XLIV.

BARNABAS.

N sacred or profane history we find few characters more amiable or worthy of imitation than Barnabas. His kindly disposition, and the service which he rendered

to Paul, constitute him a good representative of personal friendship. If in any one, among the associates of the apostle, the idea of companionship is, as it were, personified, that one is Barnabas. Something of this characteristic is made known to us in the designation which the earlier apostles gave to him when they styled him the "son of consolation." It is probable, indeed, that this title had reference chiefly to his power of warm and instructive "exhortation;" but even if thus interpreted, it reveals to us social qualities of high value, and certainly his actions are in harmony with this power of giving encouragement by his words.

In those happy earliest days of the Church, when "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul". when none of them said "that aught of the things which he possessed was his own," and consequently "none among them lacked"-Barnabas, "a Levite of the island of Cyprus," is the one among the disciples who is specified as "selling his land, and laying the price at the apostles' feet" for the general good of the Christian community. Either the amount which he gave was peculiarly large, or there was something in his manner of giving which causes him to be singled out in this description of

self-denying generosity. The word generosity, better than any other, describes the character of Barnabas. The first incident from his life exhibits to us generosity in its literal sense of the free surrendering of property for the general good. But this is by no means the main point on which we should lay hold striving to learn something from the example. Mere giving may arise from various motives. But the deep inward principle of generosity applies to all the conduct of life, and finds its exercise even when we have no property to give. A generous man is a man whose heart goes out freely and warmly toward others -who is not always thinking of himself-not calculating nicely how this or that will affect his own comfort, his own credit, his own position. Such a man is always ready for kind and neighborly acts. And such a man, too, can easily throw himself into mutual understanding and co-operation with others for the general good; whereas a man who is centred in himself is always liable to be mistaken and to mistake those around him. Let us illustrate this by a homely comparison.

There is a characteristic difference between houses in the East and houses in the West. Our dwellings have their windows on the outside, from which we can look on the open country and see freely what is passing elsewhere. A domestic dwelling in the East, on the contrary, opens into an inner court, which presents the only view, while all around is the dead dull wall. There is something of the same kind of difference between one man and another. Some can easily begin frank and open communications with their neighbors; other men cannot or will not. Barnabas is an example of the former, and he was all the happier in consequence, and all the more useful.

And there is another mark of generosity, suggested by the passage we have quoted, which should not be overlooked. A generous man, acting on warm impulses, does not delay in doing good, but acts promptly and on the moment. The help wanted by the Christian community in Jerusalem was wanted then, and Bar

nabas gave it then. He might very naturally have considered the various reasons there were for delay. For instance, it was probable that similar need for assistance might occur on some. future occasion. Besides this, many other persons were giving liberally at that time. But Barnabas did not reason in this way; probably he did not reason at all. And this at least we may learn from him, that when undoubted good is to be done, it is best to do it heartily and to do it now.

We turn to the first of the passages which describe circumstances in the life of Barnabas connected with Paul. Generosity is here again manifest, but in another and a more winning aspect. It was a most critical moment in Paul's life and in the history of the Church. On his return to Jerusalem, after his sudden conversion at Damascus, he was naturally suspected. "He assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple." It is difficult to blame them, for what could they have thought of him? Here was a man who had been their unscrupulous enemy, "breathing out slaughter and threatenings," dragging "both men and women into prison," ready to undergo any toil and travel to any distance if only he might extirpate the Christians; and now this man was in Jerusalem again, professing to be their friend and wishing to be associated with them. They must have thought it was some contrivance, some stratagem arranged for their harm. It must be remembered that they were not then a powerful body, but very weak, with no protection from the authorities. They were like a flock of sheep; and they might well say of this son of Benjamin, in the sentiment applied to his great ancestor, IIe ravins like a wolf: in the morning he devoured the prey and now in the evening he is dividing the spoil. Gen. xlix, 27.

If we consider the crisis, we see how much harm would have come both to Paul's personal comfort and happiness, and to his power of extending and consolidating the Church, if this most natural and most serious misunderstanding had not been re

moved. The happy instrument of removing it was Barnabas. "He took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus." The result was entire confidence and hearty co-operation in the cause of Christ. He who had been a persecutor was now with the apostles at Jerusalem, as a trusted friend and fellow-laborer, "coming in and going out" and "speaking boldly."

Misunderstandings are very common in this poor world of ours. People will differ without reason-will take unfavorable views of one another-will think they are on opposite sides when they are not really on opposite sides. When such a state of things is seen to arise, this is the great opportunity for thoseand they are very numerous-who occupy themselves in gossip and making mischief. But this is also the Christian's opportunity for making peace and promoting co-operation in good and useful works. Let the reader ask himself what he is in the habit of doing in such a case. A very common habit with us is simply to look on, under such circumstances, and to be passivepossibly even to take a sort of pleasure in the infirmities of our neighbors. "These people," we say, "will look upon one another as enemies when they ought to be friends; they are very foolish, but we cannot help it," and we do nothing. Such was not the view or the practice of Barnabas. And this system of letting things go crooked when we might do something toward putting them straight is really moral cowardice or moral laziness; and we must remember that we are responsible, not only for the harm which we positively cause, but in a great measure also for the evil which we might have prevented.

Only it must be recollected that whatever good we do in this way must be done, not by harshness and rebuke, but by sympathy and persuasion. This is a principle of almost universal application, and to nothing is it more applicable than to cases

of religious misunderstanding. But, most strangely, we are in the habit of forgetting this. We live in a time of much religious debate. If others hold wrong opinions, our wish is to induce them to adopt right opinions. But is it wise to attempt to secure this end by the method of attack? Let us ask any man to refer to his own experience. Were you ever convinced yourself by being attacked? When you were assailed, was not your first impulse to resist and to shelter yourself as closely as possible within your old defences? You have heard the fable of the traveler, the wind and the sun. The traveler was enveloped in a thick cloak. The wind and the sun contended which of them could most easily induce him to lay the cloak aside. The wind made the attempt first. A furious storm came over the heavens, the trees were broken, the cattle were terrified, the cold sleet drove angrily across the plain. But the traveler drew his cloak more closely to him, and folded it round and round. And now the weather cleared. The landscape grew bright again. The sun's turn was now come to make the attempt. As the warmth of the rays increased, the traveler gradually relaxed his hold. Each step made him feel that the cloak was more and more a burden; he laid it aside; and the sun had succeeded where the wind had failed. What could never have been done by violent attack was easily accomplished by gentle persuasion. Barnabas, at a critical time, not by harsh discussion, but by genial warmth, removed a prejudice; and we, following in his steps, may perhaps find many opportunities of doing the same.

Nor is it merely the satisfaction and happiness of religious cooperation which is to be considered in such a case. Simple offices of Christian kindness may be of far greater moment to the community at large than can be calculated at the time. This incident in the life of Barnabas is of peculiar value, because it shows us what great results may follow to the progress of the gospel from a single act of timely generosity.

The second passage, which sets Barnabas before us in close