xxi. BEAUTY FOR ASHES. 367 



was complete that all which the law of atonement had 

 prescribed had been done, not hurriedly, but with the 

 utmost deliberation. The priest then changed his gar- 

 ments of mourning and penitence, and put on others 

 not connected with the sacrificial ritual, but expressive 

 of triumph and joy ; and thus arrayed, carried forth the 

 ashes the record of atonement completed without the 

 camp into a clean place. As out of the ashes of the 

 burnt-offering laid on the barren sand, under the dews 

 of heaven, would spring forth rich verdure, marking out 

 the places of the completed sacrifice, as little green 

 oases, or fairy rings in the desert, so God would give to 

 His repenting and believing people beauty for ashes ; 

 and as the priest exchanged his garments of mourning 

 for garments of joy, so God would give them garments 

 of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 



And how expressive was this type of the atoning 

 death of the Son of God ! The victim in His case too 

 was reduced to ashes. We see as clearly on the cross 

 on which was stretched His lifeless body, that the work 

 of atonement was finished, and that a complete satis- 

 faction had been made to God for human sin, as the 

 priest saw in the ashes on the altar how entirely the 

 sacrifice had met with the Divine approval and accept- 

 ance. As the ashes were laid beside the altar for a 

 while, so the body of Jesus remained upon the cross 

 some time after death, exposed to the idle and mocking 

 gaze of the multitude, but most precious in the sight of 

 Him whose law He had magnified and made honour- 

 able by His obedience unto death. As the ashes, fur- 



