Luke i. 67 — 75. And his father Zacharias to as filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us, in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began ; that ive should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us : to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant ; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he ivould grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
CONSIDERING the depth of humiliation to which the Son of God was about to submit, in taking upon him our nature, it was necessary that his birth should be attended with such circumstances, as were calcu- lated to impress the minds of men with a conviction of his real character. Accordingly we find, that, pre- vious to his birth, there was ample testimony given to him as a most extraordinary personage, such as the world had never before seen. A person was sent " to prepare his way before him :" and this forerunner was himself distinguished by a preternatural birth. The father of this messenger was informed by an angel, that his aged, and hitherto barren, wife should conceive a son, who should be called John. On his expressing some doubt of the angel's veracity, he was struck dumb for his unbelief; and continued so till the birth and naming of the promised child : and then, on his confirming the appointment of his wife respecting the name of the child, his tongue was loosed, and he brake forth into this prophetic hymn of praise : in which he blesses God for the advent of the Messiah,
I. As an accomplishment of prophecy —
The incarnation of the Son of God had been fore- told from the beginning of the world —