seem a strange thing to say (which the Church has ever believed) that all our baptized infants should thereby become His members? And since they are such, henceforth we may readily trust God with every thing of theirs besides, their sickness or their health, their ease or their sufferings, their lives or their death, since how should He not have "freely given all things" to those whom He has made members of His SON? This, then, is one great lesson of the festival, the great dignity of children. We meet to celebrate how little ones, like our own, were called upon to glorify GOD by their deaths; and in the dignity so conferred upon them, we should see the great worth and value of those entrusted to us. In them our LORD ennobled the whole age of childhood, as He sanctified it by Himself taking it upon Him. We dare not, then, look upon them as what they seem; we may not dare to make them (as the blind world often makes them) playthings in their first years, playmates in the next. Infancy and childhood are sacred things. They are born candidates for life everlasting; when re-born in Baptism they are members of Him, Who filleth heaven and earth. This we should impress upon ourselves in all our treatment of them; they have been re-born to live for ever; we may not treat them lightly; not deceive them though it seem to us for their good: not indulge them foolishly, though it cost us trouble; but must bear in mind-as we would avoid His woe on those "who cause any of these little ones to offend”– in all we do in their presence, towards them, with regard to them, that amidst all their weakness, ignovance, helplessness, simplicity, they are not only the bodies which we see, and the souls which we believe, but spirits also from the FATHER of spirits, which are to be presented one day before the Presence of His glory; and woe be to us, if through our fault they are not "presented blameless." Prayers. O Almighty GOD, Who out of the mouths, &c.— Collect for Innocents' Day. O GOD, Who by the death of the Holy Innocents, hast taught Thy Church that no age nor occasion of suffering for our Saviour is exempt from reward; grant, we beseech Thee, that our celebration of this festival may make us adore the gracious dispensations of Thy providence, that our hearts may be confirmed in an entire resignation to Thy will, and assured that all our sufferings shall conduce to our eternal advantage. Make us, we beseech Thee, (and the children of this family,) to be as becomes CHRIST's little ones, children in humility and teachableness, in cheerfulness, in obedience, and in reverence, in gratitude for Thy bounty, and in all dependence on Thee, that so at last Thou mayest embrace us in the arms of Thy mercy, and invite us to the everlasting habitations of Thy FATHER's house. Amen. CHAPTER VI. THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST. Gospel Narrative. S. Luke ii. 15. AND it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the LORD hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the Child, His Name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Reflections. Our Blessed Saviour, commencing in humility, which is the root and guardian of all virtues, receives on the eighth day the seal of Circumcision, and thus early shed His precious Blood for us, that He might show Himself to be that true Saviour, Who had been promised to the Fathers, and made like unto His brethren in all things, excepting sin and ignorance. On this day two great mysteries were done :First, the Name of JESUS was made manifest; Secondly, He began to shed His Blood, and suffer for our redemption. First, The Name of JESUS, that Holy Name, in which alone is salvation, was this day made manifest to the world. That Name which He took to Himself from all eternity, and which was named of the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. This Name of JESUS is sweet and glorious, bringing pardon to the penitent, and peace to the troubled heart; and it is most worthy of all adoration and honour, for it is A Name which is above every name, that at the Name of JESUS every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the Glory of GOD the FATHER. Philip. ii. 9—11. This Name was consecrated from everlasting-given of GOD-desired of Patriarchs-foretold by Prophetsaccomplished in this time of grace-magnified by Apostles-witnessed to by Martyrs, and acknowledged and honoured by all believers to the end of the world. Before the saving Name of JESUS, who can remain hardhearted, lukewarm, or slothful? Whose heart is not kindled with feelings of penitence and love? No-. thing so restrains the violence of anger, so stills the swellings of pride, heals the wounds of envy, extinguishes the fire of lust, quenches the thirst of avarice, and puts to flight the temptation to every impure affection, as when I set JESUS before me, as a Man, meek and lowly in heart, kind, temperate, chaste, pitiful, and conspicuous for all purity and holiness, and at the same time Himself the Almighty GoD, Who, while He heals us by His example, strengthens us by His aid. Therefore, whatsoever we do, let us do all things in the Name of the LORD JESUS. In His Name begin, by His help prosecute, and to His praise conclude all our words and works. He Himself says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the FATHER in My Name, He will give it you." S. John xvi. 23. We ought, therefore, to use this Name in all our prayers, and frame our petitions thereon. It is for this reason all the prayers of the Church end in the Name of the LORD JESUS. The second mystery is, that to-day our LORD JESUS began to suffer for our Redemption, and, in His Circumcision, to shed His most Precious Blood for us. Thus early did He begin to suffer for us, and although He knew no sin, yet did He undertake to bear the pain for our sins. JESUS was circumcised as if He had been subject to the Law. First, that He might show Himself to be of the seed of Abraham, who received the covenant of Circumcision, and to whom the promise was made concerning CHRIST. Secondly, that He might satisfy the Jews of His likeness to the Fathers, and remove all excuse for their not believing in Him. Thirdly, that He might make good the old law, and the Circumcision instituted by GOD, and show it to have been holy, just and good. Fourthly, that by His example, He might commend to us the virtue of obedience and humility, |