October 5

this—"I have acted an unworthy, an ungrateful part"—I have sinned against my best friend—

"Sure were not I most vile and bare, I could not thus my friend requite; And were not he the God of grace, He'd frown and spurn me from his sight."

OCTOBER 5.—"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the Church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also."—Acts 12:1, 2, 3.

PERSECUTION is a thing of which we happily know very little from experience. We are a sinful people, but blessed be God, persecution is not a national crime with us; yea, it is even punishable; and conscientiousness is placed under legal protection. But while we rejoice in our privileges, and pray that God would preserve and prosper a country in which we sit under our own vine and fig tree, and none can make us afraid; we do well to call to remembrance the former times, in which others endured a great fight of afflictions.—Four things are remarked concerning the persecution before us.

First, the season—"Now about that time"—What time? When, as we see from the conclusion of the preceding chapter, a great dearth prevailed throughout all the world, in the days of Claudius Cæsar. Every public calamity is a judgment for sin, and calls men to repentance: but it is dreadful when the design of Providence is frustrated, and men go on in their trespasses, and instead of returning to him that smiteth them, sin more and more against God. Yet so it was here. God's hand was lifted up, but they would not see: and while famine was stalking among them, and they had cleanness of teeth in all their borders, they are fighting against God, in the guilty and cruel business of persecution.

Secondly, the author—"Herod the king." Not the Herod under whom our Saviour was born: nor Herod the tetrarch of Galilee, who beheaded John: but Herod Agrippa, father of the king Agrippa whom Paul had almost persuaded to be a Christian. We know but little of him; and that little only shows his vileness. He reigned seven or eight years, and then departed disgracefully to meet a Reign who will have a dreadful account to settle with tyrants and persecutors. Such wretches seldom die a timely and natural death. Here is the end of this child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness: "Upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."

Thirdly, the victims. Some of them are only adverted to—He stretched forth his hands to vex "certain of the Church:" and nothing more is said of them. We have the names of many of the sufferers for Christ, together with some of their dying words, and letters, and works, and which savour fragrantly of the prison; but a very large portion of the noble army of martyrs are unnoticed in the annals of history. They are indeed recorded in the book of life,

and Jesus will confess them before his Father and the holy angels: but they were driven into exile, or pined away by disease in their dungeons, or were secretly dispatched, a spectacle to angels, but not to the world and to men. One of these victims however is here named. "He killed James the brother of John with the sword." James was a preacher. In the Church of God the post of honour has always been the post of danger: and he was the more likely to be laid hold of, as he was one of the two apostles called Boanerges, or sons of thunder, because they were rousing, bold, and fearless in their manner. He was also one of the two who wished to call for fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans, and would thus have been (Lord, what is man!) a persecutor himself: but "Jesus rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of: for the Son of man is come not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." He was also one of the two sons of Zebedee, who persuaded their mother to desire a certain thing of our Lord: "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom." But Jesus answered, "Ye know not what ye ask, are ye able to drink of the cup I drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them: Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with"—Looking forward in spirit at that very moment, and seeing John banished to the Isle of Patmos, and James beheaded of Herod!

Fourthly, the continuance—"And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also." And did it please the Jews? Then were they equally guilty. They who connive at the wickedness of others—who excite and encourage it, and feel a satisfaction in it, have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and are partakers of other men's sins—Yea, according to the Apostles, they are the most criminal "who take pleasure in them that do such things." The perpetrators may be strongly tempted, but the beholders can plead no such excuse; their delight shows congeniality with the wickedness itself.

But here we see how alive men are to the opinion and applause of their fellow creatures. Even the great can inhale incense from the vulgar: and even the wise are not senseless to the flattery of fools. What enemies are men to men! How they influence and corrupt one another! Alone the individual feels well; and resolves; and abides by his resolution—till he gets into company. Alone he feels the evidence of truth—Why then does he not hear it, follow it, avow it? A frown, a sneer, a laugh, a name! Did Felix think the Apostle deserving imprisonment? No. "But willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, he left Paul bound." Why did not many among the Pharisees believe on him whose miracles they could not deny? They did believe on him, but "feared to confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Let us learn to act from principle; and dare to be singular if the course of duty demands it. Let this desire of approbation turn us towards God. Let us seek to please him. The attempt will involve us in no mean compliances; and it will be sure to succeed.

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