Luke ii. 22 — 24. And when the days of her purification accord- ing to the lato of Moses tvere accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; fas it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the ivomb shall be called holy to the Lord;) and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the lato of the Lord, A pair of turtle- doves, or two young pigeons.
IT is a comfortable consideration to the poor and ignorant, that they may possess the knowledge of sal- vation, though they have never been instructed in the nature of the Mosaic law, or seen its full connexion with Christianity. But it is certain that a compre- hensive knowledge of the Scriptures tends exceedingly to establish us in the faith, and to quicken us to a holy obedience. The importance of being acquainted with the Old Testament, appears from the frequent reference which there is to it in the New Testament. Sometimes we meet with references put interroga- tively, " What is written in the law ?" " What saith the law?" and sometimes positively, "It is written in the law." Hence it is obvious that, without an acquaintance with the law, much of the force and evidence of the Christian Scriptures must be lost : and therefore we cannot but earnestly recommend an attention to the Old Testament, as the means of more fully comprehending the New. In the short passage before us, we are directed no less than three times to compare the history with the ordinances which had before been given to Moses : the time of the Virgin's purification, the offering she offered, and the presentation of her infant Son in the temple, are all said to be " according to the law of the Lord." To that then we shall refer you, while we consider, I. The purification of the mother —
For the elucidation of this subject, there are several distinct inquiries to be made —
What did the law enjoin in relation to purification after child-birth ?