October 6

Leviticus viii. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin-offering, and two rains, and a basket of unleavened bread; 3. And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 5. And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. 6. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 7. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him; and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 8. And he put the breast-plate upon him; also he put in the breast-plate the Urim and the Thummim.

9. And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his fore-front, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses. 10. And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. 11. And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. 12. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 13. And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the Lord commanded Moses. 14. And he brought the bullock for the sin-offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin-offering. 15. And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.

To provide for the worship of God in the wilderness, Moses had built a tabernacle according to the pattern shown him in the mount. This consisted first of a court a hundred cubits long and fifty broad, surrounded with curtains, but not covered. In the fore part of this court stood the altar for burnt offerings, and the laver for the priests. Back of these was the sanctuary, twenty cubits long and ten feet high, curtained off, and containing the altar of incense, the table for show-bread, and the sacred candlesticks. Back of this, again, was the holy of holies, ten cubits square, enclosed upon all sides, and covered. Within this were the ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat,

and the cherubims, — the symbols of the worship of Jehovah in heaven, and of his holy guardianship over his people. Into this most holy place only the high priest could enter, and he but once a year. For the service of the tabernacle, Aaron was consecrated with great solemnity. His breast-plate bore a striking resemblance to one worn by the presiding judge in Egypt as a symbol of justice and truth. The ritual of the Jews required a special priesthood of reputed sanctity; but both the sacrifices and the priesthood were done away in Christ, who, as our great High Priest, by one offering hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 74, 94, 116.

O Lord, the Giver of life! we bless thee that we are of the living to praise thee. Thou hast created us; thou hast redeemed us; thou hast preserved us: of thee, and through thee, and to thee, are all things; and to thee, O Lord! be glory and praise forever.

We bring to thee the homage of our hearts, desiring to worship thee this day in spirit and in truth; to celebrate thy glory in thy works; to show forth thy loving-kindness to the children of men; to praise and adore thee for thy great mercy in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Oh! do thou for his sake take away our sins, which with one accord we now confess before thee; and sanctify our hearts by thy truth and thy Spirit, that, being delivered from all corruption and evil, we may keep the sabbath holy in thy rest. May the peace of God, that passeth all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus! Bless to us the reading and hearing of thy Word, the worship and order

of thy house; bless the assemblies of thy people, the communion of thy saints, the instruction of children, the visiting and teaching of thy servants among the poor, by the wayside, and from house to house. Command thy blessing upon Zion, even life forevermore.

As a family we consecrate ourselves to thee, our Father in heaven; giving thanks to thee for such a home, for such love and peace and prosperity, as it is ours to enjoy. We bless thee for the memory of the good who have gone before us, and have taught us thy way, and for the hope of immortality brought nigh to us in the gospel. May we so improve these earthly sabbaths, that by thy grace we shall come unto the fruition of this blessed hope with the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven, through Him who died and rose again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us! — to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory. Amen.