about the place where Christ should be born; but he only thought of the parts in it that suited his purpose. It declared "out of Bethlehem shall come a Governor that shall rule Israel;" but Herod thought that now he knew the place was Bethlehem, he could kill this new-born Governor, and that he never should rule Israel.

Nothing is more dangerous than to take a part of the Scriptures, just what suits our purposes. I have often heard people, who cared nothing about religion, repeat a few words. from the Bible, as a sort of proverb, to back what they were saying or doing. Can any thing be more wickedly foolish? It is like a man taking the fire that was given him to warm and to light him, and throwing it about, as a child would, in foolish play. Who but a madman would do this? Could he wonder that his house was burnt?

The truths of Scripture are either as a fire to warm and to light us on our way, or to burn and to destroy. They will be to each of us the one or the other, just as we use them.

Verses 7, 8." Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go, and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.”

By pretending that he was as anxious as the wise men to worship the new-born Messiah, he thought to make sure of their coming back with certain information of the very house in which he was, that he might at once put an end to his life;` and so he allowed them to depart alone. It would have been easy for him to have sent some of his soldiers with them, under pretence of helping them, and doing them honour; and when we see that Herod, who had grown old in cunning, (and history tells us that few kings had been more worldly-wise,)

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should fall upon such a plan, which was more like that of a child than of a man, we cannot help feeling the truth of God's word, in which he says, that he brings to nothing the wisdom of the wise, and takes men in their own craftiness. God prevented Herod from seeing, that it was foolish to trust only to the wise men coming back again, to tell him where the infant Saviour was to be found; and also, he prevented any one person from Jerusalem going with them. One would have thought that many would have been curious to see him; and that some few, at least, of those who were expecting the coming of the Messiah, would have been really anxious to go and worship him also: but not one went: they were, perhaps, too much afraid of offending the king. So the wise men went away from Jerusalem by themselves.

Prayer.

O God, thou didst guide the wise men of old to thy holy child Jesus by a light from heaven. Leave us not in the darkness of our ignorance. Let a light from thee shine upon our hearts, so that we may be filled with an anxious desire to find thy Son, our Lord Jesus. Let a light from thee shine upon the truths in thy holy word, so that we may be guided to him. Let nothing discourage us in the search. Let no man have power to turn us back from seeking Christ the Lord. Let none have power to deceive; but taught by thee, may we seek till we find him, to the great and endless comfort of our souls. Amen.

XII.

The wise men were very much in earnest to find the Saviour: so, as soon as they had heard the words of king Herod, they left Jerusalem to begin their journey to Bethlehem, and God took care that they should not lose their way.

Verse 9. "And lo! the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.”

They now saw again a bright light like a star, such as they had seen on the night in which the Saviour was born in the far east country from whence they came. Now it was so low down in the sky, that it went before them like a guide, till it came to the very house in which the holy child was living, and there "it stood."

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

No doubt they were surprized to find this house a cottage, but God had shewn them that His Son was there, and that was enough; they were full of 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 presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

It was thought by the people who lived long ago, that these wise men were kings in their own country. They certainly, at least, must have been very rich men, from the gifts they brought. They brought gold, the present that used to be given to kings; they brought frankincense and sweet perfumes that were then used among all people in the worship of their gods: and from the wise men offering these things to the infant Jesus, it has been thought that they understood that the child whom they had been seeking as king of the Jews, was God as well as man. Whether they did or not at that time, we cannot be sure; but we may be sure of this, that God would not leave them ignorant. He had led them there in a wonderful way, and he would

take care that they were taught the meaning of the gospel, or good news, which had made the angels sing for joy. We may be sure that they were taught all that was necessary for the good of their souls. Nobody ever tried to find out the truths of the Bible, and to know the Saviour, that was not helped. We cannot have a star now to lead us to Christ; but we do not need it, for God gives us another light to make us see him. It is the light of God's own Holy Spirit, which will be given to shine brightly in the heart of every one who really wishes for it. The wise men really desired to see Christ, and they saw him; they asked about him at Jerusalem, and there, from the Chief Priests and Scribes, they heard what was said of him in the Bible-they heard the name of the town; but it was by a light sent from heaven that they were brought to the Saviour himself—that they were brought to see him and to know him for themselves.

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And so it is with us still from sermons that we hear, from books that we read, from our ministers and friends, we may know what the Bible says of Christ; and it is all of great use, as it was of use to the wise men to hear at Jerusalem where Christ should be born; but, like them, we can really find him only by the help of God alone, and He will always give this help to every one who seeks for it. He has promised that he will.

Over and over I have seen this. I have seen people grow quite old, contented with knowing what the Bible says about Christ. Like the people at Jerusalem, in the days of the wise men, they knew where Christ was to be found, and thought that was quite enough-they never cared to find him: but at last a time came when this would not do any longer. Sometimes it was some great sorrow or disappointment; sometimes it was an illness that brought the fear of death, and sometimes it was not any of these, but a heavy feeling of sin that came upon them, they knew not how; but then they had no more rest; they must find Christ; and they did find him, for to every

one of them a light came, as the star came to the wise men, and led them to the Saviour; and like them " they rejoiced with exceeding great joy," "and when they saw him they fell down and worshipped him."

Now what do I mean by this? Not that a real light like a star came to them, nor that they saw the Saviour with their bodily eyes, but that what they had known before, as a thing they knew, but paid no attention to, became bright with a blessed meaning they felt and understood, just as if a light from heaven all at once shone upon it, and made them know indeed that the Lord Jesus Christ was not only a Saviour but their Saviour.

Nor does God only teach every one, who really seeks him, how to find him he teaches them also what to do to please him, and he tells them too what they must not do. This he did to the wise men.

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

King Herod thought much of his own power, but of the power of God he thought not at all; and while he was waiting for the coming back of the wise men, they were already on their way home by another road; for the King of all kings, even God himself, had prevented their returning to Jerusalem.

There is nothing in the whole world so foolish, as to be wicked; for no man on earth can carry out the least plan against God's will, and when He allows a wicked man to seem to succeed in some wicked plan, in the end it is always seen that, against his own will, and without his knowing it, he is doing some work that God chooses to be done, while he has nothing but disappointment for himself. God knew what was in the heart of Herod, and when the wise men had left Bethlehem, He sent his angel to Joseph, and He appeared to him in a dream, saying—