contemplating Jesus
as a lamb. The idea of sacrifice to which innocence and purity are
essential has pre-eminence. The first accepted offering on the earth,
of which we have an account, was a lamb. It was offered in faith; hence
by divine direction. That Abel saw anything in it beyond an act of
simple obedience to God in an arbitrary appointment, we have no reason
to believe. He did what God directed, and because it was directed. This
is the essential element of obedience in all ages, regardless of the
thing required. Nothing else can be the "obedience of faith."

What different conceptions had God and Abel of that sacrifice! Abel saw
in it only a "firstling of his flock." God saw in it His own Son--"the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Not only so, but on
this account was it directed. The fact that this was not revealed to
Abel, shows that God intends us to obey Him in what He directs, without
being concerned about the reasons He has for the requirement. He who
sees the end from the beginning makes the first in execution conform to
that which is to be last. Hence, the first act of worship, and every
subsequent act, from the divine point of view, harmonizes with the
perfection which in the fullness of times, was given us in Christ
Jesus. The lamb of Abel borrowed all its value and significance from
the Lamb of God. While we are enabled to see this through the
development of the scheme of redemption, he was not; and the fact that
his act of simple obedience in ignorance of God's far-seeing purposes
is recorded as an example for us, is of unspeakable value to the child
of faith.

During the four thousand years in which God was preparing the world for
Christ, both in patriarchal and Jewish worship, a lamb without spot or
blemish was the most prominent offering for sin. In every case the
offering was made as directed, and when made, the worshiper was assured
that his sin was forgiven. Christ is our sin-offering--the Lamb of God
that takes away our sins--and we must present Him before God as
divinely directed. We may build no strange fire on God's altars. We may
substitute nothing for Christ as an offering for sin, and no ways of
our own for God's way, in His presentation.

In viewing Christ as the Lamb of God--the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world--the prominent feature of His saving
relationship to us is His _blood_. Hence we are redeemed, not with
silver and gold and perishable things, "but