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He was to be the immediate forerunner of the Meffiah. The refpect which his future office bore to the Saviour, marked him out as the most proper perfon for a fign of his miraculous conception. Was John to "be filled with the Holy "Ghoft from his mother's womb?" The early appearances of extraordinary wisdom and fanctity, would be a permanent atteftation of the truth of the miracles preceding his birth. Such circumStances attended this fign, that although the parents had been capable of impofture, no room was left for it. Zacharias was at Jerusalem, in the temple, engaged in his miniftration, in the very act of burning incenfe, while "the whole multitude of "the people were praying without," at the time that he was visited by the angel. Zacharias did not believe his teftimony, and having demanded a fign of the truth of it, himself became a fign to all who faw him, both of the reality of the vifion, and of the danger of incredulity. For he was "dumb, and not able to speak, un"til the day that these things were performed." The people at first " perceived that he had feen a "vifion" and as he continued in the fame ftate till the days of his miniftration were accom'plished," and for feveral months afterwards; this well-known and extraordinary fact must have excited the wonder and expectation of the great body of the nation. The feafon in which this fign was given, was the most proper that could have been felected. At this time the people in general" looked for redemption in Ifrael." It

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was also only a few months before the appearance of that fign which JEHOVAH himself was to give i. As it prepared the minds of believers, and tended to aroufe the body of the nation; it was efpecially a mean of confirmation to the faith of Mary. Hence the angel Gabriel, when removing her objection as to the poffibility of the fact predicted, refers her to Elifabeth, as a living teftimony of the power of God, in removing every natural obstruction to the fulfilment of his promife,-of his power in circumftances that bore the greatest resemblance of her own: "And be"hold thy coufin Elifabeth, fhe hath alfo concei"ved a fon in her old age; and this is the fixth "month with her that was called barren. "with God nothing fhall be impoffible ."

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III. The laws, given to the Ifraelites, concerning virginity, seem to have had a special refpect to the conception and birth of our Saviour. They were of fuch a nature as powerfully to intereft, not only young women themfelves in the prefervation of their chastity, but alfo their parents. When a woman was married, if it was found that she had formerly been feduced; fhe was not only to be put to death, but to fuffer at "the door of "her father's houfe." The whole family were thus partly involved in her punishment; because they were all bound to watch over her conduct. This was especially incumbent on her father, in whofe house fhe refided till fhe removed to that

Y 4

of

i Ifa, vii. 14.

k Luke i. 5.-37.

1 Deut. xxii. 20, 21.

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of her husband. If a damfel was defiled, after being betrothed, before the confummation of her marriage, both fhe and the man who defiled her were to be put to death ". That there might be no impofition, certain tokens were to be produced, attested and examined ". The trial by the waters of jealoufy, by means of which the truth was miraculoufly difcovered, was another inftitution which must have had great influence in deterring women from a breach of chastity. They were alfo fubjected to a periodical feparation, as unclean. This prevented their being married at this season, and put it out of their power to impofe falfe tokens, in confequence of their fitua

tion P.

Thefe ordinances were indeed meant for the

prefervation of chastity in general. But they feem to have been defigned to guard the state of virginity, in relation to the miraculous conception of the Saviour. Had the flighteft ground of fufpicion remained with Jofeph, he had different ways of putting Mary to trial, and of obtaining fatisfaction to his own mind. From his character as "a juft man," we may be affured that he would by no means have retained her, had he not been fully convinced that the was with child in a fupernatural way. All that the promife, or the neceflity of the cafe, exprefsly required, was, that Jefus fhould be born of a virgin. This indeed

m Deut. xxii. 23, 24.

n Ver. 15.

o Num. v. 11.-31.

was

p See this fubject treated at large in Allix's Reflexions on the four laft

Books of Mofes, chap. 20.

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was neceffary; for, as we have formerly feen, he could not otherwife have been free from original depravity. But it was the will of God, that he fhould be born, not merely of a virgin, but of "a virgin efpoufed." In this, divine wifdom eminently appears. For thus God provided means for authenticating the genealogy of Chrift. Being born, after Mary was betrothed, he was legally the child of Jofeph; and among the Jews, the genealogy was efpecially reckoned by the father. Thus also, a guardian was provided for Mary and her child, during the perfecution of Herod. Befides, the circumftance of her being efpoufed, together with that of Jofeph's taking her to his houfe, preferved her from being treated by others as a woman loft to virtue. While, on the one hand, her efpoufals fubjected her conduct to the moft rigid fcrutiny, the reception given her by Jofeph, on the other, was a public atteftation of her innocence.

We perceive the bleffed concurrence of all the Perfons of the adorable Trinity in the work of our redemption. It appears with the fulleft evidence in the very manner in which Chrift received our nature. The Father" fent forth his Son, made "of a woman.' The Son himfelf" took on him "the form of a fervant." The Holy Ghoft " prepared a body" for him, by fanctifying part of the fubftance of a virgin. What a wonderful display of love to loft man! How ardently ought

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we to love that adorable Father who fent his Son;

this co-equal Son, who cheerfully came, who faid, "In the volume of thy book it is written of me;" that bleffed Spirit, who as it were anew began the work of creation for our fakes!

SECTION XIII.

On Subftitution and Atonement.-The Doctrine of Subftitution known to the Church from the beginning.-Impofition of Hands on the Head of the Victim.-The Victim legally fubjected to the Curfe.-Atonement made by Blood.-The Covenant confirmed by Sacrifice.-In this the Worship of the Church especially confifted.-The Ceremo nial Inftitute, even by its Defects, directed to a better Atonement.-This prefigured by the Mercy-feat.-The Hiftory of the true Expiation contained in the New Testament.

To proclaim the incarnation of a Divine Perfon, is only part of the defign of the Spirit of infpiration. It was a principal branch of his work, to" teftify beforehand the fufferings of Chrift." All that is written, with refpect to his affumption of our nature, relates to the work of redemption, which from eternity he had engaged to accomplish. The Holy Scriptures, as to their great de

fign

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