62. (2) Again, the law, while adopting generally sacrifice as a suitable method of worshipping God, made very complete and elaborate provisions both as to the ritual of sacrifice, and as to the different kinds of offerings. These regulations, beside8 guarding against abuses of the rite, were obviously intended, and were calculated in a high degree, to educate the minds of the Israelites through outward symbols, and direct them, ae far as was possible, till the redemption should be accomplished, ta the true principles of spiritual worship. Among the heathen, the fundamental idea of encrifice was perverted into the notion that the deity required these gifts ; the offering up of a victim into the belief that he delighted in the snffering and death of hie creatures; and while sacrifice implied that for communion of sinful man with God more was required than his own obedience, it was easily forgotten that, in themselves, sacrifices were only of value as expressing the faith and love of the offerer. These misapprehensions are so natural to the human mind that, even under the provisions of the law, men were liable to Lli.em, although the prophetical writings of the Old Testament contain distinct protests against them. 1 But the law gave no encouragement to such errors, 2 and by its elaborate distinctions directed the mind of the worshipper to truths inconsistent with them. The animal sacrifices ordained by the law may be divided into three classes, in each of which one distinctive idea was prominent. 1. The burnt sacrifice (gener- ally 'olah, "that which goes up"), in which the blood was poured out "round about upon the altar," and the whole of the body of the victim with all the fat was burnt on the altar. The prominent idea in this was the free-will offering to God of spiritual worship, of prayer, praise, and adoration. 2. The peace of- fering (shelem, "peace"), in which the blood was used as in the burnt offering and the internal fat (cheleb, which was considered the sign of animal perfection and, as well as the blood, forbidden to be eaten) was burnt on the altar; the flesh was eaten partly by the offerer and partly by the priests and their families. The idea here was peace with a reconciled God, and communion with him and his Church. The passover may be considered as belonging to th~ class. 3. The sin- offering (chattath, "sin"), which was the special characteristic, as it was the crea- tion, of the law, In this not only was the blood poured out as in the other sacrifices, but first of all some was put on the horns of the altar, and (when the offering was for the high priest or the whole congregation) also taken into the sanc- tuary and sprinkled on the vail and the altar of incense; and once in the year, on the great day of atonement, was taken into the holy of holies and sprinkled on (or be- fore) the mercy-seat. The cheleb was burnt on the altar of burnt-offering, the flesh was generally eaten by the priests in the holy place, to bear the iniquity of the congregation, and make atonement for them before the Lord. 3 But whenever t:tre blood was taken into the sanctuary, the body was burnt without the camp as utterly unclean and accursed. The idea in offerings of this class was evidently atonement for sin. But it must be observed that in all sacrifices of each of the three classes, atonement wns represented by the pouring out of the blood, and the worship of God by burning the fat on the altar. 53. Into further details either of the sacrificial system or of the ceremonial law generally it is unnecessary to enter in this introduction, because that which we have noticed is sufficient to explain distinctly how this branch of the secondary law is connected with the fundamental principles of Divine law, and with the purposes for
1 Such as Ps. I. 7-16; Ii. 16, 17 ; Micllh vi. 6-9. 2E. g. The offerings by fire might be ll bullock, sheep, or fowl, or even a himdfnl of flolll with oil nnd frankincense, nnd yet ench was nn offering "->fa, .tweet aaw-wt 10 the Lurd." a Levit. x, 17. JNTHOIHTCTION 'l'O THE PENTATEUCll.