them to acknowledge a departure from the ways of God? Is society in such a state, that all which we see and hear will stand the test, if tried by the requisitions of God's holy law? Yet where are the consciences that are burthened with guilt? Where are the penitents applying to the blood of atonement? Are not the great mass of mankind, whether rulers or subjects, whether ministers or people, blessing themselves as having but little, if any, occasion to repent? Ah! well might David say, and happy would it be for us if it were the language also of our hearts, Lord, who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from my secret faults1!" And let none think that his ignorance is any excuse for him before God: for our ignorance arises only from inconsideration: and God expressly warns us, that that plea shall avail us nothing m.] 66 3. The moment we see that we have sinned, we should seek for mercy in God's appointed way [As soon as the fault or error was discovered under the law, the proper offering (whether sin, or trespass, offering) was to be brought: and, if the offender refused to bring his offering, his sin became presumptuous; and he subjected himself to the penalty of death". To infinitely sorer punishment shall we expose ourselves, if we neglect to seek for mercy through the atoning blood of Christ. The declaration of God is this; "He that covereth his sins, shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." : But let us beware of one delusion which proves fatal to thousands we are apt to content ourselves with general acknowledgments that we are sinners, instead of searching out our particular sins, and humbling ourselves for them. Doubtless it is right to bewail the whole state of our souls: but he who never has seen any individual evils to lament, will have but very faint conceptions of his general depravity. We should therefore "search and try our ways;" and not only say with Achan, "I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel," but proceed with him to add, "Thus and thus have I done." This is the particular instruction given in our text: the person who had transgressed any law of God, whether ceremonial or moral, was, as soon as he discovered it, to "confess, that he had sinned in that particular thing." O that we were more ready to humble ourselves thus! But we love not the work of selfexamination: and the evils which we cannot altogether hide from ourselves, we endeavour to banish from our minds; and hence it is that so many of us are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."] 66 1 Ps. xix. 12. See also Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. P Prov. xxviii. 13. m Eccl. v. 6. a Josh. vii. 20. 4. We never can be truly penitent for sin, if we are not desirous also to repair it to the utmost of our power [Certain it is that no reparation for sin can ever be made to God. It is the precious blood of Christ, and that only, that can ever satisfy the offended Majesty of heaven. But injuries done to our fellow-creatures, may, and must, be requited. If we have defrauded any, whether individuals or the public, it is our bounden duty to make restitution to the full amount: and, if we cannot find the individuals injured, we should make it to God, in the persons of the poor. To pretend to repent of any sin, and yet hold fast the wages of our iniquity, is a solemn mockery: for the retaining of a thing which we have unjustly acquired, is, in fact, a continuation of the offence. Let us make the case our own, and ask, Whether, if a man had defrauded us, we should give him credit for real penitence, whilst he withheld from us what he had fraudulently obtained? We certainly should say, that his professions of repentance were mere hypocrisy and therefore the same judgment we must pass on ourselves, if we do not to the utmost of our power repair every injury we have ever done. Look at Zaccheus, and see what were the fruits of penitence in him: "Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man, I restore him four-fold." See also the effect of godly sorrow in the Corinthian Church; "What indignation against themselves, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge, yea, what a determination to clear themselves" of the evil in every possible way! Look to it, beloved, that the same proofs of sincerity be found in you. Yet do not presently conclude that all is right, because you have made restitution unto man: (this is a mistake by no means uncommon:) the guilt of your sin still remains upon your conscience, and must be washed away by the atoning blood of Christ: that is the only "fountain opened for sin and uncleanness," nor, till you are washed in that, can you ever behold the face of God in peace.] THE TRESPASS-OFFERING A TYPE OF CHRIST. Lev. v. 17-19. If a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass-offering unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred, and wist it not; and it shall be forgiven him. It is a trespass-offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the Lord. THE ceremonial law was intended to lead men to Christ, and was calculated to do so in a variety of ways. It exhibited Christ in all his work and offices, and directed every sinner to look to him. Moreover, the multitude of its rites and ceremonies had a tendency to break the spirits of the Lord's people, and to make them anxiously look for that period, when they should be liberated from a yoke which they were not able to bear, and render unto God a more liberal and spiritual service. It is in this latter view more especially that we are led to consider the trespassoffering, which was to be presented to God for the smallest error in the observation of any one ordinance, however ignorantly or unintentionally it might be committed. In order to elucidate the nature and intent of the trespass-offering, we shall, I. Shew the evil of sins of ignorance, and the remedy prescribed for them It is often said that the intention constitutes the criminality of an action. But this principle is not true to the extent that is generally supposed. It is certain that ignorance extenuates the guilt of an action [Our Lord himself virtually acknowledged this, when he declared that the opportunities of information which he had afforded the Jews, greatly enhanced the guilt of those who rejected him. And he even urged the ignorance of his murderers as a plea with his heavenly Father to forgive them; "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." St. Peter also palliated their crime upon the very same principles; "I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers." And St. Paul speaks of himself as obtaining mercy because what he had done was done ignorantly and in unbelief: whereas if he had done it, knowing whom he persecuted, he would most probably never have obtained mercy.] But it is equally certain that ignorance cannot excuse us in the sight of God a John ix. 41. and xv. 22. c Acts iii. 17. VOL. I. b Luke xxiii. 34. d 1 Tim. i. 13. Q Q [A man is not held blameless when he violates the laws of the land because he did it unwittingly: he is obnoxious to a penalty, though from the consideration of his ignorance that penalty may be mitigated. Nor does any man consider ignorance as a sufficient plea for his servant's faults, if that servant had the means of knowing his master's will: he rather blames that servant for negligence and disrespect in not shewing greater solicitude to ascertain and perform his duty. With respect to God, the passage before us shews in the strongest light, that even the slightest error, and that too in the observance of a mere arbitrary institution, however unintentionally committed, could not be deemed innocent: on the contrary, it is said, "He shall bring his offering; he hath certainly trespassed against the Lord." Much more therefore must every violation of the moral law be attended with guilt, because there is an inherent malignity in every transgression of the moral law; and because man's ignorance of his duty, as well as his aversion to duty, is a fruit and consequence of the first transgression. Hence is there an eternal curse denounced against every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. It is yet further evident that ignorance is no excuse before God, because St. Paul calls himself a blasphemer, and injurious, and a persecutor, yea, the very chief of sinners, for persecuting the Church, notwithstanding he thought he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus. And God declares that men perish for lack of knowledges, and that, because they are of no understanding, he will therefore shew them no favourh.] The only remedy for sins, how light soever they may appear to us, is the atonement of Christ [The high-priest was appointed particularly to offer for the errors of the people. And as soon as ever an error, or unintentional transgression, was discovered, the person guilty of it was to bring his offering, and to seek for mercy through the blood of atonement. There was indeed a distinction in the offerings which different persons were to bring; which distinction was intended to shew that the degrees of criminality attaching to the errors of different people, varied in proportion as the offenders enjoyed the means of information. If a priest erred, he must bring a bullock for an offering'; if a ruler erred, he must offer a male kidm; if one of the e Gal. iii. 10. f Acts xxvi. 9. with 1 Tim. i. 15. g Hos. iv. 6. h Isai. xxvii. 11. i Heb. ix. 7. with Ezek. xlv. 19, 20. k The offering was to be of proper value according to the priest's "estimation." Lev. xxvii. 2-8. common people erred, he must bring a female kid, or a female lamb", or, if he could not afford that, he might bring two young pigeons. And, to mark yet further the superior criminality of the priest, his offering was to be wholly burnt, and its blood was to be sprinkled seven times before the veil of the sanctuary, and to be put upon the horns of the altar of incense; whereas the offerings of the others were to be only in part consumed by fire; and their blood was not to be sprinkled at all before the veil, and to be put only on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering P. Further still, if a person were so poor as not to be able to afford two young pigeons, he might be supposed to have still less opportunities of information, and was therefore permitted to bring only an ephah of fine flour; part of which, however, was to be burnt upon the altar, to shew the offerer what a destruction he himself had merited. And this is the excepted case to which the Apostle alludes, when he says, with his wonted accuracy, that "almost all things are by the law purged with blood"." But, under the Gospel, there is no distinction whatever to be made. We must now say, without any single exception, that "without shedding of blood there is no remission.' We need Christ as much to bear the iniquity of our holy things, as to purge our foulest transgressions: there is no other fountain opened for sin', no other way to the Father", no other door of hope, no other name whereby we can be saved". Christ is "the Ram," "caught in the thicket," if we may so speak, who must be our substitute and surety, whether our guilt be extenuated by ignorance, or aggravated by presumption.] This point being clear, we proceed to, II. Suggest such reflections as naturally arise from the subject A more instructive subject than this cannot easily be proposed to us. It leads us naturally to observe, 1. What a tremendous load of guilt is there on the soul of every man! [Let but the sins, which we can remember, be reckoned up, and they will be more than the hairs of our head. Let those be added, which we observed at the time, but have now forgotten, and oh, how awfully will their numbers be increased! But let all the trespasses, which we have committed through |