The Evangeliſt prefacerh this extraordinary Birth of our Sayioy; in this manner. Now, the Birth of Feſus Chriſt was on this Wiſe, not in the ordinary Courſe and Manner in which Children ae conceived and brought forch into the World, bur in this wog. ful manner | when his Mother Mary was eſpouſed to Toſeph.) [3 trothing, or Eſpouſing, was nothing elſe bur a folemn Promife of Marriage made by two Perſons each to other, at fucha diſtance of time as they agreed up2n. Ir was a decent uſage approved of (if not ordained) by God, as appears by Deut. 20. 7. That we are. liged ſtill co uſe ir, I dare nor fay, it might be a prudential Order and Conſtirurion of rhar State: There was nothing in it 7jpicg: nothing to bring 1t under the Notion of a Carnal Ordinance, (a the Apoſtle calls ſome of their Ordinances relaring to the Worſhip of. God.) It ſeemeth equitable, thar the Partics ro be Married might have ſome convenient time to think ſeriouſly of rhe great Change chey are ſoon to make in their Lives, and more ſolemnly ſeek uy- ro God for his Bleſſing upon them; as alſo char they might more treely diſcourſe together abour their Houſhold Afffeairs, and the Settlemenr of their Families, than che Modeſty of the Virgins of char Age would otherwiſe have allowed them :; Ir niade them Man and Wife before God, tho' they came nor together for ſome time after: The diſtance of time ſeemetrh ro have been letfc to the Agree. menr of Parties, and Parents. In this Cafe we cannot certzinly aſſert the diſtance, bur ir appearerh ro have been ſuch, as that ſhe was found with Child, before they came together. ary knew what che Evangeliſt here atierceth, thar ir was by the Holy Ghoſt : For 4 ſhe muſt know, that ſhe had nt known Man, as ſhe told the Aye, Luke 1.34. ſo the Angel had fatisfied her, ſaying, v. 35. The Hb Ghoſt ſhall come upon thee, and the Power of the moſt High ſhall our- ſhadow thee : Therefore alſo that Holy thing which ſhall be born of the, ſhall be cailed the Son of God. It cannor be doubred bur that ſhe revel. ed this ro ſome of her Friends; bur how x came ro be found, or who found ir, we are not told. Foſeph, as yet, had no ſuch Revelatim, God would have his Son to be born ofa Virgin: 1, For the ful filling of the Promiſe, 1a. 7.14. 2. Of the Holy Ghoſt ; tha the Womb of the Virgin being ſanQified by the Spirit of Holineſs, chere might be no Tradu&ion of Original Sin. 3. Of a Betroathed Virzin. 1. That he might nor be under the Reproach of Illegitimacy, 2, Nor his Mother ſubjefted ro the Puniſhmenr of the Judicial LaW. 3. That Mary's Stock might be reckoned by her betrothed Husband. 4. Thar Chriſt might have a Guardian in his Infancy, 19 Then Joſeph her Husband being a juſt man, and not willing * to make her a publick example, was g,
minded to put her away privily. ic was found ſhe was with Child ; poifibly her ſelf, or ſome of
her Friands ro!d it to Foſeph her eſpouſed Husband. Is is plain from this Text, he came to the knowledge of ir; for upon ir, the Evangeliſt faich, he was minded to put her away privily « Had Foſehb ar this time heard and believed, that the Holy Ghoſt had come upm her, and the Power of the mo High overſhadowed her ; xing a good Man, he would nor have entertained Thoughts of putting her & way: Butcho' ſhe had before received this Revelation, and might potNibly have communicated ir ro ſome of her Friends, yet it't maniteft char her Husband 7ofeph had nor heard ir, or ar leaſt was nor eafie to believe a thing of 1o unuſual and extraordinary a Na- rure. Thar ſhe was with Child, was evident ; how ſhe came tobe ſo, was as yet hidden from him, in Nature, and' ſo incredible thing, as it had argued roo much of Eafineſs of belief for him to have believed, had not Foſeph had (as afterward .he had) a Divine Revelatim for it: He therefore receiving ſuch a Reporc, and fird- ing ir to be true, reſolves tro put her away in the privateſt manner he could, rather than ro expoſe her to a publick Shame, or tobe made a publick Example. Their being betrothed was a rhing pu lickly raken notice of ; and he could nor pur her away 1 privately, bur there muſt be Wirnefles of ir; the meaning therefore muſt be as privately as the Nature of the thing would bear. 7oſeph in thi Caſe had the choice of rhree Things: 1. He might, notwithſtand- ing this, have tahen her to his Houſe, as his Wife ; for the Law 0 Divorce, or putting away, was but a Law, giving a Liberty 1n cale of a diſcerned Uncleanneſs to pur away the Wife ; ir d1d nota any under an Obligation ſo todo. 2. He might give her a Bill 9 Divorce, and leave her with her Friends. Now thoſe killed in the 65-4. Writings tell us this might be done; either, more privat®) xefore two or three Witneſſes putring a Writing of thar ImpoTf into her Boſom, or more openly and publickly befqye che Mag!- ſtrare. 3- He might, according to the Law, Deut, 22. 23, 24: Os have brought her forth to be examined, whether ſhe had only ſuffered Rape, or had her ſelf Conſented. If it was done with her Conlenh ſhe was by the Law to be ſtoned. Of theſe, {0 eph in his - Thoughts upon the Matter, and before he rightly did underſtan
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DF) St. MATTHEW. Chap. 1.