The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 39

the high sea.son of the seventh month, heralded by the rousing blasts of the Feast of Trumpets. The seventh month affords two very excellent tests of the adequacy of these principles of interpretation, namely, in their application to the elncidation of the great Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. The ritual of the former need not be repeated; it was undoubtedly exceptional; it was as undoubtedly instructive; indeed, the more minute and accurate the investigation bestowed even npon the more trivial points of observance, the more harmonious does it appear, and the more didactic. At first sight, it may be allowed, the ceremonial shows a laboured and officialistic respect to a mass of legal detail, valuable as a testimony to ecclesiastical thoroughness in routine, and to little else. Viewed more closely, the ceremonial is a complete and balanced whole, exact and even concise, forcible as well as clear in the religious lesson it has to convey. That lesson, as we have seen, is the atonement possible for the sins of the redeemed, for, be it observed, the stranger and the foreigner had no part in the worship of this day of national humiliation. Carrying this principle in the mind, the entire series of acts yields up its meaning, Not a soul in the priestly tribe, however holy and exalted his function, not a utensil in the consecrated place, however sacred and sublime its use, but must be atoned for. Hence the mediators and the instruments of mediation must be first removed from beneath the ban of uncleanness and sin. The solemn proceedings are therefore commenced by the offering of the bullock in expiation of the holy places and ministrants. The high priest, who leads in officiating, may not even wear his official robes till the ceremonial of expiation is completed, bot stands at the altar clothed in white; and, on the slaughter of the bullock, sprinkles the mercy-seat and the floors ancl the altars with the blood of atonement, and presents the blood before the Lord in atone- ment for bis own sin and the sins of bis kindred and tribe. The whole ritual is an emphatic act of atonement, as every detail shows. Atonement is likewise solemnly made by the blood of the ram in behalf of the nation. The remaining rite was an exquisitely symbolic act, declarative of forgiveness. Confessing over the head of tho live goat the sins and iniquities of the entire nation, the high priest seemed to transfer those sins to the head of the animal, who bore them away from the dwelling-place of Jehovah, e.nd carried them into the abode of Azazel. The sins were removed as woll as covered. Now the priest may assume bis golden garments; now the people may present acceptable sacrifice; now burnt offerings may typify the national consecration. The ritual of the Feast of Tabernacles is somewhat less intelligible; nevertheless, i ls secret was also largely open to the thoughtful and devout Jew. It very expressively followed the more seriou11 service of the Day of Atonement, and gave visible and pleasant expression to the joy of the eleot, who have been redeemed at the Passover, consecrated at Pentecost, and absolved at the great day of national expiation. 'fhis feast ended, the climax of the doctrinal teaching by symbol had been reached, and the year was brought to a close by the co=on series of daily, weekly, and monthly sacrificings. Now, in view of this didactio sacrificial cultus, at oace so eloquent and so disciplinary, it would certainly be interesting to inquire what contributions were thereby made towards a system of revealed religion. It would also be interesting to llSk with what arguments the pious Jew would combat the assaults of disbelievers in what he regarded the Divine origin of bis sacrificial creed. Nor could it be by any means impracticable, whilst it certainly would be of value, to framo both a systematic and apologetic theology of Judaism, in which such notes as the laws of purification and the injunctions for blood sacrifice, tho significance of tho priesthood and the explanation expressly assigned to the tabernacle, might, by an intellectual effort of no severe kind, bo made to disclose the inmost messages of their symbolism, and become part of a concatenated nYiii TITE LEVITICA.L SACRIFICES LITEilA.LLY CONSIDERED.