ww

THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST, WITH HIS SUFFERINGS AND MARTYRDOM.

AVING briefly brought he at last sunk under the oppression of his

afflictions, and expired in the most miserable manner.

Herod the Less having married the daughter of the king of Arabia, repudiated her, and espoused Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for which marriage, full of incest and adultery, John the Baptist boldly and severely reproved him. This freedom. greatly incensed Herodias, for we are informed by St. Matthew, in the xivth chap

down accounts of the earliest persecutions, from the remotest periods to the time of our Savior's birth, we shall now enter into the most important point of human and divine history. But it is necessary, ere we engage in delineating the birth, actions, sufferings and death of the REDEEMER OF THE WORLD, to mention some circumstances, which are either in-ter of his gospel, that "When Herod's troductory to our subject, or should be preliminary to it, in order not to break in upon the uniformity of the narrative.

him at

her.

prison.

birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod : whereupon he promised, with an oath, to give Herod the Great being informed that a her whatsoever she would ask. And she, king of the Jews should be born in Bethle-being before instructed of her mother, said, hem, sent a number of troops to destroy all Give me here John Baptist's head in a charthe children under two years of age, inger. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, that place, and throughout the neighboring for the oath's sake, and them which sat with coast. By this cruel order he hoped to meat, he commanded it to be given have destroyed the child Jesus; but in this And he sent and beheaded John in the he was not only disappointed, but punished And his head was brought in a with such a spirit of lunacy, that he slew charger and given to the damsel: and she his own wife, children, relations, friends, brought it to her mother." The authors of &c. He was afterward visited by the this cruelty were, however, all severely most grievous maladies, particularly an in- punished; for the daughter of Herodias ward burning, slow, but unremitting; an being afterward dancing upon the ice, it uncommon appetite, continually craving, broke, and she falling in, had her head sevbut ever unsatisfied; a cramp that racked ered from her body by its again closing; and him with pain; a flux that reduced him to Herod, and the incestuous adulteress Heweakness; worms that bred in him and rodias, falling under the displeasure of the gnawed him; vermin that engendered Roman emperor, were banished, and died about him and devoured him; a general miserably in exile. This martyr's nativity putrefaction that consumed him; and in happened on the 24th of June. fine, all those complicated disorders which could possibly render him hateful to him-blessed Redeemer. In the reign of Herod self, and odious to others. His torments at length became so intolerable, that not having either the comforts of religion or the support of a good conscience to sustain his sinking spirits, he attempted to lay violent hands upon himself. Being prevented in this attempt by those about him,

B

But to proceed to the history of our

the Great already mentioned, the angel Gabriel was sent by the Almighty to a holy virgin, called Mary. This maiden was betrothed to a carpenter, named Joseph, who resided at Nazareth, a city of Galilee, but the consummation had not then taken place; for it was the custom of

the eastern nations to contract persons of and the walking on the surface of the each sex from their childhood.

water.

The angel informed Mary how highly At the time of the passover Jesus supshe was favored of God, and that she ped with his disciples; informed them should conceive a son by the Holy Spirit, that one of them would betray him and which happened accordingly; for travel- another deny him, and preached his fareling to Bethlehem to pay the capitation-tax well sermon. Soon after, a multitude of then levied, the town was so crowded that armed men surrounded him, and Judas they could only get lodgings in a stable, kissed him, in order to point him out to where the holy virgin brought forth our the soldiers who did not know him personblessed Redeemer, which was announced ally. In the scuffle occasioned by the apto the world by a star and an angel: the prehending of Jesus, Peter cut off the ear wise men of the east saw the first, and the of Malchus, the servant of the high-priest, shepherds the latter. After Jesus had been for which Jesus reproved him, and healed circumcised, he was presented in the tem- the wound by touching it. Peter and John ple by the holy virgin; upon which occa- followed Jesus to the house of Annas, sion Simeon broke out into the celebrated { who, refusing to judge him, sent him bound words: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant { to Caiaphas, where Peter denied Christ, as depart in peace according to thy word, for the latter had predicted; but on Christ's mine eyes have seen thy salvation."-Luke reminding him of his perfidy, Peter went ii. 29, 30. out and wept bitterly.

When the council assembled in the morning, the Jews mocked Jesus, and the

Jesus, in his youth, disputed with the most learned doctors in the temple, and soon after was baptized at the river Jordan { elders suborned false witnesses against by John, when the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard audibly to pronounce these words: "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

him; the principal accusation against him being, that he had said, “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another, made without hands."-Mark xiv. 58. Caiaphas Christ afterward fasted forty days and then asked him if he was Christ, the son nights in the wilderness, when he was of God, or no; being answered in the aftempted by the devil, but resisted all his firmative, he was accused of blasphemy, allurements. He then performed his first and condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, miracle at Cana, in Galilee; he likewise the Roman governor, who, though conconversed with the good Samaritan, and {scious of his innocence, yielded to the sorestored to life a nobleman's dead child. {licitation of the Jews, and condemned him Travelling through Galilee he restored the to be crucified. blind to sight, cured the lame, the lepers, & c

Among other benevolent actions, at the pool of Bethesda he cured a paralytic man who had been lame thirty-eight years, bidding him take up his bed and walk; and he afterward cured a man whose right hand was shrunk up and withered. Having chosen his twelve apostles, he preached the celebrated sermon upon the Mount; after which he performed several miracles, particularly the feeding of the multitude,

Previous to the crucifixion, the Jews, by way of derision, clothed Christ in a regal robe, put a crown of thorns upon his head, and a reed, for a sceptre, in his hand; they then mocked him, with ironical compliments, spit in his face, slapped his cheeks, and taking the reed out of his hand, they struck him with it upon the head. Pilate would fain have released him, but the general cry was Crucify him! crucify him!" which occasioned the governor to call for a basin of water, and

66

having washed his hands, he declared himself innocent of the blood of Christ, whom he justly termed a just person. The Jews, however said, "Let his blood be upon us and our children;" which wish has manifestly taken place, as they have never since been a collected people.

priests and scribes also reviled him, and said, "He saved others, but can not save himself." Indeed, one of the malefactors who was crucified with him, cried out and said, "If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us;" but the other malefactor, having the greatest reliance upon Jesus, exclaimed, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." To which Christ replied, "This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise."

In leading Christ to the place of crucifixion, they obliged him to bear the cross, which he being unable to sustain, they compelled one Simon, a native of Cyrenia, to carry the cross the rest of the way. Mount Calvary was the place of execution, where being arrived, the soldiers offered him a mixture of gall and vinegar to drink, which he refused. Having stripped him, they nailed him to the cross, and crucified him between two malefactors. After being fastened to the cross, he uttered this benevolent prayer for his enemies, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The soldiers who crucified him being four in number, now cut his mantle to pieces, and divided it between them; but his coat being without seam, they cast lots for it. While Christ remained in the agonies of death, the Jews mocked him and said, "If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross." The chief the Redeemer of mankind.

While Christ was upon the cross, the earth was covered with darkness, and the stars appeared at noonday, which struck even the Jews with terror. In the midst of his tortures, Christ cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" and then expressed a desire to drink, when one of the soldiers gave him, upon the point of a reed, a sponge dipped in vinegar, which, however, Jesus refused. About three o'clock in the afternoon he gave up the ghost, and at the same time a violent earthquake happened, when the rocks were rent, the mountains trembled, and the graves gave up their dead. These were the signal prodigies that attended the death of Christ, and such was the mortal end of

OF THE LIVES, SUFFERINGS, AND MARTYRDOM OF THE APOSTLES, ETC.

AINT STEPHEN, the pro- blaspheming God and Moses. Being carto or first martyr, was elect-ried before the council, he made a noble ed, with six others, as a dea- defence, but that so much exasperated his con, out of the Lord's sev-judges, that they resolved to condemn him. enty disciples. Stephen At this instant Stephen saw a vision from was an able and successful heaven, of Jesus, in his glorified state, sitpreacher. The principal persons belong-ting at the right hand of God. This vision ing to five Jewish synagogues entered into { so greatly rejoiced him, that he exclaimed many altercations with him; but he, by in raptures, "Behold, I see the heavens the soundness of his doctrine, and the opened, and the Son of man standing on strength of his arguments, overcame them the right hand of God." They then conall, which so much irritated them, that theydemned him, and having dragged him out suborned false witnesses to accuse him of of the city, stoned him to death. On the

spot where he was martyred, Eudocia, the empress of the emperor Theodosius, erected a superb church.

The death of Stephen was succeeded by a severe persecution in Jerusalem, in which 2,000 Christians, with Nicar the deacon, were martyred; and many others obliged to leave the place.

ST. PHILIP. This apostle and martyr was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee, and was the first called by the name of disciple. He was honored with several important commissions by Christ, and being deputed to preach in Upper Asia, labored very diligently in his apostleship. He then travelled into Phrygia, and arriving at HeliST. JAMES THE GREAT, a Gali-opolis, was greatly grieved to find the inlean, was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman, habitants so sunk in idolatry as to worship the elder brother of St. John, and a rela- a large serpent. St. Philip, however, contion to Christ himself; for his mother Sa-verted many of them to Christianity, and lome was cousin-german to the Virgin even procured the death of the serpent. Mary. Being one day with his father, This so enraged the magistrates, that they fishing in the sea of Galilee, he, and his committed him to prison, had him severely brother John were called by our Savior to scourged, and afterward crucified. His become his disciples. They cheerfully friend, St. Bartholemew, found an opporobeyed the mandate, and leaving their fa-tunity of taking down the body and buryther, followed Jesus. It is to be observed, ing it; for which, however, he was very that Christ placed a greater confidence in near suffering the same fate. His martyrthem than in any other of the apostles, dom happened eight years after that of St. Peter excepted. James the Great, A. D. 52; and his name, together with that of St. James the Less, is commemorated on the 1st of May.

Christ called these brothers Boanerges, or the sons of thunder, on account of their fiery spirits and impetuous tempers.

ST. MATTHEW. This evangelist, apostle, and martyr, was born at Nazareth

naum, on account of his business, which was that of a toll-gatherer, to collect tribute of such as had occasion to pass the

Herod Agrippa, being made governor of Judea by the emperor Caligula, raised ain Galilee, but resided chiefly at Caperpersecution against the Christians, and particularly singled out James as an object of revenge. James, being condemned to death, show-sea of Galilee. On being called as a dised such an intrepidity of spirit, and con- ciple, he immediately complied, and left stancy of mind, that his very accuser was everything to follow Christ. After the asstruck with admiration, and became a con- cension of his master, he continued preachvert to Christianity. This transition soing the gospel in Judea about nine years. enraged the people in power, that they likewise condemned him to death; when James the apostle, and his penitent accuser, were both beheaded on the same day, and with the same sword. These events took place in the year of Christ 44; and the 25th of July was fixed by the church for the commemoration of this saint's martyr

Designing to leave Judea, in order to go and preach among the Gentiles, he wrote his gospel in Hebrew, for the use of the Jewish converts, but it was afterward trans(lated into Greek by St. James the Less. Going to Ethiopia, he ordained preachers, settled churches, and made many converts He then proceeded to Parthia, where he had the same success; but returning to Much about the same period, Timon { Ethiopia, he was slain by a halberd in the and Parmenas, two of the seven deacons, city of Nadabar, about the year of Chriss suffered martyrdom; the former at Cor-60; and his festival is kept by the church inth, and the latter at Philippi, in Mace- on the 21st day of September. He was donia. remarkably inoffensive in his conduct, and

dom.

temperate in his mode of living. Hence bruised, and stoned him, and then das ied we may say,

out his brains with a club, such as was used by fullers in dressing cloths. His festival, together with that of St. Philip, is kept on the first of May.

ST. MATTHIAS. This apostle and martyr was called to the apostleship after the death of Christ, to supply the vacant place of Judas, who had betrayed his mas

disciples. He was martyred at Jerusalem, being first stoned, and then beheaded; and the 24th of February is observed for the celebration of his festival.

Well might this great apostle mend the age, Whose life was but a comment on his page. ST. MARK. This evangelist and martyr was born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Levi. It is imagined that he was converted to Christianity by St. Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and whom he attended in all his travels. Be-ter, and was likewise one of the seventy ing entreated by the converts at Rome to commit to writing the admirable discourses they had heard from St. Peter and himself, this request he complied with, and composed his gospel accordingly, in the Greek language. He then went to Egypt, and constituted a bishopric at Alexandria; afterward he proceeded to Lybia, where he made many converts. Returning to Alexandria, some of the Egyptians, exasperated at his success, determined on his death. To accomplish this they tied his feet, dragged him through the streets, left him to remain, bruised as he was, in a dungeon all night, and the next day burnt his body. This happened on the 25th of April, on which day the church commemorates his martyrdom. His bones were carefully gathered up by the Christians, decently interred, and afterward removed to Venice, where he is considered as the titular saint, and patron of the state.

ST. ANDREW. This apostle and martyr was the brother of St. Peter, and preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations. Arriving at Edessa, the governor of the country, named Egeas, threatened him very hard for preaching against the idols there worshipped. St. Andrew persisting in the propagation of his doctrines, he was ordered to be crucified on a cross, two ends of which were transversely fixed in the ground. He boldly told his accusers, that he would not have preached the glory of the cross, had he feared to die on it. And again, when they came to crucify him, he said that he coveted the cross, and longed to embrace it. He was fastened to the cross, not with nails but cords, that his death might be more lingering. In this situation he continued two days, preaching the greatest part of the time to the people, and expired on the 30th of November, which is commemorated as his festival.

ST. JAMES THE LESS. This apostle and martyr was called so to distinguish him from St. James the Great. He was the son, by a first wife, of Joseph, the reputed father of Christ. He was, after the ST. PETER. This great apostle and Lord's ascension, elected bishop of Jeru- martyr was born at Bethsaida in Galilee, salem. He wrote his general epistle to all being the son of Jonah, a fisherman, which Christians, and converts whatever, to sup- employment St. Peter himself followed. press a dangerous error then propagating, He was persuaded by his brother to turn viz. that "a faith in Christ was alone Christian, when Christ gave him the name sufficient for salvation, without good of Cephas, implying, in the Syriac lanworks." The Jews being, at this time, guage, a rock. He was called, at the greatly enraged that St. Paul had escaped { same time as his brother, to be an apostle; their fury, by appealing to Rome, deter- gave uncommon proofs of his zeal for the mined to wreak their vengeance on James, { service of Christ, and always appeared as who was now ninety-four years of age. the principal speaker among the apostles. They accordingly threw him down, beat, He had, however, the weakness to deny