St. Peter raised him from the ground, and entering the house, began speaking of the old Jewish law which had prohibited intercourse with other nations, telling his hearers that God now commanded all those restrictions to end, and therefore he came among them as readily as if they were his own Jewish brethren. Cornelius then related the favour which had been granted him, and said that they were all there assembled to hear the words of life from the lips of the Apostle. St. Peter now tells the glad news of Christ's coming amongst men. He tells them that the once despised and outcast Gentiles are not only invited to receive God's grace, but are to be in all things equal partakers with the Jewish people--that Christ, of Whose resurrection and ascension they had already heard, had given an express commission to His Apostles to preach the Gospel to all nations. {35} Suddenly his address is interrupted. It is a scene second only to that of Pentecost, for the Holy Ghost comes down upon these Gentile converts, and they begin to speak with tongues, to the surprise of St. Peter and his companions. If any lingering feeling of Jewish superiority had been left in their hearts, this unmistakable proof of God's gracious purposes towards the Gentiles destroyed it for ever. If special grace and special gifts were thus bestowed from Heaven, St. Peter, as head of the Church on earth, must not fear to admit them to every privilege it was his to bestow, and he therefore desired that they should be baptized. {36} Thus began that mission to the Gentiles which opened a new era in the world's history. The Apostles had thought much of the blessings and honours intended for their own people, but they had not fully comprehended how broad, how extended Christ's kingdom was to become. So God wonderfully interposed, and called into His service one who was better fitted to be the Apostle of the Gentiles than St. Peter with his zeal, or St. John with his ardent love,--even Paul the persecutor, but afterwards the great and glorious servant of the Christian Church. {37} Chapter II. The city of Antioch, in Syria, was full of fugitives from other countries. Many had come from Jerusalem, many also from the adjacent island of Cyprus, others again from Cyrene; and when the truth was preached to them, a great multitude turned to God. Tidings of this went to Jerusalem, and St. Barnabas was appointed to go to Antioch to instruct the converts more fully in the doctrines they had received, and shortly afterwards, Saul went to assist his labours. {38} The people of Antioch gave the name of "Christians" to these followers of Christ. Before this the disciples had called themselves "brethren," or "saints," while the Jews in scorn termed them "Nazarenes." St. Barnabas, with the help of Saul, had been teaching about a year, when some prophets came down from Jerusalem, one of whom, named Agabus, proclaimed a famine throughout Judea.