512

and commanded the keepers to be
put to death. This was very unjust
and cruel of Herod. The keepers
were not to blame; but Herod was
so angry that he did not care what
cruel or unjust thing he did.

And now we come to the sad end
of this wicked king. He was soon
punished for all his crimes in a very
dreadful way. Not long after Peter’s
escape, Herod was one day seated
upon his throne in his palace at
Cesarea, dressed in his royal gar-
ments. All his lords and hisnobles
were there, and Herod made a speech
to them as they stood before him.
Then they all gave a shout, and
cried, “It is the voice of a god, and
not of a man.” But Herod did not

 

PAUL THE APOSTLE.

reprove them for this foolish and
wicked flattery; he loved to hear
himself praised, and to think of his
power, and greatness, and riches;
forgetting that it was God who had
given him these things, and that He
could, in one moment, take them all.
away. And God soon showed the
people, and Herod himself too, how
vain and foolish this flattery was.
He showed them that this wicked
king was not a god, but a weak,
helpless man, unable to save him-
self from sickness and death when
they came upon him. “The angel
of the Lord smote him, because he
gave not God the glory ; and he was
eaten of worms, and gave up the
ghost.”

CCCOXLVI

PAUL THE

&% SIAUL and Barnabas went
to Jerusalem, with the
money sent from the
Christians at Antioch ;
and when they had fin-
ished their work there, they re-
turned to Antioch. .Then they
were told by the Holy Ghost to go
and preach the gospel in other
places; so after prayer for God’s
blessing, they left their friends at
Antioch, and sailed to Cyprus.
There was living at Paphos, in
Cyprus, a governor named Sergius
Paulus. He was a Gentile; a wise
man; and he showed that he had

 
   

wisdom by wishing to hear the

PRPOSTLE.

apostles preach. He wanted to
know the word of God. But there
was a sad enemy of the gospel
living at Paphos too. This was a
man named Elymas; he was a
sorcerer, or magician, and he not
only hated the truth himself, but he
wished to prevent Sergius Paulus
also from believing it. But Saul,
being filled with the Holy Ghost,
and knowing the wickedness of
Elymas, fixed his eyes upon him,
and said, “O thou child of the
devil, thou enemy of all righteous-
ness, wilt thou not cease to pervert
the right ways of the Lord? Be-
hold, now the hand of the Lord 18