when the man had bound himself by a vow to present it; and those other occasions when he brought it voluntarily, that is, of his own thought, although nothing special had occurred to him to draw it forth. There is one particular in which this offering is to be dealt with differently from the first kind. The time within which it must be eaten is never extended beyond the third day; and if any portion remained so long as the third day, that part is to be forthwith brought out and burnt. Every precaution is taken that none of the portions ever suffer the taint of corruption. The type refers to the incorruption of the Surety, after being offered as a sacrifice. When the third day came round, God completed his testimony to the acceptance of his Son's work, by forthwith raising him from the dead, ere corruption could begin. It seems to be implied here, that "what remained" was to be speedily consumed on the third day-perhaps as soon as morning dawned, in order to be the more exact type of the resurrection; "early on the first day of the week."

Ver. 18. "And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed to him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity."

How strictly is the type guarded, that so there may be no misrepresentation of the Antitype. Lest possibly it should corrupt by the third day, it is never to be eaten then; for in eating it pure, holy fellowship with God must be set forth. They must make haste, therefore, to eat it; they might eat it the very same day as it was offered (ver. 16). Why, then, delay? And to ensure attention to this, the offerer's own interest is bound up with it; for here it is declared that he loses the whole

comfort of his offering if any part should be left till the third day" it shall not be imputed to him," i. e., not reckoned as a peace-offering at all. And if any one rashly persist in eating it, or eat it ignorantly, on that day, he is defiled and unclean.

How careful ought we to be to represent Christ's work to our people exactly as it is held forth in Scripture. How jealous ought we to be of any departure from the pattern shown to us, since the Father is so jealous over even the figures and emblems of the doing and suffering of his beloved Son. We need all wisdom and prudence; our people need to implore such direction for us; and they, on their own part, need the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, in order to receive without mistake what is set before them.

Ver. 19. "And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof."

Here it is commanded, first, that the flesh be clean; next, that they be clean who eat it. The priests must keep off from the peace-offering the approach of anything unclean; and having thus guarded the flesh and kept it pure, they must take care that those who feast thereon be ceremonially clean. It is an accepted work that must form our food; and it must be fed upon by accepted persons. Hence the case of the Jews in John xviii. 28: they wished to eat the peace-offerings that accompanied the Passover, and therefore kept themselves from ceremonial defilement.

Here is again brought before us the jealous care of God. He must show himself holy, even while he pours out his love. His unalterable righteousness and purity

must be manifested at the tomb of Jesus, in the very hour when he is about to declare the Surety's work accepted, and access open for the sinner to the bosom of his God.

Vers. 20, 21. "But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. Moreover, the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people."

This "cutting off from his people" seems to be, not death, but complete expulsion from all ordinances. The person was excommunicated, and left to the judgment of God. It seems, from chap. xxii. 4-9, that death was sometimes sent by God immediately, to ratify the act of the priests. The act was, in such cases, like breaking through the fence drawn round mount Sinai, and coming in to gaze. The source of the sin, we should observe, is comparatively immaterial, if the fact of the sin be established. "Whether from man, beast, or thing," it mattered not, if uncleanness had been contracted. Lord shows us that theories as to the origin of evil, and apologies drawn from the manner in which we were led astray, can have no effect in disproving the sin itself. It seems implied, also, that no man was to be allowed to plead that it happened accidentally, or was only a trivial matter; the enumeration of "man, beast, thing," is sweeping and decisive.

The

And now, we see the reference in Psalm xxii. 27, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied." The meek are they who bow to God's will and follow his rules. They may freely eat when complying with his rules. In that

Psalm, the food is Christ, our slain lamb, of whom we may freely partake as often as we will, if only we comply with the rule to come to this feast on the simple warrant, "All things are ready." So to come is true meekness.

GENERAL LAWS REGARDING THE FAT AND THE BLOOD.

Vers. 22, 23. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat."

Probably the frequent occurrence of fat in the peaceofferings led to the introduction of this rule in this place; and the prohibition of fat was naturally connected with that regarding blood in ver. 26.

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These three, "ox, sheep, goat," include all the classes of animals offered in sacrifice. And "the fat" forbidden is all those pieces elsewhere mentioned as sacrificial, devoted to the fire. On feast-days, we read of the people eating the fat and drinking the sweet." In this case, the fat of sheep and oxen seems meant. But the pieces were not the sacrificial pieces. Our rendering conveys too wide a prohibition; it ought to be rendered, “Ye shall not eat any fat of ox," &c., viz., any of that spoken of in iii. 17.

What we give to the Lord must be wholly his. We must not give it to the Lord, and then draw it back for our own use. Holy things must be completely left at the Lord's disposal, like the money laid at the apostles' feet by Joses of Cyprus. (Acts iv. 36.)

Ver. 24. "And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use; but ye shall in no wise eat of it."

They might use the fat of such torn beasts and such

diseased ones, for a blaze on their own hearth, or for domestic purposes; but they must not use the sacrificial portions for food, even when the animal cannot be brought to the altar.

God's claim upon them must be kept ever in view. These pieces are the Lord's in all cases; and had they eaten pieces that were to be consumed on the altar, then the type would have been interfered with. These pieces. being set apart to signify the inmost desires given up to God, man must never feast on them. They are no portion for him. The strength of our desires and feelings. is already given away; we cannot spend it on any but God himself.

Ver. 25. "For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people."

The injunction is repeated, because the temptation might occur very often in common life; and the penalty is complete excommunication from the holy people. We are thus taught the awful guilt of transgressing even the smallest precept that comes from the mouth of the Lord. It is a case like this, where there is no other reason for the thing being binding but just this, viz., the Lord has said it; it is such a case that best shows us the majesty and glory of the Lord. He is such, that to deviate from the slightest of his precepts is a sin that deserves cutting off from the holy people. "O God! who is like unto thee?"

It is thus, too, that we arrive at a simple, but very awful view of sin itself. The essence of its enormity is, opposition to the will of the Holy One. And as the smallest precept given forth by him, discovers the desires