and therefore, God's Appointing Eleazar (the Eldeft Son of Aaron) to fucceed his Father in the High-Prieft's Office, is no Argument that it was a Standing Law of God, that this Office was always to remain confin'd to the Eldeft of Aaron's Sons. And fince any of those Sons might happen to have a Blemish, therefore God made no exprefs Law (as our Expofitor fays he did) to FIX the High-Priesthood in the ELDEST of Aaron's Family: For the Law exprefly fix'd it in Aaron and his Sons, that if one of them had any Blemish, or indeed any other Impediment, another Son might validly enter into the Holy Place. For, the Atonement was exprefly commanded to be made Once a Year; and it must not have been omitted to be made, even tho' the High Prieft in Poffeffion had chanced to have a Blemish, as long as another Son of Aaron was to be had, and a Vail (or Holy Place) was in being, until the Coming of the Great High Prieft, Chrift Jefus: For, fays the Law, "This

σε

hall be AN EVERLASTING Statute 66 unto you, (i. e. Everlafting till the Coming of Chrift) to make an Atonement for the Chil"dren of Ifrael, for all their Sins, ONCE A "YEAR, Lev. xvi. 34. Which could not have been obey'd, if none but the Eldest of Aaron's Family muft (by the Law) have enter'd within the Vail; and if he had been at the fame time fo blemish'd, as that he might not enter therein. For the Atonement muft

(in

(in fuch Cafe) have ceas'd to be perform'd du ring the Life of fuch a High-Prieft; which is contrary to the Express Law, that required it to be conftantly made Once a Year; and therefore the High-Priesthood was not by Express Law fix'd in the Eldeft of Aaron's Family. This we find in Fact to have been true; for the Scrip ́ture records feveral High-Priests who were not of the Line of Eleazar the Eldeft, but of Ithamar, the Younger Son of Aaron. For Example: Eli, in the Time of the Judges, i Sam. ii. 27, 30. Ahiah, i. e. Ahimelech, in the Reign of King Saul, 1 Sam. xiv. 3. xxi. 1. and xxii.15.called alfo Abiathar the High-Priest, St. Mark ii. 26. whom King Saul flew. So likewise another Ahimelech, in the Reign of of King David, 2 Sam. viii. 18. and in the Reign of King Solomon, Abiathar. Thefe, 'tis plain, were not in the Line of Eleazar; for his Sons are mention'd particularly by Name, i Chron. vi. and not one of thefe HighPriefts is reckon'd among them: Yet they executed the Office, and no Mark of Infamy is

fet

I

upon them for fo doing, because they were not the Strangers, who by the Law of Mofes were to dye for coming within the Vail; for they were of the Sons of Aaron. And cer tainly, if they had been Invaders of the HighPriesthood, God would have given us fome Notice of his Difpenfing with his own fuppofed Law, or elfe fome Mark of his Difpleafure at their Ufurpation; to have warn❜d others

from

from the like Sin for the future: As he did upon King Saul, for but Offering a Burnt-Offering, when he had no Authority to do so, being no Prieft.

This Argument might be profecuted much further; but I think enough has been faid, to prove, That God did not by an Express Law, fix the High-Priesthood in the Eldest of Aaron's Family: And therefore, when any other of Aaron's Sons got into the High-Priesthood, the Effential Law of God concerning the High Priesthood (which requir'd that it fhould be in Aaron and his Sons) was not vacated. And this was the Cafe of the Maccabees, and all their Succeffors of the Afmonean Family; they were of the Sons of Aaron, and therefore Valid High-Priefts; because the Inftitution requir'd, that a Prieft of the Sons of Aaron fhquid be Anointed and Confecrated High-Priest, and that no other should be fo.

To come now to the High-Priefts in Herod's and the Romans Time, they were also of the Sons of Aaron: For, notwithstanding the Wickedness of fetting that Office to Sale, &c. Jofephus affures us, that it was done with this particular Regard, that those who obtain'd it were in Holy Orders. His Words are thefe: "Herod having now receiv'd the Kingdom from "the Romans, made no longer any Scruple of "Chufing the High-Priests out of the Afmonean "Race; but conferr'd the Honour indifferently upon Perfons, tho' never so obscure, provided they were but in HOLY ORDERS." Fose

phus's

phus's Jewish Antiquities, Book XX. Cap. 8. pag. 1206. 8vo. This fhews, that Herod and the Romans, as wicked as they were, had fo much regard to the Jewish Laws, as not to prostitute the High-Prieft-hood to any who were not of the Seed of Aaron: And therefore it is reasonable to conclude, that the HighPriests in our Saviour's time were Valid HighPriefts, because of their Defcent from Aaron, whereby God's Inftitution of the High-Priefthood was preferv'd, tho' wickedly Circumftantiated by the buying and felling of so Sacred an Office.

Thirdly, and Laftly, The Expofitor's Affertion, "That the Atonement was still perform'd " by their (i. e. what He calls the Ufurping "High-Prieft's) Miniftry, is begging the Queftion; 'tis affirming what he ought to have prov'd, and has not once attempted to do any thing towards it: And till he do's make it good, I fhall take the liberty to deny, that his fuppos'd Ulurping High-Priefts perform'd any Atonement at all: And the Reason why I do deny it, is, Because if they were not inftituted High-Priefts, their pretended Sacerdotal Acts, attempting to propitiate the Divine Nature, were as Null to that Purpose, as King Saul's was before them; that is, wholly Null and Void; and for the fame Reafon as his was. But further, even tho' thofe High-Priefts were, as I have endeavour'd to prove them, HighPriests

Prieft according to the exprefs Law or Inftitution of the High Priesthood: Yet it does not appear that any Atonement for the Sins of the Jews was made by their Ministration in our Saviour's time: For with what Sense can it be faid, that Atonement was made for them, who were then appointed to Wrath andVengeance? For that People, over whom our Saviour wept, because through the Hardness of their Hearts they were Spiritually blinded; The things that belong'd to their Peace were hid from their Eyes; They were then in actual Bondage to the Romans for their Sins; They were at that time filling up the Measure of their Iniquities; and for their Impieties, the Wrath was coming upon them to the utmost; infomuch that the dreadful Days were speedily coming, wherein their Glorious City and Temple fhould inevitably be destroy'd, themselves in vaft Multitudes be flain with the Sword, and the remainder of them be led Captive into all Nations. Was any Offering made then by the most Regular Jewish High-Prieft, of any Efficacy to atone for fuch Sinners: If it was, let the Expofitor inform us how we may know it; and when he has done this, then let him try how he can prove, that the Offerings of his fuppos'd Uninftituted High-Priests were of the fame Vali dity: If he does not prove this, his whole Objection is loft; for till the Atonement he talks of, is prov'd to have been Valid; Unauthoriz'd

Baptifms