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It was now about a year since Herod Antipas had cast John the Baptist into prison for his boldness in reproving him for the adulterous commerce in which he lived with his brother's wife. Herod himself both respected and feared him, knowing that he was highly and deservedly beloved by the people; he consulted him often, and, in many things, followed his advice. But Herodias, his brother's wife, with whom he lived in so shameful a manner, being continually uneasy lest Herod should be prevailed upon to set him at liberty, sought all opportunities to destroy him; and at length an incident happened, which enabled her to accomplish her wicked intentions.

Herod having, on his birth-day, made a great feast for his friends, Herodias sent her daughter, whom she had by Philip her lawful husband, into the saloon to dance before the king and his guests. Herod was infinitely pleased with her performance, insomuch that, in the height of his mirth and jollity, he promised, with the addition of an oath, to grant her whatever she should demand even though it amounted to half of his dominions. Unwilling to lose so fair an opportunity, she immediately consulted with her mother what favor to ask, who, being prompted by the height of her malice and revenge, named the head of John the Baptist to be given her; which the daughter accordingly demanded of the king in the presence of the whole assembly. I will (said she) thou give me, bye and bye, in a charger, the head of John the Baptist.

This strange and unexpected request threw a damp on all the company present, Herodias and her daughter excepted. The king's enjoyment was vanished: he was vexed and confounded. Being, however, unwilling to appear either fickle or false, before a company of the first persons in his kingdom for rank and character, he commanded the head to be given her. There was not one of the guests who had the courage to speak a single word in behalf of the innocent man, nor attempt to divert Herod from suffering his commands to be executed, though he gave them an opportunity of doing it, by signifying to them that he performed his oath merely out of respect to them. Thus Herod, through a misplaced regard to his oath, and his guests, committed a most unjust and cruel

act; an act that will for ever brand his memory with dishonor, and render his very name detestable, to the latest posterity.

In a short time after Herod had given the fatal command, the head of that venerable prophet, whose rebukes had struck him with awe in his loosest moments, and whose exhortations had often excited him to the performance of good actions, was brought in a charger, and given to the daughter of Herodias, in the presence of all the guests. She eagerly received the bloody present, and carried it to her mother, who enjoyed the whole pleasure of revenge, and feasted her eyes with the sight of the head of him whom she had weakly and wickedly considered as her greatest enemy. As for the body of John, his disciples, when they heard of his death, took care to bury it, and then went, and informed the Blessed Jesus of the tragical end that had befallen their master.

Thus died the great forerunner of our Blessed Saviour, about two years and three months after his entrance upon his public ministry, and in the 31st year of his age. The character given of him by Josephus, is as follows: "He "was, indeed, a man endued with all virtue, who ex"horted the Jews to the practice of justice towards men "and piety towards God; and also to Baptism, which "would become acceptable to God if they renounced their sins; and, to the cleanness of their bodies, added the purity of their souls."

CHAP. VII.

Our Blessed Lord, after hearing of the death of John the Baptist, retires to the desert of Bethsaida, where he adds to the confirmation of his mission and doctrine by performing a most astonishing miracle. The people, struck with his distinguished power, propose raising him to the earthly dignity of king. Peter, by means of his Blessed Master, performs a miracle, by walking on the surface of the sea. Our Lord preaches to the people in the synagogue at Capernaum concerning spiritual food, in order to improve the miracle wrought in the desert of Bethsaida. He reprimands the Pharisees for their superstition. Continues to display his power and benevolence in relieving several distressed objects. Reasons with the Pharisees and Sadducees, and cautions his disciples to avoid their errors and fallacies. Cures a blind man at Bethsaida, and makes trial of his apostles' faith. Delegates a special power to Peter. He informs them of his future sufferings, and is afterwards transfigured on the Mount.

ABOUT the time that our Blessed Lord heard of the death of John the Baptist, his own apostles returned from their respective excursions, and gave him an account of every transaction that had happened in the different parts whither they had travelled. After this, our Lord ordered them to prepare a vessel, wherein he, and they only, might cross the sea of Galilee, and retire, for a short time, from the multitude, to a desert near Bethsaida, in order that, by meditation and prayer, they might be refreshed, and thereby better enabled to prosecute their spiritual labors.

Though our Lord, with his apostles, retired privately for this purpose, yet the multitude attended so closely, that their departure was not long concealed; and great numbers of people resorted to the place where they supposed Jesus and his disciples had secluded themselves. Struck with the greatness of his miracles on those that were sick, and anxious to receive farther instructions from the mouth of so Divine a teacher, no difficulties were too

great for them to surmount, nor any place too retired for them to penetrate, in search of their admired preacher.

The sight of such a multitude of people so affected the compassionate Redeemer, that, though he went to the place for the sake of retirement, he could not withhold his presence from them; but, ascending a mountain, and taking his disciples with him, he first instructed them in several things concerning the kingdom of God, and afterwards cured such as were sick and diseased of their respective infirmities.

Our Blessed Lord was so attentively engaged in performing these beneficent acts, that he did not perceive the day was far spent, of which his disciples (too anxious about the things of this world) thought proper to inform him. "The day, said they, is now far advanced, and "the place a solitary desert, where neither food nor lodging can be procured: it would, therefore, be con"venient to dismiss the people, that they may repair to "the towns and villages on the borders of the wilder"ness, and provide themselves with food and lodging, "for they have nothing to eat."

In answer to this our Lord told them, there was no necessity of sending the people away to procure victuals for themselves, as they might satisfy the hunger of the multitude, by giving them to eat. But, to shew what an opinion his disciples entertained of his power, he addressed himself to Philip, (whom he knew was well acquainted with the country) and said, Whence shall we buy bread, that those may eat? Philip, astonished at the seeming impossibility of procuring a supply for so great a multitude with the small sum of money which he knew was their all, and forgetting the extent of his master's power, answered, Two hundred pennyworth is not suf ficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. Our Lord might now have put the same question to Philip that he did on another occasion: Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? Hast thou beheld so many miracles, and art thou still ignorant that I can supply food not only for these people, but for all the sons of men? But he only gave him this short answer. Give ye them to eat.

The apostles, not yet comprehending our Lord's mean ing, repeated the objection of Philip; but added, that they were willing to expend their whole stock, in order to procure as large a supply as possible. But this was by no means the design of their great Master, who, instead of agreeing to their proposition, asked, How many loaves have ye? How much provision can be found among this multitude? Go, and see. They readily obeyed the Divine command, and soon returning, Andrew informed him, that the whole stock amounted to no more than five barley loaves, and two small fishes; a quantity so inconsiderable, that it scarcely deserved notice. What are they, said Andrew, among so many? And what, indeed, would they have been among such a multitude of people, if they had not been distributed by the creating hand of the Son of God?

But notwithstanding the smallness of the quantity of provision, our Blessed Lord ordered it to be brought before him; which being done, he immediately commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, at the same time directing his disciples to range them in regular order, that the number might be more easily ascertained, and the people the more regularly supplied.

The multitude, in obedience to our Lord's command, sat down in the manner they were ordered, big with the expectation of what this uncommon preparation portended: while the great Master of the banquet stood ready to supply the necessities of all his guests; a banquet which, though they had no canopy but the azure sky, no table but the verdant turf, where their food was only coarse barley bread and dried fishes, and their drink only water from a bubbling fountain, yet displayed more real grandeur, by the presence of the Divine Master of it, than the royal feast of the great Ahasuerus, or the splendid entertainment of the imperious Nebuchadnezzar.

The multitude being seated, our Blessed Lord took the loaves and fishes into his hands in sight of all the people, that they might be convinced of the small quantity of provisions that were then before them, and that they could only expect to be fed by his supernatural power. But that hand, which had been the means of re

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