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THE SACRIFICES AND FEASTS.

does not, as they did, offer sacrifices | self on the cross; but He still lives;
daily for sin; one sacrifice was | He lives in Heaven, in the holy place,
enough, when He offered up Him- | and there makes intercession for us.

_—OO

 

A LVI.

JHE PACRIFICES AND fEASTS,

ERY soon after Aaron and ; God’s holy day; and we should try

| his sons had been conse-
#| crated, they began their
Yi holy work. God’s minis-

ters and people must not
be idle; all have something to do
for God, and it should be begun di-
rectly. ‘The work of the priests
was to offer the sacrifices, and at-
tend to the holy services of God in
the tabernacle. The sacrifice of a
lamb was offered every morning and
every evening. This teaches us,
that we need to have our sins washed
away every day we live; when we
rise in the morning, and when we
go to bed at night, we ought to pray
for grace and pardon, and for every
blessing which we want. We should
thank God for all He has given us,
and ask Him still to give us that
which He sees right we should have.
This was what the Israelites were
taught to do; and if they prayed
in faith, God heard their prayer, and
gave them His blessing.

On the Sabbath day, two more
lambs were offered, besides the
morning and evening sacrifices. We
should love to worship God every
day; but we should pray to Him,
and think about Him, more on Sun-
day than on other days. The Sab-
bath is a day of holy rest; it belongs
to God, and it must all be spent in
His service. The Israelites were
not allowed to do any work on

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to be like them, and be very thank-
ful that God has given us a Sabbath,
on which we may learn to know
and serve Him better.

In the beginning of every month,
more sacrifices were to be offered;
two bullocks, one ram, seven lambs,
and a kid. Besides all these sacri-
fices, there were holy days and feasts,
which God commanded to be kept.

There were three feasts in the
year, when God commanded all the
men of Israel to appear before Him.
first, the feast of the Passover, in
remembrance of the angel passing
over the houses of the Israelites,
when he destroyed the first-born of
Egypt. They were to take a lamb,
and eat it as they did in Egypt;
and to offer sacrifices, and to keep
seven days holy to the Lord. This
feast was in the spring of the year.
The paschal lamb was a type of
Jesus Christ slain for our sins, to
save our souls from destruction.

Second, 'The feast of weeks, or
Pentecost, fifty days after the Pass-
over. This feast was in the summer,
when the corn was reaped ; and the
people were then to give some of
their fruits, as a thank-offering to
the Lord. It is God who gives us
all our blessings, and we must
thank and praise Him for them.
The Israelites in the feast of weeks,
were to remember that solemn time