:

headed he is risen from the dead. For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; and when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

G

In so concise a history as that of each Evangelist, we are led to expect no more account of John the Baptist, than has reference to Christ and the Gospel. Accordingly, the mention of him is occasional, and forming nothing like a connected narrative. He is only introduced to our notice as proclaiming the Lord's approach, baptizing him, and bearing testimony to him.

The more detailed narrative of his birth, and here also of his death, is no exception to the rule which probably guided the sacred penman in selecting their notices of him. They record minutely not only the circumstances of his birth and parentage, but of his death; as if in contrast with the corresponding portions of the life of Christ. In our Lord's case, each of these periods had been especially marked by the finger of prophecy; and it might have been expedient, not only to testify that these prophecies had been fulfilled in Jesus; but also, that they had not been fulfilled in the other great personage who appeared with him, and whose appearance had occasioned in some a surmise that he was the Messiah". Hence, whilst St. Luke, who details

b John i. 19.

the circumstances of our Lord's birth and parentage, relates also the birth and parentage of John, St. Mark only records his death; because his Gospel contains the narrative of the crucifixion ; but excludes the nativity and parentage of the Saviour.

MIRACLE OF FEEDING FIVE THOUSAND WITH FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES.

Ver. 30-44.

And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall

we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

This was one of the many miracles which conveyed not only evidence of divine support and sanction vouchsafed to the performer, but a hint that the performer was God incarnate. These miracles evince such a design, from their being plainly identified with some portion of that agency, which Jehovah was known to have claimed as his peculiar and immediate province -some act which was referred immediately to Him; and not to Him through the ministry of his servants. God had given the Israelites manna-Jesus gives the multitude miraculous food. Jehovah does it in the wilderness-in the

wilderness too Jesus performs the miracle. More; he speaks himself of both alike as symbols of "the bread of life"-the nourishment of To those there

the soul in its spiritual growth.

fore who had understanding to receive the hint conveyed by this miracle, his claim must have seemed the same, as it did to the Pharisees when they heard him assert, that "the Son of man was Lord of the sabbath."

This miracle had, we know, the effect of producing an attempt to make him a king, and was the cause of his retiring to a mountain. This fact we learn from St. John ". But it does not therefore follow, that all looked on our Lord's marvellous act in precisely the light in which the preceding remarks place it. Many might have considered it only as affording proof of his power to support an army miraculously, and be led forthwith to hail him confidently as the Messiah; supposing, as indeed all the Jews did, that the Messiah was to be a temporal prince.

Chap. vi. 15.