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after his conversion; "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. (Luke xix. 8).

The residence of St. Matthew was either at Capernaum, or very near that place; consequently he must have had many opportunities of witnessing the miracles of our Lord. These, however, did not induce him to leave his employment, for we read that at the very time, when Jesus wrought a wonderful cure upon a man sick of the palsy, "Matthew was SITTING, at the receipt of custom," indifferent to the astonishing circumstance that passed before him, and closely attentive ta the accumulation of wealth. But the instant our Saviour addressed him with this powerful call, "follow me," the man who had been so intent upon the things of the world, immediately forsook his profitable concern, and enrolled himself among the disciples of Jesus.

Here certainly was a striking instance of the force of truth; and of the excellence of our Saviour's doctrine and character. Matthew was possessed of a good estate, engaged in a lucrative employment, and supported by the power of the Roman government. These were considerations and advantages of too immediate an interest, not to be duly appreciated by a person in the situation of Matthew. And yet we find that he actually renounced

all his worldly comforts and emoluments, to embrace a life of abstinence and poverty, trouble and persecution. The inference is obvious, that nothing but a conviction of the truth of the Gospel, and of the divinity of Jesus, could have operated upon his mind, to produce such an instantaneous conversion, and an immediate change of life.

After our Lord's ascension this Apostle continued in Judea, about eight years, and then he went to preach the gospel in various heathen countries, extending his labours as far as Ethiopia, where he gathered a church. Of his death various accounts are given, some antient writers asserting that he suffered martyrdom, while others maintain that he died at an advanced age, and was buried at Hierapolis in Parthia.

St. Matthew wrote his gospel at Jerusalem, for the sake of the converted Jews, and at their desire, about the eighth year after our Lord's ascension.

ST. MARK.

ALL ancient writers of the church, concur in the opinion, that this Evangelist was the same person with Mark the son of Mary, who accompanied St. Paul in some part of his travels, and Mark who is mentioned affectionately by St. Peter, as his son or immediate disciple. His original name was John, and the surname of Mark was assumed by him, when he left Judea, according to a practice very common among his countrymen, when they visited the European provinces of the Roman empire. The mother of this Evangelist resided at Jerusalem, and so zealous a disciple was she, that the believers of that city held their assemblies regularly at her house, during the persecution of the church under Herod.

St. Mark was cousin to Barnabas, with whom and St. Paul, he was joined in a mission to the Gentiles, but, on some occasion which is not mentioned, Mark quitted those Apostles at Pamphylia, and returned to Jerusalem. It seems that this conduct of Mark gave offence to St. Paul, for when afterwards Barnabas proposed to take his cousin with them, in a visitation of the churches, St. Paul refused, which produced a contention and a separation,

Barnabas sailing to his native isle of Cyprus, accompanied by Mark, and Paul taking with him Silas, went through Syria, and Cilicia, confirming the new converts in these parts.

But whatever was the cause of this breach, it was of no long duration, for we find that Mark was afterwards the companion of St. Paul, who, in his Epistle to Philemon, calls him his fellow labourer; and in his Epistle to the Colossians he recommends the "sister's son of Barnabas" to their attention.

St. Mark was also the intimate friend and associate of St. Peter, who affectionately styles him his son, or favourite disciple. The most ancient writers agree in their account, that the gospel of this Evangelist was written under the instruction of St. Peter at Rome, who suffered there in 65, and it is an illustrious instance of the integrity of the historian, as well as of the humility of the Apostle, that St. Mark is the only one who relates the aggravating circumstances which distinguished Peter's denial of his master.

St. Mark preached the gospel with great success in various parts of Africa, particularly in Egypt, where he planted a flourishing church, the seat of which was at Alexandria. Here his labours excited the resentment of the pagan priests, who took the opportunity of inflaming the minds of the populace against the Apostle, when they were celebrating the licentious rites in honour of Serapis, which

happened to be at the time of the festival of Easter. The enraged multitude broke into the Christian assembly, and directed by their leaders fell upon the venerable saint, whom they dragged through all the streets of the city, so that his body was lacerated in every part. The barbarous tragedy was renewed the next morning with heightened cruelty, as long as the little remains of life allowed, and then the body was left to the Christians, who interred it in their church, from whence it is said to have been afterwards removed to Venice, and deposited in a church erected to the honour of the Apostle. He is said to have suffered on the 25th of April, but the year is uncertain.

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