may

be looked upon by fome as a mere matter of Curiofity to concern one's felf in fuch Enquiries. But every one must be left to judge for Himself; and as I for my Part think it a matter of Importance, I fhall endeavour to trace it from its Origin: And if one cannot arrive at abfolute Certainty in fo obfcure and difficult a point, we must be content with Probability or if one cannot be fure of the Ground of a Custom, by reason of its very remote Antiquity, one ought not to reject the Light one may have, because one has not the Brightness of the Midday Sun.

To begin then with defining what I mean by the word Sacrifice. Whatever is given or offered in a Solemn manner immediately to God, so as that Part of it, or the Whole is confumed, is what is meant by the Word Sacrifice. Whether it be upon an Altar, or what is used instead of an Altar; whether it be by Fire, or in any other manner, is not material: But there must be a Gift, or Oblation of it, whatever the Subject, or Matter may be ; and

and it must be offered to God; and there must be a Confumption of it. If a heap of Stones, or the common Earth, or a private Hearth was used to burn a piece of Flesh on, That makes no difference: Or if a Libation was made, and the Wine, or whatever it was, was poured upon the Earth, or into the Sea: Or if the Entrails of an Animal were caft into the Sea, as an Oblation to the Gods of the Sea, it was a proper Sacrifice, provided the Oblation was confumed in the proper man

ner.

Thus when Virgil says,

Dii, quibus imperium eft pelagi, quorum

æquora curro,

Vobis lætus ego hoc candentem in littore Taurum

Conftituam ante aras, voti reus,, Extaque

Salfos

Porriciam in fluctus, et vina liquentia

fundam.

Æn. l. v. 235, &c.

The Sea was the proper place on which the Entrails were given and confumed.

*

'Macrobius has juftly obferved that the word porriciam, is here the proper Sacrificial term. For whenever they of Old laid any Entrails upon their Altars, or what was the proper place to put them on, be it Sea or Land, Water or Earth, That was the Term by which they expreffed that Action: and confequently, Porriciam, not Projiciam, is the true Reading. When therefore Sacrifice was made to the Sea Gods, they caft the Entrails, or the Flesh of the Animal into the Sea; and that was the proper place for offering to the Sea Gods, on which their part of the thing facrificed was confumed. In fhort there was always to be such a Confumption of the thing offered to God, that the Proprietor could never have or enjoy the whole again for his own ufe. Now whatever it is that in this manner is offered immediately to God, and in part or in whole is confumed in a proper manner, is what I call a Sacrifice.

There is certainly much difference, in the ufe of the Latin word, Sacrificium, among old Writers. They often under

Macrobius, Saturn. 1. iii. c. z.

ftood

ftood by that word, not the thing offered to any of their Gods, but the whole religious ceremonies which were observed; the iepepyía; their whole religious Rites which confifted of many parts, whether any Victim was offered or not. Plautus makes Rem divinam facere, and facrificare, to be the fame. Amphit. Act. iii. Sc. Rudens. Act. i. Sc. 2. Ovid has 3. used that word for the Oblation of a Victim to God.

Bos aret, ignavam Sacrificate Suem.

Faft. iv. lin. 415.

Lactantius has used the Word for * a Victim, and whatever things are burnt upon an Altar..

There are those who think that by the word Sacrifice, among the Jews, is meant, "Whatever will come under the "general Word, Corban, i. e. a Sacred

Gift. And this they divide into Two "general Claffes, Bloody Sacrifices, and unbloody ones, or Sacrifices of inani"mate things." Thus does the learned

* Sacrificium eft Victima, et quæcunque in ara cremantur. Lact. 1. vi. сар. ult.

B 4

L'enfant

L'enfant in his

Teftament speak

Preface to the New

and as he has limited what he is faying, to Sacrifices " properly

fo called", it is not amifs. But the general word, Corban, in their customary Language takes in all Sorts of Gifts to God: And therefore Things that are not Sacrifices, as well as Those which are fo, may be comprehended under that word. It seems therefore to me more accurate to distinguish between the Gifts, or Offerings made to God, that were not confumed, nor defigned to be fo, and fuch Gifts as were confumed. The Children of Ifrael made an Offering unto the Lord of Gold, and Silver, and Brass, and Blue, and Purple- and Rams Skins died red, and Badger Skins, and Shittim Wood and Oil, &c. Exod. xxxv. 5—9. Thefe were a Sacred Gift, a proper Gift to God, as they were defigned for his Tabernacle. But yet they do not come under the Notion of Sacrifices, because tho' they were

A l'egard des Sacrifices proprement ainfi nommes, et connus fous le nom general de Corban, c'eft a dire, don Sacrè, on les peut partager en deux Claffes generales, en Sacrifices fanglants, et en Sacrifices non fanglants, ou Sacrifices de chofes inanimees. L'enfant Preface General, p. 96.

offered