all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more: and they accompanied him unto the ship." For he was, as you know, on his way to Jerusalem when he stopped at Miletus; and in this journey the great Apostle persevered, although warned continually on his way against it.

E. I should like to trace St. Paul's route from Miletus to Jerusalem.

M. We will do so then; for it is very clear upon the map. In the first place they went to Coos, then to the islands of Rhodes and Patara; there, meeting with a ship sailing over to Phenicia, they embarked in it; and, passing Cyprus on the left hand, they sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre. At this city he found disciples who tried to dissuade him from going up to Jerusalem; but he firmly resisted their solicitations, and, after abiding with them seven days, departed, and went his way, taking an affectionate farewell of the brethren, who followed him out of the city to the sea-shore, where he kneeled down with them and prayed. From Tyre they went to Ptolemais, and from thence to Cesarea, where he abode for some time in the house of Philip the Evangelist, and where another trial of the Apostle's constancy awaited him. For "whilst he was there, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Jerusalem, and he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, saying, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles."

E. And what effect did this produce?

M. This mysterious warning affected St. Paul's companions deeply, and filled them with fears respecting the holy Apostle; so much so that St. Luke and the rest of them now earnestly besought him not to go up to Jerusalem, to expose himself to such dangers. But the holy resolution of St. Paul was not to be shaken: he remained inflexible and undaunted in his high purpose; for duty called him on, and as to conflicts and trials, however painful, he was fully prepared for them. But though he had the soul of a martyr, he had the heart of a man; and he deeply felt the grief and anxieties of his companions. "What mean ye," he answered, "to weep and break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die, at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus." What could be said to such an answer as this? The disciples saw plainly that he would not be persuaded ; so they ceased, saying only in a truly Christian spirit, "The will of the Lord be done."

E. And did St. Paul never visit Ephesus again? And when did he write the Epistle to the Ephesians which we have in the New Testament?

M. As to St. Paul's visiting Ephesus at any future time, that is a little uncertain; for although he believed he never should, it might have happened differently, as some learned men suppose, from what he expected. For it does not appear that God made known to the Apostles what should befal them hereafter; and you may observe that St. Paul says expressly he did not know what should happen to him at Jerusalem. His Epistle to the Ephesians seems to have been written at a subsequent period of St. Paul's life, at which we

have not yet arrived, when he was a prisoner at Rome, probably about the year A.D. 58.

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In the first three chapters of this most valuable Epistle, the Apostle dwells largely upon the excellence of the Gospel," and the exceeding riches of God's grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus1,” exhorting the disciples to greater degrees of faith and love, that so they might be able to "comprehend with all saints" more and more of "the love of Christ;" declaring to them at the same time that there was a height, and depth, and length, and breadth "" in that love which "passed all human knowledge." It was with a sense of this love, and with love in return to so merciful a Saviour, that the Apostle's own heart overflowed. It was this which led him to look so calmly upon bonds and imprisonments, yea, even upon death itself. And in love like this we must all grow daily more and more, if we would bring forth those lovely fruits of the Spirit, which St. Paul describes so fully in the remaining chapters of his Epistle. Yes, Edward, if we would be "followers of God, and walk in love as dear children," we must grow in the love of Christ; we must "learn of him, and be taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:" thus only shall we be able every day more and more to "put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts," and to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." We have a wonderful instance in the life of St. Paul, of the power, which the love of Christ possesses, to change the human cha

racter; we know how it changed his. Let us never cease then to cultivate it in ourselves, and to pray constantly to God to shed it abroad in our hearts by the power of the Holy Ghost.

See Acts xx. xxi. 1—14.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY EVENING.

ST. PAUL'S RECEPTION AT JERUSALEM.

M. In our last conversation, Edward, we left St. Paul at Cesarea, with the fixed purpose of going on to Jerusalem. Accordingly we read immediately after, that having finished his stay with the disciples in that city, they began to put every thing in readiness for this journey, and went up to the holy city. And when they were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received them gladly. And the next day St. Paul went with his companions to James the bishop of Jerusalem, who received them in the midst of the elders or presbyters.

E. How interesting such meetings must have been in those early days of the Christian Church, especially when Apostles meet! How glad they must have been to consult with one another!

M. And how much must each have had to communicate to the other respecting the progress of the Gospel, and the advancement of the kingdom of their blessed Lord and Master. On this occasion St. Paul had much to declare to them of the things which God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry ;

intelligence which once indeed would have awakened doubts even in such an assembly, but which was now received with joy and thankfulness. They had already been taught that "the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles;" and they rejoiced to hear that the heathen were flocking in, and "they glorified the Lord."

St. Paul narrates his labours, you see, not from vain-glory, but to show the loving-kindness of the Lord. He tells what God had done; and they hearing praised not him, nor admired him, but glorified God. What genuine magnanimity there is in Christian humility! How few of the world's heroes could live without its praise!

But though such were the opinions of the Apostle James, and the elders of Jerusalem, we must not suppose that all the Jewish Christians were equally enlightened. Amongst some of them there still prevailed no small degree of prejudice against St. Paul, whose labours had been much talked of, and sometimes probably much misrepresented at Jerusalem : for there was much communication, especially at the great festivals, between the Jews in Judea and those of the Gentile cities.

E. And I remember well how the Jews in those cities persecuted St. Paul: and I dare say they would be very glad to prejudice the people of Jerusalem against him.

M. Such, most likely, would be the course of those who stirred up the Gentiles to stone him, and who followed him with their persecutions from city to city. But there was some difficulty even respecting such as had embraced the Gospel, who were now very