70 SECT. xi. Luke The purification of Mary ; SECT. XI. The purification of Mary and her offering in the temple; where Christ is presented to God, and has a very memorable testimony given him by Simeon and Anna. Luke II. 22-39. LUKE II. 22. LUKE II. 22. of her purification, AND, after Mary had been thus delivered of AND when the days her son at Bethlehem, when the forty days according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. 11. 22. appointed for her purification, according to the time limited by the law of Moses, (Lev. xii. 2,4) were fulfilled, Jesus was taken by his parents from the place where he was born, and, in obedience to the divine command, they brought him to Jerusalem, there to present him as a first-born 23 son before the Lord in the temple: According as it is written in the law of the Lord (Exod. Every thale that openxiii. 2. Numb. viii. 16, 17.) that " every eth the womb shall be first-born male shall be called holy to the Lord, called holy and shall be treated as devoted in a peculiar Lord.) manner to his service." Agreeably to this a Her purification; nabapops avls.] The Alexandrian, and some other manuscripts, read alwy; and, as it must be owned that both mother and child, for a while after the birth, were looked upon as ceremonially unclean, it might not be improper (with Erasmus and some of the most considerable expositors) to admit this reading, and to render it their purification, as referring to them both. For, notwithstanding it is true that Christ had no moral impurity, from which he needed to be cleansed, yet we may well enough suppose him, as he bore our sins, to have submitted to this ordinance as well as circumcision and as he came into the world, made of a woman, made under the law,' he would be ready to comply with any institution of the law, that he might thus fulfil all righteousness. But as the law that is referred to in this place, speaks only of the woman. and of the sacrifice that was appointed to be offered for her purifying, I have retained the common reading, and have made no alteration in the cersion. : b The forty days-were fulfilled.] Mr. Whiston has supposed in his Harmony, (prop. xiv. p. 158, & seq.) that these forty days were not accomplished till their return from Egypt: But although this may give the easiest solution to ver. 39, it crowds so many events into that little space and so entirely depends on a precarious hypothesis, that Christ was born about a precept 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, to the month before the death of Herod (which I think Mr. Manne has entirely overthrown, in his Dissertation on the birth of Christ, p. 42--45,) that it seems evident upon the whole that the purification preceded the flight into Egypt, as most Harmonizers have thought. But whether the purification was before or after the visit of the wise men is not so plain: I have placed it before, chiefly that I might not interrupt the thread of the story; and partly because the meanness of the virgin's sacrifice makes ih probable she had not then received the presents that were offered by the trise men. Nevertheless, I acknowledge it very possible that the purification might happen during the interval of Herod's waiting for the return of the wise men; and that the holy family might go from Jerusalem to Egypt the very night after Jesus had been presented in the temple; as Garthwait intimates in his excellent Harmony (chap. xi. xii.) which is so accurately and judiciously composed, that, as far as I can judge, most of the faults in Le Clerc, Whiston, Wells, &c. may be corrected by it. It was first printed at Cambridge, 1634, and is almost entirely the same with that which was afterwards published under the name of Mr. Locke's Life of Christ. After all, I shall only observe that this is one of the many instances in which the order of the sacred story cannot be circumstantially determined with demonstrative evidence. © They Jesus is brought to be presented in the temple. sacrifice according to 71 SECT. xi. precept they now went up to redeem him, at the price of five shekels, which was the sum appointed to be paid for every eldest son, without Luke any regard to the condition of the family (com- 11.23. 94 And to offer a pare Numb. xviii. 15, 16). And to offer a 24 that which is said in sacrifice, according to what is enjoined in the law the law of the Lord, of the Lord, Lev. xii. 6, 8. where they, whose A pair of turtle-doves, circumstances were so mean as that they could or two young pigeons, not conveniently afford a lamb, are ordered to bring a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons; which offering suited best the virgin's rank in life, and she did not affect on this occasion to exceed it. 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusa lem, whose name was Simeon; and the same mon was just and derout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; And behold, there was then at Jerusalem a 25 certain man, whose name was Simeon; and he [was] one that was a singularly righteous and religious person, who was waiting, with many others at that time, for the coming of the Messiah, the great expected consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit of prophecy was sometimes in an ex26 And it was re- traordinary manner upon him: And among 26 vealed unto him by other things it was divinely revealed unto him by he should not see death the Holy Spirit, that he should not die before he before he had seen the had seen the Great Anointed of the Lord, and his eyes had beheld the promised Messiah. and the Holy Ghost was upon him. the Holy Ghost, that Lord's Christ. e They went up to redeem him.] GOD having acquired a peculiar right to the first-born of Israel, by preserving them amidst the destruction brought on the firstborn of the Egyptians, though he had accepted of the tribe of Levi as an equivalent, yet would have the memory of it preserved by this little acknowledgment of five shekels (or about twelve shillings and sixpence of our money), which was the price that every first-born child must be redeemed at; and in case of an omission here, it might reasonably have been expected that the child should be cut off by some judgment. The first-born therefore were redeemed by paying of this money, in such a sense as all the people were, when, at the time that they were numbered, each of them paid half a shekel as a ransom for their souls, that there might be no plague among them; as there might otherwise have been if that acknowledgment of the Divine Goodness had been omitted: Exod. xxx. 12---16. But that the five shekels demanded for the first-born were paid to redeem them from being sacrificed on the altar, is one of the most false and malicious insinuations that ever came even from the most inveterate enemy of revelation. And d Whose name was Simeon.] Had Simeon been, as some suppose, the president of the council, and father of the celebrated Gamaliel, St. Luke would probably have inserted so honourable a circumstance. e The consolation of Israel.] This is a phrase that frequently is used, both by the ancient and modern Jews, for a description of the Messiah. The days of consola tion is a common phrase among them, to signify the days of the Messiah: nor is there any thing more usual with them than to swear by their desire of seeing this consolation; as Dr. Lightfoot proves by several instances, Hor. Hebr. in loc. And it is easy to observe that the same way of speaking was made use of by the prophets, who often introduce the promise of the Messiah's coming, to comfort the people of God in their afflictions. Compare Isa. xlix. 15. lit. 9. Ixvi. 13. Jer. xxxi. 13. and Zech. i. 17. f That he should not die.] Our translation, that he should not see death, is most literal; but I did not apprehend the antithesis, between seeing death, and seeing Christ, to be intended as at all material, and therefore did not retain the Hebraism, G 2 : Thou 72 SECT. xi. Simeon embraceth Christ. of the law, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart And he came under the secret, but powerful 27 And he came impulse of the Spirit, into the temple, just at the by the Spirit into the temple: and when the Luke juncture of time when [his] parents brought in parents brought in the II. 27. the child Jesus into the court of Israel there, that child Jesus, to do for they might do for him according to the custom him after the custom which the authority of the divine law had re28 quired and established in such cases. And 28 Then took he when the pious Simeon had discovered him by and blessed God, and him up in his arms, his prophetic gift and saw that well-known said, prophecy accomplished, (Hag. ii. 7.) that the Desire of all nations should come into that second temple, he was transported at the sight of this desirable Child, and took him with a sacred rapture into his arms, and praised God, and said, with the highest elevations of devotion and joy, 29 Now, O, my Sovereign Lord and Master, I thankfully acknowledge that thou dismissest thy servant to the repose of the grave in peace ; and I can die with pleasure, since thou hast dealt with me according to the gracious engagements of thy word to me; For mine eyes have at length beheld him, whom thou hast appointed as the have seen thy salvagreat instrument of thy long expected salvation; 31 Even that salvation, which thou hast prepared to 31 Which thou hast set before the face of all people, as the glorious prepared before the 32 object of their faith and hope; Ordaining him 32 A light to ento be a light for the illumination of the Gentiles, lighten the Gentiles, to reveal the way of life to them that sit in and the glory of thy darkness and in the shadow of death, as well as giving him to be the consolation and the glory of thy people Israel, who have the honour of being peculiarly related to him. 30 33 34 in peace according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes tion. people Israel. 33 And Joseph and at those things which And when they heard this glorious testimony given to the infant Jesus, Joseph and his mother his mother marvelled were astonished at those things which were spoken were spoken of him. of him by so eminent a prophet; which appeared to them so much the more remarkable when compared with the miraculous circumstances which had attended his conception and birth. 34 And Simeon blessMary his mother, Behold this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and ed them, and said unto And Simeon, in the warmth of his devotion, blessed them both, praying affectionately for them, that the favour of God might continually attend them; and said to Mary his mother, Behold this [Child] of thine is appointed for an occasion of the fall and rising again of many in Israel, as he be spoken against: in fact shall be the means of bringing aggra Thou dismissest thy servant in peace.] There may perhaps be an allusion here to the custom of saying, especially to an in vated for a sign which shall ferior, when parting, Go in peace. See note 1, on Luke vii. 50. sect. lx. b A mark 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also;) that the thoughts of manyhearts may be revealed, $6 And there was ess, the daughter of The testimony of Anna. Yea, 35 xi. 73 vated ruin upon some by their rejecting him, as SECT. And there was also [one] Anna a prophetess, 36 one Anna a prophet- the daughter of Phanuel, a person of some conPhanuel, of the tribe siderable note in the tribe of Asher. She was of Aser: she was of now very far advanced in years, having lived lived with a husband only seven years with a husband from the time seven years from her of her virginity: And, as her husband died 37 while she was very young, she had now been a S7 And she was a widow about eighty-four years; who, whatever a great age, and had virginity; widow A mark of contradiction and reproach.] The word onpay seems here to be used for a mark or butt to shoot or dart at; which finely intimates the deliberate malice and hellish artifice with which the character and person of Christ was assaulted while he endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, Heb. xii. 3. i dart shall pierce through thine own soul.] Though guaia seems often to signify a sword, as particularly, in Rev. i. 16. ii. 12, 16. vi. 8.) yet we are assured by Grotius it properly signifies a Thracian javelin. It may perhaps (as L'Enfant observes) be a beautiful allusion to the preceding figure, as if it had been told her, that the darts levelled at her son should be estate reflected from his breast to hers in such a k Had now been a widow about eighty- 74 xi. Joseph and Mary depart from Jerusalem. and day. thanks likewise unto SECT. estate she might have in the country, departed widow of about four not from Jerusalem, but kept always so near the score and four years; which departed not Luke temple as to be able to resort thither at the hours from the temple, but II. 37. of morning and evening sacrifice; serving [God] served God with fastwith frequent fastings and prayers in which this ings and prayers night devout matron spent a considerable part of the 38 night as well as of the day. And she coming 38 And she coming in at that very time, which was the hour of in that instant gave prayer, joined with Simeon in what he had done, the Lord, and spake and publicly made her acknowledgments to the of him to all them Lord, that is, to Jesus, who was now present tion in Jerusalem. in the temple; and afterwards spake concerning him to all those of her acquaintance in Jerusalem that were waiting, like her. for the promised redemption of Israel by the Messiah, of whose speedy appearance there was an earnest expectation raised among the pious and devout, as the appointed period of his coming now evidently approached". 39 per that looked for redemp 39 And when they had performed all law And the parents of Jesus, when they had formed all things according to the law of the Lord, things according to the departed from Jerusalem; and full of admiration at the glorious testimonies that were given to their Child, they some time afterwards returned In which she spent a considerable part of the night as well as of the day.] This is plainly the meaning of night and day, nor can the expression possibly signify more. Perhaps she might sometimes attend those anthems which the priests sung in the temple during the night-watches, Ps. cxxxiv. 1, 2. to which David may also allude, Psal. cxix. 62. m Made her acknowledgments to the Lord, that is, to Jesus: Αηθωμολογείτο τω Κυρίω.] The late English version renders it, She expressed her thanks to the Lord, and spake of Jesus; and it must be acknowledged there are in this very section two instances in which the relative pronoun refers to a remote, and not immediately preceding, substantive; ver. 22 and 27. But it is so evident, that Christ is often called the Lord by Luke, as well as by the other sacred writers, that I can see no necessity for giving this passage such a turn, contrary to all the ordinary rules of language.--And if it be objected that the infant Jesus did not seem capable at that time of resenting her gratitude, as a rational agent, I answer that Anna might properly be said to to make her acknowledgments to the Lord, if she addressed herself to the Child, as Simeon had done, confessing him to be the Messiah. The original phrase may have a reference to Simeon's speech, and might be intended to intimate that this of Anna was a kind of response, or counterpart to his. But it is also very probable that she, like Simeon, might also address some lofty hymn of praise to the God of Israel on this great occasion; and if any one think the word Lord is here put for Jehovah, though the former interpretation seems to me more just and natural, I shall not oppose it as an error of any importance. n The period of his coming now evidently approached.] The sceptre now appeared to be departing from Judah, though it was not actually gone; Daniel's weeks were plainly near their period; and the revival of the spirit of prophecy, joined with the me morable occurrences relating to the birth of John the Baptist, and of Jesus, could not but encourage and quicken the expectation of pious persons at this time. • They |