he lavished upon those whom his great love crowned with friendship's holy name!

IV

The Fourth Thing We Note in Considering Paul's Friendships Is the Manner in Which These Underscore Our Appreciation of His Intellectual Supremacy

Nothing else, perhaps, does this quite so effectually. We are accustomed to think of and call him great. And yet this has become so trite that it has lost much of its significance. But when we consider his friendships and his friends, only then do we fully grasp how peerless he was.

He came into friendly relations with all the master minds of the first generation of the Christian Era. How he dwarfs them all intellectually! Not by pushing himself forward, but by sheer inherent ability he everywhere and in all company speedily became the leader of leaders. None among the original Apostles can be compared to him for sweep of thought, depth of reasoning, or breadth of learning; nor for daring adventure and constructive statesmanship of purpose and achievement.

He came into contact and closest friendship with such authors as Mark and Luke, but his own literary fame remains undimmed. In oratory he had such friendly rivals as the gracious Barnabas and the brilliant Apollos, but his own fame in this particular field is more resplendent than that of either. Titus was a great organizer, but Paul's achievements so

far surpass those of Titus, or of any other man of the age, as to make comparison out of the question. Timothy was a great pastor but his work in this line, if compared with Paul's, pales like moonlight before the rising sun. Silas was a great missionary, but his work is all but forgotten as men gaze upon the monolithic glory of Paul's achievements. Philip was a great evangelist, but his deeds are almost wholly obscured by the far-shining victories of Paul.

All these friends of the Apostle were men of great gifts in a particular field, gifts which would have secured their fame for all time had they never come into contact and comparison with a greater than they. Paul surpassed every one of them, even in their own particular specialty, as much as Napoleon did his Marshals.

The telling of the story of Paul's friendships and a study of the careers of several of his friends, is amply justified by what has already been said. But all that has preceded bases the significance of this feature of the Apostle's character and career, upon reasons personal to Paul himself. The story also deserves telling for the sake of his friends. Paul we already know pretty thoroughly, his friends we know very little: with some of them we have a bowing acquaintance; others we know by sight; still others we scarcely know even by name. These things ought not so to be. Paul's friends were good men and true; in many ways, great men. Some of them were indispensable, all were important and useful. They had a part to play, not only in the

career and affection of St. Paul, but also in the founding and early success of Christianity itself. The story of their lives and friendship with the Apostle is not told merely for his sake, not merely to set forth the beauty and world significance of ideal friendship, but also to lift their names up out of the obscurity into which they have been thrown by the overshadowing fame of Peter, Paul, and John; to show the eminent part they played as preachers, pastors, missionaries. authors, organizers, and evangelists; and joint-founders of Gentile churches, joint-conquerors of Europe for Christ, and joint-founders of Christianity itself.

The significance of their relation to St. Paul, apart from personal love and friendship, falls into three divisions, each of which will be duly amplified in subsequent chapters. All that is required at this time is simply to state each of the three in as few words as possible.

1. Humanly speaking, it was one of Paul's friends who, several years after his conversion, gave him his first opportunity effectively to engage in his life work.

2. During his entire ministry his friends were continually as his right arm. Never as far as we know did he labor with marked success any great length of time without the companionship of one or more of his intimate friends. None of his great churches was founded without the assistance of his friends. Never did he undertake a great missionary journey alone, though he may have done some

evangelistic work at Tarsus and in Cilicia before his call to Antioch.

3. So efficient did his friends become through his example, influence, and training, and by their own diligence, fidelity, and natural ability, that after his death the work of Christianity went on without break or pause in any church or field.

And so for the sake of a just appreciation of the greatness of Paul's heart and mind, and for the sake of a better acquaintance with men personally well worth knowing, and a juster estimate of their indispensable services,—it seems to me that the story of Paul's friendships and his friends deserves a little volume all by itself.

CHAPTER II

Barnabas-The Discoverer of St. Paul

The story of Barnabas's career is contained in the following passages:-Acts 4:36-37, 9:26-27, 11:22-30, 12:25, 13:1-52, 14:1-28, 15:1-39, 1 Cor. 9:4-6, Gal. 2:1-13, Col. 4:10.

T scarcely need be stated that, in order of time, the first eminent friend of Paul whose

I

acquaintance we should make, is Barnabas.

Not alone for chronological reasons, however, but for many others as well, it is fitting that his name stand first in the long roll of honor.

Perhaps it should be here stated that in these little biographical sketches I shall, in the title to the chapters, characterize each friend of Paul's by some descriptive word or clause which will bring into prominence a leading phase of his relationship to the Apostle. Only after I had decided upon the above heading for our study of Barnabas did I find that Stalker in his "Life of St. Paul," had used the same phrase, so I hasten to acknowledge his priority.

I

Barnabas, The Man

Of the early life of Barnabas and of when and how he was converted, nothing is known. There is