Law was, Lev#12, 2. That if a Woman had comceived Seed, and Boyn a Man-"hild in the Eighth Day,the Fleſh of his fore-skin ſhould be Circum- cy;nciled, He was to make himſelf appear the Son of Abraham, and fo this was God's Covenant, Gen. 17. 10. with Abraham and his Seed after him, every Man-Child among you ſhall be Circun- ciſed, This 1.aw Chriſt was bound to fulnl, and by the fulal- ling of it in this poiot, he ſhewed himſelf a Debtor to the whole Law, Galath. 5. 3- and by his obſervance of it, he was to teach us our Du- tr, He was to be a Miniſter of the Circumciſion, Rom. 15. 8. which they would never have allowed him to be, had not he himſelf vcen Circumciſed, upon which account Paul took Timothy, and Circumcijed him, Acts 16. 3« By his Circumciſion alſo we were + he Circumcijed with the Circumciſion made without hands, in putting of the Bady of the Sin of the Fleſh, Coiol. a. 117. It was there- fore recſonable and neceſſary that Chrift fheuld be Circumciſcd the eizth Day. | His Name was called Feſus. | It was in Circumcition before Witneſs publicxly declared to be fo ; for God by his Argel had given him his Name, Matth. 1. 21. We read of four uuder the Old Teſtament, to whom God gave Names before they were Born, Tax, Gen. 17. 19- Joſtah, 1 Kings 13. 2. Iſhmael, Gen. 16. 11.Cyrus, Iſa. 44. 23. and in the New Teſtament to Fobn the Bapti/t, and to Feſus Crit » Which lets us know the certainty to God of future Contingencies 3 for tho the Parents of Iſhmael, and Iſaac, Fohn Bap- tit, and Chriſt, impoſed thoſe Names 1n obedience to the Command of God,and there was but a ſmall time betwixt the giving of theſe four their Names and their Birth, yet the Caſe was otherwiſe as to
Foſiah and Cyrus. 22 And when the days of her purification, accord-
That which Calvin and Brentius, and otter reformed PDivines do
think is much more probable, that he was ſome ordinary, plain Man
of an obſcure Quality, as to his Circumſtances in the Word.
There was 4 genera] expeRAation of the M:ſſizs at this time, but very few had arigit notion of him, but lived in a vain exvettation of, I know not what ſecular Prince who ſhould bring them a Temporal Deliverance. Theſe few were tcarce any of them of their Rablics or Rahbans, but a Poor dcſpited ſort of Peop!e, whom, thoſe great Dottors counted Accurſed John 5. 48, 49. The Revelations of Chrif were to none of the Pharijces, but to loſeph a Carpenter, to Marv a deſpiſed Virgin, tho of the Houſe of David. to an ordinary Pricſ Zacharizs, to Shepherds ;, and why we ſhon!d fancy this Simeon a principal Do#or, I cannot tell. The Evangeliſt gives him his high- eſt Title, [ 4- juſt Man and devout, and one that waited for the Con- folarin of Urael.] One of the Remnant according to the Eletion of Grace (mentioned by the Apoſtle ) a holy, and Righteous Man, one, wye waited for the Conſila-i5n of Iſrael, Which is the ſame in Senſe with the C' aradter given of ]/-ph of Arimathea. Ch. 23. $0. that waited for the Kingdom of God. Simeon waited for Chriſt, that 1s meant by the Comlation of Iracl. For it is very obſervable, that the Prophets ordinariiy comforted the People of God amongſt the Jews, agaiw-r all rheir fad tidirgs they brought them, with the Pro- poectes cf the coming,and Kingdom of Chrift,Ifaiah 55.13 Jer. 21-13, Zech, 1. 17. Herein Oid Simeon ſhewed the truth of his Pie: », and
Devotion, that he beljeved, and waited for the coming of Chriſt. He 1d a true Notiun of the Meſſiah promiſed. he b:lieved tiict he ſhou'd come, and he waited for his coming. | And it was revealed un'o kim, that he ſhould not ſee Death until he ſaw the Loyd;s Chriſt. 1 God by tre Holy Ghoſt give him this ſpecial Revelation as the reward of his Faith, and the Anſwer of 1s Prayers, that he ſhould live to ſee Chriſt Born. The ſame Holy Spirit moved him to go into the Tem- pleat tat very cime when Joſeph and Mary broucht in Chrif? to preſ-nt him to the Lord according to the Law, ar (tho it be not expreſt_) certainly the ſame Spirit did Intimare to him, that that Chiid was the Lords Chriſt. The old Man tabes him up in hs Arms, bleſſeth God and ſaith,
29 Lord, now *letteſt thon thy ſervant depart in ,
peace, according to thy word. 30 For mine eyes have * ſeen thy ſalvation.
ing to the law of Moſes, were accompliſhed, they
brought him to Jeruſalem, to preſent hizz to the Lord. | 23 ASit is written in the law of the Lord, * Every
male that openeth the womb ſhall be called holy to the
LORD. : | ve, 24 And to offer a ſacrifice according to that which is
or two young PLIgcons»