Such, in brief was the son of the most highly and signally honored Woman in White Raiment in sacred history, Mary, the mother of Jesus, only excepted. The strong faith of the pious Elizabeth, as developed in her noble son, has been a blessing to the whole race of man. The clear shining faith to grasp the promises of God are most beautifully exemplified in the pure, self-sacrificing, and devoted life of Elizabeth.
Closely related to the events in the life of Elizabeth, as just narrated, is the birth of our blessed Lord.
There is no person in sacred or in profane literature around whom so many legends have been grouped as around the Virgin Mary, and there are few whose authentic history is more concise. Doubtless the very simplicity of the sacred narrative has been one cause of the abundance of the legendary matter of which she forms the central figure. According to the genealogy given by Luke, which is that of Mary, her father’s name was Heli. She was, like Joseph, her husband, of the tribe of Judah, and of the house and lineage of David. We are informed that at the time of the angel’s visitation she was betrothed to Joseph and was therefore regarded by the Jewish law and custom as his wife, though he had not yet a husband’s rights over her.
The angel Gabriel, who had appeared to Zacharias in the Temple, appeared to her and announced that she was to be the mother of the long-expected Messiah; that in Him the prophecies relative to David’s throne and kingdom should be accomplished; and that his name was to be called Jesus. He further informed her, perhaps as a sign by which she might convince herself that his prediction with regard to herself would come true, that her relative Elizabeth was about to be blessed in the birth of a child.
It appears that Mary at once set off to visit Elizabeth in her home in the hill country of Judea. When she had reached her destination, and immediately on her entrance into the house, she was saluted by Elizabeth as the mother of our Lord, and had evidence of the truth of the angel’s saying with regard to her cousin Elizabeth, Mary then embodied her feelings of exultation and thankfulness in the hymn known under the name of the Magnificat. The hymn is founded on Hannah’s song of thankfulness (1 Sam. ii, 1-10), and exhibits an intimate knowledge of the Psalms, prophetical writings and books of Moses, from which sources almost every expression in it is drawn.
In approaching this exquisite bit of Hebrew poetry uttered by Mary we may profitably consider, first, its beauty of expression; and second, its nobility and grandeur of sentiment. The hymn consists of four stanzas of four lines each, and its literary character is best brought out by a translation which so arranges it. The first stanza reads:
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour,
Because He hath looked upon the humility of His bondmaiden;
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall pronounce me blessed.