and so the lamentation of the Jewish mothers over their slaughtered little ones is spoken of as one with Rachel's " weeping for her children;" and she is spoken of as one who "would not be comforted, because they are not." Such is a mother's love; such is the love of our mother, the Church of the living God, for the generations who sleep in Jesus, and such should be ours; and nothing but the word which comforted Rachel's broken heart should comfort us when our beloved ones are laid in the grave. We should not go away and forget them; we should not be at rest while to us they are as though they were not; but we should hold fast in our sorrow the hope given us, the promise that they shall return again (Jeremiah xxxi. 16), as Jesus returned out of Egypt; and afterwards, having died for our offences, rose again for our justification; and as He shall yet come again, and "them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." Do you remember how it is written that Rachel, in departing, called her child Benoni, or the son of my sorrow, but his father called him Benjamin, or the son of my right hand? And thus might these poor Jewish mothers, and thus may we, hope to see the beloved ones who have been to us children of sorrow, and over whose graves we still weep, children of the right hand in the day when the Beloved of the Lord shall be seen on the right hand of the Son of Man, appearing with Him in glory. Comfort, indeed, beyond their thought, there was for every mother in the escaping of that Blessed One, who should avenge them of their adversary, and wipe away tears from off all faces: and still while death and sorrow last, we wait for the avenging, and for the consolation. The enemy had raged, but the Hope of Israel, the Saviour of the world, was safe; and all the fury and malice of the adversary was but bringing to pass the word that was written aforetime concerning Him, "Out of Egypt have I called my Son;" or as in Hosea, "When Israel was a Child then I loved Him, and called my Son out of Egypt." Perhaps Mary might take comfort from this word, as she looked upon the Well-beloved and Only-begotten of His Father, and in the dangers to which for our sake He was exposed, learned by little and little to apprehend the greatness of the love which was yet to be told out upon the Cross. And would not the story of Joseph, whom God sent down into Egypt "to preserve life," and to save the lives of his brethren "by a great deliverance," be remembered by the mother of our Lord, when for our sake the Holy Child, in whom was wrapped up the salvation of the world, was carried thither? It was on the head of One of whom Joseph was but the type, and on the crown of the head of Him who was separate from His brethren, that such surpassing blessings were to rest; and if you turn to Genesis xlix. 22d and following verses, and to Deuteronomy xxxiii. 13th and following verses, you will see how these words, like every other word of blessing, tell us of Him in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; who sat by Jacob's well and preached unto those poor Samaritans with whom the Jews had no dealings; who giveth unto us the Bread of Life; and whose blessing is of a truth unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. THE HOLY INNOCENTS. Softly o'er all the Holy Land O'er many a green hill's terrac'd height, In darkling grandeur tower'd, A more than mother's tender care And lovingly, like angel eyes, The silent stars from heaven Look'd down, while unto God's Belov'd The quiet sleep was given. Oh, none but holy heavenly dreams For there, 'neath Joseph's lowly roof, Fondly we fancy of the smile The sinless Slumberer wore, Which round his Virgin mother shed But vainly Herod might devise And vainly deem'd, by guileless sage Sped, warn'd of God, and spar'd the pang While safe in Mary's sheltering arms, Or ere the break of morn, Then in that suckling Babe's repose, Yea, better far than manhood's might, The foe, whose deadliest rage but serves In Ramah though a voice be heard He who shall dry our tears hath 'scap'd! To broken-hearted Rachel tell So have her little ones escap'd, |