SECT. X.

The Office of the PRIESTS.

Their peculiar Office, being likewife, moftly, to take care of the Lamps, the Shew-Bread, the Oblation of Incense, the Veffels of the Tabernacle, under the Infpection of the High-Prieft; and to prepare the feveral Sorts of Victims, which were to be offer'd either by him, or themfelves; we have little more to say of them, upon that Head. To the office of Eleazar, Numb. the fon of Aaron, the Prieft, pertaineth the iv. 16. oyl for the light, and the fweet incense, and the daily meat-offering, and the anointing oyl, and the overfight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the fanctuary and in the veffels thereof.

And at any Time, when the Camp was to move, Aaron and his fons were to take the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shew-Bread, the Candlestick, and the Altar of Incenfe, and to cover them up feverally, with Decency and Care; after the Manner which is punctually prescrib'd in the Law. All which was to be born and

ib, iv.

-15,19. carried off by other inferior Levites. Aaron and his fons fhall go in, and appoint them every one to his fervice, and to his burden. Tho', afterwards, when the Number of Priests became increas'd fo as to be fufficient for it, we find they always bore the Ark it felf.

Deut.

xxxi. 9.

2 Chron. xxvi. 16.

Of its being à Part of their Office to offer Incenfe, we have a notable Inftance, in the Cafe of Uzziah, King of Judah; who, entering the Temple, rafhly and impiously attempted to ufurp that holy Office himself. It will not be amifs to relate the whole at large, out of the facred Hiftory.

When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his deftruction; for he tranfgreffed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD, to burn incenfe, upon the altar of incenfe. And Azariah the Priest went in after him, and with him fourfcore Priests of the LORD that were valiant men. And they withflood Uzziah the king; and faid unto him, it appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn inc enfe unto the LORD, but to the Priests the fons of Aaron, that are confecrated to burn in

cense:

cense: Go out of the fanctuary, for thou haft trefpassed; neither fhall it be for thine bonour from the LORD thy God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a cenfer in his band to burn incenfe: And while he was wroth with the Priests, the leprofy even rofe up in his forehead, before the Priests, in the Houfe of the LORD, from befide the incenfe altar. And Azariah the Chief Prieft, and all the Priests looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead: And they thrust him out from thence ; yea, himself also bafted to go out, because the LORD had Smitten him.

An Example, which, it is to be hop'd, may be for ever ufeful, in two Refpects: First, to deter thofe in Power, let their Power be ever fo great, from prefuming to violate any of the facred Rights pertaining to the Priests of God. Secondly, to encourage all thofe, who have the Honour to be admitted into that holy Order, to unite and combine together in the Defence of it: And, like valiant Men, to withftand, even the most powerful; when they trefpafs fo far, as to attempt to wreft out of their Hands, any of those T 2 Rights

Rights and Properties, which the Laws of God and Man have vefted in them, and appropriated to their Function.

1 Chron.

To return; Aaron was feparated that xxiii. 13. he should fanctify the most holy things, be and his fons for ever; to burn incenfe before the LORD, to minifter unto him, and to blefs in his name, for ever.

But when

this Family was much increas'd, King Daib. xxiv. vid, we find, divided them, into four and twenty Orders or Courses; which were to attend upon the Service of the Temple, in their feveral Turns; to avoid all Mifunderstandings and Confufion among themfelves, upon that Account. Thefe CourJes waited by Weeks; one went out, and another came in against every Sabbath. Thus, upon the Restoration of the King2 Chron. dom to Joash, Jehoiada the High-Prieft, got two Courses to be in the Temple, at the fame Time; when one came in, he did not dismiss the other; and by this means made his Posse the stronger.

xxiii. 8.

And further; The Priests of every Course, caft Lots among themselves, what Part of the Duty every one should undertake. Therefore we find, concerning Zacharias

Luke i. 8,

charias the Father of John the Baptift,
that, While be executed the Prieft's office,
before God, in the order of his Course, (ac-
cording to the custom of the Priest's office)
his lot was, to burn incenfe, when he went
into the temple of the LORD. It is faid
moreover, that he was of the Course of --5.
I Chron,
Abia: which was the Eighth Course of
xxiv. 10,
the Four and Twenty.

I have only to observe further; That, a-
mong the Priests, there was a Kind of a
Chief or Arch-Prieft; who, though of an
Order inferior to the High-Prieft, yet was
dignified with a Sort of Pre-eminence,
and prefided, as it were over all the rest.
This Diftinction we find, in the Book of
the Law: where, it is faid; * Eleazar,
the fon of Aaron, the Priest, fhall be Chief
over the chief of the Levites, and have the
overfight of them that keep the charge of
the fanctuary. This Perfon, was call'd the
Second Prieft, by way of Diftinction from
the Principal or High-Prieft; at the

* Numb. iii. 32. Nadab and Abihu, having been cut off, from the Beginning, for prefuming to burn Insense with unhallow'd Fire. Lev. x. 1.