29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unt him the throne of his father Da vid: e Ica.7.14. Matt.1.21. ƒMatt. 12.42. g He 1.2-8. h 2 Sa.7.11,12. Is.9.6.7. 29. Troubled at his saying. Disturbed or perplexed at what he said. It was so unexpected, so sudden, so extraordinary, and was so high an honor, that she was filled with anxious thoughts, and did not know what to make of it ¶ Cast in her mind. Thought, or revolved in her mind. What manner of saluta. tion. What this salutation could mean. 28. Hail. This word of salutation is equivalent to, Peace be with thee, or Joy be with thee; a form of speech implying that she was signally favored, and expressing joy at meeting her. 32. He shall be great. There is unHighly favored. By being the mo- doubted reference in this passage to Isa ther of the long-expected Messiah; the ix. 6, 7. By his being great, is meant mother of the Redeemer of mankind. he shall be distinguished, or illustrious; Long had he been predicted; long had great in power, in wisdom, in dominthe eyes of the nation been turned to ion, on earth, and in heaven. ¶ Shall be him; and long had his coming been an called. This is the same as to say, he object of intense desire. To be reck- shall be the Son, &c. The Hebrews oned among his ancestors, was account- often used this form of specch. See ed sufficient honor for even Abraham Matt. xxi. 13. The Highest. God and David. But now the happy indi-—who is infinitely exalted-called the vidual was designated who was to be his mother; and on Mary, a poor virgin of Nazareth, was to come this honor, which would have rendered infinitely illustrious any of the daughters of Adam-the honor of giving birth to the world's Redeemer. and the Son of God. The Lord is with thee. The word is, is not in the original, and the Passage may be rendered either the Ford is with thee,' or the Lord be with thee' implying the prayer of the Highest, because he is exalted over all his creatures on earth and in heaven. See Mark v. 7. The throne. The kingdom; or shall appoint him as the lineal successor of David in the king. dom. His father David. David is called his father, because Jesus was lineally descended from him. See Matt. i. 1. The promise to David was, that there should not fail a man to sit on his throne; that his throne should be per. petual; and the promise was fulfilled 33 And he shall reign over the | sabeth, she hath also conceived a house of Jacob for ever; and " of son in her old age: and this is the his kingdom there shall be no end. sixth month with her who was called barren. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and aid 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. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Eli a Da.7.14.27. Mi.4.7. b Mar.1.1. by exalting Jesus to be a Prince and a Saviour and the perpetual King of his people. direct creation, that should be pure and proves beyond controversy that one rea 33. Over the house of Jacob. The house of Jacob means the same thing as the family of Jacob, or the descendants of Jacob; i. e., the children of Is rael. This was the name by which the ancient people of God were known, and it is the same as saying that he shall reign over his own church and people for ever. This he does by giving them laws, by defending them, and by guiding them; and this he will do 36, 37. Thy cousin Elisabeth, &c tor ever in the kingdom of his glory. The case of Elisabeth is mentioned to Of his kingdom there shall be no end. inspire Mary with confidence, and to He shall reign among his people on earth assure her that what was now promised until the end of time, and still be their would be fulfilled. It was almost as King in heaven. His is the only king-improbable that Elisabeth should have dom that shall never have an end. He a child at her time of life, as it was that the only King that shall never lay aside Mary should under the circumstances this diadem and robes, and that shall promised. never die. He the only King that can defend us from all our enemies, sustain as in death, and reward us in eternity. O how important, then, to have an interest in his kingdom; and how unimportant, compared with his favor, is the favor of all earthly monarchs! 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee. See Matt. i. 18, 20. The power of the Highest, &c.. This evidently means that the body of Jesus should be created by the direct power of God. It was not hy ordinary generation; but, as the Messiah came to redeem sinners -to make atonement for others, and not for himself-it was necessary that is human nature should be pure, and heed from the corruption of the fall. Gad, therefore, prepared him a body by 38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid, &c. This was an expression of resignation to the will of God, and of faith in the promise. To be the handmaid of the Lord, is to be a submissive and obedient servant; and is the same as saying, 'I fully credit all that is said, and am perfectly ready to obey all the commands of the Lord.' 39. And Mary arose. The word arose here is equivalent to setting out, or starting on a journey. The hill coun try. The region in the vicinity of Jerusalem, commonly called the hill country of Judea. City of Juda. What city is meant is not known. Some have supposed it to be Jerusalem, others Hebron. But all is conjecture. It was probably a Levitical city, and the resi 40 And entered into the house 44 For lo, as soon as the voice o of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. thy salutation sounded in mine ears 41 And it came to pass, that, the babe leaped in my wornb fo when Elisabeth heard the saluta- | tion of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: dence of Zacharias when he was not employed in the temple. 40. Saluted Elisabeth. Expressed great joy and gratification at seeing her, and used the customary tokens of affectionate salutation. 41. Filled with the Holy Ghost. The meaning of this seems to be, that she was filled with joy; with a disposition to praise God; with a prophetic spirit, or a knowledge of the character of the child that should be born of her. All these were produced by the Holy Ghost. 42. Blessed art thou among women. | She here repeated nearly the words of the angel to Mary, esteeming it to be the highest honor among mothers to be the mother of the Messiah. 43. And whence is this to me? An expression of humility. Why is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me, as if to honor me? T Mother of my Lord. The word Lord sometimes denotes divinity, and sometimes superior, master, teacher, or governor. it was given by the Jews to their expected Messiah; but whether they understood it as denoting divinity, cannot now be ascertained. It is clear only that Elisabeth used it as denoting great dignity and honor. 45. Blessed as she that believed. That is, Mary, who believed what the angel apoke to her. She was blessed not only in the act of believing, but because the thing promised would certainly be Fulfilled. From these expressions of Elisabeth, we may learn: 1st. That the spirit of prophecy had not entirely ceased among he Jews 2d. That the Holy Ghost is joy. 1 45 And blessed is she 1 that be lieved : for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My c soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low' estate of his handmaiden; for bec 1 Sa.2.1. Ps.34.2,3. d Ps.35.9. Hab.3.18 e Ps.136.23. the source of light, comfort, and joy. 3d. That every thing about the birth of Jesus is remarkable, and that he must have been more than a mere man. 4th. That the prospect of the coming of the Messiah was one of great joy and rejoicing to ancient saints; and, 5th. That it was a high honor to be the mother of him that should redeem mankind. It is from that honor that the Roman Catholics have determined that it is right to worship the Virgin Mary, and to offer prayers to her: an act of worship as idolatrous as, any that could be offered to a creature. For : 1st. It is not anywhere commanded in the Bible. 2d. It is expressly forbidden to worship any being but God. Ex. xxxiv. 14.; xx. 4, 5. Deut. vi. 13, 14. Isa. xlv. 20. It is idolatry to worship or pray to a creature. 4th. It is absurd to suppose that the Virgin Mary can be in all places at the same time, to hear the prayers of thousands at once, or that she can aid them. There is no idolatry more gross, and of course more wicked, than to worship the creature more than the Creator. Rom. 1. 25. 46. My soul doth magnify the Lord To magnify here means to make great, and then to extol, to praise, to celebrate. It does not mean here strictly to make great; but to increase in our estima tion; that is, to praise, or extol. See Ps. xxxiv. 3. 2 Sam. vii. 26. 47. In God my Saviour. God is called Saviour, as he saves people from sin and death. He was Mary's Saviour, as he had redeemed her soul, and given a title to eternal life; and she rejoiced for that, and especially for his mercy in wd, from her.ceforth all genera- that fear him, from generation to ons shall call me a blessed. done to me great things; b and generation. 49 For he that is mighty hath 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. d holy is his name. 50 And e his mercy is on them honoring her by her being made the mother of the Messiah. 48. He hath regarded the low estate of kis handmaid. Literally, he has looked upon the low or humble condition of his handmaid. That is, notwithstanding the humble rank and poverty of Mary, he has shown her favor. And this example abundantly teaches, what is elsewhere fully taught in the Bible, that God is not a respecter of persons; that he is not influenced, to confer favors, by wealth, honor, or office. Rom. ii. 11; x. 11, 12. He seeks out the humble and the contrite; and imparts his ich blessings to those who feel that hey need them, and who will bless him for them. Ps. cxxxviii. 6. Isa. Ivii. 15. From henceforth. Hereafter, or in consequence of this. T All generations. All men. All posterity. Call me blessed. Pronounce me highly favored, or happy in being the mother of the Messiah. It is right to consider her as highly favored, or happy; but this certainly does not warrant us to worship her, or to pray to her. Abraham was blessed in being the father of the faithful; Paul in being the apostle to the Gentiles; Peter in first preaching the gospel to them; but who would think of worshipping or praying to Abraham, Paul, or Peter? 49. He that is mighty. God. ¶ Hath done to me great things. Hath conferred on me great favors, and distinguished mercies. And holy is his name. This is an expression of Mary's feelings, desiring to bestow on God all honor and praise; and as the highest honor, she declared that his name was holy; that is, that God was free from sin, injustice, and impurity. The "name" of God is often put for God himself. The proper name of God is Jehovah, a word expressive of his essential being, derived from the word to be. Ex. iii. 14; vi. 3. Ps. lxxxiii. 18. That name is holy; is to be regarded as holy; and to make a common or profane use 17. Ex.20.6. Ps. 103.17. f Ps.98.1. Is.51.8. 52.10. 63.5. g1 Sa..9. Da.4.37. of it, is solemnly forbidden in the third commandment. Ex. xx. 7. 50. His mercy. Favor shown to the miserable and the guilty. Is on them Is showed or manifested to them. That fear him. That reverence or honor him. One kind of fear is that which a servar.t has of a cruel master, or a man has of a precipice, the plague, or death. This is not the fear which we ought to have of God. It is the fear which a dutiful child has of a kind and virtuous fathera fear of injuring his feelings; of dishonoring him by our life; of doing any thing which he would disapprove. It is on those who have such fear of God that his mercy descends. This is the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Ps. cxi. 10. Job xxviii. 28. From generation to generation From one age to another. That is, it is unceasing; it continues, and abounds. But it means also more than this. It means, that God's mercy will descend on the children, and children's childrer of those that fear him, and keep his commandments. Ex. xx. 6. In this respect, it is an unspeakable privilege to be descended of pious parents; to have been the subject of their prayers, and to have received their blessing. And it is also a matter of vast guilt not to copy their example, and to walk in their steps. If God is disposed to show mercy to thousands of generations, how heavy will be the condemnation if they. do not avail themselves of it, and early seek his favor! 51. Hath showed strength with his arm. The arm is the symbol of strength. The expression in this, and the subsequent verses, has no particular reference to his mercy to Mary. From a con templation of his goodness to her, she enlarges her views to a contemplaticn of his goodness and power in general to others, and to a celebration of the praises of God, for all that he has done to all men.-This is the nature of true piety. It does not terminate in think ing of God's mercy to us. It thinks of others-spreads, in contemplation of other objects and praises God that others also are made partakers of his mercy, and that his goodness is manifested to all his works. ¶ He scattereth the proud. He hath often done it in time of battle and war. When the proud Assyrian, Egyptian, or Babylonian had come against the people of God, he had often scattered them, and driven away their armies. In the imagination of their hearts. Those who were lifted up or exalted, in their own view. Those who thought themselves to be superior to other men. 52. Hath put down the mighty. The mighty here denotes princes, kings, or conquerors. See Isa. xiv. 12, 13, 14. Their seats. Their thrones, or the places where they sat in pomp and power. ¶ Exulted them. Raised them up, or placed them in the seats of those who had been removed. Low degree. Low, or humble birth, and condition in life. This probably has reference to the case of Saul and David. Mary was celebrating the mercies of God to her, to her family, and of course to her ancestors. It was natural to allude to that great event in their history, when Saul was overcome in battle, and when David was taken from the sheep-fold, and placed on the throne. The origin of illustrious families is often obscure. Men are often raised by industry, talent, and the favor of God, from very humble stations; from the farm, or mechanic's shop to places of great trust in the church and state. They who are thus elevated, if imbued with right feelings, will not despise their former employments, nor their former companions, nor will they esteem their parents or friends the less, because they still remain in the same rank in life. No conduct's more odious and unchristian, than to be ashamed of our birth or the humble circumstances of our friends. 53. The hungry with good things. Ihus is a cel bration of the general mercy of God. He daily fed the poor, the needy, and those who came to him with humble hearts. The rich hath he sent, &c. While the poor come to him for a supply of their daily wants; the rich come not that their necessities should be supplied, but come with lofty hearts, and insatiable desires. that their riches may be increased. When this is the case, God not unfrequently not only withholds what they ask, but he takes their riches away by fire, or flood, or disappointments, and sends them away empty. Prov. xxiii. 5. It is better to be poor, and go to God for our daily bread, than to be rich, and forget our dependence on him, and to seek only a great increase of our property. 54. Hath holpen Hath helped or assisted. The word rendered "holpen" denotes, properly, to take hold of one, to help him up when he is in danger of falling, and means here that God had succored his people when they were feeble, and were in danger of falling or being overthrown. His servant Israel. His people, the Israelites, or those who truly feared him and kept his commandments. See Isa. xli. 8-9. Hos. xi. 1. ¶ In remembrance of his mercy. Or that his mercy may be remembered. 55. As he spake to our fathers, &c. That is, he has dealt mercifully with the children of Israel, according as he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The promise particularly here referred to, is that respecting the Messiah, which was now about to be fulfilled. But there is no doubt that there was also included the promises respecting all the other mercies which had been conferred on the children of Israel. See Gen xxii. 17-18. ¶ For ever. These words are to be referred to the preceding verse "in remembrance of his mercy for ever, as he spake," &c. They denote that the mercy of God manifested to his people, should be had in everlasting remembrance. There is a striking similarity between this ng cf praise by Marv, and that |