From their mouth whom He sustaineth, Thus His perfect praise ordaineth, Haughtiest foes abasing! AN OLD CHRISTMAS CAROL. As Joseph was a walking, He neither shall be born In housen nor in hall, He neither shall be clothed He neither shall be rock'd He neither shall be washed As Joseph was a walking, Then be ye glad, good people, And all in earth and heaven "Goodwill, and peace, and glory," VI. The Visit of the Shepherds. AND there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 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. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they 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 by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. St. Luke ii. 8th to 21st verse. CHAPTER VI. It was at midnight, according to the tradition of the Fathers, that our Blessed Lord was born, as it is supposed to have been about the same time that He arose from the dead. This, at least, we may gather from the Scripture narrative, that the nativity was by night; for then, to simple shepherds abiding in the field, an angel told the wondrous tidings, while the bright star that shone in the east was leading the wise men from a far country to worship the new-born King of the Jews. A field is still pointed out as the place in which the shepherds were keeping watch by night; and a village, about a mile and a half to the east of Bethlehem, is said to be that in which they dwelt. The spot in which they are believed to have heard the angels' song is carefully enclosed with a rough stone wall; and here, before sunrise on Christmas morning, the Christians still repair. The olive-trees about here are numerous, of vigorous growth and considerable age; and two ancient trees are particularly mentioned by travellers, beneath which, "as the sun is rising, it is beautiful to sit and look at the hill of Engedi, and the tomb of Rachel. The only stream visible, flows down the vale from the fountain of Bethlehem, of which David longed to drink; it is to this day a pure deep fountain of delicious water at the foot of the hill." In the midst of the enclosure, there is now a small grotto chapel, in the possession of the Greek Church; but does not the scene, in all its quiet pastoral beauty, rise up before us as we dwell upon the words of the Gospel? 66 Star-lit shadows, soft and still, We need not wonder that the shepherds were at the first sore afraid, when in the stillness of that midnight-hour, the glory of the Lord shone round about them; for they knew not, as now we know, the glad tidings of great joy, which the bright messenger was sent to bring them—even that unto them was born that night, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." It was such surpassing grace and mercy to fallen sinful man, as only the word of God could enable them to believe; for though the Jews looked for the coming of Messiah, and prophets had foretold the sufferings of Christ, as well as the glory that should follow, they understood not in how great humility that Blessed One should come to visit us. They looked for a glorious Messiah, fairer than the children of men, to whom the words might apply: "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty! with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things;" but they understood not that the truth, and meekness, and righteousness, were to come first, and to make way for the revelation of His glory, which else we could not have endured. Had the Lord come to us at the first in all the majesty of His kingly glory, we should have fled from His presence. But the sign given unto the shepherds,-the token of good-will unto us, the sign of a Saviour born unto us,what was it? It was not according to the ways and thoughts of men, but according to the tender mercy of our God, tempering the light to the weakness of our sight, as we sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,-not the full glory of the sun at mid-day; but the day-spring from on high, the morning star; a token of the glory yet to be revealed. This," said the angel, "shall be a sign unto you: ye shall find the Babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." A new-born helpless Babe, wrapped like other infants, in swaddling clothes; but not, like others, softly cradled; not tended as the children of princes are; not worshipped and ministered unto by adoring multitudes; but an outcast as it were, beholden to the oxen for a bed, "lying in a manger." And then it was that at 66 this mention of the low estate of Him who was equal with God, very God of very God, though now for us made man, the heavenly host might no F |