do they mean? They are unconverted, they have no call, they are blemished men; yet they venture to stand forth" as though God did beseech" men by them. Alas! they shall yet feel that to be true: "I the Lord do sanctify my sanctuaries.”

Ver. 24, "And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel."

Thus, all Israel knew what sort of priest to expect. Their eyes were fixed on One who was to be "altogether lovely," who would come to supersede all type and shadow.

Bousehold Laws regarding Baly Chings.

FIRST, AS TO PRIESTS, 1–17; THEN AS TO THE People, 17-33.

BE YE CLEAN THAT BEAR THE VESSELS OF THE LORD."-Isaiah lii. 11. "IF ANY MAN MINISTER, LET HIM DO IT AS OF THE ABILITY WHICH GOD GIVETH, THAT GOD IN ALL THINGS MAY BE GLORIFIED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, TO WHOM BE PRAISE AND DOMINION FOREVER. AMEN."-1 Peter iv. 11.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE PRIEST AT HOME, 1-17.

Vers. 1, 2. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the Lord.” HERE is a general caution. The priest is to act as a priest at all times. He is to separate himself from the holy things;" that is, keep aloof from them at home, as if the holy things were placed away from him to show reverence. The priests at home were not to handle holy things familiarly; they must act, even there, with deepest reverence.

Ministers may learn from this law. Ministers of God must beware of letting their spirituality be injured by domestic occurrences; they must not let domestic comforts unhinge their soul, so as to lead them to speak of

holy things too familiarly. Ministers are specially under God's eye; he sees if they walk in the steps of Jesus in their chambers and at their studies. They must be ever separated to the Lord.

Ver. 3. "Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed, among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord." If he go to the tabernacle in a careless state-unclean through some ceremonial pollution-the Lord will frown the priest out of his presence, nay, it may mean, will even deal with him as he did when Nadab and Abihu were smitten for their strange incense.

Oh, how solemn the warning here to ministers! If we go forth to minister with unholy souls! If the frame of our souls be at the moment irreverent! If it be engrossed with earthly feelings! Surely we need very special grace at all times, and yet more than all when we stand in the Lord's name. How cruel is the prayerlessness and levity of our people, when they come up to the sanctuary with easy-minded indifference. Do they not know our dangers? Do they not feel for our tempted souls? Would they not be sufferers themselves, as well as we, if the Lord were that day to cut us off from his presence. "Great fear is due unto the Lord in the meetings of his saints;" and when it is added, "to be had in reverence of all them that are about him” (Ps. lxxxix. 7), the special responsibility of ministering ones -who are "about him," as if at his hand-seems mark

ed out.

Ver. 4, 5, 6, 7. "What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue, he shall not eat of the holy things until he be clean. And whoso toucheth anything that is unclean by the dead,

or a man whose seed goeth from him; or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath : the soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water. And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterwards eat of the holy things; because it is his food."

The object of this law is evidently to keep the priest at all times, even in the private intercourse of home, vigilant, jealous of evil, abstaining from all appearance of evil. These causes of defilement have been all noticed in former chapters; some of them could be known only by the man himself, yet in the most retired situation the priest must be holy and clean. He must be the type of Jesus.

That part of the ordinance which enjoins him not to "eat of the holy things" in such circumstances, is to be noticed. These "holy things" were the portions of the sacrifices that were the priest's due. They were pledges.

But to show that

of God's fellowship and communion. he is a holy God, he will not hold fellowship even with an accepted man, if the man regard iniquity in his heart. "If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." (1 John i. 6.) He must "wash."

And it is to be observed that pollution even from "creeping things" was sufficient; that is, arising from the smallest causes. The eye of the Lord pierces through any darkness, and the heart of the Lord is jealous of all sin, however small.

"Unclean till evening." Though an accepted man, yet he must, like Hezekiah, "walk softly." He must take time to meditate on, and feel his pollution. "O! wretched man that I am!"

In all this, the minister of Christ is addressed. Moses speaks to us also. "Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord."

Vers. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. "That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith: I am the Lord. They shall, therefore, keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the Lord do sanctify them. There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing; a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat. If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat; but there shall no stranger eat thereof.”

Witsius (De Vitâ Timothei) describes a true minister in the language of the heathen Seneca, "Plus tibi et viva vox et convictus quam oratio proderit." And Jerome had said the same, "Cujus et sermo, et incessus, et habitus, doctrina virtutum est."

In his dwelling, the priest shall never set on his table. anything that died a natural death, or was torn—that is, anything that spoke of death and violence. All he eats must have a savor of the tabernacle. A sin committed at his own table, by violating this rule, must be considered worthy of death. Man of God, what is thy soul's feeling at the table whereon thy food is set? Is God honored by thee there? Is there a savor of his love breathed forth by thee in presence of those who sit at meat? Doth thy spikenard send forth its smell? Is the law of thy God seen there, even as in thy public life? Remember his words: "I am the Lord;" "I the Lord do sanctify them."