not either keep them from repairing to Jerusalem, or send them away immaturely. Worldly cares must give place to the sacred. Except we will depart unblest, we must attend God's services till we may receive his dismission.-HALL. As they returned. The feast ended, what should they do but return to Nazareth? God's services may not be so attended, as that we should neglect our particular callings. They are foully mistaken, that think God cares for no other trade but devotion; piety and diligence must keep meet changes with each other. Neither doth God less iver. 52. ch. i. 80.- Ex. xxiii. 15, 17; & xxxiv. 23. accept of our return to Nazareth Deut. xvi. 1. 16.- Mat. vii. 28. Mark i. 22. ch. iv. 22, 82. John vii. 15, 46.-m John ii. 16.-n ch. ix. 45 ; & xviii. 34.-o ver. 19. Dan. vii. 28.-p 1 Sam. ii. 26. ver. 40.-1 Or, age. READER. When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.-The child Jesus, in the minority of his age, went up with his parents to the holy solemnity; not this year only, but in all likelihood, others also. He, in the power of whose Godhead, and by the motion of whose Spirit, all others ascended thither, would not himself stay at home. In all his examples, he meant our instruction. This pious act of his non-age intended to lead our first years into timely devotion.-HALL. And when they had fulfilled the days. The blessed family came not to look at the feast and be gone; but they duly staid out the appointed days of unleavened bread. They, and the rest of Israel could not want household business at home; those secular affairs could than our going up to Jerusalem.— HALL. The child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.-I cannot think that the blessed Virgin, or good Joseph, could be so negligent of their divine charge, as not to call the child Jesus to their setting forth from Jerusalem. But their back was no sooner turned upon the temple, than his face was towards it. He had business in that place when theirs was ended; there he was both worHe in shipped and represented. whom the Godhead dwelt bodily could do nothing without God; his true father led him away from his supposed. Sometimes the affairs of our ordinary vocation may not grudge to yield to spiritual occasions. -HALL. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey.-It was the fashion of those times and places, that they went up, and so returned, by troops, to these set meetings of their holy festivals. The whole parish of Nazareth went and came together. Good fellowship doth no way so well as in the passage to heaven; much comfort is added by society to that society which of itself is pleasant. It is a happy word "Come, let us go up to the house of the Lord." Mutual encouragement is none of the least benefit of our holy assemblies. Many sticks laid together make a good fire, which, if they be single, lose both their light and heat.-HALL. And they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. (Sorrowing. ver. 48). O dear Saviour, who can miss and not mourn for thee? Never any soul conceived thee by faith, that was less afflicted with the sense of thy desertion than comforted with the joy of thy presence. Just is that sorrow, and those tears seasonable, that are bestowed upon thy loss. What comfort are we capable of, while we want thee? What relish is there in these earthly delights without thee? What is there to mitigate our passionate discomforts, if not from thee? Let thyself loose, O my soul, to the fulness of sorrow, when thou findest thyself bereaved of him, in whose presence is fulness of joy; and deny to receive comfort from any thing, save from his return.-HALL. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. In vain is Christ sought among his kindred according to the flesh so far are they still from giving us : their aid to find the true Messias, that they lead us from him. Back again, therefore, are Joseph and Mary gone to seek him at Jerusalem. She goes about in the city, by the streets, and by the open places, and seeks him whom her soul loveth: she sought him for the time and found him not. O Saviour, thou hast said, and cannot lie, "I am with you to the end of the world:" but even while thou art really present, thou thinkest good to be absent to our apprehensions. Yet, if thou leave us, thou wilt not forsake us; if thou leave us for our humiliation, thou wilt not forsake us to our final discomfort.HALL. And it came to pass, after that three days, they found him in the temple. O Saviour, thou mayest for three days hide thyself, but then we shall find thee in the temple. None ever sought thee with a sincere desire of whom thou wert not found. Thou wilt not be either so little absent as not to whet our appetites, nor so long as to fainten the heart.-O all ye that are grieved with the want of your Saviour, see where ye must seek him! In vain shall ye hope to find him in the streets, in the taverns, in the theatres, seek him in his holy temple, seek him with piety, seek him with faith; there shall ye meet him, there shall ye recover him.-HALL. Sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing and asking them questions.-While children of that age were playing in the streets, Christ was found sitting in the temple; not to gaze on the outward glory of that house, or on the golden candlesticks | Zachary, Simeon, Anna, had premoor tables, but to hear and oppose nished you? Fruitless is the wonder the doctors. He who, as God, gave that endeth not in faith; no light is them all the wisdom they had, as the sufficient where the eyes are held Son of Man hearkens to the wisdom through unbelief or prejudice. HALL. he had given them. He who sat in And when they saw him, they were their hearts as the author of all amazed; and his mother said unto him, learning and knowledge, sits in the Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? midst of their school as an humble Behold thy Father and I have sought disciple: that, by learning of them, thee sorrowing. Questionless, this he might teach all the younger sort gracious saint would not, for all the humility, and due attendance upon world, have willingly preferred her their instructors. He could at the own attendance to that of her God: first have taught the great rabbins through heedlessness she does so. of Israel the deep mysteries of God: Her Son and Saviour is her monitor, but because he was not yet called by out of his divine love reforming her his Father to the public function of a natural. How is it that ye sought me ? teacher, he contents himself to hear Wist ye not that I must be about with diligence, and to ask with my Father's business? Immediately modesty, and to teach only by in- before, the blessed Virgin had said, sinuation. Let those consider this "Thy father and I have sought thee." which needs run as soon as they can Wherein, both according to the supgo; and, when they find ability, position of the world she calls Joseph think they need not stay for a further the father of Christ, and, according to vocation of God or men.-HALL. the fashion of a dutiful wife she names her Joseph before herself. She well knew that Joseph had nothing but a name in this business; she knew how God had dignified her beyond him; yet she says, Thy father and I sought thee. The Son of God stands not upon contradiction to his mother, but, leading her thoughts from his supposed father to his true, from earth to heaven, he answers, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" How well contented was holy Mary with so just an answer. How doth she now again, in her heart, renew her answer to the angel, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word!" And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. Their eyes saw nothing but human weakness, their ears heard divine sublimity of matter; betwixt what they saw, and what they heard, they could not but be distracted with a doubting admiration. And why did ye not, O ye Jewish teachers, remember, that "to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace?" Why did ye not now bethink yourselves, what the star, the sages, the angels, the shepherds, We are all the the sons of God in another kind. Nature and the world think we should attend them. We are not worthy to say we have a Father in heaven, if we cannot steal perfection.-BAXTER. away from these earthly distractions, and employ ourselves in the services of our God.-HALL. and complacence loveth all things so far as they are lovely, so approved and loved his humanity more, as it grew more in act and habit towards And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them; but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. Christ submitted in his humanity to a state of infancy; sanctifying that state, and shewing that, as an infant was yet, in title, king and head of the church, so infants may be members of him and it. He also, in his childhood, subjected himself to his supposed father, and to his mother, reverencing them, and obeying them, both as part of his meritorious humiliation, and to sanctify a state of subjection, and become a pattern thereof to us all. And it will greatly condemn proud rebellious children and youth who will not obey the just government of parents (but their fleshly appetites and lusts), that the Son of God incarnate condescended to subjection. Mary's laying up all these sayings was the working of her faith and hope, perceiving that God was going on to fulfil the promises made to her.-BAXTER. HYMN. Eternal source of ev'ry joy, Seasons and months, and weeks and days, Here in thy house shall incense rise O may our more harmonious tongues § CLX. Doddridge. CHAP. III. 1—14. The preaching and baptism of John, Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. His human nature increased, as in stature, so in actual human and Lysanias the tetrarch of knowledge, and its habits, knowing more as man than he knew in infancy. Abilene. 2 "Annas and Caiaphas beAnd God, who by way of approbation ing the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways demanded of him, saying, And shall be made smooth; e what shall we do? And he said 6 And all flesh shall see the unto them, Do violence to no salvation of God. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, ' O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. man, " neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. a John xi. 49, 51 ; & xviii. 13. Acts iv. 6.—6 Mat. iil. 1. Mark i. 4.-c ch. i. 77.-d Is. xl. 3. Mat. iii. 3. Mark i. 3. John i. 23.-e Ps. xcviii. 2. Is. lii. 10. ch. ii. 10. Mat. ii. 7-1 Or, meet for.- Mat. vii. 19-h Acts ii. xi. 41. 2 Cor. viii. 14. Jam. ii. 15, 16. 1 Joha 17; & iv. 20.-k Mat. xxi 32. ch. vii. 29.4 ch. xix. 8. - Or, Put no man in fear,-m Ex. xxiii. 1. Lev. xix. 11-Or, allowance. See § X. § CLXI. CHAP. III. 15-20. John's testimony of Christ. Herod imprisoneth John. 15 And as the people were "in expectation, and all men |