favor than lie that nattereth him with his tongue." (Prov. xxviii. 23.)
We see, 'in the fourth place, how bitterly people hate a reprover, when they are determined to keep their sins. He- rodias, the king's unhappy partner in iniquity, seems to have sunk even deeper in sin than Herod. Hardened and seared in conscience hy her wickedness, she hated John the Baptist for his faithful testimony, and never rested till she had procured his death.
We need not wonder at this. When men and women have chosen their line, and resolved to have their own wicked way, they dislike any one who tries to turn them. They would fain be let alone. They are irritated by op- position. They are angry when they are told the truth. The prophet Elijah was called a " man that troubled Israel." The prophet Micaiah was hated by Ahab, " be- cause he never prophesied good of him, but evil." The prophets and faithful preachers of every age have been treated in like manner. They have been hated by some, as well as not believed.
Let it never surprise us when we hear of faithful ministers of the Gospel being spoken against, hated, and. reviled. Let us rather remember that they are ordained to bear witness against sin, the world, and the devil, and that if they are faithful, they cannot help giving offence. It is no disgrace to a minister's character to be disliked by the wicked and ungodly. It is no real honor to a minister to be thought well of by everybody. Those words of our Lord are not enough considered — " Woe unto you when all men speak well of you."
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We see, in the fifth place, how much sin may some- times follow from feasting and revelling. Herod keeps his birth-day with a splendid banquet. Company, drinking, dancing, fill up the day. In a moment of excitement, he grants a wicked girl's request to have the head of John the Baptist cut off. Next day, in all probability, he re- pented bitterly of his conduct. But the deed was done. It was too late.
This is a faithful picture of what often results from feasting and merry-making. People do things at such seasons, from heated feelings, which they afterwards deeply repent. Happy are they who keep clear of temptations, and avoid giving occasion to the devil ! Men never know what they may do when they once venture off safe ground. Late hours, and crowded rooms, and splendid entertainments, and mixed company, and music, and dancing, may seem harmless to many people. But the Christian should never forget, that to take part in these things is to open a wider door to temptation.
We see, finally, in these verses, how little reward some of God's best servants receive in this world. An unjust imprisonment and a violent death, were the last fruit that John the Baptist reaped, in return for his labor. Like Stephen and James, and others, of whom the world was not worthy, he was called to seal his testimony with his blood.
Histories like these are meant to remind us, that the true Christian's best things are yet to come. His rest, his crown, his wages, his reward, are all on the other side of the grave. Here, in this world, he must walk
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