21. — [CireumeUing of the ehUd.] Bishop Hall remarks, " He that came to be sin for us, would in our persons be legally unclean, that by satisfying the law he might take away our uncleanness. Though he were exempted from the ordinary conditions of our birth, yet he would not deliver himself from mose ordinary rites that implied the weakness and blemishes of humanity. He would fulfil one law, to abrogate it ; another, to satisfy it. He that was above the law, would come under the law, to free us from the law."
[Named of the angel before he was conceived.'] Poole remarks, in his annotations, '' We read of four under the Old Testament, to whom God gave names before they were bom : Isaac, — Gen. xvii. 19 ; JoQiah,—- 1 Kings xiii. 2 ; Ishmael, — Gen. xvi. 11 ; Cyrus, — Isai. xliv. 28 ; and in the New Testament we read of two :-rJohn the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Which lets us know the certainty to God of future contingencies ; for though the parents of , Ishmael, Isaac, and John the Baptist, imposed those names in obedience to the command of God, and there was but a small time betwixt the giving of the names and the births, yet the case was otherwise as to Josiah and Cyrus."
24. — [Two young pigeons.] Lightfoot says that this was called, in the Hebrew language, " The offering of the poor, which if a rich man offered he did not do his duty."
LUKE n. 26—36.
26 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Sim- eon ; and the same man vmu iust and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel : and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the spirit into the temple : and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy ser- vant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of uiy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother mar- velled at those things which were spoken o/ him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child ia set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken arainst ;
36 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be re- vealed.
We have in these verses the history of one whose name