wrnn~ or in dfLnger" - this reoitft.1 11lone a~ln her Bon'1 u1.ylng11 In he, hurt, waiting hreRk• the d,•op silonoe whioh shroude the with brave l'nd con1tant pnUonco for the flr,t thirty years of" the Life." l<'or eome honr when her God ahould grant her to see eii:rhtcen yeani after that visit to Jeruealom faoe to face the mysterlona thingw 1he had Je•ue appoue to hfLve lived l\nd toiled Al a hitherto acen only "In a glas1 darkly." <'1Lrpcnt.er Al N11.zl\reth, with Joeeph l'nd Mllry Ver. 62.-And 111111 lnoreaeed In wl1dom while they both lived, with M11ry and hie hlllf- and lltature and In favour with God and eietor,, and brothore when Joeoph WI\B de11d. man. Anot~er of~hese little w0Pd-paintlng1 Ju•tin Martyr, living a century and a hl\U of St. Luke ID wh1oh the work and progreBB lat<'r, speaks or the ploughs &nd yokee the of long yea.re is deploted. The purpose of 1111\•ter'e own han<le had fashionod during this brief statement ls olco.r. The evnnge• thl\t Jong quiet p&uee in hie life. Why, it li■ t would tee.oh us that, with Joeus, bodil11 i11 often l\l!kcd, were not those yeare epont in development proceeded in the same orderly Jerusalem and in the temple neigbbourhoo<l, fashion as it dooa with other moo, while in the centre of buey life and active Jowieh wisdom-deepening with the yeD.1'11-passed thoo~ht? Godot euggeete an answer which, into his soul as 1t pnsecs into the souls of if nnl exhaustive, is at loast aatiefactory: other men, by the ordinary ohannels of in~ " If the spiritual atmosphere of N 11.ze.reth 1truction, study, and thought. On the lo.et wne hca\"I', it was at l<'&et calm; and the words, "in favour with God and mo.n," Jahouna of the workshop, in the retirement Dean Plumptre very beautifully writes, of thi, pel\ccfnl 'l'alley, under the eye of the " The Boy grew into youth, 11nd the young Fulhcr, wru, a more farnurable sphere for the Me..n into manhood, o.nd his purity and dovdopmcnt of Jesus than the ritualism of lowliness and unselfish sympathy drew even the temple and the rabbinical diecueeione of then the hearts of all men. In that highest Jerusalem." Joseph ie never again men- instance, as in all lower analogies, men tioned in the gospel story ; the probability admired holiness till it became aggressive, is that he died aome time in that period of and then it roused them to e.n antagonism eighteen years. But hia mother kept &ll bitter in proportion to their previous ad- theee aayingl in her heart. A.a twelve years miration." The Greek word in this verse before, Mary-pondering in her heart-had translat.ed " increased " would be more treasured np the rough adoration of the literally rendered "kept adve.noing." The ehepherde and their strange story of what word is used for pioneers hewing clown treea the angels said to them about her Child and brushwood which obstruct the po.th of ( ,·er. l 9), ae doubilees ebe had done too an advancing army. The word in tho when the Mugi laid their costly gifts before original, Engliehed by "stature " some the Babe o.t Bethlehem, and when Simeon eeholare translate by "age;" either render- and Anna in the temple spoke their prophetic ing is pcrmissihle, but the word used in the utt.cmnccs over the Infant; so now the English Version is better fitted for the con• mother, in quit,t humble faith. stored np text of the p1111B&ge.
HOMILETICS. Vera. 1-7.-The birthplaa a.nd the birth. Two travellers, coming up rrom Galilee, approach tl,e city of David. 'l'he knowledge they posseBSed of the event in which the glories of David's house were to culminate must have invested every feature with a peculiar sa.cred.DeSB of interest. Note Dean Stanley's description of Bethlehem, on the crest of a ridge of black hills terraced with vineyards. As bebeld by Joseph and :Mary what a stream of patriotic memories, mixed with the inspirations which spring fn,w the sense of ancestry, must have fiowed over their souls I There is the scene of the notal,le gleaning of the gentle Moabitess who had accompanied Naomi from those ruighty hills which rear their pinnacles in the distance behind. 'l'here, Jesse with his seveu stalwart sons had lived. In those fields and gorges the youngest of the seven Lad learned to sling his stones and sing his psalms-had been prepared for the future which lay before him. From that city ba.d come the mightiest o( David's warriors- Joab and .A.bisbai and others. Lo I there, too, by the gate is the famous well of Deth- lcheru of \\"hich David had longed to drink, but, faint as he was, would not, because tbc dr~wiug of its water had been at the cost of life, strength, and blood, Manifold is tiie appeal to the heart of the pilgrims, who, lowly as their condition is, are scions of Israel's royal house. They are nearing the place of which prophecy had sai.! (Micah v. 2), "Out of thee shall One come forth unto me that is to be Ruler tn Israel; whose goings forth are from of olil, from everlBllting." '!'hey know that the fulfilment is at lrn.nd. WL.ither shall they go ? Hi&h time that one should be at rest. Shall they en. 11. 1-f,2.] TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDTNG TO ST. LUKP.:.