r MATT. i. 2-18. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren n; 3 And "Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and * Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat 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 wife of Urias; 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; sion extant, and were always received as authentic from the commencement of the Christian æra. A class of writers, however, falsely assuming the name of Christians, have framed to themselves many arguments against the truths contained in these and the two first chapters of St. Matthew; and having persuaded themselves that the doctrines they contain are indefensible, they proceed to attack the authenticity of the chapters which assert them. Their principal reason for this conduct is, that a heretic, named Marcion, used a copy of St. Luke's Gospel, in which these chapters were omitted. The whole question has been fully and most impartially examined by Dr. Loefler, and the conclusions of his careful investigation are these: 1. The Gospel used by Marcion was anonymous. 2. The four Gospels were all alike rejected by Marcion, who maintained the authenticity of his own anonymous Gospel, in place of these inspired compositions. 3. His followers assert that Christ himself, and St. Paul, were the authors of Marcion's Gospel. 4. Irenæus, Tertullian, and Epiphanius, had no reason for regarding Marcion's Gospel as an altered edition of St. Luke's; their assertion is mere conjecture (a), resting on absurd and frivolous allegations. The great difference of the two Gospels is inconsistent with this supposition. 5. No reasonable motive can be assigned, which could have induced Marcion to use a garbled copy of St. Luke's Gospel; the motives assigned by the fathers being inconsistent and self-destructive. It is supposed, therefore, that he adopted some apocryphal composition, combining much of the matter given by St. Luke with his own ideas of theology and revelation. Vide J. P. Smith's Testimony to the Messiah, vol. ii. p. 13, 14.-Vindication of the two first chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke, by a Layman.-See also Dr. Nares, Archbishop Laurence, and Mr. Rennell, on the Socinian New Tes tament. (a) Marsh's Michaelis, vol. iii. p. 159. b 2 Kings xx. 21. 1 Chron. iii. 13. * Some read, Josias begat 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; b 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about Jakim, and the time they were carried away to Babylon: Jakim, begat c See 1 Chro. iii. 15, 16. 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, © Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim and Achim begat Eliud; ; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan 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 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 24, J. P. 4709. B. V. Æ. 5. Fields near SECTION X. The Angels appear to the Shepherds 25. LUKE ii. 8-21. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping * watch over their flock by night. 24 In the first fourteen generations, the people of Israel were under prophetsin the second, under kings-in the third, under the Asmonæan priests. The first fourteen brought their kingdom to glory, under the reign of David; the second to misery, in the captivity of Babylon; and the third to glory again, under the Messiahship of Christ. The first division begins with Abraham, who received the promise; and ends with David, who received it again with greater clearness. The second begins with the building of the temple, and ends with its destruction. The third opens with a deliverance from temporal enemies, and return from captivity, and terminates in their spiritual delivery from every enemy by Christ; to whom each successive generation pointed as the ProphetKing-and Priest of his People.-See also Lightfoot, vol. i. p. 418. 25 This too might have been expected, that, when the Messiah was born, some visible expression of angelic joy and sympathy would be demonstrated at the mercy of God displayed towards the human race. To the angels of heaven the system of Redemption is represented as a subject of surprise and astonishment. In the cherubic emblems the angels are drawn as bending over the ark: and, in 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and J.P. 4709. the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they B. V. Æ. 5. were sore afraid. allusion to the cause of this position, we are expressly told "which things the angels desire to look into (a)." The address of the angel is formed with peculiar allusion to the plan of redemption. "Behold I bring you," who are Jews, the favoured sons of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the chosen people of God-I bring you 66 tidings of great joy." But this great joy shall not be confined to you-it "shall be to all the nations;" for the desire of all nations is come-the Christ-the Messiah is born. Although the Saviour of all mankind, he is more especially your Saviour. "Unto you is born," this very day, in a city of your former king, the "Saviour, which is Christ the Lord;" or more properly Messiah, the Jehovah angel, of your fathers. At every step of our progress into the magnificent world of the Christian Revelation, we meet with new proofs of one wise scheme of Almighty Providence in accomplishing the salvation of man-"Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou so regardest him." When the long promised Christ is born, the universe seems to be agitated. The age of miracles, of prophecy, of supernatural vision, of angelic appearances returns. But to whom does the Almighty vouchsafe to reveal himself? not to Augustus at Rome, not to Herod at Jerusalem: not to the philosopher who depended on his reason, or the Pharisee who relied on his traditions, and forgot the spirit of his Scriptures! At the creation of the world the sons of God had shouted for joy, (Job xxxviii. 7.): at the reconciliation of the world, the joyful tidings were to be given to all people, and the sons of God again descend as the delighted and exulting messengers. They appear to the shepherds in the field, to the humble, the poor, and the unprejudiced. The world is buried in sleep, and unconcerned, though God himself was present-the shepherds, removed from all temporal distinctions, are awake, watchful, and obedient; and receive the good tidings of great joy, listening to the song of the heavenly host, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men." The glory of the Shechinah, the visible manifestation of the presence of God, is now beheld for the first time during many centuries (b), and the heavenly multitude were the attendants of our blessed Lord when he left the glory of his Father, to enter on the scene of his humiliation and suffering, for which his mortal body was now prepared. The Logos, or the divine nature, might at this time perhaps have united itself to the body ordained to receive it. It might now only have left the glory in which it had tabernacled in heaven. That which was within the womb of the Virgin was human only: a human body, and a human soul. It was per (α) 1 Pet. i. 12. εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμᾶσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι. (b) The expression in the original δόξα Κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτοὺς, is the same as the Hebrew ma, the Shechinah, or emblem or token of the presence of the divine Majesty, which appeared so often to the Patriarchs, in the earlier ages of the world. Bechai in Legem, fol. 100. 1. Apparitio Majestatis divinæ in Scriptura dicitur 2, GLORIA DOMINI, stilo vero sapientum Shechinah: et huc pertinent loca Exod. xxiv. 16. and Ps. lxxxv. 10. Schoetgen. Hora Hebraicæ, vol. i. p. 542. and p. 261. Jalkut Rubeni, fol. 2. Fields near J. P. 4709. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not : for, behold, B. V. Æ. 5. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all Bethlehem. people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 15 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Temple of Jerusalem. SECTION XI. The Circumcision 26. LUKE ii. 21. e 21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the e Matt. i. 21. womb. d Gen. xvii. 12. fect man. 26 The Messiah being now born into the world as a man, became subject to the law of Moses, that he might fulfil all righteousness: and thereby be able, as the perfect sacrifice, to redeem those who had violated that law. At the SECTION XII. The Purification-Presentation of Christ in the Temple, where he is acknowledged by Simeon and Anna. LUKE ii. 22-40. 22 And when the days of her purification according to J. P. 4709. the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to B. V. Æ. 5. Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons 27. 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ 28. usual time, therefore, and with the ceremonies appointed for the Jews, he received the name which designated him as a man in all respects like unto us, sin only excepted. The name Christ, or the anointed, was given him from above. He was now called Jesus, the Saviour, who in the likeness of sinful flesh was born to obey, and to atone. By the circumcision also he was taken, as a man, into covenant with his Father, whose glory he had so lately left. 27 Whiston, contrary to the united opinions of Lightfoot, Doddridge, Newcome, Lardner, Michaelis, Pilkington, and others, has placed the offering of the Magi before the purification. If he had assigned sufficient reasons for this difference, it had been entitled to more attention: but it is certain that if the reputed parents of Christ had had the power, they would have had with it the most anxious wish to conform, with the utmost scrupulousness, to the law on this occasion; had the Magi, therefore, presented their gifts before the purification, Joseph and Mary would doubtless have offered a lamb, instead of the sacrifice of the poorest of the people, a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons. 28 The prophecy of Simeon, who is supposed by Lightfoot to have been the father of the celebrated teacher Gamaliel, completes the evidence in favour of the Messiahship of Christ, derived from the return of the spirit of prophecy. It is not certain whether Anna spake by the spirit of prophecy; or only expressed her conviction of the truth, from hearing and studying the evidences already afforded to the reflecting and pious, in proof of the claims of our Lord. The glory of the second temple now appeared in it for the first time. The miraculous power of his Holy Father attended his entrance there; and, though an infant, he was openly acknowledged by the inspired effusions of the most eminent among the Jews for learning, piety, and obedience to the law. The most Temple of Je- Numb. xvill. 15. g Levit. xii. 2.6. |