fame, in general, with that of prayer, viz. a method which mankind thought of, to exprefs the fense they had of their gratitude and obligation to God for the gifts and protection of his providence, and to procure farther favours from him; and no kind of action was so proper for this purpose as the devoting to him some part of their substance, and especially fuch articles as contributed to their daily fupport.

It is to this day a custom throughout the east, never to approach any superior, or patron without a prefent. And, in this cafe, the value of the present is not so much confidered, as its being a token of respect and homage. Thus we read, that when a Perfian peafant was furprised by the approach of his prince, fo that he had nothing at hand to present him with, he ran and fetched a handful of water from a neighbouring brook, rather than accoft him without any offering. It is probable, that, in conformity to thefe general ideas, which are ftill prevalent in the Eaft, the Ifraelites were forbidden to appear before the Lord empty.

When mankind thought of giving any thing to God, they would, probably, at first, only leave it in fome open place, and abstain from making any farther use of it themselves; but afterwards, obferving many things wafted away, or confumed by the heat of the fun, which is the great vifible agent of God in this world, and other things fuddenly confumed

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confumed by lightning, which was always confidered as more immediately fent by God; they might naturally enough fall into the notion, that confumption by fire, was the manner in which God took things. They might, therefore, imagine, that burning things, at the fame time that it most effectually alienated them from the use of man, would likewise be the most proper, and the most decent method of devoting them to God; especially, as nothing was left to putrify, and become offenfive after burning; and in fome cafes, as in the burning of incenfe, little or nothing would remain afterwards.

Confidering the very low conceptions which mankind in early ages had of God, we do not wonder to find that they confider him as, in fome manner, partaking with them of their facrifices; and, therefore, that they confidered them more especially as an expreffion of reconciliation and friendShip; which idea is naturally, and especially in the Eaft, connected with that of eating and drinking together, and particularly eating the fame falt. In this view it is obfervable, that no facrifice among the Jews was to be made without this ingredient.

This account of facrifices is, in fome meafure, illuftrated and confirmed by the history of the Greeks and Romans, whofe facrifices, originally, confifted of fuch things only as were

their cuftomary food. Thus, it is acknowledged, that all their facrifices were at firft bloodless, confifting of vegetables only; and that this practice continued till they themselves procured a fufficiency of animal food, upon which they began to facrifice animals. The Greeks alfo exprefsly fpeak of temples as the houses of their Gods, of altars as their tables, and of priefts as their fervants.

The fame general ideas we find among the Jews, and the divine being plainly alludes to them when he is reprefented as faying, Pf. 1. "Shall I eat "the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" Which reproof was not intended to cenfure or change the general idea which they had annexed to facrifices (as a transferring of their fubftance from themselves to God) but to reftrain the very grofs ideas which fome of them might have entertained in pursuance of it, to prevent their laying too much stress upon these ceremonies, and to remind them of the greater importance of things of a moral nature, as being infinitely more plea fing to God.

There was not, originally, any particular order of men employed in the bufinefs of facrifices, but every man facrificed, as well as prayed, in perfon, being priest as well as king in his own family; and in thofe primitive patriarchal times, it does not appear that any part of a facrifice was eaten by the offerer, but that the whole was devoted to God,

and

and entirely confumed with fire. But when, under the Mofaic dispensation, a particular order of men were appointed for the purpose, they were confidered as the more immediate fervants of God; and there being a manifest propriety, that fervants fnould be fed from their mafter's table, thefe priests were allowed a certain fhare in moft facrifices. Such, at least, is the opinion of the Jewish Rabbi's with respect to the custom of facrificing before and under the law.

Sacrifices, being of the nature of a gift, presented as a token of respect or homage, they naturally accompanied every folemn addrefs to the divine being, as the most decent and proper ceremonial in approaching him; and being likewife confidered as a convivial entertainment, at which the divine being himself was present, there was a peculiar propriety in their accompanying petitions for the pardon of fin, as expreffive of reconciliation and friendship. At the fame time, the facrifices being provided at the expence of the offending party, they indirectly answer the purpose of mulås, or fines for offences.

Though I have said, that it is poffible that mankind might of themselves have had recourfe to facrifices, as a method of expreffing their dependence upon God, &c. yet, when we confider how improbable it is, that mankind should even have attained to any tolerable and useful knowledge of God

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God himself, without fome particular inftruction, at leaft for a long space of time; it is most natural to fuppofe, that when the divine being communicated that most important knowledge to the first race of men, he also inftructed them in those methods by which he chofe that they should exprefs their homage, gratitude, and obedience. But whether we fuppofe facrifices to have been of human, or divine origin, it makes no difference with respect to the general idea of their nature and ufe.

§ 3. Of the Jewish ritual.

BESIDES the precepts and obfervances which

it has pleased the divine being to enjoin with respect to the whole human race, he provided, what we may call, a much stricter, and more fevere difcipline for the Hebrew nation, whom he diftinguished by frequent revelations of his will, by many interpofitions in their favour, and a peculiar conftitution of civil government, in which he himself more immediately prefided.

They were restricted in their diet, being confined to the use of certain kinds of food; but they are fuch as are now generally esteemed to be the moft innocent in their nature, mild in their qualities, and least apt to become fatiating by frequent ufe. They would therefore tend to impress

upon