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vites their appointed presents, especially on the feasts of the Lord; for it is written, "Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon earth.” (Deut. xii. 19.) (At present we must give it to the poor. T.)

451. To kill an animal in the proper manner, when we intend it to be eaten ; for it is written, "Then thou shalt kill of thy herd, &c., as I have commanded thee." (Deut. xii. 21.)

452. Not to eat part of a living animal; that is, not to cut a limb, or even as much flesh as the size of an olive from an animal while yet alive; for it written, "And thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh." (Deut. xii. 23.)

453. To bring from abroad into the temple all sin, trespass, burnt, and peace-offerings that we are bound to offer; for it is written, "Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose." (Deut. xii. 26.)

454. Not to add any thing either to the written law, or to the oral law; for it is written, "Thou shalt not add thereto." (Deut. xii. 32.)

455. Not to diminish either from the written or from the oral law.

456. Not to listen to, nor to believe, a person who is prophesying in the name of an idol; for it is written, "Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet." (Deut. xiii. 3.) (Even though the sign given by him should take place, we must not mind him, but he must die by strangulation. T.)

457. Not to be sparing in taking vengeance on any one who entices to idolatry; for it is written, "Thou shalt not consent unto him," &c. (Deut. xiii. 8.)

458. Not to lend an ear to the words of the enticer; for it is written, "Neither shall thine eye pity him." (Deut. xiii. 8.)

459. The enticed party is not to save the enticer, when in danger of death; for it is written, "Neither shall thine eye pity him." (Deut. xiii. 8.)

460. The enticed party is not to represent favourably the case of the enticer, though he could do so; for it is written," Neither shalt thou spare.' (Deut. xiii. 8.) (i.e. Not plead in his favour. T.)

461. The enticed party, when capable of doing so, must not neglect to find the enticer guilty; for it is written,

"Neither shalt thou conceal him." (Deut. xiii. 8.)

462. Not to entice any one of the house of Israel to idolatry; for it is written, "And shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you." (Deut. xiii. 11.)

463. To question the witnesses separately, and to examine them well, that the truth of the case may be known; for it is written, "Then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently, and, behold, if it be truth," &c. (Deut. xiii. 14.)

464. To burn every idolatrous city with all its contents, and to kill its inhabitants; for it is written, "And shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil," &c. (Deut. xiii. 16.)

465. Never to rebuild an idolatrous city; for it is written, "An heap for ever; it shall not be built again." (Deut. xiii. 16.) (But the ground may be converted into gardens, &c. T.)

466. Not to take, nor to derive any advantage from the property sf an idolatrous city; for it is written, "And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand." Deut. xiii. 17.) (This is extended to all things belonging to an idol. T)

467. Not to cut ourselves in any part of our body on account of a dead person, or for the sake of an idol; for it is written, "Ye shall not cut yourselves." (Deut. xiv. 1.)

468. Not to make any baldness on account of the dead; as the ignorant do; for it is written, " Nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead." Deut. xiv. 1.)

469. Not to eat any sacred things that have become defiled; for it is written, "Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing." (Deut. xiv. 3.)

470. To examine fowls whether they have the stated marks; for it is written, "Of all clean birds ye shall eat.” (Deut. xiv. 11.)

471. Not to eat any insects, as flies, or bees, &c.; for it is written," And every creeping thing that flieth, &c., they shall not be eaten." (Deut. xiv. 86.)

472. Not to eat of animals that died of themselves, or that have been made unlawful in the slaughtering thereof; for it is written, "Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself." (Deut. xiv. 21.)

473. To give the second tithe; for it is written, "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed." (Deut. xiv. 22.) (The owners could eat it in Jerusalem after being redeemed. 7)

474. To give tithe to the poor every third or sixth year of the "release," instead of the second tithe; for it is written, "At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe." &c. (Deut. xiv. 28.) (In the first, second, fourth, or fifth year, the second tithe was given; in the third and sixth the poor-tithe; and the first tithe was given every year. T.)

475. Not to demand any debts in the year of release; but all shall be cancelled, and no more asked for; for it is written, "Every creditor that lendeth ought, &c., shall release it, he shall not exact it," &c. (Deut. xv. 2.)

476. To demand the debts from a foreigner (idolater), and not to extend the time for him; for it is written, "Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again." (Deut. xv. 3.)

477. To release all debts in the year of release; for it is written, "But that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release." (Deut. xv. 3.) (At present this duty is incumbent upon us by the authority of the Rabbis; for by the law release cannot take place except Israel have possession of the holy land. T.)

478. Not to abstain from giving charity to, or conferring a favour upon, any of the children of Israel, when it is in our power to do so; for it is written, "Thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother." (Deut. xv. 7.)

479. To give charity to, and to assist, the poor in whatever he may require; for it is written, "But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him." (Deut. xv. 8.)

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480. Not to be deterred from lending to the needy by the fear of the " lease;" for it is written, "Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, &c., is at hand." (Deut. xv. 9.)

481. When the Hebrew slave has gained his liberty at the "release," or the "jubilee," or at the death of his master, not to send him away empty; for it is written, "And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty." (Deut. xv. 13.)

482. When the Hebrew slave is going away, to furnish him with necessaries; for it is written, "Thou shalt furnish him liberally," &c. (Deut. xv. 14.)

483. To do no labour with sanctified animals; for it is written, "Thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock." (Deut. xv. 19.)

484. Not to shear the wool of sanctified animals; for it is written. "Nor shear the firstlings of the sheep." (Deut. xv. 12.)

485. Not to eat any leavened substance after the middle of the day previous to the Passover; for it is written, "Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it." (Deut. xvi. 3.) (Heb. upon it." Hence they infer that no leavened substance should be eaten after the paschal lamb is slain, i.e. after twelve o'clock at noon.

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Correspondence.

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T.)

Crystal Palace, S.E.
Sept. 2. 1873.

To the Editor of the Hebrew Christian
Witness.

"SIR,-with reference to the article on 'The Talmud' in your September number, will you be good enough to inform me where I can find the query by A. E. L., mentioned on page 411? "Yours obediently,

"G. GROVE." We forwarded Mr. Grove's note to the writer of the series of articles, on "The Talmud," and the following is his

answer:

"Oxford, Sept. 22, 1873.

"Dear Sir,-Had I not entertained a very high opinion of Mr. Grove's sterling character as a Christian and a gentleman, I should have been disposed to ascribe the burden of his note to something unworthy. As it is, I ascribe his question to loss of memory; he is not the only great man who has forgotten what he had himself written. It is said that Sir Isaac Newton, in his latter days, could not comprehend the purport and import of his own clearest definitions.

"In the 'Notes and Queries' for 1864, p. 117, occurs the following :

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"SITUATION OF ZOAR.-The exact situation of this ancient city is, I am aware, still a matter of discussion amongst biblical critics, but I was not prepared for such exactly opposite statements respecting it as appear in the articles on Moab' and Zoar' in Dr. Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, both by an author to whom students of the Bible are deeply indebted-Mr. Grove of Sydenham. Under the article 'Zoar,' vol. iii. p. 1834, we find the following remarks:- The definite position of Sodom is, and probably will always be, a mystery; but there can be little doubt that the plain of Jordan

was at the north of the Dead Sea, and that the cities of the plain must therefore have been situated there instead of at the southern end of the lake, as it is generally taken for granted they were.' And then, after giving what seem to my mind at least very 'satisfactory reasons for this opinion, Mr. Grove concludes:-These considerations appear to the writer to render it highly probable that the Zoar of the Pentateuch was to the north of the Dead Sea, not far from its northern end, in the general parallel of Jericho.'

"Let us now turn to the article 'Moab,' vol. ii. p. 391, also written by Mr. Grove, and what do we find ?

"Zoar was the cradle of the race of Lot. Although the exact position of this town has not been determined, THERE IS NO DOUBT that it was situated on the south-eastern border of the Dead Sea.'

"Can these two statements be reconciled? If not, which, in Mr. Grove's opinion, contains the most probable account of the situation of ancient Zoar? 'A. E. L.'"

"That Mr. Grove read, marked, learned, and digested A. E. L.'s query, may be conclusively gathered from the following which occurs on page 141 of the same volume of N. and Q. :

"SITUATION OF ZOAR (3rd S.v. 117). -I am very grateful to A. E. L. for the good-natured way in which he has noticed my misdeeds. The article under the head of 'Zoar' (Dictionary of the Bible, vol. iii. p. 1856, &c.) contains my own conclusions as to the position of the place-if conclusions they can be called on evidence so imperfect. When I wrote the article on 'Moab,' I had not looked into the question for myself, but accepted, without hesitation, the positive statements of Robinson and others. I discovered the errors some time since, and it will be corrected in the second edition. "G. GROve.'

"Poor consolation is Mr. Grove's promise of emendment in a second edition for the possessors of the first edition of 'Smith's Bible Dictionary.' This is not the only thought that the history of that Dictionary prompts.

"I am, faithfully yours,
"C. H. OXONIENSIS."

AURICULAR CONFESSION. REV. SIR,-On the tenth day of the seventh month, the Jewish high priest confessed the sins of the whole nation,

over the head of the Scape-goat, which typically bore them into the wilderness. (Lev. xvi. 21); all figuring the Messiah, whom the Father hath consecrated to be the only expiatory offering; and hath burdened Himself with our iniquities. (Is. liii. 4-6.) During the ten preceding days, it is said that the Jews made particular confession, each of his own sins. If they were breaches of the first table, they confessed them to God only; if they were breaches of the second, they confessed to God and to the party wronged. (Ps. xxxii. 5; Dan. ix. 4; James v. 16; Matt. iii. 6.) Auricular confession involves a depravation and corruption of the first elements of saving truth. It places other mediators between the soul and the Redeemer. It puts a human priest into the place of God, and the material ordinance into the place of the Spirit of God. The confessional does not stand alone, but is the necessary offshoot of a whole troup of false doctrines which lie at the foundation of it. It implies a false conception of the whole mode of salvation before God, and does incalculable dishonour to the justifying righteousness, the atoning work and kingly prerogatives of the Messiah. The authority claimed by the priests of Rome amounts to blasphemy (Matt. ix. 2-8), because the power of absolutely giving or refusing pardon of sin, is a power which no mortal man could exercise without being supernaturally enabled to read the heart of each person in each particular case, and to decide accurately according to that knowledge. Without such inspiration. a mere man would often determine to pardon the impenitent and NOT to pardon the penitent (Prov. xvii. 15); and it would be impious to think that God would sanction such an exercise of power; and, as the apostles themselves had not any constant power of reading men's hearts, so we never find them claiming for themselves the power of absolutely remitting men's sins. They never say to any one, as our Lord said,-"Thy sins be forgiven thee." Let any man endeavour, even in theory, to adapt the Roman confessional to the doctrines of grace, and to engraft it on the great truths of justification by faith, and regeneration by the sovereign Spirit of God, and he will find himself engaged in a hopeless and impossible task. The whole scheme of belief which frames itself into the confessional is false from beginning to end. Pope Leo I., in 457, first recommended this private

disclosure of sins into the ear of a priest, in preference to public confession; it was rendered compulsory by the fourth Lateran Council, which exacted that all laymen should confess their sins, general and particular, to a priest at least once a year. Hilary and Basil (A. D. 350-360) both advise confession of sins to God only. We learn also, from the writings of Augustine, that the Church, in his day, did not consider private confession of private sins essential to salvation, but only the public confession of public scandals as necessary to the maintenance of discipline. "What have I to do with men, that they should hear my confessions? as if they were to ease me of my distress, and to rid me of my griefs?" (Conf. x. 3.) From the book of Homilies is shown what the real doctrine of the Church of England is. (See Homily on Repentance, Second Part.) God's pardon is manifestly conveyed by declaring it to the penitent or sealing it by the rite of baptism. God only by himself forgiveth sin, who cleanseth the soul from inward blemish.

There

is no trace in Chrysostom of priestly confession as an ordinance of the church. When he speaks of the misery which ensues on the commission of sin, he urges the sinner to relieve his conscience by a free confession with repentance and tears. "And why are you ashamed to do so?" he proceeds. 'For to whom do you confess? Is it to a man, or a fellow servant, who might reproach or expose you? Nay, it is to the LORD, tender and merciful; it is to the Physician that you show your wound." .... I do not desire to expose you upon the public stage, before your fellow servants, nor do I compel you to discover your sins in the presence of men. Unfold your conscience to God; show Him your wounds, and from HIM seek healing." (De incomp. Dei Natura, Hom, v.) Cardinal Cajetan writes thus:-"There appeareth no positive law enjoining shrift (auricular confession) before the receipt of the communion; the law of God hath no such precept, but the contrary is insinuated where the apostle saith, 'Let a man try himself." (1 Cor. xi. 28; 2 Cor. xiii. 5.) We learn much from the celebrated treatise of Dr. White on The Way to the True Church." (1624). "Touching the casting away of Auricular Confession, we are not to be condemned unless our accusers can name some place of Scripture where Christ or His apostles hath bound us to it, which

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they cannot do. For their own Canon Law saith, "it was taken up only by a certain tradition of the church, and not by any authority of the Old or New Testament." It is neither wisdom nor mercy to put men on the rack of auricular confession (Prov. xxviii. 13; 1 John i. 9); and other Scriptures contain heavenly promises of mercy to those that confess heartily and not hollowly to God. Homo agnoscit, Deus ignoscit. Judah (whose name signifies confession to the LORD) got the kingdom from Reuben. No man was ever kept out of God's kingdom for his confessed badness: many are for their supposed goodness. The absolution pronounced by a Latin priest is not a certain, infallible ground to give the person so absolved confidence towards GOD. Only God's commands are absolute.

"He hath now sent his living oracle

Into the world to teach his final will, And sends his Spirit of truth henceforth to dwell

In pious hearts, an inward oracle, To all truth requisite for men to know." Milton:

"Ezra the priest stood up, and said, Ye have transgressed. . . . Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do His pleasure." (Ezra x. 11.) Josh. vii. 19, teaches that we are to make confession to GOD, whom we have offended, who knows our sins, can pardon us, or else will punish us, if we refuse to confess. "Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto HIM." (Ps. li. 4; Lev. v. 5.) I am Rev. Sir, Faithfully yours,

CONFITEOR DEO SOLI.

THE "BRIDE" AND THE "BODY."

SIR,-On reading, in the HEBREW CHRISTIAN WITNESS for August, Dr. Margoliouth's argumentative address, "The Identity of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Bride," and the "Church the Lord's Body" by G. B. C., the thought came to my mind, how good it would be to publish these together in a small tract.

Subjects treated in different books make no difference to the scholar; the case is otherwise with the generality of readers, who comprehend the matter more clearly, by reading the two papers together; and surely every Christian is desirous of obtaining clear views of the written Word, on a subject so interesting. Yours respectfully, C. Bristol, Sep. 11, 1873.

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