The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-03-02
Mary And Her Magnificent.
BY REV. DR. EDWIN POND PARKER.
IFrnm the Hartford. Ct, Daily COurant


"Maeniicat," is accounted for by st.
Luke as follows: Some time after the
Virgin Mary had received the angelic an
nunciation that she was to become the
mother Of the Son of God she fastened to
visit a sanity matron and klnsWoma I
named Elisabeth, who greeted her win
words of congratulation and benedlctlon.
to which Mary responded with the words
of the familiar canticle beginning my
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. -
1t is not eXtravagant to say that this en-
raptured hymn of praise ranks among
the nobest lyrics known to the world.
For more than thousand years 1t has
been sung in the public services of Chris
tian worship. If it be attributed, In its
present lyric form, to Mary, it is evidence
enough of her intellectual force and poet
ic genius, for without an insplrablllty OF
that sort inspiration could produce no
such result. If the ideas and sentiments
were hers and the composition of them
was made later by the unknown writer
of the wonderful poetry of the prologue
to Luke's Gospel, even IN that case one
can but confess and admire the young
peasant maiden's high intelligence, her
intimate knowledge of the old and noble
her discernment of the inner and eternal
significance of that literature, and her
own prophetic prefiguratlon of what W. S
to be accomplished through her and her
child for human society. Hers, at least,
were the materials for word-eong eX-
pressing the hopes of humanity tor en-
reimbursement and the prediction OF their
fulfiliment In either case we hnd IN the
Virgin Mary personality larger, broad
er, richer and stronger every way than
the Madonna Meek and mind of tradl-
ton, legend, art and song.
II has been long and fully recognized
that the Gospel according to st. Luke L,
more dis tinctly than either of the other
Gospels, that of humanity. The Chrlst
presented therein is not merely the jew
ish Messiah and King. but the cosmopoll-
tan Christ, mankind's Saviour. Unlver-
salty rather than nationality Is its cnar-
acteristic. This appears particularly IN
parallels peculiar to that Gospel, IN Ia
charias' "Benedictus," in the angelic
annunciation of ''gocd news for all peo-
pies, in Simeon's 'Nunc Dimlttls, " and
strikingly in Mary's ''Magnifcat, which
touches the chords of humanity and is So
cial and democratic to the core.
In an article on Social Christianity,
Rev. DR.. George P. Eckman does not
hesitate to describe the "Magniicat' as
THE Storm Song of DEMOCRACY, "a
wonderful hymn of the common people.
an eXultant expression of those social
and democratic ideas which underlie the
teachings of Jesus. 1t is, first of all,
lofty, rapturous song Of praise, pervaded
and winged by the spirit of purest plety,
in which Mary's consciousness of her
humble condition finds touching express
sion together with her overwhelming
seEse of the dignity conferred upon her.
A most beautiful humility characterizes
tae strain of eXultation. 1t is Tot that
she eXults in having been so highly IA
vored and exalted by God for herself, but
that through her God has been pleased to
give to her people and to all peoples
great redemption. The hymn gloWs with
an ardent patriotism. ''He hath hoIpen
his servant Israel, in remembrance of his
mercy, as He spake to our fathers, to
Abraham, and to his seed forever.
She is to be the mother of child in
whom those promises and rohecies viii
be fulfilled, and who will become,
Simeon said, 1.-THE glory of thy peopls
Irsael'
But much more than that. First come
the tender sentiment;" "for He hath re-
garded the loWliness of his handmalden,
She, a humble peasant maiden, has been
chosen for this eXaitatiOn, to become the
benefactre5s Of her people and of man
kind, the mother OF the Jewish Messiah
a. Of the Savior Of the world. For be-
hold, from henceforth all generations
shall call NE blessed" Like Simeon, she
foresees IL her coming child not only the
glory Of Israel" but the Light to
lignten the Gentiles. AS III the 'Bene-
dictus' OF Zacharlas, so IN Mary S Mag
nifCat, we find the great thought Of
1.-THE tender mercy of God whereby the
Dayspring from on high hath visited US,
to give light to them that sit in darkness,
oguide their feet into the way of peace. ?"
The overwhelming feeling of Coos re-
gard Of her loWlness IN choosing her for
such an office and eXaltaton passes over
in O the eXutant feeling of the typical
and representative significance of her
divine election.
Nor is this all. There is strain, al
most martial in tone, in this hymn, which,
though phrased IN the past tense, lnd1ca-
ties a social reVolutlon,l If not an evolution
of democracy, as future result OF, her
child 5 mission in the world
H hath Showed strength with his arm
He hath scattered the proud in the I'M
agination of their hearts;
He hath put down the mighty from
their seats, and hath exalted them of
low degree; He hath filled the hungry
with good things, and the rich He hath
sent empty away.
the deep social significance of the al
most stern words just now quoted, and of
the entire hymn as well, has not failed of
recognition III almost every age. Some
one has spoken of ''the social dynamite
concealed III this hymn. We prefer to
speak of the social leaven hidden in it.
Here are the anticlpations of those i'm
pulses, aspirations and endeavors which
in almost every age, and especially in the
present age, have had as their purpose
and object the downfall of despotisms,
the elevation of the commoI people, the
reconstruction of society, the triumph of
democracy. If organized Christianity
has too often been regardless of these
ideas it has, at least, kept this peoples
hymn" sounding on through all genera
tons, in its public worship, and so has
powerfully aided to give vitality to its
ideas in the minds of men. Is it too much
to say that here are ''the very notes which
men and women are now striving to make
articuate through various agencies :?
Call it what you will, socialism or some
other ''ism,' the "Magnificat' pro-
claims new era-relgious, political, So
cial and economic the coming Of