Earth, and none between them, and good will. And secondly, the very sense and matter it self inforceth this construction: For first, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 beareth the same sense here, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 doth, Matth. 3. 17. & 17. 5. of Gods good-will, or well-pleased∣ness with men. Now, secondly, this well-pleasedness of his with men, was expressed and evidenced at this time, in the birth of our Saviour, in that God had assumed the nature of men, and it had never been so cleared and demonstrated before. So that, third∣ly, the birth of Christ being the occasion of the Angels singing this song, the good will of God towards men revealed, in this his birth, must needs be the subject of their Song. And then fourthly, the other two things expressed in the two other clauses, glory on High, and peace on Earth, must needs be understood as Predicates; seeing that being laid, to this expression of God of his good will towards men, they are but as fruits and consequences of it. And this reading and construction, how facil and plain is it, in comparison of these intricacies and obscurities, that those readings bring with them, that either break the verse into three distinct axioms, or into two, or that read 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in the Genitive case, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in the Dative, as may be seen in Expositors.
Now how the good-will, and well-pleasedness of God towards men, exhibited and shew∣ed in the incarnation and birth of our Saviour, did glorifie God in the highest, in all his attributes, of wisdom, truth, justice, power, mercy, &c. And how it wrought peace on earth, betwixt man and himself, and man and Angels, and man and man, and man and his own conscience, might be shewed at large, if we were common-placing in stead of com∣menting.
Ver. 21. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising, &c.
It was necessary that Christ should be circumcised, that he might both bear the badge of a child of Abraham, and have upon him an obligation to the keeping of the Law: For he that was circumcised was a debtor to the whole Law, Gal. 5. 3.
Ver. 22. And when the days of her purification, &c.
At forty days old, Levit. 12. 1, 2, 3, 4. the Lord cometh to his own Temple: and by an old man, and an old woman, is proclaimed both to young and old, that expected redem∣ption. Herod had heard no tidings of him as yet, by the Wismen, for otherwise this had been an opportunity for him to have put in practice his bloody and malicious intent. Ma∣ry is purified according to the custom of the Law, although she had contracted no pollu∣tion, by her childing and bringing forth; partly, that Christ in nothing might be wan∣ting to the Law, and partly, that this might be an occasion, for the first publick declara∣tion of him, by Simeon and Anna.
Ver. 25. A man whose name was Simeon.
This Simeon seemeth to be he whom the Jewish Authors name for the son of Hillel: and who was the first that bare the title of Rabban, the highest title that was given to their Doctors, and which was given but to seven of them.
Hillel was the famous head or principal of that School that is so renowned in the Jew∣ish Authors by the name of Beth Hillel. Out of which [as they relate] there came thou∣sands of Scholars, but fourscore especially of most renown. Hillel the old they are the words of the Talmud) had fourscore Scholars. Thirty of them were fit, in whom the divine Majesty should rest, as it did on Moses: Thirty of them were worthy for whom the Sun should stand still, as it did for Joshua: and twenty were of a middle rank between. The greatest of them all, was Jonathan ben Uzziel, that Paraphrased the Prophets in the Chaldee Tongue, and the lowest of them was Johannan the son of Zaccai.
Such a Father had this our Simeon, and so renowned, but himself infinitely more re∣nowned, in the thing that is now in hand, and in his having the Saviour of the world in his arms and heart: Now this is the Genealogy of this man, as it is Recorded by the Jews themselves: Hillel begat Simeon, who was first titled Rabban. Rabban Simeon begat Rabban Gamaliel, the Tutor of Paul. Rabban Gamaliel begat Rabban Simeon the second. Rabban Simeon the second, begat Rabban Gamaliel the second. Rabban Gamaliel begat Rabban Simeon the third. Rabban Simeon the third, begat Rabbi Juda the holy. Rabbi Juda be∣gat Rabban Gamaliel the third.
These six Rabbans were of the line of Hillel, besides whom there was a seventh, that bare the same title, of another stock, Rabban Johanan ben Zaccai.
But it may be justly questioned, if Simeon were the man we suppose, namely the Son of Hillel, and the Father of Gamaliel, and if he were so holy and devout a man, and con∣fessed Christ, as this Evangelist relateth of him, how came it to pass that his Son Gamaliel