The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 37

The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described · Chapter 37

p. 219CHAP. XXXVII. Concerning the Veſſells and Utenſills of the Temple.

SECT. 1. The Laver. foreign

THe firſt command of making the Laver, and the end of it being made, is related in Exod. 30.18, 19, 20. &c. in theſe words, Thou ſhalt make a Laver of braſſe and his foot of braſſe, to waſh withall, and thou ſhalt put it between the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Altar, and thou ſhalt put water therein, For Aaron and his ſons ſhall waſh their hands and their feet thereat, when they goe into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, they ſhall waſh with water that they dye not, or when they come near the Altar to miniſter, &c.

And the making of it is related in Exod. 38.8. He made the Laver of braſſe, and the foot of it of braſſe of the looking glaſſes of the women aſſembling, which aſſembled at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The meaſures and the receipt of it is not at all deſcribed: The Holy Ghoſt hath left it undetermined what was the forme or the cize of it, but hath given notice onelyonly of the materials of it and the end: It was made of the brazen p. 220Looking-glaſſes of the women that aſſembled at the doore of the Tabernacle: The Septuagint expreſſeth it, of the Faſting women which faſted at the doore of the Tabernacle, reading foreign for foreign: The Jeruſalem Targum, with which alſo Jonathans agrees, reads it, of the Looking-glaſſes of the modeſt women, which were modeſt at the doore of the Tabernacle: which Aben Ezra's gloſſe upon the place helps us to underſtand thus, It is the cuſtome of all women (ſaith he) to looke their faces in Looking-glaſſes every morning, either of braſſe or glaſſe, that they may ſee to dreſſe their heads; but behold there were women in Iſrael that ſerved the Lord, that departed from this worldly delight, and gave away their glaſſes as a free-will-offering, for they had no more uſe of them, but they came every day to the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation to pray and to heare the words of the commandement: The end of it was to waſh the hands and feet of the Prieſts, but the moſt ultimate end was to ſignifie the waſhing and purifying by the ſpirit of grace, which is ſo oft called water in the Scripture; and ſo the ſprinkling of the bloud of the Sacrifice, and the waſhing in the water of the Laver, did read the two great Divinity Lectures, of waſhing by the bloud of Chriſt from guilt, and by the grace of God from filthineſſe and pollution.

The cize and meaſure of the Laver, at the ſecond Temple, is not deſcribed neither, only we have theſe things recorded of it in the Antiquities of the Hebrew writers.

1. That it ſtood between the Altar and the Porch, as the Primitive appointment was, Exod. 30.18. but not juſt and directly between them, but foreign [a][a]Mid. per. 3. Sect. 6.a little aſide toward the South. And the reaſon given for the placing of it there, is this;[b][b]R. Sol. in Exod. 30. ex Zevachin.Exod 30 Becauſe it is ſaid, And the Altar of burnt-offering at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation: meaning that the Altar was to be before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the Laver not to be before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, but it was ſet a little aſide toward the South.

2. That at the firſt it had but two ſpouts or cocks out of which the water ran, at which they waſhed, but that in aftertimes[c][c]Ioma per. 3. Ben Kattin made 12 ſpouts or cocks to it, foreign as the Miſhneh recordeth in the Treatiſe Joma: It calleth the cocks foreign paps, [d][d]Aruch in foreignbecauſe (ſaith Aruch) they were as the paps of a p. 221woman, and water ran out of them, at which they waſhed their hands: and ſo Rabbi Solomon charactering the Laver, ſaith,[e][e]R. Sol. ubi ſupra. It was like a great Cauldren, and it had paps (or cocks) that voided water out of their mouths: Now the Gemara of the Babylon Talmud upon the Miſhneh cited, diſputing the caſe why Ben Kattin ſhould make 12 ſpouts to it, they reſolve it thus, That the Tradition was, that he made ſo many that the 12 Prieſts his brethren which had to do with the dayly ſacrifice might waſh themſelves at it all together: we obſerve in its due place, that there were ſo many Prieſts imployed about the offering up of the dayly ſacrifice, ſome for one part of the ſervice, and ſome for another: Therefore this Ben Kattin being a Prieſt himſelfe, did ſo provide that theſe many Prieſts that were to be imployed together, might alſo ſtand and waſh together: and by this that ſo many might waſh together at the ſeverall cocks of it, it appeareth to be a veſſell of great reception and capacity.

3. There is frequent mention among the Talmudicks of an appurtenance to the Laver, which they call foreign which before we can engliſh, will coſt ſome inquiry. The Miſhneh even now cited, recordeth that as Ben Kattin made the cocks for the Laver, ſo alſo that he made foreign the Mukene to the Laver, that the water of it might not be uncleane by ſtanding all night. And ſo in the Treatiſe Tamid [f][f]Tamid. per. 1. Sect. 4.where it is diſcourſing of the Prieſt that ſhould cleanſe the Altar, going to waſh his hands and feet at the Laver, it ſaith, That his fellowes heard the ſound of the wood which Ben Kattin made, the Mukene for the Laver: The Gemara upon the former place diſputes foreign [g][g]Joma fol. 37.foreign what is the Mukene? Robba ſaith it is a wheele: And ſo ſaith Aruch foreign [h][h]Aruch in foreignThe meaning of Mukene is a wheele: Now in what place and to what uſe this wheel was, is now all the queſtion:[i][i]Gloſſ. in Miſhnaioth in Tamid. vid. Maym. in Biath Mikd. per. 5. ſome ſay it was to let downe the Laver into the Wel, to fill it with water, or to let it lie in the Well all night: and ſo there is ſpeech in the Treatiſe Zevachin of[k][k]Zevach. per. 2. fol. 18. drawing and fetching up the Laver out of the molten ſea which. Solomon made, for it was let downe into that all night, leſt the water of it ſhould be polluted by ſtanding all night in it.

But when we obſerve the greatneſſe of this Laver that we are ſpeaking of under the ſecond Temple, at which, as hath p. 222been related, 12 men might ſtand round and waſh together; and when we conſider that there was no Well neere to the place where the Laver ſtood, by divers paces, it will appeare a thing unimaginable, that one Prieſt ſhould let downe the Laver into the Well and fetch it up againe full of water, for the Treatiſe Tamid makes, the dealing with the Mukene of the Laver (be it what it will) to be but one Prieſts worke. I do not remember that I have read of what matter the Laver of the ſecond Temple was made, whether of braſſe, or ſtone Conduit-like: for to hold it of wood is very unſuitable to the exceeding great ſtatelineſſe of the Temple in other things: yet were it of wood, it would have been a very hard taske for any one man to manage it in that manner as they doe a bucket in a Well, be the Engine of Ben Kattins making never ſo active, and cunningly contrived;[l][l]Maym. ubi ſupr. and therefore Maimonides leaves it as a thing of doubtfulneſſe, about letting it downe into the Well, for, ſaith he, they let it downe into a gathering of waters, or into the Wel, and on the morrow drew it up, or they filled it every day in the morning.

Therefore by the Mukene of the Laver, I ſee not what elſe can be underſtood, then ſome contrivall either found out, or at leaſt the coſt of it diſcharged by Ben Kattin the Prieſt, whereby water was drawne up and forced by the wheel in the Wel-roome in ſome ſingular conveyance to fill the Laver when there was occaſion: Not that the Laver was ſtirred out of its place or needed any ſuch removall, but (as it is knowne by common experience,) water by the working of a wheele was carried in pipes into it at pleaſure. So that whereas the ſtanding of the water in it all night, did make that water uſeleſſe and unlawfull for that end that the water of the Laver was to ſerve unto, it either was evacuated over night, when the worke of the day was done, or if it ſtood all night it was let out in the morning by the Prieſt that was to do the firſt worke of the day, (namely who was to cleanſe the burnt-offering Altar of its aſhes,) and he had no more to do to fill the Laver againe, but only to goe into the wel-roome, and there to draw at the wheel a while, and that brought up water by conveyances into it: So that now to give an Engliſh tranſlation to the word foreign Mukene, we p. 223may very well call it the Engine of the Laver, and ſo doth[m][m]Aruch ubi ſupr. Rabbi Nathan give us ſome incouragement to do, when he tels us that it is a Greek word, and I ſuppoſe he means the Greeke word foreign Machina, an Engine.

4. There was never to be ſo little water in the Laver, but that it might be ſufficient to waſh four Prieſts a rowe: and the reaſon of this Tradition Baal Turim would derive from this,[n][n]Baal hatturim in Exod. 30.Exod 30 becauſe the word foreign which is uſed for this waſhing, Exod. 30.18. is obſerved by the Maſoreth to be uſed in all four times: But a reaſon ſomething more rationall is given by others, and that is this,[o][o]Maym. ubi ſupr. Becauſe it is ſaid, And Aaron and his ſons ſhal waſh thereat, now theſe were four, Aaron, Eleazer, Ithamar, and Phinehas.

5. Their manner of waſhing at the Laver, was thus,[p][p]Id. ibid. R. Sol. in Ex. 30.Exod 30 He laid his right hand upon his right foot, and his left hand upon his left foot, and the cock or ſpout running upon them, he thus ſtood ſtooping and waſhed hands and feet together: And he that went about the ſervice with unwaſhen hands and feet in the morning, was liable to death by the hand of heaven: And none might enter into the Court to do the ſervice there till he hath bathed, yea though he were cleane: And in the ſervice he muſt ſtand upon the bare pavement, ſo that here was exceeding hard and bitter ſervice all the winter when he muſt bath his body in cold water before he enter, and waſh hands and feet in cold water being entered, and ſtand in thinne linnen and on the cold ſtones all the while he was there.

Sect. 2. Solomons ten Lavers, 1 King. 7.

IT is not much important to queſtion and ſearch whether the Laver made by Moſes in the Wilderneſſe eſcaped the fate of time and ſurvived to be ſet up in Solomons Temple,[a][a]Vid. D. Kimch. in 2 Chron. 4.2 Chr 4 as ſome Jewes aſſert; but it is pertinent to obſerve, that were it, or were it not, Solomon made exceeding great proviſion in that caſe, and to that end, for which the Laver was ordained, and as p. 224in all other particulars of the Temple he ſhewed and provided for magnificence as well as he did for neceſſary uſe and for conveniencies: ſo in this proviſion for water for the occaſions of the Temple, he did not only take care for abundance, but he did it with that coſt and ſumptuouſneſſe, that only himſelfe in the other things he did can ſhew a parallel. I beleeve neither any ſtory, nor any Founders Art, did or will ever ſhew ſuch, maſter-pieces of Workmanſhip in that skill and in that mettle, as were his Lavers and his molten Sea: and the Holy-Ghoſt hath been as copious and preciſe in the deſcription of theſe two, but eſpecially of the former, as in any piece of Art or Workmanſhip, eſpecially of that bigneſſe in all the Scripture.

The great addition that Solomon made to the firſt patterne, in the number of Candleſtickes, Shewbread tables, and Lavers, was not onelyonly in ſtate neither, but ſomething in figure ſeemeth to have gone along with it; namely, that there might be ſignified the abundance of light, bread of life, and Purifying, that was to be exhibited in and by him whom the Temple did repreſent: And as Moſes his ſingle parcels did hold out a ſignification of theſe things themſelves; ſo his decuplated number did hold out the happy abundance of them to be found in him that is all light, life, and holineſſe.

The Lavers, ten in number, and all of one mold, cize, and faſhion, were for the waſhing of the parts of the Sacrifices that were to be waſhed, as the Sea was for the bathing of the Prieſts. Their ſituation was five on either ſide the Court, over againſt the Altar and place of ſlaughtering, as evenly and conveniently as they could be ſet: For howſoever[b][b]Id. ibid. ſome of the Hebrew Doctors have been of a mind, that all the ten Tables of ſhewbread that Solomon made ſtood on one ſide of the houſe, and the Table that Moſes made juſt in the middeſt of them, and the like by the ten Candleſticks and the ten Lavers; yet is the Text ſo plaine about the Lavers that they were placed five on the one ſide of the houſe and five on the other, 1 King. 7.39. that it do not only put the matter out of all doubt for them, but it doth confirme the like for the two other ſufficiently, if there were no other confirmation.

p. 225The faſhion of every one of the Lavers (for by any one of them you may view all the reſt) is deſcribed by the Holy Ghoſt to this purpoſe.

Firſt, there was a flat piece of braſſe, of a very great cize for length, breadth, and thickneſſe, borne upon four wheels: ſuch pieces are not to be ſeen in theſe our daies, and it is great oddes that no daies have ſhewed ſuch but only theſe; for every piece is ſaid to be four cubits long, and four cubits broad, and three cubits high: and ſince in the world we cannot finde a piece of braſſe to parallel them withall, we muſt compare them to ſomething of another materiall, and ſo let us liken them for proportion to a ſtone or marble Table of thoſe dimenſions. The Septuagint (by what miſpriſion, it is hard to tell) have made the length of every one of them five cubits & the height ſix, and ſo[c][c]Joſ. Antiq. l. 8. cap. 2. Joſephus who conſtantly followeth them hath followed their errour, upon which miſtake we ſhall not ſpend time: that that[d][d]R. Sol. in 1 Kings 7.1 Kgs 7 Rabbi Solomon giveth occaſion to ſcruple at, is better worth looking after, and that is, whether when the Text ſaith that the height of every piece was three cubits, it mean that it was ſo thick, or that the upper ſide of it was ſo farre from the ground as it lay upon the wheeles. Of theſe two things the latter ſeemeth to be the more probable upon theſe two conſiderations.

1 Becauſe it is not ſaid, the thickneſſe, but the height of it was three cubits, as ſhewing that it meaneth not the maſſy thickneſſe of the piece, but that as it ſtood ſupporting the Laver, the ſurface of it was ſo high from the ground.

2. There was no need of ſo vaſt a thickneſſe, either for the weight that it was to carry, or for the ſumptuouſneſs that it was to bear, but half ſuch a thickneſſe would more then abundantly diſcharge both the one and the other. And therefore the conception of our Rabbin is very probable, and not unfit to be entertained, and that is, that whereas the wheeles are ſaid to be a cubit and an halfe high, verſ. 32. it is not to be underſtood of the full height of the ring of the wheele, but of the height from the ground to the axletree or laying on of this maſſy piece of braſſe, and that this piece was a cubit and a halfe thick it ſelfe, and ſo the ſurface of it lay three cubits high from the ground.

p. 226Theſe huge pieces of braſſe are called by the Originall foreign (which word the Lxx and Joſephus reſerve in the Greeke, and write it foreign) which our Engliſh hath well rendred A Baſe, and ſo hath the Chaldee foreign by the very Greek word foreign: For as when Moſes was commanded to make the Laver, he was alſo commanded to make foreign his Baſe Exod. 30.8. (which our Engliſh hath tranſlated his foot: not to be conceived a long leg or ſhanke whereon the Laver ſtood, but ſome flat maſſy piece of braſſe whereupon it was to ſit) ſo for the ſetting and ſetling of theſe Lavers, this baſe of this cize and deſcription was foreign as[e][e]R. Levi Gerſon & D. Kimch. in 1 King. 7.1 Kgs 7 the Rabbines ſtyle it a ſeat or ſettle for the Laver to reſt upon.

Now whereas it is ſaid, that every baſe had foure brazen wheeles, verſ. 30. it is not to be ſo taken as to apprehend that they ſtood two and two on a ſide, as our Coach wheeles or Waggon wheeles do, but as the baſe was ſquare, ſo there was a wheele on every ſide the ſquare. And this appeareth at verſ. 32. where it is related, that the wheeles were under the borders, and we ſhall obſerve by and by, that the borders were on every ſide. The wheeles that Ezekiel ſaw in his viſion, chap. 1. were placed in the like poſture, namely, ſtanding ſquare and not one edging before another.

Thus lay the baſe upon his wheeles: And now for the working of it up unto its compleatneſſe; we are firſt to obſerve two rowes of brazen ſtaves or bars (but not very long) molten of the ſame piece with the baſe, ſtanding up, tone rowe upon the very edge of it round about, and the other ſtanding a little more inward, (and that but a very little) upon it. Theſe are thoſe that the Text calleth foreign, and which word almoſt all the learned in the language both Jewes and Chriſtians, do ſay doth ſignifie foreign ſtaves or bars ſet in rowes like the ſtaves of a Ladder, and which, if I may make ſo homely a compariſon, I may reſemble to the ſtaves of a Cart ſtanding on either ſide it, ſave that this had ſtaves all about, and theſe too in a double rowe, whereas a Cart hath but ſingle.

Between this double rowe of ſtayes, there was a border or board of braſs, if I may ſo term it, put between and ſtood up between p. 227them all about upon every ſide of the ſquare, upon which border were ingraven the repreſentation of Oxen, Lions, and Palme trees. This border in the Originall is called foreign and that in the plurall number, not becauſe the row of the bordering was doubled as the row of ſtaves, but becauſe the one border went about upon every ſide of the ſquare; and under the border on every ſide ſtood a wheele.

At the foot of the ſtaves and border, namely, upon the very edge of the baſe outward, there were large ſhelves of braſſe laid round about, not level as our ſhelves that we ſet any thing upon, ſtand againſt a wall, but ſloping and deſcending much after the manner as weather-boards are laid over windowes to put off the raines. The Hebrew Text calleth theſe foreign Appendices made in a deſcending manner, rendred by the Italian, our Engliſh and ſome of the Rabbins, additions made of thin worke: The uſe of theſe ſhelves or additions, was, that upon them the Prieſts might waſh what they had to waſh, and the filth by reaſon of the ſlopeneſſe of the ſhelves or benches might ſtill run off: For the waſhing of the parts of the Sacrifice, was not in the Laver it ſelfe, but in water running out of the Laver in cocks and ſpouts, which ran upon theſe benches or ſhelves, and they caſt the water, both from off the edges of the baſe, and from off the wheeles which ſtood under them as under a covert.

At the head of the rowes of the ſtaves, there was foreign a Baſe above, v. 29. that is, ſome reſt or ſettle edging inward, upon which the ſides of the Laver did reſt as it ſate downe into its baſe. David Kimchi conceiveth that it may meane a bench, or reſt foreign whereon to ſet a tankard, or ſome leſſer veſſell by which they tooke water out of the Laver: but if it be conſidered how high it was to the top of the Laver, this will be found a very improbable way for getting of water out of it, and neceſſity it ſelfe will inforce us to conclude that the water they had out of it, they had at cockes: This upper reſt or baſe was gathered into a circle or coronet, which is called a chapiter in our Engliſh and foreign in the Originall, of a cubit and a halfe over, and about this circular edge as neare as it would beare a ſquare, a ſquare bordering was ſet, ingraven as p. 228thoſe below, and ſo the Laver bottome being ſet in this coronet, it ſtood raiſed two degrees or aſcents of borderings above the baſe: This bordering above the Coronet was a cubit high, and the Laver bottome for that height was but of the breadth of a cubit and an halfe over, but then it flowred over and dilated it ſelfe ſo, as that it lay over the upper bordering, and that it ſate upon and over the lower bordering and the ſtaves, and came out even with the edges of the baſe, and this ſpreading of it out is called its mouth, ver. 31. and ſo we may obſerve that the Laver was round in the bottome and ſquare in the top; (we ſhall obſerve the juſt contrary in the molten Sea) and at the foure corners of the baſe, with which the four corners of the Laver pointed and flowred even, there were ſquare brazen pillars, molten with the baſe it ſelfe, and of one piece with it, the feet of which ſtood upon the ground and their heads ſtood under the points of the Laver to beare it up, and to keep it ſteady: Theſe pillars are called foreign ſhoulders in the Text, and they are ſaid to be foreign at the ſide of every one of the ſloping ſhelves, becauſe at their joyning to the baſe theſe ſhelves joyned to it alſo, and at every corner of it theſe ſhelves were jointed to theſe pillars and their ends reſted upon them: Now the feet of theſe Pillars ſtood not upon the very ground, but there was a ſquare of brazen planks caſt alſo with the reſt, which lay on the ground upon which theſe pillars and the wheeles ſtood, and theſe the Hebrew calleth foreign, which the Chaldee and the Rabbins do explaine by another word of the very ſame letters, but tranſpoſed foreign Boards or Planks.

And now let us take up the Text that containeth this ſtory about the Lavers, in a Paraphraſe verſe by verſe along with it, & as neere the words of it as we can for the better underſtanding of the deſcription, which is as copious as the deſcription of any ſo little a piece in all the Bible, and as abſtruſe as the deſcription of any piece whatſoever, great or little.

1 Kings chap. 7. verſ. 27. And he made ten baſes of braſs, four cubits was the length of every baſe, and four cubits the breadth, and three cubits the height of the ſurface of it from the ground.

Verſe 28. And this in the worke of every baſe: they had p. 229borders, and the borders were within rowes of ſtaves.

Verſe 29. And upon the borders that were within the rows of ſtaves, there were Lions, and Oxen, and Cherubins: and upon the head of the rowes of ſtaves there was another baſe or ſettle: and at the foot of the ſtaves, or below the Lions and Oxen, there were additionall boards ſet in a ſlope and deſcending faſhion.

Verſe 30. And every baſe had foure wheeles of braſſe, and planks of braſſe; and the foure corners of it had ſhouldring pillars; the pillars were caſt to be under the Laver, at the ſide of every one of the additionall boards.

Verſe 31. And the mouth of the Laver, that is, the ſpreading and dilating of it ſelfe into its full ſquare, was from within the circular coronet that the upper baſe made, even from a cubit above it: and the mouth of that coronet was round like a baſe a cubit and an halfe over: and alſo about the mouth of it ingravings and borderings ſtood up a cubit high, but ſet about it in a ſquare, and not in a circle.

Verſe 32. And the four wheeles were on the four ſides under the borders: and the axle trees of the wheeles were joined to the baſe, and the height of a wheele to the baſe, was a cubit and an halfe.

Verſe 33. And the worke of the wheeles was like the worke of a Charet wheele: their axle trees and their naves and their felloes and their ſpokes all molten.

Verſe 34. And there were four ſhouldring pillars at the four corners of every baſe, theſe ſhouldring pillars were of the baſe it elfe.

Verſe 35. And on the top of the baſe, even at halfe a cubit height above the ſurface of it (ſo high were the rows of ſtaves) there was the round compaſſe of the coronet of the upper ſettle: and on the top of the baſe, the ſtaves and the borders that were there, were of one piece with it ſelfe.

Verſe 36. And he graved upon the plates of the ſtaves and upon the borders thereof Cherubins, Oxen, and Palme trees according to the proportion of every one: and there were ſo on the ſloping ſhelves round about.

Verſe 36. And he made ten Lavers of braſſe: one Laver contained p. 230forty bathes, and every laver was foure cubits ſquare: and upon every of the ten baſes was one laver.

SECT. III. The Molten Sea.

IT was an equall wonder of Art, that ſo great and vaſt a veſſell as the molten Sea ſhould be caſt, and that when it was caſt it ſhould be got up from the plaine of Jordan where it was caſt, to the Temple: Being brought thither, it was ſet upon twelve brazen oxen, at the Eaſt end of the Court of the Prieſts towards the North-eaſt corner.

The dimenſions and contents of it are thus accounted by the booke of Kings, It was ten cubits from the one brim to the other, it was round all about, and his height was five cuhits, and a line of thirty cubits did compaſſe it round about: And it contained two thouſand haths, 1 King. 7.23.26. with which account the booke of Chronicles doth agree exactly in every point but onelyonly in the laſt, and there it differeth exceedingly, for it ſaith it contained three thouſand haths, 2 Chron. 4.5. Now that difference breedeth no ſmall difficulty how to reconcile it, and that is not all the difficulty in this ſtory of the molten Sea neither, for it is not eaſie to caſt, how ſo ſmall a compaſſe (though it was indeed a huge compaſſe for one veſſell) ſhould containe ſo great a quantity of water. The Bath of the Hebrewes which was the greateſt liquid meaſure that they had in uſe, was within a very little (a pint or ſuch a thing) even and equall with the receit of our Engliſh buſhell, or 8 gallons: now how a veſſell of but 5 cubits deepe and often cubits from ſide to ſide, ſhould containe 3000 baths, or neare upon 24000 gallons of water, is of ſome difficulty to imagine: The cubit in this veſſell is to be taken parallel to its meaſure in other veſſels and parts of the Temple, and ſo that particular will helpe nothing to a reſolution. The Jewes have deſervedly taken this ſcruple into their conſideration and diſpute; and the concluſion that they have made upon the doubt and debate is this,[a][a]Talm. in Erubhin per. in Gemar. & R. Sol. & Kimch. in 1 King. 7.1 Kgs 7 that this Sea p. 231was ſquare in the bottome for three cubits high, and every ſide of the ſquare was 10 cubits broad, and ſo the whole was forty cubits about: and this ſquareneſſe they goe about to prove from the oxens ſtanding in a ſquare facing under it (in which opinion they are farre different from their Countryman Joſephus, for he ſaith that the Sea was foreign [b][b]Joſeph. Ant. lib 8. cap. 2.faſhioned in forme of an Haemiſphere, or halfe a globe, which if I underſtand a right, doth augment the ſcruple that we are upon. And they ſay withall that the upper part of it, namely for the height of the two upper cubits it was round, and they contracting into the round and circular forme did ſo much take in the compaſſe which lay out in the foure corners of the quadrangle below, that now it was but thirty cubits about, according as the text ſaith, that a line of thirty cubits did compaſſe it round about. In which aſſertion although they ſpeak that; which is uncouth, and not ordinarily apprehended upon this matter, yet is their diſpute ſo rationall if it ſhould particularly be given at length, that if it be not found on the ſuddaine worth the beleeving, yet certainly is the matter very well worth the conſidering, and ſo be it left to conſideration.

Now as for the difference which is betweene the booke of Kings & the book of Chronicles about the contents of this veſſell (which is a doubt more obvious and conſpicuous to the eye) whileſt one ſaith it contained two thouſand baths, and the other, three thouſand, the anſwer that is given generally by the Hebrew writers, may be ſome ſatisfaction (which is, that of liquid it contained but two thouſand baths, but of dry things that would lye heaped above the brim, it would hold three) though I beleeve there is more in it. The molten Sea was for the Prieſts waſhing themſelves in it againſt they went about the ſervice, 2 Chron. 4.6. Now their waſhing being twofold, either of their hands and feet, or of their whole bodies, this veſſell ſerved for both, but in diverſe manner: Their hands and feet they waſhed in the water that ran out by ſome cocks and ſpouts out of it, but for the waſhing or bathing of their bodies they went downe into the veſſell it ſelfe: Now had it been alwaies full of water to the brim, it had been too deepe for them to ſtand in, and would hazzard their drowning; therefore there was ſuch p. 232a gage ſet by cocks or pipes running out continually, that the water was kept at ſuch a height, as ſhould ſerve for their purpoſe abundantly, and yet ſhould not at all indanger their perſons: And ſo may we very well reconcile the difference in queſtion by ſuppoſing, that the text that ſaith that it contained two thouſand bathes meaneth, the common and conſtant quantitity of water that was in it, that was fit and ſerved for their waſhing, and the other that ſaith it contained three thouſand haths, meaneth that it would hold ſo much being filled up to the brim.

About the body of this huge veſſell, there were two borders of ingravings, the worke of which the booke of Kings calleth foreign which the Chaldee and the Jewes interpret Ovals, but the booke of Chronicles calleth them Oxen: not in their full proportion but the heads onelyonly, and the reſt in an ovall, in ſtead of the body, and it is conceived by ſome that out of theſe heads, or out of ſome of them the water iſſued forth, they being made as cocks or conveyances for that purpoſe.

The ſupply of water to theſe huge veſſels (and that ſo abundantly that they were not onelyonly alwaies full, but continually ran out and yet were full ſtill) was from the well Etam of which we have ſpoken before: And the Jeruſalem Talmud in the treatiſe Joma, ſpeaking particularly of this molten Sea, and how it was for the Prieſts to bath their bodies in againſt they came to the ſervice, it propoſeth this queſtion[d][d]Talm. Jeruſ. in Ioma. per. 3. Aruch. in foreign Maym. in Beth Mikd. per. 5. But is it not a veſſell? Yes, but Rabbi Jehoſhua the ſonne of Levi ſaith foreign A pipe of water commeth into it out of the well Etam: The meaning of the diſpute is this; It was not lawfull to bath for purification in a veſſell, but in a gathering of waters upon the ground, and how then might the Prieſts bath in the molten Sea which was a veſſell? To this Rabbi Ioſhua giveth this ſatisfaction, that the Sea was as it were a ſpring of water, for water ran into it continually out of the well Etam, and accordingly water ran continually out of it.

p. 233SECT. IV. Baſins, Chargers, Diſhes, &c. King Ptolemies and Queene Helens tables.

IT is not to be imagined that either the numbers, or the names, or the ſeverall faſhions, or the ſeverall uſes of all the veſſels in the Sanctuary ſhould be given: it is ods there were but a very few Prieſts though they waited there, that were able to give a preciſe diſtinct account about theſe things: therefore our going about to ſpeak of them, it is rather becauſe we would not ſay nothing, then from any hope or poſſibility we have, to give an eſtimate or deſcription of them any whit neare unto the full.

Their number was ſo great that they were reckoned to 5400 in Ezr. 1.11. and ninety and three are averred by the[a][a]Tamid. per. 3. Talmud to be uſed every day about the daily ſacrifice: and in the treatiſe Ioma it appeareth that[b][b]Ioma per. 3. there were ſpeciall veſſels for the ſervice of the day of expiation, & that King Monobazes made golden handles to them; & ſo other peculiar ſervices had their peculiar veſſels, in ſo much that partly becauſe of the multitude of imploiments of veſſels at ſome certaine times, and partly becauſe of the change of veſſels at ſpeciall times, the number could not but be very great, nor is it to be ſuppoſed certaine: the piety of one or other ſtill offering one veſſell or other in devotion.

The ſeverall faſhions and cizes of them are rather to be gueſſed at then determined, and the uſes to which they were put muſt helpe us better towards ſuch a conjecture, then either their names doe or any deſcription we can finde of them.

1. There were baſins in which the blood was taken when the beaſt for the Sacrifice was ſlaine, as Exod. 24.6. and theſe the Jeruſalem Talmud thinketh to be thoſe that are called foreign Agartalin Ezr. 1.9.[c][c]Talm. Ieruſan Ioma per. 3. Thirty Argatalin of gold. R. Samuel bar Nachman ſaith foreign In it they gathered p. 234the blood of lambs. A thouſand Agartalin of Silver: R. Simeon ben Lachiſh ſaith, it was that wherein they tooke the blood of bullocks.

2. There were diſhes out of which the blood was ſprinkled on the Altar; and theſe are held to be called foreign Kephorim, in the place alledged out of Ezra: and to be the ſame with foreign Mizrakim, of which word there is frequent mention in the Scripture:[d][d]R Sol. in Ezr. 1.Ezra 1 Kephorim (ſaith Solomon Jarchi) are Mizrakim and they are called Kephorim, which betokeneth cleanſing, becauſe he that tooke the blood in this veſſell wiped off the drops and blood that ſluek on his hand, on the ſide of the diſh: which action we have taken notice of in handling the manner of ſprinkling the blood on the hornes of the Altar: So that, in theſe Jewes conſtruction, Ezra reckoneth by name but the two ſorts of veſſels that were firſt and moſt certainly uſed in the ſervice, namely the great Chargers or Baſins in which they tooke the blood and the leſſer diſhes out of which they ſprinkled it: And it may be the foreign and the foreign that every one of the 12 Princes offered at the dedication of the Tabernacle Num. 7. were theſe two ſorts of veſſels: The Mizrakim are ſaid to be before the Altar, Zechar. 14.21.

3. There were great voiders or trayes, as I may call them, of gold or ſilver, in which the inwards of the beaſts were taken and brought to waſhing, and brought when they were waſhed to the Altar: And diſhes in which Salt was brought for the ſalting of all the ſacrifices. And diſhes in which the meat-offering was mingled, and other diſhes in which it was offered. And it may be theſe that brought the inwards or the meat-offering, were thoſe that foreign meaneth, if that word meaneth any veſſell at all, as it is thought it doth, in 2 Chron. 24.14. Some thinke it meaneth peſſels (ſaith Kimehi) wherewith they pounded the ſpices for the incenſe: But in mine opinion it was a little veſſel, wherewithall they tooke wine out of the Hin for the drink-offerings: And ſo it is uſed in the words of the Rabbins, The maids of the houſe of Rabbi at he was teaching them in the language of wiſdome, ſaid, foreign doth the foreign goe into the tankard: that is, the little veſſell wherewith all they drew wine out of the tankard, &c. I ſhall not trouble my ſelfe nor the reader about this word nor about his opinion; the tranſlation that our Engliſh hath made of it is p. 235not onelyonly very facil, but alſo very warrantable.

4. There were veſſels out of which they powred the drink-offering, it may be thoſe are they that Joſephus calls Phialas, Vialls [e][e]Ioſ. Ant. lib. 11. cap. 1.as he reckoneth the holy veſſels upon the place of Ezra before alledged, but nameth more kinds then he doth: let the reader draw among all the names he uſeth foreign, which may be the title of theſe drinke-offering veſſels that we are about; I ſhould chooſe between the two laſt, and take Phialae the rather of the two: and the powring out of the vialls in the Revelation may chance receive ſome illuſtration, by the readers reflecting upon the powring out of the viall of the drink-offering.

5. There were chafing-diſhes to take coales from the Altar for the burning of the incenſe, and diſhes wherein to take aſhes from the Altar, and from the Altar of incenſe, and diſhea for frankincenſe and the diſhes Teni and Coz, which they uſed about the candles and incenſe Altar: and Cenſer or perfuming pans for the incenſe, Diſhes about the ſhewbread, and ſuch variety of diſhes, baſins, vialls, cruſes, tankards and ſuch like veſſells, that it were an endleſſe labour to ſpeake of them or ſeeke after them particularly. To which may be added, the axes, knives, fleſh-hookes, forkes, fire-pans, tongs, ſnuffers, pots, chaldrons, the veſſell Peſachtar (a word uſed by the Chaldee Paraphraſt Exod. 27.3, &c.) and the inſtruments of muſick, of which we have ſpoken elſewhere, the mortars for making the incenſe; and when we have reckoned all we can, we are ſure we cannot reckon all, and therefore muſt leave them to ſuppoſall and conjecture. And to the diſcourſe of them which I muſt leave thus imperfect, let me adde two utenſills more, which indeed were not of the like nature with theſe that have been ſpoken of, yet may well come in mention with them, becauſe they were all furniture of the ſame houſe, and thoſe were two golden tables, but of ſeverall natures and uſes, beſtowed by Ptolemy Philadelphus King of Aegypt, and Helena, mother to Monobazes.

[f][f]Ariſt. in hiſt. Lxx. Joſ. Ant. l. 12. cap. 2.Ariſteas and Ioſephus after him, relating the ſtory of Ptolemies ſending for the Septuagint to come to him to tranſlate the Bible, they tell what ſumptuous bounty and gifts he beſtowed p. 236upon the Temple and preſented thither; and among other things that they ſpake of (as a great ſumme of money, certain golden and ſilver goblets, and certaine golden vialls, foreign) they mention and deſcribe a golden table, of that richneſſe, coſt and curious workmanſhip, as the like hardly to fellow it in any ſtory, as the reader may peruſe them in the places cited in the margin, for I ſhall not ſpend time upon their deſcription.

There is relation alſo in the Talmudick treatiſe Joma, of a golden table of Queene Helens beſtowing and devoting, but it was not of the faſhion and nature of any tables that we have mentioned hitherto, but it was of a forme and quality far differing from them. It was not foreign Menſa, but foreign Tabula, and the tradition concerning it is thus:[g][g]Ioma per. 3. Queene Helena mother to King Monobazes made the golden candleſtick that was over the Temple doore; And ſhe alſo made the golden table on which was written the Section of the law concerning the ſuſpected wife. Num. 5. So that this was a written table hanged upon a wall, and not a table with feet ſtanding upon the ground, as thoſe were of which we have ſpoken. The Gemara of the Jeruſalem Talmud informes us about it in theſe words:[h][h]Talm. Jeruſ. jbi. fol. 41. She made the table of gold on which was written the Section of the ſuſpected wife, and when the ſun roſe, the beames ſparkled on it, and ſo they knew that the ſun was riſen. And what was written on it? R. Simeon ben Lachiſh in the name of R. Ianuai ſaith, Aleph Beth was written on it. But behold the tradition it: As was the writing on the one ſide, ſo was the writing on the other: It was not thicke nor thin, but a meane between both. As was the foreign that was on the one ſide ſo was the foreign that was on the other. As foreign on the one ſide, ſo foreign on the other. R. Hoſaiah ſaith, All the Section of the ſuſpected wife was written on it, and out of it be read and interpreted the whole Section. It ſeemes this table hung upon the wall of the gate of Nicanor, for in that the triall of the ſuſpected wife was made, the manner of which we have obſerved elſewhere.

As there were tables and candleſticks of gold 2 Chron. 4.7, 8. in the holy place, ſo there were tables and candleſticks of ſilver which were uſed in other places, 1 Chron. 28.15. as in the Courts and in the Prieſts chambers.

p. 237SECT. V. The Prieſts Garments.

IT will not be much neceſſary to ſpend large diſcourſe upon this ſubject about the garments of the ordinary Prieſts which they wore in the ſervice, ſince we have deſcribed the veſtments of the High-prieſt at large in another place, who wore all the ſame garments that the other prieſts did, but he wore other alſo, we ſhall therefore but briefly touch theſe particulars concerning them.

1. That the garments wherewithall the Prieſts were arraied when they were about divine ſervice, were peculiar for that place and occaſion, and differing from the garments that they uſed in their ordinary wearing. Some Jewes thinke there were ſuch Prieſtly garments before the law, and they ſpeak of ſuch, bequeathed from father to ſonne in the holy line even from Adam to Iſaac, and they think the veſture in which Jacob obtained the bleſſing was of this nature: but about this we ſhall not be inquiſitive.

2. The Prieſts when they were come up in their courſes to the ſervice, put off their ordinary wearing clothes, waſhed themſelves in water, and put on the holy garments: See Lev. 1.6.[a][a]Tamid. per. 1. Yea whilſt they were at the Temple and attending there on the ſervice, any of them that would ſleep by night, he ſlept not in the holy garments, but in his own wearing clothes, and in the morning when he was to goe to his ſervice, he put off his owne clothes, bathed himſelfe in water, and put on the garments of the Prieſt-hood. Theſe expreſſions in Scripture, Put off the old man, and be renewed and put on the new, Epheſ. 4.22, 23, 24. Put on the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, Rom. 13.14. Baptized into Chriſt, and putting on Chriſt, Gal. 3.27. Waſhed from our ſinnes and made Prieſts, Rev. 1.5, 6. Not unclothed but clothed upon, 2 Cor. 5.4. ſeeme to allude to this cuſtome.

2. The holy garments of the Prieſts were of white linnen,[b][b]Rab. Sol. in Exod. 28.Exod 28 and they conſiſted of foure parcels whereas the High-prieſts p. 238garments were of eight parcels, and they were of other colours as well as white: And, as hath been obſerved elſewhere, every Prieſt was firſt tried by the Sanbedrin, whether he were right and fit, and being ſo found he had his white garments put upon him, all which garments were found at the publick charge. The man clothed with linnen with a writers inkborne by his ſide, Ezek. 9.3. Walking with Chriſt in white, Rev. 3.4. Araying in white robes, Rev. 7.9, &c. doe ſeeme to referre to this holy garbe and colour of the Prieſts.

3. Upon their feet they wore nothing at all whilſt they ſerved, but ſtood in the Court barefooted, were it never ſo cold; nay though they were barefooted, yet might they not ſtand upon any thing to keep their feet from the cold pavement, but muſt ſtand barely upon that, were the ſervice never ſo long and the ſeaſon never ſo ſharpe: The reaſon of their barefootedneſſe was becauſe of the holineſſe of the ground, as Exod. 3.5. Ioſh. 5.15. and the reaſon of their ſtanding onelyonly on the bare ſtones, was to ſhew their fervour and zeal to the ſervice.

4. Upon their thighes and loins they wore linnen breeches to prevent the diſcovery of their nakedneſſe, Exod. 28.42. either when they ſtood upright aloft upon the Altar, or when they ſtooped downe to any worke of the ſervice either there or in any other place. And here I cannot but thinke of that ridiculous paſſage in[c][c]Martial. lib. 3. epig. 24. Martial. in lib. 3. epig. 24. which ſuch a proviſion as this might have prevented: And of that paſſage in the treatiſe Tamid [d][d]Tamid. per. 5.where ſome of the Prieſts are ſaid to be delivered to the Chazanim or overſeers, and they ſtripped them of their garments, and left nothing upon them but their breeches.

5. Upon their bodies they wore a linnen coate or ſurpliſſe which was called foreign Exod. 28.4. by the Lxx. foreign: upon which Nobilius maketh this comment:[e][e]Nobil. in Lxx in Ex. 28.Exod 28 Graecam dictionem retinet S. Hieronymus ad Marcellam. S. Auguſt. q. 114. habet cum cornibus &c. Hierome retaineth the Greek word (Coſymbotam) Auſtin in queſt. 114. tranſlates it with hornes, and addeth that the Latine interpreters thought it better, to call it the coat with hornes, then if they had ſaid, with tufts. But others interpret it ſtrait and girt: which interpretation ſeemeth not impertinent, ſeeing that afterward in this ſame chapter Coſymbi and Coſymboti p. 239doe ſignifie knots. But others tranſlate it out of the Hebrew, Ocellatam, or checkered. And ſo it might be ſhewed from the originall of the Hebrew word uſed, that it ſo ſignifieth, and this linnen was wrought diaper-like, with checker or diced worke or ſome ſuch kinde of workmanſhip, which ſet it out with neatneſſe as well as it was white.

6. This coate was girt to them with a long ſcarfe, which went divers times about them like a ſwaddle, which was called foreign, and which both helped to keep them warme in their thin clothing, and to ſtrengthen their backs in their hard ſervice, which ſometime they met withall, tugging with the beaſts that they were to ſlay, and lifting at them whem they were killed.

7. Upon their heads they had a bonnet or a miter, which was alſo a linnen ſcarfe often wrapped and wrapped about their heads, after the manner of the Turkiſh Tullibants, as is more fully deſcribed in the Temple-Service cap. 4.

In theſe foure parcels of veſture, the High-prieſts and the other Prieſts were alike, for the High-prieſt wore theſe as well as they, but he had foure other parcels over and above which they might not weare, and by which he was ſingularly diſtinguiſhed from them; and theſe were 1. foreign The coat of the Ephod: this the Lxx call foreign: 2. foreign The Ephod it ſelfe, which he put upon that coat, and claſped it together over his paps with a curious girdle. This helpeth to underſtand that in Rev. 1.13. foreign. 3. foreign The Breſt-plate: in which were put the Urim and Thummim Exod. 28.30. which in the Apoſtles application ſeeme to ſignifie faith and love, 1. Theſ. 5.8.4. foreign The golden plate upon his forehead in which was written foreign The holy one of the Lord (compare Luk. 4.34.) which have been particularly ſpoken to in the tract and place cited a little above.

As the Prieſts garments were provided at the publick charge, ſo when they were overworne they returned to the publick againe, for their coats and breeches &c. were ravelled to make varne for the lampo…, and for the lights at the ſolemne nightly feſtivity in the feaſt of Tabernacles, and it is like, for the Prieſts candles in their chambers.

p. 240SECT. VI. The anointing oile.

THe appointment and compoſition of anointing oile is laid downe in Exod. 30.23, &c. where the Lord commandeth thus. Thou ſhalt take unto thee principall ſpices, of pure myrrhe 500 ſhekels, and of ſweet Cinnamon halfe ſo much, even 250 ſhekels: and of ſweet calamus 250 ſhekels: and of Caſſia 500 ſhekels after the ſhekel of the Sanctuary, and of oile olive an hin: And thou ſhalt make it a holy anointing oile, &c. The ſimples need not to be diſputed of, onelyonly I cannot but obſerve and wonder at the conception of Rambam about one of them, who holdeth foreign Mor which our Engliſh hath very properly tranſlated Myrrhe to be[a][a]Maim. in kele Mikdaſh. per. 1. the congealed blood of an Indian beaſt: whereupon one of his gloſſaries takes him up thus.[b][b]Gloſſ. ibid. It cannot enter into my head, that they would put the blood of a beaſt into any holy compoſition, much leſſe, of a beaſt uncleane. But foreign Mor is that that is ſpoken of in the Canticles, I am come into my garden my ſiſter, my ſpouſe, I have gathered my myrrhe.

For the making up of theſe ſimples into the compound of the anointing oile, the way and manner is recorded to have been thus:[c][c]Ibid. They were bruiſed every one apart, and by themſelves, and then were they mingled and boiled in cleane water, till all their ſtrength was come out into that decoction: which decoction ſtrained and having oile put to it, was againe boiled to the height of an ointment and ſo reſerved.

This anointing oile was onelyonly in uſe in the times of the Tabernacle and firſt Temple, and with it were their veſſels ſanctified, according as was appointed in the place of Exodus even now cited, and deſcribed Levit. 8. but there was no ſuch ointment under the ſecond Temple, for there the veſſels were ſanctified by their very uſe and ſerving in them: and ſo indeed was the Temple it ſelf: For there was neither cloud of glory to ſanctfie the houſe, nor divine fire to ſanctifie the Altar, nor holy oile to ſanctifie the veſſels, nor Ʋrim and Thummim to honor p. 241the Prieſts, and yet was the place and ſervice then as holy as it was before. God by this abatement of thoſe externall advantages and excellencies, and yet by the continuance of the honour of his worſhip and ſervice, making way to the dignifying of the ſpirituall worſhip under the Goſpell, when ſuch externall and viſible appearances of his preſence were not to be looked for, & when all ceremoniouſneſſe in holy things ſhould be aboliſhed and laid aſide.

With the holy oile whileſt it was in uſe and imployment, was the High-prieſt anointed, as well as other things, and when the uſe of the oile ceaſed, then was he conſecrated by the arraying of him in the garments appointed for the High-prieſts wearing, and he was ſaid to be foreign conſecrated by the veſtments, as we have obſerved in another place. The manner of his anointing whiles that was uſed, is deſcribed by the Talmudiſts to have been foreign [d][d]Ibid.after the forme of a Greek Chi: They anointed the Kings (ſay they) after the forme of a crowne, but the Prieſts after the forme of a Chi. what means, after the forme of a Chi? [e][e]Talm. in Kerithuth per. 1.R. Menaſſes the ſon of Gada ſaith, after the forme of a Greek Chi. But what meaneth this?[f][f]R. Sol. in Lev. 8.Lev 8 R. Solomon ſaith it was firſt powred on his head, and then put between his eyebrowes, and drawne this way and that way with the finger of him that put it there: which others expreſſe thus[g][g]Aruch in foreign one powred the oile upon his head, and it ran downe this way and that way, like two pearling droppings upon his beard, as Pſ. 133.2.

The oile and anointing wherewith the Prieſts and the veſſels of the Lords houſe were ſanctified did denote the Word and the Spirit of God, whereby he ſanctifieth the veſſels of his election, even perſons of his choice, to his ſervice, and acceptance: Oile and anointing doe ſignifie the Word as well as the Spirit, And in that ſenſe ſhould I interpret the anointing in 1 Ioh. 2.20.27. Ye have an unction, that is the word, from the holy One, and ye know all things by it. And the anointing, that is, the word, which ye have received of him abideth in you: and ye are not to ſeeke for teaching from any man, for the ſame word hath taught you abundantly of all things, &c.