method in which God was pleased to effect
the purification of the leper, and to purge
away their other ceremonial uncleannesses.
Several particulars require our notice. These
are described in the following chapter. In
the first place, as soon as it appeared to the
priest that the leper was healed, two living
birds were to be taken, one of which was to
be killed over spring water in an earthen
vessel, and the blood suffered to fall into the
water. The other bird was to be taken, with
cedar wood, and scarlet wool, and hyssop,
and all together were to be dipped in the
blood and water in the vessel. With these
the priest was to sprinkle the person to be
purified seven times, and then to let the
living bird loose into the open field. This
was the first part of the ceremony. Next,
the person to be cleansed was to wash his
clothes, and shave off all the hair of his
body, and wash himself in water, and after the
interval of seven days he was to repeat this
washing and shaving.
part of the ceremony.

This was the second

Then he was to take

two he-lambs, the one for a trespass-offering,

and the other for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb for a sin-offering, and also three tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering, with the addition of one log, that is, about half a pint, of oil. The sin-offering was presented on account of the sin which had exposed him to this disease, the burnt-offering, with its meatoffering as an acknowledgment of God's mercy, and an expression of his renewed dedication of himself to the Lord's service, and the trespass-offering for any deviations from the ritual law into which he might have fallen during the time of his confinement under the leprosy. The ceremonies that accompanied the offering of the trespassoffering were peculiar in this case and much resembled those which were to be observed in the consecration of the priests. The priest was to take some of the blood of the trespassoffering, and put it on the right ear of him that was to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot. He was then to pour part of the log of oil into the palm of his own left

hand, and with the finger of his right hand to sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, some more of it he was to put on the ear, thumb, and toe of the person to be cleansed, as he had done the blood, and the remainder of that which was in his hand he was to pour upon the head. This being done the priest was to offer the sinoffering and make an atonement for him; and then to offer the burnt-offering and the meat-offering upon the altar, and make an atonement for him, and he should be clean.

Now these ceremonies were all typical of the manner in which the Lord Jesus, our great high priest, cleanses us from all our sins, and from that corruption of our nature by which we are defiled and separated from God. And here, in the first place, a very remarkable difference is to be observed which marks the vast superiority of the Lord over the high priest of the Jews, and at once intimates to us plainly who and what he was. The Jewish high priest, being a mere man, and himself compassed with infirmity, could

not heal the leper, he could only discover by inspection when he was already healed by God, and then by his office declare this to the people, and perform the ceremonies appointed for his cleansing, that he might be again restored to society, and the public worship and ordinances of the house of the Lord. But the Lord Jesus, as you will see from every part of the New Testament where lepers are met with, heals the leper. Look at St. Matthew's gospel, the eighth chapter and the second verse, and at St. Mark's gospel, the first chapter and fortieth verse, and at St. Luke's gospel, the fifth chapter and twelfth verse, which all give this account. A leper came to Jesus and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean, and Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him and said, I will, be thou clean; and immediately his leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

And then the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto

them. Again, in the gospel of St. Luke, the seventeenth chapter and twelfth verse, we read that there met the Lord ten men which were lepers, who stood afar off, because under this affliction they might not come near to any; and they cried to him to have mercy on them; and he said to them, go shew yourselves to the priests, and it came to pass that as they went they were cleansed. And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. Now here we see that the Lord Jesus took upon himself what was exclusively the act of God under the Old Testament, namely, the act of healing and removing the leprosy; and this he did rightly, because he was God. And he sent them to the priests to offer the things which Moses had commanded, because as yet the sacrifice of himself had not been offered, which was to annul, and stand in the place of, all these sacrifices of the law.

Now, in the next place, I will shew you how that great sacrifice of himself, after it was offered up, became a perfect expiation