for ever; and that of his kingdom there should be no end; is contained an astonishing message, looking back to the prophecy concerning the Messiah, which foretold, that the government should be upon his shoulder, and his name should be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace; of the increase of whose government and peace there should be no end; upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice henceforth even for ever. For the angel's description of the Messiah imports, that God would settle upon the Messiah a spiritual kingdom (of which that temporal one of David was but an imperfect representation) the absolute government of his church, that spiritual house of Jacob; and that this kingdom of his should never be destroyed, as the kingdom of the Jews was to be; and which is now fulfilled.

This declaration was preceded by the salutation made to the blessed Virgin by the same angel, in these words: Hail thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. The meaning of which was, that the blessed Virgin was most excellently disposed to receive the greatest honour that ever was done to the daughters of men; her employment being holy and pious, her body chaste, and her soul adorned with all virtues, particularly with humility, which is in the sight of God of great price: for, though she was to be the mother of a universal and everlasting blessing, which all former ages had desired, and all future times should rejoice in; yet she resigns all this glory to him who gave it her, and declares whence she received it, that no other name, but his, might have the honour. When she received this salutation, she was troubled at the saying of the angel, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation it should be; judging herself unworthy of so great an honour, and being surprised with the strangeness of such an appearance in her retirement. But when the angel positively affirmed that she should conceive and bring forth the Messiah, she inquires how that could be, since she knew not a man? Yet this implied in her no doubt concerning the thing, nor any diffidence in

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respect to the issue of it; but rather admiration in respect to the wonderful manner of effecting it: at most it implies that she desired to be satisfied in the manner as well as in the matter of this mystery: and therefore the angel answers the difficulty, by declaring the wonderful manner how his message should be brought about, viz. That the Holy Ghost should come upon her, and that the power of the Highest should overshadow her; and then furnished her with an example of somewhat of like nature in her cousin, and referred her to the power of God, to which nothing is impossible. Upon this she demonstrated an entire faith and obedience in her reply: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. Then the blessed virgin expresses her gratitude in that admirable hymn called the Magnificat; wherein she shows such a thankful sense of the great honour that was conferred upon her, and testifies her humility and devotion, as well as the infinite. power and goodness of God, that, it appears, as she was highly favoured, so she was also full of grace, and had a mind plentifully enriched with the gifts of God's holy spirit. Thus

The only-begotten Son of God was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the godhead and manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very man: who was seen and handled; who was arraigned, condemned, and crucified; and afterward laid in the grave; not indeed in his divine, but in his human nature, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for the actual sins of men.*

When we profess that we believe our saviour Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, we are also to believe that the virgin Mary, espoused unto Joseph (who, before and after her espousals, was a pure and unspotted virgin) having, by the immediate operation of the Holy Ghost conceived withi in her womb the only-begotten Son of God, did bring him forth after the natural time of other women. So that the

* See the 2d Article of Religion.

Saviour of the world was born of a woman, made under the law, without the least pretence of any original corruption; that he might deliver us from the guilt of sin. For thus our church expresses it; Christ, in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in all things, sin only excepted, from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh, and in his spirit. He came to be a lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world; and sin (as St. John saith) was not in him. But we all (although baptized and born again in Christ) offend in many things; and if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."*

And he was born of a Virgin, of the house and lineage of David, that he might sit upon his throne, and rule for evermore. And that the promised Messiah was to be born after this miraculous manner, the prophecies of the Old Testament foretold. One says, the Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth, a woman shall compass a man. Another says, behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his nanie Immanuel. In consequence whereof his mother that bore him was a pure virgin, as appeared both from her own account, and that of Joseph her reputed husband; for when Joseph doubted of her chastity, an angel was dispatched to clear her honour, and to assure him that what was conceived in her was not by man, but by the Holy Ghost. And when she objected the impossibility of her being a mother, the angel explains it to her by the Holy Ghost coming upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowing her. This was so unquestionable to the apostles and primitive christians, that they universally and firmly believed it, and thought it a point of so great moment, as to deserve a place in that summary of the christian faith, called the apostles' creed.

The place of our Saviour's birth was Bethlehem, whither Joseph and Mary went in obedience to the decree of Augustus to be taxed, the providence of God making use of this conjuncture by verifying a prophecy, to signify and publish the birth of the true Messiah. The concourse of See the 15th Article of Religion.

people to Bethlehem was so great, that they could find no accommodation but a stable, wherein the blessed Virgin brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes and laid him in a manger; while all the angels of God worshipped him, and published to the world the glad tidings of his birth. For, as certain shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks by night, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; so that the splendor of the appearance confounded their senses and made them sore afraid. But the angel quickly removed the terror that seized them, with the tidings he brought of great joy to all people, in these comfortable words; Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Yet, lest they should expect a prince accompanied with pomp and magnificence, the angel described the meanness and obscurity of his circumstances, as a token to guide them in the search of their new-born prince: This shall be a sign unto you: ye shall find the babe wrapt in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger. Having this notice, the shepherds immediately went to Bethlehem; and, having found the account true, they returned, glorifying and praising God.

The Jews were in a general expectation of the appearing of the Messiah at the time of his birth, as appears from the ancient and general tradition, that at the end of the second two thousand years the Messiah should appear; and likewise from that particular computation of the Jewish doctors, not long before our Saviour's coming, who, upon a solemn debate of that matter, did determine the Messiah should come within fifty years: which is confirmed from the great jealousy that Herod had concerning a king of the Jews, who was expected about that time to be born; and from the testimony of Josephus, who tells us, the Jews rebelled against the Romans, being encouraged thereto by a celebrated prophecy in their scriptures, that about that time a famous prince should be born among them, that should have dominion over all the earth. And that the heathen world was in expectation of such an appearance is evident from the famous testimonies of two eminent Ro

man historians. Suetonius says, there was an ancient and general opinion famous throughout all the eastern parts, that the fates had determined, that there should come out of Judea those that should govern the world; which words scem to be a verbal translation of that prophecy, Out of Judah should come the ruler. Tacitus writes, that a great many were possessed with a persuasion, that it was contained in the ancient books of the priests, that at that very time the East should prevail, and that they who should govern the world were to come out of Judea. Which phrase, that the East should prevail, refers to that title given the Messiah by the prophet, who says, He is called the man whose name is the East.*

When our Saviour appeared in the world, he scattered and dispelled that cloud of idolatry, and that corruption of manners, which had fatally overspread it: he became a light to lighten the gentiles, as he was the glory of his people Israel. Whence, under the conduct of such a guide, we cannot fail of acquiring the knowledge of God's will in this world, and the comfortable expectation of life everlasting in the world to come; whether we consider the dignity and excellency of his person, the clearness and perfection of his precepts, or the brightness of his own example, together with the encouragements of the gracious assistances and glorious rewards, which he hath promised to all those that engage and persevere in his service; for he, who lay in the bosom of the Father, and had the spirit communicated to him without measure, in whom dwells the fulness of the godhead bodily, could not want a perfect knowledge of what was most agreeable to the divine will : and consequently we must have abundant reason to put our trust and confidence in that method of attaining salvation he hath discovered; and we cannot fail of success, if we are not wanting to ourselves in our neglect thereof. And it not only directs us to the true object of worship, and gives us rational and worthy notions of that Being we are obliged to adore; but it is most fitly adapted to raise our natures to the greatest improvements they are capable of in this world.

Though we translate it Branch, yet the Hebrew word signifies both, and may be rendered the one as well as the other.