received into his favour, as a sweet savour of rest and peace; or, according to R. Levi Ben Gerson," after they were now pu"rified, that it might appear they were de"voted to the holy ministry, they sacri"ficed an whole burnt-offering, which was "all given unto God (to whom be praise) " on his altar *."

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The last sacrifice was most properly

20.

called the sacrifice of consecration: the ritual directed, And thou shalt take the other Exodus, ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their xxix. 19, hands on the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him; and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. This sacrifice was used in part, you see, as an offering to God, and therefore the blood is sprinkled on his altar, and in

Postquam jam lustrati essent, quo eos sacro ministerio devotos esse intelligeretur, holocaustum, quod totum in ara, datum est Deo (cui laus), immolebatur.Outram de Sacrif. l. i. c. 5. § 5.

21.

xxix. 26.

28.

.31.

32.

part as a consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, and therefore the blood of it was sprinkled on them and on their garments.

The ritual yet further directs concerning this ram of consecration, that, besides Exodus, what was offered on the altar, a portion was to be reserved for Aaron and his sons, as of the sacrifices of peace-offerings. This was to be dressed in the holy place; and then the ritual adds, And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. This sacrifice is to be ended with a feast upon part of it, of which no stranger was to eat, only Aaron and his sons, as now received into God's family by their consecration; or, "after the whole burntoffering they offered a peace-offering (in "which a part was given to God, a part "to the priests, and a part to the offerers) "for this end, that it might appear they "were admitted to the same table, they "now being accepted of God, and re"ceived into his favour *.

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* Salutare denique ut sacrum epulum, quo Dei familiæ initiarentur. Or, as he uses the words of R. Levi Ben Gerson, Post holocaustum autem sacrificium, simile salutari (cujus pars Deo, pars sacerdotibus, pars offerentibus dari, solet), cum in finem offerebant, ut eos jam in gratiam apud Deum, eosque acceptos esse constaret, ut communi cum iis mensa uterentur.-Outram de Sacrif, 1. i. c. 5. § 5.

Every one so easily perceives the instruction intended by touching the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, that it will be sufficient to mention, that it admonished the priests, now consecrated to God and his service, to hear the word of God with attention, to be ready to do the will of God to the utmost of their power, and to walk in the ways of God's commandments in their whole conversation. Every one may easily understand the meaning of such rites of consecration as these, and with a moderate attention may discover the other wise designs of their institution ; which will be considered more particularly in the Third Part..

the Le

viii. 19.

The Levites also, though not priests, Conseyet had their consecration; as, They were cration of given to Aaron and his sons from among vites. the children of Israel, to do the service of Numb. the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation. This reason is explained: For all the first-born of the children of Israel are mine, said Jehovah to Moses: in the day that I smote every first-born in 17, 18. the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself. And I have taken the Levites for all the first-born of the children of Israel. When the first-born of the Egyptians were destroyed, the first-born of Israel were saved. They owed the service of their lives to Jehovah that saved them;

Numb. viii. 6.

7.

8.

but in lieu of that service, and to keep the memory of it, with the reason why that service was due, the Levites were sanctified to God in their room.

They were, therefore, to be initiated into their office, as well as the priests, the sons of Aaron. In the first place, they are directed to be cleansed: Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. This cleansing was to sprinkle water of purifying upon them: and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so let them be clean. They were then to offer one young bullock, with its meat-offering, even fine flower mingled with oil, and another young bullock for a sin-offering: or, as it is afterwards expressed, these were to be offered, 12. the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites. When these sacrifices were ready, the ritual directs that the Levites should be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation, and the whole assembly of the children of Israel together. Then follows the significant and solemn rite of their dedication: 10, 11. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites, and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord, for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord.

9.

The uses for which the Levites were offered to Jehovah were many, and of great importance. It was of consequence to represent it so to themselves and to the children of Israel. The honour of the Presence, and the service of the tabernacle, the study of the law, and instruction of the people in it, required many hands and all their time. The ritual very properly and wisely directs, that this should be a solemn act of the people in full assembly, as well as of Aaron as priest. The children of Israel, by putting their hands upon the Levites, recognise the right of Jehovah to the service of the first-born as their God and King, that whatever service the Levites were appointed to perform, might have been required of them as a personal service. This amounted to a personal consent and ratification of their appointment to their services in their room, and a tacit promise and agreement they would own them as such.

The other rites are so evidently instructive of the reverence and holiness of all who approach the presence of the holy God, in his holy place, that there is hardly need to mention it; to be sure, there is need of no more than just to mention it.