400 A SHORT view OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. of religious worship, which have a political aspect, and were prescribed by God as king of their nation. But I chuse to rank all their purifying rites and their rules of worship rather under this head ofthe ceremonial or religious laws, because their forms of purification do more plainly and eminently typify or represent to us how much care the people of God should take tobe separa- ted and purified from every sin and from the communion of sin- ners ; and th'e Jewish rites of worship represent to us, by way of type or emblem, that spiritual and evangelic worship which should bepaid to God, especially under the New Testament, as the Lord of souls and consciences ; as well as those blessings of the gos- pel, whichare brought in by Christ and the holy Spirit, are re- presented hereby. SECT. I. Of the Ceremonies of Purification. 2. Q. What were the chiefrites or ceremonies appointed for purification or cleansing among the Jews ? A. Washing with water, sprinkling' with water or blood, anointing with holy oil, shaving the head of man or woman, together with various sorts of sacrifices, and some other appointments; Heb. ix. 10, 13, 19. Lev. xv. and xvi. and xiii. 33. Numb. vi. 19. Exod. xl. 9. 3. Q. What were those things or persons among the Jews which were required to be purified ? A. All persons, houses or buildings, garments or other things which were set apart for the serviceof God ; and all such as had been defiled by leprosy, by touching human dead bodies, or the carcases of any unclean animal, or by other ceremonial pollutions ; See Lev. xi. and xii. and xiii. and xiv. and xv. Exod. xl. 9-15. Numb. viii. 6. and xix. 9, &c. 4. Q. Howwere the personsor things of the gentiles to be purified for the use of the Israelites ? A. The things which could endure the fire were to pass through the fire ; other things were to be washed with water; Numb. xxxi. 20-24. And the maidens were to have their heads shaven, and their nails pared, before an Israelite could take any of them for a wife Deut. xsi. 12. 5. Q. Were there not some things which could not he purl- fled at all by any ceremonies ? A. All the several nations of Canaanites, and the males among other gentile captives in war who had refused the offer of peace, were judged so unclean and polluted, that they were all to be destroyed ; Deut. vii. 1 -4. Josh. vi. 21. and vii. 26. and x. 28, 30, 32, 40-43. Deut. xx. 13-17. And the houses and garments of the Israelites, where the leprous spots could not be taken away, were to bede- stroyed also ; Lev. xiii. 57, and xiv. 45. and those Israelites in whom the leprosy prevailed, were to be shut out of the camp as Unclean ; Lev. xiii. 45, 46. 6. Q. Were there any crimes of real immorality or impiety,
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