The effects of this study are more or less apparent in every epistle which he wrote.

The argument which he uses in the Epistle to the Galatians, for instance, "Now to Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed: He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy Seed, which is Christ" (Gal. iii. 16), and the allegorical interpretation of the story of Sarah and Hagar, as typifying the Christian and Jewish Covenants, would never have occurred to one who had not been thoroughly imbued with Rabbinical teaching.

But Saul was a great deal more than a diligent student, he was most earnestly religious; as far as the righteousness of the Law was concerned, he was blameless; he lived in all good conscience towards God.

Yet his was too great a soul to find a lasting peace, or a solid satisfaction, in endeavouring to work out a righteousness of his own. This righteousness brought no peace to him. The Law of God, which he knew to be holy, and just and good, was no way of life to him, but rather the way of death.

It is interesting to think, as one of the ablest writers on the life of S. Paul has pointed out, that while the young student from Tarsus was passing through the Schools of Jerusalem, and winning golden opinions from his teachers, there were boys growing up on the shores of the sea of Galilee, mending their father's nets, with whom he was afterwards to be brought into fellowship as apostles of a new faith, and servants of the same Master: and still more, that while Saul was studying at Jerusalem, One was growing up in the seclusion of a country village, in whom he was afterwards to recognize the long-expected Messiah of his people; the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God.

It is hardly likely that Saul remained at Jerusalem during the years of our Lord's ministry. If he had actually seen our Saviour, and heard him speak; still more if he had been present at the meeting of the Council of the Elders which condemned him to death, he would have made some allusion to it in his speeches, or his letters.

Many things might have called him away from Jerusalem at that time. He might have been sent by the Jewish Sanhedrim on a distant mission; or family affairs might have called him to Tarsus.

We only know for certain that at the time that S. Stephen was exercising his ministry at Jerusalem, Saul had returned, and was known as an ardent disciple of Judaism, an eager controversialist, and afterwards a pitiless persecutor of the followers of Jesus.

It will be necessary now to give an outline sketch of the history of the Christian Church up to this time; but this must be done in another chapter.

CHAPTER II.

SAUL THE PERSECUTOR.

HEN Saul returned to Jerusalem,-for, as I have said, it is hardly likely that he was there at the time of the crucifixion of our Lord, he would find the whole aspect of affairs changed.

His friends, no doubt, would cluster round him, and tell him about what had happened during his absence. They would tell him about the Prophet of Galilee, the Nazarene as they would call him, about his revolutionary teaching and extravagant pretensions, and how he had been condemned and put to death.

They would have to tell him also that the disciples of this man were inclined to be troublesome; that they had succeeded in persuading many of the people that the crucified Nazarene was the Christ, that he had risen from the dead, and had bestowed new and strange gifts upon his followers.

Yes, great events had indeed happened; far greater than Saul and his friends would allow to themselves; far greater even than the apostles themselves dreamt of.

Outwardly, no doubt, things remained much the same, the Holy City, the Temple, the Schools of the Rabbis were the same: but in reality it was a new world to which Saul had returned. There were new forces at work which would soon overthrow the

existing religions and institutions of the world, and shape the destinies of mankind. The Stone which was to break in pieces the kingdoms of the world, was already cut without hands out of the mountain. The grain of mustard-seed had been sown in the field of the world, the leaven had been hidden in the three measures of meal.

But we must go back a little and endeavour to understand what it was that had happened, to picture to ourselves what had been the history of the Christian Church up to this time.

This history is contained, as you know, in the Acts of the Apostles.

This most interesting and instructive book, which contains the sole record of the beginnings of the Christian Church, has been well called "the Gospel of the Holy Spirit."

On the surface, it is the history of the actings of Apostles, beneath the surface it is the record of the working of the Holy Ghost in the Church, and in the world.

I dare say you have noticed in the two books of the New Testament which we owe to S. Luke-the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles-what a prominent place is occupied by the Ascension of our Lord. The Gospel ends with the Ascension, the Acts begins with it. It was the finishing of one part of the Divine plan, the beginning of another.

The history of the origin and growth of the Christian Church starts from AN OPENED HEAVEN, AND AN ASCENDED CHRIST. Soon we read of the descent of the Holy Ghost out of that opened heaven, the Gift of that ascended Christ.

There have been two supreme moments in the history of the human race. One was THE INCARNATION, and the other was THE DESCENT OF THE

HOLY GHOST. The one was the birthday of a restored humanity; the other was the birthday of the Universal Church.

Now, looking again at the inspired record, what do we see beyond the special and passing manifestations of the day of Pentecost, as to the nature and appearance of this Church?

Well, we see a Society of men and women, united in a common faith; bound together by sacramental ordinances; a Society animated with a new life, dwelt in by an unseen Presence, giving out a sort of spiritual radiance, surrounded, as it were, by a supernatural atmosphere, possessing and exercising new powers.

We look again, and we see this Society ever growing in numbers, increasing in reputation with the people, and adapting itself to its growing needs. And we ask ourselves, what is the secret of this growth? what is the explanation of that spiritual attraction which is drawing hundreds of men and women to it?

It was not any special eloquence in the preaching of the Apostles, that seems to have been of the simplest and plainest kind. It was not even, I think, the miracles which they wrought. These indeed served to call attention to the new Society, and to prepare men's minds to recognize a divine power at work within it. No! it was the power of this hidden life; it was the shining of this spiritual light; it was this surrounding atmosphere of peace and holiness which drew people to it.

Those who witnessed the life of the first believers could not help themselves, they were drawn by an unseen power, they were led by an unseen hand. Christ had said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me," and He was doing it.