Reader! I charge it upon your conscience as I pray for grace, to keep it always alive upon my own, that as every sacrifice under the law referred to that one glorious sacrifice of JESUS, so we see here by the special pointing out of GOD the HOLY GHOST, that the efficacy of that precious atonement not only referred to sins of knowledge and confession, but took in and included sins of ignorance also. Precious JESUS! to what extent in my life doth this reach? Who can understand his errors? Even to what in the vain confidence of my heart I might sometimes have been led to hope were faultless, in seasons of worship, moments of devotion, and the like. Oh! how sweet is the reflection, that it is JESUS which taketh away the iniquity, even of our most holy things: Exodus 28:38. It should seem that many of GOD'S pious people were particularly attentive to this law concerning sins of ignorance. If the Reader wishes to see instances, I refer him to the case of Hezekiah; 2 Chronicles 29:21-24. And of Ezra; Ezra 8:35.
Numbers 15:22-29
22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses,
23 Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations;
24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering.
25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:
26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.
27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering.
28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinnethb through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.