EXERCITATION XXIII.

1. Of the office of the priesthood; the high priest in particular, the most illustrious type of Christ. § 2. The call of Aaron to the priesthood. § 3. Things concurring to his call, and separation to his office. § 4, 5. The garments prescribed to him. Ordinary. § 6. Extraordinary. § 7. The na. ture of the office of the high priest. What he performed himself alone. What with the assistance of other priests. What with the assistance of priests and Levites. § 8. His blessing the people. His judging of them. 9. The succession of these priests. 10. How many served under the tabernacle. § 11. How many under the first temple. § 12. How many under the second temple. The disturbance of this succession. Fatal end of the Aaronical priesthood,

§ 1. THE principal glory of all the Mosaic worship consisted in the person and office of the high priest. The Scripture calls him, 72, the great priest, igus μeyas, or, aexigus. This priest with his attendants of the same family was the foundation on which the whole worship of the Jewish church depended. And therefore our apostle undeniably proves, that the law of commandments contained in ordinances was to be changed, because there was a promise of raising up a priest that was not of the house of Aaron, nor of the tribe of Levi; for the observance of the law in the worship of God, could not consist with such a change of priesthood, Heb. vii. 11, 12. Now the high priest being in his person and his office, the most illustrious type of the Messiah and of his office, and the principal means whereby God instructed his church of old in the mystery of the reconciliation and salvation of sinners, most things concerning him are handled expressly and at large by our apostle. As therefore these must (God assisting) come under our consideration in the several places in which they are in. sisted on by him; I shall, in these previous discourses, only give a brief account of such things relating to the person and office of the Jewish high priest, as will not directly occur to us again.

§ 2. I have elsewhere considered the state of the priesthood in the church from the foundation of the world, till the time of which we now treat; also by whom that office was executed, how they obtained it, and wherein it did consist. The foundation of an especial priesthood in the church of Israel, is laid,

Exod. xxviii. 1. Provision of holy things being made, God proceeds to supply the church with holy or dedicated persons for the administration of these. The first thing expressed is, the call of the high priest. Of this there are two parts. First, God's revelation and authoritative constitution concerning it. Secondly, his actual consecration. The former is expressed, Exod. xxviii. 1. "And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother and his sons, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office." Aaron was the elder brother of Moses, born three years before him, Exod. vii. 7. and was now eighty-four or eightyfive years of age, when God thus calls and appoints him to the office of the priesthood. With him all his sons, all the males of his family, were dedicated to the service of God in their successive generations. And in this call to his office, he was a type of Christ, who entered not on his priesthood, but by the designation and authority of the Father, Heb. v. 4, 5.

§ 3. Secondly, Unto the completing of his call, there concurred his consecration or separation to God, at large described, Exod. xxix. In general it is expressed, ver. 1. by wp, which we render to hallow, that is, to sanctify, to separate unto God in the work of the priesthood. This is the general expression of his consecration, for what we afterwards translate to consecrate, ver. 9. 29. respects only one particular act of the whole work or duty. Now the parts hereof were many, which may briefly be enumerated.

First, There was their manuduction, or the bringing them to the door of the tabernacle, chap. xxix. 4. 2pn, thou shalt bring them nigh, the word used in all sacred approaches and dedications to God. The priests themselves were made a Corban.

Secondly, They were washed with water, ver. 4. "Thou shalt wash them with water." After this the priests on all occasions were to wash themselves; at present this being a sacred action, and they being not as yet consecrated, it was performed towards them by Moses, who at this and other times discharged the office of an extraordinary priest.

Thirdly, Being washed, they were clothed with the holy garments, ver. 5, 6. of which afterwards.

Fourthly, The high priest being clothed, was anointed with the holy oil poured on his head, and running down over all his garments, ver. 7. Psal. cxxxiii. 2. The making and use of this ointment, which are enjoined, Exod. xxx. 25-33. prefigured the unction of the Lord Christ with all the graces of the Spirit, Heb. i. 6.

Fifthly, Sacrifices of all sorts were offered unto God. 1. The Mincha or meat-offering. 2. The Chataath or sin-offering, Exod. xxix. 13, 14. 3. The Hola, or whole burnt offerings, ver.

18. 25. 4. The Shelamim or peace-offerings, v. 25. 5. The Tenumoth, and Tenuphoth, heave and wave-offerings, ver. 25, 26. 6. The Nesek or the drink-offerings; ver. 40. So that in the consecration of the priest, all sacrifices also were as it were anew consecrated unto God.

Sixthly, In the use of this sacrifice there were five ceremonies used belonging in a peculiar manner unto their consecration. 1. The filling of their hand, ver. 9. b. This we have rendered, Thou shalt consecrate them, as though their consecration was some peculiar act distinct from these prescribed ceremonies. But that which is thus expressed, is only one of the ceremonies, or the putting of some parts of the sacrifice into or upon their hands to bear to the altar; which being their first action belonging to the sacerdotal office, (for in all that is mentioned before, they were merely passive,) is sometimes by a synecdoche used for consecration itself. 2. The putting of blood upon the tips of their right ears, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and the great toes of their right feet, ver. 20. intimating their readiness to hear, and perform the will of God. And this blood was taken from one of the rams that was offered for a burnt-offering. 3. The sprinkling of blood from the altar, and the anointing oil together, upon Aaron and his sons, and upon all their garments, ver. 21. 4. The imposition, or laying of their hands on the head of the beast to be sacrificed for a sin-offering, ver. 10. 15. denoting the passing away of their sin from them, that they might be fit to minister before the Lord. 5. The delivering of the waveoffering into their hands, as a pledge of their future portion, ver. 24. 28.

Seventhly, The continuance of all this ceremony is observed, ver. 30. By the repetition of the sacrifices mentioned, it was continued seven days. During this time, Aaron and his sons abode night and day at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; after all which, they were admitted into it, and ministered in their office. Now all this solemnity was used by the appointment of God, partly, to beget a reverence in the priests themselves for his worship, and in the administration of it; partly, to instruct the whole church in the mysteries of their redemption by the true high priest, whose person, and office was shadowed out hereby, as afterwards will more fully ap

pear.

84. Immediately upon the revelation of the mind of God, for the setting apart of Aaron to the priesthood, he prescribes the garments that he was to use in the discharge of the duties of his office. For the worship now instituted, being outward and carnal, that which made an appearance of glory and beauty, as these vestments did, was of principal consideration therein.

These garments of the high priest were of two sorts. First, Those of his ordinary and constant_ministration in the sanc tuary: Secondly, Those of his annual and extraordinary minis try in the most holy place. The first are appointed, Exod. xxviii. consisting of eight parts.

breeches of linen for to : מכנסי בד לכסות בשר ערוה,First

cover the flesh of his nakedness, Exod. xxviii. 42, 43. that is, to wear next unto him on his loins.

Secondly, nuin vv minɔn, Exod. xxxix. 27. A coat of fine linen, or silk, which was next them over the breeches, from the shoulders to the ancles.

Thirdly, an, Exod. xxxix..29. A girdle of silk, or twined linen, with purple, blue and scarlet, wherewith they girt the coat under the paps or breast.

Fourthly,, Exod. xxviii. 4. A robe, all of blue with bells of gold, and pomegranates, hanging interchangeably at the fringes of it, in number, as the Jews say, seventy-two of each sort; this robe covered the coat and girdle.

Fifthly, Upon the robe was 18 the ephod, which name we have retained, as not finding any garment in use elsewhere that should answer to it. It was a covering for the shoulders, made of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, curiously wrought. In the top of it, on the shoulders of the priest, were two precious stones, onyx say some, beryl say others, with the names of the tribes of the children of Israel engraven on them, six on one stone, and six on the other, Exod. xxviii. 6-11.

Sixthly, 1, which we render a breast plate, wrought as the ephod, and of the same materials. In it were fastened in ouches of gold, twelve precious stones, with the names of the tribes engraven on them; which jewel, because of its use in judgment, was called, as I suppose, Urim and Thummim, Exod. xxiii. 15, -18.30.

Seventhly, D, or a mitre for the head, made of fine lin en, after the fashion of an eastern turban, sixteen cubits long, wreathed about his head, Exod. xxviii. 37. 39.

Eighthly, my, a plate, a flowering of gold, fastened with a lace of blue on the fore-front of the mitre, wherein was engraven, wp, Holiness to the Lord. Exod. xxviii. 36.

§ 5. I have only named these things, without farther consideration of them; partly, because they have been inquired into, and controverted by many already; and partly, because I cannot myself come to any certainty about sundry things relating to them. The colours which we render blue, purple and scarlet, with the substance of that which we translate fine linen, cannot be clearly ascertained. The stones of the breast-plate and ephod for the most part are unknown, and their names are applied only by conjecture, to stones known to us. Concerning

these things, the Jews themselves are at a loss, and give us only various rumours and surmises; and I shall not add to the heap of conjectures which have already been cast into this trea

sury.

6. The extraordinary garments of the high priest, were: those which he wore only on the day of atonement. And these he used not in the whole service of that day, but only when he entered into the most holy place. Now these, though for the kind of them they were the same with the linen garments before mentioned, yet they were made particularly for that day; for after the service of that day, they were laid up in some of the chambers belonging to the sanctuary. There were four of these garments: linen breeches, a linen coat, a linen girdle, and a linen mitre, Lev. xvi. 4. 25. These the Jews call the 12, white garments, and the other his 2, garments of gold.

§7. The high priest being thus arrayed, was prepared for the work of his office, which was three-fold: 1. To offer sacrifices. to God for the people. 2. To bless the people in the name of God. 3. To judge them. As to the first, our apostle declares it, and insists upon it frequently in this Epistle, ch. viii. 3. ix. 3, 4. vii. 2. x. 1. And his work in the business of sacrifices was three-fold.

First, That which he performed himself alone, none being admitted to assist him, or to be present with him, or so much as to look upon him. This was that which he performed when he carried the blood into the most holy place on the day of atonement, Lev. xvi. Heb. ix. 7. The sacrifice before the ark, mercy-seat and cherubim, was peculiar to himself alone. And in case of any occasional hindrance or impediment that might befal him, there was always a second priest who was substituted in his room, that the great service of that day might not be omitted.

Secondly, That which he performed, assisted by other priests. Such was the whole service of the sanctuary, Heb. ix. 6. about the daily incense, the shew-bread, the candlesticks and lamps, even all the service of the holy place.

Thirdly, That wherein he had the assistance of the other priests, and the service of the Levites. Such were all the services of the court at the brazen altar, where the Levites assisted in the killing, flaying, and removal of the bodies of the beasts that were sacrificed.

The especial season of these services, diurnal, sabbatical, monthly and annual, are of too great variety and extent to be here insisted on.

§ 8. Secondly, His blessing of the people was two-fold