§ 1. Tu law itself, and its sanctions, are the next thing of which our apostle makes mention in the economy of the Judaical church. By this law he especially understands the law given on mount Sinai, or partly there, and partly from the tabernacle, the type of Christ, after it was erected. The Jews by the 7™7n or law, generally understand the whole five books of Moses, as they are also called in the New Testament, and all precepts that they can gather out of any of them, they refer to the law, for which they are not to be contended with.
§ 2. This whole law is generally distributed into three parts. First, the deed there is no precept but may conveniently be referred to one or other of these heads, as they are usually explained. ‘That which is commonly called the moral law, the Scripture terms DIA Mwy man “27, Exod. xxxiv. 28. The words of the covenant, the ten words. From this is formed the Greek Δεκαλογος, or the law of ten words, or precepts: all which in their substance are moral and universally obligatory on all the sons of men. That part of the law, in Scripture called DwDW, judgments, Exod. xxi. 1, which determines rights between man and man, and punishments upon transgressions, with special reference to the interest of the people in the land of Canaan, is by us usually termed the judicial law. And the institutions of ceremonial worship are most commonly expressed by the name of ‘pn, the whole system whereof is termed the law ceremonial.
§ 3. The Jews either do not acknowledge, or do not much insist on this distinction, though it is evidently founded in the things themselves; but casting all these parts of the law together, contend, that there is amongst them 613 precepts. For the numeral letters of ΤΠ, denote 611 of them; and the other two, which, as they say, are the two first of the decalogue, were delivered by God himself to the people, and so come not within the compass of the word torah in that place, whence they take this important consideration, namely, Deut. xxxiii. 4, ‘ Moses commanded us a law,’ that is, of 611 precepts; two being given by God himself, completes the num- ‘ber of 613. The folly of these things is obvious to all; yet this is a part of their oral law, to which, as hath been shown, they ascribe more oftentimes than to the written word itself.
§ 4. Of these 613 precepts, 248, they say, are affirmative precepts; because there are, as they affirm, so many distinct members or bones in the body of a man; of this I leave our anatomists to judge: and 365 negative precepts, because there are so many days in the year; man being bound to keep the law with his whole body all the year long; both which numbers make up 613. And lest this observation should not seem sufficiently strengthened by these arguments, they add that which they suppose conclusive, namely, that in the decalogue there are 613 letters, if you will but set aside the last two words; and this, in common civility, cannot be well denied unto them.
§ 5. These 613 precepts they divide or distinguish into twelve families, according to the number of the tribes of Israel; that is, either general part into twelve; first the affirmative, and secondly the negative. And although this distribution be not satisfactory for many reasons, as others have shown, yet for the advantage of the reader, I shall here give a summary account of
§ 6. The first family, which hath relation to God and to his worship, consists of twenty precepts. These, as well as those which follow, I shall briefly enumerate, without any examination of the reasons which may have led the Jews to place them in their several stations. 1, Faith, and acknowledgment of God’s divine essence and existence, Exod. xx. 2. 2. Faith of the unity of God, Deut. vi. 4. xxxil. 39. 3. Love of God, Deut. vi. 5. x. 12. 4. Fear of God, Deut. vi. 13. 5. Acknowledgment of God’s righteousness in afflictions, Deut. vill. 5. 6. Prayer to God, Exod. xxiii. 25; Deut. xi. 13. 7. Adherence to God, Deut. x. 20. 8. To swear by the name of God, Exod. vi. 13; Deut. x. 20. 9. To walk in the ways of God, Deut. xxviii. 9. 10. To sanctify the name of God, Levit. xxii, 32. 11.
Twice a-day to repeat that section, ‘Hear, Ὁ Israel,’ Deut. vi. 7, xi. 19. 12. That we learn and teach the law, Deut. v, 1, xi. 8. 18, To wear phylacteries or tephilin on the head, Deut. vi.8. 14. To wear them on the arm, in the same place. 15. To make fringes, Numb. xv. 33—40. 16. To put writings of the Scripture on the posts of our doors, Deut. vi. 9. 17. That the people be called together to hear the law at the end of the feast of tabernacles, Deut. xxxi. 12. 18. That every one write him a copy of the law, Deut. xxxi. 19. 19. That the king moreover write out another for himself as king, Deut. xvii. 28. 20. That at our eating of meat we give thanks or bless God, Deut. viii. 10. This is the first family, which though it sometimes fail in educing its precepts from the word, yet good use may be made of the observation, in reducing these things to one certain head.
§ 7. The second family, of the first general head of affirmative precepts, contains those which concern the sanctuary and priesthood, being nineteen innumber. 1. That a sanctuary, tabernacle, or temple, should be built, Exod. xxv. 8. 2. That being built it’should be reverenced, Levit. xix. 30. 3. That the priests and Levites, and no other, should always keep the temple, Numb. xviii. 2, 4. That the work or ministry of the temple should be performed by the Levites, Numb. xviii. 23. 5. That the priests should wash their hands and feet before their ministry, Exod. xxx. 9. 6. That the priests should attend the lamps of the sanctuary, Exod. xxvii. 21. 7. That the priests should bless the people, Numb. vi. 23. 8. That every day the shew-bread should be renewed. 9. That incense should be offered twice a-day on the golden altar, Exod. xxx. 7, 8. 10. That the fire on the altar should be kept always burning, Levit. vi. 12, 13. 11. That the ashes should be removed from the altar every day, Levit. vi. 10. 12. That the unclean should be separated from the camp and temple, Numb. ν. 2; Deut. xxii. 10. 13. That Aaron and his posterity should have the principal place and honour in sacred things, Levit. xxi. 8. 14. That the priests should wear the garments appointed to their special ministry, Exod. xxviii. 2. 15. That the ark should be carried on the shoulders of the Levites, Numb. vi. 9. 16. That the anointing oil should be made to anoint kings and priests, Exod. xxx.25—27. 17. That the families of the priests should minister in the sanctuary by turns, but that all should be present at the great anniversary feasts, Deut. xviii. 6. 18. That the priests mourn and - be defiled for their near relations, Levit. xxi. 3. 19. That the high priest marry a virgin, Levit. xxi. 13.
This is the second family, liable to the same mistakes in many things with the former; but yet containing a collection of things suitable to each other, and belonging for the most part to the same general head.
§ 8. The third family relates to sacrifices, containing fifty-seven precepts. As, 1. That the 17An, tamid, or continual sacrifice, be offered every day, Exod. xxix. 38; Numb. xxvii. 2, 3. 2. That the high priest offer his - mincha or corban every day, Levit. vi. 20. 3. That every sabbath day two lambs of a year old be offered as a sacrifice morning and evening, Numb. xxvii. 9. 4. That the sacrifice of the new moon be observed, Numb. xxviii. 2. 5. That during the feast of the passover, the special sacrifices appointed be added to the continual sacrifice, Levit. xxiii. 6,7; Numb. xxviii. 19. 6. That at the feast of Pentecost, the offering of new corn be observed, Numb. xxix. 1. 7. That it be accompanied with alms. 8. Likewise that on the day of expiation, Numb. xxix. 7. 9. And that on the feast of tabernacles for seven days, Levit. xxiii. 34. 10. That on the eighth or last day of the feast, Numb. xxix. 35, 36. 11. That on the second day of the feast of the passover an homer of meal he offered with a lamb, Levit. xxiii. 12. That on the feast of Pentecost two new loaves be offered, with its especial sacrifice, Levit. xxiii. 17. 13. That all things be done aright on the feast of expiation, Levit. xvi. (These general things are evidently put in to fill up the number of precepts that they had fixed on, there being no special precept in them.) 14. That three times in the year an holy feast be kept to the Lord, Exod. xxiii. 14. 15. That on these feasts all the males appear before the Lord, Deut. xvi. 16. 10. That they should rejoice in all their feasts, Deut. xvi. 14. 17. That the paschal lamb be slain, Exod. xii. 6. That his flesh be eaten roasted, Exod. xii. 8. 19. That in the second month, on the fourteenth day, another passover be kept. 20. That the lamb be then eaten with unleavened bread, and sour herbs, Numb. xix. 10, 11. 21. That the sounding of trumpets be used with the sacrifice, in the day of the afflicting their souls, Numb. x. 9,10. 22. That the creatures to be sacrificed should be eight days old and upwards, Levit. xxii. 27. 23. That every creature to be sacrificed be perfect, Levit. xxii. 18. 24. That salt be used in all sacrifices, Levit. 1. 13. 25. That whole burnt offerings be offered according to the law, Levit. 1. 3. 20. That so also be the sin-offering, Levit. vi. 18. 27. And likewise the trespass-offering, Levit. vii. 1. 28. And the peace-offering, Levit. vii. 2. 29. And the meat-offering, Levit. xi. 1. 30. That if the whole congregation offend, a sacrifice be offered for it, Levit. iv. 13. 31. Ifa private man sin by ignorance, he must offer his sin-offering, Levit. iv. 27. 32. That a sacrifice be offered for an uncertain crime, Levit. v. 17, 18. 33. That a sacrifice be offered for sin certain and known, Levit. vi. 2, v.16. 34. That every one’s sacrifice be according to his substance or wealth, Levit. v. 7. 35. That whosoever sinned, together with his sacrifice, he make confession of his sin, Numb. v. 6, 7. 36. That involuntary pollution be cleansed by sacrifice, Levit. xv. 13. 37. That women do so likewise in the case mentioned, Levit. xv. 28. 38. That the leper, being cleansed, do offer sacrifice, Levit. xiv. 10. 99. That a woman after child-birth offer sacrifice, Levit. xii. 6—8. 40. That the tenth of every clean beast be separated to the Lord, Levit. xxvii. 32. 41. That every first-born male be sanctified and offered to the Lord, Exod. xiii. 2; Deut.xv.19. 42. That every first-born of man be redeemed with a certain price, Numb. xviii. 15. 43. That the first-born of an ass be redeemed with a lamb, Exod. xiii. 14. 44. That if it be not redeemed its neck be broken, Exod. xiii. 14. 45. That any sacred beast, that is firstling or tenth, wherein isa blemish, be redeemed, Deut. xi. 15. 46. That which is changed, and that which it is changed for, are to be both the Lord’s, Levit. xxvii. 10. 47. That all offerings, both those which were necessary by legal prescription, and also free-will offerings, be brought to Jerusalem on the next feast, Deut. xii. 5,6. 48. That all sacrifices be offered at the sanctuary, Deut. xii. 14. 49. That sacrifices vowed out of the holy land be offered at Jerusalem, Deut. xii. 27. 50. That Aaron and his sons eat the remainder of the meat-offerings, Levit. vi. 16. 51. That the males of the house of the priests eat the flesh of the sin and trespass-offering, Exod. xxix. 33. 52. That holy flesh which hath touched any unclean thing be burned in the fire, Levit. vii. 19. 53. That the flesh of the sacrifices that remain above the third day be consumed with fire, Levit. vii. 17. 54. That a Nazarite suffer his hair to grow, Numb. vi. 5. 55. That he shave his hair after his vow is accomplished, ver.9. 56. That every man perform his vows to God, Deut. xxii. 23; Numb. xxx. 2. 57. That judgment be ade of the obligations of vows according to the law, Numb. xxx. 3—5.
δ. 9. The fourth family of affirmative commands respects cleanness and —uncleanness, whereof they reckon up eighteen precepts; as, 1. He that touches that which dies of itself is unclean, Levit. xi. 39. 2. Hight kinds of creeping things are unclean, Levit. xi. 29. 3. Sundry things that may be eaten are yet capable of uncleanness, Levit. xi. 34. 4, A woman in her natural disease is unclean, Levit. xv. 19. 5. And she that is delivered of a child, Levit. xii. ὦ. 6. The leper is unclean, and defileth other things, Levit. xi. ἢ. 7. A cloth infected with leprosy is unclean, Levit. xiii. 47. 8. And an house likewise, Levit. xiv. 35. 9. He that hath an issue is unclean, Levit. xv. 2. 10. And to the same purpose, Levit.xv.16. 11. And in a woman, ver. 25. 12. A dead body is unclean, and defileth, Numb. xix. 14. 13. Atl cleansing must be accompanied with bathing or washing, Levit. xv. 16. 14. The cleansing of the leper must be with cedar, hyssop, scarlet wool, and the other ceremonies, Levit. xiv. 2. 15. The leper must shave all the hair off his head on the seventh day, Levit. xiii. 45. 16. The leper must not go abroad, but with the signs of his leprosy, Levit. xiii. 45. 17. That the red heifer be burned according to order, Numb. xix. 2. 18. That the water of the ashes of a red heifer be sprinkled in purification, Numb. xix. 19. "
§ 10. The fifth family of this sort of commands, concerns alms and tithes, consisting of thirty-two precepts. 1. That alms be given to the poor, Deut. xv. 8. 2. That he who promiseth the price of redemption for the first-born, pay it assuredly, Lev. xxvii. 2, 3. That he who is to pay the redemption price of an unclean firstling, pay it accordingly, Lev. xxvii. 1]. 4. That the price of a devoted house be so paid, according to the judgment of the priest, Lev. xxvii. 14. 5. The same of a field, Lev. xxvii. 16. 6. That he who deceiveth by ignorance, add a fifth part to the price of the thing itself, Lev. xv. 16. 7. That the fruits of the fourth year be dedicated to God, Lev. xix. 24. 8. That the corners of the fields be left to the poor to cut and gather, Lev. xix. 9. 9. That ears of corn be left for the poor in harvest, Ley. xix. 9. 10. That a sheaf of corn forgotten be left for the poor, not sought for again, Deut. xxiv. 19. 11. That the gleanings of the vine branches, be left to the poor, Lev. xix. 10. 12. And the grapes that fall to the ground, v. 20. 13. That all first fruits of the earth be brought to the sanctuary or temple, Exod. xxiii. 19. 14. That the words appointed, Deut. xxvi. 5—7, be repeated over the first fruits. 15. That the heave-offering, or terumah for the priest, be observed, Deut. xviii. 4. 16. That the tithes be separated for the use of the Levites. 17. That a second tithe be taken by the owners, to spend at the tabernacle or at Jerusalem, Deut. xiv. 22. 18. That out of the tenth of the Levites, a tenth be taken home for the priests. 19. That on the third and sixth year, in the room of this second tenth, a tenth be given to the poor, Deut. xiv. 28, 29. 20. That confession be made over the tithes, Deut. xxvi.13. 21. That a cake of the dough be separated unto the priests, Numb. xv. 20. 22. That the whole increase of the land every seventh year be common to all, Exod. xxii. 10, 11. 28, That the seventh year be a year of rest to the whole land, Exod. xxiv. 21; Lev. xxv. 2. 24. That the year of the jubilee be reckoned by the years of rest, or weeks of years, Lev. xxv. 8—10. 25. That the year of jubilee be separated or sanctified, v. 8—10. 26. That on the tenth day of the month Tisri, the trumpet shall sound for the beginning of the jubilee, Ley. xxv. 10. 27. That a redemption, or restitution of the land be granted in the year of jubilee, Lev. xxv. 24. 28. He that sells an house in a walled town, may redeem it within a year, Ley.
xxv. 29. 29. That debts be remitted on the seventh year, Deut. xv.2. 30. That in all offerings and sacrifices for sin, the priest have the right shoulder, the breast and the cheek for his portion, Deut. xviii. 3. 31. That the first fleece of sheep being shorn be given to the priests, Deut. xvii. 4. 32. That right judgment be made of things devoted, as to the part of God, and that of the priests.
§ 11. The sixth family contains seven precepts about things to be eaten. 1. That all creatures to be eaten, beasts and birds, have their heads taken off, Deut. xii. 2. 2. That the blood of beasts and birds killed to be eaten, be covered with earth or dust, Ley. xvii. 23. 3. That the mother be left free from the nest, when the young ones are taken, Deut. xxi. 6. 4. That the signs of clean and unclean beasts be diligently observed, Ley. 1]. 25. ὅ. That signs to the same purpose be observed in some birds, Deut. xiv. 1]. 6. And the same concerning locusts that may be eaten, Ley. xi. 21. 7. That the signs in fishes be observed, Lev. xi. 9.
§ 12. The seventh family of affirmative precepts, respects the passover and other feasts as to the time of their observance, having twenty commands appertaining to it. 1. That the course of the sun and moon, be exactly observed for the right constituting of the anniversary feasts, Deut. iv. 6. 2. That the beginning of the months be appointed by the house of judgment, Exod. xii. 2. 3. That we rest on the Sabbath, Exod. xxiii. 12. 4. That the Sabbath be sanctified, Exod. xx. 8. 5. That all leaven be thrust out of doors on the feast of the passover, Exod. xii. 15. 6, That on the night of the passover the first discourse be about the deliverance out of Egypt, Exod. xii. 8. 7. That unleavened bread be eaten on that night, Exod. xii. 18. 8. That the first day of the feast of the passover be a day of rest. 9. Likewise the seventh day also, Exod. xu. 16. Lev. xxii. 7. 10. That forty nine days be reckoned to the feast of weeks, Ley. xxiii. 15. 11. That on the fiftieth day rest be declared, Lev. xxii, 21. 12. That on the first day of the seventh month, there be rest from all works, Lev. xxui. 24. 13. That the trumpet sound on that day, Numb. xxix.1. 14. That every one afflict his own soul on the tenth day of September, Lev. xxiii. 2729. 15. That there be a rest and ceasing from all works on the day of expiation, Lev. xxiii. 32. 16. That there be a rest from labour on the first day of the feast of tabernacles, Ley. xxiii. 35. 17. Likewise on the eighth day, ver. 36. 18. That the people dwell in booths seven days, Lev. xxii. 43. 19. That on the first day of the feast of tabernacles, branches of palms be carried, Lev. xxiii. 40. 20. That every Israelite that 15 a male, offer every year half a shekel to the Lord, Exod. xxx. 13.
§ 13. The eighth family concerns rule and judgment, made up of thirteen precepts. 1. That obedience be yielded to every prophet speaking in the name of God, Deut. xviii. 15. 2. That the people choose a king, Deut. xvii. 15. 3. That judges and rulers be appointed in every city of the people, Deut. xvi. 18. 4. That the laws and decrees of the great council be observed, and obeyed, Deut. xvii. 10. 5. That in doubtful cases the major part of suffrages is to determine, Exod. xxiii. 1. 6. That all men be judged equally without respect, Ley. xix. 15. 7. That every one who can testify the truth in any cause, he is of his own accord to repair to the judges so to do, Lev. v. 1. 8. That witnesses be examined strictly and their testimony duly weighed, Deut. xii. 14. 9. That false witnesses have that done to them, which by their false testimony they would have done to others, or brought upon them, Deut. xix. 19. 10. That a calf be slain where a dead body is found, the murderer not being known, Deut. xxi.1]. 11. That six cities of refuge for the man-slayer be appointed, and the ways to them be prepared, Deut. xix. 2. 12. That the Levites have cities and suburbs granted them, Numb. xxxv. 2. 13. That the tops of the houses have a battlement about them, Deut. xxii. 8.
§ 14. The ninth family of affirmative precepts, respects truth and doctrines, comprehending twenty-five commands. 1. That the idolatry of the Gentiles be extirpated out of the land, Deut. xii. 2. 2. That the city and citizens which fall into idolatry, be utterly destroyed, Deut. xiii. 16. 9, That the seven nations of Canaan be blotted out, Deut. xx. 16. 4. That the Israelites remember what Amalek did unto them, Deut. xxv. 15,16. 5. That the memory of Amalek be blotted out from under heaven, Exod. xvii. 14. 6. That war be undertaken and managed according to the law, Deut. xx. ].. 7. That a priest be anointed to go forth to the war, Deut. xx. 2. 8. - That every one carry a paddle with his arms, Deut. xxii. 13. 9. That a place be assigned for covering the ejections of nature, v. 12. 10. That what is stolen be restored, Lev. vi. 4. 11. That a Hebrew servant be well rewarded at the end of his service, Deut. xv. 14. 12. That we lend freely to the poor and needy, Exod. xxii. 25. 13. That the pledge be restored to the owner, Deut. xxiv. 13. 14. That the labourer be paid his hire or wages the same day, Deut. xxiv. 15. 15. That the hireling working in the field, or vineyard may eat of the fruits to his satisfaction, Deut. xxiii. 24, 25, 16. That we help the beast of our neighbour fallen under his burden, Exod. xxii. 5. 17. That we help our neighbour in leading his beast by the way, Deut. xxi. 4. 18. That what is lost by one, and found by another, be restored to the right owner, Deut. xxi. 1. 19. That we rebuke our neighbour when he sinneth, or offendeth, Lev. xix. 17. 20. That we love our neighbour, Lev. xix. 18. 21. That we love a stranger, Ley. x. 19. 22. That weights and measures and scales be exact, Ley. xix. 36. 23. That wise men, or men skilful in the law be honoured, or had in reputation, Lev. xix. 32. 24. That father and mother be honoured, Exod. xx. 12. 25. That they be feared, Lev. xix. 3.
§ 15. The tenth family concerns women and matrimony, in twelve precepts. 1. That marriage be entered into by all, Gen. i. 28. 2. That a contract, or betrothing precede marriage, Deut. xxiv. 1. 3. That the new married man rejoice with his wife the first year, Deut. xxiv. 5. 4. That the male children of Israel be circumcised, Gen. xvii. 10; Lev. xii. ὅ. 5. That the widow of a man dying without children, marry her husband’s brother, Deut. xxv. 5. 6. That he who refuseth so to take the widow of one dying without children, being next of kin, have his shoe pulled off, and be spit upon, Deut. xxv. 7. 7. That he who hath violated the chastity of a virgin by force, be compelled to marry her, Deut. xxii. 29. 8. That he who hath defamed his wife without cause, keep her without hope of divorce, Deut. xxii. 19. 9. That he who seduceth a virgin to fornication, pay fifty shekels, Exod. xxii. 16. 10. That a fair woman taken in war be dealt with according to the law, Deut. xxi. 11, 11. That divorces be made by a writing, or bill of divorcement, Deut. xxiv. 1. 12. That a woman suspected of adultery be dealt with according to the law, Numb. y. 30.
δ 16. The eleventh family concerns criminal judgments and _punishments, and has eight precepts belonging unto it. 1. That criminal persons not guilty of sins deserving capital punishments be beaten with stripes, Deut. xxiv. 3. 2. That he who slew a man at unawares be banished from conversing among the people, Numb. xxxy. 25. 3. That those guilty of it be hanged, or strangled, Ley. xx. 10. 4. That others, as is appointed, be slain with the sword, Exod. xx. 21. 5. Others to be burned, ch. xx. 14. 6. That those who deserve it by the law, be stoned with stones. 7. That those appointed to this death be hanged up after death, Deut. xxi. 22. 8. That all who suffer death, be buried the same day, Deut. xxi. 23.
§ 17. The twelfth and last family of this sort of precepts, which is about judgments in civil causes, contains seventeen precepts. 1. That the Hebrew servant be dealt with according to the law, Exod. xxi. 2. 2. That a Hebrew maid servant be married to her master, or his son, if humbled by either of them, Exod. xxi. 8. 3. That a Hebrew maid servant may be redeemed, Exod. xxi. 8. 4. That only Canaanites, or heathens, may be made perpetual servants, or brought into bondage for ever, Lev. xxv. 46. 5. That he who procures the hurt of any. one, do repair it by a pecuniary mulct. 6. That hurt done by a beast be repaired, Exod. xxi. 28, 29. 7. That loss or hurt from the not covering or safeguarding of a pit, be repaired, Exod. xxi. 23. 8. That theft be judged according to the law, Exod. xxii. 1. 9. That the damage done by one man’s beasts in other men’s fields be repaired, Exod. xxii. 5. 10. That damage by fire voluntarily raised, be repaired, Exod. xxii. 6. 11. That judgment be made of any thing deposited or trusted, without reward, according to the law, Exod. xxu. 6. 12. That what is lent or hired for gain, if lost, be judged of according to the law, Exod. xxii. 10. 13. Also what is botrowed for use, ver. 14. 14. That things concerning buying and selling be judged accord~- ing to the law, Lev. xxv. 14. 15. That the cause of the plaintiff and defendant be judged according to the law, Exod. xxii. 9. 16. That a man pursued by his enemy to death, may be delivered with the death of his pursuer, Deut. xxv. 12. 17. That the rights of inheritances be determined according to the law, Numb. xxvii. 8—11.
§ 18. These are the precepts which they gather out of the law, as affirmatively expressed. ‘That some of them are by no means rightly educed from those texts which they draw them from, will appear at first view unto him that shall examine them. It is also justly questionable, whether sundry of them be indeed precepts of God or no, especially as by them explained. But that this is the just number of the affirmative precepts of the law, that there are no more of that kind, and that these are all so many distinct precepts, it is vain to imagine. But as in general, the most of the particular commands that belong to the same things, are gathered by them into certain heads, wherein they are summarily represented, I thought it not unmeet to give them here in their order.
δ 19. The negative precepts also are by them in like manner cast into twelve distinct families; these also we shall recount with the same brevity.
§ 20. The first family of these precepts relates to’false worship, concerning which they collect forty-seven prohibitions. 1. That we have no other God but Jehovah, Exod. xx. 3. 2. That we make no images for ourselves, nor employ others to make them for us, Exod. xx. 4. 3. That we make no images for others, or for their use, Ley. xix. 4. 4. That we make no images for ornament, Exod, xx. 23. 5. That we bow not down to any ‘idols. 6. Nor serve them, Exod. xx. 5. 7. That none offer in the fire his son or daughter to Moloch, Ley. xvii. 2, 8. That none have a familiar spirit, or Ob. 9. That none have a familiar spirit, or Jideoni, Ley. xix. 31. 10. That none consult with Ob. 11. That none ask counsel of Jideoni, Deut. xviii. 11. 12. That we look not towards idols, Lev. xx. 4. 13. That we set not up a statue or image any where, Deut. xvi. 22. 14. That no painted or carved stone be set up to be bowed unto, Lev. xxvi.]. 15. That no tree be planted in the sanctuary, Deut. xvi. 21. 16. That we swear not _by false gods, Exod. xxxiii. 13, 17. That none lead the Jews to idolatry. 18. That none stir up any single Jew to idolatry, Deut. xi. 6. 19. That we love not a seducer. 20. That we hate him. 21. That we aid him not in danger of death. 22. That he whom he would seduce, intercede not for him. 23. That he conceal nothing which may tend to his condemnation, Deut. xii. 8. 24. That we covet not, or turn to our use, any things, wherewith idols have been adorned, Deut. xxvii. 25. 25. That we make no profit of any thing that belongs to false worship, Deut. vii. 26. 26. That no city seduced to idolatry and destroyed, be ever built again, Deut. xiii. 26. 27. That nothing of its spoils be turned to private use, v. 17. 28. That none prophesy falsely, Deut. xviii. 20. 29. That we fear not to slay a false prophet, v. 29. 30. That none prophesy in the name of false gods, Deut. xvii. 20. 31. That none so prophesying, be attended to, Deut. xiii. 2. 32. That we walk not in the ways and customs of the heathens, Ley. ' xx. 23. 33. That none use divination, Deut. xvii. 20. 34. Nor sorcery, ver. 10. 35. That no soothsaying be used, Lev. xix. 26. 37. That there be no enchantments or conjuring, Deut. xviii. 1. 38. That none ask counsel of the dead, Deut. xvii. 11. 990. That a woman wear not the apparel of a man. 40. That a man wear not the apparel of a woman, Deut. xxii. 5. 41. That no cutting or incision be made in the body, Ley. xix. 28. 42. That clothes made of linen and woollen be not made or worn, Deut. xxii. 11. 43. That the corners of the head be not rounded. 44. That the corners of the beard be not marred, Ley. xix. 27. 45. That none tear their flesh with their nails, or, 46. Pull off their hair, for the dead, Deut. xiv. 1. 47. That we walk not after the thoughts of our hearts, or sight of our eyes, Numb. xv. 39.
§ 2]. It is evident that in this family many precepts are distinguished, and the number multiplied thereby. In particular, the second command is divided into two, or three, which God makes to be but one; and general rules are made particular prohibitions, all to fill up the number which they had designed. However, most things, as we observed before, belonging to this general head, are brought into this collection.
§ 22. The second family concerns separation from the heathen, in thirteen prohibitions. 1. That no covenant be made with any of the seven nations of Canaan, Exod. xxii. 32. 2. That none of them be suffered to live, Deut. xx. 16. 3. That we pity not those idolaters, Deut. vii. 2. 4. That we suffer them not to dwell in the land, Exod. xxiii. 33. 5. That no marriages be made with the heathen, Deut. vii. 8. 6. That no Ammonite or Moabite marry a Jewish woman, Deut. xxii. 3. 7. That no peace be offered to the Ammonites or Moabites as to other nations, Deut. xxiii. 6. 8. That they separate not from the Edomites beyond the third generation.. 9. Nor from the Egyptians, Deut. xxii. 7, 8. 10. That they never return to dwell in Egypt, Deut. xvii. 16. 11. That they destroy not fruit-trees, Deut. xx. 19, 12. That soldiers in war be not fearful, Deut. xx. 8. 13. That they forget not the wickedness of Amalek, Deut. xxv. 20.
§ 23. The third family of this sort of precepts, concerns the due regard that is to be had to things sacred, in twenty-nine precepts. 1. That none blaspheme, Exod xxii. 27. 2. That none swear falsely, Levit. xix. 12. 8, ‘That none swear in vain, Exod. xx. 7. 4. That the name of God be not profaned, Ley. xxii. 32. 5. That God be not contemned, Deut. vi. 16. 6. That holy places be not destroyed, Deut. iii. 4. 7. That he who is hanged
360 THE LAW AND PRECEPTS THEREOF. 2 on a tree be not suffered to remain all night thereon, Deut. xxi. 23. 8, That the watch about the sanctuary fail not, Numb. xvii. 5. 9. That the priests go not at all hours into the sanctuary, Lev. xvi. 2. 10. That none defiled come to the altar, Lev.xxi.23. 11. That none defiled serve in the sanctuary, ver. 17. }2. That none polluted by accident draw nigh to the holy service, ver. 21. 13. _ That the Levites invade not the priests’ office, nor the priests do the work of the Levites, Numb. xvii. 3. 14. That none who have drunk wine enter the sanctuary, Ley. x.9. 15. That no stranger serve in the sanctuary, Numb. xviu. 4. 16. That no priest that is unclean draw nigh toit. 17. Nor on that day wherein he washeth from his uncleanness, until it be evening, Ley. xx. 23. 18. That no unclean person enter into any part of the temple, Numb. y. 3. 19. Nor into the camp or tents of the Levites, Deut. xxiii. 10. 20. That the altar be not built of hewn stones, Exod. xx. 25. 21. That they go not up by steps to the altar, Exod. xx. 26. 22. That no sacrifices be offered on the golden altar, Exod. xxx. 9. 23. That no oil or ointment be made like that of the tabernacle. 24. That no stranger be anointed with it, Exod. xxx. 3]... 33. 25. That no incense or perfume like that prescribed in the law, © be made, Exod. xxx. 37. 26. That the fire on the altar go not out, Ley. vi. 12. 27. That the bars or staves be not pulled out of the sides of the ark, Exod. xxv. 14. 28. That the breast-plate in the priests garment be not loosed from the ephod, Exod. xxvii. 28. 29. That the robe of the ephod be not torn nor rent, Exod. xxvin. 32.
§ 24. The fourth family is comprehensive of the prohibitions given about sacrifices and priests, being in number eighty-two. 1. That no sacrifice be used but at the temple, Deut. xii. 13, 14. 2. That no sacred beast be killed but at the temple, Levit. xvii. 3, 4. 3. That no blemished thing be brought to the altar, Levit. xxl. 20. 4. That no blemished thing be offered in sacrifice, ver. 21, 22. 5. That the blood of a blemished beast never be laid on the altar, ver. 24. 6. Nor the fat of it, ver. 22. 7. That no beast with an accidental blemish be offered, Deut. xvi. 1. 8, That no blemished beast received of a heathen or Gentile be offered, Levit. xxii. 25. 9. That no blemish be in any dedicated beast or firstling, Levit. xxi. 2]; 10. That no offering be of leaven or honey, Levit. u. 11. 11. That no sacrifice be without salt, Levit. ii. 13, 12. That the price of a dog, or a whore, be not offered to God, Deut. xxii. 18. 13. That a beast and its young be not killed or sacrificed the same day, Levit. xxii. 28. 14. That no oil be put to the offering of him that offers the sin-offering. 15. Nor frankincense, Levit. v. 11. 16. That oil be not put to the gift of a woman suspected to have gone astray. 17. Nor frankincense, Numb. v. 15. 18. That no devoted beast be changed, Levit. xxvu. 32, 33. 19. That one sacrifice be not changed into another, or for another, ver. 28. 20. That the firstling of a clean beast be redeemed, Numb. xviii. 17. 21. That the tenths of beasts be not sold, Levit. xxii. 23. 22. That a devoted field be not sold. 23. Nor redeemed, Lev. xxvii. 28. 24. That the head of the bird to be offered on the day of expiation be not separated from the body, Lev. v. 8. 25. That sacred beasts be not used to labour. 26. Nor be shorn, Deut. xv. 19. 27. That the paschal lamb be not slain whilst any leaven remains, Exod. xxiii. 18. 28, That nothing be left of the paschal lamb, Exod. xii. 10. 29. That nothing be left of the paschal lamb to be offered on the second month, Exod. xi. 46. 30. That no bone of the paschal lamb be broken, Exod. xu. 46. 31. That its flesh be not eaten raw or boiled, Exod. xii. 9. 32. That nothing of its flesh be carried out of the company by whom it is to be eaten, Exod. xu. 46. 33. That no stranger or hireling eat of it, Exod. xii. 45. 34. That no uncircumcised person eat of it, ver. 49. 35. That no Israelite that hath been changed do eat of it, Exod. xii. 43. 36. That the fat of it abide not one night, Exod. xxill. 18. 37. That the flesh of the peace-offerings be not kept until the morning, Ley. vii. 15. 38. That nothing remain of sacrifices to the third day, Ley. vii. 16,17. 39. That the priests’ portion of the sacrifices or meat-offermgs be not baked with leaven, Ley. vi. 17. 40. That no unclean person eat that which is holy, Lev. vii. 20. 41. That the holy things once defiled, be not eaten, Ley. vii. 19. 42. That what remains of the sacrifices above the time appointed be not eaten, Lev. xix. 18. 43. That nothing be eaten which is an abomination, Lev. vii. 18. 44. That no stranger eat of holy flesh. 45. Nor the hired servant of the priest, Ley. xxii. 10. 46. Nor he that is uncircumcised. 47. Nor the priest when he is defiled, Ley. xxi. 4, 48. Nor the daughter of the priest which is married to a stranger, Ley. xxii. 12. 49. That the offerings of the priest be not eaten, Lev. vi. 22. 50. That the inwards of the sin-offering be not eaten, Ley. vi. 30. - 51. That beasts made holy that are any ways corrupted be not eaten, Deut. xiv. 3. 52. That the second tenths of fruits be not eaten out of Jerusalem. 53. That the tenth of the wine be not drunk. 54. That the tenth of the oil be not eaten elsewhere, Deut. xii. 17. 55. That the priests eat not the firstlings out of Jerusalem, ch. vii.17. 56. That they eat not the sinoffering out of the holy place, ver. 17. δ. That none of the flesh of the burnt-offering be eaten, ver. 17. 58. That the flesh of the free-will offering be not eaten before the blood of the sacrifice be poured upon the altar. 59. That the priests eat not the first-fruits before he have laid it up in the temple. 60. That no stranger eat that which is most holy, Exod. xxix. 33. 61. That the second tenths be not eaten in mourning. 62. Nor in uncleanness. 63. That the money it is sold for be not laid out in any thing but what is to be eaten or drunk, Deut. xxvi. 14. 64. That no meat be eaten before the things to be separated from it be taken away, Lev. xxii. 25. 65. That the order of tenths, and first-fruits or heave-offerings, be not perverted, Exod. xxii. 29. 66. That vows be not deferred, Deut. xxiii. 99, 67. That none go up to the passover without a sacrifice, Exod. xxiii. 15. 68. That none break his vows, Numb. xxx. 5. 69. That the high-priest marry not a whore. 70. Nor one any way corrupted. 71. Nor one divorced. 72. Nor a widow, Lev. xxi. 7. 73. Nor defile himself with a widow, Lev. xxi. 14,15. 74. That the priests enter not the sanctuary with long hair. 75. Nor with torn garments, Ley. x. 6, xxi. 10. - 76. That the priests go not forth of the temple at the time of divine worship, Ley. x. 7. 77. That no inferior priest defile himself for the death of strangers, Ley. xxi. 1. 78. That the high-priest defile not himself, no not for his parents, ver. 11. 79. That he go not in where is any dead, ver. 11. 80. That the tribe of Levi have no lot in the land. 81. That they have no lot in the spoils of war, Deut. xviii. 2.
§ 25. The fifth family of negative precepts compriseth thirty-eight prohibitions about meats or what may be eaten. 1. That no unclean beasts be eaten, Ley. xi. 4. 2. That no unclean fish be eaten, ver. 1]. 3. That no unclean bird or fowl be eaten, ver. 13. 4. That no creeping thing that also flieth be eaten, ver. 41. 5. That no creeping things of the earth be eaten, ver. 41. 6. That no creeping thing of the waters be eaten, yer. 41. 7. That no worms of the earth be eaten, ver. 44. 8. Nor the worms of fruit, ver. 42. 9, That what dieth of itself be not eaten, Deut. xiy. 21.
10. Nor that which is torn, Exod. xxii. 31. 11. No blood be eaten, Lev. vii. 26. 12. That the fat be not eaten, ver. 23. 13. That no member taken from a living creature be eaten, Deut. xii. 23. 14. That the sinew which shrank be not eaten, Gen. xxx. 32. 15. That flesh be not boiled in the milk of the beast, whose itis. 16. That the flesh be not eaten with milk. Exod. xxiii. 19. 17. That the flesh of an ox stoned for pushing or goring be noteaten, Ex. xxi. 28. 18. That new bread be not eaten until after the offering of the homer. 19. That parched corn, 20, That green ears be not eaten until an offering be first given, Lev. xxiii. 14. 21. That the fruit of a young tree be not eaten until it hath borne three years, Lev. xix. 23. 22. That a mixture of fruits from the vineyard be not eaten, Deut. xxii. 10. 23. The wine of drink-offerings offered to idols be not drunk, Deut.xxxii. 38. 24. That none eat as a glutton, Ley. xix. 26. 25. That none eat on the day of expiation, Ley. xxii. 27,28. 26. That no leaven be eaten on the passover, Exod. xii. 15. 27. Nor any thing mixed with leaven, ver. 20. 28. That no leaven _ be eaten on the even of the passover, Deut. xvi. 3. 29. That no leaven be found in our houses after that time, Exod. xu. 19. 30. That no leaven be found in any place under our power, Exod. xiii. 7. 31. That the Nazarite drink no wine, nor any thing that comes of it. 32. That he eat no green grapes. 33. Nor pressed grapes. 34. Nor the kernels of the grapes. 35. Nor the husks of them, Numb. vi. 2,3,4. 36. That he shave not his head. 37. That he defile not himself for the dead. 38. That he enter not a house where any is dead, ver. 5, 6, 7. |
§ 26. The sixth family compriseth eighteen prohibitions, about fields and harvest. 1. That the whole field be not mowed or reaped. 2. That the ears which fall in reaping be not gathered up. 3. That the grapes left by vine gatherers be not sought after. 4. That the unripe grapes be not gathered, Lev. xix.9, 10. 5. That men return not fora sheaf forgotten, Deut. xxiv. 9. 6. That mixed seeds be not sown in the same field, Lev. xix. 19. 7. That plants of several kinds be not set in the same vineyard, Deut. xxii. 10. 1. That there beno mixture of beasts of several sorts. Ley. xix. 19. 9. That we plough not with an ox and an ass, Deut. xxu1. 11, 10. That the mouth of a beast labouring in that which may be eaten, be not muzzled, Deut. xxv. 4. 11. That in the seventh year, the land be not ploughed. 12. Nor the trees dressed. 13. Nor things moved that grow on their own ground. 14. Nor the fruits gathered as in other years, Ley. xxv. 4. 15. That the earth be not tilled in the year of Jubilee. 16. Nor things cut down growing on their own field. 17. Nor the fruits of that year be gathered. Ley. xxv. 11. 18. That no field in the Holy Land be sold for ever.
§ 27. The seventh family they call the house of doctrines, under which head they refer things of sundry kinds which they know not well how to reduce unto one general sort, or head of one name, and it is branched into forty-five prohibitions. 1. That the Levites be not forsaken, Deut. xii. 19. 2. That the fields and suburbs of the Levites be not changed, Lev. xxv. 34. 3. That no debt be claimed after the year of release, Deut. xv. 2. 4. That we forget not to give to the poor what he wants, Deut. xv. 7, 8. 5. That we omit not to lend to the poor, because the year of release draws nigh, ver. 9,10. 0. That aJewish servant be not set at liberty empty, ver. 13. 7. That a debt be not exacted of the poor, Exod. xxii. 25. 8. That no money be lent to an Israelite on usury, Lev. xxv. 37. 9. That what is lent be not received again with usury, Deut. xiii. 19. 10. That we be not arbitrators between lenders and borrowers on usury, Exod. xxii. 25. 12.
That a pledge be not taken of a borrower with rigour or violence, Deut. xxiv. 10, 11. 13. That the pledge of a poor man that wants it, be not detained, ver. 12. 14. That a pledge be not taken of a widow’s garment, ver. 17. 15. That things necessary to sustain human life, be not taken to pledge, ver. 6. 16. That none steal, Exod. xx. 13. 17. Nor take the goods of any by robbery, Ley. xix. 1]. 18, That we oppress not our neighbour. 19. Or take his goods by violence, ver. 13. 20. That no man deny his neighbour's goods that are with him. 21. That none swear falsely concerning any thing deposited with him, Lev. xix. 13. 22. That we straiten not the bounds of our neighbour, Deut. xix. 14. 23. That none deceive his neighbour in buying and selling, Lev. xxv. 14. 25. That we deceive him not in words, vii. 17. 26. That no stranger be deceived in words. 27. Nor in buying or selling, Exod. xxii. 21. 28. That the widow and orphan be not oppressed, ver 22-24. 29. That a servant flying from his master into the holy land, be not given up tohim. 30. That he be not defrauded in any thing, Deut. xxii. 15. 31. That a Hebrew servant be not used asa bondman. 32. That he be not sold for aslave. 33. That service be not exacted of him with bitterness. 34. That no heathen be suffered to treat him hardly, Ley. xxv. 39, 42, 43,46, 47. 35. That a Jewish maidservant be not sold to another. 36. That the three things required in the law be not denied to such a servant, Exod. xxi. 7—ll. 37. That a fair woman taken in war be not sold. 38. That she be not used as a bondwoman, Deut. xxi. 24. 39. That we covet not, Exod. xx. 17. 40. That nothing of other men’s be desired, Deut. v. 21. 41]. That the hireling eat not whilst he is the field. 42. That he take no more out of the field than what he can eat, Deut. xxiii. 24. 43. That what is lost be not hidden, Deut. xxii. 1—3. 44. That we leave not a beast under its burden, ver. 4. 45. That there be no deceit in weights and measures, Lev. xix. 35. 46. That we keep no false weights or measures in our houses, Deut xxv. 13, 14.
§ 28. The eighth family relates to justice and judgment in forty-six prohibitions. 1. That justice be not violated, Lev. xix. 15. 2. That gifts be not received in judgment, Exod. xxii. 8. 3. That none be respected in judgment, Ley. xix. 15. 4. That none fear a wicked man in judgment, Deut. i. 17. 5. That we pity not a poor man in judgment, Exod. xxiii. 3. 6. That we have no pity for a man-slayer, or other criminal person, Deut. xix. 13. 7. That the judgment of the poor be not perverted, Exod. xxiii. 6. 8. Nor of the stranger, widow, nor orphan, Deut. xxiv. 17. 9. That one party be not heard in the absence of another, Exod. xxiii.l. 10. That we decline not after many in the judgment of law. 11. Nor shall a judge condemn according to the opinion of another, but his own, Exod. xxii. 2. 12. That none be chosen a judge, that is not learned in the law, though he be wise in other things, Deut. xvii. 17. 13. That none bear false witness, Exod. xx. 14. 14. That no offender be justified, Exod. xxii. 1. 15, That kinsmen be not witnesses, Deut. xxiv. 16. 16. Thatnone be condemned upon one witness, Deut. xix. 15. 17. That none be condemned to death on conjecture, opinions, or thoughts, but upon clear witnesses, Exod. xxiii. 7- 18. That we kill not, Exod. xx. 13. 19. That a guilty person be not put to death, before he appear in judgment, Num. xxxy. 12. 20. That no reward be taken for the life of a murderer. 21. Nor for him that commits manslaughter by error, Num. xxxy. 3]. 22. That none be judge and witness in a criminal cause, ver. 30. 23. That none pity the woman mentioned, Deut. xxv. 19. 24. She that is forced, is not to be punished, Deut. xxii. 26. 25. That none appear against the blood of his neighbour, Lev. xix.
16. 26. That no cause of offence, or falling be left in a house, Deut. xxii. 8. 27. That none lay a stumbling block before an Israelite, Lev. xix. 14. 28. That the beating with stripes exceed not the number of forty, Deut. xxv. 3. 29. That none calumniate or accuse falsely, Lev. xix. 16. 90. That we hate not our neighbour in our heart, ver. 17. 31. That none put an Israelite to reproach, ver. 17. 32. That none exercise revenge on his neighbour. 33. That none bear ill-will in their mind, ver. 18. 34. That the mother and its young be not taken together, Deut. xxii. 6. 35. That a scall be not shaven, Ley. xiii. 33. 36. That the signs of leprosy be not removed, Deut. xxvii. 8. 37. That the place where the heifer is beheaded be not tilled, Deut xxi. 4. 38. That a sorcerer be not suffered to live, Exod. xxii. 18. 39. That a new married man be not bound to go forth to war, Deut. xxiv. 5. 40. That none be rebellious against the sanhedrim at Jerusalem, and their doctrine, Deut xvii. 11. 41. That nothing be added to the precepts of the law. 42. That nothing be taken from them, Deut. iv. 2. 43. That we speak not evil of the judge, nor of the princes of the people, Exod. xxii. 28. 44. That none speak evil of any in Israel, Lev. xix. 14. 45. That none curse father or mother. 46. That none strike father or mother, Exod. xxi. 17.
§ 29. The ninth family of negative precepts concerns feasts, and contains ten prohibitions. 1. That no work be done on the Sabbath, Exod. xx. 10. 2. That none go out or beyond the bounds of the city on the Sabbath, Ex. xvi. 29. 3. That no punishment be inflicted on the Sabbath, Exod. xxxv. 3. 4. That no work be done on the first day of the passover. 5. That no work be done on the seventh day of the passover, Lev. xxiii. 7, 8. 6. That no work be done in the feast of weeks, ver. 21. 7. That no work be done on the first day of the seventh month, ver. 24,25. 8. That no work be done on the day of expiation, ver. 30. 9. That no work be done on the first day of the feast of tabernacles. 10. That no work be done on the eighth day of release, ver. 34, 35, 37.
§ 31. The eleventh family concerns marriages in eight prohibitions. 1. That a bastard take not a female Israelite to wife, Deut. xxii. 2. 2. That no eunuch take a daughter of Israel, ver. 1. 3. That no male be made an eunuch, Ley. xxii. 24. 4. That there be no whore in Israel, Deut. xxiii. 17. 5. That he who hath divorced his wife, may not take her again, after she hath been married to another, Deut. xxiv. 4. 6. The brother's daughter marry not with a stranger, Deut. xxv. 5. 7. That he divorce not his wife who hath defamed her in her youth, Deut. xxii. 19. 8. He that hath forced a maid shall not divorce her, Deut. xxii. 29.
§ 32. The twelfth family concerns the kingdom, and is made up of four precepts. 1. That no king be chosen of a strange nation, Deut. xvii. 15. 2. That the king get not himself many horses, ver. 16. 3. That he multiply not wives. 4. That he heap not up to himself treasures of silver and gold, ver. 17.
§ 33. This is the account that the Jews give of the precepts of the law. The number of them, as also the distinction and distribution of them into their several classes, are parts, as they pretend of their oral law, from which the vanity of it might be easily shown. For it is evident, that many of these precepts are coincident; many of what are pretended so to be, are no precepts at all; and sundry of them are not founded on the places from whence they profess to gather them; yea, in many of them the mind of the Tfoly Ghost is plainly perverted, and a contrary sense annexed to his words. Moreover, it is most unquestionable, that there are sundry commands and institutions, especially concerning sacrifices, that are not at all taken notice of by them in this collection. These charges I could easily make good by instances sufficient. It is evident then, that the oral law, of which this collection is said to be a part, cannot be of God; but, as I have before observed, as there is a representation in them of no small multitude of commands, especially in things concerning their carnal worship, it was necessary that they should be here represented, though they had been before transcribed from them by others. My principal design herein, is to illustrate some passages both in the writings of our apostle, as also in other parts of Scripture, concerning this law of commandments contained in ordinances.
§ 34. The censure which our apostle gives of this whole system of divine worship is very remarkable. ‘The first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary, which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation,’ Heb. ix. 1, 10. Let any one cast an eye upon the multitude of commands here collected, about meats and drinks, washings, and outward carnal observances, and he will quickly see how directly and pertinently the description given by our apostle is suited to their services. And that, not only as to the manner and multitude of them, but also as to. their natures. They are carnal things, and could by no means affect the great, spiritual, glorious, and eternal ends which God had designed, proposed, and promised in that covenant, to whose administration they were annexed, until the time of reformation should come. Hence, elsewhere he calls them the rudiments of the world, ordinances about touching, tasting, and handling, about meats and drinks, things outwardly clean or unclean, all which perish with their using, Col. 11. 20—22.
§ 35. A little view also of the multiplicity of these precepts, and their circumstances, and the scrupulous observances required by them, will give light unto the mind of another apostle, who calls. the law ‘a yoke which neither their fathers nor they were ever able to bear, Acts xy. 20. For, although the weight of this yoke did principally consist in the matter of it, and in the duties to be performed, yet it was greatly increased and aggravated by that multiplicity of the commands of which it consisted. Whence our apostle calls it, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, Kph. 11. 15, as it consisted of an endless number of commands, concerning which their minds could never attain any comfortable satisfaction, whether they had answered their duty aright in them or not.
§ 1. The sanction of the law in promises and threatenings. The law considered several ways. § 2,3. As the rule of the old covenant. § 4. As having a new end put to it. § 5. As it was the instrument of the Jewish polity. § 6. The sanction of it in those senses. § 7. Promises of three sorts. To be fulfilled by God himself. ᾧ 8. By others. Parents how they prolong the lives of their children. § 9. Punishments threatened to be inflicted by God himself. ὁ 10, 11. Punishment ΤΙ ‘2a what. § 12. Providential punishments. Partial. Total. § 13. Persons entrusted with power of punishment. § 14. The original distribution of the people. Taskmasters and officers in Egypt, who. § 15. The authority of Moses. § 16. The distribution of the people in the wilderness. § 17. Institution of the Sanhedrim, Judges, Kings. § 18. Penalties ecclesiastical. § 19. The three degrees of it explained and examined. Causes of Niddui. ᾧ 20, 21. Instance, John ix. 20. § 22. Of Cherem. And Shamatha. § 23—25. Form of an excommunication. § 26. The sentence, Ezra x. 7, 1, explained. § 27, 28. Civil penalties. § 29, 30. The Capital. The several sorts of them.
§ 1. By the sanction of the law, we intend the promises and penalties with which God enforced the observance of it. To this the apostlé refers in sundry places of this Epistle, the principal whereof are reported in the foregoing dissertation. To exhibit this subject distinctly, we may observe that the law falls under a threefold consideration. First. As it was a repetition and expression of the law of nature, and of the covenant of works established thereon. Secondly. As it was administered for a new end and design, namely, to direct the church to the use and benefit of the promise given of old-to Adam, and renewed to Abraham four hundred and thirty years before this new administration of the law. Thirdly. As it was the instrument of the rule and government of the church and people of Israel, with respect to the covenant made with them about the land of Canaan. And in this threefold respect, it had a threefold sanction.
§ 2. First. As considered absolutely, it was attended with promises of eternal life, and threatenings of eternal death. The original promise of life upon obedience, and the curse upon transgression, were inseparably annexed to the law; yea, were essential parts of it, as it contained the covenant between God and man. See Gen. 11.; Deut. xxvu. 26; Rom. vi. 23; Rom. iv. 4, x. 5, xi. 6; Lev. xvii. 5; Ezek. xxix. 11; Gal, i. 15:.15.
§ 3. Now, in the administration of the law, the church was thus far brought under the obligation of these promises and threatenings of life and death eternal; thus far interested in the one and made obnoxious to the other, that if they used not the law according to the new dispensation of it, (wherein it was put into a subserviency to the promise, as Gal. iii. 19—24,) they were left to stand and fall, according to the absolute tenure of that first covenant and its ratification, which by reason of the entrance of sin proved fatally ruinous to all that cleaved unto it, Rom. vii. 3, ix. 3l.
§ 4. Secondly. The law had, in this administration of it, a new end and design put upon it, and that in three things. First, That it was made directive and‘instructive to another end, and not merely preceptive, as it was at the beginning. The authoritative institutions that in the new administration of the law were superadded to the moral commands of the covenant of works, did all of them direct and teach the church to look for righteousness and salvation, the original ends of the first covenant, in another and by another way; as the apostle at large disputes in this Epistle, and declares positively, Gal. iii. throughout. Secondly. In that it had a dispensation added to the commands of obedience, and an interpretation kar’ επιεικειαν, by condescension, given by God himself, as to the perfection of its observance, and manner of its performance, in reference to this new end. It required not absolutely perfect obedience, but perfectness of heart, integrity, and uprightness in them that obeyed. And unto the law thus considered, the former promises and threatenings are annexed. For the neglect of this use of it left the transgressors obnoxious to the curse denounced in general against them that ‘continued not in the whole law to do it.’ Thirdly, It had a merciful relief provided against sin, for the support and consolation of sinners, as we shall see in the consideration of, their sacrifices.
§ 5. Thirdly. It may be considered as it was the instrument of the rule and government of the people and church of Israel, according to the tenure of the covenant made with them about the land of Canaan, and about their living to God therein. Amd in this respect it had four things in it. First. That it represented to the people the holiness of God, the effects whereof are manifest in the law, according to its original constitution; accordingly in it they are often called to be holy, because the Lord and Lawgiver was holy. Secondly. A representation of his grace and condescension, in pardoning sin by the covenant of mercy, as he allowed a compensation by sacrifices for so many transgressions, which in their own nature were forfeitures of their interest in that land. Thirdly. That it was a nghteous rule of obedience to that people, in their special covenant condition. Fourthly. That it fully represented the severity of God against wilful transgressors of his covenant, as now*¥enewed in order to the promise, seeing every such transgression was attended in their administration of rule, with death without mercy.
§ 6. It is of the law under this third consideration that we now treat; though not absolutely, as it was the instrument of the government of the people in Canaan, but as it had a representation in it of that administration of grace and mercy which was contained in the promises. Concerning this, or the law in this sense, we may consider, first the promises, then the threatenings of it. And the promises are of two sorts: First. Those, the accomplishment of which God took immediately upon himself. Secondly, Such as others, by his institution and appointment, were to communicate the benefit of to the obedient.
§ 7. The first are of three sorts: First. Of life temporal, as it was an instrument of their government, and eternal with God, as-the promise or covenant of grace was exemplified therein, Lev. xviii. 5; Ezek. xx. 1]; Rom. x. 5; Gal. 11. 12. Secondly. Of a spiritual Redeemer, Saviour, Deliverer, to be exhibited in the fulness of time, really to effect what the ordinances of institution did represent, and so to save them eternally. This we have already proved at large. Thirdly. There are given out with the law various promises of intervenient and mixed mercies, to be enjoyed in earthly things in this world, which had an immediate respect to the mercy of the land of Canaan, and which represented spiritual grace, annexed to the then present administration of the covenant of grace. Some of these concerned the bestowing of good things upon them; others, the preventing of evils, or their deliverance from them, and both are expressed in a great γὰ- riety of ways.
§ 8. Of the promises, whose accomplishment depended on others acting according to the institution of God, that is the principal and comprehensive of the rest, which is expressed, Exod. xx. 12. ‘ Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged.’ ‘This, saith our apostle, is the first commandment with promise, Eph. vi. 2. Not that the foregoing precepts have no promises annexed to the observance of them, not merely because this hath a promise literally expressed, but because it had the special kind of promise, wherein parents, by God's institution, have power to prolong the lives of obedient children, 7.73 j137N*, ‘ they shall prolong thy days, that is, negatively, in not cutting off their life for disobedience, which it was then the in power of natural parents to do; and possibly, by praying for their prosperity, blessing them in the name of God, and directing them to the ways and means of universal obedience, whereby their days might be multiplied, and on sundry other accounts.
§ 9. For the penalties annexed to the transgression of the law, to which eur apostle has special respect in his discourses on this subject, they will require a consideration somewhat larger. ‘These were of two sorts: First, such as God took upon himself to inflict; and Secondly, such as he appointed others to see to the execution of.
The first are of three sorts: First. That eternal punishment which he threatened to them that transgressed and disannulled his covenant, as this was renewed and ordered in the administration of the law, and the ordinances thereof. This we have manifested elsewhere to be the import of the curse, to which every such transgressor was obnoxious.
Secondly. The punishment which the Jews express by N13 and ΓΚ, ‘excision or cutting off. It is first mentioned, Gen. xvi. 14, in the matter of circumcision. Sometimes emphatically, Num. xy. 31. ΠῚ m7, ‘Cutting off that soul shall be cut off from among his people; and frequently afterwards, Exod. xii. 15, 19, xxxi. 14; Ley. vii. 10, xx. 3; 5, 6. It is rendered by the apostle, εξολοϑρευθησεται, Acts 1. 23, ‘shall be destroyed from among the people,’ that is,-by the hand of God, as is declared, 1 Cor. x. 10; Heb. xi. 28. Twenty-five times is this punishment threatened in the law, still unto such sins as disannul the covenant, to which our apostle has express respect, chap. 11. 2, as shall be declared on that place.
ὁ 10. Now, this punishment the Jews generally agree to be ‘T'2 csmwr, ‘by the hand of heaven,’ or that which God himself would immediately inflict; and it is evidently declared so to be in the interpretation given of it, Lev. xvii. 10, xx. 4—6.
But what this punishment was, or wherein it did consist, neither Jews nor Christians are absolutely agreed: the latter, on this subject doing little more than representing the opinions and judgments of the other, which course also we may follow. Some of them say, that untimely death is meant by it; so Abarbinel on Num. ν. 22, 8p OTP WN) NowT 3 Tp DAW wa man Pay wasy Ni mim ὈΣ.Ξ, “Τὸ is the cutting off the days of the sinner, and his death before the natural term of it, inflicted by the hand of heaven. This untimely death they reckon to be between the years of twenty and sixty: whence Schindler, M2, exterminium, cum quis prematura morte inter vigesimum et sexagesimum annum a Deo e medio tollitur, ita tamen ut relinquat liberos: ‘ Cutting off is, when any one is taken away by untimely death, between the twentieth and sixtieth year of his age: yet so, as that he leave children. That clause or condition, so that yet he leave posterity or children behind him,’ is, as far as
I can find, nowhere added by them, nor doth any thing in the Scripture give countenance toit. Yea,many of the Hebrews think, that this punishment consisted in this, that such a one should leave no children behind him, but that either he should be wholly azecvoc, ‘ without children, or if he had any before his sin, they should all die before him, and so his name and posterity be cut off, which say they, is to be cut off from among his people. So Aben Ezra on Gen. xvii. 14. And this opinion is not without its countenance from the Scripture itself; and therefore, Jarchi on the same place, with much probability, puts both these together, ‘ He shall be cut off by untimely death, and leave no children behind him to continue his name or remembrance amongst the people, Dax maa aw pa 19 Ὁ PRw Ὁ M72) NF yaw ἽΤ NIT ND DI 1H WwW Ὁ, as they speak, ‘He that hath no children is accounted as dead: but he that hath, is as if he lived, and his name is not cut off.’
§ 11. They have a third opinion also, by this cutting off, the death of the soul is intended, especially when the word is ingeminated, Cutting off he ἢ shall be cut off, as Numb. xv. 31. So Maimonides, m*7n o> weet TaNmw nap) M17, ‘that soul shall perish: it shall not live or subsist any more for ever. Jew embrace this opinion, as being contrary to their general persuasion of eternal punishments for the transgressions of the covenant. Wherefore it is disputed against by Abarbinel on Numb. xy. who contends that the death of the soul in everlasting separation from God is intended in this threatening. And both the principal parts of these various opinions, namely, that of immature corporeal death, and eternal punishment, are joined together by Jonathan, in his Targum on Numb. xv. 31. ‘ He shall be cut off in this world, and that man shall be cut off in the world to come, and bear his sin in the day of judgment.’ For my part, as I have shown that eternal death was contained in the curse of the law, so this special nD, or extermination from among the people, seems to me to intend some special judgment of God, in taking away the life of such a person, answering to the infliction of death by the judges and magistrates, when men were known to have incurred such punishment, according to the command of God. And in this there was also an eminent representation of the everlasting cutting off of obstinate and final transgressors of the covenant.
§ 12. Thirdly. In judgment to he brought providentially upon the whole nation by pestilence, famine, sword, and captivity, which are at large declared, Lev.xxvi.; and Deut. xxviii.
Fourthly. The total rejection of the whole body of the people, in case of unbelief and disobedience, upon the full and perfect revelation that was to be made of the will and mind of God upon the coming of the Messiah, Deut. xviii. 18; Acts iii. 32; Hos. ii. 23; Isa. x. 22, 23; Rom. ix.
These are the heads of the punishments, which God took upon himself to inflict in an extraordinary manner, on the transgressors of the law, that is, on those who transgressed with a high hand; for his covenant was thus made yoid as to all the ends of its re-establishment in the administration of the law.
§ 13. The second sort of penalties annexed to the transgression of the law, were such as men, by God’s institution and appointment, were enabled to inflict; concerning which we must consider, first, who and what the persons were, who were empowered and authorized to inflict these penalties. Secondly, of what sort these penalties were, and for what transgressions they were necessarily inflicted.
δ 14. The original division of the people, after the days of Jacob, was into D*wAW “ tribes.’ Of these there were at first twelve, which by the division of the tribe of Joseph into two, were increased to thirteen; but as to possessions in Canaan, they were again reduced to twelve, by the special exemption of the tribe of Levi from inheritances, and their separation to the worship of God. Secondly, mmpwi ‘families, or MAN ‘nA ‘houses of fathers,’ which for many probable reasons may be supposed to have been seventy, the number of them who went down with Jacob into Egypt, each of which constituted a particular family, And ὉΣΠΣ; ‘particular households,’ all which are ennumerated, Josh. vi. 15. This distribution, and this alone, continued among the people while they were in Egypt, as they had no opportunity of there adoptmg any civil order, by reason of their oppresions: they therefore contented themselves with that which was natural. Accordingly, there were three sorts of persons that were in some kind of dignity and preeminence among the people, although after their oppressors began, these were probably hindered from exercising the authority that belonged tothem. First. As to the tribes, there were some who were ΝΣ mun “WN, ‘the princes or heads of the tribes, Numb. i. 16. Twelve ir number according to the number of the tribes. Secondly. For the families, or principal houses of the fathers, there were O°2pi77, the ‘elders who presided over them. These Moses and Aaron gathered together, at their first coming into Egypt, Exod. iv. 29. And these, as I said before, being the rulers of the first families, were probably in number seventy; from whence afterwards was the constitution of seventy elders for rule, Exod. xxiy. 1. Thirdly. 0°2775, or ‘ priests,’ it may be in every private household the firstborn, which are mentioned, and so called before the constitution of the Aaronical priesthood, Exod. xix. 21. Besides these, there were officers who attended the service of the whole people, as to the execution of justice and order, called D™UW, ‘Shoterim, which we have rendered by the general name of officers, Exod. v. 14. And they are afterwards distinguished from the elders and judges, Deut. xvi. 18, For there are two sorts of persons mentioned, that were over the people in respect of their works, even in Egypt, D’w2077, ‘exactors or task-masters, and D0w, ‘ officers, Exod. v. 6. The former, or the Nogheshim, the Jews say, were Egyptians, and the latter, or the Shoterim, Israelites, which occasion that distinct expression of them: ‘Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers ἢ and ver. 13, 14. ‘ And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, and the officers of the children of Israel were beaten.’ And they tell us in Midrash Rabba, on Exod. sect. 1, that one of the Nogheshim was over ten of the Israelitish officers, and that one of these was over ten Israelites; whence was the following division of the people into tens and hundreds, and to this in the same place, they add a trifling story of an exactor killed by Moses.
§ 15. Respecting the authority of these officers, and how it was executed by them in Kgypt, there is nothing recorded. Probably, at the beginning of their works and afflictions they were made use of only to answer for the pretended neglects or miscarriages of the multitude of their brethren, as Exod. ν. 14.
After their coming up out of Egypt, during their abode in the wilderness, Moses presided with all manner of authority over the people, as their lawgiver, king, and judge. He judged and determined all their causes, as is frequently affirmed, and that alone, until by the advice of Jethro, he took others to his assistance, Exod. xv. 16, 25. And there is mention of four particular cases that he determined. One religious, one civil, and two capital relating to religion; in these he made special inquiry of God. The first was about the unclean that would keep the passover, Numb. ix. 7, 8. The second about the daughters of Zelophehad, who claimed their inheritance, Numb. xxvii. 4, 5. The third about the blasphemer, Lev. xxiv. The last about him that profaned the Sabbath, Numb. xv. 32—34. In which also, as the Jews say, he set a pattern to future judges, as determining the lesser causes speedily, but those wherein blood was concerned, not without stay and much deliberation.
§ 16. In the wilderness the people were classed into divisions of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, over each of which there were peculiar officers or rulers, chosen from amongst themselves, Exod. xviii. 25; Deut. i. 13, 14. And Moses is said to choose them, because being chosen by the people, he approved of them, as the places foregoing compared, do manifest. The greater number of each of these divisions, settling together in the cities or towns of Canaan, however they might afterward be multiplied or decreased, continued to be called by the names of the thousands of Israel, or Judah. So Bethlehem Ephratah is said to be little among the thousands of Judah, Micah. v. ὃ. For one of those thousands, which had a special head and ruler, and a distinct government, as to their own separate concerns, had settled at Bethlehem, which colony afterwards variously flourished or drew towards a decay.:
§ 17. After these things the great court of the Sanhedrim was constituted by the appointment of God. But as we have elsewhere treated of this, and of those lesser courts of justice which were constituted in imitation of it, sufficiently for our purpose, I shall here wholly omit the consideration of it. Neither shall I need to mention the judges raised up in an extraordinary manner by God, for the general rule of the whole people. Nor need we treat of their kings continued by succession in the family of David, because their story in general is sufficiently known, and the particular consideration of their power, with the manner of the administration of it, would draw us too far out of the way of our present design. And these are they to whom the Lord in their several generations committed the execution of these punishments, that he had allotted to the transgression of the law.
§ 18. The penalties themselves with the special causes of them are lastly to be considered. And these in general were of two sorts. First, ecclesiastical: secondly, civil. Ecclesiastial penalties were the authoritative exclusion of an offending person from the society of the church, and the members of it. That such an exclusion is prescribed in the law in sundry cases, hath in several instances been by others evidenced. Many disputes also have been about it, both concerning the causes of it, the authority whereby it was done, with its ends and effects. But these things are not for our present consideration, as we intend only to represent things as they are in facto instituted or observed.
§ 19. Of this exclusion, the Jews commonly make three degrees, and that not without some countenance from the Scripture. The first they call, “772, ‘Niddui.’ The second, 07M, ‘Cherem; and the third, Nm2w ‘ Shammatha. That which they call Niddui, from 7172, to expel, to separate, to cast off, is with the most of them the first and lowest degree of this separation and exclusion. And the persons who are to pronounce this sentence and put it into execution, are according to the Jews, any court from the highest Sanhedrim of seventy-one at Jerusalem, to the meanest of their synagogues. Yea, any ruler of a synagogue, or wise man in authority, might according to them, do the same thing. And many ridiculous stories they have about the mutual excommunicationand absolution of one another by consent. The time of its continuance, or the first space of time given to the persons offending to repent, was thirty days; on his neglect of this period, he was allowed till sixty days, and then to ninety, when upon his obstinacy he was obnoxious to the Cherem. As the causes of inflicting this punishment of Niddui, they reckon up in the Jerusalem Talmud, moed Katon, twenty-four crimes, on the guilt whereof any one may be thus dealt with. 1. ‘He that despiseth a wise man, that is, a Rabbi, master, or doctor, even after his death. 2. He that contemneth a minister or messenger of the house of judgment. 3. He that calleth his neighbour, servant or slave. 4. He to whom the judge sends and appoints him a time of appearance, and he doth not appear. 5. He that despiseth the words of the scribes, much more the words of the law of Moses. 6. He that doth not obey, and stand to the sentence denounced against him. 7. He that hath any hurtful thing in his power, as a biting dog, and doth not remove it. 8. He that sells his field to a Christian, or to any heathen. 9. He that gives witness against an Israelite in the courts of the Christians. 10. A priest that killeth cattle, and doth not separate the gifts that belong to another priest. 11. He that profaneth the second holy-day in captivity. 12. He that doth any work in the afternoon before the passover. 13. He that taketh the name of God in vain on any account. 14. He that induceth others to profane the name of God. 15. He that draweth others to eat of holy things without the temple. 16. He that computes the times, or writes calendars, or almanacs, fixing the months out of the land of Israel. 17. He that causeth a blind man to fall. 18. He that hindereth others from doing the work of the law. 19. He that makes profane the killing of any creature by his own fault. 20. He that killeth and doth not show his knife beforehand before a wise man, whereby it may appear to be fit. 21. He that is unwilling io, or makes himself difficult in learning. 22. He that putteth away his wife, and afterward hath commerce with her in buying and selling, which may induce them to cohabitation. 23. A wise man of evil fame and report. 24, He that excommunicateth him who deserveth not that sentence.
§ 20. An instance of this exclusion, we have expressly in the gospel, John ix. 20. ‘'The Jews had already agreed, that if any man should confess he was Christ, αποσυναγωγος γένηται, he should be put out of the synagogue. He should be τ ΤΊΣ, ‘Menuddeh; put under the sentence of Niddui. And according to this sentence they proceeded with the blind man, whose eyes were opened by the Lord Christ, ver. 34, ἐξέβαλον, that is, saith the margin of our translation, they excommunicated him. But this is not the signification of the word; it denotes only their causing him to be thrust out of the synagogue by their officers, although there is no doubt, but at the same time they pronounced sentence against him.
§ 21. If a man died under this sentence they laid a stone upon his bier, intimating that he deserved lapidation if he had lived. Howbeit they excluded him not from teaching or learning of the law, so that he kept four paces distant fron other persons. He came in, and went out of the temple at the contrary door to others, that he might be known. All which, with sundry other things, were of their traditional additions to the just prescriptions of the word,
§ 22. In case this process succeeded not, and upon some greater demerits, the sentence of D1 Cherem was to be proceeded to.
This is a high degree of authoritative separation from the congregation, and is made use of either when the former is despised, or as was said upon greater provocations. ‘This sentence must not be denounced, but in a congregation of ten at least, and with such an one asis 1717279, thus anathematized, it is not lawful so much as to eat.
The third and last sentence in this kind which contains a total and irrecoverable exclusion of a person from the communion of the congregation, is called, ΝΠ, ‘Shammatha.’ Some of the Talmudical Rabbins in moed katon give the etymology of this word as if it should be as much as DW mm, ‘Sham metha, death is there. But it is generally agreed, that it is from nw, to exclude, expel, cast out, that is, from the covenant of promise, and commonwealth of Israel. And this the most take to be total and final, the persons that fall under it being left to the judgment of God without hope of reconciliation to the church. Hence it is called in the Targum, Numb. xxi. 25; Deut. vii. 27, ‘The curse, the execration of God; and b the Talmudists, ΣΝ ΟΣ ‘71587 ΝΠ, ‘The anathema of the God of Israel.’ But yet it cannot be denied that in many places, they speak of it as the general name for any excommunication, and so as not at all to distinguish it from Niddui, which is taken to be the least degree thereof. The most learned Buxtorf hath given us out of an ancient Hebrew manuscript, a form of this excommunication, which is truly ferale carmen, as sad and dismal an imprecation, as according to their principles could well be invented. It is indeed by him applied to the Cherem, but as L’Empereur hath observed in his Annotations on Bertram, it was doubtless only made use of in the last and greatest exclusion, which is supposed to be the Shammatha. The form of the curse is as ensues.
§ 23. ‘ By the sentence of the Lord of lords, let such a one, the son of such a one, ("25D ja 229) be in anathema, or be accursed in each house of judgment, that above, and that below, (that is by God and his church) in the curse of the holy ones on high: in the curse of the seraphims and Ophannim, (the Wheels or Cherubims in Ezekiel’s vision,) in the curse of the whole church from the greatest to the least: Let there be upon him strokes great and abiding; diseases great and horrible: Let his house be an habitation of dragons (Ὁ 27) or serpents. Let his star, or planet, be dark in the clouds: Let him be exposed to indignation, anger, and wrath; and let his dead body be cast to wild beasts and serpents: Let his enemies and adversaries rejoice over him, and let his silver and gold be given to others; and let all his children be cast at the doors of his adversaries; and let posterity be astonished at his day: Let him be accursed out of the mouth of Addiriron, and Athariel; from the mouth of Sandalphon, and Hadraniel; from the mouth of Ansisiel, and Pathiel; from the mouth of Seraphiel, and Sagansael; from the mouth of Michael, and Gabriel; from the mouth of Raphiel, and Mesharethiel: Let him be accursed from the mouth of Zazabib, and from the mouth of Havabib, who is the great God; and from the mouth of the seventy names of the great King: and from the mouth of the Tzorlak the great Chancellor, (these names partly significant, and partly insignificant, coined to strike terror into the minds of weak and distempered persons, they invent and apply at their pleasure to angels, good and bad; not unlike the monstrous names which the gnosticks gave to the Atons, who borrowed many things from the tradition of the Jews, and returned them again unto them with an improvement, but they proceed): Let him
be swallowed up as Corah and his company; and let his soul depart with fear and terror: Let the rebuke of the Lord slay him, and let him be strangled like Ahitophel: Let his leprosy be as the leprosy of Gehazi, neither let there be any restoration of his ruin: Let not his burial be in the burials of Israel: Let his wife be given to strangers, and let others humble her in his death. Under this curse, let such a one, the son of such a one, be, with his whole inheritance. But unto me, and all Israel, let God extend his peace and blessing. Amen.’
§ 24. Now, because it is certain, that this is a form of the greatest and last anathema, of a final and total excommunication, and yet he who is devoted is every-where said to be DIM, Muchram, and under the Cherem, it is almost evident, that these three degrees are not distinguished as is commonly supposed, namely, that the Shammatha should exceed the Chevem, and that this last should exceed only the Niddui, for we find the highest and extreme sentence in this solemn form, is often called the Chevem. Shanmatha, therefore, is only a general name for the expulsion of a person, sometimes with the Niddui, and sometimes with the Cherem, which yet I do not suppose was always thus horrid and fierce.
§ 25. To add to the terror of this sentence, they used to accompany the pronouncing of it with the sound of trumpets and horns, as the Targum says that Barak did in his cursing of Meroz, Judges v. 23. He shammatized him with four hundred trumpets. And herein have they been imitated by the Church of Rome, in their shaking of candles, and ringing of bells, on the like occasion.
I have not reported these things, as though for matter and manner they wholly belonged to the law as penalties of divine institution. Many things in the manner of their performance, as they are now expressed by the Rabbins, were certainly of their own arbitrary invention. When the use of these first began amongst them 15 unknown; though it be not improbable, that sundry things of this nature were practised by them before the destruction of the second temple; for then they had mixed many of their own superstitions with the worship of God, as is evident from the gospel.
§ 26. But this also is certain, that God in sundry cases had appointed that some transgressors should be separated from the congregation, devoted to destruction, and cut off. An instance of the execution of which institution we have, Ezra x. 7, 8, ‘ They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem, and that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes, and the elders, all his substance should be divided, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.’ <A double penalty is here threatened to. disobedient persons; the one concerned the person of such a one, 797277 bapa 272° ni, ‘He shall be separated from the congregation of the captivity,’ that is, of Israel then returned out of captivity. And this was the Niddui, or expulsion from sacred communion, which we haye before described: he should be esteemed as a heathen man. Secondly, as to his substance, }W27 55 DM, ‘ All his substance, his goods and possessions, should be anathematized, devoted, put under Cherem, taken away for sacred uses. Hence some have made this distinction between the three degrees of excommunication.
First. The Niddui concerned only the person, and his separation from sacred offices. Cherem had also confiscation of goods attending it, the substance of the transgressor being devoted. And Shammatha was accom- panied with the death of the devoted person. Now these carnal penalties being removed, under the New Testament dispensation, that great and sore zevenge which disobedient sinners are to expect from the hand of God at the last day is substituted by our apostle in the room of them all, Heb. x. 28, 29.
᾿ς ὃ 27. Civil punishments next succeed, and they were of three sorts. First, corporeal. Secondly, such as respect the outward estate and condition of the offender. Thirdly, capital.
First. Corporeal. The only corporeal punishment was that of stripes, not exceeding the number of forty, Deut. xxv. 23. An account of the opinions of the Jews, and of the manner of their inflicting this punishment, is given us by many; in particular, it is given very exactly by Buxtorf in his preface to his Bibliotheca Rabbinica, to which I refer the reader. They call it mpi, or beating by strokes, and sometimes Ὁ ΞῚΝ mp7, the beating of forty, or with forty. And he that was liable unto it was ™27 13, filius plagarum. Many crimes doubtless rendered persons obnoxious to this penalty, but they are not directly expressed in the law. The Jews now reckon up seven instances of unlawful copulation with women free and unmarried, (for adultery, as is known, was capital by the express sentence of the law.) As, 1. With a sister. 2. A father’s sister. 3. A mother’s sister. 4. A wife’s sister. 5. A brother's widow. 6. An uncle’s widow. 7. A woman separated. Under this head they aiso reckon up many crimes with reference to ceremonial institutions, as eating of fat, and blood, and leaven, on the passover, making an oil like the holy oil; indeed they here include all such transgressions as are threatened with punishment, but have no express kind of punishment annexed to them.
§ 28. Secondly. Punishments respecting state and condition were of two sorts. First, pecuniary, in a quadruple restitution in case of theft. Secondly, personal, in banishment, or confinement to the city of refuge for him that had slain a man at unawares, Num. xxxv. 25.
§ 29. Thirdly. Capital punishments they inflicted four ways. First, by strangulation, which was inflicted on six sorts of transgressors. 1. Adulterers. 2. Strikers of parents. 3. Men-stealers. 4. Old men exemplarily rebellious against the law. 5. False prophets. 6. Prognosticators by the names of idols. Secondly, burning, Lev. xx. 14. And this the Jews say was inflicted by pouring molten lead into their mouths; and the crimes for which this punishment was inflicted, were, Ist. the adultery of the priest's daughter. 2d. Incest. 1. With a daughter. 2. With a son's daughter. 3. A wife's daughter. 4. A wife's daughter's daughter. 5. A wife’s son’s daughter. 6. A wife’s mother. 7. The mother’ of her father. 8. The mother of her father-in-law. Thirdly, death was inflicted by the sword,’Deut. xx. 21. 1. On the voluntary man-slayer. 2. On the inhabitants of any city that fall to idolatry. Fourthly, by stoning; which was inflicted for imcest. 1. With a mother. 2. A mother-in-law. 3. A daughter-in-law. 4. Adultery with a betrothed virgin. 5. Unnatural uncleanness with men. 6. With beasts by men. 7. With beasts by women. 8. Blasphemy. 9. Idolatry. 10. Offering to Moloch. 11. A familiar spirit of Ob. 12. Of Jiddeoni. 13. On impostors. 14. On seducers. 15. On enchanters or magicians. 16. Profaners of the Sabbath. 17. Cursers of father or mother. 18. The dissolute and stubborn son: concerning all of which it is expressly said, that they shall be stoned.
§ 30. To the execution of these penalties there were added two cautionary Jaws. That they who were put to death, for the increase of their ignominy, and terror of others, should be hanged on atree, Deut. xxi. 21. Secondly, That they should be buried the same day, ver. 23. And this is a brief abstract of the penalties of the law, as it was the rule of the polity of the people in the land of Canaan.
ὁ 1. The building of the tabernacle. § 2, 8. Moses’ writing and reading the book of the covenant. § 4. Considerations of the particulars of the fabric and utensils of the tabernacle. Omitted. § 5. One instance insisted on. The ark. The same inthe tabernacle and temple. The glory of God in what sense. § 6. The principal sacred utensil. § 7. The matter whereof it was made. § 8,9. The form of it. § 10. The end and use of it. ᾧ 11. The residence and motions of it. § 12. The merey-seat that was upon it. § 13. The matter thereof. ὃ 14, 15, Of the cherubims. Their form and fashion. ὃ 16, 17. The visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel compared. Difference in them, and reason thereof. § 18. Two other cherubim also in the temple.
§ 1. THE people having received the law in the wilderness, and the foundation of their.future church state and worship, which was to continue until the times of reformation, Heb. ix. 10, being thus laid; there was also assigned to them, by God’s direction, a place and building for the seat of that worship. This was the tabernacle erected in the wilderness, in a manner suited to their then changing condition. When they had attained a fixed station in the land of promise, the temple built by Solomon came in the room of this tabernacle. Our apostle, in treating of the ordinances of of that church, as first instituted by Moses, of which the Hebrews boasted as their privilege, and to the observances of which they obstinately adhered, insists only on the tabernacle, from which the temple and its services were derived, and to which they were conformed. And this he doth principally, ch. ix. 1—5, ‘ Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made, the first wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shew-bread, which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy-seat.’
§ 2. The preparation for the directions which God gave for the building of this tabernacle is declared, Exod. xxiv. The body of the people having heard the law, that is the ten commandments, which were written on two tables of stone, and the people no more than these, Deut. ix. 10, they removed to a greater distance from the mount, Exod. xx. 18,19. After their removal, Moses continued to receive from the Lord that summary of the whole law which is expressed, chap. xxi, 22, 23. And all this, as it should seem, at the first hearing, he wrote ina book from the mouth of God. For it is said, xxiv. 4, that he wrote all the words of the Lord. And, ver. 7, that he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people.
§ 3. The Jewish masters suppose that it was the book of Genesis that is there intended. For, say they, the rest of the law was not yet written; for this took place before God himself had written or engraven the ten words on the two tables of stone. But this is a fond imagination, seeing the book which Moses read contained the form and tenour of the covenant made with that people at Horeb, and is expressly so called, and as such was then solemnly confirmed and ratified by sacrifice. It may therefore be rather supposed, that there is a prolepsis used in the recording of this story, and that indeed the confirmation of the covenant by sacrifice, which was accompanied with the reading of the book, was not until after the third return of Moses from the mount with the renewed tables. But this also may well be doubted, seeing this sacrifice was prepared and offered by the young men of the children of Israel, ver. 5, that is, the first-born, whose office was superseded upon the separation of Aaron and his sons unto the priesthood, which God had designed before that last descent of Moses from the mount. We must, then, leave things in the order in which they are recorded. It appears, therefore, that Moses wrote the law as he received it from God. This being done, he came down and read it in the ears of the people. And he proposed it to them, as containing the terms of the covenant that God would have them enter into. This they solemnly engaged to the performance of, and thereby had their admission into a new church state. This being done, the whole was confirmed by sacrifice, and the sprinkling of blood, to prefigure the great confirmation of the new οτος by the blood of Christ, as we shall see afterwards.
§ 4. Things being thus settled, Moses goes up again into the mount, to receive directions for that w orship of God which he appointed and enjoined to them in that church state into which they were newly admitted. And here, in the first place, the Lord instructs him respecting the frame and whole fabric of the tabernacle, as that which was an eminent type of the human nature of Christ, and so indispensably necessary to the solemn worship then ordained, that no part of it could be rightly performed but with respect thereunto. This, therefore, with all the parts and utensils of it, should now come under consideration. But there are various reasons for which I shall omit it in this place: as, 1. The most material things belonging to it must necessarily be considered in our exposition of those places of the Epistle where they are expressly insisted on. 2. Many things relating to it, as the measures of it, some part of the matter whereof it was made, divers colours used about it, are very dubious, and some of them so absolutely uncertain, that the Jews themselves can come to no agreement about them; and it is not meet to enter into the discussion of such things, without more room and liberty than our present design will afford. 3. Many learned men have already laboured with great diligence and skill in the discovery of all the several concerns of the tabernacle ‘and temple, from whom the reader who hath a mind to inquire into these things may receive much satisfaction. Moreover, this part of these discourses is written in such circumstances as afford me very little encouragement or assistance to enlarge on this subject. Only that the reader may not go away without an mstance of what in other circumstances might have been here introduced, I shall select one particular utensil of the tabernacle, and give an account of it. And this shall be the ark, and the things connected with it.
§ 5. The ark was the only furniture of the most holy place, the most sacred and holy of all the utensils of the tabernacle and temple. And it was the same in them both, as is evident, 1 Kings viii. 4, 6. It was the repository of the covenant; for so the law written ‘by the finger of God in tables of stone is often called metonymically, and being anointed, Exod. xl,
9, it became DW7P Wp, ‘ holiness of holinesses,’ or most holy, a type of him who was to fulfil the law, and establish the covenant between God and man, being thereunto anointed as the most holy, Dan. ix. 26. It was also the great pledge of the presence of God in the church; whence it is sometimes called his glory, Ps. Ixxvii. 61. He gave wNbn, ‘his glory, beauty, majesty, into the hand of the enemy, when the ark was taken; on which occasion, the wife of Phineas cried, 123 ἽΝ, ‘ Where is the glory? 1 Sam. iy. 24, because therein the glory departed with the ark from Israel, ver. 22. Also in the presence of the ark, glory was said to dwell in the ismd, Ps. Ixxxyvs 95/7135 pow, because on it the Shechina, or Chabod, or glorious presence of God, dwelt and abode among his people. Yea, it hath the name of God himself attributed to it, by reason of its representation of his majesty, Ps. xxiv. 7, 9, 10.
We call it by the same name with the great vessel wherein Noah, and the seed of all living creatures, were preserved. But their names are very different in the original, both in sound and signification. The Hebrew word for the ark of the covenant made under the ministry of Moses, is ἽΝ, Aron, a chest, it may be from JN, a certain wood whereof such chests were made. The word for the other is, Man, Tebah, the name of any ara in the water, great or small, though made with bulrushes, Exod. Heid.
§ 6. As the ark was the principal, so it was the first utensil of the tabernacle that God appointed to be made, Exod. xxv. 10. It was as the heart from which sacred holiness from the presence of God flowed to enliven and to give spirit to all other things belonging to his worship. Hence, when it was brought into the temple, and not till then, the visible pledges of the presence of God appeared there, 1 Kings viii. 8—12.
§ 7. The matter whereof it was made, was DW ‘By, Exod. xxv. 10, Shittim-iood, or boards of the ΓΙῸ tree mentioned, Isa. xli. 18. What wood this was, 1s altogether uncertain, although it seems sure enough that none of it grew in the wilderness, where the people were at the erection of the tabernacle. For these Shittim boards were reckoned amongst the stores of silver and brass, and such other things as they had _ brought with them into the wilderness, Exod, xxxv. 25, and that expression, INN NBM) ἼΩΝ dd, < every one with whom was found Shittim~-wood,’ intimates the rarity of it, and that, it may be, it had been preserved by them ‘for sundry generations. There is indeed a place called Shittim, and Abel Shittim, mentioned Numb. xxv. 1, and xxxiii. 49, but it is not probable that this name was derived from these trees. However this place was in the plains of Moab, to which the Israelites came not until forty years after the making of the ark. Indeed, there is nothing now known of the Shittim tree, or of this wood; for all that has been written respecting it, and many have written, is mere conjecture, ending in acknowledged uncertainty. Only it seems to have been notable for firmness and duration, as continuing in the ark apparently 900 years, even from the making of it till the destruction of the temple by the Chaldeans. And perhaps it was restored to the second temple, not perishing absolutely until the covenant with that people expired, 600 years after the captivity. But it had indeed this advantage for preservation from all external causes of decay, that it was inclosed on all parts in a covering of gold.
§ 8. The ark was in the form of an oblong chest, of small dimensions, being two cubits and a half in length, and one and a half in breadth, and of the same height, Exod. xxv. 10. It was thus, according to the most
OF THE TABERNACLE AND ARK. 379 appproved estimation of their measures, near four feet long, and two feet and some inches broad and high; and farther exactness or accuracy about these measures is of little certainty, and less use. How the boards of it were joined, is not mentioned. It was overlaid with beaten gold, pure and unmixed, yim} mr7, intus et extra, undequaque, on all the boards of it, both within and without, so that no part of the wood was any where to be seen or touched. Round about it, that is, on the edge of the upper side, it had 2.20 }>y upon it round about, 13 a diadem, or a fringe of gold work, such as encompassed diadems or crowns. And this 3, or diadem, was put only on the ark, the mercy-seat, and the altar of incense, intending expressions of rays of gold, as coming from 13, to scatter abroad in the manner of rays and beams, which Heb. i. 3, is called azavyacpa, ‘the brightness of glory.’ And hence the rabbins speak of a threefold crown, that of the ark, that of the altar, and that of the table; of the last for the king, of the midst for the priest, of the first they know not from whom, as Rabbi Solomon says expressly. Indeed all of them represented the threefold offices of Christ, for whom the crowns were laid up, Zech. vi.