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gogue, and to judge of money matters, thefts, losses, &c.* To these officers there is probably an allusion in 1 Cor. vi9. The second office bearer was "the angel of the church," or minister of the congregation, who prayed and preached. In allusion to these the pastors of the Asiatic churches are called angels, Rev. ii, iii.

3. The service of the synagogue was as follows:-The people being seated, the minister, or angel of the church, ascended the pulpit and offered up the public prayers; the people rising from their seats, and standing in a posture of deep devotion, Matt. vi. 5; Mark. xi. 25; Luke xviii. 11. 13. The prayers were nineteen in number, and were closed by reading the execration. The next thing was the repetition of their phylacteries; after which came the reading of the law and the prophets. The former was divided into 54 sections, with which were united corresponding portionst from the prophets (See Acts xv. 21; xiii. 27); and these were read through once in the course of the year. After the return from the captivity an interpreter was employed in reading the law and the prophets (See Neh. viii. 2—10.), who interpreted them into the Syro-Chaldaic dialect, which was then spoken by the people. The last part of the service was the expounding of the Scriptures, and preaching from them to the people. This was done either by one of the officers, or by some distinguished person who happened to be present. The reader will recollect one memorable occasion on which our Saviour availed himself of the opportunity thus afforded to address his countrymen (Lu. iv. 20), and there are several other instances recorded of himself and his diciples teaching in the synagogues. See Matt. xiii. 54; Mark. vi. 2; John xviii. 20; Acts xiii. 5, 15, 44; xiv. 1 ; xvii. 2—4. 10—12, 17; xviii. 4, 25; xix. 8. The whole service was concluded with a short prayer, or benediction.‡

4. The Jewish synagogues were not only used for the purposes of divine worship, but also for courts of Judicature, in such matters as fell under the cognizance of the council of three, of which we have already spoken. On such occasions the sentence given against the offender was sometimes carried into effect in the place where the council was assembled. Hence we read of persons being beaten in the Synagogue, and scourged in the Synagogue, Matt. x. 17; Mark xiii. 9.

*Lightfoot, Harm. Luke iv. 15; Hor. Heb. Matt. iv. 23.

+ These may be seen in Lightfoot, Harmony, Lu. i. 5. Dr. A. Clarke, in his commentary on Deut. xxxiv. has given them as read in the different Jewish Synagogues.

See Jennings' Jewish Antiq. b. ii. c. 11; Prideaux. Connect. A. A. C. 444, &c. For an account of the Synagogue service of the Modern Jews, see Allen's Modern Judaism, p. 319, &c.

497

CHAPTER VII.

SACRED THINGS OF THE JEWS.

It forms no part of our design to enter into a discussion of the question concerning the origin of sacrificial offerings. Our only business with them is as part of the prescribed worship of the Jewish church and dispensation, in which they obtained a prominent distinction.

Michaelis, whose division has been adopted by several subsequent writers, divides sacrifices into three sorts; viz. bloody, unbloody, and drink-offerings.+ But as this distinction is defective, necessarily excluding those oblations which in some measure partook of the nature of sacrifices, without being actually such, we shall adopt a more comprehensive division, and consider them under the twofold character of animal sacrifices, and meat and drink offerings.

·

SECTION I.

ANIMAL SACRIFICES.

I. The VICTIMS to be offered. II. The several KINDS OF OFFERINGS 1. Burnt-offerings-2. Sin-offerings-3. Trespass-offerings-4. Peace-offerings-5. Firstlings and Tithes. III. DESIGN AND USES OF SACRIFICES.

I. There were but five kinds of animals accepted as sacrifices by the Mosaic law; viz. bullocks, sheep, goats, turtledoves, and young pigeons. Of these animals the most careful selection was to be made. Nothing "blind, or broken, or

* Commentaries on the Laws of Moses, vol. iii. p. 94.

K K

maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed," nor "that which was bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut," could lawfully be brought to the altar, Lev. xxii. 22-24. The prohibition also extended to such animals as had any disproportion in their members, whether of excess or defect. Indeed, the Jews consider the blemishes just enumerated as being only a sample of those which disqualified an animal for a sacrificial victim; and Maimonides has reckoned up fifty of this sort, in his Ratione de Sacrifici. Every animal, therefore, before it was brought to the altar, was diligently examined. It must be added, that no animal procured either by the price of a dog, or by whoredom, could be offered to God (Deut. xxiii. 18), it being impossible that there should be any value in sacrifices procured by such base means. Of those animals destined for the altar, the age also was to be taken into the account. None were to be offered which were not eight days old (Lev. xxii. 27), and the Jews considered it as absolutely unlawful to offer old cattle. In sacrificing birds, no selection of sex was enjoined. But the victims chosen from cattle consisted sometimes of males, sometimes of females, according to the nature of the sacrifice, and the circumstances of the offerer. The peace-offerings of individuals were both males and females. The victims offered for the whole congregation, to whatever class of sacrifices they belonged, all the burnt-offerings, all trespass-offerings, and all sin-offerings for a ruler, or high priest, were to be males; but the sin-offering of a private individual was required to be a female lamb or kid, Lev. iv.

*

Dr. A. Clarke supposes that some such custom of sealing the victim after it had been selected prevailed among the Jews, as among the nations contiguous to them. He has quoted a passage from Herodotus, in order to shew the method of selecting and sealing the white bull sacrificed to Apis in Egypt, upon which he remarks, "The Jews could not be unacquainted with the rites and ceremonies of the Egyptian worship; and it is possible that such precautions as these were in use among themselves; especially as they were so strictly enjoined to have their sacrifices without SPOT and without blemish." In allusion to this custom, it is, he supposes, that our Lord says of himself, "Him hath God the Father sealed," John vi. 27. "Infinite justice found Jesus Christ to be without spot or blemish, and therefore sealed, pointed out, and accepted him as a proper sacrifice and atonement for the sin of the whole world. Collate with this

*Outram's Dissertation on Sacrifices, D. i. c. 9.

passage, Heb. vii. 26, 27, 28; Eph. v. 27; 2 Pet. iii. 14; and especially, Heb. ix. 13, 14, "For if the blood of BULLS and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth-how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself WITHOUT SPOT to God, purge your consciences from dead works?” *

II. Having noticed the animals which were used in sacrifice, we proceed to consider the several kinds of offerings to which they were devoted, beginning with

1. Burnt-offerings. The reason of this name is given Lev. vi. 9, and the Hebrew word for them is oulut, or sacrifices which ascend in flame or smoke. They were either intended to expiate the evil thoughts of the heart, by the faith of the offerer looking to the Messiah as the great antitype; or to expiate the breach of affirmative precepts. The burnt-offering was a very expressive type of the sacrifice of Christ; as nothing less than his complete and full sacrifice could make atonement for the sin of the world. In most other offerings the priest, and then the offerer, had a share, but in the whole burnt-offering all was given to God. This sacrifice might be offered of any of the five kinds of animals above specified ; and the manner of offering it was as follows.

During the time that the tabernacle stood, the offerer brought his victim to the door of the tabernacle, "before the Lord" (Lev. i. 3); but when the temple was erected, this phrase was interpreted to mean the court of Israel, but especially of the priests. So indispensable was the appearance of the offerer, with his sacrifice, before the Lord, that even women, who were forbidden the court of Israel, at all other times, were obliged to enter it when they presented a burntoffering. The offerer, having brought his sacrifice, laid his hands upon its head, and repeated the usual solemn prayer. This was intended as a transfer of sin, from himself to the animal, and as a solemn acknowledgement of his own liability to suffer, Lev. i. 4. What a striking type of the atonement is observable in this transaction! The divinely appointed victim, CHRIST, "bore our sins, and carried our Having thus presented his offering to Jehovah, the offerer transferred it to the priests to be slain, which was done by cutting the throat and windpipe through. The blood being caught in a vessel provided for the purpose, was sprinkled upon the altar (Lev. i. 5), to make atonement for

sorrows."

* Comment. on John vi. 27.

† During the time of the tabernacle, the offerer frequently slew the animal himself.

the transgressor: that which remained being poured out at the foot of the altar, * where was a drain which carried it to the brook Kedron. It was in consequence of the blood making atonement for the soul, and being, in that case, typical of the blood of Christ, that the Jews were forbidden to eat it, Lev. xvii. 10-14. After the blood had been thus disposed of, the victim was flayed, deprived of the fat, and laid wholly naked and open: the various parts which were to be burned were then salted, and thrown into the fire to be utterly consumed, Lev. ii. 13; i. 8. To the custom of flaying the animal, and exhibiting its inward parts to full view, there is a most expressive and beautiful allusion in the epistle to the Hebrews-"The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do,” iv. 12. † Such was the manner in which the bullocks, rams, and goats, were sacrificed. The method of flaying the turtle doves and the young pigeons, was somewhat different. The person who brought these, presented them to the priest, who offered up one of them for a sin-offering, and the other for a burntoffering. The one for the latter purpose he carried to the circuit of the altar, where he wrung off its head; sprinkled the blood upon the altar; stripped it of its feathers, and tore out its crop. He then clave it down the middle, and after having salted it, laid it on the fire.

2. Sin-offerings were appointed for sins of ignorance against negative precepts (Lev. iv. 2, 13, 22, 27), either for the whole congregation, or individual persons. It is true there are some sin-offerings which do not exactly come under the description here given of them; such as the sin-offering of Aaron on his

There is a very striking allusion to this sacrificial rite, in 2 Tim. iv. 6. Where the apostle, seeing his impending fate, and intimating to Timothy its near approach, says, "I am now ready to be offered"-poured out as a libation — as the blood at the foot of the altar-" and the time of my departure is at hand." The same expressive sacrificial term occurs in his epistle to the Philippians, "Yea, though I be offered upon the service and sacrifice of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all," ch.ii. 17. In which passage, whose force and beauty, or indeed meaning, cannot be comprehended from our translation, he represents the faith or Christian profession of the Philippians, as a sacrifice, and his blood as a libation poured forth to hallow and consecrate it. For which, on account of his willingness to shed his blood in the cause of Christianity which they had espoused, he rejoiced and congratulated them all; and, adds he, “do you rejoice and congratulate me on the same account." See Harwood's Introduction, vol. ii. p. 220, and Parkhurst's Greek Lexicon, Frady,

+ Harwood, Introd, vol. ii. p. 2.

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