arite, and of the
ordinances to be observed should the vow be violated, the case of a
Nazarite who has duly fulfilled his vow is next dealt with. He has
carried out all GOD'S requirements, and his conscience is void of
offence: before GOD and man he is blameless. May he not now congratulate
himself, and claim some measure of merit, seeing he has rendered to GOD
an acceptable service, and among men has borne a consistent testimony?
The offerings to be made on the conclusion of his vow give an impressive
answer to this question, and bring out the important difference between
being _blameless_ and being _sinless_. Having fulfilled the ordinances
he was blameless; but the necessity alike for sin-offering, for
burnt-offering, and for peace offering, remind us of the sin of our holy
things; and that not our worst, but our best, is only acceptable to GOD
through the atonement of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

While, however, the best services of the believer can neither give full
satisfaction to his own enlightened conscience, nor be acceptable to GOD
save through JESUS CHRIST, it is very blessed to know how fully all his
needs are met in CHRIST, and how truly he is accepted in Him, and
enabled to give very real joy to GOD our FATHER, which issues in the
bestowal of His richest blessings. Very imperfect--sometimes worse than
useless, is the attempt of a little child to please and serve its
parent; but where the parent sees an effort to do his will, and to give
him pleasure, is not the service gladly accepted, and the parent's
heart greatly rejoiced? Thus it is our privilege to be Nazarites, only
and always Nazarites, and through CHRIST JESUS to give joy and
satisfaction by our imperfect service to our heavenly FATHER. The
following anonymous lines, taken from a leaflet,[A] beautifully
illustrate this thought:--

I was sitting alone in the twilight,
With spirit troubled and vexed,
With thoughts that were morbid and gloomy,
And faith that was sadly perplexed.

Some homely work I was doing
For the child of my love and care;
Some stitches half-wearily setting
In the endless need of repair.

But my thoughts were about "the building,"
The work some day to be tried;
And that only the gold and the silver,
And the precious stones should abide;

And, remembering my own poor efforts,
The wretched work I had done,
And, even when trying most truly,
The meagre success I had won;

"It i