22 The Angel appears to the Virgin Mary, SECT. 4. was contracted, according to the Jewish Me- 29 30 Now the pious and modest Virgin, when The faw this Appearance of [the Angel,] and heard his Meffage, as he plainly perceived it to be fomething of a very extraordinary Nature, was much disturbed at his Difcourse (b); and not imagining herself at all worthy of fuch Applause and Congratulation, the reasoned with herself for a while, what Kind of Salutation this could be (c), and from what Original it could proceed. And the Angel immediately perceiving it, to disperse the Doubt fhe was in, faid unto ber again, Fear not, Mary; for I am a Meffenger fent from Heaven to tell thee, that thou hast found fignal Favour with GOD. And to a Man, whofe Name was vid; and the Virgin's Name 28 And the Angel came in unto her, and faid, Hail, thou that art highly favoured; the Lord is with thee: bleffed art thou among Women. 29 And when the faw him, he was troubled at his Saying, and caft in her Mind, what manner of Salutation this should be. 30 And the Angel faid for thou haft found Favour unto her, Fear not, Mary; with GOD. (b) She was disturbed at his Difcourfe.] Some would render 7 7 λoy aule, on Account of him; and Heinfius hath abundantly fhewn, how common this Manner of fpeaking is, in the Sacred Writings. (c) What Kind of Salutation.] She feems to have fufpected, it might poffibly proceed from the Artifice of fome evil Spirit, to inspire her with Sentiments of Vanity and Pride. (d) How and foretells her Conception of CHRIST. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy Womb, and bring forth a Son, and fhalt call his Name Jefus. 32 He shall be great, and fhall be called the Son of the Higheft; and the Lord GOD fhall give unto him the Throne of his Father Da vid: 33 And he fhall reign over the House of Jacob for ever, and of his_Kingdom there fhall be no End. 34 Then said Mary unto the Angel, How fhall this be, feeing I know not a Man? 23 And behold, and obferve it with due Re- SECT. 4. 336 And Mary replied to the Angel, O thou 34: And. (d) How can this be,-fince I am as yet a Virgin?] Some would render this, What? fhall this be, if I have no Intercourfe with a Man? as if fhe would be refolved, whether this Birth were to be produced, in a common, or a miraculous Manner. But I think it is more natural to fuppofe, that she understood the former Words, as an Intimation, that the Effect was immediately to take Place, to which her present Circumstance seemed, humanly fpeaking, an invincible Objection. Our English Verfion, I know not a Man, is more literal than what is here given; but I do not apprehend, that 24 SECT. 4. He confirms her Faith in his Meffage, And the Angel anfwering, faid unto her, There is nothing in that Objection, great Luke 1. 35. as it may feem; for this whole Affair is to be a Scene of Miracle: The Holy Spirit fhall come upon thee, and the Power of the most High GOD fhall thus overshadow thee by an amazing Energy, to produce an Effect, hitherto, from the Foundation of the Earth, unknown: And therefore that holy Offspring of thine fhall, with Regard to this miraculous Conception, as well as another, and yet greater Confideration, be called the Son of 36 GOD. And behold, to confirm thy Faith in a Declaration, which might feem fo incredible, I farther affure thee, that thy Coufin Elizabeth alfo hath, by the miraculous Power of GOD, conceived a Son, tho' fhe be now' in her old Age; and this is the fixth Month of Pregnancy with her, who hath long been called barren (e), and spoken of as one who could have no Hope of being a Mother. fcruple not to believe, what I have told thee, with Regard to thyself, as well as her; for thou well knoweft, that nothing is, or ever will be, impoffible to GOD, whofe Almighty Power operates with equal Eafe, in the most miraculous, as in the most common Productions. 37 38 And And strange as the Meffage was, Mary firmly believed it (f), and faid with the most amiable 35 And the Angel anfwered, and faid unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Higheft fhall overfhadow thee: therefore alfo that HolyThing, which shall be born of thee, fhall be called the Son of GOD. 36 And behold, thy Cou fin Elizabeth, fhe hath alfo Age: and this is the fixth Month with her, who was conceived a Son in her old called barren. 37 For with God nothing fhall be impoffible. 38 And Mary faid, Be hold that the strictest Fidelity requires, to render the Hebraism so exactly; the Senfe is evidently the fame. (e) Who hath been called barren.] I cannot think (with fome learned and judicious Perfons,) that to be called, and to be, fignify entirely the fame Thing, fo as that the former fhould be thought a mere Pleonafm, and rendered juft as the latter. The Phrase seems to fignify, in the Language of Scripture, not only that the Thing fhall really be what it is called, but also that it fhall be taken Notice of in that View: Which I think will appear from an attentive Confideration of the chief Texts, which have been produced to establish the opposite Opinion. Compare Ifa. i. 26. ix. 6. xxxv. 8. xlvii. 1, 5. lvi. 7. lxi. 3, 6. Mat. v. 9, 19. xxi. 13. Mark xi. 17. 1 John iii. 1. (f) Mary firmly believed it.] It is worthy of our Remark, that Mary, tho' a young Virgin, fhould fo readily believe an Event, in itself fo much more wonderful, than that which Zacharias, tho' an aged Prieft, had found it fo difficult to credit. And it may and Mary acquiefces in it. hold the Handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy Word. And the Angel departed from her. W 25 amiable Humility and Piety, Behold, I am SECT. 4. Then the Angel, having executed his Com- ITH what holy Wonder and Pleasure, fhould we trace this Ver. 26, 27. should we adore his condefcending Goodness, that for us Men, and We too are ready in our Thoughts, with Gabriel, to congratulate Ver. 28, her on fo distinguished an Honour, and to fay, as one did to Chrift in the Days of his Flesh, Blessed is the Womb that bare thee, O Lord, and the Breafts which thou haft fucked! (Luke xi. 27.) But let us remember, there is yet a nobler Blessedness than this, attending those, in whose Hearts he is fo formed by Divine Grace, that they hear his Word, and do it. Let us hear it with Joy, that he is Jefus the Saviour; but let us Ver. 31, 32. also confider, that he is Christ the anointed Sovereign, who is to rule over God's People for ever. Remember, O my Soul, that of his Ver. 33. Kingdom there fhall be no End; and esteem it thine unfpeakable Honour and Happiness, to be enrolled among his faithful Subjects. The Glories promised to fuch in the future State are fo far beyond Experience, or even Imagination, that they might, to Senfe, appear VOL. I. D as may be obferved, that the Sacred Writers are particularly careful, to record Instances of this Kind, in which God doth, as it were, out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings perfect his Praife. (g) Refign my Reputation, and even my Life.] For both thefe, humanly speaking, might have been in Danger; confidering the Severity of the Mofaic Law against thofe, who had violated the Faith of their Efpoufals. (Compare Deut. xxii. 23, 24.) And tho' so impious a Prince, as Herod, who was then on the Jewish Throne, undoubtedly controlled many of the Laws of GOD; yet the natural Severity, and extravagant Jealousy of his Temper, would probably engage him to execute this in its full Terror. 26 Reflections on Mary's Conception of CHRIST. SECT. 4. as incredible, as the Meffage which Mary received: But let us remember the eternal Truth of what Gabriel suggested to her, that Ver. 37. nothing is impossible to GOD. He can therefore ripen our imperfect Souls, to all the Improvement and Pleasures of the Heavenly State, as eafily as he produces the meaneft Vegetable on the Earth. Let the Temper of the bleffed Virgin on this great Occafion, be therefore the beautiful Model of ours: So, when the Purposes of the Divine Love are declared to us, may we refign ourfelves unto the Lord; and with fuch calm Tranquility, firm Faith, and joyful Acquiefcence, may we wait the Accomplishment of his gracious ProVer. 38. mife, and fay, Behold the Servants of the Lord! be it unto us according to his Word! So do thou, O Lord, animate and support us! and the weakest of thy Children fhall not stumble at the greatest of thy Promises thro' Unbelief, but being strong in Faith, fhall give Glory to GOD. SECT. V. Mary vifits Elizabeth; her Faith is confirmed by it, and fhe breaks out into a Song of Praife. Luke I. 39,--56. LUKE I. 39. SECT. 5. IN thefe Days, or foon after the Time that she received the extraordinary Meffage Luke I. 39. mentioned above, Mary arofe from Nazareth, where she then was, and went (a) with all the Expedition the conveniently could, to what was called the Hill-Country, which lay towards the South of Canaan; and came in to. LUKE I. 39. AND Mary arose in those Days, and went into the to a City of Juda, Hill-Country with Hafte in (a) Mary arofe, and went &c.] This was a very wife Determination; as it was very probable, that by communicating the Vision fhe had feen, and perhaps alfo defcribing the Form in which the Angel appeared, fhe might convince Zacharias and Elizabeth, that there was fomething fingular in her Cafe; and fo might bring in the Reputation of fuch worthy and eminent Perfons, to establish her own, in a Circumstance, which might otherwife expofe her to great Sufpicion and Cenfure.-I fhall only add, that it is not improbable, the City here spoken of might be Hebron, a City belonging to the Priefts, in the Tribe of Judah, and the Hill-Country, Josh, xxi. 11. (b) Happy |