Scriptures: Mark i. 24.; Luke iv. 34.; Acts iii. 14. The title, "the Holy One" does not seem to be given to the Spirit of God; but when He is spoken of, the word Spirit is always added.

This unction, (chrism,) Ist John ii. 20, teaches us all things, enabling us to discern between truth and error : "is truth and is no lie," abides in us, and teaches us to abide in Him, Christ. It is the spirit of unity and of brotherhood, helping us to dwell together in unity, (not merely to meet occasionally together,) but to abide in one, and that with all saints. Wherever separation comes in and divides believers from one another, the bond of brotherhood is made to yield to some other bond; the tie of life and union with Christ, witnessed by the Holy Spirit's presence and power, is sacrificed to some fleshly association. A portion it may be of God's truth is made the bond which links certain of God's children together, or they gather round some human leader or head, and the dwelling together in unity of the "holy brethren" is set aside. The apostle saw the germs of all this schism working at Corinth, and he spoke to them as carnal in consequence, although they were distinguished for much manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. Even the name of Christ may be used in a sectarian way. "I of Christ." Ist Cor. i. 12. It may be adopted in the way of a boastful assertion, to imply that others are not of Him, because they are not taking precisely the same course, or viewing certain subjects of truth exactly in the same way. This tendency was early displayed in the disciples. Even John rebuked one who was clearly on the Lord's side; "because he followeth not with us."

The Spirit would, doubtless, lead us into all truth if we were willing to be led; but early prejudices, and our own natural self-will and self-conceit, are grevious hindrances to His power, Division and dissention are almost sanctioned now as of the Spirit, and are sometimes gloried in as good for the church of God. Thus the

Holy Spirit is grieved, and the word of God becomes of none effect; and love, that bond of perfectness is chilled in the heart. There is evidently a struggle in the church of God at this time after more manifested and conscious unity, and fellowship. May the Lord increase this desire a hundred-fold-and may we be more like little children, seeking to learn through that anointing and the word of God, how to keep "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." "God hath not given us the spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2nd Tim. i. 7. "Where envy is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy." James iii. 16, 17.

Believers have not to form a unity; but "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love," they are to endeavour "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

The Spirit's unity is described in the seven unities which follow.

One God and Father of all,

Who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Eph. iv. 2-6.

To endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit will consist in our endeavouring to hold fast these seven truths, in which every believer is supposed from the first to have been grounded and settled. God has

already formed and defined the one body; and one Spirit dwells in and pervades that one body. The responsibility rests upon each member of that body, to

use all diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit, by holding fast these great truths, these facts upon which the body is founded as one.

Let us remember that uniformity or confederacy is not unity. The unity of the Spirit must extend to the whole of the one body, and therefore anything which on our part hinders any member of that one body from manifesting the unity of the Spirit, or anything that hinders the edifying of the one body as a whole, is a breach of the unity of the Spirit.

Aaron having been clothed and anointed, his sons were next clothed with their garments for glory and beauty; and the second part of the chapter ends with the words, as the Lord commanded Moses." Aaron and his sons now stood arrayed in fitting garments for service. But the means whereby they had been separated off to God, had not yet been made manifest in the type. Neither had they as yet, any gifts or sacrifices which they could present. The subsequent part of the chapter therefore takes up the sacrifices in detail, which were the real power of their consecration, and with which their hands were filled for service.

THE BULLOCK FOR A SIN-OFFERING.

THE first offering brought by Moses was "the bullock for the sin-offering," or as it might be better rendered, "the bullock the sin." The word "offering" is never found in the Hebrew, connected with the various sacrifices.

"And Aaron and his sons laid their hands head of the bullock, the sin."

This word "laid" has sometimes the thought of laying, or leaning the hand heavily-thus in Psa. lxxxviii. 7, it is translated "thy wrath lieth hard upon me.”

The priestly house had to become acquainted with the sin-offering. They were the first portion of Israel that ever knew an offering for sin. Hitherto every sacrifice which had been presented to God from Abel

downwards, had been a burnt-offering; and even when the covenant was confirmed by the shedding of blood, Exod. xxiv. that blood was procured from burnt-offerings and peace offerings. Thus an offering solely and peculiarly appropriated to sin, had never been known until the consecration of the priests. We must remember that this 8th chapter of Leviticus which we are considering, in point of time, preceded the first seven chapters of that book, for the events therein related took place when the tabernacle was first set up. Exod. xl. 12-15.

Aaron and his sons by laying their hands heavily upon the head of the victim, recognized their identification with it, typically transferring their sin from off themselves, to the bullock thus appointed to bear it. It was like the act of faith in a sinner when he first trusts in Jesus, and who believes that his sin has been borne by Christ; like the verse of our well-known hymn,

Moses then slew the bullock. Death at once followed the transfer of sin upon its head-death by the hand of another. Throughout this scene Moses seems to take the place of God-Aaron and his sons are completely passive he deals with them as God commands.

The grand aspect of Christ's death is that He suffered at the hands of God. God provided the Lamb, "and it pleased the Lord to bruise him." God made "his soul an offering for sin."

Moses next took the blood, putting it on the horns of the altar, (of burnt-offering) round about with his finger, thereby purifying the altar-and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.

This action of putting the blood with the finger on the horns of the brazen altar is confined to the blood of the sin-offering. Lev. iv. 24, 30, 34.