Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 13
EXERCITAT. XIII. Of the Sacrifices in generall. A ceremoniall Appendix of Command 2.
1 King. 8.62. And the King and all Iſrael with him offered Sacrifice before the Lord, &c.
IN their Sacrifices they offered beaſts and fowles,What they offered in their Sacrifices. the beaſts were the Ram, the Lamb, the Bullocke, and the Goate; the fowles were the Turtle dove, the Pigeon, and the Sparrow in the ſacrifice of Leproſie.
The beaſts which were to be offered to the Lord, behooved to have no blemiſh in them;foreign Maculatum. in the originall it is mum, which the Seventy tranſlate foreign, which is, worthie of blame; Immaculatum, foreign, that is, without blot, What is meant by blemiſh.Levit. 26.16. The man that hath any blemiſh ſhall not offer to the Lord; then he explaineth what he meaneth by blemiſh; when they offered the lame, the blind, the ſicke: and contrary to this is that which wee call Immaculatum, Cant. 1. Thou art faire my ſpouſe, and there is no blemiſh in thee, that is, there is no deformitie in thee: mum here is not taken for a ſpot, as though a ſpotted beaſt were uncleane: for then the Badgers Skins which covered the Tabernacle had beene uncleane; the Badger is called ſheſh, foreignbecauſe it hath ſixe ſpots upon it, as the Hebrewes marke.
They might offer nothing that was defective, or wanted any member,Nothing which was defective or ſuperfluous in the parts of it might be offered. Levit. 21.25. Bovem aut ovem ſuperſtuum aut diminutum, that is, if it had a member more, or wanted a member, they might not offer it; therefore the Hebrews ſay, that when they offered Bullocks, they were Buls and not Oxen; becauſe no beaſts might be offered to the Lord which were lacking in their parts, Levit. 22.23. and as an Eunuch might not ſerve before the Lord: ſo neyther might an Oxe be offered to the Lord. Therefore ſhor, bos, the Chaldee paraphraſt ever paraphraſeth it thor, taurus
The blemiſhes that hindered a beaſt from being a Sacrifice.The Iewes marke that there are fiftie blemiſhes which diſable a beaſt from being a ſacrifice, five in the eares, three in the eye lids, ſixe in the mouth, eight in the eye, three in the noſe, twelve in the members of generation, ſixe in the feete, foure in any part of the body, and three beſide over all the bodie: and moreover the beaſt might not be ſacrificed untill it had beene eight dayes old, Levit. 22.27. ſo if it had lien with one of another kind, Levit. 19.19. or if it had killed a man, Exod. 20.28. or if it were the hyre of a whore, or the price of a dogge, Deut. 23. None of theſe might be offered to the Lord.
Every Sacrifice when it was ſacrificed to the Lord,Eevery Sacrifice was changed when it was offered, it was changed from the uſe in which it was before, and there was deſtructio rei oblatae. If they were living things, they were killed; if they were liquid things, they were powred out; and if they were ſolid things, they were bruſed, and burnt as corne: now in the maſſe the Papiſts cannot tell what deſtruction is there, whether there be phyſica mutatio there or not: therefore they cannot tell whether it be a ſacrifice or not.
That which was living was killed and cut downe,The living Sacrifice was cut downe thorow the backebone. per ſpinam dorſi thorow the chaine bone of the backe; Alluſion. and the Apoſtle alludeth to this, Heb. 4.13. all things are naked and foreign opened unto the eyes of him with whome we have to doe, that is, cut up as the Sacrifice, and layd naked before him; Alluſion. and Chriſt alludeth to this cutting up of the Sacrifice, Matth. 24.51. foreign, he will cut him aſunder, and give him his portion with hypocrites. If they be not ſacrifices now to the Lord, he will cut them like ſacrifices in his wrath.
Thirdly, every Sacrifice was ſalted with ſalt, Levit. 2.13.Every Sacrifice had ſalt ioyned with it. And every oblation of thy meat offering ſhalt thou ſeaſon with ſalt; neyther ſhalt thou ſuffer the ſalt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou ſhalt offer ſalt. So Marke 9.49. every ſacrifice ſhall be ſalted with fire, this might ſeeme at the firſt an improper ſpeech,When things are compared we muſt marke dilligently wherein the compariſon ſtandeth. for if we marke not wherein the compariſon ſtandeth, we may miſtake it, Cant. 5.13. thy lippes are like the Lilie; If the compariſon bee not rightly marked we may eaſily be deceived, for the commendation of the lips of the Church, Cant. 4.5. was that her lips were like Scarlet, then to make them white like the Lilie were impertinent: therefore the compariſon is here in the ſmell, as before it was in the colour: ſo Num. 12.10. Miriam was leprous as the ſnow, the ſnow is not leprous, but the compariſon ſtandeth in the colour, ſhe was white in leproſie like the ſnow. So the compariſon betwixt the fire and the ſalt is not in the ſeaſoning; but in the eating out of the corruption, and if they will not this wayes be ſalted, the Lord will ſalt them with another ſort of fire, Alluſion. with that burning fire of his wrath; they who will not quite theſe ſinfull members, hand, foote, and eyes, and who give offences to their brethren, ſhall be ſalted with fire, but the children of God as they are baptized with this heavenly fire and water; ſo they will be ſalted with this ſalt and fire.
They might have no leaven in their ſacrifices, Levit. 2.11. except in ſome few offerings of thankſgiving, Levit. 7.13. to ſignifie that the Lord would gratiouſly accept of our ſervice although mixed with many infirmities which in his merciemercy he pardoneth in Chriſt, 1 Ioh. 8.9.
But in all other ſacrifices he forbiddeth both honey, and leaven; he forbiddeth honey as well as leaven: the ground of this is naturall, becauſe honey fermenteth as leaven; this leaven figured ſinne of all ſorts both in doctrine and manners, Luk. 12.1. Matth. 16.6. 1 Cor. 5.8. purge out the old leaven, that is, corruption in manners.
A Table of the Sacrifices.In the burnt offering the fat and the blood the Lords, the fleſh all burnt, and the skin the Prieſts. The Prieſt got no part of that ſin-offering whoſe blood was ſprinkled upon the golden Altar. In other ſinne offerings where the blood was ſprinkled but upon the braſen Altar, the fat and the blood were the Lords, and the fleſh belonged to the Prieſt. The ſin offering had no meat offering or drinke offering. In the peace offering the fat and the blood the Lords, the breaſt and the right ſhoulder the Prieſts, and the reſt belonged to the offerer. In the meatoffering a han…full of the flower, a little of the ſalt, oyle, incenſe, and wine offered, and the Prieſt got the reſt. Sacrifices of praiſe ſo…e were to b…eaten before the Lord, ſome in Ieruſalem, and ſome at home. The offering of Iealouſie had no incenſe in it. No Sacrifice without Salt.
Sacrifices are eyther of
reconciliation.
burnt offering
the daily ſacrifice
for the whole people.
particular for
The Prieſt.
The Prince.
The People.
Sin offering for
Ignorance.
Error.
thankſgiving
peace offering of
Vowes.
Voluntarie
purification.
Iealouſie.
Leproſie.
Nazarets.
Conſecration.
praiſes for things
paſt
deliverance.
preſent
dedication.
to come
preſervation.
Meat offering.
Drinke offering.
Eares of Corne.
Fine flower.
Baked in the
Oven.
Frying pan.
Fornace.
Firſt fruites.
Firſt borne.
Tythes.
Wine.
Added to the Sacrifices.
Salt.
Oyle.
Incenſe.