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LECTURE VIII.

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LUKE, 11.41–52.

Now his parents went to Jerufalem every year at the Feast of the paffover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerufalem, after the custom of the Feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jefus tarried behind in Jerufalem: and Jofeph and his mother knew not of it. But they, /uppofing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they fought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerufalem jeeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the Temple, fitting in the midst of the Doctors, both hearing them, and afking them queftions. And all that heard him were al tonifhed at his understanding and answers. And when they Jaw him they were amazea: and his mother faid unto him fon, why haft thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy Father and I have fought thee furrowing. And he faid unto them, how is it that ye fought me? Wift ye not that I must be about my Father's business? and they understood not the Jaying which he spake unto them. And he went down with th m and came to Nazareth, and was fubject unto them: but his mother kept all these fayings in her heart, And Jefus increajed in wifdom and ftature, and in favour with God and man.

NIVERSAL Nature is progrefs, fucceffion and change.

ery particle of our own frame. But obvious as this progreffion is, in its larger portions, the minuter details defy the ciofeft attention of the acuteft eye. Darkness has evidently given place to light; but what vigilance of infpection could afcertain the precife inftant when night ceafed and light began to dawn? That plant is palpably increafed in ftrength and fize, but let me hang over it the live-long day, with the unremitting penetration of an eagle's eye, and I am incapable of catching a fingle step of the progrefs, Shade melts imperceptibly into fhade; the transition is made, but we were not aware of it; whether we be afleep or awake, carelefs or attentive, the great complex machine keeps in motion, performs its revolution,.

produces

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produces its effect. The progrefs of man, the most perfect of all creatures that we are acquainted with, is the moft interefting of all objects to man. If it be delightful to behold the trees of the forest burst into verdure, and thofe of the garden putting on their beautiful garments, and changing that beauty into fruitfulnefs; if it be pleafant to behold the fpringing corn multiply thirty, fixty, a hundred fold; to behold the flocks and herds increase-what must it be to behold the image of God multiplied on the earth, the human form divine rear itfelf toward heaven, the powers of thought and realon expand.

By degrees,

The human bloffom blows; and every day,
Soft as it rolls along, fhews some new charm.
Then infant reafon grows apace, and calls
For the kind hand of an affiduous care.
Delightful task! to rear the tender thought,
To teach the young idea how to shoot,
To pour the fresh instruction o'er the mind,
To breathe th' enlivening fpirit, and to fix
The generous purpofe in the glowing breast.

THOMSON'S SPRING, L. 1143,

1.

But this, like every other human delight, is blended with pain. Even the partiality of parental affection is conftrained to observe rank and noisome weeds springing up with the delicate feeds of goodness; the dawning of reason is obfcured by the clouds of tolly and vice, and the promise of a golden haryeft is blighted in early spring, by late froft or premature heat. Before we are well awake to the joy of fome newly discovered excellency, we are overwhelmed with the diftrefs of perceiving fome glaring imperfection, or ungracious propenfity: and where we love and rejoice, there also we find caufe to lament and condemn. The fpirit of God has feen meet to prefent the world with one perfect model, for the inftruction of every age of human life. We have held it up in a state of infantine beauty fimplicity and gentlenefs, a paffive example of fubjection to poverty, and danger, and perfecution; but we have seen the meannefs and obfcurity of that state relieved by the decided attention of eternal Providence, and by the voluntary homage of angels and men.

On returning from Egypt, Jefus was carried to the obfcure village of Nazareth, and the veil is drawn over him till his twelfth year, when he was pleased to clothe himself for a little while with majefty, and then disappeared, till the time of his fimal manifeftation to the world, as the Saviour of it. The law

obliged

obliged every male of Ifrael to appear before the Lord in the place which he had chosen to put his name there, three times every year, at the three great feafts of paffover, pentecoft, and tabernacles, This was evidently intended to maintain a good correspondence between all the members of the commonwealth; by the focial intercourse, the innocent feftivity and the devotional exercises which thefe folemnities promoted,

Jofeph and the mother of Jefus, though the injunction extended not to females, were in the habit of regularly attending the fervice of the temple on thofe occafions; and Jefus, anoth'er" Nazarite to God from his mother's womb," accompanied them to the holy place. Self-evident marks of the favour of t heaven were already upon him; "He grew, and waxed ftrong in fpirit, filled with wifdom.", Expreffions importing uncommon comeliness of person, and fuperior powers of understanding; but in Him, as in other children, we behold a gradual progreffion from knowledge to knowledge, as from ftature to ftature. For as nature conceals from us at what moment the unites the immortal mind to the mortal frame, fo the Holy Spirit has thought proper to conceal at what feafon, and in what measure, Deity was pleased to unite himfelf to the human nature of the Redeemer; and let us not over-curiously feek "to know the times and the feafons which the Father hath put in his own power." Neither the lovely form, nor the attractive good nefs, not the excellent wisdom, however, of this wonderful child, seem to have roufed much attention or commanded uncommon relpect. The world is captivated not by real and fol id worth, but by the gaudy outfide of fhewy, fuperficial qualities. Rank and riches fpread a glare over the perfon of their poffeffor that makes it known and remembered: they add weight to his most ordinary sayings, which gives them currency and importance; while poverty, like a bufhel put over a candle, prevents it, however clear it may be, from giving its light. What carnal mind can reconcile the idea of great and diftinguished qualities with that of the carpenter's fon? No, "He hath no form nor comelinefs, and when we fhall fee him, there is no beauty that we should defire him."

In those stated journeys to Jerufalem, it was customary for many families of the fame neighbourhood, or of the fame kindred, to travel in company. The road was fweetened and fhortened by friendly communication, and religion strengthened the bands of friendship and the ties of blood. Were there no other reafon but this to prefs upon the heart the importance of attendance on the ordinances of God's houfe, that it ferves to ftrengthen the bond of nature between husband and wife,

parent

parent and child, one neighbour and another, it were enough to recommend it to every one who prizes the comfort of the life that now is; how much more, when there are involved in it, all the infinitely more important interefts of that which is to come! Happy are those focieties in which the powers of a world to come are fo felt, as to fhed a fweetening, cheering, enlivening influence over prefent connections, enjoyments and purfuits. The folemnities of the feaft being ended, all prepare to return to their respective homes and their ufual employments. Thus wifely and mercifully, He who knows what is in man makes devotion, labour and rest, alternately to recommend, to relieve, and to support each other. A perpetual fabbath would foon prove the death of religion; under uninterrupted labour the man would quickly fink; reft protracted beyond a certain bound would prove deftructive of all repose. But to the heart in which the love of God is fhed abroad, the painful toil of the week is mitigated and diminished by the profpect of the day of facred intermiffion, of heavenly commu nication; and the calm, fatisfying delights of the Lord's day, bestowing ease on the body, and composure on the mind, ferve as a restorative toward undertaking and undergoing the fatigues of another week.

The numeroulness of the company which travelled back to Nazareth prevented its being observed that one was wanting, and a complete day's journey is performed, before the eager, attentive eye of even a mother, miffes its darling object. How is this to be accounted for? The whole train was a band of brothers, of one heart and of one foul; in whatever part of it the child was, behind or before, he was encompassed with friends other children of twelve years old need attention, protection and fupport, but he has given many unequivocal proofs of a wildom capable of conducting himfelf. The time is now come that his mother herfelt muft learn with whom he had to do, and to revere in her own fon, the Son of the Higheft. All was of God, who thus prepared the way for another public declaration of the great Prophet who fhould come into the world, and that not by the tongue of an Archangel, nor by a Inultitude of the heavenly hoft, but by the mouth of Jefus himself; into. whofe lips grace was poured and praise perfected. It is eaffer to conceive than to defcribe the forrow and anxiety occafioned by the difcovery that Jefus was not in the train. The fhades of night spread over the foul of a mother the terror of evil beafts, of evil men; of hunger and cold, of miffing the road, and of all the nameless apprehenfions which folicitous parents feel for unprotected youth

and

and innocence. Nothing remains but to tread back their weary, anxious, fteps and the clofe of the fecond day fees them enter Jerufalem, with the mixed emotions of hope and def pondency; and another fleepless night fucceeds the painful day. The third day, well knowing the zeal which he had for God's house, they repair betimes to the temple: they find him, think, O mothers, with what aftonifhment and delight, in ' health, fafety and compofure, and gracious heaven! how em ployed?" fitting in the midft of the Doctors, both hearing them and afking them queftions." Painters and commentators feem to have entirely miftaken this paffage of our Saviour's hiftory. They place him in the centre, in the chief feat, affuming authority, inftru&ting grey hairs. The Evangelift places him in the modeft feat of a pupil, a pattern to children of twelve, of docility, of humility, of meeknefs; carefully liftening to the queftions propofed to him by the public teachers, and answering with deference and fubmiffion, though with intelligence and decifion; and propofing, in his turn, questions that led to important truth and really useful knowledge, not fuch as difplayed the acutenefs of him who. interrogated, or that aimed at expofing him of whom the anfwer was demanded. In truth ever fince I could read and underftand the words of the hiftorian, I have confidered this little anecdote of our blessed Lord, as of fingular importance in his character, as the great teacher of mankind. The age of twelve is an interesting crifis in human life. The rational foul is then fhaking off the child, and emerging into the man. There is about that period, knowledge enough to minifter fuel to vanity and felf-conceit, but not enough to difcern ignorance and tolly; there is learning fufficient to teafe and perplex, but not to attract and conciliate affection. And did it please thee meek, and condescending Jefus, to inftruct that wayward season of existence, when youth begins to feel the force of example, to blufh at petulance, to be influenced by honeft fhame and honeft praise, that feason when the heart is awake, alive all over to the bitterness of cenfure, or to the fweets of approbation? Yes, and we fee in thee with wonder and joy the happy medium between the firmnefs of confcious wifdom, and the forwardness of affumed fuperiority between the meekness and gentleness which are the infeparable concomitants of real ability, and the lelf-fufficiency which betrays want of talents, fupporting itself by extravagance of claim. That this is the just view of our bleffed Lord's conduct is evident from the effect which it produced. You need not to be told

Jan

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