Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 1:25

25 And knew her not, until she had brought forth her first born Son. And he called his name Jesus.

The Will of God (as we heard) was revealed to Ioseph in a Dream. It is God that giveth a Power to sleep, and a Power to awake: Therefore it is said, being raised from sleep, he shewed both his Faith and Obedience, his Faith in the Divine Revelation, a certainty of which he had doubtless by some extraordinary divine Impression and his Obedience to the divine Precept: He took unto him his Wife, that is, he took her unto his House (for betrothed Virgins, used to abide at their own Friends Houses, till the Consummation of the Marriage) and owning her as his Wife, yet not fully using her as such, for the Text saith he knew her not (a modest Phrase used from the beginning of the World, as appears from Gen. 4.1. to express the Conjugal Act) till she had brought forth her first born Son. Some make a great stir in determining, whether he knew her afterwards, yea or no: Some of the Ancients were stiff in their Opinion, that he did not, so are the Popish Writers, and many Protestant Interpreters. Mr. Calvin I think determines best, That none will move such a Question, but such as are unwarrantably curious, nor contend for either part, but such as are unreasonably Quarrelsome. For as on the one side, none can conclude that she had more Children from the Word until, further than, they can conclude from Psal. 110.1. That Christ shall not for ever sit at his Fathers right hand (the word Vntil being a Particle only exclusive of a preceeding time, not affirming the thing in future time. Nor doth the term First born conclude any born afterward: So on the other side, there are no cogent Arguments, to prove that Mary had no more Children by Ioseph, we read of the Brother of our Lord Galath. 1.19. and of his Mother, and his Brethren, Math. 12.47. and tho it be true, Brethren may signifie Kinsmen according to the Hebrew dialect, yet that it doth so in these Texts cannot be prov'd. The Holy Ghost had made use of the Virgin for the Production of the Messias, why after this, her Womb should be shut up, and Ioseph take her home to be his Wife, and not use her as such, I cannot tell, nor yet, what reproach it could be to Mary or to our Saviour, Marriage being Go[illegible: 2 letters] Ordinance, and the undefiled Bed Honourable, and those who think our Saviour would have been dishonoured in any others lying in the same Bed, after him, seem to forget how much he humbled himself, in lying in that Bed first, and then in a Stable, and a Manger; we know he knew her not till Christ was born, whether he did afterward or no, we are willingly ignorant because God hath not told us. And he called his name Iesus: This is added to declare his Obedience to the Command received by the Angel. We shall meet with more Circumstances relating to the Birth of Christ, when we come to the two first Chapters of Luke.