But whether it was a Son or a Daughter SERM. that was born; the Woman, when the Days III. of her purifying were fulfilled, was to bring a Burnt-Offering, and a Sin-Offering to the Prieft; the latter to wipe out the Stain which the Child-Birth had fixed upon her; the former to exprefs her Gratitude to God, for vouchfafing her the Bleffing of a fafe Delivery, for making her the happy Mother of a Child, for raifing her up to her former Strength, and for admitting her again to the Service of the Sanctuary. The Burnt-Offering (which was the Offering of Thanks for the Bleffing) might either be a Lamb of the firft Year, or elle a Turtle-Dove, or, a young Pigeon. That is, if the Woman were of Ability, her Expreffion of Gratitude must be in Proportion, and must be performed by a Lamb; whereas if he was poor, God was then pleased to accept of a Dove, or a young Pigeon; to intimate, that where there was a willing Mind, the Offering would be accepted. according to that a Man has, and not according to that he has not, 2 Cor. viii. 12.

But then it is to be observed, that whether the Woman were rich or poor, her Sin-Offering (which refpected her Impurity or Stain). was to be always the fame: All Women whatsoever

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SER M. whatfoever for this were to offer a TurtleIII. Dove, or, a young Pigeon: which some have

intimated, that though our different Circumstances in this World require different Expreffions of Thanks for the Bleffings we receive; yet they make no Difference whatever in our Sins and Repentance. High and Low, Rich and Poor, are in this Cafe bound to make all one and the fame Satisfaction, fince the Souls of Men are (without Distinction) of equal Value in the Sight of God, the common Father of the Spirits of all Flesh. None, after they have finned, can ever appear again as holy and innocent before him, but through the Merits and Satisfaction of him alone, whofe Innocence was expreffed by the Turtle or Dove. It must be his Expiation, and no one's elfe, that must cleanse us from Sin. And for this Reafon it was, that the Woman could not enter the Tabernacle till the Turtle was offered. She delivered her Sacrifices to the Prieft at the Door, Levit. xii. 6. and at the Door fhe flood, 'till the Prieft had offered them, ' and made a folemn Atonement for her: And then was the looked upon and not before, to be purified and clean: She might enter as usual into the Women's Court, might be prefent at the Service, and enjoy all the Privileges

4

that

III.

that belonged to the reft of the Daughters of S ER M. Ifrael.

This was the Law, and this the Foundation and Meaning of the Law, that was given for the Purification of Women from Child-Birth. I come next to explain the Law, that relates to the Prefentation of the First-Born Son in the Temple. For we are told in the Text, that at the fame Time that Mary came up to the Temple to be purified, they brought Jefus allo to Jerufalem, to prefent him to the Lord: As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every Male that openeth the Womb, shall be called Holy unto the Lord.

Now in order to come at the Meaning of this, we must remember that, of the many Plagues that God was pleafed to inflict upon the Egyptians, the last was the Death of the Firft-Born throughout the whole, Land, Exod. xi. 5. from the First-Born of Pharaoh that fat on the Throne, even to the Firft-Born of the Maid-Servant that was behind the Mill, or, as it is afterwards explained, ch. xii. 19. to the Firft-Born of the Captive that was in the Dungeon, and all the Firft-Born of Cattle, or, of Beasts. But now the Ifraelites having been spared in this Plague, as they had also been in all the reft, notwithstanding they lived in the midst

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SER M. midst of the Egyptians; ch. xiii. 2. therefore III. the Lord, from that Time, fanctified all the

Firft-Born (whatsoever firft opened the Womb of the Children of Ifrael) both of Man and Beaft; Numb. iii. 13. ch. viii. 17. he claimed them, Exod. xiii. 12, 13. as his own, and fanctified them to himself, i. e. The Firflings of clean Beafts were to be offered up in Sacrifice to God; Numb. xviii. 15—17. But the Firstling of an unclean (of a Beast that was not accepted in Sacrifice) was either to be redeemed by the Offering of a Lamb in the Room of it; and then the Owner might take and ufe it in his own Service; or elfe, if the Owner would not redeem it, his Neck was to be broken.

But the First-Born Sons are what we are principally concerned with here: And they were all to be redeemed, not with a Beast, but with a Sum of Money, each first-born Son, at the Rate of five Shekels, after the Shekel of the Sanctuary; Numb. xviii. 16, i. e. at about our half Guinea a Man. God defigning to accept of a particular Tribe amongst them, the Tribe of Levi, in their ftead; ch. iii. he ordered them to be numbered, and accepted of them in lieu of fo many FirftBorn among the other Tribes of Ifrael, to da

But

the

1

the Service of the Tabernacle. The Levites s ER M. were given unto Aaron and his Sons; they were III. wholly given to minifter to him, out of the Children of Ifrael. Some have thought this to be a Reward of that Tribe for diftinguishing themselves from the reft of the Ifraelites, in not worshipping the molten Calf, and whent they confecrated themselves by the Zeal they exerted against those that did: Exod. xxxii. 25-29. As Phinehas the Son of Eleazar, did afterwards (while he was zealous for his God, and made an Atonement for the Children of Ifrael, in the Offence committed by Zimri and Cofbi ;) Numb. xxv. for which God gave unto him his Covenant of Peace, to him and his Seed after him, even the Covenant of an everlafting Priesthood. But however this be; the Calling of the particular Tribe of Levi to the Service of the Tabernacle, and that in lieu of the Firft-Born of Ifrael, certainly shewed that the Service of the Tabernacle was what God originally defigned for the Firft-born Sons. And if so, then may we infer, that in God's Judgment (and furely he must know how to judge of Diftinctions and Honours) the Ministration about holy Things, does not degrade or leffen the Condition of the Man that performs it. No, this was antiently esteemed a Dignity

and