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haps some of you may remember that the poet Virgil, in one of his Eclogues, alludes to the expected birth of some illustrious progeny from heaven, in terms very much like those employed by the inspired prophet Isaiah relating to the kingdom of Messiah.

Much could be said respecting these passages in ancient authors, which would not serve our present purpose. They possess an historical value, and may tend to the confirmation of the truth. At present, it may be enough for us to remember, with devout thankfulness, that God has been pleased to favour us with abundant evidence in support of religion; and to charge ourselves, in humble dependence on divine grace, to make a good use of the benefit thus conferred upon us, by meekly submitting to the sceptre of that King of Righteousness and Prince of Peace, concerning whom we have received full and sufficient information. Oh, may he reign in our hearts, and may every thought and desire be brought into a willing subjection to his most righteous and most beneficial sway!

Mary. What kind of star may we suppose it to have been which the wise men saw?

Reader. Perhaps this is one of the many cases in which it is our wisdom not to suppose anything at all. We know that the Magi saw something which had the appearance of a star, but we know nothing more. Some have conjectured that it was a meteor, moving at no great height from the surface of the earth; others, that

it was a constellation, or peculiar conjunction of the planets; others have even fancied that it was a comet; while others, again, have supposed that it was the same light as that which shone round about the shepherds of Bethlehem; and the reveries of some of the fathers (as they are called) have proclaimed it to have been an angel! All that we can know, however, amounts to this; that the wise men saw an extraordinary luminary, probably in the western part of the heavens, which was made the means of conducting them to the birth-place of Christ. This is the largest paraphrase which we can give to the words, "We, in the east, have seen his star."-Repeat that remarkable prophecy in which the Messiah himself is spoken of under the figure of a star.

Mary. It is the prophecy which was uttered by Balaam. "There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Seth." Numb. xxiv. 17.

Reader. Whether or not the remembrance of this prophecy had been preserved in the East, and may have been alluded to by the wise men, we cannot say. Nor do we know with what degree of certainty, or in what manner, they were assured of the significancy of the star which they discovered. Either these Magi, of their own accord, interpreted the appearance of the star as an announcement of the birth of the great Deliverer; or else God vouchsafed to give them instructions by

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immediate revelation, or in some miraculous manner, as he did afterwards with reference to their return to their own country. But one thing at least we know, and this ought to be a subject of serious reflection; namely, that we have been blessed with a guide to Christ, more glorious in character, and more distinct in its announcement, than that which the wise men saw. We have the holy Scriptures, and they testify of Him. Let us follow their guidance, in humility and faith; and we shall find that they will lead us into the palace and the presence-chamber of the King of kings. "Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my path."

The wise men said, "We have seen his star, and we are come to worship him," i. e. to do him homage, as the great and illustrious prince whose birth was expected. It is probable that they did not know his real character, and had little idea how worthy he is of supreme honour, of worship in the strict sense of the expression. But we know this. "When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." Heb. i. 6. Those who have been truly led to Christ by that bright star, the word of revelation, will fall down and worship him in spirit and in truth; they will say to him practically, by the surrender of their hearts, and the obedience of their lives, My Lord, and my God! "Have we seen Christ's star?" says a pious writer on this passage, "let us study to do him honour!"

Theophilus, to what cause would you attribute the trouble of Herod, when he was told of the birth of the "King of the Jews?"

Theophilus. I fear that we must attribute it to his wicked heart and guilty conscience. He knew how justly he was disliked on account of his cruel and tyrannical conduct; and he dreaded the consequences of his crimes, whenever any one should arise to make head against him.

Reader. And, in another point of view, we may trace this disquietude to false apprehensions, and a mistaken opinion concerning the nature of the Messiah's kingdom. Here we discover two great sources of uneasiness, which have caused perplexity to many men. A guilty conscience, that is the worst tormentor; and a set of mistaken opinions, or foolish prejudices, is another, capable of inflicting much misery and pain. Let us cultivate a conscience void of offence; and aim also at a right understanding, a sober, wellinformed judgment, as a subsidiary and concurrent source of comfort. A right judgment in all things, how great a blessing! What a happy preservative against vain hopes and distressing fears! And how needful to each of ourselves, in these days especially, assaulted as we are by infidelity on the one hand, and by superstition, fanaticism, and false pretensions of various kinds on the other! Let us, therefore, without ceasing, study the Scriptures and pray to God.

We may observe, also, that Herod's mistaken notions concerning the na

ture of Messiah's kingdom were not only a source of anxiety to himself, but became, also, the occasion of his animosity against the infant. And hence we are reminded that "the greatest enmities, and the bitterest animosities, have arisen from causeless fears and groundless jealousies.' It is only the reign of perfect truth that will be the reign of perfect peace. Blest Prince of Peace, thy kingdom come!

It is a melancholy picture which this verse brings before us. "Christ, who was the angel's song, the wise men's joy, and Israel's consolation, becomes Herod's fear and Jerusalem's terror." Yes; all Jerusalem was troubled together with guilty Herod. This must have proceeded from gross ignorance, to say the least. The wise men found the Jews, the professors of the true religion, uninformed on a point concerning which they ought to have been well instructed, and uneasy at the mention of one whose name ought to have been a cause of thankfulness and rejoicing! And, alas! how many nominal Christians are equally ignorant of the Saviour, and equally offended at him! Satan in the soul, like Herod on the throne, hates and is troubled at the name of Christ; and the poor slaves of Satan, like the Jews in the days of Herod, are unprepared to give a welcome to their glorious Deliverer. Ignorance of the true nature of Christ and his office, and a willing subjection to the tyranny of sin,-what impediments are these to that cheerful re

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The wise men out of the East are directed to Christ by a star.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and 'scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus

ception of the Saviour, wherein alone it is written by the prophet,

6 "And thou Bethlehem, in | tive concerning the visit of the wise

the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Go

men to the infant Saviour; and in it we find many particulars which may well arrest our attention, and afford subject for profitable reflection.

vernor, 'that shall "rule my peo- Perhaps we may do well to review ple Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

the whole passage, verse by verse.— Does any question arise out of the fourth verse, which stands first in the portion that has now been read? Theophilus. I have been request

8 And he sent them to Beth-ed to ask who were the chief priests

lehem, 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.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

2 Chron. xxxvi. 14. f2 Chron. xxxiv. 13. 1 Mac. v. 42, & vii. 12. g Mal. ii. 7.-h Mic. v. 2. John vii. 42. Rev. ii. 27. Or, feed.

Reader. In these verses, the place which was honoured as the scene of our Lord's nativity is brought very strikingly before our notice. We are conducted, in thought, to Bethlehem; and, if we rightly consider the great event by which that town was distinguished, we shall be able to say, in the words of an honoured disciple of old, "Master, it is good for us to be here!" In this passage we have also a continuation of the narra

mentioned in this verse? We read in the Old Testament of one High Priest, who was distinguished from all other priests, but it does not appear so clearly what priest, besides this High Priest, could lay any claim to the title of chief.

Reader. But you do read of chief

priests in the Old Testament, do you not? Turn, for example, to 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14.

Theophilus. "Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem."

Reader. And you may find mention of the chief of the priests in other parts of the Old Testament; for instance, in 1 Chron. xxiv. 6; Ezra, viii. 24; Nehem. xii. 7.-By "chief priests" in the New Testament we are to understand not only the High Priest for the time being, and others who had served that office, but also the heads of the twenty-four orders or classes into which the priests were divided in the time of David. These heads of the sacerdotal families, as such, were members of the Sanhe

drim; and hence it became usual to designate any priest who was a member of that body by the title of " chief priest."

Theophilus. And who were the scribes ?

Reader. They were the students and learned expounders of the law, -the same as are elsewhere called lawyers (Matt. xxii. 35) and doctors of the law (Luke v. 17). They also acted as registrars, and were employed in drawing up legal documents.—In what respect does the conduct of Herod and his advisers, as described in the fourth and fifth verses, deserve to be imitated by us?

Theophilus. That question had not occurred to my mind before; but I am sure that we may profitably do one thing which may be considered as an imitation of their example, namely, always consult the Scriptures when we wish to learn anything concerning Christ.

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Reader. That is what I meant.And what a solemn reflection is here forced upon our minds, that men may consult the Scriptures respecting Christ, and may even become learned in the page of inspiration, without having any saving knowledge of Him "of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write." Nay, how possible is it for men to seek an acquaintance with Scripture, and its meaning, for purposes directly hostile to religion! What an awful mass of impiety and depravity is the heart of a wicked man! Oh, let us search the Scriptures, not for any mere worldly purpose, nor even in the spirit of vain curiosity, but in order

that we may find them able to make us "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Where do we find the prophecy to which the chief priests and scribes referred as pointing out the birthplace of Messiah?

Theophilus. In Micah v. 2. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Reader. Here is a little verbal difficulty; but perhaps so slight as hardly to require notice. In the Evangelist we read, "thou art not the least;" in the prophet, "though thou be little." Some critics have suggested that the words of the original prophecy should be read interrogatively, "art thou too little?" implying, "thou art not." But, even without this, the difficulty vanishes if we remember that the leading idea is the same in both forms of the verse;

namely, that Bethlehem, notwithstanding its political insignificance, should yet be highly honoured and distinguished.

In the Evangelist we read "princes" instead of "thousands;" as in the original. Here also the difference is more apparent than real; for in Hebrew the same word signified a thousand and a prince; from the circumstance that the people had been distributed into thousands, each under its own captain, chief, or prince. You perceive how easy and natural it would be, especially in such a

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