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First, Solemn, at stated seasons, according to a prescribed form, Numb. vi. 23-27. Secondly, Occasional, with respect to par→ ticular seasons, as Eli blessed Hannah, 1 Sam. i. 17.

Thirdly, It was his work also to judge the people. 1. In things concerning the house and worship of God, Zech. iii. 7. 2. In hard and difficult cases, he joined with the judge or ruler, in judging between men according to the law, Deut. xvii. 12. 3. He was always a member of the Sanhedrim. This, I know is denied by some of the Jews, but it seems to be warranted from Deut. xvii. 8-13.

§ 9. The office of high priest being thus appointed, a succession of priests was instituted in the first-born male of the eldest branch of the posterity of Aaron. But the tracing of this succession is greatly perplexed, as it is no where directly given us in the Scripture, for that space of time wherein the story of the church is recorded therein. Different names are also in several places given to the same persons, as seems most probable. Besides, Josephus, who is the only approved writer of the Jews in things of this nature, is either corrupted in some passages on this subject, or doth palpably contradict himself. The post-talmudical masters are so far from yielding any relief in this matter, that by their jarrings and wranglings they render it more perplexed. Neither have those amongst our writers, who of old or of late have laboured to trace this succession, been able to agree in their computations. I could give four or five differ ing catalogues, that are contended for with some earnestness. I shall not therefore hope, in this brief account of things to which I am confined, to throw light upon a matter of such intricacy. I shall content myself with giving the account, which is most received among the Jews, of this succession in general, with some few observations upon it, and so close this discourse.

§ 10. It is generally agreed after Josephus, that the whole number of high priests from Aaron inclusively to the destruction of the second temple, was eighty-three. For though in the Babylonian Talmud, some of them reckon up above eighty high priests under the second temple alone, yet the more learned of the later Jews, as the author of Tzemach David ad Millen. 4. An. 829. expressly prefer the authority of Josephus above them all.

Of these eighty-three, thirteen administered before the Lord under the tabernacle, or whilst the tabernacle built by Moses in the wilderness, was the sacred seat of divine worship. Of these, the first was Aaron, the last Abiathar, who was thrust out from the priesthood by Solomon, a little before the building of the temple. And in this succession there was but one interruption;

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namely, when Eli of the house of Ithamar, the younger son of Aaron, was preferred to the priesthood. It is probable that he had been second priest in the days of his predecessor, and he was doubtless admitted to the office upon the reputation of his holiness and wisdom. And it may be that he of the house of Phinehas, whose right it was to succeed, was either incapable or judged unworthy.

11. In the temple built by Solomon, there administered eighteen high priests, whose names are recounted by Josephus, lib. 11. cap. 4. lib. 20. cap. 9. Of these, the first was Zadok, the last Jehozadak, who was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, 1 Chron. vi. 14. though I question whether ever he ministered as high priest, only he was left at the destruction of the city and temple, after the death of his father Seraiah. Nor was there any known interruption in this series, the succession being carried down in a right line from the house of Phinehas by Zadok.

§ 12. The remainder of the number before mentioned, served under the second temple, being multiplied by the tumults and disorders which the people then fell into. The first of them was Joshua the son of Josedech; the last one Phinehas, or Pha nanias, made high priest by the seditious villains, a little before the last siege and destruction of the city.

And this succession, or that during this season, had interruptions many and great. The first mentioned by Josephus was after the death of Onias, the fourteenth high priest from the building of the temple, when Antiochus first put in Joshua, who was called Jason, the brother of Onias, and afterwards displa cing him, thrust Menelaus into his room. After a while he put out this Menelaus, and placed one Alcimus, of another fas mily in his stead.

After this Alcimus, the family of the Maccabees, or Hasmonæans, took on them the office of the high priesthood. Their race being extirpated by Herod, Ananus a private priest, was by force and power put into the place. And from this time forward, to the destruction of the temple, there was no order observed in the succession of the high priest, but persons were put in and out at the pleasure of those who ruled, whether the Ro mans or the Herodians. For Hyrcanus being taken prisoner by the Parthians, and Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus his brother, being taken by Herod and Sosia, and crucified at Antioch by Marc. Antony, in him the race of the Hasmoneans ended. After this, vile persons were put in and out at pleasure, some for a year, some for a month, one for a day, some for a longer season. At last the whole nation, church and state, rushed to its final ruin, and in their rebellion at Jerusalem they

thrust out Matthias, who had been put in by Agrippa, and chose one by lot to succeed him. God, to manifest his disapprobation of them, caused the lot to fall upon one Phananias, a mere idiot, who knew nothing of the place or office which they called him to, with whom ended the church and priesthood of the Jews.

EXERCITATION XXIV.

1. Sacrifices the principal worship of God. § 2. Three sorts of them.
1. Of the brazen altar. 2. Of the sanctuary. 3. Of the most holy
place. § 3. Referred to by the apostle. § 4. All sacrifices of the altar
were . §5. Every Corban either Isha or Terumah. § 6.
of six sorts. 1. Hola. 2. Mincha. 3. Chataath. 4. Asham. 5. Mil-
luim. 6. Shelamim. § 7. A second distinction of fire offerings. Either
Zebach or Mincha. §8-12. These distinctions and differences explain.
ed at large. § 13. The matter of all sacrifices. § 14. 1, the first par-
ticular sacrifice. The rise, use and direction of it. § 15. Use of it among
the heathen. § 16, 17. What of ancient tradition, what of their own in-
vention. 18-21. The manner of this sacrifice. § 22. The end of it.
To make expiation or atonement, what. § 23. Seasons and occasions
of this sacrifice. § 24. a meat-offering. § 25. The use of that
name; general, particular. § 26, 27. The matter of this offering. § 28,
29. D, the drink-offering. The matter of it. § 30. w mai,
peace-offerings. § 31. Reason of the name. § 32. Matter of this offer-
ing. 33, 34. Things peculiar to this kind of sacrifice. § 35. The use
of it among the heathen. § 36. nun, the sin-offering. The name and
causes of it. § 37. Sins, aw, what. § 38. The persons to offer this
sacrifice. 39. The anointed priest, who, Lev. iv. 3. § 40. The whole
congregation. The ruler. A private person. § 41. The time and man-
ner of this sacrifice. § 42. The sprinkling of blood in it. § 43. DN,
the trespass-offering. Its difference from the sin offering. § 44.,
consecration-offerings. § 45. Second sort of Corbans. Terumoth.

§ 1. THE principal worship and service of God, both in the ta-

bernacle and temple, consisted in offerings and sacrifices. For
these did directly represent, and in their general nature answer-
ed that which was the foundation of the church, and of all its
worship; namely, the sacrifice of the Son of God. According-
ly he is called, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world," John i. 29. because he fulfilled and perfectly ac-
complished what was prefigured by the sacrifice of lambs and
other creatures, from the foundation of the world. These
offerings and sacrifices were nothing but means of God's
institution, that men might express by them their faith in the
first promise. Nor were sacrifices in general now first instituted,
nor the kinds of them first appointed; for the most of them had
been observed upon divine revelation and command from the en-
trance of sin, and the giving of the promise. But they were now

rescued, in the repetition of them to Moses, from the superstition that had connected itself with the observance of them, and were directed to a right object, and attended with suitable instructive ceremonies in the manner of the performance of them.

§ 2. Now these offerings were of three sorts. First, those of the court, or brazen altar, by blood and fire. Secondly, those of the sanctuary at the altar of incense, and table of shew-bread. Thirdly, those of the most holy place before the ark, mercy-seat and oracle. The first of these represented the bloody death of Christ, and his sacrifice on the cross; the second his intercession in heaven; and the third the TEXσμata, or effects of both in atonement and reconciliation. And these our apostle mentions, chap. viii. 3, 4. He says, "Every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: and there are priests that offer gifts according to the law." Chap. ix. 7. "Into the second went the high priest alone once every year; not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people." ver. 12. "By the blood of bulls and calves." ver. 13. The blood of bulls and calves, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkled." v. 22. "Almost all things are by the law purged with blood." Chap. x. 1. "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered; because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more.conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not." 11." And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin." Chap. xiii. 11. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burnt without the camp."

V.

§ 3. It is evident that these and the like passages, in which our apostle refers to the institution, nature, use, end, and manner of the observance of sacrifices, cannot be rightly understood, without some distinct notion of these as they were prescribed by God to Moses, and observed by the people under the Old Testament. I shall therefore here give a brief system of them, and account concerning them.

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4. Sacrifices of the altar in general were 2p Corbanim. The name it may be of 127p is not distinctly applied unto every sort of them; but whereas every thing that any man brought nigh to dedicate or offer unto God, was thence 17p, we may allow it to be the general name of all sacrifices. And therefore on the close of the enumeration of all fire offerings, it is

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