causelessly fearful. Herod feared Christ's coming, because he mistook it if that tyrant had known the manner of His spiritual regiment, he had spared both his own fright and the blood of others. And hence it is, that we fear death, because we are not acquainted with the virtue of it. Nothing but innocency and knowledge can give sound confidence to the heart. xiv. 26, 27; Ps. xiv. 5; S. John xviii. 36.-Bp. Hall.

V. 9.-Why from the East? There were Gentiles in the north and south too; why not from them, as well, but from the east alone? Marry, best of all from hence: it suits well to make even with Eve in Paradise; that, as from the east came the first news of sin, so from thence should come the first news of saving from sin; and to make even with Balaam too, that, as he came from the east to curse God's people, so these Magi (that some say were his scholars far removed) should come from the east to bless all the generations of the Gentiles after them (Numb. xxii. 7; xxiv. 17). Indeed, from whence should they come, but from the east? All, that come unto Christ, saith Remigius, must come from Him first. 'Now He is the true Dayspring. The East is His name," &c., as Zecharias speaks. Zech. vi. 12; Gen. iii. 24.-Bp. Cosin.

V. 10. O Lord, Thou didst bring the wise heathen to the knowledge of thy Son by the leading of a star! How early didst Thou make them partakers of this great blessing; whose minds, having duly improved their natural light, Thou didst form by Thy Blessed Spirit to that degree of saving humility, that they were not offended

at the meanness of our Saviour's circumstances. Otherwise, the pride of their hearts would have caused them to fly back, as Naaman did from Elisha. 2 Kings v. 12; Exod. v. 2; Ps. i. 2, 3; 1 Cor. i. 18.-Bonnell.

V. 11. Three acts are here-falling down, worshipping, and offering; the first, the worship of the body; the second, of the soul; the third, of our goods. With these three-our bodies, our souls, our goods-we are to worship Him with all these His worship is to be performed: without them all is but a lame and maimed service, neither fit for wise men to give, nor for Christ to receive. Ps. ciii. 1, 2; lxxii. 9-12.-Dr. Mark Frank.

V. 12.-Ought we not often, in soul, to go with the wise men to Bethlehem, being directed by the stars of grace, and there fall down, and worship the little King; there offer the gold of charity, the frankincense of devotion, the myrrh of penitency; and then return, not to cruel Herod, or troubled Jerusalem, but another way, a better way, unto our long and happy home? Heb. xi. 15, 16; 2 S. Peter ii. 20-22.-Sutton.

V. 13. Thus early did the infant Jesus exemplify his own subsequent direction, so consoling to the Apostles and the first sufferers for the faith. "When they persecute you in one city, flee ye to another."

x. 23; xii. 14, 15; xiv. 12, 13; S. John xi. 54; 1 Kings xix. 3.-J. Ford.

V. 14. The children of God do never reason thus-If God hath appointed the matter, it skilleth not what I do; but they use the appointed means, and leave God's counsels to Himself. Gen. xxii. 1-3; Judges vii. 14–16; Acts xxvii. 24-31; 2 Tim. ii, 10-19.-Bp. Babington.

And was there. We may be safe in Egypt, if we be there in obedience to God; and, we may perish among the babes of Bethlehem, if we be there by our own election.—Bp. J. Taylor.

V. 16.-It pleased the Prince of Martyrs to have His train composed, when He made His entry into the world, of infants, suited to an infant Saviour; a train of innocents, meet to follow the spotless Lamb, who came to convince the world of sin, and to redeem it in righteousness. They were "the first fruits," offered to the Son of God after His Incarnation; and their blood the first, that flowed on His account. They appeared, as so many champions in the field, clad in the King's coat of armour, to intercept the blows directed against Him. xix. 14, xi. 16; Isa. xi. 6. -Bp. Horne.

V. 18.-Children are such blossoms, as every trifling wind deflowers; and to be disordered at their fall were to be fond of certain troubles, but the most uncertain comforts. We give hostages to fortune, when we bring children into the world; and how unstable this is, we know, and must therefore hazard the adventure. Are you offended that it has pleased God to snatch your pretty babes from the infinite contingencies of so perverse an age, in which there is so little temptation to live? Say not, they might have come later to their destiny. 'Tis no small happiness to be happy quickly.-J. Evelyn.

V. 19.-Death, like a dark passage to a comfortless prison, puts an end to all the ungodly man would have, and is a beginning to all he would not. Heb. xi. 15, 16. -Dean Young.

The robes of Majesty and the rags of beggary are equal preludes to the shroud; and the throne is only a precipice, from whence to fall with greater noise and more extensive ruin into the grave. Acts xii. 20-24.-S. Davies.

V. 22. We must ever bear in mind the purpose and counsel of God-wherefore from the beginning He kept His Son under the discipline of the cross; for this was His method of bringing about the Redemption of the Church. Hence He "bare our infirmities," was compassed about with dangers, was liable to fears; that by such means He might bless His ransomed Church with perpetual peace. Hence His danger became our safety; His fear was our confidence. His tender age indeed precluded Him from all fear; but because He was thus taken from one place to another, in consequence of the fear of Joseph and Mary, we may well say that He bare our fears, that He might procure for us quietness and confidence. Ps. lxxxviii. 15 (Prayer-book Version).-Calvin.

CHAPTER III.

VERSE 2.-The first Evangelical duty, that God requires for obtaining mercy and pardon-'tis Repentance. Before our faith can be persuaded of pardon, nay, before it can lay hold of pardon, nay, before God will reach out His pardon, He exacts Repentance. Before thou stretch out thine hand of faith, thou must humble thyself upon the knee of repentance. Faith, that's the cordial to revive and comfort thee; but Repentance, that's the purgation, that must first work, and fit thee to receive this cordial. Still, the Scripture gives the precedency to Repentance. 'Tis the primitive original grace, even before faith itself, as it serves to justify. Isa. i. 16–19; S. Mark i. 15; Acts xx. 21; xxvi. 20.-Bp. Brownrig.

Belief of the world and judgment to come, faith in the promises and sufferings of Christ for mankind, fear of His Majesty; love of his mercy, grief for sin, hope for pardon, suit for grace-these we know to be elements of true contrition.-Hooker.

This phrase, the Kingdom of Heaven, is only to be found in the Gospel of S. Matthew; that he might wean the Jews, for whose sake he wrote, from their notions of a worldly kingdom.-Bengel.

V. 4.-Could one only attain to perfection by exalted employments, great elevation of soul, and sublime medita