LUKE 1:26-38
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26. Now
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city
of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27. To a virgin
betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David;
and the virgin's name was Mary. 28. And the angel,
coming in to her, said, Hail, thou who hast found favor, the
Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29. But
when she had seen him, she was agitated by his address, and was
considering what that salutation would be. 30. And
the angel saith to her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found
favor with God. 31. Behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name JESUS. 32. He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give to him
the throne of David his father: 33. And he shall
reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end. |
26.
Now in the sixth
month
It was a wonderful dispensation of the divine purpose, and far removed
from the ordinary judgment of men, that God determined to make the
beginning of the generation of the herald more illustrious than that of
his own Son. The prophecy respecting John was published in the temple
and universally known: Christ is promised to a virgin in an obscure town
of Judea, and this prophecy remains buried in the breast of a young
woman. But it was proper that, even from the birth of Christ, that
saying should be fulfilled,
“it
pleased God by foolishness to save them that believe,”
(1
Corinthians 1:21.)
The treasure of
this mystery was committed by him to a virgin in such a manner, that at
length, when the proper time came, it might be communicated to all the
godly. It was, I own, a mean kind of guardianship; but whether for
trying the humility of faith, or restraining the pride of the ungodly,
it was the best adapted. Let us learn, even when the reason does not
immediately appear, to submit modestly to God, and let us not be ashamed
to receive instruction from her who carried in her womb Christ the
eternal “wisdom of God,” (1
Corinthians 1:24.) There is nothing which we should more
carefully avoid than the proud contempt that would deprive us of the
knowledge of the inestimable secret, which God has purposely “hid
from the wise and prudent, and revealed” to the humble and “to
babes,” (Luke
10:21.)
It was, I think,
for the same reason that he chose a virgin betrothed to a man
There is no foundation for Origen’s opinion, that he did this for the
purpose of concealing from Satan the salvation which he was preparing to
bestow on men. The marriage was a veil held out before the eyes of the
world, that he who was commonly “supposed to be the son of Joseph”
(Luke
3:23) might at length be believed and acknowledged by the godly
to be the Son of God. Yet the entrance of Christ into the world was not
destitute of glory; for the splendor of his Godhead was manifested from
the commencement by his heavenly Father. Angels announced that “a
Savior was born,” (Luke
2:11;) but their voice was only heard by the shepherds, and
traveled no farther. One miracle, — everywhere published by “the wise
men who came from the east,” (Matthew
2:1) that they had seen a star which proclaimed the birth of the
Highest King,—may have been highly celebrated. Yet we see how God kept
his Son, as it were, in concealment, until the time of his full
manifestation arrived, and then erected for him a platform, that he
might be beheld by all.
The participle
μεμνηστευμένην,
which is employed by the Evangelist, signifies that the virgin had then
been engaged to her bridegroom, but was not yet given as a wife to her
husband. For it was customary among Jewish parents to keep their
daughters some time at home, after they had been betrothed to men;
otherwise, the law relating to the seduction of a “betrothed
damsel” (Deuteronomy
22:23) would have been unnecessary. Luke says that Joseph was
of the house of David; for families are usually reckoned by the
names of the men; but on this point we shall speak more fully in another
place.
28.
Hail, thou who
hast obtained favor
The angel’s commission being of an astonishing and almost incredible
description, he opens it with a commendation of the grace of God. And
certainly, since our limited capacities admit too slender a portion of
knowledge for comprehending the vast greatness of the works of God, our
best remedy is, to elevate them to meditation on his boundless grace. A
conviction of the Divine goodness is the entrance of faith, and the
angel properly observes this order, that, after preparing the heart of
the virgin by meditation on the grace of God, he may enlarge it to
receive an incomprehensible mystery. For the participle
κεχαριτωμένη,
which Luke employs, denotes the undeserved favor of God. This appears
more clearly from the Epistle to the Ephesians, (1:6,)
where, speaking of our reconciliation to God, Paul says, God “hath
made us accepted (ἐχαρίτωσεν)
in the Beloved:” that is, he has received into his favor, and embraced
with kindness, us who were formerly his enemies.
The angel adds,
the Lord is with thee To those on whom he has once bestowed his love
God shows himself gracious and kind, follows and “crowns them
with loving-kindness,” (Psalm
103:4.) Next comes the third clause, that she is blessed among
women. Blessing is here put down as the result and proof of the
Divine kindness. The word Blessed does not, in my opinion, mean,
Worthy of praise; but rather means, Happy. Thus, Paul often
supplicates for believers, first “grace” and then “peace,” (Romans
1:7;
Ephesians 1:2,) that is, every kind
of blessings; implying that we shall then be truly happy and rich, when
we are beloved by God, from whom all blessings proceed. But if Mary’s
happiness, righteousness, and life, flow from the undeserved love of
God, if her virtues and all her excellence are nothing more than the
Divine kindness, it is the height of absurdity to tell us that we should
seek from her what she derives from another quarter in the same manner
as ourselves. With extraordinary ignorance have the Papists, by an
enchanter’s trick, changed this salutation into a prayer, and have
carried their folly so far, that their preachers are not permitted, in
the pulpit, to implore the grace of the Spirit, except through their
Hail, Mary
[Note: ]
But
not only are these words a simple congratulation. They unwarrantably
assume an office which does not belong to them, and which God committed
to none but an angel. Their silly ambition leads them into a second
blunder, for they salute a person who is absent.
29.
When she had seen him, she was
agitated Luke does not say that
she was agitated by the presence of the angel, but by his
address. Why then does he also mention his presence?
[Note: ]
The
reason, I think, is this. Perceiving in the angel something of heavenly
glory, she was seized with sudden dread arising out of reverence for
God. She was agitated, because she felt that she had received a
salutation, not from a mortal man, but from an angel of God. But Luke
does not say that she was so agitated as to have lost
recollection. On the contrary, he mentions an indication of an attentive
and composed mind; for he afterwards adds, and was considering what
that salutation would be: that is, what was its object, and what was
its meaning. It instantly occurred to her that the angel had not been
sent for a trifling purpose. This example reminds us, first, that we
ought not to be careless observers of the works of God; and, secondly,
that our consideration of them ought to be regulated by fear and
reverence.
30.
Fear not, Mary
He bids her lay aside fear. Let us always remember—what arises from the
weakness of the flesh—that, whenever the feeblest ray of the Divine
glory bursts upon us, we cannot avoid being alarmed. When we become
aware, in good earnest, of the presence of God, we cannot think
of it apart from its effects.
[Note: ]
Accordingly, as we are all amenable to his tribunal, fear gives rise to
trembling, until God manifests himself as a Father. The holy virgin saw
in her own nation such a mass of crimes, that she had good reason for
dreading heavier punishments. To remove this fear, the angel declares
that he has come to certify and announce an inestimable blessing. The
Hebrew idiom, Thou hast found favor, is used by Luke instead of,
“God has been merciful to thee:” for a person is said to find favor,
not when he has sought it, but when it has been freely offered to
him. Instances of this are so well known, that it would be of no use to
quote them.
31.
Behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb The angel adapts his
words, first to Isaiah’s prophecy, (Isaiah
7:14,) and next to other passages of the Prophets, with the view
of affecting more powerfully the mind of the virgin: for such prophecies
were well known and highly esteemed among the godly. At the same time,
it ought to be observed that the angel did not merely speak in private
to the ear of the virgin, but brought glad tidings, (εὐαγγέλιον,)
which were shortly afterwards to be
published throughout the whole world. It was not without the purpose of
God, that the agreement, between ancient prophecies and the present
message respecting the manifestation of Christ, was so clearly pointed
out. The word conceive is enough to set aside the dream of
Marcion and Manichaeus: for it is easy to gather from it that Mary
brought forth not an ethereal body or phantom, but the fruit which she
had previously conceived in her womb.
Thou shalt call his name Jesus The
reason of the name is given by Matthew: for he shall save his people
from their sins, (Matthew
1:21.) And so the name contains a promise of salvation,
and points out the object for which Christ was sent by the Father
into the world, as he tells us that he “came not to judge the world, but
to save the world,” (John
12:47.) Let us remember that not by the will of men, but by the
command of God, was this name given to him by the angel, that our faith
may have its foundation, not in earth, but in heaven. It is derived from
the Hebrew word
ישע,
salvation, from which comes
הושיע,
which signifies to save. It is a waste of ingenuity to contend that it
differs from the Hebrew name
יהושוע,
(Jehoshua or Joshua.) The Rabbins everywhere write the word Jesu;
and they do this with evident malice, that they may not bestow on Christ
an honorable name, but, on the contrary, may insinuate that he is some
pretended Jew. Their manner of writing it, accordingly, is of no more
importance than the barking of a dog. The objection that it is far
beneath the dignity of the Son of God to have a name in common with
others, might equally apply to the name Christ, or Anointed
But the solution of both is easy. What was exhibited in shadow under the
law is fully and actually manifested in the Son of God; or, what was
then a figure is in him a substance. There is another objection of as
little weight. They assert that the name of Jesus is not worthy of
veneration and awe, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, (Philippians
2:9, 10,) if it does not belong exclusively to the Son of God.
For Paul does not attribute to him a magical name, as if in its very
syllables majesty resided, but his language simply means that Christ has
received from the Father the highest authority, to which the whole world
ought to submit. Let us then bid adieu to such imaginations, and know,
that the name Jesus was given to Christ, in order that believers
may be instructed to seek in him what had formerly been shadowed out
under the Law.
32.
He shall be great
The angel had said the same thing about John the Baptist, and yet did
not intend to make him equal to Christ. But the Baptist is great in his
own class, while the greatness of Christ is immediately explained to be
such as raises him above all creatures. For to him alone this belongs as
his own peculiar prerogative to be called the Son of God. So the apostle
argues.
Unto which of the
angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten
thee? (Hebrews
1:5.)
Angels and kings,
I admit, are sometimes dignified with this title in Scripture; but they
are denominated in common the sons of God, on account of their high
rank. But it is perfectly clear and certain, that God distinguishes his
own Son from all the others, when he thus addresses him particularly,
Thou art my Son, (Psalm
2:7.) Christ is not confounded either with angels or with men, so
as to be one of the multitude of the sons of God; but what is given to
him no other has a right to claim. The sons of God are kings, not
certainly by natural right, but because God has bestowed on them so
great an honor. Even angels have no right to this distinction, except on
account of their high rank among creatures, in subordination to the
Great Head, (Ephesians
1:21.) We too are sons, but by adoption, which we obtain by
faith; for we have it not from nature: Christ is the only Son, the
only-begotten of the Father, (John
1:14.)
The future tense
of the verb, he shall be called the Son of the Highest, is
tortured by that filthy dog
[Note: ]
Servetus to prove that Christ is not the eternal Son of God, but
began to be so considered, when he took upon him our flesh. This is an
intolerable slander. He argues that Christ was not the Son of God before
he appeared in the world clothed with flesh; because the angel says,
He shall be called On the contrary, I maintain, the words of the
angel mean nothing more than that he, who had been the Son of God from
eternity, would be manifested as such in the flesh, (1
Timothy 3:16;) for to be called denotes clear knowledge.
There is a wide difference between the two statements, — that Christ
began to be the Son of God, which he was not before, — and that he was
manifested among men, in order that they might know him to be the person
who had been formerly promised. Certainly, in every age God has been
addressed by his people as a Father, and hence it follows, that he had a
Son in heaven, from whom and by whom men obtained the sonship. For men
take too much upon them, if they venture to boast of being the sons of
God, in any other respect than as members of the only-begotten Son, (John
1:18.) Certain it is, that confidence in the Son alone, as
Mediator, inspired the holy fathers with confidence to employ so
honorable an address. That more complete knowledge, of which we are now
speaking, is elsewhere explained by Paul to mean, that we are now at
liberty not only to call God our Father, but boldly to cry, Abba,
Father, (Romans
8:15;
Galatians 4:6.)
The
Lord God will give unto him the throne of his father David
We have said that the angel borrows from the prophets the titles which
he bestows on Christ, in order that the holy virgin might more readily
acknowledge him to be the Redeemer formerly promised to the fathers.
Whenever the prophets speak of the restoration of the church, they
direct all the hope of believers to the kingdom of David, so that it
became a common maxim among the Jews, that the safety of the church
would depend on the prosperous condition of that kingdom, and that
nothing was more fitting and suitable to the office of the Messiah than
to raise up anew the kingdom of David. Accordingly, the name of David is
sometimes applied to the Messiah. “They shall serve the Lord
their God, and David their king,” (Jeremiah
30:9.) Again, “my servant David shall be a prince among them,” (Ezekiel 34:24; 37:24.) “They shall seek the Lord their God, and
David their king,” (Hosea
3:5.) The passages in which he is called “the son of
David” are sufficiently well known. In a word, the angel declares that
in the person of Christ would be fulfilled the prediction of Amos, “In
that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen,” (Amos
9:11.)
33.
And he shall reign over the
house of Jacob As salvation was
promised, in a peculiar manner, to the Jews, (the covenant having been
made with their father Abraham,
Genesis 17:7,) and Christ, as
Paul informs us, “was a minister of the circumcision,” (Romans
15:8,) the angel properly fixed his reign in that nation, as its
peculiar seat and residence. But this is in perfect accordance with
other predictions, which spread and extend the kingdom of Christ to the
utmost limits of the earth. By a new and wonderful adoption, God has
admitted into the family of Jacob the Gentiles, who formerly were
strangers; though in such a manner that the Jews, as the first-born,
held a preferable rank; as it is said, “The Lord shall send the rod of
thy strength out of Zion,” (Psalm
110:3.) Christ’s throne was, therefore, erected among the people
of Israel, that he might thence subdue the whole world. All whom he has
joined by faith to the children of Abraham are accounted the true
Israel. Though the Jews, by their revolt, have separated themselves from
the church of God, yet the Lord will always preserve till the end some
“remnants” (Romans
11:5;) for his “calling is without repentances” (Romans
11:29.) The body of the people is apparently cut off; but we
ought to remember the mystery of which Paul speaks, (Romans
11:25,) that God will at length gather some of the Jews out of
the dispersion. Meanwhile, the church, which is scattered through the
whole world, is the spiritual house of Jacob; for it drew its
origin from Zion.
For
ever The angel points out the sense
in which it was so frequently predicted by the prophets that the kingdom
of David would be without end. It was only during his own reign and that
of Solomon, that it remained wealthy and powerful Rehoboam, the third
successor, hardly retained a tribe and a half. The angel now declares
that, when it has been established in the person of Christ, it will not
be liable to destruction, and, to prove this, employs the words of
Daniel, (7:14,)
of his kingdom there shall be no end
[Note: ]
Though the meaning of the words is, that God will for ever protect and
defend the kingdom of Christ and the church, so that it shall not perish
on the earth “as long as the sun and moon endure,” (Psalm
72:5, 17,) yet its true perpetuity relates to the glory to come.
So then, believers follow each other in this life, by an uninterrupted
succession, till at length they are gathered together in heaven, where
they shall reign without end.
|
34. And
Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a
man? 35. And the angel answering said to her, The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which shall
be born shall be called the Son of God. 36. And,
behold, Elisabeth thy cousin, even she hath conceived a son in
her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called
barren: 37. For no word shall be impossible with
God. 38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the
Lord: be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel
departed from her. |
34.
How shall this be?
The holy virgin appears to confine the power
of God within as narrow limits as Zacharias had formerly done; for what
is beyond the common order of nature, she concludes to be impossible.
She reasons in this manner. I know not a man: how then can I
believe that what you tell me will happen? We ought not to give
ourselves very much trouble,
[Note: ]
to
acquit her of all blame. She ought immediately to have risen by faith to
the boundless power of God, which is not at all lettered to natural
means, but sways the whole world. Instead of this, she stops at the
ordinary way of generation. Still, it must be admitted that she does not
hesitate or inquire in such a manner as to lower the power of God to the
level of her senses; but is only carried away by a sudden impulse of
astonishment to put this question. That she readily embraced the promise
may be concluded from this, that, though many things presented
themselves on the opposite side, she has no doubt but on one point.
She might
instantly have objected, where was that throne of David? for all
the rank of kingly power had been long ago set aside, and all the luster
of royal descent had been extinguished. Unquestionably, if she had
formed her opinion of the matter according to the judgment of the flesh,
she would have treated as a fable what the angel had told her. There can
be no doubt that she was fully convinced of the restoration of the
church, and easily gave way to what the flesh would have pronounced to
be incredible. And then it is probable that the attention of the public
was everywhere directed at that time to the prediction of Isaiah, in
which God promises that he would raise up a rod out of the despised stem
of Jesse, (Isaiah
11:1.) That persuasion of the kindness of God, which had been
formed in the mind of the virgin, led her to admit, in the fullest
manner, that she had received a message as to raising up anew the throne
of David. If it be objected that there was also another prediction, a
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, (Isaiah
7:14,) I reply, that this mystery was then very imperfectly
understood. True, the Fathers expected the birth of a King, under whose
reign the people of God would be happy and prosperous; but the manner of
its accomplishment lay concealed, as if it had been hidden by a
veil. There is no wonder, therefore, if the holy virgin puts a question
on a subject hitherto unknown to her.
The conjecture
which some have drawn from these words, that she had formed a vow of
perpetual virginity, is unfounded and altogether absurd. She would, in
that case, have committed treachery by allowing herself to be united to
a husband, and would have poured contempt on the holy covenant of
marriage; which could not have been done without mockery of God.
Although the Papists have exercised barbarous tyranny on this subject,
yet they have never proceeded so far as to allow the wife to form a vow
of continence at her own pleasure. Besides, it is an idle and unfounded
supposition that a monastic life existed among the Jews.
We must reply,
however, to another objection, that the virgin refers to the future, and
so declares that she will have no intercourse with a man. The probable
and simple explanation is, that the greatness or rather majesty of the
subject made so powerful an impression on the virgin, that all her
senses were bound and locked up in astonishment. When she is informed
that the Son of God will be born, she imagines something unusual, and
for that reason leaves conjugal intercourse out of view. Hence she
breaks out in amazement, How shall this be? And so God graciously
forgives her, and replies kindly and gently by the angel, because, in a
devout and serious manner, and with admiration of a divine work, she had
inquired how that would be, which, she was convinced, went beyond
the common and ordinary course of nature. In a word, this question was
not so contrary to faith, because it arose rather from admiration than
from distrust.
35.
The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee The angel does not explain the
manner, so as to satisfy curiosity, which there was no necessity for
doing. He only leads the virgin to contemplate the power of the Holy
Spirit, and to surrender herself silently and calmly to his guidance.
The word
ἐπελεύσεται,
shall come upon, denotes that this would be an extraordinary
work, in which natural means have no place. The next clause is added by
way of exposition, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: for the Spirit may be regarded as the essential power of God,
whose energy is manifested and exerted in the entire government of the
world, as well as in miraculous events. There is an elegant metaphor in
the word
ἐπισκιάσει,
overshadow. The power of
God, by which he guards and protects his own people, is frequently
compared in Scripture to a shadow, (Psalm
17:8;
57:1;
91:1.) But it appears to have another
and peculiar meaning in this passage. The operation of the Spirit would
be secret, as if an intervening cloud did not permit it to be beheld by
the eyes of men. Now, as God, in performing miracles, withholds from us
the manner of his proceedings, so what he chooses to conceal from us
ought to be viewed, on our part, with seriousness and adoration.
Therefore also the holy thing which shall be born
This is a confirmation of the preceding clause: for the angel shows that
Christ must not be born by ordinary generation,
[Note: ]
that
he may be holy, and that he may be the Son of God; that
is, that in holiness and glory he may be high above all creatures, and
may not hold an ordinary rank among men. Heretics, who imagine that he
became the Son of God after his human generation, seize on the particle
therefore as meaning that he would be called the Son of God,
because he was conceived in a remarkable manner by the power of the
Holy Spirit. But this is a false conclusion: for, though he was
manifested to be the Son of God in the flesh, it does not follow that he
was not the Word begotten of the Father before the ages. On the
contrary, he who had been the Son of God in his eternal Godhead,
appeared also as the Son of God in human flesh. This passage not only
expresses a unity of person in Christ, but at the same time points out
that, in clothing himself with human flesh, Christ is the Son of God. As
the name, Son of God, belonged to the divine essence of Christ
from the beginning, so now it is applied unitedly to both natures,
because the secret and heavenly manner of generation has separated him
from the ordinary rank of men. In other passages, indeed, with the view
of asserting that he is truly man, he calls himself the Son of man, (John
5:27;) but the truth of his human nature is not inconsistent with
his deriving peculiar honor above all others from his divine generation,
having been conceived out of the ordinary way of nature by the Holy
Spirit. This gives us good reason for growing confidence, that we may
venture more freely to call God our Father, because his only Son, in
order that we might have a Father in common with him, chose to be our
brother.
It ought to be
observed also that Christ, because he was conceived by a spiritual
power, is called the holy seed For, as it was necessary that he
should be a real man, in order that he might expiate our sins, and
vanquish death and Satan in our flesh; so was it necessary, in order to
his cleansing others, that he should be free from every spot and
blemish, (1
Peter 1:19.) Though Christ was formed of the seed of Abraham, yet
he contracted no defilement from a sinful nature; for the Spirit of God
kept him pure from the very commencement: and this was done not merely
that he might abound in personal holiness, but chiefly that he might
sanctify his own people. The manner of conception, therefore, assures us
that we have a Mediator separate from sinners, (Hebrews
7:26.)
36.
And, behold, Elisabeth thy
cousin By an instance taken from
her own relatives, the angel encourages the faith of Mary to expect a
miracle. If neither the barrenness nor the old age of Elisabeth could
prevent God from making her a mother, there was no better reason why
Mary should confine her view within the ordinary limits of nature, when
she beheld such a demonstration of divine power in her cousin He
mentions expressly the sixth month; because in the fifth month a
woman usually feels the child quicken in the womb, so that the sixth
month removes all doubt. True, Mary ought to have placed such a
reliance on the bare word of God as to require no support to her faith
from any other quarter; but, to prevent farther hesitation, the Lord
condescends to strengthen his promise by this new aid. With equal
indulgence does he cheer and support us every day; nay, with greater
indulgence, because our faith is weaker. That we may not doubt his
truth, testimonies to confirm it are brought by him from every
direction.
A question arises,
how Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron, (ver.
5,) and Mary, who was descended from the stock of David, could be
cousins This appears to be at variance with the law, which
prohibited women from marrying into a different tribe from their own, (Numbers
36:6.) With respect to the law, if we look at its object, it
forbade those intermarriages only which might “remove inheritances from
tribe to tribe,” (Numbers
36:7.) No such danger existed, if any woman of the tribe of Judah
married a priest, to whom an inheritance could not be conveyed. The same
argument would hold if a woman of the tribe of Levi passed into another
tribe. It is possible that the mother of the holy virgin might be
descended from the family of Aaron, and so her daughter might be
cousin to Elisabeth.
37.
For no word shall be impossible
with God If we choose to take
ῥη̑μα,
word, in its strict and native sense, the meaning is, that God
will do what he hath promised, for no hinderance can resist his power.
The argument will be, God hath promised, and therefore he will
accomplish it; for we ought not to allege any impossibility in
opposition to his word But as a word often means a
thing in the idiom of the Hebrew language, (which the Evangelists
followed, though they wrote in Greek,)
[Note: ]
we explain it more simply, that
nothing is impossible with God We ought always, in- deed, to hold
it as a maxim, that they wander widely from the truth who, at their
pleasure, imagine the power of God to be something beyond his word;
for we ought always to contemplate his boundless power, that it may
strengthen our hope and confidence. But it is idle, and unprofitable,
and even dangerous, to argue what God can do unless we also take into
account what he resolves to do. The angel does here what God frequently
does in Scripture, employs a general doctrine to confirm one kind of
promise. This is the true and proper use of a general doctrine, to apply
its scattered promises to the present subject, whenever we are uneasy or
distressed; for so long as they retain their general form, they make
little impression upon us. We need not wonder if Mary is reminded by the
angel of the power of God; for our distrust of it diminishes very
greatly our confidence in the promises. All acknowledge in words that
God is Almighty; but, if he promises any thing beyond what we are able
to comprehend, we remain in doubt.
[Note: .”
— “We are in a state of uncertainty, without being able to convince
ourselves of it.” — “.”
— Fr.]
Whence comes this but
from our ascribing to his power nothing more than what our senses
receive? Thus Paul, commending the faith of Abraham, says, that he
“gave glory to God, being fully
persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform,” (Romans
4:20, 21.)
In another passage, speaking of
the hope of eternal life, he sets before him the promise of God. “I
know,” says he,
“whom I have believed, and I am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him,”
(2
Timothy 1:12.)
This may seem to be a small
portion of faith; for no man, however wicked, openly denies God’s claim
to be Almighty. But he who has the power of God firmly and thoroughly
fixed in his heart will easily surmount the other obstacles which
present themselves to faith. It ought to be observed, however, that the
power of God is viewed by true faith, if I may use the expression, as
efficacious
[Note:
]
For God is and
wishes to be acknowledged as powerful, that by the accomplishment itself
he may prove his faithfulness.
38. Behold the
handmaid of the Lord The holy virgin does not allow herself to
dispute any farther: and yet many things might unquestionably have
obtruded themselves, to repress that faith, and even to draw off her
attention from what was said to her by the angel. But she stops the
entrance of opposing arguments, and compels herself to obey. This is the
real proof of faith, when we restrain our minds, and, as it were, hold
them captive, so that they dare not reply this or that to God: for
boldness in disputing, on the other hand, is the mother of unbelief.
These are weighty expressions, Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
for she gives and devotes herself unreservedly to God, that he may
freely dispose of her according to his pleasure. Unbelievers withdraw
from his hand, and, as far as lies in their power, obstruct his work:
but faith presents us before God, that we may be ready to yield
obedience. But if the holy virgin was the handmaid of the Lord,
because she yielded herself submissively to his authority, there cannot
be worse obstinacy than to fly from him, and to refuse that obedience
which he deserves and requires. In a word, as faith alone makes us
obedient servants to God, and gives us up to his power, so unbelief
makes us rebels and deserters. Be it unto me This clause may be
interpreted in two ways. Either the holy virgin, leaving her former
subject,
[Note:
]
betakes herself
suddenly to prayers and supplications; or, she proceeds in the same
strain
[Note: .”
— “.”]
to yield and surrender
herself to God. I interpret it simply that she is convinced of the power
of God, follows cheerfully where he calls, trusts also to his promise,
and not only expects, but eagerly desires, its accomplishment. [We must
also observe that she is convinced on the word of the angel, because she
knows that it proceeded from God: valuing its credit, not with reference
to him who was its messenger, but with reference to him who was its
author.
[Note: .”]
