apostles and presbyters of the Church, attended by the other Christians of Jerusalem. Here St. Peter referred to what had occurred long ago in the case of Cornelius; how God had made choice among the Apostles of him, "that the Gentiles by his mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe," and how God had given them the Holy Ghost equally with themselves. He concluded with declaring, that it was by the grace of Christ that the Apostles trusted to be saved, not by keeping the Law of Moses ; and that this way of salvation by grace was equally open to the Gentiles. After this Paul and Barnabas were heard attentively; when St. James, who was Bishop of Jerusalem, and as such apparently presided on the occasion, rose and confirmed all that St. Peter had said by a reference to the Prophets; giving in conclusion his decided opinion, that the Gentile Christians should not be compelled to conform to the Jewish rites and ceremonies. And then, that he might avoid any unnecessary offence, he recommended that the Gentile converts should be required to abstain from certain things very common among the Gentiles, which were either wrong in themselves, or else peculiarly revolting to Jewish feelings.

E. I am very glad that Paul and Barnabas had the Apostles Peter and James of their opinion.

M. And the rest of the Assembly united in the opinion expressed by these eminent Apostles; and a decree was passed to that effect, and given in writing to Paul and Barnabas, who, accompanied by Judas and Silas, were to carry it to the Church at Antioch. The object of this written decree was to counteract the unhappy influence of the doctrines taught by the

Jewish converts from Jerusalem, concerning the Mosaic ritual and the Apostles thought it would have double effect upon the disciples at Antioch, if they sent it by the hands of their "beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who had hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Nor were they disappointed; for when they had come to Antioch and delivered the Epistle from "the Apostles, and Elders, and Brethren," its contents were received joyfully, and seemed to bring with them much consolation to the whole Church. Judas and Silas also, being prophets themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words and confirmed them; after which Judas returned to Jerusalem, but Silas remained at Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, who continued there for a short time longer, preaching the Word of the Lord.

E. I am glad that a subject so important to the happiness of the new Christians, was settled at last in so satisfactory a manner. Thank you, Mamma, for the trouble you have taken to make me understand it.

M. I hope it is now tolerably clear to you: but it is one of those parts of the Sacred Narrative, which will be more intelligible to you by and by. We are now within a few verses of the end of the fifteenth chapter of the Acts, but as the remainder would bring us upon a new subject, we will leave it for another evening.

See Acts xiv. 23-28, xv. 1—35.

181

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY EVENING.

FURTHER LABOURS OF ST. PAUL AND THE OTHER APOSTLES.

M. After some stay at Antioch in preaching the Word of the Lord, St. Paul proposed to Barnabas that they should pay another visit to all the cities of Cyprus and Asia Minor, in which they had already preached the Gospel.

E. And how much more interesting this second journey would be than the first, for they would now be going amongst Christians and friends.

M. Yes, in those cities resided now those whom they delighted to call "brethren;" members, together with them, of the great Christian family. An interesting journey indeed! With what feelings of tender concern for their converts must these great Apostles have begun their second circuit! Yet these feelings were interrupted for a time, even between Paul and Barnabas. They were Apostles, not Angels. Human infirmity still lingered about them, and we find it displayed even at a moment so important as this. A dispute arose between these holy men about Mark, whom Barnabas determined to take with them, but St. Paul, remembering how he had departed from them in Pamphylia in their former journey, and had shrunk from the work, did not think it at all desirable that he should accompany them now. The zeal of St. Paul desired no companion, it would admit of none in his missionary labours, who was not devoted heart and

soul to the work, and ready both to do and to suffer everything for it. Barnabas, on the other hand, was of a more indulgent disposition, more willing to look to the present penitence of Mark than to his past infirmity, especially as Mark was his own nephew1. Hence arose no small excitement of feeling, which ended in their separation; each Apostle remaining fixed in his own course.

E. Was not that strange, Mamma? I do not quite understand it.

M. I am afraid, it is not at all strange, that some weakness and infirmity of temper should be found in the very best of human beings. "There is none good but One, that is God." When He who is God became man, then indeed human nature appeared for once without sin, transcendent in holiness, "without spot or blemish." His example is a perfect one; but all other patterns have ever something in them rather to admonish as a warning, than to be imitated as a pattern. Thus St. Paul suffers his zeal, and Barnabas his sympathy, to lead them into strife.

E. I suppose if the matter had been settled peaceably there would have been nothing wrong either in taking or leaving Mark?

M. No; for a course which suited well with the zealous spirit of Paul, would have been far less congenial with the gentle temper of Barnabas. The strictness becoming in the former would not have been so becoming in the latter; and therefore both perhaps acted rightly, as they certainly acted conscientiously, in the different courses which they took.

1 Col. iv. 10.

The high-wrought spirit of St. Paul was no doubt better adapted to the great work in which they were embarked. This appears very strongly from the circumstance that we are told nothing more of Barnabas, than that he took Mark with him, and sailed away to Cyprus; whilst of St. Paul it is said that he departed with the solemn benediction of the Church, " being recommended by the brethren to the grace of God." We must remember too, that the writer of the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke, was the intimate companion of St. Paul, and that it is very possible that he might have been directed by the Apostle to speak as lightly as possible of the conduct of Barnabas, and that perhaps St. Paul was little if at all to blame in the transaction. He might refuse to accept Mark as a fellow Missionary, and yet have no harsh feeling towards him as a private Christian, or any personal unkindness. At a later period we find St. Paul desiring to have this very Mark as an assistant to him in the ministry1: and upon the whole it seems very clear that the wise providence of God overruled the separation of the two Apostles to the good of his Church.

E. In what way, Mamma?

M. By making it the means of a wider diffusion of Christianity, than if they had continued together. It was also overruled for the good of St. Mark. St. Paul's conduct towards him on this occasion seems to have led him to exert himself more in the work of the Gospel, so that he became a most valuable minister of Christ, deserving not only of being the companion of Paul, but of his warmest approbation also. In