a strange and marvellous aspect a later contemporary of paul relates some of the most remarkable events as he deemed them which occurred in those times he gives occasionally minute details of the superstition crime and madness of the of rome but the most remarkable event which occurred for some centuries after he never speaks of probably he knew nothing of it had he heard thereof it would have seemed to this of imperial follies but the journey from to of a young named if we regard its cause and its ii no iii primitive was a more wonderful event than the world saw for the next thousand years men thought little of its result at the time the of the day had reasons no doubt for paul s sudden and said he was disappointed of in the old state of things and hoped for an easy living in the new that be loved the distinction and the change would give him and hoped also for the and fishes then so abundant in the new church doubtless there were some who said paul is beside himself but king took no notice of the matter he was too busy with his dreams of ambition and lust to heed what a tent maker from a city in his journey from to yet from that time the history of the world turns on this point if paul had not been raised up by the almighty for this very work so to say � who shall tell us how long christianity would have lain concealed under the prejudice of its earlier these things are for no mortal to discover but certain it is that paul found the christians an obscure full of zeal and love but narrow and in bondage to the letter of old hebrew institutions but he left them a power full band in all great cities free men by the law of the spirit of life it seems doubtful that peter james or john would have given christianity its natural form of universal faith there must have been a desperate struggle before paul became a christian he must all the prejudices of the jew and the and the of the tribe and the den are the last a man gives up he must be abandoned by his friends the wise the learned the venerable few men know of the battle between new convictions and old social sympathies but it is of the character a war of he must condemn all his past conduct lose the reputation of leave all the comforts of society all chance of reputation among men be counted as a thief and murderer perhaps be put to death but the truth conquered we think it easy to decide as paul forgetting that many things become plain after the result which were dim and doubtful be fore when the young man had decided in favor of primitive christianity he would require some instruction in matters to the heavenly doctrine we should suppose � taking the popular views of christianity which make it an historical thing depending on personal authority or and external events as the only possible proof of internal truths he would go and sit down with the twelve and listen to their talk and learn of all the miracles how raised the young man the maiden called from the tomb how he changed the water into wine and fed the five thousand he would go to and mary to learn the doctrine of the to the mother of to inquire about his birth of the holy spirit but the thing went different he did not go to peter the chief nor to john the beloved nor james the lord s brother i conferred not with flesh and blood says the new convert neither went i up to to them that were before me but i went into three years afterwards for the first time he had an inter � with peter and james fourteen years later he went up to to compare notes as it were with those who seemed to be somewhat they could tell him nothing new at last � many years after the commencement of his active � james peter and john give him the right hand of their fellowship paul it seems had heard of the great doctrines of and out of their principles developed his scheme of christianity � not a very difficult task one would fancy for a plain man who reckoned christianity was love of man and love of god in those days the were not written nor yet the christianity had no history except that lived preached was and appeared after his therefore the gospel paul preached might well enough be different from those now in our hands certainly paul never a miracle of says nothing of his birth had he known of these things a man of his strong love of the marvellous would scarcely be silent in him primitive christianity appears to the greatest advantage it shone in his heart like the rising sun chasing away the mist and clouds of night his prejudices went first his passions next soon he is on foot the world over to proclaim the faith which once he de where are his prejudice hatred his of the tribe and the den the flame of religion has con them all forth he goes to the work the strong passion the will are now directed in the same channel with his love of man his mighty soul wars with declaring an idol is nothing with to announce that the law has passed away with folly and sin to declare them of the devil and lead men to truth and peace the resolute goes flaming forth in his a soul more robust great hearted and manly does not appear in history for some centuries at the least danger is nothing persecution nothing it only puts the edge on his well tempered spirit he is 