G.-No; and the more afraid we are of ourselves, the safer we shall be.

After our Saviour's resurrection and ascension, St. Peter took the lead, as he had done before His death; and by his great devotion made amends for his denial of his Lord. He reminded the other Apostles about electing another Bishop in the place of Judas; and then, on the day of Pentecost, (Acts ii.) he preached to all the people, explaining the miracle that they saw and heard, so that he converted and baptized 3,000 souls. You can read for yourself in Acts 3d, 4th, and 5th, the wonderful power he showed in healing the lame man, in striking dead the wicked Ananias and Sapphira, who lied unto the Holy Ghost, and tried to deceive the Apostle. When St. Peter was cast into prison by king Herod, the Church prayed for him, and the angel of the Lord was sent to set him free. (Acts xii.) He was the chosen one to whom the Lord made known His will for the call of the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, into His Church.

P.-Yes, I remember about the vision which appeared to St. Peter at Joppa, and his going soon afterwards to baptize the Centurion Cornelius, who was a Gentile.

G. We are not told much about the labours of St. Peter after the Apostles were dispersed throughout the world to spread the Gospel. But it is said, that after labouring with great success, for about thirty years, in the service of his

Master, and showing always the same zeal, and faithfulness, and courage, he went up to Rome and suffered martyrdom there, in the way our Lord foretold him that he would. Do you remember, Phœbe, what our Lord said to him about his death?

P.—Yes, I read about it the other day. Our Lord said that St. Peter should stretch forth his hands, and another should lead him whither he would not; which meant, that he should be stretched on a cross and crucified.

G. That was the death by which he glorified God, and was taken to receive the crown of glory for which he had laboured. It is said that his brother Apostle, St. Paul, who had also come to Rome, and together with St. Peter, founded the Church there, was put to death at the same time. St. Paul, who was a Roman citizen, was beheaded; and St. Peter, who had not that rank, was put to the more cruel death of crucifixion; and we are told of the manner of his suffering, that at his earnest request, he was crucified with his head downwards, as he thought himself unworthy to die in the same way that his Lord and Master had died. Thus, in the last act of his life, as throughout it, he set us an example of unbounded zeal and faithfulness, and love of Christ. He gave us also an example of constancy and courage, of humility and holiness of inind. These graces, dear Phoebe, we are taught to meditate upon on the festival of this great Apostle, and to try to obtain them by the help of the same grace of

God, which is as freely given to strengthen our weakness, and turn our cowardice into constancy and courage, as it was given to enable St. Peter to suffer martyrdom for that Master whom he had thrice denied,

Phabe.-I THINK, Godmother, you must put up your umbrella, or you will get a head-ache from the heat of the sun; it is quite broiling under the wall.

Godmother.-Well, dear, we will take the umbrella, but now sit down and rest; we need not set off for half an hour.

P.-Godmother, I must tell you that I was very near grumbling about the heat; but, as I came past Dame Jackson's cottage, I saw her hard at work ironing close by a large fire, and I thought how glad she would be if she had no worse heat than that of the sun; so then I was ashamed of myself.

G.-No wonder; and, besides, I am sure you would never even feel inclined to grumble at the

weather, if you would only recollect in time, that hot and cold, sunshine and rain, all come to us according to the will of the Almighty. Did you read the Services for the day before you came here, Phoebe ?

P. Yes, godmother: the Epistle is all about St. James's death. He was the very first of the Apostles to die—was he not?

G.-Yes.

P. And his brother St. John was the last, I remember what you told me about that on St, John's-day. How St. John had to bear the loss of all the friends he loved, and of his brother, which must have been the worst of all. St. James was the best off by a great deal; I mean, at the time it must have seemed so; for, of course, all was really for the best for St. John too.

G.-And now they have been long united again, and together before the throne of God. But, no doubt, it must have been a sore trial to all the Apostles, when they had to separate, and each to go a different way, though they were still in the same world.

I have heard that there is, near Jerusalem, a field which is still pointed out as the place where the Apostles all met together, for the last time, when they were about to set off to their labours in different parts of the world; and there they all, one after the other, repeated the words of the Creed which we call the Apostles' Creed; thus, as it were, promising each other to teach all the same doctrine that they had learnt of the