The Forbidden Meats.
If we have heretofore seen our legislator careful for the glory of God and the
well-being of society at large, we shall now see him giving and enforcing laws, the
observance of which will give every individual of the community bodily health, and greatly
tend to his self-preservation; and it is a fact not to be denied, that, in proportion to
our number, there are more old persons amongst us than amongst any other people.
In whatever light the prohibition of unclean animals, the blood and fat of those even,
the meat of which is not forbidden, is considered, it must be evident that the abstaining
from these prohibited things will preserve our body free from certain diseases, which are
many times engendered by the immoderate, nay often by a very moderate use of them.
It is on all hands admitted that the eating of swine's flesh will occasion leprosy in the
country which our ancestors inhabited; and I am not very sure but that its use, even in
colder climates, is any thing but wholesome; but I must leave this point to be settled by
physicians, who are, if I mistake not, yet uncertain how to decide. — The eating of
blood is no doubt very injurious, and one of the eastern emperors, I think one of
the Leos, issued a decree prohibiting it in his dominions, and sent so far as to endeavor
to prove its pernicious effect, by writing himself a book on the subject, or having
one written under his own superintendence. — Moses also prohibited shell-fish,
snakes, amphibious animals in general; creeping things of all kinds, and those fishes
which have not fins and scales; nay many quadrupeds and all birds of prey were also
interdicted by God through him; and he says: "That it is God's intention, that we
should be a holy people, and that the eating of forbidden food would make us
unclean, and of course our life would not be holy, if we pollute ourselves by what is
prohibited." If it be granted even that the eating of the flesh of the swine is
not unwholesome in countries where the climate is cold, (which is, however, by no means
conceded,) we have no right to permit ourselves to eat the same; for our law does not lay
down its unwholesomeness as a reason, but gives it as the will of God, that we should
abstain from it; and since no other injurious effect is mentioned, save that forbidden
things will contaminate us, what right have we to suppose the prohibitions on this subject
repealed? — "because we are no longer in Palestine;" — but, should not
the use of forbidden things make us as much unclean here, as in Palestine or the deserts
of Arabia?
But if we even waive altogether the unwholesomeness of forbidden animals as a reason
for their being interdicted, which, as said already, can hardly have been the sole motive
for the enactment under discussion: we can discover a cause perfectly consonant with the
idea we entertain of the goodness of the Deity, in the object which He always had
in giving His precepts — which is, the moral perfection of ourselves. He
wanted to train us up in obedience and submission to His will, and gave us therefore
various enactments, which tend to call for a vigilance over our inclinations, and demand a
constant surveillance over our conduct. If, then, some actions are at times not forbidden,
and even praiseworthy, there may be circumstances when they may be pernicious, and to be
avoided. In truth, we will discover, that almost for every act permitted, something else
is prohibited, and thus the whole system of clean and unclean, of permission and
interdiction, may be referred to the grand ulterior reason of the descent on Sinai, to
raise up a holy people and a kingdom of priests. — As a further illustration of this
principle, the reader will please to reflect on the following examples. — One of the
chief subjects in the law, and concerning which we have many regulations, is the
intercourse between the sexes; it is sin, a breach of moral duty to seduce any female; but
it is not wrong to persuade a woman to marry us, and thus this connection,
which in the one instance is sinful, becomes in the other lawful, nay even
praiseworthy and necessary. But we are not permitted to marry every female; for by our law
(see several passages in Leviticus and other places) the wife of another man is
prohibited, as are also certain other persons who are connected with us either by the ties
of relationship, as sisters, daughters, aunts, and some others; or those who are connected
with us through marriage either to ourselves or to near relatives, as our wife's mother or
sisters, our father's wife, and others mentioned in Leviticus; nay at certain periods our
own wives are prohibited. And so heinous were such illegal marriages considered by God,
that He in most cases made them punishable with death, both to the man and the woman! It
will readily be confessed, that the permission of such acts would be ruinous to the peace
of families, if not of whole societies, and that they have been so, even to the latter,
can be easily demonstrated by the destruction of the greater part of the tribe of
Benjamin, as related in the book of Judges, and by the demolition of Troy. It is
unnecessary to search for other examples, for these two are enough already to prove my
assertion. — There is yet, however, another restriction laid upon our inclinations in
this respect, namely that we are not to marry an unmarried woman, though unconnected with
us, if she does not belong to the descendants of Israel, unless she take previously,
from no love to the man, but sincere affection to our religion, the yoke of
this religion freely and voluntarily upon herself. The same is the case with
a Jewish female, for she has no right to marry any man who is not called by the
name of Israel. (See Deut. vii. and Ezra, and Malachi.)
The drinking of wine, in general, was not interdicted; but the priests, when they were
about to commence the service in the temple, and the judges, before they entered upon the
hearing of any case, were forbidden to taste wine or other spiritous liquors. (See
Leviticus x.)
It is not unlawful to wear garments of linen and wool, when these two materials are
unmixed; but it is prohibited to wear any garment made of linen and wool mixed together.
A murderer after he had been tried and found guilty, was to be executed, or in case he
should have made his escape, the nearest relative of the murdered (the avenger of the
blood) was permitted to remove the monster out of the world. It was nevertheless strictly
forbidden to touch the murderer, although willful murder was punishable with death only,
before he had been tried by his peers, (see Numbers 35. v.12,) no matter how aggravated
or enormous his guilt might have been.
We have thus seen that our religion is intended to bridle our passions and restrain our
desires; and we may therefore assign this as a reason, and perhaps as the only probable
reason, that certain kinds of animal food were interdicted. God allowed us a great number
of birds, an immense number of fishes, four kinds of winged insects, and ten kinds of
four-footed animals, besides all wholesome vegetables. He has therefore left us enough for
our support, and restricted us at the same time from the other quadrupeds, birds, fishes,
and insects, to bridle our desires; and we are therefore to abstain from these things,
because it is the will of God. If we then disregard this precept, and transgress, if we
say, "what difference can it make to God, if I eat the meat of an ox or a
swine," we offend against His will, we pollute ourselves, by what goes into the
mouth, and can consequently lay no longer any claim to holiness; for the term
"holiness," applies to mortals, means only, a framing of our desires by the will
of God, by that rule which He has promulgated as the standard of right; the subduing of
our passions, because He desires it; and lastly, by doing as much good to all mankind as
lays within our power. Does not then the strict observance of our law demand this small
sacrifice at our hands? Have we not enough to eat without touching forbidden things? Let
me beseech my fellow-believers, not to deceive themselves by saying, "there is no sin
in eating of aught that lives;" on the contrary, there is sin and contamination too.
— Thus God tells us — and is His assertion not to be regarded more than the
dreams of pretended prophets or the sneers of unbelieving enemies of our faith? Let the
Israelites, if they love their religion, not be deterred by the taunts of one sect or the
sneers of the other, and let them only persevere and conform in this important particular
to our law, and when asked for the reason of their abstinence let them refer to the
Pentateuch, and say: "Here is our warrant."
Not alone in regard to unwholesome food, but also in other respects, has our law been
careful of our personal ease and safety. — Although no evil can betide us without
God's sufferance, we yet find that He commanded us (Deut. chap. xxii.): "To make a
railing round the roof of the house, that no one might fall therefrom," It is no
doubt well known, that the houses in Palestine were flat-roofed, and that people
frequently went up there, particularly in summer evenings, and they often spread even
fruit upon them to dry, nor was it very uncommon for several to meet in the Aliyah
for discussion or prayer. To prevent accidents therefore, which might otherwise have
easily occurred, the above commandment was given. There are many similar ordinances in the
Bible, but it is needless to transcribe them, as one example will suffice to prove the
extreme care our law takes of the welfare of every individual of the nation, no matter how
humble his station.
—
It is well known, that among many nations it is customary to show the most extravagant
signs of grief at the death of any person; they pull out their hair, tear their bodies in
the most shocking manner, and show other fantastical marks of outward grief. The Romans
employed gladiators even, (i.e. — men trained to fight for the amusement of this
enlightened people,) who fought till one or both were killed, whenever a respectable man
died. This fashion was carried to such a cruel extent, that — if I do not altogether
err — on more occasions than one, a hundred of these miserable beings were sacrificed
to the names of the departed. This custom was horrible, yes! Horrible beyond conception,
and yet the most refined nations of antiquity, the Greeks and Romans, indulged in this and
similar practices, and a man like Marcus Tullius Cicero would be deluded enough to defend
them. And at the present day, as has been mentioned already in the foregoing chapter, the
Indian widows, from some superstitious notion or mistaken principle of affection — it
is needless to determine which — burn themselves upon the funeral piles of the
husbands. Though they do it, for the most part, very unwillingly, the infatuation is
nevertheless so great that they do not even question the authority of their priests for
recommending and enforcing such brutal sacrifices. The most horrid scenes are frequently
exhibited at these suttees, as they are called, and to the shame of the local government
be it spoken, they seldom, if ever, make any attempt to rescue the poor victims, impelled
by foolish enthusiasm, from the ruffian grasp of their immolaters, who, during the
lighting and burning of the pile, make a terrible and deafening noise with drums and other
discordant instruments, to drown the shrieks of the women as they are gradually consumed,
and this very often under the most agonizing tortures!
Not so is Jacob's portion; thus are not we allowed to act. We read in Deut.
chap. xii. "that we are children to our God, and that we are not permitted to pull
out our hair, and mar our bodies at the death of any one," much less to murder others
at the funeral of a friend or relative. — The intention of this commandment is
probably this: Religion, at least such a religion as it is our fortune to possess, should
inspire us with confidence in God, and an acquiescence in His judgment, and soften our
grief so much, that under any affliction, we should be firm and resigned enough to exclaim
with the holy writer: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!" The severest
blows are oftentimes the most productive of happiness in their consequences, or at least,
that which wears such a formidable aspect, as almost to cause us to despond altogether at
first sight, loses many of its terrors when nearer viewed, and at moments when we have
become more collected, when the lapse of some little time enables us to take a calm survey
of the event we so much deplore. Often, to the most forlorn, unexpected help arises, and
the gloom of despondency is full many a time suddenly dissipated by a light from above, as
bright as the instantaneous meteor in a dark night, but as lasting and beneficial as the
light of the sun. Many, no doubt, who will read this, have encountered manifold
adversities, some of them have perhaps seen, in early youth, a near connection consigned
to the tomb, others may have stood weeping at the bier of their parents, others again may
have been left destitute orphans without a protector; and yet, have they not all of them
experienced that there is never a wound inflicted, without a healing balsam being sent to
alleviate the pain of the sufferer? Perhaps the orphan, who pronounced at the father's
grave the words of the Psalmist: "My father and mother have left me," may have
also had occasion to express his gratitude to God by exclaiming: "but the Lord has
taken me under His protection." Why should we then fear, when we are apparently
unfortunate? Why should we destroy our health, or deprive ourselves altogether of life? If
the very circumstance of our present distress may redound to our temporal as well as
spiritual advantage; and when besides we ought always to bear in mind, that there is One
above who directs our destiny. We have a beautiful example of resignation given us in the
Pentateuch: Aaron had lost his two eldest sons on the day they were installed in the
priestly office; Moses told his brother, that God had informed him that He would be
sanctified through those who were near Him, (i.e. — the otherwise pious men); and
Aaron remained silent, and in obedience to the divine command, he suppressed the feelings
of the father, conscious that the punishment of his sons for their one
transgression would act as a salutary admonition to the people, who would thus be made
more careful in their course of life, seeing that the very pious and most exalted did not
escape merited punishment. — Like Aaron's grief, therefore, should our grief always
be, silent but sincere; we should feel the weight of God's chastisement, yet know how to
bear — how to be resigned to his wise decrees. "You are the children of the
Eternal, your God," the father punishes not his son in anger, with unfeelingness
— no, he inflicts slight punishment to induce him to mend some evil habit, or
corrects him for some transgression against paternal authority. In the same light should
we view whatever the Almighty may send to us. If we are thankful for the good which we
daily and hourly receive from His bounty, we ought also not to murmur, when evil befalls
us; have we drunk deep of the cup of happiness, let us not repine, if with the sweets of
life the bitterness of wormwood is now and then mixed. We all must die; death will not
spare the most exalted, the most beloved objects; it behooves us, therefore, to restrain
our grief from becoming too violent; for, in the first place, it would be injurious to our
health, and then, it would manifest a dissatisfaction with God's dispensation. But let us
not in the hour of joy be too much elated, nor grow careless by uninterrupted success; but
we should consider how soon our joy may be turned into sorrow, and how speedily our smiles
may be chased by the tears of anguish. Let temporal happiness inspire us with gratitude to
God, and compassion for mankind, and let adversity teach us resignation to God's will, and
to feel for another's woe. And since we daily see, how brief all joys are, how soon life
may terminate, we should live so as always to be prepared for death — so, that no
vice may disturb our dying bed, and we be ever ready to return our soul pure and unspotted
to the God who gave it — to make it deserving of that happiness in the world to come,
of which it is His wish that we all should participate. (Deut. chap. v. v.26.) May we live
to see the day when all mankind have become virtuous and good, and all are willing to
acknowledge themselves servants of the Most High, and to worship Him in truth and
sincerity. Amen!
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