Hieron.

Eccl.

the Piety and Virtue of his Life, which was St. James the Juft, by which he is ftill known all over the World.

Q. What is recorded concerning our Saviour's particular Appearance to him after his Refurrection mentioned by St. Paul?

A. St. Jerom relates out of the Hebrew Gospel of de Scrip. the Nazarenes, that St. James had folemnly fworn, That from the Time he had drank of the Cup at the Inftitution of the Sacrament, he would eat Bread no more till be faw the Lord rifen from the Dead. That our Lord, when he appeared to him said, Bring hither Bread and a Table; and he took the Bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave it to James the Juft, and faid unto him, My Brother, eat thy Bread, for the Son of Man is rifen from among them that sleep.

ii. 9.

Q. What became of St. James after our Saviour's Afcenfion?

A. He was chofen Bishop of Jerufalem, fome fay by our Saviour, before his Departure from his Difciples; others hold he was elected by the Apostles, poffibly by fome particular Intimation concerning it, which our Lord might leave behind him; whether Way he was preferred, it is certain he was Bishop of Jerufalem, the Mother of all other Churches; and preferred upon the Account of his Relation to our Saviour, as for the fame Reason was Simon chofe his immediate Succeffor.

Q. What Particulars are related in Scripture concerning him?

A. That St. Paul after his Converfion made his Gal. i. 19. Addrefs to this Apoftle, by whom he was honoured with the Right-hand of Fellowship. That to him St.Peter fent the News of his miraculous Deliverance out of Prifon; Go fhew thefe Things unto James and to the Brethren; that is, to the whole Church, efpecially St. James the Bifhop and Paftor of it.

Acts xii.

17.

Q. Wherein

Q. Wherein did he appear principally active? A. At the Synod of Jerufalem, in the great Controverfy concerning the Obligation of the Jewish Rites and Ceremonies; for though the Cafe was opened by St. Peter, and debated by St. Paul, yet A&s xv. 7, the final and decretory Sentence was pronounced 13, 19. by St. James.

Q. What is related concerning his extraordinary Piety and Devotion?

lib. 2.

6. 23.

A. That he was of a meek and bumble Temper; the Dignity of his Station, and his Relation to our Saviour did not exalt him in his own Thoughts; for, in the infcription of his epiftle, he only ftyles Jam. i. 1. himself, Servant of the Lord Jefus. His Temperance Epiph. was admirable; he wholly abftained from Flesh, he drank neither Wine nor ftrong Drink, nor even Eufeb. ufed the Bath; he was fo very abftemious, that his Body was covered with Palenefs through Fafting. Prayer was his conftant Business and Delight, and by his daily. Devotions, his Knees were become as bard and brawny as Camels. And by his Prayers in a great Drought he obtained Rain. He governed the Church with Wisdom and Application, and fhewed great Charity to his Enemies by praying for them at the Hour of his Death. He was not only reverenced by the Chriftians, but honoured even by the Jews, for his excellent Virtues.

Q. How did the Enemies of St. James confpire his Ruin?

A. St. Paul having escaped the Malice of the Jews by appealing to Cafar, they refolved to revenge it upon St. James; but not being able to accomplith it under Feftus's Government, they more effectually Jofeph. attempted it under the Procuratoríhip of Albinus his Antiq Succeffor. When Ananus the younger, the High Priest, and of the Sect of the Sadducees, merciless and implacable in his Temper, refolved to dispatch him before the new Governor could arrive; to this

End

Jud. 1. 2a.

C. X.

2. c. 3.

End the Council is haftily fummoned, and the Apoftle, with fome others, were accufed for tranfgreffing the Law, and for Blafphemy against God.

Q. How did the Scribes and Pharifees fet about to enfuare him?

A. By flattering Speeches they endeavoured to engage him, at the Confluence of the Pafchal SoEufeb. lib. lemnity, to undeceive the People concerning Jefus, whom they looked upon as the Meffiah; and that he might be the better heard, to go with them to the top of the Temple, thinking by this Method to bring him to renounce Chrift. They addreffed him, as he was placed upon the Pinnacle of the Temple, in thefe Words, Tell us, O just Man, what we are to believe concerning Jefus Chrift, who was crucified? He anfwered with a loud Voice, Why do ye enquire of Jefus the Son of Man? He fits in Heaven on the right Hand of the Majefty on High, and will come again in the Clouds of Heaven. Upon which the People glorified the bleffed fefus, and proclaimed Hofannah to the Son of David.

Q. How did St. James fuffer Martyrdom?

A. Upon this Difappointment of the Scribes and Pharifees, they fuddenly cried out that Juftus himfelf was feduced, and they threw him down from the Place where he food, and being very much bruifed, though not killed, he recovered fo much ftrength as to get upon his Knees, and pray for them that thus cruelly ufed him; and while he was thus praying for them, they loaded him with Mær. 78. a Shower of Stones, till one, with a Fuller's Club, beat out his Brains. He died, according to Epiphanius, in the Ninety-fixth Year of his Age, about Twenty-four Years after Chrift's Afcenfion.

Q. What doth Jofephus mention concerning the Death of St. James?

A. He reckons it as what more immediately alarmed the Divine Vengeance, and haftened the

univerfal

univerfal Ruin and Deftruction of the Jewish Nation. Q. What Writings remains of St. James's?

A. One Epifle addreffed to the Jewish Converts difperfed and scattered abroad; to fortify them against all thofe Temptations whereby the Purity of their Faith might be endangered, and to fecure their Patience and their Charity, and all other Chriftian Practices, hereby encouraging them to faithful Perfeverance. The Gofpel that goes under his Name is rejected by learned Men as fpurious and apocryphal. Q. What may we learn from the Obfervation of this Feftival?

A. Readily to obey all the Suggestions and Offers of divine Grace, and to prepare our Minds for the Reception of fupernatural Truth. Zealously to propagate that Chriftian Knowledge to others, which the good Providence of God hath graciously beftowed upon us; which obligeth Paftors in refpect of their Flocks, Parents of their Children, Mafters of their Servants, and all Chriftians, in fome Degree, in regard of one another, boldly to profefs the Truth when the Providence of God calls us to give Teftimony to it. And under all our Sufferings to preferve a Chriftian Frame of Mind, and to exprefs our Charity for those who are the Inftruments of our Sufferings. Frequently to curb our Appetites in the Ufe of lawful Pleasures, that we may be prepared to imitate thefe bleffed Apoftles in the greatest Acts of Self-denial.

Q. Wherein confifts the Duty of Self-denial?

A. In a ftrict Senfe, our finful and difobedient Appetites are the only Objects of religious Self-denial ; and as it is commanded by our Saviour, it feems to denote nothing elfe, but that we should be willing to quit all earthly Comforts, even Life itfelf, and to undergo the greateft Hardships, though they end in Death, rather than out of a Fondnefs to this

World,

Heb. xi.

25.

World, and the Enjoyments of it, to do any Thing contrary to the Religion of Jefus Chrift. With Mo fes chufing rather to fuffer Affliction with the People of God, than to enjoy the Pleafures of Sin for a Seafon. In a larger Senfe, it comprehends the denying our innocent Appetites, as a neceffary Means and Inftrument, without which we fhall never be able to practise the greatest Acts of Self-denial.

Q. In what Terms is the Duty of Self-denial reprefented in Scripture?

A. By forfaking Father and Mother, by hating Wife and Children, by denying Brother and Sifter, by quitting all that we have, by laying down our Mat..37. Lives, and bearing the Crofs. He that loveth Father and Mother more than me, faith our Saviour, is not Luke xiv. worthy of me. If any Man cometh after me, and hateth not Wife and Children, Brethren and Sifters, he cannot be my Difciple. If he forfaketh not all that he bath, and bateth not his own Life, and doth not bear bis Cross, he cannot be my Difciple. These are the Maxims of eternal Wisdom, from which whenever we deviate, we do moft foolishly ruin and deftroy ourselves.

26.

Ver. 33.

Ver. 27.

Jude 3.

Q. What is implied in the forementioned Expref

fions?

A. That no Confideration of Pleasure, or Fear of Pain, should allure or fright us from holding faft the Faith once delivered to the Saints. That the Commands of our Parents, to whom we owe the greatest natural Affection and Reverence, ought not to be complied with, when they contradict the Commands of our Saviour; because all Authority, Natural, Ecclefiaftical, and Civil, must be exercised with refpect to God, who is the Fountain of all Power. That the most allowable Affection to the Friend of our Bosom, and natural Tenderness to ourown Offspring, will not juftify the Tranfgreffion of our Duty; becaufe if we truly love God, we fhould