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 RATIONAL 
 
 OF THS 
 
 Ettual 
 
 Of THE 
 
 HEBREW WORSHIP; 
 
 IN WHICH 
 
 THE WISE DESIGNS AND USEFULNESS OF THAT 
 RITUAL ARE EXPLAINED, 
 
 AND 
 
 VINDICATED FROM OBJECTIONS. 
 
 BY MOSES LOWMAN. 
 
 A NEW EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by S. Gosnell. Little Queen Street, 
 
 OGLES, DUNCAN, AND COCHRAN. 37, PATERNOSTER ROW, ANI) 
 >5, HOLBORN | J. OGLE, EDINBURGH ; M. OGLE, GLASGOW} 
 AND T. JOHNSTON, DUBLIN. 
 
 1816.
 
 CTTTI
 
 SIB JOHN HARTOPP, BART. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 I BEG leave to inscribe the fol- 
 lowing Treatise to your name, not in the 
 formality of a dedication, but as a real ex- 
 pression of esteem and gratitude ; and in 
 some hope it may be a present, not alto- 
 gether unacceptable to you, either on ac- 
 count of the argument, or of the author. 
 
 Your hearty affection for the Christian 
 Revelation will make you sensible of the 
 high importance of supporting the Mo- 
 saical Revelation, as the reference they 
 have to each other is so great, that the 
 authority of both must stand or fall toge- 
 A 2 
 
 2087230
 
 iv DEDICATION. 
 
 ther. It will be some satisfaction to a 
 mind so well formed as yours, to a love 
 of truth, to perceive the reasons and the 
 uses of the Hebrew ritual of worship 
 appearing in the harmony of all its parts ; 
 that the ritual itself is so far from show- 
 ing any marks of superstition, that, on 
 the contrary, it every where shows a wise 
 and good design to prevent all supersti- 
 tion and idolatry, and to promote the 
 useful ends of a revelation every way 
 worthy of God. An honest attempt to 
 serve so good a cause, will, I am sure, 
 meet with your favourable acceptance. 
 
 For myself, Sir, I have always esteem- 
 ed it a singular happiness of my life, that 
 I was honoured, in my early years, with 
 the acquaintance of that excellent gentle- 
 man, the late Sir John Hartopp, your 
 father ; and that you have continued the 
 honour of your friendship to me, for so 
 many years since.
 
 DEDICATION. V 
 
 And I please myself with the hopes 
 that you will accept, with your usual 
 goodness, what I now humbly offer to 
 you, with my best wishes for your best 
 prosperity and happiness. 
 
 In particular, that virtue and piety 
 may long continue to be, as they have 
 long been, the honours of the Hartopp 
 family, is the hearty prayer of, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 Your most faithful, 
 Humble Servant. 
 
 X * 
 
 MOSES LOWMAN. 
 
 A 3
 

 
 TO THE READER. 
 
 THE following Discourse is designed in 
 defence of our common Christianity, by 
 vindicating the wisdom and goodness of 
 the Mosaical Revelation. 
 
 I have seen, with pleasure, many 
 things written in the same cause of Chris- 
 tianity, by men of distinguished abilities, 
 sufficient, one would think, to convince 
 all fair inquirers after truth. 
 
 Yet still the opposition is carried on, 
 in particular against the ceremonial laws of 
 the Hebrew church, which God appoint- 
 ed by Moses. They are reflected upon 
 with unwarrantable confidence, as un- 
 worthy of God, hurtful to true religion, 
 tending even to establish superstition on 
 the ruins of moral virtue and goodness. 
 They know well, such reflections on
 
 Moses and the Prophets, must fall at last 
 on Christ and his Apostles. 
 
 These reflections oil the Hebrew ri- 
 tual are likely to do the more mischief, 
 by staggering the minds of many, who 
 having little or no understanding in the 
 wise reasons and proper uses of these 
 laws, are unprovided with a ready an* 
 swer to them. 
 
 
 .,' .. 
 
 This is a subject that has not been so 
 
 fully considered, and set in so clear a 
 light, as, I think, it deserves, and the 
 jcause of Christianity seems to require. 
 
 For a right understanding of the Mo- 
 .saical ritual requires some knowledge of 
 the rites themselves, together with some 
 understanding of the ends, designs, real 
 advantages, and uses of them. For these 
 are the proper proofs of their wisdom and 
 goodness, the proper reasons and motives 
 for approbation and esteem. 
 
 It was necessary, then, to such a vin- 
 dication, to set before you a full plan of
 
 TO THE READER. IX 
 
 the ritual itself, that the true reasons and 
 uses of the whole might appear in the har- 
 mony of all the several parts, centring in 
 one view to promote virtue and true reli- 
 gion in the fear of Jehovah, and the wor- 
 ship of him as the one true God, the Holy 
 
 One of Israel. 
 
 / 
 
 It was also necessary to leave nothing 
 out of the plan of the ritual which might 
 leave any room for complaint, that some 
 of the weaker and more exceptionable 
 parts of the ritual were concealed and 
 rather sheltered under cover, than vin- 
 dicated. I have therefore endeavoured to 
 draw up a plan of the ritual in such a me- 
 thod, as I conceive may help to an easier 
 and clearer understanding of the Hebrew 
 worship itself, and give a fuller account of 
 the wisdom and usefulness of it. 
 
 This is a knowledge of a very consi- 
 derable part of Divine revelation, and of 
 more necessary use than is generally ap- 
 prehended.
 
 X TO THE READER. 
 
 Jt is of good service to explain the lan- 
 guage of the Apostles, to show the nature 
 of their reasonings, and" point out the true 
 force of their arguments, and even to ex- 
 plain the doctrines of the Christian faith 
 in many articles, by showing how they 
 were taught by Moses and the Prophets 
 many ages before. 
 
 For these reasons, though the Plan of 
 the Ritual may be thought long, I hope it 
 will not be accounted tedious. 
 
 * _ t 
 
 I have carefully endeavoured not to in- 
 dulge fancy and imagination, and not to 
 force allegory and metaphor to speak 
 what it was never intended they should 
 mean ; being very sensible, fancy and ima- 
 gination, how pretty, how ingenious so-* 
 ever, are neither reasons nor arguments, 
 therefore are not to he given or taken as 
 such. 
 
 This is an argument in which men are 
 not commonly well versed : arguments 
 concerning rituals are not usually so plain, 
 as arguments on moral subjects, ft will
 
 TO THE READER* Xi 
 
 require, therefore, some attention ; yet I 
 hope few persons who are honestly de- 
 sirous to understand it, will find it too 
 
 hard to be understood. 
 
 ' 
 
 It may be proper here to make one re- 
 mark concerning the nature of this argu- 
 ment. If it shall appear I have proved 
 the reasons and uses I have assigned for 
 the Hebrew ritual, to have been the true 
 reasons on which it was formed, and the 
 real use it was actually of, it will strongly 
 confirm the wisdom and goodness of the 
 whole, and be a sufficient answer to objec- 
 tions against any particular rites, consider- 
 ed separately and by themselves, only be- 
 cause a man may not see a particular reason 
 for such a particular constitution. Nor do 
 I conceive what can invalidate this evidence 
 but wfyat shall plainly prove, that the plan 
 of the Hebrew ritual was not formed by 
 these wise designs, or that in its use it 
 was not fitted to answer them. 
 
 o? 
 
 I heartily wish men would be persuad- 
 ed to consider this very important and 
 concerning question with due attention
 
 Till TO THE READER. 
 
 and impartiality. Unattention, prejudice, 
 jest, and raillery, are far from the way of 
 finding the truth in any question what- 
 soever. It will be very hard to reconcile 
 such a behaviour, either to a profession of 
 seeking the truth, or to a sincere love of 
 truth. 
 
 ' .ft .<'! 
 
 1 1 
 
 , 
 
 I shall rejoice it this Discourse shall be 
 any ways serviceable to settle men's minds 
 in a better understanding of the revelations 
 of God to the church, or improve their es- 
 teem for the last and most perfect revela- 
 tion of God, by his Son our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, as teaching the best wisdom, and 
 most fully answering the highest ends of 
 religion, the glory of God in the happiness 
 of mankind. 

 
 A 
 
 RATIONAL 
 
 OF THE 
 
 THE REASONS FOR APPOINTING THE RITES OF THE 
 HEBREW WORSHIP EXPLAINED. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE rites and constitutions of the He- g tu( ty O 
 brew worship are recommended to our the He- 
 consideration, as well deserving our care Jf^o 
 to understand them, and our esteem, when mended 
 we shall perceive the great wisdom of fr mits 
 their appointment, and benefit of their 
 use. They are constitutions of very early 
 antiquity, and have continued longer than 
 any form of religious worship in the 
 world, from the days of Moses to the time 
 they were perfected in the Christian wor- 
 ship designed to succeed them. These 
 rites of worship were given to a favoured 
 people, whom God had delivered in a 
 
 B
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 wonderful manner from a state of slavery 
 in Egypt, and brought into the land pro- 
 mised to their fathers. They were given 
 to the Hebrews, as the seed of Abraham, 
 when they w r ere to be settled in the Land 
 of Promise, in order to preserve the know- 
 ledge and worship of Jehovah, the one 
 true God, in opposition to the general 
 corruption of the world by idolatry, and 
 to continue the worship of the true 
 church, till God should raise up a greater 
 Prophet than Moses, and bless the church 
 with a more perfect revelation by the 
 Messias. 
 
 Many views of wisdom and goodness 
 are opened by these constitutions of wor- 
 ship, as they answer many useful ends ; 
 not only the general end of all true reli- 
 gion, as the best wisdom raised to its high- 
 est perfection, viz. the glory of God in the 
 happiness of the creature, but as they di- 
 rect very wise and proper means to attain 
 it, the most wise and proper for the time 
 and circumstances. It will be a principle 
 sufficient to silence the little cavils which a 
 weak understanding, and small knowledge 
 in such questions as these, or prejudices 
 against every thing that claims the autho- 
 rity of a revelation, may rise against the 
 rites and ceremonies of the Hebrew church, 
 to observe the true reasons of their appoint- 
 ment, and the great usefulness of them to 
 the best ends of true religion. Whoever
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 shall perceive these reasons, may allow the 
 recommendation of Moses to be very just : 
 Behold, I have taught you statutes and 
 judgments even as the Lord my God com- 
 manded me, that you should do so in the 
 land whither ye go to possess it ; keep there- 
 fore and do them, for this is your wisdom 
 and your understanding in the sight of the 
 nations, tvhich shall hear all these statutes, 
 and say, Surely this great nation is a wise 
 and understanding people ; for tvhat nation 
 is there so great, who hath God so nigh 
 unto them, as the Lord our God is in all 
 things that we call upon him for? and what 
 nation is there so great, that hath statutes 
 and judgments so righteous as all this law, Deut. ir. 
 tvhich I set before thee this day $ 58. 
 
 The most learned and judicious He- 
 brew doctor, Maimonides, extends this ob- 
 servation to all the laws of Moses, and very 
 properly takes notice, they are all wise and 
 useful, either to confirm the belief of some 
 profitable doctrine, or to root out some 
 evil principle ; either to settle some good 
 orders, or to take away iniquity; to excite 
 to honourable and virtuous actions, or to 
 exhort against what is vicious and base; 
 so that the whole law is useful to teach 
 doctrines, directing civil and political ac- 
 tions or truths to be believed, or moral 
 conduct ; and these three heads are suf- 
 ficient reasons for these constitutions *. 
 
 * Omnia ilia, quod Lex vel przecipit vel prohibet, 
 B 2
 
 4 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Not de- Yet as much as the Mosaical ritual may 
 aperfecT ^ e recomr nended for its wisdom and use- 
 state of fulness, its divine original and authority, 
 religion. we are f o observe, it was not intended to 
 be a perfect state of religion: in particular, 
 with respect to the state of religion under 
 the Messias, the Hebrew ritual was imper- 
 Heb. vii. feet ; so that the Apostle observes the weak" 
 18. *& ness an( j unprofitableness of it, and that the 
 J!x.' * l aw made nothing perfect, but the bring- 
 and 19. ing in of a better hope did. So the Apostle 
 styles these rites, though ordinances of 
 Heb. ix. divine service, yet a worldly sanctuary, and 
 J < 10 * carnal ordinances imposed on them, until 
 the time of reformation. So that the He- 
 brew ceremonial, however wise and useful 
 in answering many good ends of that state, 
 or economy of religion, ought not to be 
 considered as perfect, especially in com- 
 parison of a more perfect state promised, 
 and looked for, when the Messias should 
 Ezek.xx. come. Thus we shall understand the Pro- 
 25 |6 onn P net when he says in God's name, Where* 
 fore I gave them statutes also that were not 
 good. Not that they answered no good 
 ends, for they did answer many wise and 
 useful ends ; but that tjiey were not in 
 themselves proper virtue, or the proper 
 moral perfection and happiness of the 
 
 contineant vel doctrinas de actionibus vel civilibus et 
 politicis, vel de rebus credendis, vel de moribus, ac pi o- 
 inde sufticiant nobis haec tria capita, in reddendis prae- 
 ceptorutn causis. Maimon. Mor. Neboc. Part III. 
 c. xxxi,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 spirit, which is more strictly goodness in 
 itself. They were only good, as interme- 
 diate means to attain this good. 
 
 It seems necessary to premise this, to 
 prevent mistakes: there is an imperfection, 
 as well as a wisdom, to be observed in this 
 constitution; and the imperfection itself, 
 we shall hereafter see, is a wise and useful 
 part of the constitution. It is with great 
 injustice men take the liberty to treat the 
 whole ritual with contempt, because it is 
 a carnal commandment; and it is ob- 
 served, in some sense, to be weak and 
 unprofitable, when yet it was worthy the 
 wisdom and the goodness of God, to ap- 
 point it the worship of the church for 
 many hundred years, as preparatory to a 
 better and more perfect worship of the 
 church at the coming of the Messias. 
 
 It is also a great mistake some have 
 fallen into, as to the true goodness and use 
 of such a ritual, as if no constitutions of 
 religious worship can come from God, but 
 what are on all accounts the best, and most 
 perfect. But men often argue very weakly 
 from such general maxims, that whatever 
 is the work of God must be most perfect; 
 as if God was a necessary agent, and must 
 in all possible cases act of necessity, to the 
 utmost of infinite power and goodness, 
 without a freedom of choice to act ac- 
 cording to wisdom, in works of various 
 kinds, and therefore of different degrees 
 
 B 3
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 of perfection. It is most evident there is 
 an error in such a way of reasoning some- 
 where, though we should not be able to 
 point it out in particular ; forasmuch as 
 what is contrary to constant experience 
 and indisputable facts, cannot be true : no 
 metaphysical reasonings, however plau- 
 sible, can prove, that what has been, and 
 certainly now is, cannot possibly be. Now, 
 the very same experience that shows the 
 wisdom of God in acts of various kinds, 
 that he manifests his goodness in very dif- 
 ferent manners, and different degrees of 
 perfection and happiness, in the infinitely 
 different orders of beings, must show it is 
 no ways inconsistent with the divine per- 
 fections of almighty power and infinite 
 goodness, to do in his works of grace 
 what he constantly does in his works of 
 providence. The history and experience 
 of all ages confirms the truth of this ob- 
 servation, and the real constitution of the 
 Hebrew state and church is a most evi- 
 dent instance of it. 
 
 We ought, then, to be satisfied with 
 such perfection as sufficiently answers the 
 design and intention of such a ritual. We 
 are not ourselves to form designs from our 
 own imagination, and then quarrel with a 
 constitution, as not becoming the wisdom 
 or goodness of God, because it does not 
 answer our imagination; though it does 
 fully answer the designs the wisdom and
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 7 
 
 goodness of God had in choosing and ap- 
 pointing it. If ever we hope to attain' a 
 knowledge of the true reasons of things, 
 it must be by considering things as they 
 are, not as they are not, in what manner 
 soever we may imagine they ought to have 
 been. Let a man first satisfy himself in 
 the reasons why the infinite goodness of 
 God permits so much moral and natural 
 evil in the world, so long corruption of 
 true religion natural and revealed, and he 
 will, I believe, easily satisfy himself of the 
 wisdom and goodness wherewith God 
 spake unto the world, at sundry times, Heb. i. i. 
 and in divers manners. A revelation in */?*'* 
 different parts and forms could not be one 
 and the same, nor therefore have just the 
 same degrees of perfection; nor did the 
 wisdom of God make it either necessary or 
 fit it should be so; or is there any reason 
 a revelation to different persons at different 
 times, for different reasons, to Adam sup- 
 pose, or Noah, to Abraham or Moses, 
 must necessarily be one and the same? 
 The true case is, the wisdom of God di- 
 rects the revelation of such truths, or the 
 giving of such laws, as are best suited to 
 answer the particular designs of his good- 
 ness, whatever they may be. These, in 
 reason and in fact, appear in general to 
 be, a design of some good to the world, 
 suited to its circumstances, and the state 
 of religion in it. Take the revelation to 
 
 B 4
 
 8 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Noah, see the state of the world, and you 
 perceive the true reason of the revelation : 
 to warn the world of an approaching pu- 
 nishment, to preserve Noah and his family 
 to repeople the world after that evil gene- 
 ration was destroyed in the flood, God sent 
 Noah, a preacher of righteousness, di- 
 recting him to build an ark for his preser- 
 vation. This was a wise intention, and a 
 revelation that fully answered that inten- 
 tion, though it was not, as it never was 
 designed to be, a full and perfect revela- 
 tion of all truths of religion, or a complete 
 direction for every part of religious wor- 
 ship. 
 
 To perceive, then, the true and wise 
 reasons of the Hebrew revelation, we 
 must carefully consider what ends were 
 designed to be answered by it. What 
 these were, we shall best learn by consi- 
 dering the true state of the world, and of 
 the Hebrew nation, when the law was 
 given by Moses. 
 
 State of Not to divert from the subject, I shall 
 theworld, no t nere inquire into the antiquity of ido- 
 
 and of . * . . . V .< 
 
 religion, ^trous rites, or the original of idolatrous 
 
 when this principles. The Hebrew history sufficient- 
 
 JfreTto ty shows, that at the time the law was 
 
 the He- givtn by Moses, idolatry and idolatrous 
 
 brews. rites had almost corrupted the whole earth, 
 
 in particular the Egyptians, Canaanites, 
 
 Midianites, Moabites, and all the nations 
 
 neighbours to the Land of Promise; so
 
 xv 
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 9 
 
 that the Hebrews were in very great dan- 
 ger of losing the knowledge of the one 
 true God, and of falling into the evil cus- 
 toms and idolatrous rites of their neigh- 
 bours. While Israel abode in Shittim, the 
 people began to commit whoredom with 
 the daughters of Moab ; and they called 
 the people to the sacrifices of their gods : 
 and the people did eat, and bow down to 
 their gods : and Israel joined himself to 
 Baal-Peor; and the anger of the Lord ivas x m 
 kindled against Israel. s. 
 
 Idolatry had so far prevailed in those 
 times, that they offered their children to 
 Moloch, and, by a barbarous and inhuman 
 rite as an act of religion, violated all the 
 duties of true religion; yet these abomi- 
 nable practices of the nations seem in a 
 manner authorized by constitution, as if 
 they were not only allowed by custom, 
 but directed by some command. After the 
 -doings of the land of Egypt ivherein ye 
 dwelt shall ye not do ; and after the doings 
 of the land of Canaan ivhither I bring 
 you, shall ye not do, neither shall ye ivalk 
 in their ordinances. The word in the 
 original properly signifies, some constitu- 
 tion, as a law directing a thing to be done. 
 And indeed nothing but a pretence to some 
 direction of sacred authority could so 
 much as excuse actions so contrary to all/ j 
 natural and moral principles. But by such 
 pretended constitutions they could allow
 
 10 
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 and recommend incestuous marriages, with* 
 Prideaux the sacrificing of children. " The magi- 
 Connect. .< cians went so far, not only to allow a 
 i.iv. p!m. " man to marry his sister and his daugh- 
 226. " ter, but also his mother. It went so far 
 " with that sect in practice, that in the sa- 
 " cerdotal tribe, he who was born of this 
 " last and worst sort of incest, was looked 
 " upon as the best qualified for the sacer- 
 " dotal function, none being esteemed by 
 " them more proper for the highest sta- 
 " tions in it, than they who were born of 
 " mothers who conceived them of their 
 " own sons.'* The Locrenses could be 
 Justin, brought by such evil principles even to 
 Liii.8,21. m ake avow, if they were conquerors in a 
 war in which they were engaged, they 
 would prostitute their virgins in the festi- 
 vals of Venus. And Strabo mentions a 
 temple of Venus, in which more than a 
 thousand lewd women were consecrated 
 to debauchery *. 
 
 It is not to be wondered at, that idola- 
 try had taken so deep root in the days of 
 Moses, as it had been of so long continu- 
 ance; it had been as old as the days of 
 Terah the father of Abraham; so Joshua 
 informed the people. And Joshua said unto 
 all the people, '1 hits saith the Lord God 
 
 * Herodotus informs us, it was an established custom 
 among the Babylonians, that their virgins, of what quality 
 soever, were obliged to prostitute themselves oi.ce be- 
 fore they could marry, to the first person who offered 
 them money. Herodotus, 1. i. c. 199- 
 
 Strabo, 
 1. viii. 
 p.m. 261,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 11 
 
 of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other 
 side of the flood, in old time, even Terah 
 the father of Abraham, and the father of Joshuaj 
 Nachor; and they served other gods. He xxiv. 2. 
 exhorts, therefore, to great caution in their 
 worship, that they remove every kind of 
 idolatry, whether of the Egyptians or of 
 their fathers. Now therefore fear the 
 Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in 
 truth, and put away the gods which your 
 fathers served on the other side of the 
 flood, and in Egypt, and serve ye the 
 Lord, or worship only Jehovah, the one 14; - 
 true God. 
 
 When Jehovah commanded Abraham Gen. xii. 
 to leave his country, his kindred, and his * 
 father's house, it was with design to make 
 his family a separate people, to preserve 
 them from the infection of idolatrous prin- 
 ciples and practices, so generally prevail- 
 ing, that it had got even into his father's 
 house. It continued in the family of La- 
 ban ; so that when Jacob left him to re- Gen. 
 turn to Canaan, Rachel was tempted to ?J^o 
 steal her father's images, or his gods. 
 And even in-Jacob's own family idolatry 
 seems to have made advances ; for he gave 
 a command to his household, and to all that 
 were with him, Put away the strange gods Gen. 
 that are among you; and accordingly they *^' 
 gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which 
 were in their hands, all the images or Te-
 
 12 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAt 
 
 raphim which they had for divination, or 
 other acts of idolatry. 
 
 The Egyptians, with whom the He- 
 brews had lived for a long time, had run 
 into the most ridiculous superstitions and 
 extravagancies of magical rites. The He- 
 brews were accustomed to see them; and it 
 was an easy matter to reconcile their minds 
 to the customs of a people at that time 
 highly in esteem, above all other nations, 
 for their power and their wisdom, and 
 whom they had looked upon as their mas- 
 ters for many years. Besides, a natural in- 
 clination to the knowledge of things fu- 
 ture, and desires of temporal prosperity and 
 happiness, might easily recommend to their 
 own use what their wise masters the Egyp- 
 tians used as oracles for divination, and for 
 obtaining health, long life, victory, fruitful 
 seasons, with plentiful harvests, and such 
 other blessings as they imagined were the 
 gifts of those idols they worshipped as 
 guardians of mortal men : whether they 
 hoped for these gifts from the intelligences 
 supposed to inhabit and govern the sun, 
 the moon, and the other stars, or from the 
 daemons, and departed spirits of their kings 
 and benefactors, now after death advanced 
 to greater powers, and appointed by the 
 superior intelligences their deputy-guar- 
 dians of mortal men, whence they were 
 honoured by the name of the stars, and 
 the stars were honoured by the honour
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. IS 
 
 given to their deputies. Thus, the sun 
 and moon might be worshipped through 
 Baal and Astarte, Osiris and Isis, though 
 they were only men and women in life, 
 but deified after death, and constituted 
 principal agents for the intelligences of 
 the sun and moon in this lower earth, 
 and to dispense their blessings among men. 
 The Hebrews were certainly very ready to 
 fall in with these customs, and to receive 
 these principles. Their forwardness in 
 making a golden calf, and joining them- 
 selves to Baal-Phegor, evidently show that 
 the Hebrew nation was as like to be cor- 
 rupted with idolatry as any other people ; 
 that they were to be preserved from it 
 with great care and proper constitutions. 
 General commands, directions, exhorta 
 tions, were found in experience not to be 
 effectual preservatives. Something further 
 was highly requisite, and even necessary, 
 in such a state of the world. 
 
 You will perceive it proper, in the view Particu- 
 before us, to consider the particular state Jf^^. 
 of the Hebrew nation, as well as the state brews as 
 of the world in general, when the Mo- 
 aaical laws were given. The children of 
 Israel are to be considered as the family of 
 Abraham, which God had chosen for a 
 peculiar people, to preserve the knowledge 
 and worship of the one true God, and to 
 receive the blessings God had promised in 
 his covenant with Abraham their father, 
 
 3
 
 14 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 and with his seed after him. When God 
 called Abraham from his father's house, 
 he promised him, And I will make of thee 
 a great nation, and I will bless thee, and 
 make thy name great, and thou shalt be a 
 blessing ; and I will bless them that bless 
 thee, and curse him that curseth thee ; and 
 Gen. xii. in thee shall all families of the earth be 
 2 3 * blessed. In this covenant and promise there 
 is a temporal blessing mentioned, that God 
 would make Abraham's family a great na- 
 tion, including that God would give unto 
 them the Land of Promise. But besides 
 this covenant of temporal blessings, there 
 appear plainly a covenant, and promises 
 of an higher and different nature ; for Abra- 
 ham was not only to be the father of a nu- 
 merous family, and a prosperous nation, 
 but in him, and his seed, all the families 
 of the earth were to be blessed. 
 
 " This covenant," as a great author 
 observes, " limited to Abraham, and his 
 " chosen seed, most evidently regarded the 
 " whole race of men, and was to grow 
 " in the fulness of time into a blessing 
 " upon all the nations of the earth ; he 
 " and his posterity, as the church of God, 
 " were depositaries of this hope. Now, 
 " as two covenants were given to Abra- 
 " ham and to his seed, one a temporal 
 " covenant, to take place and be performed 
 " in the land of Canaan ; the other a 
 " covenant of better hope, to be per-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 15 
 
 " formed in a better country ; so are the 
 
 " prophecies given to Abraham, and to his 
 
 " children after him, of two kinds; one 
 
 " relative to the temporal covenant, and 
 
 " given in discharge and execution of 
 
 " God's temporal promises ; the other re- 
 
 " lative to the spiritual covenant, given 
 
 " to confirm and establish their hopes of BD. Sher- 
 
 " futurity, and to prepare and make ready lock on 
 
 " the people for the reception of the king- p ~ 
 
 " dom of God." p. 134'. 
 
 From this circumstance of the cove- 
 nants between Abraham and his seed we 
 have reason to conclude, that the laws 
 given by Moses to this people had a parti- 
 cular regard to them as the holy seed of 
 Abraham, that they would therefore have a 
 regard to both these covenants, and teach 
 the hopes and obligations of both; or, as 
 the forementioned judicious author ob- 
 serves, "Now, if Abraham and his posterity Via. 13. 
 " were chosen not merely for their own 
 " sakes, or out of any partial views and re- 
 " gards towards them, but to be instru- 
 " ments in the hands of God for bringing 
 " about great designs in the world ; if the 
 " temporal covenant was given for the 
 " sake of the everlasting covenant, and 
 " to be subservient to the introduction of 
 " it; it is highly probable, that all parts of 
 " the Jewish dispensation were adapted to ^ ., 
 " serve the same end, and that the law p.'ies. 
 " founded on the temporal covenant was
 
 15 THfc RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 " intended, as the temporal covenant itself 
 " was, to prepare the way to better pro- 
 " mises, to contain the figure and image 
 " of good things to come." 
 
 Such seems to be the state of the world, 
 and of the church, when God brought 
 the children of Israel out of Egypt, and 
 gave them possession of the promised land, 
 and appointed them laws by Moses best 
 suited to this intermediate state of religion, 
 till all the nations of the earth should be 
 blessed in the seed of Abraham, and the 
 kingdom of the Messias. 
 
 From this view of the state of the 
 world, and of religion, and of the He- 
 brew nation, you perceive that some new 
 laws, some further constitutions of wor- 
 ship, would be very proper and useful in 
 those times, and for that people, to main- 
 tain the knowledge of the one true God, 
 to preserve the purity of religious wor- 
 ship, and to keep up the hope of the pro- 
 mises and covenant with Abraham until 
 they should be accomplished, and all na- 
 tions should be blessed in the Messias. 
 When God entered into covenant with 
 Abraham and his seed, there was a new 
 rite added to the patriarchal worship. 
 God appointed a visible mark, as a seal of 
 a covenant between himself and Abraham; 
 and God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt 
 keep my covenant therefore, thou and thy 
 seed after thee, in their generations. This u
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 1? 
 
 the covenant which ye shall keep betiveen 
 me and you, and thy seed after thee: every 
 man-child among you shall be circumcised, 
 and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your 
 foreskin, and it shall be a token of the co- 
 venant between me and you. 9 ^ 11! 
 
 Yet how fit soever such a visible mark 
 might be, to keep in remembrance the co- 
 venant between God and the family of 
 Abraham, it was found, in experience, in- 
 sufficient to preserve them from the idola- 
 trous customs of their neighbours. They 
 fell into a disuse even of circumcision it- 
 self, as the seal of their covenant; Moses's Exod. in 
 own children were not circumcised, till 9> 1Q > n * 
 an angel showed him his fault; and Zip- 
 porah seemed to express her dislike of the 
 use of the rite itself. Then she said, A 
 bloody husband thou art, because of the 
 circumcision. While the children of Is- 
 rael were in the wilderness, this seal of the 
 covenant was omitted for a long time ; all 
 the people that were born in the wilder- 
 ness by the way, as they came forth out 
 of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. 
 These Joshua was directed to circumcise, Joshua, v. 
 which he did at Gilgal; on which the Lord 5 - 
 said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled 
 away the reproach of Egypt from off you. 9, 
 Thus it appeared in fact, that circumci- 
 sion was not sufficient to keep up the dis- 
 tinction of this people, and their separa- 
 tion from the world, to preserve the know- 
 
 c
 
 18 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ledge and worship of the true God, the 
 memory and hopes of the promises and 
 covenant. 
 
 It appears, from these general consi- 
 derations, every way fit and proper to an- 
 swer the great end of religion ; every way 
 becoming the wisdom and goodness of God, 
 agreeable to his promises, and covenant 
 with Abraham, whom he had chosen to 
 the honour and privileges of his church, 
 to give this people a new body of laws, 
 now they were entering into the Land of 
 Promise, and the covenant of their tem- 
 poral blessings was to be accomplished: 
 a body of laws suitable to the designs for 
 which they were chosen an holy nation 
 and peculiar people, suitable to their cha- 
 racter as Israelites. What such a body of 
 laws should be, to show both the wisdom 
 and goodness of God, well deserves an at- 
 tentive and impartial inquiry.
 
 Of THE HEBREW WORSHIP*" 1QT 
 
 tART I. 
 
 General Considerations^ showing what 
 Body of Laws Was best suited to the 
 State of the World, and of the Church, 
 when the Law of Moses was given, 
 and the Ritual of the Hebrew Worship 
 established. 
 
 BEFORE this time, when it seemed fit to 
 the wisdom of God to give a new law to 
 the family of Abraham, the outward forms 
 of religious worship were few> and they 
 of plain and easy instruction. We have 
 little account of any other form of out- 
 ward worship among the patriarchs, than 
 the use of sacrifices; of which there iai 
 very early mention in the days of Adam, 
 and in the worship of Cain and Abel. The 
 consecration of the sabbath, to preserve 
 the memory of the creation, and of one 
 true God, who made the heavens and the 
 earth, may be considered as a day holy to 
 Jehovah ; atnd has been considered as the 
 first and most ancient ritual, well fitting 
 the state and worship of Paradise itself. 
 
 As to the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, Gen.m 
 they were the fruits of the ground, the first- 3 ' 4 * 
 lings of the flock, and of the fat thereof. 
 Bishop Patrick observes, the Talmudists 
 are of opinion, these sacrifices were whole 
 burnt offerings, and that there were no 
 
 c 2
 
 20 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 other before the law was given. He fur- 
 ther observes, Cain and Abel seem to have 
 offered these sacrifices themselves ; and 
 this particular, he adds, effectually con- 
 futes their opinion, who say, the first-born 
 were separated to the office of priesthood ; 
 for, by these words, it is plain, the 
 youngest sacrificed as well as the eldest ; 
 and so indeed they did in following ages. 
 
 As there is no express command to 
 Adam, directing the form of worship by 
 sacrifices, it has been a question, whether 
 the worship of God by sacrifices had its 
 original from particular divine institution, 
 or from the reason of our first parents, 
 choosing them as fit outward expressions 
 of gratitude to God for his blessings, and 
 an acknowledgment of our enjoyments in 
 life, as his gifts, of hope in the continued 
 goodness of God, for the continuance of 
 our blessings, and expressing a sense of the 
 holiness and justice of God, of the guilt of 
 sin, and yet an hope in the mercies of God 
 to forgive sins, and to bless those who 
 shall return unto him with a truly 
 humble and contrite heart. 
 
 The faith of Abel, as Bishop Patrick 
 further observes, seems to have something 
 else to warrant it, than barely his own rea- 
 son ; and therefore adds, Adam, in all like- 
 lihood, had received some order concerning 
 Gen. iii. it from the Schechinah. Nor is it unrea- 
 21 * sonable to suppose, that the coats of skins,
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. V 21 
 
 which the Lord made for Adam and his 
 wife, were made of the skins of those 
 beasts, which, by his direction, were of- 
 fered to himself as sacrifices. 
 
 Sacrifices seem, however, to have been 
 Continued in use from these most early 
 times, and to have been the chief, if not 
 the only forms of outward religion, in the 
 days of the patriarchs. They well expressed 
 the several parts of prayer. Thanksgiving, 
 petition, and confession of sins, were proper 
 actions, to excite the fear of God's justice, 
 hope in his mercies, and thankfulness for 
 his goodness. They were proper engage- 
 ments to fear, honour, and serve God, 
 which are the great principles of true reli- 
 gion in the heart. 
 
 It is to be observed, that, from the very 
 beginning of religious worship, some out- 
 ward actions were in use, such as sacri- 
 fices were, to make a visible profession of 
 inward reverence, of the fear and love of 
 God, of the desire and hope of his favour 
 and blessing. 
 
 In the days of Abraham there was dan- 
 ger of applying these acts of worship to 
 other beings besides the one true God. 
 When men began to serve other gods, 
 they soon began to acknowledge them as 
 gods, by offering sacrifices to them also ; 
 there remained then no visible difference 
 between the true worship of the true God, 
 and the idolatrous worship of false gods ; 
 c 3
 
 22 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 therefore the covenant between God and 
 Abraham was further confirmed by an 
 additional rite of circumcision, a constant 
 sensible mark of consecration to Jehovah, 
 that they were not to forsake the worship 
 of the true God, to worship other gods, 
 and sacrifice to idols. But these rites al- 
 ready in use, being found insufficient to 
 preserve the knowledge and worship of the 
 one true God, it became the wisdom and 
 goodness of God, to appoint new constitu- 
 tions, which should more effectually ob^ 
 tain these ends; the wisdom of which will 
 appear, by their fitness and usefulness to 
 obtain them. 
 
 You will perceive, then, such laws, or 
 ritual constitutions, will be most wisely 
 directed, by the following reasons: 
 
 1. To answer the true ends of reli- 
 gion, in a manner best suited to these cir- 
 cumstances of the world, and the cove- 
 nant of God with Abraham and his seed 
 as his church. 
 
 2. To preserve this church from idola- 
 try, by a sufficient provision against the 
 great and many dangers of falling into it. 
 
 5. To answer both these ends, by such 
 ritual constitution as should teach such 
 moral instructions, such principles of reli- 
 gious reverence and obedience, as should 
 promote the great ends of all true religion ; 
 such laws and rites as should exclude all
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 23 
 
 idolatrous rites, and cut off all pretences 
 of introducing them into their own wor- 
 ship, which could keep up a just sense of 
 their own privileges, as the seed of Abra- 
 ham, and church of God, with the hope 
 of the promises, and prepare them for that 
 better state of the church to come, when 
 all the nations of the earth should be 
 blessed in the Messias. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Design to promote the Essentials of true 
 Religion. 
 
 THE first design, then, of giving this law 
 to Israel, you observe, is to give such in- 
 structions as should answer the general and 
 principal ends of religion, in a manner best 
 suited to these circumstances of the world, 
 and to the covenant with Abraham and 
 with his seed, or the Hebrew church. 
 
 Whoever shall consider the laws of 
 Moses, and rites of the Hebrew worship, 
 as enacted by the authority of Jehovah, 
 and given for the use of the seed of Abra- 
 ham, will easily conclude, they are such 
 rules of religion, and such constitutions of 
 worship, as are fit for the wisdom and 
 goodness of God to choose and appoint 
 for the use of a favoured people, called to 
 
 be an holy nation to himself, who were tp 
 
 *
 
 24 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 serve and to worship him, in a manner 
 more honourable than the other nations of 
 the earth; in such manner as should pro- 
 mote the perfection and happiness of their 
 own minds, in every part of true religion, 
 or in all sobriety, righteousness and good- 
 ness, piety and godliness, that is, in every 
 virtue, human, social, and divine. As 
 true religion is the highest wisdom im- 
 proved to its highest perfection, the glory 
 of God in the happiness of his reasonable 
 creatures, these virtues are essential to true 
 religion in every form of it. Whatever dif- 
 ferences there may be in other respects, be- 
 tween the externals of religion, as in the 
 patriarchal, the Abrahamic, the Mosaical, 
 or Christian dispensations, yet these essen- 
 tials of religion are necessary to them all; 
 and we may therefore expect to find them, 
 as we really shall, in each of them. It has 
 been remarked before, these ritual laws 
 were not designed to be of equal perfec- 
 tion with the spiritual worship of the 
 Christian dispensation ; yet were they to 
 have all the essentials of true religion, and 
 by them we were to perceive and judge of 
 their comparative goodness and excellency; 
 for, though the numerous rites and cere- 
 monies of the Hebrew church were in 
 themselves burdens, and a carnal com- 
 mandment, yet they were of great and 
 even necessary use, in those times of cor- 
 * ruption, to preserve the'true faith of the
 
 Of THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 25 
 
 one true God, the reverence due to the 
 only Creator and sole Governor of the 
 world, to excite that gratitude they owed 
 to Jehovah as their God, who blessed them 
 with peculiar favour and grace, and to 
 exhort that obedience which was due to 
 him, not only as Lord of the whole world, 
 but, in particular, as King of Israel and 
 their Lord, as a people whom Jehovah had 
 made a peculiar people unto himself, be- 
 fore and above all nations of the earth. 
 Thus they exhorted a more especial care 
 of obedience to those laws which were 
 promulged with greater solemnity, and 
 with marks of greater importance; such 
 as the moral laws of the ten commands, 
 published on Mount Sinai, and laid up in 
 the ark, over which the glorious majesty 
 of Jehovah, or the presence in the Sche- 
 chinah, resided. 
 
 These essentials of religion, which are 
 to have a place in every wise or true con- 
 stitution of religion, must include a right 
 knowledge of God, of his being, perfec- 
 tions, and government, a just sense of the 
 reverence all men owe to God, from a firm 
 belief of his being, power, dominion, jus- 
 tice, and goodness, and an hearty concern 
 to obey the known will of God in all 
 things ; doing what is pleasing in his sight, 
 seeking and hoping their perfection and 
 happiness in the likeness and in the 
 image of God. By these considerations,
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE BITUAL 
 
 then, the wisdom of a religious constitu- 
 tion will be chiefly determined, by inquir- 
 ing how far is it designed, how far is it 
 fitted, to give right and worthy notions of 
 the being and perfections of God, of his 
 
 fovernment of the world, of the effects of 
 is general providence, and of his particular 
 providence, or grace ; to give a right under- 
 standing of the obligations men are under 
 to fear, reverence, honour, and obey God 
 in all their actions ; more especially by such 
 inward temper and affections, as give the 
 truest and the highest honour to God, as 
 best improve their own minds in all virtue 
 and goodness, after the highest pattern of 
 perfection, the image of God himself; and 
 finally, to give encouragement to this care, 
 to make it constant and hearty, from a 
 firm belief and expectation, that the jus- 
 tice and goodness of God will make him 
 Jiate and punish all evil and wickedness, 
 approve and reward all virtue and good- 
 ness. We perceive much of the compara- 
 tive excellency of any particular, as it shall 
 be more or less serviceable to these ends. 
 
 A noble author has singled out, and 
 recommended these as principal truths of 
 religion that there is a God ; that this Su- 
 preme God is to be worshipped; that vir- 
 tue, joined with piety, is the principal part 
 of divine worship (this he explains, a con- 
 formity of the several faculties and powers 
 of the soul, to truth and reason; the same,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 27 
 
 ,iJ\\Jt ^- r * f. . I^IT.. 
 
 1 suppose, as the philosopher's definition of 
 virtue, natura ad summum per ducta, na- 
 ture raised to its full perfection). To these, 
 he adds, there ought to be always in the 
 mind, an horror of all vice and wickedness, 
 exciting a care of repentance and reforma- 
 tion ; and that these truths be strength- 
 ened with the belief and expectations of 
 rewards and punishments. These principles 
 of religion, he observes, arise from the 
 common notions of conscience, philosophy, 
 laws, and religion ; and therefore may be 
 accounted the articles of the true catholic 
 church, which never fails, nor ever can : 
 and speaking of these truths, under the 
 name of common principles, he professes so 
 high esteem for them, that he shall account 
 that the best book, and the best religion, 
 and him the best prophet, which shall di* 
 rect the best observance of them *. 
 
 This observation of our noble author 
 points out an excellent rule, which, when 
 applied to the Mosaical laws, will show 
 their real virtue arid worth ; and which we 
 shall consider in its more proper place, after 
 we have seen the plan of the ritual, and 
 shall be instructed from itself, how it is to 
 be applied. We shall then clearly perceive 
 what sentiments it teaches concerning God, 
 
 * Notitiae communes, quas adeo magni facimus ut 
 qui proxime ad earum observantiam accesserit, optimum 
 librum, religionem, prophetam dixerim. Baro Her* 
 bert de Cherbyry de Petit.
 
 28 THE RATIONAL OF THE 
 
 most honourable to him, and most useful 
 to perfect his worshippers in all virtue and 
 goodness, righteousness and holiness, the 
 great ends of religion ; in which it will 
 appear it greatly excelled every other in- 
 stitution of religion, except the Christian, 
 which was to perfect it, 
 
 Particu- But though this care of promoting the 
 lar view chief principles of all religion was a chief end 
 Hebrew 16 in this, as it oughtto be in every institution of 
 laws of religion, yet the particular circumstances of 
 worship tn i s p e0 pi e> an d o f the state of the world 
 particu- with respect to them, very much diversified 
 far cir- this view. It was wise and fit to take this 
 stances of mto consideration, as this was designed to 
 theAbra- be a constitution in aid of the Patriarchal 
 hamic and Abrahamic states of religion. TheHe- 
 " brews were not to be considered as the 
 world in general; but as the seed and family 
 of Abraham, with whom God had many 
 years before made a covenant. They had 
 received circumcision, a seal of God's pro- 
 mise to them, as an holy nation, and a pe- 
 culiar people, to whom, as such, he had pro- 
 mised peculiar protection, favour, andbless- 
 fcom. iv. ings ; according to St. Paul, a seal of the 
 1J righteousness by faith. This covenant with 
 Abraham was to this effect : Jehovah ap- 
 Gen,xvii. peared to Abraham, and said unto him, / 
 3 2 - am the Almighty God, walk thou before me, 
 and be thou perfect, and I will make my 
 covenant between me and thee, and I will 
 multiply thee exceedingly. The nature of
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 20 
 
 this covenant is further described ; And I Gen.xvii. 
 willmake thee exceeding fruitful; andlivill 6 ' 7 ' ' * 
 make nations of thee, and kings shall come 
 out of thee ; and I ivill establish my cove- 
 nant between me and thee, and thy seed 
 after thee, for an everlasting covenant, to 
 be a God unto thee, and unto thy seed after 
 thee; and I will give unto thee, and unto thy 
 seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a 
 stranger, all theland of Canaan, for an ever- 
 lasting possession ; and I will be their God. 
 
 Before this, God had made a covenant 
 with Abraham in terms somewhat differ- 
 ent : Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, 
 Get thee out of this thy country, and from 
 thy kindred, and from thy father s house, 
 into a land that I ivill show thee; and I will 
 make of thee a great nation, and I will 
 bless thee, and make thy name great, and 
 thou shalt be a blessing ; and 1 will bless 
 them that bless thee, and curse him that 
 curseth thee ; and in thee shall all families 
 of the earth be blessed. l %' ' 
 
 In these promises there are some bless- 
 ings peculiar to Abraham's own family, 
 and some common to all the families of the 
 earth. The blessing common to all the fa- 
 milies of the earth is often repeated, to 
 mark it for particular observation. And 
 the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham 
 the thing which I do, seeing that Abraham 
 shall become a great and mighty nation, 
 and all the nations of the earth shall be
 
 30 THfc RAtlONAL OF f HE RlftfAt 
 
 Gen. blessed in him f Again, on Abraham's reat- 
 Js" 1 ' ' diness to obey the command of God, to sa- 
 crifice his son, an angel from heaven said 
 (in the name of God), By myself have I 
 sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast 
 done this thing, and hast not withheld thy 
 soti, thine only son, that in blessing I will 
 bless thee, andinmultiplying I will multiply 
 thy seed, as the stars of heaven, and as the 
 sand which is upon the sea- shore; and thy 
 seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, 
 Gen.xxii. an( ^ m thy seed shall all the nations of the 
 16,17,18. earth be blessed. 
 
 The promises before you seem plainly 
 
 to consist of two distinct parts, or rather, 
 
 to use the words of a very learned and ju- 
 
 Bp.Sher- dicious author, " including two distinct 
 
 lock of covenants; the one relating to the tem- 
 
 cy,p.i59. " poral state, and prosperity of his (Abra- 
 
 " ham's) seed, in the land of Canaan ; the 
 
 " other, to the blessing, which, through 
 
 " him and his seed, was to be conveyed to 
 
 " all nations of the earth." 
 
 Laws of religious worship given to a 
 people in such circumstances, would, in 
 all likelihood, have some proper regard to 
 them, and to the promises of their particu- 
 lar covenant, as well as the more general 
 service of true religion. They were under 
 peculiar obligations, had hopes of peculiar 
 blessings, in the faithful performance of all 
 the promises of the covenant made with 
 Abraham their father. It is hardly to be
 
 O* THE HEBREW WORSHIP* 3t 
 
 supposed, that a ritual of worship should 
 be given to a nation in such circumstances, 
 which should not preserve the memory of 
 the blessings promised, the nature of the 
 grant, the condition on which the grant 
 was made, and what religious use was de- 
 signed should be made of it ; especially as 
 such a memory of the blessings promised 
 by the covenant, was so powerful a mo- 
 tive to gratitude and hope, to reverence 
 and obedience. 
 
 " Now, this being the case," to use the Id.ib. 
 
 words of the fore-mentioned author, " 'tis 162 * 
 
 " evident, that the promise of a blessing to 
 
 " all nations subsisted in its full force and 
 
 " vigour during the continuance of the 
 
 " law of Moses ; for, as that promise was 
 
 " not completed by the giving of the 
 
 " law, in which all nations were not con- 
 
 *' cerned, so neither could so general a 
 
 " promise be annulled, or set aside, by a 
 
 " private law given to one people only. 
 
 " Hence, another question proper to be 
 
 " considered, with respect to the state of 
 
 " religion under the Jewish dispensation,'* 
 
 as our author very justly observes, " is 
 
 " this, how far the religion of the Jews 
 
 " was preparatory to that new dispensa* 
 
 " tion which was in due time to be re- 
 
 " vealed, in accomplishment of the pro- 
 
 " mises made to all nations. Now, if 
 
 " Abraham and his posterity were chosen, 
 
 " not merely for their own sakes, or out
 
 32 THE RATIONAL OF THE 
 
 " of any partial views or regards toward* 
 " them, but to be instruments in the hand 
 " of God for bringing about his great de- 
 " signs in the world ; if the temporal cove- 
 " nant was given for the sake of the ever- 
 " lasting covenant, and to be subservient 
 .?' to the introduction of it ; it is highly pro- 
 Vid. 6. " bable, that all parts of tue Jewish dis- 
 " pensation were adapted to serve the same 
 " end; and that the law, founded on the 
 " temporal covenant, was intended, as the 
 " temporal covenant itself was, to prepare 
 " the way to better promises. If this ap- 
 " pears upon the whole to be a reasonable 
 " supposition, then have we a foundation 
 " to inquire into the meaning of the law ; 
 " not merely as it is a literal command to 
 " the Jews, but as containing the figure 
 " and image of good things to come. It 
 " can hardly be supposed, that God in- 
 " tending finally to save the world by 
 " Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, 
 " should give an intermediate law, which 
 " should have no respect nor relation to the 
 " covenant, which he intended to establish 
 Id ib. " f r ever -A- n d whoever will be at the 
 164. " pains to consider seriously the whole ad- 
 " ministration of Providence together, 
 from the beginning to the end, may see 
 perhaps more reason than he imagines 
 to allow of types and figures in the 
 Jewish law." 
 The evidence and use of this important 
 
 K 
 ft 
 <C
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 3S 
 
 observation plainly appear in the Epistle 
 to the Hebrews. None can, I think, ob- 
 serve with any attention, how the rites of 
 the Hebrew worship, as explained and ap- 
 plied to the Christian covenant, agree so 
 surprisingly in every thing with it, but he 
 must be persuaded with the Apostle, that 
 they were designed to be figures, or, in the 
 common expression, types of the good 
 things to come. 
 
 It was then highly fit in itself, well be- 
 coming the wisdom of God, in forming a 
 ritual of worship for the Hebrew church, 
 to order it in such manner as should make 
 it preparatory to another state of religion, 
 which was to succeed, and perfect it. 
 How many wise and good ends would this 
 serve, to show the Hebrews their present 
 constitution was not designed for the most 
 perfect, but was to be perfected in a better 
 covenant, that their ritual law was not to 
 be perpetual, but should give way to ano- 
 ther state of the church, truly universal 
 and catholic ; and yet, that their ritual 
 was a figurative representation of the more 
 perfect constitutions in the days of Messiah 
 the King. Hence the Shechinah, temple, 
 priesthood, altar, sacrifices, and other parts 
 of the Hebrew ritual, will have a wise and 
 useful design, as figures of a better She- 
 chinah, temple, priest, altar, sacrifice, and 
 blessings : an instruction of great benefit 
 to both churches, the Hebrew and the
 
 34 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 Christian, to teach them that their ritual, 
 though very wise and good for them in their 
 circumstances, was yet but preparatory to 
 a better ; for which, therefore, they were 
 to hope and prepare, and to teach us how 
 much the worship of the Christian church 
 excels, and should be preferred to all that 
 went before it, that we may be sensible of 
 our obligation to God for his goodness, 
 and our own happiness in so great a bless- 
 ing. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Another great Design of the ritual Wor* 
 ship of the Hebrew Church was, to pre- 
 serve it from Idolatry, and fence against 
 the many Dangers of being corrupted 
 by it. 
 
 Design of IT was observed before, that idolatry had 
 
 aboard* 1 ver ^ mucn increased at the time when the 
 
 agmnst law was given ; that it was very likely to 
 
 idolatry, prevail among the Hebrews ; that their 
 
 distinction, as the family of Abraham, and 
 
 the guard of circumcision, with all that 
 
 they had learned of the faith of Abraham, 
 
 as to the unity of God, and that no other 
 
 gods were to be worshipped besides the 
 
 only true God, were found insufficient to 
 
 preserve this faith and worship pure among 
 
 them. It was wise and proper then, in 
 
 such a case, to guard more effectually
 
 OF THE ttEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 against so great dangers, as manifestly 
 threatened the total and irrecoverable loss 
 of the right knowledge and worship of the 
 one true God, every where, since this fa- 
 mily of Abraham was the only people that 
 yet retained the profession of them. All 
 other people had fallen into the principles 
 as well as practices of idolatry, and into 
 all the evils and wickedness which so 
 usually attended them. 
 
 This circumstance called for a speedy 
 and an effectual preservative, such as 
 should be adequate to the danger. And 
 since there were so many ways of tempt- 
 ing the Hebrews, and prevailing upon 
 them, to fall in with the customs of their 
 neighbours, it became the wisdom of a law 
 given on such an occasion* to be a firm 
 hedge, and secure fence, to preserve the 
 faith of the church in Jehovah, as the only 
 true God, and prevent the worship of any 
 god besides him. As this was a view 
 every way worthy the wisdom and good- 
 ness of God, it is also declared to be his 
 intention expressly in giving the law; and 
 actually appears to be an intention that 
 runs through the whole law itself. In 
 such a view, nothing that threatened any 
 danger was to be overlooked, how little 
 soever it may seem to be at first sight. It 
 was necessary to make this provision effec- 
 tual, to guard them by the rites of their 
 worship, as well as by precepts, against 
 D 2
 
 36 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 idolatry ; to fence them against tempta- 
 tions and encouragements to join with 
 their neighbours in any of their idolatrous 
 customs, and to give an abhorrence of all 
 idolatrous rites, or wicked ceremonies, 
 which others esteemed sacred, and re- 
 verenced as acts of religion. 
 To be a First, then, it appears wise to give the 
 preserva- Hebrews a ritual, which would be a pre- 
 
 tlVG fl 
 
 gainst servative against idolatrous principles ; for 
 idola- idolaters had their principles, as well as 
 prin^ other sects. They had drawn up a sort of 
 ciples, philosophy, plausible in many things, and 
 like to deceive many ; such principles as, 
 in after- times, made a considerable part of 
 the speculations of the most renowned phi- 
 losophers Pythagoras and Plato, as they 
 were, before them, the chief doctrines of 
 the Egyptian and Chaldaean theology, the 
 secret and admired science of their wise 
 men. 
 
 They believed, that, besides the one 
 supreme God, there were many intellectual 
 beings or spirits : a doctrine very true in 
 itself, likely, taught by ancient and general 
 tradition, countenanced and confirmed by 
 the Hebrew revelations : but they, consi- 
 dering these spirits as of different perfec- 
 tion and different orders, considered them 
 also as differently employed by the su- 
 preme God in the government of the 
 world. This is the foundation of the dis- 
 tinction between the gods and their wor-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 37 
 
 ship, in the Golden Verses of Pythagoras : 
 " First, to worship the immortal gods, ac- 
 *' cording to their order ; then, the illustri- 
 " ous heroes ; and after them, the earthly 
 te daemons. Thus they taught an higher, 
 " a middle, and a lower order of intelli- 
 " gences, or spirits. They taught all these 
 " spirits were, by the will of God, which 
 " they called their law and order, assigned 
 " to proper stations, suitable to their supe- 
 " riority or subordination to each other *." 
 They supposed the spirits superior to hu- 
 man souls, a sort of intermediate beings 
 between God and them, and as such ap- 
 pointed, by the will of God, mediators be- 
 tween himself and men : or, as Maimonides 
 represents their doctrine, they who wor- 
 ship idols, worship them as mediators, or 
 beings intermediate bet ween Godandthem, 
 having power to do good or evil to men f . 
 
 Our learned Dr. Hyde has given us a 
 very judicious summary of these principles 
 of idolatry, which it will be of great ser- 
 vice, in this argument, to have before us. 
 
 " They acknowledged," he observes, 
 " God the maker of the world and posses- 
 " sor of heaven ; but because of his so 
 
 * No/Jioj IMIV, I J/xiSfytoj ?, XtU -n VEJO. j 
 cles Carm. Pythagor. p. 18. 
 
 f- Qui idola colunt, quasi mediatores, vel res inter- 
 medias, inter Deum et ipsos, ut benfaciendi vel nialefa- 
 ciendi virtutem habeutes. Maimon. Mor. Neb. P. I. 
 c. xxxv, p. 54- 
 
 D 3
 
 38 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL, 
 
 *' great distance, and most reverend ma- 
 " jesty, he was not accessible ; that it 
 " would be too bold for men to approach 
 " God immediately ; that they thought it 
 " necessary to approach him as a great 
 " king, by applying themselves first to his 
 " chief ministers, who, like mediators with 
 " kings, acquaint them with the business 
 " of their petitioners, and return their an- 
 " swers, signifying to them what is the 
 " prince's will and pleasure. Hence the 
 Sabians (who seem to have held some of 
 the most ancient principles of idolatry) 
 used angels and planets as mediators, 
 whom they thought to be seven vice- 
 " roys, or lower kings, inhabiting those 
 " bodies of light, as so many palaces or 
 *' temples ; in imitation of which, some 
 " built temples or chapels for them on 
 4t earth, in which they placed images de- 
 " dicated to the stars : such chapels are 
 *' called tabernacles in the Holy Scripture, 
 *' as the tabernacles of Moloch, and Rem- 
 " phon, &c. For, when the planets were 
 " so far off, and sometimes not appearing 
 " when set, seemed absent from the earth, 
 *' they thought it advisable to erect images 
 " to these planets, which might partake of 
 " their influences, and never be absent 
 " from them, and to whom, being always 
 *' present with them, they might always 
 < f have access, both day and night. The 
 f< astrologers of those times were wont to 
 
 " 
 
 "
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 " appropriate to some planet, colours, me- 
 " tals, wood, stone, trees, fruits. They 
 
 " made their images of some materials 
 /' more peculiarly proper to such particular 
 " planet, and chose a proper time, when 
 
 ' the planet was in its own exaltation, and 
 " in a lucky aspect with other planets ; 
 " and then they imagined, that such an 
 " image, made of such materials, and in 
 " such position of the heavens, as a talis- 
 " man or charm, by which they supposed 
 " the influences of the stars themselves, 
 " with prayers and incense, were commu- 
 " nicated to the images, and that such 
 " images had the same powers and virtues 
 " with the stars they represented. 
 
 " This soon brought them to worship 
 " these images, as well as the stars them- 
 " selves ; they prayed to them, and sought 
 " to appease them with incense ; the wor- 
 " shippers clothed themselves in garments 
 " of such colours as they thought would 
 " be most proper and agreeable to such a 
 " planet. In the mean time they forgot 
 " God, and hoped to obtain the blessings, 
 " and escape the evils of life, through the 
 " favour of these spirits or angels inhabit- 
 ing the stars, and by the honours they 
 " paid to them in their images ; consider- 
 ing them as appointed the governors of 
 human affairs, and guardians of mortal 
 ft man. Hence their vain imagination, im- 
 '* proving this hypothesis, made some of 
 P4
 
 4O THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 " these angels presidents over kingdoms, 
 
 " cities, and particular persons, and gave 
 
 " them a dominion over the seasons of the 
 
 " year, the months, the days, and the 
 
 H , " hours. The planetary distribution of our 
 
 Hist. " days of the week, at this distance of time, 
 
 Reiig. t i s an evident proof of the antiquity and 
 
 rumTr.1. " universality of this part of idolatry, in 
 
 p. 128. " principle, as well as in practice." 
 
 It is no wonder, when all the planets 
 were thus supposed the palaces and seats 
 of angels and archangels, that the two 
 more glorious lights, the sun and moon, 
 should be the chief and most distinguished 
 objects of religious worship ; that the sun 
 should be reverenced as the king, and the 
 moon be addressed as the queen of hea- 
 ven, or that they should be honoured as 
 the heads of the other stars, the host of 
 Voss. de heaven. Hence there seems so often men- 
 idoktria, tion of Moloch and Baal, king and lord, for 
 xxi. p. the sun ; of Baaltis, Beltis, or Malcha, lady 
 205. a nd queen, for the moon, who is also sup- 
 posed the Astarte of the Syrians and Egyp- 
 tians, and the Astaroth of the Hebrews. 
 
 These seem the more common prin- 
 ciples of idolatry ; but some, as Maimonides 
 observes, went further, to assert the eternity 
 of the world, and that the stars they wor- 
 shipped were a sort of self-existent beings, 
 and was the real meaning of the fabulous 
 account they gave of the history of Adam*. 
 
 * Intentio autem iliorum in commemoratione Adami, 
 et eorum qua ei attributing ad nihil aliud tendit, quam
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 41 
 
 How long it was before the souls of 
 men departed were worshipped as gods, is 
 not certain ; but the doctrines of the exist- 
 ence of departed souls, and their advance- 
 ment in understanding and power, were 
 certainly very ancient. As the existence 
 of departed souls seems to have been the 
 received doctrine of the Hebrew nation, 
 there was reason for a particular caution 
 against consulting the dead, or, in our 
 translation, a necromancer f . This way of 
 divination by the dead, with the particular 
 ceremonies of it, by filling a trench with 
 blood, inviting the ghosts to partake of it, 
 and the eagerness with which they came 
 to feed upon the blood, are described at 
 length, by one of the oldest authors of Homer 
 Greece, and thoroughly acquainted with P,^ 88 .; 1 * 
 
 , , b . J . 11, nut. 
 
 the most ancient doctrines and ceremonies 
 of their religion. 
 
 Such were the received principles of 
 idolatry ; it became the wisdom of God to 
 guard the Hebrew nations against them, 
 when they were to be raised up the guar- 
 dians of true religion, to preserve the 
 knowledge and worship of the one true 
 God. 
 
 2. It also became the wisdom of God, 
 in giving a law to the Hebrews, to weaken 
 
 ad confirmandam sententiam de aeternitate mundi, et ut 
 inde porro sequatur, astra et orbes esse deos. Mai- 
 mon. Mor. Nevoc. P. III. c. xxix. p. 423. 
 f esTDon-^K um Deut. xviii. 11.
 
 42 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 all encouragements to idolatry. You see, 
 the principles of idolatry had made spirits 
 of great power inhabitants and governors 
 of the stars, guardians of mortal man, pre- 
 sidents of countries and cities, who could 
 foretel things to come, and bestow on their 
 favourites plentiful seasons, and punish 
 their enemies with barrenness and unfruit- 
 ful seasons ; so that they learned to look 
 for health and long life, and all manner of 
 prosperity, from their favour, and to fear 
 every evil from their displeasure. Thus 
 the astrologers (persons supposed best 
 skilled in the knowledge of the stars, and 
 of their influences, and the ways of making 
 an advantage to themselves from them) 
 imposed upon the ignorant vulgar, very 
 Hyde desirous of these blessings. They joined 
 advantages they were very fond of, with 
 the notions of piety and devotion, and 
 spread their poison more easily, till at the 
 last they were brought to worship those 
 stars, and their images, with a proper di- 
 vine worship. Thus they came to regard 
 the creature only, and to neglect alto- 
 gether the only Creator of all. 
 
 You easily perceive how fond most per- 
 sons are of knowing things to come, and 
 how greedily people use every method of 
 inquiring into future events, or of curing 
 diseases by charms, and such-like fooleries, 
 without any good reason, against all pro- 
 bability, and often even without a possibi-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP, 43 
 
 lity of any real effect at all. How much 
 more easily must this desire prevail, when 
 countenanced by numbers, as a point of 
 great knowledge and deep wisdom, to 
 know the natures, orders, and influences 
 of the immortal gods, and how to make 
 their office, as guardians of mortal men, 
 highly beneficial to themselves! 
 
 Many things concurred to draw the 
 whole world into these corruptions, from 
 the most common prejudices and affections 
 of the vulgar. Jt was wise to prevent 
 these fatal mischiefs, by cutting off these 
 encouragements, by discrediting all such 
 religious rites, and all pretenders to a skill 
 of obtaining these blessings, in the use of 
 them. It was wise to represent such rites 
 themselves as criminal, highly dishonour- 
 able to the true God. It was even neces- 
 sary, when such evil customs had such 
 advantages of prevailing, to guard the 
 Hebrew church by laws pointed directly 
 against them. 
 
 3. It was further a point of wisdom in 
 the Hebrew laws, to give a form of wor- 
 ship which should be a preservative against 
 the use of any idolatrous rite, in company 
 with their idolatrous neighbours. There 
 were many temptations, even in their usual 
 entertainments and conversations : their 
 sacrifices were attended with feasts, in 
 which they were used to indulge great 
 lewdness, as well as great excess. These
 
 44 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 were not only the effects sometimes of 
 their idolatrous rites, but often acts of 
 their idolatrous worship itself, as we have 
 before observed, in the festivals of Venus, 
 and the temples, in which many persons 
 were consecrated to debauchery. It was 
 easy to foresee the dangers of these tempt- 
 ations to intemperance and debauchery; 
 and wise, therefore, to prevent them. 
 
 The historical account how the He- 
 brews fell into the idolatry of the Moabites, 
 well shows the danger, and the reason of 
 it. But Israel abode in Shittim, and the 
 people began to commit whoredom with the 
 daughters of Moab. And they called the 
 people to the sacrifices of their gods ; and 
 the people did eat, and bow down to their 
 Num. gods; and Israel joined himself to Baal- 
 xxv. i, 2. Peor. This invitation, which the Moab- 
 Numb ' tes an ^ Midianites gave to the people of 
 xxxi.ie. Israel, to the sacrifices of their gods, or as 
 guests to the feasts, made upon their sa- 
 crifices, was given by the advice and coun- 
 sel of Balaam, as a most likely way to en- 
 snare them. Whatever may be in the 
 story told by the Jewish doctors, as 
 related by Bishop Patrick, it was very 
 likely that luxurious feasts, and the con- 
 versation of women prepared to entice 
 them, by lewdness, into idolatry, would 
 prevail upon them to join themselves to 
 Baal-Peor : it was necessary then to keep 
 the Hebrews from the danger of such con- 
 
 2
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 45 
 
 versations, if they were to be kept from 
 falling in with them in their idolatry. 
 
 4. It was also a point of wisdom, in 
 giving the Hebrews a law, to give them 
 such constitutions as would fix in their 
 minds a contempt of the superstitious 
 ceremonies and idolatrous rites of their 
 neighbours ; to teach them to account 
 those things abominable and polluting, 
 which idolatry recommended as holy, re- 
 ligious, and venerable : they were better 
 fenced against falling in with rites made 
 sacred by idolatrous principles, where they 
 were accustomed, by the rites of their 
 own religion, to account them a pollution, 
 and such a defilement as required an ex- 
 piation. It was of great use, more espe- 
 cially, to represent the magical rites of 
 idolatrous worship, not only as weak, 
 proceeding from a low understanding, and 
 want of a good judgment, but as a great 
 and dangerous corruption of true religion, 
 abominable in the sight of God, and there- 
 fore highly displeasing unto him. It be- 
 came then the wisdom of God to give a 
 ritual, in aid, to help against the silly su- 
 perstitions, and the immoral and wicked 
 rites so usually joined with them. In such 
 cases it was not unworthy the care of a 
 divine law to obviate any of those rites, 
 which as charms or spells, or any way, 
 were used to procure the presence of dae- 
 mons and ghosts, and oblige them to fore-
 
 40 THE RATIONAL OF T&E RITUAL 
 
 tel the future events of things to nations 
 and private persons; or were supposed as 
 acceptable to their idol gods> more surely 
 to conciliate their favour, protection, and 
 blessing. 
 
 Thus, if it was a custom in idol worship, 
 on what reasons soever, for men to wor- 
 ship in the garments of women, and wo- 
 men in the garments of men ; if idol wor- 
 shippers were accustomed to use blood, 
 especially in consulting the dead, as means 
 of raising ghosts and departed spirits, to 
 answer questions, and to divine by ; if they 
 were used to consecrate bats and mice, and 
 other insects, as a sacrifice of greatest ef- 
 ficacy with their principal god, the arch- 
 angel, presiding in the sun; it was a just 
 and wise reason why the Mosaical ritual 
 should treat such things with contempt, 
 and warn the Hebrews carefully to avoid 
 them, as highly unbecoming the purity, 
 dignity, and honour of a people chosen 
 and devoted to keep up the knowledge and 
 worship of the true God in the world. 
 These were superstitions of so evil and 
 dangerous consequences, that they de* 
 served more than the ridicule of Satire, for 
 their folly, to be treated as inconsistent 
 with the true honour and worship of God, 
 and highly displeasing to him. 
 
 When one design, then, of giving a ri* 
 tual of worship was to preserve from ido- 
 latrous customs, it must be wise to repre*
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 4? 
 
 sent them as contemptible and abominable 
 in the eyes of the Hebrews, however sa- 
 cred they might appear in the eyes of the 
 Canaanites or the Egyptians. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Another great Design of the Mosaical Ri- 
 tual of Worship was, to appoint such 
 ceremonial Constitutions as should best 
 and most effectually answer the fore- 
 going Ends. 
 
 THAT the worship of the Hebrew church, Mosaical 
 directed by the law of Moses, principally worship 
 
 . , . J - . r -5 j y was to be 
 
 consists in a great variety of rites and ce- a ritual> 
 remonies, every one knows, who knows 
 any thing at all of it ; but they are few, in 
 comparison, who receive the true reasons, 
 why this method was fit and wise above 
 all others, at that time and in those cir- 
 cumstances. Many now, at least, are apt 
 to say, they can hardly see any reasons at 
 all to justify their observation, at least, no 
 reasons sufficient to make them acts of 
 religious worship, of every part of wor- 
 ship, of the most solemn worship of the 
 whole church. But these and such-like 
 prejudices will appear, I hope, to pro- 
 ceed from want of a true knowledge and 
 right understanding of the real and wise 
 reasons of their appointment. There are 
 two ways of instruction, as well as of
 
 48 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 expressing devotion to God, and giving 
 honour unto his name ; the one by plain 
 doctrines and precepts, a plain revelation 
 of truths to be believed, and of duties 
 which religion requires to be done. This 
 is thought by many a good and sufficient 
 way of teaching religion, and to be pre- 
 ferred] to any other ; yet there is another 
 way of teaching the same truths and the 
 same duties, by significant actions ; for 
 actions, in many cases, have as plain a 
 meaning, and as easy signification, as words, 
 and, in some cases, are stronger expres- 
 sions, and convey a more emphatical mean- 
 ing. It is a proper inquiry, then, which 
 of these two methods of instruction was 
 most fit and proper on this particular oc- 
 casion ? This question can only be answer- 
 ed by a right understanding of the several 
 circumstances, of the persons, the times, 
 the designs and ends, of any institution of 
 religion. The wisdom of the means or 
 method of instruction will appear from 
 the more effectual influence they are found 
 in reason and experience to have, in ob- 
 taining the end and design proposed in the 
 use of them. Hence, in different circum- 
 stances, different methods will be found 
 most fit, aud are therefore most proper, 
 because most useful in attaining their ends. 
 If the following comparison does not 
 exactly hit the case, it may serve to illus- 
 trate it. Would any man use the same me-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. " 
 
 thods of reasoning with a ploughman or a 
 thrasher, as with a man of education and 
 learning ; or with a school-boy often years 
 of age, as with a man whose mind is ri- 
 pened by years, and his. judgment im- 
 proved by a knowledge of mankind, and 
 experience of the world ? 
 
 What then were the circumstances of 
 the Hebrew nation ? what the times 
 wherein the Mosaical law was given as a 
 ritual and ceremonial law, instead of a bare 
 revelation of doctrines and precepts, of a 
 more rational and spiritual worship? Con- 
 sider then the temper and genius of the 
 people, their customs, their manners, and 
 their deep-rooted opinions : consider the 
 great advantage of rites and ceremonies, 
 to answer every intention of this institution, 
 to promote the fear of God, to prevent 
 idolatry, and, which was of great import- 
 ance in this design, to keep up the me- 
 mory of the promises, and an expectation 
 of a better state of religion, when the de- 
 sire of all nations should come, and appear 
 the full glory of his people Israel. 
 
 1 . Then, it may appear a ritual law 
 was best suited to the genius of the Hebrew 
 nation, and most likely to influence their 
 minds. The Israelites were just come out 
 of Egypt, where they had been long in 
 bondage, used very hardly, and grievously 
 oppressed. The preface to their law put 
 the Israelites in mind of their deliverance :
 
 30 *HE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Exod.xx. lam the Lord thy God, ivhich have brought 
 ? thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the 
 
 house of bondage. Yet their masters the 
 Egyptians, however severe masters, were 
 the most fame.d people on the earth for 
 learning and wisdom, in particular for 
 their ceremonies of religion, which they 
 had invented with entertaining pomp and 
 show, attended with many festivals, cele- 
 brated with great luxury, as well as plenty. 
 Probably, the greatest ease the Israelites 
 might find in their state of bondage, was 
 in the holydays of their masters, and the 
 feasts which attended them ; they not be- 
 ing so scrupulous, very likely, while in 
 Egypt, as to refuse a portion of their 
 masters' feasts, because they had offered 
 some part of it a sacrifice to idols. 
 
 You see, then, the Israelites come out of 
 a state of bondage, of low understandings 
 and weak judgments, as persons oppressed, 
 and kept to hard labour, usually are. Mo- 
 ses, by a particular providence, learned 
 the wisdom of the Egyptians in the king's 
 court ; but the general body of the people 
 had neither leisure, nor opportunities, nor 
 abilities for acquirements of learning, or 
 great improvements of reason. I know 
 .not why some persons have taken the li- 
 berty to reflect upon the Hebrews, as not 
 having as good a natural capacity as other 
 people, or the Egyptians themselves; but 
 1 can easily see reasons to believe that a
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 51 
 
 low education, and great oppression, must 
 make them ignorant at.d unskilled in any 
 sort of reasonings above their common 
 affairs and business in life. 
 
 Besides, it appears, the method of in- 
 struction with which they were best ac- 
 quainted, and best understood, was a figu- 
 rative instruction by symbols. If the Isra- 
 elites had any methods of instruction at all, 
 it seems to have been by hieroglyphics. 
 This was a sort of language they were used 
 to, and would understand it much easier 
 than high disquisitions of moral truths, 
 and long rational proof of the obligations 
 of moral duties. They were so full of 
 esteem for rites and ceremonies, that, if it 
 had been left to their choice, they would 
 certainly have instituted them for them- 
 selves, nor would they have been satisfied 
 without them. How soon did they oblige 
 Aaron to make them a golden calf, that 
 they might have a visible symbol of the 
 presence of Jehovah, as their God among 
 them ? how soon did they appoint a feast 
 on that occasion, sat doivn to eat and Exodus 
 drink, and rose up to play ? Whether you xxxii. 6* 
 understand that expression, with some, in 
 a more innocent, or, with others, in a more 
 criminal sense, it is plain the Israelites were 
 prone to appoint such rites for their owa 
 use, as well as to join with their neigh- 
 bours in their use of them, and so be drawn 
 aside to the worship of Baal-Peor. It was 
 E 2
 
 52 THE RATIONAL OP THE RfTUAL 
 
 therefore proper, and necessary, to appoint 
 a ritual for this people, or they would have 
 made one for themselves; likely they would 
 have taken up with some idolatrous rites, 
 of more common use, or which would 
 have been soon corrupted into idolatry. 
 
 It was then very fit, that the Hebrews, 
 in these circumstances, should have a ri- 
 tual, which they were to reverence as of 
 divine authority, and which should remain 
 unchangeable by any future superstitious 
 customs or idolatrous rites, what fond- 
 ness soever they might have for them on 
 any account. 
 
 A ritual, it seems, they could not do 
 without, but it was fit they should have a 
 ritual free from what a weak judgment, 
 superstitious temper, or proneness to ido- 
 latry, would have made it. They were not 
 to be left to themselves, either first to make 
 a ritual, or afterwards to mend it, as they 
 might call it, but which, in- truth, would 
 have been to corrupt it, with alterations 
 or additions. Therefore the wisdom of God 
 directed a ritual of his own appointment, 
 which they had reason to reverence o;i 
 account of his wisdom and authority, and 
 which it was not lawful for them, on any 
 pretence, to alter. So the law expressly : 
 Dwt IT. jy ow therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the 
 statutes and unto the judgments which I 
 teach you, for to do them. Ye shall not 
 add unto the word which I command you,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 53 
 
 neither shall ye dimmish aught from it, 
 that ye may keep the commandment of the 
 Lord your God,ivhich I command you. So 
 proper was a ritual of worship for the 
 genius and circumstances of the Hebrew 
 nation, when their law was given them by 
 Moses. 
 
 2. Another consideration, that shows 
 the fitness of a ritual of worship for the 
 Hebrews, is, that it was as a necessary 
 hedge or fence to preserve, by principles of 
 religion, a pure worship of God, by cutting 
 off every pretence to a compliance with 
 idolatrous ceremonies. If the Israelites had 
 been without a ritual of their own, they 
 might, and likely would, have been un- 
 easy, looking upon the worship of their 
 neighbours as made more venerable by 
 their rites and ceremonies; at least, they 
 might have concluded, as they had no rites 
 in their own worship, they were things in- 
 different in religion ; that, if the use of 
 them was of no advantage, neither would 
 it do them any harm, How easily might 
 persons, thus reasoning in themselves, join 
 with their neighbours in their feasts of 
 Baal-Peor, if they found any pleasure in 
 them, or had any ends to serve by such 
 civilities. It became, then, the wisdom of 
 a law, which was designed as a wall of 
 partition to keep this holy nation from the 
 corruptions of an idolatrous world, to ap- 
 point the use of such rites as should make. 
 E 3
 
 54 
 
 it a point of religion to them, not to join 
 in any of the idolatrous rites of their 
 neighbours. In this view, it was wise to 
 make that unclean to the Hebrews, which 
 idolatry made sacred to their neighbours. 
 The pomp of shows, the luxury of splen- 
 did feasts, would lose much of their in- 
 fluence, if the Hebrews were sure to meet 
 with something unclean in them, according 
 to the ritual of their own religion. Sup- 
 pose, for instance, a general use of blood, 
 in their idolatrous festivals, as blood was 
 accounted the food of their daemons, and 
 they eating the flesh of the sacrifice, and 
 the daemons the blood, it became a kind 
 of idolatrous sacrament, and testimony of 
 their communion with idols ; was it not fit 
 the Hebrew ritual should make eating of 
 blood an unclearmess and pollution, more 
 effectually to preserve them from those fes- 
 tivals, where eating of blood was of sa- 
 cred and religious use ? 
 
 We see this idolatrous custom, and 
 may perceive the danger of it from Mai- 
 monides*, who represents it from their own 
 
 * Porro scito, quod licet sanguis immundus, et im- 
 pius admodum fuerit in oculis Zabiorum, tamen ab illis 
 comestus fuerit, eo quod existimarint, cibum hunc 
 esse daemonum ; et quod is qui, cum comedit, com- 
 municationem aliquam cum daemonibus acquirat ; ita ut 
 familiariter cum iflo conversentur, et futura ei aperiant, 
 prout vulgus daemonibus ita attribuere solet. Our He- 
 brew master further observes of some, who would not 
 eat of the blood themselves, yet had another way of com-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 5$ 
 
 books, as a custom ancient and extensive. 
 It might well, therefore, give a reason for 
 that constitution, Only ye shall not eat the Deut.xii. 
 blood, ye shall pour it upon the earth, as 
 water : And ye shall not eat any thing with Lev. xix. 
 the blood ; rather, as learned men have 26 
 observed, at, or by, the blood. This use oirt V* 
 of blood in idolatrous feasts, the danger of 
 misleading the Hebrews into idolatry by 
 it, is a wise and sufficient reason for a con- 
 stitution in their law, to forbid the use of 
 blood. And this also teaches the necessity 
 of a ritual, as a middle wall of partition, 
 effectually to separate them from all the 
 idolatrous customs of their neighbours, 
 since it must have been very dangerous to 
 them, if their own worship had allowed 
 them to join with their neighbours, even 
 in their idolatrous usages. 
 
 3. The reason and wisdom of a ritual A ritual 
 of worship for the Hebrews, may also ap- J p ^ op ^' 
 pear as a proper and honourable distinction able dis- 
 of that people, as an holy nation to Je- tinctkm 
 hovah. It became a people, which was Hebrews, 
 separated from the rest of the world, to 
 
 mutiion with the dtemon : Hi mactantes bestiam aliquam, 
 sauguinem ejus accipiebant, et in vase, vel fossula aliqua 
 colligebant, carnem vero mactatam circa ilium sangui- 
 iiem, in circulo sedentes, coniedebant, imaginantes sibi, 
 in hoc opere, ipsis carnem comedentibus, da?mones ilium 
 sanguinem comedere, et hunc ipsorum esse cibum, hoc- 
 que medio amicitiam, fraternitatem, et familiaritatem 
 inter ipsos contrahi, quia o nines in una mensa edunt, et 
 uno. concessu accumbunt. Maimon. Mor. Neb. P. 
 III. c. xlvi. p. 484. 
 
 4
 
 56 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 keep the faith, and maintain the worship 
 of the one true God; to have visible marks 
 of their designation to this service, and 
 such honourable distinctions as should raise 
 their own esteem, and conciliate the esteem 
 of others, for the dignity of their character, 
 as an holy nation. This design in their 
 ritual is pointed out directly by Moses : 
 Behold, I have taught you statutes and 
 judgments, even as the Lord my God com- 
 manded me, that you should do so in the 
 land whither you go to possess it; keep 
 therefore and do them, for this is your 
 wisdom and your understanding in the 
 sight of the nations, which shall hear all 
 these statutes, and say, Surely this great 
 nation is a wise and understanding people: 
 for luhat nation is there so great, who hath 
 God so nigh unto them as the Lord our 
 God, in all things that we call upon him 
 for? and what nation is there so great, 
 that hath statutes and judgments so righ- 
 
 Deut iv teous * a ^ ^is law which I set before you 
 
 5,6,7,8. this day? 
 
 This, among other reasons, was very 
 proper to shew the great use of a ritual 
 for the Hebrews, that they might perceive 
 themselves what honour was put upon 
 them, as consecrated to God, above all 
 other nations of the earth, and that the 
 world, when it saw the wisdom of their 
 law and constitutions, should say, Surely
 
 OF THE HEBBEW WORSHIP. 
 
 this nation is a ivise and understanding 
 people. 
 
 There had been rites of very ancient 
 use, to express the purity required in the 
 worship of God, and the devotion of heart 
 in which the acceptable worship of God 
 will always chiefly consist; such as an ac- 
 knowledgment of the evil and guilt of 
 sin; of the holiness and justice of God; 
 an acknowledgment of God, as the author 
 of every good and perfect gift. Expres- 
 sions of a grateful sense of the goodness of 
 God in every blessing of life ; of hope 
 and trust in the favour of God, for future 
 mercies ; and an honourable acknowledg- 
 ment of God's power and good-will, the 
 most rational foundation of hope, for the 
 future blessings of life, through his pro- 
 tection: all these were well expressed in 
 the easy signification of sin offerings, peace 
 offerings, and sacrifices of thanksgiving. 
 How ancient was the use of sacrifices ! 
 how well was this meaning of them un- 
 derstood, in the patriarchal state ! It 
 seems that, in general, this custom was 
 derived from the same original to the 
 Chaldeans and Egyptians, as well as the 
 Hebrews. But, as the nations fell into 
 idolatry, the use of sacrifices was very soon 
 so corrupted as to become some of the 
 highest acts of idolatrous worship, and de- 
 generated not only into weak and ridicu- 
 Jous, but into very immoral and wicked
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 actions. They sacrificed men, and wo- 
 men, and children, to Mithra, and divined 
 by their entrails, as Dr. Hyde* has observed 
 from Photius. The many abominations 
 practised, allowed, and even made sacred 
 in the sacrificial rites of idolaters, made the 
 use of sacrifices in their original purity, 
 preserving them in their first good mean- 
 ing and intention, a very honourable dis- 
 tinction of the Hebrew nation, as guardians 
 of the purity of religious worship. 
 
 Their marks of purity, as the worship- 
 pers of the true God, were marks of their 
 distinguishing privileges and honours ; the 
 visible presence of Jehovah was a glory to 
 their temple. The privilege of so near ap- 
 proach to the glorious presence of God, 
 dwelling between the cherubim ; the an- 
 swers of the oracle byllrim andThummim ; 
 the altars of burnt offering and incense so 
 immediately before the presence of the one 
 true God, the only Creator and Lord of 
 heaven and earth, of angels and men, and 
 every creature, as the ritual taught, and so 
 clearly expressed : these must, in the es- 
 teem of the Hebrews, be an honourable 
 distinction of their nation from other 
 people ; it must be to their honour in the 
 sight of the nations, who should ever right- 
 ly compare their rituals together ; but for 
 
 Hyde Rel. Vet. Pen. 112.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 5Q 
 
 both these ends it was convenient and ne- 
 cessary this distinction should be visible, 
 without which it would not have been ob- 
 servable to themselves, or others. It was 
 therefore for this, as well as other reasons, 
 to be a ritual. 
 
 Let it be added, the law of Moses was A figure 
 designed to be a figure of good things to J^ ^ 
 come, it was therefore necessary it should com e, 
 be a ritual. The Apostle to the Hebrews must be 
 has so fully asserted and proved this design ntu 
 of the Mosaical law, that there is no room 
 left to question it, where the authority of 
 that Epistle is received. Indeed, the most 
 surprising agreement between the ritual 
 description, and the truth of the things 
 designed to be represented, is such, that 
 every one who considers it with any atten- 
 tion, must confess, that the law of Moses 
 is the gospel of the Messiah, in hierogly- 
 phic, or figure. So distinctly, so exactly 
 does it represent the person, the offices, 
 and the actions of the Messias, the grace, 
 blessings, and happiness of the Christian 
 church ; as we shall see more fully, in its 
 proper place. 
 
 As this was one design of the law itself, 
 to preserve the memory of the promise, 
 and prepare for the accomplishment of it, 
 it was highly fit and wise, that both should 
 be answered by a ritual; for, supposing such 
 a design in the Hebrew law, it could not 
 have been answered any other way, at least
 
 00 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 so well, as by a ritual. Whatever notions 
 some may have of the preference of a ra- 
 tional worship to a ritual, or of the advan- 
 tage of a deliverance from a yoke of nu- 
 merous, chargeable, and burdensome rites, 
 they should not, however, add useless and 
 insignificant rites and ceremonies, when 
 they speak of the Mosaical law ; for they 
 were very significant, and of very great 
 use, all things considered, to answer many 
 good designs by them, most suited to the 
 then circumstances of the world, and of 
 religion in it, most suited to the particular 
 circumstances of the Hebrew nation, and 
 the design of raising them to be the guar- 
 dians of true religion. 
 
 If, then, we would rightly judge of the 
 fitness, expediency, or wisdom of the He- 
 brew ritual, it must be very wrong to take 
 an estimate of it, by considering only what 
 we imagine the most perfect plan of reli- 
 gion, considered in itself, should have been, 
 without taking into consideration the true 
 state and condition of the world and reli- 
 gion, a.nd those circumstances which were 
 of such consequence, that, without 9. re- 
 gard to them, there was reason to fear true 
 religion wpuld soon have been lost in the 
 world, as, experience had then shown it 
 was in the idolatrous nations, and as it was 
 just going to be among the Hebrews too, 
 if the goodness of God had not taken some 
 care to prevent it.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. Ol 
 
 Every one will perceive the law of Moses 
 was in fact given with these views ; so 
 that these reasons are not given by guess ; 
 they are not an hypothesis formed on 
 imagination, on doubtful or mistaken prin- 
 ciples : they are grounded on unquestion- 
 able facts, most evident in the whole plan 
 of the law itself. View the whole Hebrew 
 ritual in this light, and you will see the 
 whole and every part of it proper and fit 
 to answer these ends. The whole appears 
 uniform and rational, if referred to them ; 
 but it must do violence to their plain mean- 
 ing and intention, if you force upon it 
 another meaning, and intentions incon- 
 sistent with it. And it seems as evident, 
 that these designs of giving a law are every 
 way worthy the goodness and wisdom of 
 God, and were the glory and happiness of 
 the Hebrew nation. What is there in any 
 of these designs, but what was fit to be 
 considered, in giving a new law to the fa- 
 mily of Abraham, when that family was 
 appointed to preserve the knowledge and 
 worship of the one true God in the world, 
 and the memory of their own privileges, 
 hopes, and happiness, as the people, and 
 only church of God in the world ? Here 
 were indeed additions to the laws of the 
 patriarchal and Abrahamic worship ; but 
 they were an addition of wise and neces- 
 sary laws, to keep this church from the 
 greatest danger, and to preserve the essen-
 
 THE ftATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 tials of true religion and worship among 
 them. To answer these ends, it was ne- 
 cessary to appoint a ritual of worship, very 
 particular and exact, that no room might 
 be left to corrupt their law by any liberty 
 of additions or alteration. Could the wit 
 of man have contrived a ritual more ser- 
 viceable to these ends ? Was this a matter 
 of so little consequence, to be left, in such 
 circumstances, to bare, dry instructions, 
 to a people of low understanding, preju- 
 diced in favour of idolatrous principles and 
 usages, which had already baffled all the 
 learning and wisdom of the Egyptians ? 
 Hard it is, and very unjust, to object 
 against this law, as a yoke of bondage, 
 when it was a necessary fence to the laws 
 of true religion, a necessary wall of par- 
 tition from an idolatrous world ; nor is it 
 easy to conceive how the wisdom of God 
 could have answered these designs better 
 in any other way. 
 
 As, then, these considerations will open 
 to us the true reason of the Mosaical law 
 and ritual of worship, so they will show 
 them, all things considered, a very useful, 
 and therefore a wise constitution, well be- 
 coming the wisdom and goodness of God 
 to appoint.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 63 
 
 P A R T II. 
 
 ,*mft : 
 -1*. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 How the, foregoing Plan of a Ritual 
 ansivered in the Mosaical Law. 
 
 
 HAVING premised the general reasons, 
 from which the Hebrew ritual was like to 
 be formed as a proper plan, offered by the 
 then circumstances of the world and 
 church, it will be proper to consider the 
 actual execution of this design, and what 
 ritual was appointed by Moses, agreeable 
 to them. It is only such a consideration 
 of the constitutions of Moses, that can 
 show us how far they answer these wise 
 and good designs proposed by them. It is 
 too common for men to take the law of 
 Moses, as it were, to pieces, to examine 
 one particular rite or ceremony singly and 
 by itself, and then to reflect upon it, as, 
 weak, useless, and unprofitable to promote 
 true virtue and goodness, the chief ends of 
 religion, and too hastily conclude, without 
 due examination, such constitutions un- 
 worthy the wisdom of God. But this is 
 going much too fast. The wisdom of par- 
 ticulars is often indiscernible, considered in 
 themselves only. When considered as parts
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 of an whole, and of what service they are 
 to the harmony, the strength, and the use 
 of it* they discover a wisdom which would 
 otherwise be al together un perceived: thus, 
 consider the Hebrew ritual in some one par- 
 ticular ceremony, and you may not see 
 either the end or the use of the institution; 
 when, if you consider the place it has in the 
 ritual, and how it contributes to the har- 
 mony of the whole, you will see how it pro- 
 motes the general design of the whole, a 
 design most useful and profitable, to pro- 
 mote true virtue and goodness, from the 
 best principles, the fear and love of God. 
 
 As the Hebrew ritual has generally been 
 considered, some parts of it seem to have 
 been considered very imperfectly, or hardly 
 at all. And too often other parts of it 
 seem to have been over-considered, by mix- 
 ing the additions of the rabbies to the rites 
 of Moses, which alone ought to be account- 
 ed the Hebrew ritual: these traditions have 
 in many things obscured and corrupted the 
 primitive laws, that their true use and de- 
 sign have been lost to observation ; they 
 have been so far perverted into another 
 meaning, that men have been taught by 
 them to transgress the commandments of 
 God. Our Saviour gives a very remarkable 
 instance of this. They had carried the ob- 
 ligation of a vow so far as to teach, if a 
 man had made a vow of a sum of money
 
 for the use of the temple, he was so far 
 excused from providing for his own pa- Matt. xv. 
 rents in their necessities. s. 
 
 Consider then this ritual, not as loose . 
 unconnected laws, but as a regular system, 
 and body of laws, taking care of every 
 part of religion, omitting nothing proper 
 to be taken care of, and ordering every 
 thing to answer one common wise design, 
 the glory of God, the only proper object of 
 worship, and the perfection and happiness 
 of the worshippers in virtue and goodness, 
 in the protection and blessing of the Su- 
 preme God, and we shall be able to form a 
 right judgment of it. So God directed 
 Moses to declare to the congregation of the 
 children of Israel, Ye shall be holy, for I the Levit. 
 Lord your God am holy. A consideration ad**** 
 of the Hebrew ritual, as a whole body of 
 laws, would evidently show the mistake of 
 interpreting the holiness of the law of the 
 Mosaical ritual as only ceremonial, consist* 
 ing in outward washings, purifications, ex- 
 piations, and the like. It would plainly 
 show, that the true spirit and meaning of 
 the whole law, and of each particular rite 
 of it, of all ceremonial holiness itself, was 
 to teach and exhort the Hebrews, as an 
 holy nation, to serve God in purity of heart, 
 in real holiness, in a conformity to the 
 whole will, and to the perfections of the 
 holy God himself. The ritual of the He- 
 fcrews had a body of moral laws, as well
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 as ceremonial constitutions, appointed in 
 it. This the ritual itself plainly taught ; 
 thus the prophets, the best expositors of 
 the laws of Moses, explained it. 
 
 It may be further of use to have a short 
 plan, and in some order before us, of this 
 state of religion, which was of divine origi- 
 nal, of long continuance, and a figure of 
 our own, now the promised Messiah has 
 given the world the last and most perfect 
 state of religion : this will help to show the 
 proper wisdom and goodness of the law of 
 Moses, as to its design ; and the greater 
 comparative excellency of the Gospel of 
 Christ, which has blessed all nations of the 
 earth with much better things than these. 
 
 It is not material, I think, in what order 
 or method the laws of this ritual shall be 
 digested. I may be indulged, I hope, to 
 follow my own plan ; as some of the laws 
 of this ritual more particularly regard the 
 object of the Hebrew worship, and the 
 worship to be given to Jehovah as the one 
 true God. As other laws more particularly 
 regard the Hebrew church and nation as 
 the seed of Abraham, and a peculiar people 
 to Jehovah, separate from the idolatrous 
 nations consecrated to his service, and to 
 worship him as the only Holy One of Israel; 
 I shall first consider those laws of the ri- 
 tual which relate to Jehovah the object 
 of their worship, and to the worship the 
 ritual directed to be given to Jehovah, or 
 3
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 to be offered before the presence ; and in 
 the next I shall consider those laws of the 
 ritual which relate to the holiness of the 
 Hebrew nation, as the church of Jehovah 
 and holy seed of Abraham, who were to 
 keep themselves from idols, and from all 
 idolatrous customs. These two considera- 
 tions will prepare the way to apply the 
 whole ritual and every part of it, to the 
 designs for which it was formed, which 
 will best show the wisdom and the good- 
 ness of these laws. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Ritual of the Schechinah, or Presence of 
 Jehovah, the Object of Worship, and of 
 the Worship directed to be offered at the 
 Presence of Jehovah, or the Shechinah. 
 
 ONE great end of the Hebrew ritual and 
 of all its laws, was to preserve the know- 
 ledge and worship of the one true God, in 
 the family of Abraham, chosen, raised, fa- 
 voured, blessed, above all nations for this 
 purpose. As their neighbour heathen na^ 
 tions boasted much in the near presence 
 of their idol gods, in their images and 
 temples, to whom they could have imme- 
 diate access as their guardians and pro- 
 tectors, and to whom they could make 
 known their requests without any delay ; 
 so it pleased God to give his favoured 
 people an assurance of his immediate pre- 
 
 F 2
 
 ftfl THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 sence with them, that his protection and 
 blessing were near at hand, ready at what 
 time soever they called upon Jehovah as 
 their God. God's universal presence might 
 have been a just foundation for this hope 
 to men who had a right understanding of 
 the perfections of God, who had capacities 
 and leisure for such reasonings as should 
 evidence the omnipresence of God ; but as, 
 in the then state of the world, and of the 
 Hebrew nation, very few could be sup- 
 posed capable of deep reasonings, or suffi- 
 ciently attentive to them ; and as they 
 were much influenced by the common pre- 
 judices ; and as this Jaw was to be a ritual, 
 for the reasons you have already seen ; it 
 became the wisdom of God, as useful to 
 all the ends of the ritual, to appoint a- vi- 
 sible symbol of his presence, and to fix the 
 residence of this presence in the temple, 
 or sanctuary, to direct all the worship of 
 the church to it, as a kebla ; to give out all 
 the laws and orders from it, as an oracle ; 
 and to keep there the state of a court, as 
 supreme civil magistrate, and king of Israel. 
 The whole worship of the Hebrew church, 
 directed to this presence, as a kebla *, the 
 
 Kebla, in the eastern writers, is used for a certain 
 point in the heavens, as the east, or sun-rising ; or the 
 situation of a place or temple to which persons turned 
 their faces when they prayed, as the Hebrews did to- 
 wards Jerusalem. It is now become a term to denote the . 
 place of the prescnce,of God.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 whole civil government centring in it, in 
 the last resort, as an oracle, make this part 
 of the ritual of great and necessary use, 
 to a full understanding of the whole. I 
 should imagine some part of the obscurity 
 of these laws of Moses arises from hence, 
 that the true intent and meaning of the 
 presence of Jehovah in the sanctuary, has 
 not been so clearly and so fully explained 
 as it might have been. 
 
 Before this Hebrew ritual there was no 
 fixed residence of the divine presence, or 
 visible appearance of the glory of Jehovah 
 in one particular place ; yet God was pleas- 
 ed, even from the beginning, to appear on 
 particular occasions, to speak to the fa- 
 thers, and to make known his will, by his 
 oracle, to the patriarchs. Such were the 
 appearances of Jehovah to Abraham, the 
 command and revelation of God to Noah, 
 the several appearances of God to our first 
 parents, especially in that circumstantial 
 account Moses gives so particularly of the 
 appearance of Jehovah, and voice of the Gen. Hi. 
 oracle. 8> &c. 
 
 Infinite being does indeed infer infinite 
 presence. The light of reason, as well as 
 revelation, teaches, that the heaven of hea- 
 vens cannot contain God, but that he fills 
 heaven and earth, as he declares of him- 
 self. In this sense God is equally present 
 in all places and with all persons, and has 
 a constant and immediate influence on 
 F 3
 
 70 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 every creature through the immeasurable 
 extent of the whole creation. But as God 
 is invisible to bodily sense, as every spiri- 
 tual being necessarily is, this presence of 
 God is to be perceived by the eyes of the 
 understanding only, neither to be seen by 
 the eye, or heard by the ear, or manifested 
 to any of our bodily senses. Yet as the 
 wisdom of God thought fit, for many good 
 reasons, to manifest himself and his will, 
 on extraordinary occasions, to particular 
 persons, by visible appearances and the 
 audible voice of an oracle, such appear- 
 ances have been usually called, and I think 
 very properly, God's special presence. 
 Now, the notice of such a presence con- 
 veyed to men by their bodily senses, must 
 of necessity be local and sensible ; for, as 
 the presence of men is local, they can see 
 and hear only in one place ; and as their 
 bodily senses can only perceive a bodily 
 appearance, it was necessary such appear- 
 ance of the divine presence should be local 
 and sensible ; but this, you easily under- 
 stand, without any prejudice to the uni- 
 versal presence of Jehovah, a perfection of 
 his infinite nature and being, or of his ne- 
 cessary and self existence, of which the 
 ritual has taken very great care, as we shall 
 hereafter see : so that this gracious pre- 
 sence of Jehovah in the church of Israel, 
 must not be mistaken, as some seem to 
 imagine, either from weakness of judg-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 7* 
 
 merit or a prejudiced heart, determined 
 beforehand to find fault, as if it inferred 
 Jehovah to be a local tutelar God ; for the 
 symbols of the presence only are local, 
 they are symbols of the presence of an in- 
 finite Being, whose presence therefore fills 
 heaven and earth. 
 
 But the better to understand this prin- 
 cipal part of the Hebrew ritual, for the sake 
 of which the other laws of the ritual were 
 made, and by which we shall better under- 
 stand their meaning and use, let us con- 
 sider it in two views ; first, what it is de- 
 signed to represent, and, in the next place, 
 what the representation was. 
 
 I. Consider then, in the first place, What the 
 
 C V* I* " 
 
 what this visible appearance, or Schechi- ^h re- 1 " 
 nah, was designed to represent. If you present- 
 take your account from the whole history e ^ 
 and worship of the Hebrew church, from 
 the several directions and laws of the ri- 
 tual relating to the Schechinah, you will 
 perceive it was designed to represent Je- 
 hovah, the God and the King of Israel. It 
 was not designed to represent any of the 
 intelligences, angels, or archangels, sup- 
 posed to inhabit and animate the sun, the 
 moon, or any of the stars the host of hea- 
 ven. It was not to represent an Osiris or 
 an Isis, a Jupiter or a Juno, or any of the 
 immortal gods, or deified men, whose pre- 
 sence the idolatrous world courted, and 
 which they hoped to fix in their images 
 
 F4
 
 f2 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 and temples. In opposition to all these 
 false gods, whether styled immortal gods 
 or illustrious heroes, whether angels, or 
 the departed souls of great men, the Sche^ 
 chinahofthe Hebrews was the presence 
 of Jehovah ; this you see is expressed in 
 the constant style given to him, of the true 
 God, high above all gods, the Lord of 
 Hosts, the Almighty Cod, Jehovah, who 
 says of himself, / am that I am ; who 
 requires in the most solemn part of the 
 law, that the whole church should own 
 Exod.xx. and acknowledge him to be the Lord 
 their God, and that they should have no 
 other God besides him. 
 
 This character of the God of Israel re- 
 presented by the Schechinah is confirmed 
 in the solemn worship of the church. So- 
 lomon, at the dedication of the temple, 
 stood before the altar of Jehovah, in the 
 presence of all the congregation, and spread 
 2 Chr. vi. forth his hands and said, O Jehovah, God 
 12, 14. of Israel, there is no God like thee, in the 
 heaven nor the earth : he further owns, 
 this Jehovah, to whom he addresses his 
 prayer, is that infinite Being, whose pre^- 
 48. sence is every where; Will Godin very deed 
 dwell with men on the earth ? Behold, the 
 heaven, and the heaven of heavens, cannot 
 contain thee, how much less this house, 
 which I have built. And concludes this per 
 jl, tition in these remarkable words: Hearken 
 therefore to the supplications of thy ser-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 7 4 
 
 -vant, and of thy people Israel, which they 
 shall make towards this place ; hear thou 
 from thy dwelling- pi ace, even from heaven, 
 and when thou hearest forgive. How the 
 church considered the character of Jeho- 
 vah their God, in the after-days of Nehe- 
 miah, may appear from their solemn prayer, 
 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone (or, thou Neh.ix,6. 
 only art Jehovah) : thou hast made heaven, 
 the heaven of heavens, ivith all their host; 
 the earth, and all things that are therein, 
 the seas, and all that is therein ; and thou 
 preservest them all, and the host of heaven 
 2vorshippeth thee. 
 
 Jehovah, then, the God of Israel, who 
 was represented in the Schechinah, was not 
 any local tutelar God ; but, as Moses de- 
 scribes him, Knoiv therefore this day, and Peut. iv. 
 consider it in thine heart, that the Lord '^' 
 (Jeliovah) lie is God in heaven above, and 
 upon the earth beneath ; there is none else. 
 This is so fully and so clearly set before us 
 for our observation, that the whole design 
 and use of the Hebrew ritual and worship 
 will be found finally to centre in it. 
 
 II. Consider now how Jehovah was re- 
 presented in the ritual. This representa- 
 tion is usually called the Shechinah, the 
 habitation, or dwelling, from an Hebrew 
 word that signifies to inhabit or dwell ; so p* 
 that the tabernacle, from the same word 
 Shacan, is called mishcan. God therefore Exod, 
 directs, ^nd let them make me a sanctuary; xxv, g, 

 
 74 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 that I may dwell amongst them. Shechi- 
 nah, then, is the proper word to express 
 this extraordinary appearance of Jehovah 
 in his temple, and which I shall therefore 
 make use of in what I have further to say 
 on this subject. There is another word by 
 which this extraordinary appearance is 
 
 a.xi.rbX often expressed, which may give some fur- 
 ther light to the ritual of the appearance : 
 
 mn TIM it is called the glory, or the glory of God, 
 Chebod Jehovah. The ancient Greek inter- 
 preters, and the writers of the New Testa- 
 
 &, or ment use the same expression, to denote 
 
 Jog* the extraordinary presence of God. It is 
 observed of the presence of God on Mount 
 Sinai, And the glory of the Lord abode on 
 Mount Sinai. And the sight of the glory 
 of the Lord was like devouring Jire, on 
 the top of the Mount, in the eyes of the 
 children of Israel*. In allusion to this, 
 
 Heb,.5. the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, 
 calls the cherubim overshadowing the 
 mercy-seat, the cherubim of glory, or of 
 the glory ; that is, of the Shechinah of Je- 
 hovah dwelling between the cherubim, 
 over the mercy-seat. St. Peter uses the 
 same expression, when, speaking of the 
 voice from heaven at Christ's transfigura- 
 
 jPet.1. tion, or the oracle which declared him 
 
 17 - God's beloved Son, he calls it the voice 
 
 * In the original, in V* mn 1133 po, which the 
 LXX thus translate : xo *aTs/3j J |a ra m T, TO Opoj T 
 <w . frj Kv g i txrii Wf
 
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 75 
 
 from the excellent glory * ; manifestly 
 using it as an expression equivalent to the 
 glory of Jehovah. Before we examine 
 what was the particular symbol of this pre- 
 sence, or glory of Jehovah, it will be proper 
 to consider the general meaning of the 
 Shechinah, in which the Hebrew masters 
 will afford us some light. 
 
 Maimonides has a particular chapter on Mor. 
 this expression, Shechinah. " This word, as 
 " is known, signifies," he says, " continu- 
 " ance of station, or staying in some parti- 
 " cular place ; thence it is applied also to 
 " things inanimate, and so to every thing 
 " which remains constantly and much in 
 " any thing, although that thing in which 
 *' the other remains is not place, and 
 " though that thing which so remains is 
 " not animate." He explains his meaning, 
 otherwise somewhat obscure, by an ex- .1 ii 
 ample : " When Job cursed the day of his 
 " birth, he uses this expression, Let a Job, iii.5. 
 " cloud dwell upon it. Here," says Mai- 
 monides, " it is manifest, that the cloud is 
 " nothing animated, nor is day a body or 
 " any thing incorporeal, but only a portion 
 " of time ; and according to this use," he 
 adds, " it is ascribed to the Creator, to ex- 
 " press the dwelling or stay of his majesty 
 " and providence, in any place ; for where- 
 " ever he shall place the signs of his majesty 
 *< and providence, and wherever he causes 
 
 * TWO T15 plF
 
 7 <5 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 " his providence to dwell, he is said to 
 ' dwell there ; wherefore, wherever this 
 " action (of dwelling) is found ascribed 
 " to the Creator, it signifies the continu- 
 " ance of his majesty, that is, of a created 
 " light, in some place, or of the divine 
 " Providence, in some thing, according to 
 " the intention of each place *." 
 
 This learned master explains his mean- 
 ing more fully in another place : '* Some- 
 " times a created splendour (or light) is 
 " meant by the glory of the Lord, which 
 " God causes to continue in some place, a 
 " a wonder, or miracle, to represent his 
 " magnificence ; as, And the glory of the 
 " Lord abode on Mount Sinai, and the 
 " cloud covered it f." This is what he 
 often calls, occasionally, the created light: 
 " If," says he, "you will understand by the 
 Part I " gl rv of the Lord the created light, there 
 lib. xix. " will be nothing absurd in it." 
 
 This Shechinah is also called the pre- 
 sence, or the face of God : And he (Jeho- 
 
 * Quare, in quoctinque loco, actio haec (habitatio) 
 invenitur attributa Creator!, significat comtnorationem 
 inaj. statis ipsius, h. e. glorias creatae in loco aliquo, vel 
 Pruvidentiam diviuam, in re quapiam pro ratione, sell. 
 uniuscujusque loci. r Ma imon. Part I. lib. xxv. 
 
 f Per gloriam Domini significatur nonnunquam 
 splendor aliquis creatus, quern Deus quasi prodigii vel 
 xniraculi loco, ad magnificentiam suam ostundendam, 
 alicwbi habitare fecit, ut, " Et habitavit gloria Domini 
 " super Montem Sinai, et obtexit eupi." Idem, Pa^rt i 
 lib. Uiv. 
 
 3
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 77 
 
 vah} said, My presence shall go with thee. 
 In the original 'S3 TheLXX, with good rea- 
 son, render it, I myself will go before you. 
 Onkelos, the Chaldee paraphrast, calls it, 
 My Shechinah, and the Arabic version, 
 My light. 
 
 There is one thing more relating to this 
 Shechinah in general, which you are to ob- 
 serve, that the tabernacle and temple were 
 from thence called the place which the 
 Lord should choose to put his name there : 
 But unto the place which the Lord your Deut.xiL 
 God shall choose out of all your tribes, to 5 * 
 put his name there, even to his habitation, 
 shall you seek, and thither shalt thou come. 
 God himself afterwards expresses the sanc- 
 tification of his temple by his presence in 
 it : For now have I chosen and sanctified 2 Chron. 
 this house, that my name may be therefor vu * 16 * 
 ever, and mine eye and heart shall be there 
 perpetually ; so that for God to put his 
 name upon the place he had chosen for 
 his presence, is expressive of the Shechi- 
 nah, the divine glory or majesty ; and so 
 the ancient interpreters, before mentioned, 
 call it his Shechinah, and his light. Bishop 
 Patrick seems to give a plain and just sense 
 of these expressions, in few words, on. 
 Deut. xii. 5. By the name of God is 
 meant, he observes, God himself; as, to 
 call upon his name, is to call upon him ; 
 and therefore the sense is, where he would 
 make his dwelling-place, by settling the
 
 78 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ark and cloud of glory there, which was 
 the token of his presence. Upon this ge- 
 neral account of the Shechinah most have 
 formed a notion of it, as an extraordinary 
 -, appearance of some visible and sensible 
 symbol or token of God's presence in some 
 shape of light, or form of a luminous body. 
 But to understand more clearly the in- 
 tention, meaning, and use of this principal 
 part of the Hebrew ritual, it will be of im- 
 portance to consider what visible appear- 
 ance was made the symbol of the presence, 
 majesty, glory, or name of God ; and how 
 this symbol of the presence was to be re- 
 ceived into its sanctuary, to be present with 
 the Hebrew church and nation, as their 
 God and King. As, then, the sanctuary was 
 directed to be built as a place where the 
 Shechinah was to reside, when rightly un- 
 derstood, it will give a more useful under- 
 standing of the Shechinah, or the glorious 
 presence of God itself. 
 
 Form of l. First let us consider the manner or 
 the She- form of the appearance itself: for, what- 
 
 chiuah. -i i 
 
 ever is visible must so appear as to be seen 
 in some shape or other, and so was the 
 Shechinah: though there is an express 
 prohibition to make any similitude or 
 image of God, it is explained to mean a 
 graven image, the similitude of any figure, 
 the likeness of male or female of any beast 
 of the earth, the likeness of any winged 
 foivl that flieth in the air, the likeness of
 
 Or THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 7 
 
 any thins that creepeth on the ground, the 
 
 n * r L*\TL i xz, Deut. iv. 
 
 Likeness oj any jish that is in the waters 15 16 
 
 beneath the earth ; that is, to make any 17, 18. 
 image after the manner of the Egyptians, 
 or Canaanite idolaters : therefore the He- 
 brews are exhorted, Take ye therefore good 
 heed unto yourselves ; for ye saw no manner 
 of similitude on thy day that the Lord 
 spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst 
 of the Jire ; and ye heard the voice of the 
 words, but saw no similitude, only ye heard D eutt Tf 
 a voice. Though they saw a fire, it was 12. 
 not in the likeness or shape of any sort of 
 a creature, as the images of idolaters ; here 
 was not the form of a calf, a lion, an 
 eagle, or a man, or any sort of beast, bird, 
 fish, or insect. Not to indulge conjectures 
 concerning the form in which the Shechi- 
 nah did appear, for it must appear in some 
 shape to be visible, though not in the simi- 
 litude of any of those animals which the 
 Egyptians and Canaanites had made the 
 symbols of their idols ; yet if we will care- 
 fully mind the manner in which the ap- 
 pearances of the Shechinah on record, are 
 described in Scripture, we shall sufficiently 
 understand the manner of the appearance, 
 and very nearly the form in which Jeho- 
 vah manifested himself by his visible She- 
 chinah. Let us consider a few of these 
 appearances in particular. 
 
 1 . We have an account of the appear- 
 ance of the Shechinah to Moses, which, as
 
 80 THE RATIONAL Ot 1*HE RlTtfAL 
 
 far as concerns our inquiry after the form 
 of it, is to this purpose : And the angel of 
 the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of 
 Jirc, out of the midst of a bush; and he look* 
 ed, and behold the bush burned with fire, 
 and the bush was not consumed. An angel 
 of the Lord, in general, means some mes- 
 senger from God, for angel is properly a 
 name of office, so that, in the Hebrew style, 
 storms, burning winds, and pestilential 
 distempers, are angels of God, or his mes- 
 sengers of destruction to punish a sinful 
 nation, or to cut off wicked persons. Thus, 
 the Shechinah appearing as an oracle 
 bringing a message from Jehovah, may be 
 styled, with very great propriety, the angel 
 of the Lord. 
 
 That this was a proper appearance of 
 the Shechinah, seems evident ; as Jehovah 
 called to Moses out of the bush ; as he de- 
 clared the ground he stood upon was holy- 
 ground, by reason of the presence ; as he 
 proclaimed his name to be, / am that I am, 
 or the eternal, self-existent Being ; and as 
 he commanded Moses to deliver his mes- 
 sage to the children of Israel in these 
 words : And he said, Thus shalt thou say 
 
 Deut.iv. unto the children of Israel, lam hath sent 
 
 1*. me unto you. 
 
 We are here to observe the visible form, 
 as well as the voice of the oracle, in this 
 appearance. What Moses saw was a bush, 
 that burned with fire, and was not con-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 81 
 
 sumed. To keep to the text : this fire, as 
 it appeared to Moses, seemed to him a na- 
 tural fire, which he expected would have 
 consumed the bush, like other fires ; nor 
 does this description represent any thing 
 wonderful in the flame or fire itself : what 
 filled Moses with wonder was, that the 
 bush was not burned. When he examined 
 it more nearly, what he found extraordi- 
 nary in it was, that such a flame should 
 not consume the bush: And Moses said, I Deutir. 
 will now turn aside, and see this great 3 * 
 sight, tvhy the bush is not burnt. 
 
 All that you can surely conclude from 
 this representation is, that the Shechinah 
 appeared in the visible form of a natural 
 fire, likely strong, vehement, shining, and 
 glorious : and thus the Hebrew historian Ant. P jud! 
 understood it, and represents it. l.Il.c.12. 
 
 2. We have another account of the ap- 
 pearance of the Shechinah, when the Lord 
 (Jehovah) ivent before them (the Israelites) 
 by day, in a pillar of cloud, to lead them 
 the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, 
 to give them light, to go by day and night: 
 he took not away the pillar of the cloud 
 by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, 
 from before the people. 22. 
 
 The long continuance of this appear- 
 ance, and its conformity to the Shechinah 
 of the tabernacle and temple, recommend 
 it to a particular observation. 
 
 ". I can see no reason," says Bishop 
 
 Q
 
 82 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Patrick, " to suppose these w ere different 
 " clouds, since one and the same would 
 " serve for both purposes ; that is, the 
 " same pillar appearing by night as fire, 
 " which in the day was like a cloud." And 
 this seems to be intimated by Moses him- 
 Exod. self: And it came between the camp of the 
 xiv. 20. Egyptians and the camp of Israel ; and it 
 was a cloud and darkness to them, but it 
 gave light by night to these ; so that the 
 one came not near the other all the night. 
 Or, as Mr. Ainsworth observes from the 
 Jerusalem Targum, the cloud was half 
 light and half dark. The light gave light 
 to Israel, and the darkness gave darkness 
 to the Egyptians, like a cloud enlightened 
 by the sun shining strong upon it on one 
 side, but dark on the other side, the sun 
 not being able to pierce through it : thus 
 the same cloud may become either light 
 or dark, by changing the dark and light 
 sides for each other. 
 
 The form of this appearance has been 
 thought by many to have some resem- 
 ^blance to a pillar or column in building, 
 because it is called a pillar of cloud, and a 
 no* pillar of fire ; but the original word signi- 
 "IDJ> ** es more generally strength and stability, 
 tetit, or a fixed posture : hence the Greek inter- 
 preters translate it station, or attendance, 
 as does our version in many places. In this 
 sense the word pillar will not so much de- 
 note the form and dimensions of the cloud.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 83 
 
 as the stationary attendance of it, to lead 
 them the way. The shape of the cloud 
 seems nearer the shape of a natural cloud 
 spread over a large part of the sky, and of 
 such thickness, that one side of it might 
 be strongly enlightened, at the same time 
 the other remained dark ; or, according to 
 the Jerusalem Targum, it (the cloud) came 
 between the camp of the Israelites and the 
 camp of the Egyptians ; and the cloud was 
 half light, and half darkness ; from one 
 side it darkened the Egyptians, and from 
 the other side it enlightened the Israelites. 
 It will be proper to observe in this re- 
 presentation of the Schechinah, that the 
 Mischan, the place of the habitation, or Ains- 
 seat of the presence, is plainly represented worthor 
 
 i i i the place. 
 
 in such a manner as to be designed a sym- 
 bol of divine providence, direction, and pro- 
 tection, as well as of the presence of Je- 
 hovah in general. It gave the Israelites 
 light by night, and shadowed them from 
 the scorching heat by day ; it led them in 
 their way, and conducted them in safety. 
 The Prophets therefore chose this symbol 
 to express the security and happiness of 
 the church, under God's direction, pro- 
 tection, and blessing. And the Lord (Je- 
 hovahj will create, upon every dwelling- 
 place of Mount Sion, and upon her assem- 
 blies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the 
 shining of a flaming fire by night ; for 
 upon all the glory shall be a defence ; and 
 G 2
 
 84 
 
 there shall be a tabernacle in the daytime 
 Isaiah, n.from the heat, and for a place of refuge, 
 *i 6. and for a cover from storm and from rain. 
 When God visibly appeared on Mount 
 Sinai, and gave his law to Israel, it is re- 
 Exod. presented after this manner : There were 
 xix. i. thunderings and lightnings, and a thick 
 cloud on the mount, and the voice of the 
 trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the 
 people that was in the camp trembled. And 
 Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, 
 because the Lord descended upon it in fire; 
 18.1 and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke 
 of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked 
 39. greatly. And when the voice of the trum- 
 pet sounded long, and waxed louder and 
 louder, Moses spake, and God answered 
 him by a voice. You see, in this repre- 
 sentation, an exact conformity of a cloud, 
 fire, and a voice, with the former descrip- 
 tions of the Shechinah. 
 
 I omit the other appearances of the 
 Shechinah, except one, which is the stand- 
 ing appearance in the sanctuary. 
 
 When the tabernacle was set up, and 
 all its ornaments placed in it, and Moses 
 had finished the work, then a cloud co- 
 vered the seat of the congregation, and the 
 Exod.xl. elory of the Lord (JehovahJ filled the ta- 
 bernacle. How you are to conceive this 
 cloud of glory, is further explained : for 
 the cloud of the Lord was upon the taber- 
 nacle by day, and fire was on it by night,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 85 
 
 in the sight of all the house of Israel in all Exod. xi. 
 
 their journies. The continuance of the 38. 
 
 cloud on the tabernacle, or the taking of 
 
 it up from over the tabernacle, was the 
 
 imperial signal of marching, or resting in 
 
 the camp. 36, 37. 
 
 By this description it should seem that 
 the cloud and glory, or cloud of glory, was 
 both within and without the tabernacle; 
 for the cloud abode thereof and the glory 
 of the Lord filled the tabernacle; so that, 
 when the signal for marching was given 
 to the Israelites, the cloud was taken up 
 from over the tabernacle, which shows 
 there was a cloud over the tabernacle 
 without, as well as the cloud filling the ta- 
 bernacle within ; which Bishop Patrick 
 thus conceives : " The cloud and glory of 
 " the Lord were not two different things, 
 " but one and the same, as the pillar of 
 " cloud and of fire were ; it was outwardly 
 " a cloud, and inwardly a fire ; and ac- 
 " cordingly here the external part of it 
 " covered the tabernacle without, while 
 "the internal part shone with a bright 
 " fire, or glory, within the house." 
 
 The description we have of the entrance 
 of the Shechinah into Solomon's temple, 
 will illustrate this account of it, with 
 which it is the same in most things, though 
 in some things more particular: The priests l Kings, 
 brought in the ark of the covenant of the vm * 6 * 
 Lord (Jehovah) into his place, into the 
 
 G 3
 
 86 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 oracle of the house, to the most holy place, 
 even under the wings of the cherubim*. 
 i Kings, 4 n d if came to pass, ivhen the priests were 
 come out of the holy place, that the cloud 
 1I filed the house of the Lord (Jehovah) ; so 
 that the priests could not stand to minister 
 because of the cloud, for the glory of the 
 Lord hadjilled the house of the Lord ( Je- 
 hovah). 
 
 The more immediate seat of this pre- 
 sence, or Shechinah, is expressly deter- 
 mined in the ritual : And thou shalt put 
 the mercy-sea^ above upon the ark ; and 
 in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that 
 J shall give thee, and there 1 ivill meet 
 with thee, and I will commune with thee, 
 Exod f rom above the mercy-seat, from between 
 xxv. 21, the two cherubims, which are upon the ark 
 
 of the testimony. 
 
 Why But why, may some ask, were light, 
 
 symbol of flame, and fire, chosen for the figure, 
 
 the Pre- or symbol, or the Presence ? Suppose no 
 
 other reason could be given but this, that 
 
 since some form of visible appearance was 
 
 to be chosen, it was free to choose any that 
 
 was fit; and that light seems, at least, as 
 
 fit, and as proper, as any other. 
 
 It was well observed by a learned au- 
 Tennison t ^ or Jamblicus, in his book of the Egvp- 
 
 of Idola- . i i fe , 
 
 try, p. ' tian mysteries, setteth out, by light, the 
 
 si6. power, the simplicity, the penetration, 
 
 " the ubiquity of God. Maimonides sup- 
 
 " poseth the matter of the heavens to have
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 8/ 
 
 " risen from the extension of the vestment 
 " of divine light, represented as the gar- 
 " ment of God, it having been said by Da- 
 " vid, that he covereth himself with light 
 " as with a garment, Psalm civ. 2. Such 
 *' sayings," says Archbishop Tennison, 
 " though they have in them a mixture of 
 " extravagance, yet in the main they teach 
 " the same with the Scripture, that God is 
 " light, or, that there is nothing in the cre- 
 " ation so fit an emblem of him, and so fit 
 " to be used in his appearance to the 
 " world." The sun, then, as the greatest 
 and brightest light in the heavens, might 
 have been pitched upon by Zoroaster as 
 the throne and residence of the Divine 
 Presence, though he had not learned the 
 notion of a Shechinah, by conversation 
 with the Hebrews at Babylon. The world, 
 in general, might more easily agree to 
 make that glorious luminary the sun their 
 K.ebla, or place to which they directed their 
 worship, for this single reason, that it ap- 
 peared the brightest and most glorious 
 body in the heavens, the likeliest residence 
 they cpuld think of for their gods. 
 
 When, therefore, it pleased Jehovah to 
 appoint a visible emblem of his extraordi- 
 nary presence, light, flame, fire, were a 
 very fit mark of it, especially when such 
 extraordinary light was not only equal to 
 the light of the sun in. its greatest bright- 
 ness, but even far exceeded it. When the 
 G 4
 
 88 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Schechinah appeared to St. Paul, he ob- 
 Act*, serves, he could not see for the glory of the 
 xxU> 1 l " light ; or, as he explained it to king Agrip- 
 Acts, p a> At mid-day, O king, I saw in the way 
 "^ 13 ' a light from heaven* above the brightness 
 of the sun, shining round about me. Such 
 a glorious created light as could outshine 
 the brightness of the sun at mid-day, seems 
 a very proper emblem of the particular pre- 
 sence of Jehovah, who is often and signi- 
 ficantly represented as light. Light is so 
 often used to signify understanding and 
 truth, in opposition to ignorance and error, 
 represented by darkness, that, without 
 straining a metaphor, it may be used to 
 signify the fountain of light, of under- 
 standing and truth, of favour and blessing. 
 The use of this metaphor by the Psalmist 
 and the Prophets, will show it had a plain, 
 easy meaning; for who does not under- 
 stand the blessing appointed by the ritual 
 for the children of Israel ; The Lord make 
 his face shine upon thee, and be gracious 
 to thee. The Lord lift up his countenance 
 upon thee, and give thee peace. And they 
 Num. vi. shall put my. name upon the children of 
 25,26,27. Israel, and I will bless them. Thus, then, 
 you conceive the appearance of the She- 
 chinah ; it was a bright and glorious light, 
 fixed in the tabernacle and temple in the 
 most holy place, over the ark and mercy- 
 seat, between the cherubim of glory, to 
 express and signify the presence of the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 8Q 
 
 Lord (Jehovah) among his people to bless 
 them. 
 
 2. The tabernacle and temple were also Tabema- 
 a considerable part of the Hebrew ritual, cle al ? d 
 in which the Schechinah, the visible ap- 
 pearance of the Presence, was to be fixed ; 
 a consideration of which will show us the 
 manner in which the presence of Jehovah 
 was to be received into his sanctuary. This 
 place, made holy by the presence of Jeho- 
 vah, as the place where he put his name, 
 and caused his glory to dwell, is often 
 
 therefore styled the Court of God, and the 
 
 j 
 
 House of God. It was to the Divine Pre- 
 sence inhabiting this sanctuary as his pa- 
 lace, all the worship of the church was to 
 be offered, by express direction of the ri- 
 tual itself, as residing there in the character 
 of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
 and whose covenant was with this people, 
 as the God and King of Israel. This pre- 
 sence of Jehovah in the temple (not the 
 temple itself, as some weakly imagined) 
 was a foundation of hope in the peculiar 
 favour of Jehovah, for his protection and 
 blessing as their God and King. The 
 Psalmist, speaking of the city of God, the 
 holy place of the tabernacle of the Most 
 High, adds, God is in the midst of her; she 
 shall not be moved : God shall help her, 
 and that right early. And again, The 
 Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Ja- p sa im 
 fob is ow refuge. Selah. The Psalmist xlvi.4,5.
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 therefore addresses his prayer to Jehovah, 
 as present in the sanctuary : Give ear, O 
 Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph 
 like a flock ; thou that dwellest between 
 the cherubims, shine forth : before Ephraim 
 and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy 
 lxxx.J,2. strength, and come and save us. The ta- 
 bernacle and temple were SQ manifestly of 
 the same nature, meaning, and use, that a, 
 consideration of either will equally give us 
 the true intention of both. 
 
 Whencesoever it was that temples had 
 their original, or when they first came into 
 use, is of little consequence, I apprehend, 
 to our present inquiry. Whether the wis- 
 dom of God condescended to adopt a cus- 
 tom already in use before the giving of the 
 law, as some have thought (though not 
 very easy to prove), or whether this fixing 
 the presence of Jehovah among the chil- 
 dren of Israel gave occasion to the nations, 
 neighbours to the Hebrews, to honour the 
 presence of their gods in like manner, is, 
 I think, hardly worth a long inquiry. It 
 will be sufficient to take notice briefly of 
 what the Hebrew ritual plainly directs 
 as to this part of the worship ; for, these 
 are what God thought fit to appoint by 
 his own authority, and will appear to have 
 sufficient reasons for their establishment, 
 whether they had been in use, or had not 
 been in use, before. 
 
 I might observe, with respect to the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. pt 
 
 Egyptian chronology, that all parts of their 
 history, so high as the Exodus and times 
 of Moses, are very uncertain at least, if not 
 certainly antedated; and that all reports 
 of the Greek historians concerning their 
 affairs are too late in time, and their in- 
 formations too imperfect, to have any au- 
 thority, at the utmost can give but very 
 weak conjectures. To leave, then, such 
 uncertainties, it is well observed, on more 
 certain principles, " that two things are es- Nattnreof 
 
 Si tempi" 
 
 " sential to the proper notion of a temple; 
 " the one, that it must be some house 
 " or place separated for the use of some 
 " deity, and consecrated by some solemn 
 " rites of religion to the worship of it ; 
 " the other, that it was a place where the 
 " deity dwelt, and manifested an extraordi- 
 " nary presence in some way not common 
 " and usual *." Thus the Psalmist repre- 
 sents the seat of God's presence, until I 
 find out a place for the Lord, an habita- p sa j m 
 tionfor the mighty God of Jacob. cxxxii.5. 
 
 The mystery of the tabernacle, says Cud- 
 Dr. Cudworth, was fully understood by the worth 
 learned Nachmanides, who, in few words, Lord's 
 but pregnant, thus expresses it: The mys- Supper, 
 tery of the tabernacle was this, that it was 3| VI ' P " 
 to be a place for the Shechinab, or habita- 
 
 * E jam dictis intelligitur duo essentialiter requiri, 
 ad templum constituendum, nempe dei proprietatem, et 
 ejusdem inhabitationetn, aut presentiam singularein. 
 Spencer, 1. iii. dissert, vi. p. 284, 286.
 
 Q2 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 tion of Divinity, to be fixed in; and this, 
 adds Dr. Cudworth, no doubt, as a special 
 type of God's future dwelling in Christ's 
 human nature, which was the true She- 
 chinah. 
 
 You observe then, in general, that all 
 the ' magnificence of the tabernacle and 
 temple, of its buildings, ornaments, vessels, 
 ministers, attendants, offerings, sacrifices, 
 and every part of the worship, which the 
 ritual directed to be performed only at the 
 temple, was on account of the Schechinah 
 residing in the temple ; therefore God him- 
 self gives this direction, And let them make 
 me a sanctuary that I may dwell among 
 Exodus, them, according to all that I show thee, 
 xxv. 8, 9. after the pattern of the tabernacle. 
 
 The ritual further directs the taber- 
 nacle should be built with the richest ma- 
 Exodus, terials, boards of Shittim ivood, overlaid 
 with gold, sockets of silver, rings of gold, 
 and bars overlaid with gold, vails of blue, 
 and purple, and scarlet, and Jine twined 
 linen of cunning work. In Solomon's 
 i Kings, temple the whole house was overlaid with- 
 *i. 21. in with pure gold. Particular directions 
 are given for the building of the sanctuary, 
 for making the mercy-seat, the ark, the 
 table, the altar, the candlesticks, and the 
 several vessels that were to be placed in 
 the holy place. 
 
 The temple itself was divided into two 
 rooms, an outward and an inward : the 
 
 XXVI.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP* Q3 
 
 outward room was called the holy place ; i Khigs, 
 the inward, the holy of holies, the most vi - 14) - 
 holy place, and the oracle. The LXX 
 have not translated the original word, for TIT 
 what reason I cannot conceive, when they 
 had a well-known one so ready at hand, 
 by which they might have expressed the 
 meaning of the original, fully and clearly ; *yva* 
 as the place from whence the oracle of 
 God was given, or the WORD of Jeho- 
 vah went forth. 
 
 This most holy place was a room of 
 state of equal length, breadth, and height, 
 or a cube of about twenty cubits (near 
 thirty foot), all overlaid with pure gold. 
 The holy place, or outward room, as an 20- 
 antechamber to the Presence, was of equal 
 breadth of twenty cubits (near thirty 
 foot), but as long again, or forty cubits 17. 
 (near sixty foot) : both these were orna- 
 mented in the highest manner with the 
 richest materials. Some consider the mag- 
 nificence and ornaments of these two 
 rooms, as chiefly, if not only, meant as a 
 furniture fit for the rooms of state, in 
 which the King of Israel was to appear 
 and manifest his presence by his glory. 
 Yet others consider them as intended for 
 instruction, designed to explain more dis- 
 tinctly the nature, design, meaning, and 
 use of the Presence itself. 
 
 If you first consider the holy place, you 
 will observe there were prepared for the
 
 94 THE RATIONAL OP THE RTTUAt 
 
 furniture of that room a golden table, a 
 golden candlestick or lamp, and a golden 
 Exodus, altar. And he (Moses) put the table in the 
 xl * ^ tent of the congregation, upon the side of 
 the tabernacle northivard without the vail; 
 or to the right hand of the entrance into 
 the holy place, the holy place fronting the 
 2*. east, as we shall presently see. And he put 
 the candlestick (or golden lamp) in the 
 tent of the congregation, over against the 
 table on the side of the tabernacle south- 
 ward] that is, on the left hand of the en- 
 trance into the holy place; and, finally, 
 Exodus, He put the golden altar in the tent of the 
 xl<26t congregation, before the vail ; that is, in 
 the middle of the holy place, near the end 
 of the room or entrance into the most holy 
 place or oracle. 
 
 Here it will be proper to observe the 
 
 situation of the sanctuary, with respect to 
 
 the points of the heavens. The holy, and 
 
 most holy place, were to the west of the 
 
 entrance, or the building fronted to the 
 
 east. So Ezekiel represents the idolatry of 
 
 Ezekiel, the Israelites : Behold at the door of the 
 
 rillf 16< temple of the Lord, bettveen the porch and 
 
 the altar were about Jive and tiventy men y 
 
 with their backs towards the temple of the 
 
 Lord, and their faces toward the east, and 
 
 they worshipped the sun towards the east. 
 
 MIL*'' I)r * S P encer thinks, this situation of the 
 
 c'.n." Hebrew temple might be taken from a 
 
 Dissert, custom of the Egyptians, to place their
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. Q5 
 
 temples in like manner ; but does not the 
 Prophet intimate a truer reason, the cus- 
 tom and practice of the idolatrous wor- 
 shippers of the sun to worship him toward 
 the east ? 
 
 Some, I believe, are justly charged 
 with finding more mysteries in these 
 things than the ritual designed. It should 
 teach caution not to indulge imagination, 
 but not make us conclude too hastily, they 
 have no meaning at all. Dr. Cudworth, 
 from one of the Hebrew doctors, observes, 
 concerning the things thus placed in the 
 sanctuary; " The temple being as an house Cud- 
 " for God to dwell in visibly, to make up wo ^ h 
 
 /- -i IT 11- on the 
 
 ' the notion of dwelling, or habitation, Lord's 
 " complete, there must be all things suit- Supper, 
 " able to an house belonging to it; hence, g'J 1 ' 1 *' 
 " in the holy place, there must be a table 
 " and a candlestick, because this was the 
 " ordinary furniture of a room, as the 
 *' forementioned Nachmanides observes ; 
 " he addeth a table and a candlestick, be- 
 " cause those suit the notion of a dwell- 
 " ing-house." 
 
 You will observe yet further, that the 
 golden table for the shew-bread was as 
 an altar on which was laid an offering, in 
 the names of the twelve tribes of Israel ; 
 so the ritual directs, And thou shalt take Leviti- 
 jine flour, aad bake twelve cakes thereof: cus, xxir. 
 two tenth- deals shall be in one cake. And *' 6 * 7 * 
 thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a
 
 gO THE RATIONAL OF THE 
 
 row, upon the pure table before the 
 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon 
 each row, that it may be on the bread for 
 a memorial, even an offering made byjire 
 unto the Lord. It seems, as Bishop Pa- 
 trick observes, an offering made by fire 
 unto the Lord, because the frankincense 
 which was put on each row of the cakes, 
 was burned as an oblation to God, when 
 the bread was eaten by the priests. The 
 shew-bread then, and the frankincense 
 upon it, were properly offerings of the 
 whole nation of Israel to Jehovah their 
 God. The ritual appointed meat and drink 
 offerings, as well as sacrifices of birds and 
 beasts. The Apostle to the Hebrews alludes 
 to the distinction of sacrifices, gifts, and 
 Hebrews, offerings. If animals were offered, they 
 were called sacrifices, QTttt ; or if the fruits 
 of the earth, flour, oil, wine, frankincense, 
 were offered, were called offerings ; meat- 
 offerings and drink-offerings, /WOB and 
 *? ela u d ' h DODJ. Hence you see the reason why a 
 p.290. C ta kl e and altar have much the same signifi- 
 Mal.i.i2. cat i n > according to the Prophet, But ye 
 have profaned it in that ye say, The table 
 of the Lord is polluted, and the fruit 
 thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. 
 
 You see reason to consider the golden 
 altar of incense in like manner, as it stood 
 nearest the most holy place, separated 
 from it, and the Presence in it, only by a 
 vail, or curtain, Upon this golden altar, 
 4
 
 P THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 97 
 
 incense was offered every day, morning 
 and evening. " A figure," says Mr. Light- Light- 
 foot, " if you apply the action to Christ, of j . 
 " his mediation, and if to men, a resem- c .xiv. ' 
 " blance of the duty of prayer." It will 6. 
 be a figurative expression of prayer, or in- 
 tercession, applied to either: thus the 
 Psalmist usesit, Let my prayer beset before Ps.cxli.2. 
 thee as incense, and the lifting up of my 
 
 1 j .7 v/r dl r i. 
 
 hands, as the evening sacrifice, bt. John, 
 alluding to this part of the ritual, observes, 
 There was given unto him (the angel) much Rev. viii. 
 incense, that he should offer it with the 3 * 
 prayers of all saints upon the golden altar 
 which was before the throne: and the smoke 
 of the incense, which came with the prayers 
 of the saints, ascended up before God out 
 of the angel's hand. This explains the 
 custom of the Hebrew church, that, when 
 the incense was offering on the golden 
 altar, the congregation of Israel was at their 
 prayers, or the ivhole multitude of the Luke, i. 
 people were praying without, at the time of l * 
 incense. The ascending Up of the smoke 
 of the incense with th prayers of the 
 saints, may well signify the acceptance of 
 their prayers, and that Jehovah as their 
 God would answer their prayers, continu- 
 ing to protect and bless them. By these 
 actions, then, the whole church of Israel 
 worshipped Jehovah, offered a tribute of 
 honour to him, as Governor of the world, 
 as their God and King, who received them 
 
 H
 
 0* THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 as guests. to his table a proper rite to ex- 
 
 press his favour, and covenant with them. 
 
 Cud- " For the eating of sacrifices, which were 
 
 Ts&V " God ' s meat " asDr< Cudworth justly ob- 
 serves, " was a federal rite, between God 
 " and those that did partake of them, and 
 " signified there was a covenant of friend- 
 "' ship between him and them/' 
 Light- Besides this golden table and altar, the 
 
 foot, ritual appointed a golden candlestick 
 J. e 5v!$' *^ s candlestick, or branch of lamps, for it 
 4. ' ' had seven branches, one straight shaft in the 
 middle, and three branches going out from 
 the middle branch, on each side, at proper 
 distances, and 'with proper ornaments, ac- 
 Exodus, cording to the description of Moses : He 
 maae the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten 
 work made lie the candlestick ; his shaft, 
 and his branch, his boivls, his knops, and 
 his flowers were of the same: and six 
 branches going out of the sides thereof; 
 three branches of the candlestick out of one 
 side thereof) and three branches of the 
 candlestick out of the other side thereof. 
 Light- These seven lamps, so called, ver. 23, were 
 Temple di ; cssed and Jigged ever^ day at the time 
 Service, of the morning and evening, sacrifice, and 
 ix.$3, offering of ineense on the golden altar : 
 from hence it should seem, it was intend- 
 ed to express some part of the honour and 
 worship given to God by the church, 
 rather than a symbol of some blessing of 
 the Presence, with the church; though 
 
 ***
 
 OF THE HE6REW WORSHIP. 09 
 
 the Presence, in general, was a symbol of 
 special grace and favour. Dr. Lightfoot's 
 remark is not therefore very certain : the 
 perpetual light (of the lamps) resembled 
 the word and doctrine of salvation, the 
 light of the Lord, in which we see light* 
 The Scriptures make the candlesticks, or 
 lamps, to resemble the churches ; so they 
 are explained to St. John in his vision : And Rev.i.20. 
 the seven candlesticks which thou sdwest, 
 are (signify} the seven churches. The two 
 olive-trees, and the two candlesticks stand- 
 ing before the God of the earth, are inter- 
 preted of the two witnesses, which were 
 to prophesy during the period of anti- 
 christian corruption, in defence of true rev 
 ligion and true Christianity. And I will Rev. xi 
 give power unto my two witnesses, and 3> * 
 they shall prophesy a thousand two hun- 
 dred and threescore days, clothed in 
 sackcloth. The representation of them as 
 olive-trees and candlesticks, seems taken 
 from the prophecy of Zechariah. The Zech. iv. 
 Prophet beheld the candlestick all of gold, 2 ' 3 * 
 and his seven lamps, and seven pipes to the 
 seven lamps, and two olive-trees, one of 
 each side ; these are explained to be the 14> 
 ttvo anointed ones, that stand by the Lord 
 of the ivhole earth. These signify (says 
 Mr. Lowth, very justly) the kingdom and 
 the priesthood, as they were exercised by 
 Zerubbabel and Joshua. The candlestick 
 represented the Jewish church ; the olive- the pl * ce * 
 u 2
 
 100 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 trees, a supply of oil, to keep it bright and 
 burning : and, to stand before the Lord, is 
 the same as to minister to him. Light, as a 
 proper emblem of truth and understanding, 
 of purity and holiness, might be an em- 
 blem of God's presence in the church ; and 
 so it was; but I conceive not in the candle- 
 stick, but in the glorious light of the She- 
 chinah. The candlestick, as an emblem of 
 the church, rather seems designed to ex- 
 press with what truth and purity, under- 
 standing and holiness, the church should 
 worship God, how a people consecrated to 
 God's honour and service, should appear 
 as burning and shining lights in the world. 
 Josephushas suggested a thought which 
 deserves notice, as coming from such an 
 author that these seven lamps, as they 
 were according to the number of the seven 
 planets, so they were designed to represent 
 them, and so teach, that these glorious 
 lights of heaven, as creatures of the one 
 God, the sole Creator of all things in 
 heaven and earth, are to be considered 
 joining with the church in showing forth 
 Antiq hUS ' h ' s P raises - So fer are these stars from de- 
 Jud. 1. serving religious worship, that they pay 
 III. c.x. religious honour to the one God, who 
 alone is to be worshipped. It is left to 
 every one what credit is to be given to this 
 opinion of Josephus ; it was fit to mention 
 it, as he was himself an Hebrew, and well 
 acquainted with the history and rites of 
 his nation.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 101 
 
 Next to the holy place was the oracle, Ritual of 
 or most holy place : this will deserve par- {JjJ Blost 
 ticular attention ; for here was the pre- place, 
 sence, the Shechinah, the glory of Jeho- 
 vah, between the cherubim, over the 
 mercy-seat, or the covering of the ark. 
 
 The ritual directs this ark to be made Exod. 
 of Shittim wood : two cubits and a half \ * v * l ' 
 shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and 
 a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and 
 a half the height thereof. And thou shalt 
 overlay it with pure gold, ivitlim and with' 
 out shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make 
 upon it a crown of gold round about. The 
 ark, then, was a chest or cabinet made of 
 the finest wood, overlaid with gold, near 
 four foot long, and somewhat above two 
 foot in breadth and in height : round 
 about this cabinet, at the top, was a crown 
 or coronet of gold, in part as an orna- 
 ment, and in part to keep the mercy-seat 
 steady, which was to be placed in it to 
 eover the ark. 
 
 The mercy-seat is directed to be made 
 of pure gold, as the ark itself, and just of 
 the same length and breadth. The original 
 word we translate mercy-seat, may signify n -iio 
 either a covering or an expiation ; as, in the 
 language of Scripture, to cover sins, means Psalm 
 the same thing as to forgive them. The xxxii. l. 
 LXX have joined both these senses toge- 
 ther, and expressed them by two distinct 'ix r ^ y t 
 words. And there is full reason to show, the 7r *V 
 H 3
 
 102 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 word in the original was intended in both 
 senses, as a covering and as a propitiatory. 
 The use of this ark is further explained 
 Exodus, in the ritual : And thou shalt put the mercy - 
 j T> 21> seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou 
 shalt put the testimony that I shall give 
 thee ; and there 1 will meet with thee, and I 
 will commune with thee. The ark is there- 
 fore styled the ark of the testimony, and 
 very frequently the ark of the covenant, be- 
 cause tfce tables of the covenant were put 
 into it. Here also was the pot of manng, 
 Exodus*' k^ U P Before the Lord, with Aaron's rod 
 xri.33/ that budded. These well preserved the 
 memory of Gqd's faithfulness to his cove- 
 nant with this people, and the authority 
 of his constitutions with them, in settling 
 their priesthood, worship, and ritual; and 
 of his mercy towards them, when his pre- 
 sence was over the mercy-seat, the propn 
 tiatory and covering of the ark, in which 
 the tables of the law were placed, as the 
 holy rule of his government, but covered 
 with a mercy-seat, an emblem of his grace. 
 It is further to be observed, concerning this 
 Exodus, ar i^ an d it s covering the mercy-seat, And 
 19, io. ' thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of 
 beaten work shalt thou make them, in the 
 two ends of the mercy-seat. And, says the 
 ritual, make one cherub on the one end, and 
 the other cherub on the other end : even of 
 the mercy -seat shall ye make the cherubims 
 on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 shall stretch forth their wings on high, 
 covering the mercy-seat with their wings y 
 and their faces shall look one to another ; 
 towards the mercy-seat shall the faces of 
 the cherubims be. Here was the presence 
 and oracle, between the wings of the che- 
 rubim, and the mere y- seat the covering of 
 the ark : from hence the oracle, or word of 
 Jehovah, was given ; or, as one well ex- 
 presses it, hence Jehovah spake to the 
 children of Israel by his Shechinah, or 
 oracle, as from his imperial throne, more 
 imperatorio de tribunali loquebatur. 
 
 There are many questions not easy to 
 be answered, concerning the form of these 
 cherubims. Josephus was of opinion, no 
 man could tell what they were like, for 
 their form, he says, was not like any thing C 
 known by man. Bochart (says Bishop 
 Patrick) seems to me to speak judiciously, 
 when he says they were not figures of 
 angels, but rather emblems, whereby the 
 angelical nature was in some sense ex- 
 pressed. Let Bochart express his own 
 meaning, in his own words. The cheru- 
 bim were not images of God, as the calves 
 of Jeroboam, nor of any angels, but em- 
 blems by which the angelical nature was 
 in some manner expressed *. 
 
 . . 
 
 * Przeterea cherubiqi neque Dei erant imagines, ut 
 vituli Jeroboami, neque angel oruin ullius, seel einbk-inatu 
 potius quibus angelica natura utcunque exprimebatur. 
 Bochart Uieroz. P. I. c. xxxiv. vol. ii. p. 308. 
 H 4
 
 104 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 If we take the form of the cherubim, 
 from the description in Ezekiel or the Re- 
 velation, we shall find such a mixed form, 
 of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, with, 
 such a ppsition of wings, hands, and feet, 
 as seems evidently to teach, the cherubim 
 were not designed to be a likeness of any 
 creature whatsoever, but as a figurative 
 and emblematical representation of some 
 qualities of the beings designed by them. 
 
 Thus, when the glorious light of the 
 Shechinah represented the majesty of Jeho- 
 vah, who is light, and with whom there is 
 no darkness ; the form of the cherubim 
 might represent the angels of God, accord- 
 ( MirfqooT. i n g to a great author, the highest beings 
 i\yj*\ in knowledge and power, next to God *. 
 Hence, the strength of a lion, the useful 
 labour of an ox, the wisdom of a man, the 
 quick sight and swift motion of an eagle, 
 were proper and significant emblems of 
 such knowledge and power, in which the 
 angels of God excelled. 
 
 The most judicious of the Hebrew 
 masters gives this as the meaning of the 
 cherubim, and explains by it the reason of 
 placing them over the mercy-seat, in the 
 most holy place ; to confirm the doctrine 
 of angels, and to teach this as an article of 
 faith, that all the angels of God, of what; 
 
 * Summam secundum Deum, scientiam, et poteq? 
 liam angelorum. Spencer. 
 
 '
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 105 
 
 dignity, order, or power soever, as they Maimon. 
 were the creatures of Jehovah, so they ?? or 'p 
 were the servants of Jehovah, ministers ni.c.*ir. 
 attendant on his presence, in particular to p. 476, 
 execute his will, and acts of grace, as God 
 and King of Israel *. How agreeable to 
 this is the representation of the Psalmist ! 
 The chariots of God are twenty thousand^ Psal 
 even thousands of angels: the Lord is among XVU1 " 
 them as in Sinai) in the holy place. And 
 again : And he (Jehovah} bowed the hea- 
 vens also, and came down; and darkness 
 was under his feet; and he rode upon a 
 cherub, and did fly. Or again : Bless ye Psalm 
 the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in lm 2a '' 
 strength, that do his commandments, 
 hearkening to the voice of his word. Bless 
 ye the Lord all ye his hosts, ye ministers of 
 his that do his pleasure. 
 
 * Ad hujus rei confirmationem, praecepit Deus supra 
 arcam duorutn angelorum figuram facere, ad existenliarti 
 angelorum in animis hoininum confii mauclam, qute se- 
 cundus est articulus scientiae, post ii Jem existentiu; Dei, 
 principiumque prophetic et Jcgis, quod si una tantum 
 figura fuisset, h. e. unius tantum cherubini forma. Id 
 facile errandi causam pnebuissct, existimare enim qui* 
 potuisset, ac si esset (igura Dei colendi, sicut idololatrae 
 faciunt, vel quasi angel us unicum tantum esset imlivi- 
 duum, atque ita in multiplices errores iuducere. Duos 
 autem cherubinos faciens, cum hac dcclaratione, Dopii- 
 nus Deus noster, Deus uiws, extra omne dubkim, istos 
 articulos posuit, quod angeli existant, et illorum sunt 
 multi, deinde omnem causam errandi vel cogitandi, ac 
 si iili Dej essent sustulit, declarando, quod Deus sit 
 unus, et quod ille hos multos creavit. Maimon. Mor. 
 'Neb. P. III. c. xlv. p. 476.
 
 106 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 : This part of the ritual, then, taught the 
 being of angels, an order of spirits of 
 higher dignity, of greater power and per- 
 fection than ourselves, or our own spirits ; 
 but teaches at the same time, they were 
 not to be honoured as Gods, for all were 
 the creatures, and servants of the one true 
 mW God, the only object of worship. . ... ^ 
 
 Hence you perceive the reason of the 
 ritual of the Presence. The Shechinab, or 
 glory of Jehovah over the mercy- seat, be- 
 r tween the wings of the cherubim, is made 
 the sole kebla of the Hebrew church, the 
 'i place to which atone, all the temple service 
 \.\ and worship were to be addressed. Before 
 the Presence, therefore, was the only altar; 
 there all the rites of worship were per- 
 formed : hence -the Psalmist, when he ex- 
 horts to the worship of God, uses such ex- 
 Psalm pressions as these, Exalt the Lord our 
 xcix.5,9. Q 0( i y and worship at his footstool. Exalt 
 the Lord our God, and worship at his holu 
 'MIL 
 
 Here God appears in the glory of his 
 greatness and holiness, of his mercies and 
 his grace, as we shall more clearly perceive, 
 when we come to apply this part of the 
 ritual to the designs for which this law of 
 Moses was given. 
 
 
 
 n
 
 JF THE HEBREW WORSHIP.*! IO7 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Ritual of the Hebrew Worship. 
 
 You have seen the ritual of the holy, and Ritual of 
 most holy place, the seat of the Presence, *? wor ' 
 and kebla of worship ; consider now the s lp * 
 worship itself, as directed by the ritual. 
 This was to be performed in the courts of 
 the temple. Just before the temple there 
 was a space of ground 187 cubits long from Light- 
 west to east, and 1 35 from north to south, *j?^ Je 
 near 300 foot long by 200 broad. This p ?xv i. 
 fore-court of the temple was divided into 
 two ; the court of the priests was that 
 nearest the temple, and divided from the 
 otfyer, or court of Israel, by steps, and a Ib. c. 
 balustrade, or sort of rails. In the inward xxxv1 *' 
 court of the priests was the great altar of 
 sacrifice. There is a general direction 
 concerning altars : An altar of earth thou Exod.xx. 
 shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice 24,25,26. 
 thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace" 
 offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen : in all 
 places where I record my name, I will 
 come unto thee, and I will bless thcc. And 'o L 
 if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, 
 thou shalt not build it of hewn stone : for 
 if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast 
 polluted it. Neither shall thou go up by 
 steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness 
 te not discovered thereon. Some have ap-
 
 108 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 plied this direction to the altar, before the 
 Presence, in the tabernacle, or temple ; 
 but it seems rather to refer to such altars 
 as they were allowed to make for them- 
 selves before the tabernacle was erected ; 
 for, this direction was given before the di- 
 rections for the tabernacle. Altars made 
 of turfs or loose stones were very proper 
 for! them while travelling in the wilder- 
 ness ; they were soon set up, and soon 
 taken down, nor was it proper they should 
 be left standing, lest the people should be 
 tempted to use them as already consecrat- 
 ed, in neglect of the only altar before the 
 Presence. 
 
 Exodus, There is a particular order of the ritual 
 xxvu.1,2. f or ma kj n thj s a itar. And thou shalt make 
 
 an altar of Shittim wood, Jive cubits long, 
 
 and Jive cubits broad : the altar shall oe 
 
 Jour-square, and the height thereof shall 
 
 be three cubits. And thou shalt make the 
 
 horns of it upon the four corners thereof: 
 
 his horns shall be of the same : and thou 
 
 shalt overlay it with brass. This was the 
 
 altar for the tabernacle, which was to be 
 
 moveable with it ; but when the temple 
 
 2 Cfcron. was the fixed seat of the Presence, and the 
 
 lv> lf altar thereby immoveable, the dimensions 
 
 of it are enlarged, and the materials seem 
 
 to be all of brass. 
 
 Exodus, vA The ritual directed also to place a laver 
 xxx. is, of brass, or a vessel to hold a quantity of 
 19 20- W ater for Aaron, and his sons, to wash
 
 ,. OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 with, for the same uses as afterwards So- 
 lomon's molten sea, a much larger vessel, 
 was placed in the court of the temple. 
 Here, then, the ritual appointed the He- 
 brew worship to be performed ; but for a 
 better understanding of it, it will be ne- 
 cessary to consider it in particular where 
 two things are of principal consideration, 
 the ministers of the Hebrew worship, and 
 the services they performed before the 
 Presence. 
 
 The first thing, then, to be considered Ritual 
 is the ritual of the persons appointed for Jjjj^ 
 the service of the tabernacle and temple: andLe- 
 these were the tribe of Levi, which tribe vites - 
 was taken from among the other tribes of 
 Israel to minister before God. They were 
 appointed over the tabernacle of testimony, Numb. 
 and over all the vessels thereof t and over * so. 
 all things that belong to it. They were 
 therefore to have no portion in the inhe- 
 ritance of the land. God was their part ; Numb. 
 for he gave the children of Levi all the xviii. 20, 
 tenth in Israel for an inherit once, for their 21 * 
 service which they serve. The Levites 
 were by an act of the children of Israel 
 consecrated to this service, to perform it 
 as for them, and in their name. So Moses 
 is directed by the oracle : And thou shall Numb, 
 bring the Levites before the Lord, and the vw - 10 > 
 children of Israel shall put their hands 
 upon the Levites, and Aaron shall offer the 
 Levites before the Lord, for an offering of
 
 0*1 R 
 
 jriv 
 
 flO THfe RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 the children of Israel, that they may exe- 
 cute the service of the Lord. This reason 
 of consecrating the Levites, is more dis- 
 Num.viii. tinet : For they (the Levites) are wholly 
 160 given unto me, from among the children 
 of Israel ; instead of such as open every 
 womb, even instead of the first-born of all 
 the children of Israel, I have taken them 
 
 17. unto me. For all thefirst-born of the chil- 
 dren of Israel are mine, both man and 
 beast ; on the day that I smote every first- 
 born in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them 
 
 18. for myself. And I have taken the Levites 
 for all the first- born of the children of 
 
 Israel. In giving the whole tribe of Levi 
 in the room of the first-born of the chil- 
 dren of Israel, here was a very useful me- 
 morial, besides other great reasons, of a 
 very memorable act of God's power and 
 goodness, which laid them under peculiar 
 engagements to the service and honour of 
 Jehovah, as their God. This service of 
 the Levites is however appointed a lower 
 service, as they were a gift to Aaron and 
 his sons, to do the service of the children of 
 
 l& Israel : which they were to have perform- 
 ed, if the Levites had not been taken in 
 their room. But Aaron and his sons were 
 placed in an higher degree: so the oracle 
 
 Sa. to Moses, And take thou unto thee Aaron 
 thy brother, and his sons with him, from 
 among the children of Israel, that he may 
 minister to me in the priest's office. Hence
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. Ill 
 
 it appears the Hebrew ritual appointed one 
 of the tribes of Israel for the service of 
 God at the tabernacle, and one family of 
 that tribe to minister in the priest's office 
 before God. 
 
 What was the general nature of the Ritual 
 priest's office we learn from the description of . the 
 of the office of Aaron : And Aaron was se- Eood,"or 
 parated, that he should sanctify the most ministers 
 holy things, he and his sons for ever, to j^se^ce! 
 burn incense before the Lord, to minister i Chron. 
 unto him, and to bless in his name for ever. xxi "* 1S * 
 
 As there was a distinction between the 
 Priests and Levites, there was also a dis- 
 tinction among themselves. Aaron and 
 his successors, as high priests, had many 
 peculiar privileges, above the other priests. 
 They had a precedency in rank and dig- 
 nity, were distinguished by richer gar- 
 ments, and by some of the more solemn 
 acts of service, which none were privileged 
 to perform but the high priest alone ; as 
 to enter into the holy of holies on the day 
 of atonement, and to consult by the Urim 
 and Thummim. As this was the first mi- 
 nister of religion in the Hebrew worship, 
 the ritual is careful to give many directions 
 concerning his qualifications, his conse- 
 cration, and performance of his office, of 
 very good use, as will afterwards more 
 fully appear, to preserve the knowledge of 
 the true God and of true religion, to pre- 
 vent the prevalence of idolatry, and to
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 prepare the way for the Messiah, who was 
 to be a greater high priest, as well as of a 
 better order than this of Aaron. 
 
 ] . Then the ritual has prescribed some 
 previous qualifications, before they could 
 be admitted into their office. Whatever 
 might have been lawful, or in use or prac- 
 tice, before this ritual, with respect to 
 offering of sacrifices, the case was altered, 
 when the ritual confined it to the family of 
 Aaron, even with exclusion to all the other 
 families of the same tribe of Levi. Before 
 this constitution, as learned men have ob- 
 served, it is most probable, every person 
 was a priest, so far as to offer sacrifices for 
 himself; so Cain and Abel offered their 
 own sacrifices ; nor is there any reason to 
 think they brought them to Adam, as head 
 and prince of the family, to offer for them. 
 But in sacrifices that were not personal, 
 and which were offered for families, it is 
 likely the head and father of the family 
 acted as priest : so Noah and Job offered 
 sacrifices, each as father and priest of their 
 .families. Moreover, when sacrifices were 
 offered for yet larger societies, consisting 
 of several families, as cities or nations, 
 Outram the custom seems to have been, as most 
 natural and rational, that the prince, or 
 3.' ' chief of such society, offered the public sa- 
 crifices to God. So Moses, as prince of 
 Israel, at the consecration of Aaron and 
 his sons, not only invested him with the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 113 
 
 priest's garments, and anointed him with 
 the anointing oil, to sanctify him, but he 
 slew the offering; and Moses took the blood, Levit. 
 and put it upon the horns of the altar round v 
 about with his finger, and purified the altar-, 
 and poured the blood at the bottom of the 
 altar, and sanctified it, to make reconcilia- 
 tion upon it. In like manner he had before 
 offered the public sacrifice, in confirmation 
 of the covenant between Jehovah arid the 
 people, Exod. xxiv. 0, &c. This easy and 
 short remark will, I think, show what was 
 the custom in the most ancient times, and 
 explain the reason why different persons 
 are represented as the priests or sacrificers. 
 But when Moses had invested Aaron and 
 his sons in the priest's office, it belonged 
 only to them to offer : They shall wait on Numb.iii. 
 their priest' s office, says the ritual, and the 10 - 
 stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to 
 death. Every one was a stranger, accord- 
 ing to the ritual, who was not of the sons 
 of Aaron, though they were of his tribe, 
 the tribe of Levi. So it is explained in the 
 case of Korah and his company, who were 
 so exemplarily punished for seeking the 
 priesthood. Their censers were hallowed 
 for a sign unto the children of Israel, to be a Numb. 
 memorial to the children of Israel, that no xvi - 38 > 
 stranger, tvhich is not of the seed of Aaron, 
 come near to offer incense before the Lord. 
 It was then a necessary qualification for 
 the priest's office to be of the seed of Aaron ; 
 
 i
 
 114 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 priest's besides which, there were also some other 
 * c ? b j considerations of their birth and persons, to 
 ' qualify them for the execution of their 
 office, as the priests of Jehovah, for the 
 honour of a family made holy by a near 
 approach to the Presence; to remove idola- 
 trous customs, and to prevent the invention 
 of more. 
 
 Ritual The ritual therefore directs, They shall 
 
 th ^, not take a wife that is an whore, or profane ; 
 
 mar- neither shall they take a woman put atvay 
 
 riages. from her husband, for he is holy unto his 
 
 xxi??. God. The law for the high priest goes 
 
 14. further, and appoints, a widow, or a de- 
 
 vorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, 
 
 these he shall not take, but he shall take, a 
 
 virgin of his own people to wife. 
 
 This ritual directs an extraordinary and 
 more than common care to preserve the 
 families of the priests in reputation and 
 honour, from every thing that might dis- 
 grace them as profane, or lessen the distin- 
 guishing dignity of their office, and so dis- 
 . honour the name of Jehovah too ; as the 
 daughter of any priest, if she profane her- 
 self by playing the whore, is said to profane 
 her father also. To preserve, then, the ho- 
 nour of this family, and keep it from any 
 mark of disgrace, they are not to marry 
 any profane person, or a person born of a 
 marriage declared by the ritual profane, as 
 the daughter of a priest, by a woman that 
 had been divorced, or a profane person ;
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 115 
 
 who, according to Selden, is a person born 
 of a woman whom it was not lawful for a 
 priest to marry*. 
 
 The Hebrew masters, according to the 
 same learned author, understand bja whore, 
 any woman who is not an Israelite, or an 
 Israelite with whom a man had lain, whom 
 she could not marry according to law, or 
 who had lain with a profane person -f\ 
 
 The Romans were used to regard the Alexand. 
 honour of marriages, so that none were * n( } ro ex ~ 
 accounted honourable or lawful, but be- 1. ii. c.5. 
 tween citizens. The like constitutions were 
 in Greece, and other cities eminent for their 
 wisdom. Now, to preserve the honour of 
 a family, especially ennobled by the imme- 
 diate service of the God and King of Israel, 
 would much serve to excite a care to keep 
 up the purity and dignity of their charac- 
 ter, and the respect due to it. Here is no- 
 thing appointed, but what the wisest na- 
 tions have accounted honourable ; nothing 
 like the monstrous constitutions of the Ma- 
 gians, that they were fittest for the highest 
 offices of priesthood, who were the issue of 
 
 * Quae nata est ex iis quas sacerdotibus jungi rite 
 nequeant, profanus est, qtii uascitur ex coitu sacerdoti 
 interdicto. Selden de Success, in Pont if. Vol. II. lib. ii. 
 c. 2. p. m. 1.58. 
 
 *j- Zona (seu scortum) in lege memoratum, foemina 
 est quzecunque non est Israelites, aut Israelitis, quacum 
 concubuit vir, cujus nuptiae ei ex interdicto omnium 
 cornnmni interdicuutur, aut quocum concubuit profanus. 
 Idem, ibid. p. m. 159- 
 
 I 2
 
 HO THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the most detestable incests, whose mothers 
 conceived by their own sons. It was 
 worthy the care of this ritual to remove all 
 such evil customs, and prevent the intro- 
 duction of any like them, for the future. 
 To be r fhe ritual, for the further honour of the 
 
 dfnltu priests' character, required them to be free 
 raibie- from any natural defect or blemish in their 
 mish * bodies, which might make their appearance 
 in their high office mean and despicable in 
 the eyes of the people : Therefore the Lord 
 spake unto Moses, saying, Whosoever he be 
 that hath any blemish, let him not approach 
 to offer the bread of his God ; for whatso- 
 xxi?i6, ever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall 
 17, 18. not approach. The particulars, to avoid 
 mistakes or uncertainties, are set down, 
 and may be seen in the following verses. 
 
 The ritual here provides for the greater 
 honour and dignity of the service of the 
 sanctuary. It permits those who had na- 
 tural blemishes, but which were not moral 
 defects, to eat the bread of his God, both of 
 the most holy, and of the holy ; only he shall 
 not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto 
 the altar, because he hath a blemish, that 
 22, 23. he profane not my sanctuaries. 
 
 These natural infirmities were not con- 
 sidered, as Bishop Patrick observes, as legal 
 impurities, rather as incapacities for the 
 exercise of their office ; and herein, says 
 Ainsworth, the blemished had a privilege 
 above the unclean, who might not eat of
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 117 
 
 the holy things. However, as such ble- 
 mishes made it unseemly for them to offi- 
 ciate before the Presence, the ritual took 
 care the service should be performed in a 
 manner more expressive of reverence to the 
 presence of Jehovah. The decency, in this 
 respect, so long settled in the courts and 
 presence of princes, will easily point out 
 the respect and honours due to the court 
 and presence of Jehovah, which always 
 carry with them moral instructions of great 
 and profitable use, as we shall more fully 
 see, in its proper place. 
 
 2. The ritual required of all who were Consc- 
 found worthy to minister in the priest's of- t^office 
 fice, that they should be regularly invested of priests, 
 in it, and settled in particular all the rites 
 of investiture. This put a stop to all ima- 
 ginations of their own, and to all supersti- 
 tious and idolatrous ceremonies, which the 
 maxims and customs of their neighbour 
 heathen nations might introduce, either as 
 to the nature of their idols and daemons, or 
 as to the service and worship supposed 
 most acceptable to them, in which there 
 were many magical rites, in particular as 
 to jthe form and colour of the garments in 
 which they officiated ; in which they placed 
 great hopes of better acceptance, and fell 
 into many dangerous superstitions. The ri- 
 tual of consecration is therefore wisely very 
 particular, though it consisted principally 
 in the following things, of easy and instruc- 
 i 3
 
 118 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 tive meaning, as well as most proper to 
 prevent all superstitious rites and idola- 
 trous customs. 
 
 These chief rites were, washing them 
 with water, putting on the garments of 
 their priest's office, applying the blood of 
 the ram of consecration to their ear, their 
 hand, and their foot, and anointing them 
 with oil. And at the beginning, when 
 Aaron and his sons were first consecrated, 
 there was an acceptance of them to minis- 
 ter in the priest's office, by the glory of 
 Jehovah, or the Shechinah, before the 
 whole congregation of Israel. 
 
 Let us see briefly how the Scriptures 
 themselves describe this part of the ri- 
 tual. 
 
 Levit. And the Lord (Jehovah) spake unto 
 
 viii. i, 2, Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons 
 with him, and the garments, and the anoint- 
 ing oil, and a bullock, for a sin-offering, 
 and two rams, and a basket of unleavened 
 bread, and gather thou all the congregation 
 together unto the door of the tabernacle of 
 the congregation. When Moses had done 
 as the Lord directed, and the general as- 
 sembly of Israel was met, he acquainted 
 them, this was what Jehovah had com- 
 manded to be done ; so that the following 
 investiture was performed by Moses, the 
 whole congregation of Israel present, as 
 Exodus, consenting and assisting ; as if they had 
 xix. 8. said, as on a like occasion, And all the 
 
 4
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 11Q 
 
 people answered together, and said, All that 
 the Lord hath spoken unto us we will do. 
 
 The first rite made use of by Moses, as The ri- 
 the Lord commanded, was this : And Moses 
 brought Aaron and his sons, and washed with 
 them with water. The natural use of water, water, 
 for cleanliness, to wash off all sorts of dirt Q. v 
 or filth, that would soil the body, made it 
 of constant use, and of great service, espe- 
 cially in those warm eastern countries. This 
 was a very easy representation of purity, 
 and might readily be applied to signify pu- 
 rity of heart, as it visibly made the body 
 clean ; the use of water, therefore, soon be- 
 came a religious rite, and was established, 
 as by universal custom and consent, a cere- 
 monial denoting purity of mind, or an heart 
 purged from iniquity. Hence divers bap- 
 tisms, or kinds of washings, were so com- 
 mon among all nations, as well as with the 
 Hebrews. Thus the Roman poet, so well 
 skilled in the ancient rites and ceremonies 
 of his nation, and of the heathen worship, 
 represents his hero as unfit to carry the 
 images of the gods, while defiled with blood, 
 after a battle, till he should be purged, by 
 washing in running water*. It was a rer 
 
 * Tu, genitor, cape sacra manu, patriosque penates. 
 Me, bello e tauto digressum &- caede recenti, 
 Attrectare nefas, donee me flumine vivo 
 .Abluero. Virg. Mmid. 1. II. v. 717- 
 
 I 4
 
 120 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ceived custom, in like manner, for persons 
 to wash themselves with water, before they 
 sacrificed : whence the common expres- 
 sion, I go to wash myself, that I may sa- 
 crifice ; I "will now wash, that I may per- 
 form the sacred offices of religion *. 
 
 It was no wonder a rite of so plain 
 meaning, and so proper instruction, should 
 be of so general use, or that the wisdom 
 of God, when it was to give the Hebrews 
 a ritual, should make such use of water, 
 one rite of it, when putting away the 
 filth of the flesh, so properly put them in 
 mind of the answer of a good conscience 
 
 i Pet. iii. tow ards God, as St. Peter reasons concern- 
 
 21. ing Christian baptism. 
 
 It may be proper just to mention here 
 this general observation concerning all the 
 rites of the Mosaical ceremonial, that they 
 are instituted as rites, and to be used as rites 
 only. The instructions they taught, pro- 
 moted true religion and real goodness, as 
 will appear more fully in another place ; 
 but here we are to remark and keep in 
 mind as we go along, that it is a general 
 rule of interpretation of every ceremony of 
 the ritual, that it was fit to give useful in- 
 
 * Ego eo lavatum, ut sacrificem . Plaut. Aulular. iii. 
 6.43. Nunc lavabo, ut rem divinam faciam. Idem, ibid. 
 iv. a. 5. 
 
 The reader may see more in Saubeit de Sacrificiis, 
 p. '222.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 121 
 
 structions, or to guard against idolatry, or 
 prepare for the more perfect and more spi- 
 ritual state of religion under the Messiah. 
 Thus Moses, in consecrating Aaron and his 
 sons to the priest's office, brought them 
 before the presence of Jehovah, and before 
 the congregation of Israel, and washed 
 them with water. 
 
 The next rite in the consecration of the Investing 
 priests, was to put on them the proper gar- ^J^Llr 6 
 ments appointed for them in their service : g ar - 
 the law gave express command for making ments. 
 these garments; the directions were so par- 
 ticular, that no room might be left for pri- 
 vate fancy and invention, or introducing 
 the superstitions of idolatrous worship into 
 the worship of Jehovah. The garments 
 directed by the ritual were eight : four were 
 usually called the linen garments, and 
 were worn by all the priests; the other four 
 were usually called the golden garments, 
 because wrought with gold, together with 
 other very rich materials. These holy gar- Exodus, 
 ments, made for glory and for beauty, were xxviii - 2 - 
 peculiar to the high priest, and only worn 
 by him when he officiated. 
 
 The use of these garments was required 
 by the ritual, on pain of a very high pu- 
 nishment : And they shall be upon Aaron 43. 
 and his sons, when they come in unto the 
 tabernacle of the congregation, or when they 
 come near unto the altar, to minister in the 
 holy place, that they bear not iniquity and
 
 122 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 die ; it shall be a statute for ever unto him, 
 and his seed after him. 
 
 The linen garments which were worn 
 by all the priests, were breeches, coats, 
 girdles, and bonnets. 
 
 Linen The ritual directed Moses, And thou 
 
 breeches, sna if m ake them (Aaron and his sons} linen 
 Exodus, breeches, to cover their nakedness ; from the 
 xxviiU2. loins e v en un to the thighs they shall reach. 
 This rite took care they should be decently 
 covered, whatever gesture of body might be 
 used in their duty, and effectually prevent 
 such indecencies as are observed to have 
 been used as honourable and as religious 
 rites in the worship of Baal-Peor*, that the 
 priests, in officiating, should uncover those 
 parts which common modesty teaches to 
 conceal. Here was a grave and decent gar- 
 ment appointed for the priests, fit for the 
 service of their ministry, and very proper 
 to prevent indecency, either through acci- 
 dent, or superstitious design. 
 Linen Another garment appointed for the 
 
 > at - priests was a linen coat : And for Aaron s 
 xxriii.40. sons ^ ou shalt make coats ; accordingly, 
 Exod. they made coats of jine linen of woven 
 xxxix.27. W ork, for Aaron and his so?is. This coat is 
 4. called a broidered coat, or a checkered 
 
 * " Gentium quidem profanarum flamines, quae oc- 
 cultari maxime decebat, coram Pehore aperiebant," 
 says Dr. Outram, from Maiinun. and Kimhi. Outram 
 tie Sucrif. 1. 1. c. 5. 3.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 123 
 
 linen*, not such as is used for shirts and 
 body-linen, but like diaper or damask, or 
 thick checkered linen, in use for tables. 
 
 Another garment directed for the use of The 
 the priests, was a girdle, different from the p ["jf s 
 curious girdle of the ephod, one of the gar- 
 ments peculiar to the high priest. This 
 curious girdle of the ephod was made of Exod. 
 fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, 2Q X1X " 
 and scarlet, and needle-work. The com- 
 mon girdle of the priests seems to be plain, 
 without the blue, purple, and scarlet, and 
 seems well described by Dr. Lightfoot, as ibid. 
 a long linen swaddle, which many times 
 is about them, over their caps, and down- 
 wards ; a garment serviceable for warmth 
 and strength. It is usually represented by 
 the Hebrew writers as a sort of linen 
 sash, of about four inches broad, and above 
 sixteen yards long, and so might be wound 
 round their forementioned coats, in very 
 different manners, as occasion should call 
 for. 
 
 The last of the garments appointed for Priests* 
 the common priests, were bonnets ; and bonnets. 
 bonnets shall thou make for them, says the Exodus, 
 ritual : these were a sort of linen caps for Xxvuu4a 
 the head, represented as a sphere cut in 
 
 * The L'XX render it jcirtm x n/xj8wTov, wrought, as 
 it were, with knots ; Dr. Outram, Camisia utique lino 
 facta, manicata, &. opere tesselato texta, quae ad pedes 
 usque promittebatur ; and our learned Dr. Lightfoot 
 calls it a diaper shirt.
 
 124 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Josephus, two, and one part put on the head*. Jose- 
 Antiq. ' phus represents it as a cap made of linen, 
 Fin 8 tvv i ste d several times round, and smoothed 
 by a covering of other linen, by which it 
 was so fastened to the head, that it could 
 not fall off in the time of officiating; so 
 that it seems such a covering of the head 
 as continues the custom of the eastern na- 
 tions to this day, that is, a sort of turban. 
 High Besides these garments of the priests in 
 
 priest's common, the ritual had provided richer 
 ments. an d more glorious garments, for the high 
 priest. These, by way of distinction, were 
 called the golden garments, because 
 wrought with gold, as well as purple and 
 scarlet. These were four the robe, or 
 robe of the ephod; the ephod; the breast- 
 plate, in which was set thellrim andThum- 
 mim ; and the golden plate for the mitre. 
 Robe. The ritual directed the robe to be made 
 
 Exodus after this manner: Andthou shall make the 
 xxxviii. robe of the ephod all of blue : and there shall 
 
 31,32,33. fe an fate Qn ffe fop Q j? ^ " in jfo m jj s t 
 
 thereof; it shall have a binding of woven 
 ivork, round about the hole of it, as it were 
 thehole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. 
 And beneath upon the hem of it, shall thou 
 make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, 
 and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; 
 
 * Rotundum pileolum, quasi sphera media sit divisa, 
 & pars una ponatur in capite, tiaram Giaeci, 8c nostn 
 appellant. Sigonius de Repub. Hebr. 1. V. c. 2.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 125 
 
 and bells of gold between them round about. 
 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister', 34 - 
 and his sound shall be heard, when he goeth 36< 
 in unto the holy place before the Lord, and 
 ivhen he cometh out, that he die not. This 
 coat of the ephod (according to Dr. Light- 
 foot) " was without any sleeves, and con- Temple 
 " sisted of two pieces, one of which hung f e ^ CCt 
 " before, and the other behind ; in the 
 " middle there was an opening, through 
 " which they put their heads ; from the 
 " collar, downwards, the pieces were part- 
 " ed, and his arms came out between them ; 
 " at the lower end of either of these pieces 
 " were thirty-six little golden bells, with 
 " clappers, and pomegranates of needle- 
 " work between every bell : seventy- two 
 " bells in all." This robe was blue, or the 
 colour of the air. Hence Josephus and 
 Philo, very reputable authors of the He- 
 brew nation, represent it a sky-colour, or 
 as a sky-blue. 
 
 Another part of the garments peculiar Ephod. 
 to the high priest was the ephod : concern- 
 ing this the ritual directs, And they shall 
 make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of 61 
 purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, 
 with cunning work. It shall have the two 
 shoulder -pieces thereof joined at the two 
 edges thereof; and so it shall be joined to- 
 gether. And the curious girdle of the ephod, 
 which is upon it, shall be of the same, ac- 
 cording to the ivork thereof, even of gold, of 

 
 126 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 blue, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And 
 thou shall take tivo onyx stones, and grave 
 on them the names of the children of Israel, 
 six of their names on one stone, and the 
 other six names of the rest on the other stone, 
 according to their birth ; with the work of 
 an engraver in stone, like the engravings of 
 a signet shalt thou engrave the two stones, 
 with the names of the children of Israel : 
 thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of 
 gold. And thou shalt put the two stones 
 upon the shoulders of the ephod, for stones 
 of memorial unto the children of Israel. And 
 Aaron shall bear their names before the 
 Lord, upon his two shoulders, for a memo- 
 rial. 
 
 Temple According to Dr. Lightfoot, " the 
 Semce, breadth of this ephod was the breadth of 
 " the back, from shoulder to shoulder, and 
 " it hung behind him, from his arm-holes 
 " to his feet; from it there came two pieces 
 " under his arm-holes, and met together, 
 " and clasped over his paps. It had two 
 " shoulder-pieces also, which went over the 
 " priest's shoulders, and were fastened to 
 " the ephod behind, and to the girdle be- 
 " fore, and so the ephod hung low behind, 
 " and came but short before. Upon these 
 '* shoulder-pieces were two beryl-stones, 
 " in which the names of the twelve tribes 
 " were engraven. Upon these shoulder- 
 :< pieces there were two bosses of gold, near 
 " to these stones, into which two gold
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 127 
 
 " chains, which tied the breast-plate to the 
 " ephod, were fastened, that the breast- 
 " plate and ephod might not be parted." 
 
 The breast-plate, with the Urim and Breast- 
 Thummim placed in it, was another gar- pj a . tewi th 
 ment peculiarly appointed for the high Thum- 
 priest. The ritual thus directed : And thou mim. 
 
 T-l J 
 
 shalt make tliebreast-plate of judgment with * wl - J ; U f f /! 
 
 r I j / ^ 77 XXV111 '*5. 
 
 cunning work ; after the work oj the ephod 
 thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of 
 purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined 
 linen thou shalt make it. It was to be a Exodus, 
 span square; four rows of stones were to xxviii.15. 
 be set in it, and the stones were to be with 
 the names of the children of Israel, twelve, 
 according to their names, like the engrav- 21. 
 ings of a signet, every one with his name, 
 that they be according to the twelve tribes. 
 It is directed also, this breast-plate 
 should have chains arid rings of gold, by 
 which it was to be fastened to the ephod, 
 that the breast-plate be not parted from the 
 ephod. This breast-plate, then, according 
 to Dr. Lightfoot*, " was a rich piece of Ibid. 
 " cloth of gold, an hand-breadth square, 
 " double, and set with twelve precious 
 " stones, in four rows, three in a row : 
 ft these," he adds, " are called Urim and 
 
 * Huic insertae erant 12 gemmae per 4 ordines di- 
 gestae, quibus inscujptae erant noinina filioruin Israelis, 
 quas ipsas nomine D'nm DIIN appellatas fuisse, videtur 
 liquere ex Exod. xxxv. 9> & collatis Exod. xxxix. 10, 
 Levit. viii. 8. Reland Ant. Heb. Part II. c. i. p. 1,52.
 
 128 THE RATIONAL OF THE RlTtfAL 
 
 " Thummim, l^rod.xxviii. 30." Most learn- 
 ed men agree with Dr. Lightfoot in this opi- 
 nion ; Reland, in particular, gives some 
 reasons to confirm it, as what alone is ac- 
 cording to the pattern and directions given 
 by the law: and it must seem very strange, 
 that the law should be quite silent on a part 
 of the priest's garments, of so principal use 
 as the Urim and Thummim, when it is so 
 particular in every other part. 
 Patrick " It is observable," says Bishop Patrick, 
 on Levit. " that he (Moses) saith nothing here in 
 " this place of the precious stones, but only 
 " mentions Urim andThummim ; as in Ex- 
 " odus, xxxix. 10, where he describes the 
 " same thing, he makes mention only of 
 " the four rows of stones, but saith not 
 " one word of Urim and Thummim; which 
 " I look upon as a proof they were all 
 "one." This seems more likely than the 
 conjectures of some learned men, without 
 any authority from the ritual itself, and 
 founded only on very uncertain criticism. 
 Some have imagined they were a kind of 
 teraphim, or two little images, which gave 
 the oracle. So Spencer represents the 
 opinion of Castro*. He differs from him, 
 as supposing but one image, not two ; and 
 
 Non veritate, sine ratione saltern speciosa ab- 
 erravit author noster, cum simulachra duo quorum 
 unum Urim, alterurn Thummim dicebatur, ad hoc 
 oraculi tradendi munus, consecrasse, dixerit. Spencer, 
 1. III. Dissert, vii. 353. .' V-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP; 
 
 his own sentiments he thus expresses, that 
 Urim was an hollow instrument, or a little 
 image in human shape, formerly called 
 theraphim*; and thatThummin was taken 
 from a custom among the Egyptians, where 
 the chief judge was used to wear a collar 
 round his neck, to which was fixed a sap* 
 phire image called Truth, as he observes 
 from ^Elian and Diodorus (*. Le Clerc 
 represents it as a collar of jewels, of pre* 
 cious stones and pearls, which hung round 
 the high priest's neck, and came down to 
 his breast J. But since the ritual is so par* 
 ticular, and yet makes no mention of any 
 collar of jewels, or any images of any form, 
 on account of the ritual we ought to con* 
 sider them as conjectures only. Nor, in- 
 deed, is there need of a further inquiry, 
 when the jewels engraved with the names 
 of the twelve tribes will sufficiently show 
 the propriety and use of the ritual, in ap- 
 pointing this garment for the high priest. 
 
 This account of the Urim and Thum* Civil Go- 
 raim seems greatly confirmed by the man- 
 
 * Urim autem, ut hide ordiamur, instrumentum con- 
 cavum, decore fabricatum, simulachrum forte parvulum 
 ofiigiem bumanam referens, Theraphim autiquitus ap- 
 pellatum, fuisse videtur. Ibid. 341. 
 
 TO ayaA|U.ct AAr,Ona. Spencer, 1. iii. dissert, vii. p. 388. 
 Praeterea fiat collate, carbuuculis et unionibus con- 
 s, quod ad pectus usque Aharonu semper pendebit, 
 cum sane tuariu in itigredietur sacra facturus. Le Clerc 
 in locum.
 
 130 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ner in which the answer was given, not 
 
 by any shining of the stones or \oice of an 
 
 image, but by an audible voice from the 
 
 Numb- Presence, or Shechinah ; as Moses heard 
 
 viL t29 ' the voice of one speaking to him from 
 
 Con de v!i. off the mercy-seat. And so it is justly 
 
 155, &c. explained by Dr. Prideaux. 
 
 Mitreand The last of the h lv g arments with 
 
 golden which the high priest was invested, was 
 plate. a m itre, on which was a plate of pure 
 gold, with Holiness to the Lord engraven 
 Exod. on ** dnd thou shalt make a plate of pure 
 xxviii. gold, and grave upon it like the engravings 
 361 37> of a signet, Holiness to the Lord; and 
 thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may 
 be upon the mitre, upon the fore-front of the 
 mitre shall it be. This mitre of the high 
 priest is generally understood to differ 
 something, but not much, from the bon- 
 nets of the common priests. It might be, 
 likely, made of more folds of linen, and 
 complicated after a different manner, as is 
 usual in the turbans of the eastern people, 
 which are of very different forms, ac- 
 cording to the different qualities of the 
 persons for whom they are made. 
 
 Some have found out many mystical 
 meanings, by allegorizing these garments, 
 and every part of them. I am only to ob- 
 serve the real meaning and intention of the 
 ritual : I shall, therefore, leave you to find 
 out other meanings, if you have a mind 
 to know them, in the authors themselves ;
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 131 
 
 yet the reasons given in the ritual, the 
 ritual explained by the Prophets, and an 
 evident fitness to answer the wise designs 
 of the ritual, will deserve your attention. 
 
 The ritual gives one reason ; And thou Exodus, 
 shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy xxvuu 2 * 
 brother for glory and for beauty. And the 
 same reason is given for the garments ap- 40. 
 pointed for the sons of Aaron, or the 
 priests in general. 
 
 These garments, made of fine linen, of 
 cloth of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, 
 interwoven with beautiful flowers, were 
 certainly very ornamental and graceful. 
 Now, it was a decency becoming the pre- 
 sence of Jehovah, the King and God of 
 Israel, that they who waited upon him 
 to minister immediately in the Presence 
 should appear as decent as the servants of 
 the princes and kings of the earth were 
 used to do in their courts. It was a mark 
 of respect to the persons on whom they 
 waited, to be served by persons of some 
 distinction, who should be distinguished by 
 a decent and a graceful dress, as one part 
 of that reverence and respect required in 
 the Presence. It was fit these persons who 
 were called to a nearer attendance on the 
 Presence, should be considered by the 
 people as honourable on account of their 
 office, and therefore to have such robes 
 of office as should be decent and orna- 
 mental. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 It was, moreover, wise in the ritual to 
 appoint, in particular, and with exactness, 
 what these garments should be. It could 
 not be safe to leave the choice of the gar- 
 ments, in which the priests were to minis- 
 ter before Jehovah, to their own imagina- 
 tion : it was of importance to stop at once 
 the superstitions which would, most pro- 
 bably, arise from an unrestrained invention. 
 How many were the superstitious rites of 
 idolatrous worship in this very article ? 
 Every god had his proper vestments for 
 his priests; in some cases, men were to 
 worship in the dress of women, and wo- 
 men in the habits of men ; of which su- 
 perstitions we shall see something further, 
 in a more proper place : only let us here 
 observe a good reason, why these directions 
 for the priests' garments were made a part 
 of the ritual, and the observance of these 
 laws so strictly required by it. When 
 nothing was left by the law to private dis- 
 cretion, it was a necessary act of obedience 
 due to the law to observe it carefully ; it 
 was not a bare omission of the use of a 
 rite or ceremony, for which reason, some 
 pretend, the law punished it: with so great 
 severity ; it was moreover a disobedience 
 to the voice of the oracle, to the authority 
 of the presence of Jehovah among them; 
 not only in itself a moral crime, but such 
 an one, as in its consequences destroyed 
 the authority of the whole law, and threat-
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 133 
 
 ened an entire subversion of the constitu- 
 tion of the Hebrew church and worship. 
 
 You will further observe of these gar- 
 ments, that the Holy Scriptures themselves 
 refer them to a moral instruction, as em- 
 blems of that purity of heart, those virtu- 
 ous dispositions of mind, which are the 
 true beauties and real ornaments of the 
 soul, which are as graceful to the mind as 
 the garments of the priests were to their 
 bodies; concerning which St. Peter ob- 
 serves, they are, in the sight of God, of l Pet. iii. 
 great price. The spirit of prophecy in * 
 like manner explains the meaning of fine 
 linen: And to her was granted that she Rev.xix. 
 should be arrayed in jine linen, clean and 8 * 
 white ; for the fine linen is (or signifies) 
 the righteousness of saints. It seems an 
 easy and natural instruction, if the priests 
 were to be washed with water, that their 
 bodies might be clean when they appeared 
 in the presence of Jehovah, their hearts 
 were also to be cleansed from such lusts as 
 defile the soul. If the priests were to be 
 clothed with garments ritually holy, in 
 which there was engraven Holiness to the 
 Lord ; this plainly directs that the priests 
 should also be clothed with righteousness, Psaln ?. 
 according to the Psalmist; or that their 
 souls should be adorned with true righ- 
 teousness and real holiness, when espe- 
 cially they were to appear in the presence; 
 of the holy, blessed God. 
 K 3
 
 134 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 In a word, these garments, appointed 
 for the priests by the Hebrew ritual, were 
 proper, decent, and graceful, free from all 
 superstition in themselves, and a wise 
 fence against the superstitions of their 
 neighbours, teaching useful, moral instruc- 
 tion, and answering all the wise designs 
 for which the Hebrew worship was to be 
 ritual. 
 
 Anoint- When the priests were thus washed 
 
 m s- with water, and invested with their robes 
 
 of office, they were to be anointed. Then 
 
 (says the ritual) shalt thou take the anoint- 
 
 7. 
 
 and 
 
 anoint him. This anointing oil was oil- 
 xxx. 23, olive, in which the principal spices were 
 24, 26 to be i n f use <i w i t h w hich the tabernacle 
 and vessels, as well as Aaron and his sons, 
 were to be anointed to consecrate them, 
 and was appropriated to this religious use. 
 32, 88. The ritual forbid the common use of it, 
 or even the composition of any thing 
 like it. 
 
 In the solemn consecration of Aaron, 
 ^ oses accordingly took the anointing oil, 
 12! an< ^ anointed the tabernacle, and all that 
 was therein, and sanctified them. And he 
 sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, 
 and anointed the altar, and all his vessels, 
 both the laver and his foot, to sanctify 
 them. And he poured of the anointing oil 
 upon Aaron $ head, and anointed him to 
 sanctify him. These ceremonies, performed 
 3
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 135 
 
 by the command, and in the name of Je- 
 hovah, naturally expressed a consecration, 
 by God's authority, to sanctify them for 
 God's service ; it taught the proper autho- 
 rity, and gave encouragement to hope the 
 qualifications suitable for the discharge of 
 the office to which they were sanctified. 
 So just is the observation of a judicious au- 
 thor, that the holy anointings had the sig- 
 nification of honour and joy, of holiness 
 and inspiration of the Holy Ghost *. The 
 Psalmist speaks of the oil of gladness, Thou Psalm 
 lovest righteousness, and hatest wicked- xlv< 7 * 
 ness; therefore God, thy God, hath 
 anointed thee with the oil of gladness above 
 thy fellows. Therefore, in allusion to the 
 composition of this holy oil, all thy gar- & 
 ments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, 
 the principal spices used in it. And thus 
 the Son of God is represented as the Mes- 
 siah and Christ, both which mean God's 
 anointed, and is explained, that GW John "i 
 giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him; 
 and again, that God anointed Jesus o/'Acts, x. 
 Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with 3S ' 
 power. Here we have again a plain rite of 
 known use and meaning, to show the au- 
 thority of the persons officiating, and en- 
 couragement to hope the qualifications 
 necessary for the discharge of their office, 
 
 * Habuit autem unguentum sacrum, ut honoris et 
 gaudii significationem, ita sanctitatis et afflatfts divini. 
 Outram de Sacrificiis, 1, i. c. 5. 3. 
 K4
 
 130 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 through the blessing of God, who thus 
 called them, by anointing, to their office. 
 Here we have a rite free from all supersti- 
 tion, as well as of useful meaning, well 
 fitted to keep out every superstition, which 
 had found out many compositions, and in 
 particular ointments of wonderful magical 
 powers and virtues, as the principles of 
 idolatry, imposing on the credulity of the 
 vulgar, persuaded them to believe ; and a 
 rite which prepared the mind to receive 
 the Messiah, as in the fullest meaning the 
 Lord's anointed. 
 
 Conse- The last ceremony of consecration 
 
 of the which the ritual directs, is a threefold sa- 
 
 priests by crifice, a bullock, and two rams : the bul- 
 
 sacrifices. ^^ wag ^ sin-offering ; one of the rams 
 
 for a burnt-offering ; the other, called the 
 
 ram of consecration, was a peace-offer-? 
 
 ing ; and therefore Moses directed Aaron 
 
 Leyit, and his sons to eat it y with the bread that 
 
 ' 31 * was in the basket of consecration. 
 
 The ritual directs, in the first place, 
 
 LevitU A n d thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought 
 
 10* n*!?" before the tabernacle of the congregation; 
 
 13, 14. and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands 
 
 upon the head of the bullock; and thou shalt 
 
 kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door 
 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation. And 
 
 thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, 
 
 and put it upon the horns of the altar with 
 
 .thy finger, and pour all the blood beside 
 
 the bottom of the altar. And thou shalt
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 137 
 
 take all the fat that covereth the inwards, 
 and the caul that is above the liver, and the 
 two kidneys and the fat that is upon them, ' 
 and burn them upon the altar; but the flesh 
 of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, 
 shalt thou burn with fire without the camp; 
 it is a sin-offering. This sin-offering was 
 ah atonement for Aaron and his sons, 
 who were then to be consecrated priests to 
 Jehovah. They were first to be purged 
 from their sins by a sin-offering, that they ./-..- 
 might be fit to appear in the presence of 
 the holy, blessed God, or, as Dr. Outram 
 speaks, in the words of Rabbi Levi Ben 
 Gerson, " You are to observe the reason 
 " of the order in which these sacrifices 
 " are appointed to be offered : the first 
 " sacrifice is a sin-offering for the expiation 
 " of their sins, of which only a little of 
 " the fat was offered unto God (to whom 
 " be praise), because they who were to of- 
 " fer (the priests) were not as yet worthy, 
 " from whom God should receive gifts 
 " and offerings *." 
 
 Aaron and his sons are directed to put 
 their hands on the head of this bullock. , 
 
 This ceremony was attended, in the sin* 
 
 * Observari debet ratio ordinis quo facta erant haec 
 sacrifkia ; nam prinmm omnium, in peccatorum e.xpia- 
 tionem, factum erat sacriticium piaculare, cujus nihil 
 nisi aliquanta adeps, Deo (cui laus) offerebatur, quia 
 offerentes nondum digni erant, a quibus Deus munus et 
 donum aceiperet -Outram de Sacrif. \. i. c. 5. 5.
 
 138 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 offering for the children of Israel, with an 
 
 express confession of sins ; it was directed 
 
 LeritJCTi. that Aaron should lay both his hands upon 
 
 the head of the live goat, and confess over 
 
 them all the iniquities of the children of 
 
 Israel, and all their transgression in all 
 
 their sins, putting them upon the head of 
 
 the goat. The Hebrew masters represent 
 
 the form of this confession after such man- 
 
 Ains- ner as tn * s I have sinned ; I have com- 
 
 worth on mitted iniquity ; I have trespassed, and 
 
 Exodus, d one thus and thus, and do return with 
 
 repentance before thee ; and with this I 
 
 make atonement. Mr. Le Clerc observes, 
 
 the rite itself would signify a confession of 
 
 sins, though not expressed in words *. 
 
 The next sacrifice directed by the ri- 
 tual was an whole burnt-offering : Thou 
 shalt also take one ram, and Aaron and his 
 sons shall put their hands upon the head of 
 the ram. And thou shalt slay the ram, and 
 thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it 
 round about upon the altar. And thou shalt 
 burn the whole ram upon the altar ; it is a 
 Exodus burnt-offering unto the Lord, it is a sweet 
 xxix. 15, savour, an offering made by Jire unto the 
 1618. Lord. 
 
 Concerning this sacrifice as a burnt- 
 offering, an offering of sweet savour, you 
 may observe, it was offered to God as 
 from persons restored to his peace, and 
 
 * Hoc saltern constare videtur, hunc ipsum ritum. 
 confessionem peccati, tacente licet sacerdote, fuisse. Le 
 Clerc in ioc.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 13Q 
 
 received into his favour, as a sweet savour 
 of rest and peace; or, according to R. Levi 
 Ben Gerson, " after they were now pu- 
 " rified, that it might appear they were de- 
 " voted to the holy ministry, they sacri- 
 " ficed an whole burnt-offering, which was 
 " all given unto God (to whom be praise) 
 " on his altar*." 
 
 The last sacrifice was most properly 
 called the sacrifice of consecration : the ri- 
 tual directed, And tliou shalt take the other Exodus, 
 ram> and Aaron and his sons shall put their xxix - 19 
 hands on the head of the ram. Then shalt ' 
 thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and 
 put it upon the tip of the right ear oj Aaron t 
 and upon the tip of the right ear of his 
 sons, and upon the thumb of their right 
 hand and upon the great toe of their right 
 foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar 
 round about. And thou shalt take of the 21. 
 blood that is upon the altar, and of the 
 anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, 
 and upon his garments, and upon his sons, 
 and upon the garments of his sons with him; 
 and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, 
 and his sons, and his sons garments with 
 him. This sacrifice was used in part,, you 
 see, as an offering to God, and therefore 
 the blood is sprinkled, on his, altar,, and in, 
 
 * Postquamjam lustrati essent, quo eos sacro mini- 
 sterio devotos esse inteliigeretur, holocaustum, quod to- 
 turn in ara, datum est Deo (cui laus), iinmokbatur. 
 Outram de Sacrif. 1. i. c. 5. 5.
 
 140 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 part as a consecration of Aaron and his 
 sons to the priest's office, and therefore the 
 blood of it was sprinkled on them and on 
 their garments. 
 
 The ritual yet further directs concern- 
 ing this ram of consecration, that, besides 
 w ^ a ^ was onCere< i n the altar, a portion 
 was to be reserved for Aaron and his sons, 
 
 31. as of the sacrifices of peace-offerings. 
 This was to be dressed in the holy place; 
 
 32. and then the ritual adds, And Aaron and 
 his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and 
 the bread that is in the basket by the door 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation. This 
 sacrifice is to be ended with a feast upon 
 part of it, of which no stranger was to 
 eat, only Aaron and his sons, as now re- 
 ceived into God's family by their conse- 
 cration ; or, " after the whole burnt- 
 " offering they offered a peace-offering (in 
 " which a part was given to God, a part 
 " to the priests, and a part to the offerers) 
 " for this end, that it might appear they 
 " were admitted to the same table, they 
 " now being accepted of God, and re* 
 <f ceived into his favour *." 
 
 * Salutare denjque ut sacrum epulum, quo Dei fa- 
 milia initiarentur. Or, as he uses the words of R. Levi 
 BenGerson, Post holocaustum auteni sacrificium, simile 
 salutari (cujus pars Deo, pars sacerdotibus, pars offeren- 
 tibus dari, selet), cum in finem offerebant, ut eos jam in 
 gratiam apud Deum, eosque acceptos esse constaret, ut 
 connuuni cum iis mensa utereutur. Outram de Sacrif. 
 1. i.e. 5. 5. . ,.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 141 
 
 Every one so easily perceives the in- 
 struction intended by touching the right 
 ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the 
 great toe of the right foot, that it will be 
 sufficient to mention, that it admonished 
 the priests, now consecrated to God and his 
 service, to hear the word of God with 
 attention, to be ready to do the will of 
 God to the utmost of their power, and to 
 walk in the ways of God's command- 
 ments in their whole conversation. Every 
 one may easily understand the meaning of 
 such rites of consecration as these, and 
 with a moderate attention may discover 
 the other wise designs of their institution ; 
 which will be considered more particularly 
 in the Third Part. 
 
 The Levites also, though not priests, Conse- 
 
 yet had their consecration ; as, They were " atl T on * 
 
 x* j i the Le * 
 
 given to Aaron ana his sons jrom among v ites. 
 
 the children of Israel, to do the service of Numb. 
 the children of Israel in the tabernacle of vm * 
 the congregation. This reason is explained : 
 For all the Jirst-born of the children of 
 Israel are mine, said Jehovah to Moses : 
 in the day that I smote every Jirst-born in 17, 18. 
 the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for 
 myself. And I have taken the Levites for 
 all the Jirst-born of the children of Israel. 
 When the first-born of the Egyptians 
 were destroyed, the first-born of Israel 
 were saved. They owed the service of 
 their lives to Jehovah that saved them ;
 
 142 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 but in lieu of that service, and to keep the 
 memory of it, with the reason why that 
 service was due, the Levites were sancti- 
 fied to God in their room. 
 
 They were, therefore, to be initiated 
 
 into their office, as well as the priests, the 
 
 sons of Aaron. In the first place, they are 
 
 Numb, directed to be cleansed : Take the Levites 
 
 viii.6. from among the children of Israel, and 
 
 cleanse them. This cleansing was to 
 
 sprinkle water of purifying upon them: and 
 
 7 ' let them shave all their flesh, and let them 
 wash their clothes, and so let them be clean. 
 
 8 * They were then to offer one young bullock, 
 with its meat-offering, even Jine flower 
 mingled with oil, and another young bul- 
 lock for a sin-offering : or, as it is after- 
 wards expressed, these were to be offered, 
 
 ** the one for a sin-offering, and the other 
 for a burnt-offering unto the Lord, to 
 make an atonement for the Levites. When 
 these sacrifices were ready, the ritual di- 
 
 9. rects that the Levites should be brought 
 before the tabernacle of the congregation, 
 and the whole assembly of the children of 
 Israel together. Then follows the signifi- 
 cant and solemn rite of their dedication : 
 10, 11. 4 n( i fltQu shaft bring the Levites before the 
 Lord, and the children of Israel shall put 
 their hands upon the Levites, and Aaron 
 shall offer the Levites before the Lord, for 
 an offering of the children of Israel, that 
 they may execute the service of the Lord.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 143 
 
 The uses for which the Levites were of- 
 fered to Jehovah were many, and of great 
 importance. It was of consequence to re- 
 present it so to themselves and to the chil- 
 dren of Israel. The honour of the Presence, 
 and the service of the tabernacle, the study 
 of the law, and instruction of the people 
 in it, required many hands and all their 
 time. The ritual very properly and wisely 
 directs, that this should be a solemn act of 
 the people in full assembly, as well as of 
 Aaron as priest. The children of Israel, 
 by putting their hands upon the Levites, 
 recognise the right of Jehovah to the ser- 
 vice of the first-born as their God and 
 King, that whatever service the Levites 
 were appointed to perform, might have 
 been required of them as a personal ser- 
 vice. This amounted to a personal con- 
 sent and ratification of their appointment 
 to their services in their room, and a tacit 
 promise and agreement they would own 
 them as such. 
 
 The other rites are so evidently instruc- 
 tive of the reverence and holiness of all 
 who approach the presence of the holy 
 God, in his holy place, that there is hardly 
 need to mention it; to be sure, there is 
 need of no more than just to mention it.
 
 144 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Ritual of the Worship before the Presence. 
 
 You have seen how the ritual directed the 
 priests and Levites to minister before Je 
 hovah. The next thing observable in the 
 ritual is the worship it directs, or how 
 they were to minister before the Presence, 
 and wherein their service did consist. Now, 
 
 Ex - d S as Aaron and his sons were sanctified to 
 minister to Jehovah in the priest's office, 
 so we have a very just account of the 
 priest's office by the Apostle to the He- 
 
 Heb.v.i. brews : For every high priest, taken from 
 among men, is ordained for men in things 
 pertaining unto God, that he may both of- 
 fer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Offerings 
 and sacrifices were in fact the principal 
 parts of the priest's office, of the public 
 and national worship, both occasional and 
 stated. It will be necessary, then, to ex- 
 amine carefully the nature of this worship, 
 in order to understand the wise designs of 
 it, from its true intention and meaning. 
 
 Sacrifices of all sorts, and offerings of 
 every kind, were outward actions express- 
 ing some inward sentiment or affection of 
 men's minds with respect to God : some 
 had a regard to God as the Creator, Pre- 
 server, supreme Governor and Lord of all, 
 whom all were to acknowledge, and to ho.-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 145 
 
 nourassuch. Suchweretheburnt-offerings, Outram 
 especially as distinguished from the peace- i^.i^x.* 
 offerings and the sia-offerings. The peace- s. 2. 
 offerings were offered unto God, as the 
 Giver of all the blessings of life, whether 
 blessings already received, in which they 
 were to be sensible of the goodness of God, 
 and to acknowledge it by some acts of re- 
 spect and honour, or whether they were 
 blessings they desired from God as of his 
 goodness and favour, which they were to 
 ask therefore of him, and to hope for from 
 him, as the Lord of all, and Author of every 
 blessing of providence. In the one of 
 these sacrifices they gave thanks unto God 
 for present mercies, in the other they of- 
 fered up their prayers unto God for future 
 blessings, and mercies yet to come ; finally, 
 the sacrifices called sin-offerings and tres- 
 pass-offerings, were offered unto God, as 
 the righteous Governor and Judge of the 
 world, offended with all iniquity, with 
 every transgression of the laws of righte- 
 ousness, and with every sin, and as the 
 righteous Governor and Judge of the world, 
 who will visit iniquity, transgression, and 
 sin, so as not to let the sinner go unpunish- 
 ed; but who will also show mercy, and 
 abundantly pardon, ivlien the wiclted shall 
 forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
 his thoughts, and return unto the Lord, y sa j a | 1 i v 
 according to the Prophet. 
 
 Hence the several sacrifices of the law 
 
 L
 
 140 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 appear to answer with exactness the seve- 
 ral parts of prayer. They express in a sig- 
 nificant rite, what prayers express in words, 
 an humble confession of sin, thankful ac- 
 knowledgments of mercy and goodness, 
 dependence on God, and hope in him for 
 all future blessings, or an honourable ac- 
 knowledgment of God, as the Creator, 
 Benefactor, supreme Lord, Governor, and 
 Judge of the whole world. 
 
 As such, then, the gifts, offerings, and 
 sacrifices of the Hebrew ritual are indeed 
 expressive of the most natural, proper, and 
 useful acts of true religious worship, an 
 acknowledgment of the several characters 
 and relations of God as the object of w or- 
 ship, and express the sentiments and affec- 
 tions of an understanding and devout wor- 
 shipper *. 
 
 But more fully to discern the meaning, 
 wisdom, and usefulness of these rites, it 
 will be proper to consider some things re- 
 lating to them more distinctly. 
 
 This general account of sacrifices will 
 teach us to reduce them conveniently to 
 threeheads whole burnt-offerings, peace- 
 offerings, and offerings for sins. 
 Whole The whole burnt-offerings seem to have 
 
 burnt-of- i ,, . ,, , 
 
 ferings. been, as the most ancient, so of the most 
 
 * Porphyry gives the same general notion of wor- 
 ship by sacrifices, either to the honour of God, or to 
 give him thanks, or to ask of him some good we want 
 or desire, a$ CJrotius observes on Levit. i. 9.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 14/ 
 
 general use, and toanswerall the intentions 
 of sacrifices. Peace- offerings, and offerings 
 for sin, as distinguished from whole burnt- 
 offerings, were rather peculiar constitutions 
 of the Mosaical ritual, than of patriarchal 
 use. In ancient times, according to the 
 learned Dr. Outram *, when no other sa- 
 crifices were in use but whole burnt-offer- 
 ings, this one kind of sacrifice was ap- 
 plicable, according to each person's inten- 
 tion, to every part of natural worship, and 
 was petition, thanksgiving, and propitia- 
 tion. This may appear in the use of them. 
 Thus Noah offered burnt-offerings as a 
 thanksgiving to God for his preservation 
 from the flood ; and the Lord said, Neither Gen.viii. 
 w ill I again smite any more every thing 20 21 * 
 living as I have done. Job offered burnt- 
 offerings as propitiatory, or offerings for 
 sin; for Job said, It may be that my sons j t, ^5. 
 have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. 
 Balaam made use of a burnt-offering as a 
 peace-offering, to ask the blessing of God 
 for Balak and the princes of Moab, and to Num. 
 obtain lea veto curse the children of Israel, xxiii. 14, 
 as their enemies. The Hebrew ritual &c * 
 wisely preserved this most ancient rite of 
 sacrifice, and confirmed in particular the 
 
 * Enimvero in primordiis mundi, cum nulla essent 
 sacrificia nisi holocausta iieri solita, hoc idem sacrificii 
 genus et EI/]*XO erat, et i/x<r<*ov, et cuivis, ut cuique vi- 
 sum esset, cultus naturalis generi, adhibitum. Outram t 
 1. I.e. x. s. 3. 
 
 L 2
 
 148 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 distinguishing rite, that all should be burnt 
 Levit. i. upon the altar : And the priests shall bring 
 13 ' in all, and burn it upon the altar; it is a 
 burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire , of 
 a sweet savour unto the Lord. 
 Peace-of- Besides the ancient burnt-offerings, the 
 ferings. Hebrew ritual appointed other offerings, 
 which were called peace-offerings. These 
 were designed either as petitions to God, 
 the Author of every blessing to every crea- 
 ture, that he would be pleased, of his fa- 
 vour, to grant them the blessings they de- 
 sired for themselves, and which they ho- 
 ped to receive from him, as his gift and 
 through his favour, or as expressing their 
 gratitude and thankfulness to God for their 
 present blessings, in acknowledgment they 
 were owing to God's favour. Their name 
 shows their meaning, o^tysignifying peace 
 or prosperity. They are accordingly ren- 
 dered by the LXX 9v<ru*s o-u]ypix, sacrifices 
 of salvation. Some peace- offerings there- 
 JLight- fore, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, " were 
 foot, (t O ff ere( j j n wa y O f devotion, as free-will 
 
 ServFce, " offerings to continue or to compass 
 l.vi. $ 4. " peace with God ; some in way of thanks- 
 " giving, and these were for prosperity, or 
 " good obtained already; and some by way 
 " of vows, and these were offered, that 
 " prosperity or good might be obtained 
 " for the future ; for this division of peace- 
 *' offerings into thanks-offerings, free-will 
 " offerings, and offerings for vows, is held 
 " out by the law." Levit. vii.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 14Q 
 
 The Hebrew ritual appointed also par- Sacrifices 
 ticular sacrifices for sin : these were called for sin> 
 by different names, rwzan and Dtwt, which 
 our translators render sin-offering and tres- 
 pass-offering. The ritual of the sin-offer- 
 ing directs, If a soul shall sin through ig- Levlt.h. 
 norance against any of the commandments 2 ? 3. 
 of the Lord, concerning things which ought 
 not to be done, and shall do against any of 
 them, if the priest that is anointed do sin 
 according to the sin of the people, then let 
 him bring for the sin he hath sinned, a 
 young bullock, without blemish, unto the 
 Lord for a sin-offering. 
 
 There was a difference between tres- 
 pass-offerings and sin-offerings, though in 
 many things very much alike. " Trespass- nVn 
 " offerings," says Dr. Lightfoot, " were of W1 
 " two kinds a doubtful trespass-offering, 
 " and a trespass-offering undoubted. The 
 " doubtful trespass-offering was when a 
 " man had some reason to doubt, whether 
 " he had transgressed the law or not ; as if 
 " one had eat fat at table, but was not 
 " certain whether it was such fat as it was 
 " lawful to eat, or unlawful by the ritual ; 
 " for they might eat the fat of beef or 
 " mutton, but not the fat of the inwards ; 
 " if he eateth one of these fats, he know- Light- 
 " eth not whether for this probability, foot, 
 " that he may be under guilt, he is to ||g 
 " bring a trespass-offering suspensive." Lviii. $ 
 
 The certain trespass- offering was for 
 L 3
 
 1 50 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Levit. vi. trespasses which were certainly determined 
 Levit. v. an d known, as for a thing stolen or detain- 
 16. ed, for sacrilege ; the trespass-offering con- 
 L f V1 20 cermn g a bond- maid, the trespass- offering 
 Nrtmb.vi. of the Nazarites, and finally, the trespass- 
 12 - . . offering of the leper. Some of these tres- 
 1 Q Vlt ' xr ' passes were a known uncleanness, others 
 for such trespasses as could hardly be un- 
 known to the persons themselves who 
 were guilty of them ; for instance, in the 
 trespass of a thing stolen, or denying a 
 trust, If a soul sin, and commit a trespass 
 against the Lord, and lie unto a neighbour, 
 in that tvhich tvas delivered him to keep, 
 or in fellowship in a thing taken away by 
 violence, or have deceived his neighbour, 
 or hath found that which was lost, andlieth 
 concerning it, and swear eth falsely , in any 
 Levit. vi. f a ^ these that a man doth sinning there- 
 in. These were sins for which men could 
 not well plead an excuse of ignorance, in- 
 advertency, or doubt: the circumstance in 
 this trespass, for which, in this case, an of- 
 fering was allowed to be offered to make 
 an atonement for him before the Lord, and 
 it shall be forgiven him, seems to be this, 
 that it was fit to give encouragement to a 
 voluntary confession of such trespasses as 
 could not be otherwise proved upon the 
 offender, for the sake of justice to the in- 
 jured, by restitution with a further compen- 
 sation, and to bring the offender to a sense 
 and confession of his own guilt, profitable
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 131 
 
 to himself and a useful example to others. 
 The sins, then, and trespasses for which sa- Outran* 
 crifices were allowed and appointed by the fi c ii S) i. {. 
 ritual, were either such as were committed c. xiii. 
 through ignorance, or which others would $ 5 * 
 have been in ignorance of, if they had not 
 been discovered and made known by the 
 free and voluntary confession of the of- 
 fender himself. 
 
 As the ritual directed these several What to 
 kinds of sacrifices, which give so much be offered 
 
 TV, .1 T i j .1 assacn- 
 
 light to their design and use, and the wis- fi ceSf 
 dom of both ; it also very wisely prescrib- 
 ed what things should be offered, as gifts 
 and sacrifices. These were to be in part 
 living creatures of beasts or cattle, or birds, 
 and in part of the fruits of the earth, corn, 
 wine, oil, frankincense. 
 
 The ritual directed the use of five sorts Live 
 of living; creatures, three of cattle and two crea " 
 
 ri~- j rr ^ / *.u tures * 
 
 or birds, ij any man oj you (says the ri- 
 tual) bring an offering unto the Lord, you 
 shall bring your offering of the cattle, even ev jt. j. 
 of the herd and of the flock. If of the 2. 
 herd, it was of the ox kind ; if of the flock, 
 it was of the sheep or of the goats ; if of 
 birds, it was either turtle-doves, or young 
 pigeons : the turtle-doves were to be 
 grown, the pigeons to be young, without 
 any regard to sex ; but sacrifices of the 
 herd or flock had regard to sex as well as 
 age. 
 
 You see, then, the ritual, by fixing what 
 L 4
 
 152 THE RATIONAL OF THE ^RITUAL 
 
 animals should be offered, prevented every 
 thing a superstitious fancy might introduce 
 in the choice of them, as it had done 
 among their heathen neighbours. It di- 
 rected such as were clean, allowed for food 
 of most common use, tame, domestic, and 
 most easy to be procured : thus, though 
 Deuter. other creatures, as the hart, the roe- buck, 
 xiv. 5. and the fallow deer, were allowed for food, 
 yet only the ox or bullock, the sheep and 
 the goat, were allowed for sacrifice. 
 
 As sacrifices were confined to these 
 kinds, so what was to be chosen out of 
 these kinds was to be perfect, without any 
 blemish or defect. Whatever hath a ble- 
 mish, that shall ye not offer, for it shall not 
 
 LeVlt. 7 7 7 / TT , 1 
 
 xxii.20. be acceptable jor you. How easy is the 
 reason that what is offered unto God's 
 acceptance, should not be unworthy of it, 
 by any blemish or defect ! 
 
 Offerings BcvSides the sacrifices of living crea- 
 frutafof tures tne ritual directed offerings of flour, 
 the earth, oil, and wine, the fruits of the earth, a 
 proper tribute to God, who gave them 
 their land and all its increase : these were 
 called meat-offerings and drink-offerings, 
 for which there is this general direction : 
 ^y offering, and my bread for my sacri- 
 fices, madcbyjirefor a sweet savour unto 
 me, in their due season. This was the tenth 
 part of an ephah * of flour for a meat-of- 
 
 * An ephah was a measure among the Hebrews near
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 153 
 
 fering, mingled ivith the fourth part of an 
 kin of beaten oil ; and the drink-offering S. 
 thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin 
 
 for one lamb ; or there was appointed the 
 same quantity for each lamb. In the holy ?. 
 
 place shalt thoa cause the strong wine to be 
 
 poured unto the Lord for a drink-offering. 
 
 The meat-offerings were of several sorts, Levit. if. 
 of which the ritual gives a very particular 3 * 
 account ; some of flour, oil, and frankin- 
 cense, without being any ways dressed : the * 
 memorial of this was to be burnt upon the 
 altar, but the remnant to be Aaron's and 
 his sons'. Some were to be baked in the 5 - 
 oven, called unleavened cakes or wafers ; 
 some were baked in a pan or a flat plate, 
 some in a frying-pan, or raised on the sides : 
 the memorial of these was also to be 
 brought to the altar; the remnant was for 
 Aaron and his sons. 
 
 It is further ordered, No meat-offering 8. 9. 10. 
 winch ye shall bring unto the Lord shall be 
 made ivith leaven, for ye shall burn no lea- 11. 
 ven nor any honey in any offering of the 
 Lord made by fire ; but it is expressly re- 
 quired, every oblation oj thy meat-offering 
 shalt thou season with salt, neither shalt 
 
 an English bushel : a tenth part will be about three Eng-< 
 lish quarts. An hin was a measure somewhat more than 
 six English quarts : a quarter of an hin will be about three 
 pints; from whence the other proportions are easily de- 
 termined. It may be observed here, that a log, another 
 Hebrew measure mentioned in these directions, was the 1 ' 
 twelfth part of an bin, very near an English pint.
 
 154 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy 
 13. God to be lacking from thy meat-of- 
 fering. 
 
 The Israelites owed the fruitfulness of 
 their land, the increase of their corn, and 
 wine, and oil, to the contimial blessing and 
 care of God's providence. It was fit they 
 should acknowledge such goodness of God, 
 and these offerings were very significant 
 expressions of it; or, in the words of Bishop 
 Patrick on the place, " They were offered 
 " as a grateful acknowledgment unto God, 
 " that they held all they possessed of him, 
 *' as their sovereign Lord, whom they sup- 
 " plicated also hereby, that he would be still 
 " mindful of them, that is, be gracious to 
 " them." As these sacrifices were to be 
 also feasts, in some of which the priests, in 
 others the offerers had their part, it was 
 proper they should be attended with meat 
 and drink offerings. Being thus entertained 
 at God's table, they had a declaration of 
 peace and friendship betweenGod and them : 
 hence Bishop Patrick observes, the salt of all 
 sacrifices was called the salt of the covenant, 
 to signify, as men were used to eat and drink 
 together, in making covenants, and as salt 
 was always used at table, so God, by these 
 offerings, and a feast upon them, did tes- 
 tify his covenant with those who were in- 
 vited to partake of it. Leaven and honey 
 were ferments, and considered as having 
 contrary qualities to salt; or, as salt tended 
 to the preservation, so leaven and honey
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 155 
 
 tended to the alteration and corruption of-\ 
 what they were mixed with ; so that they 
 
 were used as emblems of malice, hypocrisy, 
 and moral corruption. It is further observ- 
 ed, that honey had been abused to super- 
 stition ; the Egyptians had a composition 
 called kuphi, which they offered constantly 
 every day, morning and evening, on their 
 altars, in which honey, with figs and sweet 
 fruits, with myrrh and cardamoms, and 
 fragrant spices, were mixed together, as an 
 acceptable oblation to the gods, as Bishop Bishop 
 Patrick has observed from many testimonies Patrick 
 of the best authority. The meat and drink f the 
 
 rr rr> / place. 
 
 offerings then were proper offerings, an of- Levit ^ 
 fering made by fire, of a siueet savour unto 9. 
 the Lord: a thing most holy, of the offerings 
 of the Lord made by fire. This ritual of the 10 
 Hebrews, directing what was to be offered 
 in sacrifice to Jehovah, directed chiefly 
 meat, bread, and wine, such things as were 
 of most common use, without any magical 
 rites,orsuperstitious compositions of things, 
 as more acceptable to the gods, and more 
 likely to make them propitious ; they were 
 such things only, as were a natural and de- 
 cent expression of thankfulness to God for 
 former mercies, and hope in God for mercies 
 yet to come, or pledges of God's covenant 
 mercies to a chosen and favoured people. 
 
 That all things in this worship might be Ritual of 
 done to answer the intention of the ritual the sacri- 
 
 , \r . c .-. ficial ac* 
 
 itself, to stop every passage 01 superstition, t i ons .
 
 150 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the law wisely took care to give particular 
 direction for each sacrificial action, both 
 with respect to the offerers, and with re- 
 spect to the priests. We have a sufficient 
 delineation of these rites in Levit. i. 
 
 It is directed, with respect to the offerer, 
 He shall offer it of his own voluntary will, at 
 the door of the tabernacle of the congrega- 
 tion before the Lord ; and he shall put his 
 hand upon the head of the burnt-offering , 
 and it shall be accepted for him, to make 
 atonement for him; and he shall Mil the bul- 
 lock before the Lord; and the priests, 
 Aaron s sons, shall bring the blood, and 
 sprinkle the blood round about the altar, 
 that is, by the door of the tabernacle of the 
 congregation ; and he shall flay the burnt- 
 offering, and cut it into his pieces. And the 
 sons of Aaron, the priests, shall put fire upon 
 the altar, and lay the wood in order upon 
 the fire; and the priests, Aaron s sons, shall 
 lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order 
 upon the wood, that is, on the fire which is 
 upon the altar; but his inwards and his legs 
 
 levlt. i. s ^ a ^ ne was h ^ ivater, and the priest shall 
 
 tto ip. burn all on the altar. 
 
 From hence the Hebrew masters ob- 
 serve there were five things relating to the 
 offerings which were to be done by the 
 offerers themselves, and five others which 
 were to be done by the priests only. They 
 generally suppose the offerer was to lay on 
 his hands, that he might kill the bullock,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 flay it, cut it in its pieces, and wash the in- 
 wards with water ; but the other five, re- 
 ceiving the blood of the sacrifice, sprinkling 
 the blood, setting in order the wood for 
 the fire of the altar, and laying the parts of 
 the sacrifice on the altar, were proper acts 
 of the priesthood. c. i. 14. 
 
 In offerings of fowls the rites were 
 somewhat different. If the offering be of Levit. i. 
 
 X/ O 1 A 1 C 
 
 fowls, then lie shall bring his offering of 14< 15 ' 
 turtle-doves or of young pigeons; and the 
 priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring 
 off his head, and burn it on the altar, and the 
 blood thereof shall be tvrung out at the side 
 of the altar. In this offering the blood was 
 to be sprinkled on the altar, in the act of 
 killing it; the priest is therefore directed tq 
 kill it himself at the very altar. There are 
 some other particular differences in the rites 
 of different sacrifices, theprincipal of which 
 may be easily seen in the ritual itself. 
 
 The ritual first directs, when a sacrifice Oblatiom 
 is rightly chosen, the offerer is to bring it 
 voluntarily to the door of the tabernacle 
 of the congregation ; and so before the 
 presence of Jehovah, or before the Shechi- 
 nah, which was the kebla of the Hebrew 
 worship. This was necessary to prevent the 
 custom of offering sacrifices at any place 
 they should choose, and therefore by any 
 persons, and with any rites they should 
 think fit; which would expose them to the 
 cjanger of using some idolatrous ceremo-
 
 158 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 Levit. nies; therefore it is so severely forbid. This 
 xvu. 2, 3, 8 ' 5 fj ie fhl n g which the Lord hath command- 
 ed, saying. What man soever there be of the 
 house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, 
 or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of 
 the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer 
 an offering to the Lord, before the taber- 
 nacle of the Lord, blood shall be imputed to 
 that man ; he hath shed blood ; and that 
 man shall be cut off from among his people. 
 *' Which severe penalty," says Bishop Pa- 
 trick, " was enacted to preserve the Israel- 
 " ites from idolatry ; for, if they had been 
 " permitted to offer sacrifices where they 
 *' pleased, they might easily have forsaken 
 " God, by altering the rites which he had 
 " ordained, nay, by offering to strange gods, 
 " particularly to the daemons, which we 
 Outram, " render devils, Levit. xvii. 7." This was 
 1. i. c. 15. a proper oblation by the offerer, an obla- 
 tion of the sacrifice now alive, by the of- 
 ferer himself, as his own voluntary act, as 
 there was another oblation of the sacrifice 
 slain by the priest, when he offered the 
 blood of the sacrifice upon the altar. 
 Imposi- T he person who thus brought his offer- 
 tion of ing before the presence of Jehovah, was to 
 Levit? i. put his hand upon the head of it : And he 
 4. shall put his hand upon the head of the 
 
 burnt-offering, and it shall be accepted for 
 him, to make atonement for him. It is not 
 material to inquire whether the offerer put
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 15Q 
 
 on both his hands, and, as some of the 
 masters teach, with all their might ; it will 
 be sufficient to understand in general the 
 meaning of this rite. Imposition of hands, 
 says the forementioned great author, " was Outram, 
 " a rite of marking or pointing out such J g^' 
 " things as were either sentenced to death, 
 " or recommended to the grace of God, or 
 " appointed to some office, or some sacred 
 " use." When a person was guilty of 
 blaspheming the name of the Lord, and 
 cursing, the witnesses against him were to 
 lay their hands upon his head, by which 
 they solemnly attested his guilt. Let all that Leyit. 
 heard him, lay their hands upon his head, XX1V * *** 
 and let all the congregation stone him. It 
 was also in use as a rite of blessing ; as in 
 the example of Jacob, when he blessed 
 Ephraim and Manasseh : He stretched out Genesis, 
 his right hand, laying it on Ephrainis x 
 head, ivho was the younger, and his left 
 hand upon Manasseh 's head, guiding his 
 hands wittingly, for Manasseh was thejirst 
 born. Here the use of putting the hand 
 on the head of the person to be blessed, 
 and the preference of the right hand in the 
 use of this ceremony, are plainly repre- 
 sented, as of well-known, as well as of 
 very ancient use. And when Moses was 
 directed to invest Joshua with the office of 
 Judge, and put some of his honour upon Num. 
 him, that all the children of Israel might ** V1K 22 > 
 be obedient ; he took Joshua t and set him
 
 itiO THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 before Eleazar the priest, and before all the 
 congregation; and he laid his hands upon 
 him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord 
 commanded by the hands of Moses. 
 
 Imposition of hands was accompanied, 
 in most cases, with confessions, praises, or 
 Outram, prayers, suitable to the nature and design 
 i 8 15 ' ^ tne sacr ^ ce - The same learned author 
 has observed, from Maimonides, and other 
 Hebrew masters, several of the forms, in 
 which the offerer, who put on his hands, 
 confessed his sins over a sin-offering, and 
 his trespasses over a trespass- offer ing, or 
 celebrated the praises of God in peace- 
 offerings. 1 shall only show the wise and 
 useful design of this rite, in an instance 
 prescribed by the ritual itself. In offering 
 the first-fruits, they were to be brought 
 Deut. before the Presence, unto the place which 
 * xvlt 2 ' the Lord thy God shall choose, to place his 
 name there. When they present this offer- 
 ing to the priest, they are to say unto him, 
 / profess this day unto the Lord thy God, 
 that I am come unto the country which the 
 Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us. 
 And the priest shall take the basket out of 
 thine hand, and set it down before the altar 
 of the Lord thy God. And thou shalt speak 
 and say before thy God, A Syrian ready to 
 perish was my father, and he went down 
 into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, 
 and became there a nation, great, mighty, 
 ajid populous. And the Egyptians evil en-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. iCl 
 
 treated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon 
 us hard bondage. And ivlien we cried to the 
 Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard 
 our voice, and looked on our affliction, and 
 our labour, and our oppression. And the 
 Lord brought us up out of Egypt, with a 
 mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, 
 and with great terribleness, and with signs 
 and with wonders. And he hath brought us 
 into this place, and hath given us this land, 
 even a land that floweth with milk and 
 honey. And now, behold, I have brought 
 the first-fruits of the land, which thou, O 
 Lord, hast given me ; and thou shalt set it Deut< 
 before the Lord thy God, and worship be- xxvi. 3 
 fore the Lord thy God. to n - 
 
 How suitable is this profession to the 
 offering of the first-fruits ! Here is an 
 acknowledgment of the goodness of God ; 
 of their own unworthiness to receive so 
 great goodness ; of the truth of God's 
 promises, and God's faithfulness, in fulfil- 
 ling his covenant. What useful instruction, 
 what proper praise, do these few words 
 express ; Now, behold, I have brought the 
 first- fruits of the land, which thou, OLord, 
 hast given me ! 
 
 By the next law, on paying the second 
 tithe, a portion for the widow, the father- 
 less, and stranger, with the Levite, they 
 were to profess, / have brought away the 12. 
 hallowed things out of my house ; and also 
 have given them unto the Levite and unto 
 
 M
 
 162 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the 
 widow, according to all thy commandments 
 which thou hast commanded me: I have not 
 transgressed thy commandments, neither 
 13, 14. have I forgotten them. I have not eaten 
 thereof in my mourning, neither have I 
 taken away aught thereof for any unclean 
 use, nor given aught thereof for the dead ; 
 but have hearkened to the voice of the Lord 
 my God, and have done according to all 
 that thou hast commanded me. This pro- 
 fession, directed by the ritual, was a wise 
 provision, to keep in memory the goodness 
 of God to the Hebrew nation, and their 
 peculiar engagements to the honour and 
 service of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, 
 as the Abrahamic family : it was a wise 
 means, by an offering to Jehovah, attended 
 with such a profession, to prevent the su- 
 perstitions then gaining ground. As the 
 Bishop Egyptians, says Bishop Patrick, " when 
 A? " thev offered the first-fruits of the earth, 
 place. " kept the feast of Isis with doleful lament- 
 " ations ; and as the Egyptians by this 
 " mourning acknowledged Isis, that is, the 
 " earth, to be the giver of all these good 
 ' things ; so Jehovah required his people 
 ' to bring in their harvest with the great- 
 " est joy and thanks to him. As the ido- 
 laters separated some part of the first- 
 ' fruits for magical purposes, and some- 
 " times for carnal and filthy" (as in their 
 feasts, great impurities were allowed and
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 16*3 
 
 practised " and as they were used to ho- 
 " nour the gods and heroes of their coun- 
 " try publicly, according to the laws of 
 " their country, and privately, as much as 
 " they were able, with speaking well of 
 " them, and with the first fruits and an- 
 " nual offerings ;" the ritual wisely di- Spencer, 
 rects, not only an offering to Jehovah, the **"' c * 24f ' 
 one true God, and a profession that they 
 have not abused the fruits of the earth to 
 any magical or unclean use, or to the ho- 
 nour or worship of any departed souls as 
 became heroes since their death ; it was a 
 constant useful exhortation to receive all 
 their blessings as the gift of Jehovah, and 
 to honour him, and him only, as their God. 
 There is another confession directed by 
 the ritual, which may help to explain the 
 intention and the use of it ; it is the con- 
 fession the high priest was directed to 
 make, when he had laid both his hands 
 upon the head of the live goat. And Levit. 
 Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the xvl * 21 * 
 head of the live goat, and confess over him 
 all the iniquities of the children of Israel, 
 and all their transgressions in all their sins, 
 putting them on the head of the goat t and 
 shall send him aivay by the hand of a Jit 
 man into the wilderness. If a private per- 
 son had sinned, he was to make a particu- 
 lar confession of that sin. And it shall be Levit. v. 
 when he shall be guilty in one of these 5 * 
 things, that he shall confess that he hath 
 M 2
 
 164 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 sinned in that thing. This is well expressed 
 in the confession mentioned byMaimon, as 
 the common form in use: " 1 beseech thee, 
 " OLord, I have sinned; I have trespassed; 
 " I have been rebellious ; I have done this, 
 " or this (naming the particular sin in 
 " which he had sinned); but now I repent; 
 " and may this offering be my expiation!" 
 The meaning of which, according to Dr. 
 Outram, from the Hebrew masters, was 
 
 L Tc'. this : " Let this sacrince be substituted in 
 $ ip. " my stead, that the evil which I have de- 
 " serv r ed may fall on the head of this my 
 " sacrifice." I only add, the prayer of Solo- 
 2 Chron. mon, at the dedication of the temple, often 
 . mentions confession of sin, as well as peti- 
 
 tions and prayers, thanksgivings and praise. 
 This part of the ritual, then, usefully ex- 
 plained the general meaning of sacrifices, 
 and the particular intention and use of 
 each of them, in their several kinds. It 
 usefully exhorted a suitable temper of mind 
 and affections, proper to each offering. 
 We hence learn with what propriety a 
 Psalm Ji. broken and contrite spirit are called sacri- 
 fices of God by David ; how justly the 
 Psalm Psalmist resolves to offer unto the Lord the 
 cxvi. 17. sacrifice of thanksgiving, and compares the 
 prayers of good men with the offerings and 
 Psalm sacrifices of the temple; Let my prayer be 
 u 2t set before thee as incense, and the lifting up 
 of my hands as the evening sacrifice. How 
 well did this ritual prefigure the Lamb of
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 God, who was appointed to take away the 
 sins of the world; or, as the Prophet de- 
 scribes it, in allusion to this rite, The Lord Isaiah,liii 
 hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 5 ' 
 
 The next thing the ritual directed, was Killing ^ 
 killing the sacrifice : this is accounted by ^ sacn 
 the Hebrew writers, what the offerer might 
 do himself; which is agreeable to the ex- 
 pression of the law : but as they had a 
 great care in killing a sacrifice that the 
 blood might run immediately and quickly 
 out of the wound, that no blood might 
 stagnate, and remain behind, which would 
 have been a breach of the laws against 
 eating of blood, at least have given suspi- 
 cion of eating blood, killing the sacrifice 
 required some art and skill, hardly to be 
 learned well, but by much practice; it was 
 therefore usually left to the priests, who 
 were to be supposed best skilled in it. 
 
 It deserves observation, that the ritual 
 directs the very place where the sacrifice 
 was to be killed : And he shall kill it on the Levit. i. 
 side of the altar, northward, before the n - 
 Lord. This is meant of the burnt-offer- Levit. vi. 
 ings, which the law is there speaking of, | 5 * . .. 
 and of sin and trespass offerings, which 2 . 
 the law directs shall be offered in the same 
 place. Other sacrifices, such as peace- 
 offerings, for particular persons, the paschal 
 lamb, and the like, were most usually 
 killed, as Bishop Patrick observes, on the 
 south side of the altar. The service of the 
 M 3
 
 106 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 temple was thus performed with less con- 
 fusion, and more order: and thus the ritual 
 wisely prevented any of the customs of ido- 
 latry being introduced into the very house 
 and temple of Jehovah, by slaying the beast, 
 with its head to a certain point of the hea- 
 Patrick vens, in particular eastward, as the east 
 on^Levit. was fo e k eD i a of the heathen, and as stand- 
 EzeLviii. ing with their faces towards the east to 
 16. worship, was a known rite of idolatry. 
 Receiv- The next ceremony appointed by the 
 biowUnd r ^ual, when the sacrifice was slain, was a 
 putting it proper act of Aaron and his sons, as priests: 
 on the A n d tfr e priests, Karons sons, shall bring 
 the bloody and sprinkle the blood round 
 Levit. i. about upon the altar that is at the door of 
 5. the tabernacle of the congregation. This 
 
 was the manner of offering the blood in 
 burnt-offerings, peace-offerings, and the 
 like : the ceremony differed somewhat in 
 sin-offerings, and offerings of that sort : 
 And the priest shall take of the blood of the 
 sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon 
 the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, 
 and shall pour out his blood at the bottom 
 of the altar of burnt-offering. 
 
 As some sacrifices were to be brought 
 into the most holy place, and to be offered 
 immediately before the Presence, the ritual 
 gives particulardirections concerning them: 
 L?vit. iv. The priest shall dip his finger in the blood 
 (of the sin-offering tor himself), end 
 sprinkle of the blood seven times before the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 1 6 
 
 Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary. The 17, 
 like rite was to be observed in a sin-offer- 
 ing, for the whole congregation. In the 
 day of atonement the ritual gives a yet 
 further direction : he was to take a censer Levit. 
 full of burning coals, tuith his hand full of 1 ' 12 * 
 sweet incense, beaten small, and bring it 
 within the vail. And he shall put the in- 13. 
 cense upon the fire, before the Lord, that 
 the cloud of the incense may cover the mer- 
 cy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he 
 die not. And he shall take the blood of !* 
 the bullock, and sprinkle it with hisjinger 
 upon the mercy -seat, eastivard; and before 
 the mercy -seat shall be sprinkle of the blood 
 with hisjinger seven times. 
 
 The sacrifices whose ]blood was 
 brought into the holy and most holy place, 
 and sprinkled before the vail, or on the 
 mercy-seat, were such sacrifices as were 
 offered on the more solemn and public oc- 
 casions, and seemed therefore naturally to 
 require some particular and more solemn 
 rites in the offering of them. These were 
 proper to fix the attention of the congre- 
 gation on those more solemn occasions, to 
 the design and intention of those more so- 
 lemn sacrifices, to direct a suitable temper 
 of mind, a just and wise reason, for a more 
 exact ritual, on such greater and more 
 extraordinary occasions. 
 
 The blood being thus offered, the sacri- 
 fice was flayed ; concerning which there is 
 M 4
 
 1(38 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 but one general direction in the ritual : 
 
 Flaying And he shall flay the burnt-offering, and 
 
 and burn- cu t ^ { n f his pieces. But, with respect to 
 
 sacrifice, dividing the sacrifice, and cutting it into 
 
 Levit.i.6. his pieces, there are two directions : The 
 
 priests, Karons sons, were to lay the parts, 
 
 the head, and the fat, in order upon the 
 
 wood that is on tliefire winch is upon the 
 
 8, 9- altar : but the inwards and the legs shall 
 
 he wash in water; and the priest shall 
 
 burn all on the altar, to be a burnt-sacri- 
 
 fice, an offering made byjire, of a sweet 
 
 savour unto the Lord. 
 
 This was the ritual for whole burnt- 
 offerings : it was directed concerning the 
 
 Levitvii. sin and trespass offerings, And he shall 
 3, 4, s. - - . rum p 
 
 and the fat that cover eth the inwards, and 
 the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, 
 which is by the flanks, and the caul that is 
 above the liver, ivith the kidneys, it shall be 
 taken away : and the priest shall burn them 
 upon the altar, for an offering made by fire, 
 unto the Lord: it is a trespass- offering. 
 G - The rest was to be eaten by the priests in 
 
 the holy place. 
 
 Burning Some of the sacrifices were directed to 
 
 without be carried without the camp (or which 
 
 imp< afterwards answered to the camp, the holy 
 
 Levit. iv, city), and to be burnt there, so that no- 
 
 li, 12. thing might remain of it, or be eaten. 
 
 These are directions for the sin-offering 
 
 for the priest, and the sin-offering for the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. l6Q 
 
 whole congregation. There is a further 
 general rule, that no sin-offering, whereof Levit. iv. 
 any of the blood is brought into the taber- 20 > 21 - 
 nacleofthe congregation to reconcile withal 
 in the holy place, shall be eaten ; it shall be 
 burnt ivithjire. These sacrifices, as Dr. 
 Outram * observes, were the chief of all 
 
 expiatory sacrifices; and as such they were T 
 
 i i ,1 . i 11 j u Levit.vi. 
 
 represented by the ritual, as polluted, nav- 30> 
 
 ing sin laid upon them, so as to convey a 
 symbolical pollution to others. 
 
 But many sacrifices were appointed to Eating 
 be eaten, together with the meat and drink the sacri- 
 ofFerings attending them, by the priests f ^^ 01 
 only, and in the most holy place, or, as it upon 
 is elsewhere called, the holy place, and the thera> 
 court of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
 Levit. vi. lO. Some were given to the 
 priests, to their sons and daughters with 
 them, which their families might eat in 
 the holy city, or any part of Jerusalem, in 
 respect of which the courts of the temple 
 were more holy, and the court of the 
 priests most holy, which was the place ap- 
 pointed for the priests, who alone were to 
 do the service of the sanctuary. Other 
 sacrifices were to be eaten by the offerers 
 themselves and their families ; the ritual 
 therefore directs, And thither ye shall 
 bring your burnt- offerings and your sacri- 
 
 * Atque hae victimae, ut maxima omnium piacula 
 erant, ita hos d quibus cremabantur, labe sytnbolica 
 uiaculabant. Outram, 1. i. c. xvii. 2.
 
 170 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 faes, and your tithes, and heave-offerings 
 of your hand ; and your vows, and your 
 free-will offerings, and the firstlings of 
 your herds and of your flocks. And there 
 ye shall eat before the Lord your God; 
 and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your 
 Deut.xii. handunto, ye and your households, wherein 
 6, 7. the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. They 
 who ate of the sacrifices, were considered 
 as partakers of the sacrifices. This was 
 esteemed an evidence and testimony of 
 friendship, and is a probable reason why 
 the ritual did not allow persons to eat of 
 their own sin-offerings, being then consi- 
 dered as guilty before God ; but being re- 
 stored to favour by his sin-offering, he had 
 a testimonial of his acceptance, by partak- 
 ing of the feast on a peace-offering. And 
 this may give a reason why there is a feast 
 on the sacrifice of Christ in his church, 
 though answering the most solemn piacu- 
 lar sacrifices under the law ; for his sacri- 
 fice is to be considered like the whole 
 burnt-offering, which included all kinds 
 of sacrifices: it was a peace-offering, 
 at the same time it was an offering for 
 sin. 
 
 Times of You have seen the several sacrifices di- 
 fcS P rectec * ty the Hebrew ritual of worship, 
 thePre- that they answered the principal acts of 
 religion and devotion ; that they were an 
 honourable acknowledgment of God's do- 
 minion and goodness ; a confession of the
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 evil of sin and guilt ; of transgressing the 
 laws of God ; of hope in God, and of re- 
 commending themselves to God's mercies, 
 protection, blessing, and grace : thus were 
 the principal acts of worship decent, ho- 
 nourable, edifying rites, fit both to prevent 
 superstition, and to excite true devotion. 
 
 There is another circumstance in which 
 the ritual, for like wise reasons, is very 
 particular in appointing the times of wor- 
 ship, as well as the place and rites of it. 
 The appointment of the times, as we shall 
 hereafter more fully perceive, was of too 
 much importance to be overlooked, when 
 a great part of the more ancient supersti- 
 tions and idolatrous rites were founded on 
 prevailing mistakes concerning the powers 
 of angels and of spirits superior to men, 
 over years, months, days, and hours, and 
 upon the influences of the stars and planets 
 in their different appearances and aspects, 
 conjunctions and oppositions. By help of 
 these idolatrous maxims the sun became 
 the lord of the world, and the moon the 
 queen of heaven, and the stars so many 
 regents over particular things in certain 
 periods of time. Hence, there were lucky 
 and unlucky days, and times almost for 
 every action : seasons were accounted 
 prosperous or unhappy, as one or other of 
 these imaginary gods was supposed to rule, 
 as the sun, moon, or particular planet, 
 should chance in the course of their rota-
 
 172 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 tion to govern such a month, day, or hour; 
 in which a great part of the Egyptian and 
 Chaldean wisdom consisted. This took 
 from Jehovah, the one true God, thehonour 
 of his providence and government of the 
 world, the subjection of the sun and moon, 
 and all the hosts of heaven to do his plea- 
 sure, and fulfil his will : the ritual therefore 
 directed the times, as well as the manner 
 of worship, to teach that all times were in 
 the hands of Jehovah, that He is Lord 
 alone of all seasons and times, as well as 
 of all persons and things. 
 
 The ritual, to show that Jehovah was 
 to be worshipped at all times, and to be ac- 
 knowledged Lord of all time, directed a 
 Numb, daily worship : This is the offering made 
 * xvni - > by fire, which ye shall offer unto the Lord, 
 two lambs of the Jirst year, without spot, 
 day by day, for a continual burnt-offering. 
 The one Lamb shall thou offer in the morn- 
 ing, the other lamb shalt thou offer at even. 
 
 6- r lnis continual burnt -offer ing, tvhich was 
 ordained in Mount Sinai for a sweet 
 savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the 
 Lord, was to have a meat-offering and a 
 drink-offering attend it. The meat-offer- 
 
 5> ing was to be a tenth part of an ephah of 
 flour, mingled ivith a fourth part of an hin 
 of beaten oil. And the drink offering 
 thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin, 
 
 T. for the one lamb. 
 
 The ritual further directs, concerning 
 4
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 the daily service, And thou shalt command 
 the children of Israel, that they bring the 
 pure olive- oil beat en for the light, to cause 
 the light to burn always in the tabernacle 
 of the congregation, without the vail ivhich 
 is before the testimony : Aaron and his 
 sons shall order it from evening to morning 
 before the Lord ; it shall be a statute for 
 ever to their generations on the behalf of 
 the children of Israel. Yet further, there 21. 
 is a direction concerning the daily service 
 at the golden altar of incense : And Aaron 
 shall burn thereon sweet incense every 
 morning : when he dresseth the lamps, he 
 shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron 
 lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn in- 
 cense upon it, a perpetual incense before ., , 
 .7 T j *l i z / Exodus, 
 
 the Lord throughout your generations. X xx.7,8. 
 
 As I propose only to delineate the original 
 ritual as given by Moses, I omit the regu- 
 lations of the service of the priests and 
 Levites, in the after- times of David and 
 Solomon. It may however be proper to 
 observe as we go along, that those new 
 rules did not concern any part of the 
 proper worship, or create any new rites or 
 ceremonies to be added to the ancient ri- 
 tual, but settled the orders, courses, and 
 numbers of those who attended the service 
 of the temple, and made the service there- 
 by more regular and solemn, to stand every 
 morning to praise the Lord, and likewise \ chron. 
 at even. Prayer and praise are naturally x *Ui. so,
 
 * 
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 parts of worship most fit to accompany 
 sacrifices and offerings, for they were them- 
 selves figurative expressions of prayer and 
 praise. The modern service of each day's 
 worship at the temple, may be seen more 
 at large, as exactly drawn up by Dr. Light- 
 Light- f oo t . k u t as directed by the ritual itself, 
 Temple it may be sufficient to observe concerning 
 Service, it, that it consisted of a burnt-offering of 
 a lamb, with its meat-offering and drink- 
 offering every morning and every evening, 
 in the dressing the lamps, and offering in- 
 cense on the golden altar in the holy place, 
 in praising God, and in blessing the people 
 in the name of God. How plain and easy, 
 how grave and solemn, and even how ra^ 
 tional and instructive is this daily worship 
 of the Hebrew church, as directed by the 
 Mosaical ritual ! Thus God was honoured 
 and worshipped, and the people blessed 
 every day : they acknowledged the loving- 
 kindness of Jehovah in the morning, and 
 his faithfulness in the evening ; and they 
 hoped their safety and happiness every 
 day of their lives, in the protection and 
 blessing of Jehovah, who dwelt among 
 them as their God. 
 
 Sabbaths. Besides the daily worship of God every 
 
 morning and every evening, the ritual gives 
 
 directions concerning the feasts of the 
 
 Lord. Speak unto the children of Israel, 
 
 and say unto them concerning the feasts of 
 
 Le*u. theLord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy 
 
 xxiii.2. convocations, Even these are my feasts.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 175 
 
 These were certain seasons or portions 
 of time appointed to be observed to the 
 honour of God, and in his service, in 
 which they were to do no sort of servile 
 work, to rest from the common business 
 of life, and to mind with more attention * v 
 the several duties of religion. 
 
 One of these feasts of the Lord, or holy 
 convocations, was a weekly Sabbath. Six & 
 days shall work be done, but the seventh is 
 the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation ; 
 ye shall do no work therein ; it is the Sab- 
 bath of the Lord in all your dwellings. 
 This holy rest was not only to be observed 
 at the tabernacle, and before the Presence, 
 but in all their dwellings throughout the 
 whole land which God had given them to 
 dwell in, according as he had promised 
 their fathers. 
 
 The history of Moses mentioning the 
 sanctification of the seventh day at the 
 creation, and assigning a reason for the 
 sanctification of it, from a circumstance in 
 his history of the creation, seems to inti- 
 mate, that the sanctification of a weekly 
 Sabbath was coeval with the creation, and 
 .of more ancient original than the deliver- 
 ance of the children of Israel out of the 
 house of bondage, or the Mosaical law, 
 given on Mount Sinai : and this meaning 
 of the words in the history of Moses seems 
 rather confirmed by reciting both these 
 reasons in his law. Thus, Remember the
 
 176 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 Sabbath day to keep it holy ; six days shalt 
 thou labour, and do all thy work, but the 
 seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
 God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou 
 nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man- 
 servant, nor thy maid-servant : , nor thy 
 cattle, nor thy stranger which is uithin 
 thy gates: for in six days the Lord made 
 heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in 
 themis, andrested the seventh day ; ivhere- 
 Exodus, fore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and 
 *" to hallowed it. You see how carefully this 
 reason for sanctifying the Sabbath is pre- 
 served, though another reason is also add- 
 ed to it, which is that given by Moses in 
 the repetition of the law : And remember 
 that thou wast a servant in the land of 
 Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought 
 thee out thence, through a mighty hand, 
 and by a stretched- out arm ; therefore the 
 Deut. v. Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the 
 15. Sabbath day. Some learned men have 
 thought there were some additions in the 
 Mosaical law, to the ritual rest of the Sab- 
 bath, and that the day of the week on 
 which it was observed was very likely al- 
 tered : the rest required by the ritual was 
 so strict, that it commands, Ye shall kindle 
 Exodus, no fire throughout your generations upon the 
 xxxv. 3. Sabbath day. The penalty of transgressing 
 this ritual was so very great, that it is ap- 
 2. pointed, IWiosoever doth work therein shall 
 be put to death.
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 177 
 
 Our learned Mr. Mede makes this the 
 reason, " why the Hebrews use the six days 
 " of theweekin which they laboured, rather 
 " than any other six days, and chose that 
 " seventh day, namely Saturday, to hallow 
 " and rest in, rather than any other, that 
 " they might profess themselves servants 
 " of Jehovah their God by a relation and 
 " respect peculiar to themselves, to wit, 
 " that they were the servants of that God 
 " who redeemed Israel out of the land of 
 " Egypt, and out of the house of bondage; 
 " and upon the morning-watch of that 
 " very day which they kept for their sab- 
 " bath, he overwhelmed Pharaoh and all 
 " his host in the Red Sea, and saved Israel 
 " that day out of the hands of the Egyp- 
 " tians." He further adds, " Certain I am 
 " the Jews kept not that day for a sabbath, 
 " till the raining of manna ;" for which he Me(Je QQ 
 gives this reason, They marched a weari- the Ob- 
 some march, and therefore could not rest station 
 on that day the week before, which would Sabbath 
 have been regularly their sabbath, if they and 
 had begun a new reckoning of days from D ^ 
 the coming down of the manna. We 239.' 
 must know, the same learned author ob- 
 serves, " that the sabbath includes two 
 " respects of time ; first, the quotum, one 
 " day of seven, or the seventh day after 
 * ( six days* labour ; secondly, the designa- 
 " tion, or pitching that seventh day upon 
 " that day we call Saturday: in both, the 
 
 N
 
 178 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 " sabbatical observation was a sign and 
 
 *' profession that Jehovah, and no other, 
 
 " was the God of Israel ; the first, accord- 
 
 " ing to his attribute as Creator ; the se- 
 
 Ib.257, " cond, of deliverer of Israel out of 
 
 238. " Egypt." Hence the double reason, the 
 
 one for the quotum, one day in seven, the 
 
 other x for the designation of the day, or 
 
 which day of the seven should be appointed 
 
 the sabbath. This is very agreeable to the 
 
 Ezekiel, reason given in the Prophet, Hallow my 
 
 xx. 20. sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between 
 
 me and you, thai ye may know that I am 
 
 the Lord your God. How the Hebrews 
 
 were to employ their sabbath, or use this 
 
 day of rest as holy to God, we are ac- 
 
 quainted by an eminent Hebrew author : 
 
 " He, to wit, Moses, in his law, appointed 
 
 *' one holy day after seven, in which they 
 
 " were to rest from all work and business 
 
 " of the common affairs of life, that they 
 
 " might give themselves up wholly to the 
 
 " study of philosophy, for the improve- 
 
 " ment of their virtue, and instruction of 
 
 " their conscience*." 
 
 The ritual appointed the sabbath a 
 time of worship as well as a day of rest ; 
 it had therefore a peculiar service, over 
 and above the morning and evening sacri- 
 
 s'^nS .IV-'vj'M .~.-'t 1$ ,K > ". : *> 
 
 A* i 
 
 Pkilo de Mundi Opijicio, p. 22.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP, 17Q 
 
 fices. And on the sabbath-day > two lambs Numb. 
 of the first year, without spot, and two JJ 71 "*^ 1 
 tenth deals of flour, for a meat-offering, 
 mingled ivith oil, and tlie drink-offering 
 thereof: this is the burnt-offering of every 
 sabbath, besides the continual burnt-offer- 
 ing and the drink-offering. The ritual 
 directs, for the proper sabbatical service, 
 two lambs for a sacrifice over and above 
 the two lambs appointed for the daily ser- 
 vice; and the meat-offering for the service 
 is directed to be double the meat-offering 
 for every day. 
 
 The service of the sabbath was distin- Levit. 
 guished also by offering the shew-bread, or * xiv ' 6 - 
 the twelve cakes made of fine flour, tvhich 
 were set in two roivs, six in a row, upon 
 the pure table before the Lord : every sab" 
 bath he shall set it in order before the Lord 
 continually, being taken from the children 
 of Israel by an everlasting covenant. When 
 the new loaves or cakes were set upon the 
 pure table, which was an altar, on which 
 account the shew-bread is called an offer- 
 ing, and as the frankincense, a part of it, 7. 
 was burnt, it is called an offering made by 
 fire unto the Lord: then the old cakes 
 which were removed, were to be eaten by 
 the priests in the holy place, for it is most g. 
 holy unto him, of the offerings of the Lord 
 made by fire, by a perpetual statute. Thus 
 every sabbath there was (to use a modern 
 word, but which well expresses the mean-
 
 ISO THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 ing of this rite) a communion, in which 
 the priests were received and entertained 
 at God's table on an offering of the Lord 
 made by fire, a testimony of his accept- 
 ance of them, and of the offering they had 
 caused to be set before his Presence, the 
 Shechinah, in the name of the tribes and 
 children of Israel. 
 
 This was the ritual service of the sab- 
 bath, a rite of plain, proper, and useful 
 instruction and benefit, an excellent means 
 to preserve the knowledge of the one true 
 God, to reverence him as the Creator of 
 all, as their Deliverer and God, to give 
 time for their improvement in wisdom, 
 and to excite their care to apply their hearts 
 to religion, to real piety, virtue, and good- 
 ness, which their whole law taught as the 
 chief part of all religion ; as we shall more 
 fully see in its proper place. 
 
 Besides the service directed for every 
 morning and evening, and for the weekly 
 sabbaths, the ritual directed a service in 
 particular for ^very new moon, or the first 
 day of every new month, which were lunar 
 among the Hebrews, This monthly course 
 of the moon pointed her to observation, as 
 one of the greater lights in the visible hea- 
 vens ; when superstition and idolatry took 
 occasion to make her the queen of heaven, 
 -and to worship her as a very powerful god- 
 dess. This idolatry was so universally 
 spread among the neighbour nations of the 
 Hebrews, that it became the wisdom an4
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 1 81 
 
 care of the Mosaical ritual to prevent its 
 spreading among the Hebrews also ; there- 
 fore they are directed to such acts of wor- 
 ship as should be an express acknowledg- 
 ment that Jehovah their God was the one 
 and only true God, who directed the whole 
 course of nature, and in particular the re- 
 volutions of the moon ; that this pretended 
 queen of heaven was one of his creatures, 
 and, as all other creatures, subject to his 
 will, and appointed in all her courses to 
 do the pleasure of Jehovah. 
 
 The ritual therefore directs, And in the 
 beginnings of you: months ye shall offer a 
 burnt-offering unto the, Lord ; two young 
 bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the 
 jirst year ivithoui spot r and three tenth 
 deals of flour for a meat-offering mingled 
 with oil y for one bullock, and two tenth 
 deals of flour for a meat-offering mingled 
 with oil t with one ram; and a several tenth 
 deal of flour mingled with oil, for a meat- 
 offering unto one lamb, for a burnt-offer- 
 ing of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by 
 jire unto the Lord. And their drink- offer- 
 ing shall be half an hin of wine unto a bul- 
 lock, and the third part of an hin unto a 
 ram, a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: 
 this is the burnt-offering of every month 
 throughout the months of the year. And one 
 kid of the goats for a sin-offering unto the Numb> 
 Lord shall be offered, besides the continual xxviii. 
 burnfaoffering, and his drink-offering, n 16. 
 
 N3
 
 182 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 It is observed by Grotius, and men- 
 tioned with approbation by Bishop Pa- 
 trick, that these words, a sin-offering unto 
 the Lord, were designed to put them in 
 mind, what was the proper object of wor- 
 ship at these new moons ; that these sa- 
 crifices were offered to Jehovah, and not 
 to the moon. " This," says the Bishop, 
 " was observed long ago by Rabbi Bechai ; 
 " a goat was offered to extirpate the reli- 
 " gion of those who worshipped the moon, 
 . " which makes the Scriptures say ex- 
 " pressly, unto the Lord'" And Maimo-* 
 
 Mor. nides more largely : " This sin-offering is 
 
 iii?c.'xivi. " P ecu liarij said to be unto the Lord, lest 
 " any one should think this goat to be a 
 " sacrifice unto the moon, after the man-* 
 " ner of the Egyptians, which was not 
 " necessary to be said of the goats offered 
 " at other solemn times, because they were 
 " not at the beginning of the month, noy 
 " distinguished from other days by any na- 
 " tural sign, but only by the appointment 
 " of the law, which uses these words con* 
 " cerning this goat peculiarly, to pluck out 
 " of men's thoughts those inveterate and 
 " pernicious opinions of the Gentiles, who 
 " had long sacrificed to the moon at this 
 " time as they did to the sun at his rising, 
 
 onthe " anc * wnen ne entered into the several 
 
 place. *' signs." 
 
 The idolatrous worship of the moon 
 was of so dangerous consequence, that it
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 185 
 
 was very wise to take particular notice of 
 it in a ritual, of which one design was to 
 preserve the Hebrews from idolatry: how 
 ready were the Hebrews to fall into this 
 very idolatry ! The children gather wood, Je . r< r" .. 
 and the fathers kindle the fire, and the 13. 
 ivomen Tmead their dough, that they may 
 make cakes to the queen of heaven, and 
 to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, 
 that they may provoke me to anger. So 
 infatuated were they to this idolatry, that 
 they expressly tell the Prophet, while they Jere . 
 worshipped the queen of heaven they had miah, 
 plenty, were well, and saw no evil, but *^ v> 17 > 
 since they left off to burn incense to the 
 queen of heaven, they wanted all things. 
 An idolatry so prevailing among all orders 
 of people, kings, and princtes, in the cities 
 of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, 
 well deserved the care of the Mosaical ri- 
 tual ; and what could be a wiser care than 
 to make the occasion of their idolatry an 
 act of religion to Jehovah ? 
 
 As the ritual directed a service for every Feast of 
 month, it likewise directed a peculiar ser- ^g 1 " 
 vice for the first day of the seventh month: new year. 
 And in the seventh month, on the first day Numb. 
 of the month, ye shall have an holy tonvooa- xxix. i, 
 tion, ye shall do no servile work ; it is the 
 day of blowing the trumpets, unto you. 
 This month, though called here the se- 
 venth month, was anciently the first, and 
 the new moon which began that month 
 N 4
 
 184 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 began their new year also; and it conti- 
 nued to be the beginning of their civil year, 
 though another month was appointed for 
 the beginning of their sacred year ; for 
 thus God commanded in the land of Egypt: 
 Exod. This month shall be unto you the beginning 
 of months, it shall be the first month of 
 the year to you. This is a sufficient inti- 
 mation, that before this command the 
 year had another beginning, but was 
 changed from autumn to the spring. Their 
 sacred year, or computation of time for 
 their holy convocations, was reckoned 
 from the month in which they kept their 
 
 AntT 4 '* ^ rst P assover an( l m which they left 
 Hebr.'p, Egypt, and were delivered out of the land 
 508. 01 their bondage : in this new way of 
 reckoning, that which before was their first 
 is now their seventh month, and the new 
 moon of this now seventh month is made 
 the feast of trumpets. On this day, be- 
 sides the blowing of trumpets, there were 
 particular offerings directed, over and above 
 the sacrifices provided for every day, and 
 for their new *moons : And ye shall offer, 
 says the ritual, a burnt- offering for a sweet 
 savour unto the Lord, one young bullock, 
 one ram and seven lambs of the first year> 
 without blemish ; and their meat-offering 
 shall be of flour mingled with oil ; three 
 tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth 
 deals for a ram, and one tenth deal for one 
 lamb throughout the seven lambs ; and on?
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 185 
 
 kid of the goats for a sin-offering, to make Numb. 
 an atonement for you. The ritual then has * X1 *' J 
 a particular regard to the return of the new 
 year, according to the ancient reckoning, 
 supposed to be the reckoning among the 
 patriarchs, and from the creation : it 
 might, not unlikely, have some notice 
 taken of it before as a festival ; it is, there- ... 
 fore, in another place, called a memorial C us,xxiiL 
 of blowing of trumpets. 24. 
 
 It is not easy to tell, says Bishop Pa- 
 trick on the place, of what this blowing of 
 trumpets was a memorial ; yet he ob- 
 serves, that all nations made great rejoi- 
 cings at the beginning of the year, and that 
 those solemnities were often attended with 
 sounding of trumpets. God was pleased 
 to order rejoicing among his own people, 
 but in honour of himself, on the beginning 
 of the new year, to keep them from the 
 idolatrous worship of the sun, as the lord 
 or king of heaven, and to keep in their 
 own minds a just sense that it was their 
 God, Jehovah, who alone gave them good 
 years, whose mercies were renewed from 
 month to month, and from day to day. 
 Bishop Patrick, however, carries this me- 
 morial of blowing of trumpets yet farther; 
 and considers it as a memorial of the cre- 
 ation of the world, which was an autumn, 
 on which account the ancient beginning of 
 the year was at that time, and still conti- 
 nues among the eastern nations. This may
 
 180 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 well be understood of an acknowledgment 
 of the goodness of God in the year past, 
 and an address to Jehovah, not to the sun, 
 to bless the year to come. Perhaps there 
 is need of no other observation than this, 
 that it was a memorial of the sole power 
 of Jehovah over all seasons of the year, 
 over all the courses of the sun, the moon, 
 and all the host of heaven, that, how prone 
 soever the world might be to honour the 
 sun as the king, and the moon as the 
 queen of heaven, and to ascribe prosperous 
 days and years to their influence and fa- 
 vour, the Hebrew nation should often call 
 to remembrance, that the sun and moon 
 were themselves the creatures of Jehovah; 
 that he alone appointed, he alone directed 
 their courses, and they had all their influ- 
 ences from him ; that he ought to be ac- 
 knowledged the proper author of all bless- 
 ings the world receives from their influ- 
 5 * ence. 
 
 Seventh By another direction of the ritual, God 
 
 y fbbath r a PP omtec * a sabbath for the Holy Land, as 
 
 of the we ll as a sabbath for the people : And the 
 
 land. Lord spake unto Moses in the Mount Sinai, 
 
 Levit. saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, 
 
 xxv. i to and say unto them, When ye come into the 
 
 * land ivhich I give you, then shall the land 
 
 keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six years 
 
 shalt thousow thy Jield, and six years shalt 
 
 thou prune thy vineyard, and gather in the 
 
 fruit thereof. And in the seventh year
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 187 
 
 shall be a. sabbath of rest to the land, a 
 sabbath for the Lord : thou shalt neither 
 sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That 
 which grow eth of its own accord of thy har- 
 vest, thou shalt not reap, neither gather the 
 grapes of the vine undressed ; for if is a 
 year of rest to the land. And the sabbath 
 of the land shall be meat for you ; for thee, 
 and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and 
 for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger 
 that sojourneth tvith thee, and for thy cattle, 
 and for the beast that are in thy land, shall 
 all the increase thereof be meat. This di- 
 rection, which appoints a sabbath to the 
 land, requires that they should not sow 
 their land, nor prune their vineyards, but 
 omit the usual works of husbandry for 
 that year, as they were to do no servile 
 work on their weekly sabbaths, and they 
 were to leave what grew of itself without 
 husbandry, in common for their cattle as 
 well as their servants and strangers. This 
 has been thought an hardship, and many 
 will likely be disposed to think so still, for 
 an whole nation every seventh year to be 
 deprived of the produce of their estates : 
 it was very hard, some say, to lose so con- 
 siderable a property, and might endanger 
 besides the safety of the whole nation, and 
 bring a famine upon the land. The wise 
 lawgiver was sensible of this objection, and 
 therefore provided beforehand a full an- 
 $wer to it, whenever it should be made,;
 
 188 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the 
 seventh year ? behold, we shall not sow, nor 
 gather in our increase : then I will com- 
 mand my blessing upon you in the sixth 
 
 xxvfgo y ear > an d it shall bring forth fruit for 
 
 21. three years. 
 
 The faithful performance of this pro- 
 mise was a constant and a sufficient answer 
 to all such objections ; but, were there not 
 also some proper reasons observable for the 
 appointment, that the land should keep a 
 sabbath unto the Lord ? Some have ob- 
 served, it was a wise design thus to fix on 
 their memory the account Moses gave in 
 his history of the creation of all things 
 in six days, and the rest of the seventh, 
 and to put them in mind that Jehovah 
 their God was supreme Lord of the whole 
 world, as he was the Creator of all ; and 
 that his blessing was what they were to 
 trust to for the fruitfulness and increase of 
 the land, which they held of God, as his 
 gift ; which, therefore, he might grant to 
 them, with what limitations, and on what 
 conditions he thought fit, yet assuring 
 themselves of his blessing, if they were 
 steadfast in their covenant with him as their 
 God. The ritual itself seems to .uggest 
 
 Levit. this reason : Wherefore ye shall do my 
 
 jg v * 18> statutes, and keep my judgments, and do 
 them ; and ye shall dwell in the land in 
 safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, 
 and ye shall eat your Jill and dwell thers
 
 in safety. Here was promised a constant 
 repeated testimony of the care, power, and 
 faithfulness of Jehovah their God, an encou- 
 ragement to their faithfulness to Jehovah 
 as his people. Such an extraordinary fruit- 
 fulness of every sixth year in the promised 
 Jand, was a very remarkable evidence of 
 the particular providence of Jehovah over 
 Israel his people ; it gave them assured 
 hope of his peculiar favour and blessing ; 
 and that He who had given them the Land 
 of Promise would secure to them the pos- 
 session of it, if they continued to do his 
 statutes and to keep his judgments. Thus 
 this constitution was honourable to the 
 God of Israel, of useful instruction and 
 encouragement to the sons of Abraham, 
 as heirs of the promise. 
 
 The ritual yet further appoints another Jubilee 
 sabbath of fifty years, upon the revolution s y ears * 
 of every seventh sabbath of the land. Thus 
 the law : And thou shalt number seven Lent, 
 sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times xxv * 8 * 
 seven years, and the space of the seven sab- 
 baths of years shall be unto thee forty and 
 nine years. Here is another solemn re- 
 membrance of Jehovah, the Creator of all 
 things, and in particular as the King of 
 Israel. There is an apparent wisdom in 
 this ritual to make many of the same rites 
 both political and religious ; for the true 
 state of the Hebrew nation being a theo- 
 cracy, the constitutions of that govern-
 
 THE ftATIO3AL- OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ment are both civil and religious in many 
 points relating to Jehovah, both as their 
 God and King ; both which characters, so 
 'united, were of consequence to enforce the 
 authority of Jehovah, and the obedience of 
 the Abrahamic family. 
 
 This great sabbath of the jubilee was 
 to be sanctified as other sabbatical years, in 
 
 *! which they were not to sow or reap, but to 
 leave the whole fruits of the land in com- 
 mon : but what was the peculiar rite of the 
 
 ik jubilee was this ; And ye shall hallow the 
 fiftieth year^ and proclaim liberty through- 
 out all the land, unto all the inhabitants 
 thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you, and 
 ye shall return every man unto his pos- 
 session* and ye shall return every man unto 
 Ms family. The Hebrews had a portion 
 of land divided to each family by lot. This 
 portion of the promised land they held of 
 God, and were not to dispose of it as their 
 property in fee- simple. Therefore the law 
 Levit. directs, The land shall not be sold for ever; 
 
 *XV. 23, ,> .7 7 j - r 
 
 jor the land is mine, jor ye are strangers 
 and sojourners with me. Hence no Hebrew 
 could part with his estate in the Holy 
 Land but for a term of years only, from 
 one jubilee to another. 
 
 There is one evident reason for thia 
 constitution, as it served to preserve both 
 the numbers and the strength of the He- 
 brew church and nation, an instance of the 
 wisdom and care of Jehovah, as their
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 God and as their King. This made a 
 strict care to preserve the genealogies and 
 descents of their families, a very concern- 
 ing interest, when their titles to their 
 estates and successions depended upon 
 them: and so the genealogies of families 
 might be depended upon for many ages; 
 as from David, suppose, to Zerobabel, and , 
 from ZerobabeJ to Jesus Christ ; and it had 
 this great advantage, to put them in mind 
 the land they inhabited was not their pos- 
 session in property ; Jehovah was the true 
 proprietor of it: they held it of him by 
 homage and fealty, and were to hold it 
 by indefeasable title, they continuing in 
 their allegiance ; otherwise, they were to 
 remember God could cast them out of the 
 land, as he did the Canaanites before them; 
 For the land is mine, says God, for ye are 
 strangers and sojourners with me. The 
 further uses of these constitutions will 
 
 ' 'Pai'fr TI 
 
 appear in a more proper place. 
 
 The ritual of Moses had fixed the pre- p ass over f 
 sence of the Shechinah in the most holy 
 place, and confined the ritual worship to 
 this presence. There was then but one 
 temple and one altar, and but one place, 
 for the ritual worship, throughout the 
 whole Hebrew nation. It was fit, on many 
 accounts, that the whole nation, in whose 
 names the public worship was performed, 
 should appear before the Presence as often 
 as would be convenient ; the ritual, there-
 
 1Q2 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 fore, appoints a personal attendance three 
 times in the year : Three times thou shalt 
 
 if 
 
 keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou 
 shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread : 
 thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, 
 as I commanded thee in the time appointed 
 of the month Abib; for in it thou earnest 
 out oj Egypt: and none shall appear before 
 me empty. And the feast of harvest , the 
 first-fruits of thy labours, which thou hast 
 sown in the field, and the feast of ingather- 
 ing, which is in the end of the year, when 
 ~ , thou hast gathered in thii labours out of the 
 
 Exodus, j j _,, o . J J 
 
 xxiii. i*, field. Inree tunes in the year all thy males 
 is. shall appear before the Lord God. 
 
 These three feasts were the principal in 
 the Hebrew ritual. They were appointed 
 at very convenient seasons of the year, in 
 spring, summer, and autumn. They are 
 represented by Mr. Reland, as bringing to 
 remembrance three signal blessings of great 
 importance never to be forgotten bring- 
 ing the people of Israel out of Egypt, 
 giving them the law, and putting them 
 into possession of the Land of Promise*. 
 Rites of such consequence deserve a parti- 
 cular attention. 
 
 To begin with the passover : while the 
 
 * Institutis tribus festis inajoribus, paschate, pente- 
 coste, et festo tabernaculorum, in memoriam trium be- 
 neficiorum insignium, quae Deus in populum Israelita- 
 rum contulit, egressum ex Egypto, lationem legis, et pos- 
 sessionem terra?. Relatd, Ant. Heb. p, 444, 445. 
 3
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP* 103 
 
 children of Israel were yet in Egypt, God 
 commanded Moses, This month shall be 
 unto you the beginning of months ; it shall 
 be the first month of the year to you. This 
 month, afterwards called Nisan, which 
 answered nearly our March, and the spring 
 equinox, was made the first month of 
 their sacred year ; or all their festivals and 
 holy convocations were to be reckoned 
 from it, though still the month called Tisri 
 answering our September, and the au- 
 tumnal equinox, was left the beginning of 
 their civil year. 
 
 They are directed, in the tenth day of 
 this month, to take a lamb for every house, 
 without blemish. They were to kill this ExodLxiL 
 lamb ori the fourteenth day, in the even- - 1 to 10 * 
 ing, and to sprinkle the door-posts of the 
 house with the blood of it; to eat the 
 flesh of it rost with fire, and unleavened 
 bread and bitter herbs ; to let nothing of 
 it remain unto the morning, or if there 
 did, to burn it with fire. The reason why 
 it was called the Lord's Passover, is thus 
 given : when God should pass through the 12, 19, 
 land of Egypt to smite all the first-born, 
 when he saw the blood upon their houses, 
 he would pass over them. Such was the 
 first passover. But the law directed this 1*. 
 day should be a memorial, and kept a feast 
 to the Lord throughout all generations. 
 The rule for keeping this feast in after- 
 times directs., Seven days shall ye cat im-
 
 104 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 leavened bread ; this is called the bread of 
 affliction (for thou earnest out of the land 
 of Egypt in hastej , that thou may est re- 
 member the day when thou earnest forth out 
 of the land of Egypt, all the days of thy 
 life. Deuteron. xvi. 3. The Apostle makes 
 unleavened bread a symbol also of since- 
 rity and truth, 1 Cor. v. 8. And in the 
 first day (it follows) there shall be an holy 
 convocation, and in the seventh day there 
 shall be an holy convocation to you : no. 
 manner of work shall be done in them, save 
 15, 16. that which every man must eat. Concern- 
 ing this festival the law further directs, 
 This is the ordinance of the passover ; 
 there shall no stranger eat thereof, but 
 every man-servant that is bought for 
 money, when thou hast circumcised him, 
 then shall he eat thereof', a foreigner and 
 an hired servant shall not eat thereof : in 
 one hour shall it be eaten. Thou shalt not 
 carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of 
 the house, neither shall ye break a bone 
 thereof: all the congregation of Israel 
 shall keep it. And when a stranger shall 
 sojourn with thee, and will keep thepassover 
 to the Lord, let all his males be circumcis- 
 ed, and then let him come near and keep it, 
 and he shall be as one who is born in the 
 land, for no uncircumcised person shall eat 
 thereof. It needs no explanation to show 
 how proper it was to have a festival- me- 
 morial of the peculiar favour of God to
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 1Q5 
 
 the family of Abraham, in bringing them 
 out of the bondage of Egypt, into the pro- 
 mised land, or how proper this festival 
 was to be such a memorial, and a further 
 confirmation of their hope in Gbd's pecu- 
 liar favour to them, as his peculiar people. 
 As the time when this festival was 
 kept was the beginning of the harvest in the 
 Holy Land, the ritual made it one part of 
 the service, to bring a sheaf of the first 
 fruits, to be waved before the Lord, to be 
 accepted for them, with which they were 
 to offer an he-lamb without blemish, of L . 
 the first year for a burnt-offering unto the xxiii. 10, 
 Lord. As this feast of unleavened bread 11*12. 
 was appointed also for seven days, so to 
 each of those days there was appointed a 
 burnt-offering. And as the passover was a 
 proper sacrifice, so the ritual directs, ac- 
 cording to the general law concerning sa- 
 crifices ; Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the 
 passover unto the Lord thy God, of the 
 flock and the herd in the place which the rwt xv ; 
 
 ' J. J..xC II Ct.v > l 
 
 Lord shall choose to place his name there. 2. 
 
 The second of the three great feasts Pente- 
 was what is usually called the feast of cost - 
 Pentecost, at the distance of seven weeks, 
 or fifty days, after the offering of the wave- 
 sheaf, at the feast of the passover : so the 
 law ; And ye shall count unto you from the Levit< 
 morrow after the Sabbath, from the day xxiii. 15, 
 that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offer- 1G - 
 ing; seven Sabbaths shall be complete : even 
 o 2
 
 100 
 
 unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath 
 shall ye number jifty days; and ye shall 
 offer a new meat-offering unto the Lord ; 
 that is, as Bishop Patrick observes, of new 
 corn made into loaves, which was the 
 first-fruits of harvest : it is therefore called 
 Exodus, the feast of weeks, of the Jirst-fruits of 
 xxxiv.22. wheat-harvest. 
 
 At this time, when the wheat as well 
 as barley was ripe, the ritual most reason- 
 ably required an act of homage to God, in 
 solemn acknowledgment of his goodness, 
 as in bringing them into the promised land, 
 so in blessing them in it, and giving them 
 the fruits of it, according to promise. It 
 was highly reasonable, with this view, that, 
 besides the wave-loaves, there should be 
 the several kinds of offerings, burnt-offer- 
 ings, sin-offerings, and peace-offerings, 
 which the ritual therefore directs, as ap- 
 tevit. p e ars at large in the law itself. The sa- 
 xxxiii. 15 crifices were proper for the day, and 
 10 22< proper to be offered with the wave-loaves, 
 as the first-fruits of their corn harvest ; 
 and were a very fit acknowledgment of 
 God's supreme authority, of his goodness, 
 truth, and faithfulness ; that they owed the 
 increase of their land to the continued fa- 
 vour of Jehovah, as their God : it taught 
 their own happiness, as his people, as 
 under his peculiar care and protection ; a 
 justifying and exciting reason to be faith- 
 ful in their obedience, and steadfast in their 
 covenant with Jehovah.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 1Q7 
 
 The last of these great feasts was the Feast of 
 feast of tabernacles : this festival was ap- ^ b s erna * 
 pointed for the fifteenth day of the seventh Levit. 
 month, that is, in the sacred account, from xxiii - 3 * 
 the new beginning of the year in Marcn, 
 and so was fixed to about the autumnal 
 equinox, answering some part of our Sep- 
 tember : The fifteenth day of this seventh 
 month shall be the feast of tabernacles, for 
 seven days unto the Lord. On the first day 
 shall be an holy convocation ; ye shall do no 
 servile work. Seven days shall ye offer an 35, 35. 
 offering made by fire unto the Lord ; on 
 the eighth day shall be an holy convocation 
 unto you, and ye shall offer an offering 
 made by fire unto the Lord. 
 
 The sacrifices appointed in particular 
 for this solemnity are mentioned at large, 
 and are more than what the ritual appoint- 
 ed for any other : And ye shall offer a Numb. 
 burnt -offer ing, a sacrifice made by fire, of xxix - ^ 
 a sweet savour unto the Lord; thirteen 
 young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen 
 lambs of the first year : they shall be luith- 
 out blemish. And their meat-offering shall 
 be of flour mingled with oil ; three tenth 
 deals unto every bullock of the thirteen 
 bullocks, two tenth deals unto each ram of 
 the two rams, and a several tenth deal to 
 each lamb of the fourteen lambs, and one 
 kid of the goats for a sin-offering, besides 
 the continual burnt-offering, his meat-offer- 
 ing, and his drink-offering. These sacri- 
 o3
 
 1Q3 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 fices were to be repeated for seven days, 
 only the bullocks were to be lessened, one 
 for each day ; so that twelve bullocks only 
 were to be offered on the second day, 
 eleven on the third day, and seven only on 
 the seventh day. 
 
 In the celebration of this festival, the 
 
 Levit. ritual further directs ; And ye shall take 
 
 40." 1 y ou on ^ ie fi rst ^ a y the boughs of goodly 
 
 trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs 
 
 of thick trees, and willows of the brook ; 
 
 arid ye shall rejoice before the Lord your 
 
 4-2. God seven days. Again, Ye shall dwell in 
 boot/is seven days ; all that arc Israelites 
 born shall dwell in booths : for which the 
 
 43. law itself gives this good reason, That 
 your generations may know that I made 
 the children of Israel to dwell in booths, 
 tvhen I brought them out of the land of 
 Egypt : I am the Lord your God. The 
 time of this festival was chosen when they 
 
 39. had fully gathered in the fruit of their 
 land, their grapes and olives, as well as 
 their corn. It therefore had the same ge- 
 neral reason with the preceding festivals, 
 to acknowledge the goodness of God in 
 giving them so beautiful a land, and own- 
 ing it was to him they owed the yearly 
 plenty of its produce. It was useful, and 
 therefore reasonable, at such times to re- 
 member their bondage in Egypt, and the 
 want and fatigue they suffered in a barren 
 wilderness, that they might put a greater
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 value on their present ease and plenty. 
 The reason of these rites will thus easily 
 appear, if you consider them as so many 
 days of thanksgiving to God, who engaged 
 them to his service by so many blessings, 
 and laid so many obligations upon them, 
 as his favoured people. 
 
 There was another solemn service ap- Day of 
 pointed for this month: And this shall be a expia- 
 statutefor ever unto you, that in the seventh i] 
 month, on the tenth day of the month, ye 
 shall afflict your souls and do no work at 
 all, whether it be one of your own country, Leyit 
 or a stranger that sojourneth among you. xvi. 29. 
 For on that day shall the priest make an 
 atonement for you, that ye may be clean 
 from all your sins before the Lord ; or, to so. 
 make an atonement for the children of 
 Israel for all their sins once a year. 34. 
 
 The ritual for this solemnity is very 
 particular ; but it serves so well to explain 
 the nature of the Hebrew worship, and to 
 give so much light to the doctrines of the 
 Christian sacrifice and atonement, that it 
 well deserves our attention to understand it. 
 
 In the service of this day, then, the 
 high priest (and his successors in after- 
 times) was to bring a bullock for a sin- 
 offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. 3. 
 He was then to put on the linen garments, 
 the common holy garments in which the 
 common priests officiated, when they 
 offered their sacrifices ; and as they were 
 o 4
 
 200 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 4. holy garments, he was to wash his flesh in 
 water, and so put them on : then he was 
 to take of the congregation of the children 
 of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin- 
 
 5 * offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering. 
 
 First, the high priest is directed to offer 
 
 his own sin-offering, which is for himself, 
 
 and make an atonement for himself, and 
 
 6. for his house ; which showed that a priest 
 who offers an atonement for others, ought 
 to be holy himself; and that the high 
 priest under the law was not so holy, but 
 was to be sanctified by making an atone- 
 ment for himself, and for his house : in 
 which you may observe the pre-eminence 
 of Jesus Christ, as the Apostle to the He- 
 brews justly argues, Heb. vii. 2(5, 27, 28. 
 The high priest, thus prepared, is directed 
 Le*it.x*i. to take the two goats (for the children of 
 Israel), and present them before the Lord 
 at the door of the tabernacle of the con- 
 gregation. He is then appointed to cast 
 lots upon the two goats, one lot for the 
 Lord (or upon the goat which was to be 
 offered unto Jehovah), and the other lot for 
 8. the scape-goat, to be sent into the wilder- 
 ness to bear the iniquities of the people, 
 into a land not inhabited. Aaron was then 
 to bring the bullock for his own sin-offer- 
 
 u ing, and kill it. This done, he was to take 
 a censer of burning coals from the altar, 
 and his hands full of sweet incense, and 
 
 j2, bring it within the vail : he was to put the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 201 
 
 incense upon the fire before the Lord in 
 such a manner, that the cloud (or smoke 
 of the incense) might cover the mercy- 
 seat ; and he was to sprinkle the blood of S3. 
 the bullock (his own sacrifice) with his 
 finger upon the mercy-seat, and before the 
 mercy-seat, seven times. Thus was the 
 high priest to be cleansed and sanctified, i4n 
 that he might be fit to appear before the 
 Shechinah, the more immediate presence 
 of Jehovah, in the most holy place. 
 
 After this part of the service which 
 more immediately regarded himself as 
 high priest, he is to kill the goat of the 
 sin-offering, that was for the people, and 
 bring his blood within the vail, and do 
 with that blood as he did with the blood 
 of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the 15. 
 mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat. 
 He was to make an atonement for the 
 holy place, for the tabernacle of the con- 
 gregation, and for the altar, by sprinkling 
 the blood upon it with his finger seven Leyii 
 times, to cleanse it, and to hallow it from X vi. is 
 the uncleanness of the children of Israel. to 20 - 
 
 With respect to the other goat, which 
 was to be sent into the wilderness, the ri- 
 tual directs the high priest should lay both 21. 
 Ms hands on the live goat, and confess over 
 him all the iniquities of the children of 
 Israel} and all their transgressions in all 
 their sins, putting them upon the head of 
 (he goat, and shall send him away by the
 
 202 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 hand of a fit man into the wilderness. And 
 the goat shall bear upon him all their iniqui- 
 ties unto a land not inhabited. 
 
 It should seem, by the mention made 
 . 23. of the high priest's putting off the linen 
 garments, which he put on ivhen he went 
 into the holy place, and leaving them there, 
 and putting on his garments and coming 
 forth to offer the burnt-offering, which 
 Bishop Patrick understands of the daily 
 evening sacrifice, that there is something 
 in the observation of the masters, that the 
 high priest changed his garments according 
 to the different services of the day, wear- 
 ing sometimes only the four linen gar- 
 ments, sometimes the other four rich or 
 golden garments peculiar to himself; but 
 how often and at what particular services, 
 does not appear from the ritual. If any 
 desire to know what the masters think of 
 Reiand's ^ they may find it in the Reland. But I 
 Ant.Heb. purposely omit what the ritual itself does 
 P. 496. no j. eX p resSj because it is the rational of 
 the ritual only, as given by Moses, we are 
 inquiring after, 
 
 It will be proper here to make a re- 
 mark or two on the general nature, design, 
 and use of this part of the ritual, as it is so 
 eminent a part of the worship of the He- 
 brew church. 
 
 Is not this ritual plainly designed in the 
 whole plan of it, to keep in constant re- 
 membrance, that the presence of Jehovah
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 203 
 
 in their temple made it a sanctuary ; that 
 Jehovah, there present, was the proper and 
 only object of religious worship, to whom 
 they were to offer all their gifts and sacri- 
 fices, and to direct their confessions, their 
 prayers, and their praises ? It plainly 
 showed,- that the presence of Jehovah was 
 the presence of an holy God ; that iniquity, 
 transgressions, and sins, were displeasing 
 to him, and, unless forgiven, would con- 
 tinue the displeasure of God to the sinner. 
 It however taught them at the same time, 
 that Jehovah their God was merciful and 
 gracious. He was seated on a mercy-seat : 
 he appointed sin-offerings, and promised 
 to accept them ; and they should be clean 
 before the Lord from all their sins, that is, 
 all sins for which the sacrifices of the law 
 were an atonement; for the ritual appoint- 
 ed no sacrifices or atonement for moral 
 crimes, as the Psalmist expressly observes Psalm li. 
 concerning his own case. 
 
 When we consider this plan of ritual 
 worship, we have another remark which 
 offers itself, that it is the ritual of a na- 
 tional, and not a personal worship. The 
 whole of this worship is fixed to the place 
 of the presence where Jehovah dwelt ; no- 
 thing can be plainer from the whole ritual 
 than this, that the whole worship of the 
 Hebrew church in their sacrifices and festi- 
 vals was fixed to the one temple and one 
 altar, and that it was absolutely forbid,
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 upon any pretence, to offer any sacrifice, 
 on any occasion, but before the Presence, 
 or Shechinah. The worship, then, of the 
 Hebrews was not at all directed by this 
 ritual, as many have imagined, very igrio- 
 rantly, as personal, or as family, or as more 
 public in their towns, or cities, through- 
 put their whole land ; so great reason 
 there is to distinguish between their syna- 
 gogue and temple worship : whatever me- 
 thods they had for instruction, for prayers 
 and praises, in their synagogues, they seem 
 to have been left to the ancient customs of 
 the Abrahamic worship, and to be directed 
 by the common rules of reason and discre- 
 tion ; for the ritual left them as they were, 
 without any new directions concerning 
 them. These were plain and natural, and, 
 in the principal parts of worship, differing 
 but little from the present worship of the 
 Christian assemblies. The rational, then, 
 of the Hebrew ritual is not to be consider- 
 ed as any part of the rule for the common 
 worship of private families, or public sy- 
 nagogues, or private persons, as it was not 
 formed, nor ever designed to be formed, for 
 that use ; though these public acts of a na- 
 tional religion were, as we shall see in its 
 proper place, of very useful instruction to 
 every particular person; and they were 
 engaged to use them personally, when 
 they were to appear before the Presence, 
 yet they were nqt to be used throughout
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 205 
 
 all Israel, any where but before the Pre- 
 sence, or where the Shechinah dwelt, be- 
 tween the cherubim, over the mercy-seat, 
 or in the most holy place. All objections, 
 then, against the ritual, as the worship of 
 the church, any where but at the temple, 
 are truly impertinent, and can prove no- 
 thing but the ignorance of those who shall 
 make use of them. 
 
 From hence also we may observe, what 
 little reason there is to accuse this ritual, 
 as requiring a service of burdensome rites 
 and expensive ceremonies. But how 
 groundless and unjust are such censures ! 
 The expense was national, and must be 
 easy when defrayed by the whole nation. 
 The burden of the service, what it was, 
 was borne chiefly by the priests and Le- 
 vites, and was scarce any trouble at all to 
 any particular Israelite. What reason can 
 there be to complain of burdensome rites 
 and expensive sacrifices, when the ritual 
 itself shows every thing moderate ? Each 
 day cost but two lambs, with their meat- 
 offerings and drink-offerings, about half a 
 peck of flour, and three pints of wine and 
 oil to each lamb. The additional sacrifices 
 on the Sabbaths were but just as much 
 more : the festivals on which the ritual: 
 directed more sacrifices, and thereby more 
 expense, were very few in a year; the 
 principal but once : many of the sacrifices, 
 and the most numerous, as the lambs at
 
 206 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the passover, remained the private pro- 
 perty of the offerer, and ought to be con- 
 sidered as the provision of their own table 
 for their own family. So that it has been 
 estimated by a very large allowance, that 
 if all the expenses of the public worship 
 were to be levied by equal proportion on 
 the tribes of Israel, it would not be an ex- 
 pense of one hundred pounds per annum 
 to each tribe. 
 
 The Mosaical ritual was, however, in 
 comparison with the Abrahamic and Chris- 
 tian dispensations, without question, a yoke 
 of bondage. The personal attendance before 
 the Presence, the occasional sacrifices and 
 lustrations required by the ritual, were 
 troublesome and expensive ; in respect of 
 which, the Christian dispensation is said to 
 be a light and easy yoke. Yet it is without 
 all foundation, that some persons have 
 taken a liberty of accusing this ritual, as 
 intolerably troublesome and expensive ; it 
 was not more so, than a ritual that could 
 answer the design of this ritual must have 
 been; not more so than the number of the 
 priests of Baal, their benefices, their cut- 
 tings in their worship, and other ceremo- 
 nies, show superstition had introduced 
 among them. 
 
 In this plain view of the Hebrew ri- 
 tual, how many common objections will 
 vanish at once, and appear to be not only 
 groundless, but ridiculous ! I omit for the 
 present the reasons why it was necessary
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 207 
 
 there should be this public worship ; why 
 it should be confined to the place of the 
 Presence only, and not to be allowed the 
 Israelites in their several cities and syna- 
 gogues, as it will come more properly 
 under consideration -in another place. 
 
 X 
 
 CHAP. V, 
 
 Ritual of the Hebrew Nation, as God"s 
 Church and peculiar People, the holy 
 Seed of Abraham, with zvhom was the 
 Covenant and Promise. 
 
 THE ritual of the Hebrew church had a Ritual of 
 further view than to give rules for their ^rews^s 
 public worship, and settle the manner how an holy 
 they were to appear before the Presence na V?' 
 of Jehovah. The Hebrew nation was to see( j O f 
 be considered also as the church of God, Abra- 
 an holy nation, or the people of his holi- antu 
 ness : they were called to a peculiar holi- 
 ness in virtue of a particular covenant be- 
 tween God and them. This is a reason Deut.xir. 
 assigned by Moses for some of his laws, 2 * 
 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord 
 thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to 
 be a peculiar people unto himself, above all 
 the nations that are upon the earth. 
 
 There was a solemn covenant between 
 God and Abraham and his seed, a founda- 
 tion of their consecration to Jehovah above 
 all other people. This covenant was made
 
 0& 'THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 with Abraham, and had subsisted many 
 years before the giving of the law. God 
 then appointed to Abraham and to his fa- 
 mily a visible mark or seal in testimony of 
 Genesis, this covenant : And God said unto Abra- 
 xvu. i, 2. faj^ ITioushaltkeep my covenant therefore, 
 thou, and thy seed after thee, in their ge- 
 nerations. TJiis is my covenant which ye 
 shall keep between me and you, and thy 
 seed after thee: every man-child among you 
 9, 10. shall be circumcised. Thus the father of 
 the Hebrew nation was consecrated to 
 God, as the one true God, and to keep his 
 family distinct and separate from such as 
 were forsaking the faith and worship of 
 the one true God, and running fast into 
 idolatry. A covenant being made by God 
 with Abraham -and his seed, it was proper 
 to preserve the memory of it by some signs 
 or marks, which should be a constant me- 
 morial of the promises and blessings on 
 God's part, should admonish the seed of 
 Abraham, as holy to Jehovah, to walk be- 
 fore him and be perfect, and excite a care 
 to preserve the privileges and honour of 
 God's peculiar people, in his presence and 
 favour above all nations of the earth, and 
 to avoid whatever might deprive them of 
 an happiness much above whatever any 
 other enjoyed. 
 
 It became, then, a general reason, why 
 the seed of Abraham should be separated 
 from all other people by the observation of
 
 DP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 20Q 
 
 Some particular rites, peculiar to them- 
 selves, to show openly they were worship* 
 fers of the one true God, whose excellent 
 nature distinguished him from all idols or 
 inferior gods in holiness and purity, as well 
 as in greatness and majesty. It is a reason 
 therefore given in their ritual, not to defile 
 themselves with any creeping thing; for I Levit xi * 
 am the Lord your God; ye shall therefore 
 sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy ; 
 for I am holy : neither shall ye defile your- 
 selves ivith any creeping thing that creepeth 
 upon the earth. 
 
 As there was to be some distinction be- 
 tween an holy nation and a profane world, 
 for so the nations were called who had cor- 
 rupted or lost the knowledge of the one 
 true God, and polluted themselves with 
 idolatrous principles and impure practices 
 and customs; it was fit and wise that dis- 
 tinction should be some visible sign or 
 token that should bring to mind the cove- 
 nant between them and Jehovah, the en* 
 gagements they were under to serve him 
 as the true God, and as their God. 
 
 At the beginning, the rite of circumci- 
 aion seems to have been principally, if not 
 Bolely, the distinction of the Abrahamic 
 family, till the Mosaical ritual: in which 
 many things are declared unclean ; many 
 things, not only of common use, but in high 
 esteem with idolatrous nations, were de- 
 clared abominable to the Hebrews.
 
 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 When the family of Abraham was small 
 and few in number, it was more easily pre- 
 served, and the rite of circumcision seemed 
 sufficient; but when the children of Israel 
 grew numerous, and the idolatry of Egypt 
 had so infected their minds, when it ap- 
 peared how easily they were misled by the 
 idolatry of the Canaanites, it became ne- 
 cessary to add new fences to the law, to 
 erect a stronger partition-wall, which 
 might be a more effectual preservation. 
 Now, constitutions which shall appear fit 
 to answer these ends, and most likely to 
 attain them, will, for that very reason, ap- 
 pear fit to be chosen and appointed by a 
 wise judgment, even where there is no 
 other reason in the thing itself, to direct 
 the choice of it, previous to this design 
 and this use of it. 
 
 It may be proper to explain this a little 
 
 more particularly ; especially since many 
 
 seem greatly to mistake this question, and, 
 
 as I conceive, have very much perverted 
 
 "When a jj from its true state ; as if the things made 
 
 SnctiorT" unclean by the ritual, must have some real 
 
 was to be moral uncleariness in themselves, such as 
 
 Efe. tt made it fit to forbid them on their own-, 
 
 rites that . 
 
 would account in a religion that comes from God;, 
 well an- when the true state of the question, both 
 
 swer that r j ^1-1 
 
 end> fit in fact and reason, seems to be this, whe- 
 tobeap- ther it being now fit to distinguish the 
 though 1 ' Hebrew nation, as a people holy to Jeho- 
 vah, and consecrated to his service, when
 
 <3F TtiE HEBREW WORSHIP. 21 f 
 
 it was of so great use to raise a wall that noprevi- 
 should separate the family of Abraham J^"* 1 
 from their heathen neighbours; the ques- for such 
 tion, I say, seems to be, whether this de- appoint* 
 sign being proposed, itself is a sufficient ment * 
 reason to appoint a ritual, and to choose 
 such as shall best answer this design, 
 though there was no previous reason or 
 moral law to require them ; and though, 
 except for their fitness to answer this end, 
 they might have been left indifferent, as they 
 were before the making of the ritual. We 
 should carefully attend to this observation j 
 it will serve to clear many things in rela~ 
 tion to this ritual, on reasons common to 
 all rituals, the general reasons and ends of 
 which are of a moral nature; and as far as 
 any parts of a ritual truly answer that de- 
 sign, they have themselves a real moral 
 reason and fitness too: for instance, wash* 
 ing with water, as a rite of purification, has 
 no direct moral reason or obligation ; yet 
 Supposing a reverence for God, and a sense 
 of that purity which becomes his worship-* 
 pers, may be helped by ritual instructions 
 and admonitions; that the purity of reli- 
 gion may be better preserved, and the 
 danger of superstition better prevented, by 
 the direction of a rite of plain and easy in- 
 struction and of decent use; then, as -far 
 as purification by water answers these 
 ends, there is a moral reason and fitness' in 
 the use of it. If it shall be found, that 
 
 p 2
 
 212 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 putting away the Jilth of the flesh, shall 
 usefully teach putting off all jilthiness of 
 spirit as well as flesh, and the answer of a 
 good conscience towards God ; if it shall set 
 aside idolatrous purifications by fire and 
 wind, and especially by blood, thought 
 among the heathen a purification of 
 greater virtue, from a communion with 
 demons; these ends, as wise and truly 
 moral, are sufficient reasons for directing 
 the use of water as a religious rite. So soon, 
 then, as there was a moral reason for ap- 
 pointing a ritual, such rites as were fit 
 and proper to answer those moral reasons, 
 were themselves moral as of moral use. 
 You easily see how this observation is ap- 
 plicable to many ritual prohibitions, as well 
 as to ritual observances. Suppose there is 
 no direct moral reason why the eating of 
 blood should be strictly forbid ; and sup- 
 pose it might be allowed as freely as any 
 other food, as having no moral reason 
 ag unst it ; yet if the prohibition of any 
 food whatsoever would in some circum- 
 stances be of great use to guard against 
 idolatry, and keep from joining with per- 
 sons who constantly made an idolatrous 
 use of eating blood, as a means of com- 
 munion with their daemons, or of having 
 fellowship with devils ; so the Apostle 
 justly calls the heathen feasts, with their 
 j Cor. x. idolatrous rites, drinking the cup of devils, 
 201 21 * and being partakers of the table of devils *
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 213 
 
 (. ' -,.-.. 
 
 in such cases as these, a prohibition of 
 such food as has a fitness to attain any de- 
 gree of moral good, really gives a propor- 
 tional degree of true moral goodness to 
 such a ritual constitution, and continues 
 the obligation of it so long as that moral 
 use remains; but when that moral reason 
 ceases, the obligation ceases with it, and 
 the use of such food becomes indifferent, 
 as it was before. 
 
 Whatever then shall appear recom- 
 mended as a proper distinguishing mark of 
 the Hebrew nation as an holy nation, con- 
 secrated to the service of the one true God 
 in opposition to all idolatry, had a reason 
 why it should be made a part of the ritual, 
 from that very use, without looking fur- 
 ther for any other reasons, or moral fitness 
 in. themselves to become rites of religion. 
 Whatever usages, then, either by ancient 
 custom or general esteem, had obtained 
 the reputation of an honourable distinc- 
 tion, either in the opinion of the Hebrews 
 themselves, or of their neighbour nations; 
 whatever would likely call to remem- 
 brance their useful separation from a pro- 
 fane idolatrous world; whatever would be 
 an easy and useful admonition of inward 
 purity and holiness of spirit, or be a pre- 
 servative against the prevailing corruptions 
 of the world, or like to keep them from 
 apostacy; all these were wisely appointed 
 p 3
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 a part of their ritual, and were of good 
 Use in promoting the wise designs of it, 
 
 Consider, then, somewhat more parti- 
 cularly what this ritual distinction is, and 
 it will easily appear that the objections 
 raised against it with so much confidence 
 have no foundation in right reason, but 
 are the fruits of ignorance or of prejudice, 
 Circum- To begin with circumcision. This was 
 eision. ^ r ^ te j n use j on g before the Mosaical law ; 
 it was a ritual appointed to Abraham the 
 father of the nation. This is my covenant > 
 said God to Abraham, which ye shall keep 
 between me and you, and thy seed after 
 thee: every man-child among you shall be 
 circumcised, and ye shall circumcise the 
 6en.xvii, Jlesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a 
 J> !! token of the covenant between me and you. 
 It is not material, I think, to the subject 
 before us, to enter into any of the disputes, 
 or even into the inquiries of learned men, 
 33 to the original of this rite, especially 
 among other nations besides the Hebrews: 
 the authority of the Hebrew history plainly 
 makes it an original constitution to Abra- 
 ham ; and the great reputation of Abra- 
 ham, with the fear of Jehovah as the God 
 of the Hebrews, spread over the nations 
 by his wonderful works in bringing hi% 
 favoured people out of Egypt into the pro- 
 mised land, are very probable reasons why 
 they might be desirous to avert his displea- 
 sure from themselves, and court his pro*
 
 " OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 215 
 
 tection. Their very principles of idolatry, 
 without any respect for the Hebrew nation, 
 might teach them to consider Jehovah the 
 God of the Hebrews as a very powerful 
 God, and fit to be honoured among their 
 other gods; they might receive circum- 
 cision as what would be acceptable to him, 
 and thus court him, according to an usual 
 and well-known custom of the heathen, 
 to leave their enemies, and come over, as 
 it were, to their side. 
 
 Now this rite was a token of the great 
 importance of the covenant between God 
 and Abraham, and his seed after him, as 
 well as it brought to remembrance the co- 
 venant itself. It was very fit to put them in 
 constant remembrance how carefully they 
 should preserve the honour of God's pecu- 
 liar people, and of the holy seed of Abra- 
 ham, by avoiding all intermarriages with 
 the uncircumcised, and who therefore were 
 not of the holy seed, arid keep themselves 
 from too familiar conversation with per- 
 sons who might corrupt them with their 
 own idolatrous principles or practices. -Cir- 
 cumcision, then, was a rite that united the 
 family of Abraham, as having the same 
 faith, worship, and privileges, and kept 
 them separate from other nations, who had 
 corrupted the faith and worship of the true 
 God, and had lost the privileges of a true 
 church. This is well expressed by the j^
 
 210 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 dicious Hebrew master * : as circumcision 
 was a rite of evident distinction, and a rite 
 50 difficult that none were like to choose 
 but from a principle of religious faith and 
 obedience, so it was a most proper rite to 
 teach the obligations of an holy nation in 
 purity of heart and holiness of life, of which 
 circumcision was so proper a figurative in- 
 struction. Thus Moses himself represented 
 it in an exhortation to the Hebrews : And 
 now, Israel, ivliat doth the Lord thy God 
 require of thee, that is, as an holy nation 
 to Jehovah, but to fear the Lord thy God, 
 to walk in all his ways, and to love him, 
 Deut. x. an ^ t serve th e Lord thy God with all 
 12. fhy heart, and with all thy soul? He ex- 
 presses these obligations in allusion to the 
 16, instructions of circumcision ; Circumcise 
 therefore the foreskin of your heart, and 
 be no more stiff-necked. This is well ex- 
 Deut. pressed in the words of the law itself; And 
 the Lord thy God will circumcise thine 
 heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the 
 
 * Sed est adhuc alia quoque ratio valde necessaria 
 in circumcisione, ut videlicet, illi qui sunt hujus fidei, 
 (b.e. qui creduut uiiitatem) habeant unuin quoddam sig- 
 num, quod illos conjungat, et ne quis alius, qui non est 
 ex illis dicere possit se ex illi.s esse, nam solet quandoque 
 homo, id vel propter suum commodum, vel in aliorum 
 contumeliam et detrimentum facere. Sed haec actio, 
 circumcisionis nempe, ita comparata est, ut nemo vel 
 sibi vel liberis suis, nisi propter fidem et religionem earn 
 it facturus ; nam non est levis aliqua cruris laesio, vel 
 brachii adustio, sed res durissima et difficillima,-.Mflji 
 jnon. Mor. tieboc. part iii. c. xlix. p. 105.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIF. 217 
 
 Lord tliy God with all thine heart and 
 with all thy soul, that thou mayst live. This 
 not only shows that circumcision was de- 
 signed for moral instruction, bat to teach 
 the inward circumcision of the heart, pre- 
 ferable in this law to the outward circum- 
 cision of the flesh in the acceptance and 
 approbation of God, and recommended as 
 a greater blessing to themselves. Thus God 
 encourages their sincere repentance, as 
 jiumbling their uncircumcised hearts: //"Levit. 
 then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, 4* ' 
 and they then accept of the punishment of 
 their iniquity, then will I remember my 
 covenant ivith Jacob, and also my covenant 
 with Isaac, and also my covenant ivilh 
 Abraham will I remember : this is called 
 the covenant of their ancestors, whom I 
 brought forth, says God, out of the land 
 of Egypt, in the sight of the heathen, that 
 I might be their God. This great use of 45. 
 circumcision gave St. Paul just reason to 
 argue, For he is a Jew who is one inward- Rom. ii, 
 ly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in 29< 
 the spirit and not in the letter, whose 
 praise is not of men but of God. 
 
 Circumcision, then, was such a visible 
 mark in the flesh, as was very fit to be a 
 sign to all the seed of Abraham, that they 
 were to account themselves an holy na- 
 tion, as his seed ; that they were obliged 
 to keep up an holy nation to Jehovah in 
 that family, and in so doing assure them-v
 
 218 TffE tfATrONAt OP fHE HTTITAL 
 
 selves of the peculiar favour of Jehovah, 
 such as he showed to their forefathers as 
 their God. Circumcision further taught 
 them, the covenant between God and 
 them required not barely a ceremonial ho- 
 liness, but, what was the true meaning of 
 it, to circumcise their hearts, so as to love 
 and to honour the Lord their God with all 
 their hearts, and in ail the acts of true 
 righteousness and goodness. Even the dif- 
 ficulty itself of the rite had its advantages, 
 as no persons would join themselves to 
 them who might likely corrupt them by 
 evil principles and manners ; for very few, 
 when grown up especially to elder years, 
 Would be willing to receive such a rite, 
 which must be attended with considerable 
 difficulty, from any lower reasons than a 
 consent to the Hebrew faith, and desire of 
 an interest in the privileges of the Hebrew 
 church ; an excellent means of preserving 
 the purity of the faith, worship, and family 
 of Abraham, as an holy seed to Jehovah, 
 tlnclean- The Hebrews, by their ritual, had other 
 foods? r ^ tes f distinction besides circumcision ; 
 their ritual made a distinction between 
 foods clean and unclean, to show what 
 they were allowed to eat, and what food 
 they were to abstain from, as an holy na- 
 tion to Jehovah. The ritual gives itself a 
 general reason for this distinction of foods: 
 Ye shall, therefore put difference between 
 elean beasfaand unclean*, and between un+
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 fowls and clean ; and ye shall not 
 make yourselves abominable by beast or by 
 fowl, or by any manner of living thing that 
 ereepeth on the ground, which I have se- 
 parated from you as unclean; and ye shall 
 be holy unto me, for I the Lord (Jehovah) 
 am holy, and have severed you from other Levit. 
 people, that ye should be mine. This rela- 25, 26. 
 tion of the Hebrews to Jehovah is given 
 as a reason why they should not do what 
 was allowed to strangers and aliens. Ye Deue. 
 shall not eat of any thing that dieth of it- xiv.ai. 
 self; thou shalt give it unto the stranger 
 that is within thy gates, that he may eat it ; 
 or thou mayest sell it unto an alien ; for 
 thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy 
 God. You see, what was allowed to an 
 alien is forbid to the Hebrews as an holy 
 people, not because morally evil, or there-* 
 fore unlawful on a moral account, but un- 
 becoming a people consecrated to the ser- 
 vice of Jehovah ; and hence, what the ri- 
 tual allowed the Hebrews for food was of 
 best esteem in common use, and what was 
 forbid was of least esteem, and reckoned 
 too mean for a good table; and, as Dr* 
 Spencer observes, continues so in tha 
 eastern nations to the present times *. 
 
 * Hoc audacter asseramus, quod animalia oinnia 
 Judaeis in cibum concessa, in usu ac pr5tio apud orieu- 
 tales hodieque habeantur ; et pleraque Judaeis interdicta, 
 mensis saltern elegantioribus, et rebus lautioribus uten- 
 tium etiamuuiu abligeutur. Spencer, Leg. Heb. |>. \.
 
 220 THE RATIONAL of THE RITCTAL 
 
 The whole of this ritual, as to beasts, 
 birds, fish, and creeping things, are men- 
 tioned very particularly in the law itself ". 
 not to transcribe the whole chapter, which 
 every one may easily consult for them- 
 selves, it may be sufficient just to mention 
 the more general directions. 
 
 Levit. xi. Whatever parteth the hoofandis cloven- 
 footed and cheiveth the cud among the 
 4 to 9. beasts, that shall ye eat: but such as did 
 not chew the cud and divide the hoof, that 
 
 to is. is, did not do both, are declared to be un- 
 clean. Of fish they were allowed to eat 
 all that had fins and scales, but all that had 
 not fins and scales were to be accounted 
 unclean. Among birds, the ritual forbids 
 in particular the eating of several by name 
 
 is to 24. as unclean, such as the eagle, vulture, 
 kite, raven, owl, &c. 
 
 99, so. The ritual gives also directions con- 
 cerning creeping things and insects : the 
 weasel, mouse, &c. are declared unclean, 
 *! and whosoever shall touch them when 
 dead is pronounced unclean ; and in gene- 
 41. ral every creeping thing that creepeth upon 
 the earth shall be an abommation f it shall 
 not be eaten. 
 
 On a nearer consideration of this part 
 of the ritual, you easily perceive that the 
 food allowed the Hebrew nation, as an holy 
 people, were the gentler sort of creatures, 
 and of most common use, such as were: 
 bred about their houses and in their fields,
 
 OF THE HEBREW "WORSH**. 
 
 and were, in a sort, domestic: they were 
 creatures of the cleanest feeding, and 
 which gave the most wholesome nourish- 
 ment, and were of a better taste, and might 
 be had in greater plenty and perfection by 
 a proper care of their breeding and feeding; 
 they seem, therefore, naturally fit to be 
 chosen as a better kind of food. And if 
 it became the Hebrews, as an holy nation,, 
 to have any ritual distinction of foods,, 
 could any thing have been devised more 
 proper than to prefer such foods as were 
 the best foods, most easy to be had, and 
 in the greatest perfection, most useful and 
 most profitable to the industrious husband* 
 man ? Was not this much better than to 
 give encouragement to hunting of wild 
 beasts and following birds of prey, no 
 ways so fit for food nor so easy to be had> 
 and hardly consistent with the innocency 
 and mildness of a pastoral and domestic 
 life ? Such a difference as the ritual makes 
 between foods, was wiselyappointed to en- 
 courage the improvement of their ground, 
 to contribute to the health of their bodies, 
 and to the ease of their employment in life, 
 no inconsiderable part of the blessings of 
 the promised land. Such constitution^ 
 were likely to give an honour and dignity 
 to a people who appear eminent for cus- 
 tfcms very useful and very profitable. Such 
 political wisdom, so well suited to the par- 
 ticular state of the Hebrew nation in the
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE ttlTUAf/ 
 
 promised land, ought to be considered a 
 one good reason, though it is not the sole 
 reason, for such constitutions : the cha-* 
 racter of Jehovah, as King of Israel, as well 
 as the God of Abraham and his seed, evi- 
 dently shows a reason for this observation. 
 It is plain^ wise lawgivers may have many 
 reasons for the same constitutions ; perhaps 
 not one of them is a full and adequate rea- 
 son ; yet it cannot stand with equity to set 
 any aside as no reason at all, because other 
 reasons may be joined to it. It is wrong to 
 suppose there is but one reason for making 
 a law, for such supposition is generally 
 contrary to the truth of facts ; and there are 
 really as many reasons as there are useful 
 designs and wise ends promoted by it* 
 Thus much to show that political reasons^ 
 especially which regarded the blessings of 
 the promised land, were fit reasons to be 
 considered in a ritual for the Hebrew na- 
 tion dwelling in it, as the gift of Jehovah 
 their God. 
 
 It is very evident this distinction of* 
 foods introduced customs among the He- 
 brews, very different from the customs of 
 their neighbour nations, and were there- 
 fore a means of keeping them from too 
 much familiarity and ensnaring friendship 
 in their luxurious feasts upon their sacri* 
 fices ; the ritual mentions this design as of 
 great importance: Ye shall be holy unt9 
 foe ; for I the Lord am holy, a?id have se*
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. ' ; 
 
 parated you from oilier people^ that ye 
 should be mine. 
 
 Thus the Hebrews killed for sacrifice 
 and for food what were sacred animals to 
 their neighbours ; and such as were un- 
 clean to the Hebrews, were holy among 
 the heathen, " as a swine to Venus, an 
 " owl to Minerva, an hawk to Apollo, an 
 " eagle to Jupiter, and a dog to Hecate, 
 " &c." as our learned Bishop Patrick very 
 justly observes. Whence, he adds, Origen Bishop 
 justly falls into admiration of the wisdom patnc ^ 
 
 r -\T 11 i i * on Lent. 
 
 or Moses, to pronounce all animals which xL 2. 
 had a relation to daemons, and were used 
 as instruments of divination, to be unclean, 
 and those to be clean which were not so. 
 How many magical uses did the idolatry 
 of the heathen nations make of reptiles 
 and other things, forbid by the Hebrew ri- 
 tual ! TheZabians had an offering supposed 
 very acceptable to the sun, of seven bats, Neboc. 
 seven mice, and seven other reptiles. Ca- partii 
 nidia, the Witch, is represented using in c * ' 
 her enchantments the blood of toads and 
 feathers of owls*. It is well known, ani- 
 mals were used from the most early times 
 as figurative representations of qualities 
 and tempers. This is so evident in the 
 Egyptian hieroglyphics, it is no wonder 
 persons of great name, ancient and rno- 
 
 * Et uncta turpis ova ranae sanguine, 
 
 Pluinamque nocturnae strigis. . : 
 
 ; Horat. Epod. V; l^. -
 
 224 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITtTAt 
 
 dern, should observe some analogy be- 
 tween the qualities of unclean beasts and 
 birds, and the moral bad qualities of men's 
 minds. Beasts and birds of prey were a 
 sort of natural symbols of violence and ra j 
 pine ; creatures continually wallowing in 
 the mire and defiling themselves, as the 
 dog and swine, in nastiness, are natural 
 representations of impurity, or returning 
 to a course of wickedness. Hence it be- 
 came a proverbial expression, the dog is 
 returned to his vomit again, and the swine 
 that was washed, to her wallowing in the 
 mire. Though this is not an only reason, 
 and may likely be indulged too far, for 
 there is scarce any end of allegory, yet, I 
 think, mildness, gentleness, cleanness, 
 and usefulness in the foods allowed, wild- 
 ness, uncleanness, violence in many of the 
 creatures forbidden for food, do naturally 
 and usefully represent an admonition to 
 avoid the qualities of violence, rapine, 
 cruelty, or moral impurity, and to esteem 
 meekness and innocency, and to aim at 
 usefulness in life. Such moral instruction 
 in the ritual, which will more fully appear 
 hereafter, shows the wisdom of it, and 
 ought to recommend it to our esteem. 
 Occa- The holiness of the Hebrew nation is 
 
 poni st *^ further taken notice of in the ritual, 
 tions, by declaring many things to be pollutions, 
 dead bo- some of which w ere accidental, and un- 
 
 Alftfi &C 
 
 " avoidable; yet they rendered them for a
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 225 
 
 time, and, till they were purified, not fit 
 to appear in the holy congregation, and 
 before the presence of Jehovah. It may 
 help to our better understanding of this 
 part of the ritual, to consider them in this 
 following order ; first, the uncleanness of 
 persons, and then the uncleanness of 
 things. 
 
 I. The uncleanness of persons, which 
 were these : 
 
 1. The uncleanness of a woman in 
 child-birth : If she bear a man-child, says Levitxii. 
 the ritual, she shall be unclean seven days ; 3t 
 
 but if she bear a maid-child) she shall be 
 unclean two iveeks. 
 
 2. The uncleanness of a menstruous 
 woman requires a separation for seven 
 days ; and if it continues longer than the 
 time of her separation, all the days it shall 
 continue, shall be as the days of her sepa- 
 ration. 
 
 3. The uncleanness of conjugal em- Levit.xr, 
 braces. Both the man and the woman 1618. 
 were unclean until the even. How con- 
 trary is this part of the Hebrew ritual to 
 
 the idolatrous custom of allowing the use 
 of women in the very temples of the hea- 
 then idols ! 
 
 4. The uncleanness of leprosy. Who- 
 ever upon examination were found with 
 the marks of leprosy upon them, were to 
 
 be declared unclean: And the leper on L vit - r 
 ivhom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, J g "' 4 
 
 Q
 
 220 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 and his head bare, and lie shall put a co- 
 vering upon his upper lip, and shall cry. 
 Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein 
 the plague shall be in him he shall be de- 
 fled ; he is unclean : he shall dwell alone, 
 without the camp shall tys habitation be. 
 
 5. The imcleanness of funerals, or by 
 Numb, the touch of a dead body. He that touch- 
 xix. 11. eth the dead body of any man shall be un- 
 clean seven days It was the law, when a 
 man dieth in a tent, all that come into the 
 tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be un- 
 
 w> clean seven days. This unclean ness was 
 also contracted by the touch of a dead 
 body, or the bone of a dead man, or a 
 
 16. grave. 
 
 6. There was also an uncleanness in 
 Deut. sleep by nocturnal pollution : If there be 
 xxiii. among you any man that is not clean, by 
 
 ' ' reason of uncleanness that chanceth him 
 by night, he is to be accounted unclean 
 until the even. 
 
 7. There was an uncleanness contract- 
 ed by touching what was unclean. This 
 sort of uncleanness seems the most exten- 
 
 Leyit. s i v e : For whosoever toucheth any creeping 
 ' ' thing, ivhereby he may be made unclean, 
 or a man, of whom he may take unclean- 
 ness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath, the 
 soul which hath touched any such, shall be 
 unclean until the even. These were the 
 personal pollutions. 
 
 To these it will be proper to add what
 
 0* THE HEBREW WORSHIP* 227 
 
 the ritual declared a pollution in things 
 inanimate, such as beds, vessels, furni- 
 ture, &c. Thus, when a woman is un- Levit.xr. 
 clean> having an issue, and her issue in her 19 20% 
 flesh be blood, every thing that she sitteth 
 or lieth upon shall be unclean. 
 
 It seems a general intention of these 
 laws to " maintain a reverence of the 
 " Divine Majesty, by forbidding every 
 " person that was polluted to come into 
 " the sanctuary," as Bishop Patrick ob- p lsh PP 
 serves, from Maimonides. " It was made O n Levit. 
 " a business of care and circumspection, *v. si. 
 " to approach, as they ought, the Divine 
 " Presence.*' Dr. Spencer observes fur- 
 ther, very justly, that " Moses in his r^- 
 " tual accounted those things as unclean, 
 " which had some kind of natural impu- 
 " rity and foulness, in the general opinion 
 " of mankind, or which, at least in the opi- 
 " nion of persons of more refined taste, 
 " had some appearances of natural un- 
 " cleanness *." Most of the things unclean 
 by the Hebrew ritual, were esteemed so 
 by other people, as well as by Moses. 
 Neighbour nations could hardly have es- 
 teemed the Hebrews an holy nation, if 
 
 * Moses enim ea tantum pro immundis, et immundi- 
 tiae causis haberi jussit, qua naturalem quandam spur- 
 citiem, et foeditatem prae se fuerunt, et quae homines, 
 sensfts praesertim delicatioris, naturaliter abominantur. 
 Spencer's Leg. Hebr. 1. i. c.8. 142. 
 Q 2
 
 228 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 they had held nothing to be unclean. The 
 Egyptians, and all who had any know- 
 ledge of the Egyptian doctrines, or re- 
 verence for them, would have accounted 
 them common and profane, for making no 
 distinction between clean and unclean. 
 
 These were constitutions which gave 
 an honour, and procured a respect to the 
 Hebrews, as an holy nation, from their 
 neighbours ; as well as it usefully instruct- 
 ed themselves, what purity and reverence, 
 and what care to keep themselves from all 
 uncleanness, became the worshippers of 
 Jehovah, the Holy One. 
 
 Besides, the idolatrous nations had, 
 by superstitious imaginations, multiplied 
 things unclean without end. It was of 
 good use to appoint a ritual which might 
 correct, and put a stop to such supersti- 
 tions, by giving the Hebrews, as an holy 
 nation, directions, showing them what they 
 should account unclean, and to declare 
 such things only unclean, as were natu- 
 rally esteemed impure, or were proper to 
 give a sense of moral, as well as ritual im- 
 purity, and to raise reverence for the pre- 
 sence of Jehovah, and an abhorrence of 
 such rites, as impure, which were like to 
 mislead them into idolatry, and to be re- 
 commended to them as holy rites, and by 
 which they imagined they had communion 
 with their daemon gods. 
 
 The worship of daemons, or dead per-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 22Q 
 
 sons, soon introduced honours to their dead 
 bodies and their graves, The use of blood 
 in their feasts for the dead, was soon ac- 
 counted an act of communion with the 
 daemons themselves. How well suited to 
 prevent these idolatries, did the Hebrew ri- 
 tual represent the touch of a dead body, 
 and every issue of blood as polluting, and 
 rendering them unfit to appear before the 
 presence of Jehovah, in his most holy 
 place. 
 
 The law itself evidently shows it had a 
 regard to such superstitions : Ye shall not Levit. 
 eat any thing with the blood, neither shall 5i x ' 2 | 6) 
 ye use enchantments, nor observe times. 
 Ye shall not round the corners of your 
 heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners 
 of thy beard. Ye shall not make any cut~ 
 ting in your flesh for the dead, nor print 
 any mark upon you. I am the bord. 
 
 Ye shall not eat any thing with the 
 blood, ought to be rendered, at, or before 
 blood, and is an allusion to the idolatrous 
 worship of daemons, by gathering blood 
 together for them as supposed their food, 
 and coming themselves and eating part of 
 it, whereby they were esteemed the 
 daemons' guests, and by this kind of com- 
 munion with them, were supposed enabled 
 to prophesy and foretel things to come 
 to have such familiarity with these spirits, 
 as to receive revelations, and be inspired 
 with the knowledge of secret things. Such 
 
 Q3
 
 230 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 divinations by the dead became a very 
 common, but a very dangerous practice of 
 idolatry. The funeral customs of cutting 
 the hair of their heads round about, throw- 
 ing it into the sepulchres of their relations 
 and friends, sometimes laying it on the 
 face or breast of the deceased, as a sacri- 
 fice to the infernal gods making cuttings 
 in their flesh for the dead, printing some 
 mark on their bodies, to show to what 
 daemon or idol-god they belonged, were 
 Itnown idolatrous customs, as many learn- 
 ed men have shown at large, after Mai- 
 monides, and is observed by Bishop Pa- 
 
 xTe,' trick on the P lace - This is confirmed by 
 7. xiv. the after-explications of the Prophets, in 
 * particular the Prophet Jeremiah. 
 
 What, now, appears more likely to 
 prevent these idolatries, than to represent 
 dead bodies and all issues of blood, even 
 involuntary, so far from sacred rites or ac- 
 ceptable acts of worship, or giving com- 
 munion with gods, that they polluted both 
 persons and things that touched them, and 
 made them unfit, to appear in the presence 
 'of Jehovah their God ? 
 Several j t j s moreover ( O De observed, there are 
 
 particiu i -i ' i AC i c 
 
 far laws prohibitions in the Mosaical ritual of cer- 
 
 flgainst tain rites and customs in use among idola- 
 
 trouscufr. ters wn ich abuse of them in idolatrous 
 
 toms. worship was a sufficient reason to forbid 
 
 them, how indifferent, how innocent soever 
 
 tuey might appear in themselves ; for every
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 231 
 
 danger of idolatry was of too great concern 
 to be neglected. 
 
 It will be sufficient here just to men- Not to 
 tion these laws, and the superstitions, or f!^ * 
 
 . , , - . . * kid in his 
 
 idolatrous customs, which seem the occa- mother'* 
 sion of their prohibition. There is a law milk - 
 that directs, Thou shalt not seeth a kid in Exod. 
 his mother s milk. As this law is among xxm - 19 - 
 others which are manifestly designed to 
 forbid the use of idolatrous rites, it is na- 
 tural to understand it was designed to an- 
 swer the same end. It has been shown at 
 large by learned men, that the very an- 
 cient idolaters, the Zabians, had a magical 
 rite in which the sacriiice and eating of a 
 goat was a considerable part. Abarbinel 
 expressly affirms, " The ancient idolaters Bishop 
 " were wont, when they gathered the Patr * ck 
 " fruits of the earth, to seeth a kid in hijs pi ace . 
 " mother's milk, that their gods might be ' 
 " more propitious to them." It is further 
 observed by Dr. Cudworth, from a Karaite 
 writer, who saith, " All the trees and 
 " fields and gardens were sprinkled with 
 " this broth (of a kid seethed in its mo- 
 " ther's milk) after a magical manner, to 
 " make them more fruitful for another 
 " year." And this the learned Bochart 
 takes to be the truest interpretation. It 
 may here be observed, once for all, that in 
 such arguments, as so much depends on 
 very ancient customs, it is unreasonable to 
 expect a more positive proof, than the 
 Q4
 
 232 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 great probability of such magical rites, 
 agreeable to unquestionable idolatrous cus- 
 toms of like nature, affords, than a plain 
 and easy reason for a law, that takes no- 
 tice of them, in forbidding them and the 
 mention of them by persons of good un- 
 derstanding and credit. So much seems 
 evident, that, as the Hebrews are forbid to 
 use this rite, they are forbid the use of it as 
 a superstition or magical action ; for no 
 man of common sense would ever have 
 thought of such a rite, for any other than 
 some superstitious or magical use. 
 Kottoof- Maimonides observes, " It was a cus- 
 ferhoney. torn among idolaters, that they offered 
 " leavened bread, and chose sweet things 
 " for their offerings to their gods ; and 
 " that they used to anoint them with 
 Maimon. " honey ;" as appears by their writings, 
 Mor. often quoted by him. It is further remark- 
 part in. e( * ky our learned Spencer, from Porphyry, 
 1. xlvi.p, " that they (who offered sacrifices to dae- 
 481. it mons ) made honey a symbol of death, 
 "and therefore they sacrificed to the ter- 
 " restrial gods an offering of honey. It 
 " may be taken for certain," he adds, 
 " that the ancient idolaters sometimes of- 
 " fered honey to the superior or heavenly 
 " g ds ; but that they always offered it to 
 l.l'c.9." " the infernal gods and dead heroes." 
 
 It became the honour of Jehovah's 
 worship not to be defiled with rites appro- 
 priated to the worship of dead men, and
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 233 
 
 the infernal deities. And it was a mani- 
 fest useful means to, preserve the Hebrews 
 from these idolatries, when they were di- 
 rected by their ritual to avoid what the 
 idolatrous customs of their neighbours 
 made sacred and religious, and in particular 
 to the honour of the dead, a principal part 
 of their idolatry. 
 
 It is observed by Maimonides, " as one Passing 
 " great artifice of the idolatrous priests, to J"?^ 
 
 (t c ! r the fire t 
 
 1 work on the weakness or men s tempers ; Mdoch. 
 which has been found in experience a very 
 likely way to lead men into very great su- 
 perstitions. " They knew they feared no- Maimon. 
 " thine; so much as the loss of their for- ??, r ' 
 
 c i'ii Web. part 
 
 ' tunes and or their children: the wor- m. c .37. 
 " shippers of fire therefore declared, that 
 " if they did not make their sons and 
 " daughters to pass through the fire, all 
 " their children would die." This passing 
 through the fire may be considered as a 
 rite of purification, or of initiation, by 
 which parents dedicated their children to 
 this idol. Such purifications, or lustrations 
 by fire, were rightly understood to be an 
 act of consecration to the honour and wor- 
 ship of Moloch, the sun, or prince of the 
 heavenly host. This idolatrous rite, if it 
 was not so originally, in time grew into a 
 most barbarous and cruel superstition : 
 they did not only cause the children to 
 pass through the fire to purify them, but 
 they were actually burned, as an offering
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 to this idol. The wisdom of a law to pre- 
 vent so very dangerous an act of idolatry, 
 is evident to all. It shows what important 
 Levit. reasons there were for the law. Thou shalt 
 xviii. 21. no j. i e f an y O j? thy seec i p ass through the 
 
 jire to Moloch, neither shalt thou profane 
 the name of the Lord thy God: 1 am the 
 Lord. 
 
 To purify children by causing them 
 
 to pass through the fire to Moloch, would 
 
 have been idolatry ; but actually to burn 
 
 innocent children to his honour, was horrid 
 
 and abominable, as well as idolatrous. 
 
 The pro- '* It was a well-known doctrine of the 
 
 hibition tt anc i en t idolaters, that blood was a food 
 
 of eating . ' 
 
 blood. ' for* daemons ; it was therefore a cus- 
 " tomary rite of idolatry, when they kill- 
 " ed a beast, to receive the blood into 
 " some vessel, or pour it into some hole 
 Maimon. " or trench made in the ground, and set- 
 Neb part " *' n S themselves round about it to eat the 
 III. l. "flesh, supposing that they eating the 
 xivi. p. flegj^ while the daemons drank the 
 " blood, they were the daemons' guests, 
 " and by this kind of communion with 
 " them were enabled to prophesy and to 
 " foretel things to come." Therefore there 
 Leyitj. is a law, Ye shall not eat any thing with 
 cus,xix. the blood', or, as learned men have ob- 
 26 * ;served, the truer interpretation, at the 
 blood, or before the blood, as the manner 
 was when the blood was thus offered to 
 daemons.
 
 OF THE HEBREW "WORSHIP. 235 
 
 It was another custom among idolaters, Not to 
 that they were used to pull, or to cut off roun d th e 
 
 ,, , . c >\ ' i i 11 i cornersof 
 
 the hair or their heads and beards, and to their 
 offer those hairs to the infernal gods, by heads* 
 lay in . them on the dead bodies, or throw- 
 ing them into the sepulchres of their de- 
 ceased friends. Both the custom itself, 
 and the use of it, as an idolatrous rite, are 
 shown at large by our learned Spencer *, Spencer's 
 in whom you may see it proved by the j ff ^ 12" 
 best authorities ; and therefore he gives 2. 
 this the reason of a particular law ; for 
 which end (to prevent idolatrous honours 
 to the ghosts of their departed friends) the 
 ritual directs, Ye shall not round the cor- Lcvit. 
 ners of your heads, neither shaft thou mar Xlx ' 
 the corners of thy bread. 
 
 The same learned author observes, it 
 was also an ancient custom among ido- 
 laters, to tear and wound their flesh, at the 
 funerals of their friends, as well as to cut 
 off the hair of their heads and beards, from 
 an absurd imagination that such bloody 
 rites were acceptable to the infernal deities, 
 and of some comfort and benefit to their 
 deceased friends f . It was a known cus- 
 
 * Gentibus antiquioribus in more erat, ut amicorum 
 defunctorum bustis, Joculis, sepulchris, aut cadaveribus, 
 adstantes, capitum et barbarum capillos vellerent, aut 
 circumtonderent, eos loculis, aut cadaveribus, impone- 
 rent, eosque muneris aut placaminis loco, mortuis, aut 
 diis inferis devoverent. 
 
 f Monenduin est, ethnicos funeris officium exe-
 
 236 THE RATIONAL OF THE RfTUAL 
 
 torn with the priests of Baal, to cry aloud, 
 
 and to cut themselves after their manner, 
 
 . v . with knives and lancets, till the blood sush- 
 
 1 Kings, 7 
 
 xviii.28. ed out upon them. 
 
 It was also a custom among idolaters to 
 make a sort of marks or characters on their 
 bodies, by which they consecrated them- 
 selves to the particular service of some idol, 
 and professed a peculiar covenant between 
 them and some daemon. They were ac- 
 customed to use some marks in honour of 
 their deceased friends. These were a sort 
 of magical rite, denoting some peculiar 
 communication between them. These 
 marks seem sometimes to be made, with an 
 hot iron, sometimes pricking a figure in 
 the flesh with an instrument like a needle, 
 and colouring it afterwards with some dye. 
 It was sometimes painting on the flesh the 
 name of some daemon or idol, sometimes 
 a figurative symbol of the idol, as a 
 thunderbolt for Jupiter, a trident for 
 Neptune, an ivy-leaf for Bacchus ; some- 
 times a mystical name of the idol, or a 
 number denoting the idol, though under- 
 stoo( l on ty ty those who were initiated 
 
 KU.C. j^l into the mystery. Thus the mystical 
 name of the sun was marked X H, signify- 
 
 quentes, carnes incidere, genas ungue foedare, quandoque 
 membrum aliquod abscindere voluisse, quod absurde cre- 
 derent, ritus illos sanguineos diis manibus acceptos, aut 
 amicis fato functis aliquid solamiuis allaturos. Spencer's 
 Ltg. Heb. 1. xiii.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 ing the number DCVIII. These marks 
 (like circumcision among the Hebrews) 
 were a sort of sacraments of initiation into 
 the service of those idols, whose names, or 
 numbers, or marks, they received. They 
 were constant memorials to them, of their 
 devotion to that idol, and hope of peculiar 
 protection and blessing from it. It was a 
 good reason to prevent such idolatry, to 
 direct the Hebrews by their ritual, as a 
 peculiar people to Jehovah, Ye shall not 
 make any cutting in your flesh for the dead, 
 nor print any mark upon you : I am the Levi t- 
 Lord. 
 
 Among the superstitions of the Egyp- 
 tians, by which the Hebrews were in great 
 danger of being corrupted, they had a 
 great veneration for calves, especially for 
 females, so that it was not lawful to sacri- 
 fice females, because they were sacred to 
 Isis. They were accustomed also to choose Herodot. 
 only red calves as an offering to Typhon ; p/u^cii 
 such cattle moreover, which had been used <le Iside. 
 in labour, and had been yoked for the ser- gPj ncer> 
 vice of husbandry, were judged unfit for 
 the service of the gods, as in some sense 
 profaned by having been put to common 
 use. The ritual directs the children of 
 Israel to bring a red heifer without spot, Numb. 
 wherein is no blemish, and upon which Xl *' 
 never came yoke. This heifer was not to 
 be slain as other sacrifices at the altar, but 
 to be carried without the camp and slain 3,
 
 238 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 4. there ; yet the blood was to be sprinkled 
 seven times before the tabernacle of the 
 
 5. congregation ; the heifer was to be burn- 
 ed, her skin and her flesh, and her blood 
 
 7. with her dung. By these actions the 
 priest was accounted unclean, he was to 
 wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in 
 water. The design of this sin-offering is 
 9. explained to this purpose : A man that is 
 clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, 
 and lay them up without the camp in a clean 
 place; and it shall be kept for the con^rega- 
 t'wn of the children of Israel for a water of 
 separation : it is a purification for sin. A 
 little of these ashes mixed with water, and 
 sprinkled on an unclean person, purified 
 and cleansed him. The general reasons 
 for appointing a purification, and why 
 such a sin-offering should be carried out of 
 the camp, and make the persons who were 
 employed about it unclean, are easily to 
 be perceived; but why it should be a 
 young cow, and not a bullock (which 
 were commonly appointed for sacrifice), 
 why it should be a red heifer, is not so 
 Bishop easy, says a learned interpreter, to under- 
 Patrick stand. But supposing such a superstition 
 
 inlOC. Tl TI 1 ^ 1 TT 
 
 in .bgypt as rharaoh and Herodotus men- 
 tion, of abhorring to offer a cow, holding 
 it unlawful to offer females, and appropri- 
 ating the red colour to Typhon ; it will 
 be a wise reason and design to preserve 
 the Israelites from such-like superstitiops ;
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 230 
 
 and the testimonies of the most ancient 
 historians, very probably alluded to in the 
 laws of the Mosaical ritual itself, will very 
 much confirm the supposition, that these 
 superstitions were as ancient as the times 
 of Moses himself. 
 
 Groves of trees were anciently chosen Grove* 
 as proper places of religious worship, and near 
 as temples of idol gods : this gave counte- 
 nance to a superstitious notion,' that the 
 gods were themselves pleased with them, 
 as pleasant places and places of retirement, 
 and therefore chose them as it were to 
 dwell in, or repair very frequently to them. 
 Hence the poet, 
 
 Some god they knew, what god they could not tell, 
 Did there amidst the sacred horror dwell *. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 However innocent the first use of Spencer, 
 groves might be, they were soon polluted ^!f^ eb ' 
 with superstition as idolatry increased, and xvi! 2. 
 with impure rites, that, as Dr. Spencer ob- p. 369. 
 serves, they degenerated into brothel- 
 houses. They were considered as the re- 
 tirements of daemons, and the sepulchres of 
 their heroes -f- . These confirmed them in a 
 
 * Hoc nemus, hunc, inquit, frondoso vertice collera 
 (Quis deus incertum est) habitat deus. 
 
 Virgil. JEtieid. 1. viii. 35 1 . 
 
 t Idolorum cultu invalescente, luci illi, principio 
 sacri quidem et honesti, ritibus alienis et impuris, com- 
 maculati sunt, adeo quod in mera prostibula, et dwmo- 
 KUUI latibula tandem degeuerarent.
 
 240 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 belief that their souls frequented such 
 places where they called upon the ghosts, 
 and consulted them as oracles to reveal 
 things to come. Here the darkness and 
 privacy of the place encouraged the obscene 
 rites of Venus and Priapus. There seems 
 to be a plain allusion to this wicked abuse- 
 1 Kings, of groves in the Hebrew history : For they 
 xiv.23, also built them high places and images, and 
 groves on every high hill, and every green 
 tree ; and there were also sodomites in the 
 land, and they did according to all the 
 abominations of the nations which the Lord 
 cast out before the children of Israel. 
 
 Whatever, then, the original of groves 
 might be, whatever uses, civil or religious, 
 might have been made of them innocently 
 at the beginning, such abuse of them to 
 superstitious, idolatrous, and wicked rites, 
 was a very good reason for the law to the 
 peuter. Hebrews, Thou shalt not plant thee a grove 
 
 Tl. 21. 
 
 Lord thy God, which thou shalt malte thee. 
 
 It was fit to remove far from the altar of 
 
 God, things which had, and, if allowed, 
 
 Not to still might, mislead them into idolatry. 
 
 wear the It was another idolatrous custom, as 
 
 different* Maimoriides * observes, that men should 
 
 ex. 
 
 * Invenies enim in libro DIBBIB praecipi, ut virgestet 
 vestimtnUmi nmliebre coioratum, quando stat corara 
 Stella Veneris, similiter ut mulier mduat loricam, et 
 anna bellica, quando stat coram stella Martis. Maim.. 
 Mor. Neb. p. 3. c. xxxrii. p. 447.
 
 Of THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 241 
 
 wear flowered garments of women when 
 they worshipped Venus, and that women 
 should wear a coat of mail, and armour, 
 when they worshipped Mars. Learned Spencer's 
 men have observed many more supersti- i.gfc. 
 tious customs of like nature in the worship xvii. 1. 
 of Venus, among the Greeks as well as 
 the eastern people. It became, then, the 
 wisdom of the Hebrew ritual to discounte- 
 nance a custom founded on superstition 
 and magical principles, the marks of ido- 
 latry in the worship of false gods, and 
 made acts of worship, as they were ac- 
 counted more pleasing to them, as better 
 suiting their particular characters ; Venus 
 being supposed the goddess of pleasure and 
 love, and Mars the god of arms and war. 
 The idolatrous notions of gods and god- 
 desses of different sexes, were great corrup- 
 tions of the knowledge of the true God, 
 and gave great occasion for debauchery 
 and impure rites, to accompany even their 
 religious worship. There was then suffi- 
 cient reason to prevent them among the 
 Hebrews ; therefore it is a law of their ri- 
 tual, the women shall not ivear that ivhich Deut. 
 pertaineth to a man, neither shall a man xxu< *' 
 put on a woman s garment; for all ivho 
 do so are an abomination unto the Lord 
 thy God. 
 
 Idolatry had produced many magical Not to 
 rites by which men hoped to obtain a ^ e a ard 
 blessing on the fruits of the earth, that they w ith dif-
 
 242 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ferent should be better and more plentiful, if they 
 seeds. chose a certain time of the moon, if they 
 used a particular form of words; and, ac- 
 cording to Maimon, some most abominable 
 actions were used by them, at the same 
 time. He gives a remarkable instance on 
 ingrafting one sort of fruit into another, of 
 a rite so abominable that it is not fit to be 
 translated; I shall only give his own 
 words in the margin*. 
 
 It was a further rite taught by idolatry, 
 
 that barley and dried grapes should be 
 
 sowed together, supposing such a mixture 
 
 made their vineyards better. By such ac- 
 
 Spencer, tions, as Dr. Spencer rightly observes, they 
 
 ' 2 ' .. signified that their vineyards were conse- 
 
 C XVHI 
 
 $' 2. crated to Ceres and Bacchus, and were re- 
 commended to their protection, and ex- 
 pressed, in effect, a dependence on their 
 influence for their fruitfulness. 
 
 Such rites as these were a sort of renun- 
 ciation of the protection and blessing of 
 the true God, and a declaration of their 
 hope in the favour of other gods besides 
 him, to whom they recommended them- 
 selves, rather than to Jehovah, for the fruit- 
 fulness of their vineyards ; therefore the 
 
 * Scribnut etiam oportere, ut cum una species in 
 aliam inseritur, surculutn inserendum manu sua teneat 
 Formosa quaedam puella, quam preternaturali quadam 
 ratione, vir quidam vitiet et corrumpet, ipsaque congres- 
 sfts hujus tempore, plantam illain arbori iufigat. Mai- 
 wm.ib.451.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 243 
 
 Hebrew ritual directs, Thou shall not sow Deut. 
 thy vineyard ivith different seeds, lest the xxil - 9 - 
 fruit of the seed thou hast sowti, and the 
 fruit of thy vineyard, he dejiled. 
 
 The next law that follows in the ritual Not to 
 is this, Thou shalt not plough with an ox P 1 . ^ 11 
 and an ass together. Several interpreters O x and an 
 understand this law, as meaning the same ass toge- 
 thing with a law in different words, Thou \^t 
 shalt not let thy cattle gender tvith another xxii. 10. 
 
 kind. Some have supposed this a symbo- ^evit. 
 
 r i i i x- A ^i_ X1X - l9 - 
 
 lical law, to give a moral caution to the 
 
 Hebrews against intermarriages with ido- 
 laters ; and to this they refer the caution Le Clerk 
 of the Apostle to Christians, Be ye not un- m Ioc * - 
 equally yoked with unbelievers ; for what 
 fellowship hath righteousness with unrigh- 
 
 , -, 7 . i J.L r Xj " t/OF. VI. 
 
 teousness, and what communion hath, Light 14. 
 with darkness ? 
 
 But our learned Bishop Patrick has ob- 
 served another reason for this law : " It B : P- 
 " seems also to have a respect to those i 
 ^magical rites of the idolatrous nations in 
 ** those countries, who thought their fields 
 "would be more fruitful, if, according to 
 *' some directions which had been given 
 " by their gods, they were thus ploughed." 
 One cannot well think that men, of them- 
 selves, would have joined together two 
 creatures, so different in temper and mo- 
 tion, to draw in the same yoke, if they had 
 not been led into it by some superstition 
 or other. A similitude of like magical rites 
 R 2
 
 244 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 in other cases, makes this a very probable 
 Spencer, conjecture. Dr. Spencer thinks also, there 
 G K' i v was a magical rite of causing cattle of di- 
 
 Heb. 1. 2. . o , f ^ T 
 
 e. xx. vers kinds of gender, in honour or Venus 
 
 and Priapus, in a certain conjunction of 
 
 the planets, and according to some other 
 
 rididulous superstitions. It was therefore 
 
 Levit. provided by the ritual, Thou shalt not let 
 
 xix.19. thy ca ttl e gender with another kind. 
 
 Not to We may understand another law in the 
 
 wear gar- same view, and perceive a sufficient reason 
 
 ments ot . . - , ., F . c J-/T 
 
 different m it for prohibiting garments or different 
 mate- materials, such as linen and woollen mixed 
 rials * together, according to the direction,^Vei^er 
 Levit. s ^ a ^ a g armen t mingled of linen and wool- 
 xix. 19. len come upon thee. 
 
 The ancient idolaters the Zabians pro- 
 fessed to believe, that they owed the in- 
 crease of their wool in their flocks, and of 
 flax in their fields, to the favour and bless- 
 ing of the stars, and to their lucky con- 
 junctions ; in testimony whereof, they 
 mixed linen and woollen together in gar- 
 ments, and wore them in honour to the 
 stars, and acknowledgment of their fortu- 
 nate aspects. This is well expressed by 
 Parisiensis in our Dr. Spencer*, in whom 
 
 * Idololatrae volebant insinuare per hujusmodi com- 
 mixtiones, et conjunctiones, agncolas, et pastures, ad 
 itellarum servitiutn obligates, quia atellaruui favore et 
 beneficio putabant, ad lame cqpiam in animalibus, et liui 
 in agris provenire. Propter hoc ergo lunain et linum 
 aimvj in vestibus conjungebant, ut ipso liubitu, lianc 
 uperstiUoaQm profiterentu/j et utrainque copiaiu a
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 245 
 
 you may find many more authorities to the 
 same purpose. 
 
 These are either so plain authorities, or 
 so strong circumstantial evidences, for the 
 several idolatrous rites to which these Jaws 
 of the Hebrew ritual are opposed, and they 
 are so good reasons why they should be 
 prohibited in a ritual, a chief design of 
 which was to prevent idolatry, that it must 
 be very unreasonable to require further 
 reasons, or not to own the wisdom of these. 
 
 There were, you have seen, many ways Purifica- 
 by which the Hebrews became unclean, ac- tlons * 
 cording to their ritual. The ritual there- 
 fore provided proper lustrations to purge 
 and purify them, that they might be clean, 
 and so fit to appear in the presence of Je- 
 hovah. 
 
 Impurity of heart was well represented 
 by a pollution or filthiness of the flesh; 
 therefore washing with water, as the com- 
 mon method of cleansing the body from 
 all filthiness, was a very proper emblem to 
 represent cleansing from all filthiness of 
 
 stellis provenire, confiterenter. Spencers Leg. Heb. 1.2. 
 c. xxi. p. 402. 
 
 It is a remarkable observation of St. Thomas, quoted 
 in the same place, Omnes illze commixtiones sunt pro- 
 hibitae ad literam, in detestationem idololatriae ; quia 
 ^Egyptii in venerationem stellarum, diversas commix- 
 tiones faciebant, et in seminibus, et in animalibus, et in 
 vestibus, representantes diversas conjunctiones stellarum. 
 ^-Prirn. Secund. dues. 102, Art. 6. 
 
 R 3
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 spirit ; as clean hands are a figurative ex- 
 pression for a clean heart. 
 
 This use of water, a plain and signifi- 
 cant rite, was one of the most ancient and 
 common usages : the use of it is taken no- 
 tice of in the book of Job, the most ancient 
 writing in the world. But plain as this 
 rite was in itself, as free from all supersti- 
 tion and idolatry, it was very soon corrupt- 
 ed ; so hard it is to keep the very plainest 
 rites from running into superstition, unless 
 guarded with great care and wisdom. In- 
 stead of using only pure or clear water from 
 springs, fountains, and the running waters 
 of rivers, called living waters, in opposition 
 to stagnating, and so usually muddy or 
 stinking waters, called dead waters; idola- 
 Somiere try invented a great many other things for 
 
 deLus- tsu r *- ^ ^^. 1 1 u 
 
 tratioui- tne use * purifications, as salt, sulphur, 
 bus vete- honey, spittle, and many others, mention- 
 rum Gen- e( j at ] ar g e by tne authors who have de- 
 
 tilium, -iii ^ i i 
 
 J. xvii. scribed the ceremonies of the heathen pu- 
 
 &c - rifications, and especially by Somiere. They 
 had several ways for the use of water, of 
 air, and of fire ; of water and fire together, 
 
 c. xx. and of water and blood. Sometimes they 
 used human blood in their purifications ; 
 this was often by cutting and wounding 
 
 c. xxii. themselves, sometimes to death. Super- 
 stition, which knows no bounds, went on 
 continually inventing new rites of purifica- 
 tion; so that hogs, cats, dogs, and lions, 
 
 ibid. i. were used by some of the wisest nations 
 for lustrations.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 247 
 
 The use of these purifications became ibid, 
 at last so common, that they were used for ! xxix * 
 almost all things, for fields and houses, as 
 well as for men ; for the dead, as well as 
 for the living : in fine, they were imagined 
 to be of use after death, and that the soul 
 was to be purified, when in the state of the 
 dead. This, likely, gave occasion for the 
 popish doctrine of purgatory. It was cer- 
 tainly the parent of many superstitions 
 among the heathen nations, which well 
 deserved the wisdom of a law to prevent. 
 The Roman poet, so knowing in the rites 
 of his own religion, has given us this de- 
 scription of it : 
 
 Nor death itself can wholly wash these stains, 
 But long-contracted tilth e'en in the soul remains ; 
 The reliques of inveterate vice they wear, 
 And spots of sin obscene in every face appear : 
 For this are various penances enjoin'd, 
 And some are hung to bleach upon the wind, 
 Some plung'd in waters, others purg'd in fires, 
 Till all the dregs are drain'd, and all the rust expires. 
 Dry den, JEn. vi. 1000*. 
 
 The poet here alludes to the principal rites 
 of purification by water, wind, and fire, 
 
 * Quin & supremo cum lumine vita reliquit, 
 Non tamen omne malum miseris, nee funditus omnes 
 Corporeaj excedunt pestes : penitusque necesse est 
 Multa diu concreta modis inolescere miris. 
 Ergo exercentur poenis, veterumque malorum 
 Supplicia expendunt. Alias panduntur inanis 
 Suspense ad ventos ; aliis sub gurgite vasto 
 Infectum eluitur scelus, aut exuritur igni. 
 
 Firg. Mn. 1. vi. v. 735. 
 R 4
 
 248 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL. 
 
 so well known, and so common in the 
 heathen worship. 
 
 The ritual of the Hebrew church does 
 not condemn the use of all purifications ; 
 it receives a rite, ancient, of easy and in- 
 structive meaning, and free from all ap- 
 pearance of superstition. As, for many 
 good reasons, this institution was to be a 
 ritual, but such a ritual as should put a stop 
 to growing superstition, so it appoints pure 
 water to be used for all purifications, ex- 
 cept one extraordinary, before mentioned, 
 when the ashes of the red heifer were to 
 be mingled with water; the reason of 
 which sacrifice, and the peculiar ceremo- 
 nies of it, are already explained. ^ v 
 
 Lev. xv. The r itual, in directing these purifica- 
 tions by water, mentions running water, 
 
 DVT ooa in the original living water, as the cleanest 
 water, and for that reason fit to be pre- 
 ferred to standing waters, which were 
 usually neither clean, nor sweet, in hot 
 countries. 
 
 Numb. The extraordinary purification, by the 
 
 xix. 11. O f t h e asnes O f the red heifer 
 
 with water, was appointed to cleanse such 
 as were defiled by the touch of the dead 
 body of a man, to teach more effectually, 
 that any supposed commerce or communi- 
 cation with the dead, or any rites express- 
 ing it, instead of purifying them, as super- 
 stition taught, would very greatly pollute 
 them, as contrary to the faith and worship
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 249 
 
 of a people consecrated to the service of 
 Jehovah, as the only true God. It may 
 appear how fit it was to set this hedge to 
 keep out superstition, by observing how- 
 prone the more zealous of the Hebrews 
 themselves were, to bring in new purifica- 
 tions, and make void the commandments 
 of God in the ritual, by introducing their 
 own inventions, in the name of traditions, 
 for which our Saviour so very justly con- 
 demns the Pharisees, when he said unto 
 them, Full well ye reject the commandment Mark,Tii. 
 of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 
 
 This ritual of purification, as God com- 
 manded it, was a frequent repetition, in an 
 easy figurative meaning, of that excellent 
 exhortation of the Apostle, Having there- 2Cor.vii. 
 fore these promises, dearly beloved, let us J * 
 cleanse ourselves from alljilthiness of flesh 
 and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear 
 of God. Thus they appeared an holy na- 
 tion, consecrated to the service of the Holy 
 One of Israel. 
 
 Finally, in this ritual of the Hebrew 
 church we are to consider the privileges 
 declared by it, which they were favoured brew ri- 
 with, as the holy seed of Abraham, and a tual * 
 peculiar people to Jehovah, above all na- 
 tions of the earth. These privileges were 
 declared by the ritual, in allowing a near 
 approach to the Shechinah, and in the 
 blessings promised thereupon by Jehovah. 
 
 The Presence, or Shechinah, was so im-
 
 250 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 portant a part of the Hebrew ritual, that 
 all the other parts of that ritual refer to it, 
 and centre in it. This Presence made holy 
 the land, the city, and the temple. Hence 
 the land of promise they inherited, and 
 held as the gift ot God, was styled the holy 
 land ; the city of Jerusalem was the holy 
 city, as the camp, or congregation, were 
 the holy congregation ; the mountain on 
 which the temple was built, was the holy 
 hill of Zion ; the temple itself the holy 
 place; and the residence of the Shechinah, 
 between the cherubim, the most holy 
 place. This taught them, with great rea- 
 Deut. iv. son, to say, What nation is there so great, 
 7 * who hath God so nigh unto them, as the 
 
 Lord our God is, in all things that we call 
 upon him for f 
 
 The nature of the peculiar privileges 
 intimated by the presence of Jehovah in 
 the Shechinah, is well explained by Moses 
 himself, just upon his publishing the law: 
 Exodus, Ye have seen tuhat I did to the Egyptians, 
 g ix * *' ' and how I bare you on eagle s wings, and 
 brought you unto myself, says he to the 
 people, in the name of Jehovah ; now there- 
 fore, he further adds, in the name of God, 
 if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep 
 my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar 
 treasure unto me, above all people, for all 
 the earth is mine ; and ye shall be unto me 
 a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation, 
 This great privilege and blessing, from
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 251 
 
 the presence of Jehovah with them as 
 
 his peculium, is explained, to make Deut. 
 
 them high above all nations ivhich he hath XXVI< 19 " 
 
 made, in praise, and in name, and in 
 
 honour, and that thoii mayest be an holy 
 
 people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath 
 
 spoken. 
 
 These great privileges were expressed 
 in the ritual, chiefly in two things, the first 
 in allowing a near approach to the Shechi- 
 nah, the other the blessing from the She- 
 chinah. 
 
 The first of these blessings appeared in 
 the ritual allowing all the Hebrews who 
 were ritually clean, to approach the Pre- 
 sence, but expressly forbidding any of the 
 heathen nations, or any who was not an 
 Israelite, to come into the temple, the holy 
 seat of the Presence. In this respect, the 
 ritual considered all but the Hebrew nation 
 cut off from this privilege, as persons un- 
 fit to have access to this gracious presence 
 of God, on his mercy-seat. The same ri- 
 tual represents it as a great punishment to 
 to be cut off from the presence of God, Numb. 
 and a very criminal action for an unclean X1X> 20- 
 person, by his presence at the sanctuary, 
 to defile it. But every Hebrew who was 
 not unclean, had the liberty of entering 
 into the congregation, and with it all the 
 rights of the congregation of the Lord, and 
 had, with every other Israelite, a personal 
 interest in all the worship of the temple : 
 one instance, in particular, may serve to
 
 252 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 explain it. In the ritual for the service of 
 the day of expiation, the high priest is thus 
 Levit. directed ; And Aaron shall lay both his 
 XV1< 2i< hands upon the head of the live goat, and 
 confess over him all the iniquities of the 
 children of Israel, and all their ti ansgres- 
 sions in all their sins, putting them on the 
 head of the goat. So that all the children 
 of Israel had this privilege, that an atone- 
 ment was made for all their sins once a 
 S*. year. The Presence itself over the mercy- 
 seat, gave encouragement to hope God 
 would hear, and answer, the prayers of 
 those who were privileged to approach it ; 
 or, as Solomon expresses it at the dedica- 
 1 Kings, tion of the temple, That thine eyes may be 
 vui. 29, open toward this house night and day, even 
 toward the place of which thou hast said, 
 My name shall be there, that thou mayest 
 hearken unto the prayer which thy servant 
 shall make towards this place. And hear- 
 ken thou to the supplication of thy servant, 
 and of thy people Israel, when they shall 
 pray towards this place ; and hear thou in 
 heaven thy dwelling-place ; and when thou 
 hearest forgive. Thus the ritual encou- 
 51, 52. raged them to hope, that his eye would be 
 open unto the supplication of his people 
 Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they 
 jiall for unto him ; for they be thy people t 
 * s - and thine inheritance, says Solomon. For 
 thou didst separate them from among all 
 the people of the earth, to be thine inherit^ 
 ance, as thou sparest by the hand of M
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 253 
 
 thy servant, when thou broughtest our fa- 
 thers out of Egypt, O Lord God. 
 
 It was another part of the high privi- 
 leges of the Hebrews, as God's peculiar 
 people, that the ritual appointed a solemn 
 blessing for them, in the name of Jehovah. 
 On this wise, says the ritual, ye shall bless Numb. 
 the children of Israel, saying unto them, ^ 23 to 
 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the 
 Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be 
 gracious unto thee : the Lord lift up his 
 countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 
 And they shall put my name on the children 
 of Israel, and I will bless them. 
 
 The form of this blessing, without ex- 
 amining the critical meaning of each ex- 
 pression, plainly intends all those blessings 
 the Hebrews had reason to hope for from 
 Jehovah, their God and King, according to 
 his promises and covenant with them, as 
 his most favoured and peculiar people. 
 
 There is one promise of this covenant 
 with the holy seed of Abraham, which de- 
 serves particular attention : The sceptre Gen.xlix, 
 shall not depart from Judah, nor a law- 10 * 
 giver from between his feet, until Shiloh 
 come; and unto him shall the gathering to- 
 gether of the people be. If this promise is 
 to be understood of the Messiah, as, I think, 
 it has been sufficiently proved it does, it pro- 
 mises the holy seed of Abraham the blessing 
 of Jehovah, in the continuance of their civil 
 and religious laws, a blessing that includes
 
 254 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 temporals and spirituals, their religion, and 
 their liberty, till that seed of Abraham 
 should appear, in whom all the nations of 
 the earth should be blessed. 
 
 It may here deserve one remark on this 
 ritual of the Hebrew worship, now set be- 
 fore us, that, with a very great variety of 
 rites and ceremonies, there appears a very 
 great uniformity of design ; so that all are 
 subservient to one principal rite, the She- 
 chinah;, or ritual presence of Jehovah in 
 the temple. The excellent uses designed 
 by this rite, the excellent ends that were 
 answered by it, show all the ritual consti- 
 tutions, as severally referred to it, in all 
 their use and beauty, as we shall presently 
 see more plainly and fully. 
 
 The Shechinah then appears to be ap- 
 pointed a kebla and an oracle, or that all 
 the solemn worship of the whole church 
 was to be directed to that place where Je- 
 hovah dwelt, by his Shechinah; and it was 
 therefore declared unlawful by this ritual, 
 to have any altar, or to offer any sacrifice, 
 but before this Presence. In honour to 
 this Presence, and to reverence the Shechi- 
 nah, the ritual appoints the magnificence of 
 the temple, of the holy, and most holy 
 place, and the religious respect with which 
 they were to be approached ; for the same 
 end, the ritual appoints so many servants 
 to attend on the Presence, and to minister 
 before the Lord Jehovah; who were to be
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 255 
 
 invested in their holy office by many so- 
 lemn rites of consecration. This honour, 
 which ought to distinguish Jehovah, as 
 above all gods, in the perfections of his 
 nature and supreme authority, is further 
 well expressed by the whole ceremonial of 
 the sacrificial rites. Whether we consider 
 the things that were to be offered, or the 
 persons who were to offer them ; the seve- 
 ral kinds of sacrifices, whole burnt-offer- 
 ings, peace-offerings, sin and trespass of- 
 ferings, which were to honour God, as the 
 supreme governor of the world, as forgiv- 
 ing iniquities, transgressions, and sins ; as 
 the author of all blessings, temporal and 
 spiritual; these are plainly designed to give 
 unto Jehovah, as their God, this glory that 
 is due to his name. Thus all the ritual ho- 
 liness is manifestly designed for the same 
 end,, that they might be an holy people, as 
 their God was an holy God. Hence the 
 ritual uncleanness of foods, and several 
 pollutions, the ritual purifications after legal 
 uncleanness, expressed a due honour to the 
 presence of Jehovah, constantly represent- 
 ing how fit, how becoming it was, for those 
 who were honoured themselves with the 
 nearest approach to the Presence, to keep 
 themselves pure, purged from all filthiness 
 of flesh and spirit, that they might honour- 
 ably serve so pure and so holy a God. 
 
 This is then evidently an uniform and 
 general intention of the whole ritual, taken
 
 250 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 together, whatever may be the more im- 
 mediate intention of any particular rite. 
 This general argument, from one uniform 
 and useful design of the whole, may well 
 be received as a general rational for the 
 whole, and show a great wisdom, fitness, 
 and propriety in it, as will more fully ap- 
 pear, when we shall consider the important 
 use of this reverence for the Shechinah. 
 
 But the Shechinah is to be considered 
 further as the oracle or w r ord of Jehovah, 
 by which he published his laws to the 
 Hebrew church, and gave them his sanc- 
 tion. By this he gave forth his royal com- 
 mand and final judgment, as supreme ma- 
 gistrate, to whom lay an appeal in the last 
 resort : by this he gave his directions in 
 cases of greater moment, when consulted 
 by Urim and Thummim. This was an 
 honour given unto Jehovah, as their Law- 
 giver and King, besides the more proper 
 religious honour ascribed to him, as their 
 God, and only object of their worship. 
 
 To conclude this remark on the He- 
 brew ritual in general, this gives a very 
 good reason, why the whole law given by 
 the oracle, was to be received with such 
 awful respect. So that the whole Hebrew 
 people, whether as a church or a state, 
 had no authority to make any alteration in 
 it. The authority of the oracle made all 
 the laws of this kingdom of Jehovah sacred 
 and unchangeable: so the law itself di- 
 3
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 257 
 
 rects : Ye shall not add unto the word 
 which I command you ; neither shall ye di- 
 minish aught from it, that ye may keep the 
 commandments of the Lord your God, 
 which I command you. 
 
 Besides the great advantage of putting 
 an effectual stop to men's inventions, 
 which were like, if permitted, to bring in 
 endless superstition, it was mdreover an 
 honourable distinguishing respect to the 
 commands c'f Jehovah, their King and 
 their Godj that no imaginations of men, no 
 pretended oracles of other gods, should be 
 allowed to add to^ or diminish from the 
 laws that were published by the voice of 
 the oracle, from the Presence. 
 
 Thus every part of the ritual unites in 
 the same wise design of its institution; but 
 the more distinct perception of the wisdom 
 and usefulness of this ritual, to answer 
 these good designs of it; will require a 
 more particular examination ; to which 
 therefore let us now proceed, being better 
 prepared for it, having the whole ritual 
 before us.
 
 258 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAIr 
 
 PART III. 
 
 How the Mosaical Ritual answered ther 
 Ends designed by it, to promote true Re- 
 ligion, to prevent Idolatry, to keep up 
 the Hope of the Promise of the Messiah, 
 and a letter State of Religion under him. 
 
 WE have seen, in opening the design and 
 general reasons of this ritual, that it was 
 intended to promote the essentials of reli- 
 gion, the honour of God, the perfection 
 and happiness of men in real virtue and 
 goodness ; that it was a further wise and 
 useful design to preserve the Hebrews from 
 the great danger of idolatry, every where 
 prevailing among their neighbours, and to 
 which they were themselves very much 
 inclined, and to keep in memory the pro- 
 mise of the Messiah made to their fathers, 
 and to themselves as the holy seed of 
 Abraham, in whose appearance their na- 
 tion, and all the nations of the earth, 
 should be blessed. 
 
 Such designs appear really worthy the 
 wisdom of God, a great privilege of the fa- 
 mily of Abraham, deserving the esteem of 
 all who will carefully examine them by 
 their true reasons ; not that this ritual is 
 to be considered as the most perfect insti- 
 tution, for it was to give way to a better ;
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 hot that every part of it was of equal im- 
 portance ; but the whole appears rational 
 and wise from many considerations, all 
 uniting to promote the general designs in 
 whole or in part. 
 
 It is a great weakness, and will likely 
 greatly mislead us, to look for the reason 
 of every rite in one design only ; whether 
 as types or figurative representations of a 
 better constitution, or only as a fence 
 against the prevailing corruption of ido- 
 latry, or only as moral instructions of wis- 
 dom and virtue, in the right knowledge of 
 the true God, in the best, the most ac- 
 ceptable service of God in true righteous- 
 ness and holiness. These are all of them 
 wise designs in themselves, and are all 
 plainly intended in the ritual ; yet they 
 are neither of them singly designed as the 
 only reason. Some of these rites may ap- 
 pear, then, to promote one of these designs, 
 suppose to preserve those who worshipped 
 God according to this ritual from supersti- 
 tious and idolatrous customs: so far as 
 they answer this good end, they have a 
 very good reason why they were appointed. 
 Other rites may teach the truest notions of 
 God's perfections, government, providence, 
 and grace, and exhort to true virtue and 
 goodness, to the fear and love of God, and 
 to aim at the highest perfection of soul in 
 a likeness to God and conformity to his 
 holiness and perfection. The more of 
 
 s '2
 
 -20O THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 these useful designs any parts of this ritual 
 shall be found to answer, and that with 
 more easy and evident instruction, the 
 more we shall perceive of the reasons of 
 their institution : and let us remark as we 
 proceed, if any rite shall appear to answer 
 any one of these useful purposes, so far as 
 it shall do so, it has a very good reason to 
 justify the appointment and use of it, 
 though not the very same reason as other 
 rites may be chosen for. 
 
 Let us proceed, then, to examine the 
 Hebrew ritual, as before delineated, by 
 these ends, which will open the reasons of 
 them, and will fully justify them to im- 
 partial examination. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The Mosaical Ritual considered with re- 
 spect to the first End, to promote the 
 Essentials of true Religion. t 
 
 FIRST, then, let it be observed wherein 
 this ritual gives a wise and useful instruc- 
 tion, as to the essentials of true religion, 
 both in principles and practice. In this in- 
 quiry I hope you will find, what I am well 
 persuaded is to be found with a little careful 
 attention, an excellent instruction in the 
 most important doctrines of true religion, 
 such as are taught by the best light oi na-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHI?. 26*1 
 
 tural reason, recommended and enforced 
 by the further light and authority of reve- 
 lation, in which are taught the worthiest 
 notions of God, the truest reasons for the 
 worship of God, the best manner in which 
 God is to be served and honoured, the true 
 nature of sobriety and purity, of righteous- 
 ness and goodness, of piety and godliness, 
 the sum of virtue and of happiness. So far 
 is this ritual from being what some have 
 misrepresented it to be, through great ig- 
 norance or malice, an useless superstition, 
 making religion to consist in show and ce- 
 remonies, in washings and purifications, 
 in offerings of birds and beasts, rather than 
 in a true knowledge of God, and an im- 
 provement in real virtue and goodness, 
 without which there is no worship honour- 
 able to God, or profitable to ourselves. 
 
 Let us then cast our eyes a little more 
 attentively on the plan of this ritual, and 
 observe the particular intention of each 
 part, and the general design of the whole, 
 arid we may easily perceive nothing can be 
 more unjust than such a reflection on the 
 Mosaical rites of worship: such reflections 
 are really not true in any one instance, and 
 are most evidently false with respect to the 
 general and main design of the whole. 
 
 This will be made evident by observ- 
 ing the excellent moral instructions this ri- 
 tual gives, both with respect to the prin- 
 ciples and practices of true religion, and in 
 
 S3
 
 2(52 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 so plain, obvious, and easy meaning of the 
 rites themselves, and the manifest inten- 
 tion of their use, that it must be with some 
 difficulty men can mistake them. It is easy, 
 I know, by the help of a strong imagina- 
 tion, to find many meanings in rituals, such 
 as never had a being any where but in the 
 fancies of a weak head. Indulging imagi- 
 nation too far, often obscures the true mean- 
 ing, and prejudices the mind against re- 
 ceiving the moral instruction of a rite, 
 which, they say, is so uncertain, so doubt- 
 fill, and, for that reason, so useless. 
 
 But let us see how this case is in fact. 
 No man can, I think, well deny, that it 
 is possible for a rite to have a moral mean- 
 ing ; that the moral meaning of a rite may 
 appear sufficiently plain and evident : cir- 
 cumcision of the flesh may, for instance, 
 signify circumcision of the heart ; washing 
 with water from the filth of the body, may 
 mean cleansing ourselves from all spiritual 
 defilement, or all filthiness of spirit. None 
 can with any pretence of reason say that 
 rites and ritual actions cannot convey moral 
 instruction, or that such instruction can- 
 not be plain and certain enough, so that 
 nothing but inattention, or an over-heated 
 imagination or wilfulness, can mistake it,. 
 Let us see, then^ how the Hebrew ritual 
 instructed those who were inclined to learn 
 wisdom from it; there is no need, I think, 
 to take notice of such persons who seem 
 
 I ';. . i . ." ... .1 * . *.< . .',,;
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 263 
 
 resolved not to learn wisdom from any in- 
 structions whatsoever. 
 
 In order, then, to perceive more clearly 
 how the Hebrew ritual answers this de- 
 sign, to promote the true religion in prin- 
 ciple and practice, it will be proper to take 
 a short view of the essentials of religion, 
 that so we may better compare the plan of 
 the Hebrew ritual with it. 
 
 A noble and learned author, Lord Her- Herbert 
 bert of Cherbury, has summed up the Rei.Gen- 
 
 u- c J * i c .. v til. 284. 
 
 chief and more essential parts of true reli- DeVeri- 
 gion in five articles, which teach, he ob- tate, 268. 
 serves, the sure way of honouring God, 
 and of obtaining happiness in this life, and 
 after it. They are these : 
 
 1. That there is a supreme God. 2. 
 That the supreme God 'is to be worship* 
 ped. 3. That virtue is the best part of 
 divine worship. 4. That men are to re- 
 pent of their sins. 5. That there are re- 
 wards and punishments in this life, and 
 after it *. 
 
 These our noble author mentions as ne- 
 cessary instructions in virtue and piety, to 
 live well and happily here and for ever ; 
 and he plainly intimates, these so sufficient- 
 ly answer the true ends of religion, that no 
 additions can be made to them which will 
 
 * 1. Esse summum Deum. 2. Coli debere. 3. Vir- 
 tutetn esse precipuam partem divini cultfts. 4. Resci- 
 piscendum esse a peccatis. 5. Dari premium et poenam, 
 in hac vita, turn post hanc vitam. 
 S4
 
 264 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 be of any real use or service to it. He 
 therefore makes this difference between the 
 principles of religion learned from the dic- 
 tates of a right mind and true reason, and 
 what we learn from the authority of priests, 
 that the first men hold for doctrines of un* 
 questionable truth, and the last only as 
 probable opinions*. If we consider these 
 fundamentals of Lord Herbert in this view, 
 every one who has cast his eyes on the 
 Hebrew ritual will find, that the whole 
 plan and the harmony of the several parts 
 of it, are intended to keep up the memory 
 of these truths, and to impress them upon 
 the minds of the Hebrew worshippers, and 
 with greater advantage than the generality 
 at least of an whole nation were ever like 
 to learn them, from the dictates of right 
 reason only, which so very few were like 
 to attend to, and of which so. very few 
 were like to attain any good understand^ 
 ing, that scarce one in a thousand would 
 ever come to know the difference between 
 true or certain, probable or improbable, 
 possible and impossible or false. 
 
 Before we proceed to a particular exr 
 amination of the Hebrew ritual, as teach- 
 ing the chief and more essential parts of 
 
 Herbert * Ut pritna igitur religionis principia ex mente, 
 
 Rel. sive ratione recta, reliqua ex ainhoritate, sacerdotum 
 
 Gent. suorum acceperant olim perspicapipres saltern gentiles,, 
 2ov. q UJJe p r i or i rnodo statuerentur tanquam indubie vera, 
 
 posteriori tanquam verisimilia saltern reputantes.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 265 
 
 religion, it will be proper to take a short 
 view of the Hebrew creed, and see how 
 they themselves considered the essentials 
 of their religion. Their judicious master, 
 Maimonides, has showed us how the He- 
 brew church understood the doctrines of 
 their law : .his catalogue of the principles 
 of the Hebrew faith is given differently 
 in different places of his writings. Jn one 
 place he mentions these ten articles : 
 
 l That we know there is a God. 2. 
 That none conceive there is any other God 
 besides Jehovah. 3. Concerning his unity. 
 4. That we love him. 5 That we fear him. 
 6. That we sanctify his name. 7. That 
 we do not profane his name. 8. That 
 we do not destroy any thing in which the 
 name of God is. Q. That we hear a pro- 
 phet speaking to us in the name of God. 
 10. That we do not tempt God*. 
 
 In another place the same Hebrew 
 master mentions thirteen articles of the 
 Hebrew creed : 
 
 1. That there is a Creator. 2. The 
 unity of God. 3. That he is not a body. 
 4. His eternity. 5. That he is to be wor- 
 
 * 1. Ut sciamus istic esse Deum. 2. Ne quiscon- 
 cipiat alium Deum praeter Jehovah. 3. De imitate 
 ejus. 4. Ut diligamus eum. 5. Ut timeamus eum. 
 6. Ut sanctificemus nomen ejus. ?. Ne prophanenms 
 nomen ejus. 8. Ne destruanms res super quas nomen 
 Dei invocatum est. Q. Ut audiamus prophetam lo- 
 quentem Dei nomine. 10. Ne tentemus eum. Matt 
 jnon. de Fundament. Legis. 
 3
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 shipped. 6. Prophecy. 7. The prophecy 
 of Moses, that he is the greatest of pro- 
 phets. 8. That the law was given from 
 heaven. 9. That the law of Moses shall 
 not be abrogated. 10. That God observes 
 men's actions, and does not overlook them. 
 1 1 . That God will reward those who keep 
 the commandments of the law, and punish 
 those who transgress them ; that the 
 greatest reward is the world to come, and 
 the greatest cutting off of the soul. 12. 
 The day of the Messiah. 13. Resurrection 
 of the dead*. 
 
 It is observable how well Maimonides 
 and Lord Herbert agree in the chief and 
 more essential articles of true religion : 
 Maimonides' Hebrew creed teaches a God ; 
 that God is to be worshipped ; that to love 
 God, to fear and reverence him, that to 
 sanctify the name of God, and to keep his 
 commandments (which teach and exhort 
 true virtue and goodness), is the acceptable 
 worship of God ; that there will be re- 
 
 * 1. Esse Creatorem. 2. Unitas Dei. 3. Amotio 
 corporeitatis a Deo. 4. JEternitas. 5. Ilium esse qui 
 colendus sit. 6. Prophetia. 7. Prophetia Mosis doc- 
 toris nostri, scil. omnium prophetarum patrem esse. 
 8. Lex e Coelo. Q. Non abrogari legem istani Mosis. 
 10. Deum n6sse hominum facta neque ilia neglectui 
 habere. 11. Deum remuneraturum illos, qui praesti- 
 teriut mandata legis, et poenas iis, qui vetita patraverint 
 infiicturum, maximum autem esse premium mundum 
 futurum, et maximam poenam excidium. J2. Die 
 Messiae. 13. Resurrectio mortuorum.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 wards and punishments in another world, 
 as well as this, and the greatest punish- 
 ment is cutting off, which he understands 
 of a punishment of the soul after death. 
 This creed of the Hebrew church, you see, 
 takes in all things which Lord Herbert 
 makes essential to true religion, either to 
 the honourable worship of God, or to the 
 perfection and happiness of the worshipper : 
 it adds, indeed, to it what is very material, 
 doctrines which arise from revelation and 
 prophecy, the great blessing of the Hebrew 
 church, especially in the promises of the 
 Messiah, and giving them the law by Moses. 
 It will, not, however, be sufficient to 
 the argument before us, to have observed 
 in general, that the Mosaicai law answers 
 well the principal ends of a religious insti- 
 tution ; it will be proper to observe more 
 distinctly how this ritual was fitted to 
 teach the more important truths, and to 
 teach them in a very advantageous manner, 
 and was therefore a much more useful way 
 of instruction, than to be left only to the 
 teaching of right reason, from the common 
 attention of men's minds to it, which was 
 found in experience unable to preserve 
 against the powerful corruptions of super- 
 stition and idolatry. It will appear, I be- 
 lieve, a very considerable advantage to have 
 a ritual in aid of the principal truths of re- 
 ligion, instead of an allowance of such rites 
 and ceremonies as would greatly obscure
 
 208 
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 them, and in time quite efface them. This 
 was in fact the case of the heathen world, 
 notwithstanding Lord Herbert has had an 
 opportunity from a very few of the wiser 
 men among them to collect his five articles 
 of religion, as received and held by them 
 from the light of reason, and dictates of 
 natural conscience. Let us then more dis- 
 tinctly consider what truths of religion this 
 ritual of Moses teaches, and then with what 
 advantage it taught these truths to the He- 
 brew church : these are questions of great 
 importance to the argument before us. 
 Exist- First, then, let it be observed, that this 
 
 ence of ritual in the whole, and every part, teaches 
 the existence of God. The presence or glo- 
 ry of Jehovah in the most holy place ; the 
 temple built for the place of the Presence; 
 the priests who were solemnly appointed 
 and consecrated to wait on the Presence; 
 all the offerings and sacrifices of every na- 
 ture and kind, which were directed by the 
 ritual to be offered on Jehovah's altar, and 
 before his presence ; the whole church of 
 Israel appearing before the Presence on the 
 appointed feasts, as well as the monthly, 
 weekly, and daily worship ; the cleanness 
 and purity, the reverence and devotion with 
 which a|l who approached the presence of 
 theGod of Israel were tp appear before it-*- 
 are so many plain, evident instructions that 
 there is a Go<i. This great truth the ritual 
 constantly taught and kept in memory, in
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 26*0 
 
 opposition to all principles of atheism, of 
 what nature or kind soever, either vulgar 
 or philosophical. This ritual, therefore, 
 plainly and fully teaches this first founda- 
 tion of true religion, that there is a God : 
 nor does it only teach there is a God, with- 
 out teaching what God is ; it does not 
 leave it a word without a meaning, or of 
 so low meaning as to instruct men very 
 little either in the nature or obligations of 
 virtue, or encourage and excite them to the 
 practice of it, when with such notions of 
 God, as many of the philosophers espoused, 
 all virtue founded on the fear or love of 
 God became ridiculous to mention. If all 
 things were male at first by a necessary 
 chain of causes and effects, without any 
 design or wisdom of direction ; if all things 
 were left to unguided chance, without any 
 intelligent principle to order them ; if 
 you suppose gods, who have no concern in 
 human affairs, who only enjoy themselves 
 in ease, without any regard to men, or any 
 thing that concerns them it is easy to see 
 how naturally such principles will lead 
 men into irrcligion, and destroy all virtue 
 on religious principles. This such philoso- 
 phers both perceived and gloried in*, when 
 theHebrew ritual gives a much better prin- 
 ciple of virtue, shows an obligation to vir- 
 
 * Quare religio pedibus subjects, vicissim 
 Gbteritur, nos exequat victoria Ccelo. 
 
 Lucretius, I. 1. 79.
 
 270 tfftfi RATIONAL OF fHE RITUAL 
 
 tue, from the fear and love of God, and a 
 care to do what is right in his sight. This 
 ritual first teaches, that there is a God, and 
 then shows what this God is, in his nature 
 and perfections, in his government and 
 providence, over all ranks of beings, and 
 throughout the whole extent of beings ; so 
 that this ritual teaches the highest reason, 
 the highest obligation, and the highest in- 
 terest to fear, to love, to honour, and to 
 serve God, by doing what is right, by avoid- 
 ing what is evil in his sight, the most per- 
 fect rule and obligation of virtue. Now, 
 the Hebrew ritual does not only instruct 
 in the existence of a God, but also teaches 
 the manner of his existence ; that he is an 
 eternal, a self-existent or necessary Being, 
 who derives not his own being from any 
 other, but from whom all other beings, of 
 what nature, power, or order, derive theirs- 
 So Maimon justly explains this article. This 
 is the foundation of fundamentals, and pil- 
 lar of wisdom, to know there is a first Be- 
 ing, and that he gives existence to every 
 being ; for all beings in heaven and earth, 
 and which are in them, do not exist, but 
 in the truth of his existence*. 
 
 * Fundumentum fundamentorum, et columna sapi- 
 entiae est, cognoscere esse 4stic prinmm Ens, istudque 
 exjsteritiam largiri cuilibet existenti, omnia enim entia 
 cceli ac terras quaeque iutra ilia stint, non existere nisi ex 
 veritate illius existential. Maimon. Fundament. Le<*is t 
 c. 1.
 
 OT THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 If there was not a necessary or self-ex- 
 istent Being, there could not possibly be 
 any existence at all ; this is therefore well 
 considered as a first and chief article of the 
 Hebrew creed. The same author therefore 
 justly explains this article to this meaning. 
 The first foundation is, that there is a Cre- 
 ator (to whom be praise), or who has his 
 being in the most perfect manner, who is 
 the cause of all other beings, and by whom 
 their beings are supported and are con- 
 tinued*. 
 
 This great article concerning the being 
 and nature of God, was taught in the 
 most solemn parts of the Hebrew ritual. 
 The name of Jehovah, the God they wor- 
 shipped, the character of Jehovah, their 
 God, manifestly taught his necessary exist- 
 ence, and that he gave being to every 
 creature ; who made the heavens and the 
 earth, and all things therein. The God they 
 worshipped was known by his name, / am 
 that I am, and Jehovah, which denote 
 both his existence and his necessary exist- 
 ence, as Maimon justly observes f; and 
 
 * Fundamentum primum est, esse Creatorem, (cui 
 laus,) scil. esse qui sit, perfectissimo essendi tnodo, 
 quique sit causa, quod sint ea, quae sunt omnia, quoque 
 sustiueatur essentia ipsorum, et A quo durationem ha- 
 beant. Maimon. Porta Mosis, 164, 165. 
 
 f- Quare explicatio et expositio illius Ehjch asher 
 'Ehjeh, est, Hannimza asher hu Hannimza, existens qui 
 est existens, h. e. qui necessari6 existit. Mor. Neboc. 
 ft- 1. c. kiii.
 
 272 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAt 
 
 adds, that without all question that glo- 
 rious name (whose letters are Jod, He^ 
 Van, He, or the name of Jehovah) signi- 
 fies a being of necessary existence*. 
 
 The ritual itself, then, directed the 
 whole worship of the Hebrew church to 
 Jehovah, as their God. A plain authorita- 
 tive explication of their ritual taught Je- 
 hovah an eternal self-existent Being, the 
 Creator of all things. Thus they were 
 taught to believe concerningGod, their God, 
 in whose presence they worshipped, and in 
 whose name they were blest. Their ritual 
 thus exalted the object of their worship, 
 teaching Jehovah the first of all beings, 
 himself uncreated, and the Creator of all 
 things ; so that all other beings were infe- 
 rior and subject to him, entirely as his crea- 
 tures dependent upon him ; the heavens, 
 and all the hosts of heaven, as well as the 
 earth, and the inhabitants thereof, are the 
 works of his hands, as the Hebrew doc- 
 trines explain the Hebrevy ritual, 
 tlnity of Another great doctrine of true religion, 
 God. taught by the Hebrew ritual, was the uni- 
 ty of God, or that Jehovah, the God of 
 Israel, was the only true God, and that be- 
 sides him there is no other. It is most evi- 
 dent in fact, that there was but one Pre- 
 
 * Ac nullum est dubium, quin gloriosum istud nomen 
 (cujus litune sunt Jod, He, Vau^ He,) siguiticat 
 l, quod necessarian* habet existeatiam.- c. xu.
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 ^sence, but one most holy place, the seat of 
 that Presence ; but one altar, at which all 
 the priests were to minister, all sacrifices 
 were to be offered ; and one only temple, 
 consecrated to one Jehovah, the Creator of 
 all things, of what power or dignity soever 
 they were conceived to be. It is evident 
 this is an instruction in every part of this 
 ritual, and that it was designed to be taught 
 in the whole plan of the ritual, and in the 
 several services directed by it ; so that the 
 whole worship of the Hebrew church was 
 contrived to be a perpetual memorial of the 
 principal law of the ten commands, " I am 
 thfi Lord thy God Thou shalt have no Exodus, 
 other Gods before me." Or (according to x* 2, 3. 
 another solemn exhortation), "Hear, there- 
 fore, Israel, and observe to do it, that it 
 may be well with thee, and that ye may 
 increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy 
 fathers hath promised thee in the land that 
 floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Deut. vi. 
 Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." In 3, 4>. 
 the original, Jehovah, our Elohim, is one 
 Jehovah. The unity of God is, next to the 
 being of God, the most important article of 
 true faith in God ; therefore the Hebrew 
 ritual most wisely and usefully fixes it on 
 ttie memory and conscience of every wor- 
 shipper, that as Jehovah was their God, so 
 they were to have no other Jehovah God, 
 or object of worship besides him. In this 
 the Hebrew ritual taught a much better
 
 ?4 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 creed than Lord Herbert could compile 
 from the doctrines received from the wisest 
 men among the heathen nations; for though 
 the unity of God is deducible from prin- 
 ciples of right reason, as well as the being 
 of a God, and both of them seem truths 
 capable of demonstration ; yet, in fact, the 
 world lost this knowledge of God, and the 
 loss of it was the cause of all that idolatry 
 and superstition which overspread the 
 world, andso universally corrupted the wor- 
 ship of it in almost every rite and ceremony 
 in common use ; for, however some might 
 retain the knowledge of one Supreme 
 Being, whom they might dignify with the 
 honourable title of the Father of Gods 
 and Men, yet how did their worship show, 
 in fact, that they worshipped other gods 
 besides the Supreme, without number, 
 beyond all bounds, either as to the gods 
 they worshipped, or to the idolatrous and 
 wicked rites with which they worshipped 
 them ; so little did the knowledge of the 
 being or unity of God (such as the hea- 
 then world retained) influence to the ho- 
 nour, the worship, or the service of him, 
 as the only true God. 
 
 Provi- Another important doctrine of true re- 
 
 Go!? 6 f ^S* 011 ' f g reat influence on virtuous obe- 
 nerai and dicnce, is the acknowledgment of a divine 
 Providence. To suppose the being of a 
 God, or of many gods, will be of no real 
 use to promote true virtue and religion, if 
 
 lar.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 this God, or these supposed gods, shall^be 
 also supposed to enjoy themselves in idle- 
 ness and ease without any care of us, or 
 concern in our affairs, from whom we have 
 no good to hope, and no evil to fear, 
 whatever our conduct or behaviour shall 
 be. Such principles, especially when 
 maintained as truths of philosophical wis- 
 dom, were fully as dangerous to virtue 
 and religion as atheism itself; for what 
 concern can men have with gods who 
 have no concern with them ? 
 
 If we were to believe, with Lucretius *, 
 the nature of God to be such, that, wanting 
 nothing of us, and fully happy in himself, 
 he neither shows favour nor displeasure, 
 neither rewards nor punishes, we should 
 very likely conclude with his disciples, it 
 would be a vain and unprofitable care to 
 please a Being from whom we have no- 
 thing to hope, and nothing to fear; all 
 virtue and religion will be left without any 
 foundation of reverence for God, without 
 any encouragement in expectation of any 
 blessing from God. If we should suppose, 
 with the vulgar theology of many gods, 
 that the acts of particular providence to 
 nations, cities, families, persons, that the 
 fruits of the earth, the temperature of the 
 
 * Ipsa suis pollens opibus, nihil indiga nostri, 
 Nee bene pro meritis capitur, nee tangitur ita. 
 
 Lucretius, I. 1. v. 6l. 
 
 T 2
 
 276 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 air, health, sickness, and all kinds of for- 
 tune and misfortune, were in the disposal 
 of several daemons, or spirits of limited 
 powers, of different humours, of contrary 
 dispositions, partial in their favours and en- 
 mities ; what encouragement could such 
 notions of a Providence be to true virtue 
 and goodness*? Could any one almost 
 imagine, that true virtue was the best way 
 of recommending themselves to the favour 
 of Juno or Venus, of Mars or Apollo, or 
 even of Jupiter himself, who, though 
 styled the father of the gods, and king of 
 men, is yet represented as acting as unrea- 
 sonably, as partially, as much after hu- 
 mour, passion, and lust, as the worst of 
 men ? In fact, the very rites of worship, 
 though very agreeable to the characters of 
 the deities worshipped, were much more 
 likely to extinguish all just sentiments of 
 virtue, when they were themselves so ab-> 
 surd and vicious. 
 
 How much more usefully does the 
 Hebrew ritual represent Jehovah the ob- 
 ject of their worship, the supreme Lord 
 and Governor, as the sole Creator of all 
 
 * Quidve dolens regina detim, tot volvere casus 
 Insiguem pietate virum, tot adire labores 
 Impulerit, tant&ne animis coelestibus irae ? 
 
 Virg. Mn. \. Kv. Q. 
 
 Necdum etiain causae irarum, sevique dclores 
 Exciderant animo : manet alta raeiite repostum 
 Judicium Paridis, spretaeque injuria forma; : 
 Et genus invisum, et rapti Ganymedis houores. 
 
 V. 25*
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 2/7 
 
 things, not like one of the idle deities of 
 Epicurus, or abandoning his world to the 
 partial affections and passions of inferior 
 spirits or daemon gods, but himself order- 
 ing anxLgoverning all his creatures, that 
 is, by his own care> wisdom, goodness> 
 and power! 
 
 The Hebrew ritual therefore was so General 
 planned as to teach this doctrine of general P rovi - 
 providence, that Jehovah, by his imme- tlughtby 
 diate care and power, preserved the natural the ritual, 
 order of the whole universe : the course 
 of the heavenly bodies, the seasons of the 
 year, the natural powers of the air and 
 earth, and whatever was necessary to the 
 general order of Providence was the con- 
 tinued act of Jehovah, as supreme Lord of 
 the universe. 
 
 The presence of Jehovah by the She- 
 chinah in their temple, according to their 
 ritual, seems indeed to set more iin medi- 
 ately before them God's particular care of 
 the Hebrew nation as a peculiar people ; 
 but the ritual represented this presence as 
 the presence of Jehovah, of the most high 
 God, whose throne is in the heavens, of 
 which the throne in the temple was but a ' -.* 
 figure; and therefore it is taught by the ri- 
 tual, and in the prayers of the church a 
 very solemn part of it, that Jehovah heard 
 in heaven his dwelling-place, the prayers 
 that were made unto him before his pre- 
 sence in the temple. Though the ritual 
 T3
 
 278 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 taught that Jehovah was so present with 
 his people Israel, as he was not with any 
 other people ; yet it never taught the pre- 
 sence of Jehovah was confined to the 
 temple; or that, as some have very unfairly 
 represented it, that the God of Israel was 
 a local circumscribed Deity. The ritual 
 taught all the Hebrew worshippers that 
 he was the King of heaven, as well as 
 King of Israel, as dwelling between the 
 cherubim, emblems of the highest order of 
 beings, the heavenly spirits, who do his 
 will in the heavens as well as on earth. 
 The Psalmist well expresses this truth : 
 Psalm The Lord hath prepared his throne in the 
 m. 19. heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. 
 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in 
 strength, that do his commandments, 
 2Q 4 hearken unto the voice of his word. Je- 
 hovah himself thus declares himself, con- 
 Isaiah, cerning his general providence : For thus 
 xlv. is. saith the Lord, that created the heavens, 
 God himself that formed the earth, and 
 made it. And the Psalmist from hence 
 concludes the universal dominion of Je- 
 CXXXT. 5 h va h : F r I know that the Lord is great, 
 6. ' and our Lord is above all gods. What- 
 soever the Lord pleased, that did he in hea- 
 ven and in earth, in the seas, and in all 
 deep places. Thus the sun and moon, and 
 all the host of heaven, the earth, with all 
 its inhabitants and produce, the provision 
 for every creature, are under the direction
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 2?Q 
 
 of this universal Providence, as it is ele- 
 gantly described in the 104th Psalm. You 
 will perceive further, that the several parts 
 of worship directed by the ritual, taught 
 this doctrine of Providence, as well as the 
 Shechinah or Presence. 
 
 The daily sacrifices or lambs that were Numb. 
 to be offered morning and evening as xxvm ' 3> 
 whole burned offerings, were to be consi- 
 dered as other burnt-offerings, viz. offered 
 unto Jehovah, as Creator, Lord, and Go- 
 vernor of the whole world. The whole 
 burnt- offerings were therefore distinguish- 
 ed from sin-offerings, peace-offerings, and 
 offerings of thanksgiving, in this, that they 
 were considered as offered unto God more 
 directly, as the supreme God, the Creator . 
 and Governor of all beings : so that they 
 were offered to the praise of God in ac- 
 knowledgment of him as sovereign and 
 director of universal providence, or to ce- 
 lebrate the praises of God, as the author of 
 
 being; to all creatures, and of good to ~ t 
 
 fe . . , Outram 
 
 every being throughout the whole crea- de Sacrif. 
 
 tion, as a learned author has very justly l - * 2, 
 observed. 
 
 The other burnt-offerings which were l.xii. 
 appointed for the Sabbaths, or every week $*' 
 for the new moons, or every month, the 
 burnt- offerings appointed for the feast of 
 trumpets, or first day of every new year, 
 very properly bring to memory the uni- 
 T 4
 
 280 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 versal power of God's providence over all 
 seasons as well as all beings. The weekly 
 Sabbaths are expressly designed to renew 
 the memory of the creation. The burnt- 
 offerings peculiar to that day were in 
 honour of that Jehovah who in six days 
 made the heavens and the earth, and all 
 Gen. i. that is in them. The burnt-offerings ap- 
 pointed for the new moons and new 
 years, were not in honour of the sun or 
 the moon, but to the honour of Jehovah, 
 who placed them in the firmament, guided 
 their courses, and directed their influences. 
 These daily, weekly, monthly, annual ser- 
 vices, which the ritual directed, were a 
 constant instruction in the wisdom, power, 
 and goodness of God in the creation of the 
 world, in the orderly course of the heavenly 
 bodies ; in particular, of all the good in- 
 fluences of the sun and moon, the glorious 
 lights of heaven, and all their uses in dis- 
 tinguishing times and seasons, in making 
 the earth fruitful, and in blessing men with 
 all the variety of its increase : for in all 
 these effects these glorious luminaries are 
 but instruments in the hands of Jehovah, 
 in his administration of a general pro- 
 vidence in continuing and preserving the 
 regular course he had appointed them at 
 their creation. And this is what is com- 
 monly meant by the established course of 
 nature, or, which is the same thing, in
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 281 
 
 Lord Herbert's definition, as general or 
 universal providence*. 
 
 It is as clear and evident that this He- Particu- 
 brew ritual was designed to keep in re- 
 membrance the doctrine of a particular 
 providence. By this was meant some par- 
 ticular favour in the dispensation of Pro- 
 vidence to the Hebrew people, for their 
 prosperity and happiness, and in bestow- 
 ing peculiar blessings on them in their fa- 
 milies and persons. 
 
 The whole ritual encouraged every 
 Hebrew to ask such blessings from Jeho- 
 vah as their God. This part of providence 
 has been justly distinguished by the noble 
 Author just mentioned by the name of 
 grace or favour f . 
 
 Now it appears throughout the whole 
 plan of the ritual, that the Hebrews had 
 hopes in Jehovah as their God, for such 
 acts of grace and favour ; that it was a 
 great design of the ritual to teach and en- 
 courage such hopes ; that they were to 
 trust in Jehovah for such blessings, now 
 he caused his name to dwell among them, 
 and chose to fix his temple as his sanc- 
 tuary and his habitation among them. The 
 particular presence was an expression of 
 particular favour and grace ; in one part 
 
 * Natura, base est providentia divina uuiversalis. 
 Herbert de Veritate. 
 
 \ Gratia, providentia divina particularly. Herbert 
 de Veritate,
 
 282 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 of the ritual the priests are therefore di- 
 rected in particular to put the name of Je- 
 hovah on the people of Israel, and to bless 
 them in his name. So the ritual directs : 
 Numb. In this wise shall ye bless the children of 
 vi.23,&c. j srae i f saying unto them, The Lord bless 
 thee and keep thee : the Lord make his 
 face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto 
 thee : the Lord lift up his countenance 
 upon thee, and give thee peace. And they 
 shall put my name upon the children of 
 Israel, says Jehovah, and I will bless 
 them. Moses himself explains what these 
 Deut. blessings were ; in particular, that Jeho- 
 xxviii. vah their God will set them on high, above 
 all nations of the earth. They shall be 
 blessed in the city, in the field, in the fruit 
 of their body, the fruit of their ground, of 
 their cattle, the increase of their kine, and 
 flocks of sheep. In a word, Moses ex- 
 plains these blessings, of all manner of 
 providential blessings, of such blessings as 
 are unquestionably acts of peculiar favour, 
 and of special grace different from the uni- 
 versal order of nature, and the laws of 
 general providence. It is unquestionably 
 the intention of the law, and of the ritual, 
 to give hope of peculiar blessings, and to 
 keep up a fear of contrary evils from God's 
 displeasure. It is therefore threatened, 
 
 * 
 
 iii 15 ^* ** sna M come to pass, if' thou wilt not 
 ' hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy 
 God, that all these curves shall come upon
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 283 
 
 thee, and overtake tliee. They were 
 taught, then, to fear all the evils contrary 
 to the blessings promised from the favour 
 of Jehovah as their God. Their ritual 
 daily renewed these considerations, and 
 fixed them on their consciences. Every 
 sacrifice and offering, sin-offerings, peace- >vi< 
 offerings, and offerings of thanksgiving, 
 were constant evidences of this truth, and 
 encouragements to this hope. They were 
 either in order to be restored to this hope, 
 if they had lost it by any transgression of 
 the law, as sin-offerings, or to obtain some 
 blessing from the favour of God, as the 
 peace-offerings, or to acknowledge this 
 favour and grace of God in some or other 
 of these blessings received from him, as 
 the offerings of thanksgiving. The ritual 
 directing so many sorts of festivals, daily, 
 weekly, monthly, annually, taught the 
 same truth as acknowledgments of God's 
 special favour to them, as the family of 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; whose there- 
 fore were the promises which Jehovah had 
 faithfully made good to them, in giving 
 the promised land ; continuing to them, 
 the possession of it ; giving them plenty, 
 peace, and prosperity in it. 
 
 This constant admonition, that univer- 
 sal ^nd particular providence were in the 
 hands of Jehovah, the only true God, and 
 administered by him as their God, made 
 the articles of the existence and unity of
 
 284 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 God of the highest personal importance", 
 forasmuch as their prosperity and happi- 
 ness, or their calamities and misery, must 
 depend on the favour or displeasure of 
 Jehovah, the one only true God. 
 Jehovah Another doctrine of most useful in- 
 andmer- struction, which this ritual taught theHe- 
 cifulGod. brew church, was this : that Jehovah, the 
 object of their religious worship, was the 
 Holy One of Israel ; yet it teaches at the 
 same time, he was the Lord God, gracious 
 and merciful. Thus, as they were to be- 
 lieve that Jehovah was God, and besides 
 him there was no other, and that therefore 
 the general order of nature, and all acts of 
 particular grace and favour, proceeded from 
 him, they were also taught to believe, 
 that though God did all things after his 
 own will and good pleasure, yet it was in 
 a manner becoming himself, and his go- 
 verning perfections, that is, as an holy 
 God, and as a God plenteous in mercy. 
 Thus their ritual instructed them in the 
 moral perfections of the God they wor- 
 shipped ; it taught them how both these 
 perfections of God were consistent with 
 each other, how they were to expect the 
 use of each in the administration of Pro- 
 vidence, in acts of favour or displeasure to 
 themselves. Jehovah therefore spake unto. 
 Levit. Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congre- 
 ' ' gation of the people of Israel, and say unto 
 thcm> Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 285 
 
 God am holy. If you consider the direc- 
 tions of the ritual to consecrate the temple, 
 to hallow the sanctuary, that there might 
 be a most holy place for the presence of 
 Jehovah, whose name is holy ; if you con- 
 sider the rites of purification and consecra- 
 tion of the priests and Levites, that they 
 might be hallowed to minister before Je- 
 hovah, they all teach the holiness of God. 
 In like manner the holiness of the temple, 
 of the altar, of all the sacrifices, teach, He 
 must himself be holy, w r hose presence 
 sanctifies them all. Thus the ritual clean- 
 ness and purifications required of all per- 
 sons who were allowed by the ritual to 
 appear in the Presence, the severe punish- 
 ments threatened by the ritual against all 
 persons who should profane the place of 
 the Presence by coming into it under any 
 uncleanness, were evident declarations of 
 the holiness of the place where God who 
 is holy is present. By such rites the He- 
 brew church was taught to say, Who 
 among the gods is like unto Jehovah, glo- 
 rious in holiness ? One sense in which the 
 church ascribed holiness to God plainly in- 
 timated that God was of purer eyes than 
 to behold any iniquity. The ritual repre- 
 sents God, as God proclaims his own 
 name, and teaches his own perfections : 
 Who will by no means clear the guilty ; Exodus, 
 visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon xxxiv.7. 
 the children, and upon the children s chit-
 
 286 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 dren, unto the third and fourth genera- 
 tion. The ritual expressly taught such 
 holiness in the priests and in the people, 
 as to declare all who were anyways im- 
 pure or unclean, were unfit to appear in 
 the Presence, and had forfeited all the pri- 
 vileges of an holy congregation, till they 
 were cleansed by the washings and sacri- 
 fices the ritual directed for their atonement 
 and purification. Such laws concerning 
 holiness and purity in lesser matters, in- 
 ferred an holiness of an higher nature, and 
 that the governing perfections of God will 
 not allow, cannot approve, greater and 
 higher transgressions of moral disobe- 
 dience. These appear sins more evil in 
 their nature, more displeasing in the sight 
 of God, and to which the righteousness 
 and justice of God had assigned severer 
 punishments in their own law. 
 
 It was far from the design of the ritual 
 to teach only a ceremonial holiness ; the 
 intention of it appears plainly to set the 
 holiness of God as one of his governing 
 perfections in a full and strong light ; to 
 teach the high importance of being holy, 
 as God is holy, as well as of being holy, 
 because God is holy : but this instruction 
 of the ritual will appear more clearly as 
 we proceed. 
 
 The wisdom of the ritual to make the 
 knowledge it teaches concerning the one 
 only true God more useful, teaches him to
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 287 
 
 be merciful, at the same time it represents 
 him to be an holy God, therefore proclaim- 
 ed his name, The Lord, gracious andmer- Exod. 
 ciful, long-siiffering, abundant in loving- xxxiv ' 6 
 kindness, goodness, and truth, keeping 
 mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquities, 
 transgressions, and sins. Not only is God 
 represented as gracious and merciful, but 
 his mercy and grace are exemplified in par- 
 doning iniquity, transgressions, and sins, 
 or all kinds of offences committed against 
 him. The ritual, to encourage the hope 
 of a sinner in the mercy of God, teaches 
 him that there is mercy with God, that he 
 may be feared ; that when he shall return 
 unto God with his whole heart, he shall be 
 received graciously and restored to favour. 
 This ritual yet further instructs in the wise 
 method wherein God has appointed to 
 show mercy, supporting at the same time 
 the honour of his perfections and govern- 
 ment. The ritual therefore appointed pro- 
 pitiatory sacrifices, or atonements, wash- 
 ings and purifications, to teach the guilt 
 of sin, the punishment due to sin from an 
 holy God, and a righteous Governor of the 
 world, to teach the sinner to honour God 
 by such acknowledgment and confession, 
 which was to accompany his sin-offering 
 and atonement, and also to express his 
 hope in the mercy of God, his trust in the 
 promise of God, that, returning to God 
 with his whole heart, his $in shall be for- 
 4
 
 288 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 given. Hence the Psalmist concludes, 
 
 psalm For thou, Lord, art good and ready to for- 
 
 ixxxvi. 5. give, and plenteous in mercy to all them 
 
 that call upon thee. It is observable that 
 
 the Hebrew ritual encouraged the Hebrew 
 
 nation to hope for mercy and favour, as 
 
 God's favoured people. 
 
 There is a river, says the Psalmist, the 
 streams whereof shall make glad the city 
 of God, the holy place of the tabernacles 
 of the Most High. The holy place, and di- 
 vine Presence, principal parts of the ritual, 
 assured peculiar protection and grace, as it 
 Ps. xlri. follows, God is in the midst of her ; she 
 * 5 - shall not be moved: God shall help her, 
 and that right early. The power of God 
 is taught by his name Jehovah, the Lord 
 of hosts ; his peculiar grace and favour to 
 the children of Israel, is expressed in his 
 peculiar relation to them, as their God, 
 7. and as his church: The Lord of hosts is 
 tvith us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. 
 Selah. Thus the Hebrew ritual, and es- 
 pecially the Shechinah, or divine Presence, 
 the principal part of it, very clearly taught 
 the important doctrines of true religion, 
 the existence and unity of God, his general 
 and particular providence, his holiness and 
 justice, his mercy and goodness, his great 
 governing perfections, and of greatest in- 
 fluence to promote real virtue and true 
 goodness, the most genuine fruits of the 
 fear and love of such a God as the ritual
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP; 28Q 
 
 Represents Jehovah to be, and as the most 
 honourable service of Him who dwelt in 
 their temple as the Holy One of Israel. 
 
 All these truths were moreover con- Doctrine 
 firmed by another great doctrine, the doc- i^ 
 trine of prophecy. The Hebrew ritual anddi- 
 showed one act of particular providence, v , me . au " 
 
 j -i *u i *u thontyof 
 
 and especial grace to that people, as the t helaw. 
 church of God, in raising prophets, and re- 
 vealing himself towards them, in particular 
 by his servant Moses, who is represented, 
 throughout the whole law, as giving them 
 the several rites and constitutions of their 
 religious worship in the name of God> and 
 as with the authority of Jehovah. 
 
 Jehovah himself gave the laws of the 
 ten commands by the voice of the oracle, 
 from the Shechinah ; it is therefore said, 
 And God (Jehovah) spake all these words> Exodus, 
 saying. But the majesty of the Presence* s 
 the thunderings, lightnings, the noise of 
 the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, 
 caused the people to remove and stand afar 
 off, and to say unto Moses, Speak thou is, 19. 
 with us, and we ivill hear, but let not God 
 speak with z/s> lest ive die. 
 
 After this> the word of the Lord came 
 to Moses, and he was commanded to make 
 known the will and command of Jehovah 
 to the people or congregation. One in- 
 stance may be sufficient to give a right no- 
 tion of this : when that part of the ritual 
 which directed the consecration of Aaron 
 
 IT
 
 2QO THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 and his sons to the priesthood, was ap- 
 pointed, it was thus delivered by Moses as 
 a Prophet, and as a revelation from God ; 
 tevit. And the Lord (Jehovah) spake unto Moses, 
 vui. i. saying. This direction from the voice or 
 oracle of Jehovah, is riot given to all the 
 people or whole congregation of Israel, 
 but to Moses, to report to the eongrega- 
 * * tion : accordingly, Moses gathered the 
 assembly together, unto the door of the 
 tabernacle of the congregation. And Moses 
 said unto the congregation, This is the thing 
 tvhich the Lord commanded to be done. 
 Here Moses delivers a message from Jeho- 
 vah, or in his name enacted this part of the 
 ritual. 
 
 Divine appearances and divine revela- 
 tions were known to the Hebrews, in the 
 history of their fathers ; but when a law- 
 was to be given, a collection of many pre- 
 cepts and constitutions, to be a ritual of 
 worship to many ages, the wisdom of 
 God recommends it to the esteem and obe- 
 dience of the Hebrews by the authority of 
 a divine revelation. He raises Moses a 
 Prophet, and distinguishes him from other 
 
 XXXJT 10 P r ph ets so tnat ihwe arose not a Pro- 
 ' phet in Israel like unto Moses, whom the 
 Lord knew face to face. 
 
 The doctrine, then, of a revejation was 
 taught and confirmed by the ritual ; for 
 Jehovah spake to Moses what he directed 
 him to speak to the people, and God con- 
 firmed the authority of Moses as a Prophet*
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 2Q 
 
 and recommended him to the attention of 
 the people as the greatest of Prophets, in Deut. 
 all the signs and wonders which he sent xxxiv - 
 him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, ll * ' 
 and to all his servants, and to all his land; 
 and in all that mighty hand, and in all the 
 great terror which Moses showed in the 
 sight of all Israel. These signs and 
 wonders were so many and so great, that 
 none could be ignorant of them, or reason- 
 ably doubt the truth of them. The very 
 ritual itself was indeed a constant and 
 standing evidence of revelation and pro- 
 phecy : the voice from the oracle was a re- 
 velation from Jehovah : the manner of con- 
 sulting is so particularly described, the an- 
 swers given by it were so full and so faith- 
 fully executed, that the Hebrew history 
 was a constant attestation to the authority 
 of the Hebrew ritual. 
 
 Hence the Hebrews taught, as articles 
 of their creed, that they were to acknow- 
 ledge prophecy, and receive Moses as the 
 chief of Prophets. The sixth foundation 
 (says Maimon *) is prophecy : the seventh 
 
 * Fundamentum sextum est prophetia. 
 
 Fundamentum septimum est prophetia Mosis doc- 
 toris nostri, scil. ut credatur ipsum omnium Prophe- 
 tui inn, qui ante ipsum, vel post ipsum fuerint, patrem 
 fuisse, qui omnes gradu sunt ipso inferiores. Maimon, 
 Porta Mosis, 168, 169.' 
 
 Fundamentum oclavum est lex coelo, scil. ut cre- 
 datur, universam legem istam, quae apud nos hodie re- 
 172
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 foundation is the prophecy of Moses our 
 master, that we believe he was the chief 
 of all that were before him, or that shall 
 be after him, who were all inferior to him 
 in degree : the eighth foundation is, that 
 the law came from heaven, and that we 
 believe all that law that we now have 
 among us, was all given to Moses from 
 heaven, and all that was delivered by the 
 mouth of God. 
 
 Thus were the authority and obligation 
 of the Hebrew law and ritual established, 
 and thus did they confirm the doctrines of 
 the existence, unity, and governing perfec- 
 tions of Jehovah their God, of his general 
 and particular providence, by the attesta- 
 tion of prophecy and revelation ; a short 
 and sure way of teaching a nation and 
 whole people. It is found in constant ex- 
 perience, that the whole people of a na- 
 tion in general have neither leisure, nor 
 inclination, nor attention, nor capacities to 
 learn these truths in a long chain of con- 
 sequences and reasonings'; and the same 
 experience showed with what advantage 
 the Hebrew church learned these truths 
 from their law and ritual as a revelation : 
 it preserved the profession and belief of 
 these doctrines among them, when they 
 were almost lost throughout the whole 
 
 peritur, esse ad Mosem coelitus demissam, totamque ex 
 ore Dei profectam. Ibid. 173. ,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 203 
 
 world, either in atheism or polytheism, 
 superstition or scepticism, all hurtful and 
 ruinous to true religion. 
 
 We shall more properly consider in 
 another place, how useful a belief of the 
 doctrine of prophecy was ; in particular, a 
 veneration for the Mosaical ritual, to pre- 
 serve the Hebrews from the corruptions of 
 their neighbour nations, who pretended 
 the directions of the gods they worshipped, 
 and the answer of oracles, to give reputa- 
 tion to their superstitious and idolatrous 
 rites as acceptable to the gods, and effec- 
 tual means of obtain ing their favour. The 
 Hebrews had not only an oracle, and an 
 oracle of Jehovah the true God dwelling 
 among them, but this oracle moreover ex- 
 pressly required they should have no re- 
 course to any other gods, or consult their 
 oracles, whatever pretences idol worship- 
 pers might make to the warrant of oracles, 
 or success in obtaining their favour by their 
 idolatrous rites and ceremonies. 
 
 The very notion of prophecy greatly 
 assisted the faith of the Hebrew church by 
 confirming them in the belief of truths 
 most worthy God's perfections and govern- 
 ment, and to fix those truths upon their 
 hearts, with the reverence and authority 
 of the word of Jehovah : this greatly 
 served to keep them from the danger of 
 hearkening to the pretended inspirations 
 pf the heathen priests, or oracles of the 
 U3
 
 294 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 heathen gods. This was a very wise rea- 
 son, and, in answering this design, the ri- 
 tual answered a very important end in re- 
 ligion. 
 
 They considered Moses a Prophet, the 
 greatest of Prophets which God had as yet 
 ever raised up to the world ; they received 
 what Moses commanded them, as what 
 Jehovah spake to Moses by his oracle, 
 which therefore all the people had reason 
 to hear and to obey ; and as this revelation 
 gave a clear and useful instruction in the 
 most essential truths of religion, so it en- 
 forced those truths by a sense of the 
 highest authority and concern. 
 
 Observe how this represented the 
 Deut. happiness of the Hebrew church. This is 
 cf ul ' ' the blessing wherewith Moses the man of 
 God blessed the children of Israel before his 
 death ; and he said f The Lord came from 
 Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them ; he 
 shined forth from Mount Paran, and he 
 came with ten thousands of saints ; from 
 his right hand went a fiery law for them, 
 yea he loved the people ; all his saints are 
 in thy hand, and they sat down at thy feet; 
 every one shall receive of thy words. 
 Moses commanded us a law, even the inhe- 
 ritance of the congregation of Jacob. How 
 strongly is the authority of this revelation 
 represented and recommended to the ob- 
 servation of the Hebrew nation, as a great 
 Deut. iv. act of grace to them : What nation is there 
 7> * so great, who hath God so'nigh unto them
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 as the Lord our God is, in all things that 
 we call upon him for 9 and what nation is 
 there so great, +/;at hath statutes and 
 judgments so righleous, as all this law 
 which 1 set before you this day ? This 
 recommended all the principles of religion 
 taught by it, to esteem, affection, and obe- 
 dience. 
 
 The Hebrew ritual did not teach these 
 doctrines of religion as matters of specula- 
 tion only ; it represented them to the He- 
 brew church as practical principles to 
 better their minds, to improve them in 
 virtue and goodness, and to promote their 
 perfection and happiness. The noble au- 
 thor* already mentioned, considers the 
 worship of God as one of those principal 
 truths which common understanding, and 
 
 * Solam unius Dei adorationem com munis notitia, 
 sive consensus universalis docet. Inde divina ilia reli- 
 gio (sine cujus aliqua formula, nulla gens, vel quidem 
 barbara extitit) non solum ob beneticia, ex ipsa provi- 
 dentia communi collata, sed ob ea etiam quae ex gratia, 
 sive providentia rerum particulari, impendebantur, 
 ubique gentium sancita est. Inde non solum orari, sed 
 exorari posse, Numen illud coeleste, ex facultatibus omni 
 homini sano et integro, insitis, creditum est. 
 
 Inde denique (quod adhuc majus quidam spiral) ad 
 evenluum futurorum dignotionem, consulebatur numen 
 avatibus, quibus solenne fuit, nihil strium numine incon- 
 sulto, aggredi. Herbert de Veritat. p. m. C 27l. 
 
 Non enim operibus suis se claudi patitur, causa rerura 
 sapientissima ; ultra communem, dilectis suis, particu- 
 larem exhibens gratiam, quod cum in seipso experiri 
 posset, nonne injustum fuerit, eandem Deo opt. maxiino 
 clenegare potentiam. 
 
 V4
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the universal consent of mankind, have 
 taught as essential to true religion. Hence, 
 he observes, came that divine religion, 
 without some form of which you find no 
 nation, even the most barbarous ; and this 
 not only for blessings of common provi- 
 dence, but for such also as were given of 
 favour and grace, or particular providence. 
 Hence it was received from principles im- 
 planted in every sound and right mind, 
 that the supreme Deity was not only the 
 object of prayer, but that he was also to 
 be entreated in hopes to obtain his favour ; 
 yet further, that he was to be consulted 
 about future events, ^ that it was the 
 custom to attempt no great action without 
 asking advice of the Deity : for the most 
 wise Cause of all things does not suffer 
 himself to be confined in his works ; but, 
 besides general blessings in common, he 
 shows particular favours to such whom he 
 loves, which power, when every man can 
 experience in himself, will it not be very 
 unjust to deay it to the greatest and best 
 of Beings ? 
 
 The same noble author further ob- 
 serves, that virtue, in conjunction with 
 piety, was always accounted the principal 
 part of divine worship *. 
 
 * Virtutem cum pietate cohjunctam przeciptum par- 
 tern cultus divini habitam esse, et semper fuisse. Ex 
 
 ea verarn speni, ex vera spe iidem, ex vera fide amoretiij 
 
 4
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 297 
 
 As virtue, in conjunction with piety, 
 arises from a conscience rightly instructed 
 in the doctrines of truth ; from virtue, in 
 conjunction with piety, will arise true 
 hope ; from true hope, faith ; from true 
 faith, love ; from true love, joy ; from true 
 joy, happiness. 
 
 It is natural to the minds of men (adds 
 our author *) to have a dread of wicked- 
 ness, so that they were naturally instruct- 
 ed that repentance was to be a remedy 
 against vice and iniquity. 
 
 And finally, he observes, to enforce 
 these principles, there was a common no- 
 tion of rewards and punishments, which 
 religion, law, philosophy, and (what is 
 yet more) conscience taught, either openly 
 or implicitly ; openly, in the doctrines be- 
 fore mentioned (of elysian fields, metem- 
 psychosis, hell, &c.); implicitly, in the doc- 
 trines taught of the soul's immortality, and 
 that God was an avenger of those sins 
 
 ex vero amore gaudium, ex vero gaudio beatitudinem, 
 insurgere docetur. Herbert de Veritat. 274. 
 
 * Horrorem sceleris animis hominum semper ince- 
 disse, adeoque illos non latuisse vitia et scelesta quse- 
 cunque expiari debere ex poenitentia. Ib. '276. 
 
 Premium vel poenam HOS manere post hanc vitam 
 transactam, omnis religio, lex, philosophia, (et quod 
 magis est) conscientia docet, aperte vel implicite ; 
 aperte, supra allatis iiominibus freta ; implicite, vel ani- 
 mi immortalitatem statuens, vel Deum ultorem scele- 
 .rum, qua? impune hac in vita, quispiam commiserit. 
 Ibid. 280.
 
 2Q8 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 which were committed, but not punished, 
 in this world. 
 
 These are some of the principal doc- 
 trines and motives of true religion, and to 
 that perfection and happiness the wisdom 
 and goodness of God designed by religion, 
 that is, to promote the honour of God, the 
 Creator and Governor of the world, in the 
 true perfection and best happiness of his 
 creatures, more especially his reasonable 
 creatures the world of spirits. 
 
 Let, then, the Hebrew ritual be examin- 
 ed by these rules, and we shall find it well 
 answers these ends, and is wisely fitted to 
 promote them : this will show it a wise 
 and useful institution. This may in part 
 appear from what the Hebrew church re- 
 ceived and held as doctrines taught by 
 their law, and what the law and ritual ap- 
 pear designed to teach. 
 
 Maimon* makes the fifth article of the 
 Hebrew creed, that God is to be worship- 
 ped, that all reverence and obedience are to 
 be given to him, but to no other being in- 
 ferior to him, whether angels or stars, 
 heavenly orbs or elements, or any thing 
 
 * Fundamentnm quintum ilium esse qui colendus 
 est, cujus veneratio et obsequium praedicanda, neque ali- 
 uni eorutn qui ipso essentia inferiora sunt, angelorum 
 nempe, stellarum, orbium coelestium, elementurum, aut 
 quicquid ex iis componitur, praestandum : hujus Deiglo- 
 riosi et formidabilis praeceptum est ut diiigamus euro, 
 atque (nobis) ab eo tirueamus. Maimon. Porta Mosis, 
 167. De Fund. Legis, 1. J 1. s. 1.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 2QQ 
 
 compounded of them ; or, in other words, 
 thoushalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
 him only shalt thou serve. 
 
 Oar author further teaches* how the 
 Hebrew church was directed to worship 
 God; it is the command of this glorious 
 and fearful God, that we love him, that we 
 fear him, and that we be careful to honour 
 his name, and not to profane it in any 
 way whatsoever, 
 
 He accounts virtue joined with piety 
 the most honourable and acceptable wor- 
 ship of God, as the children of Israel were 
 commanded not to profane his holy 
 name, for I will be hallowed among the 
 children of Israel, I am the Lord which 
 hallow you. 
 
 Our author f still further lays it down 
 as a fundamental of the Hebrew faith, 
 that God will reward those who keep the 
 commandments of his law, and that God 
 will punish those who transgress them ; 
 that the life to come is the greatest re- 
 ward, and the greatest punishment, cutting 
 off, i. e. of the soul in the life to come. 
 . r/f -;rMi- j;> jpuur<,?!u'd'Vr../iMo 
 
 * Toti domui Israelis mandatum est, de sanctifica- 
 tione istius nominis, Ut sanctificor inter filios Israel. Ad- 
 mouita quoque est ne illud proplianaret, Non prophana- 
 bitis nonien sanctum meurn. Ibid. c. 5. 
 
 f Fundamentum undecimum, Deum remuneratu- 
 rum eos, qui praestitereut mandata legis, et pcenas iis qui 
 eadem vetita, patravtrint inflicturum ; maximum autera 
 premium esse immdum ruturum, et maximum poenam 
 excidium. Porta Mosis, 176.
 
 300 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 You here see the doctrines of the He- 
 brew church well agree with the essentials 
 of religion, according to Lord Herbert, 
 taught by the best light of reason, and 
 confirmed by general consent of men of 
 sound minds. Thus the Hebrew ritual 
 was an institution of great use and public 
 benefit ; for it not only taught that God 
 was to be worshipped, but, moreover, how 
 he was to be worshipped, not barely by 
 outward rites and ceremonies, as some 
 have very unjustly represented it, but 
 with an inward temper of mind, with vir- 
 tuous and good affections of heart. It ap- 
 pears the design and intention of the ri- 
 tual to teach and exhort ^ such inward 
 temper, and is so explained by the law and 
 Prophets, the best interpreters and autho- 
 rized expositors of the ritual. 
 
 As the ritual itself appears to have a 
 spiritual or figurative meaning, expressive 
 of temper and affections suitable to the de- 
 sign of the actions ; so the other laws of 
 , their religion, the exhortations of their 
 Prophets, called upon them to forsake the 
 evil of their hearts and of their ways, and 
 by sincere repentance to return unto God 
 with their whole hearts, with promises of 
 a gracious acceptance, or threatenings of 
 severe displeasure and punishment. These 
 were justly accounted by the Hebrew 
 church as authoritative expositions of their 
 law and ritual. '
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 301 
 
 Consider the general design of the ri- 
 tual, and you will perceive it manifestly 
 intended for the honour of Jehovah as the 
 only true God, as from a people consecrat- 
 ed to his service, and to show forth his 
 praise. The Presence or Shechinah, the 
 temple, the holy place, the priests minis- 
 tering before the Presence, all the offerings 
 and sacrifices, daily, weekly, monthly, 
 yearly, stated and occasional of all kinds,, 
 offerings of thanksgiving, peace-offerings, 
 sin and trespass offerings, show that this 
 worship of God was to consist ki a temper 
 of heart sincere and upright, in giving 
 thanks to God for blessings received from 
 him, in sincere hope and trust in the power 
 and goodness of Jehovah to give the bless- 
 ings for which they made their prayers 
 unto him, in sincere professions of sorrow 
 and concern for having offended God by 
 every trangression of his laws, and an up- 
 right design to break off their sins by re- 
 pentance, that their iniquities might not be 
 their ruin. Their sin and trespass offer- 
 ings had plainly this instruction ; there 
 was the same, or rather more reason for 
 this inward temper in confession of moral 
 crimes, of sins against the laws of the ten 
 commandments, for which no ritual sin- 
 offerings were appointed ; whence David 
 justly infers in such case, The sacrifices of Psalm li. 
 God are a broken spirit : a broken and a l7 ' 
 sontrite heart, O God, thou ivilt not despise.
 
 302 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 In like manner the whole ritual very 
 plainly taught, that a pure heart as well as 
 clean hands, were requisite in the worship 
 of Jehovah. The very washings which 
 purified from the filthiness of the flesh, 
 taught, by an easy meaning, the necessity 
 of being cleansed from all filthiness of the 
 spirit, to appear in the presence of the most 
 holy God. The ritual actions were mani- 
 festly designed to express a moral and spi- 
 ritual meaning. The bare consideration 
 of the ritual itself, the general use of ritual 
 actions in those times, the exposition of 
 the ritual in the other parts of their law, 
 and by their Prophets, put it out of all 
 doubt, that the outward actions were al- 
 ways to be accompanied with inward suit-* 
 able temper and affections. This is far 
 from indulging a groundless imagination 
 or a licentious use of allegory, which it 
 must be owned are dangerous as well as 
 unreasonable, and often quite lose the true 
 meaning of a figurative expression or ri- 
 tual action, too often give it a wrong sense, 
 and impose a false meaning upon it. Thus 
 sometimes error has been received for 
 truth, and the weak imaginations of men 
 for the wisdom of God. 
 
 Let us then consult the best exposi- 
 tors, the most knowing interpreters of this 
 ritual, the law and the Prophets : these 
 will show us, upon sure principles, the true 
 and genuine meaning of it.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 303 
 
 How express is the law itself in requir- 
 ing an inward temper of heart: Hear, O Deut - v 
 Israel; the Lord thy God is one Lord; and ' 
 thou shalt love the Lord thy God ivith all 
 thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
 all thy might. Again, And now, Israel, Deut. x. 
 what doth the Lord thy God require of 12 ' 
 thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk 
 in all his ways, and to love him, and to 
 serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 and with all thy soul? In the love of God 
 with all the heart are included the prin- 
 ciples of all moral righteousness and good- 
 ness to our neighbour. This is an imita- 
 tion of that goodness we adore and love in 
 God : so the law : He doth execute the *8> i& 
 judgment of the fatherless and widow, and 
 loveth the stranger in giving him food and 
 raiment ; love ye therefore the stranger, 
 for ye were strangers in the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 It is moreover remarkable in these di- 
 rections of the law, that they do not only 
 direct this love of God as essential to the 
 true worship and service of God, but they 
 teach it as the true meaning of the ritual, 
 the very end and design of it. Circumci- 
 sion was a chief rite by which the people 
 of Israel received the mark of an holy seed, 
 the family of Abraham : but the law ob- 
 serves, this circumcision of the flesh has a 
 further moral sense or spiritual meaning : 
 Circumcise therefore, says the law, the fore- T , \Q.
 
 304 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 skin of your hearts, and be no more stiff- 
 necked. Thisis further explained, And the 
 Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, 
 and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord 
 Deut. thy God with all thine heart, and with all 
 xxx. 6. thy soul, that thou mayest live. 
 
 The Prophets understood and inter-* 
 
 preted the law and the ritual to the same 
 
 Jere- meaning. So the Prophet Jeremiah, Cir- 
 
 la . h cumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take 
 
 iv. 4. j& 1 
 
 away the jores kins oj your hearts, ye men 
 of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. 
 The allusions to the ritual washings as 
 meaning inward purity, and as teaching 
 the heart is to be purified from all immoral 
 stains that defile it, are so usual and com- 
 mon, that persons must be at some pains 
 Psxxvi. to hide it from their observation. 1 will 
 wash my hands in innocency, says the 
 
 Psalmist ; so will I compass thine altars, O 
 Lord. Washing with water, by a very 
 easy figure, might signify cleansing the 
 heart from all sinful impurity. Every one 
 easily understands the Psalmist's prayer to 
 this sense, Wash me throughly from mine 
 iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 
 Psal. li. And again in a following petition : Create 
 *, 10. in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a 
 right spirit within me. The Prophet ex- 
 horts in words of like meaning : Wash ye, 
 make ye clean, put away the evil of your 
 doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do 
 evil, learn to do well,* seek judgment, re-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 305 
 
 lieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, 
 plead for the widow. Come now, and let 
 us reason together, saith the Lord : though 
 your sins be as scarlet, they shall be ivhite Igaiah . 
 as snow ; though they be red as crimson, 16, 17', * 
 they shall be as wool. The Prophet Jere- 18 * 
 miah explains this part of the ritual to the 
 same purpose : O Jerusalem, wash thine 
 heart from wickedness, that thou mayest 
 be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts j erenl . 
 divell within thee ? As, then, the ritual iv. 14. 
 was designed to teach the same purity of 
 heart with the law and Prophets, it plainly 
 directed the worship of God not to consist 
 only in outward ceremony, but in real 
 piety, true virtue and goodness. The ri- 
 tual required a strict cleanness and purity 
 in every one who approached the presence 
 of Jehovah in his sanctuary; but this had 
 an evident moral, and is expressly so in- 
 terpreted, of real virtue and true goodness. 
 When the Psalmist inquires, Lord, who-Psd. XT. 
 shall abide in thy tabernacle, who shall l * (2 >^' 
 dwell in thy holy hill? he answers in 
 the spiritual meaning of the ritual clean- 
 ness, He that ivalketh uprightly, and work- 
 eth righteousness, and speaketh the truth in 
 his heart, he that backbiteth not with his 
 tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor 
 tafteth up a reproach against his neighbour. 
 How evidently further does the ritual, 
 expounded by the law and the Prophets, 
 teach and exhort repentance, and *o ex-
 
 plain the nature, and urge the necessity of 
 it, that no precepts of moral virtue carry it 
 higher. Confession of sin is a considerable 
 part of the ritual itself. It is appointed on 
 the great day of expiation, that the high 
 priest shall lay both his hands upon the 
 head of the live goat, and confess over him 
 all the iniquities of the children of Israel, 
 levit. an ^ a ^ their transgressions in all their 
 xvi, 25. sins. Private persons, as well as the high 
 priest, were also directed by the ritual to 
 confess every sin by them committed when 
 they offered their sin and trespass offering. 
 Numb. v. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
 5, 6, 7. Speak unto the children of Israel, Wnen a 
 man or woman shall commit any sin that 
 men commit to do a trespass against the 
 Lord, and that person be guilty, then they 
 shall confess the sin that they have done, 
 and he shall recompense his trespass tvith 
 the principal thereof, and add unto it the 
 ffth part thereof, and give it unto him 
 against whom he hath trespassed. By this 
 direction, if a man had sinned by injuring 
 his neighbour, he was obliged to confession 
 and restitution, to confess his sin as an of- 
 fence against God, as well as to recom- 
 pense the injury he had done his neigh- 
 bour. Confession of sin included a profes- 
 sion of sorrow for having done evil, with 
 purpose of heart to forsake their evil ways, 
 and to return unto God with their whole 
 hearts, as may fully appear by comparing 
 Levit. xxxi. 40, &c. with Deut. iv. 2g.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 307 
 
 Thus, when the Psalm 1st acknowledged 
 his sin, it was with this declaration, for I p sa lm 
 will declare mine iniquity, Itvillbe sorry for xxxviii. 
 my sin. The Wise Man very rightly ex- J8 ' 
 presses it, by forsaking of sin : He that co- Proverbs, 
 vereth his sins shall not prosper ; butivhoso xxviii.is. 
 confesseth and forsa/teth them shall have 
 mercy. In like manner the Prophet ex- 
 horts to repentance : Let the ivicked for- Isaiah, 
 sake his way, and the unrighteous man his 7 ' 
 thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, 
 and he will have mercy on him, and unto 
 our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 
 Thus God himself describes the repentance 
 he requires: Repent and turn yourselves Ezekiel, 
 from all your transgressions, so iniquity *J UU{ *> 
 shall not be your rum. Cast away from 
 you all your transgressions whereby you 
 have transgressed, and malte you a new 
 heart and a new spirit ; for why will you 
 die, O house of Israel f> 
 
 You see, then, with how little truth or 
 honesty the Hebrew ritual is accused of 
 preferring outward rites and ceremonies to 
 true virtue and goodness, in which repent- 
 ance is so well explained and so strongly 
 .enforced. The law and ritual have them- 
 selves fully determined against such false 
 and injurious reflections. The words of the 
 Prophet Joel are a sufficient confutation of 
 ajl such prejudices: Therefore also now, Joel, ii. 
 saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all ' 13< 
 your heart, and with fasting, and with
 
 308 
 
 Psalm H. 
 16, 17. 
 
 Psalm 1. 
 8, &c. 
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 weeping, and with mourning, andrendyour 
 heart and not your garments (or, rather 
 than your garments), and turn unto the 
 Lord your God. Whatever outward rites 
 attended the eonfession of their sins, they 
 were to be accompanied with real inward 
 repentance, and returning unto God with 
 the whole heart. David well observes, 
 concerning those sins for which the ritual 
 
 o 
 
 appointed no sacrifice, that it yet taught 
 the sacrifices of a broken and contrite spi- 
 rit : For thou desirest not sacrifice, else 
 would I give it ; thou delight est not in 
 burnt -offering. The sacrifices of God are 
 a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite 
 heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 
 
 The Hebrew law further appears very 
 careful to prevent an abuse of the ritual to 
 any such superstition : it therefore keeps 
 in perpetual remembrance the great com- 
 parative difference between virtue or moral 
 goodness, and the strictest observation of 
 ritual constitutions: I will not reprove thee, 
 says God, for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt- 
 offerings, to have been continually before 
 me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, 
 nor he- goat out of thy folds : for every 
 beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle 
 upon a thousand hills. If I were hungry, 
 1 would not tell thee ;for the world is mine, 
 and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the 
 flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats ? 
 Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy 
 3
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 30Q 
 
 vows unto the Most Flight and call upon 
 me in the day of trouble : I ivill deliver 
 thee, and thou shalt glorify me: Tt is 
 therefore laid down as a maxim, IWioso 28. 
 qffereth praise, glorifieth me : and to him 
 that ordereth his conversation aright, will 
 I show the salvation of God. 
 
 Hence the Wise Man observes, To do Prov.xxi. 
 
 justice and judgment, is more acceptable to 3 - 
 the Lord than sacrifice. How strongly 
 does the Prophet represent this difference ! 
 To this man ivill I look, even to him that i sa iah, 
 is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that lxvi - - 
 trembleth at my word. When this inward 
 spirit of devotion is wanting, the rites, even 
 of sacrifices, are declared unacceptable, 
 even abominable, in the sight of God. He 3 * 
 that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man ; 
 he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off" a 
 dog's neck; he that ojfereth an oblation, as 
 if he offered swine s blood ; he that burn- 
 eth incense, as if he blessed an idol. 
 
 Observe once more, how the Prophet 
 Jeremiah exhorts an attention to this truth: 
 The word came from Jehovah to Jeremiah, Jerem. 
 saying, Stand in the gate of the Lord's VU ' J 2 > 3 ' 
 house, and proclaim there this word, and 
 say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye 
 ofJudah, that enter in at these gates to 
 
 ^worship the Lord: thus saith the Lord of 
 Hosts, the God of Israel, 4 mend your ways 
 and your doings, and I ivill cause you to - 
 dwell in this place. He proceeds to warn
 
 310 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 them against a superstitious hope of ac- 
 ceptance, on account of their ritual ob- 
 servances and privileges : Trust not in 
 lying words, saying, The temple of the 
 Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple 
 of the Lord are these. What God requires, 
 what they are principally to attend, is, 
 thoroughly to amend their tvays and their 
 doings ; thoroughly to execute judgment be- 
 tween a man and his neighbour ; or, prin- 
 cipally to regard virtue joined to piety. 
 
 Finally, to show that God always pre- 
 ferred virtue and goodness to external ob- 
 servances, the Scriptures use the strongest 
 Jerem. expressions: For I spake not unto your fa- 
 22' ' thers, nor commanded them in the day that 
 I brought them out of the land of Egypt, 
 concerning burnt-ojferings or sacrifices: 
 but this thing commanded I them, saying, 
 Obey my voice, and I will be your God, 
 and ye shall be my people; and walk ye in 
 all the ivays that 1 have commanded you, 
 that it may be ivell with you. It has been 
 thought, and with great probability, that 
 the rites of the Hebrew ceremonial wor- 
 ship had not been so numerous, if their 
 proneness to idolatry, so notorious in the 
 affair of the golden calf, had not made the 
 strongest fence necessary to keep it out. 
 However that may be, the ritual took very 
 great care to place the chief part of accept- 
 able worship in true virtue and goodness, 
 joined with real piety ; in righteousness,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 311 
 
 mercy, the love and fear of. God. This 
 was a truth so clearly taught, and so well 
 established, in the Hebrew church, that the 
 scribes acknowledge it to be the first or the 
 chief commandment, with all their zeal for 
 their law: IVell, master, ihou hast said Mark, 
 the truth ; for there is one God, and there ^ 32 ? 
 is none other but he. And to love him with 
 all the heart, and with all the understand- 
 ing, and with all the soul, and with all the 
 strength, and to love his neighbour as him- 
 self, is more than all burnt -offerings and 
 sacrifices. 
 
 Some, to avoid these declarations of 
 the Prophets, so express and full in point, 
 are willing to suppose that they are not 
 properly interpretations of the ritual, but 
 rather supplements to it, to exhort to vir- 
 tue and goodness, which they imagine 
 the ritual did not sufficiently teach and en- 
 force. 
 
 But such suppositions will appear, on 
 examination, without any support from 
 reason or fact, and therefore are not to 
 be admitted as evidence, or allowed as ar- 
 guments, when on the other hand there 
 is strong evidence from reason and facts, 
 to prove the exhortations of the Prophets 
 are proper interpretations of the ritual, and 
 therefore arguments and motives drawn 
 from it. "'&, 
 
 The exhortations themselves appear 
 natural, fit, and proper instructions of
 
 312 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the ritual. Every rite, in its own nature, 
 is a significant action. The common, civil 
 ceremonies of bowing the body, or unco- 
 vering the head, are used as marks of 
 respect. The rites of worship used before 
 the Presence, were declarations that re- 
 verence and purity became the worship* 
 pers of Jehovah and the presence of the 
 Holy One of Israel. What more natural, 
 fit, and proper, than to consider the ritual 
 as directing a good conscience, in a sincere 
 regard to the true meaning of what the 
 rite signified; as an Apostle justly explains 
 the intention of the Christian rite of bap- 
 i Pet. iii. tism, not the putting away the filth of the 
 21 * flesh, but the answer of a good conscience 
 towards God. 
 
 Do not the purifications of the ritual 
 naturally point out this answer of a good 
 SCor.vii. conscience, to cleanse themselves from all 
 lf jilthiness of spirit, as well as flesh, per- 
 fecting holiness in the fear of God? 
 
 It js further to be observed, that the 
 Prophets give these exhortations as their 
 own sense of the ritual, and, in their judg- 
 ments, the proper meaning of it ; there- 
 fore they use the rites, and choose to use 
 the ritual expressions, in a moral meaning, 
 and by them to exhort to moral goodness. 
 Circumcision, sacrifices, washing, cleans- 
 ing, purifying, in the language of the Pro- 
 phets, mean broken and contrite hearts, 
 gratitude and tliankfulne^s to God for his
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 313 
 
 goodness, forsaking the evil of their 
 thoughts and their ways, and returning 
 unto God with their whole hearts; that is, 
 real repentance and true reformation. This 
 use of the ritual arid ritual expressions, in 
 their exhortations, plainly shows how they 
 understood the ritual, and that they be- 
 lieved the people would understand it in 
 the same manner with them. 
 
 There is yet another consideration, 
 partly taken notice of before, that the ri- 
 tual itself confirms this meaning in some 
 of the chief and most eminent parts of it; 
 which may well be understood a comment 
 on all the rest. 
 
 It is well known, the institutes of the 
 Mosaical law contain moral as well as ri- 
 tual commands ; that on these commands 
 hang all the law and the Prophets ; or, as 
 it is observed by a very good judge of 
 Scripture language, it appears manifestly, 
 through the law and the Prophets, that 
 these are what all the revelations of God 
 to mankind are designed to explain and 
 enforce. It was therefore generally al- 
 lowed these were the great command- 
 ments ; nor was there any other com- 
 > mandment greater than these. Now, these 
 laws of the ten commands, you observe, 
 are interwoven into the Hebrew ritual, 
 and made a part of it, in the strictest sense, 
 and distinguished as a chief and more emi- 
 nent part of the ritual.
 
 314 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 These commands were promulged by 
 the immediate voice of the oracle, recoirn 
 mended in the most solemn manner to the 
 regard and obedience of the Hebrew 
 church. These commands were written 
 on two tables of stone, by the finger of 
 God. The ritual expressly directs, that a 
 rich ark, or chest, should be prepared, in 
 which to put these tables of the law. 
 When these tables were put into the ark, 
 they were to be covered with the richest 
 covering of gold, which was to be called 
 the mercy-seat ; and over it were the che- 
 rubim of glory, or of the Shechinah, sha- 
 ll x. dowing the mercy-seat. It was to be 
 brought into the most holy place, and be- 
 come the throne of Jehovah, and seat of 
 his immediate presence in the church. 
 
 This was manifestly a part of the ritual ; 
 a chief part of the ritual : it manifestly 
 tailed upon all the members of the Hebrew 
 church to consider their laws of the ten 
 commands, that is, the laws of true piety, 
 righteousness, and goodness, as the prin- 
 cipal of all their laws, and of the institu- 
 tion of their covenant with Jehovah ; or an 
 Hebrew worshipper who should not regard 
 the ritual of the tables of the covenant, 
 of the ark of the covenant, of the mercy- 
 seat, and of the glory of Jehovah over it, 
 might full as well disregard circumci- 
 sion, sacrifices, purifications, or the 
 of the a,ltar and tehiple.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 When, for many wise reasons, the Mo- 
 saical law was to be a ritual, how wisely 
 were the moral laws incorporated into it, 
 and made so chief a part of it, to make 
 the ritual itself teach the necessity of in- 
 ward purity, true righteousness, and real 
 goodness, and their preference to any bare 
 rites or ritual actions whatsoever ! 
 
 Sanctions of laws are of such use and Reward* 
 advantage to secure obedience, that they J^? 11 " 
 are usually accounted a good sign of the ments. 
 wisdom of the laws themselves: for, though 
 rewards and punishments do neither pro- 
 perly direct nor oblige, the precept and 
 obligation arising from other reasons ; yet 
 they are found, in constant experience, of 
 great use, and in many cases of necessary 
 use, to secure an obedience to laws : so 
 that annexing rewards and punishments to 
 obedience and disobedience, is esteemed a 
 considerable part of public justice, in the 
 administration of government, and, as such, 
 of the justice and righteousness of God, as 
 the supreme Governor of the world. 
 
 In laws moral, promulgated by the 
 common light of reason and consciences of 
 all men (Lord Herbert's Notitice commu- 
 nes), the sanction is notified by, and toge- 
 ther with, the promulgation. For, as good 
 is always right, and evil always wrong, in 
 the reason of God, the Governor of the 
 world, good must always be approved and 
 acceptable to God ; evil, on the contrary.
 
 316 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 disapproved by him, and displeasing to him. 
 Hence Lord Herbtrt observes, that from 
 these common principles arid notices of 
 reason and conscience, it became a general 
 persuasion, that there were rewards and 
 punishments after this life *. Most nations 
 asserted the doctrine in general, how much 
 soever they differed in particulars, as to 
 their place, or as to their nature and kind. 
 The happiness of the gpod, and pains of 
 the wicked, is a doctrine expressly taught 
 in the writings of all heathen nations ; and 
 it is a doctrine taught implicitly in the im- 
 mortality of the soul, and the justice of 
 God punishing sins, such sins in particu- 
 lar as were not punished in this life. 
 
 It is a very just observation, that the 
 common principles of reason and con- 
 science, confirmed by their natural hopes 
 and fears, from apprehensions of the im- 
 mortality of their souls, and the righteous- 
 ness and justice of God, in rewarding 
 good and punishing evil, taught all na- 
 tions to look for them, and expect them in 
 another world. So that, according to our 
 noble author, the perfections of God, the 
 reasons of good government, the most na- 
 tural affections of men's minds, formed on 
 the most common and universal principles, 
 
 * Est igitur premium, et poena, notitia communis 
 in quaeslioiie An. iicet in quaestione, quid, quale, quan- 
 tum, quomodo, &c. plurinmtn disccptctur. Herbert de 
 Veritatt, 281.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 31 / 
 
 taught the sanction as well as the precept 
 and obligation of this universal law ; and 
 as a part of the law it was implanted in 
 the conscience, and written on the hearts 
 of men. 
 
 If these were principles sufficient to 
 teach all nations, as we find they were in 
 fact, were they not sufficient, think you, 
 to teach them to the Hebrew nation, 
 which, besides the common principles of 
 natural reason and patriarchal tradition, 
 had the assistance of particular revelations 
 to their fathers, Abraham and his family? 
 
 The whole idolatry and idolatrous wor- 
 ship of their heathen neighbours supposed 
 the existence of separate spirits ; that the 
 souls of their ancestors, of men of emi- 
 nency while they lived, became gods 
 after death, and were to be worshipped as 
 such. On this supposition they consulted 
 the dead, or the souls of persons deceased, 
 advanced to greater knowledge and higher 
 capacities, now in a state of separate ex- 
 istence *. It seems plain, the Hebrews 
 had the same notions in common with all 
 their neighbours, of the immortality of the 
 soul; though their law and ritual most 
 
 * Isis and Osiris were princes of Egypt while they 
 lived, and gods of the Egyptians after their death. Am- 
 mon, while he 1 iv -d, governed Egypt as a king; after 
 his death he was consulted as an oracle, which, for a 
 l.ng time, continued one of the most famous in the 
 world.
 
 318 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 wisely guarded against the superstition and 
 idolatry the heathen ran into from an 
 abuse of it. 
 
 The prohibition of necromancers, and 
 consulting the dea^i, supposes a notion of 
 separate spirits, and that they believed the 
 existence of the souls of men after the 
 death of their bodies. What temptation 
 could Saul have had to consult the spirit 
 of Samuel, if he had not believed the se- 
 parate existence of the Prophet's soul, 
 after his natural death ? 
 
 There seems, then, to be no need of con- 
 firming the doctrines of the soul's immor- 
 tality, and of the rewards and punishments 
 of another life, consequent upon it, by 
 particular revelation, especially in a ritual 
 law. These doctrines might very wisely 
 be left to the common notions, equally re- 
 ceived in the Hebrew nation, as in all the 
 nations of the earth. 
 
 The ritual of the Hebrews was a posi- 
 tive law, and had a sanction very fit for 
 such a constitution. The covenant with 
 Abraham promised to make him a family, 
 and increase it into a great nation ; to give 
 them the land of Canaan for an inherit- 
 ance; to bless them, and make them pro- 
 sperous in the land the Lord their God 
 should give them. This particular cove- 
 nant with Abraham and his seed, is of dif- 
 ferent nature and consideration from the 
 general covenant of religion with Noah,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 Enoch, or other pious patriarchs. This 
 general covenant taught good men how 
 they were to walk with God, in righteous- 
 ness and goodness, and keeping themselves 
 from all moral evil and wickedness. The 
 same light of reason which taught men. 
 what was right and good, wrong and evil, 
 taught what they had to hope from the 
 mercy and goodness of God ; and what to 
 fear from his justice, as the righteous 
 Judge of the earth, and that in a state of 
 separate existence, when their souls should 
 return to God who gave them. 
 
 These principles taught, that the moral 
 obligations and sanctions continued inva- 
 riable, whatever positive institutions might 
 be superadded to the moral laws promul- 
 gated by the common voice of reason and 
 natural conscience. The positive laws of 
 the Hebrew ritual were given principally 
 in regard to the Abrahamic covenant and 
 promises, and to preserve the Hebrews in 
 the hopes and obedience of God's peculiar 
 people. Now you perceive plainly, that 
 sanctions most suited to these promises and 
 this covenant, were the protection and 
 blessing of a particular Providence, or the 
 threatening of temporal calamities in God's 
 forsaking them : and, accordingly, we find 
 these were the sanctions, a promise of tem- 
 poral blessings and national prosperity in 
 the land which God promised to their fa-
 
 32O THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 thers, and which the Lord their God gave 
 unto them. 
 
 But why, will some say, were not the 
 promises of another }ife, and the fears 
 of punishments after death, joined to the 
 temporal blessings of the promised land ? 
 Was it not, they add, a defect in the He- 
 brew ritual, that there was not an express 
 declaration of future rewards and punish- 
 ments in it, to encourage obedience, and 
 discourage disobedience? 
 
 This question has appeared to some a 
 great difficulty ; when yet, I conceive, it 
 is very easily removed, only by considering 
 the Hebrew law consisted of two parts, 
 the one ritual, the other moral. It was 
 only the ritual that was properly the law 
 of God, by Moses; the moral was given, 
 together with the very nature of man, at 
 his first creation. Now, the ritual had its 
 own proper sanction in temporal rewards 
 and punishments; the moral law had, from 
 the beginning, the sanction of future re- 
 wards and punishments ; and so actually 
 had them, at the very time the law was 
 given, and on the same evidence given to 
 Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and all 
 the pious patriarchs. 
 
 On closer consideration, I believe, it 
 will appear, it would have been inconve- 
 nient and dangerous, if the rewards and 
 punishments of another Ijfe had been made 
 the sanctions of a ritual : this might have
 
 OF 1-HE HEBREW WORSHIP^ 32} 
 
 prejudiced men's minds, to raise the value 
 and importance of ritual obedience, and a 
 ceremonial devotion, above the moral du- 
 ties of virtue and piety. These notions 
 might mislead men into great superstitions; 
 such superstitions as this ritual was de- 
 signed to guard against, in teaching that 
 ritual observances were so far from being 
 acceptable, that they were an abomination 
 in the sight of God, when they were made 
 a pretence to set aside the moral duties of 
 virtue and piety, or preferred to them. 
 When, then, a sanction was to be given 
 to a ritual, it seems an evident act of wis- 
 dom to avoid giving any encouragement 
 to superstition. Men, for instance, were 
 not to be encouraged to believe or hope, 
 that the blood of bulls or of goats would 
 take away the guilt of sin committed against 
 moral laws, or remove the punishment due 
 to moral crimes. The ritual served only to 
 purge ritual defilements, and expiate ritual 
 transgressions ; and such it became the 
 'sanction to be : ritual obedience and dis- 
 obedience, merely as such (for every dis- 
 obedience to the will of God was, on an- 
 other consideration, to be esteemed and 
 treated as moral guilt) ; yet mere ritual dis- 
 obedience, as such, had not, as it ought 
 to have had, the sanction of moral laws, 
 in the rewards and punishments of the 
 world to come. 
 
 Yet still the ritual, instead of being a 
 
 T
 
 322 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 prejudice to the sanction of the moral law, 
 and the doctrine of the rewards and pu- 
 nishments of another life, was of real use 
 and service to keep up the memory of 
 them, and strengthen the hopes and fears 
 of them ; for the ritual most evidently 
 taught that Jehovah, the one only true God, 
 was most holy, just, and pure : it taught 
 his mercy, goodness, and favour ; that obe- 
 dience and disobedience to the moral du- 
 ties of virtue and piety, were more accept- 
 able or displeasing to him, than ceremonial 
 obedience or ritual transgressions; and as 
 ritual expiations did not reach to moral 
 guilt, the ritual itself taught, that moral 
 guilt was left on the same foot it was, in 
 the more ancient patriarchal state of reli- 
 gion, in which Enoch and Noah walked 
 with God, and were accepted of him. 
 
 It may not be improper to observe here, 
 that the ritual, though it does not use it as 
 a sanction, yet supposes the immortality of 
 the soul, and takes for granted the separate 
 existence of departed spirits, as the com- 
 mon belief of the whole nation. This is 
 allowed in the laws against consulting the 
 dead, and against all the idolatrous customs 
 of their neighbours> either in deifying the 
 souls of dead men, or worshipping them as 
 heroes, or as the guardians of mortal men ; 
 how many laws of the ritual are evidently 
 founded on this supposition ? 
 
 The most solemn part of the Hebrew
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 323 
 
 ritual, the Shechinah, or Presence, in the 
 most holy place,. was so represented as to 
 teach the existence of angels, and their em- 
 ployments, as ministering spirits to God. 
 Angels had been so often sent on particu- 
 lar messages, the law was so solemnly 
 given with attendant angels, that it is hard- 
 ly possible to conceive, how any one of the 
 Hebrew nation could doubt of the exist- 
 ence of separate spirits, or question the im- 
 mortality of the soul, the universal belief 
 of all nations. This joined with a sense of 
 the moral distinction of good and evil, of 
 the righteousness and justice of God, was 
 sufficient to teach rewards and punish- 
 ments after this life. All these, were taught 
 by the ritual itself, as we have seen ; 
 though, very wisely, it did not make future 
 rewards and punishments the sanction of 
 ritual obedience and disobedience, that it 
 might better preserve the just distinction 
 between moral and ritual obligation. 
 
 I enter not into the dispute, how far the 
 doctrine of a future state entered into the 
 design of the Mosaical law, as a constitu- 
 ent part of that institution. The question 
 before me is sufficiently answered, if the 
 Hebrews did not remain ignorant of these 
 truths, under their ritual, and did actually 
 believe them, from the common principles 
 that made these doctrines the faith of their 
 forefathers, and the belief of all the nations 
 of the earth. Could they not learn, arid 
 
 Y2
 
 324 THE ftATlONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 did they not infer from the translation of 
 Enoch, the obedience of Noah, and the 
 Heb.xi. faith of Abraham, that God is a rewarder 
 6 * of those that diligently seek him ? that 
 
 $' Abraham, who sojourned in the Land of 
 Promise, as in a strange country, looked 
 jo, for a city that hath foundations, whose 
 builder and maker is God? and that 
 25, 26. Moses, when he chose rather to suffer af- 
 fliction with the people of God, than to en- 
 joy the pleasures of sin for a season had 
 respect to the recompense of reward? The 
 Apostle to the Hebrews represents them 
 39. thus arguing, and concludes, These all 
 having obtained a good report through 
 faith, received not the promises. And yet 
 6. they believed that God ivas a rewarder of 
 U. them that diligently seek him. They that 
 say such things, declare plainly, that they 
 seek a country, says the Apostle, and this 
 country he well understands of an heaven- 
 16. ly country ; but now they desire a better 
 country, that is, an heavenly ; wherefore 
 God is not ashamed to be called their God, 
 for he hath prepared for them a city. 
 
 When God appeared to Moses, and 
 sent him to deliver the children of Israel 
 out of the bondage of Egypt, he reveals 
 Exod. iii. himself under this title, / am the God of 
 6 * thy father, the God of Abraham, the God 
 
 of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. These all 
 were dead, and had not received the pro- 
 mises, yet God makes himself known by
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 325 
 
 the name of their God. If the Hebrews 
 believed the immortality of the soul, as we 
 have seen they did ; if they believed God 
 was the rewarder of those that diligently 
 seek him, as they accounted their fathers, 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had done, 
 without receiving the promises ; might 
 they not hence conclude, that God is not Matt. 
 the God of the dead, but of the living; and xxii.32. 
 that God, as their God, who had promised 
 to be their exceeding great reward, would 
 give an inheritance in his heavenly city, 
 and crown them with immortality in that 
 better country they sought after, that is, 
 an heavenly? 
 
 Let us now make this just reflection on 
 the great advantage and usefulness of the 
 Hebrew ritual, as an excellent means of 
 perfection and happiness, in a conjunction 
 of virtue and piety. This alone might 
 show, what reason there is to reverence 
 the wisdom of God, and his goodness, in 
 appointing his people a law, so well fitted 
 to give the best and most useful instruc- 
 tions in religion. Thus they appear infi- 
 nitely superior to any body of rites or cere- 
 monies, which either the wisdom of law- 
 givers, or the invention of priests, or the 
 imagination of any people, had ever 
 brought into use, or established; infinitely 
 better to serve the great ends of religion, 
 the true honour of God, in the real -happi- 
 ness of men, than any, than all the cele- 
 y 3
 
 326 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 brated mysteries and rites of the Egyptian 
 or Chaldean, the Grecian or the Roman 
 worship ; most of which, as we shall pre- 
 sently see, were not only useless, but dan- 
 gerous to the ends and uses of true reli- 
 gion. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 The Hebrciv Ritual serviceable to prevent 
 Idolatry. 
 
 \VE proceed now to consider another 
 great advantage of this ritual, as an hedge 
 against idolatry, at that time prevailing 
 every where, and introducing such forms 
 of worship, and such rites of religion, as 
 were extremely dangerous to virtue and 
 piety, and greatly encouraged the most abo- 
 minable vices, and all manner of wicked- 
 ness. So truly was it said of false religion, 
 
 Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum. 
 
 One design of separating the holy seed 
 of Abraham, by a particular ritual, from 
 other nations, was to make them guar- 
 dians of tnie religion, against the super- 
 stitious and idolatrous corruptions of it. 
 If it had been of no other service, this 
 alone would justly recommend it to esteem. 
 An institution, even of burdensome rites, 
 of no intrinsic worth iu : themselves, yet 
 would be an unspeakable benefit to a
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 32/ 
 
 people who were in great danger of losing 
 all true religion, in the general corruption 
 of the world, if it should prevent them 
 from doing those things that are not con- Rom.i. 
 venient, being filled with all unrighteous- 28 29< 
 ness ; as the heathen world is described, 
 when it had corrupted true religion ; so 
 that as they liked not . to retain God in 28. 
 their knowledge, God gave them over to a 
 reprobate mind. 
 
 If you consider either the time or the 
 occasion of appointing this ritual ; if you 
 consider the ritual itself, in the nature and 
 kind, in the number and variety of the 
 ceremonies directed by it, you will per- 
 ceive one principal end of it was to pre- 
 vent idolatry from prevailing among the 
 holy seed of Abraham. 
 
 The positive rites of worship, in the 
 patriarchal state of religion, appear to be 
 few, plain, and easy. Sacrifices, especially 
 burnt-offerings, which every one might 
 offer for themselves, with very few rites, 
 but accompanied with the acts of natural 
 and moral worship, confession, prayer, 
 and praise, seem to have been the only 
 parts of ritual worship; but the corruption 
 of true religion increasing much in the 
 days of Abraham, and reaching his own 
 family, the wisdom of God appointed cir- 
 cumcision a mark of the covenant of Je- 
 hovah, the only true God, with him, and 
 with his seed, to put them in constant re- 
 y 4
 
 328 THE RATIONAL OF TH^ HITUAL 
 
 membrance, by a visible mark in their 
 flesh, of their consecration to God, and 
 that Jehovah had raised them conservators 
 of the truth of the unity, and the sole wor- 
 ship of him, as the one and only true God, 
 in opposition to all kinds of polytheism 
 whatsoever. When this law was given 
 by Moses, the Egyptians, from whose bond- 
 age they were just delivered, and the Ca- 
 naanites, whose land God had given them 
 for their inheritance, had universally cor- 
 rupted true religion, and had changed the 
 truth of God into a lie, and ivorshipped 
 and served the creature more than the Cre- 
 ator, who is blessed for ever. It then be- 
 came the wisdom and goodness of God to 
 make a more effectual provision against 
 this spreading evil. Though many were 
 apt to overlook this design and use of the 
 Hebrew ritual, it deserves particular atten- 
 tion ; for, without observing this design 
 of the Mosaical law, we must be ignorant 
 of its true meaning and use, in most of its 
 particular constitutions. 
 
 Let it then be observed how this ritual 
 is fitted for this service ; how it was ac- 
 tually serviceable to preserve the Hebrew 
 nation, as the church of Jehovah, the one 
 true God, from the corruption of idolatry. 
 First re. First, if this ritual is considered in the 
 
 XtTprfn- wno ^ e P^ an f it> i fc appears designed ex- 
 cipies pressly to prevent the growth of idolatry, 
 which by removing the principles that supported
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 32Q 
 
 idolatry. You have seen the doctrines it support- 
 taught concerning Jehovah, their God. It ed idola ' 
 taught the unity, as well as the existence try * 
 of Jehovah ; that he truly was God, but 
 that there was no other God beside him. 
 It taught, that this one Jehovah made the 
 heavens and the earth, and governed his 
 whole creation as supreme Lord : that he 
 governed the world himself, by a particu- 
 lar as well as a general providence : that 
 the most glorious and perfect spirits, the 
 angels, were his servants, and were em- 
 ployed by him, as his ministers to do his 
 will. These principles, so clearly taught 
 in the Hebrew ritual, overthrew all the 
 foundations of idolatry, and all the false 
 maxims on which it was built : it showed 
 all other gods besides Jehovah, must be 
 false gods, idols, the creatures of a vain 
 imagination : it showed, that all those 
 beings whom the heathen world chose for 
 gods, whether the higher intelligences, 
 supposed to inhabit and animate the sun, 
 moon, and stars, or the daemons, and de- 
 parted souls of heroes and great men, 
 were not gods, but all of them equally the 
 creatures of the one Jehovah : that all his 
 creatures are to obey him ; and that he is 
 obeyed by every creature, of every degree, 
 of every rank, and of every order through- 
 out the whole creation. It seemed further 
 a wise provision against idolatry, to re- 
 move such principles as gave some plau-.
 
 330 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 sible countenance to the notion of inferior 
 gods, and inferior worship founded upon 
 it. Many reasoned in such manner as 
 this : Admit there is one only supreme 
 God, maker of heaven and earth, yet may 
 not beings of different order and powers, 
 have different capacities of doing good ; 
 and may they not be appointed by the su- 
 preme God, guardians of mortal men, dis- 
 pensers of the several blessings of Provi- 
 dence, protectors of nations, cities, and 
 persons, and then deserve an honour suit- 
 able to their rank, and a reverence from 
 men, suitable to the good they receive from 
 them? Do men, they might say, receive so 
 great benefits from the kind and useful in- 
 fluences of the sun, and should they not 
 reverence the glorious archangel that 
 dwells in the sun, and presides over its in- 
 fluences ; thank him for what he has done, 
 and pray his favour for healthy seasons 
 and fruitful years to come? Might not 
 men further say, as some actually did, " We 
 reverenced our ancestors on earth, and 
 such men, whose wisdom, love of their 
 country, and other good qualities, pro- 
 moted the prosperity of nations ; and now 
 their affection for their country and their 
 families is improved with their know- 
 ledge and power, is it not decent to ho- 
 nour them still ? and why may we not 
 consult them for direction, and a better 
 fotesjght of things to come, now they are
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 331 
 
 so highly improved in understanding and 
 knowledge, since they departed this life, 
 and seem to be appointed the guardians 
 and protectors of their respective nations 
 and people ?" 
 
 How likely such reasons were to pre- 
 vail with many, may appear from the in- 
 fluence like reasonings have, even among 
 Christians, and notwithstanding all that 
 the laws of Moses, and the doctrines of 
 Christ, have done to prevent it. Why might 
 not the Egyptians reason concerning the 
 archangel of the sun, as the Papists do con- 
 cerning St. Michael or St. Raphael ? Why 
 might not the Egyptians hope as much 
 from the deified soul of their ancestor Ham, 
 or Mitzraim, the founders of their nation 
 and polity, as the church of Rome teaches 
 to trust in St. Peter, or St. Paul, or the 
 blessed Virgin, mother of God ? 
 
 Look back now on the plan of the He- 
 brew ritual, and you will find, that it not 
 only teaches the unity of God, that there 
 is but one supreme; but it also teaches an 
 unity of worship, or that no inferior beings 
 are to be honoured with any acts of reli- 
 gious worship. The ritual knows no such 
 thing as inferior divine worship ; allows 
 no such thing as hero-worship : no 
 temple; no altar; no sacrifice; no feasts ; 
 no adoration ; no consulting of oracles, or 
 departed spirits, by any kind of rites or 
 ceremonies, are allowed, but are expressly 
 
 3
 
 332 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 '; . 
 
 forbid by it ; and every part of worship 
 and divine honour is most carefully appro- 
 priated to Jehovah alone, declaring his ho- 
 nour to be incommunicable to any crea- 
 ture, as his self-existent nature. Hence the 
 Hebrew law represents Jehovah as jealous 
 tsaiah, f his honour : / am the Lord (Jehovah), 
 xlii. 8. that is my name, and my glory will 1 not 
 give unto another, neither my praise to 
 graven images. Every part of worship 
 directed by the ritual to the worship of 
 Jehovah, is understood a part of that glory 
 due to his name. Hence there is a gene- 
 Exodus, ral law : And in all things that I have said 
 13. unto you be circumspect, and make no men- 
 tion of the names of other gods, neither let 
 it be heard out of thy mouth. 
 
 You observe, then, how the Hebrew 
 ritual is formed to root out all pretences to 
 idolatry. It directs expressly, there shall 
 be but one temple for the residence, or 
 dwelling-place, of the one Jehovah among 
 them : it directs, there shall be but one 
 altar before this Presence : it directs, that 
 all the acts of public worship, daily, week- 
 ly, monthly, yearly, shall be offered only 
 before this one Presence, and on this one 
 altar. Sacrifices of all kinds, whole burnt- 
 offerings, peace-offerings, sin-offerings, 
 and offerings of thanksgiving, were all li- 
 mited to this one house and Presence. All 
 occasional sacrifices, alj stated commemo- 
 rations pf the mercies of God, were solemn
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 333 
 
 acknowledgments, that they owed all their 
 blessings to Jehovah alone, not to any in- 
 ferior gods, daemons, or heroes. 
 
 The passover acknowledged, it was the 
 hand of Jehovah that delivered them out 
 of the bondage of Egypt, and brought 
 them into possession of the promised land. 
 The feast of Pentecost and Tabernacles ac- 
 knowledged, that the fruitfulness of their 
 land, the ingathering of the fruits thereof, 
 their plenty and prosperity in it, were the 
 effect of the protection and blessing of Je- 
 hovah, as their God, with an intention to 
 teach, that a religious acknowledgment of 
 these mercies was an honour and glory due 
 to Jehovah alone ; and which they were 
 not to ascribe to any other being, on any 
 account whatsoever. 
 
 The ritual further required, that all Deutxii. 
 idol altars, and groves, the places where 2 > 3 - 
 they worshipped their idol gods, should be 
 overthrown, burnt with fire, and utterly 
 destroyed : but unto the place which the & 
 Lord your God shall choose out of your 
 tribes, to put his name there, even unto his 
 habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou 
 shalt come. 
 
 Who can imagine that Jehovah, the 
 one supreme God, who appointed such a 
 ritual, did any ways allow the doctrine of 
 inferior gods, and inferior worship, on ac- 
 count of any blessings men had received, ? , 
 or could hope to receive from them, when
 
 334 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 the whole ritual so fully teaches, that Je- 
 hovah himself blesses them with all the 
 blessings of general and particular provi- 
 dence, or grace; that to bless him for these 
 mercies, to seek to him for the continu- 
 ance of them, is a glory due to his name, 
 and incommunicable to any other. 
 
 Now, these plain instructions of the 
 ritual showed the vanity of imagining some 
 great and powerful spirits, who, from the 
 excellency of their natures, deserved the 
 style of immortal gods, fit to be constituted 
 guardians of mortal men, regents of the 
 sun, the moon, and the stars, to direct their 
 motions, preserve their order, and dispense 
 their influences ; to be acknowledged there- 
 fore the authors of the good or evil sup- 
 posed to proceed from the benevolent or 
 malignant aspects of the planets. The 
 Hebrew ritual wisely and usefully taught 
 all such suppositions to be groundless and 
 wild imagination : it taught it moreover to 
 be a dangerous error, which hindered them 
 from perceiving whence they were to hope 
 for all good, and to fear all evil, from Je- 
 hovah, as the only true God, besides 
 whom there is no other ; arid which led 
 them to deny the providence of God, as 
 the author of every good gift, and so to 
 deny him the glory due to his name, and 
 naturally mislead them^ into a dangerous 
 idolatry. 
 
 It was of very great use, if possible, to
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 335 
 
 root out these errors. The danger of 
 them may appear, from an observation of 
 plain fact, though the wisdom of the He- 
 brew ritual has hardly been taken notice 
 of in this view. These principles were 
 drawn up into a system in the most ancient 
 times, and were the creed of the heathen 
 nations, as well as their superstition and 
 idolatry. These errors were entertained 
 in the East, and spread over the West, 
 and became the learning and philosophy of 
 Zoroaster and Pythagoras, as well as of 
 the Egyptian priests. The first precept 
 of the school of Pythagoras was, to wor- 
 ship the immortal gods, according to their 
 order, or their different natures and 
 powers, and after them the daemons, and 
 illustrious heroes, each in their order, the 
 dignity and power belonging to their 
 place and station. So the most ancient 
 writers represent the general received doc- 
 trines concerning their immortal gods, 
 daemons, and heroes, as guardians of mor- 
 tal men, and objects of their worship. 
 
 You see how important it was to put a 
 stop to such dangerous errors, and how 
 wisely the Hebrew ritual took care to in- 
 stil opposite principles into the minds of 
 the people, by preserving a constant at- 
 tention to the principal truths of one Je- 
 hovah, and one worship, that they might 
 receive no imagination of a variety of ob- 
 jects of worship, whether of heroes, or
 
 330 THfi fcATfONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 daemons, or immortal gods. How many 
 marks of goodness and wisdom appear in 
 giving the Hebrews a ritual, which in 
 every part so strongly opposed these dan- 
 gerous errors and principles of idolatry, 
 and so strictly preserved all religious wor- 
 ship to Jehovah alone, as the only proper 
 object of it ! 
 
 Wisdom j n applying the Hebrew ritual to this 
 tuai, in" use, to prevent idolatry from corrupting 
 forbid- the whole earth, and to keep this people 
 Sse^f 16 fr m tne infection of it, by separating the 
 everyido- Hebrew nation from the heathen nations, 
 latrous by tjjjg barrier, it will appear wise and 
 useful to keep them from the practice of 
 every idolatrous rite, as well as to discou- 
 rage the principles on which idolatrous 
 worship is founded. 
 
 It had appeared of eminent danger ta 
 the Hebrews to have familiar conversation 
 with idolaters : it was an easy step from 
 thence, to join with them in some of their 
 acts of idolatry. These compliances would 
 likely lead them, by degrees, into their 
 more dangerous superstitions, even into 
 their most criminal acts of idolatry. Thus 
 Numb. were they seduced by the Moabites : They 
 called the people unto the sacrifices of their 
 gods ; and the people did eat, and bowed 
 down to their gods. Feasts upon the sa- 
 crifices offered to their idols, might ap- 
 pear, at first, only as acts of friendship 
 and civil conversation ; but how soon did
 
 Of THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 337 
 
 these seeming civilities end in bowing 
 down to the idols to whose feasts they 
 were invited ! Idolatry is so encroaching, 
 it became the wisdom of a ritual, designed 
 to prevent it, to stop every passage by 
 which it might likely find any entrance ; 
 we shall better then perceive the wise rea- 
 sons of it, if we more distinctly perceive 
 the several methods made use of for this 
 end. 
 
 First, This will appear in appointing a In ap- 
 
 rituaL Many, who have not duly consi- F 
 i i i / i Tfi i i a 
 
 dered this view of the Hebrew ritual, and 
 its important service in separating the He- 
 brews, by their law, from the heathen na- 
 tions, as a barrier against idolatry, may 
 conceive that a ritual is of little advantage 
 to true religion, and even that there had 
 been more goodness in making this bless- 
 ing more general, instead of confining it 
 to one small nation of the earth. Good 
 precepts and wise instructions, with very 
 few rites, and those the most easy and 
 simple, such as was the preceding state of 
 religion under the patriarchs, would, they 
 say, have been much better, and of more 
 general use. Rites and ceremonies are, 
 they say, allowed not good of themselves, 
 noways of equal worth with true virtue 
 and goodness, the fear and the love of 
 God and of our neighbour. Be it so : 
 must a thing be of no use, because it is 
 not of such or such a particular use ? The 
 z
 
 338 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 heathen worshippers of idol gods had their 
 rites, their tabernacles and temples, their 
 priests, their sacrifices, with their feasts 
 upon them ; they confirmed and strength- 
 ened their idolatry in the use of them. 
 The minds of men, and in particular the 
 Israelites, were so taken up with sensible 
 things, that bare reasonings and doctrinal 
 precepts would have been useless, in their 
 circumstances, to preserve the right know- 
 ledge and worship of the one true God 
 without a ritual : they would have wanted, 
 as they actually declared they did, a sen- 
 sible presence of their God among them, 
 to go before them, and to give assurance 
 of his protection: they would have wanted 
 a ritual of worship, in the use of which 
 they might hope their security and pro- 
 sperity in the continued favour of Jehovah 
 as their God. They saw their neighbours 
 had rites and ceremonies of worship, and 
 would, likely, have been tempted to think 
 their condition better than their own, 
 when their gods were supposed near to 
 them, and dwelling in their temples, but 
 that Jehovah was far distant from them 
 as the heavens from the earth. It pleased 
 God, who well knew the power of men's 
 prejudices, and what evil consequences 
 they were like to have, to prevent them, 
 by giving them a special presence in his 
 Shechinah, and a ritual of worship, of his 
 own appointment, in the use of which
 
 bP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 33Q 
 
 they had reason to expect his favour and 
 blessing. 
 
 The Hebrew nation, then, when God 
 appointed them their ritual, were in such 
 circumstances, from the general idolatry 
 of their neighbours and their own preju- 
 dices (not to be wondered at, their long 
 continuance in Egypt considered), that, if 
 it had not seemed good to the wisdom of 
 God to appoint them a ritual, and by that 
 to make them a separate nation and people, 
 it seems morally impossible to have kept 
 them from idolatry, and then the know- 
 ledge and worship of the true God must 
 have been lost in the world. Hence, it 
 appears, this institution must of necessity 
 have been the law of one nation, to se- 
 parate and distinguish it from idolatrous 
 nations, and by such a separation preserve 
 it from idolatry. 
 
 2. The wisdom of this ritual appears 
 further in the fulness of the ritual, in ap- 
 pointing so many and so great variety of 
 rites. The same reasons that made a ritual 
 convenient, and in their circumstances even 
 necessary, made a full ritual as convenient 
 and as necessary, such as should reach to 
 every part of worship, as it was to be an 
 hedge, or a fence, against idolatry every 
 way. 
 
 'Some have observed the Hebrew ritual 
 has a very great variety of ceremonies ; 
 many of which regard the presence of Je- 
 z 2
 
 34O THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 hovah, or the Shechinah; others which 
 regard the temple, the house of Jehovah, 
 or seat of his presence ; and others which 
 regard the priests who ministered before 
 the Presence ; others which regard their 
 sacrifices, their offerings, and the proper 
 rites of each : what a great variety was 
 there directed for their festivals, purifica- 
 tions, cleanness of foods, their births, 
 their marriages, their funerals, and their 
 mournings ! so that there was scarce any 
 action of moment, civil or religious, but 
 the Hebrew ritual gave some directions or 
 other about it. 
 
 Here, again, many who have not duly 
 considered the reasons of appointing this 
 ritual, which was not designed a general 
 law of religion to all, but a law to separate 
 a particular people from an idolatrous 
 world, without which no families of the 
 earth could have been preserved from ido- 
 latry, take occasion to represent this ri- 
 tual not only as useless, but as very bur- 
 densome too. True religion, they say, 
 was like to be kept out of sight when co- 
 vered with such a load of ceremonies ; the 
 very observation of which must have been 
 an insupportable burden to the whole 
 people. Would it not have been much 
 easier, they are apt to ask, to have per- 
 mitted the people to dwell quietly at home 
 in their own cities and houses, than to ob- 
 lige them to travel three times a year to
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 341 
 
 the place of the Presence ? Why did the 
 ritual, they further ask, expose them to so 
 many pollutions, some of which were 
 casual and unavoidable, very few were im- 
 moral or defiled the mind ; and yet how 
 many ceremonies of washing and purifica- 
 tions were required to make them clean ! 
 
 But there is one plain and sufficient an- 
 swer to all such questions as these. Ob- 
 serve of what service it was to the preven- 
 tion of idolatry, a design of great wisdom 
 and goodness to give such a ritual as 
 should want no additions, or leave any 
 room for any pretended amendments of 
 their own : it would have been full as 
 well, it may be better, to have had no ri- 
 tual at all, than one defective and imper- 
 fect, or wanting in many things, which 
 the rituals of their neighbours had pro- 
 vided for ; this would have opened a door 
 to innumerable rites of idolatry ; notwith- 
 standing their own law they would have 
 been tempted to borrow from their neigh- 
 bours what they would imagine had not 
 been sufficiently provided for by their own 
 lawgiver. 
 
 We shall better perceive the force of 
 this reason by observing some particular 
 instance; let it be the ritual concerning 
 deaths and burials. The ritual directs, 
 He that toucheth the dead body of any Numb. 
 man shall be unclean seven days, and he J- ll 
 shall purify himself with it on the third 
 z 3
 
 day, and on the seventh day he shall be 
 clean ; but if he purify not himself the se- 
 venth day he shall not be clean. It is fur- 
 ther directed, When a man dieth in a tent, 
 all that come into the tent, and all that is 
 in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 
 Further, Whosoever toucheth one that is 
 slain with a sword in the open fields, or 
 a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a 
 grave, shall be unclean seven days. You 
 see the ritual does not only reach to dead 
 bodies, but to the bones and graves of dead 
 men. The ritual takes care to prevent, in 
 particular, some superstitious rites of fu- 
 nerals, and mourning for the dead, in use 
 among the heathen : Ye shall not eat any 
 thing tvith the blood, neither shall ye use 
 enchantments, nor observe times. Ye shall 
 not round the corners of your heads, nei- 
 ther shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard: 
 ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh 
 for the dead, nor print any marks upon 
 you : I am the Lord* 
 
 However such directions of a ritual 
 concerning dead bodies, the bones and 
 graves of dead men, may appear below the 
 regulations of religion, it will be repre- 
 sented quite otherwise to one who con- 
 siders the numerous superstitions and 
 dangerous ceremonies of idolatry, which 
 arose from an undue respect for the dead, 
 and customary rites of mqurning, funerals, 
 honours paid at the sepulchres and to the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 343 
 
 memory of the deceased, their exercises, 
 feasts, sacrifices, and those too often hu- 
 man. These naturally became a religious 
 honour to the ghosts of their deceased 
 ancestors and friends, and were offered to 
 them to render them kind and propitious. 
 You may see many of them in a very 
 learned and most reverend author of our 
 own. I shall mention but one instance : 
 Helena desires Hermione to address Cly- 
 temnestra in these words : 
 
 " Daughter Hermione, come forth, and take Abp.Pot- 
 
 " These offerings to thy dear aunt's sepulchre ; ter .|: * r< 
 
 " These locks of my hair, and this honey mix'd c. riii. p. 
 
 " With milk, and this wine to pour o'er her grave; 237- 
 " Which having done, stand on its top, and say, 
 " Thy sister Helen, to declare her love, 
 " Offers these rites to thy dear memory." 
 
 When such funeral honours were of 
 frequent use, no wonder they respected 
 some as heroes, and, deifying them, still 
 added to the number of their inferior gods. 
 This gave great encouragement to their 
 favourite superstition of necromancy, and 
 consulting the dead by a variety of magi- 
 cal rites. One of the most ancient writers 
 in the world shows, in the example of 
 Ulysses, how far such rites were establish- 
 ed and in common use : " He sacrificed a 
 " black sheep in a ditch, filled with new 
 " wine, honey, and milk, and then invok- 
 
 Z4
 
 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 " ed the ghosts to prosper them, and rc- 
 " veal the secrets of futurity to them : 
 
 . . -rrn 
 
 " And trenching the black earth, on every side 
 " A cavern form'd, a cubit long, and wide ; 
 " New wine, with honey temper 'd, milk we bring ; 
 " Then living waters, from the crystal spring : 
 " Now the wan shades we hail, th' infernal gods, 
 " To speed our course, and waft us o'er the floods." 
 
 Ulysses then promises ; 
 
 " So shall a ram, the largest of the breed, 
 " Black as these regions, to Tiresias bleed." 
 
 Homer j Odyssey, 1. xi. 1. SO, &c. 
 
 You see, then, it must have been a ri- 
 tual that directed what customs should be 
 used in mournings, at funerals, and con- 
 cerning honours given to the dead; which 
 alone was likely to prevent the idolatrous 
 acts of necromancy, the worship of the 
 infernal gods, and ghosts of men deceased. 
 
 After these instances, there is no need, 
 I think, to be particular in others, in order 
 to confirm this observation, that the He- 
 brew ritual, in order to answer its end as 
 a guard against idolatry, must be full and 
 reach all cases, in which there was any 
 danger idolatrous rites should gain admis- 
 sion among them. Apply this reason to 
 rites of marriage, women in and after 
 child-birth, as well as to deaths and fu- 
 nerals, and you will perceive the wisdom 
 of regarding these cases in the ritual of 
 their religion : a people so eager after 
 some ceremony or other, on every occa- 
 
 4
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 345 
 
 sion, would have been uneasy and im- 
 patient without them, when they saw all 
 their neighbours had rites to use on all 
 these occasions : they would either have 
 adopted them for their own use, or have 
 invented others of their own imagination 
 of equal danger, or of worse consecjuence; 
 but, as it pleased God to appoint them a 
 ritual, which reached to all these cases, it 
 was a prudent preservative against ido- 
 latry, one of the good and wise designs of 
 appointing a ritual. 
 
 3. The wisdom of this ritual as a guard By con- 
 against idolatry will yet further appear, as stitutioni 
 it took into it several constitutions more venHoo 
 effectually to prevent too familiar inter- familiar 
 course with idolaters ; in particular, inter- ^ T r ~ se 
 marriages, entertainments and feasts, and withido- 
 frequent society ; these were likely in laters - 
 themselves, and had been found in expe- 
 rience, to mislead them, not only into 
 lesser idolatrous customs, but into the 
 highest acts of idolatrous worship. 
 
 This part of the ritual seems to have 
 been greatly misunderstood, or much mis- 
 represented, when supposed to proceed 
 from ill humour, and that it was the effect 
 of a bad temper to mix religion with civil 
 society, and to break off a commerce of 
 friendship by religious rites. It looks, 
 some say, like an hatred of all other na- 
 tions but their own ; no great commenda- 
 tion of a law to teach and encourage so
 
 340 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 unbenevolent a temper. But before such 
 accusations are brought against a nation, 
 or against the customs, especially the re- 
 ligious rites of a people, men ought to be 
 sure they are true in fact : if there may 
 be other reasons, if there really are better 
 reasons, it is no commendation, either of 
 their judgment or benevolence, who will 
 still continue such accusations. 
 
 It is observable, the law no where for- 
 bids acts of kindness or benevolence to 
 any, but expressly requires the love of their 
 neighbour as of themselves, and to do good 
 to them as to their own family and nation. 
 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, 
 was the second great commandment of 
 the law. The laws of charity were a 
 branch of their moral law, and justly 
 allowed by the doctors of the law, of 
 much greater importance than their rites 
 and ceremonies, as we have already seen ; 
 ill-will to their neighbours, an unbene- 
 volent temper, therefore, were not the 
 true reasons of providing against a too fa- 
 miliar conversation between the Hebrews 
 and their idolatrous neighbours, however 
 an ill-will to a law of revelation may en- 
 deavour to propagate such prejudices. 
 
 Hear the law itself, the best expositor 
 of its own meaning : you have the true 
 meaning, and a very wise and good mean- 
 ing, self-preservation from the danger of 
 a great evil, no less than a loss of the true
 
 VII. 
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 347 
 
 religion, and therewith of their happiness 
 in the favour of Jehovah as their God : 
 thus the law ; Neither shalt thou make Deut. 
 marriages tvith them ; thy daughter thou 3, 4. 
 shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter 
 shalt thou take unto thy son. For they 
 will turn away thy son from following 
 after me, that they may serve other gods; 
 so will the anger of the Lord be kindled 
 against you, and destroy thee suddenly. 
 This was an important reason to prohibit 
 intermarriages, without which all care to 
 prevent idolatry would likely have been 
 useless : it was then convenient to put a 
 stop to such frequent conversations, and 
 especially entertainments, as would have 
 proved an occasion, either of intermar- 
 riages, or familiarities as dangerous. 
 
 Yon have observed, in the delineation 
 of the ritual, it made a distinction between 
 foods, declared some sorts unclean, and 
 not to be eat by the Hebrews as an holy 
 people to Jehovah ; in particular, there is a Lev - 
 very precise prohibition of eating blood in 
 any manner, or on any pretence whatso- 
 ever. Shedding of the blood of sacrifices, 
 and offering it on the altar, was a rite in 
 common use, both with the Hebrews and 
 their idolatrous neighbours, but with very 
 different intention and meaning ; the He- 
 brews offered their sacrifices, and the blood 
 of them, to Jehovah only, at his altar; but 
 their heathen neighbours offered theirs to
 
 348 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 idols and daemons, esteemed the blood of 
 their sacrifices the food of ghosts and de- 
 parted spirits, by which they could raise 
 them, make them appear, and answer 
 questions ; so that a principal use of blood 
 among them was as a conjuration to raise 
 spirits. Eating of blood then, especially, 
 as was very common in feasts or sacrifices, 
 was supposed an honour to the daemon, 
 and testifying a sort of communion be- 
 tween them. Now, there was hardly an 
 entertainment among idolaters, but there 
 was something of blood, or some conse- 
 crated bread or wine, part of a meat or 
 drink offering to some or other idol, some 
 fowl, or flesh, or fish, peculiarly consecrat- 
 ed to some daemon : so that an Hebrew 
 could hardly possibly be entertained by 
 an heathen, but he must fall in with some 
 or other of their idolatrous customs. In 
 fact, there hardly appears any one tempta- 
 tion to idolatry, that prevailed so much as 
 friendships contracted with idolaters. The 
 case of Solomon is a melancholy example : 
 that wise prince, once so zealous for his 
 law and religion, was yet seduced into 
 i Kings, idolatry by this very temptation : But king 
 . i, 2. Solomon loved many strange women of 
 the nations concerning which the Lord said 
 unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go 
 in to them, nor shall they come in unto 
 you ; for surely they will turn a/way your 
 heart after their gods. Solomon clave unto
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 40 
 
 these in love. Thus this wise man was 
 seduced ; his wives turned away his heart *. 
 after other gods. And Solomon went after 5. 
 Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and 
 after Milcom, the abomination of the Am- 
 monites. If so great a man as Solomon 
 was taken in these snares, and fell so foully 
 into idolatry by these temptations, how 
 "wise, how prudent was it to remove these 
 temptations, in a law designed as a guard 
 against idolatry ! 
 
 3. We may yet further perceive the Aspre- 
 reason of this ritual, as a preservative ferableto 
 
 cvcrv 
 
 against idolatry, in taking care to recom- ot her ri- 
 mend it to the esteem of the Hebrew na- tui- 
 tion as preferable to any other ritual what- 
 soever. The Hebrews had known the 
 rites in--tise among the Egyptians, and 
 were soon to know the idolatrous ceremo- 
 nies of the Canaan ites. They were so 
 much inclined to a respect for the customs 
 of the Egyptians, a people who had a very 
 early and high reputation for wisdom, 
 polity, and power ; a people in particular 
 famed for their doctrines concerning the 
 gods, and for their ceremonies of worship 
 as highly acceptable to them ; so that the 
 idolatrous worship of most nations, in 
 doctrine and in ceremonies, was derived 
 from Egypt. History teaches the high 
 reputation of the Egyptian priests, as 
 divines as well as philosophers, when the 
 earliest; of the Greek philosophers went
 
 350 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 into Egypt to learn their doctrines; and 
 Greece acknowledged the principles of its 
 learning were brought from thence. What 
 impressions a respect for Egyptian cus- 
 toms was like to make on the Hebrews^ 
 may be learnt from what it actually did 
 make. While Moses was in the Mount 
 for forty days, receiving the commands of 
 Exod. God, the people grew impatient : They 
 xxxii. i. gath&red themselves together unto Aaron, 
 and said unto them, Up, make us gods that 
 shall go before us. This was the occasion 
 of making the golden calf, and which was 
 consecrated as an emblem of the presence 
 * of Jehovah with them ; for Aaron built an 
 altar before it, and made proclamation, To~ 
 morrow is a feast to the Lord (Jehovah). 
 It has been thought this calf of Aaron was 
 an exact imitation of the Egyptian idolatry. 
 It will, I think, be of little use to inquire 
 whether Aaron took his figure of a calf 
 from the Egyptian calf, the symbol of their 
 idol Apis, as some think ; or whether, as 
 Tennison others, with the learned Archbishop Ten- 
 ofidoia- nison, from the cherubim on the ark, 
 ios &c! wmcn na d the form of oxen, and were ap- 
 pendages to the Shechinah ; it is so far 
 plain that God is here worshipped in a 
 symbol, and in the symbol of a calf, con- 
 trary to his own appointed symbol, the 
 Shechinah or cloud of glory, without any 
 resemblance, image, or Form of man or ani- 
 mal. Whatever reasons there were which
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 353 
 
 inclined the people to choose an animal to 
 be the symbol of the presence of Jehovah, 
 and to make that animal a calf rather than 
 any other, it seems evident enough there 
 was too great a regard for Egyptian rites, 
 when they so naturally fell into their no- 
 tions of superstition. It was then of great 
 concern to obviate such a danger, whether 
 from adopting the idolatrous rites of their 
 neighbours, or following their own super- 
 stitious imaginations, to give the Hebrews 
 such an esteem and reverence for a ritual 
 of their own, that they should come to 
 prefer it to every other, however recom- 
 mended on account of venerable antiquity 
 and long usage, or by the reputation and 
 wisdom of the people which used them, or 
 from the authority of oracles and daemons, 
 or a fondness for their own imaginations. 
 To answer this end the Hebrew ritual was 
 wisely appointed by the command, and 
 established by express authority, of Jeho- 
 vah himself. The preface to each of its 
 laws was after this manner : Jehovah spake 
 unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the chil- 
 dren of Israel, and say unto them. The 
 ritual was not a general rule, leaving par- 
 ticulars to discretion : positive and parti- 
 cular laws established every part of it. 
 This ritual came thus recommended to the 
 Hebrews as the law of Jehovah their God 
 to them, as his peculiar people and an holy 
 nation to him. These were recommenda-
 
 352 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 tions above the considerations of antiquity, 
 the use of the wisest people, or even the 
 oracles of daemons : Moses strongly there- 
 fore argues the high esteem the He- 
 brews ought to have for their own law : 
 
 Deut.nr. Behold, I have taught you statutes and 
 5, 6, 7. . , ,r T j n i 
 
 judgments, even as the Lord my (jod com- 
 manded me : keep therefore and do them, 
 for this is your wisdom and your under- 
 standing in the sight of the nations which 
 shall hear all these statutes , and say, Surely 
 this great nation is a wise and understand- 
 ing people : and what nation is there so 
 great, that hath God so nigh unto them, as 
 the Lord our God is, in all that we call 
 upon him for ? 
 
 It was then fit and becoming the wis- 
 dom of God to recommend a ritual to the 
 esteem and obedience of the children of 
 Israel, by his immediate authority : these 
 were powerful motives not to forsake the 
 law of their God, and to make it effectu- 
 ally prove, what it was intended to be, a 
 guard against idolatry. 
 
 Hence, it will appear, that one of the 
 common prejudices against the Hebrew ri- 
 tual is very unreasonable. It is said to be 
 unbecoming the wisdom of God to ratify 
 in so solemn a manner a bare system of 
 rites and ceremonies ; that it brings the 
 observation of positive duties too near in 
 esteem and value to the 4 - much greater and 
 essential moral duties : but this prejudice is
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 35$ 
 
 founded on a double mistake; the one, that 
 a ritual could not deserve such a sanction, 
 when it was a very wise, and the only 
 likely method to answer the good design 
 for which it was given, in preserving the 
 people from idolatry ; the other, that the 
 ritual was raised so much in the esteem of 
 the Hebrews, that it was a prejudice to the 
 greater esteem and value due to the essen- 
 tial moral duties. As this objection has been 
 thought plausible, let it appear in the true 
 light in which the ritual itself places it. 
 You have already seen how the law prefers 
 mercy to sacrifice, or the moral parts to 
 the ritual ; as also, that the sanction of the 
 ritual is the promise of temporal blessings, 
 in particular, long life, health, and prospe- 
 rity in the promised land* These suffi- 
 ciently distinguished the ritual from the 
 moral part of the law, and leave no room 
 for an unreasonable prejudice, as if they 
 were confounded by it. 
 
 It is an apparent falsehood, in fact, that 
 the law preferred or equalled the ritual 
 with the moral part ; for the law itself, in 
 the most express manner, declares truth, 
 judgment, righteousness, and mercy, the 
 weightier matters of the law, and that the 
 most solemn rites were unacceptable to 
 God without them, even an abomination 
 in his sight. 
 
 The Hebrew ritual is yet further re- AS liable 
 commended as a fit and wise guard against r jj; 
 
 A A
 
 354 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 idolatry, as it was made an unchangeable 
 constitution, as wanting no alteration or 
 Deut. iv. amendment. Thus the law : Hearken, O 
 1 ' Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judg- 
 ments u'hich I teach you, for to do them, 
 that ye may live, and go in and possess the 
 land which the Lord God of your fathers 
 giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word 
 which I command you t neither shall ye di- 
 minish aught from it, that ye may keep the 
 commandments of the Lord your God, 
 which I command you. 
 
 All the laws and constitutions of the 
 Hebrew church and nation came from Je- 
 hovah, in the expression of the Hebrew 
 <reed from heaven : they were not there- 
 fore subject to human authority, nor was it 
 in the power of man to change or alter 
 them. In the Hebrew government, the 
 sole authority of making laws was in Je- 
 hovah as King of Israel. No magistrate 
 in that government, whether judge, san- 
 hedrim, or senate, congregation of Israel, 
 or popular assembly, either separately or 
 jointly, had power to repeal any of the 
 laws enacted by Jehovah, or to publish 
 new laws in his name, which would be to 
 make laws for his kingdom without his au- 
 thority. It appears, in fact, that how often 
 soever the children of Israel departed from 
 the ritual in practice, it is not justified on 
 pretence of any power to change and alter 
 it, but severely condemned as a violation
 
 OF THE HEBttEW WORSHIP. 3.55 
 
 of the law, and as idolatry; as groves, 
 high places, the calves of Dan and Bethel, 
 all which are censured as forsaking the 
 law of Jehovah their God. It is remark- / I 
 able in the many rules appointed by David 
 and Solomon, for the more orderly per- 
 formance of the temple-service, they are 
 all strictly according to the ritual, with- 
 out adding any thing to it, or diminishing 
 aught from it. No alteration in the ritual 
 of the Presence, every thing in the temple 
 exactly as it was appointed in the taber- 
 nacle, the same rites concerning sacrifices, 
 sacrificial ceremonies, purifications, sab- 
 baths, the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly 
 services, were continued without altera- 
 tion, as they were first commanded by 
 Moses. The more regular attendance of 
 the priests arid Levites in their proper 
 times of service, and their more orderly 
 service, when in waiting, were no altera- 
 tions of any rite or ceremony ; the ritual, 
 as described by Moses, remained, in fact, 
 unchanged, as it was unalterable by the 
 constitution. 
 
 We have the meaning and the reason 
 of this law in a remarkable case. 
 
 When the children of Reuben, Gad, Joshua, 
 andManasseh, had their lot of inheritance * 
 settled in eastern Canaan, they built an 
 altar by Jordan. As soon as the children 
 of Israel heard of it, they sent a solemn 
 embassy of ten princes of the tribes to ex- 
 
 A A 2
 
 356 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 postulate with them, and represent the 
 16. evil and danger of such an action : What 
 trespass is this, say they, ye have commit* 
 ted against the God of Israel, to turn away 
 this day from following the Lord, in that 
 you have builded you an altar, that ye 
 might rebel this day against the Lord; 
 I9 - that is, in building an altar, besides the 
 altar of the Lord our God : the ritual 
 having appointed there should be but one 
 altar, and that before the Presence. In 
 answer to this charge, the tribes accused 
 22, 23. said, they did not erect an altar for sacri- 
 fice, but as a witness to prove their right 
 in after- times, as belonging to the holy 
 seed of Abraham, to offer their sacrifices 
 on God's altar before the Presence ; it was 
 a monument for a memorial, that we may 
 say, Behold the pattern of the altar of the 
 Lord, tuhich our fathers made, not for 
 burnt -offerings, nor for sacrifices, but it is 
 a witness between us and you. Both sides, 
 in the strongest manner, allow the ritual 
 unchangeable, and the high importance of 
 28. not altering it, though only by building 
 another altar besides the altar which was 
 appointed by the ritual before the taber- 
 nacle. 
 
 Consider, now, the ritual in this view, 
 and you will perceive a further wise pro- 
 vision against the danger of idolatry. This 
 left no room for any superstitious or idola- 
 trous rites to be brought into use, or re-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 35 7 
 
 ceived into practice, on any pretence what- 
 soever. No constitution could have been 
 secure from corruption, that was not se- 
 cured against alterations; so wisely did 
 the ritual provide, to stop every inlet to 
 idolatry. 
 
 It further shows, how wisely the plan Tempo- 
 of this ritual was formed, to prevent idola- ral re- 
 try, that the rewards and punishments ap- l a ,il s , 
 
 j j i i i * nci pu* 
 
 pointed by the law, were properly chosen nish- 
 and well fitted to attain this end. You 
 
 have seen before, that though the Hebrews to pro!" 
 had notions of the immortality of the soul, v nt 
 of the justice of God, and of rewards and idolatry * 
 punishments in another life, which were 
 common notions, received in all nations 
 of the earth, that yet it would not have 
 been so proper to have made the rewards 
 and punishments of a future state the sanc- 
 tion of a ritual law, lest it should raise the 
 value of ritual obedience too high* and give 
 occasion to superstition, when it was der 
 signed to prevent it: Moses, therefore, 
 does not bind his ritual by the considera- 
 tion of the rewards and punishments of a 
 future state; Moses left them, as they 
 were before he gave his law, the common 
 faith of all nations ; but he appoints a pro- 
 per sanction, fit to overbalance the hopes 
 of idolaters, and their expectations from 
 the protection and favour of the daemons 
 they worshipped. All the blessings of life 
 were supposed to be so much in the power 
 A A 3
 
 558 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 of daemons, inferior gods, guardians of 
 mortal men, that it was a general persua- 
 sion, the best way to obtain any of these 
 blessings was to ask them of the proper 
 daemon, or inferior god, whose province 
 it was to give them. The great skill in 
 daemonology consisted, then, in knowing 
 what daemon presided over such and such 
 blessings of life ; in what manner, and by 
 what particular rites, they were to be in- 
 voked, with most assurance of success. A 
 woman in child-birth, for instance, was not 
 to address herself to Jupiter, when it was 
 the province of Juno Lucina to help her ; 
 and the aid of Lucina was to be invoked by 
 the use of peculiar rites : and by such rites 
 duly performed to the proper daemon, they 
 promised themselves, according to the 
 maxims of this daemon theology, what 
 blessings they asked from their favour, as 
 health, long life, safety from dangers, suc- 
 cess and victory in war, good seasons, fruit- 
 fulness of the earth, and, in general, all 
 manner of temporal blessings. This dae- 
 mon theology represented the several in- 
 ferior gods, so fond of these honours, that 
 they were bribed by them to bestow their 
 favours, and were inclined to do mischief 
 to such as should neglect or refuse them. 
 Such encouragements from such hopes, 
 greatly attached idolaters to the use of 
 these rites, and fixed them in an high opi- 
 nion of them. God, who well knew what
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 350 
 
 influence this was like to have on men's 
 minds, was pleased to prevent the danger, 
 by promising all these blessings from his 
 own special grace and favour, to those 
 who should honour him, by keeping his 
 statutes and his ordinances. Now, there 
 was no blessing in the power of the dae- 
 mons of the heathen to bestow, but was 
 much more in the power of Jehovah, the 
 Creator, the supreme Lord and Governor of 
 heaven and of earth. Hence the Hebrews, 
 in the use of their ritual, were preserved 
 from all the idolatrous rites of daemon 
 worship, when they had full satisfaction 
 and good assurance they should receive im- 
 mediately from Jehovah, whatever bless- 
 ings their idolatrous neighbours could hope 
 to obtain from their daemons. Moses and Deut. 
 Solomon have given so full a catalogue of f 
 these blessings, that it includes every via. 
 blessing the hearts of men can wish or con- 
 ceive, such as must show happy is that 
 people, even above all other people, whose 
 God is the Lord (Jehovah). Of such ex- 
 cellent use was the Hebrew ritual to pre- 
 serve from these powerful temptations to 
 idolatry. 
 
 As it had pleased God to manifest him- 
 self from the beginning on proper occa- 
 sions by his Shechinah, and to reveal his 
 will by his voice, oracle, or word, to 
 Adam, to Noah, to Abraham ; so the ap- 
 pearance of the Shechinah was of the most 
 
 A A 4
 
 3()0 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 early use ; but on giving the Hebrew law 
 by Moses it became constant, as an es- 
 sential and principal part of the ritual. 
 Then Jehovah in the Shechinah had a re-r 
 sidence, or dwelling-place, a sensible evi- 
 dence they had the true oracle and kebla 
 among them ! They saw and heard' Je- 
 hovah in these appearances : what en- 
 couragement was this to obedience and 
 faithfulness in the covenant between Je- 
 hovah and them, to serve him only as their 
 God, and not to fall into the use of any 
 idolatrous rites of worship on any pretence 
 whatsoever ! 
 
 It would have been a most unreason- 
 able incredulity to deny the truth of these 
 divine appearances, so often seen and heard 
 by so many persons at once, and for so 
 long a time in the camp at giving the law, 
 and in the tabernacle, 
 
 Tp suppose these facts, which the ri- 
 tual suggested, and not to receive the ri- 
 tual as established by authority of Jehovah^ 
 would have been an incredulity almost as 
 unreasonable as to deny the facts. It must 
 be very unfair to reject such evidence as is 
 supported by rational and sufficient mo- 
 tives of belief, when there is not one good 
 or sufficient reason to disbelieve and reject 
 jt. It must destroy all moral prudence, all 
 peace and order in the world, to refuse 
 our belief, and to give no credit to what 
 is highly probable and rational, only on a
 
 groundless, whimsical, and absurd con- 
 ceit, that we are to believe nothing but 
 what we can prove by a demonstration, or 
 concerning which we cannot prove it is an 
 absolute impossibility it should be false. 
 
 This foundation of faith is most judi- 
 ciously stated and confirmed by Mr. Chil- 
 Jingworth, showing, " That we may be, Chilling, 
 < and we ought to.be infallibly certain, p.Tfc.v 
 ' that we are to believe the religion of s. 8. 
 ' Christ: for, first, this is most certain, that 
 " we are in all things to do according to wis- 
 " dom and reason, rather than against it; 
 " and, secondly, this is certain, that wjs- 
 " dom and reason require that we should 
 " believe those things which are by many 
 " degrees more credible and probable than 
 " the contrary. Thirdly, this is as cer- 
 " tain, that to every man who considers 
 " impartially what great things may be 
 " said for the truth of Christianity (or 
 suppose in like manner for the trqtfi of the 
 Hebrew law), "and what poor things they 
 " are which may be said against it, either 
 " for any other religion, or for none at all, 
 " it cannot but appear by many degrees 
 " more credible that Christian religion is 
 " true, than the contrary. And from all 
 " these premises this conclusion necessa- 
 " rily follows, that it is infallibly certain 
 " that we are firmly to believe the Chris- 
 " tian religion." 
 
 The Hebrews then might, on the same
 
 302 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 principles, be infallibly certain that they 
 were to receive their ritual as of divine au- 
 thority ; that they were not to receive any 
 rites of worship contrary to their own law, 
 especially any rite of superstitious or ido- 
 latrous worship, with what reverence so- 
 ever it might be used in the worship of 
 .other gods besides Jehovah. In this pro- 
 vision of a ritual the Hebrews had then an 
 eminent and valuable advantage. With 
 the presence and oracle of Jehovah, they 
 had a ritual for every part of their worship 
 of God's own appointment : how excel- 
 lent a guard was this from the great danger 
 of idolatry ! a blessing of such consequence, 
 that it is an honour to God's wisdom and 
 goodness to separate a people, to preserve 
 the true faith and true worship of Jeho- 
 vah, the one true God, which could only 
 be done with any prospect of success, but 
 by a peculiar people, and as such separate 
 from an idolatrous world. We shall then 
 see more clearly in this light the goodness 
 and, wisdom of a law that should more ef- 
 fectually guard this peculiar people from 
 so general corruption as had infected the 
 whole world in the days of Moses, wben 
 the Hebrew ritual was given by him.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The Hebrew Ritual considered as a Plan 
 of a better State of Religion in the 
 Times of the promised Messiah. 
 
 IT was before observed, among the designs 
 of this ritual, as agreeable to the then state 
 of the world, and of religion in it, and to 
 the particular state of the Hebrew nation, 
 as the holy seed of Abraham, this was one, 
 that it might be the plan of a better state 
 of religion, which was to take place in, 
 due time, when the promises and cove- 
 nant made with Abraham, their father, 
 should be accomplished. 
 
 God had not only promised to Abra- 
 ham and his seed to give them the land of 
 Canaan for a possession, but he also pro- 
 mised that in him should all the families of 
 the earth be blessed. In this Abrahamic 
 covenant there are some things peculiar to 
 himself and his own posterity, and some 
 common to all the families of the earth. 
 This is so often repeated as if designed to 
 point it out to particular observation. From 
 which consideration of the covenant a very 
 learned and judicious author has observed, 
 " The promise to Abraham consisting Bp.Sher. 
 
 i j- lock 01 
 
 " of two distinct parts, or including two Prophe . 
 " distinct covenants ; the one relating to C y,p.i59. 
 " the temporal state and prosperity of his
 
 304 TH RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 " seed in the land of Canaan, the other 
 " to the blessing which, through him, and 
 " his seed, was to be conveyed to all na- 
 " tions of the earth ; it is, therefore, p. 
 " proper question, with respect to the 
 " proper state of religion under the Jew- 
 " ish dispensation, how far the religion of 
 " the Jews was preparatory to that new 
 " dispensation which was in due time to 
 " be revealed, in accomplishment of the 
 
 p. 163. "promise made to all nations. Inasmuch, 
 " then, as the Jewish religion did virtually 
 <f contain the hopes of the Gospel, the re- 
 
 $. 165. <f ligion itself was a prophecy." 
 
 As this is an important observation in 
 itself, so it may appear to call for our more 
 heedful attention, from the plain proof the 
 whole ritual gives, that, in fact, this was 
 one principal design and intention of it, 
 and from the great use the books of the 
 Christian revelation make of it, in proof 
 that Jesus is the Messiah. 
 
 Whoever will compare the ivliole ritual 
 in the whole design and plan of it, will 
 easily see it is a shadow of the good things 
 which did actually come, or a sketch of 
 that state of religion which was actually 
 brought into the world when all the na- 
 tions of the earth were blessed in the com- 
 ing of the promised Messiah. When such 
 application is confirmed and cleared up by 
 the better Christian tevelation, can any 
 Christian doubt, whether this was one de-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 365 
 
 sign of the Hebrew ritual or no ? Can any 
 one conceive how such a thing could fall 
 out by mere chance, that so many things 
 should so surprisingly answer to each 
 other, yet without any design or formed 
 intention? This would be such an uncon- 
 scionable stretch of credulity as the most 
 fanciful application of types and allegories 
 can hardly ever come up to. 
 
 As this ritual was, in fact, previous to 
 another and better institution, is it not rea- 
 sonable to think it was also preparatory to 
 it ? that this people might be prepared to 
 receive it whenever it should be blessed 
 with the Messiah ? It would thus have all 
 the uses of a prophecy for the conviction 
 both of Jews and Gentiles, though in dif- 
 ferent manner, or, in the words of the fore- 
 mentioned judicious author, " To the Jews Bp.Sher- 
 " prophecy was the first proof, to the gen- pjj jjg. 
 " tiles it was the last; the Jews believed C y,p.i82, 
 " in Christ because foretold by the Pro- 18S - 
 " phets ; the gentiles believed the Prophets 
 " because they had so exactly foretold 
 " Christ Jesus : both became firm be- 
 " lievers, having each in his way a full 
 " view of all the dispensations of Provi- 
 " dence towards mankind." 
 
 It is further well observed by an emi- 
 nent author, (( The Hebrew revelation was 
 of great use in opening and preserving 
 ** the doctrine concerning the Messiah to 
 " come. Though there was some light
 
 366 THE RATIONAL OF THE RlTtlAt, 
 
 " to the promise of a Messiah to come 
 " before the times of Moses, yet in the 
 " Hebrew economy, besides more illus- 
 " trious prophecies added concerning it, 
 " the greatest part of their worship itself 
 " alluded to the state of the Messiah, or 
 " seemed to prefigure it *." And, as our 
 author further reasons, " That the doc- 
 " trines of the Gospel might be more ea- 
 " sily received by all, when their hearts 
 " and minds were thus prepared for it f. 
 " Moses," says our author further, " did 
 " not intend a law most perfect in itself, 
 " nor universal, nor eternal, but accom- 
 " modated to those times, and to that 
 " people : he aimed to dispose and prepare 
 " this people, separated from the conver- 
 , " sation and corruption of the heathen, by 
 " this intermediate state of religion, for a 
 " more perfect law, to be promulgated in 
 " the days of. Messiah J." 
 
 * Praeterea, revelatio ad Judreos facta, maximi erat 
 momenti, usiisque, et ponderis, in aperienda doctiina dc 
 Messiah venture, et ad eandem conservandaui. Mes- 
 siae promissi lux quaedam tenuis apparuerat ante tem- 
 pera Mosis, sed in ceconomia Judaica, praeter illustriora 
 ea de re, addita promissa, ipsius cultus pars maxima ad 
 Messiae statum alludere, aut eundem prresignare, vide" 
 batur. Burnet de Fide, &c. p. 40. 
 
 f Ut pi aeparatis auribus, auimisque doctrina evan- 
 gelii facilius omnibus illaberetur. Id. 16. 
 
 J Dixi won in animo habuisse Mosem, ut Jegein iff 
 se perfectissimam const ituerat, nicque universal em, ne- 
 due seternam, sed tempori populoque sue accommo- 
 fatam : hunc populum ex consortie, vitiisque gentium,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 Having so good reason to consider this 
 ritual as a type or plan, a shadow or 
 sketch, of the good things to come in the 
 days of Messiah, let us proceed to view it 
 more distinctly in this particular. 
 
 It must be owned it requires great cau* 
 tion not to indulge any groundless imagina- 
 tions on such a subject, and not to make 
 our own fancies pass for the meaning of a 
 divine law. This has been done often, 
 both by Jewish and Christian interpreters, 
 but to no good purpose, either to explain 
 the law, or to preserve the honour of the 
 lawgiver. 
 
 I shall, therefore, in this inquiry, keep 
 close to the Scriptures themselves, and 
 view it only according to the account Re- 
 velation itself gives of it ; so you will have 
 divine authority, not the fancies of men, 
 for your application, you will have an ap- 
 plication so full and so clear as will suffi- 
 ciently show this use of the ritual, and the 
 excellency of the ritual in this use of it. 
 
 To make this more evident, let us view 
 an example of such application in the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews. In that Epistle 
 you will see the peculiar doctrines of 
 Christianity explained and confirmed by 
 this ritual, which may serve to show you 
 
 eductum, et separatum per hanc ceconomiam interme- 
 diam, ad legem pertectiorem, in diebus Messiae pro- 
 mulgandam, disponere et praeparare studuit. Burnt t 
 de Fide, p. S4.
 
 .368 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 more fully how the Hebrew ritual has an- 
 swered this wise and useful design. 
 General The general argument of the Epistle td 
 argu " the Hebrews, you observe, is to show the 
 
 ments J . . . 
 
 from the excellency or the Christian revelation 
 Epistle to above former revelations, in particular 
 brews!" above the law given by Moses to the holy 
 
 seed of Abraham. 
 
 c.i. The Apostle, therefore, shows first the 
 
 superior dignity and high pre-eminence of 
 the Messiah's person above all persons by 
 whom God had ever before spoke to the 
 fathers, neither Moses nor angels except- 
 ed ; for, when God brought in the first 
 begotten into the world, he saith, And let 
 all the angels of God worship him. 
 c. ii. He then removes a difficulty which 
 
 might arise in the minds of some men, 
 how to conceive such superior dignity in a 
 person of so low condition in this world, 
 exposed to so many sorrows, and suffering 
 death in a manner so ignominious as he 
 did ; but it appears these things were no 
 diminution to the high dignity of the Son 
 of God, because the condition in which he 
 appeared was the most fit and proper for 
 the designs of his appearance. It became 
 Him for whom are all things, and by whom 
 are all things, in bringing many sons unto 
 glory, to make the Captain of their salva- 
 tion perfect through sufferings. He was t 
 through death, to destroy him that had the 
 power of death, that is, the devil. He
 
 369 
 
 was in all things made like unto his bre- 
 thren, that he might be a merciful and 
 faithful high priest. These were no real 
 diminution of his superior dignity ; they 
 were, on the contrary, the methods of his 
 exaltation to the right hand of the Ma- 
 jesty on high. 
 
 The Apostle next proceeds to show the Heb.c.iii. 
 superior authority of the Messiah in his 
 office, in particular above Moses, by whom 
 the law was given ; a reverence for which 
 law was a principal prejudice of the Jews, 
 against receiving the Gospel of the king- 
 dom of Christ. He shows the Messiah was 
 counted worthy of more glory than Moses, 
 who was faithful in all his house, as a ser- 
 vant, for a testimony of those things which 
 were to be spoken after ; but Christ, as a 
 son, over his own house. 
 
 Our Apostle carries on his argument, c. it. 
 and says, that Christ has revealed a much 
 better covenant, containing greater pro- 
 mises and blessings. The revelation by Mo- 
 ses promised the rest of Canaan, and inti- 
 mated another rest remained for the people 
 of God. This rest, and a promise of en- 
 tering into it, are clearly revealed by the 
 Messiah, and mentions, among the good 
 things which were to come with him, in 
 particular, that we have a great High Priest 
 that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the 
 Son of God. 
 
 Having mentioned the dignity of the 
 B B
 
 370 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 office of the Messiah as an high priest, the 
 Apostle takes occasion to treat this part of 
 
 Heb. c.v. his subject more at large. The great opi- 
 nion the Jews had of their priesthood and 
 sacrifices, was a powerful prejudice in their 
 minds against the revelation of Christ; he 
 therefore first carefully lays down the true 
 notion of a priest or sacrificer, that he is 
 ordained for men in things pertaining to 
 God, that he may offer both gifts and sa- 
 crifices for sins : that every one that is 
 called to this office must be called of God, 
 as was Aaron ; that the Messiah was thus 
 called, as God said unto him, Thou art a 
 priest for ever after the order of Melchise~ 
 dec. On this occasion the Apostle ob- 
 serves, as the Messiah was called to be an 
 high priest of an higher order than the 
 priesthood of Aaron, to be a priest after 
 the ancient patriarchal order, in which (as 
 Melchisedec was an instance) the same 
 person was priest and king, who blessed 
 Abraham, and to whom he paid tithes ; 
 
 c. vii. this order of priesthood was catholic, 
 not confined to one family, but fitly re- 
 presented a priesthood, in which all the 
 nations of the earth should be blessed : by 
 so much was Jesus made a surety of a bet- 
 ter covenant. 
 
 c, viii. ] n pursuing this argument the Apostle 
 
 gives a short but judicious account of the 
 sanctuary and temple, and the manner of 
 the worship there; from whence he well
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 37 1 
 
 observes, that the first covenant had ordi- Heb.c.ix. 
 nances of divine service, and a worldly sanc- 
 tuary : this was a figure for the time then 
 present (v. 9) ; but could not make him that 
 did the service perfect as pertaining to the 
 conscience. These were carnal ordinances 
 imposed upon them till the time of the re- 
 formation, v. 1 0. But Christ being come 
 an high priest of good things to come, by a 
 greater and more perfect tabernacle, not 
 made with hands, that is to say, not of this 
 building, neither by the blood of bulls and 
 goats, but by his own blood, he entered 
 once into the holy place, having obtained 
 eternal redemption for us, v. 11. 
 
 It is very plain in this argument of the 
 Apostle here is an analogy and conformity 
 between the ritual of the law and the 
 person of the Messiah and his office of 
 the Christ ; that the temple, sanctuary, 
 Shechinah, priesthood, offerings, sacrifices, 
 and the whole ritual, were figures for the 
 time then present, of the future good things 
 which were to come in the after-days of 
 Messiah: these were all to be fulfilled 
 in that time of reformation, but all to be 
 answered in much greater perfection. See 
 the Apostle himself explaining the whole. 
 It was necessary that the patterns of things 
 in the heavens should be purified with 
 these, i. e. with legal sacrifices, but the 
 heavenly things themselves with better sa- 
 crifices than these, v. 23, For Christ is 
 
 B B 2
 
 .3/2 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 not entered into the holy places made with 
 hands, which are the figures of the true, 
 but into heaven itself (the true meaning 
 
 Heb. ix. of the figures), there to appear in the pre- 
 sejice of God for us ; of which, again, the 
 presence or visible glory in the most holy 
 place was a figurative representation. 
 
 It is to be observed, however, with 
 the Apostle, that whatever conformity or 
 analogy there was between the ritual and 
 the good things to come, there was also a 
 great imperfection in the ritual in compa- 
 rison with the better state of the Gospel ; 
 so that the law, as the Apostle reasons, 
 
 c. x. Y. 1. having a shadow of good things to come, 
 but not the very image of the things, can 
 never, tvith those sacrifices which they 
 offered year by year continually, make the 
 comers thereunto perfect. And for this 
 there was a very sufficient reason in the 
 2 ' ritual itself; for then they would not have 
 ceased to have offered, because that the 
 worshippers once purged should have had 
 
 3. no more conscience of sin ; but in these sa- 
 crifices there is a remembrance again made 
 
 4. of sins every year, for it is not possible that 
 the blood of bulls and goats should take 
 away sins. 
 
 The Apostle, in his exhortations to 
 Christian obedience, and the more perfect 
 worship of the Christian church, plainly 
 alludes to the directions of the Hebrew ri- 
 
 %* Am V* 
 
 19, 20, tual : Having therefore, brethren, boldncsa 
 21, 22.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 373 
 
 to enter into the holiest by the blood of 
 Jesus, by a new and living way which he 
 hath consecrated for us through, the vail, 
 that is to say, his flesh, and having an High 
 Priest over the house of God, let us draw 
 near with a true heart, and full assurance 
 of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from 
 an evil conscience, and our bodies washed 
 with pure water. 
 
 How plain is the allusion of every ex- 
 pression to the principal parts of the ritual 
 before delineated in the washings and pu- 
 rifications, in the sacrifices, in the sanctu- 
 ary, and in the Presence! only the outward 
 rite is raised into inward purity, the figure 
 and shadow into truth and reality. 
 
 From this plain and useful manner of 
 the Apostle's reasoning from the Hebrew 
 ritual, in explaining the doctrines of Chris- 
 tian faith, and in exhorting the Christian 
 church to the obedience of faith, we may 
 justly conclude an allowance, and I think 
 a direction to consider the Hebrew ritual 
 as a plan or sketch, a pattern, type or pro- 
 phetic description of the Christian eco- 
 nomy, and of the future good things which 
 were reserved to be revealed at the coming 
 of the Messiah. 
 
 If it should be inquired how far we 
 may consider the Hebrew ritual a typical 
 plan of the Christian doctrines and wor- 
 ship, ask the ancient Prophets, ask the 
 Apostles of Christ, ask Christ himself, the 
 BBS
 
 374 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 best interpreters of the law, they will all 
 tell you that the whole law as a ritual, that 
 the principal parts of it, each in particular, 
 are figures of the good things now come 
 to us with Jesus the true Messiah. Hence 
 such use and application of the ritual will 
 not proceed from a vain spirit, turning all 
 things into type and allegory, but it is au- 
 thorized by the same spirit of prophecy 
 which gave the ritual, and formed it to 
 this design and meaning. You have seen 
 in the ritual itself, that it consisted of three 
 principal parts, the Presence or Shechinah, 
 the worship, offerings, and sacrifices before 
 the Presence, and the consecration of the 
 Hebrew church, and rites of purification 
 as an holy people to Jehovah. In each of 
 these you will observe an analogy and con- 
 formity, and yet an higher perfection and 
 greater excellency in the Christian dispen- 
 sation ; a subject of great and useful in- 
 struction, very far from a subject deserv- 
 ing contempt and mockery. 
 
 To make this more evident, and, if it 
 may be, to excite our care to make it more 
 useful, let us consider each of these prin- 
 cipal parts of the ritual in particular. 
 The She- First, consider the most eminent part 
 chinah of (he ritual, the divine presence in the 
 sentfng Shechinah or glory, consider the descrip- 
 the ob- tion of it in the delineation of the ritual, 
 jectof anc j y OU w m n( j jt 'was a representa- 
 
 ' lp ' tion of Jehovah the true God, dwelling
 
 . OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 375 
 
 among the children of Israel as their God, \ 
 and blessing them as his people. This ap- 
 pearance of Jehovah in the most holy 
 place, usually called the Shechinah, from 
 the Hebrew word shacan, to dwell or in- 
 habit, is so explained in the direction to 
 build the sanctuary, Let them build me a Exod.xx. 
 sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 5 ' 
 Hence, also, the tabernacle itself is called 
 mischan, or habitation. 
 
 Look over the moral instruction taught 
 by this presence as the seat of Jehovah, 
 the throne of the King of Israel, the kebla, 
 the place to which the worship of the 
 church was directed, the mercy-seat, the 
 throne of grace, where Jehovah received 
 and answered the prayers of his people ; 
 and finally, as the oracle which pronounced 
 the imperial word, and gave forth those 
 directions and commands which the 
 church was to follow with a ready obe- 
 dience. You will in this view of the She- 
 chinah easily observe many things relating 
 to the person, dignity, character, and design 
 of the Messiah, and his appearance in the 
 world, as a figurative or prophetical repre- 
 sentation of his appearance in due time : 
 but that here we may go on sure ground, 
 let Prophets and Apostles lead the way. 
 
 The most general notion we have of this 
 
 habitation, dwelling, tabernacling of the 
 
 glory of God, in the most holy place, is 
 
 to express an extraordinary, glorious, and 
 
 B B 4
 
 3 70 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 gracious presence of God with his people ; 
 
 so that the Hebrew church might truly 
 
 and properly say, God was with them, and 
 
 in the midst of them ; that he tabernacled 
 
 and dwelt among them ; that they saw and 
 
 beheld his glory. Observe, now, how the 
 
 Prophets understood this representation of 
 
 the Presence, and how the Apostles 
 
 taught it when the accomplishment of the 
 
 promises had more fully explained it. The 
 
 Prophet Isaiah seems evidently from this 
 
 representation of the Shechinah, or glory 
 
 of the Presence, to give the title of Imma- 
 
 Isaiah, nuel to the future Messiah : Behold, a vir- 
 
 vii. 14, gin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall 
 
 call his name Immanuel. This prophecy St. 
 
 Matthew explains in express terms of Jesus 
 
 Matt. i r as the Messiah : Notv all this tvas done, 
 
 22, 23, that it might be fulfilled ivhich was spoken 
 
 of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, Behold, 
 
 a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring 
 
 forth a son, and they shall call his name 
 
 Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God 
 
 with us. 
 
 The same Prophet gives you another 
 
 very distinct description of the glory or 
 
 Isaiah, vi. presence of Jehovah: / saw the Lord (Je~ 
 
 l 2 > 3 - hovah) sitting upon a throne high and lifted 
 
 up, and his train filled the temple. Above 
 
 it stood the seraphim; each one had six 
 
 wines ; tvith twain he covered his face, and 
 
 with twain he covered *his feet, and with 
 
 twain he did fly. And one cried unto 
 
 Another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 377 
 
 Lord of hosts, the ivhole earth is full of his 
 glory. Here you see this glory is ex- 
 pressly ascribed by an Apostle to the Mes- 
 siah, and that it was also designed and 
 meant to be applied to him : These things John, xii. 
 said Esaias, when he saw his glory and 41 * 
 spake of him, saith St. John. The Pro- 
 phets manifestly allude to this glory, or 
 presence of Jehovah in the temple, when 
 they speak of the appearance of the Mes- 
 siah in the same, or in equivalent words, 
 by which the ritual and the Prophets ex- 
 press the Presence. So the Prophet * 
 Haggai : / will shake all nations, and the Haggal, 
 desire of all nations shall come, and I will X1< 7 ~~~ 9 * 
 Jill this house with glory, saith the Lord of 
 hosts The glory of this latter house 
 shall be greater than of the former > saith 
 the Lord of hosts. When the desire of all 
 nations should come, this glory was to ap- 
 pear in him, and in a manner yet more 
 glorious than in the temple of old : there- 
 fore, saith St. John, when the Word was j hn, l 
 made flesh, and tabernacled (shechinisedj* 14s 
 among us, ive beheld his glory as the glory 
 of the only begotten of the Father, full of 
 grace and truth. The Apostle to the He- 
 brews further explains this glory in very 
 expressive words, as being the brightness Heb. i. s, 
 of his glory, and the express image of his 
 person, and upholding all things by the 
 word of his power. 
 
 This description represents the Messiah^
 
 378 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 in the characters, as well as with the glory 
 of the divine Presence in the sanctuary. 
 From hence the Apostle teaches to infer 
 a superior dignity, an higher authority in 
 the Messiah : that he is highly exalted 
 above all other beings, even the highest 
 Heb. i. 4, order of the angels of God ; being made 
 so much better than the angels, as he hath 
 by inheritance obtained a more excellent 
 name than they. The angels in the sanc- 
 tuary were, by the ritual, as attendants to 
 the Presence, waiting as servants on the 
 glory, ready to obey the command and 
 & fulfil the will of Jehovah : therefore, tvhen 
 he bringeth in the Jirst begotten into the 
 tvorld, he saith, And let all the angels of 
 God worship him. And very properly are 
 all the angels styled ministering spirits, 
 when the Son is represented as sat down 
 on the throne. 
 
 We have a like allusion to the ritual 
 Zech. vi. of the Presence in another Prophet : Thus 
 12, 13. speaketli the Lord of hosts, saith Zecha- 
 riah, in God's name; Behold the man 
 whose name is the Branch, and he shall groiv 
 up out of his place, and he shall build the 
 temple of the Lord: even he shall build 
 the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear 
 the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his 
 throne ; and he shall be a priest upon his 
 throne, and the counsel of peace shall be 
 between them both. The person designed 
 by the man whose name is the Branch,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 379 
 
 plainly means the same who is called be- 
 fore, the Branch, and the righteous Branch, Zech. ill 
 which God promised he would raise to 8< 
 David : Behold, the days come, saith the Jer.xxiii. 
 Lord, that I will raise unto David a righ- ' 
 teous branch, and a King shall reign and 
 prosper, and shall execute judgment and 
 justice in the earth. In his days Judah 
 shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely ; 
 and this is his name, tvhereby he shall be 
 called, the Lord our Righteousness. This 
 man whose name is the Branch, is to bear 
 the glory, to sit and rule upon a throne, in 
 allusion to the throne of" Jehovah, or his 
 glory dwelling in the temple. 
 
 It may be proper to add one instance 
 more, to confirm the allusion made by the 
 Prophets to the glory or Shechinah, the 
 principal part of the ritual : Behold, saith Malachi, 
 the Prophet Malachi, in the name of Je- ul * L 
 hovah, / will send my messenger, and he 
 shall prepare the way before me ; and the 
 Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to 
 his temple, even the messenger of the cove- 
 nant whom ye delight in ; behold, he shall 
 come, saith the Lord of hosts. How well 
 does the account St. John gives of the ap- 
 pearance of the Messiah in the world 
 agree with these descriptions of prophecy ! 
 The Word was made flesh, and dwelt (taber- John > ? 
 nacled or shechinised) among us ; and we ' 
 beheld his glory as the glory of the only be- 1 Tim. Hi. 
 gotten of the Father, or as God manifest in 16. 
 the flesh.
 
 380 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 You see the whole ritual of the Pre- 
 sence, an useful, prophetical, or typical 
 description of the person and character of 
 the Messiah ; the glory, the most holy 
 place, the ark of the covenant, the mercy- 
 seat, very aptly figured his appearance in 
 the world as Immanuel, as truly God with 
 us. When we see how properly the ri- 
 tual is formed to be so applied, when you 
 see the Prophets and Apostles have ac- 
 tually made such application, are we not 
 warranted by sufficient authority to make 
 the same use of the Hebrew ritual for our- 
 selves ? the great benefit of which will ap- 
 pear more fully presently. 
 
 The wor- Secondly, you see the other parts of 
 shipofthe t h e r itual are in like manner a prophetical 
 
 n t lui ' ni)- 
 
 plied to description of the better state of religious 
 the wor- worship in the Christian church, which 
 ChmtUn was to be instituted at the coming of the 
 church. Messiah. The Apostle to the Hebrews 
 Heb. ix. observes, Then verily had the first cove- 
 1* nant also ordinances of divine service, and 
 
 a worldly sanctuary. Though these ordi- 
 nances were the constitutions of God him- 
 self, by Moses the prince of prophets ; yet 
 9. were they but a figure for the time then 
 present , in which were offered both gifts 
 J- and sacrifices, which could not make him 
 that did the service perfect, as pertaining 
 to the conscience, which stood only in meats 
 and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal 
 ordinances imposed on them till the time of 
 reformation.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 38J 
 
 Many other particulars of the ritual 
 worship, which this most skilful inter- 
 preter of the Hebrew law sets before us, 
 mark the imperfection of the ritual, but 
 are figures of the better things of the Chris- 
 tian economy, or state of religion in the 
 church, since the appearance of the Mes- 
 siah. Thus, both gifts and sacrifices were 
 offered according to the ritual, but they 
 were not of any avail to purge the con- 
 science, or take away the guilt of moral 
 sins ; for the blood of bulls and of goats, Heb.ix. 
 and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the 13 * 
 unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the 
 flesh. But such purifications could go no 
 further than to take away ritual guilt, and 
 restore to ritual privileges, and entitle to 
 the blessings of the ritual covenant ; but 
 they could not remove the moral guilt of 
 sin, or do what the Mediator of the new 
 testament was to accomplish : How much i*. 
 more shall the blood of Christ, who through 
 the eternal Spirit offered up himself with" 
 out spot unto God, purge your consciences 
 from dead works to serve the living God f 
 
 If you attentively consider the Hebrew 
 ritual in this view, you will observe a de- 
 sign and an intention of considerable use 
 in the imperfection of the ritual itself, or, 
 as the Apostle calls it with great judgment, 
 the weakness and unprofitableness of the 
 law, as making nothing perfect, that it 
 might not be mistaken, as if it was able
 
 382 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 of itself to do what was only to be ex- 
 pected from the bringing in a better hope, 
 Heb. vii. as our Apostle very justly observes, to the 
 18, 19. great honour of the Gospel economy. 
 
 My argument does not lead me to apply 
 each particular of the ritual, but only to 
 point out the use of it, in this design. You 
 have seen how the Apostle to the He- 
 Heb. viii. brews himself applies it: We have such 
 J> 2 * an High Priest , who is set on the right 
 hand of the throne of the Majesty in the 
 heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and 
 of\ the true tabernacle, which the Lord 
 pitched, and not man. And it is further 
 6. observed : But now hath he obtained a 
 more excellent ministry, by hoiv much also 
 he is the mediator of a better covenant , 
 ivhich was established upon better promises. 
 So that, in applying the ritual as a pattern 
 of the better things in the times of the 
 Messiah, we are to observe, first, the true 
 meaning of the ritual ; and secondly, the 
 greater perfection of the ministry of the 
 Christ which answers to the ritual. For 
 instance, in the ritual there was a real 
 priesthood real offerings and sacrifices- 
 real purifications real cleansings and ex- 
 piations real blessings obtained and be- 
 stowed on those who worshipped before 
 the Presence according to the ritual. To 
 answer the true meaning of this ritual, the 
 Christ was to be a real* high priest to 
 offer a real sacrifice to obtain real bless-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 38$ 
 
 ings, and to bestow them on those who 
 shall receive him, the Messiah, by believ- 
 ing on his name ; for the Messiah was to 
 be in truth what the ritual represented in 
 figure. 
 
 The Apostle therefore reasons, that if 
 he was to be a priest to answer the repre- 
 sentation of the ritual, he must also have 
 a sacrifice to offer : For every high priest Heb. vitt. 
 is ordained to offer gifts and sacri- 8 * 
 Jices; wherefore it is of necessity that this 
 man have somewhat also to offer. You 
 further observe, as this is necessary to an- 
 swer the true meaning of the figure, it is 
 also intended all these figures should be 
 answered in a perfect manner. Thus, 
 consider the priesthood to which the Mes- 
 siah is consecrated, you will find it was 
 not to the Aaronical order, but to the order 
 of Melchisedec ; and that he abideth a Heb. vii. 
 priest continually, made not after the law 16t 
 of a carnal commandment, but after the 
 power of an endless life. Again, the priests, 
 according to the Levitical ritual, were 21. 
 made without an oath; but this, the Christ, 
 by an oath by Him that said unto him, The 
 Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art 
 a priest for ever, after the order of Mel- 
 chisedec. Thus, further, the rites of puri- 
 fication, and of consecration to the priest's 
 office, which the ritual directed, were an- 
 swered in spirit and truth, or in the true 
 spiritual meaning of them, as the Apostle
 
 384 THE RATIONAL OF THfc RITUAL 
 
 Heb. vii. reasons : For such an high priest became us 
 
 26, 27, QS i$ holy, harmless, undefiled, separate 
 
 from sinners, and made higher than the 
 
 heavens, ivho needeth not daily as those 
 
 high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for 
 
 his own sins, and then for the people s. For 
 
 this he did once when he offered up himself; 
 
 for the law maketh men high priests which 
 
 have infirmities ; hut the word of the oath, 
 
 which ivas since the law, maketh the Son, 
 
 who is consecrated for evermore. 
 
 On the same principles the Apostle 
 reasons yet further to the Hebrews, that 
 as the Christ was to offer a sacrifice, so he 
 was to offer a better and a more perfect 
 sacrifice than all the sacrifices of the law : 
 Heb. ix. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, 
 12 v but by his own blood, he entered in once 
 into the holy place, having obtained eter- 
 nal redemption for us. 
 
 In like manner our Apostle infers the 
 greater avail and better effect of Christ's 
 13, 14. offering and sacrifice : For if the blood of 
 bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an 
 heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to 
 the purifying of the flesh, how much more 
 shall the blood of Christ, who through the 
 eternal Spirit offered himseJf without spot 
 unto God, purge your consciences from 
 dead works to serve the living God? 
 
 Again, from a more perfect sacrifice, 
 Heb. vii. our Apostle argues a more powerful inter- 
 2. cession : Wherefore He (Christ, our High 
 
 3
 
 OP THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 385 
 
 Priest) is able to save them to the uttermost 
 who come unto God by him, seeing he ever 
 liveth to make intercession for them. 
 
 You observe, then, in the ritual a pattern, 
 but an imperfect pattern, of the Mediatorof 
 the better covenant. You have an High 
 Priest, but a greater high priest than the 
 priests of the order of Aaron. You have a 
 Sacrifice, but a more acceptable sacrifice, 
 and of more efficacy, than all the sacrifices 
 of the law. You have an Intercession, but 
 a more powerful intercession, for much 
 greater blessings and of everlasting conti- 
 nuance, as well as avail to obtain eter- 
 nal redemption. These are well-known 
 truths, of the better revelation of the 
 better covenant, of which the Christ is Me- 
 diator. It will be of considerable use to 
 observe the same truth taught in the an- 
 cient prophecies, and, to use the Apostle's 
 expression, the Holy Ghost signifying Hob. ix. 
 these things, by the ancient rites of the 8 ' 
 Levitical law. 
 
 We are yet further to apply the Mosai- The ri- 
 cal ritual, as a figurative description of the l V al a - 
 
 , , r *. . r . plan of 
 
 better and more perfect worship of the the more 
 Christian church in the days of Messiah, perfect 
 as well as of his person and office as the 
 Christ. 
 
 The times of the Messiah are so de- 
 scribed in prophecy, as to show in ge- 
 neral, that the state of the church and the 
 worship of the church, were to be in those 
 c c
 
 380 
 
 times very different from the Hebrew ri- 
 tual, and yet to be such as should answer 
 the spiritual meaning of the ritual, or the 
 moral doctrines arid instructions taught 
 by it. 
 
 Let it be remembered what was ob- 
 served before, that the ritual taught, God 
 was to be worshipped, that the best and 
 most honourable worship of God did not 
 consist in outward rites and ceremonies, 
 but in inward temper, right and good af- 
 Micah,vi. fections, in doing justly, in loving mercy, 
 ' in walking humbly with God. 
 
 The whole meaning of the ritual con- 
 curred in teaching to fear, honour, and 
 serve Jehovah, by gratitude for mercies 
 received, hope of mercies to come, an 
 hearty contrition for having offended God 
 by any sin, or doing any thing evil in his 
 sight. The Shechinah, the temple, the 
 altar, all the sacrifices, you have seen, teach 
 these truths ; they taught that purity and 
 holiness became the worshippers of a pure 
 and holy God. Ritual purifications easily 
 signified purity of mind ; circumcision of 
 the flesh, a circumcision of the heart. The 
 many exhortations of the Prophets plainly 
 teach this the meaning of the ritual, and 
 recommend it as the spiritual and principal 
 meaning of the ritual itself: so preferable 
 is moral goodness to sacrifices, or to any 
 other obedience to the ritual whatsoever. 
 All the promises of the Messiah en- 
 
 4
 
 OF THE HEBItEW WORSHIP. 387 
 
 couraged an hope that in him all the na- Genesis, 
 
 tions of the earth shall be blessed : so the ^ XIK l ?' 
 
 ... . . Genesis, 
 
 promise to Abraham ; so is the promise re- xxvi.3,4. 
 newed to Isaac ; so again is the promise Genesis, 
 repeated to Jacob : and when the promise 
 is limited to the tribe of Judah, it declares, 
 Unto him shall the gathering of the people Genesis, 
 be. " Him shall the people obey, waiting xlix - 10 - 
 " upon him, to observe what he shall 
 " command them," as a learned interpreter Bishop 
 explains it. This is a circumstance ob- Patr * ck 
 servable in all these promises, how often pi ace . 
 soever repeated, to keep in perpetual re- 
 membrance, that in the days of Messiah 
 the church of God should be catholic, into 
 which all people should be gathered, and 
 in which all nations of the earth should be 
 blessed with the privileges of the true 
 church of the living God. 
 
 In the intermediate times it was neces- 
 sary to raise up a particular family and 
 people, in which the true religion should 
 be preserved from the general corruption, 
 by separating it from the rest of the world 
 by a peculiar ritual, that as a wall of sepa- 
 ration should keep them from the danger 
 of being corrupted by the idolatry of their 
 neighbour nations. Hence may appear 
 the great mistake of such as find fault with 
 the Hebrew church and law, because it 
 was a particular revelation and not ca- 
 tholic, when, agreeable to the design of it, 
 and in the very nature of things, it could 
 c c 2
 
 388 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 not be catholic. When the means of pre- 
 servation were a separation, is it not 
 strange reasoning to make it an objection, 
 that there was a separation ? as if in a ge- 
 neral plague, when some persons retired to 
 keep themselves out of the way of infec- 
 tion, they should be censured for not 
 bringing all the infected along with them. 
 The catholic state of religion in the 
 days of Messiah, is in like manner taken 
 notice of and foretold by the several Pro- 
 Isaiah, Ix. phets : thus by Isaiah, And the gentiles 
 3f shall come to thy light. And by the Pro- 
 
 Maiachi, phet Malachi ; For from the rising of the 
 * 1L sun, even unto the going down of the same, 
 my name shall be great among the gen- 
 tiles, and in every place incense shall be 
 offered unto my name, and a pure offering; 
 for my name shall be great among the hea- 
 then, saith the Lord. 
 
 It will be further proper, you should 
 observe on this argument, that the state of 
 the church in the days of Messiah was to 
 be improved into a more spiritual worship; 
 and this also the ritual taught, represent- 
 ing it in a figure : Christ therefore answers 
 the question of the Samaritan woman, con- 
 cerning the place of worship, a question of 
 John, iv. great consequence during the ritual ; The 
 23 ' hour cometh, and now is, tvhen the true 
 worshippers shall worship the Father in 
 spirit and truth ; for the Father seeketli 
 such to worship him. It seems by the an-
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 swerofthe Samaritan woman, that it was 
 a notion generally received, and acknow- 
 ledged by the Samaritans as well as by the 
 Jews, that there would be a more spiritual 
 and perfect state of worship in the days of 
 Messiah. 
 
 The Prophets have so explained the 
 true meaning of these promises, that the 
 minds of the Hebrews were prepared 
 beforehand to perceive the accomplish- 
 ment of them in due time : Behold, the Jerem. 
 days come, saith the Lord, by the Prophet oJ X q 3 3I> 
 Jeremiah, that I ivill make a new cove- 
 nant with the house of Israel, and with the 
 house of Judah : not according to the cove- 
 nant that I made with their fathers in the 
 day that I took them by the hand, to bring 
 them out of the land of Egypt ; which my 
 covenant they brake, although I was an 
 husband unto them, saith the Lord : but % 
 this shall be the covenant that 1 ivill make 
 with the house of Israel; After those days, 
 saith the Lord, I ivill put my law in their 
 inward parts, and write it on their hearts ; 
 and I will be their God, and they shall be ' 
 my people. 
 
 The Apostle well explains to the He- 
 brews what this covenant was to be, the 
 covenant of which the Messiah was consti- 
 tuted Mediator, which was established on 
 better promises than the former. It was Heb.viii, 
 of great use to keep up the hopes of the <> 
 promise of the Messiah, and, in particular, 
 c c 3
 
 390 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 that he was to be the Mediator of a better 
 covenant ; and this the wisdom of God 
 was pleased to regard in the plan of the ri- 
 tual itself. This was a service done even 
 by the weakness and unprofitableness of 
 the law, a design in the ritual not suffi- 
 ciently attended to. An all-wise God 
 could have given a law to Israel, most per- 
 fect, and without any weakness ; but his 
 wisdom having designed the most perfect 
 law for the better times of the Messiah, 
 he gave them a law, though best for the 
 circumstances of that intermediate time, 
 yet not absolutely best in itself, and there- 
 fore intimated it was in time to be changed, 
 and to give place to a better, as the 
 Apostle most justly observes to the He- 
 Heb.viii. brews: For if the first covenant had .been 
 faultless, there should no place have been 
 sought for a second. But folding fault 
 with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, 
 saith the Lord, when I will make a new 
 covenant with the house of Israel. And 
 Heb. vii. again, as the law made nothing -per- 
 19< feet, it kept up the expectation of a better 
 hope that would perfect all things. This 
 served most usefully to take them off from 
 resting in their ritual law, as perpetual as 
 if already perfect, when the imperfection 
 of the law showed a more perfect was to be 
 v L expected, when the promises made to them 
 and to their forefathers should be fulfilled. 
 The weakness and unprofitableness of
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. , 301 
 
 this law was made manifest continually, 
 as no expiations were allowed by it for 
 moral guilt, no sacrifices were to be offer- 
 ed for sins committed against the moral 
 laws of the ten commandments. The ri- 
 tual continually taught the guilt of sin, 
 and a punishment due to it: yet all the 
 rites and sacrifices of the law could neither 
 takeaway the guilt, or remove the punish- 
 ment due to sins against the laws of mo- 
 rality. Hence it appeared that 720 man is Gal. iii. 
 justified by the law in the sight of God. It 19> 
 gives the Apostle an argument to prove, 
 that the just shall live by faith; for, if 
 there had been a law given which could 
 have given life, verily righteousness should 
 have been by the law : but the Scripture 21, 22, 
 hath concluded all under sin, that the pro- 
 mise by faith of Jesus Christ might be 
 given to them that believe. The law de- 
 clared all were guilty before God ; the law 
 allowed no sacrifice of atonement to re- 
 move such guilt ; so that, in the Apostle's 
 words, Before faith came they were kept 23. 
 under the law, shut up unto the faith which 
 
 should afterwards be revealed. A very 
 .... -i * 
 
 judicious interpreter thus gives the sense Locke on 
 
 of these words: " Before Christ and the 
 " doctrine of justification by faith in him, 
 " we Jews were shut up as a company of 
 " prisoners together, under the custody 
 " and inflexible rigour of the law unto the 
 " coming of the Messiah, when the doc- 
 
 C C 4
 
 3 92 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 " trine of justification by him should be 
 Gal. Hi. revealed." Wherefore the law, adds 
 the Apostle, was our schoolmaster to bring 
 us to Christy that we might be justified by 
 faith : but after that faith is come we are 
 no longer under a schoolmaster ; there is 
 no longer need of one, to prevent our mis- 
 take, of being justified by the law, to 
 16, 17. preserve the faith and hope of the promise 
 made to Abraham and his seed by a cove- 
 nant confirmed four hundred years before 
 the giving of the law, which the law did 
 not, could not disanul. So that the law, 
 from the weakness of it, taught the He- 
 brews to expect the accomplishment of 
 the promises to Abraham, when they and 
 all the nations of the earth should be ? 
 
 26. blessed in his seed, and all be the children 
 of God by faith in Christ Jesus. How 
 natural is the inference, when the law de- 
 clared there was no provision made in it 
 for the justification of a sinner in the sight 
 of God, from the guilt of moral transgres- 
 sions, to keep up the hope of God's mer- 
 cies, as promised in his covenant with 
 
 6, 7. Abraham, that even as Abraham believed 
 God, and it was accounted to him for righ- 
 teousness, they should therefore know that 
 they which are of faith, the same are the 
 children of Abraham. This prepared the 
 Hebrew church to receive in the fulness 
 of time, that Lamb of God that luas ap- 
 pointed to take away the sins of the ivorld>
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 
 
 in whom they, and all nations of the earth 
 should be fully blessed. The ritual, you 
 have seen, had a spiritual meaning and 
 moral instruction, and so taught, that the 
 honourable and acceptable worship of God 
 was not in the observation of outward ce- 
 remonies, but in what those rites and cere- 
 monies signified, that is, in the love and 
 fear of God, in believing his promises, 
 trusting in his faithfulness, acknowledging 
 the evil and guilt of sin, the holiness and 
 justice of God, with an heart truly peni- 
 tent, and a sincere endeavour to break off 
 our sins, to amend our ways and our do- 
 ings. They could not rightly understand 
 the true meaning and design of the Pre- 
 sence, temple, altar, sacrifices, without 
 considering the frame and temper of mind, 
 with which they signified God was to be 
 served and worshipped. 
 
 This is the truth and spirit of the law: 
 it showed what was fit to be received into 
 every economy or state of religion, and 
 what would well become the best state of 
 the church in the times of Messiah. Did 
 it not then teach beforehand, that in the 
 days of Messiah God should be worshipped 
 in spirit and truth, with that true spirit of 
 rational devotion which the ceremonies of 
 the ritual taught and recommended ? that 
 the Christian church should be an holy na- 
 tion in reality and truth, and become so 
 by the washing of regeneration and re-
 
 3Q4 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 newing of the Holy Ghost 2 It is most evi- 
 dent, the ritual, in strict reasoning, is 
 fitted to teach the worship of God in spirit 
 and truth ; it is very plain, Prophets and 
 Apostles, the best interpreters of the ritual, 
 have so understood it ; is there not reason, 
 then, to conclude, that the wisdom of God 
 did so design it ? Such a design ought 
 greatly to recommend it to our esteem. 
 
 If, however, it should still be said, 
 What great advantage had the Hebrew 
 church from so dark a representation of a 
 future state of religion ? did the Hebrews 
 so understand this spiritual meaning of 
 their ritual as to make any use of it wor- 
 thy the wisdom of a revelation ? it is 
 thought by some a shrewd question, and 
 which is not to be answered easily. 
 That we may therefore preserve our es- 
 teem for a law in which there appears so 
 manifold wisdom of God, let it be consi- 
 dered more distinctly. 
 
 It is first to be observed, that what was 
 prefigured of the times of the Messiah, 
 either in the ancient prophecies, or types 
 of the ritual, was, in the Apostle Peter's 
 2 Pet. i. j ust account of it, as a light that shineth 
 19. in a dark place until the day dawn, and 
 the day-star arise in your hearts. Yet, 
 dark as it was, it gave some light, and 
 such as was of great advantage to the 
 principal ends designed by it, and for 
 which a fuller light was not necessary.
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 3Q5 
 
 It will be little to our purpose' to in- 
 quire how far the Hebrew nation in gene- 
 ral did actually understand their own ritual, 
 and what it taught concerning the person 
 of the Messiah, his character and office. It 
 is more to the purpose to consider how it 
 might have been understood, if they had 
 rightly applied themselves to the under- 
 standing of it. This question receives an 
 easy answer, by observing how it was un- 
 derstood, and what helps they had from 
 the Prophets to understand it. 
 
 A general understanding of the ritual Great 
 was of great use, while that intermediate use,whii e 
 state of religion was to continue. It is 
 not easy to say how far persons of serious ed. 
 attention, good understanding, and pious 
 minds, might go in discovering the more 
 secret meaning of their rites and cere- 
 monies. The mysteries of hieroglyphics, 
 and instruction by symbols, in use 
 among their neighbours, became a part 
 of study and science, and they learned 
 many things by them, not obvious to 
 common observation. The moral mean- 
 ing of sacrifices, for instance, was of 
 easy understanding ; why might not the 
 Hebrews, from a general understanding 
 of that part of the ritual, be taught to 
 expect a greater high priest, better sa- 
 crifices, a better covenant, better pro- 
 mises and blessings in the times of the 
 Messiah, who was to perfect all things 
 wanting in their law, and when their own
 
 3QO THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 ritual showed its own weakness, that it 
 could not take away sin? It was, however, 
 of great use to keep up a reverence for 
 their law, as a very proper intermediate 
 state of religion, till the promises should 
 be fulfilled. It was a sufficient answer to 
 all objections, that God, the God of their 
 fathers, who had promised the Messiah, 
 had given them an intermediate law, that 
 he would protect and bless them, in obe- 
 dience to their law, till the coming of the 
 Messiah, who should then perfect all 
 things. The hope of a Messiah to come, 
 and who was to teach them all things, was 
 an useful motive to their steadfast attach- 
 ment to that ritual, which God had ap- 
 pointed an intermediate state of religion, 
 and preparatory to a better. 
 
 Of im- It was further of very important use to 
 
 portant prepare the minds of men to know the 
 
 use to 
 
 prepare Messiah, and to receive him as the mes- 
 men to senger of the covenant , when he should 
 th^Mes- come ^ h temple. The whole world, as 
 iah. well as the Hebrew nation, was concerned 
 Malachi, to rece i ve God's Anointed, and their Sa- 
 viour, when he should appear in the ful- 
 ness of time. The wisdom of God, which 
 foresaw what prejudices would indispose 
 men's minds to receive him ; that the 
 preaching of Jesus the Christ, would be to 
 i Cor. i. the Jews a stumbling-ljoclk, and to the 
 23> 24. Greeks foolishness, prepared a remedy be- 
 forehand ; and, in forming the Hebrew
 
 ritual, a plan preparatory to the revelation 
 of the Gospel, has made a wise provision 
 to remove the prejudices, both of Jews 
 and gentiles, and to prepare both to re- 
 ceive the Messiah when they should see 
 his authority confirmed by such attesta- 
 tions of prophecy. 
 
 Observe what were the actual preju- 
 dices of the Jews against Jesus as the Mes- 
 siah, and this design of the law will ap- 
 pear of more important use. Instead of re- 
 ceiving him as the promised seed of Abra- 
 ham, in whom all nations of the earth 
 should be blessed, they actually rejected 
 him, charged his doctrines with blas- 
 phemy, and his claim to the character of 
 the Messiah with imposture. The whole 
 nation persecuted him to death as a false 
 prophet. Even such as were convinced 
 he was the Messiah, and professed them- 
 selves his disciples, were prejudiced against 
 several doctrines he taught, which they 
 imagined derogated from the perfection 
 and honour of their law. Such was the 
 doctrine of making the church catholic, by 
 receiving the gentiles into the privileges 
 of the true church, without submitting to 
 the ritual law, and of not being justified 
 by the works of the law, but by faith in 
 the Messiah. Whoever observes that 
 these were the principal points of debate 
 in the first ages of the church ; that almost 
 all the writings of the NewTestament refer
 
 3Q8 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 to them ; that the Apostles, in particular 
 St. Paul, remove these prejudices by show- 
 ing how the law itself prepared them to 
 receive these doctrines, as truths within 
 the meaning and intention of the law it- 
 self will easily see of what use the law 
 was to prepare them for the appearance of 
 the Christ. The shadows of the good 
 things to come would well attest the rea- 
 lity of the things themselves when com- 
 pared with them. Thus the doctrine of an 
 Immanuel, God manifest in the flesh, 
 would not appear an unaccountable doc- 
 trine, when they compared their Shechi- 
 nah, Jehovah in his glory dwelling be- 
 tween the cherubim, with the fulness of 
 the Godhead dwelling bodily in the Mes- 
 siah. Nor would the prejudices in favour 
 of their law, as unchangeable and eternal, 
 or as necessary means of justifying a sin- 
 ner before God, have had any great weight 
 with them, when they duly considered the 
 weakness and unprofitableness of their 
 law, and that it had not one offering or sa- 
 crifice that could atone for moral guilt, or 
 justify a sinner against the moral law. 
 
 Nor would they have had such preju- 
 dices against taking down the middle wall 
 of partition between them and the world, 
 and bringing all nations into one catholic 
 church, if they had considered it was one 
 principal character of thd-Messiah, that he 
 was to appear the blessing of all nations,
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 3QO, 
 
 as well as the glory of his people Israel; 
 that, though the ritual was necessary as a 
 wall of partition to separate them from 
 the world for a time, yet in the better 
 times of Messiah the name of God was to 
 be great among the gentiles; incense was 
 to be offered to his name, and a pure offer- 
 ing; For my name shall be great among 
 the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts by the 
 Prophet. 
 
 The whole plan of their ritual showed, 
 that it was not designed to be a ritual for 
 a catholic church ; that it was so planned, 
 that it could not possibly serve for such an 
 use. This prepared them to expect a 
 change of worship, when the church 
 should become catholic, such as should be 
 fit and proper, and such as only could be 
 fit and proper, for the use of a catholic 
 church. Of what service was it thus to 
 prepare the minds of the Hebrews to re- 
 ceive without prejudice the doctrines and 
 worship of the Christian church, as taught 
 and appointed by the Messiah in his king- 
 dom ! to prepare them for so great a 
 change and alteration, as what their own 
 law prefigured and foretold, as one great 
 blessing of the Messiah's appearance ! 
 This is a just and good way of reasoning 
 from prophecy, the very way in which the 
 Apostles explain the Prophets, and argue 
 from them, that Jesus was the Christ, in 
 whom the law and the Prophets were ful-
 
 400 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 filled. Let men call this typical, or alle- 
 gorical reasoning, or by what other name 
 soever they shall please, it will nevertheless 
 remain sound and true reasoning, and give 
 satisfaction to a mind honestly disposed to 
 discern the truth. 
 
 With this view there is little need of 
 an apology for any part of the Hebrew ri- 
 tual, to which men object, supposing they 
 might have been better, as truth and rea- 
 lity would have been preferable to types 
 and figures. If by such objections they 
 mean only that the ritual was not in itself 
 the most perfect institution possible, they 
 say nothing to the purpose ; but if they 
 say it was not on the whole the best to 
 answer the wise and good ends designed 
 by it, then their objections, upon a fair re- 
 view of the ritual, will be found false in 
 fact. Even the weakness and imperfec- 
 tion of the law itself were of great service 
 in teaching, them to hope for a better 
 covenant, and in preparing them for the 
 good things that were to come with the 
 Messiah. 
 Ofser- As the Hebrew ritual was of such ser- 
 
 vice to v j ce to t k e jj eDrews themselves, it was also 
 
 the gen- 
 
 tiles to or great service to the gentiles who were 
 
 confirm called to the privileges of the true church 
 
 in^Jesus, by believing Jesus to be the Messiah. It 
 
 as the has been observed before, from a judicious 
 
 TV>T * l 
 
 author, " that neither the prophecies con- 
 " cerning the Messiah, nor the prophetical
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 4Ol 
 
 " descriptions of the times of the Messiah 
 ' (in the Mosaical ritual or other prophe- 
 '' cies) were primary arguments for the 
 " conversion of a gentile, nor were they 
 " ever used by the Apostles as such. The 
 " gentiles did not believe in Christ, be- 
 " cause foretold by the Prophets, as the 
 " Jews did ; yet they believed the Pro- 
 " phets, because they had so exactly fore- 
 " told Christ Jesus. They were called 
 " from idols to the acknowledgment of 
 " the true God ; from iniquity to the prac- 
 " tice of virtue, by setting before them 
 " Christ Jesus a preacher of righteousness, 
 "and the appointed Judge of the world, 
 " under the confirmation of many signs 
 " and wonders, wrought by God for this 
 " purpose : being so far established, they 
 " were led back to review this wonderful 
 " scene of providence, as it stood in the 
 " ancient prophecies" (of which their ri- 
 tual was a principal part) ; " and with 
 " them the authority of the prophecies 
 " stood mainly upon the exact completion 
 " that was before their eyes. From the 
 " authority of the prophecies so establish- 
 " ed, they understood the past workings 
 " of Providence, and the state of the world, 
 " and came to see that Christ was not only 
 " the Judge, but the Redeemer of mankind, Prophe- 
 " To the Jew prophecy was the first proof, cy,p.no, 
 " to the gentile it was the last." 
 
 This opened a view to the gentiles of 
 D D
 
 402 THE RATIONAL OP THE RITUAL 
 
 very useful instruction, and which greatly 
 confirmed their faith in Jesus, as the Mes- 
 siah. Some doctrines of the Christian 
 faith did not so perfectly agree with the 
 philosophy to which they had addicted 
 themselves, or with several maxims to 
 which they had in a manner resigned their 
 understandings : but when the doctrines 
 of Christianity were reviewed in the light 
 of the Hebrew law and prophecies, they 
 appear to be neilher new nor strange doc- 
 trines, but only a fuller and a clearer ma- 
 nifestation of what was in the design of 
 Providence for so many ages before. As 
 the Jews were prepared betimes to ac- 
 knowledge their new Lawgiver, and to give 
 up their ancient ritual to his more perfect 
 rule of worship ; so the gentiles, when 
 they came to see the authority of the He- 
 brew law arid Prophets, were prepared to 
 acknowledge the gospel of Christ the last, 
 the best, the most perfect state of religion : 
 that Jesus, as the Christ, was the minister 
 of a better covenant, established on better 
 promises, conferring better blessings, of 
 which all the promises and blessings of the 
 Hebrew law nnd ritual, though of divine 
 authority, were only a typical and figura- 
 tive representation : of such excellent use 
 was the ritual, even as a shadow of better 
 things to come. 
 
 Consider then the Hebrew ritual in its 
 system, and not partially in one or 
 3
 
 ter of its particular laws singled out as 
 most liable to objection ; consider it as de* 
 signed and formed to answer many useful 
 ends, all of them of great service to the 
 state of the church and world at that time ; 
 apply the Hebrew ritual to these uses, ob- 
 serve carefully how it answered the great 
 ends of religion, the true knowledge of 
 the one true God, in a worship honour- 
 able and acceptable to him ; and how well 
 it improved the mind in virtue and real 
 goodness, the true perfection and happi- 
 ness of the soul. Consider it further as a 
 \vise and most effectual means to prevent 
 the great and most dangerous progress of 
 idolatry, which threatened the extirpation 
 of all true religion, and with it the true 
 principles of virtue, out of the world. Ob- 
 serve, once more, of what great use this 
 ritual was, to prepare the minds of all 
 men, gentiles as well as Jews, for the 
 more perfect state of a catholic church, 
 when, in the fulness of time, the promised 
 Messiah should come; and I think you 
 may find great reason to justify and ad- 
 mire this constitution as an instance of 
 great wisdom and goodness in God, of 
 great favour to the family of Abraham, 
 and of universal advantage to all the na- 
 tions of the earth, when the mystery of 
 Christ was revealed, that the gentiles Ephes.iii. 
 should be fellow- heirs, and of the same 6 - 
 
 DD 2
 
 iO4 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL 
 
 body, and partakers of his promise 'in 
 Christ t - by the Gospel. 
 
 See, then, the use we may yet make 
 of it, to help us to a fuller understanding 
 of the principal peculiar doctrines of 
 Christianity, by an explication of easy 
 meaning and of highest authority, and to 
 confirm our faith in the belief of those 
 doctrines attested to by the law and the 
 prophets in ancient times, as well as re- 
 vealed in these last days, by Jesus, God's 
 own Son, the true Messiah. 
 
 I shall therefore finish this argument 
 with the words of a great author: 
 
 " That we may form aright judgment 
 " of the Mosaical law, many things are 
 " to be considered and spoken of in order. 
 " We are principally to take notice of 
 " what was mentioned by us before, that 
 " this law is built on the same founda- 
 " tions on which the best laws are. 
 " The law of nature, the innate, eternal 
 " principles of the human mind, and the 
 " duties arising towards God and men, by 
 " the nature of things ; these Moses has 
 " shortly and clearly delivered in the Ten 
 " Commands, to which he has subjected 
 " all his ritual and secondary laws. It is 
 " moreover to be observed, that Moses 
 " had it not in his intention to give a law 
 " most perfect in its own nature, but a 
 " law most fit and useful. for the circurn- 
 " stances of time and place ; nor did he
 
 tt 
 
 OF THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 4O5 
 
 " propose an universal law for the whole 
 " world, but only for the one people of 
 " Israel ; nor, finally, was it a law to con- 
 " tinue for ever, but only to the times of 
 " the Messiah. If you weigh these things 
 in your minds, there will be no need of 
 an apology, or of my defence : let us 
 " rather praise and admire this great man, 
 " the wisest lawgiver, and the greatest 
 " prophet of God ; illustrious in all kinds 
 " of miracles : whom Egypt, the seat of 
 " learning, saw long since, and was 
 " astonished at his triumphs over her 
 " priests and divines ; who has since been 
 " the praise of all nations, whom Christ 
 " called from heaven a witness of his 
 " glory. These shall be thy praises, thou 
 "prince of Prophets; these the monu- 
 " ments of thy glory, as long as the hea- 
 " vens and earth shall endure *." 
 
 * Interea, ut aequum feramus judicium de lege Mo- 
 *aica, multa sunt expendenda et dicenda suo ordine. 
 llluti imprimis notandum, quod supra dixinius, eodem 
 solido niti fundamento hanc legem, quo leges optima; : 
 iiimiram jure nalurali, innatis et eternis animi humani 
 principiis et rationibus, debitisque ex natura rerum, 
 erga Deuin, et erga homines ofHciis. Ihvc in deca- 
 logo breviter et dilucide complexus est Moses. Atque, 
 his Mibjecit reliqua omnia siite legis ritualia, atque jura 
 secundaria. Praeterea notandum, non id in cousiliis lia- 
 buisse Mosem, ut legem conderet sua natura perfectis- 
 siiuatn, sed aptissimam, et utilissimam pro ratione loci 
 et temporis. Dein non id sibi proposuit, ut essct lex 
 universalis totius terra, sed uuius populi Israelitici, ne- 
 que denique lex in perpeluum duraturn, sed usque ad
 
 405 THE RATIONAL OF THE RITUAL, &C. 
 
 In a word, a law so wisely planned, 
 a ritual serving so many excellent uses, 
 does not stand in need of an apology, but 
 only to put a stop to unreasonable preju- 
 dice. It deserves esteem and commenda- 
 tion from a discerning, wise, and truly 
 honest mind. 
 
 tempora Messia>. Haec si tecum perpenderis, non erlt 
 opus, apologia aut patrocinio nostro. Laudemus potiut 
 et admireuiur, virum ilium maximum, legislatorem 
 consuhissimum, suuiinumque Dei prophetam, omne 
 genus miraculis splendescentem ; quern vidit olim, et 
 obstupuit ^Egyptus literatorum sedes, triumphantem in 
 suos maiios et hierophantas, quem omnes deincep* 
 gentes celebrarunt, quem deuique coelo deductum, tes- 
 tem sue gloriae aclscivit Christus. 1 la. tibi erunt laudes 
 prophetai um princeps, lure monumenta tua? gloriae, do- 
 nee coeli et terra mauseriut incolumes. Burnet de 
 Chris. 34, 3.>. 
 
 n 
 
 THE END. 
 
 _ _ . 
 
 1 1 1 1 i 
 
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