Samaritans. Mongrel professors, partly heathen, partly Jews, the offspring of the Assyrians sent to Samaria.

Apostles. Missionaries, or persons sent. They who were sent by our Saviour were from their number called the Twelve.

Bishops. Successors of the Apostles in the government of the

church.

Deacons. Officers chosen by the Apostles to take care of the poor. Angels of Churches. Their bishops.

Presbyters or Elders. An order of clergy next in rank to the bishops.

CHAPTER X.

Vision of Zacharias-Angelic Mission to Mary-Birth of John the Baptist-Of our Lord-Announced by Angels to the Shepherds; by a Star to the Magi-Massacre at Bethlehem-Flight of the holy Family into Egypt-Their Return-Christ among the Rabbins-His Baptism-Temptation in the Wilderness-Commences his public Career-Miracles at Cana, &c.-Objections stated and answered.

B. C. 1. TO A. d. 28.

We have now arrived at a stage in our history when it becomes no longer necessary to follow the fortunes of any particular people, but to elucidate the progress of certain stupendous events, towards the accomplishment of which all that had hitherto occurred in the world was subordinate. We have seen with what patience Almighty God bore with the waywardness of his creatures, granting them from time to time revelations of his will, each more perfect than the other, and training them, as a father trains his children, for the last and greatest of his dispensations. We have beheld how he dealt with the patriarchs from age to age, till tho spread of corruption became such as to render a more particular election necessary; and with what care he provided that the Mosaic covenant should be kept entire, till it had served its destined purpose. That purpose was now accomplished; for, not in Judea alone, but throughout the whole extent of the civilized world, men began to feel that they knew not God, and to long for a more intimate and spiritual communication with their Maker. To this end, indeed, the punishments of the rebellious Israelites had mainly contri

buted, for whithersoever they went they carried the Scriptures along with them, which, being translated as already described into Greek, were studied more generally than they could otherwise have been. Thus were mankind gradually

prepared for the coming of that Seed which had been promised to our first parents in Paradise, while the way was paved for the introduction into the world of Him "who hath brought life and immortality to light by the gospel."

It was in the year from the creation 5411, from the building of Rome 753, Augustus Cæsar swaying the sceptre of the Roman empire, and Herod the Great filling the dependent throne of Judea, that a certain priest named Zacharias, while performing the duties of his office in the temple at Jerusalem, was addressed in a very remarkable manner by a very remarkable personage. Zacharias was in the act of burning incense within the sanctuary, the people offering up their customary prayers in the outer court, when an angel suddenly stood beside him, and informed him, in a tone of encouragement, "that his wife should bear a son," to whom his parents were commanded to give the name of John. "He shall be great," continued the heavenly messenger, "in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the

children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Zacharias, as may readily be imagined, was overwhelmed with awe and alarm, though his conviction that the being who addressed him was not of mortal mould sufficed not to dispel the doubts and misgivings to which a consideration of facts as they existed gave rise. His wife Elizabeth, a daughter of the house of Aaron, had never yet borne a child; she was now arrived at a time of life when in the ordinary course of nature such an occurrence was impossible; and Zacharias, more mindful of these circumstances than of the power of Him by whom nature's laws are given, ventured to demand some visible sign that God's precious promise would be fulfilled. The angel did not refuse to comply with this bold request. He granted to the doubting priest such a

sign as served at once to allay his suspicions and punish his want of faith, by informing him that he should continue dumb till after the birth now foretold should have taken place.

Zacharias accordingly went forth from the sanctuary deprived of the faculty of speech; he returned home in the same predicament, and so continued till the passage of time brought about the full accomplishment of the angel's prediction.

About six months after Zacharias had been thus honoured the same heavenly messenger was despatched to Nazareth, a little city of Galilee, where dwelt a cousin of Elizabeth's, a virgin, by name Mary, who was betrothed to a man of her own tribe, Joseph, by trade a carpenter. Joseph and Mary, though possessing few of this world's goods, were both of them lineally descended from King David; the former through Solomon, his eldest, the latter through Nathan, his second son by Bath-sheba.* They thus united in their own persons every legitimate claim upon the crown of Judah, but they lived in times when right had long given place to might; and neither of them appears ever to have conceived the idea of asserting the justice of their pretensions. Their royal descent, however, though unprofitable in a political point of view, rendered them fit instruments in the hand of God, who determined through Mary to fulfil the promise which he had made in successive generations to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to David.

It is scarcely necessary to state, that a custom prevailed among the descendants of Jacob of betrothing a bride to her future husband long before her age or other contingencies would permit the marriage to be consummated. In this situation Mary stood towards Joseph, her faith having been voluntarily pledged, though circumstances had hitherto prevented the engagement from being fulfilled, when the

*See the genealogical tables of St. Mark and St. Luke; the former of which refers to Joseph's, while the latter describes Mary's descent. In our version, indeed, St. Luke, like St. Matthew, appears to speak of Joseph's family only; but the error here is in the translation. Verse 23 of chap. iii., which in the English version runs thus, "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli," ought to have been rendered, "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, but in reality the son (or grandson by the mother's side, for such was truly the case) of Heli."

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celestial messenger suddenly entered her apartment, and saluted her as one "blessed among women." She was told that "she had found favour with God," that "she should conceive in her womb, and bring forth a son, whom she should call Jesus; that he should be great, and be called the Son of the Highest; that the Lord God would give unto him the throne of his father David; that he should reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and that of his kingdom there should be no end."

Mary, as was natural in one conscious of perfect innocence, received the announcement with undisguised wonder; but when the angel went on to assure her that Jehovah himself would be the immediate cause of the phenomenon, every feeling of distrust and apprehension vanished. The pious maiden expressed her perfect readiness to become an instrument in God's hand for the furtherance of his great work; and the angel left her, not less grateful than astonished at her own good fortune.

The angel was scarcely departed when Mary, to whom he had communicated the fact of her aged relative's pregnancy, determined to visit Elizabeth without delay; for which purpose she proceeded to the hill-country, where Zacharias resided. She was received by Elizabeth with a hymn or song of holy triumph, in which the latter pronounced her to be blessed above her sex; and in the spirit of prophecy assured her that not a tittle of all that had been foretold by the heavenly messenger would fall to the ground. Mary replied to this salutation in a tone not dissimilar to that which marked her cousin's manner; and the friends dwelt together for nearly three months in harmony and peace.

In the mean while the hour drew nigh which was to witness the completion of God's promise to Zacharias; and Elizabeth, soon after her cousin's return to Nazareth, was safely delivered of a son. The friends and relatives of the child, being assembled, would have bestowed upon him the name of his father; but Zacharias, calling for his tablets, wrote the word John, which was of course received as the future appellation of the boy. Instantly the string of his tongue was loosed, and he uttered a song of mingled thanksgiving to Jehovah, and of prophetic declaration as to the - fortunes and future office of his son.

Things were in this state when Joseph, finding himself so circumstanced as to carry into effect his marriage-contract with Mary, removed her to his own house; where his feelings may be more easily imagined than described, when he discovered that she was considerably advanced in pregnancy. Being of a humane and amiable temper, and probably much attached to her, his heart revolted at the idea of exposing his frail bride to the fate which the law would have awarded; but as he could not bear up against the disgrace which he believed to have been put upon his house, he determined to give her a bill of divorcement, and privately dismiss her. On the very night, however, preceding the day when this resolution was to have been carried into force, a vision from on high was vouchsafed to him, which at once explained the true state of the case, and determined him how to act. He received Mary as she deserved to be received, and treated her ever after not merely with kindness but with the utmost deference and delicacy.

The classical scholar need not be told that periodical enrolments of the citizens of Rome took place as well under the consular as under the imperial government. This practice, which had heretofore prevailed only among the Romans properly so called, Augustus extended over the entire compass of the empire; and treating Judea rather as a province than a dependent kingdom, he had, some years prior to the occurrences recorded above, issued orders that there as well as elsewhere a census should be held. Circumstances, however, intervened to prevent the execution of the edict till the period when the Redeemer was about to appear in the flesh; but the edict itself being then renewed persons of every family prepared to obey it. Joseph and Mary set out with the rest to be registered in the principal city of their tribe. The city in question was Bethlehem, the native place of David, the illustrious ancestor of their house, and thither the favourite pair turned their steps. They found it crowded with travellers, who occupied every place of accommodation, insomuch that they were compelled to seek shelter in that quarter of the inn or caravansary in which the cattle and horses were penned; and there, "the days being accomplished that she should be delivered," the blessed virgin brought forth her son. "She wrapped him," says St Luke, “in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger."