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"vitiating of a bond-maid, Levit. xix. 20. "In the rules for the day of atonement mention is made of all the iniquities of the "children of Ifrael, and all their tranf

greffions in all their fins, Levit. xvi. 21. "But thofe fins must be excepted which "were threatened with excifion or cutting "off" And to the fame purpose, " The

fins for which facrifices were generally "offered, were fins of ignorance, and ceremonial uncleannefs, which were not capital by law .??

REMARK S.

In these two paffages, the Dr. seems to me, to fpeak inconfiftently with himself. He allows that on the day of atonement, piacular facrifices were offered for all fins that were not capital by law, wilful fins as well as others; and that, on all proper occafions, they were offered, likewife, for wilful fins of fraud; to which he might have. added, for wilful fins of violence; fince the place, to which he refers, mentions thefe, as well as the other, as fins for which trespass-offerings were appointed to be offered. And yet after all this, he tells "that the fins and trefpaffes for which "these

us,

See Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, Chap. I. §. 6.

Ibidem, Chap. IV. §. 54.

thefe facrifices were offered, were gene"rally fins of ignorance, or ceremonial pollutions; and that no facrifices were to "be offered for him that did ought know

ingly and wilfully, unless it was in three "cafes which he mentions as exceptions "from a general rule." The Dr. I think, has been led into this miftake, and inconfiftency with himself, by confidering fins of ignorance, or error, as being, in fcripture, opposed to these fins which are knowingly and wilfully committed: Whereas they are not opposed to these fins which are knowingly and wilfully committed, provided they proceed from human frailty only, or from natural appetites and paffions unduly raised; but only to fuch fins as proceed from a direct and deliberate contempt of authority: which fins are called, in fcripture, fins of prefumption; and they who commit them, are faid, (with a peculiar emphafis) to fin with a high hand, and to reproach the Lord. All the fins of prefumption, which are mentioned in the fcriptures, were of this kind. And they, who were guilty of them, were very justly and deservedly ordered to be cut off from their people, or to be put to death, under the Jewish theocracy. But the perfons, who were guilty of wilful fins of a lefs heinous nature, neither deferved, nor had, fuch a hard fate under that theocracy: for they were permitted to offer trefpafs-offerings

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for thefe fins, by which atonement was made for them. If any perfon will take the pains, to infpect all thofe places of the Hebrew bible, where the root 1, and its conjugates and nouns, occur in their feveral forms, and to examine the fenfe which they bear in them, he will be fatisfied of the truth of this obfervation: for he will find these as commonly and frequently ufed, to denote wilful fins proceeding from human frailty, or the commiffion of fuch fins, as fins of ignorance properly fo called, or the commiffion of them. I fhall only felect one place from among many, where the Hebrew-root mentioned, evidently bears this fenfe, viz. Ifai. xxviii. 7. But they also have erred ( fchagu) through wine, and through frong drink are out of the way: the priest and the prophet have erred ( fchagu) through frong drink; -they err (w) in vifion, they fumble in judgment.

PASSAGE 2d.

The Dr. fays, " Indeed the victim might, "and, I fuppofe, did, represent the perfon "who offered it, in the fymbolical, inter"pretative sense; namely, as whatever was "done to that, was to be applied to himself, "to fhew him the demerit of fin in gene"ral, how he ought to flay the brute in

" him

" himself, and devote his life and foul to "God.

REMARK S.

All that the Dr. fays here, is pure fancy and imagination, without any manner of fupport from fcripture-evidence, or from any thing that is any where faid in the fcriptures. And, indeed, it is hard to tell, what a luxuriant imagination, fet loofe from all rule, whether reafon or fcripture, may not carry a man to fuppofe. The Dr. has before fuppofed, that Jewish facrifices were fymbolical addreffes to God. And here he fuppofes that thefe facrifices were fymbolical perfons. And, fince no bounds can be fet to fancy and imagination, who can tell what they may not, hereafter, be fuppofed to be? There is one thing which, I hope, I may be allowed to fay, viz. That this volatile and roving faculty of imagination, as far as it has been employed in the interpretation of fcripture, has made dreadful havock of the true and genuine fense of it: for which reafon, I fhall never be willing to admit the fuppofition of any emblem, fymbol, allegory, or any figurative expreffion, in any paffage of the fcriptures, before I fee a good reafon for doing

• See Script. doc. of aton. Chap. IV. § 56.

it.

it. And, therefore, if the Dr. would have me to receive his fuppofition, or fancy, in the paffage now quoted, he must first take the trouble of proving the truth of it.

The expreffion, "a man ought to flay the "brute in himself," is very striking, and tolerably popular. But for the truth and good fenfe of the moral couched in it, I Thall leave them to be confidered by others. I should think, that the offerer of a facrifice would have discharged his duty pretty well, had he only tamed the brute in himself and brought it under proper government, though he had not flain it, as he did his facrifice.

PASSAGE 3d.

The Dr. fays, " To pitch, to smear with "pitch, feems to be the natural and original fenfe of the word, (i. e. 197 caphar,)

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though it is fo ufed but once, namely, "Gen. vi. 14. 1 and thou shalt pitch it "within and without with pitch. The "fenfe, when it fignifieth the mercy-feat, " and atonement, feems to be transferred "from covering or fecuring with pitch, to

things of a different nature." And to the fame purpose, "In all the 37 places,

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See Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, Chap. IV. §. 63.

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