Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 2:11

11 When they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his Mother, and fell down and worshipped him; and when they had opened their Treasures, they presented unto him Gifts, Gold, and Frankincense and Myrrh.

How long the Virgin Mary, and her holy Child had been there, is not expressed, those that think, that these Wise Men came within six Weeks or two Months, judge that Ioseph and Mary came thither from Ierusalem after that he had been there offered to the Lord, of which you read, Luk. 2. but they are forced to uphold this to interpret, Luk. 2.39. which saith, That after they had performed all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galil[illegible: 1 letter]e to their own City Nazareth: Of a considerable time after they had performed these things which seemeth something hard, and needless, especially considering Nazareth was Iosephs own City▪ i. e. The City where his fixed Habitation was: It is most probable, that they after so long absence, went right home, and if the Wise Men (which is said) found them in Bethlehem, they were gone thither again to visit some Relations. They saw the young Child with Mary his Mother, under what other Circumstances the Scripture saith not, but questionless they were very Poor and Mean, which is a very strong inducement to us to believe, that they had a Spiritual Divine Revelation. That this was a King, whose Kingdom was not of this World, the true Messiah, and Saviour of the World, they would hardly else have treated a poor Infant, in an ordinary House and no more attended, at the rate they did, for the Text saith [they fell down and Worshipped him] an usual Homage indeed which the Eastern Nations paid to Princes. But they used then to have better Evidences of their Royal State and Dignity, than these Wise Men seemed to have had, if they had not besides the Star a Divine Revelation, what manner of King this was to be. We may therefore rather judge that their Revelation extended not only to the Birth of a King, but of such a King as indeed he was, the Eternal Son of God clothed with humane Flesh; and that their falling down and Worshipping him, is to be understood of a Divine Worship they paid to him, as the Saviour of the World: And so they were the first Fruits of the Gentiles, owning, and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that their following Offerings to him were upon that Account, for opening their Treasures, they presented to him Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, the Guesses of those, who think that they offered him Gold, as to a King, Frankincense as an High Priest, and Myrrh to sweeten the place where he was, I take to be but the Product of Luxuriant Fancies. It is most certain that those Eastern People, seldom came to their Princes without so[illegible: 1 letter]e Presents, and that their Presents were usually of the most choice things their Country afforded, This is plain from Gen. 43. v. 11. and if what Naturalli[illegible: 2 letters]s tell us be true that Myrrh was only to be sound in Arabia, and Frakincense in Sabea (a part of Arabia) and that Country also had Gold, which it is plain that it had, from 2 Chron. 9.14. it makes a very probable Argument, that these Wise Men came from Arabia, which was full of Men that were Astrologers. The Providence of God was wonderfully seen in these Presents, by them providing for the Sustenance of Ioseph, and Mary, and Iesus in that Exile which they were soon after to indure, for other Allegorical and Mystical Significations of these Presents they are but Conjectures, and the Exuberancies of mens Fancies

Marginal references: Or, offered.