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EXERCISES.

Towards what city did Jesus turn His face with His twelve disciples, when He had left Ephraim? To what village did He send two of them, in order that they might bring Him an ass, with her colt? What took place on His way to Jerusalem? How did He act when He went into the temple? How were the chief priests and the scribes affected? Did He remain in the city that night? Where did He and His disciples go? What took place on MONDAY? On TUESDAY? On WEDNESDAY? What questions did the disciples ask of Jesus on Wednesday? What did He foretell concerning Jerusalem and the temple? Where was Jesus in the evening of this memorable day? What took place there? What of His betrayal? Where did He celebrate the Paschal feast, and institute the ordinance of the Lord's Supper? What of Gethsemane ? By whom was Jesus first condemned? By whom was He sentenced to death? What of His CRUCIFIXION? Of His BURIAL? Of His RESURRECTION? Of His ASCENSION? Of His coming to Judgment? Mention some of the important events which took place during the life of Christ.

CHAPTER XXV.

A.D. 34-A.D. 70.

The Christian Church in Infancy-The Feast of Pentecost-The Increase of the Church-Paul's Account of Himself-His Trials and Journeys-The Political State of Judea-Vespasian-Titus-Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem.

It is natural for our young readers now to ask, What became of Christ's disciples, and other followers, after that His bodily presence had been withdrawn? We answer in His own words. Before leaving them, He said unto them, "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. The Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself: that where I am, there ye may be also. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." These words spake Jesus unto them immediately before His agony in the garden. And after His resurrection, before parting with them, He said unto

them, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." The disciples having thus received from their Lord and Master, a blessing, a commission, and a promise, they returned from the mount called Olivet, and came to Jerusalem; "and when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Matthew, and Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."

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THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN INFANCY.-And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and told that the number of the names on the roll at that time constituting the Church, including men and women, were only about an hundred and twenty. Though few in number, union to Christ, and union with one another, was their strength: they met in holy harmony— they all continued with one accord." The first transaction they set about as a Church, was to elect one of their number to fill the room of Judas, who had perished by his own hand, after that he had basely betrayed his Lord. Having appointed two, they prayed, and said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."-Acts i. 12-26.

FEAST OF PENTECOST.-So called, being the fiftieth day after the Passover, and ten after the Ascension of Christ. On this day the Spirit of God was sent down upon the apostles, and those that were with them; and the house in which they were met was filled with "the sound as of a rushing wind. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance; to the astonishment of the Jews, and a multitude of proselytes of all nations that were then at Jerusalem.' -Acts ii. 4-11. To this multitude Peter preaches, bears witness to the resurrection and exaltation of Christ, and the pouring out of the Spirit of God on men; partly from his own knowledge, and from these present visible effects thereof among them,

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and partly from the prophecies and promises of Scripture, he leads them to Christ as a Saviour and Lord, calls them to repentance of their sins, and a profession of their faith in Jesus, by being baptized in His name. "And the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."-Acts ii. 41, 42. "This was the proper beginning of the kingdom of Christ, or the Christian dispensation; which was set up in the world in its glory, at the pouring down of the Spirit, after the ascension of Christ, and His exaltation to the government of the world and the Church." For the wide spreading of the gospel of Christ, the increase of the Church, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles, the miracles wrought by the apostles in the name of Christ, their trials, persecutions, sufferings, and martyrdoms, see the whole of the Acts of the Apostles. Without entering into these at full length, or even attempting to abridge them, we must content ourselves by briefly stating Paul's account of himself to the Jews, his defence before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa.

"Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. I am verily a man who am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women. As also the high-priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders : from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them who were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And he said unto

me, Depart for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. Then the Jews hearing him lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live."-Acts xxii. 1-22. After this Paul had several narrow escapes for his life, for which see Acts xxiii.

When accused and tried before Felix, he defended himself in the most masterly style. "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and an

swered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." We do not read that that season ever came. Two years after this, Porcius Festus came into Felix' room and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound at Cæsarea. About ten days after this, "Festus sitting on the judgment-seat commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews who were come down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. Then Festus, willing to please the Jews, said to Paul, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and be judged of these things before me? Paul, like himself, then said, I stand at Cæsar's judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest."

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Soon after this, on a certain day, King Agrippa, with the chief captains and principal men of the city, having come into the place of hearing, Festus commanded Paul to be brought forth; and having introduced him to the king and his court, Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself."-See Acts xxvi. 2–24. "And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But Agrippa said unto Paul, ALMOST thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and ALTOGETHER such as I am, except these bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar."-For his voyage to Rome, and arrival there, see the two last chapters of the Acts.

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"And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." During these two years he wrote his epistle to the Galatians; then his second to Timothy; then those to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and to Philemon; and lastly, his epistle to the Hebrews, just after he was set at liberty; but how or by what means he obtained his liberty we are not told. Tradition saith, that after his discharge he went from Italy to Spain, thence to Crete, and so with Timothy into Judea, and from thence went to visit the churches in Asia, and at length came a second time to Rome, and there was beheaded in the last year of Nero." Of himself and his fellow-labourers, this Planter of the Churches thus speaks -"We preach not ourselves, but

Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." Of himself he says, "Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."-2 Cor. xi. 24-28.

POLITICAL STATE OF JUDEA." When Festus came into Judea, he found the whole country infested with banditti, who murdered the inhabitants, plundered the houses, and set fire to the villages. These robbers were called Siccarii, on account of certain small swords called Siccae, which they carried concealed under their garments. Festus sent out patrols of soldiers to destroy these men, and to deliver the country from their tyranny. But he was soon succeeded by Albinus, as Procurator of Judea, who was very remiss in his endeavours to correct these abuses; on the contrary, there was hardly any wickedness of which he was not himself guilty. But while such was the administration and character of Albinus, Gessius Florus, who succeeded him, was still more flagitious. Indeed, wicked as Albinus was, yet, in comparison of Florus, he was a most excellent governor; for this latter omitted no kind of rapine or plunder. His turpitude and effrontery were unparalleled even by all who had gone before him. At this period Cestius Gallus was President of the Roman possessions in Syria, and resided at Antioch. Upon his coming to Jerusalem during the season of the Passover, the Jews gathered round him in numbers, not fewer than three millions, beseeching him to free them from the cruel tyranny of Florus. Cestius dismissed them, with an assurance that their governor would treat them more gently in future.

Cestius returned to Antioch, and Florus continued to grow in crime; and it was at this time that the occasion of the war commenced. At Cæsarea the Jews and their religion had received insult once and again; having complained to Florus, instead of giving them redress, he put them in prison. Upon this the inhabitants of Jerusalem became exasperated, treated him at last with ridicule and pasquinades. Being thus insulted, instead of quelling the disturbance at Cæsarea, he marched to

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