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defign to distinguish 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 absolutely neceffary there fhould be falt (u). 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 (≈); but it is to be observed that these were not offered upon the altar.

Of firft-fruits.

Befides the firft-born of living creatures, which by the law were confecrated to God, the firft-fruits of all kinds of corn and fruit, were alfo appropriated to him (*), as of grapes, figs, pomgranates, and dates (a). The firft-fruits of theep's wool were alfo offered for the ufe of the Levites (6). 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 thefe they called an oblation with a good eye, and the fecond an oblation with an evil eye. Which may ferve to illuftrate Jefus Chriff's expreffion (c). Thefe firft-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 fays, "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 observed 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 fupport of themselves and their families (5). The antiquity of this cuftom of paying tithes to thofe that are appointed to wait at the altar, is manifeft 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 promised to give God the tenth of all he should procure by his bleffing (k). As it is supposed that in thofe early times the priesthood be

longed

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

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longed to the firft-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 underftood in a mystical fense, 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 (1).

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 (v). Thefe were a kind of agape, or love feafts; and these are what we find named the fecond tithes (p). Laftly, 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 alfo 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 scrupulously exact in paying tithe of every the leaft herb (s).

The perfumes which were offered to God in the temple be- Perfumes. 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 reprefentation 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 (); and twice every day, viz. morning and evening, in the fanctuary.

Of

Vows partake of the nature both of facrifices and oblations, of vows. because people could devote to God both living creatures and inanimate things. They may be divided into two general parts; that is, I. Into vows whereby men bound themfelves 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 occafion to speak before. That of the Nazarites (x) did

(m) Hebr. vii. 3.

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

(0) Jof. Antiq. iv. 7.

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

(s) Matth. xxiii. 23.

(z) Exod. xxx. 7, 8.

(p) Deut. xii. 17.

(r) Nehem. xiii. 5, 10.

() Rev. v. 8. Lukei. 10.

Lev. xvi. 12, 13.

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

did partake of both; for they were perfon: confecrated to God, and their vow confifted of feveral kinds of abftinence. 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 least. 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 apoftle had bound himself by. In the other paffage 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 thofe that fhall make it. The Nazarites were chiefly bound to obferve thefe four particulars, which have by the Rabbins been subdivided into feveral others. 1. To abstain 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 themfelves by touching, or going near a dead body, even though it were their own father or mother (b), 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 fet 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. Otherwife 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 spirit of God

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

was

() Numb. vi. 2. (a) The Egyptian priests were wont to keep their heads constantly shaved. (b) From whence it follows, that the Nazarites were holier than the com mon priests. Lev. xxi. 2.

(c) Judg. xi. 31.

was upon him (d); and the author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews (e) ranks him among thofe facred heroes, whofe faith he celebrates. It is then fomewhat ftrange that his daughter having been the first thing he met at his return, he fhould think himfeif obliged to offer fo barbarous and so inhuman a facrifice, merely for the fake of a vow exprefled in a general, and confequently a raíh manner. He could not but know that fuch a facrifice must have been an abomination to the Lord, who hath not made men to deftroy them. God himself, by the mouth of his prophet Ifaiah (f), fets human facrifices upon the fame foot with that of a dog, the offering of fwine's blood, and idolatry. And that he takes no pleasure in them, is evident from his bringing a ram to be facrificed in the stead of Ifaac, whom he commanded to be offered up, with no other intent but only to try Abraham's faith and obedience. If, according to the law (g), there were perfons, and virgins in particular, confecrated to God, upon feveral occafions; it was not that they should be offered up to him in facrifice, but only employed about holy things; and then they might be redeemed, as hath been obferved before, which Jephthah, as being a Hebrew, could not be ignorant of. These reasons have determined fome of the most learned writers (b) to affert, that Jephthah did not vow to facrifice his daughter, but only to confecrate her to God as a virgin for her whole life, which they fuppofe he did. The words of the vow may indeed be tranflated thus, "whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my houfe to meet me-fhall furely be the Lord's," or "I will offer it for a burnt-offering," the Hebrew particle, which is commonly rendered by and, often fignifying or, according to the observation of a late learned author (i). According to this fuppofition, Jephthah's vow was conditional. As he might happen at his return to meet either a human creature, or a beaft, the first he defigned to confecrate unto God, and offer the latter for a burnt-offering, provided it was clean, or else exchange it, if it was unclean. What confirms this opinion is, that in the account of the fulfilling of this vow, there is not the least mention of a burnt-offering (k). Which is fuch an omiffion as cannot well be accounted for, had the daughter of Jephthah been offered up in facrifice. On the contrary, there is nothing but her virginity mentioned. She went upon the mountains, and bewailed it, becaufe fhe was condemned to a perpetual one; and the daughters of Ifrael were wont yearly to celebrate this remarkable event four days in a year (1). The only objection that may be advanced against this, is taken from the confternation Jephthah was in, upon meeting his daughter. He rent his clothes, and made great lamentation. But if we reflect upon the temper of that people, and the notions that prevailed in thofe times, we fhall find, that Jephthah having but this one child, it was a great affliction for him to fee himself by this vow deprived of all hopes of a pofterity;

(e) Hebr. xi. 32.

(d) Ibid. ver. 29.
(g) Numb. xxxi. 28. 30. 35. Levit. xxvii. 2. 6.

(f) Ifai. lxvi. 3.

(b) Mr. Le Clerc, &c. See the margin of our English translation. (i) Reland. For instances of this, fee Exod. xxi. 15. 17. and i. 10. xii. 5. Ifai. vii. 6, &c.

(k) Judg. xi. 34—40,

(1) Ibid. ver. 40.

rity; and the not redeeming of her, as he might have done, was a very remarkable inftance of his piety and gratitude. We fhall not however determine which of the two opinions is the truest, but leave it to the learned to decide the matter. To return then from this digreffion.

Concerning cirIn giving an account of the holy things of the Jews, cumcifion. we must not pafs over circumcifion, fince it was a facrament of Jewish religion, and a seal of the covenant which God made with Abraham and his pofterity (m). It is notwithstanding certain, that it was practifed among other nations, as the Egyptians and Ethiophians ("), but for quite other reasons, and with different circumftances. This however hath occafioned fome difputes concerning the origin of this ceremony. But we shall not examine the arguments that are brought on either fide of the queftion. Let the Egyptians have borrowed it from the Patriarchs, or the Patriarchs from the Egyptians, feeing God adopted, and even enjoined it upon pain of death (0), this is fufficient to make it be looked upon as of divine inftitution. It is certain that Jefus Chrift doth not carry the origin of it higher than the time of the Patriarchs (p). However it be, circumcifion was a fign and mark whereby God was willing to distinguish a people, with whom he had made a covenant, and out of which the Meffiah was to be born, from all the other nations of the world. It was alfo a kind of a memorial for the pofterity of Abraham, which fhould continually set before their eyes the covenant God had made with that Patriarch, as well as his faith and obedience. It was, in fhort, the feal of Abraham's justification. For it is to be obferved, that, according to St. Paul (g), this father of the faithful having been justified, whilft he was yet uncircumcifed, he was not fo by virtue of his circumcifion, which was only a fign of his juftification. This is what the Jews did not duly attend Inftead of imitating the faith and piety of their father Abraham, they fancied that they could be juftified through circumcifion (r), and even boafted of this pretended privilege (s), inftead of being thereby excited to follow his example, as Jefus Chrift tells them they ought to have done (t).

to.

When God delivered his law to the children of Ifrael, he renewed the ordinance of circumcifion, and it became a facrament of the Jewish religion. For which reason St. Stephen calls it "the covenant of circumcifion (u);" and upon this account Jefus Chrift says, that Mofes instituted circumcifion, though it came from the Patriarchs (x). Befides the defign which God propofed to himself in establishing this ceremony, he appointed it for fome other ends, fuited to the circumftances of the people of Ifrael. 1. It included in it fo folemn and indifpenfable an obligation to obferve the whole law, that circumcifion did not profit those who tranfgreffed it (y). Hence the Jewith religion is often ftiled in fcripture

(m) Gen. xvii. 10, II, 12.
(z) Herodot, I. ii, c. 104.
(0) Gen. xvii. 14.
(r) Acts xv. I.

Acts vii. S.

Philo de Circumc. p. 624.
(p) John vii. 22.
(3) Rom. ii. 25.

(*) John vii. 22.

(7) Rom. iv. 11.
(2) John viii. 39.

) Rom. ii, 25.

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