such a character as this without wonder, admiration, and love? Above all, who can contemplate it, and not adore the unsearchable riches of that grace, which could raise the once cruel persecutor so high in the rank of saints and martyrs?

See Acts xvi. 16-40.

TWENTIETH SUNDAY EVENING.

ST. PAUL AT ATHENS.

E. Did St. Paul turn back, when he found what sort of treatment he was likely to meet with in Europe?

M. No; he was not a likely person, after once "putting his hand to the plough, to look back.” From Philippi he repaired to Thessalonica, passing on his way through Amphipolis and Apollonia, which you will find distinctly marked in your map of St. Paul's travels. I need not tell you that Thessalonica was the chief city of Macedonia. It was also the most populous city of that country, and even now retains some of its ancient wealth and importance, having a large safe haven in a bay called by the same name, though the town itself is a very wretched one. In this city, at the time St. Paul visited it, there was a Jewish synagogue, and " as his manner was" in preaching the Gospel, beginning with the Jews, "he went in unto them, and reasoned with them out of their Scriptures: explaining and maintaining from those inspired writings, that it was necessary that

Christ should suffer, and have risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom he preached unto them is indeed the Christ." The New Testament was, in fact, only the completion of their Scriptures: Christ came not to destroy what the Law and the Prophets had said, but to fulfil them, and thus to carry them to their full accomplishment; for did they not both testify of Christ? The religion of the Old Testament and that of the New, is it not the same religion, only in different stages, like childhood and manhood1? How different in appearance is the full grown man from the little child! and yet are they not the same in different stages of human life? This "manner" of preaching, adopted by St. Paul, was continued for three Sabbath-days; longer the Jews probably would not have listened to him.

E. And how did he employ himself in the week days, Mamma?

2

M. He wrought diligently at his trade which was that of a tent-maker, to show how disinterested he was in preaching the Gospel, and to set an example of industry, that so he might be better able to "command and exhort others in quietness to work, and eat their own bread." Meanwhile his preaching in the synagogue on the Lord's day does not seem to have been without success; though he was afterwards much more successful among the Greeks, to a great multitude of whom the Gospel "came not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost;" so that they "turned from dead idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven." The

1 Gal. iv.

2 2 Thess. iii. 7. viii. 12. 1 Thess. iv. 11, 12.

unbelieving Jews, however, as usual, envious of his success, and jealous of the admission of the Gentiles into the service of God, began to set the city in an uproar, and to stir up another persecution, making use of the Greeks as their instruments; for they were not powerful enough themselves here, as they would have been in their own country. There was much affliction to the new converts in consequence, for they had to suffer the same treatment from their own countrymen as the Churches of God in Judea had of the Jews." They showed, however, how effectually the Word of God had worked in them; for they bore their trials with great patience, and became examples to others in distant places; and so instruments of spreading abroad a knowledge and admiration of the Gospel.

E. Did St. Paul remain long at Thessalonica?

M. We are not told what time he spent there; but it was long enough, as we have seen, to bring many to a most sincere profession of the faith, as well as to set before them in his own conduct a most impressive example, both of faith, and virtue, and patience 2. But his enemies had at length succeeded in persuading the rulers of Thessalonica that St. Paul was a very mischievous person, in short a public disturber and teacher of sedition. "The brethren" therefore thought it advisable to send away Paul and Silas immediately by night, rather than to risk lives so valuable to the Church by keeping them any longer in that place. And they went on to Berea, to resume there the labours which their persecutors had interrupted at Thessalonica.

1 1 Thess. ii. 14, 15.

21 Thess. ii. 10.

We do not hear of any further visit to this city, but we have in the Bible two most interesting Epistles which he addressed to the Church there, and which are supposed to be the first of all St. Paul's Epistles. There appears to have been a Christian Church there ever since the time of St. Paul, and it is still the seat of an archbishop's see.

Great were the vicissitudes, as you see, Edward, to which the Apostles were subject in their labours for the Gospel. One while worshipped as gods, another stoned as criminals, or cast out as "the off-scouring of all things';" their path lay continually "through honour and dishonour, through evil report and good report"." Yet still they held on their straightforward way, never turning aside to the right hand or to the left; glad to meet with success, glad to suffer for Christ's sake; neither seduced by the smiles of the world, nor awed by its frowns. Thus St. Paul, notwithstanding the treatment he had met with from the Jews of Thessalonica, no sooner reaches Berea than he goes with Silas to the synagogue, preaching to them the Gospel, which their countrymen at Thessalonica had so lately and so violently rejected. There is something in such conduct peculiarly noble. What thorough conviction of the truth did it imply! What resolution, what patience, what perseverance, what charity did it exhibit! How easily in general are men diverted from a good work! How soon, if they experience difficulties, do they relax in their labours of love, especially if they meet with ingratitude and opposition, which are too often considered as sufficient

grounds for discontinuing all attempts at kindness! It was not thus with the Apostles; they had "not so learned Christ."

E. And He taught them, I know, to "love their enemies1."

M. Their conduct was a continual exemplification of the lesson which they had learnt. They could truly say: "Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat." For evil they continually returned good, and persisted through every species of discouragement and opposition in executing their heavenly commission of mercy and peace to a fallen and rebellious world.

E. And was St. Paul treated in this way again at Berea?

M. Not by the Bereans themselves; the Jews of that city 66 were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they searched the Scriptures daily," to see whether the things which the Apostles preached were really so. They pursued the very course which St. Paul desired. He led them continually to the Old Testament, appealing to Moses and the Prophets to bear their testimony to the Gospel of Christ; "his manner" with the Jews, as we have already seen, was to reason with them out of their own Scriptures; so that to "search the Scriptures," whether the things which he preached were as he taught, was exactly that to which he wished to bring his countrymen. He knew that, if they did this honestly, the next step would be to become Christians. The Gospel would be made manifest to them " by the Scriptures of the

1 Matt. v. 44.

21 Cor. iv. 12.