I.] POOR MAN'S FRIEND. 25 



ent as bread. So that, this was something to take 

 and eat without the owner's leave ; it was something 

 of value ; and observe, that the Pharisees, though so 

 strongly disposed to find fault with everything that 

 was done by Jesus Christ and his disciples, did not 

 find fault ot their taking the corn to eat; did not call 

 them thieves; did not propose to punish them for 

 theft ; but found fault of them only for having plucked 

 the corn on the Sabbath-day! To pluck the corn 

 was to do work, and these severe critics found fault of 

 this working on the Sabbath-day. Then, out comes 

 another fact, which HALE might have noticed if he 

 had chosen it; namely, that our Saviour reminds the 

 Pharisees that " DAVID and his companions, being an 

 hungered, entered into the House of God, and did eat 

 the show-bread, to eat which was unlawful in any- 

 body but the priests." Thus, that which would have 

 been sacrilege under any other circumstances ; that 

 which would have been one of the most horrible of 

 crimes against, the law of God, became no crime at 

 all when committed by a person pressed by hunger. 

 30. Nor has JUDGE HALE fairly interpreted the two 

 verses of DEUTERONOMY. He represents the matter 

 thus : that, if you be passing through a vineyard or an 

 olive-yard you may gather and eat, without being deem- 

 ed a thief. This interpretation would make an English- 

 man believe that ihe Scripture allowed of this taking 

 and eating, only where there was a lawful foot-way 

 through the vineyard. This is a very gross misrepre- 

 sentation of the matter ; for if you look at the two 

 texts, you will find, that they say that, " when thou 

 contest into;" that is to say, when thou enter est or 

 goest into, "thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou 

 mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure, but 

 thou shalt not put any in thy vessel ;" that is to say, 

 that you should not go and make wine in his vine- 

 yard and carry it away. Then in case of the corn, 

 precisely the same law is laid down. You may 

 pluck with your hand; but not use the hook or a 

 sickle. Nothing can be plainer than this : no distinc- 

 tion can, be wiser, nor more just. HALE saw the force 



