the light we have of comfort and of hope, all we know of heaven comes from that Saviour, who Simeon held in his arms as a little babe.

Verses 33-35. "And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, but he warned Mary his mother, that many distresses were before her. Her son was to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He said to her, Behold, this child is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

His words must have seemed strange to Mary at this time, but when the holy child became a man, and she saw many in the pride and wickedness of their hearts despise and persecute him, because they could not bear their secret sins to be brought to light, and yet many even of these persecutors afterwards repent and become the faithful followers of his religion; and when grief and anguish of heart, like a sword, pierced her through, at the sight of the sufferings of her Son, then no doubt she remembered and understood the words the good old Simeon spoke to her, as he held the infant Jesus in his arms.

Verses 36-38. "While they were yet in the temple, an aged woman, named Anna, came in: she was a widow and a prophetess, and spent her time entirely in the Temple, serving God with fastings and prayers, night and day. When she saw the child, she gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all those that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

You see by this, that there were a great many people who had read and believed the messages God had sent by his prophets, which were written in the books of the Old Testament.

They knew that the time was come in which God promised to send them a Saviour, and they were looking for his coming every day. They were not disappointed; no one who depends upon God's promises shall ever be disappointed.

If we, like these people, are looking for salvation, we shall certainly find it; like them we must search the word of God. In it we shall see the Lord's Christ, and when we have found him, and known him as our Saviour, like Anna, we shall give thanks unto the Lord, and be ready, like Simeon, to depart in peace.

Verse 39. "And when Joseph and Mary had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city Nazareth."

Prayer.

We wait for thy salvation, Lord. We believe that though thou didst for our sakes take the form of a little child, that thou mightest become our Saviour, thou wilt come again in glory to judge the world. Oh, grant that we may wait thy coming, serving thee night and day. Grant that we may make thy holy word our study and delight. May thy promises be our strength, that we may long for thine appearing, and be ready at thy word to depart in peace. Amen.

XI.

If Joseph and Mary went immediately from Jerusalem to Nazareth, they stayed there but a little time, for they went again to Bethlehem where Jesus had been born, probably intending to live there, it having been the town to which their family rightly belonged. They had hardly left Jerusalem when all the people there were much astonished by wise men coming

from a far country in the east, asking everywhere for a newborn child that was to be king of the Jews. They said,

MATTHEW ii. 2.

"Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the East, and are come to worship him.”

The promise that God had all along given, that He would send a Saviour, was already known by many people besides the Jews. In many countries they had heard what the Prophets had said, and now that the time was come, there was everywhere an expectation that very soon, in the land of Judea, where the Jews lived, a great Prince would be born, for people thought that by a Saviour, was meant one who would save them from their enemies, and not from their sins. I told you before that, at this time there was a mighty kingdom called Rome, which had gotten the better of all the other kingdoms, and did what they liked with the people in all the rest of the world. Though every body was obliged to submit, nobody liked it, and so all men who had heard of the promised Saviour, hoped that He was to be a great king and warrior, who would fight against Rome, and destroy the powers of the proud Romans. You must remember this, for it will explain to you why the Jewish people were afterwards so angry with the Lord Jesus, when they found that it was from sin He came to save them. They were so disappointed that they hated him, for they cared only for this world, and gave themselves no concern about their sins at all. But these wise men who came from the East to seek for him, must have been really wise, for they came to worship him.

At the time of the birth of the infant Jesus, they were astonished by seeing a bright light in the skies, like a star; and God made known to them that this was a sign that the Saviour was at last come, "a light to lighten the Gentiles." You remember that I told you, all people who were not Jews, were called Gentiles, and these wise men were not Jews, they were

Gentiles. They had long watched for this time, and now they knew it was come they were so glad, that they immediately set out on their long journey, to find the new-born king.

Some have thought that the star which the wise men saw in the East, was the reflection of the glory of the Lord, "which shone round about the angel who appeared on the very same night to the shepherds to tell them the good news. Perhaps it was. We know that many wise men in the East-country made a study of the stars, and watched the skies by night, so that they might see, what other men who were asleep, could not see. And it is always so. They who have a little light, to them shall more be given. They, who like these wise men, watch for God's truth, to them shall his truths be made clearly known. Matthew xxv. 29. These wise men lived at a great distance from where the shepherds watched their flocks in the plains of Bethlehem. So far away were they, that all I have told you about the infant Jesus being taken to Jerusalem to be presented in the Temple, may have taken place while they were on their journey. Jerusalem was the chief city of Judea, so the wise men went there to make inquiry, as the best way of finding out where the new-born King was to be found? No doubt they went to the principal men of the city, saying "where is he that is born King of the Jews?" This made so great a stir, that it came to the ears of Herod the king, who was put into great fear by the news that a child was born who was to be king, as he thought, instead of him. Herod was an old man-he had grown old in wickedness and in cruelty. There are books yet remaining which give the history of this time; they tell how he so hated every one who he thought might be made king instead of him, that he put to death his own sons, one after another, as they grew up. You may think then, what he felt when he heard what the wise men said. It is written

Verse 3. "When Herod, the king, heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."

The people who lived in Jerusalem had seen so much blood shed by this wicked old king, and had suffered so much from his cruelty, that they now expected he would do some dreadful thing to rid himself of the new-born Prince. Neither he nor they understood what sort of king the Saviour was to be, and so they were troubled at the very thing that should have filled them with joy. How often it is so with ourselves; we are so afraid of the dangers we think near, that we cannot feel the comfort we might in the Saviour, who can save us from all danger. King Herod knew very well that the prophets had foretold the birth of one who the Jews were accustomed to call the "Messiah," or "the Anointed." In olden times it was the custom to anoint kings with oil in the name of God, so that the name Messiah, or Anointed, shows that the Jews expected Christ, when he came, to be a king. It is always done still in this very country in which we live; and our own kings and queens are anointed when they are crowned.

Herod thought by his power and his cunning, to prevent these prophecies of the Holy Messiah from coming true. Foolish man! Who can fight against God?

Verses 4-6. "And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet; And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."

It is very clear from this, that Herod, though a wicked man, believed that the Bible spake true, since he asked what it said