rd

Luke 1

5 Of Zacharias, and Elisabet. 11 The Angel sheweth him of the nativity of John Baptist. 20 His incredulitie is punished 28 The talk of the Angel, and Marie. 46 Her song 57 The birth, Circumcision, and graces of John 68 Zacharias giveth thanks to God, and prophecieth.
1.For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth the story of those things, whereof we are fully persuaded,
2.aAs they have delivered them unto us, which from the beginning saw them their selves, & were ministers of the bword,
3.It seemed good also to me (most noble Theophilus) assone as I had searched out perfitely all things from the beginning, to write unto thee thereof from point to point,
4.That thou mightest acknowledge the certainty of those things, whereof thou hast been instructed. In the time of cHerod King of Judea, there was a certain Priest named Zacharias, of the dcourse of Abia: and his wife was of the edaughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabet.
6.Both were fjust before God, and walked in all the commandments and gordinances of the Lord, without reprofe.
7.And they had no child, because that Elisabet was barren: and both were well stricken in age.
8.And it came to pass, as he executed the Priest’s office before God, as his course came in order,
9.According to the custom of the Priest’s office, his lot was to hburn incense, when he went into the iTemple of the Lord.
10.And the whole multitude of the people were without in prayer, *while the incense was burning.
11.Then appeared unto him an Angel of the Lord standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12.And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13.But the Angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elisabet shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name kJohn.
14.And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15.For he shalbe great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine, nor lstrong drink: and he shalbe filled with the holie Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16.*And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to their Lord God.
17.*For he shall go mbefore him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the nfathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just men, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18.Then Zacharias said unto the Angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is of a great age.
19.And the Angel answered, and said unto him, I am oGabriel that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shewe thee these good tidings.
20.And behold, thou shalt be domme, and not be able to speak, until pthe day that these things be done, because thou believest not my words, which shalbe fulfilled in their season.
21.Now the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the Temple.
22.And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: then they perceived that he had seen a vision in the Temple: for he made signs unto them, and remained domme.
23.And it came to pass, when the days of his office were fulfilled, that he departed qto his own house.
24.And after those days, his wife Elisabet conceived, and hid her self five months, saying,
25.Thus hath the Lord dealt with me, in the days wherein he looked on me, to take from me rmy rebuke among men.
26.¶ And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galile, named Nazaret,
27.To a virgin affianced to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Marie.
28.And the Angel went in unto her, and said, ^Hail thou that art ^freely beloved: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29.And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and thought what manner of salutation that should be.
30.Then the Angel said unto her, Fear not, Marie: for sthou hast found favour with God.
31.*For lo, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32.He shalbe great, and shalbe called the Son tof the most High, & the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
33.*And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom shalbe none end.
34.Then said Marie unto the Angel, uHow shall this be, seeing, I know no man?
35.And the Angel answered, and said unto her, The holie Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall xovershadow thee: therefore also that yholie thing which shalbe born of thee, shalbe called the Son of God.
36.And behold, thy zcousin Elisabet, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is her sixth month, which was called barren.
37.For with God shall nothing be unpossible.
38.Then Marie said, Behold, the servant of the Lord: be it unto me according to thy word. So the Angel departed from her.
39.¶ And Marie arose in those days, and went into the hill country with hast to a acity in Juda,
40.And entered into the house of Zacharias, & saluted Elisabet.
41.And it came to pass, as Elisabet heard the salutation of Marie, the babe bsprang in her bellie, and Elisabet was filled with the holie Ghost.
42.And she cryed with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, because the cfruit of thy womb is blessed.
43.And whence cometh this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44.For lo, assone as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe sprang in my bellie for joy.
45.And blessed is she that believed: for those things shalbe performed, which were told her dfrom the Lord.
46.Then Marie said, My esoul magnifieth the Lord,
47.And my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour.
48.For he hath looked on the ^poor degree of his servant: for behold, from hence forth shall all ages call fme blessed.
49.Because, he that is mighty, hath done for me great things, and holie is his Name.
50.And his gmercy is from generation to generation on them that fear him.
51.*He hath shewed strength with his arm: *he hath scattered the proud in the himagination of their hearts.
52.He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53.*He hath filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich empty.
54.*He hath upholden Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy.
55.(*And he hath spoken to our fathers, to wit, to Abraham and his ^seed) for ever.
56.¶ And Marie abode with her about three months: after, she returned to her own house.
57.¶ Now Elisabet’s time was fulfilled, that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a son.
58.And her neighbours, and cousins heard tell how the Lord had shewed his great mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her.
59.And it was so that on the eight day they came to circumcise the babe, and called him Zacharias, after the Name of his father.
60.But his mother answered, and said, Not so, but he shalbe called John.
61.And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred, that is named with this Name.
62.Then they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63.So he asked for writing tables, and wrote, saying, His name is John, and they marveiled all.
64.And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue losed, and he ispake and praised God.
65.Then fear came on all them that dwelt near unto them, and all these words were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.
66.And all they that heard them, laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner child shall this be! and the khand of the Lord was with him.
67.Then his father Zacharias was filled with the holie Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68.Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he hath lvisited *and redeemed his people,
69.*And hath raised up the mhorn of salvation unto us, in the house of his servant David,
70.*As he spake by the mouth of his holie Prophets, which were since the world began, saying,
71.That he would send us deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us,
72.That he would shewe nmercy towards our fathers, and remember his holie covenant,
73.*And the oath which he sware to our father Abraham:
74.Which was, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, should oserve him without fear.
75.All the days of our life, in *holiness and righteousness pbefore him.
76.And thou, babe, shalt be called the Prophet of the most High: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways,
77.And to give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the qremission of their sins,
78.Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby *the rday spring from an high hath visited us,
79.To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of speace.
80.And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in tthe wilderness, till the day came, that he should shewe him self unto Israel.

Notes

2-a.
Meaning, the Apostles with whom he was conversant.
2-b.
Or of the thing: and it may be referred either to Christ or to the Gospel, and hereby is meant that they were the ministers of Christ, who is called the word: or ministers of the word that is to say, of the Gospel: and this commends the authority of his doctrine, seeing he derived it of the Apostles.
5-c.
The son of Antipater.
5-d.
Read 1 Chr. 24.10.
5-e.
By her father: for by her mother’s line she was of the house of David.
6-f.
This perfection or justice is judged by the fruits and outward appear- ance, & not by the cause which only comes of God’s free mercy through Christ.
6-g.
The Greek word signifies, justifications, whereby is meant the outward observation of the ceremonies commanded by God.
9-h.
That is, the evening and morning sacrifice according to the Law.
9-i.
The Temple was divided into three parts: the first was the body of the Temple called Atrium, where the people was, the second called, Sanctum, where the Priests and Levites were: and the third Sanctum Sanctorum, into the which the high Priest entered once a year to sacrifice.
10-*.
Ex. 30.7, Lev. 16.17.
13-k.
Which signifies the grace of the Lord.
15-l.
The word signifies all manner of drink which makes men drunken.
16-*.
Mal. 4.3, Mt. 11.14.
17-*.
Mt. 3.14.
17-m.
As a King in his royalty has one to go before him, who signifies the King to be at hand.
17-n.
When Christ says he came to set the father against the son &c. he means the success which comes of the Gospel through the malice of men: but here he speaks of the true end and prosperity of the Gospel.
19-o.
Which signifies, the strength or sovereignty of God.
20-p.
We must not measure God’s promise by our weak senses.
23-q.
Whiles their course endured to sacrifice, they might not lie with their wives, nor drink any liquor that might make one drunk.
25-r.
For the barren women enjoyed not the promise which God made to them that were married, to have issue: but principally they were deprived of that promise which God made to Abraham, that he would increase his seed.
28-^.
Or, gladness be to thee.
28-^-1.
Or, received into favour.
30-s.
Not for her merits: but only through God’s free mercy, who loved us when we were sinners, that whosoever rejoices, should rejoice in the Lord.
31-*.
Isa. 7.14, Mt. 1.21, chap. 2.21.
32-t.
Because he is the true Son of God, begotten from before all beginning, and manifested in flesh at the determinate time.
33-*.
Dan. 7.14, Micah 4.7.
34-u.
She would be resolved of all doubts to the end that she might more surely embrace the promise of God.
35-x.
It shall be a secret operation of the holy Ghost.
35-y.
He must be pure and without sin, which must take away the sins of the world.
36-z.
Notwithstanding that Elisabet was married to one of the tribe of Levi, yet she was Marie’s cousin which was of the stock of David. For the law which forbade marriage out of their own tribe, was only that the tribes should not be mixed and confounded, which could not be in marrying with the Levites: for they had no portion assigned unto them.
39-a.
Which was also called, Kiriath-arba or Hebron, Jos. 14.15 & 21.11.
41-b.
This moving was extraordinary and not natural, which was to commend the miracle.
42-c.
He showed the cause why Marie was blessed.
45-d.
By the message of the Angel.
46-e.
The soul, and the spirit signify the understanding and affection, which are the two principal parts of the soul.
48-^.
Or, low estate.
48-f.
This favour that God has showed me, shall be spoken of forever.
50-g.
According to the promise made to Abraham that he would be his God, and the God of his seed forever.
51-*.
Is. 51.9.
51-*-1.
Ps. 33.10, Is. 29.15.
51-h.
The wicked lay snares for other, wherein they themselves are taken.
53-*.
1 Sam. 2.6.
54-*.
Ps. 34.11, Is. 30.18, 41.8 and 54.5, Jer. 31.5.
55-*.
Gen. 17.19 and 22.14, Ps. 132.12.
55-^.
Or, posterity.
64-i.
Not only for his benefit in pardoning his faute, but also to show that he was justly punished for his incredulity.
66-k.
The mighty power of God and his graces which declared that he should be an excellent person.
68-*.
Mt. 1.21, chap. 2.30.
68-l.
In declaring himself mindful of his people, and therefore is come from heaven to visit and redeem them.
69-*.
Ps. 132.17.
69-m.
When the promises of God seemed to have failed, and the state of Israel to have perished, then sent he his Christ who by his invincible strength, as with a strong horn overthrew his enemies.
70-*.
Jer. 23.6 and 30.10.
72-n.
He declares the cause and fountain of our redemption.
73-*.
Gen. 22.16, Jer. 31.6, Ebr. 6.13.
74-o.
This is the end of our redemption.
75-*.
1 Pet. 1.15.
75-p.
To whom no hypocrisy can be acceptable.
77-q.
He shows that our salvation consists in the remission of sins, which is the principal part of the Gospel.
78-*.
Zach. 3.8 and 6.12., Mal. 4.2.
78-r.
Or, branch of a tree, meaning the Messias, who is the sun of righteousness which shines from heaven.
79-s.
That is, of all felicity.
80-t.
He means the part of Judea which was least inhabited where also the gross and rude people dwelled.