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--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 so 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 a 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 fa cred History.

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 Prieft went in after him, and with him fourfcore Priests of the LORD that were valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the king; and faid unto him, it appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn inc enfe unto the LORD, but to the Priefts the fons of Aaron, that are confecrated to burn incense:

cense: Go out of the fanctuary, for thou haft trefpaffed; neither shall it be for thine honour 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 alfo 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 withstand, even the most powerful; when they trespass fo far, as to attempt to wreft out of their Hands, any of those T 2 Rights

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

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1 Chron. To return; Aaron was separated that xxiii. 13. he should fanctify the most holy things, be and his fons for ever; to burn incense benout fore 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 Courfes; 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 Courfes waited by Weeks; one went out, and another came in against every Sabbath. Thus, upon the Restoration of the Kingz Chron. dom to Joah, Jehoiada the High-Prieft, got two Courses to be in the Temple, at the fame Time; when one came in, he did not difmifs the other; and by this means made his Poffe the stronger.

xxiii. 8.

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

Luke i. 8,

charias the Father of John the Baptift, that, While be executed the Priest's office, before God, in the order of his Course, (according to the custom of the Priest's office) & bis lot was, to burn incenfe, when he went into the temple of the LORD. It is faid moreover, that he was of the Courfe of Abia: which was the Eighth Courfe of the Four and Twenty.

I have only to obferve further; That, among 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 Prieft, 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 Priest, by way of Diftinction from the Principal or High-Prieft; at the

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

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Time of the Captivity, (as we observ'd before) The captain of Nebuchadnezzar's 2 Kings guard took Seraiah the Chief Priest, and XXV. 18. Zephaniah the Second Prieft, and the three keepers of the door.

There is yet, another Senfe, in which we find the mere Priefts, fometimes call'd Chief Priests; and that is, either, when the Heads of Houfes or Families, in the Tribe of Levi, are spoken of; or Men of great Character for Senfe and Experience. Thus Ezra, who himself was one, menEzra viii. tions twelve of the Chief of the Priests. 24, 29. We find them mention'd again in the

Mark

Gospel; where they are plainly enough distinguish'd from the High-Prieft. They led Jefus away to the High-Prieft; and xiv. 53. with him were affembled all the Chief Priefts. Either, all thofe that were Members of the Sanhedrim; or fuch as he had fummon'd to confult with, in so arduous and extraordinary a Juncture. Such wete those probably whom, we read of in the Acts of the Apostles; Where Annas the (late) High-Prieft, and Caiaphas (the prefent High-Prieft) and John and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred

Acts iv.

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