voice of Prophecy; and the attention of all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem(e) was called to the actual advent of CHRist. There were many holy men among the Jews who looked for His coming; as St. Andrew and St. John, (ƒ) St. Philip(g) and others of the Apostles. Simeon is expressly said to have "waited for the consolation of Israel."(h) Joseph of Arimathea also "waited for the kingdom of God.”(¿) 5 And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the Prophet, The Jews knew very well (as we learn from St. John vii. 42) that CHRIST was to be born in Bethlehem Ephratah, or, as it was commonly called, Bethlehem of Judæa, to distinguish it from the other village of the same name in the tribe of Zabulon.(k) 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel. The chief Priests do not repeat the exact words of Micah v. 2, but they give the sense of the prophecy very fairly. It is because they cite that place of Scripture according to the interpretation then current among the Jews; and which is still preserved in their "Chaldee paraphrase." 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the Wise Men, inquired of them diligently what time the Star appeared. He sent for them in private, pretending to take a friendly interest in the tidings they brought, and hoping thereby the better to frustrate the Divine Will which he had just heard declared out of ancient prophecy. He had yet to learn that "the counsel of the LORD standeth for ever;"() that "with Him is wisdom and strength: He hath counsel and understanding;"(m) "He is in one mind, and who can turn Him?" (n) Hath He said, and shall He not do it?" 66 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young Child; and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also. Thus he sent them forth with lying words on his tongue, and murderous thoughts in his heart: but "the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands."(o) "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord."(p) "He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." (q) 9 When they had heard the King, they departed; and lo, the Sta", which they saw in the East, went before them, till it came and stool over where the young Child was. The star which the Wise Men had seen when they were in the East, now appeared again; and went before them until, to their infinite joy and wonder, it rested and shone steadily above the dwelling of the Infant Saviour. This is enough to show that what they beheld was not one of the stars of Heaven, but some bright heavenly body, which shone like a star, and appeared for the especial purpose of guiding these men, the first-fruits of the Gentiles, to CHRIST. The prophecy of Balaam(r) had prepared mankind for such an appearance at the birth of Him who afterwards styled Himself in the Book of Revelation, "the bright and morning Star."(s) (e) St. Luke ii. 38. (f) St. John i. 35-41. (g) Ibid. i. 45. Compare 2 Pet. i. 19. 10 When they saw the Star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. GOD could have guided the Wise Men all the way from Persia to Bethlehem direct, had He seen fit; but His ways are not like man's ways. He brings about the ends of His Providence by an unexpected, and often unwelcome method; of which, however, when we look back, we can often discern the reason. For example, it may have been His Divine pleasure to try the faith of the Wise Men by making them repair to Jerusalem in the first instance; and certainly what they heard on reaching the city, must have been an abundant confirmation of their faith.(t) GoD at last comforts His servants with the sight of the star again, for He is "the Father of mercies and the GOD of all comfort," (u) and never leaves without guidance those who are humbly walking in the way of His Commandments. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His Mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Pious men have tried to discover the meaning of these three offerings: and that there is a meaning for every thing in Scripture is certain, though we cannot always find it out. The Gold is thought to have been an acknowledgment, as well as an emblem, of the Royalty of Christ: the Frankincense. of Ilis Divinity: the Myrrh, of His sufferings and Death. For Gold was given to Kings, (x) and Incense was offered with prayers, (y) and Myrrh was used to embalm mortality.(2) Hence it is that prayer and incense came to be so often mentioned together. (a) "Gold" is spoken of in connection with "Incense" in Isaiah lx. 6. For the use to which Myrrh was applied, see also St. Matthew xxvi. 7, 12, and the parallel places. The word there translated 'ointment,' is 'myrrh' in the original. 12 And being warned of GOD in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. That is, they returned into Persia by a different way from that which had brought them to Jerusalem. Thus Herod will have pursued them in vain. Holy men, in ancient days, feeding upon God's Word, and delighting in it, and seeing instruction in every part of it, found a lesson in what is here stated. It reminded them that the heart which has been once brought to the knowledge of CHRIST, and has bowed down in His presence, and has offered Him of its best, when it goes forth into the world again, will return to its "own countryanother way." 13 And when they were departed, behold, the Angel of the LORD appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. These last words remind us that GoD sees the yet unformed purpose in the heart. "Thou understandest my thoughts long before!" exclaims the Psalmist. (6) It is said in a certain place, "The Angel of the LORD tarrieth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."(c) Holy Angels still guide the footsteps of the just, and minister to them, although unseen. Notice what is said in the Collect for St. Michael and all Angels.' "Are they not all ministering Spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation?”(d) 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His Mother by night, and departed into Egypt. (t) See also the note on verse 4. (u) 2 Corinthians i. 3. 10, 11; Rev. v. 8. (x) See Psalm lxxii. 15. (b) Psalm cxxxix. 1. Thus then, from His earliest Infancy, was our Blessed Saviour exposed to hardship and suffering. Already might it have been said of Him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."(e) Observe how silently, and how effectually GoD brings about His purposes. The Wise Men, moved by a dream, had already set out for the East. (f) Joseph, in the course of the same night probably, takes his journey in an opposite direction. Thus by day-break, there would remain in Bethlehem no trace of those against whom Herod will soon be "exceeding wroth." 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the Prophet, On the expression,-" of the LORD by the Prophet," see the note on i. 22. saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son. This is quoted from Hosea xi. 1,-at first sight, a marvellous application of that prophecy, truly! To understand it, we must bear in mind that CHRIST was the promised seed, (g) in whom God's promises to Abraham had their real fulfilment. He alone could properly be called GoD's Son: but it had been said of Abraham's descendants, when they were in Egypt, "Thus saith the LORD, Israel is My son, even My first-born."(h) What was typically spoken of the children of Israel was therefore actually fulfilled in the person of JESUS CHRIST. As the infancy of that nation was cradled in Egypt, so was it with His infancy. In both cases, God sent a Joseph "to preserve life."(i) In both cases, "there arose up a new King;"(k) and lo, in both cases, "the LORD" called His Son "out of Egypt." How, at every stage of our Blessed LORD's history, are we reminded that the Old Testament in its narratives, no less than in its prophecies, is full of Him! (Consider St. Luke xxiv. 27, 44, 45; St. John v. 46; Acts xxviii. 23.) 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise Men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Wise Men. The Infant Saviour has Infant Martyrs! Thus children are held up to our admiration from the very first,-in their deaths as in their lives, a pattern to older Christians.(1) These Mothers of Bethlehem must have thought themselves supremely miserable; the most afflicted of God's creatures: but they little knew their blessedness! Their murdered Innocents evermore lead the van in the Noble Army of Martyrs:' and are honored by the Church's yearly Festival which bears their name. Now, "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."(m) It is worth observing that when Herod persecuted our LORD, we behold the remote descendant of Esau, the elder brother, persecuting the remote descendant of Jacob, the younger.(n) As once" Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and said, . . . . Then will I slay my brother Jacob;"(o)-so was it now. The enmity of the brothers survived in the persons of their remote descendants. Consider the following texts: 1 Sam. xxi. 7; xxii. 9, 18, 19, 22; Obadiah 9-14; St. Mark vi. 17, 27; St. Luke xxiii. 11; Acts xii. 1-3, &c. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet, saying, (e) St. Matthew viii. 20. (f) St. Matthew ii. 12. (0) Genesis xxvii. 41. (g) Galatians iii. 16. (k) Exodus i. 8. (n) See note on verse 3. 18 In Rama there was a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. These words are found in Jeremiah xxxi. 15. The prophecy received an immediate fulfilment when the descendants of Rachel, who were being carried away captive to Babylon, were led past her tomb.(p) She whom Jacob had buried "in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem," (q) was then, by a beautiful poetical figure, said to weep passionately for her offspring, because she beheld them taken from her. The bereaved Mother sends up a cry of agony from the very chamber of Death! But this prophecy was far more strikingly fulfilled in the days of the Gospel, when the children of the same Mother were cut off, as it seemed, without any hope of return. Yet, consider the message of the Prophet;(r) and take note in what a far higher sense his words were fulfilled in the persons of the Holy Innocents. 19, 20 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: they are dead which sought the young Child's life. You will find that these last words were also spoken to Moses, who was a type of CHRIST. (8) Holy Scripture often reminds us, in this manner, of types and fig ures; thus guiding us by the hand, as it were, to much of its hidden teaching. Compare for example Genesis xxviii. 12, with St. John i. 51; and see the note on St. Matthew i. 1, and ii. 4. During the last few weeks of Herod's life, he had a horrible disorder, of which he died in a dreadful manner, about the month of March, four years before the common account called Anno Domini, i. e. B. C. 4; at which time our Blessed SAVIOUR may have been about a half year old. 21 And he arose, and took the young Child and His Mother, and came into the land of Israel. Thus, at a Passover time, (for it was just before a Passover that Herod died,) did He come up out of Egypt, of whom Israel was a type.(t) How are we reminded by this complicated history, of that earlier page of the Bible which records GoD's no less marvellous dealings with His typical son, the children of Israel! Surely, no strangeness in the Divine method with respect to ourselves, should ever stagger us, after what Revelation has recorded concerning the histories of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, of Joseph and of David, even of the Incarnate SON. 22 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: Judæa became the scene of tumults after the death of Herod; every part of the country was infested by lawless bands of armed men. Joseph therefore trembled for the Holy Child. But the Angel who had guided him into Egypt, and brought him tidings of Herod's death, now warns him in which direction to bend his footsteps. All these things happened for our example. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," says GOD ALMIGHTY. He has never yet forsaken those who did not first forsake Him. For a few words concerning Archelaus, see the last note on St. Luke iii. 1, 2. (p) Jeremiah xl. 1. (q) Genesis xxxv. 19. (8) Exodus iv. 19. (r) Jeremiah xxxi. 16, 17. (t) Deuteronomy xvi. 1. 23 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. No one particular place of Scripture is here referred to. This was spoken by "the Prophets." The Hebrew word Neser means "a branch;" and from this word, the name of the town called Nazareth, (which should not be written with a z,) is derived. The HOLY SPIRIT therefore here informs us, that when our LORD went to dwell at Nazareth, and was called a Nazarene, all those prophecies found fulfillment which spoke of Him as THE BRANCH. For example, "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a BRANCH shall grow out of his root."(t) Again, "Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH."(u) See also Zech. iii. 8; and Jeremiah xxiii. 5; and xxxiii. 15. A Nazarite and a Nazarene are wholly different. John Baptist was a Nazarite:(x) which our LORD expressly says that He Himself was not.(y) This may seem a strange explanation of the text, but it is the only true explanation of it. How wonderful then, is the mind of the SPIRIT, and in what unexpected ways is GOD found to fulfil his words! "How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out."(z) THE PRAYERS. O GOD, who by the leading of a Star didst manifest Thy Only-Begotten Son to the Gentiles; mercifully grant that we which know Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. O ALMIGHTY GOD, who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast ordained strength, and madest Infants to glorify Thee by their deaths; mortify and kill all vices in us, and so strengthen us by Thy grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our faith, even unto death, we may glorify Thy holy Name; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. (t) Isaiah xi. 1. (u) Zechariah vi. 12. (y) St. Matthew xi. 19. (x) See St. Matth. iii. 4. (z) Romans xi. 33. |