CHAPTER XXII.

Of the Causes and Reasons of Precepts of the twelfth Class.

THE

HE Precepts of the twelfth class are those which have been noticed by us in the Talmudical Treatise "Of Purifications ;" and, although we have already partially indicated their utility, yet some remarks may be added, elucidating, first, the general and then the particular reasons of them.

We observe, therefore, that the Divine Law, which was given to Moses, and has received its denomination from him, was specially designed to lessen the burden and service of religious duties; and if any thing appear to us injurious and fatiguing, it is only because we are ignorant of the rites and customs of those times. For consider how vast the difference is between him who burns his own son in honour of his god, and him who, in the worship and to the honour of our God, burns only a young pigeon!; for it is written in the law, (Deut. xii. 31,) "Their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods."-This was the worship paid by the Gentiles to their gods, and instead of which the burning of a young pigeon or of a handful of fine flour was substituted, in our system.

In this sense, God expostulated with the people by the prophet, in the time of their rebellion, (Micah vi. 3,) "O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me:"-and again, (Jer. ii. 31,)—"Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?"-as if he had said, What injurious or tedious precept was there in the law to cause them to wander from it ?-Thus, the Most High God has elsewhere appealed to us, (Jer. ii. 5,) saying, "What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity and are become vain ?" -The intention of all these passages of Scripture is the same; and with the prefatory observations, which are of considerable moment, ought never to be dropped from recollection.

This being premised, we proceed to remark respecting the Sanctuary, that the chief object of the precepts respecting it was to create devotion and zeal on entering into it, and to impress the mind with reverence and fear, as it is said, (Levit. xix. 30,) "Ye shall reverence my sanctuary.' ."-But as love and veneration for any thing, however excellent it may be, is weakened and diminished by familiarity, of which our Wise Men have admonished us, by saying, "It is well to enter into the Sanctuary when God pleases," by which they meant to convey what Solomon did when he said, (Prov. xxv. 17,)

"Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house."

For this reason, therefore, God commanded that none who were polluted should enter into the Sanctuary, notwithstanding the numerous and various kinds of pollution rendered it almost impossible to find any who were absolutely pure : for, if any one were free from the defilement of touching a dead body, yet it was scarcely possible to avoid that which arose from touching one or other of the eight creeping things which are so frequently in our houses, or are liable to be trod upon when walking, or which may happen to fall upon our meat or into our drink; and if he escaped defilement from these, he would be in danger of pollution from touching persons pronounced unclean by the law, (see Levit. xv,) or from involuntary defilements, (v. 16,) or from touching the couches or beds of those who were unclean; and even when cleansed from these defilements, he was still not permitted to enter the sanctuary until the sun had gone down, and then not during the night, since some cause of pollution might occur before morning, and render him as unclean as on the preceding day. In all these cases, men were obliged to absent themselves from the sanctuary, and were prevented from entering it at pleasure; and our Rabbins add, that "no one might enter the court to perform any act of worship, unless he previously washed himself." Consequently, by all these actions, reverence, affection, and devotion

were preserved to the sanctuary; and men were excited to that humility which was principally intended by them.

The more frequent, also, any pollution was, the heavier and longer was the purification required; thus, the touching and defilement of dead bodies, (especially of those of neighbours and relatives,) (Numb. xix. 11-22,) being more frequent than other pollutions, no purification could be effected but by the Ashes of the Heifer, which were difficult to be obtained, and then not till seven days had elapsed :-again, Issues of Blood, (Levit. xv,) and similar pollutions, because they were more frequent and grievous than the touching of unclean persons, therefore they who laboured under them had need of seven days, but they who had touched such persons of one day only, in order to be cleansed. But purification after an Issue of Blood, either in man or woman, or in puerperal cases, could not be completed without an oblation, since they more rarely occurred than natural hæmorrhages. All these causes of pollution are, in their very nature, filthy and abominable, such as Issues, Dead Bodies, Reptiles, Lepers, and others of a similar kind.

From these ordinances we may derive many and important benefits; as, first, to shun all dirt, and filth and slovenliness; secondly, to reverence the sanctuary; thirdly, carefully to study the customs of those times, because the Zabii had also

But,

their laborious rites of purification, as we shall soon show; and fourthly, men are thereby relieved from laborious and oppressive customs, so as not to be hindered in their usual business, on account of pollutions or purifications; for this precept respecting cleanness or uncleanness, only regarded the Sanctuary and Holy Things, as it is said, (Levit. xii, 4,) "She shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the Sanctuary;" leaving her at liberty to use all other things without sin, even whilst unclean, and to eat whatever kind of common food she chose. amongst the Zabii in some parts of the East, females were at certain times obliged to live in separate habitations, the things on which they trod were burnt, every person speaking to them was accounted polluted, and if only the wind had blown over them on to others who were pure, those persons were deemed polluted; from which we may learn how great the difference is, betwixt what they teach and what our law teaches, which allows females to perform almost every duty to their husbands even when polluted. (112) According to the customs of the Zabii, every thing also which was separated from the body, as hairs, nails, blood, &c. was considered as polluting; hence all barbers were regarded as unclean, from having to touch the hair and blood; and every one who suffered a razor to pass upon him was obliged to wash himself in pure and limpid spring-water. Many other tedious and