his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram." (Ver. 15.) This is the burnt-offering. "And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt-offering unto the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord." The atoning work was His alone. He alone endured the wrath of God due to us: but then it was that we might be taken into favour in Himself, the Beloved. Is it not wonderful! In this picture we see the purpose of God. He says, as it were, as Aaron and his sons were identified in the laying on of hands, with the sweet savour of the burnt-offering, so all typified by the sons. of Aaron, that is Christians, are identified, made one with Christ in all the sweet savour of His Person and work before God. This goes far beyond standing before the throne of God. It is. as He is, so are we in this world. Yes, God says, so to speak, I will have My delight in you, though it cost Me the death of My Son. Oh, think, what the Son is to the Father: such are we-one with Him, identified with Him, in all the ineffable delight of the Father. Who but God could have such thoughts, and who but He could give such pictures?

Again, there is another ram; the ram of consecration. Here is also the same identification. And Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram." (Ver. 19.) The blood of this ram is put alike on the right ear of Aaron

and his sons. "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." What perfect association with Christ. The ear as an emblem of hearing and obedience; the thumb of the right hand, service and action; and the right foot, the emblem of walk. All connected with Him. After the blood, the oil is sprinkled. We are anointed with Him according to the value of His blood. The very garments of Aaron's sons were sprinkled with him. Thus are we identified with Christ; in all our obedience, service, walk, that is, as seen of God, and we should be seen in this world by men, as one with Christ.

This offering also partakes of the character of the peace-offering, and Aaron and all his sons feed in communion. "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." What a picture this is of the identification, the oneness of Christ and His brethren now. "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified, are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren."

No doubt the privileges of the congregation of Israel were great, and will yet be greater. They might see the sons of Aaron associated with him,

and here was a standing, a peculiar place of oneness; but it was a place the people could never take, a feast of which they could never partake. Of Aaron identified with his sons, it was said: "And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy." (Ver. 33.) Thus however great the privileges of Israel as a nation, they never come into the standing of the sons of Aaron. The scripture everywhere guards against such a thought, as that the standing of the church and that of Israel is the same.

They will be born again. They will be saved by the same atoning death of Jesus. But have we at all understood our peculiar standing and privileges? We are brought into favour in, and with Him, the Beloved; clothed in glory and beauty with Him; anointed with Him; separated, consecrated, eating with Him. And, precious grace, He is not ashamed to call us brethren. We shall, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, understand these pictures of God better if we look at each of the offerings separately. We will, if it please God, next look at the day of atonement. The Lord give us grace to walk according to our consecration.

220

"ARE YOU SAVED?"

A CHURCHMAN'S SECOND ANSWER.

"THE question would be misleading. It would -nay, it does-naturally lead men to think that the work is done, whereas it is only just begun. Why, not even CHRIST'S work for our salvation is finished, for he ever liveth to make intercession for us; nor is the Holy Spirit's work accomplished; much less our work done. We must work out our salvation.' (Phil. ii. 12.)" Here we have a direct attack on the truth of the finished work of Christ on the cross, as the sure foundation of our eternal salvation. Such a question as Are you saved? would imply that a sufficient work had been done by Him to save you. That is how it would be misleading! And this, not by an open infidel, but by a churchman!

Let us take an illustration. Here is a sailor seated at a supper provided, who yesterday was on a wreck going to pieces. The lifeboat put out and took him off. There are present with him a friend, and also this churchman. His friend says to him, “Are you the man that was saved from that wreck yesterday?" "Hold," says the churchman, "that is a misleading question. It will lead this man to conclude naturally that his salvation from that wreck is completed; that the captain of the lifeboat has

actually finished the work he went out to do. He has only just begun to get him off the wreck, to save him. It will not do to give the captain all the credit of saving him. It is commonly believed in these parts, that I have a large share to do by my sacraments in saving shipwrecked sailors. And if you tell him it is done, where am I? Besides it is our doctrine, that he himself has a great deal to do, to save himself."

But the friend who has listened to all this says, "The man is saved, he is in this chair, he is eating his supper." "He is not," says the churchman, instead of eating the supper you have spread before him, we must, I TELL YOU, take a pair of oars, and pull, he must work out his salvation. He must save himself by his own works." You will say no person could be so ignorant as to talk in that way. But does it not truthfully illustrate our subject. Did not the Lord Jesus come from heaven and go to the cross to bear our iniquities? Was He not raised from the dead for our justification? Does not God say, "Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things." (Acts xiii. 38.) Yes, through the mighty principle of faith, they have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Surely they rest-for they now enter into rest-yes, their rest, and peace, and