Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 26
Commandement. VI. EXERCITAT. XXVI. That the Jewes might eat no blood. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 6.
Deut. 12.24. Thou ſhalt not eate it, thou ſhalt powre it upon the earth as water.
The blood is not the forme to the body.THe Lord forbiddeth the Iewes his people to eate blood, becauſe the life is in the blood, the blood is not the forme to the living body, becauſe one body cannot be the forme to another; neither is it a part of the body, for it nouriſheth the reſt of the body, and one part nouriſheth not another; and it is more excellent than milke, melancholly, or marrow; for they have their reſidence in ſome particular parts of the body, but the blood is diſperſed through the whole body, and none of thoſe are profitable to the body, unleſſe they be mixed with blood.
Why the life is ſaid to be in the blood.The life is ſaid to be in the blood, becauſe the naturall heat is preſerved in the body by blood; the blood it ſelfe is a thing naturally cold, and it is the heat of the ſpirits which commeth from the heart that heateth the body, and the blood but keepeth in the heat, as a mans cloathes doe quae non calefaciunt ſed recalefaciunt, it but keepeth in the ſpirits which are in the heart; but when the blood is let out, then the ſpirits faile, and the blood is congealed.
Although the ſoule be ſaid to be in the blood,The blood is not the ſeat of the ſoule. yet we muſt not thinke that the blood is the ſeat of the ſoule; becauſe the ſeat of the ſoule is ſome principall member of the bodie, but the blood is not a member of the body; the ſeat of the ſoule is a firme, and a permament thing, and it hath ſenſe, eſpecially the Touch, but the blood in it ſelfe hath no ſenſe, wherefore it is not the ſeat of the ſoule, but the common inſtrument, and Vehiculum which carieth the ſpirits.
The life is in the blood, The paſsions ſhew themſelves in the blood.all the paſſions of man ſhew themſelves in the blood, as the blood is hote with anger, it flyeth for feare, it groweth ſlow for griefe, and ſpreadeth it ſelfe abroad for joy, and in ſhame, it maketh the face to bluſh.
The life is in the blood, therefore David ſaith, Pſal. 30.10. What profit is in my blood, that is, in my life, and Virgil calleth it the purpure ſoule.
God taught his people to abſtaine from blood for two reaſons; Firſt,Why God would have his people abſtaine from blood. in reverence of the blood of Chriſt which was to expiate their ſinnes, wherefore the blood was called the atonement of the ſoule, Levit. chap. 17.11. that is, the ſoule or the life of the beaſt, is made the ranſome for the ſoule or life of man, and therefore it ſhould not be eaten; and for this cauſe they were commanded to cover it in the earth with duſt: contrary to this, is that, Iob 16.18.They were to cover the blood. Let not the earth cover my blood, and Ezek. 24.7, 8. Their blood is in the midſt of her, ſhe ſet it upon the top of a Rocke, ſhe powered it not upon the ground to cover it with duſt: that it might cauſe fury to come up to take vengeance, I have ſet her blood upon the top of a Rocke that it ſhould not be covered But in this reſpect it is not an appendix of the ſixt Commandement, but in another reſpect; the Lord commanded them to abſtaine from blood, and not to eate it, to teach them to abſtaine from cruelty, and then it is a ceremoniall appendix of the ſixt Commandement.
How the Romans by degrees became cruell.The corruption of man is ſuch, when he beholdeth cruell things then he beginneth to be more cruell; the Romanes uſed at the firſt to ſet wild beaſts upon the ſtage to kill one another; and after this they came to be delighted to ſee Gladiators, and Fenſers kill one another; and thirdly they delighted to ſee men caſt unto the wild beaſts, ſo that from the ſight of killing of beaſts, they delighted to ſee men killed; and ſo from eating of blood, they might have beene drawne to cruelty, and ſhedding of the blood of men; for thoſe who are but acquainted with the ſhedding of the blood of Beaſts, doe care little for the ſhedding of the blood of men; Nimrod was a mighty hunter, Gen. 10.9. and then he became a cruell murtherer of men; Pythagoras, that he might teach men to abſtaine from blood, taught men alwayes to abſtaine from the ſhedding of the blood of Beaſts.
Obj. It may be ſaid where the reaſon of the law is perpetuall, the law is perpetuall; ye ſhall eat no blood, becauſe the life is in the blood: this reaſon is perpetuall, therefore this law may ſeeme to be perpetuall.
Anſw. What part of this Law is morall.Thus much of the law is perpetuall, that they ſhould not eat membrum de vivo, or while it is palpitans ſanguis, that is the morall precept, Ezek. 33.25. Yee eat with the blood, which muſt be underſtood, ye eate while the life is in the blood; this is a breach of the morall precept, and it is joyned here by the Prophet with other morall tranſgreſſions, Yee lift up your eyes to your Idols, yee ſhed blood, and yee eate blood. But this is the Ceremoniall part ſimply to eat blood, the Lord commandeth to give that which dyed of it ſelfe to the ſtranger, Deut. 14.21. But if this were a morall precept ſimply, to abſtaine from Blood, then no ſtranger might eat Blood, or eate that which dyed of it ſelfe;To eat blood ſimply was not a morall Law. and the Apoſtles, Act. 15.20. renued this precept of abſtinence from blood,Why the Apoſtles renued this precept. and they give this to be the reaſon, verſ. 21. For Moſes of old time had in every citie thoſe that preach him, being read in their Synagogues every Sabbath day, that is, ſeeing Moſes ceremoniall law is yet profeſſed by the Iewes, ye muſt beare with the weake Iewes untill ye and they be fully united, and this occaſion being taken away, the law ceaſeth.
He commanded the Iewes to abſtaine from blood,Why he commanded the Iewes to abſtaine from blood. becauſe the Church was in her infancy yet; therefore to command the Iewes ſtill to abſtaine from blood, it is even all one, as if one ſhould command that a man ſhould be continually nurſed with milke, becauſe he ſuckt milke when he was a child.
Queſt. Why did not the Apoſtles forbid them to abſtaine from fat, as well as from blood? Seeing to eate the fat was forbidden in Moſes Law as well as to eate the blood.
Anſw. This precept of abſtinence from blood was given to Noah, and it was one of the ſeven precepts;Why the Apoſtle commanded abſtinence from blood. but abſtinence from fat, was not commanded untill the ceremoniall law was given, Levit. 3.16.17. and becauſe the Iewes eſteemed more of this interdiction of eating of blood, therefore the Apoſtles commanded them abſtinence from it.
Tertulian in his Apology for the Chriſtians ſhoweth that they would not eate blood or ſtrangled,Tertullian in Apolog. c. 9. and that the heathen uſed to come to them with bottles of blood, and to force them to drinke of it: by this it appeared, that the Chriſtians in his time abſtained from blood; but Beatus Renanus commenting upon that place of Tertullian, noteth well, that the Chriſtians were too ſuperſtitious in that, Nam citra…ſcandalum Iudaeorum fuit inſcitia ſervare, they were bound onelyonly to abſtaine from blood, that they might not offend the Iewes.
Ob. But Blandina the Martyer abſtained from blood.
Anſw. The reaſon of this was the danger of future ſcandall which might follow; for the Chriſtians were charged by the Pagans, that they ſpilt the blood of Infants, & did drinke it; now if ſhe had not abſtained from blood, how could ſhe have conteſted with the Pagans? How the Pagans charged the Chriſtians with drinking of blood.It is not likely that we drinke the blood of Infants, who abſtaine from the blood of beaſts; the Councell of Orleance is juſtly cenſured for renuing this abſtinence from blood, as Iudaizing in this point.
Concluſion. The concluſion of this is; the Lord by degrees trained up his people to be mercifull; as he forbad them to kill the damme ſitting upon the young ones; ſo he would not have the fleſh of the beaſt eaten that killed a man, and hee forbiddeth, to eate that which is torne of beaſts, Exod. 22.21. And here he forbiddeth them to eate blood.