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maiden held her peace, and answered not a word. How very different from our indignant impatience under an evil report, and eager haste to justify ourselves, was her meek and holy quietness! And whence did it arise? From her setting the Lord always before her, and seeking only to be approved of Him, and because He was at her right hand, therefore she could not be moved. Caring only for the things of the Lord, that she might be holy both in body and in spirit, she had learned to cast all her own care upon One who careth for us: and was not His tender care shewn out in providing for her a refuge at the first in the house of Zacharias and Elisabeth, both of whom were of good report, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, and afterwards in finding a shelter and rest for her in the house of her husband? Of the holy and gracious character of Joseph much is told us in those few words, "a just man, and not willing to make her a public example;" for as it is written of the righteous man, such an one "is ever merciful." It is indeed a strange mistake to imagine that a just man will be a harsh, a hasty, a severe man, delighting in judgment rather than in mercy. The man whom God calls just, is not like that proud Pharisee who looked down upon the contrite-hearted Publican, and said, " God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are, or even as this Publican;" for "his soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him." But these things go together: "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly

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with thy God;" and is not the prayer which we are taught a witness unto us, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors?" So just, so holy and humble of heart was the man whom God chose to be the guardian of the blessed Virgin, and the foster-father of her Holy Child ; gentle, and tender, and loving, and full of compassion, no doubt; but as yet he knew not the mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord, and how His Virgin Mother, so far from being one whom it became a just man to put away from him in utter loathing of her grievous sin, was in very truth such an one as all generations should call Blessed. But the just man was not long left in ignorance; and while, in his merciful reluctance to deal harshly with his espoused wife, he thought how he might put her away privately, so as not needlessly to draw down public reproach upon her, the Angel of the Lord, in a dream, revealed to him the truth, and bade him not fear to take unto him Mary his wife, for that what had been done was only for the fulfilling of that word, "Behold, a Virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel."

Perhaps in addressing Joseph as the "son of David," the Lord would remind him that it was needful for the apparent fulfilment of the word of prophecy that the Son of Mary should be known to be of the seed of David, according to the flesh; for it was well known to the Jews that the promised Messias should be of the house and lineage of David; though to very few was Jesus, the car

penter's Son, (as He was called,) revealed in the days of His flesh as the Son of the Highest; and so, while verily the Son of Mary, He was supposed to be only the Son of Joseph by those who knew not that God was His Father; and that therefore He was at once the Son of David, and yet David's Lord, a truth which the Jews could not understand. To Joseph was given this great honour of being unto Him in the stead of an earthly father, and of naming Him, according to the word of the angel, by that sweetest and dearest of all names, at which we are taught to bow the head and bend the knee in lowliest reverence, even as it is written that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.

No doubt it was with gladness of heart that Joseph, being raised from sleep, hastened to do the bidding of the Lord in taking unto him Mary his wife; and under the shelter of her husband's roof the blessed Virgin dwelt in peace and safety, secure from all unholy slander, and known to others only as the poor carpenter's wife; for, as I said before, she had learned to hold her peace, hiding in her heart the secret of the Lord. And think of this, dear children, how to hold our tongue, as people say, is indeed to hold our peace, retaining that which in the multitude of words is so soon lost; and pray that in this her holy peaceful silence also we may imitate the example of Mary. There is, indeed, a time to speak out; as when Mary sung in the gladness of her heart, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour:" but there is also a

time to keep silence, and when to speak of high and holy things would be only hurtful both to ourselves and others. To speak of them at any time, or to any person, for the sake of pleasing or exalting ourselves in any way, would be sad indeed; but to speak of them at all, except to fit persons, in fitting places and at fitting times, were both irreverent and unfaithful. Speak of them to God in the stillness of your closets whenever you will, but to others seldom; and yet when in His Church such words are put into our mouth, then let us not fear to speak out, as did Elisabeth, with a loud voice, and to "make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation;" then let your voices be heard out of the abundance of your heart in every response and psalm, and it shall be like sweet music in His ear, who saith unto such as love, like holy Mary, to be alone with God, and hidden from the eye of man in the secret of His tabernacle, "O My dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." And do you know, dear little ones, what is meant by these clefts and secret places, where only holy and dove-like ones may enter in and dwell? There are several of them-five, I believe; but I will not now tell you what they are, for I had rather speak it with a hushed voice, and in some quiet place, where the shadow of the Cross might fall upon us, than write it in a book; but if you want to know, ask your parents, or some priest of God, and they

will tell you what they are, and how very blessed it is to dwell in those clefts,-how very safe to be hidden in those secret places.

REST IN THE LORD.

'Neath the shadow of the Almighty, peacefully the saints abide;

In the secret of His presence He delights the meek to hide; From the strife of tongues He hides them, from the bitter words that vex,

From the thousand restless musings that the worldly wise perplex.

Prayer and praise their sweet employment, for themselves they need not care,

Conscious of an arm around them, mighty evermore to bear:

Thus God kept the blessed Virgin, watching o'er her night

and day,

Found her first a home in Hebron, brought her safely on

her way.

Thence to Nazareth's vale returning, still the Lord her steps attends,

And from all unholy slander He His chosen one defends ; While within her faithful bosom she His wondrous grace conceals,

He is near who justifies her, and her righteousness reveals.

Peacefully in silence dwelling, what hath she to do or say, Though her saintly husband deem her one whom he must put away?

Lo! while yet he thought to do it, at her seeming fault dismay'd,

"Fear thou not to take her to thee," in his dream the angel said.

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