XIV. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

O Father, I know all things are possible to thine absolute and Almighty power: when I consult with human infirmity, I could incline to wish the removal of this bitter passion; but those weak volitions are not now for me: I do and shall willingly submit my human will, to thy divine will and pleasure.

XIV. 38 The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. See Matthew xxvi. 41.

XIV. 41 Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; &c. See Matthew xxvi. 45.

XIV. 47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. See Matt. xxvi. 51. XIV. 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, &c. See Matthew xxvi. 61.

XIV. 62 And ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. See Matthew xxvi. 64.

XV. 6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. See Matthew xxvii. 15.

XV. 17, 18 And they clothed him with purple, and plutted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, &c. See Matthew xxvii. 28, 29.

XV. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. See Matthew xxvii. 34.

XV. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. Dividing the day into four quarters, three hours to each quarter, it was in the third of them, wherein they crucified him.

XV. 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over &c. See Matthew xxvii. 45.

XV. 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. See Matthew xxvii. 54.

XVI. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came &c. See Matthew xxviii. 1.

XVI. 17, 18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall &c. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it &c.

And during this infancy of my Church, and this first plantation of my Gospel, these miraculous signs shall be done by them that believe in me in my Name, &c.

THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.

I. 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect under anding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order.

I was moved by the instinct and direction of the Holy Spirit, having had full and infallible notice of all things, which were done from the very first intimation of the conception of Christ, till now, to digest and set them down in due order.

I. 5 A certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

Whereas king David had long since, for the avoiding of confusion in the holy services of the Temple, sorted all the priestly tribe into four and twenty ranks, and had by lot designed to them the several courses of their ministration; Zacharias, the priest, was one of the successors of Abia in his division, upon whom the eighth course fell; and, as his time came, ministered accordingly: and his wife was also of the same holy tribe.

I. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

And they were both holy and conscionable persons, sincere and upright in their carriage before God and men; walking inoffen sively in the ways of God's law.

I. 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

As there were divers several employments in the offices of the priests, in their courses; the lot of Zacharias was now to burn incense in the temple, upon the altar, which was set for that purpose in the outer room or tabernacle thereof.

I. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying with out at the time of incense.

And the multitude, as not being allowed to come under the roof of the temple, stood in the outer court, whence they might see the holy actions performed within by the priests; praying all the time that the incense was offered, that so the incense of their devotions might answer to the sweet savour of that material incense, which ascended up in their sight towards heaven.

I. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of 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.

For he shall not only be great in the reputation of his holiness with men, but in the acceptation and favour of God and he shall, in a Nazaritish austerity, be consecrated to God; not drinking wine nor strong drink, but be sadly devoted to the holy service of God; and shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his birth.

I. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. It is a strange and unlikely message, that thou deliverest unto me: what sign dost thou give me, whereby I may be assured of it? for sure, in course of nature this cannot be: I am an old man, and my wife is stricken in years; we are therefore both unapt to beget or to bear a son.

I. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak,

until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words.

Since thou desirest a sign; behold, thou shalt feel and find this manifest sign in thyself; that very tongue, that desireth it, shall be tied up thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak from this hour, till the birth of that son of thine, because thou believest not my words.

I. 22 For he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. He made signs unto them of his own speechlessness, and of that heavenly vision which he had seen; so as all the people, with much wonder, apprehended this extraordinary work of God in Zacharias.

I. 24, 25 And hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

Out of a holy bashfulness at this strange work of God, and at the wonderment of her neighbours; she kept close for five months, saying, Thus marvellously hath the Lord dealt with me beyond all hopes, in this conception of mine, whereby he hath taken away from me the reproach of barrenness.

I. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Then said Mary to the angel, as partly wondering at the speech, and partly enquiring into the manner of the performance of so strange a work, Thou hast told me a great and marvellous thing, that I shall now instantly conceive the Messiah, the Son of the Living God; but tell me how this shall be effected: how shall I, that am a weak vessel of flesh, conceive him that is the Son of God? or how shall I, who am a virgin, being only espoused to a husband, not yet therefore capable of the knowledge of a man; how shall I, in this condition, become the mother of such a Son?

I. 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Be not thou curious to enquire into the manner, how this work shall be effected; for the Spirit of God, the Infinite and Essential Power of the Highest, shall no less secretly than wonderfully work this blessed conception in thee; of thy substance, by him sanctified, framing that Sacred Body, which the Son of God shall assume to himself.

I. 36 And this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

And this is the sixth month of the conception of her, that was ever formerly reputed barren.

I. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

For with God, howsoever things may seem to weak and ignorant mortals, nothing is impossible: the conception of aged Elisabeth, the conception of a pure virgin without the touch of man, are easily feasible to his Omnipotence.

I. 38 Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Behold, Lord, I have been taught from thy prophets, that a virgin shall conceive, and be the mother of Him that is Immanuel, God with us. If I, howsoever unworthy, be designed by thee to this wonderful honour, I do bless thy Name for this great mercy, and do gladly yield myself over to thy holy will and pleasure. Let this gracious work of thine be accordingly wrought in me.

1. 39 And Mary arose in those days, and rwent into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda.

And Mary arose, in those days ; and, partly for the further con firmation of her faith by the sight of that which was affirmed by the angel concerning her cousin Elisabeth, and partly for mutual congratulation of these great works of God, went up from Nazareth to the hill country of Juda, to visit Elisabeth.

I. 41, 42 The babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

The babe, by the extraordinary and powerful motion of the Spirit of God, leaped in the womb of his mother as in a miraculous presention of the Deity of that Saviour, whose forerunner he should be into the world: and Elisabeth was suddenly inspired with a prophetical power; and, by the instinct and virtue thereof, said, &c.

I. 46, 47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

All the powers of my will and affections agree together, in magnifying the goodness of the Lord towards me; And the faculty of my understanding, in the apprehension of this great mercy of God, stirs up all the rest to praise and glorify him.

I 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath approved his Almighty power in this supernatural work, which he hath wrought in me: he hath, according to his gracious wont, chosen so poor and humble a creature as myself, to exalt to this marvellous honour; whereas, those, that are high in their own conceits, he hath confounded and disregarded. So also

verse 52.

1. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

Thou knowest it is the usual manner, to call the children by the names of some of the ancestors or near kindred of the family; why wilt thou alter the custom? what reason hast thou, since none of thy kinsfolk is so called, to appoint this name to be given to thy son ?

I. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

And he made signs to them again, that they should bring him a writing table ; and therein he wrote, His name is John.

I. 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. See Psalm cxxxii. 17.

I. 78, 79 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Through the bowels of the tender compassion of our God towards mankind, out of which he hath sent his Son, as the morning sun rising from the east, to visit his people, by his gracious presence with them; To give true light of knowledge and comfort, to those, who are naturally overwhelmed with the darkness of ignorance and averseness from God, and thereby in danger of ever, lasting death; and to set us in the true way of rest and eternal happiness.

1. 80 And was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

And lived obscurely in the desert, until it pleased God to call him forth for the discharge of that his public function, in teaching and baptizing his people.

II. 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed, And it came to pass, when John was born, that there went out a public edict from Augustus Cesar, the Roman Emperor, that all the nations, which were under the Roman dition and jurisdiction, should assemble in those cities, whereto their tribes and families appertained; and there be enrolled, as well for the number of their persons, as for the rate of their tribute and taxation which they were to pay unto the Roman State. So verse 3.

II. 2 And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was gover nor of Syria.

And this universal taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria, to which Judea pertained as a province; which being of a levy of money to be paid to Rome, was more proper for him to meddle with, than for Herod the tributary king of Judea,

II. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room in the inn.

And she brought forth her only Son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because the meanness of her husband Joseph and the concourse of people was so great, that no place could be obtained for their lodging in the inn.

II. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.

And, as the place of Christ's birth was poor and homely, so were the persons to whom it was first manifested; being but poor shepherds yet there was not more meanness in them to whom this wonder was first revealed, than there was glory in the revealer; for, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon thein, and with a glo rious brightness shone round about them.