B L O 



B L O 



dn>!\ of David, wlien his three warriors brought him water 

 from the w"ll of Bethlehem, at the extreme hazard of thtir 

 lives (i Chron. xi. iS.): confidering the water as ii it were 

 tlieir blood, which they hazarded to obtain it, he refufed to 

 drink it ; and there beiiijj no rule or reafon for offering fuch 

 water upon the altar, he did what feemed to be next to 

 OiTering it ; " he poured it out before the Lord." The 

 Jtwilh ordinance anfwered two obvions ends ; it ferved, with 

 other rec'tiiations and reftriiilions, to keep the Jewidi people 

 feparate from other nations ; and it alfo promoted their bo- 

 dily health and vigour. But there is no foundation, either 

 in the reafon of the thing, or in the prohibition, to fupport 

 the opinion of thofe who imagine the eating of blood to 

 be an immoral thing ; if this had been the cafe, God would 

 not have permitted the Ifraelites (Deut. xiv. 21.) to fell a 

 creature that died in his blood to an alien or ftranger, that 

 lie might eat it. If, therefore, the eating of blood cannot 

 be reckoned an immorality, the prohibition in the apoftolical 

 decree cannot be binding upon all men in all times, but 

 only at fome feafons, when the circumdances of things ren- 

 der forbearance or abilinence expedient. Accordingly, if 

 blood be thought difagreeable and unwholefome, as food, 

 riic ufe of it may be avoided, for the fake of health ; but 

 we are not obliged to abrtain from it upon a religious 

 account, or in virtue of this decree, \^hich would be no 

 better than fuperllition. It has been fuppofed, by fome 

 approved writers, and efpecially by Dr. Lardner, that this 

 vas only a temporary provifion, defigned to prevent giving 

 offence to the believing Jews, and to facilitate civil converfe 

 and religious communion between believing Jews and Gen- 

 tiles. Dr. Lardner alfo fuppofcs, that the decree is not to 

 be iinderilood as a precept or commandment, but as deliver- 

 ing advice and counfel concerning fome matters of prudence 

 and expedience, confidering the circumftances of things 

 and perfons in that time. It has been farther urged as an 

 argument againft the perpetuity of the apoilolical decree, 

 that the apollle Paul never quotes, or alludes to it in his 

 v.'ritings. 



On the other hand, it has been argued, that the prohibi- 

 tion to eat blood, given to Noah, feems to be obligatory on 

 all his pofterity ; and as it accompanied the firll exprefs 

 grant of animal food, it feems to be referved, by way of 

 acknowledgment to God, as the giver of life, and of the 

 food which lupports it. This refpcft paid to blood, which 

 is Ihed when animals are killed for food, and which is the 

 moll apparent vehicle of life, may alfo be intended to incul- 

 cate a relpect for life, as the m.oll valuable gift of God, and 

 to warn us not to deprive any animal of it, and much lefs 

 rean, without necelTity. It has alfo been pleaded, as an ad- 

 ditional argument for abftaining from blood, that it is not 

 a wholefome aliment, efpecially in hot countries, promoting 

 leprous and fcorbutic diforders. The advocates of this opi- 

 Jiion farther argue, that blood is prohibited becaufe it tends 

 to make men favage ; that the prohibition is joined with that 

 of fornication, which is an immorality in the common fcnfe of 

 the term, but which Dr. Lardner underltands as denoting 

 marriage with heathens, from which the apollle Paul fo ear- 

 ucftly diiUiades the Chrillians at Connth ; and that God has 

 enjoined abilinence from blood on all Chriftians, in order to 

 manifeil his fupreme dominion over all their enjoyments. 

 .Seldtn, de Jure Gentium, &c. I. vii. c. I. Shuckford's 

 Conn. vol. i. p. 9^, &c. Lardner's Remarks on Dr. Ward's 

 Differtations in Works, vol. xi. p. 329, &c. Pnellley's In- 

 ilitules, vol. ii. p. 4.;9, &c. 



Blood, relr-'wis uf's of, — Among the ancients, blood 

 was ufed for the fcaling and ratifying of covenants and 

 alliances, wiiich was done by the contrafting parties drinking 



a little of each other's blood ; for appeafing the manes of the 

 dead, in order to which blood was offered on thtir tombs, as 

 part of the funeral ceremony. Thus we read, that tweUe 

 youths were facrificed at the funeral of Patroclus ; and eight 

 at that of Pal'as. Homer. II.*. ver. 27. Virgil. M.xi. lib. x. 

 ver. 518. 



The blood of viftims was the portion of the gods, both 

 amonr Jews and Heathens; and accor 'ingly was poured 

 or fprinkled on the altars, in oblation to them. 



Some have aflerted, that the Romans offered human blood 

 to appeafe their deities, which is denied by others. 



The priells made another ufe of blood, viz. for divination : 

 the ftreaming of blood from the earth, fire, and the like, 

 was held a prodigy, or omen of evil. 



The Roman priefts were not unacquainted with the ufe of 

 blood in miracles ; they had th-.ir fluxes of blood from 

 images, ready to ferve a turn ; witnefs that faid to have 

 ftreamed from the flatue of Minerva at Modcna, before the 

 battle at that place. But in this their fucceffors has'e gone 

 beyond them. How many relations in ecclefiallical writers 

 of Madonas, crucifixes, and wafers bleeding ! At leafl 

 the liquefaftion of the blood of St. Januarius, at Naples, 

 repeated annually for fo maiiy ages, feems to tranfcer.d by 

 far all the frauds of tile Grecian or Roman priellhood. But 

 the chemifts arc got into the fecret, and we find M. Neu- 

 mann at Berlin performed the miracle of the liquefaftion of 

 dried blood, with all the circumftances of the Neapolitan ex- 

 periment. See Januarius. 



Blood, in the Ronijli Church, is ufed in fpeaking of the 

 wine in the euchariit ; which they fuppofe miraculoully fon. 

 verted, by the prieft's confecration, into the real blood of 

 Chrifl. See Transubstantiation, &c. 



Blood is alfo ufed abufively for the lap of plants; as 

 having much the fame office in the vegetable, as the other 

 in the animal osconomy. In a fenfe not unlike this, wine is 

 fometimes alfo denominated the Hood of the grape. 



Blood is alfo applied, in Pharmacy, to certain vegetable 

 juices, tears, S:c. as dragon's blood gum. Dragon's blood, 

 fati^uis Jraconts, is alfo ufed by the Arabs for thejuice of 

 the anchufa. 



Blood, fatjnon, a ruddy liquor produced from the root* 

 oi fatyr'ium, baked with bread ; and liquefied, as it were, 

 into blood, by a long digellion. 



Blood, in Chem'iflry and jilcheniy, is a denomination 

 given to fever.^.l artificial compolitions, chiefly on account of 

 their red colour. 



Blood is more peculiarly ufed by the alchemifts for the 

 tindure of a thing, in which fenfe we meet with blood of 

 mercury, denoting the tin£lure of it ; dragon's blood, de- 

 noting the tinfture of antimony. 



Blood, Dragon's. See Sanguis Draconls. 



Blood is alio ufed, in Middle Age Writers, for fupreme 

 iurifdidtion, exercifed by the lord of the fee, in cafes where 

 blood is fpilt. This is alfo called "judgment of blood," 

 " juilice of blood," fometimes " cognizance of blood." 



Blood, avjiiger of, among the Jews, was the next of 

 kin to the perfon murdered, who was to profecute the mur- 

 derer. Ecclefiallical judges retire when judgment is to be 

 given in cafes of blood, becaufe the church is fuppofed to 

 abhor blood : it condemns no perfon to death ; and its mem- 

 bers become irregular, or difabled from their fundions, b/ 

 the effufion of blood. 



Blood of Chr'ifl, is the denomination of a militan' order 

 inllituted at Mantua, in 1608, by Vine. Gonzangua IV. 

 Its device was " Domine proballi me ;" or, " Ni'nil hoe 

 triile recepto." Hermant fpeaksof this order, and obferves 

 thnt it took its name from fome drops of the blood of Chrill 

 4 L 2 faid 



