fulfilling of the word in which God had caufed him to hope. Filled with holy joy he takes the expected child into his arms, and fifting up his eyes to heaven, bleffes God, faying, "Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy word for mine eyes have feen thy falvation, which thou haft prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Ifrael." He then points him out to the by ftanders as the perfon fpoken of by ancient prophecy. "who fhould be fet for the fall and rifing again of many in Ifrael, and for a sign which should be fpoken against;' a prediction defcriptive of the reception the Meffiah fhould meet with from that world which he came to redeem. The fame important truth is immediately confirmed by an ancient prophetefs, who, coming in the inftant Simeon had done fpeaking, gave public thanks likewife unto the Lord, and "fpake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerufalem."

Thus He, whofe birth-place was determined many ages before, by prophetic illumination, whose natal hour was announ ced by one angel, and celebrated by a multitude of the heav enly hoft; to whofe feet a company of fhepherds is led, with their fimple offering, by a voice from heaven, and to whom eaftern fages are condufied by an extraordinary flar, is in the moft public place of refort in the Jewish metropolis, declared aloud, a few weeks after his birth, at a public religious fervice, by teftimony on teftimony, the accomplishment of God's great purpole of mercy to mankind.

While fo many illuftrious perfonages were producing their concurring evidence to the truth as it is in Jefus, exalting him to endless honours and univerfal dominion, one is cruelly plotting his deftruction. Agitated by jealoufy as groundless, as it was barbously purfued, Herod determines to crush at once this pretender to a throne, whom so many fignal and splendid appearances in heaven and earth were ftriving to difplay in fuperior glory. To make fure of his blow, his dark remorfeless mind enlarges the circle of fufpicion from a few days to two years, and from a single feared, hated individual, to all the male children of a great city. Humanity fickens at the thought of the dreadful tragedy of that day, when "in Rama a voice was heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refufing to be comforted, because they are not.' By aiming at too much, the tyrant miffes his aim altogether. The vigor of his purfuit exerted in one direction, confined to one object, might have overtaken it; but extending the sphere, dividing the purfuit, "the captive of

the

the mighty is taken away, and the prey of the terrible is delivered, for thus faith the Lord, I will contend with him that contendeth with thee." And how was this deliverance effected? Providence employs not extraordinary means, to fulfil its defigns, wantonly and unneceffarily, but makes ordinary inftruments to produce mighty events. The bloody intention of Herod is hardly conceived in the gloomy hell of his own breast, than it is feen of that eye which nothing can efcape, and no fooner is it feen than prevented. In a dream, in a vifion of the night, when deep fleep falleth on men Jofeph is admonished of the danger which threatened the child's life, and warned to fhun it, by fleeing into Egypt. Thus at every ftage of his life was the Saviour of mankind hated and perfecuted of men; thus the all-wife Ruler of the Universe knows how to deliver, and finds a way to escape; thus He "confounds the wisdom of the wife, and brings to nought the understanding of the prudent."

By a strange, perhaps unaccountable direction of the fupreme will, the land of Egypt frequently ferves as an afylum to perfecuted goodnefs, protects and cherishes the precious feed of the church. Thither Abraham flees from the preffure of famine, and is thence difmiffed with riches and honour. Here Jofeph finds refuge from the malice of jealous and cruel brothers; from hence Jacob and his starving family are repeatedly fed. Here fprung up Mofes, in times of extreme danger and diftrefs; here he was miraculously preferved, and reared to unexampled eminence and usefulness. Here Ifrael miraculoufly increases into a great nation, and from hence triumphantly departs; and here, finally, He whom all the reft prefigured, and in whom their feveral glory united as in their centre, fought and found protection from the rage of an incenfed king. This too was ordered of Him who feeth the end from the beginning. He went down into Egypt, that in his return the Scripture might be fulfilled, which faith, "out of Egypt have I called my Son." Surely, O Lord, the wrath of man fhall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou "fhalt reftrain."

A vail is drawn over the fojourn in Egypt, and it were prefumption to attempt to draw it afide: neither is it poffible exactly to afcertain its duration. The infamous Herod meanwhile paid the debt of Nature, leaving behind him a name loaded with the execrations of the age in which he lived, and with the deteftation of every future generation to which the hiftory of his enormities fhall defcend. His death was the fignal of return to the land of Ifrael; but prudence fuggefted the retire

ment of the poor and despised town of Nazareth, as a refidence more fuitable to the circumftances of the times, than the noife and hurry of a metropolis, the feat of faction and intrigue, or the fufpiciously obferved city of David, to which the jealous eyes of fucceffive tyrants had been attracted by well known prophecies and by recent portents.

As the place of Christ's birth, fo that of his up-bringing was prophetically marked, not indeed by any particular text that appears in the facred code, but by its whole fpirit and tenor, which reprefent him as voluntarily fubmitting to every fpecies of reproach and indignity; the carpenter's fon, a Galilean, a Nazarene, can any good come out of Nazareth! It was in this obfcure village, of a region of a conquered country, proverbially contemptible, that the childhood of Chrift paffed unseen, unnoticed of the great world; but carefully observed of an attentive mother, who, to the tender folicitudes of that relation, was inspired with hopes, and animated with prospects, and torn with anxieties which no mother before or since ever could know; there this wonderful child grew and waxed ftrong in spirit, filled with wifdom," exhibiting unequivocal figns of a fuperior nature, without courting the public notice, or attracting premature homage; and thus humility, from the beginning and throughout, marked the character of the condefcending friend of mankind, who became of no reputation, fought not glory of man, took on him the form of a fervant; he "ftrives not, nor cries, neither doth he lift up his voice in the fireets;" and from the return out of Egypt, which was probably not beyond his fecond year, up to the twelfth hiftory is entirely filent as to the particulars-but O how much is conveyed in the strong general terms employed by inspiration, to impress on our hearts the difcovery and progress of thefe vailed ten years. May not the hiftory of them be one of the precious arcana which "the Father hath kept in his own power," and referved for the information, wonder and joy of an improved state of existence, when things hard to be underftood fhall be fully explained; and things known in part fhall be unfolded in all their connections and dependencies; and infinite intelligence fhall fupply all the deficiencies of human understanding.

It was in that famelefs village, and in thofe tracklefs years that the foundation was laid of a greatnefs which should eclipfe all created glory; of a kingdom that thould fwallow up every other; of an enterprize which fhould extend its influence to the remoteft ages of eternity.

The next Lecture will, if God permit, take up the next re

corded

corded period of our Saviour's hiftory, his affuming for a mo ment a public character at the age of twelve years, and his fliding away from it again into filence and retirement, till his thirtieth year, the time of his final manifeftation unto If rael, as the great "Prophet that fhould come into the world."

Shall I degrade my fubject, by faying it fuggefts to parents many ufeful hints refpećting the early treatment of their children? Be as tender and attentive as you will; liften to the voice of nature and learn your duty; but dream not of making a ftranger bend the knee to your idol, perhaps he has an idol of his own, weak, filly and ridiculous as yours; perhaps he fees nothing but impertinence and imperfection, where you behold only grace and lovelinefs, and the more you force your Dagon upon his attention, the more hideoufnels and deformity he will difcover in it. Be not eager to bring forward the accomplishments of your child. If they are wor thy of being feen, your referve and the child's modefty will give a glow to the colouring which will ftrike every eye, and please every heart. If they be trivial, why will you force a good-natured looker-on, to flatter your vanity at the expense of his own judgment; or provoke a ftern and fevere one, to approve his fincerity and truth at the expenfe of your feeling and of your idol's fancied importance ? In private let the perfon most dear to you, be moft dear to you; in fociety, the darling object, the first in confideration and affection, ought to be the laft in refpect of attention.

Be not over anxious about an early crop from your offspring. You may have the fruit, it is true by means of vehement cultivation, a little earlier in the feafon, but it favours of the artificial heat that hurried it forward; the tree is wafted and fades before the time; and at the proper feason, when nature is clothing the vigorous plant with its golden harveft, the languid child of art ftands lifelefs and leaflefs, expiring before its time. There is always danger from a premature spring, though it be in the course of nature. Happy is the man who can hit the temperate mean betwixt indecent hafte and indolent delay, I would addrefs a few words, to the fame effect, to advanced childhood and early youth. But childhood and youth are not difpofed to attend ferious Lectures, or do not understand, or difbelieve, and therefore do not attend to them. They must be left to the forcible, the irrefiftible leffons of experience. I earneftly recommend them to the teaching of God's good fpir. t. May the Son of God, who vouchfafed for our fake to GAUTOGI pafs

pass through infancy and childhood poor, neglected, unknown, guard our helpless infants, direct our thoughtlefs, wayward children, counsel and inftru&t manly, matured reason, and fmile with complacency on the hoary head, and make it a crown of righteoufnefs. And to God in Chrift be afcribed immortal praise. Amen.

LECTURE