class="x-ebookmaker-pageno" title="[Pg 22]"/> Saul trembled, his conscience smote him, his soul was humbled, and his feelings melted for the cause he had heretofore hated and persecuted.

Saul became now, after this miraculous conversion, one of the strongest pillars of the Christian Church. He preached the gospel in public, laboring with pious zeal as if to make up for the guilt and crimes of his former life.

Thousands were converted by his preaching, and he endured the persecutions of the unbelieving, remembering when he too was a leader among them.

He was stoned at Lystra, A. D. 46, and left for dead,—but suddenly revived as the disciples were attending upon his body. Having thus escaped the fate of Stephen, he travelled on from city to city, openly proclaiming the Gospel.

At length after a long life spent in fearless devotion to the cause of the crucified Savior, he was taken up in Rome, thrown into prison, and in a few months after, condemned to suffer martyrdom by beheading, A. D. 68.

LUKE.

This apostle and Evangelist, was the companion and assistant of Paul, who calls him "the beloved Physician." After the death of Paul, he preached the gospel with great success in Egypt and Lybia, and also in Italy and Macedonia. As to his death, there are different accounts. Yet the best writers say he suffered martyrdom in Greece. A party of infidels there made head against him, and drew him to execution. For the want of a cross, they hung him upon an olive tree. He was in the eighty-fourth year of his age at the time of his death, A. D. 74. His gospel was written, while he was in company with Paul, A. D. 61—13 years before his martyrdom, and 28 years after the ascension of our Lord.

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