Part 12

An edict is issued by Augustus Cæsar, enjoining all the subjects of the Roman empire to repair to their several cities, in order to have their names enrolled for a general taxation. In obedience to this imperial decree, Joseph, the espoused husband of Mary, is obliged to leave Nazareth, the place of his residence, and take a journey to Bethlehem the city of David, to be enrolled there, because he was of the house and lineage of David. Mary, his espoused wife, though "great with child," accompanies him. A most remarkable interposition of Divine Providence appears in the whole transaction. The prophets had foretold, that the MESSIAH should be born at Bethlehem, and that he should descend from the family of David. The Roman emperor's decree was rendered subservient to the accomplishment of these prophecies. Mary was thereby brought to Bethlehem, and delivered of the MESSIAH, and her descent from the royal line of David was publickly recognized.

Ver. 6. "And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished, that she should be delivered."

Ver. 7. "And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

A plain but affecting narrative! The apartments of the inn, we may suppose, were occupied by more honourable guests. The Virgin Mother was content to retire to a stable, and to lie down among brutes. Hapless Mary! we are ready to exclaim--is it thus, that the promises of the Angel are to be accomplished? Is this to be "highly favoured?" And are these the blessings, by which thou art to be distinguished from the rest of thy sex? Must thy spotless Babe, at the very instant of his birth, enter upon his Labour of Love? and must the stable at Bethlehem be the first scene of that awful drama, which was afterwards closed on the trembling top of Calvary?

But in what manner was the appearance of this illustrious Babe made known to the world? Should not the princes and great ones of the earth have had proper intelligence of his arrival, that they might have hastened from their several kingdoms and provinces, thrown themselves at his feet, paid him the homage due to his exalted character, and obliged all their subjects to do the same? No--."GOD'S thoughts are not as man's thoughts, neither are his ways as man's ways." The same reason for which he thought proper to send his Angel to the humble Mary, induced him now to give the first notice of his SON'S birth to a few simple shepherds.

Ver. 8. "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."

Ver. 9. "And lo, the Angel of the LORD came upon them, and the Glory of the LORD shone round about them, and they were sore afraid."

The pastoral life was once thought to be the happiest and most innocent life upon earth. Far from the noise of cities, and the hurry of the busy world, free from its anxieties, and ignorant of many of its vices, they enjoyed the full tranquillity of the rural scene. As their flocks were their only care, they had abundant leisure for meditation and prayer. As they had no schemes of interest or ambition to accomplish, they were plain, unprejudiced, and undesigning men. A few of these shepherds were in the fields, bordering upon Bethlehem, watching by turns their sheep the whole night, as was the custom of the country; when their senses were suddenly struck with a great and unusual glare of light, in the midst of which appeared an Angel of GOD, bright and glorious. They were confounded with the excessive splendor. They trembled, and were sore afraid. But the Angel, with all the sweetness and chearfulness of Heaven in his countenance, thus comfortably addressed them:

Ver. 10. "Fear not: for, behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Ver. 11. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is CHRIST the LORD."

Be not afraid! I am come, not to terrify you, but to bring you great and joyous tidings, in which not yourselves only, but the whole nation of the Jews, yea, all the inhabitants of the world, are deeply interested! For he, of whom all the prophets prophesied, and whom all the people of Israel have, according to the promise of GOD, long and ardently expected, even the MESSIAH, the Saviour and Deliverer, is this night born in Bethlehem, the city of David.

Ver. 12. "And this shall be a sign unto you--" a sign, by which you shall know him, the moment you enter into his presence--"ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

Scarce had the Angel delivered his message, when a whole choir of his celestial brethren burst forth with additional splendors from the midnight sky, and saluted the shepherds' ears with a birth-day anthem.

Ver. 13. "And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising GOD, and saying:" Ver. 14. "Glory to GOD in the highest; and on earth peace, good-will towards men!"

No expressions of joy could have been more admirably adapted than these, to so glorious an occasion: for the glory of the Divine Majesty was most eminently displayed in that gracious message of peace and reconciliation, of Love and Good-Will, which was here published to the world. If those pure and perfect Intelligences could thus testify their transport upon an event, in which an inferior order of beings were more immediately concerned; surely, that order are continually bound to render the highest and most grateful returns of praise, acknowledgment, and love!

For us men, and for our Salvation, a GOD becomes incarnate. The ETERNAL WORD clothes himself in clay. He assumes our nature in its most helpless state; and is born, like one of us, a naked, weak, and wailing Babe. Thus began the mighty process of Redeeming Love! To rescue us from the misery of a fallen life; to restore the Divine Image to our souls; to regain, for us, that state of rectitude, of union and communion with GOD, which we had lost in Adam; and completely to repair the ruins of nature were the benevolent purposes, which the GOD of LOVE determined to accomplish by sending into the world his only-begotten SON. Well, therefore, might the inhabitants of Heaven, at the prospect of such ineffable goodness and condescension, break forth, enraptured, into these sublime and joyous strains: "Glory to GOD in the highest; and on earth Peace, Good-Will towards men!"

Ver. 15. "And it came to pass, as the Angels were gone away from them into Heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us now go, even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the LORD hath made known unto us."

They did not stay to "confer with flesh and blood;" to reason, and doubt, and hesitate, whether this might not be a delusion; but, in the true simplicity of faith, improved the heavenly warning, and hastened to Bethlehem, in full assurance of meeting with every thing conformable to the notice they had received.

Ver. 16. "And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."

Glorious confirmation and reward of the shepherds' faith! O that all who call themselves Christians, would with the same child-like simplicity surrender themselves to JESUS CHRIST! They have frequent and sufficient warnings of his kind intentions towards them. They are assured, that he is the Light and Life of men; and that if they apply to him, they will receive the most salutary manifestations of this Life and Light in their souls. Were they to listen and obey these warnings, and go as they are directed, they would as surely find this Heavenly Babe in their hearts, as the shepherds found him in the stable at Bethlehem.

Ver. 17. "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child."

In like manner, the true Believer, who hath experienced the operation of the Spirit of GOD bearing witness with his spirit, that the Child JESUS is born in his heart, cannot but "make known abroad," what he has felt and experienced of this spiritual birth, though his testimony rarely produces any better effects upon his hearers, than that of wonder and astonishment.

Ver. 18. "And all they that heard it, wondered at those things, which were told them by the shepherds."

"They were greatly amazed, and at a loss to know, what to make of the report. They could not think it likely, that such a set of plain, honest, undesigning men should have formed the story, and should go about to impose it on the world. They could not but know, indeed, that their testimony was strengthened by a general expectation, at that time, of the MESSIAH'S appearance, and by the prevailing opinion that his birth would be at Bethlehem: yet they were astonished, that he should be born of such mean parents, and in such despicable circumstances; and that persons of such low figure as these shepherds, should be the men to whom GOD had sent an Angel to reveal it."

From the conduct of the shepherds, the Evangelist passes to that of the Blessed Virgin, which differs much from theirs, as might indeed be expected from her different situation and circumstances. For whereas, "they made known abroad the saying that was told them concerning this child," we are assured, that

Ver. 19. "Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."

By "these things," we are doubtless to understand the whole series of astonishing events, from the first salutation of the Angel, to this visit of the shepherds.

Under the power of these reflections, methinks I see the Blessed Mother, bending disconsolate over her shivering infant! Her countenance speaks a thousand tender emotions of her heart! It is a look, composed of deep anxiety, maternal fondness, compassion and love inexpressible! In her varying features one may read too the varying sensibilities of her soul.

Sweet heavenly babe! How mild, how serenely soft thy aspect! How seemingly satisfied with thy hard allotment! Surely the bleak winds will pierce thy tender frame! Surely the rugged winter means not to relent for thee! And yet the Messenger of Heaven hath assured me, that thou shouldst be a JESUS, a SAVIOUR; that thou shouldst be called the SON OF THE HIGHEST; that thou shouldst sit upon the throne of DAVID, and that of thy kingdom there should be no end. But where are the ensigns of royalty? where are the tokens of thy illustrious birth? Instead of a sumptuous palace, thou art lodged in a loathsome stable. No bed of down receives thy precious limbs! No warm and comfortable apartments shield thee from the rude inclemencies of the air! A manger is thy cradle! And thy poor indigent mother seems, under Providence, to be thine only support! No courtiers attend to bow the knee, to pay the customary homage due to royalty, and bid thee welcome to the throne of Israel. A few simple shepherds have indeed been here, and tendered thee their honest obeisance! They told too a wondrous tale, from the several circumstances of which, I am now more and more persuaded, that the finger of GOD is here; that his Veracity spoke in the salutation of the Angel; that his Power and Goodness will be exalted by thy present Humiliation; and that I must henceforth feel more than a mother's fondness, and look upon thee, sweet Babe! as my LORD, my LIFE, and my REDEEMER.

Such were the astonishing circumstances that employed the attention of Mary; and thus it was, that "she kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." She did not publish her sentiments to the world. She did not court the honour and respect of men, by displaying the dignity of her babe, or telling abroad what she knew concerning him; but satisfied with her own conviction, humbly waited, till Providence should make use of some other means to acquaint the world with these "tidings of great joy."

If now, like Mary, we seriously attend to, and ponder in our hearts all the amazing circumstances of this great event, we cannot fail, I think, of learning from thence a lesson of Humility. This amiable and peculiarly Christian grace, is the foundation and ground-work of every other excellence and perfection. Without it, we can have no pretensions to Christianity; we are strangers to the Truth and Spirit of the Gospel: "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot be my disciples!" As long as pride, vanity, arrogance, and inordinate self-love, keep possession of thy soul, be assured, O man, that the Babe of Bethlehem will not take up his residence with thee! In order to invite this Heavenly Guest to thine heart, it must be as empty and free from worldly ornaments, as was the stable in which he was born. "Be ye then cloathed with humility." This plain and modest garb best becomes the disciples of so meek a Master. Thou must feel thyself very poor, before thou canst be rich in CHRIST. Thou must part with all that thou hast, for this Pearl of great Price; and must come to him as naked and helpless as a new-born babe, in a true child-like simplicity of faith. It is this alone can give thee sweet tranquillity of soul, even that "peace of GOD, which passeth all understanding;" that "white stone and new name, which no man knoweth, save him that receiveth it." Thy soul will then "magnify the LORD, and thy spirit will rejoice in GOD thy SAVIOUR."

This inward spiritual change, is not the consequence of a bare meditation upon the circumstances of our Lord's nativity, a simple assent to, or belief of, the historical account given by the Evangelist. No, it arises from an experience of the whole process in our own souls. In vain was this Divine Infant born into the world, unless he is likewise born in our hearts, not figuratively born, which is no birth at all, but manifesting himself by a vital and essential union with our spirits. This is regeneration, our new-birth, our birth to light, and life, and glory. Those who have experienced this, must taste and feel, in some degree, the raptures of those exalted spirits, who dwell continually in the Beatifying Presence of their Master. They are raised above flesh and blood: "It is not they that live, but CHRIST that liveth in them." They are sensible of the daily growth of that Heavenly Nature, which they receive from him, and which diffuseth a light through their souls, that "shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Like the shepherds returning from Bethlehem, they are continually "glorifying and praising GOD for all the things that they have heard and seen."

The End of VOL. I.

Transcriber's Notes:

Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.

Typographical errors were silently corrected.

Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant form was found in this book.

Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).