self." "The Lord hath visited his people." We build all on the foundation stone which God himself hath laid. We begin with the person of Christ, divinely glorious. Our faith lays hold of eternal life in him who was the Life and the Light of men. 2. The· offerer brought the victim, but the priestly mediation was a necessary part of the ceremony. Salvation as a fact rests not only upon the free and infinite love of God, but upon the manifested righteousness anu cease)~ intercession of the Saviour. "Aaron's sons sprinkle the blood; Aaron's sons burn the fat on the altar on the burnt sacrifice; a sweet savour unto the Lord." Our life as a saved life is a continnal application to ourselves by faith of the merit and efficacy of the Saviour's atonement and ministry as our great High Priest. The" truth as it is in Jesus" is the food of our thoughts, the joy of our hearts, the strength of our obedience. Salvation as a fact is realized forgiveness, progressive holiness in communion with Christ, victory through his grace over the world and all enemies, and at last participation in the glorification of the Divine Man, and admission into his eternal kingdom. 3. Self-surrender was both in the presentation of the offering and in the position of the offerer, laying his hand 011 the head of the victim, killing it, and giving up the assigned portions to the altar and fire; all was confession, consecration, obedience. Our faith is essentially a yielding of ourselves to God, We find our salvation a fact, just as we "put off the old man an, l put on the new man;" just as we "count all things loss for the excellency of the- knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord." Our offering is a peace offering, both of the past and for the future. We are no longer our own. Christ is all to us, and so we are Christ's, and Christ is God's. III. Joy OF SALVATION, typified in the sacrificial meal, in which the representatives of God and man, in the priests and offerer, met together in social festivity. This was anticipation of the sacred meal, the Supper of the Lord, in which sacrificial joy was celebrated in the new society, in the kingdom of God. The Christian's joy is pre- eminently joy of salvation. He builds all happiness on the fact of reconciliation with God. He lives his new life not unto himself, but unto Christ and to Christ's people. The social gladness, which was an element in the peace offering, points to the fact that the redemption of Christ effects a deliverance of society from its bondage and misery, as well as the individual soul from its sin and ruin. Such a message is specially wanted in these times, when the world groans under its burdens, end strives in vain, after a true liberty and peace. What offerings are laid on the altar of war I Yet they- are consumed in vain. There is no happy banquet of fellowship and brotherhood coming out of such sacrifices. God invites us to the joy of a new-ma.de world. Re- bids us proclaim the way of peace to be through the obedience of Christ. How sweet the savour to the Lord when the whole human family shall offer up its peace offering, accep~ble, because identified with the offering of Calvary, uniting nll together in a sncred festivity of gladness 1-R.
Vers. 3, 4.-" The fat that eovereth the inwards;" " the caul above the liver, with the-· kidneys;" "all the fat is the Lord's" (ver. 16). The sweet fat, or suet, wns burued as a sweet savour to the Lord. This might be either because fat of this kind was o. sign of perfection in the animal life, or because the offering in the fire would be increased by the oily matter, and would make the burnt offering more imposing. Any way the dedi- cation to the Lord is the main idea. f. IlELIGIOUB SERVICE SHOULD TAKE UP INTO ITSELF THE EIGHEST FACULTIES AND NODLEST AFFECTIONS. The worship of the sanctuary; the active efforts of Christians in the spread of the gospel; charity ;-in all such sacrifices let "the/at be the Lord's." II. 'l'llE PROSPERITY OF HUMAN LIFE IS ONLY SAFE AND DLESSED WHEN THE BUDSTANCE OF IT IS CONSECRATED ON TIIE ALTAR. Men become victims of their own success because they withhold the fat from the Lord, and it becomes a ~,ur~e to them.-R. Ver. 5.-" And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of o. sweet savour unto the Lord." Notice the preparation thus made for the acceptance of man's offering. '!'here is the altar, the Ji ,·e, the wood, the burnt sacrifice, the offering of tho consecrated/at. Thus eh. vi. 12, il is said, "the priest shall burn wood e\'cry u10miug 52 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [cH. UL 1-17•