OBSERVATIONS, &c.

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Chapter Verse

SAINT Matthew begins his Gospel with the cha

genealogy of Jesus, to prove him, I apprehend, a descendant of David, in conformity to the Jewish prophecies. He traces the descent from David through his fon Solomon and her who had been the wife of Uriah, down, not to Mary, but to Jofeph. St. Luke probably thought this a tender part, and therefore traces the defcent, not through Solomon, but through Nathan the son of David. He likewise brings it down to Joseph : but how do either of these prove Jesus to be the son of David after the flesh ? Matthew proceeds to inform us that Jofeph, before he had confummated his marriage with Mary, discovered that she was with child: upon which, being a good man and wishing to avoid fcandal, he intended

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Chapter Verfe tended to put her away privately. But while he 20 slept, an angel faid to him-' Jofeph thou fon ' of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy 'wife: for that which is conceived in her is of 'the Holy Ghost," &c. Thus admonished, he took his wife, and she, in Bethlehem brought forth her first born fon. St. Mark gives us no account of this matter; nor does St. John: but St. Luke makes ample amends. He records the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias in the temple, telling him, that his wife Elizabeth should produce a fon, to name him John; and that the faid John should be 'filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb; and many ' of the children of Ifrael shall he turn to the 'Lord their God, and he shall go before him in * the spirit and power of Elias.' Five or fix months after this, the faid angel was sent to Nazareth, a city in Judea; there he acquaints Mary that the should bring forth a fon and call him Jesus; that he should be called the Son of the Highest, that the Lord God would give him the throne of his father David; and that he should reign over the house of Jacob for ever. (How this was fulfilled I know not). Mary afked-How shall this be, seeing I know not a man. And was answered-the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, &c. Upon this Mary submitted, saying-Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. Soon after this Mary went to the house of Zacharias, and abode with Chapter Verse Elizabeth three months. Here we find her delivering a very poetical composition worthy the prophetic pen of St. Luke (who perhaps, after all, only copied from Samuel's mother: David: and Isaiah). After which she returns to her own house, and it is to be supposed with child; but we read nothing of Joseph's diffatisfaction, thereat, or of his being reconciled thereto by the angel Gabriel.

We will now resume Matthew's account of what happened upon the birth of Jefus. He begins his second chapter with- Now when Je- ii. • sus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the

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days of Herod the king, behold there came • wise men from the east to Jerufalem saying, 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews? ' for we have seen his star in the east and are

'all Jerufalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where

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• Christ should be born. And they faid unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is • written by the prophet; And thou Bethlehem, * in the land of Judea, art not the least among • the princes of Judah-for out of thee shall

come a governor that shall rule my people Ifrael.'

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(From these and many other passages, the Jews were led to expect a temporal prince, as will be fu'ly shewn hereafter.) Herod having received this information, and enquiring of the wife men, at what time they saw the star; fent them to Bethlehem in search of the child, and commanded them to acquaint him if they succeeded, that he also might worship him. The wife men, by the assistance of the star, found the child in an out-house with Mary his mother; worshipped, and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh: being warned of God in a dream to avoid Herod, they returned to their own country by another way. Herod enraged at 16 this deception-' fent forth and flew all the chil'dren that were in Bethlehem, and all the coafts thereof, from two years old and under according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wife men.' (His information, it seems, was not very exact.) But Jofeph, acquainted of this intention by an angel in a dream, had escaped with the child and his mother into Egypt. Neither Mark, Luke, or John, give us any account of the star, the wife men; Herod's fears, or his cruelty. These wife men from the eaft, were they Jews or Gentiles? In the church service (Epiphany) they are called Gentiles; as such, what advantage could they derive from a child born King of the Jews, that they should make a long journey to worship him? and what

were the consequences of this wife journey? The destruction (according to St. Matthew) of many innocent children, who had rested in peace but for their wife information. But is it not a little extraordinary that so cruel a massacre should pass unnoticed, not only by all the Pagan writers, but by three out of four evangelists ?

St. Luke gives us some particulars of the birth, &c. omitted by the other three. After recording that of John the Baptift, he informs us that in consequence of a decree issued by Augustus Cæfar, that all the world should be taxed; Joseph with his wife Mary went from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David-because he was of the house and lineage of David. Here she was delivered, and the child laid in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Here, though we have no visit by wife men from the east; we have, by shepherds from the neighbourhood-' And there were in the 'same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo the angel of the Lord came upon them, and ' the glory of the Lord shone round about them :

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' and they were fore afraid. And the angel faid ' unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all 'people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Chrift the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye ' fhall

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