192 THE REV. J. E. H. THOMSON, M.A., D.D., ON 



I agree with Ernest Renan's remark that the Gospel of Matthew 

 is the most important book ever published in the world, setting 

 forth as it does the change from Judaism to Christianity, than 

 which there could be no greater event in the history of God's 

 dealings with men. Matthew is the only one of the four Evangelists, 

 who records our Lord's prophecy of the foundation of The Christian 

 Church, and gives the formula for Christian baptism. He also 

 alone quotes and applies to our Lord's parabolic teaching the Psalm 

 of Asaph, " I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things 

 kept secret from the foundation of the world," an exact parallel 

 with Paul's statement that the mystery of the Church had not 

 been made known to men in previous ages. In the great eschatologic 

 discourse in Chapters xxiv. and xxv., we have a more detailed 

 account of the second coming of our Lord than appears in any 

 other Gospel, which also contravenes a merely Jewish view. 



I therefore ask you to pass by acclamation a vote of thanks to 

 Dr. Thomson. 



Dr. ScHOFiELD, in thanking Dr. Thomson for his able paper, 

 which he had read with great interest, wished to accentuate the 

 doctor's words on page 182: "It opens by shewing Christ's legal 

 Davidic descent in the throne line.'^ This, as we know, was through 

 Joseph, and with this view before him one would suppose Matthew 

 would leave to others any mention of the fact that Jesus was not 

 actually Joseph's son at all. It is rather remarkable that such is 

 not the case, and Matthew gives very strong evidence twice over — 

 once directly and the other indirectly — that such was not the case. 

 In Matthew i. 20, the Evangelist gives the direct statement as from 

 the "angel of the Lord," that Christ "was conceived (or begotten 

 Mary) in Mary of the Holy Ghost," and this after Joseph had 

 found (v. 18) that Mary was with child, as Matthew adds, " of 

 the Tloly Ghost." 



The other indirect statement is the extraordinary character of 

 V. 16, which instead of saying, as all through, " and Joseph begets 

 Jesus, who is called Christ," avoids any such statement, which, if 

 true, Avould certainly be made, by the curious circumlocution, " Jacob 

 begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who 

 is called Christ." 



The fact that it was to Matthew's interest to pass over the virgin 

 birth in a way that did not concern Luke, renders these two state- 

 ments of the greatest importance to our Lord's unique conception ; 

 and Matthew himself our greatest witness as to the truth of the 

 Virgin Birth, although, for the esoteric account, we must study 

 Luke. 



The Rev. J. J. B. Coles said that, beyond and above the interest- 

 ing question as to the readers for whom St. Matthew wrote his 

 Gospel, was the great object of portraying the glory of Christ in 



