occupation. The day following the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, he was standing with John the Baptist and Andrew Simon Peter's brother and, seeing Jesus walking and hearing John the Baptist say, "Behold the Lamb of God," he with Andrew followed Jesus, abiding with him that day. From this time on, becoming a disciple of Jesus, this John identified himself with Jesus and his work.

Tradition describes this John as of a priestly family, and there are internal evidences in the book that he was familiar with the high priest Caiaphas before whom Jesus was taken for trial at the time of his arrest. In the last chapter of the book, the author is described as, "The disciple whom Jesus loved," and in the last two verses of the twentieth chapter the object of the writing is stated to be, "That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have Life thru His name."

The author describes the manner of the divinity, humanity, and office of Jesus Christ. He declares that Jesus Christ was the Word, was with God, and was God; that all things were made by Him; that in Him was Life the light of man which lighteth every man and gives him power to become the Son of God; that He was born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God; and that Grace and Truth came by Him.

THE ACTS

In this book the writer narrates principally the acts of apostles under Divine and Church influences, rendering the only account we have of the organization and

early history of the Christian church, and among Christians this book is considered one of the most if not the most important of the Bible.

The writer of this book, the most important to the Christian Church, is not certainly known but, assuming that Luke wrote the third Gospel, there are internal and other evidences that it was he who wrote this book; for here, as in the third Gospel, "Theophilus" is addressed, and here reference is made to the writer's former treatise, "containing all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up," indicating that the two books were written by one and the same person. And there is no one to whom all the circumstances so plainly point as to Luke as the author of this book.

To the writer of this book we are indebted for the information we have about the day of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the first spread of the Gospel at Jerusalem; about the extension of the Gospel to the Gentiles; about the organization of saints at Jerusalem, and the counsel of Jerusalem; about the miraculous conversion of Saul and his call to the Gentile apostleship under the name of Paul; about Paul's three great missionary journeys, organizing churches, the Jewish opposition to his missionary work, and his imprisonments and death.

From the thirteenth chapter to the end of the book, the writer confines his narrative almost exclusively to the acts, sayings, and doings of Paul in his work as an apostle of "The Christ."

ROMANS

This is an epistle or letter written by Paul, as an

apostle to the Romans. At the time of writing this letter, he was about to start to Jerusalem with the contributions the various churches he had organized had turned over to him for the poor saints at Jerusalem, and to report the status of his missionary work. It appears that Paul had not as yet returned to Rome since his conversion to the Christian religion and his becoming an apostle.

The first eleven chapters are doctrinal and the remainder are practical. It is one of the most if not the most argumentative epistle written by Paul, and contains a complete scheme of Gospel methods of Salvation.

He deals with the cause of Israel and their rejection of Jesus showing that designs of mercy were at work even in that. He works out the obligation of holiness which rests on the Gospel basis of doctrine. He shows that all mankind had sinned and came short of the glory of God, but that a remedy was provided in the bloodshedding by Jesus which becomes effectual to every man upon faith without conformity to the Law; that Abraham had been declared righteous upon faith which showed that this was God's original method; and the consequences of being thus justified with its blessings and responsibility, concluding with a list of salutations and doxology.

FIRST CORINTHIANS

Paul, having organized a church at Corinth composed mostly of Gentiles, was called upon to advise the church concerning marriage, meats offered to idols, the dress of women in public, the exercise of spiritual gifts, and the collection for the poor, and he wrote this epistle or letter to that church in answer to these queries, and to

make complaint to them about the internal dissensions which he had learned prevailed among them about the incestuous man, disorders of the love feast, and denials of the resurrection. He strongly asserts his own authority, and alludes to an earlier letter he had written to them which we have no record of.

SECOND CORINTHIANS

This is another letter written by Paul to the Corinthian church in which he defends his own personal character and ministry and sets forth in strong language his own personal character as a minister of Christ. He closes by urging them to complete the collection for the poor at Jerusalem before his arrival.

GALATIANS

The Galatians were a people feeble and vacillating in character whose ancestors were originally Gauls, crossing over into Asia Minor. Paul had organized churches among them which, under the influence of corrupting Judaizing teachers, had adopted Jewish practices, with a view of making their Christian position better, but which in effect was a rejection of the fulness of Christ's Redemption, and Paul writes and sends this letter to these Galatian churches, defending his apostolic authority. He refutes the Judaizing errors and gives a valuable summary of his own life.

EPHESIANS

Paul had established a church among the Ephesians at Ephesus and without any apparent special purpose wrote and sent this letter to that church. In character, it is doctrinal and practical, and probably the most sublime of all his writings. .

In the first part, he sets forth the foundation, growth, purpose, and destiny of the Christian church and, in the latter part, he deals with the momentous responsibility and consequences resulting therefrom, alluding to his mission at Tychicus and his own imprisonment.

PHILIPPIANS

In connection with Silas and Timotheus whose name was changed to Timothy, Paul had organized the Philippian church which appears to have been in danger of Judaizing teachers and, during the latter part of his imprisonment at Rome, Paul wrote and sent this letter to that church. It appears that, on two different occasions, when Paul was needy in temporal things, the Philippian church supplied his wants for which favors he was not unmindful or ungrateful in his writing to them. It appears also that, at the time of this writing, Paul realized that his life was in danger which fact all the more stimulated his faith and zeal but he was not without hope that he might be released.

COLOSSIANS

It appears that the Judaizing teachers were following Paul in his work; that Paul had organized a church among the Colossians which was in danger of these false teachers and Paul wrote and sent this letter in opposition to the Judaizing teachings, setting forth the real standing of the Colossian Christians in Christ; the majesty of Christ's divine power; the fulness of Christ's Redemption; and the completeness with which they were identified with Christ in the New Life.