Rights for this book: Public domain in the USA. This edition is published by Project Gutenberg. Originally issued by Project Gutenberg on 2012-01-12. To support the work of Project Gutenberg, visit their Donation Page. This free ebook has been produced by GITenberg, a program of the Free Ebook Foundation. If you have corrections or improvements to make to this ebook, or you want to use the source files for this ebook, visit the book's github repository. You can support the work of the Free Ebook Foundation at their Contributors Page. The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Granny's Chapters", by Lady Mary Ross This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: "Granny's Chapters" (on scriptural subjects) Author: Lady Mary Ross Release Date: January 12, 2012 [EBook #38557] Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GRANNY'S CHAPTERS" *** Produced by Delphine Lettau, Jen Haines and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "GRANNY'S CHAPTERS" (ON SCRIPTURAL SUBJECTS) BY LADY MARY ROSS. THE NEW TESTAMENT, WITH A SKETCH OF THE SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF THE JEWS. NEW EDITION. LONDON: HATCHARDS, PICCADILLY. 1882. PREFACE TO VOLUME IV. T HE New Testament has been treated in a manner somewhat different to that adopted in regard to the Books of the Old Testament. The object has been, to sketch out the earthly Life of our Blessed Lord, and to draw attention to a few important points. It was obviously impossible to dwell particularly upon the details of every Miracle, Parable, and Conversation, recorded by the Evangelists. Nor was such a course necessary. The language of the Gospels is so simple and clear, that details are better read from Holy Writ itself. That this volume may lead the young to a reverent study of our Saviour's character, and an earnest endeavour to "follow the blessed steps of His most Holy Life," is the earnest prayer of the Author. MARY ROSS. November, 1871. CONTENTS (Transcriber's Note: This table of contents is added for readers' convenience, it does not appear in original book) PREFACE TO VOLUME IV PART I. C HAPTER I. JOHN THE BAPTIST BORN. C HAPTER II. BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. C HAPTER III. FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. C HAPTER IV THE INNOCENTS. C HAPTER V BAPTISM OF JESUS. C HAPTER VI. JESUS TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL C HAPTER VII. THE FIRST MIRACLE. C HAPTER VIII. NICODEMUS COMES BY NIGHT TO JESUS. C HAPTER IX. JOHN PUT INTO PRISON. C HAPTER X. CALLING OF SIMON AND OTHERS. C HAPTER XI. THE LEPER HEALED. C HAPTER XII. CALLING OF MATTHEW. C HAPTER XIII. THE PHARISEES' PRETENDED ZEAL FOR THE SABBATH. C HAPTER XIV THE APOSTLES CHOSEN. C HAPTER XV JESUS IN SIMON'S HOUSE. C HAPTER XVI. STILLING THE TEMPEST, ETC. C HAPTER XVII. DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. C HAPTER XVIII. THE WOMAN OF TYRE. C HAPTER XIX. THE TRANSFIGURATION. C HAPTER XX. JESUS GOES TO THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. C HAPTER XXI. RETURN OF THE SEVENTY. C HAPTER XXII. THE LORD'S PRAYER. C HAPTER XXIII. HEALING OF THE MAN BORN BLIND. C HAPTER XXIV JESUS'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM. C HAPTER XXV ZACCHÆUS AND LAZARUS. C HAPTER XXVI. JESUS IN THE HOUSE OF SIMON THE LEPER C HAPTER XXVII. CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM. C HAPTER XXVIII. THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN. C HAPTER XXIX. DISCOURSES ON THE TUESDAY. C HAPTER XXX. WEDNESDAY—JUDAS COVENANTS TO BETRAY JESUS. C HAPTER XXXI. MODE OF CELEBRATING THE PASSOVER. C HAPTER XXXII. THE LAST SUPPER. C HAPTER XXXIII. JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. C HAPTER XXXIV JESUS BETRAYED. C HAPTER XXXV JESUS TAKEN BEFORE ANNAS AND CAIAPHAS. C HAPTER XXXVI. JESUS CONDEMNED BY CAIAPHAS. C HAPTER XXXVII. PETER'S THIRD DENIAL. C HAPTER XXXVIII. JESUS SENT BY PILATE TO HEROD. C HAPTER XXXIX. JESUS CONDEMNED. C HAPTER XL. JESUS CONDEMNED BY PILATE. C HAPTER XLI. JESUS CRUCIFIED. C HAPTER XLII. CHRIST ON THE CROSS. C HAPTER XLIII. JESUS DIES. C HAPTER XLIV JESUS RISES FROM THE SEPULCHRE. C HAPTER XLV CHRIST APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE. C HAPTER XLVI. JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES. C HAPTER XLVII. UNBELIEF OF THOMAS. C HAPTER XLVIII. JESUS TAKEN INTO HEAVEN. PART II. C HAPTER I. THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. C HAPTER II. THE LAME MAN HEALED BY PETER AND JOHN. C HAPTER III. ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. C HAPTER IV APPOINTMENT OF DEACONS. C HAPTER V THE FIRST MARTYR, STEPHEN. C HAPTER VI. CONVERSION OF SAUL. C HAPTER VII. SAUL JOINS THE CHURCH AT JERUSALEM. C HAPTER VIII. PETER AND CORNELIUS. C HAPTER IX. PETER DELIVERED FROM PRISON. C HAPTER X. SAUL AND BARNABAS CALLED TO PREACH TO THE GENTILES. C HAPTER XI. SAUL'S NAME CHANGED TO PAUL. C HAPTER XII. ST. PAUL'S FIRST APOSTOLIC JOURNEY. C HAPTER XIII. DECISION OF THE CHURCH AS TO OBSERVING THE MOSAICAL LAW. C HAPTER XIV PAUL AND SILAS AT PHILIPPI. C HAPTER XV ST. PAUL LEAVES PHILIPPI. C HAPTER XVI. ST. PAUL BEFORE THE AREOPAGUS. C HAPTER XVII. ST. PAUL FINISHES HIS SECOND APOSTOLIC JOURNEY. C HAPTER XVIII. ST. PAUL AND THE SONS OF SCEV A. C HAPTER XIX. ST. PAUL AT EPHESUS. C HAPTER XX. ST. PAUL'S JOURNEY TO MILETUS. C HAPTER XXI. ST. PAUL GOES UP TO JERUSALEM. C HAPTER XXII. TUMULT AT JERUSALEM. C HAPTER XXIII. ST. PAUL BROUGHT BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. C HAPTER XXIV ST. PAUL SENT TO CÆSAREA. C HAPTER XXV ST. PAUL ACCUSED BEFORE FELIX. C HAPTER XXVI. ST. PAUL BEFORE FESTUS. C HAPTER XXVII. ST. PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA. C HAPTER XXVIII. ST. PAUL BEGINS HIS FOURTH VOYAGE. C HAPTER XXIX. THE SHIP RUNS AGROUND. C HAPTER XXX. THE SHIP'S COMPANY SAVED. C HAPTER XXXI. ST. PAUL A PRISONER AT ROME. C HAPTER XXXII. ST. PAUL SET AT LIBERTY. C HAPTER XXXIII. MARTYRDOM OF ST. PAUL AND ST. PETER. C HAPTER XXXIV VESPASIAN SENT INTO JUDAEA. C HAPTER XXXV DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. C HAPTER XXXVI. ST. JOHN'S WRITINGS. C HAPTER XXXVII. THE DEATH OF ST. JOHN. C HAPTER XXXVIII. THE APOSTLES. PART III. C HAPTER I. THE JEWS TO THE TIME OF THE EMPEROR ADRIAN. C HAPTER II. STATE OF THE JEWS TO THE END OF THE THIRD CENTURY. C HAPTER III. JEWS IN THE FOURTH CENTURY. C HAPTER IV FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES. C HAPTER V RISE OF MAHOMETANISM. C HAPTER VI. TENTH AND ELEVENTH CENTURIES. C HAPTER VII. TWELFTH CENTURY. C HAPTER VIII. IMPOSTORS IN THE TWELFTH CENTURY. C HAPTER IX. THIRTEENTH CENTURY IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. C HAPTER X. THIRTEENTH CENTURY CONCLUDED. C HAPTER XI. END OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. C HAPTER XII. THE JEWS AND THE INQUISITION. C HAPTER XIII. TREATMENT OF THE JEWS BY FERDINAND. C HAPTER XIV SEPARATION IN THE CHURCH. C HAPTER XV SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES. C HAPTER XVI. CONCLUSION. P A R T I . C HAPTER I.—JOHN THE BAPTIST BORN. W E have now seen that the Sceptre had departed from Judah. The whole country was subject to the Romans, who had appointed Herod to govern it for them; and the time was now come when the blessed promises, that "the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head," and that "in the seed of Abraham all nations of the earth should be blessed," were to be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer; born of a woman, that thus being as Man upon the earth, He might suffer for man, and make that atonement for man, which He could only make because He was the Son of God. Unless the Messiah had been at once God and Man, He could have been no Saviour for man; no mediator between a holy God and His sinful creatures. Very soon after the death of Herod's sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, the last princes of the Asmonean family, the wonderful events related in the New Testament began to take place. No doubt we are all well acquainted with the story of the priest Zacharias, a good and holy man, who, whilst performing his duty in the house of God, saw an Angel standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Zacharias was an old man, and his wife Elisabeth was also an old woman, and therefore when the Angel told him that the Lord would work as great a miracle as He had done in Abraham's case, and give a son to Elisabeth, as He had given Isaac to Sarah, Zacharias must indeed have been greatly astonished. The Angel moreover told Zacharias, that this child, whom God would give him, was to be named John; and that he should be in an especial manner guided and protected by the Holy Spirit, for that he was to be the messenger spoken of by prophets, as sent to prepare the way for the Messiah, and give notice of His coming. Such particulars should have overcome any doubts which Zacharias might at the first moment have felt; but his faith failed him, and therefore, considering only the impossibility of such an event happening without the special interposition of the Lord, he, guided by sight and not by faith, presumed to ask for some sign, to assure him that what the Angel spake would really come to pass. This sinful unbelief was punished, even whilst his faithless request was granted; for Zacharias immediately lost the power of speaking, and remained speechless for many months: but his unbelief was gone, and he certainly made his wife Elisabeth acquainted with the promises and directions spoken by the Angel. About six months after this appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Zacharias, He "was sent from God, unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." The Angel told Mary, that she had been chosen by the Almighty to be the mother of the promised Messiah, whose birth was to be a miracle; inasmuch as He would have no earthly father, but should be called the Son of God. Gabriel also told Mary, that when she had brought forth her son, she should call His name Jesus; that is, a Saviour. Mary was greatly troubled when the Angel first spake to her, and when she expressed her wonder and astonishment, He comforted her, and told her that her cousin Elisabeth, the wife of Zacharias, was also about to become a mother; adding, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Mary's faith now showed itself, and she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." Meaning that she was willing to serve the Lord in everything, and suffer whatever might come upon her in consequence. For, as she had no husband whom she could name as the father of her Child, she was liable to punishment. When Joseph, to whom Mary was espoused, or promised in marriage, found that she would have a Son, he was astonished, and had some thoughts of putting her away from being his wife; but being a just, or good and kind man, he meant to do this quietly and secretly, or "privily," so as not to expose Mary to blame or punishment. But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, and told him not to fear about taking Mary to be his wife, for that the Holy Spirit had worked a great miracle, and that Mary was to be the mother of the promised Messiah; and as the Angel had said to Mary herself, so He now repeated to Joseph, "she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins." Then all Joseph's doubts and fears were at an end: he did as the Angel bade him, and thus was looked upon by men as the father of Mary's holy Son, who had in truth no Father but God. The Scripture tells us, "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel; which being interpreted is, God with us." That is, God taking the form and nature of man; living as man amongst men; dying as man for men. "Emmanuel—God with us." The next thing we read of is, that "Mary arose and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah" where Zacharias dwelt, that she might talk over with Elisabeth all those wonderful things which the angel Gabriel had said to her. "And she entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth"; who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, "spake out with a loud voice" words that must have greatly comforted Mary. Elisabeth told her, that she was blessed among women in being chosen for the mother of the Messiah, and said, "Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" meaning that she was not worthy of the honour of receiving in her house one who was to be the mother of the Son of God. Elisabeth ended by commending Mary for her faith and trust, saying, "blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Mary now uttered that beautiful hymn of praise, beginning, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." A hymn familiar to us all, as part of our Liturgy, or form of public worship, used in our Churches. This hymn, called "The Magnificat," is said or sung after the first Lesson in the Evening Service. Mary abode with her cousin for about three months, and then returned to her own home, at Nazareth, in Galilee. Not long after Mary's departure, John the Baptist was born; "Elisabeth brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child," and give him a name, as amongst us is done in Baptism; for Baptism in the Christian Church, takes the place of Circumcision in the Jewish Church. When the friends of Zacharias wished to give the infant his father's name, Elisabeth spoke out at once, and said, "He shall be called John." This surprised them so much, that they at once asked Zacharias "how he would have him called." Zacharias immediately, by signs, asked for a writing-table, or rather for a tablet, upon which to write, and then wrote down, "His name is John. And they marvelled all." They must have marvelled, or wondered, still more, when suddenly Zacharias recovered his power of speaking; for "his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and praised God." Now he could tell all that had happened to him, and how his unbelief in the Angel's promise had been punished by temporary dumbness. "And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judæa: and all they that heard" these things "laid them up in their hearts": took notice of them, and remembered them, "saying, What manner of child shall this be!" The extraordinary events connected with the birth of John, made all men believe that a child so born must be intended to do great things during his lifetime. Zacharias, inspired by the Holy Spirit, then uttered the hymn called "The Benedictus," sometimes said in our Churches after the second Lesson in the Morning Service, instead of the Psalm (c.), "Jubilate Deo," also belonging to our Liturgy. In this hymn, Zacharias praised and blessed God for the coming of the Saviour; and then, addressing the unconscious infant John, he foretold that he should be the messenger to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ, and incline men to listen to, and believe in, Him. Of John's infancy and childhood we are told nothing, except that he grew in body, and waxed strong in spirit, and that "the hand of the Lord was with him." "And he was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel." He passed a quiet and retired life, until he was called upon to baptize the people, and point to the Son of Mary as the Son of God; the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. C HAPTER II.—BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. M ARY and her husband Joseph lived at Nazareth, a town in Galilee not far from the lake of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee; and the prophets had declared that the Messiah should be born in "Bethlehem of Judah," a small place to the South of Jerusalem, nearly a hundred miles from Nazareth. That Mary should take such a long journey to a strange place, instead of staying quietly at home until her Child was born, was the most unlikely thing that could well be imagined. Here, therefore, we again see how wonderfully the Lord rules all things, and makes use of people who know nothing of Him, to do what He wills should be done. God now made use of a heathen Emperor, to accomplish His will, that Jesus Christ should be born in Bethlehem. The Roman Emperor Augustus, in order to know what taxes he could lay upon the different parts of his dominions, determined to take the number of the people who were subject to him; and in order to do this, he commanded that the name of every one should be written down. As Judæa was now under the dominion of the Romans, all the inhabitants of that country were obliged to put their names upon lists, prepared for the purpose: but all belonging to the same tribe or family were to go to one place, so that many of the Jews, who were scattered throughout the country, had to travel a long way to the place appointed for the registering of their tribe. Amongst these were Mary and Joseph, who were both "of the house and lineage of David"; that is, both were descended from David, who was of the tribe of Judah; and therefore Bethlehem was the place in which they must appear before the Roman officers, appointed to take down the names of all the people, and register, or make lists of them. The commands of the Roman Emperor were not to be disobeyed: and Mary and Joseph set out upon their long and fatiguing journey. Upon their arrival, they found the place so full of people come upon the same business, that there was no room for them in the inn, and they being poor, and not able to pay for better accommodation, were glad to lodge in a stable; and here, it pleased God, that Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life, the King of Glory, should be born: and Mary "brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger." But though born in a stable, unnoticed and uncared for by men, the Angels of God proclaimed the wonderful event to the Shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night. At that time, there was amongst the Jews, a general expectation that the Messiah would soon appear upon earth: those who believed all that God had made known by the prophets, seeing that the sceptre, or kingly power, had departed from Shiloh, were daily looking for the fulfilment of the blessed promise, and were ready to welcome the Saviour under any circumstances: of this number were the Shepherds, who, when they had heard the "good tidings of great joy," at once followed the direction to go to Bethlehem: and when they found all things there, exactly as the Angels had told them, they at once believed, and acknowledged the Infant as their Saviour; and "made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them of the Shepherds." They wondered; but alas! too many of them only wondered, and did not believe. The greater part of the Jews at this time had forsaken their God, and had become careless about pleasing Him. They expected a Messiah, but regardless of the prophets who had spoken such different things, they had formed their own notions on the subject, and looked for the Messiah to come as a king or conqueror, surrounded with pomp and splendour. These men would not believe that a helpless infant, born in a stable at Bethlehem, could be the Son of God, the promised Messiah, Who was to be the Saviour of the world: pride and unbelief led them to reject the Lord, even from His birth. Mary, who knew that her Son was no common child, marked everything that happened; "she kept all these things, and pondered," or thought over "them in her heart." Jesus Christ came not only to be a sacrifice for sin, but also an example of godly life; He was to fulfil all righteousness, and therefore, though He came to do away with the ceremonial Law, and establish a better covenant, He submitted to all the Ordinances of the Law, just as if He had been a sinful mortal. Thus on the eighth day He was circumcised, and publicly received the name of Jesus, which had before been given to Him by the Angel Gabriel. And again, in obedience to the Law, the infant Saviour was brought by His mother to Jerusalem "to present Him to the Lord." We have heard before, that among the children of Israel, the first-born child, if a son, was especially dedicated to the service of the Lord; though afterwards, the whole tribe of Levi was taken, "instead of the first-born of all Israel." The same Law ordained, that after a certain time, called "the days of her Purification," every woman to whom God had given a son or daughter, should offer in sacrifice, a young lamb and a turtledove or pigeon. But if she was too poor to be able to bring a lamb, she was allowed to bring two turtledoves or pigeons instead; and this sacrifice Mary brought with her Son, into the temple. Then were fulfilled the prophecies, that the Lord should come suddenly into His temple; and that the glory of the second temple should exceed that of the first. At the Presentation of Jesus Christ in the temple, a remarkable testimony to His being the promised Messiah was given by the just and devout Simeon, to whom it had been made known by the Holy Ghost, that he should not die until He had seen the Lord's Christ. Full of faith, this old man was "waiting for the consolation of Israel," the Messiah, Who was to save His people from their sins. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Simeon was in the temple "when the Parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the Law." At once the Holy Spirit made known to the aged Simeon, that in this infant he beheld the Saviour for whom he waited; "Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." We are told that Joseph and Mary marvelled at those things which were spoken by Simeon; and we may be sure that Mary treasured them up also in her heart, and looked upon her infant Son with reverence, as well as love. Then Simeon blessed Mary, and warned her of future suffering. Another testimony to the divinity of Jesus Christ was then given by an aged widow, who coming into the temple "in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Nor did these aged Jews alone bear testimony to the Messiah. The glorious light of the Shechinah, the visible sign of the presence of God, which had not been seen for many hundred years, until it appeared surrounding the Angels who proclaimed the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds of Bethlehem, was not seen by them alone. In far off countries, it was seen as a remarkable star. The inhabitants of Chaldea, part of the once famous Babylonian Empire, were at this time very learned in Astronomy: that is, they studied the stars, and the motions of the heavenly bodies. They worshipped the sun, because they thought that must be the best representation of the Deity: had they known the real true God, the God of Israel, they would not have worshipped any of His works, which He had created and made. The wise and learned men of Chaldea were called Magi, and many of them were princes and rulers in their various tribes. Some of these Magi, generally supposed to have been three, (though the Scripture says nothing as to their number,) saw a wonderful star shining in the direction of Judæa. They at once concluded that this star signified the birth of the king of the Jews—and immediately they set off and travelled towards the land of Judæa. And when they reached Jerusalem, they enquired, "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." That is, in the Eastern land where they lived, they had seen this star. C HAPTER III.—FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. T O understand the question of the Magi, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" a few words of explanation may be useful. The expectation of a coming Messiah was not confined to the Jews: through the long captivity of the Jews, the writings of the prophets had become known throughout many lands, and there was therefore at this time, in all the countries of the East, a general idea that a King would shortly be born in Judæa, who should rule over all the world. Balaam, who was well known in those countries of which we are speaking, had said, "there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall arise out of Israel"; hence it was generally believed, that the appearance of some peculiar star in the Heavens, would inform mankind of the birth of this mighty King. The Messiah, we must recollect, was promised to Gentiles as well as to Jews; and therefore all nations who had heard any of the prophecies concerning Him, expected some benefit from the birth of this wonderful Being. Under such circumstances, we can easily imagine that the Magi, who paid such attention to the stars in general, should eagerly watch for the appearance of one, which was to announce, that the long-looked-for King was born in Judæa. Hence, when from their home in the East, they beheld the glorious light of the Shechinah, shining in the direction of the land of Judæa, they felt no doubt as to its meaning; and without hesitation, they at once set off on their long journey, to worship and do honour to the new-born King. The star had disappeared; but the prophets had so plainly pointed out the land of Judæa as the birthplace of the Messiah, that the Magi fearlessly and confidently journeyed on to that country. When at length they reached it, they naturally expected that so wonderful an event would be well known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and that they should have no difficulty in finding the abode of this glorious Child; therefore, as soon as they arrived in the city, they asked, "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." When Herod the King had heard these words he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. The birth of Jesus Christ made known by Angels to the Shepherds, and by them "made known abroad" among their neighbours and friends, the humble of the land, does not seem to have been noticed by the rulers and Priests living at Jerusalem. Their own Scriptures taught them that the Messiah was to come; and they expected that His birth would be immediately followed by Revolts and Wars, Earthquakes, Famine and Plague; therefore they might well be "troubled," when they heard He was actually come; though, if they had rightly believed and understood the great blessing He was to bring to mankind, they would have rejoiced at His coming, and thought all temporal sufferings easy to be borne for His sake. Herod was troubled; for though he was now an old man, and not likely to live till a new-born Infant should grow up, yet he did not like the idea of another king to interfere with him: he did not understand the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, and thought only of a king who would govern the country and the people, make laws, and impose taxes; he had no idea of a King who was to reign over the hearts of men on earth, and finally receive them into His kingdom in heaven. Herod's behaviour on this occasion showed a strange mixture of belief and unbelief. In common with the Jews in general, he believed that the Messiah was to come; and he evidently believed that the Child, whose birth had been made known by the star, was indeed the Christ. He therefore called together the wise and learned men, well acquainted with the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and asked them where the Messiah should be born. The chief priests and Scribes at once declared that Bethlehem was pointed out by the prophets as the birthplace of Messiah; thus giving another proof, that the Infant just born in that place, was the promised Messiah. So far Herod believed; but now his unbelief was shown by his fancying for one moment, that if this Child really was the Messiah, he could kill him, and so frustrate the purpose for which he was sent by God. It seems strange that any one believing as Herod did, that the Infant whom the Magi were seeking was really the Messiah, should have thought it possible to fight against God, and destroy His Anointed: but so it was. Herod, under pretence of wishing to go himself and worship the King of the Jews, begged the Magi to come and bring him word when they had found the young Child; and he also asked them particularly about the time at which the star had first appeared, that he might know what would be the age of the Babe, whom he was determined to destroy. The wise men, or Magi, departed, and though they had received no clear directions from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, better help was at hand: the star which they had seen in the East, now appeared to them again, and even moved on before them: "when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy," and followed it, until "it came and stood over" the stable "where the young child was." "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him:" at once they acknowledged him to be something more than an earthly king—a Being entitled to worship. Then they gave such presents as were given to kings. It was the custom in the East, where presents were so much given, to proportion their value to the rank and station of those to whom the gift was offered. Mary and Joseph were poor and in a humble rank of life, and to their infant, therefore, flowers or fruit, or something of little value, would have been a sufficient gift. But in the Son of Mary, the Magi acknowledged the long-promised Messiah; and to Him they gave the most valuable gifts, suitable for a King to receive: "when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." Thus the Lord provided Joseph with the means for taking proper care of the young child and his mother. At Bethlehem, the place of his birth, Jesus had now been worshipped as a King, both by Jews and Gentiles; thus fulfilling prophecy, and showing that the Messiah was to be the Saviour of Gentiles, as well as Jews. Our Church has appointed a day, to be observed in remembrance of this first showing, or manifestation, of Christ to the Gentiles. In common talk we call this day Twelfth Day, and the custom of drawing for King and Queen is very old, and is founded upon the visit of the Magi, or kings of the East to Bethlehem. The name by which Twelfth Day is distinguished in our Prayer–Book is the "Epiphany," a word which means "manifestation" or "showing"— the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. The wise men, not suspecting Herod's wicked purpose, would no doubt have gone back to him as he desired, but "being warned of God in a dream" not to return to Jerusalem, "they departed into their country another way." After the departure of the Magi, the Lord, Who knows the secrets of all hearts, warned Joseph in a dream, that Herod would seek the young child to destroy him. In obedience to the command then given to him, Joseph "arose, and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt"; thus fulfilling a prophecy which had spoken of that country, as the place where the Messiah should for a time dwell. At this time, a great many Jewish families lived in Egypt, and supported themselves by their own industry: there were so many of them, that they divided themselves into companies, according to their trades or occupations: there was a company of silversmiths, who manufactured articles of gold and silver, set jewels, and made ornaments to be worn; there was another company of weavers, who wove threads of flax and silk, into linen and silk of which garments were made; and so on. In short, every trade had its own company; so that if a poor Jew came into any city inhabited by his fellow countrymen, he always knew where to find those who carried on the trade which he had learned: then he could join them at once, and so find work, and earn a maintenance for himself and family. Perhaps Joseph joined one of these companies of his countrymen; but the presents given by the Magi, would for a long time supply him with all that he needed. C HAPTER IV.—THE INNOCENTS. H EROD anxiously expected the return of the wise men, with full information as to where he might find the infant King of the Jews: but, as day after day passed and they came not, he saw that they did not mean to do his bidding. "Then was Herod exceeding wroth, and sent forth his soldiers, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof,"—that is, in the neighbouring parts of the country, —"from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." As much less than two years had passed, since the wise men saw the star which heralded the birth of the Messiah, Herod made sure that, by killing all the little boys under that age, he should destroy the infant King of the Jews, and so rid himself of any further anxiety. Terrible was the distress and mourning amongst the poor Mothers, who saw their infants torn from their arms and murdered! but their dear babes were safe; taken from the dangers and troubles of this world, to be for ever happy in the presence of God: "for they are without fault before the throne of God." Our Church sets apart three days, immediately after Christmas Day, in remembrance of three classes of Martyrs. A Martyr is one who suffers in the cause of duty, and will die rather than give way: those who thus suffered for Christ, and would die rather than offend or forsake Him, are called Martyrs. "The Innocents," as the murdered babes of Bethlehem are called, suffered death for Jesus's sake; but, of course, they had no will in the matter; they were too young: these were the first Martyrs. The day after Christmas Day is called "St. John the Evangelist's Day": St. John was, when Jesus grew up, one of His disciples: he dearly loved his Master, and was ready to die for Him, but he was not called upon to give up his life, though he suffered much for Jesus's sake. The day following "St. John's Day," is called "St. Stephen's Day": St. Stephen was the first who willingly gave up his life for the sake of Jesus Christ. Thus we have three classes of Martyrs commemorated in our Church: Martyrs in Deed only—the Innocents; Martyrs in Will only—St. John; Martyrs in Will and in Deed—St. Stephen. But to return to our history. Herod was guilty of a great sin; and, in spite of all his wickedness, the Child Jesus lived and was safe. It is said that Antipater, who had caused the death of Mariamne's sons, advised his father to slay the infants of Bethlehem. Antipater was a bad man, and, as he was very anxious to be King of Judæa whenever Herod should die, he wished to destroy one who might, as he feared, dispute the kingdom with him: no doubt he rejoiced when the cruel deed was done, concluding that Jesus had perished, and that he was now sure of the throne: but he was disappointed; for very shortly afterwards he in some way displeased his father, who at once caused him to be put to death. It is dreadful to think of the numbers of persons killed by Herod's orders, but Antipater was the last; for five days afterwards Herod himself died. This Herod, called Herod the Great, left four sons living—Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Philip, and Herod Philip. There are three other Herods also mentioned in Scripture—Herod Agrippa, and his brother, also called Herod, who were sons of Aristobulus, and consequently grandsons of Herod the Great; and, afterwards, a son of Herod Agrippa, called by the same names as his father, Herod Agrippa. As it is difficult always to know which Herod is spoken of, the Table below will be useful to refer to. After the death of Herod the Great, Archelaus became governor of the provinces of Judæa and Samaria, and Herod Antipas ruled over the province of Galilee, under the title of Tetrarch: but upon this subject we must say a little more before we go on with the history of Jesus Christ. When Herod died, he left a Will, in which he declared his wish, that his son Archelaus should be king over the greatest part of his dominions: but as the whole kingdom was subject to the Romans, this could not be done without the Emperor's leave. Before Archelaus could go to Home to ask this permission, there was a great disturbance amongst the Jews in Jerusalem, in consequence of Archelaus refusing to grant some request: they assembled in great numbers in the Courts of the Temple, and behaved in such a riotous and disorderly manner, that Archelaus ordered his soldiers to attack them, and 3,000 men are said to have been killed on this occasion; a piece of cruelty which probably disinclined the Emperor Augustus to give Archelaus as much power as his father Herod the Great had had; at any rate, Archelaus only succeeded in being made Governor of Judæa and Samaria, with the promise, that if he acted so as to give the Emperor satisfaction, he should have the title of King: but instead of obtaining this, he behaved so ill, that a few years afterwards he was deprived of all power, and banished to a city in Gaul, where he died. Returning to the history of our blessed Lord, we find that after the death of Antipater and Herod, the Angel appeared to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young child's life." The Angel did not name any particular place for the young Child to go to, but the Messiah was not to stay long out of the Holy Land, given to Abraham and his descendants, as a heritage for ever. When Joseph, with Mary and the holy Child, got back into the land of Israel, he found that "Archelaus reigned in the room of his father"; that is, he was Governor of Judæa; fearing his cruelty, he was afraid to take the young Child and his mother there, and the Lord, by means of a dream, warned him to go into the land of Galilee, which was under the government of Herod Antipas. Joseph in consequence made choice of Nazareth in Galilee as a dwelling-place, and there the Lord Jesus Christ lived till he grew up to be a Man, and was ready to begin the work which He came into the world to do. During all these years, up to the time when Jesus was thirty years old, we are told nothing of what He did, except His questioning the priests in the temple, when He was twelve years old. Twelve was the age appointed for the young Jews to begin to keep the Feasts and Fasts prescribed by their Law; and accordingly, Jesus, who came to fulfil all righteousness, accompanied Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem on this occasion: but after all the ceremonies had been observed, He, unknown to them, remained behind, and going into the temple astonished the priests and learned men by His questions, His knowledge of the Scriptures, and the way in which He spake: no wonder that all who looked upon Him merely as a human being, should be astonished. When Mary missed her Son, she and Joseph returned to Jerusalem, where "after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions." To His mother's gentle rebuke, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?" the holy Child made that answer at once referring to His divine nature, and to the work for which He had left His