Luke ii. 28 — 32. Then took he him tip in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, notv lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word : for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
WHILST we are noticing, as they arise, the various steps of our Saviour's humiliation, we shall have
repeated occasions to observe, how carefully God has guarded us against the unfavourable impressions which we might otherwise have received from them. At no season was the Divine interposition more remarkable than at our Saviour's birth. The cir- cumstances that attended it were as humiliating as could well be conceived ; for he was born in a stable, and laid in a manger. But the descent of angels from heaven to announce and celebrate his advent, was more than sufficient to counterbalance the effect, which the meanness of his appearance might produce. Thus it was also when he was presented to the Lord by his parents, at the time of his mother's purification in the temple. He was presented in order to be redeemed, as all other first-born children were ; as though his life had been forfeited, as well as theirs. But, as a counterpoise to this, an aged saint, to whom it had been promised that he should not die till he had seen the Messiah, was warned by an express revelation from above to go into the temple for that purpose. Whilst he was there, the child was brought thither by his parents ; and this holy man was inspired to distinguish his person, and to proclaim his charac- ter. His language on this occasion is very instructive : it shews us, I. What views we should have of Christ —
We have no reason to think that in his outward appearance the infant Jesus was at all different from others. But this aged saint, on taking him up in his arms, announced him,
1. As the divinely-appointed Saviour —
[It was to God the Father that this holy man addressed his devout acknowledgments, and said, " Mine eyes have seen thy Salvation." We must never forget, that the Father is the fountain, from whence the streams of salvation flow. He is " the giver of every good and perfect gift ;" and the gift of his dear Son to a ruined world was altogether the fruit of his love. " He prepared for him a body :" He qualified him for his office by an immeasurable communication of the Holy Spirit. He upheld him in the execution of his work, protected and pre- served him till his hour was come, and enabled him to persevere till he could say, " It is finished."