Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/70

 ets: hence  royal  David  sings,  "with  expectation  I  have waited  for  the  Lord,  and  He  was  attentive  to  me." (Ps. xxxix. 1.)  Expect  him,  therefore,  with  an  ardent  desire "purify your  soul,  lest  being  defiled  with  sin  you  may offend  His  pure  eyes,  and  "  bring  upon  yourself  a  curse instead of  a  blessing."    (Gen.  xxvii,  12.)

I. "  The  angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  into  the  city of  Galilee,  called  Nazareth,  to  a  virgin,  etc." (Luke i.  26.) Never did  the  world  witness  an  embassy  so  solemn. The person who  sends  it  is  the  God  of  majesty,  the  most  holy and divine  Trinity. The messenger  is  the  archangel Gabriel, which  signifies  fortitude,  that  is  to  say,  that  the message which  he  brought,  though  it  might  appear  difficult, or  even  impossible,  must  nevertheless  be  executed. Observe how  promptly  he  undertakes  his  commission and learn  to  imitate  him  on  similar  occasions.

II. To whom  is  this  message  sent? Who, if  he  had seen such  an  ambassador  dispatched  immediately  from God Himself,  and  descending  from  heaven  to  this  lower world, would  not  have  imagined  that  he  had  been  dispatched to  some  mighty  potentate? And yet  he  is  sent to a  city  so  obscure  as  to  provoke  the  remark  of  Nathaniel, "can  anything  of  good  come  from  Nazareth?" (John i. 46.)  He  is  sent  to  a  small  cottage,  to  a  poor  virgin, espoused to  a  carpenter. Be ashamed  that  you  should so miserably  love  and  seek  after  those  things  which  appear great  and  pleasing  to  the  eyes  of  the  world. Convince yourself that  this  affection  is  erroneous,  and  labor to correct  it.

III. The principal  object  of  the  embassy  was  to  re-