ing to their station, office, and rank, and so became in a correspondent degree holy.

I. At the time that Moses was directed to consecrate Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, he was commanded also to make a particular atonement for the altar each day during the seven days of their consecration, Exod. xxix, 36, 37: "And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering, for atonement; and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it to sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy toucheth the altar shall be holy."

whatsoever

II. The atonement is mentioned also in the order, which was given for the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, Exod, xxix, 33: "And they shall eat those things, wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them." And when this order was executed, Moses charged them, Lev. viii, 34: "As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you."

III. At the induction of the Levites into their office and ministry, an order was given to make atonement for them, Num. viii, 12: "And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks; and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites."

Agreeably to this it is added, verse the 21st," And Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them."

Lastly, after the dedication of the tabernacle and altar, with what belonged to them, and the consecration of Aaron and his sons for seven days were completed, on the next day there seems to have been a solemn sanctification of the whole people of Israel to the service of God, at least at the first act of worship, which the new high priest performed on their account and in their name. We are told he made atonement for them, Lev. ix, 7: "And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them."

Secondly, They who were thus solemnly consecrated or devoted to the service of God, and therefore invested with a right or privilege of approaching into his presence, and performing or attending on acts of religious worship, might freely exercise and enjoy that right, not only in the stated and enjoined services of the tabernacle, whether at the daily sacrifices or on the more solemn festival occasions, but also might present themselves and offer freewill offerings whenever they pleased: yet on this purely voluntary occasion we find atonement, which therefore, I think, must be considered as a formal acknowledgment of the privilege they claimed, and a declaration of the acceptance of them in the exercise of it. Thus we find, that Aaron, by the direction of Moses, the next day after his consecration was completed, of,

fered considerable sacrifices, first for himself and then for the people, and made atonement for both, Lev. ix, 7:"And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them, as the Lord commanded." How Aaron performed this is very particularly described in the following verses; and the manner, in which God manifested his ac ceptance of this solemn service by the ministry of his new high priest, is related in the close of the chapter, where we find, that "the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and that a fire came from the

Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat."

the people when

Under this class I apprehend we ought to reckon the atonement appointed for all assembled at the great festivals. Thus on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread with other sacrifices there is ordered, Num. xxviii, 22, 66 one goat for a sin offering to make an atonement for you" and this, as well as the rest, was to be repeated each day of that feast. So on the day of offering the first fruits, verse 30, we read these words: "One kid of the goats to make an atonement for you.'

In like manner, at the feast of trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, chapter xxix, 5, the same words occur, one kid of the goats for a

sin offering to make an atonement for you." These were formal acknowledgments on the part of God of the privilege, which they claimed of approaching God to worship him, and a declaration of acceptance of them in the exercise of it.

Secondly, If any person among the people thought proper to bring a burnt sacrifice of the herd or of the flock, it was ordered, Lev. i, 3, 4: "He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord; and he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him." In what manner the atonement was made, whether by some form of words pronounced by the priest, or rather by the very act of sprinkling the blood upon the altar, is uncertain.

Thirdly, When a visible gracious symbol of the divine presence and majesty had thus taken a fixed residence among the people in the holy place, the proper officers been appointed, and the order of external services regulated, by which the people might pay their attendance on and perform acceptable service to their God and King, it became evidently fit and necessary, that the whole of this service should be conducted with great exactness, according to the best ideas of propriety and decorum at that time received among men. Thus as it was, and still continues to be universally acknowledged in the East to be decent, that, when an inferiour waited on a superiour, he should make some present or offering to bespeak a favour.

able acceptance, so it was commanded the Israelites, that no one should appear before the Lord empty, Exodus xxiii, 15. Hence it was required, that every thing which was sacrificed to the Lord should be free from blemish, and that the priest, and particularly the high priest, should be free from blemish and of comely appearance.

But when this method of approaching God as a king was established, circumstances must often happen to the people, which would render it very improper and indecent, according to the sentiments of mankind at that time, that they should attend upon or perform any of the solemn services to the august presence or glorious symbol of the divine majesty. These circumstances might arise from natural and bodily infirmities, from accidents, from providential events, from transgressions of divine injunctions, through ignorance or inadvertence; or from other instances of misbehaviour. While these circumstances continued, the persons afflicted with them were excluded from attending on the tabernacle service; but when they were removed, they were permitted again to approach the presence to offer an appointed sacrifice, and to have an atonement made for them, which atonement seems to have been reconciliatory, or declarative of their restoration or readmission to the rights and privileges of attending on the public service of God's holy place, and a removal of the incapacity they had lain under.

But before we proceed to the consideration of the