styled the Apostle of Milan, as of a city where he preached Christ. Nevertheless as the doves to their windows, so did this tender dove-like saint return to his first home; and being full of years put on his martyr's crown where he had dwelt with his father and his mother. In Cyprus his discourses, his miracles, his daily life, set forth the Gospel and won souls to the faith. Thus was God glorified, the Church edified, Satan discomfited. Thus also were certain unbelieving Jews, beforetime his persecutors in Syria, exasperated. These came to Cypriot Salamis, and there stirred up the great men against the apostle. Then was he seized, roughly beset, insulted, tormented, stoned. And anon the mob gazed upon an aged body slain by a defacing death, and the Church bewailed her nursing father taken from her head that day, and holy Angels praised God for a sanctified soul new-born into glory, and even as one whom his mother comforteth the Son of Consolation was comforted.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.-Deuteronomy xxix. 29.

That sharp contention which sufficed to separate two apostles, has divided no less the opinions of pious thinkers. Some have pronounced both censurable; others, both blameless; others again have supposed St. Barnabas alone in fault; this last view receiving possibly a degree of support from the distinct record of St. Paul's being recommended to the grace of God on his departure with Silas, while concerning his fellow-saint no such statement appears. Yet, after all, the point at issue must remain

secret, as not being written in Holy Scripture for our learning what is revealed is our profitable instructor.

We see then that God was glorified, Whose good pleasure it was along this very path of disunion to send the Gospel by preachers alike inspired into two regions far asunder. The trumpets of God which had so long pealed in unison, sounding apart gave no uncertain sound whoso heard, or whoso forbore, yet knew that a prophet was among them.

It may also be that the weaker soul of St. Mark was, by his kinsman's tenderness, rescued from being swallowed up of overmuch sorrow: and that he was even thus reserved to become, after fuller conversion, a mouthpiece of the Holy Ghost and champion of Christ.

And although we cannot disprove the suspicion of some fault, we may safely look for righteousness overmuch rather than for any graver lapse. Thus, in him who is more than once defined as "sister's son to Barnabas," our Saint may by the intuition of affection have discerned stirrings of grace and possibilities of sanctification not so clear to alien eyes and seeing God's grace may again, as elsewhere we read, have been glad. He may have recalled that prophecy which characterized his Master as One Who would not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax, and have set his heart on copying so divine a pattern. He may in spirit and in a deeper sense have forestalled St. Paul's own inspired verdict :

If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.-1 Timothy v. 8.

On the other hand, if in this instance St. Paul (being

angry yet not sinning) spared not, we observe that afterwards he named St. Mark with high commendation and grateful tenderness: and that about the same later period, being already such an one as Paul the aged and a prisoner of Jesus Christ, he exercised towards himself, as once towards the lagging disciple, a like unflinching justice; and sent far from him his son Onesimus begotten in his bonds, who was profitable to him and whom he would have retained.

The scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate. -Isaiah xxix. 20, 21.

Whitsuntide, approaching its latest, includes St. Barnabas' Day. Whitsun Day itself therefore, as well as either of its attendant feasts, can coalesce with the same festival; at such times uniting in one commemoration the Divine Comforter with the Son of Consolation, the indwelling Holy Ghost with His human temple, the Spirit of Wisdom with His mouthpiece, the Light Essential with His Light-bearer, the Lord and Giver of Life with one quickened soul :"God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness."-Genesis i. 26.

It follows however that in most years St. Barnabas' Festival occurs in one of the early weeks of Trinity-tide, and amongst many possible days may of course combine with the first Sunday not specially dedicated to contemplation of that Divine Mystery whence the entire season draws its name. And this Sunday appears to me

to harmonize very sweetly with the loving character of

our saint: being itself one of those three Sundays which, ushering in the three main annual periods of active as distinguished from contemplative piety, invite us by their Epistles to prove our obedience to "the first and great commandment" by our practice of that second which "is like unto it."

On this First Sunday after Trinity the Apostle of love himself sets us our lesson of love :—

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. . . . . Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. . . . . And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.-1 St. John iv. 7, &c.

On Advent Sunday St. Paul enforces the same duty:— Owe no man any thing, but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.-Romans xiii. 8, 10.

And once more at Quinquagesima, the threshold of Lent, he reminds us :

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. . . . . Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; is not easily pro

....

voked. . . . . Charity never faileth. . . . . And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.1 Corinthians xiii. 1, &c.

A Prayer for Goodwill of Love.

GOD of Patience and Consolation, by Whose gracious indwelling St. Barnabas became to the Church his Mother a Son of Consolation; who having land sold it for the profit of his brethren, having insight bore witness to the sincerity of St. Paul, having knowledge

preached the Gospel, having gifts used them to the glory of Christ in the edification of souls;-who being a good man full of the Holy Ghost and of faith was glad when he saw the grace of God, and being St. Paul's elder in the truth occupied the second place in serving with him, and being himself a luminary withdrew not from the other's exceeding effulgence, and who thus hath left a shining light for our guidance, even his own example for our imitation :-Give us such good will, I beseech Thee, O God All-gracious, that with free hearts we too may love and serve Thee and our brethren; Thy grace in us stirring up and not neglecting, Thy gifts to us using and not abusing, Thine appointment rejoicing in without grudging, Thy choice making our choice and Thy pleasure our pleasure; that with one voice, great and small in unison, we may praise Thee for all our higher and all our lower vocations, and having thus the mind of Christ may begin Heaven on earth, and exercise ourselves therein till that day when Heaven where love abideth shall seem no strange habitation to us. For His only sake Who for our sakes made Himself of no reputation, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.