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watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame "."

any

As no animal which had any "blemish or

evil-favouredness" was to be offered in sacrifice; so no man who had any blemish or deformity of person, was to officiate as priest. For the priest, as well as the animal sacrificed, was a figure of Him who was "without blemish and without spots."

In order to keep up in the minds of the people the distinction between holy and unholy, between spiritual cleanness and uncleanness, certain animals were distinguished as clean, while other animals were accounted unclean", "to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten, and the beast that may not be eaten "." saw in his vision, "four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air; and when he was ordered to

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Peter

slay and eat," he said, "Not so, Lord; for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth:" so that the animals which Peter saw, were all such as were accounted unclean. And the voice said unto him, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou

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common *." Peter understood all this in a figurative sense, for he said, "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean"." The vision showed him that God had cleansed the animals which were accounted unclean; and, as by having cleansed unclean animals, GOD denoted His having cleansed those among mankind who were accounted unclean, it appears, that the division of animals into clean and unclean, had a figurative signification, for this distinction between animals was done away when Christ had cleansed the unclean with His blood. The division of animals into clean and unclean existed in the time of Noah; and his reception of both clean and unclean into the ark, represented the admission of persons of every denomination into the saving ark of Christ's covenant.

The contact with the carcass of an unclean beast rendered a person unclean, as did also the contact with even a clean beast that had died. Uncleanness was also caused by leprosy; by an issued; by going into a leprous house; by

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touching any one that was unclean1; by eating of flesh that was torn of beasts, or that had died of itself; or by touching "the dead body of any man," or a grave. In all these cases, the person so rendered unclean, was required to wash himself with water. The uncleanness had, in all these cases, a reference to spiritual uncleanness, which is removed" by the washing of water by the word "."

The trial of jealousy, which was instituted under the Mosaic law', appears to have had altogether a figurative signification. It was to be resorted to when "the spirit of jealousy" came upon "a husband," and he was "jealous of his wife," suspecting her to be " defiled m" GOD, the "husband"" of His people, became

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jealous o" of His "wife," when she was " defiled " by her " whoredoms 9." "The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water"." Our

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"earthly house" is called an "earthen vessel, t "9 and when this is "put offu" our spirit is "as water spilt on the ground." Our spirit "dwelleth in a house of clay, whose foundation is in the dust." The " holy water in an earthen vessel," into which dust of the floor of the tabernacle was put, was strongly figurative of human nature. The water, thus prepared, was called "the bitter water that causeth the cursey." Bitter water was the figure of the wrath of GOD: "The Lord God hath given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord"." "Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein, but have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim [whoring after other gods a] which their fathers taught them; therefore, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink "." "The third part of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the waters because they were bitter c." Those who were guilty of spiritual adultery, then, were threatened with bitter water

$ 2 Cor. v. 1.
t2 Cor. iv. 7.
" 2 Peter, i. 14.

w2 Sam. xiv. 14.

* Job, iv. 19.

y Numb. v. 18.

z Jere. viii. 14.

a Judges, ii. 17.

b Jere. ix. 13-15; xxiii. 15.

c Rev. viii. 11.

which was fatal in its operation. And, in the trial of jealousy, the woman was to drink the prepared water, and, if she was "defiled," and had" done trespass against her husband," it was to "enter into her and become bitter," causing her to swell, and her thigh to rot, and she was to be "a curse among her people." Holy water in an earthen vessel" mingled with dust, brought death and a curse upon the adulteress ; Adam (who was not inaptly represented by

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holy water in an earthen vessel” mingled with dust) brought death and a curse upon all those who are guilty of spiritual adultery ; by man came death;" he brought mankind under the covenant of works, and " as many as are of the works of the law are under the the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do theme." "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us f;" His healing and living waters have secured us from the fatal effects of the water of gall, that "bitter water that causeth the curse." When, in the trial of jealousy, the priest had written in a book the curses with which he charged the woman, he was " to blot them out with the bitter waters." The curses

1 Cor. xv. 21. Rom. v. 12.

f Gal. iii. 13.

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