sight every head in the vast, vast multitude is bowed in solemn thankfulness, and every heart moves the lips to a burst of joy. The trumpet for the evening sacrifice sounds; Olivet re-echoes; the people on its bosom see the city and the altar, and weep for very gladness; all know it is the hour for the evening blessing. When the sun set an angel might have said to his fellow, "Look upon Zion, the city of solemnities! behold Jerusalem, a quiet habitation!"

Vers. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. "And this shall be a statute forever unto you, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you. For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: and he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar; and he shall make an atonement for the priest, and for all the people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses."

We see in ver. 29, that the true heart-service of the day was enjoined as much as the external observancesas much "afflicting their souls,"* as "doing no work at all." Nor was the presence of strangers to be the least hindrance; our friends must join us in God's service, but no politeness must lead us to leave God for them.

* See chap. xxiii. 29.

Once a year all these rites were to be observed. The seventh month was to be to them as memorable as the seventh day of every week. The Prophet Isaiah very sorely reproves the neglected observance of this holy day in chap. lviii. He says, ver. 3, "In the day of your fast ye find pleasure," not afflicting your souls, "and exact all your demands of labor," instead of doing no work at all. God saw them in their houses, and observed that they secretly carried on their worldly business, and that their soul was unhumbled. Hence, he says, "Ye shall not fast as ye do this day. Is it such a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul?" That is, Is it such a fast as yours? Is that like a day of soulaffliction? your bowing down your head as a bulrush? And ye have added external rites of your own, to hide the inward leanness, "putting sackcloth and ashes under you" (ver. 5). "Nay," saith the Lord, "loose the burdens which ye wickedly impose on the poor, and set free the bankrupt,* and thus make the day a real Sabbath. Also, let the poor have food (ver. 7), and help thy impoverished brother. Then, indeed, thou mayest expect to feel the joy of the expiation-day (vers. 8, 9), and all the year long thou shalt be kept and blessed (vers. 11, 12)." As surely as morn arose, after the atonement-day was done; and as surely as in the year of release that morn was ushered in with the joyful notes of jubilee, so certainly should they have reaped the blessing. Oh! if thou wouldst keep all his solemn Sabbaths, how blessed

* This may refer to the times when the year of jubilee, “ the year of release," began on the evening of the day of atonement. Giving food to the poor (ver. 7), marked the year of jubilee also (Exod. xxiii. 11). The prophet chooses such a time, when there was double obligation on a Jew, in order to show their hypocrisy in a more marked form.

wouldst thou be (ver. 13, 14); and thy land a land of fruitfulness to thee!

Happy art thou, O Israel, a people saved of the Lord!"

WHETHER THEREFORE YE EAT, OR DRINK, OR WHATSOEVER YE DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD."-1 Cor. x. 31.

CHAPTER XVII.

Vers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, saying, What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people : to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace-offerings unto the Lord.”

HERE the people are addressed, as well as Aaron and his sons; for it was needful to show them that in requisitions that affected their private affairs, the scrutiny was made by the all-seeing God. It was important that the people should see plainly that this inspection of private

* We may call this portion of the book the second section of the Levitical code. The public services of the worshipper are over. Here begin some rules affecting their private morality and their secret devotions.

matters was the Lord's ordinance, not instituted by the priests nor by Moses. They would naturally be more jealous in regard to those institutions that touched upon their domestic habits.

There was little flesh used as common food in these eastern countries; it was used chiefly on feast days.* Hence the restrictions here were not burdensome. And when they reached Canaan, if they needed more animal food, and were further off from the tabernacle, these restrictions ceased, as Deut. xii. 13-15 declares, and as the constant use of "camp" in this place might lead us to suppose. The grand object of the law was to prevent idolatry. Heathen nations (see Ps. xvi. 4) used to take the blood of animals and pour it into a hole or trench in the earth, for food to their gods;† and there the dead were consulted. Now, a law like this ensured that the blood should not be so used. The ox, sheep, and goat (ver. 3) are selected as specimens; but no doubt any species of animal food was subjected to the same restrictions. They came with the animal to the door of the tabernacle; saw God revealing himself there; left the blood as an offering to him; and then returned home to their tent to feast. How solemn and how sweet to a true Israelite! He brings his food to the Lord, sees his majesty, acknowledges himself worthy to die, but redeemed by atoning blood; and thus goes to his table and eats his meat with gladness and singleness of heart! All their meat became a "peace-offering," ver. 5.

* It has been noticed by some that Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh were the only tribes that had herds (Num. xxxii.); the other tribes possessed very few, and may even have borrowed from these when they needed sacrifices.

† As we see in Homer's celebrated Nɛkuta.