the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John i. 13.) Praying parents should pray night and day, that their children may be born of the Spirit.
Learn lastly from this list of names, hoiu great is the mercy and com^^assion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think how defiled and unclean our nature is ; and then think what a condescension it was in Him to be born of a woman, and " made in the likeness of men." Some of the names we read in this catalogue remind us of shameful and sad histories. Some of the names are those of per- sons never mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. But at the end of all comes the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though He is the eternal Grod, He humbled Himself to become man, in order to provide salvation for sinners. " Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor."
We should always read this catalogue with thankful feehngs. We see here that no one who partakes of human nature can be beyond the reach of Christ's sympathy and compassion. Our sins may have been as black and great as those of any whom St. Matthew names. But they can not shut us out of heaven, if we repent and believe the gospel. If Jesus was not ashamed to be born of a woman, whose pedigree contained such names as those we have read to-day, we need not think that He will be ashamed to call us brethren, and to give us eternal life.