are now shewn how God in all this has revealed His love. Thus the righteousness of God gives us peace; and the love of God shed abroad in the heart enables us to joy in God.

!

It is amazing that we poor, guilty sinners have, in divine righteousness, been brought into this grace, or favour, wherein we stand. But if you turn to Ephesians i. you will find this was the eternal purpose of God, and, according to that purpose, we are accepted, or He has "taken us into favour in the beloved." You may say, "How can this be, since the person I name has such dreadful conflicts with the devil and wicked spirits?" Is it not in this very Epistle (chap. vi.) that we have the fullest account of such dreadful conflict, even with wicked spirits in the heavenlies? How important then is it to have on the whole armour of God. Is every part of the armour on this tried soul? Is there any tampering with error? any unrighteousness of conduct allowed? Is there preparedness to tell out the gospel to others? or are the gospel shoes taken off, and laid aside? The shield of faith must not be let down, God is faithful. We must be covered with the certainty of God's salvation. Is the word of God neglected, and then praying always? May our God lead that tried one from herself to these scriptures, and use them in help and deliverance.

SHORT PAPERS ON THE OFFERINGS.

III.

THE BURNT-OFFERING.

LEVITICUS I.

IN the offerings we get the purposes and provisions of God for His redeemed people-Christ revealing the heart of God, our Father, in meeting all our need. The very order of these offerings is blessed. The burnt-offering comes first; then the meat-offering; then the peaceoffering; and, last, the sin and trespass offerings. Yes, the order suggests the purpose of God to have us unblameable before Him at whatever cost. We may compare these four offerings to a picture gallery. There is God's end of that gallery, and there is man's end afar off from God. God is revealed in what Christ is in the perfection of His Person and work, but in order that man, the sinner, may be brought to God, the Holy One must be offered a sacrifice for sin. Hence, in the application of the offerings to the sinner, or to man, the sin-offering comes first. In the Gospels we have, as it were, four distinct photographs of the Lord Jesus, and in these offerings distinct photographs or pictures of His work.

It will help us to understand the burnt-offering if we notice a few of the offerings, and the place they had from the beginning.

No sooner had our first parents sinned, than we read, "Unto Adam also, and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Gen. iii. 21.) What a picture in a few words of the purpose of God, namely, through death to find a clothing, even divine righteousness, for lost and naked man. Does it not point to Him whom God raised from the dead, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification"?

In the offerings of the first sons of the human race we get what is, and what is not, acceptable to God. "Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering: but unto Cain, and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Now what was the difference between the two? The principle of Cain was to approach God by his own works, as though nothing was amiss. The principle of Abel was to approach God by faith in the death of a substitute. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts," &c. Yes, God saw in that offering of Abel a type of the atoning death of His only-begotten Son, and therefore reckoned Abel righteous. We shall see

throughout scripture how God responds to faith in the offering. It was not what Cain and Abel were in their own persons, but it was their offerings. You may be as sincere and as religious as Cain; you may bring that for which you have laboured, to the true God, and yet be rejected, as he was. There is no way by which you can be accepted but through the death of Jesus.

We will take another case. "God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me." God said this because He "saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Is not this assuredly the true character of man? Man in the flesh is so bad, God can have no hope in him. Death and the flood must pass upon the whole race. Noah and his family alone were saved through the judgment on the world. Believing the warning of God he became the heir of the righteousness which is by faith. On what principle then did God accept him, and bless him? Was it a new trial of man, or did God deal with him through the virtue of the sacrifice? When Noah and his family went forth from the ark, "Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour." Now the great question is this: Will God act according to

the savour of the offerings, or will He act towards man according to what man is? If improved, will God bless him? and if not, will He curse him? What does the Lord say on this point?" And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease. And God blessed Noah and his sons." How precious the ways of God in grace shine out here! As to man, there is evil in his heart from his youth. But the action of God flows from what the offering is to Him. Thus all blessing flows to us through the value, and sweet savour of the offering of Christ; yes, even all the earthly blessings man constantly enjoys, seed time, harvest, all; but how little man knows this! It is surely most important to understand this principle of the action of God toward us.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

We shall see the force of this if we turn to the trial of Abraham's faith. (Gen. xxii.) We must expect every bit of faith God gives to be tried. Abraham was commanded to offer up

his son.