hath seemed good to us, being assembled together, to choose out men, and to send them unto you with our well-beloved Barnabas and Paul,-men that have given their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also will by word of mouth tell you the same things. For it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay no further burden upon you than these necessary things. That ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which things if ye keep yourselves ye shall do well. Fare ye well. They therefore being dismissed went down to

Antioch, and gathering together the mulAntioch in titude delivered the epistle; which when Syria. they had read they rejoiced for the consolation. But Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, with many words comforted the brethren, and confirmed them. And after they had spent some time there they were let go in peace by the brethren, unto them that had sent them. But it seemed good unto Silas to remain there; and Judas alone departed to Jerusalem.

SECT. CLXXXI. PAUL AND BARNABAS, AFTER STAYING SOME TIME AT ANTIOCH, SET OUT SEPARATELY ON A SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. A.D. 51.

And Paul and Barnabas continued at Antioch, teaching and preaching, with many others, Antioch in the word of the Lord.

Syria.

And after some days Paul said to Barnabas: Let us return and visit our brethren in all the cities wherein we have preached the word of the Lord, to see how they do. And Barnabas would have taken with them John also, that was surnamed Mark, but Paul desired that he (as having departed from them out of Pamphylia, and not gone with them to the

Syria and

Cilicia.

work) might not be received. And there arose a dissension, so that they departed one from another, and Barnabas indeed, taking Mark, sailed to Cyprus. But Paul choosing Silas* departed, being delivered by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the Churches, commanding them to keep the precepts of the apostles and the elders. And he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold there was a certain disciple there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman that believed, but his father was a gentile. To this man the brethren that were in Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony. Him Paul would have to go along with him; and taking him he circumcised him, because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a gentile.

Derbe and

Lystra.

And as they passed through the cities they delivered unto them the decrees for to keep, that were decreed by the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem. And the Churches were confirmed in faith, and increased in number daily.

And when they had passed through Phrygia and the country of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. And when they were come into Mysia

Mysia.

Troas.

they attempted to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not. And when they had passed through Mysia they went down to Troas, and a vision was showed to Paul in the night, which was a man of Macedonia standing and beseeching him, and saying, Pass over into Macedonia, and help us. And as soon as he had seen the vision, immediately wef sought to go

*This Silas was the same as the Silvanus who is mentioned by St. Paul in some of his Epistles. Barnabas is not mentioned again. Observe from the use of "we," that St. Luke here became St. Paul's companion.

into Macedonia, being assured that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. And sailing from Troas Samothracia. We came with a straight course to SamoNeapolis. thracia, and the day following to Neapolis, Philippi. and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were in this city some days conferring together.

SECT. CLXXXII. PAUL AND SILAS PREACH AT PHILIPPI, AND ARE PERSECUTED THERE.

And Philippi.

upon the sabbath-day we went forth without the gate by a river side, where it seemed that prayer was made, and sitting down we spoke to the women that were assembled.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, listened to us, whose heart the Lord opened to attend to those things which were said by Paul. And when she was baptised, and her household, she besought us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us. And it came to pass as we went to prayer, a certain girl, having a spirit of divination, met us, who brought to her masters much gain by divining. This same, following Paul and us, cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, who preach unto you the way of salvation. And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit: I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go out from her. And he went out the same hour.

But her masters, seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, apprehended Paul and Silas, and brought them into the market-place to the rulers. And presenting them to the magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, disturb our city, and preach a

custom which it is not lawful for us to receive nor observe, being Romans.

And the people ran together against them; and the magistrates, rending off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the gaoler to keep them diligently. And he, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and praised God. And they that were in prison heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bands of all were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison open, drew his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we all are here. Then calling for a light, he went in, and trembling, fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas. And bringing them out, he said, Masters, what must I do that I may be saved? But they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and himself was baptised, and all his house straightway. And when he had brought them into his own house, he put meat before them, and rejoiced with all his house, believing God.

And when the day was come, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told these words to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said to them, They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men

Not so;

but

that are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privately? let them come and let us out themselves.

And the sergeants told these words to the magistrates. And they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them; and bringing them out they desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia; and having seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed.

SECT. CLXXXIII. AFTER LEAVING PHILIPPI, PAUL PREACHES AT THESSALONICA. HE IS PERSECUTED AND GOES TO ATHENS,

Thessalonica.

And when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul according to his custom went in unto them, and for three sabbath-days he reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, declaring and alleging that the Christ was to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is Christ. And some of them believed, and were associated to Paul and Silas, and of those that served God and of the gentiles a great multitude, and of noble women not a few.

But the Jews, moved with envy, took unto them some wicked men of the vulgar sort, and making a tumult, set the city in an uproar; and besetting Jason's house, sought to bring them out unto the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren to the rulers of the city, crying, They that set the city in an uproar are come hither also, whom Jason hath received, and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying, That there is another king, Jesus. And they stirred up the people, and the rulers of the city when they heard