of the sea, or replies to the cavils of the Pharisees, He is still the
same calm, holy, and gracious Saviour. When His passion was immediately
in view, He was as kind and as considerate as ever, for, on the very
night in which He was betrayed, He was employed in the institution of an
ordinance which was to serve as a sign and a seal of His grace
throughout all generations. His character is as sublime as it is
original. It has no parallel in the history of the human family. The
impostor is cunning, the demagogue is turbulent, and the fanatic is
absurd; but the conduct of Jesus Christ is uniformly gentle and serene,
candid, courteous, and consistent. Well, indeed, may His name be called
Wonderful. "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the
world know him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But an many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name." [32:1]




SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE TO CHAPTER II.

THE YEAR OF CHRIST'S BIRTH.

The Christian era commences on the 1st of January of the year 754 of the
city of Rome. That our Lord was born about the time stated in the text
may appear from the following considerations--

_The visit of the wise men to Bethlehem must have taken place a very few
days after the birth of Jesus, and before His presentation in the
temple._ Bethlehem was not the stated residence of Joseph and Mary,
either before or after the birth of the child (Luke i. 26, ii. 4, 39;