Imatges de pàgina
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Laws relating to 13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:

15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;

17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; 19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:

sins of impurity.

a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. 23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die:

26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:

27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;

29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: soshalt thou put evil away from among you. 22 If a man be found lying with ther's skirt.

30 A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his fa

LECTURE 343.

The entire excellence of the whole of Scripture.

In writings of very ancient date, whether used by God for a

means of revelation, or not, we expect to find some reference to practices not known amongst ourselves; the mention of which is one of the proofs convincing us, that the writings are as old as we suppose. Such is the practice here referred to, for disproving or substantiating the charge brought by the husband against the wife. Such is the principle of considering a woman once betrothed as a married woman, in the eye of the law. And such also is the custom of mentioning, as these ancient writings do, with less reserve than we are now accustomed to, subjects like these treated of in the laws before us. For they of old appear to have been less refined in their language, though not perhaps less pure in their thoughts, than many who now censure the expressions they made use of. And moreover we may ascribe it to the happy influence of the Gospel, that they whose hearts are purified by faith in Christ, have learnt, and have taught others, reserve in speech on such subjects, as well as purity in thought and conduct. Let it be our study to grow in all these several graces; but more especially in purity of heart. There, where the evil takes its beginning, let us watch to suppress it at the root. Then there will be neither any risk of corrupt communication proceeding out of our mouth; nor any danger of our being glad to listen unto those, whose words are apt to corrupt their brethren.

But is there not then some peril in our free access to the volume of the Old Testament; in which the sins, whereof we ought to be ashamed to speak, are set forth in their unveiled deformity? And is it not strange, thus many will go on to ask, that the pure and holy God should have suffered such offensive subjects to appear at all in the pages of his most precious book? We answer, it would be strange, if it were not that man's propensity to sin made it needful to denounce by name, and to forbid by law, every kind of most gross iniquity. We answer, that it is perilous to read any portion of the Bible, most of all the parts in question, with a view to mere amusement, or out of idle curiosity, instead of with an anxious desire to know the will of the Lord, and with an impression, ever present to the mind, that here, and here alone, it may be learnt. But when the sacred volume is resorted to, simply for the edification of the reader; and when the reader reads with all affection and respect, even as though he heard the voice, and felt the presence, of the ever present God; then, we further answer, he may safely read, according to his age and understanding, every single word that is there written; and he will find in every passage, from the beginning to the end, fresh proofs of the perfect goodness of the Lord. Far then be from us the mad presumption which would find fault with what God has commanded to be written! Far be from us the affected refinement which would take offence at any portion of God's word! All of it may be wrested to their destruction, by the unbelieving, the unstable, the unclean. Whilst to them that believe, and read in order to obey, all is "holy, and just, and good." Rom. 7. 12.

Sundry laws, for the most 1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

8 The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.

9 When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.

10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come

part now first revealed.
within the camp:

11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.

12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:

13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:

14 For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: 16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.

17 There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: 20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou

settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto

the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. 24 When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.

LECTURE 344.

Of giving liberally towards promoting Christian knowledge. The forbidding to enter into the congregation of the Lord may be regarded as a kind of church discipline, which would cut off the forbidden persons from attendance on the ordinances of religion. But though church discipline may deprive men of church membership, it does not place them out of the reach of God's mercy through Christ; which extends to all true penitents, every where. In the reasons for not abhorring an Edomite, and not abhorring an Egyptian, we see the strength of the tie of natural relationship, and the duty, of forgetting the ill usage we have met with, whilst we carefully remember benefits received. The charge to more than common watchfulness against sin, when the people went forth against their enemies, may teach us, who have an enemy always at hand, to watch without ceasing. And if God's walking in the midst of their camp was a reason for Him to make laws against all uncleanness, and uncleanliness, what manner of persons ought we to be, who are ourselves "the temple of God?" 1 Cor. 3. 16. The security to be afforded by the Israelites to a slave, that had escaped from the horrors of slavery amongst their heathen neighbours, may well remind us of the perfect safety, provided in a better country, for those who escape the pollutions of this present world. From the laws which follow we may learn how offensive gifts and alms may be to God, if they have been first earned as wages of iniquity; and how seasonable a kind of alms it may prove, to lend money to our poorer brethren without interest; and how deeply we are bound to make good our vows, though we might lawfully forbear to vow; and how well it is for those who have abundance, not to grudge a full meal out of their plenty, to such as pass by hungry or athirst. Oh when shall we have the spirit to labour with our hands that we may have to lend to them that want? When shall we have the heart to give, out of our abundance in the Gospel, that gift of saving knowledge, which without impoverishing ourselves, may make others rich indeed?

Of divorce, marriage, pledging, manstealing, and leprosy. 1 When a man hath taken a pledge: for he taketh a man's life wife, and married her, and it to pledge. come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;

4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

9 Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.

12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. LECTURE 345.

6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to

Of having regard to the feelings of the poor whom we assist. The liberty of divorce, allowed previously to any one who had taken to wife a captive female, is here extended, under no very strict limitations, to every man that was married. He had no process of law to go through, no need to give evidence before others of the grounds of displeasure which influenced himself. Only he must write for his wife "a bill of divorcement;" as her warrant for being separate from her husband. And when he had thus done, and also sent her away, she was at liberty to "be another man's wife; "though in that case could never again be married to her

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