the morning, he is guilty of Death by the hand of Heaven. And again, Men or Women with Fluxes, Women in their Separation and upon Childbirth, or one unclean by a creeping thing or by a carcase, or the like, may not deal with the service, nor go into the Court: But if they do, they are liable to cutting off for their going in thither, and to Death by the hand of Heaven for their serving. And divers other instances and examples might be given in other delinquencies and offences, to which Death by the hand of Heaven is doomed as the proper punishment of them, but these may be sufficient to our present purpose.
2. There is likewise as frequent mention, if not more, among the Hebrew Writers, of another doom or penalty upon divers offenders [and amongst others upon those of whom we are speaking, who would go into the Temple in their uncleanness, knowing how the case was with them] which they call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 kereth or Cutting off: And the Tal∣mud in the Treatise Kerithuth which bears the name upon this very subject doth reckon up six and thirty offences to which, if wilfully committed, this penalty accrewed. It may not be amiss to give the matter at large in their own words, and that the rather because we have not only some occasion to look after them now, but shall have again also, when we come to treat concerning sin-offerings, which was a part of their service, and which, as we shall see then and even in the words now before us, had somewhat to say to the matter of Cutting off. Their words are these.
There are six and thirty cuttings off in the Law: He that lieth with his mother, or his fathers wife, or his daughter in Law, or with a male, or with a beast, or a woman lying with a beast: or a man lying with a woman and her daughter, or with another mans wife, or with his own sister, or his fathers sister, or his mothers sister, or his wifes sister, or his brothers wife, or his fathers brothers wife, or with a woman in her separation: or he that blasphemeth, or comitteth Idolatry, or giveth his seed to Molech, or useth Sorcery, or profaneth the Sab∣bath, or eateth holy things in his uncleanness, or that cometh into the Sanctuary he being un∣clean: or that eateth fat or blood, or what is left of the sacrifice, or any sacrificed thing not offered in season, or that killeth or offereth up a sacrifice out of the Court, or that eateth leaven at the Passover, or that eateth ought on the day of Expiation, or doth any work on it: or that makes oil or incense like the holy, or that anoints with holy oil: that delayeth the Passover or Circumcision for which there are affirmative precepts: All these if done wilfully, are liable to cutting off, and if done ignorantly, then to the fixed sin-offering: and if it be unknown, whether he did it or no, then to a suspensive trespass-offering: but only he that defiles the Sanctu∣ary and its holy things, for he is bound to an ascending or descending offering.
Now that we may the better understand what Death by the hand of Heaven, and Cut∣ting off mean; we are first to take notice, that neither of them was any penalty inflict∣ed by the hand or sentence of man, but both of them do import a liableness to the wrath and vengeance of the Lord in their several kinds. And the Jews do ever account Cut∣ting off to be the higher and more eminent degree of Divine vengeance: As to spare more evidences of this, which might be given copiously, this passage of Maymonides is sufficient, and it is remarkable, when he saith Is it possible for a Priest that serveth in his uncleanness, to stay so little in the Court 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 As that he should be guilty of death by the hand of Heaven only, and not guilty of cutting off? He had had those words but a little before which were cited even now. An unclean person that serveth in the Sanctuary profaneth his Service, and is guilty of death by the hand of Heaven, although he stay not there: and then he comes on, and is it possible, (saith he) that he should stay so little as to be guilty only of death by the hand of Heaven, and not to be guilty of cutting off? Apparently shewing that cutting off was the deeper degree and die of guilt and vengeance by the hand of God, and Divine indignation.
By Death by the hand of Heaven in their sense therefore is to be apprehended some such a sodain avengeful stroke as the Lord shewed upon Nadab, and Abihu, or Ananias and Saphira to take them away. And this may the better be collected by two passages usual in the Rabbins about this matter: First, In that they give up the offence of the Priests drinking wine before they went to serve, [which is held to have been the offence of Nadab and Abihu;] to death by the hand of Heaven, which argues that they mean such a kind of stroke as they two had. And secondly, In that wheresoever the Law en∣joyneth Aaron and his sons, and the people about the affairs of the Sanctuary, they shall or they shall not do thus or thus, lest they die; they interpret this of death by the hand of Heaven.
But what to understand by Cutting off, is not so readily agreed among them: Kim∣chi alledgeth it, as the opinion of their Doctors, That Dying before fifty years old is death by cutting off. [Compare Joh. 8. 57.] Rabbi Solomon saith, It is to die childless, and to die before his time: Baal Aruch giveth this distinction between Cutting off, and Death by the hand of Heaven, that Cutting off is of himself and of his children, but Death by the hand of Heaven, is of himself, but not of his children. But mean it which of these you will, or all these together, or [which may have good probability to conceive] a