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Inheritance is become like a strange Bird, and is pursued by all the Birds of the Field; As when a Bird of a itrange Colour, happens to confort with other Birds, it is natural for them all to fet upon it; and this was the case of the Jews in reference to all their Neighbour Nations.

It were an endless work to recite all the Rites peculiar to the Jews, and instituted in contradiCtion to the Customs of their Neighbours, when it is the only reason that runs through almost all their Law, even to the boiling of a Kid or Lamb in its Dams Milk; to the fowing of divers Seeds together; plowing with an Ox and an Afs; wearing Linsey Woolfey, &c. And therefore I shall only instance in two remarkable particulars.

The Institution of the Puffover; And the Law against Sacrificing in High Places, both which are enjoyn'd as most effectual Remedies against Idolatry.

The Pafsover was the first Law inftituted by God, at, or upon their Deliverance out of Egypt. In the Tenth day of this Month, they shall take to them every Man a Lamb, a Male of the first Year, according to the House of their Fathers. In the Observation of this great Solemnity, as it is there prescribed, every the most minute Circumstance is an express defiance to the Egyptian Follies. First, the Pafchal Lamb must be a Male a year old, that is, a young Ram; and that was

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the greatest Affront that could be put upon the Egyptians, that held a Ram not only in religious elteem, but the most Sacred of all their Holy Animals in more antient times, as the Symbol of the Sun entring the Sign Aries, and beginning the New Year: And afterwards of Jupiter Ammen, whom the Greeks planted upon the Stock of the Old Egyptian Idol of the Sun.

Now upon the account of the Sacredness of these Animals, they never offered any of their Species in Sacrifice. And hence when Pharoah bid Mofes go Sacrifice to the Lord in the Land of Egypt, Mofes answers, that they dare not, Because Exod.8.26. it would be an Abomination to the Egyptians, so so that they would stone them; that is, it would be a Prophaneness and open Affront to the Religion of the Egyptians if they should offer in Sacrifice (according to the custom of their Fore-fathers) those very Animals that the Egyptians had confecrated to the Honour of their Gods. And for the same reason they are commanded to Sacrifice the Passover with a young Bullock, as well as a young Ram, out of the Deut. 16.2. Flock, or out of the Herd, as the Scripture expresses it. And when King Jofiah kept, after a long intermiffi- 2 Chron.25 on, a most folemn Passover, besides Lambs and 7. Kids, he gave to the People 3000 Bullocks.

Now next to a Ram the Bullock was the most Sacred of all the Holy Animals, and therefore made the second Sign in the Zodiack. And there

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fore when the Greeks, or later Egyptians, gave the firft Symbol to Jupiter Ammon, their Supreme God, they gave the second to Ofyris, by them commonly called Apis (not understanding that that word only fignifyed the Image, not the Dei ty) so that here Tacitus his Malice is not much in the wrong; Cafo Aricte velut in contumeliam Ammo-. nis, Bos quoque immolatur, quem Ægyptii Apim vocant They facrifice a Ram in Affront to Ammon, and a Bullock in Affront to Ofyris. Beside, it must be a Male, not a Female, because, the Egyptians and Heathens (who indeed generally followed the Egyptian Customs, especially the Greeks) used only Females in their Sacrifices.

But the most obfervable circumstance in this Exod. 12. whole Solemnity, is the time of its Celebration; the Lamb was to be folemnly fet apart for the Sacrifice on the Tenth Day of the Month, till the Fourteenth, because on the Tenth Day, on which the Sun entred the Sign Aries, began the great Festival of Aries, or the New Year; fo that great beginning the Jewish Passover at the fame time, it was a manifeft Triumph over the Egyptian Deity, by cutting the Throat of the poor Beaft, with as much Solemnity as the Egyptians at that very time worship'd it.

And for the same reason a Cow that was sacred to Ifis, or rather to some more antient Deity, I fuppose the Moon, was commanded to be driven out

of

of the Camp, and burnt as an unclean Beaft; and so because the Egyptians addrefled their Worship to a Goat, as the Symbol of fome Deity, probably the Sun in that Sign, God commanded the Jews to make use chiefly of Goats in their Expiatory Sacrifices, and particularly the Scape-Goat, laden with all the Sins, and all the Curses of the Pecple; and hence the Ifraelites were ftrictly forbidden to Sacrifice to Goats, which we tranflate Devils: And they shall no more offer Sacrifice to Devils, Exod.17.7. (τοῖς τράγοις) to Goats, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a Statute for ever unto them throughout their Generations.

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But to return to the Paschal Ram, all the circumftances of the Institution carry a remarkable fignificancy in them: Thus when they are commanded to befmear the Side-pofts, and upper Doorposts or Lintal of every House: What could have been a more publick Contempt of the Egyptian Religion, when by it they declared, that the Ab mighty Power that had prov'd it felf by fo many Miracles and Judgments, especially this Last in the Death of the First-born, commanded to put all manner of contempt upon those Creatures that were confecrated to o the Worship hip of of their Gods, PoltiPoth

and to leave those Bloody Poft to the Egyptians, as Monuments of their baffled Deities?

And tho I have no Reverence to the Authori

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ent times, being not only very trifling, but very modern Writers; yet there is cited an excellent Passage out of R. Abraham Seba, that I cannot omit to recite, not for its Authors fake, but its own. "The Egyptians began the computation of "their Months from the time that the Snn entred Ari८८ es: and this whole Month was celebrated with extra" ordinary Festival Solemnity, and was more facred "than all the Months of the year befide. God there"fore designing to set his People at as great a distance

as could be from the Customs of the Heathens, com"manded them to begin the year, not from the Full "Moon, as the Egyptians did, but from the first day "of the Month; and whereas the Egyptians Spared " their Cattle, and durft not so much as eat Rams Flesh, "therefore they are commanded to kill, roast, and eat it; " so that whereas they offer Incense to it, and perform " their Solemn Devotions before it, these are comman"ded in contempt to Sprinkle the Blood of this moft Ho" ly Animal upon the very Threshold of their Houses. So far the Doctor.

So again they are commanded not to eat the Pafchal Ram raw, in opposition to the Customs of the antient and barbarous Heathen Nations, who eat all their Sacrifices raw, especially at their signing of Covenants and Treaties of Peace; and that is the original Reason of the Command to abstain from Blood.

Then it is to be eaten in one House, not to be

eaten

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