religiously observed the Passover, and other Festival Days. If he healed any on the Sabbath Day, he made it appear, (a) not only from the Law, (b) but from their received Opinions, that such Works were not forbidden on the Sabbath. He then first began (c) to discover the abrogating some Laws, when he had overcome Death, was ascended into Heaven, had endued his Disciples with remarkable Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and had shewn by those Things, (d) that he had obtained a kingly Power, (e) in which is included an Authority to make Laws, according to that Prophecy of Daniel, Chap. iii. and viii. the viiith and xith, being compared together; who foretold, that after the overthrow of the Kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, (the latter of which came to pass under Augustus) God would give to a Man, (f) who should appear to be an ordinary Person, a Kingdom; extending to the People of all Nations and Languages, and which should never have an End. Now that Part of the Law, the Necessity of which was taken away by Christ, did not contain in it any Thing in its own Nature virtuous; but consisted of Things indifferent in themselves, and therefore not unalterable: For if there had been any Thing in the Nature of those Things to inforce their Practice,

(a) Not only from the Law, &c.] Matt. xii. 5.

(b) But from their received Opinions, &c.] Matt. xii. 11.

(c) To discover the abrogating, &c.] Acts x.

(d) That he had obtained a kingly Power, &c.] Rev. i. 5.

(e) In which is included, &c.] James i. 25.

Colos. ii. 14.

Acts ii. 36.

(f) Who should appear to be an ordinary Person, &c.] Dan. ii. 45. vii. 13. For the Son of Man expresses, in Hebrew, a certain Mcanness; and so the Prophets are called, compared with Angels, as is observed by Jachiades, on Dan. x. 16.

God

God would have prescribed them (a) to all the World, and not to one People only; and that from the very Beginning, and not two thousand Years and more after Mankind had been created. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Melchisedech, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the eminently pious Men, who were so beloved of God, were ignorant of all, or almost all this Part of the Law; and yet nevertheless they received Testimony of their Faith towards God, and of his divine Love towards them. Neither did Moses advise his Father-in-law Jethro to perform these Rites, nor Jonas, the Ninevites, nor did the other Prophets remove the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Sidonians, Tyrians, Idumæans, and Moabites, to whom they wrote, for not embracing them, though they particularly enumerate their Crimes. These Precepts, therefore, were particular, and introduced either to hinder some Evil, (b) to which the Jews were especially inclined, or for a Trial of their Obedience, or to signify some future Things. Wherefore there is no more Reason to wonder at their being abolished, than at a King's abrogating some municipal Laws, in order to establish the same Ordinances all over a Nation: Neither can there be any thing alledged to prove that God

come.

(a) To all the World, and not to one People only, &c.] So far from that, that some Laws, such as those of First Fruits, Tithes, Assembling upon Festivals, relate expressly to the Place of Judea only, whither it is certain all Nations could not See Exodus xxxiii. 19. and xxxiv. 26. Deut. xxvi. 2. and what follows. Also Deut. xii. 5. and following, xiv. 23. and following. Also Exodus xxiii. 17. xxxiv. 2, 23, 24. Deut. xvi. 16. The most ancient Custom interpreted the Law of Sacrifices in the same Manner. The Talmud, entitled, Concerning the Councils, and that entitled Chagiga, tells us, that the Law of Moses was given to the Hebrews only, and not to Strangers. See Maimonides on Deut. xxxiii. and Bechai,

(b) To which the Jews were especially inclined, &c.] Being very much addicted to Rites, and, on that Account, prone to Idolatry. This the Prophets every where show, especially Ezekiel xvi.

had

had obliged himself to make no Alteration herein. For if it be said, that these Precepts, are still perpetual; (a) Men very often make use of this Word, when they would signify only, that what they comImand in this Manner, is not limited for a Year's Continuance, (b) or to a certain Time; suppose of War or Peace, accommodated to the Scarceness of Provision; now this does not hinder but that they may appoint new Laws concerning these Matters, whenever the public Good requires it. Thus the Precepts which God gave to the Hebrews, were some of them temporary, (c) only during the Continuance of that People in the Wilderness; (d) others confined to their Dwellings in the Land of Canaan. That these might be distinguished from the other, they are called Perpetual; by which may be meant, that they ought not to be neglected any where, nor at any Time, unless God should signify his Will to the contrary. Which Manner of speaking, as it is common to all People, the Hebrews ought the less to wonder at, because they know that in their Law, that is called (e) a perpetual Right, and a perpetual Servitude, which

conti

(a) Men very often make use of this Word, &c.] L. Hac Edictali Cod. de secundis Nuptiis. L. Hac in perpetuum. Cod. de diversis Prædis, Libro XI. and in many other Places.

(b) Or to a certain Time, &c.] L. Valerius in Livy, XXXIV. "The Laws which particular Times required, are liable to be abolished, and I find are changed with the Times; those that are made in the Times of Peace, are abrogated in War; and "those made in War, abrogated in Peace.'

(c) Only during the Continuance, &c.] As Exodus xxvii. Deut. xxiii. 12.

(d) Others confined to their Dwellings, &c.] Deut. xii. 1, 20. Numb. xxxiii. 52.

(e) A perpetual Right, &c.] Exodus xvi. 6. 1 Sam. i. 22. And thus Josephus Albo, in his Third Book of Foundations, Ch. 16. thinks the Word by Le-olam in the ritual Law,

may

continued only from Jubilee to Jubilee. (a) And the coming of the Messiah is by themselves called the fulfilling of the Jubilee, or the Great Jubilee. And moreover, the Promise of entering into a new Covenant is to be found amongst the old Prophets, (b) as Jeremiah xxxi; where God promises that he will make a new Covenant, which shall be writ upon their Hearts, and Men will have no need to learn Religion of each other, for it shall be evident to them all: And moreover, that he would pardon all their past Transgressions; Which is much the same, as if a Prince, after his Subjects had been at great Enmity with each other, in order to establish a Peace, should take away their different Laws, and impose upon them all one common Law, and that a perfect one; and for the Future promise them Pardon for all their past Transgressions, upon their Amendment. Though what has been said might suffice; yet we will go through every Part of the Law that is abolished; and shew that the Things are not such as are in their own Nature well-pleasing to God, or such as ought to continue always.

SECT. VIII.

As Sacrifices, which were never acceptable to God upon their own Account.

THE principal, and which first offer themselves to us, are Sacrifices; concerning which many Hemay be understood. And Phineas's Priesthood is called Psal. cvi. 30, 31, by ry Ad-olam everlasting. And by the Son of Sirach, XLV. 28, 29, 30. and everlasting Priesthood, and 1 Macc. ii. 55.

1

(a) And the coming of the Messiah, &c.] In Pereck Cheleck, and elsewhere, and in Isaiah Ixi. 2. (Pereck Cheleck is the xith Chapter of the Talmud concerning Councils; but what Grotius mentions is not to be found there, at least in the Mischnu Text; these Citations ought to have been more exact.)

(b) As Jeremiah xxxi. &c.] Ver. 31, and following.

brews

brews are of Opinion (a) that they first proceeded from the Invention of Men, before they were commanded by God. Thus much certainly is evident, that the Hebrews were desirous of very many Rites; (b) which was a sufficient Reason why God should enjoin them such a Number, upon this Account, lest the Memory of their dwelling in Egypt should cause them to return to the Worship of false Gods. But when their Posterity set a greater Value upon them than they ought; as if they were acceptable to God upon their own Account, and a Part of true Piety; they are reproved by the Prophets: (c) As to Sacrifices, says God in David's

(a) That they first proceeded from the Invention of Men, &c.] Chrysostom XII. concerning Statutes, speaking of Abel, says, "that he offered Sacrifices, which he did not learn from any "other Person, nor did he ever receive any Law, that esta"blished any Thing about First-fruits; but he had it from "himself, and was moved to it by his own Conscience only." In the Answer to the Orthodox, in the Words of Justin, to the Eighty-third Query: "None of those who sacrificed "Beasts to God before the Law, sacrificed them at the Divine "Command; though it is evident that God accepted them, "and by such Acceptance discovered that the Sacrifices were "well-pleasing to him." (This Matter is largely handled by Dr. Spencer, concerning the Ritual Law of the Jews, Book III. Disc. 2. to which I refer you. Le Clerc.)

(b) Which was a sufficient Reason, &c.] This very Reason for the Law of Sacrifices, is alledged by Maimonides in his Guide to the Doubting, Book III. Chap. 32. Tertullian against Marcion, Book II. "Would you have nobody find Fault with "the Labour and Burthen of Sacrifices, and the busy Scrupu"lousness of Oblations, as if God truly desired such Things, "when he so plainly exclaims against them: To what Purpose "is the Multitude of your Sacrifices? And who hath required "them at your Hands? But let such observe the Care God "has taken, to oblige a People prone to Idolatry and Sin, to "be religious; by such Duties, as that superstitious Age was "most conversant in, that he might call them off from Super"stition, by commanding those Things to be done upon his "Account, as if he desired it, lest they should fall to making Images."

66

(c) As to Sacrifices, &c.] This is Grotius's Paraphrase upon Psalm I. not a literal Translation: And so are the following.

Le Clerc. Fiftieth