changed place, and the removal of it being troublesome and laborious, required young men to do it; and that when the tabernacle was fixed, age was no dispensation for the Levites, to quit the exercise of their offices.

4thly, As to their functions; Moses is very particular in giving an account of what each Levite was to carry, upon the removal of the tabernacle; but these offices subsisting no longer, after the conquest of the land of Canaan, David established a new order among the Levites, whereby some were appointed to guard the gates, some to sing psalms, and some to guard the treasures;§ and he likewise divided them into different classes, of which Maimonides reckons twenty-four; and each of these were to serve a whole week. The head of each of these classes divided those who were under him into different families, and chose out every day a certain number of them who were to serve for that day; and the heads of these families assigned every one his office. But the Levites were not permitted to do any thing that was to be done about the altar.

5thly, The number of these Levites, upon the account that was taken of those who were

.30 years of age, in Solomon's time, was eight and thirty thousand ; and thence we may judge of the magnificence of the house of God, in which there were so many officers. Qf which, says the Scripture, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the

* Numb. iv. +1 Chron. ix. 17-26. and xxvi. 1 Chron. xxv. § 1 Chron. ix. 29. 1 Chron. xxiii. 3. Kk Lord;

Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges. Moreover four thousand were porters, and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments, and David divided them into courses.* To which the Scripture adds, For by the last words of Da vid the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above: because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron, for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God; both for the shew-bread, and for the fine flour for meat-offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size; and to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even, and to offer all the burnt sacrifices unto the Lord, in the sabbaths, in the new-moons, and on the set feasts, &c. And,

6thly, The Gospelt likewise tells us, that there were Officers in the temple: and the name St. Luke gives them signifies Officers of war; so that we may on this account also look on the temple as a camp. Besides the general officer, Maimonides reckons up fifteen subalterns, whose business it was to give notice of the time for the solemnities, the day and hour of the sacrifices, and to set the guard. Besides which, they had likewise the charge of the music, the instru ments, the table in which every one's office was set down according as it had fallen to him by

* 1 Chron. xxiii. 4,5,6. + Ibid. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31. Luke xxii. 52.

In his Treatise called Chelim, chap. vii..

let,.

lot, the seals, the libations, the sick, the waters, the shew-bread, the perfumes, the oils, and the sacerdotal habits. But to give the greater light to all this, I will repeat what Maimonides has said of it, which will make the reader more and more admire the magnificence of the house of God. 66 Every officer (says he) had under him several persons, who executed his orders in every thing that related to his charge. He, for example, who was to mark the time, caused the hours to be reckoned, and when that of the sacrifice was come, either he or some of his men cried with a loud voice, "To the Sacrifice, ye Priests; to the Tribune,* ye Levites; and to your Ranks, ye Israelites;" and then immediately every one prepared himself to set about his duty. He, who had the care of the gates, ordered when they should be shut, and when opened; and the trumpets which gave notice that the gates were going to be opened, could not sound, till they had his orders. The officer of the guard took his rounds at night, and if he found any of the Levites upon guard asleep, he either caned him, or burnt his vests. The superintendant of the music every day chose the musicians who were to sing the hymns, and gave orders to the trumpets to give notice of the sacrifices. The masters of the instruments delivered them out to the Levites, and appointed what instruments should every day be used. And he who had the charge of the table, made the Priests draw lots, and assigned every one his office." If the reader has a mind to see more

* Music Gallery. + In Chelim, chap. vii.

Kk 2

of this, I refer him to the book itself; and shall only add here, that there was another officer besides these, whose business it was to take care of the Priests that fell sick, which often happened. For, as they wore nothing but a single tunic, and drank no wine, and were obliged to go barefoot in the temple, which was paved with marble, they were very subject to the cholic. But I must not forget to observe here, that David chose out two hundred and eighty-eight Levites to be masters of music, and teach the others to sing ;* so that, as there were four and twenty courses of singers, each class had twelve masters; and in their performances they mixed both voices and instruments together.

7thly and lastly, As the Priests had the Levites under them, so had the Levites also others under them, whose business it was to carry the water and wood that was used in the temple. Joshua at first made use of the Gibeonitest for this purpose; and afterwards other nations were employed in it; and called Nethinim,‡ that is, or persons who had given themselves up, from the Hebrew Nathan, which signifies to give.

From the consideration of the Levites we proceed now,

2dly, To that of the Priests. In which we shall mention, 1st, their order, 2dly, their election; 3dly, their manner of life; 4thly, their laws; 5thly, their functions; 6thly, their habits ; 7th y, the consecration of the Highpriest; 8thly, his succession; and, 9thly, his dress.

* 1 Chron. xxv. 7.

+ Josh. ix. 3-27.

✦ Ezra viji. 20. See De Tabern. 1, vii. c. 3. § 4.

T

1st, The order that was observed among the Priests was this: They were divided, as we have seen, into four and twenty classes, each of which had its head, who was called, the prince of the Priests. Every week one of these classes went up to Jerusalem to perform the offices of the priesthood, and every sabbath-day, they succeeded one another, till they had all taken their turns: but on the solemn feasts, they all assembled there together. The prince of each class appointed an entire family every day to offer the sacrifices, and at the close of the week, they all joined together in sacrificing. And as each class had in it different families, and each family consisted of a great number of Priests, they drew lots for the different offices which they were to perform. And it was thus that the lot fell upon Zecharias the father of John the Baptist, to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.*

2dly, From considering their order, we proceed to consider the manner in which the Priests were chosen, and the defects which excluded them from the priesthood. Among the defects of body, which rendered them unworthy of the sacerdotal functions,† the Jews reckon up fifty which are common to men and other animals, and ninety which are peculiar to men alone.‡ The Priest, whose birth was polluted with any prophaneness, was clothed in black, and sent out without the verge of the Priests' Court; but he, who was chosen by the judges appointed for that purpose, was clothed in white, and

* Luke i. 9. + Lev. xxi. 16 24. De Tabern. lib. iii. c. 9. § 3.

joined