And, first, as to the authority of the Word, it is of the deepest interest to see that in the consecration of the priests, as well as in the entire range of the sacrifices, we are brought immediately under the authority of the Word of God.--"And Moses said unto the congregation, '_This is the thing which the Lord_ commanded to be done.'" (Chap. viii. 5.) And again, "Moses said, '_This is the thing which the Lord commanded_ that ye should do: _and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you_.'" (Chap. ix. 6.) Let these words sink down into our ears; let them be carefully and prayerfully pondered: they are priceless words.--"_This_ is _the_ thing which _the Lord_ commanded." He did not say, This is the thing which is expedient, agreeable, or suitable; neither did he say, This is the thing which has been arranged by the voice of the fathers, the decree of the elders, or the opinion of the doctors. Moses knew nothing of such sources of authority. To him there was one holy, elevated, paramount source of authority, and that was, the Word of Jehovah, and he would bring every member of the assembly into direct contact with that blessed source. This gave assurance to the heart, and fixedness to all the thoughts. There was no room left for tradition, with its uncertain sound, or for man, with his doubtful disputations. All was clear, conclusive, and authoritative. Jehovah had spoken; and all that was needed was to hear what He had said, and obey. Neither tradition nor expediency has any place in the heart that has learnt to prize, to reverence, and to obey the Word of God. And what was to be the result of this strict adherence to the Word of God? A truly blessed result indeed.--"The glory of the Lord shall appear unto you." Had the Word been disregarded, the glory would not have appeared. The two things were intimately connected. The slightest deviation from "Thus saith Jehovah" would have prevented the beams of the divine glory from appearing to the congregation of Israel. Had there been the introduction of a single rite or ceremony not enjoined by the Word, or had there been the omission of aught which that Word commanded, Jehovah would not have manifested His glory. He could not sanction by the glory of His presence the neglect or rejection of His Word. He can bear with ignorance and infirmity, but He cannot sanction neglect or disobedience.