deportment in prison, fell down at his feet when. he was about to be executed, and intreated his par don. The Saint gave him the kiss of peace, saying. "Peace to thee, my son, and pardon of all thy sins." Then the accused professed himself a Christian, an was beheaded with the Apostle. (Clem. Alex. H potyp. VII. apud Euseb. II. 9. Suidas in voc. 'Hpwền.

The first martyr of the Apostles' band leads us t reflect what martyrdom is. We conceive it very ir perfectly. We look on it as death for the faithsometimes more-death under torments, which seems inconceivable that any bodily nature coul endure, or, if it could, would not prefer any preser alternative. But, in truth, it was more even than a this-a life of torment, to which the death of tormer: was a welcome close. In some cases, the life was far worse than the death. That of S. James was one these. In the little that we know of him we can see this. He was the companion of Him Who said, S. Matt viii. 20. He was one of the number of those con cerning whom his Master said, S. John xv. 20; xvi.2: S. Matt. xxiv. 9; concerning whom a brother testified 1 Cor. iv. 9-13. We find instances in Acts iv. 3: v. 18, 40. Such a life, day by day, with no earthly hope, but rather with earthly despair, with almost the certainty of a violent death, the high probability of one of the most refined cruelty-to waken daily to this, when one light word could speak all away, and substitute ease, perhaps riches and honour-to endure this and be faithful, this was the true martyrdom. All this the martyrs bore, and their death of violence and indignity too. And this, even while we do not,

nnot, question it, seems to us impossible. Why? ecause we find nothing like it in ourselves. We in only hope that the grace would come with the nergency; but we do not feel that we have more an is needed for the quiet times (comparatively) on hich we are thrown. Yet somewhat of the spirit of hose early days is surely necessary, if we hope to hold ommunion at all with "the noble army." They vere the leaders, champions, vanguard-still we are oldiers, signed with the badge of CHRIST, in token hat we should manfully fight under His banner. Office of Holy Baptism.) The command to Timothy was general, 2 Tim. ii. 3. Every soldier may not be called into the chief dangers; but every soldier is presumed to be ready to encounter them. If human sagacity could discover beforehand who would shrink, that man would be dismissed the ranks as a coward. Let us remember that our hearts are open to the Captain of the LORD'S Host." He knows who would fight to the death, who would charge, or first sight, of the enemy. any but the first as His true soldiers? tyrs more than duty? S. Matt. x. 39; 10. We must be martyrs in spirit, or we are not CHRIST's at all. There was not a sterner Christianity for the first century, and a softer for the nineteenth. How should we have acted in the Apostles' days? How should we act, if those days should revive? Have we proof of the martyr spirit within us? proof of its absence? It is the very use of martyrs' festivals to suggest questions like these. The martyrs show us that attainments which we might deem im

run at the first Can He regard

Did His mar

S. Luke xvii.

possible are not really so. The spirit which resulted in their glorious confessions must animate us-and here we have encouragement to cultivate it. God may not lead us to heaven the nearest way, tha: of martyrdom, lest we turn back to our bondage. He brings us through the wilderness, through ordinary trials, ordinary sorrows. (See Exod. xiii. 17, 18 Yet Amalek, and Sihon, and Og will meet us; and these we must overcome, or fall in the wilderness.

We must regard the lives of the martyrs, if we would comprehend the mystery of their deaths; the principles and conduct are the key to all. Amon those things which upheld them in the strife, were

I. Contemplation of their LORD's love for them. This was an ever foremost thought-2 Cor. v. 14, 15; Rom. viii. 35-39. This was the brief reflection which absorbed all their gratitude, devotion, hearts, lives, souls They thought on what He left, and what He came to: how He loved His own to the end-what an end! loved those who were by nature His enemies! raised them from miseries unspeakable, to blessedness beyond thought! These reflections were the life of their hearts. What wonder, then, that they should say, Rom xiv. 7-9? To withhold life from One Who had done all this was to them, they felt, a moral impossibility. Let us realize these truths as they did, and it will but be natural to say with S. Peter, S. Matt. xxvi. 35. We might, indeed, fail as he did, if we, like him, trusted to our stability; but if we entertained this feeling in dependence on GOD, it would carry us through every thing.

II. Contemplation of their LORD's nearness. We

now, they felt as well, that the SAVIOUR is ever t hand, to witness, accept, disapprove, and record for he final judgment. They lived perpetually as in His presence, and none otherwise than they would had they seen Him with the eye. 1 S. Peter i. 8. Hence they all enjoyed a like encouragement with that which S. Stephen received. (Acts vii. 55; Ps. xvi. 8.) Let us look to JESUS, and we shall be ashamed to faint.

III. Continual and earnest contemplation of eternity. Its measureless vastness, its infinite importance, its rewards, its penalties, its nearness, were never out of their thoughts a moment. Hence the allurements of earth had no attraction, the sufferings of earth no terror. Rom. viii. 18; 2 Cor. iv. 16—18; S. Matt. x. 28, 32, 33; 2 Tim. ii. 11-13. Our LORD Himself, the Prince of Martyrs, as our human example, used this consideration as preparatory to His great martyrdom. (Heb. xii. 2.) (See Bishop Bull's Important Points of Primitive Christianity. Sermon XIV.) [See in particular Heb. xi., where the effect of this principle in producing high achievements in obedience is exhibited. See too 2 Macc. vi. vii.] "Cleaving to the grace of GoD, they despised earthly torments, redeeming by one hour the punishment of an eternity. To them the fire of their savage torturers was cold for they had before their eyes the need of escaping the eternal and unquenchable fire; and with the eyes of the heart they gazed upward on the blessings treasured for those who endure, which neither ear hath heard, nor eye seen, nor have entered the heart of man,' but which were exhibited by the LORD to them, who were no longer men, but already angels.”

to

(Encycl. Letter of the Church of Smyrna on the Martyrd. of S. Polycarp. II.) "They despise present torments, while they dread the unknown and future: and, while they fear to die after death, meanwhile they fear not to die." (Minucius Felix: he is recounting the language of the enemies of the Christians; which as in the case of Caiaphas, spoke insensibly a great truth.) "Then wilt thou despise the deceit and error of the world, when thou shalt know the true life in heaven, when thou shalt contemn what appears be death here, when thou shalt fear what is truly death, even that which is reserved to those who shall be condemned to the eternal fire, which shall torment for ever those who are delivered to it: when thou shalt have learned what that fire is, then shalt thou admire, and pronounce blessed, those who have endured for righteousness' sake the earthly fire." (Epist. ad Diognetum, X.) The martyrs believed too that the rewards of martyrs were the highest in heaven; and they had reason for this belief, S. Matt. v. 10-12; Rev. vi. 9—11; vii. 13—17; xx. 4—6. The last text has been often rashly interpreted; but none ever err in pronouncing that it speaks of a higher blessing belonging to the martyrs than to others. Did we possess their intense and ever-present consciousness of the relative value of time and eternity, we should be nearer to their spirit.

IV. A martyr life. The Spartans of old, the modern savage tribes of America and Polynesia, the heathen devotees of India, show that the body may be inured, through training, to the endurance of the keenest torments. Very different are their objects and incite