352 The NEW and COMPLETE LI F E of Our BLESSED LORD our Saviour, by going up to Jerufalem, Teemed to flight their place of worship on mount Gerizim. This piece of rudenefs and inhumanity was fo highly relented by St. James and his brother John, that they came to Jesus, defiring to know if he would not imitate Elias, by calling down fire from heaven to confume this barbarous, inhofpitable people. So apt arc men for every trifling provocation to callupon heaven to revenge them on the aggreffors, according to the extravagancies of their own unreafonable pallions ! But the holy Jesus foon con - vinced them of their miflake, by telling them, that he was come to fave the lives of the children of men, and not to defiroy them. We have noaccount from facred hiflory, what became ofSt. James after the afcenfion great and beloved Mailer. Sophro= ,s us, that he preached to the dif- 1,, rigid Jews, that is, to thofe converts who were dilperred after the death of Stephen. The Spanifh writers will have it, that after preaching the gofpe! in feveral parts of Judea and Samaria, he vifited Spain, where he planted Chriflianity, and appointed Tome felefi difciples to perfea what he had be- gun; but if we confider the fhortnefs of St. James's life, and that the apoflles con- tinued in a body at Jerufalem, even after the difperfion of the other Chriflians, we {hall find it difficult to allow time fufficient for fo tedious and difficult a voyage as that was in thole early ages ; and therefore it is fafefl to confine his miniflry to Judea and the countries bordering upon it. We learn from profane hiftory, that Herod Agrippa, fon of Ariflobulus and grandfon of Herod the Great, had been a great favourite both with the emperor Ca- ligula and his fucceffor Claudius, who con- ferred on him his grandfather's kingdoms, and Pent him into Judea. Herod was noble and generous, prudent and politic, tho- roughly verfed in all the arts and intrigues of a court ; he knew how to oblige his enemies, and mollify or avert the difplea- 2 fure of the emperor. He was of a co¡ar- teous and affable difpofition; but at the fame time a great zealot of the Jewifh religion, and a very accurate obferver of the Mofaic law. This prince, at his arrival in his new kingdom, thought there was noPurer way of ingratiating himfelf into the favour ofthe populace, than byperfecuting the Chriflians, whomhe knew the Jews de- tefled. Accordingly, he began a violent perfecution ; but the commonalty being too mean a facrifice to fatisfy his own zeal, and favour his popular defigns, he laid hands on St. James, whole afive temper and vigorous manner of contending for the truth and excellencyof the Chriflian re- ligion rendered him a proper viaim at this time. The fame zeal which animated Herod to lay hands on St. James alto prompted him to pats fentence ofdeath on him im- mediately. As he was led to the place of execution, the officer that guarded him to the tribunal, or rather his acculer, having been converted by that remarkable courage and conflancy {hewn by the apof- tle at the time ofhis trial, repented of what hehad done, came and fell down at the apof- tle's feet, and heartily begged pardon for what he had laid againft him. The holyman, after recovering from the'furprife, tenderly embraced him. °° Peace," Paid he, " my fon, peace be to thee, and the pardon of thy faults." Upon which the officer pub licly declared himfelf a Chriflian, and both were beheaded at the fame time. Thus fell the great apoftle James, the firft proto-martyr of the apoftles, the firft of that number that gained the crown, taking cheerfully that cup of which he had long lince told his Lord he was ready to drink. However, the divine vengeance, that never fleeps, would not Puffer the death of this innocent and righteous man to pats long unrevenged ; for fhortly after the mar- tyrdom of St. James, Herod removed to Cefarea, in order to make war on the neighbouring Tyrians and Sidonians : and while he continued in this city, he proclaimed
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