chapter x. we read, “By one offering He hath perfected forever them that

are sanctified.” And again, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.”

This settles the great question as to priesthood and sacrifice for sin. Christians cannot be too clear or decided in reference to it. It lies at the very foundation of true Christianity, and demands the deep and serious attention of all who desire to walk in the clear light of a full salvation, and to occupy the true Christian position. There is a strong tendency towards Judaism—a vigorous effort to ingraft Christian forms upon the old Jewish stem. This is nothing new; but just now the enemy seems peculiarly busy. We can perceive a great leaning towards Romanism throughout the length and breadth of christendom; and in nothing is this leaning more strikingly apparent than in the institutions of a special priestly order in the Church of God. We believe it to be a thoroughly antichristian institution. It is the denial of the common priesthood of all believers. If a certain set of men are ordained to occupy a place of peculiar nearness and sanctity, then where are the great mass of Christians to stand?

This is the question. It is precisely here that the great importance and gravity of this whole subject are made apparent. Let not the reader suppose that we are contending for some peculiar theory of any particular class or sect of Christians. Nothing is further from our thoughts. It is because we are convinced that the very foundations of the Christian faith are involved in this question of priesthood that we urge its consideration upon all with whom we have to do. We believe it will invariably be found that in proportion as Christians become clear and settled on the divine ground of accomplished redemption, they get further and further away from the Romanism and Judaism of an order of priests in the Church of God. And, on the other hand, where souls are not clear, not settled, not spiritual,—where there is legality, carnality, and worldliness, there you will find a hankering after a humanly appointed priesthood. Nor is it difficult to see the reason of this. If a man is not himself in a fit state to draw nigh to God, it will be a relief to him to employ another to draw nigh for him. And most certainly, no man is in a fit state to draw nigh to a holy God who does not know that his sins are forgiven—has not got a perfectly purged conscience—is in a dark, doubting, legal state of soul. In order to come boldly into the holiest of all, we must know what the blood of Christ has done for us; we must know that we ourselves are made priests to God; and that, in virtue of the atoning death of Christ, we are brought so near to God that it is impossible for any order of men to come between. “He hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us priests unto God and His Father.” (Rev. i.) “But ye are a chosen generation, _a royal priesthood_, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” And again, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, _a holy priesthood_, to offer up _spiritual sacrifices_, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. ii. 5, 9.) “By Him therefore let us offer the _sacrifice of praise_ to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Heb. xiii. 15, 16.)

Here we have the two great branches of spiritual sacrifice which, as priests, we are privileged to offer, namely, praise to God, doing good to men. The very youngest, the most inexperienced, the most unlettered Christian is capable of understanding these things. Who is there in all the family of God—in all the priestly household of our divine High-Priest, who cannot, with his _heart_, say, “The Lord be praised”? and who cannot, with his _hand_, do good to his fellow? And this is priestly worship and priestly service—the common worship and service of all true Christians. True, the measure of spiritual power may vary; but all the children of God are constituted priests, one as much as another.

Now, in the eighteenth chapter of Numbers we are presented with a very full statement of the provision made for Aaron and his house, and in that provision, a type of the spiritual portion of the Christian priesthood. And surely we cannot read the record without seeing what a royal portion is ours. “Every oblation of theirs, every meat-offering of theirs, and every sin-offering of theirs, and every trespass-offering of theirs, which they shall render unto Me, shall be most holy for thee and for _thy sons. In the most holy place_ shalt thou eat it; _every male_ shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.”

It demands a very large measure of spiritual capacity to enter into the depth and meaning of this marvelous passage. To eat the sin-offering or the trespass-offering is, in figure, to make another’s sin or trespass one’s own. This is very holy work. It is not every one who can, in spirit, identify himself with the sin of his brother. To do so in fact, in the way of atonement, is, we need hardly say, wholly out of question. There was but one who could do this, and He—adored forever be His name!—has done it perfectly.

But there is such a thing as making my brother’s sin my own, and bearing it in spirit before God, as though it were my own. This is shadowed forth by Aaron’s sons eating the sin-offering in the most holy place. It was only the _sons_ who did so.—“Every _male_ shall eat it.”[15] It was the very highest order of priestly service. “In the most holy place shalt thou eat it.” We need to be very near to Christ in order to enter into the spiritual meaning and application of all this. It is a wonderfully blessed and holy exercise, and it can only be known in the immediate presence of God. How little we really know of this the heart can testify. Our tendency is, when a brother has sinned, to sit in judgment upon him—to take the place of a severe censor—to look upon his sin as a something with which we have nothing whatever to do. This is to fail sadly in our priestly functions—it is refusing to eat the sin-offering in the most holy place. It is a most precious fruit of grace to be able so to identify one’s self with an erring brother as to make his sin one’s own—to bear it, in spirit, before God.

This, truly, is a very high order of priestly service, and demands a large measure of the spirit and mind of Christ. It is only the spiritual who really enter into this; and, alas! how few of us are truly spiritual! “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, _ye which are spiritual_, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. vi. 1, 2.) May the Lord give us grace to fulfill this blessed “law.” How unlike it is to every thing in us! How it rebukes our harshness and selfishness! Oh to be more like Christ in this as in all beside!

But there was another order of priestly privilege, not so high as that which we have been considering. “And this is thine: the heave-offering of their _gift_, with all the wave-offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy _daughters_ with thee, by a statute forever: _every one that is clean_ in thy house shall eat of it.” (Ver. 11.)

The daughters of Aaron were not to eat of the sin-offerings or the trespass-offerings. They were provided for according to the utmost limit of their capacity; but there were certain functions which they could not discharge—certain privileges which lay beyond their range—certain responsibilities too weighty for them to sustain. It is far easier to have fellowship with another in the presentation of a thank-offering than it is to make his sin our own. This latter demands a measure of priestly energy which finds its type in Aaron’s “sons,” not in his “daughters.” We must be prepared for those varied measures amongst the members of the priestly household. We are all, blessed be God, on the same ground; we all stand in the same title; we are all in the same relationship, but our capacities vary; and while we should all aim at the very highest standard of priestly service, and the very highest measure of priestly capacity, it is of no possible use to pretend to what we do not possess.

One thing, however, is clearly taught in verse 11, and that is, we must be “_clean_” in order to enjoy any priestly privilege or eat of any priestly food—clean, through the precious blood of Christ applied to our conscience—clean, through the application of the Word, by the Spirit, to our habits, associations, and ways. When thus clean, whatever be our capacity, we have the richest provision made for our souls, through the precious grace of God. Hearken to the following words: “_All the best_ of the oil, and _all the best_ of the wine, and of the wheat, the first-fruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. And whatsoever is _first ripe_ in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; _every one that is clean_ in thy house shall eat of it.” (Ver. 12, 13.)[16]

Here, assuredly, we have a princely portion provided for those who are made priests unto God. They were to have the very best and the very first of every thing which the Lord’s land produced. There was “the wine which maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.” (Ps. civ. 15.)

What a figure have we in all this of our portion in Christ! The olive, the grape, and the finest of the wheat were pressed and bruised, in order to feed and gladden the priests of God; and the blessed Antitype of all these has, in infinite grace, been bruised and crushed in death, in order that, by His flesh and blood, He might minister life, strength, and gladness to His household. He, the precious Corn of wheat, fell into the ground and died, that we might live; and the juices of the living Vine were pressed to fill that cup of salvation of which we drink now, and shall drink forever, in the presence of our God.

What, therefore, remains? What do we want, save an enlarged capacity to enjoy the fullness and blessedness of our portion in a crucified, risen, and glorified Saviour? We may well say, “We have all and abound.” God has given us all that even He could give—the very best He had; He has given us His own portion; He has called us to sit down with Himself, in holy, happy fellowship, and feast upon the fatted calf; He has caused our ears to hear, and our hearts, in some small degree, to enter into these most marvelous words, “Let _us_ eat and be merry.”

How wonderful to think that nothing could satisfy the heart and mind of God but to gather His people around Himself and feed them with that in which He Himself delights! “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John i.) What more could even the love of God do for us than this? And for whom has He done it? For those who were dead in trespasses and sins—for aliens, enemies, guilty rebels—for dogs of the Gentiles—for those who were far from Him, having no hope, and without God in the world—for those who, had we our deserts, should be now burning in the eternal flames of hell. Oh, what wondrous grace! what profound depths of sovereign mercy! and, we must add, what a divinely precious atoning sacrifice, to bring poor, self-destroyed, guilty, hell-deserving sinners into such ineffable blessedness!—to pluck us as brands from everlasting burnings, and make us priests to God!—to take away all our “filthy garments” from us, and cleanse, clothe, and crown us, in His own presence, and to His own praise! May we praise Him. May our hearts and lives praise Him. May we know how to enjoy our priestly place and portion, and to wear our mitre well. We can do nothing better than praise God—nothing higher than to present to Him, by Jesus Christ, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. This shall be our everlasting employment in that bright and blessed world to which we are hastening, and where we shall soon be, to dwell forever with Him who has loved us and given Himself for us—our own blessed Saviour-God—to go no more out for evermore.

In verses 14-19 of our chapter we have instruction as to “the first-born of man and beast.” We may remark that man is placed on a level with the unclean beast: both had to be redeemed. The unclean beast was unfit for God, and so was man, unless redeemed by blood. The clean animal was not to be redeemed; it was fit for God’s use, and was given to be the food of the entire priestly household—sons and daughters alike. In this we have a type of Christ, in whom God can find His perfect delight—the full joy of His heart—the only object, throughout the wide universe, in which He could find perfect rest and satisfaction. And—wondrous thought!—He has given Him to us, His priestly household, to be our food, our light, our joy, our all in all, forever.[17]

“Jesus, of Thee we ne’er would tire: The new and living food Can satisfy our heart’s desire, And life is in Thy blood.”

The reader will notice, in this chapter as elsewhere, that every fresh subject is introduced by the words, “And the Lord spake unto Moses,” or “unto Aaron.” Thus, from verses 20-32 we are taught that the priests and Levites—God’s worshipers and workers—were to have no inheritance among the children of Israel, but were to be absolutely shut up to God Himself for the supply of all their need. Most blessed position! Nothing can be more lovely than the picture here presented. The children of Israel were to bring their offerings and lay them down at the feet of Jehovah, and He, in His infinite grace, commanded His workers to pick up these precious offerings—the fruit of His people’s devotedness—and feed upon them, in His own blessed presence, with thankful hearts. Thus the circle of blessing went round. God ministered to all the wants of His people, His people were privileged to share the rich fruits of His bounty with the priests and Levites, and these latter were permitted to taste the rare and exquisite pleasure of giving back to God of that which had flown from Him to them.

All this is divine. It is a striking figure of that which we should look for in the Church of God now. As we have already remarked, God’s people are presented, in this book, under three distinct phases, namely, as warriors, workers, and worshipers; and in all three they are viewed as in the attitude of the most absolute dependence upon the living God. In our warfare, in our work, and in our worship we are _shut up to God_. Precious fact! “All our springs are in Him.” What more do we want? Shall we turn to man or to this world for relief or resource? God forbid! Nay, rather let it be our one grand object to prove, in our entire history, in every phase of our character, and in every department of our work, that God is enough for our hearts.

It is truly deplorable to find God’s people and Christ’s servants looking to the world for support, and trembling at the thought of that support being withheld. Only let us try to imagine the Church of God in the days of Paul relying upon the Roman government for the support of its bishops, teachers, and evangelists. Ah, no, dear reader; the Church looked to its divine Head in the heavens, and to the divine Spirit upon earth, for all its need. Why should it be otherwise now? The world is the world still; and the Church is not of the world, and should not look for the world’s gold and silver. God will take care of His people and of His servants, if they will only trust Him. We may depend upon it, the _divinum donum_ (God’s gift) is far better for the Church than the _regium donum_ (the government gift)—no comparison in the estimation of a spiritual mind.

May all the saints of God, and all the servants of Christ, in every place, apply their hearts earnestly to the consideration of these things; and may we have grace to confess practically, in the face of a godless, Christless, infidel world, that the living God is amply sufficient for our every need, not only while passing through the narrow archway of time, but also for the boundless ocean of eternity. God grant it for Christ’s sake.