of God; and that the infant, anciently represented in her arms, and
with whom, in their day, she arose on the Eastern horizon at midnight
on the 24th of December, was the same of whom the people were taught to
sing at Christmas "Unto us a child is born this day."

With the knowledge of these facts we can readily see that this is the
Virgin and child which constituted the originals of those exquisite
paintings, by the old masters, known as the Madonna and Child.


Epiphany or Twelfth Day.

In reference to the twelve signs through which the sun makes his
apparent annual revolution, the twelfth day after Christmas, answering
to the 6th of January, was observed by the votaries of the ancient
Astrolatry as the anniversary of the Epiphany or Twelfth Day. In the
solar fables, it was taught that a star appeared in the heavens on that
day to manifest the birthplace of the infant Saviour to the Magi or
Wise Men of the East, who came to pay him homage, and to present him
with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, as related in Matthew
ii. 11.

The reason for presenting these gifts is explained by the facts that of
the seven metals dedicated to the genii of the planets, gold was the
one consecrated to God Sol; and frankincense and myrrh were the gums
burned in censers in his worship.

In reading the account of the Magi's visit to the infant Saviour, we
have but to exercise our thinking faculties to realize that it is
allegory instead of literal history.