Imatges de pàgina
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ceffive levity, and efpecially to ufe noify and riotous diverfions on that day; though a chearful, rather than an austere manner of spending it, is favourable to its proper use. Our Saviour was far from approving of the rigorous and fuperftitious manner in which the Pharifees fpent their fabbath, and we cannot think that more gloom and rigour becomes the chriftian than the Jewish inftitutions. Since all pofitive ordinances are in their own nature fubordinate to duties of moral obligation, it is evident, that the reft of the fabbath fhould give place to labour, when acts of justice, benevolence, and mercy, muft otherwise be neglected,

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§ 2. Of facrifices.

EFORE I proceed any farther in my account of thofe fcripture precepts, which are not properly of a moral nature, but are fubfervient to moral purposes, I fhall treat briefly of facrifices. Of the origin of facrifices, confifting either of the prefentation of fruits, or the killing and burning of animals, we have no account; but we find that they were permitted, and even exprefsly appointed by God, on a great variety of occafions.

If, as it is poffible, facrifices were not originally of divine appointment, we may fuppofe, that the natural foundation, or original of them, was the

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fame, in general, with that of prayer, viz. a method which mankind thought of, to express the fense they had of their gratitude and obligation to God for the gifts and protection of his providence, and to procure farther favours from him; and no kind of action was fo proper for this purpose as the devoting to him fome part of their fubftance, and especially fuch articles as contributed to their daily fupport.

It is to this day a custom throughout the east, never to approach any superior, or patron without a prefent. And, in this cafe, the value of the present is not so much confidered, as its being a token of respect and homage. Thus we read, that when a Perfian peafant was furprised by the approach of his prince, fo that he had nothing at hand to present him with, he ran and fetched a handful of water from a neighbouring brook, rather than accost him without any offering. It is probable, that, in conformity to these general ideas, which are ftill prevalent in the Eaft, the Ifraelites were forbidden to appear before the Lord empty.

When mankind thought of giving any thing to God, they would, probably, at firft, only leave it in fome open place, and abstain from making any farther use of it themselves; but afterwards, obferving many things wafted away, or confumed by the heat of the fun, which is the great vifible agent of God in this world, and other things fuddenly confumed

confumed by lightning, which was always confidered as more immediately fent by God; they might naturally enough fall into the notion, that confumption by fire, was the manner in which God took things. They might, therefore, imagine, that burning things, at the fame time that it most effectually alienated them from the ufe of man, would likewise be the most proper, and the most decent method of devoting them to God; especially, as nothing was left to putrify, and become offenfive after burning; and in fome cafes, as in the burning of incenfe, little or nothing would remain afterwards.

Confidering the very low conceptions which mankind in early ages had of God, we do not wonder to find that they confider him as, in fome manner, partaking with them of their facrifices; and, therefore, that they confidered them more especially as an expreffion of reconciliation and friendShip; which idea is naturally, and especially in the Eaft, connected with that of eating and drinking together, and particularly eating the fame falt. In this view it is obfervable, that no facrifice among the Jews was to be made without this ingredient.

This account of facrifices is, in fome meafure, illuftrated and confirmed by the history of the Greeks and Romans, whofe facrifices, originally, confifted of fuch things only as were

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their customary food. Thus, it is acknowledged, that all their facrifices were at first bloodless, confifting of vegetables only; and that this practice continued till they themselves procured a fufficiency of animal food, upon which they began to facrifice animals. The Greeks alfo exprefsly fpeak of temples as the houses of their Gods, of altars as their tables, and of priests as their fervants.

The fame general ideas we find among the Jews, and the divine being plainly alludes to them when he is reprefented as faying, Pf. 1. "Shall I eat "the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?” Which reproof was not intended to cenfure or change the general idea which they had annexed to facrifices (as a transferring of their fubftance from themselves to God) but to restrain the very grofs ideas which some of them might have entertained in pursuance of it, to prevent their laying too much stress upon thefe ceremonies, and to remind them of the greater importance of things of a moral nature, as being infinitely more plea⚫ fing to God.

There was not, originally, any particular order of men employed in the business of facrifices, but every man facrificed, as well as prayed, in perfon, being prieft as well as king in his own family; and in those primitive patriarchal times, it does not appear that any part of a facrifice was eaten by the offerer, but that the whole was devoted to God,

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and entirely confumed with fire. But when, under the Mofaic difpenfation, a particular order of men were appointed for the purpose, they were confidered as the more immediate fervants of God; and there being a manifeft propriety, that servants fnould be fed from their master's table, these priests were allowed a certain fhare in most sacrifices. Such, at least, is the opinion of the Jewish Rabbi's with respect to the custom of sacrificing before and under the law.

Sacrifices, being of the nature of a gift, presented as a token of respect or homage, they naturally accompanied every folemn address to the divine being, as the moft decent and proper ceremonial in approaching him; and being likewife confidered as a convivial entertainment, at which the divine being himself was present, there was a peculiar propriety in their accompanying petitions for the pardon of fin, as expreffive of reconciliation and friendship. At the fame time, the facrifices being provided at the expence of the offending party, they indirectly answer the purpose of males, or fines for offences.

Though I have said, that it is poffible that mankind might of themselves have had recourfe to facrifices, as a method of expreffing their dependence upon God, &c. yet, when we confider how improbable it is, that mankind fhould even have attained to any tolerable and useful knowledge of

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