round about the altar. And it may be remarked with Origen, that when Annas, Caiaphas, and the other priests, condemned JESUS CHRIST to death in the Sanhedrin, which was in the temple, they then, in that place where the altar was, poured out the precious blood of that innocent Victim to whom all the sacrifices of the law referred. 6. Before the building of the temple the sacrifices were offered up at the entrance into the tabernacle; but, after that was built, it was not lawful to offer them up any where but there, as is commanded by God Himself in Deuteronomy: and this law took away from the Jews the liberty of sacrificing in any other place. They might slay their victims in any part of the priests' court that they liked, but not out of it; and they even were obliged to sacrifice the paschal lamb here. And to this prohibition of sacrificing any where but in the temple built at Jerusalem JESUS CHRIST alludes, when he says in St. Luke that it cannot be that a a prophet perish out of Jerusalem: for by this means not so much as the types of the death of the prophet could be represented any where but in that city. Those victims that were most holy could only be offered up on the north side of the altar. 7. As to the time of offering sacrifice, it could only be done by day: and the blood of the animal was always sprinkled the same day that it was P Lev. i. 11, 12. ૧ Chap. xii. 14. r Chap. xiii. 33. killed; for the blood became polluted as soon as the sun was down. But if the sprinkling had been made in the day-time the members and entrails of the victim might be burnt all night long. The morning sacrifice was offered as soon as the day began to break, before the sun was above the horizon and the evening one as soon as darkness began to overspread the earth. The paschal lamb was offered between the two evenings, that is to say, at the time when the sun begins to decline, about the hour that JESUS CHRIST expired on the cross, which answers to our three in the afternoon. 8. We now come to the other sorts of sacrifices. One alone was not sufficient to represent the adorable sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST, the effects of which are infinite; and therefore it was necessary the old law should have different sorts of them. Some of them were more, and some of them less holy : but they were all either 1st, burnt-offerings; or, 2dly, sin-offerings; or, 3dly, trespass-offerings; or, 4thly, peace-offerings. Maimonides reduces all the sacrifices of the Jews to these four sorts; which were either offered up by particular persons, or else by the whole people in general: and we shall say something of each. 1st, The Holocaust, or burnt-offering, as the word implies, is a sacrifice or victim, which is entirely consumed by fire, together with the intestines and feet, which they took care to wash before 'See my Discourse on the Eucharist, where this subject is considered at large. it was offered. But it was not so with other sacrifices a part only of them was burnt, and the rest divided among the priests, and the laymen who offered the sacrifice. The Hebrews call it y Aalah, which signifies to rise, because the victim appeared to rise up to heaven in a smoke, as an odour of sweet smell before God. It sometimes happened that fire came down from heaven, and miraculously consumed the victim. The reader may likewise find an account of the ceremonies that attended the offering up the burnt-offering in Leviticus, ch. i. 5, 6. 2dly, The second sort of sacrifice is called a sin-offering. And here we may observe, that the words which St. Paul puts into the mouth of JESUS CHRIST, in the epistle to the Hebrews," Sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offering, and offerings for sin, thou wouldst not, are not to be understood of GOD's having refused to accept of the sacrifice which JESUS CHRIST had offered Him for the sins of men; but only that God disliked all the antient sacrifices, the oblations, the burntofferings, and the sin-offerings, which were made to Him under the law. This sacrifice was likewise sometimes simply called sin; and therefore, when it is said that JESUS CHRIST was made sin for us, we are to understand thereby, that He t by differently pronounced Olah, Holah, and Gnolah. Lev. i. 3. u V Chap. x. 8. 2 Cor. v. 21. Υπερ ημων αμαρτίαν εποίησεν. The word auapria is used by the Septuagint for a sin-offering in ninety was made a sin-offering for us. The Hebrews understand by the word non chatath, (sin,) any voluntary crime, or violation of the law, which was committed through inadvertency, and which GOD always punished unless it was expiated. And they were persuaded, that several diseases and pains, as leprosy, and the pains of child-bearing, were punishments for some sin; and therefore the sacrifices that were offered by lepers, or women after they had lain in, are reckoned among the sin-offerings. 3dly, In order to understand what is meant by the third sort of sacrifices, we must first know what the Hebrews meant by the word Asham," which the Latin interpreter renders delictum, and signifies a trespass, error, or doubt. They offered this third sort of sacrifice when they had just reason to doubt whether they had broken some precept of the law of God, or no. When they were in this uncertainty, they were obliged to offer sacrifice. What the law commands concerning it is this, And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest: X four places in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, which is their translation of the Hebrew non chatah, and which in all the above places is rendered sin-offering in our English bibles. W - Lev. V. 3 Asham, to be guilty, or liable to punishment. and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred, and wist it not; and it shall be forgiven him. 4thly, The peace-offering, or sacrifice of gratitude, (for the Hebrew word shelamim signifies both) was offered as a thanksgiving either for having recovered health, or for having received some signal mercy of GoD, or for the happy state of their affairs; and therefore it is called eucharistical. But some divide sacrifices into those of consecration, which was offered when any one was admitted into the priesthood; those of purification, which was offered for women who had lain in, and lepers; and those of expiation, which were offered for purifying the sanctuary, or temple, or people. 9. Nothing now remains, but to speak of the. manner of partaking of the sacrifices; concerning which, we must observe, that nobody partook of the burnt-offerings, because they were entirely consumed by fire: and that in the other sacrifices, the law declares what parts of the victims belonged to the priests, and what parts belonged to those who offered them. When the sacrifices were of the most holy sort, they were then always obliged to be eaten in the holy place, that is, within the courts of the temple; and nobody but Jews were admitted to this repast, and such only of them as had no legal impurity. And as to the other sacri 'shelameem, from shalam, to make whole, complete, to make up a difference between parties; to produce peace. Numb. xviii. 8, 20. |