ing, often excites envy and displeasure. The Lord's cause, however, is always safe, and no matter how many persecutors or persecutions arise, the work of religion must go on and prosper. Although Paul and Barnabas were driven with fury from Antioch, their hearts were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost; with joy for the establishment of a church, and the conversion of souls, and with the Holy Ghost, or with the special influence of the Spirit of God.

From Antioch they went to Iconium, which was then the capital of Lycaonia. It is one hundred and ten miles from the Mediterranean sea. The apostles had great success in their Master's cause here, but they were treated at length precisely as they had been in Antioch, and were compelled to fly. Nevertheless, the word had taken deep root, for a church was here planted which flourished for eight hundred years. After it was taken by the Turks,however, the christians were reduced to a very low condition, and soon were expelled from the city, and obliged to live in the suburbs. Whether there are any christians there now or not, we cannot tell. From Iconium, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra. This was the city where

Timothy was born. At this place, a poor man, who had been born a cripple, and never had walked, but who had listened with faith to the preaching of Paul, was by him restored to the use of his limbs; and the ignorant multitude, who were idolaters, because they saw miracles, supposed that Paul must be a god, and they actually began to prepare to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas, calling Barnabas, Jupiter, the name of their principal false deity, and Paul they called, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. This circumstance very greatly distressed Paul and Barnabas, for they did not want man's applause. They rent their clothes in token of their great distress, and ran in among the people, and begged them to desist. They told them, that they were only men, and exhorted them to turn from their follies to the service of the true and living God. Their address is remarkably energetic. "Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein; who in times past suffered

all nations to walk in their own ways. Never. theless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them."

One thing is very curious to notice, viz., how soon people may change their opinions. Some of those wicked persecutors came from Antioch and Iconium to this place, and succeeded in prejudicing the people of Lystra against Paul. The very same persons then, who had a little while before wanted to worship him as a god, now were induced to treat him so cruelly, as even to stone him till they thought he was dead. They dragged him out of the city, and left him as if life had departed. Here, therefore, to all human probability, the history of the apostle appeared to be concluded, but the Lord God, who had designed him for very great usefulness in the church, interposed in his behalf. Paul it appears had not been quite killed; there was some little life in him, and while the disciples stood by, weeping and mourning, no doubt,over

his cruel and untimely fate, God restored him at once to his former strength. He rose up, and, to the great astonishment and fright of his friends, he went back into the city, and staid there till the next day, when he went with Barnabas to a place called Derbe.

Derbe was a town said to be about twenty miles in a south-eastern direction from Lystra. It does not appear to have been a place of much consequence. Paul and Barnabas preached here with considerable success, but how long they staid is not ascertained. After they had staid as long as was by them thought expedient, they started on their return to Antioch, going through most of the places where they had before preached the Gospel, for the purpose of once more comforting the disciples with the word of God. They exhorted the professors throughout that region to cling to their christian profession, under all the afflic tions which might be brought upon them, and told them, what will be found true in the experience of all the children of God in a greater or lesser degree, that they must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of heaven. At several of the cities where churches had

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been organized, Paul and Barnabas ordained elders to preside over the interests of the new churches, and to preach the Gospel of Christ. This missionary visit was the origin of those churches which were planted all along the route which Paul took,and which, under Divine grace, flourished a long time in great pros perity; but now they are no more, having fallen under the anger of God, for errors in doctrine, and for unholiness in life.

In their way home, Paul and Barnabas passed through Pisidia, which was a district of country very narrow, but of some length. It lay in a kind of semi-circle, along the southern and western side of Mount Taurus. Once this small district was very populous, having no less than eighteen cities. There were also a great many churches, which Paul and Barnabas planted, and here religion flourished for seven or eight hundred years. When the Turks finally conquered the country, every thing like religion was destroyed.

After they had passed through Pisidia, they came into the section of country called Pamphylia, in which was a city, before noticed,