and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &C. 3g9. them; and earneflly exhorted them to continue immovable in their profeffion of CFI atsr Jesus. And being himfelf a good man, and full of the Holy Ghoft, and of faith, his charitable deeds ac= companying his difcourfes, and his pious life exemplifying his found doctrine, the people were greatly influenced by him, and very large additions were made fo the Chrillian church: but there being too large a field for one labourer, he went to fetch Paul from Tarfus, who came back with him to Antioch, and aflifted him a whole year in eflablishing that church. Their labours profpered, their affemblies were crowded, and the difciples, who before this were called amongft themfelves bre- thren, believers, elect, and by their ene- mies Nazarenes and Galilean, were now called Chriftians firft in this city. While thefe apoRles preached inAntioch, Agabus, a prophet, gave the church notice, that there would fhortly be a great famine throughout the world, or more properly throughout the Roman empire ; efpecially in Judea. On hearing this prophecy, the Chriflians ofAntioch confidering the num- ber and neceífities of their brethren at Jerufalem, and how generoufly the rich amongft them had exhaufled their eflates in maintaining the poor, determined to fend them affufance againi the enfuing fcarcity, which they raifed by contributions according to every man's abilities, and fent it to the heads of the church at Jerufalem, by the hands of Barnabas and Paul. This famine lay heavy on Judea, during the four years government of Cafpius Fadus, and Tiberius Alexander, who,under theemperor Claudius, were prefidents of that province. After the apoftles had fulfilled their cha- ritable embaffÿ, and Raid fome time at Je- rufalem to fee the good esfedt of it, they returned again to Antioch, bringing with them John, whofe furname was Mark, the fon of Mary, filler to Barnabas ; and at whofe houfe the difciples found both fecu- rity for their perfons, and conveniency for the folemnities of their worship. But foon No. 33. after the apoRles return to Antioch, an exprefs revelation was made to the church, by the mouth of one of the prophets who minifered there, that Barnabas and Paul fhould be fet apart for an extraordinary work, unto which the Holy Ghoft had ap- pointed them. Upon this declaration the church fet apart a day for a folemn million, and after devout prayer and falling, they laid their hands upon them, and ordained them to their office ; which was to travel over certain countries, and preach the gofpel to the Gentiles : from this joint corn- miffion,-Barnabas obtained the name ofan apoftle, not only amongft later writers of the church, but with St. Paul himfelf, and with St. Luke, in the hiflory of the ails of the apoRles written by him. Being thus confecrated the afioftles of the Gentiles, they entered upon their minifry, taking with them John-Mark for their mi- nifler or deacon, who affifted them in many ecclefiaflical offices, particularly in taking care of the poor and receiving contribu- tions for them. After their departure from Antioch, the firfl city they vifitedwas Selucia, a city of Syria, adjoining to the fea; from whence they failed for the ifland of Cyprus, the native place of St. Barnabas, and arrived at Salamis, a port formerly remarkable for its trade. Here they boldly preached the doétrines of the gofpel, in the fynagogue of the Jews ; and from thence travelled to Paphos, the capital of the ifland. Here their preaching was attended with remark- able fuccefs ; Servius Paulus, the procon- ful, being, amongft others, converted to the faith of the gofpel. Having quitted Cyprus, they croffed the fea to preach in Pamphylia, where their deacon John, to the great grief of his uncle Barnabas, left them, and returned to Jerufalem. The apoRles afterwards went to Perga, where they did not conti- nue long, but travelled feventy or eighty miles northward to Antioch in Pifidia, fo called to diflinguifh it from Antioch in Syria, where the apoRles received their 5 B ordination,
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