lous worshipper of God he must have been, to take that long and weary journey, over burning plains, and through sandy deserts, to offer sacrifice to his God.

But God had seen, and was about to reward his faith. As he was returning in his chariot, reading the prophecies of Isaiah, Philip met him, and, according to the command he had received, spoke to him: "Understandest thou what thou readest?" "How can I," said he, "unless some man should guide me?" Philip then got into the chariot, and found him reading that part of the prophecy, in which Isaiah speaks of the sufferings of Christ: "He was led as a sheep to the

slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearers, so he opened not his mouth." Philip explained to him, that Jesus was the person spoken of in these passages; and he went on to preach to him the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Ethiopian listened to Philip with the deepest attention; and as they came near some water, he desired to be baptized. Philip told him, that if he believed with all his heart, he should be baptized: and he answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." They then got out of the chariot, and Philip baptized him in the water, after which they parted,-the Ethiopian saw his Christian teacher no

more, but he went on his way re

joicing.

In another world, doubtless, they will meet again in joy.

CHAPTER X.

The Conversion of Paul.

I AM now going to speak of the great Apostle Paul, or Saul, whose history will take up the chief part of our attention in future. To us, indeed, his history is peculiarly interesting, for he was the Apostle to the Gentiles; and to him, principally, as one of the chief instruments of God, we, as well as all the rest of the Gentile world, owe our conversion to Christianity.

Recollect what I have formerly told you about the word Gentile;it means people, and was used by the Jews for all the heathen nations, all people who were not Jews. We, then, were Gentiles, and may well rejoice that Christ did not confine salvation to the Jews alone. But I will begin my history.

Paul was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin; born at Tarsus, a city in Cilicia. He was of the sect of the Pharisees, brought up in the strictest obedience to the law of Moses, and learned in all the written and unwritten laws and customs of his people. Zealous for the religion of his forefathers, he was consequently the bitter persecutor of the