The lives and deaths of the holy apostles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ together with the two evangelists St. Mark and St. Luke : as also, some other of our Saviours disciples containing an account of their travels, sayings, miracles, sufferings and martyrdoms / all collected from the best authors for public use and benefit.

The Life of St. JAMES the Great.

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S: JACOB MAIOR

JAmes surnamed the Great, (either because of his Age, or for some peculiar honours, which our Lord conferred upon him),

was a Galilean born, the Son of Zebede a Fish∣erman; his Mothers name was Mary, surnam∣ed Salome; his Education was in the Trade of Fishing, which Trade his Father also follow∣ed; in the exercise of which, our Saviour found him, when he passed by the Sea of Ga∣lilee, where he called them to be his Disciples; which Call, they readily obeyed, leaving their aged Father with the Servants to manage the Trade.

It was not long after his first calling, till he was called from the station of an or∣dinary Disciple, to the Apostolical Office; and not only so, but honoured with some peculi∣ar Acts of Favour beyond most of the Apo∣stles; being one of the three whom our Lord usually made choice of, to admit to the more intimate Transactions of his Life.

Thus with Peter, and his brother John, he was taken to the Miraculous raising of Jairus his daughter; admitted to Christs glo∣rious Transfiguration upon the Mount; taken along with him into the Garden, to be a specta∣tor of his bitter, and terrible Agonies.

Nor was it the least instance of that par∣ticular honour which our Lord conferred up∣on these Apostles, that at his calling of them, he gave them a new Name and Title.

The Lord setting forward in His Iourney to Jerusalem, in order to his Crucifixion; and

the better to prepare the minds of his Apo∣stles, for his departure from them; he told them, he was to suffer, and yet after all, he should rise again; but they, whose minds were big; yet with the expectation of a Temporal Power, and Monarchy, understood not well the meaning of his discourse: However James and his Brother supposing the Resurrection, which he spoke of, would be the time when his Power and Greatness would commence; Prompted their Mother to put up a Petition for them; she after leave, modestly asked for her Address, beg'd of him, That when he took possession of his Kingdom, her two Sons might have the Principal places of Honour and Dignity, next his own Person. Our Lord di∣recting his discourse to the two Apostles, told them, they quite mistook the nature of his Kingdom, which did not consist in External Grandeur, but in Inward Life and Power; that they would do well, to consider, whether they were able to undergo what he was to undergo. They probably not understanding the force of his reasoning, answered, They were a∣ble to do all this; but He not taking advan∣tage of their rash and inconsiderable Reply, told them, That as for suffering, they would indeed undergo it as well as he; but for any peculia•• ••onour or dignity, he would not by any absolute and peremptory favour of his

own, dispose of it any otherwise then accord∣ing to those Rules and Instructions, which he received from his Father. The rest of the Apostles were offended with this Ambitious request; but our Lord, to Calm their pas∣sion, discoursed to them at large of the na∣ture of the Evangelick State, and its diffe∣rence from the Kingdoms of the World; with which discourse the storm blew over, and their exorbitant passions began on all hands, to be allayed and pacified.

What became of St. James, after our Saviours Ascension, we have no certain ac∣count either from the Sacred, or Ecclesiastick Stories: some affirm, that after the Martyr∣dome of Stephen, when the Christians were dispersed, he came to the Western parts of the world, even to Britain and Ireland; and having planted Christianity amongst them, went back again to Jerusalem; but this seems improbable upon several accounts, and therefore its safest to confine his Ministry to Judea, and the parts there abouts, and to seek for him at Jerusalem, where we are sure to find him.

Herod-Agrippa, Son of Aristobolus, being great in favour where the Emperour Claudius was setled, and confirmed by him in all that his Grand-Father Herod the great enjoyed, and seeing that this most pro∣bable

way to gain the affection of the Iews, was to fall heavy upon the Christians; he resolves accordingly to do it: Finding St. James Vigorous in contending for the Truth, Him he commands to be apprehended and cast in prison, and sentence of death to be passed upon him; as he was Led forth to the place of Martyrdome, The Soldier that had guar∣ded him to the Tribunal, having been con∣vinced by that mighty courage, and constan∣cy which St. James shewed at the time of his Tryal, repented of that he had done, came and fell down at the Apostles feet, and heartily begged pardon for what he had done against him. The Holy man after a little Surprize at the thing, raised him up and kis∣sed him: Whereupon before them all, he pub∣lickly professed himself to be a Christian, and so both were beheaded at one and the same time. Thus fell St. James, Chearfully taking that most bitter Cup, which formerly he told his Lord he was most ready to drink of.

His death was not long unrevenged upon Herod, the account of it is thus: Shortly af∣ter St. James his Martyrdom, Herod re∣moved to Cesarea, while he was there, he proclaimed Solemn Sights, and Festival enter∣ments to be held in Honour of Caesar: Ear∣ly in the morning, the second day, he came

with great State into the Theater, to make in Oration to the people, having on a most Sumptuous Robe, Curiously wrought with Silver and Gold; the Luster of which, so dazled the eyes of the people, that they cryed out it was some Deity; and that he who spake, must be somthing above the ordinary Standard of Humanity. This impious ap∣plause he received without any token of dis∣like. But a sudden Accident Changed the scene, and turned the Comick part to a black and fatal Tragedy. Looking up he espyed an Owle sitting over his head, which he presently beheld as the fatal Messenger of his eminent, and inevitable ruine by the just Iudgment of God; an incurable Melancho∣ly immediately seized upon his mind, as Exquisite Torments did upon his Bowels: Behold, said he, turning to those about him; The Deity whom you admired, and your selves evidently convinced of flattery and falsehood: see me here by the Laws of fate condemned to die, whom just now you styled Immortal. Being removed into the Palace, his pains still increased upon him; and though the people mourned, and wept, fasted and prayed for his life and health, yet his accute Torments got the upper hand, and after five days put a period to his miserable life.