Page images
PDF
EPUB

establishes the doctrine of a general resurrection from the fact of the resurrection of Christ, as the first-fruits of them that slept! "Now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept," xv. 20. "Christ the first-fruitsafterwards they that are Christ's," ver. 23. By raising him, the head and representative of Christian believers, from the dead, and conducting him in glorious triumph, as the firstfruits were publicly conducted through the streets of Jerusalem, from the grave to immortality, God hath announced to the whole world, that his power, in like manner, will be displayed in re-animating all the dead, and at the final consummation of all things, gathering into his eternal mansion an universal harvest of all the saints.* After the omer of barley had been waved before the Lord, a part of it was consumed on the altar, and the rest was given to the priests, Lev. xxiii. 15-17.

66

3. The two loaves offered on the day of Pentecost, contained a tenth of an ephah each, made of the flour of new wheat, and was a thanksgiving for the bounties of the harvest which had been just gathered in. They were waved before the altar, and given entirely to the priests, it not being lawful to burn on the altar any thing containing leaven, Lev. vii. 13, 14. 4. The shew-bread, literally the bread of faces, so called from its position on the sacred table, in the outer sanctuary, where it was set in order before the Lord," or "before the faces of Jehovah, was made of fine wheaten flour, two-tenths of an ephah being allotted to each cake. They were twelve in number, and placed on the golden table, in two rows, six in a row, and pure frankincense put upon each row." They were to be removed and replaced by fresh ones every Sabbath-day; when the removed ones were given to the priests, and the frankincense was burnt on the great altar, Lev. xxiv. 5—9. It is more difficult to ascertain the use of these, and what they represented, than almost any other emblem in the whole Jewish economy. Dr. Cudworth's opinion seems one of the most rational that has been advanced; viz. that with the other meat and drink offerings, and the furniture of the Tabernacle and temple, it was designed to shew the Jews that God had in an extraordinary manner taken up his residence among them, these things forming part of his establishment as king of Israel.+

5. The meat-offerings for particular persons were as follow: (1.) The daily meat-offering of the high priest; half of

* Harwood, Introduction, vol. ii. p. 307.
+ See Dr. A. Clarke on Ex. xxv. 23, 30..

which was offered in the morning, and the other half at night, Lev. vi. 20-22.-(2.) The meat-offering of initiation, which was offered by each priest on his entrance into office. Every meat-offering for the priesthood was wholly burnt.—(3.) The sinner's meat-offering; or, that substituted by a poor man for a sin-offering, Lev. v. 11.-(4.) The jealousy meat-offering; or, the offering brought with the suspected wife, Numb. v. 15. It is worthy of notice, that this and the meat-offering of the first-fruits of the barley harvest, were the only offerings which were of barley; all the other kinds being of wheat.-(5.) The meat-offering of fine flour unbaked, which was prepared by pouring oil and frankincense upon it, Lev. ii. 1-3.—(6.) The meat-offering baked in the oven; which was either unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil, ver. 4.-(7.) The meat-offering baked in a pan, which was fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil, separated in pieces, on each of which was poured oil, ver. 5, 6.

(8.) The meat-offering which was made in a frying-pan; and which was fine flour mingled with oil, ver. 7.-(9.) The wafers baked in the oven, which are classed with the cakes above, in No. 6.—(10.) The offerings of first-fruits by individuals at the feast of Pentecost. With all the meat-offerings duly presented, salt was to be used (Lev. ii. 13), and according to the Jews, was to be sprinkled on the offerings when laid on the altar. Salt possesses an agreeable savour, and the quality of preserving food from putrefaction:* hence, a durable covenant is called, a covenant of salt," Numb. xviii. 19; 2 Chr. xiii. 5.† But no leaven nor honey was allowed in any offering. The latter was offered to Bacchus, among the heathen; and also to the infernal deities, and departed heroes. ‡

6. To the offerings which have been specified we must add (1.) the oblations of incense that used to be made in the Temple, for, though they are not usually classed with the meat-offerings, yet they must be numbered with those sacrifices which were to be selected from inanimate things, and were to be solemnly burnt in the service of God. The manner of offering this as been already noticed in treating of the service of the Temple. We shall only add here, that it represented the prayers of the people, while the priest, presenting them to God in the Temple, prefigured Christ, now in the heavenly sanctuary, commending to God the prayers

There is an allusion to this typical law in Mark ix. 49, 50; for some remarks on which, see Critica Biblica, vol. ii. p. 264.

+ See Calmet's Bib. Ency. art. "Salt ;" and Fragments to ditto, No. cxxx. Ovid. Fast. 1. iii. 175; Strabo, Geog. 1. xv; Odys. x. 518; xi. 26, &c.

[ocr errors]

of the saints. See Rev. v. 8; viii. 3, 4.-(2.) The tithes of all the fruits of the earth, which were paid by every Israelite. Jerom divides the tithes into four sorts: Such as were paid to the Levites by the people, who were forbidden to eat any of their fruits till this had been paid, on pain of death.— Such as were paid by the Levites to the priests. Such as were reserved for the banquets made within the precincts of the Temple, to which the priests and Levites were invited.And such as were paid every three years for the support of the poor. See Numb. xviii. 21; Lev. xxvii. 30; Deut. xiv. 22, 23; Neh. xiii. 5, 10.*

[ocr errors]

7. The rule prescribed in the law for preparing and presenting meat-offerings, was this :-They were to be brought to the priest, who carried them to the altar, took a handful from each of them, as an oblation, salted it, and burnt it upon the altar. The remaining part became the property of the priest hood, and was eaten by those whose lot it was to serve, Lev. ii. 2, 8, 9, 10; vi. 14-18; x. 12, 13.

II. The drink-offerings were nothing more than a certain quantity of wine, proportioned to the nature of the sacrifice which they accompanied. After the sacrifice and the meatoffering were laid on the fire, the drink-offering was taken by the priest, and poured out like the blood, at the foundation of the altar, or around its top.†

III. In closing this very summary account of the Jewish sacrifices and oblations, we just notice-1. The inducements to pay them, furnished to those liable. And 2. The time when they became due. The inducements to render these sacrifices and oblations, by those who were liable, were twofold, conscience and penalty. If the first prevailed not, the second was enforced, where the offence was known; and generally consisted in whipping. With respect to the time

*Lamy, Apparatus Biblicus, b. i. c. 7.

There is no doubt that the heathen borrowed their custom of offering meat and drink offerings from the Hebrew ritual. The salted meal (meat-offerings) which they added to their victims, and which used also to be accompanied with wine, is thus referred to by Virgil: "And now the dreadful day was arrived; the preparations to sacrifice me were commenced, and the salted meal was ready."En. ii. 132. Servius' explanation is, "Salt and barley, called salted meal, with which they used to sprinkle the forehead of the victim, the sacrificial fire and the knives." After the salted meal it was also customary to pour wine on the head of the victim, which by that ceremony was said to be macta, or magis aucta, augmented, or more increased. This ceremony is thus referred to by Ovid: "Goat, gnaw the vine; yet its produce will be sufficient to be poured upon thy horns, when thou shalt stand before the altar."-Fast. 1. i. It is likewise introduced as part of the sacrificial process, by Virgil:-" Here first the priestess places four black bullocks, and pours wine on their foreheads."-En. iv. 60. Dr. Harwood supposes that there is an allusion to this practice in 2 Tim. iv. 6. But that is hardly probable, as the Jews did not thus dispose of the drink-offering besides which, Parkhurst says he can find no example in which the word here used by the Apostle signities to have a libation poured out upon it, as a victim going to be sacrificed. Greek Lexicon, Eerdw, See p. 500, ante, note.

when they became due; it was at the first of the three great festivals which occurred next after the time of contracting the obligation. This provision was most beneficial to those who lived at a distance from Jerusalem, and who otherwise would have been compelled to abandon their ordinary occupations, and at a very great expence and inconvenience, appear with their offerings" in the place which Jehovah had chosen to put his name there;" for their offering could not be sent by the hand of another.*

IV. To the incidental remarks which we have already offered on the typical nature of the Jewish sacrifices, we may add, from Outram, that the Apostle seems tacitly to compare all the different kinds of victims with the one sacrifice of Christ, as types with their antitype: "Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offerings and offerings for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (which are offered by the law); then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all," Heb. x. 5-10. The apostle certainly means, (and the clause, "He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second," ascertains it beyond all doubt), that the sacrifice of Christ succeeded in the room of all the sacrifices which were "offered by the law :" and hence it was, that when his sacrifice was accomplished, they all ceased. As the sacrifice of Christ, therefore, succeeded in the room of all the victims that were to be offered according to the law, and removed them from their place; and as it far excelled them all, it seems reasonable to consider them all as types of this sacrifice, and this one sacrifice as the antitype of them all. For the mutual relation of type and antitype is sufficiently conspicuous in any two things, of which the latter succeeds by divine appointment in the room of the former, possessing moreover that efficacy of which the former had only an image, or a very small degree; especially when there is so great a resemblance between those two things, as between all the Jewish victims and the sacrifice of Christ. +

*Lightfoot, Temple Service, ch. i. sect. 3; viii. sect. 5; Outram on Sacrifices, Dis. i. c. 8, 11. † Dissertation on Sacrifices, p. 223.

510

CHAPTER VIII.

MEMBERS AND OFFICERS OF THE JEWISH CHURCH.

SECTION I.

THE HEBREW NATION, PROSELYTES, AND DEVOTED

PERSONS.

I. HEBREWS and HELLENISTS. II. PROSELYTES 1. Slaves2. Proselytes of the gate-3. Proselytes of righteousness— 4. Female proselytes.-5. Notions of the Jews concerning proselytes. III. The KINGS. IV. The PROPHETS. V. NAZARITES. VI. RECHABITES.

I. GODWYN distinguishes the people of Israel into two sorts, Hebrews and Proselytes. Jennings advances a step higher, and divides the whole world, after the formation of the Hebrew commonwealth, into Jews and Gentiles.* The form of the Hebrew government being theocratic, each member of the state was also a member of the church, and hence the whole nation is said to be sanctified or holy, Lev. xx. 8; xxi. 8 ; xxii. 9, 16, 32, &c. The Jews were distinguished in the later period of their history, into two classes, viz. Hebrew Jews, and Hellenistic Jews, or Grecians, as they are called in our translation, John xii. 20; Acts vi. 1; ix. 29; xi. 20. The former spoke and conducted their worship in the Hebrew, or rather SyroChaldaic language; and the latter in the Greek tongue. And although as members of the Jewish church they were considered as equally holy, the former was nevertheless considered as being the most honourable. Hence St. Paul boasts (Phil. iii. 5), that he was "a Hebrew of the Hebrews,"

Jewish Antiquities, b. i. c. 3.

« PreviousContinue »