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a stranger to the great Redeemer of mankind, we shall find that the love of the world had possessed his heart. But notwithstanding this, no sooner did Christ call. him, than he abandoned, without the least scruple or hesitation, all his riches; nay, he not only renounced his lucrative trade, but ran the greatest hazard of displeasing the masters who employed him, for quitting their service without giving them the least notice, and leaving his accounts in confu sion. Had our blessed Saviour appeared as a secular prince, clothed with temporal power and authority, it would have been no wonder for him to have gone over to his service; but when he appeared under all the circumstances of meanness and disgrace, when he seems to promise his followers nothing but misery and sufferings in this life, and to propose no other rewards than the invisible encouragements of another world, his change appears truly wonderful and surprising; but divine grace can subdue all opposition.

His contempt of the world appeared in his exemplary temperance and abstemiousness from all delights and pleasures; nay, even from the ordinary conveniences and accommodations of it. He was mean and modest in his own opinion, always preferring others to himself; for whereas the other evangelists, in describing the apostles by pairs, constantly place him before St. Thomas, he modestly places him before

himself. The rest of the evangelists are careful to mention the honour of his apostleship, but speak of his former sordid, dishonest and disgraceful course of life, only uuder the name of Levi; while he himself sets it down with all the circumstances, under his own proper and common name. A conduct which at once commends the prudence and candour of the apostle, and suggests to us this useful reflection, that the greatest sinners are not excluded from divine grace; nor can any, if penitent, have just reason to despair, when publicans and sinners find mercy at the throne of grace.

The last thing we shall remark in the life of this apostle, is his gospel written at the entreaty of the Jewish converts, while he abode in Palestine; but at what time is uncertain; some will have it to have been written eight, some fifteen, and some thirty years, after our Lord's ascension. It was originally written in Hebrew, but soon after translated into Greek by one of the disciples.

After the Greek translation was admitted, the Hebrew copy was chiefly owned and used by the Nazaræi, a middle sect between Jews and Christians: with the former, they adhered to the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law, and with the latter, they believed in Christ, and embraced his religion; and hence this gospel has been styled "The gospel according to the Hebrews," and "The gospel of the Nazarenes."

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Saint Thomas.

CHAP. I.

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He was, together like the rest, called to the apostleship; and, not long after, gave an eminent instance of his being ready to undergo the most melancholy fate that might attend him. For when the rest of the apostles dissuaded their Master from going into Judea, at the time of Lazarus's death, because the Jews lately endeavoured to stone him, Thomas desired them not to hinder his journey thither, though it might cost them all their lives. "Let us go, said he, that we may die with him" concluding that, instead of Lazarus being raised from the dead, they should all, like him, be placed in the chambers of the dust.

When the holy Jesus, a little before his sufferings, had been speaking to them of the joys of heaven, and had told them that he was going to prepare mansions for them, that they might follow him, and that they knew both the place whither he was going, and the way thither; our apostle replied, that they knew not whither he was going, much less the way that would lead them thither. To which our Lord returned this short but satisfactory answer, I am the way; I am the person whom the Fathers sent into the world to shew mankind the paths that lead to eternal life; and thelehve, you

cannot miss the way, if you follow my example.

After the disciples had seen their great Master expire on the cross, their minds were distracted by hopes and fears, concerning his resurrection, about which they were not then fully satisfied; which engaged him the sooner to hasten his appearance, that by the sensible manifestations of himself, he might put the matter beyond all possibility of dispute. Accordingly, the very day in which he arose from the dead, he came into the house where they were assembled, while the doors about them were close shut, and gave them sufficient assurance, that he was risen from the dead.

At this meeting Thomas was absent, having probably never joined their company since their dispersion in the garden, where every one's fears prompted him to consult his own safety. At his return, they told him that the Lord had appeared to them; but he obstinately refused to give credit to what they said, or believe that it was really he, presuming it rather a spectre or apparition, unless he might see the very print of the nails, and feel the wounds, in his hands and side.

But our compassionate Saviour would not. take the least notice of his perverse obstinacy, but on that day seven-night came again to them, as they were solemnly met at their devotions, and calling to Thomas, bade him look upon his hands, put his fingers into the prints of the nails, and thrust his hand into his side, to satisfy his faith by a demonstration from the senses. Thomas was soon convinced of his error and obstinacy, confessing that he now acknowledged him to be his Lord

and Master, saying, My Lord and my God. Our Lord answered, that it was happy for him he believed the testimony of his own senses; but that it would have been more commendable in him to have believed without seeing, because it was foretold that the Son of God should burst the chains of death and rise again from the dead,

CHAP. II.

The Transactions of St. Thomas, from the Ascension of the Son of God to his Death.

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UR great Redeemer having, according to promise before his ascension, poured an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples, to qualify them for the great work of preaching the gospel, Saint Thomas, as well as the rest, preached the gospel in several parts of Judea; and after the dispersion of the Christian church in Jerusalem, repaired into Parthia, the province assigned him for his ministry. After which, as Sempronius and others inform us, he preached the gospel to the Medes, Persians, Carmanians, Hyrcani, Bractariaus, and the neighbouring nations. During his preaching in Persia, he is said to have met with the Magi, or wise men, who had taken that long journey at our Saviour's birth to worship him whom he baptized, and took with him as his companions and assistants in propagating the gospel.

Leaving Persia, he travelled into Ethiopia, preaching the glad tidings of the gospel, healing their sick, and working other miracles, to prove he had his commission from on high. And after travelling through these countries, he entered India.

When the Portuguese first visited these countries, after their discovery of a passage by the Cape of Good Hope, they received the following particulars, partly from constant and uncontroverted traditions preserved by the Christians in those parts; namely, No. 23.

that St. Thomas came first to Socotora, an island in the Arabian Sea, and then to Cranganor, where having converted many from the error of their ways, he travelled farther into the East; and having successfully preached the gospel, returned back to the kingdom of Coromandel, where, at Maliapour, the metropolis of that kingdom, not far from the mouth of the Ganges, he began toerect a place for divine worship, till prohibited by the idolatrous priests, and Sagamo, prince of that country. But after performing several miracles, the work was suffered to proceed, and Sagamo himself embraced the Christian faith, whose example was soon followed by great numbers of his friends and subjects.

This remarkable success alarmed the Brachmans, who plainly perceived that their religion would be soon extirpated, unless some method could be found of putting a stop to the progress of Christianity: and therefore resolved to put the apostle to death. At a small distance from the city was a tomb, whither St. Thomas often retired for private devotions. Hither the Brachmans and their armed followers pursued him, and while he was at prayer, they first shot at him with a shower of darts, after which one of the priests ran him through with a lance.

His body was taken up by his disciples, and buried in the church he had lately erected, and which was afterwards improved into a fabric of great magnificence.

St. Chrysostom says, that St. Thomas, who at first was the weakest and most incredulous of all the apostles, became, through Christ's condescension to satisfy his scruples, and the power of the divine grace, the most active, and invincible of them all; travelling over most parts of the world, and living without fear in the midst of barbarous nations, through the efficacy of that almighty power, which can make the weakest vessels to perform acts of the greatest difficulty and

moment.

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Saint James the Less.

T has been doubted by some whether this was the same with that St. James who was afterwards bishop of Jerusalem, two of this name being mentioned in the sacred writings, namely, St. James the Great, and St. James the Less, both apostles. The ancients mention a third, sirnamed the Just, which they will have to be distinct from the former, and bishop of Jerusalem. But this opinion is built on a sandy foundation, for nothing is plainer than that St. James the apostle (whom St. Paul calls our Lord's brother, and reckons, with Peter and John, one of the pillars of the church) was the same who presided among the apostles, doubtless by virtue of his episcopal office, and determined the causes in the synod of Jerusalem. It is reasonable to think that he was the son of Joseph, afterwards the husband of Mary, by his first wife, whom St. Jerom styles Escha, and adds, that she was the daughter of Aggi, brother to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. Hence he was reputed our Lord's brother. We find indeed several mentioned as the brethren of our Saviour in the Evangelical history; but in what sense, was greatly controverted by the ancients. St. Jerom, St. Chrysostom, and some others, will have them to be called, from their being the sons of Mary, cousin-german, or according to the Hebrew idiom, sister to the Virgin Mary. But Eusebius, Epiphanius, and many others, tell us, they were the children of Joseph by a former wife. And this seems to be more natural, and best agrees with what the evangelists say of them, when they enumerate the questions of the Jews: evidently implying their astonishment, that a person descended from, and related to, not the opulent and the mighty, but those of a humble sphere, as his parents and brethren were known to be, should pos

sess such extraordinary endowments. The Jews looked for a Messiah invested with all the pomp and splendour of an earthly potentate; well then might they ask, when they beheld the display of his power, Whence then hath this man these things?

After the resurrection, he was honoured with the particular appearance of our Lord to him, which, though passed over in silence by the evangelists, is recorded by St. Paul.

Some time after this appearance, he was chosen bishop of Jerusalem, and preferred before all the rest for his near relation to Christ; for the same reason we find Simon chosen to be his immediate successor in that see, because, after St. James, he was our Lord's next kinsman; a consideration that made Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, though they had been peculiarly honoured by our Saviour, not to contend for this high and honourable station, but freely chose James bishop of Jerusalem.

When St. Paul came to Jerusalem after his conversion, he applied to St. James, and was by him honoured with the right hand of fellowship. And it was to St. James that Peter sent the news of his miraculous deliverance out of prison. "Go, said he, shew these things unto James and to the brethren;" that is, to the whole church, especially to St James the pastor of it.

He performed every part of his duty with all possible care and industry, omitting no particular necessary to be observed by a diligent and faithful guide of souls, strengthening the weak, instructing the ignorant, reducing the erroneous, reproving the ob stinate; and by the constancy of his ser

mons, conquering the stubbornness of that perverse and refractory generation he had to deal with, many of the nobler and better sort being persuaded to embrace the Christian faith.

But a person so careful, so successful in his charge, could not fail of exciting the spite and malice of his enemies; a sort of men to whom the apostle has given too true a character, that they please not God, and are contrary to all men. They were vexed to see St. Paul had escaped their hands, by appealing unto Cæsar; and therefore turned their fury against St. James: but being unable to effect their design under the government of Festus, they determined to attempt it under the procuratorship of Albinus his successor, Ananus the Younger, of the sect of the Sadducees, being high priest.

In order to this a council was summoned, and the apostle, with others, arraigned, and condemned as violators of the law. But that the action might appear more plausible and popular, the Scribes and Pharisees, masters in the art of dissimulation, endeavoured to ensnare him; and at their first coming told him, that they had all placed the greatest confidence in him; that the whole nation, as well as they, gave him the title of a just man, and one that was no respecter of persons; that they therefore desired he would correct the error and false opinion the people had conceived of Jesus, whom they considered as the Messiah, and take this opportunity of the universal confluence to the paschal solemnity to set them right in their opinions in this particular, and would go with them to the top of the temple, where he might be seen and heard by all.

The apostle readily consented, and being advantageously placed on a pinnacle of the temple, they addressed him in the following manner: "Tell us, for we have all the reason in the world to believe, that the people are thus generally led away with the doc

trine of Jesus who was crucified; tell us what is the instruction of the crucified Jesus?" To which the apostle answered, with an audible voice, "Why do you enquire of Jesus the Son of man? He sits in heaven, at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and will come again in the clouds of heaven." The people below hearing this, glorified the blessed Jesus, and openly proclaimed, Hosanna to the Son of David.

The Scribes and Pharisees now perceived that they had acted foolishly; that instead of altering, they had confirmed the people in their belief: and that there was no way left but to dispatch him immediately, in order to warn others by his sufferings not to believe in Jesus of Nazareth. Accordingly they suddenly cried out, That James himself was seduced, and become an impostor, and immediately threw him from the pinnacle on which he stood, into the court below: but not being killed on the spot, he recovered himself so far as to rise on his knees, and prayed fervently to heaven for his murderers. But malice is too diabolical to be pacified with kindness, or satisfied with cruelty.

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