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must be then Something in common to all these cafes, which led men to use the fame Rite upon fo many different Occafions.

Now there seems to be nothing but the particular pointing out of the Perfon or Thing, which is common to all these : And therefore when any one laid his hand upon the Head of his Sacrifice, it was by that Act to deliver it abfolutely and in form to God, and to the Ufes intended by Sacrifice. There was indeed a prior Oblation made, when the Sacrifice was brought to the Tabernacle: But This other, when Hands were laid upon it, feems to be the formal Act by which the Offerer transferred his Property, to the Ufe of the Altar. And when a man did this, it would be, as Mofes has exprefs'd it, Levit. i. 4. Acceptable unto God, to give pardon to him, viz. that offered it. And for this reafon in all Sacrifices Impofition of Hands was required, because by this, folemn Act the Victim was delivered out of the power of the Proprietor to the Ufes intended by Sacrifice.

Whilst the Offerer had his Hands upon the Head of the Sacrifice, he confeffed his Sins, and prayed to God to pardon them, or he praised him, or he gave him Thanks, or he petitioned for future favours, as the circumstances were; and by this he declared the Intent and Defign of the particular Sacrifice then offered unto God.

We may now look into the Practice of the Jews, and fee what That was.

They obferve*, "That in the cafe of "Sacrifices of the Congregation, none

require Impofition of Hands except the "Bullock which was offered on account "of the Congregation's having done "fomething against fome of the Com"mandments which should not have been done, and the Scape Goat. R. Simeon fays, They fhould lay hands likewife upon the Goat to be offered for Idolatry. But all Sacrifices of Private Per

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Nulla Sacrificia publica requirunt Impofitionem Manuum, Juvenco excepto qui offertur pro omnibus præceptis; et Hirco Emiffario. R. Simeon dicit, etiam Hirco pro Idololatria offerendo manus imponuntur. Omnia Sacrificia privata requirunt Manuum Impofitionem, Primogenito, Decimis, Pafchate excepto. Mishna. Tit. Minchoth. Vol. V. p. 96.

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"fons require Impofition of hands, except the First Born, Tithes, and the Paffover."

To understand this rule it must be obferved that the Law was, If the whole Congregation of Ifrael fin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the Eyes of the Affembly, and they do fomewhat against any one of the Commandments of the Lord, which they should not do, and are guilty; then the Elders of the Congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the Bullock before the Lord, Lev. iv. 13, 15. So too it was exprefsly ordered in the cafe of the Scape-Goat, Lev. xvi. 21. Aaron fball lay Both his hands upon the head of the live Goat, and confefs over him all the Iniquities of the children of Ifrael. But then befides thefe Two cafes, (which are the cafes refer'd to in the Mishnah,) there is a Third, mentioned in Numbers, in these words, c. xv. 22-26. If ye have erred, and not obferved all thefe commandments, even all that the Lord hath commanded,―Then it shall be, if aught be committed by Ignorance without the Knowledge of the congregation, that all the Congrega

tion fhall offer one young Bullock for a Burnt Offering for a fweet Savour unto the Lord with his Meat Offering and Drink Offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the Goats for a Sin Offering-And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the Children of Ifrael, and the Stranger that fojourneth among them, Seeing all the people were in ignorance. No mention is here made of Impofition of Hands; and therefore the Question arofe, Whether Hands were to be laid upon the Head of this Goat?

The firft of thefe cafes relates to an Offence against some one of the commandments through Ignorance: This Laft implies greater fault, and confifts in a great or general Neglect, arifing through Ignorance likewife: And accordingly different Sacrifices were appointed to the Congregation. In the first cafe the Congregation was to bring only a Bullock for a Sin Offering, Levit. iv. 13, 14. In this latter cafe, All the Congregation were to offer one young Bullock for a Burnt Offering with his Meat and Drink Offering, and one Kid of the Goats for a Sin Of ering.

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The Cafe may eafily be put, and the Jews interpret this Law as relating to False Worship, or Idolatry: And they tell us, that this relates to the cafe of the people's falling into a general Neglect of the Commandments through Idolatry. Suppose then the Elders to have taught Idolatry, and the People to have followed them by Ignorance, The Congregation is to bring the appointed Sacrifice: And tho' the Rule in the Mishna be, that the Elders were not to lay hands on the Goat for a Sin Offering, yet I fhould think Rab. Simeon to be right in his Determination, that they were obliged to lay hands

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દ on the Goat that was to be offered "for Idolatry." The Laying on of hands in cafe of Sacrifice was always attended with its proper concomitants; and in the prefent cafe there could not but be Confeffion of Sin, fince Idolatry was fo exprefsly forbidden, and fo feverely condemned. Befides, the Goat was for a Sin Offering; and That required always Impofition of Hands, in a Ruler, and in the common-people, Lev. iv. 24, 29. But what determines this point is, that it

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