LEVITICUS (ante); the name taken from the Septuagint of the third book of Moses, signifying "belonging to Levi," well represents its contents, which are precepts and ordinances for the government of the priests, Levites, and people in their special rela tions to God. The Hebrew title, which is simply the first word of the book, "And he called," also points it out as a collection of divine commands. These commandments, i as recorded n this book, have reference to sin as committed by men; to the sacrifices which the people should bring as an atonement; and to the priests who should offer them in the people's name. The first great fact to be perceived, in order to a right understanding of the book, is that it exhibits divinely appointed emblems of divine realities. All that it records, the tabernacle, the priest, the altar, the sacrifice, the incense, are emblems employed by him who gave signs to his servants, the prophets, and in his own teachings used similitudes. This being kept in mind, the book may be regarded as presenting three principal topics: I. THE PRIESTS.—They were at once the representa tives of the people in their relations to God, and of God in his relations to them. Every man in the nation was vitally interested in the duties and burdens of the office, and might justly have been required to bear his portion of them; and in regard also to its honors, all the people were a kingdom of priests. At the beginning of their history the first-born sous of all the families, in all the tribes, were to be consecrated to the Lord as representatives of the whole. Afterwards, as an equivalent for them, the tribe of Levi was set apart to the service. Of these the sons of Aaron were to be priests, and Aaron was to be the high-priest. The whole tribe was considered as performing one service, the magnitude and importance of which were represented both by the great number consecrated and employed and by the dignity of the high-priest. All the service per formed by them all was crowned with his work, and the splendor vested in him irradi ated them all. The high-priest was anointed with holy oil, compounded of the most precious materials and devoted strictly to that use alone. By this, poured on him and running down to the skirts of his garments, he was consecrated to the Lord. Ile was clothed sometimes in splendid robes composed of blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, and gold, elaborately wrought together, with a breast-plate of precious stones, and a miter on which blazed the inscription, formed of dazzling gems, "Holiness to the Lord." This represented the majesty of God. At other times he was required to minister in plain linen garments, which were emblematic of the humility appropriate for men in their approaches to God. Bodily perfection and personal purification were required in the priesthood as emblems of the holiness necessary for all men in approaching to God. The priestly office was, according to divine command, to be transmitted from father to son, and the oldest son of the high-priest was to be his successor. By this arrange ment, while the individual priest could hot continue by reason of death, the office was made perpetual. II. TuE SACRIFICES.-1. Sacrifices for the priests themselves were to be offered before they could officiate for the people. These were required specially at their consecration, and generally before they made atonement for the peo ple. Thus their own sinfulness was acknowledged and atoned for separately, in order that, although compassed with infirmities, they might be accounted worthy to stand emblematically between God and the people. 2. No sacrifice could be accepted unless accompanied with the shedding of blood. That represented the life, and therefore the blood of animals was consecrated as an emblem of atonement for sin, and was to be applied to all things connected with the offering of worship. 3. The animals offered were to be taken from those most valued, and must be without imperfection or blem ish. And to their life many other choice things were to be added—such as fine flour, pure oil, and frankincense—in order to increase the therefore the emblem atic significance of the offering. 4. The sacrifices were to be numerous and perpetual. Every man was required to present offerings for himself whenever he sinned against God, or trespassed against his fellow-men; and for sins of ignorance, as well as for will ful transgressions. After the settlement in Canaan, wherever a man lived, he was
required to present his offering at the tabernacle or temple. These personal sacrifices were burdensome, and would frequently recur. Besides these, a general daily morning and evening sacrifice was ordained; and on the Sabbath days this was doubled. On feast days, additional offerings were prescribed. One day in every year was consecrated with special solemnity as a day of atonement, in which all the people were required to abstain from servile labor, and to afflict their souls, under penalty of being cut off from the congregation. On that day the high-priest alone of all the priests and people, and he on that day only in all the year, was to enter the most holy place, taking with him blood, which he must sprinkle seven times before the mercy-seat. On that day the sin offering consisted of two animals, one of which was sacrificed on the altar, while on time head of the other the high-priest laid both his hands, and confessed over it all time iniquities of the people and all their transgressions, putting them on its head, and send ing it away into the wilderness. These solemn mites may be regarded as the closing sacri fice of the year, binding all together as one great offering, crowning them and imparting to them the highest measure of emblematic significance. All these were appointed to be repeated year by year, through all generations, until the ordained end. III. Tun SINS OF THE PEOPLE.-1. Their punishment. There were flagrant crimes for which no sacrifice would avail. He who committed them was to be cut off from his people. There were also sins against the sacrifice itself for which, in the nature of the case, no atonement could be made. National judgments were threatened against the general vio lation of the law by the people at large. For first offenses, disease, famine, and war, in lighter measures, were denounced. lf. notwithstanding thesevisitations, the people per sisted in their offenses, sevenfold judgments would be sent. God would break the Nide of power and make the heavens as iron and the land as brass. If then they refused to obey, wild beasts would be sent to destroy their children and cattle. If they were not reformed by these inflictions, the horrors of siege and of pestilence would be superadded. If still they were not subdued, their sanctuaries would be desolated, their cities laid waste, their land destroyed, and they themselves scattered among the nations. By these threatened judgments the evil nature of sin was powerfully pressed on their consciences and thoughts. 2. It was also emblematically set forth in the daily actions and circum stances of their lives. Of these, two may be specified: (1.) The distinction made between clean and unclean meat. , All animals were divided into these two classes; the former of which only might be eaten, while the latter were to be an abomination in the sight of the people. While there may have been several reasons for this regulation, one object of it was to bold up the moral distinction between good and evil, holiness and sin, by reminding the people continually that in partaking of food they might do right or do wrong; and if in this constantly recurring act, so in all other actions of their lives. (2.) The disease of leprosy was an emblem of theawful nature and consequences of sin. As the disease was seated in the body, so sin is in the soul; as the disease might be trans mitted by hereditary descent, so the sinfulness of mankind is continued from age to age; as leprosy was often manifested at first only by a single spot which spread over the body, so sinfulness of often betraying itself at first only by slight outward transgres sions, may increase in power until the whole character is defiled. Leprosy sometimes entered into a garment or a house; then the garment must be burned, and the house destroyed. So, by the sinfulness of men, a land being defiled, may be doomed to destruction, as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Yet as to Israel. their land was not to be forever desolate, nor were they to be utterly and finally cast off.