for this man is a Roman," he was alarmed at what he had done. Wishing, however, to ascertain the facts of the case, he summoned on the following day a meeting of the Sanhedrim for the examination of Paul.

E. The Sanhedrim was a great Jewish council, was it not?

M. Yes; the word Sanhedrim or Bethdin means "house of judgment," and it consisted of a council of seventy-two senators among the Jews, who determined the most important affairs of the nation. The authority of the Sanhedrim was very extensive, and even the King, the High Priest, and the prophets, were under its jurisdiction. To this tribunal, then, the Apostle was to be brought on the coming day; in the meanwhile, rescued from the violence of his countrymen, he remained quietly within the walls of the castle, with time to reflect upon his new situation, and to fortify his resolutions by devout communion with "the God of all comfort."

E. I think his deliverance from that furious mob was almost as wonderful as any other that he has had, Mamma?

M. Yes, Edward; to calm the tumult of an angry people, is as difficult as "to still the noise of the waves." He who does the one, can alone effectually do the other. No doubt in the calm that succeeded so suddenly to this great storm, St. Paul recognized the and the presence 66 of an power unseen but sovereign Protector, unchangeably faithful to save, almighty to help and defend." No doubt he reviewed with wonder and gratitude the many trials and difficulties he had been brought safely through, and the extraordinary deliverances he had already experienced,

often at his greatest need, and thus renewed his faith, and prepared his mind for the troubles and perplexities which he saw rising before him. How many a passage of holy writ might he call to his assistance! How many of the patriarchs and prophets might he place before his mind, "as examples of suffering, affliction, and of patience!" But it were vain for us to attempt to do justice to the thoughts and feelings of this great Apostle they were no doubt "too high" for us to attain unto. Let us leave him for to-night, to follow his course at some other time, in the track which the holy evangelist shall point out to us.

See Acts xxi. 15-40, xxii.

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY EVENING.

ST. PAUL DRIVEN FROM JERUSALEM.

E. We are to see St. Paul to-night before the Jewish Sanhedrim, Mamma. I long to hear how he came off from such a tribunal.

M. We have seen him already in very similar situations; placed on his trial at one time before the heathen, at another before his own countrymen; then at Athens, now at Jerusalem; but I am sorry to say he was more harshly treated on the present, than on any former occasion. We will follow him, however, carefully in his defence, and observe his conduct under the trying circumstances to which he was now exposed. You know the crime, of which he stood accused, was sacrilege. Accordingly, he begins his

address to the council with declaring his piety or conscience towards God, in order to assure his countrymen that, whatever their suspicions might be, the last thing he could ever have intended was an offence against religion—the religion of his fathers.

E. I am glad he thought of removing that impression first, as it would dispose them to listen to him more candidly; did it not, Mamma?

M. It had not altogether that effect, at least not with the High Priest: for he had no sooner made this assurance, than Ananias, who held that sacred office, "commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth."

E. But was not that very unbecoming in a person who held so high an office?

M. It was, indeed, quite unworthy of the holy dignity which he held; for it was an act of prejudice and passion, such as the Law in general terms forbids, when it says; "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment." The Apostle, therefore, thought himself justified in remonstrating against it; and turning to the High Priest, he said to him: "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law ?"

E. But was not that a disrespectful manner of addressing the High Priest?

M. It is thought by some that, having been a long time absent from his country, St. Paul was not aware of the changes that had taken place in his absence, and that he really did not know that Ananias was the

1 Lev. xix. 35.

High Priest; on which subject there seems, indeed, to be some doubt. It is said that he had assumed that office, which he so greatly disgraced, in a season of public confusion; or rather, that he had purchased it with money, the lawful priest being still alive. That such abuses did occasionally take place, is well known: for such magistrates were called by the Jews "Magistrates of gold and silver." Ananias was also, as we are told, a very wicked man, in very truth "a whited sepulchre," appearing well outwardly, but full of corruption within and St. Paul in addressing him used the language of prophecy, not so much asking of God to punish him, as foretelling that He certainly would smite him for his wickedness. And it is remarkable that, about five years after this, Ananias was dragged from an aqueduct in which he had concealed himself, when his palace was burnt in a tumult raised by his own son, and put to death by assassins.

E. Thank you, Mamma, for explaining St. Paul's conduct; I thought it was strange that he should speak in that manner to the High Priest.

M. You were quite right in your feeling about it, Edward. St. Paul himself, although he had spoken as a prophet, and as such had a divine authority to rebuke even princes for their sins', on being told, whether correctly or not, that Ananias was the High Priest, acknowledged at once that his language was not such as ought to have been used towards the rulers of the people; and in doing so, he has left us a most important maxim for the guidance of our conduct in such cases. No sooner did he discover his

1 1 Kings xviii. 18. 2 Kings iii. 13.

mistake, than he said: "I wist not, brethren, that he was the High Priest, for it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people1;" a precept which he had learnt from the Law, and to which he thus gives the sanction of the Gospel. "To speak evil of dignities"," that is, of persons set in authority over us, is expressly noticed by St. Peter and also by St. Jude3 as a mark of great boldness in sin. After this interruption, St. Paul, perceiving that the council was composed partly of Sadducees and partly of Pharisees, endeavoured to interest the latter in his favour by declaring that he himself was "a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee," and that the very hopes for which he was contending were those which the rightly believing among his countrymen had long cherished as their dearest treasure: "of the hope and resurrection of the dead," said the Apostle, "I am called in question."

E. Yes, I remember; the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, and the Sadducees did not. But, Mamma, was St. Paul really a Pharisee? I thought they were some of the most bitter enemies of the Gospel.

M. Some of them undoubtedly were so; and many of them were so hypocritical in their practices, as to have brought down upon them some of the severest denunciations which our Lord ever uttered. They were not, however, all hypocrites; nor were they all enemies to the Gospel. St. Paul himself was once, indeed, a persecutor of the Christians; but he was never a hypocrite. He opposed the Gospel because

1 Ex. xxii. 28.

2 2 Pet. ii. 10.

3 Jude 8.