350 The NEW and COMPLETE LI F E of Our BLESSED LORD where fpoken againfl. But, alas! thefe things weighed little with our apoflle, who counted not his life dear unto him, fo thathe might find his courfe with joy, and -the minijtry whichhehad receivedof the'Lord Jefus; and therefore, when he thoughthimfelf underthe fentenceof death, could triumphantly fay, I havefought agood fight, I have finedmy courfe, Ihave kept thefaith. In fhort, he was aman inwhom the divine life eminently dif- played itfelf; he lived pioufly and devoutly, foberly and temperately, juftly and righ- teoufly ; careful always to keep a confcience void of offence both towards God and man. This, he tells us, was his fupport under all his fufferings ; this the foundation of his con- fidence towards God, and his firm hopes ofhappinefs in another world. This is our rejoicing, the teflimony of our confcience, that infimplicity andgodlyfancerity we have had ourconverfationinthe world. In fhort, as the love or this great apoftle tohis divine Mailer knew no bounds, fo the beauty and energy ofhis writings, as well as his fuffer- ings in fupport of the truthhe efpoufed and inculcated, are beyond example. St. JAMES the APOSTLE, furnamed the GREAT. THIS apoftle was a native of Galilee, born in all probability either at Ca- pernaum or Bethfaida, as he was a partner withSimon Peter in the fifhing trade. The epithet of Great was given him, to diflin- guifh him from another apoftle of the fame name. He was the fonof Zebedee, a fifherman, who kept feveral fervants to carry on his trade, and therefore mull have been a perfon of fome confequence in his way. His mother's name was Mary, furnamed Salome, the daughter of Cleophas, and filler or rather coufin-german to Mary the mother of our Lord; fo that he had the honour of being a near relation to CHRIST himfelf. He was brought up to the trade of his father; a mean occupation, indeed, in the eye ofthe world, but no employment is mean that is honefl and induflrious ; and it fhould be remembered that the Son of God himfelf ftooped fo low, as to become the reputed fon ofa carpenter, and during the retirement of his private life laboured himfelf at his father's trade ; not merely de- voting himfelfto contemplations, nor with- drawing fromallufeful fociety withtheworld, and hiding himfelf in the folitudes of an anchoret, but bufying himfelf in an aaive comic of life, as he continually went about doing good to the fouls and bodies of mankind. Not in the leaf difcouraged at the mean- nefs ofhis father's trade, St. James applied himfelf to it with remarkable of lduity, and was exercifing his employment when the Saviour of the world paffing by the fea of Galilee, faw him with his brother in the fhip, and called them both to be his dif -. ciples. Nor was the call in vain ; they cheerfully complied with it, and immedi- ately left all to follow him : they did not flay to difpute his commands, or folicitouf- ly inquire into the minute confequences of the undertaking, the troubles and dan- gers that might attend this new employ- ment; but readily delivered themfelves up to perform whatever fervice he fhould call them to. He was called foon after this from the Ration of an ordinary difciple, to the apof- tolical office, and even honoured with fome particular favours beyond moll of the apoflles, being one of the three whom our Lord made choice of, as his compani- ons in the more intimate tranfaEtions of his life, from which the refi were excluded. Thus, with Peter and his brother John, he
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=