ical, is yet admitted to have such claims to authenticity as to give importance to whatever is found in that ancient record. Judith then declares most unequivocally that the flesh of animals was expressly forbidden to the Israelitish Nation. In her interview with Holifernes she says "Our Nation shall not be punished, neither can the sword prevail against them, except they sin against their God;—But they have determined to lay hands upon their Cattle, and purposed to consume all those things that God hath forbidden them to eat by his laws." Such were the declarations of one of the most eminent and pious females of the Jewish nation in her day. And can any one presume to doubt her apprehension of the nature and extent of the Divine Prohibitions?
The noble example of Daniel and his companions, who refused to eat the meat from the King's table and to drink the wine, and who solicited pulse to eat, and water to drink, is also strongly corroborative of our views. It appears indeed from the narrative of the facts as recorded in the first chapter of his Prophesy, that vegetable food in not only the most nutritive,—for their countenances were fairer and fatter in flesh than all those that eat the portion of the Kings meat;—but that it contributes exceedingly to strengthening the intellectual faculties of man, for "in all matters of wisdom and understanding they were found by the King, ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in his realm." In a work published by Paxton, entitled "Illustrations of Scripture," the author declares that the ancient Jews like the modern Hindoos abstained entirely from the use of flesh; and the justly celebrated Dr. Lightfoot informs us that even in the days of Jesus Christ, the Pharisees taught that it was unlawful to eat flesh or to drink wine.
Before proceeding to the evidence of the Gospel on the subject of our enquiry, we propose briefly to meet one or
