no Danger nor Difficulty deter me from a zealous Profecution of my Duty; Let no Prospect of Labour or Pains flacken my Industry, but make me. ftedfaft and immoveable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord. Shew Mercy, O God, to all those that are misled by Error, or feduced by Vice, that by thy heavenly Light, their Blindness may be removed, and their Weaknefs cured, through Jefus Chrift my only Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Levit, xii.

CHAP. XII.

The Purification of the Blessed Uirgin,
February 2.

Q. WHAT Festival doth the Church celebrate

this Day?

A. The Presentation of Chrift in the Temple, commonly called The Purification of the bleffed Virgin Mary.

Q. What was the Law of Purification?

A. All the Women were obliged to feparate themselves from the public Congregation forty Days after the Birth of a Male Child, and eighty Days after the Birth of a Female. And when the Days of their Purifying were fulfilled, if they were rich, they brought a Lamb of the first Year for a Burnt-offering, and a young Pigeon or a TurtleDove for a Sin-offering; if poor, two Turtles, or two young Pigeons, which the Prieft offered before the Lord, and made an Atonement for them.

Q. What doth this Purification import?

A. That fince Adam's Fall we are conceived in Sin, that our Birth is impure, and that we derive from our Parents an hereditary Stain, whereby we are naturally unclean, and Children of Wrath; and

to

to fhew the Contagion thereof, not only the Child was circumcifed, but the Mother alfo was cleanfed by a Sacrifice for Sin.

Q. What did the Law require concerning the Prefentation of the First-born?

A. That every Male that openeth the Womb fhould Exod. be holy to the Lord; that is, confecrated and fet apart for his immediate Service. For when God exempted the First-born of the Hebrews from that Destruction he brought upon the First-born of the Egyptians, he commanded that the First-born of the Hebrews Numb. fhould be dedicated to him, or redeemed at the xviii. 16. Price of five Shekels. As therefore the Firstlings of clean Beasts were feparated for the Ufe of the Altar, fo the Firft-born of Men were for the Use of the Tabernacle, till the Levites were fubftituted in Numb. viii. 16, their Stead by God Almighty's particular Direction. After which remained ftill the Foot-steps of the old Law, that Mothers were obliged to prefent their First-born in the Temple, and to pay a Ransom to the Pricft. The Price of the Redemption 'was the fame both to Rich and Poor; as were the Charges of their Burials; admonishing us of that Equality Nature hath established between all Men in coming into the World, and going out.

Q. What doth the redeeming of the First-born fignify to us?

17, 18.

A. The Redemption of God's People, called the Church of the first-born, which are written in Heaven, Heb. xit. and not redeemed with corruptible Things, as Silver 23. and Gold, but with the precious Blood of Christ.

Q. Since there was no Impurity in the Birth of our Saviour, and that the Bleffed Virgin contracted no Pollution by bringing him forth; why did they fubmit to thefe Laws?

A. Being born under the Law, it became our Saviour to fulfil all righteoufnefs, who came not to deftroy the Law, but to fulfil it: And the

bleffed

Luke ii.

25 26.

Luke ii.

24.

2 Cor.

vili. 9.

Luke ii. 25, 26.

bleffed Virgin being expofed to the public Opinion and common Reputation of an ordinary Condition, thought it reasonable to comply with all the Obli gations of fuch Circumftances; and hereby fhe expreffed great Humility, Obedience, and Reverence to public Sanctions. Befides, there was thus an Occafion given for the first public Declaration of our Saviour by good old Simeon, and Anna the Prophetefs.

Q. What may we learn from the Confequence of this Inflance?

A. That the Injunctions of public Authority, whilft lawful, ought to be obeyed; though all the Ends of their firft Inftitution fhould not be alike ferved by them; Obedience to Authority being a neceffary Duty, even when the Rites it requireth are no otherwife neceffary than as they are enjoined. Q. What Offerings did the bleffed Virgin make?

A. The Offerings of the Poor, a Pair of Turtles, or two young Pigeons. Such mean and low Circumftances did our bleffed Saviour chufe, when he came into the World upon the Work of our Redemption; fuch was his great Bounty and Kindness, that though he was rich, yet for our Şakes he became poor, that we through his Poverty might be rich.

Q. How was our bleffed Saviour known to Simeon and Anna?

A. Simeon being a juft and devout Man, waiting for the Confolation of Ifrael, which was the Expectation of the promifed Melias, God was pleafed to reveal to him, that he fhould not fee Death, before he had feen the Lord's Chrift; and, at this very Time, when Chrift was prefented in the Temple, he was, by the Guidance and Dictate of God's Spirit, Luke i brought thither. And the Prophetefs Anna conftantly attending the Service of the Temple, remarkable for Mortification and Devotion, came in at the fame Inftant. They both gave Thanks unto

ii.

37, 38.

the

the Lord, and fpake of him to all that looked for Redemption in Ferufalem; Simeon in that admirable Ver. 29Hymn, which our Church hath adopted into her Offices, and with which the daily nourishes the Devotion of her Children.

Q. What may we learn from the Hymn we fo frequently repeat?

A. That though we cannot fee our Saviour with our bodily Eyes, as Simeon did, yet he being daily in the holy Scriptures prefented to the Eyes of our Faith, we ought to thank God for that wonderful Salvation he hath prepared both for Jew and Gentile. That we must never think of dying in Peace, till we have embraced our Saviour with our Underftandings and Affections; till we heartily believe what he revealed; and fincerely practife what he taught. That nothing will ftand us in Stead in a dying Hour, and fupport us when all earthly Comforts forfake us, but Remembrance of a wellfpent Life, and the Performance of thofe Conditions upon which Salvation is promised.

Q. What doth this great Honour bestowed upon Simeon and Anna teach us?

A. Conftantly and devoutly to attend the Ordinances of our Religion; not to neglect thofe Means God hath establifhed for the building us up in his holy Faith. For if we fervently perfevere, God will abundantly communicate his Grace and Favour towards us.

Q. What may we learn from the Obfervation of this Festival?

A. To dedicate the Vigour of our Youth, and the Flower of our Days, to the Practice of Religion; becaufe, as it is the propereft and most neceffary Season to receive the Impreffions of Piety and Virtue, fo it is then moft acceptable to God, the Perfection of whofe Nature requires that we fhould offer up to him the Prime of our Age, and the Ex

cellency

cellency of our Strength. To purify ourselves both in Body and Soul; and to practise that Obedience which our Saviour, and the bleffed Virgin taught by their Example. To return to God whatever we receive from him, and to make an entire Sacrifice to his Majefty of what is moft dear and precious to us. Not to defpife, but refpect the Poor, who, in their outward Circumftances, bear fo great a Refemblance to the bleffed Jefus, and his holy Family. To blefs God that he hath manifefted to us the Confolation of Ifrael, to give Light to us that fat inDarkness, and in the Shadow of Death, and to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace. Above all, to clothe ourselves with Humility, to be meek and lowly in Heart, that we may find Reft for our Souls. Q. Is Humility particularly a Chriftian Virtue?

A. The Heathen Philofophers were fo little acquainted with this Virtue, that they had no Name for it; what they expreffed by the Word we now ufe, was Meannefs and Bafenefs of Mind, which provoked their Contempt and Anger rather than Applaufe: And the Jews fo valued themselves upon their Privileges, that they were too apt to contemn the reft of Mankind. Our Saviour firft taught it in its greatest Perfection; and indeed his whole Life was but fo many repeated Inftances of Humility and wonderful Condefcenfion for our Sakes. He begins his divine Sermon upon the Mount with this Precept, he lays it as the Foundation of our spiritual Building, without which we cannot discharge our Duty either to God or Man.

Q. Wherein confifts the Humility of a Chriftian? A. In not thinking better of himself than he deferves, in having a juft Senfe of all his Weakneffes and Defects, which will create a low and mean Opinion of himself; and in condefcending to the meanest Offices for the good of his Fellow-Chriftians. For thus our Saviour made himself to us a

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