Forlong - Rivers of Life

194
Rivers of Life, or Faiths of Man in all Lands.
We must remember that besides all the Phallic lore, and divination or fortune-telling
apparatus of the Jewish tribes, their “holy place” had also a most brutal shamble or
altar, where cattle and sheep were daily killed and hacked to pieces, and roasted; at
least one bullock and lamb every morning,
and a lamb in the evening. This was
the ordinary prescribed. ration of the deity,
together with a lighter repast to flavour the
same, as twelve flour-cakes, olive-oil, salt
and spice. To regale his sense of smell,
which is often particularly dwelt on as
most pleasing to him, delighting as he did in
burning fat and blood, there stood near by
an “altar of incense,” which Aaron was
Fig 76—THE JEWISH ARK, ALTAR, SHOWBREAD, AND INCENSE
ordered to burn when he dressed the lamps,
and at even when he lighted them, for
there it was that Jehovah was to give the children of Israel to know that he was their
God through all their generations, and ever dwelt in their midst—a matter which
seems to have been overlooked for some thousands of years.
In order to help my readers fully to realise: the whole horrid scene, I give here a
sketch of its principal features; the ark and cherubim forms our Eduth, manna.
almond-sprig, and poor bleeding ox, whose flesh and fat is soon to rise “as a sweet
savor,” and bum and crackle on and around the bloody shamble. Without drawings
and full details, I fear Christians will fail, as for many long years I did, to realise the
barbarous scenes which this people daily gloated over. It requires colour and an
artist to do “the holy place” justice.
Yet this people were not worse tham others in the early times we are speaking of,
but neither were they better. I doubt not but that where this bullock lies, many “a
first-born” had been cherim, or devoted to their fierce deity. And I fear we must say
that such was not unknown down to the fourth or third century B.C., as other parts
of this work will establish. In their worship, rites, and paraphernalia, then, the
Jewish people were only like their great neighbours the Phenicians, though undoubtedly
a little less advanced, partaking m.re of the Arabian, Hivite, and Perizite
tribes. In those days all peoples believed in divination by cups, rods, serpents, hands,
fire, smoke, stars, &c., also in. the sanctity of particular spots, as rocks, hill-tops such as
Hermon, Mount Zion., and Moriah or Meroo, which two last were the Jewish Pal-a-tine
and Caput-oline. Their early Judo-Egyptian. patriarch of the shrine of ON, called the
“Increaser” or “Supplier” (Ioseph), who gave them bread. in their extremity, is
described as prominently leading the way in divination arts. He began in his youth by
foretelling dreams, and is described as owing all his wealth and position, and as saving the
lives of all his tribe, and therefore enabling their deity to keep his covenant with Abram,