14 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED rias, require a fign ; but modeflly inquired how her pregnancy could be affeaed in her virgin hate. How, Paid the, can tkis be, Teeing I know not a man? Towhich the angel, with conclefcending goodnefs, replied, The Holy Ghoft (hall come upon thee, and the power of the Higheft (hall overfhadow thee : therefore alfo that holy thing which (hall be born of thee(hall be called the Son of God. And though the holy maid had not required a lip, , where- by The might be allured of the certainty ofan event fo wonderful, and contrary to the eflablifhed order of nature, the hea- venly guefl was pleafed to give her this fatisfaélion : And behold, faid he, thy coufin Elizabeth, The hash alfo conceived a fon in her old age, and this is the fxth month with her who was called barren : for with God nothing flail -be impoffible. This reply was accompanied, with fuch a manifefiation of the Divine Prefence, that it removed every fear, and filled the won- dering maid with heavenly gladnefs, which fhe had not knownbefore. The expeEla- tion of the MESSIAH was.general at this time throughout the Jewifh nation, and firong were the defires of Judah's daugh- ters for the honour and happinefs of be- ing the mother of the.Redeemer of Ifrael ; and the holy maid, it may be expelled, had ardently willed for this great bleflìng: fo that, with growing joy and exultation, The immediately replied to the bright arch- angel, Behold the handmaidof the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. Soon after the departure of the angel, the holy Virgin, regarding with joy of heart what the heavenly meffenger had related concerning her relation and friend, went to the hill country of Judea, to pay a vifit to her coufin Elizabeth. It is fup- pofed that Zacharias lived at Hebron,' the city of David, before he went to Jerufa- lenì, formerly inhabited by giants, but taken by Jofhua t and, when the land was divided, given to the tribe of Judah : which city was about feventy miles from Nazareth. The joy that infpired the bleffed Virgin,. gave her fuch a flow of fpirits, that The lightly tripped over the mountains ; and as foon as The arrived at the houle of her dear relative, the pious matron was filled with divine illumina- tionsand fo àflefted at the found of the maiden's voice, that the evangelift informs us, the babe leaped in her womb. And, be- ing filled with heavenly rapture, The ad- dreffed the wondering maid in the fame language which The had lately heard from the angel, Blefed art thou amongft women; to which The added, and bled is the fruit of thy womb : and hill continuing full of heavenly ardour, The exclaimed, Andwhence is this to me, that the mother ofmy Lord fhould come to me! She then proceeded immediately to inform her of her happy pregnancy, For lo, faid The, asloon as the voice of thyfalutationfounded in nine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And then, in full affurance of the fulfilment of the divine prediftions refpeaing them both, The added, And bled is foe that believeth, for there(hall be a performance of thoft things which were told her from the Lord. The divine flame of holy love and joy, which glowed in the heart of the pious matron, loon catched in the bofom of the holy Virgin ; who, confirmed be- yond all pofiibility of a doubt, in the truth of the angel's prediftions, by what The had now heard from her dear relation, proceeded with a heart full of holy gra- titude and humble joy, to biefs, and praife, and magnify the name of the Lord, for his great goodnefs to her, in appointing her to be the mother of the Meffìah. After three months hay with her dear relative, the Virgin Mary returned to her own city Nazareth ; and being now the fourth month, her pregnancy plainly ap- peared ; which gave great concern to Jo- feph her efpoufed hufband. But though he apprehended The had been feduced, yet having a fincereaffehl:ion for her, and being of a kind compaflionate difpofition, he
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