The uncleanness, cleansing, and food, of the priests.

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.

3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.

4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;

5 Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; 6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.

7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.

8 That which dieth of itself, or

is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD.

9 They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them.

10 There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.

11 But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of t, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.

12 If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.

13 But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.

14 And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.

15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD;

16 Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

LECTURE 222.

How much pain and anxiety we have cost our Saviour.

Here are rules relating to ceremonial uncleanness, on the part of the priests, and directions for their cleansing; as well as regu

lations about eating" of the holy things," the portion of God's offering, which He imparted to the priests, and which none but they and their families might eat. The priests had been already forbidden, except in certain cases, to contract ceremonial defilement by mourning for the dead. See ch. 21. 1, 10. Here they are charged, that in case of any uncleanness whatsoever, they must by no means partake of the holy things of God, under penalty of being cut off from his presence, and having to "bear sin for it, and die therefore." This must have made the office of a priest one of constant watchfulness, and of anxious apprehension; he being exposed to so many risks of defilement, as well by touching others that were unclean, as by being unclean himself. And can there be here intended any resemblance to Him, whose meat was to do the will of the Father that sent Him, and to finish his work? See John 4. 34. He surely was "without sin." He was above all risk of sinning. Yes; but He was also "in all points tempted like as we are." Heb. 4. 15. And by his frequent watchings, and fervent prayers, He has taught us, that we must use these means of grace, if we would perfect "holiness, in the fear of God." 2 Cor. 7. 1.

But though our blessed Lord contracted no defilement, and needed no cleansing for Himself, how full of pain, and care, and trouble, has his priestly office continually been made, by our backslidings, deficiencies, and by our mournings and murmurings under the loss of those things which God thinks fit to take away from us, by our indulgence of fleshly lusts, by our conformity to a wicked world! It was by reason of these sins of ours that He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful." Matt. 26. 38. It was because He bare the burden of our iniquities, that He became "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Is. 53. 3. It was because of God's displeasure due to our transgression, that He, who undertook to bear it for us, so greatly feared the death upon the cross, so earnestly prayed, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Matt. 26. 39. And shall not we then do our utmost to fulfil his joy; the joy for the sake of which " He endured the cross, despising the shame," Heb. 12. 2, the joy He feels in the salvation of His people? And when He offers his heavenly bread, without money, and without price, to all of every nation under heaven, shall we not partake thankfully ourselves, and labour with all our might to bring it to pass, that his house, and his table shall be full? Oh that we may have the heart to be always urging others to "taste, and see, how gracious the Lord is!" Ps. 34. 8. Oh that we may have the grace, to make and keep this holy purpose ourselves, "I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord: and so will I go to thine altar!" Ps. 26. 6.

That the sacrifices must be without blemish.

17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;

19 Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.

20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.

21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.

22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.

23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.

25 Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you. 26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27 When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28 And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will. 30 On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD.

31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.

32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,

33 That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your 24 Ye shall not offer unto the God: I am the LORD.

LECTURE 223.

That the mercifulness of God extends to all his creatures.

It appears in this passage, that there was encouragement for "the strangers in Israel" to offer sacrifice to Jehovah; an early intimation, contained in the Law itself, that God was not the God of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. See Rom. 3. 29. Whether Jew or Gentile offered sacrifice, the animal must be perfect of its kind; else it could not duly represent the Lamb without spot, our Saviour Christ. But this was not imperatively required in the case of a free will peace offering; because the greater part of the animal so offered was eaten by the worshippers, and not burnt by fire on the altar. And herein we may perhaps see a significant hint, that our obedience even though it be imperfect, is accepted, through the merits of our Saviour; if only it be found true of us, that we have done what we could.

In no case must the young of any animal be taken for an offering until the eighth day from its birth. In this law God plainly shews us, that his mercy is over all his works; and that even in those sacrifices, which our sins had rendered needful, He had regard to the health of the dam, as well as to those instinctive feelings of something like parental love, and youthful pleasure, which were thus enjoyed in security for a season. And the same kind consideration He shews to be in Himself, and would fain work in us, by the law which follows next: "Whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day." Even the sufferings of the brute creation are not beneath the notice of their merciful Creator. Even of them He has made such mention in his law, as proves that the victim bleeding on the altar was in itself a far less pleasing sight to Him, than the cattle feeding in the field. How much more is his loving kindness certified to us his reasonable creatures, to whom He has made subject all the rest! How much more has He plainly told us, that He willeth not the death of a sinner, but that all should be converted and live! See Ez. 33. 11. Surely it is for our sakes that these things were written, that men might know how merciful God is; and might also learn to be merciful even to their beasts, much more to all their fellow creatures. Never may we practise the least wilful cruelty towards the most abject thing that breathes! Never may we fail to see and honour the Creator in the most obscure and least esteemed of his works! Never may we dare either to affront his Majesty by the abuse of his gracious gifts, or by the meanness and unwillingness of our own offerings to profane his holy Name!

Of the sabbath, the passover, and the pentecost.

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their

seasons.

5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S

passover.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 And ye shall offer that day

when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish, of the first year, for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15 And ye shall count unto you from themorrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete :

16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.