King,--conclude, that the earth may be glad thereof, yea, the multitude of the ifles may be glad thereof. May God grant the perfuafion may make us as virtuous, as it has reafon to make us joyful, and that it may bring forth in us the fruits of good living to his praife and glory, to whom be all might, majefty and dominion, now and for evermore, Amen. SERMON SERMON IX. The Character of HEROD. Preached on Innocents Day. MATTHEW ii. 17, 18. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, Saying,-In Rama was there a voice beard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachael weeping for her children, and would not be comforted because they are not. ΤΗ HE words which St. Matthew cites here as fulfilled by the cruelty and ambition of Herod, are in the 31st chapter of Jeremiah, 15th verfe. In the foregoing chapter, the prophet having declared God's intention of turning the mourning of his people into joy, by the reftoration of the tribes which had been led away captive into Babylon; he proceeds in in the beginning of this chapter, which contains this prophecy, to give a more particular description of the great joy and feftivity of that promised day, when they were to return once more to their own land, to enter upon their ancient poffeffions, and enjoy again all the privileges they had loft, and amongst others, and what was above them all,-the favour and protection of God, and the continuation of his mercies to them and their pofterity. To make therefore the impreffion of this change the ftronger upon their minds-he gives a very pathetic reprefentation of the preceding forrow on that day when they were firft led away captive. Thus faith the Lord, A voice was heard in Rama; lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachael weeping for her children, refused to be comforted, because they were not. To enter into the full fenfe and beauty of this description, it is to be remembered that the tomb of Rachael, Jacob's beloved wife, as we read in the 35th of Ge. nefis, was fituated near Rama, and betwixt that that place and Bethlehem. Upon which circumftance, the prophet raifes one of the most affecting scenes, that could be conceived; for as the tribes in their forrowful journey betwixt Rama and Bethlehem in their way to Babylon, were fuppofed to pass by this monumental pillar of their ancestor Rachael Jacob's wife, the prophet by a common liberty in rhetoric, introduces her as rifing up out of her fepulchre, and as the common mother of two of their tribes, weeping for her children, bewailing the fad catastrophe of her pofterity led away into a strange land-refufing to be comforted, because they were not,-loft and cut off from their country, and in all likelyhood, never to be restored back to her again. The Jewish interpreters fay upon this, that the patriarch Jacob buried Rachael in this very place, foreseeing by the spirit of prophecy, that his pofterity fhould that way be led captive, that the might as they paffed her, intercede for them.— |