314 The NEW and COMPLETE L I F ) of our BLESSED LORD from error and idolatry, and turn them from the paths of vice and debauchery. Amongft many other instances of this kind, Eufebius relates the following. « St. John, during one of his vifitations of the church at Ephefus, was greatly pleafedwith the appearance and behaviour of a young man, whom he called to him, and, with a fpecial charge, recommended to the bilhop, who undertook the truft, and promifed to difcharge it with the greaten fidelity : accordingly, the bilhop took him home with him to his houle, carefully inftrufted him in the principles of the Chriftian religion, and at laft bap - tiled and - confirmed him. After he had proceeded thus far, he thought he might a little relax the reins of difcipline ; but the youth made a bad ufe of his liberty, and being debauched by evil company, became the captain of a gang of robbers, and committed the molt horrid outrages in the adjacent countries. St. John, being informed of this at his return, fharply reproved the btfhop, and determined to find him out; never con- fidering the dangers that would inevitably attend him, by venturing himfelf amongft perlons of defperate fortunes : accord- ingly, he repaired to the mountains where they ufually abode, and being taken by one of the robbers placed as a watch, he defired to be carried to their-captain, who, on feeing St. John .coming towards him, immediately fled. The apoftle, for- getting his age, hafiened after him ; but being unable to overtake him, he paf- fionately cried out, ' Child, why dolt thou run from thy father, an old and defencelefs man? Spare me this pains of following thee, and let not terror and e defpair feize upon thee. Thy falvation is not irrecoverable. Stay, and be con- ' vinced that Cxxisr himfelf bath fent me.' At thefe words, the young man flopped, fixed his eyes upon the earth, trembled in every part, and burft into a flood of tears. And when the aged apoftle approached, he embraced him, 2 and implored forgivenefs with fuels weep- ing and lamentations, that he feemed to be re-baptized, and to walls away his fins with his own tears. The apoftle received him with the greateft kindnefs,-aflured him that he had obtained pardon for his fins at the hands of his great Redeemer, and returned him a true penitent and convert to the church of which he was a member." Our apoftle's care for the fouls of men, is further evidenced by the writings he left to pofterity. The firft of which in time, though placed Taft in the facred canon, is his Apocalypfe, or bookof Re- velation, which he wrote during his ba- nilhment at Patmos. After the preface and admonition given to the bifhops of the leven churches in Afia, it contains a pro- phetic view ofthe perfecutions the faithful were to fuffer from the Jews, Heretics, and tyrannical princes, together with the peaceable and flourifhing flato of the church, till difturbed by other enemies; and the happinefs of the church trium- phant in heaven. And hence St. John is, in the firi&eft fence, a prophet, and has thereby one material addition to his titles, being not only an apoftle and evan- gelift, but alto a prophet : an honour pe- culiar to himfelf. St. Peterwas an apoftle, but no evangelift : St. Mark and St. Luke were evangelifts, but no apoftles : St. Matthew, was an apoftle and evangelift, but no prophet: but St. John was, an apoftle, an evangelift, and a prophet like - wife. His three epiffles take place, in order of time, next to the Apocalypfe ; the firft of which is catholic, being calculated for all times and places, and containing the tnoft excellent rules for the conduEt of a Chriftian life, peeling to holinefs and purenefs of manners, and not to be fa- tisfied with a naked and empty profeffion of religion, not to be led away with the crafty infinuations of feducers, and cau- tioning men againft . the poifonous -prin- ciples and praftices of the Gnoftics. The apoftle
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