ing thing expires. Again he fends forth his word, the windows of heaven are flopped, the feas retire to their appointed bed, the dry land appears, the bow is feen in the cloud, the fign of God's covenant of peace. The period of every event is feitled to a moment, the inftrument is provided, the hand is prepared. But of all the events which have taken place fince the beginning of the world, the moft illuftrious and important furely is that recorded in the words now read. The moment of every child's birth, is highly interefting, at least to the mother.The birth of an heir, to a title, to an eftate, to a crown, is felt by thoufands, by regions, by empires.

Here we have the birth of the "first among many brethren," of" the heir of all things," of " the Prince of the kings of the earth." Toward this eventful hour, time, from the firft dawn of light, began to flow in one rifing, fwelling tide, here it came to its fulness, and hence it began to bend its awful course to lose itself in eternity again. Toward this, as to their common central point, all the powers of nature are attracted; from this, as from the fun the central light of the univerfe, glory is in all directions diffufed. In the birth of this wonderful child, all the children of men who lived before, or who arose after it, have a ferious, an everlafting concern. Is it any wonder, then, that by fo many figns in heaven and figns on earth, that by the tongues of prophets, the decrees of Princes, the revoJution of empires, the defcent of Angels, the finger of God fhould have pointed it out to mankind?

The Evangelift, at the beginning of the chapter, conveys us to Rome, the proud and puiffant miftrefs of the world; the enflaver of the nations, finking, funk herfelt into flavery. From what particular motive we are not informed, nor is it of much importance to determine, Auguftus Cefar thought proper to iffue a decree for making an exact enrolment of all the subjects of his vaft empire. A vain-glorious monarch, who could exultingly call a fubjugated hemifphere his own, might be prompted by pride to afcertain the number of flaves deftined to obey him. As it was the boaft of this magnificent prince that he had found Rome a city of bricks, and was leaving it a city of marble, the fplendour of the capital was no doubt extracted out of the ruins of the provinces, and enrolment probably was intended to precede taxation. However it was, and on whomfoever befide the decree of the emperor fell, it affected one little, poor family in circumstances of fingular delicacy, and fell upon it with uncommon feverity. Behold the messenger of Cefar at the door of an obfcure carpenter at Nazareth of Gali. dee, fummoning him with all his family to repair to his native

city, to be enrolled in their proper difrift and as the commandments of kings require hafte, and do not always ftoop to confult the feelings of the humble and the miferable, he muit depart on a moment's warning, with his tender companion, now in the last week of pregnancy; poor and unprovided, to a home from which he had been long exiled, and to vifit kinfmen to whom he had become a stranger.

But this removal was wholly ordered by the fupreme will of Heaven. The Son of David, who was to re-establish his throne, could be born no where but in Bethlehem the city of David. Thus the great Ruler of the world had willed, and thus prophecy had declared. And thus Cefar was merely the unconfcious, unintentional minifter of the Son of Mary; furnishing a link to the chain of evidence refpecting the truth and divine original of Chriftianity, and exhibiting an illustrious inftance of the fovereign control which the great Jehovah poffeffes and exercifes over the counfels of princes, the convulfion of nations, the fate of worlds.

We haften from proud Rome to humble Nazareth, from a haughty defpot to uncomplaining fufferers, from unfeeling power to patient fubmiffion. Behold that delicate woman, in the most delicate and interefting of all female fituations, forced from home, constrained to undertake a painful and anxious journey in a condition which rendered eafe, and attention, and tenderness, and the accommodations of fympathy, peculiarly defirable. See her advancing by flow and diftreffing flages towards the residence of her forefathers, once illuftrious, but now fallen into decay; to the city of her ancestors, but not to receive the attendance of royal ftate, not to usher into the world the heir of David's throne, amidit the prayers, and expectations, and kind wishes of the myriads of Ifrael: no, not fo much as to enjoy the confolation and fupport which even the poor enjoy in fuch a.cafe, to depofit the folicitude of approaching child-birth in the bofom of a fond mother, or fympathize ing friend; alas, not even to partake of the ordinary conveniences which a traveller has reason to expect, the general hofpitality, and mercenary comforts of an inn :- but to know the heart of a stranger, to fwallow down the bit ernefs of neglect, to feel the infult of the proud, and the mercilefs pity of the mean. "There was no room for them in the inn." Bethle→ hem was crouded with guests, but lo, the, lineal heirs of the royal houfe of Judah, in the city of David, are fo unconnected, fo torlorn, fa friend lefs, that not a door will open to let them

in, not a tongue fay "God relieve you" as they pass by; and fo poor, that an apartment in the ftable is all the accommodation which, by intreaty, or promife, or by prefenting the face of mifery, they are able to purchase.

The inevitable hour, to which nature at once looks with hope and fhrinks from with horror, overtakes her; and unfupported, unaffifted, as it should feem, the brings forth her firftborn fon; and is able at once to perform the earliest duties of a mother," she wrapped him in fwaddling clothes," and with the humility and refignation becoming her deftitute condition, "laid him in the manger," leaving it to Providence to unveil its own fecret counfels and accomplish its own gracious purpofes. And thus the Saviour of the world entered upon that state of depreffion, poverty and suffering, which terminated only with his life.

But the affectingly humiliating scene in the ftable at Bethlehem of Judah is relieved by the glory of the Lord fhining round about it. That Babe neglected, unknown, defpifed, outcaft of men, is declared, by the concurring teftimony of patriarchs and prophets, of angels and men, by the fhaking of the heavens and the earth, of the fea and the dry land, to be "the Son of the Higheft." His parentage, his name, the time and place of his birth, the condition of his infant hours have all the feal of heaven upon them. For what end did Ifaiah prophefy, Alexander conquer, and Auguftus give laws, but to point out to the world the inftant, the spot, the defcent, the eftate in which the Son of God affumed our nature, in order to enter on the work of our redemption.

Preparation is making in another quarter of the globe, to bring a tribute of praife to the Redeemer of mankind. The Eaft is ready to contribute its gifts, is preparing its gold and frankincense and myrrh to lay them at his feet. The wife men of diftant nations, occupied in the ftudy of nature, and attentive to the figns of the times, are awaked to inquiry by a filent but fhining monitor. The appearance of the starry heavens was well known to them, they can calculate the distances and revolutions of each little ftar that sparkles in the expanfe of heaven; but in a moment all their fcience is confounded, all their experience is overthrown, by the appearance of a new created light, in motion and at reft by a law.peculiar to itself, to fulfil a transitory indeed, but a most important purpose, and which having pointed to "the place where the young child lay," is blotted out of nature, and difappears for ever.

Now none of" these things were done in a corner." Chrif

tianity

tianity did not fleal in upon the world, without warning; all characters and defcriptions of men were called in to give teftimony to it, and without acquaintance, concurrence, or cooperation they establish the fame truth. The eaftern Magi on their arrival at Jerufalem, and on explaining the reafon of their journey thither, are not treated as vifionaries, who dreamed of things that never exifted, but are liftened to and refpected as reafonable men inquiring after important truth. The attention of Herod, and of all Jerufalem with him, is roufed; that jealous and fanguinary tyrant, takes every precaution, fets on foots every inquiry that his reigning paffions could fuggeft, to elucidate the case; to fecure poffeffion to himself, and to crush every rival. He fummons the chief priefts and fcribes of the people, confults them refpecting the determinations of proph ecy, as to the birth place of the expected King of the Jews, he compares their opinion with the report of the wife men, and acts upon the refult of that comparifon. A coincidence of perfons and circumstances fo ftriking, and all relating to one perfon and one. point, muft lead to the acknowledgment and adoration of that God, in whose hand are the hearts of princes, the deliberations of councils, the number and motions of all the host of heaven. "He telleth the number of the ftars; he calleth them all by their names; great is our Lord and of great power; his underftanding is infinite." Auguftus Cefar, Herod, the Magi, the Jewish Sanhedrim, the inhabitants of Bethlehem, of Jerufalem, all concur to give witness to yonder babe laid in a manger, and they involuntarily aflift in demonftrating the certainty of thofe things wherein ye have been inftructed: that ye might have strong confolation in having fled for refuge to the hope fet before you.

But higher teftimony ftill than that of the potentates of the earth is given to the Lord of glory. Angels defcend with fongs to meet him at his coming; the gloom of night is dif pelled by celestial radiance; Silence, well-pleased, hears the fweet melody of angelic notes chanting the glad tidings of great joy," unto you is born this day. in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord." The harmony of a thousand heavenly voices in chorus join, to celebrate the advent of the Prince of Peace; to announce to a flumbering world Him in whofe light they fhine, by whofe power they are supported, in whose praise they unite, to whose will they are devoted. What a wonderful contrast! A defcrted, friendlefs mother, a helpleis infant, a ftable, a manger! What humiliation like this humiliation! A throne above the heavens, the homage of princes, the effulgence of a flar to mark the way

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to his cradle, the adoration of the glorious hoft of heaven, the arm of the Lord revealed! What design but the falvation of a loft world, what event but the birth of a Saviour, what perfon but the Son of God, could warrant all this difplay of majefty and might? Chriftian, keep these astonishing extremes continually in fight. This is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh; as children are partakers of flesh and blood he likewife himself alfo took part of the fame; verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham. In alt things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the fins of the people; for in that he himself hath fuffered being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted." The fubject teaches

us,

1.

How incompetent judges we are of the ways and works of God. Few events, if any, correfpond to our preconceived opinions of them. From the glimmering that we have, without any light at all fave the fparks of our own kindling, we take upon us to arrange and decide, and to limit the holy one of Ifrael. Like Naaman the Syrian, we have settled the mode of cure in our own mind, dreffed it in proper parade and ceremony, and fall out with the prophet because the fimplicity of the procefs confounds the airy vifion with which our imagination had amufed itfelf. Not knowing the fcriptures nor the power of God, the carnal Jews had dreffed out, for Meffi« ah the prince a throne like Solomon's, of ivory overlaid with gold, had placed him at the head of armies, had furrounded him with guards, had crowned him with laurels. When the event belied their groundless expectations, with Naaman they turned away in a rage, faying," Are not Abana and Pharpar, 1ivers of Damafcus, better than all the waters of Ifrael ?" "Away with this man, crucify him, not this man but Barabbas."

2. Observe here in how many inftances God writeth vanity on all the glory of man. In the pride of their hearts, the princes and potentates here mentioned, vainly imagined a proftrate world to be all their own. Every will must bend to theirs; to their pleasure every power and poffeffion muft minifter; all the while they are the mere attendants on the royal ftate of the real Prince. Their names are indeed fome of them ftill had in remembrance, but their power is annihilated, their confequence is fwallowed up, or if any remain, it is derived from the relation which it bears to the fuperior, the commanding, the undiminished importance of Him to whom they gave witness, and whose state, in spite of themselves, they continue

to