Chapter 5 No.5

2 Mary ministered unto by angels.

4 The high priest orders all virgins of fourteen

years old to quit the temple and endeavour to be married.

5 Mary refuses,

6 having vowed her virginity to the Lord.

7 The high-priest commands a meeting of the chief persons

of Jerusalem,

11 who seek the Lord for counsel in the matter.

13 A voice from the mercy-seat.

15 The high-priest obeys it by ordering all the unmarried

men of the house of David to bring their rods to the altar,

17 that his rod which should flower, and on which the

Spirit of God should sit, should betroth the Virgin.

BUT the Virgin of the Lord, as

she advanced in years, increased

also in perfections, and according

to the saying of the Psalmist,

her father and mother forsook her,

but the Lord took care of her.

2 For she every day had the

conversation of angels, and every

day received visitors from God,

which preserved her from all sorts

of evil, and caused her to abound

with all good things;

3 So that when at length she

arrived to her fourteenth year, as

the wicked could not lay any thing

to her charge worthy of reproof,

so all good persons, who were

acquainted with her, admired her

life and conversation.

4 At that time the high-priest

made a public order, That all the

virgins who had public settlements

in the temple, and were come to

this age, should return home, and,

as they were now of a proper

maturity, should, according to the

custom of their country, endeavour

to be married.

5 To which command, though

all the other virgins readily yielded

obedience, Mary the Virgin of the

Lord alone answered, that she

could not comply with it,

6 Assigning these reasons, that

both she and her parents had

devoted her to the service of the

Lord; and besides, that she had

vowed virginity to the Lord,

which vow she was resolved never

to break through by lying with a

man.

7 The high-priest being hereby

brought into a difficulty,

8 Seeing he durst neither on the

one hand dissolve the vow, and

disobey the Scripture, which says,

Vow and pay,

9 Nor on the other hand

introduce a custom, to which

the people were strangers, commanded,

10 That at the approaching feast

all the principal persons both of

Jerusalem and the neighbouring

places should meet together, that

he might have their advice, how

he had best proceed in so difficult

a case.

11 When they were accordingly

met, they unanimously agreed to

seek the Lord, and ask counsel

from him on this matter.

12 And when they were all

engaged in prayer, the high-priest

according to the usual way, went

to consult God.

13 And immediately there was

a voice from the ark, and the mercy

seat, which all present heard, that

it must be enquired or sought out

by a prophecy of Isaiah, to whom

the Virgin should be given and be

betrothed;

14 For Isaiah saith, there shall

come forth a rod out of the stem of

Jesse, and a flower shall spring

out of its root,

15 And the Spirit of the Lord

shall rest upon him, the Spirit of

Wisdom and Understanding, the

Spirit of Counsel and Might, the

Spirit of Knowledge and Piety,

and the Spirit of the fear of the

Lord shall fill him.

16 Then, according to this

prophecy, he appointed, that all

the men of the house and family

of David, who were marriageable,

and not married, should bring their

several rods to the altar,

17 And out of whatsoever

person's rod after it was brought,

a flower should bud forth, and on

the top of it the Spirit of the Lord

should sit in the appearance of a

dove, he should be the man to

whom the Virgin should be given

and be betrothed.