mean guards, they ravaged the country with impunity: while Herod did not dare to march against them, for fear of giving farther offence to Augustus. Herod's domestic affairs at this time were not more prosperous than those of his kingdom: for Salome Pheroras and Antipater took advantage of his perplexities to excite new suspicions against his two sons. Nothing however Such could be proved, except their intention to leave the kingdom, that they might live in peace elsewhere; but this sufficed with Herod to confirm all other accusations, and to make him resolve on their destruction. was the state of things in Jerusalem, when Herod at length succeeded in regaining the favour of Augustus, to whom by means of a third embassy, he made known the falsehood of Syllæus's report. This and other crimes being proved against Syllæus, Augustus passed sentence of death upon him; and in order to make amends to Herod, was about to add Arabia Petræa to his dominions. It was at this juncture that Herod wrote to Augustus an account of what had passed in his family; and begged his permission to proceed against his two sons. On the receipt of Herod's letter, Augustus, conconsidering his age and the troubles of his family, retracted his intention of giving him another kingdom. But he wrote him a kind letter, in which he commiserated his misfortunes, and empowered him to proceed against his sons according to their desert. He advised him to call a council at Berytus, and with the assistance of the Roman governors, Archelaus king of Cappadocia, and others among his friends, to have the matter finally determined. Herod immediately called the council; but he did not invite Archelaus to be present; because he feared his partiality towards Alexander, to whom he was father-in-law. Herod brought so many accusations against his sons, and urged them with such vehemence, that the judges, not knowing the arts that had been practised against the accused, concluded they were guilty, and passed sentence of condemnation upon them: leaving the execution of it to their father. This inhuman parent accordingly sent them to Sebaste, and there caused them to be strangled. This is a transaction from which the mind recoils with horror, as not bearing to endure the close contemplation of it. The iniquitous purposes of Salome and her associates were now fully accomplished, and vice was left to triumph. But the triumphs of vice are neither satisfactory nor permanent: for the fearful doom that awaits iniquity is never averted; though it is sometimes suspended. The faith of God's devoted servants must have been greatly exercised in these times of trouble and rebuke. But to the godly there ariseth up light in the darkness, and the dawn which announced the rising of the Sun of Righteousness was now just beginning to break for in this year the angel Gabriel appeared to Zecharias in the temple, to foretel the birth of John the Baptist.* When the council was assembled, LETTER L. THE death of Herod's two sons did not put an end to the troubles of his family, which shortly sprung up in a new quarter. His only remaining brother Pheroras, to whom he had always shown great kindness, incurred his displeasure at this time by marrying one of his own * Luke i. 1-23. servants. Herod required him to put her away; and he at first consented to do so, engaging himself by an oath. But when the time arrived for the fulfilment of his promise, he thought proper to retract it. Herod was now greatly displeased; and a circumstance which took place at this juncture tended still farther to incense him against his brother. An oath of allegiance to Augustus and the king being again imposed upon the Jews, the Pharisees, as before, refused to take it: alleging that the law * forbad them to acknowledge any sovereign, who was not of the seed of Israel. Herod sought to punish this refusal of the Pharisees, by imposing a fine on them; but the wife of Pheroras averted the punishment, by paying the whole sum demanded on their behalf. The reputation of this sect among the people was so great, that they were believed to possess the spirit of prophecy; and on this occasion they asserted their claim to it, by declaring that God had determined to transfer the kingdom from the line of Herod, to that of Pheroras, and the children whom his present wife should bear. Herod's spies, the chief of whom was his sister Salome, soon discovered that seditious discourses and practices were prevalent among the people; and these being traced to their origin, several of the Pharisees were arraigned and put to death. Herod calling a council of his friends at this time, represented to them the state of his affairs; and imputing the disturbances that existed to the machinations of his brother's wife, publicly required him to renounce her, on pain of being renounced by him as a brother. Pheroras declaring that he would rather die, than live without his beloved wife, Herod * Deuteronomy xvii. 15. i + Yet these very men, when it suited their purpose, could openly declare, "We have no king but Cæsar.", forbad him his house; and desired Antipater, Doris, and all the members of his own family to have no intercourse with him. Antipater, far from obeying the injunctions of his father, seized the occasion of this breach to conspire against him. He had earned the wages of iniquity, when he procured the death of his brothers; and he could not wait to receive them till the term of his father's natural life: he therefore resolved to hasten his death by poison. The resentment of Pheroras even exceeded Herod's displeasure against him, and he readily entered into the views of Antipater. To render their designs as secret as possible, the latter procured an order from Augustus, to attend him at Rome; while Pheroras, who was to be the chief agent in this plot, withdrew to his tetrarchy, making an oath that he would not return again during Herod's life. This unnatural oath he strictly observed; for Herod soon after falling sick, and earnestly desiring to see him, he refused to go. It was well for him that Herod did not follow his example in this respect, for it was not long before he was visited by an illness which terminated in his death; and during that Herod went to him and behaved with great tenderness towards him. After the death of Pheroras, two of his freed men complained to Herod against his widow, whom they accused of having poisoned him. Strict scrutiny being made on this subject, and many persons put to the torture, the plot of Antipater was fully discovered in the course of the investigation. The widow of Pheroras, being sent for by Herod, declared that Antipater had procured the poison and conveyed it to her husband, who had intended to administer it when he should have an opportunity; but who after Herod's kind visit to him had changed his intention, and de sired her to destroy it. This testimony being corroborated by several persons who had been employed to procure and convey the poison, the guilt of Antipater was fully proved. While these events were passing at Jerusalem, the temple of Janus at Rome was closed for the fifth time since its erection. You are doubtless aware that it was kept open during war, and shut only in times of peace. The Romans having at this time subdued and broken in pieces the nations of the known world, and established their dominion over them, universal peace was preserved during twelve years. This peace has been considered as introductory to the coming of Christ as the Prince of Peace. But we must remember that though he came to give "peace on earth," it was not earthly peace, nor such " as the world giveth." We must also remember that though outward hostilities were suspended for a time, the internal war occasioned by sin was raging more furiously than ever, and all mankind were engaged in it. St. Paul, while he tells us of the ravages made by it among the Gentiles,* proves that the Jews+ also had totally departed from the way of peace. "The fulness of time" was come, not only by the completion of many prophecies, but by the overflowings of ungodliness. The church was ready to exclaim, "Help, Lord, for there is not one godly man left," when the Lord sent forth his Son, made of a woman, according to the first gracious promise,‡ to work out eternal redemption and bring in everlasting righteousness and peace. The virgin who was to bear a son § now had the glad tidings announced to her by the angel Gabriel, who, as you know, declared *Romans i. 21-32. Genesis iii. 15. + Romans iii. 9-19. |