find Chriſt ar Helis v.8, 9. There he _ Born cg ” ciſed the eighth day : There his Mother accompliſhed the "ns her Purification, according to the Law ; Which days were ;:; three, as may be feen Levit. 12, 2, 3, &c. Lube tells us 4 37 Thar atcer the accompliſhment of thoſe days, they brought hin Feruſalem, to pretent him (as their firſt-born) to the L537 E, : 13. 2. and to offer a Sacrifice; and he tells us there, of his me _ with Simeon and Anna, and of their Prophefies, tw. 25 Go = 39+ it is ſaid, When they had performed all things according bs the rn " the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own City Nazareth a, not probable that theſe Wiſe Men came before our Lord was ©. ried to Feryſalem; (which was about fix Weeks after he wa; been) tor beſides, that they had a long Journey to come, after ſuch x nei made by the Wiſe Mens coming, it is no way probable tha; _ and 47ary would have carried him to Feruſalem, where the * 4 , was firſt made; eſpecially confidering Herod's Treuble abcur "Hay his ſending Meflengers prefently to flay all the Children in s, mM hem, and in all the Coaſts thereof, v. 16. Ir is therefore 1. probable that it was near two Years after the Birth of Chyjf _ they c. me; fer tho” no fuch thing can be concluded from Poaes Decree, which was for the ſlaying thoſe that were two zears 3 hb under ; yer one weuld think the following words ſignifie ſome Fn thing, according to the time which he had diligently inquired « - Wije Fen. He lad then made Inguiry about what time this Chit ſhould be born; pcſibly they could not tell him the exact time: bur 1t they ſaid, a year, or a year and half before, Herod (to = : ſure) might make his Decree for all to be ſlain trom #9 heyy ard under; but had they ſaid a month or fix weeks, it is not probe. ble Hcrod would have been fo barbarous as to have flain all In years old; ſo as if we wiſely conſider the Hiſtory of Scripture X is no way probable thar they came before Mary's Purificatim is ovcr, and their offering him to the Lord, &c. mentioned Lybs 2 Bi then how ſhould chey find him at Bethlehem ? Fer he went to i; Tareth, Like 2. 39. Anſ. Ged might order ſome motion of Th to Betolehem, (ot which the Scripture is filet.) Ic was a City $6 1 the Tribe ro which he related, where probably he had Kindred: SO as, tho' Ir were a year or mcre after the Birth of Chriſt before theſe Wiſe Men came, yet it is poſſible they might find him a Bcethletiem, his Parents being as Gueſts there, cho' Inhabirants ac x;. zareth, This 1s enough to have ſpoken of the time when theſe Wiſe Men came, viz. Ar what diſtance from the Birth of M41 conſidering that nothing can be in the Caſe certainly determined: It is yet a greater Queſtion, Who theſe Wiſe Men were? andiion what part of the World (here called the Eaſt) they came? The 1ncertainties of Mens Concluſions in the Points of Curicjry rather than Profit, ler us know, how vainly Men ſearch fer Sui. tation, when God hath hidden a thing from them. They cay- not agree 1n the number of theſe Men; fome will have” then rwelve ; ſome bur three, and they undertake to tell us their Nane tho' neither can they agree in ir: Some will havethem to be &n:; and the Papiſts make us believe they have their Sepulchers vic them to this day at Cologne; and by the number of the Tcmisthe know their number, and that Church hath a Feſtival for then (which is our Twelfth-day.) Theſe and an hundred more Fuhis there are about them. The Scripture faich no more than Wiſe Men and te'lerh us nothing of their number. Whether they were meer Aſtrologers, or ſuch as were $killed in Magical Arts, or more gene rally 7hiloſophers, is 7iviy diſputed, only we have their Obſer- tion of this extraordinary Star, together with what the Scripure tells us of the uſe thoſe Eaſtern Nations made of Aſtroligers, guide us to think they were ſuch as were Famous in their Cour try tor Aſt;ology : Tho? others think them Perſons skilled in Dir an Zumane Laws: The Scripture only calls them Wiſe Men; whe ther they came from che Eaſtern Parcs of the World, or thatpar of the World which lay Eafiward to the City of Feruſalem, is ao ther unproficable Queſtion : Pagans they were without doubr, vte ther Perſiuns or Arabians, or of ſome other Councry, is of nogret Concern for us to know, and almoſt impoſſible to determite, Theſe were the firſt Fruits of the Gentiles owning Chriſt as Kirg i the Fews, Whilſt he came amoneſt his own, and they received him not: Nordo I know any thing more worthy of our Obſervaim concerning them. Thoſe thar think ir worth the while to red what more is {aid concerning them, may read enough in Sparken, his Dub, Evang. Heinſius his Exercitat. Sac. and Poli Critica, which I rather chufe ro name than rhe Popiſo Writers, becauſe in ſomedt thefe he will find che Antidote, together with the Poiſin of thoſe Fi bulous Diſcourſes, and be taught a Pious Warinefs of obtrudingoll Wives Fables into Canmical Kiſtory, and lightly impoſing upontie Faith of ignorant People.
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of tie , Jews? for we have ſeen * his Star in the Eaſt, at,
are come to worſhip him.
Jeruſalem was the Metropolis of Fudea; thither they come, 25! the moſt likely place, where to receive SatisfaRtion : Of whom rhe inquired, the Scripture faith nor; bur ir is obſervable that the) rook notice that there was a Perſon born, who was to bean / wſh1- 95 King of the Jewiſh Nation ; they ſpeak nor at all doubrtully 3 ro thar. This Information they doubtleſs had from a Divine Re- velation; for alrho' there was an extraordinary Str appear, which might let them know that Ged had preduced, cr pi ducing ſo extraordinary a Work of Providence in the World, J* without a ſupernatural Interprerer they could not have made 10 true and particular Interpretation of it, as upon the fight of it f0 have come with ſuch a Confidence. ro Feruſulem ; affirming, U® there was a King of the Fews born, and thar this was his Sta; * Light which God had pur forch to dire& thar part of the werid, t0 the true Meſſizh. All guefles ar the Nature of this Star, and Means haw the Wiſe Men came to know that the King if the 7" was born upon rhe ſigh of ir, and irs motion, are great incercal ties, God undoubtedly revealed thething unto them, and cauie th's excraordinary Star, as ac firſt, to appear, to confirm what ** rold them, fo art laſt ro appear, dire&ing them to the very Hole 1
as of
3 ns