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17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and hound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife : for he had married her.
18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him ; but she could not :
20 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.
21 And' when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high cap- tains, and chief estates of Galilee ;
22 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.
23 And he sware unto her, What-
soever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask ? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 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.
26 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.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought : and he went and beheaded him in prison,
2S And brought his head in a char- ger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
These verses describe the death of one of the most emi- nent saints of God. They relate the murder of John the Baptist. Of all the evangelists none tells this melan- choly story so fully as St. Mark. Let us see what prac- tical lessons the passage contains for our own souls.
We see, in the first place, the amazing power of truth over the conscience. Herod "fears" John the Baptist while he lives, and is troubled about him after he dies. A friendless, solitary preacher, with no other weapon than God's truth, disturbs and terrifies a king.
Every body has a conscience. Here lies the secret of a faithful minister's power. This is the reason why Felix "trembled," and Agrippa was " almost persuaded," when Paul the prisoner spoke before them. God has not left Himself without witness in the hearts of uncon- verted people. Fallen and corrupt as man is, there are