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art mad; but she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they,

It is his angel.

It was an opinion amongst many of the Jews that every man had his guardian angel, who waited upon him, and took care of him. To this notion Christ seems to refer, without, however, giving it the sanction of his authority, when, speaking of little children, he says, "Behold I say unto you, their angels behold the face of my Father. Upon this idea some seem to have improved, by supposing, as in this passage, that the guardian angel, as he was called, might assume the voice and figure of the person whom he protected; and truly if men will indulge their imaginations on the subject of angels, there will be no end to their suppositions. It was the opinion of the Sadducees, however, that the angels mentioned in scripture, who bore the character of intelligence, were not a distinct order of beings but either men or phantoms raised up for the occasion; which opinion, if found to be true, as I am inclined to think it will be, would have the good effect of freeing the world from much superstition on this subject.

16. But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

17. But he, beckoning to them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go, show these things unto James and to the brethren. And he departed and went to another place, in order to conceal himself.

The James mentioned in this verse was the son of Alpheus, our Lord's relation, and the author of the epistle which bears his name. The James who was slain was one of the sons of Zebedee. Peter directs them to give information to him respecting his deliverance from prison, because he resided at Jerusalem, and was a distinguished person amongst the apostles.

18. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.

They were probably thrown into a deep sleep, when the things before mentioned took place.

19. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death, or, "led out for execution." And he went down from Jerusalem to Cæsarea, and there abode, or, "he went down from Jerusalem and abode at Caesarea*.

Having finished the story of Peter, the historian proceeds to relate the death of Herod, which put an end to the persecution that began to rage against the Christians.

20. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace, because their country was nourished of the king's country.

* Wakefield's Silva Critica, Pt. 2. Sect. civ.

Their territory. being small, they were not able to furnish themselves with grain, but depended upon Judæa, and other countries subject to Herod, for sup plies. It was from interested motives, therefore, and not from a sense of their fault, that, they made submission.

21. And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

22. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a God, and not of a man.

23. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost, pired."

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The account given by Josephus of the death of Herod, corresponds in many particulars with that now read: for he represents him as suddenly seized with violent pains in the bowels, in the midst of the theatre of Cæsarea, after he had appeared there in his royal robes, and been complimented with the appellation of God, and as dying of this complaint in five days. He also seems to attribute his death to God, as a punishment for his not reproving the persons who offered him such impious flattery. The circumstance of his being eaten by worms is not mentioned by the Jewish historian; but it is not surprising that he should omit a particular so little consistent with the dignity of the prince whom he meant to honour. Luke says that he was smitten with this disorder; i. e. with a disorder that bred worms, by an angel, which affords a proof among many others, that any instruVol. 3.]

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ment employed by the Divine Being to inflict punishment or to confer favours, is in the scriptures called an angel of God. Thus we find it said in one place that the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, to punish David for numbering the people; and in another that he sent an angel to inflict this punishment; and thus likewise God is said to have sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions to whom Daniel was thrown. This account of angels is by no means inconsistent with the preceding; for there is no reason to suppose that there was any appearance of an intelligent being in any of these cases. The historian, having finished his account of the death of Herod, proceeds with his narrative.

24. But the word of God grew and multiplied;

25. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, i. e. had conveyed to that city the contributions of the Christians at Antioch, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

REFLECTIONS.

1. We learn hence the danger to which the first preachers of the gospel were exposed, and the value of their testimony in such circumstances. We see that James, an apostle and leader among the Christians, is apprehended and slain for his attachment to the cause, and although others who are seized do not share his fate, yet the event, being unknown, it would have upon their minds all the effects of real danger;

for one miraculous deliverance did not ensure a second for the same person, much less a like deliverance for all. To persist in asserting the divine commission of Jesus in such circumstances, and in preaching the truths which he taught, was to do what nothing but a conviction of their doctrine being divine, and of its supreme importance to mankind, could have dictated. Here then, Christians, you behold the rock upon which your faith is erected; the evidence of men who delivered what they taught at the hazard of their lives. Of better testimony than this it is impossible to conceive.

2. How vain is the power of man when opposed to that of God! Peter is seized by order of the king; he is inclosed within a triple wall; he is watched by more than an usual number of guards, and he is fastened by a chain to his keepers: but all these precautions are to no purpose, and had they been multiplied ten-fold, they would have been alike ineffectual. The chains drop from his hands; the keepers are thrown into a deep sleep, and the iron gates open of their own accord. Vain is the contest between an arm of flesh and the arm of Omnipotence! All strength is His; the powers of nature are only His energy; let not mortals, however exalted, dare to oppose His counsels.

3. We see how absurd is the flattery paid to princes and other great men. They are often denominated the Most High and Mighty, the Sovereigns of Mankind and the Lords of the Universe, and are addressed in language which belongs exclusively to the Supreme Being. Yet diseases attack them as they do other men, and they are as liable as others to the stroke of death. Yea, the smallest and the meanest worm is their superior, and able to accomplish their ruin. To flatter such frail beings, by ascribing to them the attributes of Deity, is degrading and absurd; to accept such flattery is still more reprehensible.

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