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   Title: Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 1
   Creator(s): Calvin, John (1509-1564)
   (Alternative)
   (Translator)
   Rights: Public Domain
   LC Call no: BS491
   LC Subjects:

   The Bible

   Works about the Bible
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   COMMENTARY

   ON A

   HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS,

   MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE,


   BY JOHN CALVIN



   TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN, AND COLLATED WITH
   THE AUTHOR'S FRENCH VERSION,

   BY THE REV. WILLIAM PRINGLE



   VOLUME FIRST



   CHRISTIAN CLASSICS ETHEREAL LIBRARY
   GRAND RAPIDS, MI

   [1]http://www.ccel.org
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   THE

   TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

   All the writings of John Calvin are marked by extraordinary vigor,
   learning, and judgment. Few of them are so well known as the institutes
   of the christian religion -- a systematic treatise, which, though
   written at the early age of twenty-four, was universally acknowledged
   to be a production of the highest ability. Concise and luminous,
   powerful in argument, scriptural, devout and practical, it has not been
   superseded by any later work. But the fame which he acquired by the
   institutes was fully sustained by his expository writings, which
   possess at least equal claims on the attention of divines. They
   contributed powerfully to diffuse the pure Gospel of Christ, commanded
   the applause of all the Reformed Churches, and received even from
   enemies no mean commendation. More than a century after his valuable
   life had closed, they occupied a place in every theological library.
   The learned Matthew Poole, in the preface to his Synopsis, apologizes
   for the small number of his quotations from them, on the express ground
   that the Commentaries themselves, he had every reason to believe, were
   in the hands of all his readers.

   This reputation, after having suffered a partial eclipse, will soon, in
   all probability, regain its former brightness. The first tendency to
   this improvement was discovered in a neighboring country, where the
   distinguishing doctrines of Christianity had long been supplanted by a
   creed little removed from infidelity. In Germany, Biblical criticism is
   almost a national pursuit. That unconquerable industry which had
   already crowned her scholars with laurels in Greek and Roman
   literature, has given them as unquestionable a pre-eminence in the
   field of sacred philology. Had such rare attainments been always
   consecrated to the honor of the Redeemer, every good man would have
   rejoiced. Unhappily, they were but too frequently employed in
   maintaining the most dangerous errors, in opposing every inspired
   statement which the mind of man is unable fully to comprehend, in
   divesting religion of its spiritual and heavenly character, and in
   undermining the whole fabric of revealed truth. But a gracious
   Providence has raised up other men, whom, though we may not feel
   ourselves at liberty to subscribe to all their views, we cannot but
   hail as the friends of evangelical truth, and admire for their holy
   fortitude in coming

   to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty,
   (Judges 5:23.)

   At the head of this illustrious band it is almost superfluous to name
   Professor Tholuck of Halle, admitted by the most competent judges, both
   in Britain and on the Continent, to be one of the first biblical
   scholars of the age. Having been led by his own researches, and by
   public events, to examine the writings of the Reformer, he hastened to
   draw the attention of his countrymen to the neglected treasures. His
   own Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans afforded an opportunity
   which was eagerly embraced. Not satisfied with this brief notice, he
   wrote an elaborate and masterly dissertation on "The merits of Calvin
   as an Interpreter of the Holy Scriptures," a translation of which
   appeared shortly afterwards in the (American) "Biblical Repository." He
   superintended a handsome octavo edition of Calvin's Commentaries on the
   New Testament, printed at Berlin, and sold at a moderate price. To
   another eminent interpreter he candidly awards the honor of having led
   the way in this undertaking. [1] But he was one of the earliest to
   follow in the path which had been marked out, and has labored, beyond
   all his contemporaries, to make the Commentaries of Calvin more
   extensively known, and more highly esteemed.

   Our Author has exerted a powerful influence on all succeeding
   expositors. They have found their interest in listening to his
   instructions, and have been more deeply indebted to him than is
   generally known. Many valuable interpretations of passages of Scripture
   appeared for the first time in his writings, and have ever since been
   warmly approved. In other cases, the views which had been previously
   held are placed by him in so strong a light as to remove every doubt,
   and satisfy the most cautious inquiry. And yet the stores, from which
   so much has been drawn, are far from being exhausted, nor is their
   value greatly lowered by improvements which have been subsequently
   made. The department of History presents an analogous case. Documents
   which had been overlooked are carefully examined. Conflicting evidence
   is more accurately weighed. Important transactions assume a new aspect,
   or, at least, are altered in their subordinate details. Still, there
   are historians, in whose narrative the great lines of truth are so
   powerfully drawn, that the feebler, though more exact, delineations of
   other men cannot supply their place.

   In the chief moral requisite for such a work Calvin is excelled by
   none. He is an honest interpreter. No consideration would have induced
   him to wrest the words of Scripture from their plain meaning. Those who
   may question his conclusions cannot trace them to an unworthy motive.
   Timid theologians will be occasionally startled by his expositions.
   Though they may not absolutely impeach the soundness of his doctrine,
   they will tremble for the fate of some favorite theory or ingenious
   argument. With such minds he has no sympathy. He examines the
   Scriptures with the humility of one who inquires at the oracle of God,
   (2 Samuel 16:23,) and proclaims the reply with the faith of one who
   knows that the word of the Lord is tried, (Psalm 18:30.)

   Intimately connected with this integrity of purpose is the Catholic
   spirit which he constantly breathes. His labors are dedicated to no
   sect, but to the cause of divine truth. If his opinions do not find
   equal favor with all true Christians, they are made to feel that he
   addresses them as brethren in Christ Jesus. In his eye the Church of
   Christ is one. He never forgets the ties which unite all believers to
   each other and to their exalted Head. Are there any whose sentiments
   are hardly distinguishable from those things which are most surely
   believed among us, (Luke 1:1,) and yet who associate with the name of
   Calvinism all that is stern and repulsive? Let them follow the
   expositions of this master in Israel. They will find the most
   remarkable peculiarities of his creed boldly avowed, but accompanied by
   other revealed truths to which they had supposed him to be indifferent,
   and by no ordinary earnestness of practical exhortation. Amidst his
   severest denunciations of doctrinal error, they will not fail to
   discover the same enlarged views and Christian forbearance which
   animated the great apostle of the Gentiles. Rarely will they behold
   that sentiment more beautifully exemplified,

   Grace be to all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,
   (Ephesians 6:24.)

   Learning ought not to be a prominent feature in a work essentially
   popular. But the learning of Calvin manifests itself in the most
   desirable manner, and adds great weight to his interpretations. Of his
   acquaintance with Hebrew it is unnecessary now to speak. His
   familiarity with the Greek language appears less in observations on
   phrases, or allusions to the various renderings of some passages, than
   in a close adherence to those shades of meaning which no translation of
   the Scriptures can convey. Even when he appears to have overlooked or
   mistaken the words, a reference to the original, which had been
   studiously kept out of view, will justify the unexpected remark. [2]

   Origen, Chrysostom, and other Greek Fathers, were among his familiar
   authors. Classical writers are introduced on every proper occasion, for
   illustrating a term, or a custom, or the general principles of
   reasoning. Quotations are made from these writers, and from some of
   their philosophical treatises, which are seldom even consulted except
   by those who can read the language with considerable freedom. To say
   nothing of the Stagyrite, every scholar knows, for example, that no
   Greek prose offers more serious difficulties than the idiomatic, though
   fascinating, style of Plato. [3]

   In that minute analysis which is peculiar to modern criticism, Calvin
   may have been deficient. That he wanted the skill necessary for such
   investigations is not so manifest. The absence of those processes by
   which he arrived at his conclusions makes it difficult to determine how
   far the subtle elements of language had undergone his scrutiny. If we
   shall suppose him to have neglected these matters, our astonishment
   must be the greater that the deductions of recent inquirers should have
   been so largely anticipated. Conjectures thrown out by Sir Isaac Newton
   were long afterwards verified by experiments of extreme labor and
   delicacy. But Calvin speaks habitually with a tone of confidence. We
   must therefore conclude that, like the shrewd remarks to which the
   philosopher was pleased to give the name of conjectures, his
   discoveries were reached by a shorter route, which other minds could
   with difficulty follow. [4]

   This extraordinary sagacity was accompanied by another quality not less
   needed in an interpreter, a sound judgment, which leaned neither to
   ancient usage nor to ingenious novelties, which refused to bow to the
   authority of great names, and sternly rebuked the most plausible
   sophistry when opposed to the plain and obvious meaning of Scripture.
   He took a dispassionate and wide survey, not only of the passage
   immediately under consideration, but of kindred expressions or
   sentiments that were found in any of the inspired writers. It was left
   to the industry of later times to collect parallels, and arrange them
   on the margin of our Bibles, as an invaluable aid to interpretation.
   But his own perusal of the sacred volume supplied him largely with such
   materials, and enabled him to draw them out with instinctive readiness
   as occasion required.

   As we pass along, we meet with direct quotations, largely but
   appositely introduced, and tending to confirm the views which he had
   adopted. Still more frequently we observe a copious use of that
   phraseology which is peculiar to the sacred writers, and which falls on
   the pious ear with refreshing melody. In him it rises higher than that
   felicitous application of Scripture which our more elegant writers have
   cultivated for the purpose of imparting a literary charm to their
   compositions; for those beauties came to him unsought while he was
   aiming at something higher than the mere ornaments of diction, and the
   language of Scripture had been so thoroughly interwoven with his
   ordinary style, that he must have been frequently unconscious of its
   presence. To aid the reader in discovering those allusions, the
   passages from which they have been taken are generally marked. The
   references made by our Author himself may be supposed to be abundant,
   and must have struck many persons as a prominent feature of his
   writings; but in far more numerous cases, no clue was given to his
   authorities, and some pains have been taken to supply the omissions.

   The Latin original has been scrupulously followed. His own vernacular
   version gives us some idea of the freedom, spirit, and elegance, with
   which he would have accommodated himself to the taste of the English
   reader, if it had been executed in our language. But a translator is
   not permitted to use the same liberties as the author, and faithfulness
   demands that he shall adhere strictly to the copy which is set before
   him. The meaning has been given without addition or omission, and even
   the structure of the sentences has been followed, so far as that could
   be done without violating the purity of English idiom. To exhibit the
   peculiar excellencies of such a writer, or, where that could not be
   done, to find in a modern tongue a suitable equivalent, was no easy
   task. His admirably concise diction, and rapid but masterly
   transitions, and above all, that rare felicity of expression for which
   his severest judges have given him credit, render it difficult to
   represent the style and manner of so great a master of composition.

   All the assistance that could be derived from our Author's French
   version has been thankfully accepted. It would have been unwise as well
   as ungrateful to leave out of view so authoritative an exposition of
   his meaning, or to disregard the production of one whose command of his
   native tongue is acknowledged by the ablest critics to have anticipated
   the elegancies of a later age. "He wrote in Latin," says D'Alembert,
   "as well as is possible in a dead language, and in French with a purity
   which was extraordinary for his time. This purity, which is to the
   present day admired by our skillful critics, renders his writings
   greatly superior to almost all of the same age; as the works of
   Messieurs de Port Royal are still distinguished on the same account
   from the barbarous rhapsodies of their opponents and contemporaries."
   Amidst the driest details of verbal criticism, there are frequent
   glimpses of that eloquence which De Thou and other great men regarded
   with admiration, and which, when aided by the living voice, must have
   told powerfully on his hearers.

   It must be observed, however, that the Latin and French texts have been
   treated apart, as if they had not proceeded from the same pen, and have
   been separated by a broad line which meets the eye of the reader. The
   old translators sometimes proceeded as if they had not been aware of
   the vernacular copy, and at other times blended it with the original in
   so strange a manner, that they appear to follow a path of their own,
   while they are faithfully tracking the Author's footsteps. In the new
   translations prepared for the Calvin Society, care has been taken to
   adhere scrupulously to the Latin text, and at the same time to give the
   English reader the full benefit of those illustrations which the Author
   thought fit to employ in submitting the work to the perusal of his
   countrymen. The French translation has been all along collated with the
   original; and whenever it contained additional matter, or removed
   obscurity by greater copiousness of language, or even when a striking
   phrase occurred, the passages have been exhibited and translated at the
   bottom of the page.

   Notes, partly selected, but chiefly original, have been added. Some are
   intended to illustrate a remote allusion, to prevent a casual
   expression from being misunderstood, or to bring out more clearly the
   Author's meaning. Others are devoted to history, or to biblical
   criticism. Those which have been written by myself, and for which I
   must be held responsible, are marked. Ed. All questions of a doctrinal
   nature have been excluded from these Notes. The publications of the
   Calvin Translation Society are addressed to the whole Church of Christ,
   and ought not to wear the badge of any of the sections into which that
   Church is unhappily divided. In every thing that relates to doctrine
   the Author has been left in full possession of the field.

   It will scarcely be supposed that every interpretation contained in
   this work has my entire concurrence. The great principles inculcated in
   the writings of Calvin have my cordial approbation; and, indeed, I
   could scarcely name a writer with whose views of Divine truth I more
   fully coincide. As a Commentator, ever since I became acquainted with
   him, I have been accustomed to assign to him the highest rank, and to
   receive his expositions with the deepest respect. My labors on this and
   on a former occasion [5] led me to examine his opinions more closely
   than before, and have raised him still more highly in my estimation.
   There are some points on which I feel assured that he mistook the
   meaning of Scripture; but almost all of them had been little
   investigated in his day, and do not appear to have been subjected to
   his usual severity of judgment. Many will wonder that he should contend
   so earnestly for the identity of John's baptism with Christ's baptism,
   instead of representing them to be two distinct ordinances, instituted
   for separate purposes, and placed under totally different regulations:
   but on this question the followers of Christ may agree to differ. It
   will excite more general surprise to find the great Reformer
   maintaining the right of the civil magistrate to punish heretics, and
   even to inflict on them the last sentence of the law. Men far inferior
   to him in learning and ability have avoided mistakes from which his
   powerful and enlightened mind was not exempted. They ought to regard
   with admiration and gratitude the conduct of a gracious Providence,
   which preserved his creed so remarkably free from Romish errors, and
   enabled him to approach so closely to the mind of the Holy Spirit.

   A may be expected to resemble other works which bear the same title.
   Our Author's delight in brevity, and his extreme aversion to repeat
   what he had said before, would aid the influence of other reasons for
   adopting this plan, which are stated by himself towards the conclusion
   of The Argument. To meet one obvious disadvantage of this arrangement,
   a Table of the passages expounded, which may enable the reader easily
   to discover where the exposition is to be found, becomes necessary.
   Such a Table, together with a list of the passages taken from other
   books of Scripture which are quoted or illustrated in this work, and a
   copious Index to the subjects of which it treats, will be given in the
   Third volume.

   The old translator of the Harmony, Eusebius Paget, deserves to be
   honored by the admirers of Calvin. It was indeed to be expected that,
   after the lapse of nearly three centuries, his version would be found
   unsuitable to modern taste. But it is highly creditable to his
   scholarship, and to his scrupulous fidelity to the original, for which
   his well known integrity, and his warm attachment to the writings of
   the Reformer, were a sufficient guarantee. His name has come down to us
   in connection with sermons and other works, which appear to have been
   much esteemed, but are now little known. "The History of the Bible,
   briefly collected, by way of Question and Answer," was one of his
   productions, and was printed at the end of several of the old editions
   of the Bible.

   This volume is adorned by a well-authenticated likeness of the
   Reformer. [6] Many will be surprised to trace the lines of extreme old
   age in the countenance of one who died at the age of fifty-five. But
   all his biographers agree in stating that, ere he had concluded his
   fortieth year, the white locks, shrivelled features, and bent
   shoulders, bespoke Calvin to be already an old man; [7] and that long
   before other fifteen years had run their course, he seemed as if
   threescore years and ten, or rather fourscore years, had passed over
   him, and brought their usual attendants of labor and sorrow, (Psalm
   90:10.) His friends observed with grief the forerunners of an event
   which, when it arrived, they could not but mourn as the premature close
   of a life so highly valued.

   The quaint title-pages of two editions of the French version, together
   with the "Epistle Dedicatory" of Eusebius Paget, and a fac-simile of
   his title-page, immediately follow this Preface.

   It may be proper to state, in conclusion, that, throughout this work,
   Calvin's own version of the three evangelists is adopted, as nearly as
   the difference of the languages would allow, in preference to our
   Authorized Version, which would not have rendered equal assistance to
   the reader in understanding the expositions. Yet the singular
   coincidence between the two Versions, interrupted chiefly by verbal
   differences which do not affect the sense, lends countenance to the
   suggestion of an esteemed friend and fellow-laborer, that King James's
   Translators have been more deeply indebted to the labors of Calvin than
   is generally believed.

   W. P.
   Auchterarder,
   4th January, 1845.
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   [1] "To Lucke belongs the honor of having first referred, in the
   department of exigesis, to Luther, Beza, Calvin, Camerarius, and many
   other excellent interpreters of the period of the Reformation. He was
   followed by the writer of these pages in his Commentary on the Epistle
   to the Romans." -- Literarischer Anzeiger fur 1831. Biblical
   Repository, July 1832.

   [2] The observation might be extended to some other expositors, who,
   with little parade of any kind, are qualified to instruct every class
   of readers. Those only who have subjected them to a close comparison
   with the Hebrew and Greek originals can judge of their attainments in
   criticism. Matthew Henry, though deservedly the most popular of this
   class, receives less credit than he deserves for the extent and variety
   of his learning.

   [3] This statement may require both explanation and defense. Many of
   those who have devoted their attention to Greek literature would be
   more likely to name Thucydides as an author who had cost them long and
   severe application. But the difficulties of that historian, though more
   obvious, are in reality less formidable, and will be found not to arise
   so directly from any peculiarities of style as from a singular
   condensation of thought which demands the close and sustained attention
   of his readers, and sometimes from an affectation of conciseness on the
   part of the author which leads him into obscurity. The difficulties of
   Plato are chiefly idiomatic, and do not lie on the surface. Like those
   noble performances which are said to indicate the hand of a master in
   the higher walks of art, in which the uninitiated hardly discover any
   meaning, but which reveal to the cultivated eye or ear the highest
   beauty or magnificence of conception, the masterly strokes of Plato are
   not perceived by ordinary readers, and can only be appreciated by the
   accomplished scholar. He who reads with case the original Greek of
   Plato, following out all the windings of his subtle argument, (and
   Calvin appears to have accomplished this task,) must have previously
   unraveled the most perplexing intricacies of that language.

   [4] It may be proper to mention, that a considerable part of this
   Preface has already appeared in The Biblical Cabinet, Vol. XXX.,
   prefixed to a translation of Calvin's Commentaries on the Epistles to
   the Galatians and Ephesians. With the kind permission of my friend, the
   publisher of that series, I have transferred it to a place where it is
   not less appropriate than in its former situation. Some remarks on
   Calvin's excellencies as a Commentator, and on the estimation in which
   he is now held, might be expected to precede the first volume of a
   modem version of his Commentaries, that has been brought out by the
   Calvin Translation Society. No change having taken place in the
   carefully matured views which were formerly expressed, it has been
   judged advisable to present them in their original form, rather than to
   leave them out, or to undergo the labor of fresh writing.

   [5] Biblical Cabinet, vol. xxx.

   [6] It is taken from a rare etching by Pierre Woieiriot, goldsmith, and
   engraver on copper and wood. This artist was born at Bar-le-duc in
   1510. He was established at Lyons about the middle of the sixteenth
   century. His engravings are all distinguished by the monogram which may
   be observed on the etching itself, surmounted by the small cross of
   Lorraine. This engraving was issued previous to the death of Calvin,
   and probably during his last illness, as the likeness bears evident
   marks of premature decrepitude and debility.

   [7] A letter of Calvin to his dear friends, Farel and Viret, dated 30th
   May, 1540, when he had not comp1eted his thirty-first year, contains
   the following remarkable passage: "Car si nous voulons bien pourvoir
   aux profits de l'Eglise, il nous faut appeller a l'office de Pasteurs
   tels gens, qu'ils puissent quelque iour soustenir la charge apres nous.
   Combien que ie soye ieune, toutesfois quand ie voy ma debilite et
   indisposition de mon corps, i'ay soin de ceux qui seront apres nous,
   comme si i'estoye desia vieil." -- "For if we are desirous to provide
   for the advantage of the Church, we must call to the office of Pastors
   such persons as may one day hold the office after us. Though I am
   young, yet when I perceive my debility and my bodily indisposition, I
   have anxiety about those who shall come after us, as if I were already
   old."
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   Facsimile of the title page to the 1558 French Translation by John
   Calvin
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   Facsimile of the title page to the 1563 French Edition
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   Facsimile of the title page to the 1610 English Translation
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   THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY

   TO THE OLD TRANSLATION

   To the right honorable

   FRANCIS, EARL OF BEDFORD,

   Of the noble order of the garter, knight,
   One of the lords of her majesty's most hon. Privy council;
   Grace and peace from god, with the increase of that true
   Honor which is from god, and lasteth for ever.

   [Prefixed to the Original English Translation, London, 1584 and 1610.]

   The choice (Right Honourable) which Luke the Evangelist made in
   dedicating this History of the Gospel, which he wrote, to that noble
   man Theophilus, and which that man of worthy memory, M. John Calvin,
   took in dedicating these his labors to the Lords of Frankfort, driveth
   me to dedicate this my small labor of translating this book into the
   English tongue. And though it is but little that I have done, in
   comparison of the labors of the other two, and not worth the offering
   to men of great estate; yet, lest that I should seem singular in
   dissenting from these two singular instruments in the Church of God,
   and that in one and the selfsame book I have presumed to make bold of
   your Lordship's name, hoping that your Honor will not mislike to have
   it written in the forehead of this book with noble Theophilus and the
   Lords of Frankfort; specially, sith that I do it in testimony of my
   dutiful love to you, for the manifold grace of God in you, and benefits
   which I have received from you. Men do commonly, in their Epistles,
   write either in the commendation of the work, or in the praise of their
   patron, or in discharging of themselves of the discredit which their
   enemies would lay upon them. But I crave pardon of your Honor, if, in
   studying to be short, I omit these things.

   For, first, the very name of The Gospel of Jesus Christ and then the
   names of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Evangelists, and of M. Calvin,
   the gatherer of The Harmony and the writer of The Commentary, do yield
   more credit and commendation to the matter than all that I can say of
   it, all the days of my life. Only this I say of M. Calvin's labors
   here, that in my simple judgment it is one of the profitablest works
   for the Church that ever he did write.

   Next, for your praises, as you like not to hear them, so I will not
   offend you in setting them down, nor give others occasion to condemn me
   of flattery. They which have best known you say, that you began a good
   course in your youth; that you witnessed a good confession in the late
   time of persecution; that your constancy hath been testified by your
   troubles at home and travels in foreign countries: You have continued
   your profession in the midst of your dignity, lordships, and living,
   left by your parents, and in the seat of government wherein our
   sovereign and most gracious Queen hath placed you; not falling asleep,
   in security, in this so peaceable a time.

   My Lord, continue to the end, so shall you be safe. I speak not this as
   if it were your own strength that hath holden you up all this while;
   but meditate sometimes, I pray you, upon the seventy-first Psalm; and
   pray that Lord, as David did, who kept you in your youth, that He will
   keep you in your old age, now that your hair is hoar and hairs grey.
   And I beseech the mighty Lord to thrust them forward which are drawn
   back by their youthly affections, and to raise up them that fell away
   for fear of troubles, and to waken those which in this quiet and calm
   time do sleep in security, or wax wanton with the wealth of the world;
   that we may meet the Lord with true humility and earnest repentance, to
   see if He will be intreated to continue His mercies towards us; lest he
   turn his correcting rod, which he hath so oft shaken over us, into a
   devouting sword to consume us.

   Of myself I will say nothing. The mouths of the wicked cannot be
   stopped. Their false tongues, I hope, shall teach me to walk warily;
   and I have learned, I thank my God, to pass through good report and
   through evil, and to commit myself and my cause to Him that judgeth
   right.

   The Lord of lords preserve your Honour in safety, and multiply all
   spiritual blessings upon you and yours. From Kiltehampton, in Cornwall,
   this 28th of, January, 1584.

   The Lord's most unworthy Minister, lame

   Eusebius Paget
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   THE

   AUTHOR'S EPISTLE DEDICATORY

   TO

   The Very Noble And Illustrious Lords,

   THE BURGOMASTERS AND COUNCIL

   OF THE NOBLE CITY OF FRANKFORT,

   JOHN CALVIN

   If virtuous examples were ever necessary to be held out for imitation,
   in order to stimulate lazy, sluggish, or inactive persons, the sloth,
   and--what is more--the indifference of this very corrupt age makes it
   necessary that the greater part of men, who do not of their own accord
   advance, but rather fall back, should at least be compelled by shame to
   discharge their duty. All, indeed, are seen to be influenced, both in
   public and in private, by a disgraceful emulation. There is not a king
   who does not labor to show that he is equal to his neighbors in the
   address, or perseverance, or energy, or courage, necessary for
   extending, by every possible method, the bounds of his dominion. There
   is not a state or commonwealth that yields the preference to others for
   cunning and all the arts of deception, nor a single individual among
   the ranks of the ambitious who will acknowledge his inferiority to
   others in wicked contrivances. In short, we would almost say that they
   had entered into a silent but mutual conspiracy to challenge each other
   to a contest of vices, and every man who carries wickedness to an
   extreme easily ruins a vast multitude by his example; so that, amidst
   the general prevalence of crimes, very few persons are to be found who
   exhibit a pattern of uprightness.

   For these reasons I reckon it to be the more advantageous that those
   uncommon excellencies, by which eminent persons are distinguished,
   should receive the commendations which they deserve, and should be
   raised to an elevated situation so as to be seen at a great distance,
   that the desire of imitating them may be awakened in many breasts. And
   this I acknowledge, most honorable Lords, to be the principal reason
   why I am desirous that this work of mine should be given to the world
   under the sanction of your name. For though my undertaking will be
   regarded by me as having obtained a distinguished reward, if your
   readiness to do good shall derive from it any increase, yet I have had
   more particularly in my eye the other object which has been mentioned,
   namely, that others may equal your progress, or at least may follow the
   same course.

   I have no intention, however, to frame a catalogue of all the
   excellencies by which you are distinguished, but shall satisfy myself
   for the present with mentioning, in terms of commendation, one
   excellence which has bound to you myself and a great number of the
   servants of Christ by what may be called a more sacred tie. It was a
   great matter that, more than five years ago, when all were seized with
   dreadful alarm, when a fearful devastation of the churches of Germany,
   and almost the destruction of the Gospel, was threatened by the
   calamity which had occurred, you, on whom the first shower of darts
   fell, stood firm in an open profession of the faith which was at that
   time extremely odious, and steadily maintained the pure doctrine of
   godliness which you had embraced, so as to make it evident that, amidst
   the greatest anxieties and dangers, there is nothing which you value
   more highly than to fight under the banner of Christ. But it is still
   more remarkable, and more worthy of being put on record, that you not
   only maintain the pure worship of God among yourselves, and faithfully
   endeavor to keep your fellow-citizens within the fold of Christ, but
   that you collect as torn members those fragments of a dispersed church
   which had been thrown out in other countries.

   In the present melancholy state of affairs, it has given me no small
   consolation to learn that devout worshippers of God, who had come to
   you as exiles from England and from other places, were received by you
   with warm hospitality; and that you not only opened your gates to them
   in their wretched exile, but rendered deserved honor to the Son of God,
   by making his Gospel to be distinctly heard in your city in foreign
   languages. A similar instance of distinguished kindness was recently
   showed to the unhappy natives of Locarno by the Council of Zurich, who
   not only threw open their city to them, (when they were not permitted
   to worship Christ at home according to their consciences) but even
   assigned to them a church for holding their religious assemblies, and
   were not prevented by a diversity of language from desiring to hear
   Christ talk Italian in their own city.

   To return to yourselves: as soon as I heard that you had had the
   kindness to allow persons who speak our language to found a church
   amongst you, I considered that you had laid me under private
   obligations, and resolved to take this opportunity of testifying my
   gratitude. For while there is good reason for deploring the state of
   our nation to be such, that the sacrilegious tyranny of Popery has made
   a residence in our own country to be little else than a banishment from
   the kingdom of God, so, on the other hand, it is a distinguished favor
   to have a habitation granted to us on a foreign soil, where the lawful
   worship of God may be observed. This truly sacred hospitality--which
   was rendered not to men, but rather to Christ himself--will, I trust,
   add to your already prosperous condition fresh acts of the divine
   kindness, and secure them to you in uninterrupted succession.

   For my own part at least, as I have just now declared, such were my
   inducements to dedicate to you this work of mine. It is a Harmony
   arranged out of Three Evangelists, and has been prepared by me with the
   greatest fidelity and diligence. What toil I have bestowed on it would
   serve no purpose to detail; and how far I have succeeded must be left
   to others to decide. The readers to whom I refer are those honest,
   learned, and well-disposed persons, whose desire of making progress is
   not retarded by a barbarous shame at receiving instruction, and who
   feel an interest in the public advantage. I do not trouble myself with
   mean and wicked scoundrels; and such I call not only the hooded monks,
   who, in defending the tyranny of the Pope, carry on open war with us,
   but those useless drones [8] who, mixing with us, seize on every
   pretense for concealing their ignorance, and would wish to have the
   light of doctrine wholly extinguished. Let them impudently bark at me
   as much as they please: my reply will be always ready. Neither divine
   nor human obligation subjects me to the judgment of those who deserve
   the lash for their most disgraceful ignorance, as much as they deserve
   the whip for their obstinate and hardened malice and insolence.

   I may be allowed at least to say, without the imputation of boasting,
   that I have faithfully endeavored to be of service to the Church of
   God. Two years ago, John was published along with my Commentary, which,
   I trust, was not without advantage. And thus like one of the heralds,
   [9] I have endeavored, to the utmost extent that my ability allowed, to
   do honor to Christ riding magnificently in his royal chariot drawn by
   four horses; and feel assured that candid readers, who have derived
   advantage from my labors, will not be ashamed to acknowledge that the
   success has, in some measure, corresponded to my wish. The evangelical
   history, related by four witnesses divinely appointed, is justly
   compared by me to a chariot drawn by four horses: for by this
   appropriate and just harmony God appears to have expressly prepared for
   his Son a triumphal chariot, from which he may make a magnificent
   display to the whole body of believers, and in which, with rapid
   progress, he may review the world. Augustine, too, makes an apt
   comparison of the Four Evangelists to trumpets, the sound of which
   fills every region of the world, so that the Church, gathered from the
   East, and West, and South, and North, flows into a holy unity of faith.
   So much the more intolerable is the curiosity of those who, not
   satisfied with the heavenly heralds, obtrude upon us, under the name of
   a Gospel, disgusting tales, which serve no other purpose than to
   pollute the purity of faith, and to expose the name of Christ to the
   sneers and ridicule of the ungodly.

   With regard to yourselves, most noble Lords, as you detest every kind
   of leaven, by which the native purity of the Gospel is corrupted, and
   show that you have nothing more at heart than to defend and maintain
   the pure doctrine, as it was delivered by Christ, I feel assured that
   this production, which opens up the treasure of the Gospel, will
   receive your warmest approbation, and trust that my dedication of it to
   you will be accepted as a mark of my regard. Farewell, most illustrious
   Lords. May Christ always direct you by his Spirit, support you by his
   power, defend you by his protection, and enrich your city and
   commonwealth with all abundance of blessings.

   Geneva, 1st August, M.D.LV.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [8] "Mais aussi de ces vermines, lesquels meslez entre nous comme
   bourdons entre abeilles;" -- "but likewise those wretches who mixing
   with us like drones among bees."

   [9] "Comme estant un de la compagnie de ceux qui vont devant pour faire
   place a leur Roy;" -- "as being one of the company of those who go
   before to make way for their King."
     __________________________________________________________________

   THE ARGUMENT

   ON THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

   ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE

   In order to read with profit the Evangelical history, it is of great
   importance to understand the meaning of the word Gospel. [10] We shall
   thus be enabled to ascertain what design those heavenly witnesses had
   in writing, and to what object the events related by them must be
   referred. That their histories did not receive this name from others,
   but were so denominated by the Authors, is evident from Mark, who
   expressly says (1:1) that he relates the beginning of the Gospel of
   Jesus Christ. There is one passage in the writings of Paul, from which
   above all others a clear and certain definition of the word Gospel may
   be obtained, where he tells us that it ...

   was promised by God in the Scriptures, through the prophets, concerning
   his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David
   according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power,
   according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection from the
   dead,
   (Romans 1:2-4.)

   First, this passage shows that the Gospel is a testimony of the
   revealed salvation, which had been formerly promised to the Fathers in
   an uninterrupted succession of ages. It points out, at the same time, a
   distinction between the promises which kept the hope of the people in
   suspense, and this joyful message, by which God declares that he has
   accomplished those things which he had formerly required them to
   expect. [11] In the same manner he states a little afterwards, that in
   the Gospel

   the righteousness of God is openly manifested, which was testified by
   the Law and the Prophets, (Romans 3:21.)

   The same apostle calls it, in another passage, an Embassy by which the
   reconciliation of the world to God, once accomplished by the death of
   Christ, is daily offered to men, (2 Corinthians 5:20.)

   Secondly, Paul means not only that Christ is the pledge of all the
   blessings that God has ever promised, but that we have in him a full
   and complete exhibition of them; as he elsewhere declares that all the
   promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, (2 Corinthians 1:20.)
   And, indeed, the freely bestowed adoption, by which we are made sons of
   God, as it proceeds from the good pleasure which the Father had from
   eternity, has been revealed to us in this respect, that Christ (who
   alone is the Son of God by nature) has clothed himself with our flesh,
   and made us his brethren. That satisfaction by which sins are blotted
   out, so that we are no longer under the curse and the sentence of,
   death, is to be found nowhere else than in the sacrifice of his death.
   Righteousness, and salvation, and perfect happiness, are founded on his
   resurrection.

   The Gospel, therefore, is a public exhibition of the Son of God
   manifested in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16,) to deliver a ruined world,
   and to restore men from death to life. It is justly called a good and
   joyful message, for it contains perfect happiness. Its object is to
   commence the reign of God, and by means of our deliverance from the
   corruption of the flesh, and of our renewal by the Spirit, to conduct
   us to the heavenly glory. For this reason it is often called the
   kingdom of heaven, and the restoration to a blessed life, which is
   brought to us by Christ, is sometimes called the kingdom of God: as
   when Mark says that Joseph waited for the kingdom of God, (Mark 15:43,)
   he undoubtedly refers to the coming of the Messiah.

   Hence it is evident that the word Gospel applies properly to the New
   Testament, and that those writers are chargeable with a want of
   precision, [12] who say that it was common to all ages, and who suppose
   that the Prophets, equally with the Apostles, were ministers of the
   Gospel. Widely different is the account which Christ gives us, when he
   says, that

   the law and the prophets were till John, and that since that time the
   kingdom of God began to be preached, (Luke 16:16.)

   Mark, too, as we mentioned a little ago, declares that the preaching of
   John was the beginning of the Gospel, (John 1:1.) Again, the four
   histories, which relate how Christ discharged the office of Mediator,
   have with great propriety received this designation. As the birth,
   death, and resurrection of Christ contain the whole of our salvation,
   and are therefore the peculiar subject of the Gospel, the name of
   Evangelists is justly and suitably applied to those who place before
   our eyes Christ who has been sent by the Father, that our faith may
   acknowledge him to be the Author of a blessed life.

   The power and results of his coming are still more fully expressed in
   other books of the New Testament. And even in this respect John differs
   widely from the other three Evangelists: for he is almost wholly
   occupied in explaining the power of Christ, and the advantages which we
   derive from him; while they insist more fully on one point, that our
   Christ is that Son of God who had been promised to be the Redeemer of
   the world. They interweave, no doubt, the doctrine which relates to the
   office of Christ, and inform us what is the nature of his grace, and
   for what purpose he has been given to us; but they are principally
   employed, as I have said, in showing that in the person of Jesus Christ
   has been fulfilled what God had promised from the beginning. [13] They
   had no intention or design to abolish by their writings the law and the
   prophets; as some fanatics dream that the Old Testament is superfluous,
   now that the truth of heavenly wisdom has been revealed to us by Christ
   and his Apostles. On the contrary, they point with the finger to
   Christ, and admonish us to seek from him whatever is ascribed to him by
   the law and the prophets. The full profit and advantage, therefore, to
   be derived from the reading of the Gospel will only be obtained when we
   learn to connect it with the ancient promises.

   With regard to the three writers of the Evangelical history, whom I
   undertake to expound, Matthew is sufficiently known. Mark is generally
   supposed to have been the private friend and disciple of Peter. It is
   even believed that he wrote the Gospel, as it was dictated to him by
   Peter, and thus merely performed the office of an amanuensis or clerk.
   [14] But on this subject we need not give ourselves much trouble, for
   it is of little importance to us, provided only we believe that he is a
   properly qualified and divinely appointed witness, who committed
   nothing to writing, but as the Holy Spirit directed him and guided his
   pen. There is no ground whatever for the statement of Jerome, that his
   Gospel is an abridgment of the Gospel by Matthew. He does not
   everywhere adhere to the order which Matthew observed, and from the
   very commencement handles the subjects in a different manner. Some
   things, too, are related by him which the other had omitted, and his
   narrative of the same event is sometimes more detailed. It is more
   probable, in my opinion -- and the nature of the case warrants the
   conjecture -- that he had not seen Matthew's book when he wrote his
   own; so far is he from having expressly intended to make an abridgment.

   I have the same observation to make respecting Luke: for we will not
   say that the diversity which we perceive in the three Evangelists was
   the object of express arrangement, but as they intended to give an
   honest narrative of what they knew to be certain and undoubted, each
   followed that method which he reckoned best. Now as this did not happen
   by chance, but by the direction of Divine Providence, so under this
   diversity in the manner of writing the Holy Spirit suggested to them an
   astonishing harmony, which would almost be sufficient of itself to
   secure credit to them, if there were not other and stronger evidences
   to support their authority.

   Luke asserts plainly enough that he is the person who attended Paul.
   But it is a childish statement which Eusebius makes, that Paul is the
   Author of the Gospel which bears the name of Luke, because in one
   passage he mentions his Gospel, [15] (2 Timothy 2:8.) As if what
   follows did not make it clear that Paul is speaking of his whole
   preaching, and not of a single book: for he adds, for which I suffer
   trouble, even to bonds, (2 Timothy 2:9.) Now, it is certain that he was
   not held guilty [16] of having written a book, but of having
   administered and preached with the living voice the doctrine of Christ.
   Eusebius, whose industry was great, discovers here a singular want of
   judgment in collecting without discrimination such gross absurdities.
   On this head I have thought it necessary to warn my readers, that they
   may not be shocked at fooleries of the same description which occur in
   every part of his history.

   Of that method of interpretation which I have chosen to adopt, and
   which it may be many persons, at first sight, will not approve, it will
   be proper to give some account for the satisfaction of pious and candid
   readers. First, it is beyond all dispute, that it is impossible to
   expound, in a proper and successful manner, any one of the Evangelists,
   without comparing him with the other two; and, accordingly, faithful
   and learned commentators spend a very great portion of their labor on
   reconciling the narratives of the three Evangelists. But as it
   frequently happens that persons of ordinary abilities find the
   comparison to be no easy matter, when it is necessary to pass at every
   turn from the one to the other, I thought that it might prove to be a
   seasonable and useful abridgment of their labor, if I were to arrange
   the three histories in one unbroken chain, or in a single picture, in
   which the reader may perceive at a glance the resemblance or diversity
   that exists. In this way I shall leave out nothing that has been
   written by any of the three Evangelists; and whatever may be found in
   more than one of them will be collected into one place.

   Whether or not I have succeeded to my expectation, the reader must
   decide by his own experience. So far from claiming the praise of having
   brought out something new, I readily acknowledge, as becomes an honest
   man, that I have adopted this method in imitation of others. Bucer, a
   man of revered memory, and an eminent teacher of the Church of God, who
   above all others appears to me to have labored successfully in this
   field, has been especially my model. As he availed himself of the
   labors of the ancients who had traveled this road before him, so my
   toils have been not a little alleviated by his industry and
   application. Where I use the liberty of differing from him, (which I
   have freely done, whenever it was necessary,) Bucer himself, if he were
   still an inhabitant of the earth, would not be displeased.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [10] Evangelium in Latin, Evangile in French, and Evangell in old
   English, are derived, with little alteration, from the Greek word
   euangelion, which is compounded of eu, well, and angelia, a message,
   and signifies glad news. The English word Gospel is of Saxon
   derivation, and is determined by its etymology to signify God's word;
   but must have acquired, at a very early period, the meaning of the
   Greek word for which it has been adopted as a translation. In the
   margin of the celebrated Geneva Testament, printed A.D. 1557, Gospel is
   thus defined: -- "This worde signifieth good tidinges, and is taken
   here for the storie which conteineth the joyful message of the comming
   of the Sonne of God." -- Ed

   [11] "Ce qu'il avoit auparavant commande a tous fideles d'attendre et
   esperer;" -- "which he had formerly commanded all believers to expect
   and hope."

   [12] "Que c'est aucunement confondre les termes;" -- "that it is in a
   manner a confounding of words."

   [13] "Des le commencement du monde;" -- "from the beginning of the
   world."

   [14] "En sorte qu il ait seulement este escrivain sous luy;" -- "so
   that he was only a writer under him."

   [15] "Se fondant sur une passage ou il fait mention de son Evangile;"
   -- "founding on a passage in which he makes mention of his Gospel,"
   (according to my gospel.)

   [16] "Il n'avoit este accuse, et emprisonne;" -- "he was not accused
   and imprisoned."
     __________________________________________________________________

   COMMENTARY

   ON A

   HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS

   LUKE 1:1-4
     __________________________________________________________________

   Luke 1:1-4

   1. Forasmuch as many have undertaken to compose a narrative of those
   things which are most surely believed among us, 2. Even as they
   delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and
   ministers of the Word; 3. It seemed good to me also, having carefully
   examined all things from the beginning, to write to thee in detail,
   most excellent Theophilus, 4. That thou mayest acknowledge the
   certainty of those things whereof thou hast been instructed.


   Luke is the only Evangelist who makes a preface to his Gospel, for the
   purpose of explaining briefly the motive which induced him to write. By
   addressing a single individual he may appear to have acted foolishly,
   instead of sounding the trumpet aloud, as was his duty, and inviting
   all men to believe. It appears, therefore, to be unsuitable that the
   doctrine which does not peculiarly belong to one person or to another,
   but is common to all, should be privately sent to his friend
   Theophilus. Hence some have been led to think that Theophilus is an
   appellative noun, and is applied to all godly persons on account of
   their love of God; but the epithet which is joined to it is
   inconsistent with that opinion. Nor is there any reason for dreading
   the absurdity which drove them to adopt such an expedient. For it is
   not less true that Paul's doctrine belongs to all, though some of his
   Epistles were addressed to certain cities, and others to certain men.
   Nay, we must acknowledge, if we take into account the state of those
   times, that Luke adopted a conscientious and prudent course. There were
   tyrants on every hand who, by terror and alarm, were prepared to
   obstruct the progress of sound doctrine. This gave occasion to Satan
   and his ministers for spreading abroad the clouds of error, by which
   the pure light would be obscured. Now, as the great body of men cared
   little about maintaining the purity of the Gospel, and few considered
   attentively the inventions of Satan or the amount of danger that lurked
   under such disguises, every one who excelled others by uncommon faith,
   or by extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, was the more strongly bound to
   do his utmost, by care and industry, for preserving the doctrine of
   godliness pure and uncontaminated from every corruption. Such persons
   were chosen by God to be the sacred keepers of the law, by whom the
   heavenly doctrine committed to them should be honestly handed down to
   posterity. With this view therefore, Luke dedicates his Gospel to
   Theophilus, that he might undertake the faithful preservation of it;
   and the same duty Paul enjoins and recommends to Timothy, (2 Timothy
   1:14; 3:14.)

   1. Forasmuch as many. He assigns a reason for writing which, one would
   think, ought rather to have dissuaded him from writing. To compose a
   history, which had already employed many authors, was unnecessary
   labor, at least if they had faithfully discharged their duty. But no
   accusation of imposture, or carelessness, or any other fault, is in the
   slightest degree insinuated. It looks, therefore, as if he were
   expressing a resolution to do what had been already done. I reply,
   though he deals gently with those who had written before him, he does
   not altogether approve of their labors. He does not expressly say that
   they had written on matters with which they were imperfectly
   acquainted, but by laying claim to certainty as to the facts, he
   modestly denies their title to full and unshaken confidence. It may be
   objected that, if they made false statements, they ought rather to have
   been severely censured. I reply again, they may not have been deeply in
   fault; they may have erred more from want of consideration than from
   malice; and, consequently, there would be no necessity for greater
   fierceness of attack. And certainly there is reason to believe that
   these were little more than historical sketches which, though
   comparatively harmless at the time, would afterwards, if they had not
   been promptly counteracted, have done serious injury to the faith. But
   it is worthy of remark that, in applying this remedy through Luke to
   unnecessary writings, God had a wonderful design in view of obtaining,
   by universal consent, the rejection of others, and thus securing
   undivided credit to those which reflect brightly his adorable majesty.
   There is the less excuse for those silly people, by whom disgusting
   stories, under the name of Nicodemus, or some other person, are, at the
   present day, palmed upon the world.

   Are most surely believed among us The participle peplerophoremena,
   which Luke employs, denotes things fully ascertained, and which do not
   admit of doubt. The old translator has repeatedly fallen into mistakes
   about this word, and through that ignorance has given us a corrupted
   sense of some very beautiful passages. One of these occurs in the
   writings of Paul, where he enjoins every man to be fully persuaded in
   his own mind, (Romans 14:5,) that conscience may not hesitate and
   waver, tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:14) by doubtful opinions. Hence,
   too, is derived the word plerophoria, which he erroneously renders
   fullness, while it denotes that strong conviction springing from faith,
   in which godly minds safely rest. There is still, as I have said, an
   implied contrast; for, by claiming for himself the authority of a
   faithful witness, he destroys the credit of others who give contrary
   statements.

   Among us [17] has the same meaning as with us. [18] He appears to make
   faith rest on a weak foundation, its relation to men, while it ought to
   rest on the Word of God only; and certainly the full assurance
   (plerophoria) of faith is ascribed to the sealing of the Spirit, (1
   Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 10:22.) I reply, if the Word of God does not
   hold the first rank, faith will not be satisfied with any human
   testimonies, but, where the inward confirmation of the Spirit has
   already taken place, it allows them some weight in the historical
   knowledge of facts. By historical knowledge I mean that knowledge which
   we obtain respecting events, either by our own observation or by the
   statement of others. For, with respect to the visible works of God, it
   is equally proper to listen to eye-witnesses as to rely on experience.
   Besides, those whom Luke follows were not private authors, but were
   also ministers of the Word By this commendation he exalts them above
   the rank of human authority; for he intimates that the persons from
   whom he received his information had been divinely authorized to preach
   the Gospel. Hence, too, that security which he shortly afterwards
   mentions, and which, if it does not rest upon God, may soon be
   disturbed. There is great weight in his denominating those from whom he
   received his Gospel ministers of the Word; for on that ground believers
   conclude that the witnesses are beyond all exception, as the Lawyers
   express it, and cannot lawfully be set aside.

   Erasmus, who has borrowed from Virgil [19] a phrase used in his
   version, did not sufficiently consider the estimation and weight due to
   a Divine calling. Luke does not talk in a profane style, but enjoins us
   in the person of his friend Theophilus to keep in view the command of
   Christ, and to hear with reverence the Son of God speaking through his
   Apostles. It is a great matter that he affirms them to have been
   eye-witneses, but, by calling them ministers, he takes them out of the
   common order of men, that our faith may have its support in heaven and
   not in earth. In short, Luke's meaning is this: "that, since thou now
   hast those things committed faithfully to writing which thou hadst
   formerly learned by oral statements, thou mayest place a stronger
   reliance on the received doctrine." It is thus evident that God has
   employed every method to prevent our faith from being suspended on the
   doubtful and shifting opinions of men. There is the less room for
   excusing the ingratitude of the world, which, as if it openly preferred
   the uncertainty arising out of vague and unfounded reports, turns from
   so great a Divine favor with loathing. But let us attend to the
   remarkable distinction which our Lord has laid down, that foolish
   credulity may not insinuate itself under the name of faith. Meanwhile,
   let us allow the world to be allured, as it deserves, by the deceitful
   baits of foolish curiosity, and even to surrender itself willingly to
   the delusions of Satan.

   3. Having carefully examined all things The old translator has it,
   having followed out all things; [20] and the Greek verb parakolouthein
   is taken metaphorically from those who tread in the footsteps of
   others, that nothing may escape them. So that Luke intended to express
   his close and laborious investigation, just as Demosthenes employs the
   same word, when, in examining an embassy against which he brings an
   accusation, he boasts of his diligence to have been such, that he
   perceived every thing that had been done as well as if he had been a
   spectator.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [17] Inter nos.

   [18] Apud nos.

   [19] Quorum pars magna fui. -- Virg. AEn.

   [20] Omnia assequuto.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:5-13

   Luke 1:5-13

   5. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest
   named Zacharias, of the course of Abia; and his wife was of the
   daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6. And they were both
   righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of
   the Lord blameless. 7. And they had no child, because Elisabeth was
   barren, and they were now both at an advanced age. 8. And it happened,
   while he was discharging the priest's office in the order of his course
   before God, 9. According to the custom of the priest's office, it fell
   to him by lot to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
   10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the
   time of incense. 11. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing
   at the right hand of the altar on which the incense was burning.
   12. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
   13. But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is
   heard: and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt
   call his name John.


   Luke very properly begins his Gospel with John the Baptist, just as a
   person who was going to speak about the daylight would commence with
   the dawn. For, like the dawn, he went before the Sun of Righteousness,
   which was shortly to arise. Others also mention him, but they bring him
   forward as already discharging his office. Luke secures our respect for
   him, while he is yet unborn, by announcing the miracles of divine power
   which took place at the earliest period of his existence, and by
   showing that he had a commission from heaven to be a prophet, ere it
   was possible for men to know what would be his character. His object
   was that John might afterwards be heard with more profound veneration,
   when he should come forth invested with a public office to exhibit the
   glory of Christ.

   5. In the days of Herod This was the son of Antipater, whom his father
   elevated to the throne, and labored with such assiduity and toil to
   advance, that he was afterwards surnamed Herod the Great Some think
   that he is here mentioned by Luke, because he was their first foreign
   king; and that this was a suitable time for their deliverance, because
   the scepter had passed into a different nation. But they who speak in
   this manner do not correctly understand Jacob's prophecy, (Genesis
   49:10,) in which the advent of the Messiah is promised not merely after
   the royal authority had been taken from the Jews, but after it had been
   removed from the tribe of Judah. The holy patriarch did not even
   intimate that the tribe of Judah would be stripped of its supremacy,
   but that the government of the people would steadily remain in it until
   Christ, in whose person its permanency would at length be secured. When
   the Maccabees flourished, the tribe of Judah was reduced nearly to a
   private rank; and shortly afterwards, John, the latest leader of that
   race, was slain. But even at that time, its power was not completely
   annihilated; for there still remained the Sanhedrim, or Council
   selected out of the family and descendants of David, which possessed
   great authority, and lasted till the time of Herod, who, by a shocking
   slaughter of the judges, revenged the punishment formerly inflicted on
   himself, when he was condemned for murder, and forced to undergo
   voluntary exile, in order to escape capital punishment.

   It was not, therefore, because he was of foreign extraction, that the
   reign of Herod broke the scepter of the tribe of Judah, (Genesis
   49:10;) but because whatever relics of superior rank still lingered in
   that tribe were entirely carried off by his robbery. That its royal
   dignity had crumbled down long before, and that by slow degrees its
   supremacy had nearly given way, does not imply such a discontinuance as
   to be at variance with Jacob's prophecy. For God had promised two
   things seemingly opposite; that the throne of David would be eternal,
   (Psalm 89:29, 36,) and that, after it had been destroyed, he would
   raise up its ruins, (Amos 9:11;) that the sway of his kingly power
   would be eternal, and yet that there should come forth a rod out of the
   stem of Jesse, (Isaiah 11:1.) Both must be fulfilled. That supremacy,
   therefore, which God had bestowed on the tribe of Judah, was suffered
   by him to be broken down for a time, that the attention of the people
   might be more strongly directed to the expectation of Christ's reign.
   But when the destruction of the Sanhedrim appeared to have cut off the
   hope of believers, suddenly the Lord shone forth. Now, it belongs to
   the arrangement of history to mark the date of the transaction; but for
   no light reason did the word king mark, at the same time, the
   wretchedness of that period, in order to remind the Jews, that their
   eyes ought now to be turned to the Messiah, if they would sincerely
   keep the covenant of God.

   Zacharias, of the course of Abia We learn from sacred history, (1
   Chronicles 24:3, 31,) that the families of the priests were arranged by
   David in certain classes. In this matter David attempted nothing
   contrary to what the law enjoined. God had bestowed the priesthood on
   Aaron and his sons, (Exodus 28:1.) The other Levites were set apart to
   inferior offices, (Numbers 3:9.) David made no change in this respect;
   but his object was, partly to secure that nothing should be done in
   tumult and disorder, partly to oppose ambition, and at the same time to
   provide that it should not be in the power of a few persons, by taking
   the whole service into their own hands, to leave the greater number
   unemployed at home. Now in that arrangement, Abijah, son of Eleazar,
   held the eighth rank, (1 Chronicles 24:10.) Zacharias, therefore,
   belonged to the priestly family, and to the posterity of Eleazar who
   had succeeded his father in the high priest's office, (Numbers 20:28.)
   In what manner Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron, could be
   Mary's cousin, ([2]v. 36,) I will explain in the proper place. It is
   certainly by way of respect that Luke mentions the genealogy of
   Elisabeth; for Zacharias was permitted by the law to take to wife a
   daughter of any private Levite. From the equal marriage, therefore, it
   is evident that he was a man respected among his own rank.

   6. And they were both righteous before God He awards to them a noble
   testimony, not only that among men they spent holy and upright lives,
   but also that they were righteous before God This righteousness Luke
   defines briefly by saying that they walked in all the commandments of
   God Both ought to be carefully observed; for, although praise is
   bestowed on Zacharias and Elisabeth for the purpose of showing us that
   the lamp, whose light went before the Son of God, was taken not from an
   obscure house, but from an illustrious sanctuary, yet their example
   exhibits to us, at the same time, the rule of a devout and righteous
   life. In ordering our life, (Psalm 37:23,) therefore, our first study
   ought to be to approve ourselves to God; and we know that what he
   chiefly requires is a sincere heart and a pure conscience. Whoever
   neglects uprightness of heart, and regulates his outward life only by
   obedience to the law, neglects this order. For it ought to be
   remembered that the heart, and not the outward mask of works, is
   chiefly regarded by God, to whom we are commanded to look. Obedience
   occupies the second rank; that is, no man must frame for himself, at
   his own pleasure, a new form of righteousness unsupported by the Word
   of God, but we must allow ourselves to be governed by divine authority.
   Nor ought we to neglect this definition, that they are righteous who
   regulate their life by the commandments of the law; which intimates
   that, to the eye of God, all acts of worship are counterfeit, and the
   course of human life false and unsettled, so far as they depart from
   his law.

   Commandments and ordinances differ thus. The latter term relates
   strictly to exercises of piety and of divine worship; the latter is
   more general, and extends both to the worship of God and to the duties
   of charity. For the Hebrew word hqym, which signifies statutes or
   decrees, is rendered by the Greek translator dikaiomata, ordinances;
   and in Scripture hqym usually denotes those services which the people
   were accustomed to perform in the worship of God and in the profession
   of their faith. Now, though hypocrites, in that respect, are very
   careful and exact, they do not at all resemble Zacharias and Elisabeth.
   For the sincere worshippers of God, such as these two were, do not lay
   hold on naked and empty ceremonies, but, eagerly bent on the truth,
   they observe them in a spiritual manner. Unholy and hypocritical
   persons, though they bestow assiduous toil on outward ceremonies, are
   yet far from observing them as they are enjoined by the Lord, and,
   consequently, do but lose their labor. In short, under these two words
   Luke embraces the whole law.

   But if, in keeping the law, Zacharias and Elisabeth were blameless,
   they had no need of the grace of Christ; for a full observance of the
   law brings life, and, where there is no transgression of it, there is
   no remaining guilt. I reply, those magnificent commendations, which are
   bestowed on the servants of God, must be taken with some exception. For
   we ought to consider in what manner God deals with them. It is
   according to the covenant which he has made with them, the first clause
   of which is a free reconciliation and daily pardon, by which he
   forgives their sins. They are accounted righteous and blameless,
   because their whole life testifies that they are devoted to
   righteousness, that the fear of God dwells in them, so long as they
   give a holy example. But as their pious endeavors fall very far short
   of perfection, they cannot please God without obtaining pardon. The
   righteousness which is commended in them depends on the gracious
   forbearance of God, who does not reckon to them their remaining
   unrighteousness. In this manner we must explain whatever expressions
   are applied in Scripture to the righteousness of men, so as not to
   overturn the forgiveness of sins, on which it rests as a house does on
   its foundation. Those who explain it to mean that Zacharias and
   Elisabeth were righteous by faith, simply because they freely obtained
   the favor of God through the Mediator, torture and misapply the words
   of Luke. With respect to the subject itself, they state a part of the
   truth, but not the whole. I do own that the righteousness which is
   ascribed to them ought to be regarded as obtained, not by the merit of
   works, but by the grace of Christ; and yet, because the Lord has not
   imputed to them their sins, he has been pleased to bestow on their
   holy, though imperfect life, the appellation of righteousness The folly
   of the Papists is easily refuted. With the righteousness of faith they
   contrast this righteousness, which is ascribed to Zacharias, which
   certainly springs from the former, and, therefore, must be subject,
   inferior, and, to use a common expression, subordinate to it, so that
   there is no collision between them. The false coloring, too which they
   give to a single word is pitiful. Ordinances, they tell us, are called
   commandments of the law, and, therefore, they justify us. As if we
   asserted that true righteousness is not laid down in the law, or
   complained that its instruction is in fault for not justifying us, and
   not rather that it is weak through our flesh, (Romans 8:3.) In the
   commandments of God, as we have a hundred times acknowledged, life is
   contained, (Leviticus 18:5; Matthew 19:17;) but this will be of no
   avail to men, who by nature were altogether opposed to the law, and,
   now that they are regenerated by the Spirit of God, are still very far
   from observing it in a perfect manner.

   7. And they had no child By an extraordinary purpose of God it was
   appointed that John should be born out of the common and ordinary
   course of nature. The same thing happened with Isaac, (Genesis 17:17;
   Genesis 21:1-3,) in whom God had determined to give an uncommon and
   remarkable demonstration of his favor. Elisabeth had been barren in the
   prime of life, and now she is in old age, which of itself shuts up the
   womb. By two hinderances, therefore, the Lord gives a twofold,
   surprising exhibition of his power, in order to testify, by stretching
   out his hand, as it were, from heaven, that the Prophet was sent by
   himself, (Malachi 3:1; John 1:6.) He is indeed a mortal man, born of
   earthly parents; but a supernatural method, so to speak, recommends him
   strongly as if he had fallen from heaven

   9. According to the custom of the priest's office The law enjoined that
   incense should be offered twice every day, that is, every morning and
   at even, (Exodus 30:7, 8.) The order of courses among the priests had
   been appointed by David, as we have already explained; and,
   consequently, what is here stated as to incense was expressly enjoined
   by the law of God. The other matters had been arranged by David, (1
   Chronicles 24:3,) that each family might have its own turn, though
   David ordained nothing which was not prescribed by the law: he only
   pointed out a plan by which they might individually perform the service
   which God had commanded.

   The word temple (naos) is here put for the holy place; which deserves
   attention, for it sometimes includes the outer court. Now, Zacharias is
   spoken of as going into the temple, which none but priests were
   permitted to enter. And so Luke says that the people stood without,
   there being a great distance between them and the altar of incense; for
   the altar on which the sacrifices were offered intervened. It ought to
   be observed also that Luke says before God: for whenever the priest
   entered into the holy place, he went, as it were, into the presence of
   God, that he might be a mediator between him and the people. For it was
   the will of the Lord to have this impressed upon his people, that no
   mortal is allowed to have access to heaven, without a priest going
   before; nay that, so long as men live on the earth, they do not
   approach the heavenly throne, so as to find favor there, but in the
   person of the Mediator. Now, as there were many priests, there were not
   two of them permitted to discharge, at the same time, the solemn office
   of intercession for the people; but they were so arranged in classes,
   that only one entered the Holy Place, and thus there was but one priest
   at a time. The design of the incense was to remind believers that the
   sweet savor of their prayers does not ascend to heaven except through
   the sacrifice of the Mediator; and in what manner those figures apply
   to us must be learned from the Epistle to the Hebrews.

   12. Zacharias was troubled Though God does not appear to his servants
   for the purpose of terrifying them, yet it is advantageous and even
   necessary for them to be struck with awe, (Psalm 33:8,) that, amidst
   their agitation, they may learn to give to God the glory due unto his
   name, (Psalm 29:2.) Nor does Luke relate only that Zacharias was
   terrified, but adds that fear fell upon him; intimating that he was so
   alarmed as to give way to terror. The presence of God fills men with
   alarm, which not only leads them to reverence, but humbles the pride of
   the flesh, naturally so insolent that they never submit themselves to
   God until they have been overcome by violence. Hence, too, we infer
   that it is only when God is absent, -- or, in other words, when they
   withdraw from his presence, -- that they indulge in pride and
   self-flattery; for if they had God as a Judge before their eyes, they
   would at once and unavoidably fall prostrate. And if at the sight of an
   angel, who is but a spark of the Divine light, this happened to
   Zacharias, on whom the commendation of righteousness is bestowed, what
   shall become of us miserable creatures, if the majesty of God shall
   overwhelm us with its brightness? We are taught by the example of the
   holy fathers that those only are impressed with a lively sense of the
   Divine presence who shake and tremble at beholding him, and that those
   are stupid and insensible who hear his voice without alarm.

   13. Fear not, Zacharias The glory of God, it ought to be observed, is
   not so appalling to the saints as to swallow them up entirely with
   dread, but only to cast them down from a foolish confidence, that they
   may behold him with humility. As soon, therefore, as God has abased the
   pride of the flesh in those who believe in him, he stretches out his
   hand to raise them up. He acts differently towards the reprobate; for
   at whatever time they are dragged before the tribunal of God, they are
   overwhelmed by absolute despair: and thus does God justly reward their
   vain delights, in which they give themselves up to the intoxicating
   wantonness of sin. We ought, therefore, to accept this consolation,
   with which the angel soothes Zacharias, that we have no reason to fear,
   when God is gracious to us. For they are greatly mistaken who, in order
   to enjoy peace, hide themselves from the face of God, whereas we ought
   to acquaint ourselves with him and be at peace, (Job 22:21.)

   Thy prayer is heard Zacharias may seem to have acted an improper part,
   and inconsistent with the nature of his office, if, on entering the
   Holy Place in the name of all the people, he prayed as a private man
   that he might obtain offspring; for, when the priest sustained a public
   character, he ought, in forgetfulness as it were of himself, to offer
   prayers for the general welfare of the Church. If we say that there was
   no absurdity in Zacharias, after performing the chief part of the
   prayer, devoting the second part of it to private meditations about
   himself, the reply will not be without weight. But it is hardly
   probable that Zacharias did, at that time, pray to obtain a son, of
   which he had despaired on account of his wife's advanced age; nor
   indeed can any precise moment be drawn from the words of the angel. I
   interpret it, therefore, simply that his prayer was at length heard,
   which he had poured out before God for a long period. That the desire
   of having children, if it be not excessive, is consistent with piety
   and holiness, may be gathered from Scripture, which assigns to it not
   the lowest place among the blessings of God.

   Thou shalt call his name John The name was given, I think, to the
   Baptist in order to heighten the authority of his office. yhvhnn, (1
   Chronicles 3:15,) for which the Greeks employ 'Ioannes, signifies in
   Hebrew the grace of the Lord Many suppose that the son of Zacharias was
   so called, because he was beloved of God. I rather think that it was
   intended to recommend not the grace which God bestowed upon him as a
   private individual, but that grace which his mission would bring to
   all. The force and weight of the name are increased by its date; for it
   was before he was born that God inscribed on him this token of his
   favor.
     __________________________________________________________________

   Luke 1:14-17

   Luke 1:14-17

   14. And he shall be to thee joy and exultation, and many shall rejoice
   on account of his birth. 15. For he shall be great before the Lord, and
   shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with
   the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16. And many of the
   children of Israel shall he bring back to the Lord their God. 17. And
   he shall go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, that he may
   bring back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
   disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that he may make ready a people
   prepared for the Lord.


   14. He shall be to thee joy The angel describes a greater joy than what
   Zacharias could derive from the recent birth of a child; for he informs
   him that he would have such a son as he had not even ventured to wish.
   He even proceeds farther to state that the joy would not be domestic,
   enjoyed by the parents alone, or confined within private walls, but
   shared alike by strangers, to whom the advantage of his birth should be
   made known. It is as if the angel had said that a son would be born not
   to Zacharias alone, but would be the Teacher and Prophet of the whole
   people. The Papists have abused this passage for the purpose of
   introducing a profane custom in celebrating the birth-day of John. I
   pass over the disorderly scene of a procession accompanied by dancing
   and leaping, and licentiousness of every description, strangely enough
   employed in observing a day which they pretend to hold sacred, and even
   the amusements authorized on that day taken from magical arts and
   diabolical tricks, closely resembling the mysteries of the goddess
   Ceres. It is enough for me, at present, to show briefly that they
   absurdly torture the words of the angel to mean the annual joy of a
   birth-day, while the angel restricts his commendation to that joy which
   all godly persons would derive from the advantage of his instruction.
   They rejoiced that a prophet was born to them, by whose ministry they
   were led to the hope of salvation,

   15. For he shall be great He confirms what he said about joy, for John
   had been selected for a great and extraordinary purpose. These words
   are not so much intended to extol his eminent virtues as to proclaim
   his great and glorious office; as Christ, when he declares that among
   them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John
   the Baptist, (Matthew 11:11,) refers less to the holiness of his life
   than to his ministry. What follows immediately afterwards, he shall
   drink neither wine nor strong drink, must not be understood to mean
   that John's abstemiousness was a singular virtue, but that God was
   pleased to distinguish his servant by this visible token, by which the
   world would acknowledge him to be a continual Nazarite. The priests too
   abstained from wine and strong drink, while they were performing their
   duties in the temple, (Leviticus 10:9.) The same abstinence was
   enjoined on the Nazarites, (Numbers 6:3,) until their vow should be
   fulfilled. By a striking mark God showed that John was dedicated to him
   to be a Nazarite for his whole life, as we learn was also the case with
   Samson, (Judges 13:3, 4.) But we must not on this ground imagine that
   the worship of God consists in abstinence from wine, as apish copyists
   select some part of the actions of the fathers for an object of
   imitation. Only let all practice temperance, let those who conceive it
   to be injurious to drink wine abstain of their own accord, and let
   those who have it not endure the want with contentment. As to the word
   sikera, I fully agree with those who think that, like the Hebrew word
   skr, it denotes any sort of manufactured wine.

   He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost These words, I think, convey
   nothing more than that John would manifest such a disposition as would
   hold out the hope of future greatness. By disposition I mean not such
   as is found even in ungodly men, but what corresponds to the excellence
   of his office. The meaning is, the power and grace of the Spirit will
   appear in him not only when he shall enter upon his public employment,
   but even from the womb he shall excel in the gifts of the Spirit, which
   will be a token and pledge of his future character. From the womb,
   means from his earliest infancy. The power of the Spirit, I
   acknowledge, did operate in John, while he was yet in his mother's
   womb; but here, in my opinion, the angel meant something else, that
   John, even when a child, would be brought forward to the public gaze,
   accompanied by extraordinary commendation of the grace of God. As to
   fullness, there is no occasion for entering into the subtle
   disputations, or rather the trifling, of the sophists; for Scripture
   conveys nothing more by this word than the pre-eminent and very
   uncommon abundance of the gifts of the Spirit. We know, that to Christ
   alone the Spirit was given without measure, (John 3:34,) that we may
   draw out of his fullness, (John 1:16;) while to others it is
   distributed according to a fixed measure, (1 Corinthians 12:11;
   Ephesians 4:7.) But those who are more plentifully endued with grace
   beyond the ordinary capacity, are said to be full of the Holy Ghost.
   Now, as the more plentiful influence of the Spirit was in John an
   extraordinary gift of God, it ought to be observed that the Spirit is
   not bestowed on all from their very infancy, but only when it pleases
   God. John bore from the womb a token of future rank. Saul, while
   tending the herd, remained long without any mark of royalty, and, when
   at length chosen to be king, was suddenly turned into another man, (1
   Samuel 10:6.) Let us learn by this example that, from the earliest
   infancy to the latest old age, the operation of the Spirit in men is
   free.

   16. And many of the children of Israel shall he bring back These words
   show the shamefully dissolute conduct which then prevailed in the
   Church, for those in whom conversion to God could take place must have
   been apostates. And certainly corrupt doctrine, depraved morals, and
   disorderly government, were such as to render it next to a miracle that
   a very few continued in godliness. But if the ancient Church was so
   awfully dissolute, it is a frivolous pretext by which the Papists
   defend their own superstitions, that it is impossible for the Church to
   err, particularly since they include under this designation not the
   genuine and elect children of God, but the crowd of the ungodly.

   But John appears to have more ascribed to him here than belongs to man.
   For conversion to God renews men to a spiritual life, and therefore is
   not only God's own work, but surpasses even the creation of men. In
   this way ministers might seem to be made equal, and even superior, to
   God viewed as Creator; since to be born again to a heavenly life is a
   greater work than to be born as mortals on the earth. The answer is
   easy; for when the Lord bestows so great praise on the outward
   doctrine, he does not separate it from the secret influence of his
   Spirit. As God chooses men to be his ministers whose services he
   employs for the edification of his Church, he at the same time operates
   by them, through the secret influence of his Spirit, that their labors
   may be efficacious and fruitful. Wherever Scripture applauds this
   efficacy in the ministry of men, let us learn to attribute it to the
   grace of the Spirit, without which the voice of man would have spent
   itself uselessly in the air. Thus, when Paul boasts that he is a
   minister of the Spirit, (2 Corinthians 3:6,) he claims nothing
   separately for himself, as if by his voice he penetrated into the
   hearts of men, but asserts the power and grace of the Spirit in his
   ministry. These expressions are worthy of remark; because Satan labors,
   with amazing contrivance, to lower the effect of doctrine, in order
   that the grace of the Spirit connected with it may be weakened. The
   outward preaching, I acknowledge, can do nothing separately or by
   itself; but as it is an instrument of divine power for our salvation,
   and through the grace of the spirit an efficacious instrument, what God
   hath joined together let us not put asunder, (Matthew 19:6.)

   That the glory of conversion and faith, on the other hand, may remain
   undivided with God alone, Scripture frequently reminds us that
   ministers are nothing in themselves; but in such cases he compares them
   with God, that no one may wickedly steal the honor from God and convey
   it to them. In short, those whom God, by the aid of the minister,
   converts to himself, are said to be converted by the minister, because
   he is nothing more than the hand of God; and both are expressly
   asserted in this passage. Of the efficacy of the doctrine we have now
   said enough. That it lies not in the will and power of the minister to
   bring men back to God, we conclude from this that John did not
   indiscriminately bring all back, (which he would unquestionably have
   done, if every thing had yielded to his wish,) but only brought those
   back whom it pleased the Lord effectually to call. In a word, what is
   here taught by the angel is laid down by Paul in his Epistle to the
   Romans, that faith cometh by hearing, (Romans 10:17,) but that those
   only to whom the Lord inwardly reveals his arm (Isaiah 53:1; John
   12:38) are so enlightened as to believe.

   17. And he shall go before him By these words he points out what would
   be John's office, and distinguishes him by this mark from the other
   prophets, who received a certain and peculiar commission, while John
   was sent for the sole object of going before Christ, as a herald before
   a king. Thus also the Lord speaks by Malachi,

   "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
   me,"
   (Malachi 3:1.)

   In short, the calling of John had no other design than to secure for
   Christ a willing ear, and to prepare for him disciples. As to the angel
   making no express mention of Christ in this passage, but declaring John
   to be the usher or standard-bearer of the eternal God, we learn from it
   the eternal divinity of Christ. With the spirit and power of Elijah By
   the words spirit and power, I understand the power or excellency of the
   Spirit, with which Elijah was endued; for we must not here indulge in a
   dream like that of Pythagoras, that the soul of the prophet passed into
   the body of John, but the same Spirit of God, who had acted
   efficaciously in Elijah, afterwards exerted a similar power and
   efficacy in the Baptist. The latter term, power, is added, by way of
   exposition, to denote the kind of grace which was the loftiest
   distinction of Elijah, that, furnished with heavenly power, he restored
   in a wonderful manner the decayed worship of God; for such a
   restoration was beyond human ability. What John undertook was not less
   astonishing; and, therefore, we ought not to wonder if it was necessary
   for him to enjoy the same gift.

   That he may bring back the hearts of the fathers Here the angel points
   out the chief resemblance between John and Elijah. He declares that he
   was sent to collect the scattered people into the unity of faith: for
   to bring back the hearts of the fathers is to restore them from discord
   to reconciliation; from which it follows, that there had been some
   division which rent and tore asunder the people. We know how dreadful
   was the revolt of the people in the time of Elijah, how basely they had
   degenerated from the fathers, so as hardly to deserve to be reckoned
   the children of Abraham. Those who were thus disunited Elijah brought
   into holy harmony. Such was the reunion of parents with children, which
   was begun by John, and at length finished by Christ. Accordingly, when
   Malachi speaks of "turning the hearts of the fathers to the children,"
   (Malachi 4:5,) he intimates that the Church would be in a state of
   confusion when another Elijah should appear; and what was that state is
   plain enough from history, and will more fully appear in the proper
   place. The doctrine of Scripture had degenerated through countless
   inventions, the worship of God was corrupted by very gross
   superstition, religion was divided into various sects, priests were
   openly wicked and Epicureans, the people indulged in every kind of
   wickedness; in short, nothing remained sound. The expression, bring
   back the hearts of the fathers to the children, is not literally true;
   for it was rather the children who had broken the covenant and departed
   from the right faith of their fathers, that needed to be brought back
   But though the Evangelist does not so literally express that order of
   bringing back, the meaning is abundantly obvious, that, by the
   instrumentality of John, God would again unite in holy harmony those
   who had previously been disunited. Both clauses occur in the prophet
   Malachi, who meant nothing more than to express a mutual agreement.

   But as men frequently enter into mutual conspiracies which drive them
   farther from God, the angel explains, at the same time, the nature of
   that bringing back which he predicts, the disobedient to the wisdom of
   the just. This deserves attention, that we may not foolishly allow
   ourselves to be classed with ungodly men under a false pretense of
   harmony. Peace is a sounding and imposing term, and, whenever the
   Papists meet with it in scripture, they eagerly seize upon it for the
   purpose of raising dislike against us, as if we, who are endeavoring to
   withdraw the world from its base revolt, and bring it back to Christ,
   were the authors of divisions. But this passage affords a fine exposure
   of their folly, when the angel explains the manner of a genuine and
   proper conversion; and declares its support and link to be the wisdom
   of the just Accursed then be the peace and unity by which men agree
   among themselves apart from God.

   By the wisdom of the just is unquestionably meant Faith, as, on the
   contrary, by the disobedient are meant Unbelievers. And certainly this
   is a remarkable encomium on faith, by which we are instructed, that
   then only are we truly wise unto righteousness when we obey the word of
   the Lord. The world too has its wisdom, but a perverse and therefore
   destructive wisdom, which is ever pronounced to be vanity; though the
   angel indirectly asserts that the shadowy wisdom, in which the children
   of the world delight, is depraved and accursed before God. This is
   therefore a settled point, that, with the view of becoming reconciled
   to each other, men ought first to return to peace with God.

   What immediately follows about making ready a people prepared for the
   Lord, agrees with that clause, that John, as the herald of Christ,
   would go before his face, (Malachi 3:1;) for the design of his
   preaching was to make the people attentive to hear the instruction of
   Christ. The Greek participle kateskeuasmenon, it is true, does not so
   properly mean perfection as the form and adaptation by which things are
   fitted for their use. This meaning will not agree ill with the present
   passage. John was commissioned to fit or mould to Christ a people
   which, formerly ignorant and uneducated, had never shown a desire to
   learn.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:18-20

   Luke 1:18-20

   18. And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this? for I am an
   old man, and my wife is at an advanced age. 19. And the angel answering
   said to him, I am Gabriel, who stand before God, and have been sent to
   speak to thee, and to convey to thee these glad tidings. 20. And,
   behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak, until the
   day when these things shall happen; because thou hast not believed my
   words, which shall be fulfilled in their time,

   And Zacharias said to the angel Next follows the doubt of Zacharias,
   and the punishment which the Lord inflicted on his unbelief. He had
   prayed that he might obtain offspring, and now that it is promised, he
   distrusts, as if he had forgotten his own prayers and faith. It might,
   at first sight, appear harsh that God is so much offended by his reply.
   He brings forward his old age as an objection. Abraham did the same;
   and yet his faith is so highly applauded that Paul declares, he

   "considered not his own body now dead, neither yet the deadness of
   Sarah's womb," (Romans 4:19,)

   but unhesitatingly relied on the truth and power of God. Zacharias
   inquires how, or by what proof, he might arrive at certainty. But
   Gideon was not blamed for twice asking a sign, (Judges 6:17, 37, 39.)
   Nay more, we are shortly after this informed of Mary's objection, How
   shall this be, since I know not a man? ([3]ver. 34,) which the angel
   passes over as if it contained nothing wrong. How comes it then that
   God punishes Zacharias so severely, as if he had been guilty of a very
   heinous sin? I do acknowledge that, if the words only are considered,
   either all were equally to blame, or Zacharias did nothing wrong. But
   as the actions and words of men must be judged from the state of the
   heart, we ought rather to abide by the judgment of God, to whom the
   hidden secrets of the heart are naked and opened, (Hebrews 4:13.)

   Unquestionably, the Lord beheld in Zacharias something worse than his
   words may bear, and therefore his anger was kindled against him for
   throwing back with distrust the promised favor. We have no right,
   indeed, to lay down a law to God which would not leave him free to
   punish in one the fault which he pardons in others. But it is very
   evident that the case of Zacharias was widely different from that of
   Abraham, or Gideon, or Mary. This does not appear in the words; and
   therefore the knowledge of it must be left to God, whose eyes pierce
   the depths of the heart. Thus God distinguishes between Sarah's laugh
   (Genesis 18:12) and Abraham's, (Genesis 17:17,) though the one
   apparently does not differ from the other. The reason why Zacharias
   doubted was, that, stopping at the ordinary course of nature, he
   ascribed less than he ought to have done to the power of God. They take
   a narrow and disparaging view of the works of God, who believe that he
   will do no more than nature holds out to be probable, as if his hand
   were limited to our senses or confined to earthly means. But it belongs
   to faith to believe that more can be done than carnal reason admits.
   Zacharias had no hesitation with regard to its being the voice of God,
   but as he looked too exclusively at the world, an indirect doubt arose
   in his mind if what he had heard would really happen. In that respect
   he did no slight injury to God, for he went so far as to reason with
   himself, whether God, who had undoubtedly spoken to him, should be
   regarded as worthy of credit.

   At the same time, we ought to know that Zacharias was not so
   unbelieving as to turn aside wholly from the faith; for there is a
   general faith which embraces the promise of eternal salvation and the
   testimony of a free adoption. On the other hand, when God has once
   received us into favor, he gives us many special promises, -- that he
   will feed us, will deliver us from dangers, will vindicate our
   reputation, will protect our life; -- and so there is a special faith
   which answers particularly to each of these promises. Thus, it will
   sometimes happen, that one who trusts in God for the pardon of his
   sins, and for salvation, will waver on some point, -- will be too much
   alarmed by the dread of death, too solicitous about daily food, or too
   anxious about his plans. Such was the unbelief of Zacharias; for while
   he held the root and foundation of faith, he hesitated only on one
   point, whether God would give to him a son. Let us know, therefore,
   that those who are perplexed or disturbed by weakness on some
   particular occasion do not entirely depart or fall off from the faith,
   and that, though the branches of faith are agitated by various
   tempests, it does not give way at the root. Besides, nothing was
   farther from the intention of Zacharias than to call in question the
   truth of a divine promise; but while he was convinced generally that
   God is faithful, he was cunningly drawn by the craft and wiles of Satan
   to draw a wicked distinction. It is all the more necessary for us to
   keep diligent watch: for which of us shall be secure against the snares
   of the devil, when we learn that a man so eminently holy, who had all
   his life maintained strict watchfulness over himself, was overtaken by
   them?

   19. I am Gabriel By these words the angel intimates that it was not his
   veracity, but that of God who sent him, and whose message he brought,
   that had been questioned; and so he charges Zacharias with having
   offered an insult to God. To stand before God signifies to be ready to
   yield obedience. It implies that he is not a mortal man, but a heavenly
   spirits -- that he did not fly hither at random, but, as became a
   servant of God, had faithfully performed his duty: and hence it follows
   that God, the author of the promise, had been treated with indignity
   and contempt in the person of his ambassador. Of similar import is the
   declaration of Christ, "he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that
   despiseth me despiseth him that sent me," (Luke 10:16.) Although the
   preaching of the gospel is not brought to us from heaven by angels,
   yet, since God attested by so many miracles that he was its author, and
   since Christ, the Prince and Lord of angels, once published it with his
   own mouth, (Hebrews 1:2,) that he might give it a perpetual sanction,
   its majesty ought to make as deep an impression upon us, as if all the
   angels were heard loudly proclaiming its attestation from heaven. Nay,
   the apostle, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, not satisfied with
   elevating the word of the gospel, which speaks by the mouth of men, to
   an equality with the law brought by angels, draws an argument from the
   less to the greater.

   "If the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and
   disobedience received a just recompence of rewards"
   (Hebrews 2:2,)

   "of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
   who hath trodden under foot the Son of God,"
   (Hebrews 10:29,)

   whose "voice shakes not the earth only, but also heaven?" (Hebrews
   12:26.) Let us learn to render to God the obedience of faith, which he
   values more highly than all sacrifices. Gabriel means the strength, or
   power, or pre-eminence of God, and this name is given to the angel on
   our account, to instruct us that we must not ascribe to angels any
   thing of their own, for whatever excellence they possess is from God.
   The Greek participle, parestekos, (standing,) is in the past tense, but
   everybody knows that the past tense of such verbs is often taken for
   the present, and particularly when a continued act is expressed. The
   word euangelisasthai (to convey glad tidings) aggravates the crime of
   Zacharias; for he was ungrateful to God, who kindly promised a joyful
   and desirable event.

   20. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb It was suitable that this kind of
   punishment should be inflicted on Zacharias, that, being dumb, he might
   await the fulfillment of the promise, which, instead of interrupting it
   by noisy murmurs, he ought to have heard in silence. Faith has its
   silence to lend an ear to the Word of God. It has afterwards its turn
   to speak and to answer Amen, according to that passage,

   "I will say to them, Thou art my people, and they shall say,
   Thou art my God," (Hosea 2:23.)

   But as Zacharias had rashly interrupted the Word of God, he is not
   allowed this favor of breaking out immediately in thanksgiving, but is
   denied for a time the use of his tongue, which had been too forward.
   Yet God is pleased graciously to mitigate the punishment, first, by
   limiting its duration to ten months, and next by not withholding from
   Zacharias the favor which he was unworthy to enjoy. With the same
   gentleness does he treat us every day: for when our faith is weak, and
   we throw out many obstacles, the truth of God, in continuing to flow
   toward us, must of necessity break through them with a kind of
   violence. That is the angel's meaning, when he reproaches Zacharias
   with unbelief, and yet declares that those things which Zacharias did
   not believe would be accomplished in due time And so Zacharias is not a
   little relieved by learning that his fault has not made void the
   promise of God, which will afterwards be displayed in a more remarkable
   manner. It does sometimes happen that, notwithstanding the opposition
   made by unbelievers, the Lord bestows and fulfils what he had promised
   to them. We have a remarkable instance of this in King Ahaz, who
   rejected the promised safety, and yet was delivered from his enemies,
   (Isaiah 7:12.) But that resulted, without any advantage to him, in the
   salvation of the chosen people. It was otherwise with Zacharias, in
   whom the Lord chastises, and at the same time pardons, the weakness of
   faith.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:21-25

   Luke 1:21-25

   21. And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondered that he
   tarried in the temple. 22. And when he came out, he could not speak to
   them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. And
   he made them to understand by signs, [21] and remained speechless.
   23. And it happened, when the days of his office were fulfilled, he
   departed to his own house. 24. Now after these days Elisabeth his wife
   conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25. Thus hath the Lord
   done to me in the days when he looked, that he might take away my
   reproach among men.


   21. And the people were waiting Luke now relates that the people were
   witnesses of this vision. Zacharias had tarried in the temple longer
   than usual. This leads to the supposition that something uncommon has
   happened to him. When he comes out, he makes known, by looks and
   gestures, that he has been struck dumb. There is reason to believe,
   also, that there were traces of alarm in his countenance. Hence they
   conclude that God has appeared to him. True, there were few or no
   visions in that age, but the people remembered that formerly, in the
   time of their fathers, they were of frequent occurrence. It is not
   without reason, therefore, that they draw this conclusion from obvious
   symptoms: for it was not an ordinary occurrence, [it was not a common
   accident, but rather an astonishing work of God, [22] ] that he became
   suddenly dumb without disease, and after a more than ordinary delay
   came out of the temple in a state of amazement. The word temple, as we
   have already mentioned, is put for the sanctuary, where the altar of
   incense stood, (Exodus 30:1.) From this place the priests, after
   performing their sacred functions, were wont to go out into their own
   court, for the purpose of blessing the people.

   23. When the days were fulfilled Leitourgia is employed by Luke to
   denote a charge or office, which passed, as we have said, to each of
   them in regular order, (1 Chronicles 24:3.) We are told that, when the
   time of his office had expired, Zacharias returned home. Hence we
   conclude that, so long as the priests were attending in their turns,
   they did not enter their own houses, that they might be entirely
   devoted and attached to the worship of God. For this purpose galleries
   were constructed around the walls of the temple, in which they had
   "chambers," (1 Kings 6:5.) The law did not, indeed, forbid a priest to
   enter his house, but, as it did not permit those who ate the show-bread
   to come near their wives, (1 Samuel 21:4,) and as many persons were
   disposed to treat sacred things in an irreverent manner, this was
   probably discovered to be a remedy, that, being removed from all
   temptations, they might preserve themselves pure and clear from every
   defilement. And they were not only discharged from intercourse with
   their wives, but from the use of wine and every kind of intoxicating
   drink, (Leviticus 10:9.) While they were commanded to change their mode
   of living, it was advantageous for them not to depart from the temple,
   that the very sight of the place might remind them to cultivate such
   purity as the Lord had enjoined. It was proper also to withdraw every
   means of gratification, that they might devote themselves more
   unreservedly to their office.

   The Papists of the present day employ this as a pretense for defending
   the tyrannical law of celibacy. They argue thus. The priests were
   formerly enjoined to withdraw from their wives, while they were engaged
   in religious services. Most properly is perpetual continence now
   demanded from the priests, who not in their turn, but every day, offer
   sacrifices; more especially since the importance of religious services
   is far higher than it was under the law. But I should like to know why
   they do not also abstain from wine and strong drink. For we are not at
   liberty to separate commandments which God has joined, so as to keep
   the one half and disregard the other. Intercourse with wives is not so
   expressly forbidden as the drinking of wine, (Ezekiel 44:21.) If, under
   the pretense of the law, the Pope enjoins celibacy on his priests, why
   does he allow them wine? Nay, on this principle, all priests ought to
   be thrown into some retired apartments of the churches, to pass their
   whole life immured in prisons, and excluded from the society of women
   and of the people.

   It is now abundantly clear that they wickedly shelter themselves under
   the law of God, to which they do not adhere. But the full solution of
   the difficulty depends on the distinction between the law and the
   gospel. A priest stood in the presence of God, to expiate the sins of
   the people, to be, as it were, a mediator between God and men. He who
   sustained that character ought to have had something peculiar about
   him, that he might be distinguished from the common rank of men, and
   recognised as a figure of the true Mediator. Such, too, was the design
   of the holy garments and the anointing. In our day the public ministers
   and pastors of the church have nothing of this description. I speak of
   the ministers whom Christ has appointed to feed his flock, not of those
   whom the Pope commissions, as executioners rather than priests, to
   murder Christ. Let us therefore rest in the decision of the Spirit,
   which pronounces that "marriage is honorable in all," (Hebrews 13:4.)

   24. And hid herself This appears very strange, as if she had been
   ashamed of the blessing of God. Some think that she did not, venture to
   appear in public, so long as the matter was uncertain, for fear of
   exposing herself to ridicule, if her expectation were disappointed. In
   my opinion, she was so fully convinced of the promise made to her, that
   she had no doubt of its accomplishment. When she saw a severe
   punishment inflicted on her husband for "speaking unadvisedly with his
   lips," (Psalm 106:33,) did she, for five successive months, cherish in
   her mind a similar doubt? But her words show clearly that her
   expectation was not doubtful or uncertain. By saying, thus hath the
   Lord done to me, she expressly and boldly affirms that his favor was
   ascertained. There might be two reasons for the delay. Until this
   extraordinary work of God was manifest, she might hesitate to expose it
   to the diversified opinions of men, for the world frequently indulges
   in light, rash, and irreverent talking about the works of God. Another
   reason might be that, when she was all at once discovered to be
   pregnant, men might be more powerfully excited to praise God. [For,
   when the works of God show themselves gradually, in process of time we
   make less account of them than if the thing had been accomplished all
   at once, without our having ever heard of it--Fr.] It was not,
   therefore, on her own account, but rather with a view to others, that
   Elisabeth hid herself

   25. Thus hath the Lord done to me She extols in private the goodness of
   God, until the time is fully come for making it generally known. There
   is reason to believe that her husband had informed her by writing of
   the promised offspring, in consequence of which she affirms with
   greater certainty and freedom that God was the author of this favor.
   This is confirmed by the following words, when he looked, that he might
   take away my reproach; for she assigns it as the cause of her
   barrenness that the favor of God had been at that time withdrawn from
   her. Among earthly blessings, Scripture speaks in the highest terms of
   the gift of offspring. And justly: for, if the productiveness of the
   inferior animals is his blessing, the increase and fruitfulness of the
   human race ought to be reckoned a much higher favor. It is no small or
   mean honor, that God, who alone is entitled to be regarded as a Father,
   admits the children of the dust to share with him this title. Let us,
   therefore, hold this doctrine, that

   "children are an heritage of the Lord,
   and the fruit of the womb is his reward,"
   (Psalm 127:3.)

   But Elisabeth looked farther; for, though barren and old, she had
   conceived by a remarkable miracle, and contrary to the ordinary course
   of nature.

   That he might take away my reproach Not without reason has barrenness
   been always accounted a reproach: for the blessing of the womb is
   enumerated among the signal instances of the divine kindness. Some
   think that this was peculiar to the ancient people: because Christ was
   to come from the seed of Abraham. But this had no reference, except to
   the tribe of Judah. Others think more correctly that the multiplication
   of the holy people was happy and blessed, as was said to Abraham, "I
   will make thy seed as the dust of the earth," (Genesis 13:16;) and
   again,

   "Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be,"
   (Genesis 15:5.)

   But we ought to connect the universal blessing, which extends to the
   whole human race, with the promise made to Abraham, which is peculiar
   to the church of God, (Genesis 13:15.) Let parents learn to be thankful
   to God for the children which he has given them, and let those who have
   no offspring acknowledge that God has humbled them in this matter.
   Elisabeth speaks of it exclusively as a reproach among men: for it is a
   temporal chastisement, from which we will suffer no loss in the kingdom
   of heaven.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [21] Il leur donnoit a entendre par signes -- Fr

   [22] Ce n'estoit point un accident commun, mais plustost une ceuvre
   ad-mirable de Dieu -- Fr.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:26-33

   Luke 1:26-33

   26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city
   of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27. To a virgin betrothed to a man whose
   name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
   28. And the angel, coming in to her, said, Hail, thou who hast found
   favor, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29. But
   when she had seen him, she was agitated by his address, and was
   considering what that salutation would be. 30. And the angel saith to
   her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31. Behold,
   thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou
   shalt call his name JESUS. 32. He shall be great, and shall be called
   the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of
   David his father: 33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for
   ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.


   26. Now in the sixth month It was a wonderful dispensation of the
   divine purpose, and far removed from the ordinary judgment of men, that
   God determined to make the beginning of the generation of the herald
   more illustrious than that of his own Son. The prophecy respecting John
   was published in the temple and universally known: Christ is promised
   to a virgin in an obscure town of Judea, and this prophecy remains
   buried in the breast of a young woman. But it was proper that, even
   from the birth of Christ, that saying should be fulfilled,

   "it pleased God by foolishness to save them that believe,"
   (1 Corinthians 1:21.)

   The treasure of this mystery was committed by him to a virgin in such a
   manner, that at length, when the proper time came, it might be
   communicated to all the godly. It was, I own, a mean kind of
   guardianship; but whether for trying the humility of faith, or
   restraining the pride of the ungodly, it was the best adapted. Let us
   learn, even when the reason does not immediately appear, to submit
   modestly to God, and let us not be ashamed to receive instruction from
   her who carried in her womb Christ the eternal "wisdom of God," (1
   Corinthians 1:24.) There is nothing which we should more carefully
   avoid than the proud contempt that would deprive us of the knowledge of
   the inestimable secret, which God has purposely "hid from the wise and
   prudent, and revealed" to the humble and "to babes," (Luke 10:21.)

   It was, I think, for the same reason that he chose a virgin betrothed
   to a man There is no foundation for Origen's opinion, that he did this
   for the purpose of concealing from Satan the salvation which he was
   preparing to bestow on men. The marriage was a veil held out before the
   eyes of the world, that he who was commonly "supposed to be the son of
   Joseph" (Luke 3:23) might at length be believed and acknowledged by the
   godly to be the Son of God. Yet the entrance of Christ into the world
   was not destitute of glory; for the splendor of his Godhead was
   manifested from the commencement by his heavenly Father. Angels
   announced that "a Savior was born," (Luke 2:11;) but their voice was
   only heard by the shepherds, and traveled no farther. One miracle, --
   everywhere published by "the wise men who came from the east," (Matthew
   2:1) that they had seen a star which proclaimed the birth of the
   Highest King,--may have been highly celebrated. Yet we see how God kept
   his Son, as it were, in concealment, until the time of his full
   manifestation arrived, and then erected for him a platform, that he
   might be beheld by all.

   The participle memnesteumenen, which is employed by the Evangelist,
   signifies that the virgin had then been engaged to her bridegroom, but
   was not yet given as a wife to her husband. For it was customary among
   Jewish parents to keep their daughters some time at home, after they
   had been betrothed to men; otherwise, the law relating to the seduction
   of a "betrothed damsel" (Deuteronomy 22:23) would have been
   unnecessary. Luke says that Joseph was of the house of David; for
   families are usually reckoned by the names of the men; but on this
   point we shall speak more fully in another place.

   28. Hail, thou who hast obtained favor The angel's commission being of
   an astonishing and almost incredible description, he opens it with a
   commendation of the grace of God. And certainly, since our limited
   capacities admit too slender a portion of knowledge for comprehending
   the vast greatness of the works of God, our best remedy is, to elevate
   them to meditation on his boundless grace. A conviction of the Divine
   goodness is the entrance of faith, and the angel properly observes this
   order, that, after preparing the heart of the virgin by meditation on
   the grace of God, he may enlarge it to receive an incomprehensible
   mystery. For the participle kecharitomene, which Luke employs, denotes
   the undeserved favor of God. This appears more clearly from the Epistle
   to the Ephesians, (1:6,) where, speaking of our reconciliation to God,
   Paul says, God "hath made us accepted (echaritosen) in the Beloved:"
   that is, he has received into his favor, and embraced with kindness, us
   who were formerly his enemies.

   The angel adds, the Lord is with thee To those on whom he has once
   bestowed his love God shows himself gracious and kind, follows and
   "crowns them with loving-kindness," (Psalm 103:4.) Next comes the third
   clause, that she is blessed among women. Blessing is here put down as
   the result and proof of the Divine kindness. The word Blessed does not,
   in my opinion, mean, Worthy of praise; but rather means, Happy. Thus,
   Paul often supplicates for believers, first "grace" and then "peace,"
   (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:2,) that is, every kind of blessings; implying
   that we shall then be truly happy and rich, when we are beloved by God,
   from whom all blessings proceed. But if Mary's happiness,
   righteousness, and life, flow from the undeserved love of God, if her
   virtues and all her excellence are nothing more than the Divine
   kindness, it is the height of absurdity to tell us that we should seek
   from her what she derives from another quarter in the same manner as
   ourselves. With extraordinary ignorance have the Papists, by an
   enchanter's trick, changed this salutation into a prayer, and have
   carried their folly so far, that their preachers are not permitted, in
   the pulpit, to implore the grace of the Spirit, except through their
   Hail, Mary [23] But not only are these words a simple congratulation.
   They unwarrantably assume an office which does not belong to them, and
   which God committed to none but an angel. Their silly ambition leads
   them into a second blunder, for they salute a person who is absent.

   29. When she had seen him, she was agitated Luke does not say that she
   was agitated by the presence of the angel, but by his address. Why then
   does he also mention his presence? [24] The reason, I think, is this.
   Perceiving in the angel something of heavenly glory, she was seized
   with sudden dread arising out of reverence for God. She was agitated,
   because she felt that she had received a salutation, not from a mortal
   man, but from an angel of God. But Luke does not say that she was so
   agitated as to have lost recollection. On the contrary, he mentions an
   indication of an attentive and composed mind; for he afterwards adds,
   and was considering what that salutation would be: that is, what was
   its object, and what was its meaning. It instantly occurred to her that
   the angel had not been sent for a trifling purpose. This example
   reminds us, first, that we ought not to be careless observers of the
   works of God; and, secondly, that our consideration of them ought to be
   regulated by fear and reverence.

   30. Fear not, Mary He bids her lay aside fear. Let us always
   remember--what arises from the weakness of the flesh--that, whenever
   the feeblest ray of the Divine glory bursts upon us, we cannot avoid
   being alarmed. When we become aware, in good earnest, of the presence
   of God, we cannot think of it apart from its effects. [25] Accordingly,
   as we are all amenable to his tribunal, fear gives rise to trembling,
   until God manifests himself as a Father. The holy virgin saw in her own
   nation such a mass of crimes, that she had good reason for dreading
   heavier punishments. To remove this fear, the angel declares that he
   has come to certify and announce an inestimable blessing. The Hebrew
   idiom, Thou hast found favor, is used by Luke instead of, "God has been
   merciful to thee:" for a person is said to find favor, not when he has
   sought it, but when it has been freely offered to him. Instances of
   this are so well known, that it would be of no use to quote them.

   31. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb The angel adapts his words,
   first to Isaiah's prophecy, (Isaiah 7:14,) and next to other passages
   of the Prophets, with the view of affecting more powerfully the mind of
   the virgin: for such prophecies were well known and highly esteemed
   among the godly. At the same time, it ought to be observed that the
   angel did not merely speak in private to the ear of the virgin, but
   brought glad tidings, (euangelion,) which were shortly afterwards to be
   published throughout the whole world. It was not without the purpose of
   God, that the agreement, between ancient prophecies and the present
   message respecting the manifestation of Christ, was so clearly pointed
   out. The word conceive is enough to set aside the dream of Marcion and
   Manichaeus: for it is easy to gather from it that Mary brought forth
   not an ethereal body or phantom, but the fruit which she had previously
   conceived in her womb.

   Thou shalt call his name Jesus The reason of the name is given by
   Matthew: for he shall save his people from their sins, (Matthew 1:21.)
   And so the name contains a promise of salvation, and points out the
   object for which Christ was sent by the Father into the world, as he
   tells us that he "came not to judge the world, but to save the world,"
   (John 12:47.) Let us remember that not by the will of men, but by the
   command of God, was this name given to him by the angel, that our faith
   may have its foundation, not in earth, but in heaven. It is derived
   from the Hebrew word ys, salvation, from which comes hvsy, which
   signifies to save. It is a waste of ingenuity to contend that it
   differs from the Hebrew name yhvsv, (Jehoshua or Joshua.) The Rabbins
   everywhere write the word Jesu; and they do this with evident malice,
   that they may not bestow on Christ an honorable name, but, on the
   contrary, may insinuate that he is some pretended Jew. Their manner of
   writing it, accordingly, is of no more importance than the barking of a
   dog. The objection that it is far beneath the dignity of the Son of God
   to have a name in common with others, might equally apply to the name
   Christ, or Anointed But the solution of both is easy. What was
   exhibited in shadow under the law is fully and actually manifested in
   the Son of God; or, what was then a figure is in him a substance. There
   is another objection of as little weight. They assert that the name of
   Jesus is not worthy of veneration and awe, that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bow, (Philippians 2:9, 10,) if it does not belong
   exclusively to the Son of God. For Paul does not attribute to him a
   magical name, as if in its very syllables majesty resided, but his
   language simply means that Christ has received from the Father the
   highest authority, to which the whole world ought to submit. Let us
   then bid adieu to such imaginations, and know, that the name Jesus was
   given to Christ, in order that believers may be instructed to seek in
   him what had formerly been shadowed out under the Law.

   32. He shall be great The angel had said the same thing about John the
   Baptist, and yet did not intend to make him equal to Christ. But the
   Baptist is great in his own class, while the greatness of Christ is
   immediately explained to be such as raises him above all creatures. For
   to him alone this belongs as his own peculiar prerogative to be called
   the Son of God. So the apostle argues.

   Unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day
   have I begotten thee? (Hebrews 1:5.)

   Angels and kings, I admit, are sometimes dignified with this title in
   Scripture; but they are denominated in common the sons of God, on
   account of their high rank. But it is perfectly clear and certain, that
   God distinguishes his own Son from all the others, when he thus
   addresses him particularly, Thou art my Son, (Psalm 2:7.) Christ is not
   confounded either with angels or with men, so as to be one of the
   multitude of the sons of God; but what is given to him no other has a
   right to claim. The sons of God are kings, not certainly by natural
   right, but because God has bestowed on them so great an honor. Even
   angels have no right to this distinction, except on account of their
   high rank among creatures, in subordination to the Great Head,
   (Ephesians 1:21.) We too are sons, but by adoption, which we obtain by
   faith; for we have it not from nature: Christ is the only Son, the
   only-begotten of the Father, (John 1:14.)

   The future tense of the verb, he shall be called the Son of the
   Highest, is tortured by that filthy dog [26] Servetus to prove that
   Christ is not the eternal Son of God, but began to be so considered,
   when he took upon him our flesh. This is an intolerable slander. He
   argues that Christ was not the Son of God before he appeared in the
   world clothed with flesh; because the angel says, He shall be called On
   the contrary, I maintain, the words of the angel mean nothing more than
   that he, who had been the Son of God from eternity, would be manifested
   as such in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16;) for to be called denotes clear
   knowledge. There is a wide difference between the two statements, --
   that Christ began to be the Son of God, which he was not before, -- and
   that he was manifested among men, in order that they might know him to
   be the person who had been formerly promised. Certainly, in every age
   God has been addressed by his people as a Father, and hence it follows,
   that he had a Son in heaven, from whom and by whom men obtained the
   sonship. For men take too much upon them, if they venture to boast of
   being the sons of God, in any other respect than as members of the
   only-begotten Son, (John 1:18.) Certain it is, that confidence in the
   Son alone, as Mediator, inspired the holy fathers with confidence to
   employ so honorable an address. That more complete knowledge, of which
   we are now speaking, is elsewhere explained by Paul to mean, that we
   are now at liberty not only to call God our Father, but boldly to cry,
   Abba, Father, (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6.)

   The Lord God will give unto him the throne of his father David We have
   said that the angel borrows from the prophets the titles which he
   bestows on Christ, in order that the holy virgin might more readily
   acknowledge him to be the Redeemer formerly promised to the fathers.
   Whenever the prophets speak of the restoration of the church, they
   direct all the hope of believers to the kingdom of David, so that it
   became a common maxim among the Jews, that the safety of the church
   would depend on the prosperous condition of that kingdom, and that
   nothing was more fitting and suitable to the office of the Messiah than
   to raise up anew the kingdom of David. Accordingly, the name of David
   is sometimes applied to the Messiah. "They shall serve the Lord their
   God, and David their king," (Jeremiah 30:9.) Again, "my servant David
   shall be a prince among them," (Ezekiel 34:24; 37:24.) "They shall seek
   the Lord their God, and David their king," (Hosea 3:5.) The passages in
   which he is called "the son of David" are sufficiently well known. In a
   word, the angel declares that in the person of Christ would be
   fulfilled the prediction of Amos, "In that day will I raise up the
   tabernacle of David that is fallen," (Amos 9:11.)

   33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob As salvation was
   promised, in a peculiar manner, to the Jews, (the covenant having been
   made with their father Abraham, Genesis 17:7,) and Christ, as Paul
   informs us, "was a minister of the circumcision," (Romans 15:8,) the
   angel properly fixed his reign in that nation, as its peculiar seat and
   residence. But this is in perfect accordance with other predictions,
   which spread and extend the kingdom of Christ to the utmost limits of
   the earth. By a new and wonderful adoption, God has admitted into the
   family of Jacob the Gentiles, who formerly were strangers; though in
   such a manner that the Jews, as the first-born, held a preferable rank;
   as it is said, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of
   Zion," (Psalm 110:3.) Christ's throne was, therefore, erected among the
   people of Israel, that he might thence subdue the whole world. All whom
   he has joined by faith to the children of Abraham are accounted the
   true Israel. Though the Jews, by their revolt, have separated
   themselves from the church of God, yet the Lord will always preserve
   till the end some "remnants" (Romans 11:5;) for his "calling is without
   repentances" (Romans 11:29.) The body of the people is apparently cut
   off; but we ought to remember the mystery of which Paul speaks, (Romans
   11:25,) that God will at length gather some of the Jews out of the
   dispersion. Meanwhile, the church, which is scattered through the whole
   world, is the spiritual house of Jacob; for it drew its origin from
   Zion.

   For ever The angel points out the sense in which it was so frequently
   predicted by the prophets that the kingdom of David would be without
   end. It was only during his own reign and that of Solomon, that it
   remained wealthy and powerful Rehoboam, the third successor, hardly
   retained a tribe and a half. The angel now declares that, when it has
   been established in the person of Christ, it will not be liable to
   destruction, and, to prove this, employs the words of Daniel, (7:14,)
   of his kingdom there shall be no end [27] Though the meaning of the
   words is, that God will for ever protect and defend the kingdom of
   Christ and the church, so that it shall not perish on the earth "as
   long as the sun and moon endure," (Psalm 72:5, 17,) yet its true
   perpetuity relates to the glory to come. So then, believers follow each
   other in this life, by an uninterrupted succession, till at length they
   are gathered together in heaven, where they shall reign without end.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [23] "Ave, Maria."

   [24] "Cur ergo aspectus etiam meminit?" Calvin's allusion is brought
   out more clearly in his own vernacular. "Pourquoy donc dit-il, Quand
   elle l'eut veu?" -- "Why then does he say, When she had seen him?"

   [25] "Neque otiosam imaginari licet." -- "Car nous ne pouvons point
   apprehender `a bon escient la presence de Dieu, sinon avec ses
   effects."

   [26] The use of such epithets may not be easily reconciled to the
   refinements of modern taste; but, three centuries ago, few readers
   would be startled by them, and they are much more sparingly employed by
   Calvin than by many of his contemporaries. Not to mention that Paul
   says, Beware of dogs, (Philippians 3:2,) and that the statement,
   Without are dogs, (Revelation 22:15,) bears the impress of the Alpha
   and Omega, (Revelation 22:13,) Servetus, to whom the epithet "filthy"
   is applied, had denied the fundamental doctrine of our Lord's supreme
   Divinity, and had luxuriated in the most revolting and blasphemous
   expressions. -- Ed.

   [27] Daniel's prediction referred to runs thus: "His dominion is an
   everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
   which shall not be destroyed." The angel does not employ these words;
   but his departure from them is not strongly marked, and it can scarcely
   be doubted that he had this passage in his eye. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:34-38

   Luke 1:34-38

   34. And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a
   man? 35. And the angel answering said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come
   upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
   wherefore also the holy thing which shall be born shall be called the
   Son of God. 36. And, behold, Elisabeth thy cousin, even she hath
   conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who
   was called barren: 37. For no word shall be impossible with God.
   38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it unto me
   according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.


   34. How shall this be? The holy virgin appears to confine the power of
   God within as narrow limits as Zacharias had formerly done; for what is
   beyond the common order of nature, she concludes to be impossible. She
   reasons in this manner. I know not a man: how then can I believe that
   what you tell me will happen? We ought not to give ourselves very much
   trouble, [28] to acquit her of all blame. She ought immediately to have
   risen by faith to the boundless power of God, which is not at all
   lettered to natural means, but sways the whole world. Instead of this,
   she stops at the ordinary way of generation. Still, it must be admitted
   that she does not hesitate or inquire in such a manner as to lower the
   power of God to the level of her senses; but is only carried away by a
   sudden impulse of astonishment to put this question. That she readily
   embraced the promise may be concluded from this, that, though many
   things presented themselves on the opposite side, she has no doubt but
   on one point.

   She might instantly have objected, where was that throne of David? for
   all the rank of kingly power had been long ago set aside, and all the
   luster of royal descent had been extinguished. Unquestionably, if she
   had formed her opinion of the matter according to the judgment of the
   flesh, she would have treated as a fable what the angel had told her.
   There can be no doubt that she was fully convinced of the restoration
   of the church, and easily gave way to what the flesh would have
   pronounced to be incredible. And then it is probable that the attention
   of the public was everywhere directed at that time to the prediction of
   Isaiah, in which God promises that he would raise up a rod out of the
   despised stem of Jesse, (Isaiah 11:1.) That persuasion of the kindness
   of God, which had been formed in the mind of the virgin, led her to
   admit, in the fullest manner, that she had received a message as to
   raising up anew the throne of David. If it be objected that there was
   also another prediction, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   (Isaiah 7:14,) I reply, that this mystery was then very imperfectly
   understood. True, the Fathers expected the birth of a King, under whose
   reign the people of God would be happy and prosperous; but the manner
   of its accomplishment lay concealed, as if it had been hidden by a
   veil. There is no wonder, therefore, if the holy virgin puts a question
   on a subject hitherto unknown to her.

   The conjecture which some have drawn from these words, that she had
   formed a vow of perpetual virginity, is unfounded and altogether
   absurd. She would, in that case, have committed treachery by allowing
   herself to be united to a husband, and would have poured contempt on
   the holy covenant of marriage; which could not have been done without
   mockery of God. Although the Papists have exercised barbarous tyranny
   on this subject, yet they have never proceeded so far as to allow the
   wife to form a vow of continence at her own pleasure. Besides, it is an
   idle and unfounded supposition that a monastic life existed among the
   Jews.

   We must reply, however, to another objection, that the virgin refers to
   the future, and so declares that she will have no intercourse with a
   man. The probable and simple explanation is, that the greatness or
   rather majesty of the subject made so powerful an impression on the
   virgin, that all her senses were bound and locked up in astonishment.
   When she is informed that the Son of God will be born, she imagines
   something unusual, and for that reason leaves conjugal intercourse out
   of view. Hence she breaks out in amazement, How shall this be? And so
   God graciously forgives her, and replies kindly and gently by the
   angel, because, in a devout and serious manner, and with admiration of
   a divine work, she had inquired how that would be, which, she was
   convinced, went beyond the common and ordinary course of nature. In a
   word, this question was not so contrary to faith, because it arose
   rather from admiration than from distrust.

   35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee The angel does not explain the
   manner, so as to satisfy curiosity, which there was no necessity for
   doing. He only leads the virgin to contemplate the power of the Holy
   Spirit, and to surrender herself silently and calmly to his guidance.
   The word epeleusetai, shall come upon, denotes that this would be an
   extraordinary work, in which natural means have no place. The next
   clause is added by way of exposition, and the power of the Highest
   shall overshadow thee: for the Spirit may be regarded as the essential
   power of God, whose energy is manifested and exerted in the entire
   government of the world, as well as in miraculous events. There is an
   elegant metaphor in the word episkiasei, overshadow. The power of God,
   by which he guards and protects his own people, is frequently compared
   in Scripture to a shadow, (Psalm 17:8; 57:1; 91:1.) But it appears to
   have another and peculiar meaning in this passage. The operation of the
   Spirit would be secret, as if an intervening cloud did not permit it to
   be beheld by the eyes of men. Now, as God, in performing miracles,
   withholds from us the manner of his proceedings, so what he chooses to
   conceal from us ought to be viewed, on our part, with seriousness and
   adoration.

   Therefore also the holy thing which shall be born This is a
   confirmation of the preceding clause: for the angel shows that Christ
   must not be born by ordinary generation, [29] that he may be holy, and
   that he may be the Son of God; that is, that in holiness and glory he
   may be high above all creatures, and may not hold an ordinary rank
   among men. Heretics, who imagine that he became the Son of God after
   his human generation, seize on the particle therefore as meaning that
   he would be called the Son of God, because he was conceived in a
   remarkable manner by the power of the Holy Spirit. But this is a false
   conclusion: for, though he was manifested to be the Son of God in the
   flesh, it does not follow that he was not the Word begotten of the
   Father before the ages. On the contrary, he who had been the Son of God
   in his eternal Godhead, appeared also as the Son of God in human flesh.
   This passage not only expresses a unity of person in Christ, but at the
   same time points out that, in clothing himself with human flesh, Christ
   is the Son of God. As the name, Son of God, belonged to the divine
   essence of Christ from the beginning, so now it is applied unitedly to
   both natures, because the secret and heavenly manner of generation has
   separated him from the ordinary rank of men. In other passages, indeed,
   with the view of asserting that he is truly man, he calls himself the
   Son of man, (John 5:27;) but the truth of his human nature is not
   inconsistent with his deriving peculiar honor above all others from his
   divine generation, having been conceived out of the ordinary way of
   nature by the Holy Spirit. This gives us good reason for growing
   confidence, that we may venture more freely to call God our Father,
   because his only Son, in order that we might have a Father in common
   with him, chose to be our brother.

   It ought to be observed also that Christ, because he was conceived by a
   spiritual power, is called the holy seed For, as it was necessary that
   he should be a real man, in order that he might expiate our sins, and
   vanquish death and Satan in our flesh; so was it necessary, in order to
   his cleansing others, that he should be free from every spot and
   blemish, (1 Peter 1:19.) Though Christ was formed of the seed of
   Abraham, yet he contracted no defilement from a sinful nature; for the
   Spirit of God kept him pure from the very commencement: and this was
   done not merely that he might abound in personal holiness, but chiefly
   that he might sanctify his own people. The manner of conception,
   therefore, assures us that we have a Mediator separate from sinners,
   (Hebrews 7:26.)

   36. And, behold, Elisabeth thy cousin By an instance taken from her own
   relatives, the angel encourages the faith of Mary to expect a miracle.
   If neither the barrenness nor the old age of Elisabeth could prevent
   God from making her a mother, there was no better reason why Mary
   should confine her view within the ordinary limits of nature, when she
   beheld such a demonstration of divine power in her cousin He mentions
   expressly the sixth month; because in the fifth month a woman usually
   feels the child quicken in the womb, so that the sixth month removes
   all doubt. True, Mary ought to have placed such a reliance on the bare
   word of God as to require no support to her faith from any other
   quarter; but, to prevent farther hesitation, the Lord condescends to
   strengthen his promise by this new aid. With equal indulgence does he
   cheer and support us every day; nay, with greater indulgence, because
   our faith is weaker. That we may not doubt his truth, testimonies to
   confirm it are brought by him from every direction.

   A question arises, how Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron,
   (ver. 5,) and Mary, who was descended from the stock of David, could be
   cousins This appears to be at variance with the law, which prohibited
   women from marrying into a different tribe from their own, (Numbers
   36:6.) With respect to the law, if we look at its object, it forbade
   those intermarriages only which might "remove inheritances from tribe
   to tribe," (Numbers 36:7.) No such danger existed, if any woman of the
   tribe of Judah married a priest, to whom an inheritance could not be
   conveyed. The same argument would hold if a woman of the tribe of Levi
   passed into another tribe. It is possible that the mother of the holy
   virgin might be descended from the family of Aaron, and so her daughter
   might be cousin to Elisabeth.

   37. For no word shall be impossible with God If we choose to take
   rhema, word, in its strict and native sense, the meaning is, that God
   will do what he hath promised, for no hinderance can resist his power.
   The argument will be, God hath promised, and therefore he will
   accomplish it; for we ought not to allege any impossibility in
   opposition to his word But as a word often means a thing in the idiom
   of the Hebrew language, (which the Evangelists followed, though they
   wrote in Greek,) [30] we explain it more simply, that nothing is
   impossible with God We ought always, in- deed, to hold it as a maxim,
   that they wander widely from the truth who, at their pleasure, imagine
   the power of God to be something beyond his word; for we ought always
   to contemplate his boundless power, that it may strengthen our hope and
   confidence. But it is idle, and unprofitable, and even dangerous, to
   argue what God can do unless we also take into account what he resolves
   to do. The angel does here what God frequently does in Scripture,
   employs a general doctrine to confirm one kind of promise. This is the
   true and proper use of a general doctrine, to apply its scattered
   promises to the present subject, whenever we are uneasy or distressed;
   for so long as they retain their general form, they make little
   impression upon us. We need not wonder if Mary is reminded by the angel
   of the power of God; for our distrust of it diminishes very greatly our
   confidence in the promises. All acknowledge in words that God is
   Almighty; but, if he promises any thing beyond what we are able to
   comprehend, we remain in doubt. [31] Whence comes this but from our
   ascribing to his power nothing more than what our senses receive? Thus
   Paul, commending the faith of Abraham, says, that he

   "gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that what he had promised he
   was able also to perform," (Romans 4:20, 21.)

   In another passage, speaking of the hope of eternal life, he sets
   before him the promise of God. "I know," says he,

   "whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that
   which I have committed unto him," (2 Timothy 1:12.)

   This may seem to be a small portion of faith; for no man, however
   wicked, openly denies God's claim to be Almighty. But he who has the
   power of God firmly and thoroughly fixed in his heart will easily
   surmount the other obstacles which present themselves to faith. It
   ought to be observed, however, that the power of God is viewed by true
   faith, if I may use the expression, as efficacious [32] For God is and
   wishes to be acknowledged as powerful, that by the accomplishment
   itself he may prove his faithfulness.

   38. Behold the handmaid of the Lord The holy virgin does not allow
   herself to dispute any farther: and yet many things might
   unquestionably have obtruded themselves, to repress that faith, and
   even to draw off her attention from what was said to her by the angel.
   But she stops the entrance of opposing arguments, and compels herself
   to obey. This is the real proof of faith, when we restrain our minds,
   and, as it were, hold them captive, so that they dare not reply this or
   that to God: for boldness in disputing, on the other hand, is the
   mother of unbelief. These are weighty expressions, Behold the handmaid
   of the Lord: for she gives and devotes herself unreservedly to God,
   that he may freely dispose of her according to his pleasure.
   Unbelievers withdraw from his hand, and, as far as lies in their power,
   obstruct his work: but faith presents us before God, that we may be
   ready to yield obedience. But if the holy virgin was the handmaid of
   the Lord, because she yielded herself submissively to his authority,
   there cannot be worse obstinacy than to fly from him, and to refuse
   that obedience which he deserves and requires. In a word, as faith
   alone makes us obedient servants to God, and gives us up to his power,
   so unbelief makes us rebels and deserters. Be it unto me This clause
   may be interpreted in two ways. Either the holy virgin, leaving her
   former subject, [33] betakes herself suddenly to prayers and
   supplications; or, she proceeds in the same strain [34] to yield and
   surrender herself to God. I interpret it simply that she is convinced
   of the power of God, follows cheerfully where he calls, trusts also to
   his promise, and not only expects, but eagerly desires, its
   accomplishment. [We must also observe that she is convinced on the word
   of the angel, because she knows that it proceeded from God: valuing its
   credit, not with reference to him who was its messenger, but with
   reference to him who was its author. [35] ]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [28] "Nec vero magnopere laborandum est." This is bold language, and
   must have sounded harsh and irreverent to a Popish ear: but in his
   French version Calvin uses still less ceremony. "We must not tease
   ourselves much to find out a way of vindicating her entirely" -- "Or il
   ne nous faut pas beaucoup tormenter a trouver facon de la justifier
   entierement." -- Ed.

   [29] "Christum opportere absque viri et mulieris coitu nasci."

   [30] "Laquelle ont suivie les Evangelistes, combien qu'ils escrivissent
   en Grec." -- Fr.

   [31] "Haesitamus." -- "We are in a state of uncertainty, without being
   able to convince ourselves of it." -- "Nous sommes en branle sans
   pouvoir nous y asseurer." -- Fr.

   [32] "Effectualem." -- "We must observe that true faith apprehends the
   power of God, not in the air, but with its results." -- "Il faut noter
   que la vraye foy apprehende la puissance de Dieu, non point en l'alr,
   mais avec ses effects."

   [33] "Laissant son premier propos."

   [34] "Uno contextu." -- "En continuant le fil de son propos."

   [35] "Il faut aussi noter qu'elle s'asseure sur la parole de l'Ange,
   par ce qu'elle sait qu'elle est procedee de Dieu: pesant la dignite
   d'icelle non a cause de celuy qui en estoit le messager, mais a cause
   de celui qui en estoit l'autheur."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:39-45

   Luke 1:39-45

   39. And Mary arising in those days went into the mountainous parts [36]
   with haste, into a city of Judah, 40. And entered into the house of
   Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41. And it happened, when Elisabeth
   heard the salutation of Mary, the babe started [37] in her womb, and
   Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, 42. And exclaimed with a loud
   voice, 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, when the voice of thy salutation was
   made [38] in my ears, the babe started for joy in my womb. 45. And
   blessed is she who believed: for there shall be a fulfillment [39] to
   those things which have been told her by the Lord. [40]


   39. And Mary arising This departure mentioned by Luke proves that
   Mary's faith was not of a transitory nature: for the promise of God
   does not fade away with the presence of the angel, but is impressed
   upon her mind. The haste indicates a sincere and strong affection. We
   may infer from it that the Virgin disregarded every thing else and
   formed a just estimate of this grace of God. But it may be inquired,
   what was her object in undertaking this journey? It certainly was not
   made for the mere purpose of inquiry: for she cherished in her heart by
   faith the Son of God as already conceived in her womb. Nor do I agree
   with those who think that she came for the purpose of congratulating
   Elisabeth. [41] I think it more probable that her object was, partly to
   increase and strengthen her faith, and partly to celebrate the grace of
   God which both had received. [42]

   There is no absurdity in supposing, that she sought to confirm her
   faith by a view of the miracle, which had been adduced to her with no
   small effect by the angel. For, though believers are satisfied with the
   bare word of God, yet they do not disregard any of his works which they
   find to be conducive to strengthen their faith. Mary was particularly
   bound to receive the assistance which had been offered, unless she
   chose to reject what the Lord had freely given to her. Besides, the
   mutual interview might arouse both Elisabeth and herself to higher
   gratitude, as is evident from what follows. The power of God became
   more remarkable and striking by taking in at one view both favors, the
   very comparison of which gave no small additional luster. Luke does not
   name the city in which Zacharias dwelt, but only mentions that it
   belonged to the tribe of Judah, and that it was situated in a hilly
   district. Hence we infer that it was farther distant than Jerusalem was
   from the town of Nazareth.

   41. When Elisabeth heard It is natural that sudden joy, on the part of
   a pregnant woman, should cause a motion of the child in her womb; but
   Luke intended to express an extraordinary occurrence. No good purpose
   would be served by involving ourselves in intricate questions, if the
   child was aware of the presence of Christ, or felt an emotion of piety:
   it is enough for us that the babe started by a secret movement of the
   Spirit. Luke does not say that the feeling belonged to the child, but
   rather intimates that this part of the Divine operation took place in
   the mother herself, that the babe started in her womb The expression,
   she was filled with the Holy Ghost, means that she was suddenly endued
   with the gift of prophecy to an unusual extent: for the gifts of the
   Spirit had not formerly been wanting in her, but their power then
   appeared more abundant and extraordinary.

   42. Blessed art thou She seems to put Mary and Christ on an equal
   footing, which would have been highly improper. But I cheerfully agree
   with those who think that the second clause assigns the reason; for and
   often signifies because. Accordingly, Elisabeth affirms, that her
   cousin was blessed on account of the blessedness of her child. To carry
   Christ in her womb was not Mary's first blessedness, but was greatly
   inferior to the distinction of being born again by the Spirit of God to
   a new life. Yet she is justly called blessed, on whom God bestowed the
   remarkable honor of bringing into the world his own Son, through whom
   she had been spiritually renewed. And at this day, the blessedness
   brought to us by Christ cannot be the subject of our praise, without
   reminding us, at the same time, of the distinguished honor which God
   was pleased to bestow on Mary, in making her the mother of his Only
   Begotten Son.

   43. And whence is this to me? The happy medium observed by Elisabeth is
   worthy of notice. She thinks very highly of the favors bestowed by God
   on Mary, and gives them just commendation, but yet does not praise them
   more highly than was proper, which would have been a dishonor to God.
   For such is the native depravity of the world, that there are few
   persons who are not chargeable with one of these two faults. Some,
   delighted beyond measure with themselves, and desirous to shine alone,
   enviously despise the gifts of God in their brethren; while others
   praise them in so superstitious a manner as to convert them into idols.
   The consequence has been, that the first rank is assigned to Mary, and
   Christ is lowered as it were to the footstool. [43] Elisabeth, again,
   while she praises her, is so far from hiding the Divine glory, that she
   ascribes everything to God. And yet, though she acknowledges the
   superiority of Mary to herself and to others, she does not envy her the
   higher distinction, but modestly declares that she had obtained more
   than she deserved.

   She calls Mary the mother of her Lord This denotes a unity of person in
   the two natures of Christ; as if she had said, that he who was begotten
   a mortal man in the womb of Mary is, at the same time, the eternal God.
   For we must bear in mind, that she does not speak like an ordinary
   woman at her own suggestion, but merely utters what was dictated by the
   Holy Spirit. This name Lord strictly belongs to the Son of God
   "manifested in the flesh," (1 Timothy 3:16,) who has received from the
   Father all power, and has been appointed the highest ruler of heaven
   and earth, that by his agency God may govern all things. Still, he is
   in a peculiar manner the Lord of believers, who yield willingly and
   cheerfully to his authority; for it is only of "his body" that he is
   "the head," (Ephesians 1:22, 23.) And so Paul says, "though there be
   lords many, yet to us," that is, to the servants of faith, "there is
   one Lord," (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6.) By mentioning the sudden movement of
   the babe which she carried in her womb, (ver. 44,) as heightening that
   divine favor of which she is speaking, she unquestionably intended to
   affirm that she felt something supernatural and divine.

   45. And blessed is she that believed It was by a hidden movement of the
   Spirit, as is evident from a former statement of Luke, that Elisabeth
   spoke. The same Spirit declares that Mary is blessed because she
   believed, and by commending Mary's faith, informs us generally in what
   the true happiness of men consists. Mary was blessed, because,
   embracing in her heart the promise of God, she conceived and brought
   forth a Savior to herself and to the whole which the Judges occupied;
   as when Cicero proposes to appeal from the Senate to the popular
   assembly, "a subselliis in rem deferre." Calvin may have had in his eye
   such a phrase as "imi subsellii vir," and his meaning is fully brought
   out by his own version, "sur le marchepied." -- Ed world. This was
   peculiar to her: but as we have not a drop of righteousness, life, or
   any other benefit, except so far as the Lord presents them to us in his
   Word, it is faith alone that rescues us from the lowest poverty and
   misery, and makes us partakers of true happiness.

   There is great weight in this clause, for there shall be a fulfillment
   to those things which have been told her The meaning is, faith gives
   way to the divine promises, that they may obtain their accomplishment
   in us. The truth of God certainly does not depend on the will of men,
   but God remains always true, (Romans 3:4,) though the whole
   world--unbelievers and liars--should attempt to ruin his veracity. Yet,
   as unbelievers are unworthy to obtain the fruit of the promises, so
   Scripture teaches us, that by faith alone they are powerful for our
   salvation. God offers his benefits indiscriminately to all, and faith
   opens its bosom [44] to receive them; while unbelief allows them to
   pass away, so as not to reach us. If there had been any unbelief in
   Mary, that could not prevent God from accomplishing his work in any
   other way which he might choose. But she is called blessed, because she
   received by faith the blessing offered to her, and opened up the way to
   God for its accomplishment; while faith, on the other hand, shuts the
   gate, and restrains his hand from working, that they who refuse the
   praise due to its power may not feel its saving effect. We must observe
   also the relation between the word and faith, from which we learn that,
   in the act of believing, we give our assent to God who speaks to us,
   and hold for certain what he has promised to us that he will do. The
   phrase, by the Lord, is of the same import with an expression in common
   use, on the part of God; for the promise had been brought by the angel,
   but proceeded from God alone. Hence we infer that, whether God employs
   the ministrations of angels or of men, he wishes equal honor to be paid
   to his Word as if he were visibly descending from heaven.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [36] "In montana;" -- "et s'en alla hastivement aux montagnes;" -- "and
   went away hastily to the mountains."

   [37] "L'enfant tressaillit."

   [38] "Facta est;" -- "est parvenue a mes aureilles;" -- "reached my
   ears."

   [39] "Complementum erit."

   [40] "Car les choses qui luy ont este dites par le Seigneur luy seront
   accomplies." -- "For the things which were told her by the Lord shall
   be accomplished to her."

   [41] "Gratulandi causa;" -- "pour faire caresse a sa cousine."

   [42] "Illustrandae ultro citroque gratiae Dei;" -- "de celebrer et
   magnifier la grace de Dieu faite a l'une et a l'autre."

   [43] "Christo velut in subsellium redacto." Subsellium is evidently not
   employed here to convey a shade of the honor belonging to the seats.

   [44] "Sinum expandit;" -- "mais la foy, par maniere dire, tend son
   giron pour les recevoir;" -- "but faith, so to speak, holds its lap to
   receive them."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:46-50

   Luke 1:46-50

   46. And Mary saith, My soul magnifieth the Lord, 47. And my spirit hath
   rejoiced [45] in God my Savior. 48. Because he hath looked upon the low
   condition of his handmaid: for from this time all generations shall
   call me blessed, 49. Because he who is mighty hath done to me wonderful
   [46] things: and holy is his name. 50. And his mercy is from generation
   to generation to them that fear him.


   Now follows a remarkable and interesting song of the holy virgin, which
   plainly shows how eminent were her attainments in the grace of the
   Spirit. There are three clauses in this song. First, Mary offers solemn
   thanksgiving for that mercy of God which she had experienced in her own
   person. Next, she celebrates in general terms God's power and
   judgments. Lastly, she applies these to the matter in hand, treating of
   the redemption formerly promised, and now granted to the church.

   46. My soul magnifieth Here Mary testifies her gratitude, as we have
   already said. But as hypocrites, for the most part, sing the praises of
   God with open mouth, unaccompanied by any affection of the heart, Mary
   says that she praises God from an inward feeling of the mind. And
   certainly they who pronounce his glory, not from the mind, but with the
   tongue alone, do nothing more than profane his holy name. The words
   soul and spirit are used in Scripture in various senses, but, when
   employed together, they denote chiefly two faculties of the soul;
   spirit being taken for the understanding, and soul for the seat of the
   affections. To comprehend the meaning of the holy virgin, it must be
   observed that what is here placed second is first in order; for the
   excitement of the will of man to praise God must be preceded by a
   rejoicing of the spirit, [47] as James says, "Is any merry? let him
   sing psalms," (James 5:13.) Sadness and anxiety lock up the soul, and
   restrain the tongue from celebrating the goodness of God. When the soul
   of Mary exults with joy, the heart breaks out in praising God. It is
   with great propriety, in speaking of the joy of her heart, that she
   gives to God the appellation of Savior Till God has been recognised as
   a Savior, the minds of men are not free to indulge in true and full
   joy, but will remain in doubt and anxiety. It is God's fatherly
   kindness alone, and the salvation flowing from it, that fill the soul
   with joy. In a word, the first thing necessary for believers is, to be
   able to rejoice that they have their salvation in God. The next ought
   to follow, that, having experienced God to be a kind Father, they may
   "offer to him thanksgiving," (Psalm 50:14.) The Greek word soter,
   Savior, has a more extensive signification than the Latin word
   Servator; for it means not only that he once delivers, but that he is
   "the Author of eternal salvations" (Hebrews 5:9.)

   48. Because he hath looked She explains the reason why the joy of her
   heart was founded in God to be, that out of free grace he had looked
   upon her. By calling herself low she disclaims all merit, and ascribes
   to the undeserved goodness of God every occasion of boasting. For
   tapeinosis, lowness, does not here denote -- as ignorant and uneducated
   men have foolishly imagined -- "submission, or modesty, or a quality of
   the mind," but signifies "a mean and despicable condition." [48] The
   meaning is, "I was unknown and despised, but that did not prevent God
   from deigning to cast his eyes upon me." But if Mary's lowness is
   contrasted with excellence -- as the matter itself and the Greek word
   make abundantly plain -- we see how Mary makes herself nothing, and
   praises God alone. And this was not the loud cry of a pretended
   humility, but the plain and honest statement of that conviction which
   was engraven on her mind; for she was of no account in the eyes of the
   world, and her estimation of herself was nothing more.

   From this time She announces that this kindness of God will be kept in
   remembrance throughout all generations But if it is so remarkable, that
   it ought to be proclaimed every where by the lips of all men, silence
   regarding it would have been highly improper in Mary, on whom it was
   bestowed. Now observe, that Mary makes her happiness to consist in
   nothing else, but in what she acknowledges to have been bestowed upon
   her by God, and mentions as the gift of his grace. "I shall be reckoned
   blessed," she says, "through all ages." Was it because she sought this
   praise by her own power or exertion? On the contrary, she makes mention
   of nothing but of the work of God. Hence we see how widely the Papists
   differ from her, who idly adorn her with their empty devices, and
   reckon almost as nothing the benefits which she received from God. [49]
   They heap up an abundance of magnificent and very presumptuous titles,
   such as, "Queen of Heaven, Star of Salvation, Gate of Life, Sweetness,
   Hope, and Salvation." Nay more, to such a pitch of insolence and fury
   have they been hurried by Satan, that they give her authority over
   Christ; [50] for this is their pretty song, "Beseech the Father, Order
   the Son." [51] None of these modes of expression, it is evident,
   proceeded from the Lord. All are disclaimed by the holy virgin in a
   single word, when she makes her whole glory to consist in acts of the
   divine kindness. If it was her duty to praise the name of God alone,
   who had done to her wonderful things, no room is left for the pretended
   titles, which come from another quarter. Besides, nothing could be more
   disrespectful to her, than to rob the Son of God of what is his own, to
   clothe her with the sacrilegious plunder.

   Let Papists now go, and hold us out as doing injury to the mother of
   Christ, because we reject the falsehoods of men, and extol in her
   nothing more than the kindness of God. Nay, what is most of all
   honorable to her we grant, and those absurd worshippers refuse. [52] We
   cheerfully acknowledge her as our teacher, and obey her instruction and
   commands. There certainly is no obscurity in what she says here; but
   the Papists throw it aside, trample it as it were under foot, and do
   all they can to destroy the credit of her statements? [53] Let us
   remember that, in praising both men and angels, there is a general rule
   laid down, to extol in them the grace of God; as nothing is at all
   worthy of praise which did not proceed from Him.

   He who is mighty hath done to me wonderful things She informs us, that
   the reason why God did not in this case employ the assistance of others
   was, to make his own power more illustrious. And here we must recall
   what she formerly said, that God had looked upon her, though she was
   mean and despicable. Hence it follows, that those praises of Mary are
   absurd and spurious which do not altogether exalt the power and free
   grace of God.

   49. And holy is his name This is the second part of the song, in which
   the holy virgin celebrates in general terms the power, judgments, and
   mercy of God. This clause must not be viewed as a part of the preceding
   one, but must be read separately. Mary had extolled the grace of God,
   which she had experienced in her own person. Hence she takes occasion
   to exclaim, that holy is his name, and his mercy endures throughout all
   generations The name of God is called holy, because it is entitled to
   the highest reverence; and whenever the name of God is mentioned, it
   ought immediately to remind us of his adorable majesty.

   The next clause, which celebrates the perpetuity of the Divine mercy,
   is taken from that solemn form of covenant,

   "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after
   thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant,"
   (Genesis 17:7)

   and again,

   "who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his
   commandments to a thousand generations," (Deuteronomy 7:9.)

   By these words, he not only declares, that he will always be like
   himself, but expresses the favor which he continues to manifest towards
   his own people after their death, loving their children, and their
   children's children, and all their posterity. Thus he followed the
   posterity of Abraham with uninterrupted kindness; for, having once
   received their father Abraham into favor, he had made with him "an
   everlasting covenant."

   But as not all who are descended from Abraham according to the flesh
   are the true children of Abraham, Mary confines the accomplishment of
   the promise to the true worshippers of God, to them that fear him: as
   David also does:

   "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them
   that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; to such
   as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do
   them,"
   (Psalm 103:17,18.)

   While God promises that he will be merciful to the children of the
   saints through all generations, this gives no support to the vain
   confidence of hypocrites: for falsely and groundlessly do they boast of
   God as their Father, who are the spurious children of the saints, and
   have departed from their faith and godliness. [54] This exception sets
   aside the falsehood and arrogance of those who, while they are
   destitute of faith, are puffed up with false pretenses to the favor of
   God. A universal covenant of salvation had been made by God with the
   posterity of Abraham; but, as stones moistened by the rain do not
   become soft, so the promised righteousness and salvation are prevented
   from reaching unbelievers through their own hardness of heart.
   Meanwhile, to maintain the truth and firmness of his, promise, God has
   preserved "a seed," (Romans 9:29.)

   Under the fear of the Lord is included the whole of godliness and
   religion, and this cannot exist without faith. But here an objection
   may be urged. What avails it that God is called merciful, if no man
   finds him to be so unless he deserves his favor? For, if the mercy of
   God is upon them that fear him, godliness and a good conscience procure
   his grace to men, and in this way men go before his grace by their own
   merits. I reply, this is a part of his mercy, that he bestows on the
   children of the godly fear and reverence for his majesty. This does not
   point out the commencement of his grace, as if God were idly looking
   down from heaven, to see who are worthy of it. All that is intended is,
   to shake off the perverse confidence of hypocrites, that they may not
   imagine God to be bound to them, because they are the children of
   saints according to the flesh: the divine covenant having another and
   very different object, that God may have always a people in the world,
   by whom he is sincerely worshipped.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [45] "Exultavit;" -- "mon esprit s'est esiouy."

   [46] "Magnifica."

   [47] "Car avant que la volonte de l' homme soit mise en train de louer
   Dieu, il faut qu'il y ait devant une alaigrete et resiouissance
   d'esprit." -- "For before the will of man is set agoing to praise God,
   there must be previously a cheerfulness and rejoicing of spirit."

   [48] "Les Latins, traduisans ce passage du Grec, ont us, du mot d'Humi-
   lite, lequel les barbares et sots parleurs de Latin, prennent ici comme
   en Francois, pour une facon de faire contraire a l'arrogance, assavoir
   quand une personne s'estime rien: mais il se prend autrement, assavoir
   pour Petitesse; c'est a dire, condition basse et meprisee." -- "The
   Latins, translating this passage from the Greek, have used the word
   Humility, which barbarians and fools talking Latin take here, as in
   French, for a manner of acting opposed to pride: but it is taken
   differently, namely, for Meanness, that is, a low and despicable
   condition."

   [49] "En cela nous voyons coment les Papistes accordent mal avec elle,
   lesquels sans jugement la parent de nouvelles louanges forgees en leurs
   cerveaux; et cependant ne tiennent quasi conte do tous les biens
   que'lle a eus de Dieu." -- "In this we see how ill the Papists agree
   with her, who without judgment adorn her with new praises forged in
   their own brains; and yet make no account, as it were, of all the
   benefits which she had from God."

   [50] "Qui plus est, Satan les a transportez en une telle rage et
   forcenerie, qui'ls n'ont point eu de honte du luy attributer
   l'authorite de commander a Christ." -- "What is more, Satan has carried
   them away to such a rage and fury, that they are not ashamed to
   attribute to her authority to command Christ."

   [51] "Roga Patrem, jube Natum."

   [52] "En ce faisant, nous luy accordons ce qui luy est le plus
   honorable, en lieu que ces habiles gens, qui la servent a contrepoil,
   l'en despouillent." -- "In doing this we grant to her what is the most
   honorable, while those clever people, who serve her the wrong way, take
   it from her."

   [53] "Fidem ejus dictis abrogant;" -- "dementent la vierge en tant
   qu'en eux est;" -- "as far as lies in them, they make the virgin a
   liar."

   [54] "Car c'est a tort et fausses enseignes qu'ils se glorifient
   d'avoir Dieu pour leur Pere, puis qu'ils sont enfans bastards des
   saincts, et ont desvoye de leur foy et sainctete." -- "For it is
   improperly and under false colors that they boast of having God for
   their Father, since they are bastard children of the saints, and have
   departed from their faith and holiness."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:51-55

   Luke 1:51-55

   51. He hath done might [55] with his arm: he hath scattered the proud
   in the thought of their heart. 52. He hath cast down the nobles from
   their thrones, and hath exalted mean persons. 53. He hath filled the
   hungry with good things, and hath sent the rich away empty. 54. He hath
   lifed up his servant Israel, so as to be mindful of his mercy, 55. As
   he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.


   51. He hath done might This means, "he hath wrought powerfully." The
   arm of God is contrasted with every other aid: as in Isaiah, "I looked,
   and there was none to help," (Isaiah 63:5;) "therefore," says he
   elsewhere,

   "his arm brought salvation unto him;
   and his righteousness, it sustained him," (Isaiah 59:16.)

   Mary therefore means: God rested satisfied with his own power, employed
   no companions in the work, called none to afford him aid. What
   immediately follows about the proud may be supposed to be added for one
   of two reasons: either because the proud gain nothing by endeavoring,
   like the giants of old, to oppose God; or, because God does not display
   the power of his arm for salvation, except in the case of the humble,
   while the proud, who arrogate much to themselves, are thrown down To
   this relates the exhortation of Peter,

   "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,"
   (1 Peter 5:6.)

   He hath scattered [56] the proud in the thought of their heart [57]
   This expression is worthy of notice: for as their pride and ambition
   are outrageous, as their covetousness is insatiable, they pile up their
   deliberations to form an immense heap, and, to say all in a single
   word, they build the tower of Babel, (Genesis 11:9.) Not satisfied with
   having made one or another foolish attempt beyond their strength, or
   with their former schemes of mad presumption, they still add to their
   amount. When God has for a time looked down from heaven, in silent
   mockery, on their splendid preparations, he unexpectedly scatters the
   whole mass: just as when a building is overturned, and its parts, which
   had formerly been bound together by a strong and firm union, are widely
   scattered in every direction.

   52. He hath cast down the nobles This translation has been adopted, for
   the sake of avoiding ambiguity: for though the Greek word dunastai is
   derived from dunamis, power, it denotes governors and eminent rulers.
   [58] Many persons think that dunastas is a participle. They are said by
   Mary to be cast down from their thrones, that obscure and unknown
   persons may be elevated in their room; and so she ascribes to the
   providence and judgments of God what ungodly men can the game of
   Fortune. [59] Let us understand, that she does not ascribe to God a
   despotic power,--as if men were tossed and thrown up and down like
   balls by a tyrannical authority,--but a just government, founded on the
   best reasons, though they frequently escape our notice. God does not
   delight in changes, or elevate in mockery to a lofty station, those
   whom he has determined immediately to throw down. [60] It is rather the
   depravity of men that overturns the state of things, because nobody
   acknowledges that the disposal of every one is placed in His will and
   power.

   Those who occupy a higher station than others are not only chargeable
   with disdainfully and cruelly insulting their neighbors, but act in a
   daring manner towards Him to whom they owe their elevation. To instruct
   us by facts, that whatever is lofty and elevated in the world is
   subject to God, and that the whole world is governed by his dominion,
   some are exalted to high honor, while others either come down in a
   gradual manner, or else fall headlong from their thrones. Such is the
   cause and object of the changes which is assigned by David, "He poureth
   contempt upon princes," (Psalm 107:39;) and by Daniel,

   "He changeth the times and the seasons:
   he removeth kings, and setteth up kings," (Daniel 2:21.)

   We see, indeed, how the princes of the world grow extravagantly
   insolent, indulge in luxury, swell with pride, and are intoxicated with
   the sweets of prosperity. If the Lord cannot tolerate such ingratitude,
   we need not be surprised.

   The usual consequence is, that those whom God has raised to a high
   estate do not occupy it long. Again, the dazzling luster of kings and
   princes so overpowers the multitude, that there are few who consider
   that there is a God above. But if princes brought a scepter with them
   from the womb, and if the stability of their thrones were perpetual,
   all acknowledgment of God and of his providence would immediately
   disappear. When the Lord raises mean persons to exalted rank, he
   triumphs over the pride of the world, and at the same time encourages
   simplicity and modesty in his own people.

   Thus, when Mary says, that it is God who casteth down nobles from their
   thrones, and exalteth mean persons, she teaches us, that the world does
   not move and revolve by a blind impulse of Fortune, but that all the
   revolutions observed in it are brought about by the Providence of God,
   and that those judgments, which appear to us to disturb and overthrow
   the entire framework of soclety, are regulated by God with unerring
   justice. This is confirmed by the following verse, He hath filled the
   hungry with good things, and hath sent the rich away empty: for hence
   we infer that it is not in themselves, but for a good reason, that God
   takes pleasure in these changes. It is because the great, and rich, and
   powerful, lifted up by their abundance, ascribe all the praise to
   themselves, and leave nothing to God. We ought therefore to be
   scrupulously on our guard against being carried away by prosperity, and
   against a vain satisfaction of the flesh, lest God suddenly deprive us
   of what we enjoy. To such godly persons as feel poverty and almost
   famine, and lift up their cry to God, no small consolation is afforded
   by this doctrine, that he filleth the hungry with good things

   54. He hath lifted up his servant Israel In this last clause the
   general statements are applied by Mary to the present occasion. The
   meaning is, God has now granted the salvation which he had formerly
   promised to the holy fathers. And first, the verb antilamzanesthai, to
   lift up, contains an elegant metaphor: [61] for the state of the nation
   was so fallen, that its entire restoration could not be expected on
   ordinary principles. And then God is said to have lifted up Israel,
   because he stretched out his hand, and lifted him up when lying
   prostrate. Religion had been polluted in innumerable ways. The public
   instruction retained almost nothing pure. The government of the Church
   was in the greatest confusion, and breathed nothing but shocking
   barbarity. The order of civil society no longer subsisted. The great
   body of the people were torn like wild beasts by the Romans and Herod.
   So much the more glorious was the restoration, which a state of affairs
   so desperate did not allow them to expect. Paidos may here be taken
   either for child or for servant: but the latter signification is more
   appropriate. Israel is called, in this as in many other places, the
   servant of God, because he had been received into the family of God.

   So as to be mindful Mary assigns the reason why the nation, when
   verging to ruin, was received by God; or rather, why God lifted it up
   when already fallen. It was to give an illustration of his mercy in its
   preservation. She expressly mentions that God had remembered his mercy,
   which he might appear in some sort to have forgotten, when he permitted
   his people to be so fearfully distressed and afflicted. It is customary
   to ascribe affections to God, as men conclude from the event itself,
   that he is offended with them, or that he is reconciled. Now, as the
   human mind forms no conception of the divine mercy, except so far as it
   is presented and declared in his own word, Mary directs her own
   attention and that of others to the promises, [62] and shows that, in
   the accomplishment of them, God has been true and faithful. In this
   sense, Scripture makes frequent mention of God's mercy and truth,
   (Micah 7:20;) because we shall never be convinced of his fatherly
   kindness toward us, unless his word, by which he hath bound himself to
   us, be present to our recollection, and unless it occupy, as it were,
   an interterm is here, as at Acts 20:35, and often in the classical
   writers, used metaphorically in the sense of to protect, support." --
   Bloomfield. mediate position between us, to link the goodness of God
   with our own individual salvation. By these words Mary shows, that the
   covenant which God had made with the fathers was of free grace; for she
   traces the salvation promised in it to the fountain of unmixed mercy
   Hence too we infer, that she was well acquainted with the doctrine of
   Scripture. The expectation of the Messiah was at that time, indeed,
   very general, but few had their faith established on so pure a
   knowledge of Scripture.

   55. To Abraham and to his seed If you read these words in close
   connection with the close of the former verse, there appears to be an
   improper change of the case. Instead of to 'Abraam kai to spermati, it
   ought to have been (pros)ton 'Abraam kai to sperma,, as he spake TO our
   fathers, TO Abraham and TO his seed [63] But, in my opinion, there is
   no such close connection. Mary does not merely explain who the Fathers
   were to whom God spake, but extends the power and result of the
   promises to all his posterity, provided they are the true seed of
   Abraham. Hence it follows, that the matter now in hand is, the solemn
   covenant which had been made, in a peculiar manner, with Abraham and
   his descendants. For other promises, which had been given to Adam, and
   Noah, and others, referred indiscriminately to all nations. As many of
   the children of Abraham, according to the flesh, have been cut off by
   their unbelief, and have been thrown out as degenerate from the family
   of Abraham, so we, who were strangers, are admitted to it by faith, and
   regarded as the true seed of Abraham. Let us therefore hold that, in
   consequence of God having formerly spoken to the fathers, the grace
   offered to them belongs equally to their posterity; and also, that the
   adoption has been extended to all nations, so that those, who were not
   by nature children of Abraham, may be his spiritual seed
     __________________________________________________________________

   [55] "Il a besongne puissament par son bras." -- "He hath wrought
   powerfully by his arm."

   [56] dieschorpisen,, he utterly discomfits, a metaphor derived from
   putting to flight a defeated enemy. The word not unfrequently occurs in
   the Septuagint, but very rarely in the classical writers; though one
   example is adduced by Kuinoel from Aelian, Var. Hist. 13:46: tous men
   dieschozpisen, ohus, (read tous) de apechteiene." -- Bloomfield's Greek
   Testament.

   [57] "La ou nous avons rendu, Il a dissipe, le mot Grec signifie
   proprement, Il a escarte ou espars."

   [58] "Le mot Grec (dunastai) vient de Puissance, comme si on disoit,
   Les puissans: mais il signifie les gouverneurs et gras seigneurs." --
   "The Greek word comes from power, as if she had said, The Mighty:' but
   it means governors and great lords."

   [59] "Ludam Fortunae;" -- "le jeu ou la roue de la Fortune;" -- "the
   game or wheel of Fortune."

   [60] "Il ne faut pas penser que pour se jouer des hommes il les esleve
   amsi haut, et puis les abaisse." -- "We must not imagine that, to amuse
   himself with men, he raises them so high, and then sinks them low."

   [61] " 'Antilambanesthai, denotes properly to lay hold of any thing, or
   person, by the hand, in order to support it when it is likely to fall;
   but the

   [62] "Marie se propose les promesses, et nous ramene tous a la
   consideration d'icelles." -- "Mary presents to herself the promises,
   and leads us all to the consideration of them."

   [63] Without attempting to make clear to the English reader the nature
   of this difficulty, which a Greek scholar will readily enough
   comprehend, it may suffice to say that the words, as he spake to our
   fathers, should be read as a parenthesis, and the words now under
   consideration will then be connected in the following manner: So as to
   be mindful (or, in remembrance) of his mercy to Abraham, and to his
   seed, for ever. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:56-66

   Luke 1:56-66

   56. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own
   house. 57. And Elisabeth's time of bringing forth was fulfilled, and
   she brought forth a son. 58. And her neighbors and relatives heard,
   that the Lord had wonderfully exercised his mercy toward her, and they
   congratulated her. 59. And it happened on the eighth day, when they
   came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias, by the
   name of his father. 60. And his mother answering said, [64] By no
   means, but he shall be called John. 61. And they said to her, There is
   none among thy kindred who is called by that name. 62. And they made
   signs to his father how he wished him to be called. 63. And having
   asked for writing tables, he wrote, saying, John is his name: and all
   wondered. 64. And his mouth was instantly opened, and he spake,
   blessing God. 65. And fear fell upon all their neighbors, and in all
   the mountainous district of Judea all these words were made known.
   66. And all who had heard put them in their heart, saying, What (or
   Who) shall this child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.


   The amount of this narrative is, that the birth of John was
   distinguished by various miracles, which gave reason to expect, that
   something great and remarkable would appear in the child himself at a
   future period. For the Lord determined to confer upon him from the womb
   remarkable tokens, that he might not afterwards come forward, as an
   obscure and unknown person, from the crowd, to discharge the office of
   a Prophet. First Luke relates, that Mary remained about three months
   with her cousin, -- or, in other words, till the birth of the child:
   for it is probable that she had no other reason for staying so long,
   but to enjoy the exhibition of divine grace, which had been suggested
   to her by the angel for the confirmation of her faith.

   58. And her neighbors and relatives heard It may admit of doubt,
   whether the wonderful kindness of God was estimated by those persons
   from the simple fact of her being blessed with a child, or whether they
   had previously heard that an angel appeared to Zacharias, and promised
   to him a son. This was certainly no ordinary divine favor, that, out of
   the course of nature, a barren woman at a very advanced age had brought
   forth a child. It is possible that, on this ground alone, they
   magnified the divine goodness. On the eighth day, from a sense of duty
   or from courtesy, as is customary on such occasions, some people
   assemble; but God takes occasion from it to make them witnesses and
   spectators of his power and glory. There can be no doubt but the
   extraordinary birth brought a greater crowd. They had reckoned it a
   prodigy to see an old and barren woman suddenly become pregnant; and
   now that the child is born, their astonishment is renewed and
   increased. We infer from the words of Luke that, though they
   circumcised their children at home, they were not wont to do so without
   collecting a numerous assembly: and with good reason, for it was a
   common sacrament of the church, and it was not proper to administer it
   in a secret or private manner.

   59. And they called him Zacharias, by the name of his father We know
   that names were originally given to men, either from some occurrence,
   or even by prophetic inspiration, to point out some secret work of God.
   After a long period, when there was such a profusion of names, that it
   became inconvenient to form new ones every day, people satisfied
   themselves with the old and received names, and called their children
   by the names of their ancestors. Thus before the father of John, there
   were many called Zacharias, and perhaps they were the descendants of
   the "son of Barachias," (Matthew 23:35.) Use and wont, we are aware, is
   generally taken for law, and so these persons contended that the
   prevailing custom should be observed as to the name of the child.
   Though we must not imagine that there is any sacredness in names, yet
   no judicious person will deny that, in this matter, believers ought to
   make a godly and profitable selection. They ought to give their
   children such names as may serve to instruct and admonish them, and
   consequently to take the names of holy fathers -- for the purpose of
   exciting their children to imitate them -- rather than adopt those of
   ungodly persons.

   60. And his mother answering said It is uncertain if Elisabeth spoke
   this by inspiration. But when Zacharias saw the punishment inflicted on
   him for being too slow in believing, he probably informed his wife by
   writing what the angel had enjoined respecting the name, (ver. 13,)
   otherwise he would not have obeyed the command of God. Why this name
   was given to the Baptist by divine authority, I have already explained.
   The relatives, though unacquainted with the reason, are affected by the
   strangeness of the occurrence, particularly as they conjecture it did
   not take place without design.

   64. And his mouth was instantly opened God puts honor on the birth of
   his prophet by restoring speech to his father: for there can be no
   doubt that this benefit was delayed till that day with the express
   object and design of fixing the eyes of men upon John. Zacharias spake,
   blessing God He did so, not only for the purpose of testifying his
   gratitude, but to inform his relatives and neighbors, that this
   punishment had been inflicted on him, because he had been too slow to
   believe: for he was not ashamed to unite with his own dishonor the
   praises of the divine glory. Thus it became universally known, that the
   birth of the child was not an accidental or ordinary event, but had
   been promised by an announcement from heaven. [65]

   65. And fear fell upon all This fear mentioned by Luke proceeded from a
   feeling of the divine power: for the works of God ought to be
   contemplated by us with such reverence as to affect our minds with
   seriousness. [66] God does not amuse us with his miracles, but arouses
   the senses of men, which he perceives to be in a dormant state. [67]
   Luke says also that the report of those things was circulated in all
   the mountainous district of Judea And yet many derived no advantage
   from the temporary impression of the power of God: for, when John began
   to exercise his office as an instructor, there were few that remembered
   what wonders had attended his birth. It was not merely, however, for
   the sake of those who heard them, that God determined to spread abroad
   the report of those events, but to establish, in all ages, the
   certainty of the miracle, which was then universally known. Meanwhile,
   a general mirror of human ingratitude is here placed before our eyes:
   for, while trifling and frivolous occurrences remain firmly in our
   minds, those which ought to produce a constant recollection of divine
   favors immediately fade and disappear.

   Luke does not speak of stupid men, or actual despisers of God: for he
   says that they put them in their heart: that is, they applied eagerly
   to the consideration of them. Some probably continued to remember, but
   the greater part rapidly shook off the fear which they had experienced.
   It deserves our notice that they were far from mistaking the design,
   when they interpreted the miracles which they saw as relating to the
   future excellence of the child: for such, we have said, was the design
   of God, that John should afterwards come forth with the highest
   reputation. And the hand of the Lord was with him The meaning is, that
   the grace of God was strikingly visible in many respects, and showed
   manifestly that he was not an ordinary person. It is a figurative mode
   of expression, and denotes that the power of God was as fully
   manifested as if his hand had been visibly seen, so that all readily
   acknowledged the presence of God.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [64] "Mais sa mere print la parole;" -- "but his mother took speech."

   [65] "Mais selon la promesse expresse de Dieu, qui avoit este apportee
   et revelee par l'ange." -- "But according to the express promise of
   God, which had been brought and revealed by the angel."

   [66] "Que nous en soyons touchez et esmeus a bon escient." -- "That we
   may be touched and moved by them in good earnest."

   [67] "Dieu en faisant miracles ne se joue point pour nous servir de
   passe- temps, mais reveille nos sens, lesquels il voit estre abrutis et
   en dormis." -- "God, in working miracles, does not amuse himself to
   supply us with pastime, but arouses our senses, which he sees to be
   stupified and asleep."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:67-75

   Luke 1:67-75

   67. And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Ghost, and
   prophesied, saying: 68. Blessed be the Lord God of israel, because he
   hath visited, and hath brought redemption to his people: 69. And he
   hath raised up the horn [68] of salvation to us in the house of his
   servant David, (70. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, who
   have been from every age,) [69] 71. Salvation from our enemies, and
   from the hand of all who hated us: 72. To perform the mercy to our
   fathers, and to have remembrance of his holy covenant, 73. According to
   the oath, [70] which he sware to Abraham our father, to give to us,
   74. That, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we may serve
   him without fear, 75. In holiness and righteousness before him all the
   days of our life.


   67. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost We have lately explained
   this phrase to mean, that the servants of God received more abundantly
   the grace of the Spirit, of which, at other times, they were not
   destitute. Thus we read, that the Spirit was given to the prophets: not
   that on other occasions they wanted it, but that the power of the
   Spirit was more fully exerted in them, when the hand of God, as it
   were, brought them into public view, for the discharge of their office.
   We must observe, therefore, the manner in which Luke connects the two
   clauses: he was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied This implies
   that divine inspiration, at that time, rested upon him in an
   extraordinary measure, in consequence of which he did not speak like a
   man or private person, but all that he uttered was heavenly
   instruction. Thus also Paul connects prophecy with the Spirit.

   "Quench not the Spirit: despise not prophesyings,"
   (1 Thessalonians 5:19, 20.)

   which teaches us that to despise instruction is to "quench" the light
   of "the Spirit." This was a remarkable instance of the goodness of God,
   that not only did Zacharias recover the power of speech, which he had
   not enjoyed for nine months, but his tongue became the organ of the
   Holy Spirit.

   68. Blessed be the Lord God Zacharias commences with thanksgiving, and
   in the raptures of the prophetic spirit describes the fulfillment of
   the redemption formerly promised in Christ, on which the safety and
   prosperity of the church depended. The reason why the Lord, to whose
   government the whole world is subject, is here called the God of
   Israel, will more fully appear from what follows, that to the seed of
   Abraham, in a peculiar manner, the Redeemer had been promised. Since,
   therefore, God had deposited with one nation only his covenant, of
   which Zacharias was about to speak, he properly mentions the name of
   that nation, for which the grace of salvation was especially, or at all
   events in the first instance, designed.

   The word epeskepsato, he hath visited, contains an implied contrast:
   for the face of God had been turned away for a time from the unhappy
   children of Abraham. To such a depth of calamity had they sunk, and
   with such a mass of distresses were they overwhelmed, that no one
   entertained the thought that the eye of God was upon them. This
   visitation of God, which Zacharias mentions, is declared to be the
   cause and origin of redemption. The statement may be resolved in this
   manner. God looked upon (epeskepsato) his people, that he might redeem
   them Now, as those whom God redeems must be prisoners, and as this
   redemption is spiritual in its nature, we conclude from this passage,
   that even the holy fathers were made free from the yoke of sin and the
   tyranny of death, only through the grace of Christ; for it is said that
   Christ was sent as a Redeemer to the holy and elect people of God. But
   it will be objected, if redemption was brought by Christ at that time
   when he appeared clothed in flesh, it follows, that those believers who
   died before he came into the world were "all their lifetime" slaves of
   sin and death: which would be highly absurd. I reply, the power and
   efficacy of that redemption, which was once exhibited in Christ, have
   been the same in all ages.

   69. He hath raised up the horn of salvation That is, saving power: [71]
   for, when the throne of David was cast down, and the people scattered,
   the hope of salvation had to all appearance perished. Zacharias alludes
   to the predictions of the prophets, which hold out that a sudden
   revival would take place, when the state of affairs should have become
   melancholy and desperate. This mode of expression is borrowed from the
   passage,

   "There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for
   mine anointed," (Psalm 132:17.)

   But if it is only in Christ that God has put forth his power to save
   us, we are not at liberty to depart from that method, if we desire to
   obtain salvation from God. Let it be also observed, that this horn
   brings salvation to believers, but terror to the ungodly, whom it
   scatters, or bruises and lays prostrate.

   Of his servant David He is so denominated, not only because, like any
   one of the godly, he worshipped God, but for this other reason, that he
   was his chosen servant to rule and save his people, and thus to
   represent, along with his successors, the person and office of Christ.
   Though there remained among the Jews, at that time, no trace of a
   kingdom, Zacharias, resting on the promises of God, does not hesitate
   to call David the servant of God, in whom God gave an example of the
   salvation which was to come. [72] Now that the throne of Christ is
   erected amongst us, that thence he may govern us, it follows that he is
   actually appointed to us the author of salvation.

   70. As he spake That the salvation which is said to have been brought
   by Christ may not be thought doubtful on the score of novelty, he
   adduces as witnesses all the Prophets, who, though they were raised up
   at different times, yet with one consent teach, that salvation is to be
   expected from Christ alone. Nor was it the sole design of Zacharias to
   celebrate the truth and faithfulness of God, in performing and
   fulfilling what he formerly promised. His object rather was to draw the
   attention of believers to the ancient predictions, that they might
   embrace, with greater certainty and cheerfulness, the salvation offered
   to them, of which the Prophets from the beginning had testified. When
   Christ comes forth adorned, [73] with the testimonies of all the
   Prophets, our faith in him rests on a truly solid foundation.

   He calls them holy prophets, to secure for their words greater
   authority and reverence. They were not inconsiderable or ordinary
   witnesses, but were of the first rank, [74] and furnished with a public
   commission, having been separated from the common people, for that
   purpose, by divine authority. To inquire minutely how each of the
   prophets gave testimony to Christ, would lead us into a long
   dissertation. Let it suffice for the present to say, that they all
   uniformly make the hope of the people, that God would be gracious to
   them, to rest entirely on that covenant between God and them which was
   founded on Christ, and thus speak plainly enough of the future
   redemption, which was manifested in Christ. To this purpose are many
   striking passages, which contain no dark prophecies respecting Christ,
   but point him out, as it were, with the finger. But our chief attention
   is due to the signature of the divine covenant; for he that neglects
   this will never understand any thing in the prophets: as the Jews
   wander wretchedly [75] in reading the Scripture, in consequence of
   giving their whole study to words, and wandering from the main design.

   71. Salvation from our enemies Zacharias explains more clearly the
   power and office of Christ. And certainly it would be of little or no
   advantage to learn that Christ was given to us, unless we also knew
   what he bestows. For this reason he states more fully the purpose for
   which the horn of salvation was raised up: that believers may obtain
   salvation from their enemies Unquestionably, Zacharias was well aware,
   that the principal war of the church of God is not with flesh and
   blood, but with Satan and all his armament, by which he labors to
   accomplish our everlasting ruin. Though the Church is also attacked by
   outward foes, and is delivered from them by Christ, yet, as the kingdom
   of Christ is spiritual, it is chiefly to Satan, the prince of this
   world, and all his legions, that the present discourse relates. Our
   attention is also directed to the miserable condition of men out of
   Christ, lying prostrate under the tyranny of the devil: otherwise, out
   of his hand, out of his power, Christ would not deliver his own people.
   This passage reminds us that, so long as the Church continues her
   pilgrimage in the world, she lives amongst her foes, and would be
   exposed to their violence, if Christ were not always at hand to grant
   assistance. But such is the inestimable grace of Christ, that, though
   we are surrounded on every side by enemies, we enjoy a sure and
   undoubted salvation. The mode of expression may seem harsh, salvation
   from our enemies; but the meaning is obvious. No machinations or power,
   no wiles, no attacks will prevent our being delivered from them and
   saved "in the Lord with an everlasting salvatlon," (Isaiah 45:17.)

   72. To perform the mercy Zacharias again points out the fountain from
   which redemption flowed, the mercy and gracious covenant of God. He
   assigns the reason why God was pleased to save his people. It was
   because, being mindful of his promise, he displayed his mercy. He is
   said to have remembrance of his covenant, because there might be some
   appearance of forgetfulness during that long delay, in which he allowed
   his people to languish under the weight of very heavy calamities. We
   must carefully attend to this order. First, God was moved by pure mercy
   to make a covenant with the fathers. Secondly, He has linked the
   salvation of men with his own word. [76] Thirdly, He has exhibited in
   Christ every blessing, so as to ratify all his promises: as, indeed,
   their truth is only confirmed to us when we see their fulfillment in
   Christ. Forgiveness of sins is promised in the covenant, but it is in
   the blood of Christ. Righteousness is promised, but it is offered
   through the atonement of Christ. Life is promised, but it must be
   sought only in the death and resurrection of Christ. This too is the
   reason why God commanded of old, that the book of the law should be
   sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice, (Exodus 24:8; Hebrews 9:19,
   20.) It is also worthy of notice, that Zacharias speaks of the mercy
   performed in his own age, as extending to the fathers who were dead,
   and who equally shared in its results. Hence it follows, that the grace
   and power of Christ are not confined by the narrow limits of this
   fading life, but are everlasting; that they are not terminated by the
   death of the flesh, for the soul survives the death of the body, and
   the destruction of the flesh is followed by the resurrection. As
   neither Abraham, nor any of the saints, could procure salvation to
   himself by his own power or merits, so to all believers, whether living
   or dead, the same salvation has been exhibited in Christ.

   73. According to the oath There is no word in the Greek original for
   the preposition according to: but it is a common and well understood
   principle of language, that when the accusative case is put absolutely,
   there is a preposition to be understood, by which it is governed. The
   oath is mentioned, for the purpose of expressing more fully the
   firmness and sacredness of his truth: for such is his gracious
   condescension, that he deigns to employ his name for the support of our
   weakness. If his bare promises do not satisfy us, let us at least
   remember this confirmation of them; and if it does not remove all
   doubt, we are chargeable with heinous ingratitude to God, and insult to
   his holy name.

   To give to us Zacharias does not enumerate the several points of God's
   covenant, but shows that God's purpose, in dealing so kindly and
   mercifully with his people, was to redeem them.

   74. That being delivered out of the hand of our enemies His purpose
   was, that, being redeemed, they might dedicate and consecrate
   themselves entirely to the Author of their salvation. As the efficient
   cause of human salvation was the undeserved goodness of God, so its
   final cause is, that, by a godly and holy life, men may glorify his
   name. This deserves careful attention, that we may remember our
   calling, and so learn to apply the grace of God to its proper use. We
   must meditate on such declarations as these:

   "God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness,"
   (1 Thessalonians 4:7.)

   We are "redeemed with a great price," (1 Corinthians 6:20,) "the
   precious blood of Christ," (1 Peter 1:18,19,) not that we may serve
   "the lusts of the flesh," (2 Peter 2:18,) or indulge in unbridled
   licentiousness, but that Christ may reign in us. We are admitted by
   adoption into the family of God, that we, on our part, may yield
   obedience as children to a father. For "the kindness and love
   (philanthropia) of God our Savior toward man," (Titus 3:4,) "hath
   appeared unto all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
   worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly," (Titus
   2:11,12.) And so Paul, when he wishes powerfully to exhort believers to
   consecrate themselves to God, "in newness of life," (Romans 6:4,) and,
   "putting off, concerning the former conversation, the old man,"
   (Ephesians 4:22,) to render to him a "reasonable service," "beseeches
   them by the mercies of God," (Romans 12:1.) Scripture is full of
   declarations of this nature, which show that we "frustrate the grace"
   (Galatians 2:21) of Christ, if we do not follow out this design.

   That we may serve him without fear This deserves our attention: for it
   implies that we cannot worship God in a proper manner without composure
   of mind. Those who are ill at ease, who have an inward struggle,
   whether God is favorable or hostile to them, whether he accepts or
   rejects their services,--in a word, who fluctuate in uncertainty
   between hope and fear, will sometimes labor anxiously in the worship of
   God, but never will sincerely or honestly obey him. Alarm and dread
   make them turn from him with horror; and so, if it were possible, they
   would desire that there were, "no God," (Psalm 14:1.) But we know, that
   no sacrifice is acceptable to God, which is not offered willingly, and
   with a cheerful heart. Before men can truly worship God, they must
   obtain peace of conscience, as David speaks, "There is forgiveness with
   thee, that thou mayest be feared," (Psalm 130:4:) for those to whom God
   has given peace are graciously invited and led to approach him
   willingly and with a cheerful desire to worship him. Hence too Paul
   deduces that maxim, that "whatsoever is undertaken without faith is
   sin," (Romans 14:23.) But since God reconciles men to himself in
   Christ, since by his protection he keeps them safe from all fear, since
   he has committed their salvation to his own hand and guardianship, we
   are justly declared by Zacharias to be delivered by his grace from
   fear. And so the prophets describe it as peculiar to his reign, that,

   "they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig-tree, and
   none shall make them afraid," (Micah 4:4.)

   75. In holiness and righteousness As the rule of a good life has been
   reduced by God to two tables, (Exodus 31:18; 34:1,) so Zacharias here
   declares, that we serve God in a proper manner, when our life has been
   framed to holiness and righteousness. Holiness, beyond all question,
   denotes--as even Plato knew the duties of godliness, [77] which relate
   to the first table of the law. Righteousness, again, extends to all the
   duties of charity: for God requires nothing more from us in the second
   table of the law, than to render to every one what belongs to him. It
   is added, before him, to instruct believers, that it is not enough if
   their lives are decently regulated before the eyes of men, and their
   hands, and feet, and whole body, restrained from every kind of open
   wickedness: but they must live according to the will of God, who is not
   satisfied with professions of holiness, but looks chiefly on the heart.

   Lastly, That no man may consider his duties to be at an end, when he
   has worshipped God for a certain period, Zacharias declares that men
   have been redeemed on the condition [78] that they shall continue to
   devote themselves to the worship of God all the days of their life And
   certainly, as redemption is eternal, the remembrance of it ought never
   to pass away; as God adopts men into his family for ever, their
   gratitude ought not to be transitory or of short continuance; and, in a
   word, as "Christ both died and rose, and revived" for them, it is
   proper that he should be "Lord both of the dead and living," (Romans
   14:9.) So Paul, in a passage which I lately quoted, enjoins us to

   "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking
   for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
   our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
   us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
   zealous of good works,"
   (Titus 2:12-14.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [68] "La corne de salut."

   [69] "De tout temps." -- "From all time."

   [70] "Secundum jusjurandum" -- "(Qui est) le jurement," -- "which is
   the oath."

   [71] "C'est a dire, une vertu et puissance pleine de salut." -- "That
   is, a power and might full of salvation

   [72] "Specimen futurae salutis;" -- "pource que Dieu l'avoit dresse
   pour figure et tesmoignage du salut a venir;" -- "because God had set
   him up for a figure and proof of the salvation to come."

   [73] "Ornatus;" -- "revestu et garni d'excellens tesmoignages de tous
   les Prophetes;" -- "clothed and adorned with excellent testimonies of
   all the Prophets."

   [74] "Classicos testes." This is a fine allusion to the Roman division
   into classes, (mentioned by Livy, 1:43,) from the first of which
   classes, as carrying greater weight and respectability, "testes,"
   witnesses were selected for signing Testaments, -- a department of
   Conveyancing, which all civilized nations have guarded by the most
   careful provisions, and in which authenticity is peculiarly and
   indispensably necessary. Calvin's vernacular brings out, though with
   less elegance, the meaning in which classicos testes is here used, --
   "bons, suffisans, et sans reproche;" -- "good, sufficient, and without
   reproach." -- Ed.

   [75] "Misere vagantur." -- "Les Juifs ne font que tracasser et se
   tormenter sans profit toute leur vie;" -- "the Jews do but vex and
   tease themselves without advantage all their life."

   [76] "Il a lie le salut des hommes avec sa parole, comme dependant
   d'icelle." -- "He has bound the salvation of men with his word, as
   depending on it."

   [77] "Le mot de Sainctete comprend tout ce dont nous sommes redevables
   a Dieu pour adorer et honorer sa majeste." -- "The word Holiness
   includes all that we owe to God for adoring and honoring his majesty."

   [78] "Hac lege redemptas esse homines." -- "Zacharie dit que les hommes
   ont este rachetez a la charge de s'appliquer a servir Dieu tout le
   temps de leur vie." -- "Zacharias says that men have been redeemed upon
   condition of applying themselves to serve God all the time of their
   life."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:76-80

   Luke 1:76-80

   76. And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest. for
   thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, 77. To
   give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their
   sins: 78. Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, by which the
   Eastern sky [79] hath visited us, 79. That he might give light to those
   who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet
   into the way of peace. 80. And the child grew, and became strong in
   spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.


   76. And thou, child Zacharias again returns to commend the grace of
   Christ, but does this, as it were, in the person of his son, by
   describing briefly the office to which he had been appointed as an
   instructor. Though in a little infant eight days old he does not yet
   observe prophetical endowments, yet turning his eyes to the purpose of
   God, he speaks of it as a thing already known. To be called means here
   to be considered and openly acknowledged as the prophet of God. A
   secret calling of God had already taken place. It only remained that
   the nature of that calling should be manifested to men. But as the name
   Prophet is general, Zacharias, following the revelation brought to him
   by the angel, affirms that he would be the usher [80] or herald of
   Christ. He says, thou shalt go before the face of the Lord: that is,
   thou shalt discharge the office of turning men by thy preaching to hear
   the Lord. The reason why John, when he had nearly finished his course,
   affirmed that he was not a prophet of God, is explained by me at the
   proper place, (John 1:21,) and in what manner he was to prepare his
   ways we shall afterwards see.

   77. To give knowledge of salvation Zacharias now touches the principal
   subject of the gospel, when he says that the knowledge of salvation
   consists in the forgiveness of sins. As we are all "by nature the
   children of wraths" (Ephesians 2:3,) it follows, that we are by nature
   condemned and ruined: and the ground of our condemnation is, that we
   are chargeable with unrighteousness. There is, therefore, no other
   provision for escaping eternal death [81] but by God

   "reconciling us unto himself, not imputing our trespasses unto us,"
   (2 Corinthians 5:19.)

   That this is the only righteousness which remains to us before God, may
   be easily gathered from the words of Zacharias. For whence comes
   salvation, but from righteousness? But if the children of God have no
   other way of obtaining the knowledge of salvation except through the
   forgiveness of sins, it follows, that righteousness must not be sought
   in any other quarter. Proud men attempt to forge and manufacture a
   righteousness out of the merits of good works. True righteousness is
   nothing else than the imputation of righteousness, when God, out of
   free grace, acquits us from guilt. Besides, it ought to be observed
   that Zacharias is not speaking of "strangers from the covenants of
   promise," (Ephesians 2:12) but of the people of God. Hence it follows,
   that not only does the commencement of righteousness depend on the
   forgiveness of sins, but it is by imputation [82] that believers are
   righteous before God to the very end: for they cannot appear before his
   tribunal in any other way than by betaking themselves daily to a free
   reconciliation.

   78. Through the bowels [83] of mercy In so great a benefit Zacharias
   justly extols the mercy of God, and not satisfied with merely calling
   it the salvation which was brought by Christ, he employs more emphatic
   language, and says that it proceeded from the very bowels of the mercy
   of God. He then tells us metaphorically, that the great mercy of God
   has made the day to give light to those who were sitting in darkness
   Oriens, in the Latin version of this passage, is not a participle: for
   the Greek word is anatole, that is, the Eastern region, as contrasted
   with the West. Zacharias extols the mercy of God, as manifested in
   dispelling the darkness of death, and restoring to the people of God
   the light of life. In this way, whenever our salvation is the subject,
   we ought to raise our minds to the contemplation of the divine mercy.
   There appears to be an allusion to a prediction of Malachi, in which
   Christ is called "the Sun of Righteousness," and is said to "arise with
   healing in his wing," (Malachi 4:2,) that is, to bring health in his
   rays.

   79. That he might give light to those who were sitting in darkness As
   to light and darkness, there are similar modes of expression in Isaiah:
   such as,

   "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that
   dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
   shined,"
   (Isaiah 9:1;)

   and in many other passages. These words show, that out of Christ there
   is no life-giving light in the world, but every thing is covered by the
   appalling darkness of death. Thus, in another passage, Isaiah testifies
   that this privilege belongs peculiarly to the church alone.

   "Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the
   people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen
   upon thee,"
   (Isaiah 60:2.)

   But how could it be said that the Israelites, on whose hearts the Lord
   always shone by faith, were sitting in the shadow of death? I reply,
   the godly, who lived under the law were surrounded on every side by the
   darkness of death, and beheld at a distance, in the coming of Christ,
   the light that cheered and preserved them from being overwhelmed by
   present death. Zacharias may have had in view the wretched condition of
   his own age. But it is a general truth, that on all the godly, who had
   ever lived, or who were afterwards to live, there arose in the coming
   of Christ a light to impart life: for it even diffused life over the
   dead. To sit is of the same import as to lie: [84] and so Isaiah
   enjoins the Church, "Arise, for thy light is come," (Isaiah 60:1.)

   To guide our feet By this expression Zacharias points out, that the
   highest perfection of all excellence and happiness is to be found in
   Christ alone. The word Peace might indeed be taken in its literal
   sense, which would not be unsuitable: for the illumination brought by
   Christ tends to pacify the minds of men. But as the Hebrew word slvm,
   peace, denotes every kind of prosperity, Zacharias intended, I doubt
   not, to represent Christ as the author of perfect blessedness, that we
   may not seek the smallest portion of happiness elsewhere, but may rest
   on Christ alone, from a full conviction that in him we are entirely and
   completely happy. To this purpose are those words of Isaiah,

   "The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness
   shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an
   everlasting light, and thy God thy glory," (Isaiah 60:19.)

   But if the mere sight of his Son, while still a child, led Zacharias to
   discourse in so lofty a strain respecting the grace and power of
   Christ, before he was born, are not they so much the more ungrateful,
   who, now that Christ has died, and risen, and ascended to heaven, and
   sat down at his Father's right hand, speak disrespectfully of him and
   of his power, to which the Holy Spirit bore testimony, while he was
   still in his mother's womb? We must bear in mind what I have already
   mentioned, that Zacharias spake not from himself, but that the Spirit
   of God directed his tongue.

   And the child grew This is added by Luke for continuing the thread of
   the history. First, he mentions that John became strong in spirit:
   which implies that the great and uncommon excellence of the child gave
   proof that there dwelt in him a Heavenly Spirit. Next, he tells us,
   that John remained unknown in the deserts till the day of his showing,
   that is, till the day on which the Lord had pur-posed to bring him into
   public view. Hence we conclude, that John, though he was fully aware of
   his calling, made no advances before the appointed time, but awaited
   the call of God.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [79] "Oriens ex alto."

   [80] "Apparitorem." -- "Heraut."

   [81] "Mortis;" -- "La mort mortelle."

   [82] "Imputative, ut italoquar." -- "Par imputation, c'est a dire,
   d'autant que la justice de Christ laur est imputee." -- "By imputation,
   that is to say, in so far as the righteousnes of Christ is imputed to
   them"

   [83] "Par les entrailles de la misericorde, ou, par l'affection
   misericordieuse." -- "By the bowels of mercy, or, by the merciful
   affection."

   [84] "Estre assis emporte autant comme estre couch, ou veautre."-- "To
   sit is of the same import as to be lying or wallowing."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 1:1-17; LUKE 3:23-38

   Matthew 1:1-17

   Luke 3:23-38

   1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
   son of Abraham. 2. And Abraham began Isaac. And Issac begat Jacob. And
   Jacob begat Judah and his brethren. 3. And Judah begat Pharez and Zarah
   by Tamar. And Pharez begat Hezron. and Hezron begat Ram. 4. And Ram
   begat Amminadab. And Amminadab begat Nahshon. And Nahshon begat Salma.
   5. And Salma begat Boaz by Rahab. And Boaz begat Obed by Ruth. And Obed
   begat Jesse. 6. And Jesse begat David the king. And David the king
   begat Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7. And Solomon
   begat Rehoboam. And Rehoboam begat Abijah. And Abijah begat Asa. 8. And
   Asa begat Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat begat Jorem. And Joram begat
   Uzziah. 9. And Uzziah begat Jotham. And Jotham begat Ahaz. And Ahaz
   begat Hezekiah. 10. And Hezekiah begat Manasseh. And Manasseh begat
   Amon. And Amon begat Josiah. 11. And Josiah begat Jeconiah and his
   brethren, about the Babylonish exile. 12. And after the Babylonish
   exile, Jeconiah begat Salathiel. And Salathiel begat Zerubbabel.
   13. And Zerubbabel begat Abiud. And Abiud begat Eliakim. And Eliakim
   begat Azor. 14. And Azor begat Zadok. And Zadok begat Achim. And Achim
   begat Eliud. 15. And Eliud begat Eleazar. And Eleazar begat Matthan.
   And Matthan begat Jacob. 16. And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of
   Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17. Therefore all
   the generations from Abraham till David are fourteen generations; and
   from David till the Babylonish migration are fourteen generations; and
   from the Babylonish migration till Christ are fourteen generations.

   23. Jesus was supposed to be the son of Joseph, who was the son of
   Heli, 24. Who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was
   the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, who was the son of Joseph,
   25. Who was the son of Matthias, who was the son of Amos, who was the
   son of Nahum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Nagge,
   26. Who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattahtias, who was
   the son of Semei, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Judah,
   27. Who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the
   son of Zerubbabel, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of
   Neri, 28. Who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was
   the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son, of Er,
   29. Who was the son of of Joses, who was the son of Eliezer, who was
   the son of Joriam, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,
   30. Who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Judah, who was the
   son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim,
   31. Who was the son of Meleah, who was the son of Mainan, who was the
   son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,
   32. Who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son
   of Boaz, who was the son of Salmah, who was the son of Nahshon, 33. Who
   was the son of Amminadab, who was the son of Ram, who was the son of
   Hezron, who was the son of Pharez, who was the son of Judah, 34. Who
   was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of
   Abraham, who was the son of Terah, who was the son of Nahor, 35. Who
   was the son of Serug, who was the son of Reu, who was the son of Peleg,
   who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Salah, 36. Who was the son
   of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Shem, who
   was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech, 37. Who was the son of
   Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was
   the son of Mahalaleel, who was the son of Cainan, 38. Who was the son
   of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the
   son of God.


   As all are not agreed about these two genealogies, which are given by
   Matthew and Luke, we must first see whether both trace the genealogy of
   Christ from Joseph, or whether Matthew only traces it from Joseph, and
   Luke from Mary. Those who are of this latter opinion have a plausible
   ground for their distinction in the diversity of the names: and
   certainly, at first sight, nothing seems more improbable than that
   Matthew and Luke, who differ so widely from each other, give one and
   the same genealogy. For from David to Salathiel, and again from
   Zerubbabel till Joseph, the names are totally different.

   Again, it is alleged, that it would have been idle to bestow so great
   pains on a thing of no use, in relating a second time the genealogy of
   Joseph, who after all was not the father of Christ. "Why this
   repetition," say they, "which proves nothing that contributes much to
   the edification of faith? If nothing more be known than this, that
   Joseph was one of the descendants and family of David, the genealogy of
   Christ will still remain doubtful." In their opinion, therefore, it
   would have been superfluous that two Evangelists should apply
   themselves to this subject. They excuse Matthew for laying down the
   ancestry of Joseph, on the ground, that he did it for the sake of many
   persons, who were still of opinion that he was the father of Christ.
   But it would have been foolish to hold out such an encouragement to a
   dangerous error: and what follows is at total variance with the
   supposition. For as soon as he comes to the close of the genealogy,
   Matthew points out that Christ was conceived in the womb of the virgin,
   not from the seed of Joseph, but by the secret power of the Spirit. If
   their argument were good, Matthew might be charged with folly or
   inadvertence, in laboring to no purpose to establish the genealogy of
   Joseph.

   But we have not yet replied to their objection, that the ancestry of
   Joseph has nothing to do with Christ. The common and well-known reply
   is, that in the person of Joseph the genealogy of Mary also is
   included, because the law enjoined every man to marry from his own
   tribe. It is objected, on the other hand, that at almost no period had
   that law been observed: but the arguments on which that assertion rests
   are frivolous. They quote the instance of the eleven tribes binding
   themselves by an oath, that they would not give a wife to the
   Benjamites, (Judges 21:1.) If this matter, say they, had been settled
   by law, there would have been no need for a new enactment. I reply,
   this extraordinary occurrence is erroneously and ignorantly converted
   by them into a general rule: for if one tribe had been cut off, the
   body of the people must have been incomplete if some remedy had not
   been applied to a case of extreme necessity. We must not, therefore,
   look to this passage for ascertaining the common law.

   Again, it is objected, that Mary, the mother of Christ, was Elisabeth's
   cousin, though Luke has formerly stated that she was of the daughters
   of Aaron, (Luke 1:5.) The reply is easy. The daughters of the tribe of
   Judah, or of any other tribe, were at liberty to marry into the tribe
   of the priesthood: for they were not prevented by that reason, which is
   expressed in the law, that no woman should "remove her inheritance" to
   those who were of a different tribe from her own, (Numbers 36:6-9.)
   Thus, the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest, is declared by the sacred
   historian to have belonged to the royal family, --

   "Jehoshabeath, the daughter of Jehoram,
   the wife of Jehoiada the priest,"
   (2 Chronicles 22:11.)

   It was, therefore, nothing wonderful or uncommon, if the mother of
   Elisabeth were married to a priest. Should any one allege, that this
   does not enable us to decide, with perfect certainty, that Mary was of
   the same tribe with Joseph, because she was his wife, I grant that the
   bare narrative, as it stands, would not prove it without the aid of
   other circumstances.

   But, in the first place, we must observe, that the Evangelists do not
   speak of events known in their own age. When the ancestry of Joseph had
   been carried up as far as David, every one could easily make out the
   ancestry of Mary. The Evangelists, trusting to what was generally
   understood in their own day, were, no doubt, less solicitous on that
   point: for, if any one entertained doubts, the research was neither
   difficult nor tedious. [85] Besides, they took for granted, that
   Joseph, as a man of good character and behavior, had obeyed the
   injunction of the law in marrying a wife from his own tribe. That
   general rule would not, indeed, be sufficient to prove Mary's royal
   descent; for she might have belonged to the tribe of Judah, and yet not
   have been a descendant of the family of David.

   My opinion is this. The Evangelists had in their eye godly persons, who
   entered into no obstinate dispute, but in the person of Joseph
   acknowledged the descent of Mary; particularly since, as we have said,
   no doubt was entertained about it in that age. One matter, however,
   might appear incredible, that this very poor and despised couple
   belonged to the posterity of David, and to that royal seed, from which
   the Redeemer was to spring. If any one inquire whether or not the
   genealogy traced by Matthew and Luke proves clearly and beyond
   controversy that Mary was descended from the family of David, I own
   that it cannot be inferred with certainty; but as the relationship
   between Mary and Joseph was at that time well known, the Evangelists
   were more at ease on that subject. Meanwhile, it was the design of both
   Evangelists to remove the stumbling-block arising from the fact, that
   both Joseph and Mary were unknown, and despised, and poor, and gave not
   the slightest indication of royalty.

   Again, the supposition that Luke passes by the descent of Joseph, and
   relates that of Mary, is easily refuted; for he expressly says, that
   Jesus was supposed to be the son of Joseph, etc. Certainly, neither the
   father nor the grandfather of Christ is mentioned, but the ancestry of
   Joseph himself is carefully explained. I am well aware of the manner in
   which they attempt to solve this difficulty. The word son, they allege,
   is put for son-in-law, and the interpretation they give to Joseph being
   called the son of Heli is, that he had married Heli's daughter. But
   this does not agree with the order of nature, and is nowhere
   countenanced by any example in Scripture.

   If Solomon is struck out of Mary's genealogy, Christ will no longer be
   Christ; for all inquiry as to his descent is founded on that solemn
   promise,

   "I will set up thy seed after thee; I will establish the throne of his
   kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son,"
   (2 Samuel 7:12-14.)

   "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of
   the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne,"
   (Psalm 132:11.)

   Solomon was, beyond controversy, the type of this eternal King who was
   promised to David; nor can the promise be applied to Christ, except in
   so far as its truth was shadowed out in Solomon, (1 Chronicles 28:5.)
   Now if the descent is not traced to him, how, or by what argument,
   shall he be proved to be "the son of David"? Whoever expunges Solomon
   from Christ's genealogy does at the same time, obliterate and destroy
   those promises by which he must be acknowledged to be the son of David.
   In what way Luke, tracing the line of descent from Nathan, does not
   exclude Solomon, will afterwards be seen at the proper place.

   Not to be too tedious, those two genealogies agree substantially with
   each other, but we must attend to four points of difference. The first
   is; Luke ascends by a retrograde order, from the last to the first,
   while Matthew begins with the source of the genealogy. The second is;
   Matthew does not carry his narrative beyond the holy and elect race of
   Abraham, [86] while Luke proceeds as far as Adam. The third is; Matthew
   treats of his legal descent, and allows himself to make some omissions
   in the line of ancestors, choosing to assist the reader's memory by
   arranging them under three fourteens; while Luke follows the natural
   descent with greater exactness. The fourth and last is; when they are
   speaking of the same persons, they sometimes give them different names.

   It would be superfluous to say more about the first point of
   difference, for it presents no difficulty. The second is not without a
   very good reason: for, as God had chosen for himself the family of
   Abraham, from which the Redeemer of the world would be born, and as the
   promise of salvation had been, in some sort, shut up in that family
   till the coming of Christ, Matthew does not pass beyond the limits
   which God had prescribed. We must attend to what Paul says,

   "that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of
   God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers,"
   (Romans 15:8)

   with which agrees that saying of Christ, "Salvation is of the Jews,"
   (John 4:22.) Matthew, therefore, presents him to our contemplation as
   belonging to that holy race, to which he had been expressly appointed.
   In Matthew's catalogue we must look at the covenant of God, by which he
   adopted the seed of Abraham as his people, separating them, by a
   "middle wall of partition," (Ephesians 2:14,) from the rest of the
   nations. Luke directed his view to a higher point; for though, from the
   time that God had made his covenant with Abraham, a Redeemer was
   promised, in a peculiar manner, to his seed, yet we know that, since
   the transgression of the first man, all needed a Redeemer, and he was
   accordingly appointed for the whole world. It was by a wonderful
   purpose of God, that Luke exhibited Christ to us as the son of Adam,
   while Matthew confined him within the single family of Abraham. For it
   would be of no advantage to us, that Christ was given by the Father as
   "the author of eternal salvations" (Hebrews 5:9,) unless he had been
   given indiscriminately to all. Besides, that saying of the Apostle
   would not be true, that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and
   to-day, and for ever," (Hebrews 13:8,) if his power and grace had not
   reached to all ages from the very creation of the world. Let us know;
   therefore, that to the whole human race there has been manifested and
   exhibited salvation through Christ; for not without reason is he called
   the son of Noah, and the son of Adam. But as we must seek him in the
   word of God, the Spirit wisely directs us, through another Evangelist,
   to the holy race of Abraham, to whose hands the treasure of eternal
   life, along with Christ, was committed for a time, (Romans 3:1.)

   We come now to the third point of difference. Matthew and Luke
   unquestionably do not observe the same order; for immediately after
   David the one puts Solomon, and the other, Nathan; which makes it
   perfectly clear that they follow different lines. This sort of
   contradiction is reconciled by good and learned interpreters in the
   following manner. Matthew, departing from the natural lineage, which is
   followed by Luke, reckons up the legal genealogy. I call it the legal
   genealogy, because the right to the throne passed into the hands of
   Salathiel. Eusebius, in the first book of his Ecclesiastical History,
   adopting the opinion of Africanus, prefers applying the epithet legal
   to the genealogy which is traced by Luke. But it amounts to the same
   thing: for he means nothing more than this, that the kingdom, which had
   been established in the person of Solomon, passed in a lawful manner to
   Salathiel. But it is more correct and appropriate to say, that Matthew
   has exhibited the legal order: because, by naming Solomon immediately
   after David, he attends, not to the persons from whom in a regular
   line, according to the flesh, Christ derived his birth, but to the
   manner in which he was descended from Solomon and other kings, so as to
   be their lawful successor, in whose hand God would "stablish the throne
   of his kingdom for ever," (2 Samuel 7:13.)

   There is probability in the opinion that, at the death of Ahaziah, the
   lineal descent from Solomon was closed. As to the command given by
   David -- for which some persons quote the authority of Jewish
   Commentators -- that should the line from Solomon fail, the royal power
   would pass to the descendants of Nathan, I leave it undetermined;
   holding this only for certain, that the succession to the kingdom was
   not confused, but regulated by fixed degrees of kindred. Now, as the
   sacred history relates that, after the murder of Ahaziah, the throne
   was occupied, and all the seed-royal destroyed "by his mother Athaliah,
   (2 Kings 11:1,) it is more than probable that this woman, from an eager
   desire of power, had perpetrated those wicked and horrible murders that
   she might not be reduced to a private rank, and see the throne
   transferred to another. If there had been a son of Ahaziah still alive,
   the grandmother would willingly have been allowed to reign in peace,
   without envy or danger, under the mask of being his tutor. When she
   proceeds to such enormous crimes as to draw upon herself infamy and
   hatred, it is a proof of desperation arising from her being unable any
   longer to keep the royal authority in her house.

   As to Joash being called "the son of Ahaziah," (2 Chronicles 22:11,)
   the reason is, that he was the nearest relative, and was justly
   considered to be the true and direct heir of the crown. Not to mention
   that Athaliah (if we shall suppose her to be his grandmother) would
   gladly have availed herself of her relation to the child, will any
   person of ordinary understanding think it probable, that an actual son
   of the king could be so concealed by "Jehoiada the priest," as not to
   excite the grandmother to more diligent search? If all is carefully
   weighed, there will be no hesitation in concluding, that the next heir
   of the crown belonged to a different line. And this is the meaning of
   Jehoiada's words,

   "Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons
   of David,"
   (2 Chronicles 23:3.)

   He considered it to be shameful and intolerable, that a woman, who was
   a stranger by blood, should violently seize the scepter, which God had
   commanded to remain in the family of David.

   There is no absurdity in supposing, that Luke traces the descent of
   Christ from Nathan: for it is possible that the line of Solomon, so far
   as relates to the succession of the throne, may have been broken off.
   It may be objected, that Jesus cannot be acknowledged as the promised
   Messiah, if he be not a descendant of Solomon, who was an undoubted
   type of Christ But the answer is easy. Though he was not naturally
   descended from Solomon, yet he was reckoned his son by legal
   succession, because he was descended from kings.

   The fourth point of difference is the great diversity of the names.
   Many look upon this as a great difficulty: for from David till Joseph,
   with the exception of Salathiel and Zerubbabel, none of the names are
   alike in the two Evangelists. The excuse commonly offered, that the
   diversity arose from its being very customary among the Jews to have
   two names, appears to many persons not quite satisfactory. But as we
   are now unacquainted with the method, which was followed by Matthew in
   drawing up and arranging the genealogy, there is no reason to wonder,
   if we are unable to determine how far both of them agree or differ as
   to individual names. It cannot be doubted that, after the Babylonish
   captivity, the same persons are mentioned under different names. In the
   case of Salathiel and Zerubbabel, the same names, I think, were
   purposely retained, on account of the change which had taken place in
   the nation: because the royal authority was then extinguished. Even
   while a feeble shadow of power remained, a striking change was visible,
   which warned believers, that they ought to expect another and more
   excellent kingdom than that of Solomon, which had flourished but for a
   short time.

   It is also worthy of remark, that the additional number in Luke's
   catalogue to that of Matthew is nothing strange; for the number of
   persons in the natural line of descent is usually greater than in the
   legal line. Besides, Matthew chose to divide the genealogy of Christ
   into three departments, and to make each department to contain fourteen
   persons. In this way, he felt himself at liberty to pass by some names,
   which Luke could not with propriety omit, not having restricted himself
   by that rule.

   Thus have I discussed the genealogy of Christ, as far as it appeared to
   be generally useful. If any one is tickled [87] by a keener curiosity,
   I remember Paul's admonition, and prefer sobriety and modesty to
   trifling and useless disputes. It is a noted passage, in which he
   enjoins us to avoid excessive keenness in disputing about "genealogies,
   as unprofitable and vain," (Titus 3:9.)

   It now remains to inquire, lastly, why Matthew included the whole
   genealogy of Christ in three classes, and assigned to each class
   fourteen persons. Those who think that he did so, in order to aid the
   memory of his readers, state a part of the reason, but not the whole.
   It is true, indeed, that a catalogue, divided into three equal numbers,
   is more easily remembered. But it is also evident that this division is
   intended to point out a threefold condition of the nation, from the
   time when Christ was promised to Abraham, to "the fullness of the time"
   (Galatians 4:4) when he was "manifested in the flesh," (1 Timothy
   3:16.) Previous to the time of David, the tribe of Judah, though it
   occupied a higher rank than the other tribes, held no power. In David
   the royal authority burst upon the eyes of all with unexpected
   splendor, and remained till the time of Jeconiah. After that period,
   there still lingered in the tribe of Judah a portion of rank and
   government, which sustained the expectations of the godly till the
   coming of the Messiah.

   1. The book of the generation Some commentators give themselves
   unnecessary trouble, in order to excuse Matthew for giving to his whole
   history this title, which applies only to the half of a single chapter.
   For this epigraphe, or title, does not extend to the whole book of
   Matthew: but the word biblos, book, is put for catalogue: as if he had
   said, "Here follows the catalogue of the generation of Christ." It is
   with reference to the promise, that Christ is called the son of David,
   the son of Abraham: for God had promised to Abraham that he would give
   him a seed, "in whom all the families of the earth should be blessed,"
   (Genesis 12:3.) David received a still clearer promise, that God would
   "stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever," (2 Samuel 7:13;) that
   one of his posterity would be king "as long as the sun and moon
   endure," (Psalm 72:5;) and that "his throne should be as the days of
   heaven," (Psalm 89:29.) And so it became a customary way of speaking
   among the Jews to call Christ the son of David

   2. Jacob begat Judah and his brethren While Matthew passes by in
   silence Ishmael, Abraham's first-born, and Esau, who was Jacob's elder
   brother, he properly assigns a place in the genealogy to the Twelve
   Patriarchs, on all of whom God had bestowed a similar favor of
   adoption. He therefore intimates, that the blessing promised in Christ
   does not refer to the tribe of Judah alone, but belongs equally to all
   the children of Jacob, whom God gathered into his Church, while Ishmael
   and Esau were treated as strangers. [88]

   3. Judah begat Pharez and Zarah by Tamar This was a prelude to that
   emptying of himself, [89] of which Paul speaks, (Philippians 2:7). The
   Son of God might have kept his descent unspotted and pure from every
   reproach or mark of infamy. But he came into the world to

   "empty himself, and take upon him the form of a servant,"
   (Philippians 2:7)

   to be

   "a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people,"
   (Psalm 22:6)

   and at length to undergo the accursed death of the cross. He therefore
   did not refuse to admit a stain into his genealogy, arising from
   incestuous intercourse which took place among his ancestors. Though
   Tamar was not impelled by lust to seek connection with her
   father-in-law, yet it was in an unlawful manner that she attempted to
   revenge the injury which she had received. Judah again intended to
   commit fornication, and unknowingly to himself, met with his
   daughter-in-law. [90] But the astonishing goodness of God strove with
   the sin of both; so that, nevertheless, this adulterous seed came to
   possess the scepter. [91]

   6. Begat David the King In this genealogy, the designation of King is
   bestowed on David alone, because in his person God exhibited a type of
   the future leader of his people, the Messiah. The kingly office had
   been formerly held by Saul; but, as he reached it through tumult and
   the ungodly wishes of the people, the lawful possession of the office
   is supposed to have commenced with David, more especially in reference
   to the covenant of God, who promised that "his throne should be
   established for ever," (2 Samuel 7:16.) When the people shook off the
   yoke of God, and unhappily and wickedly asked a king, saying, "Give us
   a king to judge us," (1 Samuel 8:5,) Saul was granted for short time.
   But his kingdom was shortly afterwards established by God, as a pledge
   of true prosperity, in the hand of David. Let this expression, David
   the King, be understood by us as pointing out the prosperous condition
   of the people, which the Lord had appointed.

   Meanwhile, the Evangelist adds a human disgrace, which might almost
   bring a stain on the glory of this divine blessing. David the King
   begat Solomon by her that had been the wife of Uriah; by Bathsheba,
   whom he wickedly tore from her husband, and for the sake of enjoying
   whom, he basely surrendered an innocent man to be murdered by the
   swords of the enemy, (2 Samuel 11:15.) This taint, at the commencement
   of the kingdom, ought to have taught the Jews not to glory in the
   flesh. It was the design of God to show that, in establishing this
   kingdom, nothing depended on human merits.

   Comparing the inspired history with the succession described by
   Matthew, it is evident that he has omitted three kings. [92] Those who
   say that he did so through forgetfulness, cannot be listened to for a
   moment. Nor is it probable that they were thrown out, because they were
   unworthy to occupy a place in the genealogy of Christ; for the same
   reason would equally apply to many others, who are indiscriminately
   brought forward by Matthew, along with pious and holy persons. A more
   correct account is, that he resolved to confine the list of each class
   to fourteen kings, and gave himself little concern in making the
   selection, because he had an adequate succession of the genealogy to
   place before the eyes of his readers, down to the close of the kingdom.
   As to there being only thirteen in the list, it probably arose from the
   blunders and carelessness of transcribers. Epiphanius, in his First
   Book against Heresies, assigns this reason, that the name of Jeconiah
   had been twice put down, and unlearned [93] persons ventured to strike
   out the repetition of it as superfluous; which, he tells us, ought not
   to have been done, because Jehoiakim, the father of king Jehoiakim, had
   the name Jeconiah, in common with his son, (1 Chronicles 3:17; 2 Kings
   24:15; Jeremiah 27:20; 28:4.) Robert Stephens quotes a Greek
   manuscript, in which the name of Jehoiakim is introduced. [94]

   12. After the Babylonish exile That is, after the Jews were carried
   into captivity: for the Evangelist means, that the descendants of
   David, from being kings, then became exiles and slaves. As that
   captivity was a sort of destruction, it came to be wonderfully arranged
   by Divine providence, not only that the Jews again united in one body,
   but even that some vestiges of dominion remained in the family of
   David. For those who returned home submitted, of their own accord, to
   the authority of Zerubbabel. In this manner, the fragments of the royal
   scepter [95] lasted till the coming of Christ was at hand, agreeably to
   the prediction of Jacob, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor
   a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come," (Genesis 49:10.)
   And even during that wretched and melancholy dispersion, the nation
   never ceased to be illuminated by some rays of the grace of God. The
   Greek word metoikesia, which the old translator renders transmigration,
   and Erasmus renders exile, literally signifies a change of habitation.
   The meaning is, that the Jews were compelled to leave their country,
   and to dwell as "strangers in a land that was not theirs," (Genesis
   15:13.)

   16. Jesus, who is called Christ By the surname Christ, Anointed,
   Matthew points out his office, to inform the readers that this was not
   a private person, but one divinely anointed to perform the office of
   Redeemer. What that anointing was, and to what it referred, I shall not
   now illustrate at great length. As to the word itself, it is only
   necessary to say that, after the royal authority was abolished, it
   began to be applied exclusively to Him, from whom they were taught to
   expect a full recovery of the lost salvation. So long as any splendor
   of royalty continued in the family of David, the kings were wont to be
   called christoi, anointed. [96] But that the fearful desolation which
   followed might not throw the minds of the godly into despair, it
   pleased God to appropriate the name of Messiah, Anointed, to the
   Redeemer alone: as is evident from Daniel, (9:25, 26.) The evangelical
   history everywhere shows that this was an ordinary way of speaking, at
   the time when the Son of God was "manifested in the flesh," (1 Timothy
   3:16.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [85] "Il, leur estoit aise de le monstrer comme au doigt, et sans long
   ropos." -- "It was easy for them to point it out, as with the finger,
   and without a long story."

   [86] "Matthieu, en sa description, ne passe point plus haut qu'Abraham,
   qui a este le pere du peuple sainct et esleu." -- "Matthew, in his
   description, does not pass higher than Abraham, who was the father of
   the holy and elect people."

   [87] "Si quem titillat major curiositas." -- "S'il y a quelqu'un
   chatouille de curiosite qui en demande d'avantage." -- "If any one is
   tickled by a curiosity, which asks for more of it."

   [88] "Quum essent extranei." -- "En lieu qu'Ismael et Esau en avoyent
   este rejettez et bannis comme estrangers." -- "Whereas Ishmael and Esau
   were thrown out and banished from it as strangers."

   [89] 'All ' heauton echenose, -- but he emptied himself. Such is the
   literal import of the words which are rendered in the English version,
   But made himself of no reputation. -- Ed.

   [90] "In nurum suam incidit." -- "Judas a commis sa meschancete avec sa
   bru, pensant que ce fust une autre." -- "Judah committed his wickedness
   with his daughter-in-law, supposing her to be a different person"

   [91] "Afin que neantmoins ceste semence bastarde vint a avoir un jour
   en main le scepter Royal." -- "So that nevertheless this bastard seed
   came to have one day in its hand the Royal scepter."

   [92] "Assavoir Ochozias fils de Joram, Joas, et Amazias." -- "Namely,
   Ahaziah son of Jehoram, Joash, and Amaziah," (2 Chronicles 22, 23, 24,
   25.)

   [93] "Indocti;" -- "quelques gens n'entendans pas le propos," -- "some
   peope not understanding the design."

   [94] "Robert Etienne a ce propos allegue un exemplaire Grec ancien, ou
   il y a ainsi, Josias engendra Joacim, et Joacim engendra Jechonias."--
   "Robert Stephens, with this view, quotes an ancient Greek manuscript,
   which runs thus: Josiah begat Jehoiakim, and Jehoiakim begat Jeconiah."

   [95] "Qui avoit este mis bas, et comme rompu;" -- "which had been
   thrown down, and, as it were, broken."

   [96] Every reader of the Bible is familiar with the phrase, the Lord's
   anointed, as applied to David and his successors, (2 Samuel 19:21;
   Lamentations 4:20.) -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 1:18-25

   Matthew 1:18-25

   18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner. For when his
   mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was
   found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19. And Joseph her husband,
   as he was a just man, and was unwilling to injure her reputation,
   intended to send her away secretly. 20. And while he was considering
   these things, lo, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
   saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
   for that which is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21. And she
   shall bear a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save
   his people from their sins. 22. Now all this was done that it might be
   fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
   23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and
   they shall call his name Immanuel: which, if one interprets it, means,
   God is with us. 24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the
   angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife:
   25. And knew her not, till she brought forth her first-born son: and
   called his name JESUS.


   18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ Matthew does not as yet relate the
   place or manner of Christ's birth, but the way in which his heavenly
   generation was made known to Joseph. First, he says that Mary was found
   to be with child by the Holy Spirit Not that this secret work of God
   was generally known: but the historian mixes up, with the knowledge of
   men, [97] the power of the Spirit, which was still unknown. He points
   out the time: When she was espoused to Joseph, and before they came
   together So far as respects conjugal fidelity, from the time that a
   young woman was betrothed to a man, she was regarded by the Jews as his
   lawful wife. When a "damsel betrothed to an husband" was convicted of
   being unchaste, the law condemned both of the guilty parties as
   adulterers:

   "the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city;
   and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife,"
   (Deuteronomy 22:23, 24.)

   The phrase employed by the Evangelist, before they came together, is
   either a modest appellation for conjugal intercourse, or simply means,
   "before they came to dwell together as husband and wife, and to make
   one home and family." The meaning will thus be, that the virgin had not
   yet been delivered by her parents into the hands of her husband, but
   still remained under their roof.

   19. As he was a just man Some commentators explain this to mean, that
   Joseph, because he was a just man, determined to spare his wife: [98]
   taking justice to be only another name for humanity, or, a gentle and
   merciful disposition. But others more correctly read the two clauses as
   contrasted with each other: that Joseph was a just man, but yet that he
   was anxious about the reputation of his wife. That justice, on which a
   commendation is here bestowed, consisted in hatred and abhorrence of
   crime. Suspecting his wife of adultery, and even convinced that she was
   an adulterer, he was unwilling to hold out the encouragement of lenity
   to such a crime. [99] And certainly he is but a pander [100] to his
   wife, who connives at her unchastity. Not only is such wickedness
   regarded with abhorrence by good and honorable minds, but that winking
   at crime which I have mentioned is marked by the laws with infamy.

   Joseph, therefore, moved by an ardent love of justice, condemned the
   crime of which he supposed his wife to have been guilty; while the
   gentleness of his disposition prevented him from going to the utmost
   rigor of law. It was a moderate and calmer method to depart privately,
   and remove to a distant place. [101] Hence we infer, that he was not of
   so soft and effeminate a disposition, as to screen and promote
   uncleanness under the pretense of merciful dealing: he only made some
   abatement from stern justice, so as not to expose his wife to evil
   report. Nor ought we to have any hesitation in believing, that his mind
   was restrained by a secret inspiration of the Spirit. We know how weak
   jealousy is, and to what violence it hurries its possessor. Though
   Joseph did not proceed to rash and headlong conduct, yet he was
   wonderfully preserved from many imminent dangers, which would have
   sprung out of his resolution to depart.

   The same remark is applicable to Mary's silence. Granting that modest
   reserve prevented her from venturing to tell her husband, that she was
   with child by the Holy Spirit, it was not so much by her own choice, as
   by the providence of God that she was restrained. Let us suppose her to
   have spoken. The nature of the case made it little short of incredible.
   Joseph would have thought himself ridiculed, and everybody would have
   treated the matter as a laughing-stock: after which the Divine
   announcement, if it had followed, would have been of less importance.
   The Lord permitted his servant Joseph to be betrayed by ignorance into
   an erroneous conclusion, that, by his own voice, he might bring him
   back to the right path.

   Yet it is proper for us to know, that this was done more on our account
   than for his personal advantage: for every necessary method was adopted
   by God, to prevent unfavorable suspicion from falling on the heavenly
   message. When the angel approaches Joseph, who is still unacquainted
   with the whole matter, wicked men have no reason to charge him with
   being influenced by prejudice to listen to the voice of God. He was not
   overcome by the insinuating address of his wife. His previously formed
   opinion was not shaken by entreaties. He was not induced by human
   arguments to take the opposite side. But, while the groundless
   accusation of his wife was still rankling in his mind, God interposed
   between them, that we might regard Joseph as a more competent witness,
   and possessing greater authority, as a messenger sent to us from
   heaven. We see how God chose to employ an angel in informing his
   servant Joseph, that to others he might be a heavenly herald, and that
   the intelligence which he conveyed might not be borrowed from his wife,
   or from any mortal.

   The reason why this mystery was not immediately made known to a greater
   number of persons appears to be this. It was proper that this
   inestimable treasure should remain concealed, and that the knowledge of
   it should be imparted to none but the children of God. Nor is it absurd
   to say, that the Lord intended, as he frequently does, to put the faith
   and obedience of his own people to the trial. Most certainly, if any
   man shall maliciously refuse to believe and obey God in this matter, he
   will have abundant reason to be satisfied with the proofs by which this
   article of our faith is supported. For the same reason, the Lord
   permitted Mary to enter into the married state, that under the veil of
   marriage, till the full time for revealing it, the heavenly conception
   of the virgin might be concealed. Meanwhile, the knowledge of it was
   withheld from unbelievers, as their ingratitude and malice deserved.

   20. And while he was considering these things We see here how
   seasonably, and, as we would say, at the very point, the Lord usually
   aids his people. Hence too we infer that, when he appears not to
   observe our cares and distresses, we are still under his eye. He may,
   indeed, hide himself, and remain silent; but, when our patience has
   been subjected to the trial, he will aid us at the time which his own
   wisdom has selected. How slow or late soever his assistance may be
   thought to be, it is for our advantage that it is thus delayed.

   The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream This is one of two
   ordinary kinds of revelations mentioned in the book of Numbers, where
   the Lord thus speaks:

   "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known
   unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant
   Moses is not so. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently,
   and not in dark speechess,"
   (Numbers 12:6-8.)

   But we must understand that dreams of this sort differ widely from
   natural dreams; for they have a character of certainty engraven on
   them, and are impressed with a divine seal, so that there is not the
   slightest doubt of their truth. The dreams which men commonly have,
   arise either from the thoughts of the day, or from their natural
   temperament, or from bodily indisposition, or from similar causes:
   while the dreams which come from God are accompanied by the testimony
   of the Spirit, which puts beyond a doubt that it is God who speaks.

   Son of David, fear not This exhortation shows, that Joseph was
   perplexed with the fear of sharing in the criminality of his wife, by
   enduring her adultery. The angel removes his suspicion of guilt, with
   the view of enabling him to dwell with his wife with a safe conscience.
   The appellation, Son of David, was employed on the present occasion, in
   order to elevate his mind to that lofty mystery; for he belonged to
   that family, and was one of the surviving few, [102] from whom the
   salvation promised to the world could proceed. When he heard the name
   of David, from whom he was descended, Joseph ought to have remembered
   that remarkable promise of God which related to the establishment of
   the kingdom, so as to acknowledge that there was nothing new in what
   was now told him. The predictions of the prophets were, in effect,
   brought forward by the angel, to prepare the mind of Joseph for
   receiving the present favor.

   21. And thou shalt call his name JESUS. I have already explained
   briefly, but as far as was necessary, the meaning of that word. At
   present I shall only add, that the words of the angel set aside the
   dream of those who derive it from the essential name of God, Jehovah;
   for the angel expresses the reason why the Son of God is so called,
   Because he shall SAVE his people; which suggests quite a different
   etymology from what they have contrived. It is justly and appropriately
   added, they tell us, that Christ will be the author of salvation,
   because he is the Eternal God. But in vain do they attempt to escape by
   this subterfuge; for the nature of the blessing which God bestows upon
   us is not all that is here stated. This office was conferred upon his
   Son from the fact, from the command which had been given to him by the
   Father, from the office with which he was invested when he came down to
   us from heaven. Besides, the two words 'Iesous and yhvh, Jesus and
   Jehovah, agree but in two letters, and differ in all the rest; which
   makes it exceedingly absurd to allege any affinity whatever between
   them, as if they were but one name. Such mixtures I leave to the
   alchymists, or to those who closely resemble them, the Cabalists who
   contrive for us those trifling and affected refinements.

   When the Son of God came to us clothed in flesh, he received from the
   Father a name which plainly told for what purpose he came, what was his
   power, and what we had a right to expect from him. for the name Jesus
   is derived from the Hebrew verb, in the Hiphil conjugation, hvsy, which
   signifies to save In Hebrew it is pronounced differently, Jehoshua; but
   the Evangelists, who wrote in Greek, followed the customary mode of
   pronunciation; for in the writings of Moses, and in the other books of
   the Old Testament, the Hebrew word yhvsv, Jehoshua, or Joshua, is
   rendered by the Greek translators 'Iesous, Jesus But I must mention
   another instance of the ignorance of those who derive -- or, I would
   rather say, who forcibly tear -- the name Jesus from Jehovah They hold
   it to be in the highest degree improper that any mortal man should
   share this name in common with the Son of God, and make a strange
   outcry that Christ would never allow his name to be so profaned. As if
   the reply were not at hand, that the name Jesus was quite as commonly
   used in those days as the name Joshua Now, as it is sufficiently clear
   that the name Jesus presents to us the Son of God as the Author of
   salvation, let us examine more closely the words of the angel.

   He shall save his people from their sins The first truth taught us by
   these words is, that those whom Christ is sent to save are in
   themselves lost. But he is expressly called the Savior of the Church.
   If those whom God admits to fellowship with himself were sunk in death
   and ruin till they were restored to life by Christ, what shall we say
   of "strangers" (Ephesians 2:12) who have never been illuminated by the
   hope of life? When salvation is declared to be shut up in Christ, it
   clearly implies that the whole human race is devoted to destruction.
   The cause of this destruction ought also to be observed; for it is not
   unjustly, or without good reason, that the Heavenly Judge pronounces us
   to be accursed. The angel declares that we have perished, and are
   overwhelmed by an awful condemnation, because we stand excluded from
   life by our sins. Thus we obtain a view of our corruption and
   depravity; for if any man lived a perfectly holy life, he might do
   without Christ as a Redeemer. But all to a man need his grace; and,
   therefore, it follows that they are the slaves of sin, and are
   destitute of true righteousness.

   Hence, too, we learn in what way or manner Christ saves; he delivers us
   from sins This deliverance consists of two parts. Having made a
   complete atonement, he brings us a free pardon, which delivers us from
   condemnation to death, and reconciles us to God. Again, by the
   sanctifying influences of his Spirit, he frees us from the tyranny of
   Satan, that we may live "unto righteousness," (1 Peter 2:24.) Christ is
   not truly acknowledged as a Savior, till, on the one hand, we learn to
   receive a free pardon of our sins, and know that we are accounted
   righteous before God, because we are free from guilt; and till, on the
   other hand, we ask from him the Spirit of righteousness and holiness,
   having no confidence whatever in our own works or power. By Christ's
   people the angel unquestionably means the Jews, to whom he was
   appointed as Head and King; but as the Gentiles were shortly afterwards
   to be ingrafted into the stock of Abraham, (Romans 11:17,) this promise
   of salvation is extended indiscriminately to all who are incorporated
   by faith in the "one body" (1 Corinthians 12:20) of the Church.

   22. Now all this was done It is ignorant and childish trifling to
   argue, that the name Jesus is given to the Son of God, because he is
   called Immanuel For Matthew does not confine this assertion to the
   single fact of the name, but includes whatever is heavenly and divine
   in the conception of Christ; and that is the reason why he employs the
   general term all We must now see how appropriately the prediction of
   Isaiah is applied. It is a well-known and remarkable passage, (Isaiah
   7:14,) but perverted by the Jews with their accustomed malice; though
   the hatred of Christ and of truth, which they thus discover, is as
   blind and foolish as it is wicked. To such a pitch of impudence have
   many of their Rabbins proceeded, as to explain it in reference to King
   Hezekiah, who was then about fifteen years of age. And what, I ask,
   must be their rage for lying, when, in order to prevent the admission
   of clear light, they invert the order of nature, and shut up a youth in
   his mother's womb, that he may be born sixteen years old? But the
   enemies of Christ deserve that God should strike them with a spirit of
   giddiness and insensibility, should

   "pour out upon them a spirit of deep sleep and close their eyes,"
   (Isaiah 29:10.)

   Others apply it to a creature of their own fancy, some unknown son of
   Ahaz, whose birth Isaiah predicted. But with what propriety was he
   called Immanuel, or the land subjected to his sway, who closed his life
   in a private station and without honor? for shortly afterwards the
   prophet tells us that this child, whoever he was, would be ruler of the
   land. Equally absurd is the notion that this passage relates to the
   prophet's son. On this subject we may remark, that Christian writers
   have very strangely misapprehended the prediction contained in the next
   chapter, by applying it to Christ. The prophet there says, that,
   instructed by a vision, he "went unto the prophetess; and she
   conceived, and bare a son," and that the child whom she bore was named
   by Divine command, "Maher-shalal-hash-baz," "Making speed to the spoil,
   hasten the prey," (Isaiah 8:3.) All that is there described is
   approaching war, accompanied by fearful desolation; which makes it very
   manifest that the subjects are totally different.

   Let us now, therefore, investigate the true meaning of this passage.
   The city of Jerusalem is besieged. Ahaz trembles, and is almost dead
   with terror. The prophet is sent to assure him that God will protect
   the city. But a simple promise is not sufficient to compose his
   agitated mind. The prophet is sent to him, saying,

   "Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God;
   ask it either in the depth, or in the height above,"
   (Isaiah 7:11.)

   That wicked hypocrite, concealing his unbelief, disdains to ask a sign.
   The prophet rebukes him sharply, and at length adds,

   "The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
   conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,"
   (Isaiah 7:14.)

   We expound this as relating to Christ in the following manner: "You,
   the whole posterity of David, as far as lies in your power, endeavor to
   nullify the grace which is promised to you;" (for the prophet expressly
   calls them, by way of disgrace, the house of David, Isaiah 7:13;) "but
   your base infidelity will never prevent the truth of God from proving
   to be victorious. God promises that the city will be preserved safe and
   unhurt from its enemies. If his word is not enough, he is ready to give
   you the confirmation of such a sign as you may demand. You reject both
   favors, and spurn them from you; but God will remain steady to his
   engagement. For the promised Redeemer will come, in whom God will show
   himself to be fully present to his people."

   The Jews reply, that Isaiah would have been at variance with everything
   like reason or probability, if he had given to the men of that age a
   sign, which was not to be exhibited till after the lapse of nearly
   eight hundred years. And then they assume the airs of haughty triumph,
   [103] as if this objection of the Christians had originated in
   ignorance or thoughtlessness, and were now forgotten and buried. But
   the solution, I think, is easy; provided we keep in view that a
   covenant of adoption was given to the Jews, on which the other acts of
   the divine kindness depended. There was then a general promise, by
   which God adopted the children of Abraham as a nation, and on which
   were founded all the special promises. Again, the foundation of this
   covenant was the Messiah. Now we hold, that the reason for delivering
   the city was, that it was the sanctuary of God, and out of it the
   Redeemer would come. But for this, Jerusalem would a hundred times have
   perished.

   Let pious readers now consider, when the royal family had openly
   rejected the sign which God had offered to them, if it was not suitable
   that the prophet should pass all at once to the Messiah, and address
   them in this manner: "Though this age is unworthy of the deliverance of
   which God has given me a promise, yet God is mindful of his covenant,
   and will rescue this city from its enemies. While he grants no
   particular sign to testify his grace, this one sign ought to be deemed
   more than sufficient to meet your wishes. from the stock of David the
   Messiah will arise." Yet it must be observed that, when the prophet
   reminds unbelievers of the general covenant, it is a sort of reproof,
   because they did not accept of a particular sign. I have now, I think,
   proved that, when the door was shut against every kind of miracle, the
   prophet made an appropriate transition to Christ, for the purpose of
   leading unbelievers to reflect, that the only cause of the deliverance
   was the covenant that had been made with their fathers. And by this
   remarkable example has God been pleased to testify to all ages, that he
   followed with uninterrupted kindness the children of Abraham, only
   because in Christ, and not through their own merits, he had made with
   them a gracious covenant.

   There is another piece of sophistry by which the Jews endeavor to parry
   our argument. Immediately after the words in question, the prophet
   adds:

   "Before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good,
   the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings,"
   (Isaiah 7:16.)

   Hence they infer, that the promised birth of the child would be delayed
   for a very short time; otherwise, it would not agree with the rapidly
   approaching change of the kingdoms, which, the prophet announeed, would
   take place before that child should have passed half the period of
   infancy. I reply, when Isaiah has given a sign of the future Savior,
   and declared that a child will be born, who is the true Immanuel, or --
   to use Paul's language -- God manifest in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16,)
   he proceeds to speak, in general terms, of all the children of his own
   time. A strong proof of this readily presents itself; for, after having
   spoken of the general promise of God, he returns to the special
   promise, which he had been commissioned to declare. The former passage,
   which relates to a final and complete redemption, describes one
   particular child, to whom alone belongs the name of God; while the
   latter passage, which relates to a special benefit then close at hand,
   determines the time by the childhood of those who were recently born,
   or would be born shortly afterwards.

   Hitherto, if I mistake not, I have refuted, by strong and conclusive
   arguments, the calumnies of the Jews, by which they endeavor to prevent
   the glory of Christ from appearing, with resplendent luster, in this
   prediction. It now remains for us to refute their sophistical reasoning
   about the Hebrew word lmh, virgin [104] They wantonly persecute Matthew
   for proving that Christ was born of a virgin, [105] while the Hebrew
   noun merely signifies a young woman; and ridicule us for being led
   astray by the wrong translation [106] of a word, to believe that he was
   born by the Holy Spirit, of whom the prophet asserts no more than that
   he would be the son of a young woman. And, first, they display an
   excessive eagerness for disputation, by laboring [107] to prove that a
   word, which is uniformly applied in Scripture to virgins, denotes here
   a young woman who had known a man. The etymology too agrees with
   Matthew's translation of the word: for it means hiding, [108] which
   expresses the modesty that becomes a virgin. [109] They produce a
   passage from the book of Proverbs, "the way of a man with a maids,"
   vlmh, (Proverbs 30:19.) But it does not at all support their views.
   Solomon speaks there of a young woman who has obtained the affections
   of a young man: but it does not follow as a matter of course, that the
   young man has seduced the object of his regard; or rather, the
   probability leans much more strongly to the other side. [110]

   But granting all that they ask as to the meaning of the word, the
   subject demonstrates, and compels the acknowledgment, that the prophet
   is speaking of a miraculous and extraordinary birth. He exclaims that
   he is bringing a sign from the Lord, and not an ordinary sign, but one
   superior to every other.

   The Lord himself shall give you a sign.
   Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
   (Isaiah 7:14.)

   If he were only to say, that a woman would bear a child, how ridiculous
   would that magnificent preface have been? Thus we see, that the
   insolence of the Jews exposes not only themselves, but the sacred
   mysteries of God, to scorn.

   Besides, a powerful argument may be drawn from the whole strain of the
   passage. Behold, a virgin shall conceive Why is no mention made of a
   man? It is because the prophet draws our attention to something very
   uncommon. Again, the virgin is commanded to name the child. Thou shalt
   call his name Immanuel In this respect, also, the prophet expresses
   something extraordinary: for, though it is frequently related in
   Scripture, that the names were given to children by their mothers, yet
   it was done by the authority of the fathers. When the prophet addresses
   his discourse to the virgin, he takes away from men, in respect to this
   child, that authority which is conferred upon them by the order of
   nature. Let this, therefore, be regarded as an established truth, that
   the prophet here refers to a remarkable miracle of God, and recommends
   it to the attentive and devout consideration of all the godly, -- a
   miracle which is basely profaned by the Jews, who apply to the ordinary
   method of conception what is said in reference to the secret power of
   the Spirit.

   23. His name Immanuel The phrase, God is with us, is no doubt
   frequently employed in Scripture to denote, that he is present with us
   by his assistance and grace, and displays the power of his hand in our
   defense. But here we are instructed as to the manner in which God
   communicates with men. For out of Christ we are alienated from him; but
   through Christ we are not only received into his favor, but are made
   one with him. When Paul says, that the Jews under the law were nigh to
   God, (Ephesians 2:17,) and that a deadly enmity (Ephesians 2:15)
   subsisted between him and the Gentiles, he means only that, by shadows
   and figures, God then gave to the people whom he had adopted the tokens
   of his presence. That promise was still in force, "The Lord thy God is
   among you," (Deuteronomy 7:21,) and, "This is my rest for ever," (Psalm
   132:14.) But while the familiar intercourse between God and the people
   depended on a Mediator, what had not yet fully taken place was shadowed
   out by symbols. His seat and residence is placed "between the
   Cherubim," (Psalm 80:1,) because the ark was the figure and visible
   pledge of his glory.

   But in Christ the actual presence of God with his people, and not, as
   before, his shadowy presence, has been exhibited. [111] This is the
   reason, why Paul says, that "in him dwelleth all the fullness of the
   Godhead bodily," (Colossians 2:9.) And certainly he would not be a
   properly qualified Mediator, if he did not unite both natures in his
   person, and thus bring men into an alliance with God. Nor is there any
   force in the objection, about which the Jews make a good deal of noise,
   that the name of God is frequently applied to those memorials, by which
   he testified that he was present with believers.

   For it cannot be denied, that this name, Immanuel, contains an implied
   contrast between the presence of God, as exhibited in Christ, with
   every other kind of presence, which was manifested to the ancient
   people before his coming. If the reason of this name began to be
   actually true, when Christ appeared in the flesh, it follows that it
   was not completely, but only in part, that God was formerly united with
   the Fathers.

   Hence arises another proof, that Christ is God manifested in the flesh,
   (1 Timothy 3:16.) He discharged, indeed, the office of Mediator from
   the beginning of the world; but as this depended wholly on the latest
   revelation, he is justly called Immanuel at that time, when clothed, as
   it were, with a new character, he appears in public as a Priest, to
   atone for the sins of men by the sacrifice of his body, to reconcile
   them to the Father by the price of his blood, and, in a word, to
   fulfill every part of the salvation of men. [112] The first thing which
   we ought to consider in this name is the divine majesty of Christ, so
   as to yield to him the reverence which is due to the only and eternal
   God. But we must not, at the same time, forget the fruit which God
   intended that we should collect and receive from this name. For
   whenever we contemplate the one person of Christ as God-man, we ought
   to hold it for certain that, if we are united to Christ by faith, we
   possess God.

   In the words, they shall call, there is a change of the number. But
   this is not at all at variance with what I have already said. True, the
   prophet addresses the virgin alone, and therefore uses the second
   person, Thou shalt call But from the time that this name was published,
   all the godly have an equal right to make this confession, that God has
   given himself to us to be enjoyed in Christ. [113]

   24. Joseph, being raised from sleep The ready performance, which is
   here described, serves not less to attest the certainty of Joseph's
   faith, than to commend his obedience. For, if every scruple had not
   been removed, and his conscience fully pacified, he would never have
   proceeded so cheerfully, on a sudden change of opinion, to take unto
   him his wife, whose society, he lately thought, would pollute him.
   [114] The dream must have carried some mark of Divinity, which did not
   allow his mind to hesitate. Next followed the effect of faith. Having
   learned the will of God, he instantly prepared himself to obey.

   25. And knew her not This passage afforded the pretext for great
   disturbances, which were introduced into the Church, at a former
   period, by Helvidius. The inference he drew from it was, that Mary
   remained a virgin no longer than till her first birth, and that
   afterwards she had other children by her husband. Jerome, on the other
   hand, earnestly and copiously defended Mary's perpetual virginity. Let
   us rest satisfied with this, that no just and well-grounded inference
   can be drawn from these words of the Evangelist, as to what took place
   after the birth of Christ. He is called first-born; but it is for the
   sole purpose of informing us that he was born of a virgin. [115] It is
   said that Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born
   son: but this is limited to that very time. What took place afterwards,
   the historian does not inform us. Such is well known to have been the
   practice of the inspired writers. Certainly, no man will ever raise a
   question on this subject, except from curiosity; and no man will
   obstinately keep up the argument, except from an extreme fondness for
   disputation.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [97] ("Qui voyoyent bien par signes externes que Marie estoit
   enceinte.") --("Who saw well by outward marks that Mary was pregnant.")

   [98] "Que Joseph a voulu pardonner a sa femme, et couvrir la faute,
   d'autant qu'il estoit juste." -- "That Joseph intended to forgive his
   wife, and conceal her offense, because he was just."

   [99] "Il ne vouloit point nourrir le mal en dissimulant et faisant
   semblant de n'y voir rien." -- "He did not wish to encourage
   wickedness, by dissembling and pretending that he did not see it."

   [100] "Leno;" -- "macquereau."

   [101] "Le moyen le plus doux et le moins scandaleux estoit, que
   secretement il departist du lieu, et la laissast sans faire aueun
   bruit." -- "The mildest and least scandalous method was, that he should
   depart secretly from the place, and leave her without making any
   noise."

   [102] "Quia esset ex ea familia, et quidem superstes cum paucis;" --
   "d'autant qu'il estoit de cette famille, et mesmes que d'icelle il
   estoit quasi seul vivant, avec quelques autres en bien petit nombre;"
   -- "because he was of that family, and even of that he was almost sole
   survivor, with some others in very small number."

   [103] "Faisant grand cas de leur argument;" -- "setting great store by
   their argument."

   [104] "Le mot Hebrieu Alma, pour lequel l'Evangeliste a use du mot de
   Vierge;" -- "the Hebrew word Alma, for which the Evangelist has used
   the word Virgin."

   [105] "Le blamant de ce qu'il pretend prouver Jesus Christ estre nay
   d'une Vierge;" -- "blaming him for offering to prove Jesus Christ to be
   born of a Virgin."

   [106] "Abusez par un mot mal tourne;" -- "deceived by a word ill
   translated."

   [107] "Urgent;" -- "ils veulent a toute force;" -- "they attempt with
   their whole strength."

   [108] lmh is derived from lm, to hide,--a verb not found in Kal, but so
   frequently in Niphal, (nlm,) Hiphil, (hlym,) Hithpahel, (htlm,) that
   its meaning is fully ascertained. -- Ed.

   [109] "Car il emporte Retraitte ou Cachette, qui est pour denoter ceste
   honte honeste qui doit estre es vierges;" -- "for it signifies Retreat
   or Concealment, which serves to denote that becoming shame which ought
   to be in virgins."

   [110] "C'est bien autrement: car il y a plus d'apparence au
   contraire;"-- "it is quite otherwise: for there is more probability on
   the opposite side.

   [111] "Mais quand Christ est apparu en sa personne, le peuple a eu une
   presence de Dieu veritable, et non pas ombratile comme paravant."--
   "But when Christ appeared in his person, the people had a real presence
   of God, and not shadowy, as before."

   [112] "Somme, pour faire et accomplir toutes choses requises au salut
   du genre humain;" -- "in a word, to do and accomplish all things
   requisite for the salvation of the human race."

   [113] "Il appartient a tous fideles d'advouer et confesser que Dieu
   s'est communique et baille a nous en Christ;" -- "it belongs to all
   believers to own and confess that God has communicated and made over
   himself to us in Christ."

   [114] "Laquelle un peu auparavant il ne vouloit recevoir, et lui
   sembloit qu'il se fust pollue en conversant avec elle;" -- "whom a
   little before he refused to receive, and seemed to him that he would be
   polluted by conversing with her."

   [115] "Il est nomme Premier nay, mais non pour autre raison, sinon afin
   que nous sachions qu'il est nay d'une mere vierge, et qui jamais
   n'avoit eu enfant;" -- "he is called First-born, but for no other
   reason than that we may know that he was born of a pure virgin, and who
   never had had a child."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:1-7

   Luke 2:1-7

   1. Now it happened in those days, an edict came out from Augustus
   Caesar, that the whole world should be registered. [116] 2. This first
   registration [117] was made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. 3. And
   all went to make the return, [118] each in his own city. 4. And Joseph
   also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea,
   into the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of
   the house and lineage of David,) 5. To make the return with Mary [119]
   his betrothed wife, who was pregnant. 6. And it happened while they
   were there, the days of bringing forth were fulfilled. [120] 7. And she
   brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in bandages, [121]
   and laid him in a manger; [122] because there was no room for them in
   the inn.


   Luke relates how it happened, that Christ was born in the city of
   Bethlehem, as his mother was living at a distance from her home, when
   she was approaching to her confinement. And first he sets aside the
   idea of human contrivance, [123] by saying, that Joseph and Mary had
   left home, and came to that place to make the return according to their
   family and tribe. If intentionally and on purpose [124] they had
   changed their residence that Mary might bring forth her child in
   Bethlehem, we would have looked only at the human beings concerned. But
   as they have no other design than to obey the edict of Augustus, we
   readily acknowledge, that they were led like blind persons, by the hand
   of God, to the place where Christ must be born. This may appear to be
   accidental, as everything else, which does not proceed from a direct
   human intention, is ascribed by irreligious men to Fortune. But we must
   not attend merely to the events themselves. We must remember also the
   prediction which was uttered by the prophet many centuries before. A
   comparison will clearly show it to have been accomplished by the
   wonderful Providence of God, that a registration was then enacted by
   Augustus Caesar, and that Joseph and Mary set out from home, so as to
   arrive in Bethlehem at the very point of time.

   Thus we see that the holy servants of God, even though they wander from
   their design, unconscious where they are going, still keep the right
   path, because God directs their steps. Nor is the Providence of God
   less wonderful in employing the mandate of a tyrant to draw Mary from
   home, that the prophecy may be fulfilled. God had marked out by his
   prophet -- as we shall afterwards see -- the place where he determined
   that his Son should be born. If Mary had not been constrained to do
   otherwise, she would have chosen to bring forth her child at home.
   Augustus orders a registration to take place in Judea, and each person
   to give his name, that they may afterwards pay an annual tax, which
   they were formerly accustomed to pay to God. Thus an ungodly man takes
   forcible possession of that which God was accustomed to demand from his
   people. It was, in effect, reducing the Jews to entire subjection, and
   forbidding them to be thenceforth reckoned as the people of God.

   Matters have been brought, in this way, to the last extremity, and the
   Jews appear to be cut off and alienated for ever from the covenant of
   God. At that very time does God suddenly, and contrary to universal
   expectation, afford a remedy. What is more, he employs that wicked
   tyranny for the redemption of his people. For the governor, (or whoever
   was employed by Caesar for the purpose,) while he executes the
   commission entrusted to him, is, unknown to himself, God's herald, to
   call Mary to the place which God had appointed. And certainly Luke's
   whole narrative may well lead believers to acknowledge, that Christ was
   led by the hand of God "from his mother's belly," (Psalm 22:10.) Nor is
   it of small consequence [125] to the certainty of faith to know, that
   Mary was drawn suddenly, and contrary to her own intention, to
   Bethlehem, that "out of it might come forth" (Micah 5:2) the Redeemer,
   as he had been formerly promised.

   1. The whole world This figure of speech [126] (by which the whole is
   taken for a part, or a part for the whole) was in constant use among
   the Roman authors, and ought not to be reckoned harsh. That this
   registration might be more tolerable and less odious, it was extended
   equally, I have no doubt, to all the provinces; though the rate of
   taxation may have been different. I consider this first registration to
   mean, that the Jews, being completely subdued, were then loaded with a
   new and unwonted yoke. Others read it, that this registration was first
   made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria; [127] but there is no
   probability in that view. The tax was, indeed, annual; but the
   registration did not take place every year. The meaning is, that the
   Jews were far more heavily oppressed than they had formerly been.

   There is a diversity as to the name of the Proconsul. Some call him
   Cyrenius, (Kurenios,) and others, Quirinus or Quirinius But there is
   nothing strange in this;for we know that the Greeks, when they
   translate Latin names, almost always make some change in the
   pronunciation. But a far greater difficulty springs up in another
   direction. Josephus says that, while Archelaus was a prisoner at
   Vienna, (Ant. 17:13. 2,) Quirinus came as Proconsul, with instructions
   to annex Judea to the province of Syria, (xviii. 1.1.) Now, historians
   are agreed, that Archelaus reigned nine years after the death of his
   father Herod. It would therefore appear, that there was an interval of
   about thirteen years between the birth of Christ and this registration;
   for almost all assent to the account given by Epiphanius, that Christ
   was born in the thirty-third year of Herod: that is, four years before
   his death.

   Another circumstance not a little perplexing is, that the same Josephus
   speaks of this registration as having happened in the thirty-seventh
   year after the victory at Actium, [128] (Ant. 18:2. 1.) If this be
   true, Augustus lived, at the utmost, not more than seven years after
   this event; which makes a deduction of eight or nine years from his
   age: for it is plain from the third chapter of Luke's Gospel, that he
   was at that time only in his fifteenth year. But, as the age of Christ
   is too well known to be called in question, it is highly probable that,
   in this and many other passages of Josephus's History, his recollection
   had failed him. Historians are agreed that Quirinus was Consul nineteen
   years, or thereby, before the victory over Antony, which gave Augustus
   the entire command of the empire: and so he must have been sent into
   the province at a very advanced age. Besides, the same Josephus
   enumerates four governors of Judea within eight years; while he
   acknowledges that the fifth was governor for fifteen years. That was
   Valerius Gratus, who was succeeded by Pontius Pilate.

   Another solution may be offered. It might be found impracticable to
   effect the registration immediately after the edict had been issued:
   for Josephus relates, that Coponius was sent with an army to reduce the
   Jews to subjection, (Ant. 18:2.2) from which it may easily be inferred,
   that the registration was prevented, for a time, by popular tumult. The
   words of Luke bear this sense, that, about the time of our Lord's
   birth, an edict came out to have the people registered, but that the
   registration could not take place till after a change of the kingdom,
   when Judea had been annexed to another province. This clause is
   accordingly added by way of correction. This first registration was
   made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria That is, it was then first
   carried into effect. [129]

   But the whole question is not yet answered: for, while Herod was king
   of Judea, what purpose did it serve to register a people who paid no
   tribute to the Roman Empire? I reply: there is no absurdity in
   supposing that Augustus, by way of accustoming the Jews to the yoke,
   (for their obstinacy was abundantly well-known,) chose to have them
   registered, even under the reign of Herod. [130] Nor did Herod's
   peculiar authority as king make it inconsistent that the Jews should
   pay to the Roman Empire a stipulated sum for each man under the name of
   a tax: for we know that Herod, though he was called a king, held
   nothing more than a borrowed power, and was little better than a slave.
   On what authority Eusebius states that this registration took place by
   an order of the Roman Senate, I know not.

   7. Because there was no room for them in the inn We see here not only
   the great poverty of Joseph, but the cruel tyranny which admitted of no
   excuse, but compelled Joseph to bring his wife along with him, at an
   inconvenient season, when she was near the time of her delivery.
   Indeed, it is probable that those who were the descendants of the royal
   family were treated more harshly and disdainfully than the rest. Joseph
   was not so devoid of feeling as to have no concern about his wife's
   delivery. He would gladly have avoided this necessity: but, as that is
   impossible, he is forced to yield, [131] and commends himself to God.
   We see, at the same time, what sort of beginning the life of the Son of
   God had, and in what cradle [132] he was placed. Such was his condition
   at his birth, because he had taken upon him our flesh for this purpose,
   that he might, "empty himself" (Philippians 2:7) on our account. When
   he was thrown into a stable, and placed in a manger, and a lodging
   refused him among men, it was that heaven might be opened to us, not as
   a temporary lodging, [133] but as our eternal country and inheritance,
   and that angels might receive us into their abode.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [116] "Mis par escrit;" -- "put in writing."

   [117] "Ceste premiere description."

   [118] "Ut profiteretur."

   [119] "Pour estre enroule avec Marie;" -- "to be enrolled with Mary."

   [120] "Et comme ils estoyent la, advint que les jours d'icelle furent
   accom-. plis pour enfanter." -- "And as they were there, it happened
   that her days were accomplished for bringing forth."

   [121] "Fasciis;" -- "Bandelettes."

   [122] "Une creiche."

   [123] "Il monstre que cela ne s'est point fait par advis ou conseil
   humain." --"He shows that this was not by human advice or plan."

   [124] "Data opera et consulto;" -- "de propos delibere;" -- "of
   deliberate purpose."

   [125] "Neque parum facit;" -- "ce n'est pas un poinct de petite
   importance."

   [126] "Synecdoche."

   [127] The reader will observe that this is the rendering of the
   authorized English version. -- Ed.

   [128] "Victoriae Actiacae." -- "C'est une victoire qu'ent Auguste a la
   bataille sur mer contre Antoine et Cleopatra, aupres de la ville nommee
   Actium." -- "That is, a victory which Augustus had in the naval battle
   which he fought against Antony and Cleopatra, near the town called
   Actium."

   [129] "Elle fut lors executee, et trouva-on facon d'en venir a bout."
   -- "It was then executed, and a way was found of succeeding in it."

   [130] "Sub Herode;" -- "combien qu'ils fussent sujets d'Herode;" --
   "though they were subjects of Herod."

   [131] "Il baisse la teste;" -- "he bows the head."

   [132] "Comment il a este heberge."

   [133] "Non modo hospitii jure;" -- "non point comme un logis pour y
   estre hebergez en passant."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:8-14

   Luke 2:8-14

   8. And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the fields,
   [134] and watching by night over their flock. [135] 9. And, lo, the
   angel of the Lord came upon them: and the glory [136] of the Lord shone
   round about them, and they feared with a great fear. 10. And the angel
   said to them, Fear not: for, lo, I announce to you great joy, which
   shall be to all the people: 11. For this day is born to you a Savior,
   who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 12. And this shall be a
   sign to you: [137] you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-bands
   [138] laid in a manger: 13. And suddenly there was present with the
   angel a multitude of the heavenly host, [139] praising God, and saying,
   14. Glory in the highest [140] to God, and on earth peace, among men
   good-will. [141]


   8. And there were shepherds It would have been to no purpose that
   Christ was born in Bethlehem, if it had not been made known to the
   world. But the method of doing so, which is described by Luke, appears
   to the view of men very unsuitable. First, Christ is revealed but to a
   few witnesses, and that too amidst the darkness of night. Again, though
   God had, at his command, many honorable and distinguished witnesses, he
   passed by them, and chose shepherds, persons of humble rank, and of no
   account among men. Here the reason and wisdom of the flesh must prove
   to be foolishness; and we must acknowledge, that "the foolishness of
   God" (1 Corinthians 1:25) excels all the wisdom that exists, or appears
   to exist, in the world. But this too was a part of the "emptying of
   himself," (Philippians 2:6:) not that any part of Christ's glory should
   be taken away by it, but that it should lie in concealment for a time.
   Again, as Paul reminds us, that the gospel is mean according to the
   flesh, "that our faith should stand" in the power of the Spirit, not in
   the "lofty [142] words of human wisdom," or in any worldly splendor,
   [143] (1 Corinthians 2:4,5;) so this inestimable "treasure" has been
   deposited by God, from the beginning, "in earthen vessels," (2
   Corinthians 4:7,) that he might more fully try the obedience of our
   faith. If then we desire to come to Christ, let us not be ashamed to
   follow those whom the Lord, in order to cast down the pride of the
   world, has taken, from among the dung [144] of cattle, to be our
   instructors.

   9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them He says, that the
   glory of the Lord [145] shone around the shepherds, by which they
   perceived him to be an angel. [146] For it would have been of little
   avail to be told by an angel what is related by Luke, if God had not
   testified, by some outward sign, that what they heard proceeded from
   Him. The angel appeared, not in an ordinary form, or without majesty,
   but surrounded with the brightness of heavenly glory, to affect
   powerfully the minds of the shepherds, that they might receive the
   discourse which was addressed to them, as coming from the mouth of God
   himself. Hence the fear, of which Luke shortly afterwards speaks, by
   which God usually humbles the hearts of men, (as I have formerly
   explained,) and disposes them to receive his word with reverence.

   10. Fear not The design of this exhortation is to alleviate their fear.
   For, though it is profitable for the minds of men to be struck with
   awe, that they may learn to "give unto the Lord the glory due unto his
   name," (Psalm 29:2;) yet they have need, at the same time, of
   consolation, that they may not be altogether overwhelmed. For the
   majesty of God could not but swallow up the whole world, if there were
   not some mildness to mitigate the terror which it brings. And so the
   reprobate fall down lifeless at the sight of God, because he appears to
   them in no other character than that of a judge. But to revive the
   minds of the shepherds, the angel declares that he was sent to them for
   a different purpose, to announce to them the mercy of God. When men
   hear this single word, that God is reconciled to them, it not only
   raises up those who are fallen down, but restores those who were
   ruined, and recalls them from death to life.

   The angel opens his discourse by saying, that he announces great joy;
   and next assigns the ground or matter of joy, that a Savior is born
   These words show us, first, that, until men have peace with God, and
   are reconciled to him through the grace of Christ, all the joy that
   they experience is deceitful, and of short duration. [147] Ungodly men
   frequently indulge in frantic and intoxicating mirth; but if there be
   none to make peace between them and God, the hidden stings of
   conscience must produce fearful torment. Besides, to whatever extent
   they may flatter themselves in luxurious indulgence, their own lusts
   are so many tormentors. The commencement of solid joy is, to perceive
   the fatherly love of God toward us, which alone gives tranquillity to
   our minds. And this "joy," in which, Paul tells us, "the kingdom of
   God" consists, is "in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17.) By calling it
   great joy, he shows us, not only that we ought, above all things, to
   rejoice in the salvation brought us by Christ, but that this blessing
   is so great and boundless, as fully to compensate for all the pains,
   distresses, and anxieties of the present life. Let us learn to be so
   delighted with Christ alone, that the perception of his grace may
   overcome, and at length remove from us, all the distresses of the
   flesh. [148]

   Which shall be to all the people Though the angel addresses the
   shepherds alone, yet he plainly states, that the message of salvation
   which he brings is of wider extent, so that not only they, in their
   private capacity, may hear it, but that others may also hear. Now let
   it be understood, that this joy was common to all people, because, it
   was indiscriminately offered to all. For God had promised Christ, not
   to one person or to another, but to the whole seed of Abraham. If the
   Jews were deprived, for the most part, of the joy that was offered to
   them, it arose from their unbelief; just as, at the present day, God
   invites all indiscriminately to salvation through the Gospel, but the
   ingratitude of the world is the reason why this grace, which is equally
   offered to all, is enjoyed by few. Although this joy is confined to a
   few persons, yet, with respect to God, it is said to be common. When
   the angel says that this joy shall be to all the people, he speaks of
   the chosen people only; but now that, the middle wall of partition"
   (Ephesians 2:14) has been thrown down, the same message has reference
   to the whole human race. [149] For Christ proclaims peace, not only, to
   them that are nigh, "but to them that are, far off," (Ephesians 2:17,)
   to "strangers" (Ephesians 2:12) equally with citizens. But as the
   peculiar covenant with the Jews lasted till the resurrection of Christ,
   so the angel separates them from the rest of the nations.

   11. This day is born to you Here, as we lately hinted, the angel
   expresses the cause of the joy. This day is born the Redeemer long ago
   promised, who was to restore the Church of God to its proper condition.
   The angel does not speak of it as a thing altogether unknown. He opens
   his embassy by referring to the Law and the Prophets; for had he been
   addressing heathens or irreligious persons, it would have been of no
   use to employ this mode of speaking: this day is born to you a Savior,
   who is Christ the Lord For the same reason, he mentions that he was
   born in the city of David, which could serve no purpose, but to recall
   the remembrance of those promises which were universally known among
   the Jews. Lastly, the angel adapted his discourse to hearers who were
   not altogether unacquainted with the promised redemption. With the
   doctrine of the Law and the Prophets he joined the Gospel, as emanating
   from the same source. Now, since the Greek word Greek, as Cicero
   assures us, has a more extensive meaning than the Latin word Servator,
   and as there is no Latin noun that corresponds to it, I thought it
   better to employ a barbarous term, than to take anything away from the
   power of Christ. And I have no doubt, that the author of the Vulgate,
   and the ancient doctors of the Church, had the same intention. [150]
   Christ is called Savior, [151] because he bestows a complete salvation.
   The pronoun to you [152] is very emphatic; for it would have given no
   great delight to hear that the Author of salvation was born, unless
   each person believed that for himself he was born. In the same manner
   Isaiah says, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given," (Isaiah
   9:6;) and Zechariah, "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee lowly,"
   (Zechariah 9:9.)

   12. And this shall be a sign to you [153] The angel meets the prejudice
   which might naturally hinder the faith of the shepherds; for what a
   mockery is it, that he, whom God has sent to be the King, and the only
   Savior, is seen lying in a manger! That the mean and despicable
   condition in which Christ was might not deter the shepherds from
   believing in Christ, the angel tells them beforehand what they would
   see. This method of proceeding, which might appear, to the view of men,
   absurd and almost ridiculous, the Lord pursues toward us every day.
   Sending down to us from heaven the word of the Gospel, he enjoins us to
   embrace Christ crucified, and holds out to us signs in earthly and
   fading elements, which raise us to the glory of a blessed immortality.
   Having promised to us spiritual righteousness, he places before our
   eyes a little water: by a small portion of bread and wine, he seals,
   [154] the eternal life of the soul. [155] But if the stable gave no
   offense whatever to the shepherds, so as to prevent them from going to
   Christ to obtain salvation, or from yielding to his authority, while he
   was yet a child; no sign, however mean in itself, ought to hide his
   glory from our view, or prevent us from offering to him lowly
   adoration, now that he has ascended to heaven, and sits at the right
   hand of the Father.

   13. And suddenly there was present with the angel a multitude An
   exhibition of divine splendor had been already made in the person of a
   single angel. But God determined to adorn his own Son in a still more
   illustrious manner, This was done to confirm our faith as truly as that
   of the shepherds. Among men, the testimony of "two or three witnesses"
   (Matthew 18:16) is sufficient to remove all doubt. But here is a
   heavenly host, with one consent and one voice bearing testimony to the
   Son of God. What then would be our obstinacy, if we refused to join
   with the choir of angels, in singing the praises of our salvation,
   which is in Christ? Hence we infer, how abominable in the sight of God
   must unbelief be, which disturbs this delightful harmony between heaven
   and earth. Again, we are convicted of more than brutal stupidity, if
   our faith and our zeal to praise God are not inflamed by the song which
   the angels, with the view of supplying us with the matter of our
   praise, sang in full harmony. Still farther, by this example of
   heavenly melody, the Lord intended to recommend to us the unity of
   faith, and to exhort us to join with one consent in singing his praises
   on earth.

   14. Glory to God in the highest The angels begin with thanksgiving, or
   with the praises of God; for Scripture, too, everywhere reminds us,
   that we were redeemed from death for this purpose, that we might
   testify with the tongue, as well as by the actions of the life, our
   gratitude to God. Let us remember, then, the final cause, why God
   reconciled us to himself through his Only Begotten Son. It was that he
   might glorify his name, by revealing the riches of his grace, and of
   his boundless mercy. And even now to whatever extent any one is excited
   by his knowledge of grace to celebrate the glory of God, such is the
   extent of proficiency in the faith of Christ. Whenever our salvation is
   mentioned, we should understand that a signal has been given, [156] to
   excite us to thanksgiving and to the praises of God.

   On earth peace The most general reading is, that the words, among men
   good-will, should stand as a third clause. So far as relates to the
   leading idea of the passage, it is of little moment which way you read
   it; but the other appears to be preferable. The two clauses, Glory to
   God in the highest, and peace on earth, do unquestionably agree with
   each other; but if you do not place men and God in marked opposition,
   the contrast will not fully appear. [157] Perhaps commentators have
   mistaken the meaning of the preposition en, for it was an obscure
   meaning of the words to say, that there is peace in men; but as that
   word is redundant in many passages of Scripture, it need not detain us
   here. However, if any one prefer to throw it to the last clause, the
   meaning will be the same, as I shall presently show.

   We must now see what the angels mean by the word peace. They certainly
   do not speak of an outward peace cultivated by men with each other; but
   they say, that the earth is at peace, when men have been reconciled to
   God, and enjoy an inward tranquillity in their own minds. [158] We know
   that we are born "children of wrath," (Ephesians 2:3,) and are by
   nature enemies to God; and must be distressed by fearful apprehensions,
   so long as we feel that God is angry with us. A short and clear
   definition of peace may be obtained from two opposite things, -- the
   wrath of God and the dread of death. It has thus a twofold reference;
   one to God, and another to men. We obtain peace with God, when he
   begins to be gracious to us, by taking away our guilt, and "not
   imputing to us our trespasses," (2 Corinthians 5:19;) and when we,
   relying on his fatherly love, address him with full confidence, and
   boldly praise him for the salvation which he has promised to us. Now
   though, in another passage, the life of man on earth is declared to be
   a continual warfare, [159] (Job 7:1,) and the state of the fact shows
   that nothing is more full of trouble than our condition, so long as we
   remain in the world, yet the angels expressly say that there is peace
   on earth This is intended to inform us that, so long as we trust to the
   grace of Christ, no troubles that can arise will prevent us from
   enjoying composure and serenity of mind. Let us then remember, that
   faith is seated amidst the storms of temptations, amidst various
   dangers, amidst violent attacks, amidst contests and fears, that our
   faith may not fail or be shaken by any kind of opposition.

   Among men good-will [160] The Vulgate has good-will in the genitive
   case: to men of good-will. [161] How that reading crept in, I know not:
   but it ought certainly to be rejected, both because it is not genuine,
   [162] and because it entirely corruptsthe meaning. Others read
   good-will in the nominative case, and still mistake its meaning. They
   refer good-will to men, as if it were an exhortation to embrace the
   grace of God. I acknowledge that the peace which the Lord offers to us
   takes effect only when we receive it. But as eudokia is constantly used
   in Scripture in the sense of the Hebrew word rtsvn, the old translator
   rendered it beneplacitum, or, good-will. This passage is not correctly
   understood as referring to the acceptance of grace. The angels rather
   speak of it as the source of peace, and thus inform us that peace is a
   free gift, and flows from the pure mercy of God. If it is thought
   better to read good-will to men, or towards men, [163] it will not be
   inadmissible, so far as regards the meaning: for in this way it will
   show the cause of peace to be, that God has been pleased to bestow his
   undeserved favor on men, with whom he formerly was at deadly variance.
   If you read, the peace of good-will as meaning voluntary peace, neither
   will I object to that interpretation. But the simpler way is to look
   upon euphokia as added, in order to inform us of the source from which
   our peace is derived. [164]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [134] "Couchant es champs."

   [135] "Gardant les veilles de la nuict."

   [136] "La clarte;" -- "the brightness."

   [137] "Et vous aurez ces enseignes;" -- "and you shall have these
   signs."

   [138] "Pannis;" -- "bandelettes."

   [139] "Militiae;" -- "des armees celestes;" -- "of the heavenly
   armies."

   [140] "es cieux treshauts;" -- "in the highest heavens."

   [141] "Envers les hommes son bon plaisir, ou, bonne volonte;" --
   "towards men his good pleasure, or, good-will."

   [142] "En paroles magnifiques;" -- "in magnificent words."

   [143] "En quelque lustre et apparence du monde;" -- "in any luster and
   display of the world."

   [144] "Ex pecudum stercore;" -- "sur la fiente des bestes."

   [145] "La clarte du Seigneur;" -- "the brightness of the Lord."

   [146] "c'a este afin qu'ils cogneussent que c'estoit l'ange de Dieu qui
   parloit;" -- "it was in order that they might know that it was the
   angel of the Lord that spoke."

   [147] "Ce n'est que fumee;" -- "it is only smoke."

   [148] "Parquoy apprenons de prendre tellement notre contentement en
   Christ seul, que le sentiment de sa grace nous face surmonter toutes
   choses qui sont dures a la chair, et finalement en oste toute
   l'amertume."-- "Wherefore, let us learn to take our satisfaction, in
   such a manner, in Christ alone, that the feeling of his grace may make
   us rise above all things that are unpleasant to the flesh, and finally
   may take away all their bitterness."

   [149] "Au reste, il est bien vray que l'ange parle seulement du peuple
   esleu, assavoir des Juifs; mais pourceque maintenant la paroy qui
   faisoit separation est rompue, la mesme ambassade s'addresse aujourdhui
   a tout le genre humain." -- "Besides, it is very true that the angel
   speaks only of the elect people, namely, the Jews; but because now the
   wall of partition which made a separation is broken down, the same
   message is addressed, at the present day, to all the human race."

   [150] He refers to his use of the Latin word Salvator, for which there
   is no classical authority. The apology may be deemed unnecessary; but
   Calvin was entitled to be more sensitive on this point than many modern
   scholars. The purity of his style discovers so perfect an acquaintance
   with the writers of the Augustan age, that it must have given him
   uneasiness to depart from their authorized terms. He pleads high
   authority for the liberty he had taken. Cicero, whose command of the
   resources of his native tongue will not be questioned, acknowledges
   that there is no Latin word which conveys the full import of the Greek
   word sot'er, and in this, as well as many other instances, calls in the
   aid of a richer and more expressive language than his own. -- Ed.

   [151] "Salvator."

   [152] "Au reste, ce n'est pas sans cause que ce mot Vous est adjouste:
   et il est bien a poiser. Car il ne serviroit gueres de savoir que le
   Sauveur est nay, sinon qu'un chacun appliquast cela a sa personne,
   s'asseurant que c'est pour lui qu'est nay le Fils de Dieu." --
   "Besides, it is not without reason that this word You is added; and it
   is well to weigh it. For it would hardly be of service to know that the
   Savior is born, unless each applied that to his own person, being
   persuaded that it is for him that the Savior is born."

   [153] "Et vous aurez ces enseignes;" -- "and you shall have these
   signs."

   [154] "Eternam animi vitam obsignat."--Our rendering is close. But what
   is sealed? Is it meant, that the mere act of partaking the Lord's
   Supper places beyond a doubt the salvation of the worshipper, or even
   gives to it any additional certainty? In some loose sense of this sort,
   the phrase is often enough used even by Protestant divines. It is
   satisfactory to have Calvin's own authority for the meaning of this
   passage. "Il seelle la promesse." -- "He seals the promise." The
   meaning is, that God ratifies his word. By condescending to employ
   outward symbols, together with his holy word, for expressing the
   blessings of salvation he holds out to his people an additional
   testimony, and in this manner grants a strong confirmation to their
   faith. -- Ed.

   [155] It may be proper to exhibit the entire sentence referred to in
   the former note. "Comme nous ayant promis la justice spirituelle, il
   nous met devant les yeux un peu d'eau: par un petit morceau de pain et
   une goutte de vin, il seelle la promesse qu'il a faite de la vie
   eternelle de nos ames." -- "As, having promised to us spiritual
   righteousness, he places before our eyes a little water: by a small
   morsel of bread and a drop of wine, he seals the promise which he has
   made of the eternal life of our souls."

   [156] "Comme si la trompette sonnoit, pour nous resveiller;" -- "as if
   the trumpet were sounding to awake us."

   [157] "Or si on ne mettoit les hommes au second membre, l'antithese ne
   seroit pas parfaite." -- "But if men were not put in the second clause,
   the contrast would not be perfect."

   [158] "Quand les hommes estans reconciliez a Dieu, ont repos en leurs
   esprits, et en leurs consciences." -- "When men being reconciled to
   God, have rest in their minds and in their consciences."

   [159] hl' tsv' l'kvs l 'rph,--"is there not a warfare to man upon
   earth?"

   [160] "Envers les hommes son bon plaisir, ou, bonne volonte;" --
   "towards men his good pleasure, or, good-will."

   [161] "Hominibus bonae voluntatis."

   [162] "Adulterina." -- "Pource que ce n'est pas la vraye et naturelle."
   --"Because it is not the true and natural reading."

   [163] "In hominibus;" -- "Aux hommes, ou, Envers les hommes."

   [164] In the Opuscula Theologica of the elder Tittmann, the critical
   scholar will find this beautiful passage discussed with that happy
   union of learning, discrimination, and piety, which distinguishes all
   his writings. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:15-21

   Luke 2:15-21

   15. And it happened, after that the angels departed from them into
   heaven, that the shepherds then talked among themselves, Let us pass
   even to Bethlehem, and let us see what has happened, which the Lord
   hath revealed to us. 16. And they came hastening, and found Mary and
   Joseph, and the babe laid in the manger. 17. And when they had seen it,
   they published concerning the word which had been told them about this
   child. 18. And all who heard wondered about those things which had been
   told them by the shepherds. 19. Now Mary kept all these words, laying
   them up in her heart. [165] 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
   and praising God for all the things which they had heard and seen, as
   it had been told to them. 21. And after that eight days were fulfilled,
   that the child might be circumcised, his name was called JESUS: which
   had been called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.


   15. After that the angels departed Here is described to us the
   obedience of the shepherds. The Lord had made them the witnesses of his
   Son to the whole world. What he had spoken to them by his angels was
   efficacious, and was not suffered to pass away. They were not plainly
   and expressly commanded to come to Bethlehem; but, being sufficiently
   aware that such was the design of God, they hasten to see Christ. In
   the same manner, we know that Christ is held out to us, in order that
   our hearts may approach him by faith; and our delay in coming admits of
   no excuse. [166] But again, Luke informs us, that the shepherds
   resolved to set out, immediately after the angels had departed. This
   conveys an important lesson. Instead of allowing the word of God, as
   many do, to pass away with the sound, we must take care that it strike
   its roots deep in us, and manifest its power, as soon as the sound has
   died away upon our ears. It deserves our attention, also, that the
   shepherds exhort one another: for it is not enough that each of us is
   attentive to his own duty, if we do not give mutual exhortations. Their
   obedience is still farther commended by the statement of Luke, that
   they hastened, (ver. 16;) for we are required to show the readiness of
   faith.

   Which the Lord hath revealed to us They had only heard it from the
   angel; but they intentionally and correctly say, that the Lord had
   revealed it to them; for they consider the messenger of God to possess
   the same authority as if the Lord himself had addressed them. For this
   reason, the Lord directs our attention to himself; that we may not fix
   our view on men, and undervalue the authority of his Word. We see also
   that they reckon themselves under obligation, not to neglect the
   treasure which the Lord had pointed out to them; for they conclude
   that, immediately after receiving this intelligence, they must go to
   Bethlehem to see it. In the same manner, every one of us, according to
   the measure of his faith and understanding, ought to be prepared to
   follow wheresoever God calls.

   16. And found Mary This was a revolting sight, and was sufficient of
   itself to produce an aversion to Christ. For what could be more
   improbable than to believe that he was the King of the whole people,
   who was deemed unworthy to be ranked with the lowest of the multitude?
   or to expect the restoration of the kingdom and salvation from him,
   whose poverty and want were such, that he was thrown into a stable? Yet
   Luke writes, that none of these things prevented the shepherds from
   admiring and praising God. The glory of God was so fully before their
   eyes, and reverence for his Word was so deeply impressed upon their
   minds, that the elevation of their faith easily rose above all that
   appeared mean or despicable in Christ. [167] And the only reason why
   our faith is either retarded or driven from the proper course, by some
   very trifling obstacles, is, that we do not look steadfastly enough on
   God, and are easily "tossed to and fro," (Ephesians 4:14.) If this one
   thought were entirely to occupy our minds, that we have a certain and
   faithful testimony from heaven, it would be a sufficiently strong and
   firm support against every kind of temptations, and will sufficiently
   protect us against every little offense that might have been taken.

   17. They published concerning the word It is mentioned by Luke, in
   commendation of the faith of the shepherds, that they honestly
   delivered to others what they had received from the Lord; and it was
   advantageous to all of us that they should attest this, and should be a
   sort of secondary angels in confirming our faith. Luke shows also that,
   in publishing what they had heard, they were not without success. [168]
   Nor can it be doubted, that the Lord gave efficacy to what they said,
   that it might not be ridiculed or despised; for the low rank of the men
   diminished their credit, and the occurrence itself might be regarded as
   fabulous. But the Lord, who gave them this employment, does not allow
   it to be fruitless.

   That the Lord should adopt such a method of proceeding as this, --
   should employ inconsiderable men in publishing his Word, may not be
   quite so agreeable to the human mind. But it tends to humble the pride
   of the flesh, and to try the obedience of faith; and therefore God
   approves of it. Still, though all are astonished, no one moves a step
   to come to Christ: from which we may infer, that the impression made
   upon them by hearing of the power of God, was unaccompanied by any
   devout affection of the heart. The design of publishing this report was
   not so much for their salvation, as to render the ignorance of the
   whole people inexcusable.

   19. Now Mary kept Mary's diligence in contemplating the works of God is
   laid before us for two reasons; first, to inform us, that this treasure
   was laid up in her heart, for the purpose of being published to others
   at the proper time; and, secondly, to afford to all the godly an
   example for imitation. For, if we are wise, it will be the chief
   employment, and the great object of our life, to consider with
   attention those works of God which build up our faith. Mary kept all
   these things This relates to her memory. Sumballein signifies to throw
   together, -- to collect the several events which agreed in proving the
   glory of Christ, so that they might form one body. For Mary could not
   wisely estimate the collective value of all those occurrences, except
   by comparing them with each other.

   20. Glorifying and praising God This is another circumstance which is
   fitted to be generally useful in confirming our faith. The shepherds
   knew with certainty that this was a work of God. Their zeal in
   glorifying and praising God is an implied reproof of our indolence, or
   rather of our ingratitude. If the cradle of Christ [169] had such an
   effect upon them, as to make them rise from the stable and the manger
   to heaven, how much more powerful ought the death and resurrection of
   Christ to be in raising us to God? For Christ did not only ascend from
   the earth, that he might draw all things after him; but he sits at the
   right hand of the Father, that, during our pilgrimage in the world, we
   may meditate with our whole heart on the heavenly life. When Luke says,
   that the testimony of the angel served as a rule to the shepherds in
   all that they did, [170] he points out the nature of true godliness.
   For our faith is properly aided by the works of God, when it directs
   everything to this end, that the truth of God, which was revealed in
   his word, may be brought out with greater clearness.

   21. That the child might be circumcised As to circumcision in general,
   the reader may consult the Book of Genesis, (17:10.) At present, it
   will be sufficient to state briefly what applies to the person of
   Christ. God appointed that his Son should be circumcised, in order to
   subject him to the law; for circumcision was a solemn rite, by which
   the Jews

   were initiated into the observance of the law. [171] Paul explains the
   design, [172] when he says, that Christ was

   "made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,"
   (Galatians 4:4,5.)

   By undergoing circumcision, Christ acknowledged himself to be the slave
   [173] of the law, that he might procure our freedom. And in this way
   not only was the bondage [174] of the law abolished by him, but the
   shadow of the ceremony was applied to his own body, that it might
   shortly afterwards come to an end. For though the abrogation of it
   depends on the death and resurrection of Christ, yet it was a sort of
   prelude to it, that the Son of God submitted to be circumcised.

   His name was called JESUS. This passage shows, that it was a general
   custom among the Jews to give names to their children on the day that
   they were circumcised, just as we now do at baptism. Two things are
   here mentioned by the Evangelist. First, the name Jesus was not given
   to the Son of God accidentally, or by the will of men, but was the name
   which the angel had brought from heaven. Secondly, Joseph and Mary
   obeyed the command of God. The agreement between our faith and the word
   of God lies in this, that he speaks first, and we follow, so that our
   faith answers to his promises. Above all, the order of preaching the
   word is held up by Luke for our commendation. Salvation through the
   grace of Christ, he tells us, had been promised by God through the
   angel, and was proclaimed by the voice of men.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [165] "Les ruminant en son coeur;" -- "ruminating on them in her
   heart."

   [166] "Si nous sommes paresseux de le faire, toutes les excuses du
   monde ne nous serviront de rien." -- "If we are indolent in doing so,
   all the apologies in the world will be of no service to us."

   [167] In the French copy he adds: "En sorte que cela ne les empesche
   point de recognoistre la hautesse de sa maiste divine." -- "So that it
   does not hinder them from acknowledging the height of his divine
   majesty."

   [168] "Ils n'ont pas perdu leurs peines;" -- "they did not lose their
   pains."

   [169] "Si les petits drapeaux esquels estoit enveloppe l'infant
   Jesus;"-- "if the little rags in which the child Jesus was wrapped."

   [170] "Ad quam omnia exigerent." -- "Une reigle, a laquelle ils ont
   rapporte tout ce qu'ils voyoyent;" -- "a rule by which they related all
   that they saw."

   [171] "Par lequel les Juifs protestoyent de se soumettre a
   l'observation de la Loy;" -- "by which the Jews solemnly declared that
   they would submit to the observance of the Law."

   [172] "Finem." -- "La fin ou le but de ceste soumission de Jesus
   Christ;" --"the end or design of this submission of Jesus Christ."

   [173] "Servum."--This might have been supposed to be equivalent to
   ministrum, servant, had not the latter clause of the sentence expressly
   contrasted freedom with the condition of a slave. But Calvin settles
   the point by rendering it serf, slave; by which he evidently means
   "complete and degrading subjection." Paul frequently speaks of the
   state of the Church under the law as bondage, (Galatians 4:3,9,) and a
   yoke of bondage, (Galatians 5:1.) -- Ed.

   [174] See passages referred to in the [4]preceding note, in which the
   term bondage is applied by an inspired writer to the ceremonial law --
   Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:1-6

   Matthew 2:1-6

   1. Now when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea, [175] in the
   times of Herod the King, lo, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem,
   2. Saying, Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
   his star in the East, and have come that we may worship him. 3. And
   having heard these things, Herod the King was troubled, and all
   Jerusalem with him. 4. And having assembled all the chief priests and
   scribes of the people, he inquired at them where Christ should be born.
   5. But they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it has been
   written by the prophet: 6. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   art by no means the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee
   shall come the leader, [176] who shall feed my people Israel.


   1. Now when Jesus had been born How it came about that Jesus was born
   in Bethlehem, Matthew does not say. The Spirit of God, who had
   appointed the Evangelists to be his clerks, [177] appears purposely to
   have regulated their style in such a manner, that they all wrote one
   and the same history, with the most perfect agreement, but in different
   ways. It was intended, that the truth of God should more clearly and
   strikingly appear, when it was manifest that his witnesses did not
   speak by a preconcerted plan, but that each of them separately, without
   paying any attention to another, wrote freely and honestly what the
   Holy Spirit dictated.

   This is a very remarkable narrative. God brought Magi from Chaldea, to
   come to the land of Judea, for the purpose of adoring Christ, in the
   stable where he lay, amidst the tokens, not of honor, but of contempt.
   It was a truly wonderful purpose of God, that he caused the entrance of
   his Son into the world to be attended by deep meanness, and yet
   bestowed upon him illustrious ornaments, both of commendation and of
   other outward signs, that our faith might be supplied with everything
   necessary to prove his Divine Majesty.

   A beautiful instance of real harmony, amidst apparent contradiction, is
   here exhibited. A star from heaven announces that he is a king, to whom
   a manger, intended for cattle, serves for a throne, because he is
   refused admittance among the lowest of the people. His majesty shines
   in the East, while in Judea it is so far from being acknowledged, that
   it is visited by many marks of dishonor. Why is this? The heavenly
   Father chose to appoint the star and the Magi as our guides, to lead
   directly to his Son: while he stripped him of all earthly splendor, for
   the purpose of informing us that his kingdom is spiritual. This history
   conveys profitable instruction, not only because God brought the Magi
   to his Son, as the first-fruits of the Gentiles, but also because he
   appointed the kingdom of his Son to receive their commendation, and
   that of the star, for the confirmation of our faith; that the wicked
   and malignant contempt of his nation might not render him less
   estimable in our eyes.

   Magi is well known to be the name given by the Persians and Chaldees to
   astrologers and philosophers: and hence it may readily be conjectured
   that those men came from Persia. [178] As the Evangelist does not state
   what was their number, it is better to be ignorant of it, than to
   affirm as certain what is doubtful. Papists have been led into a
   childish error, of supposing that they were three in number: because
   Matthew says, that they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, (verse
   11.) But the historian does not say, that each of them separately
   presented his own gift. He rather says, that those three gifts were
   presented by them in common. That ancient author, whoever he may be,
   whose imperfect Commentary on Matthew bears the name of Chrysostom, and
   is reckoned among Chrysostom's works, says that they were fourteen.
   This carries as little probability as the other. It may have come from
   a tradition of the Fathers, but has no solid foundation. But the most
   ridiculous contrivance of the Papists on this subject is, that those
   men were kings, because they found in another passage a prediction,
   that

   the kings of Tarshish, and of the Isles, and of Sheba,
   would offer gifts to the Lord, (Psalm 72:10.)

   Ingenious workmen, truly, who, in order to present those men in a new
   shape, have begun with turning the world from one side to another: for
   they have changed the south and west into the east! Beyond all doubt,
   they have been stupified by a righteous judgment of God, that all might
   laugh at the gross ignorance of those who have not scrupled to
   adulterate "and, change the truth of God into a lie," (Romans 1:25.)

   The first inquiry here is: Was this star one of those which the Lord
   created in the beginning (Genesis 1:1,16) to "garnish the heavens?"
   (Job 26:13.) Secondly, Were the magi led by their acquaintance with
   astrology to conclude that it pointed out the birth of Christ? On these
   points, there is no necessity for angry disputation: but it may be
   inferred from the words of Matthew, that it was not a natural, but an
   extraordinary star. It was not agreeable to the order of nature, that
   it should disappear for a certain period, and afterwards should
   suddenly become bright; nor that it should pursue a straight course
   towards Bethlehem, and at length remain stationary above the house
   where Christ was. Not one of these things belongs to natural stars. It
   is more probable that it resembled [179] a comet, and was seen, not in
   the heaven, but in the air. Yet there is no impropriety in Matthew, who
   uses popular language, calling it incorrectly a star.

   This almost decides likewise the second question: for since astrology
   is undoubtedly confined within the limits of nature, its guidance alone
   could not have conducted the Magi to Christ; so that they must have
   been aided by a secret revelation of the Spirit. I do not go so far as
   to say, that they derived no assistance whatever from the art: but I
   affirm, that this would have been of no practical advantage, if they
   had not been aided by a new and extraordinary revelation.

   2. Where is he who has been born King? The notion of some commentators,
   that he is said to have been born King, by indirect contrast with one
   who has been made or created a king, appears to me too trifling. I
   rather suppose the Magi to have simply meant, that this king had been
   recently born, and was still a child, by way of distinguishing him from
   a king who is of age, and who holds the reins of government: for they
   immediately add, that they had been drawn, not by the fame of his
   exploits, or by any present exhibitions of his greatness, but by a
   heavenly presage of his future reign. But if the sight of a star had so
   powerful an effect on the Magi, woe to our insensibility, who, now that
   Christ the King has been revealed to us, are so cold in our inquiries
   after him!

   And have come that we may worship him The reason why the star had been
   exhibited was, to draw the Magi into Judea, that they might be
   witnesses and heralds of the new King. [180] So far as respects
   themselves, they had not come to render to Christ such pious worship,
   as is due to the Son of God, but intended to salute him, according to
   the Persian custom, [181] as a very eminent King. For their views, with
   regard to him, probably went no farther, than that his power and
   exalted rank would be so extraordinary as to impress all nations with
   just admiration and reverence. It is even possible, that they wished to
   gain his favor beforehand, that he might treat them favorably and
   kindly, if he should afterwards happen to possess dominion in the east.

   3. Herod the king was troubled Herod was not unacquainted with the
   predictions, which promised to the Jews a King, who would restore their
   distressful and ruinous affairs to a prosperous condition. He had lived
   from a child among that nation, and was thoroughly acquainted with
   their affairs. Besides, the report was spread everywhere, and could not
   be unknown to the neighboring nations. Yet he is troubled, as if the
   matter had been new and unheard of; because he put no trust in God, and
   thought it idle to rely on the promises of a Redeemer; and particularly
   because, with the foolish confidence incident to proud men, he imagined
   that the kingdom was secure to himself and his descendants. But though,
   in the intoxication of prosperity, he was formerly accustomed to view
   the prophecies with scorn, the recollection of them now aroused him to
   sudden alarm. For he would not have been so strongly moved by the
   simple tale of the Magi, if he had not remembered the predictions,
   which he had formerly looked upon as harmless, [182] and of no
   importance. Thus, when the Lord has permitted unbelievers to sleep, he
   suddenly breaks their rest. [183]

   And all Jerusalem with him This may be explained in two ways. Either
   the people were roused, in a tumultuous manner, by the novelty of the
   occurrence, though the glad tidings of a king who had been born to them
   were cordially welcomed. Or the people, accustomed to distresses, and
   rendered callous by long endurance, dreaded a change which might
   introduce still greater calamities. For they were so completely worn
   down, and almost wasted, by continued wars, that their wretched and
   cruel bondage appeared to them not only tolerable, but desirable,
   provided it were accompanied by peace. This shows how little they had
   profited under God's chastisements: for they were so benumbed and
   stupified, that the promised redemption and salvation almost stank
   [184] in their nostrils. Matthew intended, I have no doubt, to express
   their ingratitude, in being so entirely broken by the long continuance
   of their afflictions, as to throw away the hope and desire of the grace
   which had been promised to them.

   4. Having assembled the priests Though deep silence prevailed
   respecting Christ in the Hall of Herod, yet, as soon as the Magi have
   thrown out the mention of a King, predictions are remembered, which
   formerly lay in oblivion. Herod instantly conjectures, that the King,
   about whom the Magi inquire, is the Messiah whom God had formerly
   promised, (Daniel 9:25.) Here again it appears, that Herod is seriously
   alarmed, when he puts such earnest inquiries; and no wonder. All
   tyrants are cowards, and their cruelty produces stronger alarm in their
   own breasts than in the breasts of others. Herod must have trembled
   more than others, because he perceived that he was reigning in
   opposition to God.

   This new investigation shows, that the contempt of Christ, before the
   arrival of the Magi, must have been very deep. At a later period, the
   scribes and high priests labored with fury to corrupt the whole of the
   Scripture, that they might not give any countenance to Christ. But on
   the present occasion they reply honestly out of the Scripture, and for
   this reason, that Christ and his Gospel have not yet given them
   uneasiness. And so all ungodly persons find no difficulty in giving
   their assent to God on general principles; but when the truth of God
   begins to press them more closely, they throw out the venom of their
   rebellion.

   We have a striking instance of this, in our own day, among the Papists.
   They freely own, that he is the only-begotten Son of God, clothed with
   our flesh, and acknowledge the one person of God-man, as subsisting in
   the two natures. But when we come to the power and office of Christ, a
   contest immediately breaks out; because they will not consent to take a
   lower rank, and much less to be reduced to nothing. In a word, so long
   as wicked men think that it is taking nothing from themselves, they
   will yield to God and to Scripture some degree of reverence. But when
   Christ comes into close conflict with ambition, covetousness, pride,
   misplaced confidence, hypocrisy, and deceit, they immediately forget
   all modesty, and break out into rage. Let us therefore learn, that the
   chief cause of blindness in the enemies of truth is to be found in
   their wicked affections, which change light into darkness.

   6. And thou, Bethlehem The scribes quoted faithfully, no doubt, the
   words of the passage in their own language, as it is found in the
   prophet. But Matthew reckoned it enough to point out the passage; and,
   as he wrote in Greek, he followed the ordinary reading. This passage,
   and others of the same kind, readily suggest the inference, that
   Matthew did not compose his Gospel in the Hebrew language. It ought
   always to be observed that, whenever any proof from Scripture is quoted
   by the apostles, though they do not translate word for word, and
   sometimes depart widely from the language, yet it is applied correctly
   and appropriately to their subject. Let the reader always consider the
   purpose for which passages of Scripture are brought forward by the
   Evangelists, so as not to stick too closely to the particular words,
   but to be satisfied with this, that the Evangelists never torture
   Scripture into a different meaning, but apply it correctly in its
   native meaning. But while it was their intention to supply with milk
   children and "novices" (1 Timothy 3:6) in faith, who were not yet able
   to endure "strong meat," (Hebrews 5:12,) there is nothing to prevent
   the children of God from making careful and diligent inquiry into the
   meaning of Scripture, and thus being led to the fountain by the taste
   which the apostles afford.

   Let us now return to the prediction. Thus it stands literally in the
   Prophet:

   "And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little
   among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall
   he come forth to me, who is Ruler in Israel," (Micah 5:2.)

   For Ephratah Matthew has put Judah, but the meaning is the same; for
   Micah only intended, by this mark, to distinguish the Bethlehem of
   which he speaks, from another Bethlehem, which was in the tribe of
   Zebulun. There is greater difficulty in what follows: for the Prophet
   says, that Bethlehem is little, when reckoned among the governments of
   Judah, while Matthew, on the contrary: speaks highly of its rank as one
   of the most distinguished: thou art by no means the least among the
   princes of Judah This reason has induced some commentators to read the
   passage in the prophet as a question, Art thou little among the
   thousands of Judah? But I rather agree with those who think that
   Matthew intended, by this change of the language, to magnify the grace
   of God in making an inconsiderable and unknown town the birth-place of
   the highest King. Although Bethlehem received this distinguished honor,
   it was of no advantage to its inhabitants, but brought upon them a
   heavier destruction: for there an unworthy reception was given to the
   Redeemer. For he is to be Ruler, Matthew has put he shall feed,
   (poimanei) But he has expressed both, when he says, that Christ is the
   leader, (hegoumenos,) and that to him is committed the office of
   feeding his people.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [175] "(Cite) de Judee;" -- "(city) of Judea."

   [176] "Dux;" -- "Conducteur."

   [177] "Scribas;" -- "greffiers."--Clerks, not Authors in the ordinary
   meaning of that term, but persons who wrote to the dictation of
   another. This conveys the idea of what is frequently called plenary
   inspiration. If such a term as Clerk, or Penman, may be supposed to
   lower the sacred writers, it is not by a comparison of them with
   uninspired historians, the ablest of whom cannot, without arrogance,
   aspire to an equal level with those who wrote by inspiration. But when
   man is brought into a comparison with God, no language can express too
   strongly the infinite distance between the parties. The Evangelists do
   not ask the praise of invention, or judgment, or of anything else which
   would imply that the work was their own production. But they lay claim
   to a loftier and peculiar distinction, that they faithfully committed
   to writing that history which they were honored to receive from its
   Divine Author. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
   Ghost, (2 Peter 1:21.) -- Ed.

   [178] "Le mot Grec, (magai,) du quel use l'Evangeliste est celuy d'ou
   vient le mot de Magiciens: mais les Perses et Chaldeens nomment ainsi
   leurs Astrologues et Philosophes: et pourtant nous l'avons traduit par
   ce mot de Sages. Parquoy il y a grande apparence de dire qu'ils etoyent
   venus du pays des Perses." -- "The Greek word, (magoi,) which the
   Evangelist employs, is that from which the word Magicians is derived:
   but the Persians and Chaldees give this name also to their Astrologers
   and Philosophers: and therefore we have translated it by the word
   Sages, or Wise men. Wherefore there is great probability in saying that
   they had come from the country of the Persians."

   [179] Calvin says, not that it was a comet, but that it resembled a
   comet; and it is probable enough that the meteor assumed that aspect.
   He refutes, in a masterly and conclusive manner, the supposition that
   it was "natural star," but, with modesty and good sense, avoids
   shocking the prejudices of his age. Of astrology he speaks more
   doubtfully. If he had lent the countenance of his name to that
   pretended science, we ought not to have blamed him severely. Long after
   he had left the world, men of powerful minds, and of extensive
   attainments in science, found it no easy matter to disentangle
   themselves from its meshes, and to proclaim their freedom. But Calvin
   needs no vindication. He has left us a treatise, Adversus Astrologiam
   Judiciarium, "Against Judicial Astrology;" which Servetus, as much his
   inferior in philosophical views in sterling worth, brings forward as
   one of his charges. Damnatam a me fuisse Astrologiam conqueritur, says
   Calvin; "It is made a ground of complaint against me that I have
   condemned astrology." -- Ed.

   [180] "Que la ils fussent comme herauts pour porter les nouvelles du
   nouveau Roy." -- "That there they might be as heralds, to carry the
   tidings of the new King."

   [181] "Persico more;" -- "selon la coustume de leur pays;" --
   "according to the custom of their country."

   [182] "Lusoria;" alluding to the phrase used by Seneca and others,
   lusoria fulmina, "harmless thunderbolts."

   [183] "Il les resveille tout soudain, et leur fait bien sentir leur
   folie." -- "He awakes them all on a sudden, and makes them deeply feel
   their folly."

   [184] "Quodammodo foeteret,"
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:7-12

   Matthew 2:7-12

   7. Then Herod, having secretly called the Magii inquired at them
   carefully at what time the star had appeared 8. And having ordered them
   to go to Bethlehem, he said, Go, inquire concerning the young child;
   and, when ye have found him, bring me back information, that I also may
   come and worship him. 9. But they, having heard the King, departed;
   and, lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them,
   till, having advanced, it stood above the place in which the child was.
   10. And, when they had seen the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with
   great joy. 11. And, entering the house, they found the young child with
   Mary his mother, and, falling down, they worshipped him: and, having
   opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts, gold,
   frankincense, and myrrh. 12. And, warned by a heavenly intimation
   through a dream, that they should not return to Herod, they departed,
   by another way, into their own country.


   7. Then Herod, having secretly called the Magi The tyrant did not dare
   to avow his fear and uneasiness, lest he might give fresh courage to a
   people, by whom he knew that he was hated. In public, therefore, he
   pretends that this matter does not concern him, but inquires secretly,
   in order to meet immediate danger. Though a bad conscience made him
   timid, there can be no doubt that God struck his mind with an unusual
   fear, which for a time made him incapable of reflection, and almost
   deprived him of the use of reason. For nothing was more easy than to
   send one of his courtiers as an escort, under the pretense of courtesy,
   who would investigate the whole matter, and immediately return. Herod
   certainly was a man of no ordinary address, and of great courage. It is
   the more surprising that, in a case of extremity, and when the remedy
   is at hand, he remains in a state of amazement, and almost dead. Let us
   learn, that a miracle was effected, in rescuing the Son of God from the
   jaws of the lion. Not less at the present day does God infatuate his
   enemies, so that a thousand schemes of injuring and ruining his Church
   do not occur to their minds, and even the opportunities which are at
   hand are not embraced. The trick which Herod practiced on the Magi, by
   pretending that he also would come for the purpose of worshipping
   Christ, was avoided by the Lord, as we shall see, in another way. But
   as Herod's dread of arousing the people against him deprived him of the
   use of his reason, so again he is driven by such madness, that he does
   not hesitate or shudder at the thought of provoking God. For he knew
   that, if a King were born, it was ordained by God, that he should raise
   up the throne "of David, which was fallen," (Amos 9:11.) He does not
   therefore attack men, but furiously dares to fight with God. Two things
   claim our attention. He was seized with a spirit of giddiness, to
   attack God; and, on the other hand, his manner of acting was childish:
   for his design was frustrated, so that he was like a "blind man groping
   in darkness." [185]

   9. But they, having heard the King, departed It is truly an instance of
   base sluggishness, that not one of the Jews offers himself as an escort
   to those foreigners, to go and see the King who had been promised to
   their own nation. The scribes show them the way, and point out the
   place where he was born; but they allow them to depart alone: not one
   moves a step. They were afraid, perhaps, of Herod's cruelty: but it
   displayed wicked ingratitude that, for the sake of the salvation which
   had been offered to them, they were unwilling to undergo any risk, and
   cared less about the grace of God than about the frown of a tyrant. The
   whole nation, I have lately showed, was so degenerate, that they chose
   rather to be oppressed with the yoke of tyranny, than to submit to any
   inconvenience arising from a change. If God had not fortified the minds
   of the Magi by his Spirit, they might have been discouraged by this
   state of things. But the ardor of their zeal is unabated; they set out
   without a guide. And yet the means of confirming their faith are not
   wanting; for they hear that the King, who had been pointed out to them
   by a star, was long ago described, in glowing language, by divine
   predictions. It would seem that the star, which hitherto guided them in
   the way, had lately disappeared. The reason may easily be conjectured.
   It was, that they might make inquiry in Jerusalem about the new King,
   and might thus take away all excuse from the Jews, who, after having
   been instructed about the Redeemer who was sent to them, knowingly and
   willingly despise him.

   11. They found the young child So revolting a sight might naturally
   have created an additional prejudice; for Christ was so far from having
   aught of royalty surrounding him, that he was in a meaner and more
   despised condition than any peasant child. But they are convinced that
   he is divinely appointed to be a King. This thought alone, deeply
   rooted in their minds, procures their reverence. They contemplate in
   the purpose of God his exalted rank, which is still concealed from
   outward view. [186] Holding it for certain, that he will one day be
   different from what he now appears, they are not at all ashamed to
   render to him the honors of royalty.

   Their presents show whence they came: for there can be no doubt that
   they brought them as the choicest productions of their country. We are
   not to understand, that each of them presented his own offering, but
   that the three offerings, which are mentioned by Matthew, were
   presented by all of them in common. Almost all the commentators indulge
   in speculations about those gifts, as denoting the kingdom, priesthood,
   and burial of Christ. They make gold the symbol of his kingdom, --
   frankincense, of his priesthoods, -- and myrrh, of his burial. I see no
   solid ground for such an opinion. It was customary, we know, among the
   Persians, when they offered homage to their kings, to bring a present
   in their hands. The Magi select those three for the produce of which
   Eastern countries are celebrated; just as Jacob sent into Egypt the
   choicest and most esteemed productions of the soil.

   "Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down
   the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh,
   nuts and almonds,"
   (Genesis 43:11.)

   Again, in rendering homage, according to the custom of Persia, to him
   whom they still regarded as an earthly King, they offered the
   productions of the soil. Our duty is, to adore him in a spiritual
   manner: for the lawful and reasonable worship which he demands is, that
   we consecrate first ourselves, and then all that we have, to his
   service.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [185] Like many others of his scriptural allusions, this is not marked
   by our Author. It approaches very nearly to the language of one of the
   curses pronounced by Moses on the people of Israel, "If they should not
   hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God;" -- "thou shalt grope at
   noon-day as the blind gropeth in darkness," (Deuteronomy 28:15,29.) But
   it is more likely that he had in his eye a passage from the book of
   Job. In the opening description of "the devices of the crafty," Herod,
   who is pronounced by Calvin to have been "a man of no ordinary address,
   and another Herod, whom our Lord designates that fox, (Luke 13:32,) are
   so exactly delineated, that it might almost be imagined they had sat
   for the picture. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that
   their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in
   their own craftiness; and the counsel of the froward is carried
   headlong. They meet with darkness in the day-time, and grope in the
   noon-day as in the night," (Job 5:12-14.) -- Ed.

   [186] "Car ils considerent et contemplent au conseil de Dieu sa dignite
   et magnificence royale, laquelle n'apparoissoit point encores;" -- "for
   they consider and contemplate in the purpose of God his royal dignity
   and splendor, which did not yet appear,"
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:22-32

   Luke 2:22-32

   22. And after that the days of their [187] purification were fulfilled
   according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, that they
   might present him to the Lord, 23. As it is written in the Law of the
   Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord:
   24. And that they might offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in
   the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.
   25. And, lo, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and
   that man was just and devout, [188] waiting for the consolation of
   Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26. And he had received a
   revelation [189] from the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death
   before he saw the Lord's Christ. 27. And he came by the Spirit into the
   temple. [190] And when the parents brought the young child Jesus, that
   they might do according to the custom of the Law for him, 28. He also
   took him into his arms: and blessed God, and said, 29. Thou now sendest
   thy servant away, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace, 30. For my
   eyes have seen thy salvation, 31. Which thou hast prepared before the
   face of all nations: 32. A light for the enlightening of the Gentiles,
   and the glory of thy people Israel.


   22. And after that the days were fulfilled On the fortieth day after
   the birth, (Leviticus 12:2,4,) the rite of purification was necessary
   to be performed. But Mary and Joseph come to Jerusalem for another
   reason, to present Christ to the Lord, because he was the first-born.
   Let us now speak first of the purification. Luke makes it apply both to
   Mary and to Christ: for the pronoun auton, of them, can have no
   reference whatever to Joseph. But it ought not to appear strange, that
   Christ, who was to be, made a curse for us on the cross," (Galatians
   3:13,) should, for our benefit, take upon him our uncleanness with
   respect to legal guilt, though he was "without blemish and without
   spot," (1 Peter 1:19.) It ought not, I say, to appear strange, if the
   fountain of purity, in order to wash away our stains, chose to be
   reckoned unclean. [191] It is a mistake to imagine that this law of
   purification was merely political, and that the woman was unclean in
   presence of her husband, not in presence of God. On the contrary, it
   placed before the eyes of the Jews both the corruption of their nature,
   and the remedy of divine grace.

   This law is of itself abundantly sufficient to prove original sin,
   while it contains a striking proof of the grace of God; for there could
   not be a clearer demonstration of the curse pronounced on mankind than
   when the Lord declared, that the child comes from its mother unclean
   and polluted, and that the mother herself is consequently defiled by
   childbearing. Certainly, if man were not born a sinner, if he were not
   by nature a child of wrath, (Ephesians 2:3,) if some taint of sin did
   not dwell in him, he would have no need of purification. Hence it
   follows, that all are corrupted in Adam; for the mouth of the Lord
   charges all with pollution.

   It is in perfect consistency with this, that the Jews are spoken of, in
   other passages, as "holy branches of a holy root," (Romans 11:16:) for
   this benefit did not properly belong to their own persons. They had
   been set apart, by the privilege of adoption, as an elect people; but
   the corruption, which they had by inheritance from Adam, was first in
   the order of time [192] We must, therefore, distinguish between the
   first nature, and that special kindness through a covenant, by which
   God delivers his own people from the curse which had been pronounced on
   all. And the design of legal purification was to inform the Jews, that
   the pollutions, which they brought with them into the world at their
   birth, are washed away by the grace of God.

   Hence too we ought to learn, how dreadful is the contagion of sin,
   which defiles, in some measure, the lawful order of nature. I do own
   that child-bearing is not unclean, and that what would otherwise be
   lust changes its character, through the sacredness of the marriage
   relation. But still the fountain of sin is so deep and abundant, that
   its constant overflowings stain what would otherwise be pure.

   23. As it is written in the Law This was another exercise of piety
   which was discharged by Joseph and Mary. The Lord commanded, that all
   the males should be dedicated to him, in remembrance of their
   deliverance; because when the angel slew all the first-born of Egypt,
   (Exodus 12:29,) he had spared the first-born of Israel.

   "On the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I
   hallowed unto me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast: mine
   shall they be:
   I am the Lord" (Numbers 3:13.)

   They were afterwards permitted to redeem their first-born at a certain
   price. Such was the ancient ceremony: and, as the Lord is the common
   Redeemer of all, [193] he has a right to claim us as his own, from the
   least to the greatest. Nor is it without a good reason, that Luke so
   frequently repeats the statement, that Joseph and Mary did what was
   written in the law of the Lord For these words teach us, that we must
   not, at our own suggestion, attempt any thing in the worship of God,
   but must obediently follow what he requires in his Word.

   24. And that they might offer a sacrifice This sacrifice belonged to
   the ceremony of purification; lest any one should suppose that it was
   offered for the sake of redeeming the first-born. When the Evangelist
   mentions a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, he takes for
   granted that his readers will understand, that Joseph and Mary were in
   such deep poverty, as not to have it in their power to offer a lamb.
   For this exception is expressly mentioned:

   "If she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall
   bring two turtles, or two young pigeons," (Leviticus 12:8.)

   Is it objected, that the Magi had very recently supplied them with a
   sufficiency of gold to make the purchase? I reply: We must not imagine
   that they had such abundance of gold as to raise them suddenly from
   poverty to wealth. We do not read, that their camels were laden with
   gold. It is more probable that it was some small present, which they
   had brought solely as a mark of respect. The law did not rigorously
   enjoin, that the poor should spend their substance on a sacrifice, but
   drew a line of distinction between them and the rich, as to the kind of
   sacrifices, and thus relieved them from burdensome expense. There would
   be no impropriety in saying, that Joseph and Mary gave as much as their
   circumstances allowed, though they reserved a little money to defray
   the expenses of their journey and of their household.

   25. And, lo, there was a man in Jerusalem The design of this narrative
   is to inform us that, though nearly the whole nation was profane and
   irreligious, and despised God, yet that a few worshippers of God
   remained, and that Christ was known to such persons from his earliest
   infancy. These were "the remnant" of whom Paul says, that they were
   preserved "according to the election of grace," (Romans 11:5.) Within
   this small band lay the Church of God; though the priests and scribes,
   with as much pride as falsehood, claimed for themselves the title of
   the Church. The Evangelist mentions no more than two, who recognised
   Christ at Jerusalem, when he was brought into the temple. These were
   Simeon and Anna. We must speak first of Simeon.

   As to his condition in life we are not informed: he may have been a
   person of humble rank and of no reputation. Luke bestows on him the
   commendation of being just and devout; and adds, that he had the gift
   of prophecy: for the Holy Spirit was upon him. Devotion and
   Righteousness related to the two tables of the law, and are the two
   parts of which an upright life consists. It was a proof of his being a
   devout man, that he waited for the consolation of Israel: for no true
   worship of God can exist without the hope of salvation, which depends
   on the faith of his promises, and particularly on the restoration
   promised through Christ. Now, since an expectation of this sort is
   commended in Simeon as an uncommon attainment, we may conclude, that
   there were few in that age, who actually cherished in their hearts the
   hope of redemption. All had on their lips the name of the Messiah, and
   of prosperity under the reign of David: but hardly any one was to be
   found, who patiently endured present afflictions, relying on the
   consolatory assurance, that the redemption of the Church was at hand.
   As the eminence of Simeon's piety was manifested by its supporting his
   mind in the hope of the promised salvation, so those who wish to prove
   themselves the children of God, will breathe out unceasing prayers for
   the promised redemption. For we, "have need of patience" (Hebrews
   10:36) till the last coming of Christ.

   And the Holy Spirit was upon him The Evangelist does not speak of "the
   Spirit of adoptions" (Romans 8:15,) which is common to all the children
   of God, though not in an equal degree, but of the peculiar gift of
   prophecy. This appears more clearly from the next verse and the
   following one, in which it is said, that he received a revelation [194]
   from the Holy Spirit, and that, by the guidance of the same Spirit, he
   came into the temple Though Simeon had no distinction of public office,
   he was adorned with eminent gifts, -- with piety, with a blameless
   life, with faith and prophecy. Nor can it be doubted, that this divine
   intimation, which he received in his individual and private capacity,
   was intended generally for the confirmation of all the godly. Jesus is
   called the Lord's Christ, because he was anointed [195] by the Father,
   and, at the same time that he received the Spirit, received also the
   title, of King and Priest. Simeon is said to have come into the temple
   by the Spirit; that is, by a secret movement and undoubted revelation,
   that he might meet Christ. [196]

   29. Thou now sendest thy servant away From this song it is sufficiently
   evident, that Simeon looked at the Son of God with different eyes from
   the eyes of flesh. For the outward beholding of Christ could have
   produced no feeling but contempt, or, at least, would never have
   imparted such satisfaction to the mind of the holy man, as to make him
   joyful and desirous to die, from having reached the summit of his
   wishes. The Spirit of God enlightened his eyes by faith, to perceive,
   under a mean and poor dress, the glory of the Son of God. He says, that
   he would be sent away in peace; which means, that he would die with
   composure of mind, having obtained all that he desired.

   But here a question arises. If he chose rather to depart from life, was
   it amidst distress of mind and murmuring, as is usually the case with
   those who die unwillingly, that Simeon was hurried away? I answer: we
   must attend to the circumstance which is added, according to thy word
   God had promised that Simeon would behold his Son. He had good reason
   for continuing in a state of suspense, and must have lived in some
   anxiety, till he obtained his expectation. This ought to be carefully
   observed; for there are many who falsely and improperly plead the
   example of Simeon, and boast that they would willingly die, if this or
   the other thing were previously granted to them; while they allow
   themselves to entertain rash wishes at their own pleasure, or to form
   vain expectations without the authority of the Word of God. If Simeon
   had said exactly, "Now I shall die with a composed and easy mind,
   because I have seen the Son of God," this expression would have
   indicated the weakness of his faith; but, as he had the word, he might
   have refused to die until the coming of Christ.

   30. For my eyes have seen This mode of expression is very common in
   Scripture; but Simeon appears to denote expressly the bodily appearance
   of Christ, as if he had said, that he now has the Son of God present in
   the flesh, on whom the eyes of his mind had been previously fixed. By
   saving [197] I understand the matter of salvation: for in Christ are
   hid all the parts of salvation and of a happy life. Now if the sight of
   Christ, while he was yet a child, had so powerful an effect on Simeon,
   that he approached death with cheerfulness and composure; how much more
   abundant materials of lasting peace are now furnished to us, who have
   the opportunity of beholding our salvation altogether completed in
   Christ? True, Christ no longer dwells on earth, nor do we carry him in
   our arms: but his divine majesty shines openly and brightly in the
   gospel, and there do "we all," as Paul says, "behold as in a glass the
   glory of the Lord," -- not as formerly amidst the weakness of flesh,
   but in the glorious power of the Spirit, which he displayed in his
   miracles, in the sacrifice of his death, and in his resurrection. In a
   word, his absence from us in body is of such a nature, that we are
   permitted to behold him sitting at the right hand of the Father. If
   such a sight does not bring peace to our minds, and make us go
   cheerfully to death, we are highly ungrateful to God, and hold the
   honor, which he has bestowed upon us, in little estimation.

   31. Which thou hast prepared By these words Simeon intimates, that
   Christ had been divinely appointed, that all nations might enjoy his
   grace; and that he would shortly afterwards be placed in an elevated
   situation, and would draw upon him the eyes of all. Under this term he
   includes all the predictions which relate: to the spread of Christ's
   kingdom. But if Simeon, when holding a little child in his arms, could
   stretch his mind to the utmost boundaries of the world, and acknowledge
   the power of Christ to be everywhere present, how much more magnificent
   ought our conceptions regarding him to be now that he has been set up
   as a, "standard to the people," (Isaiah 49:22,) and has revealed
   himself to the whole world.

   32. A light for the revelation of the Gentiles Simeon now points out
   the purpose for which Christ was to be exhibited by the Father before
   all nations. It was that he might enlighten the Gentiles, who had been
   formerly in darkness, and might be the glory of his people Israel There
   is propriety in the distinction here made between the people Israel and
   the Gentiles: for by the right of adoption the children of Abraham
   "were nigh" (Ephesians 2:17) to God, while the Gentiles, with whom God
   had made no "covenants of promise," were "strangers" to the Church,
   (Ephesians 2:12.) For this reason, Israel is called, in other passages,
   not only the son of God, but his first-born, (Jeremiah 31:9;) and Paul
   informs us, that "Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for
   the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers"
   (Romans 15:8.) The preference given to Israel above the Gentiles is,
   that all without distinction may obtain salvation in Christ.

   A light for revelation [198] means for enlightening the Gentiles Hence
   we infer, that men are by nature destitute of light, till Christ, "the
   Sun of Righteousness," (Malachi 4:2,) shine upon them. With regard to
   Israel, though God had bestowed upon him distinguished honor, yet all
   his glory rests on this single article, that a Redeemer had been
   promised to him.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [187] "Les jours de la purification d'iceux, ou, d'icelle, assavoir de
   Marie,"(Leviticus 12:6.)--"The days of the purification of them, or, of
   her, namely of Mary," (Leviticus 12:6.)

   [188] "Craignant Dieu;" -- "fearing God."

   [189] "Lequel avoit este adverti divinement par le Sainct Esprit;" --
   "who had been divinely warned by the Holy Spirit"

   [190] "Icelui estant meu par le Sainct Esprit, vint au Temple." -- "He,
   being moved by the Holy Ghost, came to the Temple."

   [191] "Si celuy qui est la fontaine de toute purete, a voulu estre tenu
   pour immonde et souille, afin de laver toutes nos ordures." -- "If he,
   who is the fountain of all purity, determined to be reckoned unclean
   and defiled in order to wash away our pollutions."

   [192] "La corruption hereditaire procedante d'Adam precedoit un tel
   bien, et estoit plus ancienne." -- "The hereditary corruption
   proceeding from Adam preceded such a benefit, and was more ancient."

   [193] "Veu que le Seigneur est Redempteur de tout le monde en general;"
   -- "since the Lord is Redeemer of all the world at large."

   [194] "Responsum;" -- "revelation."

   [195] It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader, that the simple
   meaning of the Hebrew word Messiah, and of the Greek word Christ, is
   Anointed; and that the Lord's Christ means the Lord's Anointed,--a
   designation which, as has been already remarked, ([5]p. 92, note 2,)
   was familiarly applied to David and his successors on the throne for
   many generations, (2 Samuel 19:21; Lamentations 4:20,) but was
   afterwards restricted to "David's son," and "David's Lord," (Matthew
   22:45,) whom Daniel emphatically calls the Messiah, the Anointed,
   (Daniel 9:25, 26.) -- Ed.

   [196] "C'est a dire, par un mouvement secret et certaine revelation du
   Sainct Esprit, afin de s'y rencontrer a l'heure que Christ y estoit."
   -- "That is to say, by a secret movement and certain revelation of the
   Spirit, in order that he might arrive at the hour when Christ was
   there."

   [197] "La ou nous avons rendu Ton salut, qui voudroit suivre le mot
   Grec de pres, il faudroit dire, Ton Salutaire." -- "Where we have
   translated Thy Salvation, were we to follow closely the Greek word, we
   must say, Thy Saving."--It is evident that Calvin viewed soterion, not
   with most of our lexicographers, as a noun of the same import with
   soteria, salvation, but as the neuter of the adjective soterios, which
   occurs in a memorable phrase, he charis tou Theou he soterios, (Titus
   2:11,) rendered in the English version, the grace of God that bringeth
   salvation. -- Ed.

   [198] "Lumen ad revelationem." -- "La ou nous avons traduit, Pour
   l'esclaircissement, le mot Grec signifie quelque fois Revelation: mais
   Simeon vent dire ici, Pour esclairer ou illuminer les Gentils." --
   "Where we have translated, For the enlightening, the Greek word
   (apochalupsis) sometimes signifies Revelation: but Simeon means here,
   To enlighten or illuminate the Gentiles."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:33-39

   Luke 2:33-39

   33. And his father and mother were wondering about those things which
   were spoken of him. 34. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his
   mother, Lo, this (child) has been set for the ruin, and for the
   resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign, which is spoken
   against. 35. But also a sword shall pierce thy own soul: that the
   thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36. And there was Anna, a
   prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she had
   advanced to a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years
   from her virginity. 37. And she was a widow of about eighty-four years,
   who departed not from the temple worshipping (God) with fastings and
   prayer day and night. 38. And she, coming in at that hour, made
   acknowledgments also to God, [199] and spake of him to all who looked
   for redemption in Jerusalem. 39. And when they had completed all things
   according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their
   own city Nazareth.


   33. And his father and mother were wondering Luke does not say, that
   they were astonished at it as a new thing, but that they contemplated
   with reverence, and embraced with becoming admiration, this prediction
   of the Spirit uttered by the lips of Simeon, so that they continued to
   make progress in the knowledge of Christ. We learn from this example
   that, when we have once come to possess a right faith, we ought to
   collect, on every hand, whatever may aid in giving to it additional
   strength. That man has made great proficiency in the word of God, who
   does not fail to admire whatever he reads or hears every day, that
   contributes to his unceasing progress in faith.

   34. And Simeon blessed them If you confine this to Joseph and Mary,
   there will be no difficulty. But, as Luke appears to include Christ at
   the same time, it might be asked, What right had Simeon to take upon
   him the office of blessing Christ? "Without all contradiction," says
   Paul, "the less is blessed of the greater," (Hebrews 7:7.) Besides, it
   has the appearance of absurdity, that any mortal man should offer
   prayers in behalf of the Son of God. I answer: The Apostle does not
   speak there of every kind of blessing, but only of the priestly
   blessing: for, in other respects, it is highly proper in men to pray
   for each other. Now, it is more probable that Simeon blessed them, as a
   private man and as one of the people, than that he did so in a public
   character: for, as we have already said, we nowhere read that he was a
   priest. But there would be no absurdity in saying, that he prayed for
   the prosperity and advancement of Christ's kingdom: for in the book of
   Psalms the Spirit prescribes such a eulogia,--a blessing of this nature
   to all the godly.

   "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;
   we have blessed you in the name of the Lords"
   (Psalm 118:26.)

   Lo, this has been set This discourse was, no doubt, directly addressed
   by Simeon to Mary; but it has a general reference to all the godly. The
   holy virgin needed this admonition, that she might not (as usually
   happens) be lifted up by prosperous beginnings, so as to be less
   prepared for enduring afflictive events. But she needed it on another
   account, that she might not expect Christ to be received by the people
   with universal applause, but that her mind, on the contrary, might be
   fortified by unshaken courage against all hostile attacks. It was the
   design, at the same time, of the Spirit of God, to lay down a general
   instruction for all the godly. When they see the world opposing Christ
   with wicked obstinacy, they must be prepared to meet that opposition,
   and to contend against it undismayed. The unbelief of the world is--we
   know it--a great and serious hinderance; but it must be conquered, if
   we wish to believe in Christ. There never was a state of human society
   so happily constituted, that the greater part followed Christ. Those
   who will enlist in the cause of Christ must learn this as one of their
   earliest lessons, and must "put on" this "armor," (Ephesians 6:11,)
   that they may be steadfast in believing on him.

   It was by far the heaviest temptation, that Christ was not acknowledged
   by his own countrymen, and was even ignominiously rejected by that
   nation, which boasted that it was the Church of God; and, particularly,
   that the priests and scribes, who held in their hands the government of
   the Church, were his most determined enemies. For who would have
   thought, that he was the King of those, who not only rejected him, but
   treated him with such contempt and outrage?

   We see, then, that a good purpose was served by Simeon's prediction,
   that Christ was set for the ruin of many in Israel The meaning is, that
   he was divinely appointed to cast down and destroy many. But it must be
   observed, that the ruin of unbelievers results from their striking
   against him. This is immediately afterwards expressed, when Simeon says
   that Christ is a sign, which is spoken against Because unbelievers are
   rebels against Christ, they clash themselves against him, and hence
   comes their ruin This metaphor is taken from a mark shot at by archers,
   [200] as if Simeon had said, Hence we perceive the malice of men, and
   even the depravity of the whole human race, that all, as if they had
   made a conspiracy, rise in murmurs and rebellion against the Son of
   God. The world would not display such harmony in opposing the Gospel,
   if there were not a natural enmity between the Son of God and those
   men. The ambition or fury of the enemies of the Gospel carries them in
   various directions, faction splits them into various sects, and a wide
   variety of superstitions distinguishes idolaters from each other. But
   while they thus differ among themselves, they all agree in this, to
   oppose the Son of God. It has been justly observed, that the opposition
   everywhere made to Christ is too plain an evidence of human depravity.
   That the world should thus rise against its Creator is a monstrous
   sight. But Scripture predicted that this would happen, and the reason
   is very apparent, that men who have once been alienated from God by
   sin, always fly from him. Instances of this kind, therefore, ought not
   to take us by surprise; but, on the contrary, our faith, provided with
   this armor, ought to be prepared to fight with the contradiction of the
   world.

   As God has now gathered an Israel to himself from the whole world, and
   there is no longer a distinction between the Jew and the Greek, the
   same thing must now happen as, we learn, happened before. Isaiah had
   said of his own age,

   "The Lord will be for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense,
   to both the houses of Israel," (Isaiah 8:14.)

   From that time, the Jews hardly ever ceased to dash themselves against
   God, but the rudest shock was against Christ. The same madness is now
   imitated by those who call themselves Christians; and even those, who
   lay haughty claims to the first rank in the Church, frequently employ
   all the power which they possess in oppressing Christ. But let us
   remember, all that they gain is, to be at length crushed and "broken in
   pieces," (Isaiah 8:9.)

   Under the word ruin the Spirit denounces the punishment of unbelievers,
   and thus warns us to keep at the greatest possible distance from them;
   lest, by associating with them, we become involved in the same
   destruction. And Christ is not the less worthy of esteem, because, when
   he appears, many are ruined: for the "savor" of the Gospel is not less
   "sweet" and delightful to God, (2 Corinthians 2:15,16,) though it is
   destructive to the ungodly world. Does any one inquire, how Christ
   occasions the ruin of unbelievers, who without him were already lost?
   The reply is easy. Those who voluntarily deprive themselves of the
   salvation which God has offered to them, perish twice. Ruin implies the
   double punishment which awaits all unbelievers, after that they have
   knowingly and wilfully opposed the Son of God.

   And for the resurrection This consolation is presented as a contrast
   with the former clause, to make it less painful to our feelings: for,
   if nothing else were added, it would be melancholy to hear, that Christ
   is "a stone of stumbling," which will break and crush, by its hardness,
   a great part of men. Scripture therefore reminds us of his office,
   which is entirely different: for the salvation of men, which is founded
   on it, is secure; as Isaiah also says, "Sanctify the Lord of hosts
   himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and he
   shall be for a sanctuary," or fortress of defense, (Isaiah 8:13,14.)
   And Peter speaks more clearly:

   "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but
   chosen of God and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a
   spiritual house. Wherefore also it is contained in Scripture, Behold, I
   lay in Zion the head-stone of the corner, elect, precious, and he that
   believeth in him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which
   believe, he is precious: but unto them who are disobedient, the stone
   which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the
   corner," (1 Peter 2:4-7; Isaiah 28:16.)

   That we may not be terrified by the designation bestowed on Christ, "a
   stone of stumbling," let it be instantly recollected, on the other
   hand, that he is likewise called the "corner-stone," on which rests the
   salvation of all the godly. [201]

   Let it be also taken into account, that the former is accidental, while
   the latter is properly and strictly his office. Besides, it deserves
   our notice, that Christ is not only called the support, but the
   resurrection of the godly: for the condition of men is not one in which
   it is safe for them to remain. They must rise from death, before they
   begin to live.

   35. But also a sword shall pierce thy own soul This warning must have
   contributed greatly to fortify the mind of the holy virgin, and to
   prevent her from being overwhelmed with grief, when she came to those
   distressing struggles, which she had to undergo. Though her faith was
   agitated and tormented by various temptations, yet her sorest battle
   was with the cross: for Christ might appear to be utterly destroyed.
   She was not overwhelmed with grief; but it would have required a heart
   of stone not to be deeply wounded: for the patience of the saints
   differs widely from stupidity.

   That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed There are some who
   connect this clause with a part of the former verse, that Christ is set
   for the ruin and for the resurrection of many in Israel; and who
   include in a parenthesis what we have just now explained about the
   sword: but it is better, I think, to refer it to the whole passage. The
   particle that, hopos an, in this passage, does not strictly denote a
   cause, but merely a consequence. When the light of the Gospel arises,
   and persecutions immediately spring up, there is, at the same time, a
   disclosure of affections of the heart, which had been hitherto
   concealed: for the lurking-places of human dissimulation are so deep,
   that they easily remain hidden till Christ comes. [202] But Christ, by
   his light, discloses every artifice, and unmasks hypocrisy; and to him
   is properly ascribed the office of laying open the secrets of the
   heart. But when the cross is added to doctrine it tries the hearts more
   to the quick. For those who have embraced Christ by outward profession,
   often shrink from bearing the cross, and, when they see the Church
   exposed to numerous calamities, easily desert their post.

   36. And there was Anna, a prophetess Luke mentions not more than two
   persons who received Christ; and this is intended to teach us, that
   whatever belongs to God, however small it may be, ought to be preferred
   by us to the whole world. The scribes and priests, no doubt, were then
   surrounded by great splendor; but, as the Spirit of God, whose presence
   was not at all enjoyed by those rulers, [203] dwelt in Simeon and Anna,
   those two persons are entitled to greater reverence than an immense
   multitude of those whose pride is swelled by nothing but empty titles.
   For this reason, the historian mentions Anna's age, gives her the
   designation of prophetess, and, thirdly, bears a remarkable testimony
   to her piety, and to the holiness and chastity of her life. These are
   the qualities that justly give to men weight and estimation. And
   certainly none are led astray by the dazzling and empty magnificence of
   outward show, but those who are drawn, by the vanity of their own
   minds, to take pleasure in being deceived.

   She had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity This is
   intended to inform us, that she was a widow in the very prime of life.
   She had married young, and shortly afterwards lost her husband; and the
   circumstance of her not entering into a second marriage while she was
   in the rigor of her bodily frame, [204] is mentioned with the view of
   heightening the commendation of her chastity. What follows, that she
   was a widow of about eighty-four years, may be explained in two ways.
   Either that time had passed in her unmarried state, [205] or it was the
   whole period of her life. If you reckon the eighty-four years as the
   time of her widowhood, it will follow that she was more than a hundred
   years old: but I leave that matter doubtful. The Spirit of prophecy
   still shone in a very few, who served as tokens to attest the doctrine
   of the Law and the Jewish religion, till the coming of Christ. In a
   state of society so dissolute, the elect of God needed such aids to
   prevent them from being carried away.

   37. She departed not from the temple This is a hyperbolical expression;
   but the meaning is plain, that Anna was almost constantly in the
   temple. Luke adds, that she worshipped God with fastings and prayers
   day and night Hence we infer, that she did not visit the temple for the
   mere purpose of performing the outward service, but that she added to
   it the other exercises of piety. It deserves our attention, that the
   same rule is not enjoined on all, and that all ought not to be led
   indiscriminately to copy those performances, which are here commended
   in a widow. Each person ought to make a judicious inquiry, what belongs
   to his own calling. Silly ambition has filled the world with apes, from
   superstitious persons seizing, with more "zeal" than "knowledges"
   (Romans 10:2,) every thing that they hear praised in the saints: as if
   the distinction of rank did not render a selection of employments
   necessary, that each person may answer to his own calling. What is here
   related of Anna, Paul applies in a particular manner to widows, (1
   Timothy 5:5;) so that married people act a foolish part, if they
   regulate their life by an unsuitable model.

   But there still remains another doubt. Luke appears to make fastings a
   part of divine worship But we must observe, that of the acts which
   relate to worship, some are simply required, and, as we are accustomed
   to say, are in themselves necessary; while others are accessory, and
   have no other design than to aid the former class. Prayers belong
   strictly to the worship of God. Fasting is a subordinate aid, which is
   pleasing to God no farther than as it aids the earnestness and fervency
   of prayer. We must hold by this rule, that the duties of men are to be
   judged according as they are directed to a proper and lawful end. We
   must hold, also, by this distinction, that prayers are a direct worship
   of God; while fastings are a part of worship only on account of their
   consequences. Nor is there any reason to doubt, that the holy woman
   employed fastings as an excitement to bewail those calamities of the
   Church which then existed.

   38. Made acknowledgment also to God [206] The holy melody, which
   proceeded from the lips of Simeon and Anna, is praised by Luke, in
   order that believers may exhort each other to sing with one mouth the
   praises of God, and may give mutual replies. When he says, that Anna
   spake of him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem, he again
   points out the small number of the godly. For the substance of faith
   lay in this expectation; and it is evident, that there were few who
   actually cherished it in their minds.

   39. They returned to Galilee The departure to Egypt, I readily
   acknowledge, came between those events; and the fact mentioned by Luke,
   that they dwelt in their own city Nazareth, is later, in point of time,
   than the flight into Egypt, which Matthew relates, (Matthew 2:14.) But
   if there was no impropriety in one Evangelist leaving out what is
   related by another, there was nothing to prevent Luke from overleaping
   the period which he did not intend to mention, and passing at once to
   the following history. I am very far from agreeing with those who
   imagine that Joseph and Mary, after having finished the sacrifice of
   purification, returned to Bethlehem, to live there. Those persons are
   foolish enough to believe, that Joseph had a settled abode in a place
   where he was so little known, that he was unable to find a temporary
   lodging. Nor is it without a good reason that Luke says, with respect
   both to Joseph and Mary, that Nazareth was their own city We infer from
   it, that he never was an inhabitant of Bethlehem, though it was the
   place of his extraction. [207] As to the order of time, I shall
   presently give a more full explanation.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [199] "Louoit aussi le Seigneur;" -- "praised also the Lord."

   [200] "Ceste facon de parler contient une metaphore prise des
   arbalestiers, ou autres qui visent au blanc." -- "This way of speaking
   contains a metaphor, taken from archers, or others who aim at a mark."

   [201] "La maitresse Pierre du coin, sur laquelle est fonde le salut de
   tous les enfans de Dieu." -- "The head-stone of the corner, on which is
   founded the salvation of all the children of God."

   [202] "Extra Christum;" -- "jusqu'a ce que Jesus Christ viene."

   [203] The word rulers (principes) appears to be here used
   sarcastically; for his own translation is," duquel estoyent du tout
   destituez les autres, combien que ce fussent les gouverneurs;" -- "of
   which the others were entirely destitute, though they were rulers."

   [204] "Quum adhuc vegeto esset corpore."

   [205] "Il y avoit tant de temps que son mari estoit mort;" -- "it was
   so long since her husband died."

   [206] "Louoit aussi le Seigneur;" -- "praised also the Lord."

   [207] "Combien que ce fust le pays de ses ancestres;" -- "though it was
   the country of his ancestors."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:13-18

   Matthew 2:13-18

   13. And when they had departed, lo, the angel of the Lord appeared in
   dreams to Joseph, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his
   mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I have told thee:
   for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14. And he, when
   awake, took the young child and his mother by night, and withdrew into
   Egypt: 15. And was there until the death of Herod; that it might be
   fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out
   of Egypt have I called my Son. 16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was
   mocked by the Magi, was exceedingly enraged, and sent to slay [208] all
   the children that were in Bethlehem, and all its boundaries, [209] from
   two years old and under, according to the time which he had inquired at
   the Magi. 17. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by Jeremiah the
   Prophet, when he says, 18. A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation,
   wailing, and much weeping: Rachel bewailing her children, and refused
   to receive consolation, because they are not.


   13. And when they had departed How many days elapsed from the departure
   of the Magi, till Joseph was ordered to flee into Egypt, is not known,
   nor is it of much importance to inquire: only it is probable that the
   Lord spared Mary, till she was so far recovered from childbirth as to
   be able to perform the journey. It was a wonderful purpose of God, that
   he chose to preserve his Son by flight. The mind of Joseph must have
   been harassed by dangerous temptations, when he came to see that there
   was no hope but in flight: for in flight there was no appearance of
   divine protection. Besides, it was very difficult to reconcile the
   statement, that he who was to be the Savior of all, could not be
   preserved without the exertion of a mortal man. But, in preserving the
   life of his Son, God maintained such reserve, as to give some
   indications of his heavenly power, and yet not to make it so manifest
   as to prevent it from being concealed under the appearance of weakness:
   for the full time of glorifying Christ openly was not yet come. The
   angel predicts an event which was hidden, and unknown to men. That is
   an evident proof of divine guidance. But the angel orders him to defend
   the life of the child by flight and exile. This belongs to the weakness
   of flesh, to which Christ was subjected.

   We are here taught, that God has more than one way of preserving his
   own people. Sometimes he makes astonishing displays of his power; while
   at other times he employs dark coverings or shadows, from which feeble
   rays of it escape. This wonderful method of preserving the Son of God
   under the cross teaches us, that they act improperly who prescribe to
   God a fixed plan of action. Let us permit him to advance our salvation
   by a diversity of methods; and let us not refuse to be humbled, that he
   may more abundantly display his glory. Above all, let us never avoid
   the cross, by which the Son of God himself was trained from his
   earliest infancy. This flight is a part of the foolishness of the
   cross, but it surpasses all the wisdom of the world. That he may appear
   at his own time as the Savior of Judea, he is compelled to flee from
   it, and is nourished by Egypt, from which nothing but what was
   destructive to the Church of God had ever proceeded. Who would not have
   regarded with amazement such an unexpected work of God?

   Joseph immediately complies with the injunction of the Angel. This is
   another proof of the certainty of the dream: for such promptitude of
   obedience plainly shows, that he had no doubt whatever, that it was God
   who had enjoined him to take flight. This eager haste may wear somewhat
   of the aspect of distrust: for the flight by night had some appearance
   of alarm. But it is not difficult to frame an excuse. He saw that God
   had appointed a method of safety which was low and mean: and he
   concludes that he is at liberty to take flight in such a state of alarm
   as is commonly produced by extreme danger. Our fear ought always to be
   regulated by the divine intimations. If it agrees with them, it will
   not be opposed to faith.

   Be thou there until I have told thee By these words the Angel declares,
   that the life of the child will, even in future, be the object of the
   divine care. Joseph needed to be thus strengthened, so as to conclude
   with certainty, that God would not only conduct him in the journey, but
   that, during his banishment, God would be his constant protector. And
   in this way God was pleased to allay many anxieties, with which the
   heart of the good man must have been perplexed, so that he enjoyed
   serenity of mind during his sojourn in Egypt. But for this, not a
   moment would have passed without numerous temptations, when he saw
   himself excluded not only from the inheritance promised by God to all
   his saints, -- but from the temple, from sacrifices, from a public
   profession of his faiths, -- and was living among the worst enemies of
   God, and in a deep gulf of superstitions. He carried with him, indeed,
   in the person of the child, all the blessings which the Fathers had
   hoped to enjoy, or which the Lord had promised to them: but as he had
   not yet made such proficiency in faith, and in the knowledge of Christ,
   he needed to be restrained by this injunction, Be thou there until I
   have told thee, that he might not be displeased at languishing in
   banishment from his country among the Egyptians.

   15. Out of Egypt have I called my Son Matthew says that a prediction
   was fulfilled. Some have thought, that the intention of the prophet was
   different from what is here stated, and have supposed the meaning to
   be, that the Jews act foolishly in opposing and endeavoring to oppress
   the Son of God, because the Father hath called him out of Egypt In this
   way, they grievously pervert the words of the prophet, (Hosea 11:1,)
   the design of which is, to establish a charge of ingratitude against
   the Jews, who, from their earliest infancy, and from the commencement
   of their history, had found God to be a kind and generous Father, and
   yet were provoking him by fresh offenses. Beyond all question, the
   passage ought not to be restricted to the person of Christ: and yet it
   is not tortured by Matthew, but skilfully applied to the matter in
   hand.

   The words of the prophet ought to be thus interpreted: "When Israel was
   yet a child, I brought him out of that wretched bondage in which he had
   been plunged. He was formerly like a dead man, and Egypt served him for
   a grave; but I drew him out of it as from the womb, and brought him
   into the light of life." And justly does the Lord speak in this manner;
   for that deliverance was a sort of birth of the nation. Then were
   openly produced letters of adoption, when, by the promulgation of the
   law, they became "the Lord's portion," (Deuteronomy 32:9,) "a royal
   priesthood, and a holy nation," (1 Peter 2:9;) when they were separated
   from the other nations, and when, in short, God "set up his tabernacle"
   (Leviticus 26:11) to dwell in the midst of them. The words of the
   prophet import, that the nation was rescued from Egypt as from a deep
   whirlpool of death. Now, what was the redemption brought by Christ, but
   a resurrection from the dead, and the commencement of a new life? The
   light of salvation had been almost extinguished, when God begat the
   Church anew in the person of Christ. Then did the Church come out of
   Egypt in its head, as the whole body had been formerly brought out.

   This analogy prevents us from thinking it strange, that any part of
   Christ's childhood was passed in Egypt. The grace and power of God
   became more illustrious, and his wonderful purpose was more distinctly
   seen, when light came out of darkness, and life out of hell. Otherwise,
   the sense of the flesh might have broken out here in contemptuous
   language, "Truly a Redeemer is to come out of Egypt!" [210] Matthew
   therefore reminds us, that it is no strange or unwonted occurrence for
   God to call his Son out of that country; and that it serves rather to
   confirm our faith, that, as on a former occasion, so now again, the
   Church of God comes out of Egypt. There is this difference, however,
   between the two cases. The whole nation was formerly shut up in the
   prison of Egypt; while, in the second redemption, it was Christ, the
   head of the Church alone, who was concealed there, but who carried the
   salvation and life of all shut up in his own person.

   16. Then Herod when he saw Matthew speaks according to what Herod felt
   and thought about the matter. He believed that the Magi had deceived
   him, because they did not choose to take part in his wicked cruelty. He
   was rather taken in his own trickery, -- in his base pretense, that he
   too intended to pay homage to the new King.

   Josephus makes no mention of this history. The only writer who mentions
   it is Macrobius, in the Second Book of his Saturnalia, where, relating
   the jokes and taunts of Augustus, he says: When he heard that, by
   Herod's command, the children in Syria under two years of age had been
   slain, and that his own son had been slain among the crowd, "I would
   rather," said he, "have been Herod's hog than his son." But the
   authority of Matthew alone is abundantly sufficient for us. Josephus
   certainly ought not to have passed over a crime so worthy of being put
   on record. But there is the less reason to wonder that he says nothing
   about the infants; for he passes lightly over, and expresses in obscure
   language, an instance of Herod's cruelty not less shocking, which took
   place about the same time, when he put to death all the Judges, who
   were called the Sanhedrim, that hardly a remnant might remain of the
   stock of David. It was the same dread, I have no doubt, that impelled
   him to both of these murders.

   There is some uncertainty about the date. [211] Matthew says, that they
   were slain from two years old and under, according to the time which he
   had inquired at the Magi: from which we may infer that Christ had then
   reached that age, or at least was not far from being two years old.
   Some go farther, and conclude that Christ was about that age at the
   time when the Magi came. But I contend that the one does not follow
   from the other. With what terror Herod was seized when the report was
   widely spread about a new king who had been borne, [212] we have lately
   seen. Fear prevented him at that time from employing a traitor, in a
   secret manner, to make an investigation. [213] There is no reason to
   wonder that he was restrained, for some time, from the commission of a
   butchery so hateful and shocking, particularly while the report about
   the arrival of the Magi was still recent. It is certainly probable,
   that he revolved the crime in his mind, but delayed it till a
   convenient opportunity should occur. It is even possible, that he first
   murdered the Judges, in order to deprive the people of their leaders,
   and thus to compel them to look upon the crime as one for which there
   was no remedy. [214]

   We may now conclude it to be a frivolous argument, on which those
   persons rest, who argue, that Christ was two years old when he was
   worshipped by the Magi, because, according to the time when the star
   appeared, Herod slew the children who were a little below two years
   old. Such persons take for granted, without any proper ground, that the
   star did not appear till after that the Virgin had brought forth her
   child. It is far more probable, that they had been warned early, and
   that they undertook the journey close upon the time of the birth of
   Christ, that they might see the child when lately born, in the cradle,
   or in his mother's lap. It is a very childish imagination that, because
   they came from an unknown country, and almost from another world, they
   had spent about two years on the road. The conjectures stated by
   Osiander [215] are too absurd to need refutation.

   But there is no inconsistency in the thread of the story which I
   propose, -- that the Magi came when the period of child-bearing was not
   yet over, and inquired after a king who had been born, not after one
   who was already two years old; that, after they had returned to their
   own country, Joseph fled by night, but still in passing discharged a
   pious duty at Jerusalem, (for in so populous a city, where there was a
   constant influx of strangers from every quarter, he might be secure
   from danger;) that, after he had departed to Egypt, Herod began to
   think seriously about his own danger, and the ulcer of revenge, which
   he had nourished in his heart for more than a year and half, at length
   broke out. The adverb then (tote) does not always denote in Scripture
   uninterrupted time, [216] but frequently occurs, when there is a great
   distance between the events.

   18. A voice was heard in Ramah It is certain that the prophet describes
   (Jeremiah 31:15) the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin, which took
   place in his time: for he had foretold that the tribe of Judah would be
   cut off, to which was added the half of the tribe of Benjamin. He puts
   the mourning into the mouth of Rachel, who had been long dead. This is
   a personification, (prosopopoiia,) which has a powerful influence in
   moving the affections. It was not for the mere purpose of ornamenting
   his style, that Jeremiah employed rhetorical embellishments. There was
   no other way of correcting the hardness and stupidity of the living,
   than by arousing the dead, as it were, from their graves, to bewail
   those divine chastisements, which were commonly treated with derision.
   The prediction of Jeremiah having been accomplished at that time,
   Matthew does not mean that it foretold what Herod would do, but that
   the coming of Christ occasioned a renewal of that mourning, which had
   been experienced, many centuries before, by the tribe of Benjamin.

   He intended thus to meet a prejudice which might disturb and shake
   pious minds. It might be supposed, that no salvation could be expected
   from him, on whose account, as soon as he was born, infants were
   murdered; nay more, that it was an unfavorable and disastrous omen,
   that the birth of Christ kindled a stronger flame of cruelty than
   usually burns amidst the most inveterate wars. But as Jeremiah promises
   a restoration, where a nation has been cut off, down to their little
   children, so Matthew reminds his readers, that this massacre would not
   prevent Christ from appearing shortly afterwards as the Redeemer of the
   whole nation: for we know that the whole chapter in Jeremiah, in which
   those words occur, is filled with the most delightful consolations.
   Immediately after the mournful complaint, he adds,

   "Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy
   work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord, and they shall come again from
   the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord,
   that thy children shall come again to thine own border," (Jeremiah
   31:16, 17.)

   Such was the resemblance between the former calamity which the tribe of
   Benjamin had sustained, and the second calamity, which is here
   recorded. Both were a prelude of the salvation which was shortly to
   arrive. [217]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [208] "Mittens interfecit;" -- "sending slew."

   [209] "Et en toutes les marches d'icelle;" -- "and in all the marches
   thereof."

   [210] "Qui croira que le Redempteur viene d'Egypte?" -- "Who will
   believe that a Redeemer will come out of Egypt?"

   [211] "Toutefois on ne sait pas certainement si ce fut en mesme temps."
   -- "However, it is not known certainly if it was at the same time."

   [212] "Quand les premieres nouvelles vindrent de la naissance du
   nouveau Roy, et que le bruit en commenca a courir;" -- "when the first
   news arrived of the birth of the new King, and when the noise about it
   began to spread."

   [213] "La crainte l'empescha lors d'envoyer secretement quelque
   traistre pour espier comme tout alloit;" -- "fear prevented him at that
   time from employing some traitor to spy how all went."

   [214] "Et pent estre qu'il a premierement mis a mort les Juges, afin
   qu'apres avoir oste au poure peuple ses conducteurs, il peust sans
   contredit luy tenir le pie sui la gorge, et en faire a son plaisir." --
   "And perhaps he first put the Judges to death, that, after having
   deprived the wretched people of their leaders, he might without
   opposition, set his foot on their throat, and do with them at his
   pleasure."

   [215] Andrew Osiander, (grandfather of Dr Andrew Osiander, a Lutheran
   divine,) author of several works which gained him not a little
   celebrity, among which is Harmonia Evangelica -- Ed.

   [216] "Sans qu'il y ait rien entre-deux;" -- "without there being
   anything between the two,"

   [217] "C'est que l'une et l'autre a est, comme le message apportant les
   nouvelles du salut qui approchoit." -- "It is, that both were, as it
   were, the message bringing the tidings of the salvation which was
   approaching."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:19-23

   Matthew 2:19-23

   19. But when Herod was dead, lo, the angel of the Lord appeareth, by a
   dream, to Joseph in Egypt, 20. Saying, Arise, and take the child and
   his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead who
   sought the life [218] , of the child. 21. And he rose and took [219]
   the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22. But
   when he had heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in the room of
   his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: but, warned by a
   heavenly communication through a dream, he withdrew into the parts of
   Galilee. 23. Having come there, he dwelt in the city [220] which is
   called Nazareth, that what had been spoken by the prophets might be
   fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene.


   19. But when Herod was dead These words show the perseverance of
   Joseph's faith. He kept his feet firm in Egypt, till he was recalled to
   his native country by a command of God. We see, at the same time, that
   the Lord never disappoints his own people, but renders them seasonable
   aid. It is probable that Joseph returned from Egypt immediately after
   the death of Herod, before Augustus Caesar had issued his decree,
   appointing Archelaus to be governor of Judea. Having been declared by
   his father's will to be successor to the throne, he undertook the whole
   charge of the government, but abstained from taking the title of king,
   saying that this depended on the will and pleasure of Caesar. He
   afterwards went to Rome, and obtained confirmation; only the name of
   king was refused, until he had merited it by his actions. The governor
   of Galilee was Philip, a man of gentle disposition, and almost like a
   private individual. Joseph complied with the suggestion of the angel,
   because, under a prince who had no delight in shedding blood, and who
   treated his subjects with mildness, there was less danger.

   We must always bear in mind the purpose of God, in training his Son,
   from the commencement, under the discipline of the cross, because this
   was the way in which he was to redeem his Church. He bore our
   infirmities, and was exposed to dangers and to fears, that he might
   deliver his Church from them by his divine power, and might bestow upon
   it everlasting peace. His danger was our safety: his fear was our
   confidence. Not that he ever in his life felt alarm; but as he was
   surrounded, on every hand, by the fear of Joseph and Mary, he may be
   justly said to have taken upon him our fears, that he might procure for
   us assured confidence.

   23. He shall be called a Nazarene Matthew does not derive Nazarene from
   Nazareth, as if this were its strict and proper etymology, but only
   makes an allusion. The word nzyr, or Nazarite, signifies holy and
   devoted to God, and is derived from nzr, to separate. The noun nzr,
   indeed, signifies a flower: [221] but Matthew refers, beyond all doubt,
   to the former meaning. For we nowhere read that Nazarites meant
   blooming or flourishing, but persons who were consecrated to God,
   according to the directions given by the Law, (Numbers 6.) The meaning
   is: though it was by fear that Joseph was driven into a corner of
   Galilee, yet God had a higher design, and appointed the city of
   Nazareth as the place of Christ's residence, that he might justly be
   called a Nazarite But it is asked, who are the prophets that gave this
   name to Christ? for there is no passage to be found that answers to the
   quotation. Some think it a sufficient answer, that Scripture frequently
   calls him Holy: but that is a very poor explanation. For Matthew, as we
   perceive, makes an express reference to the very word, and to the
   ancient Nazarites, whose holiness was of a peculiar character. He tells
   us, that what was then shadowed out in the Nazarites, who were, in some
   sense, selected as the first-fruits to God, must have been fulfilled in
   the person of Christ.

   But it remains to be seen, in what part of Scripture the prophets have
   stated that this name would be given to Christ. Chrysostom, finding
   himself unable to loose the knot, cuts it by saying, that many books of
   the prophets have perished. But this answer has no probability: for,
   though the Lord, in order to punish the indifference of his ancient
   people, deprived them of some part of Scripture, or left out what was
   less necessary, yet, since the coming of Christ, no part of it has been
   lost. In support of that view, a strange blunder has been made, by
   quoting a passage of Josephus, in which he states that Ezekiel left two
   books: for Ezekiel's prophecy of a new temple and kingdom is manifestly
   distinct from his other predictions, and may be said to form a new
   work. But if all the books of Scripture which were extant in the time
   of Matthew, remain entire to the present day, we must find somewhere
   the passage quoted from the prophets.

   Bucer [222] has explained it, I think, more correctly than any other
   writer. He thinks that the reference is to a passage in the Book of
   Judges: The child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, (Judges
   13:5.) These words, no doubt, were spoken with regard to Samson. But
   Samson is called the "Redeemer" or "Deliverer" [223] of the people,
   only because he was a figure of Christ, and because the salvation,
   which was accomplished by his instrumentality, was a sort of prelude of
   the full salvation, which was at length exhibited to the world by the
   Son of God. [224] All that Scripture predicts, in a favorable manner,
   about Samson, may justly be applied to Christ. To express it more
   clearly, Christ is the original model: Samson is the inferior antitype.
   [225] When he assumed the character of a Redeemer, [226] we ought to
   understand, that none of the titles bestowed on that illustrious and
   truly divine office apply so strictly to himself as to Christ: for the
   fathers did but taste the grace of redemption, which we have been
   permitted to receive fully in Christ.

   Matthew uses the word prophets in the plural number. This may easily be
   excused: for the Book of Judges was composed by many prophets. But I
   think that what is here said about the prophets has a still wider
   reference. For Joseph, who was a temporal Savior of the Church, and
   was, in many respects, a figure, or rather a lively image of Christ, is
   called a Nazarite of his brethren, [227] (Genesis 49:26; Deuteronomy
   33:16.) God determined that the distinguished honor, of which he had
   given a specimen in Joseph, should shine again in Samson, and gave him
   the name of Nazarite, that believers, having received those early
   instructions, might look more earnestly at the Redeemer who was to
   come, who was to be separated from all,

   "That he might be the first-born among many brethren,"
   (Romans 8:29.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [218] "Qui demandoyent l'ame, ou la vie, du petit enfant;" -- "who
   demanded the soul, or the life, of the little child."

   [219] "Surgens assumpsit;" -- "rising took." -- "Joseph donc esveille
   print;" -- "Joseph then awakened took."

   [220] "La cite."

   [221] It would have been more correct to say that the noun nzr
   signifies a crown than a flower. "Thou shalt put the holy crown," 't
   nzr hqds, (Exodus 29:6.) "Thou hast profaned his crown," nzrv, (Psalm
   89:39.) It is satisfactory to have the support of so eminent a critic
   as Dr Tholuck, who, in his very correct edition of Calvin's Commentary
   on the New Testament, after the word florem, flower, places in brackets
   an emendation similar to what we have suggested: "vel potius,
   diadematis insigne," --"or rather, the emblem of a crown." -- Ed.

   [222] A contemporary of our author, who was greatly admired, not only
   for the extent of his learning in a very learned age, but for the
   soundness of his judgment. He is hardly ever mentioned but with deep
   respect. -- Ed.

   [223] The remaining words of the passage (Judges 13:5) are: and he
   shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines;
   which our author interprets as having a prophetic reference to Christ.
   -- Ed.

   [224] "Le salut qu'a receu le peuple par son moyen, a este comme une
   representation ayant quelques traces du vray et parfait salut, lequel
   finalement le Fils de Dieu a apporte et presente au monde." -- "The
   salvation which the people received by his agency was, as it were, a
   representation, having some traces of the true and perfect salvation,
   which the Son of God finally brought and presented to the world."

   [225] "Pour le dire plus clairement en deux mots, Christ est le vray
   patron accompli en perfection, mais Samson est un pourtrait legerement
   tire et trac, dessus." -- "To state it more clearly in two words,
   Christ is the true Defender fulfilled in perfection: but Samson is a
   portrait lightly traced and drawn below."

   [226] Deliverer.

   [227] In both of the passages quoted above, the words nzyr 'chyv are
   rendered, in the English version, separated from his brethren. This
   brings out pretty faithfully the meaning of nzyr, separated, but does
   not suggest the allusion, which Calvin supposes to be made to the
   peculiar acceptation given by the ceremonial law to nzyr, from which
   our word Nazarite is derived. Hebrew scholars must judge for themselves
   as to the probability of the allusion. Without entering into that
   inquiry, which would occupy more space than we could easily spare, we
   have thought it due to our Author to hint, that the two passages which
   he quotes, and which at first sight appear to have no bearing on his
   argument, contain the very word in questlon. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   Luke 2:40-47

   Luke 2:40-47

   40. And the child grew, and was invigorated in spirit, and was full of
   wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 41. And his parents went
   every year to Jerusalem, to the feast of the Passover. 42. And when he
   arrived [228] at twelve years, as they went up to Jerusalem, according
   to the custom of the feast, 43. And when the days were finished, while
   they were returning, the child Jesus remained at Jerusalem, and his
   parents did not know it. [229] 44. And thinking that he was in the
   company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their
   relatives and acquaintances. 45. And when they did not find him, they
   returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46. And it happened, after three
   days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
   doctors, hearing and putting questions to them: 47. And all who heard
   him were astonished at his understanding and answers.


   40. And the child grew From the infancy of Christ Matthew passes
   immediately to his manifestation. [230] Luke relates here a single
   fact, which well deserved to be recorded. In the midst of his boyhood,
   Christ gave a specimen of his future office, or at least indicated, by
   a single attempt, what he would afterwards be. The child grew, and was
   invigorated in spirit These words show, that the endowments of his mind
   grew with his age. [231] Hence we infer, that this progress, or
   advancement, relates to his human nature: for the Divine nature could
   receive no increase.

   But a question arises. From the time that he was conceived in his
   mother's womb, did he not abound in all fullness of spiritual gifts?
   for it appears absurd to say, that the Son of God wanted any thing that
   was necessary to perfection. The reply is easy. If it takes nothing
   from his glory, that he was altogether, "emptied," (heauton ekenose,
   Philippians 2:6,) neither does it degrade him, that he chose not only
   to grow in body, but to make progress in mind. And certainly when the
   Apostle declares, that, "in all things he was made like unto his
   brethren,"(Hebrews 2:17,) and "was in all points tempted like as we
   are, sin excepted," (Hebrews 4:15,) he no doubt includes, that his soul
   was subject to ignorance. There is only this difference between us and
   him, that the weaknesses which press upon us, by a necessity which we
   cannot avoid, were undertaken by him voluntarily, and of his own
   accord. Christ received, in his human nature, according to his age and
   capacity, an increase of the free gifts of the Spirit, [232] that "out
   of his fullness" (John 1:16) he may pour them out upon us; for we draw
   grace out of his grace.

   Some excessively timid persons restrict what is here said to outward
   appearance, and make the meaning to be, that Christ appeared to make
   progress, though, in point of fact, no addition was made to his
   knowledge. But the words have a quite different meaning, and this
   mistaken opinion is still more fully refuted by what Luke shortly
   afterwards adds, that he grew in age and wisdom with God and man, (ver.
   52.) We are not at liberty to suppose, that knowledge lay concealed in
   Christ, and made its appearance in him in progress of time. There is no
   doubt whatever, that it was the design of God to express in plain
   terms, how truly and completely Christ, in taking upon him our flesh,
   did all that was necessary to effect his brotherly union with men.
   [233]

   And yet we do not in this way suppose a double Christ: [234] for,
   though God and man are united in one person, it does not follow, that
   the human nature received what was peculiar to the Divine nature: but,
   so far as was necessary for our salvation, the Son of God kept his
   divine power concealed. What Irenaeus says, that his Divine nature was
   quiescent when he suffered, [235] I understand to refer, not only to
   bodily death, but to that amazing distress and agony of soul, which
   drew from him the complaint, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
   me?" (Matthew 27:46.) In a word, if we do not choose to deny, that
   Christ was made a real man, we ought not to be ashamed to acknowledge,
   that he voluntarily took upon him everything that is inseparable from
   human nature.

   It is a foolish objection, that ignorance does not apply to Christ,
   because it is the punishment of sin: for the same thing might be said
   of death. Scripture declares, on the contrary, that he performed the
   office of Mediator: for all the punishment which we deserved was
   transferred from us to him. [236] Besides, it is a foolish mistake to
   say, that ignorance is the punishment of sin. For we must not suppose
   that Adam, while he remained in innocence, knew all things. Angels also
   are, to some extent, ignorant, and yet they do not endure the
   punishment of sin.

   A more refined argument is employed by some, that there was no
   ignorance in Christ, because ignorance is sin. But those persons assume
   a principle which is altogether false and groundless: otherwise, the
   angels must either be equal to God, or they must be sinful. [237] There
   is no doubt a sinful blindness of the human mind, which is justly
   reckoned a part of original sin: but here we ascribe to Christ no other
   ignorance than what may fall upon a man who is pure from every taint of
   sin.

   He was invigorated in spirit, and was full of wisdom Luke thus
   declares, that whatever wisdom exists among men, and receives daily
   accessions, flows from that single fountain, from the Spirit of God.
   The following phrase is more general, and the grace of God was upon
   him: for it includes all the excellence of every description that shone
   brightly in Christ.

   41. And his parents went every year to Jerusalem It is mentioned in
   commendation of the piety of Mary and Joseph, that they gave diligent
   attendance to the outward worship of God. It was not of their own
   accord, but by a divine command, that they undertook this annual
   journey. The law enjoins the, males "only to, appear before the Lord,"
   (Exodus 23:17.) This arrangement does not entirely exclude females, but
   spares them by an exercise of kindness. This mark distinguishes the
   true religion from vain and wicked superstitions. The former confines
   itself within the limits of obedience to God, and of compliance with
   the enactments of his law. The latter wander, at their own pleasure,
   beyond the limits of God's word, without any fixed rule. The worship of
   the temple was, no doubt, infected with many corruptions, the
   priesthood was sold for money, and doctrine was involved in many
   errors. Yet, as legal ceremonies were still in force, and the outward
   rite of sacrifice was observed as it is laid down in the law, believers
   were bound to perform such exercises in testimony of their faith. The
   name father is here given to Joseph, not with strict accuracy, but
   according to the opinion generally entertained respecting him.

   44. And thinking that he was in the company Many passages of Scripture
   show plainly, that those who came from a distance, at the festivals, to
   worship in the temple, were accustomed to travel in companies. There is
   no reason, therefore, to wonder that, on the first day, Joseph and Mary
   were less anxious about the child; and their subsequent conduct shows
   that this was not owing to indolence or carelessness.

   46. Sitting in the midst of the doctors Rays of divine brightness must
   have evidently shone in this child: otherwise those haughty men would
   not have permitted him to sit along with them. Though it is probable
   that he occupied a lower seat, and not the rank of the doctors, yet
   such disdainful men would not have condescended to give him an audience
   in a public assembly, if some divine power had not constrained them.
   This was a sort of prelude to his public calling, the full time of
   which had not yet arrived. In this way, however, he intended to give
   nothing more than a taste, which would immediately have faded from the
   recollection of men, had not Mary kept it for us laid up in her heart,
   (ver. 19, 51,) to bring it out afterwards, along with other treasures,
   for the use of all the godly.

   47. And all who heard him Two things here claim our attention. All who
   heard him were astonished: for they reckoned it a miracle, that a child
   should frame his questions with such correctness and propriety. Again,
   they heard Christ, and thus acted the part rather of scholars than of
   teachers. He had not yet been called by the Father, to avow himself a
   public teacher of the Church, and therefore satisfied himself with
   putting modest questions to the doctors. Yet there is no room to doubt
   that, in this first attempt, he already began to tax their perverse way
   of teaching: for what Luke afterwards says about answers, I consider as
   denoting, agreeably to the Hebrew idiom, any kind of discourse.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [228] "Quum factus esset." -- "Luy donc estant venu en l'aage de douze
   ans;" -- "he then being come to the age of twelve years."

   [229] "Laquelle chose son pere et sa mere ne s'apperceurent point;" --
   "which thing his father and his mother did not perceive."

   [230] "Au temps de sa manifestation;" -- "to the time of his
   manifestation."

   [231] "Avec l'aage les dons et graces d'Esprit croissoyent aussi et
   aug-mentoyent en luy." -- "With age, the gifts and graces of the Spirit
   grew also and increased in him.".

   [232] "En dons et graces de l'Esprit;" -- "in gifts and graces of the
   Spirit."

   [233] "Avoit vrayement et entierement prins tout ce qui estoit possible
   et propre pour accomplir de tous points la conjonction fraternelle de
   luy avec les hommes." -- "Had truly and entirely taken all that was
   possible and fitted to complete, at all points, the brotherly union
   between him and men."

   [234] "Deux Christs, ou un double Christ;" -- "two Christs, or a double
   Christ."

   [235] "Qu'il a souffert, sa Divinite ne demonstrant point sa vertu." --
   "That he suffered, his Divinity not demonstrating power."

   [236] "Pource qu'il a prins sur soy toutes les peines que nous avions
   meritees, afind nous en discharger." -- "Because he took upon himself
   all the punishment which we had deserved, in order to discharge us from
   it."

   [237] "Autrement il faudra que les Anges soyent pareils a Dieu, et
   qu'ils sachent tout: ou selon le dire de ces gensci, ils seront
   vicieux." -- "Otherwise, the Angels must be equal to God, and know
   everything: or, according to the statement of these people, they must
   be sinful."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:48-52

   Luke 2:48-52

   48. And when they saw him, they wondered; and his mother said to him,
   Son, why hast thou done thus to us? Lo, thy father and I grieving were
   seeking for thee. 49. And he saith to them, Why is it that ye were
   seeking me? Did ye not know that I must be in those things which belong
   to my Father? 50. And they did not understand the discourse which he
   spoke to them. 51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth.
   And he was subject to them: but his mother kept all these words in her
   heart. 52. And Jesus made progress in wisdom and age, and in favor with
   God and men.


   48. And his mother said to him Those who think that the holy virgin
   spake in this manner, for the purpose of showing her authority, are, in
   my opinion, mistaken. It is even possible, that it was not till they
   were apart, and the witnesses had withdrawn, that she began to
   expostulate with her son, after they had left the assembly. However
   that may be, this complaint was not the result of ambition, but was the
   expression of grief, which had lasted three days. [238] Yet the manner
   of her complaint, as if she had received an injury, shows how ready we
   are by nature to defend our own rights, even without paying regard to
   God. The holy virgin would a thousand times [239] rather have died,
   than deliberately preferred herself to God: but, in the indulgence of a
   mother's grief, she falls into it through inadvertency. And undoubtedly
   this example warns us, how jealous we ought to be of all the affections
   of the flesh, and what care we ought to exercise, lest, by being too
   tenacious of our rights, and following our own desires, we defraud God
   of his honor.

   49. Did ye not know? Our Lord justly blames his mother, though he does
   it in a gentle and indirect manner. The amount of what he says is, that
   the duty which he owes to God his Father, ought to be immeasurably
   preferred to all human duties; and that, consequently, earthly parents
   do wrong in taking it amiss, that they have been neglected in
   comparison of God. And hence we may infer the general doctrine, that
   whatever we owe to men must yield to the first table of the law, that
   God's authority over us may remain untouched. [240] Thus we ought to
   obey kings, and parents, and masters, [241] but only in subjection to
   God: that is, we must not, for the sake of men, lessen or take away any
   thing from God. And, indeed, a regard to the superior claims of God
   does not imply a violation of the duties which we owe to men.

   In those things which belong to my Father This expression intimates,
   that there is something about him greater than man. It points out also
   the chief design of his being sent into the world, which was, that he
   might discharge the office enjoined upon him by his heavenly Father.
   But is it not astonishing, that Joseph and Mary did not understand this
   answer, who had been instructed by many proofs, that Jesus is the Son
   of God? I reply: Though they were not wholly unacquainted with Christ's
   heavenly origin, yet they did not comprehend, in every respect, how he
   was intent on executing his heavenly Father's commands: for his calling
   had not yet been expressly revealed to them. Mary kept in her heart
   those things which she did not fully understand. Let us learn from
   this, to receive with reverence, and to lay up in our minds, (like the
   seed, which is allowed to remain for some time under grounds) those
   mysteries of God which exceed our capacity.

   51. And he was subject to them It was for our salvation that Christ
   took upon him this low estate, -- that the Lord and head of angels
   voluntarily became subject to mortal creatures. Such was the purpose of
   God, that Christ should remain, for some time, under a shadow, bearing
   the name of Joseph. Though this subjection, on the part of Christ,
   arose from no necessity which he could not have avoided, yet, as he had
   taken upon him human nature on the condition of being subject to
   parents, and had assumed the character both of a man and of a servant,
   -- with respect to the office of Redeemer, this was his lawful
   condition. The more cheerfully, on this account, ought every one to
   bear the yoke which the Lord has been pleased to lay upon him. [242]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [238] "Mais l'ennuy et la fascherie qu'elle avoit eue trois jours
   durant l'a fait ainsi parler." -- "But the uneasiness and distress,
   which she had had for three days, made her speak in this manner."

   [239] "Centies;" -- "mille fois."

   [240] "Que tout ce qui est deu aux hommes, est au dessous de la
   premiere Table de la Loy, et doit tenir le second lieu, afin que
   toujours Dieu ait sa puissance et son authorite entiere." -- "That all
   that is due to men is below the first Table of the Law, and ought to
   hold the second plane, in order that God may always have his power and
   his authority entire."

   [241] "Dominis;" -- "maistres et seigneurs;" -- "masters and lords."

   [242] "D'autant plus faut-il que chacun de nous s'assujettisse de bon
   coeur, st ploye le col sous le joug auquel il plaira a Dieu de nous
   soumettre." -- "So much the more must every one of us submit heartily,
   and bend the neck under the yoke, to which it shall please God to
   subject us."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:1-6; MARK 1:1-6; LUKE 3:1-6

   Matthew 3:1-6

   Mark 1:1-6

   Luke 3:1-6

   1. Now in those days John the Baptist comes, preaching in the
   wilderness of Judea, 2. And saying, Repent: [243] for the kingdom of
   heaven is at hand, 3. For this is he, of whom it has been spoken by
   Isaiah the prophet, who says, The voice of one crying in the
   wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
   4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern
   girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
   5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region
   round about Jordan. 6. And were baptized in Jordan by him, confessing
   their sins.

   1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2. As
   it is written in the prophets, Lo, I send my messenger before thy face,
   who shall prepare thy way before thee. 3. The voice of one crying in
   the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
   4. John was baptizing in the wilderness, preaching the baptism of
   repentance, for the forgiveness of sins. 5. And all the country of
   Judea, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, went out to him, and were all
   baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6. And John
   was clothed with camel's hair, and with a leathern girdle about his
   loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

   1. And in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, when
   Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of
   Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the country of Iturea
   and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2. While Annas
   and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of the Lord came to John, the
   son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3. And he came into all the
   country surrounding Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the
   forgiveness of sins. 4. As it is written in the book of the words of
   the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
   Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5. Every valley
   shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be laid low, and
   those things which are crooked shall become straight, and those which
   are rough shall become plain ways. 6. And all flesh shall see the
   salvation of God.


   Mark 1:1. The beginning of the Gospel. Though what we have hitherto
   taken out of Matthew and Luke is a part of the Gospel, yet it is not
   without reason that Mark makes the beginning of the Gospel to be the
   preaching of John the Baptist. For the Law and the Prophets then came
   to an end, (John 1:17.) "The Law and the Prophets were until John:
   since that time the kingdom of God is preached," (Luke 16:16.) And with
   this agrees most fully the quotation which he makes from the Prophet
   Malachi, (3:1.) In order to inflame the minds of his people with a
   stronger desire of the promised salvation, the Lord had determined to
   leave them, for a time, without new prophecies. We know that the last
   of the true and lawful prophets was Malachi.

   That the Jews, in the meantime, may not faint with hunger, he exhorts
   them to continue under the Law of Moses, until the promised redemption
   appear. He mentions the law only, (John 1:17,) because the doctrine of
   the Prophets was not separate from the law, but was merely an appendage
   and fuller exposition of it, that the form of government in the Church
   might depend entirely on the Law. It is no new or uncommon thing in
   Scripture, to include the Prophets under the name of the Law: for they
   were all related to it as their fountain or design. The Gospel was not
   an inferior appendage to the Law, but a new form of instruction, by
   which the former was set aside.

   Malachi, distinguishing the two conditions of the Church, places the
   one under the Law, and commences the other with the preaching of John.
   He unquestionably describes the Baptist, when he says, "Behold, I send
   my messenger," (Malachi 3:1:) for, as we have already said, that
   passage lays down an express distinction between the Law and the new
   order and condition of the Church. With the same view he had said a
   little before, (which is quoted by Mark, [9:13;] for the passages are
   quite similar,) "Behold, I send you Elijah the Prophet, before the
   coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord," (Malachi 4:5.)
   Again,

   "Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:
   and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,"
   (Malachi 3:1.)

   In both passages, the Lord promises a better condition of his Church
   than had existed under the Law, and this unquestionably points out the
   beginning of the Gospel But before the Lord came to restore the Church,
   a forerunner or herald was to come, and announce that he was at hand.
   Hence we infer, that the abrogation of the Law, and the beginning of
   the Gospel, strictly speaking, took place when John began to preach.

   The Evangelist John presents to us Christ clothed in flesh, "the Word
   made flesh," (John 1:14;) so that his birth and the whole history of
   his appearance are included in the Gospel. But here Mark inquires, when
   the Gospel began to be published, and, therefore, properly begins with
   John, who was its first minister. And with this view the Heavenly
   Father chose that the life of his Son should be buried, as it were, in
   silence, until the time of the full revelation arrived. For it did not
   happen without the undoubted Providence of God, that the Evangelists
   leave out the whole period which Christ spent in private, and pass at
   once from his earliest infancy to his thirtieth year, when he was
   openly exhibited to the world, invested with his public character as a
   Redeemer; Luke excepted, who slightly touches one indication of his
   future calling, which occurred about his twelfth year, (Luke 2:42.)

   It had a very close connection with this object, that we should be
   informed, first, that Christ is a true man, (John 1:14,) and next, that
   he is "the Son of Abraham and of David," (Matthew 1:1;) as to both of
   which, the Lord has been pleased to give us an attestation. The other
   matters which we have examined, relating to "the shepherds," (Luke
   2:8,) the "Magi," (Matthew 2:1,) and "Simeon," (Luke 2:25,) were
   intended to prove his Divinity. What Luke relates about John and his
   father Zacharias, (Luke 1:5,) was a sort of preparation for the Gospel.

   There is no impropriety in the change of the person which is here made,
   in quoting the words of Malachi. According to the prophet, God says, I
   send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way Before Me. Mark
   introduces God as addressing the Son, Behold, I send my messenger
   before thy face, who shall prepare thy way Before Thee. But we see that
   Mark had no other intention, than to express more clearly the prophet's
   meaning. Mark designates Christ the Son of God The other Evangelists
   testify that he was born of the seed of Abraham and David, and
   therefore was the Son of man, (Matthew 8:20.) But Mark shows us, that
   no redemption is to be expected but from the Son of God

   Matthew 3:1 Now in those days Luke 3:1. And in the fifteenth year It
   could not be gathered from Matthew and Mark in what year of his age
   John began to preach: but Luke shows sufficiently, that he was about
   thirty years of age. The ancient writers of the Church are almost
   unanimously agreed, that he was born fifteen years before the death of
   Augustus. His successor Tiberius had held the government of the Roman
   Empire for fifteen years, when the same John began to preach. In this
   way are made up the thirty years which I have mentioned. Hence it
   follows, that he did not long discharge the office of teacher, but, in
   a short time, gave way to Christ; for we shall soon find, that Christ
   also was baptized in the thirtieth year of his age, when he was
   immediately installed into the discharge of his public office. Now as
   John, the morning-star, or dawn, was immediately followed by Christ,
   "the Sun of Righteousness," (Malachi 4:2,) there is no reason to
   wonder, that John disappeared, in order that Christ might shine alone
   in greater brightness.

   Luke 3:1. When Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea It is probable that
   this was the second year of Pilate's government: for since Tiberius had
   held the reins of government, he had, as Josephus informs us, (xviii.
   2:2,) appointed Valerius Gratus to be governor of Judea, in room of
   Annius Rufus. This change might take place in his second year. The same
   Josephus writes, that Valerius was governor of Judea for "eleven years,
   when Pontius Pilate came as his successor," (Ant. 18:2:2.) Pilate,
   therefore, had governed the province for two years, when John began to
   preach the Gospel. This Herod, whom Luke makes tetrarch of Judea, was
   the second heir of Herod the Great, and succeeded to his father by
   will. Archelaus had received the ethnarchy of Judea, but, when he was
   banished to Vienna (Jos. Wars, 2, vii. 3) by Augustus, that portion
   fell into the hands of the Romans. Luke mentions here two sons of
   Herod, -- Herod Antipas, who had been made tetrarch of Galilee, and
   governed Samaria and Peraea, -- and Philip, who was tetrarch of
   Trachonitis and Iturea, and reigned from the sea of Tiberias, or
   Gennesareth, to the foot of Lebanon, which is the source of the river
   Jordan.

   Lysanias has been falsely supposed to be the son of Ptolemy Mennaeus,
   King of Chalcis, who had been long before put to death by Cleopatra,
   about thirty years before the birth of Christ, as Josephus relates,
   (Ant. 15:4:1.) He could hardly even be the grandson of Ptolemy, who, as
   the same Josephus records, kindled the Parthian war, (Wars, 1, xiii.
   1;) for then he must have been more than sixty years of age at the time
   of which Luke speaks. Besides, as it was under Antigonus that the
   Parthian war commenced, he must even then have been a full-grown man.
   Now Ptolemy Mennaeus died not long after the murder of Julius Caesar,
   during the triumvirate of Lepidus, Antony, and Octavius, (Jos. Wars, 1,
   xiii. 1.) But as this grandson of Ptolemy bore the name of Lysanias as
   well as his father, he might have left a son who had the same surname.
   Meanwhile, there can be no hesitation in rejecting the error of those
   who make Lysanias to live sixty years after he had been slain by
   Cleopatra.

   The word Tetrarch is here used in a sense not quite accurate, as if the
   whole country had been divided into four parts. But as at first there
   was a fourfold division into districts, so afterwards, when other
   changes took place, the names Tetrarch and Tetrarchies were retained by
   way of honor. In this sense Pliny enumerates seventeen tetrarchies of
   one country.

   Luke 3:2. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests It is certain, that
   there never were two persons who held the office of high priest at the
   same time. Josephus states, that Valerius Gratus made Caiaphas high
   priest, a short time before he left the government. During the time
   that Pilate was governor of Judea, Josephus does not speak of him as
   having made any change in this respect; [244] but, on the contrary,
   states that, when Pilate had been recalled from the government, and
   sent to plead his cause at Rome, Vitellius, who was at that time
   governor of Syria, reduced Caiaphas to a private rank, and transferred
   the high priesthood to Jonathan, the son of Ananus, (Ant. 18:4:3.) When
   Luke says that there were two high priests, we must not understand him
   to mean, that both held the same title, but that the honor of the
   priesthood was partly shared with him by Annas his father-in-law.
   Luke's narrative indicates such a state of trouble and confusion, that,
   though there was not more than one person who was actually high priest,
   the sacred office was torn in pieces by ambition and tyranny.

   The word of the Lord came upon John Before relating, as the other
   Evangelists do, that John began to exercise his office of teaching,
   Luke asserts that he was divinely called to that office: and he does
   so, in order to assure us, that the ministry of John carried undoubted
   authority. Why the interpreters have chosen to translate the word, epi
   'Ioannen, UPON John, instead of TO John, I do not see: but because
   there is no ambiguity as to the meaning, that this commission was
   entrusted to him, and that he received a command to preach, I have
   followed the received version. Hence infer, that there are no regular
   teachers, but those on whom God has conferred the office; and that it
   is not enough to have the word of God, if there be not likewise a
   special calling.

   Matthew and Mark do not speak of the preaching of John as extending
   beyond the wilderness, while Luke says, that he came into all the
   country around Jordan These statements may be reconciled by observing,
   that John discharged the office of teaching among the neighbors, with
   whom he dwelt; but that his Gospel spread more widely, and became known
   in many places, so that the report of it, in a short time, reached
   Jerusalem. Indeed, the whole of that tract of the Jordan might be
   called a wilderness: for the word does not mean "a solitude," but "a
   rough, and mountainous, and thinly inhabited district."

   Matthew 3:2. Repent ye Matthew differs from the other two Evangelists
   in this respect, that he relates the substance of John's doctrine, as
   uttered by John himself, while they relate it in their own words;
   though Mark has one word more than Luke: for he says, he came
   Baptizing, and preaching the baptism of repentance But in substance
   there is the most perfect agreement: for they all connect repentance
   with the forgiveness of sins. The kingdom of God among men is nothing
   else than a restoration to a happy life; or, in other words, it is true
   and everlasting happiness. When John says, that the kingdom of God is
   at hand, his meaning is, that men, who were alienated from the
   righteousness of God, and banished from the kingdom of heaven, must be
   again gathered to God, and live under his guidance. This is
   accomplished by a free adoption and the forgiveness of sins, by which
   he reconciles to himself those who were unworthy. In a word, the
   kingdom of heaven is nothing else than "newness of life," (Romans 6:4,)
   by which God restores us to the hope of a blessed immortality. Having
   rescued us from the bondage of sin and death, he claims us as his own;
   that, even while our pilgrimage on earth continues, we may enjoy the
   heavenly life by faith: for he

   "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
   Christ,"
   (Ephesians 1:3.)

   Though we are like dead men, yet we know that our life is secure; for
   it "is hid with Christ in God," (Colossians 3:3.)

   From this doctrine, as its source, is drawn the exhortation to
   repentance. For John does not say, "Repent ye, and in this way the
   kingdom of heaven will afterwards be at hand;" but first brings forward
   the grace of God, and then exhorts men to repent Hence it is evident,
   that the foundation of repentance is the mercy of God, by which he
   restores the lost. In no other sense is it stated by Mark and Luke,
   that he preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins Repentance is
   not placed first, as some ignorantly suppose, as if it were the ground
   of the forgiveness of sins, or as if it induced God to begin to be
   gracious to us; but men are commanded to repent, that they may receive
   the reconciliation which is offered to them. Now, as the undeserved
   love of God -- by which he receives into his favor wretched men, "not
   imputing their trespasses unto them," (2 Corinthians 5:19) -- is first
   in order; so it must be observed, that pardon of sins is bestowed upon
   us in Christ, not that God may treat them with indulgence, but that he
   may heal us from our sins. And, indeed, without hatred of sin and
   remorse for transgressions, no man will taste the grace of God. But a
   definition of repentance and faith may explain more fully the manner in
   which both are connected; which leads me to handle this doctrine more
   sparingly.

   With regard to the meaning of the present passage, it is proper to
   observe, that the whole Gospel consists of two parts, -- forgiveness of
   sins, and repentance Now, as Matthew denominates the first of these the
   kingdom of heaven, we may conclude, that men are in a state of deadly
   enmity with God, and altogether shut out from the heavenly kingdom,
   till God receives them into favor. Though John, when he introduces the
   mention of the grace of God, exhorts men to repentance, yet it must not
   be forgotten that repentance, not less than the inheritance of the
   heavenly kingdom, is the gift of God. As he freely pardons our sins,
   and delivers us, by his mercy, from the condemnation of eternal death,
   so also does he form us anew to his image, that we may live unto
   righteousness. As he freely adopts us for his sons, so he regenerates
   us by his Spirit, that our life may testify, that we do not falsely,
   [245] address him as our Father. In like manner, Christ washes away our
   sins by his blood, and reconciles our Heavenly Father to us by the
   sacrifice of his death; but, at the same time, in consequence of

   "our old man being crucified with him, and the body of sin destroyed,"
   (Romans 6:6)

   he makes us "alive" unto righteousness. The sum of the Gospel is, that
   God, through his Son, takes away our sins, and admits us to fellowship
   with him, that we, "denying ourselves" and our own nature, may "live
   soberly, righteously, and godly," and thus may exercise ourselves on
   earth in meditating on the heavenly life.

   Luke 3:3. Preaching the baptism of repentance This form of expression
   shows first, generally, what is the right use of the Sacraments; and
   next, why baptism was instituted, and in what it consists. A sacrament,
   then, is not a dumb ceremony, exhibiting some unmeaning pomp without
   doctrine; but the Word of God is joined to it, and gives life to the
   outward ceremony. By the Word I mean, not mutterings of a magical
   character, made by some exorcist between his teeth, but what is
   pronounced with a clear and distinct voice, and leads to the
   edification of faith. For we are not simply told, that John baptized
   unto repentance, as if the grace of God were contained in a visible
   sign; but that he explained, in his preaching, the advantage of
   baptism, that the sign, through the word preached, might produce its
   effect. This is the peculiarity of baptism, that it is said to be an
   outward representation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins Now,
   as the meaning, power, and nature of that baptism are the same as ours,
   if we judge of the figure from its true import, it is incorrect to say,
   that the baptism of John is different from the baptism of Christ. [246]

   Matthew 3:3. The yoke of one crying in the wilderness Though this
   passage of the prophet Isaiah (40:3) ought not to be limited
   exclusively to John, yet he is one of the number of those to whom it
   certainly refers. After having spoken of the destruction of the city,
   and of the awful calamities that would befall the people, he promises a
   restoration that would follow. His words are,

   "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God,"
   (Isaiah 40:1.)

   When the temple had been thrown down, and sacrifices abolished, and the
   people led away into captivity, their affairs seemed to be desperate.
   And as their ears had been deaf to the uninterrupted voice of the
   prophets, the Lord kept silence for a time. [247] That pious minds may
   not be cast down during this melancholy silence, the prophet announces,
   that other preachers of grace will yet arise, to awaken in the people a
   hope of salvation. Such were Zechariah, Haggai, Malachi, and the like.
   [248] But as the restoration promised is perpetual, and not for a time
   only, and as Isaiah refers chiefly to the redemption, which was to be
   expressed at the coming of Christ, John the Baptist is justly
   considered the chief minister of consolation.

   Next follows in the words of the prophet, The voice of one crying That
   voice is contrasted with the temporary silence, [249] which I have just
   mentioned: for the Jews were to be deprived, for a time, of the
   instruction, which they had wickedly despised. The word wilderness is
   here used metaphorically for desolation, or the frightful ruin of the
   nation, such as existed in the time of the captivity. It was so
   dismally shattered, that it might well be compared to a wilderness The
   prophet magnifies the grace of God. "Though the people," says he, "have
   been driven far from their country, and even excluded from the society
   of men, yet the voice of God will yet be heard in the wilderness, to
   revive the dead with joyful consolation." When John began to preach,
   Jerusalem was in this sense a wilderness: for all had been reduced to
   wild and frightful confusion. But the very sight of a visible
   wilderness must have had a powerful effect on stupid and hardened men,
   leading them to perceive that they were in a state of death, and to
   accept the promise of salvation, which had been held out to them. We
   now see, that this prediction actually relates to John, and is most
   properly applied to him.

   Prepare the way of the Lord The prophet undoubtedly addresses Cyrus and
   the Persians, whose agency the Lord employed in this matter. The
   meaning is: by his wonderful power, God will open a way to his people
   through impassable forests, through broken rocks, through a sandy
   desert; for he will have at hand the ministers of his grace, to remove
   all hindrances out of the way. But that was a shadowy anticipation of
   redemption. When the spiritual truth is about to appear, John is sent
   to remove obstacles. And even now the same voice sounds in our ears,
   that we may prepare the way of the Lord: that is, that we may take out
   of the way those sins which obstruct the kingdom of Christ, and thus
   may give access to his grace. To the same purpose are the following
   words of the prophet: the crooked shall be made straight, (Isaiah
   40:4.) All that they mean is: there are intricate and crooked windings
   in the world, but through such appalling difficulties the Lord makes a
   way for himself, and breaks through, by incredible means, to accomplish
   our salvation.

   Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God That salvation
   will not be at all obscure, or experienced by a small number of
   persons, but will strike every eye, and will be common to all. Hence it
   follows that this prediction was far from being accomplished, when the
   people returned from Babylon: [250] for though the Lord gave, at that
   time, a memorable display of his grace, yet he did not reveal his
   salvation to the whole world. On the contrary, the prophet's design
   was, to present the uncommon excellence of the salvation which was to
   be manifested, in contrast with God's former benefits, and thus to
   inform believers, that the dispensations of God towards his Church had
   never been so remarkable, nor his power so illustriously displayed in
   their deliverance. Flesh is here put for men, without being intended to
   denote their depravity. [251]

   Matthew 3:4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair The
   Evangelist does not desire us to reckon it as one of John's chief
   excellencies, that he followed a rough and austere way of living, or
   even that he avoided a moderate and ordinary degree of elegance: but,
   having already stated that he was an inhabitant of the mountains, he
   now adds, that his food and clothing were adapted to his residence. And
   he mentions this, not only to inform us, that John was satisfied with
   the food and dress of the peasants, and partook of no delicacies; but
   that, under a mean and contemptible garb, he was held in high
   estimation by men of rank and splendor. Superstitious persons look upon
   righteousness as consisting almost entirely of outward appearances, and
   have commonly thought, that abstinence of this kind was the perfection
   of holiness. Nearly akin to this is the error, of supposing him to be a
   man who lived in solitude, and who disdained the ordinary way of
   living; as the only superiority of hermits and monks is, that they
   differ from other people. Nay, gross ignorance has gone so far that,
   out of camel's hair they have made an entire skin.

   Now, there can be no doubt, that the Evangelist here describes a man of
   the mountains, [252] widely distant from all the refinement and
   delicacies of towns,--not only satisfied with such food as could be
   procured, but eating only what was fit to be used in its natural state,
   such as wild honey, which is supplied by that region in great
   abundance, and locusts, with which it also abounds. Or he may have
   intended to point out that, when a man of mean aspect, and without any
   polite accomplishments, appeared in public life, it was attended by
   this advantage, that the majesty of God shone alone in him, and yet
   struck all with admiration. For we must observe what is added, that
   there was a great concourse of people from all directions; from which
   we infer, that his fame was very widely spread. [253] Or the Evangelist
   may have signified the design of God, to present, in the person of
   John, a singular instance of frugality, and, in this manner, to fill
   the Jews with reverence for his doctrine, or at least to convince them
   of ingratitude, according to that saying of our Lord, John the Baptist
   came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, (Luke 7:33.)

   Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5. And were baptized, confessing their sins This
   confession was a testimony of repentance: for, as the Lord, in the
   sacraments, brings himself under obligation to us, as if he had given
   his own hand-writing, so it is our duty, on the other hand, to reply to
   him. In Baptism, he declares that our sins are forgiven, and calls us
   to repentance. That men may come forward, in a right manner, to be
   baptized, confession of sins is demanded from them: otherwise the whole
   performance would be nothing but an idle mockery [254] Let it be
   observed, that we are here speaking of adults, who ought not, we. are
   aware, to be admitted indiscriminately into the Church, or introduced
   by Baptism into the body of Christ, [255] till an examination has been
   previously made. [256]

   Hence it is obvious, how absurdly this passage has been tortured by the
   Papists, to support auricular confession. There were no priests at
   hand, in whose ears each individual might privately mutter [257] his
   sins; nor is it said that they enumerated all their sins; nor are we
   told that John left in charge to his disciples an ordinary rule for
   confession. Even granting to Papists all that they ask, confession will
   belong to Catechumens alone, [258] and will have no place after
   Baptism. At all events, the law which they lay down for confession
   after Baptism, derives no countenance from John's example. [259]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [243] "Ammendez-vous, ou, convertissez, ou, repentez."-- "Reform
   yourselves, or be converted, or, repent."

   [244] The whole passage is remarkable, and proves that the appointment
   to the sacred office of high priest was entirely at the disposal of the
   Roman Governor. "This man (Valerius Gratus) deprived Ananus of the high
   priesthood, and appointed Ishmael, the son of Phabi, to be high priest.
   He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained Eleazar, the son of
   Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high priest: which
   office, when he had held for a year, Gratus deprived him of it, and
   gave the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and, when he
   had possessed that dignity no longer than a year, Joseph Caiaphas was
   made his successor. When Gratus had done those things, he went back to
   Rome, after he had tarried in Judea eleven years, when Pontius Pilate
   came as his successor." -- (Ant. 18:2:2.)

   [245] "Ce n'est pas a fausses enseignes ni par feintise." -- "It is not
   with false colors, nor by hypocrisy."

   [246] "Maintenant puis que le Baptesme de Jean a eu mesme
   signification, vertu et propriete que le nostre, si nous voulons juger
   de la figure et du signe selon la chose signifee, c'est 'a dire la
   verite, nous trouverons que le Baptesme administre par Christ, n'a
   point este autre que celuy que Jean a administre."--"Now, since the
   baptism of John had the same meaning, power, and nature as ours, if we
   wish to judge of the figure and of the sign according to the thing
   signified, that is to say the reality, we shall find that the Baptism
   administered by Christ was no other than that which John administered."

   [247] "Et pource qu'ils avoyent auparavant ferme leurs aureilles a la
   voix des prophetes, qui journellement et sans cesse, parloyent a eux,
   le Seigneur se teut, et laissa de parler a eux pour un temps." -- "And
   because they had formerly shut their ears to the voice of the prophets,
   who daily and unceasingly spoke to them, the Lord was silent, and
   ceased to speak to them for a time."

   [248] "Malachie, Esdras, et autres semblables personnages." --
   "Malachi, Ezra, and other similar characters."

   [249] "Anquel il n'y avoit personne qui parlast au nom de Dieu;" -- "in
   which there was nobody who spoke in the name of God."

   [250] "In populi reditu;" -- "quand le peuple est retourne de
   Babylone."

   [251] "Le mot de Chair n'est pas ice mis pour denoter la corruption de
   nature, mais il signifie simplement les hommes." -- "The word Flesh is
   not put here to denote the corruption of nature, but means simply men."

   [252] "Montanum hominem;" -- "un homme suivant les montagnes."

   [253] "Qu il a ete merveilleusement grand bruit de luy par tout le
   pays." -- "That there was an astonishingly great noise about him
   through all the country."

   [254] "Autrement, tout ce sainct mystere seroit tournee en mines et
   bas-tellerie." -- "Otherwise, all this holy mystery would be turned
   into grimaces and buffoonery."

   [255] "En la communion de Christ;" -- "into communion or fellowship
   with Christ."

   [256] "Devant qu'ils n'ayent este examinez et interroguez de leur foy;"
   --"before they have been examined and interrogated as to their faith."

   [257] "Il n'y avoit point 1a de prestres, devant lequel un chacun eust
   peu s'a genouiller l'un apres l'autre, pourbarboter ses pechez en leurs
   aureilles." -- "There were no priests there, before whom each
   individual might kneel down, one after another, to mutter his sins in
   their ears."

   [258] "Ceste confession n'appartient droit qu'a ceux qui de nouveau se
   convertissent a la foy." -- "That confession would only belong to those
   who are recently converted to the faith."

   [259] "Pour le moins, quand ils commandent par leur loy de se confesser
   depuis le Baptesme, ils ne peuvent pas dire qu'ils ensuivent Jean, ny
   l'alleguer pour autheur." -- "At least, when they enjoin, by their law,
   to make confession after Baptism, they cannot say that they follow
   John, nor produce him as their author."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:7-10; LUKE 3:7-14

   Matthew 3:7-10

   Luke 3:7-14

   7. And when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his
   baptism, he said to them, Offspring of vipers, who warned you that ye
   might flee from the wrath to come? 8. Yield then fruits worthy of
   repentance. 9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham
   for our fathers: for I say to you, that God is able to raise, from
   these stones, children to Abraham. 10. And now also the axe is laid at
   the root of the trees: every tree, therefore, which yieldeth not good
   fruit, is cut down, and is thrown into the fire.

   7. He said therefore to the multitudes, which went out, that they might
   be baptized by him, Offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from
   the wrath to come? 8. Yield therefore fruits worthy of repentance. And
   begin to to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I
   say to you, that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children
   to Abraham. 9. And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees:
   every tree, therefore, which yieldeth not good fruit, is cut down, and
   is thrown into the fire. 10. And the multitudes asked him, saying, What
   then shall we do? 11. And he answering saith to them, He who hath two
   coats, let him impart to him who hath none; and he who hath food, let
   him do in like manner. [260] 12. And the publicans also came, that they
   might be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do? 13. And
   he said to them, Exact no more than what has been enjoined you. 14. And
   the soldiers also asked him, saying, And what shall we do? He saith to
   them, Do violence to no man, accuse no man falsely, and be content with
   your wages.


   Matthew 3:7. And when he saw many of the Pharisees. It is here related
   by Matthew and Luke, that John did not merely preach repentance in a
   general manner, but that he also applied his discourse to individuals.
   And the manner of teaching will, in point of fact, be very
   unprofitable, if instructors do not judiciously inquire what the season
   demands, and what belongs to individuals. Nothing can be more unequal,
   in this respect, than a constant equality. [261] For this reason John,
   we are told, addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees with greater
   severity: because he saw that their hypocrisy, and swelling pride,
   rendered them liable to be more severely censured than the common
   people. To comprehend more fully his design, we must understand, that
   none are more stupid than hypocrites, who deceive themselves and others
   by the outward mask of holiness. While God thunders, on all sides,
   against the whole world, they construct a refuge for themselves in
   their own deceitful fancy; for they are convinced that they have
   nothing to do with the judgment of God. Does any one suppose, that John
   acted improperly, in treating them with so much harshness at the first
   interview? I reply: They were not unknown to him, [262] and the
   knowledge he had of them was derived, not from acquaintance or
   experience, but, on the contrary, from a secret revelation of the
   Spirit. It was therefore necessary that he should not spare them, lest
   they might return home more inflated with pride. Is it again objected,
   that they ought not to have been terrified by such severity of reproof,
   because they made a profession, in baptism, that they would afterwards
   be different persons from what they had formerly been? The reply is
   still easy. Those whose habits of uttering falsehood to God, and of
   deceiving themselves, lead them to hold out hypocrisy and pretension,
   instead of the reality, ought to be urged, with greater sharpness than
   other men, to true repentance. There is an astonishing pertinacity, as
   I have said, in hypocrites; and, until they have been flayed by
   violence, they obstinately keep their skin.

   As to the loud and open rebuke, which was administered to them in
   presence of all, it was for the sake of others; and that is the reason
   why Luke mentions, that it was addressed to multitudes, (Luke 3:7.)
   Though the persons whom John reproved were few in number, his design
   was to strike terror on all; as Paul enjoins us to regard it as the
   advantage of public rebukes, "that others also may fear," (1 Timothy
   5:20.) He addresses directly the Pharisees and Sadducees, and at the
   same time, addresses, through them, a warning to all, not to hold out a
   hypocritical appearance of repentance, instead of a true affection of
   the heart. Besides, it was of great importance to the whole nation to
   know [263] what sort of people the Pharisees and Sadducees were, who
   had miserably corrupted the worship of God, wasted the church, and
   overturned the whole of religion; -- in a word, who had extinguished
   the light of God by their corruptions, and infected every thing by
   their crimes.

   It is probable, therefore, that John publicly attacked the Pharisees,
   for the benefit of the whole church of God, that they might no longer
   dazzle the eyes of simple men by empty show, or hold the body of the
   people under oppression by wicked tyranny. In this respect, it was a
   remarkable display of his firmness, that those, who were highly
   esteemed by others, were not spared on account of their reputation, but
   sternly reduced, as they deserved, to their proper rank. And thus ought
   all godly instructors to be zealous, not to dread any power of man, but
   boldly strive to "cast down every high thing that exalteth itself"
   against Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:5.)

   If John, the organ of the Holy Spirit, employed such severity of
   language in his opening address to those who voluntarily came to be
   baptized, and to make a public profession of the gospel; how ought we
   now to act towards the avowed enemies of Christ, who not only reject
   obstinately all that belongs to sound doctrine, but whose efforts to
   extinguish the name of Christ are violently maintained by fire and
   sword? Most certainly, if you compare the Pope, and his abominable
   clergy, with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the mildest possible way of
   dealing with them will be, to throw them all into one bundle. Those,
   whose ears are so delicate, that they cannot endure to have any bitter
   thing said against the Pope, must argue, not with us, but with the
   Spirit of God. Yet let godly teachers beware, lest, while they are
   influenced by holy zeal against the tyrants of the Church, they mingle
   with it the affections of the flesh. And as no vehemence, which is not
   regulated by the wisdom of the Spirit, can obtain the divine
   approbation, let them not only restrain their feelings, but surrender
   themselves to the Holy Spirit, and implore his guidance, that nothing
   may escape them through inadvertency. [264]

   Offspring of vipers. He gives them this name, instead of simply calling
   them vipers, in order to expose the envenomed malice of the whole
   class: for he intended to condemn, not merely those few persons who
   were present, but the whole body, and to charge both sects with
   producing nothing but serpents. They had vehement disputes, no doubt,
   with each other: but all were agreed in despising God, in a wicked
   desire to rule, in hatred of sound doctrine, and in a disgusting mass
   of numerous crimes.

   Who warned you? As he had suspicions of their repentance, he puts the
   question with doubt and wonder, if it be possible that they repent
   sincerely. In this way, he summons them to the inward tribunal of
   conscience, that they may thoroughly examine themselves, and, laying
   aside all flattery, may institute a severe investigation into their
   crimes. Wrath is put here, as in many other places, for the judgment of
   God: as when Paul says, "The law worketh wrath," (Romans 4:15,) and
   "Give place to wraths [265] ", (Romans 12:19.) He calls it the wrath to
   come, which hangs over their heads, that they may not indulge in their
   wonted carelessness. For, though the wrath of God overflows, and his
   chastisements strike, the whole world, hypocrites always entertain the
   hope that they will escape. To flee from the wrath of God, is here
   taken in a good sense, that is, to seek the means of appeasing God,
   that he may no longer be angry with us. For a good part of men, in
   order to escape the wrath of God, withdraw themselves from his guidance
   and authority. But all that the sinner gains by fleeing from God, is to
   provoke more and more the wrath of God against him.

   Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8. Yield therefore fruits worthy of repentance. He
   confirms what I have already said, that the repentance, which is
   attested by words, is of no value, unless it be proved by the conduct:
   for it is too important a matter to be estimated lightly, or at random.
   And so John affirms, that the solemn declaration, which they made, is
   not enough, but that, in process of time, their works will make it
   evident, whether or not they have seriously repented. [266] It ought to
   be observed, that good works (Titus 3:8) are here called fruits of
   repentance: for repentance is an inward matter, which has its seat in
   the heart and soul, but afterwards yields its fruits in a change of
   life. [267] But as the whole of this part of doctrine has been
   grievously corrupted by Popery, we must attend to this distinction,
   that repentance is an inward renewal of the man, which manifests itself
   in the outward life, as a tree produces its fruit.

   Matthew 3:9. And think not to say within yourselves. Luke 3:8. And
   begin not to say within yourselves. As the import of both phrases is
   undoubtedly the same, it is easy to ascertain what John meant. Till
   hypocrites are hard pressed, they either sleep in their sins, or
   indulge in licentious mirth. [268] But when they are summoned to the
   tribunal of God, they eagerly seek for some subterfuge or concealment,
   or some covering to interpose between God and them. John's address to
   the Pharisees and Sadducees amounts to this: "Now that I have sharply
   upbraided you, do not, as persons of your stamp are wont to do endeavor
   to find a remedy in an empty and deceitful title."

   He thus tears from them the wicked confidence, by which they had been
   bewitched. The covenant, which God had made with Abraham, was employed
   by them as a shield to defend a bad conscience: not that they rested
   their salvation on the person of one man, but that God had adopted all
   the posterity of Abraham. Meanwhile, they did not consider, that none
   are entitled to be regarded as belonging to "the seed of Abraham,"
   (John 8:33,) but those who follow his faith, and that without faith the
   covenant of God has no influence whatever in procuring salvation. And
   even the little word, in yourselves, is not without meaning: for though
   they did not boast in words, that they were Abraham's children, yet
   they were inwardly delighted with this title, as hypocrites are not
   ashamed to practice grosser impositions on God than on men.

   God is able. The Jews flattered themselves with nearly the same
   pretenses, as are now brought forward insolently by the Papists. "There
   must be some Church in the world; because it is the will of God that he
   be acknowledged, and his name invoked, in the world. But the Church can
   be nowhere else than among us, to whom God has entrusted his covenant."
   [269] This arrogance was chiefly displayed by the high priests, and by
   others who had any share of government or authority. The common people
   were treated by them as profane and "accursed," (John 7:49,) and they
   looked upon themselves as the holy first-fruits; just as, in our own
   day, mitred Bishops, Abbots, Canons, Monks, Sorbonnists, and every
   description of Priests, glorying in the proud title of Clergy, regard
   the Laity with contempt. This error, of relying too much on the promise
   of God, John exposes and refutes, by saying that, though God passes by
   them, he will not want a Church.

   The meaning of the words, therefore, is: "God has made an everlasting
   covenant with Abraham and his seed. In one point you are mistaken.
   While you are worse than bastards, [270] you imagine that you are the
   only children of Abraham. But God will raise up elsewhere a new seed of
   Abraham, which does not now appear." He says in the dative case,
   children To ABRAHAM, (to 'Abraam,) to inform us, that the promise of
   God will not fail, and that Abraham, who relied on it, was not
   deceived, though his seed be not found in you. Thus from the beginning
   of the world the Lord has been faithful to his servants, and has never
   failed to fulfill the promise which he made to them, that he would
   extend mercy to their children, though he rejected hypocrites. Some
   imagine, that John spoke of the calling of the Gentiles. This appears
   to me to be without foundation: but as proud men did not believe it to
   be possible that the Church should be removed to another place, he
   reminds them, that God has in his power ways of preserving his Church,
   which they did not think of, any more than they believed that he could
   create children out of stones.

   Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9. And now also the axe. After having stripped
   hypocrites of the covering of a vain confidence, John announces the
   approaching judgment of God. He had formerly said that, though they
   were rejected, God would not want a people: and he now adds, that God
   is just about to drive out unworthy persons from the Church, as barren
   trees are wont to be cut down. His statement amounts to this, that God
   has already displayed his power for purifying the Church. The grace of
   God is never manifested for the salvation of the godly, till his
   judgment first appears for the destruction of the world: and for two
   reasons; because God then separates his own people from the reprobate,
   and because his wrath is kindled anew by the ingratitude of the world.
   So that we have no reason to wonder, if the preaching of the gospel and
   the coming of Christ laid the axe for cutting down barren trees, or if
   the same causes [271] daily advance the wrath of God against the
   wicked.

   Luke 3:10 And the multitudes asked him. A true feeling of repentance
   produces in the mind of the poor sinner an eager desire to know what is
   the will or command of God. John's reply explains, in a few words, the
   fruits worthy of repentance: for the world is always desirous to acquit
   itself of its duty to God by performing ceremonies; and there is
   nothing to which we are more prone, than to offer to God pretended
   worship, whenever he calls us to repentance. But what fruits does the
   Baptist here recommend? The duties of charity, and of the second Table
   of the Law: [272] not that God disregards the outward profession of
   godliness, and of his worship; but that this is a surer mark of
   distinction, and less frequently leads to mistakes. [273] For
   hypocrites labor strenuously to prove themselves worshippers of God by
   the performance of ceremonies, -- paying no regard, however, to true
   righteousness: for they are either cruel to their neighbors, or
   addicted to falsehood and dishonesty.

   It was therefore necessary to subject them to a more homely
   examination, [274] if they are just in their dealings with men, if they
   relieve the poor, if they are generous to the wretched, if they give
   liberally what the Lord has bestowed upon them. This is the reason why
   our Lord pronounces "judgment, mercy, and faith," to be "the weightier
   matters of the law," (Matthew 23:23,) and Scripture everywhere
   recommends "justice and judgment." We must particularly observe, that
   the duties of charity are here mentioned, not because they are of
   higher value than the worship of God, but because they testify the
   piety of men, [275] so as to detect the hypocrisy of those who boast
   with the mouth what is far distant from the heart.

   But it is asked, did John lay this injunction, in a literal sense, on
   all whom he was preparing to be Christ's disciples, that they should
   not have two coats? We must observe, first, that this is the figure of
   speech which is called a Synecdoche, for under one example it
   comprehends a general rule. Hence it follows, that we must draw from it
   a meaning, which corresponds to the law of charity, as it is laid down
   by God: and that law is, that each person should give out of his
   abundance to supply the wants of the poor. God does not extort a tax,
   to be paid "grudgingly or of necessity" by those who, but for that
   necessity, would have chosen not to pay it: "for the Lord loveth a"
   willing and "cheerful giver," (2 Corinthians 9:7.) I make this
   observation, because it is of great consequence for men to be
   convinced, that the portion of their wealth which they bestow in this
   manner is a sacrifice pleasing and of good savor to God, -- that "with
   such sacrifices God is well pleased," (Hebrews 13:16.)

   Those who lay it down as a law, that no man must have any property of
   his own, not only make consciences to tremble, but overwhelm them with
   despair. With fanatics of this sort, who obstinately adhere to the
   literal meaning, it is not necessary that we should spend much time in
   refutation. If we are not allowed to have two coats, the same rule will
   apply to dishes, to salt-cellars, to shirts, and, in short, to all the
   furniture of a house. But the context makes it evident, that nothing
   was farther from John's intention than to overthrow the order of a
   state. Hence we infer, that all that he enjoined on the rich was, that
   they should bestow on the poor, according to their own ability, what
   their necessity required.

   "Consider to what extent the necessaries of life, which you enjoy
   abundantly, are wanted by your neighbors, that your abundance may be a
   supply for their want," (2 Corinthians 8:14.)

   But the more liberty that God allows us, we ought to be the more
   careful not to allow ourselves undue liberty. [276] Let the necessity
   of our brethren affect us powerfully, and let the bounty of God, which
   is in our hands, stimulate us to acts of kindness and generosity.

   Luke 3:12. And the publicans [277] also came. The publicans are not
   only exhorted, in general terms, to repent, but the duties peculiar to
   their calling are demanded: for we know that, besides the general rule
   of the law, each person ought to consider what is required by the
   nature of the employment to which he has been called. All Christians,
   without distinction, "are taught of God to love one another," (1
   Thessalonians 4:9:) but then there follow particular duties, which a
   teacher, for example, is bound to perform towards the Church, -- a
   magistrate or prince towards the people, and the people, on the other
   hand, towards the magistrate, -- a husband towards his wife, and a wife
   towards her husband, -- and finally, children and parents toward each
   other. The Publicans, viewed as a class, were covetous, rapacious, and
   cruel, and often oppressed the people by unjust exactions. In
   consequence of this, the Baptist reproves them for those offenses, with
   which that class was, for the most part, chargeable, when he commands
   them not to go beyond moderation in exacting tribute. At the same time,
   we draw this inference, that it is quite as lawful for a Christian man
   to receive or levy taxes, as for a magistrate to impose them.

   In the same way we must judge about war. John does not order the
   soldiers to throw away their arms, and to relinquish their oath; but he
   forbids them to pillage the wretched people under the pretense of their
   duty as soldiers, to bring false accusations against the innocent, and
   to be guilty of extortions, -- all of which crimes the greater part of
   them were accustomed to practice. These words obviously contain an
   approbation of civil government. It is a piece of idle sophistry to
   say, that John's hearers were ignorant people, and that he gave them
   nothing more than elementary instructions, which fell very far short of
   Christian perfection. John's office was, to make ready a people
   prepared for the Lord, (Luke 1:17) and there is no doubt that it was
   entirely and faithfully performed. Those men are guilty of calumny and
   sacrilege, who slander the Gospel, by declaring it to be opposed to
   human governments; [278] as if Christ destroyed what his heavenly
   Father sanctioned. But, without the sword, laws are dead, and legal
   judgments have no force or authority. Magistrates require not only an
   executioner, [279] but other attendants, among whom are the military,
   [280] without whose assistance and agency it is impossible to maintain
   peace. Still, the object must be considered. Princes must not allow
   themselves to sport with human blood, nor must soldiers give themselves
   up to cruelty, from a desire of gain, as if slaughter were their chief
   business: but both must be drawn to it by necessity, and by a regard to
   public advantage.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [260] "Qui a a manger, face la semblable." -- "He who hath to eat, let
   him do the like."

   [261] "Et n' y a rien plus inegal en cest endroit, que de vouloir
   garder tousjours une mesme egalite." -- "And nothing is more unequal,
   in this respect, than to wish to maintain always one uniform equality.

   [262] "Je res ond uil co oissoit bien quelles gens c'estoyent." -- "I
   reply, that he knew well what sort of people they were."

   [263] "Davantage, tout le peuple avoit grand interest d'estre advertis
   quelles gens estoyent les Sadduciens et Pharisiens." -- "Besides, all
   the people had a deep interest in being warned what sort of people the
   Sadducees and Pharisees were."

   [264] "Afin qu'il ne leur eschappe aucun mot inconsiderement, et a la
   volee;" -- "that no word may escape them inconsiderately, and at
   random."

   [265] "Il fait mention du temps avenir, parce que les hypocrites,
   tandis que Dieu les espargne, desprisent hardiment toutes ses menaces,
   et ne se resveillent jamais, sinon qu'il frappe dessus a grands coups."
   -- "He mentions the future, because hypocrites, so long as God spares
   them, despise boldly all his threatenings, and never awake, till he
   strikes them with heavy strokes."

   [266] "Si leur repentance est vraye, et si c'est it bon escient qu'ils
   vienent k luy." -- "If their repentance is true, and if it is in good
   earnest that they come to him."

   [267] "Par le changement et amendement de vie;" -- "by the change and
   amendment of life."

   [268] "Ils s'endorment toujours en leurs vices, ou s'egayent comme
   chevaux eschappez." -- "They sleep always in their sins, or indulge in
   merriment, like horses let loose."

   [269] "D'autant que le Seigneur nous a ordonnez gardiens de son
   alliance." -- "Because the Lord has appointed us guardians of his
   covenant."

   [270] "Quum sitis plus quam degeneres." -- "Combien qu' a la verite
   vous soyez pires que bastards."

   [271] "Ces deux choses mesme;" -- "these very two things."

   [272] "Des ceuvres de charite comprises en la seconde Table de la Loy;"
   -- "works of charity included in the second Table of the Law."

   [273] "Non pas que Dieu ne requiere aussi une profession externe de son
   service et de la crainte de son nom, mais pource que l'autre partie est
   la marque la plus certaine pour cognoians, et, laquelle vrals on est le
   moins abuse." -- "Not that God does not require also an external
   profession of his service and of the fear of his name, but because the
   other part is the surest mark to know true penitents, and one in which
   there is less risk of deception."

   [274] "C'est a dire, ou ils ne peuvent pas si aisement tromper." --
   "That is to say, in which they cannot so easily deceive."

   [275] "De la crainte de Dieu qui est en l'homme;" -- "of the fear of
   God which is in man."

   [276] "Cependant, tant plus Dieu nous traite doucement, et nous donne
   de liberte, tant plus faut-il que nous prenions garde a ne nous flatter
   ou lascher par trop la bride." -- "Yet the more gently God treats us,
   and the more liberty he gives us, so much the more ought we to take
   care not to flatter ourselves, or loose the bridle too much."

   [277] "Peagets;" -- "tax-gatherers."

   [278] "Qui veulent faire accroire qu'elle n'a rouve point les
   principautes, empires et gouvernements qui sont entre les hornroes; --
   "who wish to make it believed that it does not approve of the
   principalities, empires, and governments, which exist among men."

   [279] "Un bourreau;" -- "a hangman."

   [280] "Les gendarmes."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:11-12; MARK 1:7-8; LUKE 3:15-18

   Matthew 3:11-12

   Mark 1:7-8

   Luke 3:15-18

   11. I indeed baptize you with water to repentance: but he who cometh
   after me is stronger than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry: he
   shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 12. Whose
   winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his
   thrashing-floor, and will collect the wheat into his barn: but he will
   burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

   7. And he preached, saying, One cometh after me, that latchet of whose
   shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8. I indeed have
   baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

   15. And while the people were waiting, and while all were thinking in
   their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ: 16. John answered
   to all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water, but there cometh one
   stronger than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose:
   he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 17. Whose
   winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will cleanse his thrashing-floor,
   and will collect the wheat into his barn: but he will burn up the chaff
   with unquenchable fire. 18. And exhorting also as to many other things,
   he preached the Gospel [281] to the people.


   The three Evangelists relate the Baptist's discourse in the same words.
   In one respect, Luke's account is more full: for he opens it by
   explaining the occasion on which this discourse was delivered. It arose
   from the people being in danger of being led, by a false opinion, to
   convey to him the honor which was due to Christ. To remove, as soon as
   possible, every occasion of such a mistake, he expressly declares, that
   he is not the Christ, and draws such a distinction between Christ and
   himself as to maintain Christ's prerogative. He would have done this of
   his own accord, by handing them over, to use a common expression, as
   disciples to Christ: but he takes up the matter at an earlier stage,
   lest, by remaining silent any longer, he should confirm the people in
   an error.

   He who cometh after me is stronger than I Christ is thus declared to be
   so far superior in power and rank, that, with respect to him, John must
   occupy a private station. [282] He uses ordinary forms of speech to
   magnify the glory of Christ, in comparison of whom he declares that he
   himself is nothing. The chief part of his statement is, that he
   represents Christ as the author of spiritual baptism, and himself as
   only the minister of outward baptism. He appears to anticipate an
   objection, which might be brought forward. What was the design of the
   Baptism which he had taken upon himself? For it was no light matter to
   introduce any innovation whatever into the Church of God, and
   particularly to bring forward a new way of introducing persons into the
   Church, which was more perfect than the law of God. He replies, that he
   did not proceed to do this without authority; but that his office, as
   minister of an outward symbol, takes nothing away from the power and
   glory of Christ.

   Hence we infer, that his intention was not at all to distinguish
   between his own baptism, and that which Christ taught his disciples,
   and which he intended should remain in perpetual obligation in his
   Church. He does not contrast one visible sign with another visible
   sign, but compares the characters of master and servant with each
   other, and shows what is due to the master, and what is due to the
   servant. It ought not to have any weight with us, that an opinion has
   long and extensively prevailed, that John's baptism differs from ours.
   We must learn to form our judgment from the matter as it stands, and
   not from the mistaken opinions of men. And certainly the comparison,
   which they imagine to have been made, would involve great absurdities.
   It would follow from it, that the Holy Spirit is given, in the present
   day, by ministers. Again, it would follow that John's baptism was a
   dead sign, and had no efficacy whatever. Thirdly, it would follow, that
   we have not the same baptism with Christ: for it is sufficiently
   evident, that the fellowship, which he condescends to maintain with us,
   was ratified by this pledge, [283] when he consecrated baptism in his
   own body.

   We must therefore hold by what I have already said, that John merely
   distinguishes, in this passage, between himself and the other ministers
   of baptism, on the one hand, and the power of Christ, on the other, and
   maintains the superiority of the master over the servants. And hence we
   deduce the general doctrine, as to what is done in baptism by men, and
   what is accomplished in it by the Son of God. To men has been committed
   nothing more than the administration of an outward and visible sign:
   the reality dwells with Christ alone. [284]

   Scripture does sometimes, though not in a literal sense, [285] ascribe
   to men what John here declares not to belong to men, but claims
   exclusively for Christ. In such cases, however, the design is not to
   inquire, what man has separately and by himself, but merely to show,
   what is the effect and advantage of signs, and in what manner God makes
   use of them, as instruments, by his Spirit. Here also is laid down a
   distinction between Christ and his ministers, that the world may not
   fall into the mistake, of giving to them what is justly due to him
   alone: for there is nothing to which they are more prone, than to adorn
   creatures with what has been taken from God by robbery. A careful
   attention to this observation will rid us of many difficulties. We know
   what disputes have arisen, in our own age, about the advantage and
   efficacy of signs, all of which may be disposed of in a single word.
   The ordinance of our Lord, viewed as a whole, includes himself as its
   Author, and the power of the Spirit, together with the figure and the
   minister: but where a comparison is made between our Lord and the
   minister, the former must have all the honor, and the latter must be
   reduced to nothing.

   Matthew 3:11. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire
   It is asked, why did not John equally say, that it is Christ alone who
   washes souls with his blood? The reason is, that this very washing is
   performed by the power of the Spirit, and John reckoned it enough to
   express the whole effect of baptism by the single word Spirit The
   meaning is clear, that Christ alone bestows all the grace which is
   figuratively represented by outward baptism, because it is he who
   "sprinkles the conscience" with his blood. It is he also who mortifies
   the old man, and bestows the Spirit of regeneration. The word fire is
   added as an epithet, and is applied to the Spirit, because he takes
   away our pollutions, as fire purifies gold. In the same manner, he is
   metaphorically called water in another passage, (John 3:5.)

   12. Whose winnowing-fan is in his hand In the former verse, John
   preached concerning the grace of Christ, that the Jews might yield
   themselves to him to be renewed: now he discourses of judgment, that he
   may strike despisers with terror. As there are always many hypocrites
   who proudly reject the grace of Christ offered to them, it is also
   necessary to denounce the judgment that awaits them. For this reason
   John here describes Christ as a severe judge against unbelievers. And
   this is an order which must be observed by us in teaching, that
   hypocrites may know, that their rejection of Christ will not go
   unpunished. They will thus be roused from their lethargy, and begin to
   dread him as an avenger, whom they despised as the author of salvation.

   I have no doubt, that John intended also to show, what Christ
   accomplishes by means of his Gospel. The preaching of the Gospel, then,
   is the winnowing-fan Before the Lord sifts us, the whole world is
   involved in confusion, every one flatters himself, and the good are
   mixed with the bad in short, it is only necessary that the chaff be
   blown. But when Christ comes forward with his Gospels, -- when he
   reproves the consciences and summons them to the tribunal of God, the
   chaff is sifted out, [286] which formerly occupied a great part of the
   thrashing-floor It is true that, in the case of individuals, the Gospel
   effects a separation from the chaff: but in this passage, John compares
   the reprobate to chaff, and believers to wheat The thrashing floor
   accordingly denotes -- not the world, (as some people imagine,) but the
   Church: for we must attend to the class of persons whom John addresses.
   The mere title filled the Jews with pride, [287] but John tells them
   that it is foolish in them to be proud of it, because they hold but a
   temporary place in the Church of God, from which they are soon to be
   thrown out, like chaff from the thrashing-floor. In this way, he gives
   a rapid glance at the corrupt state in which the Church then was: for
   it was covered with husks, and straws, and other rubbish, but would
   soon be cleansed by the strong breeze of the Gospel. But how is Christ
   said to separate the chaff from the wheat, when he can find nothing in
   men but mere chaff? The answer is easy. The elect are formed into
   wheat, [288] and are then separated from the chaff, and collected into
   the granary

   He will thoroughly cleanse his thrashing-floor This work was begun by
   Christ, a