CONVERSATION XIII.

APOSTACY OF SPIRIT.

MALIGNITY.

Review.

Knowledge of the Young Spirit. - Massacre of the Innocents, from the Sacred Text. - Pictures of Cruelty. - Emblems of Herod. — Sense of Retribution. -Punishment. - Prejudice.

Review.

MR. ALCOTT. What kind of wisdom had the wise men, of whom we talked last time?

EDWARD B. The knowledge of the stars and learned books.

FREDERIC. They knew things some sly way.

MR. ALCOTT. Were they jugglers? I don't think so. FRANKLIN. They had the power of prophecy by means of the stars which helped them some. Note 124.)

CHARLES. Wisdom is knowledge of God.

(See

LUCIA. They studied their own minds, they tried to

find out good and evil.

FRANK. I think it was worldly wisdom.

RECORDER. What is that?

FRANK. Knowing how things are made. (See Note 125.)

Knowledge of the Young

Spirit.

MR. ALCOTT. They reverenced children; and their wisdom consisted in perceiving in the infant spirit the sign of holiness; of God.

Having enlarged a little on this, he read the

Before the Vulgar Era, 5. Julian Period, 4709.

Egypt.

* 1 Hos. xi. 1. Bethlehem.

† Jer. xxxi. 15.

Before the Vulgar Era, 3. Julian Period, 4711.

Egypt.

MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS.

MATT. ii. 13-23. LUKE ii. 40.

Cruelty.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and 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.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

* Out of Egypt have I called my son.

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 coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise

men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard,

t

Lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children,

And would not be comforted because they are not 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the

Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judæa in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee :

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

LUKE ii. 40.

40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

He then asked for their thoughts.

GEORGE B. I don't think Herod was a good man, because he killed all the children in Bethlehem.

Pictures of MR. ALCOTT. You may each of you make Cruelty. a picture of what I have read.

FRANK. I thought of a temple on one side, and two steeples out of it, and two stone stairs up to the top, and a row of houses on one side, and the door open of one house, and the house was empty; and on the sidewalk there was a man and child dead ; all was still; the houses were empty, and the people were on the tops of the houses.

EDWARD C. I saw the children killed, and God telling Joseph to take Jesus away.

EDWARD J. I thought I saw one of the children when they were hanging him. I thought I should not like to be there. I saw a great many men and children. The children were standing up and not killed yet.

NATHAN. I saw a very great temple, and a board laid up high, and a spring of water at the end of it; and they rolled the children down the board into the spring.

JOSIAH. There was a great door to the house where Herod lived, and a great steeple; and little steeples all about; and Herod looked out of a window, at the men killing the children. The children were tied to a string, and struck on the head with an axe, by one of Herod's servants; and their mothers were looking out of the windows.

WILLIAM C. I saw a great house where Herod was, and his servants went into the houses, and asked how old the children were, and all under two years old they took and killed.

ALEXANDER. I thought Herod sent all his ruffians to kill the children with swords. He was standing at the door at first, waiting for the wise men, and was angry at their not coming back.

JOHN B. I thought of a house as large as this temple, with large iron doors, large window. Because the wise men did not come back, Herod sent out his servants to kill all the little babies. And he stood upon the steps looking. He heard some weeping. It was the mothers, and he pretended that he was weeping. Then I thought of Joseph's dream in Egypt, and the journey back from Egypt.

LUCIA. When Herod saw that the wise men did not come back, he was angry. Then he thought he should certainly kill Jesus if he killed all the children. So he sent out his men to kill them. The mothers were trying to keep their children out of the hands of the men.

And I saw Egypt in my mind, when Joseph and Mary were there, and Joseph asleep. And his conscience seemed to me to tell him that Herod was dead, and he might go back. And I saw him and Mary carrying the child back; and when he heard Archelaus was reigning he went to Nazareth, because he was afraid Archelaus would be just like his father.

EDWARD J. I wish you would read the history of Palestine, Mr. Alcott.

EDWARD B. This was my picture. I thought of Herod sitting on his throne, waiting for the wise men ; and he waited so long that he had to turn his face round to hide it, it was so red and angry. Soon he called the soldiers to go and kill all the children in Bethlehem; and as soon as the mothers heard of this order, they took their children in their arms, and ran about the streets, screaming. And I saw many children on the side walks dead, and their mothers tearing their hair. And I thought Herod himself seized on one child which he thought might be Jesus, and threw it out of the window, and its own mother caught it, and then a soldier seized it, and killed it.

CHARLES. I imagined Herod, just as his anger was raging, and his passionate order was given to the soldiers to kill every child. And they went out and did as he commanded; and the mothers were so frantic, that they tried to kill the soldiers themselves. I imagined there were stone steps to the houses, and both mothers and children were pitched down the stone steps and killed. And all this while, Herod wasl ooking out at the window, and seeing the slaughter; and at last he could bear it no longer, and stopped it. But when he found Jesus was not killed, he repented of this mercy.

WILLIAM B. I thought of a place ten times as large as this temple. And there was a large room and a beautiful throne, with golden steps, very high, and a great window, and a door open into the street; and soldiers were standing round, waiting; and Herod was waiting for the wise men, till at last he was in such a rage, that he did not know what he was saying, and he told the soldiers to go and kill all the children in the town. And they were afraid to disobey him, and went. And Herod clapped his hands as he saw the massacre go on, looking out of his great window. And he saw one mother, with a child crying, praying; and Herod thought it must be the mother of Jesus, and he sent for it, and had it brought in, and killed it himself. The soldiers were flying about, and the mothers were also flying about frantically, and throwing stones; and now and then a soldier fell dead. And when Herod afterwards found Jesus was not dead, he killed all the soldiers.

Emblems

of Herod.

JOSIAH.

MR. ALCOTT. What name would suit the character of Herod ?

A wicked crocodile; for he sought for Jesus, by the wise men, under the pretence of worship