murder was the pupil of Gamaliel, of the name of Saul (afterwards Paul), who endeavoured to eradicate Christianity, by committing the most bloody havoc, and driving all Christians away from the capital. At this time, Philip, one of the seven deacons, proceeded to Gaza; he observed on the road a person of much consequence, sitting in a chariot, and reading the 53d chapter of Isaiah's prophecies. Philip conversed with him, and converted this Ethiopian, and baptized him in the adjacent stream.

Saul, having destroyed and driven out of Jerusalem the major part of the Christians, who had retired to Damascus for safety, set out with the intent to persecute them there. On his journey, however, ere he entered the city, there shone round about him a light from heaven, and he fell from his horse to the ground; when he heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It was the voice of the Lord, which had such a powerful effect on him, that his heart was changed; but he was struck blind, and was carried into Damascus, and he was immediately baptized by one Ananias, one of the seventy. He instantly recovered his sight, and he immediately proclaimed his own conversion in every synagogue there, and became one of the most strenuous in supporting the true faith, and in preaching Christ crucified.

At this time, Peter, in his progress, arrived at Lydda, where he cured a man, named Eneas, of a palsy; and from that place he went to Joppa, where he restored to life a pious woman, named Dorcas, a Christian widow, who performed great acts of charity by employing the whole of her time in making clothes and other things for the poor.

The Almighty instructed Peter that the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, were equally entitled to salvation. Peter was at this period employed in prayer on the flat roof of the house of one Simon, a tanner, close to the sea, when he fell into a dream, and in that state he said that he saw heaven open, and a great sheet let down to the earth, containing all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and fowls of the air; and there came a voice to him saying, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. Some of the animals were what Peter thought unclean, and he rejected them; but a voice spake unto him again a second time, saying, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. The vision then passed away. The design of this vision was rendered evident to Peter in his being instructed to follow a Roman centurion, by name Cornelius, to his house, whom God had appointed to be instructed by Peter in the words of life, shewing to Peter that the Holy Ghost fell upon every one equally with the descendants of Abraham, and that all were worthy to be admitted into Christ's flock; and all were immediately regenerated by receiving the baptism of Christ.

In this year, James, called James the Less, cousin german of our Lord, who was the son of Cleophas and Mary, sister of the Virgin Mary, and who was surnamed the Just, in consequence of his admirable holiness and purity of life, was appointed Bishop of Jerusalem. The author, Jerome, says, that the Jews much esteemed this disciple; and Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, says that our Saviour appeared to James eight days after his resurrection.

In this year, on Tiberius reading the account of

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Jesus's trial by Pilate, ordered Pilate to come to Rome. The emperor himself wrote an account of it to the senate, hoping that they would decree divine honours on him; but the senate differed in opinion, and here the matter dropped. The emperor Tiberius, however, banished Pilate to Vienne, in Dauphiny, where he was reduced to such extremity that he killed himself with a sword. The historian, Philo the Jew, says, Pilate, as a judge, was accustomed to sell justice. Tiberius died in this year, and Caligula succeeded as emperor. He immediately released Agrippa from out of prison, and placing a diamond upon his head, made him the tetrarch of great part of Judea; and to please the Jews, and to shew zeal for their religion, he put to death James the Greater, son of Zebedee, and brother of John the Evangelist; and he ordered Peter to prison, with a view to execute him at the close of the festival. The Lord, however, delivered him from prison.

It is thought that about this time St. Peter went to Antioch. Paul had preached the gospel of Christ in Damascus nearly three years; but the Jews, unable to bear the progress of Christianity, got Paul imprisoned, and resolved to put him to death. Paul, however, escaped from prison by being let down in a basket, and visited Jerusalem to see Peter. The disciples were fearful at first to have an interview with Paul, not believing him to be a real convert; but Paul having related the manner of his conversion, the apostles believed all. Barnabas then introduced Paul to the disciples; soon after which, Paul left Jerusalem for his native

country, which was Tarsus, in Cilicia. The emperor Caligula banished Herod, the tetrarch, to Lyons, and gave the tetrarchy to Agrippa.

Caligula required Agrippa to place his statue in the temple at Jerusalem. The Jews obtained a delay. The emperor Caligula died that year, and was succeeded by Claudius as emperor. About that time Peter came to Rome. In consequence of the wickedness of Herod Agrippa, for the murder of James the Elder, and his intention of murdering Peter also, he received a sudden stroke from heaven, and died in great misery. Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, taking with them the contributions of the believers of Antioch. They returned to Antioch, and the church sent them forth to preach to the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, wherever the Holy Ghost should lead them.

At Lystra, Paul healed a man who was born a cripple, saying unto him, Stand up, and walk. And the people said, The gods are come among us; and they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius. But they reproved the people for thus calling them more than men like themselves, telling them that God only had the glory. The Jews followed them from Antioch, and persuaded the people to stone Paul, and absolutely carried him out of the walls of the city, supposing him to be dead; but his disciples got and stood round him. Paul recovered, and immediately departed, with Barnabas, to Derbe, a city of Lycaonia.

They returned to Antioch, where Paul wrote his first epistle to Peter; and about this period St. Mark wrote his gospel. The apostles, however,

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could not prevent the Jewish Christians from adhering to the law of Moses, and thereby circumcising; but they enforced the law that converted Gentiles should not be circumcised. At this time, Paul and Barnabas determined to visit every city where they had preached the word of the Lord, and see how they did. Barnabas determined to take with him his cousins, John and Mark, but Paul objected; and the contention became so loud, that Barnabas took John and Mark, and set sail for Cyprus. Paul chose one of the chief of the disciples, by name Silas, and went throngh Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. They reached Phillippi, a city of Macedonia, and at prayer they were attended by a woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city Thyatira, who dwelt in Philippi, and she was baptized, and her whole household. And again, a little farther, another woman, possessed with a spirit of divination, cried after Paul and Silus, saying, These men will shew us the way to salvation. Paul commanded, in the name of Jesus Christ, that the spirit should come out of her. Her masters, seeing this, and that their gains were gone, seized Paul and Silas, and took them before the magistrates, and said that these men, being Jews, teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive and observe, being Romans; and the magistrates commanded them to be beaten with many stripes, and cast them into prison, with strict charge to the jailor to place their feet in the stocks. Paul and Silas sang praises unto God, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, which opened the doors of the prison, and loosed their bonds. The keeper was