In theſe Verſes is a Record of the Virgins obedience to two Laws, The one concerniug the Purification of the Woman after Child-Birth 3 the other concerning the preſenting of the ; Male-Child before the Lord. We have the Law concerning Purification, Lett. 12. 4 throughout. The Sum was, That if a Woman had brought forth a Mal: Child. ſhe ſhould be unclean ſeven Days, and after rat con- tinue in the Blood of her Purifying thirty three Days, If the brought fortha Fem:le, ſhe was to be unclean fourteen days, and after- ward to continue in the Blood of her Purlfying, Sixty Six days. So that the time of the Womans Purification after the Birth of a Fe- male, was fourſcore Days, for a Male (which was the preſ-at caſe ) forty. After the Expiration of which time,ſhe was to bring a Lamb of a Year old, for a Burnt-ofering, and a young Pigeon or a Turtle- Dove, for a Sin Offering, to the Prieſt to the Tabernacle, who was tooffer it for her, and to make an Atonement, If ſhe were Poor and not able to bring a Lamb (which ſeems the preſent caſe) then ſhe was to bring only two Turtle-Doves,or two young Pigeons, the one for a Burnt-Offering, the cther for a Sin-Offering. The Evangeliſt kakes no notice of any Lamb, but only a pair of Turtle-Doves,or Two Tong Pigeons, Which lets us know, ſhe was Poor, aud ſo obliged by the Law no further. ary after her Forty Days were expired, cometh up to the Temple, to yield obedience to this Law. And nof ſo only, but alſo to preſent hey Child before the Lord, This de- pended upon two Laws. We find the one, Exod. 13. 2. where in remembrance of God's ſparing the {7aelites, when he ſmote the firſt Born of the Ezyptians, he gave the Iſraelites, this Law. San#tifie unto me all the Frſt-Born, whatſoever opener the Womb amongſt the Chil- aren of Iſrael, both of Man and Beaſt it is mine. So Chap, 22. IC. oy 34. 19. Inſtead of theſe, God took the Levires, as appears by
amb,8. 12. yet were the Firſt Born to be preſented before the
31 Which thou haſt prepared before the face of all people.
of thy people Iſrael ;
calls the Lords Salvation, 2. A lizht to lighten the Gentiles, 2, The Glory of Iſrael 3 and a Petition, that now the Lord would let him de- part in Peace,but I ſhall take the Words in order. | Lord / letteſt thou now thy Servant depart in Peace according to thy Word.” He delirethto die, having now lived to ſee what alone he defired Life for. It is a Speech much like Facob, Gen. 46. 39. when he had ſeen Foſeph's (whom he vhought loſt) but ſpoken here upun a much more weigh- ty Conſideration. The Word Tranllated depart ſignines to abflve, and forgive, Chap. 6. 37. to diſmiſ;, and to deliver 25 from Bond- age and Miſery, it is uſed to expreſs the Death of good Men, by the Septuagint, Numb. 20. 29. and the Noun from it is uſed to by the Apoſtle, 2 Tim. 4.6. Simeon owns God to be the Lord of his Life, who had the Power of it, and could alone diſmils him, and f1zarfy- eth himfclf to be an old Man, ſatisfied with Days, willing to be at reſt from the Miſeries of this Life ; but he beggeth to be difmiiled, and to die in Peace, that is, happily, ſee Gen. 15. 1c. 2 Kings 22. 20, Pſal. 4.8. [ According to thy Word, | that is, thy prowie mentioned, v. 26, But the putting of theſe Words in before ti:.ſe Words 7 Peace, ſeems to import that he could not die in peace. tofore be had ſeen God's Word fulfilled to him, in which he had :i..ad- kim to hope. | For mine Eyes have ſeen thy Salvation. ] that «s, thy Chrilt according to the Revelation I had from thee. Simeon had a ſpecial Revelation of a Corporeal fight of Chriſt, he could not die happliy, till he had had that. None of us can die in Peace, till we have ſeen the Lord's Salvation with a ſpiritual Eye, and made App'1cation of the promiſes of the Goſpel, in the more general Revelation of his Word. { Thy Salvation, which thou ha prepared before the Face of all People. ] That is, the Author of Szlvation, for there is no Salvation in any other, As 4. 12, Simeou declares that this Salvation was prepared for all Pcop'e, Hatah tl. 10s he was propheſied of as an Enſign for the People, to it ſhall the Gentiles ſeek; ſo Tjaith 52. 10, Tre Lord hath made bare hi holy Arm in the Eyes of all the Natons, and all the ends of
Lord, and Redeemed by the payment of Five Shekels apicce, for all thoſe who were above the number of the Levites, as appeareth by Numb, 3. 44, 45, 46, 47. and five ShebJes was the Redemption price of anv Male upon a Singular Vow, Levit. 27. 6. For theſe two cnds,
Ifter fx Weeks, Foſep> and Mary, and 7eſus come up to Jeruſalem.
the Earth ſhall jee the Salvation of our God, So Pſalm g8. 2- Simeon ſpeaks the ſame thing more particularly, ver. 32 [ 4 light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of thy Pele iſrael. } Ail the People mentioned, ver, 32. were either Gentiles or Fews.
Simem here propheſieth, that Chriſt ſhould /7zhten the ce
Chap. 11.
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Phil. 1. 22. *Chap.3-6.
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The State of the Gertzl2s (by whom were underſtood all the _- le in the World, except the jews ) is often in Scripture expreſ\- | 7-4 under the Notion of Darkneſs, both ig reſpett of the Igno- | \apce ofthe true God which was amongſt them, aid of their 7dola- irs ard Szoerſtition, and their lewd and wicked Lives, much pro-| Pe tones ts rhkeir Religion. Hence Paul 1s ſaid to be ſent to the ; Gentiics. to twra them from Darkneſs to Light, Affs 26. 18. Chriſt is ealicd Light, "John &. 22. T am the Light of the world, he that follow- ; eo (alin wall in Darknejs, but ſpall have the Light of Life. So So, Comformable to the old Prophecies, Ja.. 60. 1. Ariſe, ſhine, os rho Ti-ht is come. — Ver. 2. Behold, the Darkneſs ſhall cover ; re Earch, ard gras Darkneſs the People, but the Lord ſhall ariſe
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rin;n thee. — Ver. 3» And the Gentiles fhall come to ity Li And tpeaking of Chriſt, 1 will alſo give thee for a4 Light t Gentiles, that thu mayeſt be my Salvation to the ends of the Earth :