and the parting of the river Jordan, with many others, too numerous to mention.* Miriam. You said that the excellency of the institutions of Judaism proves its divinity: what are those which you denominate civil? Father. The principle of the civil institutions, were, First, The re-establishment of the seventh day Sabbath. Secondly, The year of release, every seventh year, when servants became free. Thirdly, The solemn Jubilee, every fiftieth year, when all landed property was returned, whether sold or mortgaged, to the families of its original possessors.† Thomas. These were truly excellent institutions, and admirably calculated to make a people contented and happy: beyond compare more excellent than those of which I have read of the ancient Spartans and Athenians. What were the moral institutions of Judaism? Father. Those rules of duty which immediately relate both to God and man, as they are summarily comprehended in the ten commandments. Henry. I often admire the beautiful abridg. ment of them, as given by our Saviour: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, * Exod. xvi. 12-35. xvii. 6. Numb. xx. 11. + Exod. xxiii. 12. Deut. xv. 1-18. Lev. xxv. 10. 1 and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength; and thou shalt love thy neighbour as hyself."* Miriam. If men would keep these commandments, Paradise would be in a great measure restored upon earth. I perceive, that it is against one or the other of these, that all sin is committed. What were the most important of the ceremonial institutions of Judaism? Father. The chief of the ceremonial institutions were, the daily and yearly sacrifices for the sins of the nation. Thomas. We should be greatly edified by a particular account or the daily sacrifice. Father. The daily sacrifice was a lamb without blemish; purchased at the public expense. It was slain and offered to God by fire; one in the morning about nine o'clock, for the sins of the night and another in the evening, about three o'clock, for the sins of the day, throughout the year. On the Sabbath the sacrifice was two lambs at each service.† Before the act of sacrificing the devoted victim had the sins of the whole nation confessed over it, by the officiating priest, and the guilt ceremonially transferred to the animal, by the representatives of the people laying their hands upon its head. It was then * Deut. vi. 6. Lev. xix. 18. Matt. xxii. 37-39. + Exod. xxix. 38. Lev. vi. 9. Numb. xxviii. slain, and offered as a burnt offering. for them. Meanwhile the congregation worshipped in the court, and the priests burnt incense in the sanctuary.* Henry. What was the annual sacrifice? Father. On the solemn day of atonement, the high-priest offered, first, a bullock and a ram, for the sins of himself and of his family: afterwards he offered the great annual sacrifice, which consisted of two goats for the sins of the people. Miriam. How were the two goats offered in sacrifice? Father. After the sins of the nation had been confessed over their heads by the high-priest, one was slain and offered by fire, after the manner of the daily sacrifice; the other was taken, bearing the sins of the people, into the wilderness, to be seen no more.+ Thomus. It appears there were occasional sacrificial offerings of atonement, made by private persons: what was the ceremony at those services? Father. "He who offered sacrifice, led up the victim before the altar, laid his hands upon the *See Dr. Gill's Commentary on Numbers Xxviii. + Lev. xvi. ན head of it, upon which he leaned with all his strength; which imposition of hands upon the animal, was to show that they loaded him with their iniquities, and that they had deserved the death, which he was going to suffer.* Henry. Have you any of the forms of confession and prayer which were used on those occasions? Father. The Hebrew doctors say, the form of the confession on the day of the atonement was as follows: "O Lord, thy people, the house of Israel, have done wickedly; they have transgressed before thee; I beseech thee now, O Lord, pardon the sins, iniquities, and transgressions, with which the people, the house of Israel, have sinned, done wickedly and transgressed before thee, as it is written in the law of thy servant Moses: that in that day he shall make atonement for you, that he might cleanse you, and that you might be clean from all your iniquities before the Lord.+" A form of confession at private sacrifices, is said to have been as follows: "Now, O Lord, I have sinned. I have committed iniquity. I have rebelled; but I return in repentance to thy presence, and be this my expiation." * Fleury's Manners of the Israelites, page 309. + Godwin's Moses and Aaron, lib. iii. chap. viii. Dr. Outram on Sacrifices. Miriam. If the Jewish institutions were SO excellent, and appointed by divine authority, why do they not continue? why do you not observe them? Father. Your enquiry is perfectly reasonable; and I reply, Those institutions which were of a moral nature, do, and will continue for ever: but the others were only prefigurations: they were shadows of good things to come, and are, therefore, illustrative of Christianity. The epistle to the Hebrews is an inspired commentary. which explains the design of the Jewish rites. In the Levitical economy, "there were four sorts of sacrifices, as one alone was not sufficient to represent the adorable sacrifice of Jesus Christ Burnt-offerTrespass-offerings, - and ings, Sin-offerings, Peace-offerings."* *Fleury's Manners, page 313. |