SECT. IV. The atoning for a cleansed Leper.
IN a 1.1 the North-west corner of the Court of the Women, there was a piece of Building which was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the chamber, or room of the Lepers, whither the Leper resorted after his cleansing in the Country, or at his own house. And now I am sensible of a mistake and inadvertency which fell from me in another place, and which I here retract, and crave the Readers patience, and that was in that I asser∣ted (in the Notes on John 2. 15.) that the Lepers were tryed in this room by the Priests, and had access to the Mountain of the House, and to the Publick Service of the Temple. It is true indeed b 1.2 that the Lepers had access to the Publick Service in those Syna∣gogues that were not in walled Towns, being placed there apart by themselves, so that they came not near others, but their offering to come into the Temple did fall under a very sharp penalty, as was shewed before, nay they were excluded even out of Walled Cities. Their tryal therefore was in the Country, and there they were cleansed by the Priest, c 1.3 with variety of Ceremony in the business: and on the seventh day of their cleansing he shaved himself again, for he had done so before, and washed himself in wa∣ter, and then he might come within Jerusalem. On the eighth day he came up into the Mountain of the House, and brought three Lambs with him, for a burnt offering, sin offe∣ring, and trespas offering, d 1.4 and bathed himself in that room in the corner of the Court of the Women, that was from hence called the Room of the Lepers,
e 1.5 When the Migrephah or the Bell, (for so let it be called) was rung by those that went into the Temple to burn the incense, the President or chief man of the station then serving went and fetched him, and whosoever else had been unclean and came now for their purifying, f 1.6 and set them in the gate of Nicanor. g 1.7 But here two contrary exigents were to be provided for; for neither might the Leper tread on the ground of the Court, because he yet wanted his atonement, nor might the bloud of the trespass offering which was to be his atonement, be brought out of the Court, and yet it was to be put upon his thumb, great toe, and tip of his ear, Lev. 14. 14. A temper therefore for these two repugnacies was this, that he went into the Gate as far as possibly he might, so that he trod not within the Court. Thither did the Priest bring the trespass offering to him, and he stretched out his hands into the Court, and laid them upon him. And when he was slain, the Priest brought the bloud, himself standing within the Court, and the Leper stretched out his neck, and thrust his head within the Virge of the Court, and he put some of the bloud upon the tip of his right ear; and likewise he stretched out his hand and his foot within the Virge of the Court, and he put the bloud upon his thumb, and his great toe, and so he was cleansed. The cleansing of other unclean persons, as those that had issues, and Women after Child-birth, was in the same place, and much after the same manner, save that the blouding of the ear, thumb and toe was not used, so that they need not a particular discourse by themselves.