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Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid; Star of the east, the horizon adorning,

Guide where our Infant Redeemer is laid.

HEBER.

be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt have I called my

son.

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m Hos. xi. 1.

Reader. Egypt was at this time a Roman province, in which Herod had no authority. It was the residence of a large number of Jews; many of that people having settled there in the days of Jeremiah, and many more having been attracted thither in later times by various circumstances, especially, perhaps, by the celebrated Temple which had been erected there by Onias IV. Such was the place which God selected as the refuge of the infant Jesus, when his life was sought by a wicked prince. "Egypt had been a house of bondage to Israel, and particularly cruel to the infants of Israel; in Egypt, as much as in Ramah, Rachel had been weeping for her children; yet that is appointed to be a place of refuge to the holy child Jesus. Thus God, when he pleases, can make the worst of places serve the best of purposes." And "all places will be to us what Divine Providence may be pleased to make

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pretation, and the matters of fact which | filment in some event which they

it may contain, in the way of conversation; and then to point out, as far as I can, the practical inferences and lessons to be deduced from the whole, in the way of a concluding address.

Have you any questions to propose concerning the interpretation of the passage now before you, or with reference to the history which it contains?

Theophilus. We are told here, very briefly, that Joseph took the young child and his mother, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod. Have we means of ascertaining any farther particulars respecting this interesting portion of our Saviour's life on earth?

Reader. None whatever. The Holy Spirit has not thought fit to record such particulars; and therefore we may be well content to be ignorant concerning them. Vain tradition, indeed, always ready to satisfy men's curiosity, to amuse the fancy, and to feed the soul with chaff instead of wheat, has been very inventive and loquacious in this matter. It pretends to inform us of the name of the place in which the holy family sojourned; namely, Matarea, not far from the place in which the Temple of Onias stood. But the truth is, that we do not know the place of their abode. Another story, equally unfounded, and therefore equally unprofitable, is derived from the same unsatisfactory source. It was the practice of early writers, first to suppose, or take for granted, that such or such a prophecy received its ful

had in mind, and then to invent or propagate some suitable or corresponding tale. Thus, it is written in Isa. xix. 1, "The Lord shall come into Egypt, and all the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence;" and on this was founded the fictitious narrative, that Joseph and Mary, on their entrance into Egypt with the holy child, went into a certain temple, and immediately the images of the idols were overthrown by a supernatural power, and fell before the infant Saviour, as Dagon once fell before the ark. Of course, priests who had the power of inventing and propagating such interesting narratives easily acquired great power over the minds of an ignorant people, naturally prone to propose vain and frivolous questions.

The legends concerning our Saviour's sojourn in Egypt filled a volume. "There is an apocryphal work in Arabic," says one of our modern commentators, " called 'The Gospel of the Infancy,' which pretends to relate all the acts of Jesus and Mary while in Egypt. I have taken the pains to read this through, and have found it to be a piece of gross superstition, having nothing to entitle it to a shadow of credibility." -How great is our privilege in belonging to a scriptural Church which has rejected the fables and traditions of the church of "the fathers," and has retained, in its purity and its integrity, the inspired word of God! How deep is our responsibility, in possessing this blessing, unknown to our credulous and less enlightened

ancestors in the Christian faith! And how earnest should be our endeavour, by divine grace, to use the gift aright!

Theophilus. I think I have heard or read that this narrative is important as fixing the date of our Saviour's birth.

Reader. It does fix the date of that great event very nearly; for by means of it we connect it with an event the exact date of which is easily ascertained. From the fact that Jesus was born before the death of Herod, we learn that the date of his birth is at least three years earlier than the common era, called "The Birth of Christ." And, although we do not know how long this event took place before the death of Herod, yet, as it seems probable that the space of time which intervened was not very great, we may conclude that the Redeemer was born about the time which I have mentioned.

Theophilus. I am not quite sure that I rightly understand the application of the prophecy quoted in the fifteenth verse.

Reader. Read the whole verse in which it occurs; namely, Hosea xi. 1. Theophilus. "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."

Reader. With this compare Exod. iv. 22, 23.

Theophilus. "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my first-born. And I say unto thee, Let my son go that he may serve me."

Reader. And Numbers xxiv. 8. Theophilus. "God brought him forth out of Egypt."

Reader. It is plain that the words of Hosea, in their original connection, referred to the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt under Moses. In the Gospel they are applied, say some, by the way of analogy, to Christ, the Head of the church; and it is probable that, when St. Matthew wrote, the passage was generally regarded by the Jews as relating, in some way or other, to the Messiah. Perhaps the more correct way of stating the case may be as follows. The words refer, in the first instance, to the people of Israel, spoken of as one man, and called the son of God, as in Exod. iv. 22, 23. But the inspired Evangelist, by divine authority, teaches us to view the passage also in the light of a prediction. By the application which he makes of it, he instructs us that Israel, in the return from Egypt, was a type of Christ, the events of whose life were even then present to the divine mind; and he reminds us that the natural Israelites were spiritually represented in the person of the Messiah. We learn, by later revelation, that several portions of the Old Testament, which, in their immediate and literal sense, related to passing events of Jewish history, contained also a reference to the more distant, but more important, history of Christ and his people. 1 Cor. x. 4—9; Gal. iv. 28-30.

With reference to this twofold application of the words of Hosea, a pious commentator remarks, "It is no new thing for God's sons to be in Egypt, in a strange land, in a house

of bondage; but they shall be fetched | being hurt by no persecutions, may out."

Can I give you any farther satisfaction in the way of mere interpretation or exposition of these verses?

Theophilus. I am not aware, Sir, that any other question arises in our minds on the present occasion.

READER. Let us now proceed to make some practical reflections, and to derive some religious instruction, from this portion of Holy Scrip

ture.

Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. His malice and cruelty were foreseen and foretold. And hence we are reminded of the most encouraging fact, that God is intimately acquainted with all the crafty and malicious designs or projects of his people's enemies. He says, as it were, to every enemy of himself and of his cause, as he once said to the haughty Sennacherib by the mouth of Isaiah,—“ I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me." Isaiah xxxvii. 28. And he who is thus acquainted with the ill-will of wicked men or evil spirits can easily frustrate the mischief which he foresees, and can destroy the power of those who exalt themselves against him. Oh let us mingle faith with that petition to God, our merciful Father, "Graciously hear us, that those evils, which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us be brought to nought; and by the providence of thy goodness they may be dispersed; that we thy servants,

evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy church, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt.-Here we have a farther "instance of the humiliation of the Lord Jesus. As there was no room for him in the inn at Bethlehem, so there was no quiet room for him in the land of Judea." Thus early were the indications of the mournful fact, that "he came unto his own, and his own received him not." "He was banished almost as soon as he was born." born." "Lord, how great an humi

liation was this, not only to become an infant, but in thine infancy to be hurried up and down, and driven out of thine own land as a vagabond!"

May we cherish a deep devotion and a reverent love towards the once suffering, but now glorified, Redeemer! And may we learn to follow him in his great humility!

Flee into Egypt. This teaches us that, in certain seasons of difficulty or danger, it is lawful, and in every respect right, for God's people to seek protection by flight, or by otherwise endeavouring to escape the evil which may be designed against them, as long as they can do so without the breach of a plain and positive commandment. It is fanaticism, and not faith, which would run into the flames of persecution, or rush upon the sword of the destroyer. "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another." Matt. x. 23.

Flee into Egypt.-Perhaps we may

be permitted to regard this command as an earnest of favour to be extended to the Gentiles, in conveying to them the knowledge of Christ and his salvation. It is delightful to watch even the first faint glimmerings of that "light" which was appointed "to lighten the Gentiles" as well as "to be the glory of his people Israel."

Be thou there until I bring thee | word.-God, you observe, keeps his people in a state of continual dependence upon him, and makes it their duty to await, and comply with, the indications of his will. With respect to our station in life, or any other circumstances of our lot, though we may desire a change, yet let us wait God's pleasure. Let us follow what may at least commend itself to our conscience and our sober judgment as the leading of Divine Providence. "Be thou there until I bring thee word."

Flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word.-How often we may observe that God does not work miracles, when ordinary means, sufficient for the accomplishment of a purpose, are at hand. He employs his miraculous and extraordinary power only in cases in which it may be required for some wise, benevolent, or necessary end, which could not be otherwise attained. Or rather, perhaps, I should say, God works miracles, not when man may choose to expect or to desire them, but according to the good pleasure of his own most perfect will. Will not God, in order to protect the infant Jesus, cut off Herod by a sudden

death? Will he not smite with blindness those who shall be sent to slay him? No. Christ himself must flee into Egypt. God does not see fit to put forth that kind of power, or to give that kind of testimony, which a different set of circumstances might have called forth. "He doeth all things well."

When he arose, he departed into Egypt.-Here is a beautiful example of faith and obedience. Unbelief might have suggested that such a flight could not be needed in favour of such an infant ;—or it might have whispered,-If this flight be indeed necessary, then perhaps the infant is not that wonderful One whom you have supposed him to be. But no. Joseph and Mary believed the word which had been spoken,-and were strong in faith, giving glory to God; and their faith issued in a prompt, unhesitating obedience. When he arose-without delay-even before daybreak- Joseph took the young child and his mother, and departed into Egypt.-When our instructions are clear, let our obedience be prompt and cheerful.

He took the young child and his mother by night.—Yes;—privately and cautiously, notwithstanding his conviction that the power of God was engaged on behalf of the infant. He acted in the spirit of that injunc tion, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Promises of safety and deliverance must not make us rash or presumptuous. We must expect the fulfilment of such promises in the use of means, not in the neglect of them.

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