comes, what mutual Rejoicings, what reciprocal Fruition of their past Labours, and prefent Triumphs, muft fuch an Interview create? And, when you have carried this Image as high as you can go, and multiplied it to Ten thousand times as much, by fuppofing Ten thousand fuch Cafes; Know that fuch, and much more than this, are the mutual Gratulations of the Bleffed in Heaven. As much more, as their Sufferings have been sharper; As much more, as the Caufe, in which they fuffered is nobler; As much more, as the Enemies they have vanquished are stronger; As much more, as the Reward for their Service is more bountiful, more lafting, more unenvyed; In a Word, As much more, as these myftical Members of Chrift's Body are united with a more entire and difinterested Affection, and confequently more tranfported with the gallant Actions, and Succeffes, and Glories of each other, than it is poffible for the fincereft and most generous Friends on Earth to be. And this Love, this Unanimity it is, that qualifies them to join in that, which I would observe from the Third Verfe, as another Circumftance of their Felicity: Chap. v. 9, 10, xix. 1, 7. 3. The finging together Conforts of Praise to God and the Lamb. For, that fuch is the Subject of their Song, we may learn from feveral like Paffages of this Book. And this must needs be an Eternal Subject. For, if even We, who fee things very darkly, might yet, with very little Application, find Matter more than enough, to employ the whole of our Lives in Holy Thanks and Wonder: How plentifully muft they be furnished, who are placed in a nearer and more diftinct View, of the effential Excellencies, and marvellous Works of God? How delightful muft Their Contemplation be of the Majefty and Power, the Wisdom and the Goodness, the Holiness and the Juftice of God? How pleafing the Reflections of thefe, which are caft upon their Minds; From the Glafs of the Creation, the niceft and most beauteous U 4 beauteous parts whereof are at prefent hid from our Sight; From the Difpofitions of Providence, and those fecret Over-rulings of Events, which make all things work together for good to them that love God; From the Mysteries of our Redemption, and, that love of Chrift which paffeth Knowledge; and, not to mention more, From their own past Labours and Sufferings, and that Condefcenfion, which counted them worthy to endure Reproach for the fake of Chrift; permitted their Blood to be fhed in fo Glorious a Caufe; and made them fo ample a Compenfation, for every Drop they spilt, for every Tear they shed, for every Torture they felt, for every dying Agony they fo magnanimoufly fuftained, Who can fee, and feel, and meditate on, thefe Things in Silence? Who can fpeak of them in any Language, but that of Praise? And who, that hath begun to praife, can ever defift again? But withal, fince this Song of Praise, it is exprefly faid, could not be learnt by any but fuch Saints; Who would think any Coft too much, to purchase a part in fuch Felicity? Who, count even Acts xx. 24. his Life dear to him, fo that he might finish bis Course with fuch Joy as this? And therefore it is, that these Joys are revealed, that they may excite in us a becoming Zeal, and fervent Defire; The fame, that Men of like Paffions, and like good Sense at least, with our felves, have been fired with, and found their Account in: The fame, that will add to our Reproach and Condemnation, if we refolve to perish flothfully and ingloriously, and will neither be attracted to Virtue by fuch Prospects, nor fhamed into Courage by fuch Ex- · amples. These are some of the many Confiderations, Offering themselves, from the Account now before us, concerning the Martyrs in general. Which the Church hath propounded to our Meditations this Day, as containing fome things, not improperly applicable to those Infants in particular, whofe barbarous Murther by Herod was made Inftru 2 Inftrumental to the Glory of Him for whom they died. For They, in the most literal Senfe, were not defiled with fenfual Pleasures, who left the World in Virgin Innocence. They were moft truly redeemed from among Men, whofe early Tranflation to a State of Blifs and Security, prevented the Hazards and Temptations of a corrupt Age. They were, ftrictly speaking, the First Fruits unto God and the Lamb, who began to fhed their Blood, in the cause of a new-born Saviour, and were the first Fruits of the Martyrs themselves. By this earliest experiment of Cruelty against his bleffed Son, it pleased God to demonftrate, how vain all future attempts of his Enemies should be, whofe implacable and bloody Malice laboured to deftroy this hated King of the Jews, either in his Perfon or his Members: And, that fuch wicked Designs should have no other Iffue, than those of this Day. Difappointment and Vengeance to the inhuman Contrivers, Happiness and Reward to the Innocent Sufferers, and Increase of Honour to the Perfon, in whofe caufe they fuffered. Thus Herod fhortly after lived and died, a remarkable monument of the Divine Justice, and perifhed by a Complication of Plagues, as amazing as the unparallelled Crimes, that drew them down upon him. Thus thefe tender Plants, cut off in the bud, fprung up again and flourished; And bore fuch fruits, as their Circumftances were capable of; The confeffion of their Blood, though not of their Tongues: By which They and their memory are bleffed. And Thus the bleffed Jefus, after fojourning in a strange Country, returned to enlighten his own, with that Doctrine, which, from the very first setting out of its Author into the World, was manured with Blood, grew under perfecutions, and by the fate attending it, proved, that to die in its defence, was not to lofe a life, but to fave it. This is in truth the quickest, and the fureft paffage, from Death unto Life. From a Life, in the midst of which we are in Death; To a Life, which is fo indeed; Life Im mortal mortal and full of Glory. To which God of his infinite mercy bring us, for the fake of his Dear Son, and our only Redeemer, Chrift Jefus. Amen. PARAPHRASE. T The GOSPEL. St. Matth. ii. 13. 13. Almighty God, fore- 13. feeing the wicked Defign of Herod against Chrift, and the cruel Effects of his Difappointment of Intelligence from the Wisemen, gave Jofeph timely Warning of it, by the Meffage of an Angel, and directed him what Course to take, for preserving the Child and his Mother. HE Angel of the Lord appeared to Jofeph in a Dream, faying, Arife and take the young child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to deftroy bim. 14. This Meffage Jofeph readily complied with, and taking the Advantage of the Night to conceal his Motions, 14. And be arose, and took the young child, and biş mother by night, and departed into Egypt: went away with Jefus and the Virgin. 15. And dwelt in Egypt, till Herod died, and he received fresh Orders, as the Angel had promised he fhould, for returning back again. By this Method the Divine Providence accomplished a Prophecy of Hofea, which (had not only a retrofpect upon what had pafs'd upon Ifrael, but) look'd forward alfo upon Him, of whom Ifrael, when fpoken of as the Servant or Child of God, is more than once set as a Type, even the Meffiah. 15. And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, faying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son. 16. Mean while Herod, impatient of the Affront and Disappointment, fuftained by the Wifemen not informing him where this Child was to be found, refolved to take a Course for 16. Then Herod, when be faw that he was mocked of the wisemen, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and flew all the Children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the Coafts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which be bad diligently enquired of the wifemen. deftroying him, which he thought could not mifs. And that was, to murder all the Children in and about the Place, where it was agreed Chrift must have been born; and of or about that Age, which (by Computation of the Time when his Star denoted that Birth) Christ must have been of. 17, 18. The general Grief upon which Occafion 17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Feremy the Prophet, Jaying, was a moft eminent Completion of that Prophecy in Jeremiah, which reprefents Rachel the Mother of Jofeph and Benjamin, (and confequently a proper Mourner for the Captivity of the Ten Tribes fignified by Ephraim, and for this Calamity too, fince Benjamin and Judah's Pofterity, the Two other Tribes, were promifcuously concerned, and 18. In Rama was there a voice beard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. dwelt dwelt by one another) inconfolably bewailing the Lofs and Death of her Children And, for fuch Sorrow of afflicted Mothers there could never be a more melancholy Caufe, than the Barbarity of Herod gave, by this general and bloody Slaughter. COMMENT. HE Hiftorical Account of this Paffage is fo plain, that almost the Only, as well as the most profitable, thing I have to do, will be to improve it, by fome Moral Reflections. To which purpose I fhall obferve, What were the wicked Incentives to this barbarous Injuftice, How these came to prevail, The Circumstances of Them who fuffered, And the Unfuccessfulness of this bloody Act, to the End, hoped and intended to have been accomplished by it. First then, We have in Herod a very lively Inftance of Envy and Ambition. The ground of his uneafiness was the News of one born King of the Jews, which feem'd to threaten Danger to his own, and his Family's, Pretenfions to the Government. And it may be worth our while to take notice, by what vile and indirect Methods, he laboured to prevent the supposed ill Confequences of this memorable Event. Herod, no doubt, was full of that mistaken Notion of the Meffiah's Coming (then daily expected) that it should be in outward Pomp and Splendour, and the Excellency of a Kingdom, confifting in Victories, and Triumphs, and worldly Dominion. And therefore, to cut this fhort at once, he defcends to the bafeft Hypocrify, and profeffes a defire of doing homage to this glorious young Prince. But, finding that project of diffembled Refpect defeated, he enters upon Another, of Sacrificing to his Jealousy a great number of young Children. And, if Some, who have treated of this matter, fay true, he had the unnatural Barbarity, to take off a Son of his own among the reft. Now, What a warning fhould fuch an Example as this be, to every Man that fees or hears of it, to keep a strait Hand |