22. Days of her purification.—This was at the end of forty days. The law is given in Lev. xii. Present him. As the first born son, he was to be devoted to the Lord. (See Ex. xiii, 2, 11—16.) ' 24. Pair of Turtledoves.-This was to be given when the parents were too poor to be able to afford to offer a lamb. (Lev. xii. 8.) 25. The consolation of Israel—i.e. the Messiah-who was to com. fort his people. (Is. xl. 1.) 26. The Lord's Christ.-The word "Christ" means "anointed;" and was the name which the Jews gave to the Messiah they were expecting. "Jesus" was the name by which our Lord was commonly known, as given to him at his circumcision. The Jews called him "Jesus," or "Joshua" (for the two names are the same); but would not acknowledge that he was "the Christ." (See Acts xviii. 28.) 28. Blessed.-Praised. (Ps. ciii. 1.) 32. Lighten the Gentiles.-(See Is. ix. 2. xlii. 6, 7. xlix. 6. lx. 1-3.) &c. Glory of Israel.-(See Ps. lxxxv. 9. Is. xlv. 25. lx. 19. Zech. ii. 5.) &c. 34. Fall and rising again.-Many would fall by rejecting him; and many be saved through faith in his name. (Is. viii. 14, 15.) 35. A sword.-Thou shalt have sorrow on his account. (John xix. 25-27.) Revealed. It would be a test by which the real characters of men should be made manifest. (Mal. iii. 2, 3.) 38. Looked for Redemption.-The pious Jews who were expecting the Messiah; this was the case with many. (Luke iii. 15.) SUMMARY. The son of Mary is circumcised, and called "Jesus"; and afterwards presented in the temple. There he is met by the aged Simeon, who, being taught by the Holy Ghost to acknowledge him as the Christ, praises God for having been permitted to see him, and speaks of him as about to fulfil the prophecies before given. Simeon's testimony is confirmed by Anna, the prophetess. LESSONS. I. Poverty will neither excuse us from devoting what we have to God's service, nor prevent us from receiving a blessing from him. V. 22-24. (Luke xxi. 2-4. 2 Cor. viii. 12.) II. May we be, like Simeon-just in all our dealings-devout in spirit-waiting for Christ-and filled with the Holy Ghost! V. 25. (Rom. xii. 17. 1 Thess. v. 17. 2 Thess. iii. 5. Rom. v. 5.) III. The house of God is the place where we may expect to meet with Christ. Both Simeon and Anna found him in the temple. V. 27, 37. 38. (Ps. lxiii. 1, 2. lxxxiv. 10.) IV. If Christ is ours we need not fear death. V. 29. (Phil. i. 21-33.) V. To be taught about Christ, and have his salvation clearly made known to us, must prove either a great blessing, or a great curse to us. V. 32, 34, 35. (2 Cor. ii. 15, 16.) VI. Those who earnestly and diligently wait upon God, will be sure to receive a blessing. V. 37, 38. (Is. xl. 30, 31.) FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. THE WISE MEN FROM THE EAST. MATT. ii. 1—12. 1. Herod the king.-The whole country was subject to the Roman Emperor, Cæsar Augustus; but Herod was king under him. He was a very wicked and cruel man. Wisemen, or "Magi".-The most learned people, or philosophers; and perhaps also a sect of men of peculiar religious opinions, were so called in Persia and other eastern countries. (See Dan. ii. 5-27. iv. 6, 7.) 2. Seen his star.-This could not have been a real star, as it went before them, and directed them distinctly to Bethlehem; but was probably a bright appearance in the air which shone like a star, and which God caused to appear on purpose to guide them. They must also have received some direct intimation from him as to its meaning; though they may have known something of the expected "King of the Jews," from the Hebrew Scriptures. 3. Troubled.-Fearing probably that a new king arising, would be a rival to him. The Jews in Jerusalem partook of the excitement, dreading what might be the consequence. 4. Chief priests.-These are supposed to have been the heads of the twenty-four courses. (Mentioned 1 Chron. xxiv.). Scribes, or "writers."-Those whose employment it was to write out the Scriptures (printing being at that time unknown); they were generally learned men, and well acquainted with the contents of the sacred volume. 5. The prophet.—(Micah v. 2.) 6. Art not the least.—When the old Testament is quoted by our Lord and his Apostles, we seldom have the same words as those in our English bibles; for they generally used the words of the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures; and some times, as here, gave the general sense. This is clearly the case in the passage before us, though the words differ, for the chief idea is, that though Bethlehem was in itself a little and insignificant town, it should become important by the Messiah being born there, and should be far from the least among the divisions of Judah.-NOTE: They were at first divided into " thousands," (as our own country into "hundreds") over each of which was a chief man, or "prince." 8. I may come and worship him.-This was only a pretence; he had another object in view. 11. Gifis.-This was a common custom in visiting great men. (Gen. xliii. 26. Ps. lxxii. 10-15.) Frankincense was a gum which yielded a very sweet smell when burnt. Myrrh, another gum, used in embalming dead bodies; both were very valuable. SUMMARY. After Jesus was born, some wise men came from the East to Jerusalem, being led there by a star; here they lost sight of the star-and making enquiries, were directed by Herod, and the chief priests, and scribes, to Bethlehem. After they set ont, the star again appeared to them, and brought them to Bethlehem, where they found the child; they then worshipped him, and offered him gifts-and went home, by God's direction, another way. LESSONS. I. God will guide those aright who are willing to be led by him. V. 2-9. (John vii. 17.) II. It is a sad thing to be troubled at the thought of Christ's coming, instead of being ready to welcome the Saviour. V. 3. (Matt. xxiv. 30-46.) III. We may know much about the Bible, and yet not be using it for ourselves. V. 5, 6. (James i. 22-24.) IV. The profession of religion which some make, is only a cloke for their sins. V. 8. (Matt. xxiii. 14, 27, 28.) V. How happy and thankful may those be, who feel that they are under God's teaching! V. 10. (Ps. lxxi. 17.) VI. If we are really led to Christ, like these wise men, we shall present ourselves, and the best of all we have, to his service. V. 11. (Rom. xii. 1. Prov. iii. 9.) THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND YOUNG MEN'S SOCIETY, FOR AIDING MISSIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD. No. IX. EXAMPLES OF PERSEVERANCE FURNISHED BY MISSIONARY LITERATURE. THERE is, perhaps, no lesson which even for worldly purposes requires to be impressed more upon the youthful mind than that perseverance is a quality indispensable in all who would wish to succeed in any thing really useful or important. "Try, Try-Try again," is a maxim necessary to be inculcated not only on the child who learns that well-known line, but on the Teacher in the Sundayschool, the clerk in the office, the merchant on the exchange, the statesman in the cabinet, and the general on the field. We read with thrilling interest the narrative in Scottish history of Robert the Bruce, when his fortunes were at their lowest ebb, deriving courage from watching the spider six times unsuccessfully endeavouring to fasten its web, and the seventh time succeeding. We peruse with no less interest the memoirs of those eminent students who have pursued knowledge under difficulties, and who, by the exertions of an indomitable will, forced open the portals of literature or science which seemed hopelessly barred against them. With scarcely less absorbing attention do we follow Napoleon in his ambitious course scaling the Alps, and triumphing over obstacles which before his time had been considered insuperable. But it is not only with interest that we read such narratives, we peruse them with profit also. Even the man of the world, who is struggling with difficulties in his peculiar line of business, is stimulated, if he reads aright, to exclaim-"I, too, will persevere: what others have done I may, in some degree, however humble, accomplish also." Now, if examples of perseverance, displayed in the pursuit of temporal objects excite such feelings, well may the Christian be quickened to fresh alacrity in his heavenward course by the practical illustrations of this virtue presented in missionary literature. We might speak of Morrison, grappling singlehanded with the language of China, and its thirty thousand characters—reducing them to system, and compiling not only a voluminous dictionary, but translating a great portion of the Scriptures into that complex tongue. We might refer likewise to Elliot, the apostle of the Indians, labouring for years among natives who mocked his benevolent efforts, and compiling a grammar of words so barbarous and difficult that the completion of his task wrung from him the exclamation-" Prayer and pains will do everything, through faith in Chrst Jesus." Arkwright, the inventer of the cotton machine, is applauded by posterity for having, amidst ridicule and disgrace, pursued his invention till it was crowned with success. Columbus, too, is admired for having for years had the constancy to carry about with him from court to court the project which he entertained for the discovery of a new hemisphere; but with these examples of perseverance may be confidently parallelled the far nobler specimens of this quality displayed by those missionaries, who, during their long night of toil, laboured for twenty years in the South Sea Islands without seeing one single feature of success to encourage them, until, at last, they were privileged to behold the cheerless wilderness transformed into the blooming garden of the Lord. The conduct of the Church Missionary Society's labourers in New Zealand no less remarkably illustrates the blessings attendant on perseverance. For fifteen years these noble-minded men worked on, the heaven above them seeming as brass, the natives opposing their exertions, misconstruing their kindness, and revelling in their besotted and cruel idolatries, until, at last, Christian constancy triumphed, and the dark regions of cruelty were brought under the gentle sway of the Gospel. In the mission of the Moravian brethren to Greenland, the same moral heroism and the same happy results are found displayed. We cannot read of their journeys amidst regions of everlasting snow, of their dangers in traversing stormy seas in a frail fishing boat-their only vessel, of their living for years on the coarsest food, of their dwelling in an atmosphere so intensely cold that their breath froze even when seated round the fire-we cannot read of this, we say, and of the success which eventually crowned their labours, without feeling elevated with a holy enthusiasm, and being encouraged to go on with more prayerful energy in the prosecution of Christian enterprizes, in which our hearts had previously begun to droop. MISSIONARY EXTRACTS. THE COMPARATIVE STATE OF RELIGION IN THE WORLD AND "If we divide our population into the three classes of-1, Communicants; 2, Attendants on the public worship of God; and 3, Neglectors of the public worship of God-the contrasted statistics of the religious state of the world and of London, will be somewhat as follows -- |