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and to the Dr's fentiments, must now be left to the determination of those who have a capacity for judging in this affair, and integrity to judge in it without prejudice or wrong biafs; to whofe judgment, and the Dr's own ferious confideration, I now humbly fubmit the criticifm.-For myfelf; I am a lover of truth, and a friend to free and candid inquiry. I have no private interest that I could wish to ferve, or to be ferved, by error and falfehood. I lie open to conviction, and shall always be ready to correct any error in my fentiments as foon as I perceive it; and be very grateful to any perfon who will take the pains to fet me right when he finds me under any mistake. Errare poffum, hereticum effe nolo. May liberty and truth, in conjunction with piety and virtue, always prosper and prevail; and make their influence over mankind good against all oppofition.

The END of the SECOND PART.

APPEN

APPENDIX II.

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Containing an examination of another notion of the fymbolical meaning and ufe of Jewishfacrifices, which is exhibited in an anonymous piece published at London, ann. 1746. and intituled, An Effay on the nature, defign, and origin of Sacrifices.

T

HE Author of this piece appears to

be a man of great learning; but his inferences and reafonings from facts, generally speaking, are not fo natural, clear, and conclufive, as to afford that fatisfaction which a fincere and judicious enquirer after truth defires to have, and must have, before he can yield his affent. It would require the writing of a large volume to enter thoroughly into all the reafoning of this Author which are chargeable with this defect, and to detect the fallacy and weakness of them; a work which I have neither time nor inclination to undertake. All that I propofe to do at prefent, is, to exhibit his notion of the fymbolical nature and defign of Jewish-facrifices, and to examine whatever he has faid in support of it.

The

The Author gives us his general definition of facrifice in the following words, viz. "Whatever is given or offered, in a folemn

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manner immediately to God, so that "part of it, or the whole is confumed,

is what is meant by the word facrifice. "Whether it be upon an altar, or what is "ufed inftead of an altar; whether it be by fire, or in any other manner, is not "material"."

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I rather choose to take this definition of facrifice as it is, than to contend with the Author about the propriety and juftnefs of it. However, I cannot but obferve, that the idea of facrifice which it exhibits, agrees to the meat-offerings and drink-offerings which were appendages of facrifice, and are never in fcripture, as far as I remember, called facrifices; nor, indeed, can, strictly and properly speaking, be fo called, because the materials of which they confifted were inanimate, and, of course, incapable of death ". But to proceed.

The Author clearly expreffes his opinion about the general, ultimate end of all facrifices, in the following paffages of his book, viz.

a Page 4.

b The root na zabach fignifies mactare, facrificare, to kill, or to facrifice. Hence the noun i zebach, which fignifies maɛtatio, animal mactatile, facrificium, i. e. a killing, an animal capable of death, a facrifice. vide Buxtorf. lexicon.

viz. "Sacrifices-implied men's entering "into friendship with God; or if they had "violated friendship with God, by violat

e

ing the ftipulation entered into, then fa"crifice implied a renewal of friendship. "the great end of all facrifices-was to "make friends with God'.the reafon for " which facrifices were intended, viz. to

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engage in folemn friendship with God". "the nature and defign of facrifice being -to be in a state of friendship with him, "&c. Sacrifices expreffed in their way "what was principally intended, which was friendship and reconciliation to God. "Sacrifices were all-applied to keep up friendship betwixt God and man 1.—the original intent, and indeed the defign of facrifices, which was to be in friendship "with God'.

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From these paffages, 'tis plain, that the Author makes the engaging in, the renewal of, or the keeping up, friendship with God, to be the ultimate end of all facrifices in general. And in this I agree with him; because it must, without doubt, be the ultimate end of all religious inftitutions, as fuch, to promote one or other of the ends mentioned, or, to be the means of pleafing God. When, therefore, the ultimate end

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of facrifice, fpecified by the Author, is added to his general definition of facrifice, his definition of facrifice will run thus, viz. "Sacrifice is whatever is given or offered, "in a folemn manner, immediately to "God, with a view to engage in, renew,

or keep up friendship with him, fo that "a part, or the whole of it, is confumed "either upon an altar, or what is used in❝ftead of an altar; whether it be by fire, ❝or in any other manner."

c

The next thing which we have to confider, is, the Author's opinion about the meaning of facrifices, or their use and design in reference to the end mentioned. And here, if I mistake not, we shall find his fentiments neither uniform, nor fupported by good evidence.

He obferves," that it has been thought, "that facrifices were external figns, by "which the defires of people were expreff“ed,—and were the fame thing as prayer "or thanksgiving, only expreffed by ex"ternal figns instead of words;" and that Dr. Outram had cited paffages from Abarbinel, to fhew, "that the Jews thought

their facrifices to be a fort of fymbolical prayers to God for pardon or bleffings." But this notion of the meaning and use of facrifices, our Author cenfures and rejects

* Page 298, 299,

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