all the country round bring their sick and sorrowful to the apostles, and they are healed.

But fear has changed its place; and the great ones of the earth think, "This will never do.-What! this Jesus, whom we crucified! is it on him that our hopes of pardon rest? If this be true, we are undone, for we crowned his head with thorns; we nailed him to the cross; we pierced his tender side; we wrung from his agonized lips the cry, "My God! my God! why has thou forsaken me?"

Then their hearts are filled with anger and hatred against these servants of the Lord, and they have them seized, and put in the common prison.

Yes; in that dark, gloomy building, in one of those small damp cells, lie those to whom the Lord is Rock, and Fortress, and Deliverer.

"What!" you are ready impatiently to exclaim, "hath God forgotten to be gracious,' that thus his children lie bound on the cold dungeon stone?"

You have yet to learn that the Christian is sometimes placed in circumstances of especial trial; but only that he may be purified, and that God may be glorified. The thunder-storm relieves the sullen atmosphere; the comfortless snows of winter warm and fructify the earth; the clouds that darken the summer sky bring showers that produce

the abundant harvest; and the trials of God's children are blessings fraught with much mercy; for sanctified affliction weans the affections from earth, and reminds us that we are sojourners here for but a little while, as all our fathers were. Our way may sometimes be very dark, and, to the eye of sense, no ray of light may appear; but faith has a wonderful power, and like the telescope, brings to view the star brightly gleaming, that, with the naked eye, we were unable to see.

It is night, silent night, and the prison shadows look darker than ever. What has happened? the bolts and bars are secure-the sentinel's measured step we hear-all is safe; yet these bondmen are free. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Yes; He was watching over those prisoners, without whose permission not a sparrow falleth to the ground; and He sends a bright-winged angel down to open those prison doors, and, unharmed, to bring forth those whom He keeps as the apple of his eye.

Now, dear young friends, where are the shadows that so lately surrounded these faithful men? Scattered by the breath of the Almighty. Only believe," through God we shall do valiantly; for he it is who shall tread down our enemies."

Then it begins to be whispered about, that Peter and John are free. “No,” says another, “they are

prisoners in the common jail."

"I heard them my

self," says a third, "preaching this morning in the temple."

Now, when the chief-priests and captain of the temple hear these strange reports, they become uneasy; they call their council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel; and then they send to the prison, desiring to have Peter and John brought before them, in order to convince the people that these holy men were still their captives.

The messengers hasten to the dark abode, and find the doors shut, and the officers duly keeping guard there; but when they call for the prisoners, the dreary dungeon echo sends back only their own words in reply. No one is there. The Lord has stretched forth his hands to deliver his servants from the grasp of their enemies. Thus had this imprisonment been overruled for the glory of God, and thus shall every sorrow, however dark it may appear, if we will but rest on the apostles' God, put a new song of thanksgiving into our mouth, and cause us to speak of His faithfulness, who never forgets the prayers of his children in adversity.

When the apostles regained their liberty, they did not seek to hide themselves, but immediately hastened to the temple,-a most public place, and with renewed energy declare to the people the glad tidings of salvation through Christ Jesus. This

signal interposition of the Almighty on their behalf had so strengthened their faith, that the fear of man was forgotten, danger and suffering were unthought of, as they delivered their important message,they promptly obeyed the divine command, "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life."

as

When the rulers find that the apostles are really in the temple teaching the people, as if no strange thing had happened, they send for them and bring them before the council.

There they stand, those faithful followers of the Most High God-nothing discomfited, nothing daunted! He who shut the mouths of the lions, that they should not hurt his servant Daniel, can now give his angels charge over his own, and even to the cruelty of despotic power can say, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further."

And thus it is in the present instance.

One of the council speaks: "Did we not straitly command you," he says, "that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold! ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

Ah, this is the secret of their unseemly anger. Conscience is at work. The voice of blood crieth from the ground, "Ye have crucified your Lord!" Do the apostles cower before those wrathful faces ? -do they fear the fetter, the scourge, the rack?

We should marvel at the holy courage of their unfaltering reply, did we not know something of the hidden life of the Christian, of the strength made perfect in weakness, of the sustaining presence and strong right arm of the Invisible.

"We ought to obey God rather than men," is their undaunted answer. Not a word from their "The accusers and boldly thus they continue. God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew,”oh, piercing words," whom ye slew and hanged on a tree! him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins; and we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."

Could any language be bolder? could any accusation be more harrowing to the troubled consciences of those guilty men? We are told that they were cut to the heart. Yet, instead of turning for mercy to the Saviour whom they had crucified, they recklessly plunge deeper into the gulf of iniquity, and take counsel amongst themselves to slay these apostles, whose work on earth was not yet accomplished, and who were therefore secure under the shadow of the Almighty.

Oh, how impotent is the rage of man, when the Lord of hosts is our buckler! Our defence is the