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for the shepherds, they were altogether amazed at the appearance, and were sore afraid." This was generally the case, in similar angelic visits, with mortals, who, conscious of sin, are naturally apprehensive that heavenly messengers may be commissioned in wrath, and who, even though they be on the whole faithful and holy, are in their present weak and imperfect state, unable to bear the direct vision, and the exceeding weight of glory.

On this, the angel-kindly careful to allay their needless alarm, as was said to Gideon, Daniel, Zacharias, the Virgin Mary, and the women at the sepulchre-the angel, in the most soothing and condescending manner, said to the shepherds, "Fear not." He not only assured them that they had nothing to fear from his visit, but proceeded to inform them of the great reason they had to rejoice. "Behold," said he, "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," or Bethlehem, "a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." Having already considered the time, place, and other circumstances of Christ's birth, we need not now repeat them. The angel expressly declared, that the child born was that mighty Saviour, whom the faithful expected under the well-known name of the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed; and who was not only Christ, but "the Lord," -the mighty God, the sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth, to whom every knee was to bow, and every tongue confess, and who was especially to be head over all things to his Church. Glad tidings these, good news-a gospel indeed! "I bring them," said the angel, "to you," to you shepherds they are thus announced, and to you individually they are welcome tidings;-but not to you only do I bring them, for they shall be "to all people"-to the whole Jewish people shall they be published, and the blessings they unfold be proposed, in the first instance; and eventually to all the

nations on earth.

In order to confirm their faith, and to be a mark to them how to find and distinguish the heaven-born child, the angel said: "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddlingclothes, lying in a manger." This implied, that there could be no danger of their being led into a mistake by finding any other babe in such lowly circumstances, and that whenever they should find one in that condition, they might, without hesitation, conclude that that was he.

A single angel was sufficient, and indeed much better

than a number, to announce that event; but it required more to make a chorus to celebrate it. The astonished shepherds had yet something more astonishing to see and to hear. By this time, however, their courage was reassured, and their minds were more composed, and they were prepared to witness the finest sight, and to listen to the finest sound, which had ever been seen or heard on earth-the dazzling appearance, and the noble hymn of a multitude of the celestial army, who on a sudden came to join the angel, and to praise the Lord. Scarcely had the angel closed his message,

"When swift to every startled eye
New streams of glory light the sky;
Heaven bursts her azure gates to pour
Her spirits to the midnight hour.

On wheels of light, on wings of flame,
The glorious hosts of Zion came;

High heaven with songs of triumph rung,

While thus they struck their harps and sung:"

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men!"

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The

These words are to be considered as a doxology. They are not properly a prayer, that God may be glorified, and that men may find peace and grace, but they praise God for what he has done already, and they do it in the most natural and expressive way of short, energetic, and abrupt exclamations. Glory to God in the highest!" angels ascribe glory to God, for what he has done for men through his Son, in whose birth they look on the work as already virtually accomplished. Glory accrues to God from all his works. He appears glorious in his works of creation and providence. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth forth his handy-work. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy." It is to the the great work of redemption, however, that the angels chiefly refer; and it is in this, unqestionably, that the glory of God is most clearly manifested. Here is strikingly shown forth the glory of his sovereignty, in the choice of his people; the glory of his wisdom, in contriving so admirable a plan; the glory of his power, in executing it; the glory of his grace, not only in resolving to save sinners, but in giving up his only Son for them; the glory of

his justice, in the perfect satisfaction made to the honour of his violated law; the glory of his holiness, in the provision made for the sanctification of his people; and the glory of his truth and faithfulness, in the exact fulfilment of all his promises. "I have glorified thee on earth," said Jesus, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." On this ground, the angels ascribe glory to God, and that, too, "in the highest." This may signify, in the highest degree, and in the most exalted strains, or, in the highest, even heavenly places, and by the most exalted beings.

"And on earth peace." Though God was thus glorified in himself, it was an addition to that glory, that it was advanced in connection with the good of man. By the reception of the gospel, men have peace with God: from being enemies they become reconciled; being justified by faith, they have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel brings men peace of conscience, too, for allaying remorse and fear, and imparting inward quiet and satisfaction. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee." The gospel is also the great means of making and keeping men at peace with one another. Its spirit is a spirit of forbearance, and meekness, and gentleness; it teaches that, if possible, we should live peaceably with all men; and in so far as it is properly understood and acted on, it tends to prevent and to stop the evils of war, and to encourage the cultivation of a good understanding among nations, and of universal benevolence. It is the grand bond of union among all men, both Jews and Gentiles. "Christ is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us—to make in himself, of twain, one new man, so making peace; and came and preached peace, to them that were afar off, and to them that were nigh." Peace here, too, may be put for every blessing, as when we say: Peace be with you. The angels sung, "Peace on earth," knowing that it had already been partially felt, and that a way was opened for its universal dissemination.

This was

They sung also, "Good will towards men." not perhaps essentially different from the preceding acclamation of " Peace on earth." Of that peace, this good will was the source. God's free grace is the fountain whence peace and every blessing flow to sinful men. And this good will, this favour, this benevolence of God in the gospel, is

H

truly wonderful, and worthy of all praise. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!"

What vastly increases the ground of admiration and praise here, is the natural and beautiful consistence of the whole scheme of redemption. Here nothing is overlooked. Here no one desirable object is sacrificed for the sake of gaining another. Here the salvation of the sinner is secured without any infringement of the divine law. Here all the attributes of Deity stand prominently forward, mutually illustrating each other's glory. Here "mercy and truth are met together; and righteousness and peace have embraced each other."

Thus did one angel announce, and thus did the great angelic host celebrate, the birth of the Son of God and the Saviour of man. Longer, however, than was necessary, no angel was ever known to remain below. Having, therefore, faithfully and joyfully executed the office on which they were sent, these angels sought their native skies; and with them vanished the light of celestial glory, leaving the fields and the shepherds of Bethlehem to darkness.

"When the angels were gone away from them into heaven," the shepherds, after a brief consultation, resolved to go to Bethlehem, as the sign given them by the angel implied that they ought to do, and as they were of themselves bent on doing. They did not hesitate; nor did they delay; nor did they entertain any doubt of finding the word spoken by the angel to be stedfast. They did not say: "Let us go and see whether it be so;" but they said: "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." Accordingly, they proceeded "with haste," and no doubt with a holy anxiety, to Bethlehem; where, making inquiry, according to the directions given them, they soon "found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger:" in short, they found every thing exactly as the angel had described. As we visited, so to speak, the same lowly abode on a former occasion, we need not stop again. to describe it particularly.

When the shepherds saw this scene, they contemplated it, without doubt, with holy wonder; and looking through the mean exterior into what was spiritual and divine, and convinced that they indeed beheld the Lord's Christ, they would offer him their believing and profound homage. It is very probable that they would first of all describe their

angelic vision to Joseph and Mary, who, in their turn, would acquaint them with the extraordinary events which had previously occurred, and that thus the minds of all of them would be further enlightened, and their faith confirmed. In addition to this, the shepherds "made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." As his birth was good tidings to all people, the shepherds rightly judged that it was proper to publish these tidings as extensively as possible.

The general effect produced on the people who heard these things which were told them by the shepherds, was wonder. A wonder, it is to be feared, as to most of them, only of vacant and fruitless astonishment, which soon gave place to forgetfulness and apathy. Thus the crowd often marvelled afterwards at Christ's miracles, but continued to reject his gospel, and to live in impenitence and unbelief. And thus, it is to be feared, do many still feel entertained, and surprised, and even pleased, with the narration of these occurrences, in Bethlehem's stable and fields; but this is all that can be said. This history affects them like any interesting piece of common history, or like a well-conceived fiction: they are moved by its tender incidents, and they are astonished by its sublime; but the whole floats in inefficient images on their fancy, while the great lesson respecting the actual reception of that Saviour to whom it relates, remains unnoticed, or evaded, or contemned. It is not thus, we may rest assured, that this history can prove profitable to us. Let us mark the conduct of our Lord's mother, who was of a very different spirit.

"But Mary kept all these sayings, and pondered them in her heart." She appears to have been a woman of much prudence, and thoughtfulness, and reflection. It is said of her also in the 51st verse, that "she kept all these sayings in her heart." She treasured them up in her memory. She weighed them well from time to time in her mind. She compared them one with another. She marked the illustrations and the fulfilment of the whole. Thus was there a solid foundation laid for those enlightened views, that firm faith, and that holy obedience, in consequence of which she was more blessed in Christ as her Saviour and Lord, than as her Son. So also must we, if we would reap saving benefit, hide God's law in our hearts, retain wisdom's words, compare spiritual things with spiritual, and study to live habitually in the recollection, faith, and obedience of the truth.