re come to him," he delivered to them a very pathetic pastoral
address, and bade them farewell. [131:4] At the conclusion, "he kneeled
down and prayed with them all, and they all wept sore, and fell on
Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which
he spake that they should see his face no more: and they accompanied him
unto the ship." [131:5] He now pursued his course to Jerusalem, and
after various delays, arrived at Caesarea. There, says Luke, "we entered
into the house of Philip, the evangelist, which was one of the seven,
and abode with him." [131:6] In Caesarea, as in other cities through
which he had already passed, he was told that bonds and afflictions
awaited him in the place of his destination; [131:7] but he was not thus
deterred from pursuing his journey. "When he would not be persuaded,"
says the sacred historian, "we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be
done, and after those days, having packed up, [131:8] we went up to
Jerusalem." [131:9] The apostle and his companions reached the holy city
about the time of the feast of Pentecost.

Paul was well aware that there were not a few, even among the Christians
of Palestine, by whom he was regarded with jealousy or dislike; and he
had reason to believe that the agitation for the observance of the
ceremonial law, which had disturbed the Churches of Galatia, had been
promoted by the zealots of the Hebrew metropolis. But he had a strong
attachment to the land of his fathers; and he felt deeply interested in
the well-being of his brethren in Judea. They were generally in indigent
circumstances; for, after the crucifixion, when the Spirit was poured
out on the day of Pentecost, those of them who had property "sold their
possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had
need;" [132:1] and, ever since, they had been harassed and persecuted by
their unbelieving countrymen. "The poor saints" that were in Jerusalem
[132:2] had, therefore, peculiar claims on the kind consideration of the
disciples in other lands; and Paul had been making collections for their
benefit among their richer co-religionists in Greece and Asia Minor. A
considerable sum had been thus provided; and that there might be no
misgivings as to its right appropriation, individuals chosen by the
contributors had been appointed to travel with the apostle, and to
convey it to Jerusalem. [132:3] The number of the deputies appears to
have been seven, namely, "Sopate