verse appears to be a prediction of the deftruction of Jerufalem for their rejecting and crucifying the saviour of the world.

The Almighty suits his miracles to the different situations of those for whose use they are intended. To the wife men, the appearance of an extraordinary star would be more impressive than any other un

common event.

Our blessed Saviour was also particularly attentive to this circumstance, while on earth: to fishermen he manifested his power, by giving them a wonderful draught of fishes; to those spent with hunger and fatigue, by feeding them in a miraculous manner; to failors, by commanding a calm in the midst of a storm; to the fick, lame, and blind, by the gifts of health, strength, and fight. His parables, in like manner, were drawn from the common occurrences of life; such as the fower, the good feed and the tares, the vineyard, the pruning of trees, and the shepherd and his sheep.

For these hints I amʻchiefly indebted to Stanhope, who treats the subject at large in his comment on the Epiphany.

Let us now return to St. Matthew.-

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

"4. And when he had gathered all the " chief priests and scribes of the people " together, he demanded of them where "Christ should be born.

"5. And they said unto him, in Beth"lehem of Judea : for thus it is written " by the prophet:

"6. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land " of Judea, art not the least amongst the " princes of Juda: for out of thee shall

“ come a governor that shall rule my people Ifrael.

'" 7. Then Herod, when he had pri"vily called the wife men, enquired of "them diligently what time the star ap"peared.

"8. And

i

*8. And he sent them to Bethlehem,

" and faid, go and search diligently for the

young child: and when ye have found

"him, bring me word again, that I may

Before we proceed with this relation, let us pause a little, to confider the conduct of Herod, as recorded in the foregoing verses. It appears evidently that he had fome knowledge of the prophecies, and in consequence expected, with the generality of the Jewish people, the appearance of fome extraordinary character about that time.

The account given him by the wife men, that a star had pointed out to them his birth, (as he supposed the prophecies to relate to a temporal prince who should deprive him of his kingdom,) greatly alarmed him, and all those who were connected with him, or held offices under him; for so I understand the expreffion that all Jerufalem was troubled with him

at

at the news. artifice to avail himself of the opportunity offered him, by the search of the wife men, to discover his dreaded rival; and having learnt from the chief priests and scribes, who had the care of the sacred books, and whose business it was to propound the prophecies, that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, he directed the wife men thither; and, concealing the blackest designs under the pretence of religious zeal, defired them to bring him word when they had found the child. But before he dismissed them, he took care to learn from them the precise time that the star appeared, and of consequence the exact age of the child, with a view, no doubt, to the subsequent murder, in cafe he could fucceed by no other means.

He therefore determined by

"g. When they had heard the king, "they departed: and lo, the star which "they faw in the East went before them "till it came and stood over where the "young child was.

10. When they saw the star, they re" joiced with exceeding great joy.

"11. And when they were come into "the house, they saw the young child, "with Mary his mother, and fell down " and worshipped him: and when they "had opened their treasures they pre"sented unto him gifts: gold and frank" incense and myrrh."

Compare the foregoing passage with the prophecy contained in the 10th and 11th verses of the seventy-fecond Pfalm:

"The kings of Tarshish, and of the ifles "shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba "and Seba shall offer gifts: all kings "shall fall down before him: all nations "shall do him service."

"12. And being warned of God in a "dream, that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own