1. That of all that we do, we should give the glory to God —
[This was designed by the burnt-offering, as also by the heave-offering : they were acknowledgments to God, that his goodness to them was great, and that the service which they were enabled to render him had been the fruit of his love, and the gift of his grace. Thus should all our services be viewed. If they be regarded by us as grounds of self-preference and self-complacency, they will be odious to God in proportion as they are admired by us. We should never for a moment forget, that " it is by the grace of God we are what we are." " It is God who gives us both to will and to do, and that too altogether of his good pleasure." " Our sufficiency even for a good thought is derived from Him alone." Instead of ima- gining therefore that we lay God under obligations to us for any works that we do, we must remember that the more we do for God, the more we are indebted to God ]
2. That, after all that we can do, we need an in- terest in the atoning blood of Christ —
[This was clearly manifested by the sin-offering. The Na- zarite's hair was not burnt on the altar of the burnt-offerings, to make atonement, but with the fire that boiled the peace- offerings, to make acknowledgment. However holy our lives be, even though we were sanctified to God from the very womb, and never contracted such a degree of pollution as should de- stroy our hope of acceptance with him, yet must we be washed in " the fountain open for sin," even the fountain of Christ's blood, which alone " cleanseth from all sin." There is iniquity cleaving to our holiest things ; and an atonement is as neces- sary for them as for our grossest sins: and that atonement can be found only in the sacrifice of Christ ]
3. That when our term of separation is fulfilled, our joys shall be unrestrained for evermore —
[" After that, the Nazarite may drink wine11:" and, aftei the short period of mortification and self-denial assigned us here, we shall " enter into the joy of our Lord," even into " his presence, where there is fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore." The dread of pollution shall then be past ; and the tokens of humiliation be put away. Then shall we " drink new wine in the kingdom of our Father :" and O ! how sweet those draughts, of which, in our present state of separation, it was not permitted us to taste ! More encouragement than this we need not, we cannot, have. Let us only contemplate " the blessedness of those who die in the Lord," and we shall need no other inducement to live unto the Lord ]
n ver. 20.