in a passage of the Mosaic law, which clearly sets forth the nature and design of bloody offerings:  “And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood, I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.  For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls:  FOR IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKETH AN ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL.”  Lev. 17:10, 11.  Hence the sprinkling of the sacrificial blood by the priest as a sign of expiation, a rite that will be more particularly considered hereafter (No. 15).  The reason that the blood makes the atonement is that “the life of the flesh is in the blood.”  The scriptural idea, then, of a sacrifice is the offering to God of one life in behalf of another that has been forfeited by sin—­the life of the innocent beast instead of the life of the guilty offerer.  This general idea of the vicarious and propitiatory nature of sacrifices comes out with beautiful simplicity and clearness in the book of Job:  “And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all:  for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.”  Chap. 1:5.  And again:  “My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.  Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you:  for him will I accept:  lest I deal with you after your folly.”  Chap. 42:7, 8.  The sacrifices of the Mosaic law were of various kinds, implying various accessory ideas.  But underlying them all was the fundamental idea of propitiation through blood.  Hence the writer to the Hebrews, when commenting on the transaction recorded in Exodus, chap. 24:4-8, says:  “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”  Heb. 9:22.  The only exception was in the case of the poor man who was “not able to bring two turtle doves or two young pigeons.”  He was allowed to “bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering” (Lev. 5:11), upon the principle that God “will have mercy and not sacrifice.”

No orderly classification of sacrifices is to be sought without the pale of the Jewish ceremonial.  The burnt-offerings, for example, mentioned in the book of Job, had the force of proper sin-offerings.  Chaps. 1:5; 42:8.  The classification in the book of Leviticus is into burnt-offerings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, and peace-offerings.  But they may be most conveniently considered in the order of their presentation, when two or more of them were offered on the same occasion, as when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood, and the people sanctified in connection with this transaction (Lev. chaps 8, 9), and in the offerings of the great day of atonement (Lev. chap. 16).