so that it came to pass, or fell out that what the Prophet said was realized.

II.- -1. "Now when Jesus was born." The translation here does not express the sense of the original: it was after, as Doddridge renders it, sometime after, a year perhaps or more.-Ostervald.

II. 2. "To worship him." To prostrate ourselves before him a ceremony still used to eastern princes; which they call worshipping. Cornelius Nepos refers to this in his account of Conon: "Necesse est enim, si in conspectum veneris, venerari te regem."

11.-9. "The star-went before them." If this was strictly a star, it might then lead or guide them. It might, however, be a meteor.

II.-14. "And departed into Egypt." It has been asserted that Christ learnt magic arts in Egypt. We find however, that he returned to Galilee when an infant. Hence Grotius says, "Nam fuisse Jesum unquam in Ægypto, non constat, nisi ex discipulorum libris, qui addunt, infantem adhuc inde rediisse."-De Verit. Rel. Christ. Lib. 5th.

II.-17. "Then was fulfilled," &c. The circumstance referred to, is in Jer. xxxi. 15. and though not a prediction of the present event, yet it may very pertinently be applied and hence said to be fulfilled or exemplified.

II. 22. " But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judæa, in room of his father Herod." Archelaus was of a most cruel disposition: in the beginning of his reign he caused three thousand Jews to be massacred in the temple. Herod had a numerous offspring by his different wives, although their number was greatly reduced by his unnatural cruelty in putting many of them to death. The annexed table will perhaps be found useful in distinguishing the particular persons of this family, whose names occur in the Evangelical histories.

Antipas or Antipater, an Idumean,

Appointed prefect of Judæa and Syria by J. Cæsar.

Herod mis-named the Great, by his will divided his dominions among his three sons, Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Herod Philip. Vide Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. page 99.

II.-23. "He shall be called a Nazarene." These words are not to be found in the writings of the prophets; yet as the things meant thereby often occur in them, the applica

tion is made with sufficient propriety. also the lxix. 9 & 10. Isaiah lii. & liii.

Vide Psm. xxii. 6. Zech. xi. 12 & 13.

III. 1. "In those days came John the Baptist." The antient sovereigns of Hindoostan used to send persons to precede them in their journies, and command the inhabitants to clear the roads; a very necessary step in a country where there are scarcely any public roads.-Horne, vol. iii. page 90.

III.3. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." St. Matthew has quoted so much of the prophecy as answered his design in laying his statement before the Jews. St. Luke, however, proceeds further, in order to assure the Gentiles that they were destined to be partakers of the privileges of the Gospel and to see the salvation of God.-Horne, vol. ii. p. 435. 1 III.- -4. "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair." This was made of the long and shaggy hair of camels, which is in the East manufactured into a coarse stuff, antiently worn by monks and anchorites. It is only when understood in this way, that the words suit the description here given of John's manner of life.-Vide Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. ii. page 1165.

"His meat was locusts and wild honey." The Jews were permitted to eat locusts, and if we may believe Pliny, they made a considerable part of the food of Parthians and Ethi-opians: when sprinkled with salt and fried, they are not in taste unlike our fresh-water cray-fish. The wild honey was probably that deposited by bees in the hollow trunks of trees, these insects being very numerous in Palestine.--Ostervald.

III.- -9. "These stones." John may here allude to the Gentiles, some of whom, probably, were standing by.

III.-11. "Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear." The custom of loosing the sandals from off the feet of an Eastern worshipper was antient and indispensable. It is also commonly observed in visits to great men. The sandals or slip

pers are pulled off at the door, and either left there, or given to a servant to bear. This was the work of servants among the Jews and it was reckoned so servile that it was thought too mean for a scholar or a disciple to do. The Jews say "All services which a servant does for his master a disciple does for his master, except unloosing his shoes."-Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. ii, page 1166.

III.- -12. "Whose fan is in his hand." It was customary antiently, to winnow corn by throwing it against the wind with a shovel: Dr. Shaw, therefore, thinks that the Greek word rendered fan might more properly have been translated shovel.

IV.-5.

"Setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple." The south-east corner of the roof of what Josephus terms the Royal Portico of the temple is supposed to be the spot of this pinnacle or wing. See this more at large in Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. page 229.

IV.-8. "And sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them." By the world is probably meant the Roman empire, because it was the most considerable part of it: and in this sense the word world must frequently be taken.-Ostervald.

IV.-16. "The people which sat in darkness, saw great light." The prophetic denunciation of a future event will be often expressed in the past tense, in order to indicate the certainty of its occurrence. Vide Professor Lee's Hebrew Grammar, page 353.

V.-5. "For they shall inherit the earth." Concerning the Holy Land, a celebrated author in his "Introduction" observes, "This country has, in different ages, been called by various names, which have been derived either from its inhabitants, or from the extraordinary circumstances attached to it. Jer. iv. 20. it is termed generally the land and hence both in the Old and New Testament the word which is

sometimes rendered earth, is by the context in many places determined to mean the promised land of Israel."-Horne, vol. iii. page 1.

This passage was literally fulfilled when the believing Jews returned to their own country after the destruction of Jerusalem.-Ostervald.

V.-9. "Shall be called the children of God." The terms to be called, to arise, and to be found, are the same as to be, with the Hebrews, and this latter is in the Old Testament frequently expressed by the former. Accordingly, these terms in the New Testament, are often employed one for the other.-Horne, vol. ii. page 25.

V.-13. "If the salt has lost its savour." Our Lord's supposition of the salt losing its savour is illustrated by Mr. Maundrell, (Journey, page 162) who tells us, that in the Valley of Salt near Gebul, and about four hours' journey from Aleppo, there is a small precipice occasioned by the continual taking away of the salt. see how the veins of it lie. that part exposed to the rain, sparks and particles of salt, yet had perfectly lost its savour. The innermost, which had been connected to the rock, retained its savour, as I found by proof.-Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. i. page 258.

"In this," says he, "you may I broke a piece of it of which sun, and air, though it had the

V.—14. “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Maundrell says, there is a city called Saphet, supposed to be the antient Bethulia, which, standing on a high hill, might easily be seen from the mountain on which Christ made his discourse; and probably, supposes that he might point to that here, as afterwards he did to the birds and lilies: Matt. vi. 26. 28.-Ostervald.

V.-15. "Neither do men light a candle." The original word should be translated lamp, agreeably to the antient

custom.