<div class='chaptertitle'>THE STAR IN THE EAST.</div>
<p><span class="smcap">In</span> these days God spoke to men by strange
signs, and wise ones were all the time on the watch
for them. They had read in their old books of a<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</SPAN></span>
star that was to shine with a bright light, and each
night they would raise their eyes to the sky, in hopes
that they might see this sign that would bring hope
and joy to the whole race of Jews. But years and
years had gone by, and
the Jews had no land of
their own, and were as
slaves to the Ce-sar of
Rome. And He-rod,
their king, was most
harsh to them, for he
had skill in the use of
a sword, but not in the
use of kind words, or
good deeds.</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_093.jpg" width-obs="282" height-obs="400" alt="the wise men" /> <span class="caption">THE GUID-ING STAR.</span></div>
<p>One night as a wise
man lay on the roof of
his house, with his gaze
fixed on the great broad
sky, he gave a start and
cry of joy, for there
shone a new star of such
size that all the rest of
the stars grew dim and small. And it was as if the
sun had burst through a dark cloud, and brought
the dawn some hours too soon, for the whole East
was full of light from the long rays of this new star.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>And the star seemed to move, and its rays to
point all one way. And the wise men who saw it
knew that the light had come for which they had
looked and prayed so long, and they set out at once
with the star to guide them, and they took rich gifts
with them. Each night it shone in the sky, and led
them on and on till they came to Je-ru-sa-lem. And
they said to those they met there, Where is he that
is born to be King of the Jews? for we have seen
his star in the east, and have come to kneel down at
his feet.</p>
<p>When He-rod heard of these things, and that
they spoke of Je-sus as King, he was in great fear
lest he should lose his throne. So he sent for his
chief priests and scribes that they might tell him
where Christ should be born. And they read from
their old books that it had been fore-told that he
should be born in Beth-le-hem.</p>
<p>Then He-rod sent for the wise men, and told
them to go to Beth-le-hem, and search for the young
child. And when ye find him, said he, bring me
back word that I too may fall down at his feet and
give him praise.</p>
<p>But this he did not mean to do, for his plan was
to put the child to death just as soon as he could
find out where it was.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_094.jpg" width-obs="453" height-obs="600" alt="shepherds" /> <span class="caption">THE SHEP-HERDS OF BETH-LE-HEM.</span></div>
<p>When the king had ceased to speak, the wise
men from the east left Je-ru-sa-lem, and went on
their way to Beth-le-hem. And the star led them
on and on, and was like the face of a friend. And
a small, still voice seemed to say to them:—Come!—Come!—Come!
And it drew them so that they
would have gone to the ends of the earth. When
troops are on the march, and through their ranks
goes the cry of Halt! then each foot must stand
still, and not a man moves from his place.</p>
<p>And when the wise men came to Beth-le-hem,
lo, the star that had led them stood still in the sky,
right o'er the place where the young child was.
And when they went in-to the house they saw the
young child, with Ma-ry, his mo-ther, and they fell
on their knees and bowed down to him as if he had
been a king. And they brought him gifts of great
worth, and gold and myrrh and rich gums and
spice that can be found on-ly in those lands in the
far East.</p>
<p>And God spoke to them in a dream, and told
them not to go back to He-rod, so they went home
not by the same road they had come.</p>
<p>When He-rod found that the wise men had not
done as he bade them, he was in a great rage, and
sent men to Beth-le-hem, and slew all the chil-dren
there who were two years old or less, for then he
was sure that Je-sus would be slain.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</SPAN><br/><SPAN name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_095.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="480" alt="wise men arrive" /> <span class="caption">THE WISE MEN BRING-ING PRES-ENTS TO JE-SUS.</span></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>But ere He-rod's men came, God spoke to Jo-seph
in a dream, and said, Rise, and take thy wife
and thy son, and flee in-to E-gypt, and stay there till
I bring thee word;
for He-rod will seek
the young child to
kill him.</p>
<p>So Jo-seph did as
the Lord told him,
and took his wife and
child out of Beth-le-hem
by night, and
went to dwell in the
Land of E-gypt.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_096.jpg" width-obs="290" height-obs="400" alt="Mary and Jesus" /> <span class="caption">THE FLIGHT IN-TO E-GYPT.</span></div>
<p>But when He-rod
was dead, God spoke
to Jo-seph in a dream,
and told him to take
his wife and son and
go back to the land
of Is-ra-el, for the
man was dead who
sought to kill the young child. And Jo-seph did
as the an-gel told him, and he and his wife and
child came and dwelt in Naz-a-reth.</p>
<hr class="chap" /><p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
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