The harmony of the Gospels in the holy history of the humiliation and sufferings…

1. He went down with them, he had come up with them unto the Temple to attend the public worship of God, and now he returneth home again in his parents company. It is a spiritual comfort to godly parents, when they appear before God. to say as Isai. 8.18. Behold here am I, and the children which the Lord hath given me. And when the worship is finished, the Parents and the Children return home together. Good Children will refuse vain company, vanities and play, to keep company with their godly parents. Godly youth will chiefly prize and rather choose the desirable company of their good parents, as being according to the commandment of God, and the holy pattern that our Saviour Jesus Christ hath set us. Once we see that he tarried behind them; but we also see what a good Apology he had for it; because he was about his heavenly Fathers business. according to this instance was his, and his Parents practise all his days. From this time forward for eighteen years did they thus walk. Order is comely in Gods eyes, and becometh Gods House and Worship: in such order did they constantly walk with God. Hereby Jesus Christ did fulfil perfectly all the laws of God, touching his orderly attendance unto the instituted worship of God. Such a divine beauty and lustre was upon the reverent, orderly and religious attendance of Jesus Christ upon the public worship of God, that it was an high honour to the Temple, for him to appear in it, and to worship God there. Such an honour and glory, as made this second Temple to excel the first Temple, though in many other respects it was inferior to it. Hag. 2.7, 9. The Desire of all Nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Host: the glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts. The holy obedience and worship of this glorious person, did beautify and illustrate ⟨p. 31⟩the Temple, and all the instituted worship of God, which was there performed. this Person brought more glory to the Temple then all the Ceremonies, of which he was the substance, and they were but t•e shadows. In all this period of the middle age of his life, the Lord Jesus did fulfil the law of God, with his pure perfect and meritorious obedience: never was the Law of God so obeyed and fulfilled, as it was by this glorious Person.