at this time past the vigor of his age, may perhaps be inferred from an expression in the twenty-first chapter of St. John—“ Verily, verily, I say unto thee," says Jesus to Peter, "when thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not."[ 1.v. 18. Or, (what may be more satisfactory) there being every reason to believe that St. John survived St. Peter six or seven and thirty years,* it almost necessarily follows that he must have been much the younger man of the two, since the term of St. Peter's natural life was probably not very much forestalled by his martyrdom.† Accordingly, when they ran both together to the sepulchre, it was to be expected that John should outrun his more aged companion, and come there first.

I do not propose this as a new light: but I am not aware that it has been brought so prominently forward as it deserves. An incident thus trivial and minute, disarms suspicion. The most skeptical cannot see cunning or con

* See Lardner's History of the Apostles and Evangelists, ch. ix. sect. 6, and ch. xviii. sect. 5.

↑ Consult 2 Ep. Peter, i. 14, and John, xxi. 18.

trivance in it—and it is no small point gained over such persons, to lead them to distrust and re-examine their bold conclusions. This little fact may be the sharp end of the wedge that shall by degrees cleave their doubts asunder.Seeing this, they may by and by "see greater things than these." But this is not all;-for, 2dly, though John came first to the sepulchre, he did not venture to go in till Peter set him the example. Peter did not pause "to stoop down" and "look in," but boldly entered at once. He was not troubled for fear of seeing a spirit, which was probably the feeling that withheld St. John from entering, as it was the feeling which, on a former occasion, caused the disciples (Matt. xiv. 26) to cry out. Peter was anxiously impatient to satisfy himself of the truth of the women's report, and to meet once more his crucified Master: all other considerations were with him absorbed in this one. Now, such is precisely the conduct we should have expected from a man who seldom or never is offered to our notice in the course of the New Testament, (and it is very often that our attention is directed to him,) without some indication being given of his possessing a fearless, spirited, and impetuous character. Slight as this trait is, it marks the same indi

vidual who ventured to commit himself to the deep, and "walk upon the water," whilst the other disciples remained in the boat; who "drew his sword, and smote the high priest's servant," whilst they were confounded and dismayed; who "girt his fisher's coat about him, and cast himself into the sea" to greet his Master when he appeared again, whilst his companions came in a little ship, dragging the net with fishes; who was ever most obnoxious to the civil power, so that when any of the disciples are cast into prison, there are we sure to find St. Peter. (See Acts v. 18, 29, xii. 3, xvi. 25.) Again, I say, I cannot imagine that designing persons, however wary they might have been, however much upon their guard, could possibly have given their fictitious narrative this singular air of truth, by the introduction of circumstances so unimportant, yet so consistent and harmonious.

XXI.

ACTs, iv. 36." And Joses, who by the Apostles was surnamed Barnabas, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet."

I HAVE often thought that there is a harmony pervading every thing connected with Barnabas, enough in itself to stamp the Acts of the Apostles as a history of perfect fidelity. In the verse which I have placed at the head of this paragraph, we see that he was a native of Cyprus; a circumstance upon which a good deal of what I have to say respecting him will be found to turn.

1. First then, we discover him coming forward in behalf of Paul, whose conversion was suspected by the disciples at Jerusalem, with the air of a man who could vouch for his sincerity, by previous personal knowledge of him. How it was that he was better acquainted with the Apostle than the rest, the author of the Acts does not inform us. Cyprus, however, the country of Barnabas, was usually annexed to Cilicia, and formed an integral part of that province, whereof Tarsus the country of Paul, was the chief city.* It may seem fanciful, however, to suppose that at Tarsus, which was famous for its schools and the facilities it afforded for education,† the two Christian teachers might have laid the foundation

* Cicer. Epist. Familiar. lib. i. ep. vii. See also Maffei, Verona Illustrata, vol. i. p. 352.

† See Wetstein on Acts, ix. 11.

of their friendship in the years of their boyhood. Yet I cannot think this improbable.That Paul collected his Greek learning (of which he had no inconsiderable share) in his native place, before he was removed to the feet of Gamaliel, is very credible; nor less so, that Barnabas should have been sent there from Cyprus, a distance of seventy miles only, as to the nearest school of note in those parts. Be that, however, as it may, what could be more natural than for an intimacy to be formed between them subsequently in Jerusalem, whither they had both resorted? They were, as we have seen, all but compatriots, and, under the circumstances, were likely to have their common friends. Neither may it be thought wholly irrelevant to observe, that when it was judged safe for Paul to return from Tarsus, where he had been living for a time to avoid the Greeks, Barnabas seized the opportunity of visiting that town in person, "to seek him," and bring him to Antioch. A journey which, as it does not seem to be necessary, was possibly undertaken by Barnabas partly for the purpose of renewing his intercourse with his early acquaintance.

2. Again, in another place we read, "and some of them were men of Cyprus and Cy