36 So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. CHAPTER IX. Aaron is commanded to offer, on the eighth day, a sin-offering and a burnt-offering, 1, 2 The people are commanded also to offer a sin-offering, a burnt-offering, peace offerings, and a meat-offering, 3, 4. They do as they were commanded; and Moses promises that God shall appear among them, 5, 6. Aaron is commanded to make an atonement for the people, 7. He and his sons prepare and offer the different sacrifices, S-21. Aaron and Moses bless the congregation, 22, 23. And the fire of the Lord consumes the sacrifice, 2. hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the AND it came to pass, on the Abbor Ni-as. burnt-offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 29 And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave-offering before the LORD: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses's part; as the LORD commanded Moses. 30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garment with him. 31 And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32 And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33 And ye shall not go out of the door of the d Exod. 29. 22-e Exod. 29. 23-f Exod. 29, 24, &c.-g Exod. 29. 25-h Exod. 29 2-1 Exod. 29. 21. & 30. 30. Numb. 3. 3.-k Exod. 29. 31, 32-1 Exod. 29. 34. m Exod 29, 30, 35. Ezek. 43. 25, 26. Verse 27. And waved them for a ware-offering] See the nature of this and the heave-offering, in the note on Exod. xxix. 27. Verse 30. And Moses took-the blood—and sprinkled it upon Aaron, &c.] Thus we find that the high priest himself must be sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice; and our blessed Lord, of whom Aaron was a type, was sprinkled with his own blood, 1. In his agony in the garden. 2. In his being crowned with thorns. 3. In the piercing of his hands and his feet. And 4. In his side, being pierced with the spear. All these were so many acts of atonement performed by the high priest. Verse 33. For seven days shall he consecrate you] This number was the number of perfection among the Hebrews; and the seven days' consecration, implied a perfect and full consecration to the sacerdotal office. See the note on Exod. xxix. 30. Verse 36. So Aaron and his sons did] This chapter shows the exact fulfilment of the commands delivered to Moses, Exod. xxix. And consequently the complete preparation of Aaron and his sons, to fill the awfully important office of priests and mediators between God and Israel, to offer sacrifices and make atonement for the sins of the people. "Thus," says Mr. Ainsworth, "the covenant of the priesthood was confirmed unto the tribe of Levi, in Aaron and his sons, which covenant was life and peace, Mal. ii. 5. But these are made priests without an oath; also, there were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death; and they served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, offering gifts and sacrifices which could not make him who did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; for they were carnal ordinances imposed upon them till the time of reformation, that is, until the time of Christ, who was made a priest of God with an oath, and made surety of a better covenant, established on better promises. And because he continueth for ever, he hath a priesthood which passeth not from one to another, and is a minister of the true tabernacle, which God pitched and not man. Not by the blood of bulls and of goats, but by his own blood, he entered once into the holy place, having found everlasting redemption for us; and is therefore able to save to the uttermost them who come unto God through him, as he ever liveth eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; 2 And he said unto Aaron, a Take thee a young calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burntoffering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3 And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin-offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first-year, without blemish, for a burnt-offering; 4 Also a bullock and a ram for peace-offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat-offering mingled with oil: for " to-day the LORD will appear unto you. 5 And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation; and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you. 7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the n Heb. 7. 16-o Numb. 3. 7. & 9. 19. Deut. 11. 1. 1 Kings 2. 3-p Ezek. 43 27. q Ch. 4. 3. & 8. 14. Exod. 29. 1.-r Ch. 8. 18-8 Ch. 4. 23. Ezra 6. 17. & 10. 19. Ch. 2. 4.-u Ver. 6, 23. Exod. 29. 43.-v Ver. 23. Exod. 24. 16. to make intercession for them." Taken in reference to his priesthood and sacrifice, all these rites and ceremonies are significant and edifying; but taken out of this relation, they would be as absurd and nugatory, as the consecration of the Roman Pontifex Maximus mentioned above by Prudentius. NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. Verse 1. On the eighth day] This was the first day after their consecration, before which they were deemed unfit to minister in holy things, being considered as in a state of imperfection. All creatures," says Ainsworth, "for the most part were in their uncleanness and imperfection seven days, and perfected on the eighth-as children by circumcision, Lev. xii. 2, 3.-young beasts for sacrifice, chap. xxii. 27. persons that were unclean by leprosies, issues, and the like, chap. xiv. 8—10. and xv. 13, 14. Numb. vi. 9, 10. So here, the priests, until the eighth day, were not admitted to minister in their office." Verse 2. Take thee a young calf, &c.] As these sacrifices were for Aaron himself, they are furnished by himself and not by the people, for they were designed to make atonement for his own sin. See chap. iv. 3. And this is supposed by the Jews to have been intended to make an atonement for his sin in the matter of the golden calf. This is very probable, as no formal atonement for that transgression had yet been made. Verse 3. Take ye a kid] In chap. iv. 14. a young bullock is commanded to be offered for the sin of the people; but here, the offering is a kid, which was the sacrifice appointed for the sin of the ruler, chap. iv. 22, 23. and hence some think that the reading of the Samaritan and the Septuagint, is to be preferred. Speak unto the ELDERS of Israel, these being the only princes or rulers of Israel at that time, and for them, it is possible, this sacrifice was designed. It is however supposed, that the sacrifice appointed, chap. iv. 14. was for a particular sin, but this, for sin in general; and that it is on this account that the sacrifices differ. Verse 6. And the glory of the Lord shall appear] God shall give the most sensible signs of his presence among you; this he did in general by the cloud on the tabernacle; but in this case, the particular proof was the fire that came out from before the Lord, and consumed the burntoffering; see ver. 23, 24. altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burntoffering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded. 8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin-offering, which was for himself. y 9 And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar: 10 But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver, of the sin-offering, be burnt upon the altar; as the LORD commanded Moses. 11 And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp. 12 And he slew the burnt-offering; and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, d which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. 13 And they presented the burnt-offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head; and he burnt them upon the altar. 14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt-offering on the altar. 16 And he brought the burnt-offering, and of fered it according to the i manner. m h 17 And he brought the meat-offering, and took a handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt-sacrifice of the morning. 18 He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about: 19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver: 20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar. 21 And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved P for a wave-offering before the LORD: as Moses commanded, 22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and peace-offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. 15 And he brought the people's offering, 24 And there came a fire out from before the and took the goat, which was the sin-offering LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offor the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin,fering and the fat; which, when all the people as the first. saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. w Ch. 4. 3. 1 Sam. 3. 14. Heb. 5. 3. & 7. 27. & 9. 7. —x Ch. 4. 16, 20. Heb. 5, 1. Ch. 8. 15-z See Ch. 4. 7.-a Ch. 8. 16.-b Ch. 4. 8.-e Ch. 11. 17. & 4. 8-d Ch. 5. & 8. 19-e Ch. 8. 20-f Ch. 8. 21.-g Ver. 3. Isai 53. 10. Heb. 2 17. & 5. 3. h Ch. 1. 3, 10-i Or, ordinance.-k Ver. 4. Ch. 2. 1, 2-1 Heb. filled his hand out Verse 7. Make an atonement for thyself] This showed the imperfection of the Levitical law; the high priest was obliged to make an expiation for his own sins before he could make one for the sins of the people. See the use made of this by the apostle, Heb. v. 3. vii. 27. and ix. 7. Verse 22. And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them On lifting up the hands in prayer, see Exod. ix. 29. The form of the blessing we have in Numb. vi. 23, &c. The Lord bless thee and keep thee! The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee! The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace! See the notes on these passages. t of it.-m Exod. 29. 38-n Ch. 3. 1, &e-o Ch. 3. 5, 16.-p Exod. 29. 24, 26. Ch 7.30-34-9 Numb. 6. 23 Deut. 21. 5. Luke 21. 50-r Vor. 6. Numb. 14. 10. & 16. 19, 42-8 Gen. 4. 4. Judg. 6. 21. 1 Kings 18. 39. 2 Chron 7. 1. P. 20. 3. 2 Mac. 2 10, 11-t Exod. 32 17. Lev. 9. 24. 1 Kings 18. 39. 2 Chron. 7. 3. Ezra 3 IL likely that by the agency of the ethereal or electric spark sent immediately from the divine presence, the victims were consumed. The heathens, in order to give credit to their worship, imitated this miracle, and pretended that Jupiter testified his approbation of the sacrifices offered to him by thunder and lightning: to this VIRGIL seems to allude, though the words have been understood differently. Audial hac genitor, qui fadera fulmine sancit. Æn. xi. v. 200. "Let Jupiter hear, who sanctions covenants by his thunder." On which words Servius makes this remarkable comment. Quia cum fiunt fædera, si coruscatio fuerit, confirmantur. Vel certe quia apud majores are non incendebantur, sed ignem divinum precibus eliciebant qui incendebant altaria. "To sanction the covenant signifies to confirm it; for when a covenant was made, if there were a flash of lightning, it was considered to be thereby confirmed: or rather because our ANCESTORS lighted no fire upon the altars, but obtained by their supplications, divine fire, &c." The expression, apud majores, among our ancestors, shows that they could boast of no such divine fire then, nor could they ever before, as the whole account was borrowed from the Jews. Solinus Polyhistor gives us an account to the same effect; for speaking of the hill of Vulcan in Sicily, he says,-in quo, qui divinæ rei operantur, ligna vitea super aras struunt, nec ignis apponitur in hanc congeriem: cum prosicias intulerunt, si adest Deus, si sacrum probatur, sarmenta licet viridia, sponte concipiunt, et nullo inflagrante halitu, ab ipso numine fit accendium, cap. v. in fine. "They who perform sacred rites in this place, put a bundle of vine-tree wood upon the altar, but put no fire to it: for, when they lay the pieces of the victim upon it, if the deity be present, and he approve the sacrifice, the bundle, although of green wood, takes fire of itself, and without any other means, the deity himself kindles the flame." These are remarkable instances, and show how exactly the heathen writers have borrowed from the sacred records. And in farther imitation of this miracle, they had their perpctual fire in the temple of Vesta, which they feigned to hare descended at first from heaven, and which they kept with the most religious veneration. And came down from offering of the sin-offering, &c.] A sin-offering, a burnt-offering, a meat-offering, and peace-offerings, were made to God that his glory might appear to the whole congregation. This was the end of all sacrifice and religious service; not to confer any obligation on God, but to make an atonement for sin, and to engage him to dwell among and influence his worshippers. Verse 23. Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle] It is supposed that Moses accompanied Aaron into the tabernacle to show him how to offer the incense, prepare the lamps and the perfume, adjust the show-bread, &c. &c. And the glory of the Lord appeared] To show that every thing was done according to the divine mind, 1. The glory of Jehovah appears unto all the people: 2. A fire came out from before the Lord, and consumed the burntoffering. This was the proof which God gave, upon extraordinary occasions, of his acceptance of the sacrifice. This was done (probably) 1. In the case of Abel, Gen. iv. 4.; 2. In the case of Aaron: see above, ver. 24.; 3. In the case of Gideon, Judges vi. 21.; 4. In the case of Manoah and his wife. Compare Judges xiii. 19-23.; 5. In the case of David dedicating the threshing-floor of Ornan, 1 Chron. xxi. 26.; 6. In the case of Solomon dedicating the temple, 2 Chron. vii. 1.; 7. In the case of Elijah, 1 Kings xviii. 38. Hence to express the accepting of an offering, sacrifice, &c. the verb dashan is used, which signifies, to reduce to ashes, i. e. by fire from heaven. See Psalm xx. 3, In such a case as this, it was necessary that the fire should appear to be divinely sent, and should come in Verse 24. When all the people saw, they shouted, and such a way as to preclude the supposition that any art or fell on their faces] 1. The miracle was done in such a deceit had been practised on the occasion. Hence it is not way as gave the fullest conviction to the people of its reintimated that Moses and Aaron brought it out of the ta-ality. 2. They exulted in the thought that the God of bernacle professing that God had kindled it there for them, but the fire CAME OUT from BEFORE the Lord, and ALL the PEOPLE SAW it. The victims were consumed by a fire, evidently of no human kindling. Josephus says, that " fire proceeded from the victims themselves, of its own accord, which had the appearance of a flash of lightning;" εξ αυτών πυρ ανήφθη αυτόματον, και όμοιον αστραπης λαμπηδόνι oppover TH prog, and consumed all that was upon the altar: Antiq. lib. iii. c. 8. 8. 6. edit. Haverc. And it is very a almighty power and energy had taken up his abode among them. 3. They prostrated themselves in his presence, thereby intimating the deep sense they had of HIS goodness, of their unworthiness, and of the obligation they were under to live in subjection to his authority, and obedience to his will. The celestial fire was carefully preserved among the Israelites till the time of Solomon, when it was renewed, and continued among them till the Babylonish captivity. This divine fire was the emblem of the A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. CHAP. X. Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire before the Lord, 1. and are destroyed, 2-5. forbidden the use of wine, 8-11. Directions to Aaron and his sons concerning the Abib to Nisan Aaron and his family forbidden to mourn for them, 6, 7. He and his family are eating of the meat-offerings, &c. 12-15. Moses chides Aaron for not having eaten the sin-offering, 16-18 Aaron excuses himself, 19, and Moses is satisfied, 20. An. Exod. Ir. 2. ND Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. u Ch. 16. 1. & 22 9. Numb. 3. 3, 4. & Numb. 16. 18-w Exod. 30. 9.-x Ch. 9. 21 19. 22 & 29. 43. Ch. 21.6, 17, 21. Isai. 52. 11. Holy Spirit. And as no sacrifice could be acceptable to God, which was not salted, i. e. seasoned and rendered pleasing, by this fire, as our Lord says, Mark ix. 49. so no soul can offer acceptable sacrifices to God, but through the influences of the divine Spirit. Hence the promise of the Spirit under the emblem of fire, Matt. iii. 11. and its actual descent in this similitude, on the day of pentecost, Acts ii. 3, 4. THE most remarkable circumstance in this chapter is the manifestation of the presence of God, and the consuming of the victims by the miraculous fire. We have already seen that the chief design of these sacrificial rites was to obtain reconciliation to God, that the divine presence might dwell and be manifested among them. To encourage the people to make the necessary preparations, to offer the sacrifices in a proper spirit, and to expect especial mercies from the hand of God, Moses promises, ver. 4. that the Lord would appear unto them on the morrow, and that his glory should appear, ver. 6. In hope or expectation of this, the priests, the elders, and the people, purified themselves by offering the different sacrifices which God had appointed; and when this was done God did appear, and gave the fullest proofs of his approbation, by miraculously consuming the sacrifices which were prepared on the occasion. Does not St. John evidently refer to these circumstances, 1 Epist. c. iii. 2, 3. Beloved, now are we the sons of God: and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall APPEAR, we shall be like him, for we shall see him AS HE IS: and every man that hath this HOPE in him, PURIFIETH himself, even as he is pure. This manifestation of God in the tabernacle, was a type of his presence; first, in the church militant on earth: and secondly, in the church triumphant in heaven. They who expect to have the presence of God here, must propitiate his throne of justice by the only available sacrifice: they who wish to enjoy everlasting felicity, must be purified from all unrighteousness, for without holiness none can see the Lord. If we hope to see him as he is, we must resemble him. How vain is the expectation of glory, where there is no meetness for the place: and how can we enter into the holiest but by the blood of Jesus? Heb. x. 19. And of what use can this sacrifice be to those who do not properly believe in it? And can any faith, even in that sacrifice, be effectual to salvation, that does not purify the heart? Reader! earnestly pray to God that thou hold not the truth in unrighteousness. NOTES ON CHAPTER X. Verse 1. And Nadab and Abibu-took either of them his censer] The manner of burning incense in the temple service was, according to the Jews, as follows: "One went and gathered the ashes from off the altar into a golden vessel, a second brought a vessel full of incense, and a third brought a censer with fire, and put coals on the altar, and he whose office it was to burn the incense, strewed it on the fire, at the command of the governor. At the same time all the people went out of the temple from between the porch and the altar. Each day they burned the weight of an hundred denaries of incense, fifty in the morning and fifty in the evening. The hundred denaries weighed fifty shekels of the sanctuary, each shekel weighing three hundred and twenty barley corns; and when the priest had burned the incense, he howed himself down and went his way out. See Maimonides's Treatise of the Daily Service, chap. 3. So when Zacharias, as his lot fell, burned incense in the temple, the whole multitude of the people were without at prayer, while the incense was burning, Luke i. 9, 10. By this service God taught them that the prayers of his faithful people are pleasing to him, whilst our High Priest, Christ Jesus, by his mediation, puts incense to their prayers, see Psal. exli. 2. Rom. viii. 34. Heb. viii. 1, 2. ix. 24. Rev. 3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. 5.So they went near and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. 6 T And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar, and unto Ithamar, his sons, d Uncover 2 Thess. 1. 10.- Psa. 39. 9.--b Exod. 6, 18, John 5. 10. & 21. 18. Acts 5. 6, 9, 10. & 8.2. Numb. 6. 6, 7. Deut. 33. 9. Ezek. 24. 16, 17. viii. 3, 4. for the priests, under the law, served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. Heb. viii. 5."— See Ainsworth in loco. In the preceding chapter we have seen how God intended that every part of his service should be conducted; and that every sacrifice might be acceptable to him, he sent his own fire, as the emblem of his presence, and the means of consuming the sacrifice. Here we find Aaron's sons neglecting the divine ordinance, and offering incense with strange, that is, common fire; fire not of a celestial origin; and therefore the fire of God consumed them. So, that very fire, which, if properly applied, would have sanctified and consumed their gift, becomes now the very instrument of their destruction! How true is the saying, The Lord is a consuming fire! He will either hallow or destroy us: he will purify our souls by the influence of his Spirit, or consume them with the breath of his mouth! The tree which is properly planted in a good soil, is nourished by the genial influences of the sun; pluck it up from its roots, and the sun, which was the cause of its vegetative life and perfection, now dries up its juices, decomposes its parts, and causes it to moulder into dust. Thus must it be done to those who grieve and do despite to the Spirit of God. Reader, hast thou this heavenly fire? Hear then the voice of God, QUENCH not the SPIRIT! Some critics are of opinion, that the fire used by the sons of Aaron was the sacred fire, and that it is only called strange, from the manner of placing the incense on it. I cannot see the force of this opinion. Which he commanded them not.] Every part of the religion of God is divine-He alone knew what he designed by its rites and ceremonies, for that which they prefigured, (the whole economy of redemption by Christ) was conceived in his own mind, and was out of the reach of human wisdom and conjecture. He, therefore, who altered any part of this representative system, omitted or added any thing, assumed a prerogative which belonged to God alone, and was certainly guilty of a very high offence against the wisdom, justice, and righteousness of his Maker. This appears to have been the sin of Nadab and Abihu; and this at once shows the reason why they were so severely punished. The most awful judgments are threatened against those who either add to, or take away from, the declarations of God.-See Deut. iv. 2. Prov. xxx. 6. and Rev. xxii. 18, 19. Verse 3. And Aaron held his peace] N va yedom Aharon, and Aaron was dumb. How elegantly expressive is this of his parental affection, his deep sense of the presumption of his sons, and his own submission to the justice of God! The flower and hope of his family was nipped in the bud and blasted, and while he exquisitely feels as a father, he submits, without murmuring, to this awful dispensation of Divine Justice. It is an awful thing to introduce innovations either into the rites and ceremonies, or truths of the religion of Christ: he who acts thus cannot stand guiltless before his God. It has often been remarked, that excessive grief stupi fies the mind, so that amazement and deep anguish prevent at once both tears and complaints--hence that saying of Seneca, Cura, leves loquuntur; graviores silent. Slight sorrows are loquacious; deep anguish has no voice.-See on ver. 19. Verse 4. Uzziel the uncle of Aaron] He was brother to Amram, the father of Aaron, see Exod. vi. 18-22. Verse 5. Carried them in their coats out of the camp] The modern impropriety of burying the dead within towns, cities, or places inhabited, had not yet been introduced; much less that abomination, at which both piety and common sense shudder, burying the dead about, and even within, places dedicated to the worship of God! Verse 6. Uncover not your heads, &c.] They were to use no sign of grief or mourning.-1st, Because those not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. 7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: * for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. 8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. 10 And that ye may i put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. 12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar, and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat-offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: form it is most holy; 13 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for "so I am commanded. 14 And the wave-breast and heave-shoulder e Numb, 16. 22, 46. Josh. 7. 1. & 22 18, 20. 2 Sam 24. 1-f Ch 21. 12g Exod. 28. 41. Ch. 8.30.-h Ezek. 44. 21. Luke 1. 15. 1 Tim. 3. 3. Tit. 1. 7.-i Ch. ÎL. 47. & 20. 25. Jer: 15. 19. Ezek. 22. 25. & 44. 23.-k Deut. 24. 8. Neh. 8. 2, 8, 9, 13. Jer. 18. 18. Mal 2. 7. : who were employed in the service of the sanctuary should avoid every thing that might incapacitate them for that service and 2dly, Because the crime of their brethren was so highly provoking to God, and so fully merited the punishment which he had inflicted, that their mourning might be considered as accusing the Divine Justice of undue severity. Verse 7. The anointing oil of the Lord is upon you] They were consecrated to the divine service, and this required their constant attendance, and most willing and cheerful service. Verse 9. Do not drink wine nor strong drink] The cabalistical commentator, Baal Hatturim, and others, have supposed, from the introduction of this command here, that Aaron's sons had sinned through excess of wine, and that they had attempted to celebrate the divine service in a state of inebriation. Strong drink] The word shecer, from Shacar, to inebriate, signifies any kind of fermented liquors. This is exactly the same prohibition that was given in the case of John Baptist, Luke i. 15. vou a σixien ou non, Wine and sikera he shall not drink. Any inebriating liquor, says St. Jerom, (Epist. ad Nepot.) is called Sicera, whether made of corn, apples, honey, dates, or other fruit. One of the four prohibited drinks among the Mohammedans in India, is called sakar, (see the Hedaya, vol. iv. p. 158.) which signifies inebriating drink in general, but especially date wine. From the original word, probably, we have borrowed our term cyder or sider, which among us, exclusively signifies the fermented juice of apples.-See on Luke i. 15. Verse 10. That ye may put difference between holy and unholy] This is a strong reason why they should drink no inebriating liquor, that their understanding being clear, and their judgment correct, they might be always able to discern between the clean and the unclean, and ever pronounce righteous judgment. Injunctions similar to this were found among the Egyptians, Carthaginians, and Greeks. Indeed, common sense itself shows, that neither a drunkard nor a sot should ever be suffered to minister in holy things. Verse 14. Wave-breast and heave-shoulder] See chap. vii. and on Exod. xxix. 27. Verse 16. Moses diligently sought the goat] The goat which was offered the same day, for the sins of the priests and the people; see chap. ix. 15, 16. and which, through the confusion that happened on account of the death of Nadab and Abihu, was burnt, instead of being caten.-See ver. 18. Verse 17. To bear the iniquily of the congregation] See on chap. vi. 26. &c. Verse 19. And such things have befallen me, &c.] The | shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace-offerings of the children of Israel. 15 P The heave-shoulder and the wave-breast shall they bring, with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, by a statute for ever: as the LORD hath commanded. 16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying, 17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? r 18 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, "this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before the LORD; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sinoffering to-day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD? V 20 And when Moses heard that, he was content. 1 Exod. 29. 2. Ch. 6. 16. Numb. 18. 9, 10.--m Ch. 21. 22-n Ch. 2 3 & 6. 16 o Exod. 29. 24, 26, 27. Ch. 7. 31, 34. Numb. 18. 11.-p Ch. 7.29, 30, 34-q Cb 9. 3, 15.- Ch. 6. 26, 29. Ch. 6. 30.-t Ch. 6. 25.--u Ch. 9. 8, 12-v Jer. 9. 6, 20 & 14. 12. Hos. 9. 4. Mal. 1. 10, 13. excuse which Aaron makes for not feasting on the sinoffering, according to the law, is at once appropriate and dignified: as if he had said, "God certainly has commanded me to eat of the sin-offering; but when such things as these have happened unto me, could it be good in the sight of the Lord? Does he not expect that I should feel as a father under such afflicting circumstances?"With this spirited answer Moses was satisfied; and God, who knew his situation, took no notice of the irregularity which had taken place in the solemn service. To human nature, God has given the privilege to weep in times of affliction and distress. In his infinite kindness he has ordained, that tears, which are only external evidences of our grief, shall be the outlets to our sorrows, and tend to exhaust the cause from which they flow.-See on ver. 3. Verse 20. When Moses heard, he was content.] The argument used by Aaron had in it both good sense and strong reason; and Moses, as a reasonable man, felt its force; and as God evidenced no kind of displeasure at this irregularity, which was in a measure at least, justified by the present necessity, he thought proper to urge the matter no farther. THOUGH the punishment of Nadab and Abihu may appear severe, because the sacred text does not specify clearly the nature and extent of their crime, we may rest assured, that it was of such a nature as not only to justify, but to demand such a punishment. God has here given us a full proof that he will not suffer human institutions to take the place of his own prescribed worship. It is true, this is frequently done: for by many, what is called natural religion, is put in the place of divine revelation, and God seems not to regard it; but though vengeance is not speedily executed on an evil work, and therefore the hearts of the children of men are set to do wickedness, yet God ceases not to be just, and those who have taken from or added to his words, or put their own inventions in their place, shall be reproved and found liars in the great day. His long-suffering leads to repentance; but if men will harden their hearts, and put their own ceremonies, rites, and creeds, in the place of divine ordinances and eternal truths, they must expect to give an awful account to Him who is shortly to judge the quick and the dead. Were the religion of Christ stripped of all that state policy, fleshly interest, and gross superstition have added to it, how plain and simple, and may we not add, how amiable and glorious, would it appear! Well may we say of human inventions in divine worship, what one said of the paintings on old cathedral windows, Their principal tendency is to prevent the light from coming in. Nadab and Abihu would perform the worship of God, not according to his command, but in their own way; and God not only would not receive the sacrifice from their hands, but, CHAPTER XI. Laws concerning clean and unclean animals, 1, 2 Of quadrupeda, those are clean which divide the hoof, and chew the cud, 3. Those to be reputed unclean which do not divide the hoof, though they chew the cud, as the camel, rabbit, and hare, 46. Those to be reputed unclean also, which, though they divide the hoof, do not chew the cud, as the swine, 7. Whosoever eats their flesh, or touches their carcasses, shall be reputed unclean, 8. Of fish, those are clean, and may be eaten, which have fins and scales, whether bred in fresh or salt water, 9. Those which have not fins and scales, whether salt or fresh water fish, are to be reputed unclean; their flesh is not to be eaten, nor their carcasses touched, 11, 12. Of fowls, the following are unclean: Ossifrage and ospray 13; the vulture and kite 14; the ram, 15; the owl, night-hark, cuckoo, and hawk, 16; the little owl, cor morant, and great owel, 17; the erean, pelican, and gier eagle, 18; the stork, heron, lapsing, and bat, 19. All fowls that creep, 20. Those may be eaten which have legs above their feet, 21. Of inserts, the following may be eaten: The bald locust, beetle, and grasshopper, 22. All others are unclean and abominable, their flesh not to be eaten, nor their bodies touched, 23-25. Farther directions relative to unclean beasts, 26-23. Of reptiles and some small quadrupeds, the following are unclean: The weasel, mouse, and tortoise, 29; the ferret, camelion, lizard, snail, and mole, 30. All that touch them shall be unclean, 31; and the things touched by their dead carcasses are unclean also, 32; such as earthen vessels, 33; meat, 31; ovens, pots, &c. 35. Large fountains, or pits of water, are not defiled by their carcasses, provided a part of the water be drawn out, 36. Nor do they defile seed, by accidentally touching it, provided the water which has touched their flesh do not touch or moisten the seed, 37, 38 A beast that dieth of itself is unclean, and may not be touched or eaten, 39, 40. All creeping things are abominable, 41-44. The reason given for these laws, 45-47. An. Exod. Isr. 2 Abib or Nisan AND the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, w Deut. 14. 4. Acts 10. 12, 14-x 2 Mac. 6. 18. & 7. 1.-y Isai. 65. 4. & 66. 3, 17. while encompassing themselves with their own sparks, and warming themselves with their own fire, this had they from the hand of the Lord-they lay down in sorrow, for there went out a fire from the Lord and devoured them. What is written above, is to be understood of persons who make a religion for themselves, leaving divine revelation for being wilfully ignorant of God's righteousness they go about to establish their own. This is a high offence in the sight of God. Reader, God is a Spirit, and they who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth. Such worshippers the Father seeketh. NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. Verse 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses] In the preceding chapter the priests are expressly forbidden to drink wine, and the reason for this law is given also, that they might be able at all times to distinguish between clean and unclean, and be qualified to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord had spoken, chap. x. 10. 11. for as inebriation unfits a person for the regular performance of every function of life, it must be especially sinful in those who minister in holy things, and to whom the teaching of the ignorant, and the cure of souls in general, are entrusted. Scheuchzer has remarked, that no Christian state has made any civil law against drunkenness; (he must only mean the German states, for we have several acts of parliament against it in England ;) and that it is only punished by contempt. "Custom," says he, "that tyrant of the human race, not only permits it, but in some sort authorizes the practice; insomuch, that we see priests and ministers of the church ascend the pulpit in a state of intoxication, judges seat themselves upon the benches, physicians attend their patients, and others attempt to perform the different avocations of life, in the same disgraceful state." Physic. Sacr. vol. III. p. 64. This is a horrible picture of German manners; and while we deplore the extensive ravages made by this vice, and the disgrace with which its votaries are overwhelmed, we have reason to thank God that it very rarely has ever appeared in the pulpit, and perhaps was never once seen upon the bench, in our own country. Having delivered the law against drinking wine, Moses proceeds to deliver a series of ordinances, all well calculated to prevent the Israelites from mixing with the surrounding nations, and consequently from being contaminated by their idolatry. In chap. xi. he treats of unclean MEATS. In chap. xii. xiii. xiv. and xv. he treats of unclean PERSONS, GARMENTS, and DWELLINGS. In chap. xvi. he treats of the uncleanness of the PRIESTS and the PEOPLE, and prescribes the proper expiations and sacrifices for both. In chap. xvii. he continues the subject, and gives particular directions concerning the mode of offering, &c. In chap. xviii. he treats of unclean matrimonial connexions. In chap. xix. he repeats sundry laws relative to these subjects, and introduces some new ones. In chap. xx. he mentions certain uncleannesses practised among the idolatrous nations, and prohibits them on pain of death. In chap. xxi. he treats of the mourning, marriages, and personal defects of the priests, which rendered them unclean. And in chap. xxii. he speaks of unclean sacrifices, or such as should not be offered to the Lord. After this, to the close of the book, many important and excellent political and domestic regulations are enjoined, the whole 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof: he is unclean unto you. 5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 6 And the hare because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you. 7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; y he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. z Isai. 52. 11. See Matt. 15. 11, 20. Mark 7. 2, 15, 18. Acts 10. 14, 15. & 15. 29. Rom. 14. 14, 17. 1 Cor. 8. 8. Col. 2. 16, 21. Hebr. 9. 10. forming an ecclesiastico-political system, superior to any thing the world ever saw. Bishop Wilson very properly observes, that "by these laws of clean and unclean animals, &c. God did keep this people separated from the idolatrous world: and this is a standing proof even to the present day, of the divine authority of these Scriptures; for, no power or art of man could have obliged so great and turbulent a nation to submit to such troublesome precepts as the Jews always have submitted to, had they not been fully convinced, from the very first, that the command was from God, and that it was to be obeyed at the peril of their souls." Verse 3. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted] These two words mean the same thing, a divided hoof, such as that of the ox, where the hoof is divided intp two toes, and each toe is cased with horn. Cheweth the cud] Ruminates, casts up the grass, &c. which had been taken into the stomach, for the purpose of mastication. Animals which chew the cud, or ruminate, are provided with two, three, or four stomachs. The ox has four: in the first, or largest, called the ventriculus, or paunch, the food is collected without being masticated; the grass, &c. being received into it, as the beast crops it from the earth. The food, by the force of the muscular coats of this stomach, and the liquors poured in, is sufficiently ma cerated, after which, formed into small balls, it is thrown up by the esophagus into the mouth, where it is made very small by mastication or chewing, and then sent down into the second stomach, into which the oesophagus or gullet opens, as well as into the first, ending exactly where the two stomachs meet. This is what is termed chewing the cud. The second stomach, which is called the reticulum, honey-comb, bonnet, or king's hood, has a great number of small shallow cells on its inward surface, of a pentagonal or five-sided form, exactly like the cells in a honeycomb in this the food is farther macerated, and then pushed onward into the third stomach, called the omasum or manyplies, because its inward surface is covered with a great number of thin membranous partitions. From this the food passes into the fourth stomach, called the abamassum, or reed. In this stomach it is digested, and from the digested mass the chyle is formed, which being absorbed by the lacteal vessels, is afterward thrown into the mass of blood, and becomes the principle of nutrition to all the solids and fluids of the body. The intention of rumination, or chewing the cud, seems to be, that the food may be sufficiently comminuted, that being more fully acted on by the stomachs, it may afford the greatest possible portion of nutritive juices. The word cud, is probably not originally Saron, though found in that language, in the same signification in which it is still used. Junius, with great show of probability, derives it from the Cambro-British chwyd, a vomit, as it is the ball of food vomited, or thrown up from the first stomach, or paunch, through the esophagus into the mouth, which is called by this name. Those who prefer a Saxon derivation, may have it in the verb ceopan, whence our word chew; and so cud might be considered a contraction of chewed, but this is not so likely as the preceding. Verse 5. The CONEY] D shaphan, not the rabbit, but rather a creature nearly resembling it, which abounds in Judea, Palestine, and Arabia, and is called by Dr. Shaw, daman Israel, and by Mr. Bruce, ashkeko. As this creature nearly resembles the rabbit, with which Spain an |