Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/211

 comes from  Thee. To Thee  I owe  my  life  and  all  that  I possess! I have, indeed,  deserved  death  at  Thy  hands,  but  as  Thou  dost  not require of  me  my  life,  I offer  to  Thee  instead  the  life  of  this  lamb.” The bloody  sacrifices  were  sacrifices  of  vicarious  expiation,  and  for  this reason the  person  who  offered  it  laid  his  hand  on  the  head  of  the  victim, as a token  that  he  laid  his  sins  on  it,  and  sacrificed  it  as  a substitute  for himself. Therefore the  only  animals  which  could  be  offered  up  were the domestic  animals  which  are  useful  and  valuable  to  man.

The ends  of  sacrifice.  By  sacrifices  men  were  1. taught that  they depended absolutely  on  God,  and  owed  Him  worship  and  thanksgiving as their  supreme  Lord;  2. they were  roused  to  a consciousness  that they were  sinners  before  God,  and  owed satisfaction to  the  divine  justice;  3. they were shown  that  they,  of  themselves,  could not make  satisfaction,  but  required  a mediator.

''In what  lay  the  efficacy  of  sacrifice? '' Could pardon  and  inward  sanctification  be obtained  through  the  blood  of  beasts  which themselves were  not  clean,  but  lay  under  the curse which  Adam’s  sin  had  brought  on  the earth ? No! these sacrifices  could  only  effect an outward  justice,  and  a legal  purification by which  those  who  offered  the  sacrifice  were made clean  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  and  were enabled once  more  to  take  part  in  the  public worship of  God. But in  so  far  as  these sacrifices were  types  of  the  one  atoning Sacrifice of  Jesus  Christ,  and  pointed  to  this only source  of  grace  and  pardon,  they  could effect sanctification  and  pardon,  provided  he who  offered  the  sacrifice  believed  in  the  future Saviour, and  repented  of  his  sins. This faith, this  hope,  and  this  repentance  were expressed and  stimulated  by  sacrifice;  and, in virtue  of  this  intention, he  who  offered  it  received  pardon and grace.



The chief  significance  of  the  Old  Testament  sacrifices  lay  in  their being types  of  the  most  holy  and  world-redeeming  Sacrifice  of  Jesus Christ. The bloody  sacrifices  were  typical  of  His  bloody  Sacrifice  on the  Cross; the  unbloody  sacrifices  were  typical  of  the  holy  Sacrifice  of the  Mass;  and  the  meat-offerings,  of  Holy  Communion. All the  sacrifices of  the  Old  Law  found  their  fulfilment  in  the  Sacrifice  of  our  Lord, because, firstly,  His  was  a real  vicarious  sacrifice,  and,  secondly,  it  had infinite efficacy  to  blot  out  all  sin,  and  win  grace  for  all  men. It was a real vicarious  sacrifice,  for  Jesus  Christ  is  truly  man,  and  took  the sins of  His  brethren  upon  Him. It had  infinite  efficacy,  because  Jesus