Pilgrimage, Book 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Of the ancient Oblations, Gifts, and Sacrifices of the Iewes: and of their Priests, and persons Ecclesiasticall, and Religious.
ALthough Moses doth handle this matter of their Rites and Sacrifices, and is herein seconded and interpreted by the succeeding Prophets, so fully, that it may seeme a powring of water into the Sea, to speake needlesly, or by our Discourse, to obscure, rather than illustrate, that which is so largely and plainely there expressed; yet because of that subiect which we hauehave in hand, I cannot altogether be silent (at least of the kinds and heads) referring the desirous Reader for his more perfect satisfaction in particulars, to those cleerer propheticall fountaines. Their rites for time and place we hauehave already described: The next intended part of this Iewish relation shal be of their Oblations, which were either Gifts or Sacrifices. Their sacrifices were such oblations, wherein the thing offered was in whole or part consumed in diuine worship, for the most part by fire or shedding of bloud. These were of eight aCar.Sigon.de Republ. Heb.l.4.sorts. Burnt-offerings, Meate-offerings, Peace-offerings, Sinne-offerings, Trespasse-offerings. the offerings of Consecration. Cleansing and Expiation. bPhilo de Sacrif.Philo reduceth them to three: Burnt, Peace and Sinne-offerings, according to the three causes of sacrificing; The worship of God the obtaining of good things, and freedome from euill.
The Burnt-offerings were by fire consumed, the rites and manner here of is expressed, Leuitic. 1. the fire was to be perpetuall on the Altar, being that which GOD miraculously sent from heauen to consume Aarons sacrifice; for neglecting which, and vsing other, his two sonnes Nadab and Abihu were stricken by a reuenging fire from GOD. The Meate offering was made of fine flower, without hony or leuen, and with oyle and incense on the altar, or frying panne, or ouen, or caldron, according to the rites prescribed, Leuit. 2. partly sacred to the LORD by fire, the rest to be the Priests. The Peace-offerings are with their proper ceremonies enioyned Leu. 3. and 7; the fat and kidneys were to be burned on the Altar (the fat and bloud being vniuersally forbidden them for food) the breast and right shoulder was the Priests: the rest to the sacrificer, to bee eaten the first, or at furthest on the second day: or else on the third to be burnt with fire. The offering for sinnes of ignorance for the Priest, Prince, people or priuate man, is set downe Leu. 4. and 6. The Sinne-offering in case of contempt, where the sinne is committed against GOD & man willingly, with the due maner therof is expressed, Leu. 6. To these were adioyned Prayers & praises, with musicall voices, and instruments, cymballs, violes, harpes, and trumpets resounding For he is good, for his mercy endureth for euer. The sixt kind of sacrifices was proper to the Priests at their consecration, recorded Le 6. 20. The seuenth mentioned sacrifice is of purification or cleansing, as of a woman after child-birth, Le. 12. or of a Leper 13. 14. or for vncleane issues of men and women, cha. 15. The eight is the sacrifice of Expiation or Reconciliation, on that festiuall or fasting day before spoken of, Le. 16. Hereunto may we adde the lights and the daily offring of incense, morning and euening, Exod. 20 on a golden altar, whereunto the Priests onelyonly had accesse, with such perfume onelyonly as is there prescribed.
The Gifts, which we hauehave reckoned a second sort of Oblations, that were not as the former in whole, or in part consumed in their offering, but preserued whole and sound, were giuen, either according to the Law, or by Vow, or of free will. The Law prescribed First-fruits & Tithes, and the personall halfe-shekel The first-fruits of Man, of beasts, and of the fruits of the earth, the Lawe exacteth, Exod. 22. 23. and are assigned to the Priests, Num. 5 and 18. which, of men and vncleane beasts, were to be redeemed, of others to be sacrificed. Of Tithes. when we consider the assignement of them to the Tribe of Leui, we must so farre acknowledge them Leuiticall and Ceremoniall. But some, considering the paying of them to a Priest, so soon as we reade of a Priest, n14 Gen.20in Scripture, and that by the father of the faithfull (which the Apostle vrgeth against Leuiticall Ceremonies, in that Leui himselfe in Abraham paied them) and his nephew Iacob vowed the payment thereof so soone as GOD should giuegive him whereof to pay Tithes; and that (the first times of the Christian Church excepted, wherein there was no such setled order for things of this and like nature) Tithes were paid to the Church, vntil the Arch-enemy of GOD and his Church, in his Antichristian supremacie robbed the Ministers of that due, which in GODS right they before held, impropriating the liuing of the Altar to them that liued not at the Altar but yet ordinarily leauing them to the Church (as they then accounted the Church): cannot so easily subscribe to that opinion perhaps more common then true, which disanull diuine right of the non-paying Tithes, as being then a Iewish and Leuiticall ceremonie. But I leaue the Reader to discusse this matter further, with Master Carlcton in his Treatise of that Argument; whose reasons, if they want weight in any mans iudgement, yet let the same consider an other supply, not at all fauoring of Iudaisme: namely, that cM. Dow…am.Tithes are due to Christian Ministers by Vow: Christian Common-weales, and Counsells hauing consecrated them to GOD and his Church: neither is it now time after the Vowes to inquire, and without Diuine dispensation to alter it, without satisfaction sufficient. But leauing this sore too tender to be touched, and yet little touching and mouing some consciences pretended tender; let vsus view the Tythes, as they then were, Iewish. In Leu. 27.30. is a declaration of the Lords right, All Tythes are the Lords; and an assignation of the same, Numb. 18.21. Behold, I hauehave giuen the children of LFVI all the tenth &c S. dHicron.super Ezech.Hierome reckons foure sorts of Tithes: first, that which the people paied to the Leuites: secondly, that which the Leuites hence paied to the Priests eNum. 18.26.: Thirdly, that which they reserued for expence in their solemne feasts when they went to the Tabernacle or Temple fDeut. 14.22.. The fourth was a third yeeres Tenth, which was then layd vp for the Leuite, and the poore amongst them gDeut. 14.28.. The practise hereof Nehemiah restored in the reformation of Religion, Neha.10. when the First-fruits and Tenths were brought to the treasury or chambers of the house of GOD.
Besides First-fruits and Tithes, they payed to the treasurie personall offerings, as Exod. 10.12. eueryevery man payed halfe a shekel, which the Hebrews interpreted to be perpetuall for the maintenance of the Sacrifices; others temporary, then onelyonly put in practise. As for that collection 2. Reg.12. made by Ioas for the repayring of the Temple, and that after by Nehem.ca.10. the circumstances shew much difference. This treasury, in regard of this Poll-money, grew very rich, as appeared in hI…s. Int. 14. 12.Crassus robbing the same of tenne thousand talents at one time, besides a great beame of gold, which Eleazarus the Treasurer, vponupon Cressus his oath, (afterwards violated neuerthelesse) to redeeme the rest deliuered to him, weighing three hundred minae, eueryevery mina being two pounds, two ounces, and a quarter Troy. Tully iCic.Pro Murena.and other Authors mention these Oblations of the Iewes to their treasury yearely.
These Gifts and Offerings the Lawe exacted: they performed many other also, either of their Free-will or of Vow, otherwise little differing from the former, Leuitvltim. Many other Ceremonies of their meates, garments, fastings, trumpets, and in other cases, I hope I shall hauehave leaue to omit in this place, and remit him that would further know of them to the Scripture it selfe: hauing pointed out the principall.
But by this is apparant, which Doctor Downam kDownams Sermon of the Dignitie, &c.hath obserued, that all these being deliuered them in the Lords treasury, without their labour or cost, together with their 48. cities assigned them, amounted to a farre greater proportion for the maintenance of that small Tribe, then all the Bishoprickes, Benefices, Colledge-lands, or whatsoeuer other Ecclesiasticall indowments and profits in this land, although the prophane Ammonites or hypocriticall Cloysterers had neuer conspired to shaue off our l2.Sam.10.beards, and our garments by the buttocks, not leauing to mD.Smith ser. Black-smith.couer our nakednes, or their shame: And yet how sicke is Ahab for Naboths vineyard? And would GOD we had no Iezabels to play the (too cunning) Physicians in this disease. Let me hauehave a little leaue to say no more then others (for the substance) in Bookes and Sermons hauehave said already: although those Bellies to whom wee speake, hauehave no eares. The first stroke which wounded vsus, and causeth vsus still to halt, was from Rome, the mother of abhominations and rohoredomes. Here, as in the suburbs of Hell, were founded the Churches ruines: our Bulles of Bashan, (Abbey-lubbers, and Cloysterers) with the leaden hornes of those Roman Bulles hauehave pushed downe our Churches, (our Chauncells at least) and made them to fall into those *Apoc. 18 2.Cages of vncleane Birds, the Popish Monasteries. Of nine thousand two hundred eighty and foure parishes in England, nCamden Bri… tan. Edit. vlt.after M. Camdens account, three thousand eight hundred fortie fiue were (it is properly termed) impropriated. And who knoweth whether those Appropriations did not supplant these Supplanters, and dispropriate them of that which in a iuster proprietie was giuen them in their first foundations, for that three-fold maintenance of themseluaes, of learning, and of the poore: yea happily yet (if we obserue the course of Diuine Iustice) we may see many, whose former inheritances hauehave by the additions of these, as of a contagious garment, beene infected, and hauehave either died, or bin sicke at the least, of this plague. How fitly and fully doe those wordes of Habacuk oHab.2.9, 10, 11, 12.agree to the houses founded for religion, by this and like irreligion peruerted, and at last subuerted *Vbi supra.They coueted an euill couetousnesse to their houses, they consulted shame to their owne houses, by destroying many people, and sinned against their owne soules. The stone hath cried out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber hath answered it, Woe vntounto him that buildeth a towne with bloud, and erecteth a Citie by iniquite. Thus we see, the stones hauehave cried out of their walls indeede, and by their demolished heapes may receiue Labans name, Iegar sahadutha, the pGen.31.47.heape of witnesse, their ruines remaining testimonies of GODS iudgements. A violent streame (saith maister Camden *Vbisupra.) breaking through all obstacles, hath rushed out vponupon the Ecclesiasticke state of this Land, and ouerwhelmed, to the Worlds wonder, and Englands griefe, the greatest part of the English Clergie, with their most beautifull buildings; and those riches which the Christian piety of the English had from the time of their first Christianity consecrated to GOD, were (as it were) in a moment dispersed, and (if I may so say) profaned.
Let none traduce me as a troubler of Israel, and a traducer of our Law and State, which hauehave thus both changed & setled these things. I inueigh against Absoloms conspiracie, and Achitophels deuises, which were the troublers of Israel, and so disturbed the iust heart of righteous Dauid, that on the sodain hee a little forgat the exact rule: and commanded, Thon q2.Sam.19.29and Ziba diuide the Lands. So (if loosers may hauehave leaue to speake) our Parliament (perhaps with some extasie of ioy, for remouing the sinks and stinckes of superstition) had in those busie times but negligent consideration of Mephibosheths right: and our Vicar-Mephibosheths, the Clergie then, did not much vrge it, yea we would still say of these our halting Zibaees, Let them take all, rather then wee should want our Lord and his Gospel, to come home to vsus in peace. And in peace, let them rest which were Authors of this peace to vsus; and let vsus pray that a worse generation of vipers doe not arise, and that the rIoel 1.4.Canker-worme eate not what the Grashopper hath left, and the Caterpiller the residue of the Canker worme. I meane those Latron-patrons, and Patron-latrons, whereof these extend to the vtmost whatsoeuer might, and whatsoeuer colour of right, in Exemptions, Customes, *Let me hauehave the like liberty to inueigh against vices here, as Espensaeus was allowed among the Papists, who speaking of the Romish proceedings, saith, Sedis Apostolice summ… iura, hoc est summae, inioriae, priuilegia hoc est abusus, consuetudines, hoc est, corruptelae: I speake only against abusers of law & right.Priuiledges and prauileges, whereby eueryevery Iohn-a-Stile shall intercept the Churches due, or by a weightier fee, force a composition, or wrangle out some broken Title, or break the necke of the Case with a Prohibition: the other hauing a trust committed, maketh himselfe a bawd, and selleth his Church (which cost no meaner price then the bloud of CHRIST) for money. Oh Christ, ouerthrow the Tables of these Monychangers, and with some whippe driue them, scourge them out of thy Temple, which supplant thy plantations, and hinder the gaining of Soules for gaine. Withstand these Balaams, which for Balaks blessing, care not what curse they bring vponupon Israel, which present for presents, and scrape to maintaine their carnall liuing, out of our spirituall Liuings; to bestow on their Hawkes, their Hounds, their! But whither hath this passion, or zeale (Truth I am sure) transported mee? Truely, the fixed Starres in our Westminster firmament (and may not I so call it, where is such a Starre-chamber, shining with the bright beames of Iustice?) I admire, and almost adore in silence: onelyonly those wandering planets, which selfe-guiltinesse accuseth, doe I here accuse.
And for these, and all the Churches enemies, Let GOD arise, and his enemies, (or their enmitie) bee scattered, that there be no more such st.Reg.21.Ahabs, as I mentioned, which hauing more then enough, seeme to hauehave nothing, as long as Naboth hath something which they can long for: and that there bee no tNehem.13.Eliashibs, which shall prouide Tobias the Ammonite a Chamber in the house of the LORD: that neyther any abuse the profession of Lawe, directly; nor the possession of Patronage, indirectly; (for abuses onelyonly I taxe) so to discouer our Churches nakednesse, that euerie Cham (the prophane Atheist, and superstitious Papist) may espie and deride the same, wherein themselues are the most guiltie amongest vsus; although none are more readie to u1. Sam.1.20.tell it in Gath, or publish it in the streetes of Ashkelon, that the daughters of Babylon may triumph.
After that wee hauehave spoken of the Times, Places, and Rites sacred to GOD, order requireth next to speake of those Persons, whose office and function it was to procure and mannage those Diuine and Religious affaires. And first, amongest the first Hebrewes, wee finde no Priest named before Abrahams time, in which Melchizedech was interpreted by the most, to be Shem the sonne of Noah. Father both of this and other Nations: and Maister Broughton hath written a whole Booke in confirmation heereof. The heads of Families then exercised the Priestlie office of teaching, praying, and sacrificing in their owne housholds, as we reade of xGen. 18.19.Abraham, Isaac, yGenes.37.and zGen.49.…Iacob. After that, the first borne of all the Tribes of Israel were consecrated to this businesse, when as GOD had destroyed the first-borne of Aegypt, aExod.13.2.& 15.and these offered Sacrifices bExod.24.5.vntill that the Leuites were chosen in their roome; cNum.3.41.GOD turning that propheticall curse of Iacob, of dGen.49.7.scattering them in Israel, into a blessing, for the instructing of the Israelites. The cause of this their consecration was, because they, eExod.32.29.in a zeale of GODS glorie, had sanctified their hands to this ministerie in the bloud of the neerest of their idolatrous kinred, that had sinned in adoring the golden Calfe.
Now in the third of Numbers, where the first-borne of the Israelites, and the Leuites are numbred, appeareth a difficultie, which most of the Interpreters which I hauehave read of that place, hauehave neglected: namely, that of the Israelitish firstborne there were found, from a monethmonth-old vpward, two and twentie thousand, two hundred seuentie and three, and of the Leuites, but two and twentie thousand; so that therefore there must be fiue shekels a peece payed for the redemption of eueryevery of those two hundred seuentie and three in surplusage more then the Leuites; whereas yet in the parcells of the Leuiticall accompt, are found more of the Leuites then of the Israelites, as appeareth; the family of the Gershonites containing seuen thousand and fiue hundred, the Kohathites, eight thousand six hundred, and the family of Merari, sixe thousand and two hundred, which being added together, amount to two and twentie thousand and three hundred; and therefore are seuen and twentie more then the Israelites. To this *Lyra in Num. Diony… Carthus. Iun. addeth also in the number of Priests.Lyrae, Dionysius Carthusianus, and Iunius (for the most are wholy silent) answere, that those three hundred ouer and aboue the two and twenty thousand were first-borne themselues, and therefore in right of the former challenge of the first-borne, were the LORDS already. And if it seeme as much wonder, (which Authors obserue not) that of two and twentie thousand were but three hundred first-borne; *But one of 74.That their exploit of executing their kinred for idolatrie (before mentioned) in which sinne, the first-borne, as Priests, were likeliest to hauehave followed Aaron, a chiefe man of their Tribe, might answere for me. And that cruell Edict fExod.9.of Pharao, and their miraculous fruitfulnesse, may make it lesse strange, that both in these Leuites there were so few firstborne, and in the other Israelites also, with whom amongst 603550. men from twenty yeres old vpwards, there were (though reckoning but from a month old, as is said) but 22273. which is little more then one of seuen and twenty, besides that inequalitie of the persons numbred. This excursion vponupon this occasion, wherein I hauehave found diuerse Interpretets mute, will (I hope) finde pardon with the Reader, who happily himselfe may finde some better resolution.
To returne to our Historie; GOD had before appointed Aaron to be high Priest, and his sonnes gExod.28.to be Priests, to whom the Leuites were assigned after (as wee hauehave said) as assistants in inferiour offices of the Tabernacle. Aaron, from whom is reckoned the succession of the high Priests in the same office, had appointed to him eight holy garments, a breast-plate, an ephod, a robe, a broidred coat, a miter, a girdle, a plate of golde, and linnen breeches. Also his sonnes had appointed to them coates, and bonets, and girdles, and breeches: which their attire is described at large, Exo. 28. Iosephus writeth of the Stones there mentioned, That that on the Priests right shoulder shined forth very bright, when GOD was pleased with their Sacrifices, as did also those twelue in the breast-plate, when in the time of warre GOD would assist them, which ceased miraculously to shine two hundred yeeres before his time; or as the Talmudists say, from the building of the second Temple.
The consecration of the Priests, and rites thereof are mentioned, Exod. 29. The conditions required in the high Priest, as that he should not hauehave the bodily defects of blindnes, lamenes, maimednes, &c. nor should vncouer his head, and many other such like, are expressed, Leu. 21. His *Leuit.244.office was daily to light the Lights at the euening, and to burne incense at morning and euening, and once eueryevery Sabbath to set the Shew-bread before the LORD to sacrifice, and once a yere to make reconciliation in the holy place, &c. This office they executed till the Captiuitie, after which they ruled also in the Common-wealth, and the family of the Maccabees obtained temporall and spirituall iurisdiction, being both Priests and Kings. But the state being vsurped by others, they also appoynted high Priests at their pleasures: and thus were Annas and Caiphas high Priests, although Caiphas alone administred the office, which was abrogated to Annas, the name onelyonly remaining: and thus Iosephus saith, that Anna was most happie, who had himselfe beene high Priest, and seene all his sonnes in that office, whereas in the institution, and before the Captiuitie, this office continued ordinarily with their liues: which after they enioyed longer or shorter, at pleasure of the Conquerour.
Next vntounto the high Priest, were the Priests lineally descended from Eleazar and Ithamar the sonnes of Aaron, as in number many, so in their priestly rayments, consecration, condition, and office, much differing from the sormer, as appeareth; for their garments, Leuitic. 28. their consecration 29. their conditions required in them, Leu. 10. and 21. and their office in some things, as preaching, praying, sacrificing, not much vnlike to the former, but in degree, sometime assisting him in these things, sometime alone, and in some things, nothing participating, as in Moses plainly may be seene. These priestly families, being of the house of Eleazar sixteen, and of Ithamar eight, which Dauid by lot distributed into foure and twenty orders, according to the number of the heads of families, those foure and twenty men, chiefe of those orders, being to the high Priest, as Aarons sonnes were vntounto him in their ministery, 1. Chronic. 24. and tooke turnes by course, in perfourming of the same as Luke sheweth hLu.1.5.in the example of Zachary. Iosephus iIoseph. in App. & in vita.testifieth the same, and affirmeth, That in each of these rankes were more then fiue thousand men in his time: and in the historie of his life, saith, that himselfe was of the first of these orders, betwixt which was no small difference, and the heads of these were called also Chiefe Priests kEz.8.Mar.14 Actes 4.in the old and new Testament.
The Leuites had the next place in the legall ministery: all that descended of Leui, except the family of Aaron, being thus called: and Num. 3. according to the descent of the three sonnes of Leui had their Offices assigned them, which so continued till the daies of Dauid. He distributed them according to their families vntounto their seuerall functions, twentie foure thousand to the seruice of the Temple: six thousand to be Iudges and Rulers, foure thousand Porters, and foure thousand which praised the LORD vponupon instruments. These were diuided vnderunder their Heads or Principalls according to their l1.Chr. 23.24,families. The Leuiticall Musicians, with their Offices and Orders are reckoned. 1. Chron. 25. and 2. Chron. 7. These in stead of the silken stole, which they ware, obtained in the dayes of Agrippa, to weare a linnen one, like the Priests. The Porters are in the 26. of 1. Chron. described according to their families, orders and offices. They kept, in their courses, the doores and treasures of the Temple: to keep the same cleane, and to keep that which was vncleane out of the same: and these all are mustered in their offices 2. Chron. 35.
The Gibeonites, called after Nethanims, were at hand vntounto the Leuites in the meanest offices about the Tabernacle and Temple, Ios. 9.21. and 1. Chro. 9. assigned hereunto first by Ioshu.1, after by Dauid and the Princes, for the seruice of the Leuites to cut wood, and draw water, for the house of GOD, Ezra 8. Besides these Ecclesiasticall persons in the ordinarie ministerie of the temple, were other, which may no lesse be counted holy: either in regard of Vow, as the mSee the institution of them, Num.6.2Nazarites for a time: Sampson is an especiall example hereof, and Iames the Iust, brother of our LORD: or else they were Prophets by extraordinary calling, as Samuel, Esay, Ieremy, and others: to whome GOD manifested his will by dreames, visions, and reuelations; whose ordinary habite seemes to be a rugged hairie garment, by the example of n2.Reg1.8. Isu.20.2.Elijah, and the false oZach.13.4.Prophets, and of pMat.3.4.Iohn Baptist afterward. And thus much of those persons, which according to the Law were sacred to GOD: it followeth that we should obserue their superstitious deuoting of themselues, according to their owne deuises and traditions, vntounto a supposed seruice of GOD. In a more strict maner then ordinary, or some-way in opinion and practise differing both from the law, and the rest of the Iewish people. Of this kinde were many Sects, whereof wee are next to speake.