not right in the sight of God. Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness; and pray to God if perhaps this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee; for I see thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity.

Then Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of these things that ye have spoken may come upon me.

And they, having testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

SECT. CLXVII. PHILIP THE DEACON PREACHES IN THE SOUTH COUNTRY, AND CONVERTS THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH.

Now an angel of the Lord spake to Philip, saying, Arise, go towards the south, to the way that goeth down from Jerusalem into Gaza, which is desert.

Gaza.

And he rose up and went. And behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch, of great authority under Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge over all her treasures, had come to Jerusalem to adore. And he was returning sitting in his chariot, and reading Isaias the prophet.

And the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither and heard him reading the prophet Isaias, and he said, Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest? And he said, How can I, unless some man show me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. And the place of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so openeth he not his mouth. In humility his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare? for his life shall be taken from

the earth (Isa. liii. 7). And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet speak this? of himself, or some other man?

Then Philip, opening his mouth and beginning at this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me from being baptised?

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answering said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing.

But Philip was found in Azotus, and passing through he preached the Gospel to all Azotus. the cities, till he came to Cesarea.*

SECT. CLXVIII. THE CONVERSION OF SAUL ON HIS WAY TO DAMASCUS. A.D. 37.

And Saul, as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Jerusalem. Lord, went to the high-priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues; that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and suddenly a

*This Cæsarea was called Cæsarea Palestina, to distinguish it from Cæsarea Philippi. It was a town on the sea-coast about seventy miles from Jerusalem, and the residence of the Roman procurators.

light from heaven shined round about him. And he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.* And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do. Now the men that went in company with him stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. But they led him by the hands, and brought him to Damascus; and he was there three days without sight, and he did neither eat nor drink.

Damascus.

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold I am here, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go into the street that is called Strait, and seek in the house of Judas one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prayeth. (And he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hands upon him, that he might receive his sight.)

But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem; and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name.

And the Lord said to him, Go thy way, for this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house, and laying his hands upon him, he said,

*To kick against the goad means to increase one's pain by resistance.

Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus-he that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest-hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight, and arose and was baptised. And when he had taken meat he was strengthened, and he was with the disciples that were at Damascus for some days; and immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. And all that heard him were astonished, and said, Is not this he who persecuted in Jerusalem those who called on this name, and came hither for this purpose, that he might bring them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased much more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt in Damascus, affirming that this is the Christ.

SECT. CLXIX, AFTER THREE YEARS TIME, SAUL, ON HIS RETURN TO DAMASCUS, IS CONSPIRED AGAINST BY THE JEWS, AND ESCAPES TO JERUSALEM AND THENCE TO TARSUS. A.D. 40.

And when many days* were passed, the Jews consulted together to kill him. But their laying in wait was made known to Saul; and they watched also the gates day and night that they might kill him. But the disciples took him in the night and conveyed him away by the wall, letting him down in a basket.

And when he was come into Jerusalem, he essayed to join himself to the disciples; and they Jerusalem. all were afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and told them how he had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken to him; and how at Damascus he had dealt boldly in the

* We learn from the Epistle to the Galatians that the time was about three years, a portion of which St. Paul spent in retirement in Arabia.

name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out in Jerusalem, and dealing confidently in the name of the Lord. He spake also to the Gentiles and disputed with the Greeks, but they sought to kill him; which when the brethren had known they brought him down to Cesarea, and sent him away to Tarsus.

SECT. CLXX. DURING AN INTERVAL OF REST FROM PERSECUTION, ST. PETER GOES TO LYDDA, HEALS ENEAS, AND RAISES DORCAS TO LIFE.

Now the Church had peace throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria; and was edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and was filled with the consolation of the Holy Ghost.

And it came to pass that Peter, as he passed through, visiting all, came to the saints who dwelt at Lydda. And he found there

Lydda.

a certain man named Eneas, who had kept his bed for eight years, and was sick of the palsy.

Joppe.

And Peter said to him, Eneas, the Lord Jesus Christ healeth thee; arise and make thy bed. And immediately he arose. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and they were converted to the Lord. And in Joppe there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which being interpreted is Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she performed. And it came to pass in those days that she was sick and died: whom when they had washed, they laid in an upper chamber. And Lydda being near to Joppe, the disciples hearing that Peter was there sent two men to him, desiring him that he would not be slack to come unto them.

And Peter rose up and went with them. And when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber; and all the widows stood about him weep