The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 20

PRnl, she n!'erlP<l. no pRrchment scroll, but w)licl\ God's Pf?tecting Spirit was shining ~0ftly r<'penfC'•l t0 the chrm1ielor of the with so clear a !tght. She e1\\V eomrthing of Di'rine story the ol,l song in which she hRd the g:reRt redemption myAtcry which wna first told lwr deep irnRginin~ to ElieR- then m so strange R way dc\'clopi11g itself. heth. aud Rfterw11.rde oft<'n hR<l murmured _Yer~. 51~~3.-He bath showed strength the snmc bright words of joy and faith over with hill arm; he hath aoattered the proud in tlw holv Dabe flS he Inv in his cradle at the imagination of their heart■, He hath B,•tbldiem, in Egypt, or in NazRreth. The put down the mighty from their aeat1 and 1 "Yirg-in'e Hymn" for nenrly fourteen oon• exalted them of low degree. He hnth filled turi<'e hne berm ueerl in the public liturgies the hungry with good thing■; and the rioh of Curi$tcndom. We find it first in the he hath sent empty away, From adoration, offir<' 0f Lauds in the Rule of St. Cme&rius M1try's hymn proceed, to oelebrate the ot' A rles ( A.D. ~07) mighty results clfcoted by the Divine pity. Vers 46b-48.--My soul doth m&guify the As so often in these prophetic strains, the Lord, and my spirit bath rejoioed in God spe&ker or writer speaks or writes as though my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low the future had become the p1Lst; so Mary estate of his he.ndme..ide::i: for, behold, from here desoribes the l\lessiauio revers1Ll of henceforth all generations a.hall call me man's con<'eption of wh1Lt is great nod little, \.fassed. Thie is the first of the four divi- as tboul(h the unborn Babe had already sions of tlio Mngnificat. In it she speaks of lived and done bis strange mighty work in l,er.<el r. nnd her deep feelings of adorntion the world. The "glorious arm" which, in nr,<l of holy joy, and of intense glad surprise. old days, bad wrought such mighty things It is a pm~·er, but the highest kind of for Israel, she recognized as belonging to pr,1yer, for it nske for notl,in~-it simply the coming Ueliverer (ver. 51). His chosen breathes adoration and thankfulness. We instruments would be those of whom the mny imrrgine the angels praying thus. world thought little, like herself. The Thev liave all that created bein~ however proud and mighty would be put down; cxaft.ecl, can desire in the bc-itifio vision the men of low degree, and poor and humble, "hich th<'y perpetually enjoy; and yet they would be exalted. The hungry would be pr,,y continually, but only after this manner. filled ; and they who were rich only in this The joy of her spirit, nntice, is based on the world's goods would have no shrrre in the fact of ihe revelation that he, Gt>d, waa, too, new kingdom-they would be sent empty her Sa,;onr; and, of course, not hers only: away. How strangely bad the virgin of her great joy was in the thonght of the Nazareth caught the thought, almost the sah·ation of the snffering, sinning world very words, of the famous sermon her around her. Then she passes into simple Di vine Son, some thirty years later, preached wonderment that she should have be,;n on the mountain-side near Gennesaret l chosen BB the instrument of the boundlese Vere. 54, 55.-He hath holpen his servant goodness of God. S!,e had nothing to re- Israel, in remembra.noe of his meroy; as he commend ucr 011ly her low estate. Though spa.ke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to hie royally descended, she only occupie I a seed for ever. Her hymn dies down into a. positioa among the bumulest Hebrew strain of gratitude for the eternal faith- maidens, and yet, owing to God's fa.-our, fulness to .the cause of the chosen people. 1he will be deemed blessed by countless Had not God in very truth remembered unborn gcneratiO'lB. his ancient promise? From one of their Vers. 4(), !10.-For he that is mighty hath daughters, still speaking of the fnture as of done to me g!'eat things; and holy is hie the pa.at, Messiah ba<l been born-a greater Jl'ame. And his mercy is on them that fear Deliverer, too, than the most sanguine him from generation to generation. lu tLia Hebrew patriot had ever dreamed of. strophe, tLe second division of the hyn,n of Vere. 57-80.-John, afterwards called the prabe, she glorifies three of the principal Baptist, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, Divine attributes-God's power, l,is holiness, i, born. The Benedictus. aud his mercy. His power or might, allurl- Ver. 58.-How the Lord h&d showed grea\ ing- to the words of the angel (ver. 35), mercy npon her. No doubt the vision of "The power of the Highest shall over- Zacl,ari1ts in the temple, and hie subsequent shadow thee." Surely in all the records of dumbness, had excited no little inquiry, 1Jw Lor<l's works since the worl<l'e creation, That the reproach of Elisabeth shoul<l be his mi!;ut had l,een never shown as it was taken awav, no doubt few reatly believed. rn,w about to Lr, 1111111ifeat in her. His hnli- The birth· of her son, however, set a seal "''"' I,a<l been displaye<l fo her in the way upon the reality of the priest's vi~ion. The ir, which the mi,,;l,ly acts of iueffaule love rejoicings of her family were due to more Lad been carried out. His mercy: this thau the birth of her boy. The story of the attribute of God came borne wiih intern;e angel's message, coupled with the unnsual i,uwe;r to the heart of the Jewish girl, int., uirth, set men thinking and asking whlLI en. 1. 1-80.J Tirn GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 11