and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST and his APOSTLES, &c. 387 and manner of life are not mentioned in Scripture, though, from fome circum- fiances, there is room to imagine that he was a fifherman : bat however that be, he was, at his firil coming to CHRIST, con- dufted by Philip, who told him they had now found the long-expeaed Meffiah, fo often foretold by Mofes and the prophets, _7efus of Nazareth, thefan of Jfeph. And when he objeaed that the Meffiah could not be born in Nazareth, Philip defired him to come and fatisfy himfelf of the truth. Our bleffed ,Saviour, on his approach, entertained him with this honourable cha- racter, that he was an ffraelite indeed, .a man of true fimplicity and dignity; and indeed his fimplicity particularly appears in this, that when he was told of Jesus, he did not objeét againft the meannefs of his original, the low condition of his pa- rents, or the uarrownefs of their fortunes, but only againft the place of his birth, which, as he juftly obferved,- could not be Nazareth, the Scriptures peremptorily fore- telling that the Meffiah íhould be born at Bethlehem. This apoftle was greatly furprifed at our _Lord's falutation, wondering how he could know him at firft fight, being certain he had never beforefeen his face : but he was anfseered, that he had feen him while he was yet under the fig-tree, even before Philip called him. Convinced by this in- fiance ofour Lord's divinity, he prefently made this confeffion, that he was now fure that Jesus was the promifed Meffiah, the Sonof God, whom he had appointed to govern his church. Our bleffed Saviour told him, that if, from this inflame, he could believe him to be the Meffiah, he fhould have far greater arguments to con- firm his faith; for that he fhouldhereafter. -behold the heavens opened to receive him, end the angels vifibly appearing to attend his triumphant entrance into the heaven of heavens. After the vifible defcent of the Holy Ghoft on the apofles, St. Bartholomew vifited.different,partsof the world topreach the ,gofpel, and penetrated as far as the hither India. Having fpent a confiderable time there, and in the .eaftern extremities ofAfia, he returned to the northern and welkin parts: and we find him at Hiera- polis in Phrygia, labouring in concert with St. Philip to plant Chriftianity in thofe parts, and to convince the 'blind idolaters of-the evil of -their ways, and direPe them in the paths that lead to the regions of fe- licity. This enraged the bigotted magif- trates, and he was, together with St. Philip, defigned for Martyrdom; and in order to this ftflened to a crofs: but .a .fudden trembling and - motion of the earth con- vinced the idolaters thatthe juffice of Om- nipotence would .revenge their deaths ; fo that they -tookhim immediately down from the crois and difmifled him. St. Bartholomew .paffed from hence into Lycaonia; and St. Chryfoflom affures .us, that he inftrufed and trained up -the inha- bitants in the Chriflian difcipline. His.lafl remove was to Adrianople in Great Ar- menia, a place miferably over--run with idolatry, frorn which he laboured to .re- claim the people: but his endeavours to turn then from darknefs unto lifit, and from the tower of Satan unto God, were fo far from having the defired eflèf, that it provoked the magiftrates, who prevailed on the governor to put him to death, which he cheerfully underwent, feeling with his blood the truth of the doétrine he had preached. We are told by Tome of the ancients, that he was crucified with his head down- wards ; and others, that he was flayed alive. Perhaps he fuffered both ; for Plutarch records a particular inftance of Mefobates the ,Perfian eunuch who was firft flayed alive., and then crucified; and the inhabitants of Adrianople might eafily borrow this barbarous and inhuman cruelty from the Perfians, who were re- niarkably feve.re in theirpunilhments. St, BARNABAS,
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