The Harmony of the Gospels, Chapter 4
CAP. IIII.
The firſt bloudy Perſecution that befell our Lord Jeſus Chriſt while he was an Infant, by the cruelty of Herod.
HErod knew himſelf to be an uſurper of the crown of David, and Kingdom of Judah: He knew that the Jews waited for a Redeemer, a king, a branch of the ſtock of David; and now he was eminently informed by the wiſe men of the eaſt, that the king of Judah, the right heir of the Kingdome of David was born, and that he was born at Bethlehem, therefore his politick wicked heart doth preſently plot and contrive how he may lay his bloudy hands upon him. He could not tell, nor could they inform him how long he had been born: therefore to make ſure of that, he craftily and privily called the wiſe men, and asked them how long it was ſince the ſtar firſt appeared to them? ſuppoſing he might be born at the firſt appearance of that ſtar. Therefore Math. 2.7. he privily called the Wiſe men and enquired of them di igently what time the Star appeared? who anſwered, that it had appeared to them two years. Math. 2.16. Thus hath he digged deep, and laid his plot ſo, that he would be ſure (as he thought) to find him out: Which being done, Mat. 2.8. he ſent them to Bethlehem with this Order and appointment, Goe ſearch diligently for the young child, and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worſhip him alſo. What worſhip he intended to doe unto him, may juſtly be interpreted by his after acting in that matter. he meant to have worſhipped him with the ſword. Thus was this bloudy Perſecution plotted and contrived in the jealous and bloudy heart of Herod. He made no doubt, but that as theſe wiſe Men came firſt to him to enquire after the child, ſo they would in good manners have taken their leave of him at their departure, eſpecially he having ordered them ſo to doe. It is not ſaid that they did make a promiſe ſo to doe, or that he required ſuch a promiſe of them, in policy he would not ſo doe, leſt they ſhould have ſmelt ſomething thereby. But they, when they had found the Child, worſhipped him, and made their offerings to him, Mat. 2.12. being warned of God in a dream that they ſhould not return to Herod, (they being under no ingagement ſo to doe) they departed to their own Country another wa…. How eaſily might Herod have found out both the Parents and the child, by ſearching Davids Genealogy, which Caeſar's Taxation had cauſed to be ſearched and made publick at Bethlehem. Or how eaſily might he have apprehended him, by laying wait for him in the Temple, when the child was publickly dedicated to God? But God hid theſe means and opportunityes from him, they came not into his heart, becauſe he reſted and confided, as carnal Politicians uſe to do, in his own deep & cunningly contrived Stratagem.
This likewiſe alſo was a wonderfull wiſdome of God, to delay Herod from ſtirring in this matter, for about ſix weeks time, whereby opportunity was given to Joſeph and Mary to perform all that the law required: For it behoved Jeſus Chriſt to fulfill all righteouſneſs and perfectly to obſerve the law of God: and he did ſo. But this is to be obſerved alſo; how the active and paſſive obedience of Jeſus Chriſt are complicated together; and though theſe actions were the fulfilling of Ceremonial Laws, yet they were acts of moral obedience to the firſt and ſecond Commandments.
When our Lord Jeſus Chriſt was publickly dedicated to God in the Temple, it is like thouſands of people were preſent, and thoſe famous Teſtimonies touching this Child by thoſe holy and reverend perſons Simeon and Anna rang among the people and were greatly ſpoken off, and magnified, which would ſoon come to Herods Ear, either by his ſpyes, which Tyrants uſe to have abroad, eſpecially at ſuch publick Aſſemblies, or by the ſame thereof, that would ſound loud among the people. This News would gaſter him. Now he preſently layes out to apprehend that child, but behold & admire how the wiſdom of God prevented him, that night, Math. 2.13, 14. behold an Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream, unto Joſeph ſaying, ariſe, take the young child and his Mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there, until I bring thee word for Herod will ſeek the young child to deſtroy him, when he aroſe he took the young child, & his mother by night & departed into Egypt. Next morning (early no doubt) Herod ſ…nt to ſeek for the child that was yeſterday dedicated to God, of whom ſuch divine Oracles were publickly delivered. But neither Parents nor Child could be found, no doubt he would ſend to Bethlehem, & all places thereabout, but they could not be found. Then would he ſend for the wiſe men of the Eaſt whom he had ſent unto Bethlehem, and there they ſound tydings, that thoſe wiſe men had found a young child born in a ſtable, and laid in a manger, inſtead of a Cradle, that they worſhipped him, and offered gifts unto him, of gold, Frankincenſe and Myrrh, which when they had done, they departed home unto their own Country. When Herod heard this he ſwelled with rage extreamly, what have they mocked me thus? have they diſappointed me of my deſigne? we may well conceive that all theſe diſappointments in a matter of ſo great importance, would blow up the Tyrant into an horrible rage. Carnal Polititians have ſeldome patience to bear ſuch diſappointments; now his cruel heart would put him upon his firſt conceived plot, when he privily enquired how long the Star had appeared in the Eaſt, Mat. 2.16. then Herod when he ſaw that he was mocked of the wiſe men, was exceeding wroth, and ſent forth, and ſlew all the Children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the Coal's thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wiſe men, this ſheweth, he ſtayed not long before he fell upon this perſecution. The lamentation which this cruel ſlaughter raiſed, is beſt ſet forth by the Scripture, Mathew ſhewing that it was a fulfilling of the Propheſy long ago written by Jeremiah. Math, 2.17, 18. Then was fulfilled that which was ſpoken by Jeremy the Prophet, ſaying, in Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her Children, and would not be comforted, becauſe they were not. How many hundreds if not thouſands of theſe Innocent babes were martyred for the ſake of Jeſus Chriſt, in that populous and prolifick Nation, we cannot tell, but we ſhall know at the day of Judgement when all theſe things ſhall be opened and judged by our Lord Jeſus, who was thus cruelly perſecuted by Herod, it was Jeſus Chriſt that they ſtruck at, though the blow miſſed him, and fell upon theſe innocent babes. This flight of Joſeph and Mary, and the Child Jeſus into Egypt, is to be numbred among the great ſufferings of Jeſus Chriſt, and was occaſioned by a ſore and bloody perſecution, he fled for his life, when he fled from under Herods Jurisdiction he was forced to fly from the Communion of the Church, from the Temple and publick worſhip of God, which his Father David had experienced to be a very black cloud, a bitter diſtreſs, he fled to Egypt the place of Iſraels bondage, ſorrow, and affliction. Lo now Iſrael is in Egypt again, he is an exile from the Church, and fled into the world to ſave his life. in this ſad place and caſe he lived, even ſo long as Herod lived after the birth of Jeſus Chriſt which was about two years, all which time Jeſus Chriſt ſuffered in his perſon, and he ſuffered in his Saints, Iſai. 63.9. in all their afflictions he was afflicted, when the innocent Infants were martyred for his ſake, he ſuffered with them when their Parents lamented, when Rachel mourned, & would not be comforted, he ſuffered with them, when his Parents Joſeph and Mary fled under the terrour of Herods perſecution for their lives, he ſuffered with them, and not only in their flight, but alſo in all the ſufferings that followed he ſuffered with them. Yea, in all theſe ſufferings he ſuffered more then any, yea, More then all his Saints ſuffered, with whom he was a co-ſufferer, for he ſuffered as our Saviour, Luk. 2.11. unto you is born a Saviour, he was in that Office from his birth, Iſai. 9.6, 7. unto us a Son is born, unto us a Son is given, and the Government ſhall be on his ſhoulders, and his Name …hall be called wonderful, Counſellour, the mighty God, the Everlaſting Father, the Prince …f peace, &c. & behold all this is now in performing, for the Child is born, the Son of David is given to the Church, and he is about his great and glorious work for the Redemption of Iſrael. he is no ſooner born, but he is a ſufferer, he is born in the Office of a Saviour, all his works and ſufferings are Effects of his Office, when he …lfilled the Law, he did it as a publick perſon, our Saviour, our ſecond Adam when …e ſuffered, he ſuff…red as a publick perſon, fulfilling the penalty of the Law. The …econd Adam ſu…ering for the firſt Adam, and for all the Elect of God, who were …ommitted to his charge to deliver them. All the obedience of this perſon both …ctive and paſſive are pure, perfect, and meritorious. The ſufferings of this Child …eſus are not ſo much to be attended as they proceed from Herod, who was jea…us of looſing his Kingdome over Judea, and oppoſed him only upon that account. But the ſuff…rings of Jeſus Chriſt who ever was the Inſtrument ther…of, are upon an higher account, viz. to ſatisfie vindictive juſtice, according to the Covenant that pa…ſed betwixt the Father and the Son, in the behalf of Adam, and his Elect Seed. This is the internal and ſpiritual Character of all the ſufferings of Jeſus Chriſt, even from his firſt Incarnarion, and from his birth, his firſt entrance into the Fleſh, into this World, was attended with great ſufferings. And as his life was the pretious life of a publick perſon, ſo all his ſufferings were the ſufferings of a publick perſon, the Redeemer of Gods Elect.
And this is to be noted, that in all his ſufferings, he did attend unto, follow divine Counſel. he did not raſhly, or without cauſe or call, either expoſe himſelf to danger, or engage into any difficulties, alwayes he attended unto the command, and direction of the Lord, whatever the Lord appointed to him, that he did, and ſuffered, in all which he is an holy pattern unto us in all our ſufferings. And when we celebrate in our Sacramenatl worſhip, the ſufferings of Jeſus Chriſt, we celebrate all his ſufferings, even from his firſt incarnation: and theſe ſufferings in his Infancy, for all his ſufferings are of the ſame kind and nature.
In this their flight into Egypt, and tarrying there till the death of Herod, the wiſe over-ruling providence of God did accompliſh two eminent fa…ours for them
1. He compleated the Mantle which he drew over the birth of Jeſus Chriſt, which was (very probably) ſome dayes ſooner then the time of their compleating the marriage, in the ſight of men would be correſpondent unto; for after her Conception, ſhe brought forth her firſt born, according to the ordinary time of of the life of man, and that was ſome diſtance of time afore the ſtrict account of the time of the conſummation of the marriage would allow, in which caſe, ſome obſervers (no doubt) were buſying themſelves; but now they being ſent away to Egypt and there abiding till the death of Herod, all memory of ſuch a critical obſervation was utterly removed out of the way. 2. It may juſtly be here enquired how this poor couple with their babe ſubſiſted, in their long flight and tarriance from home, and that among ſtrangers in a ſtrange land. What proviſion had they for their ſuſtenance? In this matter Gods eminent providential care over them appeared: for the wiſe men of the eaſt offered gold, frankincenſe and myrrh, which were worth gold in Egypt. And hereby the Lord made a ſupply of proviſion for their ſubſiſtence, to bear all their charges, in this difficult and chargeable flight. O what a ſovereign high hand of God is here magnified, to provide and ſend men from the Eaſt, among other ends, to bring ſuſtenance and proviſion for Joſeph, Mary and Jeſus in their flight into Egypt! This perſecution that Herod raiſed againſt Jeſus Chriſt in his Infancy, was the firſt entertainment that he had among the Jews, and it was very ſharp, but reached not his life, he had other things to do and accompliſh in this world, before he left it. We read of no more perſecutions that he ſuffered, until he entered his publick Miniſtry, and then the chief Prieſts, Scribes, and Phariſees, hypocrites were his perſecutors, and they did ſo malitiouſly, cunningly, and effectually follow the matter, that they perſecuted him to the death; under their hands he finiſhed his ſufferings in this life, which he came into the world to undergoe.