LEPER, LEPROSY
I do not take upon me to decide, whether the leprosy among the Jews differed from the Elephantiasis of other nations; but I venture to believe that it had somewhat of peculiarity, from the account given of it in Scripture. It was, without doubt, among the Hebrews, not only a loathsome disease in itself, but was intended to denote in the strongest characters the nature of sin both original and actual. And this, I think, is plain, from this one striking circumstance; namely that it was deemed an impious presumption of the prerogative of God, to attempt by any human means to cure it. I refer the reader to the word of God for the account of it, (Leviticus 13:1-59; Leviticus 14:1-57) both for the nature of the disease, and the rites and sacrifices appointed for the cleansing; all which very fully prove the sad state of the leper, shut out of all civil and religious communion, to testify, perhaps, the odious nature of sin in the sight of God, and to set forth, by the shadowy representations of washing and sacrifice, that nothing but the blood of Christ and the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost can effect the cure of the leprosy of sin. What a beautiful and endearing view have the evangelists given of the tender mercy of the Lord Jesus, manifested to that poor leper which came to Christ at the foot of the mountain. (See Matthew 8:2-3; Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12) The poor man could have had no conception, that Jesus in the cure would have done what was never done before, put his hand upon him: but, as it was sweetly said of Jesus, "himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses;" so Christ, as if to shew the love of his heart and sympathy to our poor nature, not only healed the leper, but put forth his hand and touched him, (Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:4) There is somewhat in such views of Christ as tends to endear him in the highest possible degree of endearedness, and which ought never to be lost sight of in the mind of his people.