shall eat it in haste;" for when persons are in haste there is no opportunity for breaking bones, or for sending flesh from one house to another, and waiting the return of the messenger, for all these things require time and leisure; and the cause of their being "in haste," was, lest any one should be retarded so long as to be prevented from departing with the multitude, and should be intercepted and killed: they were also ordered to be always observed, that the memory of the passover might be perpetuated according to that which is said, (Exod. xii. 24,) "Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever."

The Paschal Lamb was to be eaten by a certain number of persons, (Exod. xii. 4,) that every one might seriously and diligently provide it for himself, and not trust to any friend or neighbour who might neglect it.-The uncircumcised were forbidden to eat of it, for which our Rabbins offer the following reason: They omitted, say they, the precept of Circumcision during their long sojourning in Egypt, that they might be like the Egyptians: when, therefore, the ordinance of the Passover was enjoined us, God annexed this condition to it, that no one should slay it until he had circumcised himself, and his sons and domestics, and then he might eat it. All circumcised themselves, and such was the number of the circumcised, that the blood of circumcision was mingled with the blood of the Passover ; and some vestiges of this we have in the Prophet, (Ezek.

xvi. 6,) saying, " And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy own blood," i. e. in the blood of the Circumcision and in the blood of the Passover.

Besides, although Blood was in some sort considered as unclean and impure in the eyes of the Zabii, yet it was eaten by them, because they supposed it to be the food of demons, and that he who ate it acquired, by that means, some kind of communion with them, so that they would converse familiarly with him, and reveal to him future events, according to what is generally attributed to demons by the vulgar. There were, however, some among the Zabii, to whom the eating of blood appeared loathsome and repulsive, being what men, in general, naturally abhor. These, therefore, slew a beast and caught the blood, which they poured into a vessel or small hole in the ground, and then sitting in a circle round the blood, ate the flesh, imagining that by this action the demons drank the blood as their food, whilst they themselves were eating the flesh, and that friendship, fraternity, and familiarity were thereby contracted with them, because they had eaten at the same table and reclined on the same seat; besides which, they also believed, that demons appeared to them in their sleep, indicating many things that were to come, and discovering others. In fact, these opinions were, at that time, universally viewed and approved, and no one doubted the truth of them.

For this cause, therefore, the Divine Law, which renders those who know it perfect, was given to eradicate those inveterate diseases, by prohibiting the eating of blood, and, as in the case of idolatry, enforcing the prohibition by an additional sanction; for God says of eating blood, (Levit. xvii. 10.) "I will set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people ;" and in the same manner he says concerning him who sacrifices his son to Moloch, (Levit. xx. 3,)" I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given his seed to Moloch."-A mode of expression never used but respecting idolatry and the eating of blood, and denounced against the latter because it induced and encouraged that species of idolatry which consisted in the worship of demons. (105)

But notwithstanding this, the law pronounced blood to be clean, and those who touched it, not to be polluted, as it is said, (Exod. xxix. 21,) "Thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him; and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him."-It was also commanded sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about." (Exod. xxix. 20.) But this injunction was added, that every act of this kind of wor

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ship should be performed by shedding the blood, and not by collecting it, as it is said, (Levit. xvii. 11,)" I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls," i. e. by shedding of it, as is elsewhere observed, " He shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt-offering;" (Levit. iv. 18;) and again, The blood of thy sacrifice shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God." (Deut. xii. 27.) (106) Even the blood of those beasts which were not designed to be offered in sacrifice, was commanded to be poured out, when they were slaughtered; for the law declares, (Deut. xii. 16,) "Ye shall not eat the blood ye shall pour it upon the earth as water." Besides this, it was forbidden to gather themselves together round the blood, in order to feast upon it; for it is said, (Levit. xix. 26,) "Ye shall not eat any thing () at or upon the blood."-But because they persevered in their contumacy and rebellion, and continued to walk in the way of the nations among whom they had been educated, and yielded to be the companions of demons by eating around blood, therefore it was commanded that we should not eat the flesh of desire, in the desert, but that all our sacrifices should be "offered as Peace-offerings," (Levit. xvii. 5,) and the reason why it was the Divine will that the blood should be poured out upon the altar, and that the people should not gather round it, is

indicated, by saying, (Levit. xvii. 5,) "To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace-offerings unto the LORD;" and again, (v. 7.) " They shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils." No mention is made of wild beasts or birds, because no offering was ever made of wildbeasts, and birds were offered in peace-offerings. But afterwards it was enjoined, (Levit. xvii. 13,) "Whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust;" so that they could not collect round it and feast together upon it, and by this means the associations of those who are in reality possessed by the devil, might be prevented, as well as communion with demons themselves:-here also, we just remark, that we may judge that this kind of belief and superstition was very generally embraced and eagerly maintained in the time of Moses our teacher, by the words of the "Song of Moses" itself, which records, that

They sacrificed unto devils, not to God;" (Deut. xxxii. 17;) on which our Wise Men have observed, that by the words, "Not to God," is meant, that they not only worshipped things actually existing, but mere ima