Carthage, fhey shall all come to nothing one day, and the saints of the most high shall take the kingdom. Before Jesus every* knee shall one day bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord. His kingdom alone shall prove an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion that which shall not pass away. (Dan. vii. 14, 27.)
The true Christian should often dwell on this glorious promise and take comfort in its contents. He has no cause to be ashamed of his Master. Poor and despised as he may often be for the Gospel's sake, he may feel assured that he is on the conquering side. The kingdoms of this world shall yet become the kingdoms of Christ. Yet a little time and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Heb. x. 37.) For that blessed day let us patiently wait, and watch, and pray. Now is the time for carrjdng the cross, and for fellowship with Christ's sufferings. The day draws near when Christ shall take His great power and reign ; and when aU who have served Him faithfiiUy shall exchange a cross for a crown.
Notes. Lukb I. 26—33.
27. — [A virgin espoused.] Let us not fail to note the wise provi- dence by which the mother of our Lord, though a virgin, was a virgin *' espoused." It screened her reputation from unseemly remarks. It provided a helper and protector for her in her time of weakness and need.
28. — [Highly favoured,] The Romanist translation of this word, " full of grace," does not convey the meaning so well as our own translation, and is moreover liable to shameful perversion. In no way can the word bear the sense of one " fiill of grace to bestow on others." The truest sense is that of our marginal reading, *'one much graced,"— one who has been made the object of much grace, but not one who has much grace to give.
• The Romish prayer, to the Virgin, beginning "Ave Maria," id a most unhappy perversion of Scripture. Bishop HaU remarks, "The angel salutes the virgin; he prays not to her.
' He salutes her, as a saint ; he prays not to her as a goddess.
26 . EXFosrrosY thodgbts.
For us to salute her as he did were gross presumption, 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 which is a glorious spiiit in heaveu. For us to pray to her in the angel's salutation, were to abuse the virgin, the angel, and the salutation/'
29. — [trouhledJ] The Greek word here is yery strong and inten- sive, and nowhere used in the New Testament, excepting in this place.
32, 33. — [Throne of David — Reign over the house of Jacob.'] Let us beware of spiritualizing away the full meaning of these words. The " house of Jacob " does not mean all Ghtistians. The " throne of David" does not mean the office of a Saviour to all Gentile believers. The words will yet receive a literal fulfil- meut, when the Lord Jesus comes the second time, and the Jews are converted. The promise of Gabriel is parallel with Jeremiah xsx. 9. The kingdom of which he speaks, is the glorious kingdom foretold in Daniel vii. 27, before which all other kingdoms are finally to be overthrown at Christ's second coming.