note alone had HE of divinity. As great men of this world are often plainly dressed, and look like other men, all but some one costly ornament on their breast or on their brow; so the Son of Mary in His lowly dwelling, and in an infant's form, was declared to be the Son of GOD Most High, the FATHER of Ages, and the Prince of Peace, by His star; a wonderful appearance which had guided the wise men all the way from the East, even unto Bethlehem. This being the character of this season of the year, our services throughout it, as far as they are proper to it, are full of the image of a king in his royal court, of a sovereign surrounded by subjects, of a glorious prince upon a throne. There is no thought of war, or of strife, or of suffering, or of triumph, or of vengeance connected with the Epiphany, but of august majesty, of power, of prosperity, of splendour, of serenity, of benignity. Now, if at any time, it is fit to say, "The LORD is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before HIM '." The LORD sitteth above the waterflood, and the LORD remaineth a King for ever." "The LORD of Hosts is with us; the GoD of Jacob is our refuge." "O come let us worship, and fall down, and kneel before the LORD our Maker." 'O magnify the LORD our God, and fall down before His footstool, for He is holy." "O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; bring presents, and come into His courts." I said that at this time of year the portions of our services which are proper to the season are of a character to remind us of a king on his throne, receiving the devotion of his subjects. Such is the narrative itself, already referred to, of the coming of the wise men, who sought Him with their gifts from a place afar off, and fell down and worshipped HIM. Such too, is the account of His baptism, which forms the Second Lesson of the feast of the Epiphany, when the HOLY GHOST descended on HIM, and a Voice from heaven acknowledged HIм to be the Son of GOD. And if we look at the Gospels read throughout the season, we shall find them all containing some kingly action of CHRIST, the MEDIATOR between GoD and man. Thus in the Gospel for the First Sunday, HE manifests His glory in the temple at the age of 1 Hab. ii. 20. twelve years, sitting among the doctors, and astonishing them with His wisdom. In the Gospel for the Second Sunday HE manifests His glory at the wedding feast, when He turned the water into wine, a miracle not of necessity or urgency, but especially an august and bountiful act—the act of a King, who out of His abundance gave a gift to His own, therewith to make merry with their friends. In the Third Sunday, the leper worships CHRIST, who thereupon heals him; the centurion, again, reminds HIM of His angels and ministers, and He speaks the word, and his servant is restored forthwith. In the Fourth, a storm arises on the lake, while HE is peacefully sleeping, without care or sorrow, on a pillow; then He rises and rebukes the winds and the sea, and a calm follows, deep as that of His own soul, and the beholders worship HIM. And next HE casts out Legion, after the man possessed with it had run and also worshipped HIM1. In the Fifth, we hear of His kingdom on earth, and of the enemy sowing tares amid the good seed. And in the Sixth, of His second Epiphany from heaven, "with power and great glory." Such is the series of manifestations which the Sundays after the Epiphany bring before us. When with the doctors in the temple, He is manifested as a prophet-in turning the water into wine as a priest—in His miracles of healing, as a bounteous LORD, giving out of His abundance-in His rebuking the sea as a Sovereign, whose word is law-in the parable of the wheat and tares, as a guardian and ruler-in His second coming, as a lawgiver and judge. And as in these Gospels we hear of our Saviour's greatness, so in the Epistles and First Lessons we hear of the privileges and the duties of the new people, whom He has formed to show forth His praise. Christians are at once the temple of CHRIST, and His worshippers and ministers in the temple; they are the Bride of the LAMB taken collectively; and taken individually, they are the friends of the Bridegroom and the guests at the marriage feast. In these various points of view are they presented to us in the Services during these weeks. In the Lessons from the prophet 1 Mark v. 6. Isaiah we read of the gifts and privileges, the characteristics, the power, the fortunes of the Church-how widely spreading, even throughout all the Gentiles; how awful and high, how miraculously endowed, how revered, how powerful upon earth, how rich in temporal goods, how holy, how pure in doctrine, how full of the Spirit. And in the Epistles for the successive Sundays, we hear of the duties and distinguishing marks of her true members, principally as laid down in the 12th and 13th chapters of St. Paul to the Romans; then as the same Apostle enjoins them upon the Colossians; and then in St. John's exhortations in his General Epistle. The Collects are of the same character, as befit the supplications of subjects coming before their King. The first is for knowledge and power, the second is for peace, the third is for strength in our infirmities, the fourth is for help in temptation, the fifth is for protection, and the sixth is for preparation and purification against CHRIST's second coming. There is none which would suit a season of trial, or of repentance, or of waiting, or of exultation-they befit a season of peace, thanksgiving, and adoration, when CHRIST is not manifested in pain, conflict, or victory, but in the tranquil possession of His kingdom. It will be sufficient to make one reflection, which suggests itself from what I have been saying. You will observe, then, that the only display of royal greatness, the only season of majesty, homage, and glory, which our LORD had on earth, was in His infancy and youth. Gabriel's message to Mary was in its style and manner such as befitted an angel speaking to CHRIST'S Mother. Elisabeth, too, saluted Mary, and the future Baptist his hidden LORD, in the same honourable way. Angels announced His birth, and the shepherds worshipped. A star appeared, and the wise men rose from the East and made HIM offerings. He was brought to the temple, and Simeon took HIM in His arms, and returned thanks for HIM. HE grew to twelve years old, and again He appeared in the temple, and took His seat in the midst of the doctors. But here His earthly majesty had its end, or if seen afterwards, it was but now and then, by glimpses and by sudden gleams, but with no steady sustained light, and no diffused radiance. We are told at the close of the last-mentioned narrative, " And He went down with His parents, and came to Nazareth, and was subjected unto them"." His subjection and servitude now began in fact. HE had come in the form of a servant, and now He took on HIM a servant's office. How much is contained in the idea of His subjection! and it began, and His time of glory ended, when He was twelve years old. Solomon, the great type of the Prince of Peace, reigned forty years, and his name and greatness was known far and wide through the East. Joseph, the much loved son of Jacob, who in an earlier age of the Church, was a type of CHRIST in His kingdom, was in power and favour eighty years, twice as long as Solomon. But CHRIST, the true Revealer of secrets, and the Dispenser of the bread of life, the true wisdom and majesty of the FATHER, manifested His glory but in His early years, and then the Sun of Righteousness was clouded. For He was not to reign really, till He left the world. He has reigned ever since; nay, reigned in the world, though He is not in sensible presence in it -the invisible King of a visible kingdom-for He came on earth but to show what His reign would be, after He had left it, and to submit to suffering and dishonour, that He might reign. It often happens, that when persons are in serious illnesses, and in delirium in consequence, or other disturbance of mind, they have some few minutes of respite in the midst of it, when they are even more than themselves, as if to show us what they really are, and to interpret for us what else would be dreary. And again, some have thought that the minds of children have on them traces of something more than earthly, which fade away as life goes on, but are the promise of what is intended for them hereafter. And somewhat in this way, if we may dare compare ourselves with our gracious LORD, in a parallel though higher way, CHRIST descends to the shadows of this world, with the tokens on HIM of that future glory into which He could not enter till He had suffered. The star burned brightly over HIM for awhile, though it then faded away. We see the same law, as it may be called, of Divine Providence in other cases also. Consider, for instance, how the prospect of 2 Luke ii. 51. our LORD's passion opens upon the Apostles in the sacred history? Where did they hear of it? "Moses and Elias on the mountain appeared with HIM in glory, and spake of his decease, which He should accomplish at Jerusalem." That is, the season of His bitter trial was preceded by a short gleam of the glory which was to be, when He was suddenly transfigured, "and the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering 4." And with this glory in prospect, our LORD abhorred not to die: as it is written, "Who for the joy that was set before HIM, endured the Cross, despising the shame." Again, HE forewarned His Apostles that they in like manner should be persecuted for righteousness' sake, and be afflicted and delivered up, and hated, and killed. Such was to be their life in this world, "that if in this world only they had had hope in CHRIST, they had been of all men most miserable "." Well then, observe, their trial too was preceded by a season of peace and pleasantness, in anticipation of their future reward—for before the day of Pentecost, for forty days CHRIST was with them, soothing, comforting, confirming them, "and speaking of the things pertaining unto the kingdom of God"." As Moses stood on the mount and saw the promised land and all its riches, and yet Joshua had to fight many battles before he got possession, so did the Apostles, before descending into the valley of the shadow of death, whence nought of heaven was to be seen, stand upon the heights and look over that valley which they had to cross, to the city of the living God beyond it. And so again, St. Paul, after many years of toil, looked back to a time when he had a celestial vision, anticipatory of what was to be his blessedness in the end. "I knew a man in CHRIST," he says, meaning himself, "about fourteen years ago, caught up to the third heaven. . . . And I knew such a man . . . how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter"." St. Paul then, as the twelve Apostles, and as our LORD before him, had his brief season of repose and consolation before the battle. And lastly the whole Church also may be said to have had a similar mercy vouchsafed to it at first, in anticipation of what is 3 Luke ix. 30, 31. 4 Ib. 29. 1 Cor. xv. 19. |