Page images
PDF
EPUB

martyrdom by crucifixion took place at Patras in Greece, where his tomb is still shown.

S. Philip laboured in upper Asia, and is reported to have suffered martyrdom at Hierapolis, at the age of eighty-seven. He, like the deacon Philip, had four daughters, two of whom led a virgin life.1

S. Thomas planted the Gospel in the Parthian empire, and there are some Indian Churches existing now on the coast of Coromandel, who assert that they still possess his remains, and that he suffered death by the lances of the Brahmins, after founding Churches in Edessa, Ceylon, Sumatra, and Meliapor, where his tomb is to this day adorned with costly offerings.

S. Bartholomew laboured in Arabia, Persia, and Armenia, and a Hebrew copy of S. Matthew's Gospel was found by Pantænus in the second century, among some people on the confines of India, to whom S. Bartholomew had preached. He returned into Asia, and continued with S. Philip at Hierapolis, whence he passed into Lycaonia, and at last suffered death by being flayed alive in Armenia.

Ethiopia was the scene of S. Matthew's labours, whither also went S. Matthias.

S. Simon the Canaanite is said to have preached in Africa, and then to have returned into the East, and to have suffered either in Mesopotamia or in Sarmatia.s

S.

X.

Apostle. His

Epistle.

S. Jude, the brother of James, Bishop of 8. Jude the Jerusalem, preached (according to the Martyrologies) up and down Judea, Samaria, Idumæa, Syria, and Mesopotamia. He is said to have been present at Jerusalem after the martyrdom of S. James, A.D. 62; and to have assisted at the election of Symeon to succeed him. He is said to have suffered martyrdom in Persia by being shot to death. with arrows, while tied (as some add) to a cross.

The Epistle of S. Jude was probably written during the reign of Domitian. In it he testifies that the warnings of the Apostles concerning false teachers had now been 1 Euseb. Eccl. Hist. iii. 31. 2 Euseb. Eccl. Hist. v. 10.

$ See Cave's Lives of the Apostles.
41 Tim. iv. 1-3; 2 Tim. iii.; 2 S. Peter ii.

fulfilled,1 and he uses almost the same language as S Peter did to describe the Nicolaitanes and their followers; using, however, the present tense instead of the future. He quotes two apocryphal books, one called, "The carrying away of Moses," and the other, "The Book of Enoch." It does not follow from this that he sanctioned these books as divine writings, since S. Paul quoted even the heathen poets. The HOLY GHOST by these quotations has shown us some truths contained in these works without giving authority to the rest. S. Jude speaks of the Agapes or "feasts of Charity," which the heretics used to profane by their wickedness. This Epistle is one of the latest books of the New Testament.

THE NEW YEAR.

STRANGER! starting on our sight,
In the very dead of night,
At our doors without a word,
And thy footstep all unheard,
With thy closely mantled brow,
Stranger! tell us, Who art thou?

Prophet sure of weal or woe,
Though as yet no accents flow,
By those limbs that will not rest,
By those quiv'rings of thy vest,
Soon thy silence will be broken,
And thy message will be spoken.

'Tis but yet a little space,
Ere thou wilt unveil thy face,

Then, with sounding tramp and tread,

March unto the silent dead,

And with an Archangel's blast

Herald all th' eternal Past.

Ah! e'en now, while song and chime
Welcome thee to men and time,

1 S. Jude 17, 18.

2 Compare 2 S. Pet. ii. with S. Jude.

3 S. Jude 12.

Men and time have sunk in death,
And are breathing life's last breath,
And the mantle even now

Gently falleth from thy brow.

We will note thee, while we may,
While thou art upon the way,
For thy features we must view,
And thine accents hear anew,
Loath or joyful hear and see
All we were and did in thee.

RICHARD TOMLINS.

RUTH DIGBY.

CHAPTER III.

"We have two things to do, to live and die,
To win another and a longer life

Out of this earthly change and weary strife,
To catch the hours that one by one go by,
And write the Cross upon them as they fly.
'Tis hard to live by youth's fast bubbling springs,
And treat our loves, joys, hopes, as flowery things
That for awhile may climb the bough and twine
Among the prickly leaves of discipline;

Yet would'st thou rise in CHRIST's self-mastering school,
Thy very heart must beat by rule."

"You are an early riser, Miss Digby," was the remark made to me by the Squire, as I entered the breakfastroom precisely at nine o'clock the next morning.

"I hope that I am not late," I exclaimed, glancing round to find all the family assembled with the exception of Mrs. Dacre.

'No, no, my wife will not be down some time. We never wait for her. Will you make the breakfast, and tell us where you have been ?"

I always do Church on Sun-
What is enough for people
But of course, if you like

"To Church," replied I quietly. "Whew!" muttered he, 66 day, to last all the week. generally is enough for me. to inconvenience yourself by belonging to a small party whom I often think mad, you are quite at liberty to do so.

[blocks in formation]

I felt inclined to disclaim the belonging to any party, but I merely echoed the word "mad!"`

66

'Yes, out of their minds, always crossing their wills, and doing hard, unpleasant things; always at Prayer and Sacraments, without shrinking from ridicule or trouble, when they might go through the world, enjoying its good things like the greater number of people do."

I was silent, but both Mr. Raymond and my pupils seemed to be expecting some reply, so I merely saidPeople who live such a life are perhaps thinking of Heaven, and not of earth."

[ocr errors]

Nothing more passed. I observed that the Squire hastily changed the subject, and that Elizabeth fixed her large dark eyes upon me with a kind of admiring wonder. I soon learnt to love my pupils, Elizabeth especially. Melicent was amiable and loving, but oh! so vain and with a longing for human praise, which sadly marred the simplicity of her character, and sullied the natural purity of what, saving these melancholy traits, had been an innocent and childlike mind.

I pitied her deeply too, for I saw all the time that though she was yearning for earthly love and admiration, yet that inwardly she felt herself unworthy of them, that she had a low opinion of herself, with a morbid feeling that her lot was to pass through life unloved and unesteemed. The creature, even when unconscious of the truth, longs to be united to the Creator; the yearning for human love is part of that feeling in a sadly demoralised condition-undue yearnings for it would pass away, did the soul but aspire to that union with Him, for which it was ereated; and I thought that when Melicent learnt to know that Love which passeth all understanding, and to look for the approbation of Him in Whom alone we are to glory, that she would find happiness, and regain a singleness of heart which she could never possess while living to be classed with those who are men-pleasers.

Elizabeth was at first more reserved, but there was such a void in her young heart, such a longing for what she fancied was an unattainable good-such a sadness when she contemplated the fleeting nature of the things of earth-that she welcomed me as almost an Angelic

messenger, sent to tell her of the things belonging to

our peace.

Raymond Dacre often paid the schoolroom visits. He would bring me a new song to sing to him-a new work of art to admire-a new book to read, and yet we were never at home with one another. The one service on a Sunday was all the attention and time that he apparently bestowed on matters concerning the Heavenly Home. We felt that religion was no common ground, and instinctively we avoided the subject. Sometimes he would turn off, at least from me, some joke or sneering remark made by his father either about myself or the Vicar; otherwise as I have just said, he never named such things to me. Mrs. Dacre was always kind, but indolence was her one great fault; she never interfered with any one; she allowed those around her to follow what they thought right, but her life was a negative, and though not wishing to judge harshly, I never thought of her without those words recurring to my mind, "What harm then does a man do who does nothing? In this very thing he sins, namely, that he does nothing." It made me sad to see religion so neglected; the world so closely followed; each one living but for his own pleasure, the world's code the only standard of right; the world's smiles the only approbation desired.

I have not mentioned Mr. Neville, but often he walked with me a little way to Church: often he spoke a few warning words, reminding me that the Christian's life is "theils eine kampfes, theils eine Pilger weise," and that he must never lay his armour down, or cease to wage a warfare against those enemies he renounced in holy Baptism, until the Paradisal gates are gained.

One morning, as I was leaving the house, Elizabeth met me in the hall. "May I come with you ?" she asked. I joyfully assented, and we walked on together, no words passing between us, till the Prayers being ended, we quitted the house of GOD; and then Mr. Neville joined us. He smiled his satisfaction on seeing my companion and said

1 Meditations from S. Ephraem, translated by the Rev. S. C. Malan, M.A. Page 20.

« PreviousContinue »