Thus, "the Jewish law enjoined love to God with the most unceasing solicitude and love to our neighbor, as extensively and forcibly as the peculiar character of the Jewish people would permit. It impressed the deepest conviction of God's requiring, not mere external observances, but heartfelt piety, well-regulated desires, and active benevolence. It taught that sacrifice could not obtain pardon without repentance, or repentance without reformation and restitution. It described circumcision itself, and by consequence every other legal rite, as designed to typify and inculcate internal holiness, which alone could render man acceptable to God; and it represented the love of God as a practical principle, stimulating to the constant and sincere cultivation of purity, mercy, and truth."

The injunctions for the daily offering of sacrifices to God are given in Exod. xxxix, 38-46, and Num. xxviii, 1–8. Other and additional offerings were made on the Sabbathday, and also at the beginning of every month. These public observances were especially needful, when the means of private instruction were generally limited. "How plain and easy, says Lowman, "how grave and solemn, and even how rational and instructive is this daily worship of the Hebrew Church, as directed by the Mosaic ritual. Thus God was honored and worshiped, and the people blessed every day they acknowledged the loving kindness of Jehovah in the morning, and his faithfulness in the evening; and they hoped for their safety and happiness every day of their lives in the protection and blessing of Jehovah, who dwelt among them as their God." And there is a promise referring to the gospel day, Mal. i, 11:

"For from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, My name shall be great among the Gentiles;

And in every place incense shall be offered unto my name,

And a pure offering:

For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."

CHAPTER II.

THE PRINCIPLES OF THE JUDICIAL LAW.

THE judicial law, in its relative effect upon the community, affords full proof that it was worthy of its Divine Author, and calculated to promote the temporal as well as the eternal welfare of the people. The chief crime forbidden in it was idolatry. This was punished by death, and was treated as a treasonable offense, and it will be noticed under the first commandment.

The next class of offenses that will be noticed here are those against the sixth commandment,-murder or homicide. According to the early practice of men, the punishment of murder was usually left to the relatives of the deceased, who proceeded upon the impulse of the moment, and sought to shed blood for blood, without reference to the degree of malignity, or due inquiry whether it was an accidental or deliberate act. This provoked retaliation; and, among the heathens, we find deadly feuds perpetrated, as in fact they were even until recent times. Here the law discriminated aright. Following up the patriarchal code, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed;" it declared, “If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar that he may die." Exod. xxi, 14. But examinations were made, as to whether there had been malice between the parties. See Num. xxxv. By that remarkable institution of the cities of refuge, which were typical of Christ, our sure refuge, and also were directed to accomplish an important object of legislation, by providing for the due trial of the manslayerthe murderer was not protected. Here was a wide difference from the sanctuaries of the heathens, and of papal Rome. No ideal sanctity was attributed to the place, to delay or impede justice, and afford facility for atrocious crime; but due inquiry was secured, and the murderer was executed, while the inadvertent homicide was kept there under protection.

Montesquieu observes, "These laws of Moses were perfectly wise. The man who involuntarily killed another was

innocent, but he was obliged to be taken away from before the eyes of the relatives of the deceased; Moses, therefore, appointed an asylum for such unfortunate persons. Great criminals deserved not a place of safety, and they had none. The criminals who would resort to the temple from all parts might disturb the Divine service. If persons who had committed manslaughter had been driven out of the country, as was customary among the Greeks, there was reason to fear they would worship strange gods. All these considerations made them establish cities of refuge, where they might remain until the death of the high priest." These cities were six in number, Josh. xx, 8: Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron, on the one side of Jordan, and Bezer, Rameth, and Golan, on the other; so that one of them might be easily reached from any part of the land. The roads to them were always kept in good repair, bridges were provided, and way-marks prevented the traveler from mistaking his

course.

Not only the life of man was thus carefully protected, but humanity towards animals was enjoined, and the eating of blood was expressly forbidden, even to the eager hunter after wild animals. See Levit. xvii, 13, 14. This tended to keep up a reverence for the sacrifices that typified the precious blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all sin.

Inquiries which did not affect life were treated with more mercy than they are in many modern codes. Damages to compensate, or retaliation to punish, were the expedients. The latter law was enacted for purposes of mercy, though the Jews in later times perverted that intent. It never was designed for individuals to retaliate on their own account; and our Saviour, when on earth, censured this application, showing how contrary it was to the duties of forbearance and forgiveness, Matt. v, 38.

Impurity of every kind was to be punished with death. Here was a wide difference from the laws of the heathens, who treated such offenses as venial, or of no importance. The Jewish law strictly maintained conjugal and domestic happiness. Graves well says, A system so favorable to the interests of virtue, and restraining so powerfully, and yet so judiciously, the excesses of passion; a system introduced at that early period, in an Eastern climate, and amongst a people accustomed to be irresistibly led by objects of sense,

had a higher origin than mere human wisdom; and to secure submission to its restraints, required an interference more * powerful than mere human authority."

Presumptuous disobedience, whether against the magistrate or the parent, (Deut. xvii, 12,) was punished with death it was treason under the Mosaic system. As to disobedience towards parents, the laws of the heathens gave fathers arbitrary power over their children; they might put them to death, or sell them for slaves, with or without reason, at their own will. Not so the provisions of the Jewish law cause must be shown, and the death, if deserved, was to be solemnly and legally inflicted, Deut. xxi, 18–21. There is, indeed, no record that any such case actually occurred. Possibly the dread of the punishment might have proved a sufficient restraint.

offender.

Offenses against the property of others were forbidden by the eighth commandment. Here the Mosaic law was far milder than those of ancient, or modern lawgivers. No injury against property was punished by the death of the Surely the Jewish law adjusted its punishments more suitably to the real degree of depravity than some modern codes, which permit atrocious instances of moral guilt to pass with trivial punishments, or none at all, while they inflict ignominious death upon slight invasions of property, which in the Jewish law were punished by the requirement of restitution, or by a fine.

In passing from the consideration of those heavier crimes that more directly affect the well-being of society, to others wherein property is the object immediately in view, we may seem to be descending to matters of less importance; but in reality they are not such. The distribution of property has much to do with the general happiness and welfare of a people; and in a state of society which does not possess the means of self-adjustment, direct legislation is needful. In the early states of society there was more necessity for this direct system of enactment than there is at the present day. In those ancient nations, where the welfare of the lower classes was considered to be an object of care, there were legislative provisions in their behalf. But these were at best imperfect. In Rome, the attempts to secure this balance only tended to promote civil discord. At Sparta, they caused the creation of a still more degraded race-their

slaves, or helots; and instead of inducing their citizens to be contented, they eagerly devoted themselves to warfare, and thus caused the destruction of their own institutions.

The Book of Numbers has especial reference to the inheritance and allotments of the tribes, ch. xxvi, 53; xxvii, 8, etc. A particular law was made on account of female orphans; and though the Jewish traditional writers say that the law was made in reference to that period alone, yet the Christian may, as a recent author has observed, see cause to attribute to this law the position of the women among the Hebrews, as well as the social rank which woman takes in all the countries of Christendom, in which the Bible is known and read, as compared with countries that are not Christian. And the position of woman in any nation, is a very clear and decided test of the civilization of the nation.

A provision was made for the division of the promised land, as soon as the nation came into possession. Taking the number of the families as 600,000, and the area of Judea, fertile for the most part, as at least 11,000,000 of acres― some, indeed, think it to have been far larger,—after all necessary deductions, it would leave from sixteen to twentyfive acres for each family. This portion was secured to each by what might be termed an agrarian law, which is expressed, Levit. xxv, 43.

Thus that arrangement was made which is most likely to promote general happiness, namely, to place and keep all in a state above want, and yet free from luxurious indolence. But this state was not only directed by the express enactments of the law, it was further provided for and arranged by other wise and salutary measures, without which the direct precept would have been of little avail. Nor was this all; the law never sought to stop the usual course of Providence, according to which, while some attain property, others lose, or vainly struggle to gain. The poor shall never cease out of the land, Deut. xv, 7-11. It was evident that some would have to part with their little estates, and others be able to acquire additions to their own; but a plan for self-adjustment was devised. All debts were canceled at the end of every seventh year; and every seventh Sabbatical year, even land reverted to its original owner or his descendants. Fifty years was the time allotted, beyond