Wesley Corpus

Where the ashes are - For the ashes, though at first they were thrown down near the altar, Lev 1:16, yet afterwards they, together with the filth of the sacrifices, were carried into a certain place without the camp. The whole congregation - The body of the people, or the greater part of them, their rulers concurring with them. A bullock - But if the sin of the congregation was only the omission of some ceremonial duty, a kid of the goats was to be offered, Num 15:24. The elders - Who here acted in the name of all the people, who could not possibly perform this act in their own persons. And sprinkle it - It was not to be poured out there, but sprinkled only; for the cleansing virtue of the blood of Christ was sufficiently represented by sprinkling. It was sprinkled seven times: seven is a number of perfection; because God made the world in six days, and rested the seventh. This signified the perfect satisfaction Christ made, and the compleat cleansing of our souls thereby. The altar - Of incense: Which is before the Lord - That is, before the holy of holies, where the Lord was in a more special manner present. For a sin - offering - That is, for the priest's sin - offering, called the first bullock, Lev 4:21. The burnt - offering - So called by way of eminency, to wit, the daily burnt - offering. It is a sin - offering - And therefore to be killed where the burnt - offering is killed; whereby it is distinguished from the peace - offering, which were killed elsewhere. It shall be forgiven - Both judicially, as to all ecclesiastical censures or civil punishment; and really, upon condition of repentance and faith in the Messiah to come. A female - Which here was sufficient, because the sin of one of those was less than the sin of the ruler, for whom a male was required. He shall slay it - Not by himself, but by the hands of the priest. Burn them - The fat; but he useth the plural number, because the fat was of several kinds, as we saw Lev 4:8,9, Heb. upon the offerings, together with them, or after them; because the burnt - offerings were to have the first place.