Anoint

ing.

xxx. 23,

In a word, these garments, appointed for the priests by the Hebrew ritual, were proper, decent, and graceful, free from all superstition in themselves, and a wise fence against the superstitions of their neighbours, teaching useful, moral instruction, and answering all the wise designs for which the Hebrew worship was to be ritual.

When the priests were thus washed with water, and invested with their robes of office, they were to be anointed. Then Exodus, (says the ritual) shalt thou take the anointxxix. 7. ing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. This anointing oil was oilolive, in which the principal spices were to be infused with which the tabernacle and vessels, as well as Aaron and his sons, were to be anointed to consecrate them, and was appropriated to this religious use. 32, 38. The ritual forbid the common use of it, or even the composition of any thing like it.

24, 26

30.

Levit.

11, 12.

In the solemn consecration of Aaron, Moses accordingly took the anointing oil, viii. 10, and anointed the tabernacle, and all that was therein, and sanctified them. And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar, and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him to sanctify him. These ceremonies, performed

by the command, and in the name of Jehovah, naturally expressed a consecration, by God's authority, to sanctify them for God's service; it taught the proper authority, and gave encouragement to hope the qualifications suitable for the discharge of the office to which they were sanctified, So just is the observation of a judicious author, that the holy anointings had the signification of honour and joy, of holiness and inspiration of the Holy Ghost *. The Psalmist speaks of the oil of gladness, Thou Psalm lovest righteousness, and hatest wicked- xlv. 7. ness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Therefore, in allusion to the composition of this holy oil, all thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, the principal spices used in it. And thus the Son of God is represented as the Messiah and Christ, both which mean God's anointed, and is explained, that God John, iii. giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him; and again, that God anointed Jesus of Acts, *. Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with 38. power. Here we have again a plain rite of known use and meaning, to show the authority of the persons officiating, and encouragement to hope the qualifications necessary for the discharge of their office,

* Habuit autem unguentum sacrum, ut honoris et gaudii significationem, ita sanctitatis et afflatus divini, -Outram de Sacrificiis, 1. i. c. 5. § 3.

81.

8.

Consecration of the

through the blessing of God, who thus called them, by anointing, to their office. Here we have a rite free from all superstition, as well as of useful meaning, well fitted to keep out every superstition, which had found out many compositions, and in particular ointments of wonderful magical powers and virtues, as the principles of idolatry, imposing on the credulity of the vulgar, persuaded them to believe; and a rite which prepared the mind to receive the Messiah, as in the fullest meaning the Lord's anointed.

The last ceremony of consecration which the ritual directs, is a threefold sapriests by crifice, a bullock, and two rams: the bulsacrifices. lock was a sin-offering; one of the rams

Levit. yiii. 31.

Leviticus, xxix. 10,11,12, 13, 14.

for a burnt-offering; the other, called the ram of consecration, was a peace-offering; and therefore Moses directed Aaron and his sons to eat it, with the bread that was in the basket of consecration.

The ritual directs, in the first place, And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock; and thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. And thou shalt

take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar; but the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp; it is a sin-offering. This sin-offering was an atonement for Aaron and his sons, who were then to be consecrated priests to Jehovah. They were first to be purged from their sins by a sin-offering; that they might be fit to appear in the presence of the holy, blessed God, or, as Dr. Outram speaks, in the words of Rabbi Levi Ben Gerson, "You are to observe the reason "of the order in which these sacrifices "are appointed to be offered: the first "sacrifice is a sin-offering for the expiation

of their sins, of which only a little of "the fat was offered unto God (to whom "be praise), because they who were to of"fer (the priests) were not as yet worthy, "from whom God should receive gifts "and offerings.'

Aaron and his sons are directed to put their hands on the head of this bullock. This ceremony was attended, in the sin

Observari debet ratio ordinis quo facta erant hæc sacrificia; nam primum omnium, in peccatorum expiationem, factum erat sacrificium piaculare, cujus nihil nisi aliquanta adeps, Deo (eui laus) offerebatur, quia offerentes nondum digni erant, à quibus Deus munus et donum acciperet. Outram de Sacrif. 1. i. c. 5. § 5.

21.

offering for the children of Israel, with an express confession of sins; it was directed Levit.xvi. that Aaron should lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over them all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgression in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. The Hebrew masters represent the form of this confession after such manner as this: I have sinned; I have comworth on mitted iniquity; I have trespassed, and Exodus, done thus and thus, and do return with repentance before thee; and with this I make atonement. Mr. Le Clerc observes, the rite itself would signify a confession of sins, though not expressed in words *.

Ains

xxix. 10.

The next sacrifice directed by the ri tual was an whole burnt-offering: Thou shalt also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar; it is a burnt-offering unto the Lord, it is a sweet xxix. 15, savour, an offering made by fire unto the

Exodus,

16-18. Lord.

Concerning this sacrifice as a burntoffering, an offering of sweet savour, you may observe, it was offered to God as from persons restored to his peace, and

*Hoc saltem constare videtur, hunc ipsum ritum, confessionem peccati, tacente licet sacerdote, fuisse.-Le Clero in loc.