Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 9 · Part 6
EXERCITAT. VI. Of the ſeven Precepts given to Noah.
Act. 15.20. We write unto them that they abſtaine from things ſtrangled, and from blood.
BEfore the Law was written, the Hebrewes ſay, that the Lord gave to Noah ſeven Precepts, which were delivered of Noah by tradition to his poſterity after him;foreign theſe the Iewes call pirke abhoth, capitula patrum, the traditions of the fathers. The moſt ancient & firſt tradition that we reade of, was that, Gen. 32.32. becauſe Iacob halted upon his thigh, therefore the children of Iſrael eate not of the ſinew which ſhranke, which is upon the hollow of the thigh unto this day; So were theſe ſeven precepts delivered by tradition.
The firſt was againſt ſtrange worſhip or idolatry,1 foreign 2 foreign 3 foreign 4 foreign 5 foreign 6 foreign 7 foreign that they ſhould not worſhip falſe gods; and this they called gnabhuda zar…, ſtrange worſhip. The ſecond they called it gnal birkath haſhem, that is, they ſhould bleſſe the name of God. The third was gnal ſhepukoth dammim, that is, he was forbidden to ſhed innocent blood. The fourth was gnalui gniria, that is, he ſhould not defile himſelfe with filthy luſts. The fift was gnad hagazael, de rapina; that he ſhould take nothing by violence or theft. The ſixt was, gnal hadinim de judiciis. The ſeventh was, abhar min achai, ne menbrum de vivo; that he ſhould not pull a member from a living creature, and eate of it. This precept they ſay, was given laſt to Noah, Gen. 9.4. but the fleſh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, ſhall yee not eate: that is,How this precept of Noah not to eate blood is to be underſtood. (as the Iewes interpret it) yee ſhall not pull a member from a living creature, & eate of it, as the wild beaſt doth; but to ſtay untill the beaſt be killed, and then eate the fleſh thereof: neyther ſhall ye eate the blood while it is hot, as if it were yet in the body: this is cruelty, & againſt a morall precept; to eate hot blood while the life is in it;Where the reaſon of the Law is perpetuall, the Law is perpetuall. for where the reaſon of the Law is perpetuall, the Law muſt be perpetuall. The reaſon of the Law is; ye ſhall not eate blood becauſe the life is in it; ſo long as the life is in it, yee muſt not eate it: and ſee how this ſinne, Ezek. 33.35. is matched with other great ſinnes. Yee eate with the blood, and lift up your eyes towards your Idols, and ſhed blood, and ſhall yee poſſeſſe the land? The morall tranſgreſſions of the Law joyned with it here, ſheweth that it is cruelty to eate hot blood. But Levit. 7.27. was the ceremoniall part of the Law: and the Apoſtles in the councill, Act. 15. forbiddeth them to eate any thing that was ſtrangled; whereby they meant the ceremoniall part of the Law.
Queſt. Whether are we to take theſe precepts as ceremoniall or as morrall?
Anſw. The moſt of theſe are morrall precepts, and the ſame which are ſet downe againe in the Law: For when the Apoſtles biddeth them abſtaine from fornication, Act. 15.See Beza, Act. 15. It is the ſame that is forbidden in the fourth precept given to Noah, not revelare turpitudinem, and to interpret here, fornication, for eating of things ſacrificed to Idols, ſeemeth to be a ſtrained ſenſe: for that is forbidden already by the firſt precept, to Noah. And to uncover the nakedneſſe according to the phraſe of the Scripture, is meant of bodily pollution and not of ſpirituall fornication.
Of eating of blood, ſee more in the appendix of Command. 6.Now beſides theſe morrall precepts ſet downe by the councill, they interlace this ceremoniall precept de ſuffocato, forbidding to eate things ſtrangled; and they give the reaſon wherefore the Gentiles ſhould abſtaine from theſe, Act. 15.21. For Moyſes is read in their Synagogues every Sabbath, Why the Apoſtles forbid to eate blood or things ſtrangled.as if Iames ſhould ſay, they profeſſe not onelyonly the morrall Law, but alſo the ceremoniall Law yet; therefore yee Gentiles ſhall doe well to abſtaine, from theſe things which may give them offence. The Iewes reſpected theſe precepts moſt, becauſe they were kept in the Church even from Noahs dayes.
The Hebrewes adde further; that there was no other precept given untill Abrahams dayes; then God added the precept of circumciſion, and afterwards taught them to ſeparate tithes.
God at the beginning taught his Church by tradition and not by write.The Lord taught his Church in her infancie this wayes by traditions, and not be write: and even as parents teach their children the firſt elements by word,Simile. and afterwards by write; ſo the Lord taught his Church firſt by word, and then by write.
Concluſion. The concluſion of this is. The Lord never left his Church without his word to direct her: before the fall, he ſpake immediatly to Adam and Eve, & taught them. In the ſecond period, he taught them by theſe ſeven precepts. In the third period, by the Law written, and in the fourth period by the Goſpel.