among the sacred vestments, it is supposed the priests always ministered barefoot. This is perhaps confirmed by the fact that Moses, before the symbol of Jehovah at the burning bush, was commanded to put off his shoes. In concluding this account of the priestly robes, it may be useful to repeat that the robes common to all were -the Drawers, the Embroidered Coat, the Girdle, and the Turban; but, besides this, the High Priest wore the Ephod, the Robe of the Ephod with its Bells 43. That they bear not iniquity and and Pomegranates, the Breast-plate die. That is that they do not expose over the Ephod, the Shoulder-pieces of themselves to be cut off by a sudden onyx-stone, and the engraved ornament stroke of vengeance for the profanity of pure gold in front of his turban. The of appearing before God without their Rabbins seem to have the sanction of holy garments. Gr. xa оUK STαOVTAL the Scripture for their opinion, that the προς ἑαυτους ἁμαρτίαν, ίνα μη αποθάνωσι, robes were so essential a part of the and they shall not bring sin upon thempriestly character, that without them a selves that they die not. This caution, priest had no more right than private as the Hebrew writers have gathered, persons, or even foreigners, to officiate was intended to apply not to the linen at the altar. It seems that the old drawers only, but to all the garments. robes of the priests, as already men- Their language is as follows: 'The tioned in the Note on v. 39, were un- High Priest that ministereth with less ravelled, to be burnt as wicks for the than these eight garments, or the inlamps at the feast of tabernacles. What ferior Priest that ministereth with less was done with those of the High Priest than these four garments, his service is is not known; but analogy would seem unlawful, and he is guilty of death by to render it probable that they were the hand of God, even as a stranger that similarly used for the lamps in the tab-ministereth. When their garments are ernacle. We may remark also that upon them, their priesthood is upon as no shoes or sandals are mentioned them; if their garments be not upon priest's office: a Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, a Lev. 8. 2. them from common men, set them apart from common services, and make them the fixed organ of communication between himself and the chosen race. 'The consecration of God was upon their heads.' But while they were thus made to feel that they were invested with an office of the highest sanctity, and one in which they were to expiate the sins of the people by typical sacrifices, they were not suffered to forget that they also were themselves sinners. and needed an expiation as much as any of those for whom they ministered. Accordingly the very first step in the ceremony of consecration was the providing of a bullock, rams, &c., as a sinoffering for themselves, to keep them perpetually reminded of the fact that the law made men priests that had infirmity, who needed first to offer up sacrifices for their own sins, and then for the people's,' Heb. 7. 27, 28. The typical reference of the office itself to the Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah or Anointed One, the great High Priest of the Church, is very obvious, although those parts of the consecrating ceremony which implied sinful infirmity in its subjects could have no bearing in relation to him who was in himself 'holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.' He needed not to be sanctified by the blood of rams and bullocks, or made perfect by the death of others, inasmuch as he has by his one offering of himself upon the cross satisfied for ever all the demands of the law upon himself and his believing people. As God had said, v. 41, of the preceding chapter respecting Aaron and his sons, 'Thou shalt anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office,' he proceeds in the present chapter to prescribe, with great minuteness, the manner in which this solemn ceremony should be performed. As the office which they were to sustain was in itself one of the utmost importance to themselves and the people, it was proper that the mode of their induction into it should be in the highest degree august and impressive; and as nothing of the kind had been done before, and as a permanent form of inauguration was now to be fixed upon, we see abundant reason for the express appointment of the various ceremonies by which the procedure was to be marked. These were of such a nature as was calculated to affect the incumbents with the greatness and sacredness of the work to which they were called, and also to lead the people to magnify and reverence an office in which their interests were so deeply involved. The whole transaction was to be so conducted that there should be ample evidence that Aaron and his sons did not 'glorify themselves to be made priests,' but that they were 'called of God' to exercise the sacerdotal functions. The Most High did, as it were, in this ceremony are the things. See Note on Gen. 15. 1. put his hand upon them, distinguish - To hallow them. Heb. 3 1. And this is the thing that thou shalt do. Heb. 7 haddabar, the word. Gr. και ταυτα εστιν, and these 2 And bunleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with b Lev. 2. 4. & 6. 20, 21, 22. oil, and wafers unleavened annointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. lekaddësh otham, to sanctify them, It is important to bear in mind, in reto set them apart. This is here a term ference to the Jewish ritual generally, denoting that general consecration to that the ideas of sacrificing and of the priestly office which is expanded in feasting are very intimately related to fuller detail in the sequel of the chap- each other. We are doubtless much in ter. The subsequent expression 'con- the habit of regarding the offerings of secrate,' v. 9, 29, has respect rather to the Mosaic law as pertaining wholly to one particular part of the ceremonies one party, and as a purely expiatory enjoined on the occasion.. - To act on the part of the offerer, in which minister in the priest's office. This nothing of a mutual nature was implied. is expressed in Hebrew by the single But the truth is, these sacrifices actualterm 3 lekahën, from kohën, ly partook more or less of the character a priest, and signifying literally to of a mutual entertainment, for with the act the priest, to discharge the priest- exception of the holocaust, or wholely functions. See Note on Ex. 28. 1. burnt-offering, and of certain parts - Take one young bullock. Heb. which were offered and consumed upon par ehad ben bakar, the altar, the rest were eaten by the offer. one bullock a son (i. e. a youngling) ofers and the priests, and this fact will acthe herd. The Heb. par, from which count for some of the oblations consistcomes the German 'Farre,' a younging of articles which were and always bull, a bullock, is a generic term equivalent to the Lat. 'pullus,' a foal, denoting the young of cattle, and yet not at the youngest age. It is perhaps most properly rendered, as here, by bullock, as is the fem. parah by heifer. Gr. pooxapiov εk Bowv, a youngling or calf of the oxen. Some of the Hebrew doctors suppose that ben bakar im-lation of the parties, the disposal of plies a bullock of not less than three years old; but this cannot be made to appear, though it doubtless denotes one that has been sometime weaned.. ¶ Without blemish. Heb. Dan te-admitted, it will account for the remimim, perfect; i. e. without defect, superfluity, or deformity. The animal and the other articles mentioned in this connexion were to be the first which were to be provided, but they were not to be used till various other prelimin-ram was to be a holocaust, yet the bul ary ceremonies, such as washing, robing, &c., had been performed. In fact the consecration itself here ordered did not take place till after the tabernacle was erected. See Lev. 8. 9, 10. have been articles of diet. The Most High could not be expected of course to make a party at a literal table, but at the same time such viands as would be set upon a table might be offered to him. and the fire of his altar as his representative might consume them. Considering therefore the character and re the sacrificial offerings came as near perhaps to the semblance of a mutual feast as the nature of the case would allow. If this view of the subject be quirement of such offerings on the pres sent occasion as unleavened cakes and wafers mingled with oil. In our ordinary meals flesh and bread go together; and so in the present case, although the lock was to be part offered and part eaten, constituting with its annexed meat or meal-offering, the matter of an entertainment in which God and they might feast together in token of friend2. Unleavened bread, and cakes, &c. ship and fellowship. In this there was 3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, cand shalt wash them with water. c ch. 40. 12. Lev. 8. 6. Hebr. 10. 22. a distinct allusion to the prevalent custom in the East of ratifying every important covenant transaction by an entertainment of which the covenanting parties partook together. In like manner, the Lord's supper is often properly represented as a feast upon a sacrifice. While it commemorated the sacrifice made by the death of the divine victim it betokened at the same time the pacification and covenant fellowship of Christ and his followers. The vegetable offering here prescribed as an accompaniment to the animal sacrifice constituted a minhah or mincha, as it is usually termed, of the nature of which see Note on Gen. 4. 3. The two first, the bread and the cakes, were mixed with oil (i. e. oil of olives) before baking; the last, the wafers, were merely smeared with oil after they were baked. The original term for 'wafers' -ra רקק rekikim comes from רקיקים kak, to be or to be made thin, and is applied to signify a thin kind of cakes similar to what are known among us by the name of 'pan-cakes.' The Ital. version has 'fritella' fritters. These were all to be put into a basket as constituting one minhah or breadoffering, and brought along with the bullock and the rams to the door of the tabernacle, and there presented to the Lord. 4. Shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle. To the open space in the court in front of the tabernacle, and near the entrance. It was here that the altar and the laver stood, and where all the ordinary sacrificial services were 5 d And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with e the curious girdle of the ephod: 6 f And thou shalt put the mitre d ch. 28. 2. Lev. 8. 7. e ch. 28. 8. f Lev 8. 9. performed. Moreover, as God was pleased to dwell by his Shekinah in the tabernacle, and the people attended in the court, it was peculiarly appropriate that those who were to act as mediators between these two parties should be consecrated in some intervening spot between them; and such a spot was here appointed where the sacerdotal daysman might, as it were, lay his hand upon both.'- -T Shalt wash them with water. That is, with the water of the laver, which was made, anointed, and set in the court of the tabernacle before the priests were consecrated. It is reasonably supposed, though not expressly asserted, that on this occasion their whole bodies were washed, whereas at other times when engaged in their ministrations they only washed their hands and feet; and to this our Savior perhaps alludes, John, 13. 10, 'He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.' The object of this preliminary oblation cannot well be mistaken. It was emblematical of that inward spiritual cleansing which so obviously be. comes those who, minister in holy things. 'Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord,' is the fixed decree of heaven. 5. Thou shalt take the garments, &c. The entire person having duly undergone the prescribed ablution, the next step was the putting on the priestly garments so particularly described in the preceding chapter. By this was implied that not only were they to put away the impurities of the flesh, but to pour it upon his upon his head, and put the holy | ointing g oil, and 7 Then shalt thou take the an clothe themselves also with the graces of the Spirit, significantly shadowed forth by the splendid robes in which they were to officiate. The original word for 'gird' is TN aphad, to bind, girdle, enclose, from which 'Ephod' is a derivative. The act of girding seems to denote readiness and preparation for active service. So the ministers of Christ, prompt to do his will, are symbolically represented, Rev. 15. 6, by 'angels coming out of the temple clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.' g ch. 28. 41. & 30 35. Lev. 8. 12. & 10, 7, & 21. 10. Num. 35. 25. cations which went preeminently to Greek Χριστος, T The holy crown. That is, the plate of gold with the blue lace above mentioned, Ex. 28. 36, 37. It is here called nezer, separation, from its being a badge of the wearer being separated from his brethren. It is elsewhere used as a denomination of the diadems of kings, 2 Sam. 1. 19. Ps. 89. 40. The mention of the linen drawers is here omitted, because they were put on privately before they came to the more public vestry at the door of the tabernacle. 7. Thou shalt then take the anoint-attributes and perfections which exing oil, &c. Heb. she-alted the 'name of Jesus above every name,' and qualified him to act as Mediator between God and man. the consecration of the Aaronic order, the inferior priests were only sprinkled with this oil mixed with the blood of the sacrifice, but in the unction of the High Priest the oil was so copiously poured forth as to 'run down upon the beard, and even to the skirts of his garments.' It was like 'the dew of Hermon,' says the Psalmist, 'descending upon the mountains of Zion.' This was because it pointed to him who received the Spirit 'without measure.' He was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows;' i. e. above those who pos men hammishshah, oil of unction; the peculiar mode of compounding which for sacred purposes is afterwards detailed, Ex. 30. 23-33. This was perhaps the most important, because the most significant, part of the ceremony of the consecration. As the High Priest was a type of Christ, whatever part of the ceremonies represented the most eminent endowments and attributes of the great Antitype were certainly of paramount import to all others. Now the ineffable sanctity of the Savior, the measureless possession of the gifts and graces the Holy Spirit conferred upon him, was one of those divine qualifi In |