with foreign countries than the other natives; and wore brown cloaks, and did not stain their skins with blue woad, and go nearly naked, as most of the inhabitants of our country did then.

For an account of the miracles wrought by this great man, and of other wonderful and interesting things about him, you must read, as I have told you, the Acts of the Holy Apostles.

But the time drew on when S. Paul, like his brethren, was to seal his testimony with his blood. All his brilliancy, power, and goodness would not prevent this.

Landing in a Phoenician ship at Tyre, with the intention of again going to Jerusalem, some Christian brethren there, warned by the HOLY SPIRIT, begged of him not to go. But he proceeded, and at Cæsarea a prophet named Agabus again warned him (by binding his own hands and feet with Paul's girdle) of the imprisonment which awaited him should he reach Jerusalem. He was everywhere very much beloved. When he left Ephesus, "they all wept sore, and fell on his neck, and kissed him;" and now at Cæsarea they "besought him not to go up to Jerusalem;" but when he determined to do so, they could only say, like Christians, The will of the LORD be done."

66

For he had replied to them, "What mean

ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD JESUS."

But it was not at Jerusalem that he died. He suffered much there, but was removed to Rome, where after some time he was thrown into prison, during the reign of the Emperor Nero. S. Peter was imprisoned at the same time, and both suffered martyrdom.

This Emperor, Nero, was one of the most wicked men that ever lived. It is almost impossible to imagine such wickedness as he delighted in. He caused Rome to be set on fire, only that he might amuse himself by watching the flames; and whilst the city was burning, he sang verses to his harp-for, strange to say, he was fond of music and poetry.

However he might enjoy the burning, Nero did not like the odium of this detestable action, and he accused the Christians of the crime. There was a fearful persecution raised against them on this false charge. Some were covered with the skins of wild beasts, and under that appearance devoured by savage dogs. Some were crucified, others burnt alive. Some were smeared all over with grease, and so set in flames, burning slowly, to light the ruffians at their horrible task. Nero amused himself by watching these tortures from his gardens.

At this time S. Peter and S. Paul both died. They had been imprisoned before for interfering, as their duty required them to do, with the wicked pleasures of the emperor. S. Peter was crucified, but this degrading punishment could not, by law, be inflicted on a Roman citizen, so S. Paul was beheaded with a sword. And this is a reason why in a great many windows and pictures we see of him, he is represented with a sword in his hand.

S. Paul was in his sixty-eighth year when he died. The chains with which he had been bound in prison were long preserved at Rome.

THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE,

COMMONLY CALLED THE PURIFICATION OF SAINT MARY THE VIRGIN.

FEBRUARY 2.

"Give ear, ye kings, bow down,
Ye rulers of the earth;
This, this is He, your Priest by grace,
Your GoD and King by birth.

"No pomp of earthly guards
Attends with sword and spear,
And all-defying, dauntless look,
Their Monarch's way to clear.

"Yet are there more with Him
Than all that are with you-
The armies of the highest heaven,
All righteous, good, and true.

"But who is he, by years

Bow'd, but erect in heart,

Whose prayers are struggling with his tears? 'LORD, let me now depart.'

THIS day is chiefly observed in memory of our LORD being presented in the temple: and on it the Virgin Mary completed the days of her Purification. This was in obedience to a law of the Jews, by which any woman who had a child, separated herself from the congregation for a certain number of days.

The meaning of it is, that by Adam's fall we had all received the stain of sin at our birth, and to show how spreading that sin was, the children were circumcised, and the mothers were separated from the congregation.

If the Virgin Mary had not gone through these days of purification according to the law, she could not again have appeared at public worship, and she would have been considered as forsaking the faith of her fathers; and if our SAVIOUR had not been circumcised, and publicly presented in the temple, He could not by the laws have been permitted to enter either synagogue or temple, and no Jew would have held intercourse with Him. He and His Mother would not have been considered as in covenant with the LORD.

We may well think that this custom might have been omitted by so holy a person as the Virgin Mary; but no: both by His Mother and in His own Person, our LORD fulfilled to the letter every command given in the law of Moses. And in this law it was a precept that