Cornelius spoke to Peter before all the company, saying, Four days ago I had taken no food, and at three o'clock I prayed in my house, and behold a man stood before me in bright clothing, and he said, "Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thy charity to the poor is remembered by God. Send to Joppa, and ask for a man named Simon Peter. He lodges in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea-side. Ask him to come here. When he comes he will tell thee what thou must do." So I sent immediately for thee; and thou hast done right in coming. We are all assembled here to listen to all that God has commanded thee to say to us.'

Then Peter began to preach to these Gentiles. He told them about Jesus; how the Jews had killed Him, and how God had raised Him from the dead.

Peter ended his sermon with these words: Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive forgiveness of sins.'

As soon as Peter had spoken, the Holy Ghost fell on all the Gentiles in the room, just as once He had fallen on the Jews; and these Gentiles began to praise God in many strange languages.

The six Jews who had come with Peter were very much astonished at seeing that God gave the Holy Ghost to Gentiles.

Then Peter said, 'Can any man forbid us to baptize these men with water, now they have received the Holy Ghost as we did?' So he had them baptized. No doubt it was the six Jews from Joppa who baptized them.

Ever since that time, Gentiles have always been baptized when they believed in Jesus.

We are Gentiles; (for most of those who read this book are not Jews.) What a great mercy it is for us that God has made no difference between Jews and Gentiles! but loved them

all the same if they believe in Him.

Salvation is come unto the Gentiles.'-Rom. xi. 11..

XX.

PETER'S DELIVERANCE.

Acts, xii. 1-17.

He

PETER stayed a good while with Cornelius and his friends at Cæsarea. had a great deal to teach them, and they were anxious to learn. After a while he went again to Jerusalem. He told the saints in Jerusalem all about Cornelius, and those good men were very much pleased, and praised God, saying, 'God hath given repentance unto the Gentiles !'

But very great troubles soon came upon the saints in Jerusalem. Cæsar

at Rome appointed Herod to be king of Jerusalem and of all the land. Who was this Herod ?.

He was not the Herod who killed John the Baptist, and mocked Jesus the Saviour. That Herod had been sent far away by the Emperor Cæsar. This Herod was his nephew, and he was the grandson of the Herod who killed, long ago, the babes of Bethlehem. What a wicked family these Herods were! This Herod commanded his soldiers to seize James, the brother of John, and to cut off his head with a sword.

So now John lost his brother. Those two brothers had been with Jesus on the mount of glory and in the garden of agony. James was one of the three favourites of the Lord, though John was the most beloved of all. He was the first of all the apostles to be killed for the sake of Jesus.

Herod saw that the Jews were pleased

with him for killing James, so he thought he would kill Peter too; and he sent soldiers to seize him and to put him in prison: but, as he had heard of his once escaping from prison, he desired sixteen soldiers to guard him night and day.

Herod fixed the day when Peter was to be killed. The night before that terrible day the saints met together to pray for him. The other apostles had left Jerusalem, lest they also should be killed; but there were many saints still there. They met together in the house of a very good woman named Mary. She was not one of the Marys we have heard of before. She was the sister of that good Barnabas who had once been so kind to Saul.

Mary and her friends were sitting up all the night. Peter was quietly sleeping in prison. It was the beginning of summer, and it was warm. Peter

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