A Handful of Gleanings out of the Book of Exodus, Section 46 – Section 48
SECT. XLVI. High Priests Garments.
NExt unto his flesh he had a coate wrought checker worke, this reacht downe to his heeles: such a coate as this each one foreignof his sonnes had, Exod. 39. 27. This was made of fine linnen: and it was girded to him about his loynes, with a needle-wrought girdle, of divers colours.
About this he put another coate, called the coate of the Ephod, because the Ephod, being put upon this did gird it. This foreigncoate was all of one stuffe and colour, namely of fine yarne dyed purple. This coate he put not on after the ordinary fashion of putting on coates which were open before, but this he put on like a Surplesse, over his head, for it had a hole in the top wherethrough he put his head, and this hole w…s edged about with an edging of the same stuffe woven in, that the hole should not rent. At the skirts of this coate, were made Pomegranates of linnen and woollen of divers colours, and Bells of gold, so that there were a Bell and a Pomegranate, a Bell and a Pomegranate, round about: This coate was not so long as the under coate, for then the Bells would have drawne on the ground, and would not have beene heard, which to have missed had beene death to Aaron: this represented to the Priests, that the sound of good doctrine, and fruit of good living, must alwayes be about them, as these Bells and Pomegranates: This coate also did fitly resemble Christs humane nature. First, as this was of one stuffe without mixture, so that, without corruption. Secondly, as this was put on after an extraordinary manner, so Christ put on humanity by an extraordinary conception and generation. Thirdly, as was the edge about the hole to keepe it from renting, such was the unseparable union of Christs two natures. Fourthly, as were the Bells and Pomegranates, such were his life and doctrine.
SECT. XLVII. High Priests Ephod.
ABove this he put the Ephod, the materialls of which were fine yarne or threds dyed blew, and purple, and scarlet, and foreignwith every thred of these, was twisted a thred of gold, fitly shewing the purity and holinesse of the Priest in every action, as also most fitly resembling the lustre of the deity shining in each of Christs humane actions.
The word Ephod, doth generally signifie any thing that girdeth a man, so the word originally signifies. More particularly it betokens garments or other things used in divine servic…: So Samuel ministred before Eli in a linnen Ephod, or a linnen coate girded to him. So David when he brought up the Arke to Jerusalem, being desirous to be as Priest-like as he might, he was cloathed with such a garment, a linnen Ephod: So the abomination which Gideon made Judg. 8. 27. is called an Ephod. Because he made it to resemble that Ephod which he had seene upon the High Priest at Shiloh. Most especially the Ephod signifies the upmost garment of the High Priest when he served at the Altar or Tabernacle. The forme of this was somewhat like the aprons which some workemen weare, tyed over their shoulders and covering their breast: Such was this, a rich piece of stuffe, of the materialls before named, the breadth of the Priests breast; at either side it had a shoulder peece of the same peece, which went over the Priests shoulders and were fastned behinde one to another: Before his breast the peece came downe to his paps, and there was the lower edge of it, upon which was woven a peece to gird it withall, of the same stuffe and peece, so that it was girded over his paps or heart; whence John speaketh, when he saith, he saw Christ girded about the Paps with a golden girdle, Apoc. 1. 13. Upon the shoulder pe…ces were two precious s…ones set in ouches of gold, one on the one side, and another on the other. The stones were foreign or Beryll, vulgarly Onyx, the stone which among the twelve belonged to Joseph. In these two stones were ingraven the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel, …ixe on one and …ixe on another.
Thus when the Priest appeared before the Lord, he bare the charge of all Israel upon his shoulders: A full resemblance of Christ.
Upon the shoulder peeces likewise were two bosses of gold neere to these stones, unto which the gold chaines that tyed the Breast-plate to the Ephod, were made so fast that they might not part one from another. Thus was the curious worke of the Ephod, with its girdle and other appurtenances, a full signification of the pr…ciousnesse, and yet heavy charge of the Priesthood.
SECT. XLVIII. The Breast-plate.
VPonUpon the Ephod was the Breast-plate fastned; it was called the Breast-plate of Judgement, because from it God answered foreignby Urim and Thummim, Numb. 27. 21. The materials of this were the same that the Ephods were, viz. Fine yarne or thread, of various colours, and a thread of gold twisted with each, which thread woven together, made as it were cloath of gold. This Breast-plate was of this clo…th, of such a peece, as when it was foulded double, was a just square of a span every way: Thus as the best part of all the Tabernacle, viz. the most holy, was a perfect square, so is the best peece of Aarons garments. This peece was double, because of the weight of the ston…s in it, which required that it should be stro…g.
In this peece were twelve precious stones, set in foure rowes, three in a row, every stone bearing upon it the Name of a Tribe.
First, 1 Reuben, 2 Simeon, 3 Levi.
Second, 1 Judah, 2 Issachar, 3 Zabulun.
Third, 1 Dan, 2 Naphthali, 3 G…d.
Fourth, 1 Asher, 2 Joseph, 3 Benjamin.