14 And thou shalt 14. And this birth of a son to thee in thy old age have joy and glad- by a barren wife shall not only be matter of joy and rejoice at his birth. exultation to thee, but to many others also; all that 15 For he shall be expect the Messias shall rejoice at this coming of great in the sight of Elias, his forerunner. the Lord, and shall nor strong drink; 15. For he shall be a very eminent person, abstaindrink neither wine ing after the manner of the Nazarites, and the power and he shall be filled of the Holy Ghost shall be discerned to be upon him with the Holy Ghost, very early, ver. 80. ther's womb. even from his mo- 16. And being a preacher of repentance to the Jews he shall work upon many of them, and bring 16 And many of them to repentance and new life. the children of Israel shall he turn to the 17. And he shall go before the Messias, as his Lord their God. harbinger, with the same affections of zeal and courage 17 And he shall go against sin, (see note [d] on ch. ix.) of earnest calling before him in the for repentance, (and reproving even Herod himself,) spirit and power of Elias, to turn the and with the same authority and prophetic power, hearts of the fathers which toward Ahab was observable in Elias, (to whom to the children, and he hath a greater resemblance than to any of the Old the disobedient to Testament,) to work an universal reformation among 4 the wisdom of the just; to make the Jews, to bring them to the minding of those things ready a people pre- which tend to true justice, and not only of external pared for the Lord. legal observances, to sincere reformation and change 18 And Zacharias of all their evil ways; and so fit men to receive Christ said unto the angel, on his conditions, and to render themselves capable Whereby shall i know this? for I am of his mercies. an old man, and my g my wife, beside that she hath all her time been wife well stricken in barren, grown in years also, past bearing of children. years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, h My name is Gabriel, and I am an officer or atthat stand in the pre- tendant that wait on God, by whom I was dispatched sence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou on this good message to thee. 20. And as a punishment of thy unbelief, and withal shalt be [9] dumb, as a sign to assure thee of the truth of what I say, and not able to speak, thou shalt be deaf and dumb, and so continue till until the day that these things shall be after the birth of the child, ver. 64, which shall be performed, because according to the ordinary course of women's conceiving thou believest not and bringing forth, reckoning from this time. my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, 4 the prudence of the just, or, the minding of just things. and marvelled that he tarried so long in the 'temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived k sanctuary. * concluded that God had given him some revelathat he had seen a tion in time of his offering incense: and he made [] vision in the temple: for he beckoned signs to them, but was not able to speak to them, unto them, and re- continuing dumb, after the amazement of it was over. mained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his [i]ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. hid herself five 24 And after those 24, 25. And his wife Elisabeth conceived presently days his wife Elisa- (see ver. 20, and note [m]), and as soon as she perbeth conceived, and ceived it she went out of the way to avoid the dismonths, saying, courses of the people, and returned not till the time 25 Thus hath the of the conception of Christ, (and revealing of that,) Lord dealt with me whose officer and harbinger only John was to be. in the days wherein And Elisabeth blessed God for this miraculous mercy he looked on me, to of his, in giving her a child in her old age, and so proach among men. taking away from her the reproach of barrenness, 26 And in the sixth which was so heavy and unsupportable among the month the angel Ga- Jews, Isaiah iv. 1. take away my re briel was sent from God unto a city of 26. And in the sixth month after Elisabeth's conGalilee, named Na- ception, see ver. 36, the angel 28 And the angel came in unto her, and 'said, Hail, thou 1 saluted her in this form: Hail, thou gracious perthat art [k]highly favoured, the [1] Lord son, the Lord of heaven be with thee! let all men for is with thee: blessed ever account of thee as the most blessed woman in art thou among wo- the world! men. 6 29 And when she 29. And seeing and considering what had hapsaw him, she was pened she knew not what to judge of it, but cast troubled at his say- about what should be the importance of this saluing, and cast in her mind what manner 5 tation. Hail, gracious person, the Lord be with thee. 6 it. of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, 30. And while she was thus musing, the angel— 31. And though thou art a virgin, yet thou shalt &c. thou shalt conceive (see Matt. i. 21.) 32 est and the Lord He shall be great, 32, 33. He shall be an eminent person, being the and shall be called Son of God, (see note [] on Matt. i.) and the God the Son of the High- of Israel shall settle upon him a spiritual kingdom, of God shall give unto which that temporal of David was but an imperfect him the throne of representation, the absolute government of the church, his father David: that spiritual house of Jacob, and that kingdom of his 33 And he shall shall continue for ever, shall never be destroyed, as reign over the house the kingdom of the Jews shall. of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How m shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said m can I, being a virgin, conceive? unto her, "The Holy " This shall be done by the Holy Ghost and the Ghost shall come power of the eternal God coming upon thee, for upon thee, and the which cause the child which shall be born shall be power of the Highest shall overshadow the Son of God and not of any man. thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy 36. And for a token of this, know thou that thy cousin Elisabeth, cousin Elisabeth hath also conceived in her old age, she hath also con- and that barren woman is now six months gone with ceived a son in her old age and this is child. the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God 37. For nothing is impossible for God to perform, nothing shall be im- be it never so strange or difficult. possible. 38 And Mary said, 38. And Mary expressed her faith and her obedi Behold the hand- ence, ready to be disposed of by God as he thinks maid of the Lord; fit, with all submission and humility of mind. be it unto me ac cording to thy word, the angel And And the angel de parted from her. 39 And Mary arose 39. And immediately (see ver. 24.) Mary arose, and [m] in those days, went as speedily as she could into the hill country, and went into the to some city there (of which there were many, Josh. hill country with haste, into a city of XV. 48.) within the portion of Judah, to visit Elisabeth her cousin. Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake ⚫ was transported and inspired by God with a prophetic spirit: see note [n]. 42. And she brake out into the same words that out with a loud voice, the angel had used to Mary, ver. 28, adding also an eulogy or benediction to the child in her womb. and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, P as soon as the voice of thy 43. And what an honour is this to me— P at the very minute wherein thou first spakest to salutation sounded me, I was so affected with joy, that the child did sudin mine ears, the denly spring in my womb by reason of that joy which babe leaped in my transported me. womb for joy. for there shall be a 45 And blessed is 45. Thy belief, ver. 38, of that message which the she that believed: angel delivered unto thee from God, ver. 28 and 36, performance of those shall never be repented of by thee, for it shall certhings which were tainly be performed in every particular exactly. told her from the Lord. 46, 47. Upon this Mary also brake out into a divine 46 And Mary said, hymn of thanksgiving to God, saying, All the faculMy soul doth mag- ties of my soul, my affections, and my rational faculty nify the Lord, 47 And my spirit have all reason to bless and praise the name of God hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. my Saviour. 48 For he hath re 48. For he hath done an honour (the greatest that garded the low estate was ever done to any) to me, the unworthiest of all of his handmaiden: his servants; in which respect all posterities shall for, behold, from look upon me as the happiest person, the most highly henceforth all gene- dignified by God of rations shall call me blessed. any. 49. For the omnipotent God of heaven hath hon49 For he that is oured me above imagination, his name be blessed mighty hath done to for it. me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy 50. And his mercy and gracious acceptance and is on them that fear abundant kindness is to those that serve and obey him from generation him humbly from time to time to all eternity. to generation. 51 He hath shewed 51. Whereas the proud and great designers of the strength with his world are so far from being favoured, that they are arm; he hath scat tered the proud in opposed and confounded by him. the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put 52. Nothing is more ordinary with him than to down the mighty debase the lofty atheist, and to advance the humble from their seats, and exalted them of low person, though of never so low degree. degree. 53 He hath filled 53. The poor that calls to him is replenished by the hungry with good him, and the rich man that trusts in his wealth is things; and the rich often brought to beggary. he hath sent empty away. mercy; 54 He hath holpen 54, 55. He hath now performed his promise to his servant Israel, in Abraham and to his seed, hath exhibited to them remembrance of his (the Jews, and all the believing world) that great 55 As he spake to promised mercy, and so made a provision for them, our fathers, to Abra- which shall never fail, sent the Messias, the Saviour ham, and to his seed of the world so long expected, a mercy that shall never be taken away from us. for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neigh bours and her cousins heard how the Lord 9 God had shewn a miracle of mercy to her in had shewed great giving her a child thus in her old age, and when she mercy upon her; and had been barren so long. they rejoiced with her. r on the eighth day, whereon it was the custom 59 And it came to to circumcise children and to give them names, pass, that on the the kindred and neighbours met to that purpose, eighth day they came and they intended to call him by his father's name, child; and they call- Zachary. to circumcise the father. ed him Zacharias, 60. And Elisabeth being also inspired by God, after the name of his ver. 41, and having by that means received know60 And his mother ledge of the name appointed by God, and not from answered and said, her husband, who was now dumb, and so had been Not so; but he shall ever since the angel spake to him, ver. 22, (see Titus be called John. Bostrensis, p. 771. B.) answered and said |