by God himself, and was performed agreeably to his command (k).

The time of their worship, seems likewise to have had the fame origin; as well from God's bleffing, and fanctifying the feventh day*; and the ancient method of reckoning by weeks; (a

method

burdenfome, and in fome measure expenfive to the finner; fome for a teftimony, or a reprefentation of his repentance, his confeffion of fuch breach, and deprecation of its punishment. [Taylor, Script. Doct. of Atonement, p. 20. Forbes's Thoughts on Religion, p. 124. Efay on the Nature and Defign, &c. p. 32, &c.] fome as a federal rite between God and him, or a form of entering into friendship with his Maker; [ib. paffim. Comp. Richie's Criticifm upon Modern notions of Sacrifices. App. II. paff.] and obtaining future favours from him: yet there were others that feem to have had a higher view, [or fuch view might perhaps be joined with fome of thofe others abovementioned] denoting fomewhat vicarious, as well in Juffering, as in the reward annexed to it, or the privileges conveyed by it; and in a more special manner defcribing the terms of that great covenant, original grant, or promife, whereby man was to be delivered from the effects of the first breach; which, as fuch, was in each difpenfation thought proper to be particularly diftinguished. All which appointments, grants, or covenants, may likewife be understood (not in their literal, ftrict fenfe, or as in themselves abfolutely neceffary, but) as fo many gracious fchemes of government, or prudential methods of œconomy; fo many merciful expedients to promote the great end of the divine government, and fecure obedience to the divine laws treating mankind, (not like philofophers, but) as the generality of them always were to be treated; and leading them. gradually to as juft and worthy notions of God and themselves, as they became capable of receiving. But to afcribe fuch an inftitution, as this of facrificing animals, wholly to the invention of men, efpecially to the men of thofe times, feems very unnatural: of which more in the following notes, and Life of Chrift. n. π.

(k) See Sherlock's Ufe and Intent of Prophecy, p. 73, &c. or Rymer's Reprefent. p. 30. Ridley's Chriftian Paffover, &c. Richie's peculiar Doctrines of Revelation. Pt. 2. §. 49, &c. This one article of the diftinction made between Abel's offering, and that of Cain, which according to the hiftory, was fo notorious as to deject and irritate the latter, and which cannot, I think, be accounted for otherwise than by the interpofition of God himself; nor that remarkable interpofition folved on other principles, than Cain's prefuming to omit the prefcribed victim, through his want of faith, Heb. xi. 4• (otherwife

* Gen. ii. 3. Exod. xvi. 25, 26. Comp. Dawson on Gen. iv, v. p. 19. † Gen. viii. 10. 12. xxxix. 27. Ecclus xxii, 12.

method much more ancient than the obfervation of the seven planets ‡,) as from the earliest obfervance of that Sabbath, in all nations of the world ; without any ground in nature for fuch practice, or the least hint, or probability of its arifing from any human invention ().

And

(otherwife his portion of the fruits of the ground, might well appear to be as juft and natural a tribute of devotion from one in his province, as fome part of the flock was from his brother; as we have no clear intimation of any other difference in the fincerity of their difpofitions, whereon to ground the above distinction between them :) this, I fay, feems a fufficient proof, that facrifice was of divine inftitution; and is but ill refolved by Spencer, L. iii. c. 4. f. 2. Comp. Dawfon upon Gen. iv, v. p. 21, &c.

The fame thing is inferred, with a good deal of probability, from the mention of thofe coats of fkins which the Lord God made for Adam and his wife, Gen. iii. 21. which feem moft likely to have been of those beasts that were offered in facrifice, and might perhaps be in fome measure of the fame intendment with that facrifice; for the discovery of which, rather difficult and difagreeable way of worship, one would think they fhould ftand in need of God's particular direction, as much, at leaft, as for that other, more eafy and obvious one, of cloathing themselves.

Concerning the ufe and propriety of this kind of cloathing at that time, fee Leland's anfwer to Chriftianity as old, &c. p. 503, &c. IV. Witfii Egyptiac. L. iii. c. 9.

Jofeph. contra Ap. L.ii. Exod. xvi. Philo de op. mund. Selden de jur. n. L. iii. c. x, xi, &c. Eufeb. evang. præp. xiii. 12. Grot. de ver. L. i. c. 16. Allix's reflections, B. i. c. 7. Jenning's Lect. B. iii. c. 3.

P. 142.

(See Rymer's Reprefent. of Rev. Rel. c. 2. or Ridley's Chriftian paffover. And the fame may be faid of tithes. Jenkin, Vol. I. p. 102. Durell, p.178. Authors on each of these points may be seen in Waterland's first charge, p. 41, &c. On facrifices in particular, Carpzov. Introd. p. 118. and Budde Hift. Eccl. P. 1. f. 1. 30.** p. 115. The diftinction that we meet with afterwards [Gen. vii. 2, 8, &c.] between clean and unclean beafts, which manifeftly relates to facrifice, [Vid. Patrick, ib.] fhews likewife the continuance of that kind of worship; and feems to prove, that it was not owing to any human establishment, any more than this direction itself could be. And that the men of thefe, as well as after ages, had both fufficient authority, and inftruction to ufe the flesh of the former fort of beafts, for food, as well as clothe or helter themselves with the skins, appears to me as plain, as that the tending and taking care of fuch was their chief business and occupation. Nor can I comprehend what merit there could be at any

time

1

And that in those days they had frequent intercourse with the Deity, and were made fenfible of his peculiar presence in some places, appears farther, from his difcourfe with Cain, both before and

time in their making offerings unto the Lord their God of that which coft them nothing, of that which they could not eat; or how they came to diftinguish [which they did very early] between fat and lean; betwixt the good choice pieces, and others; unless they had tafted them themfelves: (Vid. Cleric. in Lev. i. 2. iii 3. and iv. 17.) though it is upon this chimerical fuppofition, that the ufe of animal food was not included in the original grant of abfolute dominion, given to mankind over all the creatures, [fome of which could be of no other fervice to them] that Grotius, and others, founded their attempt to explain away all animal facrifice, before the deluge. 'Eædem pecudes, quæ ad efum, etiam ad facrificia a Noacho adhibitæ ; fcil. munde quotquot erant Gen. viii. zo. Hic facrificiorum ufus cùm Diluvio fit antiquior, idem de pecudum efu nobis perfuafum, contra quam multi fentiunt. Neque enim Abel in facrificium id obtuliffet Deo, quo vefci nefas credidiffet; et fruftra paviffet agnos quibus non licuiffet uti. Quin ipfa diftinctio animalium in munda et immunda docet alia permissa fuiffe, alia prohibita. Neque enim in animalibus naturâ fuâ quicquam immundum. Sed immundum id eft ex lege, cujus efus interdicitur. Itaque illud, Gen. i. 29. Vobis erit in cibum, non folum ad plantas referimus, fed etiam ad animalia, de quibus præcedenti verfu actum fuerat.' Bochart. Hiercz. p.11. edit.4. Comp. Heidegger. Differt. xv. De cibo antediluviano. Clayton's Anfwer to Delaney, in the blood-eating controverfy; or Effay on Sacrifices, p. 165, &c. or Mr. Dawson's New tranflation of the three first chapters of Genefis who has fhewn this fenfe to be very confiftent with the original

I have been obliged to differ here from the author of Philemon to Hydafpes; who in his fifth part is fo far from allowing any kind of facrifices to be a divine inftitution, that he declares, 'the general ⚫ notion of the thing itself to be in every view of it so glaring an abfurdity, that he is amazed that it should ever enter into the head of any rational creature.' p. 10. Some of the reasons offered to fupport this declaration are, First, 'The very idea of a Divine Being implies in it fuch a fuperior excellency of nature, as to be wholly out of the reach of our good offices. He neither wants, nor can receive benefit from them.' ib. Nor, Secondly, 'can we fuppofe that the gods fhould ever be pleased with the mere wafte of their own productions.' p. 13. Thirdly, It gives one a very, degrading idea of their goodness, to confider them as entering into a kind of merchandize with mankind, in the matter of their favours,' p. 14. And p. 20, The demand of the life of a perfectly innocent creature, to be offered up in facrifice to God, could give

and after the murder of his brother *

; as alfo from Cain's complaint of being hid from his face; and his going out from the prefence of the Lord. Nor is it at all likely that Adam, who seemed

⚫ but small encouragement to hope, that God intended to favour a ' guilty one.'

But I cannot apprehend that fuch an intercourfe as was kept up between God and mankind, by the forementioned offerings, muft neceffarily be taken in either the first, or third of these views; fince the like intercourfe is not always fo understood, even among men ; fome of whom are too far exalted above others to receive any real advantage from them, yet nevertheless expect fome dutiful acknowledgement of the benefits which they confer on others, and require frequent teftimonies of their love; and why should we not imagine a fincerely devout facrificer to the Deity, able to interpret his devotion in the fame fenfe? or if led to a more grofs interpretation of it, why may we not even fuppofe the Deity condefcending in that cafe to fet him right, by fome fuch kind expoftulation as the following? Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most High. And call upon me in the day of trouble ; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Nor does there feem to be any more merchandize in any fort of facrifical offerings, than in thofe other of vows, prayers, praises, and thanksgivings, which ftill make up an effential part of our religion; from their relation to which, the former always derived all their value, (Vid. Essay, p. 19, &c.) and were perhaps only a ftrong, lively manner of expreffing them; [Qui facrificat, id idem fignificat actione et geftu, quod qui precatur ore fuo profitetur. Vitringa Diff. Vol. I. p. 289. Comp. Patrick on 1 Sam. xiii. 12.] nor probably more strong, and explicit, than might be neceffary for the times; nor likely to convey any more degrading ideas of the divine goodnefs (at least not more than were adapted to, and unavoidable in the then low ftate of reasoning) than does the inward tribute of a broken and a contrite heart, which is ftill requifite on fome occafions, as well as the outward publick profeffion of our dependence on the Deity, the rendering to him the calves of our lips; which when the underftandings of men were ripe for it, and they able to keep up a toler

+ Ver. 14.

able

Gen. iv. 6. 9. ↑ Gen. iv. 16. Taylor fuppofes that there might be a standing Shekinah, to which the men of thefe times were to repair upon the fabbath, before which they prefented their facrifice, and performed their devotion. Scheme of Script. Div. c. 14, 15. Comp. Fleming's Chriftology. B. ii. c. 7. Tenifon of Idolatry, c. 14. But Comp. Darwfon on Gen, iv, v. p. 35, &c.

seemed to be so well acquainted with the voice of God in the garden || upon his fall, should never have heard it there before, on other occafions.

In

able sense of duty by these means, have of themfelves been, and are accepted by the fame gracious being in the room of the other; (Hof, xiv. 2. Heb. xiii. 15.) though thefe be founded equally on human weakness, and at a like distance from the excellency of the divine nature.

:

As to the Confumption of the fruit of the ground in offerings; why might not men conceive, that the fame God who had given them all things richly to enjoy, might reasonably expect a return, as it were, of fome part of them, merely in token of gratitude for the reft as an exercise of their faith in, a memorial of their dependance on, him for a continuance of them, and a pledge of their obedience, in applying each to the good purposes for which he had bestowed them? without the leaft dread of affronting him by an implication that he either wanted fomething, or reaped fome kind of benefit by their prefents.

Nor need even fuch as have the most imperfect notions of his power and bounty, apprehend this to be any dangerous mifapplication of thefe gifts, on a perfuafion that he had required it; though without fome tradition of that, Socrates himself [p. 10.] might perhaps juftly doubt of the propriety, and acceptableness of this kind of worship: as he had the like fcruples about prayer, [Plat. 2. Alcib.] as also Maximus Tyrius, long after.

But if ever thefe, or any fuch offerings were in fact required, and thefe or the like ends might be ferved by them, (otherwife we should indeed have no room to believe they ever were demanded), then will this be far from a meer ufeless waste, though the things offered be deftroyed nor indeed can I fee any material difference between a religious dedication of fuch things, and the deftruction of them; or how they could be prefented to the gods at all, if they were still kept for the ufe of their respective owners.

The cafe, I apprehend, will not be much different as to the life of an innocent creature; for if this creature be confidered as a man's pro. perty, why may not the oblation of it be affigned by way of compofition, mulet, or commutation for fuch faults as he is fenfible of, and ferve as a fignificant reprefentation, and acknowledgement of fuch his fenfe; and be accepted by the offended Governor of the world, in lieu of a more condign punishment; by virtue of fuch affignment doing away his guilt, and being a fufficient ground of

en

Gen. iii. 8. 10. The curious reader may be entertained with fome ingenious conjectures concerning a full fyftem of religion, and morality communicated to Adam about this time, which Mr. Peters grounds on Job xxviii. 26, &c. and which he terms a record of fomething spoken by God to the firft man, not to be met with in the book of Genefis. Vid, Crit. Diff. fect. 16. p. 456.