LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. 19 her mean condition, (he had brought for her offering, were prefented by the prieft, as an oblation to the Lord ; the was then admitted into the inner court, where the prieft received the bleffed infant from his mother's arms, and prefented him to the Lord, at the altar of burnt offer- ing; and received the five (hekels, which the law exalted of every family, without regard to their circumftances, for the re- demption of a firft-born fon. The God, whom.Ifrael expelled, then fiuddenly came to his temple and the glory of the latter houfe was greater than the former. While thefe facred rites were perform- ing, a pious and venerable old man came into the temple, whofe name was Simeon : he had long waited, and earneftly prayed, for the redemption of Ifrael ; and it had been revealed to him, by the fpirit of God, that, before he died, he fhould fee the ex- alted Meffiah. Accordingly the fpirit, which had now direfed his flops to the temple, impreffed on his mind a clear and ffrong convifion, that the infant, now prefenting at the altar, was this glorious perfon. Full of heavenly tranfport, he took the holyblef- fed infant in his arms, and addreffed the throne of that God, who had thus highly favoured him, in fuch language as this: Lord, now lettf thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have feen thy falvation, which thou _hall prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Ifrael. It may be fup= poled, that thefe words were heard with wonder and joy, by the parents of the holy child : for it mutt certainly Teem ftrange to them, that the good old man fhould be acquainted with the great things which concerned the heavenly infant ; and they doubtiefs had reafon to wonder how he came by the information: but, turning to the virgin mother, he added, Behold, this child isfetfor thefall and riling again of many in Ifrael. In thefe remarkable words, the venerable old man prophefied the oppofition which the GofpelofCxatsr fhould meet with in the world ; and (hewed that the deftruEtion of many would be the confequence of their final unbelief and difobedience ; yet, at the fame time, many would rife out of that dreadful condition, into which they were fallen by their fins, by being enabled to believe in the Son of God, and apply to their fouls the benefits of his great falvation. The holy prophet proceeded further to inform the mother of our Lord, that her fon fhould be fet up as a mark, at which the unbelieving and difobedient fhould level all the darts of their infernal fury ; and that the forrows that (he would feel on that account, would be exceedingly cut- ing and painful : Yea, Laid he, a fword (hall pierce through thy own foul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be re- vealed. This prophecy was remarkably fulfilled, when the holy Virgin, about thirty-three years after this, flood by the crois, and, in all the bitternefs of grief, beheld the fufferings of her expiring fon. Various have been the conjeltures con- cerning this good old man Simeon ; but who he -was, is not decided with any degree of certainty.. Some have fuppofed him to be a prieft ; others have ima- gined he was Simeon the Jult, a great perfon, who bore an excellent charaller amongft the Jews ; others have concluded him to be the fon of Hillel, a famous dolor in the Sanhedrim. But, as the evangelifts are filent in thefe particulars, they muff be left without any further inquiry. The teftimonyof this great perfon was confirmed by that of an aged matron, named Anna, whom the evangelift calls a prophetefs ; and declares, that /he de- parted notfrom the temple, but ferved God, with fallings and prayers, night and day; The meaning of which is, that the had dedicated herfelf to the fervice of God, and conflantly attended on his worlhip ire the temple. She had been married in her
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