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The Year after

CHRIST

33.

34.

Matthew,

The Seventh Age of the World.

On the third day, the next after the Jewish sabbath xxviii. (April 5), Christ riseth from the dead; his resurrecMark,xvi. tion is declared by angels to the women that came Luke, to the sepulchre. Christ first appeareth to Mary Magdalene, and afterward to his disciples, and dineth with them.

xxiv. John, xx. Acts, i.

Christ bringeth his apostles to mount Olivet; commandeth thein to expect in Jerusalem the sending Matthew, down of the Holy Ghost; sends them to teach and xxviii. baptize all nations, and blesses them; and while they behold, he is taken up, and a cloud receives him out of their sight. After his ascension his disciples are warned by two angels to depart, and to set their minds upon his second coming; they accordingly return, and, giving themselves to prayer, choose Matthias to be an apostle in the place of Judas.

Acts, ii.

iii.

iv.

v. 1,

17.

vi.

vii.

On the day of Pentecost (May 24) the Holy Ghost descendeth on the apostles in the form of cloven tongues, like as of fire, and enableth them to speak all languages. Peter the same day preacheth Christ and the resurrection, and about three thousand believers are added to the church.

Peter, by faith in Christ's name, healeth a lame

man.

The rulers of the Jews, offended at Peter's sermon, and his miraculous cure of the lame man, cast both him and John into prison; upon their examination, they boldly avouch the lame man to be healed by the name of Jesus, and that by the same Jesus we must be eternally saved. After this the Jews forbid them to speak any more in that name; but the apostles answer, That it is fit they should obey God rather than men. They are threatened, and let go.

Ananias, and his wife Sapphira, for their hypocrisy, are suddenly struck dead.

The apostles are again cast into prison by the highpriest, but an angel sets them at liberty, and bids them preach the Gospel to the people without fear; being taken again teaching in the temple, they are brought before the council; where, by the advice of Gamaliel, a Pharisee and doctor of the law, they are delivered.

The number of believers increasing at Jerusalem, the apostles ordain seven deacons, who should distribute the alms of the whole church to the widows, and poorer sort of believers. Stephen, one of these deacons, having confounded some that disputed with him, is by them falsely accused of blasphemy, and brought before the council, where he reprehends their rebellion, and murdering of Christ. Whereupon they

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The Year after CHRIST

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A great persecution of the church at Jerusalem follows after the death of the first martyr, Stephen.

Philip, one of the seven deacons, preacheth at Sa: maria, and converteth many; worketh miracles, and healeth the sick. Simon the sorcerer, seeing the wonders that are done by Philip, believeth, and is ¡ baptized.

The apostles at Jerusalem, hearing that Samaria had received the faith, send thither Peter and John to confirm and enlarge the church. The apostles, by prayer and imposition of hands, confer the Holy Ghost on all believers. Simou Magus offers them money, that he may receive power of conferring the same, whose impiety is sharply reproved by Peter. Having completed their ministry in those parts, they return to Jerusalem.

An angel sendeth Philip to teach and baptize the Ethiopian eunuch.

Saul, a violent persecutor of all that call on the name of Jesus, and one who consented to the death of Stephen, goes now towards Dainascus, with commission from the high-priest and the council, to apprehend all Christians in those parts, and to bring them bound to Jerusalem; on the way he is miraculously converted by a voice from heaven; and three days after baptized by Ananias at Damascus, where he preacheth the Gospel of Christ with great boldness, to the astonishment of those that knew upon what desigu he was sent thither.

Saul having preached the Gospel at Damascus a i long time, the Jews lay wait to kill him, but he es2 Cor. xi. capeth from thence, and comes to Jerusalem ; there he sees Peter, and James the brother of our Lord, and 'Gal. i. 18. abides with them fifteen days. Here he speaks boldly in the name of Jesus, and disputes with the Grecians, or rather Jews that used the Greek tongue. These i also consult how they may kill him.

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While Saul prays in the temple, he is in a trance, and the Lord appears unto him, and bids him to depart from Jerusalem, because they will not receive his testimony; adding, that he will send him to the Gentiles. Saul, leaving Jerusalem, goes to his own country, Tarsus, and from thence travels into Syria and Cilicia.

Peter visits the churches of Judea, Galilee, Samaria, &c. At Lydda he cureth Æneas of the palsy ; and at Joppa restoreth Tabitha to life.

At Cæsarea, Cornelius, a centurion, by prayers and alms, finds favour in the sight of God, and is com

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manded by an angel to send for Peter, now at Joppa. God, by a vision, teacheth Peter not to despise the Gentiles; and, being sent for by Cornelius, goes and preacheth Christ to him, and a great company that were met at his house. While Peter preacheth, the Holy Ghost falls upon them all; and immediately the apostle baptizeth them.

Peter, at his return to Jerusalem, is accused by those of the circumcision, for conversing with the Gentiles; but he declares to them his vision, and the whole matter concerning Cornelius; and they glorify God, for granting to the Gentiles also repentance unto life.

The believers, who, ever since the martyrdom of Stephen, and the persecution thereupon ensuing, had been dispersed throughout all Phenice and Cyprus, come now to Antioch, and preach the Gospel to the Greeks there, having before preached to none but the Jews. The church at Jerusalem understanding this, and that the number of believers increased exceeedingly, send Barnabas thither to confirm them; he goes to Tarsus, and takes Saul along with him to Antioch, where they continue a whole year, converting multitudes to the faith. Here the disciples were first called Christians.

About this time James, the brother of John, is beheaded by the command of Herod Agrippa. He also imprisoneth Peter, whom an angel delivers upon the prayers of the church. This same Herod, not long after, speaking to the people at Cæsarea, some of them cry out, It is the voice of God, and not of man; and immediately an angel of the Lord smites him, because he gave not the glory to God; and he is eaten of worms, and dieth.

Barnabas and Saul set forward in their preaching of the Gospel. They plant the Christian faith in Seleucia, Cyprus, and other places. At Paphos they preach the Gospel to Sergius Paulus, governor of that country. Elymas, a sorcerer, withstanding them, and endeavouring to turn away Sergius from the faith, is at Saul's rebuke struck blind. From this time Saul is always called by his new name, Paul. He preacheth at Antioch; the Gentiles believe, but the Jews gainsay and blaspheme. Whereupon he and his assistants turn to the Gentiles, and come to Iconium.

At Iconium they are persecuted, and ready to be stoned. From hence they fly to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia. At Lystra, Paul healing a cripple, the multitude cry out that the gods are come down, and call Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius;

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and would have sacrificed to them, had not the apostles, with clothes rent, run in among them, and assured them that they were men like themselves. Soon after there come Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who excite the people against them. Paul is by the 2 Cor. xi. furious multitude stoned, and drawn out of the city as 24 dead; but whilst the disciples stand about kim, he riseth up, and the next day departs with Barnabas to Derbe.

xii. 2. ・ In this year, perhaps at this very time, Paul was caught up into the third heaven, and heard unspeakable words, fourteen years before he wrote his second Iepistle to the Corinthians.

2 Tim. i.
2, 5.

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About this time, Timothy, though a child, with his mother Eunice, and his grandmother Lois, embrace the Christian faith preached by Paul.

Certain Judaizing Christians come from Judea to ¦ Antioch, and teach that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised, and observe the law of Moses; these Paul and Barnabas oppose, and a council is held by the apostles and others at Jerusalem, to determine this controversy. The decrees of the synod are sent to the churches.

Paul and Barnabas thinking to visit the churches together, fall at strife, and part asunder; Barnabas and Mark go into Cyprus, Paul and Silas into Syria and Cilicia.

Paul, coming to Derbe, finds there Timothy, whom (because his mother was a believing Jew, though his father a Gentile) he causeth to be circumcised, and takes him along with him. He is by a vision admonished to go into Macedonia. Coming to Philippi, the chief city of that part of Macedonia, he converts Lydia; casteth out of a certain maid-servant a spirit of divination, whose master, losing a considerable gain thereby, brings Paul and Silas before the magistrates; these cause them to be whipped and imprisoned; but at midnight, Paul and Silas praying and singing psalms, the doors of the prison fly open, and their bonds are loosed: the gaoler, ready to kill himself, is converted to the faith, and baptized the same night, with his whole family. Next day the magistrates come themselves, and pray them to depart the city.

From Philippi Paul takes his journey through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and comes to Thessalonica, where he finds a synagogue of the Jews; there he preacheth three sabbath days; some believe, others persecute him. Leaving Thessalonica, he comes to Berea, and soon after arrives at Athens, disputes with the philosophers, and declares unto them ther

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58. 60.

Acts,xviii.

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xix.

1 Cor. i.
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xvi. 8.
Acts, xx.
2 Cor.

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KNOWN GOD, whom they had ignorantly worshipped. He converts Dionysius the Areopagite, and thence passeth to Corinth.

Paul at Corinth meets with Aquila and Priscilla, not long before banished Rome by the decree of Claudius. Here he continues a year and six months, and thence writes to the Thessalonians.

Paul is accused by the Jews, and brought before Gallio, pro-consul of Achaia, who refuseth to be judge in a controversy about religion, and so drives them away from the judgment-seat.

Paul departs from Corinth, and passeth to Ephesus; thence he sets out toward Jerusalem, that he may be at the feast; he lands at Cæsarea, goes down to Antioch, and comes into the regions of Galatia aud Phrygia, confirming the disciples in all those places.

Paul returns to Ephesus, disputes daily in the school of Tyrannus, and continues preaching there, and the parts thereabouts.

He writes his epistle to the Galatians.

At Ephesus, Demetrius a silversmith, jealous of his. gain, raiseth a tumult against Paul, which is appeased by the town-clerk.

About this time a schism ariseth in the church of Corinth, which causeth Paul (now in or about Ephesus) to write his first epistle to the Corinthians.

Paul departs from Ephesus, and comes into Macedonia, and gathers a contribution for the relief of the vii, 1, 2, 6, saints at Jerusalem. 19.

The apostle having learnt from Titus the success of his first, writes now his second epistle to the Co1Cor. xvi. rinthians; out of Macedonia he goes into Greece, and comes to Corinth, where he writes his epistle to the Romans.

5.

Acts, xx.
3, 4,

6.

xxi.

xxii.

Paul purposing to go directly from thence into Syria, that he may carry the collections to Jerusalem, the Jews lay wait for him; he, understanding this, thinks it best to return into Macedonia the same way he came, and thence to pass into Asia.

After the days of unleavened bread, Paul sails from Philippi, and comes to Troas; there he restores Eutychus to life. Having passed through several cities of Greece, he arrives at Miletus; from thence he sends to call the elders of the church of Ephesus, whom he earnestly exhorts to the performance of their duty.

Paul comes to Jerusalem, is apprehended in the temple, and secured in the castle; he claimeth the privilege of a Roman, and escapeth scourging.

Paul pleadeth his cause before Ananias, the high

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