2 Cor. viii. 12. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the meat-offering, Lev. ii. 1. 2. And when any will offer a meat-offering unto the Lord, his offering fhall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincenfe thereon. And he fhall bring it to Aaron's fons, the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincenfe thereof; and the Priest hall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet favour unto the Lord.

Truth. A meat offering, in the Hebrew Mincha, a word which is generally used for a gift, or prefent, either to GoD or man, fee Gen. xxxii. 13. 1 Sam. x. 27. Likewife for facrifice, or flain offerings to GOD, as when Abel facrificed the firftling of his flock, it was called his Mincha, Gen. iv. 4. The Greek tranflates it, Thufia, a facrifice; and in Pfal. x!. 17. Profphora, an offering, but our tranflators aptly render it a meat-offering.

Firft. The fine flour, Soleth Simila, the flour of wheat, might be typical of the purity of our affections, and the fincerity of our love; for this feems to me to be one of the thank-offerings mentioned by Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxix. 31. Then Hezekiah anfwered and faid, now ye have confecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near, and bring facrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in facrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a free heart, burnt offerings.

Note, It was not to be corn ground, meal in the rough, but fine flour, fifted from the bran; to denote, that our affections in the fervice of God, must be fifted from the bran, the chaff of this world; that he must have the beft, the cream of our minds, the flower of our affections, or as fome fay, the yolk of the heart, Phil. i. 9, 10, 11. And this I pray that your love may abound, yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judg ment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be fincere and without offence till the day of CHRIST; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by JESUS CHRIST, to the glory and praife of God.

Second. The fine flour being mingled with oil, I humbly apprehend to be typical of the oil of joy, the fpirit of confolation, mingling our affections with the confolations of GOD, which are neither few nor fmall.-This makes a sweet compofition in our minds, for a thank-offering to our God; it

oils the wheels, and puts life and joy in all our fervices; makes us move like the chariot wheels of Aminidab. Sincere love, mingled with joy, is ever active, and fwift on foot to the object loved. The promifes of GOD, and the bleffings of grace, are living fprings of joy, wells of falvation, and when the fpirit of GOD turns the ftreams thereof to our hearts, we fay, with the Apoftle, Rom. xiv. 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Hely Ghoft.

Third. The frankincenfe that was mingled with the oil and the flour, may be typical of the odour of faith and prayer; for CHRIST faith, Let me hear thy voice, for fweet is thy voice. Though it is his grace in our minds, that makes a divine favour there, yet JEHOVAH is pleafed to have the odours of his own love afcend before the throne, and in this refpect we might fay as David, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

Friendly. But what might I apprehend by this offering being brought to the Prieft, and his offering it upon the altar? Truth. It might be typical of our affections, joy and faith, as a fpiritual offering being brought to CHRIST, that he might offer it up to GOD, as faith the Apoftie, Heb. xiii. 15. By bim therefore let us offer the facrifice of praife to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. And the prieft offering it upon the altar, may be typical of CHRIST's care to render our faith, love and obedience acceptable to GOD, an offering of fweet favour to the LORD, Rev. viii. 3. And there was given unto him much incenfe, that he should offer it with the prayers of all faints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Friendly. Why was there falt ufed in this offering, as in .13, And every oblation of thy meat-offering fhalt thou feafon with falt; neither halt thou fuffer the fait of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering; with all thine offerings fbalt thou offer jalt.

Truth. Sait is a fymbol of fincerity, incorruption, wisdom and duration; and its being ufed in the facrifices and offerings, may denote the fincerity of our affections in the fervice of GOD. Sincerity crowns every action, for be the action ever fo apparently good or great, yet if fincerity be wanting in the heart, the action (whether for GoD or man) is no better than painted rottennefs. The Pharifees made a fplendid appearance in the fervice and ceremonies of the law, but what faith our LORD of them, Matt. xxiii. 28. Even fo ye alfo appear righteous

unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrify and iniquity.Salt, you know, keeps from corruption and putrefaction; in which refpect it may be typical of the grace of GoD, (in our fpiritual facrifices) which purifies the mind, cleanfeth the heart, preferves the foul from being corrupted in its affections, and is a rich panacea, a fure antidote against the putrefaction of fin, Rom. v. 20. But whe e fin abounded, grace did much more abound. Salt i likewife an emblem of wildom and prudence, Ye are the falt of the earth, Col. iv. 6. Let your fpeech be always with grace, feafoned with falt, and adorned with wifdom and prudence. The fubject of our converfation should be of the grace of GoD, in a graceful, free and affable manner, with a chearful countenance, yet adorned with wisdom, prudence and difcretion. Laftly, Salt was an emblem of perpetuity, Numb. xviii. 19. By a ftatute for ever, it is a covenant of falt for ever before the Lord, unto thee, and to thy feed with thee. In which refpect it denoted the covenant of grace, which was typically fealed by the blood of the facrifices under the law, therefore the antitypical blood is ftiled by the HOLY GHOST, the blood of the everlasting covenant, Heb. xiii. 20. Thus the meat-offering was typical of our fpiritual thanksgiving and fanctification, as all leaven, which is of a four nature, was forbid to be used therein, v. 11, though some think this offering pointed out an atonement for fin, and was ypical of the Lord's fupper; but this appears to me to be ftraining the type.

It may not be difagreeable here, juft to relate the manner of the meat-offering, as recorded by the Jews, "He that brought "a tenth deal of flour, or many tenth deals, according as he "had vowed, and oil meet for the fame, the flour was mea"fured by the tenth deal of the fanctuary, and the oil was put " into a veffel, and afterwards the flour was put upon it; after "that again, other oil was put upon the flour, and the flour was mingled with it; after this they put it into a miniftring "veffel, and then poured oil into it, and the oil which firft "they put, and the oil which they mingled it with, and the "which they poured on it all, was a log, (or half a pint) for "a tenth deal of flour, and then they put the frankincenfe "upon it. The Prieft carried it to the altar, and brought it to "the fouth-weft horn thereof; and removing all the frankin" cenfe unto the one fide, he took up an handful of the flour "and oil mixed, and put that handiul into a miniftring vef"fel, and fanctiñed it therein. Then gathering up all the "frankincenfe, he put it upon the handful in the veffel, and

"fet it upon the altar, and falted it, and put it out of the mi"niftring veffel upon the fire."

Friendly. You obferved that leaven was forbid to be ufed, because it was of a fouring nature; but likewife honey, which is of a contrary quality, was prohibited, Lev. ii. 13. For he fball burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.

Truth. Though honey is of a contrary nature to leaven, yet the HOLY GHOST obferves, that much of it is not good, Prou. xxv. 27. It is not good to eat much honey; and the reafon is given in v. 16. Some obferve, that it breedeth lothfomeness; but the grand reafon why it was prohibited in the offering made by fire, the Hebrews fay, that when it is put upon a fire, it rifeth to a froth, by which it was an emblem of a proud and frothy mind, therefore it was forbidden; in which refpect it. may be typical of that folidity, gravity, and humility, wherewith we fhould offer our fpiritual facrifices to GOD.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the peace-offering? Truth. The LORD faith, Lev. iii. 2. and if his oblation be a facrifice of peace-offering; in the Hebrew it is Corban; by which they call, in general, all offerings. The Greeks tranflate it, his gift unto the Lord, Mar. vii. 11. peace-offering, or pay-offering; in the Hebrew, a facrifice of payments, pacification, or perfections; wherein men paid their vows, returned thanks for mercies and profperity received, and acknowledged the pacification of God towards them. Here, as usually in the law, the word is, Shelalim, as of many payments or thanks due to GOD; which we render the peace-offering, Shebach, Shelalim, the facrifice of the peace-offering, from Shalempax, fo called because it was a facrifice of peace-offering among all the parties, God, Prieft, and the People, Though the word may be otherwife rendered, but this idea of it, fuits beft, and is moft natural with the intent of the facrifice.

Firft, GoD may be faid to partake of this offering, not only as it was his inftitution, but it had his approbation upon it, 9. 16. In which refpect it might be typical of our rich redemption, and glorious falvation by the facrifice of CHRIST, who is our peace, and hath made peace by the blood of his cross.

Second. It was typical of knowledge and fpiritual acquaintance with GOD, as it was a devotional offering, an offering to return GoD praise and thanksgiving, for the communication of peace, as he is the author of peace, and the GoD of peace, and thereby it is expreffive of that duty of gratitude and obedience we owe to GOD, not only as a bountiful Benefactor,

and a kind Friend, but as a gracious GOD that pardoneth fin and iniquity, Pfal. ciii. 2, 3. Blefs the Lord, O my foul! and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.

Fiendly. What might I apprehend by the fin-offering, Lev. 4.

Truth. The fin-offering was an offering of atonement, made for the fins of Ignorance, whether of the Prieft, the Ruler, the whole congregation, or a fingle perfon.

Note, The LORD had been, by the foregoing offerings, (viz. by the burnt-offering, the meat-offering, and by the peace-offering,) pointing out the juftification, the fanctification, and thankfgiving of his people, denoting that the blood of CHRIST, and the grace of CHRIST, formed a-new the minds and hearts of his people, and thereby taught them to perform folemn praifes to his name, and heavenly obedience to his ways. But, O amazing grace! Grace never to be forgotten by his Saints! He knew that their obedience would not be perfect, that there would remain fome fins of ignorance, therefore he ordains a fin-offering, a fin-atonement for them, purely on this account.

Here I would attempt to fhew for whom the offering was made, and, through divine_affistance, shall aim to gather the marrow of the type. Mr. SAMUEL MATHER, treating upon the fame type, fays, "I confefs there is much difficulty as to "this, (he refers to the atonement of the offering) Í have, "(fays he) made fome fearch into divers authors and writers "about it, and have not met with that clear and full fatisfac❝tion that were to be desired, and that is to be found in other "things; therefore I fhall but tell you my own judgment of it "in a few words. First, for whom the offering was made, Lev. iv. 1, 2. And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak, unto the children of Ifrael, faying, if a foul shall fin through 18norance, against any of the commandments of the Lord, concerning things which ought not to be done. Well! what is to be done with him! is he to be punished, or is he to perifh? O! rich munificence, and boundless compaffion! fee v. 26. And the Prieft fhall make an atonement for him, as concerning his fin, and it fhall be forgiven him; which befpeaks the ftrongeft joy, the fureft hope, and the richest confolation, to a foul that fins through ignorance; for as there is no one who hath fuch a perfect understanding of the way and will of GOD, but may err at times; as faith the Apoftle, we know but in part, and confequently the greatest Theologist, may, in fome things, b