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chosen the weak things of the world, to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; That no flesh should glory in his presence, 1 Cor. i. 26-29. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? James ii. 5.

And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked, Luke xi. 27.

VER. 49.

Ὅτι ἐποίησέ μοι μεγαλεῖα ὁ δυνατὸς, καὶ ἅγιον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ.

For ahe that is mighty hath done to me great things; band holy is his name.

a Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle, Psal. xxiv. 8. Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people, lxxxix. 19. Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies, Isa. i. 24. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save, Ixiii. 1. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might, Jer. x. 6.

Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders, Exod. xv. 11. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God, 1 Sam. ii. 2. Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy, Psal. xcix. 3. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy, 9. He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded

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his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name, cxi. 9. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory, Isa. vi. 3. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, lvii. 15. And they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come,' Rev. iv. 8. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy, xv. 4.

VER. 50.

Καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν τοῖς polovμévois AŮTÓV.

a And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments, Exod. xx. 6. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, xxxiv. 6, 7. Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men, Psal. xxxi. 19. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land, lxxxv. 9. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him, ciii. 11. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children, 17. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great, cxv. 13. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever, cxviii. 4. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them, cxlv. 19. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy, cxlvii. 11. Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remem.

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brance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him, Mal. iii. 16, 17.

VER. 51.

Εποίησε κράτος ἐν βραχίονι αὑτοῦ· διεσκόρπισεν ὑπερηφάνους διανοία καρδίας αὐτ τῶν.

a He hath shewed strength with his arm; bhe hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

a Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, Ŏ LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy, Exod. xv. 6. Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them, 12. Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Deut. iv. 34. Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand, Psal. lxxxix. 13. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for ne hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory, xcviii. 1. The right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. The right hand of the LORD is exalted the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly, cxviii. 15, 16. Behold, the LORD GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him, Isa. xl. 10. Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old, li. 9. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, lii. 10. That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name, lxiii. 12.

b Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them, Exod. xviii. 11. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The

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kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath: and vex them in his sore displeasure, Psal. ii. 1-5. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will hath performed his whole work upon punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; and shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them, Isa. x. 12—19. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder: yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, 1 Pet. v. 5.

VER. 52. Καθεῖλε δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων, καὶ ὕψωσε ranevous.

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a He hath put down the mighty from | things; bund the rich he hath sent empty their seats, band exalted them of low degree.

a The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength, 1 Sam. ii. 4. He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead, Job xxxiv. 24. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent : in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it, Ezek. xvii. 22-24.

bThe LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory, 1 Sam. ii. 7,8. Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: to set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety, Job v. 10, 11. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock, Psal. cvii. 41. 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, cxiii. 7, 8. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away, James i. 9, 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up, iv. 10.

VER. 53. Πεινῶντας ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ πλουτοῦντας ἐξαπέστειλε κενούς.

a He hath filled the hungry with good

a See on Matt. v. ver. 6. clause 2.
b See on chap. vi. ver. 24.
VER. 54.

̓Αντελάβετο Ἰσραὴλ παιδὸς αὑτοῦ, μνησθῆναι ἐλέους,

a He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

a And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life, ver. 69— 75. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God, Psal. xcviii. 3. Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me, Isa. xliv. 21. Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am he; and even to hoary hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver_you, xlvi. 3, 4. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers, and they that made thee waste, shall go forth of thee, Isa. xlix. 14-17. Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more

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the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. O'thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth

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the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD; and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord, liv. For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of

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the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken, Ixii. Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: but they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased. Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased I have done these things unto thee. Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the

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manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God, Jer. xxx. 7-22. At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God. For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a Father to Israel, and

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