And said: "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up into the heavens? This very Jesus, who has been taken from you into the heavens, will come in the very way in which you have seen him go into the heavens."

They were utterly amazed, and kept asking in astonishment: "What! Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, some Elamites; and some of us live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Roman Asia,

In Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the districts of Libya adjoining Cyrene; some of us are visitors from Rome,

Either Jews by birth or converts, and some are Cretans and Arabians--yet we all alike hear them speaking in our own tongues of the great things that God has done."

Then Peter, surrounded by the eleven other Apostles, stood up, and, raising his voice, addressed the crowd. "Men of Judea," he began, "and all you who are staying in Jerusalem, let me tell you what this means. Mark well my words.

These men are not drunk, as you suppose; for it is only now nine in the morning! No!

Yes, even on the slaves--for they are mine--both men and women, I will in those days pour out my Spirit,

It was this Jesus, whom God raised to life; and of that we are ourselves all witnesses.

On seeing this, Peter said to the people: "Men of Israel, why are you surprised at this? and why do you stare at us, as though we, by any power or piety of our own, had enabled this man to walk?

The very Guide to Life you put to death! But God raised him from the dead--and of that we are ourselves witnesses.

You yourselves are the heirs of the Prophets, and heirs, too, of the Covenant which God made with your ancestors, when he said to Abraham--'In your descendants will all the nations of the earth be blessed.'

Since we are on our trial to-day for a kind act done to a helpless man, and are asked in what way the man here before you has been cured,

"What are we to do to these men?" they asked one another. "That a remarkable sign has been given through them is obvious to every one living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

Then Peter said: "How did you come to agree to provoke the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The foot-steps of those who have buried your husband are at the door; and they will carry you out too."

And we are witness to the truth of this, and so is the Holy Spirit--the gift of God to those who obey him."

And, in this present case, my advice to you is not to interfere with these men, but to let them alone, for, if their designs and their work are merely of human origin, they will come to an end;

But, if they are of divine origin, you will be powerless to put an end to them--or else you may find yourselves fighting against God!"

On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living.

The next day he again appeared upon the scene, when some of them were fighting, and tried to make peace between them. 'Men,' he said, 'you are brothers; how is it that you are ill-treating one another?'

Then the Lord said to him--'Take your sandals off your feet, for the spot where you are standing is holy ground.

I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them. Come now and I will send you into Egypt.'

'The heavens are a throne for me, and the earth a stool for my feet. What manner of House will you build me, says the Lord, or what place is there where I may rest?

O! stubborn race, heathen in heart and ears, you are for ever resisting the Holy Spirit; your ancestors did it, and you are doing it still.

So Philip ran up, and he heard the Abyssinian reading the Prophet Isaiah. "Do you understand what you are reading?" he asked.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him-- "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

"Who are you, Lord?" he asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the voice answered;

Peter was still pondering over the vision, when the Spirit said to him: "There are two men looking for you at this moment.

Peter went down to the men and said: "I am the man for whom you are looking. What is your reason for coming?"

"You are doubtless aware that it is forbidden for a Jew to be intimate with a foreigner, or even to enter his house; and yet God has shown me that I ought not to call any man 'defiled' or 'unclean.'

Accordingly I sent to you at once, and you have been so good as to come. And now we are all here in the presence of God, to listen to all that you have been instructed by the Lord to say."

We are ourselves, too, witnesses to all that he did in Judea and in Jerusalem; yet they put him to death by hanging him on a cross!

"You are mad!" they exclaimed. But, when she persisted that it was so, they said: "It must be his spirit!"

The people of Jerusalem and their leading men, failing to recognize Jesus, and not understanding the utterances of the Prophets that are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

And he appeared for many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and who are now witnesses for him to the people.

But, when the Apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd. "Friends, why are you doing this?" they shouted.

"We are only men like yourselves, and we have come with the Good News that you should turn away from these follies to a living God, 'who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.'

In my judgment, therefore, we should not add to the difficulties of those Gentiles who are turning to God,

They were bearers of the following letter--'The Apostles, and the Brothers who are the Officers of the Church, send their greetings to the Brethren of Gentile birth in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

We are accordingly sending Judas and Silas, and they will tell you by word of mouth what we are now writing.

Some time after this, Paul said to Barnabas: "Let us go back and visit the Brethren in every town in which we have told the Lord's Message, and see how they are prospering."

This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, calling: "These men are servants of the most high God, and they are bringing you news of a way to Salvation."

And took them before the Magistrates. "These men are causing a great disturbance in our town," they complained;

"They are Jews, and they are teaching customs which it is not right for us, as Romans, to sanction or adopt."

But Paul called our loudly: "Do not harm yourself; we are all here."

But Paul's answer to them was: "They have flogged us in public without trial, though we are Roman citizens, and they have put us in prison, and now they are for sending us out secretly! No, indeed! Let them come and take us out themselves."

So they laid hold of him and took him to the Court of Areopagus. "May we hear," they asked, "what new teaching this is which you are giving?

For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean."

The God who made the world and all things that are in it-- he, Lord as he is of Heaven and Earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands,

For in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets--'His offspring, too, are we.'

But the wicked spirit answered them: "Jesus I acknowledge, and Paul I know, but you--who are you?"

And you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but in almost the whole of Roman Asia, this Paul has convinced and won over great numbers of people, by his assertion that those Gods which are made by hands are not Gods at all.

As these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and do nothing rash;

For you have brought these men here, though they are neither robbers of Temples nor blasphemers of our Goddess.

If, however, Demetrius and the artisans who are acting with him have a charge to make against any one, there are Court Days and there are Magistrates; let both parties take legal proceedings.

For I tell you that we are in danger of being proceeded against for to-day's riot, there being nothing to account for it; and in that case we shall be at a loss to give any reason for this disorderly gathering."

It was then that Paul made the reply: "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart like this? For my part, I am ready not only to be bound, but even to suffer death at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus."

And, when they had heard it, they began praising God, and said to Paul: "You see, Brother, that the Jews who have become believers in Christ may be numbered by tens of thousands, and they are all naturally earnest in upholding the Jewish Law.

Well now, as they are certain to hear of your arrival, do what we are going to suggest.

"Are not you, then, the Egyptian who some time ago raised an insurrection and led the four thousand Bandits out into the Wilderness?"

"I am a Jew, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, but I was brought up in this city under the teaching of Gamaliel, and educated in accordance with the strict system of our ancestral Law. I was as zealous in God's service as any of you who are here to-day.

I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'

'Who are you, Lord?' I replied. Then the voice said 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'

On hearing this, the Captain went and reported it to the Commanding Officer. "Do you know what you are doing?" he said. "This man is a Roman citizen."

So the Commanding Officer went up to Paul and said: "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," replied Paul.

Whereupon Paul turned to him and said: "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?"

The people standing near said to Paul: "Do you know that you are insulting God's High Priest?"

But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, who have taken an oath that they will not eat or drink, till they have made away with him; and they are at this very moment in readiness, counting upon your promise."

"We owe it to your Excellency," he said, "that we are enjoying profound peace, and we owe it to your foresight that this nation is constantly securing reforms--advantages which we very gratefully accept at all times and places.

And you will be able, by examining him on all these points, to satisfy yourself as to the charges which we are bringing against him."

And they cannot establish the charges which they are now making against me.

But, as Festus wished to gain popularity with the Jews, he interrupted Paul with the question: "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?"

"No," replied Paul, "I am standing at the Emperor's Bar, where I ought to be tried. I have not wronged the Jews, as you yourself are well aware.

Turning to Paul, Agrippa said: "You are at liberty to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense.

Especially as you are so well-versed in all the customs and questions of the Jewish world. I beg you therefore to give me a patient hearing.

We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew-- 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.'

'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord said: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;

While Paul was making this defense, Festus called out loudly: "You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad."

"I am not mad, your Excellency," he replied; "on the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.

But Agrippa said to Paul: "You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!"

"Whether it is soon or late," answered Paul, "I would to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might to-day become just what I am myself--except for these chains!"

Yet, even as things are, I urge you not to lose courage, for there will not be a single life lost among you--only the ship.

But we shall be glad to hear from you what your views are, for, with regard to this sect, we are well aware that it is spoken against on all sides."

For the mind of this nation has grown dense, and their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes also have they closed; lest some day they should see with their eyes, and with their ears they should hear, and in their mind they should understand, and should turn--and I should heal them.'