3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace-offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

t

4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the "caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 5 And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt-sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peaceoffering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.

7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD.

12 And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD.

13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.

14 And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

15 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take

away.

16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S. 17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

a

10 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Exod. 29. 13, 22. Ch. 4. 8, 9-t Or, suet.-u Or, midriff over the liver and over the kidneys Ch. 6. 12 Exod. 29 13-w Ver. 1, &c.-x See Ch. 21. 6, 8, 17, 21, 22 & 215. Ezek. 44. 7. Mal. 1. 7, 12-y Ver. 1, 7, &c.-2 Ch. 7. 23, 5. 1 Sam. 2.

See this rite explained on Exod. xxix. 10. and Levit. i. 4. As the burnt-offering," (Lev. i.) says Mr. Ainsworth, "figured our reconciliation to God by the death of Christ; and the meat-offering, chap. ii. our sanctification in him before God; so this peace-offering signified both Christ's oblation of himself, whereby he became our peace and salvation, Eph. ii. 14-16. Acts xiii. 47. Heb. v. 9. ix. 28. and our oblation of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer unto God."

Verse 3. The fat that covereth the inwards] The omentum, caul, or web, as some term it. The fat that is upon the inwards; probably the mesentery, or fatty part of the substance which connects the convolutions of the alimentary canal, or small intestines.

Verse 5. Aaron's sons shall burn it] As the fat was deemed the most valuable part of the animal, it was offered in preference to all other parts: and the heathens probably borrowed this custom from the Jews; for they burnt the omentum or caul in honour of their gods.

Verse 9. The whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone] To what has already been said on the tails of the eastern sheep, in the note on Exod. xxix. 22. we may add the following observation from Dr. Russel concerning the sheep at Aleppo. Their tails, says he, are of a substance between fat and marrow, and are not eaten separately, but mixed with the lean meat in many of their dishes, and also often used instead of butter. He states also, that a common sheep of this kind, without the head, fat, skin, and entrails, weighs from sixty to seventy English pounds, of which the tail usually weighs fifteen pounds and upwards: but that those of the largest breed, when fattened, will weigh one hundred and fifty pounds, and their tails fifty; which corresponds with the account given by Ludolf in the note referred to above. The sheep about Jerusalem are the same with those in Abyssinia, mentioned by Ludolf, and those of Syria mentioned by Dr. Russel.

Verse 11. It is the food of the offering] We have already remarked that God is frequently represented as feasting with his people on the sacrifices they offered; and because these sacrifices were consumed by that fire that was kindled from heaven; therefore, they were considered as the food of that fire, or rather of the Divine Being who was represented by it. In the same idiom of speech, says Dodd, the gods of the heathens are said, Deut. xxxii. 38. to eat the fat and drink the wine which were consumed on their altars.

Verse 12. A goat] Implying the whole species, he-goat, she-goat, and kid, as we have already seen.

Verse 17. That ye cat neither fat nor blood] It is not likely that the fat should be forbidden in the same manner and in the same latitude as the blood. The blood was the

CHAPTER IV.

1,2. For the priest, thus singing, 3-12. For the sins of ignorance of the whole congregation, 13-21. For the sins of ignorance of a ruler, 22-26. For the sins of ignorance of any of the common people, N-35.

AND the LORD spake unto Moses, an

d

saying,

Abib or

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD, (concerning things which ought not to be done,) and shall do against any of them:

15. 2 Chron. 7. 7.-a Ch. 6. 18. & 7. 36. & 17. 7. & 2. 14.-b Ver. 16. compare with Dent. 32. 14. Neh. 8. 10.- Gen. 9. 4. Ch. 7. 23, 2. & 17. 10, 14. Deut. 12. 16. 1 Sam. 14. 33. Ezek. 44. 7, 15.-d Ch. 5. 15, 17. Numb. 15. 22, &c. 1 Sam. 14. 27. Ps. 19. 12

life of the beast, and that was offered to make an atonement for their souls; consequently, this was never eaten in all their generations, but it was impossible to separate the fat from the flesh, which in many parts, is so intimately intermixed with the muscular fibres; but the blood being contained in separate vessels, the arteries and veins, might, with great ease, be entirely removed by cutting the throat of the animal, which was the Jewish method. By the fat, therefore, mentioned here and in the preceding verse, we may understand any fat that exists in a separate or unmixed state, such as the omentum or caul, the fat of the mesentery, the fat on the kidneys, and whatever else of the internal fat was easily separable, together with the whole of the tail already described. And probably, it was the fat of such animals only, as were offered to God in sacrifice, that was unlawful to be eaten.

As all temporal as well as spiritual blessings come from God, he has a right to require that such of them should be dedicated to his service as he may think proper to demand. He required the most perfect of all the animals, and the best parts of these perfect animals. This he did, not that he needed any thing, but to show the perfection of his nature, and the purity of his service. Had he condescended to receive the meanest animals, and the meanest parts of animals as his offerings, what opinion could his worshippers have entertained of the perfection of his nature? If such imperfect offerings were worthy of this God, then his nature must be only worthy of such offerings. It is necessary that every thing employed in the worship of God should be the most perfect of its kind that the time and circumstances can afford. As sensible things are generally the medium through which spiritual impressions are made, and the impression usually partakes of the nature of the medium through which these impressions are communicated: hence, every thing should not only be decent, but as far as circumstances will admit, dignified, in the worship of God: the object of religious worship, the place in which he is worshipped, and the worship itself, should have the strongest and most impressive correspondence possible.

NOTES ON CHAPTER IV.

Verse 2. If a soul shall sin through ignorance] That is, if any man shall do what God has forbidden, or leave undone what God has commanded, through ignorance of the law, relative to these points; as soon as the transgression or omission comes to his knowledge, he shall offer the sacrifice here prescribed: and shall not suppose that his ignorance is an excuse for his sin. He who, when his iniquity comes to his knowledge, refuses to offer such a sacrifice, sins obstinately and wilfully, and to him there remains no other sacrifice for sin, no other mode by which he can be reconciled to God; but he has a certain

And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung.

o

12 Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and P burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.

13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have

e Ch. 8. 12-f Ch. 9. 2.-g Ch. 1. 3, 4-h Ch. 16. 14. Num. 19. 4.-i Ch. 8. 15. & 9. 9. & 16. 18-k Ch. 5. 9.-1 Ch. 3. 3, 4, 5-m Exod. 29. 14. Numb. 19. 5.-n Heb. to without the camp.-o Ch. 6. 11.-p Heb. 13. 11-q Heb, at the pouring out of the ashes.

fearful looking for of judgment, which shall devour such adversaries; and this seems the case to which the apostle alludes, Heb. x. 26, &c. in the words above quoted. There have been a great number of subtle questions started on this subject, both by Jews and Christians; but the above I believe to be the sense and spirit of the law.

Verse 3. If the priest that is anointed] Meaning, most probably, the high priest. According to the sin of the people for, although he had greater advantages than the people could have, in being more conversant with the law of God, and his lips should understand and preserve knowledge, yet it was possible even for him, in that time in which the will of God had not been fully revealed, to transgress through ignorance; and his transgression might have the very worst tendency, because the people might be thereby led into sin. Hence, several critics understand this passage in this way, and translate it thus: If the anointed priest shall lead the people to sin-or, literally, if the anointed priest shall sin to the sin of the people; that is, so as to cause the people to transgress, the shepherd going astray, and the sheep following after him. Verse 4. Lay his hand upon the bullock's head] See on chap. i. 4.

Verse 6. Seven times] See the note on Exod. xxix. 30. The blood of this sacrifice was applied in three different ways. 1. The priest put his finger in it and sprinkled it seven times before the veil, ver. 6. 2. He put some of it on the horns of the altar of incense. 3. He poured the remaining part at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offerings, ver. 7.

Verse 12. Without the camp] This was intended, figuratively, to express the sinfulness of this sin, and the availableness of the atonement. The sacrifice, as having the sin of the priest transferred from himself to it by his confession and imposition of hands, was become unclean and abominable, and was carried, as it were, out of the Lord's

done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD, concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;

14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.

15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.

16" And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation.

17 And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the veil.

18 And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

19 And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.

20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin-offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

21 And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin-offering for the congregation.

22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God, concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; 23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:

24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt-offering before the LORD: it is a sin-offering.

25 And the priest shall take of the blood of

r Numb. 15. 24. Josh. 7. 11.- Ch. 5. 2, 3, 4, 17.-t Ch. 1. 4.-n Ver. 5. Heb. 9. 12. 13, 14.-v Ver. 3.-w Numb. 15. 25. Dan. 9. 24. Rom. 5. 11 Heb. 2. 17. & 10. 10, 11, 12. 1 John 1. 7. & 2 2-x Ver. 2, 13-y Ver. 14-2 Ver. 4, &c. a Ver. 30.

sight; from the tabernacle and congregation, it must be carried without the camp; and thus its own offensiveness was removed, and the sin of the person in whose behalf it was offered. The apostle (Heb. xiii. 11—13.) applies this in the most pointed manner to Christ. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary of the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Verse 13. If the whole congregation of Israel sin] This probably refers to some oversight in acts of religious worship, or to some transgression of the letter of the law, which arose out of the peculiar circumstances in which they were then found, such as the case mentioned, 1 Sam. xiv. 32, &c. where the people, through their long and excessive fatigue in their combat with the Philistines, being faint, flew on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground, and did eat with the blood: and this was partly occasioned by the rash adjuration of Saul, mentioned verse 24. Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening.

The sacrifices and rites in this case were the same as those prescribed in the preceding; only here the elders of the congregation, i. e. three of the sanhedrim, according to Maimonides, laid their hands on the head of the victim in the name of all the congregation.

Verse 22. When a ruler hath sinned] Under the term nasi, it is probable that any person is meant who held any kind of political dignity among the people, though the rabbins generally understand it of the king.

A kid of the goats was the sacrifice in this case, the rites nearly the same as in the preceding cases, only the fat was burnt as that of the peace-offering.-See ver. 26. and ch, iii. 5.

A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490.

the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering.

26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him. 27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD, concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;

28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.

29 h And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of the burnt-offering.

30 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar. 31 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

32 And if he bring a lamb for a sin-offering, n he shall bring it a female without blemish.

33 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay it for a sin-offering, in the place where they kill the burnt-offering,

34 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:

q 1 Kings 8. 31. Matt. 26. 63.-r Ver. 17. Ch. 7. 18. & 17. 16. & 19. 8. & 20. 17. Numb. 9. 13-8 Ch. 11. 24, 28, 31, 39. Numb. 19. 11, 13, 16.-t Ver. 17.-u Ch. 12. & 13. & 15.-v See 1 Sam. 25. 22. Acts 23. 12.-w See Mark 6. 23.-x Ch. 16 21. & 26. 40. Numb. 5. 7. Ezra 10. 11, 12

quently, heedlessly, are permitted to accumulate in their number, and consequently in their guilt; and from this very circumstance, we may often account for those painful desertions, as they are called, under which many comparatively good people labour. They have committed sins of fice which can alone avail in their behalf. How necessary, ignorance or heedlessness, and have not offered the sacriin ten thousand cases, is the following excellent prayer. "That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances, and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to thy HOLY WORD."-Litany.

NOTES ON CHAPTER V.

Verse 1. If a soul sin] It is generally supposed, that the case referred to here, is that of a person who, being demanded by the civil magistrate to answer upon oath, refuses to tell what he knows concerning the subject-such an one shall bear his iniquity-shall be considered as guilty in the sight of God of the transgression which he has endeavored to conceal, and must expect to be punished by him for hiding the iniquity to which he was privy; or suppressing the truth, which being discovered, would have led to the exculpation of the innocent, and the punishment of the guilty.

Verse 2. Any unclean thing] Either the dead body of a clean animal, or the living or dead carcass of any unclean creature. All such persons were to wash their clothes and themselves in clean water, and were considered as unclean till the evening, chap. xi. 24-31. But if this had been neglected, they were obliged to bring a trespass-offering. What this meant, see the notes on chap. vii.

Verse 4. To do evil, or to do good] It is very likely that rash promises are here intended: for if a man vow to do an act that is evil, though it would be criminal to keep such an oath or vow, yet he is guilty, because he made it; and therefore must offer the trespass-offering. If he neglect to do the good he has vowed, he is guilty, and must, in both cases, confess his iniquity, and bring his trespass offering.

Verse 5. He shall confess that he hath sinned] Even 325 restitution was not sufficient without this confession, be

17 And if a

9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sinoffering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin-offering.

iniquity.

V

18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred, and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.

y Ch. 12 8. & 14. 21.-2 Heb. his hand cannot reach to the sufficiency of a lamba Ch. L. 14.-b Ch. 1. 15.-e Ch. 4. 7, 18, 30, 31.-d Or, ordinance.-e Ch. 1. 14.-f Ch. 4. 26.-g Numb. 5. 15-h Ch. 2 2-1 Ch. 4. 35-k Ch. 4. 26-1 Ch. 2. 3-m Ch. 22. 14-n Ezra 10. 19.-o Exod. 30. 13. Ch. 27. 25.-p Ch. 6. 5. & 22.

cause a man might make restitution without being much humbled but the confession of sin has a direct tendency to humble the soul; and hence it is so frequently required in the Holy Scriptures, as without humiliation there can be no salvation.

Verse 7. If he be not able to bring a lamb] See the conclusion of chapter the first.

Verse 8. But shall not divide it] See the note on chap. i. 16. Verse 10. He shall offer the second for a burnt-offering] The pigeon for the burnt-offering was wholly consumed; it was the Lord's property: that for the sin-offering was the priest's property, and was to be eaten by him, after its blood had been partly sprinkled on the side of the altar, and the rest poured out at the bottom of the altar.See also chap. vi. 26.

Verse 11. Tenth part of an ephah] About three quarts. The ephah contained a little more than seven gallons and a half.

Verse 15. In the holy things of the Lord] This law seems to relate particularly to sacrilege, and defrauds in spiritual matters-such as the neglect to consecrate or redeem the first-born-the withholding of the first-fruits, tithes, and such like; and, according to the rabbins, making any secular gain of divine things, keeping back any part of the price of things dedicated to God, or withholding what a man had vowed to pay.-See a long list of these things in Ainsworth.

With thy estimation] The wrong done or the defraud committed, should be estimated at the number of shekels it was worth, or for which it would sell. These the defrauder was to pay down, to which he was to add a fifth part more, and bring a ram without blemish, for a sin-offering, besides. There is an obscurity in the text; but this seems to be its meaning.

Verse 16. Shall make amends] Make restitution for the wrong he had done, according to what is laid down in the preceding verse.

Verse 19. He hath certainly trespassed] And because he hath sinned, therefore he must bring a sacrifice. On no other ground shall he be accepted by the Lord.-Reader, how dost thou stand in the sight of thy Maker?

On the subject of this chapter it may be proper to make the following reflections.

19 It is a trespass-offering: he hath certaintrespassed against the LORD.

CHAPTER VI.

Laws relative to detention of property entrusted to the care of another, to robbery and deceit, 1,2; finding of goods lost, keeping them from their owner, and swPRFing falsely, 3 Such a person shall not only restore what he has this unlawfully gotten, but shall add a fifth part of the value of the property besides, 4, 5. And shall bring a ram without blemish as a trespass-offering to the Lord, 6, 7. Law relative to the burnt-offering, and the perpetual fire, 8-13 Law of the muraloffering, and who may lawfully eat it, 14-18. Laws relative to the offerings of Aaron and his sons, and their successors, on the day of their ancinung, 1921. Laws relative to the sin-offering, and those who might eat of it, 24—30.

AN

Abib or Nizen.

ND the LORD spake unto Moses, An Exod. Isr. 2 saying,

2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that 2 which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;

14. & 27. 13, 15, 27, 31. Numb. 5. 7.-q Ch. 4. 26.-r Ch. 4. 2- Ver. 15. Ch. 4. 2, 13, 22, 27. Pan. 19. 12. Luke 12. 48-i Ver. 1, 2-u Ver. 15-v Ver. 16- Erra 10. 2-x Numb. 5. 6.-y Ch. 19. 11. Acts 5. 4. Col. 3. 9.-2 Exod. 22. 7, 10-a Or, in dealing.-b Heb. pulling of the hand. Prov. 24. 28. & 2. 19.

When the infinite purity and strict justice of God are considered, the exceeding breadth of his commandment, our slowness of heart to believe, and our comparatively cold performance of sacred duties, no wonder that there is sinfulness found in our holy things: and at what a low ebb must the Christian life be found, when this is the case! This is a sore and degrading evil in the church of God; but there is one even worse than this, that is, the strenuous endeavour of many religious people to reconcile their minds to this state of inexcusable imperfection; and defend it zealously, on the supposition that it is at once both unavoidable and useful-unavoidable, for they think they cannot live without it-and useful, because they suppose it tends to humble them! The more inward sin a man has, the more pride he will feel; the less, the more humility. A sense of God's infinite kindness to us, and our constant dependence on him, will ever keep the soul in the dust. Sin can never be necessary to the maintenance or extension of the Christian life: it is the thing which Jesus Christ came into the world to destroy; and his name is called JEsus, or Saviour, because he saves his people from their sins. But how little of the spirit and influence of his Gospel is known in the world! He saves, unto the uttermost, them who come unto the Father through him-but, alas! how few are thus saved!-for they will not come unto him that they might have life. Should any Christian refuse to offer up the following prayer to God?" Almighty God! unto whom all hearts be open, and from whom no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen."-The Liturgy.

NOTES ON CHAPTER VI.

Verse 2. Lie unto his neighbour, &c.] This must refer to a case in which a person delivered his property to his neighbour to be preserved for him, and took no witness to attest the delivery of the goods; such a person, therefore, might deny that he had ever received such goods, for he who had deposited them with him, could bring no proof of the delivery. On the other hand, a man might accuse his neighbour of detaining property which he had never confided to him, or after having been confided, had restored it again; hence, the law here is very cautious on these points: and, because in many cases it was impossible to come at

3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning

therein:

4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found.

5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even frestore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass-offering.

6 And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest;

And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD; and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

8 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt-offering: It is the burntoffering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.

d Deat. 22 1-3- Exod. 22 11. Ch. 19. 12. Jer. 7. 9. Zech. 5. 4.--f Ch. 5. 16. Numb 5. 7. 2 Sam. 12. 6. Luke 19. 8g Or, in the day of his being found guilty. h Heb. in the day of his trespass.-i Ch. 5. 15-k Ch. 4. 26.-1 Or, for the burn

the whole truth, without a direct revelation from God, which should in no common case be expected; the penalties are very moderate; for in such cases, even when guilt was discovered, the man might not be so criminal as appearances might intimate. See the law concerning this, laid down and explained on Exod. xxii. 7, &c.

Verse 3. Have found that which was lost.] The Roman lawyers laid it down as a sound maxim in jurisprudence, "That he who found any property, and applied it to his own use, should be considered as a thief, whether he knew the owner or not; for in their view the crime was not lessened, suppose the finder was totally ignorant of the right owner." Qui alienum quid jacens, lucri faciendi causa sustulit, furti obstringitur, sive scit, cujus sit, sive ignoravit; nihil enim ad furtum minuendum facit, quod cujus sit, ignoret.-DIGESTOR. lib. xlvii. TIT. ii. de furtis. Leg. xliii. sect. 4. On this subject every honest man must say, that the man who finds any lost property, and does not make all due inquiry to find out the owner, should in sound policy be treated as a thief. It is said of the Dyrbeans, a people who inhabited the tract between Bactria and India, that if they met with any lost property, even on the public road, they never even touched it. This was actually the case in this kingdom in the time of Alfred the Great, about A. D. 888; so that golden bracelets hung up on the public roads were untouched by the finger of rapine. One of Solomon's laws was, Take not up what you laid not down. How easy to act by this principle in case of finding lost property: "This is not mine, and it would be criminal to convert it to my use, unless the owner be dead, and his family extinct." When all due inquiry is made, if no owner can be found, the lost property may be legally considered to be the property of the finder.

Verse 5. All that about which he hath sworn falsely] This supposes the case of a man who, being convicted by his own conscience, comes forward and confesses his

sin.

Restore it in the principal] The property itself, if still remaining, or the full value of it, to which a fifth part more was to be added.

Verse 6. With thy estimation] See the note on chap. v. ver. 15.

Verse 8. And the Lord spake unto Moses] At this verse the Jews begin the 25th section of the law; and here, undoubtedly, the 6th chapter should commence, as the writer enters upon a new subject, and the preceding verses belong to the fifth chapter. The best edited Hebrew Bibles begin the sixth chapter at this verse.

10 m And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.

n

11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp P unto a clean place.

12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it: it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt-offering in order upon it: and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.

13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

r

14 T And this is the law of the meat-offering; the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.

15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat-offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meatoffering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD.

u

16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat; " with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place: in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it.

ing-m Ch. 16, 4. Exod. 28. 39, 40, 41, 43. Ezek. 44. 17, 18-n Ch. 1. 16.0 Ezek. 44. 19-p Ch. 4. 12-9 Ch. 3. 3, 9, 14-r Ch. 2 1. Numb. 15. 4-8 Ch. 2. 2, 9. t Ch. 2. 3. Ezek. 44. 29-u Ver. 26. Ch. 10. 12, 18. Numb. 18. 10.

the persons who brought them were concerned, he now takes up the same in relation to the priests who were to receive them from the hands of the offerer, and present them to the Lord on the altar of burnt-offerings.

Because of the burning upon the altar all night] If the burnt-offering were put all upon the fire at once, it could not be burning all night. We may therefore reasonably conclude, that the priests sat up by turns the whole night, and fed the fire with portions of this offering till the whole was consumed; which they would take care to lengthen out till the time of the morning sacrifice. The same we may suppose was done with the morning sacrifice: it was also consumed by piecemeal through the whole day, till the time of offering the evening sacrifice. Thus there was a continual offering by fire unto the Lord: and hence, in ver. 13. it is said, The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar: it shall never go out. If at any time any extraordinary offerings were to be made, the daily sacrifice was consumed more speedily, in order to make room for such extra offerings. See more on this subject in the note on ver. 23.

The Hebrew doctors teach that no sacrifice was ever offered in the morning, before the morning sacrifice : and none, the passover excepted, ever offered in the evening, after the evening's sacrifice: for all sacrifices were made by daylight. The fat seems to have been chiefly burned in the night season, for the greater light, and conveniency of keeping the fire alive, which could not be so easily done as in the day-time.

Verse 11. Shall put on other garments] The priests approached the altar in their holiest garments: when carrying the ashes, &c. from the altar, they put on other garments, the holy garments being only used in the holy

place.

Clean place] A place where no dead carcasses, dung, or filth of any kind, was laid; for the ashes were holy, as being the remains of the offerings made by fire unto the Lord.

Verse 13. The fire shall be ever burning] See on ver. 9. and ver. 20. In imitation of this perpetual fire, the ancient Persian Magi, and their descendants the Parsees, kept up a perpetual fire: the latter continue it to the present day. This is strictly enjoined in the Zend Avesta, which is a code of laws, as sacred among them, as the Pentateuch is among the Jews.

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