Is removed by an angel.

51

SECT.

viii.

Mat.

be with child; and this pregnancy was (as we have been informed above) by the miraculous 19 Then Joseph operation of the Holy Spirit. Now Joseph her her husband, being a husband, being a righteous man', perceiving there I. 19. just man, and not willing to make her a was something very extraordinary in the case, public example, was and being by no means willing to expose her to minded to put her away privily.

these

20 But while he thought on things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, not to take unto thee

thou son of David, fear

public infamy by any severe prosecution, never-
theless was so confounded with the concurrence
of the strange circumstances that attended this
affair, as that, in order to secure the honour of
his own character and to behave with all the ten-
derness that might be to a person that he loved,
he purposed to himself to have divorced her as pri-
rately as the law of Moses would have allowed,
that is, only in the presence of two witnesses and
without assigning any particular cause.

And as he was revolving these things in his mind 20 during the night-season, full of the thoughts of what he was to do, he fell asleep; and, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said unto him, Joseph, thou son of David, (as being lineally descended from him) fear not to Mary thy wife; for take home Mary thy wife, according to the espouthat which is conceiv- sals that have passed between you, though there may seem some danger of bringing a reflection on thyself and family; for that which is begotten and formed in her, is of no human original, but was produced by the miraculous and unexampled 21 And she shall operation of the Holy Spirit himself. And, in 21 thou consequence of it, when her time is fulfilled,

ed in her, is of the Holy Ghost.

bring forth a Son, and

2 A righteous man.] It is without any just reason that this text is often assigned as an instance where the word dixato; is used to signify merciful, and some accordingly have here translated it a good-natured man. If we consider the information which Joseph might have received from persons of such an extraordinary character as Zacharias and Elizabeth, (who would certainly think themselves obliged to interpose on such an occasion, and whose story so remarkably carried its own evidence along with it) besides the intimation the prophecy of Isaiah gave, and the satisfaction he undoubtedly had in the virtuous character of Mary herself, we must conclude that he had acted a very severe and unrighteous part, had he proceeded to extremities without serious deliberation; and that putting her away privately would, in these circumstances, have been the hardest measure which justice would have suffered him to take.

b To expose her to public infamy.] It is very possible waşadıymalıon. may here

she

refer to that exemplary punishment which
the law inflicted on those who had violated
the faith of their espousals before the
marriage was completed: Deut. xxii. 23,
24. where it is expressly ordered that
a betrothed virgin, if she lay with another
man, should be stoned. We may suppose,
however, that the infamy of a public di-
vorce, though she had not been stoned, may
also be expressed by the same word. But
then there was besides, a private kind of
divorce, in which no reason was assigned,
and the dowry was not forfeited, as in the
former case: and by this she would not
have been so defamed. See Selden. Ur.
Heb. lib. iii. cap. xvi. p. 302, 365, 366.
and Lightfoot. Hor. Heb. in loc.

c An angel of the Lord.] Probably
Gabriel, who had been sent to Zacharias
and Mary. That Joseph's scruple did not
proceed, as some of the fathers supposed,
merely from veneration, appears from the
reason given why he should take Mary,
which in that case would have been the
only reason against it.

a Call

52

Joseph commanded to name the child, Jesus.

SECT. she shall bring forth a Son; and thou, under thou shalt call his name

viii.

Mat.

Jesus: for he shall

whose protection and care he shall be placed save his people froin during his infancy, shalt call his name Jesus, their sins.

I. 21. that is, God the Saviour; for he shall prove that

22

glorious and divine person intended by God
to save his people, even all that truly believe in
him, both from the punishment and the domi-
nion of their sins, by procuring an ample par-
don for them, and raising them, after a life of
holiness on earth, to a state of complete perfec-
tion and happiness.

22 (Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was

spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child,

Now all this was done (that is, this miraculous conception, together with all the circumstances proper to attend it, was effected) that this celebrated prophecy might be accomplished which the Lord had so long before spoken by the prophet Isaiah, (Is. vii. 14.) cho said to the house of David in the reign of Ahaz, when it seemed in the utmost danger of being destroyed, 23" Behold, and attend to it with a becoming regard, while I assure you that God will accom- and shall bring forth a plish a yet nobler work than what he is ready Son, and they shall call to perform in your deliverance from Pekah his name Emmanuel, and the son of Tabeal; for an unspotted vir- which, being interpretgin, descended many ages bence from this royal family now to be rescued, shall, in a miraculous manner, conceive, and bring forth a Son; and they shall call his name Emmanuel;" which, being translated, signifies God with us, that is,

d Call his name Jesus.] Bishop Pearson
seems to have set the etymology of this
name in the clearest light, in his large
discourse on it, (Pearson on the Creed,
p. 69-71.) in which he endeavours to
prove that JAH, one of the names of God,
enters into the composition of the Hebrew
name Jehoshuah, to which Jesus answers.
(Compare Heb. iv. 8. where, by the way,
I think it should have been rendered if
Joshua had given them rest.) This deriva-
tion most plainly shews how Christ's being
called Jesus was in effect an accomplish-
ment of the prophecy that he should be
called Emmanuel.

e That this prophecy might be accom-
plished.] Few are strangers to the objec-
tions which have been made against ap-
plying this prophecy to Christ, which
drove Grotius and many others unhappily
to suppose that it immediately related to
the birth of a child of Isaiah's in a natural
way, and only in a secondary sense referred
to Christ. The controversy is too large
for this place.
I content myself with
observing that a sou's being born of one

God

ed, is, God with us.)

then a virgin, when she was married, was

no such miraculous event as to answer

such a pompous introduction; and that it seems most reasonable to interpret Isa. vii. 16. as referring to Shearjushub, whom Isaiah was ordered to take in his hand (ver. 3.) for no other imaginable reason but that something remarkable was to be said of him. So that the general sense, in short, is this: "You have affronted God by refusing a sign now; yet his transcendant mercy will make your present forfeited deliverance, (by the death of these confederate kings, which shall happen before [HANAHAR] this child in my hand is grown up to the exercise of reason) a sign of a much nobler deliverance by the Messiah, who shall be born of an immaculate virgin, and condescend to pass through the tender scenes of infancy as other children do." Compare Isa. vii. 10-16. And see Bishop Chandler's excellent remarks on this text, in his Defence of Christianity, page 325-331. Mr. Green's 4th Letter to Mr. Collins; and Usher's Annals, zi. M. 3262.

Reflections on the tidings of Christ's incarnation.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep, did as the angel

viii.

God dwelling in our nature, on the most gra- SECT. cious and important design; a name in signification nearly equivalent to that of Jesus.

Mat.

Then Joseph, arising from his sleep, with entire 1.24. satisfaction and humble acknowledgment, did of the Lord had bid- as the angel of the Lord had appointed him; and den him, and took unto without any farther delay, took home Mary his 25 And knew her wife. Nevertheless, in expectation of this won- 25 not till she bad brought derful event, and out of reverence to this sacred forth her first-born Son; birth, he knew her not as a wife, though she dwelt and he called his name under his roof; but she continued a pure virgin

him his wife;

Jesus.

even till she had brought forth her divinely be-
gotten Son, who on account of his distinguished
glories, with peculiar propriety might be called
the first-born And, according to the direction
of the angel, he called his name Jesus. But se-
veral other circumstances, relating to this im-
portant event, will afterwards be recounted.

IMPROVEMENT.

We see here, in Joseph, an excellent pattern of gentleness and Ver. prudence. In an affair which appeared dubious, he chose, as we 19 should always do, rather to err on the favourable, than on the severe extreme. He was careful to avoid any precipitate steps; and, in the moments of deliberation, God interposes to guide and 20 determine his resolves.

With what wonder and pleasure did he receive these glad tidings! With what pleasure should we also receive them! For we too are informed of Jesus who came to save his people from their 21 sins. An important and glorious salvation indeed! Hosannah to him that cometh in the name of the Lord! Blessed Jesus! answer thy character in delivering us not only from sin's condemning, but from its reigning power!

Till she had brought forth her Son, the first-born.] There seems to be some peculiar emphasis in the expression, Toy aulas Tov Teuloloxov, which justifies the turn I have given to the words. Compare Luke ii. 7. (where the very same words are used with a remarkable exactness ;) Rom. viii. 29. Col. i. 15. and Heb. i. 6. -Though I confess the force of the learned and candid Dr. Daniel Scott's remarks on this note to be such as to convince me that this expression might have been used with regard to the first-born son of any family, and consequently, that no certain argument of Christ's superior dignity and glory can be drawn from it, yet, from the pen of one so deeply impressed with the thought of it as Luke as well as Matthew was, I think it may probably contain some VOL. VL

Let

references to it. On what terms Joseph
and Mary afterwards lived is of so little
importance to us, that I cannot but won-
der it should have been the subject of so
much debate. It is sufficient for us to
know that she was a virgin, not only at
the time of Christ's conception, but at his
birth, as the prophecy foretold she should
be. The evangelist therefore wisely con-
tented himself with recording this, with-
out affirming any thing farther either way
on this delicate subject: I say, either way,
for that the manner of expression here
used will not certainly prove that Mary
had more children afterwards, appears
from comparing Gen. xxviii. 15. 1 Sam.
xv. 35. Job xxvii. 5. Psal. cx. i. cxii. 8.
and Mat. xii. 20.

F

g In

53

54

SECT.

viii.

The genealogy of Christ from Abraham,

Let our souls bow to Emmanuel, our incarnate God: and, while with holy wonder we survey the various scenes of his humiliation, Mat. let us remember too his native dignity and his divine glory. By 1. 21. him God hath fulfilled his ancient promises in the most ample and glorious manner, in the fulness of time sending forth his Son, made of a woman, and sprung like a tender shoot from the decayed stock of David his servant.

22 While we study the oracles of the Old Testament, let us with pleasure trace the notices of the great Messiah there, even of Jesus, to whom all the prophets give witness. May his name be ever inscribed upon our hearts! In that name may we lift up our banners, and judge those reproaches a glory which we may meet with in his sacred cause ? !

SECT.

ix.

1. 1.

SECT. IX.

The genealogy of Christ from Abraham, as
and from Adam, as recorded by Luke.
III. 23, to the end.

B

MAT. I. 1.

recorded by Matthew; Mat. I. 1-17. Luke

Mat. I. 1.

neration of Jesus

EFORE we proceed to the birth of this THE book of the geDivine Infant, whose conception was so Christ, the son of DaMat. very remarkable, it will be proper to give some vid, the son of Abraaccount of his descent according to the flesh. ham. And we shall therefore introduce it with a table of the genealogy of Jesus Christ; which is intended, not only as an introduction to his history, but more especially to shew that he was the son of David, and the son of Abraham, as it was often foretold the Messiah should be. (Compare Psal. cxxxii. 11. Isa. xi. 1. Jer. xxiii. 5. xxxiii. 15. and Gen. xii. 3. xxii. 18. xxvi. 4. xxviii. 14.)

2

Now it is well known that Abraham, that 2 Abraham begat renowned patriarch and friend of God, from Isaac, and Isaac begat whom the whole Jewish nation had the honour Jacob, and Jacob begat Judas and his breto descend, begat Isaac in his old age, that son thren. of Sarah, according to the promise, with whom God's covenant was established; and Isaac begat

g In his sacred cause.] There was, humauly speaking, a probability that Joseph might have brought some suspicion on his character, or reflection on his family by admitting Mary in these circumstances.

a The genealogy of Jesus Christ.] I am well aware that the word yes, and the Hebrew TILEDETH which corresponds to it, sometimes signifies the history of a person's life (as well as other things,) and not merely his genealogy; (compare Gen. i. 9. xxxviii. 2. Judith xiii. 18. Jam. i. 23.

Jacob

and iii. 6. Gr.) and that the learned Vitringa understands it so in this place: (See Vitring. Observ. Sacr. lib. i. dissert. i. pag. 39.) Yet, as it is much more frequently used in the latter sense (see Gen. v. 1. x. 1. xi. 10-27. xxv. 12. xxxvi. 1, 9. Numb. i. 20, &c. and Ruth iv. 18. in all which places it is applied to genealogies), I think it best, with the learned Dr. Scott, to render it as above; only giving a little hint of the more extensive sense the word may possibly bear.

3 And Judas begat

Phares and Zara of begat Esrom, and Esrom begat Aram;

Thamar, and Phares

And Aram begat Aminidab, and Amini Naasson begat Salmon;

dab begat Naasson, and

5 And Salmon begat

Booz of Rachab, and
Boz begat Obed of
Rath, and Obed begat

Jesse;

As recorded by St. Matthew.

ix.

55

Jacob, on whom also it was entailed in preference SECT.
to Esau, though his elder brother; and Jacob
begat Judah and his eleven brethren, who be-
came the heads of their respective tribes.

And as Judah was the person to whom that ex-
traordinary promise was made, that his descend-
ants should continue a distinct tribe, with some
form of government amongst them, till Shiloh,
that is, the Messiah, came (Gen. xlix. 10.)
and as it was from him that Christ descended, we
shall confine ourselves to the line of his posterity.
We therefore add that Judah begat Pharez, and
at the same time Zarah his twin-brother, of
Thamar, who had been his son's wife; and
Pharez begat Esrom, and Esrom begat Aram;
And Aram begat Aminidah, and Aminidab begat 4
Naasson, who was prince of the tribe of Judah
when the people were numbered and marshalled
at mount Sinai (Numb. i. 7. x. 14.) and Naas-
son begat Salmon.

And, after their settlement in Canaan, Salmon 5 begat Boaz of Rahab, who had been a native of that country, but entertained the spies at Jericho, and, afterwards embracing the Jewish religion, had the honour to be thus incorporated with this noble family; and Boaz their son begat Obed of Ruth, the Moabitess, who had so resolutely chosen to adhere to the God and people of Israel; and Obed, in a very advanced age, 6 And Jesse begat begat Jesse: And Jesse begat, besides several 6

David

b Till Shiloh, that is, the Messiah, came.] This sense of Jacob's prophecy is so beautifully illustrated and so strongly asserted by the learned Dr. Sherlock, bishop of London, in his Discourses on Prophecy, Dissert. 3. page 317, &c. that, if I was writing on this passage of the Old Testament, I should have little to do but to refer my reader to it.

c Of Rahab.] It is not indeed expressly said she was Rahab of Jericho, commonly called the harlot; but I think there can be no room to doubt it, as we know she was contemporary with Salmon, and may conclude that she (this Rahab) was, as all the other women mentioned in this list, a remarkable person. Now there was no other of that name, especially ofthis age, of whom the compiler of this table could (so far as we can judge) suppose his reader to have any knowledge.

d Boaz begat Obed of Ruth the Moabitess.] The son of a Moabite, by an Israelitish woman, could never be allowed to enter into the congregation of the Lord; that

elder

is, at least he was rendered incapable of
being a prince in Israel, and perhaps even
of being naturalized by circumcision; which
may be the meaning of the phrase, Deut.
xxiii. 3. (See Mr. Lowman's Hebrew Go-
vernment, p. 130, & seq.) But it evidently
appears, from this celebrated instance, that
this precept was not understood as exclud-
ing the descendants of an Israelite by a
Moabitish woman from any hereditary ho-
nours and privileges; otherwise, surely,
Salmon, the son of Naasson, prince of
Judah, would never have married Rahab,
one of the accursed people of Canaan; nor
would the kinsman of Boaz have wanted
a much better reason than he assigned
(Ruth iv. 6.) for refusing to marry Ruth
when she became a widow.

e Obed, in a very advanced age, begat
Jesse.] That Salmon, Boaz, and Obed,
must each of them have been about an
hundred years old at the birth of his son
here recorded, hath been observed by many
and is well accounted for by Dr. Whitby in
particular: Annot, on ver, 4.
E 2

Jehoram

Mat.

1. 3.