of our Saviour’s life?  Here is one fact worth remembering.  Mark was the companion of Peter, who was an apostle, who saw the miracles and heard the discourses of Christ.  He examined the account which Mark had written, and gave it his approval, as being correct,—­true.  Very few men who write histories have vouchers like his.  So, did we not regard the Bible-writers as inspired men, we should place the utmost confidence in the truth of Mark’s gospel.  He composed it about A.D. 65.  We come now,

3d, to LUKE.  He was a Gentile,—­all people not born in Judea were called Gentiles,—­born in Antioch, the capital of Syria, where the disciples of Jesus first were called Christians.  Luke was a learned man, we are told, having studied in the famous schools of his own land, also of Greece and Egypt.  He was a physician by profession; and physicians assure us, that, in his gospel, he has given a more accurate account of the diseases which Jesus cured than any other New Testament writer:  that he often uses medical terms in his description of the miracles which were wrought.  He was a good and careful thinker, not at all credulous, but disposed to prove all things, holding fast only to the good and true.  He wrote his gospel (perhaps you know that he was the author of the book of Acts, also) in Greece, about 35 years after the ascension of Jesus.  He was associated with Paul in his travels, went with him to Rome, and continued there during the imprisonment of the apostle.  Historians are not agreed in regard to the time or manner of his death.  Some affirm that he suffered as a martyr; others, simply, that, in due time, he “fell asleep,” or died a natural death.  We are sure that his talents, learning, and time were given to the diffusion of the Christian faith.  Lastly, and

4th, of JOHN, the beloved disciple, so termed because of his mild and gentle spirit, and because he most resembled his and our Master.  He was born in Judea, near the sea, or lake, of Galilee.  Zebedee, his father, was a fisherman; and John, probably, engaged in his father’s business until he became a preacher of glad tidings.  You must not, from this fact, conclude that they were certainly poor men, for then, at least, men of wealth were engaged in the business, and I suppose many now are.  John was the youngest apostle, and “the disciple whom Jesus loved;” you may recollect that he leaned on the bosom of Christ at the “Last Supper.”  He, only, was present, of all the apostles, when Jesus was crucified,—­and Jesus commended his mother to this disciple’s care.  After the resurrection of Jesus, John preached “the gospel” in various parts of Asia.

He wrote his gospel at Ephesus, and, by his labors, the truths of Christianity spread everywhere among men.  The story sometimes told, that he was put into a caldron of burning oil, by a Roman emperor, and came out unharmed, is not true.  He lived to a very advanced age, and died when not far from 100 years old.  Late in life, when too feeble to preach, he was often carried into the meetings of the disciples, at his own request, and, stretching out his hands, as he sat in his chair, was wont to say, “Little children, love one another.”  And, when asked why he so often gave this precept, he would say, “If this be obeyed, it is the Lord’s command, and it sufficeth.”