  ,we have already seen how
 ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter1 ,james and     
,john the sons of ,zebedee1 ,philip1 and
 ,matthew1 were called in the first     
instance to be the disciples of ,jesus3 
,bartholomew1 who was also ordained an  
,apostle1 is supposed to be the same    
person spoken of as ,nathanael1 who     
being brought to ,jesus by ,philip1 at  
once acknowledged ,him to be the ,son of

 ,god1 and became one of ,his disciples4
 ,of the other five apostles1 we know   
nothing previous to their being now     
chosen3 to the name of one1 there is a  
terrible distinction1 who also betrayed 
him2 and in the three accounts of this  
event1 written by different writers1 he 
is thus pointed out as the traitor4 ,of 
the twelve ,apostles1 five have left us 
valuable records of our ,saviour's life 
and teaching4  ,you will remember that  
in the ,bible we have ,four ,gospels2   
that is1 four different accounts of our 
,lord's sayings and doings whilst on    
earth1 and of the ,gospel which ,he came
 to teach4 ,the first of these was      
written by ,matthew1 about five years   
after the death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the 
,gospels according to ,st4 ,mark and    
,st4 ,luke1 were written about          
twenty-seven years later3 ,st4 ,luke was
 a disciple of ,christ's before ,his    
crucifixion1 and ,st4 ,mark was probably
 one also1 but neither of them was an   
,apostle4 ,as the ,gospel of ,st4       

,matthew gives an account of the birth  
of ,jesus ,christ1 ,st4 ,mark's says    
nothing on the subject1 but begins with 
the public appearance of ,john the      
,baptist2 whilst1 on the contrary1 that 
of ,st4 ,luke gives many particulars    
omitted by ,st4 ,matthew4 ,st4 ,john1   
who lived to be #ajj years old1 did not 
write his ,gospel until sixty-four years
 after the death of ,christ3 he seems to
 have written it1 in order to tell us   
many things not mentioned in the former 
,gospels1 particularly the conversations
 and discourses of our ,lord3 and he    
repeats very little of what is recorded 
by the other ,evangelists1 as we call   
those who wrote the ,gospels4 ,out of   
the four ,evangelists1 two were         
,apostles also1 and two were not4 ,st4  
,luke has also left us another very     
valuable record1 of the acts done by the
 ,apostles after our ,saviour's death3  
this is the only history of all that the
 ,apostles did and said1 and it is      
called ,the ,book of the ,acts of the   

,apostles4 ,before ,st4 ,john wrote his 
,gospel1 he wrote what is called ,the   
,book of the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john1 
being an account of visions vouchsafed  
him1 and prophecies made known to him1  
whilst in banishment in the isle of     
,patmos1 on account of his religion4    
,st4 ,john also wrote three of the      
,epistles1 or ,letters1 which form part 
of the ,new ,testament4 ,peter wrote two
 ,epistles1 ,james and ,jude1 or ,judas 
,thaddaeus1 each one3 but the greater   
number of the ,epistles were written by 
,st4 ,paul1 who did not become a        
disciple or follower of ,jesus until    
after the crucifixion4  ,the ,jewish    
,rabbis preferred to take as their      
pupils and disciples1 rich and learned  
men2 but1 as we have seen1 ,jesus chose 
poor and ignorant men1 to show that     
learning was not necessary to enable men
 to understand the ,gospel2 for that its
 truths are so plain1 that even the most
 ignorant person1 who in his heart loves
 ,god1 can understand the ,gospel1 and  

learn how to please ,god4  ,multitudes  
of the people continued to come to      
,christ1 to hear him1 and to be healed  
of their diseases3 he healed them all1  
and also tried to show them how they    
ought to behave1 in order to obtain the 
blessing of ,god4 ,seeing the           
multitudes1 he went up into a mountain1 
and there spake all the words which we  
call the ,sermon on the ,mount3 an      
account of this ,sermon is given to us  
both by ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke4   
,all ,christians should study it1 and   
try to obey it3 even children can       
understand a good deal of it1 if they   
will try4  ,when ,jesus had ended his   
sayings1 and was come down from the     
,mount1 he entered into ,capernaum1     
where at this time ,he worked the       
miracle of healing the ,centurion's     
servant4 ,a ,centurion1 amongst the     
,romans1 was the captain or commander of
 #ajj men4 ,this ,centurion1 though he  
was himself a ,gentile1 was kindly      
disposed towards the ,jews1 and had at  

his own expense built a synagogue for   
their use3 he also believed in ,jesus as
 the ,son of ,god2 and did not doubt    
that at ,his word the disease of which  
his servant was dying would at once be  
removed3 therefore1 not thinking himself
 worthy even to speak to the ,lord1 he  
sent unto ,him the elders of the ,jews2 
probably the elders belonging to the    
synagogue he had built4 ,jesus          
immediately went with these elders2 but 
when they got near the ,centurion's     
house1 some of his friends came at his  
desire1 to beg that ,jesus would not    
trouble himself to come1 for if ,he     
would only speak the word1 his servant  
would be healed4 ,it would seem that the
 ,centurion himself quickly followed the
 last messengers2 and he received the   
reward of his faith1 for his servant was
 healed1 and at the same time ,jesus    
told those about ,him1 that the         
,centurion had shown more faith than ,he
 had found amongst the ,jews2 and that  
many ,gentiles would through their faith

 be received into the ,kingdom of       
,heaven1 whilst many of the ,jews would 
be shut out1 on account of their wilful 
unbelief4  ,the next miracle we hear of1
 was the bringing to life of the widow's
 son1 who was being carried out of ,nain
 to be buried1 when ,jesus came to the  
gate of that city4 ,and there came a    
fear on all who saw these things3 and   
they glorified ,god1 saying1 ,that a    
great prophet is risen up among us2 and 
that ,god hath visited his people4      
,these people rightly felt1 that the    
,doer of such things must indeed be the 
,messiah3 and this saying was spread    
abroad1 not only throughout all ,judaea1
 but throughout all the region round    
about4 ,and the disciples of ,john went 
to him in prison1 where he had been1 as 
we have heard1 put by ,herod2 and shewed
 him of all these things4 ,now when     
,john had heard in the prison the works 
of ,christ1 he1 calling unto him two of 
his disciples1 sent them to ,jesus1     
telling them to say1 ,art thou he that  

should come1 or do we look for another8 
,john did not send to ask this question 
for his own satisfaction2 he knew well  
enough that ,jesus was indeed the       
,messiah that should come1 and that no  
other was to be looked for3 but he      
wanted to strengthen the faith of his   
own disciples1 and convince them that   
,jesus was indeed the ,messiah1 and that
 they must follow ,him4  ,when the men  
whom ,john had sent were come unto      
,jesus1 they said1 ,john ,baptist hath  
sent us unto thee1 saying1 ,art thou he 
that should come8 or look we for        
another8  ,this question our ,lord did  
not immediately answer1 in words1 at    
least2 but in the same hour he cured    
many of their infirmities and plagues1  
and of evil spirits2 and unto many that 
were blind1 he gave sight4  ,then       
,jesus1 answering the question put to   
,him by the disciples of ,john1 said    
unto them1 ,go your way1 and tell ,john 
what things ye have seen and heard2 how 
that the blind receive their sight1 and 

the lame walk1 the lepers are cleansed1 
and the deaf hear2 the dead are raised  
up1 and the poor have the ,gospel       
preached unto them4 ,the ,jews all knew 
perfectly well1 that the doing of all   
these wondrous miracles was to be a sign
 to point out the ,messiah1 for the     
prophets had declared that ,he should do
 them4 ,now these things were being done
 every day1 and therefore it was quite  
clear1 to all who were not determined   
not to believe1 that he who did them was
 the promised ,messiah1 the ,son of     
,god4 ,all who heard what ,jesus now    
said must have understood ,him to mean  
that ,he was the promised ,messiah1 and 
that they need not look for another4    
,chapter ,,xv4--,,jesus ,,in ,,simon',s 
,,house4   ,when the ,baptist's         
messengers were gone away1 ,jesus spake 
to the multitude about him2 telling them
 that ,john was the messenger spoken of 
by the prophet ,malachi--the ,elias1 who
 was to come before the ,messiah4 ,he   
also told them1 that ,john the ,baptist 

was more than a prophet1 but that the   
humblest follower of ,christ might      
become greater than he was4 ,many other 
things spake ,jesus unto the people3    
those who were humble1 and felt that    
they were sinners1 gladly accepted the  
offer of forgiveness1 on the condition  
of repentance2 but the ,pharisees and   
,scribes1 who thought themselves        
righteous1 neglected ,his gracious      
offers of mercy4  ,it seems that before 
,jesus left ,nain1 where ,he had raised 
the widow's son1 a ,pharisee named      
,simon desired him that he would eat    
with him4 ,and he went into the         
,pharisee's house1 and sat down to meat4
 ,whilst he sat1 or rather reclined upon
 a couch1 as was the custom at meals in 
those days1 a woman1 well known to have 
been a great sinner1 came and stood at  
his feet behind him1 weeping2 and began 
to wash his feet with tears1 and did    
wipe them with the hairs of her head1   
and kissed his feet1 and anointed them  
with the ointment which she had brought4

  ,the ,pharisees considered themselves 
too holy even to touch any person whom  
they looked upon as a sinner3 when1     
therefore1 the master of the house saw  
that ,jesus allowed this woman to touch 
,him1 he said within himself 7or        
thought71 ,this man1 if he were a       
prophet1 would have known what manner of
 woman this is that toucheth him1 for   
she is a sinner4 ,meaning1 that if      
,jesus had known how greatly this woman 
had sinned1 ,he would not have allowed  
her to touch ,him4 ,but ,jesus did know 
all1 and more than the ,pharisee knew2  
for ,he knew that this woman1 however   
sinful she had been1 was now truly sorry
 for her sins1 and anxious to lead a    
better life2 and such truly penitent    
sinners ,he was1 and is1 always ready to
 receive4 ,jesus therefore1 knowing what
 ,simon's thoughts were1 spake to him1  
and told him a little parable1 to show  
him that this poor woman1 whom he so    
despised1 had given proofs of greater   
love towards ,himself than ,simon had   

done2 and ,he ended by turning to the   
repentant woman1 and saying the         
comforting words1 ,thy sins are         
forgiven4 ,with what joy must the poor  
sinner have heard these words6 ,but we  
are not told what her feelings or words 
were2 we are only told1 that they that  
sat at meat with him began to say within
 themselves1 ,who is this that forgiveth
 sins also8 ,they might easily have     
known that ,he could be none other than 
the ,son of ,god1 the ,messiah2 but they
 would not own as such a poor man who   
went about amongst publicans and        
sinners4  ,that ,he did show such love  
towards sinners1 is our greatest        
comfort2 for we are all sinners1 and    
stand greatly in need of ,his mercy4    
,knowing how the ,pharisees were        
offended by ,his words1 ,he only        
repeated ,his assurance to the woman in 
other words2 saying1 ,thy faith hath    
saved thee2 go in peace4 ,her faith had 
brought her to ,jesus2 and those who    
come to ,him in faith and penitence1 ,he

 will in no wise cast out4  ,in the     
parable which ,jesus spake to ,simon1   
reference is made to two customs of the 
,jews3 one1 washing the feet1 or making 
the servants wash the feet1 of every    
guest1 to remove the dust which must    
settle on the feet during the shortest  
journey2 the other1 the custom of       
welcoming a distinguished guest with a  
kiss1 as a sign of respectful attention 
and love4  ,jesus continued to go       
throughout the country of ,galilee1     
preaching and showing the glad tidings  
of the kingdom of ,god3 and the twelve  
were with him1 and certain women1 which 
had been healed of evil spirits and     
infirmities1 ,mary called ,magdalene1   
out of whom went seven devils1 and      
,joanna the wife of ,chuza1 ,herod's    
steward1 and ,susanna1 and many others1 
which ministered unto him of their      
substance4 ,these women1 one of whom1 at
 least1 had been delivered from bondage 
to ,satan1 having substance1 that is1   
some property of their own1 seem to have

 been constant attendants upon our      
,lord1 and to have supplied ,his        
temporal wants4 ,jesus so devoted       
himself to the work ,he had undertaken1 
that from the constant thronging of     
people around ,him1 ,he had not time so 
much as to eat bread4  ,at this time    
there was brought to ,jesus a wretched  
object1 a man possessed with a devil1   
who was also blind and dumb3 and he     
healed him1 so that the man who had been
 blind and dumb both saw and spake4 ,the
 multitudes marvelled1 saying1 ,it was  
never so seen in ,israel--never before  
had such things been done in the land of
 ,israel2 and therefore the multitude   
rightly felt1 that ,he who could do such
 wonderful things must be a very        
different ,being from any of their      
teachers1 or from the prophets or holy  
men of old4  ,seeing the wonderful      
miracles worked by ,jesus1 all the      
people were amazed1 and said1 ,is not   
this the ,son of ,david8--that is1 is   
not this ,man1 who can cast out devils1 

the ,messiah of ,david's seed1 so long  
promised to our fathers and to us8      
,these people saw the truth2 but the    
,scribes and ,pharisees laboured hard to
 prevent their accepting ,jesus as the  
promised ,messiah3 and they immediately 
declared1 that the evil spirits were    
only cast out by the permission of      
,beelzebub1 or ,satan1 the prince of the
 devils2 and that therefore1 so far from
 proving ,jesus to be the ,messiah1     
these miracles showed that ,he was under
 the power of the ,devil1 and that no   
one ought to listen to ,his teaching4   
,this was dreadful blasphemy2 and might 
have drawn upon them the immediate wrath
 of ,god3 but instead of punishing them1
 ,jesus tried to show them and all the  
people1 how foolish it was to suppose   
that the ,devil would fight against     
himself1 and undo his own work4 ,but    
when people are determined not to listen
 to those who warn them of their sins1  
and point out their duty1 they will     
believe1 or pretend to believe1 anything

 however foolish1 that gives them an    
excuse for not listening to good advice4
  ,jesus warned the ,pharisees1 that    
speaking of the work done by the ,holy  
,spirit of ,god as being done by the    
,devil was a most fearful sin2 and one  
for which there could be no forgiveness4
  ,jesus also told the people1 that if  
the heart of a man was not full of faith
 and love1 it would be as impossible for
 him to do anything pleasing to ,god1 as
 it would be for a bad tree to bring    
forth good fruit2 for the quality of the
 tree is known by its fruits2 and the   
heart of man is known by his conduct and
 actions4  ,certain of the ,scribes and 
,pharisees1 asked ,jesus to give them a 
sign of ,his being indeed the ,son of   
,god4 ,this was displeasing to the      
,lord1 for ,his miracles were a         
sufficient sign of ,his having come from
 ,heaven2 and from the writings of their
 own prophets1 the ,jews should have    
understood1 that the promised ,messiah  
whilst on earth would be in a humble    

condition1 and be finally put to death  
for the sins of ,his people4 ,jesus     
therefore told the ,scribes and         
,pharisees1 that no further sign of ,his
 being the ,messiah would be given1 than
 the sign of the prophet ,jonas1 or     
,jonah4 ,for as ,jonas was three days   
and three nights in the whale's belly1  
so shall the ,son of ,man be three days 
and three nights in the heart of the    
earth4 ,the meaning of this was1 that   
the only further sign they could expect 
as to ,his being the ,messiah1 would be 
that one1 of which ,jonas was a type 7or
 sign73 for that as ,jonas1 though      
buried in the whale's body1 came out    
alive2 so ,he would be buried in the    
ground for three days1 and then rise up 
again to live for ever4 ,then ,jesus    
took occasion to show the ,pharisees1   
that they were more sinful in the eyes  
of ,god than the men of ,nineveh1       
because they repented at the preaching  
of ,jonas1 whilst the ,scribes and      
,pharisees refused to listen to ,him1   

who was far greater than ,jonas4  ,many 
other things ,jesus said unto the       
people1 teaching them also by parables4 
,one parable spoken at this time was    
that of the ,sower4 ,afterwards1 when   
they were alone1 the disciples asked    
,jesus the meaning of this parable1     
which ,he immediately explained3        
teaching them that many may hear the    
,gospel1 and receive no benefit from it2
 either because they listen carelessly2 
or because1 having listened1 they have  
not faith to hold its doctrines fast    
when temptations and trials come2 or    
because they allow the cares and        
pleasures of life to take up too much of
 their hearts1 and so prevent their     
serving ,god properly4 ,none of these   
will be the better for hearing the      
,word3 but those who listen to it with a
 sincere and honest intention of obeying
 it1 and pray to ,god for grace to do   
so1 striving at the same time to root   
out all those sinful feelings and       
passions which1 like stones and thorns1 

prevent their bringing forth the fruit  
of good works2 those1 and those only1   
will bear fruit pleasing unto the ,lord4
  ,let us learn from this parable to    
listen attentively to the ,word of ,god1
 and try to do whatever it bids us4     
,other parables1 which seem to have been
 delivered at this time1 are those of   
the ,tares1 the ,grain of ,mustard      
,seed1 and the ,leaven3 and with many   
such parables spake he the word unto    
them2 and when they were alone1 he      
expounded all things to his disciples1  
and added the parables of the ,hidden   
,treasure1 the ,goodly ,pearl1 and the  
,net4 ,and it came to pass when ,jesus  
had finished these parables1 he departed
 thence4  ,after this1 ,jesus went down 
to the ,lake of ,gennesareth1 and said  
unto his disciples1 ,let us go over unto
 the otter side of the lake4 ,and when  
he was entered into a ship1 his         
disciples followed him4 ,and there were 
also with him other little ships4 ,and  
they launched forth4     ,chapter       

,,xvi4--,,stilling ,,the ,,tempest1     
,,etc4   ,the ,lake of ,gennesareth1 or 
,sea of ,galilee1 is a large body of    
water2 and the ,river ,jordan1 which    
runs through it1 causes at all times a  
considerable motion in the centre of the
 lake2 when the wind blows strongly from
 the ,s4,e41 and meets the current of   
the river1 the sea becomes so rough1    
that any small vessels are in the       
greatest danger1 and in this way many   
are lost4 ,we read1 that as they sailed1
 ,jesus fell asleep4 ,we must remember1 
that for our sakes ,jesus had become    
subject to all the pains of hunger1     
fatigue1 cold1 c42 well might ,he1      
therefore1 be tired out with his        
continual labours1 for ,he never spared 
,himself1 or consulted his own ease or  
comfort2 but was always at work1 going  
from one place to another1 doing good to
 others4 ,what a difference between ,him
 and us6 ,for we are unwilling to deny  
ourselves in the least thing for the    
sake of saving trouble to others2 nor   

are we willing to give up our own wills1
 even for the sake of pleasing ,god4    
,whilst ,jesus and his disciples were   
now crossing the ,lake of ,gennesareth1 
there came down a storm of wind on the  
lake1 and a great tempest in the sea1   
insomuch that the ship was covered with 
the waves1 and was filled with water1   
and in great danger of sinking4 ,and    
,jesus was in the hinder part of the    
ship1 asleep on a pillow4 ,the disciples
 knew where to look for help2 they were 
in jeopardy or danger1 so they came to  
,him and awoke him1 saying1 ,master1    
carest thou not that we perish8 ,lord1  
save us3 we perish6  ,the fears of the  
,apostles were at this time stronger    
than their faith2 they should have felt 
that sleeping or waking their ,lord     
could preserve them through every       
danger4 ,for this they were blamed1 for 
he saith unto them1 ,why are ye fearful1
 ,o ye of little faith8 but ,he had     
compassion on their weakness1 for he    
arose1 and rebuked the winds and the    

raging of the water3 and said unto the  
sea1 ,peace1 be still4 ,and the wind    
ceased1 and there was a great calm4     
,after a great storm the waves naturally
 continue rough for some hours1 but now 
at a word the waters of the lake became 
at once smooth and still4 ,this sudden  
ceasing of the storm filled the         
,apostles1 accustomed as they were to   
see wonderful works done by ,jesus1 with
 astonishment and awe4 ,we are told1    
that the men marvelled1 and they feared 
exceedingly1 and said one to another1   
,what manner of man is this8 for he     
commandeth even the winds and the water1
 and they obey him4 ,such a miracle must
 have strengthened the faith of the     
disciples1 and convinced them more and  
more1 that he who could do such things1 
was indeed no mere man1 but the ,son of 
,god1 the ,ruler of the universe1 to    
whom all things do bow and obey4 ,the   
voyage was now over2 the ship reached   
the shore2 and ,jesus and ,his disciples
 came into the country of the           

,gadarenes1 or ,gergesenes1 where ,jesus
 immediately performed another miracle1 
on a man possessed with devils1         
exceeding fierce4 ,jesus1 pitying the   
condition of this unhappy man1 commanded
 the unclean spirit to come out of him4 
,then the devil who spake in this poor  
demoniac1 cried out1 ,what have ,i to do
 with thee1 ,jesus1 thou ,son of the    
most high ,god8 ,art thou come hither to
 torment us before the time8 ,i beseech 
thee1 torment me not4 ,even the devils  
acknowledged ,jesus to be the ,messiah2 
and knew well that in the end of the    
world1 all evil spirits would be driven 
away into misery and darkness2 but he   
now asks ,him not to interfere with his 
power before that time4 ,to such a      
request ,jesus could not1 of course1    
listen3 and the devils1 finding that    
they must leave the poor man whom they  
had so long tormented1 then besought    
,him that ,he would at least suffer them
 to go away into a herd of swine1 which 
were feeding nigh unto the mountains1 a 

good way off from them4 ,and ,jesus said
 unto them1 ,go4 ,no sooner was the     
permission given1 than the evil spirits 
entered into the swine1 and the whole   
herd ran violently down a steep place   
into the sea1 and perished in the       
waters3 and they that fed the swine     
fled1 and told it in the city1 and in   
the country2 and what was befallen to   
the possessed of the devils4  ,pigs were
 unclean animals1 and it was therefore  
sinful of any ,jew to keep them3 if the 
owners of these swine were ,jews1 they  
were justly punished for their          
disobedience4 ,perhaps the ,gadarenes   
were not ,jews1 and kept these swine to 
show that they did not regard or obey   
the ,law of ,moses2 if so1 it was well  
for them to see that the ,lord ,god of  
the ,hebrews could force men to obey    
,his commands4 ,when we read what       
happened as soon as the evil spirits    
took possession of the swine1 we should 
remember the dreadful fate of all who   
suffer themselves to be led or guided by

 the ,devil4 ,there is no escape for    
them2 the swine could not help          
themselves1 but the ,devil has no more  
power over us now than we choose to give
 him4 ,if we resist him1 he will not    
harm us2 he will try1 and we may have to
 fight hard1 but if we do1 we shall be  
more than conquerors through ,jesus     
,christ4  ,we read that the keepers of  
the swine fled1 and told how they had   
been destroyed1 and how the demoniac had
 been healed4 ,the men of the city1     
grieved at the loss of their property1  
and probably afraid that if ,jesus      
remained amongst them the same sort of  
thing might happen again1 besought ,him 
to depart out of their coasts3 a request
 in which the whole multitude of the    
,gadarenes joined4 ,they had better have
 besought ,him to remain1 and teach them
 what they should do4 ,it is a dreadful 
thing to wish ,god to leave us          
undisturbed in our sins6 ,the man who   
had been delivered from the power of the
 ,devil1 wished1 on the contrary1 to go 

away in the ship with ,jesus and his    
disciples2 but he was told rather to go 
home to his friends1 and tell them what 
great things the ,lord had done for him4
 ,and he did so1 and declared through   
all the country what great things ,jesus
 had done for him3 and all men did      
marvel4  ,after this1 ,levi1 or         
,matthew1 made a feast for ,jesus in his
 own house2 and a great company of      
,publicans1 and of others1 and of       
sinners1 sat down together with ,jesus  
and his disciples4 ,the ,scribes and    
,pharisees took occasion to find fault  
with this1 and asked the disciples1 ,how
 is it that your ,master eateth with    
publicans and sinners8 ,but ,jesus told 
them1 that it was to do good to sinners 
that ,he was come upon earth3 ,he       
reminded them that it was only sick     
people who had need of a physician1 and 
that those who thought themselves well1 
would not send for one2 and that it was 
the same with ,him1 for ,he was come as 
a ,physician to heal the souls of the   

sick1 and that therefore ,he must go    
amongst those who1 feeling themselves to
 be sinners1 wished for pardon4 ,the    
,pharisees thought themselves righteous1
 and therefore they did not feel the    
need of a ,saviour4 ,after these things1
 ,jesus appears to have returned into   
his own city1 that is1 to ,capernaum1   
where ,he had taken up ,his abode1 at   
those times when ,he was not occupied in
 going about the country4  ,here a ruler
 of the synagogue1 named ,jairus1 came  
to entreat ,jesus to go and heal his    
little daughter1 who was dying4 ,jesus  
immediately went with him1 and on the   
way ,he cured a poor woman1 whose faith 
was strong enough to make her believe   
that if she did but touch the hem of    
,his garment she should be made whole4  
,her hopes were not disappointed1 and   
,jesus commended her faith4 ,while      
,jesus was yet speaking with her1       
messengers came from the ruler's house  
to tell him that his daughter was even  
now dead4 ,the ,lord1 however1 bid      

,jairus not to be afraid1 for that if he
 would only believe1 his child should   
still be made whole4 ,no doubt the      
miracle that ,jairus had just witnessed 
strengthened his faith1 and the result  
was1 that his little daughter was       
restored to life4 ,on quitting the house
 of ,jairus1 two blind men followed our 
,lord1 who gave them sight2 and ,he also
 enabled a dumb man to speak1 by casting
 out the devil which possessed him4 ,the
 multitudes were filled with wonder in  
seeing things which had never been so   
seen in ,israel2 but the ,pharisees     
again declared1 ,he casteth out devils  
through the prince of the devils4       
,jesus continued to teach1 and to       
preach1 and to heal sicknesses and      
diseases1 in spite of the unbelief of   
the people2 for though they all         
marvelled1 and some doubtless became his
 disciples1 many rejected ,him1 saying1 
,is not this the carpenter's son8       
meaning that a man in such a humble     
condition of life could not be the      

,messiah4 ,after this1 ,jesus gave his  
,apostles a more solemn charge or       
commission for the work they were to do4
 ,for ,he called the twelve together1   
and gave them power against unclean     
spirits1 to cast them out1 and to heal  
all manner of sickness1 and all manner  
of disease2 and then ,he sent them forth
 two by two to preach the ,gospel1 and  
to heal the sick4 ,the ,gospel was to be
 first offered to the ,jews1 and        
therefore ,jesus now commanded the      
twelve1 ,go not into the way of the     
,gentiles1 and into any city of the     
,samaritans enter ye not1 but go rather 
to the lost sheep of the house of       
,israel4 ,and as ye go say1 ,the kingdom
 of heaven is at hand4  ,jesus also bade
 the twelve not to make any provision of
 money or food for their journey1 but to
 depend on the charity of those to whom 
they should preach3 promising a blessing
 to those cities where they would be    
well received4 ,many other things did   
,he say unto them at this time3 and when

 ,he had made an end of commanding ,his 
twelve disciples1 ,he departed thence1  
to teach and to preach in their cities4 
,and the twelve also departed1 and went 
through the towns1 preaching the        
,gospel1 that men should repent4 ,and   
they cast out many devils1 and anointed 
with oil many that were sick1 healing   
them everywhere4     ,chapter           
,,xvii4--,,death ,,of ,,john ,,the      
,,baptist4   ,we must now return to the 
history of ,john the ,baptist2 he was   
about this time put to death by ,herod1 
who1 as we have already seen1 had thrown
 the ,baptist into prison to please     
,herodias1 who was angry with him       
because he had reproved her and ,herod  
for their sins4 ,but this wicked woman  
was not satisfied with the imprisonment 
of this holy man2 she wanted to destroy 
him1 and watched for an opportunity of  
doing so4 ,it is a terrible thing to    
determine in one's heart to do a wicked 
action3 it is bad enough to give way to 
temptation1 and so sin against ,god1 but

 to make up one's mind to break ,his    
commandments1 is far worse4  ,after     
,john the ,baptist had been in prison   
for some months1 ,herod's birthday came 
round2 and to celebrate this event1 the 
king made a great feast to the officers 
of his household1 and the chief men in  
,galilee4 ,on this occasion1 ,salome1   
the daughter of ,herodias1 came in and  
danced before ,herod and his guests1 in 
order to amuse them4 ,this was a very   
old custom among the kings of the ,east 
at that time1 though to us it seems a   
very strange and bad custom4 ,herod and 
those who sat with him1 were very much  
pleased with the damsel's dancing2 and  
,herod1 very rashly and foolishly1 made 
a solemn promise1 that he would1 as a   
reward1 give her anything she liked to  
ask for4 ,and she went forth1 and said  
unto her mother1 ,what shall ,i ask8    
,herodias had probably expected         
something of this kind2 at any rate1 she
 had an answer ready1 and said1 ,the    
head of ,john the ,baptist4 ,it does not

 seem that ,salome was astonished at    
this advice1 or that she was at all     
unwilling to follow it3 for she returned
 straightway with haste unto the king1  
and said1 ,i will that thou give me by  
and by in a charger1 the head of ,john  
the ,baptist4 ,a charger was a large    
dish or tray3 in some countries1 even to
 this day1 when the king orders a great 
man to be beheaded1 the head is brought 
to him afterwards1 to show that his     
commands have been obeyed4 ,such a      
request as ,salome now made1 startled   
even ,herod himself3 we read that the   
king was exceeding sorry2 yet for his   
oath's sake1 and for their sakes which  
sat at meat with him1 he would not      
reject her4 ,he therefore sent an       
executioner1 who cut off ,john the      
,baptist's head in the prison1 and      
brought it to ,salome1 who gave it to   
her mother4 ,this history teaches us    
many things3 first1 although it is the  
duty of children to obey their ,parents1
 they must obey ,god before them3 thus1 

if ,parents are unhappily so wicked as  
to tell their children to do anything   
that ,god has forbidden1 they must      
please ,god rather than their ,parents4 
,children should1 be very thankful when 
they have ,parents who will never wish  
them to break the ,lord's commandments4 
,another thing we learn is1 to be       
careful how we make promises4 ,a solemn 
promise once made ought to be kept1     
however inconvenient it may be to keep  
it2 and therefore we should never       
promise positively to do anything1      
unless we are quite sure that we can do 
it4 ,but though it is displeasing to    
,god that an oath should be broken1 it  
is still more displeasing to ,him that  
it should be kept1 when it can only be  
done by committing some positive act of 
sin4 ,herod made a rash oath1 and to    
keep it1 he was guilty of the murder of 
a good and holy man4  ,although ,herod  
was angry with ,john1 he had a high     
opinion of his holiness and goodness1   
and would not willingly have put him to 

death3 but amongst men it was considered
 shameful to break an oath2 and ,herod1 
caring more for the praise of men than  
the praise of ,god1 sacrificed ,john the
 ,baptist at the request of a bad woman4
  ,when the disciples of ,john heard of 
their master's death1 they came to the  
prison1 and took up his body and laid it
 in a tomb1 and went and told ,jesus4   
,after this1 ,herod heard of the fame of
 ,jesus1 and of all the wonderful things
 that ,he had done1 and he was greatly  
troubled1 and knew not what to think4   
,some people said1 ,that ,john was risen
 from the dead2 others1 ,that ,elias1   
who was expected to come before the     
,messiah1 had appeared2 and others1     
,that one of the old prophets was risen 
again4 ,amongst these different         
opinions1 ,herod was greatly perplexed3 
like most of the ,jews of high rank1    
,herod belonged to the sect of the      
,sadducees1 who denied that the body    
would rise again1 or the soul live for  
ever4 ,he would not1 therefore1         

willingly allow the possibility of ,john
 the ,baptist having returned to life2  
but his fears got the better of his     
opinions4 ,his conscience told him that 
he had done wickedly in putting to death
 a true servant of ,god1 and therefore1 
when he heard that there was ,one going 
about the country working miracles1 he  
feared that ,john had returned to life1 
armed with power to punish all who had  
ill-treated him4  ,herod1 disturbed by  
all he heard of ,jesus1 questioned his  
servants who told him these things1 and 
said1 ,john have ,i beheaded2 but who is
 this of whom ,i hear such things8 ,he  
could get no satisfactory answer1 and   
his guilty conscience drove him to the  
conclusion1 ,it is ,john whom ,i        
beheaded2 he is risen from the dead1 and
 therefore mighty works do shew forth   
themselves in him4 ,and he desired to   
see ,jesus4 ,herod's desire to see      
,jesus1 does not appear to have been    
gratified until just before our ,lord's 
death2 and then the king derived no     

profit from the interview4 ,herod had   
had plenty of opportunities for learning
 the truths of the ,gospel from ,john   
the ,baptist4 ,he would not make use of 
them4 ,our ,lord has told us1 that if we
 do not make a good use of all the      
opportunities given to us1 ,he will take
 from us the blessings we will not use4 
,in our country1 the young are blessed  
with innumerable opportunities of       
learning their duty to ,god3 make a     
proper use of them1 and do not force the
 ,lord to take them away1 and leave you 
in wilful ignorance and sin4  ,the      
,feast of the ,passover was now drawing 
near3 the second ,passover which had    
occurred1 since our ,saviour had entered
 on his public work4 ,for this ,feast1  
our ,lord went up to ,jerusalem2 and on 
,his way1 ,he fed #e1jjj people with    
five loaves and two small fishes2 and   
after they had all eaten as much as they
 wanted1 pieces enough were left to fill
 twelve baskets2 although the whole     
quantity of loaves and fishes1 if they  

had at first been broken into pieces1   
could not probably have filled one of   
these baskets4 ,in working this miracle1
 ,jesus taught us never to waste        
anything2 he said1 ,gather up the       
fragments that remain1 that nothing be  
lost4 ,let us remember that many things 
that we do not want1 may be useful to   
others1 and that nothing should be      
wasted4 ,children should be careful not 
to ask for more food than they are sure 
they can eat1 for that is wasteful4     
,the people1 who had been fed in such a 
wonderful manner1 now said1 ,this is of 
a truth that prophet that should come   
into the world3 meaning the ,messiah1   
spoken of by all the prophets1 and whose
 coming was expected about this time4   
,having come to this conclusion1 the    
people1 according to their mistaken     
ideas1 that the ,messiah was to be an   
earthly sovereign and conqueror1        
determined to make ,him king over the   
land of ,judaea4 ,but ,jesus desired    
only to rule the hearts of men2 ,when1  

therefore1 he perceived that they would 
come and take him by force to make him a
 king1 ,he sent ,his disciples by ship  
unto ,bethsaida1 and having dismissed   
the multitude1 ,he went up into a       
mountain alone to pray4  ,a storm of    
wind overtook the disciples in the midst
 of the lake1 and then it was that      
,jesus went to them1 walking on the sea4
 ,if the faith of the disciples had been
 strong1 they would have felt that it   
was as easy for ,jesus to walk on the   
water1 as to work any other miracle2 but
 they could not believe it was ,him1 and
 they cried out for fear4 ,the ,lord1 in
 ,his mercy1 spake straightway unto     
them1 saying1 ,be of good cheer2 it is  
,i2 be not afraid4 ,and ,peter answered1
 and said1 ,lord1 if it be thou1 bid me 
come unto thee on the water4 ,and ,he   
said1 ,come4 ,peter at once obeyed2 but 
his faith was not strong enough to carry
 him through this trial3 for a little   
while he walked on the water to go to   
,jesus1 but when he found himself in the

 midst of raging waves1 with a          
boisterous wind howling around him1 his 
faith failed1 and he was afraid4 ,but he
 had not forgotten where to look for    
help2 and finding himself beginning to  
sink1 he cried out earnestly1 ,lord1    
save me4 ,immediately ,jesus stretched  
forth his hand1 and caught him1 and     
said1 ,oh thou of little faith1         
wherefore didst thou doubt8--why didst  
thou doubt my power and my will to save 
thee8 ,no sooner had ,jesus with ,peter 
come into the ship1 than the storm      
ceased1 and immediately the ship was at 
the land whither they went4 ,they were  
sore amazed3 but they came and          
worshipped ,him saying1 ,of a truth thou
 art the ,son of ,god4     ,chapter     
,,xviii4--,,the ,,woman ,,of ,,tyre4    
,in the land of ,gennesaret again1 the  
people flocked to ,jesus to be healed of
 their diseases3 and when ,jesus        
returned to ,capernaum1 many followed   
,him3 and the ,lord spake to them and   
told them that they only came to ,him   

because they had seen ,his miracles1 and
 more particularly because they had     
partaken of the loaves and fishes2 and  
,he warned them1 that they had better   
seek those far greater spiritual        
blessings1 which the ,son of ,man could 
give them4 ,many things ,he said unto   
them1 trying to persuade them to believe
 in ,him1 as the ,messiah the ,son of   
,god4  ,what our ,lord said1 displeased 
those who were not really willing and   
anxious to be taught their duty1 in     
order to do it3 and in consequence1 many
 of those who had been reckoned amongst 
,his disciples1 went back and walked no 
more with him4 ,then said ,jesus unto   
the twelve1 ,will ye also go away8      
,peter1 in the name of the rest1        
immediately declared his faith in ,jesus
 ,christ as the ,messiah1 saying1 ,lord 
to whom shall we go8 thou hast the words
 of eternal life4 ,and we believe and   
are sure that thou art that ,christ1 the
 ,son of the living ,god4 ,believing    
this1 ,peter declared that whatever     

happened1 they would hold fast to ,him1 
and obey ,him3 let us make the same     
determination2 and obey the ,word of the
 ,lord1 whether it tells us what we like
 or not4 ,jesus now showed1 that ,he    
knew the hearts of all men2 for alluding
 to ,judas ,he answered1 ,have ,i not   
chosen you twelve1 and one of you is a  
devil8 thus teaching ,peter not to be   
too hasty in answering for other men1   
since even in so small a number as the  
twelve1 there was one whose heart was   
not really devoted to ,him4  ,the       
,pharisees with certain of the ,scribes 
came together unto ,jesus1 and blamed   
,him for not observing all the          
traditions of the elders4 ,then ,jesus  
explained to the ,pharisees1 that all   
their washings and outward performances 
could never please ,god1 unless they    
also loved and served ,him1 and put away
 all their sins4  ,in one of those      
journeys which ,jesus was constantly    
taking1 ,he went to that part of the    
country bordering on ,tyre and ,sidon4  

,here a poor woman1 a ,gentile1 came to 
,him1 and prayed ,him to heal her       
daughter1 who had an unclean spirit4    
,this woman1 living on the borders of   
the land of ,judaea1 had doubtless heard
 that the ,messiah was expected2 and she
 was certainly convinced that ,jesus was
 that ,messiah1 and that ,he had power  
even to cast out devils4 ,this poor     
woman now came to ,jesus1 and cried1    
,have mercy on me1 ,o ,lord1 ,thou ,son 
of ,david2 my daughter is grievously    
vexed with a devil4 ,at first ,jesus    
took no notice of her1 and answered her 
not a word4 ,the poor woman continued   
her supplications1 but still in vain2   
this greatly surprised the disciples1   
who were used to see their heavenly     
,master listening to the prayers of all 
who were in distress3 they were grieved 
also for this poor creature1 who        
followed them1 crying out for mercy2 and
 therefore they begged their ,lord to   
send her away1 that is1 to grant her    
petition1 that she might go away in     

peace4 ,jesus answered1 ,i am not sent  
but unto the lost sheep of the house of 
,israel4 ,the benefits of ,christ's     
teaching and miracles1 were at first to 
be offered to the ,jews1 the chosen     
people of ,god2 and this woman1 being a 
,gentile1 had no claim to share them4   
,the whole nation of the ,jews1         
scattered without any ruler or shepherd1
 might well be called lost sheep--sheep 
who had strayed from their ,shepherd1   
even from ,god1 and who must be lost    
unless they were brought back to ,him4  
,the ,scriptures often speak of the     
people of ,god1 as his sheep3 and       
sinners are compared to sheep1 who1     
instead of following their shepherd1    
have gone astray4 ,in the ,confession1  
which forms part of our ,morning        
,service1 we say1 ,we have erred and    
strayed from ,thy ways like lost sheep4 
,in the ,east1 sheep were not driven by 
the shepherd as with us1 but followed   
him3 remembering this fact will be a    
help towards understanding many passages

 of ,scripture1 especially some in the  
,gospel written by ,st4 ,john4 ,the poor
 woman continued to implore mercy2 and  
coming nearer to the ,lord1 ,she fell   
down and worshipped him1 saying1 ,lord1 
help me6 ,jesus now answered1 and said1 
,let the children first be filled2 for  
it is not meet to take the children's   
bread1 and to cast it to dogs4  ,the    
,jews looked upon every nation except   
their own as unclean2 and likened them  
to dogs1 which are unclean animals4     
,jesus ,himself did not look upon the   
,gentiles as dogs1 but ,he spoke thus to
 try the faith of the woman1 and to show
 those who were about ,him1 that faith  
in ,him would save ,gentiles as well as 
,jews4  ,the ,lord's reply to the       
,syrophenician woman would have         
disheartened most1 and offended many2   
but she was too much in earnest to be   
repulsed easily3 she was quite willing  
to own that the ,gentiles were not      
worthy to be looked upon1 as in any way 
equal to the children of ,israel1 ,god's

 peculiar people3 she knew she had no   
claim to the mercy of the ,lord2 but    
still1 hoping to share it1 she reminded 
,jesus1 that even the dogs were allowed 
to pick up the crumbs which their       
masters did not need3 she believed that 
in ,jesus there were help and mercy for 
every living creature1 and that ,he     
could heal the ,gentiles1 without taking
 any blessing from the ,jews2 therefore1
 she at once answered1 ,truth1 ,lord3   
yet the dogs under the table eat of the 
children's crumbs4 ,jesus was no longer 
silent3 pleased with her faith1 ,he said
 aloud1 ,o woman1 great is thy faith3   
for this saying1 be it unto thee even as
 thou wilt3 go thy way3 the devil is    
gone out of thy daughter4 ,even as ,he  
spake the words1 the unclean spirit was 
cast out3 ,and her daughter was made    
whole from that very hour2 so that when 
the mother1 who at once went home1 was  
come to her house1 she found the devil  
gone out1 and her daughter laid upon the
 bed4  ,this poor ,gentile woman is an  

example to us1 to go on praying         
earnestly to ,god1 although ,he may see 
fit not at once to grant our petitions4 
,when we know that we are asking right  
and proper things1 we must pray on in   
faith1 and wait patiently4 ,we should   
pray that the ,devil1 and all the bad   
feelings and thoughts he puts into our  
hearts1 may be cast out of us1 and of   
those we love4 ,for this we must go on  
praying earnestly3 ,jesus granted the   
prayer of the ,syrophenician woman      
because of her faith2 and if we have    
faith like hers1 ,he will most certainly
 answer our prayers3 but we must watch  
and fight1 as well as pray3 for1 if we  
encourage the ,devil to abide in our    
hearts1 we cannot expect that the ,lord 
will cast him out4  ,after this miracle1
 ,jesus1 departing from the coasts of   
,tyre and ,sidon1 came unto the ,sea of 
,galilee1 through the midst of the      
coasts of ,decapolis4 ,here we are told1
 that ,he cured one who was deaf and had
 an impediment in his speech1 and that  

great multitudes came unto him1 having  
with them those that were lame1 blind1  
dumb1 maimed1 and many others1 and cast 
them down at ,jesus's feet2 and he      
healed them3 insomuch that the multitude
 wondered1 when they saw the dumb to    
speak1 the maimed to be whole1 the lame 
to walk1 and the blind to see3 and they 
glorified the ,god of ,israel4 ,they    
glorified and praised ,god with their   
words1 because of the wonderful things  
they had seen2 but few of them1 it is to
 be feared1 glorified ,him in their     
hearts1 by becoming ,his disciples4  ,at
 this time1 ,jesus1 having compassion   
upon the multitude1 who had been with   
him for three days1 listening to ,his   
words1 and were now faint for want of   
food1 fed #d1jjj men1 besides women and 
children1 with seven loaves and a few   
little fishes3 this time1 seven baskets 
were filled with the pieces left1 after 
everybody was satisfied4  ,soon after   
the feeding of this multitude1 ,jesus   
entered into a ship with his disciples1 

and came into the coast of ,magdala1    
into the parts of ,dalmanutha1 to the   
,s4,e4 of the ,sea of ,tiberias4 ,and   
when his disciples were come to the     
other side1 they had forgotten to take  
bread1 neither had they in the ship with
 them more than one loaf4 ,jesus1 who   
lost no opportunity of impressing ,his  
lessons on ,his disciples1 now said unto
 them1 ,take heed and beware of the     
leaven of the ,pharisees1 and of the    
,sadducees1 and of the leaven of ,herod4
 ,by leaven1 our ,saviour here means the
 doctrines and opinions taught by the   
,pharisees and ,sadducees2 doctrines    
very different from ,his1 for they      
looked upon religion as consisting      
mostly in outward forms and ceremonies2 
whilst1 in their hearts1 they indulged  
all manner of evil passions4 ,jesus     
desired to teach ,his disciples1 that1  
if they in any way followed the         
doctrines of the ,pharisees or          
,sadducees1 they would soon become quite
 unfit to be ,his disciples2 just as    

leaven quite alters the nature of the   
dough with which it is mixed4 ,at first1
 the disciples did not understand their 
,lord's meaning1 and thought that ,he   
was reproving them for having forgotten 
to bring any bread with them4 ,but      
,jesus reproved them for their want of  
faith1 in being uneasy about a supply of
 needful food1 after seeing the miracle 
worked with seven loaves and a few small
 fishes3 and he said1 ,how is it that ye
 do not understand1 that ,i spake it not
 to you concerning bread8 ,then         
understood they how that he bade them   
not beware of the leaven of bread1 but  
of the doctrine of the ,pharisees and of
 the ,sadducees4  ,jesus then cometh to 
,bethsaida1 where he healed a blind man2
 not all at once1 but first allowing him
 to see objects indistinctly1 and then  
restoring his sight1 so that he saw all 
things clearly4 ,what happened in the   
case of this man's bodily sight1 happens
 generally as regards our spiritual     
sight1 that is1 our understanding of    

spiritual things4 ,even in common       
learning1 we do not all at once acquire 
knowledge2 it comes by little and       
little1 as we strive to gain it4 ,so our
 understanding of things spiritual is a 
gradual work1 carried on in our mind1 by
 the ,holy ,spirit working with us2 but 
we must work1 and strive1 and pray1 that
 we may grow wise unto salvation4       
,chapter ,,xix4--,,the                  
,,transfiguration4   ,and ,jesus went   
out1 and his disciples1 into the towns  
of ,caesarea ,philippi3 that is1 into   
the country and towns round about       
,caesarea ,philippi1 a town some miles  
to the north of the ,sea of ,galilee4   
,the name of this city had been ,paneus2
 but ,philip1 governor of that part of  
the country1 repaired and beautified its
 houses and other buildings1 and added  
more1 so making quite a new and large   
city1 which he called ,caesarea1 in     
honour of ,tiberius ,caesar1 who became 
,emperor of ,rome about fourteen years  
after the birth of ,jesus ,christ4      

,there was another town called          
,caesarea1 on the ,mediterranean ,sea2  
and to distinguish between the two1 that
 which ,philip had beautified was called
 ,caesarea ,philippi4 ,like most of the 
flourishing cities mentioned in the     
,bible1 ,caesarea ,philippi has been    
completely destroyed2 and amongst its   
ruins there is a little village1        
consisting of twenty miserable huts1    
inhabited by ,mahometans1 for the ,holy 
,land now belongs to the ,turks1 who are
 not ,christians4  ,this little village 
is called ,paneas or ,baniass4 ,the     
walls of the great city can be          
distinctly traced4 ,whilst they were on 
this journey1 ,jesus asked his          
disciples1 ,whom do men say that ,i1 the
 ,son of man1 am8 ,they told ,him that  
some thought ,him ,john the ,baptist2   
others1 that ,he was ,elias2 others1    
that ,he was ,jeremias1 or some other of
 the old prophets1 risen again from the 
dead4 ,jesus then put the still more    
important question1 ,but whom say ye    

that ,i am8 ,and ,simon ,peter answered 
and said1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the    
,son of the living ,god4  ,the ,apostles
 were thoroughly convinced by all that  
they had seen and heard1 that ,jesus was
 indeed the expected ,messiah4 ,no doubt
 they had often talked over the matter  
together1 and now1 in the name of all   
the rest1 ,peter1 always first and      
foremost when anything was to be done1  
declared most positively and            
unhesitatingly their belief in ,jesus1  
as being at once ,god and ,man4 ,jesus  
then pronounced ,peter to be blessed in 
having such faith4 ,then ,he told him1  
that the fact of ,his being the true    
,messiah was the rock upon which ,his   
,church was to be built3 that is1 that  
it was only by depending and resting    
upon this truth that men could become   
his followers1 and form a ,church4      
,jesus also told ,peter1 that ,he would 
give unto him the keys of the kingdom of
 heaven3 and power to unbind or unloose4
 ,by which ,he seems to have meant1 that

 ,peter would have power to open the way
 for the ,gentiles to join the ,church  
of ,christ2 and that he should have     
power to declare how far the ,laws of   
,moses must be kept or dispensed with2  
that is1 what things were lawful or     
unlawful4  ,after the disciples had     
declared1 through the mouth of ,peter1  
their firm belief that ,jesus was indeed
 the ,messiah1 ,he began to speak to    
them of ,his sufferings and death2 but  
the ,apostles could not easily give up  
the idea held by the ,jews in general1  
that the ,messiah was to establish a    
kingdom upon earth2 and ,peter therefore
 expressed his belief1 that such        
terrible things could not happen to the 
,lord4 ,for this1 ,peter was severely   
blamed by ,jesus1 who told him1 that by 
objecting to the way appointed by ,god  
for the salvation of man1 ,he was in    
reality doing ,satan's work1 and was an 
offence or hindrance in his ,master's   
way4  ,at this same time ,jesus taught  
those around ,him the duty of           

self-denial2 the necessity of giving up 
everything we most value1 and bearing   
any pain or trouble1 rather than do the 
least thing contrary to the ,will of    
,god4 ,he said1 ,if any man will come   
after me1 to be my disciple1 let him    
deny himself the indulgence of his own  
will1 and take up his cross daily2      
bearing cheerfully all those daily      
troubles and anxieties which may be     
called crosses1 and follow me2 follow in
 all things my example1 for ,i came not 
to please myself1 but to do the ,will of
 ,god4 ,jesus also impressed upon them  
the fact1 that the soul was of          
infinitely more value than the perishing
 body1 and that our first object must be
 to secure the salvation of our souls1  
at any cost1 for what 7said ,he7 shall  
it profit a man1 if he shall gain the   
whole world1 and lose his own soul8     
,about a week after this1 what is called
 the ,transfiguration took place4 ,st4  
,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1 and ,st4 ,luke all
 give an account of this event3 the     

place where it occurred was probably    
,mount ,tabor1 which lies a little to   
the ,s4,w4 of the ,lake of ,galilee3    
into this mountain ,jesus went up1      
taking with ,him ,peter1 and ,james1 and
 ,john his brother4  ,the brief account 
of the ,transfiguration is1 that whilst 
,jesus was praying in the ,mount1 the   
disciples fell asleep3 suddenly1 when   
they awoke1 they saw a wonderful and    
glorious sight--,jesus was transfigured 
before them3 that is1 ,his appearance   
was entirely changed2 his face did shine
 as the sun1 and his raiment became     
shining1 exceeding white1 and           
glistening4 ,nor was ,he alone2 for     
behold1 there talked with him two men1  
which were ,moses and ,elias2 who       
appeared in glory1 and spake of his     
decease which he should accomplish in   
,jerusalem4 ,all that the three         
disciples now heard1 should have        
convinced them that ,jesus must indeed  
die1 and that ,his death would give the 
very strongest proof of his being really

 the ,son of ,god1 the promised         
,messiah4 ,the disciples would further  
learn1 that everything which ,moses and 
the prophets 7represented by ,elijah7   
had taught1 was intended to prepare the 
,jews to believe in ,jesus1 and follow  
,him4  ,peter1 dazzled and confused at  
the wonderful scene before him1         
exclaimed1 ,lord1 it is good for us to  
be here2 if thou wilt let us make here  
three tabernacles2 one for thee1 and one
 for ,moses1 and one for ,elias4 ,peter 
seems to have had an idea1 that ,moses  
and ,elijah had returned to remain on   
earth2 and that if three tents were set 
up1 they might abide with ,jesus in the 
,mount1 where he and the other disciples
 might be constantly with them4 ,but as 
we read1 ,he wist not what to say1 for  
they were sore afraid4 ,whilst ,peter   
yet spake1 an answer came2 a bright     
cloud overshadowed them1 and they feared
 as they entered into the cloud2 and    
behold a voice out of the cloud1 which  
said1 ,this is my beloved ,son1 in whom 

,i am well pleased2 hear ye him4 ,and   
when the disciples heard it1 knowing it 
to be the voice of ,god1 they were sore 
afraid1 and fell on their face4 ,and    
when the voice was past1 ,jesus1 was    
found alone2 and he came and touched the
 disciples1 and said1 ,arise1 and be not
 afraid4 ,and when they had lifted up   
their eyes1 they saw no man save ,jesus 
only4 ,moses and ,elias had disappeared2
 whilst the voice of ,god had plainly   
declared1 that as the people of ,god had
 hitherto obeyed ,moses and the         
prophets1 they were in future to look to
 ,jesus only1 the ,messiah of ,whom     
,moses and the prophets did write4 ,the 
old dispensation of the ,law had passed 
away2 but the new dispensation of the   
,gospel had taken its place1 and would  
last for ever4  ,that the ,law of       
,moses1 even as regarded ceremonial     
observances1 should ever be abolished or
 done away with1 was what the ,jews     
could not or would not believe4 ,even   
many years after the ,resurrection of   

,jesus1 we read1 that many thousand     
,jews who believed in ,christ were also 
zealous for the ,law1 that it should    
still be observed4 ,it was not1         
therefore1 at this time suitable to     
speak to the ,jews in general of the    
abolition of the ,law of ,moses2 and    
therefore as ,jesus came down from the  
mountain with ,his disciples1 ,he       
charged them1 saying1 ,tell the vision  
to no man1 until the ,son of man be     
risen from the dead4 ,and they kept it  
close1 and told no man in those days any
 of those things which they had seen3   
questioning one with another what the   
rising from the dead should mean4 ,it   
was at this time1 that in answer to a   
question from ,his disciples1 whose     
thoughts were naturally full of what    
they had just seen1 ,jesus told them    
that the ,elias spoken of by the        
prophets1 as coming to prepare the way  
before ,him1 was not ,elijah himself1 as
 many supposed1 but ,john the ,baptist1 
who had already been put to death2 and  

that the ,son of man must in like manner
 suffer death4  ,when ,jesus was come   
down from the mount1 ,he found the      
disciples1 who had not accompanied ,him1
 surrounded by a great crowd1 and the   
,scribes questioning1 or disputing with 
them4 ,a man1 whose only child was      
possessed of an evil spirit1 had brought
 him to the disciples1 begging them to  
cast out the devil2 but they could not4 
,this failure of the ,apostles gave the 
,scribes an opportunity of trying to    
persuade the people1 that the power of  
,jesus was not so great as ,his         
disciples taught2 and most likely what  
they said made the poor father doubt the
 power of ,jesus1 in whose name he had  
expected the ,apostles to heal his son4 
,when ,jesus heard all that had passed1 
,he lamented the perverse want of faith1
 which prevented men from believing in  
,him4 ,then ,he said to the man1 ,bring 
thy son hither4 ,even whilst ,he was    
coming1 the ,devil gave a proof of his  
power over this poor child2 and still   

more to convince all who stood round1   
that the boy really was possessed by a  
devil1 and could not be cured by any    
human means1 ,jesus asked his father    
some questions on the subject3 ,he then 
told the poor man1 that if he could     
really and truly believe1 there was     
nothing too difficult for ,god to do4   
,the father did believe2 but fearing    
that his faith was weak1 and that he had
 sinned in allowing the ,scribes to     
raise a doubt in his mind1 he cried out1
 and said with tears1 ,lord1 ,i believe2
 help thou mine unbelief6 ,this was     
enough1 and the child was cured from    
that very hour4     ,chapter            
,,xx4--,,jesus ,,goes ,,to ,,the ,,feast
 ,,of ,,tabernacles4   ,when the        
disciples were alone with their ,master1
 after the miracle of casting the devil 
out of the child1 they naturally asked1 
,why1 as ,he had given them authority to
 cast out evil spirits1 they had not in 
this case been able to do so8 ,jesus    
told them plainly1 that it was because  

their faith was weak2 for that no       
miracle would be too hard for them if   
they had a lively and increasing faith1 
or faith as a grain of mustard seed4    
,this was an expression in common use   
amongst the ,jews1 to signify something 
very very small1 because the mustard    
seed was the least of all seeds4 ,but   
when sown in the ground1 the plant grows
 from it quickly1 and spreads in every  
direction1 so as to become quite a large
 plant3 and thus it was very properly   
compared to faith1 which should always  
be increasing and growing stronger4     
,jesus ended by reminding ,his disciples
 that1 though ,he had given them        
permission to work miracles1 they would 
not have power to do so1 unless they    
prayed earnestly for it1 and tried to   
lead holy lives4  ,after this1 ,jesus   
and ,his disciples passed through       
,galilee1 on their way to ,capernaum4   
,again ,he spake to them of ,his        
sufferings1 ,his death1 and ,his rising 
again on the third day4 ,still they did 

not understand3 they were exceedingly   
sorry to hear of such things as likely  
to befall their beloved ,master1 but    
they did not like to ask any questions  
on the subject4 ,how little they yet    
understood the real nature of ,christ's 
kingdom is plain2 for at this time there
 arose a reasoning 7or disputing7 among 
them1 which of them should be greatest3 
as if they still expected ,jesus to be a
 king on earth1 and appoint them to     
places of trust and honour under ,him4  
,when they were come to ,capernaum1     
they1 whose business it was to collect  
the tribute-money for the service of the
 temple1 came to ,peter1 and said1 ,doth
 not your ,master pay tribute8 ,he      
saith1 ,yes4 ,jesus afterwards showed   
,peter1 that ,he1 being the ,son of     
,god1 was not called upon to pay this   
tribute2 for that earthly kings do not  
take tribute from their own children1   
but only of their subjects1 or of       
strangers4 ,jesus1 however1 would not   
give the ,jews any pretence for saying1 

that ,he taught ,his disciples to be    
careless about the temple and its       
worship1 or to disobey the laws of the  
country2 and therefore ,he now worked a 
miracle1 to provide the tribute-money   
required from ,him and ,his disciples4  
,when they were quietly in a house      
together1 ,jesus spake to the disciples 
about their dispute by the way1 as to   
who should be greatest2 and told them   
that all who wished to be really and    
truly ,his disciples and followers must 
be humble and meek and obedient1 as     
little children ought to be4  ,many     
other things ,jesus taught ,his         
disciples3 and ,he told them a parable  
7,matt4 xviii4 #ac71 to show us1 that if
 we wish ,god to forgive us our sins1 we
 must be always willing to forgive those
 who have offended against us4  ,after  
these things1 ,jesus chose out from     
those disciples who constantly followed 
,him seventy persons2 and desired them  
to go two and two together1 and enter   
into the cities which ,he meant by and  

by to visit1 and prepare the people to  
listen to ,him4 ,these seventy were     
disciples1 but none of them were        
,apostles3 all the ,apostles were       
disciples1 and are generally so called  
in ,scripture2 but all the disciples    
were not1 of course1 ,apostles4 ,to     
these seventy1 ,jesus gave many         
directions as to what they were to do   
and teach4  ,jesus was at this time in  
,galilee2 but as the time for keeping   
the ,feast of ,tabernacles was drawing  
near1 the brethren1 or rather near      
kinsmen of ,jesus1 begged ,him to go    
into ,judaea1 and let all the people1   
who would then be assembled in          
,jerusalem1 see ,his works4 ,they said1 
,if thou do these things1 show thyself  
unto the world4 ,for neither did his    
brethren believe in him4 ,to a certain  
degree1 ,his kinsmen did believe in     
,jesus2 but like the ,jews in general1  
they expected that the ,messiah would be
 great and powerful upon earth1 publicly
 acknowledged and worshipped by all     

nations3 and when they saw ,jesus in    
such very different circumstances1 they 
had not faith enough to feel quite sure 
that ,he was indeed the ,messiah3 they  
therefore wanted ,him to take this      
opportunity to make ,himself known1 by  
working miracles at ,jerusalem3 this    
open display of ,his power would1 they  
thought1 strengthen the faith of all who
 were already ,his disciples1 and force 
the great men among the ,jews1 as well  
as all the strangers collected together1
 to acknowledge ,him as the ,messiah4   
,jesus1 who in all things sought only to
 do ,his ,father's will1 told those who 
wished ,him to go up at once to the     
,feast of ,tabernacles that it was not  
yet time for ,him to do so3 that1       
instead of receiving ,him as the        
,messiah1 worldly men1 who thought but  
little of ,god1 would all be against    
,him1 because ,he showed them their     
sinfulness4 ,but ,he told ,his brethren1
 and those about ,him1 to go up unto    
this feast4 ,after they were gone1 our  

,lord followed them1 privately taking   
,his journey through the country on the 
other side of the ,jordan4 ,again the   
people resorted unto ,him1 and ,he      
taught them as ,he was wont3 and great  
multitudes followed him1 and he healed  
them there4 ,it is likely that the      
,jews1 expecting ,jesus to go up to this
 feast1 had laid some plot for taking   
,him on ,his way3 but it was not yet    
time for ,him to lay down ,his life1 and
 therefore ,he thus avoided the danger2 
setting us an example1 not to run       
unnecessarily into danger1 when we can  
avoid doing so without neglecting any   
duty4  ,meantime1 the ,jews assembled at
 ,jerusalem for the ,feast of           
,tabernacles1 seem to have been         
disappointed at not seeing ,jesus there2
 and enquired1 ,where is he8 ,and there 
was much murmuring among the people     
concerning him3 for some said1 ,he is a 
good man3 others said1 ,nay2 but he     
deceiveth the people4 ,howbeit no man   
spake openly of him1 for fear of the    

,jews4 ,the people had seen ,his        
miracles1 and heard ,his teaching2 but  
all that they knew of ,his condition in 
life was so unlike what they had        
expected of the ,messiah1 that they     
could not make up their minds to        
acknowledge ,him as the ,son of ,god4   
,they could not understand all ,he said1
 for ,he spake of spiritual             
things1--things belonging to the kingdom
 of heaven1 which can be understood only
 by those who give their whole heart to 
,god4 ,some of these people1 seeing ,his
 holiness1 allowed that ,he was a good  
man4 ,others objected to ,his being     
called good1 because ,he tried to make  
people acknowledge ,him as the ,messiah1
 which1 according to their ideas1 was   
deceiving the people4 ,but even those   
who were most inclined to believe in    
,him1 dared not speak openly in ,his    
favour1 for fear of displeasing the     
,jewish rulers1 who were violently      
opposed to ,him4  ,the ,feast of        
,tabernacles lasted for eight days2 and 

in the middle of it ,jesus arrived in   
,jerusalem1 and immediately went up into
 the temple1 and taught4 ,his teaching  
greatly astonished all the learned men1 
who knew that ,he had never been taught 
in any of the schools of the ,scribes2  
and they wondered how ,he could know so 
much of the books of the ,law and of the
 ,prophets4 ,jesus told them plainly1   
that what ,he taught ,he had learnt not 
from man1 but from ,god ,himself2 and   
,he further said1 that if any man were  
really desirous to do the ,will of ,god1
 he would be enabled to believe that all
 ,he taught was true4 ,other things ,he 
said2 but though ,his teaching might    
incline some of the people to believe1  
they had got some idea that1 when the   
,messiah came1 nothing would be known of
 ,his parents2 and therefore they       
settled that it was impossible ,he could
 be that ,messiah4 ,we know this man    
whence he is2 but when ,christ cometh1  
no man knoweth whence he is4 ,jesus     
tried to show them that they were in    

error2 for though they knew where ,he   
was born1 as man1 and who ,his earthly  
parents were1 this should not prevent   
their believing that ,he was indeed sent
 by ,god1 and had another nature and    
being1 of which they knew nothing4 ,many
 of the people believed on him1 and     
said1 ,when ,christ cometh1 will he do  
more miracles than these which this man 
hath done8 ,they doubted whether any one
 could do more than ,jesus had done3 if 
not1 then the only reasonable conclusion
 would be1 that ,he must1 indeed1 be the
 ,christ1 the promised ,messiah4  ,the  
,rulers of the ,jews heard of these     
things said by the people1 and they     
would gladly have prevented ,his        
speaking any more to them3 and they sent
 officers to take ,him3 but in vain1 for
 the time appointed for ,his death was  
not yet come1 and therefore the ,lord   
kept ,him in safety1 and would allow no 
man to hurt ,him4 ,moreover1 ,jesus     
plainly told them1 that ,he should      
remain in the world a little longer1    

because it was the ,will of ,his ,father
 that ,he should do so2 and that then   
,he should go back to ,his ,father1 who 
had sent ,him from heaven to preach the 
,gospel upon earth4 ,but the ,jews did  
not understand ,his meaning2 and when   
,he said1 ,ye shall seek me1 and shall  
not find me2 and where ,i am1 thither ye
 cannot come1 they said one to another1 
,whither will he go1 that we shall not  
find him8 ,what manner of saying is this
 that ,he said8     ,chapter            
,,xxi4--,,return ,,of ,,the ,,seventy4  
,in the last day1 that great day of the 
feast1 when there was a holy            
convocation1 or assembling of the       
people1 ,jesus stood up1 and invited all
 men to believe in ,him1 and receive the
 gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 which ,he   
compared to living water--water that    
would wash away all their sins1 and give
 life and strength to their souls3 just 
as a good drink of pure water1 given to 
a man who is fainting with fatigue and  
thirst1 will revive him1 and give him   

fresh strength and spirit for his work4 
,again was there a division among the   
people because of him3 some said1 ,of a 
truth1 this is the ,prophet2 others1    
more plainly1 ,this is the ,christ2     
whilst others1 influenced by their false
 ideas1 asked1 ,shall ,christ come out  
of ,galilee8 ,hath not the ,scripture   
said1 ,that ,christ cometh of the seed  
of ,david1 and out of the town of       
,bethlehem1 where ,david was8  ,they    
were right2 the ,scriptures did say so3 
but had the people with an earnest      
desire endeavoured to learn the truth1  
they would have found that in ,jesus1   
these words of ,scripture were          
fulfilled1 although ,nazareth1 in       
,galilee1 had accidentally been ,his    
dwelling-place4  ,again1 the ,chief     
,priests and ,pharisees1 fearing ,his   
influence with the people1 sent out     
officers to take ,jesus2 and when these 
returned without ,him1 they were asked1 
,why have ye not brought him8 ,the      
officers1 though sent out for that very 

purpose1 could not bring themselves to  
lay violent hands on one to whom they   
had listened with astonishment2 and they
 now answered1 as their reason for not  
having brought ,him in as a prisoner1   
,never man spake like this man4 ,the    
,pharisees1 in their wilful blindness   
and hardness of heart1 reproached the   
officers for being also deceived1 as    
they called it2 and reminded them that  
none of the rulers1 or learned men1 had 
believed in ,jesus1 and that as to the  
people1 they were ignorant2 adding the  
most unwarrantable assertion1 ,this     
people1 who knoweth not the ,law1 are   
cursed4  ,the ,pharisees1 who were very 
proud of their own knowledge1 not only  
despised all who were unlearned1 but    
believed that only the learned would    
enjoy happiness after death1 whilst the 
ignorant would be miserable4 ,they      
mistook knowledge for religion4 ,but the
 ,gospel teaches a very different       
lesson2 worldly knowledge is good and   
useful1 and those who have the means1 do

 well to acquire it2 but it cannot take 
a man to heaven1 nor will ignorance of  
it1 keep any man out of heaven4 ,a      
knowledge of our own sinfulness1 of the 
,salvation brought by ,jesus1 and a     
consequent endeavour to please ,him in  
all things1 is the only knowledge that  
is really necessary as far as our ,souls
 are concerned4 ,without this knowledge1
 the most learned man can never gain    
admittance into heaven2 with it1 the    
most ignorant will be received into the 
kingdom of ,god4  ,one of the           
councillors present on this occasion was
 ,nicodemus1 who1 being a believer1 had 
come to ,jesus secretly1 in the night1  
for fear of the ,jews3 he now ventured  
to speak in behalf of ,jesus1 showing   
that it was not according to their ,law 
to condemn any one as teaching what was 
wrong1 or untrue1 until they had heard  
what he had to say for himself4 ,his    
words had no effect but to make the     
other members of the council ask him1   
,art thou also of ,galilee8--that is1   

art thou one of those who have the folly
 to believe in this ,galilean4 ,search  
and look in the ,scriptures1 for they   
will show that out of ,galilee ariseth  
no prophet4  ,nothing more was at this  
time said or done1 and the ,pharisees   
probably broke up the council in anger1 
vexed at not having got ,jesus into     
their power4 ,every man went unto his   
own house4  ,jesus now went unto the    
,mount of ,olives1 or ,mount ,olivet1   
where ,he doubtless passed part of the  
night in prayer4 ,this ,mount rose about
 half a mile east of ,jerusalem1 and the
 brook ,kedron ran between it and the   
city4 ,it took its name from the number 
of ,olive trees which grew upon it2 they
 were cultivated for the purpose of     
extracting oil from the fruit4 ,on this 
,mount there were several villages3     
,bethphage was on that side farthest    
from ,jerusalem2 and on the side nearest
 to the city1 stood the village of      
,gethsemane4 ,the word ,gethsemane means
 the place of oil presses2 which shows  

that the people of the village were     
occupied in squeezing the oil out of the
 olives that were brought down from     
other parts of the ,mount4 ,it was up   
the ,mount of ,olives that ,king ,david 
went weeping1 when the rebellion of     
,absalom had forced him to quit         
,jerusalem4  ,after spending the night  
on the ,mount of ,olives1 or in one of  
its villages1 ,jesus1 early in the      
morning1 came again into the temple1 and
 all the people came unto him2 and he   
sat down and taught them4  ,the ,scribes
 and ,pharisees1 always trying to find  
some cause of complaint against ,him1   
now brought a woman who had committed a 
sin1 for which the ,law of ,moses       
pronounced death to be the punishment3  
they now asked ,jesus1 whether this     
woman should be stoned or not4 ,if      
,jesus condemned the woman to death1    
they could accuse ,him to the ,romans of
 trespassing upon their authority3 if   
,he acquitted the woman1 they could hold
 ,him up to the people as acting        

contrary to the ,jewish ,law4  ,but     
,jesus knew the wickedness of their     
hearts1 and that in the sight of ,god1  
their guilt was as great1 if not        
greater1 than that of this woman2       
therefore ,he gave them no answer1 but  
,he that is without sin among you1 let  
him first cast a stone at her4 ,and they
 which heard it1 being convicted by     
their own conscience1 went out one by   
one4 ,none of these ,scribes or         
,pharisees could dare to pronounce      
themselves free from sin1 therefore they
 all retired4 ,then ,jesus dismissed the
 woman with the warning1 ,go1 and sin no
 more4  ,at this time1 ,jesus spake many
 things to all who came into the temple 
to hear ,him4 ,he spake to them of ,his 
death3 ,he told them that if they were  
really the children of ,abraham1        
spiritually as well as by natural       
descent1 they would do the works of     
,abraham3 and that if ,god were their   
,father1 as they pretended1 they would  
love ,him1 who was the ,son of ,god2 but

 that they were1 in fact1 the children  
of the ,devil1 who was a liar from the  
beginning4 ,during these discourses1    
many believed on him2 but many others   
would gladly have laid hands on him3 and
 when at length1 in answer to their     
questions1 ,jesus declared unto them1   
,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1       
,before ,abraham was1 ,i am1 their rage 
could no longer be repressed3 then took 
they up stones to cast at him3 but his  
hour was not yet come to die1 and       
therefore ,jesus hid himself1 and went  
out of the temple1 going through the    
midst of them1 and so passed by1        
disappointing the malice of ,his        
enemies4  ,after this1 the seventy      
disciples1 whom ,jesus had sent out to  
preach and to teach in the different    
cities1 returned again with joy1 saying1
 ,lord1 even the devils are subject unto
 us through thy name4 ,he then told     
them1 that this need not surprise them1 
since ,god had begun to destroy the     
power of ,satan3 and ,he also told them1

 that they had a far greater cause for  
joy than the subjection of evil spirits2
 even that they had been chosen to be   
the servants and children of ,god1 and  
were thereby set in the way that would1 
if they walked steadily in it1 bring    
them to everlasting life4  ,the parable 
of the ,good ,samaritan was now told by 
,jesus to one of the ,scribes1 or       
,lawyers1 who came and asked ,him a     
question3 not from any real desire to   
learn1 but from a wish to make our ,lord
 say something that he could find fault 
with4 ,to his question1 ,master1 what   
shall ,i do to inherit eternal life8 he 
expected that ,jesus would make an      
answer not quite agreeing with the ,law 
of ,moses3 but our ,lord at once showed 
him that ,his teaching was the same as  
that of ,moses2 for ,he asked him1 ,what
 is written in the ,law8 ,how readest   
thou8 ,and he answering1 said1 ,thou    
shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all  
thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and   
with all thy strength1 and with all thy 

mind2 and thy neighbour as thyself4     
,these words1 taken from the ,books of  
,deuteronomy and ,leviticus1 were       
repeated twice every day in the         
synagogue service1 as a short statement 
of all that the ,law was intended to    
teach2 that is1 ,love to ,god and ,man4 
,these same words were written on some  
of the ,phylacteries1 or strips of      
parchment which the ,jews wore on their 
foreheads1 and on the left wrist4 ,most 
likely1 the ,lawyer who questioned      
,jesus had these very words written on  
his ,phylactery2 and that ,jesus pointed
 to the words when ,he asked1 ,how      
readest thou8 ,the ,gospel1 as well as  
the ,law1 teaches us to love ,god and   
,man2 and shows us1 that those who      
really and truly do so are sure to find 
favour with ,god1 who can alone admit us
 to eternal life4 ,the ,scribe's answer 
was right1 under the ,gospel as well as 
under the ,law3 and ,jesus therefore    
replied1 ,thou hast answered right3 this
 do1 and thou shalt live3 by obeying the

 words of ,moses1 he would1 through the 
tidings made known by the ,gospel1      
inherit eternal life4 ,may these words  
be written in all our hearts1 and may we
 make them the guide of all our actions4
     ,chapter ,,xxii4--,,the ,,lord',s  
,,prayer4   ,the answer which ,jesus    
gave1 as to loving ,god with all the    
heart1 and his neighbour as himself1 did
 not silence the ,lawyer3 he1 willing to
 justify himself1 being anxious to prove
 that he was a just and righteous man1  
now asked1 ,who is my neighbour8 ,the   
,jews had in many points altered or     
explained the ,law1 to suit their own   
feelings and wishes2 and they would not 
look upon any man as a neighbour1 unless
 he were of their own religion4  ,this  
,lawyer had probably always been kind to
 his ,jewish brethren1 and if our ,lord 
had1 as he expected1 told him that his  
neighbour meant one of his ,jewish      
brethren1 he would have been able to    
boast that he had obeyed this command4  
,but very different was our ,saviour's  

teaching3 instead of giving him a direct
 answer1 ,he in a beautiful parable     
taught him and us1 that any fellow      
creature who needs our help1 is our     
neighbour in the sight of ,god3 even    
though he be an enemy1 or one hated1 as 
the ,jews hated the ,samaritans4  ,the  
,lawyer could not but own that the      
,samaritan in the parable had best      
obeyed the commandment of ,moses2 and in
 answer to the question1 ,which now of  
these three1 thinkest thou1 was         
neighbour unto him that fell among      
thieves8 he said1 ,he that showed mercy 
on him4 ,then said ,jesus unto him1 ,go 
and do thou likewise1 that is1 copy this
 example2 and look upon every man that  
needs your help as a neighbour and      
brother1 whom you are to love2 and take 
care that your love is not in word and  
tongue only1 but in deed and in truth4  
,journeying through the land of ,judaea 
with ,his disciples1 ,jesus entered into
 a certain village2 this was ,bethany1  
on the eastern side of the ,mount of    

,olives3 and a certain woman named      
,martha received him into her house4    
,and she had a sister called ,mary1     
which also sat at ,jesus's feet and     
heard ,his word4 ,but ,martha was       
cumbered about much serving4 ,both these
 sisters loved the ,lord1 though they   
showed it in a very different way3      
,mary1 delighted to have such an        
opportunity of listening to ,his        
teaching1 sat at ,his feet to learn all 
that ,he might teach her2 ,martha1      
anxious to show her pleasure at         
receiving ,jesus as her guest1 appears  
to have busied herself in preparing a   
feast in ,his honour4 ,presently1 tired 
with her exertions1 and fearing that all
 might not be ready1 she came to him1   
and said1 ,lord1 dost thou not care that
 my sister hath left me to serve alone8 
bid her therefore that she help me4 ,but
 instead of doing this1 ,jesus rebuked  
,martha for thinking too much of worldly
 matters1 instead of giving her mind to 
the one thing needful for the salvation 

of man3 that one thing was faith in     
,jesus as the ,son of ,god2 such faith1 
as would produce piety and holiness2 and
 that as ,mary had chosen that good     
part1 she must not be disturbed1 but    
that ,martha would do well to follow her
 example4 ,when1 therefore1 ,martha     
asked that ,mary might be bid to help   
her1 ,jesus answered and said unto her1 
,martha1 ,martha1 thou art careful and  
troubled about many things3 but one     
thing is needful3 and ,mary hath chosen 
that good part1 which shall not be taken
 away from her4  ,now1 from this little 
history we should all learn this lesson3
 that though worldly business must be   
done1 and well done1 too1 it must not   
take up too much of our thoughts and    
hearts1 and so make us careless in our  
religious duties3 to please and serve   
,god in every way is the one thing      
needful for us4  ,on one occasion1 when 
,jesus had been praying1 according to   
,his constant custom1 when he ceased1   
one of his disciples said unto him1     

,lord1 teach us to pray as ,john also   
taught his disciples4 ,jesus then gave  
them that beautiful prayer1 called the  
,lord's ,prayer1 because the very words 
of it were dictated by the ,lord        
,himself1 in whose name we pray unto    
,god1 the ,father ,almighty4 ,the       
,prayer begins by acknowledging ,god to 
be ,our ,father2 and these words should 
ever remind us of two things3 that as   
our ,father1 all we ,his children are   
bound to love and obey ,him2 and1       
secondly1 that we must love all our     
fellow creatures as brethren1 seeing    
that we are all the children of one     
,heavenly ,father4  ,next we pray1      
,hallowed be ,thy ,name2 in which words 
we ask that all men everywhere may      
hallow1 or treat as holy1 ,his name1    
,his word1 ,his day1 and all things that
 belong to ,him4  ,by ,thy ,kingdom     
come1 we ask that all mankind may become
 ,christians1 and so be brought into the
 ,lord's kingdom on earth3 also1 that   
we1 and all who are ,christians1 may    

have the kingdom of ,god in our hearts2 
that is1 may obey1 and love1 and serve  
,him with all our hearts2 so that when  
we die we may be admitted into ,his     
glorious kingdom in heaven4 ,further1 we
 pray1 that the ,will of ,god may be    
done by man on earth1 as perfectly and  
entirely as it is done by the ,angels in
 heaven4 ,let us remember that the sole 
object and work of the holy ,angels is  
to do the ,will of ,god2 and that       
therefore we1 who use this prayer1 must 
always try to do the same1 and not think
 of doing what will only please         
ourselves4  ,the next petition of the   
,lord's ,prayer is1 ,give us this day   
our daily bread4 ,by these words we ask 
for all things which are needful both   
for our souls and bodies3 the body needs
 daily food to preserve it in life1 and 
make it strong to do its work2 the ,soul
 also wants food1 to nourish and        
increase the spiritual life2 and render 
it more active in the service of ,god4  
,the word of ,god1 ,prayer1 religious   

teaching1 all the services of our       
religion1 are the food of the ,soul2 by 
the proper use of which1 the love of    
,god will be more and more shed abroad  
in our hearts1 producing the fruit of   
holy obedience1 and devotion to ,his    
service4  ,next we pray1 that ,god will 
forgive us our sins1 on condition that  
we forgive all those who have sinned    
against us4 ,when we consider how       
dreadful will be our condition1 if ,god 
does not forgive us1 we should be very  
careful never to indulge angry1         
revengeful feelings against those who   
have injured us4 ,nothing that man can  
do to us1 can be as bad as what we have 
done against ,god2 and therefore we may 
well forgive our fellow creatures2 and  
we must do so1 if we would obtain       
forgiveness of our heavenly ,father4    
,we then ask the ,lord not to suffer us 
to give way to temptation1 but to keep  
us from all evil2 to keep our bodies in 
safety1 and above all to keep our souls 
from the great evil of sin1 from the    

power of our ghostly or spiritual enemy1
 the ,devil1 who is always watching to  
do us harm4 ,we end the ,lord's ,prayer 
by declaring our firm belief1 that ,god 
is able to do all that we can ask or    
think4  ,now we often say the ,lord's   
,prayer with our lips1 but do we really 
say it with our hearts1 wishing and     
striving to gain what we are asking for8
 ,this we should all do2 and besides    
this1 throughout the day1 we must each  
of us try to do those things that we    
pray may be done4 ,we must each of us   
try to reverence and obey our heavenly  
,father2 to be satisfied with whatever  
,he gives us for our bodies2 to take    
every opportunity of feeding our souls1 
by learning all we can about ,him1 and  
praying earnestly for ,his grace4 ,we   
must also try to keep down all angry    
feelings1 and be kind to those who are  
unkind to us2 and we must watch over    
ourselves continually1 and strive to    
resist the ,devil1 and practise         
self-denial1 that we may not fall into  

sin4  ,the ,lord's ,prayer teaches us   
what things we ought to ask of ,god2 and
 we may do so more particularly in our  
own words2 ,god is well pleased when we 
do so4  ,after giving ,his disciples    
this beautiful form of words1 to be a   
model for all their prayers1 ,jesus     
exhorted and entreated them to pray     
earnestly for the help of the ,holy     
,spirit3 and told them to go on praying1
 and not to be discouraged1 because they
 did not immediately receive those      
things for which they asked2 for that   
the ,lord would hear their prayers1 and 
give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask 
,him4 ,and as ,jesus spake1 a certain   
,pharisee besought him to dine with him2
 and he went in and sat down to meat4   
,the word here translated dine means to 
eat the first meal of the day1 and so   
ought rather to have been called        
breakfast4 ,the ,jews were accustomed to
 have only two regular meals in the day3
 breakfast1 or dinner1 as it is here    
called1 about twelve of the middle of   

the day2 and supper1 which was the      
principal meal1 in the evening1 after   
the heat of the day was past4 ,the      
,pharisees were very particular about   
washing before they sat down to meals1  
and this one who had besought the ,lord 
to eat with him1 marvelled that he had  
not first washed before dinner4  ,the   
,lord took this opportunity of teaching1
 that no outward washings can be        
pleasing in the sight of ,god1 if the   
heart be full of sinful1 evil passions3 
no outward forms and observances of any 
kind1 can ever please ,god1 unless those
 who do such things really love ,god1   
and try to do their duty and please ,him
 in everything4 ,many things also ,jesus
 said1 rebuking the ,scribes and        
,pharisees4  ,he likewise spake to the  
people who crowded to hear ,him1 and    
warned them to fear ,god rather than    
man2 for though men might kill their    
bodies1 they had no further power4 ,and 
one of the company said unto him1       
,master1 speak to my brother1 that he   

divide the inheritance with me4  ,it    
would seem that this brother had acted  
very unkindly1 if not unjustly1 in not  
sharing with his brother the money left 
by their father2 and the one who felt   
himself aggrieved came1 hoping that     
,jesus would interfere4 ,but ,jesus     
answered1 ,man1 who made me a judge or a
 divider over you8--meaning1 that ,he   
was not come upon earth to act as a     
,judge or ,magistrate in settling such  
matters1 but to teach men their duty to 
,god4 ,he then took this occasion to    
warn his hearers against covetousness1  
or the too eager desire for riches1 or  
for any of the good things this world   
can give3 bidding them rather be        
contented1 and try to please ,god by    
doing good with what they have4         
,covetousness is1 as we are elsewhere   
told1 idolatry1--and truly1 if our      
hearts are set upon riches1 pleasures1  
or anything else1 they will be drawn    
away from ,god4     ,chapter            
,,xxiii4--,,healing ,,of ,,the ,,man    

,,born ,,blind4   ,much did the ,lord   
say upon the subject of covetousness2 an
 evil passion which1 if indulged1 must  
draw the heart more and more from       
heavenly things to things of the earth2 
saying unto them1 ,for where your       
treasure is there will your heart be    
also4  ,jesus1 then1 in a short parable1
 showed the necessity of constantly     
watching1 that we may not be found      
unready whenever we are summoned to die4
  ,many other things ,jesus said1 and   
continued to teach through the cities   
and villages3 on one occasion ,he raised
 the indignation of the ruler of a      
synagogue1 because ,he had healed a poor
 woman1 who was bowed down by a spirit  
of infirmity1 which she had had for     
eighteen years4  ,but ,jesus rebuked    
those who blamed ,him1 and so spake that
 ,all his adversaries were ashamed2 and 
all the people rejoiced for the glorious
 things that were done by him4  ,and as 
,jesus passed by1 he saw a man which was
 blind from his birth4 ,and his         

disciples asked him1 saying1 ,master1   
who did sin1 this man1 or his parents1  
that he was born blind8  ,some of the   
,jews seem at this time to have taken up
 an idea held by the heathen1 that1     
after the death of a man1 his soul was  
sent into another body2 and that the    
souls of bad men even went into the     
bodies of animals4  ,another false      
notion of the ,jews was1 that any one   
who was a great sufferer upon earth must
 have been a greater sinner than others1
 who did not so suffer3 an idea quite   
contrary to all the teaching of ,jesus4 
,with these two ideas in their minds1   
some of those who had become followers  
of ,jesus1 asked him1 whether this blind
 man was born so1 as a punishment for   
sins he had committed in another body2  
or whether his blindness was a          
punishment for the sins of his parents4 
,jesus immediately answered1 that it was
 neither for one nor the other of these 
causes1 that this man was born blind2   
but that ,god in ,his wisdom had allowed

 it to be so1 ,that the works of ,god   
should be made manifest in him4 ,jesus  
then1 in a very remarkable manner1 gave 
sight to the blind man2 clearly proving 
that it was the power of ,god only1 and 
not the means used1 which had effected  
his cure3 and ,he also enabled the blind
 man to show his faith1 by making the   
final restoration of his sight1 depend  
upon his obedience to the command1 ,go1 
wash in the pool of ,siloam3 he went his
 way therefore1 and washed1 and came    
7back7 seeing4  ,the neighbours and they
 which before had seen him that he was  
blind1 were much surprised2 and began   
questioning whether he were indeed the  
same man1 or one like him2 but he       
quickly put an end to all doubts1 and   
said1 ,i am he4  ,then1 in answer to    
their questions1 he told them the exact 
manner in which this cure had been      
effected1 by a man that is called       
,jesus3 for at this time1 he had no     
knowledge of ,jesus as the ,son of ,god1
 the promised ,messiah4 ,whether from a 

good or bad motive we do not know1 but  
they brought to the ,pharisees him that 
aforetime was blind4 ,and it was the    
,sabbath day when ,jesus made the clay1 
and opened his eyes4 ,then the          
,pharisees also asked him how he had    
received his sight4 ,he said1 ,he put   
clay upon mine eyes1 and ,i washed1 and 
do see4 ,the ,pharisees could not deny  
the miracle2 but immediately some of    
them raised the objection1 ,this man is 
not of ,god1 because he keepeth not the 
,sabbath day4 ,others1 however1 less    
determined to disbelieve even the       
testimony of their own senses1 said1    
,how can a man that is a sinner do such 
miracles8 ,and there was a division     
among them4 ,they say unto the blind man
 again1 ,what sayest thou of him1 that  
he hath opened thine eyes8 ,the blind   
man1 though still ignorant of the real  
character of ,jesus1 felt that ,he was  
most certainly more than a common man1  
and said1 ,he is a prophet4  ,but the   
,jews now affected to disbelieve that   

the man had ever been blind1 and called 
his parents1 asking them1 ,is this your 
son1 who ye say was born blind8 how then
 doth he now see8 ,his parents answered 
them and said1 ,we know that this is our
 son1 and that he was born blind3 but by
 what means he now seeth1 we know not2  
or who hath opened his eyes1 we know    
not3 he is of age2 ask him3 he shall    
speak for himself4 ,these words spake   
his parents1 because they feared the    
,jews1 who had agreed already1 that if  
any man did confess that he was the     
,christ1 he should be put out of the    
synagogue4 ,his parents1 therefore1 not 
wishing to bring this punishment upon   
themselves1 merely bore witness to the  
fact that he was their son who was born 
blind3 as to the rest1 they told the    
,jews to let him speak for himself4     
,then again called they the man that was
 blind1 and said unto him1 ,give ,god   
the praise3 we know that this man is a  
sinner4 ,that is1 they called upon the  
man1 who had been healed1 to acknowledge

 that ,jesus was merely a sinful mortal1
 and had in reality no part in his cure1
 which was the work of the ,god of      
,israel alone4 ,the man1 however1 would 
by no means allow this3 ,he answered and
 said1 ,whether he be a sinner or no1 ,i
 know not3 one thing ,i know1 that1     
whereas ,i was blind1 now ,i see4 ,this 
answer by no means pleased the ,jews1   
and again they asked1 ,how opened he    
thine eyes8 ,he answered them1 ,i have  
told you already1 and ye did not hear   
7or believe73 wherefore would ye hear it
 again8 will ye also be his disciples8  
,then they reviled him1 and said1 ,thou 
art his disciple2 but we are ,moses's   
disciples4 ,we know that ,god spake unto
 ,moses3 as for this fellow1 we know not
 from whence he is4 ,all the doubts and 
disputes of the ,pharisees1 so far from 
shaking the faith of this man1 seem to  
have strengthened it2 and now1 fearless 
of consequences1 he spake out boldly the
 words of common sense1 and said1 ,why  
herein is a marvellous thing1 that ye   

know not from whence he is1 and yet he  
hath opened mine eyes4 ,now we know that
 ,god heareth not sinners3 but if any   
man be a worshipper of ,god and doeth   
,his will1 him he heareth4 ,since the   
world began was it not heard that any   
man opened the eyes of one that was born
 blind4 ,if this man were not of ,god1  
he could do nothing4  ,the answer of the
 man who had been born blind1 made the  
,pharisees very angry4 ,they could not  
contradict what he said2 but they were  
determined not to allow that ,jesus came
 from ,god1 and as they chose to believe
 that this man was a greater sinner than
 other men because he had been born     
blind1 they immediately cried out1 ,thou
 wast altogether born in sins1 and dost 
thou teach us8 ,and they cast him out3  
that is1 expelled him from the          
synagogue1 as they had resolved to do to
 any one who should confess that ,jesus 
was the ,christ4 ,this casting out of   
the synagogue1 or excommunication1 was a
 very severe punishment2 there seem to  

have been three degrees of it4 ,in the  
first instance1 the person under        
sentence of excommunication was         
forbidden to enter a synagogue1 or to   
join in the services of the temple2 and 
he was to be looked upon as no longer   
belonging to the chosen people of ,god4 
,after such a sentence had been passed1 
no ,jew would speak to1 or have any     
intercourse with1 the excommunicated    
person3 this was the sentence now passed
 upon the man who had been so           
wonderfully healed4 ,in the second      
degree of excommunication1 the loss of  
property was added to the former        
sentence2 all the goods possessed by the
 excommunicated person were taken from  
him1 and given to the service of ,god4  
,the third degree of this terrible      
punishment ordained the death of the    
unfortunate wretch1 who had already been
 cut off from all his friends1 and      
deprived of his property4 ,when ,jesus  
heard that the blind man had for ,his   
sake been cast out1 ,he appears to have 

gone in search of him2 and when he had  
found him1 he said unto him1 ,dost thou 
believe on the ,son of ,god8 ,the man1  
in doubt as to the real nature of ,him  
who had healed him1 and anxious to know 
the truth1 answered and said1 ,who is   
he1 ,lord1 that ,i might believe on him8
 ,jesus1 ever ready to teach those who  
heartily seek to learn the truth1       
plainly answered1 and said unto him1    
,thou hast both seen him1 and it is he  
that talketh with thee4 ,all doubts now 
vanished2 and he said1 ,lord1 ,i        
believe4 ,and he worshipped him4 ,we may
 surely hope that this man1 to whom the 
,lord had given both spiritual and      
bodily sight1 became a true and sincere 
disciple of ,jesus4  ,after this1 ,jesus
 blamed the ,pharisees for not believing
 in ,him themselves1 and for trying to  
prevent others from doing so either4    
,then ,he spake of ,himself as the good 
,shepherd2 comparing the people to a    
flock of sheep4 ,the meaning of what    
,jesus now said1 was1 that ,he who came 

to teach the people the way of salvation
 is the only good ,shepherd2 and that   
all who do not come to them in the way  
appointed by ,god1 teaching as ,he has  
commanded1 are like thieves and robbers2
 who only come to do mischief in the    
flock1 and must be shut out2 just as the
 porters1 who took care of the sheep    
brought up to be sold for sacrifice1    
would not let any but the rightful owner
 enter into the sheepfold4  ,jesus      
plainly declared ,himself to be the good
 ,shepherd1 who would lead the ,jews to 
salvation1 if they would follow ,him1 as
 the sheep in those ,eastern countries  
follow their ,shepherd1 when he calls   
them4 ,alluding to the ,gentiles1 ,jesus
 also said1 that ,he had other sheep    
whom ,he would also by means of the     
,gospel bring into ,his fold1 the       
,church of ,christ on earth2 and        
hereafter into ,his heavenly fold in    
heaven4  ,all that our ,lord now said1  
made a great impression upon some of    
,his hearers2 and again caused a        

division of opinion among the ,jews4    
,those who were disposed to believe in  
,him were reproached by others1 who1    
foolishly as well as blasphemously1     
said1 ,he hath a devil1 and is mad2 why 
hear ye him8 ,others1 who did not allow 
prejudice to blind their common sense1  
reasonably answered1 ,these are not the 
words of him that hath a devil1--no man 
possessed with a devil could speak such 
good and beautiful words2 and then they 
referred to the recent miracle1 in proof
 that the ,lord could not be under the  
influence of ,satan in any way2 for they
 asked1 ,can a devil open the eyes of   
the blind8 ,no more appears to have been
 said3 we will hope that many went away 
determined to follow ,jesus1 but many1  
no doubt1 hardened their hearts and     
continued in unbelief4  ,we next hear of
 ,jesus being at ,jerusalem1 for the    
feast of the dedication1 and it was     
winter4 ,this ,feast of the ,dedication 
had been appointed by ,judas ,maccabeus1
 in remembrance of the cleansing of the 

temple1 and devoting it again to the    
proper worship of ,god1 after it had    
been profaned by the heathen4 ,by       
attending this ,feast1 ,jesus set us an 
example to keep solemn days appointed by
 man1 in order to offer up thanksgiving 
to ,god for particular mercies4 ,the    
,feast of the ,dedication took place in 
the month which answers to our          
,december4     ,chapter                 
,,xxiv4--,,jesus',s ,,last ,,journey    
,,to ,,jerusalem4   ,and it was at      
,jerusalem the feast of the dedication1 
and it was winter4 ,and ,jesus walked in
 the temple in ,solomon's porch3 that   
is1 in a porch or colonnade1 which stood
 on the same spot where ,solomon's porch
 had formerly stood2 for the temple     
which existed in our ,saviour's time was
 the one built by the ,jews1 after their
 return from their captivity in         
,babylon4 ,the ,jews came round about   
,jesus whilst ,he was in this porch1 and
 most unreasonably accused ,him of      
keeping them in doubt1 as to whether ,he

 was the ,messiah or not2 saying1 ,if   
thou be the ,christ tell us plainly4    
,jesus in answer told them1 that all the
 works which they had seen would have   
convinced them of that fact1 if they had
 not been obstinately determined not to 
believe3 and then1 when ,he did plainly 
declare that ,he was the ,son of ,god1  
by saying1 ,i and my ,father are one1   
the ,jews took up stones again to stone 
him2 telling ,him that they did so1     
because ,he had spoken blasphemy in     
making ,himself1 or saying that ,he was1
 the ,son of ,god4 ,in spite of all ,he 
could say1 they persisted in their      
unbelief2 and when ,he again referred   
them to ,his works as proving ,him to be
 really the ,son of ,god1 they sought   
again to take him3 but he escaped out of
 their hand1 and went away again beyond 
,jordan into the place where ,john at   
first baptized4 ,many resorted1 or went 
out to him1 there3 those who had before 
listened to the teaching of ,john the   
,baptist1 could not but see that ,he was

 greater than the ,baptist2 for as they 
truly said1 ,john did no miracle3 but   
all things that ,john spake of this man 
were true4 ,and many believed on him    
there4  ,it seems to have been at this  
time1 that those about our ,saviour     
asked ,him1 ,lord1 are there few that be
 saved8 whereupon our ,lord bid them1   
strive to enter in at the strait gate1  
by which ,he meant1 that if any one     
really wished to go to heaven1 he must  
try with all his might to walk in the   
path of holiness1 by resisting the      
,devil and giving up his own will or    
wishes1 to do whatever would please     
,god4  ,the same day there came certain 
of the ,pharisees1 saying unto him1 ,get
 thee out1 and depart hence3 for ,herod 
will kill thee4 ,the answer that ,jesus 
made meant1 that neither ,herod nor any 
other man could put ,him to death before
 the time appointed by ,god for ,his    
death2 but that when the proper time    
came1 ,he should perfect or finish ,his 
work by dying4 ,he added1 moreover1 that

 ,he must return to ,jerusalem to die1  
for it cannot be that a prophet perish  
out of ,jerusalem4  ,by the ,jewish     
,laws1 a prophet could only be judged by
 the ,sanhedrim1 or great ,council of   
the ,jews at ,jerusalem4 ,jesus then    
lamented over the troubles which he     
foresaw would fall upon ,jerusalem1     
because the ,jews would not come to ,him
 for safety4  ,again we hear of a       
miracle of healing performed on the     
,sabbath day1 when ,jesus cured a man of
 the dropsy4 ,at the same time1 ,he     
spake various parables to the people1   
and taught them many things4 ,amongst   
the parables now spoken1 were those of  
the ,prodigal ,son and the ,unjust      
,steward3 the first of these was        
intended to teach the ,jews1 that they  
who had always been the chosen people of
 ,god1 did wrong to be angry because the
 ,gentiles were admitted to share their 
privileges2 and also to show that1      
although the ,pharisees would have      
nothing to say to those whom they looked

 upon as sinners1 ,god was more         
merciful1 and would receive and bless   
sinners who were truly penitent4 ,the   
parable of the ,unjust ,steward was     
intended to teach all men1 that they    
ought to use as much diligence in       
seeking for spiritual blessings1 as they
 would make use of in regard to temporal
 blessings4  ,shortly after this1 we    
read of little children being brought to
 the ,lord1 who received them kindly1   
and blamed those who would have kept    
them from ,him4  ,the parable of the    
,rich ,man and ,lazarus the beggar1 was 
now told3 an awful warning to all who   
lead a life of luxury and               
self-indulgence1 denying themselves     
nothing4  ,and it came to pass1 when the
 time was come that he should be        
received up1 he stedfastly set his face 
to go to ,jerusalem4  ,the appointed    
time being near1 ,jesus now began ,his  
last journey to ,jerusalem1 in the      
course of which ,he said many things to 
,his disciples and the people in        

general1 speaking often in parables2 and
 ,he told ,his disciples plainly that   
,he was going up to ,jerusalem1 not to  
become an earthly king1 as they still   
hoped1 but to be ill treated and put to 
death4 ,during this time ,jesus healed  
the ten lepers1 only one of whom1 and he
 was a ,samaritan1 returned to give     
glory to ,god for his cure4 ,to him our 
,lord spake the comfortable words1      
,arise1 go thy way3 thy faith hath made 
thee whole4 ,then a certain young ,ruler
 came1 and asked ,jesus1 ,good ,master1 
what good thing shall ,i do that ,i may 
have eternal life4 ,jesus first shows   
him1 that he must not look upon ,him as 
man only1 but as ,god2 and then tells   
him that1 to enter into eternal life1 he
 must keep all the commandments and     
precepts of ,god2 and then1 when the    
young man went away sorrowful1 ,jesus   
warned ,his followers of the danger of  
letting the love of riches draw their   
hearts from ,god4  ,another remarkable  
parable spoken by ,jesus at this time   

was that of the labourers in the        
vineyard4 ,this parable taught two      
lessons2 first it showed to the ,jews as
 a nation1 that though they might be    
said to have been labourers1 from the   
time that they were first chosen by     
,god1 they ought not to be envious and  
angry1 because the ,gentiles were now1  
at the eleventh hour1 called also to be 
the servants of ,god4 ,the ,jews in     
general could not bear the idea of any  
other people sharing with them1         
privileges1 which they considered to    
belong to themselves alone2 and many of 
,christ's discourses and parables were  
meant to correct this wrong feeling4    
,the second lesson taught by this       
parable comes home to every individual2 
and shows1 that though those are most   
blessed who from their childhood have   
truly served ,god1 or1 as it is called1 
worked in the vineyard1 still1 all who1 
at any age1 so truly repent as to go and
 work1 obeying the ,word of ,god in     
everything1 will be graciously received 

by the ,lord of the vineyard2 and must  
not therefore be despised by their      
fellow labourers1 who were called at an 
earlier age4 ,jesus next received a     
message from ,martha and ,mary1 the     
sisters of ,his friend ,lazarus1 saying1
 ,lord1 behold he whom thou lovest is   
sick4 ,when1 after a delay of two days1 
,jesus saith to his disciples1 ,let us  
go into ,judaea again2 they reminded    
,him that the ,jews had of late sought  
to kill ,him1 and that ,he had better   
not go back4 ,but ,jesus told them1 that
 as long as it was day1 that is1 ,his   
time for working1 ,he was safe anywhere4
 ,he explained to them that ,lazarus was
 now dead1 and that ,he was going to    
wake him out of the sleep of death4 ,the
 faith of the disciples seems to have   
been weak1 but their love was strong1   
for all agreed in ,thomas's proposal1   
,let us also go1 that we may die with   
him4 ,and as they went on their way1    
,jesus took again the twelve disciples  
apart1 and began to tell them what      

things should happen unto him2 speaking 
plainly of being betrayed1 delivered    
unto the ,chief ,priests1 mocked1       
spitefully entreated1 spitted on1       
scourged1 and put to death by the       
,gentiles1 and rising again the third   
day4 ,but they understood none of these 
things3 so little idea had they of the  
literal meaning of our ,lord's words1   
that at this very time1 ,james and      
,john1 the sons of ,zebedee1 came with  
their mother1 to beg that they might    
sit1 one on ,his right hand and the     
other on ,his left hand1 in ,his        
kingdom4  ,in earthly courts1 to be     
nearest the king's person1 was a mark of
 dignity and favour2 and1               
misunderstanding still the nature of    
,christ's kingdom1 the sons of ,zebedee 
made this request1 to the indignation of
 the other ,apostles2 who did not see   
why two of their number should be       
favoured so far beyond the rest4 ,but   
,jesus rebuked them all2 and told them1 
that ,his followers must not seek for   

power and greatness as the ,gentiles    
did2 for that those who were humble and 
meek were most pleasing to ,god4 ,and   
,he bid them1 and all ,christians in all
 times1 follow ,his example2 reminding  
them1 that although he was ,lord of all1
 ,he came on earth to serve men1 and    
give ,his life for them4  ,passing      
through ,jericho1 ,jesus1 when he came  
near the town1 gave sight to two blind  
men1 who were sitting by the wayside    
begging4 ,hearing an unusual bustle1 as 
of many people passing by1 they asked   
what it meant2 and being told that      
,jesus of ,nazareth passeth by1 they1   
believing in ,his power1 cried out      
earnestly1 ,have mercy on us1 ,o ,lord1 
thou son of ,david3 and this prayer they
 continued to repeat1 although many of  
those who accompanied ,jesus rebuked    
them1 that they should hold their peace1
 and not trouble ,him with their cries4 
,in the ,gospel accounts of this        
miracle1 ,st4 ,mark and ,st4 ,luke only 
mention the healing of one blind man2   

but ,st4 ,matthew tells us there were   
two4 ,st4 ,matthew1 who was one of the  
twelve ,apostles1 was present on this   
occasion1 so we may be sure that he saw 
two blind men healed4 ,st4 ,mark and    
,st4 ,luke1 writing many years          
afterwards1 only mentioned one of these 
men1 who seems to have been the most    
known amongst the ,jews3 for ,st4 ,mark 
speaks of him by his name1 ,bartimaeus1 
as if those for whom he wrote would know
 the man1 and therefore think more of   
the miracle1 about which they could also
 ask him4 ,perhaps1 too1 ,bartimaeus is 
more particularly mentioned1 because his
 faith was greater than that of his     
companion2 for ,st4 ,mark tells us1 that
 ,jesus said to him1 ,go thy way2 thy   
faith hath made thee whole4 ,however    
that may be1 these blind men cried to   
,jesus for mercy1 and ,jesus had        
compassion on them1 and touched their   
eyes3 and their eyes received sight1 and
 they followed him1 glorifying ,god3 and
 all the people1 when they saw it1 gave 

praise unto ,god4  ,and ,jesus entered  
and passed through ,jericho3 and now he 
gave another lesson to the ,pharisees1  
against despising any of their fellow   
creatures4     ,chapter                 
,,xxv4--,,zacchaeus ,,and ,,lazarus4    
,at ,jericho there was a man named      
,zacchaeus1 which was the chief among   
the ,publicans1 and he was rich4 ,he had
 already heard much of ,jesus1 and now  
he sought to see ,jesus1 who he was2 and
 could not for the press1 or crowd of   
people who surrounded the ,lord1 for    
,zacchaeus was a short man1 or little of
 stature4 ,being really anxious to see  
,jesus1 ,zacchaeus did not content      
himself with merely wishing1 and        
regretting2 but he took some trouble to 
accomplish his object1 and met with his 
reward4 ,we read that ,zacchaeus ran on 
before1 and climbed up into a sycamore  
tree1 under which ,jesus must pass2 and 
by this means nothing could prevent his 
seeing the ,lord4  ,the sycamore tree   
here spoken of1 is also called the      

,egyptian fig2 the leaves are like those
 of the mulberry tree1 but the fruit    
resembles the fig1 in size1 shape1 and  
taste4  ,jesus1 who knows all things1   
saw the heart of ,zacchaeus1 and knew   
that he was willing to become a true    
disciple2 and none such will ,he ever   
overlook4 ,therefore1 when ,jesus came  
to the place1 he looked up1 and saw him1
 and said unto him1 ,zacchaeus1 make    
haste1 and come down2 for to-day ,i must
 abide at thy house4 ,most joyfully did 
,zacchaeus obey3 he had taken some      
trouble merely to see ,jesus1 and now he
 would have the privilege of listening  
to ,his words4 ,but many of the ,jews   
who were present were offended and      
displeased1 because ,jesus took such    
notice of a man belonging to a class1   
whom they1 in their self-righteous      
spirit1 condemned as unworthy to        
associate with them2 they all murmured1 
saying1 ,that he was gone to be a guest 
with a man that is a sinner4 ,zacchaeus1
 seeing that ,jesus was blamed for      

noticing him1 thought it right to show  
that whatever his sins might have been1 
he was now truly penitent1 and          
determined to undo as much as possible  
any wrong he had done to his fellow     
creatures1 in making them pay more taxes
 than were justly due3 so he stood up1  
and said unto the ,lord1 ,behold1 ,lord1
 the half of my goods ,i give1 that is1 
,i will from this time give1 to the     
poor1 and if ,i have taken anything from
 any man by false accusation1 7or       
over-taxing17 ,i will restore him       
fourfold3 that is1 ,i will give him back
 four times as much as he has lost1     
through any fault of mine4 ,this was    
true repentance1 springing from faith1  
and as such it found favour with ,god4  
,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,this day is 
salvation come to this house1 forsomuch 
as he also is a son of ,abraham4 ,for   
the ,son of man is come to seek and to  
save that which was lost4  ,zacchaeus   
had shown himself to be1 spiritually1 as
 well as by descent1 a son of faithful  

,abraham2 and as such he and his family 
were to receive that salvation1 which   
,jesus came to bring to those who would 
turn from their sins and be saved4  ,at 
this time1 ,jesus spake a parable2      
because he was nigh to ,jerusalem1 and  
because they thought that the kingdom of
 ,god should immediately appear4 ,by    
this parable of the nobleman1 who went  
into a far country to receive a kingdom1
 and then returned to judge his servants
 for the use they had made of the       
talents which he had given them1 ,jesus 
showed that although ,he was ,lord of   
all1 ,he must leave this world for a    
time1 and return again to judge ,his    
servants1 before ,his kingdom could be  
visibly established1--before the kingdom
 of ,god could appear in glory4  ,it is 
very easy to understand the meaning of  
this parable3 we all1 that is1 all the  
men1 women1 and children1 who have ever 
been born1 are sent upon earth that we  
may serve ,god1 and show our love to    
,him1 by doing ,his will in all things2 

and in doing all the good we can to     
others4 ,some have greater means and    
opportunities of doing good than others2
 such means and opportunities1 as       
riches1 wisdom1 health1 leisure1 c41 are
 the talents entrusted to us2 and we are
 to use them in the service of ,god1 and
 not for our own pleasure only4 ,some   
have more of these talents than others2 
but all of us have opportunities of     
being useful1 if we are ready to        
practise self-denial1 and give up our   
own pleasure1 wishes1 and ease1 in order
 to do little acts of kindness to       
others1 in obedience to the word of     
,god4 ,if we do not do our duty to ,god 
and man to the best of our power whilst 
we are on earth1 the ,lord will be angry
 with us1 as the king in the parable was
 with the wicked servant1 who had kept  
his talent laid up in a napkin1 instead 
of using it so as to make a proper      
return to the ,master1 who had given it 
to him4  ,when ,jesus reached ,bethany1 
,lazarus had already been buried four   

days4 ,bethany was a village about two  
miles from ,jerusalem2 and many of the  
,jews came to ,martha and ,mary1 to     
comfort them concerning their brother4  
,it was a custom amongst the ,jews for  
friends and relations to come in this   
way to the house where any one had died1
 and there to mourn and lament1 with    
particular ceremonies1 for seven days4  
,we have no such custom2 but when any   
one is in trouble1 we should do all we  
can to comfort and help3 even in all the
 little troubles and vexations which    
daily happen to those around us1 we     
should try to do anything we can to help
 them4 ,the best rule in this1 as in all
 other matters1 is to observe the       
precept1 ,do unto others as you would   
wish them to do unto you4 ,that is1     
think how you would feel if the same    
misfortune1 trouble1 or vexation1 fell  
upon you2 and thus try and feel for     
others3 then think what you would wish  
to be done for you in a like case1 and  
do the same for them4 ,show that you are

 sorry for them1 by doing any little act
 of kindness that is in your power1     
without thinking of yourself1--your own 
wishes1 pleasure1 or convenience4 ,even 
children can do this2 and the sooner    
they begin to do so1 the more will they 
grow in favour with ,god and ,man4  ,the
 beautiful story of the raising of      
,lazarus is to be read in ,st4 ,john's  
,gospel 7ch4 xi474  ,martha's faith     
seems to have been weak2 for though she 
believed that ,jesus could have saved   
her brother's life had ,he come in time1
 she certainly did not believe that ,he 
could now restore him to life4  ,mary1  
too1 seems only to have thought that    
,jesus could have kept ,lazarus from    
dying2 but her faith was stronger than  
,martha's1 for she made no objection to 
the taking away the stone that lay upon 
the cave in which ,lazarus was buried4  
,jesus here sets us an example of       
feeling for others3 ,he saw the great   
sorrow of ,martha and ,mary1 and1       
although ,he was going to remove the    

cause of their grief1 yet ,he felt for  
them in their distress--,jesus wept4    
,what a comfort to all who are in       
trouble upon earth1 to know that their  
,lord in heaven feels for them1 and will
 hear their prayers for help and        
comfort2 though ,he will not answer them
 in the same way that ,he answered the  
prayers of ,mary and her sister4  ,many 
of the ,jews which came to ,mary1 and   
had seen the things which ,jesus did1   
believed on him4 ,but some of them1     
determined not to acknowledge ,him as   
the ,messiah1 went their ways to the    
,pharisees1 and told them what things   
,jesus had done4  ,the ,chief ,priests  
and ,pharisees immediately called       
together the members of the ,sanhedrim1 
or great ,council1 and said1 ,what do   
we8 for this man worketh many miracles4 
,they could not deny that ,jesus had    
worked many miracles2 for multitudes of 
the people had seen1 and been benefited 
by them4 ,to the question1 ,what do we8 
or rather1 what shall we do8 ,we might  

reasonably expect the answer1 ,we will  
acknowledge ,him as the ,messiah1 the   
,son of ,god2 but1 no3 they did not say 
this2 on the contrary1 their only       
thought was to prevent others from      
believing in ,him4 ,rightly did they    
judge1 ,if we let him thus alone1 all   
men will believe in him3 but they added1
 and the ,romans shall come and take    
away both our place and nation4 ,in     
their blindness as to the spiritual     
nature of the ,messiah's kingdom1 these 
,jews thought1 that if they acknowledged
 ,jesus1 the ,roman ,emperor would      
consider them as rebels1 wishing to set 
up a temporal kingdom1 and would send   
his armies to destroy them utterly4 ,far
 better would it have been for these    
unhappy men1 if they had only considered
 the proofs before them1 and            
acknowledged ,jesus to be the ,messiah1 
without fearing what man could do unto  
them4 ,in a few years moreover1 the very
 evil which they so wickedly strove to  
avoid did come upon them3 their nation  

was totally destroyed1 the people       
scattered over all lands1 and the temple
 burnt to the ground4  ,no doubt there  
were many different opinions amongst the
 members of the ,sanhedrim1 for1 after  
much discussion1 one of them1 named     
,caiaphas1 being the ,high ,priest that 
same year1 said unto them1 ,ye know     
nothing at all1 nor consider that it is 
expedient for us1 that one man should   
die for the people1 and that the whole  
nation perish not4 ,and this spake he   
not of himself2 but being ,high ,priest 
that year1 he prophesied that ,jesus    
should die for that nation2 and not for 
that nation only1 but that also he      
should gather in one the children of    
,god that were scattered abroad4        
,chapter ,,xxvi4--,,jesus ,,in ,,the    
,,house ,,of ,,simon ,,the ,,leper      
,the speech made in the ,sanhedrim by   
,caiaphas1 meant a great deal more than 
he did1 when he used the words4         
,caiaphas meant1 that if there were any 
chance of offending the ,romans1 it     

would be better at once to put one man  
to death1 than to bring destruction upon
 the whole nation4 ,but ,st4 ,john bids 
us take notice that1 without intending  
it1 ,caiaphas thus proclaimed the       
blessed plan of salvation through the   
atonement1 which1 by the death of ,one1 
would be made for all mankind4          
,caiaphas was the ,high ,priest that    
same year4 ,by the appointment of ,god1 
a man who once became ,high ,priest     
continued to be so as long as he lived2 
but the ,romans forced the ,jews to     
alter many of their customs1 and it had 
been so in regard to the office of ,high
 ,priest1 which was now seldom held by  
the same person for more than a year4   
,what ,caiaphas said1 seems to have     
decided the ,sanhedrim as to what should
 be done2 and the only question that    
remained was1 how it should be done3 how
 the death of ,jesus could be safely    
managed1 without causing a disturbance  
amongst the people1 who might not be    
willing to see one who had worked such  

miracles for their good1 put to death4  
,this required consideration on the part
 of the ,sanhedrim3 and from that day   
forth they took counsel together for to 
put him to death4  ,jesus1 knowing that 
,his time was not fully come1 went with 
,his disciples into a small city1       
situated among the mountains in the     
wilderness of ,judah1 which lay on the  
borders of the ,dead ,sea4 ,we read1    
,jesus therefore walked no more openly  
among the ,jews2 but went thence unto a 
country near to the wilderness1 into a  
city called ,ephraim1 and there         
continued with his disciples4 ,and the  
,jews' ,passover was nigh at hand3 and  
many went out of the country up to      
,jerusalem before the ,passover1 to     
purify themselves3 that is1 to observe  
certain forms and ceremonies1 without   
which no man was looked upon as fit to  
partake of this holy feast4  ,this was  
the third ,passover which had occurred  
since ,jesus began ,his public teaching2
 the last of which ,he was to partake4  

,it was fitting that the ,lamb of ,god1 
which taketh away the sin of the world1 
should be sacrificed at this solemn     
season4 ,the ,feast of the ,passover was
 kept in remembrance of the deliverance 
of the ,children of ,israel from death1 
by the blood of the paschal lamb2 but it
 was also a type1 or sign1 of a greater 
deliverance to come2 when through the   
shedding of the blood of the ,lamb of   
,god1 all mankind would be delivered    
from a far more terrible death4 ,in the 
,new ,testament1 ,jesus ,christ is      
called our ,passover4  ,the ,jews who   
now assembled in ,jerusalem1 to prepare 
themselves for the approaching ,feast1  
naturally spake to each other of ,jesus1
 whom all must have heard of1 and whom  
many had1 no doubt1 seen4 ,they sought  
for ,jesus amongst those who were       
purifying themselves1 and not finding   
,him1 spake to each other1 saying1 ,what
 think ye1 that he will not come to the 
feast8 ,many of them probably thought1  
that ,jesus would be afraid to show     

,himself in public2 for both the ,chief 
,priests and the ,pharisees had given a 
commandment1 that1 if any man knew where
 he were1 he should show it1 that they  
might take him4  ,mean time ,jesus was  
calmly preparing to finish the work     
given to ,him of the ,father1 by        
delivering ,himself up to death2 that   
through ,him all men might have life4   
,till the time was fully come1 ,jesus   
remained with ,his disciples in the     
wilderness4 ,then six days before the   
,passover ,jesus came to ,bethany1 where
 ,lazarus was which had been dead1 whom 
he raised from the dead4 ,it is probable
 that at this time ,jesus abode in the  
house with ,lazarus and his sisters2 but
 we read of ,him as being in the house  
of ,simon the leper1 a man whom our     
,lord had1 no doubt1 cured of leprosy2  
where they made him a supper4 ,lazarus  
was one of the guests who sat at the    
table with him1 and ,martha served2     
helped the giver of the feast to        
entertain and wait upon ,jesus4  ,an    

event now took place1 which is spoken of
 by ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1 ,st4     
,luke1 and ,st4 ,john2 though it is     
rather differently told by each1 some   
mentioning circumstances of which the   
others take no notice3 so much so1 that 
some people have thought that they speak
 of different events2 but it seems much 
more probable that they all allude to   
the same event1 and therefore it will be
 so considered now4  ,the circumstance  
which happened at the supper given to   
,jesus in the house of ,simon1          
7distinguished from others of that name 
by being still called the ,leper1 though
 now no longer one17 must be related    
according to what is generally believed4
  ,mary having an alabaster box of      
ointment of spikenard1 very precious and
 very costly1 brake the box1 and poured 
it on his head as he sat at meat1 and   
anointed the feet of ,jesus1 and wiped  
his feet with her hair3 and the house   
was filled with the odour of the        
ointment4 ,thus did ,mary show her love 

for the ,lord4 ,but when his disciples  
saw it1 there were some that had        
indignation within themselves1 and said1
 ,why was this waste of the ointment    
made8 ,then saith one of his disciples1 
,judas ,iscariot1 which should betray   
him1 ,why was not this ointment sold for
 three hundred pence1 and given to the  
poor8  ,judas ,iscariot1 under pretence 
of wishing to give the money to the     
poor1 blamed ,mary for thus wasting the 
ointment2 and some of the other         
disciples seem to have held the same    
idea1 and they murmured against her4  ,a
 ,roman penny1 the money here spoken of1
 was worth about #g-a_/b;d4 of our      
money2 so the cost of this box of       
ointment was about #il43 and probably   
some of the disciples1 not understanding
 the meaning of ,mary's action as       
afterwards described by ,jesus1 really  
thought it would have been well to give 
that sum away in charity4 ,but this was 
not the case with ,judas1 for ,st4 ,john
 adds1 ,this he said1 not that he cared 

for the poor1 but because he was a      
thief1 and had the bag1 and bare what   
was put therein4 ,the joint stock of    
money1 out of which the necessaries of  
life were purchased for ,jesus and his  
,apostles1 was trusted to the care of   
,judas1 who was a thief1 and took money 
out of the common bag for his own       
private purposes4 ,if so large a sum as 
three hundred pence were to be added to 
the common stock1 ,judas would be able  
easily to take some without being found 
out2 especially if he pretended that he 
had given it to the poor4 ,let us1 as   
the ,bible bids us1 beware of           
covetousness even in the smallest       
matter4 ,this feeling indulged in the   
heart is a great sin2 and it constantly 
leads to the breaking of the eighth     
commandment as well4  ,when ,mary was   
blamed for what she had done1 the ,lord 
defended her1 saying1 ,let her          
alone1--do not blame her1--why trouble  
ye her8 she hath wrought a good work on 
me4 ,for ye have the poor with you      

always1 and whensoever ye will ye may do
 them good2 but me ye have not always4  
,she hath done what she could3 she is   
come aforehand to anoint my body to the 
burying4 ,for in that she hath poured   
this ointment on my body1 she did it for
 my burial4  ,it was the custom among   
the ,jews to anoint the bodies of the   
dead before burial1 with perfumes and   
spices3 this was also a custom of other 
nations1 and the ,egyptians had a manner
 of anointing1 or embalming1 the body1  
so that it would keep its shape1 and not
 turn to dust1 as it would otherwise do4
 ,bodies so prepared are called mummies2
 and many have been found1 which have   
been in that state for #c1jjj or #d1jjj 
years4  ,when ,jesus said that ,mary had
 anointed his body to the burying1 ,he  
meant1 that she had done an action which
 was significant of ,his approaching    
death2 but1 of course1 neither she nor  
the disciples understood it as such4 ,he
 also declared1 that so far from        
deserving blame1 what she had done      

should be for ever remembered to her    
praise3 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1       
,wheresoever this ,gospel shall be      
preached throughout the whole world1    
this also that she hath done shall be   
spoken of for a memorial of her4        
,whilst ,jesus was still in the house of
 ,simon1 much people of the ,jews1      
knowing ,he was there1 came not only to 
see ,him1 but that they might see       
,lazarus also1 whom he had raised from  
the dead4 ,such a miracle had naturally 
been much talked of2 and the ,chief     
,priests1 fearing the effect it might   
have on the people's mind1 consulted    
whether they could not put ,lazarus also
 to death1 because that by reason of him
 many of the ,jews went away1 and       
believed on ,jesus4  ,the next          
day1--that is1 five days before the     
,passover1--the people that were        
assembled at ,jerusalem for the feast1  
when they heard that ,jesus was coming  
to ,jerusalem1 took branches of palm    
trees1 and went forth to meet him1 and  

cried1 ,hosanna2 ,blessed is the ,king  
of ,israel1 that cometh in the name of  
the ,lord4 ,the word ,hosanna is made up
 of parts of two ,hebrew words1 which   
mean ,save now4 ,it was a word commonly 
used by the people to express their joy 
upon solemn occasions4     ,chapter     
,,xxvii4--,,christ',s ,,entry ,,into    
,,jerusalem4   ,then ,jesus sent forth  
two of ,his disciples1 with directions  
where to find a colt1 the foal of an    
ass1 upon which ,he purposed to ride    
into ,jerusalem4 ,the disciples did as  
they were directed1 and cast their      
garments upon the colt1 and they sat    
,jesus thereon3 and ,he rode towards    
,jerusalem1 accompanied by many of the  
people who had been with ,him in        
,simon's house1 and that was with him   
when he called ,lazarus out of his      
grave4 ,these were soon met by those    
who1 with palm branches in their hands1 
had come from ,jerusalem4 ,and as they  
went1 a very great multitude spread     
their garments in the way2 others cut   

down branches from the trees1 and       
strawed them in the way4 ,casting       
garments1 branches of trees and flowers 
on the ground1 for ,kings and           
,conquerors to tread upon1 was a mark of
 honour and welcome in the ,eastern     
nations2 and it was a fitting homage to 
,him1 ,who is ,king of ,kings1 and the  
,conqueror of ,sin and ,death4  ,and    
when ,he was come nigh the ,mount of    
,olives1 the whole multitude of the     
disciples1 and the multitudes that went 
before1 and that followed1 began to     
rejoice1 and praise ,god with a loud    
voice1 for all the mighty works that    
they had seen2 and cried1 saying        
,hosanna to the ,son of ,david--,hosanna
 in the highest4 ,blessed be the ,king  
that cometh in the name of the ,lord3   
,hosanna in the highest4  ,all this was 
done1 that it might be fulfilled which  
was spoken #djj years before by the     
prophet ,zechariah1 saying1 ,tell ye the
 daughter of ,sion1 ,behold1 thy ,king  
cometh unto thee1 meek1 and sitting upon

 an ass1 and a colt the foal of an ass4 
,at the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 it had  
long been the custom for the ,jewish    
people to sing ,hosannas1 and also to   
carry in their hands branches of palm or
 other trees1 in honour of the ,messiah 
whom they were expecting2 and by        
receiving ,jesus as they now did1 the   
multitudes did1 in fact1 acknowledge    
,him to be that expected ,messiah--at   
once ,god and man--the ,king spoken of  
by the prophets2 promised by the        
,almighty4  ,no other king ever entered 
,jerusalem in this manner1 which had    
been foretold by the prophets2 and      
therefore what had now happened1 ought  
to have convinced all the ,jews that    
,jesus ,christ was indeed the ,messiah3 
but nothing will convince those who are 
obstinately determined not to believe1  
and even now1 some of the ,pharisees    
from among the multitude1 who chose to  
think it was blasphemy to give ,jesus1 a
 man1 the honour due to the ,messiah1   
said unto him1 ,master1 rebuke thy      

disciples4 ,but instead of doing so1    
,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,i  
tell you that1 if these should1 hold    
their peace1 the stones would           
immediately cry out4 ,by this answer1   
,jesus plainly told the ,pharisees1 that
 so far from meriting a rebuke for      
speaking blasphemy1 all that the people 
had said was so pleasing to ,god1 that  
if they were prevented from saying it1  
the ,almighty would1 even by a miracle1 
raise up others to glorify ,his name1 by
 proclaiming this wonderful truth4      
,nothing1 however1 could overcome the   
obstinate unbelief of the ,pharisees4   
,they said among themselves1 ,perceive  
ye how ye prevail nothing8 behold1 the  
world is gone after him4  ,they could   
not but own1 that in spite of all they  
had done1 the people did believe ,jesus 
to be the ,messiah2 but this had no     
other effect than to make them the more 
anxious to put ,him to death4 ,mean time
 ,jesus rode on2 ,and when he was come  
near1 he beheld the city1 and wept over 

it1 saying1 ,if thou hadst known1 even  
thou1 at least in this thy day1 the     
things which belong unto thy peace6 but 
now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,for  
the days shall come upon thee1 that     
thine enemies shall cast a trench about 
thee1 and keep thee in on every side1   
and shall lay thee even with the ground1
 and thy children within thee2 and they 
shall not leave in thee one stone upon  
another2 because thou knewest not the   
time of thy visitation4 ,the meaning of 
what ,jesus now said is1 that it would  
have been a happy thing for the         
inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 if while ,he 
was with them they would have believed  
on ,him1 for then ,he would have given  
them peace and happiness4 ,and ,he wept 
in pity1 whilst ,he foretold the utter  
destruction that would come upon the    
city1 as a punishment to the ,jews for  
refusing to believe in ,him1 and receive
 ,him as the ,messiah4  ,everything that
 ,jesus foretold1 came to pass exactly a
 few years afterwards1 when the ,romans 

laid siege to ,jerusalem1 and made a    
trench1 and a wall with strong towers   
all round the city1 so as to prevent the
 inhabitants getting any help4 ,the     
consequence was1 that the want of food  
caused the most dreadful suffering and  
misery4 ,when at last the city was      
taken1 the ,romans did destroy it so    
completely1 that it might truly be said1
 that one stone was not left upon       
another4  ,and when ,jesus was come into
 ,jerusalem1 accompanied by multitudes1 
waving palm branches1 and singing       
,hosannas1 all the city was moved1 or   
filled with astonishment1 saying1 ,who  
is this8 ,and the multitude said1 ,this 
is ,jesus1 the prophet of ,nazareth of  
,galilee4 ,and ,jesus went into the     
temple of ,god1 and cast out all them   
that sold and bought in the temple1 and 
overthrew the tables of the             
money-changers1 and the seats of them   
that sold doves1 and said unto them1 ,it
 is written1 ,my house shall be called  
the house of prayer2 but ye have made it

 a den of thieves4  ,very soon after our
 ,lord's baptism1 ,he thus cleared the  
temple for the first time 7,ch4 ,,vii472
 then ,he blamed the people for making  
,his ,father's house a house of         
merchandise2 now he tells them that they
 have made it like a den of thieves4    
,there have always been people wicked   
enough to break the eighth commandment4 
,in the land of ,judaea1 there were then
 many lawless men1 who1 instead of      
working to gain an honest living1 went  
about the country robbing their fellow  
creatures1 and so living on what they   
could get4 ,these robbers joined        
together in bands1 and took up their    
abodes in hollow places in the sides of 
the mountains1 called dens or caves4    
,these dens generally had a small       
entrance1 but inside were of different  
sizes3 they had no light but what came  
in through the entrance hole2 but the   
inhabitants could burn lamps or torches 
to give them light1 and of course they  
were quite sheltered from wind and rain4

 ,the robbers used to leave their       
hiding-places at night1 and prowl about 
to take whatever they could find4 ,even 
if they met with cattle or sheep        
unguarded1 they drove them away into    
their dens1 where they kept all manner  
of things which they had stolen2 and    
therefore when the court of the temple  
was filled with oxen and sheep1 and     
other animals1 it might well be compared
 to a den of thieves4 ,nothing like this
 can happen in our days2 but let us     
remember that ,jesus referred to the    
words of the prophet ,isaiah1 ,mine     
house shall be called an house of prayer
 for all people3 ,jesus blamed the      
people for profaning the temple1 and not
 making the proper use of it3 we are    
guilty of this sin1 if we do not make a 
proper use of our churches1 and behave  
reverently when we are in them4 ,let us 
all be careful to make our churches     
houses of prayer1 by joining devoutly in
 the prayers1 and listening attentively 
to all that we hear there3 unless we do 

this1 we shall sin against ,god by not  
hallowing ,his ,name2 and ,he will be as
 much displeased with us1 as ,he was    
with the ,jews for their desecration of 
the temple4  ,the blind and the lame    
came to ,jesus in the temple2 and he    
healed them4 ,and when the ,chief       
,priests and ,scribes saw the wonderful 
things that he did1 and the children    
crying in the temple1 and saying        
,hosanna to the ,son of ,david2 they    
were sore displeased1 and said unto     
,him1 ,hearest thou what these say8     
meaning that ,he should stop these      
children from so speaking3 instead of   
that1 ,jesus again plainly declared     
,himself to be the ,messiah spoken of by
 the prophets1 by applying to what had  
now taken place1 the inspired words of  
,david2 for we read1 that ,jesus saith  
unto them1 ,yea2 have ye never read1    
,out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
 thou hast perfected praise8  ,and there
 were certain ,greeks among them that   
came up to worship at the feast4 ,the   

,greek language was very much spoken at 
this time1 and the ,jews called all     
foreigners who spoke it1 ,greeks3 many  
of these persons had been converted1 or 
turned1 from the worship of idols to    
that of the one ,true ,god3 but as they 
were not really ,jews1 they could only  
be admitted to worship in the ,court of 
the ,gentiles4 ,these men wished to see 
,jesus1 and expressed their wish to     
,philip--,philip cometh and telleth     
,andrew2 and again ,andrew and ,philip  
tell ,jesus4  ,our ,lord in ,his answer1
 declared that the time was now come1   
when ,his power and glory should be     
shown1 not to the ,jews alone1 but to   
all nations upon earth4 ,but ,he also   
said1 that before ,he could be          
glorified1 ,he must die2 just as a corn 
or grain of wheat must be put into the  
ground and die1 or rot1 before it could 
bring forth fruit and fulfil its        
purpose3 and then ,he warned ,his       
disciples1 that any man who really      
desired to serve and follow ,him1 must  

be ready to give up everything he most  
values1 and even to part with his life1 
if necessary1 for the service of ,god4  
,jesus in his human nature must have    
shrunk from suffering as a man2 though  
firmly resolved to suffer the utmost    
agony for our sakes4 ,he would not1     
therefore1 ask ,god to save ,him from   
the approaching trial1 because ,he had  
come into the world for the express     
purpose of going through it1 in order to
 purchase the salvation of man4         
,chapter ,,xxviii4--,,the ,,voice ,,from
 ,,heaven4   ,at this time ,jesus saith1
 ,now is my soul troubled2 and what     
shall ,i say8 ,father1 save me from this
 hour2 but for this cause came ,i unto  
this hour4 ,father1 glorify thy name4   
,by these last words ,jesus expressed   
,his willingness to give ,himself up    
entirely to ,god1 that ,god might do    
with ,him whatever would be for ,his own
 praise and glory4 ,this same feeling of
 perfect resignation and self-denial    
should also govern us in all things4    

,jesus spake these words1 and then came 
there a voice from heaven1 saying1 ,i   
have both glorified it1 and will glorify
 it again4 ,the people therefore that   
stood by1 and heard it1 said that it    
thundered3 others said1 ,an angel spake 
to him4  ,one of the most ancient signs1
 or tokens1 of the presence of ,god was 
a voice from heaven1 uttering words that
 could be heard by man4 ,the ,jews      
called such a voice the ,bath ,col1     
which means the ,daughter of the ,voice4
 ,it was often a deep1 loud sound1      
attended1 as in this case1 with thunder2
 and many would not now believe it to be
 anything more4 ,others1 who knew that  
their fathers of old had been spoken to 
in this way1 acknowledged it to be the  
voice of an angel4  ,jesus told those   
around ,him1 that this ,voice came to   
show them that ,he was the true         
,messiah4  ,many other things spake ,he 
unto them2 but although they had seen so
 many miracles done by ,him1 yet they   
believed not that he was the ,messiah2  

thus fulfilling the words spoken by     
,isaiah the prophet4 ,nevertheless1     
among the chief rulers also many        
believed on him but1 because of the     
,pharisees1 they did not confess him1   
lest they should be put out of the      
synagogue4 ,for they loved the praise of
 men more than the praise of ,god4  ,the
 fear of man bringeth a snare4 ,never   
let us be tempted1 for fear of man1 to  
say or do the least thing which we know 
to be displeasing to ,god4  ,in the     
evening1 ,jesus again left ,jerusalem1  
and lodged in ,bethany1 with the twelve 
disciples4  ,we are now come to the last
 week of our ,saviour's life3 we call it
 ,passion ,week1 because of ,his        
sufferings and death1 which are often   
spoken of as ,his ,passion4 ,the ,sunday
 that begins this ,holy ,week is often  
called ,palm ,sunday1 in remembrance of 
,christ's riding into ,jerusalem1       
accompanied by multitudes carrying ,palm
 branches2 but in our ,prayer ,book it  
is only called ,the ,sunday next before 

,easter4  ,on this first day of the     
week1 ,jesus1 after ,he had finished    
speaking to the people in the temple1   
went out to the little village of       
,bethany4 ,now the next morning1        
answering to our ,monday in ,passion    
,week1 ,jesus and ,his disciples        
returned into the city4 ,on the way he  
hungered1 and seeing a fig tree by the  
way side having leaves1 he came to it1  
if haply he might find any fruit        
thereon2 for the time of figs was not   
yet1--that is1 it was not yet time for  
the figs to have been gathered1 and     
therefore a tree which looked so        
flourishing ought to have had fruit upon
 it4 ,but there was none2 nothing1 but  
leaves only4 ,then ,jesus said unto it1 
,let no fruit grow on thee henceforward 
for ever4 ,and his disciples heard it4  
,and they came to ,jerusalem1 and went  
into the temple4 ,it appears that1      
though driven out at the time1 the      
buyers1 and sellers1 and money-changers 
had again established themselves in     

their former places4 ,again did our     
,lord cast them out1 reminding them that
 ,his house was to be a house of prayer 
only3 and this time we are told1 that   
,he would not suffer that any man should
 carry any vessel through the temple4   
,jesus remained in the temple teaching  
the people1 who were very attentive to  
hear him4 ,and the ,scribes1 and the    
,chief ,priests1 and the chief of the   
people heard it1 and sought how they    
might destroy him2 but they could do    
nothing openly for fear of the people1  
who were astonished at his doctrine1 and
 evidently inclined at this time to     
believe in ,him as the ,messiah4  ,the  
next morning1 answering to ,tuesday in  
,passion ,week1 ,jesus and the twelve   
again returned to ,jerusalem2 and as    
they passed by1 they saw the fig tree   
dried up from the roots4 ,and when the  
disciples saw it1 they marvelled1       
saying1 ,how soon is the fig tree       
withered away6 ,and ,peter1 calling to  
remembrance 7what had happened the day  

before71 saith unto him1 ,master1       
behold1 the fig tree which thou cursedst
 is withered away6 ,and ,jesus1         
answering1 saith unto them1 ,have faith 
in ,god4 ,then ,he went on to speak to  
them of the necessity of having faith2  
and told them that1 if their faith were 
strong1 the most difficult things would 
become easy for them to do4 ,he also    
told them to pray earnestly in faith2   
for that the faithful never pray in     
vain3 but ,he again warned the          
disciples1 that if they asked ,god to   
forgive their sins1 they must truly     
forgive all who had in any way offended 
or hurt them2 saying1 ,for if ye do not 
forgive1 neither will your ,father1     
which is in heaven1 forgive your        
trespasses4  ,the fate of the fig tree  
teaches two lessons4 ,in the first      
place1 it was a warning to the ,jews1   
who made a great show of their religion1
 and were very particular in performing 
all the outward forms and ceremonies    
which could be seen by men1 and lead    

them to believe that those who did such 
things must be really good and religious
 men4 ,thus they were like the fig tree1
 with its green leaves making a good    
show to the eye4 ,but the ,jews1 with   
all their outward show1 did not do the  
,will of ,god3 they did not bring forth 
the fruit of good works1 and so their   
whole religion was valueless1 and was to
 be put an end to by the destruction of 
the temple4 ,here again they were like  
the fig tree1 which1 in spite of its    
flourishing leaves1 bore no figs1 and   
being therefore useless1 was to wither  
away4  ,but from all this we may learn  
an important lesson for ourselves4 ,we  
should each compare ourselves to this   
fig tree1 and consider whether we bear  
fruit1 or have only a show of leaves4   
,leaves would be outward observances2   
such things as can be seen of men4      
,going to ,church1 even reading the     
,bible and saying our ,prayers1 may be  
looked upon as leaves1 because they can 
be seen and known by others3 but1 if    

under these good leaves there is no     
fruit of obedience1 kindness1           
self-denial1 and holiness1--in short1 if
 we are not trying to please ,god by    
growing better and better day by day1   
where is the fruit8  ,if1 in spite of   
our ,bible and our prayers1 we follow   
our own wills1 and indulge our own      
naughty tempers and feelings1 then we   
are like the barren fig tree2 and in the
 end1 like that1 we shall be rejected by
 our ,lord in heaven4 ,let each of us   
often ask our own conscience this       
question1 ,am ,i a good or bad fig tree8
 ,have ,i only leaves1 or do ,i bear    
fruit also8  ,at this time ,jesus taught
 daily in the temple2 and on one        
occasion the ,chief ,priests and the    
,scribes and the elders of the people   
spake unto him1 saying1 ,tell us by what
 authority thou doest these things8 ,and
 ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,i 
also will ask you one thing1 which if ye
 tell me1 ,i in like wise will tell you 
by what authority ,i do these things4   

,the baptism of ,john1 whence was it8   
was it from heaven1 or of men8 ,answer  
me4  ,this question greatly perplexed   
those to whom it was put4 ,they saw     
plainly1 that if they acknowledged that 
,john the ,baptist was sent by ,god1    
,jesus would justly say1 ,why then did  
ye not believe him1 when he told you ,i 
was the ,messiah8 ,on the other hand1   
they were afraid to say that ,john had  
no authority from ,god1 because all the 
people looked upon him as a prophet1 and
 would be ready to stone any one who    
said that he was not4 ,and they answered
 and said unto ,jesus1 ,we cannot tell  
whence it was4 ,they had not asked the  
question from any real wish to know1 for
 they would not speak what they felt to 
be the truth1 because it would show that
 they were wrong4 ,under such           
circumstances1 ,jesus answering saith   
unto them1 ,neither do ,i tell you by   
what authority ,i do these things4  ,but
 our ,lord did not leave them without an
 answer1 if they would have laid it to  

heart2 for1 in the parable of the man   
who bid his two sons go work to-day in  
my vineyard1 ,he showed them plainly1   
that1 in spite of all their profession  
of religion1 they did not do what ,god  
had bade them1 and therefore they would 
lose ,his favour2 whilst the ,gentiles1 
and all who repented and became the     
obedient sons of ,god1 would go into the
 kingdom of heaven before them4  ,then  
began he to speak to the people another 
parable of the householder2 who1 after  
planting a vineyard and doing all that  
was necessary to make it produce good   
wine1 sent first his servants and then  
his son to receive the fruits3 but      
instead of making the proper return1 the
 servants were ill-used1 and the son    
killed4 ,the people1 on being asked what
 the lord of the vineyard would do to   
such men1 answered1 ,he will miserably  
destroy those wicked men1 and will let  
out his vineyard unto other husbandmen1 
which shall render him the fruits in    
their due season4 ,jesus then showed    

them1 that this parable exactly         
described what the ,jewish nation had   
done2 and ,he said1 ,therefore ,i say   
unto you1 ,the kingdom of ,god shall be 
taken from you1 and given to a nation   
bringing forth the fruits thereof4      
,jesus also spake another parable1      
wherein the kingdom of heaven is said to
 be like unto a certain king1 which made
 a marriage feast for his son4 ,this    
parable taught the same lesson2 that if 
people will not come to ,god when ,he   
calls them1 ,he will deprive them of the
 blessings they do not value4 ,at the   
end of this parable1 the king is        
represented as sending away into        
punishment a man who had not on a       
wedding garment4 ,this is to warn us1   
that though the ,lord has now given to  
,christians the blessings refused by the
 ,jews1 it is not enough to be called a 
,christian3 each one of us must be      
really and truly a ,christian in heart  
and life2 clothed1 as it were1 with     
faith1 love1 obedience1 and holiness1 as

 with a wedding garment3 without this1  
no man can enter into ,christ's ,church 
in ,heaven4     ,chapter                
,,xxix4--,,discourses ,,on ,,the        
,,tuesday4   ,in the parable of the     
,marriage ,feast just spoken of1 we read
 that when the invited guests refused to
 come1 beggars were compelled to come in
 from the highways2 now1 though this may
 seem to us a strange thing1 it would   
not appear so to those who heard this   
parable1 as it was according to the     
customs of the ,east4  ,even now1 the   
,arab princes often dine in the open air
 before their dwellings1 and invite all 
that pass1 even beggars1 to share their 
meal3 these guests sit down and eat1 and
 when they have done1 return thanks and 
go away4  ,another custom of those times
 is also referred to in this parable3   
kings and great men1 when they made a   
feast1 provided garments or robes to be 
lent to any guests who came without a   
proper dress for the occasion4 ,as every
 man who needed it could have a garment 

if he asked for it1 there was no excuse 
for any person who sat down without one4
 ,the man spoken of in the parable1     
could have had a wedding garment if he  
had sought for it2 and so we read that  
he was speechless1 had nothing to say in
 his own defence1 and was cast from the 
presence of the ,lord4  ,so it is with  
us2 ,god will give faith1 and love1 and 
strength to keep ,his holy ,word1 to all
 who ask1 and seek3 therefore1 if we are
 not covered with the garment of faith  
and holiness1 it will be our own fault  
that we are not allowed to sit down with
 the righteous in the kingdom of        
,heaven4  ,the righteousness of ,christ 
is the real wedding garment of          
believers2 and this will cover and save 
all1 whose faith is true and lively2    
such as will show itself in their words 
and deeds4  ,the ,pharisees and ,scribes
 saw that these parables were spoken    
against them1 to show them how wrong    
they were2 and this made them the more  
angry1 and the more desirous to destroy 

,jesus4 ,being afraid to do this openly 
by violence1 they took counsel 7or      
consulted together7 how they might      
entangle him in his talk3 that is1 get  
,him to say something which would either
 offend the people1 or give them a      
pretence for accusing ,him to the ,roman
 governor of teaching the people to     
rebel against the authority of ,caesar4 
,they1 therefore1 sent forth certain of 
their own disciples1 with the           
,herodians2 spies1 which should feign   
themselves just and good men1 anxious to
 learn the truth by asking questions2   
whilst all the time1 they hoped ,he     
would say something to enable them to   
deliver him unto the power and authority
 of the governor4 ,the ,herodians here  
spoken of1 seem to have been a party    
amongst the ,jews1 who were very        
favourable to the ,romans2 and thought  
they had the best right to appoint the  
kings and governors of ,judaea4 ,this   
party took its rise in the time of      
,herod the ,great4  ,these ,herodians1  

though ,jews themselves1 had been quite 
ready to join with ,herod1 when1 to     
please the ,romans1 he set apart temples
 for the worship of their false gods3 by
 such means they had got into great     
favour with the ,romans1 as also with   
,herod the ,great and all his family4   
,the ,pharisees and ,herodians then came
 to ,jesus1 and having first declared   
their belief1 that no fear of man would 
prevent ,his telling them plainly what  
was the ,will of ,god1 they said1 ,tell 
us therefore1 ,what thinkest thou1 ,is  
it lawful to give tribute unto ,caesar1 
or not8 ,shall we give or shall we not  
give8  ,the ,romans had laid a tax upon 
,judaea when it became a ,roman         
province3 the ,jews hated this mark of  
subjection1 and the ,pharisees taught1  
that as the ,jews were ,god's chosen    
people1 they ought not to pay tax or    
tribute to any foreign power4 ,the      
,herodians held the contrary opinion2   
and some of the ,jews followed them4    
,caesar was a common name or title given

 to all the ,roman ,emperors1 who had   
each their own particular name besides4 
,augustus ,caesar was ,emperor of ,rome 
when ,jesus ,christ was born2 and1 at   
the time we are speaking of1 ,tiberius  
,caesar was the ,emperor4 ,if1 to the   
question now asked1 ,jesus should       
answer1 ,do not pay tribute1 the        
,herodians would be offended1 and would 
get the ,roman governor to punish ,him4 
,if1 on the other hand1 ,jesus should   
declare that it was lawful and right to 
pay tribute1 the greater part of the    
,jewish people would be very indignant1 
and perhaps stone ,him at once3 at any  
rate1 ,he would lose their favour1 so   
that they would not oppose ,his         
destruction4 ,thus the ,pharisees felt  
confident that ,jesus must fall into the
 snare4 ,but ,jesus perceived their     
wickedness2 and knowing their hypocrisy1
 said1 ,why tempt ye me1 ye hypocrites8 
,show me the tribute-money1 that ,i may 
see it4 ,and they brought unto him a    
penny--a ,roman coin1 equal to          

#g-a_/b;d4 of our money1 having upon it 
the image or figure of the ,emperor's   
head1 with some words1 called the       
superscription1 round it3 just as our   
money has the ,queen's image upon it1   
and writing also4 ,and he saith unto    
them1 ,whose is this image and          
superscription8 ,they say unto him1     
,caesar's4 ,then saith he unto them1    
,render therefore unto ,caesar the      
things which are ,caesar's2 and unto    
,god the things that are ,god's4 ,thus  
teaching1 that their duty to ,god as    
,his people1 did not interfere with     
their duty to the ,romans as temporal   
rulers4 ,the ,pharisees could not take  
hold of such words3 they marvelled at   
his answer1 and held their peace1 and   
left him1 and went their way4 ,let us   
remember that with us also1 our duty to 
,god will not interfere with our duty to
 man3 on the contrary1 those who most   
love ,god1 will best do their duty as   
,parents and ,children1 ,kings and      
,subjects1 ,masters and ,servants1      

,friends and ,neighbours4  ,the         
,pharisees having been put to silence in
 the matter of the tribute-money1       
another party or sect amongst the ,jews1
 who did not believe in the future      
resurrection of the dead1 came to       
,jesus1 hoping also to entangle him in  
his talk4 ,these ,jews1 who were called 
,sadducees1 asked our ,lord a question1 
which they thought it would be          
impossible for him to answer3 but ,jesus
 showed them1 that only their own       
ignorance and inattention to what was   
written in their ,scriptures1 made them 
find any difficulty as to the           
resurrection of the dead3 and ,he told  
them most plainly1 that all the dead    
should certainly rise again2 and that   
those who were worthy to live in        
,heaven1 should be as the angels of     
,god4 ,some of the ,scribes1 who were   
present1 agreed to the truth of all that
 ,jesus spake1 and said1 ,master1 thou  
hast well said4  ,but when the          
,pharisees had heard that he had put the

 ,sadducees to silence1 they were       
gathered together4 ,then one of them1   
which was a ,lawyer1 one of the         
,scribes1 came1 and having heard them   
reasoning together1 and perceiving that 
he had answered them well1 asked him a  
question1 tempting him2 that is1 hoping 
that ,his answer might give an          
opportunity of finding fault with ,him4 
,before we speak of the question now    
asked1 it is necessary to understand1   
that at this time the ,scribes and      
,pharisees had taken up an opinion1 that
 it was quite impossible for anybody to 
observe all the precepts and            
commandments contained in the ,law of   
,moses2 and that1 therefore1 every man  
might choose out one or two1 and that if
 he observed these perfectly1 he would  
be forgiven for not keeping the others4 
,this was1 of course1 quite contrary to 
the teaching of ,scripture1 where we    
learn that all men must do their very   
best to keep the whole law of ,god1 and 
do ,his ,will in all things4 ,the       

,pharisees having thus settled that they
 need only keep one ,commandment1 the   
question was1 which it should be3 some  
considered that the ordinances as to    
sacrifices were the most important2     
others thought attention to the wearing 
of phylacteries was the chief thing4 ,no
 doubt it was much easier to attend to  
such outward observances1 than to keep  
the temper in order and practise        
self-denial2 but no outward service can 
please ,god if the heart is not right4  
,as the ,scribes and ,pharisees were    
constantly disputing amongst themselves1
 as to which of the ,commandments it was
 most important to keep1 this ,lawyer   
now asked ,jesus1 ,master1 which is the 
first commandment of all8 which is the  
great commandment in the law8 ,and      
,jesus answered him1 ,the first of all  
the commandments is1 ,hear1 ,o ,israel2 
,the ,lord our ,god is one ,lord3 and   
thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with 
all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1   
and with all thy mind1 and with all thy 

strength3 this is the first and great   
commandment4 ,this answer could not be  
found fault with2 for it agreed exactly 
with what ,moses had said4 ,but ,jesus  
did not stop here4 ,he knew that the    
,pharisees behaved with great unkindness
 to their ,jewish brethren1 who did not 
hold the same opinions as they did2 and 
that they actually hated all their      
fellow creatures of a different         
religion3 ,he therefore told them1 that 
there was a second commandment1 of      
almost equal importance to the first1   
and both must be kept4 ,he said1 ,and   
the second is like unto it1 namely this1
 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as      
thyself4 ,there is none other           
commandment greater than these4 ,on     
these two commandments hang all the ,law
 and the prophets3 meaning1 that these  
two commandments contain all that the   
,law and the prophets had taught1 and   
that any man who kept these1 would      
indeed1 keep the whole ,law4  ,just as  
in our ,catechism we say1 that from the 

,commandments of the ,law we learn two  
things3 our duty towards ,god1 and our  
duty towards man3 nor can they be       
separated2 he who really does love ,god 
with heart1 and mind1 and soul1 and     
strength1 will try in all things to     
please ,him1 and will not willingly     
break the least of ,his commands4  ,he  
who so loves his fellow creatures1 as to
 do them all the good he can1 and treat 
them as he would himself wish to be     
treated1 will certainly never injure any
 one in his person or his property2 nor 
even be unkind to him1 in word or deed4 
,the ,scribe who had asked the question1
 tempting him1 appears to have been more
 honest than many of his brethren3 he   
felt the truth of our ,lord's words1 and
 at once said unto him1 ,well1 ,master1 
thou hast said the truth3 for there is  
one ,god2 and there is none other but   
he3 and to love him with all the heart1 
and with all the understanding1 and with
 all the soul1 and with all the         
strength1 and to love his neighbour as  

himself1 is more than all whole burnt   
offerings and sacrifices4 ,and when     
,jesus saw that he answered discreetly1 
he said unto him1 ,thou art not far from
 the kingdom of ,god4 ,jesus meant1 that
 this ,scribe was not far from being a  
true believer and disciple1 and1 we may 
hope1 that he did become a sincere      
follower of the ,lord1 and an inheritor 
of the kingdom of ,heaven4  ,and no man 
after that durst ask him any question4  
,seeing how all had failed to entangle  
,jesus in his talk1 the ,pharisees      
appear to have given up asking          
questions1 which only gave ,him an      
opportunity of showing ,his wisdom and  
holiness4     ,chapter                  
,,xxx4--,,wednesday--,,judas ,,covenants
 ,,to ,,betray ,,jesus4   ,whilst the   
,pharisees1 who had asked questions in  
the hope of finding a fault1 were       
gathered together1 ,jesus in ,his turn  
questioned them3 ,he asked them1 ,what  
think ye of ,christ8 whose son is he8   
,they say unto him1 ,the son of ,david4 

,he saith unto them1 ,how then doth     
,david in spirit call him ,lord8 for    
,david himself said by the ,holy ,ghost1
 in the ,book of ,psalms1 ,the ,lord    
said unto my ,lord1 ,sit thou on my     
right hand1 till ,i make thine enemies  
thy footstool4 ,david therefore calleth 
him ,lord2 if ,david then call him      
,lord1 how is he his son8 ,the          
,pharisees could make no answer to this1
 without contradicting what ,david had  
said2 or acknowledging that ,christ1    
though in one sense the son of ,david1  
was more1 and must be the ,son of ,god  
spoken of by ,david and all the         
prophets4 ,therefore no man was able to 
answer him a word1 neither durst any man
 from that day forth ask him any more   
questions4 ,the common people heard him 
gladly1 however1 not being so prejudiced
 against ,him4  ,jesus at this time     
reproved the ,scribes and ,pharisees for
 their pride and hypocrisy2 and for     
their observance of outward forms only1 
whilst they did not even try to act     

according to the real meaning and spirit
 of the ,law of ,moses4 ,jesus also told
 his disciples and the multitude1 that  
though they ought to observe and do     
whatever the ,scribes 7whose business it
 was to explain and teach the ,law7     
showed them that they ought to do1 they 
must be careful not to follow their     
example3 ,the ,scribes and the          
,pharisees sit in ,moses's seat2 all    
therefore whatsoever they bid you       
observe1 that observe and do2 but do not
 ye after their works3 for they say and 
do not4 ,other things ,jesus said at    
this time 7,matt xxiii41 ,mark xii41    
,luke xx471 and he ended with again     
lamenting over the misery which         
,jerusalem was bringing upon herself1 by
 refusing to receive ,him1 the ,lord of 
,life and ,glory3 and ,he reminded ,his 
hearers1 that ,he would have saved them 
had they been willing4 ,o ,jerusalem1   
,jerusalem1 thou that killest the       
prophets1 and stonest them which are    
sent unto thee1 how often would ,i have 

gathered thy children together1 even as 
a hen gathereth her chickens under her  
wings1 and ye would not6 ,behold1 your  
house is left unto you desolate4 ,jesus 
was teaching in that part of the temple 
where stood the chest1 into which those 
who came to worship1 put gifts of money1
 to be used for the service of the      
temple4  ,and ,jesus sat over against   
the treasury4 ,and he looked up and     
beheld how the people cast money into   
the treasury2 and many that were rich   
cast in much4 ,and there came also a    
certain poor widow1 and she threw in two
 mites1 which make a farthing4 ,there   
was a curious law at this time amongst  
the ,jews1 forbidding any one to put    
into the treasury so small a sum as one 
mite3 this poor widow therefore put in  
the smallest sum she could4 ,many who   
saw her1 most likely despised her       
offering2 and thought that such a paltry
 sum was not worth giving4 ,but ,he who 
seeth the heart1 judged very            
differently3 ,he called unto him his    

disciples1 and saith unto them1 ,verily 
,i say unto you1 that this poor widow   
hath cast more in1 than all they which  
have cast into the treasury3 for all    
these have of their abundance cast in   
unto the offerings of ,god3 but she of  
her penury hath cast in all that she    
had1 even all her living4  ,the         
difference was1 that the rich men had   
given large sums1 of which they would   
not feel the loss3 but the poor widow   
had practised the greatest self-denial1 
in order to do something for the service
 of ,god4 ,she had to work hard to gain 
money to buy necessary food1 and by     
giving all she had at this time1 she    
would be obliged to go without a meal4  
,without self-denial1 we cannot please  
,god3 and we can all practise           
self-denial1 though it seems very hard  
to do so4 ,if we give up our own wishes1
 and practise self-denial1 in the most  
trifling things1 though men may not know
 it at all1 ,god does3 and if ,he sees  
that we do it because ,he has bid us    

deny ourselves1 ,he will be pleased with
 us4  ,our ,lord now departed from the  
temple1 and as he went out his disciples
 came to him1 for to show him1 the      
buildings of the temple2 that is1 to    
draw ,his attention to the strength of  
the walls1 and the size of the stones   
used in building it2 as if they thought 
it almost impossible that one stone     
should not be left upon another4 ,but   
,jesus again assured them that the      
temple1 as well as the city1 should be  
utterly destroyed4  ,jesus then spake of
 the misery that would come upon the    
,jews1 when the destruction of their    
city should take place4 ,from this1 ,he 
went on to speak of the end of the      
world1 which must surely take place some
 day or other3 and ,he warned them1 that
 as no man could know when this event   
would take place1 it was necessary that 
every one should be prepared to meet    
their ,god4  ,let us remember this3 let 
each one of us try to live every day as 
if it was to be our last4 ,many things  

,he spake1 to enforce the duty of       
watching1 so as to be always ready4  ,in
 order to impress more strongly upon    
,his disciples the dreadful consequence 
of not being ready1 when the ,lord      
should come to judge the world1 ,jesus  
told them the parable of the ,ten       
,virgins1 five of whom were wise1 and   
five foolish4 ,these latter were shut   
out from the marriage2 and ,jesus showed
 how this parable applied to all men1 by
 saying1 ,watch therefore1 for ye know  
neither the day nor the hour wherein the
 ,son of man cometh4  ,again1 to show   
them the necessity of being found at the
 last day1 doing the will of ,god1 and  
improving the talents committed to our  
care1 ,jesus told ,his disciples another
 parable of the ,servants and the       
,talents2 greatly resembling one spoken 
before1 as given by ,st4 ,luke1 chap4   
xix4 ,he likewise showed ,his disciples1
 that though here all men seem to go on 
much alike1 so that it is often         
difficult to know who are really serving

 ,god with all their hearts1 and who are
 not1 there will be no difficulty in the
 last day1 when the godly and the       
ungodly shall be as easily divided1 as a
 shepherd divideth his sheep from the   
goats3 and that while the ,lord would   
take the one to live with ,him for ever1
 the others should go away into         
everlasting punishment4 ,jesus also     
declared1 that one way of gaining the   
favour of ,god1 was by doing acts of    
kindness and self-denial1 to help our   
suffering fellow creatures4  ,all these 
discourses1 which followed the last     
cleansing of the temple1 seem to have   
been uttered on the ,tuesday in ,passion
 ,week4 ,and in the day time he was     
teaching in the temple2 and at night he 
went out1 and abode in the mount1 that  
is called the mount of ,olives2 at      
,bethany1 as is generally believed4 ,we 
have now come to the ,wednesday in      
,passion ,week1 two days before the     
feast of the ,passover1 called also the 
feast of unleavened bread4 ,jesus1 to   

prepare ,his disciples for what was     
about to happen1 said unto them1 ,ye    
know that after two days is the feast of
 the ,passover1 and the ,son of man is  
betrayed to be crucified4  ,now the     
feast of unleavened bread drew nigh1    
which is called the ,passover4 ,then    
assembled together the ,chief ,priests  
and the ,scribes1 and the elders of the 
people 7who had long sought to destroy  
,jesus71 unto the palace of the ,high   
,priest1 who was called ,caiaphas1 and  
consulted how they might take ,jesus by 
craft and put him to death1 without     
causing any uproar among the people4 ,if
 once they could contrive to deliver    
,him up as a prisoner to the ,roman     
governor1 there would be no possibility 
of ,his being rescued by the people4    
,the ,priests and elders were now       
offered help from an unexpected quarter4
 ,then entered ,satan into ,judas1      
surnamed ,iscariot1 being of the number 
of the twelve4 ,judas had probably taken
 offence at what ,jesus said1 when ,mary

 anointed ,his feet3 he was a bad man1  
without any real love for his ,master2  
and instead of fighting against the     
sinful lusts or desires of his own      
heart1 he indulged them1 and so let the 
,devil enter in1 and lead him to betray 
the ,lord4 ,and he went his way unto the
 ,chief ,priests1 and communed with them
 how he might betray him unto them4 ,and
 said unto them1 ,what will ye give me1 
and ,i will deliver him unto you8 ,and  
when they heard it they were glad1 and  
promised to give him money4 ,and they   
covenanted 7or agreed with him7 for     
thirty pieces of silver4 ,thirty shekels
 or pieces of silver 7worth about #cl4  
#aas471 was the sum which ,moses had    
commanded to be paid by the owner of any
 beast1 which had by accident killed the
 slave of another man3 thus1 in every   
respect1 did ,christ take upon ,him the 
form and condition of a servant or      
slave4  ,judas having consented to sell 
the life of his ,master for thirty      
shekels1 from that time sought          

opportunity how he might conveniently   
betray him unto them in the absence of  
the multitude4 ,it is a terrible thing  
when a man is so hardened1 as to watch  
for an opportunity of committing a      
crime6 ,that1 indeed1 is wilful sin4    
,the next day1 ,thursday1 was the first 
day of unleavened bread1 when they      
killed the ,passover4 ,the disciples    
came and said unto ,jesus1 ,where wilt  
thou that we go and prepare that thou   
mayest eat the ,passover8 ,and ,he      
sendeth forth two of his disciples1     
,peter and ,john1 saying1 ,go ye into   
the city2 and behold when ye are entered
 into the city1 there shall meet you a  
man bearing a pitcher of water3 follow  
him into the house where he entereth in2
 and say ye to the good man 7or owner7  
of the house1 ,the ,master saith unto   
thee1 ,my time is at hand2 ,i will keep 
the ,passover at thy house3 ,where is   
the guest chamber1 where ,i shall eat   
the ,passover with my disciples8 ,and he
 will show you a large upper room       

furnished and prepared3 there make ready
 for us4 ,and his disciples went forth  
and came into the city1 and found as ,he
 had said unto them3 and they made ready
 the ,passover4 ,what a strengthening of
 the ,apostles' faith this must have    
been3 ,he who could thus foretell all1  
even the most trifling events1 must be  
,god indeed4 ,the blessed thought that  
,god knows and governs all things1      
should make us trust in ,him1 and do our
 duty without any fear of the           
consequences4     ,chapter              
,,xxxi4--,,mode ,,of ,,celebrating ,,the
 ,,passover4   ,in order to a better    
understanding of all that the ,gospels  
tell us of the ,last ,supper1 it will be
 well to see how the ,jews at that time 
kept the ,passover4  ,in the first      
place1 on the day when the ,paschal     
,lamb was to be killed and eaten1 the   
,jews were to put away out of their     
houses all leaven or yeast1 and live for
 a whole week on cakes made of          
unleavened dough3 hence the ,feast of   

the ,passover was also called the ,feast
 of unleavened bread4  #a4 ,when the    
guests were assembled in the evening to 
eat the ,passover1 the ceremonies began1
 by the master of the house giving to   
each one a cup of wine mixed with water1
 saying at the same time1 ,blessed be   
,he that created the fruit of the vine3 
then they all gave thanks and drank the 
wine4  #b4 ,all the guests after        
drinking the wine1 washed their hands2  
and then the three things ordered by the
 ,law of ,moses1 were placed on the     
table before the master of the house4   
,these three things were1 the ,paschal  
,lamb roasted whole2 two cakes of       
unleavened bread2 and a dish of bitter  
herbs4 ,to these were added the remains 
of the peace-offerings offered the day  
before1 and some other meats2 also a    
thick sour sauce1 intended to remind the
 ,jews of the bricks made by their      
forefathers in ,egypt4  ,the master of  
the house1 or whoever took the direction
 of the feast1 then ate1 and gave to    

each of the guests a small piece of     
lettuce2 at the same time blessing ,god 
for the fruits of the earth2 afterwards 
each person present1 ate a bit of the   
unleavened bread dipped in the bitter   
herbs4  #c4 ,in the third place1 all the
 dishes were taken off the table1 and   
the children1 who were not of age to    
keep the feast1 were called in3 the     
meaning of the ,feast was then explained
 to them1 in obedience to the           
commandment of the ,lord1 spoken by     
,moses1 saying1 ,and it shall come to   
pass when ye be come to the land which  
the ,lord will give you1 and your       
children shall say unto you1 ,what mean 
ye by this service8 that ye shall say1  
,it is the sacrifice of the ,lord's     
,passover1 ,who passed over the houses  
of the children of ,israel in ,egypt1   
when ,he smote the ,egyptians and       
delivered our houses4  #d4 ,after the   
young people had been duly taught1 the  
supper was1 in the fourth place1 again  
set upon the table4 ,each person then1  

in turn1 lifted up the bitter herbs and 
the unleavened cakes1 and afterwards    
joined in declaring1 that they ate them 
in remembrance of the bondage in ,egypt1
 and the deliverance from it3 then they 
praised ,god1 by singing the #aacth and 
#aadth ,psalms2 and having blessed the  
,lord1 a second cup of wine was drunk4  
#e4 ,in the fifth place1 the guests     
again washed their hands2 and then the  
master of the family took the two       
unleavened cakes1 broke one of them into
 pieces1 and placed the broken pieces on
 the top of the whole cake3 after this1 
he blessed it2 and each person taking   
one of the broken pieces with some of   
the bitter herbs1 dipped them into the  
sour sauce1 and ate them2 they then     
blessed ,god again4 ,thanks were now    
given over the remains of the           
yesterday's peace-offering1 and some of 
that eaten4 ,the next step was to give  
thanks over the ,paschal ,lamb1 of which
 all partook4 ,the ,passover ,feast was 
now1 in fact1 finished2 but the ,jews   

made the supper last longer1 by eating  
any other food they liked2 always taking
 care to finish by swallowing a little  
morsel of lamb1 as after partaking of   
that1 they were not supposed to eat     
anything more that night4  #f4 ,in the  
sixth place1 the hands were washed for  
the third time2 and the master of the   
house said a blessing over a third cup  
of wine1 which was then drunk by each   
guest4 ,this third cup of wine was      
commonly called the ,cup of ,blessing4  
,a fourth cup of wine was then mixed    
with water2 and over this1 certain      
,psalms1 from the #aaeth to #aahth      
inclusive1 were sung2 and then a prayer 
concluded the whole ceremony4  ,this was
 the manner in which the ,jews kept the 
,passover ,feast1 when ,jesus ate it    
with ,his disciples4 ,when ,jerusalem   
was destroyed1 the ,jews who were forced
 to go and live in other lands1 could   
not sacrifice the lambs in a proper     
manner2 and therefore they used to put a
 bit of unleavened bread under a napkin1

 and keep it for a last mouthful1       
instead of the morsel of lamb4  ,in the 
impossibility of continuing to carry out
 the ordinances of the ,ceremonial ,law1
 after the death of ,jesus1 we see the  
,hand of ,god1 fulfilling ,his ,word4   
,the ,passover was a type of            
,christ--signifying the deliverance of  
,his people from bondage to the ,devil4 
,when ,christ had come1 and once for all
 made atonement as the ,lamb of ,god1 a 
ceremony to prefigure ,his sacrifice was
 out of place4 ,another rite was        
instituted1 in thankful remembrance of  
,his death4 ,but the ,jews1 who would   
not believe that ,christ was the true   
,passover1 endeavoured1 and still do    
endeavour1 to observe that ,law which   
,he has done away with4  ,and in the    
evening ,jesus cometh with the twelve1  
and when the hour was come1 he sat down1
 and the twelve ,apostles with him4     
,then ,he told them plainly that this   
was the last ,passover ,he should eat on
 earth2 saying1 ,with desire ,i have    

desired to eat this ,passover with you  
before ,i suffer2 for ,i say unto you1  
,i will not any more eat thereof1 until 
it be fulfilled in the kingdom of ,god4 
,then when ,jesus1 as ,master of the    
family1 had given the first cup to the  
disciples1 ,he gave thanks and said1    
,take this1 and divide it among         
yourselves3 for ,i say unto you1 ,i will
 not drink of the fruit of the vine     
until the kingdom of ,god shall come4   
,jesus being the true ,lamb of ,god1 now
 about to be sacrificed for the         
deliverance of ,his people1 would not   
,himself partake of things1 only        
appointed as signs or types of what ,he 
was to accomplish by the sacrifice of   
,himself4 ,when the supper1 or some part
 of it1 was ended1 there arose some     
strife or dispute amongst the disciples1
 as to which of them should be accounted
 the greatest4  ,for this ,jesus gently 
rebuked them2 and then1 wishing to set  
them an example of humbleness and       
kindness1 ,he riseth from supper1 and   

laid aside his garments2 and took a     
towel and girded himself3 that is1 ,he  
took off ,his robe or upper garment1 and
 then bound ,his other garments round   
him with a towel1 as was usually done by
 those who served1 or waited upon       
others4 ,after that he poureth water    
into a basin and began to wash the      
disciples' feet1 and to wipe them with  
the towel wherewith he was girded4 ,then
 cometh he to ,simon ,peter2 but he1    
believing that ,jesus was indeed the    
,messiah1 could not bear the idea of    
,his acting a servant's part1 and       
objected1 saying ,lord1 dost thou wash  
my feet8 ,jesus answered and said unto  
him1 ,what ,i do thou knowest not now2  
but thou shalt know hereafter4 ,these   
words should have overcome all doubts   
and scruples2 but in his anxiety and    
zeal for what he considered to be the   
glory of the ,lord1 ,peter quite lost   
sight of his own duty1 which was to be  
obedient in all things1 and hastily     
exclaimed1 ,thou shalt never wash my    

feet4  ,peter was quickly recalled to a 
sense of his fault1 for ,jesus answered 
him1 ,if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no 
part with me4 ,such a declaration might 
well alarm ,peter1 who really loved his 
,lord1 and wished to serve ,him2 and in 
his zeal he rushed into the opposite    
extreme1 and cried out1 ,lord1 not my   
feet only1 but also my hands and my     
head4 ,but true and perfect obedience is
 doing exactly1 as we are told1 neither 
more nor less2 and of this ,peter was   
reminded by ,jesus1 who saith to him1   
,he that is washed needeth not save to  
wash his feet1 but is clean every whit4 
,but these words of our ,lord had a     
further meaning4 ,by washing their feet1
 ,jesus meant to teach ,his disciples1  
that as washing with water was necessary
 to cleanse the body1 so holiness and   
purity were necessary to cleanse the    
soul3 and that as through ,him alone    
they could receive the latter1 ,he now  
used that outward and visible sign as a 
type1 or proof1 of the inward and       

spiritual grace ,he would give to them4 
,by washing the feet only1 ,jesus       
signified1 that those who through faith 
and repentance were by ,his mercy       
cleansed from their sins1 and redeemed  
from the curse by ,his sacrifice1 would 
only in future need to be cleansed from 
such sins1 as the weakness and frailty  
of man cause him daily to fall into3    
just as a guest1 who after making       
himself clean to come to a feast1 would 
only need1 on his arrival1 to wash off  
the dust which must settle on his bare  
feet during his walk4  ,to the words    
thus spoken to ,peter1 ,jesus added1    
,and ye are clean1 but not all3 for     
knowing the hearts of all1 ,he thus     
showed that the sin of ,judas was not   
hid from ,him3 the disciples naturally  
would not understand these words1 except
 ,judas1 whose conscience ought to have 
reproached him4 ,after ,jesus had washed
 their feet1 and had taken his garments1
 and was set down again1 he said unto   
them1 ,know ye what ,i have done to you8

 ,ye call me ,master and ,lord3 and ye  
say well2 for so ,i am4 ,if ,i then1    
your ,lord and ,master1 have washed your
 feet1 ye also ought to wash one        
another's feet4 ,for ,i have given you  
an example1 that ye should do as ,i have
 done to you4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say   
unto you1 ,the servant is not greater   
than his lord2 neither he that is sent  
greater than he that sent him4  ,these  
words are too plain to require much     
comment4 ,washing the feet1 was looked  
upon as the business of the lowest      
servant2 and by taking such an office   
upon ,himself1 the ,lord and ,master of 
all1 ,jesus taught the disciples and all
 of us1 that it can never be beneath us 
to do any kind office in our power1 to  
help our fellow creatures4 ,let us ever 
remember1 that ,jesus ,christ came upon 
earth not only to be a sacrifice for our
 sins1 but also an ensample 7or example7
 of godly life2 and that it is our duty 
as well as our happiness1 to try in     
everything to follow ,his example where 

,he has set us one2 and in other        
matters1 to think how1 under the        
circumstances1 ,he would have been      
likely to act1 that we may do the same4 
,this is1 indeed1 to follow ,christ2 and
 so following we shall enter into ,his  
kingdom in ,heaven4     ,chapter        
,,xxxii4--,,the ,,last ,,supper4   ,and 
as they sat and did eat1 ,jesus said1   
,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 that  
one of you which eateth with me shall   
betray me3 behold1 the hand of him that 
betrayeth me is with me on the table4   
,the disciples1 hearing this1 began to  
be exceeding sorrowful1 and to enquire  
among themselves1 which of them it was  
that should do this thing3 and one by   
one1 they asked him1 ,lord1 is it ,i8   
and another said1 ,is it ,i8  ,it was   
well for the disciples to be sorrowful1 
and fearful of doing wrong4 ,when we    
hear of sin committed1 we should never  
say or think1 ,i am sure ,i should not  
do this1 or that2 because we do not know
 what we might do1 if we were tempted as

 others have been4 ,let us1 on the      
contrary1 when we hear of others falling
 into sin1 watch and pray the more      
earnestly1 that we may never be led to  
do anything which we know to be wrong4  
,in answer to the question asked by each
 one of the disciples1 ,jesus repeated  
what ,he had said1 that one of them     
should betray ,him2 and said unto them1 
,it is one of the twelve that dippeth   
with me in the dish2 the same shall     
betray me4 ,and then ,he told them that1
 although ,he came on earth on purpose  
to die1 yet the man who sinfully        
betrayed ,him would bring upon himself  
the utmost wrath of ,god4 ,the ,son of  
man1 indeed1 goeth as it is written of  
him3 but woe to that man by whom the    
,son of man is betrayed6 it had been    
good for that man if he had not been    
born4 ,then the disciples looked one on 
another1 doubting of whom he spake4 ,but
 though eleven of the disciples knew not
 the meaning of their ,lord's words1    
there was one who could have had no     

doubt upon the subject--one who had sold
 himself to do evil1 and was only       
waiting for a convenient opportunity to 
execute his wicked purpose4 ,even now he
 might have taken warning1 and given up 
his guilty purpose2 but no3 he had      
listened to the ,devil1 and his heart   
was hardened against ,jesus4  ,according
 to the custom in those times1 when     
people did not sit as we do to their    
meals1 but lay upon couches1 so that one
 guest leant upon the one next to him1  
,john1 who was next to ,jesus1 was      
leaning on ,jesus's bosom4 ,john is     
always spoken of as the disciple whom   
,jesus loved2 showing that he was1 as a 
man1 especially dear to his ,master1 in 
consequence of which1 doubtless1 his    
place at supper was next to that of     
,jesus4  ,simon ,peter1 always eager and
 active1 now beckoned1 or made signs1 to
 ,john1 that he should ask who it should
 be of whom he spake4 ,he then1 lying on
 ,jesus's breast1 saith unto him1 ,lord1
 who is it8 ,jesus answered1 ,he it is  

to whom ,i shall give a sop1 when ,i    
have dipped it4 ,and when he had dipped 
the sop1 he gave it to ,judas ,iscariot1
 the son of ,simon4 ,and after the sop  
,satan entered into him1--that is1      
gained more entire possession of his    
soul2 as will always be the case when we
 once listen to the ,devil4 ,what our   
,lord said to ,john does not appear to  
have been heard by any of the other     
disciples4 ,judas himself now dared to  
ask1 ,master1 is it ,i8 ,he said unto   
him1 ,thou hast said1--which was a most 
solemn form of saying ,yes4 ,jesus then 
said unto ,judas1 ,that thou doest do   
quickly4 ,judas immediately left the    
company1 and went out4  ,even then the  
other disciples do not seem to have     
understood that ,judas was the traitor4 
,st4 ,john tells us1 that no man at the 
table knew for what intent he spake this
 unto him4 ,for some of them thought1   
because ,judas had the bag 7or common   
purse71 that ,jesus had said unto him1  
,buy those things that we have need of  

against the feast2 or that he should    
give something to the poor4  ,there were
 still sacrifices needed for the        
remaining days of the feast4  ,after    
,judas was gone out1 ,jesus told the    
disciples that1 as in ,his life ,he had 
glorified the ,father1 ,he was now about
 to glorify ,him still farther by his   
death4 ,then he bade them love one      
another1 as ,he had loved them3 and this
 ,he called a new commandment1 because  
the love of ,his followers for one      
another1 was to be something very       
different from what the ,jews taught and
 practised4  ,jesus then warned ,peter1 
that ,satan would tempt him1 but that   
,he had prayed for him that his faith   
might not entirely fail1 although he    
would fall into sin3 and ,he charged    
him1 when he should have recovered      
himself1 to strengthen the faith of     
others4 ,peter had not yet learned the  
lesson of humility1 which would have    
made him distrust himself4 ,he knew that
 he loved his ,master1 and therefore he 

fancied1 that for ,his sake he could    
bear and do anything4 ,instead1         
therefore1 of being filled with fear at 
this warning1 he exclaimed1 ,lord1 ,i am
 ready to go with thee both into prison 
and to death4 ,and ,jesus said1 ,i tell 
thee1 ,peter1 the cock shall not crow   
this day before that thou shalt thrice  
deny that thou knowest me4  ,the ,jewish
 day was reckoned from one sunset to    
another4 ,the ,passover was always eaten
 in the evening2 and thus a new day was 
beginning when ,jesus spake these words4
  ,jesus next asked the disciples1      
whether they had lacked or wanted       
anything when ,he sent them to teach    
throughout the country1 taking with them
 neither purse1 nor scrip1 nor shoes4   
,they answered1 that they had wanted for
 nothing4 ,then said he unto them1 ,but 
now1 he that hath a purse1 let him take 
it1 and likewise his scrip2 and he that 
hath no sword1 let him sell his garment1
 and buy one4 ,for ,i say unto you1 that
 this that is written must yet be       

accomplished in me1 ,and he was reckoned
 among the transgressors3 for the things
 concerning me have an end1--an end or  
object1--that is1 everything which the  
prophets had spoken concerning the      
circumstances of our ,saviour's         
,passion1 was intended to fulfil some   
especial purpose1 and therefore all must
 be exactly fulfilled4 ,in answer to    
what ,jesus said1 the disciples said1   
,lord1 behold1 here are two swords4 ,and
 he said unto them1 ,it is enough4      
,simon ,peter appears still not to have 
understood that his ,master's death was 
at hand1 for he said unto him1 ,lord1   
whither goest thou8 ,jesus answered him1
 ,whither ,i go1 thou canst not follow  
me now2 but thou shalt follow me        
afterwards4 ,peter was not to die with  
his ,lord2 but he did afterwards follow 
,him indeed1 for he was crucified some  
years after1 in the reign of the        
,emperor ,nero4 ,peter1 as usual in his 
zeal and self-confidence1 lost sight of 
the fact1 that his duty was to believe  

and acquiesce without questioning and   
gainsaying3 he needed the severe lesson 
he received afterwards1 to teach him    
this4 ,now1 in his love for his ,master1
 he said unto him1 ,lord1 why cannot ,i 
follow thee now8 ,i will lay down my    
life for thy sake4 ,jesus answered him1 
,wilt thou lay down thy life for my     
sake8 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1
 ,the cock shall not crow till thou has 
denied me thrice4  ,we now come to a    
very important event in the life of our 
,saviour1 namely1 ,his instituting      
another ,feast1 or ,ceremony1 to take   
the place of the ,passover4 ,the        
,passover was a means of reminding the  
,jews of a past bodily deliverance1 and 
also of keeping them in remembrance of  
the promised ,messiah1 who was to come1 
and deliver them from spiritual bondage4
  ,when the ,messiah had actually come  
and finished ,his work1 it would no     
longer be right to keep the ,passover1  
as given to ,moses4 ,jesus therefore1 in
 doing away with this ,feast1 gave to   

,his disciples another1 which was for   
ever to remind men of all ,he had done  
for them4 ,this ,holy ,feast we call    
,the ,lord's ,supper1 ,the ,eucharist1  
or giving of thanks1 ,the ,communion of 
,his blessed body and blood4 ,the       
,lord's ,supper is one of the ,two      
,sacraments which ,christ hath ordained 
in ,his ,church4 ,the other is ,baptism1
 whereby we are admitted into ,christ's 
,church4 ,this is only partaken of once2
 just as in the natural world a child   
can only be born once4 ,the ,lord's     
,supper1 on the contrary1 should be     
partaken of constantly2 just as we daily
 eat and drink to keep ourselves alive4 
,but children do not partake of this    
,sacrament until they are old enough to 
understand its nature1 and to fight for 
themselves against the world1 the flesh1
 and the ,devil4  ,the ,four ,gospels do
 not give us exactly the same account of
 what took place at the institution of  
the ,lord's ,supper4 ,some mention one  
thing1 and some another2 and therefore  

it is difficult to say the order in     
which the events took place3 that is    
however1 of little consequence1 since we
 are sure that everything they do tell  
us1 did happen during the ,last ,supper 
which ,jesus ate with ,his disciples4   
,as they were eating1--probably at that 
part of the ,feast when the master of   
the family broke one of the unleavened  
cakes 7see #e1 p4 #abc71--;,jesus took  
bread1 and blessed it1 and brake it1 and
 gave it to the disciples1 and said1    
,take1 eat2 this is my body1 which is   
given for you3 this do in remembrance of
 me4  ,they were to look upon this bread
 as the body of ,christ1 sacrificed for 
them2 and in the same spirit they were  
to eat bread in a solemn manner1 from   
time to time1 in remembrance of all the 
blessings which ,jesus purchased for    
mankind1 by giving up ,his body1 or ,his
 human life1 for our redemption4        
,likewise also1 after supper1 he took   
the cup1--probably that one called the  
,cup of ,blessing 7see #f1 p4           

#abc71--;and when he had given thanks1  
he gave it to them1 saying1 ,drink ye   
all of it3 and they all drank of it4    
,and he said unto them1 ,this is my     
blood of the new testament4 ,this cup is
 the new testament in my blood1 which is
 shed for you and for many1 for the     
remission of sins4  ,the wine in the cup
 was to be taken as a memorial1 or      
remembrance1 of that ,new ,covenant1 or 
agreement1 made between ,god and man1 by
 the shedding of that precious blood    
wherewith the ,saviour blotted out our  
sins4  ,the ,old ,covenant of works1    
made by ,god with the ,children of      
,israel1 was now done away with4 ,the   
,new ,covenant of ,grace was to take its
 place4 ,in this ,new ,covenant1 ,god   
promised1 that as ,jesus bore our       
punishment1 and washed out our sins with
 ,his atoning blood1 we for ,his sake   
should be looked upon as righteous1     
because ,he was righteous3 our part of  
this ,new ,covenant being to repent and 
forsake our sins1 and have such faith in

 ,christ as will constantly show itself 
by our trying to please ,him1 and prove 
our love by doing ,his will4            
,chapter ,,xxxiii4--,,jesus ,,in ,,the  
,,garden ,,of ,,gethsemane4   ,our      
blessed ,lord loved ,his disciples to   
the end2 and in order that they might   
remember all the blessings secured to   
them by ,his death on the ,cross1 ,he   
appointed the outward and visible sign1 
of eating bread and drinking wine1 which
 were to figure1 or represent to their  
minds1 ,his body and blood thus given   
for them3 but not given for them only1  
but for all mankind2 and therefore it is
 just as necessary for all ,christians  
to remember these things4  ,we          
consequently find1 that ever since that 
last ,supper1 when ,jesus said1 ,do this
 in remembrance of me1 ,christians have 
constantly done the same thing1 that    
,christ then commanded ,his disciples to
 do4 ,we1 as members of ,christ's ,holy 
,church1 continue to receive bread and  
wine in the ,sacrament of the ,lord's   

,supper1 in token of our belief1 that   
the body of ,jesus was broken and ,his  
blood shed for us2 and that we thereby  
hope1 that our sinful bodies may be made
 clean by ,his body1 and our souls      
washed through ,his most precious blood4
  ,when you are of an age to partake of 
the blessed ,sacrament of the ,lord's   
,supper1 you will learn more about it3  
mean time do not forget that it was     
appointed by ,jesus ,christ1 only a few 
hours before ,he made that sacrifice of 
,himself1 which we commemorate1 or      
remember1 in this solemn service4       
,after the institution of the ,lord's   
,supper1 ,jesus told ,his disciples     
7,john xiv47 that though ,he was about  
to leave them1 it was for their good    
that ,he should go2 because then the    
,holy ,spirit would come upon them1 to  
teach and comfort them3 and that if they
 believed in ,him1 and followed in the  
way that ,he had already pointed out1   
they should abide with ,him in heaven4  
,he likewise declared1 that all who     

professed to love ,him must show their  
love by keeping ,his commandments4      
,jesus1 having spoken these things1     
said1 ,arise1 let us go hence4 ,and when
 they had sung an hymn1 according to the
 custom at the ,passover1 where ,psalms 
were sung after the fourth cup of wine1 
,jesus came out1 and went1 as he was    
wont1 to the ,mount of ,olives2 and his 
disciples followed him4  ,here again    
,jesus spake many things to the         
disciples--7,john xv41 xvi474 ,he       
compared ,himself to a vine1 and ,his   
disciples to the branches4 ,he is the   
root1 without which there can be no     
tree3 as long as the branches remain    
part of the tree1 they receive          
nourishment from the root1 and bring    
forth fruit3 but if the branches are cut
 off1 and so separated from the root1   
they wither and die1 and are of no use  
except to be burned4 ,in the same way   
all who will be ,his disciples1 must by 
faith abide in ,him as their root2 doing
 ,his will1 copying ,his example1 and so

 bringing forth the fruit of good works 
to the glory of ,god4  ,amongst other   
things1 ,jesus spake to the disciples of
 prayer2 and promised that ,god would   
give them whatsoever they should ask in 
,his ,name4 ,he also warned them1 that  
if they faithfully followed ,his        
precepts and obeyed ,his commands1 they 
would in this world meet with troubles1 
and be cruelly treated and even killed1 
by those who would not believe in ,him4 
,the enemies of ,jesus1 those who knew  
not ,him ,who sent ,him1 would persecute
 ,his faithful servants for their       
,master's sake4 ,having warned ,his     
disciples that they must suffer for the 
sake of their faith1 ,jesus bid them    
fear nothing so long as they continued  
to love and serve ,him3 for whilst they 
did so1 ,god would bless and comfort    
them1 and finally take them to ,himself 
in heaven4 ,in the world ye shall have  
tribulation3 but be of good cheer2 ,i   
have overcome the world4 ,now all that  
,jesus said to ,his disciples was meant 

for all ,his followers in all times1    
even unto the end of the world4  ,such  
promises and hopes have supported the   
noble army of martyrs1 who in the early 
ages of the ,church suffered tortures1  
and died the most cruel death1 rather   
than give up1 or even pretend to give   
up1 their faith in the ,lord ,jesus     
,christ4 ,the same spirit should be in  
us3 we are not called to martyrdom as   
were the holy men of old2 but should the
 ,lord allow it to be so again1 should  
we be ready so to suffer for our        
religion8 ,but let us ask ourselves     
another question1 of more practical     
importance at the present time3 ,are we 
willing to give up anything for the sake
 of pleasing ,jesus8 ,do we give up our 
own wishes and pleasures to please ,him1
 ,who bids us deny ourselves8 ,do we try
 to conquer our evil tempers1 passions1 
and inclinations1 because ,he has said1 
,resist the ,devil8 ,if we have anything
 like the spirit which guided the       
martyrs1 we shall force ourselves to be 

attentive and industrious1 when we feel 
careless and idle3 obedient1 when we    
feel wilful and perverse2 kind and      
generous1 when we feel selfish3 gentle  
and patient1 when we feel cross and     
irritable2 and so on4 ,this is no easy  
task2 no easy life4 ,but we must        
remember ,christ's warning1 that those  
who will be ,his faithful servants1 must
 meet with difficulties and hindrances  
in their way4 ,let us then pray for the 
,holy ,spirit1 to teach1 and guide1 and 
support us2 so that1 our hearts being   
filled with faith and love1 we may never
 be ashamed to confess the faith of     
,christ crucified1 and manfully to fight
 under his banner1 against sin1 the     
world1 and the devil1 and to continue   
,christ's faithful soldiers and servants
 unto our life's end4  ,when ,jesus had 
said these things1 ,he lifted up ,his   
eyes to ,heaven1 and prayed to ,his     
,father1 to support ,him through the    
coming trial2 so that ,he might glorify 
the ,father1 by securing the salvation  

of men4 ,then ,jesus prayed for the     
disciples who did already believe in    
,him1 and besought that they might be   
kept in ,his faith and love1 and enabled
 to teach others all that ,he had taught
 them4  ,our ,lord also prayed for all  
who should in after times learn true    
religion from the teaching or writings  
of the ,apostles1 and so become one of  
them1 by having the same faith1 the same
 wish to glorify ,god by obedience to   
,his holy ,will4 ,for all who do thus   
join themselves to ,him1 ,jesus prayed  
that they may be with ,him in heaven4   
,our blessed ,lord thus prayed for us1  
and for all ,his followers in every age3
 and ,he still prays for us1 and        
intercedes for us in heaven4 ,all       
,christians are now one body1 of which  
,christ is the ,head2 one vine1 of which
 ,christ is the root2 one flock1 of     
which ,christ is the ,shepherd4  ,we    
call this body the ,church of ,christ2  
by ,baptism we are taken into this      
,church1 and made part of this body2    

therefore1 we must try always to know   
and do the ,will of our ,head4  ,when   
,jesus had ended ,his prayer1 ,he saith 
unto the disciples1 ,all ye shall be    
offended because of me this night3 for  
it is written1 ,i will smite the        
shepherd1 and the sheep of the flock    
shall be scattered abroad4 ,but after ,i
 am risen again1 ,i will go before you  
into ,galilee4  ,by being offended1     
,jesus meant that they would be afraid  
to own ,him as their ,master1 and would 
forsake ,him3 but to show them that ,he 
would not punish their weakness by      
casting them off for ever1 ,he told them
 where they might see ,him again1 after 
,he should have risen from the dead4    
,notwithstanding the warnings already   
received1 ,peter was still full of      
self-confidence1 and answered and said  
unto him1 ,though all men shall be      
offended because of thee1 yet will ,i   
never be offended4 ,why should ,peter   
have thought himself more likely than   
others to do right8 ,why should any of  

us think so8 ,whenever we do thus depend
 upon ourselves to do right1 we are     
almost sure to fall into sin1 for the   
,devil takes advantage of our pride and 
self-conceit1 to tempt us2 and then ,god
 frequently leaves us to ourselves1 that
 from our fall we may learn by painful  
experience our exceeding weakness and   
sinfulness4 ,jesus now showed ,peter1   
that though he thought himself so safe1 
he would do worse than his fellow       
disciples2 for he saith unto him1       
,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,that this    
day1 even in this night1 before the cock
 crow twice1 thou shalt deny me thrice4 
,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,verily1 ,i  
say unto thee1 ,that this night1 before 
the cock crow1 thou shalt deny me       
thrice4 ,peter spake the more           
vehemently1 and said unto him1 ,though  
,i should die with thee1 yet will ,i not
 deny thee in any wise4 ,likewise also  
said all the disciples4  ,poor ,peter   
little knew himself6 ,no doubt he and   
all the disciples felt what they now    

said3 but if men would bear in mind     
their weakness and proneness to sin1    
they would never feel sure of not doing 
wrong2 but would watch and pray1 so that
 the ,devil may get no advantage over   
them4 ,when ,jesus had spoken these     
words1 he went forth with his disciples 
from the place on the ,mount of ,olives1
 where they were1 unto a place called   
,gethsemane1 over the brook ,cedron1    
where was a garden1 into the which he   
entered1 and his disciples4 ,and ,judas 
also knew the place1 for ,jesus         
oft-times resorted thither with his     
disciples4 ,having entered into this    
garden with the eleven disciples1 ,jesus
 saith unto eight of them1 ,sit ye here 
while ,i go and pray yonder4 ,and he    
taketh with him ,peter1 and ,james and  
,john1 the two sons of ,zebedee1 and    
when he was at the place to which he had
 intended to go1 he began to be         
sorrowful1 and sore amazed1 and to be   
very heavy4  ,now began the mysterious1 
and most bitter part of our blessed     

,lord's sufferings for sinful man4 ,what
 those sufferings were1 we do not       
exactly know3 they were not bodily1 but 
spiritual2 his soul suffered such agony1
 as we can form little idea of3 we only 
know that sin1 the sin of man1 our sin1 
caused ,his sufferings2 and that the    
holy and righteous ,lord now bore for   
our sakes1 all the agony that is the    
fruit of sin4 ,it seems likely that at  
this time the ,devil and his evil       
spirits again attacked ,jesus1 and tried
 by every means in their power to       
prevail upon ,him not to finish ,his    
work1 even the salvation of man1 but to 
spare ,himself1 and leave ,his guilty   
creatures to the fearful consequences of
 their sins4 ,in ,his agony1 prayer was 
our ,lord's refuge2 and feeling the     
necessity of being alone with ,god1 that
 ,he might freely pour out ,his soul    
before ,him1 he saith unto the three who
 accompanied him1 ,my soul is exceeding 
sorrowful1 even unto death3 tarry ye    
here and watch with me4 ,thus ,he asked 

them to help ,him with their prayers2   
setting1 in ,his human nature1 an       
example for all men to follow4 ,then1   
knowing the power and malice of the     
,devil1 ,jesus added a caution to pray  
for themselves1 that they might not be  
led into sin1 by any temptation which   
should come upon them2 he saith unto    
them ,pray1 that ye enter not into      
temptation4     ,chapter                
,,xxxiv4--,,jesus ,,betrayed4   ,when   
,jesus had cautioned ,peter1 ,james and 
,john1 to watch and pray1 he went       
forward a little1 and was withdrawn from
 them about a stone's cast1 and kneeled 
down and prayed2 in the earnestness of  
,his prayer1 he fell on his face on the 
ground1 and prayed that1 if it were     
possible1 the hour might pass from him4 
,it was not the death upon the cross    
which ,jesus prayed might pass from     
,him3 human martyrs have borne bodily   
sufferings and cruel deaths1 supported  
by the grace of ,god2 and though in ,his
 human nature ,christ might well shrink 

from the pain of ,crucifixion1 ,he was  
ready to give ,his body for our         
redemption4  ,but his sufferings in the 
garden of ,gethsemane1 were far beyond  
what any human being could suffer1 or   
than we can understand4 ,his heavenly   
,father saw fit to let ,him suffer for a
 time1 all the unspeakable agony which  
the just anger of ,god can lay upon the 
impenitent soul4 ,and we may well       
believe that this agony was a           
hundred-fold increased for ,him1 ,who   
was thereby to redeem countless myriads 
of souls4 ,and might not this terrible  
agony be increased1 by the foreknowledge
 that1 in spite of ,his tremendous      
sacrifice1 men would reject ,him as a   
,saviour1 and persevere in sin2 until by
 their impenitence1 they too would share
 those horrible agonies which for a time
 were laid upon ,him1 that by enduring  
them1 ,he might save all men from so    
terrible a condition8 ,when we thus     
consider of what nature ,christ's       
sufferings in the garden of ,gethsemane 

were1 we can fully understand the       
prayer1 that such an hour might pass    
from ,him4 ,but mark ,his inconceivable 
love1 as shown in the words1 if it were 
possible2 that is1 if man's redemption  
could possibly be secured without his   
passing through such dreadful agony2 if 
that were not possible1 then ,he was    
willing even to undergo that awful and  
mysterious extremity of suffering4  ,let
 us not pass on without taking a        
practical lesson from what has been     
said3 what made our ,lord undergo such  
agony for us8 ,love4 ,then1 if ,he so   
loved us1 what should be our feelings   
towards ,him8 ,love4 ,truly1 love2      
sincere1 heartfelt love2 love that will 
show itself4 ,but how8 ,hear ,his own   
words1 ,if ye love me1 keep my          
commandments4 ,this let us ever strive  
to do2 and so1 through the mediation of 
,jesus1 shall we escape those agonies1  
which for us ,he endured in the garden  
of ,gethsemane4  ,jesus prostrate on the
 ground1 prayed in the agony of ,his    

soul1 and said1 ,abba1 ,father--,o my   
,father1 if it be possible1 let this cup
 pass from me3 all things are possible  
unto thee3 if thou be willing1 remove   
this cup from me3 nevertheless not my   
will1 but thine be done4 ,all through   
this dreadful scene of agony1 our       
blessed ,lord sets us an example of     
perfect submission to ,his ,father's    
,will1 however much that ,will may be   
contrary to our wishes and desires3 this
 example we should do well to follow1 in
 every time of trouble4 ,we may pray1   
that ,god will1 if ,he sees fit1 remove 
from us the affliction or sorrow which  
we feel or fear2 but1 at the same time1 
our hearts must be perfectly submissive 
to ,his ,will1 and willing to continue  
to bear the suffering1 should ,he not   
see fit to take it away from us4 ,in    
this spirit our ,lord in ,his human     
nature prayed to ,god2 but though ,god  
saw fit to let ,him for a time suffer   
all the agony which sin brings on man1  
,he did vouchsafe to send ,him some     

comfort1 in this bitter time of trial2  
for there appeared an angel unto ,him   
from heaven1 strengthening him1 to      
complete ,his work4  ,and being in an   
agony he prayed more earnestly3 and his 
sweat was as it were great drops of     
blood falling down to the ground4 ,and  
when he rose up from prayer1 he cometh  
unto the disciples1 and findeth them    
sleeping from sorrow4  ,had they obeyed 
the words of their ,lord1 to watch and  
pray1 their sorrow would not at such a  
time have made them sleep4 ,but they had
 failed to do this2 and ,satan1 who is  
ever watchful1 had doubtless taken      
advantage of this1 and tempted them to  
sit thinking sorrowfully of all that was
 coming upon their beloved ,master1     
instead of obeying ,his command1 to     
watch and pray4 ,overcome with such sad 
thoughts1 they fell into a sort of      
stupor or heavy sleep1 and were thus    
found by ,jesus when ,he returned to    
them4 ,he awoke them1 and said unto     
them1 ,why sleep ye8 ,simon1 sleepest   

thou8 ,what1 could ye not watch with me 
one hour8 ,peter had but lately declared
 his readiness to do some great thing1  
to give up his life for ,jesus2 and now 
he fails in doing a little thing1 merely
 praying for one hour4 ,this is another 
proof of man's weakness1 and of the     
danger of self-confidence4 ,again our   
,lord repeated the needful warning1     
,watch ye1 rise and pray1 that ye enter 
not into temptation3 the spirit indeed  
is willing but the flesh is weak4 ,our  
,lord1 who knew the weakness of man's   
nature1 was thus merciful to the failing
 of ,his disciples3 but let us remember1
 that the more we are convinced of the  
weakness of the flesh1 and how it       
hinders the spirit1 the more earnestly  
must we strive to overcome it1 and be   
led by the spirit only4  ,and ,jesus    
went away again the second time1 and    
prayed1 and spake the same words1       
saying1 ,o my ,father1 if this cup may  
not pass away from me except ,i drink   
it1 thy will be done4 ,and when he      

returned1 he found them asleep again    
7for their eyes were heavy71 neither    
wist they what to answer him4 ,and he   
left them1 and went away again1 and     
prayed the third time1 saying the same  
words4  ,then cometh he to his          
disciples1 and saith unto them1 ,sleep  
on now1 and take your rest2 it is       
enough1 the hour is come3 behold the    
,son of man is betrayed into the hands  
of sinners4  ,by this ,jesus meant1 that
 they had lost the opportunity of       
watching with ,him2 they could no longer
 show any kindness by praying for ,him3 
,he would no longer ask them to do this1
 for the time was come1 when ,he was to 
be given up to ,his enemies4 ,jesus did 
not mean that the disciples were        
actually to lie still and sleep2 for ,he
 added immediately1 ,rise up1 let us go2
 lo1 he that betrayeth me is at hand4   
,and immediately1 while he yet spake1   
,judas1 one of the twelve1 having       
received a band of men and officers from
 the ,chief ,priests and ,pharisees1    

cometh thither with lanterns1 and       
torches1 and weapons4 ,upon reading this
 passage1 if we think at all1 it must   
appear strange that as the moon was at  
the full1 it should have been necessary 
to take lanterns and torches1 as the    
light of the full moon in those         
countries1 is far too bright to need any
 other4 ,but travellers tell us1 that in
 fact the light of the full moon only   
made the garden of ,gethsemane darker1  
for it is situated on the slope of the  
,mount of ,olives1 away from the moon2  
that is1 the moon at the time of the    
,passover rises behind the ,mount of    
,olives1 and thus casts the shadow of   
the mountain upon the garden of         
,gethsemane2 so that whilst all         
surrounding parts were lighted up1 there
 was complete darkness amongst the trees
 in the garden of ,gethsemane4 ,judas1  
well knowing this1 had been careful to  
procure lanterns and torches1 to render 
the execution of his purpose easy2 and  
now1 leading the way1 he cometh1 and    

with him a great multitude with swords  
and staves1 from the ,chief ,priests1   
and the ,scribes1 and the elders of the 
people4 ,now he that betrayed ,him had  
given them a token1 whereby the servants
 of the ,high ,priests might surely know
 which was ,jesus4 ,judas had told them1
 ,whomsoever ,i shall kiss1 that same is
 he2 take him1 hold him fast1 and lead  
him away safely4 ,a kiss was in those   
times a common form of salutation2 and a
 sign or token of respect and regard3   
,judas ,iscariot now made use of it for 
a very different purpose4  ,and as soon 
as he was come1 with his band1 into the 
garden1 he went before them1 and drew   
near unto ,jesus to kiss him4 ,and      
forthwith he came to ,jesus1 and said1  
,hail1 master2 and kissed him4 ,and     
,jesus said unto him1 ,friend1 wherefore
 art thou come8 ,judas1 betrayest thou  
the ,son of man with a kiss8 ,jesus did 
not ask this question because ,he needed
 to be told2 but in order to give ,judas
 another warning against the sin he was 

about to commit4  ,the officers did not 
immediately lay hold upon ,jesus2 we can
 well believe that ,his calm and        
dignified behaviour1 and ,his question  
to ,judas1 struck them with awe4  ,but  
,jesus1 knowing all things that should  
come upon ,him1 now showed his readiness
 to do his ,father's ,will3 for he went 
forth and said unto them1 ,whom seek ye8
 ,they answered him1 ,jesus of          
,nazareth4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,i am
 he4 ,as soon then as ,he had said unto 
them ,i am ,he they went backward1 and  
fell to the ground3 whether in fear or  
out of respect1 we are not told2 but in 
any case their behaviour made it clear  
that the ,saviour's sacrifice was a     
voluntary act2 for ,he could certainly1 
even as a man1 have escaped4 ,then asked
 he them again1 ,whom seek ye8 ,and they
 said1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,jesus      
answered1 ,i have told you that ,i am   
he3 if therefore ye seek me1 let these  
go their way4 ,even at such a moment1   
,jesus took care for ,his disciples1    

that they might not suffer with ,him3   
that the saying might be fulfilled which
 he spake1 ,of them which thou gavest me
 ,i have lost none4  ,by this time1 the 
officers seem to have recovered from    
their surprise and alarm3 ,then came    
they and laid hands on ,jesus1 and took 
him4 ,the disciples now seem to have    
thought that it was time for them to use
 the two swords1 which they had brought 
for the deliverance of their ,master4   
,and behold one of them which were with 
,jesus1 ,simon ,peter1 having a sword1  
stretched out his hand and drew his     
sword1 and struck a servant of the ,high
 ,priest's and smote off his ear2 the   
servant's name was ,malchus4 ,and ,jesus
 answered and said1 ,suffer ye thus far4
 ,these words seem to have been         
addressed to the ,roman soldiers1 who   
would naturally be made very angry by   
such an occurrence taking place2        
therefore he asked for their            
forbearance2 though he at once removed  
the cause of complaint--for he touched  

the ear of the wounded man1 and healed  
him4     ,chapter ,,xxxv4--,,jesus      
,,taken ,,before ,,annas ,,and          
,,caiaphas4   ,after ,he had healed     
,malchus1 ,jesus said unto ,peter1 ,put 
up again thy sword into his place3 for  
all they that take the sword shall      
perish with the sword4 ,thinkest thou   
that ,i cannot now pray to my ,father1  
and he shall presently give me more than
 twelve legions of angels8 ,but how then
 shall the ,scriptures be fulfilled1    
that thus it must be8 ,the cup which my 
,father hath given me1 shall ,i not     
drink it8 ,here ,jesus plainly declares 
that ,he gave ,himself to fulfil the    
,scriptures1 which declared1 that in no 
other way could man be redeemed from the
 curse of the ,law4 ,his sufferings and 
death were the means appointed by the   
,father for the redemption of man2 but  
,his sufferings and death were          
voluntary--no man could take ,his life  
unless ,he chose to give it4 ,he could  
have saved ,himself1 but then ,his work 

would have been unfinished1 and mankind 
for ever lost4 ,therefore was ,he       
willing to drink the cup which ,his     
father had given ,him4 ,in that same    
hour ,jesus answered and said unto the  
,chief ,priests and captains of the     
temple1 and to the multitudes1 and to   
the elders1 which were come to him1 ,are
 ye come out as against a thief with    
swords and staves for to take me8 ,i sat
 daily with you teaching in the temple1 
and ye laid no hold on me3 ye stretched 
forth no hands against me3 but the      
,scriptures must be fulfilled2 this is  
your hour and the power of darkness4    
,here1 again1 ,jesus showed that those  
who came against ,him1 could only       
succeed because the time was now come1  
when they were allowed to execute their 
wicked purposes1 that the ,scriptures of
 the prophets might be fulfilled4       
,jesus ,christ had now given ,himself   
into the hands of ,his enemies3 the     
disciples seeing this1 and being perhaps
 afraid of sharing ,his fate1 did the   

very thing they had lately thought      
impossible when their ,lord had warned  
them of it4 ,then all the disciples     
forsook him1 and fled4 ,then the band   
and the captain and officers of the     
,jews took ,jesus1 and bound him1 and   
led him away to ,annas first2 for he was
 father-in-law to ,caiaphas1 which was  
the ,high ,priest that same year4  ,it  
has already been said that the ,romans  
had made ,caiaphas ,high ,priest instead
 of ,annas4 ,annas had filled that      
office for eleven years1 and ought to   
have continued in it as long as he      
lived3 but the ,romans1 who had no      
regard to the ,jewish ,law1 had made    
this change4  ,the ,jews1 however1 had a
 great respect for ,annas as their      
rightful ,high ,priest2 and in spite of 
the ,romans they still considered and   
treated him as such2 and therefore1 in  
the first place1 they took ,jesus before
 him1 that he might advise them as to   
what was next to be done4  ,as they were
 on their way1 leading their prisoner1  

there followed him a certain young man1 
having a linen cloth cast about his     
naked body3 this young man felt         
sufficient interest in ,jesus to follow 
,him2 but when1 for some reason which we
 are not told1 the young men who guarded
 the ,lord1 laid hold on him1 he gave a 
further proof of the fear which now     
prevailed amongst all the disciples and 
followers of ,jesus2 for he left the    
linen cloth upon which they had laid    
hold1 in their hands1 and so escaping1  
fled from them naked4  ,this young man  
seems to have been clothed in the manner
 common to the poorer sort of people in 
those days4 ,even in later times        
travellers tell us1 that in some places 
the ,arabs only wear a large blanket or 
sheet1 wrapped round them in a peculiar 
manner2 and that the same thing is done 
in some parts of ,palestine also4       
,annas1 it would seem1 sent ,jesus at   
once to ,caiaphas2 no doubt fear of the 
,romans who had unlawfully deprived him 
of his dignity1 prevented his exercising

 that authority1 which by the law of    
,god still belonged to him1 and to him  
only3 so he sent ,jesus away at once4   
,then they took him1 and led him away to
 ,caiaphas the ,high ,priest4 7,now     
,caiaphas was he1 which gave counsel to 
the ,jews1 that it was expedient that   
one man should die for the people74     
,jesus was then brought into the ,high  
,priest's house1 where were assembled   
with him all the ,chief ,priests and    
,scribes2 evidently waiting for the     
return of those whom they had sent out1 
under the guidance of ,judas ,iscariot1 
to take ,jesus4 ,mean time1 ,peter and  
,john had so far recovered themselves1  
as to venture to follow ,jesus at a     
distance3 for they really loved their   
,master1 and were anxious to learn what 
would become of ,him4 ,and ,simon ,peter
 followed ,jesus afar off1 unto the     
,high ,priest's palace1 and so did      
another disciple3 that disciple was     
known unto the ,high ,priest1 and went  
in with ,jesus into the palace of the   

,high ,priest4 ,that disciple here      
spoken of1 was ,john1 who himself gives 
us the account of the matter4 ,he was in
 some way known to ,caiaphas1 and was   
therefore allowed to go into the palace4
 ,but ,peter stood at the door without4 
,john1 who had been admitted into the   
,high ,priest's palace1 was not one of  
those selfish people who care only for  
their own comfort3 he thought of ,peter 
standing outside1 and went out and spake
 unto the young woman1 who1 according to
 the custom of the ,hebrews1 kept the   
door or acted as porter2 and in         
consequence she brought in ,peter1 who  
joined the servants and attendants3 and 
when they had kindled a fire in the     
midst of the hall1 and were set down    
together1 ,peter sat down among them1   
and warmed himself at the fire2 and sat 
with the servants to see the end4       
,though the month ,abib1 which answers  
to our ,april1 is very much warmer in   
,palestine than it is here1 still the   
nights are often very cold2 and a       

gentleman who travelled in ,galilee     
tells us1 that even in the month of     
,may1 an ,arab chief who entertained    
him1 had a fire lighted in a ruined     
building for them to sit by1 because it 
was cold4  ,the fire now kindled by the 
attendants1 though in the same hall1 was
 no doubt at some distance from that    
part where ,jesus was standing before   
the ,high ,priest2 whilst ,john1 being  
known to ,caiaphas1 was probably        
standing much nearer to his beloved     
,master4  ,the ,high ,priest then asked 
,jesus of his disciples1 and of his     
doctrine4 ,jesus answered him1 ,i spake 
openly to the world2 ,i ever taught in  
the synagogue and in the temple1 whither
 the ,jews always resort2 and in secret 
have ,i said nothing2 that is1 ,he had  
said nothing in secret contrary to what 
,he had taught in public1 and therefore 
instead of now answering such questions1
 ,jesus referred ,caiaphas to those who1
 having heard ,him1 were able to bear   
witness as to what ,he had said4 ,why   

askest thou me8 ask them which heard me1
 what ,i have said unto them3 behold1   
they know what ,i said4 ,when he had    
thus spoken1 one of the officers which  
stood by struck ,jesus with the palm of 
his hand 7or with a rod which he held in
 his hand71 saying1 ,answerest thou the 
,high ,priest so8 ,jesus quietly rebuked
 this man1 showing that if he had said  
or done what was wrong1 the officer     
should have accused ,him of it in a     
proper way1 and not have struck ,him1   
contrary to the law1 which forbids any  
one to be treated as guilty until proved
 to be so4 ,jesus answered him1 ,if ,i  
have spoken evil1 bear witness of the   
evil2 but if well1 why smitest thou me8 
,the ,jews knew very well that they     
could not ask the ,romans to put ,jesus 
to death1 unless they could find some   
fault to lay to ,his charge3 they must  
get persons to witness or declare1 that 
,he had done things for which ,he       
deserved to die2 and they well knew that
 no one could with truth do this4       

,therefore1 the ,chief ,priests1 and    
elders1 and all the council1 sought     
false witness against ,jesus to put him 
to death2 but found none to answer their
 purpose3 yea1 though many false        
witnesses came1 yet found they none1    
whose testimony would be sufficient3 for
 many bear false witness against him1   
but their witness agreed not together4  
,no man could be put to death unless two
 witnesses gave testimony as to his     
guilt3 if witnesses speak the truth1    
their testimony must be the same3 but   
naturally when witnesses tell lies1 one 
will say one thing and one another1 and 
therefore the words of these men who    
spake against ,jesus1 agreed not        
together4  ,the sin of the ,chief       
,priests and elders was very great2 they
 sought for false witnesses3 unhappily1 
there never is any difficulty in finding
 men who care so little for what is     
right1 that for a bribe or reward they  
are ready to tell lies2 but if liars are
 the children of the ,devil1 what must  

those be who encourage them1 and almost 
force them to speak untruly8 ,thou shalt
 not bear false witness against thy     
neighbour1 is one of the commandments3  
let us be very careful not to break this
 commandment1 even unintentionally4 ,we 
may not mean to say what is not true1   
and we may not mean to make mischief2   
but we shall certainly do both1 unless  
we are very careful always to repeat    
exactly what we see or hear1 adding     
nothing1 and leaving out nothing4 ,even 
the manner or tone of voice in which    
anything is said or done1 makes a       
difference4 ,for instance1 things may be
 done or said in fun1 and there may be  
no harm in them2 but if you repeat them1
 as if they were done or said in        
earnest1 they may appear very wrong2 and
 so you will cause people to be blamed1 
and thought ill of1 when they do not    
deserve it4  ,there is1 perhaps1 no     
commandment which we all break more     
frequently than the ninth--not wilfully2
 few1 it is to be hoped1 would act so   

wickedly as to do that2 but from        
carelessness3 by chattering about other 
peoples' concerns2 repeating things when
 we are not sure they are true2 telling 
tales2 and so on4 ,our ,god is a ,god of
 truth3 we are told that ,he loves truth
 in the inward parts1 that is1 in the   
heart2 and therefore if we love ,him1 we
 shall always speak the truth from the  
heart1 and be very careful to tell the  
whole truth1 and nothing but the truth1 
even in the smallest matters4 ,the      
perfect truth that ,god requires1       
forbids deceit of all kinds4 ,we may    
deceive others by our actions1 and even 
by our silence2 but let us ever         
remember1 that all deception is in the  
eyes of ,god as the sin of lying1 that  
sin which is an abomination to the      
,lord4     ,chapter ,,xxxvi4--,,jesus   
,,condemned ,,by ,,caiaphas4   ,at the  
last came two false witnesses4 ,they did
 not mean to speak the truth2 all that  
they wished was to please the ,priests1 
who1 far from desiring them to speak    

truly1 only wanted something to be said1
 which would give them an excuse for    
having ,jesus put to death4 ,the two    
witnesses who now came before them1     
furnished them with the pretence they   
sought for3 these men bare false witness
 against him1 saying1 ,we heard him say1
 ,i am able to destroy the temple of    
,god1 and to build it in three days4 ,i 
will destroy this temple that is made   
with hands1 and within three days ,i    
will build another made without hands4  
,now this is an instance of bearing     
false witness1 by misrepresenting the   
words spoken1 and twisting their meaning
 to something which they were never     
intended to express4 ,we have read that 
,jesus did say in reference to ,his own 
body1 ,destroy this temple1 and in three
 days ,i will raise it up4 ,the ,jews   
did not understand what ,he meant2 but  
that did not justify these witnesses in 
what they now said1 for ,jesus had not  
said1 ,i will ,,destroy this temple1 nor
 had ,he said one word of building4     

,these witnesses meant to make it       
appear1 that ,he had said that ,he would
 destroy the temple so dear to the      
,jews1 and that in three days ,he would 
build another4 ,but neither so did their
 witness agree together4 ,the ,priests  
and elders were1 however1 too anxious to
 condemn ,jesus1 to be particular about 
that2 for to speak disrespectfully of   
the temple was looked upon as blasphemy1
 and blasphemy was a crime to be        
punished with death4 ,blasphemy is      
really speaking disrespectfully of the  
,majesty and ,power of the              
,almighty--,father1 ,son1 and ,holy     
,ghost2 and ascribing to man that power 
which belongs to ,god alone4  ,after    
these two false witnesses had spoken1   
the ,high ,priest arose1 and stood up in
 the midst1 and asked ,jesus1 and said  
unto him1 ,answerest thou nothing8 what 
is it which these witness against thee8 
,our ,lord would make no reply to       
charges which even ,his enemies must    
have known to be false2 and therefore   

,he held his peace1 and answered        
nothing4 ,again the ,high ,priest asked 
him1 ,art thou the ,christ1 the ,son of 
the ,blessed8 ,i adjure thee by the     
living ,god1 that thou tell us whether  
thou be the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4  
,to adjure was to call upon a person to 
speak the truth in the ,name of ,god4   
,any one so adjured was looked upon as  
bound by the most solemn oath to speak  
the whole truth4 ,when1 therefore1 the  
,high ,priest called upon ,jesus in this
 solemn manner to say whether ,he really
 was the promised ,messiah1 the ,son of 
,god1 our ,lord kept silence no longer2 
but in an equally solemn manner answered
 the question1 adding words spoken by   
the prophet ,daniel--words always       
understood by the ,jews to be a prophecy
 respecting the ,messiah3 therefore1 by 
applying this prophecy to ,himself1     
,jesus declared most plainly that ,he   
was indeed the ,messiah4 ,in ,his answer
 to the ,high ,priest1 as to whether ,he
 was the ,christ1 the ,son of the       

,blessed ,god ,almighty1 ,jesus used the
 ,jewish form of saying that what had   
been stated was true4 ,jesus saith unto 
him1 ,thou hast said2 and then ,he      
added1 ,i am3 nevertheless ,i say unto  
you1 ,hereafter shall ye see the ,son of
 man sitting on the right hand of power1
 and coming in the clouds of heaven4    
,then the ,high ,priest rent his        
clothes1 saying1 ,he hath spoken        
blasphemy4 ,the ,high ,priest had asked 
his solemn question without any         
intention of believing the answer3 he   
must have felt sure what the answer     
would be1 and therefore he had asked the
 question1 that he might be able to     
accuse ,jesus of claiming for ,himself1 
a man1 the honour due to ,god alone4 ,to
 show his grief and horror at such a    
dreadful sin as blasphemy1 he1 according
 to the ,jewish custom1 rent his robe4  
,then appealing to those around him1    
,caiaphas asked1 ,what further need have
 we of witnesses8 behold1 now ye have   
heard his blasphemy4 ,what think ye8    

,there could be no doubt of the answer  
to such questions4 ,the ,priests1 and   
,scribes1 and elders were bent upon     
destroying their victim2 and gladly     
seizing the opportunity now given them  
by the ,high ,priest1 ,they answered and
 said1 ,he is guilty of death1--that is1
 ,he is guilty of a crime which the ,law
 of ,moses orders to be punished with   
death4 ,and they all condemned him to be
 guilty of death4  ,the ,priests and    
elders had now accomplished their work1 
as far as they were concerned2 but its  
final execution did not rest with them4 
,judaea was a ,roman province1 and as   
such the ,jews could put no man to death
 without the permission of the ,roman   
governor1 who was at that time ,pontius 
,pilate4 ,to obtain ,pilate's consent   
was the next step to be taken2 and that 
the ,jews determined to set about as    
soon as possible in the morning4 ,it was
 now about midnight of the              
,thursday--the day on which ,jesus had  
eaten the last ,supper with ,his        

disciples4 ,some six or seven hours must
 pass before ,jesus could be taken      
before ,pilate1 and this time the ,jews 
occupied in ill using and mocking our   
innocent and holy ,lord4  ,the ,priests 
and elders having passed sentence upon  
,jesus1 now left ,him in the hands of   
the attendants and soldiers1 who1 as we 
have said1 passed the rest of the night 
in ill treating ,him4 ,and the men that 
held ,jesus mocked him and smote him3   
and some began to spit on him1 and to   
cover his face1 and to buffet him1 and  
to say unto him1 ,prophesy unto us1 thou
 ,christ1 ,who is he that smote thee8   
and the servants did strike him with the
 palms of their hands4  ,to spit upon a 
person1 was the greatest affront and    
indignity that could be offered by one  
man to another3 it signified the utmost 
scorn and contempt4 ,then1 in mockery of
 our blessed ,lord's claim to be the    
,messiah1 the ,son of ,god1 ,he was     
blindfolded1 and then desired to show   
,his divine power1 by telling the names 

of those who struck ,him on the face4   
,it is most painful to think of ,jesus  
being so treated3 for our sakes ,he bore
 meekly and patiently this savage       
treatment4 ,he might with one word have 
put an end to it1 and struck dead those 
who thus insulted ,him4 ,but these      
indignities were a part of the cup      
appointed for ,him by the ,father1 and  
this cup ,he was ready to drink to the  
last drop1 for the redemption of man4   
,should we not love the ,lord in heart  
and in deed1 for all that ,he has done  
and suffered for us8  ,and many other   
things blasphemously spake they against 
him4 ,thus passed the hours of this     
terrible night4  ,all this time ,peter  
sat in some part of the ,palace2 and    
there cometh one of the maids of the    
,high ,priest1 the damsel that kept the 
door1 unto ,peter3 and when she saw     
,peter warming himself1 she looked      
earnestly upon him1 as if trying to     
remember where she had seen him before4 
,then she said to those around1 ,this   

man was also with him2 and1 referring to
 ,peter himself to confirm her          
statement1 she asked1 ,art not thou also
 one of this man's disciples8 ,we may   
well believe that ,peter was horrified  
at the treatment he had seen inflicted  
upon his ,master2 and most probably1 in 
spite of all ,jesus had said1 ,peter was
 disappointed at ,his not taking some   
signal measures to check ,his           
persecutors4 ,this for a time weakened  
his faith1 and made him fearful that if 
he confessed himself to be a disciple1  
he might bring upon himself similar     
treatment1 to that which ,jesus was     
silently and calmly undergoing4 ,in his 
perplexity and fear1 therefore1 he      
committed a fearful sin2 for in answer  
to the damsel's question1 ,art not thou 
also one of this man's disciples8 he    
saith1 ,i am not4 ,but the damsel was   
not convinced1 and presently said1 ,and 
thou also wast with ,jesus of ,nazareth1
 of ,galilee4 ,one departure from truth 
is sure to lead to another3 and now     

,peter even pretends not to understand  
what she can possibly mean by charging  
him with being one of ,christ's         
disciples3 thus he denied him before    
them all1 saying1 ,woman1 ,i know him   
not4 ,i know not1 neither understand ,i 
what thou sayest4  ,perhaps ,peter now  
hoped that he had silenced his accusers1
 and should be left in peace2 but he was
 shortly undeceived4 ,the servants and  
officers stood there1 who had made a    
fire of coals2 for it was cold3 and they
 warmed themselves3 and ,peter stood    
with them1 and warmed himself4 ,they    
said therefore unto him1 ,art not thou  
also one of his disciples8 ,he denied   
it1 and said1 ,i am not4 ,one of the    
servants of the ,high ,priest1 being his
 kinsman whose ear ,peter cut off1      
seems1 however1 to have recognized      
,peter as the person who did this act1  
and saith1 ,did not ,i see thee in the  
garden with him8 ,what had been denied  
before was not likely to be confessed   
now4 ,peter then denied again2 and he   

went out into the porch2 and immediately
 the cock crew4  ,these three           
denials1--first1 to the damsel2         
secondly1 to the servants and officers2 
and thirdly1 to the kinsman of          
,malchus1--which are related in the     
different ,gospels1 all took place much 
at the same time1 and are therefore to  
be looked upon as one act3 thus we see  
how every word spoken by ,jesus on the  
subject of ,peter's denial came true4   
,he said that before it was time for the
 cock to crow at all1 ,peter would have 
denied ,him three times2 and this he had
 done1 and the warning voice of the cock
 had been heard for the first time4  ,if
 we resist the ,devil1 he will flee from
 us3 if we give way to one temptation1  
we shall be more likely to fall again3  
so it was with ,peter4 ,when he was gone
 out into the porch1 after a little     
while another saw him1 and said1 ,thou  
art also of them4 ,and ,peter said1     
,man1 ,i am not4 ,and another maid saw  
him1 and began to say to them that stood

 by1 ,this fellow was also with ,jesus  
of ,nazareth4 ,this is one of them4     
,peter now added to his sin1 for he     
denied with an oath1 ,i do not know the 
man1--thus calling upon ,god as a       
witness to the truth of what he was     
saying4 ,this was ,peter's second denial
 of his ,lord and ,master4  ,about an   
hour afterwards1 when it was nearly     
three o'clock in the morning1 ,peter    
seems to have been again in the hall1   
where the soldiers were waiting with    
,jesus1 until it should be time for them
 to take ,him before ,pontius ,pilate1  
the ,roman governor4 ,here the third    
denial took place4  ,before we go       
further1 some little explanation is     
necessary4 ,you know that in different  
countries1 as in ,france1 ,spain1       
,china1 c41 the people speak different  
languages2 so that without learning one 
another's language1 the natives of      
different countries cannot talk to each 
other4 ,but even in different parts of  
the same country1 the people often      

pronounce their words in such a         
different manner as to make it almost a 
different language1 so that the dialect1
 or manner of speaking1 in one province1
 would be hardly understood in another  
province of the same country4 ,even in  
,england we have something of the same  
kind2 and if you were to hear the people
 of ,yorkshire or of ,somersetshire     
talking to each other1 you would not    
understand much of their conversation4  
,chapter ,,xxxvii4--,,peter',s ,,third  
,,denial4   ,when ,peter had returned   
into the hall where ,jesus still was1   
another man confidently affirmed1       
saying1 ,of a truth this fellow also was
 him3 for he is a ,galilean4 ,the ,jews1
 who were natives of ,galilee1 used a   
different dialect to that of the        
inhabitants of ,judaea2 and this man1   
having heard ,peter speak1 at once      
perceived that he was a ,galilean1 and  
doubtless the follower of ,jesus4 ,but  
,peter at once said1 ,man1 ,i am not3 he
 would not even now allow that he was a 

,galilean2 but the fact was too plain2  
for his manner of speaking betrayed or  
showed that he was certainly a native of
 ,galilee4 ,they that stood by could not
 therefore be deceived1 and said again  
to ,peter1 ,surely thou also art one of 
them1 for thou art a ,galilean3 and thy 
speech agreeth thereto1 for thy speech  
bewrayeth 7or betrayeth7 thee4 ,peter   
now went still further in his denial1   
and added to his sin2 for getting       
frightened and angry1 he allowed himself
 to use language sinful in itself4 ,then
 began he to curse and to swear1 saying1
 ,i know not the man3 ,i know not this  
man of whom ye speak4 ,and immediately1 
while he yet spake1 the cock crew2 the  
second time the cock crew4 ,and the     
,lord turned and looked upon ,peter4    
,what a look must that have been6 a look
 of reproach for ,peter's sin2 of grief 
for his sad fall mixed with love for    
,his weak and erring follower4 ,such as 
it was1 it went straight to ,peter's    
heart2 bringing all things to his       

memory1 and making him feel deeply the  
sin he had committed against ,one1 whom 
he did truly love2 though under         
temptation1 he had acted very contrary  
to what that love demanded from him4    
,but the ,saviour's look awakened all   
,peter's better feelings3 ,and ,peter   
remembered the word of the ,lord1 how   
that he had said unto him1 ,before the  
cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice4    
,before the cock crow twice thou shalt  
deny me thrice4 ,and when he thought    
thereon1 he wept2 he went out and wept  
bitterly4  ,peter's tears were tears of 
true repentance3 we know this1 because  
in future we find him no longer         
confident in himself1 and boasting of   
his love1 but humble1 and looking to    
,god for strength2 whilst he devoted his
 life to doing his ,master's work1 never
 letting the fear of man prevent his    
declaring the truth1 as it is in ,jesus4
  ,when we blame ,peter for denying the 
,lord1 let us remember that he sinned1  
because he trusted too much in himself1 

and did not watch and pray as he ought  
to have done4 ,this is a warning to us1 
not to do as he did4 ,but let us also   
remember1 that having sinned1 he        
repented truly2 and showed his          
repentance1 by his changed conduct      
during the rest of his life4 ,here is an
 example for us to follow4  ,this       
terrible night was over at last4 ,and   
straightway in the morning1 as soon as  
it was day 7about four o'clock in the   
morning of ,friday71 the ,chief ,priests
 seem to have called the whole ,council 
of the ,sanhedrim together1 to consult  
what was next to be done to secure their
 object3 they took counsel against      
,jesus to put him to death4 ,and they   
led him into their council1 saying1 ,art
 thou the ,christ8 tell us4 ,jesus had  
already answered this question before   
,caiaphas1 and knowing their motive in  
repeating it1 he said unto them1 ,if ,i 
tell you1 ye will not believe4 ,and if  
,i also ask you1 ye will not answer me1 
nor let me go4 ,jesus would not1        

however1 allow them to suppose that ,he 
denied being the ,messiah3 and ,he      
therefore repeated the words1 which they
 chose to call blasphemy1 saying1       
,hereafter shall the ,son of man sit on 
the right hand of the power of ,god4    
,then said they all1 ,art thou then the 
,son of ,god8 ,and he said unto them1   
,ye say that ,i am4 ,and they said1     
,what need we any further witnesses8 for
 we ourselves have heard of his own     
mouth4  ,then ,judas1 which had betrayed
 him1 when he saw that he was condemned1
 repented himself1 and brought again the
 thirty pieces of silver to the ,chief  
,priests and elders1 saying1 ,i have    
sinned in that ,i have betrayed the     
innocent blood4 ,some feelings of sorrow
 and remorse for having given up an     
innocent man to be put to death1 now led
 ,judas to bring back the reward of     
iniquity1 and at once to confess his own
 sin1 and bear witness to the innocence 
of ,jesus4 ,perhaps he had a hope of    
thus saving ,jesus from the fate which  

awaited ,him3 if so1 ,judas soon learnt1
 what many have learnt before and since1
 that it is easy to do wrong1 but by no 
means easy to undo the wrong when done4 
,many of us1 in a moment of passion or  
self-will1 commit acts which embitter   
our whole future lives4 ,let the young  
beware1 lest they bring upon themselves 
such life-long misery2 they may truly   
repent and mourn1 and ,god1 for ,jesu's 
sake1 may forgive the sin2 but the act  
itself1 and its bitter consequences1 can
 never be undone4  ,the ,priests and    
elders cared not whether ,jesus was     
innocent or guilty1 so as they could    
treat ,him as if ,he were guilty4 ,his  
holy life1 ,his heavenly teaching1      
showed them their own sinfulness1 and   
therefore it was because ,he was good1  
that they sought to destroy ,him4       
,neither did they care for ,judas's     
sufferings3 they had gladly profited by 
his sin1 and given him the reward agreed
 upon3 now that they had got from him   
all that they wanted1 they cared not    

what became of the miserable sinner4    
,and this is often the case amongst men1
 who to gain something they want1       
persuade others to do wrong4 ,those who 
have sinned to help them1 may afterwards
 be filled with remorse and misery2 but 
they will meet with neither help nor    
pity from those who led them into sin4  
,like the ,priests1 they will say1 ,what
 is that to us8  ,in vain did ,judas    
look for pity from his partners in      
guilt2 the unfeeling answer of the      
,priests was1 ,what is that to us8 see  
thou to that4 ,had ,judas repented      
truly1 he would1 like ,peter1 have gone 
out and wept bitterly1 and sought       
forgiveness of his ,lord2 but1 unable to
 bear the feeling of remorse which lay  
heavy upon his heart1 he committed a    
crime for which there is no repentance3 
he departed1 and went and hanged        
himself1 and falling headlong1 he burst 
asunder in the midst1 and all his bowels
 gushed out4 ,what may be the exact     
meaning of this passage1 it is difficult

 to say2 but it is certain that ,judas  
perished in some remarkable and dreadful
 manner4  ,after ,judas had departed    
from the ,council1 leaving the money    
behind1 the ,chief ,priests took the    
silver pieces1 and said1 ,it is not     
lawful for to put them into the         
treasury1 because it is the price of    
blood4  ,the ,jews considered it        
unlawful to put into the treasury of the
 temple1 any money which had been got by
 taking away life4 ,the executioners1   
whose duty it was to put criminals to   
death1 were not allowed to make any     
offering to the treasury1 because the   
money that they gained was looked upon  
as the price of blood4 ,these ,priests1 
who were ready to break a positive      
commandment by putting an innocent      
person to death1 would not break the    
,law in a small matter4  ,the fact is1  
that by this time the religion of the   
,jews had become a mere form3 they made 
a great fuss about observing ceremonies 
and customs1 which required no          

self-denial2 but they did not care to   
obey the ,will of ,god1 when it         
interfered with their own wishes and    
inclinations4 ,they had had no scruple  
in buying the life of an innocent man1  
but they would not put the price of his 
blood into the treasury4 ,so they took  
counsel1 or consulted together1 as to   
what should be done with the silver     
pieces1 and bought with them the        
potter's field1 to bury strangers in4   
,by strangers was probably meant ,jews1 
who came from distant parts of the      
country1 or from some of the nations    
through which ,jews were scattered3     
these people had1 of course1 no         
burial-place of their own in ,jerusalem1
 and therefore this field was bought1 in
 order that any foreign ,jews1 who died 
in the city1 might be buried there4     
,the potter's field lay to the ,s4,e4 of
 ,jerusalem1 on the other side of the   
brook ,gihon4 ,from this time1 this     
field was called ,aceldama1 a ,hebrew   
word1 meaning the ,field of ,blood3 now 

the ,christians in those parts call it  
the holy field4  ,this buying of the    
field1 was foretold #deg years before1  
in the time of ,ezra4 ,then was         
fulfilled that which was spoken by      
,jeremy the prophet1 saying1 ,and they  
took the thirty pieces of silver1 the   
price of him that was valued1 whom they 
of the children of ,israel did value2   
and gave them for the potter's field1 as
 the ,lord appointed me4  ,this prophecy
 is not1 however1 to be found in the    
book which we call by the name of       
,jeremiah1 but in that of ,zechariah    
7xi471 another of the prophets4 ,the    
,jews had an old custom of dividing the 
,scriptures of the ,old ,testament into 
three parts4 ,the ,first ,part1 called  
the ,law1 contained the books of ,moses 
and those of ,kings and ,chronicles3 the
 ,psalms formed the ,second ,part3 and  
the ,third ,part contained the writings 
of the prophets4 ,as this ,third ,part  
began with the prophecies of ,jeremiah1 
the whole division was often called by  

his name2 and thus any words spoken by  
another prophet1 might be said to be in 
,jeremy or ,jeremiah4  ,the ,priests and
 the whole ,council of the ,sanhedrim   
had condemned ,jesus to death1 for what 
they called blasphemy2 and the next step
 was to get ,pilate's permission to     
execute the sentence4 ,and the whole    
multitude of them arose1 and bound      
,jesus1 and when they had bound him1    
they led him away from ,caiaphas unto   
the ,hall of ,judgment1 and delivered   
him to ,pontius ,pilate the governor3   
and it was early1 probably about five   
o'clock in the morning4 ,and they       
themselves went not into the ,judgment  
,hall lest they should be defiled2 but  
that they might eat the ,passover4      
,these ,jews were preparing to eat the  
,passover1 in the evening of that day1  
,friday2 but ,jesus and ,his disciples  
had eaten it the evening before2 that   
is1 on ,thursday4 ,this difference needs
 some explanation4 ,we divide our year  
into #ab months1 some of #cj days1 and  

some of #ca1 whilst1 as a general rule1 
,february has only #bh4 ,the earth on   
which we live goes round the sun in #cfe
 days and #f hours1 all but a few       
minutes4 ,by the day we mean #bd hours1 
or what we call a day and a night4 ,our 
#ab months1 therefore1 contain the #cfe 
days2 but the extra hours are           
unaccounted for4 ,now in four years the 
#f extra hours amount to #bd--;another  
day3 and therefore every fourth year    
,february has an additional day to      
provide for them4 ,the year in which    
,february has #bi days is called ,leap  
,year1 because we seem to leap over a   
day4 ,for instance1 suppose ,christmas  
,day to be on ,saturday one year1 it    
would naturally fall on ,sunday the next
 year3 but if it were ,leap ,year1 it   
would leap over ,sunday and fall upon   
,monday instead4 ,our year is called a  
,solar ,year1 because it is regulated by
 the course of the earth round the sun1 
and ,sol is the ,latin word for the     
,sun4  ,the ,jews1 on the contrary1     

divided their year according to the     
course of the ,moon1 which goes round   
the ,earth in something more than thirty
 days4 ,theirs was a ,lunar ,year1      
because ,luna is ,latin for the moon4   
,the twelve months amongst the ,jews had
 not the same fixed number of days every
 year1 because they reckoned the month  
to begin when the new moon first        
appeared4 ,this practice often led to   
mistakes1 so that what ought to have    
been the #adth day of any month was     
frequently called the #aeth1 or the     
#acth4 ,something of this kind seems to 
have taken place at this time3 so that  
whilst ,jesus and ,his disciples ate the
 ,passover on the evening of the right  
day1 the #adth of ,nisan or ,abib       
7answering to the end of ,march with    
us71 many of the ,jews celebrated the   
feast on the next day1 calling that the 
#adth1 though it was1 in reality1 the   
#aeth4     ,chapter ,,xxxviii4--,,jesus 
,,sent ,,by ,,pilate ,,to ,,herod4      
,whatever might be the cause1 it is     

plain that the ,priests and elders were 
preparing to keep the ,passover1 on the 
evening after that on which ,jesus had  
eaten it with ,his disciples3 and that  
lest they should be defiled and rendered
 unclean according to the ,law1 they    
would not enter the ,judgment ,hall1    
which was full of ,roman soldiers4 ,any 
,jew who 7in one of the many ways7      
became unclean1 could not partake of the
 ,feast of the ,passover3 and it was    
even held1 that upon occasions of such  
peculiar holiness1 mixing with the      
,gentiles or heathens1 made a ,jew      
unclean2 therefore1 to avoid all risk1  
they went not in4 ,they did not consider
 that all the laws about purity and     
uncleanness1 were only meant to show the
 necessity of being pure and holy in    
thought1 word1 and deed2 and that their 
persecution of an innocent being1       
rendered them far more unclean in the   
sight of ,god1 than any ceremonial      
defilement could possibly do4 ,but it   
was ever so2 they paid more attention to

 outward forms than to real holiness and
 goodness4 ,let us beware never to fall 
into the like fatal sin4  ,as the ,jews 
would not go into the ,judgment ,hall1  
,pilate then went out unto them1 and    
said1 ,what accusation bring ye against 
this man8 ,instead of naming any crime  
of which their prisoner had been guilty1
 the ,jews merely answered1 ,if he were 
not a malefactor1 we would not have     
delivered him up unto thee4 ,then said  
,pilate unto them1 ,take ye him1 and    
judge him according to your law4 ,this  
was not at all what the ,jews wanted1   
and they therefore said unto him1 ,it is
 not lawful for us to put any man to    
death4  ,some writers think that the    
,jews were not deprived of the power of 
putting to death criminals found guilty 
according to their law2 but that at the 
time of this holy feast1 it was not     
lawful for them to put any man to death4
 ,in any case1 in all this we see the   
hand of ,god2 that the saying of ,jesus 
might be fulfilled1 which he spake1     

signifying what death he should die4    
,and they began to accuse him1 saying1  
,we found this fellow perverting the    
nation1 and forbidding to give tribute  
to ,caesar1 saying that he himself is   
,christ a king4  ,in answer to ,pilate's
 desire to know the crime of which they 
accused ,jesus1 the ,jews said not one  
word about blasphemy1 for which alone   
the ,sanhedrim had condemned ,him to be 
deserving of death3 they knew very well 
that ,pilate would take no notice of    
such a charge as that1 for he1 being a  
heathen1 would care for none of these   
things2 and therefore1 by a very false  
representation of what ,jesus had said1 
they now tried to make ,pilate believe  
that ,jesus claimed to be king of       
,judaea2 and that ,he endeavoured to    
pervert or turn the nation from paying  
any obedience to the ,emperor of ,rome4 
,such a charge as this could not be     
disregarded by a ,roman governor2 for   
the ,romans would not tolerate anything 
like revolt or sedition in their        

conquered provinces4 ,then ,pilate      
entered into the ,judgment ,hall again1 
and called ,jesus1 and ,jesus stood     
before the governor1 and the governor   
asked him1 saying1 ,art thou the king of
 the ,jews8 ,jesus answered him1 ,sayest
 thou this thing of thyself1 or did     
others tell it thee of me8 ,the meaning 
of this question was1 ,dost thou ask    
this question of thyself1 from a real   
wish to know whether ,i am the ,messiah 
so long expected by the ,jews8 or have  
others laid it to my charge as a crime1 
that ,i have declared myself to be that 
,christ their king8 ,pilate answered1   
,am ,i a ,jew8 meaning that as he was   
not a ,jew1 he was not likely to know or
 care whether ,jesus was the ,messiah or
 not2 and then he called upon ,jesus to 
tell him for what crime ,he had been    
delivered up by ,his own countrymen1 who
 had thus plainly shown that they did   
not believe ,him to be their ,messiah4  
,thine own nation and the ,chief        
,priests have delivered thee unto me3   

what hast thou done8 ,jesus in his      
answer1 showed ,pilate1 that1 declaring 
,himself to be a king1 could be no crime
 against the ,roman ,emperor1 as ,he    
neither claimed nor sought for power    
upon earth3 if ,he had done so1 ,his    
followers would have fought for ,him4   
,jesus answered1 ,my kingdom is not of  
this world3 if my kingdom were of this  
world1 then would my servants fight1    
that ,i should not be delivered to the  
,jews3 but now is my kingdom not from   
hence4 ,pilate1 therefore1 said unto    
him1 ,art thou a king then8 that is1    
dost thou really mean that thou art a   
king8 ,jesus answered1 and said unto    
him1 ,thou sayest that ,i am a king4 ,to
 this end was ,i born1 and for this     
cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i   
should bear witness unto the truth4     
,every one that is of the truth heareth 
my voice4  ,jesus here states again the 
nature of ,his kingdom4 ,it was founded 
only upon truth4 ,his conquests were to 
be only over falsehood and sin4 ,he came

 into the world on purpose by ,his words
 to bring men to believe all that ,god  
had said1 and to do ,his ,will in all   
things2 such were to be ,his subjects4  
,he came to win the hearts of men1 and  
rule and govern them4 ,such a kingdom   
could in no way interfere with the      
dominion of ,caesar1 or any other       
earthly sovereign4 ,on the contrary1    
those whose hearts are ruled by ,christ1
 will be the most obedient subjects to  
the powers that be4  ,pilate was        
evidently convinced by the words of     
,jesus1 that ,he could in no way be     
found guilty of stirring up the people  
to disobey ,caesar1 but before he told  
the ,jews this1 he put to our ,lord the 
question1 ,what is truth8 that is1 what 
dost thou mean by that truth1 which will
 make every one hear ,thy words4 ,had   
,pilate asked this important question   
with a sincere desire to know the truth1
 it would have been a happy day for him2
 for the truth which ,jesus would have  
taught him1 is the only thing to give   

real happiness in life or death4 ,but   
,pilate did not even wait for an answer1
 for when he had said this1 he went out 
again to the ,jews1 and saith unto the  
,chief ,priests and to the people1 ,i   
find no fault in this man2 ,i find in   
him no fault at all4 ,thus did the      
,roman governor1 a heathen1 bear witness
 to the blamelessness of our blessed    
,lord2 but the ,jews1 determined on the 
death of their victim1 would by no means
 accept such a sentence4 ,it is plain   
from all that follows1 that though      
,jesus remained in the ,hall1 ,he was so
 placed as to be able to hear all that  
was said outside4  ,and the ,chief      
,priests accused him of many things3 but
 when he was accused of the ,chief      
,priests and elders1 he answered        
nothing4 ,then said ,pilate unto him1   
,hearest thou not how many things they  
witness against thee8 ,and he answered  
him to never a word4 ,and ,pilate asked 
him again1 saying1 ,answerest thou      
nothing8 ,behold how many things they   

witness against thee4 ,but ,jesus yet   
answered nothing3 insomuch that the     
governor marvelled greatly4  ,men are in
 general eager enough to say all they   
can in their own defence1 especially    
when conscious of their innocence3 well1
 therefore1 might ,pilate be astonished 
at the calm and dignified conduct of one
 accused of so many crimes2 and whom    
even he held to be guiltless4 ,but our  
,lord's behaviour was thoroughly        
consistent with ,his character1 and with
 ,his work4 ,when ,he had an opportunity
 of declaring the great truth that he   
was the ,son of ,god1 the ,messiah1 then
 ,he spake boldly before the ,priests   
and the ,council1 as well as to ,pilate3
 but now1 when the ,jews were saying all
 manner of evil falsely against ,him1   
,he treated their charges with the      
silent contempt they deserved4 ,but this
 seems to have increased the rage of    
,his accusers1 and they were the more   
fierce1 saying1 ,he stirreth up the     
people1 teaching throughout all ,jewry1 

beginning from ,galilee to this place4  
,it was true that ,jesus had taught     
throughout the whole land of ,judaea3   
but the ,jews wished to make ,pilate    
believe that his object was to stir up  
the people to rebellion against ,caesar1
 and other crimes3 whereas all ,he did  
was to stir up the people to believe in 
,him as the ,messiah1 and to turn to    
,god with all their hearts1 and keep    
,his commandments4 ,pilate was greatly  
perplexed what to do2 he could not but  
see that ,jesus was innocent1 and he had
 not strength of mind to do his duty    
conscientiously1 without any fear of    
what man could do unto him3 he was1     
therefore1 too glad of an opportunity of
 throwing the responsibility of passing 
sentence upon another2 and when he heard
 the ,jews thus speaking of ,galilee1 he
 asked whether the man were a ,galilean4
 ,in ,galilee our ,lord had dwelt from  
childhood1 and as a resident in that    
province1 ,he was subject to the        
authority of ,herod ,antipas1 appointed 

by the ,romans to be king of ,galilee4  
,and as soon as ,pilate knew that he    
belonged unto ,herod's jurisdiction1 he 
sent him to ,herod1 who himself also was
 at ,jerusalem at that time1 in order to
 keep the ,passover ,feast4 ,herod being
 acquainted with the ,jewish religion   
and customs1 would be better able to    
judge between ,jesus and ,his accusers2 
and thus his opinion might help ,pilate 
in deciding upon the case4  ,herod      
,antipas 7who had caused ,john the      
,baptist to be beheaded7 was1 we are    
told1 exceeding glad to see ,jesus3 he  
had long been desirous to see ,one1 of  
whom he had heard many things2 and he   
hoped to have seen some miracle done by 
him4  ,it does not seem that ,herod     
wished to see ,jesus from any good      
motive1 or from any desire to learn of  
,him1 but simply out of curiosity3 he   
was1 therefore1 disappointed4 ,jesus    
worked no miracle1 neither would ,he    
give any account of what ,he had done   
and taught4 ,herod questioned with him  

in many words2 but he answered him      
nothing4 ,and the ,chief ,priests and   
,scribes stood and vehemently accused   
him1 as they had done before ,pilate4   
,herod was probably provoked by our     
,lord's silence3 at any rate1 he allowed
 ,him to be ill treated1 and himself    
joined in showing contempt for ,his     
claims to be a king3 for in ridicule1   
,herod with his men of war set him at   
nought1 and mocked1 and arrayed him in a
 gorgeous robe1 and sent him again to   
,pilate4     ,chapter ,,xxxix4--,,jesus 
,,condemned4   ,st4 ,luke tells us1 that
 the same day ,pilate and ,herod were   
made friends together3 for before they  
were at enmity between themselves4      
,enmity means just the contrary to      
friendship3 ,pilate and ,herod had      
quarrelled1 as the different governors  
throughout the ,roman provinces were    
very apt to do4 ,the ,bible does not    
tell us the cause of this enmity2 but   
from other histories we learn1 that some
 time before this1 ,pilate had dedicated

 some shields of gold to the ,emperor   
,tiberius1 and placed them in the palace
 called ,herodium1 built by ,herod the  
,great4 ,the ,jews looked upon this as  
an insult to their religion1 and with   
,herod's permission1 sent messengers to 
,rome1 to petition the ,emperor to order
 these shields to be removed4 ,this     
caused a quarrel between ,herod and     
,pilate3 but when the latter1 not       
wishing to help the ,jews in condemning 
,jesus1 sent ,him to ,herod1 the king1  
considering this as an acknowledgment of
 his authority1 was pleased2 and willing
 again to become friends with the ,roman
 governor4  ,the ,herodium was a very   
large palace1 consisting of two separate
 buildings1 one called ,caesareum and   
the other ,agrippeum3 it stood near the 
temple4 ,it is probable that ,pontius   
,pilate inhabited one of the buildings1 
and ,herod the other1 so that ,jesus was
 not long gone4 ,pilate1 seeing that    
,herod had pronounced no sentence       
against ,jesus1 was still more unwilling

 that ,he should die3 he was1 however1  
too much afraid of the people to act as 
a just ,judge should have done1 and set 
the prisoner at liberty2 so he thought  
that1 if he offered to punish ,him in   
some way1 he might satisfy the ,jews1   
and yet save the life of his innocent   
prisoner3 to propose to punish ,him at  
all was unjust2 but even this expedient 
availed nothing1 as we shall see4 ,herod
 having sent ,jesus back1 it was        
necessary that ,pilate should take some 
further steps4 ,and ,pilate1 when he had
 called together the ,chief ,priests and
 the rulers and the people1 said unto   
them1 ,ye have brought this man unto me1
 as one that perverteth the people3 and 
behold1 ,i1 having examined him before  
you1 have found no fault in this man    
touching those things whereof ye accuse 
him4 ,no1 nor yet ,herod3 for ,i sent   
you to him2 and1 lo1 nothing worthy of  
death is done unto him4 ,i will         
therefore chastise him1 and release him4
  ,there was a custom amongst the ,jews 

at this time1 that at the ,feast of the 
,passover the ,jews might claim any one 
of the criminals then under sentence of 
death for their crimes4 ,whoever the    
,jews chose was to be set at liberty3   
this custom appears to have been        
introduced by some ,roman governor of   
,judaea1 in order to gain favour with   
the ,jews2 who were thus allowed to     
choose one amongst the prisoners to be  
pardoned4  ,now at that feast the       
governor was wont to release unto the   
people a prisoner1 whom they would2 and 
they had then a notable prisoner1 called
 ,barabbas1 which lay bound with them   
that had made insurrection with him1 who
 had committed murder in the            
insurrection4 ,and the multitude1 crying
 aloud1 began to desire ,pilate to do as
 he had ever done unto them4 7,for of   
necessity he must release one unto them 
at the feast47  ,therefore1 when they   
were gathered together1 ,pilate said    
unto them1 ,ye have a custom1 that ,i   
should release unto you one at the      

,passover3 ,whom will ye that ,i release
 unto you8 ,barabbas1 or ,jesus which is
 called ,christ8 ,will ye therefore that
 ,i release unto you the ,king of the   
,jews8 ,for he knew that the ,chief     
,priests had delivered him for envy4    
,the ,roman governor saw truly that it  
was to gratify private passions alone1  
that the ,chief ,priests had brought    
,jesus before him2 and1 hoping that the 
people might be more just1 he offered   
them a choice between ,jesus and one of 
the greatest criminals then in prison3 a
 man who had committed the very crime1  
which the ,priests pretended that       
,christ was trying to stir up the people
 to commit2 who1 in the prosecution of  
his designs1 had committed the murder2  
and who was also a robber3 his evil     
deeds had been many2 and many must have 
suffered from his wickedness and        
violence4 ,well might ,pilate hope1 that
 the contrast between such a man and    
,jesus1 ,whose whole life had been spent
 in going about doing good1 would have  

inclined the people to demand ,his      
liberty1 and leave ,barabbas to the fate
 he had so justly deserved4 ,but no2 the
 ,chief ,priests and elders persuaded   
the multitude that they should ask      
,barabbas and destroy ,jesus4 ,and they 
cried out all at once saying1 ,away with
 this man1 and release unto us          
,barabbas4  ,one reason why ,pilate     
strove anxiously to release ,jesus was1 
that during the night his own wife had  
some remarkable dreams concerning our   
,lord3 what they were1 we are not told2 
but they had convinced her that ,he was 
an innocent and righteous man1 and that 
it would be a sin to allow any harm to  
befall ,him4 ,therefore1 when ,pilate   
was set down on the judgment seat1 his  
wife sent unto him1 saying1 ,have thou  
nothing to do with that just man3       
nothing1 that is1 in the way of         
punishing or harming ,him2 for ,i have  
suffered many things this day in a dream
 because of him4  ,pilate the governor  
therefore1 willing to release ,jesus1   

answered and spake again to them1 and   
said unto them1 ,whether of the twain   
will ye that ,i release unto you8 ,they 
said1 ,barabbas4 ,then cried they all   
again1 saying1 ,not this man1 but       
,barabbas4 ,and ,pilate answered and    
said again unto them1 ,what will ye then
 that ,i shall do with ,jesus which is  
called ,christ8 unto him whom ye call   
,king of the ,jews8 ,and they cried out 
again1 ,crucify him2 they all say unto  
him1 ,crucify him1 ,crucify him1 ,let   
him be crucified4 ,pilate made another  
effort to save ,jesus1 by reminding the 
people of ,his innocence2 and in answer 
to their savage cry1 ,crucify him1      
,crucify him1 he said unto them the     
third time1 ,why8 what evil hath he     
done8 ,i have found no cause of death in
 him3 ,i will therefore chastise him and
 let him go4 ,and they cried out the    
more exceedingly1 ,crucify him4 ,and    
they were instant with loud voices1     
requiring that he might be crucified4   
,and the voices of them and of the      

,chief ,priests prevailed4 ,pilate could
 stand out no longer2 the people showed 
symptoms of breaking out into a riot1   
which at that moment would have been a  
serious matter2 as there were an unusual
 number of ,jews assembled for the      
,passover1 and ,pilate had not soldiers 
enough to keep order1 if the people     
should make a disturbance4 ,if anything 
like a riot had occurred1 the ,emperor  
,tiberius would probably have considered
 ,pilate to blame2 and would certainly  
have deprived him of his office1 and    
most likely of his life also4 ,pilate   
had not that fear of ,god1 which admits 
no fear of man2 neither was his wish to 
save ,jesus strong enough to make him   
risk his life to deliver ,him4 ,as a    
heathen1 the life of one man would seem 
to him of little consequence2 but whilst
 he gave way to the clamours of the     
,jews1 he performed a symbolical action1
 whereby he testified that ,jesus was   
innocent1 and that he1 ,pilate1 did not 
consent to ,his death1 though forced to 

allow it4 ,for when ,pilate saw that he 
could prevail nothing1 but that rather a
 tumult was made1 he took water1 and    
washed his hands before the multitude1  
saying1 ,i am innocent of the blood of  
this just person2 see ye to it4 ,then   
answered all the people1 and said1 ,his 
blood be on us1 and on our children4    
,fearful words in the sense in which    
they uttered them6 meaning1 that if     
,jesus was innocent1 they were quite    
willing that the punishment for putting 
him to death should rest upon them and  
upon their children4 ,little did they   
foresee how dreadful would be that      
punishment2 and how severely they and   
their descendants would suffer1 in      
consequence of the crime they were      
wilfully committing4 ,in one sense1 we  
may all pray that ,his blood may be on  
us and on our children2 even as the     
blood of the paschal lamb upon the      
door-posts turned aside the visit of the
 destroying angel4  ,in regard to       
,pilate's action on this occasion1 we   

must recollect that it was ordered by   
the ,law of ,moses1 that if a man were  
found dead in a field1 and it was not   
known who or what had killed him1 the   
elders of the nearest city should       
sacrifice a heifer1 or young cow1 with  
particular ceremonies3 after which they 
should wash their hands over the slain  
beast1 and declare solemnly before ,god1
 that they had had no hand in the death 
of the man1 and that they knew not by   
what means he had met his death4 ,in    
imitation of this custom1 ,pilate now   
washed his hands2 meaning thereby to    
show that1 if ,jesus were put to death1 
he was no party to ,his death4 ,but even
 in this ,pilate was mistaken2 for to   
allow a bad action to be committed1 when
 we can prevent it1 is to incur the     
guilt of it4 ,as governor1 ,pilate might
 have refused to allow ,jesus to be     
slain1 and it was his duty to do so3 had
 a riot followed1 he could have been in 
no way guilty in the sight of ,god3 but 
,pilate1 being a heathen1 did not       

consider the matter in this light4 ,do  
not many ,christians1 who should know   
better1 act upon the same principles as 
those which influenced the ,roman       
governor8 ,they know some particular act
 to be wrong1 and yet it seems so       
expedient1 so likely to be useful in    
some way or other1 that they do it4     
,then1 again1 they perceive that they   
ought to do something which may bring   
trouble upon themselves1 or displease   
some one whose favour they wish to gain1
 and therefore they leave such action   
undone4  ,pilate1 willing to content the
 people1 and put an end to the tumult1  
gave sentence that it should be as they 
required4 ,and he released unto them him
 that for sedition and murder was cast  
into prison1 whom they had desired4     
,chapter ,,xl4--,,jesus ,,condemned ,,by
 ,,pilate4   ,then ,pilate therefore    
took ,jesus1 and scourged him4 ,this was
 a very unnecessary piece of cruelty    
practised by the ,romans2 whose custom  
it was to scourge1 or whip with cords1  

every criminal condemned to death4 ,we  
must now think of our blessed ,lord1    
with ,his back all cut and bleeding from
 the stripes laid upon ,him1 aching and 
smarting all over2 then we must remember
 that this was the punishment of our    
sins1 which ,he bore1 and that1 with his
 stripes we are healed4 ,shall not such 
thoughts stir us up to show our love for
 ,him1 ,who1 out of ,his wondrous love  
for us1 bore all these tortures8 ,and   
when ,pilate had scourged him1 he       
delivered ,jesus to their will1 to be   
crucified4  ,then the soldiers of the   
governor took ,jesus1 and led him away  
into the common hall1 called            
,praetorium2 where fresh insults and    
sufferings were inflicted upon the holy 
,jesus1 the ,messiah3 for they call     
together the whole band of soldiers1 and
 in mockery and ridicule for ,his having
 styled ,himself a king1 they stripped  
him of his own clothes1 and put on him a
 scarlet or purple robe1 7for the same  
word signifies both colours17 and then  

made a crown or wreath1 by twisting     
together some branches of a prickly     
plant4 ,and when they had platted a     
crown of thorns1 they put it upon his   
head1 and a reed in his right hand1 to  
represent the sceptre1 carried by kings4
 ,when the soldiers had thus arrayed our
 ,lord1 in ridicule of ,his claim to be 
a king1 they went a step further1 and in
 derision1 they bowed the knee before   
him1 and worshipped him1 and mocked him1
 saying1 ,hail1 ,king of the ,jews6 ,not
 satisfied with this mockery1 they smote
 him with their hands4 ,and they spit   
upon him1 to show the greatest possible 
degree of hatred and contempt2 and took 
the reed1 and smote him on the head2    
thus driving the thorns into ,him1 and  
so increasing ,his sufferings4 ,all this
 ,he bore for us2 and all ,he asks in   
return is1 that we should take ,him for 
our ,king1 so as to let ,him reign in   
our hearts1 and rule our lives4 ,pilate 
made another attempt to save the life of
 ,jesus2 he probably hoped1 that if the 

people saw ,him bleeding and suffering1 
they would feel pity1 and be ashamed of 
so treating a man1 declared to be       
innocent1 and known to all as going     
about doing good4 ,pilate therefore went
 forth again1 and saith unto them1      
,behold1 ,i bring him forth to you1 that
 ye may know that ,i find no fault in   
him4 ,then came ,jesus forth1 wearing   
the crown of thorns1 and the purple     
robe4 ,and ,pilate saith unto them1     
,behold the man6  ,the ,priests1        
however1 were determined that nothing   
should save the life of their victim1   
and therefore1 when the ,chief ,priests 
and officers saw him1 they cried out1   
saying1 ,crucify him1 ,crucify him4     
,pilate finding all his efforts vain1   
and being still afraid to offend the    
,jews1 then saith unto them1 ,take ye   
him1 and crucify him3 for ,i find no    
fault in him4 ,as if he had said1 ,if   
you are determined to crucify ,him1 do  
it2 but remember it is not my doing1 for
 ,i find no fault in him4  ,the ,jews   

answered him1 ,we have a law1 and by our
 law he ought to die1 because he made   
himself the ,son of ,god4 ,the ,jews now
 changed their ground of accusation1 and
 simply named the sin of blasphemy1 as  
the cause for which their ,law required 
our ,lord's death4  ,when ,pilate       
therefore heard that saying1 he was the 
more afraid3 the heathen governor had   
clearly seen that ,jesus was no common  
man3 if ,he were put to death for       
declaring ,himself to be the ,son of    
,god1 ,he would probably suffer for     
saying what was true2 and though        
,pilate1 as a heathen1 had no knowledge 
of the nature and power of the ,lord    
,god ,almighty1 he was afraid to crucify
 ,one1 whom he believed to be the ,son  
of ,god4 ,hesitating and perplexed1     
,pilate went again into the ,judgment   
,hall1 and saith unto ,jesus1 ,whence   
art thou8 ,but ,jesus gave him no       
answer4 ,then saith ,pilate1 ,speakest  
thou not unto me8 knowest thou not that 
,i have power to crucify thee1 and have 

power to release thee8 ,jesus answered1 
,thou couldest have no power at all     
against me1 except it were given thee   
from above3 therefore he that delivered 
me unto thee hath the greater sin4      
,jesus meant to tell ,pilate1 that no   
earthly ,ruler or ,governor could have  
power to put ,him to death1 unless it   
had been the ,will of ,god1 who dwells  
in ,heaven above1 that ,he should suffer
 whatever the ,jews chose to do to ,him4
 ,the ,jews had cruelly and unjustly    
persecuted ,him1 and in spite of ,his   
acknowledged innocence1 had treated ,him
 as the worst of malefactors3 and       
therefore ,jesus told ,pilate1 that the 
sin of the ,chief ,priests and others in
 insisting upon ,his death1 was far     
greater than the sin of ,pilate in      
giving way to them1 in order to prevent 
a tumult amongst the people4  ,the words
 spoken by ,jesus1 ,his whole conduct   
and manner1 so totally unlike that of a 
guilty person1 convinced ,pilate more   
and more1 that ,he had not spoken       

blasphemy in declaring ,himself to be   
the ,son of ,god2 and from thenceforth  
he sought to release him4  ,to prevent  
the escape of their innocent victim1 the
 ,jews now returned to their original   
charge of treason and rebellion against 
the ,roman ,emperor1 and cried out1     
saying1 ,if thou let this man go1 thou  
art not ,caesar's friend2 whosoever     
maketh himself a king speaketh against  
,caesar4 ,tiberius1 who at that time was
 ,emperor of ,rome1 was a suspicious and
 cruel tyrant2 and would have punished  
with death any governor1 supposed to    
have spared the life of a man1 who had  
set himself up to be a king in any of   
the ,roman provinces4 ,pilate1          
therefore1 did not dare to give the     
,jews any excuse for thus complaining of
 him to ,tiberius3 so when he heard that
 saying1 7,if thou let this man go1 thou
 art not ,caesar's friend17 he brought  
,jesus forth1 from the ,judgment ,hall  
into which the ,jews would not enter1   
and sat down in the judgment seat1 in a 

place outside1 that is called the       
,pavement1 but in the ,hebrew1          
,gabbatha4 ,and it was the preparation  
of the ,passover1 and about the sixth   
hour3 and he saith unto the ,jews1      
,behold your king6 ,but they cried out1 
,away with him1 away with him1 crucify  
him6 ,pilate saith unto them1 ,shall ,i 
crucify your king8 ,the ,chief ,priests 
answered1 ,we have no king but ,caesar4 
,then delivered he him therefore unto   
them to be crucified4  ,as ,st ,john's  
account of the hour at which the        
crucifixion took place appears to differ
 from that named by the other           
,evangelists1 it may be well to explain 
why ,st4 ,john says1 the sixth hour1 and
 ,st4 ,mark the third4  ,st4 ,matthew1  
,st4 ,mark1 and ,st4 ,luke1 speak       
according to the ,jewish mode of        
computing time4 ,the ,jews reckoned the 
day to begin at one sunset1 and end at  
the next2 so that their night came      
before the day1 instead of after1 as    
with us4 ,from sunset1 7about #f o'clock

 of our time17 they divided the night   
into four equal portions or watches1 of 
three hours each4 ,the ,first from #f   
o'clock ,p4,m4 to #i o'clock2 the       
,second from #i ,p4,m4 to #ab o'clock1  
or midnight4 ,the ,third watch1 called  
also the ,first ,cock ,crowing1 ended at
 what we call #c o'clock ,a4,m42 and the
 ,fourth and ,last1 called the ,second  
,cock ,crowing1 at our #f o'clock ,a4,m4
 ,the next hour after #f o'clock was    
called the #ast hour1 and so on2 the    
#crd hour answered1 therefore1 to our #i
 o'clock ,a4,m43 and this was the hour  
at which ,st4 ,mark states that they    
crucified ,jesus4 ,it must be remarked1 
that the ,jews also divided their day   
into four portions1 calling each by the 
name of the hour at which it began3 thus
 the #crd hour1 being the beginning of a
 portion1 would include the other two   
hours in that portion4 ,in this manner1 
the #crd hour1 our #i o'clock1 would    
include the #dth and #eth hours1 or our 
#aj and #aa o'clock4 ,then the #fth     

hour1 answering to our #ab o'clock      
mid-day1 would extend to #c o'clock1 the
 #ith ,jewish hour1 and so on4  ,st4    
,john1 on the other hand1 reckoned the  
time according to the ,roman and        
,asiatic mode1 still used by us4 ,thus  
the day1 as spoken of by him1 began at  
midnight2 and therefore1 his #fth hour  
was our #f o'clock in the morning1 or #f
 o'clock ,p4,m4 ,but the ,romans also   
divided their time into watches of three
 hours each1 speaking of the whole three
 hours under the name of the hour with  
which the watch began4 ,thus the #fth   
hour1 or #f o'clock ,a4,m41 would       
include all the time up to #i o'clock1  
which according to the ,romans was the  
#fth hour1 and according to the ,jews   
the #crd hour4  ,st4 ,john further says1
 that it was about the sixth hour when  
they crucified him2 now about may mean a
 little before1 or a little after1 the  
time mentioned2 and therefore1 we find  
that all the ,apostles mean the same    
thing2 viz41 that ,jesus was crucified  

soon after #i o'clock in the morning4   
,the following table may help us to     
understand clearly the time at which the
 different events happened2 beginning   
with the ,passover1 which ,jesus ate    
with ,his disciples3--                  
----------------------------------------
------------------------                
,our ,time4           ,jewish ,time4    
,events4                                
,thursday1 probably                     
about #e o'clock4     ,evening4         
,jesus eats the                         
,passover4                              
----------------------------------------
------------------------     #f o'clock 
,p4,m4       ,end of ,day4              
#g                  ,first ,night       
,watch4   ,jesus on the ,mount of       
,olives4     #h                         
----------------------------------------
------------------------     #i o'clock 
,p4,m4       ,second ,night ,watch4     
,jesus in ,garden of                    
,gethsemane4     #aj                    

,betrayed by ,judas1                    
and taken to ,annas4     #aa            
,taken before ,caiaphas4                
----------------------------------------
------------------------     #ab o'clock
 ,midnight4 ,third ,watch4              
,peter's ,first ,denial4                
,first ,cock ,crowing4  ,jesus condemned
 by the                                 
,priests4     #a ,a4,m4 ,friday4        
,abused by the                          
,attendants4     #b                     
,peter's ,second ,denial4               
----------------------------------------
------------------------     #c o'clock 
,a4,m4       ,fourth ,watch4            
,peter's ,third ,denial4                
,second ,cock ,crowing4     #d          
,jesus condemned by                     
the ,sanhedrim4     #e                  
,taken before ,pilate4                  
----------------------------------------
------------------------     #f o'clock 
,a4,m4       ,romans' #fth ,hour4       
,jesus sent to ,herod4                  

,returned to ,pilate4     #g            
,jews' #ast ,hour4      ,crowned with   
thorns4     #h                          
#bnd ,hour4      ,delivered to be       
crucified4                              
----------------------------------------
------------------------     #i o'clock 
,a4,m4       ,jews' #crd ,hour4         
,jesus crucified4                       
----------------------------------------
------------------------     ,chapter   
,,xli4--,,jesus ,,crucified4   ,in      
reading the account of our blessed      
,lord's condemnation1 it may seem       
strange to us that ,pilate was ready to 
receive ,him so early as five o'clock in
 the morning2 though we can understand  
the ,priests and the ,sanhedrim sitting 
up all night1 to accomplish their wicked
 purpose4 ,but we must remember1 that   
the ,jews were at all times ready to    
make disturbances2 and that as very     
great multitudes came into ,jerusalem   
for the ,passover1 those who were in    
authority were obliged to be very       

watchful1 so as to check the first      
symptoms of a riot3 and no doubt they   
were doubly watchful now1 remembering   
that when ,jesus rode into the city1 a  
few days before1 all the people         
accompanied ,him1 shouting1 and         
declaring ,him to be that ,king1 the    
promised ,messiah4 ,and they took       
,jesus1 and led him away4 ,and after    
that they had mocked him1 they took off 
the purple from him1 and put his own    
clothes on him1 and led him out to      
crucify him4 ,and he1 bearing his cross1
 went forth into a place called the     
place of a skull1 which is called1 in   
the ,hebrew1 ,golgotha4  ,it was the    
custom of the ,jews and ,romans never to
 put condemned persons to death within  
the city walls4 ,golgotha was a hill    
outside the city1 set apart for         
executions1 and was1 of course1 an      
unclean and polluted place4 ,it is      
thought that the name ,golgotha was     
given to this hill because1 in shape1 it
 resembled a head or skull2 and that for

 the same reason1 the ,romans called it 
,calvary3 the ,latin word so translated1
 meaning the same as the ,hebrew word   
,golgotha4  ,the ,romans compelled those
 who were to undergo the terrible death 
by crucifixion1 to carry their own cross
 to the appointed place4 ,thus we find  
,jesus bearing his cross3 but when we   
remember how our blessed ,lord had      
passed the whole night1 we shall not be 
surprised that ,he had no strength to   
carry a heavy cross of wood up a hill4  
,most likely ,he fell under the load2   
and those who led ,him out saw1 that    
faint and weary as ,he was1 it was      
impossible for this part of ,his        
sentence to be carried out1 and         
therefore1 they laid hold upon one      
,simon1 a ,cyrenian1 who passed by1     
coming out of the country3 him they     
compelled to bear his cross4 ,and on him
 they laid the cross1 that he might bear
 it after ,jesus4  ,and there followed  
him a great company of people1 and of   
women1 which also bewailed and lamented 

him4  ,many of these1 doubtless1 had    
benefited by ,his miracles of healing1  
either in themselves or in their        
children2 and all were grieved to see   
such cruelty practised upon ,one1 who   
had ever gone amongst them doing good4  
,jesus1 always mindful of others1 and   
foreseeing the dreadful sufferings that 
would come upon the city in consequence 
of ,his death1 turning unto them1 said1 
,daughters of ,jerusalem1 weep not for  
me1 but weep for yourselves1 and for    
your children4 ,for1 behold1 the days   
are coming in the which they shall say1 
,blessed are the barren 7that is1 the   
women who have no children to suffer74  
,then shall they begin to say to the    
mountains1 ,fall on us2 and to the      
hills1 ,cover us4 ,for if they do these 
things in a green tree1 what shall be   
done in the dry8  ,this is figurative   
language1 meaning that the calamities   
about to fall on ,jerusalem would be so 
dreadful1 that the ,jewish women1 who   
considered it a great misfortune to have

 no children1 would then be thankful1   
and considered blessed because they had 
none3 and that1 in the impossibility of 
escaping from their miseries1 all people
 would be glad if the mountains could   
fall and crush them4  ,then ,jesus      
reminded them1 that if a green tree is  
quickly burnt up1 a dry and withered one
 will be burnt much more quickly4 ,in   
the ,scriptures1 good men are often     
compared to green and flourishing trees2
 and bad men to dry and barren ones4    
,the meaning of our ,lord was therefore1
 ,if ,god in ,his wisdom sees fit to let
 ,me1 who am holy and righteous in ,his 
sight1 suffer such things as ye have    
seen2 what think ye will ,he do to the  
wicked and unrighteous8  ,jesus was not 
crucified alone3 it seems that at this  
time there were two criminals sentenced 
to a similar death4 ,and there were two 
other1 malefactors1 led with him to be  
put to death4 ,in reading these words1  
we must be very careful to pause at the 
comma after other1 because the meaning  

is1 and there were two other 7persons1  
who were7 malefactors1 led with him1 c4 
,malefactors mean persons that have done
 evil4 ,st4 ,matthew tells us that these
 men were thieves3 probably some of     
those robbers who troubled ,judaea at   
that time1 carrying off cattle and      
whatever they could lay their hands     
upon1 and often killing those who tried 
to defend their property4 ,these men    
were justly condemned to death in       
punishment of their sins1 and they were 
now led out to be crucified with the    
innocent and holy ,jesus4 ,the prophet  
,isaiah1 speaking seven hundred years   
before of the ,messiah1 had said1 ,he   
was numbered with the transgressors2 and
 he made his grave with the wicked4 ,he 
was1 indeed1 numbered1 or considered to 
be one of the transgressors1 fit only to
 share the fate of such4 ,literally was 
,isaiah's prophecy fulfilled1 when      
,jesus was led out with two malefactors 
to die with them4  ,and when they were  
come to the place1 which is called      

,golgotha1 they gave him vinegar to     
drink mingled with gall3 and when he had
 tasted thereof1 he would not drink4    
,and they gave him to drink wine mingled
 with myrrh3 but he received it not4    
,st4 ,matthew mentions the vinegar and  
gall2 ,st4 ,mark1 the wine and myrrh4   
,some people have thought that both mean
 the same thing2 but it is most probable
 that two separate mixtures were offered
 to ,christ at this time4  ,the ,jews   
always gave wine1 with myrrh in it1 to  
the criminal about to be executed1 to   
stupefy him1 and make him less able to  
feel pain4 ,the first draught of vinegar
 and gall was probably offered to ,jesus
 in mockery4 ,any one expecting the     
usual stupefying draught1 would be      
disappointed at getting another instead4
 ,jesus submitted for our sakes to every
 suffering and insult inflicted by ,his 
persecutors1 therefore ,he tasted the   
mixture2 but when the stupefying draught
 was offered1 he received it not2 for   
,he would do nothing to lessen ,his     

appointed sufferings1 nor to render ,him
 less able to pray to ,god4  ,and when  
they were come to the place1 which is   
called ,calvary1 there they crucified   
him1 and the malefactors1 one on the    
right hand1 and the other on the left1  
and ,jesus in the midst4 ,and the       
,scripture was fulfilled which saith1   
,and ,he was numbered with the          
transgressors4  ,crucifixion was not    
only a most painful death1 but it was   
also looked upon as a very shameful one2
 only to be awarded to the vilest       
criminals1 in order to show contempt and
 hatred4 ,sometimes the criminal was    
merely bound to the cross with ropes1   
and there left to die of hunger and     
exposure4 ,but our ,saviour was actually
 nailed to the cross1 according to the  
words spoken by ,king ,david1 one       
thousand years before1 they pierced my  
hands and my feet4  ,the manner of      
crucifixion was as follows3 the cross of
 wood being laid upon the ground1 the   
poor victim was laid upon it2 and his   

arms being stretched out along the cross
 bar1 a great nail was driven through   
the hollow of each hand into the wood3  
the feet were then crossed over each    
other upon the perpendicular part of the
 cross1 and then a very long nail was   
forced through both into the wood       
beyond4 ,there appears to have been     
under the feet a small ledge of wood1   
just to support them4 ,the poor victim  
being thus made fast to the wood1 the   
cross was raised up1 and placed upright 
in a hole already prepared to receive   
it4 ,the torture felt by the unhappy    
sufferer was most intense3 the ledge    
beneath the feet did not prevent the    
weight of the body hanging from the     
hands1 nailed to the upper part of the  
cross4 ,the agony of such a position was
 beyond all that we can conceive2 and   
this agony often lasted many hours1     
before death put an end to suffering4   
,such was the death ,christ endured for 
us4 ,surely no one can think of all     
,jesus suffered at this time1 without   

feeling the deepest grief1 and shrinking
 with horror from the idea that we could
 have joined ,his enemies4 ,and yet the 
,word of ,god tells us that1 if we      
persist in sin1 we crucify the ,son of  
,god afresh1 and put him to an open     
shame4  ,we can all understand1 that if 
we have taken a great deal of trouble1  
and put ourselves to inconvenience and  
even to pain1 in order to do good to    
some person1 it would be very grievous  
to see that person not a bit better or  
happier than he would have been1 had we 
not troubled ourselves about him4 ,then 
let us remember that ,jesus ,christ     
suffered and died that we might be taken
 into heaven4 ,but we cannot go into    
heaven1 unless we forsake our sins and  
try to obey ,god3 if1 therefore1 we will
 not take the trouble to resist the     
,devil1 all that ,jesus has done and    
suffered will be of no use to us4 ,let  
us take care that ,he has not suffered  
in vain3 let us pray for faith2 that    
true and lively faith which will        

constrain us to repent1 and love1 and   
obey4  ,now let us turn our thoughts    
again to ,jesus hanging on ,his cross1  
between those upon which the two thieves
 were fastened4  ,it was the custom of  
the ,romans1 to cause a list of the     
crimes for which a malefactor was       
condemned1 to be carried before him1 or 
fastened to the instrument of his       
punishment4 ,this was called his        
accusation4  ,in compliance with this   
custom1 ,pilate wrote a title1 and set  
up over his head his accusation written1
 and put it on the cross4 ,and the      
writing was in letters of ,greek1       
,,jesus ,,of ,,nazareth ,,the ,,king    
,,of ,,the ,,jews2 and in ,latin1 ,,the 
,,king ,,of ,,the ,,jews2 and in        
,hebrew1 ,,this ,,is ,,jesus ,,the      
,,king ,,of ,,the ,,jews4 ,this title   
then read many of the ,jews3 for the    
place where ,jesus was crucified was    
nigh to the city3 and it was written in 
,hebrew1 and ,greek1 and ,latin2 so that
 all strangers who did not understand   

,hebrew might also read this accusation4
     ,chapter ,,xlii4--,,christ ,,on    
,,the ,,cross4   ,the ,chief ,priests   
were by no means satisfied with the     
superscription written by ,pilate1 for  
they persisted in believing that ,jesus 
had no right to be called ,king or      
,messiah4 ,then said the ,chief ,priests
 of the ,jews to ,pilate1 ,write not1   
the ,king of the ,jews2 but that he     
said1 ,i am king of the ,jews3 an       
alteration which would have made it     
appear that ,he had been justly punished
 by the ,romans1 for claiming a power to
 which no one had any right in the      
,roman provinces4  ,pilate answered1    
,what ,i have written1 ,i have written4 
,this was a common mode of expression1  
meaning that a thing was done1 and could
 not be undone4 ,probably ,pilate wrote 
this title on purpose1 knowing that the 
,jews would not like it2 for he was     
displeased with them for forcing him1 as
 it were1 to do what he felt to be      
wrong3 at any rate1 in this title he    

declared a blessed truth3 even that the 
,king of the ,jews1 the long-expected   
,messiah1 the ,son of ,god1 was actually
 hanging on the cross1 atoning for the  
guilt of man1 and purchasing our pardon 
by the sacrifice of ,himself4 ,let us   
remember this with such thankfulness and
 gratitude1 as will lead us to love1 so 
as to obey4  ,whilst ,jesus was hanging 
in agony upon the cross1 ,he prayed for 
those who had so cruelly persecuted     
,him4 ,he had often taught the lesson of
 loving our enemies1 and doing them good
 whenever we have the opportunity2 and  
now ,he set us a most wonderful example 
of that love which we are to show to    
them4 ,then said ,jesus1 ,father1       
forgive them2 for they know not what    
they do3 well might ,he say of those who
 had delivered ,him to be crucified1    
they know not what they do4 ,little did 
they indeed consider the sin they were  
committing2 still less did they know    
what blessings their sin would bring    
upon all mankind4 ,but their ignorance  

was in a great degree wilful1 and wilful
 ignorance must always be a great sin3  
they had1 therefore1 much need that     
,christ should pray for them1 as now ,he
 did4  ,by law1 the executioners had a  
right to the clothes of their victim2   
and accordingly we read1 ,then the      
soldiers1 when they had crucified       
,jesus1 took his garments and made four 
parts1 to every soldier a part2 and also
 his coat3 now the coat was without     
seam1 woven from the top throughout4    
,they said1 therefore1 among themselves1
 ,let us not rend it1 but cast lots for 
it whose it shall be4 ,and they parted  
his raiment and cast lots1 that the     
,scripture might be fulfilled which     
saith1 ,they parted my raiment among    
them1 and for my vesture they did cast  
lots4 ,these things1 therefore1 the     
soldiers did3 according as ,david had   
spoken in the #bbnd ,psalm4  ,thus      
having finished the work of crucifixion1
 the soldiers1 sitting down at the foot 
of the cross1 watched him there4 ,and   

the people stood beholding4 ,and the    
rulers also with them derided him1      
saying1 ,he saved others2 let him save  
himself1 if he be ,christ1 the chosen of
 ,god4 ,had ,jesus1 indeed1 been the    
worst of criminals1 mocking or deriding 
,him thus1 whilst ,he hung in agony upon
 the cross1 would have been a most      
cowardly and brutal act3 but these      
insults were borne patiently by ,one1   
who with a word could have silenced     
these mocking tongues1 and have         
confounded all1 by coming down from the 
cross1 and leaving man's redemption for 
ever unfinished4 ,blessed be ,god1 that 
no taunts or mockings could so move     
,him1 ,who suffered all for our sakes4  
,we cannot wonder1 that following the   
example of the ,jewish priests and      
rulers1 the heathen soldiers also mocked
 him1 coming to him1 and offering him   
vinegar1 or a light wine drunk by the   
common people1 and saying1 ,if thou be  
the ,king of the ,jews1 save thyself4   
,and they that passed by reviled him1   

and railed on him1 wagging their heads1 
and saying1 ,ah1 thou that destroyest   
the temple1 and buildest it in three    
days1 save thyself1 and come down from  
the cross4 ,if thou be the ,son of ,god1
 come down from the cross4 ,likewise    
also the ,chief ,priests mocking him1   
with the ,scribes and elders1 said among
 themselves1 ,he saved others2 himself  
he cannot save4 ,if he be the ,king of  
,israel1 let him now come down from the 
cross1 and we will believe him4 ,he     
trusted in ,god2 let him deliver him    
now1 if he will have him3 for he said1  
,i am the ,son of ,god4 ,let ,christ1   
the ,king of ,israel1 descend now from  
the cross1 that we may see and believe4 
,would they have believed1 if ,jesus had
 indeed come down from the cross8 ,no2  
their hearts were hardened in wilful    
unbelief1 and their words were empty    
mockery4 ,one great truth1 however1 the 
,chief ,priests unknowingly proclaimed1 
when in mockery they cried out1 he saved
 others1 himself he cannot save3 truly  

the choice lay between the two2 ,jesus  
could not save ,himself and us4 ,for our
 salvation an atonement must be made3   
the only effectual atonement was the    
death of ,jesus1 ,he might have saved   
,himself from this1 and left us to      
perish4 ,blessed be ,god for the love1  
that endured to the end1 and thus saved 
us4  ,we are told1 that even they that  
were crucified with him1 reviled him2   
joining in the abuse now heaped upon    
him2 but without provoking one word of  
reproof or complaint4 ,no doubt the     
behaviour of our ,lord at this time must
 have gained the admiration of many1 and
 convinced them that ,he who now hung   
upon the cross was no mere man4 ,the    
,lord certainly saw fit to touch the    
heart of one of those who were crucified
 with him1 for while one of the         
malefactors which were hanged1 continued
 to rail on him1 saying1 ,if thou be the
 ,christ1 save thyself and us1 the      
other1 answering1 rebuked him1 saying1  
,dost not thou fear ,god1 seeing thou   

art in the same condemnation8 and we    
indeed justly2 for we receive the due   
reward of our deeds3 but this man hath  
done nothing amiss4 ,here was true      
repentance2 an acknowledgment of the    
justice of the punishment inflicted1    
coupled with a declaration of the       
innocence of ,him1 whom the dying thief 
now believed to be indeed the ,son of   
,god1 the promised ,messiah4 ,in        
,christ's agony and humiliation1 the    
penitent malefactor looked to ,him as   
the ,king of the ,jews1 the ,saviour of 
mankind2 and in the strength of his     
new-born faith1 he said unto ,jesus1    
,lord remember me when thou comest into 
thy kingdom3 he felt the true nature of 
,christ's kingdom3 and ,jesus1 who knows
 the hearts of all said unto him1       
,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,to-day shalt 
thou be with me in ,paradise4 ,what     
blessed words for the poor penitent     
thief to hear6 ,may each one of us1 when
 we are dying1 have the comfort of      
believing1 ,this day shall ,i be in the 

kingdom of the ,lord3 but unless our    
actions during life have shown that we  
do belong to ,his kingdom on earth1 we  
cannot feel this comfort4  ,now there   
stood by the cross of ,jesus1 his       
mother1 and his mother's sister1 ,mary  
the wife of ,cleophas1 and ,mary        
,magdalene4 ,mary's sorrow at witnessing
 the suffering of her ,son1 must indeed 
have been1 as if a sword had pierced    
through her own soul1 as ,simeon had    
foretold1 when three and thirty years   
before she had carried the ,holy ,babe  
into the temple1 to do for ,him         
according to the law4 ,mary1 the wife of
 ,cleophas or ,alphaeus1 was the mother 
of ,james called the ,less1 to          
distinguish him from ,james the brother 
of ,john1 the son of ,zebedee4 ,the     
,apostles had1 as we have seen1 fled    
away2 but ,john1 who had followed ,jesus
 to the ,high ,priest's palace1 now     
stood with the women beside the cross4  
,even in the midst of all ,his agony1   
,jesus could think of others3 ,he felt  

for the misery and desolation of ,his   
mother1 and was anxious to provide for  
her future comfort2 thus ,he set a      
double example1 showing children that   
they should never cease to love and     
honour their parents2 and teaching us   
all1 never to let our own troubles or   
sorrows1 whatever they may be1 make us  
unmindful of the sufferings of others4  
,when ,jesus1 therefore1 saw his mother1
 and the disciple standing by whom he   
loved1 he saith unto his mother1 ,woman1
 behold thy son6 ,then saith he to his  
disciple1 ,behold thy mother6 ,by these 
words1 ,he bade ,his mother look for    
comfort to ,his beloved disciple2       
bidding him treat her for the future as 
if she were his own mother4 ,faithfully 
was this last commandment obeyed1 ,and  
from that hour that disciple took her   
unto his own home4  ,jesus had now been 
hanging on the cross for three hours1   
suffering the extreme of bodily agony2  
but the worst was not yet over4 ,it was 
the sixth hour1 or twelve               

o'clock1--mid-day1 as we call it1--when 
an event took place1 which must have    
greatly alarmed all men4 ,without any   
apparent cause1 the sun was darkened2   
when the sixth hour was come1 there was 
darkness over all the earth until the   
ninth hour4 ,during these three hours of
 darkness1 we have reason to believe    
that ,jesus was allowed to feel the full
 weight of ,god's wrath against sin4    
,all the misery deserved by sinful man  
was in some wonderful and mysterious way
 laid upon ,him1 so that in some        
incomprehensible manner1 ,he1 holy as   
,he was1 tasted the bitterness of that  
death from which by ,his agonies ,he    
delivered man4 ,what ,his sufferings    
really were1 we know not4 ,god grant we 
never may6 ,but for the time ,he felt as
 if ,his ,father had cast ,him off for  
ever4 ,what a dreadful thing must sin   
be1 since it could not be forgiven      
without such terrible agony1 as for     
three hours was endured in silence by   
our blessed ,lord2 and at length wrung  

from ,him that heart-rending cry1 ,my   
,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken   
me8 ,let us1 for whose redemption ,he   
thus felt the wrath of ,god1 watch and  
pray1 that ,his sufferings may not have 
been in vain for any one of us4         
,chapter ,,xliii4--,,jesus ,,dies4      
,three hours of agony beyond what we can
 imagine passed slowly away2 and then1  
at the ninth hour1 ,jesus cried with a  
loud voice1 ,eli1 ,eli1 lama            
sabachthani8 which is1 being            
interpreted1 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast
 thou forsaken me8--the very words which
 stand1 at the beginning of the #bbnd   
,psalm1 wherein ,david foretells many   
things that would happen at this time4  
,some of them that stood by1 not        
understanding ,hebrew1 when they heard  
the words spoken by ,jesus1 said1       
,behold1 he calleth ,elias4 ,after this1
 ,jesus1 knowing that all things were   
now accomplished1 and that ,his release 
was at hand1 that the ,scripture might  
be fulfilled1 saith1 ,i thirst4 ,now    

there was set a vessel full of vinegar3 
and straightway one of the by-standers1 
more humane than the others1 ran1 and   
took a spunge1 and filled it with       
vinegar1 and put it upon hyssop1 and put
 it on a reed1 with which he raised it  
high enough to put it to his mouth1 and 
7so7 gave him to drink4 ,the rest said1 
,let be2 let us see whether ,elias will 
come to take him down4  ,the common     
drink of the ,roman soldiers was posea1 
a poor kind of wine1 often called       
vinegar1 but not like what we mean by   
vinegar4 ,this posea was now offered to 
,jesus4 ,when ,jesus therefore had      
received the vinegar1 he said1 ,it is   
finished4 ,all was now accomplished2    
every prediction uttered by the         
,prophets concerning the ,messiah1 had  
been fulfilled2 the ,redemption of man  
was completed4 ,let the cost of that    
,redemption make us give ourselves to   
our ,redeemer1 to be ,his faithful      
followers and servants4  ,jesus1 when he
 had cried again with a loud voice1     

said1 ,father1 into thy hands ,i commend
 my spirit3 and having said thus1 he    
bowed his head1 and gave up the         
ghost1--he yielded up his life1         
according to his own words1 ,i lay down 
my life for the sheep4 ,no man taketh it
 from me1 but ,i lay it down of myself4 
,the sacrifice was voluntary1 otherwise 
it could have availed us nothing4 ,jesus
 died3 ,his spirit departed from the    
body2 and ,his last words prove that the
 mysterious suffering had passed away1  
that ,he again felt the comfort of ,his 
,father's love1 and that ,he was no     
longer forsaken4  ,the ,almighty ,god   
now again bore testimony to the ,divine 
nature of ,him who had just yielded up  
his human life3 heaven and earth alike  
testified that this was indeed the ,son 
of ,god4 ,during the time of ,his       
deepest agony1 the sun was darkened2 now
 that ,he had given up the ghost1 the   
earth did quake1 and the rocks rent1 and
 the graves were opened4 ,and behold the
 veil of the temple was rent in twain1  

in the midst1 from the top to the       
bottom4  ,the veil which divided the    
,holy of ,holies from the rest of the   
temple1 was a thick curtain1 something  
like a worked carpet4 ,the tearing of   
this down the middle was a very         
significant action1 showing that the    
death of ,jesus had done away with all  
the ceremonial observances established  
by the ,law of ,moses4 ,a new ,covenant1
 the ,covenant of ,grace1 was now to    
replace the old ,covenant of ,works4    
,the ,holy of ,holies was looked upon by
 the ,jews as a type of heaven2 and only
 the ,high ,priest was allowed to enter 
into it4 ,christ died to open the way   
into heaven to all mankind1 whether     
,jews or ,gentiles2 thus the veil was   
rent1 to show that through the mediation
 of ,jesus1 all might have access to    
,god the ,father4  ,now when the        
centurion which stood over against him1 
watching ,jesus1 and they that were with
 him1 saw the earthquake1 and those     
things that were done1 and that he so   

cried out1 and gave up the ghost1 they  
feared greatly1 saying1 ,truly this was 
the ,son of ,god4  ,the ,roman centurion
 had witnessed many executions1 and the 
wonderful events attendant upon this one
 had convinced him of the truth of all  
that ,jesus had said2 and he glorified  
,god1 saying1 ,certainly1 this was a    
righteous man4 ,the very people1 who had
 been persuaded by the ,priests to ask  
for the release of ,barabbas and the    
crucifixion of ,jesus1 now shared the   
feelings of the centurion2 for we read  
that all the people that came together  
to that sight1 beholding the things     
which were done1 smote their breasts1 in
 token of remorse and grief1 and        
returned4  ,and all his acquaintance1   
and the women that followed him from    
,galilee1 among whom was ,mary          
,magdalene1 and ,mary the mother of     
,james the ,less and of ,joses1 and     
,salome the mother of ,zebedee's        
children1 and many other women which    
came up with him unto ,jerusalem1 stood 

afar off1 beholding these things4  ,the 
ninth hour1 after which our ,saviour    
breathed ,his last1 answers to our #c   
o'clock ,p4,m41 and a new day1 according
 to the ,jewish mode of reckoning1 would
 begin at #f o'clock ,p4,m4 ,as ,jesus  
was crucified on ,friday morning1 the   
day now about to begin1 was the         
,sabbath2 and being the ,sabbath in the 
,passover week1 it was a particularly   
solemn1 or high day1 to be observed with
 special reverence4 ,on the morrow after
 that ,sabbath1 the ,jewish people1     
according to the ordinances of the      
,mosaical ,law1 were accustomed to      
assemble in the temple1 bringing with   
them1 as a thank-offering to the ,lord1 
a sheaf of corn1 the first fruits of the
 harvest1 which began at this season of 
the year4 ,at the same time1 particular 
sacrifices were to be offered1 all in   
thanksgiving to ,him who giveth us the  
fruits of the earth in due season4      
,crucifixion1 as we have said1 was often
 a lingering death3 and sometimes1 to   

hasten the end1 the legs of the poor    
wretches hanging upon the cross were    
broken4 ,the beginning of the ,passover 
,sabbath was now fast approaching3 it   
was not lawful1 according to the ,jewish
 ,law1 for any criminal who had been    
hanged1 to be left hanging all night2   
that is1 beyond the close of the day of 
their execution4 ,the bodies of         
criminals who had been executed1 were   
usually buried without any form or      
ceremonies2 but sometimes1 at the       
earnest entreaty of the family1 they    
were allowed to take the body1 and bury 
it with funeral honours4  ,the ,jewish  
priests and rulers were very particular 
in observing all outward rites and      
ceremonies1 even when they had just been
 guilty of a fearful sin2 and therefore1
 because it was the preparation1 the    
time for preparing for the coming       
,sabbath1 that the bodies should not    
remain upon the cross on the sabbath day
 7for that sabbath day was an high day7 
the ,jews besought ,pilate that their   

legs might be broken1 and that they     
might be taken away4 ,then came the     
soldiers1 and brake the legs of the     
first1 and of the other which was       
crucified with him4 ,but when they came 
to ,jesus and saw that he was dead      
already1 they brake not his legs3 but   
one of the soldiers with a spear pierced
 his side1 and forthwith came thereout  
blood and water3 this water1 proved that
 the heart had been actually pierced1 so
 that none could doubt that ,jesus was  
really and truly dead4 ,it was very     
necessary that the fact of ,his death   
should be clearly established1 so that  
men might afterwards have no doubt as to
 ,his ,resurrection from the dead4      
,amongst those who saw the water and    
blood flowing from the wound made by the
 spear1 was the beloved disciple1 ,st4  
,john2 for in his ,gospel1 he tells us1 
,and he that saw it bare record1 and his
 record is true3 and he knoweth that he 
saith true1 that ye might believe4 ,in  
this treatment of the body of ,jesus by 

the ,roman soldiers1 two prophecies     
concerning our ,saviour1 the true       
,paschal ,lamb1 were fulfilled4 ,for    
these things were done1 that the        
,scripture should be fulfilled1 ,a bone 
of him shall not be broken1 and ,they   
shall look on him whom they pierced4    
,and after this1 when the evening was   
come1 because it was the preparation1   
that is1 the day before the sabbath1    
there came a rich man of ,arimathaea1 a 
city of the ,jews3 named ,joseph1 an    
honourable counsellor1 who had not      
consented to the counsel and deed of    
them in putting ,jesus to death4 ,he was
 a good man1 and a just3 who also       
himself waited for the kingdom of ,god3 
being a disciple of ,jesus1 but         
secretly1 for fear of the ,jews4        
,anxious to save the sacred body of ,him
 in ,whom he believed1 from further     
injury or insult1 this man came1 and    
went in boldly unto ,pilate1 and craved 
the body of ,jesus3 and besought ,pilate
 that he might take away the body of    

,jesus4  ,arimathaea1 supposed to be the
 same as ,rama1 where ,samuel dwelt in  
the time of ,saul1 lay to the ,n4,w4 of 
,jerusalem1 on the way to ,joppa4       
,joseph1 as a man of wealth and         
influence1 must have been known to the  
,roman governor1 who would be willing to
 oblige him1 especially in such a       
matter1 since he himself was convinced  
that ,jesus was no malefactor4 ,his only
 hesitation arose from his doubt as to  
whether ,jesus was at that time dead2   
,pilate marvelled if he were already    
dead3 and calling unto him the          
centurion1 he asked him whether he had  
been any while dead4 ,and when he knew  
it of the centurion1 ,pilate gave him   
leave2 and commanded the body to be     
delivered to ,joseph4 ,joseph having    
obtained ,pilate's leave to remove the  
body of ,jesus1 bought fine linen to    
wrap it in1 according to custom4 ,he    
came therefore1 and with the help of    
others1 took the body of ,jesus down    
from the cross4  ,and when ,joseph had  

taken the body1 he wrapped it in a clean
 linen cloth3 there came also           
,nicodemus1 which at the first came to  
,jesus by night1 and brought a mixture  
of myrrh and aloes1 about an hundred    
pound weight4 ,then took they the body  
of ,jesus1 and wound it in linen clothes
 with the spices1 as the manner of the  
,jews is to bury4 ,this was all that the
 time allowed to be done then1 in the   
way of embalming4  ,now in the place    
where he was crucified there was a      
garden1 and in the garden a new         
sepulchre1 and ,joseph laid the body in 
his own new tomb1 which he had hewn out 
in the rock1 wherein was man never yet  
laid4 ,it was a custom in those days1   
for the rich1 with whom ,christ was to  
be in his death 7as ,isaiah had said71  
to form their tombs1 by having a sort of
 small room cut out of the solid rock2  
leaving a narrow door1 which was the    
only possible way by which any one could
 go in or out4 ,this door or entrance   
was always closed by a large stone4     

,within the room or cave1 was a         
sepulchre or sepulchres1 in which the   
body was laid4 ,in such a sepulchre they
 laid ,jesus therefore1 because of the  
,jews' preparation day2 for the         
sepulchre was nigh at hand3 and the     
sabbath drew on4 ,and they rolled a     
great stone to the door of the          
sepulchre1 and departed4     ,chapter   
,,xliv4--,,jesus ,,rises ,,from ,,the   
,,sepulchre4   ,and ,mary ,magdalene1   
and ,mary the mother of ,joses1 and the 
women also which came with him from     
,galilee1 followed after ,joseph and    
,nicodemus1 and beheld the sepulchre1   
and how his body was laid4 ,and they    
returned and prepared spices and        
ointments1 in order that the process of 
embalming1 hastily begun by ,joseph and 
,nicodemus1 might be properly finished  
after the ,sabbath should be past4      
,having made their preparations1 they   
rested the sabbath day1 according to the
 commandment4  ,by comparing the        
accounts of all that happened after     

,jesus was laid in the tomb1 we find    
that though the greater number of the   
women went away1 as has been said1 two  
of them remained watching the spot which
 now contained the body of ,him whom    
they so loved and reverenced3 for we    
read1 ,and there was ,mary ,magdalene   
and the other ,mary 7the mother of      
,james and ,joses7 sitting over against 
the sepulchre4 ,there they stayed1      
probably till the ,sabbath had begun1   
when1 of course1 it was too late for    
them to prepare their share of spices1  
without breaking the fourth commandment4
  ,now the next day that followed the   
day of the preparation 7this seems to   
mean in the beginning of the ,sabbath1  
soon after #f o'clock on ,friday        
evening1 just after the burial of our   
,lord71 the ,chief ,priests and         
,pharisees came together unto ,pilate1  
saying1 ,sir1 we remember that that     
deceiver said1 while he was yet alive1  
,after three days ,i will rise again4   
,command therefore that the sepulchre be

 made sure until the third day1 lest his
 disciples come by night1 and steal him 
away1 and say unto the people1 ,he is   
risen from the dead3 so the last error  
shall be worse than the first4 ,pilate  
said unto them1 ,ye have a watch3 go    
your way1 make it as sure as ye can4 ,so
 they went1 and made the sepulchre sure1
 sealing the stone1 and setting a watch4
  ,thus did the ,lord make these        
,priests and ,pharisees bear witness to 
,christ's resurrection4 ,it was little  
likely that the ,apostles would make any
 attempt to carry off the body1 and     
still less likely that they could       
succeed in any such an attempt2 but what
 was now done rendered it impossible2   
for there was no way of carrying the    
body out of the sepulchre but through   
the door1 which was closed by a heavy   
stone1 and was now watched by a guard of
 soldiers1 who would not allow any one  
even to touch the stone1 which could not
 be moved without making much noise4 ,it
 was essential that there should never  

be any doubt as to the fact of ,christ's
 having risen from the dead1 and        
therefore ,his very enemies were made to
 furnish the strongest proofs of ,his   
resurrection4 ,thinking they had made   
the sepulchre sure1 they went away to   
rest on the ,sabbath4 ,but      ,vain   
the stone1 the watch1 the seal1         
,christ has burst the gates of ,hell2   
,death in vain forbids ,his rise1       
,christ hath opened ,paradise4  ,jesus  
laid in the grave all through the       
,sabbath1 from #f o'clock on ,friday    
evening to #f o'clock on ,saturday      
evening4 ,the ,sabbath was now past2 the
 first day in the week1 called by us    
,sunday1 was begun4 ,and when the       
sabbath was past1 ,mary ,magdalene1 and 
,mary the mother of ,joses1 and ,salome1
 who had not had time to make any       
preparations before the ,sabbath1 set   
out from their homes to go to the       
sepulchre2 and they had bought sweet    
spices1 that they might come and anoint 
him4 ,but while they were on their way1 

behold1 there was a great earthquake3   
for the angel of the ,lord descended    
from heaven1 and came and rolled back   
the stone from the door1 and sat upon   
it4 ,his countenance was like lightning1
 and his raiment white as snow3 and for 
fear of him the keepers did shake1 and  
became as dead men4  ,the time and      
circumstances of ,jesus's rising from   
the dead1 are veiled in mystery4 ,he had
 evidently left the sepulchre before the
 stone was rolled away4 ,all that we    
know is1 that ,christ rose1 and was the 
first fruits of them that slept2 and ,he
 rose on the day when the first fruits  
of the harvest were presented in        
thankfulness to the ,lord ,god          
,almightly4 ,his resurrection secured   
ours2 and1 as a sign that it did so1    
many bodies of the saints which slept   
arose out of the graves after his       
resurrection1 and went into the city1   
and appeared unto many4 ,the graves were
 opened when ,jesus gave up ,his life on
 the cross3 when ,he arose1 the bodies  

which lay in them arose also1 testifying
 to ,his triumph over death and the     
grave4  ,wonderful indeed were all the  
events which took place at this time6   
,in their several accounts of what      
happened after our ,saviour had risen1  
some of the ,evangelists mention one    
thing1 and some another2 but as clever  
men1 who have considered the subject1   
show us how all the events mentioned    
must have followed one another1 we shall
 keep to their account4  ,we have said  
that before the earthquake took place1  
,mary ,magdalene and the other ,mary1   
accompanied by ,salome1 who had joined  
them1 set out to go to the sepulchre3   
knowing that it was closed by a great   
stone1 they naturally1 as they drew     
near1 at the rising of the sun1 said    
among themselves1 ,who shall roll us    
away the stone from the door of the     
sepulchre8 ,of the watch set there1 they
 probably knew nothing4 ,but on coming  
close1 this difficulty was at an end1   
for when they looked1 they saw that the 

stone was rolled away3 for it was very  
great4 ,very probably ,mary ,magdalene  
was the first who observed this fact1   
for ,st4 ,john speaks especially of her1
 and says1 ,the first day of the week   
cometh ,mary ,magdalene early1 when it  
was yet dark1 unto the sepulchre1 and   
seeth the stone taken away from the     
sepulchre4  ,here you must understand1  
that the ,hebrew sepulchres had two     
divisions1 or chambers4 ,the inner      
division1 or chamber1 in which the body 
was laid1 was separated from the outer  
division by a door1 closed1 as we have  
heard1 by a large stone4 ,the outer     
chamber1 or porch1 had an open door1 or 
entrance4  ,as soon as ,mary ,magdalene 
and her companions came near1 they could
 see1 through the open entrance of the  
outer chamber1 that the door of the     
inner chamber was also open1 and that   
the great stone1 which they had seen    
placed there after ,jesus was laid in   
the tomb1 had been taken away3 but they 
did not see either the stone itself or  

the angel sitting upon it1 on the       
right-hand side of the door2 as this    
could not be seen without going into the
 porch1 or outer chamber4 ,as soon1     
then1 as ,mary ,magdalene saw1 through  
the open entrance of the porch1 that the
 stone was rolled away from the door of 
the inner chamber1 or sepulchre1 she1   
concluding that some persons1 either    
friends or enemies1 had opened it1 and  
carried away the body of ,jesus1        
runneth1 and cometh to ,simon ,peter1   
and to the other disciple whom ,jesus   
loved1 and saith unto them1 ,they have  
taken away the ,lord out of the         
sepulchre1 and we know not where they   
have laid him4  ,after ,mary ,magdalene 
had left them1 the other ,mary and      
,salome went into the outer division1   
and1 entering into the sepulchre 7that  
is1 into the porch71 they saw a young   
man sitting on the right side1 clothed  
in a long white garment2 and they were  
affrighted4 ,and the angel answered1 and
 said unto the women1 ,fear not ye2 be  

not affrighted2 for ,i know that ye seek
 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 which was         
crucified3 ,he is not here3 for he is   
risen1 as he said4 ,come1 see the place 
where the ,lord lay2 behold the place   
where they laid him4 ,having thus       
assured these women that the ,lord was  
indeed risen from the dead1 the angel   
bade them make the good tidings known to
 others1 saying1 ,but go your way       
quickly1 tell his disciples and ,peter  
that he is risen from the dead1 and that
 he goeth before you into ,galilee3     
there shall ye see him1 as he said unto 
you2 lo1 ,i have told you4 ,and they    
departed quickly from the sepulchre1    
with fear1 and fled2 for they trembled  
and were amazed3 neither said they      
anything to any man4  ,these women were 
so confused and overpowered with        
surprise1 fear1 and joy1 that they      
scarcely knew what to say or do3 so they
 told no man what they had seen or heard
 as they went along1 but with great joy 
did run to bring his disciples word of  

what the angel had said4  ,it must have 
been a great comfort to ,peter to hear  
that he had been particularly mentioned 
by name1 as it showed that ,jesus had   
not cast him off1 but still looked upon 
him as a disciple1 notwithstanding his  
sin in denying his ,lord and ,master4   
,it seems that when the disciples saw   
their ,lord condemned and crucified1    
they must have forgotten all that ,he   
had told them as to ,his rising again2  
and1 instead of going early to the      
sepulchre on the third day1 they appear 
to have remained at home1 mourning and  
lamenting ,his death4 ,now1 however1    
,mary ,magdalene's tidings must have    
brought their ,lord's words to          
remembrance4 ,peter therefore went      
forth1 and that other disciple 7,john71 
and came to the sepulchre4 ,so they ran 
both together3 and the other disciple   
did outrun ,peter1 and came first to the
 sepulchre4 ,and he1 stooping down and  
looking in1 saw the linen clothes lying2
 yet went he not in4 ,the clothes in    

which the body had been wrapped were    
there2 but the body itself was gone4 ,no
 angel was now to be seen1 nor did the  
disciples know that one had been seen at
 all2 for ,mary ,magdalene had left the 
sepulchre before her two companions went
 into the porch of the sepulchre4  ,then
 cometh ,simon ,peter1 following ,john1 
and went into the sepulchre1 and seeth  
the linen clothes lie1 and the napkin   
that was about his head1 not lying with 
the linen clothes1 but wrapped together 
in a place by itself4 ,this circumstance
 was very important4 ,if the body of    
,jesus had been stolen away1 either by  
friends or enemies1 they would have     
carried it away as it was1 and not      
waited to unwind the linen clothes1 and 
more especially not to have folded the  
napkin up and laid it in a separate     
place4 ,the astonishment of ,peter when 
he saw the burial clothes thus lying in 
order caused ,john also to go into the  
sepulchre3 and he saw and believed4 ,for
 as yet they knew not the ,scripture1   

that he must rise again from the dead4  
,chapter ,,xlv4--,,christ ,,appears ,,to
 ,,mary ,,magdalene4   ,the ,apostles   
appear to have come to the sepulchre1   
without any idea that the ,lord had     
risen from the dead4 ,they had not      
understood rightly what the prophets had
 said of the death and rising again of  
the ,messiah2 nor had the words of the  
,lord1 though ,he had told them plainly 
that ,he should die and rise again the  
third day1 prepared them for what had   
happened4  ,when ,john examined the     
tomb1 he saw that the body of ,jesus    
must1 in some miraculous way1 have      
slipped out of the linen clothes1       
leaving them lying in such perfect      
order3 he saw1 and believed that ,jesus 
was indeed risen4 ,for as yet they knew 
not the ,scripture1 that he must rise   
again from the dead4 ,up to this time   
they had not rightly understood this    
,scripture2 and ,john's faith now rested
 on what he had seen1 not1 as it should 
have done1 upon the ,word of ,god4      

,peter and ,john1 having satisfied      
themselves that the body of ,jesus was  
no longer in the sepulchre1 went away   
again unto their own home1 before ,mary 
,magdalene1 who had followed them1      
reached the sepulchre for the second    
time3 she arriving after they had left1 
would naturally be disappointed at not  
hearing their opinion1 as to the        
disappearance of the body of ,jesus4    
,she was grieved that any one should    
have carried ,him away2 and this1 added 
to the recollection of what she had     
witnessed in the sufferings and death of
 ,jesus1 so disturbed ,mary1 that she   
stood without at the sepulchre weeping4 
,and as she wept1 she stooped down1 and 
looked into the 7inner7 sepulchre1 and  
seeth two angels in white sitting1 the  
one at the head1 and the other at the   
feet1 where the body of ,jesus had lain4
 ,and they say1 ,woman1 why weepest     
thou8 ,she saith unto them1 ,because    
they have taken away my ,lord1 and ,i   
know not where they have laid him4 ,so  

little did ,mary expect the ,lord to    
rise again to life1 that even the sight 
of angels sitting by ,his open tomb1 did
 not convince her that the body had not 
been removed to another place4 ,she was 
soon to know the truth2 for when she had
 thus said1 she turned herself back1 and
 saw ,jesus standing4 ,but it pleased   
the ,lord to appear to her in such a    
form1 that at first she knew not that it
 was ,jesus4 ,this was the first        
appearance of ,jesus ,christ after ,his 
resurrection2 for1 as ,st4 ,mark tells  
us1 ,now when ,jesus was risen early the
 first day of the week1 he appeared     
first to ,mary ,magdalene1 out of whom  
he had cast seven devils4 ,jesus saith  
unto her1 ,woman1 why weepest thou8 whom
 seekest thou8 ,she1 supposing ,him to  
be the gardener1 saith unto him1 ,sir1  
if thou have borne him hence1 tell me   
where thou hast laid him1 and ,i will   
take him away4 ,jesus saith unto her1   
,mary4 ,this one word1 spoken in the    
tone she had been accustomed to hear1   

removed all doubts and fears3 now she   
sees and knows that it is indeed ,jesus 
restored to life1 who stands by her4 ,we
 can imagine with what surprise and joy 
she turned herself quickly towards her  
,lord1 and saith unto him1 ,rabboni2    
which is to say1 ,master4 ,from what    
follows1 we may suppose that in her     
exceeding gladness1 ,mary would have    
laid hold upon the ,lord to detain ,him2
 for ,jesus saith unto her1 ,touch me   
not2 for ,i am not yet ascended to my   
,father3 but go to my brethren1 and say 
unto them1 ,i ascend unto my ,father1   
and your ,father2 and to my ,god1 and   
your ,god4  ,by these words1 ,he seems  
to have meant that the time was not     
quite come for ,him to ascend into      
heaven2 and that ,mary need not         
therefore hold ,him1 as if she was      
afraid of not seeing ,him again2 but1 on
 the contrary1 that she should at once  
go and remind ,his disciples of all that
 ,he had before told them1 about ,his   
going to ,his ,father1 and not leaving  

them comfortless2 because if ,he left   
them1 ,he would send the ,holy ,ghost to
 teach and guide them4 ,the message thus
 sent by ,jesus1 should remind us all1  
that the ,lord ,god ,almighty is indeed 
our ,god2 a kind and loving ,father to  
all who believe in ,his beloved ,son1 so
 as to love and obey ,him4  ,mary       
,magdalene set out immediately to tell  
the disciples that she had seen the     
,lord1 and that ,he had spoken these    
things unto her4 ,on her way it seems   
that she fell in with the other ,mary   
and ,salome1 who had fled from the      
sepulchre at the sight of the angel4    
,the three women now went on together4  
,and as they went to tell his disciples1
 behold1 ,jesus met them1 saying1 ,all  
hail4 ,all hail signified ,welcome2 it  
was a common mode of expressing pleasure
 at meeting4 ,mary and ,salome1 who had 
heard from ,mary ,magdalene that the    
,lord was indeed alive again1 were      
neither astonished nor frightened at    
,his appearance2 but1 filled with joy   

and love1 they fell at ,his feet2 they  
came and held him by the feet1 and      
worshipped him4 ,then said ,jesus unto  
them1 ,be not afraid2 go tell my        
brethren that they go into ,galilee1 and
 there they shall see me4 ,the action of
 holding ,his feet1 showed fear that the
 ,lord would at once disappear2 but ,he 
bids them have no fears1 for that1 on   
the contrary1 ,he would meet ,his       
disciples in ,galilee4 ,but before that1
 ,he appeared also to ,his ,apostles4   
,whilst the women were on their way to  
tell the disciples all they had seen and
 heard1 behold some of the watch came   
into the city1 and showed unto the      
,chief ,priests all the things that were
 done4 ,we have heard how1 when the     
angel of the ,lord descended1 those who 
were guarding the sepulchre were so     
terrified1 that they became as dead     
men1--unable to move1 or know what to   
do4 ,when they came to themselves1 they 
would see that the sepulchre was empty2 
whilst they well knew that no human     

power could have removed the body4 ,they
 went therefore1 and told those who had 
set them to watch1 how vain all their   
precautions had been4 ,the ,chief       
,priests immediately called the ,council
 together3 and when they were assembled 
with the elders1 and had taken counsel1 
or consulted amongst themselves what    
they had best do to prevent their       
countrymen from believing in the        
resurrection of ,christ1 they gave large
 money unto the soldiers1 saying1 ,say  
ye1 ,his disciples came by night1 and   
stole him away while we slept4 ,so they 
took the money1 and did as they were    
taught3 and this saying is commonly     
reported among the ,jews until this day4
  ,great indeed was the wilful unbelief 
of the ,jews1 if they could for one     
moment believe such an absurd story1 as 
the ,priests and elders had bribed the  
soldiers to tell4 ,amongst the ,romans1 
death was the punishment for any soldier
 who went to sleep whilst upon guard3   
yet1 in spite of this1 men were required

 to believe1 that sixty soldiers1 and   
their commander1 were all so fast       
asleep1 that the noise which must have  
been made by moving the stone1 did not  
even awake one of them4 ,besides1 if    
they had all been asleep1 how could they
 have known that the disciples had been 
there8  ,the ,chief ,priests and elders 
knew that this story was false2 and we  
may be quite sure that ,pilate and those
 in authority did not believe it1 or the
 soldiers would not have escaped        
punishment3 but the ,romans did not care
 what the ,jews believed on the subject3
 and the soldiers1 being heathens1 and  
therefore careless about speaking the   
truth1 took the money offered by the    
,council1 and in return told what they  
knew to be a lie4 ,even up to this day1 
the ,jews1 of whom there are many       
thousands scattered in different parts  
of the world1 believe the story invented
 by the ,chief ,priests2 and instead of 
acknowledging ,jesus as the ,messiah1   
still look for ,christ's coming4 ,it    

seems to us quite impossible that any   
one should disbelieve in ,jesus ,christ 
being the promised ,messiah2 but        
unhappily it is so4 ,let us pray to ,god
 that ,he will take from the ,jews all  
blindness and hardness of heart1 and    
bring them into the ,christian ,church4 
,now let us return in thought to the    
sepulchre1 where1 after the departure of
 ,mary ,magdalene1 and of the other     
,mary and ,salome1 another party of     
women arrived4 ,these were the women    
which came with ,him from ,galilee1 and 
who1 after seeing where the body of     
,jesus was laid1 went away immediately  
to prepare spices and ointments1 and    
then rested on the sabbath day4 ,now    
upon the first day of the week1 very    
early in the morning1 they came unto the
 sepulchre1 bringing the spices which   
they had prepared1 and certain others1  
that is1 some other women came1 with    
them4 ,these women had had a longer way 
to come than ,mary ,magdalene and her   
companions1 and therefore1 although they

 set out as soon as the ,sabbath was    
past1 they did not reach the sepulchre  
until some time after them3 although it 
was still early4 ,and they found the    
stone rolled away from the sepulchre4   
,this circumstance would naturally cause
 them no surprise1 as they would        
conclude that the disciples or others   
had reached the sepulchre before them1  
and were already engaged in the work of 
embalming the body1 in which they were  
come to assist4  ,but their surprise was
 to come2 for they entered in1 and found
 not the body of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and 
it came to pass as they were much       
perplexed thereabout1 behold1 two men   
stood by them in shining garments3 and  
as they were afraid1 and bowed down     
their faces to the earth1 they said unto
 them1 ,why seek ye the living among the
 dead8 ,he is not here1 but is risen3   
remember how he spake unto you when he  
was yet in ,galilee1 saying1 ,the ,son  
of man must be delivered into the hands 
of sinful men1 and be crucified1 and the

 third day rise again4 ,the sudden      
appearance of two men in shining        
garments1 alarmed the women2 who at once
 knew them to be angels4 ,then the      
angels reproved these women for the want
 of faith1 which had made them expect to
 find amongst the dead1 ,one whom they  
ought to have known must be alive1 if   
they had remembered and believed what   
,he ,himself had formerly told them4    
,when the women heard the words of the  
angels1 they remembered the words of    
,jesus1 and returned from the sepulchre1
 and told all these things unto the     
eleven1 and to all the rest4 ,but the   
eleven had already heard these wonderful
 tidings from ,mary ,magdalene and      
,joanna1 and ,mary the mother of ,james1
 and other women that were with them1   
which told these things unto the        
,apostles1 as they mourned and wept for 
the death of their ,lord4     ,chapter  
,,xlvi4--,,jesus ,,appears ,,to ,,the   
,,disciples4   ,the testimony of so many
 different witnesses had not yet        

convinced the ,apostles3 when they had  
heard that ,jesus was alive1 and had    
been seen of ,mary ,magdalene1 they     
believed not4 ,and when the other women 
came with their testimony1 their words  
seemed to the ,apostles as idle tales1  
and they believed them not4  ,still all 
that they heard was not without some    
effect2 for ,peter was anxious to visit 
the sepulchre again3 ,then arose ,peter1
 and ran unto the sepulchre2 and        
stooping down1 he beheld the linen      
clothes laid by themselves4 ,but he saw 
nothing more2 and he departed1 wondering
 in himself at that which was come to   
pass4 ,we learn from the ,scriptures    
that ,peter was the first of the        
,apostles who did see the ,lord after   
,his resurrection2 but how and when this
 meeting took place1 we are not told2   
and it is most likely that it took place
 now1 whilst ,peter was returning from  
his second visit to the sepulchre1      
wondering in himself at that which was  
come to pass4 ,what joy it must have    

been to ,peter1 to see that his ,lord   
and ,master was indeed alive1 and to be 
able to receive forgiveness for the sin 
he had committed1 in denying all        
knowledge of ,him4 ,what passed between 
our ,lord and ,peter on this occasion1  
is not written down in either of the    
,gospels2 but we may be sure that ,jesus
 spake kindly and lovingly to ,peter4   
,it is no wonder to find that ever      
afterwards1 ,peter devoted himself      
heartily to the service of ,god4 ,after 
this interview with ,peter1 ,jesus      
appeared to two of the disciples1 who   
were not also ,apostles3 he appeared in 
another form unto two of them1 as they  
walked1 and went into the country4 ,to  
,peter1 ,jesus probably appeared in ,his
 own person1 so as to be recognized at  
once3 on the occasion of which we are   
now to speak1 ,he concealed ,himself    
under the form of a stranger4 ,st4 ,luke
 tells us1 that two of the disciples    
went that same day1 7the first day of   
the week17 to a village called ,emmaus1 

which was from ,jerusalem about         
three-score furlongs2 that is1 about    
seven miles and a half1 for eight       
furlongs make a mile4 ,and1 very        
naturally1 they talked together of all  
these things which had happened4 ,and it
 came to pass1 that1 while they communed
 together and reasoned1 ,jesus himself  
drew near1 and went with them4 ,but     
their eyes were holden1 that they should
 not know him4 ,and he said unto them1  
,what manner of communications are these
 that ye have one with another1 and are 
sad8 ,jesus asked not such questions for
 ,his own information1 but to enable    
,him to show the truth to the disciples1
 who were surprised that any person1    
even a stranger1 should be ignorant of  
the wonderful events which had happened4
 ,and one of them1 whose name was       
,cleopas1 answering said unto him1 ,art 
thou only a stranger in ,jerusalem1 and 
hast not known the things which are come
 to pass there in these days8 ,and he   
said unto them1 ,what things8 ,and they 

said unto him1 ,concerning ,jesus of    
,nazareth1 which was a prophet mighty in
 deed and word before ,god and all the  
people3 and how the ,chief ,priests and 
our rulers delivered him to be condemned
 to death1 and have crucified him4 ,but 
we trusted that it had been he which    
should have redeemed ,israel3 and beside
 all this1 to-day is the third day since
 these things were done4 ,yea1 and      
certain women of our company made us    
astonished1 which were early at the     
sepulchre2 and when they found not his  
body1 they came1 saying1 that they had  
also seen a vision of angels1 which said
 that he was alive4 ,and certain of them
 which were with us went to the         
sepulchre1 and found it even so as the  
women had said3 but him they saw not4   
,in this account of the matter1 given by
 these two to a stranger1 as they       
supposed1 we see the state of doubt and 
perplexity in which all the disciples   
were3 a little more faith would have set
 their minds at rest3 but it is evident 

that though1 whilst ,he lived they had  
believed ,jesus to be the true ,messiah1
 who should redeem ,israel1 ,his death  
and burial had so far shaken their      
belief1 that they could not at once feel
 sure that ,he had risen from the dead1 
though they could not altogether reject 
that idea4  ,when these two disciples   
had ended their account1 they must have 
been somewhat surprised at being        
reproached for their unwillingness to   
believe all that their ,prophets had    
spoken concerning the ,messiah2 for     
,jesus1 still in ,his character of a    
stranger1 said unto them1 ,o fools1 and 
slow of heart to believe all that the   
prophets have spoken6 ,and then ,he     
reminded them1 that the ,scriptures had 
expressly said1 that ,christ must suffer
 death on earth1 before ,he could enter 
into glory in heaven3 saying1 ,ought not
 ,christ to have suffered these things1 
and to enter into his glory8 that is1   
ought not these very things which       
trouble you to have happened just as    

they have done1 to fulfil the           
,scriptures1 and to show that this was  
indeed the promised ,messiah4  ,when    
,jesus had shown the two disciples that 
want of faith alone caused their        
perplexity1 ,he graciously went on1 and 
beginning at ,moses and all the         
prophets1 he expounded 7or explained7   
unto them in all the ,scriptures the    
things concerning himself4 ,and they    
drew nigh unto the village1 whither they
 went3 and he made as though he would   
have gone further4 ,but they constrained
 him1 saying1 ,abide with us3 for it is 
toward evening1 and the day is far      
spent4 ,no wonder these disciples1 whose
 faith must have been strengthened by   
the explanations of their unknown       
companion1 were unwilling so soon to    
part with one so learned in the         
,scriptures2 and1 as it was near        
evening1 they urged ,him to go in and   
abide with them for the night4 ,at their
 earnest entreaty1 he went in to tarry  
with them4 ,emmaus1 where our ,lord now 

was1 was a village about seven or eight 
miles to the west of ,jerusalem2 the    
dwelling-place1 probably1 of the two    
disciples whose guest ,he was4 ,and it  
came to pass1 as he sat at meat with    
them1 he took bread and blessed it1 and 
brake1 and gave to them4 ,jesus probably
 did what ,he had done at the last      
,passover ,supper1 when ,he appointed   
,bread and ,wine to be taken and        
received1 in continual remembrance of   
the sacrifice of the death of ,christ1  
and of the benefits which we receive    
thereby4  ,at any rate1 by this act1    
,jesus made ,himself known to ,cleopas  
and his companion3 their eyes were      
opened1 and they knew him2 and he       
vanished out of their sight4 ,and they  
said one to another1 ,did not our heart 
burn within us1 while he talked with us 
by the way1 and while he opened to us   
the ,scriptures8 ,they had felt great   
interest in the conversation and        
teaching of the stranger1 and now they  
seem to feel that all he had said should

 have shown them that ,one ,who thus    
taught could be no other than the ,lord 
,himself4 ,their next thought was to    
tell these great and glad tidings to the
 rest of the disciples2 and though it   
was drawing towards night1 and they had 
already had a long walk1 they rose up   
the same hour1 and returned to          
,jerusalem1--setting us a good example  
not to let any personal inconvenience   
prevent us from doing anything that we  
feel it is our duty to do4 ,when they   
reached ,jerusalem1 they found the      
eleven gathered together1 and them that 
were with them1 saying1 ,the ,lord is   
risen indeed1 and hath appeared to      
,simon4 ,peter had by this time related 
how the ,lord had spoken to him1 and his
 testimony had convinced his fellow     
disciples that their ,lord had indeed   
risen from the dead4 ,cleopas and his   
companion now bore witness to the same  
fact1 and told what things were done in 
the way1 and how he was known of them in
 breaking of bread4 ,but some of the    

disciples do not seem to have been      
convinced even yet1 for ,st4 ,mark says 
of these two1 they went and told it unto
 the residue1 neither believed they     
them4  ,then the same day at evening1   
7nearly #f o'clock17 still being the    
first day of the week1 when the doors   
were shut where the disciples were      
assembled for fear of the ,jews1 came   
,jesus3 as they thus spake1 ,jesus stood
 in the midst of them1 and saith unto   
them1 ,peace be unto you4               
,notwithstanding all that had already   
past1 it seems that the greater part1 at
 least1 of the disciples could not      
believe that this was really and truly  
the ,lord1 in the same body as ,he had  
borne before ,his death3 they were      
terrified and affrighted1 and supposed  
that they had seen a spirit4 ,and he    
said unto them1 ,why are ye troubled8   
and why do thoughts arise in your       
hearts8 ,behold my hands and my feet1   
that it is ,i myself3 handle me1 and    
see2 for a spirit hath not flesh and    

bones1 as ye see me have4 ,and when he  
had thus spoken1 he shewed them his     
hands and his feet1 and his side4 ,then 
were the disciples glad when they saw   
the ,lord4  ,doubts1 however1 still     
lingered in the minds of some1 and these
 our ,lord graciously condescended to   
remove2 for while they yet believed not 
for joy1 and wondered1 he said unto     
them1 ,have ye here any meat8 ,and they 
gave him a piece of a broiled fish1 and 
an honeycomb4 ,and he took it1 and did  
eat before them4 ,then said ,jesus to   
them again1 ,peace be unto you3 as my   
,father hath sent me1 even so ,i send   
you4 ,and when he had said this1 he     
breathed on them1 and saith unto them1  
,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost3           
whosesoever sins ye remit1 they are     
remitted unto them2 and whosesoever sins
 ye retain1 they are retained4  ,remit  
here means forgive2 sins remitted are   
sins forgiven4 ,to retain means just the
 contrary--not forgiven sins2 retained  
means sins that are not forgiven1 of    

which the guilt still rests upon those  
who have committed them4 ,jesus did not1
 of course1 mean that ,his ,apostles1 or
 any human being1 had power to forgive  
or remit the smallest sin committed     
against ,god2 none can forgive sin1 but 
,god only4 ,but our ,lord meant1 that   
when1 by the teaching of the ,apostles1 
poor sinners should be brought to       
believe the ,gospel and repent1 they1   
the ,apostles1 might safely declare unto
 them the blessed truth1 that their sins
 are forgiven1 and done away with1 for  
the sake of all that ,jesus ,christ has 
done for us4  ,but in the same way1 the 
,apostles must warn all who will not    
believe and repent1 that their sins     
cannot be forgiven2 but that their guilt
 remains1 and must hereafter meet with  
due punishment4     ,chapter            
,,xlvii4--,,unbelief ,,of ,,thomas4     
,but ,thomas1 one of the twelve1 called 
,didymus1 was not with them when ,jesus 
came4 ,as soon as they met again1 the   
other disciples therefore said unto him1

 ,we have seen the ,lord4 ,thomas1      
however1 was so convinced that it was   
impossible for ,jesus to appear again in
 ,his own body1 that he declared that he
 would not believe1 unless he actually  
saw that it was the very same body which
 had been crucified3 therefore1 he said 
unto them1 ,except ,i shall see in his  
hands the print of the nails1 and put my
 finger into the print1 or hole made by 
the nails1 and thrust my hand into the  
wound made by the spear in his side1 ,i 
will not believe4  ,this want of faith  
was wrong3 ,thomas knew that the other  
,apostles would not say anything that   
they did not believe to be true2 and it 
was impossible that all the ten1 should 
have merely fancied that they had seen  
and talked with their beloved ,lord and 
,master4  ,thomas was now left for one  
whole week in his unbelief2 and a good  
many of the disciples1 who had not      
themselves seen ,jesus1 took his view of
 the matter3 though the ten ,apostles1  
and a great number of the disciples1    

were convinced that ,christ was indeed  
risen4  ,and after eight days again1    
that is1 on the first day of the next   
week1 the disciples were within1 and    
,thomas with them3 then came ,jesus1 the
 doors being shut1 so that ,he could not
 possibly have come into the room that  
way1 and stood in the midst1 and said1  
,peace be unto you4  ,the disciples were
 probably at supper1 for ,st4 ,mark     
says1 he appeared unto the eleven as    
they sat at meat1 and upbraided them    
with their unbelief and hardness of     
heart1 because they believed not them   
which had seen him after he was risen4  
,to upbraid means to reproach3 all had  
deserved reproach for their slowness and
 unwillingness to believe the testimony 
of others1 but to ,thomas such          
upbraiding was principally addressed3   
but whilst he reproved1 ,jesus also     
showed mercy3 for then saith ,he to     
,thomas1 ,reach hither thy finger1 and  
behold my hands3 and reach hither thy   
hand1 and thrust it into my side3 and be

 not faithless1 but believing4 ,thomas  
had now received the proofs which he had
 demanded2 he saw and was convinced that
 ,jesus had indeed1 according to the    
,scriptures1 risen in his own human body
 from the grave4 ,and ,thomas answered  
and said unto him1 ,my ,lord and my     
,god4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,thomas1   
because thou hast seen me1 thou hast    
believed3 blessed are they1 that have   
not seen1 and yet have believed4 ,these 
are comfortable words for all           
,christians who believe without seeing3 
and we may indeed thank ,god for the    
unwillingness of this ,apostle to       
believe1 as it afforded a still further 
testimony to the reality of the         
,resurrection4  ,it seems that the next 
appearance of ,jesus ,christ was to a   
large number of ,his disciples at once4 
,we read1 ,then the eleven disciples    
went away into ,galilee1 into a mountain
 where ,jesus had appointed them4 ,here 
many other disciples must have joined   
them2 for another part of ,scripture    

tells us1 that he was seen of above five
 hundred brethren at once4 ,and when    
they saw him1 they worshipped him2 but  
some doubted4 ,it appears probable that 
at first1 ,jesus showed ,himself at a   
great distance1 so that some could still
 hardly believe that ,he was the ,lord4 
,but ,jesus came and spake unto them4   
,we may imagine how all doubts were     
removed at once1 and with what joyful   
gladness the disciples acknowledged ,him
 now1 as the long-expected ,messiah4    
,after these things1 ,jesus showed      
himself again to the disciples at the   
sea of ,tiberias4 ,it seems that the    
,apostles had so little idea of the     
nature of the work they were from       
henceforth to do1 that they had returned
 to their usual occupation of fishermen4
 ,there were together ,simon ,peter1 and
 ,thomas called ,didymus1 and ,nathanael
 of ,cana in ,galilee1 and the sons of  
,zebedee1 and two other of his          
disciples4 ,simon ,peter saith unto     
them1 ,i go a fishing4 ,they say unto   

him1 ,we also go with thee4 ,they went  
forth1 and entered into a ship          
immediately2 and that night they caught 
nothing4 ,but when the morning was now  
come1 ,jesus stood on the shore2 but the
 disciples knew not that it was ,jesus4 
,then ,jesus saith unto them1 ,children1
 have ye any meat8 meaning1 have ye now 
taken any fish4 ,to this question1 put1 
as they supposed1 by a man1 the         
disciples answered him1 ,no4 ,and he    
said unto them1 ,cast the net on the    
right side of the ship1 and ye shall    
find4 ,it seems probable that the       
disciples now began to have some        
suspicions as to the true nature of     
,him1 who gave them this direction1     
since no mere man could have foretold   
the result of their casting the net in  
one particular spot4 ,they cast1        
therefore1 and now they were not able to
 draw it1 for the multitude of fishes4  
,this completely convinced the          
disciples2 therefore1 that disciple whom
 ,jesus loved1 saith unto ,peter1 ,it is

 the ,lord4 ,now1 when ,simon ,peter    
heard that it was the ,lord1 he girt his
 fisher's coat unto him1 7for he was    
naked17 and did cast himself into the   
sea1 eager to swim quickly to the land  
on which his beloved ,master stood4 ,the
 word naked1 in this place1 only means  
that ,peter had not his outer garments  
on--only the inner one he wore whilst   
fishing2 and this he girt on1 bound     
close round him1 that it might be no    
hindrance whilst he swam4 ,and the other
 disciples came in a little ship 7or    
boat71 for they were not far from land1 
but as it were two hundred cubits 7about
 #abj yards71 dragging the net with     
fishes4 ,as soon then as they were come 
to land1 they saw a fire of coals there1
 and fish laid thereon1 and bread4      
,jesus saith unto them1 ,bring of the   
fish which ye have now caught4 ,simon   
,peter went up 7to help71 and drew the  
net to land full of great fishes1 an    
hundred and fifty and three3 and for all
 there were so many1 yet was not the net

 broken4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,come  
and dine4 ,the word here translated     
dine1 means rather breakfast1 the first 
meal of the day1 for it was now early   
morning4  ,and none of the disciples    
durst ask him1 ,who art thou8 knowing   
that it was the ,lord4 ,jesus then      
cometh1 and taketh bread1 and giveth    
them1 and fish likewise4  ,st4 ,john1 in
 his account of this meeting of ,jesus  
and ,his disciples at the sea of        
,tiberias1 says1 ,this is now the third 
time that ,jesus showed himself to his  
disciples1 after that he was risen from 
the dead4 ,it is the third appearance   
mentioned by ,st4 ,john2 and it was the 
third time that ,jesus had appeared to  
the ,apostles1 when all or most of them 
were together2 and this is probably what
 ,st4 ,john meant4 ,the first of these  
appearances1 was to the ten on the day  
of ,his ,resurrection1 when ,thomas was 
not with them2 the second took place on 
the first day of the next week1 when all
 the eleven were assembled2 and the     

third1 was the one of which we have just
 been speaking at the sea of ,tiberias4 
,of ,jesus appearing to ,mary ,magdalene
 and the other women1 to ,peter alone1  
to the two disciples on their way to    
,emmaus1 and to above five hundred      
brethren at once1 ,john makes no        
mention4 ,st4 ,paul1 in his ,epistle to 
the ,corinthians1 speaking of the       
appearing of ,jesus after the           
,resurrection1 says1 ,he was seen of    
,cephas1 then of the twelve3 after that1
 he was seen of above five hundred      
brethren at once3 after that1 he was    
seen of ,james1 then of all the         
,apostles4 ,now none of the ,gospels    
gives an account of any special         
appearance to ,james3 we may therefore  
conclude that we are not told of every  
appearance vouchsafed to ,his disciples1
 during the time that ,jesus remained on
 earth after ,his ,resurrection2 though 
enough are related1 to prove the reality
 of that blessed fact4  ,we may remark1 
that ,cephas is a ,greek word1 meaning  

the same as ,peter1 that is1 a rock1 or 
stone2 and that as ,st4 ,paul was       
writing to the inhabitants of a city of 
,greece1 he called ,simon ,peter by his 
,greek name3 by the twelve1 the body of 
the ,apostles is meant1 though at that  
time there were1 in fact1 only eleven of
 them4  ,when the ,apostles had eaten   
their meal of fish and bread1 to which  
they had been invited by the ,lord1 a   
remarkable conversation took place4 ,we 
read1 ,so when they had dined1 ,jesus   
saith to ,simon ,peter1 ,simon1 son of  
,jonas1 lovest thou me more than        
these8--that is1 dost thou love me more 
than these other of my disciples love   
me8 ,you will remember how before the   
,crucifixion1 ,peter1 in his            
self-confidence1 declared1 that though  
all the other disciples should forsake  
,jesus1 he never would1 but would die   
for ,him if necessary3 but his grievous 
fall had shown him his own weakness2 and
 now1 so far from boasting of his       
greater love1 he humbly replied1 ,yea1  

,lord2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4  
,he saith unto him1 ,feed my lambs4 ,by 
lambs and sheep1 our ,saviour meant all 
his people1 young and old3 all1 who     
should believe in ,him1 and so belong to
 ,his ,church1 or flock1 as it is often 
called4  ,this mode of speaking of the  
people of ,god1 as of a ,flock1         
consisting of sheep and lambs1 is very  
common throughout the ,scripture4 ,david
 pleading for his people1 who were      
suffering from pestilence in consequence
 of his sin in numbering them1 says1    
,but these sheep1 what have they done8  
,the same idea is often repeated in the 
,psalms1 and in the ,prophets2 and in   
our ,liturgy1 or ,church ,service1 we   
confess that we have erred and strayed  
like lost sheep4  ,peter would well     
understand this figurative manner of    
speaking4 ,the question was repeated3   
,jesus saith to him again the second    
time1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou
 me8 ,he saith unto him1 ,yea1 ,lord2   
thou knowest that ,i love thee4 ,he     

saith unto him1 ,feed my sheep4 ,he     
saith unto him the third time1 ,simon1  
son of ,jonas1 lovest thou me8 ,peter   
was grieved because he said unto him the
 third time1 ,lovest thou me8 ,and he   
said unto him1 ,lord1 thou knowest all  
things2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4 
,jesus saith unto him1 ,feed my sheep4  
,three times had ,peter denied his      
,lord2 three times now had he been      
asked1 ,lovest thou me8 ,well might he  
be grieved at the remembrance of that   
sin1 which could have cast a doubt upon 
the love he bore his divine ,master3    
deeply did he feel the rebuke which he  
had deserved4 ,humbly1 without making   
any professions1 did he appeal to ,him1 
who knows all hearts1 to judge whether  
he loved ,him4 ,peter's love for ,jesus 
was both strong and sincere1 and his    
whole future life bore witness to its   
strength and sincerity1 until he did    
indeed lay down his life for his        
,master's sake4 ,let us take ,peter for 
our example1 and try1 by every action of

 our lives1 to show that we do love and 
wish to please our ,god and ,saviour4   
,after this ,jesus said to ,peter1      
,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,when
 thou wast young1 thou girdedst thyself1
 and walkedst whither thou wouldest3 but
 when thou shalt be old1 thou shalt     
stretch forth thy hands1 and another    
shall gird thee1 and carry thee whither 
thou wouldest not4 ,this spake he1      
signifying by what death he should      
glorify ,god4 ,and when he had spoken   
this1 he saith unto him1 ,follow me4    
,about thirty years after this time1 in 
the reign of the ,emperor ,nero1 ,peter 
was crucified at ,rome by the heathens1 
because he tried to make them           
,christians2 he stretched out his arms  
on the cross1 and another bound him and 
carried him to execution4 ,faithfully   
did ,peter obey his ,master's command1  
,follow me2 for he went about teaching  
after ,his example1 until ,he died by   
the same death4 ,but in his death1      
,peter gave a further proof of humility2

 for considering himself unworthy even  
to die in the same way as ,jesus had    
done1 he begged to be crucified with his
 head downwards2 and this request was   
granted4 ,death for the sake of our     
religion is called martyrdom1 and those 
who so suffer1 are martyrs4     ,chapter
 ,,xlviii4--,,jesus ,,taken ,,into      
,,heaven4   ,we are not told that ,peter
 made any remark upon what ,jesus told  
him1 signifying by what death he should 
glorify ,god3 we only read1 ,then       
,peter1 turning about1 seeth the        
disciple whom ,jesus loved1 following2  
which also leaned on his breast at      
supper1 and said1 ,lord1 which is he    
that betrayeth thee8 ,this you will     
remember was ,john1 one of the sons of  
,zebedee2 the same ,john who alone gives
 us any account of what passed on this  
occasion4 ,peter1 seeing him1 saith to  
,jesus1 ,lord1 and what shall this man  
do8 ,jesus1 instead of satisfying       
,peter's curiosity1 gave him an answer1 
which should teach us all1 that we must 

not seek curiously to know things hidden
 from us2 and that the great point is1  
for every man to follow ,christ by faith
 and practice1 and not to concern       
himself too much about others2 any      
further than by setting a good example1 
and using what influence he may have    
over others1 for a good purpose4  ,in   
answer to ,peter's question1 ,jesus     
saith unto him1 ,if ,i will that he     
tarry till ,i come1 what is that to     
thee8 ,follow thou me4 ,then went this  
saying abroad among the brethren1 that  
that disciple should not die1 but should
 tarry1 or remain alive upon earth1     
until the ,saviour should come again to 
judge the world4 ,there was no ground   
for the disciples to form such a        
mistaken notion2 for as ,st4 ,john truly
 says1 yet ,jesus said not unto him1 ,he
 shall not die2 but1 if ,i will that he 
tarry till ,i come1 what is that to     
thee8  ,jesus then appeared again to    
,his ,apostles at ,jerusalem1 and gave  
them ,his last directions as to their   

conduct1 when ,he should have left them 
to return to ,his ,father in heaven4    
,being assembled together with them1    
7he7 commanded them that they should not
 depart from ,jerusalem1 but wait for   
the promise of the ,father1 which1 saith
 he1 ye have heard of me4 ,for ,john    
truly baptized with water2 but ye shall 
be baptized with the ,holy ,ghost1 not  
many days hence4 ,in these words1 ,jesus
 reminded the disciples of ,his frequent
 promises to send upon them the ,holy   
,spirit1 the ,comforter1 to be their    
guide2 and ,he bade them wait in        
,jerusalem1 until this promise should be
 fulfilled4 ,and he said unto them1     
,these are the words which ,i spake unto
 you1 while ,i was yet with you1 that   
all things must be fulfilled1 which were
 written in the law of ,moses1 and in   
the ,prophets1 and in the ,psalms1      
concerning me4 ,then opened he their    
understanding1 that they might          
understand the ,scriptures1 and see how 
exactly ,his death and resurrection had 

accomplished everything prophesied of   
the ,messiah4 ,and 7he7 said unto them1 
,thus it is written1 and thus it behoved
 ,christ to suffer1 and to rise from the
 dead the third day3 and that repentance
 and remission of sins should be        
preached in his name among all nations1 
beginning at ,jerusalem4 ,and ye are    
witnesses of these things4 ,and1 behold1
 ,i send the promise of my ,father upon 
you3 but tarry ye in the city of        
,jerusalem1 until ye be endued with     
power from on high4  ,such were our     
,lord's last directions to the ,apostles
 whom ,he was about to leave2 and either
 immediately after this conversation1 or
 a few days later1 he led them out as   
far as to ,bethany1 where ,he purposed  
to take ,his final leave of them on     
earth4 ,the ,bethany here meant1 was not
 the actual village of that name1 which 
was about two miles from ,jerusalem1 but
 a part of ,mount ,olivet1 or the ,mount
 of ,olives1 nearer to the city4 ,the   
,mount ,olivet began about #e furlongs  

7little more than half a mile7 from     
,jerusalem3 the first tract or part of  
the ,mount was called ,bethphage1 and in
 this tract was the village bearing that
 name3 another portion of the ,mount    
went by the name of ,bethany1 and in    
that tract was the village of ,bethany4 
,jesus led his ,apostles to the spot    
where the tract of ,bethany joined that 
of ,bethphage4 ,when they therefore were
 come together1 they asked of him1      
saying1 ,lord1 wilt thou at this time   
restore again the kingdom to ,israel8   
,the ,apostles had not yet a clear idea 
of the spiritual nature of ,christ's    
kingdom1 nor of the time which was to   
elapse1 before it should be established 
upon earth2 and they seem even to have  
thought that now1 when by ,his rising   
from the dead ,he had proved ,himself to
 be the ,messiah1 the ,king of the      
,jews1 ,he would at once restore them to
 their former state of prosperity1 and  
make ,judaea again an independent       
kingdom4 ,jesus reproved them for asking

 such a question1 and said unto them1   
,it is not for you to know the times or 
the seasons1 which the ,father hath put 
in his own hand4 ,there are1 indeed1    
many things said of future blessings in 
store for the ,children of ,israel2 but 
how or when ,god will give them1 is one 
of the secret things1 which are at      
present hidden from us4 ,after reproving
 ,his disciples for undue curiosity as  
to future events1 ,jesus calls their    
attention back to matters more nearly   
concerning themselves2 namely1 to the   
work which they were now to do1 in      
bearing witness of all that ,he had     
done1 and in teaching men everywhere the
 blessed truths of the ,gospel2 and for 
this important and arduous task1 ,jesus 
again promises them that divine help1   
without which man can do nothing good4  
,therefore1 he said unto them1 ,but ye  
shall receive power1 after that the     
,holy ,ghost is come upon you2 and ye   
shall be witnesses unto me1 both in     
,jerusalem1 and in all ,judaea1 and in  

,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of
 the earth4  ,and he said unto them1    
,all power is given unto me in heaven   
and in earth4 ,go ye1 therefore1 and    
teach all nations1 baptizing them in the
 name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1  
and of the ,holy ,ghost2 teaching them  
to observe all things whatsoever ,i have
 commanded you4 ,go ye into all the     
world1 and preach the ,gospel to every  
creature4 ,he that believeth and is     
baptized shall be saved2 but he that    
believeth not shall be damned4 ,and     
these signs shall follow them that      
believe3 ,in my name shall they cast out
 devils2 they shall speak with new      
tongues2 they shall take up serpents2   
and if they drink any deadly thing1 it  
shall not hurt them2 they shall lay     
hands on the sick1 and they shall       
recover4 ,and1 lo1 ,i am with you alway1
 even unto the end of the world4  ,by   
being baptized1 those who heard the     
,gospel preached1 showed their faith in 
,christ1 and their determination to     

follow ,his precepts and commands3 and  
by ,baptism1 ,god gave them grace and   
strength to do so4 ,by ,baptism1 we are 
now received into ,christ's ,church--we 
become ,christians4 ,in the time of the 
,apostles1 of course1 the grown-up      
people were baptized3 when they had     
heard the ,gospel preached1 and believed
 that ,jesus ,christ came into the world
 to save sinners1 they would repent of  
all their sins1 and try to serve and    
obey ,him2 and then they would be       
baptized in the name of the ,father1 and
 of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost2  
to show that they did mean to dedicate1 
or give themselves up1 to the service of
 ,god3 and ,he1 in return1 would pour   
out upon them ,his ,holy ,spirit1 to    
enable them to do so4  ,but ,god1 who is
 a merciful ,father1 does not require   
,his creatures to wait for the blessings
 of ,baptism1 until they are old enough 
to understand and value them2 and       
therefore amongst ,christian nations1   
,infants are baptized long before they  

can either believe or repent1 and so    
they become the children of ,god--lambs 
of ,his flock2 and receive ,his blessing
 before they have sense to know anything
 about it4 ,when they are old enough1   
they must learn to know what great      
blessings were given to them by         
,baptism1 and what solemn promises were 
made for them--promises which they are  
bound to keep1 if they would partake of 
the benefits1 and live with ,jesus      
hereafter in heaven4 ,in our own        
strength1 no one can keep these promises
 entirely2 but we must continually      
strive hard to do so1 and above all pray
 without ceasing1 that we may be        
strengthened to do it4  ,after ,jesus   
had given ,his ,apostles commands to    
preach the ,gospel to every creature1   
and to baptize all who were willing1 ,he
 told them1 as we have read1 that they  
should have power to work miracles1 in  
order to prove to all men that they     
really were the chosen messengers of    
,god1 giving ,his messages to ,his      

people3 for if they were able to cast   
devils out of the bodies of men1 to heal
 the sick1 to speak languages which they
 had never learned1 and to take up      
venomous serpents1 or drink poison      
without suffering any harm1 it would be 
quite plain that ,god was with them2    
since only by ,his special grace could a
 man do any of these things4  ,and when 
he had spoken these things1 he lifted up
 his hands1 and blessed them4 ,and it   
came to pass while he blessed them1 he  
was parted from them1 and a cloud       
received him out of their sight1 and 7he
 was7 carried up into heaven4 ,so then1 
after the ,lord had spoken unto them1 he
 was received up into heaven1 and sat on
 the right hand of ,god4  ,and while    
they looked stedfastly toward heaven1 as
 he went up1 behold two men stood by    
them in white apparel2 which also said1 
,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing
 up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1     
which is taken up from you into heaven1 
shall so come in like manner as ye have 

seen him go into heaven4  ,from the     
question asked by these angels1 it would
 seem that even now the ,apostles could 
hardly believe that their beloved ,lord 
was gone from their sight for ever1 upon
 the earth4 ,they are therefore         
reminded1 that their gazing up is       
useless2 but that a day shall come when 
,he shall return to earth3 but then it  
will be as a judge1 to pass sentence of 
happiness or misery upon every living   
creature4 ,we know not how soon that    
awful day may come2 let us therefore    
watch and pray1 that we may find mercy  
before our judge--the ,saviour of all   
who so believe in ,him1 as to love ,him 
and keep ,his commandments4  ,the words 
of the angels recalled the disciples'   
minds to earth1 and to the work which   
their ,master had left them to do4 ,and 
they worshipped him1 and returned to    
,jerusalem1 from the mount called       
,olivet1 with great joy4 ,and were      
continually in the temple1 praising and 
blessing ,god4  ,and they went forth1   

and preached everywhere1 the ,lord      
working with them1 and confirming the   
word with signs following4 ,not         
immediately1 however2 but in these words
 ,st4 ,mark1 as it were1 sums up the    
future history of the ,apostles2 stating
 how they at once set to work to fulfil 
the commandments given to them by ,jesus
 ,christ4  ,here1 then1 the ,history of 
our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ   
must end2 and we cannot do better than  
close it with the words of ,st4 ,john   
himself1 speaking of our ,lord's        
miracles3 ,and many other signs truly   
did ,jesus in the presence of his       
disciples1 which are not written in this
 book3 but these are written that ye    
might believe that ,jesus is the        
,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that     
believing1 ye might have life through   
his name4  ,st4 ,john ends his account  
of ,his ,master's life and death with   
the following words3 ,this is the       
disciple which testifieth of these      
things1 and wrote these things3 and we  

know that his testimony is true4 ,and   
there are also many other things which  
,jesus did1 the which1 if they should be
 written every one1 ,i suppose that even
 the world itself could not contain the 
books that should be written4 ,amen4    
,,part ,,ii4     ,chapter ,i4--,,the    
,,gift ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost4       
,after the ,four ,gospels1 there is in  
the ,new ,testament a book called ,the  
,acts of the ,apostles1 which gives us  
an account of the principal acts1 or    
doings1 of some of the ,apostles1 after 
the ,lord was taken from them4 ,this    
,book of ,acts was written by ,st4      
,luke1 who also wrote one of the ,four  
,gospels2 and it is the only ,scriptural
 account we have of what the ,apostles  
said and did1 though we gather a few    
more particulars from the ,epistles1 or 
letters written by the ,apostles        
themselves1 to the brethren in different
 places4  ,the ,book of ,acts furnishes 
us with much that has been said of the  
,ascension1 or going up into heaven1 of 

,jesus ,christ4 ,we have already heard  
that the ,apostles returned to          
,jerusalem with joy1 which might seem   
strange when one they so dearly loved   
had just been taken from them4 ,but they
 had indeed cause for joy3 they had seen
 their ,lord suffer and die1 to purchase
 pardon for sinners2 they had seen ,him 
come to life again1 thus showing that   
,he had indeed made a sufficient        
atonement for all3 and now they had     
beheld ,him received up into heaven1    
proving that1 for ,his sake1 all ,his   
true disciples might follow ,him3 where 
,i am1 there shall ye be also4 ,great   
therefore was their joy1 and they showed
 it in the most fitting manner1 by being
 continually in the temple1 praising and
 blessing ,god4  ,the first thing we    
have an account of after their return   
from ,mount ,olivet to ,jerusalem is1   
that1 when they were come in1 they went 
up into an upper room1 where abode both 
,peter1 and ,james1 and ,john1 and      
,andrew1 ,philip1 and ,thomas1          

,bartholomew 7called also ,nathanael71  
and ,matthew1 ,james the son of         
,alphaeus 7known to us as the ,less71   
and ,simon ,zelotes1 and ,judas 7or     
,jude7 the brother of ,james4 ,the word 
,zelotes means full of zeal1 or         
eagerness2 and this ,simon was probably 
so called1 because he was eager in doing
 the work of ,god4 ,st4 ,matthew speaks 
of him as ,simon the ,canaanite2 and it 
is supposed that he was a native of the 
city of ,cana1 in ,galilee4 ,here we    
find the eleven ,apostles all together3 
and they continued with one accord in   
prayer and supplication1 with the women1
 and with ,mary the mother of ,jesus1   
and with his brethren3 waiting for the  
promised outpouring of the ,holy        
,spirit4  ,during this time1 ,peter     
proposed1 that from amongst the         
disciples who had accompanied them all  
the time that the ,lord ,jesus went in  
and out among them1 they should choose  
one to take the place of ,judas         
,iscariot1 and be with them a witness of

 the ,resurrection of ,christ2 thus     
making the number of the ,apostles      
twelve1 as it had been at first1 by the 
,lord's appointment4 ,peter's suggestion
 was at once followed4 ,and they        
appointed two1 ,joseph called ,barsabas1
 who was surnamed ,justus1 and          
,matthias1 both of whom appeared to be  
in every way fit for the office they    
were to fill2 and then1 not trusting in 
their own judgment1 they prayed1 and    
said1 ,thou1 ,lord1 which knowest the   
hearts of all men1 shew whether of these
 two thou hast chosen1 that he may take 
part of this ministry and apostleship1  
from which ,judas by transgression fell1
 that he might go to his own place4 ,and
 they gave forth their lots2 and the lot
 fell upon ,matthias2 and he was        
numbered with the eleven apostles4  ,the
 mode of deciding doubtful matters by   
lot had been appointed by the ,law of   
,moses2 and was1 at the time we are     
speaking of1 a solemn way of seeking the
 ,will of ,god1 who directed the lot as 

,he saw fit4  ,matthias1 now chosen to  
be an ,apostle1 was probably one of the 
seventy1 whom our ,lord during ,his life
 sent out by twos to teach the people1  
and work miracles1 in order to prepare  
the way for ,him4 ,it is believed that  
,matthias first went about teaching in  
,judaea1 and that he afterwards         
travelled eastward1 where he met with   
cruel treatment from the barbarous      
nations of ,asia4 ,with great labour and
 suffering1 he did convert many of the  
heathens to ,christianity2 but at last  
he was put to death for the sake of     
,jesus4 ,but these things did not1 of   
course1 happen until many years after   
,matthias was chosen to fill up the     
number of the ,apostles4  ,jesus had    
remained on earth for forty days from   
the day of ,his resurrection2 and during
 that time ,he showed himself at        
different times to ,his disciples4 ,the 
day on which ,he rose from the grave we 
call ,easter ,day1 from an old word1    
meaning to rise4 ,the ,apostles kept a  

feast every year afterwards on that day1
 in memory of this glorious event2 and  
our ,church teaches us also to observe  
,easter as a season of especial joy4    
,in consequence of ,christ having risen 
on the ,first ,day of the week1 the     
disciples1 and all ,christians since    
their time1 have observed that day as a 
day of holy rest1 and called it the     
,lord's ,day3 this is ,sunday1 which    
amongst us is dedicated to the special  
service of ,god1 instead of the ,seventh
 ,day1 or ,jews' ,sabbath1 our          
,saturday4  ,forty days after ,easter   
,day1 ,jesus went up1 or ascended1 into 
heaven2 and our ,church keeps that day  
holy1 and calls it ,the ,ascension ,day1
 because ascension means going up4  ,for
 ten days after the ,ascension1 the     
disciples1 who had seen their ,lord     
ascend1 remained quietly at ,jerusalem1 
praising ,god for all that had been     
done1 and praying continually both in   
private and in public4 ,another great   
feast of the ,jews was now drawing near3

 this feast is spoken of under different
 names in the ,old ,testament1 and we   
must now say something about it4  ,in   
the ,law of ,moses1 the ,jews were1 as  
has already been said1 commanded to     
offer up a sheaf of corn on the day     
after the ,sabbath which followed the   
,feast of the ,passover2 that is1 on the
 first day of the week1 after the       
,passover week4 ,this sheaf was offered 
up as a thank-offering at the beginning 
of harvest1 for they began to cut the   
barley 7the first corn crop7 immediately
 after the ,passover4  ,seven weeks     
after this beginning of harvest1 the    
,jews were to keep one of the three     
great feasts1 ordained by the ,mosaical1
 or ,levitical ,law4 ,this great feast  
was called ,the ,feast of ,weeks1       
because it was observed seven weeks     
after that of the ,passover3 seven weeks
 were called a week of weeks1 because   
seven days make a week1 and there were  
seven times seven days in the ,feast of 
,weeks4 ,it was also called ,the ,day of

 ,first ,fruits1 because it was then the
 time to begin to gather in the other   
crops and productions of the ground2 and
 in thankfulness for all these fruits of
 the earth1 a new meat offering was     
offered unto the ,lord4  ,the ,jewish   
,rabbis also called this great feast1   
,the ,day of the ,giving of the ,law1   
because the ,law was given by ,god to   
,moses on ,mount ,sinai1 fifty days     
after the ,children of ,israel ate the  
first ,passover in ,egypt2 and this     
feast1 as we have said1 was kept on the 
fiftieth day after the ,feast of the    
,passover4 ,in the ,new ,testament this 
feast day is called ,the ,day of        
,pentecost3 because in ,greek1          
,pentecost means fiftieth1 and as we    
have said1 the ,jews were to number     
fifty days from the morrow after the    
,passover ,sabbath1 and then to keep    
this great feast4  ,as ,jesus rose on   
the morrow after the ,passover ,sabbath1
 our ,easter ,day 7or ,easter ,sunday71 
the fiftieth day1 would again be on the 

first day of the week1 ,sunday with us3 
seven weeks or fifty days from the      
blessed day on which our ,lord rose from
 the grave1 and ten days after ,his     
,ascension4  ,this ,day of ,pentecost1  
distinguished already as a day of       
rejoicing and thanksgiving for many     
blessings1 temporal and spiritual1 and  
called ,the ,feast of ,weeks1 of ,first 
,fruits1 and of ,the ,giving of the     
,law1 was now chosen by ,god as the day 
on which the promised gift of the ,holy 
,spirit was to be poured out upon the   
,apostles1 to their great spiritual     
benefit1 as well as to that of all who  
were to look to their teaching1 for the 
knowledge of what ,jesus ,christ has    
done for sinners4  ,we read in the ,book
 of ,acts1 ,and when the day of         
,pentecost was fully come1 they were all
 with one accord in one place4 ,and     
suddenly there came a sound from heaven 
as of a rushing mighty wind1 and it     
filled all the house where they were    
sitting4 ,and there appeared unto them  

cloven tongues like as of fire1 and it  
sat upon each of them4 ,fire was looked 
upon by the ,jews as a sign of the      
presence of ,god4 ,and those upon whom  
these tongues of fire descended1 were at
 once filled with the ,holy ,ghost3 a   
visible and miraculous sign immediately 
followed1 for they began to speak with  
other tongues1 that is1 in strange and  
foreign languages1 which they had never 
learnt1 as the ,spirit gave them        
utterance4  ,thus were accomplished the 
promises of ,jesus1 to send the         
,comforter upon ,his ,apostles1 and that
 they should be baptized with the ,holy 
,ghost4  ,the power of speaking strange 
languages was a most valuable gift1     
enabling the ,apostles to obey the      
command to teach all nations1 which they
 could not have done had they not been  
able to make themselves understood by   
all men4  ,one miracle had1 as a        
punishment1 confounded the language of  
men1 so that they ceased to have        
intercourse with each other3 now another

 miracle mercifully removed this        
barrier1 so that all nations might hear 
from the ,apostles the glad tidings of  
salvation--the ,gospel of our ,lord     
,jesus ,christ4  ,at the time when the  
,holy ,ghost descended so miraculously  
upon the ,apostles1 there were dwelling 
at ,jerusalem1 ,jews1 devout men1 out of
 every nation under heaven4 ,by devout  
men1 is meant worshippers of the one    
true ,god3 these were mostly ,jews1     
either from having been born so1 or from
 having turned from idolatry to follow  
the religion of the ,jews4 ,these ,jews 
were scattered over the face of the     
world2 and wherever they went1 they     
endeavoured to make proselytes3 the     
,feast of the ,passover would naturally 
bring numbers of them to ,jerusalem1 to 
add to those who dwelt in the city4 ,now
 when this1 that had happened to the    
,apostles1 was noised abroad1 the       
multitude came together1 and were       
confounded 7or astonished beyond        
measure71 because that every man heard  

them speak in his own language4 ,and    
they were all amazed1 and marvelled1    
saying one to another1 ,behold1 are not 
all these which speak ,galileans8 ,and  
how hear we every man in our own tongue1
 wherein we were born8 ,parthians1 and  
,medes1 and ,elamites1 7or ,persians71  
and the dwellers in ,mesopotamia1 and in
 ,judaea1 and ,cappadocia1 in ,pontus1  
and ,asia1 ,phrygia1 and ,pamphylia1 in 
,egypt1 and in the parts of ,libya about
 ,cyrene1 and strangers of ,rome1 ,jews 
and proselytes1 ,cretes and ,arabians1  
we do hear them speak in our tongues the
 wonderful works of ,god4  ,most of the 
countries here mentioned are parts of   
what we call ,asia3 but in the ,new     
,testament1 when ,asia is spoken of1 it 
seems to mean only the parts about      
,lydia2 that part of ,asia1 in short1   
known to us as ,asia ,minor1 which      
borders on the ,archipelago1 or ,a,egean
 ,sea4 ,libya1 as well as ,egypt1 was a 
part of ,africa4 ,one of the kings of   
,egypt1 ,ptolemy ,lagus1 the father of  

that ,ptolemy who employed seventy-two  
learned men to translate the ,hebrew    
,scriptures into ,greek1 did place a    
good many captive ,jews in ,cyrene1 and 
other parts of ,libya4 ,the descendants 
of these people1 and the proselytes they
 had made1 were amongst the number of   
,jews gathered together to the city of  
,jerusalem at this time4     ,chapter   
,,ii4--,,the ,,lame ,,man ,,healed ,,by 
,,peter ,,and ,,john4   ,when the       
multitude of ,jews from all parts of the
 earth1 heard twelve poor ignorant men  
of ,galilee1 able to speak easily in    
many different languages1 which they had
 most probably never even heard spoken  
before1 they were all amazed1 and were  
in doubt1 saying one to another1 ,what  
meaneth this8 ,the great truths of the  
,gospel thus proclaimed1 must indeed    
have startled them1 for they could not  
but perceive that ,god was with these   
men in a very remarkable manner4 ,some  
of them1 unwilling to believe the words 
spoken by the ,apostles1 tried to make  

out that they had been drinking so much 
wine1 that they did not know what they  
were talking about1 and ought not1      
therefore1 to be listened to4 ,others   
mocking said1 ,these men are full of new
 wine1--as if being drunk1 could make   
any man speak a real language1 of which1
 in his sober moments1 he knew nothing4 
,it was of the greatest importance that 
all men should clearly understand that  
the ,apostles were really and truly the 
messengers of ,god1 and that the ,holy  
,spirit had been wonderfully given to   
them1 to enable them to teach all       
nations3 and therefore1 when the        
accusation of being drunk was brought   
against them1 they stood up1 and ,peter1
 no longer timid and fearful as to what 
man might do to him1 lifted up his      
voice1 and spake boldly to the assembled
 multitude4 ,it is most probable that   
all this took place in some part of the 
temple4  ,peter began by declaring to   
the people1 that he and his fellows were
 not drunk1 reminding them that it was  

only the third hour of the day4 ,the    
third hour1 nine o'clock in the morning 
with us1 was the time appointed for     
service in the temple1 and the pious and
 devout ,jews did not eat nor drink     
anything before they attended it4 ,then 
,peter told his hearers1 that what they 
had now seen1 was only the fulfilment of
 the prophecies1 that the ,lord would   
pour out ,his ,spirit upon all flesh4   
,then he went on1 and spake to them of  
many solemn things1 and of the death and
 resurrection of ,jesus of ,nazareth2   
and how ,david1 whom all the ,jews      
acknowledged to be a prophet1 had       
declared beforehand those things which  
had happened unto ,jesus4 ,peter also   
told the people1 that this ,jesus1 being
 by the right hand of ,god exalted into 
heaven1 and having received of the      
,father the promise of the ,holy ,ghost1
 he hath shed forth this1 which ye now  
see and hear3 and he ended his discourse
 with these plain and fearless words1   
,therefore let all the house of ,israel 

know assuredly1 that ,god hath made that
 same ,jesus1 whom ye have crucified1   
both ,lord and ,christ4  ,these words   
seem to have had a great effect on the  
people1 for when they heard this1 they  
were pricked in their heart1 that is1   
their consciences told them that they   
had greatly sinned in putting ,jesus to 
death2 and now1 feeling their need of   
help and guidance1 they said unto ,peter
 and to the rest of the ,apostles1 ,men 
and brethren1 what shall we do8 ,the    
answer was ready3 ,then ,peter said unto
 them1 ,repent1 and be baptized every   
one of you in the name of ,jesus ,christ
 for the remission of sins1 and ye shall
 receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4  
,for the promise is unto you and to your
 children1 to all that are afar off1    
even as many as the ,lord our ,god shall
 call4 ,and with many other words did he
 testify and exhort1 saying1 ,save      
yourselves from this untoward           
generation1--that is1 separate          
yourselves from the unbelieving and     

sinful multitude1 and so save yourselves
 from the wrath of ,god1 which will rest
 upon all impenitent sinners4  ,the     
success of ,peter's words1 proving the  
reality of the power given to them by   
the ,holy ,spirit1 must have been a     
great encouragement to the ,apostles to 
continue their labours1 in humble       
confidence that the same help would be  
ever with them4 ,we read1 ,then they    
that gladly received his word were      
baptized3 and the same day there were   
added unto them1 to the company of      
disciples1 about three thousand souls--a
 large number4 ,nor was it a momentary  
feeling that actuated them1 for we read1
 ,and they continued stedfastly in the  
,apostles' doctrine and fellowship1 and 
in breaking of bread1 and in prayers2   
that is1 they continued to listen to the
 blessed truths taught by the ,apostles 
of the forgiveness of sins for ,jesus   
,christ's sake1 partaking with them of  
the ,lord's ,supper in remembrance of   
,his death1 and joining in earnest      

prayer for grace1 to enable them to     
serve ,god acceptably4 ,and fear came   
upon every soul3 and many wonders and   
signs were done by the ,apostles4 ,those
 who saw such miracles performed1 were  
more and more convinced that the        
,apostles were the messengers of ,god2  
and they would naturally fear to offend 
the ,almighty ,god1 ,whose power was    
thus shown1 and of ,whose goodness the  
,apostles spake4  ,and all that believed
 were together1 and had all things      
common2 and sold their possessions and  
goods1 and parted them to all men1 as   
every man had need4 ,and they1          
continuing daily with one accord in the 
temple1 and breaking bread from house to
 house1 did eat their meat with gladness
 and singleness of heart1 praising ,god1
 and having favour with all the people4 
,and the ,lord added to the church daily
 such as should be saved4 ,those who now
 became ,christians1 devoted themselves 
and all their possessions to the service
 of ,god3 content with food for the     

supply of their daily wants1 their whole
 object was to do the work of ,god with 
singleness of heart2 that is1 with a    
heart wholly filled with love towards   
,him1 and to their fellow creatures for 
,his sake1--a heart whose single purpose
 it was to do the ,will of ,god4 ,no    
wonder that those who acted in such a   
manner1 found favour with all the       
people1 and that their example was      
followed1 so that many were daily added 
to the ,church1 or body of believers in 
,jesus ,christ4  ,we read just now1 that
 those who believed had all things      
common1 and sold their possessions so as
 to make one common fund1 out of which  
the daily wants of each were supplied4  
,thus those who had goods and riches    
gave them up2 and those who had none    
were supplied out of their abundance4   
,this giving up of all private property 
by the rich1 so that the poor believers 
might be supported1 was necessary at    
that time3 for the poorer class of      
people on becoming ,christians1 would   

get neither employment nor help from    
their ,jewish brethren2 nor would they  
receive any part of those sacrifices    
offered in the temple1 which were       
devoted to the relief of the poor4 ,but 
however desirable this arrangement was  
then1 it was not commanded2 it was a    
sacrifice made willingly by the rich1   
for the benefit of the poorer brethren4 
,in these days1 to have everything in   
common would be impossible2 but though  
we are not called upon to do this1 we   
are called upon and commanded to help   
others2 and to deny ourselves1 and      
sacrifice our own wishes1 that we may be
 able to do good to our fellow          
creatures2 and thus show our love for   
,jesus1 ,who says1 ,if any man seeth his
 brother have need and shutteth up his  
compassion from him1 how dwelleth the   
love of ,god in him8 ,and again1 ,to do 
good and to distribute forget not1 for  
with such sacrifices ,god is well       
pleased4 ,many other passages of        
,scripture teach us the same lesson1 and

 it is summed up as it were in the      
command1 ,do unto all men as ye would   
they should do unto you4  ,the next act 
we hear of as done by the ,apostles is1 
that ,peter and ,john went up together  
into the temple1 at the hour of prayer1 
being the ninth hour4 ,there were three 
fixed times for public prayer in the    
temple3 the third hour 7or #i o'clock in
 the morning71 when the morning         
sacrifices were offered2 the sixth hour1
 that is1 #ab o'clock or noon2 and the  
ninth hour1 #c o'clock in the afternoon1
 when the evening sacrifices were       
offered4 ,the gates of the temple were  
the favourite resorts of cripples1 who  
caused themselves to be carried to them1
 that they might beg for money from     
those who were continually passing and  
re-passing4 ,peter and ,john1 going up  
to prayer in the middle of the day1 saw 
a poor man who had been lame ever since 
he was born1 and whom they laid daily at
 the gate of the temple which is called 
,beautiful1 to ask alms of them that    

entered into the temple4 ,when this man 
begged of the ,apostles they said unto  
him1 ,look on us4 ,the man readily gave 
heed unto them1 and did as they told    
him1 expecting to receive something of  
them2 and so he did1 though not of the  
kind he expected4 ,then ,peter said1    
,silver and gold have ,i none2 but such 
as ,i have give ,i thee3 ,in the name of
 ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 rise up   
and walk4 ,and he took him by the right 
hand1 and lifted him up3 and immediately
 his feet and ankle bones received      
strength4 ,and he1 leaping up1 stood1   
and walked1 and entered with them into  
the temple1 walking1 and leaping1 and   
praising ,god4 ,when the people saw this
 man1 whom they had long known as a     
helpless cripple1 walking1 and praising 
,god1 they were naturally full of wonder
 and amazement4 ,and as the lame man    
which was healed held ,peter and ,john1 
all the people ran together unto them1  
in the porch that is called ,solomon's1 
greatly wondering4  ,this porch was1 you

 must remember1 a sort of colonnade or  
piazza1 built over the same spot on     
which that built by ,solomon in the     
first temple1 had stood4 ,when ,peter   
saw such a number of people assembled1  
he spake to them1 and said1 ,ye men of  
,israel1 why marvel ye at this8 or why  
look ye so earnestly on us1 as though by
 our own power or holiness we had made  
this man to walk8 ,and then he told     
them1 that this cripple was made whole1 
because he had faith in ,jesus ,christ1 
who was truly the ,son of ,god the      
promised ,messiah1 though they had      
refused to believe in ,him1 and had     
forced ,pilate to crucify ,him4 ,but    
that1 although they had preferred a     
murderer1 and had killed ,him ,who was  
the ,prince of ,life1 ,god had raised   
,him from the dead2 as all the ,apostles
 could bear witness1 and that in ,his   
name and by ,his power alone1 was this  
miracle worked4 ,peter then went on to  
say1 that they did not know what they   
were about when they persecuted ,jesus  

even unto death2 and that if now1 they  
would repent1 and believe all that the  
,apostles could tell them of ,jesus     
,christ1 their sins should be blotted   
out4 ,and he reminded them1 that ,moses1
 and all the prophets since his time1   
had spoken of the coming of ,christ2 and
 that to them1 as the descendants of the
 ,children of ,israel with whom the     
first covenant was made1 ,god had now   
sent ,his son ,jesus ,christ1 to bless  
them1 in turning away every one from his
 iniquities4 ,peter and ,john were not  
long left to preach undisturbed to the  
people3 for as they spake unto the      
people1 the priests1 and the captain of 
the temple1 and the ,sadducees1 came    
upon them1 being grieved that they      
taught the people1 and preached through 
,jesus the resurrection from the dead4  
,and they laid hands on them1 and put   
them in hold unto the next day3 for it  
was now eventide4 ,the captain of the   
temple was one of the ,priests1 who     
directed and looked after all the guards

 and watches of the ,priests and        
,levites1 who were appointed to keep the
 temple from being in any way profaned4 
,before the death of ,jesus1 the        
,scribes and ,pharisees were ,his chief 
enemies2 but now that ,his disciples    
declared and taught that ,he had risen  
from the dead1 the ,sadducees became the
 most violent opposers of the ,apostles1
 who taught the doctrine of the         
,resurrection4     ,chapter             
,,iii4--,,ananias ,,and ,,sapphira4     
,although the ,priests and the          
,sadducees did for the time put a stop  
to ,peter's discourse1 they could not   
undo the effect which it produced2 for  
we read1 ,howbeit many of them which    
heard the word believed2 and the number 
of the men was about five thousand4     
,the next day ,peter and ,john were     
taken before the ,sanhedrim1 where      
,annas1 the ,high ,priest1 and          
,caiaphas1 with many others1 were       
assembled4 ,and when they had set them  
in the midst1 they asked1 ,by what      

power1 or by what name1 have ye done    
this8 ,peter1 filled with the ,holy     
,ghost1 immediately told the members of 
the ,council1 that the lame man was     
healed solely and entirely by the name  
or power of the very ,jesus of          
,nazareth1 ,whom they had crucified1    
,whom ,god had raised again from the    
dead4 ,and further he told them1 that   
,jesus1 ,whom they had rejected1 was the
 corner stone as it were1 the foundation
 of ,christ's ,church2 and that none who
 would not believe in ,him could be     
saved2 saying also1 ,neither is there   
salvation in any other3 for there is    
none other name under heaven given among
 men1 whereby we must be saved4  ,the   
boldness of the ,apostles in thus       
speaking1 greatly astonished their      
hearers2 especially as they perceived   
that they were unlearned and ignorant   
men4 ,unlearned and ignorant according  
to the ideas of the world1 but full of  
the best knowledge and wisdom2 for by   
the ,holy ,spirit1 they had been taught 

those things which make men wise unto   
salvation4 ,all the learning in the     
world1 although very useful and         
desirable1 will be of no value in the   
day of death2 but the wisdom which is   
from above1 will then prove an          
inestimable treasure4 ,many who are     
ignorant of everything but what the     
,bible teaches them1 will then be found 
more truly wise1 than those who have    
spent their lives in acquiring          
knowledge1 without searching the        
,scriptures4  ,the ,priests and elders  
might well marvel2 they knew the        
,apostles to be unlearned fishermen1 and
 they despised them as being ,galileans2
 and they took knowledge of them1 that  
they had been with ,jesus4 ,and         
beholding the man which was healed      
standing with them1 they could say      
nothing against it4 ,they saw that      
,peter and ,john were two of those who  
had always followed ,jesus whilst ,he   
was on earth1 and now it was certain    
that they had worked a great miracle3   

they could not deny this1 for there1 by 
the side of the two ,apostles1 stood the
 very man whom they had healed3 a man   
well known to all at ,jerusalem1 as     
having never been able to stand upon his
 feet since he was born4 ,the ,priests  
and elders could not say the man was not
 healed2 and therefore1 as they were    
determined not to acknowledge the power 
of ,jesus1 they were in difficulty as to
 what they could do to the ,apostles4   
,but when they had commanded them to go 
aside out of the council1 they conferred
 among themselves1 saying1 ,what shall  
we do to these men8 for that indeed a   
notable miracle hath been done by them1 
is manifest to all them that dwell in   
,jerusalem2 and we cannot deny it4 ,but 
that it spread no further among the     
people1 let us straitly threaten them1  
that they speak henceforth to no man in 
this name4  ,it is sad to hear of rulers
 who were only anxious to prevent the   
people from believing in the truth6 ,how
 truly did they bring upon themselves   

the sentence pronounced by our ,lord1   
when he said1 ,woe unto you lawyers1 for
 ye have taken away the key of          
knowledge3 ye entered not in yourselves1
 and them that were entering in ye      
hindered4  ,having made up their minds  
what to do1 the members of the ,council 
sent again for the ,apostles3 ,and they 
called them1 and commanded them not to  
speak at all nor teach in the name of   
,jesus4 ,but ,peter and ,john answered  
and said unto them1 ,whether it be right
 in the sight of ,god to hearken unto   
you more than unto ,god1 judge ye4 ,for 
we cannot but speak the things which we 
have seen and heard4 ,the ,jews1 who    
professed to obey the ,law given to     
,moses by ,god1 could not possibly say  
that it was right to obey man rather    
than ,god2 and the sudden and complete  
cure of this man1 who was above forty   
years old1 had given such a proof that  
the ,apostles acted under the immediate 
direction of the ,almighty1 that the    
,priests knew not what to say or do4    

,so when they had further threatened    
them1 they let them go1 finding nothing 
how they might punish them1 because of  
the people3 for all men glorified ,god  
for that which was done4 ,and being let 
go1 they went to their own company1 and 
reported all that the ,chief ,priests   
and elders had said unto them4 ,and when
 they heard that1 they lifted up their  
voice to ,god1 and praised ,him ,who had
 done such great things1 and had        
accomplished every word that ,david and 
the prophets had spoken concerning the  
,messiah1 the holy child ,jesus1 against
 whom both ,herod and ,pontius ,pilate1 
with the ,gentiles1 and the people of   
,israel1 were gathered together1 for to 
do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel  
determined before to be done4  ,and then
 the disciples prayed the ,lord to grant
 them grace to speak the truth boldly1  
undismayed by the fear of man2 and to   
continue those signs and wonders1 which 
proved them to be acting by his special 
direction4  ,they were comforted and    

encouraged by an immediate answer to    
their prayers3 for when they had prayed1
 the place was shaken where they were   
assembled together2 and they were all   
filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and they  
spake the word of ,god with boldness4   
,and with great power gave the ,apostles
 witness of the resurrection of the     
,lord ,jesus3 and great grace was upon  
them all4 ,they had well and fearlessly 
used the grace already given to them1   
and therefore the ,lord increased the   
gift1 and strengthened them still       
further for their work4  ,and the       
multitude of them that believed were of 
one heart and of one soul3 united       
together in perfect love and harmony2   
believing the same truths1 and having   
the same object in all they did2 namely1
 that of bringing all men to serve and  
obey the ,lord4 ,even as to worldly     
matters1 as we have said1 the same unity
 or oneness of feeling prevailed1       
neither said any of them that ought of  
the things which he possessed was his   

own2 but they had all things common4    
,neither was there any among them that  
lacked3 for as many as were possessors  
of lands or houses sold them1 and       
brought the prices of the things that   
were sold1 and laid them down at the    
,apostles' feet3 and distribution was   
made unto every man according as he had 
need4  ,at this time the ,church of     
,christ1 that is1 the company of        
believers1 was joined by a man who      
afterwards took a great share in the    
work of the ,apostles3 we read1 ,and    
,joses1 who by the ,apostles was        
surnamed ,barnabas1 7which is1 being    
interpreted1 ,the son of consolation17 a
 ,levite1 and of the country of ,cyprus1
 having land1 sold it1 and brought the  
money1 and laid it at the ,apostles'    
feet4 ,this ,joses had either been born 
in the isle of ,cyprus1 which lies in   
the eastern part of the ,mediterranean  
,sea1 or he had lived there so long1    
that it was quite like his native       
country4 ,as a ,levite1 he could never  

at any time have had any inheritance of 
land in ,judaea2 but of course a ,levite
 might buy land in foreign countries1 or
 even in ,judaea itself1 particularly   
now1 when the distinction into tribes   
was almost lost4 ,joses had land        
probably in ,cyprus1 and being convinced
 that ,jesus was the ,messiah1 he       
determined to join the company of       
believers1 and devote his future life to
 the service of ,god and man1 by        
preaching the ,gospel to others4 ,he    
therefore gave up all that he possessed1
 and was henceforth content to receive  
merely what was necessary for his food  
and raiment1 like the poorest disciple4 
,his joining them1 was a great comfort  
and encouragement to the ,apostles in   
their work1 and they therefore surnamed 
him ,barnabas1 which means the ,son of  
,consolation4 ,by the name of ,barnabas1
 he is always spoken of in ,scripture4  
,soon after ,barnabas had joined the    
,apostles1 a fearful punishment fell    
upon a man named ,ananias1 and his wife 

,sapphira1 who also sold some land1 and 
then brought part of the money they had 
received for it1 pretending that they   
had brought the whole4 ,when ,ananias   
laid a certain part at the ,apostles'   
feet1 he acted a lie1 though he did not 
speak one2 and for the lie in his heart1
 ,peter reproved him1 reminding him that
 he was not obliged to sell his land1   
and that after he had sold it1 he could 
have done as he pleased with the money2 
but that to pretend he had brought the  
whole price1 when he had only given a   
part1 was a grievous sin2 for1 said     
,peter1 thou hast not lied unto man1 but
 unto ,god4 ,immediately the wrath of   
,god was shown in an awful manner4      
,ananias1 hearing these words1 fell down
 and gave up the ghost3 and the young   
men arose1 wound him up in grave        
clothes1 and carried him out1 and buried
 him1 and great fear came upon all them 
that heard these things4 ,we must       
observe also1 that ,ananias showed a    
great want of faith3 had he believed    

that the ,apostles were really filled   
with the ,holy ,ghost1 he could not have
 expected to hide the truth from them3  
in lying to the ,apostles he had lied   
unto ,god2 but in fact all lies are a   
sin against ,god4  ,about three hours   
after the burial of ,ananias1 his wife  
,sapphira1 not knowing as yet what was  
done1 came in4 ,what she said we are not
 told2 but we read1 ,and ,peter answered
 unto her1 ,tell me whether ye sold the 
land for so much8 ,her answer was a lie1
 for she said1 ,yea1 for so much2 not1  
however1 stating how much more they had 
received for the land4 ,then ,peter said
 unto her1 ,how is it that ye have      
agreed together to tempt the ,spirit of 
the ,lord8 behold1 the feet of them     
which have buried thy husband are at the
 door1 and shall carry thee out4 ,then  
fell she down straightway at his feet1  
and yielded up the ghost3 and the young 
men came in1 and found her dead1 and1   
carrying her forth1 buried her by her   
husband4 ,and great fear came upon all  

the church1 and upon as many as heard   
these things4 ,well might fear come upon
 all who heard of these two1 struck dead
 in their sin6 ,let us also fear1 lest  
we likewise fall into the same          
condemnation2 for though liars may not  
now be struck dead with the lie on their
 lips1 we know that the ,devil is the   
father of lies1 and that all liars shall
 have their part in the lake which      
burneth with fire and brimstone1        
prepared for the ,devil and his angels4 
,when we read such awful words1 let us  
remember that we may be guilty in the   
sight of ,god1 without telling a direct 
falsehood4 ,all deceit and hypocrisy2   
holding our tongues when we ought to    
speak the truth2 and telling part of the
 truth2 are as displeasing in the sight 
of ,god as direct lies4 ,we must speak  
and do the truth from our hearts2 never 
attempting in any way to deceive others1
 or even to allow them to believe what  
we know is not true4  ,the ,apostles1 in
 spite of the threats of the ,sanhedrim1

 continued to preach to the people in   
,solomon's porch1 doing many signs and  
wonders among the people1 who magnified1
 or thought much of them2 and of the    
rest durst no man join himself to them4 
,after such a warning as that given in  
the case of ,ananias and ,sapphira1 no  
one who was not really and truly willing
 to devote himself entirely to the      
service of ,god1 would dare to pretend  
to do so4     ,chapter                  
,,iv4--,,appointment ,,of ,,deacons4    
,the ,apostles continued to teach the   
people1 and believers were the more     
added to the ,lord1 multitudes both of  
men and women4 ,insomuch that they      
brought forth the sick into the streets1
 and laid them on beds and couches1 that
 at the least the shadow of ,peter      
passing by might overshadow some of     
them4 ,there came also a multitude out  
of the cities round about unto          
,jerusalem1 bringing sick folks1 and    
them which were vexed with unclean      
spirits3 and they were healed every one4

  ,the ,priests and elders were much    
displeased at the ,apostles having such 
influence over the people1 who1         
witnessing the miracles worked by them  
in the name of ,jesus1 naturally        
believed in them1 and in ,him whose     
servants they were4  ,then the high     
priest rose up1 and all they that were  
with him1 7which is the sect of the     
,sadducees17 and were filled with       
indignation1 and laid their hands on the
 apostles1 and put them in the common   
prison4 ,in the morning the ,high       
,priest called the ,council together1   
and sent to the prison to have them     
brought up for trial4 ,but the officers 
sent1 returned1 saying1 ,the prison     
truly found we shut with all safety1 and
 the keepers standing without before the
 doors2 but when we had opened1 we found
 no man within4 ,and so indeed it was2  
for after the ,apostles were shut up in 
prison1 the angel of the ,lord by night 
opened the prison doors1 and brought    
them forth1 and said1 ,go1 stand and    

speak in the temple to the people all   
the words of this life4 ,and when they  
heard that1 they entered into the temple
 early in the morning1 and taught4      
,thus1 whilst the keepers did not even  
know that their prisoners were gone1    
they were fearlessly preaching the      
,gospel in the temple1 in obedience to  
the ,lord's command4  ,when the members 
of the ,council heard that the ,apostles
 were no longer in the prison1 they     
could not help feeling that a miracle   
had been worked for their deliverance2  
and they dreaded the consequence of this
 fresh proof that the ,lord was with    
them4 ,greatly perplexed1 the ,high     
,priest1 and the captain of the temple1 
and the ,chief ,priests1 debated amongst
 themselves1 and doubted of them        
whereunto this would grow4 ,whilst the  
,priests and elders were thus           
considering the matter1 came one and    
told them1 saying1 ,behold1 the men whom
 ye put in prison are standing in the   
temple1 and teaching the people4  ,this 

proof of the determination of the       
,apostles to obey ,god rather than man1 
without fear of the consequences1 must  
have added to the perplexity of the     
,council1 and increased their difficulty
 as to how they should deal with these  
men1 whom the people loved1 and were    
ready to defend against all who should  
attempt to hurt them4 ,wishing again to 
speak to the ,apostles1 they gave orders
 accordingly4 ,then went the captain    
with the officers1 and brought them     
without violence3 for they feared the   
people1 lest they should have been      
stoned4 ,nor was there any occasion to  
use violence1 for the ,apostles had no  
idea of resisting3 they were ready to   
bear witness to the ,lord ,jesus before 
the ,council1 as well as in every other 
place4 ,and when they had brought them1 
they set them before the council3 and   
the high priest asked them1 saying1 ,did
 not we straitly command you1 that ye   
should not teach in this name8 and1     
behold1 ye have filled ,jerusalem with  

your doctrine1 and intend to bring this 
man's blood upon us1--that is1 to make  
the people treat them as if they were   
guilty of murder1 for having put ,jesus 
to death4 ,peter and the other ,apostles
 repeated their declaration1 that they  
must obey ,god rather than men2 and then
 they plainly told the ,priests and     
elders that they had indeed killed      
,jesus ,christ1 the ,messiah2 and that  
the ,god of ,israel had raised ,him from
 the dead1 to be the ,saviour of all who
 would believe and repent3 and they     
further said1 that ,god had appointed   
them to bear witness of all things which
 ,jesus had said and done2 and that the 
,holy ,ghost1 by whose help they worked 
miracles1 was also a witness to the     
truth of all that they taught to the    
people4 ,when they heard that1 they were
 cut to the heart2 but it was not a     
right sort of grief2 for1 instead of    
believing the ,apostles' words1 and so  
turning to the ,lord1 they took counsel 
to slay them1 that they might no longer 

preach the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4   
,one of the members of the ,sanhedrim   
was a ,pharisee1 named ,gamaliel1 a very
 learned man1 much looked up to by all  
the ,jews for his great wisdom4 ,this   
man stood up1 and having commanded the  
,apostles to be taken away for a short  
time1 he spake to the other members of  
the ,council1 and said unto them1 ,ye   
men of ,israel1 take heed to yourselves 
what ye intend to do as touching these  
men4 ,then he reminded them1 that on two
 former occasions1 when false teachers  
had for a time led many of the people   
even to rebel against their rulers1 it  
had ended in the false teachers being   
slain1 and their followers dispersed1 so
 that no evil consequences had arisen4  
,he therefore advised that the ,apostles
 should be left alone2 for1 said he1 if 
this counsel or this work be of men 7an 
invention of men only71 it will come to 
nought3 but if it be ,god1 ye cannot    
overthrow it2 lest haply ye be found    
even to fight against ,god4 ,gamaliel   

evidently began to think that what the  
,apostles said might be true1 and that  
therefore1 in persecuting them1 the     
,jews might be fighting against ,god4   
,to fight against ,god is to resist ,his
 will1 to try to prevent what ,he wills 
from being done4 ,this is folly as well 
as sin2 for the ,will of ,god must be   
done1 and we cannot overthrow it4 ,let  
us try to bring our ,wills into         
subjection and agreement with the ,will 
of ,god3 where ,his ,will contradicts   
our hopes and wishes1 let us yield at   
once1 and pray that we may at all times 
be able to say from our hearts1 ,father1
 not my ,will1 but ,thine be done4      
,those who through life resist1 and     
fight against the ,will of ,god1 will be
 forced at last to submit to it1 to     
their eternal misery4  ,the other       
members of the ,council agreed to follow
 the advice of ,gamaliel2 but they did  
not do so without making another attempt
 to frighten the ,apostles from         
continuing their work4 ,and when they   

had called the apostles1 and beaten     
them1 they commanded that they should   
not speak in the name of ,jesus1 and let
 them go4 ,these commands had1 of       
course1 no more effect upon the         
,apostles than the former threats4 ,and 
they departed from the presence of the  
council1 rejoicing that they were       
counted worthy to suffer shame for his  
name4 ,they felt it an honour to suffer 
for the sake of ,him1 ,who had suffered 
so much for them1 and were only         
strengthened in their determination to  
show their love1 by faithfully doing the
 work which their beloved ,master had   
given them to do4 ,and daily in the     
temple1 and in every house1 they ceased 
not to teach and preach ,jesus ,christ4 
,we have seen that the ,believers1 or   
,disciples1 forming the ,church of      
,christ1 had at this time all things in 
common2 and1 as their numbers increased1
 it became impossible for the ,apostles 
to divide the money to every person     
according to their need1 without        

neglecting the more important work of   
preaching the ,gospel to every creature4
 ,they had not time to do both things   
properly4 ,we read3 ,and in those days1 
when the number of the disciples was    
multiplied1 there arose a murmuring of  
the ,grecians against the ,hebrews1     
because their widows were neglected in  
the daily ministration4 ,we must        
remember that ,grecians were not the    
inhabitants of ,greece1 as the word     
might seem to signify4 ,the ,hebrews    
here spoken of were of course ,jews1    
natives of ,judaea1 now become believers
 in ,christ1 or ,christians4 ,but1 as   
has been already said1 there were ,jews 
established in all lands1 who had been  
born1 and always lived1 there4 ,numbers 
of these had also become ,christians1   
and had now joined the ,apostles'       
company at ,jerusalem4 ,these persons   
were called ,grecians1 ,hellenists1 or  
,hellenistic ,jews1 because in the      
countries to which they belonged the    
,grecian language was spoken4 ,these    

,grecians1 living amongst foreigners1   
had lost all knowledge of the ,hebrew   
language1 in which the ,old ,testament  
was originally written2 so that they    
made use of the ,greek translation of   
the ,scriptures4 ,hebrews1 then1 were   
,jews of ,judaea1 who had become        
,christians2 ,grecians were ,jews born  
in foreign lands1 who had become        
,christians4 ,the natives of ,greece    
were called ,greeks4  ,it seems that the
 ,grecians thought their poor were not  
so well attended to as those of the     
,hebrews1 and so they were dissatisfied1
 and a murmuring arose4 ,the ,apostles  
considered amongst themselves how to    
remedy this matter2 then1 calling the   
multitude of the disciples together1    
they explained that it was not          
reasonable to expect them to leave their
 special work of teaching1 to attend to 
worldly matters2 and they said1         
,wherefore1 brethren1 look ye out among 
you seven men of honest report1 full of 
the ,holy ,ghost and wisdom1 whom we may

 appoint over this business4 ,but we    
will give ourselves continually to      
prayer1 and to the ministry of the word4
 ,and the saying pleased the whole      
multitude4 ,such a wise and sensible    
arrangement could not fail to meet with 
approval2 and it was immediately put in 
execution4 ,of the seven men thus chosen
 7called by us ,deacons71 there are only
 two1 of whose particular acts we read  
in ,scripture4 ,these are1 a man named  
,philip1 and ,stephen1 of whom it is    
especially said1 that he was a man full 
of faith and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,these
 men1 chosen from amongst themselves by 
the multitude of disciples1 were then   
set before the ,apostles1 who approved  
of the choice2 and when they had prayed 
for a blessing upon the step now taken1 
they laid their hands on them1 thus     
consecrating1 or solemnly appointing1   
the ,deacons to their work1 and passing 
on to them by this significant action   
some of their own power and authority2  
for1 although these seven men were to   

take care of the poor1 and see that the 
common funds were properly distributed1 
they were also to help in preaching1 and
 even to baptize those whom they should 
convert4  ,the word deacon is not in the
 ,book of ,acts2 but in the ,epistles1  
,deacons are spoken of as persons       
appointed to help the ,apostles1 and    
serve under them4 ,in the ,church now1  
when a young man is first admitted to be
 what is called a clergyman1 he is said 
to be a deacon3 afterwards he becomes a 
priest2 but every man must be a deacon  
before he can be a priest4 ,the new     
arrangement now made as to deacons1     
appears to have answered well1 for we   
read that the word of ,god increased2   
and the number of the disciples         
multiplied in ,jerusalem greatly2 and a 
great company of the priests were       
obedient to the faith1--that is1 they   
came to believe the things spoken by the
 ,apostles1 and to acknowledge ,jesus to
 be the ,messiah2 and then they were    
obedient1 and did those things which the

 ,gospel required4  ,faith must always  
produce obedience4 ,if it does not1 it  
is not true faith1 acceptable to ,god2  
nor will it avail us anything4 ,let us  
ever remember1 that faith is a root from
 which must spring all manner of good   
works1 the fruits of faith4 ,if it does 
not produce these fruits1 it is of no   
more value than the root of an          
apple-tree1 when the tree bears no      
apples4     ,chapter ,v4--,,the ,,first 
,,martyr1 ,,stephen4   ,and ,stephen1   
7the ,deacon17 full of faith and power1 
did great wonders and miracles among the
 people4 ,his success among the people  
stirred up enemies against him4  ,every 
considerable synagogue among the ,jews1 
had an academy or school belonging to   
it1 where young persons were instructed 
by the ,rabbis3 and it would seem that  
,stephen visited different synagogues1  
and tried to convince the ,jews that    
,jesus was the ,christ4 ,then there     
arose certain of the synagogue1 which is
 called the synagogue of the            

,libertines1 and ,cyrenians1 and        
,alexandrians 7,jews from parts of      
,africa71 and of them of ,cilicia and of
 7other parts of7 ,asia1 disputing with 
,stephen1 and trying to contradict him2 
but as ,stephen spake as the ,holy      
,spirit guided him1 they were not able  
to resist the wisdom and the spirit by  
which he spake4 ,when these ,rabbis     
found that they could bring no proofs   
against the truth of what ,stephen      
taught1 they suborned 7or bribed7 men1  
which said1 ,we have heard him speak    
blasphemous words against ,moses1 and   
against ,god--an accusation as false as 
the similar one brought against our     
blessed ,lord ,himself4 ,by this false  
charge1 the people and the elders and   
the scribes were stirred up against     
,stephen1 and they came upon him1 and   
caught him1 and brought him to the      
council4 ,stephen now stood before the  
,sanhedrim1 and the ,rabbis set up false
 witnesses1 which said1 ,this man       
ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words  

against this holy place1 and the law3   
for we have heard him say1 that this    
,jesus of ,nazareth shall destroy this  
place1 and shall change the customs     
which ,moses delivered us4 ,stephen had1
 no doubt1 taught that the ceremonial   
part of the law1 given to keep the      
people in mind of the promised ,messiah1
 need no longer be observed1 since the  
,messiah had come in the person of      
,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,probably1 too1 he 
had warned the ,jews1 that the temple1  
and even ,jerusalem itself1 would       
shortly be destroyed1 because the       
inhabitants refused to acknowledge      
,jesus to be the ,messiah4 ,we have seen
 before1 how easy it is to give to true 
and good words a false and bad meaning1 
if people are wickedly bent upon doing  
so4 ,the ,lord ,god ,almighty now seems 
to have given a remarkable sign1 that   
this man now accused of blasphemy1 a sin
 directly against ,god ,himself1 was1 on
 the contrary1 one of ,his favoured     
servants1 and under ,his peculiar care  

and protection3 for we read that1 all   
that sat in the council1 looking        
stedfastly on him1 saw his face as it   
had been the face of an angel4 ,to      
compare in this way the face of a man to
 that of an angel1 was a ,jewish way of 
saying1 that there was something more   
than commonly pleasing and majestic in  
the countenance of such a man2 and most 
likely the ,lord now gave to ,stephen's 
face1 some particularly bright and holy 
look1 so as to fill all who beheld it   
with surprise4 ,the false witnesses1    
having made their accusation1 ,then said
 the high priest1 ,are these things so8 
,instead of answering as to the         
accusations of blasphemy1 ,stephen      
endeavoured to show his hearers how     
mistaken they were in their ideas of the
 ,messiah2 and how differently they     
would act1 if they would consider all   
that had been told to ,abraham and the  
rest of their forefathers1 by ,god      
,himself4 ,to this end1 ,stephen        
reminded them of how ,god had called    

,abraham out of his own land to be the  
father of the ,children of ,israel1     
giving him many precious promises1 and  
establishing with him and his seed the  
,covenant of ,circumcision in token of  
their being ,his peculiar people4 ,then 
,stephen spake of ,isaac and of ,jacob1 
and of the twelve patriarchs2 and of how
 ,joseph had been sold into ,egypt1 and 
was in time followed by his ,father and 
,brothers and their descendants2 who    
remained in ,egypt four hundred years1  
according to what the ,lord had told    
,abraham4 ,then ,stephen spake of the   
cruel treatment endured by the ,children
 of ,israel2 and how1 in ,his own       
appointed time1 ,god had wonderfully    
preserved the infant ,moses to be the   
deliverer of ,his chosen people4 ,he    
reminded them of the unwillingness of   
the ,hebrews to listen to ,moses1       
although appointed by ,god for this very
 purpose2 and then he said1 ,this ,moses
 whom they refused1 saying1 ,who made   
thee a ruler and a judge8 the same did  

,god send to be a ruler and a deliverer 
by the hand of the angel which appeared 
to him in the bush4 ,he brought them    
out1 after that he had shewed wonders   
and signs in the land of ,egypt1 and in 
the ,red ,sea1 and in the wilderness    
forty years4  ,all these things were    
well known to the ,jews1 who held ,moses
 in great reverence3 and ,stephen now   
reminds them1 that it was this very     
,moses himself who prophesied concerning
 the expected ,messiah1 ,a prophet shall
 the ,lord your ,god raise up unto you  
of your brethren1 like unto me2 him     
shall ye hear4 ,then proceeding with his
 history1 ,stephen shortly noticed the  
giving of the ,law2 the idolatry and    
other sins of the ,children of ,israel1 
which caused them to wander for forty   
years in the wilderness1 and caused the 
,almighty even then to warn them of a   
future punishment for forsaking ,him1 ,i
 will carry you away beyond ,babylon4   
,stephen then spake of the tabernacle of
 witness1 set up in the wilderness by   

the command of ,god1 as a sign or token 
of the ,covenant made between ,him and  
,his people4 ,this tabernacle1 he       
reminded them1 had been brought by their
 fathers under the leading of ,joshua1  
7for the word ,jesus here used means    
,joshua17 into that land which had      
hitherto been the possession of the     
,gentiles2 and that1 about four hundred 
years after1 ,david1 who found favour   
before ,god1 desired to find1 or build1 
a more suitable tabernacle for the ,god 
of ,jacob4 ,but ,solomon built ,him an  
house4  ,having thus mentioned the      
temple1 ,stephen took occasion to remind
 them1 that though it had pleased the   
,lord to manifest ,his glory in the     
temple1 and promise in a certain way to 
be present there1 yet the ,most ,high   
dwelleth not in temples made with hands2
 as saith the prophet 7,isaiah71 ,heaven
 is my throne1 and earth is my          
footstool3 what house will ye build me8 
saith the ,lord3 or what is the place of
 my rest8 ,hath not my hand made all    

these things8 ,stephen spake with proper
 respect of the temple1 whilst he tried 
to show the ,jews that they now thought 
too much of the temple1 which was only a
 building set up in honour of the ,lord 
,god ,almighty2 and too little of ,him1 
in ,whose honour and for ,whose worship 
it had been set up4  ,it seems probable 
that when ,stephen spake of the temple1 
the ,council interrupted him1 and showed
 their determination not to listen to   
his teaching3 for he now changed his    
tone entirely1 and severely reproached  
them1 saying1 ,ye stiffnecked 7or       
obstinate7 and uncircumcised in heart   
and ears1 ye do always resist the ,holy 
,ghost3 as your fathers did1 so do ye4  
,which of the prophets have not your    
fathers persecuted8 and they have slain 
them which shewed before of the coming  
of the ,just ,one 7the ,messiah72 of    
whom ye have been now the betrayers and 
murderers4 ,stephen also charged them   
with not having kept the ,law which was 
given to them by ,god ,himself1 through 

the disposition or ministry of angels2  
in that they had not received ,jesus1   
,who was the object of that law4 ,this  
plain speaking made the members of the  
,council1 and all who were present1     
quite furious against ,stephen4 ,when   
they heard these things1 they were cut  
to the heart1 and they gnashed on him   
with their teeth4 ,their rage had no    
effect on ,stephen3 supported by the    
,holy ,spirit1 by whose inspiration he  
had spoken1 he had no fear of death3 all
 his hope and trust were in heaven4     
,stephen was destined to be the first   
martyr2 and now to strengthen his faith1
 and the faith of those who were still  
to remain and do their work on earth1 it
 pleased the ,lord to show to ,stephen a
 glorious vision1 as a proof that their 
crucified ,master was really1 as ,he had
 said1 at the right hand of ,god in     
,heaven2 and that having done everything
 exactly as ,he had predicted1 ,he would
 most assuredly also fulfil the gracious
 promise1 to be with them alway even    

unto the end4 ,stephen1 as we read1     
being full of the ,holy ,ghost1 looked  
up stedfastly into heaven1 and saw the  
glory of ,god1 and ,jesus standing on   
the right hand of ,god1 and said1       
,behold1 ,i see the heavens opened1 and 
the ,son of man standing on the right   
hand of ,god4 ,these words1 so full of  
comfort and encouragement to his fellow 
labourers1 raised the fury of the       
unbelieving ,jews to the highest pitch3 
,then they cried out with a loud voice1 
and stopped their ears1 that they might 
hear no more of what they considered    
blasphemy4 ,nor was this all2 without   
waiting for a trial1 they at once ran   
upon him with one accord1 and cast him  
out of the city1 and stoned him4 ,and   
they stoned ,stephen1 calling upon ,god1
 and saying1 ,lord ,jesus1 receive my   
spirit4 ,and he kneeled down1 and cried 
with a loud voice1 ,lord1 lay not this  
sin to their charge4 ,like his blessed  
,master1 he prayed for them that did the
 wrong--setting us an example that we   

should forgive injuries1 and pray for   
them which despitefully use us and      
persecute us4 ,when ,stephen had said   
this1 he fell asleep4 ,the death of a   
faithful follower of ,christ is but a   
sleep1 from which he will awaken in the 
presence of the ,lord4 ,thus died the   
first martyr2 and devout men1 that is1  
true believers1 carried ,stephen to his 
burial1 and made great lamentation over 
him2 as well they might1 when they      
thought of their own loss4  ,in reading 
this history1 let us remember that this 
same ,jesus1 ,whom ,stephen saw at the  
right hand of ,god1 still liveth there1 
to make intercession for us4  ,when     
,stephen was stoned1 the witnesses laid 
down their clothes at a young man's     
feet1 whose name was ,saul4  ,those     
persons1 upon whose witness or testimony
 any man was executed1 were1 by the law1
 required to cast the first stone2 thus1
 as it were1 taking upon themselves the 
guilt of murder1 if they had become     
false witness4 ,the witnesses who had   

accused ,stephen of blasphemy1 prepared 
to do their part by taking off their    
long upper robes1 so as to have freer   
use of their arms3 the garments thus    
taken off1 were placed under the charge 
of some one who had also been active in 
getting the victim condemned4  ,saul was
 a young man1 neither poor nor ignorant3
 he was a ,jew1 born at ,tarsus1 a city 
in ,cilicia2 and under the care of      
,gamaliel1 7who had advised that the    
,apostles should be let alone17 he had  
been strictly brought up as a ,pharisee1
 and was filled with an intense hatred  
of all who believed in ,jesus4 ,he was  
consenting unto the death of ,stephen1  
anxious for it4 ,nor was he satisfied   
with one victim3 for he took an active  
part in the great persecution of the    
church1 which arose in ,jerusalem at    
this time4 ,the violent behaviour of the
 ,jews1 scattered abroad throughout the 
regions of ,judaea and ,samaria1 all the
 disciples except the ,apostles4 ,how it
 happened1 that the ,apostles were      

allowed to remain in peace at           
,jerusalem1 we do not know2 but it was  
needful that they should for the present
 remain there1 to direct and govern the 
affairs of the ,church1 and bring more  
believers into it2 and therefore the    
,lord protected them in ,jerusalem1 that
 the ,gospel might first be fully       
preached to the ,jews1 as had been      
appointed4  ,mean time1 by driving so   
many disciples out of ,jerusalem1 the   
,jewish rulers did the very thing they  
wished to prevent3 for wherever these   
disciples went1 they did not cease to   
speak of the ,messiah2 thus spreading   
the knowledge of the ,gospel over the   
country1 and bringing many believers    
into the ,church4  ,saul mean time was  
active against the truth3 hunting out   
believers in their own houses1 that they
 might be punished3 he made havoc of the
 church1 entering into every house1 and 
haling men and women committed them to  
prison4     ,chapter ,,vi4--,,conversion
 ,,of ,,saul4   ,the deacon ,philip1    

having left ,jerusalem in consequence of
 the persecution after the martyrdom of 
,stephen1 went down to the city of      
,samaria1 and preached ,christ unto     
them4 ,and the people with one accord   
gave heed unto those things which       
,philip spake1 hearing and seeing the   
miracles which he did4 ,for unclean     
spirits1 crying with loud voice1 came   
out of many that were possessed with    
them3 and many taken with palsies1 and  
that were lame1 were healed4 ,and there 
was great joy in that city4  ,there was1
 however1 in ,samaria at that time1 a   
man named ,simon ,magus1 who pretended  
himself to be the expected ,messiah4    
,the ,scripture says of him1 that he    
used sorcery and bewitched the people4  
,we know that before the coming of the  
,lord ,jesus1 evil spirits had a power  
which ,he took from them1 of getting    
possession of the bodies of men3 and as 
has been said before1 it seems that bad 
men had sometimes dealings with evil    
spirits1 by whose help they did things  

which otherwise they could not have     
done4 ,but any one who did seek to have 
dealings with evil spirits1 was guilty  
of a very great sin3 such unlawful deeds
 were strictly forbidden by the ,law2   
those who were guilty of them1 were     
called magicians1 sorcerers1 wizards1   
witches1 c41 and were1 by the command of
 ,god1 to be put to death4 ,simon had   
for some time deceived the people of    
,samaria by his arts2 but when ,philip  
preached to them of ,jesus ,christ and  
,his kingdom1 they believed his words1  
and were baptized1 both men and women4  
,simon himself also believed that ,jesus
 of ,nazareth was the true ,messiah1 and
 he likewise was baptized in the ,name  
of the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy 
,ghost1 though he was still far from    
understanding the true nature of the    
religion taught by ,philip4 ,when he was
 baptized1 he continued with ,philip1   
and wondered1 beholding the miracles and
 signs which were done4 ,the account of 
all that had been done by ,philip at    

,samaria1 soon reached ,jerusalem2 and  
the ,apostles sent ,peter and ,john to  
finish the work so well begun1 for      
although ,philip had taught and baptized
 the people1 he had no power like the   
,apostles1 to bestow the gift of the    
,holy ,spirit4  ,when ,peter and ,john  
were come down1 they prayed for the     
converts that they might receive the    
,holy ,ghost3 7for as yet he was fallen 
upon none of them2 only they were       
baptized in the name of the ,lord       
,jesus74 ,then laid they their hands on 
them1 and they received the ,holy       
,ghost4  ,simon now showed how little he
 understood of the things of ,god2 for  
when he saw that through laying on of   
the ,apostles' hands the ,holy ,ghost   
was given1 he offered them money1       
saying1 ,give me also this power1 that  
on whomsoever ,i lay hands1 he may      
receive the ,holy ,ghost4  ,peter       
reproved ,simon very severely for having
 thought it possible that the gifts of  
,god could be bought with money2 and    

told him1 that although he had received 
the outward form of ,baptism1 it was    
quite plain that he was no true believer
 in ,jesus ,christ1 but was still in    
bondage to ,satan4 ,he then called upon 
him to repent truly of all his          
wickedness1 and especially of the       
fearful sin of which he was now guilty1 
and pray to ,god1 ,who could alone      
forgive the thought of his heart4       
,peter's words alarmed ,simon1 who now  
besought ,peter's help1 and said1 ,pray 
ye to the ,lord for me1 that none of    
these things which ye have spoken come  
upon me4  ,when ,peter and ,john had    
testified to the truth of all that      
,philip had taught1 they returned to    
,jerusalem2 and as they went1 they      
preached the gospel in many villages of 
the ,samaritans4  ,after these things   
had passed1 ,philip was directed by ,god
 to go into a desert part of ,judaea1   
lying between ,joppa and ,gaza1 to meet 
an officer belonging to ,candace1 the   
queen of a country called ,ethiopia4    

,this man1 who held the important office
 of treasurer1 had become a ,jew1 and   
was a sincere worshipper of ,god as far 
as his knowledge went4 ,he had taken a  
long journey in order to worship ,god in
 the temple1 after the manner of the    
,jews3 and now returning homewards1 he  
was sitting in his chariot studying the 
,scriptures4 ,then the ,spirit said unto
 ,philip1 ,go near1 and join thyself to 
this chariot4 ,philip obeyed1 and heard 
him read that part of the prophecy of   
,isaiah which saith1 ,he was led as a   
sheep to the slaughter2 and like a lamb 
dumb before his shearer1 so opened he   
not his mouth3 in his humiliation his   
judgment was taken away3 and who shall  
declare his generation8 for his life is 
taken from the earth4 ,philip asked him1
 ,understandest thou what thou readest8 
,and he said1 ,how can ,i1 except some  
man should guide me8  ,being earnest in 
his desire to learn1 this officer was   
rejoiced to meet with some one who      
seemed likely to give him the guidance  

he needed2 and so he desired1 or        
entreated ,philip1 that he would come up
 and sit with him in his chariot1 and   
explain the passage of ,scripture which 
he had just read4  ,and the eunuch 7or  
officer7 answered ,philip1 and said1 ,i 
pray thee of whom speaketh the prophet  
this8 of himself or of some other man8  
,then ,philip1 guided by the ,holy      
,spirit1 opened his mouth1 and began at 
the same ,scripture1 and preached unto  
him ,jesus3 showing him that these words
 were spoken of the promised ,messiah2  
and that ,jesus of ,nazareth1 whom the  
,jews had so lately crucified1 was      
indeed the ,messiah spoken of by the    
,prophets3 and he doubtless spake of    
,baptism1 in the ,name of the ,father1  
and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy       
,ghost1 as the appointed means of       
admission into the ,church of ,christ3  
for as they went on their way1 they came
 unto a certain water3 and the eunuch   
said1 ,see1 here is water2 what doth    
hinder me to be baptized8 ,and ,philip  

said1 ,if thou believest with all thine 
heart1 thou mayest4 ,and he answered and
 said1 ,i believe that ,jesus ,christ is
 the ,son of ,god4 ,this was enough4    
,and he commanded the chariot to stand  
still3 and they went down both into the 
water1 both ,philip and the eunuch2 and 
he baptized him4 ,philip had now done   
the work which he had been sent to do4  
,and when they were come up out of the  
water1 the ,spirit of the ,lord caught  
away ,philip1 who was thus conveyed in  
some miraculous way to a place called   
,azotus1 so that the eunuch saw him no  
more3 and he went on his way rejoicing1 
that he had been instructed in the      
,gospel1 and admitted into the ,church  
of ,christ by ,baptism4 ,this ,ethiopian
 officer was a true convert1 and no     
doubt his future life proved him to be  
so4  ,philip mean time found himself in 
a miraculous manner at ,azotus1 and from
 thence journeyed northward1 and        
preached in all the cities1 till he came
 to ,caesarea1 where his home was4  ,the

 next event recorded in the ,book of    
,acts1 is the wonderful conversion of   
,saul1 who was suddenly1 by the mercy of
 the ,lord1 changed from being an enemy 
to all the followers of ,jesus1 into a  
true believer1 and an active and zealous
 preacher of the truth as it is in      
,jesus4  ,we have already heard of ,saul
 as a persecutor1 making havoc of the   
,church at ,jerusalem1 after the death  
of ,stephen4 ,we now learn from the     
,book of ,acts1 that1 breathing out     
threatenings and slaughter against the  
disciples of the ,lord1 he went unto the
 ,high ,priest1 and desired of him      
letters to ,damascus to the synagogues1 
giving him authority that if he found   
any of this way1 any believers in       
,jesus1 whether they were men or women1 
he might bring them bound unto          
,jerusalem4 ,the ,high ,priest was no   
doubt too glad to give this power to one
 who would execute it zealously2 and    
,saul set out on his journey1 which     
turned out very differently from what he

 expected and intended4  ,for when he   
came near ,damascus1 suddenly there     
shined round about him a light from     
heaven3 and he fell to the earth1 and   
heard a voice saying unto him1 ,saul1   
,saul1 why persecutest thou me8 ,saul's 
answer to this question1 shows that he  
was even now convinced that the voice   
was none other than the voice of ,god2  
for he said1 ,who art thou1 ,lord8 ,and 
the ,lord said1 ,i am ,jesus1 whom thou 
persecutest3 it is hard for thee to kick
 against the pricks4 ,this seems to have
 been a ,jewish expression1 meaning that
 it was useless for any persons to      
resist an authority and power1 which    
they could have no hope of overcoming1  
for that they would only hurt and injure
 themselves2 just as any person kicking 
against thorns1 would tear and injure   
himself1 instead of harming the thorns4 
,saul's heart was indeed touched and    
changed by the ,holy ,spirit1 and       
willing to obey the commands of ,him    
whose followers he had so cruelly       

persecuted2 he trembling and astonished 
said1 ,lord1 what wilt thou have me to  
do8 ,and the ,lord said unto him1       
,arise1 and go into the city1 and it    
shall be told thee what thou must do4   
,and ,saul arose from the earth2 and    
when his eyes were opened1 he saw no    
man3 the excessive brightness of the    
vision he had seen1 had deprived him of 
his sight1 and he arose from the earth  
blind and helpless4 ,and the men which  
journeyed with him stood speechless1    
hearing a voice1 but seeing no man4     
,they had heard and seen something of   
what ,saul had done2 enough to make them
 unable to speak from astonishment and  
awe3 they had heard a voice1 but did not
 understand the words spoken1 and seeing
 no man1 they were perplexed as to      
whence the voice came4 ,now1 however1   
seeing their master was blind1 they led 
him by the hand1 and brought him into   
,damascus4 ,and he was three days       
without sight1 and neither did eat nor  
drink4 ,we can well imagine how ,saul   

passed these three days in meditation   
and earnest prayer to the ,lord1 who had
 so mercifully called him to be a true  
believer4 ,his continued blindness did  
not shake his faith1 or lessen his love2
 on the contrary1 they increased more   
and more2 and soon he had his reward1   
for the ,lord showed him in a vision    
that his sight should be restored to    
him4 ,there was residing in ,damascus at
 this time a certain disciple1 one of   
the believers in ,jesus1 named ,ananias3
 and to him said the ,lord in a vision1 
,ananias4 ,and he said1 ,behold1 ,i am  
here1 ,lord1--which meant1 ,here ,i am1 
ready to obey ,thee1 and do whatever    
,thou shalt bid me do4 ,and the ,lord   
said unto him1 ,arise and go into the   
street which is called ,straight1 and   
inquire in the house of ,judas for one  
called ,saul1 of ,tarsus3 for1 behold1  
he prayeth1 and hath seen in a vision a 
man named ,ananias coming in1 and       
putting his hand on him1 that he might  
receive his sight4 ,this direction      

rather startled ,ananias1 who well knew 
,saul of ,tarsus to be the bitter enemy 
of ,jesus ,christ1 and of all who       
believed in ,him3 therefore1 ,ananias   
answered1 ,lord1 ,i have heard by many  
of this man1 how much evil he hath done 
to thy saints at ,jerusalem3 and here he
 hath authority from the ,chief ,priests
 to bind all that call upon thy name4   
,but the ,lord forbade ,ananias to make 
any further objections1 since it was his
 duty simply to believe and obey2 and   
,he said unto him1 ,go thy way1 do as ,i
 command thee4 ,at the same time1 the   
,lord in ,his mercy encouraged ,ananias1
 by making known ,his purpose concerning
 ,saul2 saying1 for he is a chosen      
vessel unto me 7that is1 a messenger71  
to bear my name1 or to bear witness of  
the things belonging unto ,god1 before  
the ,gentiles1 and kings1 and the       
,children of ,israel3 for ,i will shew  
him how great things he must suffer for 
my name's sake4  ,ananias hesitated no  
longer1 but went to the house pointed   

out to him1 and putting his hands on    
him1 said1 ,brother ,saul1 receive thy  
sight3 and he received sight forthwith1 
and arose1 and was baptized4 ,after     
this1 ,saul at once joined the ,church1 
or company of believers at ,damascus1   
and straightway he preached ,christ in  
the synagogues1 that he is the ,son of  
,god4 ,all that heard him preach were   
greatly amazed1 knowing with what a very
 different purpose ,saul had come to    
,damascus4 ,from other parts of         
,scripture we learn1 that ,saul did not 
at this time stay long in ,damascus1 but
 went away into ,arabia1 where he stayed
 quietly for three years2 no doubt      
studying the ,scriptures1 and preparing 
for the great work he was to do amongst 
the ,gentiles4 ,after that1 he returned 
to ,damascus1 about ,anno ,domini #ch2  
that is1 thirty-eight years from the    
year in which ,jesus ,christ was born4  
,chapter ,,vii4--,,saul ,,joins ,,the   
,,church ,,at ,,jerusalem4   ,syria1 of 
which ,damascus was the capital1 had    

become a ,roman province about          
sixty-three years before the birth of   
,christ4 ,whilst ,saul was in ,arabia1  
,aretas1 the king of that country1 went 
into the land of ,judaea1 to fight      
against ,herod ,antipas1 who had married
 the daughter of ,aretas1 and then      
treated her very ill4 ,herod was        
defeated in a battle1 and then he       
applied for help to the ,emperor        
,tiberius1 as supreme ruler of ,judaea4 
,tiberius commanded his general         
,vitellius to chastise ,aretas for his  
attack upon ,herod1 and bring him to    
,rome1 alive or dead4 ,whilst ,vitellius
 was at ,jerusalem preparing to execute 
this order1 ,tiberius died2 and         
,vitellius marched his army into winter 
quarters4 ,aretas took advantage of     
this1 and attacked the city of          
,damascus1 which he took1 and kept      
possession of for some time4 ,saul1 as  
has been said1 returned to ,damascus    
whilst ,aretas still held possession of 
it4 ,by his preaching1 he confounded the

 ,jews which were at ,damascus2 for     
strengthened more and more by the ,holy 
,spirit1 he spake of ,jesus of          
,nazareth1 proving that this is very    
,christ4 ,not knowing how to answer him1
 and fearing the effect of such         
preaching1 the ,jews1 after many days   
were fulfilled1 took counsel to kill    
him4 ,from another part of ,scripture we
 learn1 that the governor set over the  
city of ,damascus by ,aretas1 took part 
with the ,jews1 and caused the gates to 
be watched night and day1 to kill ,saul1
 should he attempt to leave the city1   
before the ,jews had accomplished their 
purpose4 ,but all these plots were1 by  
the mercy of ,god1 made known in some   
way to ,saul4 ,the disciples of course  
knew that the ,lord could work a        
miracle1 to save one who was chosen to  
be a preacher of the ,gospel2 but they  
also knew that it is the duty of man in 
all cases1 to take proper means for his 
own safety3 and trusting that the ,lord 
would bless their efforts1 they took him

 by night1 and let him down by the wall 
in a basket4 ,saul being thus outside   
the walls1 without passing through the  
gates1 journeyed on to ,jerusalem4  ,at 
that time1 people living in one city1   
knew very little of what was going on in
 others at a distance2 and the war      
between ,herod and ,aretas1 would       
naturally have cut off even the usual   
communication between ,jerusalem and    
,damascus4 ,if the ,chief ,priests and  
other members of the ,sanhedrim1 had    
heard any rumour of ,saul's wonderful   
conversion1 they would of course try to 
keep such a matter secret4 ,these things
 account for the fact1 that the         
,apostles in ,jerusalem had never heard 
of the change that had taken place in   
,saul1 whom they remembered as          
consenting to the death of ,stephen1 and
 then going to ,damascus to persecute   
the believers4 ,three years had now     
passed since that time1 and the         
,apostles probably thought that during  
that period1 ,saul had been actively    

employed in trying to prevent the       
spreading of the ,gospel4  ,and when    
,saul was come to ,jerusalem1 he assayed
 7or attempted7 to join himself to the  
disciples3 but they were all afraid of  
him1 and believed not that he was a     
disciple4 ,barnabas1 however1 in some   
way had become acquainted with the      
circumstances concerning ,saul3 he      
therefore took him1 and brought him to  
the ,apostles1 and declared unto them   
how he had seen the ,lord in the way1   
and that he had spoken to him1 and how  
he had preached boldly at ,damascus in  
the name of ,jesus4 ,this was           
sufficient2 on the testimony of         
,barnabas1 the ,apostles gladly received
 ,saul as a fellow labourer1 and from   
that time he was with them coming in and
 going out at ,jerusalem4 ,and he spake 
boldly in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 
especially endeavouring to convince the 
,grecians1 or foreign ,jews4 ,but       
instead of listening to ,saul1 they went
 about to slay him2 which1 when the     

brethren knew1 they brought him down to 
,caesarea1 and sent him forth to        
,tarsus1 his native place in ,cilicia4  
,the removal of ,saul at this time1     
seems to have had a good effect2 for we 
read1 then had the churches rest        
throughout all ,judaea and ,galilee and 
,samaria1 and were edified2 and walking 
in the fear of the ,lord1 and in the    
comfort of the ,holy ,ghost1 were       
multiplied4  ,leaving the history of    
,saul for awhile1 the ,book of ,acts    
gives us some account of ,peter's       
labours3 he went from place to place1   
spreading the knowledge of the ,gospel  
everywhere4 ,at ,lydda1 a very large    
village not far from ,joppa1 he found a 
certain man named ,a,eneas1 which had   
kept his bed eight years1 and was sick  
of the palsy4 ,and ,peter said unto him1
 ,a,eneas1 ,jesus ,christ maketh thee   
whole3 arise1 and make thy bed4 ,and he 
arose immediately1 the palsy leaving him
 and his strength returning1 as ,peter  
spake these words4  ,the news of what   

had happened at ,lydda soon reached     
,joppa2 and the disciples who dwelt     
there1 sent unto ,peter1 desiring that  
he would not delay to come to them4 ,the
 cause of their sending for the         
,apostle1 was the death of a certain    
disciple1 a woman named ,tabitha1 which 
by interpretation is called ,dorcas3    
this woman was full of good works and   
almsdeeds which she did3 her kindness   
and charity had made her to be loved by 
all1 and her death therefore caused     
great grief to those who had benefited  
by her kindness4 ,peter obeyed the      
summons of the messengers2 he arose and 
went with them4 ,when he was come to    
,joppa1 they brought him into the upper 
chamber1 where they had laid the body3  
and all the widows stood by1 weeping1   
and shewing the coats and garments which
 ,dorcas made1 while she was with them4 
,but ,peter put them all out of the     
chamber1 and then kneeled down1 and     
prayed4 ,after this1 turning to the     
body1 he said1 ,tabitha1 arise4 ,and she

 opened her eyes3 and when she saw      
,peter1 she sat up4 ,and he gave her his
 hand1 and lifted her up1 and when he   
had called the saints and widows1       
presented her alive4 ,and it was known  
throughout all ,joppa2 and many believed
 in the ,lord1 in ,whose name1 and by   
,whose power1 ,peter had worked this    
great miracle4  ,it has been said of    
this ,tabitha1 that by interpretation   
her name was ,dorcas4 ,this good woman  
was a ,grecian1 or foreign ,jewess1 and 
as such1 her name was ,tabitha1 which   
means an antelope--a very graceful      
animal of the deer kind1 having very    
beautiful eyes4 ,it was a common        
practice amongst the ,arabs1 and other  
nations of ,asia1 to give to female     
children the names of such animals as   
were particularly admired4 ,the ,jews1  
instead of calling ,tabitha by what was 
to them a foreign name1 called her      
,dorcas2 because that word1 in their    
language1 meant antelope4 ,therefore1   
,dorcas was the ,jewish interpretation  

of ,tabitha4  ,peter did not leave      
,joppa again immediately after the      
restoration of ,dorcas2 on the contrary1
 he tarried many days in ,joppa1 with   
one ,simon a tanner4  ,the ,gospel had  
by this time been preached freely to the
 ,jews in ,jerusalem1 and throughout    
,judaea1 ,samaria1 and ,galilee2 and the
 time was now come for it to be preached
 to the ,gentiles also4 ,peter was      
accordingly chosen by ,god to begin this
 work1 about ,a4,d4 #dj4 ,we are told1  
,there was a certain man in ,caesarea   
called ,cornelius1 a centurion of the   
band called the ,italian band1 a devout 
man1 and one that feared ,god with all  
his house1 which gave much alms to the  
people1 and prayed to ,god alway4 ,the  
,italian band1 was a company of a       
thousand ,roman soldiers1 acting        
probably as a guard to the ,roman       
governor of ,judaea1 whose usual        
residence was at ,caesarea1 a city of   
great importance4  ,cornelius was one of
 the centurions1 or captains1 of the    

,italian band3 he was a ,gentile1 who   
had already given up idolatry1 and      
become a sincere worshipper of the ,god 
of ,israel3 but as he had not observed  
all the forms and ceremonies required by
 the ,law1 the ,jews did not look upon  
him as one of themselves4 ,such persons 
were called ,proselytes of the ,gate2   
and although they were allowed to dwell 
among the ,jews1 they were looked upon  
as unclean4  ,cornelius had brought all 
his household to worship the ,one ,true 
,god3 he was constant in prayer2 and he 
showed his love for ,god1 by charity to 
man for ,his sake4  ,such a devout man  
was well pleasing to the ,lord1 ,who now
 called him to a knowledge of the truth 
as it is in ,jesus4 ,cornelius being    
engaged in prayer about the ninth hour  
of the day1 one of the times especially 
appointed for prayer in the temple1 saw 
in a vision an angel of ,god1 who told  
him that by his prayers and his alms    
7signs of faith and obedience71 he had  
found favour with ,god4 ,the angel then 

bade him send to ,joppa for ,simon      
,peter1 saying also1 he shall tell thee 
what thou oughtest to do4 ,we may be    
sure that ,cornelius received this      
divine message with joy and             
thankfulness1 and he immediately sent   
two of his household servants1 and a    
devout soldier of them that waited on   
him continually--men upon whom he could 
thoroughly depend1 to ,joppa1 to fetch  
,peter4 ,on the morrow1 as these        
messengers drew near to ,joppa1 the     
,lord1 by means of a vision1 prepared   
,peter to receive them4 ,about the sixth
 hour ,peter went up upon the house-top 
to pray1 where he would be quiet and    
undisturbed4 ,and he became very hungry1
 and would have eaten3 but while they   
made ready1 he fell into a trance1 or   
kind of fainting fit4 ,in this state he 
had a vision2 and saw heaven opened1 and
 a certain vessel descending unto him1  
as it had been a great sheet1 knit 7or  
fastened together7 at the four corners1 
and let down to the earth4 ,in this     

vessel1 which is compared to a large    
sheet1 were all manner of four-footed   
beasts of the earth1 and wild beasts1   
and creeping things1 and fowls of the   
air--many of these creatures being      
unclean1 according to the ,jewish ,law4 
,and there came a voice to him1 ,rise1  
,peter2 kill and eat4 ,but ,peter said1 
,not so1 ,lord2 for ,i have never eaten 
anything that is common or unclean4 ,and
 the voice spake unto him again the     
second time1 ,what ,god hath cleansed1  
that call not thou common4 ,this was    
done thrice3 and the vessel was received
 up again into heaven4 ,although ,peter 
was a true follower of ,jesus ,christ1  
he had not yet got over his ,jewish     
prejudices2 but like the rest of his    
countrymen1 looked upon the ,gentiles as
 unclean1 and thought that it was as    
great a sin for a ,jew to keep company  
with a ,gentile1 as it would be for him 
to eat any of the unclean animals1 which
 the ,lord forbade him to touch4 ,the   
vision now sent to ,peter1 plainly      

showed him that ,jesus did not wish his 
followers to observe any longer the     
ceremonial ,law2 and above all1 that in 
preaching the ,gospel1 no distinction   
was to be made between ,jew and         
,gentile4 ,no man was to be looked upon 
as unclean1 since it was the ,will of   
,god that all should come to the        
knowledge of the truth1 and be joined   
together in one body1 the ,church4      
,this vision greatly astonished ,peter1 
and perplexed him3 but while he doubted 
in himself what this vision which he had
 seen should mean1 the whole matter was 
made plain to him4 ,by this time the men
 which were sent from ,cornelius had    
reached ,joppa1 and having made inquiry 
for the house of ,simon the tanner1 they
 now stood before the gate1 and called1 
and asked whether ,simon1 which was     
surnamed ,peter1 were lodged there3 and 
while ,peter thought on the vision1     
trying to discover what it might mean1  
the ,spirit said unto him1 ,behold1     
three men seek thee4 ,arise therefore1  

and get thee down1 to hear wherefore    
they are come1 and go with them1 as they
 will ask thee1 doubting nothing--having
 no doubts or fears upon the subject1   
but feeling sure that you are doing     
right by going with them1--for ,i have  
sent them4     ,chapter ,,viii4--,,peter
 ,,and ,,cornelius4   ,having received  
the direct commands of ,god by the ,holy
 ,spirit1 ,peter at once went down to   
the men which were sent unto him from   
,cornelius2 and said1 ,behold1 ,i am he 
whom you seek2 what is the cause        
wherefore ye are come8 ,and they said1  
,cornelius the centurion1 a just man1   
and one that feareth ,god1 and of good  
report among all the nation of the      
,jews1 was warned from ,god by an holy  
angel to send for thee into his house1  
and to hear words of thee4 ,then called 
he them in1 and lodged them4 ,and on the
 morrow ,peter went away with them1 and 
certain brethren from ,joppa accompanied
 him4 ,and the morrow after they entered
 into ,caesarea4 ,cornelius1 knowing at 

about what time his messengers might be 
expected back1 had called his friends   
together to receive ,peter1 whom he was 
anxiously expecting to come with his    
servants4 ,and ,cornelius waited for    
them1 and had called together his       
kinsmen and near friends4 ,and as ,peter
 was coming in1 ,cornelius met him1 and 
fell down at his feet1 and worshipped   
him4 ,thus did the centurion show his   
joy and gratitude after the manner of   
the ,gentiles1 who often did pay to     
their fellow creatures that degree of   
reverence and worship due to ,god alone2
 and ,cornelius1 looking upon ,peter as 
the especial servant of ,god sent to him
 by the interposition of an angel1 might
 naturally on his appearance fall into  
this error4 ,peter1 however1 at once    
checked such an expression of the       
centurion's feeling2 teaching him1 that 
the worship due to ,god must never be   
given to any man under any              
circumstances2 so1 when ,cornelius fell 
at his feet1 ,peter took him up1 saving1

 ,stand up2 ,i myself also am a man4    
,and as he talked with him1 he went in1 
and found many that were come together4 
,and he said unto them1 ,ye know how    
that it is an unlawful thing for a man  
that is a ,jew to keep company or come  
unto one of another nation2 but ,god    
hath shewed me that ,i should not call  
any man common or unclean4 ,therefore   
came ,i to you without gainsaying1 as   
soon as ,i was sent for4 ,having thus   
given an account of himself1 ,peter very
 naturally added1 ,i ask therefore for  
what intent ye have sent for me8        
,cornelius at once gave to ,peter an    
account of the vision that had been     
vouchsafed to him1 and in consequence of
 which he had sent for him2 and added1  
and thou hast well done that thou art   
come4 ,now therefore are we all here    
present before ,god1 to hear all things 
that are commanded thee of ,god4        
,peter1 as a ,jew1 had been brought up  
to believe that the favour of ,god was  
confined to the descendants of ,abraham2

 but he now openly expresses his        
conviction1 that no such line of        
separation existed1 saying1 ,of a truth 
,i perceive that ,god is no respecter of
 persons3 but in every nation he that   
feareth him1 and worketh righteousness1 
is accepted with him3 a doctrine very   
displeasing to the unbelieving ,jews1   
but most comforting to the ,gentiles1   
who were no longer shut out from the    
favour of ,god1 now that all distinction
 between ,jew and ,gentile was done away
 with by the preaching of the ,gospel4  
,peter then spake to ,cornelius and his 
friends of ,jesus2 of ,his ,life1       
,death1 ,resurrection1 and of the       
commandment which ,he had given to ,his 
,apostles to preach unto the people1 and
 to testify that it is he which was     
ordained of ,god to be the ,judge of    
quick and dead2 and ,peter ended his    
discourse by repeating the great ,gospel
 truth1 that through faith in ,jesus all
 may receive remission or pardon of     
their sins4  ,even while ,peter was     

speaking1 the ,lord gave a signal proof 
that there was indeed1 in ,his sight1 no
 difference between ,jew and ,gentile1  
amongst those who believed the ,gospel1 
and became followers of ,jesus2 for the 
,holy ,ghost fell on all them which     
heard the word1 that is1 the ,gospel as 
now preached by ,peter2 and the ,spirit 
enabled them to speak with tongues1 that
 is1 to speak foreign languages1 as in  
the case of the ,apostles on the ,day of
 ,pentecost3 for this instance of mercy 
they did magnify and praise the ,lord4  
,and they of the circumcision1 the ,jews
 who had become believers1 and had now  
accompanied ,peter from ,joppa to       
,caesarea1 were astonished1 because that
 on the ,gentiles also was poured out   
the ,holy ,ghost1 in this plain and     
unmistakeable manner4  ,then answered   
,peter1 ,can any man forbid water1 that 
these should not be baptized1 which have
 received the ,holy ,ghost as well as   
we8 ,peter justly felt1 that these      
,gentiles1 who had so evidently been    

made partakers of the inward and        
spiritual grace of ,baptism1 might be   
safely allowed to receive the outward   
visible sign4 ,and he commanded them to 
be baptized in the name of the ,lord4   
,then prayed they him to tarry certain  
days at ,caesarea1 that he might yet    
further instruct them in the doctrines  
of the ,gospel4  ,peter no doubt        
complied with this request1 and we may  
be sure that he dwelt on the necessity  
of holiness in all the followers of     
,jesus1 and exhorted his hearers to     
constant and earnest prayer to ,him1    
from ,whom come all good gifts1 and     
without ,whose help man can do no good  
thing4  ,the ,apostles and brethren that
 were in ,judaea1 heard that the        
,gentiles had also received the word of 
,god1 without at the same time hearing  
under what circumstances ,peter had gone
 amongst them to preach it4  ,and when  
,peter was come up to ,jerusalem1 they  
that were of the circumcision1--that is1
 those ,jews who1 although they had     

become disciples1 still thought that the
 ,law of ,moses was to be obeyed in all 
its ceremonies1 and that the ,gospel    
should be preached to ,jews             
only1--blamed1 or contended with ,peter1
 saying1 ,thou wentest in to men        
uncircumcised1 and didst eat with them4 
,peter1 instead of being angry1 that he1
 one of the ,apostles appointed by      
,christ1 should be thus called to       
account by those whose duty it was to   
learn of him1 quietly rehearsed 7or     
repeated7 the matter from the beginning1
 and expounded it by order unto them1   
beginning with his own vision at ,joppa1
 and ending with the baptism of         
,cornelius and his friends1 in          
consequence of the pouring out of the   
,holy ,ghost upon them2 saying1 in      
regard to this subject1 ,then remembered
 ,i the word of the ,lord1 how that he  
said1 ,john indeed baptized with water2 
but ye shall be baptized with the ,holy 
,ghost4 ,forasmuch then as ,god gave    
them the like gift as he did unto us1   

who believed on the ,lord ,jesus        
,christ1 what was ,i1 that ,i could     
withstand ,god8  ,when they heard these 
things1 they held their peace1 ceased to
 blame ,peter1 seeing that he had only  
done as ,god directed him3 and being now
 convinced that it was indeed the ,will 
of the ,lord that the ,gospel should be 
preached to all nations1 they glorified 
,god1 saying1 ,then hath ,god also to   
the ,gentiles granted repentance unto   
life4  ,all who believe in ,jesus       
,christ themselves1 will always rejoice 
when others are brought to do so too3   
,christians will ever show their love   
for ,jesus1 by doing all in their power 
to bring others to know and love ,him3  
and whatever else we may be able to do1 
let us always remember to pray for them1
 and to ask ,god to let ,his knowledge  
cover the earth as the waters cover the 
sea4  ,one thing more we should remark1 
as it teaches us a useful lesson in our 
dealings with our fellow creatures2 and 
that is1 how often disputes and quarrels

 would be avoided1 if we followed       
,peter's example2 and1 instead of being 
angry when we are unjustly blamed1 were 
to take it patiently1 and then quietly  
explain all the circumstances which have
 caused the misunderstanding4 ,but      
instead of that1 amongst us1 whether    
children or grown-up people1 if one     
makes a false accusation1 or casts      
undeserved blame upon another1 that     
other too often feels provoked and      
angry1 and answers sharply2 one sharp   
cross answer leads to others2 and so on1
 until there is a regular quarrel1      
whereby both parties sin against ,god3  
and all this might have been prevented  
by a few quiet gentle words of          
explanation4 ,let us remember1 that a   
soft answer turneth away wrath1 and that
 the beginning of strife is as when one 
letteth out water1--we cannot tell where
 it will stop4  ,the ,lord bids us live 
peaceably with all men3 let us try to do
 so1 striving never to provoke others1  
nor to be provoked by them4  ,we have   

seen that1 after ,stephen's death1 most 
of the disciples left ,jerusalem1 and   
they which were scattered abroad upon   
the persecution that arose about        
,stephen1 travelled as far as the       
country of ,phenice1 or ,phoenicia1 to  
the ,n4,w4 of ,judaea1 and to the isle  
of ,cyprus1 and to the town of ,antioch 
in ,syria1 which lay about twelve miles 
from the sea1 having the river ,orontes 
running through it4 ,to all these       
distant parts the disciples travelled1  
preaching the word to none but unto the 
,jews only1 who happened to be in those 
different places4 ,and some of them were
 men of ,cyprus and ,cyrene1 which1 when
 they were come to ,antioch1 spake unto 
the ,grecians1 the ,jews born in foreign
 lands1 preaching the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the
 people of ,cyprus1 and of ,cyrene on   
the coast of ,africa1 spake the ,greek  
language2 and therefore1 could make     
themselves understood by the ,grecians1 
who knew nothing of ,hebrew1 the        
language in which the other disciples   

preached4 ,and the hand of the ,lord was
 with all them that preached2 and a     
great number believed1 and turned unto  
the ,lord4  ,then tidings of these      
things came unto the ears of the church 
which was in ,jerusalem3 and they sent  
forth ,barnabas1 that he should go as   
far as ,antioch1 to ascertain the truth 
of what the ,apostles had heard1 and to 
confirm the faith of those who had      
turned to the ,lord4 ,barnabas was now  
numbered with the ,apostles1 and        
exercised like authority2 for he was a  
good man1 and full of the ,holy ,ghost  
and of faith4 ,when he came to ,antioch1
 and had seen how by the grace of ,god  
so many were truly converted1 he        
exhorted them all1 that with purpose of 
heart they would cleave unto the ,lord3 
that is1 that they would continue       
steadfast in the faith1 and determine to
 devote themselves entirely1 body and   
soul1 heart and mind1 to the service of 
the ,lord4 ,the preaching of such a man 
could not fail to have its effect2 for  

he was full of the ,holy ,ghost2 and so 
we read that much people was added unto 
the ,lord4     ,chapter ,,ix4--,,peter  
,,delivered ,,from ,,prison4            
,barnabas1 finding that there was plenty
 of work to be done at ,antioch1        
departed to ,tarsus1 for to seek ,saul1 
that he might come and help him4 ,and   
when he had found him1 he brought him   
unto ,antioch4 ,and it came to pass that
 a whole year they assembled themselves 
with the church 7that is1 joined in the 
assemblies of the believers71 and taught
 much people1--converting1 we may be    
sure1 ,gentiles as well as ,jews4       
,scripture tells us here1 ,and the      
disciples were called ,christians first 
in ,antioch4 ,some people have thought  
that this name1 in which we glory1 was  
given to the disciples by their enemies1
 in scorn of them as followers of       
,christ2 but it is far more likely that 
it was given them by ,saul and          
,barnabas1 under the direction of the   
,holy ,spirit4  ,up to this time1 the   

,jewish converts were called amongst    
themselves disciples1 believers1 saints2
 and all together1 the ,church4 ,their  
enemies called them ,nazarenes1         
,galileans1 or the men of this way4 ,now
 that there were so many of them1 it was
 quite necessary that they should be    
distinguished by some peculiar name2 and
 what name could be more appropriate1   
than one which marked them as the       
followers and disciples of ,jesus       
,christ--believers in the ,messiah1 the 
,anointed1 through ,whom alone they1 and
 all mankind1 could receive pardon of   
their sins8 ,let us1 whilst we glory in 
the name of ,christians1 take care that 
we are not so in name only4 ,all who are
 joined to ,christ1 or made part of ,his
 body the ,church1 by ,baptism1 are now 
called ,christians4 ,the cross is the   
sign1 or symbol1 of the ,christian      
faith4 ,in ,baptism1 the figure of the  
cross is made on the forehead of the    
person baptized1 to signify that he1 or 
she1 is now entered as a faithful       

soldier and servant of ,christ2 and that
 this service is to be continued as long
 as life lasts4  ,this shows us what    
each one of us should be1--a faithful   
soldier1 fighting against all the       
enemies of our ,lord1 which are the     
,devil and his evil angels1 our own bad 
passions and desires1 and every kind of 
sin3 and a faithful servant1 studying to
 know his ,master's ,will1 that he may  
do it thoroughly1 whatever suffering or 
trouble it may bring upon himself4 ,let 
us seriously consider whether we are    
such ,christians1 really and truly      
trying to serve and please ,god4 ,if we 
are not1 the name of ,christian will be 
of no use to us4 ,jesus ,himself says1  
,not every one that saith unto me1      
,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter the kingdom of
 heaven2 but he that doeth the will of  
my ,father which is in heaven4 ,let each
 one of us pray earnestly to ,god1 that 
for the sake of ,his blessed ,son1      
,jesus ,christ1 ,he will give us the    
help of the ,holy ,spirit1 so that we   

may become true ,christians in the sight
 of ,him1 by ,whom all our thoughts1    
words1 and actions are known4  ,in order
 to understand perfectly all that the   
,bible tells us1 it is necessary to     
mention a few circumstances connected   
with the history of the ,jews1 which are
 not written in the ,scriptures1 but are
 told us by a man called ,josephus1     
himself a ,jew1 who lived at this time1 
and has left us an account of all that  
he saw and heard amongst his countrymen4
 ,we have already heard that ,herod the 
,great1 who slew the infants of         
,bethlehem1 had many descendants1 who   
all bore the same name1 and several of  
whom are spoken of in ,scripture4 ,some 
account has already been given of them4 
,aristobulus1 one of the unfortunate    
sons of ,herod the ,great and ,mariamne1
 left two sons3 one named ,herod        
,agrippa1 called also the ,elder1 to    
distinguish him from his own son1 named 
also ,herod ,agrippa2 and another son1  
also called ,herod1 who became ,king of 

,chalcis4 ,herod ,agrippa the ,elder    
lived for some years quietly at ,rome1  
as a private person1 and was in favour  
with ,tiberius1 who became ,emperor of  
,rome ,a4,d4 #ad4 ,but some persons     
having accused ,herod1 whether truly or 
falsely we cannot say1 of wishing for   
the ,emperor's death1 he was put into   
prison1 where he remained until         
,tiberius died1 about four years after  
the ,crucifixion of ,jesus4 ,caligula1  
who became ,emperor at the death of     
,tiberius1 ,a4,d4 #cg1 made ,herod      
,agrippa king over ,iturea and some     
neighbouring parts of the country4      
,pontius ,pilate had ceased before this 
to be ,governor1 or ,procurator1 of     
,judaea4 ,a riot1 or disturbance1 had   
taken place amongst the people of       
,samaria4 ,pilate put a stop to it2 but 
he afterwards treated the people with   
such extreme severity1 that the ,roman  
,emperor deprived him of his government1
 which he had held for about ten years4 
,pilate was banished to ,vienne1 a place

 in ,gaul 7as ,france was then called71 
and there he killed himself4  ,about the
 same time that ,pilate was deprived of 
his office1 ,herod ,antipas was also    
deprived of his4 ,herod ,antipas1 the   
second son of ,herod the ,great1 was the
 tetrarch1 or governor of ,galilee1 who 
put ,john the ,baptist to death1 and    
who1 with his men of war1 mocked and ill
 treated our blessed ,lord1 ,who was    
sent to him by ,pilate4 ,a few years    
after the death of ,jesus1 ,herod wished
 to make himself king of ,judaea2 and he
 was in consequence deprived of his     
government1 and banished into ,spain1   
also a ,roman province1 where he died   
miserably4 ,so soon did punishment fall 
upon these two bad men1 who had sinned  
against the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4       
,caligula1 who made ,herod ,agrippa king
 over some parts of ,syria and          
,palestine1 was anxious to be looked    
upon and treated as a god2 and of course
 his heathen subjects did not much care 
whether he were so considered or not4   

,but although the ,jews had refused to  
believe in the ,messiah1 they had1 ever 
since the return from the ,captivity1 a 
horror of worshipping anything but the  
,lord ,god ,almighty1 the ,god of       
,abraham4 ,when1 therefore1 ,caligula   
ordered that a gilt statue of himself1  
as a god1 should be set up in the       
temple1 all ,judaea was filled with     
horror2 and for several weeks the people
 ceased from following their usual      
occupations1 and the country towards    
,mount ,carmel was crowded with people  
in mourning4 ,the ,roman governor of    
,syria1 charged to set up this statue1  
seeing the distress of the people1      
kindly listened to their entreaties1    
that he would wait a little before he   
executed this dreadful order4 ,the ,jews
 then applied to ,herod ,agrippa the    
,elder1 who happened to be in ,rome2 and
 he1 with great difficulty1 persuaded   
,caligula not to insist upon setting up 
this statue4  ,when ,claudius became    
,emperor1 ,a4,d4 #da1 he added the      

provinces of ,judaea and ,samaria to    
,herod's dominions1 so that he governed 
the whole land of ,palestine1 bearing   
the title of king4  ,the trouble that   
the ,jews were in under ,caligula1      
prevented their thinking so much of     
persecuting the ,christians2 and thus   
the ,church of ,christ had a little     
rest1 and went on increasing4 ,but now  
that ,herod ,agrippa had become ,king of
 ,judaea1 it was different2 for he1     
seeing the number of ,christians        
increasing in a most extraordinary      
manner1 was fearful that they might     
rebel1 and refuse to obey him as their  
king3 therefore we read1 ,now about that
 time ,herod the king stretched forth   
his hands to vex certain of the church4 
,and he killed ,james the brother of    
,john with the sword4 ,and because he   
saw it pleased the ,jews1 he proceeded  
further to take ,peter also4 ,herod was 
anxious to gain favour with his ,jewish 
subjects2 and there was no more certain 
way of doing so1 than by persecuting the

 ,christians4 ,having therefore killed  
one of the sons of ,zebedee1 he         
determined to take ,peter1 who was one  
of the chief amongst the ,apostles4     
,then were the days of unleavened       
bread--that is1 the ,feast of the       
,passover was now drawing near2 and the 
preparation for that ,holy ,sacrifice   
had already begun1 by the putting away  
of leaven out of every ,jewish house1   
according to the ,law of ,moses4 ,and   
when ,herod had apprehended ,peter1 he  
put him in prison1 and delivered him to 
four quaternions of soldiers to keep    
him2 intending after ,easter to bring   
him forth to the people1 with the       
intention1 no doubt1 of slaying him1 as 
he had already slain ,james4 ,four      
soldiers formed a quaternion2 four      
quaternions therefore were sixteen men1 
who were especially appointed to guard  
,peter4 ,peter therefore was kept in    
prison3 but prayer was made without     
ceasing of the church unto ,god for him3
 and the prayers of the saints were more

 effectual than all the precautions     
taken by ,herod4  ,it was customary with
 the ,romans to fasten a prisoner to his
 keeper by a light chain1 which went    
round the wrist of each2 thus rendering 
it impossible for the prisoner to move  
without the knowledge of his keeper4    
,for greater security1 ,peter was thus  
bound to two of the soldiers4  ,during  
the night before the day on which ,herod
 would have brought ,peter forth1 he was
 sleeping between two soldiers1 bound   
with two chains3 and the keepers before 
the door kept the prison4 ,and1 behold1 
the angel of the ,lord came upon him1   
and a light shined in the prison3 and he
 smote ,peter on the side1 7to awaken   
him17 and raised him up1 saying1 ,arise 
up quickly4 ,and his chains fell off    
from his hands1 7without disturbing the 
keepers74 ,and the angel said unto him1 
,gird thyself1 and bind on thy sandals4 
,and so he did4 ,and he saith unto him1 
,cast thy garment about thee1 and follow
 me4 ,peter did as he was told2 but all 

this time he was not aware that he was  
really free1 but thought he was merely  
dreaming3 he wist not that it was true  
which was done by the angel2 but thought
 he saw a vision4 ,when they were past  
the first and the second ward1          
7different parts of the prison1 without 
being perceived by any of those who kept
 the doors17 they came unto the iron    
gate that leadeth unto the city2 which  
opened to them of his own accord3 and   
they went out1 and passed on through one
 street2 and forthwith the angel        
departed from him4 ,his miraculous work 
being now accomplished1 the angel left  
,peter to go on his own way4 ,the       
departure of his heavenly guide seems to
 have aroused ,peter to the reality of  
what had happened2 he no longer thought 
he had seen a vision4 ,and when ,peter  
was come to himself1 he said1 ,now ,i   
know of a surety1 that the ,lord hath   
sent his angel1 and hath delivered me   
out of the hand of ,herod1 and from all 
the expectation of the people of the    

,jews4 ,and when he had considered the  
thing1 he came to the house of ,mary the
 mother of ,john1 whose surname was     
,mark4 ,this ,mark1 whose name was also 
,john1 was the writer of the ,gospel    
bearing his name3 his mother was sister 
to ,barnabas1 and her house was no doubt
 a place1 where the ,christian brethren 
often met for the purpose of prayer2 and
 now1 although it was not yet daylight1 
many were gathered together praying4    
,probably they had spent the night in   
prayer for the deliverance of ,peter4   
,and as ,peter knocked at the door of   
the gate1 a damsel came to hearken1     
named ,rhoda4 ,and when she knew        
,peter's voice1 she opened not the gate 
for gladness1 but ran in1 and told how  
,peter stood before the gate4  ,the     
faith of the brethren was not strong    
enough to make them at once believe in  
such a wonderful answer to their        
prayers4 ,they knew that ,peter was     
securely shut up in prison2 and so1 when
 ,rhoda suddenly announced that he was  

standing at the door1 they said unto    
her1 ,thou art mad2 thinking that she   
did not know what she was saying3 and   
when she insisted that it was even so1  
they could not then believe that it     
really was ,peter himself1 but said1 ,it
 is his angel1 or spirit4 ,but ,peter   
continued knocking2 thus showing that it
 was no spirit1 but a real living being3
 and when they had opened the door1 they
 were astonished4 ,peter would not allow
 them to express their astonishment1 but
 beckoning unto them with the hand to   
hold their peace1 7that is1 making a    
sign unto them not to speak17 he        
declared unto them how the ,lord had    
brought him out of the prison4 ,when he 
had finished the wonderful recital1 he  
said1 ,go1 shew these things unto       
,james1 and to the brethren4  ,though in
 many respects all the ,apostles were   
upon an equality1 it was necessary that 
some one of them should have the        
particular direction of the affairs of  
the ,church at ,jerusalem2 and ,james   

seems to have held this office4 ,the    
other ,apostles therefore gave him an   
account of their labours1 and of        
anything remarkable which took place4   
,this ,james1 called the ,less1 to      
distinguish him from ,james the son of  
,zebedee1 is sometimes spoken of as the 
,lord's brother1 though there is every  
reason to believe that he was not his   
brother1 but the nephew of ,his mother  
,mary4 ,in those times1 such near       
kinsmen as first cousins--that is1 the  
children of brothers and sisters--were  
often called brethren4 ,if the mother of
 ,jesus had had any other children1 it  
would not have been necessary for our   
,lord to commend her to the care of ,his
 beloved disciple ,john1 whom ,he bade  
her to look upon as a son4  ,james is   
always considered as the first ,bishop3 
he was ,bishop of the ,church in        
,jerusalem2 and he remained in that     
city1 whilst the other ,apostles        
travelled from place to place1 preaching
 the ,gospel to all people4 ,peter was  

anxious that ,james1 and all the        
brethren1 should know what had happened 
to him1 that they might bless ,god for  
answering their prayers in such a       
wonderful manner1 and that their faith  
might be strengthened1 by seeing how    
able and willing the ,lord is to        
preserve ,his servants1 and defend them 
from all enemies1 as long as ,he has any
 work for them to do upon earth4        
,chapter ,x4--,,saul ,,and ,,barnabas   
,,called ,,to ,,preach ,,to ,,the       
,,gentiles4   ,after giving his message 
for ,james1 ,peter departed1 and went   
unto another place1 where ,herod's      
officers would be less likely to look   
for him1 than in a house where the      
,christians were in the habit of        
meeting4  ,nor did ,peter remain in     
,jerusalem1 where he would at any moment
 be liable to be discovered3 what he did
 is not quite certain1 but there is good
 reason to believe that he went to      
,rome1 and preached the ,gospel to ,jews
 and ,gentiles2 so as to found1 or      

begin1 the establishment of a ,christian
 ,church in that city4 ,it is also      
believed that ,mark went with ,peter1   
and that he then wrote his ,gospel1 for 
the use of the ,christian converts at   
,rome4  ,when ,herod found that ,peter  
had actually escaped out of prison1 he  
caused all the keepers of the prison to 
be put to death4  ,after this1 he went  
down from ,judaea to ,caesarea1 and     
there abode4  ,from other writings we   
learn1 that ,herod went to ,caesarea at 
this time1 for the purpose of           
celebrating a festival in honour of     
,claudius ,caesar1 who had become       
,emperor of ,rome a year or two before1 
in ,a4,d4 #da4 ,we also learn that the  
people of ,tyre and ,sidon had in some  
way or other offended ,herod1 who was   
intending to make war upon them4 ,the   
idea of war greatly alarmed the         
inhabitants of ,phoenicia1 because they 
got the chief part of their wheat and   
honey1 and other provisions1 from the   
land of ,judaea2 and of course if there 

were a war1 such supplies would be      
stopped1 and a famine would be the      
consequence4 ,we read in the ,scripture1
 that ,herod was highly displeased with 
them of ,tyre and ,sidon3 but they came 
with one accord to him1 and1 having made
 ,blastus the king's chamberlain their  
friend1 desired peace2 because their    
country was nourished by the king's     
country4 ,herod1 at the request of      
,blastus1 consented to receive the      
messengers sent from ,tyre and ,sidon4  
,and upon a set day1 a day appointed for
 the purpose1 ,herod1 arrayed in royal  
apparel1 sat upon his throne1 and made  
an oration 7or long speech7 unto them4  
,what ,herod said1 we do not know2 but  
,josephus tells us that he wore on this 
occasion a magnificent robe of silver   
tissue1 and that the sun shining upon   
it1 made it look so dazzlingly bright   
and beautiful1 that the people cried    
out1 ,forgive us for having only paid   
honour to you as a mortal king3 from    
this time we shall look upon you as     

being far superior to mortals6 ,instead 
of reproving them for thus setting up a 
mortal man as being equal to ,god1      
,herod was pleased with this speech2 but
 he had soon cause to repent of his     
pride and folly3 for before he left the 
theatre1 or public building in which    
such assemblies took place1 he was      
seized with most dreadful pains in his  
stomach1 so that in his agony he        
exclaimed1 ,i whom ye have called a god 
am now going to die a miserable death4  
,the king was then carried to his       
palace1 where he died after five days of
 fearful suffering3 a warning to all1   
who allow others to treat them as if    
they were beings superior to their      
fellow-men4  ,none of this is told us in
 the ,bible3 all that we read on this   
subject in the ,book of ,acts1 is1 that 
,herod made an oration4 ,and the people 
gave a shout1 saying1 ,it is the voice  
of a god1 and not of a man4 ,and        
immediately the angel of the ,lord smote
 him1 because he gave not ,god the      

glory3 and he was eaten of worms1 and   
gave up the ghost4  ,herod died about   
,a4,d4 #dd1 lamented by the ,jews1 whose
 favour he had gained by his persecution
 of the ,christians3 the ,roman         
soldiers1 on the contrary1 rejoiced at  
his death1 and spake against him1 which 
made the ,jews very angry4 ,this bad    
feeling now raised between the ,roman   
soldiers and the ,jews1 was one cause of
 the troubles and disturbances which    
soon followed3 for from this time until 
,jerusalem was destroyed1 twenty-six    
years later1 the land of ,judaea never  
enjoyed any real rest or quiet4 ,how    
could the blessing of ,god1 which can   
alone give peace and happiness1 rest    
upon a people who had so fearfully      
sinned against ,god1 by their rejection 
of the ,messiah1 ,his ,son ,jesus       
,christ4  ,herod ,agrippa the ,elder1 of
 whose death we have just spoken1 left  
three children3 a son1 bearing his own  
name of ,herod ,agrippa2 and two        
daughters1 ,bernice and ,drusilla1 both 

mentioned in ,scripture4  ,herod        
,agrippa the ,second1 or ,younger1 was  
only seventeen years old when his father
 died2 and his dominions were therefore 
placed under the care of a ,roman       
governor2 but afterwards he was allowed 
to rule over a part of them1 and to take
 the title of king3 and upon the death  
of his uncle1 ,herod king of ,chalcis1  
the ,emperor ,claudius allowed this     
,herod ,agrippa to succeed to his       
kingdom4 ,nero1 who became ,emperor of  
,rome1 ,a4,d4 #ed1 added to the         
dominions already possessed by ,herod   
,agrippa the ,second1 in the land of    
,judaea4 ,we shall hear of him again in 
the ,book of ,acts4 ,both ,drusilla and 
,bernice were bad women3 ,drusilla      
married ,azizus1 king of the ,emesians2 
but ,felix1 a ,roman1 who afterwards    
became governor or procurator of        
,judaea1 persuaded her to leave her     
husband1 and become his wife4 ,of this  
,felix we shall hear more by and by1    
after he became the governor of ,judaea4

  ,we must now go back to the history of
 ,saul and ,barnabas1 whom we left at   
,antioch preaching the ,gospel1 and     
bringing into the ,church many converts1
 who were then called ,christians4      
,whilst ,barnabas and ,saul were still  
at ,antioch1 preaching the ,gospel of   
,jesus1 there came prophets from        
,jerusalem unto ,antioch4 ,and there    
stood up one of them named ,agabus1 and 
signified 7or foretold7 by 7the         
direction of7 the ,spirit that there    
should be great dearth 7or famine7      
throughout all the world3 which came to 
pass in the days of ,claudius ,caesar1  
who was at that time ,emperor of ,rome4 
,the word here translated world1        
sometimes means the ,roman ,empire1 and 
sometimes only the land of ,judaea4 ,in 
this case1 it appears to mean ,judaea   
only2 for the dearth seems to have been 
confined to that country3 and ,josephus1
 speaking of this dearth in the reign of
 ,claudius1 tells us1 that large        
quantities of corn were sent up to      

,jerusalem from the neighbouring        
provinces1 which could not have been the
 case if the dearth had been felt in    
them also4 ,on the announcement of the  
distress about to come upon their       
brethren in ,judaea1 the disciples at   
,antioch1 every man according to his    
ability1 determined to send relief unto 
the brethren which dwelt in ,judaea4 ,by
 this we learn1 that the custom of      
having all things in common had not been
 followed at ,antioch4 ,most probably by
 this time it had been given up         
altogether2 for now that the numbers of 
,christians had so largely increased on 
all sides1 the plan of having all things
 in common would be no longer desirable1
 or even practicable4 ,each ,christian  
of ,antioch determined then to give what
 he could for the relief of their fellow
 ,christians in ,judaea2 which also they
 did1 and sent it to the elders by the  
hands of ,barnabas and ,saul1 who       
immediately set out from ,antioch1 to   
take the money thus collected to the    

elders of the ,church at ,jerusalem4    
,these two ,apostles stayed in          
,jerusalem for some months2 probably    
about a year4 ,we learn from another    
part of the ,book of ,acts1 that during 
this stay at ,jerusalem1 ,saul had a    
very remarkable vision4 ,he was praying 
in the temple1 when by the power of ,god
 he fell into a trance4 ,whilst he was  
in this state1 his bodily senses        
suspended as it were1 and his mind more 
alive to spiritual things1 ,jesus       
,christ appeared to him1 and said1 ,make
 haste1 and get thee quickly out of     
,jerusalem3 for they will not receive   
thy testimony concerning me4 ,it        
surprised ,saul to be told that the     
,jews of ,jerusalem would not believe   
him3 they knew how he had formerly      
persecuted the ,christians1 and         
therefore his change of opinions would1 
he thought1 have great weight in        
convincing them of the truth of what he 
now taught them3 therefore he answered1 
and said1 ,lord1 they know that ,i      

imprisoned and beat in every synagogue  
them that believed in thee3 and when the
 blood of thy martyr ,stephen was shed1 
,i was also standing by1 and consenting 
unto his death1 and kept the raiment of 
them that slew him4  ,to man1 these     
things might seem to make ,saul the most
 fit person to convince his countrymen1 
but not so with ,god1 ,who had chosen   
,saul especially to preach the ,gospel  
to the ,gentiles4 ,in answer to his     
pleading1 therefore1 ,jesus now gave    
this positive command1 ,depart3 for ,i  
will send thee far hence unto the       
,gentiles4 ,this was enough1 and from   
henceforth ,saul became a distinguished 
preacher to the ,gentiles4 ,and         
,barnabas and ,saul returned from       
,jerusalem1 when they had fulfilled     
their ministry1 7that is1 the work which
 they came to do17 and took with them   
,john1 whose surname was ,mark1 who had 
before this accompanied ,peter to ,rome4
  ,barnabas and ,saul therefore went    
back to ,antioch1 but they did not long 

remain there4  ,now there were in the   
church that was at ,antioch certain     
prophets and teachers1 who joined with  
,barnabas and ,saul in preaching the    
,gospel4 ,as they ministered to the     
,lord1 and fasted1 the ,holy ,ghost     
said1 ,separate me ,barnabas and ,saul  
for the work whereunto ,i have called   
them4 ,in what way the ,holy ,ghost     
spake1 we are not told2 but in some way 
or other the ,lord made known ,his ,will
 to ,his faithful servants1 whilst they 
were engaged in the performance of their
 religious duties4 ,the work unto which 
,barnabas and ,saul were now called1 was
 that of preaching the ,gospel1 not to  
,jews only1 or even to ,proselytes of   
the ,gate1 but also to the idolatrous   
,gentiles1 so as to bring them to leave 
their false religion and become         
,christians4 ,although the appointment  
of ,barnabas and ,saul to this work was 
direct from ,god1 yet outward forms were
 to be observed in dedicating them to   
it1 and solemn prayers offered up for   

their success4 ,in this matter1 no doubt
 the prophets and teachers acted by the 
direction of the same ,spirit which had 
bade them separate1 or set apart the two
 ,apostles for this particular work4    
,and when they had fasted and prayed1   
and laid their hands on them1 they sent 
them away4  ,barnabas and ,saul now set 
out on their first journey1 about ,a4,d4
 #de4 ,so they1 being sent forth by the 
,holy ,ghost1 departed unto ,seleucia1 a
 port at the mouth of the river         
,orontes1 a little to the west of       
,antioch2 and from thence they sailed to
 ,cyprus4 ,and when they were at        
,salamis1 a city in the eastern part of 
the island1 they preached the word of   
,god in the synagogues of the ,jews2 for
 though they had a positive commission  
to preach to the ,gentiles1 they were   
not to neglect the ,jews1 but preach the
 ,gospel first to them1 if they would   
but listen to it4 ,and they had also    
,john 7or ,mark7 to their minister1--to 
help in their ministry or work4         

,chapter ,,xi4--,,saul',s ,,name        
,,changed ,,to ,,paul4   ,having        
preached the ,word at ,salamis1         
,barnabas and ,saul1 with ,mark1        
journeyed on1 proclaiming their good    
tidings in every village4 ,and when they
 had gone through the isle1 they came   
unto ,paphos1 the chief city1 situated  
on the western coast of ,cyprus4 ,here  
the deputy of the country1 that is1 the 
magistrate or governor appointed by the 
,roman ,emperor1 resided3 this deputy1  
whose name was ,sergius ,paulus1 was    
himself a ,roman and a heathen2 but he  
was a prudent man1 that is1 a man of    
good sense and understanding2 therefore1
 when he heard of ,barnabas and ,saul   
teaching new and wonderful doctrines1 he
 was anxious to hear and judge for      
himself as to their truth3 he therefore 
called for ,barnabas and ,saul1 and     
desired to hear the word of ,god4 ,but  
,sergius ,paulus had with him1 as his   
friend and adviser1 a ,jew1 whose name  
was ,bar-jesus3 he was also called      

,elymas1 because he was looked upon as a
 sorcerer or magician1 and the word     
,elymas means something of that sort4   
,this man1 who pretended to be a        
prophet1 and to have power to work      
miracles1 did not at all wish that      
,christianity should spread2 and seeing 
that the ,roman governor was inclined to
 believe what the ,apostles taught1 he  
contradicted them1 withstood them1      
seeking to turn away the deputy from the
 faith4 ,for this conduct ,saul reproved
 him severely1 pronouncing upon him a   
heavy punishment3 we read1 ,then ,saul1 
7who also is called ,paul17 filled with 
the ,holy ,ghost1 set his eyes on him1  
and said1 ,o full of all subtilty and   
all mischief1 thou child of the devil1  
thou enemy of all righteousness1 wilt   
thou not cease to pervert the right ways
 of the ,lord8 ,and now1 behold1 the    
hand of the ,lord is upon thee1 and thou
 shalt be blind1 not seeing the sun for 
a season4 ,and immediately there fell on
 him a mist and a darkness2 and he went 

about seeking some to lead him by the   
hand4 ,then the deputy1 when he saw what
 was done1 believed1 being astonished at
 the doctrine of the ,lord4 ,he saw that
 the ,apostles were far superior to     
,elymas1 who could not save himself2 and
 he at once believed all that they      
taught1 convinced that ,god was indeed  
with them4  ,we have read1 then ,saul1  
who also is called ,paul2 and we find   
that from this time he is never again   
spoken of in ,scripture by the name of  
,saul4 ,as the ,bible does not tell us  
why his name was changed1 we cannot be  
sure2 but there are several reasons     
which may have caused the change4       
,first1 ,sergius ,paulus was the first  
idolatrous ,gentile mentioned as having 
become a ,christian1 and it is very     
probable that the ,apostle had the name 
of ,paul 7which is the same as ,paulus7 
given to him1 in remembrance of this act
 of mercy shown to the ,gentiles by     
,god4 ,then1 again1 the ,jews1          
particularly those who like ,paul were  

not born in the land of ,judaea1 often  
had a ,roman as well as a ,hebrew name  
given to them2 and they called          
themselves by either1 according to the  
custom of the people amongst whom they  
went4 ,some persons think that the      
,apostle now chose the name of ,paul1   
which means little or weak1 instead of  
that of ,saul1 meaning beloved or       
desirable4 ,paul was now humble2 he felt
 that he was weak1 and that whatever he 
might be able to do1 could be done only 
by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1       
directing and helping him4 ,but whatever
 the cause may be1 it is certain that   
from this time he is always called      
,paul--a name much more pleasing to the 
,gentiles1 amongst whom he was appointed
 to teach1 than the ,hebrew appellation 
of ,saul4 ,the remaining chapters of the
 ,book of ,acts give us the account of  
the ,five ,journeys made by this        
,apostle1 in order to preach the ,gospel
 to the ,gentiles3 of the other         
,apostles we hear but little4 ,we       

generally speak of the ,apostles and    
,evangelists as ,st4 ,peter1 ,st4 ,john1
 ,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,luke1 
c4 ,saint means good and holy2 and we   
may well call the ,apostles so1 to      
distinguish them from other men2 for    
they were holy men1 inspired and guided 
in a peculiar way by the ,holy ,ghost1  
and we should1 therefore1 speak of them 
and think of them with reverence2       
remembering1 that by their preaching and
 writings1 we1 and all mankind1 have    
learnt the blessed tidings of salvation 
through ,jesus ,christ4 ,st4 ,paul was  
now on his first journey1 in company    
with ,st4 ,barnabas2 and ,st4 ,mark was 
with them4 ,from ,paphos they sailed to 
,perga1 in ,pamphylia1 a country in the 
southern part of ,asia ,minor4 ,the     
,scripture tells us that here ,john1 or 
,st4 ,mark as we call him1 departing    
from them1 returned to ,jerusalem4 ,why 
he did this1 we are not told2 but from  
what we read in other parts of          
,scripture1 we are sure that he did     

wrong4 ,he was a young man1 and probably
 he was discouraged by the idea of all  
the difficulties and hardships which the
 ,apostles must meet with4 ,after the   
departure of ,st4 ,mark1 ,st4 ,paul and 
,st4 ,barnabas travelled northward into 
the province of ,pisidia1 where there   
was also a town called ,antioch1 built1 
like ,antioch in ,syria1 by ,seleucus   
,nicanor1 who was king of ,syria after  
the death of ,alexander the ,great4     
,seleucus gave the name of ,antioch to  
these cities1 in memory of his father   
,antiochus4 ,when the ,apostles came to 
,antioch in ,pisidia1 they went into the
 synagogue on the sabbath day1 and sat  
down4 ,and after the reading of the law 
and of the prophets1 the rulers of the  
synagogue sent unto them1 saying1 ,ye   
men and brethren1 if ye have any word of
 exhortation for the people1 say on4 ,we
 have already learnt that the ,jews were
 required to set up a synagogue1 in any 
place where ten men could meet for      
public worship2 and that every synagogue

 had its rulers3 men respectable both   
from age and character1 who directed the
 services1 and had some authority over  
other members of the congregation4 ,on  
the ,sabbath morning1 two lessons were  
appointed to be read3 one out of the    
,law1 or ,books of ,moses2 the other    
from the writings of the ,prophets3 on  
week-day mornings1 the ,law only was    
read4 ,after these ,lessons had been    
read1 it was customary for some ,teacher
 or ,rabbi to preach or speak to the    
people3 and if any strange teacher or   
learned man happened to be present1 he  
was often called upon by the rulers of  
the synagogue1 to perform this part of  
the service4 ,even if the rulers of the 
synagogue at ,antioch in ,pisidia1 knew 
nothing before this of the ,apostles1   
they would see at once that they were   
,rabbis or ,teachers1 because they sat  
down1 which was customary for all       
belonging to this class3 probably1 too1 
they sat down in the seats expressly set
 apart for the ,doctors and ,teachers4  

,being invited by the rulers of the     
synagogue to say on1 if they had any    
word of exhortation for the people1 the 
,apostles gladly seized the opportunity 
of speaking to them of ,jesus1 and      
exhorting them to believe in ,him4 ,then
 ,paul stood up1 and beckoning with his 
hand1 to draw the attention of the      
congregation1 said1 ,men of ,israel1 and
 ye that fear ,god1 give audience1 that 
is1 listen to my words4 ,by the men of  
,israel1 ,st4 ,paul meant ,jews born of 
,jewish parents1 the real descendants of
 ,abraham3 by ye that fear ,god1 he     
meant proselytes from the ,gentiles who 
had adopted the ,jewish religion1 though
 they were not ,jews by birth4 ,both    
equally needed to be taught the ,gospel1
 and ,st4 ,paul1 calling upon both to   
listen1 spake of the bringing of the    
,children of ,israel out of ,egypt2 of  
the mercy of ,god shown to them in their
 wanderings1 in spite of all their sins2
 and of their final settlement in the   
land of ,canaan4 ,he then mentioned     

their government by ,judges1 until1 at  
the wish of the people1 ,god gave them a
 king in the person of ,saul1 who was   
succeeded by ,david1 a man favoured by  
the ,lord4 ,st4 ,paul then went on to   
explain that ,god had1 according to ,his
 promise1 raised up from ,david's seed  
or descendants1 a ,saviour in the ,lord 
,jesus ,christ1 to whom ,john the       
,baptist had borne testimony2 but that  
the ,jews and their rulers had put ,him 
to death3 thus fulfilling the           
prophecies1 though1 if they had attended
 to their meaning1 they would have      
understood that ,jesus was indeed the   
promised ,messiah4 ,st4 ,paul then      
proceeded to show that ,god had         
fulfilled all ,his promises1 as written 
in the ,psalms or elsewhere1 by raising 
,jesus from the dead2 adding1 ,be it    
known unto you therefore1 men and       
brethren1 that through this man is      
preached unto you the forgiveness of    
sins3 and by him all that believe are   
justified from all things1 from which ye

 could not be justified by the law of   
,moses4 ,none could be justified1 or    
accounted righteous by the law1 because 
none could keep all its commandments and
 ordinances2 but those who believed in  
,jesus as their ,saviour1 would for ,his
 sake1 be looked upon as righteous4     
,having thus preached to the            
congregation the great ,gospel truth of 
remission of sins1 ,st4 ,paul warned his
 hearers not to disregard his words1    
lest the sentence pronounced by one of  
their prophets1 ,behold1 ye despisers1  
and wonder1 and perish1 should fall upon
 them4  ,the words of ,st4 ,paul made an
 impression upon some part of his       
hearers2 for when the ,jews were gone   
out of the synagogue1 the ,gentiles1    
that is1 the ,jewish proselytes from the
 ,gentiles1 besought that these words   
might be preached to them again4 ,many  
of the ,jews and religious proselytes   
also followed ,paul and ,barnabas1 when 
the congregation was broken up1 and were
 persuaded by the ,apostles to hold fast

 the blessed truths1 which by the grace 
of ,god they had learnt4  ,the fame of  
,st4 ,paul's preaching1 mean time1      
spread rapidly1 ,and the next sabbath   
day came almost the whole city together 
to hear the word of ,god4 ,but when the 
,jews saw the multitudes1 they were     
filled with envy1 fearing lest the      
,gospel1 which they rejected1 should be 
believed by others2 and therefore they  
spake against those things which were   
spoken by ,paul1 contradicting and      
blaspheming4 ,then ,paul and ,barnabas  
plainly told these ,jews1 that they had 
begun by preaching the word of ,god to  
them1 because such was the ,will of     
,god2 but1 as they wilfully refused the 
salvation thus offered to them1 they    
should now1 in obedience to the same    
,god1 turn to the ,gentiles1 and bring  
the heathens into the ,church of        
,christ1 ,who was to be for salvation   
unto the ends of the earth4 ,the        
,gentiles1 the idolatrous ,gentiles1 who
 now for the first time forsook their   

idols1 as well as those who had already 
turned from idolatry to worship the ,god
 of the ,jews1 were very glad when they 
heard this1 and glorified the word of   
the ,lord2 and many of them believed4   
,this made the ,jews very angry1 and    
they stirred up the devout and          
honourable women1 and the chief men of  
the city1 and raised persecution against
 ,paul and ,barnabas1 and expelled them 
out of their coasts4 ,the devout and    
honourable women were female proselytes 
of rank1 who had great influence over   
the lower classes in the city4 ,by their
 false accusations1 the unbelieving     
,jews managed to stir up the higher     
class of citizens and the rulers of the 
city1 to persecute the ,apostles and    
drive them out of their country4 ,but   
they shook off the dust of their feet   
against them1 and came unto ,iconium1 a 
town to the ,s4,e4 of ,antioch1 in the  
province of ,lycaonia4 ,we must         
remember1 that when ,jesus first gave   
commandment to ,his ,apostles to go and 

preach to the ,jews1 ,he told them that 
when they left any house or city1 where 
the people refused to hear them1 they   
were to shake off the dust of their     
feet1 to show that they would have      
nothing more to do with them3 just as   
the ,jews1 who looked upon the dust of  
heathen lands to be polluted1 shook it  
off their garments1 to signify that they
 had nothing to do with such idolaters4 
,but the disciples1 who were left at    
,antioch1 were filled with joy1 and with
 the ,holy ,ghost4 ,they rejoiced in the
 knowledge of those blessed truths which
 they had learnt from the ,apostles2 and
 the ,holy ,ghost was abundantly shed   
upon the members of the infant ,church  
at ,antioch1 encouraging and assisting  
them to increase in faith and           
righteousness of life4     ,chapter     
,,xii4--,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,first         
,,apostolic ,,journey4   ,and it came to
 pass in ,iconium1 that ,paul and       
,barnabas went both together into the   
synagogue of the ,jews1 and so spake1   

that a great multitude of the ,jews and 
also of the ,greeks believed4 ,but the  
unbelieving ,jews stirred up the        
,gentiles1 and made their minds evil    
affected against the brethren4 ,still   
the ,apostles abode there for a long    
time1 speaking boldly2 the ,lord bearing
 testimony to the truth of what they    
taught1 by the miracles ,he enabled them
 to work4  ,but the multitude of the    
city was divided3 and part held with the
 ,jews1 and part with the ,apostles4    
,the result was1 that the ,apostles were
 in danger of being stoned1 by the joint
 attack of the heathens1 and the ,jews  
and their rulers4 ,but being aware of   
their danger1 they fled unto ,lystra1 a 
town to the ,s4,e4 of ,iconium1 and     
there they preached the ,gospel4  ,at   
,lystra there was a certain man who had 
been lame from his birth1 and had never 
walked1 being impotent in his feet4 ,the
 same heard ,paul speak1 and believed4  
,paul1 perceiving that he had faith to  
be healed1 said with a loud voice1      

,stand upright on thy feet4 ,the people1
 seeing such a wonderful cure effected  
at the bidding of the ,apostle1         
immediately thought that he and         
,barnabas were two of their imaginary   
gods2 and cried out1 ,the gods are come 
down to us in the likeness of men4 ,and 
they called ,barnabas1 ,jupiter1 who was
 their chief god2 and ,paul1 ,mercurius1
 because he was the chief speaker4      
,mercurius1 or as we call him ,mercury1 
was the god of eloquence2 supposed to   
enable people to speak well3 he was     
considered to be a constant attendant   
upon ,jupiter4 ,then the priest of      
,jupiter1 brought oxen and garlands unto
 the gates1 and would have done         
sacrifice with the people1 to the gods  
whom they supposed had honoured them    
with a visit4 ,oxen and bulls were      
sacrificed to ,jupiter2 garlands of     
flowers were placed on their heads1 and 
the priests also wore garlands4 ,every  
heathen city was placed under the       
protection of some particular deity1    

called its tutelary god2 whose temple or
 statue was set up before the city gate4
 ,the tutelary god of ,lystra was       
,jupiter1 the statue of which was before
 the city4  ,the ,apostles were         
dreadfully distressed at the idea of    
such things being done in their honour2 
and they rent their clothes1 and ran in 
among the people1 crying out1 and       
saying1 ,sirs1 why do ye these things8  
,we also are men of like passions with  
you2 and then they went on to tell them1
 that they were come on purpose to teach
 all people to give up worshipping idols
 and believing in vain gods1 and to turn
 instead to the ,one only ,god1 who made
 all things1 and caused the fruits of   
the earth to grow for the food of man2  
and ,who1 though in times past he had   
suffered all nations to walk in their   
own ways1 had now sent ,his messengers1 
the ,apostles1 to teach men better      
things4  ,with difficulty the ,apostles 
prevented the people from doing         
sacrifice unto them4  ,these people1 who

 had been ready to worship the ,apostles
 as gods1 were soon led into a contrary 
extreme3 for certain ,jews came from    
,antioch and ,iconium1 who probably told
 the people of ,lystra1 that ,paul and  
,barnabas were only magicians and       
sorcerers2 and that though they had by  
their wicked arts healed one cripple1   
they were just as likely to do harm to  
their fellow creatures as good4 ,these  
men1 persuaded the people1 and1 having  
stoned ,paul1 drew him out of the city1 
supposing he had been dead4 ,howbeit1 as
 the disciples stood round about him1 he
 rose up1 and came into the city4 ,the  
,lord had work for him to do1 and now   
restored him to life4 ,what had now     
happened1 was a warning to ,paul to     
remain no longer at ,lystra2 and the    
next day he departed with ,barnabas to  
,derbe1 another city of ,lycaonia1 not  
far from ,lystra4 ,and when they had    
preached the gospel to that city1 and   
had taught many1 they1 trusting in the  
protection of ,god1 went again to       

,lystra1 and to ,iconium1 and ,antioch1 
to strengthen the faith of those whom   
they had already converted to           
,christianity2 confirming the souls of  
the disciples1 and exhorting them to    
continue in the faith2 and showing them 
that those who would enter into the     
kingdom of heaven1 must expect many     
troubles upon earth4 ,the ,apostles then
 appointed elders to look after and     
direct the affairs of every ,church1 or 
body of ,christians in those towns1 and 
with prayer and fasting1 they commended 
them to the protection and blessing of  
the ,lord1 on whom they believed4  ,st4 
,paul and his company then journeyed    
through ,pisidia and ,pamphylia3 and    
when they had preached the word in      
,perga1 the chief city in ,pamphylia1   
they went down into ,attalia1 a sea-port
 to the ,s4 ,w4 of ,perga1 and thence   
sailed to ,antioch1 in ,syria4 ,this    
ended ,st4 ,paul's first ,apostolic     
,journey1 which had occupied rather more
 than one year4 ,at ,antioch they had   

been appointed to their work2 and the   
protection and grace of ,god had been   
prayed for to enable them to perform it4
 ,they had now accomplished their work1 
and therefore they gathered the church  
together1 and told all that they had    
done1 or rather all that ,god had done  
with them1 and how he had opened the    
door of faith unto the ,gentiles--that  
is1 how1 by their preaching1 ,god had   
given to the idolatrous ,gentiles an    
opportunity of becoming true believers1 
and members of the ,church1--an         
opportunity of which great numbers had  
gladly taken advantage4  ,no doubt all  
the believers in ,antioch rejoiced      
greatly when they heard of the success  
which had attended the ,apostles'       
preaching2 for all who know and love    
,god themselves1 are anxious that others
 should do so also4  ,st4 ,paul and ,st4
 ,barnabas abode for some time with the 
disciples at ,antioch3 probably for     
about two years4 ,towards the end of    
this period1 the ,christians at ,antioch

 were disturbed by the mistaken teaching
 of certain men who came down from      
,judaea4 ,these men1 who were ,jews1 had
 belonged to the sect of the ,pharisees1
 and though now converted to be         
,christians1 they could not yet believe 
that all the ceremonial part of the ,law
 of ,moses was to be entirely done away 
with3 therefore1 when they were come to 
,antioch1 they taught the brethren1 and 
said1 ,except ye be circumcised after   
the manner of ,moses1 ye cannot be      
saved4  ,such teaching1 so very         
different from that of the ,apostles1   
caused great distress in ,antioch1 where
 most of the believers had either been  
proselytes of the gate1 only worshipping
 the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 but not     
observing any of the ceremonies         
commanded by the ,law of ,moses2 or else
 idolaters1 until they became           
,christians4 ,all these converts had    
been truly taught by ,st4 ,paul and ,st4
 ,barnabas1 that if they believed in    
,jesus so as to obey ,his word1 that was

 quite sufficient2 and that they would  
be as acceptable in the sight of ,god1  
as if they had been ,jews from their    
birth1 keeping the whole ,law perfectly4
 ,the ,christians of ,antioch therefore 
might well be frightened and distressed1
 at being now told that they could not  
obtain the salvation promised by the    
,gospel1 unless they kept all the       
ordinances of the ,mosaic ,law3 in      
short1 that if they wished to be saved1 
they must be ,jews as well as           
,christians4 ,the ,apostles of course   
opposed these ,jewish teachers1 and     
tried to convince them that the ,gospel 
was all-sufficient2 and that ,christ's  
disciples had but to follow their       
,master's teaching4 ,they do not seem1  
however1 to have succeeded1 and the     
perplexity of the ,christians continued4
 ,when therefore ,paul and ,barnabas had
 no small dissension and disputation    
with them1 they determined that ,paul   
and ,barnabas1 and certain other of     
them1 should go up to ,jerusalem unto   

the ,apostles and elders about this     
question--that is1 to ask ,james and the
 elders of their ,church1 to decide1    
whether the ,jewish teachers or the     
,apostles were to be believed4  ,just   
before this time1 we learn from other   
histories1 that there had been great    
troubles amongst the ,jews in ,judaea4  
,a famine had afflicted the             
country1--probably that which ,agabus   
had foretold4 ,this had been followed by
 riots4 ,in the year #dh 7,a4,d471 a    
,roman soldier1 who cared nothing for   
the religion of the ,jews1 and did not  
look upon the temple as a holy place1   
profaned it in some way1 and thus made  
the ,jews very angry4 ,a great tumult   
was immediately raised1 and several     
thousand ,jews were crushed or trampled 
to death1 in the narrow ways leading to 
the temple2 and other disturbances      
followed4  ,these things are not        
mentioned in the ,bible1 but it is well 
to note them1 as they show us how the   
punishment of the ,jews as a nation1 was

 continually felt1 from the time when   
they filled up the measure of their     
guilt1 by crucifying their ,messiah4    
,it was in the year #di 7,a4,d471 that  
,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,barnabas left      
,antioch for ,jerusalem1 in order to    
consult the ,church there1 as to the    
necessity of keeping the ,law of ,moses4
  ,we read in the ,book of ,acts1 that  
being brought on their way by the       
church1 they passed through ,phenice and
 ,samaria1 declaring the conversion of  
the ,gentiles3 and they caused great joy
 unto all the brethren4 ,and when they  
were come to ,jerusalem1 they were      
received of the church1 and of the      
,apostles and elders1 and they declared 
all things that ,god had done with them4
 ,but there rose up certain of the sect 
of the ,pharisees which believed1       
saying1 ,that it was needful to         
circumcise them1 and to command them to 
keep the law of ,moses4 ,this last      
passage is not very clearly put3 the    
last verse is what the ,apostles said as

 to the reason of their coming to       
,jerusalem4  ,the meaning of the whole  
passage is1 that ,st4 ,paul and ,st4    
,barnabas explained to the ,church all  
that it had pleased ,god to do by means 
of their preaching1 and how great       
numbers of the ,gentiles had become     
,christians1 and were serving ,god      
faithfully3 but that certain of the sect
 of the ,pharisees which believed1 had  
disturbed them by saying1 that it was   
needful that they should be circumcised 
like the ,jews1 and keep all the        
ceremonies and ordinances commanded by  
the ,law of ,moses4  ,james and the     
other elders of the ,church1 having     
heard all that ,st4 ,paul and ,st4      
,barnabas had to say1 saw that it was   
very necessary to settle a question1    
which was of the greatest importance to 
the converts from the ,gentiles4 ,and   
they came together for to consider of   
this matter1 and decide upon what       
message should be sent back to ,antioch4
  ,when the ,apostles and elders of the 

,church began to talk over the matter1  
there was much difference of opinion    
amongst the brethren3 some being        
inclined to agree with the ,pharisees1  
that the ,law of ,moses ought to be     
observed2 others thinking that the      
,gospel was to be instead of the ,law1  
and not added to it4  ,this gave rise to
 a great deal of discussion and         
argument2 each side advancing their own 
opinions1 and trying to persuade the    
other party to agree with them4 ,this   
went on for some time1 till at last1    
,st4 ,peter1 who was present1 stood up1 
and gave his opinion upon the matter4   
,chapter ,,xiii4--,,decision ,,of ,,the 
,,church ,,as ,,to ,,observing ,,the    
,,mosaical ,,law4   ,and when there had 
been much disputing1 ,peter rose up1    
and1 alluding to the affair of          
,cornelius1 said unto them1 ,men and    
brethren1 ye know how that a good while 
ago ,god made choice among us1 that the 
,gentiles by my mouth should hear the   
word of the gospel1 and believe4 ,he    

then reminded them1 that the ,holy      
,ghost had been visibly poured out upon 
those ,gentile converts1 showing that in
 the eyes of ,him ,who seeth the heart1 
they were as acceptable as the ,jewish  
converts2 and that therefore it could   
not be necessary for them to observe the
 ceremonial part of the ,law1 which     
,jesus came to do away with4 ,the ,jews 
themselves had never kept the ,law so   
perfectly as to deserve the favour of   
,god2 and now that ,jesus had delivered 
them from the observance of that ,law1  
why should the ,gentiles be required to 
observe it4 ,now therefore1 ,peter asks1
 why tempt ye ,god1 why provoke ye ,him 
to anger in opposing ,his ,will1 to put 
a yoke upon the neck of the disciples1  
which neither our fathers nor we were   
able to bear8 ,but we believe that      
through the grace of the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ we shall be saved1 even as they4
  ,such words from ,st4 ,peter1 who was 
well known to have been formerly of a   
different opinion1 could not fail to    

produce an effect upon his hearers1 who 
now listened quietly and patiently to   
what was told them by ,st4 ,paul and    
,st4 ,barnabas4 ,then all the multitude 
kept silence1 and gave audience to      
,barnabas and ,paul1 declaring what     
miracles and wonders ,god had wrought   
among the ,gentiles by them4  ,when     
these two ,apostles had ended their     
history1 and held their peace1 ,james1  
the ruler and director of the ,church1  
declared it to be his opinion1 that it  
was most certainly the ,will of ,god1   
that the ,gentiles should be received   
into the ,christian ,church without     
being required to keep the ,law1 as the 
,jewish teachers had insisted2 and that 
this had been the intention of the ,lord
 from the beginning1 and had been       
accordingly foretold by the prophets4   
,wherefore1 said he1 my sentence is1    
that we trouble not them1 which from    
among the ,gentiles are turned to ,god3 
but that we write unto them1 that they  
abstain from pollutions of idols1 and   

from fornication1 and from things       
strangled1 and from blood4 ,for ,moses  
of old time hath in every city them that
 preach him1 being read in the          
synagogues every sabbath day4  ,this    
speech of ,st4 ,james requires a little 
explanation4 ,the ,law of ,moses        
required that animals used for food     
should be killed in a particular way2   
and a ,jew was to be considered as      
unclean1 if he ate any meat not prepared
 in this manner4 ,much of the meat eaten
 by the ,gentiles1 was the flesh of     
animals offered in sacrifice to their   
false gods1 or idols3 to eat of such    
food polluted a ,jew1--that is1 made him
 unclean4 ,now1 an idol was in reality  
nothing1 nor did it signify how food was
 prepared1 if it was eaten with         
thankfulness4 ,but at that time there   
were very many ,jewish converts who had 
long kept the ,law of ,moses1 and held  
that to eat of meat offered to idols1 or
 of the flesh of animals strangled1     
instead of being killed as the ,law     

required1 did pollute a man1 and render 
him unclean4 ,st4 ,james therefore      
considered1 that for the present1 it    
would be better for the ,gentile        
converts to abstain from animal food1   
prepared in a different way from what   
the ,jews thought lawful1 that they     
might not offend them2 and that they    
might1 moreover1 show that they had     
given up offering any sacrifices to     
idols4 ,st4 ,james therefore thought it 
well1 in excusing them from most of the 
observances of the ,law1 to caution the 
,gentile converts not only to keep      
themselves free from all manner of sin1 
but also to avoid every appearance of   
idolatry4 ,the reason which ,st4 ,james 
gives for this decision is1 that as the 
,law of ,moses was read every ,sabbath  
day1 and reverenced by all the ,jewish  
converts1 it was better not to disregard
 such ordinances1 though in themselves  
they were matters of indifference4 ,what
 ,st4 ,james said was approved of by the
 other members of the ,church4  ,then   

pleased it the ,apostles and elders1    
with the whole church1 to send chosen   
men of their own company to ,antioch    
with ,paul and ,barnabas2 namely1 ,judas
 surnamed ,barsabas1 and ,silas1 chief  
men among the brethren3 and they wrote  
letters by them1 bidding the ,gentile   
converts at ,antioch not to be troubled 
by the teaching of the ,jewish teachers1
 saying1 ,for it seemed good to the     
,holy ,ghost1 and to us1 to lay upon you
 no greater burden than these necessary 
things2 that ye abstain from meats      
offered to idols1 and from blood1 and   
from things strangled1 and from         
fornication3 from which if ye keep      
yourselves1 ye shall do well4 ,fare ye  
well4  ,in this letter1 ,st4 ,paul and  
,st4 ,barnabas are spoken of as beloved1
 men that have hazarded their lives for 
the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3   
and the ,christians of ,antioch are     
told1 that ,judas and ,silas have been  
sent1 in order that they might explain  
more fully what had been written on the 

subject1 about which ,st4 ,james and the
 ,church at ,jerusalem had been         
consulted4 ,sending these two brethren  
was a very wise measure4 ,had ,st4 ,paul
 and ,st4 ,barnabas returned alone1 the 
,jewish teachers might have raised a    
question1 as to how far they1 being     
interested in the matter1 could be      
trusted to deliver any messages         
correctly2 but ,judas and ,silas1 having
 nothing to do with the affair1 must be 
regarded as unprejudiced witnesses as to
 what they had heard in ,jerusalem4     
,judas and ,silas are both called       
,prophets4 ,the ,prophets appear to have
 been a class of teachers who were      
inspired to foretell future events1 as  
well as to preach the ,gospel2 but they 
had not so much power and authority as  
the ,apostles4 ,then1 again1 there were 
other teachers1 who were not ,prophets4 
,god gave different gifts and powers to 
different men1 according to the work ,he
 appointed for them to do4 ,it is the   
same now3 we have not all the same      

power1 but each one of us should try to 
do all we can to serve ,god1 and do good
 to our fellow creatures4  ,the letters 
being written1 and delivered to ,judas  
and ,silas1 the ,apostles were          
dismissed1 and came to ,antioch3 and    
when they had gathered the multitude    
together1 they delivered the epistle3   
which when the ,christian brethren had  
read1 they rejoiced for the consolation 
it had given them1 in the assurance that
 they were by no means called upon to   
keep the whole ,law of ,moses4  ,judas  
and ,silas made themselves very useful  
at ,antioch2 for they exhorted the      
brethren with many words1 and confirmed 
them in the faith4 ,and after they had  
tarried there a space1 they were let go 
in peace from the brethren unto the     
,apostles in ,jerusalem4 ,but one only  
availed himself of this permission3 for 
it pleased ,silas to abide there still1 
and therefore he remained in ,antioch   
with ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,barnabas1     
teaching and preaching the word of the  

,lord4 ,many other teachers also helped 
them2 and thus another year passed away4
  ,we next read that1 some days after1  
,paul said unto ,barnabas1 ,let us go   
again and visit our brethren in every   
city where we have preached the word of 
the ,lord1 and see how they do4 ,this   
was a very good thought3 another visit  
from the ,apostles would be a great     
comfort to the ,christians of ,iconium1 
,lystra1 ,derbe1 and other places2 and  
especially to the elders of those       
,churches1 who would be glad to have    
their advice on many subjects4 ,st4     
,barnabas was very willing to go2 but   
now a dispute arose1 which caused the   
separation of these two ,apostles2 for  
,barnabas determined to take with them  
,mark1 his nephew2 but ,paul thought not
 good to take with them one who had left
 them on their first journey as soon as 
they landed in ,pamphylia2 and went not 
with them to the work1 of preaching to  
the ,gentiles in ,asia ,minor4          
,differences of opinion will arise      

amongst the best of men1 and so far     
there was nothing wrong in the conduct  
of the ,apostles3 but1 alas6 instead of 
seeking counsel from ,god1 and settling 
the matter peaceably1 ,scripture tells  
us that the contention was so sharp     
between them1 that they departed asunder
 one from the other4 ,it is sad to hear 
of these two holy men parting from each 
other in anger2 but it is a warning to  
us to keep a strict watch over all our  
words1 that we may not fall into that   
strife1 which is so displeasing in the  
eyes of ,god4 ,let us always remember   
that no dispute or quarrel1 can be      
carried on unless both parties give way 
to sinful feelings4 ,differences must   
arise2 and even if we feel it our duty  
not to give up our own design1 we can1  
by gentleness1 forbearance1 and         
self-denial1 prevent any sharp          
contention1 even though we may thus be  
obliged to offend our adversary4 ,where 
no principle of right is concerned1 we  
should give up our own wishes for the   

sake of living peaceably with all men1  
as the ,gospel enjoins us to do4  ,st4  
,paul was afraid to trust ,st4 ,mark3 he
 had failed once2 and perhaps the       
,apostle was too stern in his           
condemnation of his fault1 and too      
unwilling to believe in his repentance4 
,st4 ,barnabas1 on the other hand1 from 
his nearer connexion with ,st4 ,mark1   
felt that he might now be trusted2 and  
he was probably angry with ,st4 ,paul   
for not also believing this4 ,a little  
calm and quiet talk might perhaps have  
settled the matter2 or1 at any rate1    
might have led to an amicable           
separation1 instead of a sharp          
contention1 which parted them asunder4  
,however it was1 this unhappy dispute   
was overruled for the good of the       
,church2 because by going separately1   
these two zealous ,apostles could visit 
many more places than they could have   
done1 had they continued to journey     
together4 ,we must remember also1 that  
though these ,apostles were for the     

moment angry with each other1 these     
feelings did not last2 and1 some years  
afterwards1 we find ,st4 ,mark the      
companion of ,st4 ,paul4  ,at the time  
of which we are now speaking1 however1  
,barnabas took ,mark1 and sailed unto   
,cyprus4 ,how long he stayed there1 or  
where he went afterwards1 we are not    
told2 but we may be sure that1 wherever 
he went1 his words strengthened the     
faith of believers1 whilst he laboured  
to bring fresh converts into the        
,church4  ,and ,paul chose ,silas to    
accompany him on his ,second ,apostolic 
,journey1 and departed1 being           
recommended by the brethren unto the    
grace of ,god4 ,and he went through     
,syria and the neighbouring province of 
,cilicia1 confirming the churches4 ,he  
then went northward into ,lycaonia2 and 
at either ,derbe or ,lystra he found a  
young man1 called ,timotheus1 or        
,timothy1 one of the believers1 who was 
well spoken of by other ,christians in  
those parts1 because they saw that in   

all things he tried to obey ,jesus1 and 
follow ,his example4 ,the mother of     
,timothy was called ,eunice1 and his    
grandmother ,lois4 ,both these women    
were ,jewesses1 but had become          
,christians many years before4 ,eunice  
then married the father of ,timothy1 by 
birth a ,greek1 but then a proselyte of 
the gate1 worshipping the ,god of       
,israel1 but not observing the ,law of  
,moses4 ,as soon as the little ,timothy 
was old enough to learn1 his mother     
,eunice had carefully taught him the    
things of ,god1 and instructed him in   
the faith of ,jesus ,christ3 so that    
now1 by the blessing of ,god1 he was a  
true ,christian4  ,many children are    
taught nothing while they are young1 and
 know no more of ,god and ,jesus ,christ
 than if they were heathens4 ,we must   
pity and pray for them2 and children who
 have the blessing of being early taught
 these things1 should show their        
thankfulness1 by trying to learn and do 
all that the ,gospel teaches4 ,no       

teaching can make a child love and serve
 ,god2 but no one can love or serve ,him
 unless they learn how to do so4        
,therefore children should pay the      
greatest attention to all that is taught
 from the ,bible and ,prayer ,book1     
praying to ,god that the ,holy ,spirit  
may help them to do whatever they see to
 be right4     ,chapter ,,xiv4--,,paul  
,,and ,,silas ,,at ,,philippi4          
,timothy had paid attention to the      
teaching of his mother1 praying for     
grace to perceive and know what things  
he ought to do2 and striving earnestly  
to fulfil the same3 and now1 ,st4 ,paul1
 seeing that such a young man would be  
most useful in preaching both to ,jews  
and ,gentiles1 would have him to go     
forth with him on his journey3 and he   
took and circumcised him because of the 
,jews which were in those quarters3 for 
they knew all that his father was a     
,greek4  ,as the son of a ,jewess1      
,timothy would be supposed to have been 
circumcised2 and the ,jews1 finding that

 this was not the case1 and knowing that
 his father had been a heathen1 would   
probably have been unwilling to listen  
to him2 and thus his usefulness would   
have been sadly interfered with4        
,circumcision1 in ,timothy's case1 was  
unnecessary1 but there was nothing wrong
 in it2 and therefore1 to avoid giving  
offence to the ,jews1 ,st4 ,paul acted  
as we have heard4 ,taking ,timothy with 
him1 ,st4 ,paul now continued his       
journey4 ,and as they went through the  
cities1 they delivered them the decrees 
for to keep1 that were ordained of the  
,apostles and elders which were at      
,jerusalem1 that is1 the decrees        
concerning the observance of the ,law of
 ,moses by the ,gentiles4 ,and so were  
the ,churches established in the faith1 
and increased in number daily4  ,after  
preaching the ,gospel in ,phrygia and   
,galatia1 ,st4 ,paul and his companions 
would have gone into other parts of     
,asia ,minor1 but the ,spirit of ,god   
made it known to them1 that they were   

not to do so3 they went therefore to    
,troas1 a sea-port quite in the northern
 part of the ,archipelago4 ,here ,st4   
,paul's little band of followers was    
increased1 for ,st4 ,luke joined them2  
and from this time1 in relating what    
happened1 ,st4 ,luke writes we and us1  
showing that he was one of those        
concerned in the events he describes4   
,besides writing the ,book of ,acts1    
,st4 ,luke wrote the ,gospel which bears
 his name4 ,we know nothing of ,st4     
,luke1 except that he was a ,jew and a  
physician3 he was probably a native of  
,antioch1 in ,syria4 ,st4 ,luke tells us
 that1 at ,troas1 ,st4 ,paul saw in a   
vision a man of ,macedonia1 who stood   
and prayed him1 saying1 ,come over into 
,macedonia1 and help us4 ,st4 ,paul1    
rightly looking upon this as a call from
 ,god1 immediately embarked on board a  
ship1 and sailing by the island of      
,samothracia1 landed at ,neapolis1 a    
sea-port of ,thracia4 ,macedonia had    
once been a separate kingdom1 but the   

,romans1 who had in the ,apostles' time 
got possession of all that country      
called ,greece1 had divided the whole   
into two great parts3 one of these      
contained ,macedonia1 ,thessaly1 and    
,epirus1 but went by the name of        
,macedonia3 the other division1 called  
,achaia1 contained the rest of ,greece1 
including the ,peloponnesus4  ,from     
,neapolis ,st4 ,paul proceeded to       
,philippi1 which was the chief city of  
that part of ,macedonia1 and a ,roman   
colony3 that is1 it was peopled or      
inhabited by the descendants of ,romans1
 who had been placed there by ,julius   
,caeesar and by the ,emperor ,augustus4 
,the place had got the name of ,philippi
 long before1 from ,philip then king of 
,macedonia1 who repaired the buildings  
of the city1 and added many handsome new
 ones4 ,philip was the father of        
,alexander the ,great1 a famous king1 of
 whom we read much in ancient history4  
,both ,philip and ,alexander lived and  
died more than #cjj years before ,jesus 

,christ was born4  ,st4 ,paul and his   
companions remained some time at        
,philippi2 and ,st4 ,luke says1 on the  
sabbath we went out of the city by a    
river side1 where prayer was wont to be 
made2 and we sat down1 and spake unto   
the women which resorted thither4       
,besides the synagogues1 or buildings   
for public worship1 the ,jews had also1 
in every place where they took up their 
residence1 smaller buildings or         
oratories1 to which people might        
constantly resort for the purposes of   
prayer4 ,these oratories were generally 
built in the fields1 or by the side of a
 stream4 ,to one of these oratories1    
close to the city of ,philippi1 ,st4    
,paul and his companions went1 that they
 might speak of the ,lord ,jesus        
,christ1 to those who went there to     
worship the ,lord ,god of ,israel4      
,amongst their first converts was a     
certain woman named ,lydia1 a native of 
the city of ,thyatira1 in ,asia ,minor1 
but resident in ,philippi for the       

purposes of trade4 ,scripture says1 she 
was a seller of purple3 what this may   
mean1 we do not exactly know2 but it    
probably means1 that she sold some fine 
materials for female dress4 ,at any     
rate1 she had become a proselyte of the 
gate1 and worshipped ,god3 and the ,lord
 opened her heart1 so that she attended 
unto the things which were spoken of    
,paul1 with a sincere desire to learn2  
and in consequence became a real convert
 to ,christianity1 inducing all the     
members of her family to follow her     
example4 ,and when she was baptized1 and
 her household1 she besought us1 saying1
 ,if ye have judged me to be faithful to
 the ,lord1 come into my house1 and     
abide there4 ,eager to show her         
sincerity by doing something for the    
service of ,god1 she now anxiously      
sought to be of use to the messengers of
 ,jesus for their ,lord's sake2 and     
entreated them to take up their abode in
 her house4  ,st4 ,luke adds1 ,and she  
constrained us--that is1 so urged and   

entreated1 as to force them to do as she
 wished4 ,we now read1 ,and it came to  
pass1 as we went to prayer1 a certain   
damsel possessed with a spirit of       
divination met us1 which brought her    
masters much gain by soothsaying4  ,this
 damsel seems to have been a slave1 who1
 being possessed by an evil spirit1     
spake in a mysterious way1 foretelling  
future events3 and as the heathens were 
great believers in such things1 many of 
them consulted this unfortunate girl1   
and gave her money for exercising her   
powers4 ,this money went to her masters1
 to whom she thus brought much gain4    
,the ,lord now chose this damsel1 to    
give a proof that ,he can constrain even
 evil spirits to bear testimony to the  
truth of ,christ's religion2 for ,st4   
,luke says1 ,the same followed ,paul and
 us1 and cried1 saying1 ,these men are  
the servants of the most high ,god1     
which shew unto us the way of salvation4
  ,the damsel at ,philippi1 though under
 the influence of the evil spirit1 was  

constrained by a higher power to bear   
evidence to the truth of doctrines1     
calculated to overthrow the empire of   
,satan4 ,and this did she many days4    
,but ,paul1 being grieved to see her    
under the dominion of an evil spirit1   
turned1 and said to the spirit1 ,i      
command thee in the name of ,jesus      
,christ to come out of her4 ,and he came
 out the same hour3 thus putting an end 
to all future soothsaying4 ,and when her
 masters saw that the hope of their     
gains was gone1 they were greatly       
enraged1 and caught ,paul and ,silas and
 drew them into the market-place unto   
the rulers1 and brought them to the     
magistrates1 saying1 ,these men1 being  
,jews1 do exceedingly trouble our city1 
and teach customs1 which are not lawful 
for us to receive1 neither to observe1  
being ,romans4 ,such an accusation was  
sure to gain immediate attention from   
the magistrates1 or governors of the    
city1 as the ,roman ,emperors were very 
severe in any cases of rebellion or     

opposition1 in their distant provinces3 
and though there was at that time no    
express law against ,christianity1 there
 was a law requiring all persons to     
worship the gods of the country2 and    
,christianity was1 of course1 opposed to
 all idolatrous practices4              
,covetousness1 or a sinful love of      
money1 is1 we are told1 the root of much
 evil3 the masters of the damsel cared  
not how much ,st4 ,paul preached the    
,gospel1 as long as it did not interfere
 with their gains2 but as soon as it    
did1 they raised an outcry against the  
,apostles4 ,now let us remember that    
covetousness1 or an eager desire for our
 own gain1 whether of riches1 honours1  
or pleasures1 is just as great a sin    
now1 as it was when the ,scriptures were
 first written2 and let us try never to 
let any thoughts of our own advantage or
 gain1 lead us to do or allow what we   
know to be wrong2 or prevent our doing  
what we feel is right4 ,these men       
succeeded in their persecution of ,paul 

and ,silas1 for the multitude rose up   
together against them3 and the          
magistrates1 without further            
consideration1 rent off their clothes1  
preparatory to their being scourged1 and
 commanded to beat them4 ,and when they 
had laid many stripes upon them1 they   
cast them into prison1 charging the     
jailor to keep them safely4 ,the jailor1
 having received so special a charge1   
determined to keep it3 and therefore    
thrust them into the inner prison1 and  
made their feet fast in the stocks--a   
machine fixed to the floor1 having round
 holes just to go round the ancles1 so  
that when it was shut upon them1 it was 
quite impossible for the poor prisoners 
to move4 ,now imagine the sufferings of 
,st4 ,paul and his companion3 bleeding  
and smarting from the severe wounds made
 by the scourge1 and their feet so      
confined1 that they could get no ease by
 any change of posture6 ,we might expect
 to find them lamenting over their      
terrible sufferings1 or1 at least1      

praying to ,god to deliver them4 ,but   
the ,scripture tells us1 ,and at        
midnight ,paul and ,silas prayed1 and   
sang praises unto ,god3 their faith was 
great2 they rejoiced to suffer for the  
sake of ,jesus1 and they praised ,god   
for all ,his wondrous works3 they sang  
from their hearts with loud voice1 and  
the other prisoners heard them4 ,no     
doubt such joyful songs1 from the lips  
of those whom they knew to be in pain1  
surprised their fellow prisoners1 who   
had soon a greater cause for            
astonishment4 ,the prayers and praises  
of ,paul and ,silas went up to ,god3    
,and suddenly there was a great         
earthquake1 so that the foundations of  
the prison were shaken3 and immediately 
all the doors were opened1 and every    
one's bands were loosed4 ,and the keeper
 of the prison awaking out of his sleep1
 and seeing the prison doors open1 he   
drew out his sword1 and would have      
killed himself1 supposing that the      
prisoners had been fled4 ,the jailor    

knew full well1 that if the prisoners   
under his charge had escaped from       
prison1 he would surely be put to death 
by the ,roman magistrates2 and1 to avoid
 the disgrace of such a death1 he was   
about to kill himself4 ,being a heathen1
 he did not know1 as ,christians do1    
that it is a fearful sin to put an end  
to our own lives3 and therefore1 rather 
than be punished for a fault of which he
 was not guilty1 he prepared to kill    
himself4 ,but ,paul1 knowing his        
intention1 cried with a loud voice1     
saying1 ,do thyself no harm3 for we are 
all here4 ,then he called for a light1  
and sprang in1 and came trembling4      
,having thus convinced himself that his 
prisoners were indeed still in the      
prison1 the jailor felt at once that the
 ,apostles were certainly holy men1 the 
messengers of ,god4 ,no doubt he knew   
that for preaching the ,gospel they had 
been cast into prison1 and the wonderful
 things which he had now seen1 convinced
 him that all they had said was true3   

therefore he fell down on his knees     
before ,paul and ,silas1 and brought    
them out of prison1 and said1 ,sirs1    
what must ,i do to be saved8 ,and they  
said1 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus      
,christ1 and thou shalt be saved1 and   
thy house4 ,what blessed words6 and then
 they doubtless explained to him that   
the faith here spoken of1 meant such a  
belief in ,jesus1 as would lead to      
repentance for all sin so displeasing to
 ,him1 and make men strive to do all in 
their power to please ,him3 for to      
believe the ,gospel1 means to do all    
that the ,gospel teaches4 ,such1 no     
doubt1 was the ,apostles' teaching1 as  
they spake unto him the word of the     
,lord1 and to all that were in his      
house4 ,the jailor showed his gratitude 
to the ,apostles by doing all he could  
for their relief and comfort3 for he    
took them the same hour of the night1   
and washed their stripes4 ,and when he  
had brought them into his house1 he set 
meat before them1 and rejoiced1         

believing in ,god with all his house4   
,convinced and truly converted from the 
errors of idolatry to a belief of the   
truth as it is in ,jesus1 the jailor of 
,philippi with his family were at once  
admitted as members of the ,christian   
,church2 he was baptized1 he and all    
his1 straightway4     ,chapter          
,,xv4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,leaves ,,philippi4
   ,it would seem that the magistrates  
of ,philippi1 upon thinking calmly over 
the matter1 felt that they had acted    
hastily and unjustly1 in commanding two 
men to be scourged and put into prison1 
without a trial2 for we read1 ,and when 
it was day1 the magistrates sent the    
serjeants1 officers under their command1
 to the jailor1 saying1 ,let those men  
go4 ,the keeper of the prison1 well     
pleased to receive such an order1 told  
this to ,paul1 saying1 ,the magistrates 
have sent to let you go3 now therefore  
depart1 and go in peace4 ,but ,paul said
 unto the serjeants who stood by1 ,they 
have beaten us openly uncondemned1 being

 ,romans1 and have cast us into prison2 
and now do they thrust us out privily8  
nay verily2 but let them come themselves
 and fetch us out4  ,now in order to    
understand all this1 we must remember   
that the ,romans1 who thought themselves
 greatly superior to any other people in
 the world1 were very jealous of their  
power and privileges as citizens of     
,rome4 ,thus1 if a ,roman citizen was   
ill treated1 the ,roman ,government     
would severely punish any one who had   
dared to ill treat him4 ,all persons    
whose parents were natives and citizens 
of ,rome1 were looked upon as free-born 
citizens2 and enjoyed from their birth1 
all the rights and privileges given by  
the ,roman ,government to her subjects4 
,persons not born of ,roman citizens1 if
 they had done good service1 either by  
fighting for ,rome1 or in any other way1
 were often rewarded by receiving the   
,freedom of the ,city2 that is1 by being
 looked upon and treated as ,roman      
citizens1 and having an equal share in  

all the privileges and benefits1 granted
 to such ,romans as were free-born4     
,st4 ,paul was not a native of ,rome1   
nor were his parents2 for they were     
,jews1 settled at ,tarsus1 in ,cilicia3 
probably some of his ancestors1 his     
grandfather or great-grandfather1 had   
served in the ,roman armies1 and been   
rewarded for some great service1 by     
receiving the freedom of the city3 after
 which1 all his descendants would be    
looked upon as free-born citizens of    
,rome4  ,the ,roman ,emperors sometimes 
allowed strangers to buy the privileges3
 the ,emperor ,claudius did so3 and for 
a large sum of money allowed people to  
have for themselves the privileges of a 
,roman citizen--a great advantage in    
those days1 as the rulers of every      
,roman province were bound to protect   
every ,roman citizen in it1 and not     
suffer any one to be ill treated4 ,to   
scourge and imprison a ,roman citizen1  
without having first proved him to have 
been guilty of some great crime1 was an 

offence which the ,roman ,government    
punished most severely2 and therefore1  
we find that when the serjeants went    
back1 and told these words unto the     
magistrates1 they feared1 when they     
heard that they were ,romans4 ,and they 
came and besought them not to report the
 treatment they had received1 and       
brought them out of prison1 and desired 
7or entreated7 them to depart out of the
 city4  ,we may be quite sure that ,st4 
,paul neither valued nor used the       
privileges of a ,roman1 further than    
they could serve to the glory of ,god4  
,in this case1 many of the people who   
had seen him and ,silas beaten and cast 
into prison1 would naturally think that 
they must have done something wrong3    
this would prevent the people from      
listening to what they taught4 ,it was  
necessary1 therefore1 that ,st4 ,paul   
should show clearly that he had not     
deserved any punishment2 and that the   
magistrates themselves acknowledged1    
that they had sinned in treating him in 

such a manner4 ,st4 ,paul1 by his       
conduct1 plainly proved his innocence of
 all offence4 ,and they went out of the 
prison1 and entered into the house of   
,lydia3 and when they had seen the      
brethren1 they comforted them1 and      
departed4  ,of course the brethren were 
very sorry to lose ,st4 ,paul2 but now  
that he had established a ,church at    
,philippi1 they could go on without him1
 whilst his teaching was much wanted in 
other places3 and consequently1 he and  
,silas journeyed on to the south-west4  
,now when they had passed through       
,amphipolis and ,apollonia1 preaching   
the ,gospel no doubt1 though we hear    
nothing as to their success1 they went  
to ,thessalonica1 an important city of  
,macedonia1 and one in which many ,jews 
resided2 for there was a synagogue      
there4 ,and ,paul1 as his manner was1   
went in unto them in their synagogue1   
and three sabbath days reasoned with    
them out of the ,scriptures3 showing    
that those holy writings1 prophesied    

both the sufferings and the rising again
 of ,christ the ,messiah2 and then      
plainly telling them1 this ,jesus1 whom 
,i preach unto you1 is ,christ1 the     
promised ,messiah1 of whom your         
,scriptures speak4  ,and some of them   
believed1 and consorted with ,paul and  
,silas2 and of the devout ,greeks a     
great multitude1 and of the chief women 
not a few4 ,as usual1 the ,jews were    
more bitter against the ,gospel than the
 ,gentiles2 and we read that the ,jews  
which believed not1 moved with envy1    
took unto them certain lewd fellows of  
the baser sort1--men of no principle1   
ready at any time to do any mischief    
which came in their way3 by the help of 
these men1 the ,jews gathered a company1
 and set all the city on an uproar1 and 
assaulted 7or attacked7 the house of    
,jason1 where they supposed the         
,apostles to be1 and sought to bring    
them out to the people1 who1 in their   
excited state1 would probably have put  
them to death without further inquiry4  

,jason was one of those who had become a
 ,christian1 and he appears to have     
shown hospitality to the ,apostles1 and 
lodged them in his house2 though the mob
 did not find them there1 when they     
assaulted the house4 ,and when they     
found them not1 they drew ,jason and    
certain brethren unto the rulers of the 
city1 crying1 ,these 7men7 that have    
turned the world upside down are come   
hither also2 whom ,jason hath received3 
and these all do contrary to the decrees
 of ,caesar1 saying that there is       
another king1 one ,jesus4 ,and they     
troubled the people and the rulers of   
the city1 when they heard these things4 
,but the rulers could find no cause to  
punish ,jason or the other brethren that
 were dragged with him before the       
judgment seat1 so they let them go1 when
 they had taken security of them4 ,what 
this security was1 we do not know2      
probably some promise not to entertain  
the ,apostles1 nor to rebel against the 
,roman ,emperor4  ,by turning the world 

upside down1 the accusers of ,jason     
meant1 that what the ,apostles taught   
was so different to anything ever heard 
of before1 that it would quite alter    
everything1 and make the world no longer
 like the same place4 ,this1 let us     
remember1 is exactly what the ,gospel   
was meant to do4  ,it was not considered
 advisable for the ,apostles to remain  
longer at ,thessalonica1 where the      
people were too much enraged to listen  
to them2 and therefore1 the brethren    
immediately sent away ,paul and ,silas  
by night unto ,berea4  ,there was a     
synagogue of the ,jews also at ,berea1  
whither1 when it was neither useful nor 
safe for them to remain at              
,thessalonica1 ,paul and ,silas were    
sent2 who coming thither went into the  
synagogue of the ,jews4 ,these were more
 noble 7more liberal-minded and         
unprejudiced7 than those in             
,thessalonica1 in that they received the
 word with all readiness of mind1       
7listened willingly to the teaching of  

the ,apostles17 and searched the        
,scriptures daily1 whether those things 
were so3 they compared the teaching of  
,st4 ,paul with the written word of the 
,old ,testament1 in order to see whether
 they were justified in believing all he
 taught them4 ,the consequence of this  
was1 that many of the ,jews believed2   
also of honourable women which were     
,greeks1 and of men1 not a few4 ,but    
when the unbelieving ,jews of           
,thessalonica1 heard that the people of 
,berea were listening to ,st4 ,paul and 
becoming ,christians1 some of them came 
down on purpose to try and put an end to
 his preaching4 ,they easily found      
plenty of unbelieving ,jews and         
,gentiles ready for mischief1 and       
stirred them up to make a riot3 the     
brethren now acted as those at          
,thessalonica had done1 and fearing for 
the ,apostle's safety1 immediately sent 
away ,paul to go as it were to the sea3 
but ,silas and ,timotheus abode1 still  
in ,berea4  ,two or three of the        

brethren went with ,st4 ,paul to guard  
him from danger4 ,we read1 ,and they    
that conducted ,paul brought him unto   
,athens1 either by sea or by land2 and  
receiving a commandment1 that is1 a     
message1 from him unto ,silas and       
,timotheus1 bidding them for to come to 
him with all speed1 they departed to    
return unto ,berea2 leaving ,st4 ,paul  
alone at ,athens4  ,athens was the chief
 city of ,achaia1 the other province    
which1 with ,macedonia1 formed what the 
,romans then called ,greece4 ,athens    
long before this had been a powerful and
 famous city3 it was founded1 or begun  
to be built1 by a king called ,cecrops1 
who came over from ,asia during the time
 that the ,israelites were in bondage in
 ,egypt1 before ,moses was born4 ,in the
 course of time ,athens became1 as we   
have said1 a great and powerful city2   
full of beautiful temples and other     
buildings3 some of these are even       
standing now2 and a great many ruins are
 to be seen1 all showing how magnificent

 the city must once have been4  ,in ,st4
 ,paul's time1 ,athens1 like most other 
cities and countries in the known world1
 was under the dominion of the ,romans2 
and the ,athenians1 or inhabitants of   
the city1 were quite devoted to the     
worship of false gods3 we are told that 
there were more idols to be seen at     
,athens1 than could be found in any     
other place4  ,now while ,st4 ,paul     
waited at ,athens1 for ,silas and       
,timotheus to join him1 his spirit was  
stirred in him1 when he saw the city    
wholly given to idolatry4 ,grieved at   
the state of the ,athenians1 the        
,apostle felt eager to try and teach    
them better things3 his spirit was      
stirred in him2 therefore disputed he in
 the synagogue with the ,jews1 and with 
the devout persons1 proselytes of the   
gate1 and in the market daily with them 
that met with him2 who must have been   
for the most part ,gentiles1 or heathen 
idolaters4 ,the market1 as has been     
explained1 was a public place1 where    

people met for business of all kinds2   
and to talk to each other upon any      
subjects of importance4  ,there were at 
this time in ,athens1 a great many wise 
and clever men1 fond of learning3 such  
men were called ,philosophers4 ,these   
philosophers held different opinions2   
some believing one thing1 some another2 
and as they each wished to bring people 
over to join them1 they constantly spake
 in the market-place1 explaining their  
doctrines1 and persuading men to believe
 in them4  ,two chief sects 7or parties7
 of these philosophers1 were the        
,epicureans and the ,stoics4 ,the       
,epicureans thought that the gods were  
only so in name1 and that there was no  
,divine ,power whatever to rule over the
 world2 therefore they held1 that the   
wisest thing was1 for every man to do   
exactly what he liked best1 and only to 
think of his own pleasure1 as long as he
 lived4  ,the ,stoics believed1 that    
there were gods who ruled all things in 
the world so completely1 that man became

 a mere machine1 not answerable for his 
own conduct2 so that he could never be  
said to do right or wrong3 thus they    
taught1 that the only real wisdom was to
 learn to bear with indifference        
whatever the gods caused to happen to   
them1 whether it was what men call good 
or evil1 happiness or misery4  ,both    
these systems of philosophy 7or sets of 
opinions71 were equally contrary to all 
that ,st4 ,paul was appointed to teach4 
,we read1 ,then certain of the          
,epicureans1 and of the ,stoics1        
encountered him4 ,but when they had     
heard1 his teaching1 some said1 ,what   
will this babbler say8-mocking the      
,apostle as if he had been talking      
nonsense1 without any meaning1 just from
 a love of babbling1 or talking         
foolishly4 ,others said1 ,he seemeth to 
be a setter-forth of strange gods3      
because he preached unto them ,jesus1   
and the resurrection4 ,so little did all
 their wisdom help them to understand   
spiritual things1 that they fancied the 

resurrection of which ,st4 ,paul spake1 
was some female deity called by that    
name1 instead of understanding it to be 
an action done by ,jesus1 whom ,st4     
,paul preached4 ,the ,god of whom ,st4  
,paul spake1 was indeed a strange ,god  
unto the ,athenian philosophers6 but    
instead of ill using the preacher1 they1
 like sensible men1 determined to hear  
more on the subject4     ,chapter       
,,xvi4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,before ,,the     
,,areopagus4   ,we have said that the   
,philosophers of ,athens were desirous  
to hear more of ,st4 ,paul's doctrines4 
,and they took him1 and brought him unto
 ,areopagus1 saying1 ,may we know what  
this new doctrine1 whereof thou         
speakest1 is8 ,for thou bringest certain
 strange things to our ears3 we would   
know therefore what these things mean4  
,the ,areopagus was a ,court of         
,justice1 the chief court in ,athens2   
and one of its duties was1 to pay       
particular attention to all matters     
relating to religion1 or the worship of 

the gods4 ,the members of this ,court   
met in a building erected upon a certain
 hill dedicated to ,mars1 the ,god of   
,war2 and thence called ,mars' ,hill4   
,st4 ,paul was now brought before this  
,court1 that he might give an account of
 the new doctrines which he had begun to
 teach in ,athens4 ,the ,athenians were 
so fond of learning1 that whenever they 
heard anything which they did not       
understand1 they were anxious to inquire
 into it1 and see what it did mean4 ,to 
a certain degree this was right1 for we 
should all try to get as much knowledge 
as we can1 as to good and useful things4
 ,but the ,athenians were too curious2  
for ,st4 ,luke tells us1 that all the   
,athenians and strangers which were in  
the city1 spent their time in nothing   
else1 but either to tell1 or to hear    
some new thing3 and from other writers  
we learn1 that the ,athenians went from 
place to place in order to meet others1 
and hear if there was anything new4     
,now this love of change and novelty1 or

 new things1 is a great fault1 and one  
which often leads us into sin4  ,if we  
are always wishing for some new         
occupation or business1 we shall never  
do anything well3 if we are longing and 
seeking for new amusements1 we shall not
 enjoy what we have3 if children are    
always wishing for new toys1 they will  
cease to care about the old ones4       
,therefore all this desire for novelty  
and change will lead to indolence1      
discontent1 covetousness1 and many other
 evil passions4 ,let us remember that   
people who cultivate a contented spirit1
 are always happy with whatever they    
have3 discontented people are never     
happy2 whatever they have1 they will    
still be wishing for something else3 for
 it is quite impossible for anybody to  
have everything he wishes for4  ,but we 
must go back to ,st4 ,paul1 standing    
before the ,court of ,areopagus1 and    
desired there to give an account of his 
doctrines4 ,the ,apostle1 glad to have  
such an opportunity of preaching the    

,gospel before the chief men in ,athens1
 now stood up1 and spake gently and     
kindly4 ,he began by telling them1 that 
as he had gone about their city looking 
at the different images to which they   
bowed down1 and at the different altars 
set up for the worship of those whom    
they called gods1 he had found one1     
bearing an inscription ,,to ,,the       
,,unknown ,,god4 ,this showed that they 
were too superstitious1 for to worship a
 ,god of whom they knew nothing1 was    
superstition rather than religion4 ,this
 ignorance1 therefore1 ,st4 ,paul now   
proposed to remove1 so that the ,unknown
 ,god might no longer be so to them3    
,whom therefore ye ignorantly worship1  
him declare ,i unto you4  ,before we    
proceed with what ,st4 ,paul said to the
 ,athenians on this subject1 we will see
 how they came to dedicate an altar to  
the ,unknown ,god4  ,some time before   
this1 there had been a plague or        
pestilence in ,athens2 that is1 a bad   
illness1 which spread from one person to

 another1 until thousands of people died
 of it4 ,in vain did the ,athenians pray
 to all their false gods to stop it3    
such prayers of course could have no    
effect1 and the pestilence went on      
killing the people4 ,at last a number of
 sheep were taken to ,mars' ,hill1 and  
there set at liberty1 to go wherever    
they pleased1 followed by men1 appointed
 to watch them4 ,whenever one of these  
sheep laid down1 it was immediately     
sacrificed to the propitious god4       
,propitious means favourable1 kind1     
willing to grant a request1 or supply a 
want4 ,the sheep were thus sacrificed to
 that one amongst the gods1 who would be
 kind enough to put an end to the       
pestilence4 ,soon afterwards it did     
please the ,almighty to remove this     
terrible plague3 the ,athenians of      
course attributed their deliverance to  
one of their gods2 but as they could not
 tell which one of them had been the    
propitious god1 they set up this altar  
to the ,unknown ,god1 who had come to   

their help in the time of trouble4  ,we 
know very well that the ,lord ,god      
,almighty can alone take away disease   
and sickness1 or any other trouble2 and 
therefore1 though the ,athenians did not
 mean it so1 they had really dedicated  
this altar to the ,one ,true ,god1 of   
,whom ,st4 ,paul spake4 ,well therefore 
did ,st4 ,paul1 when speaking to them of
 the ,unknown ,god1 say1 ,whom therefore
 ye ignorantly worship1 him declare ,i  
unto you4  ,st4 ,paul then told the     
,athenians1 that ,he whom they          
worshipped as the ,unknown ,god1 was the
 ,lord ,who had made the world and all  
things in it3 that ,he gave life and    
breath and all things to ,his creatures1
 and did not require to be worshipped   
with sacrifices and gifts1 as though ,he
 needed anything at the hands of man4   
,st4 ,paul said1 also1 that ,god had    
made men1 in order that they might love 
and serve ,him as their ,father3 and he 
reminded them1 that one of their own    
poets had said1 ,for we are also his    

offspring4 ,the poet here meant1 was one
 called ,aratus3 he was born in         
,cilicia1 but had probably lived and    
studied in ,athens1 so that the         
,athenians considered him as one of     
their own poets1 and were well          
acquainted with his poem ',on the       
,heavenly ,bodies'2 from which ,st4     
,paul quoted a line4  ,st4 ,paul        
proceeded to explain1 that the ,lord    
,god ,almighty1 their ,unknown ,god1 was
 a very different ,being to idols of    
gold1 or silver1 or stone1 made or      
graven by art and man's device4 ,and he 
told the ,athenians1 that although the  
,lord ,god had hitherto forborne to     
punish those1 who in ignorance          
worshipped idols1 that time was now     
past2 for now1 said the ,apostle1 ,he   
commandeth all men everywhere to repent3
 because he hath appointed a day1 in the
 which he will judge the world in       
righteousness by that man whom he hath  
ordained2 meaning the ,lord ,jesus      
,christ1 who shall come to judge the    

quick and dead3 and as a proof that ,god
 would do this1 ,st4 ,paul mentioned    
that ,jesus ,christ ,himself had already
 risen from the grave1 saying1 whereof  
he hath given assurance unto all men1 in
 that he hath raised him from the dead4 
,when the ,athenians heard ,st4 ,paul   
speaking of the resurrection of the     
dead1 it seemed to them so impossible   
that a dead man should ever come back to
 life1 that they quite laughed at his   
words3 some mocked2 and others said1 ,we
 will hear thee again of this matter4   
,so ,paul departed from among them2     
apparently without having made any      
impression upon his hearers3 but it was 
not so1 for in spite of the unbelief and
 ridicule of many1 we read1 ,howbeit    
certain men clave unto him1 and         
believed3 among the which was ,dionysius
 the ,areopagite1 that is1 a member of  
the court of ,areopagus1 and a woman    
named ,damaris1 and others with them4   
,after these things1 ,paul departed from
 ,athens1 and came to ,corinth2 another 

city of ,achaia1 in that part of ,greece
 which used to be called the            
,peloponnesus1 or rather on the isthmus 
which joined the ,peloponnesus to the   
rest of ,greece1 and took its name from 
this town4 ,the situation of ,corinth1  
with sea on both sides1 made it an      
important place for trade2 because ships
 could easily come there from different 
countries1 to sell the merchandise they 
brought with them1 and buy such things  
as they wanted to take home4 ,by means  
of their trade1 the inhabitants of      
,corinth had become very rich2 their    
city was flourishing2 and many learned  
men resided in it1 when ,st4 ,paul now  
came there about ,a4,d4 #ea4 ,a little  
before this time1 the ,roman ,emperor   
,claudius1 had for some reason or other1
 banished the ,jews from ,rome4 ,we do  
not know the reason1 but it seems likely
 that it was because there had been a   
famine in ,rome1 which the people       
foolishly thought was the fault of the  
,jews1 whom they hated2 and so to       

satisfy the people1 and prevent any     
disturbance1 ,claudius commanded all    
,jews to leave the city4  ,among the    
,jews thus obliged to leave ,rome1 was a
 man named ,aquila1 born in ,pontus1 a  
country to the ,n4,e4 of ,galatia1 on   
the ,black ,sea3 he was therefore one of
 the ,jews called ,grecians1 because1   
though his parents were ,jews1 he was   
not born in the land of ,judaea4 ,when  
he was obliged to leave ,rome1 ,aquila  
and his wife ,priscilla settled in      
,corinth1 where they greatly helped ,st4
 ,paul4 ,whether they had become        
believers before they left ,rome or     
afterwards1 we do not know2 but they    
were ,christians when ,st4 ,paul came to
 ,corinth1 and were probably known in   
some way to the ,apostle1 for he came   
unto them4 ,and because he was of the   
same craft1 he abode with them1 and     
wrought3 for by their occupation they   
were tent-makers4  ,the ,jews had a     
saying1 that ,every man who does not    
teach his son some trade1 teaches him to

 be a thief--in which there is a great  
deal of truth2 for if a man has learnt  
no trade by which he can support himself
 honestly1 there is great danger of his 
being tempted to obtain a living by     
dishonest means4 ,it was therefore the  
custom amongst the ,jews1 even of the   
higher classes1 who like ,st4 ,paul had 
been well educated as to letters1 to    
teach their sons some craft or          
occupation1 whereby they could1 if ever 
it became necessary1 earn money to      
provide themselves with food and        
clothes1 and such things as are needful4
  ,st4 ,paul had learnt the trade of    
tent-making2 and he now abode with      
,aquila and ,priscilla1 working with    
them for his daily bread1 whilst every  
sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue1   
and persuaded the ,jews and the ,greeks3
 trying1 that is1 to bring them to      
believe in ,jesus ,christ4  ,at         
,corinth1 ,st4 ,paul was joined by      
,silas and ,timotheus1 who had remained 
at ,berea when he was so suddenly sent  

to ,athens3 they had afterwards returned
 to ,thessalonica1 from whence they now 
came to ,corinth1 and gave ,st4 ,paul an
 account of what they had been doing    
since he left them4 ,in consequence of  
what he now heard from ,silas and       
,timotheus1 ,st4 ,paul wrote an ,epistle
 or letter to the ,thessalonians1 who   
had become ,christians4  ,in this       
letter1 ,st4 ,paul tells the            
,thessalonians1 how thankful he is to   
hear that those who had become          
,christians1 were trying to do all that 
the ,gospel taught them they ought to   
do3 and then he assures them1 that he   
prays to ,god to give them more and more
 faith1 and to make them love ,jesus    
better and better4 ,then the ,apostle   
warned them not to listen to any        
teachers1 who might try to teach them   
anything different to what he1 and      
,silas1 and ,timothy1 had already taught
 them4 ,st4 ,paul also told the         
,thessalonian ,christians1 that they    
must endeavour to be good and holy2 and 

he gave them many particular directions 
for their conduct1 one of which is1     
,pray without ceasing4 ,the ,apostle    
ends his letter with a prayer1 that ,god
 will keep them free from all sin both  
in body and soul4 ,this letter of ,st4  
,paul's is to be found in the ,bible1   
where it is called1 ,the ,first ,epistle
 of ,paul the ,apostle to the           
,thessalonians4     ,chapter            
,,xvii4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,finishes ,,his  
,,second ,,apostolic ,,journey4   ,after
 ,timothy and ,silas had joined ,st4    
,paul1 he spake still more plainly and  
decidedly to the ,jews at ,corinth1     
wishing to make them follow the example 
of their brethren at ,thessalonica3 but 
when he tried to convince them that     
,jesus was indeed the ,messiah1 they    
would not listen to him1 but opposed    
themselves1 and blasphemed4 ,then he    
shook his raiment1 and said unto them1  
,your blood be upon your own heads2 ,i  
am clean3 from henceforth ,i will go    
unto the ,gentiles4 ,st4 ,paul meant by 

this1 that if by their own obstinacy    
they would provoke the ,lord to punish  
them1 he was not to blame1 for he had   
tried to teach them what was right3 and 
that from henceforth he would preach    
only to the ,gentiles in ,corinth1 and  
have nothing more to say to the ,jews2  
and he shook his raiment1 as a sign that
 he would have nothing more to do with  
them4 ,when ,st4 ,paul had thus spoken  
to the ,jews in their synagogue1 he     
departed thence1 ceasing to preach in   
the synagogue1 and entered into a       
certain man's house1 named ,justus1 one 
that worshipped ,god as a proselyte of  
the gate1 whose house joined hard to the
 synagogue4 ,most probably he had in his
 house some large room1 in which it was 
convenient for ,st4 ,paul to preach3 and
 here he converted many4 ,and ,crispus1 
the chief ruler of the synagogue1       
believed on the ,lord with all his      
house2 and many of the ,corinthians     
hearing1 believed1 and were baptized4   
,st4 ,paul was at this time greatly     

encouraged by a vision4 ,we read1 ,then 
spake the ,lord to ,paul in the night by
 a vision1 ,be not afraid1 but speak1   
and hold not thy peace3 for ,i am with  
thee1 and no man shall set on thee to   
hurt thee3 for ,i have much people in   
this city1--many1 that is1 who1 from    
hearing ,st4 ,paul1 would become true   
,christians4 ,thus encouraged1 he       
continued in ,corinth a year and six    
months1 teaching the word of ,god among 
them4  ,during the eighteen months which
 ,st4 ,paul spent in ,corinth1 he       
appears to have written ,the ,epistle to
 the ,galatians1 which was probably     
written before that to the              
,thessalonians4 ,st4 ,paul had1 as we   
have heard1 preached in ,galatia before 
he went into ,macedonia4 ,it seems1     
however1 that the ,galatians had not    
continued steadfast in the faith2 and   
the ,apostle now writes kindly1 to      
express his surprise at their having    
fallen away from the ,gospel they had   
once received2 warning them seriously   

not to believe any doctrines contrary to
 those which he had taught them3 for    
that he had been chosen by the ,lord in 
a miraculous manner to be an ,apostle1  
and the doctrines which he taught to    
others he had received from ,god        
,himself4 ,he also reminds the          
,galatians1 that no man could obtain    
salvation by the works of the ,law1     
since none could do them perfectly1 and 
that it is through faith in ,jesus only1
 that all men1 whether ,jews or         
,gentiles1 can be saved4 ,before closing
 his ,epistle1 ,st4 ,paul gives a list  
of the works of the flesh1 or sinful    
nature of man1 and of the works of the  
,spirit4 ,this list we shall do well to 
study1 and also to take as addressed to 
ourselves the ,apostle's exhortation1   
,walk in the ,spirit1 and ye shall not  
fulfil the lust of the flesh3           
remembering always1 that they that are  
,christ's have crucified the flesh with 
the affections and lusts4  ,from        
,corinth1 at this time1 ,st4 ,paul also 

wrote his ,second ,epistle to the       
,thessalonians2 expressing his          
thankfulness that in the midst of       
persecutions they were increasing in    
faith2 and he encourages them to        
persevere1 by reminding them of that day
 when ,christ shall come to judge the   
world1 and reward the faithful with     
everlasting life4 ,he then begged those 
to whom he wrote1 to pray that the      
,gospel preached by him might be        
received by others as it had been by    
them2 and he prays for them1 that the   
,lord will direct their hearts into the 
love of ,god1 and into the patient      
waiting for ,christ4  ,st4 ,paul was not
 allowed to rest undisturbed at         
,corinth1 for when ,gallio was          
deputy-governor1 or pro-consul1 of      
,achaia1 the ,jews made insurrection    
with one accord against ,paul2 and      
brought him to the judgment seat1       
saying1 ,this fellow persuadeth men to  
worship ,god contrary to the            
law1--meaning their own law1 the ,law of

 ,moses4 ,st4 ,paul was going to speak  
in answer to this charge1 but ,gallio   
interrupted him1 and told the ,jews that
 if they had any wickedness1 or crime1  
to accuse ,st4 ,paul of1 he must of     
course listen to the charge2 and adding1
 but if it be a question of words and   
names1 and of your law1 look ye to it2  
for ,i will be no judge of such matters4
 ,gallio1 a heathen1 despised both ,jews
 and ,christians1 and cared nothing     
about the ,law of ,moses1 whether it    
were observed or not2 therefore he would
 not listen to the ,jews3 and he drave  
them from the judgment seat4  ,then all 
the ,greeks took ,sosthenes1 the chief  
ruler of the synagogue1 and beat him    
before the judgment seat4 ,why the      
,greeks beat this ,jew1 we are not told4
 ,some think that ,sosthenes was        
favourable to ,st4 ,paul1 and that on   
this account the ,jews stirred up the   
heathens to treat him in this way4 ,but 
it seems more likely that ,sosthenes was
 one of the most bitter enemies of the  

,apostle1 and had been particularly     
anxious to get him punished2 and that   
the ,greeks thought that beating him    
severely1 would be the most likely way  
of putting a stop to any future         
disturbance from the ,jews4  ,however   
that might be1 ,gallio cared for none of
 those things3 though1 as governor and  
judge of a province1 he was neglecting  
his duty by allowing any man to be      
treated in such a way4 ,soon after this1
 ,st4 ,paul left ,corinth for a time4   
,when ,st4 ,paul left ,corinth1 soon    
after the affair with ,gallio1 it would 
seem that he went to the island of      
,crete1 or ,candia1 and there left one  
of his companions1 called ,titus1 to    
direct the affairs of the ,christian    
,church in that country4 ,we know       
nothing of ,titus1 except that his      
parents were ,gentiles1 and that he was 
converted to ,christianity by ,st4      
,paul1 who would not allow him to be    
circumcised1 lest it should be thought a
 proof of the necessity of circumcision1

 which the ,church had declared to be   
unnecessary for those heathens who      
embraced the ,gospel4 ,titus was highly 
esteemed by ,st4 ,paul1 who speaks of   
him as his partner and fellow helper2   
showing that he greatly helped him in   
his work4  ,we do not exactly know where
 ,st4 ,paul went to from ,crete3 there  
is reason to believe that in trying to  
return to ,corinth he encountered a     
storm1 and was driven by the wind to the
 western coast of ,greece1 and there    
shipwrecked1 and forced to take refuge  
in the city of ,nicopolis4 ,here the    
,apostle determined to spend the winter1
 that he might preach the ,gospel to the
 inhabitants of ,illyricum--a country to
 the north1 forming the eastern shore of
 the ,adriatic ,sea4 ,from ,nicopolis he
 appears to have written the ,epistle to
 ,titus1 giving him directions as to his
 own conduct1 and telling him what sort 
of men he must choose to help him in    
teaching the people of ,crete4 ,st4     
,paul also told ,titus to be very       

careful to teach all who became         
,christians1 that they must try to be   
good1 and lead holy lives1 following in 
all things the example of the ,lord     
,jesus ,christ4  ,from ,nicopolis1 in   
due time1 ,st4 ,paul went back to       
,corinth4 ,in the ,book of ,acts we read
 nothing of this little journey of ,st4 
,paul's4 ,st4 ,luke does not of course  
tell us everything that the ,apostle    
did1 and he speaks as if he had remained
 at ,corinth all the time4 ,speaking of 
,st4 ,paul's final departure from       
,corinth1 ,st4 ,luke says1 ,and ,paul   
after this tarried there yet a good     
while1 and then took his leave of the   
brethren1 and sailed thence into ,syria1
 and with him ,priscilla and ,aquila2   
having shorn his head in ,cenchrea3 for 
he had a vow4 ,this vow must either have
 been a vow of ,nazaritism1 already     
mentioned 7vol4 ii4 p4 #ajh71 which ,st4
 ,paul had on some occasion taken in    
order to please the ,jews2 or some other
 vow1 which he had made in              

acknowledgment of the goodness and mercy
 of ,god4 ,cenchrea was a small         
sea-port1 not far from ,corinth2 and    
from thence ,st4 ,paul and his company1 
with ,aquila and ,priscilla1 sailed to  
,syria2 and then proceeded to ,ephesus1 
a large town in ,lydia4 ,ephesus was    
particularly celebrated for its         
beautiful and magnificent temple1       
erected in honour of the heathen goddess
 ,diana1 and set apart for her worship4 
,this ,diana1 one of the pretended      
deities of the heathen1 was supposed to 
rule all things belonging to the        
chase--to be the goddess of hunting4    
,the moon was looked upon as a sign1 or 
symbol1 of ,diana2 and under this form  
she was also worshipped4  ,st4 ,paul1 as
 usual1 preached in the synagogue at    
,ephesus1 and reasoned with the ,jews1  
who seem to have listened willingly1 and
 even wished him to stay on4 ,but when  
they desired him to tarry longer time   
with them1 he consented not2 but bade   
them farewell1 saying1 ,i must by all   

means keep this feast 7of the ,passover7
 that cometh1 in ,jerusalem3 but ,i will
 return again unto you1 if ,god will4   
,and he sailed from ,ephesus4 ,and when 
he had landed at ,caesarea1 and gone up1
 and saluted the church at ,jerusalem1  
and kept the ,passover1 he went down to 
,antioch1 ,a4,d4 #ed2 thus ending his   
,second ,apostolic ,journey1 which had  
occupied about four years4  ,st4 ,luke  
has mentioned the places at which ,st4  
,paul made any long stay during this    
time2 but as we have already seen1 he   
does not notice all his short visits to 
other places4 ,in the same way1 ,st4    
,luke tells us all the most remarkable  
events that took place during these four
 years2 but of course he cannot tell us 
everything that the ,apostle did or     
said3 just as the ,gospels1 though they 
tell us all things needful for us to    
know1 do not relate every word that     
,jesus said1 or every miracle that ,he  
worked2 because1 as ,st4 ,john remarks1 
if they should be written every one of  

them1 the world itself could not contain
 the books that should be written4      
,after ,st4 ,paul had spent some time at
 ,antioch1 he began his ,third          
,apostolic ,journey3 he departed1 and   
went over all the country of ,galatia   
and ,phrygia in order1 strengthening all
 the disciples1--that is1 he went again 
to all those places where he had before 
established ,churches1 or companies of  
believers1 to see how they were going   
on1 and to encourage them to persevere  
in their endeavours to serve the ,lord  
faithfully4 ,but in the mean time the   
,church at ,ephesus was not left without
 a teacher2 for ,aquila and ,priscilla  
remained there1 and were no doubt of    
great use in reminding others of all    
that ,st4 ,paul had taught them3 and of 
one good work done by them ,st4 ,luke   
gives us an account2 for we read1 ,and a
 certain ,jew named ,apollos1 born at   
,alexandria1 an eloquent man1 and mighty
 in the scriptures1 came to ,ephesus4   
,this man was instructed in the way of  

the ,lord2 and being fervent in the     
spirit1 he spake and taught diligently  
the things of the ,lord1 knowing only   
the baptism of ,john4  ,alexandria was a
 famous city1 built by ,alexander the   
,great1 in the north of ,egypt1 and     
celebrated for the many learned men who 
lived in it4 ,apollos had there studied 
the ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 
and being eloquent1 able to speak well1 
he taught them diligently in ,ephesus4  
,but he seems to have heard only of the 
,baptism of ,john1 and to have known    
only that men were to receive the       
baptism of repentance1 of which ,john   
spake1 to prepare them for believing in 
the ,messiah1 of ,whom ,john was the    
messenger1 or forerunner4 ,but ,apollos 
does not seem to have understood that   
the ,messiah had come1 or to have known 
of ,his promise1 to give the ,holy      
,spirit to those who would believe in   
,him and be baptized in the name of the 
,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the    
,holy ,ghost4 ,apollos was fervent in   

spirit1 full of zeal2 and so1 as far as 
he knew1 he taught diligently4 ,and he  
began to speak boldly in the synagogue4 
,when ,aquila and ,priscilla heard him1 
they took him unto them1 probably to    
reside in their house1 and expounded    
unto him the way of ,god more           
perfectly1--that is1 they explained all 
that he was ignorant of2 they spake to  
him of ,jesus and of ,his ,baptism1 and 
showed him that the sins of all who     
believed1 and were baptized1 would be   
forgiven4 ,apollos listened gladly to   
the words of ,aquila and ,priscilla1 and
 then wished to go into ,greece1 to     
teach others the things he had learnt4  
,and when he was disposed to pass into  
,achaia1 the members of the ,church at  
,ephesus wrote to those of ,corinth1 to 
receive him into their company4  ,at    
,corinth1 ,apollos1 by his earnestness  
and faith1 helped them much which had   
believed through grace3 nor was this    
all1 for he mightily convinced the      
,jews1 and that publicly1 shewing by the

 scriptures that ,jesus was ,christ4    
,chapter ,,xviii4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,and   
,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,sceva4   ,we have   
said that ,st4 ,paul began his ,third   
,apostolic ,journey by going again      
through ,galatia and ,phrygia3 then1    
having passed through the upper coasts  
of ,asia ,minor1 he came again to       
,ephesus1 after ,apollos had gone to    
,corinth4 ,at ,ephesus ,st4 ,paul now   
found certain disciples1 about twelve   
men1 who had been taught by ,apollos1   
before ,aquila and ,priscilla had       
expounded to him the way of ,god more   
perfectly3 to these men ,st4 ,paul said1
 ,have ye received the ,holy ,ghost     
since ye believed8 ,and they said unto  
him1 ,we have not so much as heard      
whether there be any ,holy ,ghost4 ,and 
he said unto them1 ,unto what then were 
ye baptized8 ,and they said1 ,unto      
,john's baptism4 ,then ,st4 ,paul       
explained to them that ,john the        
,baptist came to call all men to        
repentance1 and that his baptism was    

only meant to prepare the way for that  
of ,jesus1 and to lead all men to       
believe in ,him1 and be baptized in the 
way which ,he should appoint4 ,when they
 heard this1 they were baptized in the  
name of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and when     
,paul had laid his hands upon them1 the 
,holy ,ghost came on them2 and they     
spake with tongues1 and prophesied4 ,st4
 ,paul1 anxious to convert the ,jews1   
spake boldly in the synagogue for three 
months1 disputing and persuading the    
things concerning the kingdom of ,god4  
,but1 as usual1 many of the ,jews were  
determined not to believe2 and not only 
rejected the truth themselves1 but spake
 evil of it1 and abused it to the       
multitude1 so as to try and prevent     
their believing it either4 ,st4 ,paul1  
seeing this1 would teach no longer in   
the synagogue2 and departed from them1  
and separated the disciples1 disputing  
daily in the school of one ,tyrannus2   
that is1 he assembled all who were      
willing to listen to him1 in a large    

room or school--a name given to those   
buildings or rooms used for instruction 
in any kind of knowledge4 ,in the school
 of ,tyrannus1 who was a teacher of some
 science1 and probably a convert1 ,st4  
,paul now preached to all who would come
 and listen4 ,and this continued by the 
space of two years2 so that all they    
which dwelt in ,asia heard the word of  
the ,lord ,jesus1 both ,jews and        
,greeks4 ,and ,god wrought special      
miracles by the hands of ,paul3 so that 
from his body were brought unto the sick
 handkerchiefs or aprons1 and the       
diseases departed from them1 and the    
evil spirits went out of them4 ,they    
were healed by merely touching those    
articles which the ,apostle had touched4
 ,such a wonderful exercise of          
miraculous power must have drawn many to
 listen to the teaching of one1 who did 
such things2 and no doubt many1 who so  
listened1 became true ,christians4  ,we 
must now say something of the unhappy   
state of the province of ,judaea at this

 time1 of which the ,bible gives no     
account4 ,a ,roman named ,felix had been
 made governor of ,judaea ,a4,d4 #ea1   
whilst ,st4 ,paul was at ,corinth3      
,felix treated the ,jews cruelly1 and   
ill-used them to such a degree1 as to   
drive them into open rebellion2 and     
this1 of course1 led to severe          
punishments and fresh cruelties4 ,the   
whole country was in a sadly disturbed  
state3 robbers infested every part of   
it2 men came forward pretending to be   
the ,messiah1 for the ,jews1 who        
disbelieved in ,jesus ,christ1 still    
expected the coming of the promised     
,messiah2 murders and executions took   
place constantly3 the ,high ,priest was 
murdered at the very altar1 and many    
persons were killed in the temple4 ,in  
short1 as ,josephus writes1 ,god seemed 
to have abandoned ,jerusalem as a       
detested city1 and to have sent the     
,romans1 to punish the ,jews for their  
sin in rejecting and crucifying the     
,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,during this     

dreadful time of trouble1 a ,jew from   
,egypt came to ,jerusalem1 and having   
persuaded many of the unhappy           
inhabitants of ,judaea to believe the   
lies he told them1 he led an immense    
number of them to the top of the ,mount 
of ,olives1 promising that the ,lord    
would there work a great miracle1 and   
deliver them and their country from the 
hands of the ,romans4 ,of course nothing
 of the kind took place4 ,many of these 
wretched dupes were slain by the ,roman 
soldiers1 and the rest fled away1 in    
order to save their lives4  ,the land of
 ,judaea was indeed in a sad state2 the 
sufferings of the ,jews were terrible2  
but they had deserved them4 ,often and  
often had they been entreated to repent 
and believe in ,jesus1 but they would   
not2 and now the mercy of ,god was      
forced to give place to ,his just anger4
  ,let this be a warning to us          
,christians1 never to force the ,lord to
 take away ,his mercy from us4 ,if1 by  
our obstinate impenitence and           

continuance in sin1 we force ,him to    
punish us as we deserve1 we must perish 
miserably for ever4 ,but ,god sees our  
hearts1 and if we are really sorry for  
our sins1 and are earnestly trying to   
conquer ourselves and resist our evil   
passions and desires1 ,he will have     
mercy upon us1 and not be extreme to    
mark what is done amiss4  ,we have seen 
that ,st4 ,paul remained for two years  
in ,ephesus1 converting many by his     
preaching and his miracles4 ,his success
 as usual raised the envy and anger of  
the unbelieving ,jews1 who were anxious 
to draw the people away from the        
,apostle1 by making them believe that   
they could work miracles as well as ,st4
 ,paul4 ,the means they took we shall   
shortly hear4  ,the ,gentile inhabitants
 of ,ephesus were much given to the     
study of all the arts of magic1 and were
 considered to be very clever in the    
practice of them4 ,we have already      
spoken of sorcery1 witchcraft1 and      
magic3 how far the professors of them   

were allowed to appear to do wonderful  
things by these means1 we do not know2  
but we do know1 that any attempt to have
 such communications with evil spirits  
was sinful in the sight of ,god1 and    
that the ,jews were especially forbidden
 to practice any such arts1 or to hold  
communication with those who did so4 ,in
 spite of this1 many of the ,jews did   
follow these sinful studies4  ,st4 ,luke
 says1 ,then certain of the vagabond    
,jews1 exorcists1 took upon them to call
 over them which had evil spirits the   
name of the ,lord ,jesus1 using that    
,sacred ,name as they would have used   
any of their magical spells or words4   
,vagabond means wandering2 and we       
generally use the word to describe idle1
 worthless people1 who go about begging 
or stealing1 instead of working honestly
 to gain their own living4 ,exorcists   
was only a name given to those who      
professed to cast out evil spirits by   
the arts of sorcery4  ,and there were   
seven sons of one ,sceva1 a ,jew1 and   

chief of the priests1 which did so4 ,the
 spiritual state of the ,jews must      
indeed have been sad1 when the sons of a
 priest could be found thus wilfully    
practising arts1 upon which the sentence
 of death was pronounced by the ,law6   
,these men1 seeing that when ,st4 ,paul 
spake to the evil spirits in the name of
 ,jesus1 they immediately left the      
bodies of those whom they had possessed1
 wickedly determined to use that ,holy  
,name1 in order to heal a man in whom   
was an evil spirit4 ,and they said1 ,we 
adjure you by ,jesus whom ,paul         
preacheth to come out of this man4 ,and 
the evil spirit answered and said1      
,jesus ,i know1 and ,paul ,i know2 but  
who are ye8 ,the devils were forced to  
acknowledge the power of ,jesus1 and    
that for ,his sake they must obey ,his  
servant ,paul2 but they plainly told    
these ,jews that they were in no way    
subject to them3 and they gave a strong 
proof of this1 for the man in whom the  
evil spirit was leaped on them1 and     

overcame them1 and prevailed against    
them1 so that they fled out of that     
house naked and wounded4 ,such an event 
as this showed clearly that all power   
belonged to ,god alone1 and that all    
magical arts were useless1 as well as   
sinful4 ,and this was known to all the  
,jews and ,greeks also dwelling at      
,ephesus2 and fear fell on them all1 and
 the name of the ,lord ,jesus was       
magnified1--more thought of1 and treated
 with greater respect4  ,and many that  
believed1 who had1 before they became   
,christians1 practised magical arts1 now
 convinced of their extreme sinfulness  
and folly1 came and confessed1 and      
shewed their deeds1--expressing their   
repentance for these former sins4  ,nor 
was this all3 many of them also which   
7still7 used curious arts saw the       
wickedness of such practices2 and warned
 by what had happened1 showed their     
repentance by their acts2 for they      
brought their books together1 and burned
 them before all men4 ,this was a great 

proof of their earnestness to put an end
 to the use of magical arts in others1  
as well as in themselves2 for they did  
not attempt to sell these books to      
others1 but destroyed them4 ,the books  
were very valuable1 for they counted the
 price of them1 and found it fifty      
thousand pieces of silver--all this     
money these men were willing to         
sacrifice1 in order to please ,god4     
,this is a warning as well as an example
 to us1 who are too often unwilling to  
deny ourselves in anything1 or make the 
least sacrifice in order to please or   
obey our ,lord4  ,so mightily grew the  
word of ,god and prevailed1--that is1   
the blessed truths of the ,gospel spread
 on every side1 so that the numbers of  
,christians increased daily4  ,st4      
,paul1 who had now been nearly three    
years in ,ephesus1 began to think of    
continuing his journey2 and purposed in 
the spirit1 when he had passed through  
,macedonia and ,achaia1 to go to        
,jerusalem1 saying1 ,after ,i have been 

there1 ,i must also see ,rome4 ,just at 
this time1 ,st4 ,paul heard an          
unsatisfactory account of what was going
 on at ,corinth4 ,we have seen that the 
,apostle had passed eighteen months in  
,corinth1 forming a ,church there2 and  
that ,apollos had afterwards preached   
the ,gospel in that city with great     
success3 but very soon afterwards1 false
 teachers rose up--that is1 persons1 who
 were not sufficiently instructed       
themselves1 fancied that they were able 
to teach others4 ,but1 as they did not  
themselves understand the whole truth1  
they could not teach it to others2 and  
therefore their imperfect teaching      
created great confusion1 and unsettled  
the minds of many believers4 ,some of   
these false teachers were converts from 
the ,gentiles1 who1 having been         
converted by ,apollos1 now called       
themselves his disciples2 though they   
mixed up with the truths he had taught  
them1 many of the doctrines and opinions
 of their philosophers4 ,some of these  

teachers on the other hand1 were        
converts from amongst the ,jews1 who    
would not give up the idea that it was  
necessary to keep the whole ,law of     
,moses1 observing all the forms and     
ceremonies ordained by it4 ,these       
,jewish ,christians called themselves   
followers of ,cephas1 the ,greek word   
for ,peter4 ,these two sets of teachers1
 both teaching doctrines contrary to the
 truths of the ,gospel as delivered to  
the ,corinthians by ,st4 ,paul1 made two
 parties in the ,church1 so that there  
were constant disputes and great        
confusion4 ,mean time also1 many of the 
native ,corinthians1 who had joined the 
,church1 began to return to the sinful  
ways and practices they had followed    
when they were heathens4  ,this was the 
account that now reached ,st4 ,paul at  
,ephesus2 and greatly did it grieve him4
  ,so he at once sent into ,macedonia   
two of his company1 ,timotheus and      
,erastus1 that they might pass on to    
,corinth1 and try to put an end to all  

these evil doings3 he himself remained  
at ,ephesus a little longer4            
,chapter ,,xix4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,at      
,,ephesus4   ,we have said that ,st4    
,paul sent ,timotheus and ,erastus to   
,corinth3 ,timotheus1 or ,timothy1 has  
already been spoken of3 of ,erastus we  
know nothing1 but his name is mentioned 
in two of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles4       
,after ,timothy and ,erastus had left   
,ephesus1 ,st4 ,paul received a letter1 
written by those members of the         
,christian ,church who had kept steadily
 in the right way1 and not been led     
astray by either of the false teachers4 
,this letter told ,st4 ,paul how much   
the ,church was disturbed by their      
mistaken teachers1 and begged for his   
advice and direction4 ,in answer to this
 letter1 ,st4 ,paul wrote a long one1   
called ,the ,first ,epistle to the      
,corinthians4 ,in this letter1 ,st4     
,paul blames the ,corinthians for their 
disputes and differences of opinion2    
reminding them that he1 the ,apostle and

 messenger of the ,lord1 had taught them
 what was right2 and that therefore they
 should have kept fast to what they had 
learnt from him4 ,he tells them1 that as
 they have all believed in one ,lord    
,jesus ,christ1 they should live        
together in peace1 believing and doing  
the same things4 ,then addressing the   
teachers who had done the mischief1 ,st4
 ,paul warns them1 that if they wilfully
 continue to teach false doctrines1 ,god
 will certainly punish them3 and he     
exhorts all the members of the          
,corinthian ,church to listen to        
,timothy1 whom he had sent on purpose   
that he might show them the whole truth4
 ,the ,apostle then gives the           
,corinthian brethren many directions as 
to their personal conduct1 in order that
 they might lead holy lives on earth1   
such as would be pleasing to ,god1 and  
tend also to their own happiness4  ,in  
the ,twelfth ,chapter of this ,epistle1 
,st4 ,paul gives a beautiful description
 of charity1 that is1 of love to ,god1  

and of love to man for ,his sake3 and he
 shows that those whose hearts are      
really full of this charity1 or love1   
will be gentle and humble1 not thinking 
much of themselves1 or of their own     
comfort or pleasure2 but being ready to 
give up to others1 striving to be kind  
to all1 even to those who are unkind to 
them4 ,in another part of this ,epistle1
 ,st4 ,paul speaks of the resurrection  
of ,jesus1 and of the consequent        
certainty that all men shall in like    
manner rise from the dead1 though now   
they may not understand how such a thing
 can be3 and he therefore entreats the  
,corinthian brethren1 to keep steadily  
in the faith taught by the ,gospel1     
doing the work of the ,lord always2     
remembering1 that those who do serve    
,him here in faith and love1 will live  
with ,him for ever hereafter4  ,st4     
,paul ends his letter1 by saying that he
 shall not come to ,corinth at present2 
but that he hopes to pass the winter    
with them4  ,it was spring when ,st4    

,paul wrote this letter1 for he tells   
the ,corinthians1 ,i will tarry at      
,ephesus until ,pentecost3 and the      
,feast of ,pentecost took place about   
the month of ,may2 so that there were   
now a good many months before winter1   
when ,st4 ,paul hoped1 with the         
permission of the ,lord1 to tarry awhile
 at ,corinth4  ,before ,st4 ,paul left  
,ephesus1 a great tumult took place in  
that city2 for1 as ,st4 ,luke says1     
there arose no small stir about that    
way1--that is1 the people were stirred  
up against the doctrines of             
,christianity1 so as to make a tumult in
 the city4 ,for a certain man named     
,demetrius1 a silversmith1 which made   
silver shrines for ,diana1 brought no   
small gain unto the craftsmen4  ,we have
 said1 that the temple of ,diana1 at    
,ephesus1 was a most beautiful and      
magnificent building1 and people came   
from all parts to see this wonderful    
temple1 and to worship before an image  
of ,diana1 which was supposed by all the

 heathens to have been sent down direct 
from heaven4 ,those who came from far   
distant places to worship in this famous
 temple1 were glad to carry away some   
remembrance of the goddess2 and         
strangers who only came out of          
curiosity1 also bought the shrines1 or  
little models of the temple1 which the  
silversmiths at ,ephesus made3 these    
shrines had a small image of ,diana     
within them4 ,by these means1 the       
craftsmen1 or workers in silver1 gained 
a great deal of money2 and the more they
 sold1 the better it was for them4  ,st4
 ,paul had of course taught all who     
listened to him1 that ,diana was no     
goddess1 only an imaginary being1 and   
that it was very sinful to worship or   
honour her in any way3 those who        
believed him therefore1 would not buy   
these silver shrines1 and consequently  
the silversmiths found their trade very 
much fallen off4 ,this great loss of    
money1 caused ,demetrius1 one of the    
chief silversmiths1 to call together all

 the craftsmen and workmen of the like  
occupation4 ,when they were assembled1  
he said to them1 ,sirs1 ye know that by 
this craft we have our wealth4 ,moreover
 ye see and hear1 that not alone at     
,ephesus1 but almost throughout all     
,asia1 this ,paul hath persuaded and    
turned away much people1 saying that    
they be no gods1 which are made with    
hands3 so that not only this our craft  
is in danger to be set at nought2 but   
also that the temple of the great       
goddess ,diana should be despised1 and  
her magnificence should be destroyed1   
whom all ,asia and the world            
worshippeth4 ,this speech was well      
calculated to stir up the bad passions  
of all who heard it2 the craftsmen would
 be angry at the idea of losing their   
wealth1 whilst all the ,gentiles at     
,ephesus1 would be indignant that their 
favourite goddess and her splendid      
temple should be less thought of1 and   
thus bring fewer people to ,ephesus1 to 
admire and worship4 ,this decrease in   

the number of strangers attracted to    
,ephesus1 would of course cause less    
money to be spent in the city1 which    
would be a great loss to the inhabitants
 generally4 ,when1 therefore1 those to  
whom ,demetrius spake1 heard these      
sayings1 they were full of wrath1 and   
cried out1 saying1 ,great is ,diana of  
the ,ephesians4  ,what ,demetrius had   
said to the craftsmen whom he had called
 together1 spread quickly throughout the
 city3 and the whole city was filled    
with confusion--the people were now     
ready for any mischief2 and meeting with
 two of ,st4 ,paul's companions1 ,gaius 
and ,aristarchus1 they caught them1 and 
rushed with one accord into the         
theatre--a large building1 in which     
public shows and games took place1 and  
which was also used for assemblies of   
the people1 when any important occasion 
brought them together4 ,when ,st4 ,paul 
understood what had happened1 he would  
have gone also into the theatre to speak
 to the people2 but the disciples1      

fearing that they might do the ,apostle 
some mischief1 suffered him not to go   
in4 ,and certain of the chief of ,asia1 
which were his friends1 knowing that in 
the present excited state of the people1
 ,st4 ,paul's life would be in danger   
amongst them1 sent unto him1 desiring   
him that he would not adventure himself 
into the theatre4  ,the persons here    
spoken of as chiefs of ,asia1 were the  
rulers of the provinces into which ,asia
 ,minor was divided3 they were called   
,asiarchs1 and were chosen from amongst 
the men of wealth and rank in the       
different provinces4 ,their office was  
to direct all religious ceremonies and  
solemnities2 and to celebrate at their  
own expense1 public games in the        
theatre1 in honour of the heathen gods4 
,it seems probable that at this very    
time1 public shows and games were going 
on in the city of ,ephesus2 and that    
some of the ,asiarchs who were his      
friends1 feared that if ,st4 ,paul now  
went into the theatre1 the people might 

lay hold of him1 and throw him to the   
wild beasts1 whose fights with one      
another were generally a part of all the
 public games4 ,in after times1 very    
many ,christians were cruelly given to  
be killed by wild beasts1 because they  
would not give up their religion1 and   
bow down to the false gods of the       
heathen4 ,the tumult and disturbance in 
the theatre at ,ephesus became worse and
 worse4 ,st4 ,luke tells us1 ,some      
therefore cried one thing1 and some     
another3 for the assembly was confused2 
and the more part knew not wherefore    
they were come together4  ,the greater  
number of those who were now assembled1 
and were loudest in their cries against 
,st4 ,paul1 did not even know what had  
caused this tumultuous meeting4 ,they   
copied the example of others1 without   
attempting to find out whether they were
 right or wrong4 ,this is too often the 
case amongst ourselves2 but we should be
 careful not to join in blaming any     
person1 merely because others do so1    

without taking the trouble to find out  
whether they deserve blame or not4 ,the 
,jews1 seeing the rage of the people in 
the theatre1 did their best to turn it  
all upon the ,christians1 and to show   
that they had taken no part in teaching 
men to despise the goddess ,diana3 and  
they now put forward a ,jew named       
,alexander1 that he might explain this  
to the assembly4 ,and they drew         
,alexander out of the multitude1 the    
,jews putting him forward4 ,and         
,alexander beckoned with the hand1 and  
would have made his defence unto the    
people4 ,but when they knew that he was 
a ,jew1 and therefore no worshipper of  
,diana1 they refused to hear him1 and   
all with one voice 7for7 about the space
 of two hours cried out1 over and over  
again1 ,great is ,diana of the          
,ephesians4  ,the town-clerk1 or        
principal magistrate of the city1       
succeeded at last in stopping this      
senseless outcry and tumult2 and so far 
appeased the people1 as to get them to  

listen to him4 ,they were perhaps the   
more inclined to do this1 as they must  
have been tired of repeating this cry   
for two hours1 without knowing why4  ,as
 soon as the town-clerk was allowed to  
speak1 he reminded the people1 that as  
it was well known to all men1 that the  
,ephesians were worshippers of the great
 goddess ,diana1 they need not be       
troubled by anything ,st4 ,paul said2   
more especially as the image of ,diana  
had come down from heaven1 and could not
 therefore be one of those idols1 made  
by the hands of men1 against which the  
,apostle had spoken4 ,then he went on to
 show them1 that they had done wrong in 
seizing ,gaius and ,aristarchus1 whom   
they could not accuse of any crime      
whatever3 they were neither robbers of  
churches1 nor yet blasphemers of the    
goddess1 and could not justly be taken  
before the magistrates2 but if          
,demetrius and his fellow workmen had   
injury to complain of1 there were proper
 courts of law1 where such complaints   

would be heard and judged4 ,but he also 
told them1 that if they wished to       
inquire into the doctrines taught by    
,st4 ,paul and his companions1 it must  
be done in a very different manner3 a   
proper assembly must be called1 of      
people who had authority to judge of    
such questions2 and then the matter must
 be brought before them3 and he ended by
 telling them1 that they were in danger 
of being punished for the uproar and    
confusion they had made1 for there was  
no cause for it1 and therefore they     
would not be able to give a satisfactory
 answer to the ,roman governor1 if he   
should call them to account for what had
 happened4  ,when the town-clerk had    
thus spoken1 he dismissed the assembly4 
,and after the uproar was ceased1 ,paul 
called unto him the disciples1 to take  
leave of them1 and embraced them1 and   
departed for to go into ,macedonia4     
,from another part of the ,bible1 we    
learn that ,timothy was now left at     
,ephesus1 to direct the affairs of the  

,church in that city4 ,we are not told  
what places ,st4 ,paul now visited in   
,macedonia1 but no doubt he went        
wherever he had been before1 as well as 
to other places4 ,from one of these     
places in ,macedonia1 ,st4 ,paul wrote  
the ,first ,epistle to ,timothy2        
directing him how to answer the ,jewish 
teachers1 who tried to bring false      
doctrines into the ,church at ,ephesus4 
,after giving ,timothy much advice as to
 what he was to teach to others1 ,st4   
,paul ends his letter by begging him to 
keep steadfast in the faith of the      
,gospel2 to avoid and flee from all     
sins2 and to follow after righteousness1
 godliness1 faith1 love1 patience1      
meekness1 that so he might1 for ,jesus  
,christ's sake1 receive eternal life4   
,chapter ,,xx4--,,st4 ,,paul',s         
,,journey ,,to ,,miletus4   ,during the 
time that ,st4 ,paul was journeying     
about in ,macedonia1 he suffered much   
both from the unbelieving ,jews and the 
infidels2 for he says himself1 in one of

 his ,epistles 7#b ,cor4 vii471 when we 
were come into ,macedonia1 our flesh had
 no rest1 but we were troubled on every 
side2 without were fightings1 within    
were fears4 ,but in the midst of his    
troubles1 the ,apostle had one great    
comfort1 for ,titus came to him from    
,corinth1 and brought him a very        
satisfactory account of the state of the
 ,church in that city4  ,a short time   
afterwards1 he sent ,titus back to      
,corinth1 and by him he sent his ,second
 ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,some of 
the teachers1 who had been reproved for 
disturbing the faith of the believers by
 their mistaken teaching1 had1 in their 
anger at the reproof1 spoken ill of ,st4
 ,paul himself4 ,in this letter1        
therefore1 ,st4 ,paul shows the         
,corinthians that all he has done or    
said has been according to the ,will of 
,god1 and that therefore they may safely
 believe him rather than any teachers1  
whose doctrines do not agree with what  
he had taught them4 ,many other things  

he wrote2 above all1 entreating the     
members of the ,corinthian ,church to   
keep steadily in the ,faith of the ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ1 and to strive to please
 ,god in all things1 by living in peace 
and holiness4  ,this ,epistle ,st4 ,paul
 sent to ,corinth by ,titus1 remaining  
himself a little longer in ,macedonia4  
,and when he had gone over those parts1 
and had given them much exhortation1 he 
came into ,greece1 and there abode three
 months4 ,we are told nothing of what   
,st ,paul did during these three months1
 but no doubt he visited ,corinth       
amongst other places2 and we are quite  
sure that wherever he went he was doing 
the work of the ,lord4 ,it seems that   
,st ,paul proposed to go by sea from    
,achaia to ,syria2 but the ,jews1 who   
were as usual greatly vexed at the      
success of his preaching1 laid some plot
 to take or kill him1 at the port from  
which he must sail4 ,hearing in some way
 of this plot1 ,st4 ,paul purposed1 or  
determined1 to return through           

,macedonia1 and so disappoint the malice
 of his enemies4 ,accordingly he went   
into ,macedonia1 where he was joined by 
several of the brethren from different  
cities in that province4 ,and they      
accompanied him into ,asia1 together    
with some others who had come with him  
from that country4  ,st4 ,paul appears  
to have merely passed through ,macedonia
 at this time1 sending most of his      
company on before1 for ,st4 ,luke says  
of them1 ,these going before tarried for
 us at ,troas1--that is1 they crossed   
over into ,asia1 and waited at ,troas   
until the ,apostle should join them     
there4  ,st4 ,luke and one or two others
 stayed with ,st4 ,paul1 and we read1   
,and we sailed away from ,philippi after
 the days of unleavened bread1 and came 
unto them to ,troas in five days2 where 
we abode seven days4 ,whilst ,st4 ,paul 
was on his way through ,macedonia at    
this time1 he wrote a long letter1      
called ,the ,epistle to the ,romans1    
about the year #eh 7,a4,d474 ,in our    

,bibles1 this ,epistle stands first of  
all2 but the ,epistles are not          
chronologically arranged2 that is1 they 
are not arranged according to the order 
in which they were written4 ,if they had
 been chronologically arranged1 ,the    
,epistle to the ,galatians1 written     
,a4,d4 #ea1 would have stood first2 then
 ,the ,first ,epistle to the            
,thessalonians1 also written ,a4,d4 #ea2
 and next1 ,the ,second ,epistle to the 
,thessalonians1 ,a4,d4 #eb2 and that to 
,titus1 ,a4,d4 #ec4 ,after these1 the   
next in order would have been1 ,the     
,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1    
,a4,d4 #eg1 and ,the ,first ,epistle to 
,timothy1 in the same year2 and ,the    
,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians1   
,a4,d4 #eh1 just before ,st4 ,paul wrote
 that of which we are speaking1 to ,the 
,romans4  ,in this letter1 ,st4 ,paul   
speaks both to the ,jews and ,gentiles2 
trying to persuade both1 that the only  
possible way of salvation for all       
mankind was through ,faith in ,jesus    

,christ4 ,he tells the ,gentiles that   
their learning and wisdom will not save 
them2 and that even all their moral     
virtues1 such as truth1 honesty1        
charity1 and such like1 will be of no   
use without ,faith3 they must first     
believe in ,jesus ,christ1 and then do  
all these things1 because they are      
pleasing to ,him4 ,to the ,jews1 the    
,apostle writes1 that all their         
obedience to the ,law of ,moses cannot  
save them1 or give them eternal life2   
that the ,law was only given to prepare 
the way for ,christ1 ,who had now made  
known that the only way of salvation was
 through ,faith in ,him1 and consequent 
obedience to ,his holy ,word4 ,st4 ,paul
 also explained clearly1 that ,adam's   
sin had made all men sinners2 and that  
therefore all men deserved the wrath of 
,god2 but that ,christ1 by ,his         
sufferings and death1 had undone the    
evil brought upon all mankind by ,adam1 
and purchased for them forgiveness and  
justification4 ,much more ,st4 ,paul    

taught in this ,epistle1 and we have it 
to teach us now4 ,the ,epistles are of  
the greatest use to us1 for they explain
 and teach much1 that is not even       
mentioned in the ,gospels4  ,from       
,troas1 ,st4 ,paul determined to go on  
foot to ,assos1 another sea-port town a 
little to the south2 but at the same    
time he purposed to send most1 if not   
all1 his companions to that place by    
sea4 ,during the seven days spent by    
,st4 ,paul at ,troas1 he of course      
preached the ,gospel diligently2 and1 on
 the last occasion of his speaking to   
the people1 a very remarkable event took
 place1 of which we must now read the   
account given us by ,st4 ,luke in the   
,book of ,acts4  ,and upon the first day
 of the week1 when the disciples came   
together to break bread1 ,paul preached 
unto them1 ready to depart on the       
morrow4  ,the breaking of bread here    
spoken of1 was the partaking of the     
,bread and ,wine which1 on the night    
before ,his death1 our blessed ,lord    

commanded to be received constantly by  
all ,his faithful followers1 in         
remembrance of ,his ,body given1 and    
,his ,blood shed1 for our redemption4   
,this receiving of ,bread and ,wine we  
call ,the ,sacrament of the ,lord's     
,supper4 ,the early ,christians met to  
partake of the ,lord's ,supper on the   
,first ,day of every week1 the day on   
which ,jesus rose from the dead4 ,on the
 night before ,st4 ,paul intended to    
leave ,troas1 the disciples met together
 to partake with him1 for the last time1
 of the ,lord's ,supper1 and to listen  
to his farewell counsels4 ,much had the 
,apostle to say1 and his hearers were   
anxious to learn of him1 so that he     
continued his speech until midnight4    
,and there were many lights in the upper
 chamber1 where they were gathered      
together4 ,this upper chamber was1 on   
what we should call the third story1    
and1 like all ,eastern houses1 would    
have large windows opening even with the
 floor4 ,many lights1 and a number of   

people1 naturally made the room very    
hot1 so that the windows were wide open4
 ,and there sat in a window a certain   
young man named ,eutychus1 being fallen 
into a deep sleep3 and as ,paul was long
 preaching1 he sunk down with sleep1 and
 fell down from the third loft1 and was 
taken up dead4 ,the terrible death of   
this young man would1 of course1 create 
much confusion and distress amongst the 
assembled ,christians4 ,and ,paul went  
down1 and fell on him1 and embracing him
 said1 ,trouble not yourselves2 for his 
life is in him4 ,the ,apostle did not   
ask ,god to bring ,eutychus at once to  
life1 but he told the brethren that his 
life would come back1 and that they need
 not therefore grieve and distress      
themselves about him4 ,those to whom    
,st4 ,paul now spake had faith in ,god1 
,whose servant he was1 and therefore    
believed his words1 and were content to 
wait the ,lord's time2 and so they      
returned to the upper chamber1 leaving  
the lifeless body of ,eutychus for a    

time1 while ,st4 ,paul continued his    
preaching4 ,when he therefore was come  
up again1 and had broken bread1 and     
eaten1 and talked a long while1 even    
till break of day1 so he departed1 and  
went at once on his way to ,assos4 ,the 
,apostle grudged no labour done for the 
,lord2 on the eve of a journey he gave  
up his night's rest to preach the       
,gospel3 ,eutychus1 who might probably  
never have another opportunity of       
learning from him1 had fallen asleep    
instead of listening to the words of    
salvation4 ,after ,st4 ,paul's departure
 from amongst the brethren1 the miracle 
which he had foretold came to pass2 for 
they brought the young man alive1 and   
were not a little comforted4 ,comforted 
as to ,eutychus himself1 and comforted  
in this additional proof1 that ,st4     
,paul's words were indeed the words of  
one under the especial direction and    
blessing of ,god ,almighty1 the ,lord of
 ,life and ,death4 ,st4 ,luke now says1 
,and we went before to ship1 and sailed 

unto ,assos1 there intending to take in 
,paul3 for so had he appointed1 minding 
himself to go afoot4 ,and when he met   
with us at ,assos1 we took him in1 and  
came to ,mitylene4 ,this was the chief  
town in ,lesbos1 one of the islands of  
the ,archipelago3 the whole island is   
now called ,metelin4 ,st4 ,paul did not 
stop at ,mitylene1 for we read that he  
and his company passed the island of    
,chios next day1 then that of ,samos1   
and landed at ,trogyllium1 a town of    
,asia ,minor1 to the ,s4,w4 of ,ephesus2
 and next day they came to ,miletus1    
still lower on the coast1 but directly  
to the south of ,ephesus1 from whence it
 was no great distance4 ,st4 ,paul knew 
that if he went to ,ephesus1 he should  
find it difficult to get away again so  
soon as he wished2 and therefore he had 
determined to sail by ,ephesus1 because 
he would not spend the time in ,asia3   
for he hasted1 if it were possible for  
him1 to be at ,jerusalem the day of     
,pentecost4 ,but although he could not  

spare time to visit ,ephesus1 he would  
not be so near without seeing some of   
the elders of the ,church1 especially as
 he had something he wished particularly
 to say to them4 ,the chief ruler of the
 ,church under ,st4 ,paul was now       
journeying with him2 for ,timotheus1 or 
,timothy1 was ,bishop of ,ephesus1 and  
during his absence had left the care of 
the ,church to a certain number of      
elders1 or chief men amongst the        
believers4 ,from ,miletus1 therefore1   
,st4 ,paul sent to ,ephesus1 and called 
the elders of the church4 ,and when they
 were come to him1 ,st4 ,paul spake to  
them4 ,he reminded them1 that he had    
freely preached unto them the ,gospel of
 ,jesus ,christ1 in spite of all        
difficulties and dangers2 keeping back  
nothing that was profitable for them to 
know2 testifying both to the ,jews1 and 
also to the ,greeks1 repentance toward  
,god1 and faith toward our ,lord ,jesus 
,christ4 ,he then told them that now1 by
 the direction of the ,holy ,spirit1 he 

was going up to ,jerusalem1 not knowing 
what would happen to him there2 except  
that the ,holy ,ghost had made known    
unto him1 that in every city bonds and  
afflictions awaited him4 ,but ,st4 ,paul
 then declared1 that the prospect of    
imprisonments and persecutions did not  
trouble him1 for that he was quite ready
 to give up his life also1 if so he     
could best finish the work which the    
,lord had given him to do3 in the       
faithful service of ,god he should      
finish his course1 or end his life1 with
 joy4 ,the ,apostle then spake words    
grievous for the ,ephesians to hear2    
saying1 ,and now1 behold1 ,i know that  
ye all1 among whom ,i have gone         
preaching the kingdom of ,god1 shall see
 my face no more4 ,wherefore ,i take you
 to record this day1 that ,i am pure    
from the blood of all men2 for ,i have  
not shunned to declare unto you all the 
counsel of ,god4 ,st4 ,paul had         
thoroughly done his duty to the         
,ephesians1 in showing them the way of  

salvation2 and if any of them failed to 
obtain it1 such failure could in no way 
be laid to him3 he was pure from the    
blood1 the spiritual death1 of all men4 
,chapter ,,xxi4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,goes    
,,up ,,to ,,jerusalem4   ,after         
reminding the elders of ,ephesus of what
 he had done for them and their         
countrymen1 ,st4 ,paul exhorted them to 
take heed unto themselves1 and to all   
the flock over which the ,holy ,ghost   
had made them overseers1 so as in all   
things to set a good example to others2 
and to feed the ,church1 or nourish and 
strengthen the souls of the brethren1   
with the blessed truths of the ,gospel1 
the pure ,word of ,him ,who had         
purchased the ,church with his own      
blood4 ,he told them1 that he was the   
more anxious to exhort them to do this1 
because he knew that1 after his         
departing1 wicked men1 whom he likens to
 grievous wolves1 would enter in among  
them1 not sparing the flock1 but leading
 the brethren astray to the destruction 

of their souls4 ,and not only this1 but 
also of their own selves men should     
arise teaching false doctrines1 speaking
 perverse things1 to draw away disciples
 after them4 ,having thus warned them1  
,st4 ,paul entreated them to watch1     
remembering that for three years he had 
not ceased to warn them of these things4
 ,again the ,apostle commended the      
,ephesians to the grace of ,god1 which  
was able to give them an inheritance    
among all them which are sanctified3 and
 ended by reminding them that he had    
coveted no man's silver1 or gold1 or    
apparel2 but that he had maintained     
himself by working with his own hands1  
setting them an example that they also  
should remember the words of the ,lord  
,jesus1 how he said1 ,it is more blessed
 to give than to receive4 ,and when he  
had thus spoken1 he kneeled down1 and   
prayed with them all4 ,st4 ,paul knew   
well that without the blessing and help 
of ,god no good thing can be done2 and  
thus did he set an example to all men   

for ever1 to ask ,his aid in all their  
works4  ,and they all wept sore1 and    
fell on ,paul's neck1 and kissed him1   
sorrowing most of all for the words     
which he spake1 that they should see his
 face no more4 ,and they accompanied him
 unto the ship1 in which he was about to
 sail from ,miletus2 anxious not to lose
 sight of him before it was absolutely  
necessary4 ,it was natural and right    
that the elders of ,ephesus should be   
deeply grieved1 at hearing that they    
would never again in this world1 see one
 who had been so much with them1 and    
from whom they had learnt so much4 ,but 
had they duly considered his words1 they
 would not have sorrowed most of all on 
this account1 but for the troubles which
 were to fall upon their ,church from   
false and wicked teachers1 who would    
lead many to forsake the ,gospel1 and   
thus destroy them for ever4  ,having    
taken a final leave of the elders of    
,ephesus1 ,st4 ,paul and his company    
sailed to the island of ,coos1 or ,cos2 

then to another called ,rhodes2 and from
 thence to the coast of ,asia ,minor1   
where they landed at ,patara1 a sea-port
 of ,lycia4 ,here they found a ship     
about to sail into ,phoenicia1 and going
 on board1 they passed near the isle of 
,cyprus1 and finally landed at ,tyre1   
for there the ship was to unlade her    
burden4 ,finding disciples at ,tyre1    
,st4 ,paul stayed with them seven days1 
teaching and exhorting them4 ,st4 ,luke 
tells us that some of these disciples   
said to ,paul through the ,spirit1 that 
he should not go up to ,jerusalem4 ,this
 means that the ,holy ,spirit had made  
known to these disciples1 that great    
troubles and dangers awaited the        
,apostle at ,jerusalem2 and therefore   
they tried to persuade him that he      
should not go up at all4 ,st4 ,paul1    
however1 knew that it was his duty to go
 to ,jerusalem at this time1 and        
therefore no fear of personal suffering 
would keep him away3 he was ready to    
undergo whatever ,god saw fit to send4  

,st4 ,luke then says1 ,and when we had  
accomplished those days1 we departed1   
and went our way2 and they all brought  
us on our way1 with wives and children1 
till we were out of the city3 and we    
kneeled down on the shore1 and prayed4  
,the brethren at ,tyre were grieved to  
part with ,st4 ,paul1 particularly      
foreseeing that sufferings awaited him  
at ,jerusalem4 ,they accompanied him to 
the sea-shore1 where the ship waited for
 him4 ,their last act sets us an example
 of what we should do in all times of   
sorrow and anxiety4 ,they would not part
 without praying to ,god2 so they all   
knelt down where they were1 and prayed  
earnestly from their hearts4 ,the ,lord 
will hear all such real prayers1        
wherever we say them1 or whether we are 
kneeling or not2 but if we kneel down   
and repeat words without caring or      
thinking about what we are saying1 that 
is not such prayer as the ,lord our ,god
 has promised to hear4 ,when ,st4 ,paul 
and his companions had prayed with the  

,christians of ,tyre1 and taken leave of
 them1 they took ship1--that is1        
embarked on board the ship1 whilst the  
others returned home again4  ,from ,tyre
 ,st4 ,paul sailed to ,ptolemais1 and   
landing there1 stayed one day with the  
brethren4 ,ptolemais was a celebrated   
sea-port of ,syria1 to the north of     
,mount ,carmel4 ,in the ,old ,testament1
 ,ptolemais is called ,accho4 ,it was   
situated in that part of the ,land of   
,canaan given to the ,tribe of ,asher2  
and it was one of those cities out of   
which the ,children of ,israel did not  
drive the idolatrous inhabitants1 as the
 ,lord had commanded them to do4 ,you   
will remember the sin and trouble that  
came upon the ,land of ,israel1 in      
consequence of the disobedience of      
several of the tribes1 who1 instead of  
entirely driving out the ,canaanites1   
let them continue to live amongst them2 
by which they were afterwards led into  
sin1 and suffered much misery in        
consequence4  ,the town of ,accho was   

enlarged and beautified1 after the death
 of ,alexander the ,great1 by the first 
of the ,egyptian kings1 called ,ptolemy2
 and the name of the city was in        
consequence changed to ,ptolemais4 ,we  
now call it ,acre1 and you will find    
,acre often spoken of in history4  ,st4 
,luke now says1 ,and the next day we    
that were of ,paul's company departed1  
and came unto ,caesarea3 and we entered 
into the house of ,philip the           
evangelist1 which was one of the seven2 
and abode with him4 ,we have heard of   
,philip as one of the seven deacons1 7of
 whom ,stephen was another17 chosen to  
help the ,apostles1 by distributing food
 and money to the believers1 when they  
had all things in common2 and we have   
also heard of his being sent by the     
,spirit into the desert between         
,jerusalem and ,gaza1 to teach the      
officer of ,candace1 queen of ,ethiopia2
 after which he returned to his home in 
,caesarea4 ,this ,philip must not be    
confounded with the ,apostle of the same

 name1 a native of ,bethsaida1 the city 
of ,andrew and ,peter1 unto whom our    
,lord said1 ,follow me4 ,we do not call 
the deacon ,philip an evangelist1       
because we only give that name to those 
four men who1 by the inspiration of     
,god1 wrote their several accounts of   
,christ's life and death2 but ,st4 ,luke
 might well call ,philip so1 because he 
preached the ,gospel in every place to  
which he was sent2 and one who spreads  
the knowledge of the ,gospel by         
preaching it1 was as much an evangelist 
as he who spread it by his writing4     
,philip had four unmarried daughters1 to
 whom ,god had1 in a miraculous way1    
given ,his ,holy ,spirit1 so that they  
did prophesy4 ,this was a fulfilment of 
the ancient promise recorded by the     
prophet ,joel1 that in the days of the  
,messiah the ,spirit should be poured   
out upon their sons and daughters1      
servants and handmaidens1 so that they  
should prophesy4  ,st4 ,paul stayed many
 days with ,philip4 ,we hear nothing of 

the work he then did there2 but ,st4    
,luke says1 ,and as we tarried there    
many days1 there came down from ,judaea 
a certain prophet1 named ,agabus4 ,and  
when he was come unto us1 he took       
,paul's girdle1 and bound his own hands 
and feet1 and said1 ,thus saith the     
,holy ,ghost1 ,so shall the ,jews at    
,jerusalem bind the man that owneth this
 girdle1 and shall deliver him into the 
hands of the ,gentiles4 ,we have heard  
already of ,agabus1 as one of the       
prophets who went from ,jerusalem to    
,antioch1 and foretold the dearth1 or   
famine1 in consequence of which the     
,christians of ,antioch made a          
collection for the poorer brethren at   
,jerusalem1 and sent it up by the hands 
of ,barnabas and ,saul1 as ,st4 ,paul   
was at that time called4 ,agabus1       
inspired by the ,holy ,spirit1 now bore 
his testimony to the dangers which      
threatened the ,apostle at ,jerusalem4  
,the consequence of this was1 that ,st4 
,paul's companions themselves1 and they 

of that place1 7the brethren at         
,caesarea17 besought him not to go up to
 ,jerusalem2 and so avoid the dangers   
which threatened him in that city4      
,here we see that even our friends may  
tempt us to sin1 and that we must be    
careful not to yield to their entreaties
 when they would make us do wrong4 ,when
 we know what our duty is1 we must not  
be prevented from doing it1 either by   
love to our friends or fear of our      
enemies4 ,it is often very hard and     
difficult to do right1 when those we    
love1 ask and beg us not to do it4 ,in  
this way1 children are often led to do  
wrong4 ,let us all1 whether we are old  
or young1 take care not to give way to  
such temptations2 and1 above all1 let us
 never so tempt others to do wrong3 let 
us never ask any one to do what is      
wrong1 but1 on the contrary1 do all we  
can to persuade all to do what is right 
and pleasing in the sight of ,god4 ,st4 
,paul knew that it was his duty to go up
 to ,jerusalem2 and therefore when those

 about him entreated him not to go1 he  
answered1 ,what mean ye to weep and to  
break mine heart8 for ,i am ready not to
 be bound only1 but also to die at      
,jerusalem for the name of the ,lord    
,jesus4  ,though the ,apostle was firmly
 resolved to do his duty1 and quite     
ready to lay down his life for ,christ's
 sake1 if called upon to do so1 it      
grieved him to give pain to his friends2
 and therefore he reminds them1 that all
 their sorrow and weeping would but     
distress him more and more--break his   
heart1 as he expressed it1 without in   
any way changing his settled purpose to 
go up to ,jerusalem4  ,when ,st4 ,paul  
had thus declared his unalterable       
determination1 those who had tried to   
persuade him not to carry it out1 did   
what they should have done at first3    
they left the whole matter in the hands 
of ,god1 for when he would not be       
persuaded1 they ceased1 saying1 ,the    
will of the ,lord be done4 ,thus ,st4   
,paul's example had a good effect upon  

the brethren4  ,st4 ,luke then says1    
,and after those days we took up our    
carriages1 and went to ,jerusalem4 ,the 
word carriages here does not mean       
conveyances to take people from one     
place to another1 but rather such things
 as they carried with them--their       
baggage1 in short4 ,some of the         
disciples from ,caesarea went with the  
,apostles4 ,amongst them was an old     
disciple1 a native of ,cyprus1 called   
,mnason1 who appears at this time to    
have had a house in ,jerusalem1 where   
,st4 ,paul and his company were to      
lodge4 ,st4 ,luke tells us1 ,and when we
 were come to ,jerusalem1 the brethren  
received us gladly4 ,and the day        
following ,paul went in with us unto    
,james2 and all the elders were present4
 ,and when he had saluted them1 he      
declared particularly what things ,god  
had wrought among the ,gentiles by his  
ministry4 ,and when they heard it1 they 
glorified the ,lord4     ,chapter       
,,xxii4--,,tumult ,,at ,,jerusalem4     

,st4 ,james1 and the elders of the      
,church at ,jerusalem1 glorified ,god1  
upon hearing of the conversion of so    
many ,gentiles by the teaching of ,st4  
,paul1 and then they said unto him1     
,thou seest1 brother1 how many thousands
 of ,jews there are which believe2 and  
they are all zealous of the law3 and    
they are informed of thee1 that thou    
teachest all the ,jews which are among  
the ,gentiles to forsake ,moses1 saying 
that they ought not to circumcise their 
children1 neither to walk after the     
customs4 ,what is it therefore8 the     
multitude must needs come together3 for 
they will hear that thou art come4  ,the
 elders feared1 that ,st4 ,paul's coming
 to ,jerusalem might cause a disturbance
 amongst the ,jewish converts2 who1     
though ,christians1 reverenced the ,law1
 and could not bear that it should be   
neglected4 ,they had heard exaggerated  
accounts of what the ,apostle had       
taught2 for he had never said that it   
was wrong to observe and do the things  

commanded by ,moses1 and that therefore 
they ought not to do them4 ,he had only 
said1 that it was not necessary to keep 
the ceremonial ,law2 and that it was    
useless to do so1 because no man could  
obtain eternal life by any such outward 
acts4 ,st4 ,paul's great object was to  
make the ,jews understand1 that the ,law
 given by ,moses1 was only meant to be  
binding until the ,messiah came2 and    
that as ,jesus had now visited his      
people1 the ceremonial part of the ,law 
was done away with4 ,god no longer      
required it to be observed3 therefore1  
if the ,jews chose still to observe it1 
they must not imagine that by doing so  
they would now find favour with ,god3   
the only way to gain his favour was by  
believing in ,jesus ,christ1 and trying1
 out of love for ,him1 to obey all the  
commands and precepts of the ,gospel3   
all who thus strove to please ,god1     
would find favour in ,his sight1 whether
 they kept the ceremonial ,law or not4  
,the ,jewish converts at ,jerusalem1 not

 clearly understanding what ,st4 ,paul  
had taught1 were set against him2 and as
 they would be sure to meet together to 
discuss the matter1 as soon as they     
heard of his arrival1 the elders now    
said to one another1 ,what is it        
therefore8--that is1 what can be done to
 quiet the fears of these ,jewish       
brethren4 ,the plan that the ,apostles  
and elders now proposed1 was one that   
would show the ,jews1 that ,st4 ,paul   
did not think it wrong to observe the   
forms of the ,law1 though he taught that
 it was not necessary to do so4 ,what   
this plan was1 we shall hear from what  
they now said to ,st4 ,paul1 ,do        
therefore this that we say to thee3 ,we 
have four men which have a vow on them2 
them take1 and purify thyself with them1
 and be at charges with them1 that they 
may shave their heads3 and all may know 
that those things1 whereof they were    
informed concerning thee1 are nothing2  
but that thou thyself also walkest      
orderly1 and keepest the law4  ,to      

understand this speech1 we must remember
 that even in the time of ,moses1 the   
,children of ,israel were in the habit  
of showing their piety1 and their wish  
to serve ,god1 by devoting themselves   
for a time to the performance of special
 acts of worship2 separating themselves 
from their brethren1 for the observance 
of certain forms and ceremonies4 ,a     
person who thus separated himself for a 
time from others by a particular        
profession of religion1 was called a    
,nazarite2 and the ,lord ,himself gave  
,moses directions1 as to the outward    
forms and ceremonies to be observed by  
every one1 who should vow the vow of a  
,nazarite4 ,to take the vow of a        
,nazarite was a voluntary act2 that is1 
it was at the choice of any person to   
take it3 but once taken1 the person who 
had thus devoted himself to the special 
service of ,god1 was neither to drink   
wine1 nor any of the drinks made from   
fruits or honey3 he was to drink water  
only1 that his head might be cool and   

clear1 and better able to attend to his 
religious studies and exercises4 ,then  
he was not to shave his head1 nor to cut
 his hair2 neither was he to do any of  
the things usually done upon the death  
of a relation1 because such mourning for
 the dead would render him unclean4     
,some persons vowed themselves to be    
,nazarites for life2 others only for a  
certain number of years1 months1 or even
 days3 and at the end of the time1 the  
,nazarite was to bring certain offerings
 unto the priest to be presented to the 
,lord3 then he was to shave his head at 
the door of the tabernacle1 and burn the
 hair in the fire which consumed the    
peace offerings4 ,after all the         
appointed ceremonies had been gone      
through1 the ,nazarite was free from his
 vow1 and might return to live like     
other people4 ,you will1 ,i hope1       
remember ,samson1 who was a ,nazarite   
from his birth2 and who fell into great 
trouble1 because his vow was broken1    
when his hair was cut off by ,delilah4  

,now at the time when ,st4 ,paul came to
 ,jerusalem1 there were four men there1 
who had taken the vows of a ,nazarite   
for a short time3 their time was nearly 
out1 and the elders proposed that ,st4  
,paul should join them in abstaining 7or
 keeping7 from such things1 as they were
 forbidden to do2 and that he should be 
at charges with them1 that is1 pay for  
the sacrifices they must offer1 before  
they could shave their heads1 and be    
free from their vows4 ,the ,jews looked 
upon it as an act of piety1 for any     
person to pay the expenses of those who 
had taken the vow of a ,nazarite4  ,we  
have now seen what the elders advised   
,st4 ,paul to do1 in order to show the  
,jews that he was no enemy to the ,law  
of ,moses1 and did not think it wrong to
 observe its forms1 if people liked to  
do so1 though it was unnecessary4 ,and  
they added1 ,as touching the ,gentiles  
which believe1 we have written and      
concluded that they observe no such     
thing1 save only that they keep         

themselves from things offered to idols1
 and from blood1 and from strangled1 and
 from fornication3 thus repeating that  
decision of the ,church1 with which the 
teaching of ,st4 ,paul agreed4  ,then   
,paul took the men1 and the next day    
purifying himself with them entered into
 the temple1 to signify the             
accomplishment of the days of           
purification1 until that an offering    
should be offered for every one of them4
 ,all this was done for the sake of     
peace1 and to make the ,jews more       
willing to listen to ,st4 ,paul4 ,some  
people think it was not right nor wise  
to act in this manner1 because it might 
lead man to believe1 that the ,law ought
 to be observed in all its ceremonies1  
and that ,st4 ,paul's practice did not  
quite agree with his preaching4 ,at any 
rate it had not the effect of satisfying
 the ,jews2 on the contrary1 it caused a
 serious disturbance4 ,when the seven   
days were almost ended1 some unbelieving
 ,jews of ,asia1 who had persecuted ,st4

 ,paul in their own country1 and were   
now come to ,jerusalem for the same     
purpose1 when they saw him in the       
temple1 stirred up all the people1 and  
laid hands on him1 crying out1 ,men of  
,israel1 help3 this is the man1 that    
teacheth all men everywhere against the 
people1 and the law1 and this place4    
,they declared that ,st4 ,paul1 by his  
teaching1 was taking away from the ,jews
 all their privileges as the chosen     
people of ,god1 and putting the heathen 
on an equality with them2 that he taught
 men not to respect the law1 nor to     
reverence the temple2 and that he did   
not reverence it himself1 but had       
polluted and defiled it2 for1 said they1
 he brought ,greeks also into the       
temple1 and hath polluted this holy     
place4 ,this they said1 because they had
 seen an ,ephesian convert1 named       
,trophimus1 in the city with ,st4 ,paul1
 and supposed that ,paul had brought    
7him7 into the temple2 which of course  
he had not done3 because1 though he knew

 that the entrance of a true ,christian 
into the temple would not be displeasing
 to ,god1 he knew that it would greatly 
offend the ,jews1 if any one who had    
been a ,gentile1 went any further than  
the outer court of the temple1 set apart
 for the ,gentiles3 and he did not wish 
to offend or vex the ,jews needlessly4  
,we should never do anything to vex or  
grieve others1 unless it is our duty to 
do it4 ,our duty we must do1 whatever be
 the consequence4  ,the ,jews1 who now  
tried to stir up the people against ,st4
 ,paul1 succeeded to their utmost wish  
in raising a disturbance1 for all the   
city was moved1 and the people ran      
together3 and they took ,paul1 and drew 
him out of the temple3 and forthwith the
 doors were shut4 ,and as they went     
about to kill him1 tidings came unto the
 chief captain of the band1 that all    
,jerusalem was in an uproar4 ,the band  
here spoken of1 was the ,roman garrison1
 or party of soldiers1 posted in        
,jerusalem1 to keep the city in order1  

and prevent any kind of disturbance or  
riot amongst the ,jews4 ,the chief      
captain of this band1 at the time we are
 speaking of1 was a ,roman named        
,claudius ,lysias2 who1 upon hearing of 
the uproar1 immediately took soldiers   
and centurions1 and ran down unto them4 
,they had not far to go1 for the place  
in which they were posted was the castle
 of ,antonia1 close to the north-west   
corner of the temple4 ,this castle1 or  
strong tower1 had been built by ,herod  
the ,great3 it was so high1 that from   
the upper part1 the soldiers on watch   
could see what was going on in the two  
outer courts of the temple3 they would  
therefore have seen ,st4 ,paul dragged  
out of the temple by an angry mob1 and  
they would at once have taken these     
tidings to their captain1 who went down 
with all haste1 and arrived in time to  
save the ,apostle's life2 for the ,jews 
feared the ,roman soldiers1 and when    
they saw them1 they left beating of     
,paul--that is1 ceased to beat him4     

,then the chief captain came near1 and  
took him1 and commanded him to be bound 
with two chains2 for as he naturally    
concluded that ,st4 ,paul must have     
committed some crime1 to make the ,jews 
treat him in this way1 his first care   
was to secure him1 that he might not run
 away1 and thus escape the punishment he
 deserved4 ,we may be quite sure that   
the ,apostle would have made no attempt 
to escape2 but that the ,romans could   
not know4 ,when ,claudius ,lysias had   
secured his prisoner1 he demanded who he
 was1 and what he had done4 ,to this    
question1 no reasonable answer could be 
given2 for as ,st4 ,paul had not        
committed any crime1 no intelligible    
accusation could be brought against him3
 and therefore1 some cried one thing1   
some another1 among the multitude3 so   
that ,claudius ,lysias could make out   
nothing for certain2 and when he could  
not know the certainty for the tumult1  
he commanded him to be carried into the 
castle4 ,the ,jews1 unwilling to lose   

their victim1 pressed after the soldiers
 who were leading him away1 eager to    
kill him4 ,and when he came upon the    
stairs1 leading up into the castle1 so  
it was1 that he was borne1 or carried1  
by the soldiers for the violence of the 
people4 ,for the multitude followed     
after1 crying1 ,away with him4 ,on the  
top of the stairs1 the ,apostle was out 
of reach of his furious enemies2 and as 
,paul was to be led into the castle1 he 
said unto the chief captain1 ,may ,i    
speak unto thee8 ,these words were      
spoken in ,greek1 to the astonishment of
 ,claudius ,lysias1 who imagined that   
his prisoner must be a certain          
,egyptian1 or rather a ,jew who had come
 from ,egypt to ,jerusalem1 about two   
years before this time4 ,giving out that
 he was a great prophet sent by ,god1   
this man persuaded great numbers of     
people to go with him to the ,mount of  
,olives1 promising1 that they should see
 the walls of the city fall down at his 
command3 but he intended1 with the help 

of these people1 to force his way into  
the city1 and destroy the ,roman guards4
 ,this attempt was1 however1 prevented  
by ,felix1 the governor of ,judaea3 many
 of these foolish people were killed1   
and the leader himself fled into the    
wilderness1 accompanied by a great      
number of men1 that were murderers1 or  
had committed other crimes which made   
them liable to punishment4 ,josephus the
 historian tells us1 that these         
murderers were persons who1 under       
pretence of religion1 came up to        
,jerusalem with daggers or short swords1
 concealed under their cloaks1 ready to 
do any act of violence4 ,they were      
employed by ,felix to murder ,jonathan  
the ,high ,priest2 and for this crime   
they of course received no punishment4  
,they afterwards made it a practice1 to 
come up to ,jerusalem for all the       
feasts2 and then1 either by hiring      
themselves out as assassins to those who
 wished to get rid of an enemy1 or by   
killing those against whom they had any 

grudge1 they committed numerous murders1
 even in the temple itself4 ,the number 
of these murderers became very          
considerable1 and the ,roman ,government
 wished to destroy them4     ,chapter   
,,xxiii4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,brought        
,,before ,,the ,,sanhedrim4   ,when ,st4
 ,paul said in ,greek to the ,chief     
captain1 ,may ,i speak unto thee8 he    
said1 in answer1 ,canst thou speak      
,greek8 ,art not thou that ,egyptian1   
which before these days madest an       
uproar1 and leddest out into the        
wilderness four thousand men that were  
murderers8 ,but ,paul said1 ,i am a man 
which am a ,jew of ,tarsus1 a city in   
,cilicia1 a citizen of no mean city3    
and1 ,i beseech thee1 suffer me to speak
 unto the people4 ,claudius ,lysias     
readily granted this request4 ,and when 
he had given him licence1 ,paul stood on
 the stairs1 and beckoned with the hand 
unto the people2 signifying that he had 
something to say1 if they would only be 
quiet and listen to him4 ,the people    

were now willing to hear him4 ,and when 
there was made a great silence1 he spake
 unto them in the ,hebrew tongue1       
saying1 ,men1 brethren1 and fathers1    
hear ye my defence which ,i make now    
unto you4 ,it would seem that many of   
those who had been crying out against   
,st4 ,paul1 had no idea that he was     
himself a ,jew1 and able to speak to    
them in their own beloved language2 for 
when they heard that he spake in the    
,hebrew tongue to them1 they kept the   
more silence4 ,st4 ,paul then told the  
people that he himself was born a ,jew1 
and had been brought up in ,jerusalem by
 their famous teacher ,gamaliel1 who had
 taught him the very strictest          
observance of the ,law of ,moses2 and   
that he himself had been so zealous for 
the ,law1 that he had at one time       
cruelly persecuted the ,christians1 as  
the ,high ,priest and all the elders of 
the ,jews could bear witness4 ,then he  
went on to give an account of all that  
had happened to him on his way to       

,damascus1 and how he had in consequence
 become himself a believer in ,jesus    
,christ4 ,he also told the people1 that 
when he was afterwards in ,jerusalem1   
the ,lord had appeared to him in a      
vision1 and given him a positive command
 to go and preach to the ,gentiles1     
saying1 ,depart3 for ,i will send thee  
far hence unto the ,gentiles4 ,hitherto1
 the assembled multitude had listened   
quietly to what the ,apostle said1 they 
gave him audience unto this word2 but   
when they heard him plainly declare1    
that it was the will of ,god that the   
,gentiles should share ,his favour1     
which they thought belonged only to     
themselves1 they were filled with rage1 
and would hear no more3 they lifted up  
their voices1 and said1 ,away with such 
a fellow from the earth3 for it is not  
fit that he should live3 and they cast  
off their upper garments1 that they     
might be ready to stone him1 and threw  
dust up into the air1 to show their     
hatred and contempt4  ,the ,arabs in    

these days have a custom like this2 for 
when any person1 who is speaking in     
public1 says anything they disapprove   
of1 they throw dust into the air1 to    
show that they have no respect for the  
speaker and do not believe what he is   
saying4 ,st4 ,paul was now in great     
danger of being torn in pieces1 if the  
people1 who stood raging and shouting   
round the stairs on which he stood1     
could catch hold of him4 ,claudius      
,lysias saw that the only hope of       
stopping the uproar1 was to take ,st4   
,paul out of sight of the enraged       
multitude4 ,and as they cried out1 and  
cast off their clothes1 and threw dust  
into the air1 the chief captain         
commanded him to be brought into the    
castle4 ,but he was as far as ever from 
knowing what the ,jews accused ,st4     
,paul of3 he did not understand ,hebrew1
 and therefore he had no idea of what   
had been said2 but he naturally thought1
 that it must be something very wrong to
 put the people into such a rage4       

,seeing therefore1 that there was no    
other chance of learning the truth1 he  
now determined to have ,st4 ,paul       
beaten1 according to the custom of the  
,romans1 who treated prisoners in this  
way1 in order to make them confess what 
crimes they had committed4 ,claudius    
,lysias therefore1 after having had the 
,apostle brought into the castle1 bade  
that he should be examined by scourging2
 that he might know wherefore they cried
 so against him4 ,and as they bound him 
with thongs to a pillar1 as was usual in
 such cases1 ,paul said unto the        
centurion that stood by1 ,is it lawful  
for you to scourge a man that is a      
,roman1 and uncondemned8 ,the privileges
 of a ,roman1 that is1 of a ,roman      
citizen1 have been explained4 ,the      
centurion1 who commanded the party of   
soldiers about to scourge the prisoner1 
was fully aware of the danger of so     
treating one1 who had in any way        
obtained the freedom of ,rome2 and      
therefore1 when he heard such words     

spoken by his prisoner1 he at once went1
 and told the chief captain1 saying1    
,take heed what thou doest2 for this man
 is a ,roman4 ,such a startling piece of
 intelligence1 at once brought ,claudius
 to the spot where the prisoner stood   
bound with thongs to a pillar1 with the 
soldiers round ready to scourge him4    
,then the chief captain came1 and said  
unto him1 ,tell me1 art thou a ,roman8  
,he said1 ,yea4 ,and the chief captain  
answered1 ,with a great sum obtained ,i 
this freedom4 ,and ,paul said1 ,but ,i  
was free born4 ,then straightway they   
departed from him which should have     
examined him by this torture3 and not   
only did the chief captain give up all  
idea of scourging ,st4 ,paul1 but he    
also was afraid1 after he knew that he  
was a ,roman1 and because he had bound  
him4  ,even binding a ,roman citizen was
 unlawful1 and for doing this ,claudius 
,lysias was liable to be punished4      
,nero1 who had become ,emperor of ,rome 
about four years before this time1 on   

the death of ,claudius1 ,a4,d4 #ed1 was 
a harsh and cruel tyrant2 and though he 
would not have cared whether ,st4 ,paul 
was tortured or not1 he would have been 
very angry if any of the laws concerning
 the ,roman privileges had been broken2 
and therefore ,claudius ,lysias had good
 reason to fear1 that if ,st4 ,paul     
complained of the treatment which he1 a 
free-born citizen of ,rome1 had         
received1 the ,emperor would cause him  
to be punished4 ,if he had known more of
 the precepts taught by ,jesus1 he would
 have felt sure that ,st4 ,paul would   
have no wish to revenge himself in such 
a manner4 ,the ,apostle made use of his 
rights as a ,roman citizen to save      
himself from a cruel punishment2        
because1 if he had been scourged1 it    
might have led men to think that he must
 have been guilty of some crime to      
deserve such a punishment2 and it was   
necessary that the teachers of the holy 
,word of ,god should appear blameless   
before all men4  ,the chief captain now 

took other measures for finding out what
 ,st4 ,paul was accused of2 and he      
summoned the ,sanhedrim to meet1 that   
they might in a lawful manner examine   
and judge the prisoner1 and so ascertain
 whether there was any reason for the   
rage of the people against him4 ,we     
read1 ,on the morrow1 because he would  
have known the certainty wherefore he   
was accused of the ,jews1 he loosed him 
from his bands1 and commanded the chief 
priests and all their council to appear1
 and brought ,paul down1 and set him    
before them4 ,and ,paul1 earnestly      
beholding the council1 said1 ,men and   
brethren1 ,i have lived in all good     
conscience before ,god until this day4  
,now that the ,apostle was called upon  
to defend himself1 he rightly wished all
 men to understand1 that he was no      
criminal deserving of anger or          
punishment2 but a man who had always    
tried to do what he believed to be his  
duty in the sight of ,god3 most truly   
could he say that he had done this2 for 

even when he persecuted the followers of
 ,jesus1 it was under the mistaken idea 
that it was his duty to do so4 ,but the 
,jews were angry at his saying this1 and
 the high priest ,ananias commanded them
 that stood by him to smite him on the  
mouth4 ,then said ,paul unto him1 ,god  
shall smite thee1 thou whited wall3 for 
sittest thou to judge me after the law1 
and commandest me to be smitten contrary
 to the law8 ,and they that stood by    
said1 ,revilest thou ,god's high priest8
 ,then said ,paul1 ,i wist not1         
brethren1 that he was the high priest3  
for it is written1 ,thou shalt not speak
 evil of the ruler of thy people4  ,the 
,apostle meant1 that if he had known1 or
 looked upon ,ananias as the ,high      
,priest1 he would not have rebuked him  
in such words2 because a ruler of the   
people must be treated with respect1 on 
account of his office3 but ,ananias     
deserved the rebuke1 for the ,law       
commanded all who ruled1 or judged      
others1 to do no unrighteousness or     

injustice themselves2 and ,ananias broke
 the ,law1 and was guilty of very great 
injustice in ordering ,st4 ,paul to be  
smitten in this way1 before he had been 
proved to be guilty of any crime4 ,we   
must mention here that1 in fact1        
,ananias was not the ,high ,priest at   
this time4 ,he had been ,high ,priest at
 the time of the famine1 when ,barnabas 
and ,saul took help to the poor brethren
 at ,jerusalem2 but after that1 there   
had been some disturbance between the   
,jews and ,samaritans1 and the ,romans1 
thinking ,ananias to blame1 deprived him
 of his sacred office1 and sent him as a
 prisoner to ,rome3 and though he was   
afterwards allowed to return to         
,jerusalem1 he was not restored to the  
office of ,high ,priest1 to which       
another man1 named ,jonathan1 had been  
appointed4 ,this ,jonathan had been     
killed by the murderers hired by ,felix 
the ,roman governor1 and no other ,high 
,priest had as yet been appointed2      
therefore there was1 in fact1 no ,high  

,priest to be president1 or head1 of the
 ,sanhedrim4 ,under these circumstances1
 ,ananias set himself up as chief of the
 ,council1 and behaved in the unjust    
manner related4 ,st4 ,paul had only been
 a very few days in ,jerusalem1 and did 
not perhaps know that ,ananias had taken
 the office of ,high ,priest upon       
himself2 or if he did know it1 what he  
said would be a just rebuke to him for  
having done so4  ,one other matter      
requires a few words1 that is1 the      
whited wall1 to which ,st4 ,paul        
compared ,ananias4 ,we shall remember   
that our ,saviour said1 ,woe unto you   
scribes and ,pharisees1 hypocrites6 for 
ye are like unto whited sepulchres1     
which indeed appear beautiful outwardly1
 but are within full of dead men's bones
 and all uncleanness4 ,even so ye also  
appear righteous unto men1 but within ye
 are full of hypocrisy and iniquity4 ,in
 the same manner ,st4 ,paul applied the 
comparison of the whited wall of a      
sepulchre to ,ananias1 who pretended to 

judge and rebuke another1 whilst his own
 heart was full of all evil passions and
 iniquity4  ,let us remember1 that each 
such passage of ,scripture has a lesson 
for us3 all who only think of what men  
will say1 and try to appear good in the 
eyes of their fellow creatures1 without 
trying to love and serve ,god with all  
their heart1 and to do ,his will        
whatever men may think of them1 are no  
more pleasing in the eyes of our ,lord1 
than were the ,pharisees1 whom ,jesus   
compared to whited sepulchres4  ,now we 
must return to the ,council of the      
,sanhedrim1 and hear what the ,apostle  
said in his defence4 ,st4 ,luke says1   
,but when ,paul perceived that the one  
part 7of his hearers7 were ,sadducees1  
and the other ,pharisees1 he cried out  
in the council1 ,men and brethren1 ,i am
 a ,pharisee1 the son of a ,pharisee3 of
 the hope and resurrection of the dead  
,i am called in question--meaning that  
he was persecuted and called to account1
 because he had taught that the dead    

would rise again4 ,and when he had so   
said1 there arose a dissension between  
the ,pharisees and ,sadducees3 and the  
multitude was divided4 ,for the         
,sadducees say that there is no         
resurrection1 neither angel1 nor spirit2
 but the ,pharisees confess both4 ,and  
there arose a great cry3 and the scribes
 that were of the ,pharisees' part      
arose1 and strove1 saying1 ,we find no  
evil in this man3 but if a spirit or an 
angel hath spoken to him1 let us not    
fight against ,god4 ,these scribes spake
 well3 but unhappily they did not speak 
in sincerity1 but only out of           
contradiction and spite to the          
,sadducees1 whom they hated4 ,they were 
quite as much opposed to ,st4 ,paul's   
preaching to the ,gentiles1 as any other
 class of persons could be2 and         
therefore it was hypocrisy to pretend to
 believe that an angel had bid him do   
so4 ,st ,paul1 moreover1 had said       
nothing of any angel speaking to him2   
but had plainly declared that ,jesus    

,christ had spoken to him3 and this of  
course the ,pharisees could not allow1  
because they would not acknowledge      
,jesus ,christ to be the ,messiah4 ,they
 were1 in fact1 fighting against        
,god--the very thing which they         
pretended to be afraid of doing4  ,the  
,sadducees were very angry1 and the     
whole ,council became a scene of the    
greatest confusion and violence2 so that
 ,claudius ,lysias feared for his       
prisoner's life2 and being answerable   
for his safety1 he sent his soldiers to 
bring him back into the castle1 where he
 would be out of danger4     ,chapter   
,,xxiv4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,sent ,,to       
,,caesarea4   ,we read in the ,book of  
,acts1 ,and when there arose a great    
dissension1 the chief captain1 fearing  
lest ,paul should have been pulled in   
pieces of them1 commanded the soldiers  
to go down1 and to take him by force    
from among them1 and to bring him into  
the castle4  ,in the midst of the       
troubles and dangers with which he was  

now surrounded1 the faithful servant of 
,god was not left without comfort and   
encouragement2 for we read1 that the    
night following the ,lord stood by him1 
and said1 ,be of good cheer1 ,paul3 for 
as thou hast testified of me in         
,jerusalem1 so must thou bear witness   
also at ,rome4 ,and when it was day1    
certain of the ,jews banded together1   
and bound themselves under a curse1     
saying that they would neither eat nor  
drink till they had killed ,paul4       
,these men belonged to a party amongst  
the ,jews1 who were particularly strict 
in the observance of all the forms and  
ceremonies of the ,law2 and for their   
zeal or eagerness in this matter1 they  
were called ,zealots4 ,these ,zealots1  
quite overlooking the ,moral ,law1 which
 commanded ,thou shalt not kill1 taught1
 that it was right to kill any man who  
did not observe the whole of the        
,ceremonial ,law3 they therefore made a 
practice of murdering1 whenever they had
 an opportunity1 all whom they looked   

upon as enemies of the ,law1 without    
waiting for any trial to decide whether 
or not they deserved punishment4  ,the  
,chief ,priest and elders1 instead of   
trying to prevent such wickedness1 too  
often approved of the practices of the  
,zealots2 as by their means they got rid
 of many whom they feared and hated1 and
 who certainly could not justly have    
been found guilty of any crime1 for     
which they could have been put to death4
 ,these ,jewish ,zealots had bound      
themselves by a curse to kill ,st4      
,paul2 that is1 they expressed a wish   
that ,god would bring evil upon them1 if
 they did not kill ,st4 ,paul1 before   
they ate or drank anything4 ,any such   
oaths are very sinful at all times1 even
 if the act we bind ourselves to do is a
 good and righteous one1 because it may 
not please ,god that we should do it3   
man proposes1 but ,god disposes2 and we 
must be content with striving to do what
 is right and useful1 and leave the     
issue in ,his hands4  ,the ,zealots1    

though they wickedly bound themselves by
 such an oath1 knew that there was no   
risk in any case of their being starved 
to death1 because any of their ,rabbis  
could absolve1 or set them free from    
such oaths1 whenever they did not find  
it convenient to keep them4  ,there were
 more than forty of the ,zealots which  
made this conspiracy against ,st4 ,paul2
 and they1 knowing that the ,chief      
,priests and elders would be only too   
glad to have the ,apostle silenced in   
any way1 went to them to get their help 
in the execution of this wicked plot4   
,they told the ,priests and elders how  
they had bound themselves by a curse to 
kill ,st4 ,paul3 and then said1 ,now    
therefore ye with the council signify to
 the chief captain that he bring him    
down unto you to-morrow1 as though ye   
would inquire something more perfectly  
concerning him2 and we1 or ever he come 
near1 are ready to kill him4  ,this was 
a plan very likely to succeed3 ,claudius
 ,lysias would have thought it very     

natural that the ,sanhedrim should wish 
to examine ,st4 ,paul quietly1 which    
could not be done in the tumult and     
excitement of the day before4 ,he would1
 therefore1 have sent his prisoner down 
with a small guard of soldiers1         
sufficient to prevent his escaping3     
these1 the ,zealots who would be lying  
in wait1 could easily overpower by their
 greater number1 and thus they would    
have no difficulty in murdering the     
,apostle4 ,it is sad to think that      
priests and rulers1 whose duty it was to
 teach the people what was right1 and to
 see that every man was treated justly1 
should have agreed thus to entrap and   
slay a man who had been guilty of no    
crime3 but so it was1 for they consented
 to do their part in the proposed       
scheme4  ,the enemies of ,st4 ,paul must
 now have thought his destruction       
certain3 but they forgot that if the    
,lord was on the ,apostle's side1 all   
their plots would come to nothing4 ,and 
so it proved3 for the ,lord1 ,who had   

work for ,his faithful servant to do1   
caused this plot to become in some way  
known to a young man1 the son of ,st4   
,paul's sister4 ,we know nothing of this
 young man2 whether he was still a ,jew1
 or had1 as is more probable1 become a  
,christian3 all we are told is1 ,and    
when ,paul's sister's son heard of their
 lying in wait1 he went and entered into
 the castle1 and told ,paul4  ,we have  
now another example as to the duty of   
using all human means1 whilst humbly    
depending upon the blessing of ,god1    
without which all our efforts are       
unavailing4 ,st4 ,paul had the promise  
of ,god1 that he should live to preach  
the ,gospel in ,rome2 therefore he was  
well assured that the ,zealots could not
 harm him4 ,he also knew that the       
,almighty could work a miracle for his  
deliverance2 but he knew that to depend 
upon such a display of ,divine power1   
would be tempting ,god1 not trusting in 
,him4 ,st4 ,paul felt1 that the ,lord1  
,who most generally brings about events 

through human actions1 had now given him
 the means of saving his own life2 and  
that it was his duty to make use of     
them1 in order to defeat the wicked plot
 contrived by the ,zealots and the      
,council4  ,when ,st4 ,paul had heard   
from his sister's son the plot laid for 
his destruction1 he called one of the   
centurions unto him1 and said1 ,bring   
this young man unto the chief captain3  
for he hath a certain thing to tell him4
 ,so the centurion took him1 and brought
 him to the chief captain1 and said1    
,paul the prisoner called me unto him1  
and prayed me to bring this young man   
unto thee1 who hath something to say    
unto thee4 ,then the chief captain took 
him by the hand1 and went with him aside
 privately1 and asked him1 ,what is that
 thou hast to tell me8 ,then the young  
man told him all that was proposed1 and 
begged him not to yield to the request  
of the ,council4 ,having heard what he  
had to say1 the chief captain then let  
the young man depart1 and charged him1  

,see thou tell no man that thou hast    
shewed these things to me4 ,claudius    
,lysias immediately took measures to    
save ,st4 ,paul1 without giving any     
cause or pretence for a disturbance1 by 
refusing what would appear to be a      
reasonable request from the ,sanhedrim3 
and he determined at once to send his   
prisoner out of the city1 so that when  
asked to produce him before the         
,council1 he could truly say1 that it   
was no longer in his power to do so4 ,we
 read that he called unto him two       
centurions1 saying1 ,make ready two     
hundred soldiers to go to ,caesarea1 and
 horsemen three-score and ten1 and      
spearmen two hundred1 at the third hour 
of the night2 and provide them beasts1  
that they may set ,paul on1 and bring   
him safe unto ,felix the governor1 whose
 residence was at ,caesarea4 ,at the    
same time ,claudius ,lysias wrote a     
letter to be given to ,felix1 by those  
who conducted ,st4 ,paul to ,caesarea4  
,and he wrote a letter after this       

manner3 ,claudius ,lysias unto the most 
excellent governor ,felix sendeth       
greeting4 ,this man was taken of the    
,jews1 and should have been killed of   
them3 then came ,i with an army1 and    
rescued him1 having understood that he  
was a ,roman4 ,and when ,i would have   
known the cause wherefore they accused  
him1 ,i brought him forth into their    
council3 whom ,i perceived to be accused
 of questions of their law1 but to have 
nothing laid to his charge worthy of    
death or of bonds4 ,and when it was told
 me how that the ,jews laid wait for the
 man1 ,i sent straightway to thee1 and  
gave commandment to his accusers also to
 say before thee what they had against  
him4 ,farewell4  ,now this letter was   
not quite a truthful account of what had
 happened3 ,claudius ,lysias told the   
story most favourably for himself1 by   
making it appear that he rescued ,st4   
,paul because he was a ,roman citizen2  
whereas he did not know that fact1 till 
he was on the point of scourging the    

prisoner--a circumstance of which he    
makes no mention4 ,in relating anything1
 either by word of mouth or by letter1  
we should be very careful to state      
exactly what happened1 whether it is    
favourable to ourselves or not4 ,saying 
that he had given commandment to the    
accusers to go down to ,caesarea with   
their complaints1 was different2 because
 by the time the letter reached ,felix1 
the command would be given4 ,of course  
he could say nothing to the ,jews that  
evening1 as it was needful to send the  
,apostle away secretly2 but we may be   
sure that the next day1 when the        
,council demanded that ,st4 ,paul should
 be brought before them for further     
examination1 this advice was given to   
them4 ,the third hour of the night was  
about nine o'clock in the evening1 and  
then the soldiers1 as it was commanded  
them1 took ,paul1 and brought him by    
night to ,antipatris1 a city about      
thirty-eight miles from ,jerusalem1 and 
twenty-seven from ,caesarea4 ,it had    

been rebuilt1 like many other cities1 by
 ,herod the ,great1 who called it       
,antipatris1 after his father           
,antipater4  ,here ,st4 ,paul was quite 
out of reach of the ,zealots who had    
banded to kill him1 and so large a guard
 was therefore quite unnecessary3 so    
that on the morrow the soldiers left the
 horsemen to go with him1 and returned  
to the castle of ,antonia4 ,the horsemen
 went on1 who1 when they came to        
,caesarea1 and delivered the epistle to 
the governor1 presented ,paul also      
before him4 ,and when the governor had  
read the letter1 he asked of what       
province the prisoner was4 ,and when he 
understood that he was of ,cilicia1 ,i  
will hear thee1 said he1 when thine     
accusers are also come4 ,and he         
commanded him to be kept in ,herod's    
judgment hall4 ,herod's judgment hall1  
in which ,felix commanded the ,apostle  
to be kept till his accusers should come
 down1 was a large building erected by  
,herod the ,great as a palace for       

himself3 part of it was afterwards made 
into a residence for the ,roman governor
 of ,judaea2 and part of it was used as 
a prison for prisoners1 not charged with
 any great or serious crime4 ,here1     
then1 ,st4 ,paul was kept for five days4
 ,and after five days ,ananias the high 
priest descended1 or went down to       
,caesarea1 with the elders1 and with a  
certain orator named ,tertullus1 who    
informed the governor against ,paul4    
,an orator was a person who was able to 
make a good speech upon any subject set 
before him4 ,many men made a business of
 this2 that is1 a man who was able to   
speak well1 would speak for others1 who 
were not able to do so1 on condition of 
being paid for his services4 ,thus1 if  
any man were accused of a crime1 he     
would get one of these public orators to
 speak for him at the time of trial1 and
 try to persuade the ,judge that he was 
innocent1 whether he really were so or  
not4 ,the same sort of thing is done    
amongst us1 by barristers--men who have 

made it their business to study the laws
 of their country1 in order to advise   
and help others who are ignorant in such
 matters4 ,the ,jewish priests and      
rulers were so very anxious that ,felix 
should believe ,st4 ,paul to be in the  
wrong1 and condemn him accordingly1 that
 they had engaged an orator named       
,tertullus1 to come and speak for them1 
and make the best of their case2 so as  
to persuade ,felix to condemn ,st4      
,paul1 and thus gratify their malice4   
,chapter ,,xxv4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,accused 
,,before ,,felix4   ,tertullus informed 
the governor against ,paul1--that is1 he
 came to ,caesarea for the express      
purpose of informing the governor of the
 many and serious accusations1 which the
 ,jews brought against the prisoner4    
,the accusers being now come1 ,felix sat
 to judge the matter1 and hear what each
 party had to say4 ,and when he was     
called forth1 ,tertullus1 in the name of
 the ,jewish priests and rulers1 began  
to accuse ,paul1 saying1 ,seeing that by

 thee we enjoy great quietness1 and that
 very worthy deeds are done unto this   
nation by thy providence1 we accept it  
always1 and in all places1 most noble   
,felix1 with all thankfulness4          
,notwithstanding1 that ,i be not further
 tedious unto thee1 ,i pray thee that   
thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a 
few words4  ,now ,felix was a harsh and 
tyrannical governor2 and though he had  
done good service in freeing the country
 from the robbers which had infested it1
 and in punishing impostors 7like the   
,egyptian71 he had caused the ,high     
,priest to be murdered1 and had often   
driven the ,jews into rebellion by his  
barbarous and unjust acts4 ,in short1   
his whole conduct created such          
disturbances in the land1 and made him  
so hateful to the ,jewish people1 that  
within two years of this time1 they     
petitioned the ,roman ,government for   
his removal2 and ,porcius ,festus was   
appointed governor instead of him4 ,when
 therefore ,tertullus1 as the mouthpiece

 of the ,jews1 spake in this way of the 
peace and quiet they enjoyed under his  
excellent government1 they were not     
expressing their real true opinions1 but
 were only saying what they thought     
would please ,felix1 and make him more  
willing to do what they wished4         
,tertullus having thus prepared the way1
 went on to bring his accusations       
against ,st4 ,paul1 saying1 ,for we have
 found this man a pestilent fellow1 and 
a mover of sedition among all the ,jews 
throughout the world1 and a ringleader  
of the sect of the ,nazarenes3 who also 
hath gone about to profane the temple3  
whom we took1 and would have judged     
according to our law4 ,but the chief    
captain ,lysias came upon us1 and with  
great violence took him away out of our 
hands1 commanding his accusers to come  
unto thee3 by examining of whom thyself 
mayest take knowledge of all these      
things1 whereof we accuse him4  ,this   
speech was full of falsehood1 inasmuch  
as it so misrepresented what had        

happened1 as to lead ,felix to think    
that the prisoner before him had proved 
himself a dangerous enemy to the ,roman 
,government1 and that the chief captain 
had violently and unnecessarily         
interfered with the peaceable exercise  
of the ,council's rights1 of examining  
into those matters of which ,st4 ,paul  
was accused4 ,the ,jews1 however1       
assented1 saying that these things which
 ,tertullus had spoken were true4  ,when
 ,tertullus had thus informed ,felix1   
the latter called upon ,st4 ,paul to    
answer to these charges4 ,felix having  
now been governor of ,judaea for four or
 five years1 knew something of the      
religion1 laws1 and customs of the      
,jews1 and was therefore the better able
 to judge in these matters4 ,then ,paul1
 after that the governor had beckoned   
unto him to speak1 answered1 ,forasmuch 
as ,i know that thou hast been of many  
years a judge unto this nation1 ,i do   
the more cheerfully answer for myself3  
because that thou mayest understand1    

that there are yet but twelve days since
 ,i went up to ,jerusalem for to        
worship4 ,and they neither found me in  
the temple disputing with any man1      
neither raising up the people1 neither  
in the synagogues1 nor in the city3     
neither can they prove the things       
whereof they now accuse me4  ,in these  
few words1 the ,apostle contradicted    
absolutely the charges brought against  
him by his enemies4 ,felix1 he knew1    
would understand his wish of going to   
,jerusalem to keep the ,feast of        
,pentecost1 and that1 as he had only    
been in the city for twelve days1 he    
could not have done much to stir up the 
people to rebellion4 ,having thus       
declared the falseness of the charges   
brought against him1 the ,apostle went  
on to notice what was in fact the real  
cause of all the persecution against    
him2 and boldly said1 ,but this ,i      
confess unto thee1 that after the way   
which they call heresy1 so worship ,i   
the ,god of my fathers1 believing all   

things which are written in the law and 
in the prophets3 and have hope toward   
,god1 which they themselves also allow1 
that there shall be a resurrection of   
the dead1 both of the just and unjust4  
,and herein do ,i exercise myself1 to   
have always a conscience void of offence
 toward ,god1 and toward men4 ,now after
 many years ,i came to bring alms to my 
nation1 and offerings4 ,whereupon       
certain ,jews from ,asia found me       
purified in the temple1 neither with    
multitude1 nor with tumult4 ,who ought  
to have been here before thee1 and      
object1 if they had ought against me4   
,or else let these same here say1 if    
they have found any evil doing in me1   
while ,i stood before the council1      
except it be for this one voice1 that ,i
 cried standing among them1 ,touching   
the resurrection of the dead ,i am      
called in question by you this day4  ,we
 cannot read this beautiful speech      
without wishing that each one of us     
could say from our hearts1 that we too  

are endeavouring so to live and act1    
that our consciences may not reproach us
 with any wilful sin4 ,it was customary 
for the ,jews1 in whatever countries    
they might happen to dwell1 to send alms
 and offerings from time to time to     
,jerusalem2 and ,st4 ,paul had now1     
according to that custom1 brought       
contributions from the foreign ,jews4   
,we should notice the close of ,st4     
,paul's speech1 when he challenges the  
priests and rulers to say1 whether any  
fault whatever had been proved against  
him during his examination before the   
,sanhedrim1 unless they looked upon his 
having said1 that the ,jews persecuted  
him because he had preached the         
resurrection of the dead1 as a crime4   
,st4 ,paul's accusers seem to have      
answered nothing2 they were unable to   
contradict him1 for he had spoken       
nothing but the truth1 and had plainly  
shown that he was no pestilent fellow1  
nor mover of sedition among the people4 
,and when ,felix heard these things1    

having more perfect knowledge of that   
way1 he deferred them1 and said1 ,when  
,lysias the chief captain shall come    
down1 ,i will know the uttermost of your
 matter4 ,and he commanded a centurion  
to keep ,paul1 and to let him have      
liberty1 and that he should forbid none 
of his acquaintance to minister or come 
unto him4 ,felix1 living at ,caesarea1  
where ,cornelius1 a ,roman centurion1   
had been so wonderfully converted1 and  
where ,philip the deacon1 and many other
 ,christians resided1 must have heard a 
good deal about the doctrines of that   
way of worshipping the ,lord2 and he had
 certainly found1 that the ,christians  
were better subjects1 and altogether    
better men1 than the ,jews4 ,he would   
not therefore be inclined to condemn    
,st4 ,paul because he was a ,christian2 
and1 listening carefully to the         
accusations and defence just made before
 him1 he saw at once that the prisoner  
had not committed any crime whatever1   
and that the whole affair arose from the

 hatred1 which the ,jews bore to the    
followers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,instead1  
however1 of boldly pronouncing sentence 
one way or the other1 he tried to pacify
 the ,jews by putting off the trial till
 ,claudius ,lysias1 whom they had       
accused of illegal violence1 could come 
down2 and mean time he entrusted ,st4   
,paul to the care of a centurion1 with  
orders not to treat him as a prisoner4  
,it must have been a bitter             
disappointment to the ,jews1 to see the 
man whom they persecuted thus kindly    
treated4  ,we may also see the          
protecting hand of ,god overruling these
 events4 ,had ,st4 ,paul been set at    
liberty1 the ,jews would doubtless have 
tried to take his life2 but under the   
watchful care of the centurion1 he was  
safe from their malice4  ,whether       
,claudius ,lysias ever did come down to 
,caesarea1 we are not told2 but it is   
quite clear that ,st4 ,paul was neither 
declared guilty of any offence deserving
 punishment1 nor set at liberty1 which1 

as an innocent man1 he ought to have    
been4  ,st4 ,luke next tells us1 ,and   
after certain days1 when ,felix came    
with his wife ,drusilla1 which was a    
,jewess1 he sent for ,paul1 and heard   
him concerning the faith in ,christ4 ,it
 has already been said that ,drusilla   
was one of the daughters of ,herod      
,agrippa1 who died miserably at         
,caesarea1 as a punishment for allowing 
himself to be treated as a god4         
,drusilla had been married to another   
man1 but ,felix had persuaded her to    
leave her husband1 and become his wife4 
,this was a great sin in both ,felix and
 ,drusilla4 ,after the trial of ,st4    
,paul1 the governor appears to have left
 ,caesarea for a while2 and when he came
 back1 bringing ,drusilla with him1 they
 both wished to hear more of the        
doctrines of ,christianity1 and         
therefore they sent for ,st4 ,paul1 that
 he might talk to them concerning the   
faith in ,christ4 ,st4 ,paul was always 
ready to speak the truth boldly in the  

service of his heavenly ,master2 and    
knowing that ,felix was an unjust and   
unrighteous ruler1 and a man who at all 
times thought only of pleasing and      
indulging himself1 without caring what  
injury or suffering he inflicted upon   
others1 he took this opportunity of     
showing the sinfulness of such conduct1 
and that those who persisted in it would
 be punished hereafter1 when ,jesus     
,christ should come to judge the world4 
,and as he reasoned of righteousness1   
temperance1 and judgment to come1 ,felix
 trembled2 for his conscience told him1 
that he was guilty of the very sins for 
which the ,apostle declared that the    
wrath of ,god would fall upon the       
impenitent4 ,well would it have been for
 him1 if the fear which made him        
tremble1 had made him at once anxiously 
inquire in true penitence1 ,what must ,i
 do to be saved8 ,but1 unhappily1 he    
took another course1 too often followed 
amongst ourselves3 he did not like to   
hear such things1 and so he tried to put

 them away1 and answered1 ,go thy way   
for this time2 when ,i have a convenient
 season1 ,i will call for thee4  ,even  
in worldly matters1 it is a good maxim1 
never to put off till to-morrow what    
ought to be done to-day4 ,infinitely    
more does it apply to spiritual things2 
to repentance1 to abstaining from what  
we feel to be wrong1 to making the      
sacrifice we know we ought to make1 to  
doing the duty which we perceive we     
ought to do4 ,never let us put off such 
things1 and thus quench the ,spirit of  
,god speaking in our hearts4 ,if we     
wilfully let one opportunity slip1 we   
may never have another given to us4     
,there is no season so convenient for   
doing right as the moment in which we   
feel what is right4 ,felix stifled the  
voice of conscience1 which answered to  
,st4 ,paul's teaching2 and we have no   
reason to believe that the convenient   
season ever came1 for1 though he often  
talked with him after this1 we hear of  
no good results from such meetings2 nor 

could any good results be expected1 from
 a course in which covetousness had so  
great a share2 for one of the governor's
 motives for keeping the ,apostle still 
in some sort as a prisoner1 was the hope
 that he or his friends would purchase  
his liberty1 by giving money4 ,but      
,felix ought to have felt1 that ,st4    
,paul would never offer a bribe1 which  
it was very wrong for any ,judge to     
take4 ,however that may be1 we read1 ,he
 hoped also that money should have been 
given him of ,paul1 that he might loose 
him3 wherefore he sent for him the      
oftener1 and communed with him4         
,chapter ,,xxvi4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,before 
,,festus4   ,but after two years1       
,porcius ,festus came into ,felix' room3
 and ,felix1 willing to shew the ,jews a
 pleasure1 left ,paul bound4 ,felix     
might now at least have let the ,apostle
 go1 for he could no longer hope for any
 advantage by leaving him still a       
prisoner4 ,this governor had never tried
 to please the ,jews by a just and kind 

government3 then he preferred pleasing  
himself3 now1 that it does not interfere
 with his own gratification1 he was     
willing to do the ,jews a pleasure1 by  
committing another sin1 in the detention
 of an innocent man1 whom he well knew  
ought to have been set free long ago4   
,the ,bible says truly1 that the fear of
 man bringeth a snare1 and the same may 
be said of the wish to please him1 when 
we cannot do so without doing wrong or  
neglecting our duty4  ,felix gained     
nothing by thus sacrificing ,st4 ,paul1 
for the ,jews of ,caesarea followed him 
to ,rome1 and there made such complaints
 of him to the ,emperor ,nero1 that it  
was with great difficulty that ,felix   
saved himself from severe punishment4   
,the new governor of ,judaea1 when he   
was come into the province1 made in the 
first instance a very short stay at     
,caesarea1 and after three days went up 
to ,jerusalem4 ,of course in this short 
time1 he had not had leisure to hear    
anything concerning ,st4 ,paul4 ,the    

,jews of ,jerusalem1 therefore1 gladly  
seized this opportunity to try and      
prejudice ,festus against ,st4 ,paul4   
,then the high priest and the chief of  
the ,jews informed him against ,paul1   
and besought him1 and desired favour    
against him1 that he would send for him 
to ,jerusalem1 to be there tried4 ,but  
they had another end in view2 even the  
same which the ,zealots1 with the       
approbation of the ,sanhedrim1 had hoped
 to accomplish on a former occasion4    
,the high priest and the elders1 knowing
 well that ,st4 ,paul could not be found
 guilty of any crime1 only besought     
,festus to have him brought to          
,jerusalem1 because they were determined
 to get rid of him1 by laying wait in   
the way to kill him4 ,but their wicked  
scheme was again defeated1 for ,festus  
answered1 that ,paul should be kept at  
,caesarea1 and that he himself would    
depart shortly thither4 ,let them       
therefore1 said he1 which among you are 
able1 go down with me1 and accuse this  

man1 if there be any wickedness in him4 
,and when ,festus had been about ten    
days in ,jerusalem1 he went down unto   
,caesarea2 and the next day sitting on  
the judgment seat1 commanded ,paul to be
 brought4 ,and when he was come before  
the judgment seat1 the ,jews which came 
down from ,jerusalem stood round about1 
and laid many and grievous complaints   
against ,paul1 which they could not     
prove4 ,while he answered for himself1  
,neither against the law of the ,jews1  
neither against the temple1 nor yet     
against ,caesar1 have ,i offended       
anything at all4 ,festus quite saw that 
,st4 ,paul had been guilty of no offence
 towards the ,roman ,government1 but    
that the whole matter concerned the     
doctrines and customs of the ,jewish    
,law2 and that he1 as the ,roman        
governor1 had no cause to keep him      
prisoner1 or trouble him any further4   
,but ,festus1 willing to do the ,jews a 
pleasure1 answered ,paul1 and said1     
,wilt thou go up to ,jerusalem1 and     

there be judged of these things before  
me8 ,the ,sanhedrim was the proper      
,court to try questions concerning the  
,jewish ,law4 ,festus knew nothing of   
the plots to kill ,st4 ,paul1 for he was
 a just man1 and would not have         
countenanced such wickedness4 ,he could 
not order ,st4 ,paul to be tried by the 
,sanhedrim1 for the authority of that   
,court was not recognized by the        
,romans2 but probably with the view of  
convincing the ,jews that ,st4 ,paul had
 not offended against their ,law1 he    
proposed that the ,apostle should go up 
to ,jerusalem to answer their charges4  
,then said ,paul1 ,i stand at ,caesar's 
judgment seat1 where ,i ought to be     
judged3 to the ,jews have ,i done no    
wrong1 as thou very well knowest4 ,for  
if ,i be an offender1 or have committed 
anything worthy of death1 ,i refuse not 
to die3 but if there be none of these   
things whereof these accuse me1 no man  
may deliver me unto them4 ,i appeal unto
 ,caesar4 ,as a freeman of ,rome1 ,st4  

,paul could only be tried for any crime1
 by a ,court composed of ,judges        
appointed by ,caesar2 hence called      
,caesar's judgment seat4 ,again1 he     
declared that he was innocent of any    
offence against the ,jews1 but that he  
had no wish to escape a lawful trial1 or
 any just punishment2 but that if he    
were not found guilty of any crime1 no  
person had any right to put him in the  
power of men so well known to be his    
enemies as the ,jews were4 ,he ended by 
making use of another privilege         
belonging to a ,roman citizen1 that of  
appealing unto ,caesar3 after which he  
could only be tried at ,rome1 by persons
 appointed especially for that purpose  
by the ,emperor himself4 ,a freeman of  
,rome who had been tried anywhere and   
found guilty1 could then appeal to      
,caesar1 if he thought his sentence     
unjust4 ,or before trial1 if he         
suspected that his judge was not acting 
according to law1 he could thus appeal  
to the ,emperor4 ,an appeal to ,caesar  

was highly respected by every person in 
authority1 and any magistrate who1 after
 such an appeal1 dared to punish a      
prisoner1 would himself be liable to    
severe punishment4 ,this1 and all the   
privileges of a ,roman citizen1 were so 
much respected1 that many years after   
this time1 when the ,christians were    
persecuted by order of the ,emperor     
,trajan1 a ,roman called ,pliny1 whose  
duty it was to have all ,christians put 
to death1 wrote a letter to the         
,emperor1 in which1 after speaking of   
the numbers he had executed because they
 would not give up their religion1 he   
says1 ,there are others1 guilty of      
similar folly1 but finding them to be   
,roman citizens1 ,i have determined to  
send them to ,rome4 ,perhaps these poor 
creatures had appealed to ,caesar2 at   
any rate1 ,pliny1 respecting their      
privileges1 thought it safest to send   
them to ,rome1 though there could be no 
doubt that the ,emperor would           
immediately order them to be put to     

death4  ,it was usual for a ,roman      
,president1 or ,judge1 to have a small  
,council of some of the chief ,romans in
 the province1 whose advice he could ask
 in any doubtful matter4 ,festus had    
such a ,council2 for we read1 ,then     
,festus1 when he had conferred with the 
council1 answered1 ,hast thou appealed  
unto ,caesar8 unto ,caesar shalt thou   
go4 ,thus did the ,lord overrule events 
to fulfil his words1 thou must bear     
witness also at ,rome4 ,before ,st4     
,paul could be sent off from ,caesarea1 
he was again called upon to defend      
himself and declare his doctrines4 ,st4 
,luke says1 ,and after certain days king
 ,agrippa and ,bernice came unto        
,caesarea to salute ,festus4 ,this      
,agrippa and ,bernice were both the     
children of ,herod ,agrippa1 and        
therefore ,drusilla was their sister4   
,the ,emperor ,claudius had made        
,agrippa king of some of the ,roman     
,provinces in ,asia1 and had also given 
him some dominions in ,judaea1 which had

 been added to by the present ,emperor  
,nero4 ,it was probably to look after   
these dominions that ,agrippa was now   
come into the country1 bringing his     
sister ,bernice with him2 and it was    
very natural that they should go to     
,caesarea to visit the governor4        
,festus1 who was evidently rather       
puzzled about ,st4 ,paul1 as he could   
see no reason for the accusations of the
 ,jews1 was glad to have an opportunity 
of talking over the matter with one1 who
 being himself a ,jew1 would know the   
laws and customs of his own people1 as  
well as those of the ,romans4           
,therefore1 when ,agrippa and ,bernice  
had been at ,caesarea many days1 ,festus
 declared ,paul's cause unto the king1  
saying1 ,there is a certain man left in 
bonds by ,felix3 about whom1 when ,i was
 at ,jerusalem1 the chief priests and   
the elders of the ,jews informed me1    
desiring to have judgment against him4  
,to whom ,i answered1 ,it is not the    
manner of the ,romans to deliver any man

 to die1 before that he which is accused
 have the accusers face to face1 and    
have licence to answer for himself      
concerning the crime laid against him4  
,therefore1 when they were come hither1 
without any delay on the morrow ,i sat  
on the judgment seat1 and commanded the 
man to be brought forth4 ,against whom  
when the accusers stood up1 they brought
 none accusation of such things as ,i   
supposed3 but had certain questions     
against him of their own superstition1  
and of one ,jesus1 which was dead1 whom 
,paul affirmed to be alive4 ,and because
 ,i doubted of such manner of questions1
 ,i asked him whether he would go to    
,jerusalem1 and there be judged of these
 matters4 ,but when ,paul had appealed  
to be reserved unto the hearing of      
,augustus1 ,i commanded him to be kept  
till ,i might send him to ,caesar4  ,by 
their superstition1 ,festus meant the   
religion of the ,jews3 for the heathen  
always thus spake of it1 and said1 that 
,moses was the inventor of the ,jews'   

superstition4 ,the heathens saw that the
 ,jews believed in an ,almighty power1  
of which they knew nothing1 and did     
certain things to obtain favour from the
 ,god they worshipped3 this they called 
,superstition1 and no doubt they looked 
upon the ,christian religion in much the
 same light4  ,the term ,superstition1  
might much more properly be applied to  
the belief and practice of the ,romans  
themselves1 with all their omens and    
auguries1 supposed to reveal the will of
 their imaginary gods2 and their        
sacrifices and ceremonies1 in order to  
gain their favour4  ,at the time of     
which we are now speaking1 the ,jews had
 indeed introduced many superstitions   
into their religion2 for they thought to
 please ,god by outward forms and       
ceremonies1 whilst they committed all   
manner of sins1 and rejected the        
,messiah4  ,the ,christians were ready  
to give up all earthly joys and         
comforts1 and to suffer death1 rather   
than act contrary to the religion which 

they professed2 and this the heathens   
looked upon as foolishness4  ,festus    
evidently thought that both ,jews and   
,christians were very foolish1 to       
dispute upon such a subject as the life 
or death of ,jesus2 for he neither knew 
nor cared about the doctrines of        
,christianity1 and the need of a        
,saviour4 ,little did the ,roman        
governor conceive1 that the question    
concerning the ,resurrection of ,jesus  
,christ was one of the greatest         
importance to all mankind1 when he thus 
slightingly spake of one ,jesus1 whom   
,paul affirmed to be alive4 ,had ,st4   
,paul been accused of crimes1 as the    
governor supposed would have been the   
case1 he would have known how to act3   
but when the accusations were only about
 such matters as to the ,romans were    
foolishness1 ,festus was perplexed and  
doubtful1 as to the course which he     
ought to take2 for as these questions   
had caused disturbances in the country1 
they could not be allowed to pass       

unnoticed by a ,roman governor4 ,and    
probably it was as much to relieve      
himself from his perplexity as to please
 the ,jews1 that he proposed to the     
,apostle to go up to ,jerusalem4  ,all  
the ,roman ,emperors had the title of   
,caesar1 and they also all took that of 
,augustus3 but each one had his own     
particular name or names besides3 the   
,augustus ,caesar here spoken of1 was   
the ,emperor ,nero4 ,agrippa listened   
with interest to all that ,festus told  
him of ,st4 ,paul1 and then said1 ,i    
would also hear the man myself--a desire
 which ,festus was too happy to gratify4
 ,to-morrow1 said he1 thou shalt hear   
him4     ,chapter ,,xxvii4--,,st4 ,,paul
 ,,before ,,agrippa4   ,and on the      
morrow1 when ,agrippa was come1 and     
,bernice1 with great pomp1 and was      
entered into the place of hearing1 with 
the chief captains1 and principal men of
 the city1 at ,festus' commandment ,paul
 was brought forth4 ,this place of      
hearing was probably some large         

apartment in the palace where ,festus   
lived1 set apart for the governor to    
receive1 and give audience to1 all      
persons who came to him on business4    
,this we must remember was no trial of  
,st4 ,paul2 he could now have no further
 trial till he reached ,rome3 there were
 now no ,jews present to make           
accusations against him2 it was1 in     
fact1 only a private examination of ,st4
 ,paul's opinions1 for the gratification
 of king ,agrippa4 ,if the ,apostle had 
now refused to speak1 he could not have 
been held guilty of disobedience2 but he
 was always ready and willing to give an
 account of the faith which was in him1 
and probably he was particularly glad to
 have an opportunity of speaking of     
,jesus ,christ1 and ,him crucified1     
before ,agrippa1 who1 as a ,jew1 had    
learnt from the prophets to expect the  
,messiah4  ,when all was ready1 ,festus 
opened the business1 and explained the  
matter to the assembly2 who1 with the   
exception of king ,agrippa1 and perhaps 

a few of his attendants1 were all       
heathens4  ,and ,festus said1 ,king     
,agrippa1 and all men which are here    
present with us1 ye see this man1 about 
whom all the multitude of the ,jews have
 dealt with me1 both at ,jerusalem1 and 
also here1 crying that he ought not to  
live any longer4 ,but when ,i found that
 he had committed nothing worthy of     
death1 and that he himself hath appealed
 to ,augustus1 ,i have determined to    
send him4 ,of whom ,i have no certain   
thing to write unto my lord4 7,that is1 
no crimes or offences to give1 as a     
reason for his being tried at all47     
,wherefore ,i have brought him forth    
before you1 and especially before thee1 
,o king ,agrippa1 that1 after           
examination had1 ,i might have somewhat 
to write4 ,for it seemeth to me         
unreasonable to send a prisoner1 and not
 withal to signify the crimes laid      
against him4 ,then ,agrippa said unto   
,paul1 ,thou art permitted to speak for 
thyself4 ,then ,paul stretched forth the

 hand1 and answered for himself3 ,i     
think myself happy1 king ,agrippa1      
because ,i shall answer for myself this 
day before thee touching all the things 
whereof ,i am accused of the ,jews3     
especially because ,i know thee to be   
expert in all customs and questions     
which are among the ,jews3 wherefore ,i 
beseech thee to hear me patiently4      
,agrippa having been brought up in      
,jerusalem1 when his father ,herod      
,agrippa lived there as king of ,judaea 
by permission of the ,emperor ,caligula1
 had been well instructed in the ,jewish
 law and customs2 and at this time the  
,emperor ,nero had entrusted to him the 
government of the temple1 and the care  
of its treasury3 he was also allowed to 
nominate the ,high ,priest4 ,st4 ,paul1 
conscious of his own innocence1 was glad
 to speak before one so well able to    
judge of the truth of his words4 ,having
 bespoken a patient hearing from the    
king1 the ,apostle continued1 ,my manner
 of life from my youth1 which was at    

first among mine own nation at          
,jerusalem 7where he was brought up at  
the feet of ,gamaliel71 know all the    
,jews2 which knew me from the beginning1
 if they would testify1 that after the  
most straitest sect of our religion ,i  
lived a ,pharisee4 ,and now ,i stand and
 am judged for the hope of the promise  
made of ,god unto our fathers3 unto     
which promise our twelve tribes1        
instantly serving ,god day and night1   
hope to come4 ,for which hope's sake1   
king ,agrippa1 ,i am accused of the     
,jews4  ,the promise here spoken of1 was
 that made by ,god ,himself to ,abraham 
and the patriarchs1 and repeated more   
plainly by the prophets1 that the       
,messiah should come upon earth1 and by 
,his rising from the dead1 prove the    
truth of the promise of a future life   
for all men4 ,this promise had always   
been believed1 and its fulfilment looked
 for1 by all true ,israelites4 ,so far1 
then1 there was no difference of        
opinion4 ,but the ,apostle had been     

convinced1 by unmistakable signs1 that  
the promise was fulfilled in ,jesus     
,christ4 ,for declaring that ,jesus of  
,nazareth was the ,messiah1 the hope of 
,israel1 for whom the twelve tribes had 
ever been looking1 and that ,he had     
risen from the dead according to the    
promise1 ,st4 ,paul was accused and     
persecuted by the ,jews3 some denying   
that there could be any resurrection at 
all2 others1 who allowed that1 denying  
that ,jesus ,christ had risen4 ,agrippa 
as a ,jew ought to have learnt from all 
the wonderful things that had been done 
for his forefathers1 that with ,god     
nothing was impossible2 whilst his study
 of the ,jewish ,scriptures should have 
taught him1 that the ,resurrection was  
more than a possibility4 ,st4 ,paul now1
 therefore1 speaking to him as a ,jew1  
asks1 ,why should it be thought a thing 
incredible with you1 that ,god should   
raise the dead8  ,the doctrine of the   
,resurrection--or rather the great      
,truth that ,jesus ,christ had really   

risen from the dead--was the one        
especial point of ,st4 ,paul's teaching3
 because all by whom that was once      
acknowledged1 could not fail to see1    
that ,he was indeed the promised        
,messiah1 worthy of all the love and    
service ,his creatures could give ,him4 
,having spoken of the ,resurrection1    
,st4 ,paul went on to show ,agrippa1    
that what he now taught upon the subject
 was the more worthy of belief1 inasmuch
 as he himself had not been easily      
persuaded of this truth1 or inclined to 
join those who believed it4 ,on the     
contrary1 he says1 ,i verily thought    
with myself1 that ,i ought to do many   
things contrary to the name of ,jesus of
 ,nazareth4 ,then1 after telling        
,agrippa how in consequence of this     
idea1 he persecuted the followers of    
,jesus1 he described the wonderful      
manner in which he had been brought to  
see that ,he was the promised ,messiah2 
and he mentioned the peculiar charge    
given unto him by ,god1 to go unto the  

,gentiles1 to open their eyes1 and to   
turn them from darkness to light1 and   
from the power of ,satan unto ,god1 that
 they may receive forgiveness of sins1  
and inheritance among them which are    
sanctified by faith4 ,whereupon1        
continued the ,apostle1 ,i was not      
disobedient unto the heavenly vision3   
but shewed first unto them of ,damascus1
 and at ,jerusalem1 and throughout all  
the coasts of ,judaea1 and then to the  
,gentiles1 that they should repent and  
turn to ,god1 and do works meet for     
repentance4 ,for these causes the ,jews 
caught me in the temple1 and went about 
to kill me4 ,having therefore obtained  
help of ,god1 ,i continue unto this day1
 witnessing both to small and great1    
saying none other things than those     
which the prophets and ,moses did say   
should come3 that ,christ should suffer1
 and that he should be the first who    
should rise from the dead1 and should   
shew light unto the people1 and to the  
,gentiles4 ,strange indeed did these    

things sound in the ears of the heathen 
governor2 and without pausing to        
consider whether they might not indeed  
be true1 ,festus said with a loud voice1
 ,paul1 thou art beside thyself2 much   
learning doth make thee mad4 ,firm and  
respectful was the reply to this charge1
 that he knew not what he was saying3   
for he said1 ,i am not mad1 most noble  
,festus2 but speak forth the words of   
truth and soberness4 ,for the king      
knoweth of these things1 before whom    
also ,i speak freely3 for ,i am         
persuaded that none of these things are 
hidden from him2 for this thing was not 
done in a corner4 ,agrippa1 who could   
bear witness to the things spoken by    
,moses and the prophets1 must also have 
heard of the many wonderful acts done by
 ,jesus during ,his life2 of the events 
attending ,his death2 and of the works  
since performed by ,his ,apostles2 and  
therefore ,st4 ,paul refers to him1 as  
able to bear witness that the words     
which had so astonished ,festus1 were   

not the words of madness1 but of sober  
truth4  ,having thus replied to ,festus1
 ,st4 ,paul1 turning to ,agrippa1 said1 
,king ,agrippa1 believest thou the      
prophets8 ,as a ,jew1 the king must     
necessarily be a believer in all the    
,scriptures of the ,old ,testament2     
therefore1 without waiting for an       
answer1 the ,apostle added1 ,i know that
 thou believest4 ,he said no more1 but  
his meaning was easy to understand4 ,any
 one1 who believing in the ,scriptures  
of the ,old ,testament1 would carefully 
and honestly compare all that was       
written concerning the ,messiah with the
 ,birth1 ,life1 and ,death of ,jesus1   
must perceive that ,he was indeed the   
promised ,messiah1 the ,anointed1 the   
,christ4  ,it is clear by the answer1   
that the king did so understand the     
question4 ,then ,agrippa said unto      
,paul1 ,almost thou persuadest me to be 
a ,christian4 ,he could not deny the    
truth of what the ,apostle had said2 his
 reason1 if he would have followed its  

teaching to the end1 would have         
convinced him that the ,gospel preached 
by ,st4 ,paul was the gift of ,god2 the 
continuation and ending1 as it were1 of 
the ,law of ,moses2 that it involved no 
change of religion1 but its completion  
or perfect state1 for that the ,law had 
been given to prepare the way for the   
,gospel4 ,just as ,st4 ,paul1 in his    
,epistle to the ,galatians1 wrote1 the  
,law was our schoolmaster to bring us   
unto ,christ4  ,it is probable that     
,agrippa felt much of this2 why then did
 he not become entirely1 not almost1 a  
,christian8 ,because he was not willing 
to renounce the ,devil and all his      
works1 and the sinful lusts of the      
flesh4 ,his life and actions were very  
far from the purity and holiness        
necessary in a real true ,christian2 he 
could not make up his mind to endeavour 
to lead a new life1 consistent with the 
profession of ,christianity2 and        
therefore1 though almost persuaded1 he  
stopped there4  ,to be almost a         

,christian1 is to be in a condition most
 displeasing to the ,lord2 and yet there
 are many now1 who professing to be     
members of the ,church of ,christ1 are1 
it is to be feared1 in this sad state4  
,let us watch and pray1 that such may   
not be our case--remembering1 that if we
 are not daily striving with all our    
might1 to keep our part of the          
,baptismal ,covenant1 whatever it may   
cost us to do so1 we are no more than   
almost ,christians1 who will never be   
received as good and faithful servants  
by our heavenly ,master4  ,agrippa was  
not ready to live a life of self-denial1
 and therefore he could only say1       
,almost thou persuadest me to be a      
,christian4 ,and ,paul said1 ,i would to
 ,god1 that not only thou1 but also all 
that hear me this day1 were both almost1
 and altogether such as ,i am1 except   
these bonds4  ,st4 ,paul could not offer
 a better prayer for his hearers1 nor   
for all mankind who have ever lived upon
 earth1 than that they should be true   

and sincere ,christians1 like him in    
every respect1 except in that of being  
prisoners4 ,the bonds here spoken of    
were the light chains upon his hands1 by
 which1 as we have said1 prisoners      
amongst the ,romans were usually bound  
to the soldier who had charge of them4  
,st4 ,paul bore no ill-will to those who
 had unjustly kept him so long a        
prisoner2 he only desired their good1   
expressing1 in the words we have just   
read1 his solemn wish that they might   
become true ,christians4     ,chapter   
,,xxviii4--,,st4 ,,paul ,,begins ,,his  
,,fourth ,,voyage4   ,st4 ,paul's solemn
 prayer for all who had listened to his 
words closed the examination4 ,and when 
he had thus spoken1 the king rose up1   
and the governor1 and ,bernice1 and they
 that sat with them3 and when they were 
gone aside1 they talked between         
themselves1 saying1 ,this man doeth     
nothing worthy of death or of bonds4    
,all who had heard ,st4 ,paul speak1 saw
 at once that he had been guilty of no  

offence against the ,roman ,government3 
and ,agrippa1 who understood the ,jewish
 law1 pronounced that there was no      
reason on that account either1 to keep  
him a prisoner4 ,then said ,agrippa unto
 ,festus1 ,this man might have been set 
at liberty1 if he had not appealed unto 
,caesar4 ,having done so1 no prisoner   
could be set at liberty1 without the    
express command of the ,emperor4        
,agrippa's opinion would incline the    
unprejudiced ,jews not to believe all   
that the priests and elders had said    
against ,st4 ,paul2 and it would make   
,festus write a favourable report of his
 case to ,rome4 ,probably it was owing  
to what ,agrippa now said1 that ,st4    
,paul met with kind treatment1 both on  
the voyage to ,italy and after his      
arrival in ,rome4  ,nothing now remained
 but to send ,st4 ,paul to ,caesar2 and 
of this voyage1 ,st4 ,luke1 who appears 
never to have quitted him1 gives us a   
full account1 saying1 ,and when it was  
determined that we should sail into     

,italy1 they delivered ,paul and certain
 other prisoners unto one named ,julius1
 a centurion of ,augustus' band4        
,although the garrison of ,caesarea was 
at this time composed of ,syrian        
soldiers1 there was also a small body of
 ,roman soldiers1 called the ,augustan  
,band1 as belonging particularly to the 
,emperor4 ,under a centurion of this    
band1 ,st4 ,paul was now to begin his   
fourth and last journey1 ,a4,d4 #fj4    
,this journey differed from the three   
former1 inasmuch as they had been       
undertaken voluntarily1 7by direction of
 the ,holy ,spirit17 for the            
accomplishment of the work given him to 
do4 ,this fourth journey1 though it     
would equally serve to the great work of
 spreading the ,gospel1 was to be made  
as a prisoner4  ,in those days1 a voyage
 was a more serious affair than it is   
now4 ,it was not easy to find a ship    
sailing direct from any port in ,asia to
 ,italy1 and accordingly we read1 ,and  
entering into a ship of ,adramyttium1 we

 launched1 meaning to sail by the coasts
 of ,asia2 one ,aristarchus1 a          
,macedonian of ,thessalonica1 being with
 us4 ,adramyttium was a sea-port of     
,mysia1 quite out of the way of any     
person wishing to go to ,italy2 but1 as 
the ship was to touch at many ports in  
,asia ,minor on her way home1 it was    
probable that at one of these ports some
 vessel might be found which was going  
into ,italy1 and could take ,julius and 
his company on board4 ,the ,aristarchus 
here mentioned had become a ,christian  
when ,st4 ,paul preached the ,gospel in 
,macedonia1 and had then gone with the  
,apostle to ,jerusalem1 and helped him  
in his great work4 ,why he was now a    
prisoner1 we are not told2 but it was no
 doubt for preaching the ,gospel that he
 was now a fellow prisoner of ,st4      
,paul4 ,st4 ,luke1 after mentioning the 
launching at ,caesarea1 says1 ,and the  
next day we touched at ,sidon4 ,and     
,julius courteously entreated ,paul1    
7that is1 treated him kindly17 and gave 

him liberty to go unto his friends to   
refresh himself4 ,there were at this    
time many ,christians in ,phoenicia2 and
 it must have been a great comfort both 
to them and to ,st4 ,paul1 to meet and  
talk and pray together4  ,then we read1 
,and when we had launched from thence1  
we sailed under ,cyprus1 because the    
winds were contrary4 ,the wind blowing  
pretty strongly from the south-west1 the
 ship1 instead of passing to the south  
of the island1 which would have been the
 shortest way into the ,archipelago1    
sailed to the north1 where it would be  
sheltered from the wind by the island   
itself4 ,thus coming to ,myra1 a        
sea-port of ,lycia1 ,julius disembarked 
his company1 as it was useless for those
 who wished to go into ,italy1 to       
continue any longer in a ship bound for 
,adramyttium1 which would take them     
greatly out of their way4  ,at ,myra1   
the centurion found a ship which had    
come from the opposite port of          
,alexandria1 in ,egypt1 and was now     

going on to ,italy4 ,st4 ,luke says1 and
 he put us therein4 ,much corn was taken
 from ,egypt into ,italy4 ,it was       
brought from different parts of the     
country to ,alexandria1 and there put on
 board ships1 which landed it at        
,puteoli1 in the south-eastern part of  
,italy2 and from thence it was taken to 
other places as it was wanted4 ,it was  
one of these vessels1 laden with corn1  
in which ,julius now embarked his       
prisoners4  ,st4 ,luke says1 ,and when  
we had sailed slowly many days1 and     
scarce were come over against ,cnidus1  
the wind not suffering us1 we sailed    
under ,crete1 over against ,salmone2    
and1 hardly passing it1 came unto a     
place which is called the ,fair ,havens1
 nigh whereunto was the city of ,lasea4 
,cnidus stood on a point of high land at
 the south-west corner of ,asia ,minor2 
and from thence the master of the vessel
 meant to steer directly westward1      
passing to the north of the isle of     
,crete2 but the wind being contrary1 the

 vessel was many days in going from     
,myra as far as ,cnidus1 and then it was
 obliged to go to the south of ,crete1  
passing by ,salmone1 a promontory1 or   
cape1 on the eastern end of the island4 
,this they had much difficulty in       
passing2 and then they took refuge in a 
port1 called the ,fair ,havens1 near to 
which was a city called ,lasea4  ,it was
 now a time of year when sailing was    
considered dangerous1 on account of high
 winds1 called the ,equinoctial ,gales1 
which generally begin to blow in        
,september4 ,at this time of the year1  
on the #ajth of their month ,tisri1     
answering to our #beth of ,september1   
the ,jews1 by the appointment of ,god1  
kept the great ,fast of ,expiation1     
according to the ,law of ,moses4 ,on    
this day1 no work was to be done2 the   
people were to spend their time in      
confessing their sins1 and praying for  
true repentance1 and consequent         
forgiveness4 ,they were further to      
afflict their souls by fasting1 and by  

abstaining from every kind of pleasure  
or amusement4  ,in the early times of   
the ,jewish history1 this fast was so   
strictly kept1 that no ,jew would upon  
it wash his face1 nor put on his shoes1 
nor even read any part of the           
,scriptures which gave him pleasure4    
,the ,law commanded that this day should
 be kept entirely as a day of mourning  
and sorrow2 whilst the priests were to  
offer certain sacrifices as an          
atonement1 or expiation1 for all the    
sins of the people1 that they might be  
looked upon as clean from all their     
sins4 ,all that was commanded to be done
 on this solemn fast-day1 was to be a   
type1 or sign1 of the great future      
sacrifice to be made by ,jesus ,christ2 
,who by ,his death1 made a sufficient   
expiation and atonement for the sins of 
the whole world1 and thus took away from
 all ,his faithful people the dreadful  
consequences of sin1 which no sacrifice 
of beasts ever could have done4  ,the   
,fast of ,expiation took place1 as we   

have said1 on the #beth of ,september2  
and after that time1 the ancients       
considered a sea-voyage dangerous1 on   
account of the tempestuous winds which  
blew at that season3 they therefore     
generally laid up their ships for the   
winter4 ,st4 ,paul had had considerable 
experience in the dangers of the sea1   
for he had often been in perils of the  
sea1 of which ,st4 ,luke makes no       
mention4 ,in the ,second ,epistle to the
 ,corinthians1 written1 as we have      
heard1 about two years before this last 
voyage1 ,st4 ,paul1 speaking of the     
dangers and sufferings he had undergone 
whilst preaching the ,gospel1 says1     
amongst other things1 thrice ,i suffered
 shipwreck1 a night and a day ,i have   
been in the deep4 ,st4 ,paul therefore  
was well aware of the danger of sailing 
at this season of the year2 and probably
 the ,holy ,spirit had made known unto  
him1 that danger awaited the ship if she
 now continued her voyage4 ,this        
explanation is necessary for the right  

understanding of what we shall now read1
 as told us by ,st4 ,luke4 ,the ship1 we
 must remember1 had with much difficulty
 arrived safely at the ,fair ,havens in 
,crete4  ,now when much time was spent1 
and when sailing was now dangerous1     
because the fast was now already past1  
,paul admonished them1 and said unto    
them1 ,sirs1 ,i perceive that this      
voyage will be with hurt and much       
damage1 not only of the lading and ship1
 but also of our lives4 ,nevertheless   
the centurion believed the master and   
the owner of the ship1 more than those  
things which were spoken by ,paul4 ,and 
because the haven was not commodious to 
winter in1 the more part advised to     
depart thence also1 if by any means they
 might attain to ,phenice1 and there to 
winter2 which is an haven of ,crete1 and
 lieth toward the south-west and        
north-west4 ,that is1 ,phenice was on   
the south-west coast of the island1 to  
the north-west of ,lasea and the ,fair  
,havens4  ,a change in the weather at   

this time1 confirmed those who were     
anxious to reach ,phenice1 in their     
opinion that it might be done4 ,and when
 the south wind blew softly1 supposing  
that they had obtained their purpose1   
loosing thence1 they sailed close by    
,crete4 ,by keeping close to the shore1 
they hoped to accomplish their purpose4 
,but not long after there arose against 
it a tempestuous wind1 called           
,euroclydon4 ,the word ,euroclydon is   
made up from two ,greek words1 one of   
which means a wave1 and the other the   
south-east wind4 ,it was a violent wind 
which blew furiously generally from the 
south-east1 and made the waves          
exceedingly rough1 and very dangerous   
for small vessels4 ,the same kind of    
wind is now known in the ,mediterranean 
,sea as a ,levanter1 because it         
generally blows from the east1 and the  
,levant is the eastern part of that sea4
 ,sometimes it blows for a short time   
from some other quarter1 which makes it 
all the more dangerous1 because the     

sudden change of a very violent wind is 
apt to capsize1 or overset1 a ship1 not 
prepared for such a change4  ,this      
terrible wind now came on1 blowing      
furiously from the east4 ,the           
rudder--that is1 the machine by which a 
ship is guided on its course--was       
useless in such a storm1 and the vessel 
became quite unmanageable4 ,st4 ,luke   
says1 ,and when the ship was caught1 and
 could not bear up into the wind1 we let
 her drive4 ,the ship1 thus left to the 
mercy of the wind1 was driven straight  
to an island1 called ,clauda4 ,we read1 
,and running under a certain island     
which is called ,clauda1 we had much    
work to come by the boat3 which when    
they had taken up1 they used helps1     
undergirding the ship4 ,most ships have 
a small boat1 which is usually drawn    
after them by a rope fastened to the    
stern1 or hind part1 of the vessel2 but1
 fearing that the violence of the wind  
and waves would wash the boat quite     
away1 the sailors1 though with great    

difficulty1 managed to draw it up on the
 ship's deck1 ready for use in case of  
need4 ,undergirding1 was passing strong 
ropes under the ship1 and bringing the  
ends from each side upon deck1 where    
they were fastened together2 so as to   
support and hold in their places1 all   
the planks and timbers of which the ship
 was built4 ,sheltered a little from the
 storm under the north side of the      
island of ,clauda1 the seamen were able 
to accomplish this work1 after which    
they could do no more4     ,chapter     
,,xxix4--,,the ,,ship ,,runs ,,aground4 
,st4 ,luke having mentioned the         
undergirding of the ship1 adds1 and1    
fearing lest they should fall into the  
quicksands1 strake sail1 and so were    
driven4  ,the ship being unable to      
resist the wind blowing strongly from   
the north-east1 must of necessity be    
carried into the ,gulf of ,syrtis       
,minor1 on the ,african coast2 but      
before reaching it1 the vessel would    
have to pass a dangerous bank of sand on

 the coast of ,africa4 ,this bank was of
 great extent1 and any ship that was    
carried upon it would gradually sink1   
and sink into the sand1 until it was    
quite buried4 ,the sailors1 fearing such
 a fate for their ship1 took down all   
the sails1 so that the wind might have  
less power over it4 ,in this condition  
the ship was at the mercy of the wind   
and waves2 and was driven here and      
there1 without power to help herself4   
,all on board the ship were now in a    
dreadful situation3 exposed to the fury 
of a wind which blew them sometimes one 
way and sometimes another4 ,in order to 
make the ship lighter1 so that it might 
more easily rise to the top of the      
waves1 the seamen first threw overboard 
the cargo of wheat carried by the ship1 
and then even the very ropes and sails  
belonging to it4 ,but the storm         
continued1 the sky was dark with clouds1
 and as there was no possibility of     
help1 all gave themselves up for lost1  
and expected to be swallowed up in this 

tempestuous sea4 ,under such            
circumstances1 all regular habits were  
at an end2 no one thought of taking     
food1 and consequently the strength of  
all was rapidly becoming less and less4 
,st4 ,luke's account is1 ,and we being  
exceedingly tossed with a tempest1 the  
next day they lightened the ship2 and   
the third day we cast out with our own  
hands the tackling of the ship4 ,and    
when neither sun nor stars in many days 
appeared1 and no small tempest lay on   
us1 all hope that we should be saved was
 then taken away4 ,but after long       
abstinence ,paul stood forth in the     
midst of them1 and said1 ,sirs1 ye      
should have hearkened unto me1 and not  
have loosed from ,crete1 and to have    
gained this harm and loss4 ,and now ,i  
exhort you to be of good cheer3 for     
there shall be no loss of any man's life
 among you1 but of the ship4 ,for there 
stood by me this night the angel of     
,god1 whose ,i am1 and whom ,i serve1   
saying1 ,fear not1 ,paul2 thou must be  

brought before ,caesar3 and1 lo1 ,god   
hath given thee all them that sail with 
thee4 ,wherefore1 sirs1 be of good      
cheer3 for ,i believe ,god1 that it     
shall be even as it was told me4        
,howbeit we must be cast upon a certain 
island4  ,st4 ,paul's words and his     
steadfast faith1 must have been a       
comfort to his fellow voyagers2 and if  
any of the heathens were then inclined  
to believe in the ,god ,whose servant he
 was1 their faith would be confirmed by 
all that took place afterwards4  ,we    
next read in the ,book of ,acts1 ,but   
when the fourteenth night was come1     
7think of being fourteen days in such an
 awful position67 as we were driven up  
and down in ,adria1 about midnight the  
shipmen deemed that they drew near to   
some country2 and sounded1 and found it 
twenty fathoms3 and when they had gone a
 little further1 they sounded again1 and
 found it fifteen fathoms4 ,then fearing
 lest we should have fallen upon rocks1 
they cast four anchors out of the stern1

 and wished for the day4  ,the ancients 
seem to have given the name of ,adria1  
to that part of the ,mediterranean ,sea 
between ,greece and the south of ,italy1
 extending up into what we call the     
,adriatic ,sea2 here1 by the force of   
the wind and the currents1 the ship was 
driven backwards and forwards1 even as  
far as the islands off the coast of     
,dalmatia4  ,sounding means measuring   
how deep the sea is3 this is done by    
means of a piece of lead fastened to a  
very long string1 called the line1 which
 has marks upon it1 to show the number  
of feet4 ,the lead of course sinks      
straight down into the water3 if it     
touches the bottom of the sea1 it is    
immediately drawn up1 and by observing  
how much of the line is wet1 they can   
tell how deep the sea is in any         
particular spot4 ,as every ship has a   
good portion of it below the water1 she 
requires a certain depth of water to    
keep her from touching the bottom4 ,the 
sea generally becomes less deep near the

 shore1 and thus when the shipmen found 
that the depth of the sea had diminished
 from twenty to fifteen fathoms1 it was 
high time to wait for daylight to see   
where they were2 lest during the night  
the ship should run upon some land1 or  
rock1 or sandbank1 and so be lost4 ,a   
fathom is seven feet1 so that twenty    
fathoms were #adj feet1 and fifteen #aje
 feet4  ,in order to understand what    
follows1 we must remember that although 
now anchors are always let down from the
 prow1 or fore part of the ship1 it was 
the custom of the ancients to let them  
down from the stern1 or hind part of    
their vessels4 ,some of the large       
,egyptian ships do even now carry their 
anchors at the stern1 and not at the    
prow4 ,the vessel in which ,st4 ,paul   
was1 was anchored from the stern by four
 anchors1 to wait for daylight4  ,it    
seems that some of the shipmen1 or      
sailors1 seeing the dangerous condition 
of the ship1 thought they should be     
safer out of it2 and so without any     

consideration for others1 made up their 
minds to steal away secretly during the 
night1 taking the boat with them2 under 
pretence that their only object in now  
leaving the ship1 was to make its       
position more secure1 by letting down   
some anchors from the prow also4 ,st4   
,luke says1 ,and as the shipmen were    
about to flee out of the ship1 when they
 had let down the boat into the sea1    
under colour as though they would have  
cast anchors out of the foreship1 ,paul 
said to the centurion and to the        
soldiers1 ,except these abide in the    
ship1 ye cannot be saved4 ,then the     
soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat1 
and let her fall off4  ,of course the   
,lord could equally have saved the      
passengers1 whether the sailors remained
 in the ship or not2 but it was ,his    
,will that all should be delivered in   
one way2 and perhaps this was intended  
to be a test of faith and obedience4    
,the ,roman soldiers certainly had faith
 in ,st4 ,paul as the servant of a      

,mighty ,god1 to ,whom all things are   
possible1 and ,whose promise would be   
assuredly fulfilled3 therefore they at  
once took effectual means to prevent any
 one leaving the ship1 by cutting the   
ropes which still held the boat1 and    
letting it drift away4  ,according to   
the opinion of man1 they did a very     
foolish act in getting rid of a boat1   
which might be of the greatest use to   
them4 ,at ,crete they had believed the  
master and the owner of the ship1 more  
than those things which were spoken by  
,paul2 but they had had good reason to  
change their opinion1 and to believe    
that the ,apostle was indeed guided by  
his ,god2 and their faith made them     
obedient4 ,and while the day was coming 
on1 ,paul besought them all to take     
meat1 saying1 ,this day is the          
fourteenth day that ye have tarried and 
continued fasting1 having taken nothing4
 ,wherefore ,i pray you to take some    
meat3 for this is for your health3 for  
there shall not an hair fall from the   

head of any of you2 meaning1 that no one
 would suffer the slightest injury1 but 
that it was necessary for them to take  
some food1 that they might have strength
 for all that they would be called upon 
to do4 ,to his precept1 the ,apostle    
added example2 for when he had thus     
spoken1 he took bread1 and gave thanks  
to ,god in presence of them all3 and    
when he had broken it1 he began to eat4 
,even at such a moment1 ,st4 ,paul did  
not forget to give ,god thanks for his  
food4 ,the whole company in the ship    
would thus see how constantly he thought
 of ,god1 and endeavoured to do ,him    
honour2 and heathens though they were1  
his example must have taught them to    
think with reverence of the ,god of the 
,christians4 ,mean time the calm and    
firm trust displayed by the whole       
conduct of the ,apostle1 gave comfort   
and encouragement to all4 ,then were    
they all of good cheer1 and they also   
took some meat4 ,st4 ,luke tells us how 
many people there were on board the     

ship3 for he says1 ,and we were all in  
the ship two hundred three-score and    
sixteen souls1 or #bgf persons4 ,and    
when they had eaten enough1 they        
lightened the ship1 and cast out the    
wheat into the sea4 ,this wheat was     
probably the remainder of their         
provisions for the voyage1 for the cargo
 seems to have been thrown overboard    
before3 but perhaps the owner of the    
vessel had tried to keep some of the    
cargo1 in hope of still carrying it to  
,italy3 but now1 finding that hope was  
vain1 he consented to let it be cast    
out1 so as to lighten the ship1 and     
render her more likely to go safely on  
shore4 ,whilst1 under all circumstances1
 we put our whole trust in ,god1 ,who   
alone can bless any of our efforts with 
success1 we must never forget that it is
 our duty to use all our efforts1 and   
make use of every means which the ,lord 
places within our reach4  ,and when it  
was day1 they knew not the land1 the    
shore which they saw was that of a      

strange land2 but they discovered a     
certain creek with a shore1 a narrow arm
 of the sea1 with a shore on each side2 
into this creek they were minded1 that  
is1 they wished to thrust in the ship1  
as it would then be easier for those on 
board to get to shore4  ,and when they  
had taken up the anchors1 or rather cut 
the ropes which held the ship to them1  
they committed themselves unto the sea1 
that is1 left the ship to be carried    
along by the wind and waves1 and loosed 
the rudder bands1 which appear to have  
been ropes used to fasten the rudder1 so
 as to steer the ship in any particular 
direction2 and hoised up the mainsail1  
to give the wind more power to move the 
ship1 and so made toward shore4  ,the   
wind now seemed likely to take them into
 the creek2 but at the entrance of it1  
there appears to have been a headland or
 bank of earth1 which caused a strong   
current from two sides1 so that two seas
 might be said to meet4 ,as they could  
not guide the ship to go round either   

end of this barrier1 the wind drove it  
directly upon it4 ,st4 ,luke's account  
is1 ,and falling into a place where two 
seas met1 they ran the ship aground2 and
 the forepart stuck fast and remained   
unmoveable1 but the hinder part was     
broken with the violence of the waves4  
,it was now evident that the ship must  
go to pieces in a few minutes1 and that 
to remain in it would be certain death4 
,chapter ,,xxx4--,,the ,,ship',s        
,,company ,,saved4   ,in the hopeless   
condition of the ship1 gradually        
breaking up from the violence of the    
waves which beat upon the hind part1    
whilst the fore part was held fast on   
the bank1 all possibility of guarding   
the prisoners was at an end4 ,and the   
soldiers' counsel was to kill the       
prisoners1 lest any of them should swim 
out1 and escape4 ,they probably feared1 
that even under such peculiar           
circumstances1 if any of the prisoners  
under their charge escaped1 they would  
be blamed and punished by the ,roman    

,government2 which treated with great   
severity any fault or carelessness      
committed by soldiers1 or others trusted
 with the charge of criminals4 ,but the 
centurion1 willing to save ,paul1 to    
whom he must have felt that their safety
 was owing1 kept them from their        
purpose2 and commanded that they which  
could swim should cast themselves first 
into the sea1 and get to land3 and the  
rest1 some on boards1 and some on broken
 pieces of the ship2 in short1 anything 
which would float on the top of the     
water1 and so keep them from sinking1   
whilst the wind and the waves would     
drive them to the shore4 ,and so it came
 to pass1 that they escaped all safe to 
land4 ,there have been many wonderful   
escapes of shipwrecked persons1 but that
 #bgf people1 many of whom could not    
swim1 should all have got safe to the   
shore in such a storm1 must be looked   
upon as the miraculous fulfilment of the
 ,lord's promise to ,st4 ,paul1 that    
there should be no loss of any man's    

life4 ,and when they were escaped1 then 
they knew that the island was called    
,melita4  ,in the map we find the island
 of ,melita1 or ,meleda1 in the         
,adriatic ,sea1 on the coast of         
,dalmatia2 and this is most probably the
 island upon which ,st4 ,paul and his   
companions were shipwrecked3 but in maps
 where the journeys of this ,apostle are
 traced out by lines1 you will not see  
any line running out to this ,melita2   
but you will observe that they go to    
,melita1 or ,malta1 to the south of     
,sicily1 because many people have       
imagined that that was the island on    
which the ship was wrecked4 ,now when we
 have read ,st4 ,luke's account of what 
happened when ,st4 ,paul landed at      
,melita1 we shall see the reasons why   
the island must have been ,melita1 or   
,meleda1 on the ,dalmatian coast1 and   
not ,melita1 or ,malta1 in the          
,mediterranean ,sea4 ,st4 ,luke says1   
,and the barbarous people shewed us no  
little kindness3 for they kindled a     

fire1 and received us every one1 because
 of the present rain1 and because of the
 cold4 ,and when ,paul had gathered a   
bundle of sticks1 and laid them on the  
fire1 there came a viper out of the     
heat1 and fastened on his hand4 ,a viper
 is a very dangerous kind of serpent1 as
 the venom or poison from its bite will 
kill a man2 these creatures become      
stupid in cold wet weather1 and lie     
torpid1 or as if they were asleep3 one  
of them lying thus amongst the sticks1  
was picked up with them by ,st4 ,paul2  
but as soon as it felt the heat it came 
to life1 and darting out upon the       
,apostle's hand1 bit it4 ,and when the  
barbarians saw the venomous beast hang  
on his hand1 they said among themselves1
 ,no doubt this man is a murderer1 whom1
 though he hath escaped the sea1 yet    
vengeance suffereth not to live4  ,these
 people having no idea of true religion1
 fancied that the gods punished crimes  
upon earth only2 and that as ,st4 ,paul 
had not been drowned1 they had caused   

the viper to sting him1 that he might   
die as he deserved4 ,and he shook off   
the beast into the fire1 and felt no    
harm4 ,howbeit they looked when he      
should have swollen1 or fallen down dead
 suddenly3 but after they had looked a  
great while1 and saw no harm come to    
him1 they changed their minds1 and said 
that he was a god4  ,now we must        
remember1 that the shipwreck took place 
as the vessel was driven up and down in 
,adria1 that part of the sea close to   
,meleda4 ,the inhabitants of that island
 were1 as ,st4 ,luke calls them1        
barbarous and barbarians1 in the sense  
of being uncivilized1 unacquainted even 
with the comforts and conveniences of   
life4  ,the inhabitants of ,malta1 on   
the contrary1 were a civilized people3  
they had good towns and fine buildings3 
the people were rich and prosperous1 and
 acquainted with the arts and science of
 civilized life3 the finest linen was   
made there2 and ships came from all     
parts for the purposes of trade4  ,then1

 again1 ,meleda is cold and damp1 with  
plenty of trees all over it1 even down  
to the water's edge2 and there are many 
serpents in the island4  ,malta1 on the 
contrary1 is warm and dry2 there are but
 few trees in the island1 and none near 
the shore3 and besides1 there are no    
serpents there4  ,now all these are good
 reasons for our believing that ,st4    
,paul was shipwrecked on the island of  
,melita1 or ,meleda1 in the ,adriatic   
,sea1 and not upon the ,melita1 or      
,malta1 which lies to the south of      
,sicily4  ,st4 ,luke next tells us1 that
 in the same quarters were possessions  
of the chief man of the island1 whose   
name was ,publius2 who received us1 and 
lodged us three days courteously3 by    
which time some arrangement could be    
made for the future entertainment of the
 shipwrecked strangers1 who would have  
to remain for some months in the island4
 ,the father of ,publius lay ill at this
 time of a painful and dangerous        
illness2 to whom ,paul entered in1 and  

prayed1 and laid his hands on him1 and  
healed him4 ,so when this was done1     
others also1 which had diseases in the  
island1 came1 and were healed3 who also 
honoured us with many honours2 and when 
we departed1 they laded us with such    
things as were necessary4 ,these people 
were truly grateful for all the benefits
 they received from the ,apostle2 and   
besides honouring or treating him with  
respect1 whilst he lived amongst them1  
they furnished the provisions needful   
for himself and his companions1 when at 
last they quitted ,melita4  ,we may be  
quite sure1 though we are told nothing  
on the subject1 that during the three   
months passed in this island by ,st4    
,paul1 he preached the ,gospel          
faithfully and earnestly3 and we may    
well hope and believe1 that some of     
these barbarous people became true      
followers of the blessed ,jesus1 of     
,whose power they had seen such a       
wonderful instance1 in the preservation 
of ,st4 ,paul and his companions4       

,another ship from ,alexandria had      
passed the winter at ,meleda3 perhaps   
she had come up the ,adriatic to bring  
corn from ,egypt to the countries on the
 borders of that sea1 and when the storm
 came on1 had wisely determined to      
remain where she was for the winter2 or 
perhaps she had only been on her way to 
,rome1 and had turned out of her course 
to take shelter1 as soon as the storm   
arose and made sailing dangerous4       
,however that may be1 this ship1 which  
was called ,the ,castor and ,pollux had 
passed the winter at ,meleda4  ,we all  
know that ships and boats always have a 
name painted upon the stern1 to         
distinguish them from one another4 ,many
 large ships have also a figure or image
 as well3 thus a ship called ,the ,lord 
,nelson1 would have fastened to the fore
 part1 or prow1 an image or figure of   
,lord ,nelson cut out in wood and       
painted4 ,this sort of thing is called  
the figure-head4 ,the ancients1 instead 
of putting a figure1 painted the picture

 of one1 on the fore part of their      
vessels1 and this was called the sign4  
,castor and ,pollux were two of the     
imaginary gods or heroes of the         
ancients3 they were twin brothers1 and  
were supposed to take particular care of
 sailors4 ,a picture of ,castor and     
,pollux was painted on this ship of     
,alexandria4  ,st4 ,luke says1 ,and     
after three months we departed in a ship
 of ,alexandria1 which had wintered in  
the isle1 whose sign was ,castor and    
,pollux4 ,their voyage was undisturbed  
now1 and they soon reached the island of
 ,sicily1 and landing at ,syracuse1 then
 the capital of the island1 tarried     
there three days4 ,and from thence1 ,st4
 ,luke says1 we fetched a compass1 and  
came to ,rhegium1 a town in ,italy1     
almost opposite to that of ,messina1    
another considerable town in ,sicily1   
and just at the entrance of the ,straits
 of ,messina4 ,at ,rhegium they appear  
to have intended to wait for a          
favourable wind2 for we read1 and after 

one day the south wind blew1 and we came
 the next day to ,puteoli4 ,here the    
voyage ended3 at ,puteoli the ship would
 land whatever cargo she carried1 and   
then return to ,alexandria4 ,st4 ,paul  
and his companions must go by land to   
,rome1 about one hundred miles to the   
north-west of ,puteoli4 ,puteoli was not
 only a great place of trade for corn1  
but also for merchandise of all kinds1  
which was brought there from different  
countries1 to be exchanged for the      
productions of ,italy4 ,this exchange   
is1 as we have already said1 called     
commerce4  ,with so many people from all
 parts coming to ,puteoli1 it was       
impossible that the ,christian religion 
should not have been brought into the   
place by some of them2 and it appears   
that there were at this time a certain  
number of ,christians at ,puteoli3 for  
,st4 ,luke says1 where we found         
brethren1 and were desired to tarry with
 them seven days4 ,they were naturally  
glad of such an opportunity of          

conversing with the ,apostle1 and wished
 to keep him with them for seven days2  
and it seems that he was allowed to     
remain with them1 which speaks well for 
the kindness of ,julius1 the centurion  
under whose care he was placed1 and who 
had all along evidently favoured ,st4   
,paul4 ,they then went toward ,rome4    
,and from thence1 ,st4 ,luke says1 when 
the brethren heard of us1 they came to  
meet us as far as ,appii ,forum1 and the
 ,three ,taverns4 ,rome was at this time
 the most important city in the world3  
people came there from all countries2 so
 we are not surprised to find that there
 were great numbers of ,christians      
there4 ,when the news reached them that 
,st4 ,paul1 whom many of them had       
probably known in other countries1 was  
not only landed in ,italy1 but was      
actually approaching ,rome from         
,puteoli1 great numbers went out to meet
 and welcome him4 ,some of them went as 
far as ,appii ,forum1 a place about     
fifty miles from ,rome2 others met him  

at the ,three ,taverns1 about thirty    
miles from ,rome4 ,the sight of so many 
true ,christians was a great joy to the 
,apostle1 who was anxious that all men  
everywhere should repent and turn to    
,god4 ,st4 ,luke says1 ,whom when ,paul 
saw1 he thanked ,god1 and took courage4 
,thanked ,god for all that had been done
 in the conversion of the heathen2      
whilst he was encouraged to hope for a  
still further spread of the ,gospel1    
whatever might be his own fate4         
,chapter ,,xxxi4--,,st4 ,,paul ,a       
,,prisoner ,,at ,,rome4   ,the centurion
 ,julius had now finished his work1 he  
had brought ,st4 ,paul from ,caesarea to
 ,rome1 as he had been ordered to do4   
,on the way1 he had seen wonderful      
things1 which must have convinced him   
that the prisoner whom he was now to    
deliver into the charge of others1 was a
 good and holy man1 under the especial  
protection of his ,god2 and he had      
moreover seen that this ,god was great  
and powerful1 and able to command the   

wind and waves1 as none of the gods     
worshipped by the heathen1 could do4    
,whether he1 or any other of ,st4       
,paul's fellow voyagers1 became         
,christians1 we are not told4  ,st4     
,luke tells us1 ,and when we came to    
,rome1 the centurion delivered the      
prisoners to the captain of the guard3  
but ,paul was suffered to dwell by      
himself with a soldier that kept him4   
,it was probably owing to what ,festus  
had written after ,agrippa's interview  
with his prisoner1 that he was now      
allowed to live in a hired house of his 
own1 with merely one soldier to guard   
him2 instead of being shut up in prison1
 as he would have been1 had he been     
supposed to have broken any of the      
,roman laws4 ,according to custom1 he   
was probably linked by a small chain to 
this soldier1 but he was not prevented  
from seeing anybody who came to him2 and
 he soon made use of this liberty1 for  
it came to pass1 that after three days  
,paul called the chief of the ,jews     

together3 and when they were come       
together1 he said unto them1 ,men and   
brethren1 though ,i have committed      
nothing against the people1 or customs  
of our fathers1 yet was ,i delivered    
prisoner from ,jerusalem into the hands 
of the ,romans1 who1 when they had      
examined me1 would have let me go1      
because there was no cause of death in  
me4 ,but when the ,jews spake against   
it1 ,i was constrained to appeal unto   
,caesar2 not that ,i had ought to accuse
 my nation of4 ,for this cause therefore
 have ,i called for you1 to see you1 and
 to speak with you3 because that for the
 hope of ,israel ,i am bound with this  
chain4  ,st4 ,paul was anxious that the 
,jews at ,rome should not be prevented  
from listening to his teaching1 by the  
idea that he was a prisoner on account  
of any crimes he had committed2 and as  
they might1 perhaps1 have heard some    
account of all that had happened at     
,jerusalem1 he took the earliest        
opportunity of explaining1 that he had  

done nothing contrary to the religion   
taught by ,moses2 and that1 in fact1 the
 only reason for which he was a prisoner
 was1 that he had preached of the coming
 of the ,messiah1 and of the future     
resurrection of all men1--matters taught
 by all the prophets1 and so firmly     
believed by the ,children of ,israel in 
all ages1 that the doctrine might truly 
be called ,the hope of ,israel2 for upon
 it1 depended all their hope of         
obtaining favour and mercy from the     
,almighty4 ,the ,jews of ,rome1 however1
 had heard nothing of the treatment     
which ,st4 ,paul had received from their
 brethren in ,jerusalem1 ,and they said 
unto him1 ,we neither received letters  
out of ,judaea concerning thee1 neither 
any of the brethren that came shewed or 
spake any harm of thee4 ,but we desire  
to hear of thee what thou thinkest3 for 
as concerning this sect1 we know that   
everywhere it is spoken against4  ,these
 ,jews were not prejudiced against ,st4 
,paul1 but were willing to listen to all

 he had to say4 ,they knew that the     
,christians1 this sect1 as they called  
them1 were much spoken against1 and that
 while some thought their doctrines were
 true and right1 others said they were  
false and mischievous1--likely to make  
men wicked instead of good1--and ought  
not1 therefore1 to be attended to at    
all4  ,under these circumstances1 the   
,jews at ,rome were anxious to hear from
 ,st4 ,paul's own mouth1 a true account 
of the doctrines which he taught4 ,the  
,apostle was only too glad of having    
such an opportunity of explaining the   
truths of the ,gospel to the ,jews4     
,and when they had appointed him a day1 
there came many to him into his lodging2
 to whom he expounded and testified the 
kingdom of ,god1 persuading them        
concerning ,jesus1 both out of the law  
of ,moses1 and out of the prophets1 from
 morning till evening1--that is1 he     
showed them from what had been said both
 by ,moses and the prophets1 that ,jesus
 of ,nazareth was indeed the ,messiah1  

promised to faithful ,abraham1 as the   
,son or ,seed in ,whom all nations of   
the earth should be blessed4 ,for one   
whole day1 from morning till evening1   
did the ,apostle argue with these ,jews1
 trying to persuade them to become      
followers of ,jesus3 with some he       
succeeded2 with some he failed3 for ,st4
 ,luke says1 ,and some believed the     
things which were spoken1 and some      
believed not4 ,and when they agreed not 
among themselves1 they departed1 after  
that ,paul had spoken one word4 ,this   
one word of which ,st4 ,luke speaks1 was
 a quotation from the writings of the   
prophet ,isaiah1 showing them1 that by  
their obstinate refusal to believe the  
,word of ,god1 they put themselves      
amongst the number of those1 who would  
be left in their own wilful blindness3  
and that the ,gospel1 or words of       
,salvation1 would be preached to the    
,gentiles1 and that they would be far   
more willing to receive it1 than the    
,jews had ever been4 ,the ,apostle's    

speech1 or one word1 addressed to these 
unbelieving ,jews1 was1 ,well spake the 
,holy ,ghost by ,esaias the prophet unto
 our fathers1 saying1 ,go unto this     
people1 and say1 ,hearing ye shall hear1
 and shall not understand2 and seeing ye
 shall see1 and not perceive3 for the   
heart of this people is waxed gross1 and
 their ears are dull of hearing1 and    
their eyes have they closed2 lest they  
should see with their eyes1 and hear    
with their ears1 and understand with    
their heart1 and should be converted1   
and ,i should heal them4 ,be it known   
therefore unto you1 that the salvation  
of ,god is sent unto the ,gentiles1 and 
that they will hear it4  ,we have read  
the words which ,st4 ,paul spake to the 
unbelieving ,jews1 ,and when he had said
 these words1 the ,jews departed1 and   
had great reasoning among themselves4   
,whether their reasoning1 or talking    
together1 led to the conversion of any  
of them1 we do not know4 ,nor are we    
told of any trial of ,st4 ,paul taking  

place1 either before the ,emperor       
himself1 or by persons appointed by him3
 all that we do know is1 that ,paul     
dwelt two whole years in his own hired  
house1 and received all that came in    
unto him1 preaching the kingdom of ,god1
 and teaching those things which concern
 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 with all     
confidence1 no man forbidding him4 ,this
 shows that ,st4 ,paul enjoyed a great  
deal of liberty1 although he was still  
considered as a prisoner1 and could not 
leave ,rome4  ,during these two years1  
,st4 ,paul1 besides preaching to all who
 would hear him1 wrote ,epistles to the 
,ephesians2 ,philippians1 or inhabitants
 of ,philippi2 to the ,colossians1 or   
people of ,colosse1 in ,asia ,minor2 and
 one to ,philemon1 a rich man of        
,colosse4 ,in these ,epistles he speaks 
of himself as a prisoner1 and mentions  
his bonds4  ,you will remember all that 
happened at ,ephesus1 and how long ,st4 
,paul remained there at one time2 and   
how on another occasion he sent for the 

elders to ,miletus1 and took leave of   
them1 knowing that he should see them   
again no more4 ,that was three years    
before the time of which we are now     
speaking3 but ,st4 ,paul had not        
forgotten them1 and therefore1 in the   
year #fa 7,a4,d471 he1 being a prisoner 
at ,rome1 wrote an ,epistle1 or ,letter1
 to the ,christians at ,ephesus4 ,in    
this ,epistle1 the ,apostle speaks to   
the ,ephesians of the great mercy shown 
by ,god to the ,gentiles 7amongst whom  
they themselves were71 in allowing them 
to share the blessings of the ,gospel1  
without being required to keep the ,law 
of ,moses4 ,in return for such great    
mercy1 ,st4 ,paul entreats the          
,ephesians to show their gratitude by   
their conduct1 and to walk worthy of the
 vocation wherewith they were called4   
,vocation means calling1 profession1    
employment1 state1 or condition3 they   
were called to be ,christians2 their    
profession was that they were ,his      
servants2 their employment ought to be  

doing the ,will of ,god3 by the         
atonement of ,jesus1 they had been      
brought into a state or condition for   
obtaining salvation1 and now they must  
try to walk worthy of their vocation3   
leading in all things such a life as was
 expected from the followers of the     
,holy ,jesus1 who are bound to follow   
,his example to the extent of their     
powers4 ,what ,st4 ,paul said on this   
subject1 equally applies to us2 for our 
vocation is the same as that of the     
,ephesians1 and we must strive hard to  
work worthy of it1 that is1 to be good  
,christians4 ,in this ,epistle1 many    
particular rules are given for the      
conduct of ,christians2 one of which is1
 ,children1 obey your parents4 ,st4     
,paul had1 as we have read1 established 
during his second journey a ,church1 or 
company of believers1 at ,philippi1 in  
,macedonia4 ,we shall remember how      
,lydia showed her gratitude to ,st4     
,paul1 and how the imprisonment of him  
and ,silas1 led to the conversion of the

 jailor1 who became a true believer in  
,jesus4  ,during his ,third ,journey1   
,st4 ,paul again went into ,macedonia1  
after the riot at ,ephesus1 and then he 
visited ,philippi once more4 ,the       
,philippians1 grateful to ,god for the  
gift of the holy ,gospel received       
through ,st4 ,paul1 were anxious to do  
whatever they could for the ,apostle2   
and whilst he was preaching at          
,thessalonica1 the chief town in their  
part of the country1 the ,christians of 
,philippi1 who were but a small company1
 twice sent money to ,st4 ,paul1 that   
the success of his teaching might be in 
no way hindered1 by his having to depend
 upon the ,thessalonians for the supply 
of his temporal wants4 ,they did the    
same thing again whilst ,st4 ,paul was  
at ,corinth2 and now1 hearing that he   
was in confinement at ,rome1 they feared
 that he might be badly off for food and
 other necessary things4 ,a collection  
was therefore made amongst the          
,christians at ,philippi1 and the sum   

thus collected was sent to ,rome by     
,epaphroditus1 one of their ,pastors1 or
 ,ministers4  ,st ,paul was truly       
thankful for this timely supply2 for    
before ,epaphroditus came1 he really had
 been in great want of necessaries3 he  
could not work at his trade of          
tent-making now he was a prisoner1 and  
he did not think it advisable to ask    
assistance from the ,christians at      
,rome4  ,epaphroditus stayed at ,rome   
for several months2 and during the time 
he became extremely ill4 ,after he got  
well again1 ,st4 ,paul sent him back to 
,philippi3 and by him1 he sent an       
,epistle1 which he had written to thank 
the ,philippians for their thoughtful   
care of him in his time of need4 ,in    
this ,epistle1 also1 the ,apostle begs  
the ,christians of ,philippi not to     
listen to false teachers1 who tried to  
draw them away from the truth as he had 
taught it to them2 but to try to obey   
the ,lord in all things1 and continue to
 love each other4 ,as usual in all his  

,epistles1 ,st4 ,paul gives the         
,philippians much good advice and many  
holy precepts3 he also speaks much of   
,jesus ,christ1 and of the necessity of 
loving ,him1 and following ,his example4
     ,chapter ,,xxxii4--,,st4 ,,paul    
,,set ,,at ,,liberty4   ,the ,epistle to
 the ,colossians was also written by    
,st4 ,paul whilst he was a prisoner at  
,rome3 probably about the end of the    
year #fb 7,a4,d474 ,colosse was a city  
of ,phrygia1 where ,st4 ,paul had       
founded a ,church2 that is1 converted a 
certain number to be believers or       
,christians1 during his ,first or       
,second ,journey1 when he was travelling
 throughout ,asia ,minor4 ,the believers
 of ,colosse1 having heard of the       
,apostle's imprisonment at ,rome1 sent  
one of their ministers1 named ,epaphras1
 to see how he was treated2 and also to 
give him an account of how the ,church  
at ,colosse was going on4 ,after hearing
 all that ,epaphras could tell him1 ,st4
 ,paul wrote an ,epistle1 which he sent 

to the ,colossians by ,tychicus1 of whom
 he speaks as a beloved brother1 that   
is1 a faithful fellow ,christian4       
,tychicus was accompanied to ,colosse by
 ,onesimus1 of whom we shall say more   
presently4  ,in this ,epistle to the    
,colossians1 ,st4 ,paul proves1 that    
man's only hope of salvation rests upon 
the atonement made by ,jesus ,christ2   
and he shows1 therefore1 how wrong the  
,jews were to insist upon the observance
 of the ,law of ,moses1 as if that could
 save them4 ,he also warned the         
,colossians not to be led away by the   
errors of the philosophers1 or wise men1
 who taught doctrines not taught by the 
,gospel4 ,he exhorts them to show their 
faith in ,christ by holiness of life1   
and the due performance of every duty to
 their fellow creatures2 and entreats   
them to continue in prayer1 and watch in
 the same with thanksgiving4 ,st4 ,paul 
ends this letter1 by telling the        
,colossians that they will hear         
everything concerning him from ,tychicus

 and ,onesimus1 by whom he had sent the 
,epistle4  ,onesimus1 who is here spoken
 of1 had been the slave of a rich man of
 ,colosse1 named ,philemon1 who had been
 converted to ,christianity by ,st      
,paul4 ,onesimus ran away from his      
master1 to whom he belonged1 and thus   
robbed him of his services2 and some    
think he also robbed ,philemon of money4
 ,onesimus fled to ,rome2 and there ,god
 inclined this runaway slave to listen  
to the teaching of ,st4 ,paul1 and1 in  
consequence1 he became a ,christian and 
was baptized3 after this1 the ,apostle  
kept ,onesimus with him for some time1  
that he might see whether his conduct   
showed that he was really and truly a   
,christian4 ,he soon saw that this was  
the case2 and indeed ,onesimus gave a   
strong proof of the change in his heart 
and feelings1 by wishing to go back to  
,colosse1 and give himself up again as a
 slave to ,philemon1 in order to make up
 for the injury he had done him by      
running away4 ,in doing this1 ,onesimus 

ran some risk2 for the laws of ,phrygia 
allowed a master to punish a runaway    
slave very severely1 and even put him to
 death if he pleased3 but he felt that  
it was his duty to go back1 and make    
amends for the wrong he had done2 and   
therefore he went1 trusting in ,god to  
save him1 or to enable him to bear      
whatever punishment might be inflicted4 
,st4 ,paul felt a great interest in     
,onesimus1 whom he speaks of as his son1
 because he had converted him to the new
 life of a ,christian2 and therefore he 
wrote to ,philemon1 earnestly begging of
 him not only to pardon ,onesimus for   
any wrong he had done him1 but also now 
to receive him1 not as a servant1 but as
 a fellow ,christian1 a brother beloved4
 ,we are not told in the ,scriptures any
 more on this subject1 but there can be 
no doubt that ,philemon did all that    
,st4 ,paul requested4  ,there is reason 
to believe that ,onesimus became a      
preacher of the ,gospel3 some people    
think that he was afterwards ,bishop of 

,ephesus1 and that he finally suffered  
martyrdom at ,rome3 but this is not     
certain4 ,st4 ,paul was not the only    
,apostle who wrote ,epistles1 though he 
wrote twice as many as all the other    
,apostles put together4  ,during this   
time1 when ,st4 ,paul was a prisoner in 
,rome1 ,st4 ,james wrote the ,epistle   
which bears his name4 ,st4 ,james was1  
we must remember1 head or ,bishop of the
 ,church at ,jerusalem2 and from        
,jerusalem he wrote his ,epistle1 not to
 the inhabitants of any particular      
place1 but to the ,jewish ,christians in
 general2 that is1 to those ,christians 
who had been ,jews before1 wherever they
 might now be residing4 ,in this        
,epistle1 ,st4 ,james warns those to    
whom he wrote1 not to be led away to    
follow any of the bad practices which   
were but too common in those days2 and  
he also explained to them1 that they    
were mistaken as to the meaning of some 
of the doctrines taught by ,st4 ,paul1  
who had never preached anything that was

 not quite according to the ,will of    
,god4 ,st4 ,james also gave many        
precepts for the conduct of ,christians1
 and for the due performance of their   
various duties--encouraging them to try1
 by showing that the ,lord had promised 
success to those who do really try4     
,resist the devil1 and he will flee from
 you4 ,draw nigh to ,god1 and ,he will  
draw nigh to you4 ,god resisteth the    
proud1 but giveth grace unto the humble4
 ,humble yourselves in the sight of the 
,lord1 and ,he shall lift you up4 ,these
 are texts full of encouragement to all 
,christians1 to the end of time4 ,and   
equally necessary for us now1 as for the
 believers to whom ,st4 ,james wrote1   
are1 ,be ye doers of the word1 and not  
hearers only1 deceiving your own selves4
 ,speak not evil one of another4 ,grudge
 not one against another2 and all the   
other warnings and precepts contained in
 this short1 but beautiful ,epistle1    
written by ,st4 ,james4  ,some time in  
the course of the year #fb 7,a4,d471    

,st4 ,paul was set completely at        
liberty1 so that he might go wherever he
 pleased3 but he did not immediately    
quit ,rome1 but remained there till he  
had completed two years2 preaching the  
kingdom of ,god1 and teaching those     
things which concern the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ1 with all confidence1 no man    
forbidding him4 ,the ,roman ,emperor    
,nero had not made any law to forbid the
 ,christian religion being preached and 
followed2 the ,jews did not therefore1  
dare to persecute ,st4 ,paul at ,rome2  
for by his being set at liberty1 the    
,roman ,government had shown that they  
considered him an innocent man1 unjustly
 accused by his fellow countrymen4 ,it  
seems that one reason why ,st4 ,paul now
 remained in ,italy was1 that he        
expected ,timothy to join him in ,rome1 
and then set out with him on another    
voyage4 ,whilst ,st4 ,paul was thus     
waiting for ,timothy1 he wrote his      
,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,the object of
 this ,epistle was to convince the      

,hebrews or ,jews1 of the truth of the  
,gospel2 and in it1 he pointed out that 
everything which he had told them of    
,christ's human and divine nature1 of   
,his ,atonement and ,intercession1      
agreed perfectly with all that the      
,scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 the 
writings of ,moses and the ,prophets1   
had said of the ,messiah4 ,he showed    
them that the ,gospel was far superior  
to the ,law2 for that1 in fact1 the ,law
 had only been given to prepare the way 
for the ,messiah1 and to lead men to    
believe in ,him and to serve ,him4  ,the
 ,bible gives us no further account of  
,st4 ,paul's travels1 but we have reason
 to believe1 that after ,timothy had    
joined him at ,rome1 they went to ,spain
 and ,britain1 and to other western     
countries1 preaching the ,gospel        
everywhere1 and converting great numbers
 of his hearers4 ,after this voyage to  
the ,west1 ,st4 ,paul appears to have   
visited ,jerusalem again2 and then to   
have gone through ,syria and other parts

 of ,asia ,minor1 and so on even into   
,macedonia2 this we gather from one of  
his ,epistles1 in which he says1 that at
 ,miletum he had been obliged to leave  
one of his companions1 called           
,trophimus1 who was too ill to go on any
 further1 and that at ,troas he had left
 a cloak and some parchments4 ,parchment
 is the skin of sheep1 prepared in a    
particular manner1 so as to be fit to   
write upon4 ,very soon after ,st4 ,paul 
left ,jerusalem1 to make this ,fifth and
 last ,journey1 ,st4 ,james was killed  
at ,jerusalem by the unbelieving ,jews4 
,festus1 the ,roman governor1 died2 and 
before his successor1 ,albinus1 could   
get to ,judaea1 the ,jews raised a      
tumult1 and ,st4 ,james is said to have 
been thrown down from some part of the  
temple1 and then knocked on the head    
with a club or heavy stick4 ,albinus1   
when he did come1 proved himself to be a
 very bad ruler2 for he was so extremely
 fond of money1 that in order to get it1
 he was not only guilty of great        

oppression1 but he allowed the people to
 commit all sorts of wickedness without 
being punished1 if they would only give 
him a sufficient sum of money4 ,he was  
not governor for long1 but was succeeded
 by ,gessius ,florus1 about ,a4,d4 #fd4 
,this ,gessius ,florus was one of the   
worst of men1 and the ,jews suffered    
dreadfully under his government1 for he 
pillaged whole provinces2 encouraged the
 banditti1 on condition that they gave  
him part of their plunder2 he robbed the
 sacred treasury1 and even tried to     
excite the ,jews to open rebellion1 in  
order that1 in the confusion1 no        
complaints of his conduct might be      
carried to ,rome4 ,awful indeed were the
 evils which now began to fall upon the 
unhappy ,jews1 who had provoked the     
wrath of ,god by their rejection of the 
,messiah4 ,in consequence of the sad    
state of ,judaea1 many of the           
inhabitants sought refuge in foreign    
countries2 those who remained applied to
 ,cestius ,gallus1 the governor of      

,syria1 and earnestly begged that he    
would deliver them from the cruel       
tyranny of ,florus4 ,gallus1 instead of 
inquiring into ,florus's conduct1 sent  
the ,jews away1 merely telling them     
their governor should behave better for 
the future1 which1 however1 he did not  
do4  ,in the year #fe 7,a4,d471 there   
was a fire at ,rome1 which burnt a great
 many houses1 and did much damage in the
 city2 the ,emperor ,nero himself was   
greatly suspected of having caused it1  
in order to have an excuse for          
persecuting the ,christians3 he         
delighted in the sufferings and miseries
 of others1 and would have no pity for  
the poor creatures who would lose all   
their property in such a fire4 ,at any  
rate1 ,nero chose to accuse the         
,christians of having set fire to the   
city1 and on this pretence they were now
 treated with the greatest cruelty2     
tortured first1 and then put to death in
 many barbarous ways4 ,when this        
persecution began1 it is probable that  

,st4 ,paul was in the island of ,crete2 
but1 on hearing of the sufferings of the
 ,christians at ,rome1 he immediately   
went there1 to strengthen and encourage 
the brethren to bear any torture1 and   
even death itself1 rather than give up  
their religion4 ,he comforted them by   
reminding them of the love of ,christ1  
and by assuring them that ,his blessing 
would rest upon them1 whether they lived
 or died4 ,st ,paul was not long allowed
 to carry on this good work1 for he was 
himself imprisoned on account of his    
religion2 and he saw plainly that he    
should soon be called upon to give up   
his life for the sake of his divine     
,master2 but this prospect did not      
disturb him2 he was ready and willing to
 go1 and be with ,christ4     ,chapter  
,,xxxiii4--,,martyrdom ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul
 ,,and ,,st4 ,,peter4   ,st4 ,paul1     
feeling that he was about to be taken   
away from earth1 wrote to take leave of 
,timothy1 whom he had loved as his own  
son4 ,this letter1 which is called ,the 

,second ,epistle of ,paul the ,apostle  
to ,timothy1 gave him such advice as the
 ,apostle thought might be useful to    
him4  ,the ,first ,epistle to ,timothy  
has already been mentioned1 as having   
been written nine years before1 when    
,st4 ,paul went into ,macedonia1 after  
the riot at ,ephesus1 where he had left 
,timothy to direct the affairs of the   
,church4  ,in this ,second ,epistle1 ,st
 ,paul entreats ,timothy to keep        
steadfastly in the faith of the ,gospel1
 in spite of every danger4 ,in this     
,epistle the ,apostle declares his      
willingness to die2 his conscience told 
him that ever since he became a follower
 of ,jesus1 he had tried to please his  
heavenly ,master2 and therefore he felt1
 that he should enjoy in heaven that    
happiness which ,god has promised to all
 who truly love and serve ,him4 ,st4    
,paul's own words are1 ,i am now ready  
to be offered1 and the time of my       
departure is at hand4 ,i have fought a  
good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 

,i have kept the faith3 henceforth there
 is laid up for me a crown of           
righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the     
righteous judge1 shall give me at that  
day3 and not to me only1 but unto all   
them also that love his appearing4  ,we 
must all try to fight a good fight      
against the ,devil1 and all our own     
sinful tempers and wishes3 we too must  
keep the faith1 doing all those things  
which the ,gospel bids ,christians do3  
then when we have finished our course1  
and done the work given us to do1 we1   
like ,st4 ,paul1 may hope1 that for the 
sake of ,jesus ,christ1 we shall be     
looked upon as righteous1 and as such1  
be received into everlasting happiness4 
,very soon after writing this ,second   
,epistle to ,timothy1 ,st4 ,paul        
suffered martyrdom by command of ,nero1 
because he would not renounce his faith1
 and bow down to the false gods of the  
heathen4 ,being a freeman of ,rome1 ,st4
 ,paul was put to death by having his   
head cut off with a sword1 instead of   

being given to be devoured by wild      
beasts1 as the ,christians usually were4
 ,the ,apostle died in the month of     
,june1 ,a4,d4 #ff4 ,slaves and persons  
guilty of great crimes1 were often      
condemned to fight with wild beasts1 who
 of course tore them to pieces3 this was
 a most cruel barbarous way of putting  
even the greatest criminals to death2   
and yet to such a fate were ,christians 
condemned1 because they would not deny  
the ,lord ,who bought them6  ,it is     
dreadful to think that the people       
delighted in witnessing such dreadful   
fights1 which took place in the         
amphitheatres4 ,these amphitheatres were
 buildings without roofs2 each          
consisting of a large space enclosed by 
walls of moderate height1 called the    
arena2 and rows of seats outside the    
wall of the arena1 rising up like steps 
to the outward wall of the building4    
,from these seats1 which were always    
crowded1 the spectators could see       
whatever was going on in the arena4     

,about the time that ,st4 ,paul suffered
 martyrdom at ,rome1 strange and awful  
sights were seen at ,jerusalem3 the     
,almighty thus warning ,his             
once-favoured people1 that as they had  
forsaken ,him1 so ,he had given them up2
 and that all the evils foretold by     
,jesus ,christ1 were now about to fall  
upon their devoted city4  ,the cruel and
 unjust conduct of their ,governor      
,florus1 and the consequent anger of the
 people1 threatened to produce a war in 
,judaea2 and in addition to this there  
were famines and earthquakes1 and       
fearful sights in the heavens4 ,just    
before the ,passover1 when a multitude  
of people were assembled at ,jerusalem  
to keep it1 on a sudden1 in the middle  
of the night1 such a brilliant light    
shone round the temple and the altar1   
that it seemed to be day4 ,a few days   
afterwards1 just before the sun set1    
chariots and troops of soldiers were    
seen passing through the clouds1        
fighting with each other4 ,then the     

eastern gate of the temple1 which was of
 solid brass1 and so heavy that twenty  
men could hardly open or shut it1 flew  
open of itself one night1 although it   
was fastened with strong bars and bolts4
 ,at the ,feast of ,pentecost1 when the 
,priests were going into the inner      
temple by night to attend to their      
duties1 they heard voices saying1 ,let  
us depart hence2 and immediately there  
was a noise as of a multitude of people1
 rushing forth out of the temple4       
,these and other wonderful signs must   
have filled the ,jews with alarm2 whilst
 real troubles were daily increasing    
upon them4  ,there had long been a      
dispute between the ,syrians and the    
,jews1 as to which of them had the best 
right to the city of ,caesarea          
,philippi1 built on the borders of the  
two countries4 ,in the time of ,felix1  
the two parties were preparing to fight 
for the possession of it2 but the       
governor stopped them for a time1 and   
sent the chiefs of both nations to      

,rome1 to plead their cause before the  
,emperor4 ,nothing had then been        
decided2 but now1 in the year ,a4,d4    
#ff1 ,nero declared that the town of    
,caesarea ,philippi should belong to the
 ,syrians4 ,this decision was very      
displeasing to the ,jews1 and led to a  
dreadful war1 which ended in the        
destruction of ,jerusalem a few years   
later4 ,but before we go on with this   
subject1 we must go back a little1 and  
say a few words about ,st4 ,peter4  ,the
 ,book of ,acts tells us nothing more of
 the ,apostle ,st4 ,peter after the     
,council held by ,st4 ,james and the    
,church at ,jerusalem1 when ,paul and   
,barnabas1 and certain other of them1   
were sent up from ,antioch to           
,jerusalem1 unto the ,apostles and      
elders1 to inquire whether it was       
needful for the ,gentiles who became    
,christians1 to be also circumcised     
after the manner of ,moses1 and to keep 
the law4 ,when there had been much      
disputation on the subject1 ,st4 ,peter 

spake out boldly2 reminding the assembly
 of the conversion of ,cornelius1 and   
telling them that after what ,god had   
then done1 it would be quite wrong to   
require the ,gentiles to be circumcised 
and keep the ,law of ,moses4 ,this      
speech decided the matter2 and ,st4     
,james then gave sentence1 that the     
,ceremonial ,law was not binding upon   
the ,gentile converts4  ,soon after     
this1 ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul were   
together at ,antioch2 and there1 ,st4   
,peter1 in his eagerness to please the  
,jews1 withdrew himself from the        
,gentiles1 as thus countenancing the    
idea that being uncircumcised1 they were
 not fit company for the ,jews4 ,st4    
,paul blamed him1 and showed him that he
 was doing wrong1 since he himself knew1
 that in the sight of ,god there would  
be no difference between ,jew and       
,gentile1 circumcision or               
uncircumcision1 when once they became   
believers in ,jesus ,christ4 ,this      
happened ,a4,d4 #di4  ,where ,st4 ,peter

 spent the next seventeen years1 we do  
not know2 but wherever he was1 we may be
 quite sure that he zealously preached  
the ,gospel1 and endeavoured to bring   
all men to believe in ,jesus ,christ4   
,it is most likely that ,st4 ,peter came
 to ,rome just before or after ,st4     
,paul's martyrdom1 in the year #ff      
7,a4,d472 and he then wrote his ,first  
,epistle4 ,this ,epistle was not written
 to the inhabitants of any particular   
place1 but generally1 to all the ,jewish
 ,christians1 who had been forced by    
persecution to leave their own land and 
take refuge in heathen countries2 and   
also to those ,gentiles who had become  
,christians1 and were now living in many
 different countries4 ,in his ,epistle1 
,st4 ,peter entreats all to whom he     
writes1 to keep steady to their         
religion1 and suffer anything rather    
than give it up4 ,he also shows them how
 necessary it is that they should lead  
holy and blameless lives1 not only for  
their own sake1 that they might obtain  

the blessing of ,god1 but also to show  
all men1 that ,christians were in every 
respect better than any other men4 ,st4 
,peter speaks of writing from ,babylon2 
but by ,babylon1 he means the city of   
,rome1 which in figurative language he  
calls ,babylon1 because in the idolatry 
and wickedness of its inhabitants1 it   
resembled that ancient city4 ,besides   
this1 the real ,babylon was the place   
where the ,jews1 then the ,church of    
,god1 suffered much during their long   
captivity2 and now the ,christian       
,church was suffering fearful things at 
,rome4 ,st4 ,peter might well then use  
the figurative language so common       
amongst the ,jews at that time1 and     
speak of wicked1 persecuting ,rome1 as  
,babylon4 ,it was prudent moreover to do
 so1 for had the ,christians spoken     
openly and plainly of ,rome1 they would 
have provoked the anger of the ,romans2 
and though the ,christians suffered     
patiently all that was laid upon them1  
they never provoked persecution         

unnecessarily4 ,st4 ,peter did not long 
escape persecution2 and with the        
prospect of a cruel death before him1 he
 wrote his ,second ,epistle to the      
,jewish and ,gentile ,christians in all 
countries1 to warn them not to listen to
 the doctrines of false teachers1 but to
 keep firm in the faith of the holy     
,gospel1 which he and the other         
,apostles had taught4 ,in this ,letter1 
he gives many directions for living a   
holy life2 and reminds those to whom he 
writes1 that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ   
will one day come to judge the world1   
and that all who believe this1 must try 
to be then found blameless1 without spot
 of sin4 ,this applies just as well to  
each one of us1 as it did to those to   
whom ,st4 ,peter originally wrote3 let  
us therefore watch and pray1 that we    
may1 as he says at the end of this      
,epistle1 grow in grace1 and in the     
knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour     
,jesus ,christ4  ,very soon after he had
 written this ,second ,epistle1 the     

death which ,st4 ,peter had expected    
came upon him4 ,he who had once denied  
his ,lord from fear1 now boldly refused 
to give up his religion to purchase     
safety3 he was therefore sentenced to be
 crucified1 according to what the ,lord 
had foretold to him long before2 saying1
 ,when thou shalt be old1 thou shalt    
stretch forth thy hands1 and another    
shall gird thee1 and carry thee whither 
thou wouldest not4 ,from histories of   
that time1 we learn that ,st4 ,peter1   
not thinking himself worthy to die in   
the same manner as his blessed ,lord and
 ,master1 begged that he might be       
fastened to the cross with his head     
downward3 this must greatly have        
increased his sufferings for the time   
they lasted1 though it probably caused  
him to die sooner4 ,st4 ,peter was thus 
crucified at ,rome with his head        
downward1 ,a4,d4 #fh1 when ,nero had    
been ,emperor for fourteen years2 and1  
as we believe1 about two years after    
,st4 ,paul's death2 though some people  

think that ,st4 ,peter was put to death 
first4 ,we cannot1 of course be quite   
sure2 but it is most probable as we have
 said1 that ,st4 ,paul was beheaded     
,a4,d4 #ff1 and that ,st4 ,peter was    
crucified ,a4,d4 #fh4 ,nero died very   
soon after the crucifixion of ,st4      
,peter1 and in the short space of one   
year1 three different ,emperors1 ,galba1
 ,otho1 and ,vitellius1 succeeded each  
other4  ,we must now return to          
,jerusalem4     ,chapter                
,,xxxiv4--,,vespasian ,,sent ,,into     
,,judaea4   ,the decree of the ,emperor 
giving ,caesarea ,philippi to ,syria1   
was no sooner known1 than the ,jews in  
all parts of ,judaea took up arms4      
,agrippa happened at this time to be in 
,jerusalem1 and he did his best to show 
the ,jews the extreme folly of trying to
 fight against such a powerful people as
 the ,romans1 and begged and entreated  
of them not to rebel1 and so bring      
misery upon themselves4 ,instead of     
listening to this wise and kind advice1 

the ,jews were so enraged with ,agrippa 
for giving it1 that he was obliged to   
leave the city at once1 to save himself 
from their violence4 ,war now raged on  
every side1 and fearful acts of cruelty 
were perpetrated by both parties4       
,thousands and thousands of ,jews were  
massacred at ,caesarea1 at ,ptolemais1  
and even at ,alexandria2 and at         
,jerusalem1 the soldiers of ,florus put 
#c1ejj to death in one day4 ,the ,jews  
acted in the same manner as far as they 
could1 and murdered great numbers both  
of ,syrians and ,romans4 ,upon this     
general revolt of the ,jews1 ,cestius   
,gallus the governor of ,syria1 marched 
with a large army into ,judaea and      
,galilee2 burning all the towns and     
villages in his way1 and killing the    
inhabitants4  ,near ,jerusalem he was   
met by a great number of ,jews1 who     
attacked him with such fury1 that his   
whole army was in the greatest danger4  
,agrippa1 who with a body of troops had 
joined ,gallus1 now again attempted to  

stop further bloodshed1 and sent two of 
his officers to speak to his countrymen1
 the ,jews1 and propose terms of peace4 
,the enraged ,jews1 however1 killed one 
of the officers1 whilst the other       
escaped wounded3 ,gallus then advanced  
with his whole army1 defeated the       
rebellious ,jews1 and took possession of
 the lower parts of ,jerusalem4 ,had he 
at once attacked the upper part of the  
city1 and laid siege to the forts1 it is
 probable that he would have taken the  
whole1 and then the war must have ended4
 ,but1 as a writer of that time says1 it
 seems as if ,god1 being angry with the 
,jews1 had determined that they should  
expiate their sin by the most severe    
suffering1 and would not therefore allow
 the war to end so soon4  ,some say1    
,gallus was advised to retire by some of
 his own officers1 who had been bribed  
to do so by ,florus4 ,however that      
maybe1 ,gallus suddenly went away with  
his army3 his retreat gave the ,jews    
fresh hopes1 and they pursued him even  

to his camp at ,gibeon1 about six miles 
from ,jerusalem3 here1 the ,jews        
attacked the ,syrians with the greatest 
fury1 and killed more than #e1jjj of    
them2 whilst ,gallus escaped by night4  
,leaving the history of this terrible   
war for a few minutes1 we must speak of 
another ,epistle to be found in the ,new
 ,testament1 where it is called ,the    
,general ,epistle of ,jude4 ,the writer 
of this ,epistle was1 the ,judas 7not   
,iscariot7 mentioned by ,st4 ,john2 whom
 ,st4 ,luke tells us 7ch4 vi47 was the  
brother of ,james2 and he appears to    
have been the same person whom ,st4     
,mark 7ch4 iii47 calls ,thaddeus1 and of
 whom ,st4 ,matthew 7ch4 x47 speaks as  
,lebbeus1 whose surname was ,thaddeus4  
,in the ,gospels1 therefore1 we have    
four names for this ,apostle1 ,jude1    
,judas1 ,thaddeus1 and ,lebbeus4 ,the   
,book of ,acts makes no mention of him4 
,from other histories we have reason to 
believe1 that this ,apostle was a       
husbandman1 or cultivator of the earth1 

and not a fisherman1 as so many of the  
twelve were4 ,after ,jude became an     
,apostle1 he1 of course1 followed the   
,lord as long as he lived2 and then we  
have reason to believe that he went     
eastward1 and preached the ,gospel in   
,mesopotamia and other countries4 ,he   
then returned to ,syria1 from whence he 
wrote his ,epistle1 about the same time 
as ,st4 ,peter wrote his ,first ,epistle
 from ,rome1 that is1 ,a4,d4 #ff2 just  
when ,nero gave that decree concerning  
,caesarea1 that led to the war of which 
we have been speaking4 ,st4 ,jude's     
,epistle is very short1 and was written 
to warn the ,christians in general not  
to listen to false teachers2 but to take
 care to believe only such truths as had
 been taught by ,jesus ,christ and ,his 
,apostles4 ,after writing this ,epistle1
 it is supposed that ,st4 ,jude         
travelled again eastward1 and preached  
the ,gospel in ,persia1 where he        
suffered martyrdom4  ,to return to the  
,jews3 their defeat of ,gallus made them

 more obstinate in their determination  
not to submit to the ,romans1 and they  
accordingly made very great preparations
 for carrying on the war with vigour4   
,at this time all the ,christians       
quitted ,jerusalem4 ,they remembered how
 ,jesus had told ,his disciples1 that   
when they should see ,jerusalem         
surrounded with armies1 and the         
abomination of desolation1 they would   
know that the destruction of the city   
was near at hand1 and that they must    
leave it1 and take refuge in the        
mountains4 ,the prophecy had now been   
fulfilled2 for the armies of the heathen
 ,romans had compassed or surrounded the
 city1 and these armies were fitly      
called the abomination of desolation1   
because they not only spread desolation 
and misery wherever they went1 but they 
were abominable and hateful to the      
,jews1 because on their standards and   
flags they had images and pictures of   
the false gods of the ,romans1 and also 
of their emperors1 to whom1 as well as  

to the gods1 they offered sacrifices4   
,the ,christians1 seeing that the time  
of which ,jesus had warned them was now 
come1 left ,jerusalem1 and crossing the 
river ,jordan journeyed on about one    
hundred miles1 and took refuge in a city
 called ,pella1 belonging to ,king      
,agrippa3 the inhabitants of ,pella were
 ,gentiles4 ,nero1 who was still alive  
when the ,jews defeated ,gallus1 ordered
 ,vespasian1 one of his bravest and most
 skilful generals1 to march at once into
 ,judaea with a large army4 ,vespasian  
set to work to collect soldiers1 and his
 son ,titus went into ,egypt to fetch   
from ,alexandria two ,roman legions1 or 
regiments1 as we should call them4 ,an  
immense army thus entered ,galilee3 one 
town after another fell into the hands  
of the ,romans1 and thousands of the    
,jews were slain4 ,at ,joppa1 large     
numbers of the wretched inhabitants took
 refuge on board their ships1 hoping    
thus to escape2 but a violent storm     
dashed the vessels back upon the rocks2 

many of the people were drowned or      
crushed by the broken ships2 and many1  
seeing no further hope of escape1 killed
 themselves3 such as did reach the      
shore1 were slaughtered without mercy by
 the ,romans4 ,it is said that for a    
long space the sea was red with the     
blood of these poor creatures1 and that 
not a man remained alive to carry these 
terrible tidings to ,jerusalem4  ,during
 this time ,vespasian had taken prisoner
 a man1 who is famous for having written
 a ,history of the ,jews1 and of the    
destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,this man1   
whose name was ,josephus1 was a ,jew1   
born in ,jerusalem1 a few years after   
the ,crucifixion of our ,lord4 ,when he 
was quite young he showed a great       
fondness for learning1 and was so very  
clever and sensible1 that when he was   
only sixteen years old1 the ,chief      
,priests and rulers often asked his     
advice4 ,josephus adopted the opinions  
of the ,pharisees2 and as he grew up he 
took an active part in the management of

 public affairs4  ,when the wars broke  
out1 ,josephus showed so much knowledge 
and skill in military matters1 that he  
was made governor1 and acted as general 
of the ,jewish armies4  ,amongst other  
places which the ,romans besieged1 was a
 small town called ,jotapa1 or          
,jotaphata4 ,josephus defended it for   
nearly two months1 but at last the      
,romans took it1 and slew all the       
inhabitants except ,josephus and forty  
of his men who escaped1 and took refuge 
in a cave4 ,some one told ,vespasian    
where ,josephus was concealed2 and the  
,roman general sent to offer life and   
safety to him and his companions1 upon  
certain conditions1 which they might    
have accepted without any disgrace4     
,josephus wished to accept these terms2 
but when he spake of submitting to the  
,romans1 his companions threatened to   
murder him4 ,determined not to live to  
become prisoners to the ,romans1 and    
unwilling to be guilty of the great     
crime of self-murder1 these wretched    

people drew lots to decide who should   
kill his companion3 in this way one fell
 after another1 until one man only      
remained alive besides ,josephus1 who   
had of course taken no share in this    
transaction4 ,josephus easily persuaded 
his companion to submit to the ,romans3 
,vespasian treated the ,jewish general  
with the greatest kindness3 he kept him 
with him more as a friend than as a     
prisoner1 and often consulted him1 and  
asked his advice4  ,mean time1          
,vespasian in one part of the country1  
and his son ,titus in another1 carried  
on the war with vigour2 taking one city 
after another3 in vain they besought the
 ,jews to submit2 these miserable people
 persisted in their useless resistance1 
and thus enraged the ,romans1 who       
treated them with great barbarity4      
,multitudes were destroyed1 and a vast  
number were sold as slaves4  ,after the 
whole of ,galilee had been thus subdued1
 ,titus joined his father at ,caesarea1 
and there their armies had a little     

rest4  ,the troubles in ,rome after the 
death of ,nero1 ,a4,d4 #fh1 prevented   
,vespasian having the means of carrying 
on the war with vigour2 and indeed he   
was in no hurry to begin the siege of   
,jerusalem1 because the ,jews were daily
 rendering his task more easy1 by       
fighting amongst themselves1 and so     
wasting that strength which should have 
been kept to resist the enemy4  ,the    
city of ,jerusalem was at this time in a
 most dreadful state of confusion and   
tumult4 ,the inhabitants were divided   
into two parties3 one party1 seeing that
 a continuance of war would totally ruin
 their country1 wished to submit to the 
,romans2 the other party1 the ,zealots1 
would not hear of submission2 and as    
they were the worst of men1 they        
committed the most horrid crimes1 often 
under pretence of religion4 ,no person's
 life was safe1 and the whole city was  
distracted by acts of violence and      
cruelty4 ,the leader of the party of    
,zealots within the city was a man named

 ,john2 another man named ,simon1 of    
equally bad character1 headed a party   
outside1 and collecting a band of       
ruffians1 encamped with them before the 
city4 ,some of the inhabitants of       
,jerusalem1 who suffered severely from  
the tyranny of ,john1 fearing that he   
would burn the city1 unhappily          
determined to let ,simon and his troops 
come in1 by way of defending them       
against ,john4 ,but this step only      
increased their miseries2 for they now  
suffered from the violence and          
wickedness of two parties1 instead of   
one4 ,thus a third party was formed in  
,jerusalem2 and these three parties1    
instead of joining to defend themselves 
against the ,romans1 fought against each
 other1 and many were killed1 even in   
the temple1 and before the very altar   
itself4     ,chapter                    
,,xxxv4--,,destruction ,,of ,,jerusalem4
   ,we have said that after the death of
 ,nero1 ,a4,d4 #fh1 there were great    
troubles in ,rome1 where three different

 ,emperors succeeded each other in the  
space of one year2 but this state of    
things was put an end to in ,a4,d4 #fi1 
when the ,romans chose ,vespasian to be 
their ,emperor4 ,the next year1 the     
,emperor ,vespasian sent his son ,titus 
to force the rebellious ,jews into      
obedience1 and so put an end to this    
destructive war4 ,titus and his army    
marched towards ,jerusalem1 which to    
look at was a most magnificent and      
glorious city1 though it had unhappily  
become the habitation of violence and   
all that is bad and wicked4 ,the city   
was built upon two mountains1 enclosed  
with walls1 and surrounded by deep      
valleys4 ,the walls were guarded by     
towers2 and altogether the place was    
well able to resist the attacks of an   
enemy4 ,but1 instead of preparing to    
defend themselves1 the ,jews hurried on 
their own destruction2 for at the very  
time when a formidable army was rapidly 
approaching the city1 the contending    
parties within the walls were           

continually occupied in inventing new   
ways of destroying each other2 and in   
their fury1 they wasted and destroyed   
considerable quantities of provisions1  
of which they had afterwards great      
reason to repent4  ,although danger and 
misery now threatened the city from the 
factions within and the enemy without1  
multitudes of people unwisely crowded   
into it to keep the ,passover2 thus     
adding sadly to the general confusion   
and distress4 ,miserable indeed was the 
state of ,jerusalem when1 in the year   
,a4,d4 #gj1 ,titus marched towards it   
with a formidable army4 ,the actual     
approach of the ,romans1 put a stop for 
the time to the fighting amongst the    
,jews2 and joining together1 they left  
the city1 and forced ,titus and his     
soldiers to leave their camp and retire 
to the mountains3 but no sooner had the 
,jews thus obtained an interval of      
quiet1 than their quarrels began again4 
,in the mean time the ,romans were      
making every exertion to prepare for the

 siege of ,jerusalem1 which was         
surrounded by three walls1 one within   
another1 with a good space between them1
 filled with buildings4  ,titus sent    
,josephus to speak to his countrymen1   
and offer them peace and safety if they 
would now submit and receive him into   
their city2 but these offers were       
refused by the infatuated ,jews4 ,they  
were repeated with no better success2   
and after they had been several times   
rejected1 the ,romans made their first  
attack2 and at length made a breach1 or 
gap1 in the first1 or outermost1 wall1  
and so entered into that part of the    
city1 whilst the ,jews retreated within 
the second wall4  ,the ,romans having   
encamped within the first wall1 now     
attacked the second wall1 and forced    
their way through that also3 and the    
,jews retired within the third wall1    
many of them taking refuge in the temple
 and in the ,fort ,antonia4 ,the greater
 part of the wretched inhabitants would 
now have submitted to the ,romans1 and  

given up their city2 but the ,zealots   
murdered all who ventured to speak of   
such a thing4 ,the great numbers of     
people now shut up within the walls of  
,jerusalem1 soon devoured the           
provisions1 and added the horrors of    
famine to the other terrible sufferings 
of the ,jews4 ,the ,zealots forced their
 way into the houses of all whom they   
suspected of having any food1 and       
carried away whatever they could find4  
,the nearest relations snatched food    
from each other1 in the extremity of    
their hunger4 ,many of the starving     
,jews1 who during the night ventured to 
go beyond the city walls1 to collect    
roots and herbs1 were seized by the     
,roman soldiers1 and crucified in the   
morning3 so that several hundreds were  
frequently seen at a time1 suffering the
 same agony of body which had been      
endured by our blessed ,lord ,jesus     
,christ4 ,it is impossible to describe  
what the ,jews went through at this     
time4 ,we shall remember that when they 

insisted on the crucifixion of ,jesus1  
contrary to the wishes of ,pilate       
himself1 they had cried out1 ,his blood 
be on us and on our children2 and       
fearfully were they now punished for    
having shed ,his blood4 ,josephus1 in   
his history of all that happened in     
,jerusalem at this time1 writes3 ,never 
did any other city suffer such woes1 nor
 was there ever a more wicked generation
 since the beginning of the world4  ,at 
length the ,romans broke through the    
third1 or inner1 wall1 and got          
possession of the ,fort ,antonia1 and   
pursued the ,jews into the temple4 ,the 
,jews for a moment fled before their    
enemies2 but the foremost soldier       
slipped upon the marble pavement and    
fell4 ,then the ,jews turned1 and killed
 him1 and drove the rest of the soldiers
 back into the fort4 ,even now the ,jews
 still refused to submit2 and the       
temple1 instead of being a place of     
worship1 became a scene of battle and   
confusion4  ,at this time1 when the     

famine pressed sore upon all the people1
 a most horrible thing was done2 for a  
mother killed her infant child1 roasted 
it1 and actually ate part of it6 ,titus 
was so shocked when he heard of this1   
that he declared that he would leave    
nothing but the ruins of a city1 in     
which so horrible a crime had been      
committed4 ,again he attacked the       
temple1 and got possession of the outer 
courts4 ,he wished to preserve the      
temple itself1 and gave orders for that 
purpose4 ,but the ,lord ,himself had    
foretold the destruction of the temple1 
and a ,roman soldier was the means of   
fulfilling this prophecy4 ,contrary to  
orders1 this man threw a flaming brand1 
or stick1 into one of the chambers3 the 
flames quickly burst forth and spread on
 all sides3 the ,roman soldiers rushed  
into the sacred building1 and all became
 a scene of plunder and murder4  ,the   
once glorious temple was soon nothing   
but a heap of smoking ruins1 in spite of
 all the efforts made by the command of 

,titus to stop the conflagration4 ,this 
sad destruction of the second temple    
took place on the anniversary of that   
day upon which the first temple1 built  
by ,solomon1 was destroyed by           
,nebuchadnezzar1 #ehg years before      
,jesus ,christ came upon earth4  ,even  
whilst the temple was in flames1 #f1jjj 
people actually listened to an impostor1
 who led them to the roof of a part of  
the building1 promising them a          
miraculous deliverance3 they all of     
course perished in the flames4          
,thousands of ,jews were now killed by  
the ,romans1 and every building in the  
city1 excepting a few towers1 was       
burned4  ,in this dreadful war1 the     
greater part of the ,jewish people      
perished3 many of the rest were sold as 
slaves1 and nothing could be more       
wretched than the state of all who were 
left4 ,jerusalem has ever since been    
trodden down1 or oppressed1 by the      
,gentiles2 and the ,jews have remained  
in such a state as constantly to remind 

us of the prophecy of ,moses 7,deut4    
xxix471 where it is written1 ,even all  
nations shall say1 ,wherefore hath the  
,lord done thus unto this land8 ,what   
meaneth the heat of this great anger8   
,the answer is given to us1 ,because    
they have forsaken the covenant of the  
,lord ,god4 ,let us ever bear this in   
mind1 and not provoke ,god by our sins1 
to punish us as ,he punished the        
descendants of ,his chosen people1 the  
,children of ,israel4  ,titus commanded 
the whole city and its walls to be      
destroyed4 ,this was done so completely1
 that not one stone was left upon       
another1 as the ,lord ,himself had said4
  ,when ,titus saw how strong the walls 
and forts of the city were1 he made a   
remark worthy of a ,christian2 saying1  
,we have fought with the assistance of  
,god3 it was ,god ,who drove the ,jews  
out of these fortifications2 for what   
can the hands of men1 or the force of   
machines1 effect against these towers8  
,after the destruction of ,jerusalem1   

,titus went back to ,rome1 taking with  
him ,josephus1 to whom ,vespasian gave  
the freedom of the city and a pension4  
,josephus immediately set to work to    
learn the ,greek language1 in which he  
wrote his ,history of the ,wars of the  
,jews and of the ,destruction of        
,jerusalem4 ,he died ,a4,d4 #ic1 at the 
age of fifty-six3 but we are now        
speaking of the year ,a4,d4 #gj1 when   
,titus took him to ,rome4  ,the ,roman  
,senate decreed a ,triumph to ,titus and
 ,vespasian4 ,a ,triumph was a grand    
procession1 in honour of a general who  
had gained some great victory4 ,a       
magnificent car was provided to convey  
the person for whom the honour was      
intended3 his army1 partly before1      
partly behind the car1 marched with     
flags and banners1 to the sound of      
music3 any prisoners who had been taken 
in the war were made to follow the car1 
chained two and two together2 and if any
 valuable spoils had been taken from the
 enemy1 they were carried in the        

procession4 ,in short1 everything was   
done to make the ,triumph a very grand  
affair2 and it was considered the       
greatest honour that could be bestowed  
upon a military leader3 it often cost an
 immense sum of money4 ,the ,senate now 
decreed1 that a ,triumph should take    
place in honour of ,titus and           
,vespasian1 who were to share the       
chariot provided for the occasion4      
,amongst the beautiful things carried in
 this procession1 the most remarkable   
were the golden candlestick1 and other  
precious things saved from the temple at
 ,jerusalem3 also the volume1 or ,book  
of the ,law of ,moses1 which was indeed 
deserving of the greatest respect1      
though the heathens did not know its    
real value4  ,in remembrance of the     
great deeds of ,titus1 a marble arch was
 erected at ,rome1 not far from the     
,forum4 ,on the inside of the archway   
are carved representations of the golden
 candlestick1 and of many other things  
brought from ,jerusalem4 ,this arch1    

called ,the ,arch of ,titus1 still      
stands in ,rome2 and not one of the     
,jews1 of whom there are now many       
thousands living in ,rome1 will ever    
pass under this archway1 because it     
reminds them of the destruction of their
 once glorious temple1 and of the ruin  
of their nation4  ,when ,jerusalem was  
destroyed1 there still remained in the  
almost desolate land of ,judaea three   
strong castles1 which resisted the      
,romans4 ,two were soon taken2 but the  
third was so very strong both by nature 
and art1 and was so well defended by a  
man of great courage1 called ,eleazer1  
that for some time the ,romans could not
 succeed in getting possession of it4   
,at last they built a high wall round   
it1 so that no one could come out or go 
in3 they then set fire to the gates1 and
 prepared to storm1 or attack1 the      
castle the next day4 ,the ,jews now saw 
that there was no hope of defending the 
fortress1 or of saving their own lives2 
and ,eleazer therefore persuaded the    

garrison to burn all their valuable     
stores1 kill the women and children that
 were with them1 and then destroy       
themselves4 ,ten men were chosen to     
murder all the rest3 after they had done
 this1 they killed each other2 and the  
last man who was left set fire to the   
place1 and then killed himself4 ,the    
next day1 when the ,romans were         
preparing to climb the walls1 two of the
 women who had hid themselves1 and so   
escaped being murdered1 came forth1 and 
told all that had happened4     ,chapter
 ,,xxxvi4--,,st4 ,,john',s ,,writings4  
,after the terrible event which has just
 been related1 the ,jews who still      
remained in the land1 ceased for a time 
to oppose the ,romans4 ,it was the      
submission of despair2 for they felt    
that they had no power to resist1 and   
ruin and desolation surrounded them on  
all sides4 ,the once flourishing fields 
and plains of ,judaea were covered with 
dead bodies2 most of the celebrated     
cities were merely heaps of ruins4 ,all 

the fighting men were removed from      
,jerusalem1 and only some women and old 
men were allowed to take up their abode 
amongst the ruins of their beloved city4
  ,the ,emperor only allowed the ,jews  
to observe the forms of their own       
religion1 on condition of their paying  
to the ,temple of ,jupiter ,capitolinus1
 one of the heathen deities1 the tax    
hitherto paid by every ,jew for the     
service of the ,temple1 or ,house of the
 ,lord4 ,ever since ,judaea had been    
made a ,roman province1 the ,jews had   
been allowed to collect their own taxes3
 the annual tribute to the temple they  
looked upon as an offering to ,god1     
,whose subjects they were4 ,the ,emperor
 now1 in their opinion1 usurped the     
place of ,god2 and this was a great     
affliction to the ,jews2 whilst the use 
to which the tax was to be put1 and the 
severity exercised in collecting it1    
made these unhappy people feel it to be 
an intolerable disgrace and burden4     
,vespasian died nine years after the    

destruction of ,jerusalem1 ,a4,d4 #gi1  
and his son ,titus became ,emperor4     
,titus reigned for only two years1 and  
was succeeded by his brother ,domitian1 
,a4,d4 #ha4  ,we have reason to believe 
that only one of the ,apostles was alive
 when ,titus took ,jerusalem3 this was  
,st4 ,john1 the disciple whom ,jesus    
loved4 ,as the ,bible tells us nothing  
concerning this holy man1 during the    
time that ,st4 ,paul was journeying     
about1 we cannot be sure as to what he  
was doing2 but he is supposed to have   
remained in his native land1 and        
probably in ,jerusalem itself1 till he  
saw the city compassed by foreign       
soldiers1 and beheld the other signs of 
its approaching ruin1 as foretold by his
 ,divine ,master4 ,then it is believed1 
that ,st4 ,john travelled through       
,parthia1 ,india1 and ,arabia2 and also 
founded ,churches at ,smyrna1 ,pergamos1
 ,thyatira1 ,sardis1 ,philadelphia1     
,laodicia1 and other places in ,asia    
,minor2 after which1 he passed some time

 at ,ephesus4 ,there is a story that he 
afterwards went to ,rome1 and was1 by   
the order of ,domitian1 who persecuted  
the ,christians most cruelly1 thrown    
into a large vessel of boiling oil4 ,but
 instead of dying in tortures1 as was   
expected1 the ,lord preserved him1 and  
he came out unhurt4 ,we may well believe
 this story1 though we cannot be quite  
sure that it is true4 ,after this1      
,domitian banished the ,apostle1 now a  
very old man1 to the island of ,patmos1 
in the southern part of the             
,archipelago4 ,at ,patmos1 the ,lord    
sent ,st4 ,john a most wonderful vision2
 and his account of it forms part of the
 ,new ,testament1 where it is called    
,the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john the      
,divine3 it is also called the          
,apocalypse4 ,revelation means some     
hidden secret thing made known4         
,apocalypse comes from a ,greek word1   
meaning the same as ,revelation4  ,the  
,apocalypse is a book of prophecies1    
revealing and foretelling in mysterious 

language1 events which are to happen    
even to the end of the world4 ,it is of 
course very difficult to understand any 
of the prophecies in this book1 and     
quite impossible to do so perfectly2 but
 like every other part of ,scripture1 it
 teaches men to be holy4 ,in the first  
chapter of this book1 ,st4 ,john tells  
us himself1 that this ,revelation was   
made known to him in the isle of        
,patmos1 to which he had been banished  
on account of his religion4  ,domitian  
persecuted the ,jews as well as the     
,christians2 and great numbers of both  
were put to death by this tyrannical and
 wicked ,emperor1 who proposed to       
destroy all the descendants of ,david1  
lest any one of them should attempt to  
become king of ,judaea4 ,some grandsons 
of the ,apostle ,jude1 or ,thaddeus1 who
 was of the family of ,david1 were      
brought before the ,emperor2 but on     
being asked concerning the kingdom of   
,christ1 they declared that it was a    
spiritual1 not a temporal kingdom2 and  

as they were very poor1 and could only  
by the hardest labour contrive to       
support themselves1 and pay the tax     
demanded by the ,romans1 he spared them1
 as persons who were not to be feared4  
,some of the ,jews1 who had retired to  
,alexandria1 had endeavoured to get up a
 disturbance there2 but the ,jews1 who  
had long lived quietly in that city1    
fearful of the consequence of any       
revolt1 gave up their seditious         
countrymen to the ,romans1 who put them 
to death3 they were obstinate to the    
last1 and even their children suffered  
the greatest tortures1 rather than      
acknowledge the ,roman ,emperor to be   
their master4 ,such conduct1 however    
mistaken it may have been1 sets a good  
example to ,christians in every age4    
,these ,jews believed that to submit to 
the ,roman ,emperor was contrary to     
their duty to ,god2 and therefore they  
bore any sufferings rather than do it4  
,let us ever be ready and willing to    
suffer1 rather than do anything which we

 believe to be contrary to our duty to  
,god4  ,the ,emperor ,domitian1         
displeased with what had happened in    
,alexandria1 ordered the temple which   
had been built in that city to be shut  
up2 lest1 under pretence of public      
worship1 the ,jews of that place should 
meet there and plot rebellion4          
,domitian died ,a4,d4 #if1 and was      
succeeded by ,nerva1 who immediately set
 ,st4 ,john at liberty3 the ,apostle at 
once left ,patmos1 and went into ,asia  
,minor1 where he wrote the account of   
the wonderful ,vision or ,revelation    
made to him in that island4 ,very soon  
afterwards1 ,st4 ,john wrote the three  
,epistles called by his name4  ,the     
,first of these ,epistles is not        
addressed to any persons in particular2 
but was written to warn all ,christians 
not to listen to the false teachers1 who
 were then leading many into serious    
error4 ,some of these false teachers1   
pretended that ,jesus was not really    
man2 and that1 as ,he had no real body  

like ours1 ,he did not really suffer    
crucifixion4 ,others1 on the contrary1  
taught that ,he was only man4 ,both     
doctrines were equally fatal to the     
hopes of ,christians3 if ,jesus ,christ 
did not share our human nature1 ,he     
could not atone for the sin of man2 if  
,he were only man1 however free from sin
 ,himself1 ,he could not atone for the  
sins of ,his fellow mortals4 ,thus a    
firm belief in ,jesus ,christ as ,god   
and ,man1 is absolutely necessary for   
all who look for salvation through ,him4
 ,another set of false teachers taught1 
that those who believed themselves to be
 justified by faith1 and so freed from  
the restraints of the ,levitical ,law1  
might sin without fear of punishment4   
,st4 ,john cautions all ,christians not 
to be led away by these1 or any other   
false doctrines2 and he shows them how  
very different they are from the truths 
contained in the ,gospel as taught by   
,jesus ,christ1 and fully explained by  
,his ,apostles4 ,st4 ,john1 in this     

,epistle1 speaks much of the love of    
,god towards ,his creatures1 and of the 
duty of all men to love ,him and their  
fellow creatures for ,his sake4  ,the   
,second ,epistle of ,st4 ,john was      
probably written from ,ephesus1 his     
usual abode at this time4 ,this ,epistle
 is addressed to some particular lady1  
to warn her and her children not to     
listen to the dangerous doctrines of    
false teachers4  ,the ,third of ,st4    
,john's ,epistles is written to a man   
named ,gaius1 who is supposed to have   
been converted by the ,apostle1 who     
therefore speaks of him as one of his   
children3 a very usual figure of speech 
with teachers1 respecting those whom    
they converted4 ,in this way ,st4 ,paul 
calls ,timothy his son4 ,in the ,acts of
 the ,apostles1 and in the ,epistles1 we
 meet with the name of ,gaius five      
times2 and four different persons seem  
to be meant4 ,gaius1 of ,macedonia      
7,acts xix472 ,gaius1 of ,derbe 7,acts  
xx472 ,gaius1 whom ,st4 ,paul baptized  

at ,corinth 7#a ,cor4 i471 and who      
lodged that ,apostle in his own house at
 ,corinth 7,rom4 xvi472 and this ,gaius1
 to whom ,st4 ,john writes his ,epistle2
 whether he was one of those already    
mentioned1 we cannot know4  ,the object 
of this ,epistle from ,st4 ,john1 seems 
to have been to praise ,gaius for his   
steady faith1 and for having shown      
kindness to some ,christian strangers1  
who had passed through the place where  
he lived3 at the same time1 ,st4 ,john  
cautions him to have nothing to do with 
a teacher named ,diotrephes1 who had    
denied ,st4 ,john's authority1 and set  
himself up as the head of a party1 in   
opposition to the ,apostles4  ,st4 ,john
 entreats ,gaius to do1 what may equally
 apply to each one of us1 for he says1  
,follow not that which is evil1 but that
 which is good4 ,he also recommends to  
him ,demetrius1 of whom we know nothing1
 except that he was a good man4 ,this   
letter to ,gaius is very short1 because1
 as ,st4 ,john writes1 he hoped shortly 

to meet and talk to him4  ,st4 ,john    
spent the last years of his long life at
 ,ephesus1 and there1 about ,a4,d4 #ii1 
he wrote that very valuable and         
beautiful portion of ,holy ,scripture   
known to us as ,the ,gospel according to
 ,st4 ,john4 ,when ,st4 ,john wrote1 he 
was of course well acquainted with the  
,gospels of ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1  
and ,st4 ,luke1 and also with the ,book 
of ,acts1 for they had all been written 
many years before this time4 ,he does   
not1 therefore1 repeat much of what they
 tell us1 but gives an account of many  
things which they do not mention2 and   
repeats especially much of what his     
blessed ,lord said at different times to
 ,his disciples4 ,there was a good      
reason for this4  ,even by this time1   
many errors had crept into the          
,christian ,church1 as has already been 
said1 when speaking of ,st4 ,john's     
,first ,epistle4  ,st4 ,john1 therefore1
 wrote his ,gospel to correct these     
errors1 and to show all men1 that ,jesus

 ,christ was truly and indeed the ,son  
of ,man and the ,son of ,god3 the ,word 
that was from the beginning with ,god1  
and was ,god1 and was made man1 that ,he
 might suffer for us4  ,the ,gospel of  
,st4 ,john completed the ,canon of      
,scripture2 that is1 those writings     
which are undoubtedly written by        
inspiration of ,god1 and are1 therefore1
 to be the general rule of ,christian   
faith and practice4     ,chapter        
,,xxxvii4--,,the ,,death ,,of ,,st4     
,,john4   ,st4 ,john was nearly #ajj    
years old when he wrote his ,gospel3 he 
had spent a long life in preaching and  
exhorting1 and we are told that1 when   
his great age prevented his continuing  
his active labours1 he used to be       
carried into the public assemblies of   
the ,christians1 in order to repeat his 
exhortation1 ,little children1 love one 
another3 words constantly repeated in   
some shape or other1 in the writings of 
this ,apostle1 who also dwells much upon
 the love of ,christ for man1 as a      

reason why men should love ,him1 and    
love each other for ,his sake4 ,let us  
try to obey the precept1 ,love one      
another2 remembering that ,st4 ,john    
also says1 ,love not in word neither in 
tongue1 but in deed and in truth2 that  
is1 do not talk about your love1 but    
show it by your actions4 ,love to       
,christ must show itself in obedience2  
love to man for ,his sake1 by kindness  
to every fellow creature1 and by doing  
all the good we can to them1 whether    
they are kind to us or not4  ,st4 ,john 
died quietly at ,ephesus1 about ,a4,d4  
#ajj3 his faith and love were great1    
therefore his death was peaceful and    
happy2 for he felt that he was now going
 home to his beloved ,master1 ,whom he  
had faithfully served for many years on 
earth4  ,a century1 or space of #ajj    
years1 had now passed since the birth of
 ,jesus ,christ3 at the time of that    
event1 the inhabitants of the world1    
with the exception of the ,jews1 were   
,heathens or ,pagans2 who1 in their     

total ignorance of an ,almighty and     
,holy ,god1 gave themselves up to follow
 their own sinful inclinations1 and were
 guilty of every sort of wickedness and 
vice4 ,the ,jews1 though still retaining
 a nominal observance of the ,law of    
,moses and the worship of ,one ,true    
,god1 had strangely forgotten and       
forsaken the religion1 so long the glory
 of their nation4 ,thinking more of     
temporal than of spiritual things1 they 
wilfully misunderstood the writings of  
the prophets1 and looked for a temporal 
king in the promised ,messiah3 those who
 dared to hold a different opinion1 were
 treated with contempt4  ,the two sects 
of ,sadducees and ,pharisees1 though in 
other matters opposed to each other1    
equally set at naught the holiness of   
heart and life commanded by the ,law of 
,moses4 ,the ,sadducees1 denying the    
possibility of a future life1 laughed at
 the idea of denying one's self any     
gratification here1 from the fear of    
punishment hereafter4 ,the ,pharisees1  

passing by the ,moral ,law1 which it did
 not suit them to keep1 taught1 that a  
strict observance of the ,ceremonial    
,law1 and of the traditions handed down 
from father to son1 would secure the    
favour of ,god4  ,thus ,sadducees and   
,pharisees both destroyed all true      
religion2 that is1 all devotion of the  
heart to ,god1 producing holiness of    
life4  ,the consequence of this was1    
that the knowledge and love of ,god were
 daily growing less amongst the ,jewish 
people1 and rapidly ceasing to have any 
effect on their motives and actions4 ,so
 that1 both as regarded ,jews and       
,gentiles1 it might truly be said1 ,the 
whole world lieth in wickedness4  ,the  
doctrines and precepts of our blessed   
,lord1 were meant to make man hate and  
renounce all sin and wickedness2 to show
 him the necessity of self-denial1 and  
of holiness in thought1 word1 and deed2 
and to set before him that love towards 
,god1 which was to be the motive and    
principle to govern all his actions4    

,thus1 wherever the ,gospel was         
received1 a great change at once took   
place2 and the close of the first       
century1 found the world in a very      
different condition from that1 in which 
it had been at the beginning4 ,mankind  
must now be considered as divided into  
three classes3 ,first1 the ,heathen1    
who1 in addition to all former          
wickedness1 now added a spirit of hatred
 and persecution towards those who      
rejected their false religion1 for the  
,truth as is in ,jesus4 ,second1 the    
,jews1 who1 in spite of all the miseries
 they had gone through for their        
rejection of ,jesus ,christ1 still clung
 to the ,law of ,moses2 hating the      
,heathen1 but above all1 hating the     
followers of ,jesus with an increasing  
hatred4 ,the third class comprehended   
all1 who1 by the mercy of ,god1 had been
 brought out of either of the other two 
classes1 to be sincere and faithful     
followers of the precepts and examples  
of the ,holy ,jesus4 ,this class1 called

 ,christians1 already contained a very  
large number of persons of all ages and 
sexes2 and their number was increasing  
daily1 by fresh converts from amongst   
the ,gentiles4  ,thus1 by the close of  
the first century1 the ,church of       
,christ was so firmly established upon  
earth1 as to defy all the efforts made  
to overthrow it4  ,even during the first
 century the ,christians suffered       
persecution2 and many of them were put  
to death1 because they would not give up
 their belief in ,jesus1 and act        
contrary to ,his precepts4 ,this cruel  
persecution of the ,christians continued
 during the second and third centuries2 
sometimes with greater1 sometimes with  
less severity4 ,but it has been truly   
said1 that the blood of the martyrs is  
the seed of the ,church2 for numbers1   
seeing their holy lives1 and then       
witnessing the wonderful manner in which
 they were supported to bear the most   
exquisite tortures rather than give up  
their religion1 felt that there must be 

some sure and strong foundation for such
 faith and steadfastness1 and were thus 
led to become ,christians themselves2   
and by their future conduct and         
martyrdom they again1 in their turn1    
brought others to join the ,church of   
,christ1 which thus extended itself     
rapidly on all sides4  ,before the close
 of the second century1 ,christianity   
had been established as the religion of 
the ,britons2 but how1 or by whom1 it   
was brought into our island1 we do not  
know3 it seems very probable that1      
during the long interval in which we    
know nothing of ,st4 ,peter's movements1
 he came to ,britain1 and established   
the ,church which has ever since existed
 here4  ,in reading of the martyrs1 we  
should remember that they1 knowing that 
the favour of ,god was the only thing   
worth having1 were willing to suffer and
 die in order to obtain it2 trusting to 
the ,lord to give them a happy issue out
 of all their sufferings4 ,they did not 
trust in vain4 ,we must also recollect1 

that the religion of the martyrs was no 
sham2 no system of outward forms1 but an
 entire devotion of the whole heart and 
life to ,god2 and that the same devotion
 is required of ,christians now4 ,if we 
are not now called upon to suffer       
martyrdom1 we are called upon to give   
our hearts to ,god2 and show our ,faith1
 by denying ourselves in everything     
contrary to ,his ,will1 whatever pain or
 difficulty we may have in doing so4    
,do we do this8  ,the ,jews1 who        
outlived the destruction of their city  
and temple1 sought refuge in different  
parts of the world4 ,many went into     
,egypt1 where there was a ,jewish       
colony1 that had been established in the
 time of ,alexander the ,great4 ,others 
fled to ,cyrene1 another part of        
,africa4 ,a large number removed to     
,babylon1 and joined their brethren who 
had remained from father to son in that 
country1 instead of returning to        
,jerusalem when the decree of ,cyrus    
permitted them to do so4 ,some took     

refuge in ,persia and other ,eastern    
countries4  ,by degrees1 these ,jews    
formed a regular system of government   
for themselves4  ,they were divided into
 ,eastern and ,western ,jews4 ,the      
,eastern ,jews were those who settled in
 ,babylon1 ,chaldaea1 ,assyria1 ,persia1
 and the adjacent countries4 ,those who 
remained in ,judaea1 or took up their   
abode in ,egypt1 ,italy1 and other parts
 of the ,roman dominions in ,europe1    
were called ,western ,jews4 ,in the     
course of time1 these two parties each  
chose some distinguished person as their
 head1 or chief4 ,the chiefs of the     
,eastern ,jews were called ,princes of  
the ,captivity2 and those of the        
,western ,jews1 were simply styled      
,patriarchs4 ,gradually these chiefs    
obtained more and more influence and    
authority amongst their fellow          
countrymen in all matters4 ,both parties
 of ,jews also founded schools1 that the
 children might be fully and carefully  
instructed in all the doctrines and     

practices of their religion4 ,but these 
things were done gradually during a long
 course of years1 one step leading to   
another2 for naturally1 on their first  
dispersion after the destruction of     
,jerusalem1 their whole attention was   
turned to securing a safe asylum1 where 
they might worship ,god after the manner
 of their fathers--as far1 at least1 as 
they could do so2 but the destruction of
 the ,temple had rendered it impossible 
to keep the feasts and offer the        
sacrifices1 so strictly enjoined by the 
,law of ,moses4  ,the impossibility of  
obeying the precepts of their religion1 
should have made the ,jews more ready to
 listen to those1 who declared that the 
promised ,messiah had indeed come2 and  
that therefore1 the ,old ,dispensation  
contained in the ,law of ,moses was at  
an end4  ,as ,scripture history closes  
before the destruction of ,jerusalem1   
all that has been said regarding that   
and subsequent events1 has been gathered
 from other histories2 and all that has 

been related concerning the latter days 
of some of the ,apostles1 has been      
supplied in a similar way4 ,it will be  
well now to give a short account of the 
labours and deaths of such of the       
,apostles as have not been already      
mentioned2 only remembering1 that whilst
 we have every reason to believe such   
accounts are true1 we cannot feel       
certain1 as we do in regard to all the  
facts related in the ,holy ,scriptures4 
,taking1 then1 the names of the twelve  
,apostles as given by ,st4 ,matthew 7x4 
#b1 c471 we have first1 ,simon1 who is  
called ,peter4 ,of him we have heard    
much in the course of our ,lord's life1 
and during the time of which the ,book  
of ,acts gives us the history3 and we   
have also spoken of what he is believed 
to have done after that period1 and of  
his martyrdom4 ,of ,andrew his brother1 
we only know that he was also a         
fisherman1 and that he was a disciple of
 ,john the ,baptist1 with whom he was   
standing when the ,baptist said of      

,jesus1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god4      
,andrew1 nothing doubting1 at once      
sought an interview with ,jesus1 and    
then went to find1 his own brother      
,simon1 giving him the joyful news1 ,we 
have found the ,messias4 ,andrew became 
afterwards one of the constant followers
 of our ,lord1 chosen to be ,apostles2  
and his name is mentioned two or three  
times in sacred history4  ,from other   
sources we learn1 that after the        
,ascension of our ,lord1 ,st4 ,andrew   
travelled to ,byzantium1 now called     
,constantinople1 and there founded a    
,church2 and that he also preached the  
,gospel in the ,crimea4 ,but he ended   
his life in ,greece1 under the following
 circumstances3 ,st4 ,andrew was        
preaching at a place in ,achaia with    
great success1 when ,a,egeas1 the       
pro-consul or ,roman governor of the    
province1 came there1 and was greatly   
enraged to find that multitudes had     
already been converted from ,heathenism 
to ,christianity3 he therefore told the 

,apostle1 that he should be crucified   
unless he would himself offer a         
sacrifice to the heathen gods4 ,this    
,st4 ,andrew of course refused to do1   
and he was put into prison2 but the     
people were so angry at this1 that they 
would have rescued him by force1 had he 
not begged them not to do so2 telling   
them that he was quite ready to suffer  
martyrdom1 if such was the will of ,god4
 ,it is said1 that amongst other        
miracles performed in the name of ,jesus
 by ,st4 ,andrew1 he had healed the wife
 and the brother of ,a,egeas of         
diseases2 and that both had1 in         
consequence1 become ,christians4 ,this  
made the pro-consul still more furious2 
and1 in his rage1 he ordered ,st4       
,andrew to be severely scourged by seven
 men1 before he was put to death4 ,he   
was tied to a cross of the shape of the 
letter ,x2 and it is said that he hung  
upon it for two days1 during which1 in  
the midst of his agony1 he continued to 
instruct and exhort the people4 ,after  

his death1 his body was embalmed and    
buried with all honour1 at the expense  
of a noble lady1 named ,maximilla4 ,we  
are told that1 #cjj years later1 ,st4   
,andrew's body was taken to             
,constantinople by the ,emperor         
,constantine1 who had become a          
,christian1 and buried in a church which
 the ,emperor had built in honour of the
 ,apostles4  ,in after times1 ,st4      
,andrew came to be looked upon as the   
patron ,saint of ,scotland4  ,a cross1  
the shape of that upon which ,st4       
,andrew was crucified1 is always called 
a ,st4 ,andrew's ,cross4     ,chapter   
,,xxxviii4--,,the ,,apostles4   ,the    
next on the list of the ,apostles1 are  
,james the son of ,zebedee1 and ,john   
his brother4 ,both of these have been   
already mentioned3 the ,scripture tells 
us1 that ,st4 ,james the elder1 the     
brother of ,st4 ,john1 was killed with  
the sword by ,herod ,agrippa4  ,st4     
,john1 as we have heard1 survived the   
destruction of ,jerusalem2 was banished 

for some years to the island of ,patmos2
 and finally died a natural death at    
,ephesus4  ,philip and ,bartholomew are 
the next upon our list2 and throughout  
their lives they seem to have been      
intimately connected with each other4   
,philip's name is mentioned two or three
 times in ,scripture4 ,he was no sooner 
called to be a follower of ,jesus1 than1
 as we are told1 he findeth ,nathanael  
7or ,bartholomew71 and saith unto him1  
,we have found ,him of whom ,moses in   
the law and the prophets did write1     
,jesus of ,nazareth1 the son of ,joseph4
 ,or1 in other words1 that they had     
found out1 that ,jesus of ,nazareth the 
reputed son of ,joseph1 was1 in truth1  
,the ,messiah1 of whom ,moses and the   
prophets had written4  ,after the       
,lord's ,ascension1 ,philip is supposed 
to have preached the ,gospel in some    
parts of ,asia1 and then to have        
suffered martyrdom in ,phrygia4 ,it is  
said1 that coming to a place where the  
inhabitants were the grossest idolaters1

 ,philip1 greatly distressed at their   
condition1 prayed constantly for them2  
at the same time labouring to convince  
them of the folly of their present      
worship1 and telling them of the true   
,god1 and of ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ4  
,the ,lord so blessed ,philip's efforts1
 that many of his hearers turned from   
idolatry and became ,christians4 ,this  
success1 stirred up the opposition and  
persecution of the heathen magistrates1 
who accordingly seized the ,apostle1 put
 him in prison1 caused him to be        
unmercifully scourged1 and afterwards   
crucified4 ,it is said1 moreover1 that  
whilst hanging on the cross1 he was     
stoned to death2 and that then1 such a  
violent earthquake took place1 as       
greatly alarmed all the people2 and that
 many1 in consequence1 repented of their
 idolatry and wickedness1 and turned to 
,god4  ,bartholomew1 or ,nathanael1     
could not at first believe that ,jesus  
of ,nazareth was the promised ,messiah1 
but after acting according to ,philip's 

advice1 of ,come and see1 he cordially  
acknowledged ,jesus ,christ to be the   
,son of ,god1 the ,king of ,israel4     
,after our ,lord's ,ascension1 this     
,apostle is said to have laboured       
amongst the savage tribes of ,abyssinia1
 then called ,ethiopia2 and we are told1
 that #ajj years afterwards1 a          
missionary who went to preach the       
,gospel in those parts1 found a copy of 
,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 which was said 
to have been left there by ,bartholomew4
 ,bartholomew was in ,phrygia with      
,philip1 when the latter was put to     
death3 and it is said that he was also  
fastened to a cross1 but that the       
heathens were so alarmed by the         
earthquake1 that they took him down1 and
 set him at liberty4 ,after this1 he is 
said to have preached in various parts  
of ,asia ,minor1 ending with ,armenia1  
where he was seized by the idolatrous   
governor1 and treated with the greatest 
cruelty2 he was beaten to the ground    
with staves2 crucified head downwards2  

then taken from the cross1 flayed1 and  
finally beheaded4  ,thomas1 the next on 
the list of ,apostles1 is well known to 
us for his doubts as to the reality of  
the ,resurrection--doubts mercifully    
removed by the ,lord ,himself4 ,after   
the ,ascension1 ,thomas is said to have 
laboured in ,judaea1 ,parthia1 ,medea1  
,persia1 and other countries1 until he  
reached ,india4 ,here he was at first   
afraid of venturing amongst the         
dark-coloured and cruel heathens1 who   
inhabited the country2 but being        
encouraged by a vision1 he fearlessly   
journeyed on into the country1 and was  
most successful in bringing the people  
out of the darkness of ,paganism into   
the light of the ,gospel4 ,the ,brahmins
 or priests1 however1 were much opposed 
to him3 at a certain town he began to   
build a place of worship for the        
,christians1 and ,segamo1 the prince of 
the country1 persuaded probably by the  
,brahmins1 forbade him to go on with it4
 ,thomas1 however1 by the help of ,god1 

performed several miracles1 which so    
convinced ,segamo of the truth of all   
his doctrines1 that he himself became a 
,christian1 and allowed the building to 
be continued4 ,the idolatrous priests   
now saw that their religion was in great
 danger1 and therefore1 watching for a  
convenient opportunity1 they came upon  
,thomas in a quiet spot1 to which he had
 gone to pray1 and shot him with their  
arrows4 ,having thus disabled the       
,apostle1 the ,brahmins stoned him1 and 
finally ran a lance through his body4   
,the dead body of ,thomas was carried by
 his disciples to the church which he   
had just completed1 and there buried4   
,about #a1ejj years afterwards1 when the
 ,portuguese first made their way to    
,india1 they found upon the ,malabar    
coast many ,christian families1 who     
called themselves ,st4 ,thomas's        
,christians2 being descendants of those1
 who had been converted from ,paganism  
to ,christianity1 by this ,apostle4     
,matthew's name stands next on the list 

of the ,apostles2 he has already been   
spoken of1 as far as the ,scriptures    
make mention of him2 and also as the    
writer of the first of the four accounts
 of our ,saviour's life and death4 ,we  
neither know what this ,apostle did     
after our ,lord's ,ascension1 nor how he
 died2 but there is a tradition that he 
was murdered in ,ethiopia1 where by his 
teaching1 and the miracles he was       
enabled to perform1 he had been the     
means of converting multitudes from     
,heathenism to ,christianity4  ,james   
the son of ,alphaeus1 and ,lebbaeus1    
whose surname was ,thaddaeus1 now come  
under consideration4 ,they were         
brothers2 two of the sons of ,mary1     
sister to the ,virgin ,mary1 and of     
,cleophas one of the disciples to whom1 
after ,his resurrection1 the ,lord      
appeared on the way to ,emmaus4 ,this   
,james1 distinguished as the ,less1 has 
already been spoken of as ,bishop of    
,jerusalem1 and his death has also been 
mentioned 7p4 #cea74  ,lebbaeus1 also   

called ,judas and ,jude1 was1 as has    
been said1 the writer of an ,epistle4   
,no ancient writer gives any account    
either of his labours after the ,lord's 
,ascension1 or of the manner of his     
death4  ,of ,simon the ,canaanite1 whose
 name stands next on our list1          
,scripture tells us nothing1 except that
 he was also called ,simon ,zelotes4    
,zelotes means full of zeal and         
eagerness2 and the name was probably    
given to this ,apostle1 on account of   
his great zeal and earnestness in the   
service of his ,master4 ,the term       
,canaanite seems to be derived from a   
,hebrew word1 which also means zeal4    
,after the ,ascension1 ,simon is said to
 have preached the ,gospel amongst some 
of the barbarous nations in ,africa2 and
 then to have gone westward1 finally    
reaching ,britain1 where he was         
crucified1 probably by the ,romans4     
,the last on the list of ,apostles is   
,judas ,iscariot1 whose surname1 it is  
thought1 is merely derived from the     

place of his birth4 ,of him it is       
unnecessary to speak now4 ,the mention  
of ,judas ,iscariot naturally reminds us
 of him who was afterwards chosen to    
fill the place1 from which by           
transgression he fell4  ,matthias1      
chosen after the ,ascension to complete 
the original number of ,apostles1 was   
one of those disciples which had        
companied with the ,apostles1 all the   
time that the ,lord ,jesus went in and  
out among them4 ,beyond this1 ,scripture
 says nothing about him2 nor do any     
ancient writers tell us how long he     
laboured in the holy office to which he 
was appointed2 but it is said1 that he  
was finally put to death by some amongst
 whom he was preaching4  ,no sketch of  
our ,lord's ,apostles would be complete 
without some notice of ,paul and        
,barnabas2 who1 though not called to be 
,apostles until after the ,ascension1   
laboured zealously in that sacred       
ministry4 ,st4 ,paul has already been   
spoken of most fully1 and frequent      

mention has been made of ,st4 ,barnabas1
 up to the time of his separation from  
,st4 ,paul1 after which the ,book of    
,acts contains no account of him3 but in
 one of his ,epistles1 ,st4 ,paul writes
 of him in such a manner1 as shows that 
though for the moment the contention    
between them was so sharp as to part    
them asunder1 it had not caused any real
 coolness or estrangement4 ,another     
proof of this1 is found in the fact1    
that ,st4 ,mark afterwards became a     
devoted attendant upon ,st4 ,paul1 by   
whom he was highly valued4 ,st4 ,mark   
was with the ,apostle whilst he was a   
prisoner in ,rome4  ,of the labours of  
,st4 ,barnabas after his separation from
 ,st4 ,paul1 we have no certain account 
anywhere3 in the end he is said to have 
been stoned4  ,before closing this      
chapter1 it seems well to take notice of
 ,st4 ,luke and ,st4 ,mark1 who1 though 
not ,apostles1 are1 as writers of the   
,gospel1 entitled to the respect and    
gratitude of all who value the holy     

,scriptures4  ,there is1 however1 little
 to add to what has been already said of
 them4  ,luke1 by birth a ,jew1 and     
probably a native of ,antioch in ,syria1
 was a physician1 who became a convert  
to the religion of ,jesus4 ,he is said  
to have been one of the seventy         
disciples1 sent out on one occasion1 two
 and two before his face into every city
 and place1 whither he himself would    
come4 ,this is very probable1 although1 
as he is not once named in any of the   
,gospels1 we cannot be sure4  ,from ,st4
 ,luke's own account in the ,book of    
,acts1 we find that he went with ,st4   
,paul on his first voyage to ,macedon4  
,at ,philippi1 he seems to have left the
 ,apostle2 why we know not1 but perhaps 
,st4 ,paul sent him on some mission4 ,it
 is not unlikely that he remained in    
that country2 but during ,st4 ,paul's   
second journey1 he rejoined him1 and    
sailed with him from ,philippi4 ,for the
 next five years1 ,st4 ,luke continued  
with ,st4 ,paul3 this brings us to the  

release of the ,apostle from his        
confinement in ,rome4 ,here ends any    
certain account of ,st4 ,luke4 ,it is   
said that he then went into ,achaia1 and
 afterwards preached the ,gospel in     
,africa4 ,as no ancient writers mention 
his having suffered martyrdom1 it is    
probable that he died a natural death4  
,if the ,evangelist ,st4 ,mark was1 as  
there is every reason to believe1 the   
same ,mark whose surname was ,john1 he  
was nephew to ,barnabas4 ,we first hear 
of him in ,scripture1 as going from     
,antioch to ,jerusalem with ,barnabas   
and ,saul2 and then accompanying them on
 a journey1 but leaving them            
unaccountably at ,perga2 in consequence 
of which1 ,st4 ,paul afterwards refused 
to take him with them on another        
journey1 thus causing the contention    
already mentioned4 ,barnabas1 taking    
,mark1 sailed to ,cyprus4 ,it is said   
that ,st4 ,mark was with ,st4 ,barnabas 
at the time of the latter's death1 and  
received his dying commands to go       

without delay to ,st4 ,paul1 by whom1 as
 has been already said1 he was well     
received4 ,what his ultimate fate was1  
we know not4  ,it may not be amiss to   
mention1 before we take leave of the    
immediate followers of our ,lord1 that  
in pictures1 the four ,evangelists are  
distinguished by certain signs or       
symbols4 ,st4 ,matthew is simply a man  
with a pen in his hand2 ,st4 ,mark is   
accompanied by a ,lion2 ,st4 ,luke by an
 ,ox2 and ,st4 ,john by an ,eagle4      
,,part ,,iii4     ,chapter ,i4--,,the   
,,jews ,,to ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,the     
,,emperor ,,adrian4   ,the history of   
those chosen by the ,lord to be ,his    
peculiar people1 has now been traced for
 more than two thousand years1 from the 
,call of ,abraham1 ,b4,c4 #aiba4 ,for   
the two centuries immediately following 
that event1 we have the history of      
,abraham's descendants1 ,isaac1 ,jacob  
or ,israel1 and the twelve sons of      
,israel1 or ,patriarchs1 as they are    
called1 from being the fathers of all   

the tribes of ,israel4 ,israel and his  
sons and grand-children1 to the number  
of sixty-six persons1 went down1 ,b4,c4 
#agjf1 into ,egypt1 where ,joseph then  
was1 having been sold as a slave about  
twenty years before4  ,during the next  
#cjj years1 the descendants of ,israel  
multiplied so wonderfully that1 in      
,b4,c4 #adia1 #fjj1jjj men1 besides     
women and children1 went out of ,egypt  
under the guidance of ,moses4  ,the     
giving of the ,law1 ,ceremonial and     
,political1 as well as ,moral1          
established the chosen people of ,god1  
as a ,church and ,nation4  ,forty years 
of wandering in the wilderness brought  
the ,children of ,israel to the eastern 
banks of the ,jordan1 ,b4,c4 #adea4 ,the
 ,bible then relates how1 under the     
command of ,joshua1 the ,jordan was     
crossed1 and the heathen wonderfully    
driven out of the land1 which the ,lord 
had promised to give to ,abraham and his
 descendants1 for a possession4  ,for   
forty-six years1 the ,children of       

,israel were ruled by ,joshua and the   
elders who outlived him4 ,for the next  
#cjj years1 they were governed by       
,judges1 raised up by the ,almighty at  
different times1 as they were needed4   
,in ,b4,c4 #ajie the ,children of       
,israel were bent upon having a king1   
and ,saul was accordingly crowned1 and  
reigned for forty years4 ,during the    
next eighty years1 the kingdom          
flourished under ,david and his son     
,solomon2 the latter of whom built the  
glorious ,temple1 dedicated to the      
service of the ,lord with much ceremony1
 ,b4,c4 #ajjd4 ,it had taken eight years
 to build4  ,the division of the country
 into the two kingdoms of ,judah and    
,israel1 under ,solomon's son ,rehoboam1
 took place ,b4,c4 #ige4 ,one king      
succeeded another more or less quickly1 
until the sins of kings and people led  
to the destruction of the kingdom of    
,israel by ,shalmaneser1 king of        
,assyria1 ,b4,c4 #gba2 and to the       
burning of ,jerusalem and of the        

,temple1 ,b4,c4 #ehg1 when              
,nebuchadnezzar carried the inhabitants 
of the kingdom of ,judah into a long    
captivity in ,babylon4 ,some years      
before1 in ,b4,c4 #fjf1 this same       
,nebuchadnezzar had carried away many of
 the children of ,judah2 and from this  
date the ,captivity1 which lasted       
seventy years1 is reckoned to have      
begun4 ,the seventy years expired in    
,b4,c4 #ecf2 and ,cyrus1 king of ,medea 
and ,persia1 having conquered the       
,babylonian ,empire1 gave the children  
of ,judah leave to go back into their   
own land1 showing them much kindness    
upon the occasion4 ,the ,jews1 as they  
were now called1 returned in great      
numbers to ,judaea2 though many of them 
still1 by their own choice1 remained in 
the land where they had been born and   
bred4  ,the ,jews who did return1 had   
great difficulties to overcome2 but at  
length they built a ,second ,temple1    
which was dedicated ,b4,c4 #eae4 ,under 
the governance of ,ezra and ,nehemiah1  

the ,jews served the ,lord in the land  
of their fathers2 but soon they again   
fell into grievous sin1 though they were
 never more guilty of idolatry3 that    
crime which principally caused their    
captivity4 ,so far the ,bible has given 
us the history of the people of ,god4   
,from other histories we learn1 that    
,alexander the ,great1 who became king  
of ,macedonia ,b4,c4 #ccf1 conquered    
,persia and all the countries in any way
 dependent upon her3 ,judaea1 of course1
 amongst the rest4 ,the remarkable      
vision which made ,alexander treat the  
,jews with kindness has been mentioned  
7iii4 #dbe74 ,after the death of this   
monarch1 ,b4,c4 #cbc1 ,judaea became in 
some sort dependent upon ,syria2 and we 
have already seen how severely the ,jews
 suffered during the next #aec years1   
from the wars and fightings going on    
continually between ,syria and ,egypt4  
,the cruelty and oppression of the      
,syrian princes became intolerable2 and1
 after ,antiochus ,epiphanes had taken  

,jerusalem1 ,b4,c4 #agj1 the ,lord in   
mercy raised up the family of           
,maccabaeus1 to deliver the ,jews from  
his tyranny4  ,under the ,maccabaean    
princes1 the ,jews fought successfully  
against the enemies of their religion4  
,judaea gradually recovered from its    
desolation and misery1 and again became 
prosperous2 whilst the pure worship of  
the ,one ,true ,god was once more the   
established religion of the nation4 ,but
 after the death of ,john ,hyrcanus     
7iii4 #dha71 ,b4,c4 #ajg1 enemies       
without1 and divisions and troubles     
amongst themselves1 again filled ,judaea
 with confusion4  ,in ,b4,c4 #fc1       
,judaea became1 like so many other      
countries1 a province of ,rome2 and we  
have seen how the ,romans appointed     
governors or kings1 and even high       
priests also4 ,the ,government of ,rome 
itself underwent a great change about   
this time3 the ,republic1 or            
,commonwealth1 which had lasted #dgi    
years1 from the ,expulsion of           

,tarquinius ,superbus1 ,b4,c4 #eji1 now 
came to an end1 and ,octavius ,augustus 
,caesar was chosen as the first         
,emperor1 ,b4,c4 #bg4  ,octavius        
,augustus had ruled the vast dominions  
of ,rome as ,emperor for twenty-seven   
years1 when that event took place1      
destined to affect in the most momentous
 manner all races and kindreds of men3  
even the ,birth of ,jesus ,christ1 the  
long-promised ,messiah4 ,when our       
blessed ,lord was twenty-nine years old1
 that is1 in ,a4,d4 #bi1 ,he began to   
teach publicly amongst the ,jews4       
,octavius ,augustus was no longer       
,emperor of ,rome at this time2 he had  
died when ,jesus was fourteen years old1
 and had been succeeded by ,tiberius4   
,although a small number of the ,jews   
owned and received ,jesus ,christ as the
 expected ,messiah1 ,he was rejected by 
the nation in general3 and after ,his   
crucifixion1 the ,jews tried in every   
way to oppose ,his ,apostles1 and       
prevent the spreading of ,christianity4 

,we have read their punishment in the   
destruction of ,jerusalem1 ,a4,d4 #gj1  
and the dreadful sufferings which came  
upon the unhappy ,jews1 and forced them 
to scatter themselves through all lands1
 hoping to find safety--a hope too often
 disappointed1 and that constantly      
through their own fault4  ,the history  
of the ,jews has thus been traced to the
 close of the first century after the   
,birth of ,christ1 that is1 to ,a4,d4   
#ajj4  ,it will now be advisable to give
 a slight sketch of their history1 from 
that date until the present time4       
,unhappily there are many thousand ,jews
 who profess still to expect the        
promised ,messiah2 refusing to believe  
that ,jesus of ,nazareth1 in ,whom all  
the prophecies of their ,scriptures have
 been so literally and exactly          
fulfilled1 was indeed the ,messiah1 of  
,whom ,moses and the prophets did write4
  ,may the ,lord take away their        
blindness1 and bring them into the one  
fold1 under the one ,shepherd1 ,jesus   

,christ4  ,in spite of all that the     
,jews had suffered from their opposition
 to the ,romans1 they could not make up 
their minds to submit quietly to foreign
 rulers4  ,trajan1 who became ,emperor  
quite at the close of the first century1
 treated them with great severity1 and  
even forbade them to read the ,law4 ,in 
consequence1 a rebellion broke out1     
,a4,d4 #aae1 at ,cyrene1 in ,africa1    
where the ,jews had been settled for    
many years3 it quickly spread over      
,libya into ,alexandria3 in the         
struggle1 the country was plundered and 
ruined1 whilst thousands of people were 
killed on both sides3 but finally1 after
 a great slaughter1 the ,romans got the 
better of the rebellious ,jews4 ,the    
next year1 the ,jews in ,mesopotamia    
took up arms1 and filled the country    
with terror4 ,trajan sent against them a
 famous general1 who1 after killing     
great numbers of the people1 forced the 
rest to submit to the ,roman power3 the 
successful general was then made        

governor of ,judaea1 that he might keep 
the ,jews still residing there1 in      
submission4 ,soon afterwards1 there was 
a still more dreadful insurrection in   
the isle of ,cyprus1 where the ,jews    
massacred an incredible number of the   
inhabitants3 a ,roman general called    
,adrian1 then went into ,cyprus1 and    
defeated the ,jews after an obstinate   
battle4 ,trajan now published an order1 
that all ,jews should leave the isle of 
,cyprus1 and never return to it4  ,when 
,trajan died1 ,a4,d4 #aag1 ,adrian      
became ,emperor2 he forbade the ,jews to
 circumcise their children1 and sent    
strangers to settle in the land of      
,judaea1 and rebuild the city of        
,jerusalem1 which he meant to ornament  
in the ,roman style1 and call by some   
,roman name4 ,these measures so enraged 
the ,jews1 that they again broke out    
into open rebellion3 their leader was   
,coziba1 one of the banditti who        
infested the country2 and under his     
command1 all kinds of violence were     

committed against the subjects of ,rome4
 ,coziba pretended that he himself was  
the person spoken of by ,balaam1 when he
 said1 ,there shall come a star out of  
,jacob1 and a sceptre shall rise out of 
,israel3 and in consequence1 he called  
himself ,barchocheba1 or the son of a   
star4 ,even before this time1 several   
impostors had pretended to be either the
 promised ,messiah1 or the ,elias who   
was to prepare his way2 but ,coziba was 
the first whose pretensions led to any  
important consequences4  ,coziba        
promised to deliver his countrymen from 
the power of ,adrian1 and to make them  
once more an independent and glorious   
nation3 such a ,messiah as this exactly 
suited the false ideas of the ,jews1 and
 they acknowledged ,coziba to be the    
,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,the ,rabbi  
,akibha1 chosen by the impostor to be   
his forerunner or messenger1 publicly   
anointed him as the ,messiah1 the king  
of the ,jews2 placed a crown upon his   
head2 coined money in his name2 and     

collected for him a body of #bj1jjj     
disciples4 ,by calling upon all the     
descendants of ,abraham to help the     
,hope of ,israel1 promised to their     
common forefather1 an immense army was  
soon assembled at ,bither1 a town near  
,jerusalem1 chosen by ,coziba to be the 
capital of his new kingdom4  ,adrian1   
not believing that after all they had   
gone through1 the ,jews could raise an  
army1 thought little of this revolt at  
first2 and when at length he did send   
against them a powerful army1 it was    
totally defeated4 ,the news of this     
misfortune caused great astonishment and
 dismay at ,rome3 and ,julius ,severus1 
one of the greatest generals of his     
time1 was sent to put an end to this    
dangerous rebellion1-a matter which he  
found it difficult to accomplish2 but at
 length1 in an attack upon ,bither1     
,coziba was killed2 a dreadful slaughter
 of men1 women1 and children followed2  
and ,akibha and his sons were put to a  
cruel death by the ,roman conqueror4    

,the ,jewish historians say1 that       
between battle1 famine1 sickness1 fire1 
and other calamities1 the number of     
,jews that perished in this war was     
greater than the number of the ,children
 of ,israel who originally came out of  
,egypt3 and they also declare1 that     
their terrible sufferings under         
,nebuchadnezzar and ,titus1 were not so 
great as those inflicted upon them in   
the reign of ,adrian4 ,both these       
statements are probably exaggerated2 but
 they show that the misery of the       
unhappy ,jews at this time1 was most    
extreme4     ,chapter ,,ii4--,,state    
,,of ,,the ,,jews ,,to ,,the ,,end ,,of 
,,the ,,third ,,century4   ,the repeated
 provocations which1 by their           
rebellions1 the ,jews gave to the       
,romans1 could not1 of course1 tend to  
make their conquerors deal mercifully   
with them3 thus did they1 time after    
time1 draw upon themselves those        
miseries1 which were a chastisement for 
all their sins against ,god2 and        

especially of that crowning one1 the    
,crucifixion of the ,lord of ,life and  
,glory4  ,after the rebellion under     
,coziba1 numbers of the ,jews who       
outlived it1 were offered for sale at   
the same price as a horse1 at the fair  
of ,terebinth1 held every year on the   
plain of ,mamre4 ,the horror of such a  
fate was doubled by the fact1 that the  
plain of ,mamre was looked upon by the  
,jews as a sacred spot2 because here    
their great forefather ,abraham received
 the angel1 who gave him the promise of 
a son4  ,those of the unhappy captives  
who were not sold at ,terebinth1 were   
taken to another fair1 at ,gaza1 or sent
 into ,egypt1 to be disposed of there4  
,when this terrible war was at an end1  
,adrian caused the building of his city 
to be continued4 ,he did all he could to
 profane1 and hold up to contempt1      
whatever the ,jews looked upon as most  
sacred3 he placed a marble hog over the 
gate of the city nearest to ,bethlehem2 
built a temple to ,jupiter ,capitolinus1

 on the spot where the temple of the    
,jews1 the ,house of ,god1 had stood2   
and used the stones which had been      
employed for the temple1 to build a     
theatre4  ,as ,adrian hated the         
,christians as well as the ,jews1 he set
 up statues of heathen deities at       
,bethlehem1 where ,jesus ,christ was    
born2 on the spot where ,he was         
crucified2 and in the garden1 from      
whence ,he rose again from the dead4    
,adrian also forbade the ,jews to enter 
,jerusalem1 or even to go near enough to
 look upon its ruins4 ,before this time1
 they were constantly to be seen1       
clothed in rags1 wandering sadly upon   
the ,mount of ,olives1 and amongst the  
ruins of their once glorious temple and 
city3 a ,roman garrison was now charged 
to see that ,adrian's harsh decree was  
obeyed1 or to put the transgressors to  
death4 ,but by giving money to the      
garrison1 the unhappy ,jews did get     
leave to go once a year1 on the         
anniversary of the destruction of       

,jerusalem1 to weep over the ruins of   
their beloved city4  ,thus were the     
,jews forced to pay even for the        
privilege of shedding tears1 in the     
places where they had purchased and shed
 the blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,truly was
 ,his blood1 that is1 the punishment for
 shedding it1 on them and on their      
children4 ,when they had madly cried1   
,his blood be on us and on our children1
 they had1 in fact1 asked that the curse
 of ,god might come upon them2 and      
heavily indeed had it fallen4 ,the      
dreadful fate of the ,jews should ever  
be a warning to each individual         
,christian4 ,we have owned ,jesus       
,christ to be the ,messiah1 the         
,redeemer of mankind2 we are called by  
,his name2 ,his ,word is in our hands3  
if we do not love and obey ,him1 shall  
we not deserve a greater punishment even
 than the ,jews8 whose history is given 
us as a warning of the hatefulness of   
sin1 in the sight of the ,almighty4     
,whilst the ,western ,jews had been     

suffering as has been described1 the    
,eastern ,jews were more fortunate4 ,the
 ,emperor ,adrian had agreed to let the 
,euphrates be the eastern boundary of   
the ,roman ,empire1 and therefore the   
,jews on the eastern side were no longer
 subject to his power4 ,many of them1   
however1 eager for the liberty of their 
country1 went into ,judaea to help their
 brethren1 but they only added to the   
number of sufferers4  ,little is known  
of these ,eastern ,jews3 they chose     
chiefs1 called ,princes of the          
,captivity1 to preside over their       
synagogues2 they founded schools1 and   
encouraged learned men2 so that some of 
their rabbis became famous for their    
learning4 ,one of these rabbis1 named   
,judah1 wrote a book called ,the ,misna1
 of which some account must be given4   
,after the destruction of ,jerusalem1   
the sect of ,pharisees became very      
powerful amongst the ,jews2 the chief   
thing taught by them in the schools was1
 not the written ,law of ,moses1 but all

 the traditions1 or doctrines and       
precepts1 handed down by word of mouth  
from father to son4 ,of course doctrines
 handed down in such a way1 got sadly   
altered from what they had been at      
first2 and thus the truth was corrupted4
 ,as time went on1 fresh traditions were
 added1 till at last they were so many1 
that the doctors1 whose duty it was to  
explain the meaning of them1 found it   
necessary to write them out1 as it was  
impossible otherwise even to remember   
them4 ,the disciples of the doctors     
again1 took notes of the explanations   
given of these traditions2 and all this 
made so much confusion1 that the ,rabbi 
,judah undertook to make a new          
arrangement of the traditions1 or oral  
,law4 ,the meaning of the word oral1 is 
delivered by the mouth2 and this ,law   
was called oral1 because it was         
originally given by the mouth4 ,judah1  
therefore1 collected together all the   
traditions1 with the commentaries or    
explanations given by the most famous   

amongst their teachers or doctors4 ,this
 work occupied him for forty years2 it  
contained all the laws and doctrines1   
with an account of the institutions and 
modes of life1 which the ,jews supposed 
themselves bound to observe1 beyond     
those commanded in the ,mosaical ,law4  
,the ,jews held this work in the        
greatest possible veneration1 and called
 it ,the ,misna--,misna being a ,hebrew 
word1 meaning the ,second ,law4 ,it was 
also called ,the ,first ,talmud4 ,the   
,jews called it ,the ,misna1 or ,second 
,law1 because they considered that it   
was as necessary to obey it1 as it was  
to keep the ,pentateuch1 or ,first ,law4
 ,the ,misna did not1 however1 settle   
all the doubtful cases and questions    
often raised by the ,jews2 and another  
rabbi1 with the assistance of two of    
,judah's disciples1 wrote a commentary1 
or rather an addition to the ,misna4    
,this addition was called the ,talmud of
 ,jerusalem1 because it was compiled or 
put together in the land of ,judaea1 for

 the benefit of those ,jews who still   
remained in their native country4       
,during the second century the ,jews    
became still further divided into sects1
 holding many opinions or doctrines     
contrary to those held originally by the
 ,jewish people2 but the sect of the    
,pharisees still continued to be the    
largest4  ,the consequence of these     
divisions into numerous sects was1 that 
there were perpetual jealousies and     
contentions amongst them4 ,one great    
subject of dispute was1 as to the use of
 the ,septuagint version of the         
,scriptures by the ,hellenists4 ,the    
,hellenists were ,jews who spoke ,greek1
 and did not understand ,hebrew1 so as  
to read the ,scriptures in their        
original language2 and who were1        
therefore1 very glad to make use of the 
,septuagint version1 which was written  
in ,greek4 ,the rest of the ,jews used  
the ,hebrew ,scriptures2 but at last    
they agreed that the ,hellenists might  
use the ,greek copies4 ,afterwards1     

however1 finding that the ,christians   
always used the ,septuagint1 when       
endeavouring to convince the ,jews that 
,jesus ,christ was the ,messiah1 their  
dislike to that version of the ,holy    
,scriptures increased to such a degree1 
that they came to look upon all persons 
who used it as ,schismatics2 that is1 as
 persons who sinfully separated         
themselves from their brethren1 who held
 the true faith as delivered to them by 
,moses4  ,antoninus ,pius became        
,emperor of ,rome towards the middle of 
the second century1 that is1 in ,a4,d4  
#ach4 ,the edict forbidding the ,jews to
 circumcise their children1 was so      
hateful to them1 that in spite of the   
warnings given them by former           
sufferings1 they again revolted4        
,antoninus put down the revolt by force2
 but afterwards he treated the ,jews    
very mildly1 and gave them the privilege
 for which they had fought2 only        
forbidding their attempting to make     
proselytes4 ,in the reign of ,marcus    

,aurelius1 who became ,emperor ,a4,d4   
#afa1 the ,eastern ,jews1 who were      
subject to the king of ,parthia1 joined 
that monarch in a war against the       
,romans2 and ,marcus ,aurelius was so   
angry1 that he unjustly revenged himself
 upon his ,jewish subjects1 and once    
more ordered ,adrian's law against      
circumcision to be put in force3 but in 
the distant provinces this law was not  
observed4  ,in ,a4,d4 #aig1 ,septimius  
,severus became ,emperor3 at this time  
the ,jews had settlements in ,galilee1  
but the law forbidding them to enter    
,jerusalem was still in force4 ,though  
defeated and humbled so constantly1 this
 unhappy people attempted to get        
possession of ,samaria and ,judaea by   
force4 ,when the ,romans had again      
brought them into subjection1 ,severus  
treated the ,jews as ,antoninus had done
 before2 and in reward for some service 
they had done him1 he also granted them 
the privilege of ,roman citizens1 and   
even allowed them to be chosen to fill  

offices of trust and honour4 ,so ended  
the second century4  ,early in the third
 century1 ,heliogabalus became ,emperor 
of ,rome1 ,a4,d4 #bah4 ,this ,emperor   
pretended to be in some respects a ,jew 
himself1 and would not1 in consequence1 
eat the flesh of swine2 but at the same 
time he built a temple in honour of the 
,sun1 and was anxious to make both ,jews
 and ,samaritans mix this worship1 with 
their own religious observances4 ,the   
,jews1 who never would have consented to
 such idolatry1 were saved from the     
misery which a refusal would have       
brought upon them1 by the death of      
,heliogabalus1 who was assassinated by  
his own soldiers1 ,a4,d4 #bbb4          
,alexander ,severus1 who succeeded him1 
favoured the ,jews1 and caused himself  
to be instructed in their religion4 ,the
 great object of ,alexander ,severus was
 to mix up the ,christian and ,jewish   
doctrines with those of ,paganism1 and  
make one religion of the whole3 this    
shows that he could have had no real    

knowledge of the two former4 ,in his own
 private chapel1 ,severus placed statues
 of ,jesus ,christ1 of ,abraham1 and of 
,orpheus1 a famous musician of ancient  
times1 of whom many mythological tales  
are told4  ,the ,eastern ,jews          
established academies in the beginning  
of the third century2 and in ,persia    
their rabbis were for some time treated 
with great respect3 but at last the     
,persians became jealous of the power   
and influence of the ,jews1 and         
persuaded ,sapor1 king of the country1  
to allow a violent persecution to be    
carried on against these unhappy people3
 those who could escape sought refuge in
 other lands4 ,under ,zenobia1 ,queen of
 ,palmyra1 7the ,tadmor built by        
,solomon17 the ,jews flourished         
exceedingly3 they built handsome        
synagogues in every part of her         
dominions1 and filled the highest       
offices in the state4 ,in ,a4,d4 #bgc1  
the ,emperor ,aurelian defeated         
,zenobia1 and took possession of her    

dominions3 some of the ,jews then       
returned into ,persia2 but under        
,aurelian1 and the ,pagan emperors who  
succeeded him during the remainder of   
the third century1 the ,jews enjoyed    
peace and tranquillity in the dominions 
of the ,romans4 ,in this respect they   
were more fortunate than the            
,christians1 who were persecuted by     
various ,emperors1 and especially by    
,diocletian1 who began to reign ,a4,d4  
#bhd4 ,whilst the ,christians were      
treated with the most barbarous cruelty1
 because they would not give up their   
religion1 the ,jews were allowed to     
celebrate all the forms of their worship
 in the most public manner4 ,thus ended 
the third century2 but early in the     
next1 an event took place1 which made a 
great change in the condition of ,jews  
and ,christians4     ,chapter           
,,iii4--,,jews ,,in ,,the ,,fourth      
,,century4   ,early in the fourth       
century1 as has been said1 a great      
change took place in religious matters4 

,constantine1 surnamed the ,great1 who  
began to reign as sole ,emperor of ,rome
 ,a4,d4 #cbd1 became a ,christian4 ,it  
is said1 that when going to fight       
against a rival who claimed the         
,imperial power1 ,constantine saw1 or   
dreamed that he saw in the sky1 a bright
 cross1 and upon it the words1 ,in hoc  
vince 7in this conquer74 ,he gained the 
victory2 and ascribing it to the ,god   
worshipped by the ,christians1 7whose   
emblem was a cross17 he became a convert
 to their religion1 and adopted the     
cross as his standard4 ,the example of  
,constantine was followed by the greater
 part of his subjects1 so that          
,christianity was established as the    
religion of the ,roman ,empire1 though  
many of the inhabitants still remained  
,pagans4  ,the city of ,jerusalem1 which
 ,adrian had called ,elia1 took again   
its own name2 and many beautiful        
churches were built in it by            
,constantine4 ,but the establishment of 
the ,christian religion was by no means 

a favourable circumstance for the ,jews1
 who were looked upon as its worst      
enemies3 against them1 ,constantine1 in 
the beginning of his reign1 made some   
very severe laws4 ,the ,jews in ,persia 
had grown insolent in consequence of the
 prosperity they had enjoyed3 they      
insulted and abused all ,christians1 and
 were even supposed to have put to death
 some of their brethren who had embraced
 ,christianity4 ,constantine1 indignant 
at such conduct1 visited it upon the    
,jews in his own dominions1 and treated 
them with the greatest severity1 even   
forbidding ,christians to eat with them4
 ,in short1 the unhappy ,israelites were
 now subjected to every sort of insult  
and suffering4  ,the ,persian ,jews were
 very angry at such treatment of their  
brethren2 and as they had great         
influence over the ,king of ,persia1    
they now tried to avenge the ,jews in   
the west1 by raising a bloody           
persecution against ,christians in the  
east3 numbers of ,christ's followers    

were accordingly killed2 their churches 
destroyed2 and their sacred book burnt4 
,this persecution was carried on1 until 
every trace of ,christianity was almost 
rooted out of the country4  ,but the    
cruelty of the ,persian ,jews did not go
 unpunished1 although the ,roman ,empire
 was now greatly disturbed by internal  
strife1 as well as by the attacks of    
foreign enemies4  ,constantine the      
,great died in ,a4,d4 #ccg2 and after   
his death the ,roman ,empire rapidly    
declined1 both in extent and power2 but 
of this we need say nothing here1 as our
 business is with the ,jews4            
,constantius1 who succeeded ,constantine
 as ,emperor1 hated the ,jews1 and by   
his cruel treatment1 drove them to raise
 an insurrection in ,palestine4 ,this   
only enraged the ,emperor still more1   
and led him to add new and more severe  
laws to those already made against these
 unhappy creatures1 by former ,emperors4
 ,any ,jew who dared to marry a         
,christian1 was to be put to death2 and 

the same punishment was inflicted upon  
one who tried to make a proselyte of his
 own slave2 or who kept in slavery any  
man who had become a ,christian4  ,on   
the death of ,constantius1 ,a4,d4 #cfa1 
the ,jews experienced some relief from  
his successor the ,emperor ,julian1     
surnamed the ,apostate2 because1 after  
having been brought up as a ,christian1 
he renounced that true religion1 and    
lived as a ,pagan4  ,when ,constantine  
the ,great died1 he left ,constantius   
and two other sons1 who were to divide  
his dominions amongst them3 and he left 
two brothers1 who had sons also4 ,gallus
 and ,julian were the sons of one of    
these brothers1 and were consequently   
cousins to ,constantius4 ,the generals  
and ministers of ,constantine1 persuaded
 the people after his death1 that there 
would be constant struggles for power   
between the brothers and sons of the    
late ,emperor4 ,the soldiers1 who were  
very fond of ,constantine1 declared that
 no one but a son of their beloved      

,emperor should reign over his          
dominions1 or rule in the city of       
,constantinople1 which he had built to  
be the capital of his dominions1 and the
 royal residence4 ,the soldiers stirred 
up the people1 and formed a plot to     
destroy the brothers and nephews of     
,constantine4  ,constantius1 when he    
first came to ,constantinople after his 
father's death1 had solemnly promised to
 protect his uncles and cousins from all
 their enemies2 but in spite of this1 he
 was easily persuaded to join in the    
plot for their destruction2 and a       
pretext was soon found for carrying out 
the scheme4 ,a paper was produced1 which
 was pretended to have been written by  
,constantine just before his death4 ,in 
this paper1 the ,emperor was made to    
declare his belief1 that he had been    
poisoned by his brothers2 and he desired
 his sons to revenge his death1 and     
secure their own safety1 by the         
destruction of their uncles and cousins4
 ,such a pretext was quite sufficient2  

and the soldiers1 without waiting for   
any inquiry or trial1 murdered the      
suspected princes and all their sons1   
excepting the two young boys ,gallus and
 ,julian1 who were hidden by their      
attendants from the fury of the         
soldiers2 and thus escaped the fate of  
the two brothers and seven nephews of   
,constantine1 who were now murdered4    
,gallus and ,julian1 who alone escaped  
the slaughter1 were of the respective   
ages of twelve and six years4           
,constantius justly felt1 that to put   
these children to death in cold blood1  
would be looked upon by all mankind as  
an act of wanton and needless cruelty3  
perhaps1 too1 he felt some sorrow for   
the crime already committed4 ,at any    
rate1 the two boys were allowed to live1
 and were sent to some city in          
,bithynia1 or ,ionia1 where persons were
 appointed by the ,emperor to educate   
them4 ,as ,gallus and ,julian grew up1  
,constantius feared that they might plot
 against him2 and he therefore chose for

 their residence a strong castle1       
standing in a pleasant situation1 with  
extensive grounds belonging to it3      
having been an ancient palace1 it       
contained very good rooms4 ,here1       
attended1 or rather guarded1 by a       
numerous household1 the young princes   
lived for six years3 they were carefully
 instructed by the best teachers1 in all
 branches of learning1 as well as in    
active exercises2 but in spite of every 
attention and comfort1 they felt        
themselves to be prisoners1 shut out    
from all society except that of persons 
devoted to ,constantius1 and ready to   
obey him in every matter4 ,a very strict
 observance of all the outward forms of 
,christianity1 had been forced upon     
them2 but upon the heart of ,julian1 at 
least1 the blessed truths and precepts  
of the ,gospel had taken no hold4 ,he   
had rather learnt to connect            
,constantius and his religion1 with     
cruelty and tyranny2 and the violent    
disputes carried on by the bishops1 who 

professed to be the followers of ,jesus 
,christ1 still further increased his    
dislike to a religion1 associated in his
 mind with his own sufferings4  ,when   
,gallus was twenty-five years old1      
disturbances in his dominions induced   
,constantius to release him1 and even to
 place him as governor over part of the 
country4 ,the cousins1 therefore1 met1  
and took a solemn oath1 never to do     
anything to injure each other2 and then 
,gallus was settled at ,antioch1 to rule
 over the neighbouring provinces4       
,gallus was not unmindful of his        
brother1 but also obtained liberty for  
him4 ,julian1 now nineteen years of age1
 having been so long restricted in his  
choice of society1 eagerly sought that  
of learned men1 the greater part of whom
 were unfortunately ,pagans2 to whose   
ideas of religion he willingly listened1
 until he became convinced that         
,paganism was a better religion than    
,christianity1 which he accordingly     
renounced2 and from that time1 became a 

devout and sincere worshipper of the    
gods of ,rome and ,athens4 ,on the death
 of ,constantius1 ,a4,d4 #cfa1 ,julian  
became ,emperor of ,rome1 and he proved 
a just and wise ruler4 ,as it was his   
great wish entirely to destroy the      
,christian religion1 ,julian gave great 
encouragement to its enemies the ,jews2 
allowing them the free exercise of their
 religion1 and treating them with the   
greatest kindness4 ,this emboldened the 
,jews to destroy the churches of the    
,christians1 and commit other acts of   
violence against them--an example       
followed by their brethren in ,egypt1   
who destroyed the finest churches in    
,alexandria4 ,julian issued a law       
establishing ,paganism as the religion  
of his empire2 but he did not put to    
death those who held contrary opinions4 
,he hated the ,christians1 and would not
 allow them to have any power in the    
,state2 he forbade them to teach any    
sort of science in the public schools2  
he fined and banished their clergy2 and 

also fined all who refused to offer     
sacrifices to the ,pagan deities4 ,but  
nothing he could do had any effect upon 
the ,christians1 who held firm to the   
true faith4  ,the ,emperor then         
determined to rebuild the temple1 and   
settle a powerful colony of ,jews in    
,judaea2 where they would be always     
ready to join in any measure against the
 ,christians4 ,the destruction and      
desolation of the temple having been    
foretold by ,jesus ,christ1 ,julian     
thought1 that by rebuilding it1 and     
re-establishing in it the ancient       
worship1 he should shake the faith of   
mankind as to the truth of              
,christianity4  ,great preparations were
 made for the work2 but when the workmen
 began to clear out the foundations1    
they were hindered by balls of fire     
which broke out1 scorching and burning  
the unfortunate people4 ,some writers   
doubt the truth of this account2 but    
though we cannot be quite sure1 there is
 great reason to believe that it really 

did happen4 ,we may well believe that   
the ,almighty worked this miracle1 to   
prove the truth of prophecy2 and to show
 that the ,christians were now his      
chosen people1 instead of the ,jews1 who
 had filled up the measure of their     
iniquities by crucifying the ,saviour of
 mankind4 ,at any rate1 ,julian gave up 
the attempt to rebuild the temple4      
,julian was killed in battle ,a4,d4     
#cfc1 and was succeeded by ,christian   
,emperors4 ,christianity was then       
re-established as the national religion1
 although both ,pagans and ,jews were   
allowed to practise their own forms of  
worship in peace1 until the close of the
 fourth century1 when the ,emperor      
,theodosius put an end to ,paganism in  
the ,roman ,empire3 sacrifices to the   
heathen deities were absolutely         
forbidden2 and all the heathen temples  
were destroyed1 or shut up4     ,chapter
 ,,iv4--,,fifth ,,and ,,sixth           
,,centuries4   ,by the close of the     
fourth century1 the ,roman ,empire was  

very considerably weakened and          
diminished1 by the attacks of barbarian 
tribes on all sides4  ,on the death of  
the ,emperor ,theodosius1 ,a4,d4 #cie1  
all that remained of the once ,roman    
,empire was finally divided between his 
two young sons3 ,arcadius becoming      
,emperor of the ,east1 with             
,constantinople for his capital2        
,honorius ,emperor of the ,west1 with   
the ancient capital of ,rome4  ,the     
,jews of the ,eastern ,empire1          
emboldened by the mild treatment they   
had experienced1 now insulted the       
,christians4 ,whilst celebrating the    
,feast of ,purim1 in remembrance of     
their deliverance from the wicked plots 
of ,haman1 instead of hanging a figure  
of ,haman on a gibbet1 and burning it1  
according to custom2 the ,jews1 in      
mockery of the ,christians1 nailed the  
figure to a cross1 and burnt that4      
,this1 of course1 greatly displeased and
 shocked the ,christians2 and the       
magistrates caused the houses1 as well  

as the synagogues of the ,jews1 to be   
burnt4 ,laws were now made1 forbidding  
the ,jews to insult the established     
religion2 and also forbidding the       
,christians to destroy the synagogues of
 the ,jews3 but these unhappy people    
were still subject to great cruelty and 
injustice from the zeal of the          
,christians1 and the ,emperor was       
obliged to make fresh laws1 for their   
protection from those1 who would have   
done well to copy the example of ,him1  
,whose followers they professed to be4  
,during the early part of the fifth     
century1 the ,jews in the ,west1 enjoyed
 the free exercise of their religion    
under the ,emperor ,honorius3 the office
 of ,patriarch was1 however1 abolished  
by law2 and this was a great grief to   
the ,jews1 who from this time were under
 the direction of chiefs of the         
synagogues1 whom they called ,primates4 
,the fifth century was remarkable for   
the still further curtailment of the    
,roman dominions1 especially in the     

,west4 ,britain was lost4 ,rome itself  
was plundered1 and a ,visigothic ,empire
 established in ,spain4 ,the ,jews of   
the ,eastern ,empire were much worse off
 during the fifth century than their    
brethren in the ,western4 ,a great      
number of ,jews had settled at          
,alexandria1 in the north of ,egypt3    
they were very clever in their various  
trades1 and therefore prospered and grew
 powerful2 but they were not at all     
disposed to obey any rulers or          
magistrates4 ,as early as ,a4,d4 #dae1  
they had become much less strict in     
their observance of the forms and       
ceremonies enjoined by their religion2  
and instead of attending the services of
 the synagogue on ,saturday1 their      
,sabbath1 they fell into a habit of     
going to witness the public amusements  
which took place on that day4 ,on these 
occasions1 there were frequent quarrels 
between the ,jews and the ,christians1  
and blood was often shed4 ,cyril1       
,bishop of ,alexandria1 who had an      

extreme hatred of the ,jews1 threatened 
them with the severest punishments2 but 
as the governor of the city was their   
friend1 they paid no attention to the   
bishop1 and even laid a plot1 and       
attacked the ,christians during the     
night1 killing many of them4 ,cyril1    
without waiting for a legal sentence    
against these murderers1 encouraged the 
,christians to attack and destroy the   
synagogues4 ,after doing this1 the      
people entered the houses of all ,jews1 
whether innocent or guilty1 and robbed  
them of their goods1 which were given up
 for the use of the ,christian ,church4 
,the ,jews were thus forced to quit the 
city1 and ,alexandria lost a useful and 
rich colony4 ,the governor ,orestes was 
much displeased at the ,jews having been
 driven out of the city2 and fresh      
disturbances arose in consequence1      
between him and ,cyril4  ,towards the   
middle of the fifth century1 a man      
appeared in the island of ,candia1      
pretending that he was a second ,moses4 

,there were a great many rich ,jews in  
the island1 and this impostor persuaded 
them that he was sent by the ,almighty  
to deliver ,his people from worse than  
,egyptian bondage2 and that the sea     
would be divided before them1 to give   
them a safe passage to their own land4  
,this man passed through every town and 
village in ,candia1 and persuaded the   
,jews to meet him at a particular spot  
on the sea-shore1 on a certain day which
 he named4 ,multitudes did so1 taking   
with them as much of their wealth as    
they could carry4 ,the impostor then led
 the assembled multitude to the top of a
 rock1 and ordered them to throw        
themselves into the sea4 ,men1 women1   
and children1 with a faith worthy of a  
better cause1 at once jumped into the   
sea1 where most of them were1 of course1
 drowned3 some were rescued from their  
fate by ,christian fishermen4 ,the      
survivors1 convinced too late of the    
falsehood of their pretended deliverer1 
now attempted to seize him1 but he      

managed to escape4 ,many of the ,jews1  
ashamed of having believed in such an   
impostor1 are said to have become       
,christians4 ,what the object of this   
man was it is hard to see3 it certainly 
does not seem that he was any friend to 
the ,jews1 whom he misled to their      
destruction4  ,during the fifth century1
 the ,jewish work1 called ,the ,talmud  
of ,babylon1 was probably compiled3 like
 ,the ,talmud of ,jerusalem1 it         
contained the ,misna of ,judah1 with    
other remarks and explanations4 ,it is  
supposed that another work1 called ,the 
,masora1 was also written at this time4 
,the ,masora fixed the true reading of  
the ,hebrew words1 and numbered the     
chapters and verses1 and even the words 
and letters1 of the ,old ,testament     
,scriptures4 ,the object was1 to prevent
 the ,hebrew ,scriptures from being in  
any way altered1 and so corrupted2 and  
therefore the ,jews called the ,masora  
the hedge of the ,law4  ,towards the    
close of the fifth century1 a tribe of  

,goths1 called ,heruli1 led by their    
king ,odoacer1 put an end to the        
,western ,empire1 ,a4,d4 #dgf4 ,romulus 
,augustulus1 the ,emperor1 was deposed2 
but his life was spared1 and a pension  
was granted him by ,odoacer1 who        
established a kingdom of his own in     
,italy4 ,he protected the ,jews1 who had
 establishments for trade and commerce  
at ,rome1 ,naples1 ,milan1 and ,genoa3  
laws were made to defend them from the  
attacks of the ,christians2 but1        
nevertheless1 they were often robbed and
 ill-used by the populace4  ,a few years
 later1 ,a4,d4 #dic1 the kingdom of the 
,heruli was overthrown by the           
,ostrogoths2 but this change in the     
masters of the country does not appear  
to have made any difference in the      
treatment of the ,jews4  ,during the    
sixth century1 the ,jews in ,persia were
 cruelly persecuted by the kings1 who   
wanted to force them to follow the      
idolatrous religion of the country4 ,nor
 were the ,jews on the western side of  

the ,euphrates better off1 for the      
,emperor ,justinian1 who began to reign 
at ,constantinople ,a4,d4 #ebg1         
oppressed them most severely2 and by    
degrees deprived them of all the        
privileges they had enjoyed4 ,he took   
upon himself to settle all matters      
connected with religion3 he would not   
allow the ,jews to keep the ,passover at
 the time they wished2 nor to educate   
their children in their own faith2 and  
he forbade the magistrates to receive   
evidence against a ,christian from any  
,jew4 ,justinian also forbade the ,jews 
of ,carthage to worship ,god in their   
own way2 and commanded that their       
synagogues should be turned into places 
of worship for the ,christians4 ,all    
these harsh measures inclined the ,jews 
to revolt1 and a man called ,julian1    
taking advantage of this disposition1   
pretended to be the ,messiah1 whose     
coming the ,jews still expected4 ,many  
of these unhappy people joined ,julian  
in ,palestine1 confidently hoping for   

deliverance from their bondage3 he      
immediately led them to attack the      
,christians1 who1 not being prepared1   
were defeated with great slaughter4     
,but the triumph of the ,jews was of    
short duration1 for ,justinian sent     
troops1 which routed the rebels         
entirely2 ,julian was taken prisoner1   
and immediately put to death4  ,some    
years afterwards1 the ,jews of ,caesarea
 rebelled against the government of     
,justinian1 and notwithstanding the     
hatred which existed between them and   
the ,samaritans1 the two people joined  
together to fight against the           
,christians3 the governor of ,caesarea1 
and great numbers of the ,christians1   
were massacred2 and many of their       
churches were destroyed4  ,this         
rebellion was quickly put down by the   
troops of ,justinian2 many1 who had     
taken part in it1 were beheaded1 and the
 rich were deprived of all their        
property4  ,when ,belisarius1 the famous
 general of ,justinian1 besieged the    

city of ,naples1 the ,jews defended it  
most obstinately2 and the length of the 
siege caused the death of very many of  
the assailants4 ,belisarius at length   
took the city3 he tried to protect the  
,jews from the fury of his own soldiers1
 but his efforts were unsuccessful1 and 
men1 women1 and children were murdered4 
,the ,jews were now so terrified1 that  
they kept quiet for the remainder of the
 sixth century4  ,the seventh century   
was a time of great suffering for the   
,jews in general4 ,those of ,antioch    
brought their first miseries upon       
themselves1 by attacking the ,christians
 ,a4,d4 #fjb3 the ,christians defended  
themselves bravely1 but were            
overpowered3 many were burnt in their   
houses2 others1 with their bishop1 were 
treated with every insult1 and then put 
to death4 ,this rebellion was at last   
crushed1 and the ,jews were most        
severely punished for their cruelty4    
,cyprus gives us a pleasanter picture3  
in spite of ,adrian's edict of          

banishment1 the ,jews had again become  
numerous and powerful in that island2   
and ,leontius1 the ,christian bishop1   
fearing such an insurrection as had     
taken place at ,antioch1 treated the    
,jews kindly1 and tried by gentle means 
to convert them4 ,we are told that1     
under his wise management1 numbers      
really did become ,christians4  ,in     
,rome1 too1 the bishops or pontiffs1    
who1 under the title of ,pope1 began to 
have great power and authority over all 
,christians1 would not allow the ,jews  
to be persecuted4  ,but ,heraclius1 the 
,greek ,emperor1 hated the ,hebrew race2
 and1 not satisfied with persecuting    
them himself1 stirred up other          
sovereigns to do the same4 ,the ,greek  
,empire1 of which ,heraclius was now    
,emperor1 was that division of the      
,roman ,empire which has been called    
hitherto the ,eastern ,empire1 having   
,constantinople for its capital4 ,there 
was now no ,roman ,empire2 many of the  
countries that had formerly been parts  

of it had become separate kingdoms1     
under monarchs of their own4 ,the two   
principal kingdoms were ,spain1 and     
,gaul1 which we call ,france4 ,neither  
,spain nor ,gaul was1 however1 one      
kingdom1 but each was divided amongst   
several kings or rulers4     ,chapter   
,v4--,,rise ,,of ,,mahometanism4   ,the 
,jews settled in ,spain had become rich 
by trading1 and were very flourishing1  
until ,heraclius1 who had been at war   
with that country1 made peace1 on       
condition that all the ,jews who would  
not consent to be baptized1 should be   
destroyed or driven out of ,spain4 ,many
 to save their lives and property       
submitted to the outward rite of        
baptism2 others1 more conscientious1    
stood firm1 and were cruelly tortured4  
,some escaped into ,gaul1 but met with  
cruel treatment there3 and during the   
remainder of the seventh century1 the   
unhappy ,jews1 both in ,spain and ,gaul1
 were oppressed and ill-used by         
,christian kings1 priests1 and people4  

,the most remarkable event in the       
seventh century was1 the rise of the    
,mahometan religion2 so called from its 
founder1 a man named ,mahomet--an       
,arabian1 the son of a prince of one of 
the chief wandering tribes who inhabited
 the country4 ,the religion of these    
,arabians was a mixture of the          
superstitious belief of neighbouring    
people2 they also believed themselves to
 be descended from the patriarch        
,abraham1 and observed circumcision1    
with other rites and ceremonies         
belonging to the ,jewish religion4 ,they
 believed in one ,supreme ,being2 and   
also in three goddesses of equal power  
and wisdom1 to be worshipped as well3   
they likewise worshipped idols4  ,at    
,mecca1 the capital of ,arabia1 there   
was a small temple1 called the ,caabba1 
in which there was a stone1 said to have
 fallen white from heaven1 in the time  
when man was innocent1 and to have      
gradually lost its pure colour as man   
became sinful2 it was now quite black4  

,this stone was held in such veneration1
 that people from all parts of ,arabia  
came to the ,caabba1 to worship1        
bringing gifts2 and thus ,mecca grew to 
be a rich and flourishing city4         
,mahomet was left an orphan when he was 
quite young1 and in order to provide for
 him1 his relations placed him in the   
service of a woman1 who was in the habit
 of going backwards and forwards to     
,syria1 trading2 that is1 selling the   
spices and other things which grew in   
,arabia1 to the ,syrians2 and bringing  
back such things as she could sell to   
her countrymen4 ,mahomet now accompanied
 her on her journeys2 looking after the 
camels1 and doing any other services    
required4 ,syria was at this time a     
,roman province4 ,mahomet1 being a      
clever1 intelligent lad1 of an observing
 turn of mind1 soon saw how much        
difference there was between the laws1  
manners1 and customs of the polished    
,syrians1 and those of his own          
uncivilized countrymen2 and he greatly  

regretted not being able to read or     
write4 ,the mixture of ,jews and        
,christians which he found in ,syria1   
turned his thoughts towards religious   
matters1 and made him think that it     
would be a good thing to work a         
reformation in the corrupt and          
idolatrous religion of his own country4 
,his ambition made him wish to          
distinguish himself as the founder of a 
new religion2 but his poverty and       
dependent position seemed to render this
 impossible4  ,in the course of time1   
however1 ,mahomet made himself so useful
 to his mistress ,cadigha1 and gained   
such favour with her1 that she married  
him1 and thus gave him the riches and   
consideration necessary for carrying out
 his schemes4 ,his first step was to    
remedy the defects of his education2 the
 next to gain favour with the people3 he
 gave much in charity2 led a solitary   
life2 and occasionally retired into the 
desert1 where he pretended to receive   
instructions from the angel ,gabriel4   

,his wife assisted him by every means in
 her power2 and in a short time the     
whole city of ,mecca talked of nothing  
but ,mahomet1 who then began to lecture 
publicly4 ,he taught that mankind should
 acknowledge one ,god 7without division 
of persons1 as in ,christianity72 he    
declared that the love of this ,being   
was equal to ,his power1 and that all   
,his laws tended to make ,his creatures 
happy4 ,mahomet also taught1 that as    
mankind sinned1 ,god had from time to   
time sent prophets upon earth to reprove
 them1 and bring them back to ,his      
service2 and that the chief of these    
prophets were1 ,abraham1 ,moses1 ,jesus 
,christ1 and ,mahomet2 the last being   
the greatest of all ,there is one ,god1 
and ,mahomet is ,his ,prophet1 was their
 confession of faith4 ,prayers were to  
be offered to ,god seven times a day2   
and the pilgrimages to ,mecca1 as well  
as circumcision and ablutions1 were     
recommended as outward signs of belief1 
in the doctrines of what ,mahomet       

declared to be a new ,revelation1       
delivered to him by the angel ,gabriel4 
,the book1 in which all the doctrines   
and precepts taught by ,mahomet were    
recorded1 is called ,the ,koran4 ,the   
,koran contains many precepts worthy of 
,christianity2 and many doctrines in    
which there is much truth1 mixed1       
however1 with a great deal of falsehood 
and error1 whilst the indulgence of     
man's evil passions is allowed4 ,such a 
religion accorded well with the         
disposition of the ,arabians2 the       
disciples of ,mahomet increased greatly1
 and amongst them were the richest and  
most respectable citizens of ,mecca4    
,very shortly1 ,mahomet began to spread 
his religion by conquest2 and in a few  
years he had subdued to his empire and  
religion1 all ,arabia2 thus establishing
 the ,saracen ,empire1 which afterwards 
extended itself over much of ,asia1     
,africa1 and even ,europe4  ,the        
,arabian followers of ,mahomet took the 
name of ,saracens1 to induce a belief   

that they were descended from ,abraham  
and his wife ,sara2 whereas they were   
the descendants of ,ishmael1 the son of 
,abraham and the bond-maid ,hagar4      
,after the destruction of ,jerusalem1   
many of the ,jews settled in ,arabia2   
and by the beginning of the seventh     
century1 they possessed several towns   
and fortifications1 and had armies      
commanded by princes of their own4      
,their number and influence made        
,mahomet wish for their help in his     
undertaking1 and he treated them at     
first with great attention3 he had      
adopted many of their opinions and      
customs1 and he ordered his followers to
 turn towards ,jerusalem when they      
prayed4 ,he thus succeeded in gaining   
favour with the ,children of ,israel1   
who seeing what wonderful victories he  
gained1 and misled by their own         
obstinate ideas as to the character of  
the promised ,messiah1 began actually to
 think that in this conqueror1 they     
beheld the long-expected ,messiah4 ,many

 of the ,jews1 therefore1 embraced the  
,mahometan religion1 which all1 who were
 conquered by ,mahomet1 were forced to  
adopt4 ,the ,jews were soon afterwards  
offended by his eating the flesh of     
camels1 a meat forbidden by the         
,mosaical ,law2 and they had speedily   
other reasons for changing their        
opinions concerning the pretended       
prophet2 they then became his determined
 enemies4 ,mahomet returned their       
hatred2 and in the ,koran1 to which he  
was continually adding chapters1 as     
supposed to be delivered to him from    
time to time by the angel ,gabriel1 he  
reproaches the ,jews with betraying and 
murdering the prophets sent by ,god1    
amongst whom he numbers ,jesus ,christ4 
,he also declares1 that for these       
things1 and for breaking the laws of    
,god and neglecting the ,sabbaths1 and  
above all for having refused to         
acknowledge his authority to establish a
 new ,revelation1 the ,jews were justly 
accursed of ,god4 ,not contented with   

such declarations1 the impostor cruelly 
persecuted the unhappy ,jews2 their     
property was taken from them1 many were 
driven into exile1 and thousands were   
slaughtered4 ,but in spite of all       
sufferings1 the ,jews remained faithful 
to their religion4  ,after the death of 
,mahomet1 ,a4,d4 #fcb1 the miserable    
remnant of the once flourishing people  
of ,israel was forced to remove into    
,syria2 as the impostor's dying command 
was1 that none but followers of what he 
called the true religion1 should be     
allowed to dwell in his native land of  
,arabia4  ,one of the ,caliphs1 or      
princes1 who succeeded to the power of  
,mahomet1 carried on war to force all   
nations to become ,mahometans or        
,mussulmans3 he subdued ,mesopotamia1   
,persia1 and ,syria3 the ,jews rejoiced 
in the downfall of ,persia1 where they  
had met with persecution4 ,at the head  
of an army of ,saracens1 this ,caliph   
7,abubeker7 attacked ,jerusalem3 the    
,christians gallantly defended it for   

four months1 and were then obliged to   
surrender the city to the ,saracens2 who
 built a mosque1 or ,mussulman place of 
worship1 on the very spot where the     
magnificent temple of ,solomon had      
formerly stood4  ,the first ,caliphs    
allowed the ,jews the free exercise of  
their own religion1 and even permitted  
the ,princes of the ,captivity to       
exercise considerable authority4 ,during
 the eighth and ninth centuries the     
,jews had their share in the troubles   
and calamities caused by civil wars     
among the ,caliphs4 ,besides this1 their
 treatment varied much under the rule of
 the different ,saracen princes1 who    
succeeded each other more or less       
quickly3 by some they were allowed to   
live in peace1 and worship ,god in their
 own way2 by others they were           
persecuted4 ,one of the ,caliphs forbade
 their riding on horses1 and only       
permitted them to have mules1 and make  
use of iron stirrups3 the ,jews were    
also deprived of every office or        

employment in the ,state1 and they were 
obliged to wear a cord round the waist1 
to point them out to the ridicule and   
abuse of the people4  ,in ,christian    
countries1 during the seventh and eighth
 centuries1 we find the ,jews exposed to
 equal1 and even greater persecutions4  
,the members of the ,christian ,church  
were at this time divided into two great
 parties1 one of which objected to      
having any images of saints in the      
churches3 the ,jews1 being accused of   
encouraging these disputes1 were        
commanded by the ,greek ,emperor to give
 up their religion1 on pain of the      
severest punishment4 ,to save their     
lives1 many of the ,hebrews were        
baptized1 but without any intention of  
really becoming ,christians4 ,this being
 suspected1 afforded an excuse for still
 further persecutions of these unhappy  
people2 but subsequent ,emperors showed 
them favour1 and allowed them to        
practise all the rites and ceremonies of
 their religion4     ,chapter           

,,vi4--,,tenth ,,and ,,eleventh         
,,centuries4   ,the ,jews in ,spain     
brought trouble upon themselves by      
listening to one of their own           
countrymen1 who declared himself to be  
the expected ,messiah1 and persuaded the
 multitude to follow him to ,palestine1 
where he promised to establish his      
kingdom4 ,many perished on this         
expedition2 and those who did return to 
,spain had cause to repent bitterly of  
their foolish credulity1 for during     
their absence the ,government had seized
 upon all their lands and property4     
,when ,gaul was taken from the ,romans  
by the barbarians1 various tribes of    
,germans1 calling themselves ,franks1   
established their empire in the country4
 ,charles the ,great1 or ,charlemagne1  
as he is always called1 became sovereign
 of the ,empire of the ,franks 7or      
,france1 as we may now term it71 ,a4,d4 
#ggb4 ,the ,saracens at this time were  
very troublesome in making frequent     
attacks upon the country2 and the ,jews 

were suspected of encouraging and aiding
 the ,infidels1 out of hatred to the    
,christians4 ,charlemagne1 after        
defeating the ,saracens at ,toulouse1 in
 the south of ,france1 determined       
utterly to destroy the ,jews1 who were  
accused of causing all this bloodshed4  
,he was1 however1 persuaded only to put 
to death some of those supposed to be   
the most guilty4 ,the others were       
condemned to pay an annual fine2 and    
were1 moreover1 obliged to assemble     
three times a year1 at the gate of some 
,christian church appointed by the      
bishop1 to receive a box on the ear6    
which we may well believe to have been  
no slight blow4  ,at other times1 the   
,jews were treated with gentleness and  
moderation4 ,louis le ,debonnaire became
 king on the death of his father1       
,charlemagne1 early in the ninth        
century1 ,a4,d4 #had4 ,his favourite    
physician was a ,jew2 and for his sake  
,louis granted great privileges to the  
,jews4 ,these marks of favour made them 

haughty and insolent2 but when the      
bishops complained of their behaviour1  
the king would not listen to any        
proposition for their punishment4 ,the  
favour and protection thus granted by   
the monarch1 produced a great effect    
among his subjects2 and those about the 
,court declared openly1 that the        
descendants of ,abraham ought to be     
treated with the greatest respect4 ,some
 even went so far as to observe the     
,jewish ,sabbaths1 and to attend the    
synagogues2 preferring to hear the      
discourses of the learned rabbis1 rather
 than the sermons of the ,christian     
priests and monks1 who were at this time
 extremely ignorant4 ,during the reign  
of the next king1 ,charles the ,bold1   
the ,jews met with little favour2 and in
 some places they were constantly       
insulted with impunity by the populace4 
,in one part of ,languedoc1 it was the  
custom to pelt the ,jews with stones1   
from ,palm ,sunday--that is1 the ,sunday
 before ,good ,friday--until the        

,tuesday after ,easter ,day4  ,during   
the tenth century1 when there was much  
ignorance in all ,christian countries1  
the ,saracens were great promoters of   
learning2 and under their protection the
 ,jews were also able to apply          
themselves to study1 and many famous men
 appeared amongst them at this time2    
but1 unhappily1 disputes between        
themselves soon brought them into fresh 
difficulties4  ,we now come to the      
eleventh century1 during which1 if not  
before1 colonies of ,jews settled in    
,england2 for when ,william1 ,duke of   
,normandy1 conquered the country1 ,a4,d4
 #ajff1 a considerable number of them   
were already established in the kingdom4
 ,william also brought with him1 from   
,rouen1 another colony of ,jews1 and    
gave them places to live in1 from whence
 they could carry on trade with other   
nations4 ,in return1 they were to pay   
the king certain sums of money4  ,the   
,jews also appear to have been in favour
 with ,william ,rufus1 who encouraged   

disputes between the learned rabbis and 
the ,christian bishops1 declaring that  
he himself was quite ready to follow the
 religion of whichever party had the    
best of the argument or dispute4 ,the   
,jews1 always an industrious and        
money-making people1 are said to have   
become so rich and powerful in ,england 
during ,william the ,second's reign1    
that they not only held public meetings 
for the purpose of converting the upper 
and more learned classes1 but also      
endeavoured by bribes to induce the poor
 and ignorant to renounce ,christianity1
 and enrol themselves amongst the ,jews4
  ,what has been said of the condition  
of the ,jews in ,england1 applies also  
to all other ,european countries1 where 
the ,jews were richer1 more fond of     
learning1 and more polished--that is1   
more civil and gentle in their          
manners--than any other people4 ,they   
were the only bankers2 all trade with   
foreign nations was carried on by them  
alone2 and even the gold and silver     

ornaments and vessels used in ,christian
 churches1 were mostly made by these    
determined enemies of ,christianity4    
,during the eleventh century1 of which  
we have been speaking1 the ,jews in     
,egypt were for a short time persecuted 
by a ,saracen prince1 who wished to     
establish a new religion in the place of
 ,mahometanism1 or ,islamism1 as the    
religion established by ,mahomet was    
called4 ,as neither ,jews nor           
,christians would assist him1 he        
persecuted both2 obliging the former to 
wear some outward mark to distinguish   
them1 and point them out as objects for 
hatred and insult4 ,he commanded their  
synagogues to be closed1 and tried to   
force them to follow the new religion1  
of which he wanted to be the head4      
,after a time1 however1 he allowed them 
to return to the practice of their own  
rites and ceremonies4 ,towards the      
middle of the eleventh century1 an      
,eastern ,caliph determined to get rid  
of the ,jews altogether4 ,he shut up    

their academies or schools2 banished the
 teachers2 and killed the ,prince of the
 ,captivity1 with all his family4 ,this 
cruel persecution drove many of the     
,jews into the deserts of ,arabia2 but  
most of them took refuge in the western 
countries2 and by the end of the        
eleventh century1 they had become       
numerous and powerful in different towns
 of ,germany4 ,some of the ,jews1 driven
 out of the ,east1 passed through       
,africa into ,spain1 and there joined   
their brethren1 who1 having helped the  
,saracens to conquer ,spain1 were now   
greatly favoured by the ,caliphs1 and   
were a wealthy and flourishing people4  
,hatred of the ,christians was a bond of
 union between the ,jews and the        
,mahometans2 but when one of the rabbis 
tried to convert the ,saracens of       
,grenada to the ,jewish religion1 the   
king was so enraged1 that he caused the 
rabbi to be seized and put to death at  
once4 ,this was followed by a terrible  
persecution of the ,hebrew race4  ,the  

,jews1 however1 suffered still greater  
miseries in those parts of ,spain which 
were under the rule of ,christian       
princes4 ,one of these1 called          
,ferdinand1 having declared war against 
the ,saracens1 resolved1 in the first   
place1 to destroy all the ,jews in his  
dominions1 expecting by such an act of  
cruelty to obtain the favour and        
blessing of ,god6 but the clergy of his 
kingdom objected to the execution of    
such a scheme2 and the ,pope himself    
wrote1 and blamed ,ferdinand for such   
unchristianlike zeal1 so that the design
 was given up4  ,alphonso1 the successor
 of ,ferdinand1 found himself in such   
difficulties1 owing to the increasing   
power of the ,saracens1 that he showed  
favour to the ,jews1 in order to get    
them to help him with men and money in  
his wars against the ,infidels4 ,he even
 allowed them to act as judges over     
,christians2 but the ,pope did not at   
all approve of this1 and reproached the 
king for having1 as he expressed it1 put

 the synagogue of ,satan above the      
,church of ,christ4 ,alphonso1 however1 
did not take away the indulgences1 which
 he had granted only to further his own 
interest4  ,the close of this eleventh  
century was remarkable for the first of 
the ,crusades1 or wars undertaken by    
,christian nations1 in order to take    
,palestine1 or the ,holy ,land1 out of  
the hands of the ,saracens4 ,in many    
parts of ,spain1 great numbers of ,jews 
were massacred by those about to join   
the ,crusade1 under the mistaken idea   
that they should bring the blessing of  
,god upon their intended expedition1 by 
destroying the descendants of those who 
had crucified the ,saviour of mankind4  
,in ,germany1 the ,crusaders1 who       
marched through the country1 murdered   
all the ,jews who refused to become     
,christians4 ,an immense number thus    
perished1 many of whom were burnt in    
their houses2 for the unhappy ,jews     
barricaded their dwellings1 and then    
threw their families1 their property1   

and themselves into the flames1 thus    
disappointing the avarice of their      
enemies1 who coveted their riches4 ,even
 mothers1 on the approach of the        
merciless ,crusaders1 killed their      
children with their own hands1 telling  
them it was far better for them to go at
 once into ,abraham's bosom1 than to    
fall into the hands of the ,christians4 
,some of the ,jews1 less brave and      
conscientious than their brethren1 saved
 their lives by pretending to adopt the 
,christian religion1 which they must    
naturally have hated more than ever1    
since those who professed to be guided  
by its precepts1 had acted with a degree
 of cruelty and inhumanity1 worthy only 
of the most ignorant savages4 ,the same 
dreadful scenes took place in           
,palestine1 for when the ,crusaders     
arrived in that country1 they1 actuated 
by very mistaken notions of the spirit  
of ,christianity1 inhumanly murdered all
 the ,jews they could lay hands upon2   
and men1 women1 and children alike      

perished by hundreds4  ,during this     
dreadful time1 it is pleasant to know   
that some of the ,christian bishops and 
clergy did try to protect the ,jews2 and
 they received into their houses such   
fugitives as could manage to escape from
 the fury of their enemies4  ,thus ended
 the eleventh century4     ,chapter     
,,vii4--,,twelfth ,,century4   ,our     
history has now brought us to the       
twelfth century2 that is1 to the space  
of #ajj years1 from ,a4,d4 #aajj to     
,a4,d4 #abjj4 ,the twelfth century began
 as the eleventh had ended2 for the     
,crusaders continued to persecute the   
,jews in ,germany and other countries1  
as well as in ,palestine4  ,the cry of  
the ,christians was1 ,let us destroy the
 descendants of those who crucified     
,jesus ,christ1 so that the name of     
,israel be no more remembered--a cry as 
much at variance with prophecy1 as with 
the spirit of ,christianity2 for the    
,holy ,scriptures had plainly declared1 
that the once chosen people of ,god1    

though scattered throughout all lands1  
and severely punished for their         
unbelief1 should never be destroyed4    
,among the ,christian bishops who       
interfered in favour of the ,jews1 was  
one called ,st4 ,bernard1 who thought   
that it was the duty of ,christians to  
convert rather than destroy them2 and   
that kindness was more likely to do this
 than persecution4 ,st4 ,bernard brought
 ,innocent the ,second1 who was then    
,pope1 to agree with him1 and to        
befriend the ,hebrew race4  ,on one     
occasion1 when this ,pope entered with  
much pomp and show into ,paris1 the     
,jews1 approaching him with great       
respect1 gave him a volume1 or roll1    
containing the ,law4 ,the ,pope received
 it1 and said1 ,i reverence the ,law    
given by ,god to ,moses1 but ,i condemn 
your explanation of it1 because you     
still expect the ,coming of the promised
 ,messiah1 instead of believing1 as the 
,catholic ,church does1 that ,jesus     
,christ was indeed the ,messiah our     

,saviour2 and that ,he now liveth and   
reigneth in ,heaven1 with ,god the      
,father1 and ,god the ,holy ,ghost4     
,the next ,pope was also favourable to  
the ,jews1 and forbade the people to    
insult them on any occasion whatever4   
,under such circumstances1 the ,jews    
became a rich and flourishing people in 
,rome1 and in all the other cities of   
,italy4  ,towards the close of the      
twelfth century1 a ,jewish rabbi1 named 
,joseph1 was prime minister to a        
,christian king of ,spain1 and had a    
coach of state1 and guards to attend    
upon him2 but having cause to be        
displeased with the wicked conduct of   
one of his countrymen1 this man1 whose  
name was ,gonzales1 contrived by his    
falsehoods to set the king against      
,joseph1 who was in consequence turned  
out of his office in disgrace4          
,gonzales1 who1 though a ,jew himself1  
was no friend to his brethren1 now1     
under pretence of enriching the king1   
persuaded him to allow him to do as he  

pleased with eight of the principal     
,jews4 ,the king consented2 ,gonzales   
caused these eight men to be put to     
death1 and seized all their property4   
,he then asked the king to give up to   
him twenty more2 but the monarch        
refused1 thinking it more honourable to 
demand some of their riches for his own 
use1 than to deprive them of life as    
well as property3 the unhappy ,jews     
gladly consented to give the king large 
sums of money1 in order to preserve     
their lives4 ,shortly afterwards1       
,gonzales1 having displeased the king1  
was shut up in prison1 and then the     
,jews again enjoyed that peace and quiet
 so favourable to the pursuit of        
learning1 of which they were very fond4 
,among the learned men who distinguished
 themselves at this time1 the chief was 
,moses ,maimonides1 or the son of       
,maimon4 ,this man claimed to be        
descended from king ,david3 his         
knowledge and learning were so          
wonderfully great1 and so far superior  

to that of any other rabbi1 that his    
countrymen called him ,the ,eagle of    
,doctors1 7the eagle being the king of  
his kind17 and declared1 that no one    
before had ever come so near in wisdom  
to their great founder and lawgiver1    
whose name he bore4  ,but the very      
wisdom and learning for which they      
praised him1 soon raised the jealousy of
 the ,jews against ,maimonides2 and this
 feeling was increased by his showing   
very little respect for the ,talmud1 and
 by his teaching some extraordinary     
doctrines1 learnt from a ,mahometan of  
,arabia1 under whom he had studied4     
,thus ,maimonides offended a great part 
of the ,jewish people2 and at           
,montpelier1 a town in the ,south of    
,france1 the chief of the synagogue     
persuaded certain learned men to preach 
against ,maimonides1 and defend the     
,talmud3 he also caused the works of    
,maimonides to be burnt1 and            
excommunicated all who should dare to   
read them4  ,the learned men amongst the

 ,jews were now divided into two        
parties3 one for and one against        
,maimonides2 and disputes were in       
consequence carried on for many years4  
,at this time1 learning was not entirely
 confined to men amongst the ,hebrew    
race2 for several learned ,jewish women 
made themselves remarkable in the       
twelfth century4 ,one of these women was
 so skilful in explaining the ,law and  
the ,talmud1 that many went to hear her 
lectures upon these subjects3 she spake 
to the people from behind a latticed    
window1 so that1 whilst her voice was   
heard1 she herself could not be seen by 
those outside4  ,from ,jewish historians
 we learn1 that during this twelfth     
century many of their nation were       
raised1 at different times1 to high     
offices in the courts of princes2 and   
that others became celebrated as        
generals4 ,several learned ,jews also   
renounced their religion and became     
,christians1 and then wrote books in    
favour of ,christianity4 ,one of these  

,jews turned ,mahometan1 and wrote a    
book1 accusing his ,jewish brethren of  
having altered the ,law given to ,moses 
by ,god4 ,this greatly pleased the      
followers of ,mahomet1 who forbade any  
person to quote or translate any part of
 the ,pentateuch1 as used by either     
,jews or ,christians4  ,in ,france1     
towards the end of this century1 the    
,jews suffered greatly under ,philip    
,augustus1 or ,philip the ,second1 who  
began to reign ,a4,d4 #aahj4 ,some ,jews
 were accused of having murdered a      
,christian youth2 king ,philip eagerly  
seized upon such an excuse1 and1 under  
pretence of piety and zeal for the glory
 of ,god1 banished all the ,hebrew race 
from his dominions2 allowing them only  
to keep the money for which they could  
sell their furniture1 the king taking   
for his own use all the rest of their   
property4 ,it is even said that these   
poor creatures were robbed of what money
 they had been allowed to keep1 and     
reduced to such a state of want and     

misery1 that many died in consequence4  
,the industry and skill of the ,jews1   
however1 made their loss felt in every  
country from which they were expelled2  
and no doubt that was the case now1 for 
shortly afterwards ,philip recalled     
them1 excusing himself to such of his   
subjects as disapproved of the measure1 
by saying1 that he allowed the ,jews to 
return in order to get from them money  
to pay the expenses of the ,crusades4   
,so wickedly were the ,jews treated at  
this time1 that if one became a         
,christian1 all his property was taken  
from him--a measure not likely to       
encourage conversions4  ,something must 
now be said of the treatment of the     
,jews in ,england during the twelfth    
century4 ,henry the ,second1 who began  
to reign ,a4,d4 #aaed1 has been blamed  
by monkish writers for allowing them to 
live in peace2 but the scene was soon   
changed4  ,the great wealth of the ,jews
 caused them often to be applied to by  
those who wished to borrow money2 but   

they were hated by all ,christians1 and 
grievously oppressed and ill-treated in 
most ,christian countries4 ,when        
,richard the ,first succeeded his       
father1 ,a4,d4 #aahi1 the ,jews hoped1  
by giving him large sums of money1 to   
secure his favour and protection2 and   
great numbers of them came up to ,london
 from the most distant parts of         
,england1 just before the king's        
coronation4 ,the common people in those 
days were very ignorant and             
superstitious1 and fancied that the     
,jews were magicians or conjurors1 who  
could bewitch the king1 and so do him   
harm2 and ,richard1 therefore1 forbade  
any ,jew to be present in ,westminster  
,abbey at his coronation4  ,some of     
them1 however1 hoping to forward their  
own interests1 ventured into the abbey1 
loaded with valuable presents for the   
monarch2 but as they knelt before him1  
the king spurned them with his foot1 and
 the courtiers followed his example4 ,a 
great outcry was immediately raised     

outside the abbey2 and at the same time 
a report was spread1 that ,richard had  
given an order for the general massacre 
of the ,jews4 ,an order so agreeable to 
the people1 who hated the race of       
,israel1 was instantly acted upon2 and  
under this false impression1 hundreds of
 ,jews perished miserably3 houses were  
broken open1 and all the inhabitants    
murdered2 or if they resisted the       
entrance of their foes1 their houses    
were set on fire4 ,many of these        
wretched ,jews put their own wives and  
children to death1 to prevent their     
falling into the merciless hands of the 
,christians4 ,the day after the         
coronation1 a proclamation was published
 to stop these shocking acts2 but the   
fury of the people was not so easily    
checked1 and the persecution continued  
in some degree for several months4 ,nor 
was it confined to ,london1 for in other
 parts of ,england similar outrages were
 committed upon the unfortunate ,jews4  
,when ,richard the ,first went to       

,palestine to take part in the ,third   
,crusade1 the ,jews suffered a still    
worse persecution2 for although they had
 furnished the king with large sums of  
money for the expenses of this war1     
their enemies were not satisfied4  ,it  
has been said1 that in those times the  
,jews best understood how to get rich by
 trade2 one way in which they made money
 was1 by lending it at high interest4   
,if1 for instance1 any person wanted a  
large sum of money at once1 in order to 
buy an estate1 or carry out any great   
object1 he would borrow it of the ,jews2
 engaging1 in return1 to pay a certain  
sum every year1 or every month1 as      
interest on the money lent1 until he    
could repay the whole sum4  ,the ,jews  
who lent money asked very high interest 
for it2 and were often guilty of great  
injustice and harshness to those who had
 borrowed it3 all this added            
considerably to the hatred felt towards 
the ,hebrew race on account of their    
religion4     ,chapter                  

,,viii4--,,impostors ,,in ,,the         
,,twelfth ,,century4   ,when ,richard   
the ,first was making preparations for  
the ,holy ,war1 7as the ,crusade was    
called17 his ,christian subjects felt   
very angry that they1 who looked upon   
themselves as the favourites of ,heaven1
 should be obliged to deprive their     
families even of needful things1 in     
order to fit themselves or others out to
 join in this war1 whilst the enemies of
 ,christ were left in peaceable         
enjoyment of their riches2 and they     
persuaded themselves that it would be a 
meritorious act1 acceptable to ,god1 to 
destroy all the descendants of those who
 had crucified the ,saviour1 and then   
take their wealth to pay the expenses of
 the ,crusade4 ,before his departure for
 the ,holy ,land1 the ,king gave an     
order that the ,jews were not to be     
disturbed in any way2 but no sooner had 
he left ,england1 than the fury of the  
people broke out afresh1 and very many  
of the unhappy ,israelites were         

destroyed in different places1 and their
 property seized2 whilst the            
magistrates1 whose duty it was to keep  
order and protect all the king's        
subjects1 made little or no attempt to  
stop these acts of cruelty and violence4
  ,at ,york1 the most dreadful scenes   
took place4 ,the ,jews of that city were
 great money-lenders1 or usurers1 as    
they were called in reproach2 and as    
they lived in a sumptuous manner1       
indulging themselves in every luxury1   
the people envied them for their riches1
 and hated them more and more2 and      
hearing what had been done in other     
parts of ,england1 they prepared to     
attack their victims4 ,upon this1 the   
chief persons among the ,israelites     
prevailed upon the governor of ,york to 
allow their countrymen to take refuge in
 the castle1 as its walls were strong   
enough to protect those within them4    
,very soon1 however1 the ,jews1 seeing  
that the governor frequently went out of
 the castle into the city1 suspected    

that he was plotting with their enemies 
for their destruction2 and therefore1   
one day1 when he had gone out as usual1 
they shut the gates1 and refused to let 
him in again4 ,the governor1 very       
indignant1 complained to the sheriff and
 to the heads of the ,christian party1  
who1 as they were the chief debtors to  
the ,jews1 were most anxious to destroy 
them4 ,the sheriff immediately ordered  
the governor to attack the castle2 but  
he soon repented of having given such a 
hasty order1 and many of the principal  
citizens refused to join in its         
execution4 ,it was1 however1 too late to
 check the populace1 who were bent upon 
murder and robbery4 ,the attack was     
made1 the assailants encouraging each   
other by the cry1 ,destroy the enemies  
of ,jesus4 ,the ,jews offered to give   
large sums of money1 on condition that  
their lives should be spared2 but this  
offer was refused4 ,when they saw that  
they could defend themselves no longer1 
one of their most esteemed rabbis       

proposed that they should kill          
themselves1 saying1 that it was better  
to die courageously for the ,law than to
 fall into the hands of the ,christians4
 ,accordingly1 these poor creatures     
killed their wives and children1 set    
fire to the castle1 and then slew       
themselves4 ,in this way #ejj perished4 
,a few1 who gave themselves up in hopes 
of meeting with mercy1 were murdered1   
and all the houses belonging to the     
,jews were plundered4  ,richard was very
 angry when he heard of such            
disobedience to his orders1 and ordered 
the ,bishop of ,ely1 as ,chief ,justice 
of ,england1 to punish the guilty most  
severely4 ,the chief offenders1 however1
 had left ,york before the bishop       
entered that city2 and he contented     
himself with depriving the sheriff and  
governor of their offices1 and laying a 
fine upon some of the richest citizens4 
,although so much has been said about   
the ,jews in the twelfth century1 there 
is still something more to be added1    

because during this period there were   
more impostors pretending to be the     
,messiah1 than during any other similar 
period of time4 ,the first of these     
impostors appeared in ,france ,a4,d4    
#aacg1 and committed so many crimes1    
that the ,government caused several     
synagogues to be destroyed1 and at      
length the man himself was put to death1
 with a large number of his followers4  
,the next year a false ,messiah appeared
 in ,persia1 and collected a formidable 
army4 ,the king of the country bribed   
him with a large sum of money to disband
 his followers1 and then treacherously  
caused him to be beheaded1 forcing the  
,jews to return to him the money1 which 
he had given as a bribe to the          
unfortunate man4  ,spain had also her   
impostor1 who appeared in ,a4,d4 #aaeg1 
and was supported by one of the most    
learned rabbis of ,cordova1 who had just
 written a book to prove that the       
,messiah must shortly come--a work which
 had probably put it into the head of   

this man to assume the character4 ,the  
greater part of the educated and        
sensible ,jews looked upon this impostor
 as a madman2 but the people in general 
believed in him1 and suffered severely  
for their folly4  ,ten years afterwards1
 a person appeared in the kingdom of    
,fez1 in ,africa1 and declared that in  
the course of a year the promised       
,messiah would come4 ,the conduct of    
this impostor greatly displeased the    
,mahometans1 to whom the kingdom        
belonged1 and brought persecution upon  
all the ,jews scattered throughout the  
country4  ,in the same year in which a  
false ,messiah appeared in ,fez1 another
 ,jew of ,arabia took the title of      
,messiah4 ,he pretended to work         
miracles1 and gained many followers4 ,he
 was at length seized1 and taken before 
the ruler of the country1 who asked him1
 what had led him to try and impose upon
 his countrymen8 ,he boldly answered1   
that he had not done so1 for that he was
 indeed a prophet sent by ,god4 ,being  

then asked what miracle he could work to
 prove that he was really sent by ,god1 
he said1 ,cut off my head1 and ,i will  
come back again to life4 ,the king took 
him at his word1 and ordered him to be  
beheaded1 promising to believe in him if
 he came to life again4 ,his followers  
actually continued for some time to     
expect his re-appearance2 but at last   
they were obliged to give up all hope3  
they were heavily fined1 as a punishment
 for listening to this impostor4  ,we   
have now spoken of eight pretended      
,messiahs2 but there is still one more1 
the most famous of them all3 this was a 
,jew1 named ,david ,alroi1 or ,el       
,david1 who1 with about #a1jjj of his   
countrymen1 dwelt in a city subject to  
the ,king of ,persia1 to whom they paid 
tribute4 ,in #aaii ,el ,david took the  
title of ,messiah2 and1 being a learned 
and clever man1 he deceived the         
multitude by his pretended miracles1 and
 persuaded them to take up arms in his  
cause4 ,the ,king of ,persia1 alarmed by

 the success of the rebels1 commanded   
,el ,david to go to ,court1 promising to
 acknowledge him as the ,messiah1 if he 
would give some miraculous proof of     
being so4 ,contrary to all expectation1 
the impostor appeared before the king1  
persisting in his claim to be the true  
,messiah4 ,he was then put into prison1 
in order to see whether he could work a 
miracle to set himself free4 ,somehow or
 other1 he did manage to escape1 and    
those who were sent in search of him    
were unable to find him2 but1 through   
the treachery of his son-in-law1 who    
took a large bribe to betray him1 he was
 given up to the king1 and put to death1
 with a great number of those who had   
been deceived by him4  ,thus remarkably 
was fulfilled our ,saviour's prophecy1  
that false ,christs and false prophets  
should arise and deceive many4 ,it may  
seem strange to us that the ,jews1 after
 refusing to acknowledge ,jesus ,christ1
 ,who had given so many proofs of ,his  
,divine power1 should afterwards have   

been so ready to follow any impostor who
 chose to style himself the ,messiah1   
without being able to do one single     
thing to support such a claim4  ,the    
reason of this appears to be1 that the  
,jews1 in spite of all prophecy1 still  
set their minds upon a ,messiah1 who    
could at once establish a kingdom upon  
earth2 and they were1 in consequence1   
always ready to take up arms1 hoping    
that the time for establishing such a   
kingdom was now come4  ,jesus1 by ,his  
conduct1 put an end to all hopes of the 
kind in ,him2 and therefore ,he was     
despised and rejected4 ,the impostors   
who took ,his name promised to deliver  
the ,jews from all their enemies1 and   
restore them to their country2 and      
therefore they were believed and        
followed4  ,the cruel treatment         
experienced by the ,jews in ,england    
during the reign of ,richard the ,first1
 led many of those who still possessed  
any property1 to leave the country2 so  
that when ,john became king1 ,a4,d4     

#aaii1 the absence of so many rich      
people and the falling off of trade were
 much felt in the kingdom2 and1 in the  
early part of the thirteenth century1   
the king used every means in his power  
to bring them back4 ,he solemnly        
promised1 that if they would give him a 
large sum of money1 they should enjoy   
all their former privileges3 he allowed 
them to possess lands1 build synagogues1
 and even choose a ,high ,priest4 ,great
 numbers of ,jews then returned to      
,england1 where they were soon more     
cruelly plundered than they had been    
before4 ,it was the old story2 they were
 odious to the people on account of     
their religion1 and still more so1      
perhaps1 for the enormous usury which   
they exacted for money lent4 ,thus there
 was a continual cry for their          
banishment1 or rather for their         
destruction2 but the king found it more 
for his own interest to keep them in the
 country1 where he could upon all       
occasions make them purchase his        

protection by paying a heavy fine2 and  
the ,jews1 seeing that so long as they  
gave money to the king they might exact 
what interest they pleased for money    
lent to his subjects1 acted accordingly1
 and became more and more oppressive to 
all who were so unfortunate as to be    
their debtors4  ,in the beginning of the
 thirteenth century1 ,a4,d4 #abaj1 ,john
 wished to raise a large sum of money3  
as usual1 he fell upon the ,jews4 ,the  
money not being readily paid1 the king1 
in spite of the privileges which these  
unfortunate people had so dearly        
purchased1 ordered men and women to be  
put into prison until he received the   
enormous sum which he now demanded4 ,a  
,jew of ,bristol was called upon to     
furnish such an immense sum1 that he    
refused1 declaring that the payment of  
it would reduce him to beggary4 ,upon   
this refusal1 the king cruelly ordered  
that one of the poor man's teeth should 
be taken out every day until he did pay4
 ,this wretched ,jew lost seven teeth1  

and then agreed to give the sum demanded
 by the king4     ,chapter              
,,ix4--,,thirteenth ,,century ,,in      
,,england ,,and ,,france4   ,henry the  
,third became ,king of ,england on the  
death of ,john1 ,a4,d4 #abaf3 he was    
quite a child when his father died2 but 
those who governed for him1 set the     
,jews who were in prison at liberty2 and
 ordered that they should be protected  
against the violence of the ,crusaders4 
,still1 during the whole of ,henry's    
long reign1 which extended far into the 
latter half of the thirteenth century1  
the ,jews were subject to great         
oppression and ill-usage in ,england4   
,as a privilege and favour to the       
citizens of ,newcastle1 the king        
commanded that no ,jew should be allowed
 to dwell in their city4  ,the          
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 and the     
,bishops of ,lincoln and ,norwich1 took 
a sure way of driving the ,jews out of  
their dioceses2 for they forbade all    
,christians to sell them any provisions 

whatever4  ,the ,prior of ,dunstable1 on
 the other hand1 gave the ,jews leave to
 reside in those places over which he   
had any control1 on condition of their  
paying him every year two silver spoons4
  ,the ,jews were at this time accused  
of committing all sorts of dreadful     
crimes2 how far these accusations were  
true or false1 we do not know4 ,they    
were human creatures1 and the cruel     
treatment they met with1 might well lead
 them into the commission of many wrong 
acts1 which would1 of course1 be        
exaggerated by the hatred of their      
enemies2 who believed them guilty1 upon 
the slightest suspicion1 and compelled  
them1 in consequence1 to pay heavy      
fines4  ,in the middle of the century1  
when ,henry the ,third demanded fresh   
supplies of money for the purposes of   
war1 the ,jews1 irritated by such       
repeated oppression1 wished to leave    
,england1 and seek some more hospitable 
country1 in which they might dwell3 the 
king refused to allow them to leave the 

country1 and forced them to pay the tax 
demanded4 ,the next year1 the king again
 applied to them1 declaring that in     
spite of the taxes he had already       
levied1 he continued to be greatly in   
want of money1 and must raise it from   
any quarter1 and by any means4  ,the    
unfortunate ,jews truly declared that   
they could not pay the taxes now        
demanded of them2 upon which ,henry the 
,third actually sold them and their     
possessions to his brother1 to raise the
 sum required6 ,it was now expected that
 the ,jews would be completely robbed of
 everything they possessed1 in order to 
repay the prince the money for which he 
had bought them2 but he1 being convinced
 that they really could not have        
furnished the sum required1 had         
compassion upon them1 and left them in  
peace4  ,to such a height had hatred of 
the ,jews risen in this reign1 that when
 7about #abfd7 the barons took up arms  
to force the king to agree to their     
demands1 they could think of no better  

way of gaining the favour and help of   
the people1 than by killing the ,jews2  
and #gjj were accordingly massacred4    
,the pretence for this massacre was1    
that one of the ,jews had tried to force
 a ,christian to pay an enormous and    
unfair interest for a loan of money3    
supposing this to have been true1 the   
crime of one man should not have caused 
the death of hundreds4 ,at the same     
time1 houses were plundered1 and the    
magnificent synagogue1 built in the     
beginning of ,henry the ,third's reign1 
was burnt to the ground3 it was         
afterwards rebuilt2 but in #abgj1 the   
king most unjustly took it from the     
,jews1 and gave it to a body of friars1 
who lived near it1 and complained that  
their devotions were disturbed by the   
howling of the ,jews during their       
worship4  ,the fact was1 that the chapel
 belonging to the friars was small and  
dark1 and they coveted the fine large   
synagogue close by their dwelling2 and  
as no ideas of justice ever interfered  

with the treatment of the ,jews1 they   
begged the king to give them this       
synagogue1 and furnished him with an    
excuse for doing so4  ,on the death of  
,henry the ,third1 ,a4,d4 #abgb1 his son
 ,edward the ,first became ,king of     
,england1 and very soon afterwards a law
 was made1 which promised to improve the
 condition of the ,jews2 as it fixed a  
yearly tax to be paid by them1 instead  
of leaving them liable to be called upon
 for contributions on every occasion1 at
 the will of their enemies4 ,this law   
also permitted them to possess houses   
and lands wherever they pleased4 ,but1  
on the other hand1 it was forbidden for 
any ,christian to lodge in the house of 
a ,jew2 and every one of the ,hebrew    
race above seven years of age1 was      
obliged to wear a distinguishing mark   
upon his upper garment3 this mark was a 
figure of two ropes joined together4    
,in the latter part of his reign1       
,edward changed his conduct towards the 
,jews1 and they were treated with much  

injustice and even cruelty4 ,the        
oppression suffered by these unhappy    
people1 had not unnaturally raised up in
 them a spirit of retaliation2 it made  
them think1 that it was justifiable to  
use every possible means1 right or      
wrong1 to repay themselves for all the  
money unjustly taken from them by the   
,christians3 their attempts to do this1 
increased the hatred entertained for    
them4 ,they were accused of coining     
false money1 and of cheating in every   
possible way4 ,a great outcry being     
raised against them1 they were1 in all  
parts of the kingdom1 thrown into       
prison1 and many of them were executed1 
whilst their houses1 lands1 and goods1  
were sold for the use of ,government4   
,but to show the people that these      
measures were not taken merely for the  
sake of the plunder1 the king ordered1  
that half the money produced by this    
sale should be put by1 and given to such
 ,jews as would renounce their religion 
and become ,christians4 ,very few1      

however1 could be brought1 for the sake 
of worldly advantages1 to embrace the   
religion of their persecutors2 nor can  
we be surprised1 that the very          
unchristianlike conduct of the followers
 of the blessed ,jesus1 should have     
increased the hatred and contempt felt  
by the ,jews for the ,christian         
religion4  ,towards the end of the      
thirteenth century1 about ,a4,d4 #abij1 
,edward the ,first1 who had already     
banished the children of ,israel from   
those parts of ,france which were under 
his dominion1 now commanded them all to 
leave ,england1 and never to come back  
on pain of death4 ,he took whatever     
property they had1 only allowing them to
 keep enough money to pay the expenses  
of removal into foreign countries2 and  
of this miserable sum many of them were 
robbed by the seamen at ,dover and other
 ports1 whilst some hundreds of the poor
 wretches were even thrown into the sea 
and drowned3 for this crime1 however1   
many of the guilty seamen were punished 

by death4  ,the clergy in ,england were 
so delighted to get rid of the ,jews1   
that they willingly gave the king very  
considerable sums of money to make up   
for the loss of a people1 from whom     
former monarchs had always obtained help
 in time of need4  ,after this          
banishment of the ,jews by ,edward the  
,first1 they never appeared in any      
considerable numbers in ,england1 until 
the seventeenth century4  ,in ,france we
 have seen the ,jews banished by ,philip
 the ,second1 and then recalled by the  
same monarch at the end of the twelfth  
century 7p4 #djh74 ,they immediately    
returned to all their former ways of    
making money by usury1 so that early in 
the thirteenth century they had again   
become rich1 and purchased lands of the 
lords who had large estates2 but on     
certain conditions1 which made them in  
some degree the property of the liege   
lord1 of whom they held their lands4    
,this feudal tenure1 as it was called1  
was common over ,europe in those times2 

and all1 whether ,jews or ,christians1  
who thus held lands under a liege lord1 
were called his vassals1 and were bound 
to do him certain services1 whenever    
called upon to do so4  ,for some time   
,philip allowed1 or at least did not try
 to put a stop to1 the usurious         
practices of the ,jews1 because they    
gave him large sums of money in return  
for letting them alone2 but at last the 
complaints of his subjects forced him to
 make some laws to check the evil4      
,philip the ,second died ,a4,d4 #abbc2  
,louis the ,eighth1 who succeeded him1  
reigned only three years3 but when      
,louis the ,ninth1 surnamed ,saint      
,louis1 became king1 ,a4,d4 #abbf1 he   
immediately made a law1 forbidding any  
of his subjects to borrow money of a    
,jew4 ,the condition of the ,jews in    
,france at this time was miserable      
enough2 their property was at the mercy 
of those lords1 in whose territories    
they had fixed their residence2 without 
his leave1 they could not change their  

place of abode1 and if they ventured to 
do so1 their liege lord had a right to  
follow them1 and seize upon them as     
runaway1 slaves6 ,if one lord sold land 
to another1 the ,jews living on such    
land1 also became the property of the   
purchaser3 sometimes even1 they were    
sold apart from the land1 the price     
asked for them varying according to the 
talent and industry of each individual4 
,but there was something worse still2 if
 one of these ,jews did become a        
,christian1 the whole of his property   
was forfeited to his liege lord4 ,so    
that these unhappy people were at the   
same time oppressed and persecuted for  
being ,jews1 or for becoming            
,christians2 and this1 by persons       
calling themselves ,christians1 who     
should have rejoiced at every           
conversion1 and done all in their power 
to make them more frequent4 ,louis the  
,ninth1 although called ,st4 ,louis on  
account of his remarkable piety and     
devotion1 not only approved of these    

cruel and unjust laws1 but added others2
 forbidding ,christians to have any     
intercourse with the ,jews1 who were1 in
 short1 treated with the greatest       
harshness and injustice4  ,but the most 
terrible persecution of this unhappy    
race1 took place in ,a4,d4 #abch1 when  
they were accused of having1 in mockery 
of the ,christians1 crucified some      
children on ,good ,friday3 on this      
supposition1 multitudes of the ,jews    
were put to death with the most cruel   
tortures1 until the ,pope1 ,gregory the 
,ninth1 interfered to save them from    
further slaughter4 ,during the          
imprisonment of ,louis the ,ninth in the
 ,holy ,land1 whither he had gone upon a
 ,crusade1 he ordered the ,jews to be   
driven out of his dominions2 but when   
,philip the ,third 7the ,bold7 became   
king1 in ,a4,d4 #abgj1 he recalled the  
,jews1 because he stood in need of their
 money4 ,in other parts of ,france1     
which were governed by ,dukes or        
,princes of their own1 subject more or  

less to the king1 the ,jews met with    
much the same kind of treatment2 but in 
some provinces they did become          
magistrates1 and possessed ,christian   
slaves4 ,philip the ,fourth 7the ,fair71
 who succeeded his father as king1      
,a4,d4 #abhe1 followed the example of   
,edward the ,first1 who was then ,king  
of ,england1 and banished the ,jews     
altogether from ,france2 seizing all    
their wealth1 with the exception of a   
small sum to pay the expenses of their  
journey3 many died of fatigue and want  
by the way1 and the rest sought refuge  
in ,germany4 ,some avoided banishment by
 being baptized3 most of these returned 
afterwards to ,judaism2 but the         
conversion of some of them1 at least1   
was sincere4 ,amongst those who became  
true ,christians1 was one ,nicolas de   
,lyra1 who spent the remainder of his   
life in explaining the ,scriptures2 and 
even wrote a book to prove from         
,scripture1 that the ,jews were wrong in
 not acknowledging ,jesus ,christ to be 

indeed the promised ,messiah4           
,chapter ,x4--,,thirteenth ,,century    
,,concluded4   ,in ,spain during the    
thirteenth century1 the ,jews suffered  
as much as they did in ,england and in  
,france4 ,at this time there were two   
,christian kingdoms in ,spain3 namely1  
the kingdom of ,castile and the kingdom 
of ,arragon2 the southern part of ,spain
 formed the kingdom of the ,moors1 who  
were ,mahometans4 ,the ,bishop of       
,toledo1 vexed at the increased numbers 
and riches of the ,israelites in ,spain1
 excited the populace against them1 and 
putting himself at the head of the      
rioters1 entered and plundered          
synagogues and houses2 the ,crusaders   
completed the work so unworthily begun  
by a ,christian bishop1 and1 according  
to ,jewish writers1 this was one of the 
most severe and bloody persecutions ever
 endured by their unhappy countrymen3   
great numbers quitted the country at    
this time4 ,the ,spanish nobles tried to
 put a stop to the horrible cruelties   

practised towards the ,jews2 but        
,ferdinand the ,third1 who became ,king 
of ,castile1 ,a4,d4 #abbf1 rather       
encouraged the persecution1 in order to 
make himself popular with the lower     
orders1 who detested the ,jews4  ,in the
 kingdom of ,arragon1 towards the middle
 of the century1 great efforts were made
 for the conversion of the ,jews4 ,one  
of the clergy1 named ,raymond1 contrived
 to keep in check the violence of the   
people1 who had a great respect for him2
 and at the same time he persuaded the  
king1 ,james the ,first1 who was a      
zealous ,christian1 that the best way to
 convert the ,jews was by treating them 
with kindness1 and trying to convince   
them of their errors4 ,to carry out his 
views1 ,raymond caused many of the      
friars to learn the ,hebrew and ,arabic 
languages1 and to study the ,scriptures 
carefully1 so as to be able to reason   
with the ,jews1 and point out to them   
how all the prophecies in the ,old      
,testament were fulfilled in ,jesus of  

,nazareth4 ,all his attempts to convert 
the ,jews were1 however1 unsuccessful1  
although they highly esteemed ,raymond  
himself for his moderation and humanity4
  ,the ,king of ,arragon mean time1 so  
far from sharing the prejudices against 
the ,jews1 applied to them for          
instruction in many matters of learning 
and science3 the great and learned men  
amongst the ,spaniards also encouraged  
and admired them2 but the people1 and   
the ignorant and ill-educated among the 
clergy1 hated and despised them1 and    
would gladly have destroyed them        
altogether4  ,in the middle of the      
century1 ,alphonso the ,tenth1 who was  
then ,king of ,castile1 encouraged all  
learned men1 whatever might be their    
religious opinions2 and the favour shown
 in consequence to the ,jews1 excited   
the jealousy of the people1 who formed  
fresh plots for their destruction4 ,the 
dead body of a man was thrown into the  
house of a ,jew1 who was then accused of
 having murdered the man3 this          

accusation roused the fury of the       
populace1 who put numbers of the ,jews  
to death4 ,the massacre threatened to   
become general1 but the authorities     
interfered1 and declaring that the ,jew 
was innocent of the crime laid to his   
charge1 order was at length restored4   
,during those times1 when the           
,israelites enjoyed the favour of the   
kings in ,spain1 many learned men       
flourished1 and educated pupils1 who    
afterwards became celebrated amongst    
their countrymen4  ,the ,spanish ,jews  
were again disturbed by an impostor     
called ,zechariah1 who pretended that by
 studying the prophecies1 he had        
discovered the exact day on which the   
,messiah would appear2 and declared that
 the ,jewish people would then be       
gathered together by the ,lord1 ,who    
would subdue their enemies and resettle 
them in their ancient kingdom4 ,the     
,jews1 always too easily deceived1      
prepared for this grand event by prayer 
and fasting2 and on the appointed day   

they crowded to the synagogues clothed  
in white robes4 ,besides having the     
mortification of a bitter               
disappointment1 they thus brought upon  
themselves the insult and ridicule of   
their enemies4  ,in ,germany1 during the
 thirteenth century1 the ,jews suffered 
much1 in consequence of their being     
constantly accused of committing crimes 
more or less heinous4 ,at one time they 
were charged with encouraging the       
,persians and ,tartars to attack the    
country and destroy the ,christians2 at 
another time1 with preventing the       
baptism of those amongst them who wished
 to become ,christians2 and they were   
repeatedly accused of murdering         
,christian children at the time of the  
,passover4 ,what truth there was in any 
of these accusations1 we do not know1   
but each was made by the people a       
pretext for robbery and murder2 nor     
could the authorities save the wretched 
,jews from the fury of their ,christian 
enemies4 ,on one occasion1 when the     

people of ,munich were murdering all the
 ,jews they could find1 the town        
officers1 unable to stop the tumult1    
advised the wretched victims to take    
refuge in their synagogue1 a strong     
stone building1 till the fury of their  
persecutors should cool down3 but in    
spite of the efforts made by the ,duke  
of ,bavaria and his officers1 they were 
all burnt1 or otherwise killed in the   
synagogue4 ,notwithstanding all these   
persecutions1 many learned rabbis       
flourished in ,germany during this      
century2 and towards its close violent  
disputes arose amongst the ,jews        
themselves1 as to the doctrines which   
were to be believed and taught4 ,the    
consequence was1 that the ,jews were    
divided into two parties or sects1 the  
,rabbinists and the ,caraites3 these two
 sects hated each other1 since the      
,caraites taught that the ,talmud1      
regarded by the ,rabbinists with the    
greatest veneration1 was not to be      
depended upon in any way whatever4      

,towards the end of the century1 when   
,germany was disturbed by the wars      
between ,albert of ,austria and another 
prince1 who both wished to be ,emperor  
of ,germany1 a peasant pretended that he
 was sent by ,god to destroy all the    
,jews4 ,this man went about the country 
declaring his errand1 and exciting the  
people to execute the ,will of ,god4    
,the multitude rose at once1 and killed 
great numbers of the ,jews2 whilst many 
of these unhappy people destroyed       
themselves and their families1 to escape
 from their enemies4 ,albert would      
gladly have put a stop to this barbarous
 persecution2 but he was afraid that if 
he did so1 many of his followers1 who   
believed that the peasant really had a  
divine commission1 would abandon him1   
and take the side of the rival prince4  
,the riot was at last stopped1 and a    
heavy fine laid upon the town of        
,nuremburg1 where it had begun3 half the
 town was already burnt down1 by the    
,jews setting fire to their own houses4 

,it has been already said1 that the     
,roman ,pontiffs1 or ,popes1 often      
interfered to stop the persecution of   
the ,jews1 and to check the mistaken    
zeal of those who wanted to force them  
to become ,christians4 ,in #abdg1       
,innocent the ,fourth wrote a letter in 
defence of the ,jews1 declaring that    
they were not guilty of the crimes laid 
to their charge2 and he also said1 that 
their condition under ,christian        
princes1 was far more miserable and     
wretched than that of their fathers had 
been under ,pharaoh4  ,there were a     
great many ,jews in the kingdom of      
,naples1 and they had much wealth3 as   
they had done the king some important   
service1 he treated them with great     
indulgence4 ,but after his death1       
attempts were made to convert them1     
instead of allowing them still to enjoy 
the free exercise of their religion4    
,the ,jews1 fearing a persecution1      
offered to become ,christians1 provided 
they were allowed to marry into the     

richest and noblest families in the     
kingdom--a condition that they felt     
certain would be refused2 but to their  
surprise and sorrow1 permission was     
granted1 and thus they were obliged to  
profess ,christianity2 but those who    
were not able to make advantageous      
marriages1 soon returned to the practice
 of their own religion4  ,it is said1   
that a monk1 who wished the ,jews to be 
punished for pretending to be           
,christians1 hid a cross in a heap of   
earth1 and then accused one of these    
poor creatures of having done it3 the   
people1 enraged at such an act1 rose at 
once and massacred a great number of the
 ,jews1 and more would have been put to 
death if the nobles had not interposed1 
and even given shelter in their own     
houses to some of the most wealthy1 who 
were always the peculiar objects of     
popular fury4 ,in the ,east1 the number 
and the power of the ,jews were much    
lessened during the thirteenth century4 
,the ,caliph of ,bagdad1 who was a      

zealous ,mahometan1 and very fond of    
money1 was vexed to see a people growing
 rich by their own industry1 whilst they
 were always ready to receive any one   
who declared himself to be the ,messiah3
 and he therefore began a persecution1  
by which he hoped to compel all ,jews1  
either to become ,mahometans or to leave
 his dominions4 ,some departed2 others1 
to avoid exile1 pretended to become     
followers of ,mahomet4 ,in some parts of
 the ,east the ,jews suffered greatly   
from the invasions of the ,tartars2 but 
towards the end of the century they     
enjoyed peace for a short time1 under a 
prince1 whose chief minister and        
favourite was a ,jewish physician1 who  
obtained many privileges and indulgences
 for his countrymen4 ,but on the death  
of this prince1 his ,mahometan subjects1
 enraged at the favour he had shown to  
the ,jews for the sake of his minister1 
accused the latter of having poisoned   
his master3 he was condemned without any
 proof1 and vast numbers of his         

countrymen were at the same time        
murdered4  ,palestine was greatly       
distressed by the wars between the      
,christians and the ,saracens4 ,the     
,jews had still some synagogues in their
 native land2 and even amidst their     
troubles1 several learned rabbis        
appeared amongst them1 the most         
remarkable of whom was styled the       
,father of ,wisdom2 he had been born in 
,spain1 but went to live in ,judaea1    
where he built a synagogue4 ,several    
learned rabbis of the ,caraite sect     
flourished in different parts of the    
,east during the thirteenth century4    
,the fourteenth century does not seem to
 have brought any comfort to the        
wretched ,hebrews4 ,the same avarice or 
love of money which made ,philip the    
,fourth drive them out of ,france1 made 
,louis the ,tenth1 who became king      
,a4,d4 #acad1 bring them back again2    
because he wanted some of their money to
 enable him to reduce the ,flemings to  
subjection4 ,the ,flemings were the     

inhabitants of ,flanders1 a country in  
that part of ,europe which we now call  
,belgium4 ,the conditions upon which the
 ,jews were allowed to return to ,france
 were1 that they should pay a heavy tax 
to the king2 and that their stay in the 
country should be limited to a period of
 twelve years4 ,during this time they   
might make money by trade and labour3   
they might buy land for synagogues and  
burying-places1 and they might purchase 
any books they pleased with the         
exception of the ,talmud3 but they were 
forbidden to converse publicly or       
privately with any ,christian2 and they 
were obliged1 as before1 to wear a mark 
upon their upper garment4  ,philip the  
,fifth became ,king of ,france in ,a4,d4
 #acaf1 and during his reign the ,jews  
suffered much from a body of men called 
,the ,shepherds4 ,they really were      
shepherds and labourers1 who left their 
usual occupations to go1 as they said1  
to the relief of the ,holy ,land4 ,their
 leaders were two priests1 who1 by      

pretending to work miracles1 got many of
 the lowest classes of the people to    
join the band4 ,having thus strengthened
 themselves by the addition of a        
considerable body of desperate ruffians1
 the ,shepherds plundered the southern  
provinces of ,france1 and by breaking   
open the prisons1 added still further to
 their own numbers1 by receiving the    
liberated criminals as brethren4 ,they  
committed the most unheard-of           
barbarities1 especially upon the ,jews1 
who fled before this savage band1 and   
took refuge in considerable numbers1 in 
a strong castle1 near ,toulouse2 and    
here defended themselves bravely1 but in
 vain4 ,when no hope of safety remained1
 they put themselves or each other to   
death4 ,many of the ,shepherds were     
taken and executed4     ,chapter        
,,xi4--,,end ,,of ,,the ,,fourteenth    
,,century4   ,about ten years after the 
affair of the ,shepherds1 the ,jews in  
,france were accused of having been     
bribed by the ,saracen king of ,granada 

to poison all the wells and rivers in   
the country4 ,there was no proof of this
 but the declaration of a leper1 who    
said1 that a rich ,jew had given him    
money to poison some wells2 but this was
 enough for the populace1 who1 without  
waiting for inquiry or trial1 rose at   
once1 and put numbers of the suspected  
race to a cruel death4  ,the king1      
,philip the ,sixth1 shamefully took     
advantage of this popular outcry1 and   
imprisoned the wealthy ,jews in ,paris  
until they told him where their         
treasures were hid2 he then seized the  
greatest part for his own use1 and      
banished the whole race from his        
dominions4 ,the ,jews1 thus expelled    
from ,france1 took refuge in the        
northern part of ,italy1 then called    
,lombardy1 and there first established  
banks1 and the system called banking2 by
 which merchants1 in lands far distant  
from each other1 could receive the price
 of goods exchanged1 without the risk of
 sending money3 and by this means1 the  

,jews from this time were often able to 
save their riches from the avarice and  
violence of their enemies4 ,but the     
system of banking was not useful to the 
,jews alone3 it was of the greatest     
service to trade in general1 as well as 
to individuals1 and has continued so up 
to the present time1 when every         
considerable town in almost all         
,european countries has its bank or     
banks4 ,the great skill and cleverness  
of the ,jews in all matters connected   
with money1 made the monarchs of various
 kingdoms willing to let them remain in 
their dominions2 for though they would  
gladly have been rid of the ,jews       
themselves1 they were anxious to keep   
their wealth in the country4  ,after    
,john the ,second became ,king of       
,france1 ,a4,d4 #acea1 the ,jews tried  
to obtain leave to return to ,france2   
but the permission was not granted until
 #acef1 when1 ,john having been taken   
prisoner by the ,english1 the money of  
the ,jews was needed to raise the sum   

demanded for his ransom4 ,the children  
of ,israel were1 therefore1 re-admitted 
into ,france for twenty years1 on       
condition that they should at once pay a
 considerable sum1 and that each ,jew   
should pay annually a fixed tax4 ,they  
would have been wiser to have remained  
out of the kingdom2 for during the reign
 of ,charles the ,sixth1 which began in 
#achj1 they were often fined1 scourged1 
and many of them executed1 on pretence  
of their having committed various       
crimes4 ,the wicked absurdity of many of
 these accusations is proved by the     
fact1 that when ,charles the ,sixth     
became mad1 the ,jews were accused of   
having deprived him of his senses6      
,towards the end of the fourteenth      
century1 the people of ,france again    
became clamorous for the banishment of  
the ,jews2 and supported by certain     
noblemen who owed those unhappy         
creatures money1 they broke into their  
houses1 murdered the inhabitants1 and   
seized all the property they could find4

 ,some of the persecuted race took      
refuge in one of the prisons3 their     
wives attempted to follow them1 with    
their children in their arms1 but the   
mob forced the little ones away from    
their mothers1 and carried them off to  
be baptized4 ,the government1 too weak  
to venture on punishing the perpetrators
 of these crimes1 replaced the ,jews who
 survived in their houses2 and ordered  
that all persons who had taken any of   
their property should give it back to   
them--an order which was1 of course1    
only laughed at4 ,in ,a4,d4 #acid1 an   
,act was passed1 banishing the ,jews    
from ,france for ever2 but as the town  
of ,metz1 in that part of the country   
called ,lorraine1 was then a free city1 
under the protection of the ,emperor of 
,germany1 the ,jews continued to reside 
there in peace2 and after ,lorraine     
became a part of the kingdom of ,france1
 the ,french monarchs did not molest the
 ,jews in ,metz4 ,but though1 until the 
seventeenth century1 ,metz was the only 

city in ,france where the ,jews were    
allowed to reside1 a few were always to 
be found in different parts of the      
kingdom4 ,mary de ,medicis1 the wife of 
,henry the ,fourth1 who became king     
,a4,d4 #aehi1 sent for a ,jewish        
physician to ,paris1 where he was       
allowed free exercise of his religion   
for himself and his family4  ,the ,jews1
 who were driven out of ,france in      
#acid1 went mostly into ,germany1 where1
 however1 they could not have much hope 
of peace1 as their brethren in that     
country had suffered much from the      
beginning of the fourteenth century4    
,about the middle of the century1 a     
number of ignorant and superstitious    
,christians1 imagining that the         
,almighty had ordered them to scourge   
themselves and kill the ,jews1 formed   
themselves into a company1 called       
,flagellants1 for the purpose of        
carrying out what they conceived to be  
the ,divine commission4 ,they proceeded 
to whip themselves in the most cruel    

manner1 and then began their work of    
destruction4 ,after many of the ,jews   
had been murdered1 the ,flagellants came
 to some agreement with their unhappy   
victims2 but this was rendered useless  
by the conduct of a ,jew of ,frankfort1 
who1 not being satisfied with the       
agreement made1 set fire to one of the  
public buildings1 which was burnt down1 
with all the valuable papers it         
contained3 the flames spread to the     
cathedral1 and burnt that also to ashes4
 ,for this crime1 not only the guilty   
,jew1 but all his innocent brethren     
also1 were put to death2 with the       
exception of a few1 who managed to      
escape1 and took refuge in ,bohemia4    
,the year after the affair of the       
,flagellants1 the ,jews in ,germany were
 accused of poisoning wells and springs1
 and a fresh massacre took place all    
over the country4  ,at ,metz1 the ,jews 
not only defended themselves1 which they
 were perfectly right to do1 but in     
revenge put to death1 in a barbarous    

manner1 #bjj unarmed ,christians1 who   
were in no way answerable for the attack
 upon them4  ,the enraged populace      
punished this real crime1 by killing    
many thousands of the ,jews1 and setting
 fire to their houses4 ,the flames      
spread1 and did much damage in the town4
 ,this persecution extended over the    
whole of ,germany2 some of the princes  
and nobles tried to save and help the   
miserable victims1 but with little      
success4  ,the ,jews who had fled into  
,bohemia suffered equally at ,prague2   
during the ,feast of the ,passover1 they
 were burnt in their synagogues whilst  
engaged in their devotions4  ,soon      
afterwards another persecution was      
raised1 on the old charge of poisoning  
springs and rivers2 and this persecution
 extended through ,germany and into     
,italy1 ,provence1 and other parts4 ,the
 ,emperor of ,germany himself1 convinced
 of their innocence of this pretended   
crime1 endeavoured to convince his      
,council that it was impossible for the 

,jews to have committed it2 but such was
 the feeling against the ,hebrew race1  
that in order to save them from worse   
calamities1 the ,emperor was forced1 at 
the close of the fourteenth century1 to 
command these unhappy creatures either  
to be baptized1 or to leave the country4
 ,the ,jewish historians tell us1 that  
very few did give up their religion2 or1
 as they expressed it1 forsake the glory
 of their ,god4  ,in ,spain1 the ,jews  
suffered dreadfully at the beginning of 
the fourteenth century from the         
,shepherds1 who1 after finishing their  
work of destruction in ,france1 carried 
fire and sword into ,spain2 marking out 
the race of ,israel as their especial   
victims3 and a pestilence that broke out
 in the army of the ,shepherds increased
 their fury against these devoted       
people1 whom they accused of having     
caused it by poisoning the rivers4 ,this
 story was readily believed1 or at least
 accepted1 by those who ought to have   
known better2 and great numbers of ,jews

 were actually imprisoned on this       
charge3 after a long confinement1 the   
judges declared them to be innocent4    
,the king1 unwilling to allow that he   
had imprisoned them unjustly1 pretended 
that he had only kept them in prison in 
order to convert them2 but he caused a  
large number who refused to be baptized1
 to be put to death4  ,alphonso the     
,eleventh1 king of ,castile1 was the    
friend and protector of the ,jews1 and  
had one of that nation for his principal
 minister and adviser4 ,but this        
displeased his turbulent and rebellious 
subjects1 who accused a ,jewish boy of  
having in some way insulted the         
,sacrament3 they became so violent upon 
the subject1 that the king was obliged  
to summon a ,council1 to decide whether 
the ,israelites should be put to death1 
or banished4 ,banishment was decided    
upon2 and they were commanded to leave  
the country within three months' time3  
but mean time it was discovered that a  
,christian1 and not a ,jewish lad1 had  

committed the offence complained of2 and
 the king recalled the sentence of      
banishment1 to the great disappointment 
and indignation of the enemies of the   
,jews1 who declared1 that the witnesses 
who had proved the ,christian lad to be 
guilty1 had been bribed to do so4  ,the 
same kind of treatment was experienced  
by the ,israelites in other parts of    
,spain during the fourteenth century2   
but during that period the ,popes in    
general treated them with humanity4     
,troubles and disputes unconnected with 
the ,jews had caused the ,popes for a   
time to leave ,rome1 and take up their  
residence at ,avignon1 in the south of  
,france4 ,clement the ,fifth1 then      
,pope1 did all in his power to save the 
,jews from the violence of the          
,shepherds1 and all their other enemies3
 he also provided for them the means of 
instruction1 by ordering that ,hebrew   
should be taught in all the ,christian  
universities1 or places of education for
 young men2 so that there might be some1

 able to show the ,jews from their own  
,scriptures1 how all ancient prophecies 
pointed out ,jesus ,christ as the true  
,messiah4 ,again1 when the ,jews were   
persecuted on pretence of their having  
poisoned the rivers1 ,pope ,clement the 
,sixth exerted himself on their behalf2 
many of them found a safe asylum in     
,avignon1 and the ,pope left nothing    
undone to relieve their misery1 and     
soften the fury of their persecutors4   
,in ,italy1 the ,jews seem to have been 
pretty well treated during the          
fourteenth century1 and in ,poland they 
met with favour and indulgence3 by their
 industry they gained wealth and power1 
and became a prosperous and flourishing 
people1 as they have ever since         
continued to be in that country4 ,poland
 produced many learned ,jews2 and       
,jewish children from all parts were    
sent there to study the ,talmud1 and to 
learn and practise all the peculiar     
rites and ceremonies of their religion4 
,we have now come to the close of the   

fourteenth century4 ,the dreadful       
sufferings endured by the ,jews up to   
this time1 and during future years1 must
 remind us how surely all the prophecies
 contained in ,scripture will be        
fulfilled4 ,the prophets had foretold1  
that in consequence of their sins they  
would suffer unheard-of miseries3       
history shows us the accomplishment of  
this prediction4  ,then again1 it is    
wonderful that with such persecutions1  
they should not have been utterly       
destroyed2 but1 no1 the ,lord had said  
by ,his prophets1 that they should be   
scattered throughout all lands1 but not 
destroyed4 ,the whole history of the    
,jews proves the truth of the ,bible2   
and it should remind us1 that ,scripture
 equally warns us1 that if we sin we    
shall also suffer2 and that nothing will
 be acceptable to ,god1 but a true1     
loving1 and faithful devotion of        
ourselves to the service of ,jesus      
,christ1 ,whom we acknowledge to be the 
,son of ,god1 the promised ,messiah4    

,chapter ,,xii4--,,the ,,jews ,,and     
,,the ,,inquisition4   ,during the      
fifteenth century there were no ,jews in
 ,england or ,france4 ,of course1 there 
may have been a few scattered here and  
there2 but there was no body of ,jews in
 either country during this period4  ,in
 ,germany1 their condition continued    
much the same4 ,the slightest pretence  
sufficed to raise a persecution2 and a  
pretence was afforded1 at the close of  
the century1 by an impostor1 named      
,david1 who declared that the ,messiah  
would positively appear in the year     
#aejj4 ,he afterwards declared1 that the
 ,messiah had delayed ,his coming on    
account of the sins of the people2 and  
he caused the credulous ,jews to appoint
 a solemn fast1 in order to obtain      
pardon and hasten the appearance of the 
,deliverer4 ,the ,jews of course        
suffered2 and ,david was imprisoned1 and
 died shortly afterwards4  ,in the      
beginning of this century1 great efforts
 were made for the conversion of the    

,jews in the ,spanish kingdom of        
,arragon4 ,the ,pope was zealous in the 
work2 and one of their own race1 named  
,jerome1 who had himself embraced       
,christianity1 undertook to convince his
 countrymen even by passages from the   
,talmud1 that ,jesus ,christ must       
certainly be the ,messiah4 ,although the
 ,jews treated the ,pope with great     
respect1 they were by no means disposed 
to listen to ,jerome1 with whom they    
were very angry2 first1 for deserting   
the faith of his people2 and1 secondly1 
for drawing them into disputes1 which   
might bring persecution upon them4 ,it  
is said1 however1 that #d1jjj ,jews were
 then converted1 and that a few years   
later1 through the zeal of one of the   
clergy1 a still larger number were      
baptized2 but the greater part1 having  
only submitted to baptism out of fear1  
continued to observe in secret all the  
rites and ceremonies of the ,hebrews4   
,in #adgi a great change took place in  
the condition of the ,jews in ,spain1   

for ,ferdinand1 ,king of ,arragon1      
married ,isabella1 the ,queen of        
,castile2 so that from this time the two
 kingdoms became one1 called the        
,kingdom of ,spain4 ,ferdinand and      
,isabella were very anxious that all the
 inhabitants of ,spain should be        
,christians4 ,in #adib the ,moors were  
driven out of ,granada1 and their       
country became also a part of the       
,kingdom of ,spain2 but many of the     
,moors1 rather than leave their beloved 
,granada1 pretended to become           
,christians4 ,having driven the ,moors  
out of ,spain1 ,ferdinand thought it    
would be desirable to get rid of the    
,jews also2 and he commanded them either
 to be baptized or to quit ,spain       
altogether4 ,in order to prevent ,jews  
or ,mahometans who had been baptized1   
from ever returning to the practices of 
their former faith1 ,ferdinand and      
,isabella were persuaded to establish   
the ,court of the ,inquisition in       
,spain4 ,the ,inquisition was a ,court  

of ,inquiry1 the members of which were  
charged by the ,pope to examine all     
persons accused1 or suspected of holding
 any opinions in religious matters1 not 
agreeing entirely with the doctrines    
taught by the ,church of ,rome4 ,they   
had power to torture the accused1 in    
order to force them to confessions1 and 
to put to death all who continued to    
hold any opinions condemned by the      
,pope4 ,so much was this dreadful       
tribunal feared by the people1 that none
 ventured to withhold their nearest and 
dearest relations from the officers of  
the ,inquisition1 whose duty it was to  
arrest all persons1 upon whom rested the
 slightest suspicion of what was called 
heresy4 ,the unfortunate creatures thus 
dragged from their homes1 were kept for 
a long time in the dungeons of the      
,inquisition1 until they accused        
themselves and declared the cause of    
their imprisonment2 for they were not   
told of what crimes they were accused1  
nor were their accusers ever brought    

face to face with them to witness       
against them1 as justice would have     
demanded4 ,seldom did any1 who were once
 consigned to the dungeons of the       
,inquisition1 return to their families2 
and so well was this known that1 when   
they were taken away by the officers1   
their friends and relations looked upon 
them as dead3 nor did they dare to make 
any effort to save them1 lest they      
should themselves be looked upon as     
accomplices in some unknown crime4      
,when no shadow of proof could be       
brought against the wretched prisoners1 
they were discharged1 with the loss of  
great part of their property1 after     
suffering the most cruel tortures during
 a tedious and dreadful imprisonment4   
,many of those whom the ,inquisitors 7or
 ,judges in this ,court7 chose to       
consider guilty1 were secretly put to a 
cruel death1 in the dungeons of the     
,inquisition4 ,sometimes a number of    
these so-called heretics were executed  
publicly1 by being all burnt together   

with great pomp and ceremony1 so as to  
make quite a show of their execution6   
,this terrible show was called an       
,auto-da-,fe1 meaning a sacrifice       
offered up by faithful ,christians to   
prove their devotion to ,god6 ,it is    
dreadful to think of all the cruel and  
wicked things which have been done under
 pretence of religion1 when true        
religion should fill our hearts with    
love to ,god1 and love to man for ,his  
sake1 and make us strive to subdue all  
our own evil passions and tempers4  ,sad
 too1 to remember1 that this cruel      
tribunal1 under whose authority the most
 barbarous and wicked acts were         
committed through a long series of      
years1 was established by ,christian    
bishops1 under the idea that they could 
thus please a ,god of love and mercy6   
,it is necessary to mention the         
circumstances which led to the          
establishment of a tribunal1 so opposed 
to the spirit of ,christianity4  ,the   
,popes1 from being originally the       

,bishops of ,rome1 had gradually claimed
 and obtained influence and power over  
the ,church in all ,christian kingdoms2 
and they required that every member of  
these churches1 should believe exactly  
whatever they and their ,council        
declared to be right and true4 ,the     
different orders of monks1 who were     
established in every ,christian country1
 supported the ,pope's claims1 and did  
all in their power to increase the power
 and authority of the ,roman ,pontiffs4 
,not content with spiritual power1 the  
,popes1 little by little1 claimed the   
right to interfere in temporal affairs2 
so that1 by degrees1 the ,pope claimed  
and exercised a kind of sovereign power 
over all ,christian kings1 and required 
them to obey him in temporal as well as 
spiritual matters4 ,such was the        
influence of the priests over an        
ignorant and superstitious people1 that 
their kings would not have dared to deny
 the superior authority of the ,pope1   
had they wished to do so2 for the people

 were taught to believe1 that the ,roman
 ,pontiff had power to draw down upon   
individuals and nations who had         
displeased him1 the severest judgments1 
or visible signs of the displeasure of  
the ,almighty ,god ,himself4  ,in       
,england1 the ,pope's power never was so
 great as it became in ,italy and other 
,european countries4  ,but though       
,christians in general1 and the monks in
 particular1 were ready to profess      
belief in whatever the ,popes declared  
to be the truth1 there arose from time  
to time men who1 contrary to the ,papal 
order1 dared to search the ,scriptures  
for themselves2 and thus perceived      
clearly1 that the ,church of ,rome had  
adopted many doctrines and practices    
which were1 in fact1 quite contrary to  
those taught by the ,apostles1 and given
 to them by the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4   
,those who made such an important       
discovery1 naturally told others of it2 
and thus there grew up in the ,christian
 ,church1 a party who were opposed to   

the ,pope's authority1 both in spiritual
 and temporal matters4  ,this was of    
course highly displeasing to the        
sovereign ,pontiff2 and1 in order to    
check the spread of feelings and        
opinions which weakened the ,papal      
power1 the terrible ,court of the       
,inquisition was established in ,italy1 
by ,pope ,gregory the ,ninth1 in the    
year #abcc--that is1 towards the middle 
of the thirteenth century4 ,it became   
the constant endeavour of all future    
,pontiffs1 to persuade the various      
sovereigns of ,europe1 to introduce this
 iniquitous tribunal into their         
dominions4  ,but1 although ,gregory the 
,ninth may be said to have established  
the ,inquisition as a permanent         
tribunal1 it was not altogether a new   
institution2 for1 at the close of the   
twelfth century1 the same desire to     
check the growth of feelings opposed to 
,papal power1 led ,innocent the ,third1 
in the year #aaih1 to nominate          
,inquisitorial ,courts1 to examine all  

persons accused of heresy4 ,from this   
beginning1 sprang the ,court of         
,inquisition1 established by ,gregory   
,a4,d4 #abcc4  ,innocent the ,third is  
well known in ,english history1 as the  
,pope to whom ,king ,john gave up his   
kingdom1 to be returned to him as a     
,papal fief4 ,he is also remarkable for 
the encouragement given to the cruel    
persecution of the ,albigenses in the   
south of ,france1 and of the ,waldenses 
in the valleys of ,piedmont4  ,the      
,albigenses were a body of men living   
about ,toulouse and ,albigeois1 in      
,languedoc1 who distinguished themselves
 by their opposition to the doctrines   
and ceremonies of the ,church of ,rome4 
,their name appears to have been given  
them1 either because a great number of  
them resided in the diocese of ,albi1 or
 because they were condemned as heretics
 by a council held in that town4 ,the   
,albigenses became so powerful1 that    
,pope ,innocent the ,third sent a legate
 into their country2 but1 as that step  

produced no good effect1 he stirred up  
against them ,philip the ,second1 ,king 
of ,france1 who1 being joined by other  
princes1 carried on a regular crusade   
against these unfortunate people4 ,they 
were at first supported by ,raimond1    
,count of ,toulouse2 but when the ,king 
of ,france made war upon them1 he       
deserted them1 and made his submission  
to the ,pope2 but1 soon afterwards1     
finding himself plundered by the        
,crusaders1 he declared war against     
them4 ,he was1 however1 defeated and    
slain at the siege of ,toulouse2 and the
 consequence was1 that the city         
surrendered to the ,crusaders1 who also 
conquered the greater part of ,languedoc
 and ,provence4  ,his son1 also called  
,raimond1 who succeeded him1 published a
 declaration against the ,albigenses1   
,a4,d4 #abec2 and agreed with the ,pope 
and the ,king of ,france1 to set up the 
,inquisition in his territories4 ,from  
this time the ,albigenses gradually     
decreased in number1 until1 in the      

sixteenth century1 the remnant had      
become so intermingled with the         
,vaudois1 that all are known by the     
latter name4  ,the ,waldenses took their
 name from ,peter ,waldo1 who was a rich
 merchant of ,lyons1 in the latter part 
of the twelfth century4 ,waldo1 being   
extremely anxious for the increase of   
,christian knowledge and piety1 employed
 a priest1 in the year #aafj1 to        
translate from the ,latin into ,french1 
the four ,gospels and some other parts  
of ,scripture4 ,when this was done1     
,waldo found that there was no authority
 in ,scripture1 for many of the         
doctrines and practices taught by the   
,church over which the ,pope presided2  
in fact1 that they were quite contrary  
to the ,word of ,god4 ,in consequence1  
he gave up his mercantile profession1   
distributed his riches among the poor1  
and devoted himself1 as a public        
teacher1 to spread a knowledge of       
,scriptural truth4 ,his success was     
great4 ,his followers took their name of

 ,waldenses from him2 and they were also
 called ,the poor men of ,lyons4  ,the  
,archbishop of ,lyons1 and other rulers 
of the ,church in those parts1 opposed  
,waldo vigorously1 but with little      
effect2 for the simplicity and beauty of
 his doctrines1 and the pious and       
blameless lives led by him and his      
followers1 caused a daily increase of   
their numbers4 ,being driven out of     
,lyons1 they spread over ,dauphine1     
,provence1 and the valleys of ,piedmont4
  ,the merciless persecution carried on 
against these innocent people1 by       
,philip the ,second and ,innocent the   
,third1 failed to destroy them utterly1 
although the king is said to have       
destroyed the country seats of #cjj     
gentlemen in the attempt4 ,amongst those
 who distinguished themselves most in   
this barbarous persecution1 was ,simon  
de ,montfort1 whose son1 bearing the    
same name1 retired to ,england1 and     
became a favourite of ,henry the ,third1
 who created him ,earl of ,leicester4   

,after one quarrel and reconciliation   
with his sovereign1 ,leicester put      
himself at the head of the ,english     
barons who rebelled successfully against
 ,henry the ,third2 but in the battle of
 ,evesham1 when the royal forces were   
led by ,prince ,edward1 the ,earl was   
defeated and slain4  ,in spite of the   
united efforts of the ,pope1 the ,king  
of ,france1 and of the ,count ,simon de 
,montfort1 the ,waldenses continued to  
exist1 and were in later times known as 
the ,vaudois4     ,chapter              
,,xiii4--,,treatment ,,of ,,the ,,jews  
,,by ,,ferdinand4   ,the ,monks took    
such an active part in the persecution  
of the ,jews1 that it may be well to    
give some account of the ,religious     
,orders1 as they are called2 all of     
which hated the ,hebrew race1 and would 
gladly have seen it extirpated4  ,very  
soon after the establishment of the     
,christian religion1 there were men who 
wished to devote their hearts and lives 
to the service of ,god1 and thought they

 could better do this by giving up all  
the pleasures and business of ordinary  
life4 ,it became the practice for such  
to leave their families and live        
together in houses1 thence called       
,religious ,houses1 under the direction 
and authority of some priest4 ,here they
 spent their time in devotion1 and in   
doing good to their fellow creatures3   
the services in the churches were       
performed by them2 they undertook the   
education of the young2 books were      
prepared by them1 for in those days     
there were no books except such as were 
written by hand2 and to them the sick   
and poor applied for relief1 which was  
never denied4  ,those who became inmates
 of such houses1 were not bound to      
remain in them2 but as long as they did 
so1 they were bound to obey the orders  
of the ruling priest4  ,but before long1
 a change took place3 these religious   
houses took the name of ,monastery1     
,abbey1 ,priory1 or ,convent4 ,those who
 entered these houses1 took a solemn    

oath to remain in them until their      
death1 and to be in all things obedient 
to the priests1 who1 under the          
appellation of ,abbots or ,priors1 ruled
 over these establishments1 whilst they 
themselves were completely subject to   
the ,pope4 ,as the gifts of money and   
lands bestowed upon these religious     
houses1 gave them power and influence1  
those who ruled over them became        
ambitious1 and desired to have a share  
in the government of kingdoms3 in this  
they gradually succeeded by persuading  
kings and princes1 that by following    
their advice in all things1 they would  
please the ,lord ,god1 and ensure his   
favour4  ,as time went on1 the heads of 
the abbeys1 monasteries1 priories1 and  
convents1 became more and more powerful1
 in the various kingdoms where they were
 established4 ,the inmates of these     
various houses belonged to different    
classes or orders2 the chief of which1  
were the ,benedictines1 ,dominicans1 and
 ,franciscans4  ,st4 ,benedict1 the     

founder of the first religious order in 
,europe1 was born at ,spoleto1 in       
,italy1 ,a4,d4 #dhj4 ,at the age of     
fourteen1 he retired to a cavern1 where 
the fame of his pious austerities       
brought him numerous followers4 ,he     
afterwards founded the monastery of     
,monte ,casino1 near ,naples1 and thus  
established the ,order of ,st4          
,benedict1 or the ,benedictines4 ,the   
oath taken by all who entered this      
order1 bound them never to marry1 nor to
 quit their convent2 to practise the    
strictest self-denial in every matter2  
to speak but little to the other members
 of the community2 to give up all       
intercourse with the world2 and to place
 their minds and bodies at the absolute 
disposal of their superior2 so as not   
only to do at once whatever he bid them 
do1 but to hold no opinions contrary to 
his4 ,the ,pope or ,bishop of ,rome1    
naturally looked with especial favour   
upon this order of monks2 because being 
pledged to implicit obedience1 they     

formed a sort of army1 ready to do      
anything to increase the power of the   
priesthood and the ,pope4 ,the          
,benedictine ,order was introduced into 
,england by ,dunstan1 when he became    
superior of ,glastonbury ,abbey1 in the 
tenth century4  ,the founder of the     
,dominican ,order1 was a man named      
,dominic1 born at ,calahorra1 in ,old   
,castile1 ,a4,d4 #aagj4 ,he was employed
 by ,pope ,innocent the ,third to       
convert the ,albigenses2 but failing in 
his endeavours1 he joined in the        
horrible persecution carried on against 
them2 and for his zeal in the cause1 he 
was1 after his death1 ,a4,d4 #abba1     
canonized1 7that is1 ordered to be      
called a saint7 by the ,pope4  ,the     
founder of the ,franciscan ,order was   
born at ,assisi1 in a part of ,italy    
called ,umbria1 ,a4,d4 #aahb2 and was   
after his death canonized1 and called   
,st4 ,francis d',assisi4 ,he was the son
 of a merchant1 and had in his youth led
 a wild and dissipated life3 but on     

recovering from a dangerous illness1 he 
became enthusiastically devout2 retired 
into solitude2 and underwent every      
species of penance and mortification2 so
 that his family thought he had gone    
mad4 ,he gave up all claim to his       
father's property1 and took a vow of    
poverty4 ,being looked upon as a saint1 
many joined him1 and he drew up rules   
for them to observe2 and these rules    
being approved of by ,pope ,innocent the
 ,third1 the order of ,franciscan       
,friars was established1 and its members
 increased rapidly4 ,st4 ,francis       
d',assisi was1 as well as ,st4 ,dominic1
 a zealous persecutor of the ,albigenses
 and ,waldenses4 ,st4 ,francis made an  
unsuccessful attempt to convert the     
,sultan1 or sovereign of ,turkey1 and   
then returned to ,assisi1 where he died1
 ,a4,d4 #abbf3 he was canonized four    
years later1 by ,gregory the ,ninth4    
,it has been said1 that the members of  
the ,dominican and ,franciscan ,orders  
were called friars1 instead of monks4   

,the difference between the two classes 
was1 that the friars rejected the       
possession of all worldly wealth1 and   
depended entirely for their subsistence 
upon what they could collect from the   
pious1 in their wanderings about the    
country4 ,on this account1 they were    
also called ,mendicants1 that is1       
beggars4 ,there were four orders of     
these ,mendicant ,friars3 the           
,dominicans1 or ,black ,friars2 the     
,franciscans1 or ,grey ,friars1         
sometimes called ,freres ,mineurs       
7,lesser ,friars71 or ,minorites2 the   
,augustines1 or ,mendicants1 properly so
 called2 and the ,carmelites1 who       
claimed their origin from the prophet   
,elijah4  ,before we leave this subject1
 we must mention that there were also   
religious houses1 called nunneries and  
convents1 for females3 the inmates were 
called nuns1 and there were various     
orders of them1 distinguished from each 
other by some differences in their rules
 and discipline4  ,but all monks1 friars

 and nuns were bound by their vows never
 to marry1 nor leave their retirement2  
and to be in all things obedient to     
their superior4  ,when the ,court of    
,inquisition was set up in ,spain1 it   
was directed to pay particular attention
 to the conduct of the ,jews1 as the    
clergy had found out that their change  
of religion was generally only a        
pretence2 and therefore the ,pope       
exhorted all ,christian princes to bring
 them to punishment4  ,great numbers of 
the ,jews1 terrified at the fate which  
awaited them1 gave up the observance of 
their own rites and ceremonies1 and     
submitted to any penance or punishment  
appointed by the clergy3 but many of    
these unhappy creatures were put to     
death1 even after they had confessed    
,jesus ,christ to be the ,messiah3      
others were imprisoned for a long time1 
and when set at liberty1 were obliged to
 wear two red crosses on their upper    
garment1 which was considered as an     
acknowledgment that they deserved to be 

burnt4 ,property was1 of course1 seized2
 and besides their persecution by the   
,inquisition1 the populace oppressed and
 ill-used them1 so that their condition 
was as miserable as possible4 ,the      
sufferings of the ,jews whom ,ferdinand 
drove out of ,spain1 were most          
extraordinary4 ,the greater part        
embarked on board ships1 some of which1 
from being too heavily laden1 sunk1 and 
all on board were drowned2 some of the  
ships are said to have been burnt2 some 
were wrecked on foreign shores1 where   
the miserable passengers died of want4  
,the master of one ship determined to   
murder all his passengers1 in order1 as 
he said1 to avenge the death of ,christ1
 whom their ancestors had crucified3 the
 ,jews1 aware of his design1 reminded   
this bad man1 that one doctrine of      
,christianity was1 that ,christ desired 
the salvation1 and not the death of     
sinners2 but the master1 instead of     
feeling how little his conduct was like 
what a ,christian's ought to be1 caused 

the ,jews to be stripped1 and landed on 
the coast of ,africa1 where he left     
them4 ,some of these poor creatures were
 destroyed by wild beasts2 some died of 
hunger2 but some were saved by the      
master of another vessel4 ,some of the  
,jews1 on leaving ,spain1 sailed direct 
to the city of ,fez1 in ,africa2 but the
 inhabitants cruelly refused to admit   
them into the city1 and they1 too1 died 
of want4 ,another party sailed to       
,genoa1 which was at that time suffering
 from a scarcity of food1 so that       
provisions were very dear3 the          
inhabitants1 seeing the miserable       
condition of the ,jews1 who had no money
 to buy food1 met them with a cross in  
one hand and in the other bread1 which  
they refused to give to any one who     
would not first worship the cross4 ,many
 who had hitherto resisted all          
temptation to conform to ,christian     
worship1 could hold out no longer1 and  
did what was required of them4  ,the way
 in which ,ferdinand had treated the    

,jews1 was greatly blamed2 and many     
nations expressed their astonishment1   
that the king should have so little     
regard to his own interest1 as to banish
 a people1 whose skill in money matters 
was so useful to the country4 ,this very
 skill enabled the ,jews to disappoint  
the avarice of the king2 for they had   
managed to send the greater part of     
their wealth safely out of the country1 
and consequently ,ferdinand got much    
less money from them than he had        
expected4  ,meantime his subjects felt  
the loss of ,moors and ,jews1 and the   
nobles complained that their towns were 
deserted and ruined4  ,many of the ,jews
 on leaving ,spain1 went into ,portugal1
 where their brethren had done good     
service to the king1 by bringing him    
accounts of the coasts of the ,red ,sea2
 and also by helping his subjects to    
discover the way of reaching ,india1 by 
sailing round the southern point of     
,africa4  ,but notwithstanding the      
services of the ,jews already in        

,portugal1 the king only allowed the    
fugitives from ,spain to enter his      
dominions1 on condition of their paying 
a sum of gold1 with an understanding1   
that on a certain day fixed1 they must  
either leave ,portugal again1 or be sold
 as slaves3 on his part1 the king       
promised to provide ships to take them  
wherever they wished to go4  ,when the  
time came1 the king really wished to    
keep his promise2 but his orders were   
not obeyed1 and the ,jews who were about
 to sail1 were so barbarously used by   
the seamen1 that they chose rather to be
 sold as slaves than to put themselves  
into the power of such ruffians4  ,the  
next king of ,portugal had pity on the  
,jews1 and set them free from slavery2  
but afterwards1 in order to gain favour 
with ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 he       
ordered the ,israelites to leave the    
kingdom on a certain day1 after which1  
all who remained would be again treated 
as slaves4 ,but the king did not like   
the idea of expelling such a number of  

skilful and industrious people1 and he  
determined at least to keep all the     
children under fourteen years of age1   
and have them baptized and brought up as
 ,christians4 ,when1 therefore1 the time
 of departure drew near1 he forbade the 
,jews to embark from any port except    
,lisbon2 and when they came to that     
city1 the king's officers seized their  
children1 and dragged them away from    
their parents4 ,we may imagine what a   
dreadful scene this was6 ,many1 in      
despair1 rather than give their children
 up1 killed them and then put an end to 
their own lives4 ,besides this1 the king
 contrived to delay their embarkation so
 much1 that the day fixed passed away   
before they had sailed1 and consequently
 they became slaves4 ,in utter despair1 
these poor creatures now agreed to      
become ,christians1 in order to recover 
their liberty1 and their children4 ,but 
such ,christianity could only be a      
pretence2 and their enemies1 suspecting 
this1 watched them narrowly4 ,the least 

sign of their observing any of the rites
 and ceremonies of the ,jewish religion1
 or of their preferring the ,law of     
,moses to the ,gospel1 exposed them to  
the horrible cruelties of the           
,inquisition4 ,shame upon ,christians1  
who could thus treat their fellow       
creatures6 and instead of trying to win 
them over by ,christian love1 could thus
 render the very name of ,christian more
 and more hateful to them4     ,chapter 
,,xiv4--,,separation ,,in ,,the         
,,church4   ,the events which have been 
noticed in ,spain and ,portugal1        
extended well into the sixteenth        
century1 and thus belong to modern      
history2 for the fifteenth is the last  
of the ten centuries known in history as
 the ,middle ,ages1 during which1 as we 
have seen1 the sufferings of the ,jews  
were very terrible4 ,it is impossible   
here to give a particular account of    
this persecuted race in all countries1  
during the centuries that have since    
elapsed4  ,in the sixteenth century took

 place that important movement in the   
,christian church1 spoken of in history 
as the ,reformation4  ,in speaking of   
the ,inquisition1 allusion has been made
 to the feelings of mistrust and        
opposition1 which had arisen in regard  
to the ,pope1 and the ,church of which  
he claimed to be the head4  ,by the     
beginning of the eleventh century1 the  
,papal power1 or power of the ,popes1   
was far greater than that of any        
sovereign2 and kings were obliged to    
acknowledge and submit to it1 because in
 case of any dispute1 their subjects    
would probably have obeyed the ,pope    
rather than their own sovereigns4 ,nor  
was this extraordinary1 since the people
 were led by the priests to believe1    
that they could not possibly be saved1  
unless they obeyed the ,pope in         
everything2 and that on the other hand1 
he could forgive their sins1 and ensure 
their salvation4 ,thus was the ,pope put
 almost into the place of ,god4  ,this  
naturally produced evil consequences1   

and for more than two centuries the     
corruptions of the ,church of ,rome went
 on increasing3 the real doctrines and  
truths of the ,gospel were more and more
 forgotten1 and its precepts disobeyed2 
so that wickedness seemed everywhere    
triumphant4 ,such a sad state of things 
led many to think1 that as the ,pope and
 his clergy were not teaching the truth 
as contained in the ,scripture1 some    
reform was greatly needed4 ,this feeling
 once roused1 spread rapidly2 and in the
 beginning of the sixteenth century1 it 
was strengthened and confirmed by the   
preaching of a ,german1 called ,martin  
,luther4 ,luther was born in ,a4,d4     
#adhc1 at ,eisleben1 in ,lower ,saxony3 
wishing to devote himself to a religious
 life1 he entered a monastery of        
,augustines4 ,his fondness for learning 
caused him to be appointed as a teacher 
in the new ,university of ,wittemberg3  
but his studies soon taught him that the
 church to which he belonged1 had       
departed very far from ,gospel truth and

 practice2 and a journey to ,rome showed
 him so much that was wrong in the lives
 and conduct of her clergy1 as quite to 
destroy all his reverence for the ,pope4
 ,his own mind being thus made up1      
,luther boldly declared his convictions2
 and taught that all who wished to be   
saved by ,jesus ,christ1 must make a    
great change in their religious opinions
 and practice2 and instead of blindly   
obeying the ,church of ,rome1 must      
strive to worship ,god as the ,apostles 
and early ,christians had done2 for this
 purpose he urged every individual to   
read and study the ,holy ,scriptures1   
which the ,pope did not permit any      
member of his ,church to do4 ,people of 
all ranks listened to ,luther's words2  
and many determined no longer to submit 
to the ,pope's dictation1 but to purify 
the ,church1 by extirpating the errors  
which had one after another crept into  
her doctrines and practice1 so as to    
restore her to her original condition of
 a scriptural ,church4  ,whole nations  

now shook off the authority of the      
,pope1 and became separate branches of  
the ,one ,catholic or ,universal ,church
 established by the ,apostles1 and of   
which ,jesus ,christ is the true and    
only head4 ,in ,a4,d4 #aeag1 when ,henry
 the ,eighth was ,king of ,england1 such
 a branch was established in our own    
country1 and called the ,church of      
,england2 whilst to that branch over    
which the ,pope still rules1 we give the
 name of the ,church of ,rome4  ,all the
 works of man are liable to error1 and  
in this great separation from the       
,church of ,rome1 some mistakes were    
probably made2 nor were all who         
advocated the changes actuated by holy  
and religious motives4 ,but whatever    
mistakes may have been made1 we find in 
the teaching of the ,church of ,england 
the way of salvation4 ,all of us who    
have been baptized into this ,church1   
must ever remember with thankfulness    
that we belong to a ,church which bids  
us take the ,holy ,scripture as our rule

 of life4 ,as members of such a ,church1
 let us always strive to act up to our  
baptismal vows1 carefully studying all  
the articles of the ,christian faith1   
that we may hold them fast2 and that our
 faith may be firm and lively3 let us   
renounce the world1 the flesh1 and the  
devil1 constantly striving against sin  
in every form1 so that we may truly keep
 the commandments and precepts of ,god3 
loving ,him with all our hearts1 and our
 neighbour as ourselves1 for ,his sake4 
,if we are thus true and worthy members 
of the ,church ,militant upon earth1 we 
shall1 through the atonement and        
mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 be         
hereafter received into ,his ,church    
triumphant in ,heaven4  ,before we go   
on1 it will be well to say a few words  
as to the word ,protestant1 often       
applied both to ,churches and           
individuals who have separated from the 
,church of ,rome4 ,to protest1 means to 
object to1 to declare against4          
,protestant1 therefore1 only means one  

who objects to anything1 or declares    
against it2 and so the word came to be  
applied to those1 who so objected to the
 errors and false doctrines of the      
,church of ,rome 7which claimed for     
itself alone the title of ,catholic71 as
 to separate from it1 and establish a   
reformed branch4 ,in this sense the     
,church of ,england may be called       
,protestant2 but we must never give up  
our claim of being a true and pure      
branch of the ,holy ,catholic and       
,apostolic ,church1 of which ,jesus     
,christ is the ,head4  ,the separation  
from the ,church of ,rome was not       
effected in any country without great   
struggles2 many battles were fought1 and
 many crimes committed1 under pretence  
of religion1 on both sides4  ,luther    
died in #aedf1 having lived to see the  
doctrines he had taught1 too firmly     
established ever to be overthrown by the
 opposition of the ,pope and his        
supporters1 who made great efforts to   
bring all men back to the ,church of    

,rome4  ,mary1 the daughter of ,henry   
the ,eighth1 who became ,queen of       
,england on the death of her brother    
,edward the ,sixth1 ,a4,d4 #aeec1 tried 
hard to make her subjects submit again  
to the ,church of ,rome1 and many were  
burnt to death for refusing to do so4   
,elizabeth1 who succeeded her sister    
,mary in #aeeh1 was zealous for the     
doctrines opposed to the ,papal         
teaching2 and in her time the ,church of
 ,england was firmly established in this
 country1 though many ,englishmen have  
never joined it1 and continue to this   
day to be ,roman ,catholics1 as we call 
those who belong to the ,church of      
,rome1 to distinguish them from those   
who have renounced her errors2 for we   
all claim to be ,catholics1 as members  
of the ,catholic or ,universal ,church  
of ,christ4 ,many1 too1 in our own times
 have unhappily forsaken the ,church of 
their forefathers1 and joined that of   
,rome4 ,let us watch and pray1 that we  
fall not into such grievous error4  ,the

 ,reformation relieved the ,jews from   
much active persecution1 but1 on the    
other hand1 ,luther declared1 that no   
,christian might even employ a ,jewish  
physician2 for as the whole race lay    
under the curse of ,god1 they ought not 
to cure those who were the children of  
,god3 the ,jews naturally detested      
,luther1 by whose advice many ,christian
 princes in ,germany1 refused to receive
 them into their dominions4 ,the chief  
persecution against the ,israelites in  
,europe during this century1 arose from 
their being falsely accused of causing a
 fire that did great damage in ,bohemia4
 ,in ,persia they suffered much from one
 of the kings1 who was resolved to make 
them embrace the ,mahometan faith4  ,the
 ,jews at this time1 seem to have       
enjoyed more peace in ,egypt1           
,abyssinia1 and other parts of ,africa1 
than in any other countries in the      
world4 ,they became numerous1 wealthy1  
and powerful at ,cairo1 and also in     
,morocco1 from whence one of them was   

sent as ambassador to the united        
provinces of ,holland1 in the beginning 
of the seventeenth century4 ,although   
the ,king of ,portugal had banished the 
,jews from his ,european dominions1 he  
allowed them to settle at ,goa and other
 places1 which then belonged to him in  
the ,east ,indies3 but1 unfortunately1  
after some years1 these ,jews allowed   
themselves to be deceived by a pretended
 ,messiah4 ,the news spread to ,portugal
 where some of the ,israelites1 who had 
become ,christians1 showed such joy at  
the intelligence1 as to make it clear   
that they still clung to their old      
faith1 and were ,christians only in     
name4 ,the ,inquisition1 therefore1     
interfered1 and all ,jews living in such
 parts of the ,east as were subject to  
the ,king of ,portugal1 were forced     
either to become ,christians1 or to     
leave the country4  ,the ,jews had now  
been shut out of ,england for about #cej
 years2 but when1 after the murder of   
king ,charles the ,first1 ,cromwell     

became ruler under the name of          
,protector1 ,a4,d4 #afed1 he1 seeing the
 benefit which ,holland had gained by   
allowing this persecuted race to settle 
in that country1 was anxious to bring   
their industry and their riches back    
into ,great ,britain4 ,at his request1  
the ,parliament allowed ,manasses ,ben  
,israel1 who was greatly looked up to by
 the whole ,jewish people1 to come to   
,england1 to beg permission for his     
countrymen to return3 but the idea was  
so displeasing to the people in general1
 and was so strongly opposed by some    
persons of ability and learning1 that   
,cromwell was unwillingly obliged to    
dismiss ,manasses1 without giving him   
any positive answer4 ,some of his       
countrymen1 however1 did venture into   
,england1 where they were left in peace1
 and allowed to reside together in a    
certain part of ,london3 but no laws    
were made for their protection1 though  
they were ready to pay large sums for   
any such marks of favour4               

,unfortunately for ,cromwell's project  
of re-establishing the ,jews in         
,england1 a deputation arrived from the 
,asiatic ,jews1 for the purpose of      
making out that ,cromwell was the       
,messiah4 ,this made the ,protector very
 angry2 and when the object of these    
,jews became known1 it excited so much  
indignation throughout the country1 that
 they were obliged to leave the kingdom 
in all haste4 ,this incident greatly    
increased the feelings of prejudice and 
dislike1 with which the children of     
,israel were regarded4 ,when ,charles   
the ,second was restored to the ,english
 throne1 ,a4,d4 #affj1 he1 being greatly
 in want of money1 sold to the ,jews    
permission to settle in ,england1 and   
their numbers increased greatly in      
consequence4  ,james the ,second1 who in
 #afhe succeeded his brother ,charles1  
also favoured the ,jews2 and during this
 seventeenth century1 they also regained
 a footing in ,france1 from whence they 
had been finally banished in #acid1     

though1 as has been said1 some ,jews    
were always to be found in different    
parts of that kingdom4 ,the first place 
in which they were now permitted to     
reside and carry on trade1 was          
,bordeaux2 they were also allowed to buy
 estates in ,france4     ,chapter       
,,xv4--,,seventeenth ,,and ,,eighteenth 
,,centuries4   ,the most curious event  
connected with the ,jews in the         
seventeenth century is the history of   
the impostor1 ,zabathai ,tzevi1 who was 
born in ,syria1 of poor ,jewish parents2
 and being gifted with wonderful talents
 and great powers of learning1 was      
enabled to take advantage of the        
ignorance and credulity of his          
countrymen4 ,towards the close of the   
century1 there was a general idea       
amongst the ,jews1 that some wonderful  
event was about to take place1 and all  
sorts of strange tales were told1 and   
believed3 amongst others1 it was related
 that a ship had reached the coast of   
,scotland1 filled with sailors who could

 speak nothing but the ,hebrew language2
 that the sails of this ship were made  
of the most beautiful silk2 and that    
upon them were embroidered the words1   
,the ,twelve ,tribes of ,israel4 ,tzevi 
immediately took advantage of so        
favourable an opportunity1 proclaimed   
himself to be the ,messiah1 and promised
 the ,jews a glorious kingdom1 in which 
they should enjoy peace and prosperity4 
,he pretended to work miracles1 and     
reproached some of his followers with   
wilful blindness1 because they would not
 own that they had seen him rise up into
 the air6 ,the multitude believed in    
,tzevi1 but many of the better          
instructed and more intelligent ,jews   
condemned him as an impostor1 and would 
gladly have put him to death1 could they
 have done so4 ,after visiting ,greece  
and ,alexandria1 ,tzevi went to ,gaza1  
where he persuaded a celebrated ,jew1   
named ,nathan ,levi1 to act as his      
forerunner4 ,tzevi and ,levi then went  
to ,jerusalem1 and actually named a time

 when the ,jews should recover their    
kingdom by the conquest of the ,sultan1 
who then held it in subjection4  ,some  
of the more sensible among the ,jews1   
saw that such folly could lead only to  
their own destruction1 and therefore    
they condemned ,tzevi and his           
forerunner1 to be put to death as       
impostors2 but they went off to         
,constantinople3 the ,jews there had1   
however1 been warned not to listen to   
them1 and they therefore proceeded to   
,smyrna4  ,here ,tzevi received presents
 from the ,jews of many countries2 and  
although the ,jewish ,council at ,smyrna
 condemned him as an impostor1 his party
 was too numerous and powerful for any  
active steps to be taken against him4   
,at length ,tzevi having1 as he said1   
received the command of ,god to do so1  
went again to ,constantinople1 where1 by
 the ,sultan's orders1 he was seized and
 cast into prison2 but this event did   
not in any way shake the faith of his   
followers1 who firmly believed that it  

was not in the ,sultan's power to put   
him to death4  ,when he was questioned  
by the ,sultan's ministers1 ,tzevi      
declared that he had only called himself
 the ,messiah1 because his nation had   
forced him to do so3 his life was       
therefore spared1 and although he was   
kept in prison1 all who chose were      
allowed to visit him4 ,he remained a    
prisoner for some months1 visited by the
 infatuated ,jews from all parts1 who   
still persisted in looking upon him as  
the ,messiah2 but as the ,turks made all
 these ,jews pay for the privilege of   
visiting ,tzevi1 they did not interfere 
with the attentions and honours paid to 
him4 ,in the height of his fame he was  
visited by a learned ,jew from ,poland1 
who wanted to be admitted in some manner
 to share his honours3 this1 ,tzevi was 
by no means inclined to allow1 and the  
two men quarrelled4 ,in revenge1 the    
,polish ,jew told the ,sultan that      
,tzevi was a dangerous impostor1 who was
 plotting to overthrow the ,turkish     

dominion3 upon this1 the ,sultan ordered
 that he should be set up as a mark for 
his archers to aim at1 and that if he   
escaped unwounded1 it would be a proof  
that he was not an impostor4 ,tzevi     
naturally had no mind to submit to such 
a trial of his truth1 and therefore he  
at once confessed himself to be an      
impostor2 and when he found that this   
was not now enough to save his life1 he 
became a ,mahometan1 declaring that he  
had long wished to do so4 ,this step    
filled his followers with grief and     
horror4  ,tzevi lived for many years at 
,constantinople1 and became a learned   
and zealous ,mahometan3 he still        
declared himself to be the appointed    
deliverer of the ,jews1 but told them   
that he should not be able to prevail   
with the ,almighty to restore them as a 
nation to the ,holy ,land1 until they   
gave up the ,law of ,moses and followed 
that of ,mahomet1 as he had done4       
,multitudes did actually1 in            
consequence1 go to ,constantinople1 and 

there declare themselves to be followers
 of the false prophet ,mahomet4 ,by this
 means1 ,tzevi hoped to keep his        
influence over the ,jews1 and at the    
same time remain in favour with the     
,turks2 but all his impiety and         
wickedness soon met with just           
punishment1 for1 for some cause or      
other1 he was beheaded by order of the  
,sultan4  ,during the eighteenth        
century1 the condition of the ,jews     
improved greatly throughout ,europe4 ,no
 more dreadful persecutions took place2 
and though the prejudices of the people 
often led them to treat the ,jews with  
contempt and ridicule1 and to annoy them
 in many ways1 still the laws of the    
different countries in which they lived1
 did more or less1 protect the ,hebrew  
race from real injuries and violence4   
,in the middle of the eighteenth century
 there were nine synagogues in ,rome1   
and also an academy for the instruction 
of youth3 the ,jews in this city seem to
 have exercised some authority over     

their brethren in other parts of ,italy1
 who consulted them upon all important  
matters1 and paid great respect to their
 advice4 ,there are now great numbers of
 ,jews in ,rome1 who are all obliged to 
dwell together in one part of the city1 
called the ,ghetto4  ,the ,king of      
,naples1 in the eighteenth century1     
granted such great privileges to the    
,jews1 as to make the ,roman ,catholics 
very uneasy2 but in spite of the        
remonstrances of the clergy1 he         
persevered in this course1 until the    
,jews1 by their ill conduct1 forced him 
to make a change4  ,in ,spain and       
,portugal during this century1 there    
were a great many ,jews who1 according  
to the permission granted them by the   
,talmud1 pretended to be ,christians1   
and as such1 filled various offices in  
the state1 and even performed the       
functions of priests in the ,roman      
,catholic ,church4 ,outwardly they were 
zealous ,roman ,catholics2 inwardly they
 were ,jews3 so that it has been said1  

that whenever a house was more than     
usually furnished with crucifixes1      
images of the ,virgin and of the        
,saints1 relics and lamps1 the          
inhabitants were sure to be ,israelites 
in heart4 ,by pretending great zeal for 
the ,christian religion which they      
detested1 these dissemblers generally   
escaped detection2 though from time to  
time some of them did fall into the     
hands of the ,inquisition4  ,jews can   
now live openly and unmolested in ,spain
 and ,portugal3 they claim to be        
descended from the tribe of ,judah1 and 
declare that many of their ancestors    
went into those countries1 at the time  
of the captivity1 more than two thousand
 years ago6 ,for these reasons1 the     
,spanish and ,portuguese ,jews think    
themselves superior to those in other   
countries1 and will not allow of        
marriages with them4 ,the daughter of a 
,portuguese ,jew having married a ,jew  
of ,berlin1 the parents of the bride put
 on mourning for her as if she had been 

dead1 which she was to them1 as they    
never would see or hear of her again3   
they renounced her for ever4  ,after the
 revolution in ,france towards the end  
of the eighteenth century1 when the king
 ,louis the ,sixteenth was murdered1 the
 ,jews were allowed all the privileges  
of citizens1 on condition of taking an  
oath of obedience to the ,government of 
the country4 ,their numbers then        
increased amazingly in ,france4  ,in    
,germany also1 during this century1 the 
,jews gained many privileges from the   
,emperors4 ,in short1 the children of   
,israel were now everywhere protected by
 the laws1 though they were still often 
robbed of their property1 ridiculed and 
scoffed at1 and employed in the lowest  
work4  ,at ,frankfort1 as in ,rome1 the 
,jews rich and poor1 are all obliged to 
live in one quarter of the town3 this   
consists of a long street1 with high    
walls at the backs of the houses1 to    
separate them from those parts in which 
the ,christians dwell4  ,zealous        

,christians have often formed plans for 
the conversion of the ,jews2 not1 as    
formerly1 by violence1 but in a manner  
more suitable to the spirit of the      
,gospel2 that is1 by endeavouring to    
convince them that ,jesus ,christ was   
indeed the ,messiah prophesied of in the
 ,holy ,scriptures1 and that they must  
look for no other1 until in the end of  
the world ,he shall come again in glory1
 to judge both the quick and the dead4  
,these efforts have met with some little
 success1 but still there are an immense
 number of ,jews4 ,one of these converts
 to ,christianity in the middle of the  
eighteenth century1 was a young man     
named ,moses ,marcus1 whose parents1    
rich ,jews of ,london1 had him carefully
 instructed in ,hebrew and ,chaldee1 and
 in all the learning of their people4   
,when he was old enough1 he was sent    
from ,england to finish his education at
 ,hamburg1 and there became acquainted  
with some clergymen of what was called  
the ,reformed ,church1--that is1 a      

branch of the ,church which had given up
 many of the doctrines and practices of 
the ,church of ,rome4 ,with these       
clergymen1 ,marcus frequently talked of 
the difference between the religion of  
the ,christians and that of the ,jews4  
,by their advice he studied the         
,scriptures of the ,new ,testament1 and 
became thereby convinced that ,jesus    
,christ was indeed the ,messiah4 ,mean  
time the father of ,marcus had been to  
,india1 and when he returned to ,england
 he sent for his son1 then about twenty 
years old4 ,on his arrival1 the young   
man at once told his father of the      
change which had taken place in his     
religious feelings and opinions4 ,his   
father received this intelligence with  
the greatest displeasure1 and spared    
neither threats nor promises to induce  
the young man not to desert the         
synagogue4 ,but the faith of ,marcus had
 been strengthened by conversation with 
clergymen of the ,church of ,england1   
and therefore1 disregarding all threats 

and promises1 he persevered1 even at the
 risk of his life1 and was baptized3    
soon afterwards1 he published a work    
explaining his reasons for becoming a   
,christian2 pointing out the fulfilment 
of prophecy in the person of ,jesus     
,christ2 and showing how many           
absurdities and contradictions were     
contained in the ,talmud4     ,chapter  
,,xvi4--,,conclusion4   ,of late years  
many privileges have been granted to the
 ,jews in ,england1 and many societies  
have also been formed1 for the purpose  
of trying to prove to them from their   
own ,scriptures1 that the promised      
,messiah1 has accomplished ,his work1   
and that the ,christian religion should 
now take the place of the ,jewish       
,dispensation1--that the two are but in 
fact1 only two parts of one             
religion1--that the ,jewish             
,dispensation1 the ,law1 the ,covenant  
of ,works1 was designed to prepare      
mankind for the ,coming of the          
,messiah1--and that1 as that event has  

taken place1 we are now living under the
 ,christian ,dispensation1 the ,gospel1 
the ,covenant of ,grace4 ,some have     
believed2 but many1 alas6 believe not1  
and still cling to their old faith4  ,at
 the present time1 no persecution is    
carried on against the ,hebrew race1 and
 ,jews are to be found in all parts of  
the world1 having free liberty to       
observe the rites and ceremonies of     
their own religion1 as far as they can  
do so4 ,their manners and customs1 and  
their mode of observing the ceremonies  
of their religion1 differ in different  
countries2 but all agree in denying that
 ,jesus ,christ was the ,messiah4  ,one 
thing we must remark about the higher   
class of ,jews in the present day--they 
are very charitable1 not to their own   
people only1 but also to ,christians1   
helping even to support ,christian      
schools4  ,it is said that there is in  
these days a growing feeling amongst the
 ,jews1 that the ,messiah must have come
 unobserved by them4 ,let us pray1 that 

through this feeling1 they may be led to
 see and acknowledge1 that ,jesus of    
,nazareth is indeed that ,messiah4      
,great efforts have been made1 and are  
still being made1 for the conversion of 
the ,jews1 but with little success at   
present4 ,the time is not yet come for  
them to be brought into the fold1 and   
made one flock with the ,christians1    
under one ,shepherd1 ,jesus ,christ our 
,lord4  ,but the time will come1 when by
 some means or other1 the ,lord ,god    
,almighty will do this thing1 for the   
,scriptures contain very many prophecies
 as to the restoration of the ,children 
of ,israel to the favour of ,god4 ,the  
,scripture predictions of future        
happiness for the ,jews1 will as surely 
be fulfilled1 as those have been1 which 
foretold the miseries that have fallen  
upon the once chosen people of ,god4    
,the whole history of this remarkable   
nation1 the chosen people of ,god1 warns
 us in a most forcible manner of the    
evil of sin1 which made the ,almighty at

 last cast off the people whom ,he had  
so loved1 and whose sins ,he had so long
 borne with4 ,let us learn from this1   
that sin persisted in will bring        
destruction upon any people2 though1 for
 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ's sake1 those 
who repent of it and forsake it1 shall  
be forgiven4  ,the history of the ,jews 
gives also the clearest proofs of the   
truth of prophecy4  ,to go no further   
than ,moses1 let us see how exactly his 
words have been accomplished in the     
sufferings of the ,jews4 ,his           
prophecies1 fulfilled in part when the  
children of ,israel and ,judaea were    
carried into captivity1 also describe   
most truly the circumstances of the     
,jews1 since the destruction of         
,jerusalem by ,titus1 ,a4,d4 #gb1 put a 
final end to their existence as a       
nation4  ,moses says1 ,and the ,lord    
shall scatter thee among all people from
 one end of the earth even to the other4
 ,in the sketch which has been given of 
the ,jews1 we have read of them as being

 found in all parts of the known world4 
,again1 their condition1 as described by
 ,moses1 ,thou shalt only be oppressed  
and spoiled evermore1 exactly agrees    
with all that has been said of them4 ,we
 have seen that1 in the ,east as well as
 in the ,west1 they have been           
continually oppressed by the cruel laws 
and heavy taxes of the rulers of the    
various countries in which they sought  
refuge1 as well as by the violence of   
the people1 who have repeatedly         
oppressed them in every way1 robbed     
them1 and spoiled them of all their     
possessions4 ,again ,moses says1 ,the   
,lord will make thy plagues wonderful1  
even great plagues1 and of long         
continuance4 ,no people have ever       
suffered so much as the ,jews3 their    
plagues1 or calamities1 have indeed been
 wonderfully great1 and of long         
continuance1 carried on1 as we have     
seen1 with little intermission through  
#a1gjj years4  ,some of the calamities  
inflicted upon the ,jews were especially

 foretold2 for instance1 ,thy sons and  
thy daughters shall be given unto       
another people2 and ,thou shalt be mad  
for the sight of thine eyes which thou  
shalt see4 ,we have read that the       
children of the unhappy ,jews were      
cruelly taken from them by force1 and   
given to another people1 to be educated 
as ,christians4 ,their despair on this  
and other occasions1 when they saw that 
their children were likely to fall into 
the hands of their enemies1 drove them  
to madness2 and in their frenzy and     
despair1 they often destroyed their     
families and themselves4 ,they were     
indeed made mad1 by the sight which     
their eyes had seen4  ,again ,moses     
tells them1 ,thou shalt become an       
astonishment1 a proverb and a by-word   
among all nations1 whither the ,lord    
shall lead thee4 ,the amazing sufferings
 of the ,jews1 and their existence      
through them2 their obstinate attachment
 to their own religion2 and the manner  
in which they have constantly believed  

in impostors declaring themselves to be 
the ,messiah1--must ever be an          
astonishment to all who read their      
history3 and1 whether justly or         
unjustly1 their avarice1 usury1 and     
hard-heartedness1 did everywhere become 
a proverb4 ,even now1 if any person is  
peculiarly avaricious and miserly1 it is
 not unusual to hear his neighbours say 
of him1 ,oh1 he is quite a              
,jew1--meaning that he has those bad    
qualities ascribed to the children of   
,israel4 ,in short1 the name of ,jew has
 been a by-word1 or term of reproach1   
signifying all that is bad2 and the     
treatment of the poor creatures has been
 in accordance with such notions4 ,then 
again1 rulers have forced them to wear  
marks on their clothes1 and have made   
their condition as low and disgraceful  
as possible3 the people have insulted   
and abused them1 and treated them rather
 as brutes than as fellow creatures4    
,pagans1 ,mahometans1 and1 sad to say1  
,christians also1 have alike persecuted 

them2 making their very name a proverb  
and a by-word1 in every part of the     
world whither they have been scattered4 
,that any ,jews should be left1 after   
all that this persecuted race has gone  
through1 must ever appear truly         
wonderful4 ,they have1 as we have read1 
been massacred by thousands1 and exposed
 to privations and sufferings1 which    
might have blotted out their name from  
the face of the earth2 yet they still   
exist4 ,let us once more refer to       
,moses1 for the reason of this wonderful
 circumstance4 ,and yet444when they be  
in the land of their enemies1 ,i will   
not cast them away1 neither will ,i     
abhor them1 to destroy them utterly1 and
 to break my covenant with them3 for ,i 
am the ,lord their ,god4  ,these words1 
and these only1 explain why their       
unprecedented sufferings have1 contrary 
to all human expectation1 failed to     
destroy the ,jews utterly4  ,the prophet
 ,jeremiah also1 in regard to the ,jews1
 says1 ,i am with thee1 saith the ,lord1

 to save thee2 though ,i make a full end
 of all the nations whither ,i have     
scattered thee1 yet ,i will not make a  
full end of thee4 ,since the ,jews were 
first scattered amongst all nations1    
great changes have taken place amongst  
the kingdoms of the earth2 old empires  
have been utterly destroyed1 and new    
ones have risen in their place2 a full  
end has been made to many of the        
,eastern nations1 amongst whom the ,jews
 were scattered2 most1 if not all1 the  
nations of ,europe have changed their   
masters1 and become1 as it were1 new    
nations3 but amidst all these changes1  
the race of ,israel has ever remained a 
distinct people1 a nation without a     
country1 a homeless race1 clinging to   
the religion1 laws1 and customs of their
 forefathers4  ,many prophecies there   
are1 pointing to great blessings still  
to come upon the ,jews2 and1 as has been
 already said1 they will come as surely 
as the miseries foretold1 have done3 how
 and when these things will be1 it is   

not for us to know1 until the ,lord     
shall perform his work of mercy1 and    
take ,his chosen people again into      
favour4  ,mean time the exact fulfilment
 of prophecy1 as shown by their history1
 has ever been regarded as one of the   
strongest proofs of the truth of the    
,christian religion3 thus through the   
dispensation of the ,almighty1 the ,jews
 have been made the means of            
strengthening the faith of others in    
those blessed ,gospel truths1 which     
unhappily for themselves1 they still    
refuse to believe4  ,it only remains for
 us to pray for the conversion and      
salvation of the ,jews2 and to ask ,god 
to pour out upon us the help of the     
,holy ,spirit1 that we may so truly     
believe all the articles of the         
,christian faith1 as to practise the    
duties which the ,gospel sets before us1
 and act always as the servants of the  
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 whose followers   
and disciples we became at our baptism4 
,,london3 ,,printed ,,by ,e4 ,j4        

,,francis1 ,,took',s ,,court1 ,e4,c4