The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-07-18

ITSELF where the manger stood and the Angel de-
scended in Judah's domain.
But the Messiah is for all Israel, and for all
outside of Israel. A light to tighten the Gentiles
And as in the Magi from the East the heather
world Journeys to Bethlehem, to offer homage to
the newborn King of Israel, so in Anna there
appears in the temple Of the Lord the rest of Is
rael, which lay outside of Judah to confess the
Hope of the Fathers. For Anna was not of Ju-
dah She the daughter of Phanuel, and of
the tribe of Aser. And Aser not part of the
ancient realm of Judah, but part of the king
dom of the Ten Tribes. Wherefore Annals ap-
pearance in the temple is deeply significant.
Under Jeroboam the kingdom of the Ten Tribes
had torn itself loose from Judah and with it from
David and his house. For many centuries it had
persisted in the rejection of David's house. and in
this of Israels Messiah and in Him of the coven-
ant of God And Anna of the tribe of Aser ap-
pears in the temple by the side of Simeon, that as
firstling of the Northern Tribes she might offer
homeage again to the prince of the house of David
and as it were, implore Him to come to the Lake
of Gennesaret, and to the despised Galilee, to
gather his rebeous children back again in
to his kingdom
Simeon and Anna were both old and full of
days. Anna eghty-four years old. Neither
in her nor in Simeon do we face the younger gen
Grafton. She no longer belongs to the circles of
young from which the Lord is to select his
disciples; and of women from which the Lord
shall call his Marys and Marthas. She repre-
sents the generation in Israel which was passing
away. In Anna it is not the future but the past
which extends the palm of honor to the Christ
And it is though she comes to bring to the feet
of Jesus last act before dying the offering of
thanksgiving of forty generations
She does this woman after Simeon has set
the pace in this matter as Man 1t is ever the two
sexes, that called, together and each by ITSELF
to glorify the God of Israel Alongside of Abra-
ham Sarah alongside of Barak Deborah,
alongside of Moses Zippora; and in this instance
also alongside of Simeon Anna, who was Of
the tribe of Aser. But Anna does not appear as
the wife of Simeon. Every difference between the
two is rather dissolved in higher spiritual unity.
In the long ago, some sixty years more, she
had been married short time, and had never re-
married. And ever since she had been in the tenn
pie, door keeper in the house of God. "She
departed not from the temple, but served God with
HASTINGS and prayers night and day" Thus her
life of rare devotion; bound and inspired
by an unconscious premonition of things to come,
since it is natural to suppose that it had been told
her of Simeon that before his death the Christ
should appear
1t remains to be noted that Anna was also
prophecies, and that such she closes the long
series of prophets and of prophetesses who in one
century after another had announced the coming
of the Great Prophet and Teacher. From the
royal tribe is Jesus born The ancient Prestly
tribe is represented by Zacharias and Elizabeth.
And i'll Anna behold the old company Of Is
raels spiritual office bearers. By the side of the
Royal and of the priestly tribes stands represented
by this devout woman the ancient generation of
IsraePs prophets. Prophecy had foretold Christ s
coming. And now that he is come, there appears
this last prophecies, to seal, it were, that this
truly the holy child whose coming has been
proclaimed by the Isaiahs and Malachis. For
it does not merely say that Anna confessed the
Lord, but it is also added that "Shc spake of him
to all them that looked for redemption in Israel"
And thus it already whispered around in
the Temple, that the hour of redemption of God
people had come; that the fulness Of time had set
in; and that presently in that holy child would
arise the Saviour of the World. Then only was