The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-10-04

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cesoi ~ rAufs aiiA an last visil 70
tsiusslsm refls BY land and sca.
aad ~ wiekea meh. bad ever attended
him. hui bow the nBo " a. Gear when
taey wou'd issue ia bonds and impris.
cement and GaAily 10 mariyrdom lie
sad hla company had come q Casarea.
AID wefe The guests e. Philip. the
evangelist CNsareA was about ser.
eniy miles from Jerusalem, ard. 10 the
time q Taeiius. The historian who was
born 10 about tho sixth year Of Neso's
reign. ], vas tie chief city aud capital
ofJudea. II vas called strAto's Tower
Ia Strabo's time. y. G. Is aud with
lie excellent harbor. was built by Hercd !
ia honor Of the Roman Emperor Angus
tus. The Herodian kings resided there
s. SD afro Festus. Fclix. and the other
pfocuFatora 81 Jndea II continued a
city a considerable importance, even
down 10 the time Of the Crusadea. near
the end 81 The eleventh centnryi but il
bow fingers only ia its modern name.
IL appears from the text that Philip
settled ia C@sarea. at the end Of his
preaching tour. acts viii 400, where
be had house and family. He was,
originally, one Of the seven descons At
Jerusalem bat was now sustaining
another aud higher Office 10 the church
In the order Of working The New Tes-
lament evangelists were next TO the
apostles. and were sent by them They
were not pastors, aud were not to set
tie over any particular congregations
but they we're TO travel among the in
FAINT churches. complete their organiza-
ton, ordain officers in them. aud thus
fnish what the apostles bad begun.
Their Office was extraordinary, not per-
petual in all its duties, and in this pc
culiar form, ceased soon after the times
Of the apostles. Those nearest being
their successors are the Foreign Miss
ionaries sent by tho churches into all
the world since their day,
The four daughters of Philip which
did prophesy were probably supernatur
ally qualified teachers for the word
bears the sense Of inspired teaching.
Compare Cor. xvi % This was
predicted by Joel, Acts ii; II, ls),
which had reference, not to the regular
and established ministry of the gospel
but to an extraordinary endowment for
the early gospel age.
/ OF the prophet Agabus we know
nothing, except as he is mentioned her,
and ia Oh. XII rs. He predicted the
famine which prevailed in Judea in the
days Of Clandius Caesar, A. d. "A, and
swept away many of the inhabitants.
He visited Paul at C@sarea, as here re-
corded, and foretold his suHerings at
Jeru salem. He came down from Ju-
dea; for C@sarea lay in that part of the
land which belonged to the kings Of
Israel, and not to the kings Of Judah.
Tradition tells us that he was martyred
at Antioch. What he did with Paul's
girdle shows that he was prophet in
the sense Of one who reveals the future
to men The New Testament prophets
were generally not so much the fore
tellers of future events as supernatur-
allyilluminated expounders and preach
ers. Agabus' mode Of action was like
that OF the ancient prophets, who fire.
quently accompanied their predictions
with significant signs and symbols
which were emblematical Of the events
predicted, and made them more impress
sive to the minds Of the people. Elk
amples are found in Jer. xiii 4 xvii:
~, 8; lisa. Xxx; iv and xii.
The girdle was common and essen.
tial article OF dress for the flowing gar
ments Of the 0ricntals. and was worn
by both sexes. IL VS. commonly made
Of leather q Kings is; Matt. iii a.
And such doubtless was Paul's girdle.
The finer girdle was made Of linen, and
was richly embroidered and sometimes
studded with gold and precious stones
and pearls. In the vision Of Patmos,
Christ was girded about the paps with
golden girdle, Rev. i;13); and DAN
iel In vision, saw man whose loins
were girded with the gold Of Uphaz.
Girding up the loins. in the apostolic
direction, denotes preparation for ae-
tive exertion, and work { / Pet. i:l3. ]
OF Christ it was predicted, And right
eousness shall be the girdlc Of his loins
and faithiuluess the girdle Of bis reins.
Isa xis5
Paul should be delivered by the Jews
into the hands Of the Genliles, the then
ruling power Of the world, the Romans,
, as bis Master was as the Jews had
! not then 10 their hands the right TO
t. punish capitally John xviii:3l) The
} prophet therefore predicted that the
Jews weud seek to take bis life; and
! his prophecy began speedy fulfll.
! ment. ". 33)
J All who were present joined in be.
! seeching Paul not 10 60 TO Jerusalem.