"!ell known. He would scheme to kill any one whom he heard of ae claiming to be a native-born prince. So Joseph feared, and let his fears decide his faith, or rather the obedience to which his faith inspired him. I. OUR FEARS MA y INTERFERE WITH OUR FAITH, Then we may refuse to do, or neglect to do, what we believe to be our duty, and our fears may create practical unbelief. Where a man's way is clearly and precisely defined by God for him, his fears should have no influence on him. After-considerations must never be permitted to interfere with the declaration of the Divine will. If Joseph had been precisely told to return to Bethlehem, he would just have had to go there, even though the reports about Arebela.us had fright,med him out of his senses. This truth is illustrated in tha story of the prophet from Judah given in 1 Kings xiii. II. Ous FEARS MAY GUIDE THE OBEDIENCE OF OUR FAITH. This wa have in the text. Joseph's fears about Arebela.us are the things used by the Divine providence forguidin"' him to the particular pa.rt of the "land of Israel" where he was to settle. So we lear~ the Divine control and use of all the forces and faculties, as well as of all the circum- stances, of a man's life. Divine direction does not undertake for a man; it leaves him still to take counsel with his own judgment and his own fears. God's gracious working of his providences, through man's mental movements and character-movements and subjective influences, bas never yet been systematically thought out.-R. T. Ver. 23.-Nazareth as our Lora's training-school. Ancient biographies take no account whatever of child-life. Manhood was not seen to be a product of child- influences. Probably the small esteem in which woman was usually held led to a small esteem of her influence on children. More probably the philosophizing which loves to trace causes and developments is a modern mental practice. We sometimes wonder tha.t no records remain of the Child-life of Jesus, but it is to be remembered that no records of the child-life of any ancient hero have been preserved. It is especially a modem notion that the place where a child is brought up may h.·we an important influence on the moulding of his character; all the more if he be a sensitive, poetical, child. This idea gained embodiment in Hugh Miller's • Schools and Schoolmasters.' And in all recent biographies this element of training is ta.ken into full account. All our Lord's Childhood a.nd Boyhood were spent at Nazareth; and we may trace the influence of such things as the following, using our own associations, but carefully qualifying them by due regard for the Eastern and the Palestinian associations. I. THE INFLUENCE OF SMALL-TOWN LIFE. Familiarity with everybody. Local prejudices. Impressions unvaried, a.nd persistently renewed. II. Tm: INFLUENCE OF ISOLA.TED-TOWN LIFE. Peculiarity of Nazareth was that it was out of the way; apart from the great currents of life; secluded. This may tend to nourish a meditative mood, when there is active-mindedness. Life is ~low. Time is plentiful Men can dream. think, pray. . . . . ill. THE INFLUENCE OF JEWISH-TOWN LIFE, At this time patr1ot1sm took one special feature. It spent itself in anticipations of the near coming of the delivering and conquering Messiah. This filled men's thoughts and talk. It would be supremely fai;cinating to a thoughtful, sensitive boy. Think with what things the heart of the Child Jesus must have been filled. IV. THE JNFLUENCE OF A WELir-SITUATED TOWN. One among the bills; with extensive outlook; beautiful surrounding landscapes; and in full view of scenes rich with Bible aasociations (see descriptions of Nazareth). For such as Jesus a great voice speaks "out of Nature's heart. "-R. T.
EXPOSITION. His Elijah-like dress (ver. 4). Heu listened CHAPTER III. to by multitudes (vers. 5, 6). His faithful Vere. 1 - 12.-TBE liERALD. (Parallel warning to typical Jews, and his pointing passage&: Mark i. 1-8; Luke iii. 1-18.) not to himself, but to the Coming Ono (vers. His public a.ppea.ra.nce and proclamation 7-12). The date at which he appeared is (vers. 1, 2), as foretold by Scripture (ver. 3), lltated, in Luke iii. I, to have been "in the OII. w.1-17.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. (i1