were inftituted by the law of Moses. And here we are to enquire, whether these two fpecies of facrifices furnished out the apparatus of a table, and whether God and the offerers of them did, or did not, eat or drink together. The Author himself tells us, that when thefe facrifices were made, "there never was any oblation of fine flower, "no wine, no oil, no frankincenfe." And to the fame purpose, "that the fin-offering and the trefpafs-offering had no meatoffering or drink-offering accompanying " them."-However, in the cafe of a poor perfon, (as the Author himself acknowledgeth h.) a trefpafs was expiated, without any animal facrifice, by the oblation of the tenth part of an ephah of fine flower, Levit. v. 11 13. -From thefe facts it plainly ap pears, that the fin-offerings and trefpafsofferings did not furnish out the apparatus of a table or entertainment. In most of them flesh was provided, but there was no bread, nor any thing to drink. In others, fomething was provided for bread, but there was neither flesh nor drink. So that in all thefe facrifices, the apparatus of a table was not furnished, at least, was very poorly furnished out.-Again, our Author tells us, "that the owner did not partake of any of thefe facrifices, but the priests had their " portions,

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p. 281.

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"portions, and the reft was burnt'.' first part of this laft affertion is abfolutely and univerfally true; but the latter part of it is not: for, after the proper parts of those fin-offerings, which were offered for the priest and his family, and for the congregation, were burnt upon the altar, all the other parts of them, the skin, flesh, head, legs, inwards, and the very dung, were carried out of the camp or city, and there burnt to ashes, fo that the priests had no share of them, any more than the owners. Vide, Levit. iv. 3-21. ix. 8-11, 15. xvi. 27. But of the other fin-offerings, and of all the trefpafs-offerings, the priests had their portion, the reft was burnt, and the owners had nothing.-From these facts, it is clear, that no perfon or perfons, whether the priest, or the congregation, or any one of the people, did eat, or partake of any thare, of any of these fin-offerings or trefpafs-offerings which they offered for their own fins. Here, again, were two fpecies' of facrifice, and fuch too as were offered, on purpose, to engage in, and renew friendthip with God, of which the owners had no fhare to eat; and, indeed, in which there was not the proper apparatus of a table, at which God and they might eat and drink together. Neither, therefore, of these species of facrifice could, in the Author's fenfe

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fenfe, be fymbols of friendship betwixt God and the offerers, or fœderal rites by which he and they engaged in, and renewed friendship by eating and drinking together.

(3.) The laft fpecies of facrifice, under the law of Mofes, which we have to confider, is, the peace-offerings. These had' meat-offerings and drink-offerings annexed to them, Levit. vii. 11-13. Numb. xv. 2

12. Here, therefore, was a fpecies of facrifices which did furnish out, what our Author calls, the apparatus of a table. And, which is ftill more to his purpose, the two kidneys, and the fat upon and about them, and upon the inwards; the caul above the liver, and the rump, were burnt upon the altar; the priests had the wavebreast and the heave-shoulder for their part; and the offerers or owners had all the rest of the flesh of the facrifice to eat, Levit. ch. iii. and ch. vii. 11-18. and ver. 28-36. Numb. xviii. 11. Hence it appears, that the Author speaks truly, when he faith, "in peace-offerings, part was burnt; part "was eat by the priests; and the remainder "the owner had for his own ufe, to enter"tain himself, or his friends, as he pleafed *." Here, therefore, if in any facrifices, we may expect to find God and the offerers eating and drinking together at a table furnished

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nished out with a proper apparatus. And yet if we carefully attend to the nature of God, and to the way and manner in which the provifions, aforefaid, were difpofed of, we fhall find little reafon for thinking, either that God and the offerers of these facrifices did eat and drink together, or that their eating and drinking together was the principal thing, or any part of the principal thing intended. God, as we have already feen, did not eat or drink any part of the provifions mentioned, either in a literal or figurative fenfe: and for the offerers; though they had a part of the flesh to eat, yet they had not a bit of bread, or a sip of drink, to it. The drink-offering was poured out about the altar, according to the Author's own acknowledgment. And for the meat-offering, if it was the priest's, the whole of it was burnt upon the altar, Levit, vi. 23. and if any other perfon was the offerer or owner of it, part of it was burnt to afhes upon the altar, and the priests had the whole remainder towards their maintenance, Levit. ii. 2, 3, 9, 10. vi. 15, 16. Numb. xviii. 9.-Wherefore, although, in the facrifices, called peace-offerings, there were fuch eatables and drinkables as ufually conftitute the apparatus of a table, at which friends eat and drink together; yet fuch is the nature of God, and fuch was the way and manner in which that apparatus was difpofed

difpofed of, that there is no room, nor reafon, to think, that God and the offerers of thefe facrifices did eat and drink together; or that these eatables and drinkables were prepared as a feaft, or entertainment, of which both were to partake. To conclude from the nature of God, we may be certain, that he did not eat or drink with the offerers of this fpecies of facrifice: and, from the way and manner in which the whole apparatus was difpofed of, it is highly probable, that those facrifices were never intended to be, in the Author's fenfe, fymbols of friendship betwixt God and the offerers 3 or fœderal rites by which he and they engaged in, renewed, or kept up friendship by eating and drinking together.

But if it fhould be granted, (yea, was it really true,) that, in peace-offerings, God and the offerers did eat and drink together, and that their eating and drinking together was a fymbol of friendship, and a fœderal rite, by which they engaged in, renewed, and kept up friendship with one another yet, in all other facrifices, (fuch as burntofferings, fin-offerings, and trefpafs-offerings,) of which the owners had no share to eat or drink, this cannot be alledged with any fhew or appearance of reason. For where the owners had no fhare to eat or drink, there God and they could not eat or drink together; confequently, their eating