S. Matthew's Day, SEPTEMBER 21. COLLECT FOR S. MATTHEW'S DAY. ALMIGHTY GOD, Who by Thy Blessed Son didst call Matthew from the receipt of custom to be an Apostle and Evangelist; Grant us grace to forsake all covetous desires, and inordinate love of riches, and to follow the same Thy Son Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. THE THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. MATTHEW. CHAPTER I. Genealogy of Christ. Miraculous Conception and Birth of Christ. Misdeeming thoughts of Joseph removed. Prophecy of Isaiah concerning the Blessed Virgin. HE book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2. Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his breth The Gospel-i.e. the good tid-ing, What think ye of Christ? ings. What?-viz. that "the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us" (John i. 14), and that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. iii. 15). According to S. Matthew-i.e. as S. Matthew was inspired to relate it. whose Son is He? They say unto Him, The son of David" (xxiii. 41, 42). Further, the Christ was to be a King, "Messiah the Prince" (Dan. ix. 25). And Jesus was a King; for the angel Gabriel said at the Annunciation, that "the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David" (Luke i. 32). But the Messiah's kingdom was to be spiritual, not temporal ("My kingdom is not of this world," John xviii. 36); and it was to be universal, not national," the Gospel of the kingdom" (iv. 23) being meant Of Jesus Christ-i.e. of Jesus for 66 "" every creature (Mark the Christ. xvi. 15). CHAP. I. I. Book of the generation-to be taken in two senses: (1.) With a restricted meaning= pedigree (1-17), or list of the Christ's human ancestors; (2.) With an extended meaning biography, or narrative of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The son of David. Why this? The son of Abraham. This Because the Christ was expected remoter ancestor named, because to be the son of David. "Jesus "to Abraham and his seed were asked them [the Pharisees], say- the promises made. A And to ren; 3. and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4. and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5. and Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6. and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat thy seed, Which is Christ" (Gal. | written Amminadab (1 Chron. iií. 16). ii. 20). Abraham begat Isaac. "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age" (Gen. xxi. 2). Isaac begat Jacob. "And after that came his brother out, and his name was called Jacob" (Gen. xxv. 26). Jacob begat Judas-R.V. Judah. S. Paul says, "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda" (Heb. vii. 14). And his brethren-i.e. Judah's ten brothers and one sister, Dinah, the twelve children of Jacob, viz. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, by Leah (Gen. xxix. 32-35, xxx. 18, 20, 21); Dan and Naphtali, by Bilhah (Gen. xxx. 6-8); Gad and Asher, by Zilpah (Gen. xxx. 11, 13); Joseph, by Rachel (Gen. xxx. 22, 24). 3. Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar. Phares and Zara, twin brothers, incestuously born. to Judas: "Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bare him Phares and Zerah" (1 Chron. ii. 4). Phares begat Esrom-called Aminadab begat Naasson— written Naashon (Ex. vi. 23) and Nahson (1 Chron. ii. 20). Naasson begat Salmon-called Salma (1 Chron. ii 11). 5. Salmon begat Booz of Rachab- written Rahab (Josh. vi. 25)," Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive;" to which S. Paul refers: "by faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies in peace' (Heb. xi. 31). So, in respect of a sinful ancestress, did God send "His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. viii. 3). Booz begat Obed of Ruth. Booz, called Boaz (Ruth iv. 13, 21): "So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and . . . bare a son (Obed). 6. Jesse begat David the king. S. Paul says that God "raised up unto them David to be their king, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse" (Acts xiii. 22). David begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias— i.e. of Bathsheba. "She bare a son, and he [David] called his begat Aminadab-name Solomon " (2 Sam. xii. 24). Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7. and Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8. and Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9. and Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 7. Solomon begat Roboamcalled Rehoboam (1 Kings xi. 43): "And Solomon slept with his fathers, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead." In his time the ten tribes revolted in consequence of Rehoboam forsaking the counsel of the old men, and threatening to add to the yoke of the people and to chastise them with scorpions (1 Kings xii. 8, 11). Roboam begat Abia-called Abijam (1 Kings xv. 1, 3), a wicked king of Judah, who "walked in all the sins of his father." Abia begat Asa-a good king of Judah (contemporary with Jeroboam, king of Israel, 1 Kings xv. 9), who reigned forty years (2 Chron. xvi. 13): "Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord" (1 Kings xv. 11). Yet in his disease (in the thirtyninth year of his reign he was diseased in his feet) "he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians" (2 Chron. xvi. 12). 8. Asa begat Josaphat-called Jehoshaphat. A good king of Judah ("he sought the Lord God of his fathers, and walked in His commandments," 2 Chron. xvii. 4), who went up with Ahab, king of Israel, to the battle of Ramoth-Gilead (2 Chron. xix. 28). Josaphat begat Joram-called Jehoram, a wicked king of Judah; "he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord " (2 Chron. xxi. 1, 6). Joram begat-i.e. had for his great-grandson-Ozias, another wicked king of Judah, who "did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab" (2 Kings viii. 27). Ozias is called by four other names as well, viz. Uzziah (2 Kings xv. 32), Ahaziah (2 Chron. xx. 1, "So Ahaziah, son of Jehoram"), Azariah (2 Chron. xxii. 6), Jehoahaz (2 Chron. xxi. 17; xxv. 23). 9. Ozias begat Joatham-called Jotham (2 Kings xv. 7) and Joash (2 Kings xi. 2), a good king of Judah. Joatham begat Achaz-called Ahaz (2 Kings xv. 38) and Amaziah (2 Kings xii. 21), a wicked king of Judah, who "made his son to pass through the fire,... and he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places " (2 Kings xvi. 3, 4). Achaz begat Ezekias-called Hezekiah (2 Kings xvi. 20), one of the best of the kings of Judah, who "removed the high places, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had 10. and Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias; 11. and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 12. and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13. and Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14. and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achim begat Eliud; 15. and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16. and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it" (2 Kings xviii. 4). IO. Ezekias begat Manasses— written Manasseh (2 Kings xx. 21), a wicked king of Judah, who "built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he reared up altars for Baal, and worshipped all the host of heaven" (2 Kings xxi. 3). a Manasses begat Amon wicked king of Judah, who "walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them" (2 Kings xxi. 21). Amon begat Josias-called Josiah-the best of the kings of Judah, a great reformer: "and like unto him was there no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, neither after him arose there any like him" (2 Kings xxiii. 25). II. Josias begat-i.e. was succeeded by-Jechonias, called by two other names also, viz. Elia kim and Jehoiakim, 2 Kings xxiii. 34). And his brethren-i.e. his two brothers, Jehoahaz and Zedekiah (also called Mattaniah) (2 Kings xxiv. 17). About the time they were carried away to Babylon. The three captivities of portions of the people in the reigns of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, being viewed as one event. 12. Jechonias. Not the Jechonias of verse 11, but a nephew of Zedekiah. Salathiel-R. V. Shealtiel. Salathiel begat Zorobabelcalled Zerubbabel, son of Pedaiah (1 Chron. iii. 17). 13. Zorobabel begat Abiud— called Hananiah (1 Chron. iii. 19). Abiud begat Eliakim. The rest of the genealogy to verse 15, "Matthan begat Jacob," not recorded in the Old Testament. 16. Joseph the husband. Thus called as being betrothed: so Jacob said, "Give me my wife" before his marriage with Rachel (Gen. xxix. 21). Mary. Same name as Of |