tions. And lastly, that the ministers and consistent with the sentiments and abilities pastors of the several churches should take of so great an apostle. The language is special care of the flocks committed to their simple, and every expression so formed, as charge; teach them diligently, and govern to convey a thorough idea of his meaning to them gently, not seeking their own gain and the weakest capacity. All the arguments profit, but the salvation of the souls of the he makes use of to teach them patience are people." This is the purport of Peter's drawn from the sacred writings, and are epistle to the converted Jews; and the consistent with the doctrines of true reliwhole is written with a fervor and zeal truly gion. PAUL LEAVES EPHESUS. CHAPTER IX. RETURNS TO JERUSALEM. IS ARRESTED. PAUL, having been at Ephesus* about | nia, and after going thence to Jerusalem, in two years, resolved to return into Macedo- order to celebrate the feast of pentecost, to was enabled, with divine assistance, to establish the faith of Christ, and to found a flourishing Christian church. Of his great care of the Ephesian community strong proof is extant in the affecting charge which he gave to the elders, whom he had convened at Miletus on his return from Macedonia (Acts xx. 16-38); and still more in the epistle which he addressed to them from Rome. Ecclesiastical history represents Timothy to have been the first bishop of Ephesus; but there is greater evidence that the apostle John resided here toward the close of his life; here, also, he is supposed to have written his Gospel, and to have finally ended his life. * EPHESUS. RUINS OF THE TEMPLE OF DIANA (see engraving). Ephesus was a celebrated city on the coast of Asia Minor, situated between Smyrna and Miletus, on the sides and at the foot of a range of mountains which overlooked a fine plain watered and fertilized by the River Cayster. Among other splendid edifices which adorned this metropolis of Ionia was the magnificent temple of Diana, which was two hundred and twenty years in building, and was reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world. This edifice having been burnt by the incendiary Herostratus, B. C. 356, in the foolish hope of immortalizing his name, it was afterward rebuilt with increased splendor at the common expense The Ephesian church is the first of the " аросof the Grecian States of Asia Minor. The re-alyptic churches" addressed by the apostle John in mains of ancient Ephesus have been discovered the name of Jesus Christ. "His charge against by learned modern travellers at the Turkish her is declension in religious fervor (Rev. ii. 4); village of Ayasaluk. The ruins delineated in and his threat in consequence (ii. 5) is a total exour engraving comprise all that is supposed now tinction of her ecclesiastical brightness. After a to exist of this far-famed structure, which in the protracted struggle with the sword of Rome and time of St. Paul had lost nothing of its magnifi- the sophisms of the Gnostics, Ephesus at last cence. Here was preserved a wooden statue gave way. The incipient indifference censured of Diana, which the credulous Ephesians were by the warning voice of the prophet increased to taught to believe had fallen from heaven (Acts a total forgetfulness; till at length the threatenxix. 35), and of this temple small silver models ings of the Apocalypse were fulfilled, and Ephewere made, and sold to devotees. (Acts xix. 24.) sus sunk with the general overthrow of the Greek Nero is said to have plundered this temple of empire, in the fourteenth century." The plough many votive images, and great sums of gold and has passed over this once celebrated city; and in silver. This edifice appears to have remained March, 1826, when it was visited by the Rev. entire in the second century; though the wor- Messrs. Arundell and Hartley, green corn was ship of Diana diminished and sunk into insignifi- growing in all directions amid the forsaken ruins; cance in proportion to the extension of Christian- and one solitary individual only was found who ity. At a later period, "the temple of the great bore the name of Christ, instead of its once flourgoddess Diana, whom Asia and all the world" ishing church. Where assembled thousands worshipped (Acts xix. 27), was again destroyed once exclaimed, "Great is Diana of the Epheby the Goths and other barbarians; and time has sians!" the eagle now yells, and the jackal moans. so completed the havoc made by the hand of man, The sea having retired from the scene of desothat this mighty fabric has almost entirely dis- lation, a pestilential morass, covered with mud appeared. and rushes, has succeeded to the waters, which brought up the ships laden with merchandise from every country. The surrounding country, how During three years' residence in this city (Acts xx. 31), the great apostle of the Gentiles behind proceed in his journey, which he had long disturbances at Corinth, hatched and fomentintended, to Rome. In consequence of ed by a number of false teachers crept in these resolutions, and as a necessary prepara- among the converts of that city, who ention to carry them into execution, he sent deavored to draw them into parties and Timothy and Erastus before him into Mace- | factions, by persuading some to be for Paul, donia, while himself staid at and others for Apollos, the different persons Ephesus, in order to settle some matters from whom they had received instructions that were necessary to be adjusted previous relative to the Christian faith. In conseto his departure. quence of these disturbances they committed Soon after Timothy and Erastus had left great disorders, and celebrated the holy Ephesus, Paul received information of some sacrament very irreverently. They were addicted to fornication, and one in particu- | proper manner for their misconduct, Paul lar, had run into incest, by marrying his wrote his first Epistle to the Corinthians, in father's wife. They were unjust and fraud- which he "shows the inequality of Christ's ulent in their dealings; they went to law ministers, and their insufficiency for the work at heathen tribunals, and among them were found some, who were bold and profligate enough to deny the resurrection. To quell these schisms and factions which had taken place, and to chastise them in a ever, is both fertile and healthy; and the adjacent hills would furnish many delightful situations for villages, if the difficulties were removed which to which they are ordained, without the divine assistance; orders the incestuous person to be excommunicated, lest his example should infect others; blames their litigious law-suits, as thinking it much better to refer their difare thrown in the way of the industrious cultivator by a despotic government, oppressive agas, and wandering banditti. ferences to some of their own body; pro- together, and pathetically represented to pounds the first institution of the sacrament, them how inevitably they must be reduced and a previous examination of their lives to to a state of poverty, if they suffered Paul to bring them to a right use of it; and having bring their temple and goddess into contempt added several things concerning a decent by persuading people, as he did, that they behavior both of men and women in their were no gods which were made with hands. churches concerning the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the excellence of charity, the gift of tongues, and prayer in an unknown language, he proves the truth of the gospel, and the certainty of a future resurrection, almost to a demonstration. It was about this time also that Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galatians. He had received information that, since his departure thence, several impostors had crept in among them, who strongly insisted on the necessity of circumcision and other Mosaic rites, and greatly disparaged his authority. Paul therefore, in this epistle, reproves them with some necessary warmth and severity for suffering themselves so easily to be imposed upon by the crafty artifices of seducers. He largely refutes these Judaical opinions wherewith they were infected, and, by several arguments, proves that the slavery of the law brought a curse with it; was destructive of their Christian liberty, and incapable of procuring their justification in the sight of God. Among these reproofs and arguments, however, he intermixes several exhortations full of paternal and apostolic charity; and, toward the conclusion, gives them many excellent rules and directions for the conduct of their lives and conversations. A short time before Paul left Ephesus, a circumstance occurred which occasioned a general disturbance throughout the city, and had nearly proved fatal to him and his adherents. In the celebrated temple of Diana was an image of that goddess, which the idolatrous priests persuaded the people was made by Jupiter himself, and dropped down from heaven; for which reason it was held in great veneration, not only at Ephesus, but throughout all Asia. In consequence of this, the people procured silver shrines, or figures of the temple and Diana, of such a size as to carry in their pockets, either for curiosity or to stir them up to devotion. This proved the source of a great deal of business to the silversmiths of Ephesus, of whom one Demetrius was the chief. This man plainly perceiving that Christianity tended to the subversion of idolatry, and consequently to the ruin of their gainful employment, called all the artists The Ephesian Diana. (From a medal of Ephesus. This speech of Demetrius fired them with a zeal which they could no longer contain ; so that they cried out with one voice, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" They should, indeed, have considered that if their goddess was able to defend herself against the doctrines preached by Paul, neither she nor the temple was in any danger; whereas if Paul was able to destroy their gods, it was in vain for them to resist him. But interest and superstition, meeting in the minds of a bigoted multitude, admitted of no reason. They were all fired with a zeal for their goddess, and determined, if they could find Paul, to expose him to the beasts in the theatre, it being customary in those days, at the celebration of their public games and festivals, to expose such as they deemed criminals to the ravage of wild beasts for the diversion of the spectators. The whole city was filled with the tumult; and the crowd, missing Paul, laid hold on Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians of Paul's company, and hurried them into the theatre, with a design to throw them to the wild beasts. Paul, who was at this time in a place of security, hearing of the danger to which his brethren were exposed, was very desirous of venturing after them, in order to speak in their behalf; but he was at last dissuaded from it not only by the Christians, but also by the Gentile governors of the theatrical games, who were his friends, and who assured him that he would only endanger himself without rescuing his friends. 66 released without any hurt. But the escape of Paul was so remarkable that he mentions it as a remarkable deliverance. We The noise and confusion of the multitude had," says he, "the sentence of death in was now prodigious, most of them not know- ourselves, that we should not trust in ouring the reason for which they were come selves, but in God, who raised the dead, together; and therefore some said one thing, who delivered us from so great a death.' and some another. In this distraction, And in another place he tells us, he Alexander, a Jewish convert, was singled fought with beasts at Ephesus;" alluding out by the multitude, and by the instigation either to the design of the enraged mulof the Jews was going to make his defence, titude of throwing him to the wild beasts in which doubtless he would have laid the in the theatre, though their intention was whole blame upon Paul; but the multitude not executed, or to the manners of the perceiving him to be a Jew, and therefore people, who justly deserved the charsuspecting he was one of Paul's associates, acter of being savage and brutal to the raised another outcry for near two hours to- highest degree. gether, wherein nothing could be heard but Great is Diana of the Ephesians! " This confusion brought the town-clerk, or recorder of the city, who kept the register of the games, into the theatre, to suppress, if possi ble, so uncommon a tumult. Having with great difficulty obtained silence, he calmly and discreetly told them, "that it was sufficiently known to all the world what a mighty veneration the inhabitants of Ephesus had for their great goddess Diana, and the famous. image which fell down from Jupiter, so that there needed not any disturbance to vindicate and assert it; that they had seized on persons who were not guilty either of sacrilege or blasphemy against their goddess; that if Demetrius and his company had any just charge against them, the courts were sitting, and they might enter their accusation; or if the controversy was about any other matter, there were proper judicatures to determine it in; that therefore they would do well to be pacified, having done more already than they could answer, and being in danger of incurring a severe punisment, if they should be called to an account (as very likely they might be) for that day's riotous assembly.. Fighting with wild beasts. (From Mazois's Pompeii.) Soon after the tumult was suppressed at Ephesus, Paul, having called the church together, and constituted Timothy bishop of the place, took his leave, and departed by Troas to Macedonia, where, having instructed some and confirmed others in the principles of a sound faith and holy life, he continued his preaching all over the country, even as far as Illyricum.* During this journey, Paul met with many troubles and dangers; "without were fightings, and within fears:" but God, who comforteth those that are cast down, revived his spirits by the arrival of Titus, who gave him a pleasing account of the good effects his epistle had produced at Corinth, and what This speech had the desired effect: the great reformation it had wrought among multitude were convinced that they had converts of that city. But, as several vainacted very improperly, and therefore re-glorious teachers still persisted in their paired to their respective habitations; and contumacy, vilifying his authority, and misGaius, Aristarchus, and Alexander were representing his words and actions; char *This is a province of Europe, lying to the north or north-west of Macedonia, along the Adriatic Sea, now called the Gulf of Venice. It was commonly distinguished into two parts; Lyburnia to the north, where now lies Croatia; and Dalmatia to the south, which still retains its name. St. Paul tells us, that "from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, he had fully preached the gospel of Christ (Rom. xv. 19). So the that he must have travelled into Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Galatia, Pontus, Paphlagonia, Phrygia, Troas, Asia, Caria, Lysia, Ionia, Lydia, the Isles of Cyprus and Crete, Thracia, Macedonia, Thessalia, and Achaia. So, justly and without ostentation might he say, that in relation to the other apostles, "he labored more abundantly than they all." (1 Cor. xv. 10.) epistle, intermixes many admirable instructions and exhortations to the duties of a holy and religious life such as the Christian doctrine doth naturally tend to produce." ging him particularly with levity, in not | He also points out the effects of original sin, going there according to his promise; with and the power it has even among the reseverity in his dealings with the incestuous generate; and, through the whole of the person; with imperiousness in his writings, abjectness in his person, and some small tincture of irreligion in overthrowing the Mosaic law (all which he understood from Titus), he thought it necessary to write a second epistle to the Corinthians. In this epistle "he excuses his not going directly to Corinth, for fear of occasioning them sorrow, and giving himself uneasiness, in being obliged to treat with severity those who had not yet amended their faults. He commends their zeal against the incestuous person, but now that he had suffered enough for his transgression, allowed them to be reconciled to him. He justifies his own conduct, vindicates the dignity and ministry of the gospel, and proves its great excellence above the law. He declaims against those false teachers who made it their business to traduce and vilify him, and threatens them with his apostolic authority whenever he shall arrive among them. He then speaks of himself with some advantage, and though he mentions his supernatural gifts and revelations, yet seems to glory most in his extraordinary laborings and sufferings for the gospel. And lastly, he exhorts them all to the works of penance and mortification, lest when he arrived thither he should be obliged to exert his authority against offenders; and particularly cautions them to have their alms in readiness, that they may not be a hinderance to him when he shall arrive at Corinth." After Paul had travelled through the principal places in Macedonia and Achaia, confirming those who had been converted, and bringing over others to the faith, he proceeded to Corinth, where he took up his residence for the space of three months. During his abode here he wrote his famous Epistle to the Romans, which he sent by Phebe, a deaconess of the church of Cenchrea, near Corinth. In this epistle he states and determines the great controversy between the Jews and the Gentiles, relative to the obligation of the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law, and those main and material doctrines of Christianity which depend on it, such as that of Christian liberty, the use of different things, &c. Paul, having gathered considerable alms both in Macedonia and Achaia, resolved to leave Corinth, in order to carry them into Judæa for the relief of the Christians in those parts. His first intention was to go through Syria, as being by far the nearest way; but having received information that the Jews of that country had formed a conspiracy against his life, he altered his course, and determined to go through Macedonia. Accordingly, leaving Corinth, he proceeded to Philippi, where he staid some time, in order to celebrate the feast of the passover. Hence he took shipping, and in five days landed at Troas, where he continued a week. On the sabbath, which was the last day of his staying there, he preached to the Christians of the place, who had assembled together in order to receive the sacrament ; and, as he intended leaving them the next morning, he continued his harangue till midnight. The length of his discourse, and the time of night, caused some of his hearers to be so fatigued as to fall asleep. Among these was a young man named Eutychus, who, sitting in a higher window, so forgot himself that he fell thence to the ground, and was taken up dead. This circumstance being made known to the apostle, he stopped his discourse, and going to the young man, by prayers to the throne of grace, restored him to life and health. How indefatigable was this great apostle in doing good! how closely did he tread in the steps of his great Master, who went about doing good! He preached and wrought miracles wherever he went. Like a master-builder, he either laid a foundation or raised the superstructure. He was "instant, in season and out of season," and spared no pains in endeavoring to secure the eternal welfare of his fellowcreatures. 66 After performing this miracle, Paul resumed his discourse, and, having spent the whole night in these holy exercises, early the next morning he took his leave, and travelled on foot to Assos,* whither he had * Assos is a seaport-town, situate on the south- against the Island Lesbos. By land it is a great west part of the province of Troas, and over | deal nearer Troas than it is by sea, because of a |