22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. that he tarried so long in the be holy on both sides. If the stock temple. and the graff be not both good, there is much danger of the fruit.It is a happy match, when the husband and the wife are one, not only in themselves, but in God; not more in flesh, than in the spirit. Grace makes no difference of sexes; rather the weaker carries away the more honour, because it hath had less helps. It is easy to observe b 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. с a Heb. ii. 3. 1 Pet. v. 1. 2 Pet. i. 16. I John i. 1. Mark i. 1. John xv. 27.-c Acts xv. 19, 25, 28. 1 Cor. vii. 40.-d Acts xi. 4.-e Acts i. 1.-f John xx. 31. Before the Common Account, called Anno Domini, the sixth Year.-g Mat. ii. I.- 1 Chr. xxiv. 10, 19. Neh. xii. 4, 17.- Gen. vii. 1 ; & xvii. 1. 1 Kin. ix. 4. 2 Kin. xx. 3. Job i. 1. Acts xxiii. 1; & xxiv. 16. Phil. iii. 6.-k 1 Chr. xxiv. 19 2 Chr. viii. 14; & xxxi. 2.— Ex. xxx. 7, 8. 1 Sam. ii. 28. 1 Chr. xxiii. 13. 2 Chr. xxix. 11 -m Lev. xvi. 17. Rev. viii. 3,4.—n Ex. xxx. 1.-0 Judg. vi. 22; & xiii. 22. Dan. x. 8. ver. 29. ch. ii. 9. Acts x. iv. Rev. i. 17.-p ver 60, 63.-4 ver 58.-r Nam. vi. 3. Judg. xiii. 4. ch. vii. 33.-8 Jer. i. 5. Gal. i. 15.- Mal iv. 5, 6.- Mal. iv. 5. Mat. xi. 14, Mark ix. 12.-a Ecclus. xlviii. 10- Or, by.-y Gen. xvii. 17.-z_Dan. viii. 16; & ix. 21, 22, 23. Mat. xviii. 10. Heb i. 14.—a Ézek. ii. 26; & xxiv. 27.-b See 2 Kin. xi. 5. 1 Chr. ix. 25.c Gen. xxx. 23. Is. iv. 1; & liv. 1, 4. READER. They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Never times were SO barren as not to yield some good: the greatest dearth affords some few good ears to the gleaners.There is no certainty, but there is likelihood, of a holy generation, when the parents are such. Elizabeth was just, as well as Zacharias, that the forerunner of a Saviour might that the New Testament affordeth more store of good women than the Old.-HALL. He executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, &c.— None but a son of Aaron might offer incense to God in the Temple; and not every son of Aaron; and not any one at all seasons. God is a God of order, and hates confusion no less than irreligion. Albeit he hath not so straitened himself under the Gospel, as to tie his service to persons or places, yet his choice is now no less curious because it is more large: he allows none but the authorized; he authorizes none but the worthy. The incense doth ever smell of the hand that offers it: I doubt not but that perfume was sweeter, which ascended up from the hand of a just Zacharias. "The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to God." There were courses of ministration in the legal services; God never purposed to burden any of his creatures with devotion. How vain is the ambition of any soul that would load itself with the universal charge of all men! How thankless is their labour that do wilfully overspend themselves in their ordinary vocation! As Zacharias had a course in God's house, so he carefully observed it: the favour of these respites doubled his diligence. The more high and sacred our calling is, the more dangerous is neglect. It is our honour that we may be allowed to wait upon the God of heaven in these immediate services. Woe be to us, if we slacken those duties wherein God honours us more than we can honour him !—HALL. His lot was to burn incense, &c. I do not find any prescription they had from God, of this peculiar manner of designment. Matters of good order, in holy affairs, may be ruled by the wise institution of men, according to reason and expediency.-HALL. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. That the resemblance of prayers and incense might be apparent, while the priest sends up his incense within the temple, the people must send up their prayers without; their breath, and that incense, though remote in the first rising, met ere they went up to heaven. The people might no more go into the holy place to offer up the incense of prayers unto God, than Zacharias might go into the Holy of Holies. While the partition-wall stood betwixt Jews and Gentiles, there were also partitions betwixt the Jews themselves. Now, every man is a priest unto God; every man, since the vail was rent, prays within the temple.-What are we the better for our greater freedom of access to God, under the Gospel, if we do not make use of our privilege?-HALL. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. The same angel that came to the blessed Virgin with the news of Christ's conception, came to Zacharias with the news of John's. Both had the Gospel for their errand; one as the messenger of it, the other as the author: both are foretold by the same mouth. When could it be more fit for the angel to appear unto Zacharias than when prayers and incense were offered by him? Where could he more fitly appear than in the temple? In what part of the temple more fitly than at the altar of incense? And whereabouts rather than on the right side of the altar? These glorious spirits, as they are always with us, and so most in our devotions; and as in all places, so most of all in God's house: they rejoice to be with us while we are with God; as, contrarily, they turn their faces from us, when we go about our sins.-HALL. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias.-It was partly the suddenness, and partly the glory, of the apparition that affrighted him. The good angel was both apprehensive and compassionate of his weakness; and presently encouraged him with a cheerful excitation.—It is a fruit of that deadly enmity that is betwixt Satan and us, that he would, if he might, kill us with terror; whereas the good spirits, affecting our relief and happiness, take no pleasure in terrifying us, but labour altogether for our tranquillity and cheerfulness.-HALL. Thy prayer is heard. Thus doth the mercy of our God deal with his patient and faithful suppliants. In the fervour of their expectation, he many times holds them off; and when they least think of it, and have forgotten their own suits, he graciously condescends. Delay of effect may not discourage our faith; it may be, God hath long granted, ere we shall know of his grant.-HALL. Thou shalt have joy and gladness ; and many shall rejoice at his birth. To hear what his son should be before he was; to hear that he should have such a son, a son whose birth should concern the joy of many, a son that should be great in the sight of the Lord, a son that should be sacred to God, filled with God, beneficial to man, a harbinger to him that was God and man, was news enough to prevent the angel, and to take away that tongue with amazment, which was afterwards lost with incredulity. -HALL. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this?-It is a sure way for the heart, to be prevented with the assurance of the omnipotent power of God, to whom nothing is impossible. So shall the hardest points of faith go down easily with us. If the eye of our mind look upward, it shall meet with nothing to arrest or interrupt it; but if right forward, or downward, or round about, every thing is a block in our way. : Faith and reason have their limits; where reason ends faith begins and if reason will be encroaching upon the bounds of faith, she is strait taken captive by infidelity. We are not fit to follow Christ, if we have not denied ourselves; and the chief piece of ourselves is our reason: we must yield. God able to do that which we cannot comprehend.-HALL. Behold thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak, until, &c.-That tongue which moved the doubt, must be tied up; he shall ask no more questions for forty weeks, because he asked this one distrustfully. God will not pass over slight offences, and those which may plead the most colourable pretences, in his best children, without a serious check. It is not our holy entireness with God that can bear us out in the least sin; yea rather the more acquaintance we have with his majesty, the more sure we are of correction when we offend. -HALL. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. Their patient attendance without shames us that are hardly persuaded to attend within, while both our senses are employed in our divine services, and we are admitted to be co-agents with our ministers. And when he came out he could not speak unto them. God makes way for his voice by silence; the speech of Zacharias could not have said so much as his dumbness. He would fain have spoken and could not with us, too many are dumb, and need not. Negligence, fear, partiality, stop the mouths of many which shall once say, Woe to me, because I held my peace. He beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own home. His hand speaks that which he cannot with his tongue; and he makes them by signs to understand that which they might read in his face. Those powers we have we must use. But though he has ceased to speak, yet he ceased not to minister: he takes not this dumbness for a dismission, but stays out the eight days of his course, as one that knew that eyes, hands, and heart would be accepted by that God which had bereaved him of his tongue. We may not take slight occasions of withdrawing ourselves from the public services of our God, much less under the Gospel.-HALL. PSALM LXXXIV. My heart and flesh cry out for Thee The sparrow builds herself a nest, O make me, like the sparrows, blest, To sit one day beneath thine eye Lord, at thy threshold I would wait Could I command the spacious land For one blest hour at thy right hand WATTS. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For "with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. d Mat. i. 18. ch. ii. 4, 5.-e Dan. ix. 23; & x. 19.— I Or, graciously accepted, or, much graced. See ver. 30. -f Judg. vi. 12.—g ver. 12.- Is. vii. 14. Mat. i. 21. ich. ii. 21.- Mark v. 7.-12 Sam. vii. 11, 12. Is. ix. 6, 7; & xvi. 5. Jer xxiii. 5. Ps. cxxxii. 11. Rev. iii. 7.m Dan. ii. 44; & vii. 14. 27. Obad. 21. Mic. iv. 7. John xii. 34. Heb. i. 8.-n Mat. i. 20.-o Mat. xiv. 33; & xxvi. 63, 64. Mark. i. 1. John i. 34; & xx. 31. Acts viii. 37. deemed to life, himself established in life and glory! The first preacher of the Gospel was an angel. God appointed his hath since called his preachers anangel to be the first preacher, and gels.-HALL. Unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.-No blind corner of Nazareth can hide the blessed Virgin from the angel. The favours of God will find out his children, wheresoever they are withdrawn.-It is the fashion of God to seek out the most despised, on whom to bestow his honours: we cannot run away, as from the judgments, so not from the mercies of God.-Why should we be transported with the outward glory of places, while our God regards it not? We not rather be with the blessed Virgin are not of the angel's diet, if we had at Nazareth, than with the proud dames at the court of Jerusalem.HALL. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, &c.-The angel salutes the Virgin; he prays not to her. He salutes her as a saint, he prays not to her as a goddess. For us to salute Rom. i. 4.-p Gen. xviii. 14. Jer. xxxii. 17. Zech. viii. her, as he did, were gross presump 6. Mat. xix. 26. Mark x. 27. ch. xviii. 27. Rom. iv. 21. READER. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God. No good angel could be the author of our restoration, as the evil angel was of our ruin; but that which these glorious spirits could not do themselves they are glad to report as done by the God of spirits. Good news rejoice the bearer. With what joy did this holy angel bring the news of that Saviour in whom we are re : tion for neither are we as he was, neither is she as she was. If he that was a spirit saluted her that was flesh and blood here on earth, it is not for us, that are flesh and blood, to salute her who is a glorious spirit in heaven. For us to pray to her, in the angel's salutation, were to abuse the Virgin, the angel, the salutation.-HALL. Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. The troubles of holy minds ever end in comfort. Joy |