longer keep silence, but suddenly they shone upon the shepherds' sight, a glorious multitude, praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men." They sung of glory in the highest, such as the lowliest alone can give; and who so lowly as our Saviour, who thus emptied Himself? Oh, well may little ones rejoice to learn of the Babe of Bethlehem, how in their lowly, helpless, but trustful dependence upon those whom God hath given them, they too may glorify God! And the angels sung of peace on earth, for now the Prince of Peace was born; and over the manger where He lay, the angel-forms of mercy, and truth, and righteousness, and peace, might meet together and kiss each other. Oh, who can tell with what adoring joy the holy, loving angels of God looked, for the first time, upon a Holy Child-the Holy One of God! And well might they sing, as of glory and of peace, so also of good-will toward men, -the good-will of Him that dwelt in the bush, and behold the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed! Do you know what I mean? Our fallen humanity is like the bush, and God, even "our God is a consuming fire," who, when He cometh near to judgment, shall burn up the proud and all that do wickedly, and shall leave them neither root nor branch. All men, till Jesus came, were far off from God, for all had sinned and come short of His glory; and the face of God was hidden from us, for no man might see His face and live, not even Moses, the meekest man upon earth: but now, in that little Babe, God

and man had met; there was the glory of God tabernacled in our mortal flesh. Men looked upon the Babe, and saw only the weakness of a mortal child, but God and angels looked upon the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, and a few such lowly-hearted ones as Mary and Joseph, and those shepherds, discerned it dimly through the veil of the flesh; and like Moses, when he recognised the presence of God in the midst of the bush,-they rejoiced with trembling, and worshipped the Lord. Yes, it became the shepherds to fall down and worship (as doubtless they did, though we are not told so in the Gospel); for here was the Good Shepherd, who had come into the bleak howling wilderness of this naughty world to seek and to save the lost sheep. He had left the ninety and nine, who needed not His help. He had left the angels in heaven, and all those glittering stars of light, (of which we only know, that He who became one with us, that He might lift us up into oneness with Himself, as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ," made the stars also,") and laying aside His glory, He came down from heaven in perfect love, from perfect love, and became very man for our salvation; and in His lowliness, and weakness, and poverty, men knew Him not; only one mother's heart in Bethlehem yearned over Him,—and she too was an outcast. Very likely there was feasting and merriment that night in the inn, while none gave a thought to the poor travellers housed in the stable; but there was joy in heaven, and joy upon this earth,-holiest joy, which those travel

lers knew not of, that blessed night; joy still remembered in the Christmas carols that wake us, as this night comes round, to rise and give God thanks. And surely it is not a right thing to lie in bed and turn a deaf ear to the midnight songs that recall to us the song of angels over Bethlehem's plain. At least, if we cannot watch this night, as saints of old were wont to do in the house of prayer, we may rise and kneel upon our bed, and in the hymn of angels lift up our hearts and voices unto God; and all the sweeter for this act of worship will be our thoughts upon our bed, and our waking up at morn.

The shepherds teach us a lesson in this matter; for they tarried not till the morning, but went even unto Bethlehem to see the thing which the Lord had made known unto them; and the earnest diligence with which they sought the Infant Saviour is shewn us in those words, "they came with haste," and they found, as it had been told them, "Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.' And surely they would bow the head and worship, while Mary's heart would rejoice the more to find some few lowly and simple-hearted ones brought to acknowledge, in that helpless Infant, the promised Saviour, even Christ the Lord.

They did not reason as proud men might have done, saying, "How shall an infant save us? and how can He be worthy of our worship, when He cannot understand our words ?" But they knew Him in His lowliness to be most worthy, for therefore did the heavenly host burst forth into

you

the song of praise, and they believed the angel's word concerning Him; and when they beheld Him they were glad,, and made known abroad, in the joyful simplicity of their faith, the saying which was told them concerning Him; "but Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." And oh, dear children, I would have you mark well this difference; if tell a thing, do not you cease to keep it, for it has passed away from you, and is soon forgotten? But if, like Mary, you will keep and ponder over the ways and words of God, they will not be like seed scattered to the wind, and wafted here and there, to spring up where and how you know not; but like good seed sown in good ground, they will spring up within your heart, and bring forth fruit in due season. I am not daring to suppose that these faithful-hearted shepherds, who returned to their lowly occupation "glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen," did wrong in publishing the matter, they had their part assigned to them, as blessed Mary had hers; but of this I am sure, that in her holy thoughtful silence, she is an example to all Christian maidens and mothers; and would that we might learn of her to treasure up the things of God,

-

"And in (our) heart's deep shrine to chant
Hosannas of meek praise!"

MARY'S NIGHT.

My little one, my blessed one,
Come to thy mother's knee,
And I will tell the joyful tale
Of Christmas-eve to thee:
A joyful tale, and yet, my child,
It well may make thee weep,
The gladness that for merry smiles
Is all too grave and deep.

Upon the snow-clad earth without
The stars are shining bright,
As Heaven had hung out all her lamps
To hail our festal night;

For on this night, long years ago,

The blessed Babe was born,

And saints of old were wont to keep
Their vigil until dawn.

They slumber'd not on beds of down;
But in the house of prayer,

At midnight hour the lauds were sung,
By those assembled there.

And thou, my child, a little while
Shalt watch to-night with me,
And listen while once more I tell
The wondrous tale to thee.

'Twas in the days when far and wide
Was own'd the Cæsar's sway,

That his decree went forth that all

A certain tax should pay.

Then from their home in Nazareth's vale,

Obedient to the same,

With Mary his espoused wife,

The saintly Joseph came.

Of David's house and lineage, both

To David's town repair;

But Bethlehem's inn, of strangers full,

No room for these could spare: