may, no man even in Holy Writ confesses his sins more in detail than St. Paul does. He multiplies expressions in his writings, every one stronger than another, as to his persecuting spirit. "He made havoc of the church;' "he entered into every house;" "he committed to prison." Three times does he repeat as an aggravation of his cruelty, that he haled not only men, but women to prison that if he found any of this way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem-" and I persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women." (Acts viii. 3, ix. 2, xxii. 4.) These were often scourged in many synagogues. (Acts xxvi. 10.) "And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them." And, what was worse than either scourging or death, he compelled them to blaspheme the holy name whereby they were called,—in a word, "he persecuted the church of God and wasted it" (Gal. i. 13); he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious (1 Tim. i. 13); "not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. xv. 9).

This Satanic work is said to have been carried on by Saul at Jerusalem for a period of six months. "And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles." Mark, then, this effect: Truly persecution is the seed of the Church; and truly this apparent calamity was turned, in the wisdom of that God who, we repeat, leads us by a way we know not of, into the first missionary triumph of the Church of Christ. "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word." (Acts viii. 4.) "Now they which were scattered abroad, upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And

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some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord." (Acts xi. 19-21.) Thus did God make all things work together for good, to fulfil the prophecy and to obey the command, "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come on you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them; and the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did." On the way down from Jerusalem, unto Gaza, which is desert, behold a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority, "was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through, he preached in all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea." Thus the light of the Gospel began to dawn on the darkness of the Gentile world

St. Paul says: "Being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them into strange cities." And again: "Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem." (Acts ix. 1, 2.) Having received authority and commission from the chief priest (Acts xxvi. 10), Theophilus the Sadducee, the son of Annas, Saul went to Damascus. He seems to have started about the latter end of the year 37, himself probably on horseback, and his followers some mounted, and some, may be, on foot.

Damascus is a hundred and fifty-six miles north of Jerusalem, or about a week's journey in those countries. The Emperor Julian, the apostate, styled it the Eye of all the East. the sacred and most magnificent Damascus. It is beautifully situated in a valley called the Orchard, and is watered by the Abana and Pharpar of Scripture. This city is one of the oldest cities of the world; and is supposed by Bachart to have been founded by Us, the eldest son of Aram, and it was a place of considerable importance in the time of Abraham, whose steward is styled Eliezer of Damascus. Its fame began thus with the earliest patriarchs, and it still continues. It was founded before Baalbek and Palmyra, and it has outlived them both. While Babylon is a heap in the desert, and Tyre a ruin on the shore,

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Damascus remains to this day "the head of Assyria,” as the prophet called it three thousand years since.

The country around Damascus is extremely fertile and well watered. It has been compared to a pearl set in a cluster of emeralds. This spot is said to form the site of Paradise, and Lamartine says certainly, "I think that no place upon earth was better calculated to answer one's idea of Eden." The vast and fruitful plain, with the seven branches of the blue stream which irrigates it, the majestic framework of the mountains, the glittering lakes which reflect the heaven upon the earth, its geographical situation between two seas, the perfection of the climate- everything indicates that Damascus has at least been one of the first towns that were ever built by the children of men. Tradition says that Adam was formed of the red earth found here, and that Abel was slain in a cave here, where he is buried. The tomb of Noah is also shown near Damascus. Josephus tells us that the number of Jews in the city amounted to about ten thousand: if so, such a population required to be looked after, lest any should have embraced the Christian religion.

We are not told what road the apostle took on this journey. There are three roads: the one through Gaza and Ramleh; then turning eastward about the borders of Galilee and Samaria, it descends near Mount Tabor towards the sea of Tiberias, crosses the Jordan to the north of the lake of Jacob's bridge, and proceeds through the desert to Antilibanus. Another road falls into the former at Djenin, at the entrance of Galilee, and a third is by Cæsarea Philippi, at the fountain of the Jordan, on the natural line of communication between Tyre and Damascus. In all probability Saul would pass by the Sychar of the Old Testament, and the Nablous of the modern Samaritans. It would be pleasing to linger in our descriptions of these several roads; but it would be impossible to give a local habitation and a name to our details, since we neither