as thinking, "What do we come so far, to honour a King, whom no man will acknowledge? What mean we to travel so many hundred miles, to see that, which the inhabitants will not look out to behold?" but cheerfully renew their journey to that place, which the ancient light of prophecy had designed.

And now, behold, God encourages their holy forwardness from heaven, by sending them their first guide; as if he had said, "What need ye care for the neglect of men, when ye see Heaven honours the king whom ye seek?" What joy these Sages conceived, when their eyes first beheld the re-appearance of that happy Star, they only can tell, that, after a long and sad night of temptation, have seen the loving countenance of God shining forth upon their souls. If, with obedience and courage, we can follow the calling of God in difficult enterprises, we shall not want supplies of comfort. Let not us be wanting to God; we shall be sure he cannot be wanting to us.

He that led Israel by a pillar of fire into the Land of Promise, leads the Wise Men by a star to the Promised Seed. All his directions partake of that light, which is in him: for God is light.

This Star moves both slowly and low; as might be fittest for the pace, for the purpose, of these pilgrims. It is the goodness of God, that, in those means wherein we cannot reach him, he descends unto us.

Surely, when the Wise Men saw the Star stand still, they looked about to see what palace there might be near unto that station fit for the birth of a King; neither could they think that sorry shed was it, which the Star meant to point out; but, finding their guide settled over that base roof, they go in to see what guest it held. They enter, and, O God, what a King do they find how poor! how contemptible! wrapt in clouts, laid in straw, cradled in the manger, attended with beasts! what a sight was this, after all the glorious promises of that star, after the predictions of prophets, after the magnificence of their expectation!

All their way afforded nothing so despicable, as that Babe, whom they came to worship. But, as those which could not have been Wise Men unless they had known that the greatest glories have arisen from mean beginnings, they fall down and worship that Hidden Majesty. This baseness hath bred wonder in them, not contempt. They well knew the Star could not lie. They, which saw his Star afar off in the East, when he lay swaddled in Bethlehem, do also see his royalty further off, in the despised estate of his infancy; a royalty more than human. They well knew, that stars did not use to attend earthly kings; and if their aim had not been higher, what was a Jewish king to Persian strangers? Answerable therefore, hereunto, was their adoration.

Neither did they lift up empty hands to him, whom they worshipped; but presented him with the most precious commodities of their country, gold, incense, myrrh; not as thinking to enrich him with these, but by way of homage acknowledging him the Lord of these. If these Sages had been kings, and had offered a princely weight of gold, the Blessed Virgin had not needed, in her purification, to have offered two young pigeons, as the sign of her penury. As God loves not empty hands, so he measures fulness by the affection. Let it be gold, or incense, or myrrh, that we offer him, it cannot but please him, who doth not use to ask how much, but how good.

CONTEMPLATION V.—THE PURIFICATION.

LUKE II.

THERE could be no impurity in the Son of God and if the best substance of a pure virgin carried in it any taint of Adam, that was scoured away by sanctification in the womb; and yet, the son would be circumcised, and the mother purified. He, that came to be sin for us, would in our persons be legally unclean; that, by satisfying the law, he might take away our uncleanness. Though he were exempted from the common condition of our birth, yet he would not deliver himself from those ordinary rites, that implied the weakness and blemishes of humanity. He would fulfil one law, to abrogate it; another, to satisfy it. He, that was above the law, would come under the law, to free us from the law. Not a day would be changed; either in the circumcision of Christ, or the purification of Mary.

Here was neither convenience of place, nor of necessaries, for so painful a work, in the stable of Bethlehem; yet he, that made and gave the law, will rather keep it with difficulty, than transgress it with ease.

Why wouldst thou, O Blessed Saviour, suffer that sacred foreskin to be cut off, but that, by the power of thy circumcision, the same might be done to our souls, that was done to thy body? We cannot be therefore thine, if our hearts be uncircumcised. Do thou that in us, which was done to thee for us; cut off the superfluity of our maliciousness, that we may be holy in and by thee, which for us wert content to be legally impure.

There was shame in thy birth; there was pain in thy circumcision. After a contemptible welcome into the world, that a sharp razor should pass through thy skin for our sakes, (which can hardly endure to bleed for our own), it was the praise of thy wonderful mercy, in so early humiliation. What pain or contempt should we refuse for thee, that hast made no spare of thyself for us?

Now is Bethlehem left with too much honour. There is Christ born, adored, circumcised.

No sooner is the Blessed Virgin either able or allowed to walk, than she travels to Jerusalem; to perform her holy rites for herself, for her Son; to purify herself, to present her Son. She goes not to her own house at Nazareth; she goes to God's house at Jerusalem. If purifying were a shadow, yet thanksgiving is a substance. Those whom God hath blessed with fruit of body and safety of deliverance, if they make not their first journey to the temple of God, they partake more of the unthankfulness of Eve than Mary's devotion,

Her forty days therefore were no sooner out, than Mary comes up to the holy city. The rumour of a new king born at Bethlehem was yet fresh at Jerusalem, since the report of the Wise Men; and what good news had this been for any pickthank to carry to the court? "Here is the Babe, whom the Star signified, whom the Sages inquired for, whom the angels proclaimed, whom the shepherds talked of, whom the scribes and high priests notified, whom Herod seeks after." Yet, unto that Jerusalem which was troubled at the report of his birth is Christ come, and all tongues are so locked up, that he, which sent from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to seek him, finds him not, who, as to countermine Herod, is come from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Dangers, that are aloof off and but possible, may not hinder us from the duty of our devotion. God saw it not yet time to let loose the fury of his adversaries; whom he holds up like some eager mastiffs, and then only lets go, when they shall most shame themselves and glorify him.

Well might the Blessed Virgin have wrangled with the law, and challenged an immunity from all ceremonies of purification. "What should I need purging, which did not conceive in sin? This is for those mothers, whose births are unclean: mine is from God, which is purity itself. The law of Moses reaches only to those women, which have conceived seed: I conceived not this seed, but the Holy Ghost in me. The law extends to the mothers of those sons, which are under the law: mine is above it." But, as one that cared more for her peace than her privilege, and more desired to be free from offence than from labour and charge, she dutifully fulfils the law of that God, whom she carried in her womb and in her arms; like the Mother of Him, who, though he knew the children of the kingdom free, yet would pay tribute unto Cæsar; like the Mother of Him, whom it behoved to fulfil all righteousness. And if she were so officious in ceremonies, as not to admit of any excuse in the very circumstance of her obedience, how much more strict was she in the main duties of morality! That soul is fit for the spiritual conception of Christ, that is conscionably scrupulous, in observing all God's commandments; whereas, he hates all alliance to a negligent or froward heart.

The

The law of purification proclaims our uncleanness. mother is not allowed, after her childbirth, to come unto the sanctuary, or to touch any hallowed thing, till her set time be expired. What are we, whose very birth infects the mother that bears us?

At last, she comes to the temple; but with sacrifices, either a lamb and a pigeon, or turtle, or, in the meaner estate, two turtle-doves, or young pigeons: whereof, one is for a burnt offering, the other for a sin offering; the one for thanksgiving, the other for expiation: for expiation of a double sin of the mother that conceived, of the child that was conceived.

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We are all born sinners; and it is a just question, whether we do more infect the world, or the world us. They are gross flatterers of nature, that tell her she is clean. If our lives had no sin, we bring enough with us. The very infant, that lives not to sin as Adam, yet he sinned in Adam, and is sinful in

himself.

But, oh the unspeakable mercy of our God! we provide the sin; he provides the remedy. Behold an expiation, well near as early as our sin; the blood of a young lamb or dove, yea rather, the blood of Him, whose innocence was represented by both, cleanseth us presently from our filthiness.

First, went circumcision; then, came the sacrifice; that by two holy acts, that, which was naturally unholy, might be hallowed unto God. Under the Gospel, our baptism hath the force of both it does away our corruption, by the water of the Spirit; it applies to us the sacrifice of Christ's blood, whereby we are cleansed. Oh, that we could magnify this goodness of our God, which hath not left our very infancy without redress; but hath provided helps, whereby we may be delivered from the danger of our hereditary evils.

Such is the favourable respect of our wise God, that he would not have us undo ourselves with devotion. The service he requires of us is ruled by our abilities. Every poor mother was not able to bring a lamb for her offering: there was no one so poor, but might procure a pair of turtles or pigeons. These doth God both prescribe and accept from poorer hands, no less than the beasts of a thousand mountains. He looks for somewhat of every one, not of every one alike. Since it is he, that makes differences of abilities, to whom it were as easy to make all rich, his mercy will make no difference in the acceptation. The truth, and heartiness, of obedience is that, which he will crown in his meanest servants. A mite from the poor widow is more worth to him, than the talents of the wealthy.

After all the presents of those eastern worshippers, who intended rather homage than ditation, the Blessed Virgin comes in the form of poverty, with her two doves, unto God. She could not without some charge lie all this while at Bethlehem;

she could not without charge travel from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Her offering confesseth her penury. The best are not ever the wealthiest. Who can despise any one for want, when the mother of Christ was not rich enough, to bring a lamb for her purification? We may be as happy in russet, as in tissue.

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While the Blessed Virgin brought her Son into the temple with that pair of doves, here were more doves than a pair. They, for whose sake that offering was brought, were doves, than the doves, that were brought for that offering. Her Son, for whom she brought that dove to be sacrificed, was that sacrifice, which the dove represented. There was nothing in him, but perfection of innocence; and the oblation of him is that, whereby all mothers and sons are fully purified. Since in ourselves we cannot be innocent, happy are we, if we can have the Spotless Dove sacrificed for us, to make us innocent in him.

It is fit the Her firstborn

The Blessed Virgin had more business in the temple than her own she came, as to purify herself, so to present her Son. Every male, that first opened the womb, was holy unto the Lord. He, that was the Son of God by eternal generation before time, and by miraculous conception in time, was also by common course of nature consecrate unto God. Holy Mother should present God with his own. was the firstborn of all creatures. It was he, whose temple it was that he was presented in, to whom all the firstborn of all creatures were consecrated, by whom they were accepted; and now is he brought, in his mother's arms, to his own house; and, as man, is presented to himself, as God. If Moses had never written law of God's special propriety in the firstborn, this Son of God's Essence and Love had taken possession of the temple. His right had been a perfect law to himself. Now, his obedience to that law which himself had given doth no less call him thither, than the challenge of his peculiar interest.

He, that was the Lord of all Creatures, ever since he struck the firstborn of the Egyptians requires the first male of all creatures, both man and beast, to be dedicated to him: wherein God caused a miraculous event to second nature, which seems to challenge the first and best for the Maker. By this rule, God should have had his service done only by the heirs of Israel. But since God, for the honour and remuneration of Levi, had chosen out that tribe to minister unto him, now the firstborn of all Israel must be presented to God as his due, but by allowance redeemed to their parents. As for beasts, the first male of the clean beasts must be sacrificed; of unclean, exchanged for a price. So much morality is there in this constitution of God, that the best of all kinds is fit to be consecrated to the Lord of All. Every thing we have is too good for us, if we think any thing we have too good for him.

How glorious did the Temple now seem, that the Owner was