taneous outgonig of a heart renewed by the Spirit of (iod. It prescribes abstinence from every product of the vine. The intoxicating quality of the juice of the grape, by which reason is clouded and luibalanccd, is laid hold of as the fit representative of sin, which dark- ens the intellect and corrujits the will. And every part of the vine is prohibited, not because it was the forbid- den fruit, as some Jewish doctors affirm. (Lightfoot on Luke i, 15 ; Magee, On the A tenement, illust. xxxviii), but because this symbolic act conveys the obvious lesson to refrain from sin in every shajie and of every degree, since the slightest deviation from rectitude indicates a depraved nature as truly as the most enormous trans- gression. The growth of the beard is an index of man- hood; and the unshorn locks present a striking display of the unrestrained luxuriance of corporeal growth and beauty. They are therefore emblematic of power, lib- erty, youth, and beauty, and of the um-eserved exertion of all our faculties in the service of our JIaker and Sav- iour. The determinate choice of that which is right and good is the )irinciple of a holy life, and the coming forth of that choice into full effect is the l)eauty of holi- ness. The flowing locks are e(iually cxiiressive of child- like simplicity and feminine grace, and therefore of that confiding dependence and yieiiling devotedness which are characteristic of the new-born child of (Jod. This thought is well brought out b)- Fairbairn {Ti/pul. ii, 419), in harmony willi Ainswurlh and Baumgartcn. But the soflness of a faithful heart must be combined with the encrgv of a valiant spirit, to constitute the
and the same substance, it was ordained that the vie- ! perfection of the godly or Christian character. Samson,
NAZARITE 6
Samuel, and John the Baptist were no less distinguished for manly fortitude than for humble deference to the will of God. Defilement by a dead body is the third thing to be avoided. The dead body is the victim of death ; the penalty of sin. It has, therefore, been the seat of that moral corruption, contact with which con- veys ceremonial defilement.
6. Relation of Nazaritism to the Levilical Economy. — As the priestly office presupposed that purity of life of which the Nazarite was an emblem, it is natural that they should present some points of correspondence. Thus the priests were to abstain from wine or strong drink when they went into the tabernacle of the con- gregation to perform their official functions (Lev. x, 9). But this was obviously a salutary precaution against their being disqualified in mind or body for the proper discharge of their duties. Hence they were not pro- hibited from other products of the vine; and when not officiating they were under no restriction but the ordinary one of temperance. The high -priest, also, upon whom was "the crown ("T?) of the anointing oil of his God," was not to touch any dead body, or defile himself for his father or his mother (Lev. xxi, 11, 12). But the ordinary priests were not placed under the same restraint, plainly because a substitute could in this case be found for one who was under a temporary defilement. Maimonides (J/o?-e Nebochim, iii, 48) speaks of the dig- nity of the Nazarite, in regard to his sanctity, as being equal to that of the high-priest. The abstinence from wine enjoined upon the high-priest on behalf of all the priests when they were about to enter upon their min- istrations, is an obvious hut perhaps not such an im- portant point in the comparison. There is a passage in the account given by Hegesippus of St. James the Just (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. ii, 23), which, if we may assume it to represent a genuine tradition, is worth a notice, and seems to show that Nazarites were permitted even to enter into the Holy of Holies. He says that St. James was consecrated from his birth neither to eat meat, to drink wine, to cut his hair, nor to indulge in the use of the bath, and that to him alone it was permitted {rovTip H6v<jj t^ijv) to enter the sanctuary. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to suppose that the half sacerdotal character of Samuel might have been connected with his prerogative as a Nazarite. Many of the fathers designate him as a priest, although St. Jerome, on the obvious ground of his descent, denies that he had any sacerdotal rank (see Ortlob, Thes. Nov. Theol.-Philol. i, 587).
The Nazir did not sequester himself from the engage- ments or enjoyments of domestic or social life. His vow usually lasted, not for life, but for a number of days de- termined by himself. He did not therefore form a fra- ternity, but continued as an individual to participate in the ordinary affairs of every-day life. This vow mere- ly afforded to persons of a certain temperament, in a peculiar state of religious feeling, or in entering on a particular enterprise, a course of typical observance, in which the higher tone of a devout imagination might find a definite and legitimate scope. Such a mode of action, when undertaken with a proper sense of its sym- bolic import, in accordance with the sanction of the De- ity, was well calculated to cultivate pure desires and promote holy tempers in the devotee himself, and at the same time to convey useful and impressive lessons to those who were intelligent and respectful ^vitnesses of his conduct during the time of his separation.