SHADOWS OF CHRIST. PART XIX.

THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD. "THE RAM OF CONSECRATION" Ex. XXXIX. 19-34.

HAVING

AVING witnessed the putting away of their sins in the sin-offering, and their full acceptance before God in the burnt-offering, Aaron and his sons are next shown in the peace-offering or "ram of consecration," how they are made meet to worship, and serve, and hold communion with God.

The ordinances of the sin-offering and burnt-offering on this occasion, did not differ materially, if at all, from any other occasion on which any priest or Israelite sought so to approach God. But in connexion with the peace-offering the service assumes fully its special and indeed unique consecration character, and is therefore at this point, peculiarly rich in its typical instruction to us.

It is here that we are shown not only that as sinners we are justified, and that being justified we are accepted in the Beloved, but further that being accepted in Him, we are consecrated as a holy and a royal Priesthood to worship and to serve the living God.

To this place of highest privilege and blessing they are introduced only through the shedding of blood. "Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram, then shalt thou kill the ram."

Thus are we constantly reminded that whatever the glory of the position into which we are called it is all of grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Next, the blood of the ram was to be put upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and upon the tips of the right ear of his sons, then upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot.

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How plainly does this show that they were "not their own," but "bought with a price ". And in our case of whom all this is true in "substance" and not merely in "shadow," how clearly does it point to the great truth that our bodies are redeemed by the blood of Christ for the service of God and for Him alone. As it is written, "Thou hast redeemed us TO GOD by Thy blood," and again, "made kings and priests UNTO GOD". Therefore to present this redeemed and consecrated body to God as a living sacrifice, and to yield its members unto Him in obedience, is a reasonable service". To alienate its energies from His servicefor the fulfilling of the will of the flesh-is to rob God of that to which He has the double right of creation and of redemption. Yet, how little is this species of robbery considered, or judged, or mourned over even by many whose consciences are easily aroused by the slightest breach of the righteous claims of fellow-men! As the blood upon the ear, the hand, and the foot, for ever separated Aaron and his sons to the service of Jehovah- -so in the sight of God is the believer now consecrated by the blood of Christ.

His ear is no longer his own to listen to any and every voice that calls, but is consecrated to God to hear His voice to have the "inner man " fashioned and occupied by His thoughts and none else.

Thus it was with our Lord Jesus the One whose consecration to God was ever maintained practically and in perfectness. "He wakeneth morning by morn

ing, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learner therefore, because of his ear being given first and last and only to God, He also had the tongue of the learned and knew how to speak a word in season to the weary. (Is. 1. 4.)

But this is an age of "itching ears" and many calls. To sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary of old and hear His Word; calmly and at leisure to listen to the bridegroom's voice till the soul is satisfied with His love, intelligent as to His will and full of purpose to obey-is what few attain to.

Every device that Satan's ingenuity can plot, every entanglement that his skill can devise-is combined in a mighty network to prevent the believer from thus waiting upon God, without which, consecration may be talked of as a theory, but can never be manifested in the life.

"He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith," is the Lord's own sevenfold exhortation to the churches. Well He knew that their ears had belied their consecration, and had been turned away from THE TRUTH. Hence the energy of His call; for restoration could not otherwise be effected. It was at the first by hearing that faith came (Rom, x. 17), and still it is by hearing and the Word of God, that communion with God is to be maintained.

And here let a note of warning be sounded against the habit so easily acquired so needful to be watched against, of dealing with the Word of God apart from God Himself. To read the Scriptures merely for the instruction of the mind, to discuss them, to hear them expounded and to speak of them to others, while the heart and conscience is unexercised, while their searching power is unknown, their warnings and comforts alike unfelt in the soul, is not only a possibility, but alas! a common experience as many are constrained to confess.

The Bible is indeed a book, in form like other books the work of man, but it is more than this, it is the Word of the living God and to those who wait on Him and receive His Spirit's ministry to their souls, it is nothing less than the voice of the Father and the Son. By it a living, present God is speaking to the understanding and the heart. Let this be only believed and then what mighty transforming power would be the result of each precious occasion of such holy intercourse with God.

*This ought more properly to read the "learner" than the "learned".

When Moses after his forty days of communion with God, descended from the mount, his face so shone with heavenly glory that Israel could not look thereon. He had himself beheld the glory of God and was changed into the likeness of that glory upon which he had looked. Even so is it now. "We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Such is the power of communion with God; it is manifest to others, though as with Moses it may be unknown to oneself. "He wist not that the skin of his face shone !" Blessed unconsciousness of the glory that rested on him. How unlike the miserable counterfeit of holiness so common in these days, that must needs declare its own perfection to those who all the while can only trace the lineaments of spiritual conceit.

But to return to the ram of consecration—the blood was also put upon the hand and the foot. Thus were the activities of the whole man shown to be redeemed and consecrated as well as the ear.

That blood-marked hand was to be found in no occupation that was inconsistent with the will of Him for whom it was redeemed. So it was with the Lord Jesus. His blessed hands were ever found "doing good".

So also was the foot of the priest to be found in the paths of the Lord. Consecrated by blood, every step was to be in harmony with the will of Jehovah. It might be that the path led "inside the vail" as a worshipper, or "outside the camp" to minister to the need of some defiled one, but, wherever led, mercy and truth must compass him about.

Thus it was with Him whom we ought ever to consider, and who "left us an example that we should follow His steps "—as it is written, "I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I might keep Thy Word". "The law of his God was in His heart, none of His steps did slide." (Ps. cxix. 101. xxxvii. 31.)

And such ought indeed to be the life-service of the Christian now. Head, hand, and foot for God! An unreserved surrender of the whole redeemed man under the constraining power of the love of Christ. Nothing else is worthy of our high and holy calling.

The blood was then to be sprinkled upon the altar round about. Not only put upon it, but "round about" it, for at that altar they were to minister, and

ever as they approached it they must see how the same blood that sanctified them for God's service, was continually under His eye as their title to draw near.

Part of the blood from the altar was then to be taken, and with it, of the anointing oil, the same which at the beginning had been poured upon Aaron's head, and the blood and oil together were to be sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons, and also upon the garments of Aaron, and upon the garments of his sons with him.

The oil had before been poured upon Aaron's head so abundantly that it ran down upon his beard, and went down to the skirts of his garments (Ps. cxxxiii. 2). As already noticed, in this he was alone, and so, a type of the Lord Jesus, God's anointed, to whom the Spirit was not given by measure, and in whom there was nought to hinder the fulness either of the supply or the outflow.

But his sons, although not thus anointed, are yet partakers of the same most precious and fragrant anointing. Together with the blood of the consecration ram it is sprinkled upon them, and upon their garments.

Thus were their very garments to tell by their whiteness, by the blood, and by the oil, that they were a righteous, a redeemed, and an anointed family.

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And such are we who are in Christ, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a purchased people" (1 Pet. ii. 9) whose business is to shew forth in our lives the virtues of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.

How very striking must have been the appearance of these sons of Aaron; their white linen garments all stained with blood and oil!

They could not hide the fact that they were identified with Aaron unless they covered or divested themselves of their priestly robes. Whoever saw them would say "there goes a priest of the Lord"; whoever drew near to them would instantly perceive the fragrance of the anointing, a smell only to be found. upon Aaron the High Priest, and in the tabernacle of Jehovah.

No ointment was to be made like it in Israel. Upon penalty of being "cut off from his people" was it prohibited. (Ex. xxx. 33.) Moreover it was not to be put upon a stranger". None but the chosen people, the priestly family were thus to be honoured.

In all this there is surely instruction for our souls. There is indeed an anointing which we have

received of Him (1 John ii. 27), "an Unction from the Holy One" (ver. 20), that abides in the child of God. Given upon the ground of the blood-shedding of Jesus, snd therefore, though often grieved, remaining as the seal of God and the earnest of our inheritance until the day of redemption. (Eph. iv. 30; i. 14.)

And surely it is by the power of this anointing given in redemption grace that the garments-or to drop the figure-the outward and visible ways of the Christian are to be conformed to Christ, and to the character that befits our priestly calling.

There was that in the ways of His servants of old which led those who observed them to take knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. (Acts iv. 13.)

And it is only through "being with Him" yet, through beholding His beauty, enjoying His love, drinking in His Spirit, that we can be empowered to shew forth His virtues.

His virtues in us can only be manifested by His Spirit which dwelleth in us. Let Him be ungrieved, let His teaching be given heed to, let His comforting voice be heard and His sanctifying power be known, and then there will be in our ways a fragrance of Christ, a savour of the priestly anointing which will tell that we are one with Him.

We shall not need to tell it, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives will declare, silently, yet unmistakably, like the fragrance of the priestly garments that we are the people of the Holy Place.

And truly, if our garments be not sprinkled and hallowed as becometh our priestly consecration with the blood and with the oil, most surely will they be SPOTTED with the FLESH and with the WORLD. (Jas. i. 27, Jude xxiii.)

In either character we must appear before men. Either as separated to God, or conformed to the world. May our ways be true to our consecration here, then shall we walk with Him in white, and be accounted worthy when He comes. (Rev. iii. 4.) J. R. C.

OBEDIENCE.

NOTICED lately that when the Captain of the little Steamboat, in which I was, wished the vessel to go faster or slower he spoke down through a tube to the engineer and at once the orders were obeyed; so this led me to consider that God now in His Word speaks to us directing us in all things, while we are down here for His glory and our good; and it is just as we obey Him implicitly that we are kept from the dangers of the way. The voice of the Captain was enough for the engineer though he saw him not, and faith in the Captain's skill to guide led him to obey at once; the Engineer's place was just prompt obedience, and thus obeying, the responsibility lay with the Captain, but in disobedience, the responsibility lay with the Engineer. Then again the Engineer was responsible to see that as far as lay in his power, the fire, and water, and steam, &c., were in proper order, so that he could at once have the power of the engine at his command to be able to carry out the commands of the Captain; also we see how much depends on the Engineer obeying orders exactly as given, seeing the vessel and those in it are exposed to danger should he act contrary. How important then it is for us to walk in the path of obedience "As obedient children." (1 Pet. i. 14.) So will we enjoy the Father's love, for Jesus says, "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." (John xiv. 21.) Being thus in fellowship we will have power to be "followers of God as dear Children " (Eph. v. 1), and thus "prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom. xii. 2). "Behold to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken than the fat of rams; for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubborness as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king." (1 Sam. xv. 22, 23.) Thus spake Samuel by the word of the Lord to Saul; so we see what disobedience in that which may seem little in our eyes may lead to; for the moment we step aside from the path of obedience we are on slippery ground and a prey to Satan. Saul who was SO zealous for the Lord at the first that he put away those that had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land (1 Sam. xxviii, 3), goes from one step to

another because of disobedience which "is as witchcraft" to seek help from the Witch of Endor and so falls into the very sin he was once so zealous against. Disobedience in its essence is just lawlessness, or self will, and this is the characteristic of the Man of Sin yet to be manifested in the coming days of deep apostacy from God; when men will be given over to believe the lie, "because they received not the love of the truth." (2 Thess. ii. 10.) We see from the Word the close connection between faith and obedience; the path of faith is the path of obedience and blessing; while an evil heart of unbelief leads to our departing from the living God and to hardness of heart; and unless grace prevent and restore, we know not to what length we may go bringing dishonour on the name of the Lord and misery upon ourselves. Oh, then, how important to watch and judge the first appearance of departure in heart from God; what need of continual fellowship that we may be kept always hanging on God for guidance according to His word in all things; that we may "walk worthy of the vocation" wherewith we are called; that we "may be blameless and harmless; the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation" and shine as lights in the world "holding forth the Word of Life". (Eph. iv. 1 and Phil. ii. 15-16.)

I

EXPECTATION OF SUCCESS.

W. G. S.

SAW two men in a boat, they were out examining their Lobster creels, they had been using the means; now they were looking for results to crown their toil, nor did they look in vain. As fishers of men are we looking for present blessing? We ought. And in following Jesus truly, being sent by Him, we will be fishers of men; sinners shall be converted and saints shall be edified; let us expect this. In Ps. v. 3, David says, "In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up," and "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy," (Ps. cxxvi. 5). "What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them." (Mark xi. 24.)

"Once more the Gospel net we cast,
Do thou, O Lord, the effort crown;
We learn from disappointments past,
To rest our hope on Thee alone."