Antiquitates christianæ, or, The history of the life and death of the holy Jesus as also the lives acts and martyrdoms of his Apostles : in two parts.

SECT. VII. Of the younger years of JESVS, and his Disputation with the Doctors in the Temple.

[illustration]

The House of Prayer.

It is written, My house shall be called of all Nations, the house of prayer. Mark. 11. 17. If they return, confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication before thee in this House: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive. 2. Chron 6. 24. 26.

[illustration]

IESUS disputing with the Doctors

S. LUKE. 2. 46. 47.

They found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the Doctors both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding & answers.

1. FRom the return of this holy Family to Judaea, and their habitation in Naza∣reth, till the blessed Child Jesus was twelve years of age, we have nothing transmitted to us out of any authentick Record, but that they went to Jerusa∣lem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when Jesus was twelve years old, and was in the Holy City attending upon the Paschal Rites and solemn Sacrifices of the Law, his Parents, having fulfilled their days of Festivity, went homeward, supposing the Child had been in the Caravan among his friends, and so they erred for the space of a whole day's journey; and when they sought him, and found him not, they returned to Jeru∣salem full of fears and sorrow.

2. No fancy can imagine the doubts, the apprehensions, the possibilities of mis∣chief, and the tremblings of heart which the Holy Virgin-Mother felt thronging about her fancy and understanding, but such a person who hath been tempted to the danger of a violent fear and transportation, by apprehension of the loss of a hope greater than a Miracle; her discourses with her self could have nothing of distrust, but much of sad∣ness and wonder, and the indetermination of her thoughts was a trouble great as the passion of her love: Possibly an Angel might have carried him she knew not whither; or it may be the son of Herod had gotten the prey, which his cruel Father missed; or he was sick, or detained out of curiosity and wonder, or any thing but what was right. And by this time she was come to Jerusalem, and having spent three days in her sad and holy pursuit of her lost jewel, despairing of the prosperous event of any humane dili∣gence, as in all other cases she had accustomed, she made her address to God, and entring into the Temple to pray, God, that knew her desires, prevented her with the blessings of goodness, and there her sorrow was changed into joy and wonder; for there she found her Holy Son sitting in the midst of the Doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.

3. And when they saw him, they were amazed, and so were all that heard him, at his understanding and answers; beyond his education, beyond his experience, beyond his years, and even beyond the common spirits of the best 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 up to the height of a Prophet, with the clearness of an Angel, and the infallibility of inspirati∣on: for here it was verified in the highest and most literal signification, that out of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of babes God had ordained strength; but this was the strength of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and science of the highest Mysteries of Religion and secret Philosophy.

4. Glad were the Parents of the Child to find him illustrated with a Miracle, con∣cerning which when he had given them such an account which they understood not, but yet Mary laid up in her heart, as that this was part of his imployment and his Father's business, he returned with them to Nazareth, and was subject to his Parents; where he lived in all Holiness and Humility, shewing great signs of Wisdom, indearing himself to all that beheld his conversation, did nothing less than might become the great ex∣pectation which his miraculous Birth had created of him; for he increased in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and stature, and favour with God and Man, still growing in proportion to his great begin∣nings to a miraculous excellency of Grace, sweetness of demeanour, and excellency of understanding.

5. They that love to serve God in hard questions, use to dispute whether Christ did truly or in appearance only increase in Wisdom. For being personally united to the Word, and being the eternal Wisdom of the Father, it seemed to them that a plenitude of Wisdom was as natural to the whole Person, as to the Divine Nature. But others, fixing their belief upon the words of the story, which equally affirms Christ as properly to have increased in favour with God as with Man, in wisdom as in stature, they appre∣hend no inconvenience in affirming it to belong to the verity of Humane Nature to have degrees of Understanding as well as of other perfections: and although the Hu∣manity of Christ made up the same Person with the Divinity, yet they think the Divi∣nity still to be free, even in those communications which were imparted to his inferi∣our Nature, and the Godhead might as well suspend the emanation of all the treasures of Wisdom upon the Humanity for a time, as he did the Beatifical Vision, which most certainly was not imparted in the interval of his sad and dolorous Passion. But whe∣ther it were truly or in appearance, in habit or in exercise of act, by increase of notion or experience, it is certain the promotions of the Holy Child were great, admirable, and as full of wonder as of Sanctity, and sufficient to entertain the hopes and expectati∣ons of Israel with preparations and dispositions, as to satisfie their wonder for the pre∣sent, so to accept him at the time of his publication, they having no reason to be scan∣dalized at the smalness, improbability, and indifferency of his first beginnings.

6. But the Holy Child had also an imployment which he undertook in obedience to his supposed Father, for exercise and example of Humility, and for the support of that holy Family which was dear in the eyes of God, but not very splendid by the opulency of a free and indulgent fortune. He wrought in the trade of a Carpenter, and when Joseph died, which happened before the Manifestation of Jesus unto Israel, he wrought alone, and was no more called the Carpenter's son, but the Carpenter himself. Is not this the Carpenter, the son of Mary? said his offended Countrymen. And in this condition* 1.1 the Blessed Jesus did abide till he was thirty years old; for he that came to fulfil the Law, would not suffer one tittle of it to pass unaccomplished; for by the Law of the Nation and custom of the Religion no Priest was to officiate, or Prophet was to preach, before he was thirty years of age.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mark 6. 3.