Notes on the Old and New Testaments

* See iuBtances in Mark vii. 34, and Matthew xxvii. 46.

that "each one transia'.ed it as he was ahle.' If James translated it, there can he no qnestinn ahnnt its inspiration and canonical anihority. Nor does it affect the qnestion of its inspiration, even if we are iornorant of tiie name of the translator. The proper inquiry is, whether it had such evidence of ins])iration as to he satisfactory to the church in the times when they were under the direction of the apostles. That it had such evidence, none acquainted with ancient history will doubt.

Epiphanius says that the Gospel hy Matthew was written while Petei and Paul were preachinof at Rome. I'his was about the year of our Lord 63, about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. It is now oenerally supposed that this ocjspel was written about this time. There is very clear evidence in the gospel that it was written before the destruciion of Jerusalem, The destruction of the holy city is clearly and miruitt^ly told; but there is not the slightest intimation in it that these predictions had been accomplished; a thintr which we should naturally expect if the gospel was not written until after these calamities came upon the Jews. Compare Acts xi. 28. It has been till lately uniformly regarded as having been written before either of the other evangelists. Some of late nave, however, endeavored to show that Luke was written first. AD testimony, and all ancient arrangements of the books, are against the opinion; and when such is the fact, it is of little consequence to attend to other arguments.

In all copies of the New Testament, and in all translations, this gospel has been placed first. This, it is probable, would not have been done, had not Matthew published his gospel before any other was written.

Matthew, the writer of this gospel, called also Levi, son of Alpheus, was a publican, or tax-gatherer, under the Romans. See Notes on Matt, ix. 9, Luke v. 27. Of his life and death little is certainly known. Socrates, a writer of the fifth century, says that he went to Ethiopia after the apostles were scattered abroad from Judea, and died a aiartyr in city called Nadebbar; but by what kind of death is altogether uncertain. However, others speak of his preaching and dying in Parthia or Persia, and the diversity of their accounts seems to show that they are all without good foundation. See Lardner's works, vol. v., p 296, 297.

2* ~""r"'<'"'" luiiauc 1 rt.uaiu lo Aoranam L,uiic only has

THE book of the generation" of Jesus Christ, the son of* David, 'the son of Abraham.

1. The hook of the (generation. This is the proper title of the chapter. It is the same as to say, ' the account of the ancestrv or family, or the ijenealogical table ot Jesus Christ.' The phrase is common in Jewish writings. Compare Gen. V. 1. "This is the book of the generations of Adam," i. e. the genealogical table of the family or descendants of Adain. See also Gen. vi. 9. The Jews, moreover, as we do, kept such tables of their own families, and it is probable that this was copied from the record of the family of Joseph. 1i Jesus. See ver. 21. ^ Christ. The word Christ is a Greek word, signifying miointed. The Hebrew word signifying the same is Messiah. Hence, Jesus is called either the Messiah, or the Christ, meaning the same thing. The Jews speak of the Messiah; Christians speak of him as the Christ. Anciently, when kings and priests were set apart to their office, they were anointed with oil. Lev. iv. 3; vi. 20. E.K. x.wiii. 41; x.xLx. 7. 1 Sam. ix. 16; xv. 1. 2 Sam. xxiii. 1. To anoint, therefore, means often the same as to consecrate, or set apart to any office. Thence those thus set apart are said to be anointed, or the anointed of God. It is for this reason that the name is given to the Lord Jesus. Dan. ix. 24. He was set apart by God to be the King, and High-priest, and Prophet of his people. Anointing with oil, was, moreover, supposed to be emblematic of the influences of the Holy Spirit; and as God gave him the Spirit without measure, (John iii. 34,) so he is called pecuharlv the Anointed of God. IT The Son of David. The word son among the Jews had a great variety of significations. It means literally a son; then a grandson; a descendant; an adopted son; a disciple, or one who is an object)f tender affection — one who is to us as t.icn. In this place it means a descendivt of David; or one who was of the fanilxf of David. It was important to trace

2 Abraham ^ begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jaeob^^be* gat Judas and his brethren;

3 And Judas begat ^Phares and

tlie genealogy of Jesus up to David, becatise the promise had been made that the Messiah should be of his family, and all the Jews expected it would be so. It would be impossible, therefore, to convince a Jew that Jesus was the iMessiah, unless it could be shown that he was descended from David. See Jer. xxiii. 5. Ps. cxxxii. 10, 11; compared with Acts xiii. 23, and John vii. 42. If The Son of Abraham. The descendant of Abraham. Tlie promise was made to Abraham also. See Gen. xii. 3; xxi. 12; compare Heb. xi. 13. Gal. iii. IC. The Jews expected that the IMessiah would be descended from him; and it was important, therefore, to trace the genealogy up to him also. Though Jesus was of humble birth, yet he was descended from most illustrious ancestors. Abrahain, the father of the faithful — "the beauteous model of an eastern prince," and David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, the conqueror, the magnificent and victorious leader of the people of God, were both among his ancestors. From these two persons, the most emi nent for piety, and the most renowned for their excellencies of all the men of antiquity, sacred or profane, the Lord Jesus was descended; and though his birth and life were humble, yet they who regard an illustrious descent as of value, may find here all that is to be admired in i^iety, purity, patriotism splendor, dignity, and re<iown.

2 — 16. These verses contain the genealogy of Jesus. Luke also (ch. iii.) gives a genealogy of the Messiah. No two passages of scripture have caused more difficulty than these, and various attempts have been made to explain them. There are two sources of difTi culty in these catalogues. 1st. Many names that are found in the Old Testament are here omitted; and 2d, the tables of Matthew and Luke appear in many points to be different. From Adam to Abraham Luke only baa 5"

4 And Aram beorat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat ' Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;•*

5 And Salmon begat Booz of' Rachab; and Booz begat Obed-'^ of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

6 And Jesse begat ^ David the

king; and David the king begat''

Solomon of her that had been the given the record. From Abraham to David the two tables are alike. Of course there is no difficulty in reconciling thei^e two parts of the tables. The difficulty lies in that part of the genealogy from David to Christ. There they are entirely different. They are manifestly different lives. Not only are the names diiferent, but Luke has mentioned, in this part of ihe genealogy, no less than 42 names, while Matthew has recorded but 27.

Various ways have been proposed to explain this difficulty; and it must be admitted that none of them are perfectly satisfactory. It does not comport with the design of these Notes to enter minutely into an explanation of the perplexities of these passages. All that can be done is to sugg(^st the various ways in which attempts have been made to explain them. 1. It is remarked that in nothing are mistakes nujre likely to occur than in such tables. From the similarity of names, and the various names by which the same person is often called, and from many other causes, errors would be more likely to creep into the text in genealogical tables, than in other writings. Some of the difficulties may have possibly occurred from this cause. 2. Most imerpreiersliave supposed that Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, and Luke that o{ Mary. They were both descended from David, but in dift'crent lines. This.solution derives some plausibility from the fact that the promise was made to Uavirl, and as Jesus was not the son of Ji)S(^ph, it was important to show that Mari/ was also descended from him. Though this solution is plausible, and may be true, yet it wants evidence. It

7 And Solomon begat' Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achas begat Ezekias;

10 And Ezekias J begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

cannot, however, be proved that this wai 7!CiMhe design of Luke. 3. It has beep said also that Joseph was the legal sor and heir o( Hell, though the real son of Jacob, and thus the two lines terminated in him. This was the ancient explanation of most of the fathers, and on the whole is the most satisfactory. It was a law of the Jews, 'hat if a man died without children, his brother should marry his widow. Thus the tv.'o lines might have been intermingled. Ac cording to this solution, which was firs' proposed by Africanus, Matllian, descended from Solomon, married Estha^ of whom was born Jaoob. After Matthan's death,!\Iutthat being of the same tribe, but of another family, married hij widow, and of this marriage Heli was born. Jacob and Heli were therefore children of the same mother. Heli dy ing without children, his brother Jacok married his widow, and begat Joseph who was thus the legal son of Ileli This is agreeable to the account in the two evangehsts. Matthew says that Jacob begat Joseph; Luke says thai Joseph was the son of Heli, i. e. was his legal heir, or reckoned in law to be his son. This can be seen by the plan on the next page, showing the nature of the connexion.

Though these solutions may not seem to be entirely satisfactory, yet there are two additional considerations which should set the matter at rest, and lead to the conclusion that the narratives are not really inconsistent. L No difficulty was ever found, or alleged, in regard to them, by any of the early enemies of Christianity. There is no evidence that they ever adduced them as containing a contradiction. Many of those

11 And ' Josias begat Jechonias lathiel; and Salathiel begat Zoroand his brethren, about the time babel;''

the} were carried away to Baby-| 13 And Zorobabel beijat Abiud; Ion; jand Abiud begat Eliakim; and

12 And after they were brought, Eliakim begat Azor;

to Babylon, Jechonias begat " Sa- 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and aneinies were acute, learned, and able; it was not necessary, nor would it have and they show by their writings that conduced to their argument, to have they were not inrlisponed to detect all formed a 7iew table of genealogy. All the errors that could possibly be found that could be done was, to go to the in the sacred narra ivc. Now it is to family records — to the paW/'c <aA/es, and be remembered that the Jei«,« were fully copy them as they were actually kept, competent to show that these tables and ghow that, according to the records were incorrect, if they were really so; of the nation, Jesus was descended from and it is clear that they were fully dis- David. This, among the Jews, was posed, if possible, to do it. The fact, full and decided testimony in the case, therefore, that it is not done is clear And this was doubtless done. In the evidence that they thought it to be cor- same way, the records of a family among rect. The same may be said of the us, as they are kept by the family, are acute pagans who wrote against Christ- proof in courts of justice now. of the ianity. None of them have called in bu-th, names, &c., of individuals. Nor question the correctness of these tables, is it necessary or proper for a court to

This is full proof that, in a time when call them in question, or to attempt to it was easy to understand these tables, correct them. So the tables here are they were believed to bj correct. 2. good evidence to the only point that the

The evangelists are not responsible for writers wished to establish: that is, the correct iies.t of these tables. They to show to the Jeira that Jesu." of JSaza- are responsible only for what was their reth was descended from David. All real and professed o! ject to do. What that can be asked noiu is, whether they was (hat object? It was to prove to copied the tables of those families cor- the saiisi'action of the Jrws. that Jesus rectly. It is clear that no man can was descended from David, and there- prove that they did not so copy them, fore that there was no argument from and, therefore, that no one can adduce his ancestry thai he was not the pro- them as an argument against the cor- mised Messiah. Now to make this out rectness of the New Testament,

Sadoc i'Pffat Achim; and Achim begHt Eiiiid;

15 And Eliiid begat Eleazar; and Eleaznr begat Matihaii; and Mattlian begat Jacob;

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from

17. All the gcneraiions, &c. Tliis division of tiie names in iheir genealogy was doubtless adopted for the purpose of aiding the memory. It was common among the Jews; and other similar instances are presrrved. They were destitute of other books beside the Old Testament, anJ had but few copies of that among th^^m, and those chiefly in their synago-^ucs. They would, therefore, naturally devise plans to keep up the remembrance of the principal facts in their history. One method of doing this was, to divide the tables of genealogy into portions of equal length, to be committed to memory. This greatly facihtated the remembrance of the names. A man who wished to commit to memory the names of a regiment of soldiers, would naturally divide it into companies, and platoons, and this would greatly facilitate his work. This was doubtless the reason in the case before us. And, though it is not strictly accurate, yet it was the Jewish way of keeping their records, and answered their purpose. There were three leading persons and events that nearly, or quite, divided their history into equal poitions: Abraham, David, and the Babylonish captivity. From one to the other was ahout fourteen generations, and, by omitting a few names, it was sufficiently accurate to be made a general guide or directory in remembering their history.

In counting these divisions, however, it will be seen that there is some difficulty in making out the number fourttcn in each division. This may be explained in the following manner. In the first di\nsion, Abroham is the first, nnd David the last, making together fourteen. In the secend series, David would naturally be placed first, and the fourteen was completed in Josiak, about the time of the cap'ivitv, as sufficiently

Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth " of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When aa

near for the purpose of convenient computation. 2 Chron. xx.xv. In the third division, Josiah would naturally be placed first, and the number was completed in Joseph. So that David and Josiah would be reckoned twice. This may be shown by the following table of the names:

^ Carrying away mto Babylon. This refers to the captivity of Jerusalem, and the removal of the Jews to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, 588 years before Christ. See 2 Chron. xxxvi. Josiah was king when these calamities began to come upon the Jews, but the e.xact time of the seventy years of captivity did not commence until the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, or 32 years after the death of Josiah. Babylon wai situated on the Euphrates, and was encompassed with walls which were about 60 miles in circuit, 87 feet broad, ai d 350 feet high, and the city ^'as entered by a hundred brazen gates, 25 on each side. It was the capital of a vas. empire, and the Jews remained the/'e fo? seventy years. See my Notes Oii Isaiali ch. xiii.

18. On this wise. Thus, in this manner. ^ Espoused. Betroihed, or engaged to be married. Th.;re was his mother Mary was espoused to; to make her a pub.ic example, Joseph,* before they came totrether, j was minded " to put her away she was found with child of the privily.

Holy Ghost. 20 But while he thought on these

19 Then Joseph her husband,! things, behold,- the angel of the

being a just man, and not willing * Lord appeared unto him in

' 5th year before the account called Ji. D.

commonly an interval of ten or twelve months among the Jews between the contract oi marriage and the celebration of the nupiials. (See Gen. xxiv. 55. Judges xiv. 8); yet such was the nature of this engagement, that unfaithfulness to each other was deemed adultery. See Deut. xxii. 25, 28. ^ With child by the Holy Ghost. See Note, Luke i. 35.

10. Her husband. The word in the original does not imply that they were married. It means here the man to whom she was espoused. 1i A just man. Justice consists in rendering to every man his own. Yet this is evidently not the character intended to be given here of Joseph. It means that he was kind, tender, merciful; so attached to Mary, that he was not willing that she should be exposed to public shame. He sought, therefore, secretly to dissolve the connexion, and to restore her to her friends without tiie punishment commonly inflicted on adultery. The word jiisJ. has not unfrequentlv this meanii.g ot mildness, or mercy. See 1 John i. 9. Coinp. O ccro, Dc Fin. 5, 23. IT A public example. Tc expose her to piiblfc shame or infamy. Adultery has always been considered a crime of a very heinous nature. In Egypt it was punished by cutting off the nose of the adulteress; in Persia the nose and ears were cut off; in Judea the punishment was death bv stoning. Lev..XX. 10. Eze. xvi. 38, 40. John viii. 5. This punishment was also inHicted where the person was not married, but betrothed. Dent..xxii. 23, 24. In this case, therefore, the regidar punishment would have been death in this painful and ignominious manner. Yet Joseph was a religious man — mild and tender; — and he was not willing to eamplam of her to the magistrate, and expose her to death, but sought to avoid the shame, and to put her away privately. H Put her awny privnte.bi. The law of Moses gave the husband the power of divorce. Deut..xxiv. 1. It was customary in a bill of divorce to specify the causes for which the divorce was made, and witnesses were also present to testii'y to the divorce. But in this case it seems, Joseph repolved to put her away without spLcifying the cause: for he was not willing to.nakc her a pubhc example. This is the meaning here of privately. Both to Joseph and Mary this must have been a great trial. Joseph was ardeiuly attached to her, but her character was likely to be ruined, and he deemed it proper to separate her from him. Mary was iimocent, but Joseph was not yet satisfied of her innocence. Yet we may learn how to put our trust in God. lie will defend the innocent. Mary was in danger of being exposed to shame. Had she been connected with a cruel, passionate, and violent man, she would have died in disgrace. But God had so ordered it that she was connected with a man mild, amiable, and tender; and, in due time, Joseph was apprized of the truth in tiie case, and took his fliithful and beloved wife to his bosom. Thus our only aim should be to preserve a conscience void of offence, and God will guard our reputation. We may be assailed, or circumstances may be against us; but in due time God will take care to vindicate our cha/acter, and save us from ruin.

20. }[c thought on these things. He did not act hastily. He did not take the course which the law would have permitted him to do. if he had been hasty, violent, or uniiist. It was a case deeply affecting his happiness, his character, and the reputation and character of his chosen companion. — God will guide the thoughtful and the anxious. And when v>e have looked patiently at. a perplexed subject, and know not what to do, then God, as in the case of Joseph, will interpose to lead us, and direct our way. Ps. xxv. 9. IT The onixel of the Lord. The \K0Td ans;el literally means a messenger. It is applied chiefly in the scriptures to those invisible holy being!' \» ho ha-'c toA fallen into

dream, saying;, Joseph, thou son of | 21 And she shall bring forth a David, fear not to take unto thee ' son, and thou shall call liis name Mary thy wife; for that which is' = JESUS: for he shall save" hia conceived in her is of the Holy people from their sins.

sin; who live in heaven (1 Tim. v. 21, compare Jude 6); and who are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. Heb. i. 13, 14. Dan. ix. 21. I'he v.'ord is sometimes applied to men, as messengers (Luke vii. 24; ix. 52. James ii. 25.); to the winds (Ps. civ. 4); to the pestilence (Ps. l.xxviii. 49); or to whatever is appointed to make hnovm, or to execute the will of God. It is commonly applied, however, to the, unfallen. happy spirits that are in heaven, ' whose only dignity and pleasure it is to ' do the will of God. Various ways were I employed by them in making known I the will of God. by dreams, visions, assuming a human appearance, &c. ^ In a dream. This was a common way of making known the will of God to the ancient prophets and people of God. Gen. xx. 3; xxx. 1, 11, 24; xxxvii. 5; xh. 1. 1 Kings iii. 5. Dan. vii. 1. Job iv. 13 — 15. In what way it was ascersained that these dreams were from God, cannot now be told, i It is sufficient for us to know that in ' this way many of the prophecies were j communicated; and to remark that now there is no evidence that we are to put reliance on our dreams. Dreams are wild, irregular movements of the mind, when it is unshackled by reason, and it is mere superstition to suppose that God now makes known his will in this way. See my Introduction to Isaiaii 37. '^ Son of David. Descendant of David. See ver. 1. The angel put hiin in mind of his relation to David perhaps to prepare him for the intelligence that Mary was to be the mother cf the Messiah — the promised heir of David. H Fear not. Do not hesitate, or have fears about her virtue and pu- •rity. Do not fear that she will be unworthy of you, or will disgrace you.

21. His name JESUS. The name Jtgu.i is the same as Saviour. It is derived from the vero signifying to nave. In Hebrew it is the same as Joshua. In two places in the New Testament it i? used where it means Joshua, the l<s.4der of the Jews into Canaan, and in our translation the name Joshua should have been retained. Acts vii. 45. Heb. iv. 8. It was a very common name among the Jews. If He shall save. This expresses the same as the name and on this account the name was given to him. He saves men by having dieo to redeem thent; by giving tht Spirit to renew them (John xvi. 7, 8); by his power in enabling them to overcome their.spiritual enemies, in defending them from danger, in guiding them in the path of duly, in sustaining them ir trials and in death; and he will raise 'hem up at the last day, and exalt them \o a world of purity and love. ^ Hi$ people. Tho.se whom the Father has given to him. The Jews were called the people of God, because he had chosen them to himself, and regarded them as his peculiar and beloved pc'oijlc, separate from all the nations ol the earth. Christians are called the people oi Christ, because it was the purpo.=:e oi the Father to give them to him (Isa. liii. 11. John vi. 37); and because in due time he came to redeem them lO himself Titus ii. 14. 1 Peter i. 2. ^ From their sins. This is tlie great business of Jesus in coming and dying. It is not to save nwn in their sins, but FKOM their sins. Sinners could not be happy in heaven. It would be a place of wretchedness to the guilty. The design of Jesus was, therefore, to sa'<'e from sin; 1st, by dying to make f,n atonement, (Titus ii. 14); and 2d, by renev\ing the heart, and purifying the soul, and preparing his people lor a pure and holy heaven. And from ihia we may learn: 1st, That Jesus had a design in coming into the world; he came to save his people — and that design will surely be accom'ilished. Ii is impossible that in any part of it ho should fail. 2d. We have no evidence that we are his people, unless we ure saved from the power and dominion 01 sin. A mere profession of being hia people will not ansvver. Unless we give up our sins: unless we renounce the pride, pomp, and pleasure ot the

might be fulfilled ■which was spoken of the Lord by tho prophet," sayinor,

world, and all our lusts, and crimes, we have no evidence that we are the children of God. It is impossible that we should be Christians if we indulge in sin, and live in the practice of any known iniquity. 3d. That all professing Christians should feel that there is no salvation unless it is from sin, and that they can never be admitted to a holy heaven hereafter, unless they are made pure, by the blood of Jesus, here. 22, 23. The prophecy here quoted is recorded in Isa. vii. 14. It was delivered about 740 years before Christ, in the reign of Ahaz, king of Judah. The land of Judea was threatened with an invasion by the united armies of Syria and Israel, under the command of Rezin and Pekah. Ahaz was alarmed, and seems to have contemplated calling in aid from Assyria to defend him. Isaiah was directed in his consternation to go to Ahaz, and tell him to ask a sign from God (vs. 10, 11); that is, to look to God rather than to Assvria for aid. This he refused to do. He had not confidence in God; but feared that the land would be overrun by the armies of Syria (v. 12,) and rehed only on the aid which he hoped to receive from Assyria. Isaiah answered that, in these circumstances, the Lord would himself give a sign, or a pledge, that the land should be delivered. The sign was, that a virgin should have a son, and before that son would arrive to years of discretion, the land would be forsaken by these hostile kings. The prophecy was, therefore, designed oritrinaUi/ to denote to Ahaz that the land would certainhj be dehvered from its calamiUes and dangers, and that the deliverance would not be long delayed. The united land of Syria and Israel vnitcd now in confederation, would be deprived of both their kings, and thus the land of Judah be freed from the threatening dangers. This appears to be the literal fulfilment of the passage in Isaiah. IT Might he fuljilled. It is more difficult to know in what sense this could be said to be fulfittid in the birth of Christ. To understand this it may be remarked that

child, and shall bring forth a son, and ' they shall call his name Emmanuel; which being interpreted, is, God* with us. ■ ^ or, his name shall be called. A Jno.1.14.

the word fulfilled is used in the scriptures, and in other writings, in many senses, of which the following are some: 1st. When a thing is clearly predicted, and comes to pass: as the desiructioa of Babylon, foretold in Isa. xiii. 19 — 22; and of Jerusalem, in Matt, x.xiv.- 2d. When one thing is testified, or shade wed forth by another, the type is said to be fulfilled. This was the case in regard to the types and sacrifices in the Old Testament, which were fulfilled by the coming of Christ. See Hebrews ix. — 3d. When prophecies of future events are expressed in language more elevated and full than the particular thing, at first denoted, demands. Or, when the language, though it may express one event, is also so full and rich as appropriately to express oiher events in similar circutnslances, and oi similar import. Thus, e. g.. the last chapters of tsaiah, from the xlth chapter, foretell the return of the Jews from Babylon; and every circumstance mentioned occurred in their return. But the language is more expanded and subUme than was necessary to express their return. It will also express appropriately a much more important and magnificent dehverance — that of the redeemed under the Messiah, and tlie return of the people of God to him, and the universal spread of the gospel; and therefore it may be said to be fulfilled in the coinitig of Jesus, and the spread of tl e gospel..So if there were any other niagnilicent and glorious events, siill, i?i similar circumstances, and of like character, il might be said also that these proi.ihecies were fulfilled iti all of them. The language is so full and rich, and the promises so grand, that ihey appropriately express all these dehverances. This may be the sense in which the prophecy now under consideration may bo said to have been fulfilled. 4ih. Language is said to be fulfilled when tnougb it was used to express one event, yet il may be used also to express another. Thus Vi fable may be said to be fulfilled when an event ocLurs similar to the one concerning which it was first spokcjj.

24 Thpn Joseph, beinor raised from sleep, did;im the angel of the Lord had liidden him, and took unio him his wife:

A parable has its fulfilment in all the cases to which it is applicable; and so of a proverb, or a declaration respectmg human nature. The declaration " there is none that doeth good," (Ps. xiv. 3), was at first spoken of a particular race of wicked men. Yet it is applicable to others, and in this sense may be said to have been fulfilled. See Rom. iii. 10. In this use of the word fulfilled, it means, not that the passage was at first inttnded to apply to this particular tliirig, but that the words aptly or appropriately express the thing spoken ot, and may be applied to it. We may say of this, as was said of another thing, and thus the words express both, or are fulfilled. The writers of the New Testament seem occasionally to have used the word in this sense. IT A virgin shall he with child. Matthew clearly understands this as applying hterally to a virgin. Compare Luke i. 34. It thus implies that the conception of Christ was entirely miraculous, or that the body of the Messiah was created directly by the power of God, agreeably to the declaration in Heb. X. 5. " Wherefore, when he corneth into the world, he saiih. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not. but a body hast thou prepared me." ^ Immanuel. This is a Hebrew word, and means hterally, God with us. Matthew doubtless understand's this word as denoting that the iMessiah was really ' God with ds," or that the divine nature was united to the human. He does not aflirm that this was its meaning when used in re-.'erence to the child to whom it was first applied; but this was its meaning as applicable to the Messiah. It mas fitly expressive of his character; and in this sense it was fulfilled. When/r,<;< used by Isaiah, it denoted simply that the oirth of the child was a sign that God was with the Jews to deli'ver them. The Hebrews often used the name of Jehovah, or God. in their proper names. Thus, Isaiah means " the salvation of Jehovah;" Eleazer, "help of God;" EH, "my God," Sec. But Matthew evidently intends more than was de- i

25 And knew her net till she had brought forth her first-b jni " son; and he called his natne JE- SUS.*

noted by the simple use of such namea. He had jsst given an account ol his miraculous conception; ol his bt-ing begotten by the Holy Ghost. God was therefore his Father. Jle was divuie as well as human. His appropriate name was " God with us." And though the mere use ol such a name would not prove ihat he had a divine nature, yet as Matthevj uses it, and meant evidently to apply it, it does prove that Jesus was more than a man; that he was God as well as man. And it is this which gives glory to the plan of redemption. It is this which is the wonder of angels. It is this which makes the plan so vast, so grand, so full of instruction and comlort to Christians. See Phil. ii. 6 — 8. It is this which sheds such peace and joy hito the sinner's heart; which gives him such security of salvaiion; and renders the condescension of God in redein|)iion so great, and his character so lovely

" Till God in human flesh I see. My thoughts no comfort find; The holy, just, and saciea 'I iiree. Are terror to my mind.

"But if Lm-manuel's face appears, My hope, my joy, beghis; His grace removes my slavish feara. His blood removes my sins."

For a full examination of the passage. See my Notes on Isa. vii. 14.

25. Knew her 7iot. The doctrine of the virginity of Mary before the birth of Jesus is a doctrine of the scriptures, and very important to be believed. But the scriptures do not affirm that she had no children afterwards. Indeed all the accounts in the New Testament lead us to suppose that she had. See Notes on Matt. xiii. 55. 56. The language here evidently imphes that she fived as the wife of Joseph after the birth of Jesu» ^ Her first-born so7i. Her eldest son. or he that by the lav,' had the privilege of birth-right. This does not ofnec:*- s'fy imply that she had other children. T-.ough i* seems probable. It was lh«

NOW when Jesus was born* in Betlilehem of Judca, in the * -Jtli year before the account calleil A. D.

name given to the son which was first born, whether there were others or not. IT His name JESUS. Tlais was given by divine appointment, ver. 21. It was conferred on him on the eighth day, at the time of his circumcision. Luke ii.

1. When Jesus was born. See the full account of his birth in Luke ii. 1 — 20. ^ In Bethlehem of Judea. Bethlehem, the birth-place of Christ, was a small town about six miles south of Jerusalem. The word Bethlehem denotes ' ' house of bread' ' — perhaps given to the place on account of its great fertility. It was also called Ephrata, a word supposed hkewise to signify fertility. Gen. XXXV. 19. Ruth iv. 11. Psalm c.xxxii. 6. It was called the city of David (Luke ii. 4.), because it was the city of his nativity. 1 Sam. xvi. 1. 18. It was called Bethlehem of Judea, to distinguish it from a town of the same name in Galilee. Josh. xix. 15. — The soil of Bethlehem was noted for its fertility. Ancient travellers frequently spoke of its productions. The town is situated on an eminence, in the midst of hills and vales. — At present it contains about 200 houses, inhabited chiefly by Christians and Mohammedans, who live together in peace. — About 200 paces east of Bethlehem, the place is still shown where our Saviour is supposed to have been born. There is a church and a convent there; and beneath the church, a subterranean chapel, which is lighted by thirty-two lamps, which is said to be the place where was the stable in which Jesus was born. — No reliance is, however, to be placed on this tradition. H Herod the king. Judea, where our Saviour was born, was a province of the Roman Empire. It was taken about 63 years before, by Pompey, and placed under tribute. Herod received his appointment from the Romans, and had reigned at the time of the birth of Jesus 3-1 years. Though he was permitted to be called king, yet he was in all respects dependent on the Roman Emperor. — He was commonly called Herod the Great, because he had distinguished

days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

himself in the wars whh Antigonus, and his other enemies, and because he had evinced great talents, as well as great cruelties and crimes, in governing and defending his country; in repairing the temple; and in building and ornamenting the cities of his kingdom. — At this time Augustus was Emperor of Rome. The world was at peace. All the known nations of the earth were united under the Roman Emperor. Intercourse between difi'ercnt nations was easy, and safe. Similar laws prevailed. The use of the Greek language was general throughout the world. — 'All these circumstances combined to render this a favorable time to introduce the gospel, and to spread it through the earth; and the Providence of God was remarkable in fitting the nations, in this manner, for the easy and rapid spread of the christian rehgion among all nations. "T Wise men. The original word here is magoi, from which comes our word magician, now used in a bad sense, but not so in the original. The persons here denoted were philosophers, priests, or astronomers. They dwelt chiefly in Persia and Arabia. They were the learned men of t'lie eastern natioirs, devoted to astronomy, to religion, and to medicine. They were held in high esteem by the Persian court, were admitted as counsellors, and followed the camps in war to give advice. ^ From the east. It is unlvnown whether they came from Persia or Arabia. Both countries might be denoted by the word east — that is, east from Judea. If Jerusalem. The capital of Judca. As there is frequent reference in the New Testament to Jerusalem; as it was the place of the pubUe worship of God; as it was the place where many important transactions in the life of the Saviour occurred, and the place where he died; and as no Sabbath school teacher can intelligently explain the New Testament without some knowledge of that city, it seems desirable to present a brief description of it. A more full description may be seen in Calmet's Dictionary, and in the common works on Jewish AntiquTties. — Jerusalem was

2 Saying, Vv'here is ho that is born " King of the Jews? for we

the capital of the kingdom of Judah, and was built on the line dividing this tribe from the tribe of Benjamin. It was once called Salem (Gen. xiv. 18, Ps Ixxvi. 2.), and in the days of Abraham was the abode of Melchizedek. When the Israelites took possession of the promised land they found this stronghold in the possession of the Jebusites, by whom it v/as called Jehus or Jehusi. Josh, xviii. 28. The name Jerusalem was compounded probably of the two, by changing a single letter, and calling it, for the sake of the sound, Jerusalem instead of Jehusalem. Tlie ancient Salem was probably built on Mount Moriah or Acra — the eastern and western mountains on which Jerusalem was subsequently built. When the Jebusites became masters of the place, they erected a fortress in the southern quarter of the city, which was subsequently called Mount Zion, but which they called Jeius; and although the Israelites took possession of the adjacent territory (Josh, xviii. 28), the Jebusites still held this fortress or upper town until the time of David, who wrested it from them (2 Sam. v. 7 — 9), and then removed his court from Hebron to Jerusalem, which was thenceforward known as the city of David. 2 Sam. vi. 10. 12. 1 Kings viii. 1. Jerusalem was built on several hills — Mount Zion on the south. Mount Moriah on the east — on which the temple was subsequently built (see Notes on ch. xxi. 12), Mount Acra on the west, and Mount Bezetha on the north. Mount Moriah and Mount ^ion were separated by a valley called y Josephus the Valley of Cheesemongers, over which there was a bridge or raised way leading from the one to the other. On the south-east of Mount Moriah, and between that and Mount Zion, there was a bluff or high rock capable of strong fortification, called Ophel. The city was encompassed by hills. On the west there were hills which overlooked the city; on the south was the valley of Jehoshaphat, or the valley of Hinnom, (see Notes on Matt. V. 22.) separating it from what is called the Mount of Corruption; on the east was the valley or the brook Kedron, dividijig the city from the Mount of Olives: and on the north the country was more level — though it was a broken or rolling country. ^I'o the south-east the valleys of the Kedron and Jehoshaphat united, and the waters flowed through the broken mountains in a south-east direction to the Dead Seasome fifteen miles distant. Tiie city of Jerusalem stands in 31° 50' north latitude, and 35° 2(/ east longitude from Greenwich. It is thirty-four miles south-easterly from Jaffa — the ancient Joppa — which is its sea-port, and one hundred and twenty miles south-westerly from Damascus. The best view of the city of Jerusalem is from Mount Olivet on the east, (see Notes on Matt, xxi. 1); the mountains in the east being somewnat higher than those on the west. The city was anciently enclosed within walls — a part of which are still standing. The position of the walls has been at various times changed — as the city has been larger or smaller, or as it has extended in different directions. The wall on the south formerly included the whole of Mount Zion, though the modern wall runs over the summit, including about half of the mountain. In the time of the Saviour, the northern wall enclosed only Rlounts Acra and Moriah north — though after his death Agrippa extended the wall so as to include Mount Bezetha on the north. About half of that is included in the present wall. The limits of the city on the east and the west being more determined by the nature of the place, have been more fixed and permanent. The city was watered in part by the fountain of Siloam on the east (for a description oi which, see Notes on Luke xiii. 4, and on Isa. vii. 3); and in part by the fountain of Gihon, on the west of the city, which flowed into the vale of Jehoshaphat; and in the time of Solomon by an aqueduct, part of which is still remaining, by which water was brought from the vicinity of Bethlehem. The " pools of Solomon," three in numbei — one rising above another — and adapted to hold a large quantity of water — are still remaining in the vicinity oi Bethlehem. The fountain of Siloam still flows freely (see Note on Isa. vii. 3.), though the fountain of Gihon is commonly dry. A reservoir or tank., liowever, remains a< GiJion. Jcnisalerc

have seen his • star in the east, and are come to ^ worship him.

riad, perhaps, its highest splendor in the lime of Solomon. About four hundred years after, it was wholly destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. It lay utterly desolate during the seventy years of the Jewish captivity. Then it was rebuilt, and restored to some degree of its former maijnificence, and remained about six hundred years, when it was utterly destroyed by Titus, A. D. 70. In the reign of Adrian, the city was partly rebuilt under the name of..Elia. The monuments of Pagan idolatry were erected in it, and it remained under Pagan jurisdiction until Helena, the mother of Constantino, overthrew the memorials of idolatry, and erected a magnificent church over the spot which was supposed to be the place of the Redeemer's sufferings and burial. Juhan, the apostate, attempting to destroy the credit of the prophecy of the Saviour that the temple should remain in ruins (Matt, xxiv.), endeavored to re- Duild the temple. His own historian, Ammianus Marcellinus (see Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses), says that the workmen were impeded by balls of fire coming from the earth, and that he was compelled to abandon the undertaking. Jerusalem continued in the power ofthe eastern emperors till the reign of the caliph Omar, the third in succession from Mohammed, who reduced it under his control about the year (j40. The Saracens continued masters of Jerusalem until the year 1099, when it was taken by the crusaders under Godfrey of BoiuUon. They founded a new kingdom of which Jerusalem was the capital, which lasted eighty-eight years under nine kings. At last this kingdom was utterly ruined by Saladin; and though the Christians once more obtained possession of the city, yet they were obliged again to relinquish it. In 1217 the Saracens were expelled by the Turks, who have ever since continued in possession of it. Jerusalem has been taken and pillaged seventeen times, and millions of men have been slaughtered within its walls. At present there is a»splcndid mosque — • the mosaue of Omar— on the site of the

heard ihese things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered ' c Ps.2.2.

temple. It is a city containing a population variously estimated at from 15,000 to 50,000 — though probably not far from l.'0,000 — comprising Jews, Turks, Arabs, Armenians, Greeks, and Papists. The Jews have a number of synagogues. The catholics have a convent, and have the control ofthe church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Greeks have twelve convents; the Armenians have three convents on Mount Zion, and one in the city; the Copts, Syrians, and Abyssinians have each of them one convent. The streets are narrow, and the houses are of stone, most of them low and irregular with flat roofs or terraces, and with small windows only towards the street, usually protected by iron grates. The above description has been obtained from a great variety of sources, and it would be useless to refer to the works where the facts have been obtained' As a refer ence to Jerusalem often occurs in the New Testament, and as it is very important to possess a correct view ofthe site of the ancient and modern city, a view is annexed here. It is by Catherwood, and is probably the most exact view of the city that has been published.

2. Where is he, &c. There was, at this time, a prevalent expectation that some remarkable personage was about to appear in Judea. The Jews were an.xiously looking for the coming of the Messiah. By computing the time mentioned by Daniel (ch. ix. 2.') — 27,) they knew that the period was approaching when the Messiah should appear. This personage, they supposed, would be a temporal prince, and they were expecting that he would deliver them frorr Roman bondage. It was natural that this expectation should spread into othei countries. Many Jews, at that time, dwelt in Egypt, in Rome, and in Greece many, also, had gone to eastern countries, and in every place they carried their scriptures, and diffused the expectation that some remarkable persor was about to appear. Suetonius, a Ro man historian, speaking of this rumor says: ' An ancient and settled fisr all the chief priests and scribes of i of them where Christ should be the people together, he demanded born.

■suasion prevailed throughout tlie East, that the Fates had decreed some one to proceed from Judea, who should attain universal empire."* Tacitus, another Roman historian, says: " Many were persuaded that it was contained in the ancient books of their priests, that at that very time the East should prevail, and that some one should proceed from Judea, and possess the dominion, "t Josephus, also, and Philo, two Jewish historians, make mention of the same expectation.! The fact that such a person was expected is clearly attested. Under this expectation these wise men came to do him liomage, and inquired anxiously where he U'as horn? ^ His star. Among the ancients, the appearance of a star or comet was regarded as an omen of some remarkable event. Many such appearances are recorded by the Roman historians at the birth or death of distinguished men. Thus, they say, that at the death of Julius Csesara comeVappeared in tlie heavens, and shone seven days. These wise men also considered this as an evidence that the long-expected Prince was born. It is possible that they had been led to this Dclief hj. the prophecy of Balaam. Num. xxiv. 17. " There shall come a Har out of Jacob," &c. What this star was, is not known. There have been many conjectures respecting it, but nothing is revealed concerning it. We are not to suppose that it was what we commonly mean by a star. The stars are vast bodies fixed in the lieacens, and it is absurd to suppose that one of them was sent to guide the wise meii. It is most probable that it was a luminous appearance, or meteor, such as we now see sometimes shoot from the sky, or such as appear stationary, which the wise men saw, and which directed them to Jerusalem. It is possible that the same thing is meant which is mentioned by Luke, ii. 9: " The glory of the Lord shone roiitid about theni:" i. e. (see Note on this place,) a great light appeared shining around them. That light might have been visible from afar, and have been seen bv the wise men in the East. H In the East. This does not mean that they had seen the star to the east of themselves, but that, when they were in the East, they had seen this star. As this star was in the direction of Jerusalem, it must have been west of them. It might be translated, ' We, being in the East, have seen his star.' It is called his star, because they supposed it to be intended to indicate the time and place of his birth. If To worship him. This does not mean that they had come to pay him religious homage, or to adore him. They regarded liim as the king of the Jews. There is no evidence that they supposed he would be divine. They came to honor him as a Prince, or a king, not as God. The original word implies no more than this. It meant to prostrate one's self before another; 1o fall down and pay homage to another. This was the mode in which homage was paid to earthly kings, and this they wished to pay to the new-born king of the Jews. See the same meaning oi the word in Matt. xx. 20, xviii. 26; Acts X. 25; Luke.xiv. 10. The English word worship also meant formerly, " to respect, to honor, to treat with civil reverence." (Webster.)

3. Had heard these things. Had heard of their coming, and ot the star, and of the design of their coming. IT Ht ivas troubled. Herod had obtained the kingdom by great crimes, and by shedding much blood. He was, therefore, easily alarmed by any remarkable appearances; and the fact that this star appeared, and that it was regarded as proof that the King of the Jews was born, alarmed him. Besides, it was a common expectation that the Messiah was about to appear, and he feared that his reign was about to come to an end. He, therefore, began to inquire in what way he might secure his own safety, and the permanency of his government ^ All Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem, and particularly the friends of Herod. There were many waiting foi the consolation of Israel, to whom the coming of the Messiah would be a matter of joy; but all of Herod's friends would doubtless be alarmed at his com-

5 And they said unto him, In > privily called the wise men, inquir i3ethlehem of Judea: for thus it is | ed of them diligently what time the written ° by the prophet; i star appeared.

fi And thou Bethlehem, in the i 8 And he sent them to Bethleland of Juda, art not the least among i hem; and said, Go and search dilithe princes of Juda: for out of thee gently for the young child; and shall come a governor, that shall ' when ye have found him, bring me rule * my people Israel. word again, that I may come ' and

7 Then Herod, when he had worship him also.

priest and his deputy, but also the heads or chiefs of the twenty-four classes into which David had divided the sacerdotal families. 1 Chron. xxiii. 6, xxiv.; 2 Chron. viii. 14, xx.xvi. 14; Ezra viii. 24. '^Scribes. By the scribes, in the New Testament, are meant learned men, men skilled in the law, and members of the great council. They were probably the learned men, or the lawyers of the nation. They kept the records of the court of justice, the registers of the synagogues, wrote their articles of contract and sale, their bills of divorce, tc. They were also called lawyers, Matt. xxii. 35, and doctors of the law, Liuke V. 17. They were called scribes from the fact of their writins the public records. They were not, however, a •eligious sect, but might be either Pharisees or Sadducees. — By the chief priests and scribes here mentioned, is ie noted the tanhedrim or great council of the nation. This was composed of seventy-two men, w'ho had the charge of the civil and religious affairs of the Jews. On this occasion, Herod, in alarm, called them together, professedly to make inquiry respecting the birth of the Messiah. If Demanded of them. Inquired, or asked of them. As they were the learned men of the nation, and as it was their btisiness to study and explain the Old Testament, they were presumed to know what the prophecies had declared on that point. His object was to ascertain from prophecy where he was born, that he might strike an effectual blow. He seems not to have had any doubt about the time ii-hen he should be born. He was satisfied that the time had come.

5, 6. Bi/ the prophet. The sanhedrim answered without hesitation. It Wf>8 settled by prophecy. This prophecy is found in Micah, v. 2. In that 3* prophecy, both the place of his birth and the character of the Messiah are so clearly set forth, that there was no room to doubt. It will be observed that there is a considerable difference between the passage as quoted by the sanhedrim, and as it stands in Micah. The main point, however, is retained — the place of his birth. We are not concerned, therefore, in showing how these passages can be reconciled. Matthew is not responsible for the correctness of the quotation. He affirms only that they gave this answer to Herod and that Herod was satisfied. Admitting that they did not quote the passage correctly it does not prove that Matthew has not reported their ansiver as they gave it and this is all that he pretends to givf IT Art not the least. In Micah, " though thou be little." Though a small place so far as population is concerned, yet it shall not be small, or least, in honor; for the Messiah shall be born there. His birth gave the place an honor which could not be conferred on the larger cities by all their numbers, their splendor, and their wealth. The birth of a distinguished personage was always supposed to give honor and importance to a city or country. Thus seven cities contended for the honor of giving birth to Homer; Stratford-upon-Avon is distinguished as the birth-place of Shakspeare; and Corsica as the birth-place of Napoleon. '^ A Governor. A Ruler. This is one of the characters of ths Messiah, who is the King of his people, John xviii. 37. The word rule hers means to rule as a shepherd does his flock, in faithfulness and tenderness. Compare John x. 11, Isa. xl. 10, 11. ix. 7.

7. Privily. Secretly, privately. He did this to ascertain the time when Jesus was born. H Diligently. Accurately,

9 When they had heard the king, they departed: and, lo, the star, which they saw " in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

fexactly. He took pains to learn the precise time that the star appeared. He did this because he naturally concluded that the star appeared just at the time of his birth, and he wished to know precisely how old the child was.

8. Go, and search diligently, &c. Herod took all possible means to obtain accurate information respecting the child, that he might be sure of destroying him. He not only ascertained the probable time of his birth, and the place where he would be born, but he sent the wise men that they might actually see him, and bring him word. Ail this might have looked suspicious if he had not clothed it with the appearance of religion. He said to them, therefore, that lie did it that he might go and worship him also. From this we may learn, 1. That wicked men often cloak their evil designs under the appearance of religion. They attempt to deceive those who are really good, and to make them suppose that they have the same design. But God cannot be deceived, and he will bring them to punishment. 2. Wicked men often attempt to make use of the pious to advance their evil purposes. Men hke Herod will stop at nothing if they can carry their ends. They endeavor to deceive the simple, allure the unsuspecting, and to beguile the weak, to answer their purposes of wickedness. 3. The plans of wicked men are often well laid. They occupy a long time. They make diHgent inquiry. And all of it has the appearance of religion. But God sees the design; and though men are deceived, yet God cannot be. Prov. xv. 3.

9, 10. The star — ive?it h&fore them. From this it appears that the star was a luminous meteor, perhaps at no great distance from the ground. It is not unlikely that they lost sight of the star after they had commenced their journey from the East. It is probable that it appeared to them first in the direction of Jeruealcm. They concluded that the e.x-

Sected King had been born, and inimeiately commenced their journey to

10 When they saw the star, they ' rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and

Jerusalem. When they arrived there, it was important that they should be directed to the very place where he was, and the star again appeared. It was for this reason that they rejoiced. They felt assured that they were under a heavenly guidance, and would be conducted to the new-born King of the Jews. And this shows, 1. That the birth of Jesus was an affair of great moment, worthy of the divine direction of these men to find the place of his nativity. 2. God will guide those who are disposed to find the Saviour. Even if for a time the fight should be withdrawn, yet it will again appear, and direct us in the way to the Redeemer. 3. Direction to Christ should fill us with joy. He is the way, the truth, and the life; the Saviour, the friend, the all in all; there is no other way of life, and there is no peace to the soul till he is found. When we are guided to him, therefore, our hearts should overflow with joy and praise; and we should humbly and thankfully follow every direction that leads to the Son of God. John xii. 35, 36.

11. The house. The place where he was born, or the place where they lived at that time. If Fell down. This was the usual way of showing respect or homage among the Jews. Esther viii. 3; Job i. 20; Dan. iii. 7; Fs. Ixxii. 11: Is. xlvi. 6. ^ Worshipped him. Did him homage as King of the Jews. See on ver. 2. IF Had opened their trea sures. The treasures which they had brought, or the boxes, &.C., in which they had brought their gold, &'c. H They presented unto him gifts. These were presented to him as King of the Jews, because they supposed he was to he a distinguished prince and conqueror. Il was customary in the East to show respect for persons of distinction by making them presents or offerings of this kind. See Gen. xxxii. 14, xliii. 1 1; 1 Sam. x. 27; 1 Kings x. 2; Ps. I.xxii. 10 — 15. This custom is still common in the East; and it is everywhere there unusual to approach a person of distic-

fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they ' presented unto him "gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God* in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into

heir own country another way.

guished rank without a valuable present. tI FranTiinccnse. This was a production of Arabia. It was a white resin or gum. It was obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark, and suffering the gum to flow out. It was highly odoriferous or fragrant when burned, and was, therefore, used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God. See Ex. xxx. 8. Lev. xvi. 12. It is produced, also, in the East Indies, but chiefly in Arabia; and hence it has been supposed probable that the wise men came from Arabia. If Myrrh. This was also a production of Arabia, and was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. The name denotes bitterness, and was given to it on account of its great bitterness. It was used chiefly in embalming the dead, because it had the property of preserving them from putrefaction. Compare John xix. 39. It was much used in Egypt and in Judca. It was obtained from a thorny tree, which grows eight or nine feet high. It was at an early period an article of commerce, (Gen. xxxvii. 25); and was an ingredient of the holy ointment. Ex. xxx. 23. It was also used as an agreeable perfume. Esth. ii. 12. Ps. xlv. 8. Prov. vii. 17. It was, also, sometimes mingled with wine to form an article of drink. Such a drink was given to our Saviour, when about to be crucified, as a stupefying potion. Mark XV. 23. Coinpare Matth..xxvii. 34. These offerings were made because they were the most valuable which their country produced. They were tokens of respect and homage which they paid to the new-born King of the Jews. They evinced their high regard for him, and their belief that he was to be an illustrious prince: and the fact that their deed is recorded with approbation, shows us that we should otier

13 And when they were departed, heboid, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying. Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod ' will seek the young child, to destroy

our most valuable possessions, our all, to the Lord Jesus Christ. Wise men came from far to do him homage, and bowed down, and presented their best gifts and offerings. It is right that we give to him, also, our hearts, our property, our all.

12. Warned of God, &c. This was done, doubtless, because, if they had given Herod precise information where he was, it would have been easy for him to send forth and slay him. And from it we learn that God will watch over those whom he loves; that he knows how to foil the purposes of the wicked, and to deliver his own out of the hands of those who would destroy them. IT/ti a dream. See Note on ch. i. 20.

13. The angel. See ch. i. 20. ^ Flee into Egypt. Egypt is situated to the souih-w"est of Judea, and is distant from Bethlehem perhaps about sixty miles. It was at this time a Roman province. The Greek language was spoken there. There were many Jews there, who had a temple and synagogues; and Joseph, therefore, would be among his own countrymen, and yet beyond the reach

I of Herod. The jurisdiction of Herod

I extended only to the river Sihon, or

I river of Egypt, and of course, beyond

I that, Joseph was safe from his designs.

For a description of Egypt, see my

I Notes on Isa. xix. It is remarkable that this is the only time in which our

Saviour was out of Palestine, and that this was in the land where the children of

Israel had suffered so much and so long under the oppression of the Egyptian kings. The very land which was ih« land of bondage and groaning for the

Jews, became now the land of refuge and safety for the new-born King of

Judea. God can cverturn nations and kingdoms, so that those whom he love»

14 When he arose, he took the' the prophet, saying" Uut of Egypt young child and his mother by have I called my son night, and departed into Egypt

15 And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by

15, The death of Herod. Herod died in the thirty-seventh year of his reign. It is not certainly known in what year be began his reign, and hence it is impossible to determine the time that Joseph remained in Egypt. The best clironologers have supposed that lie died somewhere between two and four years after the birth of Christ; but at what particular time cannot now be determined. Nor can it be determined at what age Jesus was taken into Egypt. It seems probable that he was supposed to be a year old (see ver. 16), and of course the time that he remained in Egypt was not long. Herod died of a most painful and loathsome disease in Jericho. See Note on ver. 16; also Josephus, Ant. 17. 10. ^ That it might be fulfilled, &c. Thi:- language is recorded in Hosea xi. 1. It there evidently speaks of God's calling his people out of Egypt under Moses. See E.x. iv. 22, 23. It might be said to be fulfilled in his calling Jesus from Egypt, because the words in Hosea aptly expressed this also. The same love which led him to deliver his people Israel from the land of Egypt, now led him also to deliver his Son from that place. The words used by Hosea would express both events. See Note on ch. i. 22. Perhaps, also, the place in Hosea became a proverb, to express any great deliverance from danger; and thus it could be said to be fulfilled in Christ, as other proverbs are in cases to which they are applicable. It cannot be supposed that the passage in Hosea was a prophecy of the Messiah, biU was only used by Matthew appropriately to express the event.

16. Mocked of the icisemen. When he saw that he had been deceived by them; — that is, that they did not return as he had expected. It does not mean that they did it /or the purpose of mocking or deriding him; but that he was disappointed in their not returning. If Exceeding xuroth. Very angry. He had been disappointed and deceived.

16 Then Herod, when he saw

that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children

He expected to send an exectitionei and kill Jesus alone. But since he wa.« disappointed in this, he thought he would accomplish the same thing, and be sure to destroy him, if he sent forth and ptit all the children in the place to death. This is an illustration of the power of anger. It stops at nothing. If it cannot accomplish just what it wishes, it does not hesitate to go much farther, and accom])lish much more evil than it at first designed. He that has a wicked heart, and indulges in anger, knows not where it will end, and will commonly commit far more evil than he at first intended. IT Sleiv all the children. That is, all the male children. This is implied in the original. The design of Herod was to cut off him that had been born hin^ of the Jews. His purpose, therefore, did not require that he should slay all the female chil dren; and though he was cruel, yet Wv have no right to think that he attempted here any thing except what he thought to be for his own safety, and to secure himself from a rival. IT hi all the coast thereof. The word coast is commonly apphed now to the regions around the sea, as the sea coast. Here it means the adjacent places, the settlements or hamlets around Bethlehem — all that were in that neighborhood. We do not know how large a place Bethlehem was; nor, of course, how many were slain. But it was not a large place, and the number could not be very great. It is not probable that it contained more than one or two thousand inhabitants; and in this case the number of children slain was not probably over twenty or thirty, 'i! From tv;o years old and under. Some writers have said that this does not mean, in the original, that they had cmnpletcd two years; but that they had entered on the second year, or had completed about one year, and entered on the second. But the meaning of the word is doubtful. It is quite probable that they would not be particular about the etart that were in Bethlehem, and in all [ was spoken by Jeremy *thb prophet, the coasts thereof, from two years saying:,

old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired* of the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which a ver.7.

age, but slew all that were about that age. "^^ According to the time, &c. He had endeavoured to ascertain of the wise men the exact time of his birth. He supposed he knew the age of Jesus. He slew, therefore, all that were of his age; that is, all that were born ahout the time when the star appeared, perhaps from six months old to two years. There is no reason to think that he would command those to be slain who had been born after the star appeared.

This destruction of the infants is not mentioned by Josephus, but for this omission three reasons may be given. 1. Josephus, a Jewish historian, and a Jew, would not be likely to record any thing that would appear to confirm the truth of Christianity. 2. This act of Herod was really so small compared with his other crimes, that the historian might not think it worthy of record. Belhlehem was a small and obscure village, and the other crimes of Herod were so great and so public, that it is not to be wondered at that the Jewish historian has passed over this. 3. The order was probably given in secret, and might not have been known to Josephus. It pertained to the Christian history; and if the evangelists had not written, it might have been unknown or forgotten. Besides, no argument can be drawn from tiie silence of the Jewish historian. No reason can be given why Matthew should not be considered to be as fully entitled to credit as Josephus. Yet there is no improbability in the account given by Matthew. Herod was an odious and bloody tyrant, and the facts of his reign prove that he was abundantly capable of this wickedness. The following bloody deeds will show that the slaying of the infants was in perfect accordance with his character. The account is taken from Josephus, as arranged by Dr. Lardner. Aristol)ulus, brother of his wife Mariamne, was murdered by his direction at eigh t^en years of age, because the people ijf Jerusalem had shown some affection

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weepinjf, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would 6 Je.31.15.

for his person. In the seventh year ot his reign he put to death Hyrcanus, grandfatlier of Mariamne, then eighty years of age, and who had formerly saved Herod's hfe; a man who had, in every revolution of fortune, shown a mild and peaceable disposition. His beloved and beautiful wife, Mariamne, had a public execution, and her mothei Alexandra followed soon after. Alexander and Aristobulus, his two sons by Mariamne, were strangled in prison by his orders upon groundless suspicions, as it seems, when they were at man's estate, were married and had children. In his last sickness, a little before he died, he sent orders throughout Judea, requiring the presence of all the chief men of the nation at Jericho. His orders were obeyed, for they were enforced with no less penalty than that ot death. When they were come to Jericho, he had them all shut up in the cir cus; and calling for his sister Salome, and her husband Alexis, he told them: " My life is now short. I know the Jewish people, and nothing will please them better than my death. You hav them now in your custody. As sooi as the breath is out of my body, and before my death can bo known, do yon let in the soldiers upon them, and kill them. All Judea, then, and every family, will, though unwiUingly, mourn at my death." Nay, Josephus says that with tears in his eyes he conjured them, by their love to him and their fidelity to God, not to fail of doing hira this honor. — What objection, after this account, can there be to the account of his murdering the infants at Bethlehem? Surely there could be no cruelty, barbarity, and horrid crime, which such a man was not capable of perpetrating.

17, 18. Jeremy. Jeremiah. This quotation is taken from Jeremiah x.vxi. l.'S. The word " fulfilled," here, is take; evidently in the sense that the words ir Jeremiah aptly express the event which Matthew was recording. The original design of this prophecy was to describe not be coir.forted because they are 19 But when Herod was dead, not. behold, an angel of the Lord ap- the Boriowful departure of the people 'nto captivity, after the conquest of Jemsalem by Nebuzaradan. The captives were assembled at Rama, Jeremiah himself being in chains, and there the fate of those who had escaped in the destruction of the city, was decided at the will of the conqueror. Jer. xl. 1. The nobles had been slain, and the eyes of their king put out after the murder of his sons before liis sight, and the people were then gathered at Rama in chains, whence they were to start on their mournful journey, slaves to a cruel monarch, leaving behind them all that was dear in life. The sadness of such a scene is well expressed in the language of the prophet, and no less beautifully and fitly applies to the melancholy event which the evangehst records, and tliere could be no impropriety in his using it as a quotation.

Rama was a small town in the tribe of Benjamin, not far from Bethlehem. Rachel was the mother of Benjamin, and was buried near to Bethlehem. Gen. XTxv. 16 — 19. Rama was about six miles north-west of Jerusalem, near Bethel. The name Kama signifies an eminence, and was given to the town because it was situated on a hill. Rama is commonly supposed to be the same as the Arimathea of the New Testament— the place where Joseph lived who begged the body of Jesus. See Matt, xxvii. 57. This is also the same place in which Samuel was born, where he resided, died and was buried, and where he anointed Saul as king. 1 Sam. i. 1. 19; ii. 11; viii. 4; xix. 18; xxv. 1. Mr. King, an American Missionary, was at Rama — now called Rermha — in 1824; and Mr. Whiting, another American Missionary, was there in 1835. He Bays, "the situation is exceedingly beautiful. It is about two hours distant from Jerusalem to the north-west, an an eminence commanding a view of a wide extent of beautiful diversified country. Hills, plains, and valleys, highly cultivated fields of wheat and barley, vineyards and oliveyards, are spread out before you as on a map; and numerous villages are scattered here and there over the whole view. To the west and north-west, beyond the hillcountry, appears the vast plain of Sharon, and farther still you look out upon j the great and wide sea. It occurred to me as not improbable that in the days

I of David and Solomon, this place may have been a favorite retreat during the heat of summer; and that here the former may have often struck his sa-

\ cred lyre. Some of the psalms, or a, seem to have been composed in some place which commanded a view of the

Mediterranean; and this is the only place, I beheve, in the vicinity of Jeru salem, that affords such a view."

Rama was once a strongly fortified city, but there is no city here at present. A half-ruined Mohammedan mosque, which was originally a Chris tian church, stands over the tomb of the prophet; besides which, a few miserable dwellings are the only buildings that remain on this once celebrated spot.

There is a town about thirty miles north-west of Jerusalem, on the road to Joppa, now called Ramla, or Eamle, which is described by many geographers, and some of the best maps, as the Rama of Samuel, and the Arimatliea of Joseph. It commands a view of the whole valley of Sharon, from the mountains of Jerusalem to the sea, and from the foot of Carmel to the hills of Gaza. — Un. Bib. Die.

By a beautiful figure of speech, the prophet introduces the mother weeping over the tribe, her children, and with them weeping over the fallen destiny of Israel, and over the calamities about to come upon the land. Few images could be more striking than thus to introduce a mother, long dead, whose sepulchre was near, weeping bitterly over the terrible calamities that befell her descendants. The language and the image aptly and beautifully expressed the sorrows of the mothers in Bethlehem, when Herod slew their infant children. Under the cruelty of the tyrant, almost every family was a family of tears; and well might there be lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning.

We may remark here, that the sacred writers were cautious of speaking of the characters of wicked men. Here was one of the wor 3t men in the world, com- peareth in a dream to Joseph in I 20 Sayings, Arise, and take the Egypt, young child and his mother, and go mitting one of the most awful crimes, and yet there is not a single mark of exclamation; not a single reference to any other part of his conduct; nothing that could lead to the knowledge that his other conduct was not upright. There is no wanton and malignant dragging him into the narrative, that they might gratify malice, in making free with a very bad character. What was to their purpose, they record; what was not, they left to others. This is the nature of religion. It does not speak evil of others, except when necessary, nor then does it take pleasure in it.

19. Herod was dead. See Note on V. 15. Herod left three sons, and the kingdom was at his death divided between them. To Archelaus vvas given Judea, Idumca, and Samaria; to Philip, Batanea, Trachonitis, &-c.; to Antipas, Galilea and Perea. Each of these waa also called Herod, and these are the individuals who are so frequently referred to in the New Testament during the ministry of the Saviour and the labors of the Apostles. The following table will show at a glance the chief connexions of this family, as far as they are mentioned in the Sacred history.

20. They are dead who sought, &.C. This either refers to Plerod alone, as is,jot uncommon, using the plural num- Der for the singular; or it may refer to flerod and his son Antipater. He was of the same cruel disposition as his father, and was put to death by his father about five days before Iiis own deatii.

22. He heard that Archelaus did reign. Archelaus possessed a cruel and tyrannical disposition similar to his father. At one of the Passovers he caused three thousand of the people to be put to death in the temple and city. Foi his crimes, after he had reigned nine years, he was banished by Augustus the Roman emperor, '.o Gaul where

into the land of Israel: for they are dead " which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Ar-

lie died. Knowing his character, and fearing that he would not be safe there, Joseph hesitated about going there, and was directed by God to go to Galilee, a place of safety. IT The parts of Galilee. The country of Galilee. At this time the land of Palestine was divided into three parts: Galilee, on the north; Samaria, in the middle; and Judea, on the south. Galilee was under the government of Herod Antipas, who was comparatively a mild prince; and in his dominions Joseph might find safety.

23. Nazareth. This was a small town, sittiated in Galilee, west of Capernaum, and not far from Cana. It was built partly in a valley, and partly on the declivity of a hill. Luke iv. 29. A hill is yet pointed out, to the south of Nazareth, as the one from which the people of the place attempted to precipitate the Saviour. It was a place, at that time, proverbial for wickedness. John iv. 46. It is now a large village, with a convent and two churches. One of the churches, called tJie church of the Annu7iciation, is the finest in the lloly Land, except that of the holy sepulchre in Jerusalem.

A modern traveller describes Nazareth as situated upon the declivity of a hill, the vale which spreads out before it resembling a circular basin, encompassed by mountains. Fifteen mountains appear to meet to form an enclosure for this beautiful spot, around which they rise hke the edge of a shell, to guard it against intrusion. It is a rich and beautiful field in the midst of barren mountains.

Another traveller speaks of the streets us narrow and steep, the houses, which are Mat-roofed, are about two hundred and fifty in number, and the inhabitants he estimates at 2000. The population of the place is variously stated, though the average estimate is 3000; of whom about five hundred arc Turks, and the residue nominal Christians.

chelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of' Galilee:

23 And he came and dwelt in a

fidelity of the sacred narrative is important, we have thought ourselves justified in connecting with this article a passage from the journal of Mr. Jowett, an intelligent modern traveller; especially as it is so full an illustration of the passage of Luke already cited.

" Nazareth is situated on the side, and extends nearly to the foot, of a hill, which, though not very high, is rather steep and overhanging. The eye naturally wanders over its summit, in quest of some point from whicli it might probably be that the men of this place endeavoured to cast our Saviour down, (Luke iv. 29,) but in vain: no rock adapted to such an object appears here. At the foot of the hill is a modest, simple plain, surrounded by low hills, reaching in length nearly a mile; in breadth, near the city, a hundred and fifty yards; but farther south, about four hundred yards. On this plain there are a few olive and fig trees, sufficient, or rather scarcely sufficient, to make the spot picturesque. Then follows a ravine, vrhich gradually grows deeper and narrower towards the south; till, after walking about another mile, you find yourself in an immense chasm, with steep rocks on either side, from whence you behold, as it were beneath your feet, and before you, the noble plain of Esdraelon. Nothing can be finer than the apparently immeasurable prospect of this plain, bounded on the south by the mountains of Samaria. The elevation of the hills on which the spectator stands in tliis ravine is very great; and the whole scene, when we saw it, was clothed in the most rich mountain-blue color that can be conceived. At this spot, on the right hand of the ravine, is shown the rock to which the men of Nazareth are supposed to have conducted our Lord, foi the purpose of throwing him down With the Testament in our hands, \\ o endeavored to examine the probabili ties of the sp"*: and I confess there ia

city called " Nazareth: that it might ' be fulfilled which was spoken by | the prophets, He siiall be called a I Nazareiie.'' |

IN those days came "= John the Baptist, preaching in the wil« derness of Judea,

nothing ni it which excites a scruple of increduHty in my mind. The rock here is perpendicular for about fifty feet, down which space it would be easy to hurl a person wiio siiould be unawares brought to the summit; and his perishuig would be a very certain consequence. That the spot might be at a considerable distance from the city is an idea not inconsistent with St. Luke's account; for the expression, thrusting Jesus out of the cittj, and leading him to the hroio of the hill on ichich their city was built, gives fair scope for imagining, that in their rage and debate, the Nazarenes might, witiiout originally intending his murder, press upon him for a considerable distance after they had quitted the synagogue. The distance, as already noticed, from modern Nazareth to the spot, is scarcely two miles; a space which, in the fury of persecution, might soon be passed over. Or, should this appear too considerable, it is by no means certain but that Nazareth may at that time have extended through the principal part of the plain, which I have described as lying before the modern town. In this case, the distance passed over might not exceed a mile. I can sec, therefore, no reason for thinking otherwise, than that this may be the real scene where our divine prophet Jesus received so great a dishonor from the men of his own country and of his own kindred."

Mr. Fisk, an American Missionary, was at Nazareth in the autumn of 1823. His description corresponds generally with that of Mr. Jowett. He estimates the population to be from 3000 to 5000, viz. Greeks, three hundred or four hundred families; Turks, two hundred; (.atholics, one hundred; Greek CathoHcs, forty or fifty; Maronites, twenty or thirty; say in all seven hundred houses. % That It mti;ht he Jmjilled which VMS spoken, &c. Tiie words here are *i"iot Idund m any of the books of the Old Testament; and there has been much difficulty in ascertaining the meaning of this passage. Sotne have supposed that Matthew meant to refer to Judges xiii. 5, to Samson as a type of Christ; others that he refers to Isaiah xi. 1, where the descendant of Jesse is called " a Branch;" in the Hebrew Netzer. Some have supposed that Matthew refers to some prophecy which was not recorded, but handed down by tradition. But these suppositions are not satisfactory. It is a great deal more probable that Matthew refers not to any particular place, but to the leading characteristics of the prophecies respecting him. The following remarks may make this clear. 1st. He does not say, " by the prophet," as in ch. i. 22; ii. 5, 15, but " bi/ the prophets," meanmg no one particularly, but the general character of the prophecies. 2d. The leading and most i)rominent prophecies re • specting him were, that he was to be of humble life; to be despised, and rejected. See Isa. liii. 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12. Ps. xxii. 3d. The phrase " he shall be called," means the same as he shall be. 4th. The character of the people of Nazareth was such that they were proverbially despised and contemned. John i. 46; vii. 53. To come from Nazareth, therefore, or to be a Nazarene, was the same as to be despised, and esteemed of low birth; to be a root out of dry ground, having no form or comeliness. And this was the same as had been predicted by the prophets. When Matthew says, therefore, that the prophecies were fulfilled, it means that the predictions of the prophets that he should be of humble life, and rejected, were fully accomplished in his being an inhabitant of Nazareth, and despised as such.

CHAPTER III. 1. In those days. The days here referred to, cannot be those mentioned in the preceding chapter, for John was bu! SLx months older than Christ. Perhaps Matthew intended to extend his narrative to the whole time that Jesus dwelt at Nazareth; and the meaning is, ' i:x those days while Jesus still dwelt at Nagareth,^ John began to preach. It

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the 3 For this is he that was spoken (lingdom of heaven is at hand.; of" by the prophet Esaias, saying,

is not probable that John began to baptize or preach long before the Saviour entered on his ministry; and, consequently, from the time that is mentioned at the close of the second chapter, to that mentioned m the beginning of the third, an interval of twenty-five or more years elapsed. 1i John the Baptist. Or John the ba/ptizer — ^so called from his principal office, that of baptizing. Baptism, or the application of water, was a rite well known to the Jews, and practised when they admitted proselytes to their religion from heathenism. — Lightfoot. IT Preaching. The word tendered to preach, means, to proclaim in the manner of a public crier; to make proclamation. The discourses recorded m the New Testament are mostly brief sometimes a single sentence. They were public proclainations of some great truth. Such appear to have been the discourses of John, calling men to repentanee. IT In the wilderness of Judea. This country was situated along the Jordan, and the Dead Sea, to the east of Jerusalem. The word translated wilderness, does not denote, as with tis, a place of boundless forests, entirely destitute of inhabitants; but a mountainous, rough, and thinly settled country, covered, to some considerable extent, with forests and rocks, and better fitted for pasture than for tilling. There were inhabitants in those places, and even villages, btit they were the comparatively unsettled portions of the country. 1 Sain. x.w. 1, 2. In the time of Joshua there were six cities in what was then called a wilderness. Joshua XV. 61, 62.

2. Eepent ye. Repentance implies sorrow for past offences (2 Cor. vii. 10.); a deep sense of the evil of sin as committed against God (Ps. li. 4.); and a full purpose to turn from transgression and to lead a holy life. A true penitent has sorrow for sin, not only because it is ruinous to his soul, but chieffy because it is an offence against God, and is that abominable thing which he hates. Jcr. xliv. 4. It is produced by seeing the great danger and misery 10 which it exposes us; by seeing the justness and holiness of God (Job xlii.

6.); and by seeing that our sins have been committed against Christ, and were the cause of his death. Zech. xii. 10. Luke xxii. 61, 62. There are two words in the New Testament translated repentance; one of which denotes a change of mind, or a reformation of life; and the other sorroio or. regret that sin has been committed. The word used here is the former: caUing the Jews to a change of life, or a reformation of conduct. In the time of John, the nation had become extremely wicked and corrupt, perhaps more so than at any preceding period. Hence both he and Christ began their ministry by calling to repentance, li The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The phrases, kingdom of heaven kingdom of Christ; and kingdom o God; are of frequent occurrence in the Bible. They all refer to the same thing. The expectation of such a king dom was taken from the Old Testament, and especially from Daniel, ch. vii. 13, 14.- The prophets had told Oi a successor to David that should sit on his throne. 1 Kings ii. 4; viii. 25; Jer. xxxiii. 17. The Jews expected a great national deliverer. They supposed that when the Messiah should appear, all the dead would be raised; that the judgment would take place; and that the enemies of the Jews would be destroyed, and themselves advanced to great national dignity and honor.

The language in which they were accustomed to describe this event was retained by our Saviour and his apostles. Yet they early attempted to correct the oommon notions respecting his reign. This was one design, doubtless, of John in preaching repentance. Instead of summoning them to military exercises, and collecting an army, which would have been in accordance with their expectations, he called them to a change of life; to the doctrine of repentance— a state of things far more accordant with the approach of a kingdom of purity.

The phrases kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven, have Ireen «upposed to have a con.siderable vjiriety ol

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his •

meaning. Some have thought that they refer to the state of things in heaven; others, to the personal reign of Clirist on earth; others, that they mean the church, or the reign of Christ in the hearts of his people. There can be no doubt that there is reference in the words to the condition of things in heaven, after this life. But the church of God is a preparatory state to that beyond the grave; a state in whicli Christ pre-eminently rules and reigns; and there is no doubt that it sometimes refers to the state of things in the church; and it means, therefore, the state of ihintrs which the Messiah was to set up — his sjjiritual reisin begun, ill the church on earth, and completed in heaven.

The phrase would be best translated, ' the reig7i of God draws near.' We do not say commonly of a kingdom that it is moveable, or that it approaches. A reign may be said to be at hand; or the time when Christ would reign was at hand. In this sense it is meant that the time when Christ should reign, or set up his kingdom, or begin his dominion on earth, under the Christian economy, was about to commence. The phrase, then, should not be confined to any period of that reign, but includes his whole dominion over his people on earth and in heaven.

In the passage here it clearly means that the coming of the Messiah was near; or that the time of the reign of God which the Jews had expected was coming.

The word heaven, or heavens, as it is in the original, means sometimes the place, so called; and sometimes is, by a figure of speech, put for the Great Being whose residence is there; as in Daniel iv. 26; " the Heavens do rule.".See also Mark xi. 30. Luke.w. 18. As thit kingdom was one of purity, it was proper that the people should prepare themselves for it by turnint; from their sins, and directing their minds to a suitable fitness for his reign.

raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and his meat was locusts * and wild honey.

of wrhing the name. This passage is taken from Isaiah.\1. 3. It is here said to have been spoken in reference to John, the forerunner of Christ. The language is such as was familiar to the Jews, and such as thej' would understand. It was spoken at first with reference to the return from the captivity at Babylon. Anciently it was customary in the march of armies ro send messengers, or pioneers, before them, to proclaim their approach; to provide for them; to remove obstructions; to make roads, level hills, fill up valleys, &lc. Isaiah, describing the return from Babylon, uses language taken from that custom. A crier, or herald, is introduced. In the vast deserts that lay between Babylon and Judea, he is represented as lifting up his voice, and, with authority, commanding a public road to be made for the return of the captive Jews, with the Lord as their deliverer. ' Prepare his ways, make them straight, says he;' or, as Isaiah adds, ' Let the valleys be e.xalted, or filled up, and the hills be levelled, and a straight, level highway be prepared, that they may march with ease and safety.' See my Notes on Isa..\1.

As applied to John, it means, that h(. was sent to remove obstructions, and to prepare the people for the coming of the IVIessiah; hke a herald going before an army on the march, to make preparations for their coming.

4. His raiment, of camefs hair. His clothing. This is not the fine hair of the camel from which our elegant cloth is made, called camlet; nor the mort elegant stuff, brought from the Eas\ Indies, under the name of camel's hair: but the long, shaggy hair of the camel, from which a coarse, cheap cloth is made, still worn by the poorer classci in the East, and by monks. This dross of the camel's hair, and a leathern girdle, it seems, was the common dress of the prophets. 2 Kings, i. 8. Zech..xiii. 4. IT Hh meat was locusts. His food. These constituted the food of the common people. Among the Greeks.

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing* their sins.

the vilest of the people used to eat them; and the fact that John made his food of them is significant of his great poverty and humble life. The Jews were allowed to eat them. Lev. xi. 22. Locusts are fl)'ing insects, and are of various kinds. The green locusts are about two inches in length, and about the thickness of a man's finger. The common brown locust is about three inches long. The general form and appearance of the locust is not unlike the grasshopper. They were one of the plagues of Egypt (Ex. x.). In eastern countries they are very numerous. They appear in such quantities as to darken the sky, and devour in a short time every green thing. The whole earth is sometimes covered with them for many leagues. Joel i. 4. Isa. xxxiii. 4, 5. " Some species of the locust are eaten at this day in eastern countries, and are even esteemed a delicacy when properly cooked. After tearing off the legs and wings, and taking out the entrails, they stick them in long rows upon wooden spits, roast them at the fire, and then proceed to devour them with great zest. There are also other ways of preparing them. For example: they cook them and dress them in oil; or, having dried them, they pulverize them, and when other food is scarce, make bread of the meal. The Bedouins pack tliem with salt, in close masses, which they carry in their leathern sacks. From these they cut slices as they may need them. It is singular that even learned men have suffered themselves to hesitate about understanding these passages of the literal locust, when the fact that these are eaten by the orientals is so abundantly proved by the concurrent testimony of travellers. One of them says, they are brought to market on strings in all the cities of Arabia, and that he saw an Arab on mount Sumara, who had collected a sack full of them. They are prepared in different ways. An Arab m Egypt, of whom he requested that he \\ould immediately cat locusts in his presence, threw them upon the glowing eoals; and after bs supposed they were roasted enough, he took them by the legs and head, and devoured the remainder at one mouthful. When the Arabs have them in quantities, they roast or dry them in an oven, or boil them and eat them with salt. The Arabs in the kingdom of Morocco boil the locusts; and the Bedouins eat locusts, which are collected in great quantities in the beginning of April, when they are easily caught. After having been roasted a little upon the iron plate on which bread is baked, they are dried in the sun, and then put into large sacks, with the mixture of a little salt. They are never served up as a dish, but every one takes a handful of them when hungry."— Un. Bib. Die. T JVild honey. This was probably the honey that he found in the rocks of the wilderness. Palestine was often called the land flowing with milk and honey. Ex. iii. 8, 17; xiii. 5. Bees were kept with great care; and great numbers of therr abounded in the fissures of trees and the clefts of rocks. There is also e species of honey called wild-honey, or wood-honey (1 Sam. xiv. 27, margin), or honey-dew, produced by certain little insects, and deposited on the leaves of trees, and flowing from them in great quantities to the ground. See 1 Sam, xiv. 24 — 27. This is said to be produced still in Arabia; and perhaps it was this which John lived upon.

5. Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem, 'i All Judea. Many peopk' from Judea. It does not mean that ht erally all the people went, but that greai multitudes went. It was general. Je nisalem was in the part of the country called Judea. Judea was situated on the west side of the Jordan. See Note Matt. ii. 22. H Eegion nhotit Jordan On the east and west side of the river Near to Jordan.

G. Were baptized. Thp word hap tize signifies originally to tms^e. to dye to stairi, as those who dye c.'othes. Ii here means to cleanse or wash any thing by the application of water. S«e Note Mark vii. 4. Washing, or ablution, W3> much in use among the Jews, as on*" of the rites of their leligion. Nunt

XLX. 7. Heb. ix. 10. It was not customary, however, among them to baplize those who were converted to the Jewish religion until after the Babylonish captivity. At the time of John, and for some time previous, they had been accustomed to administer a rite of baptism, or washma:, to those who became proselytes to tlieir religion; that is, who were converted from being Gentiles. This was done to signify that they renounced the errors andworship of the Pagans, and as significant of their becoming pure by embracing a new religion. It was a solemn rite of washing, significant of cleansing from their former sins, and purifying them for the pecuUar service of Jehovah. John found this custom in use; and as he was calling the Jews to a new dispensation, to a change in their form of religion, he administered this rite of baptism, or washing, to signify the cleansing from their sins, and adopting the new dispensation, or the fitness for the pure reign of the Messiah. They applied an old ordinance to a new purpose. As it was used by John it was a significant rite, or ceremony, intended to denote the putting away of impurity, and a purpose to be pure in heart and fife. The Hebrew word [Tabal) which is rendered by the word baptize, occurs in the Old Testament in the following places, viz: Lev. iv. 6; xiv. 6, 51. Num. xLx. 18. Ruth ii. 14. Ex. xii. 22. Deut. xxxiii. 24. Eze. xxiii. 15. Job ix. 31. Lev. Lx. 9. 1 Sam. xiv. 27. 2 Kings v. 14; viii. 15. Gen. xxxvii. 31. Joshua iii. 15. It occurs in no other places; and from a careful examination of these passages, its meaning among the Jews is to be derived. From these passages it will be seen (hat its radical meaning is not to sprinkle, or to immerse. It is to dip, commonly for the purpose of sprinkling, or for some other purpose. Thus, to dip the finger, i. e. a part of the finger, in blood — enough to sprinkle with. Lev. iv. 6. To dip a hving bird, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop, in the blood of the bird that was killed, for the purpose of sprinkling; where it could not be that all these should be immersed in the 61ood of a single bird. To dip hyssop in the water, to sprinkle with. Num. six. 18. To dip a portion of bread in vinegar. Ruth ii. 14. To dip the feet in oil — an emblem of plenty. Deut. xxxiii. 24. To dye, or stain. Eze..xxiii 15. To plunge irUo a ditch, so as tc defile the clothes. Job Lx. 31. To dip the end of a staff in honey. 1 Sam. xiv, 27. To dip in Jordan — a declaration respecting Naaman the Syrian. 2 Kings v. 14. Ihe direction of the prophet was to wash himself, ver. 10. This shows that he understood washi7ig and baptizi7ig to mean the same thing. To dip a towel, or quili, so as to spread it on the face of a rnan to smother him. 2 Kings viii. 15. In none of these cases can it be shown that the meaning of the word is to immerse entirely. But in nearly all the cases, the notion of applying the water to a part only of the person or object, though it was by dipping, is necessarily to be supposed.