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A. All the several nations of Canaanites, and the males among other gentile captives in war, who had refused the offer of peace, were judged so unclean and polluted, that they were all to be destroyed,' Deut. vii. 1-4. Josh. vi. 21. vii. 26. and x 28, 30, 32, 40, &c. Deut. xx. 13-17; and the houses and garments of the Israelites where the leprous spots could not be taken away were to be destroyed also, Lev. xiii. 57. and xiv. 45. and those Israelites in whom the leprosy prevailed were to be shut out of the camp as unclean, Lev. xiii 45, 46.

6 Q. Were there any crimes of real immorality or impiety which could be taken away by any of these outward ceremonies or purification?

A. The mere outward performance of any of these ceremonies did purify the persons defiled no further than to set them right in their political state, as subjects under God as their king; and to cleanse them, as members of the Jewish visible church, from ceremonial defilement, Heb. ix. 13. "The blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth no farther than to the purifying of the flesh." But, Heb. x. 4. "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins; that is, as they are committed against God as the Lord of their soul and consciences.

7 Q. How then were the sins of the Jews cleansed or pardoned; I mean, their real immoralities and impities against God, as the Lord of consciences?

A. They obtained pardon of God according to the discovery of grace and forgiveness scattered up and down through all the five books of Moses, and especially according to the promises made, and the encouragements given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and in general to all those who sincerely repent of sin, and trust in the mercy of God so far as it was then revealed, and to be further revealed in time to come, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. Deut. iv. 29-31. Isa. Iv. 7, &c. But this forgiveness is owing to the effectual atonement of Christ, which was to be made in due time,

and which took away his sins past as well as to come, Rom. iii. 21, 24—26.

8 Q. Did these outward rites of purification then do nothing towards the removal of their moral defilements or sins?

A. As their outward or ceremonial defilements were appointed to be emblems and figures of the spiritual or moral defilement of the soul by sin, so many of these ceremonies of purification, and particularly those by water and by blood, were pledges and tokens, to assure them that God would forgive sin: and they were also figures and emblems of the removal of moral defilement or sin from the souls of men by the atoning blood of Christ, and by the sanctifying Spirit of God, which is represented under the figure of clean water. See Heb. ix and x.

Note, The following question perhaps might come in properly after the account of sacrifices; but having here inquired whether the ceremonies of purification did any thing toward the removal of the moral defilement of sin, I thought it as proper to introduce it here, as a kind of objection against the foregoing answers.

9 Q. But were there not some Jewish sacrifices and methods of purification and atonement appointed for some real immoralities and wickedness, as when a man had committed a trespass against the Lord, by lying to his neighbour, by cheating or robbing him, or by swearing falsely, when he had found anything that was lost, and withheld it from the owner? Lev. vi. 1—7. is it not said, "He shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord, and it shall be forgiven him?"

A. This trespass offering would set him right indeed in the sight of God as king of the nation against whose political laws the man had committed this trespass; but it never was designed to free him from the guilt of his sin in the sight of God as the Lord of conscience, unless he repented of this sin in his heart, and trusted in the mercy of God so far as it was revealed

in that day; for it is certain truth, that "the blood of beasts cannot take away sins,” Heb. x. 4.

SECTION II.

Of the holy persons.

Here the reader may take notice, that several things mentioned in this and the two following sections, namely, of holy persons, places, and things, are described in figures, to give a plainer idea of them.

10 Q. Having finished the rites of purification, let us inquire now what were the most remarkable things relating to their forms of public worship.

A. These five; namely, holy persons, holy places, holy things, holy times, and holy actions.

11 Q. What mean you by calling these holy?

A. I mean such persons, such places, such things, and such times, and actions, as were devoted to God and his worship, or appointed for his special service, Numb. xvi. 5. Lev. xxi. 8. and xxii. 15.

12 Q. Who might be called the holy persons among the Jews or Israelites ?

A. The priests, and the Nazarites, and all the Levites, Lev. xxi. 1, 6. Numb. vi. 2, 8. and viii. 14, though sometimes the whole nation are called holy, Exod. xix. 6.

13 Q. Who are appointed to be priests?

A. First Aaron himself, and then the eldest of Aaron's family were appointed to be high priests in succession; and the rest of his sons and their posterity were the priests, provided they had no blemish in their bodies, Lev. xvi. 32. and xxi. 17. Exod. xxix. 30. Numb. iii. 3, 4, 10, 32, iv. 16. xvi. 40. and xx. 25, 26. 14 Q. How were they made priests?

A. They were solemnly separated at first to the priest's office by anointings and purifications, and sacrifices, Lev. viii.

15 Q. What was the business of the priests?

A. Their chief business was to offer sacrifices to

the Lord, to burn incense before him in the holy place, to kindle the lamps, to do the higher services of the sanctuary, and to instruct the people. Lev. i. 5, 7, 8. and ii. 2. Numb. xvi. 40. Exod. xxx. 7.

15 Q. What was the office of the high priest?

A. He was appointed to come nearer to God, even to enter into the most holy place to do special services on the yearly day of atonement, to oversee all the public worship, and to judge among them in many civil matters as well as religious. Acts xxiii. 5. Lev. xvi. Numb. iii. 4, 6. Deut. xvii.

17 Q. Was there any work which the priests performed in common with the high priest?

A. All the priests were to teach the people their duty, to assist in judging of civil and religious matters, and bless the people in the name of the Lord, Deut. xvii. 8-13. and xxi. 5. Numb. vi. 23. Mal. ii. 7. Note, The priests were appointed to give the sense of the law in civil as well as religious concerns, because the same God who was the object of their worship was also the king of their nation.

18 Q. Who were the Nazarites ?

A. Men or women of any tribe who separated or devoted themselves to the Lord for a time by a particular vow, Numb. vi.

19 Q. What were the rulers of a Nazarite's vow of separation?

A. He was to drink no wine nor strong liquor, to come at no dead body, nor to suffer any razor to come upon his head, but let his hair grow all the time, unless he fell under some ceremonial defilement, Numb. vi. 5, 6, 9, &c.

20 Q. How was this point to be finished or ended? A. By shaving his head at the door of the tabernacle, offering a sacrifice, and burning his hair in the fire of it, Numb. vi. 13, 18.

21 Q. Who were the Levites?

A. All the tribe or family of Levi; for they were taken into the service of God instead of the first

born of all the tribes of Israel, whom God claimed as his own, Numb. iii. 41. and viii. 13-19.

22 Q. Why did God claim all the first-born of Israel?

A. Because he saved them from the destroying angel, when he smote all the first-born of Egypt, Numb. viii. 14—18.

23 Q. What was the business of the Levites?

A. To wait on the priests in their office, and to do the lower services of the sanctuary or holy place, Numb. viii. 19. and iii. 4, 6.

24 Q. How were the Levites separated to the service of the sanctuary?

A. By sprinkling water of purification on them, shaving their flesh, washing their garments, and the people laying their hands on them, as well as by several sacrifices, Numb. viii. 6-16..

SECTION III.

Of the holy places, particularly the tabernacle. 25 Q. Next to the holy persons, let us inquire what were the holy places?

A. The tabernacle in the days of Moses, and the temple in the days of Solomon, each of which is sometimes called the sanctuary, Exod xxv. 8. 1 Chron. xxii. 19.

26 Q. What was a tabernacle?

A. It was a sort of moveable building made of pillars and boards, set in sockets of silver, and fine linen curtains embroidered with cherubs, and coupled with loops and tacks of gold, that the whole might be taken to pieces, and carried with them in their journeys. See Exod. xxvi.

Note, When Moses had received full orders for making this tabernacle, he came down from Mount Sinai, and found the people had been guilty of idolatry, in making a golden calf: then it is said, "He took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp, and afar from the camp, and

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