Library of
Emory University
86651
JUL 2 V1931
T)e-e.^cvt\ (LoWecfrtow
Me Jjbfomp
FOR EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR.
SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN.
EDITED BY THOS. 0. SUMMERS.
VOL. VI.
IjfctsjjHIle, fentu
PUBLISHED BY E, STBViENSON OWEN, AGENTS,
FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH-
1855.
SXEREOTirLD BY 1. JORXSOJi & CO.
PHILADELPHIA.
PREFACE.
We present our young friends some beau¬
tiful volumes of Bible Readings. They
contain a lesson for every day in the year.
This they can read regularly when they
peruse their daily portion of God's holy
•word—not, of course, as a substitute for it.
The subject-matter and style are adapted to
the capacities of children, and can scarcely
fail to be interesting and profitable to them.
As these volumes are designed for Sunday-
school as well as family libraries, when bor¬
rowed from the former, a whole volume can
be read through in a week, without paying
any attention to the diurnal divisions. The
work was written by a diligent student of the
Holy Scriptures, and has been carefully re¬
vised by
The Editor.
Charleston, s. c., Nov. 14, 1854.
1*
5
CONTENTS OF VOL. VI.
page
Nov. 7. Little Children Brought to Jesus.
Mark x. 18 11
8. The Young Ruler. Mark x. 17 13
9. The Labourers in the Vineyard.
Matt, xx 15
10. The Blind Beggar. Mark x. 46 17
11. Zaccheus. Luke xix 19
12. The Box of Ointment. John xii 21
13. Jesus going to Jerusalem. Matt. xxi. 22
14. The Wicked Husbandmen. Matt. xxi.
33 25
15. The Marriage Garment. Matt. xxii.. 27
16. The Widow's Oefering. Luke xxi 29
17. The Fall of Jerusalem. Matt. xxiv.;
Luke xxi. 5 31
18. The Ten Virgins. Matt, xxv 36
19. The Talents. Matt. xxv. 14 38
20. The Last Supper. Matt, xxvi.; John
xiii 41
7
8
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Nov. 21. Gethsemane. John xiv.-xviii 45
22. Peter's Sin. Luke xxii. 55 53
23. The End of Judas. Matt, xxvii. 3... 56
24. Pontius Pilate. Matt, xxvii.; Luke
xxiii 57
25. Christ Crucified. Matt, xxvii. 27... 60
26. The Death oe Christ. Luke xxiii.
39 ; John xix. 25 63
27. Jesus Buried. Luke xxiii. 50; John
xix. 31 68
28. The Besurrection. Matt, xxvii. 62;
xxviii.; John xx 70
29. The Walk to Emmaus. Luke xxiv.
13 75
30. The Unbelieving Disciple. Johnxx.
24 79
Dec. 1. Peter's Death Foretold. John xxi. 81
2. The Ascension. Luke xxiv. 50; Acts
i. 9 84
3. The New Apostle. Acts i. 13 87
4. The Day of Pentecost. Acts ii 89
5. The Lame Man Healed. Acts iii.
iv 92
6. Ananias and Sapphira. Acts v 96
7. The Apostles Persecuted. Acts v.
12 99
CONTENTS.
9
PAGE
Dec. 8. The First Martyr. Acts vi. vii 102
9. Simon the Sorcerer. Acts viii 109
10. Philip and the Eunuch. Acts viii.
26 Ill
11. Saul of Tarsus. Acts ix ;.. 115
12. Dorcas. Acts ix. 32 120
13. Cornelius. Acts x 123
14. The First Christians. Acts xi. 21.. 129
15. Peter Delivered from Prison. Acts
xii 131
16. Paul the Apostle. Acts xiii. xiv 136
17. Paul at Lystra. Acts xiv. 8 140
18. Timothy. Acts xvi 143
19. Paul at Philippi. Acts xvi. 6 144
20. Paul at Athens. Acts xvii 150
21. Paul at Corinth. Acts xviii 155
22. Paul at Ephesus. Acts xviii. 19;
xix 158
23. Paul at Troas and Miletus. Acts
xx 164
24. Paul at Jerusalem. Acts xxi. xxii... 167
25. Paul before the Council. Acts
xxiii. xxiv 171
26. Paul before Agrippa. Acts xxv.
xxvi 176
27. Paul on the Sea. Acts xxvii 179
10
CONTENTS.
fa03
Dec. 28. Paul at Melita and Rome. Acts
xxviii 183
29. Philemon and Onesimus. Philemon.. 186
30. The Seven Churches. Rev. i. ii.
iii 189
31. The Revelation. Rev. iv. v.; xx.;
xxii 195
iHt ^eaiings.
new testament.
Nov. 7.—LITTLE CHILDREN BROUGHT TO
JESUS.
Some very little children were once brought
to Jesus. The kind friends who brought them,
asked him to put his hands upon them, and
bless them; for those friends loved Jesus
themselves, and they wished the children to
learn to love him too. They knew that the
blessing of Jesus would make their little ones
happier than anything the world can give.
The disciples were angry when these children
were brought to Jesus. They despised them,
perhaps, or thought they would be trouble¬
some to Jesus: so they reproved those who
brought them, and wished to send them away.
The disciples had soon forgotten all that Jesus
said to them when he took a child and set it
before them, and told them to be humble and
gentle like that child. Jesus was displeased
with his disciples now, and he said to them,
" Suffer the little children to come unto me,
11
12 LITTLE CHILDREN BROUGHT TO JESUS.
and forbid them not; " and then he took them
up in his arms, and laid his hands on them,
and blessed them.
We read no more of these little children.
The Bible does not tell us their names, nor
their histories. Perhaps some of them died
young, before they had seen much of the sor¬
row and sin of the world; and, like the babes
of Bethlehem, were soon taken to be with
Jesus in heaven. Perhaps some of them
lived to grow up, and to grow old; and then
they must have suffered a great deal of pain
and trouble; but in all their sorrows they had
one to comfort them; for if they were God's
children, the kind Saviour who had once said,
" Suffer the little children to come unto me,"
would say too, " Even to old age I am he,
and to hoar hairs I will carry you." We can¬
not tell where they lived, nor when they died;
but we may hope that they are all now safe
and happy with Jesus; and that those little
ones whom he blessed on earth, he will bless
forever in heaven.
Jesus still says, " Suffer little children to
come unto me." But how can they be brought
to him ? for he is not upon earth now. Kind
parents and friends bring little children to
Jesus, when they dedicate them to him in
baptism, when they pray for them, and teach
them to pray, and tell them what their Sa¬
viour has done to save sinners. This is brin»-
O
THE YOUNG RULER.
13
ing children to Jesus. But the children them¬
selves must he willing to come. The little
ones who were brought to Jesus did not
struggle and cry to go away. No: they lay
quietly in the Saviour's arms, and loved to
see him smile so kindly on them. So child¬
ren now must come humbly to Jesus, and
attend to all he tells them in his word, and
say, as Samuel did when God spoke to him,
"Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."
1 Sam. iii. 9.
Nov. 8.—THE YOUNG RtfLER.
Soon after Jesus had blessed the little child¬
ren, a young ruler came running towards
him; and he kneeled down, and said, "Good
master, what shall I do to have eternal life ? "
Jesus answered, "Why dost thou call me
good ? There is only one who is good, and
that is God." Jesus was good, for he was
God ; but he spoke in this way because he
wished the young man to confess that he was
the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. But
the young man did not confess this. Then
Jesus said again, "If thou wilt have eternal
life, keep the commandments." The young
man answered, "I have kept them all from
my youth up."
Was this true? Perhaps it was true that
Vol. VI. 2
14
THE YOTJNG RULER.
the young man honoured God's law, and that
he did what was right, and kind and good to
his fellow-creatures. But this young man
knew little of his own heart. " The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?" Jer. xvii. 9.
Only those who are taught by God's Spirit;
and the ruler had not yet been so taught.
Jesus looked at the young man, and loved
him. He loved him, because he was so gentle,
and kind, and so anxious to do right. But
Jesus pitied him too; for the ruler was still
very ignorant, and his faith was very weak
and small. Then Jesus said something to
try if the young man really loved him, and
was willing to give up all for his sake. He
said, "Yet lackest thou one thing. Go, and
sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor.
And then come and follow me, and I will
give thee treasures in heaven." And was
the young man willing to obey ? No: he had
great possessions; and he loved them so much
that he could not give them up. He went
away "very sorrowful; for he was very rich."
His riches were his idol, for he loved them
more than God.
Did the ruler ever come back to Jesus?
We do not read about him again; but we may
hope that he soon found how vain and fool¬
ish worldly things are, and that he repented
of his sin, and came to Jesus for pardon
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD. 15
and salvation; and, if so, he is now enjoy¬
ing everlasting riches in heaven. The story
should warn us not to love money, or posses¬
sions, or anything, more than God. Jesus
said, " How hard it is for those who trust in
riches to enter into the kingdom of God! "
Nov. 9.—THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD.
Jesus told his disciples this parable. A
man had a vineyard; and he went out early in
the morning to hire labourers to work in it.
He soon found some who were willing to
come: so he promised to give them a penny
a day, and sent them into the vineyard. A
few hours after, the master went out again,
and saw others standing idle in the market¬
place ; and he said to them, " Go into the vine¬
yard, and I will give you all that is right."
At noon, and in the afternoon, the master
went out again; and he saw more men stand¬
ing and doing nothing: so he sent them also
into the vineyard. When it was almost even¬
ing the master went out for the last time;
and he still found some who had been idle
the whole day. So he said to them, " How
is this ? Why do you stand here all the day
idle?" They answered, "Because no man
has hired us." Then the master said, "I
will hire you. Go into the vineyard, and all
16 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD.
which is right I will -give you." So they
went.
When the evening came, the master called
the labourers to pay them their wages. First
came those who had been called last; and
he gave to each of them a penny. After¬
wards came those who had been called early;
and the master gave to them also every man
a penny. When these first labourers saw this,
they began to murmur. They said, " These
last have only worked one hour; and thou
hast given as much to them as to us, who
have worked all through the heat of the day."
But the master answered, "Have I not a
right to do what I like with my own money ?
I promised to give you a penny each, and
here it is: take it, and go away; for I choOse
to give to these last the same as unto you."
God is the master in the parable. He has
called men to his service in all ages, and un¬
der all dispensations. He calls us to be his
servants, and to work for him. He has much
for us to do. We are to attend to our own
souls, and to try to do good to the souls of
others also. God calls people by his word,
and by his ministers, and by his Spirit, when
they are living in idleness and sin. He says
to them, " Come, and be my servants, and
work for me."
And what does God promise to all his
faithful servants ? Everlasting happiness in
THE BLIND BEGGAR.
17
heaven. But God's servants do not deserve
this: they do not earn it, as the labourers
earned their penny. And when, at the day
of judgment, God calls his servants, and
gives them what he promised, all they re¬
ceive will be the gift of his love. For " the
gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus
Christ our Lord." Bom. vi. 23.
Nov. 10.—THE BLIND BEGGAR.
Jesus went towards Jericho. As he drew
near to the city, he saw a poor blind man sit¬
ting by the road-side begging. The name of
the man was Bartimeus. Bartimeus heard
the noise of the people passing by, and he
asked some near him, who was coming. They
said, " It is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing
by." The blind man had heard of Jesus.
He had heard, perhaps, how wonderfully he
had cured other blind people ; and he deter¬
mined to ask Jesus to cure him too. So he
cried, " Jesus, thou Son of David, have mer¬
cy on me." The people who were passing
told Bartimeus to hold his peace; but he felt
sure that Jesus would not be angry with
him, so he cried out again and again, " Jesus,
have mercy on me." Bartimeus was right
2*
18
THE BLIND BEGGAR.
to do this: he was right in thinking that
Jesus was willing to cure him.
Jesus stood still and commanded the people
to bring the blind man to him. So some of
them went, and said kindly to Bartimeus,
"Be of good comfort: rise, he calleth thee."
Then the blind man arose joyfully, and came
to Jesus. When he was come, Jesus asked,
" What wilt thou that I should do unto thee ?''
Bartimeus answered, " Lord, that I might re¬
ceive my sight." Then Jesus said, " Go thy
way: thy faith hath made thee whole." And
immediately he received his sight, and fol¬
lowed Jesus in the way. How thankful and
happy he was now! He had no need to beg
again. He could work for his own living;
and we may believe that he did; for none who
are able to work ought to beg, or be idle.
We may learn something from this story.
We all are, by nature, blind, and weak, and
helpless; not in our bodies, but in our souls.
And we are poor too : we have nothing, and
we can do nothing. This is a very sad state.
We ought to be as anxious to be helped and
cured as Bartimeus was. We should pray as
he did, "Jesus, have mercy on us." And
Jesus, who heard and answered him, will hear
and answer us, if we pray, as he did, in faith,
for he says, "All things that ye ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Matthew
xxi. 22.
ZACCHEUS.
19
Nov. 11.—ZACCHEUS.
After Jesus had cured Bartimeus, he went
into Jericho. There was a man living in
Jericho named Zaccheus: he was a Publican,
or tax-gatherer, and was very rich. Zac¬
cheus had heard of Jesus, and wished to see
him: so he went out to look at him as he
passed by. But there was a great crowd of
people around Jesus; and Zaccheus could
not see over their heads, for he was a very
little man. What could he do ? Did he give
up trying to see Jesus, and go quietly home
again ? No: Zaccheus did not do this. He
was determined to see Jesus: so he ran be¬
fore all the people, and climbed up into a tree
by the road-side; and there he waited till
Jesus passed. And did Jesus see Zaccheus ?
Yes: as soon as he came to the tree, he
looked up, and saw him, and spoke very
kindly to him, and said, "Zaccheus, make
haste and come down, for to-day I must abide
at thine house." Jesus knew what was in
the heart of Zaccheus: he knew that Zac¬
cheus really wished to know and love him;
and Jesus was always willing to teach those
who were anxious to learn of him. So Zac¬
cheus came down from the tree, and went
home, and received Jesus joyfully.
Zaccheus was a rich man; but his riches
did not tempt him to forsake Jesus. He was
20
ZACCHEUS.
not like the young ruler, who "went away
very sorrowful, because he was very rich."
Zaccheus had learnt now to love Jesus more
than all the world, and to make a right use
of the riches which God had given him. He
stood up before Jesus, and said, "Behold,
Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor;
and if I have wronged any man, I will repay
him four-fold." Zaccheus was sincere in
what he professed. His faith taught him to
be kind and honest; and this showed that it
was a right, and true, and living faith, bring¬
ing forth good fruit; for " faith, without works
is dead, being alone." James ii. 17.
Jesus said to Zaccheus, "To-day is salva¬
tion come to this house; for he also is a son
of Abraham." Jesus meant, that Zaccheus
had that true faith in him, which had made
Abraham so blessed and happy, many, many
years before.
What a joyful day this was for Zaccheus !
The happiest he had ever known, because it
was the day when salvation came to him and
his family. If we want to be truly happy,
we must receive Jesus into our homes, and
families, and hearts, as Zaccheus did; for
when Jesus comes, salvation comes too. He
is willing, very willing, to come to us. He
says, " If a man love me, my Father will love
him; and we will come unto him, and make
our abode with him." John xiv. 23.
THE BOX OP OINTMENT.
21
Nov. 12.—THE BOX OF OINTMENT.
About this time, Jesus went again to Be¬
thany. We read about Bethany before. It
was the town in which Lazarus, and Mary
and Martha lived: where Lazarus had died,
and where he had been raised to life again.
A feast was made for Jesus, at the house of
Simon the leper ; and Lazarus and his sisters
were there. They were all well and happy
now. Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus,
and Martha served; but we may hope that
she had learnt not to be so "careful and
troubled about many things " as to forget
again "the one thing needful."
What did Mary do? She still sat humbly
at the feet of Jesus, to hear his words. She
had brought with her a box of very precious
ointment; and she anointed his feet, and
wiped them with the hair of her head. She
did this because she loved and honoured
Jesus so much. But some of the company
despised Mary for what she did. Judas
Iscariot said, " Why is this waste of the oint¬
ment made? It might have been sold for
much, and the money given to the poor."
But did Judas love the poor ? No: he did
not care for them. He pretended to be cha¬
ritable, and collected money, and put it into
a bag, and said he would give it to the poor;
hut this money he kept for himself, for Judas
22
jesus going to jerusalem.
was a thief. His fellow-disciples did not
know this; but Jesus did: he saw all the
deceit of Judas's wicked heart.
When Judas spoke so unkindly about
Mary, Jesus said, " Why do you trouble this
woman ? She has done a good work upon
me. You have the poor always with you,
and you may do them good whenever you
please; but you will not have me with you
always. I shall soon leave you. I am going
to die; and Mary has come before my death,
to anoint my body for burial. Wherever the
Gospel is preached throughout all the world,
there shall be told what this woman has
done." t
All who read the Gospel read there what
Mary did. It is written to teach us to be like
her in love, and faith, and humility. This
was a great honour to Mary. She did not
want honour; yet God has been pleased to
give it her, for he says in his word, " Them
that honour me, I will honour." 1 Sam.
ii. 30.
Nov. 13.—JESUS GOING TO JERUSALEM.
The time was now very near when Jesus
must die; and he went to Jerusalem, which
was the place where he was to suffer. Was
he not afraid to go there ? No: he was
JESUS GOING TO JERUSALEM.
23
anxious to go: lie wished to die, because he
wished us to be saved; for we could never
have been saved, if he had not died.
When Jesus came to the Mount of Olives,
he called two of his disciples, and said, " Go
into yonder village; and when you come
there, you will see an ass tied, and a colt by
her: loose them, and bring them to me.
And if any one- says to you, ' Why do you
take them away?' you must answer, 'Be¬
cause the Lord hath need of them;' and then
the man will send them willingly." So the
disciples went to the village, and found the
ass and the colt, as Jesus said; and they be¬
gan td loose them. Then some people, who
were ^standing near, said, " Why do you take
away the asses ? " The disciples answered,
"The Lord hath need of them;" and then
the men let them go.
Had Jesus told these people to have the
ass and the colt ready for him when he sent ?
No; but Jesus knew where the animals were,
and he knew that the men would be willing
to part with them. Jesus knew all things,
and all things belonged to him, because he
was God.
When the disciples brought the asses to
Jesus, they took their clothes, and put them
upon the colt; and then they set Jesus upon
it, to ride into Jerusalem. As they went
along, a great number of people followed:
24 JESUS GOING TO JERUSALEM.
some of them threw their garments in the way,
and some cut down branches from the trees,
and strewed them in the way. All this was in
honour of Jesus; and they cried, and said,
" Hosanna in the highest: blessed is he that
Cometh in the name of the Lord."
So Jesus came to Jerusalem, and went into
the Temple; and there the little children be¬
gan to praise him too, and cried, " Hosanna."
The priests and scribes were displeased; but
Jesus loyed to hear the children's song; for
he thinks none too young to pray to him, and
to praise him. There were still many people
buying "and selling in the Temple. Jesus
had driven them out before; and now he sent
them away again, and told them not to make
his Father's house a house of merchandise.
Many years before Jesus was born, the
prophet Zechariah had foretold what we have
been reading. He was taught, by Hod's Spi¬
rit, to prophesy about Jesus Christ coming
in triumph to Jerusalem. He said, "Rejoice
greatly, 0 daughter of Zion: shout, 0 daugh¬
ter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh
unto thee: he is just, and having salvation:
lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a
colt the foal of an ass." Zech. ix. 9.
Then Jesus went from Jerusalem to Beth¬
any. As he was returning, he felt hungry;
and he saw a fig-tree, and went to it to seek
for fruit. But there was no fruit on the tree:
the wicked husbandmen. 25
it looked well, for it was full of leaves; but
not one fig was on it. Then Jesus spoke to
the tree and, said, " Let no fruit grow on thee
forever." The next day, Jesus and his dis¬
ciples passed that way again; and they looked
. at the fig-tree, and saw that it was dried up
from the tdot. Then Peter said, "Lord, be¬
hold, the fig-tree thou cursedst is withered
away!"
Why did Jesus curse the fig-tree? Per¬
haps it was to teach a lesson to us. We are
said to be like trees; and if we profess to be
God's people, to be good and holy, then we
are like trees full of leaves — looking well in
the sight of men. But a good tree will have
fruit as well as leaves; and so we, if we are'
truly God's people, shall do what is right, as
well as profess what is right: we shall bring
forth good fruit, to the praise and glory of
God. The bad fig-tree was cursed by Jesus,
and withered away; and all those who only
pretend to be righteous, and are not really
so, must at last perish forever.
Nov. 14.—THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN.
Did Jesus tell the people any more para¬
bles ? Yes: many more. He told this one
to some of the proud Jews at Jerusalem. A
man had a vineyard; and he digged it, and
Vol. vi. 3
26 THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN.
planted it, and made a wine-press, and built
a tower in it; and then he let it out to some
husbandmen, and went into a far country.
When the right time came, the master of the
vineyard sent his servants to receive the fruits
of it. But the wicked husbandmen, instead
of attending to the message, took the serv¬
ants, and beat one, and killed another, and
threw stones at another. Soon after, the
master sent some more servants; but the
husbandmen did the same to them. At last
the owner of the vineyard sent his own son;
for he thought, perhaps they might reverence
him. But no: as soon as the wicked husband¬
men saw the son, they said, " Come, let us kill
him." And they caught him, and cast him
out of the vineyard, and slew him. And what
did the lord do when he heard this? He
came, and destroyed those wicked husband¬
men, and let out the vineyard to others.
This parable was spoken for the proud
unbelieving Jews. They were like the hus¬
bandmen in the parable. God had put
them in a pleasant country, where they had
many, many blessings; and he wished them
to be obedient and faithful to him, and to
use all they had in his service. He had
often sent messengers to tell them this. He
sent the prophets, and John the Baptist ;
but the Jews would not attend to these mes¬
sengers. Like the wicked husbandmen, they
THE MARRIAGE GARMENT. 27
hated and killed them. At last God sent his
own Son. Jesus Christ himself came among
them. And what did the Jews do to him?
We shall read very soon that they took him,
and nailed him to a cross, and put him to
death. This was the most wicked act they
could do; and soon after, punishment came
upon them. Their country and their blessings
were taken from them, and given to others;
and they were left, sad and forsaken, scattered
over the world. This was the dreadful punish¬
ment of the unbelieving, rebellious Jews; and
it is a warning to us, for we have as many
blessings as they had; and if we disobey
God like them, we shall be punished as well
as they.
Nov. 15.—THE MARRIAGE GARMENT.
Then Jesus told the people another pa¬
rable. A certain king made a marriage for
his son, and sent his servants to call those
who were invited to the feast. But they
would not come; and they even killed the
servants who were sent to call them. Then
the king was very angry; and he sent an
army, and destroyed these wicked men, and
burnt up their city. After this, he told his
servants to go out again, and call all they
found, and bring them to the marriage. So
the servants went, and gathered together a
2*8 THE MARRIAGE GARMENT.
great many from the highways and hedges,
and brought them to the feast.
But were these poor people fit to sit down
with the king and his son at the marriage ?
No: not in their own clothes, for they were
ragged and dirty; but the king had a beau¬
tiful garment ready for each of them; and
when they were dressed in this, they looked
quite fit to appear at the feast. Were not
these poor people very thankful to the king
for his kindness, and very much pleased to
put on the beautiful robe ? No: one of them
was not. When the garment was offered to
him, he would not have it. He said his own
clothes were good enough; and he was too
proud to accept the king's beautiful robe.
So he went in, dressed in his own ragged
garments.
At last the king came to see the company.
He looked very much pleased with those who
were dressed in the marriage-garment; and
spoke kindly to them, and welcomed them
to the feast. But when he saw the man
standing there in his own dirty and ragged
clothes, he was surprised and angry; and he
called him, and said, " Friend, how earnest
thou in here, without a wedding-garment ? "
The man made no answer. He felt now how
foolish he had been, and began to feel fright¬
ened ; for he could not excuse himself. Then
the king turned to his servants, and said,
THE WIDOW'S OFFERING.
29
" Take that man, and bind him hand and foot,
and cast him out; for he shall not stay here,
and eat at my table." So the man was sent
away in disgrace.
The first part of this parable is very much
like the parable of the great supper which we
have read before; but the last part, about the
marriage-garment, is new. What does it
mean ? God invites us all to the marriage-
supper of the Lamb in heaven; but how may
we go to it ? Not in our own natural charac¬
ter : God will not accept us in that. But
there is a righteousness in which we can be
accepted. It is called the "fine linen, clean
and white; for the fine linen is the righteous¬
ness of the saints." Rev. xix. 8. In this
all God's people-will appear in heaven. But
how can we get the marriage-garment ? God
is willing to give it to all who are willing to
receive it. He says, "I counsel thee to buy
of me white raiment that thou mayest be
clothed." Rev. iii. 18. And we may buy it
"without money and without price." It is
secured by faith in Jesus Christ.
Nov. 16.—THE WIDOW'S OFFERING.
As Jesus was sitting near the treasury, by
the Temple, a great many people passed;
and, as they passed, they cast money into
3*
30 the widow's offering.
the treasury: this money was to pay for the
things wanted in the service of the Temple.
Some of these people were very rich, and
they threw in a great deal of money ; hut at
last a person came who was not rich. This
was a poor widow, who was obliged to earn
all she .had, and was very poor after all.
Did she pass without putting in anything?
No: this woman loved God; and she loved
his Temple, and his service; and she felt that
she must give something to show her love and
gratitude. She had not much to give; hut
as she passed by, she threw in two mites,
which make a farthing. Jesus saw what she
did; and he knew why she did it. So he
turned to his disciples, and said, " I tell you,
this poor widow has cast more ipto the trea¬
sury than any of those rich people. They
cast in of their abundance; but she of her
want has cast in all that she had, even all
her living."
Jesus was more pleased with the widow's
two mites, than he was with the gold and
silver of the rich. Why? Because she
showed more faith and love than they did.
She denied herself, that she might give some¬
thing to God. Perhaps, when she went home
that day, she had no food to eat: no more
money to buy even a piece of bread. But
then she had God's blessing, and that was
better than all the riches of the world.
the fall of jerusalem. 31
We should try to be like this poor widow.
There are treasuries now, where money is
cast for God's service, and we ought all to
throw something into those treasuries. There
are missionary societies, and Sunday school
societies, and Bible societies, and many more.
All the money collected for these is used for
holy purposes: it is given to God. Cannot
we help to fill these treasuries ? We ought
to' do what we can. Those who are rich
ought to give much: those who are poor may
give something: they may give their farthings
to God, if they have no more to give. And
if they give as the poor widow did, God will
not despise their little offerings. He looks at
the heart, more than at the money. A very
little given with faith, and love, and grati¬
tude, pleases him better than great sums given
without. " Every man according as he pur-
poseth in his heart, so let him give: not
grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth
a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. ix. 7.
not. 17.—the fall of jerusalem.
As Jesus was going out of the Temple, his
disciples came, and showed him the buildings
of the Temple ; for they were very beautiful,
and the disciples wanted Jesus to admire
them. But Jesus answered, " Do you see all
32 THE PALL OP JERUSALEM.
these things ? I tell you there shall not be
left here one stone upon another."
Then Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives,
and sat down there. When they were alone,
Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
began to ask Jesus some questions about what
he had said to them; for they did not un¬
derstand what he meant. They said, "Tell
us when shall these things be ? What shall
be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of
the world ? " The disciples wanted to know
the very day when their Master would come
again. Jesus did not tell them this ; but he
told them a great deal about the destruction
of Jerusalem, and about his own coming to
judgment, of which the destruction of Jerusa¬
lem was a type. He said, " When I am gone,
take care that you are not deceived ; for false
Christs and false prophets will come, and try
to deceive you; but you must not believe
them, nor attend to what they say. Then
you will hear of wars, and famines, and earth¬
quakes, and plagues. Dreadful sights will
be seen in the sky, and men will be in great
fear and sorrow. But when you see all these
things, do not fear: only remember, that
they will be the signs of destruction coming
upon Jerusalem. Then you will be hated,
aqd persecuted, and imprisoned, and some of
you even killed for my sake. But still you
must not fear; for I shall be with you in all
THE FALL OF JERUSALEM. 33
your sorrows. After this, great armies will
come against Jerusalem. When you see
them, you,must flee directly to the mountains.
You must not stay to take your clothes, nor
anything you have; hut escape directly, and
then you will he safe. But Jerusalem, the
Temple, and the city, will all be destroyed:
the people in it will foe killed or taken pri¬
soners ; and Jerusalem will be trodden down
of the G-entiles for many, many generations.
All these things will soon come to pass.
Then Jesus spoke of his own second coming.
He said, " God only knows when that day will
be. I shall come when people are not look¬
ing for me, nor thinking of me. I shall come
suddenly, as the flood came upon the wicked
in the time of Noah. I shall come in the
clouds of heaven, with power and great glory,
and I shall send my angels, to gather to¬
gether my own people from every part of the
earth, and take them to be with me forever.
Then two women will be grinding together:
one will be taken, and the other left. Two
men will be in the field: one will be taken,
and the other left. Watch then; for you
know not when your Lord will come. Be
ready to meet me with joy at that day."
All that Jesus foretold about the destruc¬
tion of Jerusalem soon came to pass. Not
very long after Christ's ascension to heaven,
a false prophet appeared, and said that he
34 THE FALL OF JERUSALEM.
was Christ; and many of the Jews believed
him, though they had rejected the true Mes¬
siah. There were wars in many parts of the
world; and troubles of every kind. Wonder¬
ful and dreadful sights were seen in Jerusa¬
lem, unlike anything ever seen before. The
disciples understood that these were signs of
destruction coming upon Jerusalem, for they
remembered what Jesus had told them; but
the wicked, unbelieving people did not under¬
stand them. At last the Roman army came
to besiege Jerusalem. Then the disciples
remembered again what Jesus had told them;
and they all left the city, and escaped to a
place called Pella, in the mountains of Gilead;
and there they were kept in safety. Not
one perished. But it was a sad, sad time
for the poor Jews in Jerusalem then. They
suffered very much from famine in the long
siege: many died of hunger: some ate even
their own children. Numbers were taken
prisoners every day, and crucified; and the
city was full of dead bodies, and the streets
were red with blood. At last Jerusalem was
taken. The Romans burnt the beautiful
Temple, and ploughed up the ground where
it had stood; and the holy vessels they car¬
ried away to Rome. The Jews were killed;
or taken captives, and sent to live miserably
in distant lands. From that time, they have
been scattered over the world, and their
THE FALL OF JERUSALEM.
35
pleasant land has been possessed by the
Gentiles. All these dreadful sufferings were
the punishing of their sins, particularly that
dreadful sin of rejecting and crucifying their
Messiah. But God has not east off his peo¬
ple Israel forever. He says to them in his
word, "I will take you from among the hea¬
then, and bring you into your own land. A
new heart will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you. I will put my Spirit
within you, and cause you to walk in my sta¬
tutes." Ezeh. xxxvi. 24—26.
The destruction of Jerusalem is a type of
something still more dreadful—the destruc¬
tion of the wicked at the coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We cannot tell when this will
be; but we know that it will be a very dread¬
ful day for those who are not ready for it,
and a very glorious and happy day for those
who are ready for it; for the people of God
will then be taken to live with him forever.
We should pray that we may be ready for
the coming of Jesus, that our sins may be all
washed away in his blood, and our hearts
made new by his Holy Spirit; and then we
shall not be afraid to see him, but say with
joy, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly."
Rev. xxii. 20.
36
the ten virgins.
Nov. 18.—THE TEN VIRGINS.
Then Jesus told his disciples this parable,
The kingdom of heaven is like unto ten
virgins, who took their lamps, and went out
to meet the bridegroom. The marriage was
in the night: so they carried these lamps
with them to give them light. Five of these
virgins were foolish, and they forgot to take
oil with them. But the five others were wise,
and they took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. The bridegroom did not come im¬
mediately ; and as the virgins waited for him,
they all fell asleep. At last, in the middle
of the night, a cry was made, "Behold the
bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet him."
Then the virgins all arose, and began to trim
their lamps. The wise had plenty of oil, and
their lamps soon burnt brightly; but the
lamps of the foolish were gone out, and they
had no oil to trim them with. So they went
to the wise virgins, and said, " Give us some
of your oil, for our lamps are gone out-"
But the wise answered, "We have none to
spare: you must go to those who sell, and
buy for yourselves." So the five foolish
virgins went away to buy oil; but while they
were gone, the bridegroom came. Then those
who were ready, went in with bim to the
marriage, and the door was shut. The five
foolish virgins soon came back, and knocked
THE TEN VIRGINS.
37
at the door, and cried, "Lord, Lord, open to
us." But no: it was too late. The door
could not, he opened then. The answer was,
"I know you not;" and the foolish virgins
were sent away, and could not join the happy
company at the marriage-feast.
. What does all this mean ? Who are the
virgins and the bridegroom ? And what, is
meant by the lamps, and, the oil, and the
marriage-feast ? All who live in a Christian
country, as we do, are the virgins: Jesus is
the bridegroom, and he invites us to be ready
for the marriage-feast-—heaven. But there
is a great difference among those who call
themselves the people of God. - Some profess
to be his people, but do not really love him:
the grace of God is not in their hearts.
These are the foolish virgins, who took their
lamps, and took no oil in them. The lamp
is like the outward profession ; the oil is like
the inward grace in the heart. Others do
really love God: his grace is in their hearts.
These are the wise virgins, who took oil in
their vessels with their lamps.
Jesus gives people time to prepare for his
coming. He tarries, as the bridegroom did;
but he will come at last. He will come at
the day of judgment, and we shall all hear
his voice then. And who will be safe and
happy in that awful day ? Only those who
have the oil—the grace of God in their hearts.
Vol. VI. 4
38
the talents.
But it will be too late then to seek for pardon
and salvation; and those who are ready for
heaven themselves, will not be able to help
even their dearest friends who are not ready.
How sad it will be to find the door of heaven
shut, and to hear Jesus say, "I know you
not; " and to be sent away into darkness and
despair forever! "Watch, therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour when the
Son of man cometh."
Nov. 19.—THE TALENTS.
This is another parable. A certain man
was going to travel into a far. country: so he
called his servants, and gave some money to
each, and told them to use it rightly, and to
account for it when he returned. He gave to
one servant five talents: to another two; and
to another one; and then took his journey.
After a long time, the master returned, and
called the servants, and reckoned with them.
So the first, who had received five talents,
came and said, "Lord, thou gavest me five
talents : I have traded with them, and gained
five more." The master answered, "Well
done, good and faithful servant. Enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord." Then the second
THE TALENTS.
39
came, and said, " Lord, thou gavest me two
talents : I have gained two more." His mas¬
ter answered, " Well done, good and faithful
servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord." At last, came the servant who had
received one talent; hut he did not look happy,
and glad to see his master, as the others did.
He said, " Lord, I knew thou art a hard and
unkind man; and I was afraid, and went and
hid the talent in the ground: there thou hast
what is thine." But the master answered,
" Thou wicked and slothful servant! If thou
knewest that I am a hard master, thou ought-
est to have used my money the more care¬
fully." And then he turned to his servants,
and said, "Take the talent from him, and
give it to him who has ten talents ; and cast
the slothful servant into outer darkness, where
is weeping and gnashing of teeth."
God is our master, and he has given to each
of us talents: money, health, life, time: all
these things are talents., To some he has
given little, and to others much; but to all
he has given something; and for these things
God will bring us into judgment. Now we
ought to use the talents given us in God's ser¬
vice, and for God's glory. If we make a bad
use of them, or no use at all, we shall at last
be punished as wicked and slothful servants,
and sent away far from God and happiness
forever.
40
THE TALENTS.
Then Jesus spoke to his disciples about the
day of judgment still more solemnly. He
said, "When the Son of man shall come in
his glory, and all the holy angels with him,
then he shall sit upon the throne of his glory.
And before him shall be gathered all nations;
and he will .divide them one from another, as
a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.
And he will put the righteous on his right
hand, and the wicked on his left. Then he
will say to those on his right, Come, ye
blessed, inherit the kingdom, prepared for you
before the creation of the world. For I was
hungry, and ye gave me meat: thirsty, and
ye gave me drink: naked, and ye clothed me:
sick, and ye visited me: in prison, and ye
came unto me. Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of, these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me."
Then the king will turn to those on his
left hand, and say, " Depart, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels. For I was hungry, and ye gave
me no meat: thirsty, and ye gave me no
drink: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick,
and in prison, and ye visited me not:—inas¬
much as ye did it not unto one of the least
of these, ye did it not unto me."
Those on the left hand of the Judge will be
people who had no love to Christ, no faith in
him, and who had never shown any kindness
the last supper.
41
to his people for "his sake. And therefore
they will be condemned in that awful day:
they will be sent into everlasting punish¬
ment; but the righteous will be taken into
life eternal.
Nov. 20.—the LAST SUPPER.
The time was now come for Jesus to be
betrayed and put to death. His wicked
disciple, Judas Iscariot, of whom we have
often read, went secretly to the priests and
captains, the enemies of Jesus, .and asked,
"What will you give me if I deliver Jesus
unto you?" They promised to give him
thirty pieces of silver : so Judas went away,
thinking how he could best betray his kind
Master. See how sin grows in the heart,
when it is not resisted and subdued !
The passover was kept at this time. That
feast was typical of the death of Christ, the
Lamb of God; and Jesus wanted to eat of it
with his disciples once more, before he ful¬
filled the type by suffering on the cross. So
he called two of his disciples, and said to
them, "Go into the city, and there you will
meet a man carrying a pitcher of water: fol¬
low him. And wherever he shall go in, say
4®"
42
THE LAST SUPPER.
to the good man of the house, the Master
saith, "Where is the room where I shall eat
the passover with my disciples?" And he
will show you a large upper room, furnished:
there make ready.
The disciples went, and found all as Jesus
had told them; and they made ready the
passover; and in the evening, Jesus came
to eat it with the twelve. It was a very
mournful time. Jesus knew all that was
going to happen; and as he looked round,
and saw Judas, he felt very, very sad; hut
the disciples did not know at first why their
dear Master was so sorrowful.
When the paschal feast was ended, Jesus
rose from'the table, and put off some of his
garments, and took a towel, and girded him¬
self. Then he poured water into a basin,
and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
wipe them with the towel. But when Jesus
came to Peter, Peter felt ashamed that his
Master should wash the feet of such a poor
sinful man as he felt himself to be, and he
said, "Lord, thou shalt never wash my feet."
But Jesus answered, "If I wash thee not,
thou hast no part with me." Jesus meant
that Peter's sins must all be washed away in
his Saviour's blood, and his heart made clean
by the Holy Spirit, or Peter could never be
with Jesus in heaven. Peter understood
this, and said, "Lord, wash not only my
THE LAST SUPPER.
43
feet, but also my hands, and my head."
Peter's sins were washed away, and his heart
was made clean; and the other disciples
were clean also, all hut Judas.
When Jesus had finished, he sat down
again with the disciples. And then he said
to them, " Do you know what I have done to
you? I am your Lord and Master, yet t
have washed the feet of you, my disciples.
I did thig to give you an example of humility
and love. If I have washed your feet, you
ought to wash one another's feet. Be kind
and full of love one to another"' Then Jesus
looked very sad again, and said, "Verily I
say unto you, one of you shall betray me."
The disciples wondered, for they did not
know what Jesus meant. They could not see
the1 heart of Judas,, as their Master could.
So they began every one to ask, " Lord, is
it I?" And another said, "is it I?" At
last Judas asked, "Lord, is it I?" Jesus
answered, "Yes: it is thou;" but the other
disciples did not hear this. Peter was very
anxious to know who it was who should
betray Jesus, so he made signs to John to
ask. John was sitting next to Jesus, and
rested his head on Jesus's bosom; for he
loved his dear Master very much; and Jesus
loved him better than any of the other dis¬
ciples. So John looked up to Jesus, and*
said, "Lord, who is it that will betray thee?"
44
THE LAST SUPPER.
Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall
give a sop, when I have dipped it." So Jesus
dipped the sop in the dish, and gave it to
Judas. Then Satan came into the heart of
Judas, and tempted him to do this wicked
thing. Jesus knew what was 'in the heart
of Judas, and he looked at him, and said.
"What thou doest, do quickly." Then Judas
arose, and went out. Where did he go ? To
the priests and captains, to lead them to
Jesus that very night. But the other dis¬
ciples thought that Jesus had sent him upon
some business; to buy something for the feast,
perhaps; or to give money to the poor.
While Jesus was sitting at the table with
his disciples he took bread, and blessed, and
brake it, and gave to each of them, and said,
" Take and eat this: this is my body, which
is given for you." Afterwards, he took the
cup of wine, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood
which is shed for many. Do this in remem¬
brance of me."
The followers of Christ now obey this com¬
mand, when they eat bread and drink wine in
the Lord's Supper. The bread should remind
them of the body of Jesus which was broken
on the cross; and the wine should remind
them of the blood which he shed for them
there. As our weak bodies are strengthened
and refreshed by eating bread and drinking
GETHSEMANE.
45
wine, so are our perishing souls, by faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, who died upon the
cross to save sinners. When Christians re¬
ceive the Lord's Supper, they should do so
in faith, and with a thankful remembrance of
the death of Christ. St. Paul says, "As
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this
cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he
come." 1 Cor. xi. 26.
Nov. 21.—GETHSEMANE,
When Jesus and his disciples had fin¬
ished supper, they all sang a, hymn together.
Their hearts were very, very sorrowful; but
they were not too sorrowful to praise God.
They knew that God could comfort them in
all their troubles.
Then they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus had yet many things to say to his dis¬
ciples, and he talked to them as they walked
along. He told them of the sad things which
would happen that night. He said, "All
you will be offended because of me this night.
I, your Shepherd, shall be smitten; and you,
my sheep, will be scattered abroad." But
Peter hastily answered, " I will never forsake
thee. Other men may be offended, but I
will never be offended." Peter loved his
46
GETHSEMANE.
Master very much, and thought he should
never he tempted to leave him. But Peter
did not know his own weakness. He trusted
to himself too much, and forgot to ask help
of God. So Jesus turned to Peter, and said,
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, this night,
before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny
me thrice." But Peter again answered,
" Though I should die with thee, I will never
deny thee." And so they all said.
Then Jesus began to talk to them of other
things. He wished to comfort them before
he was taken away. He said, "Ho not be
troubled when I go from you. I am going
to my Father's house, and I shall make ready
a place there for each of you. And then I
will come again, and take you to be with me
where I am. You know where I am going,
and you know the way. I am going to hea¬
ven, and I am the way to heaven,—the only
way. And when I am gone, I will send you
another Comforter. I will send the Spirit of
Truth, and he shall come and dwell in your
hearts, and teach you all things. Peace I
leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not* as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid."
Then Jesus warned them not to trust to
themselves, nor to think that they could do
anything good without him. He said, " I am
GETHSEMANE.
47
the vine, and you are the branches. If a
branch is cut off from the vine, it will bear no
fruit: it will wither and die. But if it stays
in the vine, it will receive strength ; %nd then
it will bring forth fruit. So it is with you.
If you live in me, believe in me, ask me for
help in all you do, then you will be enabled
to serve me aright, and to glorify your Father
in, heaven. But without me you can do no¬
thing. Those who do not live in me, will pe¬
rish like a withered branch, which is cast into
the fire, and burned. One of the good fruits
you must bring forth, is love. This is a new
commandment which I give you, Love: one
another. I know the world will hate you,
as it has hated me. But you need not be
troubled at this. You have my love, and
that is better than the love of any one in this
world. I shall soon show my love by dying
for you. Love one another, then, as I have
loved you." Then .Jesus prayed to his
Father, and asked him to bless his disciples;
to keep them from evil in this world, and at
last to bring them to his glory in heaven.
And now Jesus and his disciples were come
to the brook Cedron, or Kidron. This was
the same brook which David passed over,
when he fled from his wicked son Absalom.
David was a type of Jesus in his sorrows.
But David's sorrows were not so great as the
sorrows of Jesus.
48
GETHSEMANE.
Jesus and the disciples crossed the brook,
and came into a garden called Gethsemane.
Then he said to his disciples,. " Sit you here,
while I go and pray yonder;" but he called
Peter, and James, and John, to come with
him a little farther. Then he said to them,
"My soul is very sorrowful, unto death:
stay here, and watch." So he left the three
disciples there, and went on alone, and fell
down on the ground, and prayed. He cried,
"0 my Father, if it be possible, take this
cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what
thou wilt." What did Jesus mean? The
dreadful pain and death which he knew he
should soon suffer, was the bitter "cup" of
which Jesus spoke. As man, he dreaded
pain and suffering, for he felt as we do. But
Jesus knew that if he did not suffer, mankind
could not be saved; and therefore, he was
willing to bear all the pain and sorrow which
his heavenly Father permitted to come upon
him. Let us learn a lesson of submission to
God from the example of the blessed Jesus.
It was needful for Jesus to suffer all this.
The cup of sorrow could not be taken away;
but his heavenly Father sent an angel from
heaven, to strengthen and comfort him. Then
he arose and went to his disciples. He found
them asleep: sorrow had made them feel
heavy and weary; and they had not attended
to 1&e command of Jesus, "Watch and pray."
GETHSEMANE.
49
So Jesus said to Peter, "Peter, couldst not
thou watch with me one hour ? Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation."
Peter, had said, a little time before, that he
would never deny nor forsake his Master; hut
Peter was not now seeking strength from God
to enable him to keep his promise. Tempta¬
tion would soon come, and Peter was not
praying for power to resist it.
Then Jesus left his disciples again, and
went and prayed as he had done before. He
prayed more and more earnestly; and in his
agony drops of blood fell from his body to the
ground. Then he went again to his disciples,
and found them still sleeping: so he left
them, and prayed as before. After this, he
came once more to his sleeping disciples, and
said, " Sleep on now, and take your rest.
The time is come. The Son of man is be¬
trayed. Rise, let us go. Here is he who
betrayeth me." There was no time to watch
and pray now; for Judas was coming, and a
great multitude with him. The disciples had
wasted their time in sleep, while their Master
was praying; and now the hour of temptation
was come, and they had not sought strength
to resist it.
When Jesus saw his enemies coming to¬
wards him, he did not try to hide or escape
from them. He went to meet them, and
asked, " Whom seek ye? " They answered,
Vol. VI. 5
50
GETHSEMANE.
"Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said, "I am
he." And when he said this, his enemies
went hack, and fell to the ground. Why?
Because they felt the power of Jesus as God.
They saw that there was something in him
very different from other men; and they were
afraid, and overcome by it. Jesus could have
easily escaped, for his enemies had no power
to hurt him against his will. But Jesus was
willing to be taken, and to suffer, and to die,
because he knew that all this was needful for
our salvation. So he stood quietly before his
enemies, till they recovered themselves, and
arose from the ground.
Wicked Judas was standing there. Before
he brought the priests and the soldiers into the
garden to take Jesus, he had said to them, " X
will give you a sign, that you may know whom
you must seize. I will go to Jesus, and kiss
him. Then you must run directly, and hold
him fast, and lead him away." So now Judas
went up to Jesus, and said, "Hail Master,v
and kissed him. What a kiss that wns! How
wicked of Judas to pretend to love his Master
so much, just at the moment when he was
betraying him to his enemies! Jesus knew
the deceit of Judas. He knew why he kissed
him. Yet Jesus did not drive Jud'as away,
nor look angrily upon him. He only said,
"Friend, wherefore art thou come? Be¬
tray est thou the Son of man with a kiss?"
GETHSEJ&ANE.
51
Then the multitude laid hands on Jesus, and
took him away.
Where were the disciples ? They were
standing by; and when they saw that their
Master was so cruelly seized by his enemies,
they rushed forward to defend him; and Peter
drew his sword, and smote the high priest's
servant, and cut off hia ear. The servant's
name was Malchus. But Jesus said to Peter,
"Put up thy sword into the sheath, and do
not try to defend me. If I pleased, I could
now pray to my Father, and he would directly
send me, a great multitude of angels. But I
do not wish this. I am willing to suffer all,
and to fulfill all which has been prophesied of
.me." Then Jesus touched the servant's ear,
and healed it. How kind and gentle he was
even to his cruel enemies!
Then Jesus turned to the multitude, and
said, "Are you come out against me as if I
were a thief, with swords and staves to take
.me ? I have often sat teaching in the Temple,
and you did me no hurt then. But the Scrip¬
ture must be fulfilled." Then all the disciples
forsook him, and fled.
The captains and soldiers took Jesus, and
led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest.
But Peter still wished to see what would be
done with his Master: so he followed afar off,
and went into the palace of the high priest,
and sat down to warm himself by the fire.
52
GETHSEMANE.
The priests and enemies of Jesus were now
trying to accuse him of some wickedness, that
they might condemn him to death. But no
one could prove that he had ever done wrong.
Jesus was without sin. He had never dis¬
obeyed one command of God. What then
could his enemies do ? How could they ac¬
cuse him? These wicked men at last found
two false witnesses, who came, and Said, "We
heard this man say that he would destroy the
Temple of God, and build it again in three
days." Had Jesus ever said this? No: he
had said something very different from what
his enemies thought. Jesus had been speak¬
ing of "the temple of his body." And he
had told thb people that that temple would
be destroyed, and raised again in three days.
And this was fulfilled when Jesus died on the
cross, and rose from the dead the third day.
But the unbelieving Jews would not rightly
understand the words of Jesus.
The high priest told Jesus to answer the
accusation of the wicked men; but Jesus held
his peace. Then the high priest said again,
" Tell me, who art thou ? Art thou the Christ,
the Son of God? " Jesus answered, "I am;
and hereafter you shall see me coming in the
clouds of heaven." Did the high priest be¬
lieve what Jesus said? No: he cried out,
"This is blasphemy. You have heard it.
What think you ?" They all answered, " He
peter's sin.
53
is guilty of death." And then they began to
spit in his face, and to smite him, and mock
him. But Jesus bore it all meekly and pa¬
tiently. This is another lesson for us. It
should teach us to be meek and gentle even
to our enemies. For "Christ suffered for
us, leaving us an example that we should fol¬
low his steps: who did no sin, neither was
guile found in his mouth: who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again: when he suffered,
he threatened not." 1 Peter ii. 21—23.
Nov. 22.—PETER'S SIN.
All this time, Peter was in the high priest's
palace, warming himself by the fire. He told
no one that he was a disciple of Jesus, for he
was afraid of being known among so many
enemies. But at last, a maid-servant belong¬
ing to the palace came in, and looked at Pe¬
ter, and she thought she remembered his face,
and said, " Thou too wast with Jesus of Na¬
zareth." But Peter denied, and answered,
"I know not what thou sayest." Then he
went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
The cock crowing ought to have reminded
Peter of the warning Jesus had given him.
But it did not; for Satan was tempting Peter
now to deny his Master, and Peter had no
5*
54
peter's. sin.
strength to resist the temptation, because he
had not prayed for strength.
Soon after, another maid saw Peter, and she
turned to those standing by, and said," He
belongs to Jesus of Nazareth." But Peter,
denied again, saying, "I do not know the
man." Not long after, some more of the peo¬
ple came to Peter, and said, " Surely thou art
one of the friends of Jesus; for thou art a Ga¬
lilean, and speakest as they do." Then Peter
began to curse and tcf swear, and said, "I
know not this man of whom you speak.'' Just
then the cock crew again. Jesus was not far
off. As he stood before the high priest, he
could see Peter, and hear what he said. And
how sad for Jesus, in all his trouble and sorrow,
to find one of his own disciples denying him so
wickedly! When the cock crew, the Lord
turned, and looked upon Peter. He did not
speak a word, but Peter understood the look.
It made him remember the warning which
Jesus had given him when Peter said, "I will
never deny thee." And then Peter thought
how he had forgotten that warning, and denied
his kind Master. Jesus was soon going to die,
and Peter could not now ask his forgiveness.
And then he might have thought, " Perhaps I
shall never see him again. Perhaps he will
never forgive me, never love me any more."
Peter could not bear this sad thought. " He
went out, and wept bitterly."
pet'er's sin.
55
Peter had sinned indeed very greatly. He
had told lies, he had denied his Master, he
had cursed and sworn, and taken God's holy
name in vain. And -why was this ? How was
it that Peter, who loved his Master so much,
could deny him in such a wicked way ? Why
did he forget his promise so soon ? It was
because Peter had made that promise in his
own strength, not in God's strength. Peter
was a poor, weak, sinful man. He had no
power in himself to do right: he forgot to ask
help from God, and therefore he sinned in
this dreadful way. We should learn from this
sad story, not to trust in ourselves, but to
pray for grace to enable us to resist tempta¬
tion. "Let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor. x. 12.
Could Jesus forgive Peter? Yes: Peter
repented, and prayed for pardon ; and Jesus
saw his tears, and heard his prayers, and for¬
gave, and saved him. Jesus is willing to
pardon all who truly repent and turn to him.
He says, " I will heal their backsliding, I will
love them freely; for mine anger is turned
away." Hosea xiv. 4.
56
THE END OF JUDAS.
Nov. 23.—THE END of JUDAS.
It was now morning. The enemies of
Jesus were determined to have him put to
death: so they hound him and led him away
to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, to he
judged.
Where was Judas all this time? He was
with the enemies of Jesus. He had betrayed
his Master, he had received the thirty pieces
of silver from the priests, and he now saw
that Jesus was condemned, and would soon
be put to death. How did Judas feel? He
felt very, very miserable. He knew how
wicked he had been. He knew that Jesus
did not deserve to die; for he had seen how
holy he was, how kind and good even to his
enemies. And then Judas looked at the mo¬
ney, and thought, " I have betrayed my Mas¬
ter for this." That money made Judas very
unhappy now. He could not bear to keep it,
nor to look upon it. So he took the thirty
pieces of silver, and brought them to the
priests, and said, "I have sinned. I have
betrayed the innocent blood."
Did not the priests pity Judas when they
saw his trouble ? No: these wicked men
had no pity in them: they only answered,
"What is that to us? See thou to that."
So Judas threw down the pieces of silver in
the temple, and went out. Where did he go ?
PONTIUS PILATE.
57
Did he go like Peter, and weep bitterly, and
pray for pardon? No: Judas was sorry for
what he had done; but he was not truly peni¬
tent. His sorrow was not "godly sorrow
which worketh repentance unto salvation."
2 Oor. vii. 10. He was in despair. He did
not humble himself, and pray for pardon, as
Peter did; but "he departed, and went and
hanged himself." This was the dreadful
death of Judas. Where did his soul go then ?
The Bible tells us, it went "to his own place:"
to that sad place where all must go who do
not love the Lord Jesus Christ: who are
hypocrites, like Judas: who profess to know
him, but "in works deny him."
Nov. 24.—PONTIUS PILATE.
Then the people brought Jesus to Pon¬
tius Pilate the governor, and began to accuse
him. They said, "This man troubles the
nation, and forbids the people to pay tribute,
and calls himself a king." Then Pilate said
to Jesus, " Art thou the king of the Jews? "
Jesus answered, "I am." Pilate turned to
the people, and said, "I find no fault in this
man." But they all grew more angry, and
answered, " He stirreth up the people, teach¬
ing in every place, from Galilee to Jerusalem.
58
PONTIUS PILATE.
When Pilate heard that Jesus came from
Galilee, he sent him to Herod, the tetrarch
of Galilee, who, was staying at Jerusalem at
that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus.
Why ? Not because he believed in him, and
loved him; but because he had heard of the
wonderful things he did, and was anxious to
see some of his miracles. - But Jesus worked
no miracle to please wicked Herod, and did
not answer one of his questions; for Jesus
knew that Herod did not ask humbly and
sincerely, and because he really wished to be
taught. Then Herod and his soldiers cruelly
mocked Jesus, and sent him back to Pilate.
Pilate felt in his heart that Jesus was inno¬
cent: so he called the people, and said, "I
find no fault in this man: I do not think he
deserves to die, nor does Herod think so.
You know, I always set free one prisoner at
the feast of the Passover: I will therefore
scourge this man, and let him go." But the
people cried, "No, no: we do not wish Jiipa
to be set free. Let him be crucified, and re¬
lease unto us Barabbas." Barabbas was a
wicked murderer, who was a prisoner at this
time. Pilate said again, "Why, what evil
has he done?" But the people cried again,
"Crucify him, crucify him." When Pilate
saw how determined they were to put Jesus
to death, he let them have their wish. But
first he took water, and washed his hands be-
PONTIUS PILATE.
59
fore the multitude, and said, " I am innocent
of the blood of this just man: see ye to it."
The people cried, " His blood be upon us, and
upon our children." Then Pilate released
Barabbas, and scourged Jesus, and gave him
up to his enemies.
Pilate knew in his heart that Jesus did not
deserve to die, yet he let him be crucified.
This was very unjust, very wicked in Pilate.
The water in which he washed his hands, in
the sight of the people, could not wash away
his sin in the sight of God. Only the bio ad
of Jesus, whom he gave up to be crucified,
could wash it away ; but we do hot read that
Pilate ever asked to be washed in that blood
"which cleanseth from all sin"'
What did the people mean when they said,
" His blood be on us, and on our children?"
They meant that they were willing to bear
themselves all the blame and punishment of
murdering Jesus. They were so angry and
mad with rage, that they hardly knew what
they said. But God heard their words, and
he has remembered them. Those words have
been fulfilled in a very dreadful way. The
Jews have been punished for their sin for
many, many generations. The blood of
Jesus,—the curse of having murdered the
Son of God, has been upon them and their
children for more than eighteen hundred
years. When we think of the Jews scattered
60
christ crucified.
over the earth, without a home, and without,
a king, we should remember why they are
thus punished — because they crucified their
Messiah. , And then we should pray God to
hasten that happy time when they will repent,
and be restored to God's favour again. Then
they will "look upon him whom they pierced,
and mourn; " and they will seek to have his
blood sprinkled upon their hearts, and to
wash in that "fountain opened to the house
of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusa¬
lem, for sin and for uncleanness." Zee. xiii. 1.
Nov 25.—CHRIST CRUCIFIED.
Then the soldiers took Jesus, and-tore off
his clothes, and put on him a purple robe.
And they platted a crown of thorns, and put
it upon his head, and gave him a reed to hold
in his right hand for a sceptre ; and then they
bowed before him, mocking him, and pretend¬
ing to honour him as a king; and said, " Hail,
King of the Jews! " Then they spit on him,
and smote him on the head with the reed.
And after they had mocked him, they took
off the purple robe, and put his own raiment
on him, and led him away to be crucified.
At first, they made Jesus himself carry the
CHRIST CRUCIFIED.
61
cross on which, he was to die; but he was too
weak to carry it far: so they called a man
named Simon, whom they met on the road,
and made him carry it. As Jesus passed
along, many of his friends came out and fol¬
lowed him, weeping very bitterly. Some of
them were women: those women, perhaps,
whom he had healed, or whose friends he had
raised to life. When Jesus saw them follow¬
ing, he turned to them, and said, " Daughters
of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for
yourselves and your children. Weep for your
country, and for all the sorrow which is com¬
ing upon it." Jesus could feel for his friends
and his country in all his sufferings. He
cared more for their sorrow than for his
own.
At last, the multitude came to a place out¬
side the gate of Jerusalem, called Golgotha,
or Calvary. There they crucified Jesus.
They nailed his hands and his feet to the
cross, and set up the cross in the ground, and
left him to hang upon it till he died.
It was usual to give spiced wine to those
who were crucified, to quiet their pain, and
help them to bear it: so some of the people
who were with Jesus, gave him wine mingled
with bitter gall. But when he had tasted it,
he would not drink. Jesus did not wish his
pain to be lessened. He was willing to bear
it all. Then the soldiers took the raiment of
Vol. VI. 6
62
CHRIST CRUCIFIED.
Jesus, and divided it among themselves,
casting lots. This had been foretold many,
many years before. David, speaking of
Christ, had said, "They part my garment
among them, and cast lots for my vesture.''
Psalms xxii. 18. Many of the Psalms are
prophecies of the sufferings and death of
Christ.
Then the soldiers sat down near the cross,
and watched him there. What a sad sight it
was! The holy Jesus, who had never done
any wrong, hanging upon the cross in pain
and sorrow; and his cruel enemies mocking
him, and reviling him! Those hard-hearted
men cared nothing for the sufferings of Jesus;
yet he cared for them: he pitied them, and
prayed for them, even on the cross. He cried,
" Father, forgive them, they know not what
they do." And we may be sure that the
prayer of Jesus was not in vain. It was heard
and answered. Many of those cruel mur¬
derers afterwards learnt to believe in Jesus:
they asked to be washed from their sins in
that blood which they had helped to shed;
and they were pardoned, and saved, and now
they are'rejoicing with Jesus in heaven.
Pilate wrote a title, and set it up over the
cross—" This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
Pilate wrote it in mockery; and those who
read it only laughed, and reviled Jesus the
more. Yet the writingjvas true. Jesus was
the death op christ.
63
the King of the Jews. When the angel told
Mary of his birth, he said, " God shall give
him the throne of his father David." The
Jews indeed would not receive him as their
King: they said, "We will not have this man
to reign over us." But a time is coming
when they will receive him. God says,
" They shall be my people, and I will be their
God. And David my servant (that is the
Lord Jesus) shall be King over them: he
shall be their Prince forever." Ezek. xxxvii.
23—25.
Nov. 26—THE DEATH 0E CHRIST.
It was nine o'clock in the morning when
Jesus was nailed to the cross ; and he hung
on it in agony till three in the afternoon,
and then he died. Many wonderful things
happened during these six hours.
Jesus was not crucified alone. Two men
were crucified with him: one on his right
hand, the other on his left. These men were
very unlike the blessed Jesus. They were
thieves: wicked men, who deserved to die.
The prophet Isaiah had foretold, many years
before, that Jesus would be put to death
with wicked men: he had said of him, " He
made his grave with the wicked." "He was
64
THE DEATH OP CHRIST.
numbered with the transgressors." Isaiah
liii. 9, 12.
These wicked men, while they were hang¬
ing upon the cross, reviled Jesus as the mul¬
titude around did. But at last, one of them,
when he saw the meekness and patience of
Jesus, and heard his words, and his prayer for
his murderers, began to wonder very much,
'and feel as he never felt before. Perhaps
this thief might long ago have heard of Jesus:
perhaps he had been told of his miracles;
and of all the things which Jesus had said
and done. The thief did not believe in Jesus
then. But now, when Jesus was dying, and
when he himself was dying, he did believe.
God, in mercy, gave repentance and faith to
that poor man, just before he died, that he
might turn to Jesus, and be pardoned and
saved. So this penitent thief, when he heard
the other thief reviling and blaspheming,
spoke to him, and said, " Dost not thou fear
God, seeing thou art in the same condemna¬
tion ? and we are condemned justly; for we
receive the just punishment of our sins ; but
this man has done nothing amiss." And then
he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom." But could
Jesus attend to the dying prayer of such a
wicked man ? Yes: it was not too late, even
then, for Jesus to have mercy on him, and
save him. Jesus answered, " To-day thou
THE DEATH OE CHRIST.
65
shalt be with me in paradise." How rejoiced
the poor man was to hear Jesus say this!
He was dying in very great pain; but he
had no need for fear nor sorrow now, because
Jesus had forgiven his sins, and promised
that, when he died, his soul should go to
heaven, to be happy with him forever.
Were none of the disciples and friends of
Jesus by him now? Yes: John, "the dis¬
ciple whom Jesus loved," had followed his
Master, and stood by his cross; and near him
stood Mary the mother of Jesus, and a few
others with her. When Jesus saw his mother
and John standing so near him, he spoke to
them, and comforted them. His own pain did
not make him forgetful of those he loved. He
spoke first to his mother. He looked towards
John, and said to her, "Woman, behold thy
son." Then he spoke to John. He looked
towards Mary, and said, "Behold thy mo¬
ther." Jesus was going to be taken away
from his mother. He knew how sorry she
was to lose him, and he would not leave her
without comfort. He meant that John should
take care of her, and be like a son to her,
when her own Son was gone. And John un¬
derstood what his dear Master meant. So he
gently took Mary's hand, and led her away
from the cross, and. brought her to his own
home, and took care of her.
It was noon. And now a wonderful dark-
6*
66
THE DEATH OF CHRIST.
ness spread over all the land. This darkness
lasted three hours. Jesus was still alive; but
he did not speak all that time. He was
suffering more than we can understand: more
than any mere man ever could suffer. His
body was in great pain; but this was not his
worst suffering. He was suffering still more
in his soul. Jesus was dying—dying for
sinners. God had not forgotten his beloved
Son: he had not ceased to love him; but he
did not smile upon him, nor comfort him now.
God was looking upon the sins which were laid
upon Jesus: he was looking upon Jesus as the
sacrifice for sin. Jesus was dying in agony,
without any comfort from his heavenly Fa¬
ther : this was his worst suffering; and it
made him cry at last, in the bitterness of
his soul, "My God, my God! why hast thou
forsaken me?"
Then he said again, " I thirst." So one of
the soldiers filled a sponge with vinegar, and
put it to his mouth. When Jesus had received
the vinegar, he said, "It is finished;" and
then he cried with a loud voice, "Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit; " and
he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Then the veil which hung before the holy
of holies in the temple, was torn in two; and
the earth shook, and the rocks rent, and the
graves opened; and the bodies of many of the
saints which slept, arose. And why was all
THE DEATH OF CHRIST.
67
this ? Why did these wonders happen when
Jesus bowed down his head, and gave up the
ghost? Because Jesus was God. Every
thing felt his power; and every thing trem¬
bled with fear and horror, when wicked men
put to death the Lord of life and glory. The
centurion, and those who were with him
watching Jesus, felt this, and cried, "Truly
this was the Son of God."
What did Jesus mean when he cried, "It
is finished? " He meant that the great sa¬
crifice was now offered up, of which all other
sacrifices were types. Jesus was " the Lamb
of God which taketh away the sin of the
world:" he had died: no more offerings for
sin were needed now: they were "finished"
forever. Christ had died, " the Just for the
unjust, that he might bring us unto God."
1 Peter iii. 18. He had thus made peace for
us with his Father, and turned away his anger
from us. Christ has "finished" all this for
us. But when we read the beautiful story of
his life and his death, we must remember that
all he has done and suffered will do us no good,
if we do not believe on him in our hearts.
He died for all, but he will save only those
who come to him in faith. The Son of man
was "lifted up, that whosoev^j believeth in
him should not perish, but have eternal life."
John iii. 14, 15.
68
JESUS BURIED.
Nov. 27.—JESUS BURIED.
It was Friday when our Lord was crucified.
The next day was the Sabbath; for the Jews
kept holy the seventh day of the week, be¬
cause on that day God rested from his work
of creation. And the Sabbath after the
crucifixion happened to be a very great day
among the Jews: because the feast of the
Passover was at that time. So some of them
went to Pilate, and asked him to let the bo¬
dies be taken down from the cross, that the
Sabbath might not be dishonoured, and that
the law of Moses might not be broken. Then
Pilate sent the soldiers to see if those who
were crucified were yet dead, and to kill them
if they were not. The two thieves were still
living; and the soldiers broke their legs, and
thus put them to death. But when the sol¬
diers came to Jesus, and saw that he was
dead already, they did not break his legs.
But one of them with a spear pierced.his side,
and there came out blood and water. These
things, too, had been foretold by the prophets.
There was a rich man named Joseph, of the
city of Arimathea. He had been some time
a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of
the Jews ; fo%his faith was at first very weak
and small. But Joseph had prayed that his
faith might be increased, and God had heard
his prayer. And now, when Jesus and his dis-
JESUS BURIED.
69
eiples had so many enemies, Joseph, instead
of being afraid, felt strong and full of courage.
So he went boldly to Pilate, and asked leave
to take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate
gave him leave. Then Joseph went to the
cross and took down the body. There was
another good man with Joseph. This man
was Nicodemus, the fearful disciple who, at
first, came to Jesus by night ; but Nicodemus
had now learnt, like Joseph, not to be afraid
of confessing himself a disciple of Christ..
When the body was taken down from the
cross, Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped it very
carefully in linen, with spices, and carried it
to a garden near the place of crucifixion, and
laid it in a tomb which belonged to Joseph.
The tomb was quite new: no dead body had
ever been laid there before; and it was cut
out of a rock. Another prophecy was ful¬
filled when Jesus was laid in the tomb of
Joseph: that he should be "with the rich in
his death." Isaiah liii. 9.
There were others too who loved to honour
the dead body of Jesus. These were the holy
women who had followed him to the cross.
Now they followed him to the grave; and
when they saw where he was laid, they went
and made ready spices and ointments to an¬
oint his body. And then they "rested on
the Sabbath-day, according to the command¬
ment."
70
THE RESURRECTION.
Nov. 28.—THE RESURRECTION.
Jesus had often told the people that he
should die, and rise again the third day.
But the Jews did not believe this; and even
his own disciples did not understand what he
meant. But the priests and Pharisees remem¬
bered the saying; and now that Jesus was
dead, they came to Pilate, and said, " Sir, we
remember that deceiver said, while he was
alive, that after three days he would rise
again. Now we are afraid that his disciples
will go to the tomb secretly, by night, and
steal the body away; and then they will pre¬
tend that he is risen from the dead, and pur-
suade the people to believe in him. Do not
let them do. this. Command that the sepul¬
chre be made sure until the third day.'' Pilate
answered, " Go your way: set a watch at the
sepulchre, and make it as sure as you can."
So they went away, and made the sepulchre
sure: sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
These foolish men thought that they could
thus keep the body of. Jesus in the tomb.
We shall soon see how vain all their hopes
were.
As soon as the Sabbath was past, some of
the good women who loved Jesus so much,
bought spicesf and went to the tomb to anoint
his body. Two of these women were named
Mary: the other was called Salome. It
THE RESURRECTION.
71
was very early in the morning when they
set off —just beginning to be light. As
they walked along, they said to one another,
"There;is a great stone at the door of the
sepulchre: how shall we roll it away ? " But
when they came nearer, they saw that the
stone was rolled away; and the door was
open. ^
How was this ? Who had rolled away the
stone ? The angel of the Lord. The stone,
and the seal, and the soldiers who watched
by the tomb, had no power to keep Jesus
within the tomb. As soon as the third day
dawned, before the women could come to the
sepulchre, there was a great earthquake, and
an angel was sent down from heaven, and: he
rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His
face was like lightning, and his raiment
was white as snow, and for fear of him. the
keepers shook, and became like dead men.
And Jesus rose, as he had said; and the pro¬
phecy was fulfilled, " Thou wilt not suffer thine
Holy One to see corruption.' Ps. xvi. 10.
Mary Magdalene was so astonished at what
she saw, that she ran back, and told the
disciples. But Salome and the other Mary
stayed, and went into the sepulchre; and
there they saw a young man clothed in a
long white garment ; and they were afraid.
But he said to them, "Do not fear: you
seek Jesus of Nazareth: he is not here, he
72
THE RESURRECTION.
is risen: see the place where they laid him.
Go, and tell his disciples, and Peter, that he
is going to Galilee; and there you shall see
him." Then the women went away quickly
from the sepulchre; but they were so much
frightened at all they had seen, that they
could not speak to any one they met on the
road.
Why was this message sent so particularly
to Peter, as well as to the other disciples ?
Because Peter had sinned so greatly, that,
perhaps, he might think he was now no
longer to be called a disciple. But Peter
had repented, and Jesus had forgiven him;
and now this message was sent to comfort
him, and to show him that Jesus remembered
and loved him still.
Mary Magdalene had gone before to tell
Peter and John. As soon as she saw them,
she said, "They have taken away the Lord
out of the sepulchre, and we know not where
they have laid him." For Mary Magdalene
had not heard and seen what Salome and the
other Mary had. Then Peter and John ran
directly, both together, to the sepulchre.
John ran faster then Peter, and came there
first, and saw the linen clothes lying; but
he did not go in. Soon after, Peter came,
and went in, and he too saw the linen clothes
lying; and the napkin that had been about
Jesus' head, folded together in a place by
THE RESURRECTION.
73
itself. There was no confusion, no disorder
in the tomb: it did not look as if people had
been there, and hastily stole away the body.
When the disciples had thought a little upon
these things, John also went into the sepul¬
chre; and he saw, and believed. Then the
disciples went away again to their own home.
But Maty Magdalene still stayed outside
the sepulchre, weeping. At last, she stooped
down, and looked in; and she saw two angels
in white sitting there, in the place where the
body of Jesus had lain. Then the angels
said to Mary, "Woman, why weepest thou ?"
She answered, "Because they have taken
away my Lord, and I know not where they
have laid him." As she said this, she turned
round, and saw some one standing by her.
It was Jesus himself; but Maty did not
know, at first, that it was Jesus. He spoke
to her, and asked, "Why weepest thou?"
Still Mary did not know him: she thought
it was the gardener who spoke to her: so she
said, " Sir, if thou have carried him hence,
tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will
go and take him away." Jesus said to her
again, " Mary!" Mary knew the voice, and
turned round, and when she saw that it was
really Jesus himself, she said, "Master!"
Mary was so rejoiced to see Jesus, that she
fell down to embrace his feet; but Jesus said,
" Do not touch me: do not stay to worship
Vol. VI. 7
74
THE RESURRECTION.
me now, but go directly to my brethren, and
tell them, I ascend to my Father, and your
Father; and to my God, and your God."
Then Mary went to tell the disciples. As
she was going, she met Salome and the other
Mary; and while they were all together,
Jesus himself came to them, and said, "All
hail! " Then they fell down, and worshipped
him. Jesus said to them, "Be not afraid:
go and tell my brethren to go into Galilee,
and there they shall see me." So they went,
and did as Jesus said.
As they were going, some of the soldiers,
who had been watching at the tomb of Jesus,
came to the priests, and told them the won¬
derful things which had happened. The
priests were very much surprised to hear this.
They must have felt that Jesus had been
raised by a miracle, and yet they would not
believe in him even now. And they deter¬
mined to prevent the people too from believ¬
ing on him, if they could. So they consulted
together what they should do; and then they
called the soldiers, and gave them a large
sum of money, and said, "You must not let
the people know what has happened. You
must say that the disciples came by night,
and stole away the body while you were
asleep. And you need not be afraid; for we
will speak to the governor for you, and take
care that you are not punished." So thu
the walk to emmaus. 75
soldiers took the money, and promised to do
as they were taught; and then they went
away and told this wicked falsehood to all
the people.
Nov. 29.—THE WALK TO EMMAUS.
The same day that Jesus rose from the
tomb, two of the disciples went together to a
village named Emmaus, not very far from
Jerusalem. As they walked along, they
talked of all the things that had Just hap¬
pened. They Spoke of the death of Jesus,
and of his burial; and they mourned, very
much because he was taken from them; for
these disciples did not yet fully believe that
Jesus was risen from the dead. As they
talked in this way, some one came and joined
them. They thought he was a stranger; but
he spoke very kindly to them, and asked,
"What are you saying one to another, as you
walk, and are sad ? " Then one of them an¬
swered, "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusa¬
lem, and hast not known the things done there
in these days?" He asked again, "What
things?" They said, "The things about
Jesus of Nazareth, who was a great prophet
before God and all the people. The priests
76
THE WALK TO EMMAUS.
•and rulers condemned him, and crucified him.
But we thought he had been the Redeemer of
Israel; and now this is the third day since
these things happened. And some women
of our company astonished us very much
to-day. They went early to the sepulchre,
and could not find his body; and they came
back, and told us they had seen some angels,
who said he was alive. And then some more
of us went to the sepulchre, and we found all
as the women had said; but we did not see
Jesus." Then the kind friend who was
walking with the two disciples answered and
said, "Why are you so foolish, and so slow
to believe all that the prophets have spoken ?
Have you not read in the Scriptures that
Christ must first suffer, and afterwards go
into his glory?" And then this wonderful
stranger began at the books of Moses, and
explained to them in all the Scriptures, the
things which were written of Christ. When
we read the Old Testament History, we found
a great deal there about the Lord Jesus. We
were told about him in the Garden of Eden,
and many times afterwards. And the Psalms,
and the prophets too, are full of prophecies
about him. All these things the kind stran¬
ger explained to the two disciples. As he
talked to them, they felt that they had never
before understood the Scriptures so clearly;
and they began to be quite sure that Jesus
THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 77
was indeed the true Messiah, the Redeemer
of Israel. . -
At last they came to Emmaus. It was now
evening. Their kind friend was going to
take leave of them; hut they said, " No : do
not go farther: it is late: come in, and stay
with us." So he went in with them, and sat
down to meat. As they were eating, he took
bread, and blessed it, and broke, and gave it to
them. He did this just as Jesus used to do,
when he ate with them, before his death. , And
now the disciples saw that this kind friend
really was Jesus himself: "their eyes were
opened, and they knew him." How glad they
were to see him again! But Jesus did not
stay longer with them. When the disciples
looked again, he was gone:—they knew not
how, nor where. Then they rose up, and
went to Jerusalem, and found the disciples,
and said to them, "The Lord is risen in¬
deed; " and they told them the things that
had just happened, " and how he was known
of them in breaking of bread."
While the two disciples were speaking,
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and
said, " Peace be unto you." The disciples
were frightened; but Jesus said again, " Why
are you troubled ? Behold my hands and my
feet: see, it is I myself." And then he
showed them his hands and his feet—those
hands and feet which had been so cruelly
7*
78 -THE WALK TO EMMATJS.
nailed to the cross. The disciples could
hardly believe for joy; but Jesus said again,
" Have you any meat ? " They gave him a
piece of broiled fish, and a honey-comb; and
he took it, and did eat before them. Then
he said, " You remember what I told you be¬
fore I died. I told you that all the Scripture
has said of me must be fulfilled. It is written
that Christ should suffer, and rise again the
third day; and you see that so it is. Now
go, and teach all nations what I have done to
save sinners. Begin at Jerusalem; for the
Jews must first have the Gospel preached to
them; and then go to the Gentiles. Tell
them to repent 6f their sins, and believe in
me, that they may be saved. Baptize them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost."
How happy the disciples were to see Jesus
again, and to hear him speak ! And we shall
soon see how willing they were to obey his
command, and to go and preach the Gospel to
all nations. Christ's ministers are still obey¬
ing this command, when they go to heathen
countries, and tell the people there to believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. We
should pray for these holy men, and ask God
to bless them, and prosper their work. The
disciples were to begin preaching at Jeru¬
salem. This shows us how much Jesus loved
the Jews, and it should teach us to love them
THE UNBELIEVING DISCIPLE. 79
too, and seek to do them good: " Pray for
the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper
that love thee." Psalms cxxii. 6.
Nov. 30.—THE UNBELIEVING DISCIPLE.
Thomas was not with the other disciples
when Jesus appeared to them; but when they
next saw him, they told him the good news.
They said, "We have seen the Lord." Was
not Thomas very glad to hear this ? He
would have been, if he had believed it; but
he did not. He said, "No, it cannot be
true. You must have been deceived. I will
not believe that Jesus is risen, unless I see
him myself, and put my finger into the print
of the nails, and thrust my hand into his,
side."
Thomas was a good man, a true disciple of
Jesus; but it was very wrong of him to be,so
unbelieving. If Thomas had searched the
Scriptures, and prayed Hod to enable him to
understand them, he would have found that
Jesus must rise again; and then he would not
have disbelieved what the disciples told him.
A week passed away—a happy one for the
other disciples; for they believed that Jesus
was risen indeed, and that made them rejoice.
80 THE UNBELIEVING DISCIPLE.
But it was a very unhappy one for Thomas;
for he did not believe, and therefore he could
not share the joy. Thus he was punished
for his unbelief. But Jesus knew all that
was in the heart of Thomas, and pitied and
loved him still. So, when all the disciples
were together, and the doors were shut, Jesus
came, and stood in the midst, and said,
"Peace be unto you." There was no need
for Jesus to open the door to come into the
room. He had power to come and go as he
pleased, in a wonderful way which we cannot
understand; and he came now, that Thomas
might see for himself, and be quite sure that
Jesus was risen from the dead. So Jesus
called him, and said, "Reach hither thy
finger and behold my hands ; and reach hither
thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be
not faithless, but believing." Then Thomas
saw that it was really Jesus, and he cried out
in faith and joy, "My Lord, and my God!"
Jesus said, "Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that
have not seen, and yet have believed."
We who are living now, "have not seen":
Jesus as Thomas did; but we may,look upon
him by faith, and believe on him in our.
hearts, though we cannot see him with our
eyes. And all will be truly "blessed," really
happy, who thus believe in Jesus: "whom
having not seen ye love; in whom, though
petbr's death foretold. 81
now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory: re¬
ceiving the end of your faith, even the salva¬
tion of your souls." 1 Peter i. 8, 9.
dec. 1.—peter's death foretold.
The disciples came to Galilee, as Jesus told
them. One night seven of them went to fish
in the lake of Gennesaret, but they caught
nothing. In the morning, Jesus came and
stood upon- the shore; but the disciples,did
not know that it was Jesus. So he called
to them, and said, " Children, have ye any
meat?" They answered, "No." Then he
said again, " Cast the net on the right side
of the ship, and you shall find." The dis¬
ciples obeyed, and now they were not able to
draw up the net for the multitude of fishes.
When John saw this, he turned to Peter, and
said, "It is the Lord!" Perhaps the multi¬
tude of fishes reminded John of that day
when Jesus had first called him, and some
others of the disciples, and made them
"fishers of men."
When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he
threw himself into the sea, that he might go
to Jesus directly; and the other disciples
came in the ship, dragging the net full of
82
peter's death foretold.
great fishes; a hundred and fifty-three; yet
the net was not broken, though there w*ere so
many. As soon as they were all come to
land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish
laid on it, and bread. The disciples did not
know how and whence all this food came: it
was the kind care of Jesus that prepared it
for them. Then he said, " Come and dine."
So they sat down to meat.
After they had finished, Jesus called Peter,
and said to him, " Simon, lovest thou me
more than these?" Peter answered, "Yea,
Lord: thou knowest that I love thee." Then
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Soon after,
Jesus asked again, " Simon, lovest thou me ? "
And again Peter answered, "Yea, Lord: thou
knowest that I love thee." Jesus said, " Feed
my sheep." Jesus asked the third time, " Si¬
mon, lovest thou me ? " Peter now began to
feel grieved. He thought to himself, "Hoes
not Jesus believe me ? Hoes he think that I
do not really love him ? "
Peter had, a little time before, denied Jesus
three times; perhaps this was why Jesus now
asked him three times, "Lovest thou me?"
Jesus had forgiven Peter, and washed away
his sin; but he wished him to remember that
sin, and to be humbled for it still. And, no
doubt, Peter did remember it, and was very
sorry that he had ever so wickedly denied his
Master; yet he felt sure in his heart that he
peter's death foretold. 88
really loved him, so he turned to Jesus, and
said, "Lord, thou knowest all things, thou
knowest that,I love thee." And once more
Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."
What did this mean ? Christ calls his peo¬
ple, his sheep. Peter was to give spiritual
food to those sheep. He was to go and
preach the Gospel to them. And Peter was
to feed Christ's lambs too. They are the
young, the little ones of the flock. Jesus
did not forget them. He loves to "gather
the lambs in his arms, and carry them in
his bosom." Isaiah xl. 11.
There was great need for Peter to love
Jesus with all his heart, for soon he would
have to suffer and die for his Master's sake.
Jesus told him this. He said, "Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, when thou wast young thou
girdest thyself, and walkest whither thou
wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou
shall stretch forth thy hands, and another
shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou
wouldest not.'' What did this mean ? Jesus
said it, signifying by what death Peter should
glorify God. When Peter was an old man,
his enemies took him and bound him to a
cross ; and so he died for his Master's sake.
This was a sad death: very painful, and very
dreadful; but if Peter truly loved Jesus, he
must be willing even to be crucified for his
sake. So when Jesus had foretold this, he
84
THE ASCENSION.
said, "Follow me." Peter must not deny
his Saviour for fear of death: he must follow
him faithfully to the end, whatever that end
might he. And so he did; and now Peter is
with Jesus in heaven, and he has received
that "crown of life," which is promised to
all those who are "faithful unto death."
Rev. ii. 10.
Dec. 2.—THE ASCENSION.
How long did Jesus stay on earth after he
rose from the grave ? Forty days. During
that time he appeared very often to his disci¬
ples, and taught them many things, and gave
them many commands. At last, the time
came for Jesus to he taken from them, and
to go up to heaven. So he called them once
more, and led them to Bethany, the little vil¬
lage of which we have read before, where
Lazarus, and Martha, and Mary lived. Then
Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed his dis¬
ciples. And so it was, that, while he was
blessing them, and talking to them, " he was
taken up, and a cloud received him out of
their sight." The disciples looked steadfastly
towards heaven, as he went up; and watched
the bright cloud which hid him from their
eyes. It went up higher and higher, far
THE ASCENSION.
85
above the blue sky, and then they saw it no
more. Jesus was gone. He was gone into
heaven, to sit down on the right hand of his
Father's throne. Were the disciples sorry ?
Perhaps they were sorry to lose the sight of
that dear friend who had been with them so
long. But they had much to comfort them
still. They remembered what Jesus had
said,. " I go to prepare a place for you; and
where I am, there you shall be also."
As the disciples were looking up towards
heaven, two angels, clothed in white, came
and stood by them. And these angels spoke
to them, and said, " Why do you stand look¬
ing up into heaven ? This same Jesus, which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come, like as ye have seen him go into hea¬
ven." Then the disciples were comforted;
and they returned to Jerusalem, there to
wait for the promise of the Holy Ghost, as
Jesus commanded them.
We have been reading a great deal about
the life, and death, and resurrection, and
ascension of the Lord Jesus. Now all these
things are very, very needful for us to know;
because without them, we could not be saved.
Jesus became man, lived, and died, and rose
again, and ascended into heaven, for us and
for our salvation.
He was born into the world, that, as man
he might obey all God's holy law, and might
Vol. VI. 8
86
THE ASCENSION.
leave us an example, that we should follow
his steps." 1 Pet. ii. 21.
He suffered and was tempted while he
lived, that he might he able to feel for us in
our sufferings and temptations: that he might
"he made like unto his brethren," and so be
"a merciful and faithful high priest; " "for
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour them that are tempted."
Heb. ii. 18.
He died, "the Just for the unjust, that he
might bring us unto God." 1 Peter, iii. 18.
"The chastisement of our peace was upon him,
and with his stripes we are healed." Is. liii. 5.
He "was raised again for our justifica¬
tion;" Rom. iv. 25; to show that he was
indeed the Son of God, and that he had power
to conquer death and the grave; and to teach
us too, that as he rose, so we shall rise also.
" Christ is risen from the dead, and become
the first-fruits of them that slept." 1 Cor.
xv. 20. "If we believe that Jesus died, and
rose again, so them also which sleep in Jesus,
will God bring with him." 1 Thess. v. 14.
And Jesus ascended into heaven to prepare
a place there for his people, and to intercede
for them before his Father's throne. " He
ever liveth to make intercession for them."
Eteb. vii. 25. He " is even at the right hand
of God, and also maketh intercession for us."
Romans viii. 34.
the new apostle.
87
'These are all very wonderful things. It is
well to read of them, and know them; but we
must remember that this will do us no good,
unless we believe and feel them in our hearts.
We must pray for true faith in the Son of
God, that all our sins may be washed away
in his blood ; and that we may be justified
through his merits, and sanctified by ' his
Spirit; and then, when we die, we shall be
taken to be with him, where he is; and we
shall behold his glory.
dec. 3.—the new apostle.
After Jesus had ascended into heaven,, the
disciples all returned to Jerusalem, to wait
there for "the promise of the Father," as
Jesus had told them. They used to meet
together, in an upper room, with Mary the
mother of Jesus, and the other women, and
many more who believed; and they spent
their time in prayer and praise.
One day, when about a hundred and twenty
of this happy company were gathered to¬
gether, Peter stood up and spoke to them.
He reminded them, that one of the twelve
apostles was parted from them forever — the
wicked Judas; and then he said, "Let us now
88
THE NEW APOSTLE.
choose from among the disciples, another man
to take the place of Judas, and to he witness
with us of the resurrection of Jesus." The
disciples were all willing to do this; and they
soon chose out two men, Joseph, called Bar-
sabas, and Matthias. But they would not
themselves determine which of these two
should be the apostle. They prayed to God,
and asked him to choose for them. They
said, " Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts
of all, show which of these two thou hast
chosen, that he may take part of this minis¬
try and apostleship." Then they cast lots;
and God made the lot fall upon Matthias ; and
he was numbered with the twelve apostles.
It was very right of the disciples to ask God
to direct them in what they did. This is what
we should always do, when we have any
business or duty to perform. We are so igno¬
rant, that we know not of ourselves what to
do, nor how to do it aright; but if we ask
God, he will give us holy wisdom to teach
and direct us. St. James says, " If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given him." James i. 5.
the day op pentecost.
89
•deo. 4.—the day of pentecost.
Ten days after the ascension, was the feast
of Pentecost. We have read of this feast be¬
fore. God commanded the Israelites to keep
it, when he gave them the land of Canaan, so
many years ago. It was kept in remem¬
brance of the law being given on mount Sinai,
fifty days after the children of Israel came
out of Egypt. It was called, too, the feast
of weeks, because it was seven weeks after
the Passover.
A great many Jews were now gathered
together at Jerusalem, to keep the feast of
Pentecdst. And many people of other na¬
tions were there too. These were Gentiles
who had learnt to believe in the God of Israel,
and to obey his laws. They were called
proselytes. All these people assembled in
one place, on the day of the feast. As they
were sitting together, they suddenly heard a
sound from heaven, hke a rushing, mighty
wind, and it filled all the house in which they
were. And there appeared to them tongues
of fire, which came and rested upon every one
of them; and they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and were enabled, by his power,
to speak with "other tongues," in new lan¬
guages, which they had never heard before.
How very wonderful this was I Jesus was
now fulfilling his promise: he was sending to
8*
90 THE DAT OP PENTECOST.
them that Spirit whom he had told them be¬
fore he would send. We all know how hard
it is to learn a new language. We study it,
perhaps, many months or years before we
quite understand it, and can speak it. But
the disciples, at the feast of Pentecost, had
no need to learn the different languages which
they then began to speak. In one moment,
they knew them. perfectly. And why was
this ? Why did God give such wonderful
power to his disciples at that time ? Because
God wished his Gospel to be then made known
in many parts of the world, and to nations
who had never heard it before. Many people
from those nations were at Jerusalem at this
very time; but they all spoke languages quite
different from the language which the disci¬
ples spoke. So God sent the Holy Ghost to
give the disciples this miraculous power of
speaking different tongues, that they might
be able to make known at once, to all the
strangers in Jerusalem,*" the wonderful works
of God."
All those people, who came from other
countries, and heard the, disciples speak in
their own languages, were very much sur¬
prised. They said, " How is this ? Are not
these men Galileans ? How is it they can
speak to us in our own tongues? " But the
Jews, who did not understand the different
languages spoken by the apostles, mocked,
THE DAY OP PENTECOST.
91
and said, "These men are full of new wine."
But Peter stood up in the midst, and said,
"Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at
Jerusalem, these wonderful things, which you
now hear and see, are only the fulfilment of
what God's prophet Joel foretold many years
ago. He said that God would, in the last
days, pour out his Spirit upon his servants,
and teach them to prophesy. And so it is.
And now hear these words. Jesus of Naza¬
reth came among you, and worked miracles,
as you know. He was taken by wicked
men, and crucified, and slain. But - God
raised hini up; and we are witnesses of his
resurrection, and say to. you, that he is the
Son of God, the true Messiah. And now he
is ascended up to heaven; and it is he who has
sent the Holy Ghost upon us, and given us
this wonderful power of speaking, which you
have heard to-day."
Were the people willing to attend to Peter,
and to believe what he said ? Yes: they
were so much struck with his words, that they
cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we
do?" Peter answered, "Repent, and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins; and
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Then those who believed were baptized, as
Christ had commanded. They were about
three thousand.
92
THE LAME MAN HEALED.
God is not now pleased to give his people
that wonderful power of speaking different
tongues, and of working miracles, which he
gave to the disciples at the day of Pentecost.
Those gifts were very "Useful and necessary at
that time, to enable the disciples to preach
the Gospel to many nations at once, and
to make the people believe that what they
preached was really true. But this is not
so necessary now ; for the Bible is printed
in almost every language in the world, and
people may read it for themselves; and many
missionaries go out to teach it. But God
does still give the Holy Spirit to all who ask
him, to renew and sanctify their hearts, to
teach and comfort them, and to make them
meet for heaven. Let us pray, then, for this
good gift, and say, " Lord, for Christ's sake,
give us the Holy Spirit.
dEC. 5.—the lame man healed.
One day, Peter and John went to the tem¬
ple to pray. A poor lame man lay at the
beautiful gate of the temple begging. He
had been lame all his life, and could do noth¬
ing for himself: so every day he was carried
to the gate, and there he lay, asking money
from those who went into the temple. When
THE LAME MAN HEALED.
93
he saw Peter and Jphn, he began to beg
something from them; but they were poor
men, and had no money to give. What did
they do ? Did they pass on, and take no
notice of the poor lame man? No; Peter and
John had learnt from their Master, Jesus
Christ, to be kind and pitiful, and to go about,
as he did, "doing good." So they spoke to
the beggar, and said, "Look on us." The
poor man did so immediately, hoping to re¬
ceive some money from them. But Peter
said, " Silver and gold have I none; but what
I have, give I thee: in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Then
Peter took him by the right hand, and lifted
him up; and immediately his feet became
strong, and he stood up, and walked, and
went into the temple with Peter and John,
leaping, and praising God.
All the people who saw this were very
much astonished, and they ran to the dis¬
ciples, greatly wondering. Then Peter said,
" Why do you wonder at this ? Do you think
that it is our power which has cured this lame
man? No, it is not our power, it is the power
of Jesus which has cured him: that same Jesus
whom you denied and crucified. God raised
him from the dead: we are witnesses of this;
and his name, through faith in his name, has
made this man strong, whom you see and
know. And now repent, and believe in the
94 THE LAME MAN HEALED.
Lord Jesus Christ; for God sent him to bless
you, in turning away every one of you from
your iniquities."
As Peter was speaking, the priests, and
the ruler of the temple, and the Sadducees,
came to them. These wicked men would not
believe themselves, and they wished, too, to
prevent the people from believing, if they
could. So they laid hold of the two dis¬
ciples, and shut them up in prison. But God
blessed what Peter had said; and many more
of the people believed.
The next day, the rulers, and scribes, and
priests, all came together ; and they brought
out Peter and John, and made them stand
before them, and asked, "Tell us now, by
what power have you cured this lame man?"
Then Peter, being full of the Holy Ghost,
spoke boldly, and said, " It is by the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, that this man
has been made whole: that same Jesus whom
God raised from the dead; and we tell you
plainly, that there is salvation only in him;
for there is no other name under heaven,
given among men, by which we can be
saved." Then the priests and rulers won¬
dered very much at the boldness of Peter
and John; for they saw that they were igno¬
rant and unlearned men; and "they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with
Jesus."
THE LAME MAN HEALED. 95
The priests and rulers wanted very much
to punish Peter and John; hut they could
not at that time; for the man who had been
healed Was standing by, and all the people
saw him, and believed in the miracle, and even
the wicked priests themselves could not deny
it: so they called the disciples again, and com¬
manded them not to speak at all, nor teach in
the name of Jesus, and then let them go.
And did the disciples promise to obey the
command? No: they would make no such
promise. They said, "It is not right to
attend to you . more than to God. We must
speak the things which we have seen and
heard." Then their enemies threatened to
punish them if they did so; but the disciples
put their trust in God, and asked him to give
them strength to preach the Gospel without
fear. And God heard their prayer, and
filled them with holy boldness, and blessed
their words to very many of the people.
We should learn, from these apostles, the
duty of holy boldness for the sake of Christ.
We are commanded in the Bible to be subject
to "the higher powers," and this command
we must remember and obey. But then, it
may sometimes happen that earthly rulers
order things which are contrary to God's
word: just as those priests and rulers did of
whom we have been reading; and just as, you
remember, king Darius did, when he com-
96 ananias and sapphira.
manded the people not to pray for thirty
days. And what would it be our duty to do
then? "We must, as the apostles did, and as
Daniel did, obey God rather than man. But
when we do this, we must do it in a spirit of
love, and gentleness, and humility: because
we wish to obey God, not because we wish to
resist the lawful authority of man. And we
must never forget to love even our enemies,
to bless them that curse us, and to pray for
them who despitefully use us, and persecute us.
Dec. 6.—ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA.
There was now a large number of people
in Jerusalem who believed in Jesus. These
people all lived together in peace and love;
and as some of them were rich, and others
poor, those who were rich used to sell their
possessions, and give the money to the apos¬
tles for their poor brethren. They were not
commanded to do this: they did it of their
own free will.
But there were two persons among them,
who were very different from the rest. Like
Judas, they professed to love Jesus, but did
not really love him. These persons were a
man named Ananias, and his wife, whose
name was Sapphira. When so many of the
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA.
97
Christians sold their possessions, and gave
the money to the apostles, Ananias and Sap-
phira thought they would do so too; for they
wanted to he thought very good and hply.
So they sold some land which they had, and
received a large sum of money for it.
And then did they{ take the money to the
Apostles ? They took a part only. They did
not wish to give away all the money, yet
they wanted people to think that they did.
So they determined to do a very wicked
thingto try to deceive the apostles. They'
kept hack part of the money; and the rest
Ananias brought and laid at the apostles'
feet. Peter knew what the real truth was;
for God had told him by the Spirit: so he
looked at Ananias, and said, "Why has
Satan filled thine heart, to lie to the Holy
Ghost, and to keep hack part of the money?
The possession was thine own before it was
sold; and after it was sold, the money was
in thine own power: there was no command
given to sell the possession, or to bring the
money to us. Why hast thou done. this ?
Thou hast not lied to men, but to God."
And as Peter said this, God himself smote
Ananias, and he fell down, and died directly;
and some young men came, and carried out
the body, and buried it.
Three hours after, Sapphira came in, not
knowing what had happened to her poor
Vol. IV. 9
98
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA.
wicked husband. Then Peter spoke to her,
and said, " Tell me, did you sell the land for
so much?" Sapphira answered, "Yes, for
so much." Then Peter said again, "How is
it that you have agreed together to tempt the
Spirit of the Lord ? Those who buried thy
husband are now at the door, and shall carry
thee out." Then Sapphira fell down and
died; and the young men came in, and found
her dead, and carried her out, and buried
her by her husband. Their Ibodies lay side
by side in the grave: whither did their souls
go ? "We know where the Bible says all liars
must go — to that dreadful place where Satan
is, who is "the father of lies; " far, far away
from the God of truth and holiness.
See what a dreadful sin lying is. It is a
sin which God very often punishes in this
world: if not repented of and pardoned, he
will surely punish it in the next world. God
hates lying. "Lying lips are abomination
to the Lord." Prov. xii. 22. And not lying
lips only make God angry, but deceit, and
slyness, and cunning, too. We may act a lie,
without telling a lie. Trying to deceive in
any way is like lying, and quite as wicked in
the sight of God. Pray that you may always
speak the truth, and be open and sincere in
every thing you do. Say, as David did,
" Remove from me the way of lying." Psalm
cxix. 29.
the apostles persecuted. 99
dec. 7.—the apostles persecuted.
The apostles now went about preaching
the Gospel, and healing the sick, in the name
and by the power of Jesus. When their en¬
emies saw that they had not attended to the
command given them, they became very angry
again, and laid hold of the apostles, and put
them into prison. But these wicked men
were not able to hurt the apostles at that
time; for God sent an angel by night, to open
the prison door, and bring .out his servants.
And then God commanded them,' by his
angel, to go into the temple, and preach the
Gospel again to the people there. So the
apostles obeyed, and went into the temple,
and taught.
The next morning, the priests, not know¬
ing what was done, sent to the prison to
bring out the apostles. The messengers soon
returned in great wonder, and said, "We
found the prison safely shut, and the keepers
standing before the doors ; but when we went
in, we saw no man. The prisoners were
gone." Then the priests began to wonder
how this could be. But soon some one came
in, and said, "We have seen these men whom
ye put in prison. They are now standing
quietly in the temple, teaching the people."
Then the ruler of the temple, and the officers,
went and brought out the apostles.
100 THE APOSTXES PERSECUTED.
When they came in, the priest spoke very
harshly to them, and said, " Did we not com¬
mand you to teach no more in the name of
Jesus ? yet you have disobeyed our com¬
mand, and preached to all the people in
Jerusalem." Then the apostles answered,
"We ought to obey God more than man.
God raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, and hang¬
ed upon the cross. He raised him to be a
Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and
remission of sins. And we are his witnesses;
for we have seen all these things, and we
must tell them to the people, because God
has commanded us so to do." Then those
that heard what the apostles said - grew very
angry, and wished to kill them. But there
was a Pharisee in the council, named Gam¬
aliel, a learned man, who was honoured very
much among the people. Gamaliel hated the
apostles, and the Gospel they preached, as
much as the priests and Sadducees did; but
he was wiser and calmer than they. So he
commanded that the apostles should be put
out for a little time, and then he said, " Ye
men of Israel, take care what you do to these
men. I advise you to be quiet, and let them
alone. If what they preach be false, it will
soon come to nothing; and then we need not
trouble ourselves about it. But if it be true,
if it be of God, it must prosper, and we can¬
not overthrow it. If we try to do so, we
THE APOSTLES PERSECUTED. 101
shall only be, found to fight against God."
All the council were pleased with what Gam¬
aliel said. So they called back the apostles,
and beat them, and commanded them not to
speak in the name of Jesus, and then let
them go.
The apostles bore this cruelty with pa¬
tience ; for they remembered the holy lessons
which Jesus had given them, about loving their
enemies; and his example too, when he suf¬
fered so meekly before Pilate and Herod.
They even rejoiced that they were allowed to
suffer shame for their Saviour's sake. So
they went away; and taught and preached
Jesus Christ daily, in the temple, and from
house to house.
This is another example for us of holy
boldness, and patience, and diligence in doing"
God's work. We should imitate the apos¬
tles, as far as we can, in all these Christian
graces, and be thankful that we live in a
time when people may hear and speak of
Jesus without fear of persecution such as
these holy men had to endure.
102
the first martyr.
dec. 8.—the first martyr.
In those days, when the number of the dis¬
ciples was multiplied, the apostles had much
to do, not only in preaching the Gospel, but
in other things also. At last, they found all
this work too much for them: they had not
time and strength for it. So they called the
disciples, and told them to choose from; among
themselves seven wise and holy men, who
might help thpm in small things; and then
the apostles said, " We will give ourselves to
prayer, and the ministry of the*word." This
saying pleased all the disciples: they were
willing to help the apostles, and thus to give
them more time for prayer and preaching:
so they chose out seven faithful and holy
men. The names of these men were Stephen,
Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicolas. Then they brought them to the
apostles, who prayed, and laid their hands
upon them, and set them apart for the service
of God. These seven men were called dea¬
cons. Their business was to attend partic¬
ularly to the poor widows; and also to collect
money, and distribute it to those who were
in need.
God still blessed his word more and more;
and a great number, even of the priests, "be¬
came obedient to the faith." At last, some
other enemies began to trouble the Servants
THE FIRST MARTYR.
103
of God. Whenever God's people are busy-
in making known the Gospel, Satan is busy
.too among his servants, stirring them up to
resist the truth, and fight against it; and so
it was now.
These wicked men were very angry with
Stephen, one of the seven deacons, for he
was full of faith and power, and did great
wonders and miracles among the people. So
they falsely accused him of speaking against
Moses, and against God; and then they
caught him, and brought him before the
council, and said, " We have heard him say,
that Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this
place, and shall change the customs which
Moses delivered to us."
All this time Stephen stood calmly before
his enemies. He looked so holy and so gen¬
tle, that those who gazed at him saw his face
"as it had been the face of an angel."
At last, the high priest spoke to Stephen,
and asked, "Are these things so?" Then
Stephen began to defend himself, but he did
this very wisely and gently. First, he re¬
minded his enemies of their own past history.
He told them of Abraham,—of God's com¬
mand to him to go into the land of Canaan,
and of Abraham's faith and obedience. Then
he spoke of the sufferings of the people of
Israel in Egypt, for 400 years, as God had
said, and of their deliverance by Moses. He
104
THE FIRST MARTYR.
reminded them of all the wonders God did for
his people in the Red Sea, and in the wilder¬
ness, by the hand of Moses. Stephen was
accused of speaking against Moses; but he
showed, in his defence, that this accusation
was untrue, and that he loved and honoured
him very much as God's faithful servant.
Then Stephen told them, that Moses himself
had prophesied of Christ, of that Saviour
whom they rejected. The prophecy was this:
" The Lord thy God will raiseup unto thee a
Prophet from the midst of thee, like unto me:
unto him ye shall hearken." Deut. xviii. 15.
This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ him¬
self, of whom Moses was a type.
Then Stephen spoke of the disobedience of
the Israelites, and of the punishments with
which they were threatened. And he told
them of the tabernacle which was built for
God's service in the wilderness, and of the
temple which was afterwards built at Jeru¬
salem by king Solomon. But Stephen said,
" The Most High dwelleth not in temples
made with hands: as saith the prophet, hea¬
ven is my throne, and earth is my footstool:
what house will ye build me ? saith the
Lord; or what is the place of my rest ? Hath
not my hand made all these things ? "
Stephen had now answered the false accu¬
sation of his enemies. He had shown them
that he did not speak against Moses and
THE FIRST MARTYR.
105
against G-od; but tbat he loved and feared
God, and honoured Moses his servant. He
had told them about the tabernacle in the
wilderness, and about the temple at Jeru¬
salem ; and perhaps he wished now to explain
to them, how the services of the tabernacle
and the temple, the sacrifices and the cere¬
monies, were, done away in Christ, the Prophet
of whom Moses had spoken. And then he
would have warned them of the destruction
which must come upon them if they rejected
that Prophet; and this would have explained
the meaning of the words he was accused
of saying;—"Jesus shall destroy this place,
and shall change the customs which Moses
delivered us."
Put the enemies of Stephen were beginning
to be impatient, so he hastened to the end of
his speech. He wished to make them feel
their great wickedness, and he spoke to them
very solemnly indeed. He said, "Your fa¬
thers persecuted the prophets who foretold
the coming of Christ; and you have betrayed
and murdered that Just One." When they
heard this, they grew very angry, and gnash¬
ed on Stephen with their teeth. But he was
still calm and gentle; and being full of the
Holy G-host, he looked up to heaven, and
saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
That Jesus who had himself suffered so much
was now looking down in love upon his faith-
106
THE FIRST MARTYR.
ful servant, to comfort him in his sufferings.
Then Stephen said, " I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on the
right hand of God." But his enemies -would
not attend to what he said. They cried out
with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and
ran upon him, and cast him out of the city,
and stoned him. Then Stephen called upon
Grod, and said, " Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit." And he kneeled down, and cried
with a loud voice, "Lord! lay not this sin
to their charge." And when he had said
this, " he fell asleep."
So Stephen died; hut the Bible does not
say he " died:" it only says he •" fell asleep."
His death was so happy, so peaceful, that it
was not like death: it was like calm and
quiet sleep. Yet Stephen died in great pain.
What could make him forget the pain, and
"fair asleep" so peacefully? The sight of
his Saviour standing at God's right hand to
take him up to heaven. That sight was so
bright and glorious, that it made Stephen
forget all the pain of his cruel death, and
all the rage of his wicked murderers. And
Stephen's heart was so full of holy love, that
he could pray for his enemies, even when they
were throwing stones upon him to kill him.
He remembered the example of his Saviour,
who, when on the cross, cried, "Father, for¬
give them, they know not what they do."
THE FIRST MARTYR.
107
Stephen is called the first martyr. He
was the first who suffered death for the sake
of Christ. There have been many, many
martyrs since Stephen died. First, the
apostles: then the early Christians; and
very many more m after times. There have
been martyrs in our mother-country:—holy
men and women, and children too, who were
cruelly burnt to death at the time of the
Reformation, because they would not join
in the foolish and wicked errors of Popery.
And where are all these holy martyrs now ?
They are happy with Jesus, and will be so
forever. "They have come out 6f great
tribulation," and now they are "before the
throne of God," and he "shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes." Rev. vii. 14.
We should be thankful that we do not live
in a time when people are put to death for
believing the truth, and for serving the Lord
Jesus Christ. But we ought to pray too, for
the spirit of these holy martyrs: that if ever
we should be called upon to suffer for the
sake of Christ, we may be enabled to do so
with their faith, and love, and boldness: re¬
membering that if we thus suffer with Christ,
"we shall also reign with him." 2 Tim. ii, 12.
108
SIMON THE SORCERER.
dec. 9.—simon the sorcerer.
Among- the enemies of Stephen was a
young man, named Saul. He was willing
that Stephen should be put to death: he con¬
sented to it, and "kept the raiment of them
that slew him." This Saul was first a per¬
secutor, and afterwards, a preacher of the
Gospel. We shall soon read a great deal
about him.
The disciples took the dead body of
Stephen, and carried. it to the grave, and
wept over it. It was a time of great sorrow
and trouble; for the enemies of Jesus, partic¬
ularly Saul, were now persecuting the Chris¬
tians very cruelly; and a great many of
these Christians were driven far away from
Jerusalem. But God turned all this to his
own glory; for those who were scattered
abroad went everywhere, preaching the Gos¬
pel.
Philip, one of the seven deacons of whom
we read before, went to Samaria, and preach¬
ed Christ to the people there. And he worked
miracles among them, healing the sick, and
casting out devils; and many of the people
believed, and there was great joy in all the
city.
There was living at Samaria, at that time,
a man named Simon. This man was a sor¬
cerer, or magician. He told the people that
SIMON THE SORCERER.
109
he was very great and powerful, and pretend¬
ed to work miracles among them, and to do
wonders, as, you remember, the wicked magi¬
cians in Egypt once did in the time of Moses.
Simon deceived the people of Samaria for a
long time: so that they all attended to him,
saying, "This man is the great power of
God." But when these people believed what
Philip preached, they attended to Simon no
more; hut were baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ. At last, Simon himself believed, and
was baptized; and he stayed with Philip,
wondering at the miracles and signs that were
done. But Simon was not a true believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ. He believed with his
understanding only, not with his heart; and
this is not true faith in the sight of God.
But Philip could not see the heart: so he
hoped that Simon was sincere, as he pro¬
fessed to be.
When the apostles at Jerusalem heard of
what had been done among the people of
Samaria, they sent to them Peter and John.
Then these apostles prayed that the disciples
in Samaria might receive the Holy Ghost, as
those in Jerusalem had; and they" laid their
hands on them, and God heard their prayer,
and answered it. When Simon saw that the
Holy Ghost was given through the laying on
of the apostles' hands, he went to Peter and
John, and offered them money, and said,
Vol. VI. 9
110
SIMON THE SORCERER.
" Give me this power, that I may give the
Holy Ghost to those on whom I lay my
hands." Simon did not understand that the
Holy Ghost was the gift of God alone ; and
he wished to have the power which the apos¬
tles had, only that he might he more hon¬
oured hy the people; for Simon was a very
ambitious man, and very fond of power. But
Peter was taught by God to know the wicked
thoughts which were in Simon's heart: so he
answered, " Thy money perish with thee, be¬
cause thou hast thought the gift of God can
be bought with money. Thou hast nothing
to do with such holy things as these; for
thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
And now, repent of this wickedness, and pray
God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart
may be forgiven thee." Then Simon an¬
swered, " Pray ye to the Lord for me," for
he began now to feel frightened, and well he
might, at what Peter said.
This story teaches us a very solemn lesson.
It shows us that people may be baptized,
as Simon was, and that they may profess to
believe the Gospel, as he did, while their
hearts are not "right in the sight of God."
And such people may deceive their fellow-
creatures, as Simon deceived Philip and the
Samaritans, for a time. But God cannot
be deceived. He sees every thought of the
heart; and all deceit and hypocrisy will be
philip and the eunuch.
Ill
made known "in the day when God shall
judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christ,
according to the Gospel." Romans ii. 16.
How fearful it will be in that day, for all
whose hearts are "not right in the sight of
God!"
Then let us pray now, that our hearts may
be made new and clean by the Holy Spirit,
and each say, as David did, " Search me, 0
God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked
way in me, and lead me in the Way ever¬
lasting." Psalm cxxxix. 23, 24.
dec. 10.—philip and the eunuch.
The apostles now returned to Jerusalem,
and preached the Gospel in many villages of
the Samaritans. Then an angel of the L6rd
came to Philip, and said, "Arise, and go to
the south, unto the way that goeth from Je¬
rusalem to Gaza, which is desert."
Why was Philip to go there ? What could
he do in a desert where no people were liv¬
ing ? Philip did not know; but as soon as the
command was given him, he obeyed, without
asking "why." Philip knew that God was
wiser than he; and that every command of
112 PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH.
God is right and good: so he obeyed in faith.
God had a very particular reason for sending
Philip to the desert just at this time: we
shall soon see what it was.
There was a country called Ethiopia, south
of Egypt, and a queen ruled over it called
Candace. Candace had a eunuch, or officer,
who took care of all her treasures, and was
very useful to her in her kingdom. This
man was a Jewish proselyte; that is, he had
learnt to believe in the God of Israel, and to
attend to the law of Moses. So this eunuch
used to go sometimes to worship, and keep
the feasts at Jerusalem. It happened .that
he had been to Jerusalem a little time before;
and now he was returning to Ethiopia across
the desert, just when Philip was sent there.
The eunuch was traveling in his chariot, and
as he rode along, he was not idle: he had a
book with him which he was reading very at¬
tentively. Perhaps he was reading it aloud
to his friends and servants who were travel¬
ing with him. What book was he reading ?
The best book that any one can read:—the
holy Scriptures.
Then the Spirit of God said to Philip,
"Go, and join thyself to the chariot." So
Philip ran directly to the chariot; and when
he came nearer, he heard the words which
the eunuch was reading, and spoke to him,
and asked, " Understandest thou what thou
PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH.
113
readest?" The eunuch answered, "How
can I, 'except some man should teach me?"
And then he asked Philip to come and sit
with him in the chariot, and explain what he
was reading. So Philip did as the eunuch
wished.
The place of the Scripture which he read
was this: "He was led as a sheep to the
slaughterand like a lamb dumb before the
shearer, so opened he not his mouth." These
Words were written by Isaiah many years be¬
fore. They were a prophecy of Jesus Christ;
but the eunuch did not know this: so he Said
to Philip, "I pray thee, of whom did the
"prophet speak this ? of himself, or of some
other man?" Then Philip began at that
very text, and preached unto him Jesus.
He told him that those words were spoken
of the "Lamb of God which taketh away the
sin of the world;" of the Lord Jesus Christ
who was slain for us, and whose blood clean-
seth from all sin."
The eunuch liked to hear Philip talk; and
Philip was willing to answer his questions,
and explain his difficulties. And God blessed
what Philip /aid, and gave the eunuch faith
to believe in Jesus Christ, as the true Mes¬
siah, the Saviour of sinners.
At last they came to some water. Then the
eunuch said to Philip, "See, here is water:
may I be baptized ?" For the eunuch wished
114
PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH.
to obey the command of that Saviour in
whom he now believed. Philip answered,
" If thou believest with all thine heart, thou
mayest." The eunuch said, "I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God." And no
doubt the confession came from his heart,
and not from his lips only; for this eunuch
was a true believer, and not a mere professor
like Simon the sorcerer.
Then the chariot was stopped; and they
both went down to the water, and Philip bap¬
tized the eunuch. But as soon' as they came
from the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
away Philip, and directed him to a place
many miles off, where there was more holy
work for Philip to do.
But what became of the eunuch after
Philip was gone? He went on his way re¬
joicing. He had much to make him rejoice.
He had learnt to believe in Jesus Christ,
who came into the world to save sinners; and
he had a good hope that, when he died, he
should go to that Saviour, and be with him
forever. He and Philip never met again on
earth, but they have long ago met in heaven;
and Philip knows now why he was sent so
far off to the desert, and rejoices that he
obeyed the command.
And what may we learn from this story?
We may learn the duty and blessing of
searching the Scriptures, and of seeking and
SAUL OP TARSUS.
115
praying to understand them. It was when
the eunuch was diligently studying Isaiah
the prophet, that Philip was sent to "preach
unto him Jesus." And Christ says to us,
" Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think
ye hav(5 eternal life, and they testify of me."
John v. 39. But, like the eunuch, we cannot
always understand what we read, without
some one to teach us. How thankful we
ought to he, then, for wise and holy ministers
of God's word, who are able and willing to
explain it. But we must remember, that the
teaching of man alone will do us no real good.
We should pray to be taught of the Spirit.
He is the best teacher; and we must ask him
"•to take of the things of Christ, and show
them unto us." Then we shall rightly un¬
derstand the Scriptures, not only with our
heads, but with our hearts; and find them
able to make us "wise unto salvation, through
faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim*
iii. 15.
dec. 11.—saul op tarsus.
We are now going to read a very wonder¬
ful story about the cruel persecutor Saul, who
had driven away so many Christians from
Jerusalem.
116
SAUL OP TARSUS.
Saul was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin.
He was born at Tarsus in Cilicia, and brought
up in Jerusalem by Gamaliel, the learned Jew
of whom we have heard before. Saul was
very clever and learned, like his master; and
like him too, he was a Pharisee, and very
particular in keeping the law of Moses. And
because of all this, Saul thought himself very
righteous and good: too good to need a Sa¬
viour; for he did not then know the sinful¬
ness of his own heart, nor feel the truth of
the text which says, " There is not a just
man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth
not." HJcelesiastes vii. 20. So when Saul
first heard of Jesus of Nazareth, instead of
believing on him as the true Messiah, he de¬
spised, and rejected, and hated him. And
when some of the people began to believe the
Gospel, Saul hated and persecuted them, be¬
cause they loved Christ. He even thought
it was his duty to do this, and to try to pre¬
vent them from believing in the Lord Jesus.
How ignorant and foolish Saul was then!
And so are all who have not been taught, by
the Holy Spirit, to feel themselves sinners,
and to go to Christ for salvation.
After persecuting the Christians in Jeru¬
salem, Saul determined to persecute them in
other cities also. So he went to the high-
priest,, and asked for letters to the rulers of
the synagogues in Damascus, giving him
SAUL OP TARSUS.
117
leave, if he found there any disciples of the
Lord, to bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Then the high-priest gave him letters, and
Saul set off to Damascus.
But as he journeyed, and came near to
Damascus, there suddenly shined round about
him a light from heaven; and he fell to the
ground, and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why perseeutest thou me?"
Then Saul cried, "Who art thou, Lord?"
And the voice said again, "I am Jesus,
whom thou perseeutest."
- It was the same Jesus whom Saul had de¬
spised, and whose disciples he had perse¬
cuted, who was now calling to him. But
why did Jesus say that Saul persecuted him?
Because Jesus regards his people as himself.
He says, he that toucheth them, "toucheth
the apple of his eye." Zee. ii. 8.
But Saul did not despise Jesus now. The
voice came with power to his heart, and con¬
quered and subdued it; and Saul cried hum¬
bly, as he had never done before, " Lord!
what wilt thou have me to do ? " The Lord
answered, " Arise, and go into the city, and
it shall be told thee what thou must do."
Then Saul arose; but he was not able to see,
for the bright light had taken away his sight;
so those who were with him led him by the
hand, and brought him to Damascus.
Saul was three days at Damascus, without
118
SAUL OF TARSUS.
eating or drinking; and he was blind too, all
that time. How very sad this was! Yet all
was sent in mercy to Saul, to bring him to
repentance. As he sat alone, blind and un-
happy, he thought of his past life; and he
felt, for the first time, that he was a sinner
before God; and then he began to pray for
pardon. And did God hear his prayer ?
Yes: God had been looking upon Saul all
this time; and as soon as Saul began really
to pray, God heard and answered him.
There was a disciple living at Damascus
named Ananias. The Lord appeared to this
good man in a vision, and said, "Ananias,
arise, and go into the street called Straight,
and ask in the house of Judas, for a man
named Saul of Tarsus; for, behold, he pray-
eth. And he has seen thee, in a vision,
coming in, and putting thine hand upon him,
that he may receive sight." But Ananias
answered, " Lord, I have heard of this man
before, and how much evil he has done to thy
disciples in Jerusalem. And now he is come
here with power from the priests, to bind all
those who call upon thy name." Ananias
did not believe, at first, that this Saul could
be really humble and penitent; and perhaps
he felt afraid to go to him. But God taught
Ananias that he had power to soften the
hardest heart: he said, "Go thy way; fori
have chosen Saul to preach my Gospel to the
SAUL OF TARSUS.
119
Gentiles, and to kings, and to the children
of Israel; and he shall suffer many things
for my name's sake." Then Ananias obeyed
directly. He went into the street called
Straight, and to the house of Judas, and
there he asked for Saul of Tarsus. Then
Ananias went into the room where Saul
was, and laid his hands upon him, and said,
"Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who ap¬
peared to thee in the way, has sent me that
thou mayest receive thy sight, and he filled
with the Holy Ghost." And immediately he
received sight, and arose, and was baptized.
Then he ate some meat, and was strength¬
ened; and he stayed with the disciples in
Damascus, and preached Christ in the syna¬
gogues.
What wonderful power and mercy God
showed in thus turning the heart of Saul of
Tarsus! And God is still able and willing
to soften the hardest hearts, and to pardon
the greatest sinners who come to him as Saul
did, when God said of him, "Behold, he
prayeth." Saul had often said prayers, as
the Pharisees did, with his lips, "to be seen
of men;" but he had never before prayed
with his heart to God in secret; and there¬
fore his prayers had never before been heard
nor answered. Do you wish to be pardoned
as Saul was ? Then you must come to God
as he did, when he was lying blind at Da-
120
DORCAS.
mascus, and as tlie poor publican did in the
parable, and say, " God be merciful to me a
sinner!"
dec. 12.—dorcas.
About this time, Peter went to a place
called Lydda, to visit the disciples there.
There was at Lydda a man named Eneas,
who was sick of the palsy. He was so ill and
weak, that he was not able to walk nor stand;
and he had been in this sad state for a long
time: he had kept his bed eight years. When
Peter heard how ill Eneas was, he went to
see him. This was very kind, and very right.
We ought 'always to try to comfort our
friends, when they are sick and in trouble.
And, particularly, we should then try to
speak to them of the Lord Jesus Christ; for
he is the good physician, and the best friend
in times of illness and sorrow.
So Peter came to Eneas, and spoke to him,
and said, "Eneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee
whole: arise, and make thy bed." And
Eneas arose directly, and was well. It was
Jesus, not Peter, that made Eneas well.
Peter had no power in himself to work mira¬
cles ; and he never wished people to think he
had. He always told them that the wonders
DORCAS.
121
he did were done in Christ's name, and by
Christ's power.
There was another person sick, at Joppa,
not far from Lydda. This was a woman
named Dorcas. Dorcas was a true disciple of
the Lord Jesus; and she showed her love to
him, by acts of love to his people. Perhaps
she remembered those words which Jesus said
should be spoken to the righteous, at the day
of judgment, "Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me." Matt, xxv, 40.
What was it that Dorcas did ? She visited
the sick, and clothed the poor, and comforted
those who were in trouble. She tried to fol¬
low the example of her Saviour, who "went
about doing good."
But, at last, it pleased God to send pain
and sickness upon Dorcas. She became very
ill, and grew worse and worse; and, after a
little time, she died. It was a Sad, sad day
at Joppa, when Dorcas died. The poor, and
the sick, and the sorrowful, felt what a kind
friend they had lost: they thought, "Dorcas
is dead: she will never come to see us and
comfort us any more." And then they be¬
gan to weep very bitterly.
But some of the disciples at Joppa remem¬
bered that Peter was not far off; and they
sent two men to ask him to come and comfort
them. So Peter arose directly, and went to
Vol. VI. 11
122
DORCAS.
Joppa. Then they led him to the house
where Boreas had lived, and "brought him
into the upper room, where the body lay.
The friends of Boreas were there weeping,
and among them were many poor widows
whom she had clothed ; and they were show¬
ing, one to another, the coats and garments
which Boreas had made while she was with
them. But Peter sent them all away; for he
wanted to he alone; and then he knelt down,
and prayed. He prayed that God would, in
his mercy, raise Boreas to life again; and
then Peter turned to the dead body, and said,
"Boreas, arise." And God heard and an¬
swered Peter's prayer, and madfe Boreas live
again; and she opened her eyes; and, when
she, saw Peter, she sat up. Then Peter call¬
ed the widows, and the friends of Boreas, and
showed her to them alive and well. How
rejoiced they all were ! How thankful to
God, who had given them their dear friend
once more!
We should try to follow the example of
Boreas, to love Jesus, and to show our love to
him, as she did. Boreas was humble, and
diligent, and always ready to do good; and
we should pray to be so too. There is much
for us all to do; and, if we really love Jesus,
we shall not be selfish and idle, but active
and diligent in his service: we shall try, if we
can, to be useful to others, and not live only
cornelius.
123
to ourselves. The Bible tells uS, " Pure reli¬
gion, and undefiled before God and the Father,
is this; to visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction." James i. 27. This was
what Dorcas did, and it is what Christian
women now may do. And if they do it for
the sake of Christ, he will not despise , their
" work of faith and labour of love," though
humble; but he will say of each, what he said
of Mary, when she anointed his feet to show
her love to him, "She hath done what she
could." : Mark xiv. 8.
dec. 13.—cornelius.
After Saul had become a believer in the
Lord Jesus, he went from Damascus to Ara¬
bia, and stayed there some time. And, no
doubt, Saul spent that time in reading the
Scriptures, and in prayer; and sought very
anxiously to be taught by God's Spirit, that
he himself might be able to teach the truth
to others. After this, he went back -to Da¬
mascus, and preached so boldly to the Jews
there, that he made them all very angry, and
they tried to kill him. Night and day they
watched by the gates, to lay hold pf him, if
they could. But Saul, and the disciples at
124
CORNELIUS.
Damascus, knew what these Jews were try¬
ing to do: so the disciples took care of him,
and let him down from a window secretly, by
night, and sent him away to Jerusalem.
But when Saul was come to Jerusalem, the
disciples there were all afraid of him. Why ?
Because they did not believe he was really a
disciple. They remembered how he had per¬
secuted them in- times past, and they could
not believe, at first, that he now really loved
Jesus. But a good man, named Barnabas,
took him, and brought him to the apostles,
and told them how he had seen the Lord in
the way; and that he had spoken to him;
and how he had preached boldly at Damascus
in the name of Jesus. Then the apostles be¬
lieved that Saul was really a disciple, and
gladly received him among them. There
was no unkind feeling in the apostles: they
only wanted to be quite sure that Saul was a
Christian; and then they were rejoiced to
forgive all his past unkindness and persecu¬
tion. So Saul stayed and preached at Jeru¬
salem, till his enemies sought to kill him;
and then the brethren sent him away to
Tarsus.
There was living at this time in Cesarea, a
centurion named Cornelius. This centurion
loved and served God. He did not yet know
very much of holy things; but he wished to
know more, and prayed daily to be taught.
CORNELIUS.
125
Now the Bible tells us, that if any man will
do the will of God, "he shall know of the
doctrine;" and so it was with Cornelius.
One day, an angel appeared to the cen¬
turion in a vision, and called him, and said,
"Cornelius." Cornelius looked -upon the
angel, and was afraid, and asked, "What is
it, Lord?" The angel answered, "Thy
prayers are heard: they are come up for a
memorial before God. And now send to
Joppa, and call for a man there named
Simon Peter. He is lodging with Simon,
the tanner, whose house is by the sea-side:
he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do."
What a wonderful vision this was! Did
Cornelius attend to it? Yes: as soon as the
angel was gone, he called two of his servants,
and a soldier, a good man who always waited
on Cornelius, and told them what he had
seen, and sent them to Joppa to fetch Peter.
But as Peter did not know Cornelius, might
he not be unwilling or afraid to go to him ?
Yes; but God had prepared Peter for what
he was to do, by a vision as wonderful as that
which Cornelius saw. The very day that the
messengers set off on their journey, Peter, who
was now at Joppa, went on the house-top to
pray. While there, he became very hungry,
and asked for food; but before the food could
be made ready for him, he fell into a trance
—a kind of vision or dream. He thought he
u*
126
CORNELIUS.
saw heaven open, and a vessel coming down
to him, like a great sheet, knit at the four
corners. In this vessel were all kinds of
animals: wild /beasts, and tame beasts, and
creeping things, and birds of the air. Then
Peter heard a voice saying to him, "Arise,
Peter, kill and eat." But Peter answered,
"Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any¬
thing common or unclean." The voice said
again, " What God has cleansed, call not thou
common." This was done three times; and
then the vessel Was taken up again into hea¬
ven ; and Peter awoke.
While Peter was wondering what this
vision could mean, and why it was sent, the
messengers of Cornelius came to the gate,
and asked if Simon Peter lodged in that
house. Just at that moment, the Spirit said
to Peter, "Three men are seeking thee; go
with them, and fear not; for I have sent
them." So Peter went down, and met them
at the gate, and said, "I am the man you
seek. Tell me, why are you come ?" They
answered, "We are come from Cornelius, the
centurion. He is a just man, and fears God;
and he has been warned by an angel to send
for thee." Then Peter called the messengers
into the house, and lodged them that night;
and the next day he went with them to
Cesarea.
Cornelius was very anxiously waiting to
CORNELIUS.
127
see Peter. He called together a great many
of his friends and neighbours, and told them
all to come and hear the words which Peter
would have to say to them. Then, as soon
as he saw Peter coming with the messengers,
he ran out to meet him, and fell down, and
worshipped him. But Peter said, "Stand
up: I myself also am a man." Peter did
not want more honour than was due to him.
It is not right to worship any created being;
neither a man. nor an angel. Worship be¬
longs to God, and to God alone.
So, Cornelius brought Peter into the house,
where all his friends were gathered together,
waiting. And now Peter began to under¬
stand what the vision meant, and why it had
been sent just at that time. Cornelius and
his friends were all Gentiles; and Peter, as
a Jew, might think it unlawful to keep, com¬
pany with those of other nations; just as he
thought it unlawful to eat certain things for¬
bidden in the law of Moses. But God had
now taught Peter, by the vision, to call no¬
thing common or unclean. Many of the strict
ceremonial laws were done away, after Christ
had come and fulfilled the law. The Jews
might now eat what they pleased, and need
not mind which animals were clean, and
which were unclean. And so, too, there was
now to be no distinction between Jews and
Gentiles; "for there is no respect of persons
128
CORNELIUS.
■with God;" Bom. ii. 11; "but in every
nation he that feareth him, and worketb
righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts
x, 35. All this came into the mind of Peter;
and he told Cornelius the lesson God had
taught him in the vision ; and then he said,
" Therefore, I came to you as soon as I was
sent for; and now I ask, why is it that ye
have sent for me?" Then Cornelius answer¬
ed, "Four days ago, I was praying in my
house, and, behold, a man stood before me in
bright clothing, and said, 4 Cornelius, thy
prayer is heard. And now send to Joppa,
and bring here Simon, whose surname is
Peter: he is lodged in the house of Simon,
a tanner^ by the sea-side., He shall come
and speak to thee.' So I sent directly for,
thee, and thou hast well done that thou art
come. / Now, therefore, we are all here pre¬
sent before God, to hear the things that are
commanded thee of God." ;
Then Peter opened his mouth, and preached
to all the people in the house of Cornelius-
He told them many things which they had
not clearly understood before. He told them
of Jesus of Nazareth, and how God anointed
him with the Holy Ghost, and with power:
who went about doing good: whom they slew,
and hanged on a tree; and whom God raised
up the third day. And then Peter said,
"We are witnesses of these things; and he
the first christians. 129
commanded us to go and preach to the
people, and to say, that, through him, all
who believe shall receive remission of sins."
While Peter was speaking, the Holy Ghost
came upon all who heard him; and they were
enabled to speak with tongues, and glorify
God. Then Peter commanded them to be
baptized in the name of the Lord. And
after this, he stayed with them many days.
There is much for us to learn from this
story. It teaches us the blessing of seeking
God, in truth and sincerity, as Cornelius did.
It tells us that those who ask shall have, and
that those who seek shall find. . And it shows
us how willing God is to save all who come to
him, through Jesus Christ, of whatever coun¬
try they may be. We should be as willing to
hear the Gospel as Cornelius and his friends
were; and let us pray God to bless it to our
hearts, as he did to theirS.
dec. 14.—the first christians.
About this time, Barnabas went to Tarsus,
to seek for Saul; and when he had found him,
he brought him to Antioch. Saul and Bar¬
nabas stayed together at Antioch a whole
year. They preached the Gospel there; and
many believed, and turned unto the Lord.
130
THE EIRST CHRISTIANS.
" The disciples were called Christians first
at Antioch." This was a new name then
given to them: what did it mean ? The word
Christian means a follower of Christ; one
who professes to be his servant, and to own
him for a Master. We, who live in this coun¬
try, are called Christians. We are baptized
in the name of Christ in our infancy ; and
we profess to belong to his church, his peo¬
ple, his family. But many people profess to
be Christians, and are not really Christians.
A real Christian loves the Saviour more than
anything in the world: believes in him with
all his heart, and tries to please and honour
him in all he says and does. Those people,
then, cannot be true Christians, who love the
world, and its follies, and vanities, and sins.
They cannot be true Christians if they try
to please themselves more than to please
Christ, and if they seek their own honour
more than his. It is a very awful thing to
profess to belong to Christ, and yet in heart
to be "none of his." At the day of judg¬
ment, Jesus will say to all such people, "I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity." Matt.yii, 23.
The early Christians at Antioch were really
sincere: they truly loved Jesus, and showed
their love by their kindness to their poor
brethren. " The disciples determined to send
relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judsea:
PETER DELIVERED FROM PRISON. 131
which, also they did, and sent it to the elders
by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." This
was a good way of showing their love to Jesus,
for he himself had said, " By this shall all
men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another." John xiii. 35.
Dec. 15.—PETER DELIVERED FROM PRISON.
Christ had told his disciples, that they
would have much to suffer for his sake; and
now trouble and persecution had begun.
About this time, Herod, king of Judaea,
grandson of the wicked Herod who killed
the children at Bethlehem, stretched forth
his hand to vex certain of the church. And
he killed James, the brother of John, with the
sword. And, because he saw that it pleased
the Jews, he determined to take Peter also.
Peter was now at Jerusalem: so Herod sent,
and took him, and put him into prison, and
commanded a number of soldiers to keep him
safely. Herod did not wish to put him to
death directly; but he determined, after the
Passover, to bring him out to the people, to
be judged.
■ It was a sad time for the other disciples
when Peter was in prison. They all loved
him very much, and could not bear to be
parted from him. And then they thought,
132 PETER DELIVERED EROM PRISON.
perhaps, that they should never have him with
them again. They had lost James: he had
been cruelly killed; and they well knew that
their enemies would kill Peter, too, if they
could. So they all felt very, very sad.
Could they do nothing for him? Yes: there
was one thing they could do. They could
not take him out of prison, they could not
save him from Herod's power; but they could
pray for him; and so they did. " Prayer was
made without ceasing, of the church, unto
God for him." This teaches us something.
"We may lose our friends: they may go far,
far away from us: they may be in pain, and
suffering, and trouble, and we may not be
able to help and comfort them. But then we
can pray for them. God can help them,
though we cannot,; and if he sees right, he
will answer our prayers for them, as he did
the prayers of the disciples for Peter.
One night, the night before Peter was to
be brought out, he was sleeping in the prison,
between two soldiers: he was bound with two
chains, and the keepers before the door kept
the prison. How could Peter sleep ? Was
he not too anxious, too unhappy, to rest
quietly? No: Peter could be peaceful and
happy even in prison: he could sleep quietly
though he expected to be brought before his
enemies the next morning, and perhaps put
to a cruel death. And why was he so calm
PETER DELIVERED PROM PRISON. 133
and happy ? Because He was at pjjace with
God, through Jesus Christ. Peter ifks ready
to die, and therefore he had no cause for fear.
While Peter was sleeping, suddenly, in
the middle of the nigh.t, a light shone in the
prison, and an angel of the Lord came, and
smote him on the side, and said, " Arise up,
quickly." And immediately the chains fell
off from Peter's hands. Then the angel said
again, "Gird thyself, and put on thy san-*
dais." And Peter did so. Once more, the
angel said, " Cast thy garment about thee,
and follow me." Then Peter arose, and fol¬
lowed the angel. They passed through the
prison, but the soldiers did not awake: then
they came to the door, but the keepers were
still sleeping: so they-went out, and came
to the iron gate. How could they open the
gate ? Did the angel undo the lock, and move
away the great bars? No, he had no need
to do this: the gate opened' of itself; for God
made it open, that his servant Peter might
be delivered. So Peter and the angel went
through, and came into the city. Then they
passed along one street, and, in a moment,
the angel was gone.
All this was done so suddenly, and so
quickly, that Peter hardly knew what had
happened, but thought he saw a vision. But
when he was come to himself, he said, "Now
I know that the Lord has sent his angel, and
Vol. VI. 12
184 PETER DELIVERED PROM PRISON,
delivered me out of tlie hand of Herod." So
Peter, full of joy and thankfulness, went on,
and came to the house of Mary, the mother
of John, surnamed Mark, and knocked at the
door. Were not all the people in the house
asleep? No: though it was so late, they
were aWake; for they had a great work to
do, and they could not rest till it was done.
What was that work ? It was prayer. They
were all gathered together praying. Perhaps
they were too busy with their daily duties to
come together earlier: so these good people
met in the night-time for prayer, and none
of them complained of being too tired and
sleepy to attend to holy things. No: they
all thought it was the best and happiest time
of the day ; for they had learnt to love the
work of prayer and praise, better than any
other work they had to do. They were pray¬
ing, too, for Peter. They had not forgotten
their dear friend who had been so long in
prison. They prayed for him again and
again; for though God did not answer their
prayers directly, they felt quite sure that he
would at last, when the right and best time
came. And so he did. This very night,
lyhile they were praying, Peter came and
knocked at the door.
A young maid, named Rhoda, went out
to ask who was there; and when she heard
Peter's voice answering, she was so glad, that,
PETER DELIVERED PROM PRISON. 135
■without opening the gate, she ran hack, and
told those in the house that Peter was come.
But they would not believe it. They said,
"No: it cannot be: thou art mad." But
Rhoda told them she was quite sure that it
was really Peter. All this time, Peter stood
knocking at the gate: so at last they opened
it, and found, to their great joy, that Peter
was there indeed. Then he told them how
he had been delivered, and said, " Go, and
show these things unto the brethren." So
he left them, and went to another place,
where he would be safe from his enemies.
In the morning, when the soldiers came to
look for Peter, they were very much aston¬
ished not to find him; and no one knew how
he had escaped, nor where he was. Herod
sought for him a long time in vain; and then
he became very angry, and commanded the
keepers to be put to death. This was very
unjust and cruel of Herod. The keepers
were not to blame; but Herod was so angry
that he did not care what cruel or unjust
thing he did.
And now we come to the sad end of this
wicked king. He was soon punished for all
his crimes in a very dreadful way. Not long
after Peter's escape, Herod was one day
seated upon his throne in his palace at Ce-
sarea, dressed in his royal garments. All his
lords and his nobles were there, and Herod
136
patjl the apostle.
made a speech to them as they stood before
him. Then they all gave a shout, and cried,
"It is the voice of a god, and not of a man."
But Herod did not reprove them for this
foolish and wicked flattery: he loved to hear
himself praised, and to think of his power,
and greatness, and riches: forgetting that it
was God who had given him these things, and
that he could, in one moment, take them all
away. And God soon showed the people,
and Herod himself too, how vain and foolish
this flattery was. He showed them that this
wicked king was not a god, but a weak, help¬
less man, unable to save himself from sick¬
ness and death when they came upon him.
"The angel of the Lord smote him because
he gave not God the glory ; and he was eaten
of worms, and gave up the ghost.
dec. is.—paul the apostle.
Saul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem,
with the money sent from the Christians at
Antioch; and when they had finished their
work there, they returned to Antioch. Then
they were told by the Holy Ghost to go and
preach the Gospel in other places: so after
prayer for God's blessing, they left their
friends at Antioch, and sailed to Cyprus.
PAUL THE APOSTLE.
137
There was living at Paphos, in Cyprus, a
governor named Sergius Paulus. He was a
Gentile : a wise man; and he showed that he
had wisdom by wishing to hear the apostles
preach. He wanted to know the word of
God. ■ But there was a sad enemy of the Gos¬
pel living at Paphos, too. This was a man
named Elymas: he was a sorcerer, or magi¬
cian, and he not only hated the truth him¬
self, but he wished to prevent Sergius Paulus
also from believing it. But Saul, being filled
with the Holy Ghost, a^d knowing the wicked¬
ness of Elymas, fixed his eyes upon him, and
said, " 0 thou child of the devil, thou enemy
of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to
pervert the right ways of the Lord ? Behold,
now the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and
thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a
season." And as Saul said this, there fell a
darkness upon Elymas, and he went about
seeking some one to lead him by the hand.
We do not read whether this wicked man
ever repented of his great sin, and became
willing to receive the Gospel. But the go¬
vernor, Sergius Paulus, when he saw what
was done, believed; and we may hope that he
became a true disciple of the Lord Jesus.
How dangerous and foolish it is to fight
against God and his Gospel! We have often'
seen this before. Many times we have read
of wicked men trying to destroy the truth; but
12*
138
PAUL THE APOSTLE.
they never could, and they never will; for
God is stronger than they, and his word must
prosper at last.
Then Saul, who was now called Paul, left
Paphos with his company, and went to Perga,
and afterwards to Antioch; not the Antioch
we read about before, but another Antioch, in
Pisidia. There they went into the synagogue
on the Sabbath-day, and sat down. After
reading the law and the prophets, the ruler
of the synagogue asked the apostle^ to preach
to the people. So Paul stood up, and spoke
to them for a long time about the history of
Israel in past times, and particularly about
king David. And then he told them of that
Son of David, according to promise, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Saviour. And he explained
to them how Jesus came into the world, and
died, and rose again, to save poor sinners who
will believe in him. Some of the people,
particularly among the Gentiles, were willing
to believe the Gospel; and they begged the
apostles to preach the same things to them
again; and the next Sabbath almost all the
city came to hear the word of God. But
many of the Jews were filled with envy and
hatred, and could not bear to see all the peo¬
ple coming to hear the Gospel, and contra¬
dicted all that Paul and Barnabas said. Then
the apostles spoke very faithfully and boldly
to these unbelieving Jews, and said, " It was
PAUL THE APOSTLE.
139
right that the word of God should he preach¬
ed to you first, for this was the command of
Christ; but as you have put it away from
you, and are careless about everlasting life in
heaven, we shall now leave you, and go to the
Gentiles.- For the Lord has commanded us
also to make known his salvation to the ends
of the earth."
When the Gentiles heard this, they were
glad, and many of them believed; but the
Jews raised a persecution against Paul and
Barnabas, and drove them from the city. So
the disciples left' Antioch, and went to Ieo-
nium. There again they were persecuted by
Jews and Gentiles too; so they escaped to
Derbe and Lystra, cities of Lycaonia.
How very sad all these stories are 1- They
show us this truth, and a very awful truth it
is,—that the natural Heart is " enmity against
God." Romans viii. 7. All our hearts are, by
nature, like the hearts of these unbelieving,
persecuting Jews and Gentiles. Every one
of us is like Elymas, " a child of the devil, and
an enemy of all righteousness," till changed
by the Holy* Spirit, and made " a new crea¬
ture" in righteousness and true holiness.
Let us pray then to be made " children of
grace;" to be received into the family of
Christ, and to become followers of God as his
" dear children."
140
paul at lystra.
dec. 17.—paul at lystra.
There was, at Lystra,,a certain poor man
who was a cripple, and had never been able
to walk. This man heard Paul speak, and
believed; and when the apostle saw that he
had faith to be healed, he said to him with a
loud voice, "Stand up on thy feet." And
immediately the cripple leaped up, and walk¬
ed. The people of Lystra were very much
astonished when they saw this miracle. They
knew that there could be no power in man to
work such a miracle: yet they did not be¬
lieve that it was done by the power of God,
the true God; so they thought that Paul and
Barnabas themselves must be gods, come
down in the likeness of men; and they called
Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius; for
these were the names of two of the false
gods which they worshipped. ' Then the
priest of Jupiter brought oxen, and garlands
of flowers, and wanted to offer sacrifices to
Paul and Barnabas, as they did to their own
idols. For these poor heathens knew nothing
of that one great sacrifice which Had been
offered up, and which alone can take away
the sin of the world.
When the apostles saw what the people
were going to do, they were filled with hor¬
ror, and rent their clothes, and ran in among
PAUL AT LYSTRA.
141
the multitude, and cried, "Sirs, why do ye
these things? We are not gods: we are men
like yourselves; and we come here to tell you
to turn away from these vanities, and serve
the living God." But the poor people would
hardly he prevented from offering, sacrifices
to the apostles even then.
But some other people came to Lystra,
very different from these ignorant idolaters.
They were the persecuting Jews from Antioch
and Iconium ; and they soon persuaded the
people of Lystra to try to kill the apostles,
instead of sacrificing to them. So they
stoned Paul, and drew him out of the city,
thinking he was dead. But God preserved
his faithful disciple for more usefulness, and
suffering too, in his service: and as the dis¬
ciples stood round Paul, he rose up, and came
into the city; and the next day he went with
Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had
preached the Gospel there, they returned to
Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch; and
spoke much to those who really believed in
Jesus, and told them to be strong in faith to
the end, and to bear patiently all they might
have to suffer for Christ's sake: because "we
must through much tribulation enter into the
kingdom of God." Then they passed through
Pisidia and Pamphylia, and at last sailed back
again to Antioch in Syria, and told the Christ¬
ians there all that God had done by them
112
PAUL AT LYSTRA.
among the Gentiles. And there they abode
a long time with the disciples.
How much these apostles did and suffered
in the cause of Christ! We 'may learn from
them many a lesson of patience, and diligence,
and love. The apostles had much tribulation
to suffer. Pain, and persecution, and loss of
all things; but they never complained nor
murmured. They knew that "through much
tribulation they were to enter into the king¬
dom of God;" and they were willing it
should be so. And all God's people must
suffer tribulation of some kind or other: not,
perhaps, such as Paul and Barnabas suffered;
but there are sorrows and troubles for them
all, before they can enter into the kingdom
of God. But they do not murmur at this.
They know that it is better " to suffer afflic¬
tion with the people of God, than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season." Heb. xi.
25. They know that their sorrows will soon
end; and then they will go and join that
happy company around the throne of God,
"who have come out of great tribulation,"
and now stand before the Lamb, " clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands."
Rev. vii. 9.
timothy.
143
Dec. 18.—timothy.
When Paul came to Lystra, he found a
young disciple there named Timothy. The
father of this young man was a Greek; hut
his mother was a Jewess, and a believer in
Jesus Christ. Her name was Eunice. Ti¬
mothy had another believing relation: this
was his grandmother Lois. These two holy
women had brought up young Timothy, as
all really good parents and friends tr.y to
bring up children, "in the nurture and ad¬
monition of the Lord." They taught him
everything that was right and useful for him
to know; but they remembered that the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of all true wis¬
dom; and that was the wisdom which they
were most anxious to teach Timothy: so,
"from a child," they instructed him in "the
holy Scriptures, which are able to make men
wise unto salvation, through faith which is in
Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. iii. 15.
It pleased God to bless this good teaching
to young Timothy. He early learnt to know
and love the Lord ; and now, when Paul saw
him at Lystra, he thought so well of him, and
loved him so much, that he determined to take
him as his companion in his journeys. So
Timothy was ordained an evangelist, and
then went with Paul into many different
countries. Paul loved Timothy as his son;
114 PAUL AT PHILIPPI.
and Timothy honoured Paul as his father.
Paul wrote two epistles to Timothy, and called
him his " dearly-beloved son:" his " own son
in the faith;" and he gave him much wise ad¬
vice, and much encouragement, to strengthen
him in the work he had to do.
Many children now are brought up as wisely
and piously as young Timothy was by his good
mother and grandmother^ How thankful
these children should be for all the good in¬
struction they receive! How attentive they
ought to be to all the holy lessons given
them! But then it will do children no good
merely to know these things with their under¬
standings, if they do not feel them in their-
hearts. And only the Holy Spirit can teach
the heart. He it was who was Timothy's
best teacher: who blessed the instruction of
Lois and Eunice, and made Timothy really
"wise unto salvation." Pray that you may
be thus taught; and then, like Timothy, you
will be useful while you live, and eternally
happy when you die.
dec. 19.—paul at philippi.
Paul and his companions went through
Phrygia, and Galatia, and Mysia, and at last
PAUL AT PHILIPPI.
145
they came to Troas. A Christian church
was formed in Galatia, to which Paul after¬
wards sent the epistle called "the epistle to
the Galatians."
While Paul was at Troas, he saw, in a
vision, a man of Macedonia, saying to him,
"Come over into Macedonia, and help us."
As soon as Paul had seen this vision, he
determined to go directly to Macedonia; for
he knew the vision came from God, and that
it was sent to tell him that there was work to
do in Macedonia. So he took a ship, and
sailed to Samothracia, and the next day to
JSTeapolis; and then he came to Philippi, a
chief city in Macedonia, peopled by Romans.
Paul and his friends stayed some days at
Philippi; and on the Sabbath they went to
the river's side, to a place where the people
used to meet for prayer; and Paul sat down,
and taught the women who came there. One
of these women was named Lydia. She was
a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira,
and a worshipper of the true God. The
Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend to
the things which Paul said; and she became
a believer in Christ, and was baptized. Lydia
was so thankful to the apostles for their in¬
struction, that she begged them to come into
her house, and stay there.
People may hear the Gospel preached to
them, but they will never be the better for it
Vol. VI. 13
146
PATJL AT PHILIPPI.
unless God opens their hearts, as he did
Lydia's. All our hearts are by nature shut
against the truth; and therefore, whenever
we read or hear the Scriptures, we should
pray, "Lord, open our hearts, that we may
understand and receive thy word."
There was another person at Philippi, to
whom Paul was useful. This was a young
woman who was possessed with an evil spirit,
and pretended to foretel future things. She
was a slave; and her wicked and cruel mas¬
ters gained a great deal of money by her;
for many people came to see her, and to hear
the things she said. When this young wo¬
man saw Paul and his companions, she fol¬
lowed them for many days, crying "These
men are the servants of the most high God,
which show unto us the way of salvation."
This was the truth; but the evil spirit did
not mean the people to think it was; nor did
the poor slave herself understand rightly
what she said. But, at last, Paul being
grieved, and full of pity, turned, and said to
the spirit, " I command thee, in the name of
Jesus, Christ, to come out of her;" and the
evil spirit came out that same hour. And
then the poor slave no longer said the wicked
things she had said before; but became, we
may hope, a true disciple of the Lord Jesus.
But when her masters saw what was done,
they were very angry, because now they
PAUL AT PHILIPPI.
147
would gain no more money by her: so they
eaught Paul and Silas, and brought them
before the judges, and said, "These Jews
greatly trouble our city, and teach things
which are unlawful for us to receive, being
Romans." Then the multitude rose up:
and the judges commanded that the apostles
should be beaten. So first they were beaten
very cruelly, and then cast, into prison; and
the jailor was told to keep them safely. This
jailor was a cruel, hard-hearted man, and
very willing to do all the judges wished. So
he thrust Paul and Silas into the inner pri¬
son, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
^ow sad it was for these two good men to
be so crully punished for preaching the Gos¬
pel, and trying to do good! But Paul and
Silas did not feel sad. They could be peace¬
ful and happy even in the prison; for they
knew that God was with them there, and they
rejoiced to suffer for his sake. "And at
midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang
praises unto God; and the prisoners heard
them." And God heard them too; and an¬
swered their prayer in a very wonderful way.
He sent a great earthquake, which shook
the prison to the foundations; and all the
doors were opened, and every one's chains
were loosed. The noise awoke the jailor out
of his sleep; and when he saw what had hap¬
pened, he thought that all the prisoners had
148
PAUL AT PHILIPPI.
escaped; and he drew his sword, and was
going to kill himself; for he knew that he
would he punished with some very cruel-death,
if his prisoners were really gone. But Paul
cried out, " Do thyself no harm; for we are
all here." Then the jailor called for a light,
and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell
down before Paul and Silas, and brought
them out, and said, " Sirs, what must I do
to be saved?',' Then they answered, "Be¬
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved; " and they preached the Gospel to
him, and to all who were in the house. And
that same hour, the jailor brought them out,
and took them into his own house, and gave
them food to eat ; and was baptized with all
his family, believing and rejoicing in the
Lord.
What a wonderful change this was in the
jailor! A few hours before, he was cruel
and hard-heapted; and hated the apostles,
and the Gospel they preached. Now, he was
gentle and willing to be taught ; and had be¬
come an humble believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ. The grace of God can change any
heart; and he is willing to pardon and to
save the greatest ginners. But there is only
one way of being saved; and that is the way
which Paul and Silas showed to the poor
penitent jailor: "Believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
PAUL AT PHILIPPI.
149
In the morning, the magistrates sent to the
prison, saying, " Let these men go." For
the earthquake had frightened the magistra¬
tes as well as the jailor; but we are not told
that they l'earnt to believe in Jesus Christ,
as he did. Then the jailor went to Paul and
Silas, and said, " The magistrates have sent
to. let you go; now then depart, and go in
peace." But Paul answered, "No: they
have punished us openly, uncondemned, and
they should not send us away seeretly. Let
them come themselves, and fetch us out."
When the magistrates heard this, they were
afraid; for they thought they might perhaps
displease the emperor of Borne, if they ill-
treated Boman citizens: so they came direct¬
ly, and brought out the apostles, and sent
them away. Then Paul and Silas went to
the house of Lydia, and saw the brethren
there, and comforted them, and departed. -
Thus began a little Christian church at
Philippi. Paul, some years after, wrote a
very beautiful letter to these Christians. It
is called in the Testament, "the epistle to
the Philippians.'' The Philippians loved Paul
very much, and often comforted him in his
sorrows, and helped him in times of need.
And Paul loved them too, and remembered
and prayed for them when he was far distant
from Philippi; and he sent them this letter
by Timothy, to encourage them to go on
150
paul at athens.
serving tlie Lord: that, at last, he and they
might meet in heaven, and never he parted
again. He said, "Therefore, my brethren,
dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and
crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly
beloved. Rejoice in the Lord always; and
again I say, rejoice. The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer, with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known unto God. And the peace
of God shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus." Phil, iv, 1—7.
dec. 20.—paul at athens.
Paul and his friends then went on to Thes-
salonica, where was a Jewish synagogue, and
taught there on the Sabbath-day. Some of
the Jews believed, and so did many of the
Greeks. But the Jews who did not believe
were very angry, and called together some
wicked men, and went to the house where the
apostles lodged, to seek for them. The house
belonged to a good man named Jason. These
cruel enemies could not find the apostles:
so they laid hold of Jason and the other bre¬
thren, and brought them before the rulers
of the city, and said, " Those men who have
PAUL AT ATHENS,
151
troubled the world in otber places, are come
here also; and Jason has received them into
his house. They are teaching people to dis¬
obey our laws: they say that there is an¬
other king, named Jesus." This troubled
the rulers very much; but they did no hurt
at that time to Jason and the others, but let
them go. Then the brethren sent away Paul
and Silas by night; and they came to Berea.
Yet God blessed Paul's preaching to many
people at Thessalonica; and a Christian
church was formed there, -to which Paul
afterwards wrote the two Epistles to the
Thessalonians.
Were the Jews at Berea more willing to
attend to Paul than the Jews at Thessalonica ?
Yes: we are told they were " more noble
than those in Thessalonica, for they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the Scriptures daily, whether these
things were so; therefore, many of them
believed." The Jews at Thessalordca hardly
attended to what the apostles preached: those
at- Berea not only attended but thought a
great deal about it afterwards. They search¬
ed the Old Testament Scriptures, to see if they
could find in them anything like what Paul
said. And they did find much there about
the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Moses, and
David, and Isaiah, and others had prophesied.
And then many of these Bereans believed;
152
PAUL AT ATHENS.
for God blessed their searching of his word,
and taught them more and more by his Spirit,
and helped them to understand and believe
the truth. This is a lesson for us. We ought
not only to hear the Gospel preached, but to
read and search into the Bible for ourselves.
We should "prove all things " by the Scrip¬
tures ; asking God to enable us to under¬
stand them aright; and then he will lead us,
by his Holy Spirit, into all truth, as he did
the wise and noble Bereans.
But Paul could not stay long at this place;
for the unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica
came, and stirred up the people of Berea too:
so the brethren sent Paul away, and he went
to Athens.
We read a great deal about Athens in
history. It was a place very famous for
learning, and wisdom, and knowledge, and
politeness. But yet these clever people at
Athens had no true wisdom; for they were
ignorant of God, and of the Bible, and of
the way to heaven. They worshipped many
false gods; and had feasts in honour of
them; and these gods they thought, were
not holy and good, as the God of the Bible
is; but bad and wicked; of like passions
with themselves. Yet the Athenians wor¬
shipped them still; and thus, "professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools;"
for they were "vain in their imaginations,
PAUL AT ATHENS.
153
and their foolish heart was darkened." Rom.
i. 21.
When Paul saw all this, he was grieved to
the heart. He too was learned; and able to
enjoy much which the Athenians enjoyed;
and to admire many things which they ad¬
mired. But Paul had that true wisdom of
which they knew nothing. He had learnt
"to know nothing among men save Jesus
Christ, and him crucified; " and he could not
feel happy at Athens, beautiful as it was, be¬
cause " he saw the city wholly given to idol-
atry.", So Paul went about among the Jews,
and the Greeks, too, speaking to them of
Jesus and the resurrection. At last, some of
the philosophers, or wise men, met him, and
asked him to explain to them what these new
doctrines meant. So Paul stood on the top
of a rock, called Mars' Hill, and said, " Ye
men of Athens, as I passed by, and looked
at the gods ye worship, I saw an altar with
this written on it—To the Unknown God.
Now this God whom ye ignorantly worship,
him I preach unto you. The true God of
whom I tell you, made the world, and all
things that are in it; and he gives to us life,
and breath, and all things. And it is his
will that we should seek him, and feel after
him, and find him; for he is not far from any
of us; for in him we live, and move, and have
our being. Then we ought not to think that
154
PAUL AT ATHENS.
this great God is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, as many ignorantly do. God is now
making himself known in all the world; and
he commands people every where to repent,
and to turn to him and believe. For a day
will come, when God will judge the world in
righteousness, by that man whom he raised
from the dead, even this same Jesus, that I
preach to you."
When Paiil began to talk about the resur¬
rection of the dead, some mocked: others said,
"We will hear thee again, another time."
So Paul departed from them. Yet there were
some, even in Athens, who believed what
Paul preached. Among them was a man
named Dionysius, and a woman called Da-
mar is, and others with them. And thus
while Paul preached " Christ crucified, to the
Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks
foolishness," those who believed found Christ
to be " the power of God, and the wisdom of
God." 1 Cor. i. 23, 24.
PAUL AT CORINTH.
155
Dec. 21.—PAUL AT CORINTH.
So Paul left Athens, and went to Corinth,
another city in Greece. There he found a
Jew named Aquila, who had just come from
Italy with his wife Priscilla, because the Ro¬
man emperor had commanded all Jews to go
away from Rome. Aqfiila and Priscilla were
believing Jews, and very kind and friendly
to Paul: so he went and stayed at their
house. But Paul, and Aquila, and Priscilla,
did not live in idleness: they had to work for
their daily bread ; and as they were of the
same trade, they worked together ; for they
were tentmakers.
This is a lesson for us. God's people should
be anxious to do good, and to be useful to
others; but they must remember, too, not to
neglect their own daily duties. If they are
poor, as Paul and his friends were, they
should work diligently to get their own
living, that they may not be troublesome to
those around them. And if, while they work
with their hands, they think of God, and love
him in their hearts, he will bless them in
everything they do. St. Paul sayS a great
deal, in his Epistles, about industry and dili¬
gence ; and he reproves the idle and slothful,
commanding them, "by our Lord Jesus
Christ, that with quietness they work, and
156
PAUL AT CORINTH.
eat their own bread." 2 Thess. iii. 12.
And he says again, that " if any wonld not
work, neither should he eat."
Every Sabbath-day, Paul went into the
synagogue, and talked to the Jews and
Greeks. The ruler of the synagogue, who
was named Crispus, attended to what Paul
preached, and believed with all his family;
and so did many of th% Corinthians. There
were enemies of the Gospel at Corinth, as at
other places; but God appeared to Paul in a
vision by night, and told him not to fear
them. He said, " Be not afraid, but speak,
and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee,
and no man shall hurt thee; for I have much
people in this city." This encouraged Paul:
so he stayed a year and six months at Co¬
rinth, teaching the word of God to the
people.
At last the Jews were so angry with Paul,
that they laid hold of him, and brought him
before Gallio, the Roman governor of Achaia,
to be judged. They said, " This man teaches
people to worship God contrary to the law."
This was untrue; and Paul was just going to
explain that what he preached was not con¬
trary to the law; but Gallio was impatient,
and would not hear. He said, " All this is
no business of mine. I understand nothing
of your law: you must look to the matter
yourselves; for I will be no judge of such
PAUL AT CORINTH.
157
things; " and then he drove them away from
the judgment-seat. So the Greeks took Sos-
thenes, the ruler of the synagogue, a friend
of Paul, and beat him; but Gallio said no¬
thing to them, for he "cared for none of
these things/'1
Gallio was not so persecuting and cruel as
many of the enemies of the Gospel were; but
he was really, perhaps, as much an enemy as
any of them. He knew nothing of God,
nor Christ, nor the way of salvation; and he
wished to know nothing of them; for " Gallio
cared for none of those things.'' But how
yery sad it is to be careless about such mat¬
ters ! They are far more necessary for us
to care about than any worldly things ; and
at the day of judgment we shall find them to
be so. All will care for " those things" then;
but at that awful time, caring for them will
do no good; for it will be too late then to seek
for pardon, and salvation, and eternal life in
heaven. Let us "care for the things that
belong unto the Lord," and unto salvation,
now; and then we shall be ready for death
and judgment, whenever they may come.
Paul stayed at Corinth some time after
this; and then he took leave of the brethren
there, and sailed towards Syria, with Priscilla
and Aquila. A great many of the Corinth¬
ians became true believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ; and Paul loved them very much, and
Vol. VI. 14
158
PAUL AT EPHESUS.
afterwards wrote them two long letters—the
two Epistles to the Corinthians. These letters
are full of good advice, and kind warnings,
and faithful reproofs too; for the Corinthians
often did things which were wrong; and Paul
loved them too well not to tell them of their
faults. But he did all in affection, and like
a kind and wise father; and they received
his advice and reproofs like obedient and
affectionate children. And then he comfort¬
ed them when they were sorrowful, and
prayed God to comfort them too; and he
ended his letter by telling them how they
might be truly happy—happy in this world,
and eternally happy in heaven: " Finally,
brethren, farewell. Be perfect; be of good
comfort; be of one mind; live in peace; and
the God of love and peace shall be with you."
2 Cor. xiii. 11.
dec. 22.—paul at ephesus.
On his way to Syria, Paul stopped at
Ephesus, and left Aquila and Priscilla there;
and then he went on, promising soon to re¬
turn, if it should be the will of God.
Another faithful minister came to Ephesus
about this time: a Jew, named Apollos. He
PAUL AT EPHESUS.
159
was a sincere believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and learned in the ScriptureSj and
bold, and diligent, and full of love. But
Apollos was young, and did not yet under¬
stand the way of God perfectly: s6 Aquila
and Priseilla used to ask him to their house;
and then they talked to'him about holy things,
and explained to him what- he did not know
before. This was very useful to Apollos;
for Aquila and Priseilla were older than he,
and had served God longer, and had more
knowledge. It was right and kind of them
to instruct him; and Apollos was very grate¬
ful for their instructions. It is pleasant to
see young people and older ones living as
Priseilla and Aquila and Apollos did ; and it
is the way in which all Christians ought to
live together.
After a little time, Apollos left Ephesus,
and went to other places, preaching to the
Jews, and "showing by the Scriptures that
Jesus is the Christ;" and while Apollos was
at Corinth, Paul, after visiting many different
countries, came again to Ephesus. There
were many disciples at Ephesus; but they
had not yet received the Holy Ghost in that
wonderful way in which it had been given to
many others. Their hearts had been changed
and made new by the Spirit; but they had not
yet been taught by him to speak with tongues,
and to prophesy. So Paul, after he had bap-
160
PAUL AT EPHESUS.
tized them m the name of the Lord Jesus,
laid his hands on them, and prayed; and
then the Holy Ghost came upon them, and
they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.
Paul stayed two years at Ephesus, preaching
and working miracles in the name of Jesus.
At last, some of the unbelieving Jews in
Ephesus pretended that they could do these
wonders too: so they called over a man who
had an evil spirit, the name of Jesus, saying,
" We adjure you hy Jesus whom Paul preaeh-
eth." But the evil spirit answered, "Jesus
I know, and Paul I know; hut who are ye ? "
And the man who had the evil spirit leaped
upon them, and overcame them: so they fled
from the house wounded and frightened.
This was soon known among all the people
at Ephesus; and many of them, when they
heard it, believed; for it showed them that
Paul worked miracles by the power of God,
and that he was not a mere pretender, like
those wicked unbelieving Jews. And many
of those who had been magicians, or sorcer¬
ers, when they believed the Gospel, and
found how foolish and sinful their arts were,
brought their books, and burnt them before
all men. Those books were full of what
was wicked, and could do good to no one:
so the Ephesians did very right to burn them.
But after a time, there was great trouble
in the city of Ephesus; for the enemies of
PAUL AT EPHESUS.
161
the truth began to persecute the disciples
there, as in other places. There was a man
named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made
silver images of Diana, the idol-goddess of
the Ephesians. Demetrius was an idolater,
and he gained his living by this wicked trade
of image-makings But when the people .-of
Ephesus became believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ, they gave up their idolatry, and want¬
ed no more silver images from Demetrius.
Then the silversmith began to fear that he
should lose his business: so he called together
all the other silversmiths in the place, and
said to them, " Sirs, you know that by this
trade we have our wealth. Now this Paul,
who preaches here, is turning away the peo¬
ple from the worship of Diana, and telling
them that those are no gods which are made
with hands. So now our trade is thought
nothing of: no one comes to buy our silver
images; and the temple of our great god¬
dess Diana is despised." Then those who
heard what Demetrius said were very angry,
and cried out, " Great is Diana of the Ephe¬
sians." All the people in the city, when
they heard the noise, came together; and
some of them caught hold of two of the
friends of Paul, and hurried them away.
Paul wished to go to them; but his other
friends would not let him put himself into
danger: so they kept him safely.
14*
162
PAUL AT EPHESUS.
The tumult in the city lasted a long time.
Some cried one thing, and some another; and
many did not know why they had come to¬
gether at all. Then a Jew named Alexander,
tried to defend himself; hut as soon as he
began to speak, the people cried out again,
" Great is Diana of the Ephesians;" and
they would not attend to anything he said,
because he was a Jew. At last, the town-
clerk came out to quiet the people. He said
to them, "Ye men of Ephesus, all the world
knows that the people of this city worship the
great goddess Diana, and the image which
fell down from our god Jupiter; you need not
cry out so loudly what every one believes.
You ought to be quiet, and do nothing hast¬
ily; for these men, whqm you accuse, have
done you no hurt: they are not robbers of
churches, nor blasphemers of your goddess.
If Demetrius has anything to say against
them, let the matter be decided by law; for
we are in danger of being called in question
ourselves about this day's uproar." And
when the town-clerk had said this, he sent
away the multitude. So all was quiet; and
then Paul called the disciples, and took leave
of them, and departed.
How foolish people are, when they are ig¬
norant of the Gospel, and follow the fancies
of their own hearts! ' The Ephesians were
wise and clever in many things; yet they
PAUL AT EPHESUS.
163
were so foolish and so ignorant, that they
could believe the silly stories which they were
taught about the goddess Diana, and the
image which fell down from Jupiter. There
are many heathen nations as foolish now.
Let us pray that God would send his Gospel
to them, and turn their hearts from " idols to
serve the living and true God." 1 Thess. i. 9.
But there were some true Christians among
the Ephesians ; and to them Paul afterwards
wrote a beautiful epistle, when he himself was
a prisoner at Rome. And in that letter he
reminded them how wicked and ignorant they
had once been; and thanked God who had
pardoned their sins, and made them his own
children through faith in Jesus Christ. He
said, " And you hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins: wherein, in times
past, ye walked according to the course of
this world. At that time ye were without
Christ, having no hope, and without God in
the world; but now, in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometime were far off, are made nigh by the
blood of Christ." JSph. ii. 1, % 13.
164 paul at troas and miletus.
dec. 23.—paul at, troas and miletus.
Paul went into Macedonia again; and
after visiting other places, came at last to
Troas, on his way to Syria, and stayed there
seven days. On the first day of the week,
the disciples came together, and Paul preach¬
ed to them, ready to depart on the morrow.
The first day of the week is our Sunday, the
Christian Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath was
on the seventh day of the week: because on
that day God rested from his work of creation,
and " blessed the seventh day, and hallowed
it." But after Christ's resurrection, the Sab¬
bath was kept on the first day of the week;
for Christians remembered a still more glo¬
rious work which happened on that day. It
was on the first day of the week that the
Lord Jesus Christ arose from the grave, and
so finished the work of our redemption.
It was in the evening, when the little com¬
pany of Christians at Troas met together to
hear Paul preach. They assembled in an
upper room: there were many lights in the
room; and as Paul had much to say to the
people, he went on preaching till midnight.
There sat in a window of the room a young
man named Eutychus; and as Paul was long
preaching, this young man fell asleep, and at
last sunk down with sleep, and fell from the
window, and was taken up dead. All the
PAUL AT TROAS AND MILETUS. 165
disciples were in great trouble, when they saw
what had happened ; but Paul went down to
the place where the dead body lay, and fell
on it, and prayed to Go|Tto raise Eutychus
to life again. And God, who had before
raised the dead at the prayers of Elijah, and
Elisha, was pleased to hear the prayer of
Paul now, and to assure him that Eutychus
should live again. So' Paul said to those
who were sorrowing around, "Trouble not
yourselves; for his life is in him." Then
Paul came up again, and ate bread with the
disciples, and talked to them till morning,
and then departed.
And what became of Eutychus ? The dis¬
ciples found him alive and well; and this
comforted them very much in their sorrow at
parting with Paul. Was it right of Eutychus
to sleep while Paul was preaching ? We may
believe he was very tired and weary, and
therefore unable to help falling asleep. But
it is very wrong to sleep during prayers or
preaching, from idleness and inattention.
People who do this cannot really love holy
things. And if they so soon tire of God's
service on earth, how can they be fit for his
eternal service in heaven ?
Paul left Troas, and went on foot to Assos:
then he took ship, and sailed to Miletus. He
was anxious to be at Jerusalem on the day
of Pentecost: so he hastened on his journey
166 PAUL AT TROAS AND MILETUS.
from place to place. But lie would not leave
Miletus without seeing some very dear friends.
These were the elders of the church of Ephe-
sus. He sent for £hem, that he might talk
to them once more, before he took leave of
them forever. So when they were come, he
spoke to them very affectionately and ten¬
derly. He reminded them of all that he had
said in times past; and then told them, that
now he was going to Jerusalem, not knowing
what might happen to him there. But he
said, " The Holy Ghost tells me that, in
every place, bonds and troubles await me.
Yet none of these things move me; neither
think I my life dear unto myself: I only
wish to finish my course with joy, and the
ministry which I have received of the Lord
Jesus. And now I know that all you among
whom I have preached shall see my face no
more. Remember then what I have told you,
and take care of the flock which God has
given you to feed,—the church which he has
bought with his own blood. I know that
wolves will soon eome among you, and try to
destroy that little flock. Enemies will come,
and try to lead you away from the truth of
the Gospel. Watch, then, and pray; and
remember how I have warned you for three
years, night and day, with tears. And now
I give you up to God, and to the word of his
grace; for he is able to keep you, and at last
paul at jerusalem.
167
bring you safely to the inheritance he has
prepared for them that are sanctified," And
when Paul had said this, he knelt down and
prayed with them all. And they wept sore,
and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him: sor¬
rowing most of all for the words which he
spoke,-—that they should see his face no more.
So they went with him to the ship : then they
again bid him farewell, and watched him for
a long while, till at last the ship sailed far
away beyond their sight, and they saw him
no more.
dec. 24.—paul at jerusalem.
On his voyage to Jerusalem, Paul stopped
at many places. He stayed seven days at
Tyre, where he found some disciples; and
when the time came for him to go away,
these disciples all went with him to the sea¬
shore ; and then - they kneeled down, and
prayed together. When they had taken
leave of one another, the disciples returned
home; and Paul and his companions sailed
on, first to Ptolemais, and then to Cesarea.
Paul stayed some days at Cesarea, with
Philip, of whom we read before, in the stories
of Simon the Sorcerer, and the Ethiopian
168
PAUL AT JERUSALEM.
Eunuch. While Paul was there, a prophet
came from Judaea, named Agabus. This
prophet had been taught, by the Holy Spirit,
the things which should happen to Paul at
Jerusalem. So he took Paul's girdle, and
bound his own hands and feet, and said,
" Thus saith the Holy Ghost, so shall the Jews
at Jerusalem bind the man who owiieth this
girdle, and shall give him up to the Gentiles."
When the friends of Paul heard this, they
all begged him not to go to Jerusalem. They
loved him very much, and could not bear
that he should suffer; and they wished to
keep him with them, if they could. But what
Agabus prophesied did not frighten Paul, nor
trouble him at all. He turned to his friends,
who were all weeping around him, and said,
" What mean ye to weep, and to break my
heart? I am ready not only to be bound,
but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name
of the Lord Jesus." His own sufferings he
cared nothing for; but it troubled him very
much to see others in sorrow for his sake.
There was no selfishness in Paul. His only
care was to be useful to others, and to glorify
God in every thing: either by preaching the
Gospel, or by suffering and dying for it. ' So
when his friends saw how determined he was,
they did not try to persuade him any more;
but only said, "The will of the Lord be
done." They knew that whatever God
PAUL AT JERUSALEM.
169
should appoint must be right, though it
might he painful to Paul, and to them also,
for his sake; and they left all to his will.
And this is what we ought to do, in times of
sorrow: we should say, "Lord, not as we
will, hut as thou wilt."
, So Paul came to Jerusalem. The breth¬
ren there received him with great joy; hut
very soon, the unbelieving Jews began to
persecute him, as Agahus had prophesied.
They accused him of speaking against the
law, not understanding what it was that he
really preached; and then they laid hold of
him in the temple, and drew him out, and
tried to kill him. All Jerusalem was in an
uproar; hut at last the Roman captain, Ly-
sias, came out with some soldiers; and then
they became quieter, and left off beating
Paul. So Lysias took him, and bound him
with two chains ; and then he asked the peo¬
ple who Paul was, and what he had done.
Some cried one thing and some another, and
the chief captain could not understand, what
they meant; but he commanded Paul to be
taken to the castle. As he was carried
along by the soldiers, the multitude followed,
crying, " Away with him:" just as many had
cried, when Christ himself was taken to be
put to death. Paul was now hated, and des¬
pised, and persecuted for his Master's sake.
When they came to the castle, Paul said
Vol. VI. 15
170
PAUL AT JERUSALEM.
to the chief captain, "May I speak to thee? "
Paul said this in the Greek language, which
surprised Lysias very much; for he had
thought all this time that Paul was an Egyp¬
tian, who had made a rebellion in the coun¬
try some time before. So the chief captain
said, " Canst thou speak Greek ? Art thou
not that Egyptian who led into the wilder¬
ness four thousand men that were mur¬
derers ? " Then Paul answered, " No: I am
a Jew, of Tarsus, in Cilicia. I pray thee,
let me speak now to these people." So Ly¬
sias gave him leave; and all the people stood
quite still to hear what Paul would say.
And what did Paul speak to them about?
He told them his past history: the wonderful
stories which we have been reading, of his
cruelty to the Christians at first, and his
conversion to the faith of Christ afterwards,
when going to Damascus; and of the com¬
mand which God gave him, to go and preach
to the Gentiles. The people heard Paul
patiently till he came to this, and then they
grew very angry indeed. Why ? Because, as
Jews, they felt jealous of the Gentiles, and
could not bear that God should show them
any love or favour. This was a very bad
spirit: quite different from the spirit of the
Gospel, which tells us that there is no differ¬
ence between Jews and Gentiles, but that all
are "one in Christ Jesus." But these Jews
PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL. 171
were not believers in the Gospel of love and
peace: so they cried out, "Away with this
man: it is not right that he should live,."
Then the chief captain brought Paul into
the castle, and commanded that he should be
beaten. But while they were binding him,
Paul said to a centurion who stood by, " Is
it lawful to beat a man who is a Roman, and
uncondemned ? " When the centurion heard
this, he went to Lysias, and said, " Take care
what thou doest; for this man is a Roman."
Then the chief captain asked Paul himself,
"Art thou a Roman?" And he answered,
"Yes." Lysias began to be frightened at
this ; for it was unlawful to treat a free citi¬
zen of Rome as Paul had been treated. So
the next day, Lysias called together the
chief priests and their council; and loosed
Paul from his bonds, and brought him before
them to be examined.
Dec. 25.—PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL.
Then Paul began to defend himself, and
said, " Men and brethren, I have lived hon¬
estly before God until this day." Paul did
not mean by this that he had never done any
thing to displease God; for he well knew how
172 PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL.
weak and sinful he was. But he meant that
he had not done those things of which his
enemies accused him, and that he did not de¬
serve to he brought there to be judged.
Then the high priest, Ananias, commanded
those that stood bj to smite Paul upon the
mouth. This was cruel, and unjust too, and
Paul felt that it was: so he turned to Ana¬
nias, and said, " God shall smite thee, for sit-
test thou to judge me according to the law,
and commandest me to be smitten contrary
to the law?" Some of the standers by said,
"Revilest thou God's high-priest?" Then
Paul answered, "I did not know, brethren,
that he was the high-priest; for it is written
in God's Jaw, Thou shalt not speak evil of
the ruler of thy people." Paul remembered,
even before his cruel and unjust enemies,
that he ought to give honour to those to
whom honour is due. But what Paul said
to Ananias was afterwards fearfully fulfilled.
God did smite that wicked man. Ananias
was killed, some years after, in a rebellion
headed by his own son.
Paul then began to speak of the resurrec¬
tion of the dead. But as some of those who
heard him were Pharisees, who believed in
the resurrection, and some were Sadducees,
who did not believe in it, they began to quar¬
rel among themselves; and the confusion
was so great, that Lysias feared Paul would
PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL.
173
be torn to pieces by the multitude: so be
commanded the soldiers to take him away,
and carry him into the castle. Paul must
have felt very sad when he found himself
alone in his prison, and thought of all that
had happened that day. But he was not
without comfort. That very night, the Lord
stood by him, and said, "Fear not, Paul:
thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, and so
thou must also in Borne."
The next day, some of the Jews made a
conspiracy against Paul, and determined that
they would neither eat nor drink till they
had killed him. Then they went to the chief
priests, and told them, and said, "We have
determined neither to eat nor drink till we
have killed Paul. Now, then, to-morrow ask
the chief captain to bring him down to you
again; and we, before he come near, are
ready to kill him." But God had determined
that Paul should not die at Jerusalem, and
he found a way of escape for him.
It happened that a nephew of Paul heard
something of this conspiracy, and he went
directly to the castle, and told his uncle.
Then Paul called a centurion, and asked him
to take the young man to the chief captain.
So the centurion went with Paul's nephew to
Lysias, and said, "Paul, the prisoner, a%ked
me to bring this young man to thee: he has
something to tell thee." Then Lysias took
174 PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL.
Paul's nephew by the hand, and drew him
aside, and said, " What hast thou to tell me ? "
The young man answered, "The Jews are
going to-morrow to ask thee to bring Paul
again into the council; but do not yield to
them ; for there are more than forty men who
have made a vow neither to eat nor drink till
they have killed him; and now they are
ready, looking for a promise from thee."
Then the chief captain told the young man
to keep all secret, and sent him away. As
soon as he was gone, Lysias called two cen¬
turions, and told them to make ready a num¬
ber of soldiers, and horsemen, and spearmen,
and send them that night, with Paul, to
Cesarea, to Felix, the governor. Then he
wrote a letter to Felix, telling him all about
Paul, and how he had been accused, and how
his enemies had conspired against him; and
he asked Felix to hear for himself what Paul
had to say. So the soldiers did as they were
commanded, and brought Paul to Cesarea,
and gave the letter to the governor. When
Felix had read it, he said he would hear
Paul's defense as soon as his accusers were
come; and commanded that Paul should be
kept in Herod's judgment-hall at Cesarea.
In a few days, Ananias, the high priest,
canye to Cesarea, and with him a man named
Tertullus, one of Paul's enemies. Then Paul
was called out, and brought before Felix; and
PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL. 175
Tertullus began to accuse him, as others had
done, of despising the temple, and troubling
the Jewish people. All the Jews who heard
Tertullus speak, agreed with him, and said
that what he had spoken was true. Then
Paul defended himself, saying that his ene¬
mies falsely accused him of making a tumult
or disturbance in Jerusalem. But there was
one thing they accused him of, which he con¬
fessed was quite true; and that was, his
preaching about the resurrection of the dead.
Then Felix said he would hear Paul again
another time: so he commanded the centurion
to keep him, but to treat him kindly, and to
let his friends come and see him.
After some days, Felix sent for Paul again,
and heard him speak about " the faith in
Christ." , And as Paul reasoned of righteous¬
ness, temperance, and judgment to come,
Felix trembled, and answered, " Go thy way
for this time; when I have a convenient sea¬
son, I will call for thee." And Felix used
often to send for him, and hear him talk;
hoping that Paul would offer him money, that
he might loose him. But we do not read
that Felix ever found a "convenient season"
for seeking to become righteous, and ready
for "the judgment to come," though he trem¬
bled so much when Paul spoke to him of
these things. Perhaps Felix thought, "I
will attend to all this another day: there is
173
PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA.
time enough jet;" and so he put off repent¬
ance till it was too late; and at last, died
without pardon, and without hope. Learn
from Felix to attend to heavenly things now ;
and not to wait for a more " convenient sea¬
son." The Bible tells us that the best sea¬
son is the present: "Now is the accepted
time: now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor.
vi. 2.
dec. 26.—paul before agrippa.
After two years, a new governor came
to Cesarea, named Festus; and Felix went
away, leaving Paul bound. Then the Jews
told Festus all about Paul; and Festus com¬
manded that he should be brought before his
judgment-seat. Paul again answered for him¬
self, that he had done nothing against the
Jews, nor against their law, nor their temple ;
and then he said that he wished to be judged
by Caesar, the Roman emperor. Paul bore
all his sufferings patiently, but he wished for
justice: he had a right, as a Roman citizen,
to be judged by Caesar; and he thought this
the best way of saving himself from his cruel
enemies, the Jews. Festus was willing that
it should be so. He said, "Hast thou ap¬
pealed unto Caesar ? unto Caesar shalt thou
PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA. 177
go." But after some days, king Agrippa
came to Cesarea, with his sister Bernice, to
see Festus. This Agrippa was son of the
wicked Herod, who put Peter into prison.
He was king of Judaea, Galilee, Samaria, and
some other places.
Festus told Agrippa a great deal about
the prisoner Paul, and Agrippa became very
anxious to see him: so the next day, when
Agrippa, and Bernice, and the chief captains,
and the nobles of the city, were come into
the place of hearing, Festus commanded that
Paul should be brought before them; and then
Agrippa said to him, " Thou art permitted to
speak for thyself." So Paul stretched out his
hand, and answered for himself.
He told them all his history: how he was
brought up, how he at first hated and perse¬
cuted the Christians; and how, at last, he was
converted and became a Christian himself, and
a preacher of the Gospel. And then he told
them what it was he preached. It was about
the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Moses and
the prophets wrote, who died for sinners, and
rose again the third day. When Paul said
this, Festus cried out, with a loud voice,
" Paul, thou art beside thyself: much learn¬
ing doth make thee mad." For Festus did
not believe what Paul said, so he thought it
all folly and madness. But Paul answered
calmly, "I am not mad, most noble Festus,
178
PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA.
but speak the words of truth and soberness."
And then he turned to Agrippa, and said,
" The king knoweth these things: they are
not hidden from him. King Agrippa, be-
lievest thou the prophets ? I know that thou
believest." For Agrippa professed the Jew¬
ish religion,1 and had often heard and read
Moses and the prophets. Agrippa felt the
power of what Paul said, and answered, "Al¬
most thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
Then Paul said, "I would to God, that not
only thou, but all those who-hear me this day,
were both almost and altogether such as I am,
except these bonds." When she had spoken
these words, Agrippa, and Bernice, and Festus
and all the company, rose up, and went apart
by themselves, and began to talk together
about Paul. They agreed that he was inno¬
cent ; but as he had appealed to Caesar, it was
determined that he should be sent to Rome.
And did Agrippa become a Christian ? No:
we do not read that he ever did. He was
half inclined to believe: almost determined
to love the Saviour whom Paul loved; but he -
never was, we may fear, really and truly a
Christian. And therefore, like Felix, when
death came, Agrippa was not ready for it:
his sins were not pardoned: his heart was
pot made new; and he died without hope,
notwithstanding all he had felt and wished,
perhaps, when Paul preached to him.
paul on the sea.
179
Let this sad story teach you to be decided
in religion; and to be decided at once.
" Choose ye this day whom ye will serve ; "
and pray that you may be enabled to say;
with, all your heart, as Joshua did, "As for
me, I will serve the Lord." Joshua xxiv. 15.
dec. 27.—paul on the sea.
When all was ready, Paul and some of his
fellow-prisoners were given up to the care of
a centurion, and began their voyage towards
Rome. As they sailed along, they touched
at Sidon; and the centurion kindly allowed
Paul to go on shore, and see his friends, and
refresh himself. Then they left Sidon, and
passed by Cyprus, and sailed over the seas
of Cilicia and Pamphylia, and came to Myra,
in Lycia. There the centurion found another
ship sailing to Italy, so he put the prisoners
into it. Then they sailed very slowly for
some days, for the wind was against them;
and at last they came to Crete, to a place
called the Fair Havens. It was now late in
the year, and sailing became dangerous, be¬
cause of the storms which were very common
and very violent in those seas: so Paul called
to those in the ship, and said, " Sirs, I see
380
PAUL ON THE SEA.
that this voyage will be with much hurt and
danger, not only to the ship, hut also to our
lives." But most of them" were anxious to
sail to Phenice, another haven of Crete, and
there to winter. So they would not attend to
Paul, who wished them to stay quietly where
they were; but as the south wind blew softly,
they loosed from the Fair Havens, and sailed
close by Crete.
Not long after, a stormy wind arose, and
the ship was tossed about upon the waves,
and the sky became black with clouds, and
they saw neither sun nor stars for many days.
Then they wished they had taken Paul's ad¬
vice ; but it was too late now. So they cast
their goods out of the ship, to lighten it, and
thought only how they might save their lives.
Soon all hope was taken away: every one
was in terror, expecting that the ship must
sink, and that they would be swallowed up
in the deep waters, and rise no more. But
Paul was. peaceful and happy still; and when
the others were so much frightened, he stood
in the midst of them, and said, " Fear not:
there shall be no loss of any man's life, but
only of the ship. For there stood by me this
night the angel of God, whose I -am, and
whom I serve, saying, ' Fear not, Paul: thou
must be brought before Caesar; and God has
given thee all them that sail in the ship with
thee.' Be of good comfort then; for I be-
PAUL ON THE SEA.
181
lieve God, that it shall be as it was told me.
But we must he cast on a certain island."
Soon after, the shipmen found that they
were coming near to some country. Then
they feared they might fall upon rocks, as it
was now night, so they cast out their anchors,
and wished for day. The sailors wanted to
leave the ship, and escape in a boat; but
Paul said to the centurion and soldiers, "If
these men do not stay in the ship, you cannot
be saved." So the soldiers prevented these
selfish men from leaving the ship, at a time
when they were wanted so much. Then Paul
comforted them, and told them to take some
meat, for they had fasted a long time, and
he gave thanks to God before them all, and
broke bread, and ate. When it was day, they
found themselves close to the land. They
did not know what the name of the country
was, nor who lived in it; but they determined
to seek safety there. The cruel soldiers want¬
ed to kill the prisoners, fearing that some
of them might swim out, and escape. But
the centurion was willing to save Paul, and
would not let the soldiers do as they wished.
The ship was now almost broken to pieces
by the violence of the waves: so the centu¬
rion commanded, that those who could swim
should cast themselves first into the sea, and
get to land; and the rest, some on boards,
and some on broken pieces of the ship.
Vol. VI. 16
182
PATJL ON THE SEA.
And so it come to pass, that they escaped
all safe to land.
What a wonderful escape! How thankful
they must have felt when they found them¬
selves once more on dry ground ! A storm
at sea is a very fearful thing.. The Psalmist
tells us so, when he says, " They that go
down to the sea in ships, that do business in
great waters, these see the works of the Lord,
and his wonders in the deep. For he com-
mandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which
lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount
up to the heaven, they go down again to the
depths: their soul is melted because of trou¬
ble. They cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Then are they glad because they be quiet:
so he bringeth them to the haven where they
would be." Psalm cvii. 23—30.
You may never have seen a storm at sea,
and perhaps you never will. But there are
storms of another kind, which we must all
meet with some time or other. Life is like
a voyage, and troubles and sorrows are like
the storms and tempests on the sea. At the
beginning of life, every thing, perhaps, looks
fair and sunny; and young people think it will
always be so: just as these shipmen thought
that their voyage would be safe and pleasant,
"when the south wind blew softly." But a
storm soon came upon them, and so sorrow
PAUL AT MELITA AND ROME. 188
will come upon us; for, as the Bible says, we
are "born to trouble." And what can com¬
fort us then ? Only what comforted Paul,
and what comforted the poor disciples when
they were tossed upon the waves in the sea
of Galilee:—believing that Christ is near,
saying, "Fear not: it is I: be not afraid."
If he is with us, we need fear none of the
storms of life; for he will keep us in them
all, and bring us safely through "the waves
of this troublesome world, to the land of
everlasting life."
Dec. 28.—PAUL AT MELITA AND ROME.
Paul and his companions soon found that
the land to which they had escaped was
called Melita. It is an island in the Medi¬
terranean Sea, south of Sicily, and is now
called Malta. The people then living at
Melita were ignorant heathens; but they
were very kind to the poor shipwrecked peo¬
ple ; for they lighted a fire, and invited them
to come and warm themselves by it, because
of the rain and cold. So Paul gathered some
sticks, and threw them on the fire, and they
all stood round warming themselves. But
Paul, and the others, had not seen a viper
184 PAUL AT MELITA AND ROME.
which was hid among the sticks; and now
the heat brought it out, and it fastened upon
Paul's hand. When the heathens saw this,
they said one to another, "No doubt that man
is a murderer: he has escaped from the sea;
but he will be punished for his wickedness
here: he will not be suffered to live. But
Paul shook off the viper into the fire, and felt
no hurt. The islanders looked on for a long
time, thinking that Paul would certainly die;
but when they found that he was not hurt,
they changed their minds, and said he must
be a god. These poor people were sadly ig¬
norant, but Paul was able and willing to
teach them better; and so he did.
One of the chief men in the island was
named Publius. He was very kind to Paul,
and lodged him in his house three days. The
father of Publius was very ill of a fever: so
Paul went in to see him, and prayed, and
laid his hands on him, and healed him. When
the people heard of this, many others came
to Paul to be cured; and he did good to
them all. But Paul was most anxious to do
good to their, souls: so he used to speak to
them of the Lord Jesus Christ, the good
physician, who could heal them of a disease
much worse than any bodily sickness. We
may believe that many of these poor island¬
ers became true Christians, through the
preaching of Paul; and this made him so
PAUL AT MELITA AND ROME. 185
happy, that lie forgot all his past sufferings
and dangers.
After three months, Paul and his com¬
panions took leave of their kind friends at
Melita, and sailed in a new ship to Pome.
There were some Christians at Rome, to
whom Paul had before written the Epistle to
the Romans; and when these Christians
heard that he was coming, they went to meet
him, as far as Appii Forum. Paul was very
glad to see them, and thanked God, and took
courage. Then they all went on to Rome.
As soon as they were come there, the centu¬
rion delivered the other prisoners to the cap¬
tain of the guard; but Paul was suffered to
live by himself, with a soldier that kept him.
A great many Jews came to see Paul; and
he told them all that had happened to him,
and why he was sent to Rome; for they had
heard nothing of it before. Then they asked
him to tell them those things which he preach¬
ed, and for which he was accused: so he in¬
vited them to his lodging, and there spoke
to them about the kingdom of God, and
about Jesus, the Messiah: teaching them from
the law of Moses and the prophets, from
morning until evening. "And some be¬
lieved the things which were spoken, and
some believed not." Paul spoke very faithfully
and solemnly to the unbelievers; and then
186 philemon and onesimus.
they departed. Perhaps they never again
heard the Gospel preached to them.
Paul stayed in his own house at Rome two
years, "teaching those things which concern
the Lord Jesus Christ, no man forbidding
him." He wrote many of his epistles while
at Rome. Besides those of which we have
read before, he sent one to the Colossians,
and another to Titus, whom he left in
Crete: it is thought, also, that the Epistle to
the Hebrews, or Jewish Christians, was writ¬
ten by Paul. Thus he could be useful even
when a prisoner; and he was enabled to bear
all his sufferings with patience, knowing that
he was "the prisoner of the Lord:" "an
ambassador in bonds" for Christ's sake; and
he could say, even with joy, " for the hope
of Israel I am bound with this chain."
Dec. 29.—PHILEMON AND ONESIMUS.
One of the last letters that Paul wrote,
was the Epistle to Philemon. Philemon was
a rich man of Colosse, who had learnt to be¬
lieve the Gospel from hearing Paul preach.
Philemon had a servant named Onesimus;
but this servant was very unlike his good
master, and very unlike what servants should
PHILEMON AND ONESIMUS.
187
be. He was a dishonest and wicked man,
and ran awaj and escaped to Rome. But
while there, Onesimus heard Paul preach;
and God blessed what was said, so tha/t it
brought Onesimus to repent of his sins, and
to ask for pardon, through Jesus Christ, and
for grace to serve God for the time to come.
Thus Onesimus became a true Christian; and
then he wished to go back to his master, and
tell him how sorry he was, and ask for for¬
giveness. But, perhaps, Onesimus felt half
afraid at first, lest Philemon should not re¬
ceive him, nor believe what he said. So
Paul wrote a letter, telling Philemon all
about Onesimus, and asking him to forgive
him; and then he sent the servant with it to
Colosse. Paul said in this letter, "I beseech
thee for my son, Onesimus, which in time past
was unprofitable, but now profitable to thee
and to me: whom I have sent again. Thou,
therefore, receive him: not now as a servant,
but above a servant, a brother beloved."
For Onesimus was now a believer in Jesus,
as well as Philemon; and in Christ there is
"neither bond nor free;" for all are one in
him: therefore, Philemon was not only to
pardon his servant, but to love him too.
But Onesimus was not to forget his duty to
his master. Paul did not mean this ; for he
often told servants to be obedient to their
masters with fear and trembling, and to obey
188
PHILEMON AND ONESIMUS.
them in all things; and if Onesimus really
feared God, as his Master in heaven, he would
feel that he must honour and obey his
earthly master too.
Paul remembered that Onesimus had in¬
jured Philemon very much; and so the apos¬
tle said, " If he hath wronged thee, or oweth
thee any thing, put that on my account: I
will repay it." How kind and generous Paul
was! And we may believe that Philemon
was kind and generous too, and that he re¬
ceived Onesimus, and forgave and forgot all
his past wickedness, and did not wish to be
repaid by Paul. Eor Philemon himself owed
much to Paul, more than he could ever pay:
—he had learnt from him to seek the salva¬
tion of his soul.
What became of Paul at last? We are
now very near the end of his history. After
two years, he was set free; and then he
visited those places where he had formed
churches; and warned, and advised, and com¬
forted the Christians in them. Paul also
went to other and more distant countries.
It is thought that he travelled even as far as
Spain and Britain, and was the first who
preached the Gospel in Britain. At last he
returned to Home. He was now very old.
When he wrote to Philemon, he called him¬
self "Paul the aged;" and he had long been
looking forward to death—to a violent and
THE SEVEN CHURCHES. 189
cruel death.; but he looked forward to it with
peace and joy. He said to Timothy, "lam
now ready to be offered, and th'e time of my
departure is at hand. I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, shall give me at that
day." 2 Tim. iv. 6—8. And now the time
was come for Paul to be offered. He had
laboured, and preached, and suffered for
Christ; and at last he died for his sake. He
was beheaded at Rome, by the command of
Nero, the wicked and cruel emperor. We
are not told anything about his last hours,
and his dying words; but we know that he
must have died happily, because he died
trusting in Christ, and for his sake; and
now he has received "a crown of glory that
fadeth not away," 1 Pet. v. 4.
dec. 30.—the seven churches.
The apostle who lived the longest was
John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He
was not put to death, as the others were;
but he was cruelly persecuted, and at last
sent to the isle called Patmos, far away from
190
THE SEVEN CHURCHES.
his country and his friends. But John had
the peace of God in his heart, and, therefore,
he could he Gontented and happy even in a
desert island.
One Lord's day, the first day of the week,
the Christian Sabbath, John was sitting alone,
thinking on heavenly things. He could not
go now to the house of God, and worship
there with his people; but John could still
keep the Sabbath in his own heart:—" he
was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." Sud¬
denly he heard behind him a great voice, like
the sound of a trumpet; and turning round,
he saw standing by him " one like unto the
Son of man." It was the Lord Jesus Christ
himself, who had come to comfort his servant
John; but he did not now look as he had
done, when he was on earth, as " a man of
sorrows," when John saw him suffering in the
garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross of
Calvary. He appeared now in glory. " His
head and his hairs were white like wool, as
white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame
of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass ; and
his voice as the sound of many waters; and
his countenance was as the sun shineth in his
strength." The sight was too bright and
glorious for John to bear, and he fell at his
feet as dead: as he had done once before,
when Jesus appeared in glory at his trans¬
figuration. But Jesus laid his right hand on
THE SEVEN CHURCHES. 191
John, and said, "Fear not: I am the first
and the last: I am he that liveth and was
dead; &nd behold I am alive for evermore,
Amen." Then John was comforted; for he
felt that Jesus was still the same: as merci¬
ful and full of love now, as when John had
followed him, and listened to his words, so
many years before. Jesus never changes.
He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for¬
ever." Heb. xiii. 8.
What did the Lord Jesus say to John, when
he appeared to him at Patmos? First, he
sent messages by him to seven Christian
churches which had been formed in Asia.
He said, " What thou seest, write in a hook,
and send it unto the seven churches which
are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna,
and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and
unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea."
And what were the messages John was to
send ? Some of them were very fearful in¬
deed. The professing Christians of these
churches had long known and believed the
G-ospel; but many had become "weary in
well doing:" and some had "departed from
the faith," and forsaken Christ altogether.
Only a few were still faithful and steadfast.
So John was to warn the careless among
them. He was to say to them, from Christ,
"Repent; or else J will come unto thee
192
THE SEVEN CHURCHES.
quickly, and will fight against thee with the
sword of my mouth." Then he was to en¬
courage those who were willing to attend to
the message, and write to them, " Behold! I
stand at the door, and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come
in to him, and sup with him, and he with
me." He was to tell them that Jesus was
still willing to pardon the penitent.
But some of these Christians were faithful,
and messages full of love were sent to them.
They were to suffer indeed, for Christ's sake,
as all true Christians must; hut then they had
many promises to comfort them in all their
sorrows. Jesus said to them, "Fear none of
those things which thou shalt suffer. Be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown
of life. He that overcometh, the same shall
he clothed in white raiment; and I will not
blot his name out of the hook of life, but I
will confess his name before my Father, and
before his angels. Behold, I come quickly:
hold that fast which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown."
When John wrote the Epistle to Smyrna,
a good man named Polycarp, is said to have
been the angel, or presiding elder of the
church, in that city. He was the friend and
disciple of John, and lived for some years
after the apostle's death. John had told the
Christians of Smyrna, in his letter, that they
THE SEVEN CHURCHES.
193
should be.tried, and suffer tribulation ; and so
it was, and the good old bishop himself was
among the faithfhl martyrs.
When Polycarp was taken prisoner, and
brought by his enemies to be judged, some of
them pitied him, because he was a very aged
man; and they were willing to let him go, if
he would only deny Christ. But Polycarp
could not do this: he remembered that he
must be "faithful unto death," if he would
have " a crown of life." So he calmly turned
to his enemies, and said, "Eighty and six
years have I served Christ, and he hath
never wronged me; and how can I deny my
King who hath saved me?" Then his ene¬
mies threatened him with wild beasts and
with fire; but Polycarp was still steadfast.
He answered, ''I am ready: why do you
wait any longer ? Do as you please with me."
Then it was proclaimed aloud, " Polycarp has
professed himself a Christian; " and his ene¬
mies immediately prepared to burn him alive.
So Polycarp was bound to the stake, and
there he stood quietly, and lifted up his eyes
to heaven, and said, " O Father of thy be¬
loved Son Jesus Christ, I bless thee that thou
hast counted me worthy of this hour, to receive
my portion in the number of martyrs, among
Whom tnay I be received before thee this day.
I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee, by
the eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, through
Vol. VI. 17
194
THE SEVEN CHURCHES.
whom, and with whom, and the Holy Spirit,
he glory to thee, new, and ever. Amen."
Then the fire was lighted, and the flames
hurst out. And so Polycarp died, and went
to join that nohle army of martyrs " who
have come out of great tribulation," and are
now "before the throne of God, and serve
him day and night in his temple."
But where are the seven churches now ?
Most of them have passed away, so that the
places where once they were, know them no
more. And those which still remain are in a
sad state of ignorance,—they know and un¬
derstand very little of the Gospel of Christ.
The cities of Ephesus, Sardis, and Laodicea,
are now in ruins. Pergamos, Thyatira, and
Philadelphia^ are still to be found; but they
are not what once they were ; and the Chris¬
tians who live in them are ignorant and in
error. Smyrna, where Polycarp was once
bishop, is a large and busy city even no#;
and many professing Christians still live
there.
And why is it that none of these early
churches are now what they were when John
wrote to them? They forsook God after a
time; and then, at last, his blessing was taken
from them, and some Were destroyed alto¬
gether, and others are left in ignorance and
error. When we read the epistles to the
seven churches, let us take warning from
the revelation.
195
them; and watch and pray lest God's blessing
should be taken away from us also. " He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches."
dec. 31.—the revelation.
After John had heard the messages to the
churches, he saw, in vision, many glorious and
wonderful things. He saw heaven opened,
and God himself sitting upon his throne in
glory. A rainbow, the emblem of mercy, was
over his head; and round about the throne
were the happy company of Christ's redeem¬
ed people, clothed in white raiment, and with
crowns of gold upon their heads. And they
fell down before him that sat on the throne,
and cast their crowns before him, saying,
" Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory,
and honour, and power; for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and
were created."
After this, John saw, in the midst of the
throne, " a Lamb as it had been slain." That
Lamb was the Lord Jesus Christ himself, of
whom the lambs slain by the Israelites, in
sacrifice, were only emblems or types. He
was " the Lamb of God which taketh away
the sin of the world."
196
THE REVELATION.
And then John saw the happy company of
heaven fall down before the Lamb; and they
sang a new song, saying, " Thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood,
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation." And then he heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne; and
the number of them was ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing."
After this, many things were shown to
John in vision, of which we read in the Book
of Revelation. There is much in that book
very hard to be understood, because it tells
us of things which are still future; but when
these prophecies are fulfilled, we shall under¬
stand all clearly; and there is much which
we can understand in the Book of Revelation,
even now. It tells us of that great day when
the Lord Jesus Christ will come to punish
his enemies, and to take his own people to
glory: it tells us of the day of judgment,
when the dead, small and great, will stand
before God, and the books will be opened,
and the dead will be judged out of the things
written in those books, according to their
works. It tells us of the lake of fire, into
which those must be cast whose names are
THE REVELATION.
197
not found 'written in the book of life. And
it tells us, too, of that glorious city, the New
Jerusalem, where only God's people will be:
where there will be " no more death, nor sor¬
row, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain." All these things we read of in
the Book of Revelation.
John did not end his life at Patmos. After
a time, he was set free, and went to Ephesus,
where he died, when he was a very old man.
John wrote three epistles, besides the Book
of Revelation. The first is called " General;''
that is, it was not sent to any one place or
person in particular, it was addressed to all
the churches of Christ throughout the world.
The second was written to a lady and her
children, whom John loved "in the truth;"
and the third, to a kind friend, a very good
man, named Gaius.
When John was too old to walk about, or
preach much, he used to be carried to the
places where the people met together, and say
to them, "Little children, love one another."
Thus "the disciple whom Jesus loved" re¬
membered to the very last his Master's com¬
mand, "Love one another, as I have loved
you;" and he tried, till his death, to teach
others, as he had himself been taught of Christ.
And now we are come to the end of the
Bible History; for John was the last inspired
writer of God's word ; and the Book of
17*
198
THE REVELATION.
Revelation is the last book in the Bible. And
what is the last message which God has left
us? How does the Bible end? The last
invitation is this: "The Spirit and the bride
say, come. And let him that heareth say,
come. And let him that is athirst, come.
And whosever will, let him take the water of
life freely." One of the last words in the
Bible is, " Come," Come, for all things are
now ready. The Father is willing to receive
you: Jesus Christ is willing to wash away
your sins in his own blood: the Holy Spirit
is willing to renew and sanctify your heart.
Come then, and pray for these blessings be¬
fore it is too late; for Jesus says again,
" Surely, I come quickly." Death is coming,
Christ is coming, the day of judgment is
coming; and there will be no time then to
pray for pardon, and salvation, and happi¬
ness, and heaven. Seek for them now; for
" now is the accepted time, now is the day
of salvation;" and then you will be ready to
meet your Saviour with joy, and, say, "Even
so, come, Lord Jesus."
FINIS.