reft of the facrifices, and the fame ceremonies almoft were obferved. Only with this difference, that a holocauft could be offered by a stranger, that is, a profelyte of the gate. When St. Paul exhorts the Romans (b) to pent their bodies unto God as a facrifice, he undoubtedly alludes to the whole burnt-offerings, because the Chriftian religion requires a perfect facrifice; we must deny ourselves, and not fet our affections upon this world.

Of fin and trefpafs offerings.

Propitiatory facrifices were of two forts, fome being for fin, and others for trefpaffes. What the difference between these two was, is not agreed among the Jewish writers. All that can be made out from what they have said upon this point, is, that the facrifice for fin is that which was offered for fins or offences committed through inadvertency, and undefignedly against a negative precept (*), or a prohibition of the law (i). And indeed it appears from fcripture (k), that there was no facrifice or expiation for fins committed wilfully, prefumptuoufly, and out of defiance to the divine Majefty, and that fuch an offender was punished with death. As for trefpafs-offerings, it is not well known neither what they were. It is however generally fuppofed that they were offered for fins of ignorance. So that the Hebrew word, which has been rendered fin, fignifies fuch an offence as we are confcious of, but have committed undefignedly; and that which has been tranflated by trespass, denotes an action, concerning which we have reason to doubt whether it be finful or not. But this, after all, is very uncertain, fince both those words are promifcuoufly used. We fhall therefore conclude this article, by obferving, that it is the opinion of the most learned among the Jews, thofe facrifices could not really atone or make fatisfaction for the fins of men. They were only defigned for a confeffion or remembrance of men's iniquities, and as a kind of interceflion to God for the remiffion of them, who actually forgave them upon condition of repentance, without which there could be no remiffion. This is Philo's notion of the matter (1). But St. Paul is very exprefs upon this point, when to fhew that the facrifice of Jefus Chrift was the fubftance and original of what was only prefigured by the facrifices of the law, he fays, the expiation and atonement of these last was only typical and figurative. Upon this head you may confult our preface on the epistle to the Hebrews,

Peace-offerings, or facrifices of gratitude, are so named Peace-offerings. because they were offered to God in hopes of obtaining fome favour from him, or as a thanksgiving for having received fome fignal mercy from his bountiful hand. In the first sense, they were termed falutary, that is, for fafety; and in the second, they were called euchariftical, i. e. of thanksgiving, or facrifices of praife. Befides thofe that were appointed for festivals, and which were publick, there were alfo

(b) Rom. xii. 1.

(*) The Jews reckoned 365 negative precepts, and 248 affirmative ones. (¿) Levit. iv. 2. Numb. xv. 27.

(k) Ibid. ver. 30-32. Heb. x. 26, &c.

(4) Philo de Vit. Mof. I. 3. p. 51.

also some private ones. These were confecrated to God by a vow to crave fome bleffing from him, or elfe they were voluntary, to return him thanks for favours received. The firft were of an indifpenfable obligation, upon account of the vow; in the others, men were left more at liberty. In fripture there are numberlefs inftances of these two forts of facrifices (m). In them the blood and entrails were burned upon the altar, the breaft, or left shoulder belonged to the priest, and the rest of the flesh with the fkin was for the perfon that made the offering. For this reafon this kind of facrifice is by fome Jewish authors called a facrifice of retribution, becaufe every one had his fhare of it.

We may rank among the peace-offerings that of the pafchal lamb, of which we defign to give an account hereafter; that of the firstborn, whether man or beaft (n), and also the tenths of cattle. All thefe belonged to God, according to the law. The firft-born of

the children of Ifrael were offered to God as a memorial of his having fpared the first-born of their forefathers in the land of Egypt; but they were redeemed, and the price of their redemption given to the high-prieft (0). As for clean beafts, they were offered to God in facrifice, and the flesh belonged to the priests (p). If the animal was unclean, a lamb was offered in his place, or else they ftruck off his head, but never facrificed him (g). The tithes of herds and of flocks were alfo by the Jews confecrated to God, as a thanksgiving for his having bleffed their cattle (r).

Of oblations, or inanimate facrifices.

It remains now that we fhould fay a word or two concerning unbloody facrifices; which were, 1. The offerings and libations; 2. firft-fruits; 3. tenths, and 4. perfumes. Some offerings were accompanied with libations, as the whole burnt-offerings of four-footed beafts, and peace-offerings, but it was not fo with propitiatory facrifices. This oblation confifted of a cake of fine flour of wheat, and in fome cafes of barley, kneaded with oil without leaven, with a certain quantity of wine and falt, and fometimes of frankincenfe. Befides thefe oblations that were joined with the bloody facrifices, fome were offered fingly and apart; either for all the people on. feaft-days, or for particular perfons on different occafions. They were nearly the fame with thofe that accompanied the facrifices of living creatures. Some oblations were made without any libation at all, as the omer or handful of corn that was offered at the feaft of the paffover, the two loaves at the feast of Pentecoft, and the fhew-bread, of which an account hath been given before. We have but two or three things more to observe concerning the offerings. The first of which is, that the children of Ifrael were exprefsly forbidden to mix honey with them (s); the learned have accounted for this injunction several ways, but the most probable is that which makes it to have been given with a defign

(m) Judg. xi. 30, 31.

13. 15. Jonah ii. 9.

2 Sam. xv. 7, 8. 2 Chron. xxix. 30, 31. Pfal. lxvi.

(n) Exod. xiii. 15. Numb. iii. 13.

(p) Exod. xiii. 13.

(r) Levit. xxvii. 32.

defign to diftinguifh the oblations of the Hebrews from thofe of the Egyptians, who were used to put honey with them (t). The fecond is, that in every oblation it was abfolutely neceffary there fhould be falt ( To which law there are fome allufions in the gofpel (x). Thirdly, offerings were to be of unleavened bread (y), except the two loaves at the feaft of Pentecoft, which were leavened (z); but it is to be observed that these were not offered upon the altar.

Of firft-fruits.

Befides the first-born of living creatures, which by the law were confecrated to God, the first-fruits of all kinds of corn and fruit, were also appropriated to him (*), as of grapes, figs, pomgranates, and dates (a). The firft-fruits of fheep's wool were also offered for the ufe of the Levites (b). The law doth not fix the quantity of these first-fruits. But the Thalmudifts tells us, that liberal perfons were wont to give the fortieth, and even the thirtieth; and fuch as were niggardly, the fixtieth part. The first of these they called an oblation with a good eye, and the second an oblation with an evil eye. Which may ferve to illuftrate Jefus Chriff's expreffion (c). These first-fruits were offered from the feaft of Pentecoft till that of Dedication, becaufe after that time the fruits were neither fo good, nor fo beautiful as before (d). The Jews were forbidden to begin their harvest, till they had offered up to God the omer, that is, the new fheaf, which was done after the day of unleavened bread, or the (e) Paffover. Neither were they allowed to bake any bread made of new corn, till they had prefented the new loaves upon the altar on the day of Pentecoft, without which all the corn was looked upon as profane and unclean (f). To this St. Paul alludes when he says, "If the firft-fruit be holy, the lump is alfo holy (*)." The firft-fruits belonged to the priests and their families, which brought them a large income, as hath been obferved by Philo (g). We have in Deuteronomy and Jofephus an account of the ceremonies that were obferved at the offering of the first-fruits.

After the first-fruits had been offered to God, every one paid Tenths. the tenths of what he poffeffed to the Levites for the support of themselves and their families (b). The antiquity of this custom of paying tithes to thofe that are appointed to wait at the altar, is manifest from the inftance of Abraham, who gave Melchifedek tithes of all the spoil he had taken from the kings of Canaan (i), and from that of Jacob, who promifed to give God the tenth of all he should procure by his bleffing (). As it is fuppofed that in those early times the priesthood belonged

(t) To which may be added, that the bee was ranked among the unclean animals.

1

longed to the first-born of every family (1), fome have afferted, with a great deal of probability, that Melchifedek was the firft-born of the children of Noah; that as fuch, he bleffed Abraham; and with a regard to this it was, that Abraham gave him tithes of all: for what is faid by the author of the epiftle to the Hebrews (m), that " Melchifedek was without father, without mother, without defcent," &c. must be understood in a mystical sense, as we have obferved in our comment on that place. By it is not meant that Melchifedek had no father nor mother, but only that there is no account in fcripture of the parents and genealogy of any perfon under the name of Melchifedek. The Levites gave to the priests the tenths of their own tithes (n).

When these tithes were paid, the owner of the fruits gave befides another tenth part of them, which was carried up to Jerufalem, and eaten in the temple, as a fign of rejoicing and gratitude towards God (0). These were a kind of agapæ, or love feafts; and these are what we find named the fecond tithes (p). Lastly, there were tithes allotted to the poor, which the Levites, like the reft, were obliged to pay, because they were in poffeffion of fome cities. Befides which there was appointed for the fuftenance of the poor, a corner in every field, which it was not lawful to reap with the reft (q), and they were also allowed fuch ears of corn, or grapes, as dropt or were fcattered about, and the fheaves that might happen to be forgotten in the field. Tithes were paid of all the products of the earth in general (r), but chiefly of corn, wine, and oil. We learn from the gofpel, that the Pharifees affected to be fcrupuloufly exact in paying tithe of every the leaft herb (s).

The perfumes which were offered to God in the temple bePerfumes. ing a kind of oblations, it will be proper to give an account of them here. These perfumes are ftiled in the Revelation, " the prayers of the faints (t)," because they were an emblem and representation of them, for all the people were praying while the priest burned the perfumes. Thefe confifted of feveral fweet-fmelling fpices, which are fpecified in the law. They offered them once a year in the Holy of Holies, on the great day of expiation (u); and twice every day, viz. morning and evening, in the fanctuary.

Vows partake of the nature both of facrifices and oblations, Of vows. becaufe people could devote to God both living creatures and

inanimate things. They may be divided into two general parts; that is, 1. Into vows whereby men bound themselves to abftain from things otherwife lawful, as of fuch and fuch a kind of food, clothes, or actions; and 2. Into thofe vows whereby either perfons or things were devoted to God. Of the first fort was the vow of the Rechabites, of which we have taken an occasion to speak before. That of the Nazarites (x) did

(m) Hebr. vii. 3.

(7) Origen in Job. Hieronym. ad Evagr.
() Numb. xviii. 28. Nehem. x. 38. Deut. xiv. 23, 27.

(0) Jof. Antiq. iv. 7.

(9) Lev. xix. 9. Deut. xxiv. 19.

(5) Matth. xxiii. 23.

(p) Deut. xii. 17.

(r) Nehem. xiii. 5, 10,

(†) Rev. v. 8. Luke i, 10.

(u) Exod. xxx. 7, 8. Lev. xvi. 12, 13.

() The word Nazarite fignifies in Hebrew a perfon fet apart, or confecrated.

did partake of both; for they were perfons confecrated to God, and their vow confifted of several kinds of abitinence. There were two forts of them (y), fome being confecrated to God, for their whole life, as Samfon, Samuel, John the Baptift, &c. and others only for a time, i. e. for thirty days at leaft. Some authors infer from two paffages in the Acts (z), that St. Paul was a Nazarite of the fecond kind. In one of thefe places it is faid, that St. Paul had his head fhorn at Cenchrea, because he had made a vow; but that could not well be the vow of a Nazarite; fince, after it, he would not have had his head fhorn at Cenchrea, which was a fea-port near Corinth, but at Jerufalem, according to the law, and even in the temple, or at leaft in the holy land. It is then more likely that this was fome other vow, which the apostle had bound himself by. In the other paflage it is not faid that St. Paul had made any vow, but only he is therein advised to bear the expence of the facrifices, which four of his companions, who had engaged themfelves by a vow, were to offer. This is the fenfe we have followed in our note on that place, in which we have rather chofen to leave the matter undecided, than advance any thing uncertain. By what the fcripture fays of the vow of the Nazarites, one would think that it is more antient than the ceremonial law; for the legiflator does not injoin or command it, but only prefcribes what ceremonies are to be used by those that shall make it. The Nazarites were chiefly bound to obferve thefe four particulars, which have by the Rabbins been fubdivided into feveral others. 1. To abftain from wine, ftrong drink, and vinegar, and from all intoxicating liquor in general, or any thing of the like nature; 2. To wear long hair, and let no razor come on their heads (a); 3. To take care not to pollute themselves by touching, or going near a dead body, even though it were their own father or mother (6), and to purify themselves, when they happened to do it unawares; 4. To offer fome certain facrifices, to fhave their heads, and fling their hair into the fire, when the time appointed by their vow was expired. There was in the temple a room set apart for

that use.

Of all the vows recorded in holy fcripture, there is none more remarkable, or that hath more puzzled commentators, than that whereby Jephthah bound himfelf to offer unto the Lord for a burnt-offering, whatsoever fhould come forth of the doors of his houfe to meet him, when he returned in peace from fighting against the children of Ammon (c). Jephthah's defign was undoubtedly to prefent unto God an acceptable, and confequently a lawful offering. Otherwise it would have been not only an impious, but a rash action; fince his aim was hereby to induce God to profper his expedition against the Ammonites. Befides Jephthah is no where reprefented as a profane or irreligious perfon. The fcripture teftifies, on the contrary, that the fpirit of God

(y) Numb. vi. 2.

(z) Acts xviii. 18. xxi. 23, 24, 26.

was

(a) The Egyptian priefts were wont to keep their heads conftantly fhaved. (6) From whence it follows, that the Nazarites were holier than the common priests. Lev. xxi. 2.

(c) Judg. xi. 31.