when they had seen it; they, probably, replied that they had first seen it 13 months previously. Herod, accordingly, not knowing the meaning of this first manifestation, based his calculation of Christ's possible age upon it, and, when he ordered the massacre, about 4 months after Christ's birth, commanded all the males of 13 months old and under to be slain.

This appears the correct solution, for, as stated before, children of 13 months would be regarded as two years old.

"Then was fulfilled," &c.,-Jer. xxxi. 15, "Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.”

The context of the passage refers to the captives carried away by Nebuzar-adan to Babylon, who passed by way of Ramah, which was in Benjamim. Jeremiah, accordingly, with elegant propriety, introduces Rachel, the mother of that tribe, lamenting the captivity of her descendants.

When Matthew says "Then was fulfilled," he does not mean that the passage in Jer. foretold this massacre; but that it was applicable to it. Josephus does not mention this Slaughter. This is easily explained by the fact that, as the number of children murdered could not have been large, the massacre was a mere driblet in the ocean of Herod's cruelties, a few of which follow :-He murdered, shortly after his accession, all but two of the Sanhedrin, and then slew Aristobulus, brother of his wife, Mariamne, when the former was only 18, because he was popular at Jerusalem he assassinated Hyrcanus, Mariamne's grandfather, at the age of 80, though the old man had once saved his life and shortly after publicly executed the beautiful Mariamne, and her mother, and strangled in prison his two sons by Mariamne, Alexander and Aristobulus. Five days before his death, he caused his son Antipater to be slain, for conspiring against him, and, feeling the approach of dissolution, ordered all the chiefs of the Jews to be shut up in the Hippodrome, at Jericho, and slain, upon his decease, in order that his death might cause general mourning,—an order which was not carried out.

The Return from Egypt. B.C. 3.

(TO NAZARETH, IN GALILEE.)

(c. ii. 19-23.)

"But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judæa in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."

If Christ were born, as seems most probable, on the evening of April 5th., the arrival of the Magi at Jerusalem and Bethlehem must be placed in the early part of the following August. The Flight into Egypt and the Massacre may be regarded as occurring about August 9th. or 10th., and the arrival in Egypt, about the 25th., or 26th., of the same month. The time of starting to return to Palestine would seem to be about the date of the next Passover, viz., March 31., B.C. 3., for we find Joseph dreading Archelaus, apparently owing to the slaughter of the people, which had occurred on the Paschal Day.

Taking these dates of the Descent into, and the Return from, Egypt as correct, Christ remained in Egypt about 215 days. It is remarkable, however, that, if we suppose, as we might easily do, that the stay was 212, instead of 215, days in duration, it would be identical with the time that the Ark was amongst the Philistines.

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They are dead."-The "they" may refer to Herod alone; but it is much more likely that it was intended to include Herod and Antipater, who had died within a few days of each other, and the latter of whom, as heir-apparent, would, doubtless, be as active as his father in taking measures to procure Christ's death.

"When he heard father Herod.”—When Antipater was

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put to death, Herod altered his will, disposing of his dominions to his three sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip. This disposition was, after considerable delay, ratified by Augustus, and was as follows:

Archelaus, with the title of Ethnarch, (= ruler of a nation), governed Judæa, (extending from the southern border of the Plain of Esdraelon to the desert in the S., and including Samaria), and Idumæa.

Herod Antipas, with the title of Tetrarch, governed Galilee, (extending from Lebanon to the N. border of Judæa), and Perca Proper, (between the Arnon and the Jabbok).

Philip, with the title of Tetrarch, governed Batanæa, Gaulanitis, Auranitis, Trachonitis, Ituræa, Paneas, and Abilene.

Tetrarch originally signified one of four rulers of a country or tribe not having the title of King,' or wearing a crown: afterwards it came to mean 66 any petty sovereign," and was applied to rulers of, or even, of a Kingdom.

It was applied to Antipas and Philip in its first sense. They were uncrowned, without the title of King,' and each was one of four governors of the country, the other two being Archelaus, and Lysanias, who, as Luke tells us, was tetrarch of Abilene. It would appear that Abilene was at first granted to Philip; but that the larger portion of it was soon afterwards taken from him, and granted to Lysanias, a descendant of a former governor of it.

"He was afraid to go thither."-Archelaus was as cruel a tyrant as his father, and signalized the commencement of his reign by a wholesale massacre. Pending the confirmation by Augustus, of Herod the Great's will, there were great disturbances in Judæa, caused by horror of the new ruler. These assumed such a serious aspect on the Paschal Day that Archelaus dispersed the multitude by arms. His soldiers entered the Temple, and, falling upon them in the midst of the sacrifices, slew 3000 of the congregation, so that, strange to say, there was, virtually, no Passover in the year that Christ, "the true Passover," was in Egypt. It was this transaction, of which he would hear on his return to Palestine, that, no doubt, made Joseph afraid to return to Bethlehem, where he seems to have wished to reside.

In A.D. 7, Archelaus, after a reign of oppressive cruelty, under which the Samaritans especially suffered, was sum

moned to Rome, tried, deposed, deprived of his estates, and banished to Vienne in Gaul, by Augustus, in consequence of complaints made by the principal Jews of his tyranny and barbarity.

"He turned aside into the parts of Galilee," so that he was out of the jurisdiction of Archelaus.

"That it might be fulfilled," &c.-There is no such prophecy as this in the Old Testament; but the "prophets" who foretel Christ agree in representing Him as 66 despised and rejected." Now, the people of Nazareth bore a character which made them vile and contemptible in their countrymen's eyes. Consequently, to "be a Nazarene" is equivalent to being treated with reproach and ignominy. Matthew here means then, that, in becoming a Nazarene, or despised person, Christ was fulfilling the predictions of the " phets" generally, concerning Him.

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It is remarkable, also, that Nazareth: = a branch, and Christ had been foretold by the "prophets" again and again as "The Branch." So that, in this sense, too, his being a Nazarene fulfilled prophecy.

PERIOD II. FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY.

(A.D. 26-28.-One year and a half.)

The Ministry of John the Baptist.
(FROM NEAR HEBRON TO BETHABARA,)
(c. iii. 1-12.)

"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Matthew narrates no particulars of Our Lord's history from the return to Nazareth up to His baptism by John: Luke, however, gives us some valuable information about this interval.

Mark and Luke record this commencement of the ministry of John, and agree in the main, though Mark gives one matter, and Luke several matters, additional to Matthew.

John does not mention this part of John's ministry; but relates how the Jews sent, (after this), to ask him who he was, how he again bore testimony to Christ, and how during the next two days he bore a fresh, and double, witness to Our Lord.

"In those days,"―i.e., while Christ still dwelt at Nazareth. "John the Baptist," (or, Baptizer),—so called because the final end of his mission was to baptize.

It was the custom amongst the Jews to baptize proselytes, and it was generally believed that a great lustration by Elijah would herald Christ's coming. It was, then, natural and fitting that John should make baptism part of his office.

The baptism of John was a token of its recipients' belief in his message concerning Christ, and of their repentance; and was a symbol and pledge of the purification of the Holy Spirit that would accompany the New Dispensation.