The fourth offering of this kind is commonly called the meat offering of jealousy; which a husband suspecting his wife of unchastity was to offer on her account, in order to prove her guilty or innocent. This offering consisted of one tenth of an ephah of barley meal, and, as in the last case, without the addition of any oil or frankincense.* For perfumes and delicacies were altogether incompatible with sacrifices offered for sins.

It is stated by the Jews, that the meat offerings which were merely voluntary oblations of individuals, were never to contain less than an ephah of flour each; but that they might contain more at the option of the offerer, provided a log of oil were added to each ephah of flour. But the same quantity of frankincense, namely a handful, they consider as having been sufficient for the largest meat offerings: and the frankincense added to the meat offerings, as ought to have been mentioned before, was in all cases to be derive a general argument that the shedding of animal blood was not necessary to the remission of transgressions under the Mosaic law. But it should be observed that this regulation was merely an indulgence to circumstances of abject poverty; the animal sacrifice prescribed for the specified transgression being dispensed with, and an unbloody oblation admitted as a substitute for that sacrifice, which the poor Israelite had thus an opportunity of testifying his willingness to offer if it had been in his power. It will not be easy to find an instance which more strongly exemplifies the maxim, (exceptio firmat regulam) the exception confirms the rule. Every attentive reader of the Pentateuch must perceive it to have been a general and radical principle of the legal economy, that without the shedding of blood there could be no remission; for that it was the blood which made atonement for the soul. Nor could it with any plausibility be pretended, that, even in this case of partial exception, the remission of the offence was wholly irrespective of animal sacrifice; while the sacrifices appointed for the day of annual expiation were expressly declared " to "make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a "year." Levit, xvi. 34.

* Num. v. 15.

wholly consumed upon the altar: of the meat offerings themselves, except when offered by a priest, or accompanied by a drink offering of wine, some portion was to be given to the priests; but those which were offered by the priests themselves were to be wholly consumed upon the altar.*

The second was baked The third was baked in former was made thicker

The meat offerings which were not commanded by the divine law, but were the votive or voluntary oblations of individuals, were of five kinds. The first consisted of fine flour unbaked. in a pan, or on a flat plate. a frying pan. Of these, the that it might not run over, and the latter was more liquid. The fourth was baked in an oven. All these were thoroughly mingled with oil: but the fifth was a thin cake like a wafer, and was to be anointed with oil, but not mingled with it. The four last sorts now described, the Jews say, used to be made so as for each offering to be divided into ten small cakes."

IX. These observations may suffice on the various sorts of meat offerings among the Jews. Whether offered for the whole congregation, or for particular persons, they were all made of wheaten flour, except the omer of first fruits, and the meat offering of jealousy; these two were made of barley meal. Those which were made of wheaten flour were not only to be brought to the altar, but also to be heaved or elevated towards God, and, as the Jews tell us, to be waved on every side towards him. Moreover, to the shew bread was added frankincense, but not oil; to the meat offerings accompanied by a drink offering of wine, was added oil, but no frankincense: to all the * Levit. vi. 23. † Levit. ii. 1. 5. 7. ‡ Maimon. in Maase Korban. c. 13. § Levit. ii. 4. Maimon. ibid.

others, except the omer of first fruits, the meat offering of the sinner, and the meat offering of jealousy, were added both frankincense and oil; and to these three, neither oil nor frankincense. The law likewise contained an express prohibition; that no meat offering should be made with leaven, for that no leaven or honey should be added to any offerings that were to be burnt upon the altar.* This is supposed by some persons to have inculcated abstinence from excessive pleasures, and putting off all wickedness and pride.† This prohibition is extended by the Jews to figs and dates. But with all the meat offerings duly presented, salt was to be used, and, according to the Jews, was to be sprinkled on the offerings when laid upon the altar. Salt possesses an agreeable savour, and the quality of preserving food from putrefaction: hence it is that a durable covenant is called "a cove"nant of salt."§

X. Thus far we have followed the accounts of the Jews, in enumerating the offerings comprehended in the class generally denominated mincha. For this appellation they never give to the first fruits which each individual was commanded to bring to the temple every year. But whatever opinion we may form of the word mincha, it is clear that those first fruits might justly be called oblations or meat offerings, as they were to be "set before the altar," by which ceremony they were offered to God;** and, if any credit be given to the Jews,†† were to be waved on every side towards him. Nor ought it to be objected, that none of those first fruits were to be burnt on the

altar; for of the shew bread and the two loaves offered at Pentecost (both which the Jews themselves are accustomed to place in the number of their meat offerings) no part was ever to be burnt on the altar, but, like the first fruits, they were to be given wholly to the priests.

Respecting these first fruits the Jews commonly give the following account:* first, that by the command of the law they were only to be presented from Canaan, but that it was provided by a decree of the wise men, that they should also be brought from Syria, and the country of Og and Sihon: secondly, that the various kinds of corn and fruits which might happen to be put into the same basket, were not to be confounded together, but were to be separated from each other by some thing placed between them: thirdly, that it was not lawful for any first fruits to be brought to the altar, except of seven kinds of corn and fruits, wheat, barley, grapes, figs, apples, pomegranates and dates; productions for which Canaan is said to have been particularly famous;† fourthly, that no first fruits ought to be offered before the Pentecost, or after the feast of dedication: fifthly, that no certain portion of corn or fruits was prescribed by the law, but that it was the decision of the wisemen that at least a sixtieth part should thus be consecrated to God: sixthly, that the following things were also required; first, that immediately on arriving at the mountain of the house, every individual, even the king himself, should carry his first fruits on his shoulders; secondly, that he should always place his first fruits on some vessel; thirdly, that after having entered the mountain of the house, still bearing the basket on his

* Abarb. ad Deut. xxvi. Maimon, in Biccurim, c. 2. 3, + Deut. viii. 8.

shoulders, he should make this address to the priest; "I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I " am come unto the country, which the Lord sware "unto our fathers for to give it ;* that after this, the basket being delivered to the priest, and with both their hands waved on every side, he should make this confession before God: "A Syrian ready to perish

was my father, &c."t fourthly, that every one should accompany his first fruits with burnt offerings and peace offerings; fifthly, that when the first fruits were brought into the sanctuary, the Levites should sing the thirtieth psalm; sixthly, that the basket of first fruits, as we have already suggested in passing, should be waved on every side before God; lastly, that he who brought an offering of first fruits should pass the night in Jerusalem. These are the accounts of the Jews respecting this kind of first fruits, which, because they were to be brought to the altar, may certainly be considered as meat offerings. But the tenths of the tithes, the cake to be selected from every mass of dough, and those first fruits which the Jews call the great offering, notwithstanding they were to be given to the priests, yet wanted the characteristic of meat offerings, because they were not required to be brought to the altar.

XI. These statements must be followed by a brief notice of the oblations of incense that used to be made in the temple; for, though they are not usually numbered among the meat offerings, yet they must be classed with those sacrifices which were to be selected from inanimate things, and were to be solemnly burnt in the service of God. And they are so much the more deserving of explication, be* Deut. xxvi. 8. ↑ Ibid. 5-8. Num. xviii. 26-28. § Num. xv. 20, 21.