Jesus, by having your hearts changed by the grace of God. None but real christians will ever be saved.

While all this was going on at Antioch, it so happened that there was a great drought over all the land of Judea, and the poor christians at Jerusalem suffered very much from want; for every thing became very dear, as things always are when there is a scarcity. The disciples at Antioch, hearing of this, determined that they would make a contribution for their poor brethren in Jerusalem; and they sent it by Barnabas and Saul. Thus we see that after five years' absence, four in Tarsus and the neighbourhood, and one in Antioch, Saul once more comes to Jerusalem. He staid here however but a little time, as his special business had been to carry the contributions of the church at Antioch; and after he had done this, he and Barnabas went back and took with them John, who is better known under the name of Mark-and here they all continued for a while preaching the Gos pel.

CHAPTER IV.

Saul and Barnabas appointed missionaries, and some account of their first missionary tour, with many other interesting circum

stances.

THE history of the appointment of Saul and Barnabas as missionaries, is contained in the thirteenth chapter of Acts, and is briefly as follows. "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered unto the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.'

Saul and Barnabas being thus appointed to the missionary work, they went out, like the Patriarch of old, depending only on the Lord for guidance and direction. They immedi

C

ately left Antioch, and went to Seleucia, which is a sea-port town on the Mediterranean, no very great distance off. It stands at the mouth of the same river on which Antioch stands, namely, the Orontes; and the name by which Seleucia is now known, is Suveidia. Here they took passage, and went to a very large island in the Mediterranean, called Cyprus, about one hundred miles from the main land of Syria, and about seventy miles from the main land of Cilicia. This island is about two hundred miles long from east to west, and about sixty miles broad. It is shaped somewhat like a triangle. This island was so remarkable for its fertility, that the ancients called it, “the rich and the happy island:" but the people were as remarkable for their wickedness. It must have been an island of a great many inhabitants when Saul landed there; for in the year of our Lord 1570, when the Turks conquered it, it contained no less than one million of people; but now the number is reduced below forty thousand.

The first place in which Saul appears to have preached the Gospel in Cyprus, was in

a city called Salamis, where, most probably, they had landed, as it was a sea-port town, standing on a most beautiful bay. Here they preached the word of God, in the synagogues of the Jews, but how long they staid there, the sacred history does not tell us. From this place Saul and Barnabas took a tour through the whole island, and reached a place called Paphos, a celebrated city at the very western extremity of the island. And here a very curious circumstance took place. Sergius Paulus, who was the Roman governor of the island, discovered a favourable disposition, and desired to hear the Gospel. But there was there a noted magician, or conjuror, named Elymas, one of those wicked people who used, in former days, to go about pretending to do miracles; and this man, finding himself in danger of losing his influence, tried to prejudice the governor against religion, and to turn him away from the faith. Saul, addressing this vile opposer of the Gospel, who laboured to keep others in darkness, said to him," O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to per

of

vert the ways of the Lord? And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season." Hereupon there came over him a mist and a darkness, and having lost his sight, he went about seeking some one to lead him by the hand.

The Governor, being convinced by this miracle, embraced the Christian religion. There are many circumstances which conspire to prevent the free access of the ministers of Christ, to persons of high rank. They, whose interest or influence is likely to suffer by the Gospel, will try to oppose it; but the enemies of truth shall be defeated, like Elymas, and the word of God shall prosper.

Our readers will probably remember, that all along in this history, we have called the individual, about whom we have been writing, Saul. But the sacred history, while it is telling us about this curious transaction at Paphos, also tells us that Saul was also called Paul, and afterwards, in the history, he is spoken of by this name. We are not able to tell why his name was changed. The most general opinion is, that Saul changed his name to Paul