MATT.

MARK.

LUKE.

ACTS.

CHAP. XVI. CHAP. XXIV. CHAP. I.

V 156. Jesus's
Ascension.

50 |Andhe led
them out as far as
to Bethany,* & he
lifted up hishands,

and blessed them. 19 So then, 51 And

9 And it came to pass, after the Lord had

when he had spoken

spokenthesethings unto them,

while he blessed them,

while they beheld, he was

he was parted from them,

taken up;
and a cloud receiv-
ed him out of their

sight.
he wasreceived up

and carried up
into heaven, into heaven.
and sat on theright
hand of God.

10 | And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel ;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee,why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like

• Place....Bethany.

MATT.

MARK.

LUKE.

ACTS.

CHAP. XVI. CHAP. XXIV. CHAP. I.

manner as ye have seen him go into

heaven. 52 And they worshipped him,

and 12 | Then returned to returnedthey unto Jerusalem Jerusalem

from the mount called Olivetwhich is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's

journey with great joy:

53 And were
continually in the
temple, praising
and blessing God.

Amen.
20 And they went
forth, and preach-
ed everywhere,
the Lord working
with them, and
confirming the
word with signs
following. Amen.

JOHN.
CHAP. XX.

Ø 157. John's Conclusion.

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence ofhis disciples, which are not written in this book :

MATTHEW.

MARK

LUKE,

JOHN

CHAP. XX. might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

C. XXI.

25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Page

3. John i. 15. The transposition of this verse after the 18th,

according to Wakefield and Markland, renders the passage more clear and connected

Luke i. 5. Of the course of Abia. The priesthood was divided into twe ty four courses; (See 1 Chron. xxiv. 10.) and over each course was placed a priest, hence denominated the

high priest
4. Luke i. 9. His lot was to burn incense. Each course in

seven divisions served for the week, and each division was
appointed, by lot, to its peculiar service.
14. Luke i. 15. He shall b filled with the Holy Ghost. This
obsolete term in many instances casts an. bscurity over the
scriptures, and it may now be sufficient generally to observe,
its proper translation from the Greek "the Holy Spirit” is

more easily understood.
5. Luke i. 22. And when he came out, &c. By the vision is

meant, the appearance of God, by an angel, to the priest, to reveal his will. This was wont to take place at the time of offering the incense. Hence the people readily concluded, by his delay and his seeming speechless, that he had been thus

favoured.-Hammond. 9. Luke i. 69. Hath raised up an horn of salvation. The

word horn is used in the scriptures emblematically to denote strength or power ; Lame:it. ii. 3, 17. Psalms lxxv. 10. also honour and triumph, as when the horn“ is exalted ;" Psalm lxxxix. 24. From the union of these it signifies the power of a king or kingdom, Rev. xiii. 1. This seems the import of the word in this place. The house of David be. ing the regal family, and Saviour implying ruler and prince, (See Obad. 21.) the horn of salvation in the house of David,

denotes the kingdom of Christ. 10. Matt. i. 19. Not willing to make her a public example. The

punishment ordained by the Jewish law in this case was to be stoned to death, Deut. xxii. to prevent which Joseph, from motives of humanity, intended to give up the betrothment, or divorce her before the marriage was consummated. This might be done, by giving her a bill of divorcement, in the presence of some mutual friends, and one or two of the Rabbins, without specifying to them the reasons for his conduct.-Willan.

a

a

Page 11. Matt. i. 22. That it might be fulfilled. (Wakefield renders

it “ Was so done as to be fulfilled.”) Where there is a direct prophecy in the Old Testament, the event did not take place for the mere purpose of fulfilling it; but God predetermined a fit event, and foretold it by his prophets.- Newcome.

Luke ii. 1. All the world should be taxed. This mode of expression was not peculiar to St. Luke, for the sacred writers of the Old Testament often give Judea the name of the whole earth. (Jos. xi. 23. Jer. i. 18, &c.) which the seventy most commonly render by the habitable world. Isaiah xii. 5.

Beausobre and Lenfant. 13. Matt. i. Luke iii. The genealogy. The genealogy by Luke

is inverted, that it may be more easily compared with the other. The difference observed in the genealogies of the two evangelists may be thus accounted for. Matthew writing for the Jews, who reckoned their descent by the male line, gave that of Joseph the supposed father of Christ ; Luke, composing his history for the use of the Gentiles, gave

the genealogy on the side of the mother, neglecting that of Joseph, which would to them be of little importance. The Talmud calls Mary, Heli's daughter, Joseph being nearest of kin married her (the only child and heiress of Heli.) As such he had a right to the inheritance of his father-in-law. (See Numbers xxxvi. 7, 9.) Joseph is therefore stiled the son of Heli. This is termed the legal or civil genealogy.

Newcome, &c. It is indeed objected, that it was never known or customary among the Jews to deduce the descent through the female line. But this is a mistake (1 Chron. ii. 22.) Jair is reckoned among the posterity of Judah. But because the grand

b father of Jair, v. 21. had married the daughter of Machir, of a noble house in the tribe of Manasseh, ib. vii. 14. therefore the same Jair is called (Numb. xxxii. 41.) the son of Manasseh. So also (Ezra ii. 61.) we find a family entitled the children of Barzillai, because one of their ancestors took a wife of Barzillia the Gileadite.--Townson.

Some are of opinion, that Luke carried up the pedigree from Abraliam to Adam, to intimate the right of the Gentiles

to the Messiah. 17, 18. Luke ii. 22. 24. See Leviticus xii. 1--6. Numb. xviii.

15, 16. 18. Luke ii. 25. Waiting for the consolation of Israel. The

usual phrase for the coming of the Messiah, taken from

Isaiah xlix. 13. lii. 9. lxvi. 13. Jerem. xxxi. 13, &c. 19. Luke ii. 36, Anna a prophetess. The proper definition of

a prophet may be collected from Numb. xii. 6. “If there be a prophet amongst you, I, the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream.” That