and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &c. 385 his invincible - patience and confiancy, commanded him to be crucified ; but to be fattened to the crofs with cords inflead of nails, that his death might be more linger- ing and tedious. As he was led to the place ofexecution, walkingwith a cheerful and compofed mind, the people cried out, that a good andinnocent man was unjuftlÿ condemned to die. On his coming near the crofs, he fainted it in the following manner: "Ihave long defired and expeEt- ed this happy hour. The crofs has been confecrated by the body of Cn'Risr hang- ingon it, and adorned with his members as with fo many ineflimable jewels: I there- fore come joyfully and triumphing to it, that it may receive me as a difciple and follower of him who once hung upon it, and be the means ofcarrying me fate to my Mailer, being the inftrument on which he redeemed me and all his people from everlaftingmifery." Having offered up his prayers to the ,throne of grace, and exhorted the people to conflancy and perfeverance in the reli- gion he had delivered to them, he was fattened to the crofs, on which he hung two whole days., teaching and inf#ru&.ing' the people. In the mean time, great in- -terefl was made to the proconful to fpare his life ; but the apoflle earneftly begged of the Almighty, -that he might now de- part, and feat the truthof his religion with his blood. His prayers were heard, and he immediately expired on the fart day of November,'but what year is not recorded by hiforians. The crofs on which he fuffered, appears to have had fomething peculiar in the form of it, and is commonly thought to have been a crofs decuffate, or two pieces of timber croffing each other in the centre, in the formof the letter X, hence úfually known b-y -the name of St. Andrew's crofs;' though fume affirm- that he .fuflered death on an olive-tree, and not ona crofs. After his body was taken from-he crofs, it was decently and honourably interred by Maximilla, -a lady of great quality and efiate, and who, Nicephorus tells us, was' wife to the proconful. Conflantine the Great afterwards removed his body . to Conftantinople, and buried it in the great church hehad built to the honour or the apoflles-: but this ftrunture being taken down force hundred -of years after, in or- der-to rebuild it, by Jullinian the emperor, the body of St. Andrew was found in a wooden coffin, and again depofited in the place where it was at firft interred. We have the following encomiaftic chá- railer of St. Andrew, from Hefychius, prefbyter of Jerufalem, with which I {hall conclude -this account -of his life. " St. Andrew was the "firft-born of the apoftolic choir, the principal and firft pillar of the church, a rock before the rock, the founda- tion of that foundation, the firft fruits of the beginning, a caller before he was called himfelf; lie preached that gofpel which was not yet revealed or entertained; he revealed and made known that life to his brother, which he had not yet perfefily learned himfelf.:, fo great treafures did that one queflion bring him, Mgjler, where dwell thou? which he foonperceived by theanfwer, Conte and fee. IIow art thou become a prophet ? whence thus divinely Ikilful:? what is it that thou .foundeft in Peter's ears, We havefound him of whom Mofes and the prophets did write, &c. Why doit thou attempt to compaia him whom thou canft not comprehend:? how can he be found who is omniprefent? But he well knewwhat he fIAd, we have found him whom Adam loft, whomEve injured, whom the clouds of fin have hidden from us, and to whom our tranfgreffions had hitherto rendered us flrangers. Thus had St. Andrew the honour of being the firft apofUle that preached thegofpel of the Son of 'God ; as appears by his declaration- recited above." No.33. 5 A St. BARTHOLOMEW,
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