\t her away, bur in Th moſt privare manner the Law would in j brig forth a Son, and || they ſhall call his name Ema- || Or, 63s
RE 4 F" Ie oe - athies 9*.c- - 05 ated netthes #4 —-
Cate allow him ; He did this (faith the Evangeliſt) becauſe he char Y it Man ; where the cerm Sixa:©- fignifterh Equitable, in op- _ ro Severity and Rigour 3, nor ought any to fay Foſeph in this
Fave 4 himſelf an unjuſt Man, becauſe, by rhe Law, ſhe oughr to
ned to Death; for thar is a Mittake; ſuppoſing ſhe had have _ — by Man, yer if ſhe had been Gd rhe Man only ny die, Deut. 22+ 28, 29. Or the might have been with Child was [0 her berrorhing 3 in which Caſe ſhe was only obliged ro _ him char had fo abuſed her; A kind and equitable Man al- _— coſumerh the beſt, eſpecially in a Caſe where Life is con- _ # "beſides, that no doubr Mary had by this time told Foſeph cer k, and what the Angel had faid to her; to which (ic be- ; < *ncredible a thing, as not to be believed, bur upon a Divine ruelatio) tho' Joſeph was nor obliged, having as yer no ſuch Re- ""/2rion, ro give a preſenr eafie Faichz yer he might reaſonably ive ſo much Cred1t, 45 10 reſolve upon the mildeſt Courſe he old rake, *tho' he was willing alfo to avoid the blorupon himſelf by raking her to him for his Wife, according to his Contraſt, God ill not Teave ſo good a Man long unreſolved what ro do.
20 But while he thought on theſe things, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him ina dream, fay- ing, Joſeph, thou ſon of David, fear nor to take unto thee Mary thy Wite : for that which is conceived in ker, is of the Holy Ghoſt.
what we have in this Verſe, afſureth us, That 7oſeph was not only inclined, by the Kindneſs and Benigniry of his own nacural Temper; and by his Charity to that moderate Reſolution he had caken up, -but alſo more immediately influenced by God, who was now ſending a Meſſenger to him, to rel! him what he would have him to do in this Caſe. Wherher this Angel was the Angel Gabriel, who, Luke tells us, ch, 1. 26. was ſent ro Mary, to tell her that the Power of the moſt High ſhould overſhadow her, or ſome other Angel, none can aflerr, an Angel ic was, He appeareth to 7oſeph while he was aſleep, and in and by a Dream. By Dreams was one way by which God revealed his Mind ro People formerly, Zeb. 1.1. One of thoſe ways by which God made himſelf known to Pro- phers, Numb. 12. 6. And nor to Prophets only, but ro Pagan Prin- ces ſometimes, as appeareth by the Inſtances we have in Scripture of the Dreams which Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar both had. Dreams are either Natural, or Supernatural, or Preternatural., How ro diſtinguiſh che former from the rwo latter, is not my work in chis place, and poſſibly a difficulc Task, eſpecially in our times, when God having ſpoken to us by his Son, and given us his Word as a perfe(t Rule, hath lefr off ordinary ſpeaking to his Prophets by Dreams and Viſions, tho' nor limited himſelf, bur that he may ſome- times ſo ſpeak. We are aſſured of the Truth of a Divine Revelati- en ro Joſeph, by this way of Dreams, while his Head was full of Thoughts what he was to do in this Caſe. God thinks of us when we ſleep, and one way or other will not be wanting ro our In- quiſition in Sincerity ro know his Will, in the difficalc Caſes of our Lives. The Angel faith unto Foſeph, Foſeph, thou Son of David : By which Compellation he lers him know, he was to be the Sup- p!ed and Legal, rho' not rhe Natural Father of the Meſſias, who ms, by the Confeffion of all Men, to he the Son of David. Fear nit to take to thee Mary thy Wife : She that is thy betrothed Wife, and ſo thy Wife in my fight; thou haſt eſpouſed her, and called me ro Witneſs, that chou wilt Conſummate this Marriage with her in adue time, and take her to thine Houſe. I ſee what hath hap- pened, which troubleth thy Thoughts ; poſſibly thou art afraid, :t thou ſhould'ſt offend me, marrying one who appeareth unto thee to be defiled ; or thou arrt afraid of bringing a blor upon thy | {:1f, if thou ſhould'ſt Conſummare this Marriage : Bur do nor fear any of theſe rhings, bur go on, and Conſurmmate thy Marriage ; ſhe is ner as thou ſuppoſeſt, or may'ſt fear, defiled by Man; for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghoſt, That Holy thing, (a3 Luke ſpeaks) that humane Body which is in her Womb, is creared in her, and is of the Holy Ghoſt. The Holy Ghoſt by his Al- mighty creating Power, hath ſupplied whar is wanting from the help of the Creature, as to ordinary Produdtons of this Nature.
21 * And the {hall bring forth a Son, and thou ſhalt
call his name Jeſus : for he ſhall fave his People from their fins.
When the uſual time of Women is accompliſhed, ſhe ſhall bring firth a Som, and thou ſhalt call his name Feſus : He ſhall nor be thy Natural Son, but he ſhall be her Son; nor begot by thee, bur broughr forth by her; ſo, Fleſh of her Fleſh; His name ſhall be called 7ſus by thee, or by his Mother : Ic.is the Will of God chou ſhould'ſt give him chat Name. For he ſhall ſave his People from their Sins. Ic 2 the Cuſtom of the Fews (God's ancient People) to gives Names t2their Children, either expreffive of the Mercy which God had ſhewed them in giving them their Children, or of the Duty which tieir Children did owe unto God. This Name was given by God, expreſſing rhe Mercy of God to his' People, in giving them this Child. For, he ſhall ſave his People from their Sins, (faith the Angel) Feſus comes from an Hebrew Word, which ſignifies Salvation. Foſhua had his Name from the ſame Word, becauſe he was to be a Temporal Yviour to lave the Jews, the whole Body of the Fews from the Ca- "ay their Enemies. This eſis was to ſave his People, all that mon believe in his Name, whether Fews or Gentiles from their -"q Hereby the Angel hints the miſtabe of the Fews, in thinking me Meſtas ſhould be a Temporal Saviour, who ſhould ſave the Jews
"Mm their Enemies ; minding them, that he was to ſave them nor — their Bodily, but Spiritual Enemies. From their Sins : The
ult of them, and the Power of chem, and from the Eternal Dan- kc of them; and he alone ſhould do ir, 4s 4+ 12. There #s no
ws Name under Heaven given amongſt Men, neither is there Salvati- " nary other.
S., Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, | ach was ſpoken of the Lord by the Prophet, ſaying,
23 Behold a Virgin ſhall be with child, and ſhall
nuel, which being interprered. is God with us. name ſhall