to become his own executioner, intelligence reached him that the writer was no more.

With the death of Caius Caligula, the whole matter fell to the ground. It will be observed, indeed, that in the midst of his wrath with Petronius, he did not retract the concession he had granted to Agrippa, of whose services to them on this occasion the Jews always afterwards retained the most grateful recollection.

This matter occupied the attention of the Jews for a considerable time, and left them little leisure to bestow on the affairs of the Christians; and when the storm had blown over, the interrupted habit of persecuting was not immediately resumed. Thus the churches found an interval of rest, until the time when that Agrippa, who has just been mentioned, and whom Luke calls Herod the king,' commenced a new persecution.

The form of expression in the Greek, at the commencement of verse 31, is not so definite as to the precise point of time as the English makes it. It does not mean that the church got rest commencing from that exact time when Paul was sent forth from Cæsarea to Tarsus. The idea which appears to be conveyed is, that the church had rest during the period taken up by the events just related since the conversion of Paul. This being so, while the circumstances detailed by Dr. Kitto no doubt operated to some extent in producing the rest here mentioned, yet another cause ought not to be overlooked-the conversion of Saul. He was manifestly the leading spirit of the time. His zeal, his energy, and his influence, were sufficient to give life and vigour to any work. His removal deranged all the plans of the persecutors; his conversion paralyzed them. I believe, therefore, that Saul's conversion to the truth, at least as much as the political difficulties of the times, contributed to give the church peace.

Forty-fifth Week-Third Day.

TABITHA.-ACTS IX. 32-43.

DURING the season of tranquillity which the church now enjoyed-not, as some say, through the diminished hatred of the Jewish rulers to the Christians, but through the abatement of the activity of their opposition, under the influence of still more exciting claims upon their attention-Peter found the opportunity suitable for revisiting the churches which had been established beyond the limits of the home district.

In the course of this journey he came to Lydda, at that time regarded as a village, though equal to many towns in extent and population. In the Old Testament it is called Lod; but is not mentioned in connection with any circumstances of historical interest. It was destroyed some years after this by the Romans, at the commencement of the Jewish war; but it was soon after rebuilt, and became known by the Greek name of Diospolis. The foreign names which the Romans were fond of imposing very rarely, however, took root in the East; and Lydda subsists to this day under its most ancient name of Lud. It is now a considerable village of small houses, with nothing to distinguish it from other Moslem villages, except the ruins of the celebrated old church of St. George, the western and least impaired part of which has been built into a large mosque. The St. George of this church is our St. Georgethat is, the dragon-slaying St. George, who is believed to have been born at this place, and whose remains were removed thither from the place of his martyrdom, and this church built over them, by the Emperor Justinian.

On his arrival at Lydda, Peter had his attention called to the case of a man named Æneas. From the name, which is Greek, it is usually supposed that this person was a Hellenist; and Grotius has deduced the probability that his Jewish name was Hillel. Both points may be doubtful; but the turn of the entire passage, in the original text, seems to make it clear

that he was a Christian. He had been bedridden eight years with a paralytic affection. The gospel had therefore been brought to his bedside, had found him on the bed of languishing, and had not met him abroad in the synagogues and the highways. And, doubtless, it had since then made tolerable and sweet to him, as it alone can, the weariness of his sick bed. On beholding this afflicted saint, Peter, feeling within himself that the divine power would be exercised for his recovery, said, Æneas, Jesus, the Messiah, is pleased to heal thee.1 Arise, and make thy bed!' and forthwith he left that bed on which he had so long lain.

Some points in the account of this miracle claim our attention, as compared with similar miracles of our Lord. The characteristic differences between delegated and original authority-the different characters of the servant and the Son, of the creature and the God-are, as Doddridge remarks, everywhere apparent. The same writer (quoting the remarks of Chrysostom, indirectly through Clavius), points out, that no faith on the part of the person healed was required; and the like is observable in many cases, where persons, perhaps ignorant of Christ, were surprised with an unexpected cure. But where persons themselves petitioned for a cure, a declaration of their faith was often required, that none might be encouraged to try experiments out of curiosity, in a manner which would have been very indecent, and tended to many bad consequences.'

The analogous miracles of our Lord were performed on persons who were away from their houses in the open air. These He ordered to take up their beds, and carry them home, that the strength and vigour which they manifested in doing this might attest the completeness of their cure. But here Peter heals a man in his own house, and whom he cannot therefore order to take up his bed and walk home with it. He consequently tells him to make his bed; but how this could afford the same evidence of recovered strength, has somewhat perplexed the commentators. A better knowledge of eastern 1 This is the precise force of the expressions employed.

customs would have solved the difficulty. The Orientals do not leave their beds laid out in the places where they sleep, except when actually in use. By day they are removed and stowed away in places reserved for or appropriated to them. When, therefore, Peter tells Æneas to make his bed, he in effect tells him to clear away his bedding-to fold it up, and take it, together with the bed itself, from the room, to place it in the usual repository. This necessarily involved the lifting and carrying the bed, though for a shorter distance. To understand it of merely readjusting the bed and bedding in the place where it stood, which is what we mean by 'making' a bed, deprives the passage of the confirmatory force which properly belongs to it.

Æneas seems to have been a person well known; and this miracle of healing by the apostle excited a strong sensation through all the towns and villages of the fertile plain of Sharon, and was, in the Lord's hand, made effectual for the conversion of many souls to Christ.

While Peter remained at Lydda, the church at Joppa, six miles off, was plunged into much affliction by the loss of one of its most useful members, in the person of a wealthy lady named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas.' That is, Dorcas in Greek is the same as Tabitha in Syriac -both meaning an antelope. Names derived from animals were not unusual among the Hebrews. Thus we have Rachel, a lamb; and the particular name of Tabitha was not uncommon in this age. Tabi is the masculine form of it; and the Mishna informs us that Rabban Gamaliel had a man-servant. called Tabi, and a woman-servant called Tabitha; nay, that all his female servants bore the latter name, and all his menservants the former-which, if true, must have been a serious inconvenience.

This lady, who seems to have been a widow, had made her life a blessing to the people; for she was full of good works and alms deeds which she did.' This was particularly shown

in providing clothes for the poor disciples; and she seems to 1 See Morning Series: Twenty-third Week-Sixth Day.

have employed her own hands, and those, probably, of others in making such articles at her own home-keeping up a store from which those that needed could be supplied. The loss of a woman whose faith in Christ thus beneficently operated in loving solicitude for the poor members of his flock, could not but be severely felt in Joppa; and as it was known that Peter was at Lydda, a message was sent imploring him to hasten over to Joppa. With what object this message was sent, it is not easy to say. Considering that no apostle had yet raised the dead, it has been thought that they could hardly have expected this, and that they merely wished for the comfort of his presence in their affliction. We think it likely, however, that those who sent, did entertain some vague hope that Peter might be enabled to restore their friend to life—especially considering the strong impression which his recent miracle of healing had made upon their minds. Their request that 'he would not delay,' seems clearly to intimate a wish that he should arrive before the interment, which in the East, as we know, takes place very soon after death.

Meanwhile the body was prepared for burial. It was washed and removed to an upper chamber. This is the only time that the washing of dead bodies for burial is mentioned in the Scripture. The custom has been a very general one among all nations, ancient and modern; and instead of multiplying examples of that which needs no proof, we may mention how this matter is now conducted among the Jews, in conformity with their ancient usages.

The time of interment is fixed by the officers of the synagogue, and must be, if possible, within twenty-four hours after death.

The first care is to provide the needful shrouds or envelopes for the corpse, and these being ready, the body is washed. It is laid upon a board, which is called the purifying board,' with the feet towards the door. A clean sheet is laid over it, while the under linen garment of the deceased, after being rent through from the breast downward, is removed. The corpse. is then washed with lukewarm water, the quantity of which