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60 And his mother answered, and faid, Not fo; but he thall be called John.

61 And they faid unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

62 And they made figns to his father, how he would have him called.

63 And he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, faying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue lofed, and he fpake, and praised God.

65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noifed abroad throughout all the hill-country of Judea.

66 And all they that had heard them, laid them up in their hearts, faying, What manner of child fhall this be? and the hand of the Lord was with him.

JOHN,

while his Mother who understood from her Husband what name was to be given him, pleaded that he should be named John, they oppos'd his being fo call'd, becaufe none of his Relations it appear'd had ever been of that name: not agreeing therefore about this matter, they enquir'd by Signs of Zacharias, who was ftill deaf and dumb, what name he would have his Son call'd by. He by Signs prefently order'd a writing Table to be brought him, took it, and wrote the name John upon it, which they all wonder'd at, it being cuftomary to name Children' after fome one or other of their Ancestors.

Zacharias had no fooner written the name of his Son, but he inftantly recover'd the former use both of his Ears and Tongue, and began to give thanks to God with a very audible Voice, which ftruck the Minds of all the Neighbors with the greatest wonder mixt with fear, and was divulg'd together with the other things I have related concerning the Birth of John through all the hill Country of Fuder. So that it made a deep Impreffion upon every one's Memory who heard it, and rais'd the expectation of all to obferve what should attend this Child; fince fuch wonder

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67 And his father Zachari -as was filled with the holy Ghoft, and prophefied, faying,

68 Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael, for he hath vifited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of falvation for us, in the houfe of his fervant David;

70 As he fpake by the <mouth of his holy prophets, which have been fince the world began;

71 That we should be faved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us.

72 To perform the mercy promifed to our fathers, and to * remember his holy covenant: 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

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74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our ene

mies, might ferve him with*out fear,

75 In holiness and righte oufnefs before him, all the days of our life.

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JOHN.

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ful things had preceded and followed his Birth. His Father Zacharias, as was faid, having recover'd his Speech, and being influenc'd by the Holy Spirit, pronounc'd the following Prophecy Praise be given to the great Creator of the Univerfe, whom the Ifraelites adore; because the time of : their Deliverance by him approaches. He will fhortly raife up that King of the family of David (who fo devoutly worship'd him heretofore) that fhall be the Saviour of his People, and who was many Ages ago promis'd us by the Prophets. He fhall deliver us from our Enemies, and all that hate us without caufe. He will now beftow on us the favours he promis'd our Ancestors by the Covemant he made with them, and the Oath by which he affur'd Abraham the Father of our Nation, that the time fhould come in which we should be fav'd from the fear of all our Enemies, to ferve him freely, joining Sanctity and Righteoufnefs to our religious Worship, through the whole courfe of our Lives. And thee, O Child,

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LUKE.

С НА Р. 1.

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76 And thou child fhalt be called the prophet of the Higheft: for thou shalt go be efore the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways;

77 To give knowledg of falvation unto his people, by the remiffion of their fins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-fpring from on high hath vifited us,

79 To give light to them that fit in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, to guide your feet into the way of peace.

8c And the child grew, and waxed ftrong in fpirit, and was in the deferts till the day of his fhewing unto Ifrael.

JOHN

Child, all fhall efteem a Prophet of God, for thou fhalt call the Jews to Repentance and a new Life, and fo before Chrift manifefts himself to them shall prepare their Minds as 'tis meet to receive him. Thou shalt inform thy Countrymen that > their Salvation is at the door, and that if they turn to a holy courfe of Life God will give them a remiffion of their Sins, feeing he is infinitely merciful, and is pleas'd to cause the new Light of Chrift, who will fuddenly be fent from Heaven, to arife, and enlighten us who have been wandring in the mifts of, Ignorance, and direct us into the way of Salvation.

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As the Child grew up, he improved in wifdom and ftrength of Mind beyond what was common, and was more frequently in Solitudes than Towns and Cities, until he receiv'd his Commiffion from God to go, and preach Repentance to his Country

men.

(CHAP.

MATTHEW.

С НА Р. І.

18 Now the birth of Tefus Chrift was on this wife: When as his mother Mary was efpoufed to Jofeph, before they came together, the was found with child of the holy Ghoft.

19 Then Jofeph her hufband,being a juft man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, faying, Jofeph thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her, is of the holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a fon, and thou shalt call his name Jefus: for he shall fave his people from their fins.

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CHA P. III.

The Birth and Lineage of Chrift.

To return now to Chrift: His Mother, as I faid before, had promis'd marriage to Jofeph, who perceiv'd fhe was big with child before they had as yet cohabited, which was effected by the power of the Holy Ghoft, as had been foretold by the Angel, but was unknown to Jofeph. However being of a meek and merciful difpofition, he fo much pitied her condition, that he would not put her away publickly, fo as to proclaim the reafon of her difmiflion to her greateft infamy, but chofe rather to caft her off privately, that her Reputation might fuffer as little as poffible. His mind being bufied in thefe matters, an Angel appear'd to him in a dream, and bid him not fear to take Mary home to him for his Wife, telling him the was not with child by any unlawful Act, but by an extraordinary operation of the Divine Power, and that the fhould be deliver'd of a Son who should be nam'd Jefus, that is, a Saviour; because he fhould fave the People of Judea, tho not from the Yoke of the Romans, yet from their Vices and Miseries, which was a matter of much greater concern to them.

Joseph

СНА Р. І.

22 (Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying,

23 Behold a virgin fhall be with child, and shall bring forth a fon, and they fhall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted, is, God with us)

24 Then Jofeph being raised from fleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till fhe had brought forth her first-born fon; and he called his name Jefus.

CHA P. II.

AND it came to pass in

those days,that there went out a decree from Cefar Auguftus, that all the world fhould be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was firft made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria)

Jofeph being awak'd from his Dream, perceiv'd it had been fent by God; as well becaufe Mary upon his enquiry, related to him what had happen'd to her juft after the fame manner as the Angel had told him in his fleep, as for other reafons. Upon this he took Mary to his houfe, but knew her not till he was deliver'd of the Son fhe went with, conceiv'd in her Virginity; who when he was born was nam'd. Fefus. Which exactly agrees with that antient Prophecy of Ifaiah; Behold a Virgin fhall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, that is, God with us. In the mean time an Edict of Auguftus was brought into Judea, by which he ordain'd, that a general Account should be taken of the number of the People, not only in the Provinces of the People of Rome, but alfo in thofe neighboring Kingdoms in which Kings were conftituted by the Romans. This firft Calculation of the number of the Jews, was made before the Tribute which was levied by P. Sulpicius Quirinus Prefident of Syria, after Archelaus was banish'd, and Judea reduc'd into the

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