not enough" all generations" were to call her so. Accordingly, she continues, and will continue, to be esteemed and acknowledged peculiarly happy and honoured. It is unnecessary to repeat here what has been already stated as to the extremes of disrespect and of superstitious and idolatrous regard.

"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." Where infinite power and infinite holiness meet together, great things may be expected as the result. It is very observable here, too, how Mary attributes all to God, and nothing to herself. She thus teaches future generations in what sense they were to call her blessednamely, not as one who had merited any thing at the hands of God, but as one to whom he had shown great grace.

"And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation." * After dwelling for some time on her personal reasons of gratitude to God, Mary takes a wider view of the subject, and glances at the displays of divine mercy, more or less clearly manifested, through a Redeemer, to God's people in all ages. While, in one sense, God's tender mercies are over all his works, and while his mercy, in the strictest sense, is offered to all offenders, his mercy is actually upon those who fear him. It is received in its pardoning and sanctifying energy by believers of all generations. It extended back to the first believer after the fall, and it will extend forward to the last believer, before the general conflagration,

says

"He hath showed strength with his arm." Speaking after the manner of men, the finger, or hand, or arm of the Lord, is used to denote his power, though it must not for a moment be imagined that God, who is a spirit, has any bodily shape or parts. "Thou hast a mighty arm," the Psalmist; "strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. O sing unto the Lord, for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory." Never, certainly, did the Lord do so great things for men, as when he sent his Son into the world to save them. The same power, too, which was exerted in this great and leading work, in general, must be engaged in our behalf in particular, if we are to expect to be saved. If we stand opposed to his arm, we must to a certainty be destroyed. If we are under its protection, nothing can harm us. May

*We have almost the same words in Ps. ciii. 17: "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting," &c.

the arm of the Lord be savingly revealed to us, that we may be made willing in the day of his power; so shall he be our help and shield, and under his covert we shall be safe.

"He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts." Often had God, in former times, shown his power and wisdom in scattering those who, in their wickedness and pride, rose up against him, and in confounding the devices which they had framed in the imaginations, or reasonings, of their own mind: "In the thing wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them." It seems, indeed, to be his usual method, in the course of providence, to disappoint the expectations of his enemies, to blast their projects, and to bring them into inextricable difficulties, by means of those very schemes by which they expected to carry all before them. He turns the counsel of many an Ahithophel into foolishness. But never were God's might and contrivance, in this way, so signally illustrated as in the method of salvation through a crucified Redeemer. The death of Jesus, on which wicked men and devils were so much bent, was the great means of the overthrow of the kingdom of darkness; and the scheme of free salvation is admirably suited both to promote the restoration of sinners to the favour and image of their Maker, and to stain the pride of all human glory. If, my friends, we would be saved, we must learn to give way before the wisdom and power of the God of grace, and to cease from our own wisdom, which, after all, is but foolishness. May the weapons, the arguments, and the influences which he employs, prove mighty to pull down all our mental strongholds, to cast down all our imaginations, and to bring our every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

"He hath put down the mighty from their seats," or thrones, "and exalted them of low degree." In illustration of the way in which these two contrasted truths were exemplified in ancient times, it may suffice, without quoting their histories at length, to mention, on the one hand, Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar; and on the other, Joseph, David, and Daniel. Occasional instances of a similar nature occur throughout the whole tenor of human history. The extraordinary exaltations and reverses which have occurred during our own times, must be fresh in the memory of most of us. All these we ought to view, not as the fortuitous result of mere human passions, and human agency, but as the orderly steps in a divinely arranged plan.

"Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south; but God is the judge; he putteth down one, and setteth up another." It is likely that Mary had here an eye to herself being taken from a lowly station to be the mother of the Saviour. Often does God, in his kingdom of providence, advance persons of abject condition to situations of wealth, and power, and splendour: "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people." But this is the method which the Lord always follows in his kingdom of grace. In what state does he originally find his people, but lying in the dust of spiritual degradation, and defilement, and debt, and beggary? And it is from this forlorn condition that he, with his own gracious hand, lifts them up, that he may bless them with all the blessings, and honour them with all the honours of his favour, and make them kings and priests to himself.

"He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away." The sovereign goodness of God towards Mary herself was but a specimen of his general method of procedure both in providence and in grace. He often supplies the wants, nay, enriches the condition, of the literally hungry and poor, and he often reduces the literally rich to penury and distress. But it is in the spiritual sense that this declaration seems chiefly intended to be understood, and is most edifying. The rich are the self-righteous, who imagine themselves in possession of excellence of character, and of the divine power-who think they are rich and increased in goods, and stand in need of nothing, and know not that they are wretched, and poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked. The hungry are they who are sensible of their ignorant, and guilty, and sinful, and perishing condition. If the rich, in their own esteem, condescend to apply to God at all, they do so in so proud and unbecoming a manner that he dismisses them without granting their request. But on the hungry-those who feel their need of Christ, and earnestly long for mercy-on those God bestows in rich abundance all the blessings of salvation. This is strikingly taught in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee did not come to ask for any thing, but in the spirit of pride thanked God that he was not like other men; the Publican came to ask all, knowing that he needed all, and he anxiously cried out : "God be merciful to me a sinner."

“I tell you,” said our Lord, "this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Let us, therefore, habitually keep in mind this principle in the divine procedure. In retiring to seek the Lord in secret, or in approaching into his presence in public, let us remember that he resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Let us beware of the high look and the vaunting word, and even of the self-complacent thought, lest our services be sin, our presence odious in his sight, and our departure unblessed, and unaccompanied with any communications of light, or love, or holiness. Let us study to feel ourselves poor and helpless, as we really are, and also to long earnestly for the supply of our wants-to hunger and thirst after righteousness, that we may be blessed and filled. Let us draw near to God with humility and abasement; let us mourn before him the iniquities of our past lives, and the manifold sins and infirmities which still beset us; let us implore mercy with an earnest and a trembling heart; let us, according to God's own appointed way, cast ourselves on his free grace, offered through faith in the atonement of his Son; let us abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes; and let us pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, that he would fill us with the good things of his promises, and supply all our need out of his riches in glory by Jesus Christ. In this way, we may expect that there will come upon us the blessedness of the poor in spirit, and that ours will be the kingdom of heaven.

"

Mary concludes her sublime song in these words, verses 54, 55: "He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever." Israel is here called God's "servant."* The word originally signifies, and might have been rendered "child," or son: Israel was, doubtless, both God's servant and son. Probably the word may be used here by way of endearment, as when God calls Ephraim his dear son, and a pleasant child."+ In its most comprehensive sense, the word "Israel" includes all believers in every age. Often had God helped Israel before, but the greatest help he ever sent him was when he sent Messiah.

* Taida, Acts iv. 25. "Eo die pueri tui mihi a te literas reddiderunt." -Cicero ad Atticum.

Jer. xxxi. 20.

This he did in remembrance and in fulfilment of the promise made to the patriarchs, and especially to Abraham, in whose seed all the families of the earth were to be blessed. This was a promise of mercy for ever, of everlasting mercy which was to be upon all the believing seed of Abraham to latest generations.

Mary prolonged her stay with Elisabeth (verse 56) for about three months, till Elisabeth's full time was come, and then returned to her own home at Nazareth.

From this passage let us learn,

can.

1. To seek the society of the pious. We have seen that Mary took a long journey to visit Elisabeth, and remained with her three months. We have also considered what passed between them on Mary's arrival, and there can be no doubt that the general tenor of their intercourse during the whole period was mutually delightful and edifying. Now, the example of two so honoured and pious individuals well deserves to be carefully considered and imitated. It is a great privilege, when it is the lot of pious persons to be permanently residing under the same roof with those who are of like mind with themselves. All who are thus situated ought to be grateful to God, attached to each other, and studious to be of all the use to each other they In addition to this, but especially where this is wanting, it will be found useful for Christians prudently to cultivate occasional intercourse with well-disposed persons who are not members of their own family. As to who these associates ought to be, by what means they should contrive to meet, how frequently their visits ought to be made, and how long protracted-these, and similar questions, must be settled by the good sense of the parties in each particular As to the propriety and utility, however, of such intercourse, generally speaking, there can be no doubt. Remember, my friends, that a sincere inward attachment to the followers of Christ, is one of the most intelligible marks of a state of grace. "We know," says John, "that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren." And are not such persons highly deserving of your love and esteem? Are not the saints the excellent of the earth, in whom should be all your delight? And if you really esteem them as you ought, will you not feel inclined to seek their society? Such has been the practice of the people of God in all ages, and it would be well that it were still more attended to. "I am a companion," said David,

case.