The birth of a boy involved seven days’ ceremonial defilement; of a girl, fourteen. Not the child, but the mother, was adjudged to be unclean, securing her a period of retirement and rest. The eracious gradation in the sacrifices made it possible for the poorest to obey, and it is a memorable fact that ‘the mother of our Lord brought two pigeons or doves --meet emblems of her gentle nature—when she presented her babe in the Temple. See Luke 2:24. Our Lord became poor, that through his poverty we might be eternally enriched. In the light of this ceremonial, we are led back to Ps. 51:5, which we must personally and sadly ponder.

The initial rite of the Hebrew religion stood for separation. The parent taught the child to remember that he belonged to a separated race. It was impossible for him to consort with those who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. We all need te undergo the cireumeision of Christ; which consists in putting away the sins of the flesh and ceasing to trast in our own energy. See Col. 2:11, 12.