CONVERSATION VII. INCARNATION OF SPIRIT. GESTATION. VII. EVIDENCE OF MATERNAL SYMPATHY. Interview between Mary and Elisabeth, from the Sacred Text. - Instiuctive Joy. Divine Instinct of Maternity. - Blessedness of Maternity. — Humility. Ecstasy. Quickening of the Infant Body. - Thanksgiving for Maternity. Anticipation of Maternal duties. Mr. Alcott remarked on the subject of the last conversation, and began with reading the INTERVIEW BETWEEN MARY AND ELISABETH. Before the Vulgar Æra, 5. Julian Period, 4709. Hebron. Sympathy. of Juda ; LUKE i. 39-56. 39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among Women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Before the Vulgar Æra, 5. Julian Period, 4709. Hebron. *Isaiah li. 9. † Ps. xxxiii. 10. 1 Sam. ii. 6. Ps. xxxiv. 10. || Jer. xxxi. 3, 20. ¶ Gen. xvii. 19. Ps. cxxxii. 11. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him From generation to generation. 51 He hath showed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things, 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, || in remembrance of 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. Mr. Alcott then asked, what does the word Salutation mean? CHARLES. Can we not salute a person angrily? SEVERAL. No; salute means a welcome. RECORDER. The Latin word sal-u-te means in health. MR. ALCOTT. Why did Elisabeth feel so sure of having a child, when Mary saluted her? GEORGE K. I suppose Mary told her of her vision. FREDERIC. Elisabeth knew by Mary's countenance. WILLIAM B. And by her whole manner. MR. ALCOTT. What filled Elisabeth with Divine Instinct the Holy Ghost? of Maternity. CHARLE'S. She was glad to have a good child; that made her full of spirit. It was called a holy spirit, because she was full of love, joy, hope, and faith. ALEXANDER. It made her spirit holy to see, by Mary's countenance, that she was to have such a child. MR. ALCOTT. Do you think Elisabeth's spirit was made holy by Mary's salutation being filled with so much gladness ? (All held up their hands.) MR. ALCOTT. What is the expression of the countenance when a person is full of joy? (See Note 76.) SEVERAL, simultaneously. Smiles. Glittering eyes. Joyfulness. MR. ALCOTT. Why did Elisabeth' speak "with a loud voice"? LUCIA. Because she was glad. MR. ALCOTT. Was it a rough, unpleasant voice ? LUCIA. No; it was sweet. MR. ALCOTT. The voice has its meaning also. Why was Mary called blessed ? AUGUSTINE. Because she was going to Blessedness of bring forth something blessed. Maternity. WELLES. JOHN B. The Son of God. (See Note 77.) MR. ALCOTT. What does blessed mean? LUCIA. To be happy. CHARLES. To have a particular feeling from God. FRANK. Perfectness. MR. ALCOTT. What does it mean by, "Blessed is the fruit"? FRANK. Blessed is the child. (See Note 78.) Humility. MR. ALCOTT. Why does Elisabeth ask, "Whence is it that the mother of my Lord should visit me?" WILLIAM B. She thought she was not so good as Mary, and that it was a great thing for so high a woman to come into her house. FREDERIC. She thought it must be something very important, which could make her come. MR. ALCOTT paraphrased the 44th verse thus, "The babe seemed to be in my arms." Ecstasy. LUCIA. That was because she was so glad to see Mary. (Lucy, Charles, and Lemuel described the pleasure of meeting their fathers after an absence.) MR. ALCOTT. Did something within make you run up to your father, Lemuel, when you saw him? MR. ALCOTT. Was it a holy spirit or an unholy one? LEMUEL. A holy spirit, full of love. EMMA. I never can speak at such times. (All wanted to speak on this subject, but Mr. Alcott said there was not time.) MR. ALCOTT. What does love make? LUCIA. Obedience. GEORGE K. Happiness. FRANK. Holiness. MR. ALCOTT. (See Note 79.) Does it not make something to love? (Some conversation, omitted here by the Recorder, is restored in the following note.*) * MR. ALCOTT. The heart, when thus full of life and joy, is said to be quickened. Mothers feel this when they know children are to be given to them. The angel of love first tells a mother that a child is coming. Sometime after she has other signs. "Blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a the Infant Body. performance to her of those things told by the Lord." What does that mean? Quickening of (No answer.) Resolution and faith, lead to success. Faith brings out what is planted in the spirit into the external world. ED. MR. ALCOTT. What is, "magnifying the Lord"? (No answer.) Is it doing right or saying words? Thanksgiving for Maternity. SEVERAL. Doing right. Lucy. I think when we do right we mag nify our own spirits. LUCIA. We cannot magnify God; we cannot even show all of God out in our spirits. (See Note 80.) MR. ALCOTT. What does she mean by, "he has regarded the low estate of his handmaid"? LUCY. It means, she thought she was not good, and God had made her better. MR. ALCOTT. AEXANDER. What is low estate ? WILLIAM B. She had not outward riches. LUCY. I thought low estate meant wickedness. MR. ALCOTT. Why should "all generations call her blessed"? (See Note 81.) LUCIA. Because she was the mother of Jesus. MR. ALCOTT. And so they have. And here, nearly two thousand years after, in Boston, (very far from Judea,) a company of children are repeating those words, and calling her blessed! These words are a quotation from the Hebrew prophets. It is a part of one of those prophetic poems that she quoted, because it seemed to apply to herself. And how well it does apply! Why does it seem to her that "he hath showed strength with his arm" ? WILLIAM B. Because Mary was nothing very great till she had this gift. AUGUSTINE. Because God had sent Gabriel. MR. ALCOTT. What is the "imagination of the proud"? LUCY. The love of earthly, worldly riches. MR. ALCOTT. How had he "filled the hungry"? |