The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-01-09
THE SONG OF MARY.
International Sun day school Lesson for
January 12, 1890.

1LESoON lEAl--huhc l.fO-OOs
GOLDEN TExT-My soul doth magnify
the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in
God my Saviour.-Luke 1:48, AZ.
TIME-Early in April, B. G. s, six
months after the last lesson.
PLACE-At the Home of Zacharias
and Elizabeth, the parents of John the
Baptist, in the hill country Of Judea;
probably at Hebron; about twenty miles
south Of Jerusalem.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES beam from
the new Era that is about to dawn now
lights up the horizon. Six months after
the announcement to Zacharias that he
should have a son who should be the
forerunner of the Messiah, the angel
Gabriel announced to Mary that she
should be the mother Of the Messiah
himself. The beautiful hymn of our
lesson to-day expresses her feelings in
view of this blessing.
MARY THE MOTHER OF JEsUs-U Her
name. Mary, or Miriam, being the
name Of the great sister Of Moses, was
one Of the most common of Jewish fe-
male names.--Sadler. (2) Lineage.
Very little is told of Mary's parentage,
but it is continually implied that she
was of the royal line Of David. Tradi-
tion calls her mothers name Anna. II
the genealogy given in Luke Is really
that of Mary (and of Joseph only by
marriage and adoption, as is almost cer-
tain), then her fathers name was He'll.
She was kinswoman Of Elizabeth, the
mother OF John the Baptist 1850, and
she had sister, Mary, the wife of Clo-
pas (John 1925. (8) Her home was in
Nazareth Of Galilee. (4) Circumstances.
1t Is implied in the Gospels that she was
In humble circumstances, perhaps an
orphan, as nothing is said of her family.
She was doubtless quite young, as girls
were bctrothed at an early age. She
was betrothed to Joseph, o carpenter of
Nazareth. Some think no was widow
er, and that ''the brethren of the Lord"
were his children by former marriage.
(5) Appearance. Tradition, not very
we'll founded, says that Mary was Of
middle height, fair complexion, blonde
hair, light hazel eyes. She was beauti-
full, without pride, simple, serious and
earnest. She delighted to sing the
Psalms of David and all loved her for
her kindness and modesty. (C) The An
nunciation. While Mary was betrothed,
but before her marriage, it was an
nounced to her that she should be the
mother Of the Saviour of the world, the
promised virgin whose son should be
Emmanuel, "God with u.s." 1t is we'll to
remember how sublime her faith must
have been, how perfect her conservation,
howl heroic her character, that she should
be willing to accept this Divine trust.
AS Godet remarks, she Thereby becomes
pre-emincntly the heroine, the ideal
daughter of Zion, the perfect type of
human receptivity in regard to the Di-
vine work." For "she does this with
the knowledge that it must subject her
to the suspicion of her husband and to
possible estrangement from him, to scan
dal among her neighbors, to the impair
ing OF that fair fame which is dearer to
the maiden than life itself. In fact, her
husband did suspect her and would have
divorced her but for Divine revelation
(Matt. 1:l9, 2D. The latter rabbinical
books accuse Mary of violation of her
marriage vows, and it would appear from
the innuendoes Of Christ's accusers that
this charge was secretly whispered in
His own lifetime John 7:27; s:41)."-
Abbott. She could not then know that
her innocence was to be vindicated by
an angelic messenger, but she left all to
God, relying on the promise, Commit
thy way unto the Lord and put thy trust
In Him, and He shall bring it to pass;
He shall make thy righteousness as
clear as the light and thy just dealing as
the MONDAY"
FIRST STANzA-Praise for Personal
Blessings.-Vers. 46-4s. 46. Mn soul doth
the Lord. Sam. 2:1; Ps. 34:2,
.. The soul is the natural life with all
Its affections and emotions; the spirit ia
the diviner and loftier region of our be-
ing Il Thess. 5:2S; Cor. 2:1O).-Cam-
bridge Bible. But the words soul and
spirit are generally employed in the
Scriptures in an indiscriminate way,
each as denoting the whole mind or in
ner man.-Prof. ID. r. Goodwin, d. d.
magnify the Lord. Not make God great
Or In reality, but in the feelings and
love of herself and the people, To
praise, to extol.-P.
SECOND STANZA--Praise for Gods
Goodness and Mercy.-Vers. 40, so. 40.
For He that Is mighty, the Omnipotent
One. AS tho angel had said to her (ver.
30: "With God nothing shall be impos-
sible, or as the revisors translate, "No
word OF God shall be void of power"
The teachings Of these words "goes far
beyond the conception by virgin, or
any other miracle in the world Of time
and sense"
THIRD STANzA-Praise for Gods Deeds
u Might.-Vers. 81, 50. The verbs in
,hese verses are all in the aorist tense
Greek), sand represent the Hebrew
perfect, as expressive of general truths,
'r OF future events, regarded in the
prophecy as having already taken
'laoe," because what God says is as GER
ain as II it had already taken place.
FOURTH STANzA-Praise for Gods Full |
illment of His Promises. -Vers. "a, b5. |
a. Ahath holpen (helped) His servant
child) Lsrael. The whole history of Is.
ael from the hapinn nin0 m wao opa oon4,.