speak, 1. of the Levites; 2. of the Priests; 3. of the Officers of the synagogue; 4. of the Nazarites; 5. of the Rechabites; 6. of the Patriarchs; and, 7. of the Prophets.

1. Of the Levites. But before I enter into a particular account of their functions, I shall say something, 1st, of the estates which GoD assigned them for their subsistence, in order to free them from the importunate cares of life, which might otherwise have diverted them from His service; 2dly, of their consecration; 3dly, of their age; and then proceed to say something, 4thly, of their functions; 5thly, of their number; 6thly, of such of them as were officers of the temple; and, 7thly, of the Nethinim, or their servants.

1st, Iu the division of the Land of Promise the Levites had not their portion of it: there were only eight and forty cities assigned them for the support of their cattle; and thirteen of these came to share with the priests. And these are all the possessions the Levites had: but to make them amends for that, the other tribes paid them the tithe of all their estates, and they paid the tenths of that to the priests. And besides this, the priests had likewise the first-fruits, and a considerable part of the offerings that were made to God. All which may be seen in the book of Numbers.

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2dly, As to the admittance of the Levites into the ministry, birth alone did not give it to them; they were likewise obliged to receive a sort of con

• Chap. xviii.

secration. Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, says GOD to Moses, and cleanse them. And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle water of purifying upon them; and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. Then let them take a young bullock, &c.

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3dly, Nor was any Levite permitted to exercise his function, till after he had served a sort of novitiate for five years, in which he carefully learned all that related to his ministry. Maimonides, who gives an account of this custom, thereby reconciles two places in Scripture, which appear contrary to each other; for it is said in the book of Numbers, in one place, that the Levites were not admitted into the service of the temple, till they were thirty years old; and in another, that they were admitted at twenty-five. The last of which two ages shews the time when they began their probation, and the other the time began to exercise their functions. Levites were at the full age of a man, when they were admitted into their office; and at the age of fifly they were discharged from it. But this Rabbin pretends, that this discharge was only granted in the wilderness, because the tabernacle often 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

» Numb. viii. 6, 7, 8.

iv. 3.

Exod. xxix. 1—37.
d viii. 24.

when they So that the

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 was 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.

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5thly, The number of these Levites, upon account that was taken of those who were thirty years of age, in Solomon's time, was thirty-eight thousand and thence we may judge of the magnificence of the house of GoD, in which there were so many officers. Of which, says the Scripture, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand

• Numb. iv.

1 Chron. XXV.
1 Chron. xxiii. 3.

f 1 Chron. ix. 17-26, and xxvi.

1 Chron. ix. 29.

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 David 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 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 Gospel 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 instruments, the table in which every one's office was set down according as it had fallen to him by 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. 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 de

• Music Gallery.