=1. It is a remarkable fact= that, although the apostles were so fully persuaded of the verity and power of the gospel, they had not yet learned the intent and universality of its application to the Gentiles and to all the human race, and though commissioned by their Master to preach it “to all the world,” still held that the Jewish people were the only chosen race and all others were unclean, and that it was unlawful to associate, or eat, and commune freely with any but that race. Hence up to this time the gospel had been preached with the intent of converting only Jews to the Christian faith. =2. In view of these strong prejudices= a remarkable “vision in a trance,” Acts 11:5, on the housetop, at Joppa, was granted Peter, whereby for the first time he was led to comprehend the fact that hereafter spiritual cleanliness should, in the divine sight and purposes, for ever cancel all obligations to the merely ceremonial, and he was then directed to immediately proceed to the house and to the Gentile company awaiting him at Cæsarea. The history is recorded in Acts 10. =3. On his return to Jerusalem= he communicated the new order, that now the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews, and he narrated his vision and the consequent visit to Cæsarea. All of which was accepted without discussion and with very evident satisfaction. Saul however, having been forced to leave Palestine, travelled throughout Cilicia and Syria, Gal. 1:21, until he was invited back to Jerusalem. =4. At this time=, about A. D. 41, Antioch was a city of large population and many Jews inhabited the place, who became strong adherents to the new faith, and it was now that, at this place, the name Christian was applied to all who were followers of Christ, although at first they themselves did not accept the name. THE TWO ANTIOCHS. =Antioch in Syria= was 300 miles north of Jerusalem and about fifteen miles from the Mediterranean shore, where was its port, then called Seleucia. It was the most beautiful city of Syria and at that time the most important. =Antioch in Pisidia=, however, which is now called Yalobatch, is 500 miles northwest of Jerusalem and 100 north of the coast of the Mediterranean. This Antioch is partly on the southern declivity of a long range of mountains and owes its ancient name to the same king who gave name to the Syrian Antioch. This king was Seleucus, king of Syria, whose father’s name, Antiochus, he gave to these cities and his own to Seleucia, fifteen miles off, on the coast, of which we have already spoken.