must be the infinite merit of him who should be able to restore all that had been taken away from his God!

Vers. 6, 7. "And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord: and it shall be forgiven him for anything of all that he hath done in trespassing therein." "For any of all the things”—thus proclaiming that "the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin." The case of presumptuous sins is not referred to here, for these involved a disregard, in the offender, to the very offerings that could exhibit pardon to his conscience. But this section ends with the proclamation of free forgiveness from all manner of sin. The Lord would thus at once allure the sinner from his transgression, and lead him to the immediate joy of reconciliation. It is the surest and speediest way to lead him out of his former path of guilt. "There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared."

With Israel, as with us, there were many who saw no meaning or reason in God's appointments. Want of true conviction of sin made them despise these types, while the godly, who felt their loins filled with a grievous disease, found therein their daily refreshment. This is the true sense of Prov. xiv. 9, when properly rendered. "Fools make a mock of the trespass-offering, but with the righteous it is in esteem." The Septuagint seems to have had a glance at this meaning, for they use "xadagiouos" for, and they render 7, "SEXTOS." The godly cherished these typical delineations of atonement, while the careless, earthly-minded Israelite saw nothing in them to desire. None go to the hidingplace who fear no storm. The stream flows by un

heeded when the traveller on its banks is not thirsty. The whole will not use the physician. Sense of sin renders Jesus precious to the soul. How Peter loved the risen Saviour who relieved him of the load of his denial! A sight of wrath to come gives a new aspect to every spiritual thing. In Egypt, a sight of the destroying-angel's sword would make Israel prize the blood. Ishmael might have mocked at the ram caught in the thicket; but not so Isaac, who had been bound. with the cords of death. It is only "fools" that will "mock at the trespass-offering;" with the righteous it is held in unspeakable esteem. Their song is, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!"

Special Rules for the Priests

WHO MINISTER AT THE ALTAR OF GOD.

"GOD... HATH RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF BY JESUS CHRIST, AND HATH GIVEN TO US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION. FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO

BE SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUS

NESS OF GOD IN HIM."-2 Cor. v. 18, 21.

CHAPTER VI.-CONTINUed.

REGARDING THE WHOLE BURNT-OFFERING.

Vers. 8, 9. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt-offering: It is the burnt-offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it." THE ground traversed over in chapters i., ii., iii., iv., v., is now retraversed, but for a quite different object. Supplemental directions to the priests, in regard to their part in the offering of the sacrifices, is the object in view. But this gives opportunity for the typifying of some most important truths.

"The law of the burnt-offering," or of things to be observed in offering it, is first stated. Perhaps, in ver. 9, we should read the parenthesis thus-" As for the burntoffering, it is to be burning* on the altar all night until

* Horsley renders i by," upon the burning fuel;" and others to the same effect. See Ainsworth.

the morning; and the fire of the altar must be kept burning on it." However, retaining our rendering, we have the fact, that the fire must be kept burning the whole night long.

The Holy One speaks again from the holy place. He now tells some of the more awful thoughts of his soul. His words reveal views of sin and righteousness that appear overwhelmingly awful to men. His eternal justice, flaming forth against all iniquity, is declared to Israel in the fire of the altar. This fire is never to be extinguished; "for every one of his righteous judgments endureth forever." (Ps. cxix. 160.) It burns all night long-an emblem of the sleeplessness of hell, where "they have no rest, day nor night"—and of the everwatchful eye of righteousness that looks down on this earth.

Perhaps it was intended to exhibit two things:

.

1. "The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever tormented with fire and brimstone in presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." (Rev. xiv. 10, compared with ver. 18.) The whole camp saw this fire, burning in the open court all night long. "So shall you perish," might an Israelitish father say to his children, taking them to his tent door, and pointing them, in the gloom and silence of night, to the altar, "So shall you perish, and be forever in the flames, unless you repent!"

2. It exhibited, also, the way of escape. See, there is a victim on the altar, on which these flames feed! Here is Christ in our room. His suffering, seen and accepted by the Father, was held forth continually to the faith of Israel, night and day. And upon that type, the pledge and token of the real sacrifice, did the eye of the Father

delight to rest night and day. It pleased him well to see his justice and his love thus met together there. And the man of Israel, who understood the type, slept in peace, sustained by this truth which the struggling rays from the altar gleamed into his tent.

Ver. 10. "And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall be put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar."

The linen* garment is the type of purity, as we see in the book of Revelation xix. 8. The priest is the emblem of the Redeemer in his perfect purity coming to the work of atonement. The word for garment means a suit of clothes. It takes in the linen breeches, as well as all the other parts of the priest's dress. His whole suit is to be the garb of purity. It is not glory; these are not the "golden garments." It is holy humanity; it is Jesus in humiliation, but without one stain of sin. There is a special reason for the direction as to the linen breeches. It is meant to denote the completeness of the purity that clothes him; it clothes him to his very skin, and "covers the flesh of his nakedness." (Exod. xxviii. 42.) It was not only our unrighteousness, and our corrupt nature, that Jesus was free from; but also from that other part of our original sin which consists in the imputed guilt of Adam. The linen breeches that "covered the nakedness" of the priest, lead us back at once to our first parents' sin, when they were naked and ashamed in the garden, after the Fall. Here we see this sin also covered.

* The word is not. The latter is a finer sort, supposed to be silk.

, the in which, in the opinion of Ewald, is merely the sign of the

היתו Status Constr., as in