and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &c. gyp This apoltle was of a remarkable meek And humble temper, honouring what was excellent in others, concealing what was valuable in himfelf: neither the eminency of his relation to the bleffed Jesus, nor the dignity of the place he fo worthily filled, could induce him to entertain lofty thoughts of himfelf above the yell of Isis brethren ; on the contrary; he flrove to conceal whatever might place him in a higher rank than the other difciples of the Lord ofglory. Though he was brother to the Redeemer of mankind, he flyles him- felfonly the fervant of our Lord Jesus CHRIS r; not fo much as mentioning his being an apoffle of Isis divine Mailer. He was a perfon of extraordinary tem- perance, wholly abflaining from flefh, drinking neither wine nor ftrongdrink, and never ufng the bath. His holy and mor- tified mind was contented with the meaneft accommodations ; he went bare -foot, and never wore any other than linen garments. He lived indeed after the flri&eft rules of the Nazarite order; and as the mitre he wore on his head evinced his prieflhood, which was rather from Melchifedek than Aaron; fo his never {having his head, or tiling any ointments, his habit and diet, and the great feverity of his life, fltewed him to belong to the Nazarite inflitution, to which hewas confecrated, even from his mother's womb. A man of fo divine a temper, that he was at once the love and wonder ofhis age ; and from the reputation of his holy and religious life, was flyled games the.fufl. He was indeed thefafetyand happinefsofthe nation, which was reckoned to depend uponhis prayers and interefl with heaven, and hence he acquired the title of Oblias, or Ozliam, the defence and fortrefs of thepeople ; indicating, that when he was no more, their callles would bedifmantled, and theirflrength laid level with the ground: and fo indeed it proved ; for a few years after his death, the Roman army broke in upon them, and filled the country with blood and (laughter. It is indeed no wonder that the judgments of the Almighty, No. go. like a flood, lhduld cdme rolling in dpon a nation, when the fluices ate plucked up, and Mofes taken away, that flood in the gap to oppofe them. In íhort, St. James was the delight ofall good men, and in fo great favour and eflimation with the people, thatthey ufed to flock after him, and ftrive who lhould touch, ifit were only theborder of his garment; his very epifcopal chair, as Eufebius informs us, wherein he ufed to fit, was carefully preferved. and hada kind ofveneration paid it, even in his time. He was belovednot only byhis friends, but alto by Isis enemies, and the Jews themfelves mention St. James in their Talmud, asaper- fon who wrought miracles in the name of Jesus his Matter; and the wifeít ofthem confidered his martyrdom as the principal caufe of all thofe calamities that foon after flowed inupon them. Jofephus in particular reckons the death ofSt. James, as the action that more immediately routed thedivine ven- geance, and haftened the univerfal ruin of that nationby the Domanarmies. This apoftle wrote ojtly one epiflle, pro- bably not long before his martyrdom, as ap- pears from fome paffages in it relating to the near approachof thedefírufion ofthe Jews : he direéted it to the Jewilh converts difperfed up and down thofe eaflern countries, to com- fort them under their fuflerings, and confirm themagainfl error: he fawa greatdegeneracy ofmanners coming on,and that the purity of the Chriflian faith began to beundermined by the doarines and praélices of the Gnoflics, who, under pretenceofzeal forthe legal rites, generally mixedthemfelves with the Jews : he beheld libertinifm flowing in apace, and the way toheaven made foft and eafy, men de- claimingagainft goodworks as ufelefsand un- neceflary, andalertingthat anaked beliefwas fuffcient to falvation. Thefe doarines the apollleoppofes, prelfes the purity, patience, charity, and allthe virtues ofagood life ; and by undeniable arguments proves,that Rich a faithalone, whichhas CHRISr for it'sobjeft, andworks by love and holinefs,canjuflify us be fore God, and procure our admittance into the ccelellial kingdom ofeternal glory. 4 S St. PETER
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