and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &C. 353 proclaimed folemn fights and feflival enter, tainments to be held in honour of Casfar, to which there flocked a prodigious con' fluence of the principal inhabitants of the adjacent parts. Early in the morningof the fecond day, he came with great Elate into the theatre, to make an oration to the people ; and being clothed in a robe curi- oufly wrought with flyer, the beams of the fun were reflefed from it with fuch lufire, that the people cried out, that it was force deity they beheld ; and that he who fpake to them, muff be fomething above the common flandard of humanity. This impious applaufe Herod received without the leaff token of diflike, or fenfe of the injury that was clone by it to the Supreme Being. But a fudden accident changed the fcene, and turned their mirth and rejoicing into melancholy and mourn- ing: for Herod, looking up, faw an owl perched upon a rope over his head, which he confidered as the fatal minifler of his death ; on which an incurable melancholy feized his mind, and the molt éxquifite torments his bowels, occafioned by thofe worms St. Luke mentions ; fo that turning to the people, he cried out, " Behold the deity you admired, and yourfelves evidently convinced of flattery and falfhood ; fee me this moment condemned by the laws offate to die, whom jull now you flyled immor- tal.' He was removed into the palace, but his pains í#i11 increafed upon him ; and though the people failed, and offered prayers for his life and health, yet his acute torments prevailed, and after five days put a period to his life. St. JAMES the APOSTLE, BE FORE we enter upon the life of this apoffle, it will be neceffary to remove force difficulties relating tohis per- fon. It has been doubted by force, whether this was the fame with that St. James, who was afterwards bifhop ofJerufalem, twoof this name being mentioned in the facred writings, namely, St. James the Great, and St. James the lefs, both apoffles ; the an- cients mention a third, furnamed the Juli, which they will have to be difincZ from the former, and bilhop ofJerufalem but this opinion is built on a fandy foundation; for nothing is plainer, than that St. James the apoflle, whom St. Paul calls our Lord's brother, and reckons with Peter and John, one of the pillars of the church, was the fame who prefided amongff the apoflles, doubtlefs by virtue of his epifcopál office, and determined the caufes in the fynod of Jerufalem. Nor do either Clemens, Alex- No. 3o. furnamed the LESS. andrinus, or Eufebius, mention any more than two, St. James flain by Herod, and St. James the Jufi, bilhop of Jerufalem, whom they exprefsly affirm to be the fame with him who is called the brother ofour Lord by St. Paul. The difficulties with regard to his per- fon, being thus removed, we (hall proceed to the hiflory of his life. It is reafonable to think that he was the fon ofJofeph, afterwards the hufband of Mary, by his firff wife, whom St. Jerom flyles Efcha, and adds, that fhe was the daughter of Aggi, brother to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptiff : hence he was reputed our Lord's brother. We find indeed feveral mentioned as the brethren of our Saviour in the evangelical hiffory ; but in what fenfe, was greatly controverted by the an- cients. St. Jerom, St. Chryfoflom, and force others, will have them to have been 4 R fo
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